هل أنت متأكد؟
hal anta muta'akkid?
In Arabic, 'are you sure?' is said as هل أنت متأكد؟ (hal anta muta'akkid?).
This phrase is used to ask if someone is certain about something. The core concept relies on the word متأكد, which is an active participle meaning 'one who is certain'.
Which one should you use?
While هل أنت متأكد؟ is a complete question, you can use the shortened متأكد؟ to mean 'Are you sure?' or the even more casual أكيد؟ to mean 'Sure?'
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, you might hear the expression Inta mut`akid walla eh? to mean 'Are you sure or what?'
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes based on whom you are addressing. When speaking to a woman, use هل أنتِ متأكدة؟. When addressing a group of people, use هل أنتم متأكدون؟.
How do you pronounce it?
hal anta muta'akkid?
Did you know?
- In many Arabic dialects, if you want to ask 'Are you sure?' with an extra layer of skepticism, you can add والله؟ (By God?) to the end of the sentence.
- The word أنت (you) remains very similar to its ancient Proto-Semitic ancestors, meaning it has barely changed in thousands of years of linguistic evolution.
- In formal Arabic, the phrase هل أنت متأكد؟ is often replaced by simply starting the sentence with the prefix أـ to ask the same question more concisely.
Examples in context
- هل أنت متأكد من الرد؟Are you sure of the response?
- هل أنت متأكد؟hal anta muta'akkid?Are you sure?
Example conversation
Ahmed and Layla are deciding which train to take.
- أحمد Ahmedهذا القطار يذهب إلى المدينة.Hadha al-qitar yadhhab ila al-madinah.This train goes to the city.
- ليلى Laylaهل أنت متأكد؟ أظن أنه عكس ذلك.Hal anta muta'akkid? Adhunnu annahu 'aks dhalik.Are you sure? I think it is the opposite.
- أحمد Ahmedنعم، لقد قرأت الجدول اليوم.Na'am, laqad qara'tu al-jadwal al-yawm.Yes, I read the schedule today.
- ليلى Laylaحسناً، لنركب هذا القطار إذاً.Hasanan, linarkab hadha al-qitar idhan.Okay, let's take this train then.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries أنت, هل, CC BY-SA 4.0.
