Breakdown of لو سمحت، أين الفندق؟
أينayna
where
الal
the
فندقfunduq
hotel
لو سمحتlaw samaht
excuse me (to ask politely)
Questions & Answers about لو سمحت، أين الفندق؟
What does لو سمحت literally mean?
It translates directly as "if you allowed" or "if you please". The word لو means "if" and سمحت means "you permitted". Together, they make the most common, polite phrase for "excuse me" when you need to get someone's attention.
Should I pronounce سمحت as "samaHta" or "samaHti"?
It depends on who you are speaking to! The written spelling is the same, but you say سمحتَ (samaHta) with a short "a" sound at the end when talking to a man, and سمحتِ (samaHti) with a short "i" sound at the end when talking to a woman.
Why isn't there a word for "is" in this sentence?
In Arabic, the present tense words for "am", "is", and "are" are simply left out. So instead of saying "where is the hotel?", you literally just ask "where the hotel?" (أين الفندق). A sentence like this without a verb is perfectly normal and very common in Arabic.
Do I pronounce the "l" sound in the word الفندق (al-funduq)?
Yes! The letter ف (fa) at the start of the word for hotel is a "moon letter". This means the "l" sound in the Arabic word for "the" (ال) is fully pronounced. You say "al-funduq" rather than skipping the "l" sound.
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