Episode 38 · Is there any bread?

Welcome back to the Book Quarter! Last time, Sam finally did some real shopping on his own, and Hajj Mahmoud kindly opened a running tab for him on the slate.

It's early morning, and the souk is just waking up. Hajj Mahmoud is already unloading wooden crates, muttering to himself as he stacks produce.

Sam wanders over, looking half-asleep. He needs breakfast, and since Hajj Mahmoud is the only one who doesn't mind his broken Arabic, this stall is his safe haven.

هُناكَ خُبْزٌ طازَج.

هُناكَ خُبْزٌ طازَج. — There is fresh bread. · hu-NAA-ka KHUB-zun ṬAA-zaj

Oh, that's exactly what Sam needs. Hajj Mahmoud just used a highly useful little word: هُناكَ. It means 'there is' or 'there are'.

We know خُبْز is bread. And طازَج means fresh. So, هُناكَ خُبْزٌ طازَج means 'there is fresh bread'. Say it with me: هُناكَ خُبْزٌ طازَج.

Now put it together again. 'There is fresh bread'. Try it: هُناكَ خُبْزٌ طازَج.

هُناكَ خُبْزٌ طازَج... مُمْتاز!

But man cannot live on bread alone. Sam remembers the dates from yesterday and decides to try out his new word to ask a question.

هَل هُناكَ تَمْر؟

هَل هُناكَ تَمْر؟ — Are there any dates? · hal hu-NAA-ka TAMR

Perfect! To turn a statement into a yes-or-no question, you just drop هَل at the front. It acts like a question mark you say out loud.

So هُناكَ تَمْر means 'there are dates', but هَل هُناكَ تَمْر؟ means 'are there any dates?'. Say it with me. هَل هُناكَ تَمْر؟

Once more, nice and easy. هَل هُناكَ تَمْر؟

نَعَم، عِنْدي.

نَعَم، عِنْدي. — Yes, I have some. · NA-ʿam, ʿIN-dee

Hajj Mahmoud says نَعَم، عِنْدي. We know نَعَم is yes. عِنْدي is an incredibly common way to say 'I have'. It literally means 'with me' or 'at my place'.

The deep sound at the start is the letter Ayn, coming from the back of the throat. Say the whole phrase with me: نَعَم، عِنْدي.

عِنْدي...

Let's lock in what we have so far. There is fresh bread: هُناكَ خُبْزٌ طازَج... هُناكَ خُبْزٌ طازَج. Are there dates?: هَل هُناكَ تَمْر؟... هَل هُناكَ تَمْر؟ Yes, I have some: نَعَم، عِنْدي... نَعَم، عِنْدي.

Alright, Sam has bread and dates. But he remembers he's out of supplies for his morning tea. He needs sugar.

هَل هُناكَ سُكَّر؟

لا يوجَدُ سُكَّر اليَوم.

لا يوجَدُ سُكَّر اليَوم. — There's no sugar today. · laa YOO-ja-du SUK-kar al-YAWM

Ah, the delivery must be late. Hajj Mahmoud says لا يوجَدُ سُكَّر اليَوم. We know اليَوم is today. لا يوجَدُ is a slightly more formal, but very common way to say 'there isn't' or 'it is not found'.

It's exactly what a shopkeeper says when they are out of stock. لا يوجَدُ. Say the whole phrase with me: لا يوجَدُ سُكَّر اليَوم.

A little slower. لا يوجَدُ سُكَّر اليَوم.

لا يوجَدُ... لا مُشْكِلة.

Hajj Mahmoud pauses. He wipes his hands on his apron, and looks across the cobbled square. His eyes land on Ustadh Farid's bookshop next door. It's beautiful, but completely empty of customers.

هُناكَ كُتُبٌ كَثيرة.

هُناكَ كُتُبٌ كَثيرة. — There are many books. · hu-NAA-ka KU-tu-bun ka-THEE-ra

He says, هُناكَ كُتُبٌ كَثيرة. Remember the root letters for writing? ك ت ب. One book is كِتاب. But the plural—books—is كُتُب.

And كَثيرة means a lot, or many. It ends with a soft breath because plurals of objects are treated grammatically like a single female. كُتُبٌ كَثيرة. Many books.

Say it with me, feeling the gentle rhythm of it. هُناكَ كُتُبٌ كَثيرة.

هُناكَ كُتُبٌ كَثيرة... ولَكِن لا أَحَد يَشْتَري.

'There are lots of books,' he says. 'But nobody buys them.' Sam might not know every word, but he understands the tone perfectly. The neighborhood's quiet worry, right out in the open.

Through the glass, they can see Ustadh Farid carefully dusting a shelf, utterly alone. Sam owes this quarter so much already. He looks at his dates, then back to the bookshop. He has to do something.

Before we find out what Sam's plan is, let's review today's phrases. There is fresh bread: هُناكَ خُبْزٌ طازَج... هُناكَ خُبْزٌ طازَج. Are there dates?: هَل هُناكَ تَمْر؟... هَل هُناكَ تَمْر؟ There is no sugar today: لا يوجَدُ سُكَّر اليَوم... لا يوجَدُ سُكَّر اليَوم. There are many books: هُناكَ كُتُبٌ كَثيرة... هُناكَ كُتُبٌ كَثيرة. Yes, I have some: نَعَم، عِنْدي... نَعَم، عِنْدي.

You're picking up the rhythm of the quarter beautifully. Sam is plotting something, and you won't want to miss it. New episodes drop every Tuesday and Friday, so I'll see you right back here in the medina. Ma'a as-salama!