Algerian Arabic dialogues from 1847 part 1

Language samples of the Derdja, or Algerian Arabic spoken in 1847’s Constantine

I’ve been on the lookout for useful material that I can use to learn the Algerian dialect of Arabic for a long time. Good sources are hard to come by, but recently I found an old book online called Guide de la conversation française-arabe written by a “J. Honorat Delaporte” who was an interpreter for the French army when the book was published in 1847. The book is basically a thorough phrasebook for French soldiers, needing some kind of command of the Algerian dialect in order to communicate with the Algerians in what was then a French colony. Algeria later regained its god-given independence, but this book still exists, and I am told that the Algerian phrases within correspond quite well with the Derdja that is spoken in Algeria today. In another edition the introduction explains that the language samples within are based on the Derdja of the Algerian city of Constantine.

The book consists of 39 dialogues dealing with various subjects. For each phrase in French, there is a translation in Derdja written in Arabic characters, the equivalent written with the Roman alphabet and a hyper-literal translation. I have translated the French phrases as well as the hyper-literal translations into English as well as transcribed the text from the original scan for the first dialogue that you can find below. I hope to eventually do the rest of the book. Please let me know what you think in the comment section below.

Here are the other dialogues from the book that I have published so far Algerian Arabic dialogues from 1847 part 2

First dialogue

Greetings and common expressions

Hello sir	صباح الخير يا سيدي	Ssbahh el-khir ia sidi
		Morning the-good oh, sir
I salute you	سلام عليكم	Salamou âlaïkum
		Salute on you
I salute you back	عليكم السلام	Âleïkum es-salam
		On you the-salute
I haven’t seen you for a long time	قدّاش ما شفتك شي	Qaddache ma chouftek chi
		How-long I haven’t seen you not
How are you?	اش انت	Ach nta
		How you?
Good, thanks to god.	بخير الحمد لله	Bkhir el-hhamdou lillah
		With-good, the-paise to god
I’m glad that you’re well	رانى فرحان بلّى انت بخير	Rani ferhhan belli nta bkhir
		I am happy that you with-good
And you, how are you?	وانت واش حالك	Wa nta wach hhalek
		And you what your-state?
Not very well, I’m a little sick.	ما في حالي شي راني شويّة مريض	Ma fi hhali chi, rani chouiia mridh
		Not in my-state not, I am a little sick
The heat is suffocating me	السخنة غمتني	Es-skhana ghommetni
		The heat is suffocating me
What? The dessert wind doesn’t blow today	كيف اش القبلي ما خدم شي اليوم	Kif ach el qabli ma khedem chi el-ioum
		Like what the sirocco (hot desert winds) don’t work today
May your day be happy	نهاركم مبروك	Nharek mebrouk
		Your day, happy
I kiss your hands	راني نبوس بيدك	Rani nbous byaddek
		I am i kiss with your hand
How are things at your place?	كاش راهي داركم	Kach rahi darkoum
		How is your house?
Good, may god hold you dear	بخير الله يعزك	Bkhir allah iâzzek
		With good, god hold-you-dear
May god bless you	الله يبارك فيك	Allah ibarek fik
		God bless dans you
How did you sleep tonight?	كاش رقدت الليلة	Kach rqodt el-lila
		How you-slept the night?
Very well. And you, how did you sleep tonight?	مليح بالزاف وانت كاش رقدت	Mlihh bezzaf ou nta kach rqodt
		Well very. And you how you-slept?
I haven’t slept very well	ما رقدت شي مليح	Ma rqodt chi mlihh
		Not i-slept not well.
Why haven’t you slept well? Do you have worries?	اعلاش ما رقدت شي عندك شي هول	Âlach ma rqodt chi, àndek chi houl
		Why not you-slept not, have-you worries?
Not at all, but the thunder has kept me from sleeping	لا لا الرعد ما خلّاني شي نرقد	La la, er-raâd ma khallani chi norqod
		No no, the thunder not have-let me not i-sleep
Ja haven’t heard it	انا ما سمعته شي	Ana ma smâtou chi
		Me, not i-heard it not
I have had a nightmare the whole night	الليلة كاملة بوتلّيس معي	El-lila kamla boutellis maâïa
		The night, entire, nightmare with-me
I had a bad dream	نمت منام ما منه شي	Nomt mnam ma mennou chi
		I dreamt dream bad
I thank god that you aren’t (feeling) bad	الحمد لله ما عندك باس	El-hhamdou lillah ma ândek bas
		The praise to god, not you have bad
How is your father?	واش حال باباك	Wach hhal babak
		And what sate your-father
He’s well	راه مليح / حاله مليح	Rah mlihh / hhalou mlihh
		He is well / his-state is-well
He is not well	ما في حاله شي	Ma fi hhalou chi
		Not in his-state not
He has a bad cold	مريض بالسعلة بالزاف	Mridh besâla bezzaf
		Sick with-coughing much
He has a headache and a toothache	راسه يوجعه / سنانه مراض	Rassou ioudj-oû / snanou mradh
		His head hurts-him / his-teeth sick
He can’t leave his room	ما ينجم شي يخرخ من البيت	Ma inedjem chi iokhereodj men el-bait
		Not he-can not he-goes-out of the-house
I feel bad, beause he doesn’t deserve it.	والله يعزّ بي الحال اعلاش ما يستاهل شي	Wallah iâzz biia el-hhal âlache ma ysthal chi
		By god feel-bad with-me the-state which not he-derserves not
It’ll be nothing, god willing.	لا باس ان شأ الله	La bas in cha allah
		Not bad, if wants god
May god cure him	الله يشفيه	Allah ichefih
		God cures him
May the lord protect him	ربي ما يورّي له باس	Rabbi ma iouarri lou bas
		Lord not he sees of him bad
It’s been a long time since I last saw him	قدّاش ما شفته شي	Qaddach ma chouftou chi
		How-much not seen-him not
If it doesn’t bother him, I’ll go pay him a little visit	اذا ما اخذ شي في خاطرة نخي نطلّ عليه	Ida ma khda chi fi khathrou nji ntholl âlih
		If not take not in his-willing I-come I-visit on-him
He’ll be happy to see you.	ماذا به تجيه يشفك	Mada bih tdjih ichoufek
		How-much with-him you-come-to-him he-sees-you
Excuse me, I can’t go see him today.	اسمح لي اليوم ما ننجم شي نروح له	Esmahh li el-ioum ma nendjem chi nrouhh lou
		Excuse to-me today not I-can not I-go to-him
At what time do you think that I could go to him tomorrow?	اش من وقت تقول نمشي له غدوا	Ach men waqt tqoul nemchi lou ghoudwa
		What of time you-say I-walk to-him tomorrow
In the morning, at the time that you prefer.	الصباح الوقت الّي حبّ حاطرك	Ess-ssabahh el-waqt elli hhabb khathrek
		The-morning the-time that want your-willing
Say hi to your brother from me	سلّم على اخوك من عندي	Sellem âla khouk min ândi
		Salute on your-brother from my-place
Good, I’ll not forget it.	مليح ننسي شي	Mlihh ma nensa chi
		Good, not I-forget not
We’ll see each other again in good health if god wants it.	نتلاقوا ان شأ الله بخير	Netlaqaou in cha allah bkhir
		We-will-meet if god wants with-good
May god help you	الله يعونك	Allah iâounek
		God will-help you
Be well	ابق على خير	Abqa âla khir
		Stay on good
Go in peace	امشي بالسلامة	Emchi bes-salama
		Walk with-the-peace
May god preserve your health	الله يشدّ لك صحتك	Allah ichedd lek ssahhtek
		God hold to-you your-health
May god preserve you	الله يحفظك	Allah ihhafdhek
		God conserves-you
Prosper	تربح	Terbahh
		You-win
May god make you meet prosparity	ربي يلاقيك بخير	Rabbi ilaqik bkhir
		My-lord make-you-meet with-good
May god accompany you	الله يكون معك	Allah ikoun maâk
		God will-be with-you
May god give you all kinds of good	الله يعطيك كلّ خير	Allah iâthik koull khir
		God gives-you all good
May god forgive you	الله يسمح لكم	Allah iesmahh lek
		God forgives to-you
I pray god that he’ll accomplish your desires.	نطلب من الله يعطيك كلّ ما تشتهي	Nothlob men allah iâthik koull ma techtechi
		I-ask from god he-gives all what you-desire
May god preserve you from all bad things	ربّي ما يورّي لكم باس	Rabbi ma iouarri lek bas
		My-lord not make-see to-you bad
Good evening, good night.	مسا الخير	Msa el-khir
		Evening the-good
Hello	اهلا و سهلا	Ahlan ou sahlan
		In-the-way-of-family and facility
The prosparity has paid us a visit (when recieving visitors)	زارتنا البركة	Zaratna el-baraka
		Has-visited-us the-prosperity
Take a chair	خذ كرسي	Khoud kursi
		Take chair
Sit down a little	اقعد شويّة	Oqôd chouiia
		Sit a-little
Impossible	محال	Mouhhal
		Impossible
What’s wrong? Are you in a hurry?	اش بك راك مغاول	Ach bik rak mghaouel
		What with-you you-are in-a-hurry
Yes, I have to go to the judge to transfer a deed	نعم لازم نمشي في دار القاضي نجوز واحد العقد	Naâm lazem nemchi fi dar el-qadhi ndjououez wahhed elâqad
		Yes, must I-go to house the-judge I-transfer a deed
I will return as soon as I have finished	نرجع من هنا شويّة كيف نخلص	Nerdja men hna chouiia kif nkhalless
		I-return from here little like I-finish
Don’t forget, because I have some things to tell you	ما تنسى شي عندي واحد الحاجة نحبّ نقولها لك	Ma tensa chi ândi wahhed el-hhadja nhhabb nquoulha lek
		Don’t forget not I-have one thing I-want tell-it to-you
In two hours, I’ll be back,	نجي في ساعتين من زمان	Ndji fi saâtin men ez-zman
		I-come in two-hours from time
Promise me	تعمل لي مزيّة	tâmel li maziia
		you-make to-me favour
No reason for thanking me	ما كان حاجة	Ma kan hhadja
		Not is thing
I will prepare the coffee and a pipe	ماشي نطيّب قهيوة و نوجّد سبيسي دخّان	Machi nthaïieb qehioua ou nonedjdjed sbissi doukhkhan
		I-walk i-cook little-coffee and I-prepare little-pipe tobacco
May god grow your good deeds (thank you)	الله يكثر خيرك	Allah ikettar khirek
		God increase your-good
Don’t make such efforts	ما تشقا شي	Ma techeqa chi
		Don’t you-make-efforts not
It’s regretful that you’re leaving	انت مشيت و قلبك خلّيت	Nta mchit ou qalbek khallit
		You walk and your-heart you-leave-behind
In leaving, I take your heart with me	انا مشيت و قلبك ادّيت	Ana mchit ou qalbek eddit
		I I-go and your-heart I-bring
May your day be happy, and may the prayers be on the beloved prophet.	نهارك مبروك يومك سعيد الصلاة على النبي الحبيب	Nharek mebrouk ioumek sâid ess-ssalat âla en-nabi el-hhabib
		Your-day blessed your-day happy the-prayer on the-prophet the-beloved
May your morning be prosperous and may the sultan kiss you, may he put a rose on your head, and may a hundred female camels stay in your park	صباحك رباحك و السلطان باسك و يرشق لك وريدة في راسك و مية ناقة و ناقة تسرح في مراحك	Ssbahhek rbahhek ou es-solthan bassek ou ierchaq lek ourida li rassek ou miet naga ou naga tsrahh fi mrahhek
		Your-morning your-gain and the-sultan kiss-you and place to-you rose to your-head and hundred female-camels and female-camel free in your-park (place where camels are kept)

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