yan wa ga3ad!

Today’s phrase literally means "he went crazy - and sat."

It took me a while to get my head around the image being conjured up, but it helped to remember a story bi l-maa'6ii when my French teacher used to get abuse from the class. One day, she went off on such an impassioned rant at us brats that mid-swing she caught the back of a chair and slumped into it, out of breath. She quite literally yanat wa ga3adat.

bi l-7aa'9iir, I can think of a few examples where the phrase might apply. When friends goes shopping - and return home with three times as much stuff as they set out to buy, you could say yanaw wa ga3adaw since the shopping frenzy brings on a feeling of dizziness.

And lastly, bi l-mustaghbal, when I finally dare myself to recount a story aloud in Kuwaiti, today's phrase would be a good one to round off any amusing anecdote. In three succinct words - yan wa ga3ad -  the point is driven home and 3ayal muu laazim to stutter or stammer to a tongue-tied finish.

Arabic	Pronounced?	English
ين و قعد!	yan wa ga3ad!	he went crazy!
ينت و قعدت!	yanat wa ga3adat!	she went crazy!
ينوا و قعدوا!	yanaw wa ga3adaw!	they went crazy!
بالماظي	bi l-maa’6ii	in the past
بالحاضر	bi l-7aa’9ir	at present
بالمستغبل	bi l-mustaghbal	in the future
عيل مو لازم	3ayal muu laazim	then there’s no need