A1Unit 2 · People and family · Lesson 15 of 100
How old are you?
ʾaddēsh ʿumrak? · ʾaddēsh ʿumrik? · ʿumri ʿishrīn sane · kull sane w inti sālme
Goal: Count from 11 to 20, ask and say how old someone is, and wish someone a happy birthday.
Dialogue
It is Rana's birthday and the family has a cake. A neighbor has come with her two children. You will learn the numbers from 11 to 20, how to ask "How old are you?", and what to say on a birthday.
Rana's birthday at the Khalil house. A neighbor has come with her son and her daughter.
- Linakull sane w inti sālme, ya Rana!Happy birthday, Rana!
- Ranaw inti sālme, ya Līna!Thank you, Lina! (literally: and may you be well)
- Samkull sane w inti sālme! ʾaddēsh ʿumrik?Happy birthday! How old are you?
- Ranaʿumri ʿishrīn sane. w inte, ya Sām? ʾaddēsh ʿumrak?I am twenty. And you, Sam? How old are you?
- Samana? ʿumri tamantaʿshar sane!Me? I am eighteen!
- Linaghalaṭ! mish mazbūṭ!Wrong! That's not true!
- Linaw wlādik, ya khālto? ʾaddēsh ʿumrhom?And your children, auntie? How old are they?
- Womanhāda ibni, ʿumro ḥdaʿshar sane. w hādi binti, ʿumrha sittaʿshar sane.This is my son, he is eleven. And this is my daughter, she is sixteen.
- Ranashukran ktīr! w intu sālmīn!Thank you very much! And the same to all of you!
New words
| Palestinian Arabic | English |
|---|---|
| ḥdaʿsh | elevenbefore a noun: ḥdaʿshar + singular |
| tnaʿsh | twelvebefore a noun: tnaʿshar |
| talattaʿsh | thirteenbefore a noun: talattaʿshar |
| arbaʿtaʿsh | fourteenbefore a noun: arbaʿtaʿshar |
| khamstaʿsh | fifteenbefore a noun: khamstaʿshar |
| sittaʿsh | sixteenbefore a noun: sittaʿshar |
| sabaʿtaʿsh | seventeenbefore a noun: sabaʿtaʿshar |
| tamantaʿsh | eighteenbefore a noun: tamantaʿshar |
| tisaʿtaʿsh | nineteenbefore a noun: tisaʿtaʿshar |
| ʿishrīn | twenty+ singular: ʿishrīn sane |
| ʾaddēsh | how much, how manyʾaddēsh ʿumrak? / ʾaddēsh ʿumrik? how old are you? (to a man / to a woman) |
| ʿumr | age; lifeʿumri ʿishrīn sane I am twenty |
| sane | yearplural snīn; two years: santēn |
| ʿīd mīlād | birthdayʿīd mīlādi my birthday |
| kull sane w inte sālem | many happy returns (birthday, feast, new year; to a man)to a woman: kull sane w inti sālme; to several people: kull sane w intu sālmīn; reply: w inte sālem / w inti sālme / w intu sālmīn |
Grammar
1. Numbers 11 to 20
| Number | Palestinian Arabic | Number | Palestinian Arabic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | ḥdaʿsh | 16 | sittaʿsh |
| 12 | tnaʿsh | 17 | sabaʿtaʿsh |
| 13 | talattaʿsh | 18 | tamantaʿsh |
| 14 | arbaʿtaʿsh | 19 | tisaʿtaʿsh |
| 15 | khamstaʿsh | 20 | ʿishrīn |
Sound: the t of -taʿsh is said deep and dark, like ṭ.
2. How old are you?
Arabic asks "How much is your age?": ʾaddēsh + ʿumr + ending. The answer uses the same word: ʿumri "my age", ʿumro "his age", ʿumrha "her age".
3. Eleven years: -ar and a singular noun
From 11 on, the noun stays singular: sane, not snīn. Before a noun, 11 to 19 add -ar.
Practice
1Choose the right words
You ask Rana how old she is.
Speaking to a woman, "your" is -ik.
Which number is seventeen?
It is Nour's birthday. You say:
Nour is one woman: w inti sālme.
"He is fifteen."
2Complete the sentence
ʿumri ___ sane. = I am twenty.
ʿumrha ___ sane. = She is twelve.
Sam wishes Rana a happy birthday. She answers: w inte ___!
Rana answers one man: w inte sālem.
3Match the numbers
ḥdaʿsh
tnaʿsh
arbaʿtaʿsh
tamantaʿsh
tisaʿtaʿsh
ʿishrīn
4Put the words in order
Sam, how old are you?
My daughter is sixteen.
5Say it in Palestinian Arabic, then check
Ask a woman how old she is.
ʾaddēsh ʿumrik?
I am thirteen.
ʿumri talattaʿshar sane.
My birthday is tomorrow.
bukra ʿīd mīlādi.
6True or false?
Rana is twenty.
Sam is really eighteen.
Lina says ghalaṭ! mish mazbūṭ!
Summary
- You can count from 11 to 20: ḥdaʿsh … ʿishrīn.
- You can ask ʾaddēsh ʿumrak? or ʾaddēsh ʿumrik? and answer ʿumri … sane.
- You can say ḥdaʿshar sane, with -ar and a singular noun.
- You can wish kull sane w inte sālem and answer it.