Episode 22 · My name is Sam

Welcome back to the Book Quarter. It’s Sam’s first real morning as a resident, and we’re sitting at a small copper table in Umm Nadia’s café. The smell of cardamom and roasted coffee is incredible.

السَّلامُ عَلَيْكُمْ.

He remembered it from yesterday. And Umm Nadia’s face lights up as she sets a tiny ceramic cup down.

وَعَلَيْكُمُ السَّلام.

Now, Sam learned to write the letters of his name back in Level Zero. Sīn, alif, mīm. But writing it on paper is one thing. Now, he has to introduce himself out loud. And there is a wonderfully simple way to do it.

أنا سام. — I'm Sam. · A-na saam

In Arabic, the word for 'I' is أنا. Notice the alif at the end? It's a short sound, not dragged out. Just أنا. Try it.

أنا سام. — I'm Sam. · A-na saam

And here is the magic trick of Arabic: there is no word for 'am' in this sentence. You just say 'I Sam'. أنا سام. Say it with me... أنا سام. Once more, naturally: أنا سام.

أنا سام. — I'm Sam. · A-na saam

أنا سام.

أنا سام. — I'm Sam. · A-na saam

He did it! His first full Arabic sentence, and not a single verb in sight. But Umm Nadia, being a gracious host, wants to ask properly. She asks the question every newcomer dreads.

ما اسْمُكَ؟ — What's your name? (to a man) · MAAS-mu-ka

ما اسْمُكَ؟

ما اسْمُكَ؟ — What's your name? (to a man) · MAAS-mu-ka

Let's break that down. ما means 'what'. And اسم means 'name'. The little كَ at the end means 'your', when speaking to a man. ما اسْمُكَ؟

ما اسْمُكَ؟ — What's your name? (to a man) · MAAS-mu-ka

But notice how it flows together. We don't pause between the words. The 'a' sound drops, and they connect. Say it with me... ما اسْمُكَ؟ Again, a little slower... ما اسْمُكَ؟

ما اسْمُكَ؟ — What's your name? (to a man) · MAAS-mu-ka

Sam realizes she didn't hear his first quiet introduction. He needs to reply formally, and maybe ask her in return.

اسْمي سام. وَأَنْتِ؟ — My name is Sam. And you? (to a woman) · IS-mee saam. wa-AN-ti

اسْمي سام. وَأَنْتِ؟

اسْمي سام. وَأَنْتِ؟ — My name is Sam. And you? (to a woman) · IS-mee saam. wa-AN-ti

He said اسْمي. Just like اسم meant name, adding the long 'ee' sound on the end makes it 'my name'. اسْمي. Say it with me... اسْمي سام.

اسْمي سام. وَأَنْتِ؟ — My name is Sam. And you? (to a woman) · IS-mee saam. wa-AN-ti

And then he added وَأَنْتِ؟ The وَ means 'and', and أَنْتِ is 'you' when speaking to a woman. If he were asking a man, it would be أَنْتَ. But to Umm Nadia, it's وَأَنْتِ؟ Let's try the whole thing: اسْمي سام. وَأَنْتِ؟

اسْمي سام. وَأَنْتِ؟ — My name is Sam. And you? (to a woman) · IS-mee saam. wa-AN-ti

أنا أُمّ نادِية. أَهْلًا بِكَ يا سام.

Look at that. A real conversation. Before we hear what she asks next, let's review what we've learned so far. To say 'I am Sam', we say أنا سام. أنا سام. When asking a man 'What is your name?', we say ما اسْمُكَ؟ ما اسْمُكَ؟ And to reply 'My name is Sam, and you?' to a woman, we say اسْمي سام. وَأَنْتِ؟ اسْمي سام. وَأَنْتِ؟

Umm Nadia pours a stream of dark, cardamom-scented coffee into Sam's cup. She looks at his face, clearly reading the newcomer in him. So she asks the next natural question.

مِن أَيْنَ أَنْتَ؟ — Where are you from? · min AY-na AN-ta

مِن أَيْنَ أَنْتَ؟

مِن أَيْنَ أَنْتَ؟ — Where are you from? · min AY-na AN-ta

مِن أَيْنَ أَنْتَ؟ Let's look at the pieces. مِن means 'from'. أَيْنَ means 'where'. And there is our word for 'you' again. This time to a man: أَنْتَ. 'From where you?'

مِن أَيْنَ أَنْتَ؟ — Where are you from? · min AY-na AN-ta

Again, there is no 'are'. The verb to be just stays out of the way. Say it with me... مِن أَيْنَ أَنْتَ؟ A little slower... مِن أَيْنَ أَنْتَ؟ Now naturally... مِن أَيْنَ أَنْتَ؟

مِن أَيْنَ أَنْتَ؟ — Where are you from? · min AY-na AN-ta

Sam takes a sip of the coffee. It's strong and brilliant. He needs to tell her he's from England.

أنا مِن إِنْجِلْتِرا. — I'm from England. · A-na min in-jil-TE-ra

أنا مِن إِنْجِلْتِرا.

أنا مِن إِنْجِلْتِرا. — I'm from England. · A-na min in-jil-TE-ra

There's that 'I' again. أنا. Then مِن for 'from'. And إِنْجِلْتِرا for England. أنا مِن إِنْجِلْتِرا. Try saying it. أنا مِن إِنْجِلْتِرا. Again... أنا مِن إِنْجِلْتِرا.

أنا مِن إِنْجِلْتِرا. — I'm from England. · A-na min in-jil-TE-ra

إِنْجِلْتِرا! أَهْلًا وَسَهْلًا.

Sam smiles, reaching into his pocket. He pulls out a few coins, recognizing the little curl that means five from his time with Hajj Mahmoud. He's about to pay for his very first coffee.

But before he can hand it over, a heavy wooden chair scrapes back from the table next to him. Someone else has been listening.

We'll find out who that is next time. Let's do one final recap of today's phrases. To ask 'Where are you from?' to a man, we say مِن أَيْنَ أَنْتَ؟ مِن أَيْنَ أَنْتَ؟ And to say 'I'm from England', we say أنا مِن إِنْجِلْتِرا. أنا مِن إِنْجِلْتِرا.

Great work today. You're stringing real sentences together. We drop two new lessons a week, every Tuesday and Friday, so make sure to come back and see who Sam just met. Until then, ma'a as-salama!