Palestinian Arabic Lesson 88: With pleasure: heart, eye and head

1

Dialogue

Lina and Rana visit Sitti Halime for lunch, and Sitti speaks the way older people do: with a saying for every moment. You will learn to answer a request with ʿala rāsi "on my head", to describe people with ṭawīl ir-rūḥ and tʾīl id-damm, and to say bamūt fi … "I'm crazy about …".

A Saturday in October at Sitti Halime's house in the village. Lina and Rana have come for lunch, and Lina has just had her hair cut.

Sitti Halimeahlan, ya ḥabāybi! naʿīman, ya Līna!Welcome, my dears! A new haircut, Lina: may it do you good!
Linaalla yinʿim ʿalēki, ya sitti!Thank you, grandma! (literally: may God do good to you)
Sitti Halimeya Rana, jībi l-ibrīʾ min il-maṭbakh, law samaḥti.Rana, bring the teapot from the kitchen, please.
Ranaʿala rāsi, ya sitti!With pleasure, grandma! (literally: on my head)
Linaʿala rāsi? shu yaʿni hāda?(Quietly.) "On my head"? What does that mean?
Ranayaʿni ḥāḍer, bass bi-maḥabbe. w binʾūl kamān ʿala ʿēni.It means "certainly", but with love. We also say "on my eye".
Sitti Halimeṭabakhtilkom maʾlūbe. bitḥibbūha?I've cooked maqluba for you. Do you like it?
Linabamūt fi maʾlūbtik, ya sitti!I'm crazy about your maqluba, grandma!
Ranaya sitti, il-jawwāl ma buẓboṭsh hōn!Grandma, the phone doesn't work here!
Sitti Halimeṭawwli bālik, ya Rana. abūki ṭawīl ir-rūḥ, mish zayyik!Be patient, Rana. Your father is a patient man, not like you!
Ranaana ʿindi ṣabr… bass mish maʿ hal-jawwāl!I do have patience… but not with this phone!
Sitti Halimew ana ma ʿindi ṣabr maʿ kalb il-jīrān. tʾīl id-damm: kull lēle ma bikhallīnīsh anām!And I have no patience with the neighbors' dog. It's a pain: every night it doesn't let me sleep!
Linasitti, kam ḥafīd ʿindik hallaʾ?Grandma, how many grandchildren do you have now?
Sitti Halimetamantaʿshar ḥafīd, w kullhom ḥilwīn zayykom!Eighteen grandchildren, and all of them as lovely as you two!
Linaalla ykhallīlik yyāhom, ya sitti!May God keep them for you, grandma!
Sitti Halimeyalla, ṣaḥḥtēn, ya ḥabāybi!Come on, enjoy your meal, my dears!

2

New words

Palestinian Arabic	English
ʾalb	heart; insidepl. ʾlūb; ʿala ʾalbak = (reply to ṣaḥḥtēn) on your heart
damm	blood
tʾīl id-damm	unpleasant, annoying (of a person)literally: heavy of blood
ʿala rāsi	with pleasure, gladly (answer to a request)literally: on my head; also ʿala ʿēni "on my eye"
taḥt amrak	at your service (to a man)to a woman: taḥt amrik
tikram	with pleasure (answer to a request; to a man)to a woman: tikrami; to several people: tikramu
naʿīman	(said after a haircut or a shower) may it do you goodreply: alla yinʿim ʿalēk (to a woman: ʿalēki)
ṣabr	patienceverb ṣabar / yuṣbor = to be patient
ṭawwel bālak	be patient (to a man)to a woman: ṭawwli bālik
ṭawīl ir-rūḥ	patient (of a person)literally: long of soul
alla ykhallīlak yyāhom	may God keep them for you (when someone mentions their children; to a man)to a woman: alla ykhallīlik yyāhom; about one child: alla ykhallīlak yyā
gharām	love, passionwiʾiʿ bi-gharām = to fall in love
maḥabbe	love, affection
māt	to die; (māt fi) to be crazy aboutmāt / ymūt; b-present bamūt; bamūt fi hal-ughniye = I'm crazy about this song

3

Grammar

1. Yes, with pleasure: head, eye and heart

When someone asks you to do something, you can answer with more than ḥāḍer (lesson 52). These answers are warm and very polite:

Palestinian Arabic	Literally	Meaning
ʿala rāsi	on my head	with pleasure, gladly
ʿala ʿēni	on my eye	with pleasure, gladly
taḥt amrak / taḥt amrik	under your order (to a man / to a woman)	at your service
tikram / tikrami / tikramu	be honored (to a man / a woman / several)	with pleasure

You met the heart in lesson 10: someone says ṣaḥḥtēn, you answer ʿala ʾalbak "on your heart". After a haircut or a shower, people say naʿīman; you answer alla yinʿim ʿalēk (to a woman ʿalēki).

2. Describing people

Palestinian Arabic	Literally	Meaning
ṭawīl ir-rūḥ	long of soul	patient
tʾīl id-damm	heavy of blood	unpleasant, annoying
ṭawwel bālak! / ṭawwli bālik!	make your mind long (to a man / to a woman)	be patient!

ṣabr is "patience": ʿindi ṣabr "I'm patient", ma ʿindi ṣabr maʿ … "I have no patience with …".

3. Love and blessings

bamūt fi …, literally "I die in …", means "I'm crazy about …": bamūt fi maʾlūbtik. māt goes like rāḥ: bamūt, bitmūt, bimūt. maḥabbe is love and affection; gharām is passion: wiʾiʿ bi-gharām "he fell in love".

When someone mentions their children or grandchildren, bless them: alla ykhallīlak yyāhom (to a woman alla ykhallīlik yyāhom) "may God keep them for you".

Learn these sayings as whole phrases: their words do not change, except for the ending that shows who you speak to.

4

Practice

1Choose the right answer

Imm Khalil asks you to bring the bread. You answer warmly:
A friend comes back from the barber's with a new haircut. You say:
A woman asks you to close the window. You answer:
Abu Samir tells you about his three children. You say:
abūki ṭawīl ir-rūḥ means:

2Complete the sentence

___ fi maʾlūbtik, ya sitti! = I'm crazy about your maqluba, grandma!
ṭawwli ___, ya Rana! = Be patient, Rana!
kalb il-jīrān tʾīl ___. = The neighbors' dog is a pain.
Sitti says ṣaḥḥtēn! You answer: ʿala ___!

3Match the Arabic and the English

ʾalb
damm
ṣabr
maḥabbe
gharām
taḥt amrak

4Put the words in order

I have no patience with this phone.
Your father is a patient man. (to a woman)

5Say it in Palestinian Arabic, then check

I'm crazy about this song.

6True or false?

Rana answers her grandmother with ʿala rāsi.
Sitti Halime has twenty grandchildren.

Well done — your score: .

5

Summary

You can answer a request warmly: ʿala rāsi, ʿala ʿēni, taḥt amrak, tikram.
You can answer ṣaḥḥtēn with ʿala ʾalbak and naʿīman with alla yinʿim ʿalēk.
You can describe people: ṭawīl ir-rūḥ, tʾīl id-damm, and say ṭawwel bālak!
You can say bamūt fi … and bless someone's children: alla ykhallīlak yyāhom.