Episode 32 · Who? What? Where?

Welcome back to the Book Quarter. Last time, Ustadh Farid showed Sam the secret engine of Arabic: the root system. From three letters, a whole world of words grows. Sam is still staring at the piece of paper pinned to the shop wall, feeling like he's just been handed the keys to the kingdom.

Suddenly, the quiet shop is interrupted. The door swings open, and a young woman in her early twenties breezes in. Headphones around her neck, thumb scrolling rapidly on a glowing phone screen. She doesn't even look up.

Sam looks confused and slightly startled. He asks her, مَن أَنْتِ؟ Yasmin briefly looks up from her phone and replies casually, أنا ياسمين.

مَن أَنْتِ؟ — أنا ياسمين. — Who are you? — I'm Yasmin. · man AN-ti? — A-na yas-MEEN

Our first new face in a while! Sam didn't miss a beat. He used مَن to ask 'who', and the feminine أَنْتِ for 'you'. Say the question and her answer with me: مَن أَنْتِ؟ — أنا ياسمين.

مَن أَنْتِ؟ — أنا ياسمين. — Who are you? — I'm Yasmin. · man AN-ti? — A-na yas-MEEN

Yasmin finally looks up from her screen. She notices a framed portrait of a stern-looking classical poet on Ustadh Farid's desk.

مَن هٰذا؟

مَن هٰذا؟ — Who is this? · man HAA-dhaa

Because the poet is a person, she uses مَن again. And since it's a 'this', she adds our old friend هٰذا. Say it with me: مَن هٰذا؟

مَن هٰذا؟ — Who is this? · man HAA-dhaa

Sam looks at the device in Yasmin's hand. He knows how to ask 'who', but a phone isn't a person. Let's see if he remembers the word for 'what'.

Sam points and asks, ما هٰذا؟ Yasmin holds up her device, looking at him like he's slightly crazy. هٰذا هاتِف.

ما هٰذا؟ — هٰذا هاتِف. — What's this? — This is a phone. · maa HAA-dhaa? — HAA-dhaa HAA-tif

Yasmin thinks Sam has never seen a smartphone before. But notice the difference! For a thing, we use ما. And 'phone' is هاتِف. Say it with me: ما هٰذا؟ — هٰذا هاتِف.

ما هٰذا؟ — هٰذا هاتِف. — What's this? — This is a phone. · maa HAA-dhaa? — HAA-dhaa HAA-tif

Let's pause and lock these in. We've asked about people and things.

Yasmin isn't just here to show off her phone. She's scrolling down a digital reading list, looking for a specific title.

أَيْنَ الكِتاب؟

أَيْنَ الكِتاب؟ — Where is the book? · AY-nal-ki-TAAB

To ask 'where', we use أَيْنَ. And she's looking for a specific book, so she uses the definite article we learned: الكِتاب. Say it with me smoothly: أَيْنَ الكِتاب؟

أَيْنَ الكِتاب؟ — Where is the book? · AY-nal-ki-TAAB

Ustadh Farid steps out from behind a tall stack of encyclopedias. He gestures proudly to the walls of literature surrounding them.

هٰذا في المَكْتَبة.

هٰذا في المَكْتَبة. — This is in the library. · HAA-dhaa fil-MAK-ta-ba

Farid is gently reminding her that she is standing in a room full of books. He says, هٰذا في المَكْتَبة. We use في for 'in'. Say the whole sentence with me: هٰذا في المَكْتَبة.

هٰذا في المَكْتَبة. — This is in the library. · HAA-dhaa fil-MAK-ta-ba

Yasmin taps her screen and starts reading aloud. And it's not a text message. She is reading perfect, classical, beautifully voweled Modern Standard Arabic. Sam stares at her in shock.

Sam stammers out that he thought Fusḥā was just for old dusty books. Yasmin laughs. 'Of course we read it,' she says. 'Everyone reads it every day. The news, novels, Twitter.' She waves her phone. 'We just don't read it on paper.'

Yasmin looks around the beautiful, silent bookshop. She's the first person to say aloud what everyone else has been too polite to mention. 'When was your last customer, Uncle Farid?'

Farid just touches the spine of a leather-bound book. He doesn't have an answer. The world outside is moving fast, and his beloved shop is standing perfectly still.

Before we see what Farid decides to do, let's review today's words.

Will Farid's bookshop survive the digital age? We'll find out next time. Remember, we have new lessons for you every Tuesday and Friday. Keep practicing, and I'll see you in the Book Quarter!