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How come ...?

HotIcyDonut

Senior Member
Russian - Russia
Ahlan. How are "how come.." constructions are used in MSA?

E.g. how would you say "How come that i'm tall and you are a midget?"

My attempt:

كيف ذلك أن أنا طويل عندما أنت قصير؟

Is it correct? What other constructions are possible if not my "..كيف ذلك أن.. عندما"?

Shukran likulli minkum.
I think that لماذا can be used here.
أهلا,
Using "How come" is asking "politely" for a response from another person, unlike "Why". Hence we could use: أنّى لي أن أكون طويلا وأنت قزم؟

أنّى: اسم استفهام يدل على الحال والمكان
I've never heard أنّى.

I think كيف لي could work:

كيف لي أن أكون طويلاً وأنت قزمٌ؟

(By the way, there's no "that" in English: "How come that I'm tall and you're a midget?")
I've never heard أنّى.

I think كيف لي could work:

كيف لي أن أكون طويلاً وأنت قزمٌ؟

(By the way, there's no "that" in English: "How come that I'm tall and you're a midget?")
Will it sound just as natural in nominal sentence? Like:

كيف لك أنك قزم وأنا طويل؟
كيف لك أن تكون قزمًا وأنا طويل؟

That works grammatically, but it’s less likely because it implies that being a midget is desirable, which is not the case for most people.

Think of it as “How come I get to be tall / a midget...?”
Ahlan. How are "how come.." constructions are used in MSA?

E.g. how would you say "How come that i'm tall and you are a midget?"

My attempt:

كيف ذلك أن أنا طويل عندما أنت قصير؟

Is it correct? What other constructions are possible if not my "..كيف ذلك أن.. عندما"?

Shukran likulli minkum.
In this context, you should use "بينما" not "عندما"
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