For autodidact students of Sudanese Arabic, the first word is "the," and in Arabic "the" is not a separate word at all. It is a prefix, ال (al-), written joined to the front of its noun: بيت (bēt) is "a house" or "house," البيت (al-bēt) is "the house"; باب (bāb) is "door," الباب (al-bāb) is "the door." The two letters ا and ل never change for gender or number: الراجل (ar-rājil), "the man"; المرة (al-mara), "the woman"; البت (al-bitt), "the girl."
What does change is the sound. Before about half the consonants of the alphabet, the l of the article is swallowed by the first consonant of the noun, which is then pronounced double. These are the "sun letters," named after الشمس (aš-šams), "the sun," which is said aš-šams and never al-šams. The other consonants are the "moon letters," named after القمر (al-gamar), "the moon," where the l is heard. The spelling does not change: the Arabic script always writes ال, whatever is said.
The vowel of the article is a short a: al-bāb, al-walad. After a word that ends in a vowel, it drops, and only the l, or the doubled consonant, is heard: في البيت is fi l-bēt, "in the house"; في السوق is fi s-sūg, "in the market."
Sudanese Arabic uses "the" more than English does. Things spoken of in general take the article: بحب الشاي (baḥibb aš-šāy) is "I like tea," literally "I like the tea." And there is no word for "a": a noun without the article is indefinite, so بيت (bēt) is "a house" and ما في موية (mā fī mōya) is "there is no water."
Script note: ال is two letters, alif ا and lam ل. Alif does not join to the letter after it, so ال is written as a little unit of its own and lam then joins the noun: ال + بيت = البيت. When the noun itself begins with lam, two lams stand side by side: ال + لبن = اللبن (al-laban), "the milk."
Key Takeaways: - ال (al-): "the." A prefix joined to its noun, the same for every gender and number - Sun letters (t, d, r, z, s, š, ṣ, ḍ, ṭ, l, n): the l is assimilated, the consonant doubles: الشاي (aš-šāy), السوق (as-sūg), الراجل (ar-rājil) - Moon letters (the rest, including ق g and ك k): the l is heard: القمر (al-gamar), الباب (al-bāb), الكباية (al-kubbāya) - The spelling is always ال; only the pronunciation changes - After a vowel, the a of al- drops: في البيت (fi l-bēt), في السوق (fi s-sūg) - General statements take the article: بحب الشاي (baḥibb aš-šāy), "I like tea" - No article means "a": بيت (bēt), "a house" - An adjective after a definite noun takes the article too: البيت الكبير (al-bēt al-kabīr), "the big house" - "This" comes after the noun, which keeps its article: الراجل ده (ar-rājil da), "this man"
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1.1a البيت the-house كبير big
1.1b al-bēt (al-BAYT) the-house.M kabīr (ka-BEER) big-M.SG
1.2a الباب the-door فاتح open
1.2b al-bāb (al-BAAB) the-door.M fātiḥ (FAA-tiH) open-M.SG
1.3a الموية the-water باردة cold
1.3b al-mōya (al-MOH-ya) the-water.F bārda (BAAR-da) cold-F.SG
1.4a الشاي the-tea جاهز ready
1.4b aš-šāy (ash-SHAAY) the-tea.M jāhiz (JAA-hiz) ready-M.SG
1.5a السوق the-market بعيد far
1.5b as-sūg (as-SOOG) the-market.M baʿīd (ba-ʿEED) far-M.SG
1.6a الولد the-boy في in البيت the-house
1.6b al-walad (al-WA-lad) the-boy fi (fee) in l-bēt (l-BAYT) the-house.M
1.7a جبت I-brought اللبن the-milk من from الدكان the-shop
1.7b jibt (JIBT) bring-PAST.1SG al-laban (al-LA-ban) the-milk min (min) from ad-dukkān (ad-dook-KAAN) the-shop
1.8a المرة the-woman فتحت opened الباب the-door
1.8b al-mara (al-MA-ra) the-woman fataḥat (FA-ta-Hat) open-PAST.3F.SG al-bāb (al-BAAB) the-door
1.9a البت the-girl دي this أختي my-sister
1.9b al-bitt (al-BITT) the-girl.F di (dee) this.F ukhti (UKH-tee) sister-my
1.10a الراجل the-man ده this أخوي my-brother
1.10b ar-rājil (ar-RAA-jil) the-man.M da (da) this.M akhūy (a-KHOOY) brother-my
1.11a ما not في there-is موية water في in البيت the-house
1.11b mā (maa) NEG fī (fee) there-is mōya (MOH-ya) water.INDEF fi (fee) in l-bēt (l-BAYT) the-house.M
1.12a أنا I بحب I-like الشاي the-tea باللبن with-the-milk
1.12b ana (A-na) I baḥibb (ba-HIBB) PRES-like-1SG aš-šāy (ash-SHAAY) the-tea bi-l-laban (bil-LA-ban) with-the-milk
1.13a البيت the-house الكبير the-big حق of أبوي my-father
1.13b al-bēt (al-BAYT) the-house.M al-kabīr (al-ka-BEER) the-big-M.SG ḥagg (HAGG) of.POSS abūy (a-BOOY) father-my
1.14a الزول the-person الفتح who-opened الباب the-door أخوي my-brother
1.14b az-zōl (az-ZOHL) the-person al-fataḥ (al-FA-taH) REL-open-PAST.3M.SG al-bāb (al-BAAB) the-door akhūy (a-KHOOY) brother-my
1.15a الزول the-person ده this جاب brought العيش the-bread واللبن and-the-milk من from السوق the-market
1.15b az-zōl (az-ZOHL) the-person da (da) this.M jāb (JAAB) bring-PAST.3M.SG al-ʿēš (al-ʿAYSH) the-bread w-al-laban (wal-LA-ban) and-the-milk min (min) from as-sūg (as-SOOG) the-market
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1.1 البيت كبير. (al-bēt kabīr) "The house is big." 1.2 الباب فاتح. (al-bāb fātiḥ) "The door is open." 1.3 الموية باردة. (al-mōya bārda) "The water is cold." 1.4 الشاي جاهز. (aš-šāy jāhiz) "The tea is ready." 1.5 السوق بعيد. (as-sūg baʿīd) "The market is far." 1.6 الولد في البيت. (al-walad fi l-bēt) "The boy is in the house." 1.7 جبت اللبن من الدكان. (jibt al-laban min ad-dukkān) "I brought the milk from the shop." 1.8 المرة فتحت الباب. (al-mara fataḥat al-bāb) "The woman opened the door." 1.9 البت دي أختي. (al-bitt di ukhti) "This girl is my sister." 1.10 الراجل ده أخوي. (ar-rājil da akhūy) "This man is my brother." 1.11 ما في موية في البيت. (mā fī mōya fi l-bēt) "There's no water in the house." 1.12 أنا بحب الشاي باللبن. (ana baḥibb aš-šāy bi-l-laban) "I like tea with milk." 1.13 البيت الكبير حق أبوي. (al-bēt al-kabīr ḥagg abūy) "The big house is my father's." 1.14 الزول الفتح الباب أخوي. (az-zōl al-fataḥ al-bāb akhūy) "The man who opened the door is my brother." 1.15 الزول ده جاب العيش واللبن من السوق. (az-zōl da jāb al-ʿēš w-al-laban min as-sūg) "This man brought the bread and the milk from the market."
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1.1 البيت كبير. 1.2 الباب فاتح. 1.3 الموية باردة. 1.4 الشاي جاهز. 1.5 السوق بعيد. 1.6 الولد في البيت. 1.7 جبت اللبن من الدكان. 1.8 المرة فتحت الباب. 1.9 البت دي أختي. 1.10 الراجل ده أخوي. 1.11 ما في موية في البيت. 1.12 أنا بحب الشاي باللبن. 1.13 البيت الكبير حق أبوي. 1.14 الزول الفتح الباب أخوي. 1.15 الزول ده جاب العيش واللبن من السوق.
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These are the grammar rules for ال (al-), "the."
One form for everything. ال does not change for masculine or feminine, singular or plural: الباب (al-bāb, the door, M), الموية (al-mōya, the water, F), الرحال (ar-riḥāl, the saddles, PL, Section F). It is always written joined to its word, never as a separate word.
Sun letters and moon letters. The pronunciation of the l depends on the first consonant of the noun. - Sun letters: ت t, د d, ر r, ز z, س s, ش š, ص ṣ, ض ḍ, ط ṭ, ل l, ن n. The l becomes that consonant and the consonant is doubled: الدكان (ad-dukkān), الراجل (ar-rājil), الزول (az-zōl), السوق (as-sūg), الشاي (aš-šāy), اللبن (al-laban), النجوم (an-nujūm). - Moon letters: all the others, among them ب b, ح ḥ, خ kh, ع ʿ, غ gh, ف f, ق g, ك k, م m, و w, ي y. The l is heard: الباب (al-bāb), الحساب (al-ḥisāb), العيش (al-ʿēš), القمر (al-gamar), الكباية (al-kubbāya), الموية (al-mōya), الولد (al-walad). Note that ق, though pronounced g in Sudan, stays a moon letter: al-gamar, never ag-gamar. - ث, ذ and ظ, in the words that keep these letters from Standard Arabic, are sun letters too; in inherited Sudanese words they are pronounced t, d and ḍ. - ج j: the linguist James Dickins, describing the urban Arabic of central Sudan, counts the Sudanese palatal ج among the consonants that take over the l, as in the poem of Section F: الجبال (aj-jibāl), "the mountains." The lessons note it where it occurs.
al- and l-. After a consonant the article is heard in full: min ad-dukkān, jibt al-laban. After a word ending in a vowel, the article loses its vowel: في البيت (fi l-bēt), في السوق (fi s-sūg). This course's transliteration writes what is said; the Arabic script always writes ال.
Prepositions that join the article. The preposition ب (bi-), "with, by, for," is written joined to the next word, and before ال it keeps the alif: ب + اللبن = باللبن (bi-l-laban), "with the milk" (1.12). In the same way و (w-), "and," joins the article: واللبن (w-al-laban), "and the milk" (1.15). The preposition ل (li-), "to, for," drops the alif of the article and two lams meet: ل + ال = لل, as in للبخوض in Section F. In ordinary writing, Sudanese often spell these two prepositions as separate words, بي (bi) and لي (li), when no article follows: بي كم؟ (bi kam?), "for how much?"
No copula in the present. "The house is big" is simply البيت كبير (al-bēt kabīr): a definite noun followed by an adjective without the article makes a sentence (1.1–1.5). If the adjective also takes the article, the result is a phrase, not a sentence: البيت الكبير (al-bēt al-kabīr) is "the big house" (1.13). This difference, article or no article on the adjective, is the whole difference between "the house is big" and "the big house."
Agreement. An adjective agrees with its noun in gender: البيت (M) كبير, الموية (F) باردة, الكباية (F) سخنة. Feminine adjectives usually end in ة (-a).
Generic use. Where English uses no article for things in general ("I like tea"), Sudanese Arabic uses ال: بحب الشاي باللبن (1.12). Mass nouns and plurals in general statements are definite.
"A": no article. Sudanese Arabic has no indefinite article. A noun without ال is indefinite: بيت (bēt), "a house"; ما في موية (mā fī mōya), "there is no water," literally "not there-is water" (1.11). The choice between al- and nothing is the whole system of "the" and "a."
Demonstratives follow the noun. "This man" is الراجل ده (ar-rājil da), "the-man this" (1.10): the noun keeps its article and the demonstrative comes after it. Feminine: البت دي (al-bitt di), "this girl" (1.9). Plural: الناس ديل (an-nās dēl), "these people." "That" is داك (dāk). Without the article, the demonstrative makes a sentence: ده أخوي (da akhūy), "this is my brother."
Possession. A definite thing owned by someone is joined with حق (ḥagg), "of, belonging to": البيت الكبير حق أبوي (1.13). The owned noun keeps its article. With a pronoun ending, as in أخوي (akhūy, my brother), أختي (ukhti, my sister) or أبوي (abūy, my father), the noun is already definite and never takes ال: never \*الأخوي.
The article as "who, which." In Sudanese Arabic the article can stand before a verb and mean "the one who, which": الزول الفتح الباب (az-zōl al-fataḥ al-bāb), "the person who opened the door" (1.14). The verb is written joined to ال exactly like a noun. Section F shows the same construction in poetry.
Common Mistakes: - Saying al-šāy or al-sūg. Before a sun letter the l is not pronounced: aš-šāy, as-sūg. - Writing the assimilation. The script always writes ال: السوق, never \*اسّوق. - Assimilating before ق because it sounds like g: القمر is al-gamar. - Dropping the article in general statements because English does: \*بحب شاي for "I like tea." Say بحب الشاي. - Putting the article on the adjective when you mean a sentence: البيت الكبير is "the big house," not "the house is big." - Putting the demonstrative first as in English: الراجل ده, not \*ده الراجل, for "this man." - Putting ال on a noun that has a pronoun ending: أخوي, not \*الأخوي.
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The article is in the name of the country. السودان (as-sūdān), with the article and an assimilated s, is short for the old Arabic name بلاد السودان (bilād as-sūdān), "the land of the black peoples." The capital is الخرطوم (al-kharṭūm), the city where the White Nile and the Blue Nile meet, and the river itself is النيل (an-nīl), with a doubled n.
Many everyday formulas contain the article. The greeting is السلام عليكم (as-salām ʿalēkum), "peace be upon you," answered وعليكم السلام (wa-ʿalēkum as-salām). Asked how they are, Sudanese answer الحمد لله (al-ḥamdu lillāh), "praise be to God." A friend is asked كيف الأسرة؟ (kēf al-usra?), "how is the family?" The greeting and the praise of God both appear in the dialogue below.
Tea is part of the social life of Sudanese towns. Along the streets of Khartoum, by markets, universities and hospitals, women known as ست الشاي (sitt aš-šāy), "the lady of the tea," set up a charcoal stove, a few stools and a tray of glasses and sell tea, coffee and other drinks to passers-by. The tea lady is a well-known figure of Sudanese city life, and the Genre Section takes place at her stall.
Sudanese Arabic and Standard Arabic live side by side. The news, the Friday sermon and official documents are in Standard Arabic; the family, the market, much popular song and poetry, television drama and social media are in Sudanese Arabic. The article is one point where the two agree: both write ال and both assimilate it before the sun letters.
Sudanese Arabic varies by region. The speech of the north, of the Gezira, of Kordofan and of Darfur differ in vocabulary and in sounds, and in some places ق is pronounced not g but as a gargled gh. This course uses the forms of central, urban speech, the Arabic of Khartoum, which Sudanese from every region understand, and notes other forms where they matter. Since the war that began in April 2023, millions of Sudanese have been driven from their homes, inside the country and abroad, and the language is now heard far beyond Sudan's borders.
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خليل فرح (Khalil Farah), عزة في هواك (ʿAzza fi hawāk, "Azza, in your love"), late 1920s — the opening lines
Khalil Farah (1894–1932) wrote the words and the tune of this song and sang it himself. He composed it in the late 1920s, while he was a patient in a hospital in Alexandria, far from home. ʿAzza, a woman's name meaning "pride, glory," stands for Sudan itself: under British rule an open song of love for the homeland could not be sung, and a love song to a woman could. It has been one of the best-known patriotic songs of Sudan ever since. It opens:
عزة في هواك نحن الجبال وللبخوض صفاك عزة نحن النبال عزة ما بنوم الليل محال وبحسب النجوم فوق الرحال
F-A: Interlinear
F.1a عزة Azza في in هواك your-love نحن we الجبال the-mountains
F.1b ʿazza (ʿAZ-za) Azza fi (fee) in hawāk (ha-WAAK) love-your.F naḥnu (NAH-nu) we aj-jibāl (aj-ji-BAAL) the-mountains.PL
F.2a وللبخوض and-for-who-wades صفاك your-clearness عزة Azza نحن we النبال the-arrows
F.2b wa-lil-bikhūḍ (wa-lil-bi-KHOOD) and-for-REL-PRES-wade-3M.SG ṣafāk (Sa-FAAK) clearness-your.F ʿazza (ʿAZ-za) Azza naḥnu (NAH-nu) we an-nibāl (an-ni-BAAL) the-arrows.PL
F.3a عزة Azza ما not بنوم I-sleep الليل the-night محال impossible
F.3b ʿazza (ʿAZ-za) Azza mā (maa) NEG banūm (ba-NOOM) PRES-sleep-1SG al-lēl (al-LAYL) the-night muḥāl (mu-HAAL) impossible
F.4a وبحسب and-I-count النجوم the-stars فوق above الرحال the-saddles
F.4b wa-baḥsib (wa-BAH-sib) and-PRES-count-1SG an-nujūm (an-nu-JOOM) the-stars.PL fōg (FOHG) above ar-riḥāl (ar-ri-HAAL) the-saddles.PL
F-B: Original and Translation
عزة في هواك نحن الجبال / وللبخوض صفاك عزة نحن النبال / عزة ما بنوم الليل محال / وبحسب النجوم فوق الرحال
"Azza, in your love we are the mountains, / and for whoever would wade into your clear waters, Azza, we are the arrows. / Azza, I do not sleep the night, it is impossible, / and I count the stars above the saddles." (Translation: Latinum Institute.)
F-C: Original
عزة في هواك نحن الجبال وللبخوض صفاك عزة نحن النبال عزة ما بنوم الليل محال وبحسب النجوم فوق الرحال
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
The song was composed to be sung and has come down in sung and printed versions, which differ in spelling. The text above follows the opening as printed in the Arabic poetry collections online; the name is also printed عازة (ʿĀza), the spelling of the title in the Arabic Wikipedia.
Five articles stand before nouns in these four lines, and each shows one of the lesson's rules. النبال (an-nibāl), النجوم (an-nujūm) and الرحال (ar-riḥāl) begin with the sun letters ن and ر: the l disappears and the consonant is doubled. الليل (al-lēl), "the night," begins with ل: two lams are written, and one long l is heard. الجبال (aj-jibāl), "the mountains," shows the Sudanese treatment of ج described in Section D: the l is taken over by the palatal j. A reader who knows ال can now read every article in these lines aloud correctly.
وللبخوض (wa-lil-bikhūḍ) is the most Sudanese word in the passage. It is built from و "and," ل "for," ال and the verb بخوض (bikhūḍ), "he wades." Here ال stands before a verb and means "the one who," as in Example 1.14: "and for the one who wades into your clear water," that is, whoever would muddy it. When ل meets ال, the alif drops and the two lams are written together, لل.
ما بنوم (mā banūm), "I do not sleep," and بحسب (baḥsib), "I count," show the Sudanese present tense of the first person, with the prefix ب- (b-) and the vowel a, as in بحب (baḥibb) in Example 1.12; ما before the verb makes it negative. The line is the lover's sleepless night, and the night is a traveller's: the stars are counted above the camel saddles, الرحال, far from home, as Khalil Farah was when he wrote it. نحن (naḥnu), "we," turns the love song into a song of a whole people.
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Ahmad stops at a tea stall on his way back from the market. He calls the tea lady حاجة (ḥājja), a respectful name for an older woman, literally "a woman who has made the pilgrimage." Every line uses the article.
1.16a أحمد Ahmad السلام the-peace عليكم upon-you يا O حاجة Hajja
1.16b aḥmad (AH-mad) Ahmad as-salām (as-sa-LAAM) the-peace ʿalēkum (ʿa-LAY-kum) on-you.PL yā (yaa) VOC ḥājja (HAAJ-ja) Hajja
1.17a ست الشاي the-tea-lady وعليكم and-upon-you السلام the-peace يا O أحمد Ahmad
1.17b sitt aš-šāy (sitt ash-SHAAY) lady the-tea wa-ʿalēkum (wa-ʿa-LAY-kum) and-on-you.PL as-salām (as-sa-LAAM) the-peace yā (yaa) VOC aḥmad (AH-mad) Ahmad
1.18a أحمد Ahmad الشاي the-tea جاهز ready يا O حاجة Hajja
1.18b aḥmad (AH-mad) Ahmad aš-šāy (ash-SHAAY) the-tea jāhiz (JAA-hiz) ready-M.SG yā (yaa) VOC ḥājja (HAAJ-ja) Hajja
1.19a ست الشاي the-tea-lady الشاي the-tea جاهز ready والموية and-the-water في on النار the-fire
1.19b sitt aš-šāy (sitt ash-SHAAY) lady the-tea aš-šāy (ash-SHAAY) the-tea jāhiz (JAA-hiz) ready-M.SG w-al-mōya (wal-MOH-ya) and-the-water.F fi (fee) on n-nār (n-NAAR) the-fire
1.20a أحمد Ahmad داير I-want الشاي the-tea باللبن with-the-milk
1.20b aḥmad (AH-mad) Ahmad dāyir (DAA-yir) wanting-M.SG aš-šāy (ash-SHAAY) the-tea bi-l-laban (bil-LA-ban) with-the-milk
1.21a ست الشاي the-tea-lady السكر the-sugar كتير much ولا or شوية a-little
1.21b sitt aš-šāy (sitt ash-SHAAY) lady the-tea as-sukkar (as-SUK-kar) the-sugar katīr (ka-TEER) much walla (WAL-la) or šwayya (SHWAY-ya) a-little
1.22a أحمد Ahmad السكر the-sugar شوية a-little بس only
1.22b aḥmad (AH-mad) Ahmad as-sukkar (as-SUK-kar) the-sugar šwayya (SHWAY-ya) a-little bas (bas) only
1.23a ست الشاي the-tea-lady اتفضل here-you-are الكباية the-glass سخنة hot
1.23b sitt aš-šāy (sitt ash-SHAAY) lady the-tea itfaḍḍal (it-FAD-dal) please-IMP.2M.SG al-kubbāya (al-koob-BAA-ya) the-glass.F sukhna (SUKH-na) hot-F.SG
1.24a أحمد Ahmad الشاي the-tea ده this سمح good شديد very
1.24b aḥmad (AH-mad) Ahmad aš-šāy (ash-SHAAY) the-tea da (da) this.M samiḥ (SA-miH) good-M.SG šadīd (sha-DEED) very
1.25a ست الشاي the-tea-lady الحاصل the-happening شنو what في in السوق the-market
1.25b sitt aš-šāy (sitt ash-SHAAY) lady the-tea al-ḥāṣil (al-HAA-Sil) the-happening šinu (SHI-noo) what fi (fee) in s-sūg (s-SOOG) the-market
1.26a أحمد Ahmad السوق the-market مليان full ناس people والعيش and-the-bread غالي dear
1.26b aḥmad (AH-mad) Ahmad as-sūg (as-SOOG) the-market malyān (mal-YAAN) full-M.SG nās (naas) people w-al-ʿēš (wal-ʿAYSH) and-the-bread ghāli (GHAA-lee) expensive-M.SG
1.27a ست الشاي the-tea-lady الحمد the-praise لله to-God على on كل every حال state
1.27b sitt aš-šāy (sitt ash-SHAAY) lady the-tea al-ḥamdu (al-HAM-du) the-praise lillāh (lil-LAAH) to-God ʿala (ʿA-la) on kull (kull) every ḥāl (HAAL) state
1.28a أحمد Ahmad الحساب the-bill كم how-much
1.28b aḥmad (AH-mad) Ahmad al-ḥisāb (al-hi-SAAB) the-bill kam (kam) how-much
1.29a ست الشاي the-tea-lady الحساب the-bill علي on-me يا O أحمد Ahmad
1.29b sitt aš-šāy (sitt ash-SHAAY) lady the-tea al-ḥisāb (al-hi-SAAB) the-bill ʿalayya (ʿa-LAY-ya) on-me yā (yaa) VOC aḥmad (AH-mad) Ahmad
1.30a أحمد Ahmad شكراً thanks يا O حاجة Hajja الله God يديك may-he-give-you العافية the-health
1.30b aḥmad (AH-mad) Ahmad šukran (SHUK-ran) thanks yā (yaa) VOC ḥājja (HAAJ-ja) Hajja allāh (al-LAAH) God yaddīk (yad-DEEK) give-PRES.3M.SG-you al-ʿāfya (al-ʿAAF-ya) the-health
1.16 أحمد: السلام عليكم يا حاجة. (aḥmad: as-salām ʿalēkum yā ḥājja) "Ahmad: Peace be upon you, Hajja." 1.17 ست الشاي: وعليكم السلام يا أحمد. (sitt aš-šāy: wa-ʿalēkum as-salām yā aḥmad) "The tea lady: And upon you be peace, Ahmad." 1.18 أحمد: الشاي جاهز يا حاجة؟ (aḥmad: aš-šāy jāhiz yā ḥājja?) "Ahmad: Is the tea ready, Hajja?" 1.19 ست الشاي: الشاي جاهز، والموية في النار. (sitt aš-šāy: aš-šāy jāhiz, w-al-mōya fi n-nār) "The tea lady: The tea is ready, and the water's on the fire." 1.20 أحمد: داير الشاي باللبن. (aḥmad: dāyir aš-šāy bi-l-laban) "Ahmad: I'd like tea with milk." 1.21 ست الشاي: السكر كتير ولا شوية؟ (sitt aš-šāy: as-sukkar katīr walla šwayya?) "The tea lady: A lot of sugar or a little?" 1.22 أحمد: السكر شوية بس. (aḥmad: as-sukkar šwayya bas) "Ahmad: Just a little sugar." 1.23 ست الشاي: اتفضل، الكباية سخنة. (sitt aš-šāy: itfaḍḍal, al-kubbāya sukhna) "The tea lady: Here you are. The glass is hot." 1.24 أحمد: الشاي ده سمح شديد. (aḥmad: aš-šāy da samiḥ šadīd) "Ahmad: This tea is very good." 1.25 ست الشاي: الحاصل شنو في السوق؟ (sitt aš-šāy: al-ḥāṣil šinu fi s-sūg?) "The tea lady: What's going on at the market?" 1.26 أحمد: السوق مليان ناس، والعيش غالي. (aḥmad: as-sūg malyān nās, w-al-ʿēš ghāli) "Ahmad: The market is full of people, and bread is dear." 1.27 ست الشاي: الحمد لله على كل حال. (sitt aš-šāy: al-ḥamdu lillāh ʿala kull ḥāl) "The tea lady: Praise be to God, whatever comes." 1.28 أحمد: الحساب كم؟ (aḥmad: al-ḥisāb kam?) "Ahmad: How much do I owe you?" 1.29 ست الشاي: الحساب علي يا أحمد. (sitt aš-šāy: al-ḥisāb ʿalayya yā aḥmad) "The tea lady: This one's on me, Ahmad." 1.30 أحمد: شكراً يا حاجة، الله يديك العافية. (aḥmad: šukran yā ḥājja, allāh yaddīk al-ʿāfya) "Ahmad: Thank you, Hajja. God give you health."
1.16 أحمد: السلام عليكم يا حاجة. 1.17 ست الشاي: وعليكم السلام يا أحمد. 1.18 أحمد: الشاي جاهز يا حاجة؟ 1.19 ست الشاي: الشاي جاهز، والموية في النار. 1.20 أحمد: داير الشاي باللبن. 1.21 ست الشاي: السكر كتير ولا شوية؟ 1.22 أحمد: السكر شوية بس. 1.23 ست الشاي: اتفضل، الكباية سخنة. 1.24 أحمد: الشاي ده سمح شديد. 1.25 ست الشاي: الحاصل شنو في السوق؟ 1.26 أحمد: السوق مليان ناس، والعيش غالي. 1.27 ست الشاي: الحمد لله على كل حال. 1.28 أحمد: الحساب كم؟ 1.29 ست الشاي: الحساب علي يا أحمد. 1.30 أحمد: شكراً يا حاجة، الله يديك العافية.
Greetings with the article (1.16, 1.17). السلام عليكم, "the peace upon you," and its answer وعليكم السلام both carry the article on السلام, where the sun letter س swallows the l: as-salām. The plural ending -kum is used even to one person.
ست الشاي (1.17). "The lady of the tea": the first noun, ست (sitt), "lady," has no article, the second has it, and the whole is definite. This possessive construction without حق is used in set names and phrases; for ordinary possession speech uses حق (Section D).
A definite noun with nothing after it (1.18, 1.22, 1.26). الشاي جاهز, السكر شوية, السوق مليان ناس: in each, a definite noun followed by a word without the article is a whole sentence, "the tea is ready," "the sugar (is) a little," "the market is full of people." In 1.26 ناس (nās), "people," has no article: it means "people," not "the people."
داير (1.20). داير (dāyir), "wanting," is a participle used as the everyday Sudanese "I want, you want, he wants." It changes for gender: a woman says دايرة (dāyra). What is wanted follows directly, here with the article: داير الشاي, "I want the tea."
Questions (1.18, 1.21, 1.25, 1.28). A yes-no question is said with a rising voice and no change of words: الشاي جاهز؟ "Is the tea ready?" شنو (šinu), "what?", and كم (kam), "how much?", can come after the word they ask about: الحاصل شنو, "the happening (is) what?", الحساب كم, "the bill (is) how much?"
Words of quantity (1.21, 1.24). كتير (katīr), "much, a lot," and شوية (šwayya), "a little," follow the noun. شديد (šadīd), literally "strong," is the Sudanese "very": سمح شديد, "very good." سمح (samiḥ) means "good, fine, beautiful."
The glass (1.23). الكباية (al-kubbāya), "the glass," begins with the moon letter ك, so the l is heard. It is feminine, and its adjective agrees: سخنة (sukhna), "hot."
Formulas of thanks (1.27, 1.30). الحمد لله على كل حال, "praise be to God in every state," accepts good and bad news alike. الله يديك العافية, "may God give you health," answers a kindness; العافية (al-ʿāfya), "health, well-being," takes the article, as health and peace do in all these formulas. الله (allāh), "God," is itself an old form with the article.
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ال (al-) — IPA: /al/ before a moon letter — The vowel is a short a, as in "about" said a little more openly. After a vowel it disappears: في البيت /fi l.beːt/. البيت (al-bēt) — IPA: /al.beːt/ — ē is a long, pure vowel, like the a of "say" without the glide at the end. الشاي (aš-šāy) — IPA: /aʃ.ʃaːj/ — The sun letter is held twice as long: "ash-SHAAY," not "al-SHAAY." السوق (as-sūg) — IPA: /as.suːg/ — A long s. ق is pronounced as a hard g, as in "go." القمر (al-gamar) — IPA: /al.gamar/ — The l is heard before the g of ق. الراجل (ar-rājil) — IPA: /ar.raːɟil/ — The doubled r is trilled. ج is a palatal stop /ɟ/, made with the middle of the tongue against the roof of the mouth, between the d of "dew" and the j of "jam." الجبال (aj-jibāl) — IPA: /aɟ.ɟibaːl/ — The l is taken over by the doubled ج. الموية (al-mōya) — IPA: /al.moːja/ — ō is a long, pure o, as in Scottish "go." اللبن (al-laban) — IPA: /al.laban/ — Two written lams, one long l. الحساب (al-ḥisāb) — IPA: /al.ħisaːb/ — ح is a strong, whispered h from the throat, as if breathing on glasses to clean them. العيش (al-ʿēš) — IPA: /al.ʕeːʃ/ — ع is made by squeezing the throat; it is a consonant, not a vowel, and must not be dropped. الحاصل (al-ḥāṣil) — IPA: /al.ħaːsˤil/ — ص is an "emphatic" s: the tongue is drawn back and the vowels around it darken. The same holds for ض ḍ (/dˤ/) and ط ṭ (/tˤ/). خليل (khalīl) — IPA: /xaliːl/ — خ is the rough sound of Scottish "loch" or German "Bach." غالي (ghāli) — IPA: /ɣaːli/ — غ is a gargled r from the back of the throat, like a Parisian French r. Vowel length: long vowels (aa, ee, oo, ay, oh in the respellings) are held about twice as long as short ones, and length can change meaning. Stress usually falls on a long vowel or on the syllable before the last.
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Course Index: [latinum.substack.com/p/index](https://latinum.substack.com/p/index)