A1Unit 2 · People and family · Lesson 13 of 100
We, you, they: his, her, our, their
iḥna · intu · humme · bēto · bētha · bētna · bētkom · bēthom
Goal: Use all the personal pronouns and say his, her, our, your (plural) and their.
Dialogue
Rana and Khalil ask Lina about her family in Chicago. You will learn "we", "you" (to several people) and "they", and the last endings for "his", "her", "our", "your" and "their".
Evening at the Khalil house. Rana and Khalil ask Lina about her family.
- RanaLīna, ahlik sāknīn fi Shikāgo?Lina, do your parents live in Chicago?
- Linaaywa, humme sāknīn fi shaʾʾa.Yes, they live in an apartment.
- Khalilw khālik w khāltik? humme fi Shikāgo kamān?And your uncle and your aunt on your mother's side? Are they in Chicago too?
- Linakhāli w marato fi Torōnto. w khālti sākne waḥdha fi Shikāgo.My uncle and his wife are in Toronto. And my aunt lives alone in Chicago.
- Ranaw jīrānkom? mnēn humme?And your neighbors? Where are they from?
- Linajīrānna falasṭīniyyīn kamān! aṣlhom min Rāmalla.Our neighbors are Palestinian too! Their family is from Ramallah.
- Khalilʿan jadd? w hōn? inti mabsūṭa?Really? And here? Are you happy?
- Linaaywa, ktīr! baʿīsh hōn fi bētkom, w intu ʿēlti!Yes, very! I live here in your home, and you are my family!
- Ranaw iḥna mabsūṭīn ktīr!And we are very happy!
New words
| Palestinian Arabic | English |
|---|---|
| iḥna | we |
| intu | you (to several people) |
| humme | they |
| ahl | parents; (extended) familyahli my parents, my family; plural ahāli |
| khāl | uncle (mother's brother)khāli my uncle; plural khwāl |
| khāle | aunt (mother's sister)khālti my aunt; plural khālāt |
| shaʾʾa | apartmentplural shuʾaʾ |
| ʿamāra | building, apartment blockplural ʿamārāt |
| ʿāsh | to live, be alive; to live (somewhere)ʿāsh / yʿīsh; baʿīsh I live |
| waḥdi | alone, by myselfwaḥdak, waḥdik, waḥdo, waḥdha, waḥdna, waḥdkom, waḥdhom |
Grammar
1. All the pronouns and all the endings
Here is the whole set. Each pronoun has its own ending for "my, your, his…".
| Pronoun | Ending | bēt house | sayyāra car |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana I | -i | bēti | sayyārti |
| inte you (m) | -ak | bētak | sayyārtak |
| inti you (f) | -ik | bētik | sayyārtik |
| huwwe he | -o | bēto | sayyārto |
| hiyye she | -ha | bētha | sayyāritha |
| iḥna we | -na | bētna | sayyāritna |
| intu you (pl) | -kom | bētkom | sayyāritkom |
| humme they | -hom | bēthom | sayyārithom |
2. -t- or -it-
Words in -a or -e take -t- before a vowel (sayyārti, sayyārto) and -it- before a consonant (sayyāritha, sayyāritna).
3. Alone: waḥd- + ending
waḥd- takes the same endings: waḥdi "by myself", waḥdo "by himself", waḥdha "by herself".
Practice
1Choose the right words
"our house"
You ask Rana and Khalil together: "Where is your family from?"
Speaking to several people, "your" is -kom.
Your mother's brother is your…
Your father's brother is ʿammi.
"her car"
2Complete the sentence
___ sāknīn fi Shikāgo. = They live in Chicago.
khālti sākne ___. = My aunt lives alone.
___ mabsūṭīn ktīr. = We are very happy.
3Match the Arabic and the English
iḥna
intu
humme
ahl
ʿamāra
khāle
4Put the words in order
My parents live in an apartment.
Our neighbors are Palestinian too.
5Say it in Palestinian Arabic, then check
Ask two friends: Do you live in Ramallah?
intu sāknīn fi Rāmalla?
I live alone. (a man speaks)
ana sāken waḥdi.
6True or false?
Lina's aunt in Chicago lives alone.
Lina's uncle and his wife live in Chicago.
Lina says khāli w marato fi Torōnto.
Summary
- You can use every pronoun: ana, inte, inti, huwwe, hiyye, iḥna, intu, humme.
- You can say his, her, our, your and their: bēto, bētha, bētna, bētkom, bēthom.
- You can use -it- with words in -a or -e: sayyāritna, shaʾʾitkom.
- You can say that someone lives alone: waḥdi, waḥdha.