Jul 29, 2020 14:32
3 yrs ago
23 viewers *
Arabic term

تمونين عليه

Arabic to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature Iraqi dialect
Hi everyone,

Context: novel excerpt. In this section, the narrator's best friend is teasing her about her close friendship with a boy. The dialogue is in Iraqi dialect:

حتى إن سورغول قالت لي مرة: «شنو قصة فوزي صارحيني»؟ قلت لها: «صديق يا سورغول، صديق مثلك تماماً، مجرد صديق». ابتسمت وهمهمت: «مثلي يعني صرت تمونين عليه كما تمونين علي»؟

This is my current translation for the last sentence: 'So, do you pine after me in the same way you pine after him?’ Another possibility is 'chase after him'. I am not too familiar with the Iraqi dialect, so could someone who knows Iraqi please confirm whether or not I've understood the meaning of the word correctly?

Thanks!

Discussion

Karina Zidan (X) Jul 29, 2020:
Not in Iraqi, but may help In Kuwaiti, it's an ’at ease’ friendly familiarity/intimacy. Very close to رفع الكلفة, but more intimate. I don't know if this helps at all, but it is identical to the Egyptian واخدين على بعض.

Proposed translations

+1
3 days 20 hrs
Arabic term (edited): صرتِ تمونين عليه
Selected

He has become obliging to you


I am giving this answer a "High" confidence level, not "Highest," not because I am not confident in my answer, but rather because the phrase itself is of unknown derivation and is used only in the colloquial language. Expressions of this kind typically do not have an ironclad definition. People feel free to use them in a fluid manner.

If I say, أمون عليك, that means that we have the kind of relationship that makes me expect you to be obliging to me in a way that I would not expect others to be. Perhaps you owe me favors, or we have suffered experiences together in a way that caused a bond to develop which makes you respond to my wishes obligingly, etc. So, if I ask you for a favor, I am sure you will oblige. If I give you advice, I expect you will give due weight to my advice. That is why people usually begin by saying, أنا أمون عليك, when they ask for a favor or when they counsel a friend.

When we say, أنت تمون علي, we usually mean to say, "how can I say no to you? I would do anything you ask."

Often people combine these two expressions. They say, أمون عليك وتمون علي, meaning we have a mutually obliging relationship. We have the kind of friendship that make us respond to each other without hesitation.

Therefore, صرت تمونين عليه كما تمونين علي essentially means that he has now become as obliging towards you as I am. He trusts you as I trust you, and he is willing to do stuff for you as you as you ask, just as I do.

Here is a link to an interesting article about this term:

http://alrai.com/article/541247.html

The article tries to propose an etymology for the term, but the proposal is speculative and cannot be ascertained. The proposed etymology seems to color the writer's understanding of the term and its origin. But the examples of usage given in the article make the common meaning pretty clear.
Peer comment(s):

agree Linda Al-Bairmani
7 hrs
neutral TargamaT team : Sorry Fuad, your answer is not related to the question. You can become obliging to me, you are willing and eager to be helpful, but I cannot ask you a service/help without embarrassment because I have my reasons and this is the sense of تمون, it is concer
23 hrs
I am sorry. You seem to have something interesting to say about the subject, but I didn’t quite get it.
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks, Fuad. Lots of food for thought in your comments and the linked article :) I'm also glad I asked on ProZ as it seems my assumption was incorrect!"
+1
1 hr

You can count on him

You can count on him without embarrassment
Peer comment(s):

agree Youssef Chabat
5 hrs
شكرًا جزيلًا
Something went wrong...
19 hrs

depend on

rely on
Something went wrong...
2 days 7 hrs

Just like me, so you are as close to him as you are to me

As proposed by Karina Zidan in the discussions tab, it is about familiarity and being at ease in each other's company, and as you can see the link, the word is new, most likely it was introduced through Syrian soap operas :D
Note from asker:
Thanks for the link, the discussion was interesting!
Something went wrong...
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search