For autodidact students of Levantine Arabic, the second word is "be," and the first thing to learn about it is that in the present tense Levantine does not use it. "The house is big" is simply البيت كبير (il-bēt kbīr), as in Lesson 1, with no word for "is." "I am tired" is أنا تعبان (ʔana taʿbān), literally "I tired." "She is a teacher" is هي معلمة (hiyye muʿallme), "she teacher." Nothing stands for "am," "is" or "are": the subject and what is said about it are put side by side. The verb كان (kān) appears only when the sentence leaves the present. كان البيت كبير (kān il-bēt kbīr) is "the house was big," and بكون البيت كبير (bikūn il-bēt kbīr) is "the house will be big," or "the house is probably big."
Kān is the form under which Arabic dictionaries list the verb: it is the past tense for "he," so it means "he was" and also names the whole verb, "to be." It takes its endings by person. The forms of the past are كنت (kint), "I was" or "you were" (to a man); كنتي (kinti), "you were" (to a woman); كان (kān), "he was"; كانت (kānet), "she was"; كنا (kenna), "we were"; كنتو (kintu), "you were" (to several people); and كانوا (kānu), "they were." The long ā of kān shortens when a consonant ending follows: kint, kenna, never *kānt.
The second job of kān is to carry the past into other verbs. A verb after kān turns "he does" into "he used to do" or "he was doing": كان يركض (kān yirkoḍ), "he used to run"; كان عم يدق (kān ʿam ydiʔʔ), "he was knocking." That is the use that makes kān so common in stories, and it is the one the second half of this lesson practises.
"There is" and "have" are not made with kān in the present either. "There is" is في (fī), and "there is not" is ما في (ma fī). Only when the sentence moves to the past does kān come in front: كان في (kān fī), "there was"; ما كان في (ma kān fī), "there was not." "I have" is عندي (ʿindi), literally "at me," and "I had" is كان عندي (kān ʿindi). Kān is also not the verb for "become": that is صار (ṣār).
Script note: كان is three letters, ك kāf, ا alif and ن nūn. The alif is the long ā, so the missing alif in كنت (kint) is what tells you the vowel is short: كان and كنت differ by that one letter, and so do كانت (kānet) and كنت (kint). In كانوا (kānu), "they were," the و is the plural ending and the alif after it is written but not pronounced, as in راحوا (rāḥu) in Lesson 1. In the future form بكون (bkūn), the ب is the prefix of the Levantine present and is written joined to the verb, and the و writes the long ū.
Key Takeaways: - كان (kān): "was." The only form most learners meet at first; it is also the verb's name, "to be" - In the present there is no verb: أنا تعبان (ʔana taʿbān), "I am tired"; البيت كبير (il-bēt kbīr), "the house is big" - Past: كنت (kint), كنتي (kinti), كان (kān), كانت (kānet), كنا (kenna), كنتو (kintu), كانوا (kānu) - Negative past with ما: ما كنت (ma kint), "I was not"; negative present with مش (miš): هو مش هون (huwwe miš hōn), "he is not here" - Future and "probably is": بكون (bkūn, bikūn, btkūn…), or رح + يكون (raḥ ykūn) - Habitual and continuous past: كان + verb (kān yirkoḍ), كان + عم (kān ʿam ydiʔʔ) - "There is" and "there was": في (fī), كان في (kān fī); "had": كان عندي (kān ʿindi) - "Become" is صار (ṣār), not kān
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
2.1a كنت I-was تعبان tired
2.1b kint (kint) be-PAST.1SG taʿbān (taʿ-BAAN) tired-M.SG
2.2a كان was الطقس the-weather حلو nice
2.2b kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG iṭ-ṭaʔs (iṭ-TA'S) the-weather ḥilu (HIL-oo) nice-M.SG
2.3a كانت was القهوة the-coffee طيبة tasty
2.3b kānet (KAA-net) be-PAST.3F.SG il-ʔahwe (il-AH-weh) the-coffee.F ṭayybe (TAYY-beh) tasty-F.SG
2.4a كانوا they-were هون here
2.4b kānu (KAA-nu) be-PAST.3PL hōn (hohn) here
2.5a أنا I كنت was بالبيت at-home
2.5b ʔana (A-na) I kint (kint) be-PAST.1SG bil-bēt (bil-BAYT) in-the-house
2.6a مبارح yesterday كان was البيت the-house فاضي empty
2.6b mbāreḥ (m-BAA-reh) yesterday kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG il-bēt (il-BAYT) the-house.M fāḍi (FAA-di) empty-M.SG
2.7a وين where كنتي you-were مبارح yesterday يا O ريم Reem
2.7b wēn (wayn) where kinti (KIN-ti) be-PAST.2F.SG mbāreḥ (m-BAA-reh) yesterday ya (ya) VOC rīm (reem) Reem
2.8a كنا we-were بالشام in-the-Sham السنة the-year الماضية the-past
2.8b kenna (KEN-na) be-PAST.1PL biš-šām (bish-SHAAM) in-the-Sham is-sane (is-SA-neh) the-year.F l-māḍye (l-MAAD-yeh) the-past-F.SG
2.9a ما not كان was في there-is حدا anyone بالبيت in-the-house
2.9b ma (ma) NEG kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG fī (fee) there-is ḥada (HA-da) anyone bil-bēt (bil-BAYT) in-the-house
2.10a كنتو you-were عم PROG تلعبوا playing بالحارة in-the-neighbourhood
2.10b kintu (KIN-tu) be-PAST.2PL ʿam (ʿam) PROG tilʿabu (til-ʿA-bu) play-SUBJ.2PL bil-ḥāra (bil-HAA-ra) in-the-neighbourhood.F
2.11a لما when كنت I-was صغير small كنت I-was بحب I-like روح go عند at جدي my-grandfather
2.11b lamma (LAM-ma) when kint (kint) be-PAST.1SG zghīr (zgheer) small-M.SG kint (kint) be-PAST.1SG bḥibb (b-HIBB) like-PRES.1SG rūḥ (rooh) go-SUBJ.1SG ʿind (ʿind) at jiddi (ZHID-di) grandfather-my
2.12a كان was عم PROG يدق knocking عالباب on-the-door وأنا and-I كنت was نايم asleep
2.12b kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG ʿam (ʿam) PROG ydiʔʔ (y-DI') knock-SUBJ.3M.SG ʿal-bāb (ʿal-BAAB) on-the-door w-ʔana (w-A-na) and-I kint (kint) be-PAST.1SG nāyem (NAA-yem) asleep-M.SG
2.13a بكرا tomorrow بكون I-will-be بالشغل at-work من from الساعة the-hour تمانية eight
2.13b bukra (BUK-ra) tomorrow bkūn (b-KOON) be-FUT.1SG biš-šoghol (bish-SHOGH-ol) at-the-work min (min) from is-sāʿa (is-SAA-ʿa) the-hour.F tmēne (TMAY-neh) eight
2.14a رح will تكون be القهوة the-coffee جاهزة ready بعد after شوي little
2.14b raḥ (rah) FUT tkūn (tkoon) be-SUBJ.3F.SG il-ʔahwe (il-AH-weh) the-coffee.F jāhze (ZHAAH-zeh) ready-F.SG baʿd (baʿd) after šwayy (SHWAYY) a-little
2.15a الكتاب the-book اللي that كان was عندي at-me مبارح yesterday ضاع got-lost
2.15b il-ktāb (il-KTAAB) the-book illi (IL-li) REL kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG ʿindi (ʿIN-di) at-me mbāreḥ (m-BAA-reh) yesterday ḍāʿ (daaʿ) lose-PAST.3M.SG
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
2.1 كنت تعبان. (kint taʿbān) "I was tired." 2.2 كان الطقس حلو. (kān iṭ-ṭaʔs ḥilu) "The weather was nice." 2.3 كانت القهوة طيبة. (kānet il-ʔahwe ṭayybe) "The coffee was good." 2.4 كانوا هون. (kānu hōn) "They were here." 2.5 أنا كنت بالبيت. (ʔana kint bil-bēt) "I was at home." 2.6 مبارح كان البيت فاضي. (mbāreḥ kān il-bēt fāḍi) "Yesterday the house was empty." 2.7 وين كنتي مبارح يا ريم؟ (wēn kinti mbāreḥ ya rīm?) "Where were you yesterday, Reem?" 2.8 كنا بالشام السنة الماضية. (kenna biš-šām is-sane l-māḍye) "We were in Damascus last year." 2.9 ما كان في حدا بالبيت. (ma kān fī ḥada bil-bēt) "There was nobody at home." 2.10 كنتو عم تلعبوا بالحارة. (kintu ʿam tilʿabu bil-ḥāra) "You were playing in the neighbourhood." 2.11 لما كنت صغير كنت بحب روح عند جدي. (lamma kint zghīr kint bḥibb rūḥ ʿind jiddi) "When I was small, I used to love going to my grandfather's." 2.12 كان عم يدق عالباب وأنا كنت نايم. (kān ʿam ydiʔʔ ʿal-bāb w-ʔana kint nāyem) "He was knocking at the door and I was asleep." 2.13 بكرا بكون بالشغل من الساعة تمانية. (bukra bkūn biš-šoghol min is-sāʿa tmēne) "Tomorrow I'll be at work from eight o'clock." 2.14 رح تكون القهوة جاهزة بعد شوي. (raḥ tkūn il-ʔahwe jāhze baʿd šwayy) "The coffee will be ready in a little while." 2.15 الكتاب اللي كان عندي مبارح ضاع. (il-ktāb illi kān ʿindi mbāreḥ ḍāʿ) "The book I had yesterday got lost."
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
2.1 كنت تعبان. 2.2 كان الطقس حلو. 2.3 كانت القهوة طيبة. 2.4 كانوا هون. 2.5 أنا كنت بالبيت. 2.6 مبارح كان البيت فاضي. 2.7 وين كنتي مبارح يا ريم؟ 2.8 كنا بالشام السنة الماضية. 2.9 ما كان في حدا بالبيت. 2.10 كنتو عم تلعبوا بالحارة. 2.11 لما كنت صغير كنت بحب روح عند جدي. 2.12 كان عم يدق عالباب وأنا كنت نايم. 2.13 بكرا بكون بالشغل من الساعة تمانية. 2.14 رح تكون القهوة جاهزة بعد شوي. 2.15 الكتاب اللي كان عندي مبارح ضاع.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
These are the grammar rules for كان (kān), "be."
The present has no verb. A sentence in the present is a subject and what is said of it, side by side. The pronouns are: I, أنا (ʔana); you (to a man), إنت (ʔinte); you (to a woman), إنتي (ʔinti); he, هو (huwwe); she, هي (hiyye); we, نحنا (niḥna); you (several), إنتو (ʔintu); they, هني (hinne). With them: - أنا تعبان (ʔana taʿbān), "I am tired" (a man speaking); أنا تعبانة (ʔana taʿbāne) (a woman) - هي معلمة (hiyye muʿallme), "she is a teacher" - نحنا بالبيت (niḥna bil-bēt), "we are at home" - هني هون (hinne hōn), "they are here"
To say a present sentence is not true, put مش (miš) before what is denied: هو مش هون (huwwe miš hōn), "he is not here." In Syria you will also hear مو (mū) in its place. Both are understood throughout the Levant.
The past. Kān is a hollow verb, with a long ā in the middle, and it takes the endings of the past tense. - I was: كنت (kint) - you (to a man) were: كنت (kint) - you (to a woman) were: كنتي (kinti) - he was: كان (kān) - she was: كانت (kānet) - we were: كنا (kenna) - you (several) were: كنتو (kintu) - they were: كانوا (kānu)
Before an ending that begins with a consonant, the ā shortens: kint, kinti, kenna, kintu. The forms for "I" and "you (to a man)" are identical, so the pronoun, or the situation, tells you who is meant (2.5). Some speakers say kinna for "we"; this course writes kenna. In fast speech kān is sometimes shortened to ken before ʿind, as in ken ʿindi, "I had."
Negation of the past uses ما (ma), not مش: ما كنت هون (ma kint hōn), "I was not here"; ما كان في حدا بالبيت (2.9). Miš belongs to the present.
The future and the probable. The present tense of kān, with the prefix ب (b-), serves for the future and for supposition: - I will be: بكون (bkūn) - you (to a man): بتكون (btkūn) - you (to a woman): بتكوني (btkūni) - he: بكون (bikūn) - she: بتكون (btkūn) - we: منكون (mnikūn) - you (several): بتكونوا (btkūnu) - they: بكونوا (bikūnu)
بكرا بكون بالشغل (2.13) is "tomorrow I'll be at work." With the same form, a guess about the present is made: هو بكون بالبيت (huwwe bikūn bil-bēt), "he is probably at home." For a plain, sure future, put the particle رح (raḥ) before the form without ب: رح تكون القهوة جاهزة (2.14), "the coffee will be ready." Without b- the verb is the subjunctive: يكون (ykūn), تكون (tkūn), and the like.
The imperative. كون (kūn), "be" (to a man); كوني (kūni) (to a woman); كونوا (kūnu) (to several): كون هون الساعة تمانية (kūn hōn is-sāʿa tmēne), "be here at eight."
Kān before another verb. This is where the past of kān does most of its work. - كان + subjunctive: "used to do." كان أخي يركض (kān ʔakhi yirkoḍ), "my brother used to run" (2.20). - كان + a verb with ب: the same, with a more settled habit. كنت بحب (kint bḥibb), "I used to like" (2.11); كانت بتصحى (kānet btiṣḥa), "she used to wake up" (2.18). - كان + عم (ʿam) + verb: "was doing, at that moment." كان عم يدق (kān ʿam ydiʔʔ), "he was knocking" (2.12); كنتو عم تلعبوا (2.10), "you were playing."
Kān agrees with the doer in person, number and gender, and the verb after it does the same: كانت ستي تقول (kānet sitti tʔūl) for a grandmother, كنا نقضي (kenna nʔaḍḍi) for "we."
Having and being. "I have" is عندي (ʿindi), and it has no verb. The past is كان عندي (kān ʿindi), "I had" (2.15), and the future is بكون عندي (bkūn ʿindi), "I will have" (2.29). The relative اللي (illi) can take kān without any other change: الكتاب اللي كان عندي, "the book I had."
"There is" and "there was." في (fī) says that something exists; it is followed by a noun that is not definite: في حدا هون (fī ḥada hōn), "there is somebody here"; ما في حدا (ma fī ḥada), "there is nobody." The past puts kān in front: كان في حكاية جديدة (kān fī ḥikāye jdīde), "there was a new story" (2.22); ما كان في حدا (2.9). For a definite thing, the location is given without fī: الكتاب بالبيت (il-ktāb bil-bēt), "the book is in the house." The same fī is also "in it" (فيه), as in كان فيه جنينة (kān fī jnēne), "it had a garden" (2.17).
Agreement of the predicate. The adjective that follows agrees with the noun it describes, in gender: كانت القهوة طيبة (2.3), كان الطقس حلو (2.2), كانت ستي مريضة (2.27).
Do not use kān for "become." For the change of state the verb is صار (ṣār): صار الطقس بارد (ṣār iṭ-ṭaʔs bārid), "the weather turned cold." In 2.24 the habit and the change meet: كان صوتها يصير واطي, "her voice would go low."
Common Mistakes: - Adding a verb in the present. *أنا بكون تعبان does not mean "I am tired"; it means "I will be tired," or "I am probably tired." Say أنا تعبان. - Saying *ʔana kint taʿbān for "I am tired." The kint places the tiredness in the past. - Negating the past with miš: *مش كنت هون. The past takes ما: ما كنت هون. - Confusing كنت (kint) and كانت (kānet). One alif separates "I was" or "you were" from "she was." - Pronouncing a long ā where it has shortened: kint, not *kānt. - Using fī with a definite noun: *في الكتاب بالبيت. For a definite thing, say الكتاب بالبيت. - Using kān for "become." Use صار.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
The absence of a present "is" gives Levantine its brevity. Greetings, questions and everyday remarks are often only a pair of words: الطقس حلو اليوم (iṭ-ṭaʔs ḥilu l-yōm), "the weather is nice today." Learners who put in a form of kān for the present are not understood any less, but it sounds strange, because kān always moves the sentence out of the present.
The place of kān is the story. The traditional opening of a tale is كان يا ما كان (kān yā mā kān), which English renders "once upon a time." It is one of the familiar openings of the حكواتي (ḥakawāti), the storyteller of the coffeehouse, and it is the opening of the tales told to children. Section F is about this formula, and the narrative of the Genre Section recalls a grandmother who begins her evening tale with it.
Kān is found in some of the most common phrases of reassurance and agreement. إن شاء الله بكون خير (inšāʔallāh bikūn khēr), "God willing, it will be well," is said to anyone who worries about an illness, an exam or a journey. كان معك حق (kān maʿak ḥaʔʔ), literally "there was with you right," is "you were right." ما في مشكلة (ma fī muškile), "there is no problem," is the Levantine "no problem" and "that's fine."
The forms vary a little around the region. In Syria the negative of the present is often مو (mū), and in Lebanon and Palestine مش (miš). In southern Levantine speech, in Palestine and Jordan, "there is not" is also said with an added -š, as فيش (fīš), where Syria and Lebanon say ما في (ma fī). The "we" of the past is kenna in Damascus and Beirut, and kinna is also heard. The speech of the villages and of the Bedouin changes the ق: where this course has ʔ, a village speaker says k or g. The grandmother of 2.23, in the urban speech of this course, says tʔūl; a Bedouin grandmother would say tgūl.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
كان يا ما كان (Once Upon a Time) — the traditional opening of the Levantine tale
The Levantine tale, told aloud, has no single author: it belongs to the tellers. What is fixed is the formula that opens it, one of the best-known sentences of the Arabic world. The Arabic press names كان يا ما كان as an opening phrase of the ḥakawāti, the storyteller of the coffeehouse, and it opens tales told to children. The wording below is the form printed in newspapers and on story sites, which write it with small variations; it is a formula of the whole Arab world, not of the Levant alone. Its second and third lines lean toward Standard Arabic, and this is why it is quoted here rather than a grandmother's own words.
كان يا ما كان يا سادة يا كرام في سالف العصر والأوان
F-A: Interlinear
F.1a كان was يا O ما what كان was
F.1b kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG yā (yaa) VOC mā (maa) what kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG
F.2a يا O سادة masters يا O كرام noble-ones
F.2b yā (yaa) VOC sāda (SAA-da) masters.PL yā (yaa) VOC kirām (ki-RAAM) noble.PL
F.3a في in سالف past-of العصر the-age والأوان and-the-time
F.3b fī (fee) in sālef (SAA-lef) past-of il-ʿaṣr (il-ʿASR) the-age w-il-ʔawān (wil-a-WAAN) and-the-time
F-B: Original and Translation
كان يا ما كان / يا سادة يا كرام / في سالف العصر والأوان
"Once upon a time, / O masters, O noble ones, / in the olden age and time." (Translation: Latinum Institute.) The first line is the signal that a story has begun; the second addresses the listeners; the third places the tale in the distant past.
F-C: Original
كان يا ما كان يا سادة يا كرام في سالف العصر والأوان
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
The first line contains kān twice, and both are the plain past of this lesson, "was." A tale told after it can then go on, as 2.17 and 2.22 do, with kān fī, "there was," and a noun that is not definite, a king, a poor man or a girl. This is how a story is introduced: first that something "was," then what it was.
The words يا ما (yā mā) between the two kāns are not explained with one voice. يا is the vocative "O," and ما can be read as "what" or as "how much." This course glosses the words plainly, "O what," and translates the whole line by the English formula, since a Levantine listener hears the line as one piece and not as parts. The repetition of the verb is the shape of the line.
The second and third lines are closer to the literary language than to the street. سادة (sāda), "masters," and كرام (kirām), "noble ones," are plurals of Standard Arabic, and سالف العصر والأوان (sālef il-ʿaṣr w-il-ʔawān), "the olden age and time," is a phrase of the literary language: the colloquial would say زمان (zamān), "long ago." The storyteller moves for three lines into a higher language and returns to the speech of the street for the story itself.
The article appears in two forms. In العصر (il-ʿaṣr) the l is heard, because ع is a moon letter. In والأوان (w-il-ʔawān), the article is joined to the و, "and," and the l is heard again before the hamza. Both are as Lesson 1 teaches.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
A man remembers the summers of his childhood in his grandmother's village. Almost every sentence is in the past and almost every sentence needs kān: it carries the habit ("we used to"), the state ("the house was") and the existence ("there was"). It ends with a look to tomorrow, in the future of kān. The grandmother is called ستي (sitti), the Levantine word for "grandmother," and the narrator is a man, so the adjectives he uses for himself are masculine.
2.16a كنا we-were نقضي we-spend الصيف the-summer كله all-of-it عند at ستي my-grandmother بالضيعة in-the-village
2.16b kenna (KEN-na) be-PAST.1PL nʔaḍḍi (n-AD-di) spend-SUBJ.1PL ṣ-ṣēf (ṣ-SAYF) the-summer kullo (KUL-lo) all-it ʿind (ʿind) at sitti (SIT-ti) grandmother-my biḍ-ḍayʿa (bid-DAY-ʿa) in-the-village.F
2.17a كان was بيت house-of ستي my-grandmother صغير small بس but كان was فيه in-it جنينة garden كبيرة big
2.17b kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG bēt (bayt) house-of sitti (SIT-ti) grandmother-my zghīr (zgheer) small-M.SG bass (bass) but kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG fī (fee) in-it.M jnēne (ZHNAY-neh) garden.F kbīre (KBEE-reh) big-F.SG
2.18a وكانت and-was ستي my-grandmother بتصحى wakes كل every يوم day عالفجر at-dawn
2.18b w-kānet (w-KAA-net) and-be-PAST.3F.SG sitti (SIT-ti) grandmother-my btiṣḥa (b-TIS-ha) wake-PRES.3F.SG kull (kull) every yōm (yohm) day ʿal-fajr (ʿal-FAJR) at-the-dawn
2.19a وكانت and-was ريحة smell-of الخبز the-bread بكل in-all البيت the-house
2.19b w-kānet (w-KAA-net) and-be-PAST.3F.SG rīḥet (REE-het) smell-of.F il-khibz (il-KHIBZ) the-bread bi-kull (bi-KULL) in-all il-bēt (il-BAYT) the-house
2.20a كان was أخي my-brother كل every يوم day يركض runs ورا behind الدجاج the-chickens
2.20b kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG ʔakhi (AKH-i) brother-my kull (kull) every yōm (yohm) day yirkoḍ (YIR-kod) run-SUBJ.3M.SG warā (wa-RAA) behind d-dijāj (d-di-ZHAAJ) the-chickens.COLL
2.21a وأنا and-I كنت was بلعب I-play تحت under شجرة tree-of التين the-fig
2.21b w-ʔana (w-A-na) and-I kint (kint) be-PAST.1SG bilʿab (bil-ʿAB) play-PRES.1SG taḥt (taḥt) under šajaret (sha-ZHA-ret) tree-of it-tīn (it-TEEN) the-fig
2.22a كان was في there-is حكاية story جديدة new كل every مساء evening
2.22b kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG fī (fee) there-is ḥikāye (hi-KAA-yeh) story.F jdīde (JDEE-deh) new-F.SG kull (kull) every masā (ma-SAA) evening
2.23a وكانت and-was ستي my-grandmother تقول says كان was يا O ما what كان was
2.23b w-kānet (w-KAA-net) and-be-PAST.3F.SG sitti (SIT-ti) grandmother-my tʔūl (t-'OOL) say-SUBJ.3F.SG kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG yā (yaa) VOC mā (maa) what kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG
2.24a وبعدين and-then كان was صوتها her-voice يصير becomes واطي low
2.24b w-baʿdēn (w-baʿ-DAYN) and-then kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG ṣawtha (SAWT-ha) voice-her yṣīr (y-SEER) become-SUBJ.3M.SG wāṭi (WAA-ṭi) low-M.SG
2.25a ما not كنا we-were نحس we-feel بالوقت in-the-time
2.25b ma (ma) NEG kenna (KEN-na) be-PAST.1PL niḥess (ni-HESS) feel-SUBJ.1PL bil-waʔet (bil-WA'-et) in-the-time
2.26a كانت was السهرة the-evening دايما always حلوة lovely
2.26b kānet (KAA-net) be-PAST.3F.SG is-sahra (is-SAH-ra) the-evening.F dāyman (DAAY-man) always ḥilwe (HIL-weh) lovely-F.SG
2.27a بعد after سنين years كانت was ستي my-grandmother مريضة ill ومش and-not قادرة able تمشي walk
2.27b baʿd (baʿd) after snīn (SNEEN) years.PL kānet (KAA-net) be-PAST.3F.SG sitti (SIT-ti) grandmother-my marīḍa (ma-REE-ḍa) ill-F.SG w-miš (w-MISH) and-NEG ʔādra ('AAD-ra) able-F.SG tmši (TM-shi) walk-SUBJ.3F.SG
2.28a وكان and-was لازم necessary نروح we-go نزورها we-visit-her كل every أسبوع week
2.28b w-kān (w-KAAN) and-be-PAST.3M.SG lāzem (LAA-zem) necessary nrūḥ (n-ROOH) go-SUBJ.1PL nzūrha (n-ZOOR-ha) visit-SUBJ.1PL-her.F kull (kull) every usbūʿ (us-BOOʿ) week
2.29a بكرا tomorrow بكون I-will-be عندي at-me وقت time وبروح and-I-go عالضيعة to-the-village
2.29b bukra (BUK-ra) tomorrow bkūn (b-KOON) be-FUT.1SG ʿindi (ʿIN-di) at-me waʔet (WA'-et) time w-brūḥ (w-b-ROOH) and-go-PRES.1SG ʿaḍ-ḍayʿa (ʿad-DAY-ʿa) to-the-village.F
2.30a يمكن maybe بكون it-will-be كل every شي thing متل like ما what كان was
2.30b yimken (YIM-ken) maybe bikūn (bi-KOON) be-FUT.3M.SG kull (kull) every šī (shee) thing mitl (mitl) like ma (ma) what kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG
2.16 كنا نقضي الصيف كله عند ستي بالضيعة. (kenna nʔaḍḍi ṣ-ṣēf kullo ʿind sitti biḍ-ḍayʿa) "We used to spend the whole summer at my grandmother's, in the village." 2.17 كان بيت ستي صغير بس كان فيه جنينة كبيرة. (kān bēt sitti zghīr bass kān fī jnēne kbīre) "My grandmother's house was small, but it had a big garden." 2.18 وكانت ستي بتصحى كل يوم عالفجر. (w-kānet sitti btiṣḥa kull yōm ʿal-fajr) "And my grandmother used to wake at dawn every day." 2.19 وكانت ريحة الخبز بكل البيت. (w-kānet rīḥet il-khibz bi-kull il-bēt) "And the smell of bread was in the whole house." 2.20 كان أخي كل يوم يركض ورا الدجاج. (kān ʔakhi kull yōm yirkoḍ warā d-dijāj) "My brother used to run after the chickens every day." 2.21 وأنا كنت بلعب تحت شجرة التين. (w-ʔana kint bilʿab taḥt šajaret it-tīn) "And I used to play under the fig tree." 2.22 كان في حكاية جديدة كل مساء. (kān fī ḥikāye jdīde kull masā) "Every evening there was a new story." 2.23 وكانت ستي تقول: كان يا ما كان. (w-kānet sitti tʔūl: kān yā mā kān) "And my grandmother would say: Once upon a time." 2.24 وبعدين كان صوتها يصير واطي. (w-baʿdēn kān ṣawtha yṣīr wāṭi) "And then her voice would go low." 2.25 ما كنا نحس بالوقت. (ma kenna niḥess bil-waʔet) "We never noticed the time." 2.26 كانت السهرة دايما حلوة. (kānet is-sahra dāyman ḥilwe) "The evening was always lovely." 2.27 بعد سنين كانت ستي مريضة ومش قادرة تمشي. (baʿd snīn kānet sitti marīḍa w-miš ʔādra tmši) "Years later my grandmother was ill and unable to walk." 2.28 وكان لازم نروح نزورها كل أسبوع. (w-kān lāzem nrūḥ nzūrha kull usbūʿ) "And we had to go and visit her every week." 2.29 بكرا بكون عندي وقت وبروح عالضيعة. (bukra bkūn ʿindi waʔet w-brūḥ ʿaḍ-ḍayʿa) "Tomorrow I will have time, and I'll go to the village." 2.30 يمكن بكون كل شي متل ما كان. (yimken bikūn kull šī mitl ma kān) "Maybe everything will be as it was."
2.16 كنا نقضي الصيف كله عند ستي بالضيعة. 2.17 كان بيت ستي صغير بس كان فيه جنينة كبيرة. 2.18 وكانت ستي بتصحى كل يوم عالفجر. 2.19 وكانت ريحة الخبز بكل البيت. 2.20 كان أخي كل يوم يركض ورا الدجاج. 2.21 وأنا كنت بلعب تحت شجرة التين. 2.22 كان في حكاية جديدة كل مساء. 2.23 وكانت ستي تقول: كان يا ما كان. 2.24 وبعدين كان صوتها يصير واطي. 2.25 ما كنا نحس بالوقت. 2.26 كانت السهرة دايما حلوة. 2.27 بعد سنين كانت ستي مريضة ومش قادرة تمشي. 2.28 وكان لازم نروح نزورها كل أسبوع. 2.29 بكرا بكون عندي وقت وبروح عالضيعة. 2.30 يمكن بكون كل شي متل ما كان.
Habit with kān (2.16, 2.18, 2.20, 2.21). The first four sentences of the memory each say "used to." In 2.16 and 2.20 the verb after kān is the subjunctive, without ب: كنا نقضي, كان أخي يركض. In 2.18 and 2.21 it carries ب: كانت بتصحى, كنت بلعب. The two are close in meaning, and a speaker will use either.
State and existence (2.17, 2.19, 2.22, 2.26). A house that "was small" has kān and an adjective: كان بيت ستي صغير. A garden that the house "had" is كان فيه جنينة (kān fī jnēne), literally "there was in it a garden." A smell that "was in the house" is كانت ريحة الخبز بكل البيت. A story that "there was" every evening is كان في حكاية. In each of these kān comes first and the noun after it. The adjectives agree with their nouns: كبيرة with جنينة, جديدة with حكاية, حلوة with السهرة.
Quoting the formula (2.23). كانت ستي تقول (kānet sitti tʔūl) is "my grandmother would say," and what she says follows after a colon. The formula كان يا ما كان is the one discussed in Section F. The verb تقول (tʔūl) has the urban ق as ʔ; it is the same sound as in القهوة.
Possessives (2.17, 2.24). The possessor follows the noun in a phrase, without any word between: بيت ستي (bēt sitti), "my grandmother's house." The -ha of صوتها (ṣawtha) is "her." A feminine noun written with ة and pronounced -a or -e changes to -et when another noun follows it: ريحة (rīḥa) becomes rīḥet in ريحة الخبز (rīḥet il-khibz), "the smell of bread," and شجرة (šajara) becomes šajaret in شجرة التين (šajaret it-tīn), "the fig tree." The spelling does not change.
Being negated and being obliged (2.25, 2.27, 2.28). ما كنا نحس (ma kenna niḥess) uses ما for the negative of the past. مش قادرة (miš ʔādra) is "not able": مش negates the adjective, as in the present, and the clause shares the kānet before it. لازم (lāzem), "necessary," follows kān and is followed by the subjunctive: كان لازم نروح, "it was necessary that we go," "we had to go." The word is the same in the present: لازم نروح, "we have to go."
The future of kān (2.29, 2.30). بكون عندي وقت (bkūn ʿindi waʔet) is "I will have time." يمكن بكون (yimken bikūn) is "maybe it will be": يمكن (yimken), "maybe," is followed by the future form. متل ما كان (mitl ma kān) is "as it was," with ما linking the clause.
Time words. مبارح (mbāreḥ) is "yesterday," بكرا (bukra) is "tomorrow," and بعد سنين (baʿd snīn) is "after years," "years later," where سنين (snīn) is the plural of سنة (sane), "year."
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
كان (kān) — IPA: /kaːn/ — The ā is long and open, as in "father" held twice as long as usual. The k is a plain k, as in "king." كنت (kint) — IPA: /kint/ — The vowel is short, like the i in "bit." The same i is in كنتي (kinti) /ˈkinti/ and كنتو (kintu) /ˈkintu/. كانت (kānet) — IPA: /ˈkaːnet/ — Stress falls on the long ā. The final vowel is a weak e, as in "the" before a consonant. كنا (kenna) — IPA: /ˈkenna/ — The n is long, as in "unnamed": "KEN-na." كانوا (kānu) — IPA: /ˈkaːnu/ — The written alif after the و is silent. بكون (bkūn, bikūn) — IPA: /bˈkuːn/ or /biˈkuːn/ — The ū is long, as in "moon." The initial b is a short prefix, and in fast speech the i is dropped. ما في (ma fī) — IPA: /ma fiː/ — Two short words, the second with a long ī, as in "see." مبارح (mbāreḥ) — IPA: /mˈbaːreħ/ — ح at the end is a whispered h from the throat, as in Lesson 1. ضاع (ḍāʿ) — IPA: /dˤaːʕ/ — ض is an emphatic d, with the tongue drawn back, and the vowel darkens. The final ع is a squeeze in the throat; do not drop it. قادرة (ʔādra) — IPA: /ˈʔaːdra/ — The urban pronunciation of ق is the glottal stop, the catch in the throat in "uh-oh." Stress: it usually falls on a long vowel, or on the last syllable that has one: kān, kānet, bikūn. The respellings in capitals mark it.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
---
Course Index: [latinum.substack.com/p/index](https://latinum.substack.com/p/index)