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5. In the restaurant
Posted by amad on April 30 2007 22:24:59

5. In the restaurant

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masā'a l-khayr
Good evening

hal tatakallumu l-inkliziyya?
Do you speak English?

hal tatakallumu l-faransiyya?
Do you speak French?

yā nādil
Waiter!

qā'imatu t-ta^cām, min fadlik
Could I/we see the menu, please

lā ta'kulu l-lahm wa-lā l-bayda
She doesn't eat meat, nor eggs

lā ya'kulu l-lahm wa-lā l-bayda
He doesn't eat meat, nor eggs

lā a'kulu l-lahm wa-lā l-bayda
I don't eat meat, nor eggs

lahmu l-khurūf lī, min fadlik. wa salata
Lamb for me, thank you. And salad

'al-kuskus lī, min fadlik. wa kūkā kūlā
Couscous for me, thank you. And a Coca Cola

lahmu l-jamal, min fadlik. wa qanīnatu l-mā'
Camel meat, thank you. And a bottle of water

lahmu d-dijāj mashwiyy wa-rūz wa salata mashwiyya lī
Grilled chicken with rice, and fried salad for me

āis krīm, qahwa, wa l-fawākih lī kull, min fadlik
Ice cream, coffee, and fruits for all, thank you

'al-fātūra, min fadlik
The bill, please

hal mumkin daf^cu ma^ca bitāqati l-i^cāra
Is it possible to pay with credit card?

ma^ca salāma
Good bye (meaning: Go without fear)

ilā l-liqā'
So long; Until the next time

Grammar: Gender

There are only two genders to Arabic, masculine and feminine. The implementation of these two are in most of the cases very simple. You take the masculine form, and add the ending "-a" to it. Then it is a feminine noun. F.ex.:

mudarris (masc.) — mudarrisa (fem.) [teacher]

kitāb (masc.) [book] — kitāba (fem.) [the act of writing]

sā'ih (masc.) — sā'iha (fem.) [tourist]

Of the three examples above, you see that the first and the third are used for a person. The second, however, is simply changing the meaning of the word, through adding the feminine "-a" at the end. This you will see over and over again in Arabic. By adding "-a", new words with new specific meanings are made.
But you should note, when new words are made by adding "-a" at the end, there is a kin between the masculine and the feminine nouns, in respect of their meaning.

		masā'a l-khayr Good evening

		hal tatakallumu l-inkliziyya? Do you speak English?

		hal tatakallumu l-faransiyya? Do you speak French?

		yā nādil Waiter!

		qā'imatu t-ta^cām, min fadlik Could I/we see the menu, please


		lā ta'kulu l-lahm wa-lā l-bayda She doesn't eat meat, nor eggs

		lā ya'kulu l-lahm wa-lā l-bayda He doesn't eat meat, nor eggs

		lā a'kulu l-lahm wa-lā l-bayda I don't eat meat, nor eggs

		lahmu l-khurūf lī, min fadlik. wa salata Lamb for me, thank you. And salad

		'al-kuskus lī, min fadlik. wa kūkā kūlā Couscous for me, thank you. And a Coca Cola

		lahmu l-jamal, min fadlik. wa qanīnatu l-mā' Camel meat, thank you. And a bottle of water

		lahmu d-dijāj mashwiyy wa-rūz wa salata mashwiyya lī Grilled chicken with rice, and fried salad for me

		āis krīm, qahwa, wa l-fawākih lī kull, min fadlik Ice cream, coffee, and fruits for all, thank you

		'al-fātūra, min fadlik The bill, please

		hal mumkin daf^cu ma^ca bitāqati l-i^cāra Is it possible to pay with credit card?

		ma^ca salāma Good bye (meaning: Go without fear)

		ilā l-liqā' So long; Until the next time