For autodidact students of Algerian Arabic, the third word on the frequency list is "and," and, like "the" in Lesson 1, it is not a separate word at all. It is a single letter, و (the letter waw), written against the front of the word it introduces: خبز (khobz) is "bread," حليب (ḥlib) is "milk," and خبز وحليب (khobz w-ḥlib) is "bread and milk." In this course it is romanised w-, with a hyphen, so that you can always see where the little word ends and the big word begins.
The same word, in the same letter, is the Hebrew ve- (ו) and the Standard Arabic wa-. In Algerian Arabic its vowel has all but disappeared. Before a word that begins with a vowel it is a clear w: وانا (w-ana), "and I." Before a consonant it is a w with a very faint vowel, and in quick speech, between two consonants, many speakers let it be heard as a short u: khobz-u-ḥlib. This course writes w- throughout and leaves the speed to you.
Three things make Darja "and" different from the English word.
First, it comes back. English says "bread, milk and potatoes," with one "and" at the end. Darja readily puts w- before every item after the first: الخبز والحليب والبطاطا (el-khobz w-el-ḥlib w-el-baṭaṭa), word for word "the-bread and-the-milk and-the-potatoes." The same happens with verbs: شريت وروحت (šrit w-rawwaḥt), "I bought and went home," where the "I" is not repeated, because each verb carries its own ending.
Second, it does the work of "but". When two statements pull against each other, Darja does not need a second word: عندي خبز وماعنديش حليب (ʿandi khobz w-ma-ʿandi-š ḥlib) is "I have bread and I have no milk," and English will say "but." The negative word after the w- does the contrasting.
Third, it joins subjects, and the verb counts them. If you say أنا وخويا (ana w-khuya), "my brother and I," the verb that follows is "we": أنا وخويا نروحو (ana w-khuya nruḥu), "my brother and I go," literally "I and-my-brother we-go."
W- also has smaller jobs. In front of a pronoun it makes "and I," "and you," and is the usual way of returning a question: وانتا؟ (w-nta?), "and you?" Before a verb, joined to the pronoun هو (huwa), it says "while": شفتو وهو يخدم (šəftu w-huwa yəkhdəm), "I saw him while he was working." And in front of الله (allah) it is the oath "by God": والله (w-allah), "by God, I swear."
Script note: و is one of the six Arabic letters that join only to the letter before them and never to the one after (ا د ذ ر ز و). That is why the word after a w- keeps its own shape: in وحليب the و stands on its own and the ح that follows begins afresh, with no stroke running over to it. It also means that not every initial و is "and": the و of واش (wəš, "what"), وين (win, "where"), وقتاش (waqtaš, "when"), والو (walu, "nothing"), وهران (wahran, "Oran") and وحدي (waḥdi, "alone") belongs to the word itself. If the word without the و is still a word, the و is probably "and" (حليب in وحليب); if not (اش, ين), it is not.
Key Takeaways: - و (w-): "and." One letter, written against the front of the next word, never alone; romanised w- - Joins nouns, adjectives, verbs and whole clauses: خبز وحليب (khobz w-ḥlib), الدار كبيرة وجديدة (ed-dar kbira w-jdida) - Comes back in a list: الخبز والحليب والبطاطا (el-khobz w-el-ḥlib w-el-baṭaṭa) - Before the article: والحليب (w-el-ḥlib); before a pronoun: وانا، وانتا، وهو (w-ana, w-nta, w-huwa) - Often means "but" when two statements contrast: عندي خبز وماعنديش حليب - A compound subject takes the plural verb: أنا وخويا نروحو (ana w-khuya nruḥu), "my brother and I go" - W- + هو / هي + verb: "while he / she": شفتو وهو يخدم - والله (w-allah): "by God," the oath - Not every initial و is "and": واش، وين، وقتاش، والو، وحدي begin with a root و
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3.1a خبز bread وحليب and-milk
3.1b khobz (khobz) bread w-ḥlib (w-HLEEB) and-milk
3.2a أنا I وانتا and-you في in الدار the-house
3.2b ana (A-na) I w-nta (w-NTA) and-you.M.SG fi (fee) in d-dar (d-DAAR) the-house.F
3.3a كريم Karim وياسمين and-Yasmine هنا here
3.3b karim (ka-REEM) Karim w-yasmin (w-yaas-MEEN) and-Yasmine hna (hna) here
3.4a الدار the-house كبيرة big وجديدة and-new
3.4b ed-dar (ed-DAAR) the-house.F kbira (KBEE-ra) big-F.SG w-jdida (w-JDEE-da) and-new-F.SG
3.5a ماما Mama وبابا and-Papa تعبانين tired
3.5b mama (MAA-ma) Mama w-baba (w-BAA-ba) and-Papa taʿbanin (taʿ-baa-NEEN) tired-PL
3.6a غدوة tomorrow نشري I-buy الخبز the-bread والحليب and-the-milk والبطاطا and-the-potatoes
3.6b ghodwa (GHOD-wa) tomorrow nəšri (n-SHREE) buy-PRES.1SG el-khobz (el-KHOBZ) the-bread w-el-ḥlib (wel-HLEEB) and-the-milk w-el-baṭaṭa (wel-ba-TAA-ta) and-the-potatoes
3.7a خويا my-brother وختي and-my-sister راهم they-are في in وهران Oran
3.7b khuya (KHOO-ya) brother-my w-khti (w-KHTEE) and-sister-my rahum (RAA-hoom) be-NOW.3PL fi (fee) in wahran (wah-RAAN) Oran
3.8a غدوة tomorrow أنا I وخويا and-my-brother نروحو we-go للسوق to-the-market
3.8b ghodwa (GHOD-wa) tomorrow ana (A-na) I w-khuya (w-KHOO-ya) and-brother-my nruḥu (n-ROO-hoo) go-PRES.1PL l-es-suq (les-SOOQ) to-the-market
3.9a اليوم today عندي I-have خبز bread وماعنديش and-I-have-not حليب milk
3.9b el-yum (el-YOOM) the-day ʿandi (ʿAN-dee) at-me khobz (khobz) bread w-ma-ʿandi-š (w-ma-ʿan-DEESH) and-NEG-at-me-NEG ḥlib (HLEEB) milk
3.10a الطقس the-weather كان was مليح good البارح yesterday وماشي and-not مليح good اليوم today
3.10b 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 w-maši (w-MAA-shee) and-NEG mliḥ (mleeH) good-M.SG el-yum (el-YOOM) the-day
3.11a شريت I-bought الخبز the-bread والحليب and-the-milk من from الحانوت the-shop وروحت and-I-went-home للدار to-the-house
3.11b šrit (SHREET) buy-PAST.1SG el-khobz (el-KHOBZ) the-bread w-el-ḥlib (wel-HLEEB) and-the-milk mən (men) from l-ḥanut (l-haa-NOOT) the-shop w-rawwaḥt (w-raw-WAHT) and-go.home-PAST.1SG l-ed-dar (led-DAAR) to-the-house.F
3.12a البارح yesterday شفتو I-saw-him وهو and-he يخدم works في in الحانوت the-shop
3.12b el-bareḥ (el-BAA-reH) the-yesterday šəftu (shef-TOO) see-PAST.1SG-him w-huwa (w-HOO-wa) and-he yəkhdəm (yekh-DEM) work-PRES.3M.SG fi (fee) in l-ḥanut (l-haa-NOOT) the-shop
3.13a اليوم today ماكليتش I-ate-not خبز bread ولا or لحم meat كليت I-ate غير only الحمص the-chickpeas
3.13b el-yum (el-YOOM) the-day ma-klit-š (ma-KLEETSH) NEG-eat-PAST.1SG-NEG khobz (khobz) bread wella (WEL-la) or lḥəm (lhem) meat klit (KLEET) eat-PAST.1SG gher (gher) only el-ḥəmmeṣ (el-HEM-meS) the-chickpeas
3.14a والله by-God مانعرفش I-know-not وين where راه he-is وماشفتوش and-I-saw-him-not البارح yesterday
3.14b w-allah (wal-LAAH) by-God.OATH ma-nʿarf-š (ma-nʿarf-SH) NEG-know-PRES.1SG-NEG win (ween) where rah (raah) be-NOW.3M.SG w-ma-šəftu-š (w-ma-shef-TOOSH) and-NEG-see-PAST.1SG-him-NEG el-bareḥ (el-BAA-reH) the-yesterday
3.15a إيلا if كان was الطقس the-weather مليح good نروحو we-go للبحر to-the-sea ونشوفو and-we-see خويا my-brother
3.15b 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 w-nšufu (w-n-SHOO-foo) and-see-PRES.1PL khuya (KHOO-ya) brother-my
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3.1 خبز وحليب. (khobz w-ḥlib) "Bread and milk." 3.2 أنا وانتا في الدار. (ana w-nta fi d-dar) "You and I are in the house." 3.3 كريم وياسمين هنا. (karim w-yasmin hna) "Karim and Yasmine are here." 3.4 الدار كبيرة وجديدة. (ed-dar kbira w-jdida) "The house is big and new." 3.5 ماما وبابا تعبانين. (mama w-baba taʿbanin) "Mama and Papa are tired." 3.6 غدوة نشري الخبز والحليب والبطاطا. (ghodwa nəšri el-khobz w-el-ḥlib w-el-baṭaṭa) "Tomorrow I'll buy bread, milk and potatoes." 3.7 خويا وختي راهم في وهران. (khuya w-khti rahum fi wahran) "My brother and my sister are in Oran." 3.8 غدوة أنا وخويا نروحو للسوق. (ghodwa ana w-khuya nruḥu l-es-suq) "Tomorrow my brother and I are going to the market." 3.9 اليوم عندي خبز وماعنديش حليب. (el-yum ʿandi khobz w-ma-ʿandi-š ḥlib) "Today I have bread, but I have no milk." 3.10 الطقس كان مليح البارح وماشي مليح اليوم. (eṭ-ṭəqs kan mliḥ el-bareḥ w-maši mliḥ el-yum) "The weather was good yesterday, but it is not good today." 3.11 شريت الخبز والحليب من الحانوت وروحت للدار. (šrit el-khobz w-el-ḥlib mən l-ḥanut w-rawwaḥt l-ed-dar) "I bought the bread and the milk at the shop and went home." 3.12 البارح شفتو وهو يخدم في الحانوت. (el-bareḥ šəftu w-huwa yəkhdəm fi l-ḥanut) "Yesterday I saw him while he was working at the shop." 3.13 اليوم ماكليتش خبز ولا لحم كليت غير الحمص. (el-yum ma-klit-š khobz wella lḥəm klit gher el-ḥəmmeṣ) "Today I ate neither bread nor meat; I ate only chickpeas." 3.14 والله مانعرفش وين راه وماشفتوش البارح. (w-allah ma-nʿarf-š win rah w-ma-šəftu-š el-bareḥ) "By God, I don't know where he is, and I didn't see him yesterday." 3.15 إيلا كان الطقس مليح نروحو للبحر ونشوفو خويا. (ila kan eṭ-ṭəqs mliḥ nruḥu l-el-baḥr w-nšufu khuya) "If the weather is good, we'll go to the sea and see my brother."
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3.1 خبز وحليب. 3.2 أنا وانتا في الدار. 3.3 كريم وياسمين هنا. 3.4 الدار كبيرة وجديدة. 3.5 ماما وبابا تعبانين. 3.6 غدوة نشري الخبز والحليب والبطاطا. 3.7 خويا وختي راهم في وهران. 3.8 غدوة أنا وخويا نروحو للسوق. 3.9 اليوم عندي خبز وماعنديش حليب. 3.10 الطقس كان مليح البارح وماشي مليح اليوم. 3.11 شريت الخبز والحليب من الحانوت وروحت للدار. 3.12 البارح شفتو وهو يخدم في الحانوت. 3.13 اليوم ماكليتش خبز ولا لحم كليت غير الحمص. 3.14 والله مانعرفش وين راه وماشفتوش البارح. 3.15 إيلا كان الطقس مليح نروحو للبحر ونشوفو خويا.
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These are the grammar rules for و (w-), "and."
Form and spelling (3.1–3.5). و is written against the front of the word that follows, with no space: خبز وحليب, not *خبز و حليب (a space is common in quick typing, but it is not the standard spelling). It does not change for gender, number or person. It is the same in خبز وحليب, الدار كبيرة وجديدة and أنا وخويا. In the romanisation of this course it is always w-, joined by a hyphen.
Joining words of one kind (3.1, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.7). Nouns (خبز وحليب), names (كريم وياسمين), adjectives (كبيرة وجديدة) and family words (خويا وختي) are joined by w-. The words joined agree with the word they describe: كبيرة وجديدة are both feminine because الدار is feminine.
A compound subject takes a plural predicate (3.5, 3.7, 3.8). Two people joined by w- are "they": ماما وبابا تعبانين, "Mama and Papa are tired," with the plural adjective تعبانين (taʿbanin), and خويا وختي راهم, with the plural "they are" (rahum). When "I" is one of the two, the verb is "we": أنا وخويا نروحو, with the ending -u of the first person plural (nruḥu). The pronoun أنا is often said and the verb still shows "we."
The independent pronouns with w- (3.2, 3.12, 3.14). The pronouns take w- in front: وانا (w-ana, and I), وانتا (w-nta, and you M), وانتي (w-nti, and you F), وهو (w-huwa), وهي (w-hiya), وحنا (w-ḥna), ونتوما (w-ntuma), وهوما (w-huma). The most common use is the return question: واش راك؟ ... وانتا؟, "How are you? ... And you?"
With the article (3.6, 3.11). W- stands before the article: والحليب (w-el-ḥlib). As always, the spelling keeps ال and the sound follows the sun and moon letters: والبطاطا is w-el-baṭaṭa but والشمس is w-eš-šəms.
In a list (3.6). Each item after the first usually has its own w-: الخبز والحليب والبطاطا. The list "A, B and C" is therefore said "A w-B w-C." A list with a single w- before the last item is also heard, but the repeated form is the one to copy.
Joining verbs (3.11, 3.15). Two verbs with the same subject are joined by w-, and each carries its own ending: شريت ... وروحت, "I bought ... and went home." The English subject, said once, is repeated in the verb ending. The verb روح (rawwaḥ, "to go home") is a standard Darja verb that includes the meaning "home."
"And" for "but" (3.9, 3.10). Where two statements contrast, Darja puts w- and a negative: عندي خبز وماعنديش حليب; الطقس كان مليح البارح وماشي مليح اليوم. English chooses "but"; Darja leaves the contrast to the negative word (ماعنديش, ماشي). A w- that comes before a negative in this way can always be translated "and ... not" first, and then "but."
W- + pronoun + present verb: "while" (3.12). The pronoun after w- is followed by a present-tense verb and says what was happening at the time: شفتو وهو يخدم, "I saw him while he was working." The pronoun agrees with the person who is working: وهي for a woman.
ولا (wella), "or" and "nor" (3.13). The word ولا is a different word that begins with و: it is "or," and after a negative verb it is "nor": ماكليتش خبز ولا لحم, "I ate neither bread nor meat." Do not read it as w- + لا.
The oath والله (3.14). والله (w-allah) is the و of swearing joined to الله: "by God." It is common in everyday speech, where it means "I swear" or simply "honestly," and it is not rude; it belongs to speech and to informal writing.
Negation with ما ... ش (3.9, 3.13, 3.14). The negative wraps the verb: ماعنديش, ماكليتش, مانعرفش, ماشفتوش. After a w- the ما stays in front of the verb: وماشفتوش (w-ma-šəftu-š). The same ما ... ش is in ماكانش in Lessons 1 and 2.
Other uses (not in the examples). W- also joins numbers: واحد وعشرين (waḥəd w-ʿašrin), "twenty-one," where the unit comes first; and with clock times: الساعة وحدة ونص (es-saʿa waḥda w-nəṣṣ), "half past one," literally "the hour one and half." (See the Genre Section, 3.25.)
Common Mistakes: - Using w- for "with": *رحت وخويا. "I went with my brother" is رحت مع خويا (rəḥt maʿa khuya), with مع; w- joins equals, it does not accompany - Dropping w- from the middle of a list: *الخبز الحليب والبطاطا, in imitation of the English comma - Reading a root و as "and": واش is "what," not *و + اش - Leaving the verb singular after a compound subject: *أنا وخويا نروح. Say نروحو - Reading ولا as "and": ولا is "or" - Writing a ligature from و to the next letter: و never joins forward
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The commonest و in Algeria is in a greeting. السلام عليكم (es-salamu ʿalaykum), "peace be upon you," is answered وعليكم السلام (w-ʿalaykum es-salam), literally "and upon you peace." The reply begins with w- because it takes up the greeting and returns it: "and upon you." A visitor who learns one use of w- first should learn this one.
Questions come back with w- as well. After واش راك؟ (wəš rak?), the answer is not complete until it is returned: راني مليح، الحمد لله، وانتا؟ (rani mliḥ, el-ḥamdu lillah, w-nta?), "I'm well, thank God, and you?" Leaving the question unreturned sounds curt. Lesson 2's dialogue does it in 2.17, with وانتي؟ (w-nti?).
Half-hours are told with w-: الساعة وحدة ونص (es-saʿa waḥda w-nəṣṣ), "half past one," literally "the hour one and half." The hour comes first and "and half" is added to it. Many Algerians also tell the time in French, and the two ways are heard side by side.
The oath والله (w-allah) is heard many times a day and often means no more than "really." In messages written in Latin letters, the conjunction is often just a plain w (khobz w ḥlib), or ou after French spelling.
Lastly, "and" shapes the proverbs. Algerian proverbs love balance, two halves joined by w-: "do good and forget it, and do evil and remember it." Section F gives four of them.
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أمثال جزائرية (Algerian proverbs) — four traditional proverbs, anonymous
The conjunction is at home in the proverb, where a saying is built from two halves of equal weight. The four proverbs below are traditional and anonymous. They are printed in popular collections, online and in books, in several spellings; the wording here is the one found in at least two of those collections, and the variants are listed in F-D. They have not been checked in Mohammed Ben Cheneb's Proverbes arabes de l'Algérie et du Maghreb (1905–1907), the scholarly collection, which could not be consulted in the course of this lesson, so the spelling is that of the modern printed versions.
دير الخير وانساه ودير الشر واتفكره يفنى مال الجدين وتبقى حرفة اليدين كول اللي يعجبك والبس اللي يعجب الناس لسانك إذا صنته صانك وإذا خنته خانك
F-A: Interlinear
F.1a دير do الخير the-good وانساه and-forget-it ودير and-do الشر the-evil واتفكره and-remember-it
F.1b dir (deer) do-IMP.M.SG el-khir (el-KHEER) the-good w-nsah (w-NSAAH) and-forget-IMP.M.SG-it w-dir (w-DEER) and-do-IMP.M.SG eš-šərr (esh-SHERR) the-evil w-tfəkkru (w-tfek-KROO) and-remember-IMP.M.SG-it
F.2a يفنى passes-away مال wealth-of الجدين the-grandfathers وتبقى and-remains حرفة craft-of اليدين the-hands
F.2b yəfna (YEF-na) pass.away-PRES.3M.SG mal (maal) wealth-of el-jəddin (el-jed-DEEN) the-grandfather.DU w-təbqa (w-TEB-qa) and-remain-PRES.3F.SG ḥərfət (HER-fet) craft-of el-yəddin (el-yed-DEEN) the-hand.DU
F.3a كول eat اللي what يعجبك pleases-you والبس and-wear اللي what يعجب pleases الناس the-people
F.3b kul (kool) eat-IMP.M.SG lli (llee) REL yəʿjəbək (yeʿ-je-BEK) please-PRES.3M.SG-you w-lbəs (w-LBES) and-wear-IMP.M.SG lli (llee) REL yəʿjəb (yeʿ-JEB) please-PRES.3M.SG en-nas (en-NAAS) the-people
F.4a لسانك your-tongue إذا if صنته you-guard-it صانك it-guards-you وإذا and-if خنته you-betray-it خانك it-betrays-you
F.4b lsanək (l-saa-NEK) tongue-your ida (EE-da) if ṣuntu (SOON-too) guard-PAST.2M.SG-it ṣanək (SAA-nek) guard-PAST.3M.SG-you w-ida (w-EE-da) and-if khuntu (KHOON-too) betray-PAST.2M.SG-it khanək (KHAA-nek) betray-PAST.3M.SG-you
F-B: Original and Translation
دير الخير وانساه ودير الشر واتفكره / يفنى مال الجدين وتبقى حرفة اليدين / كول اللي يعجبك والبس اللي يعجب الناس / لسانك إذا صنته صانك وإذا خنته خانك
"Do good and forget it, and do evil and remember it. / The wealth of the grandfathers passes away, but the craft of the hands remains. / Eat what pleases you, and wear what pleases the people. / Guard your tongue and it guards you; betray it and it betrays you." (Translation: Latinum Institute.)
F-C: Original
دير الخير وانساه ودير الشر واتفكره يفنى مال الجدين وتبقى حرفة اليدين كول اللي يعجبك والبس اللي يعجب الناس لسانك إذا صنته صانك وإذا خنته خانك
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
F.1. Four commands in two pairs, with a w- before each of the last three. The word وانساه (w-nsah) is w- + نسا (nsa, "forget") + the ending -h, "it," so one written word contains "and ... forget ... it." The second pair, ودير الشر واتفكره, repeats the first with the opposite object, and the w- before the whole second pair sets the two halves side by side. It is the repeated w- of a list (Section D), here a list of commands and not of nouns. The verb دير (dir, "do, make") is the imperative of the common Darja verb dar, ydir.
F.2. The first half is about what the grandfathers leave and the second about what the hands can do. The w- here does the work of "but": the two halves are opposites, and Darja gives them no other joint. The forms الجدين (el-jəddin) and اليدين (el-yəddin) end in the dual -in, "the two grandfathers" (probably those on both sides of the family, so inherited wealth) and "the two hands." يفنى and تبقى are spelled with the final ى of the Standard language, and the proverb has kept something of the Standard Arabic verb forms, as proverbs often do.
F.3. Two commands joined by w-: كول (kul, "eat") and البس (lbəs, "wear"). The relative اللي (lli) is the word you saw in Lesson 1 (1.9). The pairing is of two opposites: food is chosen for oneself (what pleases you), clothes for others (what pleases the people).
F.4. The longest, and the only one with a condition: w- joins two whole "if" clauses, the second being وإذا خنته خانك (w-ida khuntu khanək), "and if you betray it, it betrays you." Both clauses have the pattern "if you do X to it, it does X to you." The proverb keeps the Standard إذا (ida) and not the spoken إيلا (ila) of Lesson 2. A shorter version is printed in some collections: لسانك صنتو صانك خنتو خانك, with no "if" and no w-, and with the ending "it" written -و (-u) in place of -ه.
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Yasmine's mother tells her what to buy for the Friday couscous. They list the food, say who will go to the shop and when, and return each other's questions, and nearly every line uses w-.
3.16a ماما Mama ياسمين Yasmine نهار day الجمعة the-Friday نديرو we-make الكسكسي the-couscous وعمك and-your-uncle يجي comes عندنا at-us
3.16b mama (MAA-ma) Mama yasmin (yaas-MEEN) Yasmine nhar (nhaar) day ej-jumʿa (ej-JOOM-ʿa) the-Friday ndiru (n-DEE-roo) make-PRES.1PL el-kesksi (el-KES-ksee) the-couscous w-ʿammək (w-ʿam-MEK) and-uncle-your yji (yjee) come-PRES.3M.SG ʿandna (ʿand-NA) at-us
3.17a ياسمين Yasmine مليح good يا O ماما Mama واش what نشري I-buy
3.17b yasmin (yaas-MEEN) Yasmine mliḥ (mleeH) good ya (ya) VOC mama (MAA-ma) Mama wəš (wesh) what nəšri (n-SHREE) buy-PRES.1SG
3.18a ماما Mama اللحم the-meat والجزر and-the-carrots والحمص and-the-chickpeas
3.18b mama (MAA-ma) Mama el-lḥəm (el-LHEM) the-meat w-el-jzar (wel-JZAAR) and-the-carrots w-el-ḥəmmeṣ (wel-HEM-meS) and-the-chickpeas
3.19a ياسمين Yasmine والخبز and-the-bread والحليب and-the-milk
3.19b yasmin (yaas-MEEN) Yasmine w-el-khobz (wel-KHOBZ) and-the-bread w-el-ḥlib (wel-HLEEB) and-the-milk
3.20a ماما Mama الخبز the-bread كاين there-is والحليب and-the-milk ماكانش there-is-not
3.20b mama (MAA-ma) Mama el-khobz (el-KHOBZ) the-bread kayən (KAA-yen) there-is.M w-el-ḥlib (wel-HLEEB) and-the-milk ma-kanš (ma-KAANSH) NEG-be-NEG
3.21a ياسمين Yasmine نروحو we-go أنا I وكريم and-Karim للحانوت to-the-shop
3.21b yasmin (yaas-MEEN) Yasmine nruḥu (n-ROO-hoo) go-PRES.1PL ana (A-na) I w-karim (w-ka-REEM) and-Karim l-el-ḥanut (lel-haa-NOOT) to-the-shop
3.22a ماما Mama لا no كريم Karim تعبان tired وراقد and-asleep دوركا now
3.22b mama (MAA-ma) Mama la (la) no karim (ka-REEM) Karim taʿban (taʿ-BAAN) tired-M.SG w-raqəd (w-RAA-qed) and-asleep-M.SG dorka (DOR-ka) now
3.23a ياسمين Yasmine مليح good نروح I-go وحدي alone
3.23b yasmin (yaas-MEEN) Yasmine mliḥ (mleeH) good nruḥ (n-ROOH) go-PRES.1SG waḥdi (WAH-dee) alone-my
3.24a ماما Mama خوذي take الدراهم the-money وما and-NEG تنسيش you-forget الكيس the-bag
3.24b mama (MAA-ma) Mama khudi (KHOO-dee) take-IMP.F.SG ed-draham (ed-draa-HAM) the-money.PL w-ma (w-ma) and-NEG tənsi-š (ten-SEESH) forget-PRES.2SG-NEG el-kis (el-KEES) the-bag
3.25a ماما Mama الكسكسي the-couscous يكون it-will-be جاهز ready الساعة the-hour وحدة one ونص and-half
3.25b mama (MAA-ma) Mama el-kesksi (el-KES-ksee) the-couscous ykun (y-KOON) be-PRES.3M.SG jahəz (JAA-hez) ready-M.SG es-saʿa (es-SAA-ʿa) the-hour.F waḥda (WAH-da) one-F w-nəṣṣ (w-NESS) and-half
3.26a ياسمين Yasmine مليح good يا O ماما Mama نروح I-go ونرجع and-I-return بكري early
3.26b yasmin (yaas-MEEN) Yasmine mliḥ (mleeH) good ya (ya) VOC mama (MAA-ma) Mama nruḥ (n-ROOH) go-PRES.1SG w-nərjəʿ (w-ner-JEʿ) and-return-PRES.1SG bəkri (BEK-ree) early
3.27a ماما Mama الله God يسلمك keeps-you-safe ويعطيك and-gives-you الصحة the-health يا O بنتي my-daughter
3.27b mama (MAA-ma) Mama allah (al-LAAH) God ysəlmək (ysel-MEK) keep.safe-PRES.3M.SG-you w-yaʿṭik (w-yaʿ-TEEK) and-give-PRES.3M.SG-you eṣ-ṣaḥḥa (eS-SAH-ha) the-health ya (ya) VOC benti (BEN-tee) daughter-my
3.28a ياسمين Yasmine وانتي and-you يا O ماما Mama واش what راكي you-are
3.28b yasmin (yaas-MEEN) Yasmine w-nti (w-NTEE) and-you.F ya (ya) VOC mama (MAA-ma) Mama wəš (wesh) what raki (RAA-kee) be-NOW.2F.SG
3.29a ماما Mama راني I-am مليحة well الحمد the-praise لله to-God وحنا and-we نكونو we-will-be في in الدار the-house
3.29b mama (MAA-ma) Mama rani (RAA-nee) be-NOW.1SG mliḥa (mlee-Ha) well-F.SG el-ḥamdu (el-HAM-doo) the-praise lillah (lil-LAAH) to-God w-ḥna (w-HNA) and-we nkunu (n-KOO-noo) be-PRES.1PL fi (fee) in d-dar (d-DAAR) the-house.F
3.30a ياسمين Yasmine بالسلامة goodbye يا O ماما Mama وسلمي and-greet على on كريم Karim
3.30b yasmin (yaas-MEEN) Yasmine b-es-slama (bes-slaa-MA) with-the-safety ya (ya) VOC mama (MAA-ma) Mama w-səllmi (w-sell-MEE) and-greet-IMP.F.SG ʿla (ʿla) on karim (ka-REEM) Karim
3.16 ماما: ياسمين، نهار الجمعة نديرو الكسكسي وعمك يجي عندنا. (mama: yasmin, nhar ej-jumʿa ndiru el-kesksi w-ʿammək yji ʿandna) "Mama: Yasmine, on Friday we're making couscous, and your uncle is coming to us." 3.17 ياسمين: مليح يا ماما، واش نشري؟ (yasmin: mliḥ ya mama, wəš nəšri?) "Yasmine: Good, Mama. What shall I buy?" 3.18 ماما: اللحم والجزر والحمص. (mama: el-lḥəm w-el-jzar w-el-ḥəmmeṣ) "Mama: The meat, the carrots and the chickpeas." 3.19 ياسمين: والخبز والحليب؟ (yasmin: w-el-khobz w-el-ḥlib?) "Yasmine: And the bread and the milk?" 3.20 ماما: الخبز كاين والحليب ماكانش. (mama: el-khobz kayən w-el-ḥlib ma-kanš) "Mama: There is bread, but there is no milk." 3.21 ياسمين: نروحو أنا وكريم للحانوت؟ (yasmin: nruḥu ana w-karim l-el-ḥanut?) "Yasmine: Shall Karim and I go to the shop?" 3.22 ماما: لا، كريم تعبان وراقد دوركا. (mama: la, karim taʿban w-raqəd dorka) "Mama: No, Karim is tired and asleep now." 3.23 ياسمين: مليح، نروح وحدي. (yasmin: mliḥ, nruḥ waḥdi) "Yasmine: Fine, I'll go by myself." 3.24 ماما: خوذي الدراهم وما تنسيش الكيس. (mama: khudi ed-draham w-ma tənsi-š el-kis) "Mama: Take the money, and don't forget the bag." 3.25 ماما: الكسكسي يكون جاهز الساعة وحدة ونص. (mama: el-kesksi ykun jahəz es-saʿa waḥda w-nəṣṣ) "Mama: The couscous will be ready at half past one." 3.26 ياسمين: مليح يا ماما، نروح ونرجع بكري. (yasmin: mliḥ ya mama, nruḥ w-nərjəʿ bəkri) "Yasmine: Good, Mama. I'll go and come back early." 3.27 ماما: الله يسلمك ويعطيك الصحة يا بنتي. (mama: allah ysəlmək w-yaʿṭik eṣ-ṣaḥḥa ya benti) "Mama: God keep you and give you health, my girl." 3.28 ياسمين: وانتي يا ماما، واش راكي؟ (yasmin: w-nti ya mama, wəš raki?) "Yasmine: And you, Mama, how are you?" 3.29 ماما: راني مليحة، الحمد لله، وحنا نكونو في الدار. (mama: rani mliḥa, el-ḥamdu lillah, w-ḥna nkunu fi d-dar) "Mama: I'm well, thank God, and we'll be at home." 3.30 ياسمين: بالسلامة يا ماما، وسلمي على كريم. (yasmin: b-es-slama ya mama, w-səllmi ʿla karim) "Yasmine: Goodbye, Mama, and give Karim my regards."
3.16 ماما: ياسمين، نهار الجمعة نديرو الكسكسي وعمك يجي عندنا. 3.17 ياسمين: مليح يا ماما، واش نشري؟ 3.18 ماما: اللحم والجزر والحمص. 3.19 ياسمين: والخبز والحليب؟ 3.20 ماما: الخبز كاين والحليب ماكانش. 3.21 ياسمين: نروحو أنا وكريم للحانوت؟ 3.22 ماما: لا، كريم تعبان وراقد دوركا. 3.23 ياسمين: مليح، نروح وحدي. 3.24 ماما: خوذي الدراهم وما تنسيش الكيس. 3.25 ماما: الكسكسي يكون جاهز الساعة وحدة ونص. 3.26 ياسمين: مليح يا ماما، نروح ونرجع بكري. 3.27 ماما: الله يسلمك ويعطيك الصحة يا بنتي. 3.28 ياسمين: وانتي يا ماما، واش راكي؟ 3.29 ماما: راني مليحة، الحمد لله، وحنا نكونو في الدار. 3.30 ياسمين: بالسلامة يا ماما، وسلمي على كريم.
A list with a w- on every item (3.18, 3.19). Mama's list is اللحم والجزر والحمص: the first item has no w-, and each of the others has one, with the article after it (w-el-jzar, w-el-ḥəmmeṣ). Yasmine's question والخبز والحليب؟ begins with w- itself, because it adds to Mama's list: "and the bread and the milk?"
"But" (3.20). الخبز كاين والحليب ماكانش: كاين (kayən) and ماكانش (ma-kanš) are the "there is" and "there is not" of Lesson 2, and the w- between them is "but," the contrast of Section D.
A compound subject after the verb (3.21). نروحو أنا وكريم: the verb comes first, in the first person plural (nruḥu), and the subject follows, أنا وكريم, "I and Karim." Compare 3.8, where the subject is before the verb. In a question, the intonation alone makes the sentence a question.
Two predicates (3.22). تعبان وراقد: two predicates for one subject, both masculine singular, joined by w-, with the second written as وراقد (w-raqəd).
Imperative and negative command (3.24). خوذي (khudi), "take," is feminine, because Mama speaks to Yasmine, and وما تنسيش (w-ma tənsi-š) is the negative command, "and don't forget," with ما ... ش around the present form (the ending -i is the feminine "you"). W- joins the two commands exactly as in proverb F.3.
Clock time (3.25). الساعة وحدة ونص: "the hour one and half." The hour comes first, and the half is added with w-: نص (nəṣṣ) is "half" and ونص is "and half."
Two verbs, one subject (3.26). نروح ونرجع: "I go and return." Each verb carries its own n- of "I," and the w- joins them; compare شريت وروحت (3.11). The verb is singular here because Yasmine has decided to go alone (3.23); in 3.21 it was plural, نروحو.
Blessing (3.27). الله يسلمك ويعطيك الصحة: two wishes in the present, each beginning with a verb, joined by w-. The present tense with الله expresses a wish: "may God keep you." The second wish, يعطيك الصحة, is the thanks-phrase of Lesson 1.
The return question (3.28). وانتي يا ماما، واش راكي؟ puts the pronoun first, "and you, Mama," and then asks "how are you," with the feminine راكي (raki), since Mama is a woman.
وحنا (3.29). W- before a pronoun turns to a new subject: "and as for us." The verb نكونو (nkunu) is the future of Lesson 2, in the first person plural.
وسلمي (3.30). The last command, again feminine: سلمي (səllmi), "greet." The w- comes before the verb and in front of the whole command, as it did in 3.24, where it comes before ما.
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و (w-) as a conjunction — IPA: /w/ before a vowel, /wə/ or /u/ before a consonant — The consonant is a w, made with rounded lips. Before a consonant the vowel is faint. Between two consonants in quick speech it is often a short u: khobz-u-ḥlib. This course writes w- throughout. وانا (w-ana) — IPA: /wana/ — Two syllables, the w joined to the vowel with no break: "WA-na." والله (w-allah) — IPA: /wallaːh/ — The l is double and the stress falls on the last syllable: "wal-LAAH." ولا (wella) — IPA: /wəlla/ — Stress on the first syllable, with a doubled l: "WEL-la." وعليكم السلام (w-ʿalaykum es-salam) — IPA: /w ʕlajkum əs.slaːm/ — The ع (ʕ) is a squeeze in the throat after the w; in quick speech the vowel is dropped: wʿalaykum. ونص (w-nəṣṣ) — IPA: /w nəsˤsˤ/ — ص is an emphatic s, held twice as long. وحدي (waḥdi) — IPA: /waħdi/ — ح is a whispered, throaty h. The و here is part of the word. واش (wəš) — IPA: /wəʃ/ — A quick "wesh." The و is part of the word. وين (win) — IPA: /wiːn/ — "ween." الخبز (el-khobz) — IPA: /əl.xobz/ — خ is the rough sound of Scottish "loch." الحمص (el-ḥəmmeṣ) — IPA: /əl.ħəm.mesˤ/ — Two strong sounds: ح, from the throat, and the emphatic ص, at the end. الجزر (el-jzar) — IPA: /əl.ʒzar/ — ج is /ʒ/, like the s of "pleasure," as in الراجل of Lesson 1, and the vowel after it is dropped: "el-JZAAR." كاين (kayən) — IPA: /kaːjən/ — As in Lesson 2. راقد (raqəd) — IPA: /raːqəd/ — ق is the q from the back of the throat. Vowel length: long vowels (aa, ee, oo in the respellings) are held about twice as long as short ones. W- has no length of its own: when it is followed by a long vowel, as in وانتا (w-nta), the length belongs to the word.
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