Questions & Answers about عندي كمبيوتر جديد بالبيت.
Why does عندي mean I have?
In Levantine Arabic, possession is often expressed with عند plus a pronoun ending.
- عند = at
- -ي = me / my
So عندي literally means at me, but in natural English that is usually translated as I have.
This is very common in spoken Arabic:
- عندي سيارة = I have a car
- عندك وقت؟ = Do you have time?
Arabic does not usually use a separate verb like English to have here.
Do I need to say أنا before عندي?
No. عندي already tells you the subject is I because of the ending -ي.
So:
- عندي كمبيوتر جديد بالبيت = natural
- أنا عندي كمبيوتر جديد بالبيت = also correct, but more emphatic
Adding أنا can sound like:
- As for me, I have a new computer at home
- or it can add contrast
In normal conversation, leaving أنا out is very common.
Why is there no word for a before كمبيوتر?
Arabic does not have an indefinite article like English .