Welcome to a new post 🙂 مرحبا بكم في مدوّنة جديدة. Our topic today is opinions وجهات النظر/ الآراء . We will be learning how one can express/state their opinion يعبّر عن رأيه as well as asking others for their opinion يسأل الآخرين عن آرائهم in Arabic, particularly Syrian Arabic اللهجة السوريّة. This post will focus on studying how one can express their opinion and the next one will focus on how to ask others for their opinions.

 

 

An Opinion

An opinion in Standard Arabic is: رَأْيْ Ra?y. The dual form of it is: رَأْيَيْنْ and the plural form is: آرَاءْ

In English, an opinion is called a point of view, which is: وِجْهَة نَظَر wijhat NaZar (or نَظَر وِجْهِة wijhit NaZar in Levantine Arabic) in Standard Arabic and  وِجْهَاتْ نَظَر Wijhaat NaZar is the plural form of it.

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1- Expressions to express/state one’s opinion

 We’ll start with looking at common phrases that one can use to express/state their opinion.

 

A- Common structures:

The most obvious way to express one’s opinion is to use the word “opinion” رأي as in the first expression we have on the list here>

 

In my opinion (that)  أنا بْرَأْيِ (إنُّو) <<

 

The phrase برأي  can be followed by the filler إنو  but it’s often optional and can be left out.

 

Example:

أنا برأي إنو المهرجان كتير رائع

In my opinion, the festival is really wonderful.

 

To me  بِالنِّسْبَة إِلِي << 

 

The other expression is بِالنِّسْبَة إِلِي or what can literally translate as ‘according to me’ is an alternative way to say ‘think/ in my opinion.

 

Example:

بالنسبة إلي، القرار كله على بعضه ما كان ضروري

To me/ I think, the whole decision was not necessary

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B- Verbal structures:

 

I believe/ I think (that) (أنا ( بِعْتِقِدْ إِنُّو <<

I believe/ I think (that) (أنا (بْظِنّْ إنُّو <<

I feel (that) (أنا (بْحِسّْ إنُّو <<

 

The above list of verbs is used to begin stating an opinion. These verbs are often followed by the filler إنو that but sometimes it can be left out – as mentioned above.

 

Examples:

أنا ما بعتقد إنو فكرتها منيحة

I don’t think her idea is good

 

أنا بظن رُوح بكرا أحسن

I think it’s better for me to go tomorrow

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*Agreeing & disagreeing:

In addition to the expressions just mentioned, I now move on to list some expressions that one can use to agree with  يتفق مع or disagree with يختلف مع another:

 

 

I agree with you بِتِّفِقْ مَعِكْ إِنُّو <<

I feel like that/ think that way أَنَا بْحِسْ هِيكْ <<

I also think that way أنا كمان بْظِنّْ هِيكْ <<

 

Example:

بتفق معك تماما إنو في شي ناقص

I totally agree with you that there’s something missing 

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I disagree with you بِخْتِلِفْ مَعَكْ <<

No, I don’t think that لا أنا ما بِعْتِقِدْ إنو <<

Honestly, I don’t see it¹‘it’ here refers to the subject matter. that way بْصَرَاحَة أَنَا مَا بْشُوفْهَا هِيكْ <<

 

Example:

أنا بصراحة ما حسيت هيك بعد ما قريت الراوية

I honestly didn’t feel/think this way after reading the novel.

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Stay tuned for the second part of this post 🙂

 

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  ‘it’ here refers to the subject matter.