For autodidact students of Algerian Arabic, the second word on the frequency list is "be," and the first thing to learn about it is how often it is absent. English cannot say "I am Algerian" without am. Algerian Arabic says أنا دزيري (ana dziri), "I Algerian," and nothing stands between the two words. In the present tense, a noun or an adjective is simply set next to the thing it describes: النهار طويل (en-nhar ṭwil), "the day is long," word for word "the-day long." This "zero copula" is the most important fact in the lesson, and the rest of the lesson is about the places where Darja does use something.
There are four of them.
First, the verb كان (kan), "to be," which comes from the root k-w-n. It is the true verb "be," and it works in the past: كان خويا في الدار (kan khuya fi d-dar), "my brother was in the house"; and in the future and wishes, where its present-tense forms نكون (nkun), تكون (tkun), يكون (ykun) mean "I will be," "you will be," "he will be": غدوة نكون في الخدمة (ghodwa nkun fi l-khedma), "tomorrow I will be at work." It has an imperative, كون (kun), "be!"
Second, the little series راني، راك، راه (rani, rak, rah), which means "I am (now), you are (now), he is (now)." It is built from a small word ra- that points to the moment of speaking, with the pronoun endings added: راني هنا (rani hna), "I am here"; واش راك؟ (wəš rak?), "how are you?" It is used for where someone is, how someone is at the moment, and, before a verb, for what someone is doing now.
Third, the word كاين (kayən), which means "there is": كاين خبز في الحانوت (kayən khobz fi l-ḥanut), "there is bread at the shop." Its negative, ماكانش (ma-kanš), is the one you met in Lesson 1: ماكانش الما في الدار, "there is no water in the house."
Fourth, the pronouns هو (huwa) and هي (hiya), which sometimes stand between a long subject and its predicate, as a kind of "is": الراجل اللي كان في الحانوت هو خويا (er-rajəl lli kan fi l-ḥanut huwa khuya), "the man who was in the shop is my brother."
To say "is not" in the present, Darja puts ماشي (maši), "not," before the predicate: هاد الراجل ماشي خويا (had er-rajəl maši khuya), "this man is not my brother."
Script note: كان is three letters, kaf ك, alif ا, nun ن. When an ending is added for "I" or "you," the alif of the stem is not written, so كان becomes كنت (kunt), "I was." The feminine "she was" keeps it: كانت (kanət). One alif is all that separates "I was" from "she was," so look for it. The vowels of this verb are short, and the script never writes them.
Key Takeaways: - Present "is, am, are" is usually nothing: أنا دزيري (ana dziri), "I am Algerian"; هي طبيبة (hiya ṭbiba), "she is a doctor" - كان (kan): "was." Past forms: كنت (kunt) I was, كانت (kanət) she was; future and wishes: نكون (nkun) I will be - راني، راك، راه (rani, rak, rah): "I am, you are, he is" now: where someone is, how someone feels, what someone is doing - كاين (kayən): "there is"; ماكانش (ma-kanš): "there is not" or "was not" - ماشي (maši): "is not," before a noun or adjective - هو / هي (huwa / hiya): sometimes the "is" between a long subject and its predicate - كون (kun): "be!"
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2.1a أنا I دزيري Algerian
2.1b ana (A-na) I dziri (DZEE-ree) Algerian-M.SG
2.2a هي she طبيبة doctor
2.2b hiya (HEE-ya) she ṭbiba (TBEE-ba) doctor-F.SG
2.3a النهار the-day طويل long
2.3b en-nhar (en-NHAAR) the-day.M ṭwil (TWEEL) long-M.SG
2.4a حنا we في in الدار the-house
2.4b ḥna (HNA) we fi (fee) in d-dar (d-DAAR) the-house.F
2.5a راني I-am هنا here
2.5b rani (RAA-nee) be-NOW.1SG hna (hna) here
2.6a كان was خويا my-brother في in الدار the-house
2.6b kan (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG khuya (KHOO-ya) brother-my fi (fee) in d-dar (d-DAAR) the-house.F
2.7a كنت I-was تعبان tired
2.7b kunt (koont) be-PAST.1SG taʿban (taʿ-BAAN) tired-M.SG
2.8a الطقس the-weather كان was مليح good البارح yesterday
2.8b eṭ-ṭəqs (eT-TEQS) the-weather.M kan (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG mliḥ (mleeH) good-M.SG el-bareḥ (el-BAA-reH) the-yesterday
2.9a غدوة tomorrow نكون I-will-be في in الخدمة the-work
2.9b ghodwa (GHOD-wa) tomorrow nkun (n-KOON) be-PRES.1SG fi (fee) in l-khedma (l-KHED-ma) the-work
2.10a راهم they-are في in وهران Oran
2.10b rahum (RAA-hoom) be-NOW.3PL fi (fee) in wahran (wah-RAAN) Oran
2.11a واش what راك you-are اليوم today
2.11b wəš (wesh) what rak (raak) be-NOW.2M.SG el-yum (el-YOOM) the-day
2.12a هاد this الراجل the-man ماشي not خويا my-brother
2.12b had (haad) this.M er-rajəl (er-RAA-zhel) the-man maši (MAA-shee) NEG khuya (KHOO-ya) brother-my
2.13a كاين there-is خبز bread في in الحانوت the-shop
2.13b kayən (KAA-yen) there-is.M khobz (khobz) bread fi (fee) in l-ḥanut (l-haa-NOOT) the-shop
2.14a إيلا if كان was الطقس the-weather مليح good نروحو we-go للبحر to-the-sea
2.14b ila (EE-la) if kan (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG eṭ-ṭəqs (eT-TEQS) the-weather.M mliḥ (mleeH) good-M.SG nruḥu (n-ROO-hoo) go-PRES.1PL l-el-baḥr (lel-BAHR) to-the-sea
2.15a الراجل the-man اللي that كان was في in الحانوت the-shop هو he خويا my-brother
2.15b er-rajəl (er-RAA-zhel) the-man lli (llee) REL kan (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG fi (fee) in l-ḥanut (l-haa-NOOT) the-shop huwa (HOO-wa) he.COP khuya (KHOO-ya) brother-my
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2.1 أنا دزيري. (ana dziri) "I am Algerian." 2.2 هي طبيبة. (hiya ṭbiba) "She is a doctor." 2.3 النهار طويل. (en-nhar ṭwil) "The day is long." 2.4 حنا في الدار. (ḥna fi d-dar) "We are in the house." 2.5 راني هنا. (rani hna) "I am here." 2.6 كان خويا في الدار. (kan khuya fi d-dar) "My brother was in the house." 2.7 كنت تعبان. (kunt taʿban) "I was tired." 2.8 الطقس كان مليح البارح. (eṭ-ṭəqs kan mliḥ el-bareḥ) "The weather was good yesterday." 2.9 غدوة نكون في الخدمة. (ghodwa nkun fi l-khedma) "Tomorrow I will be at work." 2.10 راهم في وهران. (rahum fi wahran) "They are in Oran." 2.11 واش راك اليوم؟ (wəš rak el-yum?) "How are you today?" 2.12 هاد الراجل ماشي خويا. (had er-rajəl maši khuya) "This man is not my brother." 2.13 كاين خبز في الحانوت. (kayən khobz fi l-ḥanut) "There is bread at the shop." 2.14 إيلا كان الطقس مليح نروحو للبحر. (ila kan eṭ-ṭəqs mliḥ nruḥu l-el-baḥr) "If the weather is good, we'll go to the sea." 2.15 الراجل اللي كان في الحانوت هو خويا. (er-rajəl lli kan fi l-ḥanut huwa khuya) "The man who was in the shop is my brother."
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2.1 أنا دزيري. 2.2 هي طبيبة. 2.3 النهار طويل. 2.4 حنا في الدار. 2.5 راني هنا. 2.6 كان خويا في الدار. 2.7 كنت تعبان. 2.8 الطقس كان مليح البارح. 2.9 غدوة نكون في الخدمة. 2.10 راهم في وهران. 2.11 واش راك اليوم؟ 2.12 هاد الراجل ماشي خويا. 2.13 كاين خبز في الحانوت. 2.14 إيلا كان الطقس مليح نروحو للبحر. 2.15 الراجل اللي كان في الحانوت هو خويا.
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These are the grammar rules for كان (kan), "be."
No verb in the present (2.1–2.4). A sentence with a noun, an adjective, a pronoun or a place as its predicate needs no verb: أنا دزيري, هي طبيبة, النهار طويل, حنا في الدار. The same words serve for "am," "is" and "are," and the subject can be a pronoun or a noun. The predicate agrees with the subject in gender and number: هي طبيبة (F), هو طبيب (M). The subject may be definite, as in النهار طويل; the predicate here is the adjective without ال, which is why this is a sentence and not a phrase (see Lesson 1).
Pronouns. The independent pronouns are أنا (ana), نتا (nta, you M), نتي (nti, you F), هو (huwa), هي (hiya), حنا (ḥna), نتوما (ntuma) and هوما (huma). They are used for emphasis or when the verb does not show the person: أنا دزيري, هي طبيبة.
Negation of the present (2.12). ماشي (maši) goes before the predicate: هاد الراجل ماشي خويا. It is used before nouns, adjectives and place phrases: ماشي مليح, "not good."
The pronoun between subject and predicate (2.15). When the subject is long, a pronoun that agrees with it may stand after it and before the predicate: الراجل اللي كان في الحانوت هو خويا. It acts as a hinge, and it is not needed in a short sentence such as أنا دزيري.
راني، راك، راه: "am, are, is" right now (2.5, 2.10, 2.11). The series has a form for each person: راني (rani), I am; راك (rak), you are (M); راكي (raki), you are (F); راه (rah), he is; راهي (rahi), she is; رانا (rana), we are; راكم (rakum), you are (PL); راهم (rahum), they are. It is used for place (راني هنا; راهم في وهران), for a present state (راني تعبان, "I am tired at the moment"), and before a present-tense verb for an action in progress: راني نكتب (rani nəktəb), "I am writing." Speakers differ in the exact endings, and some vowels are lengthened or shortened from place to place; this course keeps one form. The series is not used for a lasting fact: one does not say *راني دزيري for "I am Algerian"; say أنا دزيري.
كان: the verb "be" in the past (2.6–2.8, 2.15). The past forms are given below. The script writes none of the short vowels, and before a consonant ending the stem vowel is u and the alif is dropped (كنت, not كانت): - كنت (kunt), I was - كنت (kunt), you were (M); the form is the same as "I was," and the pronoun or the context tells which - كنتي (kunti), you were (F) - كان (kan), he was - كانت (kanət), she was - كنا (kunna), we were - كنتو (kuntu), you were (PL) - كانو (kanu), they were
In the past, كان comes before a noun or adjective predicate, and it may come before its subject (كان خويا في الدار) or after it (الطقس كان مليح). Its negative is ما...ش around the verb: ماكانش (ma-kanš), "he was not." This is the same spelling as the negative of كاين, "there is not."
كان in the present stem: future and wishes (2.9). The present-tense stem is نكون (nkun, I be), تكون (tkun, you M or she), تكوني (tkuni, you F), يكون (ykun, he be), نكونو (nkunu, we), تكونو (tkunu, you PL), يكونو (ykunu, they). It is used for the future and for wishes, as with إن شاء الله تكون مليحة (in šaʾ llah tkun mliḥa), "God willing she will be well." The imperative is كون (kun), "be!"
After إيلا (2.14). "If" is إيلا (ila), and the verb after it is كان even when the meaning is present: إيلا كان الطقس مليح, "if the weather is good." The result clause then uses the present stem: نروحو, "we'll go."
كاين: "there is" (2.13). كاين (kayən) stands before the thing that exists, and has a feminine كاينة (kayna) and a plural كاينين (kaynin). It is the opposite of ماكانش: كاين خبز في الحانوت, "there is bread," ماكانش خبز, "there is no bread." The noun after it is usually indefinite when it is new information.
واش راك (2.11). واش (wəš) is "what"; واش راك؟ is the question "how are you?", literally "what are you?" The answer uses the same series: راني مليح, "I am well."
Common Mistakes: - Putting a verb where Darja has none: أنا كان دزيري or أنا راني دزيري. Say أنا دزيري. - Using كان for the present: *الطقس كان مليح for "the weather is good." كان is past (or, after إيلا, conditional). The present has no verb. - Confusing كنت (kunt, I was) and كانت (kanət, she was): the alif matters. - Using nkun for "I am" now: نكون is "I will be."
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The most common use of the series is the Algerian greeting. واش راك؟ (wəš rak?), to a man, واش راكي؟ (wəš raki?), to a woman, is "how are you?" The answer is راني مليح، الحمد لله (rani mliḥ, el-ḥamdu lillah), "I am well, thank God." Another short greeting, لاباس؟ (labas?), is answered لاباس، الحمد لله, "no harm, thank God." Greeting is not a formality in Algeria: it is extended to family, work and health before any business begins, and a conversation by telephone opens with the same questions.
Where someone is also matters. وين راك؟ (win rak?), "where are you?", is a question that often opens a telephone call, and the answer uses the same word: راني في قسنطينة, "I am in Constantine."
The verb كان is the same verb as in Standard Arabic, and the present-tense behaviour is not so different: Standard Arabic also has no present "is" for nouns and adjectives, and "the day is long" is النهار طويل there too. What Darja adds is the series راني، راك، راه, which has no counterpart in the Standard language and which the speaker uses for "right now."
The phrase إن شاء الله (in šaʾ llah), "God willing," is attached to nearly every statement about the future: غدوة نكون في الدار إن شاء الله, "tomorrow I'll be at home, God willing." It is not a hedge; it is the usual way of speaking about what has not yet happened.
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محمد بن قيطون (Mohamed Ben Guittoun), حيزية (Hiziya), 1878 — the opening couplets, read again
In Lesson 1 these lines taught the article. They are read once more, because two of their four lines contain a clause with no verb and show the zero copula at work. The text is the one printed in Algerian editions online, and the opening was checked against an online edition in the course of this lesson.
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.)
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 line numbers are those of Section F-A. The second half of F.2 and the whole of F.3 have no verb: they are the sentences of Section D.
In F.2, ناري مقديا (nari mqədya), "my fire is kindled," has no verb: the subject is ناري, "my fire," and the predicate is the participle مقديا, "kindled." The English "is" is supplied only by the translation. The first half of the line has a verb, سكنت (sknət), "she dwelt": the poet says she "has taken up residence" beneath the graves, where English might say "she lies."
In F.3, أنا ضرير (ana ḍrir), "I am stricken," is the plain sentence of Section D: pronoun and predicate, side by side. Without a verb, the pronoun أنا is what makes the speaker the subject, and it also stresses the confession: "brother, I am the one who is stricken." The second half, بيا ما بيا (biya ma biya), "in me is what is in me," is also verbless: the prepositional phrase بيا, "in me," stands for the predicate, and ما, "what," is the subject.
F.1 and F.4 have verbs: the imperative عزوني (ʿazzuni), "console me," and the past سافر (safər), "travelled." They frame the verbless sentences between them.
The poem was composed orally and has come down in many printed and sung versions, which differ in spelling. The word مقديا is also printed مكديا.
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Yasmine telephones her brother Karim, who is visiting their grandfather in Constantine. Brother and sister ask each other where they are and how they are, as Algerians do, and most lines use a form of "be," present, past or future.
2.16a ياسمين Yasmine ألو hello كريم Karim واش what راك you-are
2.16b yasmin (yaas-MEEN) Yasmine allo (AL-lo) hello karim (ka-REEM) Karim wəš (wesh) what rak (raak) be-NOW.2M.SG
2.17a كريم Karim راني I-am مليح well الحمد the-praise لله to-God وانتي and-you
2.17b karim (ka-REEM) Karim rani (RAA-nee) be-NOW.1SG mliḥ (mleeH) well-M.SG el-ḥamdu (el-HAM-doo) the-praise lillah (lil-LAAH) to-God w-nti (w-NTEE) and-you.F
2.18a ياسمين Yasmine راني I-am مليحة well وين where راك you-are دوركا now
2.18b yasmin (yaas-MEEN) Yasmine rani (RAA-nee) be-NOW.1SG mliḥa (mlee-Ha) well-F.SG win (ween) where rak (raak) be-NOW.2M.SG dorka (DOR-ka) now
2.19a كريم Karim راني I-am في in قسنطينة Constantine عند at جدي my-grandfather
2.19b karim (ka-REEM) Karim rani (RAA-nee) be-NOW.1SG fi (fee) in qsənṭina (qsen-TEE-na) Constantine ʿand (ʿand) at jeddi (ZHED-dee) grandfather-my
2.20a ياسمين Yasmine وجدي and-my-grandfather واش what راه he-is
2.20b yasmin (yaas-MEEN) Yasmine w-jeddi (w-ZHED-dee) and-grandfather-my wəš (wesh) what rah (raah) be-NOW.3M.SG
2.21a كريم Karim راه he-is مليح well بصح but راه he-is تعبان tired شوية a-little
2.21b karim (ka-REEM) Karim rah (raah) be-NOW.3M.SG mliḥ (mleeH) well-M.SG baṣṣaḥ (baS-SaH) but rah (raah) be-NOW.3M.SG taʿban (taʿ-BAAN) tired-M.SG šwiya (SHWEE-ya) a-little
2.22a ياسمين Yasmine البارح yesterday كنت I-was في in الدار the-house مع with ماما Mama كانت she-was تعبانة tired
2.22b yasmin (yaas-MEEN) Yasmine el-bareḥ (el-BAA-reH) the-yesterday kunt (koont) be-PAST.1SG fi (fee) in d-dar (d-DAAR) the-house.F maʿa (maʿa) with mama (MAA-ma) Mama kanət (KAA-net) be-PAST.3F.SG taʿbana (taʿ-BAA-na) tired-F.SG
2.23a كريم Karim واش what بيها in-her
2.23b karim (ka-REEM) Karim wəš (wesh) what biha (BEE-ha) in-her
2.24a ياسمين Yasmine ما NEG بيها in-her والو nothing غير only تعبانة tired شوية a-little
2.24b yasmin (yaas-MEEN) Yasmine ma (ma) NEG biha-š (BEE-hash) in-her-NEG walu (WAA-loo) nothing gher (gher) only taʿbana (taʿ-BAA-na) tired-F.SG šwiya (SHWEE-ya) a-little
2.25a كريم Karim إن if شاء wills الله God تكون she-will-be مليحة well غدوة tomorrow
2.25b karim (ka-REEM) Karim in (in) if šaʾ (shaaʾ) will-PAST.3M.SG llah (llaah) God tkun (t-KOON) be-PRES.3F.SG mliḥa (mlee-Ha) well-F.SG ghodwa (GHOD-wa) tomorrow
2.26a ياسمين Yasmine وانتا and-you وقتاش when تكون you-will-be في in الدار the-house
2.26b yasmin (yaas-MEEN) Yasmine w-nta (w-NTA) and-you.M waqtaš (waq-TAASH) when tkun (t-KOON) be-PRES.2M.SG fi (fee) in d-dar (d-DAAR) the-house.F
2.27a كريم Karim نكون I-will-be في in الدار the-house نهار day السبت the-Saturday
2.27b karim (ka-REEM) Karim nkun (n-KOON) be-PRES.1SG fi (fee) in d-dar (d-DAAR) the-house.F nhar (nhaar) day es-sebt (es-SEBT) the-Saturday
2.28a ياسمين Yasmine مليح good ماما Mama تكون she-will-be فرحانة happy
2.28b yasmin (yaas-MEEN) Yasmine mliḥ (mleeH) good mama (MAA-ma) Mama tkun (t-KOON) be-PRES.3F.SG fərḥana (fer-HAA-na) happy-F.SG
2.29a كريم Karim وانا and-I راني I-am فرحان happy بزاف very باش so-that نشوفكم I-see-you
2.29b karim (ka-REEM) Karim w-ana (WA-na) and-I rani (RAA-nee) be-NOW.1SG fərḥan (fer-HAAN) happy-M.SG bzaf (bzaaf) very baš (baash) so-that nšufkum (n-SHOOF-kum) see-PRES.1SG-you.PL
2.30a ياسمين Yasmine بالسلامة goodbye يا O خويا my-brother وكون and-be عاقل sensible في on الطريق the-road
2.30b yasmin (yaas-MEEN) Yasmine b-es-slama (bes-slaa-MA) with-the-safety ya (ya) VOC khuya (KHOO-ya) brother-my w-kun (w-KOON) and-be-IMP.2M.SG ʿaqəl (ʿAA-qel) sensible fi (fee) in ṭ-ṭriq (T-TREEQ) the-road
2.16 ياسمين: ألو كريم، واش راك؟ (yasmin: allo karim, wəš rak?) "Yasmine: Hello, Karim, how are you?" 2.17 كريم: راني مليح، الحمد لله، وانتي؟ (karim: rani mliḥ, el-ḥamdu lillah, w-nti?) "Karim: I'm well, thank God. And you?" 2.18 ياسمين: راني مليحة. وين راك دوركا؟ (yasmin: rani mliḥa. win rak dorka?) "Yasmine: I'm well. Where are you now?" 2.19 كريم: راني في قسنطينة عند جدي. (karim: rani fi qsənṭina ʿand jeddi) "Karim: I'm in Constantine, at Grandfather's." 2.20 ياسمين: وجدي واش راه؟ (yasmin: w-jeddi wəš rah?) "Yasmine: And how is Grandfather?" 2.21 كريم: راه مليح، بصح راه تعبان شوية. (karim: rah mliḥ, baṣṣaḥ rah taʿban šwiya) "Karim: He's well, but he's a little tired." 2.22 ياسمين: البارح كنت في الدار مع ماما، كانت تعبانة. (yasmin: el-bareḥ kunt fi d-dar maʿa mama, kanət taʿbana) "Yasmine: Yesterday I was at home with Mama; she was tired." 2.23 كريم: واش بيها؟ (karim: wəš biha?) "Karim: What's the matter with her?" 2.24 ياسمين: ما بيهاش والو، غير تعبانة شوية. (yasmin: ma biha-š walu, gher taʿbana šwiya) "Yasmine: Nothing's the matter, she's just a little tired." 2.25 كريم: إن شاء الله تكون مليحة غدوة. (karim: in šaʾ llah tkun mliḥa ghodwa) "Karim: God willing, she'll be well tomorrow." 2.26 ياسمين: وانتا، وقتاش تكون في الدار؟ (yasmin: w-nta, waqtaš tkun fi d-dar?) "Yasmine: And you, when will you be home?" 2.27 كريم: نكون في الدار نهار السبت. (karim: nkun fi d-dar nhar es-sebt) "Karim: I'll be home on Saturday." 2.28 ياسمين: مليح، ماما تكون فرحانة. (yasmin: mliḥ, mama tkun fərḥana) "Yasmine: Good, Mama will be happy." 2.29 كريم: وانا راني فرحان بزاف باش نشوفكم. (karim: w-ana rani fərḥan bzaf baš nšufkum) "Karim: And I'm very happy to see you all." 2.30 ياسمين: بالسلامة يا خويا، وكون عاقل في الطريق. (yasmin: b-es-slama ya khuya, w-kun ʿaqəl fi ṭ-ṭriq) "Yasmine: Goodbye, brother, and be sensible on the road."
2.16 ياسمين: ألو كريم، واش راك؟ 2.17 كريم: راني مليح، الحمد لله، وانتي؟ 2.18 ياسمين: راني مليحة. وين راك دوركا؟ 2.19 كريم: راني في قسنطينة عند جدي. 2.20 ياسمين: وجدي واش راه؟ 2.21 كريم: راه مليح، بصح راه تعبان شوية. 2.22 ياسمين: البارح كنت في الدار مع ماما، كانت تعبانة. 2.23 كريم: واش بيها؟ 2.24 ياسمين: ما بيهاش والو، غير تعبانة شوية. 2.25 كريم: إن شاء الله تكون مليحة غدوة. 2.26 ياسمين: وانتا، وقتاش تكون في الدار؟ 2.27 كريم: نكون في الدار نهار السبت. 2.28 ياسمين: مليح، ماما تكون فرحانة. 2.29 كريم: وانا راني فرحان بزاف باش نشوفكم. 2.30 ياسمين: بالسلامة يا خويا، وكون عاقل في الطريق.
واش راك (2.16, 2.20). A question with واش and the راني series asks about someone's state: واش راك, "how are you," واش راه, "how is he." The answer repeats the series with an adjective: راني مليح (2.17), راه مليح (2.21). The adjective agrees with the person: Yasmine says مليحة (2.18), Karim says مليح.
وين راك (2.18). وين (win), "where," with the series asks for a location: وين راك؟; the answer is راني في قسنطينة (2.19). عند (ʿand) with a person means "at the house of": عند جدي, "at my grandfather's."
A present state and the past (2.21, 2.22). راه تعبان (rah taʿban) says how he is at the moment. The past كانت تعبانة (kanət taʿbana), "she was tired," has the same adjective, now feminine for Mama, after كانت. Compare Yasmine's own past in the same sentence: كنت في الدار, "I was at home."
واش بيها؟ (2.23, 2.24). The preposition ب (bi-), "in, with," plus the pronoun ending: واش بيها؟, literally "what in her?", "what is the matter with her?" There is no verb. The answer ما بيهاش والو puts ما...ش around the preposition and its ending: "there is nothing in her." The poem of Section F uses the same preposition in بيا ما بيا.
The future with تكون / نكون (2.25–2.28). Karim and Yasmine speak of tomorrow and Saturday with the present stem: تكون مليحة (tkun mliḥa, she will be well), نكون في الدار (nkun fi d-dar, I will be at home), ماما تكون فرحانة (mama tkun fərḥana, Mama will be happy). The prefix t- marks "she" (2.25, 2.28) and "you" (2.26), and n- marks "I" (2.27). Context tells which is meant. وقتاش (waqtaš), "when," opens the question in 2.26.
إن شاء الله (2.25). Literally "if God wills." In this phrase the verb شاء is the Standard Arabic past of "will," not a Darja form, and it is learned as one block.
باش (2.29). باش (baš) before a verb in the present means "so that, in order to": فرحان باش نشوفكم, "happy to see you (all)." The verb is the plain present with نشوفكم (nšufkum), "I see you (PL)."
The imperative كون (2.30). كون (kun), "be," is written with a و that carries the long u. In وكون the first و is the conjunction "and," joined to the word.
بالسلامة (2.30). ب + السلامة, "with the safety," is the farewell to a person leaving; the sun letter س swallows the l of the article, so the spelling has ال but the sound is bes-slama.
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كان (kan) — IPA: /kaːn/ — The vowel is long: "kaan." كنت (kunt) — IPA: /kunt/ — A short u and a closing cluster -nt. Compare كانت (kanət), /kaːnət/, "she was," with a long first vowel and a weak schwa before the final t. نكون (nkun) — IPA: /nkuːn/ — The first syllable has no vowel of its own: n-KOON. The long u is the و. راني (rani) — IPA: /raːni/ — The first vowel is long. The same long a is in راك (rak), /raːk/, and راه (rah), /raːh/; the h of راه is breathed out. كاين (kayən) — IPA: /kaːjən/ — Long a, then a y-glide, then a weak vowel: KAA-yen. ماكانش (ma-kanš) — IPA: /maːkaːnʃ/ — The final -š is a long sh, with no vowel after it. ماشي (maši) — IPA: /maːʃi/ — Two syllables, stress on the first: MAA-shee. واش (wəš) — IPA: /wəʃ/ — A quick "wesh." وين (win) — IPA: /wiːn/ — "ween." تعبان (taʿban) — IPA: /taʕbaːn/ — ع (ʕ) is a squeeze made low in the throat; it is a consonant and must be heard between the a's. قسنطينة (qsənṭina) — IPA: /qsənˈtˤiːna/ — ق is a q, made far back in the throat; the ط is emphatic. بصح (baṣṣaḥ) — IPA: /basˤsˤaħ/ — ص is an emphatic s and is held twice as long; ح is a whispered, throaty h. غدوة (ghodwa) — IPA: /ɣodwa/ — غ is a gargled r from the back of the throat. إن شاء الله (in šaʾ llah) — IPA: /inʃaːʔ lːaːh/ — The ʾ is a light stop between the two vowels of شاء. In ordinary speech the phrase is run together. Vowel length: long vowels (aa, ee, oo in the respellings) are held about twice as long as short ones, and length can change meaning: كنت (kunt, "I was") and كانت (kanət, "she was") differ in the vowel of the first syllable as well as in the spelling.
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