استمتع
istamtiʿto a man, standard
To tell a man to enjoy something, Lebanese speakers say استمتع (istamtiʿ). To a woman it is استمتعي (istamtiʿi). For food, بالهنا (bil-hana) is the warm wish.
Meaning: to enjoy something (verb)
Ways to say it
| Lebanese | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| استمتع | istamtiʿ | to a man, standard |
| استمتعي | istamtiʿi | to a woman, standard |
| بالهنا | bil-hana | for food |
You can add what to enjoy: استمتع بالحفلة (istamtiʿ bil-ḥafle), "enjoy the party".
Which one should you use?
استمتع (istamtiʿ) is a standard Arabic verb that people also use in speech, while بالهنا (bil-hana) is only for food and similar pleasant things.
Did you know?
- The verb استمتع (istamtiʿ) comes from the root of متعة (mutʿa), which means pleasure.
Examples in context
- استمتع بالحفلةistamtiʿ bil-ḥafleEnjoy the party.
- استمتعي بالإجازةistamtiʿi bil-ijāzeEnjoy the vacation (to a woman).
- بالهناbil-hanaEnjoy it (said about food).
Example conversation
Dina says goodbye to her friend Fares before his weekend at the beach.
- Faresرايح عالبحر السبتrāyeḥ ʿal-baḥr es-sabtI am going to the sea on Saturday.
- Dinaاستمتع كتير!istamtiʿ ktīr!Enjoy yourself a lot!
- Faresالله يخليكيallāh ykhallīkiThank you.
