A1Unit 2 · People and family · Lesson 11 of 100
My family
abūy · immi · ibn ʿammi · bint ʿammi · ya ʿammo · ya khālto
Goal: Name the members of a family, say "my father", "my cousin" and address an older man or woman politely.
Dialogue
After dinner, Imm Khalil shows Lina an old family photo. You will learn the words for father, mother, son, daughter, uncle and aunt, how to say "my cousin", and how to call an older man or woman.
After dinner in Ramallah, Imm Khalil shows Lina an old family photo.
- Linaya khālto, mīn hāda?Auntie, who is this?
- Imm Khalilhāda ʿammik, Abu Khalīl. w hāda abūki!This is your uncle, Abu Khalil. And this is your father!
- Linaabūy? ʿan jadd? w mīn hādi?My father? Really? And who is this?
- Imm Khalilhādi immik, w hādi ʿammtik.This is your mother, and this is your aunt.
- Linaw mīn hāda?And who is this?
- Imm Khalilhāda Khalīl, ibni!This is Khalil, my son! (as a little boy)
- Linayaʿni Khalīl ibn ʿammi, w Rana bint ʿammi!So Khalil is my cousin, and Rana is my cousin!
- Abu Khalilmazbūṭ! w inti binti kamān, ya Līna.Right! And you are my daughter too, Lina.
- Linashukran, ya ʿammo!Thank you, uncle!
New words
| Palestinian Arabic | English |
|---|---|
| abu | fatherabūy my father; in names: Abu Khalīl "Khalil's father" |
| imm | motherimmi my mother; plural immahāt; in names: Imm Khalīl "Khalil's mother" |
| akhu | brotherakhūy my brother; plural ikhwe |
| ukht | sisterukhti my sister; plural khawāt |
| ibn | sonibni my son; plural wlād; ibn ʿammi my cousin (a man, on my father's side) |
| bint | daughter; girlbinti my daughter; plural banāt; bint ʿammi my cousin (a woman, on my father's side) |
| ʿamm | uncle (father's brother)ʿammi my uncle; plural ʿmām |
| ʿamme | aunt (father's sister)ʿammti my aunt; plural ʿammāt |
| mara | wife; womanmarati my wife; marat ʿammi my uncle's wife; plural niswān |
| ʿēle | family (parents and children)ʿēlti my family; ism il-ʿēle surname |
| ya ʿammo | uncle, sir (to an older man; to your father's brother) |
| ya khālto | auntie, madam (to an older woman; to your mother's sister)Lina calls Imm Khalil khālto |
Grammar
1. Family words with "my"
The ending -i means "my". abu and akhu end in a vowel, so they take a long ū and -y. Words ending in -e or -a take -t- before -i: ʿammti, ʿēlti. One exception: mara "wife" keeps its a and gives marati.
| Word | my … | English |
|---|---|---|
| abu | abūy | (my) father |
| imm | immi | (my) mother |
| akhu | akhūy | (my) brother |
| ukht | ukhti | (my) sister |
| ibn | ibni | (my) son |
| bint | binti | (my) daughter |
| ʿamm | ʿammi | (my) uncle |
| ʿamme | ʿammti | (my) aunt |
| ʿēle | ʿēlti | (my) family |
| mara | marati | (my) wife |
Speaking to a woman, "your" is -ik, or -ki after a vowel: ʿammik, immik, abūki.
2. Cousins: "son of my uncle"
Arabic has no single word for "cousin". Put two words side by side: ibn ʿammi "the son of my uncle", bint ʿammi "the daughter of my uncle". mara becomes marat before another word.
3. Calling people
Say ya ʿammo to an older man and ya khālto to an older woman, even if they are not family. Lina says ya khālto to Imm Khalil.
Practice
1Choose the right words
Your father's brother is your…
Your father's sister is your…
ʿamme "aunt" ends in -e, so "my aunt" is ʿammti.
You say hello to an older woman, a neighbor.
ya ʿammo is for an older man.
Khalil is the son of Lina's uncle. Lina says: "Khalil is…"
2Complete the sentence
hāda ___. = This is my father.
hādi ___. = This is my sister.
Rana bint ___. = Rana is my cousin (my uncle's daughter).
3Match the Arabic and the English
imm
akhu
ibn
mara
ʿēle
4Put the words in order
This is my mother, and this is my father.
So Khalil is my cousin!
5Say it in Palestinian Arabic, then check
Thank you, uncle! (to an older man)
shukran, ya ʿammo!
This is my uncle's wife.
hādi marat ʿammi.
6True or false?
Lina's father is in the old photo.
Khalil is Lina's brother.
Khalil is her cousin: ibn ʿammi.
Lina calls Imm Khalil ya khālto.
Summary
- You can name the family: abu, imm, akhu, ukht, ibn, bint, ʿamm, ʿamme.
- You can say "my": abūy, immi, ukhti, ʿammti.
- You can say "my cousin": ibn ʿammi, bint ʿammi.
- You can address an older man with ya ʿammo and an older woman with ya khālto.