A2Unit 7 · Health, shopping and plans · Lesson 63 of 100
Clothes and bargaining
ʾaddēsh ākher siʿr? · ukhṣomli shwayy · wāseʿ ʿalayy
Goal: Talk about clothes, colors and sizes, say whether something fits, and bargain politely at a market stall.
Dialogue
Lina and Nour spend a Saturday in the old market of Nablus, and Lina finds a dress she likes. You will learn the words for clothes, how to say that something is loose or tight, and how to ask for a better price.
A Saturday in spring. Lina and Nour stop at a clothes stall in the old market of Nablus. The seller is a man.
- Nourshūfi hal-fustān il-azraʾ, ya Līna! ktīr ḥilu.Look at this blue dress, Lina! It's really pretty.
- Linaā, ḥilu. law samaḥt, mumkin ajarrbo?Yes, it's nice. Excuse me, may I try it on?
- Sellerṭabʿan, tfaḍḍali.Of course, go ahead.
- Linail-lōn ḥilu, bass il-fustān wāseʿ ʿalayy.(After trying it on.) The color is nice, but the dress is loose on me.
- Sellerjarrbi numra tamānye w talātīn.Try size 38.
- Linahāda mazbūṭ. ʾaddēsh siʿro?This one is just right. How much is it?
- Sellermītēn shēkel.Two hundred shekels.
- Nourmītēn?! ghāli ktīr! ʾaddēsh ākher siʿr?Two hundred?! That's very expensive! What's your best price?
- Sellerilik, miyye w tamānīn bass.For you, only a hundred and eighty.
- Linaukhṣomli kamān shwayy, law samaḥt.Give me a little more off, please.
- Sellerkhalaṣ, miyye w sittīn, w hāda ākher siʿr.All right, a hundred and sixty, and that's my final price.
- Linamāshi, bākhdo!OK, I'll take it!
New words
| Palestinian Arabic | English |
|---|---|
| awāʿi | clothesa plural word |
| ʾamīṣ | shirtplural ʾumṣān |
| blūze | top, blouseany shirt-like top, for men or women; plural balāyez |
| banṭalōn | pantsplural banṭalōnāt |
| fustān | dressplural fasātīn |
| tannūra | skirtplural tanānīr |
| jrābāt | socksa plural word |
| ṭāʾiyye | hat, capplural ṭawāʾi |
| ḥizām | beltplural aḥzime |
| khalaʿ | to take off (clothes, shoes)khalaʿ / yikhlaʿ; b-present bakhlaʿ |
| wāseʿ | wide, loose; spaciousfeminine wāsʿa, plural wāsʿīn |
| ḍiyyeʾ | narrow, tightfeminine ḍiyyʾa |
| khaṣm | discountplural khuṣūm; ukhṣomli = give me a discount (to a man) |
| ākher siʿr | final price, your best priceʾaddēsh ākher siʿr? = what's your best price? |
Grammar
1. Clothes and colors
A color agrees with the piece of clothing, as in lesson 35: a masculine color with a masculine word, a feminine color with a feminine word.
| Masculine | Feminine | English |
|---|---|---|
| ʾamīṣ abyaḍ | blūze bēḍa | a white shirt / a white top |
| banṭalōn aswad | tannūra sōda | black pants / a black skirt |
| fustān azraʾ | ṭāʾiyye zarʾa | a blue dress / a blue cap |
banṭalōn is one word in Arabic: banṭalōn aswad "(a pair of) black pants". awāʿi "clothes" and jrābāt "socks" are plural words.
2. Does it fit?
Say wāseʿ "loose" or ḍiyyeʾ "tight", then ʿala with a suffix: ʿalayy "on me", ʿalēk "on you" (to a man), ʿalēki "on you" (to a woman). The adjective agrees: wāsʿa, ḍiyyʾa for a feminine word.
Sizes use numra: numra arbaʿīn "size 40". To try on: mumkin ajarrbo? "May I try it on?" To take off: khalaʿt il-jākēt "I took off the jacket".
3. Bargaining at a stall
| You say | English |
|---|---|
| ʾaddēsh siʿro? | How much is it? (a masculine thing) |
| ʾaddēsh siʿrha? | How much is it? (a feminine thing) |
| ghāli ktīr! | That's very expensive! |
| ʾaddēsh ākher siʿr? | What's your best price? |
| ukhṣomli shwayy. | Give me a little discount. (to a man) |
| māshi, bākhdo. | OK, I'll take it. (a masculine thing) |
Practice
1Choose the right answer
Which one means "a white top"?
blūze is feminine, so its color is feminine: bēḍa.
You want the seller's best price. You ask:
The pants are too small for you. You say:
ʿalayy is "on me"; ʿalēki is "on you" (to a woman).
Lina decides to buy the dress. She says:
2Complete the sentence
tannūra ___ = a black skirt
mumkin ___ il-fustān? = May I try on the dress?
After mumkin comes the present without b-; jarrbi is an order.
___ shwayy, law samaḥt. = Give me a little discount, please. (to a man)
il-fustān ___ ʿalayy. = The dress is loose on me.
fustān is masculine: wāseʿ.
___ il-jākēt w jarrabt il-blūze. = I took off the jacket and tried on the top.
3Match the Arabic and the English
ʾamīṣ
banṭalōn
fustān
jrābāt
ṭāʾiyye
ḥizām
4Put the words in order
What's your best price?
Do you have size 40?
5Say it in Palestinian Arabic, then check
I'd like a blue dress, please. (to a man)
biddi fustān azraʾ, law samaḥt.
The skirt is tight on me.
it-tannūra ḍiyyʾa ʿalayy.
6True or false?
Lina buys the dress for 160 shekels.
The first dress was tight on Lina.
It was loose: il-fustān wāseʿ ʿalayy.
Summary
- You can name clothes: ʾamīṣ, blūze, banṭalōn, fustān, tannūra, jrābāt, ṭāʾiyye, ḥizām.
- You can make the color agree with the clothes: fustān azraʾ, blūze bēḍa.
- You can say whether something fits: wāseʿ ʿalayy, ḍiyyʾa ʿalayy, and ask for a size: numra arbaʿīn.
- You can bargain politely at a stall: ʾaddēsh ākher siʿr?, ukhṣomli shwayy, māshi, bākhdo.