A1Unit 4 · Numbers, time and the market · Lesson 34 of 100
At the vegetable market
kīlo bandōra · nuṣṣ kīlo baṣal · tuffāḥa waḥde · talat tuffāḥāt
Goal: Buy fruit and vegetables by the kilo or by the piece.
Dialogue
Lina and Sam do the shopping for Imm Khalil at Abu Samir's stall. You will learn common fruit and vegetables, how to say "one apple" or "three lemons", and how to buy by the kilo.
Saturday morning at Abu Samir's stall in the vegetable market. Lina and Sam are shopping for Imm Khalil.
- Abu Samirahla w sahla! khuḍra, fawākeh, fī kull ishi!Welcome! Vegetables, fruit, there's everything!
- Linaʾaddēsh kīlo l-bandōra, ya ʿammo?How much is a kilo of tomatoes, sir?
- Abu Samirkhamse shēkel, w ḥilwe ktīr!Five shekels, and very good ones!
- Linaṭayyib, kīlo bandōra w nuṣṣ kīlo baṣal.OK, a kilo of tomatoes and half a kilo of onions.
- Samw ana biddi tuffāḥa waḥde, law samaḥt.And I'd like one apple, please.
- Abu Samirtuffāḥa waḥde?! ya ḥabībi, hāda sūʾ, mish maṭʿam!One apple?! My dear, this is a market, not a restaurant!
- Samṭayyib, ṭayyib… talat tuffāḥāt!OK, OK… three apples!
- Linaw kīlo burdʾān. ʾaddēsh kull ishi?And a kilo of oranges. How much is everything?
- Abu Samirʿishrīn shēkel. w hādi lamūne bi-balāsh!Twenty shekels. And here's a lemon for free!
- Linashukran, ya ʿammo! yaʿṭīk il-ʿāfye!Thank you, sir! God give you strength!
New words
| Palestinian Arabic | English |
|---|---|
| bandōra | tomatoes (collective)one tomato: ḥabbit bandōra |
| khyār | cucumbers (collective)one cucumber: khyāra |
| baṭāṭa | potatoes (collective)one potato: ḥabbit baṭāṭa |
| baṣal | onions (collective)one onion: baṣale |
| tuffāḥ | apples (collective)one apple: tuffāḥa |
| burdʾān | oranges (collective)one orange: burdʾāne |
| mōz | bananas (collective)one banana: mōze |
| lamūn | lemons (collective)one lemon: lamūne |
| nuṣṣ | halfnuṣṣ kīlo half a kilo |
| khuḍra | vegetables |
| fawākeh | fruit |
| khuḍarji | greengrocerpl. khuḍarjiyye |
Grammar
1. Apples in general, one apple
Fruit and vegetables are usually collective nouns: tuffāḥ means "apples" in general. For one, add the feminine ending: tuffāḥa "one apple". From 3 to 10, use the plural in -āt.
| In general | One | Three |
|---|---|---|
| tuffāḥ apples | tuffāḥa | talat tuffāḥāt |
| mōz bananas | mōze | talat mōzāt |
| lamūn lemons | lamūne | talat lamūnāt |
| baṣal onions | baṣale | talat baṣalāt |
| khyār cucumbers | khyāra | talat khyārāt |
bandōra and baṭāṭa already end in -a, so for one you say ḥabbit bandōra, ḥabbit baṭāṭa "a piece of …". Three tomatoes are talat ḥabbāt bandōra.
2. By the kilo
At the market you usually buy by weight: kīlo, nuṣṣ kīlo or tnēn kīlo, followed by the collective noun.
Sound: the ʾ in burdʾān is a glottal stop, the catch in "uh-oh".
Practice
1Choose the right words
one apple
tuffāḥ is apples in general; one apple is tuffāḥa.
three lemons
From 3 to 10: the plural in -āt.
one tomato
bandōra already ends in -a: one is ḥabbit bandōra.
Abu Samir sells fruit and vegetables. He is a …
2Complete the sentence
nuṣṣ ___ baṣal = half a kilo of onions
ʾaddēsh kīlo l-___? = How much is a kilo of oranges?
By the kilo, use the collective: burdʾān.
hāda sūʾ, ___ maṭʿam! = This is a market, not a restaurant!
3Match the Arabic and the English
baṭāṭa
khyār
mōz
baṣal
khuḍra
fawākeh
4Put the words in order
A kilo of tomatoes and half a kilo of onions.
I'd like one apple, please. (to a man)
5Say it in Palestinian Arabic, then check
three apples
talat tuffāḥāt
Ask how much a kilo of bananas is.
ʾaddēsh kīlo l-mōz?
6True or false?
At first, Sam asks for three apples.
First he asks for tuffāḥa waḥde, one apple.
Abu Samir gives Lina a lemon for free.
Summary
- You can name common fruit and vegetables: bandōra, baṣal, tuffāḥ, burdʾān …
- You can say one piece: tuffāḥa, lamūne, ḥabbit bandōra.
- You can count pieces from 3 to 10: talat tuffāḥāt.
- You can buy by weight: kīlo bandōra, nuṣṣ kīlo baṣal.