ج [g] as in gas (never a soft g as in gem in. ECA) gÃri Ùرج (run) h .... used in combination with رÙÙÙØ®Ùب bi
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Side by Side Arabic
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Dialogues
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in Modern Standard Arabic and Egyptian Colloquial Arabic
Matthew Aldrich
© 2014 by Matthew Aldrich
The author’s moral rights have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publisher.
Cover art: © Karen Mah/Bigstock
website: www.lingualism.com
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email:
[email protected]
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ISBN-10: 0985816074
Contents How to Use This Book .................................................................................................................................................... iii The Sounds of Egyptian Colloquial Arabic ...................................................................................................................... iv Formal Greetings ............................................................................................................................................................ 2 Informal Greetings .......................................................................................................................................................... 4 Good Morning!................................................................................................................................................................ 6 What’s Your Name? ........................................................................................................................................................ 8 Goodbyes ...................................................................................................................................................................... 10 What’s this? .................................................................................................................................................................. 12 My House ...................................................................................................................................................................... 14 No Smoking ................................................................................................................................................................... 16
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Where Are You? ............................................................................................................................................................ 18 Browsing in a Shop........................................................................................................................................................ 20 Where Are You Going? .................................................................................................................................................. 22 It’s Hot! ......................................................................................................................................................................... 24
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Piano ............................................................................................................................................................................. 26 Do You Speak English? .................................................................................................................................................. 28 How Long? .................................................................................................................................................................... 30 Where Do You Work? .................................................................................................................................................... 32 What Do You Do? .......................................................................................................................................................... 34 How Old Are You? ......................................................................................................................................................... 36 Sir! ................................................................................................................................................................................. 38 Where Are You From? ................................................................................................................................................... 40 Long Time No See.......................................................................................................................................................... 42 What Are You Reading? ................................................................................................................................................ 44 Buying a Shirt ................................................................................................................................................................ 46 Vacations ...................................................................................................................................................................... 48 Directions ...................................................................................................................................................................... 50 Studying Together ......................................................................................................................................................... 52 Sports ............................................................................................................................................................................ 54 Your Arabic! .................................................................................................................................................................. 56 Can You Read Arabic? ................................................................................................................................................... 58
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I Live in a House. ........................................................................................................................................................... 60 I’m Staying in a Hotel. ................................................................................................................................................... 62 What’s Playing? ............................................................................................................................................................ 64 Lebanese Food .............................................................................................................................................................. 66 My Family ..................................................................................................................................................................... 68 A Good Night's Sleep ..................................................................................................................................................... 70 Buying Pants ................................................................................................................................................................. 72 Phobias ......................................................................................................................................................................... 76 Unwanted Calls ............................................................................................................................................................. 80 How Annoying! ............................................................................................................................................................. 84
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You Look Great! ............................................................................................................................................................ 88
ii | Side by Side Arabic (www.lingualism.com)
How to Use This Book Side by Side Arabic presents dialogues of varying length, each with two versions. Dialogues in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) appear on the left-facing page, while their equivalents appear in Egyptian Colloquial Arabic (ECA) on the right-facing page. Having both versions side by side allows you to compare the two varieties of Arabic and become better aware of the similarities and differences between them. Glossaries are not provided for the vocabulary in the dialogues, and with good reason. Although it would be more convenient to have clear translations for each word, this makes things too easy. By having to spend time comparing the dialogue to its English translation, using your analytical skills, making deductions, and recalling what you already know about Arabic, you learn—through self-discovery rather than by being spoonfed new information. Using the same techniques, compare the MSA dialogue to the facing ECA dialogue. Notice the similarities, but especially the differences. How do idiomatic expressions differ between MSA and ECA? What about vocabulary? Pronunciation? Grammar?
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On another level, you can also compare the MSA dialogues presented in this book to their accompanying audio files. You will notice that these, too, differ from one another. The MSA dialogues have been written with إعْرابʔi3rāb, the case endings on nouns and adjectives, as well as other final short vowels found on verbs and adverbs, which are taught in Arabic courses, but in practice seldom used in what can be called Spoken Standard Arabic (SSA). This simplified variety of MSA has developed in recent decades as a lingua franca between Arabs, thanks in large part to the advent of satellite television. Arabs, whose native dialects do not have ʔi3rāb, must learn the complex rules of MSA at school. So, perhaps surprisingly to a learner, Arabs also have difficulties using ʔi3rāb consistently correctly when speaking. SSA is a much more manageable alternative, and is increasingly becoming the norm.
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Although there are several points of grammatical differences between MSA and ECA, verbs, which form the backbone of a sentence, are especially interesting and challenging. For this reason, an exception has been made for verbs to the “no glossary” approach. Each verb is listed with its English translation(s) as well as a reference to its corresponding conjugation table in Lingualism’s Modern Standard Arabic Verbs or Egyptian Colloquial Arabic Verbs: Conjugation Tables and Grammar. The first table from each of these books is provided at the end of this book to give you an idea of how you can use the tables to learn more about verb conjugation. In the dialogues, words or phrases that can be optionally omitted without affecting meaning appear in parentheses (rounded brackets). Alternative words or phrases appear in square brackets [like this]. In the MP3s, these alternatives are spoken after each dialogue. The author would like to thank Hend Khaled for providing authentic Arabic translations of the dialogues and Cameleons Group in Cairo for recording the MP3s. The MP3s can be downloaded for free from the Lingualism Audio Library at:
www.lingualism.com
Place this PDF file into the same folder as the MP3s to enable the audio links.
iii | Side by Side Arabic (www.lingualism.com)
The Sounds of Egyptian Colloquial Arabic Phonetic transcriptions of the dialogues in ECA are presented to the right of the Arabic script. Assuming you are already familiar with MSA, the sounds of ECA will pose no great challenge. The quality of the vowels is largely the same, while only a few consonants are pronounced differently. For a detailed look at the rules for stress and sound changes which are unique to ECA (i.e. set it apart from MSA) and give it its distinct sound, refer to the pronunciation section of Lingualism’s book Egyptian Colloquial Arabic Verbs: Conjugation Tables and Grammar.
Consonants
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The following sounds are also found in English and should pose no difficulties for the learner: examples bána ( بنىbuild) [ بb] as in bed b dáras ( درسstudy) [ دd̪ ] as in dog, but with the tongue d touching the back of the upper teeth fāz ( فازwin) [ فf] as in four f gíri ( جرىrun) [ جg] as in gas (never a soft g as in gem in g ECA) hágam ( هجمattack) [ هh] as in house h kal ( كلeat) [ كk] as in kid k líbis ( لبسget dressed) [ لl] as in love (that is, a light l, and not a l dark l as in yell) māt ( ماتdie) [ مm] as in moon m nísi ( نسىforget) [ نn] as in nice n sāb ( سابleave) )(ث س s [s] as in sun šakk ( شكdoubt) [ شʃ] as in show š taff ( تفspit) )[ ت (ثt̪] as in tie, but with the tongue t touching the back of the upper teeth wárra ( ورىshow) [ وw] as in word w yíktib ( يكتبhe writes) [ يj] as in yes y zār ( زارvisit) )[ ز (ذz] as in zoo z The following sounds have no equivalent in English and require special attention. However, some exist in other languages you may be familiar with. r
ɣ x
[ رɾ] tapped (flapped) as in the Spanish cara, Korean 사랑 (sarang), Japanese これ (kore), or the Scottish pronunciation of tree [ غɣ] very similar to a guttural R as in the French Paris, or the German rot [ خx] as in the German doch, Spanish rojo, or Scottish loch
ráma ( رمىthrow)
ɣāb ( غابbe present)
xad ( خدtake)
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q ɧ 3
ʔ
[ قq] like K but further back, almost in the throat, with the tongue touching the uvula [ حħ] like a strong, breathy H, as if you were trying to fog up a window [ عʕ] a voiced glottal stop, as if you had opened your mouth under water and constricted your throat to prevent choking and then released the constriction with a sigh [ ء \ قʔ] an unvoiced glottal stop, as [ʕ] above, but with a wispy, unvoiced sigh; or more simply put, like the constriction separating the vowels in uh-oh
qād ( قادlead)
ɧáfar ( حفرdig) 3írif ( عرفknow)
ʔíbil ( قبلaccept) ʔá3lan ( أعلنannounce)
ض ص ط ظ
ɖárab ( ضربhit)
[dˁ] emphatic D [sˁ] emphatic S [tˁ] emphatic T [zˁ] emphatic Z
ʂamm ( صمmemorize) ʈáwa ( طوىfold) ʐann ( ظنbelieve)
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ɖ ʂ ʈ ʐ
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The following sounds also have no equivalent in English but are emphatic versions of otherwise familiar sounds. An emphatic consonant is produced by pulling the tongue back toward the pharynx (throat), spreading the sides of the tongue wide, as if you wanted to bite down on both sides of your tongue, and producing a good puff of air from the lungs.
Vowels
a
ā ē ə
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[ ـæ] normally as in cat (but with the jaw not quite as lowered as in English); [a] as in stock when in the same syllable with ɧ or 3 (with the tongue lower than [æ]); usually [ɑ] as in father (but shorter) when in the same word as q, ɖ, ʂ, ʈ, ʐ, or, in most cases, r [ ـاæ:] / [a:] / [ɑ:] as with a above but longer
[ ـيe:] as in play (but without the glide to [j]) [ə] as in ticket. In ECA, ə is inserted to avoid three adjacent consonants. [ ـɪ] as in kid; [ɛ] as in bed when in the same syllable with ɧ or 3; when in the same word as q, ɖ, ʂ, ʈ, or ʐ, [ɨ] with the tongue pulled back a bit
examples
kátab ( كتبwrite) ɧámla ( حاملىI will fill) mabá3š ( مباعشhe didn’t sell) ɖárab ( ضربhit) ɣáʂab ( غصبforce)
nām ( نامsleep) gā3 ( جاعget hungry) qād ( قادlead) malēt ( مليتI filled) kúntə hína ( كنت هناI was here)
3ílim ( علمknow) biyíɧsib ( بيحسبhe calculates) itʐāhir ( اتظاهرprotest)
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[ ـيi:] as in ski; [ɛ:] and [ɨ:] as with i above (but longer)
biygīb ( بيجيبhe brings) biybī3 ( بيبيعhe sells) 3āqib ( عاقبpunish)
o
[o] [o] as in know (but shorter and without the glide to [w]) [o:] as with o above but longer [ ـʊ] as in book; [o] as in know (but shorter and without the glide to [w]) when in the same syllable with ɧ or 3 [ ـوu:] as in moon; [o:] as in know (but without the glide to [w]) when in the same syllable with ɧ or 3
torēn ( ثَ ْو َريْنtwo bulls)
ō u ū
nōm ( ن َْومsleep) yúʈlub ( يطلبhe orders) inbā3u ( انباعواthey sold) bitšūf ( بتشوفyou see) manba3ūš ( منباعوشthey didn’t sell)
Stress
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A macron (line) over a vowel indicated that it is long (ā). In ECA, long vowels are always stressed. When a short vowel is stressed, it is written with an accent mark (á). If the word contains only one syllable, the stress is not marked. There can only be one stressed syllable per word.
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notes
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notes
1 | Side by Side Arabic (www.lingualism.com)
ٌ ٌتحيةٌٌرسٌمية
. مرحبا:سمير
1 MSA
Formal Greetings
1
Samir: Hello!
. مرحبا:أحمد
2
Ahmad: Hi!
كيف حاُلك؟:سمير
3
Samir: How are you?
4
Ahmad: I'm fine, thank you. And you?
5
Samir: Hello.
وأنت؟، الحمُد لل، بخير:أحمد . ُشكرا، أنا بخير حال:سمير
common greeting is أ َ ْه ًلahlan. أ ْه ًل وس ْه ًلahlan wa-sahlan is used to welcome someone, the response to which can be َ أ َ ْه ًل ِبكahlan bika when speaking to a man, and ِ أ ْه ًل ِبكahlan biki when speaking to a woman. A formal, but very common, greeting among Muslims is علَ ْي ُك ْم َ اَلس ََّل ُمassalāmu َ ُ 3alaykum “peace be upon you”, the response to which is عل ْيك ُم اَلس ََّل ُم َ َوwa-3alaykumu -ssalām “And upon you be peace.” The suffix ـ ُكم-kum, despite being plural, is used regardless of the number or gender of those being addressed. You may also hear the particularly religious, formal, and lengthy response ُعلَ ْي ُك ُم اَلس ََّل ُم َو َرحْ َمةُ هللاِ َو َب َركَاتُه َ َوwa-3alaykumu -ssalāmu wa-raɧmatu -LLāhi wa-barakātuhu “And upon you be God’s peace, mercy, and blessings.”
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1 Another
ْف َحالُكِ ؟ َ َكيkayfa ɧāluki? when addressing a woman; it literally translates “How is your state?” ََحالُك ُ and ِ َحالكare more casually pronounced َحالَكɧālak and َحا ِلكɧālik, respectively. A gender neutral alternative is ْف ا َ ْل َحا ُل؟ َ َكيkayfa -lɧālu?, literally “How is the state?” 3 Or
5 Or
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ِ ا َ ْل َح ْم ُد للalɧamdu li-llāhi, literally “Praise be to God”, despite sounding overtly religious when translated into English, is such a common and idiomatic fixture in the Arabic language (among Muslims and Christians alike) that speakers may not be consciously invoking God when using this phrase. It can be used in combination with ِب َخيْرbi-xayrin or on its own as a reply to “How are you?”. Of course, when addressing a woman: ت ِ َوأ َ ْنwa-ʔanti? 4
في َخ ْي ِر حالfī xayri ɧālin. Other ways to answer the question “How are you?”: ( َجيِد ِجدًّاm.) jayyidun jiddan / ( َجيِدة ِجدًّاf.) jayyidatun jiddan “very well”; س َ ْ ال بأlā baʔsa “not bad”.
Cultural Note
In formal greetings, a handshake with a smile and a simple nod is preferred. When a man greets a woman, it depends on the social-religious level. Some women prefer a nod to a handshake. To avoid awkward situations, it's better to wait for the woman to initiate the handshake.
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ٌ تحيهٌٌرسٌميه . اهل:سمير
1 ECA
taɧíyya rasmíyya
1
samīr: áhlan.
.] اهل بحضرتك [بيك:احمد
2
áɧmad: áhlan bi-ɧaɖrítak [bīk].
] ازيك؟ [عامل ايه؟:سمير
3
samīr: izzáyyak? [3āmil ʔē?]
4
áɧmad: kuwáyyis ilɧámdu li-llāh, wi ɧaɖrítak?
5
samīr: bi-xēr, ilɧámdu li-llāh.
و حضرتك؟، ُكويس الحمُد لل:احمد . الحمُد لل، بخير:سمير
ɧaɖrítak “you” is more formal and respectful than َ اِ ْنتinta; you should use it with strangers ِ who are significantly older than you or in a higher social rank (boss, professor, or other authority figure), regardless of age. ( حض ِْرتِكf.) ɧaɖrítik; ( حض ِْرتْ ُكمpl.) ɧaɖrítkum. Even more formal and respectful is ( سعادْتكm.) sa3ádtak; ( سعا ْدتِكf.) sa3ádtik; ( سعا ِدتْ ُكمpl.) sa3adítkum. 2 حضْرتك
3
َّ (f.) izzáyyik; إزيُّ ُكم َّ (pl.) izzayyúkum. إزيِّك
( عاملةf.) 3ámla; ( عاملينpl.) 3amlīn.
( ك َو ِّيسةf.) kuwayyísa; ( ُك َو ِّيسينpl.) kuwayyisīn.
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Notice that the vowel of the preposition بِـbi- is lengthened before the second person suffix in ECA: بيك (m.) bīk; ( بيكيf.) bīki; ( بي ُكمpl.) bīkum or بيكوbīku.
3 | Side by Side Arabic (www.lingualism.com)
28 Your Arabic! ٌ !ٌكٌالعربية ٌِ ٌ لٌغتMSA
!ُ ما شاء هللا، ُلغتُك العربي ُة ُممتازة:زكي . لكنها ليست جيدة لهذه الدرجة، ُشكار:جيني هذا مديح ال/ .[أنت تُبال ُغ بعض الشيء ].أستحق ُه
ُمن ُذ متى تد ُرسين العربية؟:زكي / [ستة أش ُهر فقط. حوالي [ُقرابة[ العامين:جيني ].أكثر من ثلثة أعوام )! رائع! (فتح هللاُ عليك:زكي
. ولكنها صعبة جدا، ُشكار! إنها ُلغة جميلة:جيني
1
Zaki: Your Arabic is excellent!
2
Jenny: Oh, thank you, but it’s really not that good. [You’re just exaggerating. / You’re too kind.]
3
Zaki: How long have you been studying Arabic?
4
Jenny: About two years. [Just six months. / More than three years.]
5
Zaki: That’s great!
6
Jenny: Thank you! It’s a beautiful language, but it’s so hard!
َّ اِسistaɧaqqa deserve |10g| lit. “This is praise I don’t deserve.” بال َغbālaɣa exaggerate |3s|; ْتحق
3
درس darasa study |1s3| َ
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ِ ِاٌلعربيٌب !ٌتاعٌك ! العربى بتاعك ُممتاز! ما شاء هللا:زكى
28 ECA
il3árabi btā3ik!
1
záki: il3árabi btā3ik mumtāz! ma šāʔ allāh!
[بس انت. بس مش للدرجه دى، ُمتشكره:جينى
2
jíni: mutašakkíra, bássə miš li-ddáraga di. [bass ínta bitbāliɣ šiwáyya.]
بقالك اد ايه بتدرسى عربى؟:زكى
3
záki: baʔālik ʔáddə ʔē bitidrísi 3árabi?
اكثر من/ حوالى سنتين [ست ُشهور بس:جينى ].تلت سنين
4
jíni: ɧawāli sanatēn [síttə šhūr bass / ʔáktar min talāt sinīn.]
]! هايل! [هللا ينور عليك:زكى
5
záki: hāyil! [allāh yináwwar 3alēk!]
بس صعبه، ُشكار! العربى ُلغه جميله:جينى
6
jíni: šúkran! il3árabi lúɣa gamīla, bássə ʂá3ba áwi!
].بتبالغ شويه
بالِغbāliɣ exaggerate |3s|
3
درسdáras study |1s2|
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!اوى
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