B1Unit 10 · Palestine and the diaspora · Lesson 91 of 100
The olive harvest
kīf bilaʾʾṭu z-zētūn? · bufroshu · bilaʾʾṭu · buʿṣoru
Goal: Explain step by step how something is done, using the b-present with "they" for people in general.
Dialogue
It is October, and the whole family goes to Sitti Halime's village to pick olives. Lina has never done it, so she asks how it works. You will learn to explain how things are done with "they": bilaʾʾṭu z-zētūn "they pick the olives", that is, "olives are picked".
A Saturday in October, under the olive trees of Sitti Halime's village, after the first rain.
- Sitti Halimeṣabāḥ il-khēr ya wlād! yalla, il-yōm binlaʾʾeṭ iz-zētūn.Good morning, children! Come on, today we pick the olives.
- Linaya sitti, ana ʿumri ma laʾʾaṭt zētūn. kīf bilaʾʾṭu z-zētūn?Grandma, I have never picked olives. How do you pick olives?
- Sitti Halimeawwal ishi bufroshu ḥrāmāt taḥt ish-shajara.First, people spread blankets under the tree.
- Sitti Halimebaʿdēn bilaʾʾṭu z-zētūn bil-īd, w illi fōʾ buḍrobū bil-ʿūde.Then they pick the olives by hand, and what is high up they knock down with a stick.
- Khalilw fī nās biṭlaʿu ʿash-shajara, zayyi!And some people climb up the tree, like me!
- Ranabaʿdēn bijmaʿu z-zētūn min il-ḥrāmāt w biḥuṭṭū fis-slāl.Then they gather the olives from the blankets and put them in the baskets.
- Linaw baʿdēn byākhdu z-zētūn ʿal-maʿṣara?And then they take the olives to the press?
- Abu Khalilā. il-masa bnākhdo ʿal-maʿṣara, w hunāk buʿṣorū.Yes. In the evening we take them to the press, and there they press them.
- Imm Khalilw bil-ākher biʿabbu z-zēt il-jdīd fi tanakāt.And finally they put the new oil into cans.
- Linaēmta biballesh mawsim iz-zētūn?When does the olive season start?
- Sitti Halimeḥasab. ʿādatan biballesh fi shahr ʿashara, baʿd awwal shita.It depends. It usually starts in October, after the first rain.
- Khalilw iḍ-ḍuhr bnitghadda taḥt iz-zētūn: khubz sukhn maʿ zēt jdīd w zaʿtar!And at noon we have lunch under the olive trees: warm bread with new oil and zaatar!
- Sitti Halimehāda z-zētūn shattalo abūy, w it-tīn zaraʿto ana lamma kunt ṣabiyye.My father planted these olive trees, and I planted the fig trees when I was a young woman.
- Linayaʿṭīki l-ʿāfye, ya sitti!God give you strength, Grandma!
New words
| Palestinian Arabic | English |
|---|---|
| zētūn | olives; olive treescollective; one olive: zētūne or ḥabbit zētūn; zēt zētūn = olive oil |
| maʿṣara | press (olive press, wine press)ʿal-maʿṣara = to the press |
| mawsim | season (of a harvest)plural mawāsim; mawsim iz-zētūn = the olive season |
| ʿaṣar | to press (olives); to squeeze; to wringʿaṣar / yuʿṣor; b-present baʿṣor; buʿṣoru = they press |
| tanake | can (for oil)plural tanakāt; tanakit zēt = a can of olive oil |
| zaraʿ | to plantzaraʿ / yizraʿ; b-present bazraʿ |
| shattal | to plant (seedlings, young trees)shattal / yshattel; b-present bashattel |
| laʾʾaṭ | to pick (fruit, olives)laʾʾaṭ / ylaʾʾeṭ; b-present balaʾʾeṭ; bilaʾʾṭu = they pick |
| ḍarab | to hit, beat; to knock down (olives)ḍarab / yuḍrob; b-present baḍrob |
| jamaʿ | to gather, collectjamaʿ / yijmaʿ; b-present bajmaʿ; bijmaʿu = they gather |
| ʿūde | stick, twig |
| tīn | figs; fig treescollective; one fig: ḥabbit tīn |
| salle | basketplural slāl; fis-slāl = in the baskets |
Grammar
1. "They" for people in general
To explain how something is done, Palestinian Arabic uses the b-present with "they" and no subject. Nobody in particular is meant: bilaʾʾṭu z-zētūn is "they pick the olives", that is "people pick olives" or "olives are picked". English often says "you", "people" or uses the passive.
| Verb | "they" (b-present) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| laʾʾaṭ / ylaʾʾeṭ | bilaʾʾṭu | they pick |
| ḍarab / yuḍrob | buḍrobu | they knock down |
| jamaʿ / yijmaʿ | bijmaʿu | they gather |
| ʿaṣar / yuʿṣor | buʿṣoru | they press |
| farash / yufrosh | bufroshu | they spread out |
| ʿabba / yʿabbi | biʿabbu | they fill |
The endings are those of lesson 23: -u for "they". In verbs like laʾʾaṭ, the e of the stem drops before -u: bilaʾʾeṭ "he picks", bilaʾʾṭu "they pick".
2. "It" at the end of the verb
zētūn is a masculine word, so "them" (the olives) is "him" in Arabic. After -u, "him" is a long ū: buḍrobū "they knock them down", buʿṣorū "they press them" (lesson 54).
3. Steps in order
Put the steps in order with words you know: awwal ishi "first", baʿdēn "then", baʿd ma "after", bil-ākher "finally".
When you are one of the people doing it, use "we": binlaʾʾeṭ, bnākhdo ʿal-maʿṣara.
Practice
1Complete the sentence
awwal ishi ___ ḥrāmāt taḥt ish-shajara. = First, blankets are spread under the tree.
For people in general, use the b-present with "they": bufroshu.
fil-maʿṣara ___ z-zētūn. = At the press, the olives are pressed.
baʿdēn biḥuṭṭu z-zētūn ___. = Then they put the olives in the baskets.
bil-ākher biʿabbu z-zēt fi ___. = Finally, they put the oil into cans.
2Choose the right answer
You want to ask "How are olives picked?"
laʾʾaṭt is the past, "I picked"; wēn is "where".
bilaʾʾṭu z-zētūn bil-īd means:
Which sentence tells what people in general do?
Sitti Halime says the olive season usually starts:
3Match the Arabic and the English
zētūn
maʿṣara
salle
tanake
ʿūde
4Put the words in order
First, people spread blankets under the tree.
Then they take the olives to the press.
5Say it in Palestinian Arabic, then check
The olives are pressed at the press.
buʿṣoru z-zētūn fil-maʿṣara.
How are figs picked?
kīf bilaʾʾṭu t-tīn?
6True or false?
Sitti Halime's father planted the olive trees.
She says hāda z-zētūn shattalo abūy.
Lina has picked olives before.
Lina says ʿumri ma laʾʾaṭt zētūn.
The family has lunch under the olive trees.
Summary
- You can explain how something is done with "they": bilaʾʾṭu z-zētūn, buʿṣoru z-zētūn.
- You can ask kīf bilaʾʾṭu …? "how is … done?"
- You can put steps in order with awwal ishi, baʿdēn and bil-ākher.
- You can talk about the olive harvest: the trees, the baskets, the press and the new oil.