Your first words in Hassaniya
Hassaniya: The Arabic Dialect Spoken in Mauritania
Hassaniya (also spelled Hassani, Hassaniyya, or Hasanya) is the Arabic dialect spoken in Mauritania, Western Sahara, and southern Morocco. It is also known locally as klâm hassân (the language of the Banu Hassan) or klâm el-bidhân (the language of the Whites). Here are some key phrases and information about the dialect:
- Greetings and Politeness
- Salam Aleïkum (سلام عليكم) – Hello (literally: “Peace be upon you”)
- Aleïkum Salam (وعليكم السلام) – Response to “Salam Aleïkum”
- Yak la bas? Yak el kheir? – How are you? / Is everything fine?
- Ila el kheir, maashallah – All is well, thanks to God (response)
- “Assalamou Aleïkoum” – Hello, “Peace be upon you.”
- Response: “Aleïkoum we Selâm” – “And peace be upon you too.”
- “Iyyâk mâ yewja chi” – How are you?
- Response: “Mâ yewjani chi, Al Hamdou billahi” – “I’m fine, praise be to Allah!”
- Basic Phrases
- ana esmi Mohammed – My name is Mohammed
- wunta? – And you? (male)
- marhaba – Welcome / Nice to see you
- tfaddal – Please
- shukran – Thank you
- Eheh – Yes
- Ebdei – No
- Zeïna – Nice / Good
- Sgoukran – Thank you
- Bash? – How much does it cost?
- Men aynta? – Where?
- M’borou – Bread
- A ttay – Mauritanian tea
- El ma’ – Water
- Méharé – Camel riding
- Adrar – Mountain (in Berber)
- Aftût or aftout – Large depression between dunes
- Aïn – Well
- Dâr – House / Camp
- Adjectives and Their Forms
- Fatigué (Tired)
- Masculine Singular: fetrân
- Feminine Singular: fetrâna
- Masculine Plural: fetrânîn
- Feminine Plural: fetrânât
- Assoiffé (Thirsty)
- Masculine Singular: `a tshân
- Feminine Singular: `a tshâna
- Masculine Plural: `a tshânîn
- Feminine Plural: `atshânât
- Affamé (Hungry)
- Masculine Singular: ji`ân
- Feminine Singular: ji`âna
- Masculine Plural: ji`ânîn
- Feminine Plural: ji`ânât
- Content (Happy)
- Masculine Singular: far hân
- Feminine Singular: far hâna
- Masculine Plural: far hânîn
- Feminine Plural: far hânât
- Affix Pronouns
- Affix pronouns are often used in Hassaniya. Examples include:
- ktâb – Book
- ktâbî – My book
- ktâbak – Your book (m)
- ktâbik – Your book (f)
- ktâbna – Our book
- ktâbkum – Your book (pl.)
- ktâbhum – Their book
- esmî – My name
- esmak – Your name (m)
- esmik – Your name (f)
- esmu – His name
- esmha – Her name
- esmna – Our name
- esmkum – Your name (pl.)
- esmhum – Their name
Explanation
- Greetings in Hassaniya always start with “es salâm `aleikum,” said by the person arriving or entering. They are followed by a series of questions about health and end with a thank you to God.
- Greetings are often long and ritualistic, with responses not necessarily reflecting the actual situation; for example, someone who is ill might still say “la bâs el hamdulillah” (no problem, praise be to Allah).
- Instead of calling out, “Hello, is anyone there?” one would say “es salâm `aleikum” loudly, sometimes repeating it.
Articles
- The article in Hassaniya, as in Arabic, is “al” or “el”. It is pronounced differently depending on the initial letter of the noun it precedes.
- With letters like t, th, j, d, etc. (solar letters), the “l” in the article is not pronounced, and the first letter of the noun is doubled.
- With lunar letters, the article is pronounced as “el” or sometimes just “l”.
Personal Pronouns
- anâ – I
- enta – You (m)
- enti – You (f)
- huwâ – He
- hiyâ – She
- ehna – We (m) (in some regions: nahna)
- ehnâti – We (f)
- entum – You (m)
- entumâti – You (f)
- huma – They (m)
- humâti – They (f)
Vocabulary
- zayn (m), zayna (f) – Beautiful
- fi – In / At
- yassir men – A lot of
- mushkila – Problem
- shor – Towards
- el waqt – Time
- el waqata – Watch
- hawn – Here
- b`id – Far
- kbîr – Big
- dâr – House
- ktâb – Book
- esem – Name
- umm – Mother
- mâhu muhim – Not important
- muhim – Important
- kheïma – Tent
- jmel – Camel
- nar – Fire
- el ma – Water
- ateï – Tea
- kas – Glass
- barad – Teapot
- nana – Mint
- tamar – Date
- nojoum – Stars
- elkamar – Moon
- sma – Sky
- chams – Sun
- mzin – Cloud
- shab – Rain
- jebel – Mountain
- oued – River
- nkhal – Palm tree
For further information on Hassaniya, you can explore more resources or contact local experts in Mauritania.