EA: to realize

Discussion in 'العربية (Arabic)' started by Mateland, Apr 20, 2010.

  1. Mateland Senior Member

    English USA

    I find myself often wanting to say

    " I realize" and I end up saying "Ana adrakt", but that is Fusha only correct?

    How can I better say I realized?

  2. cherine

    cherine Moderator

    Alexandria, Egypt
    Arabic (Egypt).
    You can use "adrakt" in Egyptian Arabic too. You can also use the verb فهم (to understand).
  3. Michaeladara Junior Member

    I've also heard - فهمت بعدين
    'I knew after' - i.e I realised, but wasn't sure if that was me trying to 'force' a difference in فهم and its two meanings.
    I rarely hear أدرك in EA but am not a native speaker.
  4. ajami Senior Member

    adraktu alhaqeeqata/adraktu alnateejatah
  5. cherine

    cherine Moderator

    Alexandria, Egypt
    Arabic (Egypt).
    Hi Ajami,

    This thread is about Egyptian Arabic. We don't pronounce الحقيقة as "haqeeqata", nor النتيجة as nateejatah. :)
    فهمت بعدين , as you said, means "I knew after", or "I understood later". So, it has a different connotation; that of realizing something a bit late.
    But, as I suggested above, the verb فهم in itself can have the meaning of "to realize".

    As for أدرك , it's true that it's not very common, but it is used by Egyptians in their colloquial speech.
  6. tr463 Senior Member

    For Alexandrian Arabic, a friend told me that حشرت can mean "I realized" - can someone confirm the spelling and does this come from حشري (nosey)?

    Oops, correct word is هرش - see comment #9 below from Cherine.
    Last edited: Feb 18, 2013
  7. cherine

    cherine Moderator

    Alexandria, Egypt
    Arabic (Egypt).
    This must be a neologism. But wow! It reached you in the States before it reached me in Alexandria! :D

    I'm not sure about the origin, but it can be from the idea of cramming حشر حاجات/كلام/أفكار في دماغه for example.
  8. إسكندراني

    إسكندراني Senior Member

    أرض الأنجل
    عربي (مصر)ـ | en (gb)
    I don't know about حشرت. These new words would only be understood by certain classes of society anyway (maybe some young people joking around etc.) The natural word to use for me is
    وصلت لكذا
    لقيت إنه كذا
  9. cherine

    cherine Moderator

    Alexandria, Egypt
    Arabic (Egypt).
    By the way, are you sure it's حشرت?

    I'm asking because I remembered that there's another word هَرَش that is used for the meaning of "to realize", "to grasp an idea" or "to notice". It is not an "elegant" word, so you need to be careful when and where to use it. Or just avoid it altogether. :)
  10. tr463 Senior Member

    Ahh Cherine! You're right! Rats, sorry about the confusion.

    But thanks for the explanation :D When you say "not an elegant" word... y3ni mish mo7taram? Like something I wouldn't say in front of someone older than me?
  11. cherine

    cherine Moderator

    Alexandria, Egypt
    Arabic (Egypt).
    Not exactly about e7teram, just a thing that's mostly used by guys and between friends, but would better be avoided with an older person. Unless, of course, that elder uses the word himself. :)
    And it's one of those words you would never use in front of/with your boss or someone of higher rank. Again, unless you two are very very familiar with each other and are easy going with words.

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