أنا لست جائعا
ana lastu ja'i'an
The English phrase "i am not hungry" is translated into Arabic as أنا لست جائعا (ana lastu ja'i'an).
This phrase is used to state that you do not feel the need to eat food.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of أنا (I), لست (am not) and جائعا (hungry).
Which one should you use?
The form أنا لست جائعا is used in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), which is used in formal writing and news, whereas spoken dialects would use different words for 'not' and 'hungry'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Gulf Arabic, people typically say ماعندي جوع to imply 'I am not hungry' in an informal manner.
How does it change in a sentence?
The pronoun أنا can be omitted in many contexts because the verb لست already implies the first-person singular subject, resulting in the shortened form لست جائعا. The feminine form of the phrase is أنا لست جائعة.
How do you pronounce it?
ana lastu ja'i'an
Did you know?
- If you use the formal أنا لست جائعا at a casual street food stall, you might sound as dramatic as a character in a Shakespearean play.
- The word for 'I' أنا is a cognate with the Hebrew word 'aní' and the Amharic word 'enē'.
- In some dialects, instead of saying 'I am not hungry', people use a phrase that translates to 'the hunger has left me', focusing on the feeling rather than the state of the person.
Examples in context
- ليس لدي شهية، شكراً.I am not hungry, thank you.
- مش جوعان دلوقتي.I am not hungry right now.
- أنا لست جائعا الآن.ana lastu jā'i'an al-ān.I am not hungry now.
- شكراً، أنا لست جائعا.shukran, ana lastu jā'i'an.Thank you, I am not hungry.
- لا تقلق، أنا لست جائعا.lā taqlaq, ana lastu jā'i'an.Don't worry, I am not hungry.
Example conversation
Omar and Nour are deciding whether to order lunch.
- عمر Omarهل تريدين طلب البيتزا يا نور؟Hal turidina talaba al-pizza ya Nour?Do you want to order pizza, Nour?
- نور Nourنعم، أنا جائعة جداً يا عمر.Na'am, ana ja'i'atun jiddan ya Omar.Yes, I am very hungry, Omar.
- عمر Omarأنا لست جائعاً، سأطلب لكِ فقط.Ana lastu ja'i'an, sa'atlubu laki faqat.I am not hungry, I will order for you only.
- نور Nourحسناً، شكراً لك.Hasanan, shukran laka.Okay, thank you.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries أنا, CC BY-SA 4.0.
