# Homework



## Jana337

This is a follow-up of a recent thread.

Which expression do you prefer for "homework"?

الوظيفة  or واجب

Thanks,

Jana


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## amnesia

I use Wajib more often.
(from Qatar)


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## Jana337

Hello and welcome! 

Are they synonyms? Or do you use them for different types of homework?

Thanks,

Jana


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## amnesia

well speaking in slang, i'd say the following.

3indik (indik) wajib?

Do you have any homework (could also mean thing to do)

Shinoo il wajib?
What is the homework?

3indi wajib 3araby.
I have an Arabic homework.​ 

Wajib literally means job that you must do.


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## Benjy

ahhh.. is it like they way the french use the notion of duty for homework? (devoir?)


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## amnesia

i wouldn't be 100% sure on that but I'd say you're right.


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## Whodunit

Benjy said:
			
		

> ahhh.. is it like they way the french use the notion of duty for homework? (devoir?)


 
Completely correct!   "devoir" means "have to" and the same goes for the Arabic expression waadjib [واجب]:

he has to = *waadjib* 3alaihi 2an [*واجب* عليه أن]
it's necessary that = min al-*waadjib* 2an [من الـ*واجب* أن]



			
				amnesia said:
			
		

> well speaking in slang, i'd say the following.
> 
> 3indik (indik) wajib?
> 
> Do you have any homework (could also mean thing to do)
> 
> Shinoo il wajib?​What is the homework?
> 
> 3indi wajib 3araby.
> I have an Arabic homework.
> 
> Wajib literally means job that you must do.


 
Are you sure that is Qatarian slang? I'm not, because I'd immediately understand it except for "shinoo". How would you write it? شنو? I'd say "maa il-waadjibu?", because I've never heard of the word "shinoo".

3indi is an impressively easy construction for me, because it's just "3ind + personal ending":

3indii
3indik
3indiki
3indihii
3indihaa
3indinaa
3indikumaa
3indihumaa
3indikum
3indikunna
3indhum
3indihunna

Would that be correct?


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## elroy

وظيفة is more common for me.

وظيفة - duty
واجب - obligation

Colloquially, I would say "druus," which literally means "studies."


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## cherine

Jana337 said:


> Which expression do you prefer for "homework"?
> الوظيفة or واجب





Jana337 said:


> Are they synonyms? Or do you use them for different types of homework?


We use الوظيفة only as a synonym for job/work.
As for homework, we say الواجب plural الواجبات .
I think there are some countries where the word فرض plural: فروض is the word used, but that's not in Egypt.


Benjy said:


> ahhh.. is it like they way the french use the notion of duty for homework? (devoir?)


Exactly.
I was in a language school, learning French and English, along with Arabic. When we had a French homework, we'd use the word "devoir", for English we used the English word "homework", and for Arabic we used "wageb" (Egyptian pronounciation) 

Hi Daniel, here's a very slight correction :


Whodunit said:


> 3indi is an impressively easy construction for me, because it's just "3inda + personal ending":


 
3indii
3indak(a)
3indaki
3indahu
3indahaa
3indanaa
3indakumaa
3indahumaa
3indakum
3indakunna
3indahum
3indahunna


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## girlwithafacee

If I want to say "a lot of homework", would it be  "واجبات كثير"  or "كثيرة" ?


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## ayed

girlwithafacee said:


> If I want to say "a lot of homework", would it be "*واجبات كثيرة*" or "كثيرة" ?



Notice what is in *red*..


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## cherine

girlwithafacee said:


> If I want to say "a lot of homework", would it be "واجبات كثير" or "كثيرة" ?


Are you asking abou MSA or dialects?

In Egypt, we can say عندي واجب كتير النهاردة (I have a lot of homework today) also عندي واجبات كتير النهاردة  and واجبات كتيرة.


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## girlwithafacee

I like to be familiar with both.  I'm confused though... why in this sentence does this (عندي واجبات كتير النهاردة) not have ة on كثير but (واجبات كتيرة) does?


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## cherine

كتير is more like an adverb here rather than an adjective (I'm talking about usage, not the strict grammar usage). In EA,
 we sometimes use the masculine form with feminine nouns when the meaning is more adverbial than adjectival.
بنات كتير، ناس كتير، عربيات كتير ... It's mostly used with inanimate objects though.


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## Ali Smith

If the singular of "homework" is واجب, shouldn't the plural be واجبون?


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## ayed

Ali Smith said:


> If the singular of "homework" is واجب, shouldn't the plural be واجبون?


No, واجبات


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## Mahaodeh

واجب is the common one for me. I do hear وظيفة a lot though.

but like elroy, I mostly just say عندي دروس.


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## fenakhay

homework is واجب منزلي in Morocco.

فرض is used for test. And امتحان for exam.


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