LIMBA Palestinian ArabicFree written course · 100 lessons Audio course

B1Unit 10 · Palestine and the diaspora · Lesson 100 of 100

Final review and B1 test

ṣarli sane hōn · ya rēt · ʿala rāsi · inshalla barjaʿ

Goal: Hold a long, warm conversation about your year, your memories and your plans, and check your whole B1 level.

1

Dialogue

A year after she arrived, Lina spends her last evening in Ramallah with the whole family, Nour and Sam. Part A, the dialogue and the review, brings back the whole course. Part B, the exercises, is the B1 test: 39 questions on units 8 to 10, with some questions from the A2 level.

Lina's last evening in Ramallah, in November, one year after she arrived. The whole family, Sitti Halime, Nour and Sam are at the Khalil house.

  1. Abu Khalilya Līna, ṣarlik sane kāmle ʿinna, w bukra raḥ tsāfri. ya rēt tḍalli kamān sane!Lina, you've been with us a whole year, and tomorrow you're leaving. If only you could stay another year!
  2. Linaya rēt, ya ʿammo! lamma jīt, ma kuntish aʿraf aḥki wala kilme, w hallaʾ baḥki maʿkom kull yōm, w bafham kull ishi, ḥatta ḥikāyāt sitti!I wish, Uncle! When I came, I couldn't say a single word, and now I talk with you every day, and I understand everything, even Grandma's stories!
  3. Imm Khalilw ṣārat lahjtik zayy lahjitna! kull in-nās bifakkru innik min hōn.And your accent has become just like ours! Everybody thinks you're from here.
  4. Sitti Halimebass il-lahje l-fallāḥiyye lissa ṣaʿbe ʿalēki! iza rjiʿti, baʿallmik.But the village dialect is still hard for you! If you come back, I'll teach you.
  5. Linawallāhi, ya sitti, law kān ʿindi waʾt, kunt ḍallēt kamān sane!Honestly, Grandma, if I had the time, I would stay another year!
  6. Samw ana kamān biddi aḍall hōn. w bafakker inni ṣirt aḥki aḥsan minnik, ya Līna!And I want to stay here too. And I think I now speak better than you, Lina!
  7. Nourmaʿak ḥaʾʾ, ya Sām, ṣirt tiḥki mnīḥ. bass Līna btiḥki zayy waḥde min Rāmalla, w btiʿraf kull il-kalimāt il-ḥilwe: ʿala rāsi, yislam īdēki, ṣaḥḥtēn!You're right, Sam, you've become good. But Lina speaks like someone from Ramallah, and she knows all the nice expressions: with pleasure, bless your hands, enjoy your meal!
  8. Khalilya Līna, shu aḥla ishi ṣār maʿik hōn?Lina, what's the best thing that happened to you here?
  9. Linaṣaʿb aʾūl! il-ʿurs fi Bēt Laḥem, w il-knāfe fi Nāblis… bass aḥla ishi kān mawsim iz-zētūn ʿind sitti, taḥt iz-zētūn maʿ kull il-ʿēle.Hard to say! The wedding in Bethlehem, the knafeh in Nablus… but the best thing was the olive season at Grandma's, under the olive trees with the whole family.
  10. Sitti Halimew ana jibtillik tanakit zēt min zētūnna, ʿashān tākhdīha maʿik ʿa-Shikāgo.And I've brought you a can of oil from our olives, so you can take it with you to Chicago.
  11. Linayislam īdēki, ya sitti! kull ma bākol zēt w zaʿtar, batzakkarkom kullkom.Bless your hands, Grandma! Every time I eat oil and zaatar, I'll remember all of you.
  12. Ranaw lāzim tibʿatīlna masijāt kull yōm, bil-ʿarabi, mish bil-inglīzi!And you have to send us messages every day, in Arabic, not in English!
  13. Linaʿala rāsi! raḥ adardesh maʿkom kull yōm, ḥatta lamma ykūn ʿindi shughl ktīr.With pleasure! I'll chat with you every day, even when I have a lot of work.
  14. Abu Khalilil-bēt raḥ ykūn fāḍi bidūnik. w mīn raḥ yishrab maʿi ʾahwe ṣ-ṣubḥ? raḥ nishtaʾlik ktīr, ya binti.The house will be empty without you. And who will drink coffee with me in the morning? We'll miss you a lot, my girl.
  15. Linaw ana kamān, ktīr. bass inshalla barjaʿ is-sane l-jāye, fi mawsim iz-zētūn, w baḥki fallāḥi maʿ sitti!Me too, a lot. But God willing, I'll come back next year, in the olive season, and speak village Arabic with Grandma!
  16. Imm Khaliliza rjiʿti, ya ḥabībti, il-maʾlūbe ḥāḍra, w il-knāfe kamān!If you come back, my dear, the maqluba will be ready, and the knafeh too!
  17. Samw iza ma rjiʿtīsh, kullna bnīji ʿa-Shikāgo!And if you don't come back, we'll all come to Chicago!
  18. Linashukran ʿala kull ishi. mish raḥ ansākom abadan. intu mish bass ʿēlti… intu bēti!Thank you for everything. I will never forget you. You're not just my family… you're my home!
2

New words

Palestinian ArabicEnglish
zētūnolives; olive treesreview, lesson 91: mawsim iz-zētūn
maʿrūfknown, famous (for: bi-)review, lesson 92: Nāblis maʿrūfe bil-knāfe
ṭābūntaboon (clay bread oven); taboon breadreview, lesson 93: khubz ṭābūn
masmūḥallowed, permittedreview, lesson 94: masmūḥ nṣawwer?
hājarto emigratereview, lesson 95: ahli hājaru ʿa-Amērka
ḥikāyestory, talereview, lesson 96: ḥikāyāt sitti
lahjedialect; accentreview, lesson 97: lahjitna
il-fuṣḥaStandard Arabicreview, lesson 98: il-jarīde bil-fuṣḥa
masijmessage, text messagereview, lesson 99: masijāt kull yōm
3

Grammar

Part A. What you can now say

  • Talk about studies and work: is-sane t-tālte, ishtaghalt fi shirke.
  • Say what you used to do and tell a story: kunt adakhkhen, awwal ishi … baʿdēn … fajʾa ….
  • Say for how long, what has not happened yet, and why: ṣarli sane hōn, lissa ma akalt, ʿashān atʿallam.
  • Say how you feel and what you think, agree and disagree: ana zaʿlān, bafakker inno …, maʿak ḥaʾʾ.
  • Describe with illi, make conditions and report what people said: il-bint illi shuftha, iza rjiʿti, law kān ʿindi waʾt, ʾāl inno ….
  • Explain how things are done and what is allowed: bilaʾʾṭu z-zētūn, masmūḥ nṣawwer?
  • Talk about family roots and memories: aṣli min Rāmalla, kān lāzim nimshi sāʿa.
  • Recognize village and Bedouin accents, Standard Arabic and chat writing.

The course in one table: talking about time

WhenPatternExample
past, onceperfecthājaru ʿa-Amērka
past, a habitkān + present without b-kunna nimshi sāʿa
past plans and dutieskān biddi, kān lāzim, kunt raḥkunt raḥ atrik il-madrase
from then until nowṣarli + timeṣarli sane hōn
not yetlissa ma + perfectlissa ma akalt
futureraḥ + present without b-raḥ arjaʿ is-sane l-jāye

Part B. The B1 test

The exercises below cover units 8 to 10 (lessons 71 to 99), and about one question in five comes from the A2 level. Answer them without looking back, and count one point for each correct answer (each pair of the matching block is one point). The pass line and a list of lessons to review are in the summary.

4

Practice

1Test 1: choose the right answer

  1. the third year

  2. I used to smoke.

  3. I've been in Ramallah for a year.

  4. I haven't eaten yet.

  5. The glass broke (by itself).

  6. What's the matter with you? (to a woman)

  7. If I were you… (to a man)

  8. He said that he is tired.

  9. In a chat message, the digit 3 stands for:

  10. We went to Jericho yesterday.

  11. the biggest house

2Test 2: complete the sentence

  1. il-maṭʿam ___ il-yōm, ma fīsh ghada. = The restaurant is closed today, there's no lunch.

  2. biddo yghayyer shughlo ___ yiksab aktar. = He wants to change jobs in order to earn more.

  3. il-bint ___ shuftha fil-ʿurs ukht Nūr. = The girl I saw at the wedding is Nour's sister.

  4. ___ id-dinya ḥilwe bukra, binrūḥ ʿal-ḥursh. = If the weather is nice tomorrow, we'll go to the woods.

  5. kīf ___ z-zētūn? = How are olives picked?

  6. il-Khalīl ___ bil-ʿinib. = Hebron is known for its grapes.

  7. ___ nṣawwer fil-knīse? = Are we allowed to take photos in the church?

  8. kān ___ arūḥ ʿal-madrase, bass kānat bʿīde. = I wanted to go to school, but it was far.

  9. ___ arūḥ ʿaṣ-ṣaydaliyye. = I have to go to the pharmacy.

  10. ma ___! = Don't forget! (to a man)

3Test 3: match the Arabic and the English

  1. mudīr

  2. zaʿlān

  3. lahje

  4. jarīde

  5. ṣaydaliyye

  6. ʿurs

4Test 4: put the words in order

  1. First I found the problem, then I solved it.

  2. I think that Ramallah is beautiful.

  3. I have never been to Jericho.

  4. We will go to Nablus next week.

5Test 5: say it in Palestinian Arabic, then check

  1. Say that Sam is asleep now.

  2. Say that your family is from Ramallah.

  3. Tell a man that he is right.

  4. Someone asks you a favor. Answer "with pleasure", literally "on my head".

  5. Ask a woman what she did yesterday.

6Test 6: true or false? (about the dialogue)

  1. Lina has been in Ramallah for a whole year.

  2. Sitti Halime gives Lina a can of olive oil.

  3. For Lina, the best thing of the year was the wedding in Bethlehem.

Well done — your score: .
5

Summary

  • You can now talk about work, studies, feelings and opinions, and tell stories about the past.
  • You can now explain customs, describe places and dishes, and talk about family roots and memories.
  • You can now recognize other accents, Standard Arabic and chat writing.
  • You have covered the whole course, from A1 to B1. Keep listening and speaking every day: that is what turns this program into a real level.

Your score

Pass line: 30 of 39. Below 30, review the lessons where you lost points, then take the test again:

  • studies, work, "used to", participles, stories: lessons 71-75
  • for and since, still and not yet, ʿashān, things that break: lessons 76-79
  • feelings, opinions, illi, iza, law, reported speech: lessons 81-86
  • "all, nothing", idioms, agreeing: lessons 87-89
  • olives, cities, dishes, customs, family roots: lessons 91-95
  • memories with kān: lesson 96
  • accents, Standard Arabic, chat writing: lessons 97-99
  • A2 questions (the imperative, the past, lāzim, the future, comparisons): lessons 43, 45-46, 55, 65-66
  • words of the matching block: lessons 22, 59, 72, 81, 97 and 98

Unit 10: Palestine and the diaspora

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