Arabic_for_Dummies

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Be sure to define the subject following ‘ayna. As I explain in Chapter 3, you define a subject by adding the definite article prefix al- to the subject noun. For example, funduq means “hotel,” and al-funduq means “the hotel.” So if you’re asking where the hotel is located, you say, ‘ayna al-funduq? (Where is the hotel?) and not ‘ayna funduq?, which translates to “Where is hotel?”

“Where” questions are useful for more than just asking for directions. You may also apply the ‘ayna question format to human subjects, such as friends or family. For instance:

‘ayna maryam? (eh-yeh-nah mee-ree-yam; Where is Myriam?)

‘ayna al-‘aTfaal? (eh-yeh-nah al-aht-faal; Where are the children?)

‘ayna ‘ummii? (eh-yeh-nah ooh-meey; Where is my mom?)

You don’t need to use the definite article al- when referring to a noun that’s already defined. For instance, in one of the preceding examples, maryam doesn’t require the definite article prefix al- because she’s a specific person. So make sure that you don’t go around adding the prefix al- to every subject after ‘ayna because sometimes there’s no question about what subject you’re referring to.

Answering “where” questions

Asking a “where” question is fairly straightforward (see the preceding section), but answering ‘ayna questions isn’t always as clear-cut. You can answer an ‘ayna question in a number of different ways, ranging from

the simple to the convoluted. In order to answer ‘ayna questions, you have to understand the structure of the ‘ayna question reply, which usually follows this format: subject, preposition, object.

Take a look at some common ‘ayna questions and their corresponding replies:

‘ayna al-mustashfaa? (eh-yeh-nah al-moos-tash-faah; Where is the hospital?)

al-mustashfaa fii al-madiina. (al-moos-tash-faah fee al-mah-dee-nah; The hospital is in the city.)

‘ayna al-maT’am? (eh-yeh-nah al-mah-tam; Where is the restaurant?)

al-maT’am qariib min al-funduq. (al-mah-tam kah-reeb meen al-foon-dook;

The restaurant is close to the hotel.)

‘ayna al-kitaab? (eh-yeh-nah al-kee-taab; Where is the book?)

a-kitaab taHta aT-Taawila. (al-kee-taab tah-tah at-tah-wee-lah; The book is underneath the table.)

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as-salaamu ‘alaykum (ah-sah-lah-moo ah-lay-koom; hello) or ‘ahlan wa sahlan

(ah-hel-an wah sah-hel-an; hi) and then ask if he or she would permit you to ask a question. For example, you begin the exchange by saying, ‘afwan. hal yumkin ‘an ‘as’alaka su’aalan? (ahf-wan. hal yoom-keen an ass-ah-lah-kah soo-aah-lan; Excuse me. May I ask you a question?).

After the person agrees to take your question, you may proceed to ask for directions. (For more information on greetings and introductions, see Chapter 3.)

Talkin’ the Talk

While visiting Casablanca, John is trying to find the museum. He stops Ahmed, a passerby, and asks him for directions.

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afwan (ahf-wan; excuse me/pardon me)

‘ismaH lii (ees-maah lee; excuse me)

lan ‘afham (lann ah-fham; I don’t understand)

takallam bi baT’in min faDlik (tah-kah-lahm bee bat-een meen fahd-leek; speak slowly please)

hal yumkin ‘an ta’id min faDlik? (hal yoom-keen an tah-eed meen fahdleek; Could you repeat please?)

‘a’id min faDlik (ah-eed meen fahd-leek; Repeat please)

maadhaa qult? (maah-zaah koo-let; What did you say?)

Talkin’ the Talk

John is in downtown Casablanca where the traffic is really loud. He stops Maria, a passerby, to ask her for directions but can’t make out what she’s saying due to the noise. He asks her to repeat what she said.

John: ‘afwan. hal yumkin ‘an ‘as’alaka su’aalan? ahf-wan. hal yoom-keen an ass-ah-lah-kah soo-aah- lan?

Excuse me. May I ask you a question?

Maria: na’am. nah-ahm.

Yes.

John: ‘ayna al-madrasa? eh-yeh-nah al-mah-drah-sah?

Where is the school?

Maria: maa ‘ismu al-madrasa?

maah ees-muh al-mah-drah-sah?

What’s the name of the school?

John: al-madrasa al-amriikiiyya. al-mah-drah-sah al-am-ree-kee-yah.

The American school.

Maria: al-madrasa ba’iida min hunaa. al-mah-drah-sah bah-ee-dah meen hoo-naah.

The school is far from here.

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Using command forms

When you ask someone for directions, the person directs you to a specific location. Essentially, he or she tells you where to go, which qualifies as a command form. The command form is uniform, which means it applies to all personal pronouns. However, the command form is gender-defined, which means that you use different commands for men and women. Here are some common command forms:

Note: ‘imshii (eem-shee; walk) is a special command form that is gender-neutral.

Talkin’ the Talk

Susan is trying to get back to her funduq (foon-dook; hotel) in

Tunis. She stops Rita and asks her how to get there.

Susan: ‘afwan. hal yumkin ‘an ‘as’alaka su’aalan?

ahf-wan. hal yoom-keen an ass-ah-lah-kah soo-aah-lan?

Excuse me. May I ask you a question?

Rita: Taba’an. tah-bah-an.

Of course.

Susan: ‘ayna funduq al-jawhara? eh-yeh-nah foon-dook al-jaw-ha-rah?

Where is the Jawhara Hotel?

Rita: ‘aDHunnu ‘anna haadhaa al-funduq fii waSat almadiina.

ah-zuh-nuh an-nah hah-zah al-foon-dook fee wah-sat al-mah-dee-nah.

I believe that this hotel is in the center of the city.

Susan: na’am. kayfa ‘adhhabu hunaaka?

na-am. kay-fah az-hah-boo hoo-nah-kah?

Yes. How do I get there?

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Discovering Ordinal Numbers

Ordinal numbers are used to order things in a first-second-third kind of format. Unlike cardinal numbers, which are mostly used for counting, you use ordinals when giving directions. For example, you would tell someone to “turn right on the second street” and not “turn right on two street.” Hear the difference?

Ordinal numbers in Arabic are gender-defined, so you need to be familiar with both the masculine and feminine ordinal forms, which I present in Table 12-1.

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If you want to tell a friend that your house is “the fifth house,” you say, al-manzil al-khaamis (al-man-zeel al-khah-mees). Note that you use the masculine ordinal form khaamis because manzil is a masculine noun subject. To say that you’re taking the “eighth bus,” you would say, ash-shaahina aththaamina (ash-aahee-nah ah-thah-mee-nah). The ordinal thaamina is feminine because shaahina (bus) is a feminine noun subject.

So if you want to tell your friend to “turn left on the second street,” you say,

Tuf ‘ilaa al-yasiir fii aT-Tariiq ath-thaanee (toof eel-ah al-yah-seer fee at-tah- reek ah-thah-nee). Because Tariiq (tah-reek; street) is a masculine subject, the corresponding ordinal thaanee (second) should also be masculine.