ليس لدي مال
laysa ladayya mal
The English phrase "I have no money" is translated to Arabic as ليس لدي مال (laysa ladayya mal).
ليس لدي مال is a statement used to say that a person does not possess any financial resources.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ليس لدي مال literally translates to "is not with me money".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
More formal options include لا يوجد لديّ مال for "I have no money" or أعاني من ضيق مالي to say "I am experiencing financial difficulty".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Gulf Arabic, you can use the expression ما عندي فلوس. In Levantine Arabic, you can use ما عندي مصروف to indicate a lack of spending money. Additionally, the phrase ما عنديش فلوس is an informal way to say "I don't have any money" used in dialects like Egyptian or Moroccan Arabic.
How do you pronounce it?
laysa ladayya mal
Did you know?
- In many Arabic-speaking cultures, admitting you have no money is often softened by attributing the lack of funds to 'fate' or 'God's will' to avoid social embarrassment.
- While مال is used for 'money' in formal contexts, the word فلوس is used in dialects. The latter comes from the Latin word 'folles', referring to leather bags used to carry coins.
- The word for money, مال, might be a linguistic shortcut that literally means 'what belongs to me'. It is believed to have formed by combining the word for 'what' and a preposition meaning 'to' or 'belonging to'.
Examples in context
- ليس لدي مال الآن.laysa ladayya mal al-an.I have no money now.
- آسف، ليس لدي مال.asif, laysa ladayya mal.Sorry, I have no money.
- لماذا قلت ليس لدي مال؟limadha qulta laysa ladayya mal?Why did you say you have no money?
Example conversation
Nour and Ahmed are at a cafe discussing lunch.
- نور Nourهل تريد شراء الغداء يا أحمد؟hal turid shira' al-ghada' ya Ahmed?Do you want to buy lunch, Ahmed?
- أحمد Ahmedلا، ليس لدي مال اليوم.la, laysa ladayya mal al-yawm.No, I have no money today.
- نور Nourلا تقلق، أنا سأدفع لك.la taqlaq, ana sa-adfa' lak.Don't worry, I will pay for you.
- أحمد Ahmedشكراً لكِ يا نور.shukran laki ya Nour.Thank you, Nour.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ليس, مال, CC BY-SA 4.0.
