هل ستأتي؟
Hal sata'ti?
In Arabic, "are you coming?" is translated as هل ستأتي؟ (Hal sata'ti?).
This phrase is used to ask if someone intends to join or arrive at a place.
Which one should you use?
The formal way to say "Will you come?" is هل ستأتي؟, whereas the formal way to say "Do you plan to come?" is هل تعتزم القدوم؟. In informal settings, the informal way to say "Are you coming?" is رح تيجي؟ or بتيجي؟.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, 'Are you coming?' is expressed as هتيجي؟.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form هل ستأتي؟ is used when addressing a male. If you are addressing a female, you should use the feminine form هل ستأتين؟.
How do you pronounce it?
Hal sata'ti?
When do people say it?
If someone asks you if you are coming, a natural affirmative response is نعم، سآتي (Yes, I will come), while a natural negative response is لا، لن آتي (No, I will not come).
Did you know?
- Depending on the region, the informal way to ask 'Are you coming?' can change so drastically that an Egyptian and a Lebanese person might use entirely different verbs for the same action.
- The interrogative particle هل is actually a combination of two older linguistic parts, one of which originally served as an emphatic particle to say 'truly' or 'certainly'.
- While the formal هل ستأتي؟ is understood everywhere, using it in a casual street setting in Cairo or Beirut can make the speaker sound like they are reading from a textbook or a movie script.
Examples in context
- هل ستأتي؟ معنا إلى الحديقة؟hal sata'ti ma'ana ila al-hadiqa?Are you coming with us to the park?
- الحفلة ستبدأ الآن، هل ستأتي؟al-hafla satabda' al-an, hal sata'ti?The party is starting now, are you coming?
Example conversation
Nour is calling Omar to join her at the library.
- نور Nourأنا في المكتبة الآن، هل ستأتي؟Ana fi al-maktaba al-an, hal sata'ti?I am at the library now, are you coming?
- عمر Omarنعم، أنا في الطريق يا نور.Na'am, ana fi al-tariq ya Nour.Yes, I am on my way, Nour.
- نور Nourجيد، سأنتظرك هنا.Jayyid, sa'antadhiruka huna.Good, I will wait for you here.
- عمر Omarسأصل بعد خمس دقائق.Sa'asil ba'da khams daqa'iq.I will arrive in five minutes.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries هل, CC BY-SA 4.0.
