A2Unit 7 · Health, shopping and plans · Lesson 68 of 100
Let's go! Suggestions and excuses
yalla nrūḥ! · shu raʾyak? · lēsh? — liʾanno …
Goal: Suggest doing something together, ask for and give an opinion, and accept or decline an invitation politely with a reason.
Dialogue
Lina wants to spend a spring day in Jericho with her friends, but not everyone is free on Saturday. You will learn to say "let's …" with yalla, to ask shu raʾyak? "what do you think?", and to give a reason with liʾanno "because".
A spring evening at the Khalil house. Lina has an idea for the weekend.
- Linayalla nrūḥ ʿa-Arīḥa yōm is-sabt! shu raʾyak, ya Sām?Let's go to Jericho on Saturday! What do you think, Sam?
- Samfikra ḥilwe, bass is-sabt ma baʾdarsh, liʾanno ʿindi tazkara la-ḥafle.Good idea, but I can't on Saturday, because I have a ticket for a concert.
- Linaw inti, ya Rana?And you, Rana?
- Ranaāsfe, ana kamān ma baʾdarsh is-sabt. ʿindi wājeb ktīr lal-jāmʿa.Sorry, I can't on Saturday either. I have a lot of homework for the university.
- Linaya khsāra!What a shame!
- Khalilṭayyib, ana baqtreḥ nrūḥ yōm il-jumʿa. shu raʾyik, ya Līna?Well, I suggest we go on Friday. What do you think, Lina?
- Linabawāfeʾ! w inte, ya Sām?I agree! And you, Sam?
- Samil-jumʿa tamām! bass lēsh Arīḥa?Friday is fine! But why Jericho?
- Khalilliʾanno ṭabīʿitha ḥilwe, w fīha nakhl ktīr w aḥla tamr!Because the countryside there is beautiful, and it has lots of palm trees and the best dates!
- Ranaw id-dinya shōb hunāk, w fī birak. yalla nisbaḥ!And it's hot there, and there are swimming pools. Let's swim!
- LinaNūr iʿtazrat: ʿindha shughl il-jumʿa.(Reading a message.) Nour has sent her apologies: she has work on Friday.
- Khalilkhalaṣ: il-jumʿa is-sāʿa tamānye, w ana basūʾ!That's settled: Friday at eight, and I'll drive!
New words
| Palestinian Arabic | English |
|---|---|
| raʾi | opinionplural ārāʾ; shu raʾyak? / shu raʾyik? = what do you think? (to a man / to a woman) |
| liʾanno | because+ a whole sentence: liʾanno ʿindi shughl |
| fikra | idea, thoughtplural afkār; fikra ḥilwe! = good idea!; ʿala fikra = by the way |
| iqtaraḥ | to suggestiqtaraḥ / yiqtreḥ; b-present baqtreḥ; a learned word, said with a real q |
| wāfaʾ | to agree (to: ʿala)wāfaʾ / ywāfeʾ; b-present bawāfeʾ |
| iʿtazar | to apologize; to send your apologiesiʿtazar / yiʿtzer; b-present baʿtzer |
| ʾibil | to accept, agree toʾibil / yiʾbal; b-present baʾbal |
| rafaḍ | to refuse, turn downrafaḍ / yurfoḍ; b-present barfoḍ |
| khsāra | what a pity; a lossya khsāra! = what a shame! |
| tazkara | ticketplural tazāker |
| Arīḥa | Jericho |
| ṭabīʿa | nature, the countrysideṭabīʿitha = its nature (of a town) |
| nakhl | palm treescollective; one palm tree: nakhle |
| tamr | dried dates (the fruit)collective; one date: tamra |
Grammar
1. Let's …: yalla + the present without b-
To suggest doing something together, say yalla and the "we" form of the present without b-.
A more careful way is baqtreḥ "I suggest", followed by the same form: baqtreḥ nrūḥ il-jumʿa "I suggest we go on Friday".
2. What do you think?
| Palestinian Arabic | English |
|---|---|
| shu raʾyak? | What do you think? (to a man) |
| shu raʾyik? | What do you think? (to a woman) |
| fikra ḥilwe! | Good idea! |
| bawāfeʾ. | I agree. |
| māshi! | OK! |
3. Why? Because … and polite excuses
lēsh? "why?" is answered with liʾanno "because" + a whole sentence. To say no politely, start with āsef (a man speaks) or āsfe (a woman speaks), say ma baʾdarsh "I can't", and give the reason with liʾanno. Your friends will answer ya khsāra! or maʿlēsh.
To tell what someone answered: ʾibil "he accepted", iʿtazar "he sent his apologies", rafaḍ "he refused".
Practice
1Choose the right answer
You suggest to your friends: "Let's go to Jericho!"
After yalla, use the "we" form without b-.
You ask Rana what she thinks.
To a woman: raʾyik.
A friend tells you that she can't come. You answer:
Which one is a polite excuse?
2Complete the sentence
ma baʾdarsh, ___ ʿindi wājeb. = I can't, because I have homework.
lēsh is "why?"
ana ___ nrūḥ il-jumʿa. = I suggest we go on Friday.
yalla ___! = Let's swim!
fikra ___! = Good idea!
fikra is feminine: ḥilwe.
ʿazamt Khalīl, bass ___. = I invited Khalil, but he sent his apologies.
ʿindi ___ la-ḥafle. = I have a ticket for a concert.
3Match the Arabic and the English
raʾi
fikra
ṭabīʿa
nakhl
tamr
ʾibil
4Put the words in order
Because the countryside there is beautiful.
Let's go on Friday!
5Say it in Palestinian Arabic, then check
Sorry, I can't, because I'm busy. (a woman speaks)
āsfe, ma baʾdarsh, liʾanno ana mashghūle.
What do you think, Sam?
shu raʾyak, ya Sām?
6True or false?
Sam can't go on Saturday because he has a ticket for a concert.
Nour will go to Jericho with them on Friday.
Nour has sent her apologies: she has work on Friday.
Summary
- You can suggest doing something together: yalla nrūḥ!, baqtreḥ nrūḥ il-jumʿa.
- You can ask for an opinion and answer: shu raʾyak?, fikra ḥilwe!, bawāfeʾ.
- You can ask lēsh? and give a reason with liʾanno.
- You can decline politely: āsfe, ma baʾdarsh, liʾanno …, and answer ya khsāra!