Arabic_for_Dummies

176 Part II: Arabic in Action

Words to Know

Chapter 10: At the Office and Around the House 177

Giving orders

The imperative verb form, also known as the command form, is used to give orders or directions. It’s an important verb to know in the workplace because that’s where you’re usually told what to do and where you tell others what to do. The imperative structure is fairly straightforward. This section shares some quick tips to allow you to master the imperative form.

First, because the imperative is a command form, you can use it only with present personal pronouns such as ‘anta (an-tah; you) (M) and ‘anti (an-tee; you) (F). You can’t used the imperative with absent personal pronouns such as huwa (hoo-wah; him) because you can’t give an order to someone who isn’t present. The following is a list of the personal pronouns to use with the imperative:

‘anta (an-tah; you) (MS)

‘anti (an-tee; you) (FS)

‘antum (an-toom; you) (MP)

‘antunna (an-too-nah; you) (FP)

‘antumaa (an-too-mah; you) (dual)

Second, the imperative form is nothing but a derived form of the regular verb in the maaDii (mah-dee; past) and the muDaari’ (moo-dah-reeh; present) tenses. The following is a list of the most common imperative verbs:

‘uktub (ook-toob; write)

‘iqra’ (eek-rah; read)

‘unDHur (oon-zoor; look)

‘a’id (ah-eed; repeat)

qull (kool; say)

‘u’kul (ooh-kool; eat)

takallam (tah-kah-lam; speak)

qif (keef; stop)

taHarrak (tah-hah-rak; move)

One of the more important verb command forms is the verb kataba (kah-tah- bah; to write). Table 10-1 shows the imperative (command form) of the verb kataba.

178 Part II: Arabic in Action

Another verb you should be aware of is the verb takallama (tah-kah-lah-mah; to speak). Table 10-2 shows the imperative form of the verb takallama.

Supplying your office

In order to function properly and efficiently at the maktab, you need a number of different work-related items. Here are some common supplies you can expect to find at the maktab:

kursiiy (koor-see; chair)

maktab (mak-tab; desk)

‘aalat al-Hisaab (ah-lat al-hee-sab; computer)

haatif (hah-teef; telephone)

‘aalat al-faks (ah-lat al-fah-kes; fax machine)

maTba’a (mat-bah-ah; printer)

‘aalat al-Tibaa’ (ah-lat ah-tee-bah; photocopier)

Chapter 10: At the Office and Around the House 179

Besides ‘aalaat (ah-lat; machines) and heavy furniture, you also need smaller tools to help you get by at the maktab:

qalam jaaf (kah-lam jaf; pen)

qalam ar-rasaas (kah-lam ah-rah-sas; pencil)

mimHaat (meem-hat; eraser)

kitaab (kee-tab; book)

daftar (daf-tar; notebook)

‘awraaq (aw-rak; papers)

mishbak ‘awraaq (meesh-bak aw-rak; paper clip)

Dammat ‘awraaq (dah-mat aw-rak; stapler)

liSaaq (lee-sak; glue)

skooch (seh-koo-tech; tape)

If you can’t find a daftar or liSaaq, ask a zumalaa’ if you can borrow one. Here’s how you ask a colleague a question, depending on whether you’re speaking to a man or a woman:

hal ‘indakii daftar? (hal een-dah-kee daf-tar; Do you have a notebook?) (F)

hal ‘indaka liSaaq? (hal een-dah-kah lee-sak; Do you have glue?) (M)

hal ‘indakum skooch? (hal een-dah-koom seh-koo-tech; Do you have tape?) (MP)

hal ‘indahu qalam? (hal een-dah-hoo kah-lam; Does he have a pen?)

The construct “to have” in Arabic isn’t a verb (see the preceding list of examples); rather it’s a combination of possessive suffix constructions added to the word ‘inda (een-dah), which is the best word in the language to denote possession. However, for all intents and purposes, you may use this construct — ‘inda followed by a possessive suffix — in the same way as you would a regular verb. Check out this prepositional phrase using all personal pronoun suffixes:

180 Part II: Arabic in Action

Talkin’ the Talk

Samira can’t find her eraser. She asks some of her colleagues if they have one available for her to borrow.

Samira: ‘afwan tariiq. hal ‘indaka mimHaat?

af-wan tah-reek. hal een-dah-kah meem-hat?

Excuse me Tarik. Do you have an eraser?

Tarik: laHdha. sa ‘araa fii maktabii. lah-zah. sah ah-rah fee mak-tah-bee.

One moment. I’ll check my desk.

Tarik looks around his desk but can’t find the eraser.

Tarik: ‘anaa ‘aasif. laysa ‘indii mimHaat hunaa.

ah-nah ah-seef. lay-sah een-dee meem-hat hoo-nah.

I’m sorry. I don’t have an eraser here.

Samira: man tadhunn ‘indahu mimHaat?

man tah-zoon een-dah-hoo meem-hat?

Who do you think has an eraser?

Tarik: ‘adhunn ‘anna frank ‘indahu mimHaat. ah-zoon ah-nah frank een-dah-hoo meem-hat.

I believe Frank has an eraser.

Samira: shukran. shook-ran.

Thank you.

Samira stops by Frank’s desk to ask him for an eraser.

Chapter 10: At the Office and Around the House 181

Samira: ‘ahlan frank. hal ‘indaka mimHaat? ah-lan frank. hal een-dah-kah meem-hat?

Hi Frank. Do you have an eraser?

Frank: na’am. haa hiya. nah-am. hah hee-yah.

Yes. Here you go.

Samira: shukran jaziilan! shook-ran jah-zee-lan.

Thank you so much!

Words to Know

Life at Home

If you’re like most people, you spend a lot of time at your manzil (man-zeel; house). The manzil is a bit different than the bayt (bah-yet; home) because a manzil can be any old manzil, whereas the bayt is the space where you feel most comfortable. In many cultures, a manzil is a family’s or individual’s most prized possession or asset. Due to the centrality of the bayt and manzil in everyday life, knowing how to talk about them in-depth can be very useful. In this section, I tell you all the right words and terms to help you talk about your manzil!

As you know, a manzil consists of ghuraf (roo-raf; rooms). In singular form, “room” is known as ghurfa (roor-fah) in Arabic. This list should help you become familiar with the major types of ghuraf in a manzil:

ghurfat al-juluus (goor-fat al-joo-loos; sitting room)

ghurfat al-ma’iisha (goor-fat al-mah-ee-shah; living room)

ghurfat al-‘akl (goor-fat al-ah-kel; dining room)

Words to Know