For autodidact students of Algerian Arabic, the first word is "the," and in Arabic "the" is not a separate word at all. It is a prefix, ال (el-), written joined to the front of its noun: دار (dar) is "a house" or "house," الدار (ed-dar) is "the house"; باب (bab) is "door," الباب (el-bab) is "the door." The two letters ا and ل never change for gender or number: الراجل (er-rajəl), "the man"; المرا (le-mra), "the woman"; البنات (le-bnat), "the girls."
What does change is the sound. Before about half the consonants of the alphabet, the l of the article is swallowed by the first consonant of the noun, which is then pronounced double. These are the "sun letters," named after الشمس (eš-šəms), "the sun," which is said eš-šəms and never el-šəms. The other consonants are the "moon letters," named after القمر (le-qmər), "the moon," where the l is heard. The spelling does not change: the Arabic script always writes ال, whatever is said.
The vowel of the article is short and weak. It is heard as el- before a noun that begins with a consonant and a vowel (el-bab, el-qahwa), as le- before a noun that begins with two consonants (le-qmər, le-bnat, le-ktab), and it drops after a word that ends in a vowel: في الدار is fi d-dar, "in the house"; على الباب is ʿla l-bab, "on the door."
Algerian Arabic uses "the" more than English does. Things spoken of in general take the article: نحب القهوة (nḥəbb el-qahwa) is "I like coffee," literally "I like the coffee." And "a," which Standard Arabic does not write, Algerian Arabic often expresses with واحد (waḥəd), "one," followed by the noun with the article: واحد الراجل (waḥəd er-rajəl) is "a (certain) man," literally "one the-man."
Script note: ال is two letters, alif ا and lam ل. Alif does not join to the letter after it, so ال is written as a little unit of its own and lam then joins the noun: ال + دار = الدار. When the noun itself begins with lam, two lams stand side by side: ال + لحود = اللحود (el-lḥud), "the graves."
Key Takeaways: - ال (el-): "the." A prefix joined to its noun, the same for every gender and number - Sun letters (t, d, r, z, s, š, ṣ, ḍ, ṭ, l, n): the l is assimilated, the consonant doubles: الشمس (eš-šəms), الدار (ed-dar), الراجل (er-rajəl) - Moon letters (the rest): the l is heard: القمر (le-qmər), الباب (el-bab), الخبز (el-khobz) - The spelling is always ال; only the pronunciation changes - After a vowel, the e of el- drops: في الدار (fi d-dar), على الباب (ʿla l-bab) - General statements take the article: نحب القهوة (nḥəbb el-qahwa), "I like coffee" - واحد + article = "a": واحد الراجل (waḥəd er-rajəl), "a man" - An adjective after a definite noun takes the article too: الدار الكبيرة (ed-dar le-kbira), "the big house"
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1.1a الدار the-house كبيرة big
1.1b ed-dar (ed-DAAR) the-house.F kbira (KBEE-ra) big-F.SG
1.2a الباب the-door محلول open
1.2b el-bab (el-BAAB) the-door.M mḥəlul (m-hel-LOOL) opened-M.SG
1.3a الشمس the-sun سخونة hot
1.3b eš-šəms (esh-SHEMS) the-sun.F skhuna (SKHOO-na) hot-F.SG
1.4a القهوة the-coffee باردة cold
1.4b el-qahwa (el-QAH-wa) the-coffee.F barda (BAR-da) cold-F.SG
1.5a جاب he-brought الخبز the-bread
1.5b jab (ZHAAB) bring-PAST.3M.SG el-khobz (el-KHOBZ) the-bread
1.6a الولد the-boy في in الدار the-house
1.6b el-wəld (el-WELD) the-boy fi (fee) in d-dar (d-DAAR) the-house.F
1.7a شريت I-bought الحليب the-milk من from الحانوت the-shop
1.7b šrit (shreet) buy-PAST.1SG le-ḥlib (le-HLEEB) the-milk mən (men) from el-ḥanut (el-haa-NOOT) the-shop
1.8a المرا the-woman حلّت opened الباب the-door
1.8b le-mra (le-MRA) the-woman ḥəllət (HEL-let) open-PAST.3F.SG el-bab (el-BAAB) the-door
1.9a الكتاب the-book اللي that شريتو I-bought-it مليح good
1.9b le-ktab (le-KTAAB) the-book lli (llee) REL šritu (SHREE-too) buy-PAST.1SG-it.M mliḥ (mleeH) good-M.SG
1.10a واحد one الراجل the-man دق knocked على on الباب the-door
1.10b waḥəd (WAA-hed) one.INDEF er-rajəl (er-RAA-zhel) the-man daqq (DAQQ) knock-PAST.3M.SG ʿla (ʿla) on l-bab (l-BAAB) the-door
1.11a هاد this الراجل the-man خويا my-brother
1.11b had (haad) this.M er-rajəl (er-RAA-zhel) the-man khuya (KHOO-ya) brother-my
1.12a ماكانش there-isn't الما the-water في in الدار the-house
1.12b ma-kanš (ma-KAANSH) NEG-there-is-NEG el-ma (el-MAA) the-water fi (fee) in d-dar (d-DAAR) the-house.F
1.13a نحب I-like القهوة the-coffee بلا without سكر sugar
1.13b nḥəbb (n-HEBB) like-PRES.1SG el-qahwa (el-QAH-wa) the-coffee.F bla (bla) without sukkər (SOOK-ker) sugar
1.14a الدار the-house الكبيرة the-big تاع of جدي my-grandfather فيها in-it جنان garden
1.14b ed-dar (ed-DAAR) the-house.F le-kbira (le-KBEE-ra) the-big-F.SG taʿ (taaʿ) of.POSS jeddi (ZHED-dee) grandfather-my fiha (FEE-ha) in-it.F jnan (zhnaan) garden
1.15a البنات the-girls راحو went للسوق to-the-market وجابو and-brought الخضرة the-vegetables والفاكية and-the-fruit
1.15b le-bnat (le-BNAAT) the-girls.PL raḥu (RAA-hoo) go-PAST.3PL l-es-suq (les-SOOQ) to-the-market w-jabu (w-ZHAA-boo) and-bring-PAST.3PL el-khoḍra (el-KHOD-ra) the-vegetables.COLL w-el-fakya (wel-FAAK-ya) and-the-fruit.COLL
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1.1 الدار كبيرة. (ed-dar kbira) "The house is big." 1.2 الباب محلول. (el-bab mḥəlul) "The door is open." 1.3 الشمس سخونة. (eš-šəms skhuna) "The sun is hot." 1.4 القهوة باردة. (el-qahwa barda) "The coffee is cold." 1.5 جاب الخبز. (jab el-khobz) "He brought the bread." 1.6 الولد في الدار. (el-wəld fi d-dar) "The boy is in the house." 1.7 شريت الحليب من الحانوت. (šrit le-ḥlib mən el-ḥanut) "I bought the milk at the shop." 1.8 المرا حلّت الباب. (le-mra ḥəllət el-bab) "The woman opened the door." 1.9 الكتاب اللي شريتو مليح. (le-ktab lli šritu mliḥ) "The book I bought is good." 1.10 واحد الراجل دق على الباب. (waḥəd er-rajəl daqq ʿla l-bab) "A man knocked at the door." 1.11 هاد الراجل خويا. (had er-rajəl khuya) "This man is my brother." 1.12 ماكانش الما في الدار. (ma-kanš el-ma fi d-dar) "There's no water in the house." 1.13 نحب القهوة بلا سكر. (nḥəbb el-qahwa bla sukkər) "I like coffee without sugar." 1.14 الدار الكبيرة تاع جدي فيها جنان. (ed-dar le-kbira taʿ jeddi fiha jnan) "My grandfather's big house has a garden." 1.15 البنات راحو للسوق وجابو الخضرة والفاكية. (le-bnat raḥu l-es-suq w-jabu el-khoḍra w-el-fakya) "The girls went to the market and brought back vegetables and fruit."
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1.1 الدار كبيرة. 1.2 الباب محلول. 1.3 الشمس سخونة. 1.4 القهوة باردة. 1.5 جاب الخبز. 1.6 الولد في الدار. 1.7 شريت الحليب من الحانوت. 1.8 المرا حلّت الباب. 1.9 الكتاب اللي شريتو مليح. 1.10 واحد الراجل دق على الباب. 1.11 هاد الراجل خويا. 1.12 ماكانش الما في الدار. 1.13 نحب القهوة بلا سكر. 1.14 الدار الكبيرة تاع جدي فيها جنان. 1.15 البنات راحو للسوق وجابو الخضرة والفاكية.
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These are the grammar rules for ال (el-), "the."
One form for everything. ال does not change for masculine or feminine, singular or plural: الباب (el-bab, the door, M), الدار (ed-dar, the house, F), البنات (le-bnat, the girls, PL). It is always written joined to its word, never as a separate word.
Sun letters and moon letters. The pronunciation of the l depends on the first consonant of the noun. - Sun letters: ت t, د d, ر r, ز z, س s, ش š, ص ṣ, ض ḍ, ط ṭ, ل l, ن n. The l becomes that consonant and the consonant is doubled: الدار (ed-dar), الشمس (eš-šəms), الراجل (er-rajəl), السوق (es-suq), الطماطم (eṭ-ṭmaṭəm), اللحود (el-lḥud). - Moon letters: all the others, among them ب b, ح ḥ, خ kh, ع ʿ, غ gh, ف f, ق q, ك k, م m, و w, ي y. The l is heard: الباب (el-bab), الحانوت (el-ḥanut), الخبز (el-khobz), القهوة (el-qahwa), الكتاب (le-ktab), الما (el-ma), الولد (el-wəld). - ث, ذ and ظ, in the words that keep these letters from Standard Arabic, are sun letters too; most Algerians pronounce them t, d and ḍ. - ج j (pronounced like the s of "pleasure" in most of Algeria) is treated differently from region to region, and this lesson avoids putting the article before it.
el-, le- and l-. Darja has lost most of the short vowels of Standard Arabic, and many words begin with two consonants: بنات (bnat), كتاب (ktab), حليب (ḥlib), مرا (mra), قمر (qmər). Before such a word the article is heard as le-: le-bnat, le-ktab, le-ḥlib, le-mra, le-qmər. Before a consonant followed by a vowel it is el-: el-bab, el-qahwa, el-wəld. After a word ending in a vowel, the article loses its vowel altogether: في الدار (fi d-dar), على الباب (ʿla l-bab). This course's transliteration writes what is said; the Arabic script always writes ال.
Prepositions that join the article. The preposition ل (l-), "to, for," is written joined to the next word. Before ال, the alif of the article is dropped and the two lams meet: ل + السوق = للسوق (l-es-suq), "to the market" (1.15). In the same way و (w-), "and," joins the article: والفاكية (w-el-fakya), "and the fruit."
No copula in the present. "The house is big" is simply الدار كبيرة (ed-dar kbira): a definite noun followed by an adjective without the article makes a sentence (1.1–1.4). If the adjective also takes the article, the result is a phrase, not a sentence: الدار الكبيرة (ed-dar le-kbira) is "the big house" (1.14). This difference, article or no article on the adjective, is the whole difference between "the house is big" and "the big house."
Agreement. An adjective agrees with its noun in gender: الدار (F) كبيرة, الباب (M) محلول, الشمس (F) سخونة, القهوة (F) باردة. Feminine adjectives usually end in ة (-a).
Generic use. Where English uses no article for things in general ("I like coffee"), Darja uses ال: نحب القهوة (1.13). Mass nouns and plurals in general statements are definite in Algerian Arabic.
"A": واحد + article. Darja has no indefinite article, and a bare noun can be indefinite: فيها جنان (fiha jnan), "it has a garden" (1.14). When a speaker introduces a particular person or thing, especially at the start of a story, the usual way is واحد (waḥəd), "one," followed by the definite noun: واحد الراجل (waḥəd er-rajəl), "a man, a certain man" (1.10). واحد does not change for gender: واحد المرا (waḥəd le-mra), "a woman."
Demonstratives take the article. "This man" is هاد الراجل (had er-rajəl), "this the-man" (1.11): the demonstrative stands before a noun that keeps its article. Feminine: هادي الدار (hadi d-dar), "this house."
Possession. A definite thing owned by someone is joined with تاع (taʿ), "of, belonging to": الدار الكبيرة تاع جدي (1.14). The owned noun keeps its article. With a pronoun ending, as in خويا (khuya, my brother) or جدي (jeddi, my grandfather), the noun is already definite and never takes ال: never \*الخويا.
Relative clauses. After a definite noun, "that, which, who" is اللي (lli): الكتاب اللي شريتو (1.9). اللي itself contains the old article.
Common Mistakes: - Saying el-šəms or el-dar. Before a sun letter the l is not pronounced: eš-šəms, ed-dar. - Writing the assimilation. The script always writes ال: الدار, never \*ادّار. - Dropping the article in general statements because English does: \*نحب قهوة for "I like coffee." Say نحب القهوة. - Putting the article on the adjective when you mean a sentence: الدار الكبيرة is "the big house," not "the house is big." - Putting ال on a noun that has a pronoun ending: خويا, not \*الخويا. - Making واحد feminine before a feminine noun: واحد المرا, not \*واحدة المرا, in this construction.
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The article is in the name of the country. Algerians call both Algeria and its capital الدزاير (ed-dzayər), with the article and an assimilated d; Standard Arabic writes الجزائر (al-jazāʾir), "the islands," after the small islands off the harbour of Algiers. The language itself is الدارجة (ed-darja) or الدزيرية (ed-dziriya), and a person from Algiers is a دزيري (dziri).
Many of the commonest everyday formulas contain the article. Thanks is يعطيك الصحة (yaʿṭik eṣ-ṣaḥḥa), "may He give you health." Morning greetings are صباح الخير (ṣbaḥ el-khir), "morning of the good," answered صباح النور (ṣbaḥ en-nur), "morning of the light." "Today" is اليوم (el-yum), literally "the day." All of these appear in the dialogue below.
Algerian Arabic and Standard Arabic live side by side. Children speak Darja (or Berber) at home and learn Standard Arabic at school; the news, the Friday sermon and official documents are in Standard Arabic; the market, the family, the stadium, much popular song and most television drama are in Darja; and French is mixed into both speech and administration. The article is one point where the two Arabics agree: both write ال and both assimilate it before the sun letters.
Darja varies by region. The speech of Algiers, of Oran in the west and of Constantine in the east differ in vocabulary and in sounds. The letter ق is pronounced q in Algiers and many old towns, but g in much of the countryside and in Bedouin speech: القهوة is el-qahwa in one place and el-gahwa in another. This course uses the forms of central, urban speech and notes other forms where they matter.
On phones and social media, Darja is written in Arabic letters and also in Latin letters, with numerals for sounds that French spelling lacks (3 for ع, 7 for ح, 9 for ق). The Latin writing is not standardised either; learning the Arabic script lets you read signs, newspapers, song lyrics and the poetry of Section F.
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محمد بن قيطون (Mohamed Ben Guittoun), حيزية (Hiziya), 1878 — the opening couplets
Hiziya is the most famous poem in the popular Arabic poetry of Algeria, the malḥun: an elegy for Hiziya, a young woman of Sidi Khaled near Biskra, who died in 1878 (1295 AH). Ben Guittoun composed it in the Bedouin Arabic of the Ziban for her cousin and husband, who mourned her, and it has been sung ever since, by Abdelhamid Ababsa, Khelifi Ahmed, Rabah Driassa and others. It opens:
عزوني يا ملاح في رايس البنات سكنت تحت اللحود ناري مقديا ياخي أنا ضرير بيا ما بيا قلبي سافر مع الضامر حيزيا
F-A: Interlinear
F.1a عزوني console-me يا O ملاح fine-people في for رايس chief البنات the-girls
F.1b ʿazzuni (ʿaz-ZOO-nee) console-IMP.PL-me ya (ya) VOC mlaḥ (mlaaH) fine-ones.PL fi (fee) for rayəs (RAA-yes) chief le-bnat (le-BNAAT) the-girls.PL
F.2a سكنت she-dwelt تحت under اللحود the-graves ناري my-fire مقديا kindled
F.2b sknət (SKNET) dwell-PAST.3F.SG taḥt (taHt) under el-lḥud (el-LHOOD) the-graves.PL nari (NAA-ree) fire-my mqədya (MQED-ya) kindled-F.SG
F.3a ياخي O-brother أنا I ضرير stricken بيا in-me ما what بيا in-me
F.3b ya-khi (YA-khee) VOC-brother.my ana (A-na) I ḍrir (Dreer) stricken biya (BEE-ya) in-me ma (ma) what biya (BEE-ya) in-me
F.4a قلبي my-heart سافر travelled مع with الضامر the-slender-one حيزيا Hiziya
F.4b qalbi (QAL-bee) heart-my safər (SAA-fer) travel-PAST.3M.SG mʿa (mʿa) with eḍ-ḍamər (eD-DAA-mer) the-slender-one ḥiziya (HEE-zee-ya) Hiziya
F-B: Original and Translation
عزوني يا ملاح في رايس البنات / سكنت تحت اللحود ناري مقديا / ياخي أنا ضرير بيا ما بيا / قلبي سافر مع الضامر حيزيا
"Console me, good people, for the queen of the girls: / she has made her dwelling beneath the graves, and my fire is kindled. / Brother, I am stricken; what is in me is in me. / My heart has gone away with the slender Hiziya." (Translation: Latinum Institute. Souhel Dib's French translation of 1987 begins: "Consolez-moi mes amis : j'ai perdu la reine des belles; elle repose sous les pierres du tombeau.")
F-C: Original
عزوني يا ملاح في رايس البنات سكنت تحت اللحود ناري مقديا ياخي أنا ضرير بيا ما بيا قلبي سافر مع الضامر حيزيا
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
The poem was composed orally and has come down in many printed and sung versions, which differ in spelling. The text above follows the opening as it is printed in Algerian editions online; the word مقديا (mqədya), "kindled, burning," is also printed مكديا, the spelling of those who pronounce ق as g.
Three articles stand in these four lines, and each shows one of the lesson's rules. البنات (le-bnat) begins with the moon letter ب and a cluster, so the l is heard and the vowel comes after it: le-bnat. اللحود (el-lḥud), "the graves," begins with ل, a sun letter: two lams are written, and one long l is heard. الضامر (eḍ-ḍamər), "the slender one," begins with the sun letter ض: the l disappears and the ḍ is doubled. A reader who knows ال can now read every article in the poem aloud correctly.
رايس البنات (rayəs le-bnat) is a possessive construction without تاع: the first noun has no article, the second has it, and the whole is definite, "the chief of the girls." This older construction (the iḍāfa of Standard Arabic) survives in Darja in set phrases and in poetry; everyday speech more often says تاع.
الضامر, "the lean, slender one," is an epithet of the lean swift mount in Bedouin poetry, given here to Hiziya; the adjective with the article stands on its own as a noun, "the slender one," and Hiziya's name follows it. ضرير, which in Standard Arabic means "blind," is read here from its root ḍ-r-r, "harm," as "stricken, in pain"; Dib renders the line "je suis à bout." بيا ما بيا, "in me is what is in me," is the idiom of grief that cannot be told. Note the imperative plural عزوني (ʿazzuni), "console me (all of you)": the poem is spoken to a gathering, as the malḥun is still performed.
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Amina buys vegetables from an older greengrocer at the morning market. She calls him عمي (ʿammi), "my uncle," and he calls her بنتي (benti), "my daughter," as Algerians address their elders and juniors. Every line uses the article.
1.16a أمينة Amina صباح morning الخير the-good يا O عمي my-uncle
1.16b amina (a-MEE-na) Amina ṣbaḥ (SBAAH) morning el-khir (el-KHEER) the-good ya (ya) VOC ʿammi (ʿAM-mee) uncle-my
1.17a البايع the-seller صباح morning النور the-light يا O بنتي my-daughter
1.17b el-bayəʿ (el-BAA-yeʿ) the-seller ṣbaḥ (SBAAH) morning en-nur (en-NOOR) the-light ya (ya) VOC benti (BEN-tee) daughter-my
1.18a أمينة Amina بشحال for-how-much الطماطم the-tomatoes اليوم today
1.18b amina (a-MEE-na) Amina b-šḥal (b-SHHAAL) for-how-much eṭ-ṭmaṭəm (eT-TMAA-Tem) the-tomatoes.COLL el-yum (el-YOOM) the-day
1.19a البايع the-seller الكيلو the-kilo بميتين for-two-hundred دينار dinar
1.19b el-bayəʿ (el-BAA-yeʿ) the-seller el-kilu (el-KEE-loo) the-kilo b-mitin (b-mee-TEEN) for-two-hundred dinar (dee-NAAR) dinar
1.20a أمينة Amina والبطاطا and-the-potatoes
1.20b amina (a-MEE-na) Amina w-el-baṭaṭa (wel-ba-TAA-Ta) and-the-potatoes.COLL
1.21a البايع the-seller البطاطا the-potatoes رخيصة cheap خوذي take من from هادي this
1.21b el-bayəʿ (el-BAA-yeʿ) the-seller el-baṭaṭa (el-ba-TAA-Ta) the-potatoes.COLL rkhiṣa (RKHEE-Sa) cheap-F.SG khudi (KHOO-dee) take-IMP.2F.SG mən (men) from hadi (HAA-dee) this.F
1.22a أمينة Amina عطيني give-me زوج two كيلو kilo من of البطاطا the-potatoes
1.22b amina (a-MEE-na) Amina ʿṭini (ʿTEE-nee) give-IMP.2SG-me zuj (zoozh) two kilu (KEE-loo) kilo mən (men) of el-baṭaṭa (el-ba-TAA-Ta) the-potatoes.COLL
1.23a البايع the-seller واش what تحبي you-want حتى also الطماطم the-tomatoes
1.23b el-bayəʿ (el-BAA-yeʿ) the-seller wəš (wesh) QUESTION tḥəbbi (t-HEB-bee) want-PRES.2F.SG ḥətta (HET-ta) also eṭ-ṭmaṭəm (eT-TMAA-Tem) the-tomatoes.COLL
1.24a أمينة Amina لا no الطماطم the-tomatoes نشريها I-buy-them غدوة tomorrow
1.24b amina (a-MEE-na) Amina la (laa) no eṭ-ṭmaṭəm (eT-TMAA-Tem) the-tomatoes.COLL nəšriha (nesh-REE-ha) buy-PRES.1SG-it.F ghodwa (GHOD-wa) tomorrow
1.25a البايع the-seller هاك here-you-are والكيس and-the-bag بلاش free
1.25b el-bayəʿ (el-BAA-yeʿ) the-seller hak (haak) take-this w-el-kis (wel-KEES) and-the-bag blaš (blaash) free
1.26a أمينة Amina بشحال for-how-much الكل the-all
1.26b amina (a-MEE-na) Amina b-šḥal (b-SHHAAL) for-how-much el-kull (el-KULL) the-all
1.27a البايع the-seller الكل the-all بميتين for-two-hundred دينار dinar
1.27b el-bayəʿ (el-BAA-yeʿ) the-seller el-kull (el-KULL) the-all b-mitin (b-mee-TEEN) for-two-hundred dinar (dee-NAAR) dinar
1.28a أمينة Amina تفضل please-take الدراهم the-money
1.28b amina (a-MEE-na) Amina tfəḍḍəl (t-FEDD-del) please-IMP.2M.SG ed-draham (ed-DRAA-hem) the-money.PL
1.29a البايع the-seller يعطيك may-he-give-you الصحة the-health يا O بنتي my-daughter وسلميلي and-greet-for-me على on الوالدين the-parents
1.29b el-bayəʿ (el-BAA-yeʿ) the-seller yaʿṭik (yaʿ-TEEK) give-PRES.3M.SG-you eṣ-ṣaḥḥa (eS-SAH-Ha) the-health ya (ya) VOC benti (BEN-tee) daughter-my w-səllmili (w-sell-MEE-lee) and-greet-IMP.2F.SG-for-me ʿla (ʿla) on l-waldin (l-wal-DEEN) the-parents.DU
1.30a أمينة Amina الله God يسلمك keep-you-safe يا O عمي my-uncle نشوفك I-see-you في in السوق the-market
1.30b amina (a-MEE-na) Amina allah (al-LAAH) God ysəlmək (y-SEL-mek) keep-safe-PRES.3M.SG-you ya (ya) VOC ʿammi (ʿAM-mee) uncle-my nšufək (n-SHOO-fek) see-PRES.1SG-you fi (fee) in s-suq (s-SOOQ) the-market
1.16 أمينة: صباح الخير يا عمي. (amina: ṣbaḥ el-khir ya ʿammi) "Amina: Good morning, uncle." 1.17 البايع: صباح النور يا بنتي. (el-bayəʿ: ṣbaḥ en-nur ya benti) "The seller: Good morning to you, my girl." 1.18 أمينة: بشحال الطماطم اليوم؟ (amina: b-šḥal eṭ-ṭmaṭəm el-yum?) "Amina: How much are the tomatoes today?" 1.19 البايع: الكيلو بميتين دينار. (el-bayəʿ: el-kilu b-mitin dinar) "The seller: Two hundred dinars a kilo." 1.20 أمينة: والبطاطا؟ (amina: w-el-baṭaṭa?) "Amina: And the potatoes?" 1.21 البايع: البطاطا رخيصة، خوذي من هادي. (el-bayəʿ: el-baṭaṭa rkhiṣa, khudi mən hadi) "The seller: The potatoes are cheap. Take some of these." 1.22 أمينة: عطيني زوج كيلو من البطاطا. (amina: ʿṭini zuj kilu mən el-baṭaṭa) "Amina: Give me two kilos of potatoes." 1.23 البايع: واش تحبي حتى الطماطم؟ (el-bayəʿ: wəš tḥəbbi ḥətta eṭ-ṭmaṭəm?) "The seller: Would you like the tomatoes too?" 1.24 أمينة: لا، الطماطم نشريها غدوة. (amina: la, eṭ-ṭmaṭəm nəšriha ghodwa) "Amina: No, I'll buy the tomatoes tomorrow." 1.25 البايع: هاك، والكيس بلاش. (el-bayəʿ: hak, w-el-kis blaš) "The seller: Here you are, and the bag is free." 1.26 أمينة: بشحال الكل؟ (amina: b-šḥal el-kull?) "Amina: How much is that altogether?" 1.27 البايع: الكل بميتين دينار. (el-bayəʿ: el-kull b-mitin dinar) "The seller: Two hundred dinars for the lot." 1.28 أمينة: تفضل الدراهم. (amina: tfəḍḍəl ed-draham) "Amina: Here's the money." 1.29 البايع: يعطيك الصحة يا بنتي، وسلميلي على الوالدين. (el-bayəʿ: yaʿṭik eṣ-ṣaḥḥa ya benti, w-səllmili ʿla l-waldin) "The seller: Thank you, my girl, and give my regards to your parents." 1.30 أمينة: الله يسلمك يا عمي، نشوفك في السوق. (amina: allah ysəlmək ya ʿammi, nšufək fi s-suq) "Amina: God keep you, uncle. See you at the market."
1.16 أمينة: صباح الخير يا عمي. 1.17 البايع: صباح النور يا بنتي. 1.18 أمينة: بشحال الطماطم اليوم؟ 1.19 البايع: الكيلو بميتين دينار. 1.20 أمينة: والبطاطا؟ 1.21 البايع: البطاطا رخيصة، خوذي من هادي. 1.22 أمينة: عطيني زوج كيلو من البطاطا. 1.23 البايع: واش تحبي حتى الطماطم؟ 1.24 أمينة: لا، الطماطم نشريها غدوة. 1.25 البايع: هاك، والكيس بلاش. 1.26 أمينة: بشحال الكل؟ 1.27 البايع: الكل بميتين دينار. 1.28 أمينة: تفضل الدراهم. 1.29 البايع: يعطيك الصحة يا بنتي، وسلميلي على الوالدين. 1.30 أمينة: الله يسلمك يا عمي، نشوفك في السوق.
Greetings with the article (1.16, 1.17). صباح الخير and صباح النور are possessive phrases of the old kind: "morning of the good," "morning of the light." The second noun carries the article, and in النور the sun letter ن swallows the l: en-nur.
Prices (1.18, 1.19, 1.26, 1.27). بشحال (b-šḥal), "for how much," asks a price; the answer uses the same ب (b-), "for": بميتين دينار, "for two hundred dinars." The thing priced is definite: الطماطم, الكيلو, الكل. "Per kilo" is simply الكيلو, "the kilo." الكيلو, a word from French, takes ال exactly like an Arabic word.
اليوم, "today" (1.18). Literally "the day," that is, this day. Many Darja time words are built the same way.
Collectives (1.18, 1.20). الطماطم (eṭ-ṭmaṭəm), "tomatoes," and البطاطا (el-baṭaṭa), "potatoes," are collective nouns: one word for the produce as a whole, treated as feminine singular, so البطاطا رخيصة (1.21) has a feminine adjective.
A topic first (1.24). In الطماطم نشريها غدوة, the definite object is placed first as the topic, and a pronoun ending (-ha, "it") on the verb takes it up again: "the tomatoes, I'll buy them tomorrow." Only a definite noun can be moved to the front in this way.
حتى (1.23). حتى (ḥətta) means "even, also": حتى الطماطم, "the tomatoes as well." With واش the sentence becomes a yes-no question.
Commands (1.21, 1.22, 1.28, 1.29). The seller speaks to a woman: خوذي (khudi), "take," and سلميلي (səllmili), "greet for me," are feminine imperatives, ending in -i. Amina speaks to a man: عطيني (ʿṭini), "give me," is the imperative with the ending -ni, "me," and تفضل (tfəḍḍəl), "please, here you are," is the masculine form of a fixed polite phrase.
Formulas of thanks and farewell (1.29, 1.30). يعطيك الصحة (yaʿṭik eṣ-ṣaḥḥa), "may He give you health," is the everyday Algerian "thank you," with the article on الصحة and the ص doubled. الوالدين (el-waldin), "the parents," is a dual form; after على it is heard ʿla l-waldin. الله (allah), "God," is itself an old form with the article, and the reply الله يسلمك, "God keep you safe," answers thanks and greetings alike.
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ال (el-) — IPA: /əl/ before a moon letter — The vowel is a short, weak schwa, as in the first syllable of "about." Before two consonants it moves after the l: le- /lə/. After a vowel it disappears: في الدار /fi d.daːr/. الدار (ed-dar) — IPA: /əd.daːr/ — The sun letter is held twice as long as a single d: "ed-DAAR," not "el-DAAR." The r is a tapped or trilled tongue-tip r. الشمس (eš-šəms) — IPA: /əʃ.ʃəms/ — A long sh. الراجل (er-rajəl) — IPA: /ər.raːʒəl/ — The doubled r is trilled. ج is pronounced /ʒ/, like the s of "pleasure," in most of Algeria. القمر (le-qmər) — IPA: /lə.qmər/ — ق is a q made far back in the throat, behind the k; in rural and Bedouin speech it is /g/: le-gmər. القهوة (el-qahwa) — IPA: /əl.qah.wa/ — The h is breathed out clearly in the middle of the word. الحليب (le-ḥlib) — IPA: /lə.ħliːb/ — ح is a strong, whispered h from the throat, as if breathing on glasses to clean them. الخبز (el-khobz) — IPA: /əl.xobz/ — خ is the rough sound of Scottish "loch" or German "Bach." على (ʿla) — IPA: /ʕla/ — ع is made by squeezing the throat; it is a consonant, not a vowel, and must not be dropped. الصحة (eṣ-ṣaḥḥa) — IPA: /əsˤ.sˤaħ.ħa/ — ص is an "emphatic" s: the tongue is drawn back and the vowels around it darken. The same holds for ض ḍ (/dˤ/), ط ṭ (/tˤ/) and, here, the ط in الطماطم (eṭ-ṭmaṭəm) /ətˤ.tˤmaːtˤəm/. الضامر (eḍ-ḍamər) — IPA: /ədˤ.dˤaːmər/ — An emphatic d, doubled. اللحود (el-lḥud) — IPA: /əl.lħuːd/ — Two written lams, one long l. غدوة (ghodwa) — IPA: /ɣodwa/ — غ is a gargled r from the back of the throat, like a Parisian French r. Vowel length: long vowels (aa, ee, oo in the respellings) are held about twice as long as short ones, and length can change meaning. Stress usually falls on a long vowel or on the syllable before the last.
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Course Index: [latinum.substack.com/p/index](https://latinum.substack.com/p/index)