How to say "I don't understand" in Arabic
New wordMeaningI don't understand
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
لَا أَفْهَمُ
lā afhamuלא אפהם
لا أفهم
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
אני לא מבין
ani lo mevinأَنِي لُو مِڤِين
How the two words are related
New word
No Hebrew relative — learn it fresh.
Arabic root
ف-ه-مLearn it
On the street
How people actually say it in the spoken dialects, where it differs from the standard word.
Levantine · Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria
مِش فَاهِم
mish fāhimמש פאהםLiterally 'not understanding'; a girl says mish fāhme.
Egyptian · Cairo and the Nile Delta
مِش فَاهِم
mish fāhimמש פאהםSame in Cairo; a girl says mish fahma.
Moroccan · Morocco — Casablanca, Rabat, Fes
مَا فْهمْتْش
mā fhemtshמא פהמתשDarija says 'I didn't understand': mā fhemtsh.
In a phrase
لَا أَفْهَمُ هَذَا السُّؤَال
lā afhamu hādhā s-suʾālלא אפהם הד'א א-סואלI don't understand this question.
More words from this root
More in School & Study
- say it again, pleaseaʿid min faḍlikaأَعِد مِن فَضْلِكَאפשר שוב?
- what does … mean?mā maʿnā …?مَا مَعْنَى …؟מה פירוש …?
- how do you say … in Arabic?kayfa naqūlu … bil-ʿarabiyya?كَيْفَ نَقُولُ … بِالْعَرَبِيَّة؟איך אומרים … בערבית?
- may I go out?hal yumkinunī l-khurūj?هَل يُمْكِنُنِي الْخُرُوج؟אפשר לצאת?
- I have a questionʿindī suʾālعِنْدِي سُؤَالיש לי שאלה
- I don't knowlā aʿrifuلَا أَعْرِفُאני לא יודע