Letter from Palestine, 33. Arabic.
17th April 2005
Dear friends!
The Arabic course I have participated in is finished, and it is time to share some favourites with you. I had hoped to be better after a 36 hours intermediate course in spoken Arabic, but I am no language genius… It has been funny anyway, with an inspiring teacher and nice fellow students, and at the party at the end of the course one of the main subjects was how to keep in touch.
I have not given you a course in Arabic words and expressions earlier, so here is a short lesson, for beginners, with comments:
Marhabah – hallo
Marhabten – hallo (answer)
The answer means two hallo’s, and is a funny way to double the greeting, I think.
Sabah il-khair – good morning
Sabah in-nur – good morning (answer)
The answer actually means morning of light, and if you want to continue, you can say morning of the flowers or something else. Arabic is a nice poetic language! Don’t think that I will confine myself to good morning when I am back in Norway…
Keef halak – how are you (to a man)
Keef halek – how are you (to a woman)
Keef halkum – how are you (to more than one)
Ilhamdu lillah – praise be to God
Mabsut – happy (about a man)
Mabsutah – happy (about a woman)
Mabsutin – happy (about more than one)
As most not very polite Norwegians I am not used to asking people how they are several times every time I meet them, but you do it here. I am not used to praising God however I feel either, but I have also learnt that here. The normal answer is that you are happy, and I normally say that in any case, though there are some alternatives (yaani, for example, which means soso). If you say that you are very bad, you still say ilhamdu lillah. God is an important part of the language here.
Ishshukur lillah – thanks God
If you thank somebody for a service, you might get the answer that the person concerned not wants your thanks, that you should rather thank God. I find it to be a nice way of showing humility.
Inshallah – if God wants / I hope so
No appointments are made without this insurance. We can say that we will meet tomorrow, but it is dependent on God’s will. I don’t know if this expression has always been a part of the daily life, but now it is certainly necessary. Sometimes I wonder though, if they really mean that it depends on God’s will, or the soldiers’ will, the problem is often about a checkpoint. But with a great trust in God, they think that it will be OK dependent on God’s will. The expression can also be more of a may be, and dependent on the accent you can understand if the person wishes it to happen, or if it is better that it doesn’t, a usable expression then.
Bukrah filmishmesh – tomorrow in the apricot / it will never happen
Again a funny poetic expression, which needs an explanation. The apricot season is very short. The apricots are ripe and eatable one or two days. If you fail to be in the market that day, you don’t get the chance for fresh apricots that year. Bukrah filmishmesh means that the chance for what you have said will happen will happen, is very limited, about like 1:365.
Yalla – come on
Yalla is perhaps the most usable expression in Arabic. It often means come on, let us go, or now-we-are-thinking-about-going-and-we-might-do-it-in-half-an-hour. If I don’t know which verb to use to ask the children to do what I want them to do (write, draw, sit, listen…), I can always say yalla, and hope that they understand what I mean.
Ana bahubbak – I love you (to a man)
Ana bahubbek – I love you (to a woman)
This is a classical sentence you have to learn in every language. I have not used it much, and have not heard it much either, but I have to tell about an episode. It happened when I played with these wonderful grandsons of the bishop on Easter Sunday, two boys of 4 and 6 years. We had a pleasant time, both they and I, and when I at last was about to go, and had the arms of the six-year-old around my neck, I heard “ana bahubbek”, so convincing that I almost considered going with them to Nazareth…
Ahlan wa sahlan – welcome
At the end I have to wish you all welcome to Palestine, then you will hear this expression everywhere, the main phrase of the hospitality.
Ma issalameh – goodbye
The phrase when leaving includes a wish of security, and God is often mentioned.
Ma issalameh from Hanne.
Dear friends!
The Arabic course I have participated in is finished, and it is time to share some favourites with you. I had hoped to be better after a 36 hours intermediate course in spoken Arabic, but I am no language genius… It has been funny anyway, with an inspiring teacher and nice fellow students, and at the party at the end of the course one of the main subjects was how to keep in touch.
I have not given you a course in Arabic words and expressions earlier, so here is a short lesson, for beginners, with comments:
Marhabah – hallo
Marhabten – hallo (answer)
The answer means two hallo’s, and is a funny way to double the greeting, I think.
Sabah il-khair – good morning
Sabah in-nur – good morning (answer)
The answer actually means morning of light, and if you want to continue, you can say morning of the flowers or something else. Arabic is a nice poetic language! Don’t think that I will confine myself to good morning when I am back in Norway…
Keef halak – how are you (to a man)
Keef halek – how are you (to a woman)
Keef halkum – how are you (to more than one)
Ilhamdu lillah – praise be to God
Mabsut – happy (about a man)
Mabsutah – happy (about a woman)
Mabsutin – happy (about more than one)
As most not very polite Norwegians I am not used to asking people how they are several times every time I meet them, but you do it here. I am not used to praising God however I feel either, but I have also learnt that here. The normal answer is that you are happy, and I normally say that in any case, though there are some alternatives (yaani, for example, which means soso). If you say that you are very bad, you still say ilhamdu lillah. God is an important part of the language here.
Ishshukur lillah – thanks God
If you thank somebody for a service, you might get the answer that the person concerned not wants your thanks, that you should rather thank God. I find it to be a nice way of showing humility.
Inshallah – if God wants / I hope so
No appointments are made without this insurance. We can say that we will meet tomorrow, but it is dependent on God’s will. I don’t know if this expression has always been a part of the daily life, but now it is certainly necessary. Sometimes I wonder though, if they really mean that it depends on God’s will, or the soldiers’ will, the problem is often about a checkpoint. But with a great trust in God, they think that it will be OK dependent on God’s will. The expression can also be more of a may be, and dependent on the accent you can understand if the person wishes it to happen, or if it is better that it doesn’t, a usable expression then.
Bukrah filmishmesh – tomorrow in the apricot / it will never happen
Again a funny poetic expression, which needs an explanation. The apricot season is very short. The apricots are ripe and eatable one or two days. If you fail to be in the market that day, you don’t get the chance for fresh apricots that year. Bukrah filmishmesh means that the chance for what you have said will happen will happen, is very limited, about like 1:365.
Yalla – come on
Yalla is perhaps the most usable expression in Arabic. It often means come on, let us go, or now-we-are-thinking-about-going-and-we-might-do-it-in-half-an-hour. If I don’t know which verb to use to ask the children to do what I want them to do (write, draw, sit, listen…), I can always say yalla, and hope that they understand what I mean.
Ana bahubbak – I love you (to a man)
Ana bahubbek – I love you (to a woman)
This is a classical sentence you have to learn in every language. I have not used it much, and have not heard it much either, but I have to tell about an episode. It happened when I played with these wonderful grandsons of the bishop on Easter Sunday, two boys of 4 and 6 years. We had a pleasant time, both they and I, and when I at last was about to go, and had the arms of the six-year-old around my neck, I heard “ana bahubbek”, so convincing that I almost considered going with them to Nazareth…
Ahlan wa sahlan – welcome
At the end I have to wish you all welcome to Palestine, then you will hear this expression everywhere, the main phrase of the hospitality.
Ma issalameh – goodbye
The phrase when leaving includes a wish of security, and God is often mentioned.
Ma issalameh from Hanne.
posted by Hanne at 3:18 PM
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