For autodidact students of Algerian Arabic, the fifth word on the frequency list is "of," and Darja has no single word for it. English uses of for ownership (the house of my grandfather), for relation (the son of my uncle), for parts (the door of the house), for contents (a glass of water) and for groups (many of the people). Darja divides these jobs among a small particle, a word order, and a preposition. This lesson takes the particle as its headword, because ownership is the commonest use of "of," and it is the one you will meet in every conversation: تاع (taʿ).
The particle stands between the owned thing and the owner: الدار تاع جدي (ed-dar taʿ jeddi), "the house of my grandfather," "my grandfather's house." You have met it already, in the big house of Lesson 1 (1.14) and in the glass of water and the questions of Lesson 4 (4.18, 4.25, 4.26, 4.27). It does not change for the gender or number of the thing owned. With the endings of the pronouns it gives "mine, yours, his": تاعي (taʿi), تاعك (taʿək), تاعو (taʿu). And with a question word it gives "whose?": تاع شكون؟ (taʿ škun), "of whom?" (5.6).
The word order is the second way, and the older one. Put two nouns side by side, the first with no article and the second with the article or a pronoun ending, and the pair means "the first of the second": باب الدار (bab ed-dar), "the door of the house"; دار خويا (dar khuya), "my brother's house." This is the iḍāfa, the construct of Standard Arabic, and Darja keeps it alive in everyday phrases: خبز الدار (khobz ed-dar), "home-made bread," literally "bread of the house." You can chain it: مفتاح باب الدار (məftaḥ bab ed-dar), "the key of the door of the house" (5.10).
The preposition is من (mən), which you met in Lesson 4 in واحد من صحابي (waḥəd mən ṣḥabi), "one of my friends." It is the "of" of a group, and the "than" of a comparison, and it never marks ownership.
Three things make Darja "of" different from the English word.
First, the choice between taʿ and the bare pair is a matter of closeness. The bare pair is for what belongs together: kin, parts, set phrases (بنت عمي, bent ʿammi, "my cousin," literally "daughter of my uncle"; باب الدار; خبز الدار). Taʿ is for what is owned, and it is needed whenever something stands between the two nouns, as an adjective does: الدار الكبيرة تاع جدي (5.15), never *الدار الكبيرة جدي. Both are good Darja, and speakers move between them.
Second, the article stays on the second noun only. In the bare pair the first noun can never have ال: باب الدار, never *الباب الدار. When the pair is definite, it is definite as a whole.
Third, a feminine first noun that ends in -a changes to -t in the bare pair: سيارة (siyara), "a car," but سيارة بابا (siyarət baba), "Papa's car" (5.25); ولاية (wilaya), "province," but ولاية وهران (wilayət wahran), "the wilaya of Oran" (5.14). You already know this from the proverb of Lesson 3: حرفة اليدين (ḥərfət el-yəddin), "the craft of the hands."
A word on neighbours. Moroccan Arabic says ديال (dyal) where Algerians say تاع, and Tunisian says متاع (mtaʿ); a learner who has heard either should keep to تاع here. The word is generally taken to come from the Arabic for "goods, belongings," and the Maltese ta' is its relative.
Script note: تاع is written ت ا ع. The letter ا never joins the letter after it, so the ع that follows stands apart, in its separate shape. It is easy to confuse the word with تعبان (taʿban), "tired," of Lesson 2; the alif is what tells them apart, and it is a long vowel: "taaʿ." The pronoun endings are simply added after the ع: تاعي, تاعو.
Key Takeaways: - تاع (taʿ) joins owned and owner: الكتاب تاع بابا (le-ktab taʿ baba), "Papa's book" - It never changes for gender or number; with endings it gives تاعي, تاعك, تاعو, تاعها, تاعنا, تاعكم, تاعهم - شكون (škun) + تاع asks "whose?": هاد الكتاب تاع شكون؟ (had le-ktab taʿ škun) - Bare pair (iḍāfa): first noun no article, second with article or ending: باب الدار (bab ed-dar), دار خويا (dar khuya) - It can be chained: مفتاح باب الدار (məftaḥ bab ed-dar), "the key of the door of the house" - A feminine -a becomes -t in the bare pair: سيارة بابا (siyarət baba) - When an adjective comes between, use تاع: الدار الكبيرة تاع جدي - من (mən) is "of" a group, "than" in comparisons, never ownership: بزاف من الناس (bezzaf mən en-nas), أحسن من (aḥsən mən) - Moroccan ديال (dyal) and Tunisian متاع (mtaʿ) are not Algerian
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5.1a دار house-of جدي my-grandfather كبيرة big
5.1b dar (daar) house.F.CSTR jeddi (ZHED-dee) grandfather-my kbira (KBEE-ra) big-F.SG
5.2a باب door-of الدار the-house محلول open
5.2b bab (baab) door.M.CSTR ed-dar (ed-DAAR) the-house.F mḥəlul (m-hel-LOOL) opened-M.SG
5.3a هادي this دار house-of خويا my-brother
5.3b hadi (HAA-dee) this-F dar (daar) house.F.CSTR khuya (KHOO-ya) brother-my
5.4a الكتاب the-book تاعي mine هنا here
5.4b le-ktab (le-KTAAB) the-book.M taʿi (TAA-ʿee) of.POSS-my hna (hna) here
5.5a الكرسي the-chair تاع of بابا Papa قدام in-front-of الباب the-door
5.5b l-kursi (l-KOOR-see) the-chair taʿ (taaʿ) of.POSS baba (BAA-ba) Papa qddam (QDAAM) in-front-of el-bab (el-BAAB) the-door.M
5.6a هاد this الكتاب the-book تاع of شكون who
5.6b had (haad) this.M le-ktab (le-KTAAB) the-book.M taʿ (taaʿ) of.POSS škun (shkoon) who
5.7a شفت I-saw الكلب the-dog تاع of جاري my-neighbour قدام in-front-of الحانوت the-shop
5.7b šəft (SHEFT) see-PAST.1SG el-kəlb (el-KELB) the-dog taʿ (taaʿ) of.POSS jari (ZHAA-ree) neighbour-my qddam (QDAAM) in-front-of el-ḥanut (el-haa-NOOT) the-shop.M
5.8a هذيك that السيارة the-car تاع of بنت daughter-of عمي my-uncle
5.8b hadik (haa-DEEK) that-F es-siyara (es-see-YAA-ra) the-car.F taʿ (taaʿ) of.POSS bent (bent) daughter.CSTR ʿammi (ʿAM-mee) uncle-my
5.9a رحت I-went لدار to-house-of ولد son-of خالي my-uncle
5.9b rəḥt (REHT) go-PAST.1SG l-dar (l-DAAR) to-house.F.CSTR wəld (weld) son.CSTR khali (KHAA-lee) uncle-my
5.10a مفتاح key-of باب door-of الدار the-house عند at جدي my-grandfather
5.10b məftaḥ (mef-TAAH) key.CSTR bab (baab) door.CSTR ed-dar (ed-DAAR) the-house.F ʿand (ʿand) at jeddi (ZHED-dee) grandfather-my
5.11a نهار day-of الجمعة the-Friday نروحو we-go لدار to-house-of جدي my-grandfather
5.11b nhar (nhaar) day.CSTR ej-jemʿa (ej-ZHEM-ʿa) the-Friday nruḥu (nroo-HOO) go-PRES.1PL l-dar (l-DAAR) to-house.F.CSTR jeddi (ZHED-dee) grandfather-my
5.12a خبز bread-of الدار the-house أحسن better من than خبز bread-of الحانوت the-shop
5.12b khobz (khobz) bread.CSTR ed-dar (ed-DAAR) the-house.F aḥsən (AH-sen) better mən (men) than khobz (khobz) bread.CSTR el-ḥanut (el-haa-NOOT) the-shop.M
5.13a بزاف many من of الناس the-people يشريو buy الخبز the-bread من from الحانوت the-shop
5.13b bezzaf (bez-ZAAF) many mən (men) of en-nas (en-NAAS) the-people yəšriw (yesh-REEW) buy-PRES.3PL el-khobz (el-KHOBZ) the-bread mən (men) from el-ḥanut (el-haa-NOOT) the-shop.M
5.14a صاحبي my-friend عندو he-has دار house كبيرة big تاع of جدو his-grandfather في in ولاية province-of وهران Oran
5.14b ṣaḥbi (SAH-bee) friend-my ʿandu (ʿAN-doo) at-him dar (daar) house.F kbira (KBEE-ra) big-F.SG taʿ (taaʿ) of.POSS jeddu (ZHED-doo) grandfather-his fi (fee) in wilayət (wi-LAA-yet) province.F.CSTR wahran (wah-RAAN) Oran
5.15a الدار the-house الكبيرة the-big تاع of جدي my-grandfather في in قسنطينة Constantine فيها in-it جنان garden تاع of الورد the-roses
5.15b 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 fi (fee) in qsənṭina (qsen-TEE-na) Constantine fiha (FEE-ha) in-it.F jnan (zhnaan) garden taʿ (taaʿ) of.POSS el-ward (el-WARD) the-roses
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5.1 دار جدي كبيرة. (dar jeddi kbira) "My grandfather's house is big." 5.2 باب الدار محلول. (bab ed-dar mḥəlul) "The door of the house is open." 5.3 هادي دار خويا. (hadi dar khuya) "This is my brother's house." 5.4 الكتاب تاعي هنا. (le-ktab taʿi hna) "My book is here." 5.5 الكرسي تاع بابا قدام الباب. (l-kursi taʿ baba qddam el-bab) "Papa's chair is in front of the door." 5.6 هاد الكتاب تاع شكون؟ (had le-ktab taʿ škun) "Whose book is this?" 5.7 شفت الكلب تاع جاري قدام الحانوت. (šəft el-kəlb taʿ jari qddam el-ḥanut) "I saw my neighbour's dog in front of the shop." 5.8 هذيك السيارة تاع بنت عمي. (hadik es-siyara taʿ bent ʿammi) "That car is my cousin's." 5.9 رحت لدار ولد خالي. (rəḥt l-dar wəld khali) "I went to my cousin's house." 5.10 مفتاح باب الدار عند جدي. (məftaḥ bab ed-dar ʿand jeddi) "The key to the door of the house is with my grandfather." 5.11 نهار الجمعة نروحو لدار جدي. (nhar ej-jemʿa nruḥu l-dar jeddi) "On Friday we go to my grandfather's house." 5.12 خبز الدار أحسن من خبز الحانوت. (khobz ed-dar aḥsən mən khobz el-ḥanut) "Home-made bread is better than shop bread." 5.13 بزاف من الناس يشريو الخبز من الحانوت. (bezzaf mən en-nas yəšriw el-khobz mən el-ḥanut) "Many people buy their bread from the shop." 5.14 صاحبي عندو دار كبيرة تاع جدو في ولاية وهران. (ṣaḥbi ʿandu dar kbira taʿ jeddu fi wilayət wahran) "A friend of mine has a big house that was his grandfather's, in the wilaya of Oran." 5.15 الدار الكبيرة تاع جدي في قسنطينة فيها جنان تاع الورد. (ed-dar le-kbira taʿ jeddi fi qsənṭina fiha jnan taʿ el-ward) "My grandfather's big house in Constantine has a rose garden."
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5.1 دار جدي كبيرة. 5.2 باب الدار محلول. 5.3 هادي دار خويا. 5.4 الكتاب تاعي هنا. 5.5 الكرسي تاع بابا قدام الباب. 5.6 هاد الكتاب تاع شكون؟ 5.7 شفت الكلب تاع جاري قدام الحانوت. 5.8 هذيك السيارة تاع بنت عمي. 5.9 رحت لدار ولد خالي. 5.10 مفتاح باب الدار عند جدي. 5.11 نهار الجمعة نروحو لدار جدي. 5.12 خبز الدار أحسن من خبز الحانوت. 5.13 بزاف من الناس يشريو الخبز من الحانوت. 5.14 صاحبي عندو دار كبيرة تاع جدو في ولاية وهران. 5.15 الدار الكبيرة تاع جدي في قسنطينة فيها جنان تاع الورد.
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These are the grammar rules for تاع (taʿ), "of."
تاع between owned and owner (5.4–5.8, 5.14, 5.15). The pattern is the owned thing, then تاع, then the owner: الكتاب تاع بابا, "Papa's book." The first noun keeps its article when it is a known thing (5.5, 5.7, 5.8, 5.15) and has none when it is indefinite: دار كبيرة تاع جدو (5.14), "a big house of his grandfather's," and جنان تاع الورد (5.15), "a garden of roses." The owner is a name, a noun with the article, or a noun with a possessive ending: تاع بابا, تاع الورد, تاع جاري. The word itself never changes: it is the same before a man and a woman, a singular and a plural.
With a pronoun ending (5.4, and the Genre Section). تاع takes the pronoun endings and then means "mine, yours, his, hers": تاعي (taʿi), تاعك (taʿək, for a man or a woman), تاعو (taʿu), تاعها (taʿha), تاعنا (taʿna), تاعكم (taʿkum), تاعهم (taʿhum). Said alone they are the pronouns of Lesson 4 (4.15, 4.26, 4.27): الكتاب تاعي, "the book is mine." After a noun they stress the owner: سيارة تاعهم (siyara taʿhum, 5.26), "a car of their own." The plain "my house" is داري (dari), with the ending on the noun, as in خويا and جدي; دار تاعي is the stressed form, "a house of mine."
Whose (5.6, 5.21, 5.22). شكون (škun) is "who," and تاع شكون؟ is "of whom?", that is, "whose?" It follows the thing asked about: هاد الكتاب تاع شكون؟ "Whose book is this?" The answer is the owner with تاع, or just تاعي, تاعك, تاع ماما.
The bare pair, the iḍāfa (5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.9, 5.10, 5.11, 5.12). The first noun has no article, the second has the article or an ending, and nothing may come between them: باب الدار, دار جدي, دار خويا, خبز الدار. The pair is definite as a whole, so the article is never put on the first noun: *الباب الدار is wrong. The pair is used for what belongs together: parts and wholes (باب الدار), kin (ولد خالي, بنت عمي), times (نهار الجمعة, "the day of Friday," 5.11), and set phrases (خبز الدار). Where تاع would be used for property, the bare pair also appears: Algerians say both دار تاع خويا and دار خويا. Use تاع whenever an adjective or another word must come between the two nouns (5.15).
A feminine noun in the bare pair (5.14, 5.25). A first noun that ends in -a changes it to -t: سيارة → سيارة بابا (siyarət baba); ولاية → ولاية وهران (wilayət wahran); قهوة → قهوة بابا (qahwət baba). A noun with no -a, such as دار, باب, خبز, نهار, does not change.
A chain (5.10, 5.9, 5.18). The bare pair can be extended: مفتاح باب الدار, "the key of the door of the house," where the article goes only on the last noun. A chain may end in تاع, as in 5.18: مفتاح باب الدار تاع جدكم. Longer than three links it becomes hard to follow, and Darja breaks it.
من (mən) as "of" (5.12, 5.13 and 4.9). من does three things. It is the "of" of a group: بزاف من الناس, "many of the people," and واحد من صحابي of Lesson 4. It is "from": من الحانوت, "from the shop" (5.13). And it is "than" after a comparative: أحسن من خبز الحانوت (5.12). It is not used for ownership: *الدار من جدي would mean "the house from my grandfather," the house that came from him.
Verbs and adjectives with "of" (not in the examples). English "afraid of," "think of," "proud of" are chosen by the verb or adjective, and Darja chooses its own preposition. For "afraid of," it is من: خايف من الكلب (khayəf mən el-kəlb), "afraid of the dog." Learn each such pair as a whole.
Common Mistakes: - Putting the article on the first noun of a bare pair: *الدار جدي. Say دار جدي, or الدار تاع جدي - Forgetting تاع when an adjective comes between: *الدار الكبيرة جدي. Say الدار الكبيرة تاع جدي - Using من for ownership: *الكتاب من بابا, "the book from Papa." Say الكتاب تاع بابا - Putting the ending of the pronoun on the owner as in English: for "yours" say تاعك (taʿək); there is no *تاعني - Using the Moroccan ديال (dyal) or the Tunisian متاع (mtaʿ) in Algeria - Confusing تاع (taʿ) with تعبان (taʿban), "tired": the alif is a long a, and تاع has no b - Saying the first noun of a feminine bare pair with its -a: it is siyarət baba, not *siyara baba (the spelling is the same, but the -t is heard)
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Cousins are named by whose child they are. Darja does not usually have a bare word for "cousin": the family says بنت عمي (bent ʿammi), "my uncle's daughter," or ولد خالي (wəld khali), "my mother's brother's son," and the phrase tells you whether the link is through the father (عم, ʿamm) or the mother (خال, khal). These are bare pairs, and so is جار جدكم (jar jeddkum), "your grandfather's neighbour." Family life sounds like a chain of "of."
The Friday visit. Friday is the day of the family meal in these lessons, the couscous of Lesson 3, and the grandfather's house is where the family goes. It is spoken of simply as دار جدي, "my grandfather's house," with the bare pair.
Bread of the house. خبز الدار (khobz ed-dar) is the home-baked loaf of the family, and a person who brings it to someone's house brings something of their own. The comparison in 5.12 is made up for the example, and the taste of shop bread varies from baker to baker.
Place names carry the bare pair. In Algiers, باب الواد (bab el-wad, Bab El Oued) is "the gate of the wadi," and عين الترك (ʿin et-turk, Aïn el-Turk), near Oran, is "the spring of the Turks." The word ولاية (wilaya) is the "province" of Algeria's administrative map, and the province is named by the bare pair: ولاية وهران, ولاية قسنطينة.
Family words come with their ending. A mother says ولادي (wladi), "my children," and a child says جدي (jeddi) and خويا (khuya) as a single word each: the ending is part of how Darja names kin, and the bare noun جد is rarely used alone for one's own grandfather.
Section F gives two proverbs in which the bare pair does all the work and تاع is not needed at all.
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أمثال جزائرية (Algerian proverbs) — two traditional proverbs, anonymous
The two proverbs below are traditional and anonymous. Both are printed on the Arabic Wikiquote page of Algerian proverbs (أمثال جزائرية), and the wording here is that of the page. The first is known across the Arabic-speaking world, and collections from several countries print it in forms with ابن, ولد and ود for "son" (the Algerian page has ولد). For the second, no second Algerian source was found in the course of this lesson, so its wording rests on that page alone. 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, so the spelling is that of the modern printed versions.
ولد الفار حفار الخنفوس في عين أمو غزال
F-A: Interlinear
F.1a ولد son-of الفار the-mouse حفار digger
F.1b wəld (weld) son.CSTR el-far (el-FAAR) the-mouse ḥəffar (hef-FAAR) digger
F.2a الخنفوس the-beetle في in عين eye-of أمو his-mother غزال gazelle
F.2b el-khənfus (el-khen-FOOS) the-beetle fi (fee) in ʿin (ʿeen) eye.F.CSTR ummu (OOM-moo) mother-his ghzal (ghzaal) gazelle
F-B: Original and Translation
ولد الفار حفار / الخنفوس في عين أمو غزال
"The mouse's son is a digger. / The beetle, in its mother's eye, is a gazelle." (Translation: Latinum Institute.)
F-C: Original
ولد الفار حفار الخنفوس في عين أمو غزال
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
F.1. The saying has three words and no verb. ولد الفار (wəld el-far) is a bare pair, "the son of the mouse," with ولد bare and الفار with the article, as in Section D. The predicate حفار (ḥəffar) is a bare noun of the doer, "a digger," set beside the subject with no "is": the sentence of Lesson 2. It is said of a child who takes after its parent, as the young of the digging mouse digs; that reading is the Latinum Institute's own and is not taken from the page. The proverb is common Arabic property, and the Algerian form is only one of its wordings.
F.2. عين أمو (ʿin ummu) is a second bare pair: عين is "eye," here without an article, and أمو is أم + و, "his mother," with the possessive ending that makes it definite. The whole phrase is therefore "the eye of his mother." The preposition في comes before the pair, and nothing comes between the two nouns. Note that عين is feminine but has no -a to turn into -t. الخنفوس (el-khənfus) is a beetle, and غزال (ghzal) is "gazelle," the Arabic image of beauty. The sense is that in its mother's eyes even the plainest child is lovely; that reading, too, is the Latinum Institute's own.
Lesson 3, F.2. The proverb يفنى مال الجدين وتبقى حرفة اليدين of Lesson 3 uses the same pair twice with a feminine first noun, حرفة اليدين (ḥərfət el-yəddin), "the craft of the hands," and مال الجدين (mal el-jəddin), "the wealth of the grandfathers." Compare it with 5.14, ولاية وهران.
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On the day before the Friday visit to their grandfather in Constantine, Mama tells Yasmine and Karim what to take. They ask who has the key, whose book and glass are lying about, and whether the cousins can come in Papa's car. Most lines use "of."
5.16a ماما Mama ياسمين Yasmine كريم Karim غدوة tomorrow الجمعة the-Friday نروحو we-go لدار to-house-of جدكم your-grandfather في in قسنطينة Constantine
5.16b mama (MAA-ma) Mama yasmin (yaas-MEEN) Yasmine karim (ka-REEM) Karim ghodwa (GHOD-wa) tomorrow ej-jemʿa (ej-ZHEM-ʿa) the-Friday nruḥu (nroo-HOO) go-PRES.1PL l-dar (l-DAAR) to-house.F.CSTR jeddkum (ZHED-kum) grandfather-your.PL fi (fee) in qsənṭina (qsen-TEE-na) Constantine
5.17a ياسمين Yasmine مليح good ماما Mama نجيب I-bring خبز bread-of الدار the-house
5.17b yasmin (yaas-MEEN) Yasmine mliḥ (mleeH) good mama (MAA-ma) Mama njib (njeeb) bring-PRES.1SG khobz (khobz) bread.CSTR ed-dar (ed-DAAR) the-house.F
5.18a ماما Mama إيه yes جيبي bring خبز bread-of الدار the-house شكون who عندو at-him مفتاح key-of باب door-of الدار the-house تاع of جدكم your-grandfather
5.18b mama (MAA-ma) Mama ih (ee) yes jibi (ZHEE-bee) bring-IMP.F.SG khobz (khobz) bread.CSTR ed-dar (ed-DAAR) the-house.F škun (shkoon) who ʿandu (ʿAN-doo) at-him məftaḥ (mef-TAAH) key.CSTR bab (baab) door.CSTR ed-dar (ed-DAAR) the-house.F taʿ (taaʿ) of.POSS jeddkum (ZHED-kum) grandfather-your.PL
5.19a كريم Karim ماعنديش I-have-not المفتاح the-key المفتاح the-key عند at بابا Papa
5.19b karim (ka-REEM) Karim ma-ʿandi-š (ma-ʿan-DEESH) NEG-at-me-NEG el-məftaḥ (el-mef-TAAH) the-key el-məftaḥ (el-mef-TAAH) the-key ʿand (ʿand) at baba (BAA-ba) Papa
5.20a ماما Mama لا no عند at بابا Papa غير only مفتاح key-of السيارة the-car مفتاح key-of باب door-of الدار the-house عند at جار neighbour-of جدكم your-grandfather
5.20b mama (MAA-ma) Mama la (la) no ʿand (ʿand) at baba (BAA-ba) Papa gher (gher) only məftaḥ (mef-TAAH) key.CSTR es-siyara (es-see-YAA-ra) the-car.F məftaḥ (mef-TAAH) key.CSTR bab (baab) door.CSTR ed-dar (ed-DAAR) the-house.F ʿand (ʿand) at jar (ZHAAR) neighbour.CSTR jeddkum (ZHED-kum) grandfather-your.PL
5.21a ياسمين Yasmine كريم Karim هاد this الكتاب the-book تاع of شكون who
5.21b yasmin (yaas-MEEN) Yasmine karim (ka-REEM) Karim had (haad) this.M le-ktab (le-KTAAB) the-book.M taʿ (taaʿ) of.POSS škun (shkoon) who
5.22a كريم Karim تاعي mine وهذاك and-that الكاس the-glass تاع of ماما Mama
5.22b karim (ka-REEM) Karim taʿi (TAA-ʿee) of.POSS-my w-hadak (w-haa-DAAK) and-that.M el-kas (el-KAAS) the-glass.M taʿ (taaʿ) of.POSS mama (MAA-ma) Mama
5.23a ماما Mama لا no ماشي not تاعي mine تاع of بنت daughter-of عمكم your-uncle
5.23b mama (MAA-ma) Mama la (la) no maši (MAA-shee) NEG taʿi (TAA-ʿee) of.POSS-my taʿ (taaʿ) of.POSS bent (bent) daughter.CSTR ʿammkum (ʿAM-kum) uncle-your.PL
5.24a ياسمين Yasmine إيه yes جات came بنت daughter-of عمنا our-uncle البارح yesterday مع with ولد son-of خالنا our-uncle
5.24b yasmin (yaas-MEEN) Yasmine ih (ee) yes jat (ZHAAT) come-PAST.3F.SG bent (bent) daughter.CSTR ʿammna (ʿam-NA) uncle-our el-bareḥ (el-BAA-reH) the-yesterday maʿa (MAA-ʿa) with wəld (weld) son.CSTR khalna (khal-NA) uncle-our
5.25a كريم Karim ماما Mama سيارة car-of بابا Papa كبيرة big يقدرو can يجيو come معانا with-us ولاد sons-of خالي my-uncle
5.25b karim (ka-REEM) Karim mama (MAA-ma) Mama siyarət (see-YAA-ret) car.F.CSTR baba (BAA-ba) Papa kbira (KBEE-ra) big-F.SG yəqdru (yeq-DROO) can-PRES.3PL yjiw (YZHEEW) come-PRES.3PL məʿana (me-ʿAA-na) with-us wlad (wlaad) sons.CSTR khali (KHAA-lee) uncle-my
5.26a ماما Mama لا no ولاد sons-of خالكم your-uncle عندهم at-them سيارة car تاعهم theirs
5.26b mama (MAA-ma) Mama la (la) no wlad (wlaad) sons.CSTR khalkum (khal-KUM) uncle-your.PL ʿandhum (ʿand-HOOM) at-them siyara (see-YAA-ra) car.F taʿhum (TAAʿ-hum) of.POSS-their
5.27a ياسمين Yasmine مليح good نحب I-want نشري I-buy الحليب the-milk من from الحانوت the-shop تاع of الحومة the-neighbourhood
5.27b yasmin (yaas-MEEN) Yasmine mliḥ (mleeH) good nḥəbb (n-HEBB) want-PRES.1SG nšri (nsh-REE) buy-PRES.1SG el-ḥlib (el-HLEEB) the-milk mən (men) from el-ḥanut (el-haa-NOOT) the-shop.M taʿ (taaʿ) of.POSS el-ḥuma (el-HOO-ma) the-neighbourhood
5.28a ماما Mama روحي go وكريم and-Karim جيب bring الكتاب the-book تاعك yours
5.28b mama (MAA-ma) Mama ruḥi (ROO-hee) go-IMP.F.SG w-karim (w-ka-REEM) and-Karim jib (zheeb) bring-IMP.M.SG le-ktab (le-KTAAB) the-book.M taʿək (TAA-ʿek) of.POSS-your.M
5.29a كريم Karim مليح good ماما Mama وأنا and-I نجيب I-bring القهوة the-coffee تاع of بابا Papa
5.29b karim (ka-REEM) Karim mliḥ (mleeH) good mama (MAA-ma) Mama w-ana (w-A-na) and-I njib (njeeb) bring-PRES.1SG el-qahwa (el-QAH-wa) the-coffee.F taʿ (taaʿ) of.POSS baba (BAA-ba) Papa
5.30a ماما Mama يعطيكم gives-you الصحة the-health يا O ولادي my-children جدكم your-grandfather يحب wants يشوفكم to-see-you
5.30b mama (MAA-ma) Mama yaʿṭikum (yaʿ-TEE-kum) give-PRES.3M.SG-you.PL eṣ-ṣaḥḥa (eS-SAH-ha) the-health ya (yaa) O wladi (WLAA-dee) children-my jeddkum (ZHED-kum) grandfather-your.PL yḥəbb (y-HEBB) want-PRES.3M.SG yšufkum (YSHOOF-kum) see-PRES.3M.SG-you.PL
5.16 ماما: ياسمين، كريم، غدوة الجمعة، نروحو لدار جدكم في قسنطينة. (mama: yasmin, karim, ghodwa ej-jemʿa, nruḥu l-dar jeddkum fi qsənṭina) "Mama: Yasmine, Karim, tomorrow is Friday: we are going to your grandfather's house in Constantine." 5.17 ياسمين: مليح، ماما. نجيب خبز الدار؟ (yasmin: mliḥ, mama. njib khobz ed-dar?) "Yasmine: Good, Mama. Shall I bring the home-made bread?" 5.18 ماما: إيه، جيبي خبز الدار. شكون عندو مفتاح باب الدار تاع جدكم؟ (mama: ih, jibi khobz ed-dar. škun ʿandu məftaḥ bab ed-dar taʿ jeddkum?) "Mama: Yes, bring the home-made bread. Who has the key to your grandfather's front door?" 5.19 كريم: ماعنديش المفتاح، المفتاح عند بابا. (karim: ma-ʿandi-š el-məftaḥ, el-məftaḥ ʿand baba) "Karim: I don't have the key; the key is with Papa." 5.20 ماما: لا، عند بابا غير مفتاح السيارة. مفتاح باب الدار عند جار جدكم. (mama: la, ʿand baba gher məftaḥ es-siyara. məftaḥ bab ed-dar ʿand jar jeddkum) "Mama: No, Papa has only the car key. The key to the door of the house is with your grandfather's neighbour." 5.21 ياسمين: كريم، هاد الكتاب تاع شكون؟ (yasmin: karim, had le-ktab taʿ škun?) "Yasmine: Karim, whose book is this?" 5.22 كريم: تاعي. وهذاك الكاس تاع ماما؟ (karim: taʿi. w-hadak el-kas taʿ mama?) "Karim: It's mine. And that glass, is it Mama's?" 5.23 ماما: لا، ماشي تاعي، تاع بنت عمكم. (mama: la, maši taʿi, taʿ bent ʿammkum) "Mama: No, it's not mine; it's your cousin's." 5.24 ياسمين: إيه، جات بنت عمنا البارح مع ولد خالنا. (yasmin: ih, jat bent ʿammna el-bareḥ maʿa wəld khalna) "Yasmine: Yes, our cousin came yesterday with the son of our maternal uncle." 5.25 كريم: ماما، سيارة بابا كبيرة، يقدرو يجيو معانا ولاد خالي؟ (karim: mama, siyarət baba kbira, yəqdru yjiw məʿana wlad khali?) "Karim: Mama, Papa's car is big. Can my cousins come with us?" 5.26 ماما: لا، ولاد خالكم عندهم سيارة تاعهم. (mama: la, wlad khalkum ʿandhum siyara taʿhum) "Mama: No, your cousins have a car of their own." 5.27 ياسمين: مليح، نحب نشري الحليب من الحانوت تاع الحومة. (yasmin: mliḥ, nḥəbb nšri el-ḥlib mən el-ḥanut taʿ el-ḥuma) "Yasmine: Good. I would like to buy the milk at the neighbourhood shop." 5.28 ماما: روحي، وكريم، جيب الكتاب تاعك. (mama: ruḥi, w-karim, jib le-ktab taʿək) "Mama: Go. And Karim, bring your book." 5.29 كريم: مليح، ماما، وأنا نجيب القهوة تاع بابا. (karim: mliḥ, mama, w-ana njib el-qahwa taʿ baba) "Karim: Fine, Mama; and I'll bring Papa's coffee." 5.30 ماما: يعطيكم الصحة يا ولادي. جدكم يحب يشوفكم. (mama: yaʿṭikum eṣ-ṣaḥḥa ya wladi. jeddkum yḥəbb yšufkum) "Mama: Thank you, my children. Your grandfather wants to see you."
5.16 ماما: ياسمين، كريم، غدوة الجمعة، نروحو لدار جدكم في قسنطينة. 5.17 ياسمين: مليح، ماما. نجيب خبز الدار؟ 5.18 ماما: إيه، جيبي خبز الدار. شكون عندو مفتاح باب الدار تاع جدكم؟ 5.19 كريم: ماعنديش المفتاح، المفتاح عند بابا. 5.20 ماما: لا، عند بابا غير مفتاح السيارة. مفتاح باب الدار عند جار جدكم. 5.21 ياسمين: كريم، هاد الكتاب تاع شكون؟ 5.22 كريم: تاعي. وهذاك الكاس تاع ماما؟ 5.23 ماما: لا، ماشي تاعي، تاع بنت عمكم. 5.24 ياسمين: إيه، جات بنت عمنا البارح مع ولد خالنا. 5.25 كريم: ماما، سيارة بابا كبيرة، يقدرو يجيو معانا ولاد خالي؟ 5.26 ماما: لا، ولاد خالكم عندهم سيارة تاعهم. 5.27 ياسمين: مليح، نحب نشري الحليب من الحانوت تاع الحومة. 5.28 ماما: روحي، وكريم، جيب الكتاب تاعك. 5.29 كريم: مليح، ماما، وأنا نجيب القهوة تاع بابا. 5.30 ماما: يعطيكم الصحة يا ولادي. جدكم يحب يشوفكم.
A day and a place, in bare pairs (5.16). نروحو لدار جدكم: the first noun is دار, "house," with the ل (l-), "to," in front of it and nothing between the two nouns, so that "to the house of your grandfather" is one phrase. The ending -kum is the plural "your," because Mama speaks to two children. غدوة الجمعة, "tomorrow is Friday," has no verb, like the sentences of Lesson 2.
Home-made bread (5.17, 5.18). خبز الدار is the bare pair of Section D, a set phrase. In 5.17 Yasmine's question is a question by intonation alone, as in Lesson 4. Mama's order جيبي is the feminine imperative of جاب, "to bring," because she speaks to Yasmine; in 5.28 she says جيب to Karim.
A long chain (5.18). مفتاح باب الدار تاع جدكم has three bare links and ends in تاع: "the key of the door of the house, the one of your grandfather." The question word شكون comes first, and the verb is absent: شكون عندو, "who has?", with عندو (ʿandu), "at him," as in 4.8.
"With Papa" (5.19, 5.20). عند, "at," is the Darja "have" and also "with" a person: المفتاح عند بابا, "the key is with Papa." Karim's ماعنديش is the ما ... ش of Lesson 3 around عندي. In 5.20, غير, "only," is the word of Lesson 3 (3.13). The last two bare pairs are مفتاح السيارة, "the car key," and جار جدكم, "the neighbour of your grandfather."
Whose (5.21, 5.22, 5.23). تاع شكون is "whose," and the answers are the pronoun تاعي, "mine," a question by intonation (5.22: تاع ماما؟, "Mama's?"), and ماشي تاعي, "not mine," with the ماشي of Lesson 2. In 5.23 Mama names the real owner with تاع and a bare pair: تاع بنت عمكم, "of the daughter of your uncle," that is, "your cousin's."
Cousins (5.24, 5.25, 5.26). بنت عمنا is the daughter of "our father's brother," ولد خالنا is the son of "our mother's brother," and ولاد خالي is the plural wlad ("sons, children"). Each is a bare pair with a possessive ending on the second noun, which makes the whole pair definite. In 5.24 جات is feminine, because the one who came is the girl, بنت عمنا.
Papa's car (5.25). سيارة بابا is the bare pair with the -t of Section D: siyarət baba. The same noun appears in 5.26 without the pair, سيارة تاعهم, "a car of theirs," where تاعهم stresses the owners: "a car of their own." The cousins are plural, so the verbs يقدرو (yəqdru) and يجيو (yjiw) are plural and come before the noun.
The neighbourhood shop (5.27). الحانوت تاع الحومة: the shop of the neighbourhood, with تاع, because the shop has the article and is a known place. The verbs نحب نشري, "I would like to buy," are two presents in a row; نحب, "I would like," is the verb of 4.17.
Yours and Papa's (5.28, 5.29). The book is الكتاب تاعك, "the book yours," with the ending -ək of Section D; the coffee is القهوة تاع بابا, "the coffee of Papa." Karim's وأنا, "and I," is stressed, because it contrasts with Yasmine's errand.
Thanks (5.30). يعطيكم الصحة is the thanks-phrase of Lesson 1 (يعطيك الصحة) in the plural, because Mama thanks two children. The vocative يا ولادي is "O my children." In جدكم يحب يشوفكم the second verb has the ending -kum, "you (plural)."
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تاع (taʿ) — IPA: /taːʕ/ — A long a followed by ع (ʕ), a squeeze made low in the throat. The ع is a consonant at the end of the word and must be heard: "taaʿ." With an ending it stays between the vowels: تاعي (taʿi) /taːʕi/, تاعو (taʿu) /taːʕu/. جدي (jeddi) — IPA: /ʒeddi/ — The ج is the sound of the s in "pleasure," and the د is doubled: "ZHED-dee." خويا (khuya) — IPA: /xuːja/ — خ is the rough sound of Scottish "loch." مفتاح (məftaḥ) — IPA: /məfˈtaːħ/ — The stress falls on the long vowel, and the ح is the whispered, throaty h. شكون (škun) — IPA: /ʃkuːn/ — The word begins with two consonants and no vowel: "shkoon." بزاف (bezzaf) — IPA: /bəzzaːf/ — The z is doubled, and the stress falls on the last syllable. أحسن (aḥsən) — IPA: /aħsən/ — The ح is again the throaty h; the last vowel is a short ə. عمي (ʿammi) — IPA: /ʕammi/ — The ع is the throat squeeze, and the m is doubled. خالي (khali) — IPA: /xaːli/ — The same rough خ, then a long a. ولاية (wilayət) — IPA: /wilaːja/ — In the bare pair the final -a becomes -t: ولاية وهران /wilaːjət wahran/. سيارة (siyara) — IPA: /sijaːra/ — The stress falls on the long a: "see-YAA-ra"; in the bare pair, siyarət baba. الحومة (el-ḥuma) — IPA: /əlˈħuːma/ — ح is the throaty h, and the u is long. الورد (el-ward) — IPA: /əlˈward/ — The w is clear, and the r is tapped. الخنفوس (el-khənfus) — IPA: /əlxənˈfuːs/ — The rough خ at the start and a long u before the final s. Vowel length: long vowels (aa, ee, oo in the respellings) are held about twice as long as short ones. The a of تاع is long, and the vowel of جار (jar) is long as well.
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Course Index: [latinum.substack.com/p/index](https://latinum.substack.com/p/index)