A1Unit 3 · Everyday life: the present · Lesson 29 of 100
Where is it?
wēn il-mafātīḥ? · taḥt il-mkhadde · ʿaṭ-ṭāwle
Goal: Ask where something is and say where it is: in, on, under, above, next to, in front of, behind or between.
Dialogue
Lina is late for work and cannot find her keys. Rana helps her look. You will learn to ask wēn …? "where is …?" and the little words that say where a thing is.
Monday morning at the Khalil house. Lina is late for work and cannot find her keys.
- LinaRana! wēn mafātīḥi?Rana! Where are my keys?
- Ranamish ʿaṭ-ṭāwle?Aren't they on the table?
- Linalaʾ. w mish fi jēbti, w mish juwwa shanṭti.No. And they're not in my pocket, and not inside my bag.
- Ranaṭayyib, taḥt il-kanabāye? wara t-tilfizyōn?OK, under the sofa? Behind the TV?
- Linalaʾ, laʾ! biddi alāʾi l-mafātīḥ hallaʾ, ʿindi shughl!No, no! I want to find the keys now, I have work!
- Ranahōn! taḥt il-mkhadde, ʿal-kanabāye!Here! Under the cushion, on the sofa!
- Linaʿan jadd?! shukran, ya ḥabībti! w jawwāli? wēn jawwāli?Really?! Thanks, dear! And my phone? Where's my phone?
- Ranaʿaṭ-ṭāwle, ʾuddām ish-shubbāk, bēn il-ktāb w il-ʾalam.On the table, in front of the window, between the book and the pen.
- Linayalla, bkhāṭrik!Well then, bye!
- RanaLīna! il-mafātīḥ! hōn, ʿal-kanabāye, jamb il-mkhadde!Lina! The keys! Here, on the sofa, next to the cushion!
New words
| Palestinian Arabic | English |
|---|---|
| ʿala | on; tobefore il-: ʿal-bēt, ʿaṭ-ṭāwle |
| taḥt | under; downstairs |
| fōʾ | above, on top of; upstairs |
| jamb | next to |
| ʾuddām | in front of |
| wara | behind |
| bēn | betweenbēn … w … between … and …; bēni w bēnak between you and me |
| juwwa | inside |
| jēbe | pocketpl. jyāb; jēbti my pocket |
| laʾa | to find; to meetlaʾa / ylāʾi; balāʾi I find; biddi alāʾi … I want to find … |
| mkhadde | pillow, cushionpl. mkhaddāt |
Grammar
1. Where is…?
Put wēn before the thing, with no word for "is" or "are".
2. Place words
| Palestinian Arabic | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| fi | in | fi jēbti in my pocket |
| juwwa | inside | juwwa sh-shanṭa inside the bag |
| ʿala | on | ʿaṭ-ṭāwle on the table |
| taḥt | under | taḥt il-mkhadde under the cushion |
| fōʾ | above, on top of | fōʾ il-khazāne on top of the wardrobe |
| jamb | next to | jamb il-bāb next to the door |
| ʾuddām | in front of | ʾuddām il-bēt in front of the house |
| wara | behind | wara t-tilfizyōn behind the TV |
| bēn … w … | between … and … | bēn il-ktāb w il-ʾalam between the book and the pen |
3. ʿala and the article
ʿala shortens to ʿa- and joins the article, like fil-: ʿal-kanabāye "on the sofa", and with sun letters ʿaṭ-ṭāwle, ʿas-saṭḥ "on the roof". To say "not there", use mish: mish ʿaṭ-ṭāwle "not on the table".
shanṭti "my bag" is said [shanṭati]: a short vowel breaks up the three consonants, but it is not written.
Practice
1Choose the right words
Ask Rana: "Where is my phone?"
"Where" is wēn. mīn is "who", shu is "what".
Say: "The keys are under the cushion."
Which word means "behind"?
jamb means:
2Complete the sentence
il-jawwāl ___. = The phone is on the table.
il-mafātīḥ ___ jēbti. = The keys are in my pocket.
Sām ___ il-bāb. = Sam is in front of the door.
il-ʾalam ___ il-ktāb w id-daftar. = The pen is between the book and the notebook.
3Match the Arabic and the English
jēbe
mkhadde
juwwa
fōʾ
taḥt
4Put the words in order
Where are my keys and my phone?
The bag is behind the sofa.
5Say it in Palestinian Arabic, then check
My phone is not in my bag.
jawwāli mish fi shanṭti.
I want to find my keys.
biddi alāʾi mafātīḥi.
6True or false?
Lina's keys are in her pocket.
Lina says mish fi jēbti.
Rana finds the keys under the cushion.
Summary
- You can ask where something is: wēn il-mafātīḥ?, wēn jawwāli?
- You can say where it is: taḥt il-mkhadde, jamb il-bāb, wara t-tilfizyōn.
- You can say ʿaṭ-ṭāwle, ʿal-kanabāye and bēn … w ….
- You can say where it is not: mish fi jēbti.