Episode 34 · How? How much? When? Why?

Welcome back to the Book Quarter. Tomorrow is a big day for Sam. For the first time since he arrived, he has to leave the safe, quiet walls of Ustadh Farid's bookshop and venture into the busiest place in town.

He's going to the souk. And worse, he's going to Ḥajj Mahmoud's stall, a place that runs entirely on rapid-fire Arabic and fast math. He is pacing the floor, trying to memorize every word he might possibly need.

The secret to the souk isn't knowing every word. It's knowing the right questions. Today, we're building Sam's survival kit: how, how much, when, and why. Let's start with the classic.

كَيْفَ حالُكَ؟

كَيْفَ حالُكَ؟ — How are you? · KAY-fa ḤAA-lu-ka

You remember this one. We break it down into كَيْفَ, which means how, and حالُكَ, meaning your condition. Notice the strong ح breath in the middle.

كَيْفَ حالُكَ؟ — How are you? · KAY-fa ḤAA-lu-ka

And because Sam will be speaking to Ḥajj Mahmoud, an older gentleman, he's using the masculine ending. Say it with me... كَيْفَ حالُكَ؟

كَيْفَ حالُكَ؟ — How are you? · KAY-fa ḤAA-lu-ka

Once more, nice and clear. كَيْفَ حالُكَ؟

كَيْفَ حالُكَ؟ — How are you? · KAY-fa ḤAA-lu-ka

Okay, the greeting is locked in. Now, the single most important phrase in any market anywhere in the world. He picks up a beautiful old brass lamp Farid keeps on the counter.

بِكَمْ هٰذا؟

بِكَمْ هٰذا؟ — How much is this? · bi-KAM HAA-dhaa

This is a perfect, simple question. You've heard the word for this before, هٰذا. The first part is built from بِ meaning 'for' or 'with', and كَمْ which means 'how many' or 'how much'.

بِكَمْ هٰذا؟ — How much is this? · bi-KAM HAA-dhaa

Put it together, and it's literally 'for how much is this?'. The trick here is the hard ك sound, don't confuse it with the deep ق in your throat. Try it with me... بِكَمْ هٰذا؟

بِكَمْ هٰذا؟ — How much is this? · bi-KAM HAA-dhaa

Again... بِكَمْ هٰذا؟

بِكَمْ هٰذا؟ — How much is this? · bi-KAM HAA-dhaa

The shop door opens. It's Yasmin, headphones on as always, carrying a massive iced coffee. Sam immediately points at her cup.

بِكَمْ هٰذا؟

بِكَمْ هٰذا؟ — How much is this? · bi-KAM HAA-dhaa

Yasmin stares at him, takes a slow sip, and just shakes her head. She doesn't want to admit she paid way too much for it.

Let's pause and lock in what Sam has armed himself with so far. He knows how to greet the merchant.

كَيْفَ حالُكَ؟ ... كَيْفَ حالُكَ؟ That's 'How are you?' to a male.

And he knows the most critical market question: بِكَمْ هٰذا؟ ... بِكَمْ هٰذا؟ Which means, 'How much is this?'

Sam looks back at his list. He's supposed to buy fresh dates for Sitti. But they sell out fast. He needs to know what time the fresh delivery happens.

مَتى؟

مَتى؟ — When? · MA-taa

Just one smooth, short word. It ends in a shape that looks like a yaa without dots, but sounds like a long 'a'. Try it... مَتى؟

مَتى؟ — When? · MA-taa

Say it naturally, just dropping it into conversation. مَتى؟

مَتى؟ — When? · MA-taa

Yasmin understands what he's asking. She holds up seven fingers. Seven in the morning. If he wants the best dates, he has to be there at sunrise.

Sam is not a morning person. He looks horrified. He wants to know the reason for this cruelty.

لِماذا؟

لِماذا؟ — Why? · li-MAA-dhaa

Another essential word. It's built from لِ meaning 'for' and ماذا meaning 'what'. Literally, 'for what'. Make sure to catch the soft 'dh' sound on the tip of your tongue, not a hard 'd' or 'z'. Try it... لِماذا؟

لِماذا؟ — Why? · li-MAA-dhaa

Once more, with real feeling. لِماذا؟

لِماذا؟ — Why? · li-MAA-dhaa

But Sam has one final fear. What happens when he asks the price, and Ḥajj Mahmoud answers with a stream of rapid numbers and jokes he can't follow? He'll just stand there frozen.

This is the most common worry. But not understanding isn't a failure. Admitting it cleanly in the language is a sign of respect. You just need to say, 'I don't understand, again?'

لا أَفْهَم، مَرّة أُخْرى؟

لا أَفْهَم، مَرّة أُخْرى؟ — I don't understand — again? · laa AF-ham, MAR-ra UKH-raa

This is a beautiful sentence. لا أَفْهَم means 'I don't understand.' The negative لا, and the verb for understand. Then, مَرّة أُخْرى means 'another time' or 'again'. Watch the rolling 'r' and the deep 'kh' sound in the throat. Say it with me... لا أَفْهَم، مَرّة أُخْرى؟

لا أَفْهَم، مَرّة أُخْرى؟ — I don't understand — again? · laa AF-ham, MAR-ra UKH-raa

It's long, so let's do it slowly. لا أَفْهَم، مَرّة أُخْرى؟

لا أَفْهَم، مَرّة أُخْرى؟ — I don't understand — again? · laa AF-ham, MAR-ra UKH-raa

And now naturally, as a polite request. لا أَفْهَم، مَرّة أُخْرى؟

لا أَفْهَم، مَرّة أُخْرى؟ — I don't understand — again? · laa AF-ham, MAR-ra UKH-raa

Yasmin gives him a thumbs up. Armed with these questions, and a polite way to ask for patience, the souk doesn't look quite so terrifying. He carefully folds his list and puts it in his pocket. He is ready for Ḥajj Mahmoud.

Before we head to the market tomorrow, let's review Sam's toolkit. His polite greeting: كَيْفَ حالُكَ؟ ... كَيْفَ حالُكَ؟ 'How are you?'

His price check: بِكَمْ هٰذا؟ ... بِكَمْ هٰذا؟ 'How much is this?'

His time check: مَتى؟ ... مَتى؟ 'When?' And asking the reason: لِماذا؟ ... لِماذا؟ 'Why?'

And his safety net: لا أَفْهَم، مَرّة أُخْرى؟ ... لا أَفْهَم، مَرّة أُخْرى؟ 'I don't understand, again?'

Will Sam survive the early morning rush and Ḥajj Mahmoud's famous bargaining? We'll find out in our next lesson. We upload every Tuesday and Friday, so you won't have to wait long. See you then!