A2Unit 7 · Health, shopping and plans · Lesson 64 of 100
At the restaurant
jibilna … · bidūn filfil · il-ḥsāb, law samaḥt · ʿala ḥsābi
Goal: Order a meal in a restaurant, ask for something with, without or extra, say how the food tastes and ask for the bill.
Dialogue
Khalil takes Lina and Sam out for Friday lunch in Ramallah. You will learn how to order with "bring us" and "give me", how to ask for food with, without or extra, how to describe the taste, and how to ask for the bill.
Friday lunchtime at a restaurant in Ramallah. Khalil has invited Lina and Sam.
- Waiterahla w sahla! shu bidkom?Welcome! What would you like?
- Khaliljibilna ḥummuṣ w salaṭa w falāfel, law samaḥt.Bring us hummus, salad and falafel, please.
- Samw ana biddi jāj maʿ ruzz, bass bidūn filfil. ma baḥibbish il-akl il-ḥārr.And I'd like chicken with rice, but without chili. I don't like spicy food.
- Linaw ana kamān jāj, maʿ laban. w talat kubbāyāt ʿaṣīr lamūn ṭāza.And chicken for me too, with yogurt. And three glasses of fresh lemon juice.
- Samlaw samaḥt, ma fīsh shōke hōn!(Later.) Excuse me, there's no fork here!
- Waiterāsef! tfaḍḍal, shōke w sikkīne.Sorry! Here you are, a fork and a knife.
- Linair-ruzz sukhn w zāki, bass il-jāj māleḥ shwayy.The rice is hot and tasty, but the chicken is a bit salty.
- Samil-ḥummuṣ zāki ktīr! aʿṭīni kamān khubz, law samaḥt, w zēt zyāde.The hummus is delicious! Give me more bread, please, and extra oil.
- Khalilil-ḥsāb, law samaḥt.(At the end.) The bill, please.
- Linalaʾ, ya Khalīl, ana badfaʿ!No, Khalil, I'll pay!
- Khalilabadan! il-yōm ʿala ḥsābi.No way! Today it's on me.
- Samṭayyib, w ana bakhalli l-bakhshīsh.OK, then I'll leave the tip.
New words
| Palestinian Arabic | English |
|---|---|
| ḥsāb | bill; accountil-ḥsāb, law samaḥt = the bill, please; ʿala ḥsābi = it's on me |
| garsōn | waiterplural garsōnāt |
| salaṭa | saladplural salaṭāt |
| zyāde | extra, more; too muchplural zyādāt; zēt zyāde = extra oil |
| shōke | forkplural shuwak |
| sikkīne | knifeplural sakākīn |
| ḥārr | hot; spicyfeminine ḥārra |
| māleḥ | saltyfeminine mālḥa |
| sukhn | hot, warm (of food, things)feminine sukhne |
| ḥāmeḍ | sourfeminine ḥāmḍa |
| ṭāza | freshnever changes: ʿaṣīr ṭāza = fresh juice |
| bakhshīsh | tip (money) |
| laban | yogurt |
| kubbāye | glass, tumblerplural kubbāyāt |
Grammar
1. Bring us, give me
To order, use the imperative with "to me" or "to us" (lessons 43 and 58), and add law samaḥt. biddi … "I'd like …" also works.
| Palestinian Arabic | English |
|---|---|
| jibli … | Bring me … (to a man) |
| jibilna … | Bring us … (to a man) |
| aʿṭīni … | Give me … |
| biddi … | I'd like … |
| il-ḥsāb, law samaḥt. | The bill, please. (to a man) |
| ʿala ḥsābi. | It's on me. |
2. With, without, extra, more
maʿ "with" and bidūn "without" come before the noun. kamān "more, another" also comes before it. zyāde "extra" comes after it.
3. How does it taste?
Taste words agree like other adjectives: masculine ḥārr, māleḥ, sukhn, ḥāmeḍ; feminine ḥārra, mālḥa, sukhne, ḥāmḍa. ṭāza "fresh" never changes.
Practice
1Choose the right answer
At the end of the meal you ask the waiter for the bill.
You want to pay for everyone. You say:
ʿala ḥsābi means "it's on me".
Sam doesn't like spicy food. He wants his chicken:
Which sentence means "The yogurt is sour"?
laban is masculine: ḥāmeḍ.
2Complete the sentence
___ salaṭa, law samaḥt. = Bring us a salad, please. (to the waiter)
jibli and aʿṭīni are "to me"; jibilna is "to us".
ḥummuṣ maʿ zēt ___ = hummus with extra oil
___ kubbāyit mayye, law samaḥt. = Another glass of water, please.
is-salaṭa ___ shwayy. = The salad is a bit salty.
salaṭa is feminine: mālḥa.
ʿaṣīr lamūn ___ = fresh lemon juice
3Match the Arabic and the English
garsōn
shōke
sikkīne
kubbāye
bakhshīsh
laban
4Put the words in order
Bring us hummus and salad, please. (to a man)
Today it's on me.
5Say it in Palestinian Arabic, then check
Give me more bread, please. (to a man)
aʿṭīni kamān khubz, law samaḥt.
I'd like chicken with rice, without chili.
biddi jāj maʿ ruzz, bidūn filfil.
6True or false?
Lina pays the bill.
Khalil says il-yōm ʿala ḥsābi.
For Lina, the chicken is a bit salty.
Summary
- You can order food and drinks: jibilna …, aʿṭīni …, biddi ….
- You can ask for something with, without, more or extra: maʿ laban, bidūn filfil, kamān khubz, zēt zyāde.
- You can say how the food tastes: sukhn, ḥārr, māleḥ, ḥāmeḍ, ṭāza.
- You can ask for the bill and offer to pay: il-ḥsāb, law samaḥt, ʿala ḥsābi.