A2Unit 6 · Hospitality · Lesson 52 of 100
Coffee and saying no politely
wallāhi shbiʿt · khalaṣ, bikaffi · dāyme · ṣaḥḥtēn
Goal: Offer, accept and refuse food and drink politely, and use the right words after a meal and after coffee.
Dialogue
Dinner at the Khalil house: Imm Khalil keeps filling Sam's plate, and Sam must learn to say no without being rude. You will learn how hosts offer and insist, how guests refuse, and what to say when you hand back a cup of coffee.
Dinner at the Khalil house. Imm Khalil has made chicken and rice, and Sam's plate is never empty.
- Imm Khalilkamān, ya Sām! khud kamān jāj.More, Sam! Have some more chicken.
- Samlaʾ, shukran, ya khālto. wallāhi shbiʿt.No, thank you, auntie. Honestly, I'm full.
- Imm Khalilma akaltish ishi! bass shwayy.You haven't eaten a thing! Just a little.
- Samkhalaṣ, bikaffi, wallāhi. il-akl zāki ktīr.That's enough, really. The food is delicious.
- Imm Khalilṭayyib, bass dūʾ il-knāfe. ana ʿmiltha.All right, but taste the knafeh. I made it myself.
- Samṭaʿmha zāki ktīr! yislam īdēki!It tastes delicious! Bless your hands!
- Ranaʾahwe, ya Sām? sāda willa maʿ sukkar?Coffee, Sam? Plain or with sugar?
- Sammaʿ sukkar, law samaḥti. is-sāda murra ktīr.With sugar, please. Plain coffee is very bitter.
- Ranaḥāḍer!Right away! (She pours the coffee.)
- Samdāyme!(He finishes his coffee and hands back the cup.) May it always be so!
- Ranaṣaḥḥtēn! kamān finjān?Enjoy! Another cup?
- Samlaʾ, mamnūnik. bashkorkom ktīr, ghallabtu ḥālkom!No, thank you. I thank you all very much, you went to so much trouble!
New words
| Palestinian Arabic | English |
|---|---|
| wallāhi | really!; honestly; I swear (by God)also walla; wallāhi shbiʿt honestly, I'm full |
| shibiʿ | to be full (after eating); to be fed upshibiʿ / yishbaʿ, b-present bashbaʿ; shbiʿt I'm full |
| kaffa | to be enoughkaffa / ykaffi; bikaffi that's enough; kāfi enough |
| khalaṣ | enough; that's it; it's overkhalaṣ, shukran that's enough, thank you |
| ṣabb | to pour (coffee, tea, water)ṣabb / yṣubb, b-present baṣubb; ṣubbi! pour! (to a woman) |
| dāyme | may it always be so (said when you hand back a coffee cup in someone's home)reply: ṣaḥḥtēn; not said in a house of mourning |
| mamnūn | grateful; thank youf. mamnūne, pl. mamnūnīn; mamnūnak ktīr thank you very much (to a man), mamnūnik (to a woman) |
| ḥāḍer | certainly, right away (answer to a request); readydoes not change when it means "right away"; ready: f. ḥāḍra, pl. ḥāḍrīn |
| dāʾ | to taste, try (food)dāʾ / ydūʾ, b-present badūʾ; dūʾ! taste it! (to a man) |
| ṭaʿm | taste, flavorṭaʿmha zāki it tastes delicious |
| murr | bitterf. murra; ʾahwe murra bitter coffee, without sugar |
| binn | coffee beans; ground coffee |
| ghallab | to trouble, botherghallab / yghalleb, b-present baghalleb; ghallabt ḥālak / ghallabti ḥālik you shouldn't have! |
| shakar | to thankshakar / yushkor, b-present bashkor; bashkorak I thank you (formal) |
Grammar
1. The host offers, and offers again
A good host keeps offering: kamān! "more!", khud kamān "have some more", kul! "eat!", dūʾ! "taste it!" To a woman: khudi, kuli, dūʾi.
2. Saying no politely
One laʾ is not enough: the host will insist. Say no with a reason and a thank-you, and say it again if you must.
| You say | It means |
|---|---|
| laʾ, shukran. | No, thank you. |
| wallāhi shbiʿt. | Honestly, I'm full. |
| khalaṣ, bikaffi. | That's enough. |
| mamnūnak. / mamnūnik. | Thank you (I'm grateful), to a man / to a woman. |
To say yes, just say ā, shukran or bass shwayy "just a little".
3. After eating and drinking
| Someone says | You answer |
|---|---|
| ṣaḥḥtēn! (to someone who is eating) | ʿala ʾalbak / ʿala ʾalbik / ʿala ʾalbkom |
| dāyme! (a guest hands back a coffee cup) | ṣaḥḥtēn! |
For a big effort, thank your host with ghallabt ḥālak (to a man), ghallabti ḥālik (to a woman) or ghallabtu ḥālkom (to several people): "you shouldn't have!" bashkorak "I thank you" is formal.
Practice
1Choose the right words
Imm Khalil offers you more food. You are full. You say:
ṣaḥḥtēn is what the host says, and dāyme is said after coffee.
You hand back your empty coffee cup. You say:
Your guest hands back his cup and says dāyme! You answer:
Abu Khalil says ṣaḥḥtēn! to Lina. She answers him:
Lina speaks to a man: ʿala ʾalbak.
2Complete the sentence
khalaṣ, ___, wallāhi. = That's enough, really.
Rana, ___ l-ʾahwe! = Rana, pour the coffee!
Rana is a woman: ṣubbi.
il-ʾahwe s-sāda ___. = Plain coffee is bitter.
ʾahwe is feminine: murra.
3Match the Arabic and the English
ṭaʿm
binn
murr
ḥāḍer
mamnūn
4Put the words in order
No, thank you, honestly I'm full.
Plain or with sugar?
5Say it in Palestinian Arabic, then check
Your host has cooked all day for you. Tell her: You shouldn't have!
ghallabti ḥālik!
Thank her for the food: Bless your hands!
yislam īdēki!
6True or false?
Sam says yes the first time Imm Khalil offers more chicken.
He says laʾ, shukran, ya khālto. wallāhi shbiʿt.
Sam drinks his coffee with sugar.
Sam says ṣaḥḥtēn when he hands back his cup.
He says dāyme; Rana answers ṣaḥḥtēn.
Summary
- You can offer food and drink: kamān!, khud kamān, dūʾ!
- You can say no politely: laʾ, shukran, wallāhi shbiʿt, khalaṣ, bikaffi.
- You can say dāyme after coffee and answer it with ṣaḥḥtēn.
- You can thank your hosts: mamnūnak, ghallabt ḥālak, yislam īdēki.