Expressing Possession with لدى
To say you "have" something in Arabic, you use prepositions like عند or مع. Another common and slightly more formal option is the preposition لدى, which translates to "at," "with," or "in the possession of."
| at / to have (formal) | لدىladâ |
When you want to say that a specific person or noun has something, you simply place لدى right before the noun.
| The beekeeper has a protective suit and a mask. | لدى النحال بدلة حماية وقناع.ladâ n-nahhâli badlatu himâyatin wa qinâun |
Attaching Pronouns (Singular)
Like other prepositions, لدى can take attached pronoun suffixes. Notice that the final alif maqsurah (ى) changes to a regular yaa (ي) when a pronoun is attached.
| Meaning | Form |
|---|---|
| I have | لدي |
| You have | لديك |
| He has | لديه |
| She has | لديها |
Here is how you use the first-person form (لدي) to talk about what you own:
| I have a large apiary for beekeeping. | لدي منحل كبير لتربية النحل.ladayya manhalun kabîrun litarbiyati n-nahli |
And here are examples using the third-person and second-person singular suffixes to describe a season (موسم) or a swarm (سرب):
| She has an abundant season for collecting nectar. | لديها موسم وفير لجمع الرحيق.ladayhâ mawsimun wafîrun lijam'i r-rahîq |
| Do you have a new swarm in the colony? | هل لديك سرب جديد في الطائفة؟hal ladayka sirbun jadîdun fî at-tâ'ifah |
| He has a swarm, and he wants to collect pure honey. | لديه سرب، ويريد أن يجمع العسل النقي.ladayhi sirbun, wa yurîdu an yajma'a al-'asala an-naqiyya |
Attaching Plural Pronouns
The same spelling rule applies when attaching plural pronoun suffixes. The word becomes لدينا (we have), لديكم (you plural have), and لديهن (they feminine plural have).
| We have the largest apiary in this region. | لدينا أكبر المناحل في هذه المنطقة.ladaynâ akbaru al-manâhili fî hâdhihi al-mintaqah. |
| You have abundant nectar in this garden. | لديكم رحيق وفير في هذه الحديقة.ladaykum raheequn wafeerun fee hâdhihil-hadeeqah |
| They have great experience in beekeeping. | لديهن خبرة كبيرة في تربية النحل.ladayhinna khibratun kabîratun fî tarbiyati n-nahl. |
Negation and Spatial Location
To negate possession—meaning someone does not have something—you can place the negating word ليس before لدى.
Additionally, remember that لدى can also represent a physical spatial relationship, meaning simply "at" a location, like an apiary.
| There is no abundant nectar at the apiary today. | ليس هناك رحيق وفير لدى المنحل اليوم.laysa hunâka raheequn wafeerun ladâ al-manhali al-yawma |
| She has pure honey, but she does not have wax. | لديها عسل نقي، ولكن ليس لديها شمع.ladayhâ 'asalun naqiyyun, walâkin laysa ladayhâ sham'un |
