# Gulf Arabic/MSA: What are you working on?



## girlwithafacee

How could you say "What are you working on?"

Scenario example: I walk into a room where my friends are doing homework, and they ask for help.  I'd reply "What are you working on?" to find out if I was able to help with the subject.


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## shafaq

What are you working on?
بماذا / على ماذا تهتمون ؟
ما الذى بشغلكم ؟


 What is (your) matter/concern/interest?

ما خطبكم؟
ما هو الموضوع؟
 ما المهمة ؟


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## ayed

girlwithafacee said:


> How could you say "What are you working on?"
> 
> Scenario example: I walk into a room where my friends are doing homework, and they ask for help. I'd reply "What are you working on?" to find out if I was able to help with the subject.


wesh tsaw.woon?وش تسوون؟
matha taf3aloon/taSna3oon ماذا تفعلون/تصنعون


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## إسكندراني

shafaq said:


> What are you working on?
> بماذا / على ماذا تهتمون ؟
> ما الذى بشغلكم ؟
> 
> 
> What is (your) matter/concern/interest?
> 
> ما خطبكم؟
> ما هو الموضوع؟
> ما المهمة ؟


I like ما المهمّة but the rest generally mean 'what's on your minds'.
In Egyptian this would be شغّالين على إيه, maybe that helps?


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## Schem

The first set of examples provided by Shafaq are not accurate translations. I second Ayed's suggestion, but you can also use وش قاعدين تحلون؟ or وش تشتغلون عليه؟ as more literal translations.


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## shafaq

Schem said:


> The first set of examples provided by Shafaq are not accurate translations. I second Ayed's suggestion, but you can also use وش قاعدين تحلون؟ or وش تشتغلون عليه؟ as more literal translations.


Instead of claming "not accurate"; you may make a condescension teaching all us what is the problem with them. However, we thank God because we are so lucky for that you didn't reply as "They aren't accurate but I don't know the accurate version .." like somebody here.


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## Schem

No need to get offended. I pointed that out for the OP to avoid using them.

Your first example roughly means "what are you interested in?" while الباء you used in the second example could be replaced with ياء for grammatical correction and a clearer meaning.


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## TheRiLi

pfffffffffffff; You all are wrong
the correct is : وش عندك؟1 (P. وش عندكم2/ F.P. : وش عندكن3 || some regions have also a F.S. : وش عندتس؟4)

literary means : what have you? / in Arabian Gulf + Algeria (and maybe all North Africa except Egypt) say it in that case 

I hope I did well 

PS: you guys must read the scenario and live in  !

____________
1. wesh 3endek? وَش عِندك
2. wesh 3endekum? وَش عِندُكُم
3. wesh 3endkun? وَش عِندْكُن
4. wesh 3endets? وَش عِندَتسْ


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## girlwithafacee

وش عندتس؟ hahaha this is how my friends talk


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## Schem

Then you should stop asking for "Gulf" Arabic in your threads, lol. That's Najdi Arabic.

And I wouldn't use وش عندك؟ for this context. It doesn't transmit the meaning nor is it normally applied in the inquired-about situation.


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## Abu Talha

Schem said:


> ...while الباء you used in the second example could be replaced with ياء for grammatical correction and a clearer meaning.


Would ما الذي يشغلكم then be a good way to express the desired meaning in MSA? Thanks.


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## Schem

Yes. Although it could be interpreted as "what worries you?" depending on the situation.


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## girlwithafacee

Schem, only a few of them actually speak with that dialect, the rest speak GA.


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## Masjeen

ayed said:


> wesh tsaw.woon?وش تسوون؟
> matha taf3aloon/taSna3oon ماذا تفعلون/تصنعون


Very Perfect..

by the way..
((wesh tsaw.woon?وش تسوون؟)) is najdi arabic


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## TheRiLi

girlwithafacee said:


> وش عندتس؟ hahaha this is how my friends talk



it's one of Arbian authentic dialects, the ك in the end changed to تس for the feminine :3



Schem said:


> I wouldn't use وش عندك؟ for this context. It doesn't transmit the meaning nor is it normally applied in the inquired-about situation.



يوم تمر على خويك وتلقاه منكب على شي ، بتسأله : وش عندك؟

ما عمرك إستخدمتها ؟



Masjeen said:


> Very Perfect..
> 
> by the way..
> ((wesh tsaw.woon?وش تسوون؟)) is najdi arabic



وش تسوون ، أحسب أنها بتستخدم لما تشوف أصحابك بلا مشغلة --'


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## Masjeen

TheRiLi said:


> وش تسوون ، أحسب أنها بتستخدم لما تشوف أصحابك بلا مشغلة --'


لا بالعكس.. تنقال لما يكونون يسوون شغله


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## shafaq

Schem said:


> No need to get offended. I pointed that out for the OP to avoid using them.


Yeah ! Also no need to get defended against yourself. It was just a call to you to make us a condescension to correct what you claimed inaccurate. *The Etiquette *requires one to clarify his/her claim . 



Schem said:


> Your first example roughly means "what are you interested in?"


 Yes ! It is intentionally so. Because the context *isn't* something like you walk on a group seems trying hard on something and you ask them "وش تسوون؟ or ماذا تفعلون/تصنعون which both means *What are you doing?*" in the manner of saying "How are you?; but *you walk on a group and they ask you to help on a matter annoying them*. And my *only MSA* examples depends on that context.



Schem said:


> while الباء you used in the second example could be replaced with ياء for grammatical correction and a clearer meaning.


I don't think this typographic mistake was the only one reason guided you to claim all "inaccurate". Also in your aforementioned post; *you did a mistake that makes difficult to undestand it*... *Is it ethical* to claim that all your writings and examples are not accurate because of this mistake ? However, I thank you very much on your kind efforts troubling yourself by indicating my fault. Please kindly receive my apology. I am going to correct this typo.(*Edit:* But I couldn't ? Forum didn't let me edit.)
Either in this forum; I never claimed that my writings are absolutely accurate; neither my aforementioned post claimed that my given examples are the only available and accurate samples on that matter and prohibit many other accurate ways exist.
Thank you again for your patience towards me...


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## Schem

Gee, relax. I didn't know it was a typo. lol

oh and you're welcome!


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## Schem

TheRiLi said:


> يوم تمر على خويك وتلقاه منكب على شي ، بتسأله : وش عندك؟
> 
> ما عمرك إستخدمتها ؟



لا ما عمري استخدمته. "وش عندك" عادةً تسأل إذا صار الواحد ما يدري وشو الموضوع كلش. يعني مثل ما قلت: لي مريت على خوياك ولقيتهم قاعدين بلا مشغلة أو لقيتهم يشتغلون على شي ما تدري وشو أو ما بان وشو.



Masjeen said:


> لا بالعكس.. تنقال لما يكونون يسوون شغله


بالضبط.


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## TheRiLi

Schem said:


> يعني مثل ما قلت: لي مريت على خوياك .... أو لقيتهم يشتغلون على شي ما تدري وشو أو ما بان وشو.


هو ذه المعنى المقصود، أصحابك مشغولين وتبغى تساعدهم وأنت ما تدري وش السالفة فتسأل : وش عندكم ؟ يعني وش فيه ؟ أو وش السالفة ؟ ، حتى تساعدهم يعني لكن :وش فيه و وش السالفة إستعمالهم مختلف ، تبقى : وش عندكم هي الأصح، لغويا ومجازيا وعاميا :]


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## Schem

TheRiLi said:


> هو ذه المعنى المقصود، أصحابك مشغولين وتبغى تساعدهم وأنت ما تدري وش السالفة فتسأل : وش عندكم ؟ يعني وش فيه ؟ أو وش السالفة ؟ ، حتى تساعدهم يعني لكن :وش فيه و وش السالفة إستعمالهم مختلف ، تبقى : وش عندكم هي الأصح، لغويا ومجازيا وعاميا :]



أقول ثور يقول احلبوه. ما كان هذا سؤال صاحبة الموضوع، هي حددت وسألت عن إذا دخلت على أصدقائه ولقتهم يحلون واجب وشلون تقدم لهم المساعدة ووشو السؤال المناسب لهالموقف.


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