Episode 49 · Murájaʿa: A day in the Book Quarter

Look at him. It feels like yesterday Sam first stumbled into the Book Quarter, terrified to open his mouth in case he accidentally insulted someone's dog.

But today is different. Today is a culmination of everything we've learned—every greeting, every root, every little piece of grammar. Today, Sam is going to live a full dawn-to-dusk day entirely in Arabic.

أَهْلًا يا سام! قَهْوَة؟

صَباحُ الخَيْر! هٰذِهِ قَهْوَتي.

صَباحُ الخَيْر! هٰذِهِ قَهْوَتي. — Good morning! This is my coffee. · ṣa-BAA-ḥul-KHAYR! HAA-dhi-hi QAH-wa-tee

Flawless. He didn't even hesitate. Let's look at what he just did: صَباحُ الخَيْر! هٰذِهِ قَهْوَتي.

صَباحُ الخَيْر! هٰذِهِ قَهْوَتي. — Good morning! This is my coffee. · ṣa-BAA-ḥul-KHAYR! HAA-dhi-hi QAH-wa-tee

We know صَباحُ الخَيْر for good morning. But notice how he claimed his cup: هٰذِهِ قَهْوَتي. Because coffee is feminine, he uses the feminine 'this', هٰذِهِ, followed by قَهْوَتي, coffee with that 'ee' sound at the end for 'my'.

Say the whole thing with me. صَباحُ الخَيْر! هٰذِهِ قَهْوَتي.

صَباحُ الخَيْر! هٰذِهِ قَهْوَتي. — Good morning! This is my coffee. · ṣa-BAA-ḥul-KHAYR! HAA-dhi-hi QAH-wa-tee

Exactly. It feels good to string it all together. Once more: صَباحُ الخَيْر! هٰذِهِ قَهْوَتي.

صَباحُ الخَيْر! هٰذِهِ قَهْوَتي. — Good morning! This is my coffee. · ṣa-BAA-ḥul-KHAYR! HAA-dhi-hi QAH-wa-tee

Mid-morning. Sam carries his coffee down the lane to the bookshop. Ustadh Farid is unlocking the heavy wooden doors, and Nour is already there, drawing on the paving stones.

أَقْرَأُ اللافِتة: الكُتُب.

أَقْرَأُ اللافِتة: الكُتُب. — I read the sign: The Books. · AQ-ra-ul-LAA-fi-ta: al-KU-tub

مُمْتاز يا سام.

He really is reading! أَقْرَأُ اللافِتة: الكُتُب. I read the sign: The Books.

أَقْرَأُ اللافِتة: الكُتُب. — I read the sign: The Books. · AQ-ra-ul-LAA-fi-ta: al-KU-tub

أَقْرَأُ means I read. And notice how it flows right into the word for sign: أَقْرَأُ اللافِتة. Try it with me: أَقْرَأُ اللافِتة.

And what does the sign say? Our favourite root word. الكُتُب. The books. Say the whole sentence with me: أَقْرَأُ اللافِتة: الكُتُب.

أَقْرَأُ اللافِتة: الكُتُب. — I read the sign: The Books. · AQ-ra-ul-LAA-fi-ta: al-KU-tub

أَنا أَقْرَأُ كِتابًا!

Yes, Nour is reading too. Let's do a quick check-in before we head to the souk.

We've started our day strong. First: صَباحُ الخَيْر! هٰذِهِ قَهْوَتي. And again: صَباحُ الخَيْر! هٰذِهِ قَهْوَتي. Good morning, this is my coffee. Then: أَقْرَأُ اللافِتة: الكُتُب. Once more: أَقْرَأُ اللافِتة: الكُتُب. I read the sign: The books.

By noon, the quarter gets hungry. Sam finds Hajj Mahmoud at the bakery stall, arguing good-naturedly over a pile of fresh flatbread.

مَرْحَبًا! أُريدُ خُبْزًا، بِكَمْ؟

أُريدُ خُبْزًا، بِكَمْ؟ — I want bread — how much? · u-REE-du KHUB-zan, bi-KAM

خُبْز؟ لَكَ؟ مَجّانًا يا سام!

Hajj Mahmoud is giving him the neighbourhood discount—free. But Sam's question was perfect. أُريدُ خُبْزًا، بِكَمْ؟ I want bread, how much?

أُريدُ خُبْزًا، بِكَمْ؟ — I want bread — how much? · u-REE-du KHUB-zan, bi-KAM

أُريدُ is 'I want'. We add خُبْزًا for bread. And the essential souk phrase: بِكَمْ؟ For how much? Try saying it as smoothly as Sam: أُريدُ خُبْزًا، بِكَمْ؟

أُريدُ خُبْزًا، بِكَمْ؟ — I want bread — how much? · u-REE-du KHUB-zan, bi-KAM

Let's hear it one more time. You're at the bakery, and you're hungry. أُريدُ خُبْزًا، بِكَمْ؟

أُريدُ خُبْزًا، بِكَمْ؟ — I want bread — how much? · u-REE-du KHUB-zan, bi-KAM

The day winds down. The white moon is up over the rooftops. Everyone has gathered in the small courtyard behind Farid's shop for evening tea. Sitti is pouring.

هٰذا بَيْتي، وَأَنْتُم أَهْلي.

هٰذا بَيْتي، وَأَنْتُم أَهْلي. — This is my home, and you are my people. · HAA-dhaa BAY-tee, wa-AN-tum AH-lee

أَهْلًا بِكَ في بَيْتِكَ يا سام.

That might be the most beautiful sentence he's put together yet. هٰذا بَيْتي، وَأَنْتُم أَهْلي. This is my home, and you are my people.

هٰذا بَيْتي، وَأَنْتُم أَهْلي. — This is my home, and you are my people. · HAA-dhaa BAY-tee, wa-AN-tum AH-lee

We know بَيْت is house. So بَيْتي is my house, or my home. And أَهْل means people or family. So أَهْلي is my people. Say the first part with me: هٰذا بَيْتي.

Now the second part: وَأَنْتُم أَهْلي. 'And you'—speaking to a group—'are my people'. Try it: وَأَنْتُم أَهْلي.

Put it all together, from the heart. هٰذا بَيْتي، وَأَنْتُم أَهْلي.

هٰذا بَيْتي، وَأَنْتُم أَهْلي. — This is my home, and you are my people. · HAA-dhaa BAY-tee, wa-AN-tum AH-lee

What a perfect day. Let's remember the moments that made it. First, coffee: صَباحُ الخَيْر! هٰذِهِ قَهْوَتي. And again: صَباحُ الخَيْر! هٰذِهِ قَهْوَتي. Good morning, this is my coffee. Then the sign: أَقْرَأُ اللافِتة: الكُتُب. Once more: أَقْرَأُ اللافِتة: الكُتُب. I read the sign: The books. At the souk: أُريدُ خُبْزًا، بِكَمْ؟ And again: أُريدُ خُبْزًا، بِكَمْ؟ I want bread, how much? And finally, our home: هٰذا بَيْتي، وَأَنْتُم أَهْلي. And again: هٰذا بَيْتي، وَأَنْتُم أَهْلي. This is my home, and you are my people.

As the tea glasses empty, Yasmin pulls out a colorful flyer for the upcoming book festival. A mahrajān. And looking at Farid's shop, she gets an idea. But we'll find out what that is next time! Join us every Tuesday and Friday to see what happens next in the quarter.