Lesson 11: خليك جنبي

New Vocabulary

xalliik (خليك) - may you be, let you be, be
gamb (جنب) - beside, next to
min gheer (من غير) - without
ma'darsh (مقدرش) - I can't
wa3d (وعد) - promise, pledge
shoo' (شوق) pl. ashwaa' (اشواق) - desire, longing
Haniyya (حنية) - tenderness, kindness, حنان
saaniya (ثانية) - a second (time)
yoom (يوم) pl. ayaam (ايام) - day
leel (ليل) pl. layaali (ليالي) - night
sinna (سنة) pl. siniin (سنين) - year

'adar (قدر) - to be able to
kammal (كمّل) - to complete, to go on
mala (ملى) - to fill

Before doing this lesson go back and review some of the key words that maybe you overlooked or forgot. Things will start moving fast. Admittedly, Lesson 10 was tough, but this one should be easy by comparison. The singer is current pop star Haytham Shaker and the song is "xalliik gambi (خليك جنبي)," "Be By My Side." Watch, listen, read.

خليك جنبى احضن هوى قلبى
محتاج انا حبك خليك على وعدك

لو تقدر تعيش من غيرى
لو تقدر تكمل وحدك
انا مقدرش اعيش لو ثانية
فى الدنيا يا عمرى فى بعدك

خليك جنبى احضن هوى قلبى
محتاج انا حبك خليك على وعدك

قرب كمان ليا
محتاج لحنية
الشوق ملى عينيا
يا كل ما ليا

ايام بلياليها بحلم تكون فيها
بهواك تخليها اجمل سنين عمرى
ايام بلياليها بحلم تكون فيها
بهواك تخليها اجمل سنين عمرى

It starts out simply enough:

خليك جنبي

The verb "xalla (خلى)" which we learned as "to make" someone a certain way also has the meaning of "let" or "may" in the command form. To explain, "xalliini a3iish (خليني أعيش)" means like "let me live." When you say "xalliik (خليك)" it is kind of like a command but more indirect, meaning like "may you..." Therefore the titular line, "xalliik gambi (خليك جنبي)" means "may you be by my side." Notice how "gamb (جنب)" is the equivalent of Standard Arabic بجانب

احضن هوى قلبي

"Embrace my heart's love."

Next line:

محتاج انا حبك

"maHtaag (محتاج)" is a participle, meaning it is treated like an adjective but has a verbal meaning here. So it means "needing" but has the meaning of "I need." He says "I need your love."

خليك على وعدك

Here is "xalliik (خليك)" again, meaning "may you" or "let you be." "wa3ad (وعد)" means "a promise," so he says something like "may you be (good) on your promise."

Got it now? Ok now for the first verse:

لو تقدر تعيش من غيرى

The verb "'adar (قدر)" means "to be able to. "min gheer (من غير)" means "without." So he says "If you can live with out me."

Next line:

لو تقدر تكمل وحدك

"kammal (كمّل)" means "to finish" but in this case "to go on." "wadHdak (وحدك)" means "by yourself," just as "waHdi (وحدي)" means "by myself." He says, "If you can go on by yourself."

انا مقدرش اعيش لو ثانية

"ma'darsh (مقدرش)" means "I can't." The negation of verbs in Egyptian requires a prefix "ma (ما)" along with the suffix "-sh (ش)." This is true for present and past tense verbs, however verbs carrying the future marker "ح" require only the word "mish (مش)" for negation. The line means "I can't" or rather "I couldn't live if for a second."

Why:

فى الدنيا يا عمرى فى بعدك

"In the world, my life, in your absence."

Another verse:

قرب كمان ليا

"Get a little closer to me."

محتاج لحنية

Know what this means? What if I told you "Haniyya (حنية)" means "tenderness."

الشوق ملى عينيا

"Desire filled my eyes."

يا كل ما ليا

This means "Oh everything I have," but take it to mean "you are everything I have."

Final verse:

ايام بلياليها بحلم تكون فيها

Looks like a weird sentence. "Days with their nights, dreaming of you being in them."

Last line:

بهواك تخليها اجمل سنين عمرى

Remember the verb "xalla (خلى)" meaning "to make something be a certain way." This last line means "With your love you make them the most beautiful years of my lifetime."

This song was kind of a piece of cake huh. The next song should be longer: Lesson 12: انا قلبي ليك ميال