LIMBA Palestinian ArabicFree written course · 100 lessons Audio course

A1Unit 3 · Everyday life: the present · Lesson 30 of 100

Review: a morning at home

il-jumʿa ʿuṭle · ma bashtghelsh · baḥibb il-jumʿa

Goal: Talk about your home and your habits: what you do and don't do, what you want and like, what there is and where things are.

1

Dialogue

It is Friday, the family's day off, and everyone is at home for a long breakfast. Everything from unit 3 comes back in one morning: the present, the negative, biddi, food, fī and wēn.

Friday morning at the Khalil house. Nobody works today, and Imm Khalil brings the teapot to the table.

  1. Imm Khalilṣabāḥ il-khēr, ya ḥabāybi! yalla, il-fṭūr!Good morning, my dears! Come on, breakfast!
  2. Linaṣabāḥ in-nūr, ya khālto! ma fīsh shughl yōm il-jumʿa?Good morning, auntie! Is there no work on Friday?
  3. Abu Khalillaʾ, il-jumʿa ʿuṭle. ana ma bashtghelsh, w Imm Khalīl ma bitʿallemsh.No, Friday is a day off. I don't work, and Imm Khalil doesn't teach.
  4. Ranaw ana ma biddi adros! biddi anām kamān!And I don't want to study! I want to sleep some more!
  5. Imm Khalilshāy, ya Līna? fil-ibrīʾ fī shāy maʿ maramiyye.Tea, Lina? There's sage tea in the teapot.
  6. Linaā, law samaḥti, bass bidūn sukkar.Yes, please, but without sugar.
  7. Imm Khaliltfaḍḍali. w inte, ya Khalīl?Here you are. And you, Khalil?
  8. Khalilana biddi ʾahwe sāda. w wēn il-labne?I'd like coffee without sugar. And where's the labneh?
  9. Ranafit-tallāje, jamb il-jibne.In the fridge, next to the cheese.
  10. Abu Khalilw wēn jawwāli? mish ʿaṭ-ṭāwle!And where's my phone? It's not on the table!
  11. Linahōn, ya ʿammo, taḥt il-mkhadde... zayy mafātīḥi!Here, uncle, under the cushion... like my keys!
  12. Abu Khalilshukran, ya Līna! baʿdēn barūḥ ʿa-ṣalāt il-jumʿa.(Laughing.) Thank you, Lina! Later I'm going to the Friday prayer.
  13. Khalilw ana maʿak. binrūḥ maʿ baʿḍ!And I'm coming with you. We'll go together!
  14. Linaw ana l-lēle baḥki maʿ immi w abūy fi Shikāgo. baḥibb il-jumʿa hōn!And tonight I'm talking to my mother and father in Chicago. I love Fridays here!
2

New words

Palestinian ArabicEnglish
il-jumʿaFridayyōm il-jumʿa on Friday; jumʿa also means "week", pl. jumaʿ
ṣalāt il-jumʿathe Friday prayerthe noon prayer at the mosque on Friday
ʿuṭleday off, vacation, holiday
ibrīʾteapot; jugpl. abārīʾ
3

Grammar

What you can now say

  • Say which languages you speak and ask for help: baḥki ʿarabi shwayy, mish fāhem, mumkin tʿīd?
  • Say where you live, work and study: baskon, bashtghel, badros.
  • Use the present with every person: bniḥki, btiḥku, biḥku.
  • Say what you don't do: ma bashrabsh ʾahwe, ma baʿrafsh.
  • Say what you want and want to do: biddi shāy, bidna niṭlaʿ.
  • Order politely: law samaḥt, tfaḍḍal, āsef.
  • Say what you like: baḥibb il-labne, ma baḥibbish il-bēḍ.
  • Say what there is and where it is: fī, ma fīsh, wēn …?, taḥt, jamb.

The unit in one table: yes and no

MeaningPositiveNegative
I speak French.baḥki fransāwi.ma baḥkīsh fransāwi.
I work on Friday.bashtghel yōm il-jumʿa.ma bashtghelsh yōm il-jumʿa.
I drink coffee.bashrab ʾahwe.ma bashrabsh ʾahwe.
I like eggs.baḥibb il-bēḍ.ma baḥibbish il-bēḍ.
I want sugar.biddi sukkar.ma biddi sukkar.
There is a chair.fī kursi.ma fīsh kursi.
I understand. (a man)ana fāhem.ana mish fāhem.

Verbs take ma … -sh; biddi takes ma alone; fī becomes ma fīsh; words like fāhem take mish.

4

Practice

1Choose the right words

  1. Ask Imm Khalil: "Do you speak English?"

  2. Say: "We work together."

  3. You ask the waiter (a man) for coffee.

  4. Abu Khalil comes home from work. You greet him:

  5. Ask Rana: "How old are you?"

  6. il-jumʿa ʿuṭle means:

2Complete the sentence

  1. ana ma ___ fransāwi. = I don't speak French.

  2. Līna bidha ___ maʿ immha. = Lina wants to talk with her mother.

  3. ___ shāy fil-ibrīʾ. = There is tea in the teapot.

  4. il-jawwāl ___ il-mkhadde. = The phone is under the cushion.

  5. hāda bēt ___. = This is my uncle's house. (my father's brother)

  6. il-bēt ___. = The house is big.

3Match the Arabic and the English

  1. ibrīʾ

  2. ʿuṭle

  3. maṭbakh

  4. ukht

  5. sayyāra

  6. khubz

4Put the words in order

  1. I don't like eggs.

  2. Where do you work, Rana?

  3. My brother has a car.

5Say it in Palestinian Arabic, then check

  1. Ask several people: What would you like to drink?

  2. Sam is from Canada, but he lives in Ramallah.

  3. A woman says: Sorry, I don't understand.

6True or false?

  1. Abu Khalil works on Friday.

  2. Lina wants her tea without sugar.

  3. Abu Khalil's phone is under the cushion.

Well done — your score: .
5

Summary

  • You can say what you do and don't do every day, with every person.
  • You can say what you want, what you want to do and what you like.
  • You can order politely and say sorry and excuse me.
  • You can say what there is in a house and where things are.
  • You can talk about a Friday at home: il-jumʿa ʿuṭle.

Unit 3: Everyday life: the present

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