LIMBA Palestinian ArabicFree written course · 100 lessons Audio course

B1Unit 8 · Work, studies and stories · Lesson 80 of 100

Review: Khalil's job interview

ʾaddēsh ṣarlak btishtghel? · kunt ashtghel · ʿashān atʿallam · lissa

Goal: Talk about your work, your studies and your past at an interview: how long, what you used to do, why you want a change, and what you can do.

1

Dialogue

It is Tuesday, and Khalil has his interview at the big company near al-Manara. Everything from unit 8 comes back in one conversation: studies and ordinals, work words, "I used to", participles, telling a story, ṣarli, lissa, ʿashān and things that break.

Tuesday morning, an office on the fifth floor of a big company near al-Manara. The manager interviews Khalil.

  1. Bossahla w sahla, ustāz Khalīl! tfaḍḍal, uʾʿod. btishrab ʾahwe?Welcome, Mr. Khalil! Please sit down. Would you like some coffee?
  2. Khalilā, law samaḥti, sāda. shukran.Yes, please, without sugar. Thank you.
  3. Bossṭayyib, iḥkīli ʿan ḥālak. ʾaddēsh ṣarlak btishtghel?Well, tell me about yourself. How long have you been working?
  4. Khalilṣarli arbaʿ snīn bashtghel mhandes kambyūtar fi shirke zghīre.I've been working as a computer engineer at a small company for four years.
  5. Bossw ʾabl?And before that?
  6. Khalildarast fi jāmʿit Bīrzēt. w lamma kunt ṭāleb, kunt ashtghel kull ṣēf fi maḥall kambyūtarāt.I studied at Birzeit University. And when I was a student, I used to work every summer in a computer shop.
  7. Bossw lēsh biddak titrik shughlak?And why do you want to leave your job?
  8. Khalilʿashān atʿallam ishi jdīd. w bi-ma inno shirkitkom kbīre, fī furaṣ aktar.To learn something new. And since your company is big, there are more opportunities.
  9. Bossmumkin tuʿroḍli mashrūʿ ʿmilto?Can you show me a project you did?
  10. Khalilakīd. fis-sane t-tālte, fajʾa kull kambyūtarāt ish-shirke khirbat. awwal ishi laʾēt il-mushkile, w baʿdēn ḥallētha fi yōm wāḥad.Of course. In the third year, suddenly all the company's computers broke down. First I found the problem, and then I solved it in one day.
  11. Bossmnīḥ ktīr. ʿindak khibra. w hallaʾ lissa btishtghel hunāk?Very good. You have experience. And are you still working there now?
  12. Khalilā, lissa. bass mumkin aballesh ʿindkom baʿd shahr.Yes, still. But I could start with you in a month.
  13. Bossw inte sāken ʾarīb min hōn?And do you live near here?
  14. Khalilā, sāken jamb il-Manāra. ʿashān hēk bāji māshi!Yes, I live near al-Manara. That's why I come on foot!
  15. Bossṭayyib, ya Khalīl. ʾābalt il-yōm talat mhandsīn, w inte r-rābeʿ w il-ākher. raḥ attaṣel fīk la-ḥadd yōm il-khamīs.All right, Khalil. Today I've interviewed three engineers, and you're the fourth and the last. I'll call you by Thursday.
  16. Khalilshukran ktīr. inshalla khēr!Thank you very much. Let's hope for good news!
2

New words

Palestinian ArabicEnglish
ʿaraḍto show, presentʿaraḍ / yuʿroḍ; b-present baʿroḍ; mumkin tuʿroḍli …? = can you show me …? (to a man)
khibraexperience (at work)ʿindo khibra ktīre = he has a lot of experience
ʾābalto meet (with); to interviewʾābal / yʾābel; b-present baʾābel
3

Grammar

What you can now say

  • Talk about studies and count in order: is-sane t-tālte, tālet imtiḥān, inte r-rābeʿ w il-ākher.
  • Talk about a job: bashtghel mhandes, ir-rāteb, id-dawām, ish-shirke, il-mudīr.
  • Say what you used to do: lamma kunt ṭāleb, kunt ashtghel kull ṣēf.
  • Describe a state with a participle: ana sāken jamb il-Manāra, bāji māshi.
  • Tell a short story: fajʾa, awwal ishi, baʿdēn, bil-ākher.
  • Say how long, since and until: ṣarli arbaʿ snīn bashtghel, min shahr ḥdaʿsh, la-ḥadd yōm il-khamīs.
  • Say still, not yet, already and no longer: lissa btishtghel?, lissa ma akalt, khalaṣ, baṭṭal ydakhkhen.
  • Say why and what for: ʿashān atʿallam, ʿashān hēk, bi-ma inno.
  • Say what broke and what was fixed: khirbat, inkasarat, ṣallaḥ, ḥallēt il-mushkile.

The unit in one table: time and reasons around a verb

MeaningPalestinian Arabiclesson
the third yearis-sane t-tālte71
I work as an engineerbashtghel mhandes72
I used to work every summerkunt ashtghel kull ṣēf73
I live near al-Manaraana sāken jamb il-Manāra74
suddenly, first, thenfajʾa, awwal ishi, baʿdēn75
I've been working for four yearsṣarli arbaʿ snīn bashtghel76
I'm still working therelissa bashtghel hunāk77
I haven't started yetlissa ma ballasht77
in order to learnʿashān atʿallam78
the computer broke downil-kambyūtar khirib79

Notice how many of these patterns put a second verb in the present without b-: kunt ashtghel, ʿashān atʿallam, baṭṭal ydakhkhen, lāzim aʾūm.

4

Practice

1Choose the right answer

  1. The manager asks Khalil: "How long have you been working?"

  2. "When I was a student, I used to work every summer."

  3. Which word means "experience (at work)"?

  4. The interview is at 9:30. You say the time:

  5. "The company is on the left, near the roundabout."

  6. "I will call you on Thursday." (to a man)

2Complete the sentence

  1. ṣarli arbaʿ ___ bashtghel. = I've been working for four years.

  2. biddi aghayyer shughli ʿashān ___ ishi jdīd. = I want to change jobs in order to learn something new.

  3. ___ btishtghel hunāk? = Are you still working there? (to a man)

  4. il-kambyūtar ___, w ana ṣallaḥto. = The computer broke down, and I fixed it.

  5. hāda ___ mashrūʿ fish-shirke. = This is the first project at the company.

  6. Khalīl ___ khibra ktīre. = Khalil has a lot of experience.

  7. lāzim ___ bakkīr bukra. = I have to get up early tomorrow.

3Match the Arabic and the English

  1. ʾābal

  2. ʿaraḍ

  3. khibra

  4. mudīr

  5. rāteb

  6. zamīl

4Put the words in order

  1. I've been in Ramallah for nine months.

  2. I live near al-Manara. (a man speaking)

  3. Yesterday I went to the bank. (start with the time)

5Say it in Palestinian Arabic, then check

  1. How long have you been working here? (to a woman)

  2. The manager offers you coffee. Ask her for it without sugar, please.

  3. A friend tells you he got a new job. Congratulate him.

6True or false?

  1. Khalil has been working for four years.

  2. Khalil no longer works at the small company.

  3. Khalil is the first engineer the manager has interviewed today.

Well done — your score: .
5

Summary

  • You can talk about your studies and your job: darast fi jāmʿit Bīrzēt, bashtghel mhandes kambyūtar.
  • You can say how long and what you used to do: ṣarli arbaʿ snīn bashtghel, kunt ashtghel kull ṣēf.
  • You can explain why you want a change: ʿashān atʿallam ishi jdīd, ʿashān hēk.
  • You can tell a short work story with fajʾa, awwal ishi, baʿdēn, and say what broke and what you fixed.
  • You can answer interview questions with lissa, a participle and raḥ: lissa btishtghel?, ana sāken ….

Unit 8: Work, studies and stories

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