Ways to say it
| Syrian Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| بس | bass | enough, stop that |
| وقف | waqqef | stop a car or movement |
بس means 'enough' or 'stop it' and is used constantly to tell someone to stop an action, from teasing to an argument. To stop movement, such as a car, Syrians use وقف (waqqef), 'stop'.
What does it mean word for word?
بس also means 'only' or 'just' in other contexts, and the sense of 'stop' comes from telling someone 'enough already'. وقف is the imperative of the verb 'to stop' or 'to halt'.
Which one should you use?
بس stops an action or a behaviour. وقف stops movement, used for a car, a walk or anything physically in motion. The official word on street signs is قف (qif), the Standard Arabic imperative.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
بس is informal and used constantly in daily speech. وقف and قف are more neutral, with قف specifically belonging to formal, written signage.
Is it said differently in some regions?
بس in this sense is used across the Levant, while قف as a sign word is shared with Standard Arabic everywhere.
How does it change in a sentence?
Neither بس nor وقف changes with the gender of the person addressed in ordinary speech.
How do you pronounce it?
بس has a short crisp vowel and the ending ss is held briefly.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Using قف, the formal sign word, to tell a person to stop talking sounds odd and overly formal. بس is the natural everyday choice.
When do people say it?
Syrians often repeat بس بس بس quickly to insist that someone really stop, especially during a joking argument.
Did you know?
- بس also means 'only' or 'just', and Syrians use the same small word to mean both ideas depending on the sentence around it.
- The formal word on Syrian stop signs, قف, is almost never used to tell a person to stop talking, where بس is the natural choice instead.
Examples in context
- بس، كفاية مزح.bass, kfaye mazh.Stop, enough joking.
- وقف السيارة هون.waqqef es-sayyara hon.Stop the car here.
- بس خلص، تعبت.bass khallas, ta3bit.Stop, that's enough, I'm tired.
Example conversation
Nadim asks the taxi driver, Abu Ali, to stop at the corner.
- Nadimوقف هون لو سمحت.waqqef hon law samaht.Stop here please.
- Abu Aliهون بالضبط؟hon bid-dabt?Right here?
- Nadimآه، بس، منيح هيك.ah, bass, mnih hek.Yes, stop, that's good.
- Abu Aliتمام، الله معك.tamam, allah ma3ak.Alright, take care.
