أنا أدرس
'anā 'adrus
The English phrase "I am studying" is translated into Arabic as أنا أدرس ('anā 'adrus).
You use this phrase to state that you are currently learning a specific subject or to identify yourself as a student.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of the subject pronoun أنا (I) and the present tense verb أدرس (I study/am studying).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In many spoken Levantine and Egyptian dialects, the verb is often pronounced as بدرس instead of the formal أدرس.
How does it change in a sentence?
The present tense verb أدرس can express both a habitual action, such as "I study every day," and a continuous action happening in the moment, such as "I am studying right now." Additionally, the pronoun أنا is often optional because the verb conjugation أ- already indicates that the subject is "I".
How do you pronounce it?
'anā 'adrus
Did you know?
- The word أنا is sometimes thought to be a semantic loan from the German word 'Ich', potentially influenced by the psychological concept of the 'Ego'.
- The Arabic root for studying is also used in the word for 'lesson' درس, meaning the act of studying and the thing being studied are linguistically identical.
- In some contexts, saying أنا أدرس without specifying a subject can imply that the speaker is a professional academic or a lifelong seeker of knowledge.
Examples in context
- أنا أدرس اللغة الفارسية.I am studying Persian.This sentence is useful for showing how to name the language being studied using أنا أدرس.Tatoeba #1021825 by alkhaldy, translation #1959330 by swingman57
- أنا أدرس اللغة العربيةI am studying Arabic.
- أنا أقوم بدراسة اللغة العربيةI am engaged in studying the Arabic language.
- بدرس بالعربيI study in Arabic.
- في الوقت الحالي أنا أدرس اللغة العربية.Currently, I am studying Arabic.
- أنا أدرس الطب في الجامعة.ana adrus al-tib fi al-jami'a.I am studying medicine at the university.
- أنا أدرس الآن في المكتبة.ana adrus al-an fi al-maktaba.I am studying in the library now.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ahmed and Maryam are talking on the phone about their daily activities.
- أحمد Ahmedماذا تفعلين يا مريم؟madha taf'ilina ya Maryam?What are you doing, Maryam?
- مريم Maryamأنا أدرس للامتحان.ana adrus lil-imtihan.I am studying for the exam.
- أحمد Ahmedهل أنتِ مشغولة دائماً؟hal anti mashghula da'iman?Are you always busy?
- مريم Maryamنعم، أنا أدرس كثيراً هذا الأسبوع.na'am, ana adrus kathiran hadha al-usbu'.Yes, I am studying a lot this week.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries أنا, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
