Levantine Arabic: Today was my first day at my new job

[yerus]

Title- How to say in Levantine Arabic: "Today was my first day at my new job"

My (poor) attempt: Elyom kan awal yowm fil (3al?) wazifat jdide" (or fish-shughul jdid)

 

[Mahaodeh]

In Palestinian Arabic:
اليوم كان أول يوم إلي بالشغل الجديد
Elyawm kan awwal yawm ili bi-ishugul lijdeed.

 

[yerus]

In Palestinian Arabic:
اليوم كان أول يوم إلي بالشغل الجديد
Elyawm kan awwal yawm ili bi-ishugul lijdeed.

Thank you! Would it be grammatically (and/or colloquially) wrong to use a different word in place of ili? Same question in regards to "bi" (could "fi" be used in place of it)?

 

[Mahaodeh]

Would it be grammatically (and/or colloquially) wrong to use a different word in place of ili?

Like what? I can’t think of anything else to replace it, but you could omit it completely like you did. However, if you omit it, it wouldn’t be clear that it was a first day for me, someone might misunderstand and think it’s the first day for the whole business. Int terms of meaning, if there were more context that clarifies this point then omitting it is fine. Grammatically both are correct.

Same question in regards to "bi" (could "fi" be used in place of it)?

Yes, fi could be used. I used b because that’s what I would say. I’m not sure about anything else - perhaps it’s possible to use مع if instead of شغل you mentioned the name of the company or department or the owner or the manager such as: اليوم أول يوم إلي مع أبو فراس or اليوم أول يوم إلي مع قسم التسويق. It would need more context though to explain that it’s a new job not any other interaction (such as a meeting for example). With more context you could also use عند but that needs the name of a person, and without more context it could be understood that you just moved to his/her office for example, or even that you are staying at the person’s house or something.

Your suggestion of على doesn’t work though.

 

[elroy]

What is the context? Who are you saying this to and why? Depending on the context, there may be more idiomatic ways to say this.

 

[yerus]

What is the context? Who are you saying this to and why? Depending on the context, there may be more idiomatic ways to say this.

Just catching up/talking to someone -- so a very informal / casual setting.

 

[elroy]

Okay, in that case I think I would say اليوم بديت الشغل الجديد / الوظيفة الجديدة. You could also put اليوم at the end.

 

[yerus]

Okay, in that case I think I would say اليوم بديت الشغل الجديد / الوظيفة الجديدة. You could also put اليوم at the end.

Thanks. Instead of بديت could I use بلشت ?

 

[elroy]

Thanks. Instead of بديت could I used بلشت ?

Yes, the differences are regional, but any native speaker of Palestinian Arabic should understand both.

 

[yerus]

Yes, the differences are regional, but any native speaker of Palestinian Arabic should understand both.

In which region is bdet used? And which region for blashet? I'm assuming northerners are more likely to use the latter?

 

[elroy]

I can't confidently give exact regional distributions, but Northerners are more likely to use بديت.

By the way, they're pronounced badēt or bdīt, and ballaš(e)t.

 

[yerus]

I can't confidently give exact regional distributions, but Northerners are more likely to use بديت.

By the way, they're pronounced badēt or bdīt, and ballaš(e)t.

Oh hmm interesting. I assumed Northerners use ballashet cause I know Lebanese use it (at least where I live, that's what I hear).

And thanks! I have a bad habit of omitting vowels when typing for shortcut's sake.