# All dialects: fii في = can



## Josh_

I don't know if this is a new trend or not in dialectical Arabic, but I only started noticing it a few months ago -- the use of the preposition fii في , with attached pronoun (fiik, fiina, etc.), with the meaning of can/be able to.  For example:

(I'll use the Egyptian dialect to demonstrate since I am not familiar enough with other dialects.)

 fiina nit3allim il-faransaawi = بوسعنا أن نتعلم الفرنسية
We can learn French.

fiik tiruuH il-maHall wa-tishtiri 3eesh? = ti2dar tiruuH ...
Can you go to the store and buy some bread?

Anyway, I am curious to know the extent of this usage in the Arabic world.  What dialects use it?  Is it common or not?


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## ayed

In Badawi , we say:
feek shaddah/Hail truuH tnadi ukhuuk?
*Can you go up and call your brother?

If the one who is asked unable to call his brother, he say:
mafini mn rah wnadah
"I am unable to go up and call him"(common among Badawi)


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## Mahaodeh

I don't think this is the same ayed, this translats better to "do you have the energy to...etc." while in Josh's example he is talking about the Lebanese dialect where the sometimes use fii to say "can".  As far as I know, it's only in the Lebanese dialect; it may be in the Syrian too and some Jordanians and Palestinians may also use it; but in the Jordanian and Palestinian dialects they also use بتقدر "can you", I'm not sure which is more common.


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## cherine

I agree with Maha.
In Egyptian, we can say: mafeyyaash 7el aruu7= I don't have the energy to go. But we can't say: fik truu7.
The first time I heard this usage was in a Lebanese tv show, and I guess it's a Levantine usage.


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## Petter

The usage of في meaning "able to/can" is used a lot in Syria too

I don't know if it's a new trend though... when I was living in Damascus a few years ago it was very common


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## lapsangsouchong

This usage is very common in Syrian--or at least, Damascene--Arabic.  

ما فيني = "I can't, it's not possible for me to..." Or in fusha (amongst many other possibilities), من غير الممكن ان اعمل.

فيك تروح المحل تشتري قنينة مي؟

As far as I can tell it overlaps with ما بقدر--but not exactly, because you couldn't simply replace فيك in that last sentence with بتقدر.  On the other hand, you could answer the question with ما بقدر, as in 

ما بقدر، لازم ضل هون، عم انتظر اتصال

I think this is right   Please tell me if it isn't!


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## Mahaodeh

Just a wild guess, maybe the use came from فيك حيل تروح or فيك مروة تروح and by time they dropped the middle word.


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## elroy

This usage is not new. It's extremely common in Syrian and Lebanese Arabic; in fact, I'd say it's the default way to say "can" in those dialects.

It is not used in Palestinian Arabic, although we do use فيي حيل (_fiyyi 7eel_) and فيي مروة (_fiyyi mruwwe_) I'm pretty sure it's not used in Jordanian Arabic either.

As for the origin of this usage, I suspect that it arose from the literal meaning of the phrase:

فيي/فيني (_fiyyi/fiini_) = lit. "it is within me" -> "it is within my capacity/my ability"


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## Josh_

Thanks for the info, guys.  I figured it was either a Levantine thing or an Iraqi thing.  I say Iraqi, because the first time I can remember hearing it used was by an Iraqi, but as this area is populated by a lot of Lebanese this is probably where he acquired the usage.


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## clevermizo

When I first started learning Arabic, I began with the 'Damascene' dialect. This (fiini, fiik, fiiki, etc.) was the default 'verb', if you will, for 'to be able to' that I learned. 

I used it a lot in Jordan but was always marked as sounding Syrian or Lebanese (in some circles in Amman this can be considered 'effeminate'). Afterwards, I learned ba2dar (or bagdar, or baghdar as this seems to vary a bit). I think I alternate between the two liberally now.

Anyway, just thought I would share as this seems in confirmation of the previous posts.


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## Mahaodeh

elroy said:


> This usage is not new. It's extremely common in Syrian and Lebanese Arabic; in fact, I'd say it's the default way to say "can" in those dialects.





elroy said:


> It is not used in Palestinian Arabic, although we do use فيي حيل (_fiyyi 7eel_) and فيي مروة (_fiyyi mruwwe_) I'm pretty sure it's not used in Jordanian Arabic either.


Although I have a Palestinian background, I grew up in Iraq.  When I went to Jordan I heard some Jordanians say it.  At the time I thought they were Lebanese-wanna-be's or يتلبننون as they say in Iraq but I couldn't be definite.


Josh_ said:


> Thanks for the info, guys. I figured it was either a Levantine thing or an Iraqi thing. I say Iraqi, because the first time I can remember hearing it used was by an Iraqi, but as this area is populated by a lot of Lebanese this is probably where he acquired the usage.


No, definitely not Iraqi.  In Iraq they say بية حيل or مابية حيل and sometimes they drop the حيل and say ما بية; but the use is not like the Lebanese فيي, it specifically means ما بية حيل not ما اقدر.


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## tabyyy

I know this is a very old thread, but could someone confirm my conjugations for "fii"?

fiini
fiina
fiiki (f)
fiik (m)
fiikon (pl)
fiyye (f)
fiyyo (m)
fiiyyon (pl)


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## be.010

lapsangsouchong said:


> فيك تروح المحل تشتري قنينة مي؟
> 
> As far as I can tell it overlaps with ما بقدر--but not exactly, because you couldn't simply replace فيك in that last sentence with بتقدر. On the other hand, you could answer the question with ما بقدر, as in
> 
> ما بقدر، لازم ضل هون، عم انتظر اتصال
> 
> I think this is right  Please tell me if it isn't!


Why not?! You could also say بتقدر تروح عالمحل تشتري قنينة مي؟



tabyyy said:


> I know this is a very old thread, but could someone confirm my conjugations for "fii"?
> 
> fiini
> fiina
> fiiki (f)
> fiik (m)
> fiikon (pl)
> fiyy*a* (f)
> fiyyo (m) *+ fii*
> fiiyyon (pl)



Additionally, pronounciation may vary according to the regions... For example, in Lebanon and north-western Syria they might say _fiiyyi_ instead of _fiini._
And, _fii Heel_ is also used in Syrian...


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## clevermizo

tabyyy said:


> I know this is a very old thread, but could someone confirm my conjugations for "fii"?
> 
> fiyye (f) fiyya or fiiha



Note be.010's correction above, but I just wanted to say to be careful with this one as _fiyye_ would be a Lebanese pronunciation for "I can" (also _fiyyi_). The suffix for "her" is always -*a* or -*ha* with a clear [*a*] vowel (it doesn't become -*e* like taa marbuuTa).


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## tabyyy

be.010 said:
			
		

> fiyyo (m) *+ fii*


Can you clarify what you mean by "+ fii" ?


clevermizo said:


> Note be.010's correction above, but I just wanted to say to be careful with this one as _fiyye_ would be a Lebanese pronunciation for "I can" (also _fiyyi_). The suffix for "her" is always -*a* or -*ha* with a clear [*a*] vowel (it doesn't become -*e* like taa marbuuTa).


Got it! 

Thank you both clevermizo and be.010 for the responses


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## be.010

tabyyy said:


> Can you clarify what you mean by "+ fii" ?


It's either "fii(h)" or "fiyyo" (he can). _fii_ is more of urban-origin and more common in Syrian (Damascene), but _fiyyo_ is also used


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## tabyyy

be.010 said:


> It's either "fii(h)" or "fiyyo" (he can). _fii_ is more of urban-origin and more common in Syrian (Damascene), but _fiyyo_ is also used



Alf shukran


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## WadiH

I hear it in the speech of Jeddah occasionally.  It's usually in the negative form, though.  So, you hear ما فيني أمشي or ما فيّا أمشي, but you don't often hear فيك تمشي؟ (though it probably does exist).

It may very well be a "new trend" there, though I can't tell you for sure.


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## Hemza

I didn't know this was used somewhere else than Morocco . We say فيا لي (fiya li) as in ما فيا لي نمشي للمدرسة (I don't want to go to school). It's used in negative sentences though.


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## Ectab

In Iraqi Arabic we never use it, in fact we never use the preposition fii even for location (in) but instead we use bi (in,by, with)
this bi can not be used for able\can an exception if the sentence was negative and the subject is first person, else it sounds strange and wrong, even this sounds strange for me, 
ex: maa bi-ya 'aruuH
I can't go
it originally should be
maa bi-ya Hel 'aruuH
I can't go (lit: there is no power in me to go).


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