A2Unit 6 · Hospitality · Lesson 55 of 100
I have to, I need, maybe
lāzim arūḥ · mumkin ajīb … · ana miḥtāj …
Goal: Say what you must do, what you need and what is possible, using lāzim and mumkin with the present without b-.
Dialogue
The family is waiting for Khalil at dinner, but he is still at the office. You will learn to say "I have to", "I can" and "I need", and to answer bad news with a kind word.
Thursday evening. The family is at the table, but Khalil is not home yet. Imm Khalil calls him.
- Imm Khalilwēnak, ya Khalīl? iḥna bnistannāk!Where are you, Khalil? We're waiting for you!
- Khalilāsef, yamma. lāzim aḍall fil-maktab.Sorry, Mom. I have to stay at the office.
- Imm Khalilhallaʾ? ḍarūri?Now? Is it really necessary?
- Khalilā, ḍarūri. ʿindi shaghle lāzim akhalleṣha l-lēle.Yes, it is. I have a job I must finish tonight.
- Imm Khalilya ḥarām! ṭabakht maʾlūbe!Oh, what a shame! I made maqluba!
- Khalilmaʾlūbe?! mustaḥīl!Maqluba?! Oh no, that's impossible!
- LinaKhalīl, inte miḥtāj ḥāje? mumkin ajīb ʾahwe lal-maktab.(She takes the phone.) Khalil, do you need anything? I can bring coffee to the office.
- Khalilshukran, Līna, mish ḍarūri. bass miḥtāj waʾt!Thanks, Lina, no need. I just need time!
- Linaṭayyib, ḥāwel tkhalleṣ bsurʿa!OK, try to finish quickly!
- Khalilʾarrart: ish-shughl bukra! hallaʾ il-maʾlūbe!(An hour later, Khalil walks in.) I've decided: work tomorrow! Now, maqluba!
- Imm Khalilahlan, ḥabībi! tfaḍḍal, kul!Hello, dear! Here you are, eat!
New words
| Palestinian Arabic | English |
|---|---|
| lāzim | must, have to; necessarynever changes; + present without b-: lāzim arūḥ I have to go; mish lāzim no need |
| iḥtāj | to neediḥtāj / yiḥtāj, b-present baḥtāj; miḥtāj / miḥtāje in need of |
| mawʿid | appointmentplural: mawāʿīd; ʿindi mawʿid I have an appointment |
| ḥāwal | to tryḥāwal / yḥāwel, b-present baḥāwel |
| ʾarrar | to decideʾarrar / yʾarrer, b-present baʾarrer |
| jarrab | to try, try out; to try onjarrab / yjarreb, b-present bajarreb |
| mustaḥīl | impossible; no way!f. mustaḥīle |
| ḍarūri | necessary; (it is) a mustmish ḍarūri no need, not necessary |
| ḥarām | poor thing!; a shame; forbiddenya ḥarām! what a shame! |
| ḥāje | need; thing, matterplural: ḥājāt |
| shaghle | thing to do, matter; jobplural: shaghlāt; ʿindi shaghle I have something to do |
| iḍṭarr | to have to, be obliged toiḍṭarr / yiḍṭarr, b-present baḍṭarr; iḍṭarrēt arūḥ I had to go |
| nafaʿ | to be useful; to work out; (it) can be donenafaʿ / yinfaʿ; binfaʿ nīji bukra? can we come tomorrow? |
Grammar
1. lāzim: must, have to
lāzim never changes. The verb after it is the present without b- (lesson 25), with its person ending.
| Palestinian Arabic | English |
|---|---|
| lāzim arūḥ. | I have to go. |
| lāzim trūḥ. | You (a man) have to go. / She has to go. |
| lāzim trūḥi. | You (a woman) have to go. |
| lāzim yrūḥ. | He has to go. |
| lāzim nrūḥ. | We have to go. |
| lāzim trūḥu. | You (several people) have to go. |
| lāzim yrūḥu. | They have to go. |
mish lāzim means "no need": mish lāzim tīji "you don't need to come". Never put b- after lāzim: lāzim arūḥ, not lāzim barūḥ.
2. mumkin: can, could, may
mumkin "can, may" works the same way. ḥāwal "try" and ʾarrar "decide" also take the present without b-. For "maybe" on its own, say yimkin (lesson 7).
3. I need: miḥtāj
miḥtāj (a man), miḥtāje (a woman), miḥtājīn (several people) + a noun. ḍarūri means "necessary", and mish ḍarūri "no need".
Practice
1Choose the right words
Khalil says lāzim aḍall fil-maktab. He means:
Tell Sam: "You don't need to come."
After lāzim the verb has no b-.
Lina says: "I need time."
Lina is a woman: miḥtāje. lāzim + a verb means "must"; for "I need" + a thing, use miḥtāj / miḥtāje.
Khalil has to stay at the office and miss the maqluba. Imm Khalil says:
2Complete the sentence
lāzim ___ hallaʾ. = I have to go now.
After lāzim: the present without b-.
mumkin ___ ʾahwe lal-maktab. = I can bring coffee to the office.
ʿindi ___ maʿ id-duktōr bukra. = I have an appointment with the doctor tomorrow.
3Match the Arabic and the English
mustaḥīl
ḍarūri
ʾarrar
jarrab
ḥāje
4Put the words in order
You (a man) have to finish quickly.
Can we come tomorrow?
5Say it in Palestinian Arabic, then check
Tell Rana, using jarrab: Try the maqluba!
jarrbi l-maʾlūbe!
Say, using iḍṭarr: I had to stay at the office.
ana ḍṭarrēt aḍall fil-maktab.
6True or false?
Khalil has to stay at the office.
Lina takes coffee to Khalil's office.
Khalil says mish ḍarūri "no need".
In the end Khalil comes home for dinner.
Summary
- You can say what you have to do: lāzim arūḥ, and what you don't need to do: mish lāzim tīji.
- You can say what is possible: mumkin ajīb ʾahwe.
- You can say what you need: ana miḥtāj waʾt, inti miḥtāje ḥāje?
- You can react to bad news: ya ḥarām!, mustaḥīl!