حضرتك اذا ما بتقدر تنام، فيك تشغل الراديو على صوت واطي.

If you cannot sleep, you can turn on the radio at a low volume.

Breakdown of حضرتك اذا ما بتقدر تنام، فيك تشغل الراديو على صوت واطي.

• ال: the
• ما: not
• حضرتك: you
• اذا: if

Questions & Answers about حضرتك اذا ما بتقدر تنام، فيك تشغل الراديو على صوت واطي.

What does حضرتك mean here?

حضرتك is a polite way to say you in Levantine Arabic. It literally comes from a word related to your presence, but in everyday speech it functions as a respectful form of address, similar to polite you in English.

In this sentence, it makes the whole statement sound courteous:

• حضرتك اذا ما بتقدر تنام... = If you can’t sleep... said politely

You will often hear حضرتك in conversations with customers, older people, or in generally polite speech.

---

Why does the sentence start with حضرتك if the verb already shows who the subject is?

In Arabic, the verb often already tells you the subject, so بتقدر by itself can mean you can. Adding حضرتك is not grammatically necessary, but it adds:

• politeness
• emphasis
• a more personal tone

So:

• اذا ما بتقدر تنام = if you can’t sleep
• حضرتك اذا ما بتقدر تنام = if you can’t sleep, sir/ma’am / politely speaking

---

What does اذا ما mean? Why is it not something like Standard Arabic إذا لم?

In Levantine, اذا ما is a very common way to say if ... not.

So:

• اذا =