هلقيت

South Levantine Arabic

Alternative forms

  • هئيتي (haʔʔēti, used in the Hebron area)

Etymology

Developed from a form resembling *هالوْقَيْت (hal-wqayt) that the و (w) was then elided from, formed as a diminutive of the same vernacular Arabic هَالْوَقْت (hal-waqt, “the current time”, literally “this time”) that gave هَلَّق (hallaq, hallaʔ, “now”). Compare diminutive formations in other languages like Spanish ahorita.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /halˈʔeːt/
  • IPA(key): (Beit Jala) /halˈkeːt/
  • IPA(key): (Gaza) /halˈɡeːt/

Adverb

هلقيت • (halʔēt, halkēt, halgēt)

  1. now, just
    Synonyms: هلا (halla), هسا (hassa), الحين (alḥīn), إسا (ʔissa)

Usage notes

  • There are many words used for "now" in South Levantine Arabic. هلا (halla, hallaʔ) is the most common word in urban dialects, also used in Lebanon and Syria. In formal contexts, the Standard Arabic الْآنَ (al-ʔān, il-ʔān) is used.
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