A1Unit 1 · Hello! · Lesson 2 of 100
Good morning, good evening
ṣabāḥ il-khēr · masa l-khēr · maʿ is-salāme
Goal: Greet people at any time of day, say goodbye and good night, and answer each of these greetings.
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Dialogue
It is Lina's first full day in Ramallah, from the morning in the kitchen to good night in the living room. You will learn the greetings for the morning, the evening and the night, and how to say goodbye.
Lina's first day in Ramallah, from breakfast to bedtime.
- Linaṣabāḥ il-khēr!Good morning!
- Imm Khalilṣabāḥ in-nūr!Good morning! (literally: a morning of light)
- Abu Khalilyalla, bkhāṭerkom!Well then, goodbye, everyone!
- Imm Khalilmaʿ is-salāme!Goodbye!
- Linaalla maʿak!God be with you!
- Abu Khalilmasa l-khēr!(In the evening, back from work.) Good evening!
- Linamasa n-nūr! yaʿṭīk il-ʿāfye!Good evening! God give you strength!
- Abu Khalilalla yʿāfīki!And God give you health!
- Linatiṣbaḥu ʿala khēr!(At bedtime.) Good night, everyone!
- Imm Khalilw inti min ahlo!Good night to you too!
New words
| Palestinian Arabic | English |
|---|---|
| ṣabāḥ il-khēr | good morningreply: ṣabāḥ in-nūr |
| masa l-khēr | good eveningreply: masa n-nūr |
| maʿ is-salāme | goodbyesaid by the one who stays |
| bkhāṭrak | goodbye (said by the one who leaves, to a man)to a woman: bkhāṭrik; to several people: bkhāṭerkom; reply: maʿ is-salāme |
| alla maʿak | God be with you (goodbye, to a man)to a woman: alla maʿik |
| tiṣbaḥ ʿala khēr | good night (to a man)to a woman: tiṣbaḥi ʿala khēr; to several people: tiṣbaḥu ʿala khēr; reply: w inte min ahlo / w inti min ahlo / w intu min ahlo |
| bukra | tomorrow |
| iṣ-ṣubḥ | the morning; in the morningbukra ṣ-ṣubḥ "tomorrow morning" |
| il-masa | the evening; in the evening |
| yalla | come on; let's go; well then, bye |
| yaʿṭīk il-ʿāfye | God give you strength (to a man who is working)to a woman: yaʿṭīki l-ʿāfye; to several people: yaʿṭīkom il-ʿāfye; reply: alla yʿāfīk / alla yʿāfīki / alla yʿāfīkom |
Grammar
1. Morning and evening
The reply changes il-khēr "the good" into in-nūr "the light".
| Someone says | You answer | When |
|---|---|---|
| ṣabāḥ il-khēr | ṣabāḥ in-nūr | in the morning, iṣ-ṣubḥ |
| masa l-khēr | masa n-nūr | from late afternoon on, il-masa |
2. Goodbye: who leaves, who stays
The one who leaves says bkhāṭrak to a man, bkhāṭrik to a woman, bkhāṭerkom to several people. The one who stays answers maʿ is-salāme. Anyone can add alla maʿak (to a man) or alla maʿik (to a woman). yalla often comes first: "well then".
3. Good night
The ending shows who you speak to: tiṣbaḥ (a man), tiṣbaḥi (a woman), tiṣbaḥu (several people). The reply is w inte min ahlo, w inti min ahlo or w intu min ahlo.
Sounds: kh is the "ch" of Scottish "loch"; ṣ is a deep, dark s. The sounds page of this course explains every letter.
Practice
1Choose the right words
It is eight in the morning. You greet Imm Khalil.
Someone says masa l-khēr! You answer:
You leave a shop and say goodbye to the man who works there.
You are the one who leaves, speaking to a man: bkhāṭrak.
Rana is leaving. You stay. You say:
bkhāṭrik is said by the one who leaves. To a woman: alla maʿik.
Sam is working hard. You say:
alla yʿāfīk is the reply, not the greeting.
2Match the Arabic and the English
bukra
iṣ-ṣubḥ
il-masa
yalla
maʿ is-salāme
3Complete the sentence
tiṣbaḥi ʿala ___! = Good night! (to a woman)
Imm Khalil says ṣabāḥ il-khēr! You answer: ṣabāḥ ___!
alla ___! = God be with you! (to a man)
4Put the words in order
Good night, everyone!
Good evening! God give you strength! (to a man)
5True or false?
Abu Khalil says bkhāṭerkom because he is the one who leaves.
Lina answers masa l-khēr with ṣabāḥ in-nūr.
In the evening the reply is masa n-nūr.
You say yaʿṭīk il-ʿāfye to a man who is working.
Summary
- You can say good morning and good evening and answer: ṣabāḥ in-nūr, masa n-nūr.
- You can say goodbye when you leave (bkhāṭrak, bkhāṭrik, bkhāṭerkom) and when you stay (maʿ is-salāme, alla maʿak).
- You can say good night to a man, a woman or several people, and answer it.
- You can greet someone who is working: yaʿṭīk il-ʿāfye.