A1Unit 3 · Everyday life: the present · Lesson 22 of 100
I live, I work
wēn btishtghel? · baskon fi Rāmalla · badros ʿarabi
Goal: Say where you live, work and study, ask others the same, and say what someone is doing now.
Dialogue
During a break at the language school, Sam asks Lina about her work and her family in Ramallah. You will learn the b-present of three everyday verbs: to live, to work and to study.
Lunch break at the language school in Ramallah.
- SamLīna, wēn btuskoni?Lina, where do you live?
- Linabaskon maʿ ʿēlit ʿammi fi Rāmalla.I live with my uncle's family in Ramallah.
- Samw wēn btishtighli?And where do you work?
- Linabashtghel hōn, fil-madrase. baʿallem inglīzi, w badros ʿarabi kamān!I work here, at the school. I teach English, and I study Arabic too!
- Samana kamān! w ʿammik, shu bishtghel?Me too! And your uncle, what does he do?
- Linaʿammi ṣaydali. ʿindo ṣaydaliyye zghīre fi Rāmalla.My uncle is a pharmacist. He has a small pharmacy in Ramallah.
- Samw Imm Khalīl?And Imm Khalil?
- Linahiyye mʿallme. bitʿallem fi madrasit il-banāt.She is a teacher. She teaches at the girls' school.
- Samw Rana? hiyye fil-bēt?And Rana? Is she at home?
- Linalaʾ, Rana btudros fi jāmʿit Bīrzēt. hallaʾ btudros fil-maktabe.No, Rana studies at Birzeit University. Right now she is studying in the library.
New words
| Palestinian Arabic | English |
|---|---|
| sakan | to live, residesakan / yuskon; baskon I live |
| ishtaghal | to workishtaghal / yishtghel; bashtghel I work |
| wēn | wherewēn btishtghel? where do you work? (to a man) |
| daras | to studydaras / yudros; badros I study |
| ʿallam | to teachʿallam / yʿallem; baʿallem I teach |
| shughl | work, jobpl. ashghāl; fish-shughl at work |
| jāmʿa | universitypl. jāmʿāt; jāmʿit Bīrzēt Birzeit University |
| maktab | office; deskpl. makāteb |
| mustashfa | hospitalpl. mustashfayāt |
| ṣaydaliyye | pharmacypl. ṣaydaliyyāt |
| Bīrzēt | Birzeit (town and university near Ramallah) |
| hallaʾ | now |
Grammar
1. I live, I work, I study
All verbs follow the pattern you saw with baḥki: ba- for "I", bt- (or bit-, as in bitʿallem) for "you" and "she", b- or bi- for "he", and -i at the end for "you" to a woman.
| Who | sakan live | ishtaghal work | daras study |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | baskon | bashtghel | badros |
| you (to a man) | btuskon | btishtghel | btudros |
| you (to a woman) | btuskoni | btishtighli | btudrosi |
| he | buskon | bishtghel | budros |
| she | btuskon | btishtghel | btudros |
Learn the "I" form of each new verb from the word list; the other forms follow. Note btishtighli: before the -i the middle of the verb changes shape.
2. Now, too
The b-present also means "I am doing it now". Add hallaʾ "now" to make it clear.
You may hear ʿam before the verb: ʿam badros "I am studying right now". You do not need it; the b-present alone says the same.
3. At the…
fi + il- joins into fil-: fil-jāmʿa "at the university", fil-maktabe "in the library", and with sun letters fish-shughl "at work".
Practice
1Choose the right words
You ask Sam where he works.
To a man: btishtghel. btishtighli is for a woman.
Lina says: "I teach English."
badros is "I study". bitʿallem is "you teach" or "she teaches".
Which sentence means "He lives in Bethlehem"?
Lina's uncle has a small…
2Complete the sentence
Rana ___ fi jāmʿit Bīrzēt. = Rana studies at Birzeit University.
For "she", the verb starts with bt-.
Khalīl ___ fi maktab. = Khalil works in an office.
ana ___ fi Rāmalla. = I live in Ramallah.
wēn ___, ya Līna? = Where do you work, Lina?
Speaking to a woman, the verb ends in -i.
3Match the Arabic and the English
shughl
jāmʿa
maktab
mustashfa
hallaʾ
4Put the words in order
I study Arabic at the university.
Where do you live, Sam?
5Say it in Palestinian Arabic, then check
A man says: I am a doctor. I work in a hospital.
ana duktōr. bashtghel fi mustashfa.
6True or false?
Lina teaches English.
Rana is at home now.
Lina says hallaʾ btudros fil-maktabe.
Summary
- You can say where you live, work and study: baskon, bashtghel, badros.
- You can ask wēn btishtghel? to a man and wēn btishtighli? to a woman.
- You can talk about someone else: buskon, bishtghel, btudros.
- You can say what someone is doing now with the b-present and hallaʾ.