A1Unit 3 · Everyday life: the present · Lesson 27 of 100
Food I like
baḥibb il-labne · ma baḥibbish il-bēḍ · bākol khubz w zaʿtar
Goal: Say which foods you like and do not like, ask others what they like, and say what you eat and drink.
Dialogue
It is breakfast time at the Khalil house, and the table is full of small plates. You will learn baḥibb "I like" with every person, its negative ma baḥibbish, and the chunks bākol "I eat" and bashrab "I drink".
Saturday morning at the Khalil house. The breakfast table is full.
- Imm Khalilṣabāḥ il-khēr! yalla, il-fṭūr! tfaḍḍalu!Good morning! Come on, breakfast! Sit down, everyone!
- Linamashalla! ḥummuṣ, falāfel, labne, jibne, bēḍ...Wow! Hummus, falafel, labneh, cheese, eggs...
- Imm Khalilshu bitḥibbi, ya Līna?What do you like, Lina?
- Linabaḥibb il-labne ktīr, w baḥibb il-falāfel kamān.I like labneh a lot, and I like falafel too.
- Abu Khalilw iz-zēt w iz-zaʿtar?And olive oil and zaatar?
- Linaakīd! fi Shikāgo bākol khubz maʿ zēt w zaʿtar kull yōm!Of course! In Chicago I eat bread with oil and zaatar every day!
- Ranaana ma baḥibbish il-bēḍ. bākol labne w jibne bass.I don't like eggs. I only eat labneh and cheese.
- Abu Khalilw ana baḥibb kull ishi! w baʿdēn bashrab ʾahwe.And I like everything! And afterwards I drink coffee.
- Linabaḥibb il-akl il-falasṭīni ktīr! yislam īdēki, ya khālto.I really love Palestinian food! Bless your hands, auntie.
- Imm Khalilalla ysallmik! ṣaḥḥtēn, ya ḥabībti!God keep you! Enjoy, my dear!
New words
| Palestinian Arabic | English |
|---|---|
| ḥabb | to like, loveḥabb / yḥibb; baḥibb I like; ma baḥibbish I don't like |
| akal | to eatakal / yākol; bākol I eat; kul eat! (to a man) |
| akl | foodil-akl il-falasṭīni Palestinian food |
| fṭūr | breakfast |
| khubz | breadone loaf, one piece: khubze |
| zēt | oil; olive oilpl. zyūt |
| zaʿtar | zaatar (thyme and sesame mix) |
| ḥummuṣ | hummus; chickpeas |
| falāfel | falafel |
| labne | labneh (strained yogurt) |
| jibne | cheese |
| bēḍ | eggsone egg: bēḍa |
Grammar
1. I like: baḥibb
ḥabb / yḥibb "to like, to love" has a regular b-present. Put the food right after it, usually with il-: baḥibb il-ḥummuṣ "I like hummus" (hummus in general).
| Who | Palestinian Arabic | English |
|---|---|---|
| I | baḥibb | I like |
| you (to a man) | bitḥibb | you like |
| you (to a woman) | bitḥibbi | you like |
| he | biḥibb | he likes |
| she | bitḥibb | she likes |
| we | binḥibb | we like |
| you (to several people) | bitḥibbu | you like |
| they | biḥibbu | they like |
2. I don't like: ma baḥibbish
The verb ends in a double bb, so -sh becomes -ish: ma baḥibbish. Endings in -i and -u get long, as in lesson 24: ma bitḥibbīsh (to a woman), ma biḥibbūsh (they).
3. I eat, I drink
Learn these as chunks: bākol "I eat", btākol "you eat" (to a man), byākol "he eats"; and bashrab "I drink" from lesson 24.
Practice
1Choose the right words
Ask Lina: "What do you like?"
To a woman, the verb ends in -i.
Say: "I don't like eggs."
"I don't like" is ma baḥibbish. ma bitḥibbish is "you (m) / she doesn't like".
Abu Khalil says: "I like everything."
biḥibb is "he likes"; bākol is "I eat".
Which word means "bread"?
2Complete the sentence
Rana ma ___ il-bēḍ. = Rana doesn't like eggs.
"She" starts with bt-: bitḥibbish. baḥibbish is "I don't like".
iḥna ___ il-ḥummuṣ ktīr. = We like hummus a lot.
___ khubz maʿ zēt w zaʿtar. = I eat bread with oil and zaatar.
Sām ___ shāy, mish ʾahwe. = Sam drinks tea, not coffee.
3Match the Arabic and the English
labne
jibne
bēḍ
zēt
fṭūr
akl
4Put the words in order
I like falafel a lot.
Do you like hummus and falafel? (to several people)
5Say it in Palestinian Arabic, then check
I don't like cheese, but I like labneh.
ma baḥibbish il-jibne, bass baḥibb il-labne.
Ask Sam: Do you like falafel?
bitḥibb il-falāfel?
6True or false?
Rana does not like eggs.
Abu Khalil likes only hummus.
He says ana baḥibb kull ishi!
Summary
- You can say what you like with every person: baḥibb, bitḥibbi, binḥibb, biḥibbu.
- You can say what you don't like: ma baḥibbish il-bēḍ.
- You can say what you eat and drink: bākol khubz w zaʿtar, bashrab shāy.
- You can name the dishes of a Palestinian breakfast and thank the cook.