A1Unit 1 · Hello! · Lesson 5 of 100
Where are you from?
inte mnēn? · inti mnēn? · ana min Shikāgo, bass aṣli min Rāmalla
Goal: Say where you are from, where you live and where your family comes from, and ask others the same.
New to the sounds? Read the 10-minute guide: how to read and say Palestinian Arabic →
Dialogue
During a break at the language school, Lina and Sam talk about their home towns. You will learn to ask "Where are you from?", to say where you live, and to say where your family is from.
Coffee break at the language school in Ramallah.
- SamLīna, inti mnēn?Lina, where are you from?
- Linaana min Amērka, min Shikāgo. w inte?I am from America, from Chicago. And you?
- Samana min Kanada, min Torōnto.I am from Canada, from Toronto.
- Linainte sāken fi Rāmalla?Do you live in Ramallah?
- Samaywa, ana sāken fi Rāmalla. w inti?Yes, I live in Ramallah. And you?
- Linaā, ana sākne fi Rāmalla.Yes, I live in Ramallah.
- Samw mnēn aṣlik?And where is your family from?
- Linaana min Shikāgo, bass aṣli min Rāmalla.I am from Chicago, but my family is from Ramallah.
- Samahla w sahla fi Rāmalla, ya Līna!Welcome to Ramallah, Lina!
- Linaahlan fīk!Thank you!
New words
| Palestinian Arabic | English |
|---|---|
| min | fromana min Torōnto "I am from Toronto" |
| mnēn | from whereinte mnēn? / inti mnēn? where are you from (to a man / to a woman) |
| sāken | living (in), residinga woman says sākne; ana sāken fi … / ana sākne fi … "I live in …" |
| fi | infi Rāmalla "in Ramallah" |
| aṣl | originaṣli min … "my family is from …"; mnēn aṣlak? / mnēn aṣlik? where is your family from |
| bass | but; only |
| Falasṭīn | Palestine |
| Rāmalla | Ramallah |
| Amērka | America, the United States |
| Kanada | Canada |
| Shikāgo | Chicago |
| Torōnto | Toronto |
Grammar
1. From and from where
min means "from"; mnēn means "from where". Again, no word for "are" or "am".
2. I live in…
Learn this as a chunk. The word changes with the speaker, like mnīḥ and mnīḥa: a man says sāken, a woman says sākne.
| Who speaks | Palestinian Arabic | English |
|---|---|---|
| a man | ana sāken fi Rāmalla. | I live in Ramallah. |
| a woman | ana sākne fi Rāmalla. | I live in Ramallah. |
3. Where your family is from
aṣl is "origin". aṣli "my origin" tells where your family comes from, even if you grew up somewhere else. bass "but" joins the two ideas.
Sound: the ṭ of Falasṭīn is a deep, dark t.
Practice
1Choose the right words
You ask Sam where he is from.
Speaking to a man: inte.
Lina says that she lives in Ramallah.
A woman says sākne. aṣli min … tells where your family is from.
Which word means "from where"?
Which word means "but"?
2Complete the sentence
ana min Torōnto, ___ ana sāken fi Rāmalla. = I am from Toronto, but I live in Ramallah.
ana sākne ___ Rāmalla. = I live in Ramallah.
___ aṣlak? = Where is your family from? (to a man)
3Match the Arabic and the English
Falasṭīn
Amērka
Kanada
min
aṣl
4Put the words in order
Lina, where are you from?
I am from Chicago, but my family is from Ramallah.
5Say it in Palestinian Arabic, then check
Sam says: I am from Canada, from Toronto.
ana min Kanada, min Torōnto.
Ask a man where his family is from.
mnēn aṣlak?
6True or false?
Sam lives in Ramallah.
Lina's family is from Toronto.
Lina says aṣli min Rāmalla.
Summary
- You can ask inte mnēn? and inti mnēn? and answer ana min ….
- You can say where you live: ana sāken fi … (a man), ana sākne fi … (a woman).
- You can say where your family is from: aṣli min …, and ask mnēn aṣlak? or mnēn aṣlik?
- You can join two ideas with bass "but".