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EGYPTIAN ARABIC VERB

اِسْتَنَّى

to wait

  • #72 most used
  • Regular verb
  • Active participle: مِسْتَنِّي

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

المُضَارِع · now and habits: the b- forms (بَكْتِب)

Form Affirmative Negative
أَنَاI wait
إِنْتَyou wait (to a man)
إِنْتِyou wait (to a woman)
هُوَّhe waits
هِيَّshe waits
إِحْنَاwe wait
إِنْتُوyou all wait
هُمَّthey wait

Past

المَاضِي · finished actions (كَتَبْت, كَتَب)

Form Affirmative Negative
أَنَاI waited
إِنْتَyou waited (to a man)
إِنْتِyou waited (to a woman)
هُوَّhe waited
هِيَّshe waited
إِحْنَاwe waited
إِنْتُوyou all waited
هُمَّthey waited

Future

المُسْتَقْبَل · plans: the ha- forms (هَاكْتِب)

Form Affirmative Negative
أَنَاI will wait
إِنْتَyou will wait (to a man)
إِنْتِyou will wait (to a woman)
هُوَّhe will wait
هِيَّshe will wait
إِحْنَاwe will wait
إِنْتُوyou all will wait
هُمَّthey will wait

After want, must and can

المُضَارِع المُجَرَّد · the bare present (عَايِز أَكْتِب, لاَزِم تِكْتِب)

Form Affirmative Negative
أَنَا(that) I wait
إِنْتَ(that) you wait (to a man)
إِنْتِ(that) you wait (to a woman)
هُوَّ(that) he waits
هِيَّ(that) she waits
إِحْنَا(that) we wait
إِنْتُو(that) you all wait
هُمَّ(that) they wait

Commands

الأَمْر · to a man, a woman and several people, and don’t

Form Affirmative Negative
إِنْتَwait! (to a man)
إِنْتِwait! (to a woman)
إِنْتُوwait! (to several people)

How to use اِسْتَنَّى

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    بَسْتَنَّى المِتْرُو عَشَر دَقَايِق كُلّ يُوم.

    I wait ten minutes for the metro every day.

  2. Past

    اِسْتَنِّيت التَّاكْسِي نُصّ سَاعَة فِي البَرْد!

    I waited half an hour for the taxi in the cold!

  3. Future

    هَاسْتَنَّاك قُدَّام المَتْحَف السَّاعَة عَشَرَة.

    I'll wait for you in front of the museum at ten.

  4. After want, must and can

    مُمْكِن تِسْتَنَّى شُوَيَّة? كَرِيم جَايّ.

    Can you wait a little? Karim's coming.

  5. Commands

    اِسْتَنِّي هِنَا, يَا سَلْمَى, دِقِيقَة وَاحْدَة.

    Wait here, Salma, just one minute.

Good to know

  • مِسْتَنِّي (مِسْتَنِّيَّة for a woman) is how you say you are waiting right now: أَنَا مِسْتَنِّي كَرِيم.
  • What you wait for comes straight after the verb, with no "for": اِسْتَنِّينِي, wait for me.

Where you hear اِسْتَنَّى

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

Egyptian Arabic · Beginner Level 2

  • بَسْتَنَّى كَرِيم كُلّ يُوم السَّاعَة سَبْعَة. I wait for Karim every day at seven.
  • اِسْتَنِّيت التَّاكْسِي نُصّ سَاعَة. I waited for the taxi half an hour.
  • هَاسْتَنَّاك قُدَّام المَتْحَف. I'll wait for you in front of the museum.

Egyptian Arabic · Beginner Level 3

  • بَسْتَنَّى كَرِيم كُلّ يُوم السَّاعَة سَبْعَة. I wait for Karim every day at seven.
  • اِسْتَنِّيت التَّاكْسِي نُصّ سَاعَة. I waited for the taxi half an hour.
  • هَاسْتَنَّاك قُدَّام المَتْحَف. I'll wait for you in front of the museum.
28
Salted Fish

Beginner Level 2 · يَلَّا, العَرَبِيَّة مِسْتَنِّيَّة.

Needs a subscription 8
The First Morning at the Workshop

Beginner Level 3 · البِيت مِسْتَنِّي تَلاَتْمِيت سَنَة!

Needs a subscription 21
The Desert Road

Beginner Level 3 · طَيِّب, بَايْظَة. شَاي, وِنِسْتَنَّى.

Needs a subscription 12
The Quarrel

Intermediate Level 1 · اِسْتَنِّيت عَنْد البَاب سَاعَة وِنُصّ.

Needs a subscription 9
The Witnesses

Advanced Level 1 · يَلَّا, الرَّسْم اللِّي عَلَى مَكْتَبِي مِسْتَنِّي.

Needs a subscription 29
When She Says Her First Word

Advanced Level 3 · لَمَّا تِيجُوا, البِيَانُو مِسْتَنِّي.

Needs a subscription 5
Did You Eat or Not

Fluency Level 1 · البِيت يِسْتَنَّى. عَنْدِي لُه شُرْبَة عَدْس.

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Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: regular verb.