# Classical Arabic: Please



## sooorad

Was there any Classical Arabic word for ‘please’, the word used to make a polite request equivalent to modern “مِنْ فَضْلِكَ”?


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## ayed

Some people would use " رجاء", instead.


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## sooorad

ayed said:


> Some people would use " رجاء", instead.


Would you happen to have any example texts?


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## ayed

sooorad said:


> Would you happen to have any example texts?


Scroll down to the the last paragraph(page 119)
شخصيات ألف ليلة وليلة - من البناء إلى التوظيف في الرواية العربية

Scroll down to the line No.7
رواية حلم سندريلا البارت الخامس

The third paragraph
رواية حب بالإشارات الفصل الثالث عشر الجزء الأول


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## sooorad

Thanks so much


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## Mahaodeh

I'm not sure that Ayed's examples are Classical Arabic, they seem MSA to me including the one about 1001 nights. I'm not sure if there's a single word that was used, I don't recall ever reading one although this is not really proof, it just means that I personally have never come across one. I have come across other methods of making polite requests though.


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## Ibn Nacer

Salut,

What do you think of أرجوك and الرَّجاء ?

- The usage of أرجوك is mentioned in the dictionary معجم اللغة العربية المعاصرة :

 ...  أرجوك : عبارة تستخدم كطلب مهذَّب،

- For الرَّجاءُ there is example here LDLP - Librairie Du Liban Publishers there is this example: الرَّجاءُ عَدَم التَّدْخين ‪prière de ne pas fumer

- Is there a difference between these uses:  أرجوك and الرجاء and بالرجاء/برجاء and رجاءً ?

Some links (examples) :

بالرجاء - Translation into English - examples Arabic | Reverso Context
Traduction رَجاءٌ français | Dictionnaire arabe-français | Reverso 
برجاء - Translation into English - examples Arabic | Reverso Context 

Merci.


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## djara

Here are a few examples
*فلو تفضلت* بأن تعيدها (الأغاني)ـ Could you please repeat this?
*فلو شئتِ* أعدتِ (المنتظم، ابن الجوزي)ـ ِCould you please sing this again? (and a few lines after, he says ِ*لو تفضلت*)
قالت له: يا سيدي إن لولدي زوجة، وهي بأسطوان الدار، *فلو تفضلت* بقراءته بين بابي الدار بحيث تسمعها. (رحلة ابن بطوطة)ـ ... could you please read it ....


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## Ibn Nacer

Merci Djara, ce sont des exemples intéressants...


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## sooorad

Mahaodeh said:


> I have come across other methods of making polite requests though.


Could you share them please?


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## cherine

There's also هَلاَّ+ الفعل الماضي like هلاّ أعطيتني الكتابَ، هلاّ ساعدتني في هذا...


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## WadiH

cherine said:


> There's also هَلاَّ+ الفعل الماضي like هلاّ أعطيتني الكتابَ، هلاّ ساعدتني في هذا...



This is considered the opposite of asking politely (also حبذا I believe).  I wouldn't use it for 'please'.


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## cherine

Really?!  I didn't know that. Thank you for the correction, Wadi.


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## WadiH

You're welcome, cherine.  You can search for حروف التحضيض for more information.  The Arabic wiki page on it has a good summary: حروف التحضيض - ويكيبيديا .


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## cherine

I was actually going to check هلاّ in my grammar book before posting, but was too hasty and posted before verifying. That should teach me


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## Abu Talha

Regarding هلا فعلت , would you rather say that it is polite request if a future action is intended and it is a reproach (or even a plain inquiry) if a past action is meant?

By the way, in the Wiki article Wadi Hanifa linked to, there is a note at the end where it is mentioned that هلا + الفعل الماضي could be used for التحضيض والعَرْض .


Mahaodeh said:


> I have come across other methods of making polite requests though.
> 
> 
> sooorad said:
> 
> 
> 
> Could you share them please?
Click to expand...

هل تستطيع is one possibility. See لا تستطيع


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## Ibn Nacer

Salut,



Abu Talha said:


> Regarding هلا فعلت , would you rather say that it is polite request if a future action is intended and it is a reproach (or even a plain inquiry) if a past action is meant?


Interesting, thank you. This rule is mentioned in several dictionaries: arabdict

I wonder how we can translate this particle...
I note that in the dictionary *معجم الغني *it says this: هَلاَّ : كَلِمَةٌ مُرَكَّبَةٌ مِنْ "هَلْ" وَ "لاَ"...
I wonder if there is a difference between أَلَا and هَلاَّ ?...

Ici il y a deux exemples :

هَلَّا تَأْتي؟    ‪ne viendrais-tu pas?
هَلَّا تَسْكُتُ؟    ‪voulez-vous bien vous taire?


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## sooorad

What is the conclusion of رَجَاءً, is it Classical Arabic or not?


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## Matat

I actually asked about هلا four years ago for anyone who is interested.


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## Ibn Nacer

Merci *Matat.*


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## Mahaodeh

sooorad said:


> Could you share them please?


Sorry for the late reply, I don't know how I missed this post  .

Anyway, what I had mind at the time was the use of لو and لولا; for example: لو اعطيتنا لشكرناك. However, it seems that the thread referred to by Matat in #19 already includes these.


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