أريد أن أنام
urīdu an anām
In Arabic, "I want to sleep" is expressed as أريد أن أنام (urīdu an anām).
This phrase is used to express a desire to go to bed or to fall asleep.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of urīdu (I want), an (that/to) and anām (I sleep).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The form أريد أن أنام is Modern Standard Arabic and is used in writing or formal speech. A more formal way to state this is أَشْعُر بِالرَغْبَةِ فِي النَّوْم, which means "I feel the desire to sleep".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egypt, the common informal expression عايز أَنَام is used to say "I want to sleep". In many Levantine dialects, the colloquial form بدي أنام is used instead of the formal أريد أن أنام.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb anām (to sleep) is in the subjunctive mood because it follows the particle an.
How do you pronounce it?
urīdu an anām
Did you know?
- In many Arabic-speaking households, the act of going to sleep is preceded by the phrase تصبح على خير, which literally means 'may you wake up to goodness'.
- In Arabic, the concept of sleep is often linguistically tied to the root ن و م, which is also used to describe a state of negligence or being 'asleep' to the truth.
- The word أن shares an etymological history with obsolete terms for 'the self' or even parts of the anatomy.
Examples in context
- أريد أن أنام.I want to sleep.This example shows a simple statement of the phrase أريد أن أنام.Tatoeba #405922 by saeb, translation #321870 by CK
- أريد أن أنام الآن.I want to sleep now.This example shows how to add the word "now" to the phrase أريد أن أنام.Tatoeba #4422356 by koala, translation #2600656 by anemone
- أريد أن أنام مبكراً اليوم.urīdu an anāma mubakkiran al-yawm.I want to sleep early today.
Example conversation
Youssef and Layla are talking in their living room late at night.
- يوسف Youssefأنا متعب جداً، أريد أن أنام.ana mut'ab jiddan, urīdu an anāma.I am very tired, I want to sleep.
- ليلى Laylaهل أنت مريض يا يوسف؟hal anta marīḍ yā yūsuf?Are you sick, Youssef?
- يوسف Youssefلا، لكن يومي كان طويلاً.lā, lakin yawmī kāna ṭawīlan.No, but my day was long.
- ليلى Laylaتصبح على خير.tuṣbiḥ 'alā khayr.Goodnight.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries أن, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
