How often
Three expressions say how often something happens.
| expression | meaning | where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| كثيرا ما | often | first, right before the verb |
| من وقت لآخر | from time to time | at the start or the end |
| باستمرار | constantly | after the verb |
| We often visit my grandmother in Ramadan. | كثيرا ما نزور جدتي في رمضان.kathîran mâ nazûru jaddatî fî ramadân. |
The ما of كثيرا ما(kathîran mâ) is not the negative ما: the sentence is positive.
| I visit my grandfather from time to time. | أزور جدي من وقت لآخر.azûru jaddî min waqtin liâkhar. |
| The phone rings constantly. | يرن الهاتف باستمرار.yarinnu al-hâtifu bistimrâr |
The first time, and before
لأول مرة(li'awwali marratin) is for the first time. من قبل(min qablu) is before with nothing after it, meaning before now; plain قبل always needs a noun (قبل الدرس).
| I saw the sea for the first time when I was little. | رأيت البحر لأول مرة حينما كنت صغيرا.ra'aytu al-bahra li-awwali marratin hînamâ kuntu saghîran. |
من قبل is most common in questions and after a negative:
| I haven't watched this film before. | لم أشاهد هذا الفيلم من قبل.lam ushâhid hâdhâ al-fîlma min qablu |
Soon, and after a while
بعد قليل(ba'da qalîl) looks ahead, usually with a future verb. بعد مدة(ba'da muddatin) moves a story on, with a past verb.
| The train will arrive in a little while. | سيصل القطار بعد قليل.sayasilu alqitâru ba'da qalîlin |
| After a while, I understood the lesson. | بعد مدة، فهمت الدرس.ba'da muddatin, fahimtu ad-darsa. |
During, after, when
أثناء(athnâ'a) takes a noun, like خلال. بعدما(badamâ) and حينما(hînamâ) take a clause with a verb: بعدما is بعد أن, and حينما is عندما.
| + noun | + verb |
|---|---|
| أثناء الدرس | حينما رجعت |
| بعد الدرس | بعدما أكلنا |
| Don't speak during the lesson. | لا تتكلم أثناء الدرس.lâ tatakallam athnâ'a ad-darsi |
| I went out after the rain stopped. | خرجت بعدما توقف المطر.kharajtu ba3dama tawaqqafa al-mataru |
Ramadan afternoons
رمضان(ramadân) is the month of fasting. العصر(al-'asr) is the late afternoon, between noon and sunset, named after the afternoon prayer. Like الظهر noon, it keeps its ال.
| In the late afternoon, we go to the market. | في العصر، نذهب إلى السوق.fee al-'asri, nadhhabu ila as-suqi. |
