بيننا
The English phrase "among us" is translated into Arabic as بيننا.
What does it mean word for word?
بيننا is a combination of the preposition بين, which means "between" or "among" and the attached suffix نا, which means "us" or "our".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, you can use فينا to say "among us". In Gulf Arabic, speakers may use بينا.
How does it change in a sentence?
The suffix نا is the first-person plural pronoun meaning "us" or "our". If you want to say "among you" (plural), you replace the suffix نا with كم to form بينكم.
Did you know?
- Arabic lacks a strict grammatical distinction between 'between' (two things) and 'among' (three or more). Both are expressed by بين, unlike the specific difference found in English.
- The suffix نا is one of the few pronouns in Arabic that does not change based on the gender of the group. Whether the 'us' consists of all men women or a mix it is always نا.
- While بيننا means 'among us' it is also used in common idioms to describe a secret. To keep something بيننا means the information is 'between us' and must not be shared.
Examples in context
- بلا شك أنت السبّاح الأفضل بيننا.You are undoubtedly the best swimmer among us.This sentence shows how to use بيننا to describe someone being the best swimmer in a group.Tatoeba #9594548 by issadouba, translation #9594379 by Objectivesea
- هناك سر كبير بيننا.hunaka sirr kabir baynana.There is a big secret among us.
- لا يوجد سوء تفاهم بيننا.la yujad su' tafahum baynana.There is no misunderstanding among us.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing their group of colleagues.
- زياد Ziadمن هو الأكثر ذكاءً بيننا يا ليلى؟Man huwa al-aktharu dhaka'an baynana ya Layla?Who is the smartest among us, Layla?
- ليلى Laylaأعتقد أن زياد هو الأفضل.A'taqidu anna Ziyad huwa al-afdal.I think Ziyad is the best.
- زياد Ziadشكراً لكِ على هذا الإطراء.Shukran laki 'ala hadha al-itra'.Thank you for this compliment.
- ليلى Laylaهذه هي الحقيقة فقط.Hadhihi hiya al-haqiqa faqat.This is simply the truth.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
