صديقتي بدها قميص لونه احمر، وانا بدي بنطلون لونه اسود.

I

Breakdown of صديقتي بدها قميص لونه احمر، وانا بدي بنطلون لونه اسود.

• ي: my
• بده: to want
• صديق: friend

Questions & Answers about صديقتي بدها قميص لونه احمر، وانا بدي بنطلون لونه اسود.

What does بدي / بدها mean in Levantine Arabic?

Both come from the Levantine verb-like expression بدّ meaning to want.

• بدي = I want
• بدها = she wants

So in this sentence:

• صديقتي بدها قميص = My friend wants a shirt
• وانا بدي بنطلون = and I want pants / a pair of pants

This is one of the most common ways to say want in Levantine.

A few other forms are:

• بدك = you want (to a man)
• بدِّك = you want (to a woman)
• بده = he wants
• بدنا = we want
• بدهم = they want

---

Why is it صديقتي and not صديقي?

Because صديقة means female friend, while صديق means male friend.

• صديق = male friend
• صديقة = female friend

Then the -ي at the end means my.

So:

• صديقي = my male friend
• صديقتي = my female friend

In this sentence, the speaker is talking about a female friend, so صديقتي is correct.

---