# EA: peopled out



## scetis

Over the last while I've found myself apologizing to my Egyptian friends for not calling back right away or going out much... what I'm want to say to them is that Sorry, I'm just really peopled out, it was a crazy week last week (i.e. a lot of events, people etc.). 

So I was wondering, do you have this expression in EA or its equivalent? And also, culturally would it come across the same way or would it come across as rude? 

Or to ask a more general question, how do you apologize to friends when they say "why didn't you call"? Why didn't you come?... Any advice to a guilt laden westerner?


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## cherine

Hi Scetis,

Would you care to explain what "peopled out" mean?

As for the common appology, we usually say things like كنت مشغول جدًا or معلش كنت مشغول جدًا الأسبوع اللي فات كله وكنت بارَوَّح كل يوم مقتول مش قادر حتى اتكلم .


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## إسكندراني

I think it's a verb that scetis invented


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## Finland

Hello!

No no, it is not an invented expression. "Being (all) peopled-out" means that you have for example been seeing so many people lately that you simply feel uncapable of socialising. Usually it is like an overdose of social life.

Nothing very ingenious or idiomatic comes to my mind in Arabic, let alone in Egyptian Arabic...

HTH
S


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## إسكندراني

I guess british people never oversocialise then; I've never heard it


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## Abu Talha

Hello. Not Egyptian Arabic but if these are valid, it may give you some ideas:
لقد مللت وكللت من المؤانسة
أو
اعذرني فقد غلبني/أكلّني/أملّني كثرةُ المؤانسة


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## إسكندراني

تعبت is probably better, daee; saying كللت ومللت feels like you've had enough of the world ! 
I usually find 'sarcastically' strong phrases quite hard to translate...


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## Abu Talha

إسكندراني said:


> تعبت is probably better, daee; saying كللت ومللت feels like you've had enough of the world !


Ah, I see. Thanks for the correction!


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## scetis

Finland was right... but for those who haven't heard it, it's a term used by us in the west (i.e. an individualistic society!) when we have simply been around people for too long. Say you worked all week, then went out every night  to social engagements and then came home to an aunt or a friend staying at your house who wanted to stay up and talk. By friday you would be saying, I'm not going anywhere, I'm too peopled out. It's not something you ever say to someone directly (i.e. the person(s) you've been around) but more used as a response to "why aren't you coming out/why aren't you answering your phone" etc. 

I've always wondered if my friends who live in communal cultures feel the same... I'm also an introvert by nature though which makes this term much more common in my life!  

Hope this helps... let us know if you feel inspired to start using it (Askanderani)!


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## scetis

daee said:


> Hello. Not Egyptian Arabic but if these are valid, it may give you some ideas:
> لقد مللت وكللت من المؤانسة
> أو
> اعذرني فقد غلبني/أكلّني/أملّني كثرةُ المؤانسة



Can you just clarify what المؤانسة is? Thanks...


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## Abu Talha

scetis said:


> Can you just clarify what المؤانسة is? Thanks...


It's the masdar from the verb آنس يؤانس and I think it means to socialize. Its from the same root as إنس , إنسان , and الناس so I thought it was appropriate for being "_people_d out." By itself, however, I don't think it indicates an excess of socializing which is why I added كثرة in the second sentence. That's what I feel as a non-native. Perhaps others more knowledgeable can comment.


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## إسكندراني

Thanks scetis. I think it's a feeling which isn't specific to any culture; what is strange to me is that someone would ever say 'I have seen too many people' so directly  although you've clarified that's not how you'd use it.

Daee, I don't think the verb is used like this any more, I only use it for close friends (يؤانسني صاحبي). In Egypt we would say الخروج or الزيارات or مقابلة الناس. Maybe we should start a thread for 'socialise'.


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## Abu Talha

إسكندراني said:


> Daee, I don't think the verb is used like this any more, I only use it for close friends (يؤانسني صاحبي). In Egypt we would say الخروج or الزيارات or مقابلة الناس. Maybe we should start a thread for 'socialise'.


I think I must have misinterpreted it then. Thank you for the correction. The dictionaries give the meaning of being genial and sociable with someone. Would معاشرة  or مخالطة be more accurate in this context?

Here are a couple of threads on hanging out:
http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=2357870
http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=386301


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## scetis

Thanks daee, I thought that was it but have never actually seen it written down so thanks! Also, in Northern Sudan they (seem) to use it to mean chatting, as lets sit and chat a little, have you heard this version of it?


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## scetis

إسكندراني said:


> Daee, I don't think the verb is used like this any more, I only use it for close friends (يؤانسني صاحبي). In Egypt we would say الخروج or الزيارات or مقابلة الناس. Maybe we should start a thread for 'socialise'.



Askandarani, could you explain a bit more what you mean by "I only use it with close friends"? If the meaning isn't socialize, what would you say is the correct translation? Good idea on starting a thread on socialize in the Egyptian context, I think it relates well to 'hanging out' as well (socialize I think simply being the more formal of the two). They both appear a lot in the following context, "Why are you hanging out with 'those'  people/Why are you socializing with 'those' people'. The implication (or emphasis on 'those', with your nose wrinkled), is that they are somehow beneath you in status or social class or morals. I'd be interested in hearing how an Egyptian would say that about 'الناس دي'...


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## Abu Talha

scetis said:


> Thanks daee, I thought that was it but have never actually seen it written down so thanks! Also, in Northern Sudan they (seem) to use it to mean chatting, as lets sit and chat a little, have you heard this version of it?


To be honest, I don't know very much at all about the dialects. Even in Standard Arabic, I was just going by the dictionary definition, and that too I had evidently misinterpreted somewhat. I hope others more knowledgeable will be able to answer this.


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## إسكندراني

مؤانسة is a word I use to describe a sense of belonging and security, saying مستأنس بيك means I am happy you are here because it makes me feel warm. Notice the question asks for Egyptian Arabic which is a dialect and so - as we've discussed before - it is somewhat arbitary. But I would be surprised if many Egyptians used مؤانسة to mean general socialising. Notice also that this sentence is very informal so high register words like مخالطة would be strange to use here.


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