Arabic_for_Dummies

Waitress: ‘ikhtiyaar mumtaaz. eek-tee-yar moom-taz.

Excellent selection.

Sam: wa ba’da dhaalika sa-na’khudh salmoon.

wah bah-dah zah-lee-kah sa-nah-kooz sal-moon.

And after that we’d like to have salmon.

Waitress: shay’ ‘aakhar? shay ah-kar?

Anything else?

Atika: nuriid ka’k ash-shuukuulaat li at-taHliya. noo-reed kahk ah-shoo-koo-lat lee ah-tah-lee-yah.

We’d like the chocolate cake for dessert.

Words to Know

Finishing your meal and paying the bill

When you finish your meal, you’re ready to leave the maT’am. But before you do, you need to take care of your Hisaab (hee-sab; bill). You may ask your waiter for the bill by saying al-Hisaab min faDlik (al-hee-sab meen fad-leek; the bill please). Another option is to ask the waiter or waitress kam al-kaamil? (kam al-kah-meel; What’s the total?).

Like in the United States, tipping your waiter or waitress is customary in Arabic-speaking countries and Middle Eastern restaurants. The amount of the baqsheeh (bak-sheesh; tip) depends on the kind of service you received, but usually 15 to 20 percent is average.

Fun & Games

Identify the fawaakih (fruits) and khudar (vegetables) in the picture below:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Answers are in Appendix C.

Chapter 6

Going Shopping

In This Chapter

Browsing inside the store

Comparing items and costs

Identifying clothing sizes and colors

Whether you’re in a foreign country or at the local mall, shopping can be a lot of fun. Not only do you get to buy things to maintain your

lifestyle, but you also can discover new items and buy things you hadn’t even considered.

This chapter exposes you to the important words and terms that help you shop, whether you’re in an Arabic-speaking country or simply interacting with an Arabic-speaking store owner. Discover how to choose the right dress size, how to choose the best item from an electronics store, and even how to shop for nice jewelry! You also find out how to interact with sales staff so that you’re sure to find and purchase the item that you want.

Going to the Store

When you want to buy something, you head to the dukkaan (doo-kan; store). Depending on your shopping list, you can choose from different types of dakaakiin (dah-kah-keen; stores). If you want to buy some khubz (koo-bez; bread), then you want to head to the makhbaza (mak-bah-zah; bakery). If you’re trying to find a particular kitaab (kee-tab; book), then your destination is the maktaba (mak-tah-bah; bookstore/library). To buy malaabis (mah-lah- bees; clothes), head to dukkaan al-malaabis (doo-kan al-mah-lah-bees; clothing store). And if you want to buy a midyaa’ (meed-yah; radio) or tilifizyoon

(tee-lee-feez-yoon; television), the dukkaan al-iliktroniyaat (doo-kan al-ee- leek-troo-nee-yat; electronics store) is your best bet.

Chapter 6: Going Shopping 101

If you need musaa’ada (moo-sah-ah-dah; help/assistance), simply respond by saying na’am (nah-am; yes). (For more on how to ask for and get musaa’ada, skip to the section “Asking for a Particular Item,” later in this chapter.)

Otherwise, if you want to continue browsing, laa shukran (lah shook-ran; no thank you) should do the trick.

Getting around the store

If you visit a dukkaan kabiir, you probably need some sort of musaa’ada because department stores can be very big and very confusing. If you want tawjiihaat (taw-jee-hat; directions), head to the maktab al-’i’laamaat (mak-tab al-eeh-lah-mat; information desk) to have your ‘as’ila (ass-ee-lah; questions) answered. Here are some common ‘as’ila you may ask:

hal yumkin ‘an tusaa’idunii? (hal yoom-keen an too-sah-ee-doo-nee; Is it possible for you to help me?)

‘ayna aT-Tabiq al-’awwal? (ay-nah ah-tah-beek al-ah-wal; Where is the first floor?)

‘ayna al-miS’ad? (ay-nah al-mees-ad; Where is the elevator?)

‘ayna maHall al-malaabis? (ay-nah mah-hal al-mah-lah-bees; Where is the section for clothes?)

fii ‘ay Tabaq al-jawharii? (fee ay tah-baq al-jaw-hah-ree; On which floor is the jeweler located?)

hal hunaaka makhbaza fii ad-dukaan al-kabiir? (hal hoo-nah-kah mak- bah-zah fee ah-doo-kan al-kah-beer; Is there a bakery in the mall?)

Talkin’ the Talk

Jessica is at the mall and is trying to figure out where the clothing section is located. She asks the attendant at the information desk for assistance.

Attendant: hal yumkin ‘an ‘usaa’iduki?

hal yoom-keen an oo-sah-ee-doo-kee?

May I help you?

Jessica: na’am. ‘anaa ‘abhathu ‘an maHall al-malaabis. nah-am. ah-nah ab-hah-thoo an mah-hall al-mah-lah-bees.

Yes. I’m searching for the clothing section.

Chapter 6: Going Shopping 103

Attendant: laa laysa daakhil ad-dukkaan al-kabiir. wa laakin hunaaka jawharii khaarij min hunaa fii waSat al-madiina.

lah lay-sah dah-keel ah-doo-kan al-kah-beer. wah lah-keen hoo-nah-kah jaw-hah-ree kah-reej meen hoo-nah fee wah-sat al-mah-dee-nah.

No, there isn’t a jeweler inside the mall. But there is a jeweler outside the mall located in the city center.

Jessica: shukran jaziilan. shook-ran jah-zee-lan.

Thank you very much.

Words to Know

Chapter 6: Going Shopping 105

Asking for a Particular Item

Oftentimes, you head to the dukkaan not to window shop or browse around the store but because you have a specific item in mind that you want to purchase. When you want to direct a khaadim ad-dukkaan to a particular item, you’re likely to need a demonstrative word, such as “that one” or “this” or “those over there.” Demonstratives are the little words we use to specify particular items. Arabic has a number of different demonstratives, depending on the number of items (singular or plural) and gender (in case of human nouns), as well as state (present or absent). Table 6-1 presents the common demonstratives in Arabic: