Vocabulary Cards — Session 31: At the Souk

Print this page. Cut along the dotted lines. Each card is index-card sized. Carry them in your pocket. Look at one card during car rides, snack time, before bed.

Card 1

Say it: as-SOOK Means: The market / souk

🎨 Picture: A narrow stone street lined with stalls — piles of olives, bright lemons, hanging lanterns, a striped awning overhead.

Use it when: You go shopping with mama or baba. You pass a farmer's market. You see a picture of an old city like Tripoli, Damascus, or Nablus.

Card 2

Say it: KAM? Means: How much? / How many?

🎨 Picture: A child holding up a tomato in one hand, the other hand open in a "how much?" gesture.

Use it when: You count something. You ask how many cousins are coming. You point at the cookies on the counter and want to know how many are left.

Card 3

Say it: bi-KAM? Means: How much does it cost?

🎨 Picture: A child at a fruit stand pointing to a basket of strawberries, asking the seller.

Use it when: You're at the souk. You see something you want to buy. You pick up a snack at the corner store (the dukkan) and want to know the price.

Card 4

Say it: GHAA-lee Means: Expensive

🎨 Picture: A child making big surprised eyes at a price tag, mouth open in an "oh!"

Use it when: Something costs a lot. Mama looks at a price and shakes her head. You see a fancy toy in a shop window.

Fun note: غالي also means "dear" or "precious" — a teta might call her grandchild ya ghali, "my precious one."

Card 5

Say it: ra-KHEES Means: Cheap / a good price

🎨 Picture: A vendor smiling, handing over a bag of bread for a small coin.

Use it when: Something is a great deal. Baba finds tomatoes for a good price. You're proud you bought a small toy with your own money.

Card 6

Say it: QIRSH Means: Piastre (a small coin)

🎨 Picture: A small silver coin in a child's palm, next to a folded bill.

Use it when: You talk about money. You hear teta say "ma 'indi qirsh!" ("I don't have a penny!") — it's a fun expression. You count coins in a piggy bank.

This word starts with our letter of the day: ق (qaf). Feel it deep in your throat — QIRSH.

Card 7

Say it: qin-TAAR Means: A big amount (originally a heavy weight)

🎨 Picture: A big burlap sack of rice or potatoes on a scale at the market.

Use it when: Something is a LOT. Teta cooked a qintar of rice for the whole family. You carried a qintar of books home from school.

Another ق word! In old Levantine markets, a qintar was a unit of weight. Today people say it to mean "a huge amount."

A bonus card — for the family

Card 8 (bonus)

Say it: ta-FAD-dal Means: Here you go / Please, go ahead

🎨 Picture: A souk vendor handing a paper cone of roasted nuts to a child with a warm smile.

Use it when: You hand something to someone. A shopkeeper gives you your change. You hold the door for your sister. You offer a guest a seat.

This little word is everywhere in Levantine life. Vendors say it, mamas say it, taxi drivers say it. Learn it — you'll hear it a thousand times.

How to use these cards

1. Play "souk" at home. Set up a fake stall with fruit, snacks, or toys. Take turns being the vendor and the customer. Use bi-kam? and ghali and rakhis every round.
2. Coin practice. Next time you're paying for something, let your kid hold the money and say qirsh (even if it's a quarter or a dirham — close enough).
3. 30 seconds a day. One card, one moment. Say it out loud.
4. The ق sound takes practice. It's deeper than a K. Don't worry about perfection — even native speakers' kids take time.

On the letter ق (qaf)

Today's letter is ق. It makes a sound from the back of the throat — deeper than the English K. You'll hear it in qirsh and qintar.

In spoken Levantine, ق often softens to a little "uh" sound (a glottal stop) — so qahwa (coffee) sounds like 'ahwe. Both are correct. Both are ours.

When you read Arabic books, ق is loud and proud. When you talk with sito on the phone, it might disappear. That's the magic of a living language.

Yalla Arabic · Vocabulary Cards · Session 31