Episode 50 · Everything, and what's next

Thirty episodes ago, Sam stood in the middle of this market, surrounded by sounds he couldn't parse and signs he couldn't read. Today, he's wiping down the counter at Umm Nadia's café, trading morning greetings like he was born here.

He can name the colours of the doors, the jobs of his neighbours, and exactly where everything is. Hajj Mahmoud gestures to Ustadh Farid's bookshop across the square, making a comment about the new paint on the frame.

البَيْتُ كَبير، وَهٰذا بابُهُ.

البَيْتُ كَبير، وَهٰذا بابُهُ. — The house is big, and this is its door. (recap) · al-BAY-tu ka-BEER, wa-HAA-dhaa BAA-bu-hu

He's showing off a bit, bringing out our greatest hits. This sentence is a perfect snapshot of everything you've built. البَيْتُ كَبير means the house is big.

البَيْتُ كَبير، وَهٰذا بابُهُ. — The house is big, and this is its door. (recap) · al-BAY-tu ka-BEER, wa-HAA-dhaa BAA-bu-hu

And then the second half, وَهٰذا بابُهُ, and this is its door. Notice that tiny هُ attached to the end of باب. That's the possession. Its door. Say the whole thing with me: البَيْتُ كَبير، وَهٰذا بابُهُ.

البَيْتُ كَبير، وَهٰذا بابُهُ. — The house is big, and this is its door. (recap) · al-BAY-tu ka-BEER, wa-HAA-dhaa BAA-bu-hu

Once more, nice and steady. البَيْتُ كَبير، وَهٰذا بابُهُ.

البَيْتُ كَبير، وَهٰذا بابُهُ. — The house is big, and this is its door. (recap) · al-BAY-tu ka-BEER, wa-HAA-dhaa BAA-bu-hu

ماذا تَفْعَلُ اليَوْم؟

Yasmin drops by for her morning tea and asks him what he's doing today. Now that Sam has roots and patterns, his daily routine is no longer a mystery. He leans on the counter.

أَقْرَأ، أَكْتُب، أَدْرُس.

أَقْرَأ، أَكْتُب، أَدْرُس. — I read, I write, I study. (recap) · AQ-raʾ, AK-tub, AD-rus

Listen to that rhythm! You know exactly what's happening there. He's taking three different roots and dropping them into the exact same mold. The present tense for 'I'.

أَقْرَأ، أَكْتُب، أَدْرُس. — I read, I write, I study. (recap) · AQ-raʾ, AK-tub, AD-rus

It all starts with that أ sound. أَقْرَأ, I read. أَكْتُب, I write. أَدْرُس, I study. The engine is running perfectly. Say it with me, proudly: أَقْرَأ، أَكْتُب، أَدْرُس.

أَقْرَأ، أَكْتُب، أَدْرُس. — I read, I write, I study. (recap) · AQ-raʾ, AK-tub, AD-rus

One more time, string them together smoothly. أَقْرَأ، أَكْتُب، أَدْرُس.

أَقْرَأ، أَكْتُب، أَدْرُس. — I read, I write, I study. (recap) · AQ-raʾ, AK-tub, AD-rus

Look how far we've come. You can describe the world around you: البَيْتُ كَبير، وَهٰذا بابُهُ. And you can talk about exactly what you do every day: أَقْرَأ، أَكْتُب، أَدْرُس. The present is yours.

But as afternoon shadows lengthen, the present tense hits a wall. Hajj Mahmoud is packing up his stall, pausing to trace an old scratch in the wood.

عِنْدَما كانَ والِدي هُنا...

When my father was here, he murmurs. Nour, swinging her legs from a nearby crate, looks at Sam. She switches to English. 'Why did you come to this quarter anyway? Like, before you met us?'

Sam opens his mouth. He has a hundred words for what is happening *now*. But to tell her about before? He searches his mental toolbox and finds it empty. He looks at me in a mild panic.

I know, Sam. You can name the whole street, but you can't tell a single story yet. Because stories live in the past. Let's plant the very first seed of yesterday.

أَمْسِ… كَتَبْتُ رِسالة.

أَمْسِ… كَتَبْتُ رِسالة. — Yesterday… I wrote a letter. (preview → L2) · AM-si… ka-TAB-tu ri-SAA-la

أَمْسِ means yesterday. A beautiful, vital word. And look at the verb. Do you recognize the root? ك، ت، ب. The very first root you learned on Ustadh Farid's sign. But now, it sounds different.

أَمْسِ… كَتَبْتُ رِسالة. — Yesterday… I wrote a letter. (preview → L2) · AM-si… ka-TAB-tu ri-SAA-la

In the present, 'I' was an أ at the front. But in the past tense, the 'I' jumps to the end of the word as a تُ. كَتَبْتُ. I wrote. Yesterday, I wrote a letter. Say it with me: أَمْسِ… كَتَبْتُ رِسالة.

أَمْسِ… كَتَبْتُ رِسالة. — Yesterday… I wrote a letter. (preview → L2) · AM-si… ka-TAB-tu ri-SAA-la

Take it slowly. It's a whole new world. أَمْسِ… كَتَبْتُ رِسالة.

أَمْسِ… كَتَبْتُ رِسالة. — Yesterday… I wrote a letter. (preview → L2) · AM-si… ka-TAB-tu ri-SAA-la

Ustadh Farid, locking up the bookshop, overhears Sam. He smiles. He knows exactly what milestone Sam has just crossed. He has opened the door to time.

Ustadh Farid walks over and claps Sam on the shoulder, waiting for the rest of the story. Sam doesn't have all the words yet, so he makes his teacher a promise instead.

غَدًا سَأُخْبِرُكَ كَيْفَ كان.

غَدًا سَأُخْبِرُكَ كَيْفَ كان. — Tomorrow I'll tell you how it was. · GHA-dan sa-UKH-bi-ru-ka KAY-fa KAAN

And there it is. The future. غَدًا means tomorrow. Listen to that gentle غ at the start. Like a soft purr. غَدًا.

غَدًا سَأُخْبِرُكَ كَيْفَ كان. — Tomorrow I'll tell you how it was. · GHA-dan sa-UKH-bi-ru-ka KAY-fa KAAN

And the word after it? That tiny سَـ attached to the front means 'will'. Tomorrow, I *will* tell you how it was. Say it with me: غَدًا سَأُخْبِرُكَ كَيْفَ كان.

غَدًا سَأُخْبِرُكَ كَيْفَ كان. — Tomorrow I'll tell you how it was. · GHA-dan sa-UKH-bi-ru-ka KAY-fa KAAN

Say it naturally, like a promise you intend to keep. غَدًا سَأُخْبِرُكَ كَيْفَ كان.

غَدًا سَأُخْبِرُكَ كَيْفَ كان. — Tomorrow I'll tell you how it was. · GHA-dan sa-UKH-bi-ru-ka KAY-fa KAAN

Up on her balcony, Sitti watches the exchange. She holds that old book of poems, the one she hasn't opened yet. She knows that when Sam learns to speak of yesterday, a lot of old stories are going to wake up.

You have built a home in this language. You can point to it: البَيْتُ كَبير، وَهٰذا بابُهُ. You can live in its present: أَقْرَأ، أَكْتُب، أَدْرُس. And now, you've unlocked the doors to the past and the future: أَمْسِ… كَتَبْتُ رِسالة, and غَدًا سَأُخْبِرُكَ كَيْفَ كان.

That wraps up our time in the present tense, and Level 1 of our journey. But the whole history of this quarter is waiting for us in Level 2. Join us next Tuesday and Friday. Ma'a salama!