A1Unit 2 · People and family · Lesson 14 of 100
I have, I don't have
ʿindi · ma ʿindi · ʿindak …? · maʿak …? · ma maʿi
Goal: Say what you have and do not have, ask others what they have, and ask "how many?"
Dialogue
Sam and Khalil wait in front of the house for Lina and Rana. They talk about sisters, pets and cars. You will learn to say "I have" and "I don't have", and the difference between ʿindi and maʿi.
Saturday afternoon. Sam and Khalil wait for Lina and Rana in front of the house.
- SamKhalīl, kam ukht ʿindak?Khalil, how many sisters do you have?
- Khalilʿindi ukht waḥde, Rana. w inte?I have one sister, Rana. And you?
- Samana ma ʿindi khawāt, w ma ʿindi ikhwe. bass ʿindi kalb!I have no sisters and no brothers. But I have a dog!
- Khalilʿan jadd? iḥna ʿinna bisse.Really? We have a cat.
- Samw ʿindak sayyāra?And do you have a car?
- Khalillaʾ, ma ʿindi sayyāra. abūy ʿindo sayyāra.No, I don't have a car. My father has a car.
- Samw ana ʿindi baskalēt bass!And I only have a bicycle!
- Ranayalla! maʿkom maṣāri?(Arriving with Lina.) Come on! Do you have money on you?
- Samlaʾ, ma maʿi.No, I don't.
- Khalilana maʿi. yalla!I do. Let's go!
New words
| Palestinian Arabic | English |
|---|---|
| ʿind | at (someone's place); with an ending: ʿindi I have, ʿindak you have …ma ʿindi I don't have |
| maʿ | with; maʿi I have (on me)ma maʿi I don't have (on me) |
| waʾt | timeplural awʾāt |
| maṣāri | moneya plural word |
| walad | boy; childplural wlād |
| kam | how many (+ singular)kam walad ʿindak? how many children do you have? |
| bisse | catplural bsās |
| kalb | doga female dog: kalbe; plural klāb |
| kambyūtar | computer |
| baskalēt | bicycle |
Grammar
1. "I have" = "at me": ʿindi
Arabic has no verb "to have". It says ʿindi "at me". ʿind takes the endings of L13.
| Pronoun | have |
|---|---|
| ana I | ʿindi |
| inte you (m) | ʿindak |
| inti you (f) | ʿindik |
| huwwe he | ʿindo |
| hiyye she | ʿindha |
| iḥna we | ʿinna |
| intu you (pl) | ʿindkom |
| humme they | ʿindhom |
Careful: "we have" is ʿinna.
2. "I don't have": ma ʿindi
Put ma in front, not mish. A question is the same sentence with a rising voice.
After kam "how many" the noun stays singular: kam ukht?, kam walad?
3. On me right now: maʿi
maʿ means "with". maʿi is what you carry with you now; ʿindi is what you own. It takes the same endings: maʿak, maʿik, maʿo, maʿha, maʿna, maʿkom, maʿhom.
Practice
1Choose the right words
"We have a cat."
You ask Nour: "Do you have a car?"
Speaking to a woman: ʿindik.
You ask Sam if he has money on him right now.
maʿo means "he has on him"; you are speaking to Sam: maʿak.
"How many children does he have?"
2Complete the sentence
laʾ, ___ ʿindi waʾt. = No, I don't have time.
ʿindi is made negative with ma, not mish.
abūy ___ sayyāra. = My father has a car.
Rana ___ kambyūtar. = Rana has a computer.
3Match the Arabic and the English
waʾt
maṣāri
kalb
bisse
baskalēt
walad
4Put the words in order
I don't have a car.
How many sisters do you have? (to a man)
5Say it in Palestinian Arabic, then check
Ask several friends: Do you have money on you?
maʿkom maṣāri?
We have a computer.
ʿinna kambyūtar.
6True or false?
Khalil has a car.
Khalil says ma ʿindi sayyāra. The car is his father's.
Sam has a dog.
Summary
- You can say what you have: ʿindi, ʿindak, ʿindha, ʿinna …
- You can say what you don't have: ma ʿindi sayyāra.
- You can ask "how many?": kam ukht ʿindak?
- You can talk about what you have on you: maʿak maṣāri? — ma maʿi.