Some Illustrative Examples from Linguata Arabic (3)
I'd like to buy .... ’awaddu shīra’…
أود شراء...
’awaddu = I like, want; shīra’… = a purchase
I'm just looking.... ana ’ākhudhu fikra lā akthar
أنا أأخذ فكرة لا أكثر
’ākhudhu = I am taking; fikra = thought; lā akthar = not more
How much is this?.... kam sa‘ru hatha?
كم سعر هذا؟
si‘ru = price
It's too expensive.... anahu ghāli akthar min al-lāzim
أنه غالي أكثر من اللازم
ghāli: expensive; akthar min al-lāzim = lit. more than necessary
It's very expensive!.... anahu ghāli jiddan!!أنه غالي جداً
jiddan = very
Do you accept credit cards?.... hal taqbalūnid-dif‘a‘ bibiṭāqatil-’itimān?
هل تقبلون الدفع ببطاقات الإئتمان؟
taqbalūn = 2nd person plural (m.), present tense of qabila قبل to accept; daf ‘ = payment; دفع biṭāqat = plural of biṭāqa بطاقة ticket, preceded by bi = by, with.
That's all, thanks.... hādhā huwa kull shay’, shukran lak(a)/lak(i).
هذا هو كل شيء، شكراً لك
hādhā huwa = that (lit. this it); kull shay’ = everything (kull = each, every; shay’ = thing); shukran = I thank; lak(a)/lak(i)= to you.
It is faulty.... anahu ma‘yūb
انه معيوب
ma‘yūb = faulty, from ‘āba (عاب or عيب) to be faulty.
Will you (m) change it?.... hal sataghayyirohulī?
هل ستغيره لي؟
sataghayyirohu = sa- (future marker prefix) plus taghayyir (u), 2nd person singular (m.) of ghayyara (غرّر) to choose, followed by ta marbuta (ة) object pronoun, it; lī (لي) = for me.
Will you (f.) change it?.... hal sataghayyirīnaho lī?
I would like to try this on ’urīd qiyās hadha
اُريد قياس هذا
qiyās (قيات) = try on; ’urīd, 1st person singular of ’arāda, to want.
I don't like it.... lā yu‘jebuni
لا يعجبني
yu‘jebuni = 3rd person sing. of ’ajbana (أجب) to please, delight plus –(n)i = possessive ending meaning ‘me’: ‘it does not please me.’ Derived from ‘ajiba, to wonder at.
Is there a larger size?.... hal yūjad maqās akbar?
هل يوجد مقاس أكبر؟
yūjad (يوجد) = there is, there are; maqās (مقاس) = size; akbar (أكبر) = greater, greatest.
Is there a smaller size?.... hal yūjad maqās aṣghar?
هل يوجد مقاس أصغر؟
