نفسي
Nafsi
The Arabic word for 'myself' is نفسي (Nafsi).
Meaning: me, reflexive form of me (pron)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is formed by attaching the first-person singular possessive suffix ي (my) to the noun نفس, which literally means 'soul', 'self' or 'breath'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, the phrase أنا نفسي is used to express 'myself'. In the Levantine dialect, you can use حالي to mean 'myself'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express 'myself' in Arabic, you attach the first-person singular possessive suffix to the noun meaning 'self'.
How do you pronounce it?
Nafsi
Did you know?
- If you are speaking Egyptian Arabic, you might hear أنا نفسي used to mean 'I want' or 'I long for' something, rather than just 'myself'.
- Because the root word نفس can mean 'soul', using نفسي in poetry often implies the entire spiritual essence of a person rather than just a grammatical reflexive.
- In certain idiomatic expressions, the concept of 'myself' is used to describe 'spontaneity', essentially meaning that an action was done 'of my own accord'.
Examples in context
- حاولت قتل نفسي مرّتين.I tried to kill myself twice.This sentence shows how to use نفسي when talking about an attempt to harm oneself.Tatoeba #3583962 by Safa_Alfulaij, translation #3583373 by mikecash
- ما الذي ورطت نفسي فيه؟What have I got myself into?This sentence uses نفسي to describe getting into a difficult situation.Tatoeba #11978940 by dididodo, translation #3860378 by Amastan
- أرهقت نفسي بالمشي لمسافة طويلة.I exhausted myself by walking a long distance.This sentence demonstrates using نفسي to describe personal exhaustion.Tatoeba #384618 by saeb, translation #278040 by CM
- يُسرُّني أن أقدِّمَ نفسي.It is my pleasure to introduce myself.
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ahmad and Maryam are talking about their new job.
- أحمد Ahmedهل أنتِ مستعدة للعمل الجديد؟hal anti musta'idda lil-'amal al-jadid?Are you ready for the new job?
- مريم Maryamنعم، أنا أثق بنفسي كثيراً.na'am, ana athiqu bi-nafsi kathiran.Yes, I trust myself a lot.
- أحمد Ahmedهذا رائع، وأنا أيضاً أعتمد على نفسي.hadha ra'i', wa ana aydan a'tamidu 'ala nafsi.That's great, and I also rely on myself.
- مريم Maryamبالتوفيق لنا جميعاً.bi-tawfiq lana jami'an.Good luck to us all.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
