Session 23 — Shopping, Prices & Choosing Things¶

20-hour method — Phase 2, Session 3
Duration: ~2 hours
Main objective: handle a basic shop interaction in Levantine Arabic.

Today you'll learn to:

ask how much something costs
identify an object
ask for a different size/color
say "I want this one"
compare two things
say something is expensive/cheap
ask for a discount
buy a quantity
say you don't want something
complete a simple purchase

The key principle remains:

Don't memorize isolated vocabulary. Memorize reusable sentence patterns.

0:00–0:15 — Warm-up¶

Say these aloud.

baddi hayda.
I want this.

addeish hayda?
How much is this?

ghāli kteer.
Very expensive.

fī shi أرخص؟
Is there something cheaper?

3andkon لون tene؟
Do you have another color?

3andkon 7ajm akbar؟
Do you have a bigger size?

baddi wa7ad.
I want one.

la2, shukran.
No, thanks.

0:15–0:30 — This / that¶

These are extremely important.

هذا — hayda¶

this — masculine

hayda

this one

هذه — hayde¶

this — feminine

hayde

this one

For a beginner, treat them as two useful chunks:

hayda
this one

hayde
this one

You will hear them constantly.

That¶

haydāk

that one — masculine

haydīk

that one — feminine

For now, prioritize:

hayda / hayde

0:30–0:45 — “How much is this?”¶

You already know:

addeish?

How much?

Combine:

addeish hayda?

How much is this?

addeish hayde?

How much is this?

You can point at an object and simply say:

addeish?

In a real shop, that is perfectly understandable.

0:45–1:00 — Money¶

مصاري — maṣāri¶

money

ليرة — līra¶

lira

يورو — yūro¶

euro

دولار — dōlār¶

dollar

Examples:

addeish?

How much?

khamsīn yūro.

Fifty euros.

ghāli.

Expensive.

1:00–1:15 — Expensive and cheap¶

غالي — ghāli¶

expensive

ghāli kteer.

Very expensive.

رخيص — rkhīṣ¶

cheap / inexpensive

rkhīṣ.

It's cheap.

hayda aghla.

This one is more expensive.

hayda arkhaṣ.

This one is cheaper.

These comparisons will be useful today.

1:15–1:30 — “Too expensive”¶

كتير — kteer¶

very / too much

So:

ghāli kteer.

Very expensive.

You can make it stronger:

ghāli kteer 3alayye.

It's too expensive for me.

Breakdown:

ghāli = expensive

kteer = very

3alayye = for me / on me

Don't worry about the grammatical details of 3alayye yet.

Learn it as a chunk.

1:30–1:45 — “Do you have something cheaper?”¶

This is one of today's most useful sentences:

fī shi arkhaṣ?

Is there something cheaper?

Breakdown:

fī = there is / is there

shi = something

arkhaṣ = cheaper

You can also say:

fī wa7ad arkhaṣ?

Is there a cheaper one?

1:45–2:00 — Colors¶

Learn the most useful colors.

Arabic	Transliteration	English
أسود	aswad	black
أبيض	abyad	white
أحمر	a7mar	red
أزرق	azra2	blue
أخضر	akhḍar	green
أصفر	aṣfar	yellow
رمادي	rmādi	grey
بني	bennī	brown

For your practical purposes:

aswad — black

abyad — white

azra2 — blue

akhḍar — green

rmādi — grey

2:00–2:15 — “Do you have another color?”¶

لون — lawn¶

color

3andkon lawn tene?

Do you have another color?

Or:

fī lawn tene?

Is there another color?

More specific:

3andkon hayda bil-aswad?

Do you have this in black?

3andkon hayda bil-abyad?

Do you have this in white?

2:15–2:30 — Sizes¶

قياس — 2yās¶

size

7ajm

size

Both exist; 7ajm is a very useful general word.

Small¶

zghīr

small

Big¶

kbir

big

Bigger¶

akbar

bigger

Smaller¶

azghar

smaller

Examples:

3andkon 7ajm akbar?

Do you have a bigger size?

3andkon 7ajm azghar?

Do you have a smaller size?

hayda kbir 3alayye.

This is too big for me.

hayda zghīr 3alayye.

This is too small for me.

2:30–2:45 — Clothes¶

Since you're likely to use this when shopping for clothes:

Arabic	Transliteration	English
تي شيرت	tī-shert	T-shirt
قميص	2amīṣ	shirt
بنطلون	banṭalōn	trousers
جاكيت	jākēt	jacket
جزدان	jzdan	bag/wallet
شوز	shūz	shoes
كندرة	kandara	shoe
بنطلون جينز	banṭalōn jīnz	jeans

For today, prioritize:

tī-shert

banṭalōn

jākēt

shūz

2:45–3:00 — “I want this one”¶

baddi hayda.

I want this one.

baddi hayde.

I want this one.

Add politeness:

baddi hayda, law sama7t.

I'd like this one, please.

If there are several:

baddi hayda, mish haydak.

I want this one, not that one.

3:00–3:15 — “Which one?”¶

أي واحد؟ — ay wā7ad?¶

Which one?

ay wā7ad?

Which one?

You can answer:

hayda.

This one.

Or:

haydak.

That one.

3:15–3:30 — Comparing two things¶

Suppose you're looking at two T-shirts.

hayda a7la.

This one is nicer.

hayda arkhaṣ.

This one is cheaper.

hayda aghla.

This one is more expensive.

b7ebb hayda aktar.

I like this one more.

Important structure:

b7ebb X aktar.

I like X more.

3:30–3:45 — “I like this more”¶

b7ebb hayda aktar.

I like this one more.

b7ebb hayde aktar.

I like this one more.

And:

ma b7ebb hayda.

I don't like this one.

b7ebb hayda, bas ghāli.

I like this one, but it's expensive.

This is a very natural beginner sentence.

3:45–4:00 — Asking for a discount¶

في تنزيل؟ — fī tanzīl?¶

Is there a discount?

This is useful in many Levantine shopping contexts.

You can also ask:

fī shi akhaf?

Is there something less expensive?

But prioritize:

fī tanzīl?

4:00–4:15 — “Can you make it cheaper?”¶

A useful phrase:

fīك تنزّل شوي؟

Can you lower the price a little?

For a man:

fīk tnezzel shway?

Can you lower it a little?

For a woman:

fīke tnezzle shway?

Can you lower it a little?

shway¶

a little

You already encountered this expression:

shway shway

slowly / little by little.

Now:

nzelel shway

lower it a little.

You don't need to master the verb morphology yet. Learn the entire phrase.

4:15–4:30 — “I'll take it”¶

Very useful.

bākhdo.

I'll take it.

You may also hear:

bākhod hayda.

I'll take this one.

Breakdown:

bākhod = I take / I'll take

This is a very useful conversational chunk.

4:30–4:45 — “I'm just looking”¶

When a shop assistant asks what you want:

3am بتطلع.

This isn't the best universal phrase across Levantine varieties.

A safer beginner phrase is:

3am بتفرّج بس.

I'm just looking.

More naturally:

3am بتفرّج, shukran.

I'm just looking, thanks.

Don't worry if you hear several variants depending on country.

4:45–5:00 — Complete clothing-shop dialogue¶

Verkäufer¶

mar7aba! fīni sā3dak?

Hello! Can I help you?

You¶

mar7aba. 3am بتفرّج بس.

Hello. I'm just looking.

Verkäufer¶

tfaddal.

Go ahead.

You see a T-shirt.

You¶

addeish hayda?

How much is this?

Verkäufer¶

khamsīn yūro.

Fifty euros.

You¶

ghāli kteer. fī shi arkhaṣ?

Very expensive. Is there something cheaper?

Verkäufer¶

eh, hayda arba3īn.

Yes, this one is forty.

You¶

b7ebb hayda aktar. 3andkon lawn tene?

I like this one more. Do you have another color?

Verkäufer¶

eh, 3anna aswad w-abyad.

Yes, we have black and white.

You¶

3andkon 7ajm akbar bil-aswad?

Do you have a bigger size in black?

Verkäufer¶

eh, tfaddal.

Yes, here you go.

You¶

mni7. bākhdo.

Good. I'll take it.

5:00–5:15 — Reading practice¶

Read this without transliteration:

مرحبا، فيني ساعدك؟

عم بتفرّج بس، شكرا.

قديش هيدا؟

خمسين يورو.

غالي كتير. في شي أرخص؟

إي، هيدا بأربعين.

عندكن لون تاني؟

إي، أسود وأبيض.

عندكن قياس أكبر بالأسود؟

إي، تفضل.

منيح. باخدو.

Read it three times.

Then try to reconstruct the conversation from memory.

5:15–5:30 — Numbers: 10–100¶

You need enough numbers to understand prices.

Number	Levantine
10	3ashara
20	3ishrīn
30	tlātīn
40	arba3īn
50	khamṣīn
60	sittīn
70	sab3īn
80	tmānīn
90	tis3īn
100	miyye

The pattern from 20–90 is important:

-īn

Don't spend today's session trying to perfect every number.

5:30–5:45 — Quantity¶

You can buy several things.

baddi wā7ad.

I want one.

baddi tnēn.

I want two.

baddi tlāte.

I want three.

Example:

baddi tnēn tī-shert.

I want two T-shirts.

Or simply:

tnēn, law sama7t.

Two, please.

Context makes the meaning clear.

5:45–6:00 — “Do you have...?”¶

Review the structure:

3andkon...?

Do you have...?

Use it with everything:

3andkon hayda?

Do you have this?

3andkon 7ajm akbar?

Do you have a bigger size?

3andkon lawn tene?

Do you have another color?

3andkon shūz?

Do you have shoes?

3andkon 7ajm 42?

Do you have size 42?

This last pattern is particularly useful.

6:00–6:15 — Trying clothes on¶

فيني جرّب؟ — fīni jarrib?¶

Can I try it?

fīni jarrib hayda?

Can I try this?

A shop may tell you:

eh, tfaddal.

Yes, go ahead.

Or:

la2, ma fī.

No, you can't / there isn't.

6:15–6:30 — It fits / doesn't fit¶

You don't need complicated grammar.

mni7 3alayye.

It fits me / it looks good on me.

kbir 3alayye.

It's too big for me.

zghīr 3alayye.

It's too small for me.

7لو 3alayye.

It looks good on me.

ma 7abbayto.

I didn't like it.

This last form introduces another useful past chunk:

ma 7abbayto

I didn't like it.

Don't analyze it yet. Learn it as a unit.

6:30–6:45 — The difference between “I want” and “I'll take”¶

Compare:

baddi hayda.

I want this.

versus:

bākhdo.

I'll take it.

The second one indicates you've made the purchase decision.

A natural interaction:

b7ebb hayda. bas ghāli.

I like this one. But it's expensive.

fī tanzīl?

Is there a discount?

khallīk 45.

Make it 45.

ṭayyeb. bākhdo.

Okay. I'll take it.

6:45–7:00 — Translation challenge¶

Translate without looking back.

1¶

How much is this?

2¶

This is very expensive.

3¶

Is there something cheaper?

4¶

Do you have another color?

5¶

Do you have a bigger size?

6¶

Do you have size 42?

7¶

I like this one more.

8¶

I want this one.

9¶

I'll take it.

10¶

Can I try it?

11¶

It's too big for me.

12¶

It's too small for me.

13¶

Do you have a discount?

14¶

Can you lower the price a little?

15¶

No, thanks. I'm just looking.

7:00–7:15 — Speaking drill¶

Imagine you are buying a T-shirt.

You need to say:

You're looking.
Ask the price.
Say it's expensive.
Ask for something cheaper.
Ask for another color.
Ask for a bigger size.
Try it.
Decide you like it.
Ask for a discount.
Buy it.

Try to do it without notes.

7:15–7:30 — Spontaneous comparison¶

Imagine these two products:

A¶

Black T-shirt
€25
Small

B¶

Blue T-shirt
€40
Large

Say:

hayda...

haydak...

Compare:

price
color
size
preference

You should be able to produce something like:

hayda arkhaṣ. bas haydak 7لو aktar.

This one is cheaper, but that one is nicer.

7:30–7:45 — Arabic-only challenge¶

Answer these in Levantine.

addeish hayda?

fī shi arkhaṣ?

3andkon lawn tene?

3andkon 7ajm akbar?

bte7ebb hayda wala haydak?

fī tanzīl?

bākhdo?

The point is to answer quickly, not perfectly.

7:45–8:00 — Final role-play¶

I am the shop assistant.

You are the customer.

Me¶

mar7aba! fīni sā3dak?

You answer.

Me¶

hayda b-50 euro.

You answer.

Me¶

eh, 3anna lawn tene.

You answer.

Me¶

hayda 7ajmo akbar.

You answer.

Me¶

fī tanzīl?

You answer.

Me¶

khallīk 45.

You answer.

Me¶

ṭayyeb?

You answer.

Try to complete the entire purchase naturally.

Session 23 — Core vocabulary¶

Prioritize these:

Levantine	Meaning
hayda / hayde	this one
haydāk / haydīk	that one
addeish?	how much?
ghāli	expensive
rkhīṣ	cheap
arkhaṣ	cheaper
aghlā	more expensive
kteer	very / too much
7ajm	size
kbir	big
zghīr	small
akbar	bigger
azghar	smaller
lawn	color
tene	another
fī tanzīl?	is there a discount?
shway	a little
bākhdo	I'll take it
jarrib	try
maṣāri	money

The 10 chunks to memorize¶

addeish hayda?
How much is this?

ghāli kteer.
It's very expensive.

fī shi arkhaṣ?
Is there something cheaper?

3andkon lawn tene?
Do you have another color?

3andkon 7ajm akbar?
Do you have a bigger size?

baddi hayda.
I want this one.

b7ebb hayda aktar.
I like this one more.

fī tanzīl?
Is there a discount?

fīni jarrib?
Can I try it?

bākhdo.
I'll take it.

Homework¶

1. Price drill¶

Pick 10 objects around you.

For each one say:

addeish hayda?

Then invent a price.

hayda 20 yūro.

2. Shopping monologue¶

Speak for one minute about something you want to buy.

Include:

what it is
color
size
price
whether you like it
whether it's expensive
whether you will buy it

3. Arabic reading¶

Read the clothing-shop dialogue five times.

On the final reading, hide the transliteration completely.

4. Active vocabulary¶

Memorize these five especially:

hayda

addeish

arkhaṣ

3andkon

bākhdo

If these become automatic, you can already navigate a surprisingly large number of simple shopping interactions.

Next: Session 24¶

Getting around — transport, directions and locations.

You'll learn to ask:

وين؟ — Where?

كيف بروح لـ...? — How do I get to...?

قريب ولا بعيد؟ — Is it near or far?

عَ اليمين ولا عَ الشمال؟ — To the right or left?

and, importantly, understand the answer when a native speaker gives you directions.