Episode 14 · "The," the sun and the moon — al-

Welcome back to the Book Quarter. It's late evening, the shops are closing their shutters, and the air smells like roasted coffee and cool stone.

Outside the bookstore, Sam is helping Ustadh Farid bring in the last of the display tables. He pauses, looking up at the bright, clear sky.

Sam remembers something from weeks ago. He points up and says, قَمَر. Moon.

نَعَم، قَمَر.

But Sam doesn't want to just say 'moon' like a toddler pointing at the sky. He wants to say 'the' moon.

القَمَر.

القَمَر — the moon (MOON letter — you hear the "l") · al-QA-mar

There it is! The most important little word in Arabic. To say 'the', you just attach the letters ال to the front of a word. Listen to Farid say it again: القَمَر.

القَمَر — the moon (MOON letter — you hear the "l") · al-QA-mar

Notice how clearly you hear the 'L' sound? The word قَمَر is very polite; it lets the ال do its job. Say it with me: القَمَر.

القَمَر — the moon (MOON letter — you hear the "l") · al-QA-mar

Again, a little slower: القَمَر.

القَمَر — the moon (MOON letter — you hear the "l") · al-QA-mar

Sam thinks about this. He picks up a pen from his pocket. He remembers the word for pen is قَلَم. He looks at Farid.

القَلَم؟

Farid nods. Sam is thrilled. 'Wait, is it always that easy? You just stick ال on the front and you're done?'

نَعَم... لا.

نَعَم · لا — yes · no · NA-ʿam · laa

Two words you'll hear all day long in the quarter. نَعَم means yes, and لا means no.

نَعَم · لا — yes · no · NA-ʿam · laa

Let's start with yes. That deep catch in the middle is the letter 'ayn we practiced with Hajj Mahmoud. Say: نَعَم.

نَعَم · لا — yes · no · NA-ʿam · laa

And for no, just a simple, elegant لا. Try it: لا.

نَعَم · لا — yes · no · NA-ʿam · laa

Let's take a quick breath and review what we've learned tonight. To say 'the moon', we say القَمَر. القَمَر. And for our basic answers: yes is نَعَم. نَعَم. And no is لا. لا. Sam is about to find out why Farid gave him both answers.

Sam looks confused. 'What do you mean, yes and no?' Farid gestures toward the horizon, where the sun will rise in a few hours.

شَمْس.

Sam remembers this one. Sun. He confidently decides to add his new favorite prefix. He says, ال... شَمْس.

لا. الشَّمْس.

الشَّمْس — the sun (SUN letter — the "l" vanishes, the sh doubles) · ash-SHAMS

Did you hear what happened to the 'L' in ال? It completely vanished! The 'sh' sound in شَمْس is a bully. Half the letters in the Arabic alphabet are like this. They swallow the 'L' and double themselves. We call them Sun Letters.

الشَّمْس — the sun (SUN letter — the "l" vanishes, the sh doubles) · ash-SHAMS

Instead of saying 'al-shams', you slide right past the L and hit the 'sh' twice as hard. Listen to the rhythm: الشَّمْس.

الشَّمْس — the sun (SUN letter — the "l" vanishes, the sh doubles) · ash-SHAMS

Say it with me, and really lean into that 'sh' sound: الشَّمْس.

الشَّمْس — the sun (SUN letter — the "l" vanishes, the sh doubles) · ash-SHAMS

Again, naturally: الشَّمْس.

الشَّمْس — the sun (SUN letter — the "l" vanishes, the sh doubles) · ash-SHAMS

Sam stares at Farid. The word for moon takes the 'L' perfectly, and the word for sun swallows it. 'Wait,' Sam says in English. 'Is that why they are called Sun and Moon letters?'

نَعَم.

نَعَم · لا — yes · no · NA-ʿam · laa

It's the most beautiful linguistic joke. The words themselves are the exact examples of the rule. From now on, whenever Sam learns a new word, Farid—and everyone else in the medina—is going to make him guess: is it a Sun letter, or a Moon letter?

Before we pack up for the night, let's lock these in. The moon, where we hear the 'L' clearly: القَمَر. القَمَر. The sun, where the 'L' is swallowed: الشَّمْس. الشَّمْس. And our two essential answers: yes, نَعَم. نَعَم. And no, لا. لا.

Sam got the moon right and the sun wrong—the most ordinary beginner's night there is. But tomorrow, the sun comes up, and he has a whole new list of words to test. Join us back in the Quarter every Tuesday and Friday for more Fablingo Arabic. See you then!