Lebanese قدر / بيقدر expresses ability through an ordinary finite verb: بقدر ساعدك “I can help you,” قدرت افتح الباب “I managed to open the door.” The b-imperfect form presents current or general capacity; the perfect commonly reports that someone managed to carry out a particular action.
This differs structurally from suffixed فيني, even though the two overlap in meaning. بقدر conjugates for the able person, then selects a bare action complement.
For the contrasting suffixed construction, see Ability and Possibility with في.
The focused b-imperfect paradigm
Urban ق is pronounced ʾ, so written بقدر is read bʾdar. The verb itself carries full agreement:
| Person | Form | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| I | بقدر | bʾdar |
| you masculine | بتقدر | btʾdar |
| you feminine | بتقدري | btʾadre |
| he | بيقدر | byʾdar |
| she | بتقدر | btʾdar |
| we | منقدر | mniʾdar |
| you plural | بتقدروا | btʾdaro |
| they | بيقدروا | byʾdaro |
بقدر إقرا عربي، بس شوي شوي.
bʾdar iʾra ʿarabe, bass shwayy shwayy.
I can read Arabic, but slowly. (informal; acquired capacity)
إنتي بتقدري تسوقي بالليل؟
inte btʾadre tsūʾe bil-lēl?
Can you drive at night? (informal; feminine agreement on modal and action)
هني بيقدروا يخلصوا الشغل اليوم.
hinne byʾdaro ykhalliṣo esh-shoghol el-yōm.
They can finish the work today. (neutral; plural agreement)
The complement is bare but still finite-looking
The lower verb agrees with its actor. In the ordinary same-subject chain, both verbs point to the same person.
منقدر نبعت الملف قبل الظهر.
mniʾdar nbaʿat el-malaf ʾabel eẓ-ẓohor.
We can send the file before noon. (neutral/professional; first-person plural modal and bare action)
بتقدروا تحكوا أبطأ شوي؟
btʾdaro tiḥko abṭaʾ shwayy?
Can you all speak a little more slowly? (polite informal request; plural agreement)
When the actor of the lower action differs from the person whose ability is at issue, use an explicit causative or complement structure rather than letting the two agreeing verbs silently point to different people.
Inherent, learned, and achieved ability
The b-imperfect readily describes a capacity someone has. For learned know-how, بعرف + bare verb is also common and can foreground knowing how rather than physical or practical capacity.
بعرف سوق، بس ما بقدر سوق مسافة طويلة.
baʿrif sūʾ, bass ma bʾdar sūʾ masēfe ṭwīle.
I know how to drive, but I can't drive a long distance. (informal; know-how versus present capacity)
The perfect often implies successful achievement in a specific situation:
قدرت إفتح الباب بعد عشر دقايق.
ʾdert iftaḥ el-bēb baʿd ʿashar dʾāyeʾ.
I managed to open the door after ten minutes. (informal; achieved ability)
ما قدرت لاقي موقف قريب.
ma ʾdert lāʾe mawʾef ʾrīb.
I couldn't manage to find a nearby parking spot. (informal; failed attempt in one event)
English could is ambiguous between general past ability and success on one occasion. Lebanese perfect قدرت commonly highlights the achieved or failed result.
Contrast with suffixed في
Both constructions can describe situational ability:
| Form | Frequent perspective | Example |
|---|---|---|
| فيني + bare | circumstances permit; permission or availability | فيني إجي بعد الخمسة |
| بقدر + bare | capacity, effort, or managing the action | بقدر إجي لحالي |
| قدرت + bare | specific successful achievement | قدرت إجي رغم الزحمة |
فيني إجي بعد الخمسة لأنو بكون خلصت شغل.
fīne izhe baʿd el-khamse laʾanno bkūn khallaṣt shoghol.
I can come after five because I'll have finished work. (informal; availability from circumstances)
بقدر إجي لحالي، ما في داعي تمرق تاخدني.
bʾdar izhe la-ḥāle, ma fī dēʿe timroʾ tēkhodne.
I can come by myself; there's no need for you to pick me up. (informal; personal capability)
This is not an absolute lexical split. A speaker may choose فيني or بقدر in the same practical situation, with only a small change in framing.
Negation and short answers
Because بقدر is a b-imperfect verb, ordinary negation is ما بقدر. The lower action stays bare.
بقدر ساعدك اليوم.
bʾdar sāʿdak el-yōm.
I can help you today. (informal affirmative ability)
ما بقدر ساعدك اليوم، عندي موعد.
ma bʾdar sāʿdak el-yōm, ʿinde mawʿed.
I can't help you today; I have an appointment. (informal negative ability)
Short answers may repeat only the modal: إيه، بقدر “Yes, I can”; لأ، ما بقدر “No, I can't.” There is no do-support.
A dialogue contrasting capacity and opportunity
بتقدر تصلح الكمبيوتر؟
btʾdar tṣalleḥ el-kombyūtar?
Maya: Can you fix the computer? (informal dialogue; asks about capacity)
إيه، بقدر صلحه، بس اليوم ما فيني. عندي شغل كتير.
ē, bʾdar ṣalleḥo, bass el-yōm ma fīne. ʿinde shoghol ktīr.
Jad: Yes, I can fix it, but I can't today. I have a lot of work. (informal dialogue; general capacity versus current availability)
Common Mistakes
Keeping b- on both verbs
❌ بقدر بساعدك.
Incorrect — the modal bears b-, while its action complement is bare.
✅ بقدر ساعدك.
bʾdar sāʿdak.
I can help you.
Leaving the modal unconjugated
❌ هني بقدر يروحوا.
Incorrect — both the modal and lower action must agree with plural هني.
✅ هني بيقدروا يروحوا.
hinne byʾdaro yrūḥo.
They can go.
Using the perfect for general current capacity
❌ أنا قدرت إحكي عربي.
Incorrect for the intended general statement ‘I can speak Arabic’ — قدرت normally presents a bounded past achievement here.
✅ أنا بقدر إحكي عربي.
ana bʾdar iḥke ʿarabe.
I can speak Arabic.
Treating فيني and بقدر as rigid synonyms
❌ قدرت إفتح الباب بس ما فتحته.
Contradictory in the ordinary achieved reading — قدرت إفتح normally says the opening was successfully accomplished.
✅ كان فيني إفتح الباب، بس ما فتحته.
kēn fīne iftaḥ el-bēb, bass ma fataḥto.
I could have opened the door, but I didn't.
Key Takeaways
قدر is a finite ability verb: the b-imperfect expresses current or general capacity, while perfect قدرت often reports managing a particular action. The modal carries person agreement and b-; its lexical complement is bare but agreeing. فيني often foregrounds situational possibility or permission, whereas بقدر can foreground capacity or effort, but ordinary usage overlaps and context decides the framing.
Now practice Arabic
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Arabic →Related Topics
- Ability and Possibility with في plus SuffixA2 — Use في with personal suffixes for situational ability, permission, possibility, questions, and scoped negation.
- The b-Imperfect for Ordinary Present-Time PredicationA1 — Use the Lebanese b-imperfect for habits, generalizations, states, and ordinary present predication while contrasting progressive and bare forms.
- The Bare Imperfect after Modals and ParticlesA2 — Use fully agreeing imperfect verbs without b- after Lebanese modal, future, and command environments.
- Completed Events and the PerfectA2 — Use the Lebanese perfect for bounded events, event sequences, recent completions, and conventional performatives.
- Negating b-Imperfect Verbs with ماA1 — Negate Lebanese habits and nonpast verbal states with ما while retaining the b-imperfect marker, agreement, and attached objects.
- Making Requests from Direct to MitigatedA2 — Choose Lebanese imperatives, فيك, ممكن, willingness clauses, reasons, and appreciation according to entitlement, effort, and relationship.