PALESTINIAN SENTENCE STRUCTURE AND NOUNS
WORD ORDER AND SENTENCE BUILDING
Word order is the order in which the main parts of a sentence appear. In a simple Palestinian sentence, the speaker usually gives the subject, then the action, and then the person or thing affected by the action. A time or place phrase can move to the beginning when the speaker wants to set the scene. Small markers such as b-, عم, رح, and مش stay closely connected to the verb or description, so understanding word order also means knowing where these markers belong. Present descriptions are often built without a separate word for English “am,” “is,” or “are,” while past descriptions use a form of كان.
Formula for the main patterns:
action = (time/place) + (optional subject) + verb + (object/complement, when needed);
present description = subject + noun/adjective/place;
existence = fii + noun + place;
negative existence = ma fii + noun.
Questions keep these orders and add intonation or a question word.
Examples:
أنا بشرب قهوة. (ana bashrab 2ahwe.) - I drink coffee.
بشرب قهوة الصبح. (bashrab 2ahwe iS-SubH.) - I drink coffee in the morning.
اليوم منروح عَ البلد. (il-yoom mnrooH 3a-l-balad.) - Today we are going downtown.
هو شاف الفيلم. (huwwe shaaf il-film.) - He saw the film.
شاف الفيلم مبارح. (shaaf il-film mbaareH.) - He saw the film yesterday.
هِيّ بتحكي عربي فلسطيني. (hiyye bitHki 3arabi falasTeeni.) - She speaks Palestinian Arabic.
الكتاب عَ الطاولة. (il-ktaab 3a-T-Taawle.) - The book is on the table.
في خبز بالدار. (fii khobiz bid-daar.) - There is bread at home.
ما في وقت. (ma fii wa2t.) - There is no time.
هاد المطعم منيح. (haad il-maT3am mneeH.) - This restaurant is good.
بكرا رح نزورهم. (bukra raH nzoorhom.) - Tomorrow we will visit them.
ليش تأخّرت؟ (leesh ta2akhkhart?) - Why were you late?
In a present-time description, Palestinian Arabic normally does not use a separate verb meaning “am,” “is,” or “are.” Put the subject first when you need to name it, then give the noun, adjective, or place phrase that describes it. The meaning of “be” is understood from the relationship between these parts: البيت كبير. (il-beet kbeer.) - The house is big; هيّ بالدار. (hiyye bid-daar.) - She is at home.
The subject can be a noun or an independent pronoun, and the part that describes it can be a noun, adjective, or place phrase. Because the present relationship is expressed directly, do not add a formal Arabic or English-style copula to a basic Palestinian present description. The pattern is visible in أنا طالب. (ana Taalib.) - I am a student; المحلّ هون. (il-maHall hoon.) - The shop is here.
For a description in the past, Palestinian Arabic uses a form of كان (kaan), meaning “was” or “were,” before the description. The form of كان changes with the subject, while the following noun, adjective, or place phrase gives the main information. This makes the time clear even when the sentence is not about an action: كنت تعبان. (kunt ta3baan.) - I was tired; كانوا بالبيت. (kaanu bil-beet.) - They were at home.
POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE STATEMENTS
A positive statement says that something is true, exists, happens, or belongs to someone. A negative statement says that it is not true, does not happen, or does not belong to someone. In Palestinian Arabic, the negative word depends mainly on what comes after it: a verb, a present description, an existential expression, or a command. The person and time are still shown by the verb or by the surrounding words.
Formula for the patterns in this section:
positive action = (optional subject) + verb;
positive description = subject + noun/adjective/place;
negative verb = ma + verb (or a labelled verb + -sh pattern);
negative description = mish + noun/adjective/place;
negative existence = ma fii + noun;
negative future = mish + raH + bare imperfect;
negative want = ma biddiish in the labelled bidd- + -sh pattern;
negative command = ma + second-person basic verb.
Examples:
أنا بعرف. (ana ba3raf.) - I know.
أنا ما بعرف. (ana ma ba3raf.) - I do not know.
أنا بعرفش. (ana ba3rafsh.) - I do not know.
ما شفتوش. (ma shuftoosh.) - I did not see him.
هي مش تعبانة. (hiyye mish ta3baane.) - She is not tired.
هاد مش بيتي. (haad mish beeti.) - This is not my house.
إحنا مش هون. (iHna mish hoon.) - We are not here.
ما في ميّ. (ma fii mayy.) - There is no water.
لسّه ما أكلت. (lissa ma akalt.) - I have not eaten yet.
ما تروح. (ma trooH.) - Do not go.
ما بدّيش قهوة. (ma biddiish 2ahwe.) - I do not want coffee.
مش رح أتأخّر. (mish raH at2akhkhar.) - I will not be late.
إحنا ساكنين قريب. (iHna saakneen 2areeb.) - We live nearby.
هيّ بتحبّ الشاي. (hiyye bitHibb ish-shaay.) - She likes tea.
همّه بشتغلوا بالبلد. (humme bishtaghlu bil-balad.) - They work downtown.
عندي أخّين. (3indi akheen.) - I have two brothers.
في فرن جنب الدار. (fii furn janb id-daar.) - There is a bakery next to the house.
هاد الكتاب إلي. (haad il-ktaab ili.) - This book is mine.
بكرا رح نزور خالتي. (bukra raH nzoor khaalti.) - Tomorrow we will visit my aunt.
ما منسكن هون. (ma mniskon hoon.) - We do not live here.
Use مش (mish) mainly before a present description that is not an action verb, such as an adjective, noun, place phrase, or state. It is the usual beginner pattern for meanings such as “not tired” and “not here”: أنا مش تعبان. (ana mish ta3baan.) - I am not tired; هيّ مش هون. (hiyye mish hoon.) - She is not here.
Use ما (ma) before a verb to make an ordinary verbal statement negative: ما بعرف. (ma ba3raf.) - I do not know; ما رحت. (ma ruHt.) - I did not go. The verb keeps the form required by its time and subject. Some Palestinian speakers also use a second negative part written -ش with frequent verbal forms, as in بعرفش; this is a real variation, but the clearest A1–A2 production model is to use the single ma pattern consistently unless your chosen community uses the -sh pattern.
A negative command has its own pattern. Put ما (ma) before the second-person basic verb form, rather than putting it before the positive imperative: ما تروح. (ma trooH.) - Do not go; ما تنسى. (ma tinsa.) - Do not forget. This pattern tells someone not to do an action and should be kept separate from the ordinary negative statement pattern.
FORMING QUESTIONS
A question asks for information or checks whether something is true. A yes/no question expects confirmation or denial, while an information question asks who, what, where, when, why, how, or how much. Palestinian conversation usually shows the question through rising intonation, a question word, or both, without English-style do-support or a formal inversion.
Formula:
yes/no question = statement order + rising intonation;
information question = question word + the rest of the statement.
Examples:
إنت جاهز؟ (inta jaahiz?) - Are you ready?
بدّك شاي؟ (biddak shaay?) - Do you want tea?
في محل قريب؟ (fii maHall 2areeb?) - Is there a shop nearby?
شو اسمك؟ (shoo ismak?) - What is your name?
مين هاد؟ (meen haad?) - Who is this?
وين ساكن؟ (ween saakin?) - Where do you live?
إيمتى بتوصل؟ (eemta btooSal?) - When do you arrive?
ليش زعلان؟ (leesh za3laan?) - Why are you upset?
قدّيش السعر؟ (2addeesh is-si3ir?) - How much is the price?
كيفك؟ (keefak?) - How are you?
كيف منوصل؟ (keef mnooSal?) - How do we get there?
أيّ باص بناخد؟ (ayy baaS bnaakhod?) - Which bus do we take?
إنتِ من حيفا؟ (inti min Heefa?) - Are you from Haifa?
هوّ بالدار؟ (huwwe bid-daar?) - Is he at home?
بتشتغلوا يوم الجمعة؟ (btishtaghlu yoom il-jum3a?) - Do you work on Friday?
شفتي سامر مبارح؟ (shifti Saamir mbaareH?) - Did you see Samer yesterday?
رح تيجوا بكرا؟ (raH tiiju bukra?) - Will you come tomorrow?
عندها ولاد؟ (3indha wlaad?) - Does she have children?
ممكن نقعد هون؟ (momkin no23od hoon?) - Can we sit here?
شو عم بتكتب؟ (shoo 3am btiktob?) - What are you writing?
مين ساكن بهديك الدار؟ (meen saakin bi-hadeek id-daar?) - Who lives in that house?
وين حطّيت المفتاح؟ (ween HaTTeet il-miftaaH?) - Where did you put the key?
إيمتى رجعتوا؟ (eemta riji3tu?) - When did you return?
ليش ما أكلت؟ (leesh ma akalt?) - Why did you not eat?
كيف منروح عَ السوق؟ (keef mnrooH 3as-soo2?) - How do we get to the market?
كيف بنحكي هالكلمة؟ (keef bniHki hal-kilme?) - How do we say this word?
كيف كان الشغل اليوم؟ (keef kaan ish-shughul il-yoom?) - How was work today?
كيف بدّك القهوة؟ (keef biddak il-2ahwe?) - How do you want your coffee?
كيف عرفت؟ (keef 3irift?) - How did you know?
كيف صحّتك اليوم؟ (keef SiHHtak il-yoom?) - How is your health today?
كيف الجوّ برام الله؟ (keef il-jaww b-Ramallah?) - How is the weather in Ramallah?
كيف بفتح هاد الباب؟ (keef baftaH haad il-baab?) - How do I open this door?
كيف منقدر نساعدك؟ (keef mni2dar nsaa3dak?) - How can we help you?
كيف كانت السفرة؟ (keef kaanit is-safra?) - How was the trip?
A Palestinian yes/no question usually keeps the same word order as the corresponding statement: إنت ساكن هون؟ (inta saakin hoon?) - Do you live here? The speaker’s rising intonation and the question mark show that confirmation is expected. In ordinary conversation, no separate word equivalent to English “do” is needed.
Information questions commonly begin with the question word. After that word, keep the rest of the sentence in its normal order: وين ساكن؟ (ween saakin?) - Where do you live? شو بدّك؟ (shoo biddak?) - What do you want? مين هاد؟ (meen haad?) - Who is this? قدّيش هاد؟ (2addeesh haad?) - How much is this? The question word requests the missing information while the remaining words keep their ordinary grammatical roles.
The most useful question words are شو (shoo) “what,” وين (ween) “where,” مين (meen) “who,” ليش (leesh) “why,” إيمتى (eemta) “when,” and كيف (keef) “how.” Each one can introduce a familiar sentence frame, and the frame stays the same when you replace the missing person, place, time, or action.
NOUNS: GENDER, NUMBER, AND THE DEFINITE ARTICLE
A noun names a person, animal, thing, or place. Palestinian Arabic groups nouns by gender, usually masculine or feminine, because adjectives and some verb forms may need to match that gender. Number tells you whether there is one item or more than one. The definite article marks a noun as specific or known, while a noun without the article can often have an indefinite meaning such as “a house” or “house” in a general sense.
The definite article is written ال and is commonly pronounced il- in the urban baseline. Before some consonants, the l sound is absorbed into the next consonant in speech, as in الشمس is ish-shams, although the spelling remains ال. Palestinian Arabic has no separate article meaning “a” or “an,” so an unmarked noun may be understood as indefinite from the context.
Formula:
definite noun = il- + noun;
definite noun phrase = il- + noun + il- + adjective;
plural = learn the plural form with the noun because no single rule covers all common nouns.
وَلَد / وْلاد (walad / wlaad) - boy / boys
بِنْت / بَنات (bint / banaat) - girl / girls
زَلَمة / زْلام (zalame / zlaam) - man / men
مَرَة / نِسْوان (mara / niswaan) - woman / women
كْتاب / كُتُب (ktaab / kutub) - book / books
دار / دْيار (daar / diyaar) - house / houses
سَيّارة / سَيّارات (sayyaara / sayyaaraat) - car / cars
شَغْلة / شَغْلات (shaghle / shaghlaat) - thing / things
المَحَلّ (il-maHall) - the shop
الشَّمْس (ish-shams) - the sun
Examples:
هاد ولد صغير. (haad walad zghir.) - This is a small boy.
هاي بنت شاطرة. (haay bint shaaTra.) - This is a capable girl.
الولاد بالمدرسة. (il-wlaad bil-madrase.) - The boys are at school.
البنات بالدار. (il-banaat bid-daar.) - The girls are at home.
عندي كتاب جديد. (3indi ktaab jdeed.) - I have a new book.
الكتب عَ الرفّ. (il-kutub 3ar-raff.) - The books are on the shelf.
شفت سيّارة بالشارع. (shift sayyaara bish-shaari3.) - I saw a car in the street.
السيّارة الجديدة برّا. (is-sayyaara il-jdeede barra.) - The new car is outside.
الشمس قويّة اليوم. (ish-shams 2awiyye il-yoom.) - The sun is strong today.
البيوت القديمة بعيدة. (il-byoot il-2deeme ba3eede.) - The old houses are far away.
Palestinian cultural tip: In many Palestinian towns, البلد il-balad can mean the town center or the older central area, depending on context.
The definite article is written الـ and is usually represented in romanization as il-. Before a sun letter, the l is not heard as a separate sound; the following consonant is pronounced more strongly instead. The written article remains visible, which helps you connect الشمس (ish-shams) - the sun and الدار (id-daar) - the house with their spoken forms.
An adjective normally follows the noun it describes. It agrees with the noun in gender, and it also repeats the definite article when the noun is definite: بيت كبير (beet kbeer) - a big house; البيت الكبير (il-beet il-kbeer) - the big house; سيارة جديدة (sayyaara jdeede) - a new car. This repeated article helps the listener hear the difference between a noun phrase such as “the big house” and a sentence in which the adjective is the description.
Plural nouns do not all use one predictable ending. Some take a regular ending, but many common nouns change their internal vowels or shape; these are often called broken plurals. For a beginner, the safest method is to learn each frequent plural together with its singular, as in ولد / ولاد (walad / wlaad) - boy / boys and كتاب / كتب (ktaab / kutub) - book / books, rather than trying to create every plural from a single rule.
PRACTICE SECTION
1- Complete: هاد _________ منيح. (book)
2- Give the plural of بنت.
3- True or False: Palestinian yes/no questions require a word equivalent to English “do”.
4- True or False: مش commonly negates non-verbal descriptions.
5- Translate: This shop is near.
6- Translate: There is no time.
7- Translate: Where is the station?