LIMBA Palestinian ArabicFree written course · 100 lessons Audio course

A2Unit 6 · Hospitality · Lesson 56 of 100

I can, I know how

baʾdar · ma baʾdarsh · fiyyi · baʿraf asūʾ

Goal: Say what you can and cannot do, and what you know how to do, with baʾdar, fiyyi and baʿraf + a verb.

1

Dialogue

Abu Khalil has given his mother a new smartphone, and Lina shows Sitti Halime how it works. You will learn three ways to say "can": baʾdar "I am able to", fiyyi "I can" and baʿraf "I know how to".

A Saturday in Sitti Halime's village. The new phone is still in its box on the table.

  1. Sitti Halimeya Līna, taʿāli sāʿdīni. ma baʿrafsh astaʿmel hal-jawwāl!Lina, come and help me. I don't know how to use this phone!
  2. Linama fīsh mushkile, ya sitti. awwal ishi lāzim nishḥano. wēn ish-shāḥen?No problem, grandma. First we have to charge it. Where's the charger?
  3. Sitti Halimehōn, fil-ʿilbe. bass iz-zrār zghīre ktīr. ma baʾdarsh ashūfhom!Here, in the box. But the buttons are so small. I can't see them!
  4. Linamish lāzim tshūfīhom. ikbisi hāda z-zirr bass.You don't need to see them. Just press this button.
  5. Sitti Halimekabast... ā, shtaghal! bass shu yaʿni hal-kilme? vidyo?I pressed it... oh, it's on! But what does this word mean? "Video"?
  6. Linafī vidyo min Rana! ikbisi hōn, w fīki tshūfī.There's a video from Rana! Press here, and you can watch it.
  7. Sitti Halimeya ḥabībti, Rana! shu btiʿmal?Oh, my darling Rana! What is she doing?
  8. Linabtursom ṣūra ilik. Rana btiʿraf tursom ktīr mnīḥ.She's drawing a picture for you. Rana knows how to draw really well.
  9. Sitti Halimemashalla ʿalēha! w inti, ya Līna? btiʿrafi tursomi?Bless her! And you, Lina? Can you draw?
  10. Linalaʾ, abadan! bass baʿraf asūʾ w asbaḥ.No, not at all! But I can drive and swim.
  11. Sitti Halimew ana ma baʿrafsh asūʾ w ma baʿrafsh asbaḥ... bass hallaʾ baʾdar astaʿmel il-jawwāl!And I can't drive or swim... but now I can use the phone!
2

New words

Palestinian ArabicEnglish
ʾidircan, to be able toʾidir / yiʾdar, b-present baʾdar; ma baʾdarsh I can't
fiyyiI canworks like biddi: fīk, fīki, fī, fīha, fīna, fīkom, fīhom; ma fiyyi I can't
sabaḥto swimsabaḥ / yisbaḥ, b-present basbaḥ
sāʾto drivesāʾ / ysūʾ, b-present basūʾ
rasamto drawrasam / yursom, b-present barsom; rasm a drawing, a painting
shaḥanto charge (a phone)shaḥan / yishḥan, b-present bashḥan
kabasto press, click, tapkabas / yikbis, b-present bakbis; ikbis! press! (to a man), ikbisi! (to a woman)
shaghghalto turn on (a device); to employshaghghal / yshaghghel, b-present bashaghghel
istaʿmalto useistaʿmal / yistaʿmel, b-present bastaʿmel
kilmewordplural: kalimāt
vidyovideo
shāḥencharger (for a phone)plural: shawāḥen
zirrbutton; knobplural: zrār
birkeswimming pool; pondplural: birak
3

Grammar

1. ʾidir: can, be able to

ʾidir / yiʾdar is a normal verb. In the b-present it means "I can", and the next verb is the present without b- (lesson 25), just as after biddi and lāzim.

Palestinian ArabicEnglish
baʾdar āji.I can come.
btiʾdar tīji?Can you come? (to a man)
btiʾdari tīji?Can you come? (to a woman)
biʾdar yīji.He can come.
bniʾdar nīji.We can come.
ma baʾdarsh āji.I can't come.

In the past: ʾdirt "I could", ma ʾdirtish "I couldn't".

2. fiyyi: the short way

fiyyi works like biddi: an ending says who, and ma alone makes it negative. fiyyi, fīk, fīki, fī, fīha, fīna, fīkom, fīhom; ma fiyyi "I can't". Careful: fī alone also means "there is" (lesson 28).

fīki tshūfī hallaʾ. You can watch it now. (to a woman)
ma fiyyi aʾʿod, lāzim arūḥ. I can't stay, I have to go.

3. baʿraf: I know how to

For a skill you have learned (swimming, driving, drawing, cooking), use ʿirif + the present without b-. ʾidir is about being able to right now.

baʿraf asūʾ. I know how to drive.
ma baʿrafsh asbaḥ. I can't swim. (I never learned.)
baʿraf asbaḥ, bass il-yōm ma baʾdarsh: il-mayye bārde ktīr. I can swim, but today I can't: the water is too cold.
4

Practice

1Choose the right words

  1. Sitti Halime says ma baʾdarsh ashūfhom. She means:

  2. Ask Sam: "Do you know how to drive?"

  3. Lina never learned to draw. She says:

  4. Which word means "charger"?

2Complete the sentence

  1. ana ma ___ asūʾ. = I don't know how to drive.

  2. ___ tshūfī hallaʾ. = You can watch it now. (to a woman)

  3. awwal ishi lāzim ___ il-jawwāl. = First we have to charge the phone.

  4. Rana btiʿraf ___ ṣuwar ḥilwe. = Rana knows how to draw nice pictures.

  5. Sām birūḥ ʿal-___ w bisbaḥ. = Sam goes to the pool and swims.

3Match the Arabic and the English

  1. birke

  2. zirr

  3. kilme

  4. shaghghal

  5. sabaḥ

4Put the words in order

  1. Press this button. (to a woman)

  2. I can't come today.

5Say it in Palestinian Arabic, then check

  1. Ask Nour: Can you swim? (Do you know how?)

  2. Tell Sam: Turn on the computer!

6True or false?

  1. Sitti Halime can see the small buttons well.

  2. Rana is drawing a picture for her grandmother.

  3. Lina knows how to swim.

Well done — your score: .
5

Summary

  • You can say what you can and can't do: baʾdar āji, ma baʾdarsh āji.
  • You can use the short form fiyyi, fīk, fīki: fīki tshūfī hallaʾ.
  • You can say what you know how to do: baʿraf asūʾ, ma baʿrafsh asbaḥ.
  • You can help someone with a phone: ikbisi hāda z-zirr, lāzim nishḥano.

Unit 6: Hospitality

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