For autodidact students of Algerian Arabic, the fourth word on the frequency list is "a," and the first thing to learn is that Darja has no such word. In Lesson 1 you met "the" as a prefix, ال (el-). "A" is the opposite: it is the absence of that prefix. A noun with nothing in front of it can already mean "a" noun: دار (dar) is "house" or "a house," and عندي دار (ʿandi dar) is "I have a house." ماعنديش خدمة (ma-ʿandi-š khedma) is "I have no job," with no word for "a" in it (4.11).
Darja does, however, have a word for the moment when "a" means "a certain one, and I am about to tell you about it." That word is واحد (waḥəd), "one," and it stands in front of the definite noun: واحد الراجل (waḥəd er-rajəl) is "a man," word for word "one the-man." You met it in Lesson 1 (1.10, "a man knocked at the door"). This lesson gives it its full place. It is the word that brings a person or thing into a story, and it is the headword of the lesson because it is the nearest Darja has to the English "a."
Three things make Darja "a" different from the English word.
First, it is mostly absent. English cannot say "I saw a dog" without a; Darja can say شفت كلب (šəft kəlb) with the bare noun, and uses واحد الكلب (waḥəd el-kəlb, 4.10) only when the dog is new to the listener and about to matter. A house with an adjective is simply دار كبيرة (dar kbira), "a big house" (4.8).
Second, the noun that follows واحد wears the article: واحد الراجل, "one the-man," and never the bare noun alone. A noun with a possessive ending counts as definite, so واحد صاحبي (waḥəd ṣaḥbi) is "a friend of mine," word for word "one my-friend" (4.3).
Third, the same word means "one" when it comes after the noun, and then it agrees in gender: كتاب واحد (ktab waḥəd), "one book"; قهوة وحدة (qahwa waḥda), "one coffee." Before the noun it is "a" and never changes; after the noun it is "one" and has a masculine واحد (waḥəd) and a feminine وحدة (waḥda). You have already met the feminine in the half hour of Lesson 3, الساعة وحدة ونص (3.25), "half past one."
Waḥəd also stands without a noun, as "one" in the sense of "a person": شي واحد (ši waḥəd) is "someone," حتى واحد (ḥatta waḥəd) is "not one, nobody," and كل واحد (kull waḥəd) is "everyone, each one." With the plural there is no "a" at all: ولاد (wlad) is "boys," and شي ناس (ši nas) is "some people." And to say what someone is, Darja leaves the noun bare: هي أستاذة (hiya ustada) is "she is a teacher."
Script note: واحد is written و ا ح د. The letters و and ا never join the letter that follows them, so the word breaks after each of them and the ح begins afresh, joined to the د. The و here is part of the word, a root letter and not "and" (compare Lesson 3), which is why "and a man" is written with two waws: وواحد الراجل (w-waḥəd er-rajəl). The feminine is spelled وحدة, with no alif, and should not be mixed up with وحدي (waḥdi), "alone," of Lesson 3.
Key Takeaways: - Darja has no word for "a": a bare noun is indefinite, عندي دار (ʿandi dar), "I have a house" - واحد (waḥəd) + definite noun = "a, a certain": واحد الراجل (waḥəd er-rajəl), "a man." It brings something new into the talk - Before a noun it never changes for gender: جات واحد المرا (jat waḥəd le-mra), "a woman came" - A noun with a possessive ending counts as definite: واحد صاحبي (waḥəd ṣaḥbi), "a friend of mine" - Noun + واحد / وحدة = "one," and it agrees: كتاب واحد (ktab waḥəd), قهوة وحدة (qahwa waḥda) - واحد من (waḥəd mən) + plural = "one of": واحد من صحابي (waḥəd mən ṣḥabi), "one of my friends" - شي واحد (ši waḥəd) "someone," حتى واحد (ḥatta waḥəd) "nobody," كل واحد (kull waḥəd) "everyone" - Plural: no "a" at all: ولاد (wlad), "boys"; شي ناس (ši nas), "some people" - Saying what someone is: no waḥəd: هي أستاذة (hiya ustada), "she is a teacher"
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
4.1a واحد a الراجل the-man هنا here
4.1b waḥəd (WAA-hed) a.INDEF er-rajəl (er-RAA-zhel) the-man hna (hna) here
4.2a واحد a الولد the-boy برا outside
4.2b waḥəd (WAA-hed) a.INDEF el-wəld (el-WELD) the-boy brra (BRRA) outside
4.3a جا came واحد a صاحبي my-friend
4.3b ja (ZHAA) come-PAST.3M.SG waḥəd (WAA-hed) a.INDEF ṣaḥbi (SAH-bee) friend-my
4.4a شريت I-bought كتاب book واحد one
4.4b šrit (SHREET) buy-PAST.1SG ktab (KTAAB) book.M waḥəd (WAA-hed) one-M
4.5a رحت I-went لوهران to-Oran مرة time وحدة one
4.5b rəḥt (REHT) go-PAST.1SG l-wahran (l-wah-RAAN) to-Oran mərra (MER-ra) time.F waḥda (WAH-da) one-F
4.6a جات came واحد a المرا the-woman وقالت and-said سلام hello
4.6b jat (ZHAAT) come-PAST.3F.SG waḥəd (WAA-hed) a.INDEF le-mra (le-MRA) the-woman w-qalət (w-QAA-let) and-say-PAST.3F.SG salam (sa-LAAM) hello
4.7a واحد a الراجل the-man جاب brought الخبز the-bread والحليب and-the-milk من from الحانوت the-shop
4.7b waḥəd (WAA-hed) a.INDEF er-rajəl (er-RAA-zhel) the-man jab (ZHAAB) bring-PAST.3M.SG el-khobz (el-KHOBZ) the-bread w-el-ḥlib (wel-HLEEB) and-the-milk mən (men) from el-ḥanut (el-haa-NOOT) the-shop
4.8a واحد a صاحبي my-friend في in وهران Oran عندو he-has دار house كبيرة big
4.8b waḥəd (WAA-hed) a.INDEF ṣaḥbi (SAH-bee) friend-my fi (fee) in wahran (wah-RAAN) Oran ʿandu (ʿAN-doo) at-him dar (daar) house.F kbira (KBEE-ra) big-F.SG
4.9a واحد one من of صحابي my-friends يخدم works في in حانوت shop
4.9b waḥəd (WAA-hed) one-M mən (men) of ṣḥabi (s-HAA-bee) friends-my yəkhdəm (yekh-DEM) work-PRES.3M.SG fi (fee) in ḥanut (haa-NOOT) shop.M
4.10a شفت I-saw واحد a الكلب the-dog قدام in-front-of الباب the-door
4.10b šəft (SHEFT) see-PAST.1SG waḥəd (WAA-hed) a.INDEF el-kəlb (el-KELB) the-dog qddam (QDAAM) in-front-of el-bab (el-BAAB) the-door.M
4.11a ماعنديش I-have-not خدمة job وواحد and-a صاحبي my-friend قالي said-to-me نخدم I-work معاه with-him
4.11b ma-ʿandi-š (ma-ʿan-DEESH) NEG-at-me-NEG khedma (KHED-ma) job.F w-waḥəd (w-WAA-hed) and-a.INDEF ṣaḥbi (SAH-bee) friend-my qalli (QAL-lee) say-PAST.3M.SG-to-me nkhdəm (nkh-DEM) work-PRES.1SG məʿah (me-ʿAH) with-him
4.12a غدوة tomorrow جوج two ولاد boys وبنت and-girl وحدة one يجيو come عندنا at-us
4.12b ghodwa (GHOD-wa) tomorrow juj (ZHOOZH) two wlad (wlaad) boys.PL w-bent (w-BENT) and-girl.F waḥda (WAH-da) one-F yjiw (YZHEEW) come-PRES.3PL ʿandna (ʿand-NA) at-us
4.13a واحد one النهار the-day جا came واحد a الراجل the-man يحوس looking على on كريم Karim
4.13b waḥəd (WAA-hed) one-M en-nhar (en-NHAAR) the-day ja (ZHAA) come-PAST.3M.SG waḥəd (WAA-hed) a.INDEF er-rajəl (er-RAA-zhel) the-man yḥəwwəs (yhew-WES) look-PRES.3M.SG ʿla (ʿla) on karim (ka-REEM) Karim
4.14a ماكانش there-is-not حتى even واحد one في in الدار the-house والباب and-the-door محلول open
4.14b ma-kanš (ma-KAANSH) NEG-be-NEG ḥatta (HAT-ta) even waḥəd (WAA-hed) one-M fi (fee) in d-dar (d-DAAR) the-house.F w-el-bab (wel-BAAB) and-the-door.M mḥəlul (m-hel-LOOL) opened-M.SG
4.15a كل every واحد one يشري buys الخبز the-bread تاعو his
4.15b kull (kull) every waḥəd (WAA-hed) one-M yəšri (yesh-REE) buy-PRES.3M.SG el-khobz (el-KHOBZ) the-bread taʿu (TAA-ʿoo) of.POSS-his
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
4.1 واحد الراجل هنا. (waḥəd er-rajəl hna) "A man is here." 4.2 واحد الولد برا. (waḥəd el-wəld brra) "A boy is outside." 4.3 جا واحد صاحبي. (ja waḥəd ṣaḥbi) "A friend of mine came." 4.4 شريت كتاب واحد. (šrit ktab waḥəd) "I bought one book." 4.5 رحت لوهران مرة وحدة. (rəḥt l-wahran mərra waḥda) "I went to Oran once." 4.6 جات واحد المرا وقالت سلام. (jat waḥəd le-mra w-qalət salam) "A woman came and said hello." 4.7 واحد الراجل جاب الخبز والحليب من الحانوت. (waḥəd er-rajəl jab el-khobz w-el-ḥlib mən el-ḥanut) "A man brought the bread and the milk from the shop." 4.8 واحد صاحبي في وهران عندو دار كبيرة. (waḥəd ṣaḥbi fi wahran ʿandu dar kbira) "A friend of mine in Oran has a big house." 4.9 واحد من صحابي يخدم في حانوت. (waḥəd mən ṣḥabi yəkhdəm fi ḥanut) "One of my friends works in a shop." 4.10 شفت واحد الكلب قدام الباب. (šəft waḥəd el-kəlb qddam el-bab) "I saw a dog in front of the door." 4.11 ماعنديش خدمة وواحد صاحبي قالي نخدم معاه. (ma-ʿandi-š khedma w-waḥəd ṣaḥbi qalli nkhdəm məʿah) "I have no job, and a friend of mine told me to work with him." 4.12 غدوة جوج ولاد وبنت وحدة يجيو عندنا. (ghodwa juj wlad w-bent waḥda yjiw ʿandna) "Tomorrow two boys and one girl are coming to us." 4.13 واحد النهار جا واحد الراجل يحوس على كريم. (waḥəd en-nhar ja waḥəd er-rajəl yḥəwwəs ʿla karim) "One day a man came looking for Karim." 4.14 ماكانش حتى واحد في الدار والباب محلول. (ma-kanš ḥatta waḥəd fi d-dar w-el-bab mḥəlul) "There is not a soul in the house, and the door is open." 4.15 كل واحد يشري الخبز تاعو. (kull waḥəd yəšri el-khobz taʿu) "Everyone buys his own bread."
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
4.1 واحد الراجل هنا. 4.2 واحد الولد برا. 4.3 جا واحد صاحبي. 4.4 شريت كتاب واحد. 4.5 رحت لوهران مرة وحدة. 4.6 جات واحد المرا وقالت سلام. 4.7 واحد الراجل جاب الخبز والحليب من الحانوت. 4.8 واحد صاحبي في وهران عندو دار كبيرة. 4.9 واحد من صحابي يخدم في حانوت. 4.10 شفت واحد الكلب قدام الباب. 4.11 ماعنديش خدمة وواحد صاحبي قالي نخدم معاه. 4.12 غدوة جوج ولاد وبنت وحدة يجيو عندنا. 4.13 واحد النهار جا واحد الراجل يحوس على كريم. 4.14 ماكانش حتى واحد في الدار والباب محلول. 4.15 كل واحد يشري الخبز تاعو.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
These are the grammar rules for واحد (waḥəd), "a."
No article: the bare noun (4.8, 4.9, 4.11). Darja has no word for "a," and a noun with nothing in front of it is indefinite: دار كبيرة (dar kbira), "a big house" (4.8), في حانوت (fi ḥanut), "in a shop" (4.9), خدمة (khedma), "a job" (4.11). This is the ordinary way to say "a," and it is the way to use when you are describing the thing and not announcing it. A negative sentence takes the bare noun too: ماعنديش خدمة, "I have no job."
واحد + definite noun: "a, a certain" (4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.6, 4.7, 4.10, 4.13). When a person or thing is brought into the talk for the first time, and is about to be spoken about, Darja puts واحد in front of the noun, and the noun takes the article: واحد الراجل, واحد الولد, واحد الكلب. The effect is "there is a such-and-such": that is why the pattern is at home at the start of a story or a piece of news, as in 4.13, واحد النهار جا واحد الراجل, "one day a man came." The phrase can be the subject (4.1, 4.2, 4.7), the object (4.10, 4.6) or can come after a preposition (see the Genre Section, 4.24). The verb agrees with the noun and not with واحد: جات واحد المرا (4.6) has the feminine جات because the woman is the one who came.
With a possessive ending (4.3, 4.8, 4.11). A noun with a possessive suffix counts as definite, so it takes واحد without the article: واحد صاحبي, "a friend of mine," literally "one my-friend." Use it to introduce a friend or relative whose name the listener does not yet know. In 4.11 the و "and" is written against it, وواحد صاحبي (w-waḥəd ṣaḥbi), two waws side by side.
It does not change for gender (4.6). Before a noun, واحد is the same for a man and a woman, and for any thing: واحد المرا (waḥəd le-mra), "a woman," as in Lesson 1. It does not take a plural.
Noun + واحد / وحدة: "one" (4.4, 4.5, 4.12, and the Genre Section). After the noun it is a number and agrees with it: masculine واحد in كتاب واحد (ktab waḥəd) and عصير واحد (ʿṣir waḥəd); feminine وحدة in مرة وحدة (mərra waḥda), بنت وحدة (bent waḥda) and قهوة وحدة (qahwa waḥda). It says that the number is "one, not two." The numbers from two upward go in front of the noun and take the plural, جوج ولاد (juj wlad), "two boys" (4.12). So the position tells you which is meant: before the noun, "a" (واحد الكتاب, waḥəd le-ktab); after it, "one" (كتاب واحد, ktab waḥəd).
واحد من: "one of" (4.9). The word من (mən) is "of, from," and a plural noun follows: واحد من صحابي, "one of my friends." The verb is singular, يخدم (yəkhdəm), because the "one" is the subject. The same pattern says "one of the boys," واحد من الولاد (waḥəd mən el-wlad).
شي واحد, حتى واحد, كل واحد (4.14, 4.15 and 4.28). Without a noun, واحد is "a person." شي (ši) is "some" or "any," and شي واحد is "someone, anyone" (4.28). After a negative, حتى (ḥatta), "even," gives "not one, nobody": ماكانش حتى واحد (4.14). And كل (kull), "every," gives "everyone": كل واحد يشري (4.15), with the verb in the third person masculine singular. For a woman the feminine is used: كل وحدة (kull waḥda), "each woman." Outside this lesson: شي حاجة (ši ḥaja), "something," and شي ناس (ši nas), "some people."
The plural has no "a." English "a boy" has the plural "boys," and Darja has ولاد (wlad), with nothing in front, or شي ولاد (ši wlad), "some boys." The word واحد is never made plural.
Saying what someone is (not in the examples). After "is," Darja leaves the noun bare and has no verb: هي أستاذة (hiya ustada), "she is a teacher"; هو طبيب (huwa ṭbib), "he is a doctor"; compare أنا دزيري (ana dziri) of Lesson 2. Do not put واحد there.
نحب with a number (Genre Section). نحب (nḥəbb), which in Lesson 1 was "I like," is also "I want, I would like," as when you order: نحب قهوة وحدة, "I would like one coffee."
تاع (taʿ) with a possessive ending, and "of" (4.15, and the Genre Section). تاع (taʿ) is the "of" of Lesson 1 (1.14). With a pronoun ending it gives "his, yours, mine": تاعو (taʿu), "his own" (4.15); تاعك (taʿək), "yours"; تاعي (taʿi), "mine." In front of a noun it also gives "of": كاس تاع الما (kas taʿ el-ma), "a glass of water," where the second noun is the thing it is made of.
Common Mistakes: - Using واحد every time English says "a": *عندي واحد الكتاب, for "I have a book." Say عندي كتاب. With واحد the sentence sounds as if you were about to tell a story about that one book - Leaving the article off after واحد: the pattern is واحد الراجل. A noun with a possessive ending is the exception (واحد صاحبي) - Making واحد feminine in front of a feminine noun: *واحدة المرا. Say واحد المرا - Leaving the number masculine after a feminine noun: *قهوة واحد. Say قهوة وحدة - Putting واحد after "is": *هي واحد الأستاذة. Say هي أستاذة - Mixing up وحدة (waḥda), "one," with وحدي (waḥdi), "alone," of Lesson 3 - Reading the و of واحد as "and"; it is part of the word
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Stories begin with it. A tale or an anecdote in Darja puts its first character on the scene with واحد, as 4.13 does with جا واحد الراجل, "a man came." The opening "there was a man" is كان واحد الراجل (kan waḥəd er-rajəl). Once the man has been introduced, the next sentence says الراجل, "the man," and waḥəd is not needed again. If you remember one thing from this lesson, remember that the first mention has waḥəd and the second has the article.
Orders are given by number. In a café, a customer names the number and the waiter repeats it, as Rachid does in 4.19: قهوة وحدة وعصير واحد, "one coffee and one juice." Between the noun and the number the gender is heard, and the feminine قهوة takes وحدة while the masculine عصير takes واحد. In Algiers and Oran you will also hear French un and une in the same place, un café, as French is mixed into Darja at every level; this course uses the Darja forms.
Introducing a friend. واحد صاحبي (waḥəd ṣaḥbi) is a common way to bring a friend into a conversation without saying who he is: "a friend of mine told me…" (4.11). It leaves the listener free to ask which friend. The same shape is used of a brother, a neighbour or a cousin, with the possessive ending on the noun.
Counting begins with the same word. The first numbers are واحد (waḥəd), جوج (juj), تلاتة (tlata), ربعة (rbaʿa) and خمسة (khamsa); "one" is the same word as "a." The sum in 4.30 is invented for the example, and prices change from place to place.
Section F gives two proverbs: one about the number "one," and one in which "a" shows itself only by being absent.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
أمثال جزائرية (Algerian proverbs) — two traditional proverbs, anonymous
The two proverbs below are traditional and anonymous. They are printed in online collections of Algerian sayings, in several spellings. The first, يد وحدة ما تصفق, appears in more than one of them, and one collection spells the numeral يد واحده. The second was found in one Algerian collection only, the Arabic Wikiquote list, and the same saying in Syrian Arabic (اللي ما عندو كبير بيشتري كبير) turned up in a search, so the wording here rests on a single Algerian source. Neither has 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. The spelling is that of the modern printed versions.
يد وحدة ما تصفق لي معندو كبير يشري كبير
F-A: Interlinear
F.1a يد hand وحدة one ما not تصفق claps
F.1b yəd (yed) hand.F waḥda (WAH-da) one-F ma (ma) NEG tṣəffəq (tṣef-FEQ) clap-PRES.3F.SG
F.2a لي who معندو he-has-not كبير elder يشري let-him-buy كبير elder
F.2b li (lee) REL mʿandu (mʿan-DOO) NEG-at-him kbir (kbeer) elder yəšri (yesh-REE) buy-PRES.3M.SG kbir (kbeer) elder
F-B: Original and Translation
يد وحدة ما تصفق / لي معندو كبير يشري كبير
"One hand does not clap. / Whoever has no elder, let him buy one." (Translation: Latinum Institute.)
F-C: Original
يد وحدة ما تصفق لي معندو كبير يشري كبير
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
F.1. The saying is about number, so it uses "one" and not "a": the numeral comes after the noun, as in Section D. The word يد (yəd, "hand") is feminine, so the numeral is the feminine وحدة and the verb is the feminine تصفق (tṣəffəq, "she claps"): the same agreement as قهوة وحدة and بنت وحدة. It means that nobody can do alone what takes two, and its sense is "one cannot clap with a single hand." The saying is also known in Standard Arabic. The Standard form is يد واحدة لا تصفق (yad wāḥida lā tuṣaffiq), and the Darja has وحدة for واحدة and ما for لا. The collections print the verb without the final -š of the negative; speakers who add it say ما تصفقش (ma tṣəffəq-š), as in Lesson 3.
F.2. The noun كبير (kbir) is "elder," a senior person to whom a family turns for guidance, and here it is bare, indefinite: "an elder." It is said twice, because Darja repeats the noun where English says "one": "buy an elder" and "buy one." The word لي (li) is the relative that you know as اللي (lli) from Lesson 1 (1.9), and معندو (mʿandu) is ما + عندو, "he has not," as the collections print it, without the final -š of the negative in ماعنديش. The present يشري (yəšri) gives advice, "let him buy," and not a statement. The sense is that a person needs an elder's guidance and should find one; that reading is the Latinum Institute's own and is not taken from a collection.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Yasmine and Karim sit down at a café, where Rachid, the waiter, takes their order. They ask for a coffee, a juice and a glass of water, and while they wait a man in front of the door turns out to be a friend of Karim's. Most lines use واحد or وحدة.
4.16a رشيد Rachid مرحبا welcome واحد a الطابلة the-table فاضية free هنا here تفضلو please
4.16b rašid (ra-SHEED) Rachid marḥba (MAR-hba) welcome waḥəd (WAA-hed) a.INDEF eṭ-ṭabla (eT-TAB-la) the-table.F faḍya (FAAD-ya) free-F.SG hna (hna) here tfəḍḍlu (tfed-DLOO) please-IMP.PL
4.17a كريم Karim شكرا thanks أنا I نحب I-want قهوة coffee وحدة one
4.17b karim (ka-REEM) Karim šukran (SHOOK-ran) thanks ana (A-na) I nḥəbb (n-HEBB) want-PRES.1SG qahwa (QAH-wa) coffee.F waḥda (WAH-da) one-F
4.18a ياسمين Yasmine وانا and-I نحب I-want عصير juice واحد one وكاس and-glass تاع of الما the-water
4.18b yasmin (yaas-MEEN) Yasmine w-ana (w-A-na) and-I nḥəbb (n-HEBB) want-PRES.1SG ʿṣir (ʿ-SEER) juice.M waḥəd (WAA-hed) one-M w-kas (w-KAAS) and-glass taʿ (taaʿ) of.POSS el-ma (el-MAA) the-water
4.19a رشيد Rachid قهوة coffee وحدة one وعصير and-juice واحد one مليح good يجيو they-come دوركا now
4.19b rašid (ra-SHEED) Rachid qahwa (QAH-wa) coffee.F waḥda (WAH-da) one-F w-ʿṣir (w-ʿ-SEER) and-juice.M waḥəd (WAA-hed) one-M mliḥ (mleeH) good yjiw (YZHEEW) come-PRES.3PL dorka (DOR-ka) now
4.20a كريم Karim ياسمين Yasmine شفتي you-saw واحد a الراجل the-man قدام in-front-of الباب the-door
4.20b karim (ka-REEM) Karim yasmin (yaas-MEEN) Yasmine šəfti (shef-TEE) see-PAST.2F.SG waḥəd (WAA-hed) a.INDEF er-rajəl (er-RAA-zhel) the-man qddam (QDAAM) in-front-of el-bab (el-BAAB) the-door.M
4.21a ياسمين Yasmine لا no شفت I-saw غير only واحد a المرا the-woman وواحد and-a الولد the-boy
4.21b yasmin (yaas-MEEN) Yasmine la (la) no šəft (SHEFT) see-PAST.1SG gher (gher) only waḥəd (WAA-hed) a.INDEF le-mra (le-MRA) the-woman w-waḥəd (w-WAA-hed) and-a.INDEF el-wəld (el-WELD) the-boy
4.22a كريم Karim هذاك that واحد a صاحبي my-friend من from وهران Oran
4.22b karim (ka-REEM) Karim hadak (haa-DAAK) that.M waḥəd (WAA-hed) a.INDEF ṣaḥbi (SAH-bee) friend-my mən (men) from wahran (wah-RAAN) Oran
4.23a ياسمين Yasmine مانعرفوش I-know-him-not شفتو I-saw-him مرة time وحدة one في in السوق the-market
4.23b yasmin (yaas-MEEN) Yasmine ma-nʿarfu-š (ma-nʿar-FOOSH) NEG-know-PRES.1SG-him-NEG šəftu (shef-TOO) see-PAST.1SG-him mərra (MER-ra) time.F waḥda (WAH-da) one-F fi (fee) in es-suq (es-SOOQ) the-market
4.24a كريم Karim إيه yes هو he يخدم works في in واحد a الحانوت the-shop قدام in-front-of السوق the-market
4.24b karim (ka-REEM) Karim ih (ee) yes huwa (HOO-wa) he yəkhdəm (yekh-DEM) work-PRES.3M.SG fi (fee) in waḥəd (WAA-hed) a.INDEF el-ḥanut (el-haa-NOOT) the-shop qddam (QDAAM) in-front-of es-suq (es-SOOQ) the-market
4.25a رشيد Rachid تفضلو please القهوة the-coffee والعصير and-the-juice والكاس and-the-glass تاع of الما the-water
4.25b rašid (ra-SHEED) Rachid tfəḍḍlu (tfed-DLOO) please-IMP.PL el-qahwa (el-QAH-wa) the-coffee.F w-el-ʿṣir (wel-ʿ-SEER) and-the-juice.M w-el-kas (wel-KAAS) and-the-glass taʿ (taaʿ) of.POSS el-ma (el-MAA) the-water
4.26a ياسمين Yasmine كريم Karim واحد a الكتاب the-book على on الكرسي the-chair تاعك yours
4.26b yasmin (yaas-MEEN) Yasmine karim (ka-REEM) Karim waḥəd (WAA-hed) a.INDEF le-ktab (le-KTAAB) the-book ʿla (ʿla) on l-kursi (l-KOOR-see) the-chair taʿək (TAA-ʿek) of.POSS-your.M
4.27a كريم Karim لا no ماشي not تاعي mine يمكن maybe تاع of واحد a الولد the-boy اللي who كان was هنا here
4.27b karim (ka-REEM) Karim la (la) no maši (MAA-shee) NEG taʿi (TAA-ʿee) of.POSS-my yəmkən (YEM-ken) maybe taʿ (taaʿ) of.POSS waḥəd (WAA-hed) a.INDEF el-wəld (el-WELD) the-boy lli (lli) REL kan (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG hna (hna) here
4.28a رشيد Rachid إيلا if كان was شي some واحد one يحوس looking عليه for-it راه it-is عندي at-me
4.28b rašid (ra-SHEED) Rachid ila (EE-la) if kan (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG ši (shee) some waḥəd (WAA-hed) one-M yḥəwwəs (yhew-WES) look-PRES.3M.SG ʿlih (ʿleeh) on-it rah (raah) be-NOW.3M.SG ʿandi (ʿAN-dee) at-me
4.29a كريم Karim يعطيك gives-you الصحة the-health شحال how-much علينا on-us قهوة coffee وحدة one وعصير and-juice واحد one
4.29b karim (ka-REEM) Karim yaʿṭik (yaʿ-TEEK) give-PRES.3M.SG-you eṣ-ṣaḥḥa (eS-SAH-ha) the-health šḥal (sh-HAAL) how.much ʿlina (ʿlee-NA) on-us qahwa (QAH-wa) coffee.F waḥda (WAH-da) one-F w-ʿṣir (w-ʿ-SEER) and-juice.M waḥəd (WAA-hed) one-M
4.30a رشيد Rachid مية hundred وخمسين and-fifty دينار dinars على on الكل the-all
4.30b rašid (ra-SHEED) Rachid mya (MYA) hundred w-khamsin (w-khem-SEEN) and-fifty dinar (dee-NAAR) dinar ʿla (ʿla) on l-kull (l-KULL) the-all
4.16 رشيد: مرحبا، واحد الطابلة فاضية هنا، تفضلو. (rašid: marḥba, waḥəd eṭ-ṭabla faḍya hna, tfəḍḍlu) "Rachid: Welcome. There is a table free here; please." 4.17 كريم: شكرا. أنا نحب قهوة وحدة. (karim: šukran. ana nḥəbb qahwa waḥda) "Karim: Thank you. I would like one coffee." 4.18 ياسمين: وانا نحب عصير واحد وكاس تاع الما. (yasmin: w-ana nḥəbb ʿṣir waḥəd w-kas taʿ el-ma) "Yasmine: And I would like one juice and a glass of water." 4.19 رشيد: قهوة وحدة وعصير واحد. مليح، يجيو دوركا. (rašid: qahwa waḥda w-ʿṣir waḥəd. mliḥ, yjiw dorka) "Rachid: One coffee and one juice. Good, they are coming right away." 4.20 كريم: ياسمين، شفتي واحد الراجل قدام الباب؟ (karim: yasmin, šəfti waḥəd er-rajəl qddam el-bab?) "Karim: Yasmine, did you see a man in front of the door?" 4.21 ياسمين: لا، شفت غير واحد المرا وواحد الولد. (yasmin: la, šəft gher waḥəd le-mra w-waḥəd el-wəld) "Yasmine: No, I saw only a woman and a boy." 4.22 كريم: هذاك واحد صاحبي من وهران. (karim: hadak waḥəd ṣaḥbi mən wahran) "Karim: That is a friend of mine, from Oran." 4.23 ياسمين: مانعرفوش، شفتو مرة وحدة في السوق. (yasmin: ma-nʿarfu-š, šəftu mərra waḥda fi es-suq) "Yasmine: I don't know him; I saw him once in the market." 4.24 كريم: إيه، هو يخدم في واحد الحانوت قدام السوق. (karim: ih, huwa yəkhdəm fi waḥəd el-ḥanut qddam es-suq) "Karim: Yes, he works in a shop opposite the market." 4.25 رشيد: تفضلو، القهوة والعصير والكاس تاع الما. (rašid: tfəḍḍlu, el-qahwa w-el-ʿṣir w-el-kas taʿ el-ma) "Rachid: Here you are: the coffee, the juice and the glass of water." 4.26 ياسمين: كريم، واحد الكتاب على الكرسي، تاعك؟ (yasmin: karim, waḥəd le-ktab ʿla l-kursi, taʿək?) "Yasmine: Karim, there is a book on the chair. Is it yours?" 4.27 كريم: لا، ماشي تاعي. يمكن تاع واحد الولد اللي كان هنا. (karim: la, maši taʿi. yəmkən taʿ waḥəd el-wəld lli kan hna) "Karim: No, it is not mine. Maybe it belongs to a boy who was here." 4.28 رشيد: إيلا كان شي واحد يحوس عليه، راه عندي. (rašid: ila kan ši waḥəd yḥəwwəs ʿlih, rah ʿandi) "Rachid: If anyone is looking for it, it is with me." 4.29 كريم: يعطيك الصحة. شحال علينا، قهوة وحدة وعصير واحد؟ (karim: yaʿṭik eṣ-ṣaḥḥa. šḥal ʿlina, qahwa waḥda w-ʿṣir waḥəd?) "Karim: Thank you. How much do we owe, for one coffee and one juice?" 4.30 رشيد: مية وخمسين دينار على الكل. (rašid: mya w-khamsin dinar ʿla l-kull) "Rachid: A hundred and fifty dinars in all."
4.16 رشيد: مرحبا، واحد الطابلة فاضية هنا، تفضلو. 4.17 كريم: شكرا. أنا نحب قهوة وحدة. 4.18 ياسمين: وانا نحب عصير واحد وكاس تاع الما. 4.19 رشيد: قهوة وحدة وعصير واحد. مليح، يجيو دوركا. 4.20 كريم: ياسمين، شفتي واحد الراجل قدام الباب؟ 4.21 ياسمين: لا، شفت غير واحد المرا وواحد الولد. 4.22 كريم: هذاك واحد صاحبي من وهران. 4.23 ياسمين: مانعرفوش، شفتو مرة وحدة في السوق. 4.24 كريم: إيه، هو يخدم في واحد الحانوت قدام السوق. 4.25 رشيد: تفضلو، القهوة والعصير والكاس تاع الما. 4.26 ياسمين: كريم، واحد الكتاب على الكرسي، تاعك؟ 4.27 كريم: لا، ماشي تاعي. يمكن تاع واحد الولد اللي كان هنا. 4.28 رشيد: إيلا كان شي واحد يحوس عليه، راه عندي. 4.29 كريم: يعطيك الصحة. شحال علينا، قهوة وحدة وعصير واحد؟ 4.30 رشيد: مية وخمسين دينار على الكل.
A table that is new (4.16). واحد الطابلة فاضية: the waiter points to a table the customers have not seen before, so it comes in with واحد and the article. The adjective فاضية (faḍya), "free," is feminine, like الطابلة. The word تفضلو (tfəḍḍlu) is the plural "please, go ahead," because Rachid speaks to two people; in Lesson 1 the seller's command to one woman was feminine, خوذي (khudi).
Ordering by number (4.17, 4.18, 4.19). قهوة وحدة, عصير واحد: the number follows the noun and agrees with it, feminine for قهوة and masculine for عصير. Karim and Yasmine both use نحب, "I would like." In 4.19 Rachid repeats the order, and the verb يجيو (yjiw) is plural, "they come," because two things are coming.
A glass of water, bare and then definite (4.18, 4.25). When Yasmine orders it, the glass is a bare noun: وكاس تاع الما (w-kas taʿ el-ma), "and a glass of water," with no waḥəd, exactly as the rule for ordering and describing says. Once it has been ordered it is a known thing, and Rachid says والكاس تاع الما (w-el-kas taʿ el-ma), "and the glass of water," with the article. The water is the glass's contents, joined by تاع, as in كاس تاع الما in Section D. The same drink goes from bare to definite between the order and the serving.
Several new things in a row (4.20, 4.21). In 4.21 each new thing has its own waḥəd: واحد المرا وواحد الولد, "a woman and a boy." The word غير (gher), "only," is the one of Lesson 3 (3.13). Questions in Darja need no word of their own; Karim's 4.20 is a question by intonation alone.
A friend of mine (4.22). هذاك واحد صاحبي: هذاك (hadak) is "that," and the possessive ending makes صاحبي definite, so waḥəd has no article after it. Yasmine's answer in 4.23, مانعرفوش (ma-nʿarfu-š), "I don't know him," has the ما ... ش of Lesson 3 around the verb with the ending -u, "him."
Once (4.23). مرة وحدة: the feminine noun مرة (mərra, "a time") and the feminine number, as in 4.5.
A shop that is new (4.24). في واحد الحانوت: واحد after a preposition. Yasmine has said only that she saw him in the market (4.23); Karim now brings in a particular shop that she has not heard of, "in front of the market," قدام السوق. Compare 4.9, where the bare في حانوت described the shop without announcing it.
A book on a chair (4.26, 4.27). واحد الكتاب: Yasmine finds a thing that nobody has mentioned. Karim's answer makes the owner another new person, تاع واحد الولد, "of a boy," where the possessive تاع (taʿ) stands in front of waḥəd. Because واحد الولد is definite, the clause that describes him takes اللي (lli, "who") before the verb كان, as in 1.9. The words تاعك (taʿək, "yours") and تاعي (taʿi, "mine") are the possessives of Section D. The words ماشي تاعي, "not mine," have the ماشي (maši) of Lesson 2.
Someone (4.28). إيلا كان شي واحد: the "if" is the إيلا (ila) of Lesson 2, and the verb after it is كان even though the meaning is present, as in 2.14. شي واحد is "anyone," and the verb يحوس (yḥəwwəs) is its third masculine singular. The words عليه (ʿlih) are على + ه, "for it," and راه عندي, "it is with me," has the راه (rah) of Lesson 2.
Thanks and the bill (4.29, 4.30). يعطيك الصحة is the thanks-phrase of Lesson 1, and شحال علينا is "how much on us," that is, "how much do we owe?" The amount is مية وخمسين (mya w-khamsin), "a hundred and fifty," with the w- of Lesson 3 joining the numbers, and the noun دينار (dinar) is singular after it. The sum is invented for the example.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
واحد (waḥəd) — IPA: /waːħəd/ — The و is a clear w; the ح is a whispered, throaty h made deep in the throat; the last vowel is a very short ə. Stress on the first syllable: "WAA-hed." وحدة (waḥda) — IPA: /waħda/ — Two syllables, with the same ح and a short a: "WAH-da." شي (ši) — IPA: /ʃi/ — "shee." صاحبي (ṣaḥbi) — IPA: /sˤaħbi/ — ص is an emphatic s, said with the tongue pulled back, and ح is again the throaty h. جوج (juj) — IPA: /ʒuːʒ/ — The ج is the sound of the s in "pleasure," at both ends: "zhoozh." مرة (mərra) — IPA: /mərra/ — The r is doubled and tapped: "MER-ra." كل (kull) — IPA: /kull/ — The l is held twice as long as a single l. قهوة (qahwa) — IPA: /qahwa/ — ق is a k made at the back of the throat. عصير (ʿṣir) — IPA: /ʕsˤiːr/ — ع is a squeeze of the throat, and the vowel after it is dropped, so that the word begins ʿṣ-. قدام (qddam) — IPA: /qdaːm/ — The word begins with two consonants in a row, with no vowel between them. حتى (ḥatta) — IPA: /ħatta/ — ح is the throaty h, and the t is doubled. خدمة (khedma) — IPA: /xedma/ — خ is the rough sound of Scottish "loch." غدوة (ghodwa) — IPA: /ʁodwa/ — غ is a gargled sound, like the French r in "rouge." Vowel length: long vowels (aa, ee, oo in the respellings) are held about twice as long as short ones. In واحد the first vowel is long and the last is the short ə; in وحدة, where the ح is followed by a consonant, no vowel is long.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
---
Course Index: [latinum.substack.com/p/index](https://latinum.substack.com/p/index)