لو الكمبيوتر اشتغل، هابعت الملف على الايميل.

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Breakdown of لو الكمبيوتر اشتغل، هابعت الملف على الايميل.

• لو: if
• كمبيوتر: computer
• يبعت: to send

Questions & Answers about لو الكمبيوتر اشتغل، هابعت الملف على الايميل.

Why is لو used for if here instead of إذا?

In Egyptian Arabic, لو is the normal everyday way to say if in many conditional sentences. إذا exists, but it sounds much more formal and closer to Modern Standard Arabic.

Also, in Egyptian, لو can be used for a real future condition, not only for something hypothetical or unreal. So لو الكمبيوتر اشتغل is a perfectly natural colloquial way to say if the computer works / turns on.

Why is اشتغل in a past-looking form if the sentence is talking about the future?

This is a very common pattern in Arabic dialects. After لو, the verb is often in the past form even when the meaning is about a future possibility.

So لو الكمبيوتر اشتغل is literally shaped like if the computer worked, but in natural Egyptian it means if the computer works / if the computer turns on. The main clause then shows the result, here with the future verb هابعت.

What does اشتغل mean when talking about a computer?

For machines and devices, اشتغل can mean started working, turned on, or was functioning, depending on context.

With الكمبيوتر, English speakers often understand it best as:

• if the computer turns on
• if the computer starts working
• if the computer works

So it is not only about employment or working in the human sense; it is very commonly used for devices too.