How to Say 'I Have' in Arabic: عِند and مع in Levantine

There is no verb 'to have'

When a Jordanian says عِندي أُخت (3indi ukht), the words are literally 'at me, a sister'. The idea of possession is carried by the preposition عِند (3ind, at) plus an ending that shows who owns the thing. It works the same way for every person, so once you learn the eight forms you can say who has what.

The endings are the same ones used for 'my', 'your' and 'his' on nouns. If you already know كتابي (my book), you already know عِندي (I have).

The eight forms of عِند

Tip: Watch out for 'we have'. It is not عِندنا in everyday speech but the shortened عِنّا (3inna), where the د disappears and the ن doubles. You may see عِندنا in writing, but you will hear عِنّا.

Examples with عِند

عِند is used for things you own, family members, pets, and also for plans and appointments: having an exam, having guests, having a lot of work.

• عِندي امتحان بكرا3indi imti7aan bukraI have an exam tomorrow
• عِندَك وقت هلّأ؟3indak wa2t halla2?Do you have time now?
• عِندِك أخوات يا ليلى؟3indik khawaat ya leila?Do you have sisters, Layla?
• عِندُه شغل كتير اليوم3indo shughl kteer il-yoomHe has a lot of work today
• عِندها قطّة صغيرة3ind-ha 2utta zgheereShe has a small cat
• عِنّا ضيوف الليلة3inna dyoof il-leileWe have guests tonight
• عِندهُم تلات ولاد3ind-hum tlat wlaadThey have three kids

To ask a question, keep the word order and simply let your voice rise at the end: عِندَك بِسّة؟ (3indak bisse?), 'Do you have a cat?'.

مع: having something on you

The second word is مع (ma3), which means 'with'. Levantine speakers use it for things you are carrying right now: money in your pocket, keys, a charger, a pen. Think of it as 'on me' or 'with me' rather than general ownership.

• مَعي مصاري، لا تقلقma3i masaari, la ti2la2I've got money on me, don't worry
• مَعَك شاحن يا خالد؟ma3ak shaa7in ya khaaled?Do you have a charger on you, Khaled?
• مَعُه مفتاح البيتma3o miftaa7 il-beitHe has the house key with him
• مَعكُم فكّة؟ma3kum fakke?Do you (pl.) have any change on you?

عِند or مع: which one?

Both can translate as 'have', but they answer different questions. عِندي سيّارة means 'I own a car'. مَعي سيّارة means 'I have a car with me', for example 'I drove today, so I can give you a lift'. The same goes for money: عِندي مصاري suggests you have money in general, while مَعي مصاري means you have cash on you right now.

مَعنا وقت (ma3na wa2t), 'we have time', is a common exception where مع is used for something abstract. Learn it as a fixed phrase.

If you are unsure, use عِند. It is the general-purpose word, and it is never wrong for possession, family or plans. مع is the more specific choice, best kept for things you could physically hand to someone.

Saying 'I don't have'

To make either word negative, put ما (ma) in front of it. There is no need for a separate verb or any change to the ending.

• ما عِندي إخواتma 3indi khawaatI don't have any sisters
• ما مَعي مصاريma ma3i masaariI don't have any money on me
• ما عِنّا وقتma 3inna wa2tWe don't have time

Tip: Beginners often try to use مش (mish) here, as in مش عِندي. In this structure Levantine speakers use ما, so say ما عِندي.

Where you will use it first

In Unit 2 the main use of عِند is talking about family. Questions like كم أَخ عِندَك؟ (kam akh 3indak?), 'How many brothers do you have?', come up constantly when you meet people in Jordan or Palestine, and family is often one of the first topics of conversation. Prepare an answer about your own brothers and sisters, using the dual where it fits: عِندي أُختين means 'I have two sisters'. Then practise asking the same question back to a man, a woman and a group, changing only the ending.

Practice

Try to answer each one before checking. Typing your answer in Arabizi works too.