# Levantine Arabic: جايب



## Muwahid

I was watching a Lebanese show, and I heard one man say to another جايبلك المصاري which I understand to mean "I've brought your money", from the verb جاب / يجيب if this is true, why is it being used with a past tense meaning? When I look at other AP examples like رايح، نايم، الخ they all carry a present and/or progressive meaning, why would this be any different? 

وألف شكر لكم يا معلمين


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## clevermizo

Muwahid said:


> I was watching a Lebanese show, and I heard one man say to another جايبلك المصاري which I understand to mean "I've brought your money", from the verb جاب / يجيب if this is true, why is it being used with a past tense meaning? When I look at other AP examples like رايح، نايم، الخ they all carry a present and/or progressive meaning, why would this be any different?
> 
> وألف شكر لكم يا معلمين



You should search for other threads on using the active participle in Levantine dialects. Usually if the participle is generated from a transitive verb, it has a perfect meaning, usually an action that has recently been completed affecting things in the present. 

In this case جايب is an adjective which describes the state of "having (just) brought something".

This is unlike verbs such as راح which the participle describes a present state of action. نايم still makes sense as جايب does. If someone نام (fell asleep), then they are currently in a state of نايم ("having fallen asleep": i.e., sleeping or asleep). Similarly, if someone جابلك شي they are in a state of جايبلك شي.

The difference between جبتلك المصاري and جايبلك المصاري to me is that if I جبتلك المصاري then it could be any point in the past, like مبارح جبتلك المصاري، مش متذكر ولا شو؟؟ but if I جايبلك المصاري then probably I'm saying فهاي المصراي - خدها! I'm not sure if that's strictly accurate though.

You should take a look at this thread for example.


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## ayed

I think your sentence says :
_I've_ _already_ _brought_ _you_ _the money(amount is already known)_.That is, the money is already brought by me for you.


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## Masjeen

Muwahid said:


> I was watching a Lebanese show, and I heard one man say to another جايبلك المصاري which I understand to mean "I've brought your money", from the verb جاب / يجيب if this is true, why is it being used with a past tense meaning? When I look at other AP examples like رايح، نايم، الخ they all carry a present and/or progressive meaning, why would this be any different?



 جايبلك المصاري = I've brought the money for you



> why is it being used with a past tense meaning?


لأن واقعة جلب المال كانت في الماضي
لا يمكن أن تجعل الفعل في الحاضر يجب أن يكون في الماضي


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## Muwahid

Thanks that thread was helpful clevermizo, and yes Ayed that's precisely what the scene was about.

I guess my confusion is, I'm wondering if it's possible to say something like أنا جايب المصاري! For I'm bringing the money (now)! Or if it would have to use a past tense meaning. Or even أنا جايبلك المصاري! for I'm bringing you the money!



> لأن واقعة جلب المال كانت في الماضي



So let's say getting the money is being done NOW as opposed to having been done, would it work either way with context?


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## clevermizo

Muwahid said:


> Thanks that thread was helpful clevermizo, and yes Ayed that's precisely what the scene was about.
> 
> I guess my confusion is, I'm wondering if it's possible to say something like أنا جايب المصاري! For I'm bringing the money (now)! Or if it would have to use a past tense meaning. Or even أنا جايبلك المصاري! for I'm bringing you the money!



No, that would be عم بجيبلك المصاري. The participles of transitive verbs in Levantine dialects don't take a present progressive meaning. (I hesitate to say "ever" and there may be some crossover or variation depending on context.) The tense and aspectual meanings of the active participle depend on the class of verb and idiomatic usage.

In general:

جبتلك المصاري: I brought you the money (at some point in the past)
جايبلك المصاري: I've brought you the money (see? here it is)
بجيبلك المصاري: I bring you the money (whenever you ask for it) or implied future (I will bring you the money)
عم بجيبلك المصاري: I am or have been bringing you the money (progressive action)
رح أجيبلك المصاري: I will bring you the money
etc.


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## ayed

My own interpretation goes this :
I am bringing you the money(the money is still in your possession)and about to say"here you are".
I've brought you the money(the money might be hidden somewhere and soon to be handed in).


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## clevermizo

ayed said:


> My own interpretation goes this :
> I am bringing you the money(the money is still in your possession)and about to say"here you are".
> I've brought you the money(the money might be hidden somewhere and soon to be handed in).



I see what you mean, but I think I would say عم بجيبلك المصاري not right in front of someone because then you've already brought it to them. 

If I was talking on the phone to someone saying هلق جاي وعم بجيبلك المصاري اللي طلبتها مني then that would make sense because I'm en route to deliver the money.

If I was standing in front of someone with money in my hands I would only say شوف - جايبلك المصاري. 

That goes for English too. It doesn't make sense to say "I'm bringing you the money" when you're right in front of someone with the money.


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## Muwahid

شكرا لكم 

For argument's sake could anyone give an example of other transitive verbs' active participles in Levantine. These small nuances are pretty fascinating to me.


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## clevermizo

Muwahid said:


> شكرا لكم
> 
> For argument's sake could anyone give an example of other transitive verbs' active participles in Levantine. These small nuances are pretty fascinating to me.



Sure:

إنت جوعان? (You hungry?)
لأ، أنا آكل (No, I've (already) eaten)

شو اللي عامله؟؟؟ (What have you done?!)

ناسيني؟ (Have you forgotten me?)

عميل دروسك! (Do your homework!)
أنا مخلّصها (I'm done with it!)

And finally, please see this thread:
Lebanese: Active Participle

Not only is that yet another thread that discusses this topic, but within it I listed more threads with links that discuss different aspects of this topic.  A particularly good discussion is in the thread: Lebanese: already.


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## Muwahid

ألف شكر يا بطل أنت مفيد جدا


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## Ustaath

here is input from a Lebanese:
جايبلك المصاري
I am bringing you the money, but I haven't given it to you yet 
هلق جاييك وجايبلك المصاري
بعدني واصل من السفر وجايبلك اتمصاري - 
 whether I give it right away or later makes no difference. Context will determine which it is.
I have used that sentence many times, over the phone, face to face and sms 
we could say as well : جبتلك but the former gives the assurance that pretty soon it will be in your hands


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## Ustaath

clevermizo said:


> I see what you mean, but I think I would say عم بجيبلك المصاري not right in front of someone because then you've already brought it to them.
> 
> If I was talking on the phone to someone saying هلق جاي وعم بجيبلك المصاري اللي طلبتها مني then that would make sense because I'm en route to deliver the money.
> 
> If I was standing in front of someone with money in my hands I would only say شوف - جايبلك المصاري.
> 
> That goes for English too. It doesn't make sense to say "I'm bringing you the money" when you're right in front of someone with the money.


check previous post


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## clevermizo

Ustaath said:


> here is input from a Lebanese:
> جايبلك المصاري
> I am bringing you the money, but I haven't given it to you yet
> هلق جاييك وجايبلك المصاري
> بعدني واصل من السفر وجايبلك اتمصاري -
> whether I give it right away or later makes no difference. Context will determine which it is.
> I have used that sentence many times, over the phone, face to face and sms
> we could say as well : جبتلك but the former gives the assurance that pretty soon it will be in your hands



Interesting, so there's some flexibility there. You know, there's flexibility in English too. I can say on the phone "I'm coming over to see you and I've brought your money" meaning I've got it or have it with me. But regardless جايبلك المصاري implies that you have the money in your possession to deliver, no?

Can you think of a context where you would use عم جيبك المصاري instead? Does that even make sense here? Or only جايب?

And thanks for your input of course .


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## Kinan

Bravo Clevermizo, I couldn't write better than this.
جايبلك المصاري and جبتلك المصاري both mean "I Brought you the money", the only difference is that the former can only mean I have the money with me now while the later can also means I brought you the money but it's necessarily with me now.
If someone tells me عم جبلك المصاري it means he is trying to collect them or borrow them from his friends these days but hasn't got it all yet..but عم دبرلك المصاري is usually used here.


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## clevermizo

Kinan said:


> Bravo Clevermizo, I couldn't write better than this.
> جايبلك المصاري and جبتلك المصاري both mean "I Brought you the money", the only difference is that the former can only mean I have the money with me now while the later can also means I brought you the money but it's necessarily with me now.
> If someone tells me عم جبلك المصاري it means he is trying to collect them or borrow them from his friends these days but hasn't got it all yet..but عم دبرلك المصاري is usually used here.



So basically you are saying that for you عم جبلك المصاري means عم حاول جبلك المصاري or عم دبر المصاري تا حاول جبلك ياها. But of course no term can exist in a context-less void so let me re-pose my question from above:

Suppose you are on the telephone talking with someone:

A: إنت متأخر، وين المصاري؟
B: هلا جاي و_______المصاري

In the blank - do you say جايبلك or عم جبلك? Maybe you wouldn't even use the verb جاب at all but say something like معي المصاري or حأعطيك المصاري.

It seems from Ustaath's post above that you can say جايبلك but there may be some differences between Lebanese and Syrian usage here.


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## Kinan

I would use جايبلك but معي is also said.


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## Ustaath

of course vernacular Colloquial Arabic can intentionally be informal and flexible


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## clevermizo

Ustaath said:


> of course vernacular Colloquial Arabic can intentionally be informal and flexible



Of course. But that's true of all vernacular language. However, for the learner it's important to also determine what sounds natural in certain contexts versus what sounds unnatural.


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## Ustaath

So we are more liberal in using that term- it doesn't make your explanation any 'less correct' !


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## clevermizo

Ustaath said:


> So we are more liberal in using that term- it doesn't make your explanation any 'less correct' !



Thanks, I'm always trying to learn more. I do prefer using the terms "natural" and "unnatural" to describe colloquial preferences rather than "correct" and "incorrect" because "correctness" doesn't really apply as much.


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## L-art-a

clevermizo said:


> جبتلك المصاري: I brought you the money (at some point in the past)
> جايبلك المصاري: I've brought you the money (see? here it is)
> بجيبلك المصاري: I bring you the money (whenever you ask for it) or implied future (I will bring you the money)
> عم بجيبلك المصاري: I am or have been bringing you the money (progressive action)
> رح أجيبلك المصاري: I will bring you the money
> etc.


Lebanese myslef I assure you that  this is not really accurate, actually the translation would be:
جبتلك المصاري: I ('ve) brought you the money, (used as a reminder form)
 جايبلك المصاري : means I'm still in the action of bringing you the money, (used only for information.)
  عم بجيبلك المصاري: in the process of bringing the money ( arguing) 
رح جيبلك المصاري: I will bring you the money ( a promise) "in the Levant the( أ  )in the beginning of the word is not always pronounced, especially in Lebanese, but in Palestinian, or Jordanian, it is pronounced distinctively."


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## Kinan

جايبلك المصاري means I brought you the money, but maybe in Lebanon it's different.


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