# MSA/Egyptian/Iraqi: On second thoughts



## Andrew___

Hello,

May I ask how we say in MSA, Egyptian and Iraqi Arabic: *"On second thoughts".*

For example, "On second thoughts, I think it's better that we visit tomorrow rather than today."

Many thanks.


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## suma

3alaa fikra taaniya 
I'm guessing


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## Andrew___

Perhaps the closest in EA is "Ohhhh, 3andy fekra a7san..."


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## djamal 2008

يمكن استعمال بالأحرى؛


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## Josh_

I also do not know how to express this.  I suppose I would just go with "_3andi fikra aHsan_," or maybe just the word "_aHsan_" somehow in combination with whatever I had a second thought about.

On another note, do Australians really say "on second thoughts?"  In American English it is "on second thought" and I must say that making 'thought' plural in that idiom sounds quite odd to my American ears.


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## Mahaodeh

I would use: من ناحية ثانية or عند إعادة النظر for MSA.

The expression is not very common in collequal, it's best to try to use other expressions such as (in Iraqi): ... لو أقول....; [.......] loo agool [....]; usually with a pause after agool - imgain yourself thinking while you are talking . Example:

تعالوا نروح مطعم الصمدي.... لو أقولكم... خل نروح مطعم سيروان أحسن



djamal 2008 said:


> يمكن استعمال بالأحرى؛


 
No, بالأحرى is not used when you change your mind; it's used for something close - explaining exactly what you are referring to as opposed to a general answer. Example: لقد تأخر أخي في المدرسة، أو بالأحرى في غرفة الناظر. Just think about the meaning: it comes for the verb that means "investigate".

هو الأحرى لأنك تحرّيت وعلمت أنه أصوب!


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## Andrew___

Thanks guys.



Mahaodeh said:


> تعالوا نروح مطعم الصمدي.... لو أقولكم... *خل* نروح مطعم سيروان أحسن



May I ask what is this strange word *خل*?  Does it mean "how about..." in the context of suggesting something? Is it pronounced "khal".


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## ayed

Andrew___ said:


> Thanks guys.
> 
> 
> 
> May I ask what is this strange word *خل*? Does it mean "how about..." in the context of suggesting something? Is it pronounced "khal".


*خلنا نروح* Let's go دعنا نذهب
As for your phrase, it could be either :
Tell you what, let us go to تدري ، دعنا نذهب


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## Mahaodeh

ayed said:


> *خلنا نروح* Let's go دعنا نذهب


 
Yes, but in Iraq they don't add the نا although you may hear خلينا.


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## xebonyx

Josh_ said:


> I also do not know how to express this. I suppose I would just go with "_3andi fikra aHsan_," or maybe just the word "_aHsan_" somehow in combination with whatever I had a second thought about.
> 
> On another note, do Australians really say "on second thoughts?" In American English it is "on second thought" and I must say that making 'thought' plural in that idiom sounds quite odd to my American ears.


 
Haha. We actually discussed this difference in the English forum awhile back. All the AE speakers said "on second thought" while BE's was "on second thought*s*".

I'm sure you can also say: في العادة
ربما سأذهب إلى النادي ليلة اليوم.. في العادة، سأذهب إلى البيت


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## Andrew___

Many thanks everyone for your help with this.




Josh_ said:


> On another note, do Australians really say "on second thoughts?" In American English it is "on second thought" and I must say that making 'thought' plural in that idiom sounds quite odd to my American ears.


 
I had never heard "on second thought" before. That sounds very strange to me. 

I am a little surprised that people are suggesting على فكرة for to mean "on second thoughts".

I thought that 3ala fikra means "by the way", and does not foreshadow that you are about to reverse your previous suggestion.


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## Josh_

Yeah, I would not use _3ala fikra_ to mean on second thought(s).  I have only heard it used, and use it myself, with the meaning of 'by the way' or 'on that note'.


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## xebonyx

True, that's a literal translation of it.


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## Mahaodeh

I wouldn't use على فكرة to express that; nor would I use في العادة, which means "normally".


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## elroy

Maha, you really think من ناحية ثانية can be used to mean "on second thought"?

Andrew, you must have misread something because I didn't see anyone suggest على فكرة.

If you're interested in Palestinian Arabic, we would say  ولا هأقوللك/هأقوللكم (أيش/شو) (_willa ha2ullak/ha2ullek/hu2allkom [eesh/shuu]_).

Re. "on second thought/thoughts," this is the EO thread in which I first learned that the bizarre-sounding  "on second thought*s*" was actually used in British English.


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## Mahaodeh

elroy said:


> Maha, you really think من ناحية ثانية can be used to mean "on second thought"?


 
Not exactly; it's different, but I thought one might try to use it to express that he had another idea since the expression "on second thought[s]" itself is not commonly used in Arabic.


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## cherine

Mahaodeh said:


> [...](in Iraqi): ... لو أقول....; [.......] loo agool [....]; usually with a pause after agool - imgain yourself thinking while you are talking . Example:
> 
> تعالوا نروح مطعم الصمدي.... لو أقولكم... خل نروح مطعم سيروان أحسن


We have a similar one in Egypt:
walla '2ollak ولاّ أقولك literally meaning "or I tell you", and is used excatly as Maha describes  with a pose after a2ollak.

We also sometimes drop the "walla" and just say "a2ollak", then a pause, then the suggestion.


> No, بالأحرى is not used when you change your mind; it's used for something close - explaining exactly what you are referring to as opposed to a general answer. Example: لقد تأخر أخي في المدرسة، أو بالأحرى في غرفة الناظر.


I agree with Maha. "bil2a7raa" means something like "more precisely". 


xebonyx said:


> I'm sure you can also say: في العادة
> ربما سأذهب إلى النادي ليلة اليوم.. في العادة، سأذهب إلى البيت


I'm sorry to contradict what you're sure about, but fil-3aada means "usually". So, we can't use it here, nor with the meaning of "on second thought(s)".


Andrew___ said:


> I am a little surprised that people are suggesting على فكرة for to mean "on second thoughts".
> I thought that 3ala fikra means "by the way", and does not foreshadow that you are about to reverse your previous suggestion.


This is correct. 3ala fekra is used with the meaning of "by the way". I don't think it has other meanings.


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## londonmasri

cherine said:


> walla '2ollak ولاّ أقولك literally meaning "or I tell you", and is used excatly as Maha describes  with a pose after a2ollak.


 
I was trying to remember where I heard this phrase...

_fa 2ayy 2ully, walla a2ullo..._

Om kalsoum if i remember correctly.


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