A2Unit 7 · Health, shopping and plans · Lesson 62 of 100
At the pharmacy
lāzim tirtāḥ · khud ḥabbe marrtēn bil-yōm · banṣaḥak …
Goal: Ask for medicine at a pharmacy and understand advice on what to do and how often to take it.
Dialogue
Sam still has his cold, so he goes to Abu Khalil's pharmacy. You will learn to understand and give advice with lāzim "must" and with the imperative, and to say how often to take a medicine.
Monday afternoon. Sam walks into Abu Khalil's pharmacy in the town center.
- Abu Khalilahlan, ya Sām! salāmtak! Līna ʾālatli.Hi, Sam! Get well soon! Lina told me.
- Samalla ysallmak, ya ʿammo. kull jismi būjaʿ, w ʿindi skhūne.Thank you, uncle. My whole body aches, and I have a fever.
- Abu Khalilw btuʿṭos?And are you sneezing?
- Samā, baʿṭos ktīr, w ma baʾdarsh atnaffas mnīḥ.Yes, I sneeze a lot, and I can't breathe well.
- Abu Khalilhāda rashḥ. khud had-dawa: ḥabbe talat marrāt bil-yōm, baʿd il-akl.It's a cold. Take this medicine: one pill three times a day, after meals.
- Samw hādi l-ʾannīne?And this bottle?
- Abu Khalilhādi lal-ḥalʾ: maʿlaʾa waḥde bil-lēl.This one is for the throat: one spoonful at night.
- Samlāzim arūḥ ʿaṭ-ṭawāreʾ?Do I have to go to the emergency room?
- Abu Khalillaʾ, mish lāzim. banṣaḥak tirtāḥ w tishrab mayye ktīr. w ghassel īdēk dāyman.No, there's no need. I advise you to rest and drink a lot of water. And always wash your hands.
- Samshukran. w biddi furshāyit snān w maḥārem, law samaḥt.Thanks. And I'd like a toothbrush and some tissues, please.
- Abu Khaliltfaḍḍal. w ma tiṭlaʿsh barra bil-lēl! inshalla bitṭīb bukra.Here you are. And don't go out at night! I hope you'll be better tomorrow.
New words
| Palestinian Arabic | English |
|---|---|
| dawa | medicineplural adwiye |
| ṭāb | to get better, recoverṭāb / yṭīb; b-present baṭīb; inshalla bitṭīb = I hope you get better (to a man) |
| naṣaḥ | to advisenaṣaḥ / yinṣaḥ; b-present banṣaḥ; banṣaḥak … = I advise you to … (to a man) |
| irtāḥ | to rest; to feel comfortableirtāḥ / yirtāḥ; b-present bartāḥ |
| jism | bodyplural ajsām; kull jismi = my whole body |
| miʿde | stomach (the organ)dawa lal-miʿde = a medicine for the stomach |
| ṭawāreʾ | emergency; the emergency roomʿaṭ-ṭawāreʾ = to the emergency room |
| ʿaṭas | to sneezeʿaṭas / yuʿṭos; b-present baʿṭos |
| skhūne | feverʿindi skhūne = I have a fever |
| ʾannīne | bottleplural ʾanāni |
| ghassal | to wash (hands, face)ghassal / yghassel; b-present baghassel; ghassel īdēk = wash your hands (to a man) |
| maḥrame | tissue, handkerchief; napkinplural maḥārem |
| furshāye | brushplural farāshi; furshāyit snān = toothbrush |
| tnaffas | to breathetnaffas / yitnaffas; b-present batnaffas |
Grammar
1. Advice with lāzim
lāzim "must" never changes. The verb after it is the present without b- (lessons 25 and 55), and its ending shows who must do it.
mish lāzim means "there is no need": mish lāzim trūḥ ʿaṭ-ṭawāreʾ "there's no need to go to the emergency room".
2. Advice with the imperative
A pharmacist or a doctor often gives advice with the imperative (lesson 43).
| To a man | To a woman | To several people | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| irtāḥ | irtāḥi | irtāḥu | rest |
| ishrab | ishrabi | ishrabu | drink |
| ghassel | ghassli | ghasslu | wash |
| khud | khudi | khudu | take |
For "don't", put ma … -sh around the full "you" form: ma tiṭlaʿsh barra! "Don't go out!" A softer way to give advice is banṣaḥak "I advise you" (to a man) or banṣaḥik (to a woman), followed by the present without b-.
3. How often
bil-yōm means "a day, per day": marra bil-yōm "once a day", marrtēn bil-yōm "twice a day", talat marrāt bil-yōm "three times a day". One pill is ḥabbe, two pills ḥabbtēn. Add ʾabl il-akl "before meals" or baʿd il-akl "after meals".
Practice
1Choose the right answer
The pharmacist tells Rana: "You must rest."
Speaking to a woman, the verb ends in -i.
mish lāzim trūḥ ʿaṭ-ṭawāreʾ means:
Which one means "twice a day"?
You tell Sam and Lina: "Drink a lot of water!"
2Complete the sentence
___ īdēk dāyman! = Always wash your hands! (to a man)
khud ḥabbe talat ___ bil-yōm. = Take one pill three times a day.
After the numbers 3 to 10 the noun is plural: talat marrāt.
banṣaḥik ___ bakkīr. = I advise you to go to bed early. (to a woman)
After banṣaḥik comes the present without b-, not the imperative.
hāda dawa lal-___. = This is a medicine for the stomach.
___ jismi būjaʿ. = My whole body aches.
3Match the Arabic and the English
dawa
ʾannīne
maḥrame
furshāye
skhūne
ṭawāreʾ
4Put the words in order
I advise you to rest and drink a lot of water. (to a man)
I can't breathe well.
5Say it in Palestinian Arabic, then check
Take one pill after meals. (to a woman)
khudi ḥabbe baʿd il-akl.
Don't go out at night! (to a man)
ma tiṭlaʿsh barra bil-lēl!
6True or false?
Sam has to go to the emergency room.
Abu Khalil says laʾ, mish lāzim.
The bottle is for Sam's throat.
Summary
- You can ask for medicine and things at a pharmacy: biddi furshāyit snān w maḥārem.
- You can give and understand advice with lāzim and mish lāzim: lāzim tirtāḥ.
- You can give advice with the imperative or with banṣaḥak: ghassel īdēk, banṣaḥak tirtāḥ.
- You can say how often to take a medicine: ḥabbe marrtēn bil-yōm, baʿd il-akl.