Lesson 88 · C1
Complaining to the qadi
Nine centuries ago, al-Hariri had a woman complain about her husband before the qadi of Alexandria. She opens with a blessing, sets out the facts in order and ends by asking for justice. The recipe for a good complaint hasn't changed; how you say no has.
- Build a complaint in three steps.
- Soften a reproach.
- Say no without closing the door.
- Read a classical maqama in rhymed prose.
Twenty-four words
Formulas for complaining and refusing, plus the vocabulary of the trial and the text: the qadi, the claim, the trade with no customers.
Complaining
-
اللَّهْ يْحْفْظْكْ آ سِيدِي
llah y7fdek a sidi
God keep you, sir
Opening formula.
- كَنْطْلْبْ مْنْكُمْ kantleb menkum I request that you
- مَا بْغِيتْشْ نْقُولْ… ma-bghitsh nqul… I don't want to say…, but
- رْدّْ الْبَالْ redd l-bal to pay attention; be careful
- تْشَكَّى tshekka to complain
Refusing
- مَا يْمْكْنْشْ ma-yemkensh it's not possible
-
بْحَالْ دَابَا
b7al daba
for now
Leaves the door open.
- مَا كَانْتْشْ فْيْدِّي ma-kanetsh f yeddi it wasn't in my hands
- خَلِّيهَا لْمَرَّة أُخْرَى khelliha l merra ukhra another time
- مَا عَنْدِي مَا نْدِيرْ ma-3ndi ma ndir there's nothing I can do
- الْحَالَة صْعِيبَة l-7ala s3iba things are hard
The trial
- الْقَاضِي l-qadi qadi; judge
- الدَّعْوَى d-da3wa claim; lawsuit
- الْحُجَّة l-7ujja argument; proof
- حْكَمْ بِينَاتْهُمْ 7kem binathum to judge between them
- الْحْبْسْ l-7abs prison
The couple
- الرّْجْلْ (الزُّوجْ) r-rajel (z-zuj) husband
- الْمْرَا l-mra woman; wife
- الصّْنْعَة s-sen3a trade; craft
- الْكْسَادْ l-ksad slack business; slump
- الْفْقْرْ l-fqer poverty
The genre
-
الْمَقَامَة
l-maqama
maqama
Short tale in rhymed prose.
- السّْجَعْ s-saj3 rhymed prose
- الْمْحْتَالْ l-m7tal trickster; con man
Complaining and saying no
The maqama's complaint, retold in Darija. Find the opening, the facts, the husband's excuse and the final request.
- اللَّهْ يْحْفْظْكْ آ السِّي الْقَاضِي، هَادْ الرَّاجْلْ مَا كَيْخْدَمْشْllah y7fdek a s-si l-qadi, had r-rajel ma-kaykhdemsh
- قُلْتْ لِيهْ: نُوضْ خْدَمْ بْصَنْعْتْكْqult lih: nud khdem b sen3tek
- قَالْ لِيَّا: الصّْنْعَة مَا بْقَاتْشْ كَتْجِيبْ، مَا عَنْدِي مَا نْدِيرْqal liyya: s-sen3a ma-bqatsh katjib, ma-3ndi ma ndir
- جِبْتُو لِيكْ بَاشْ تْحْكَمْ بِينَاتْنَاjibtu lik bash t7kem binatna
What formula opens the complaint? How does the husband excuse himself? What does she ask for at the end?
The rule
A complaint in three steps: formula (llah y7fdek a sidi), facts in order, concrete request (kantleb menkum…).
Softening blame: ma-bghitsh nqul blli…, walakin…; yemken ma-redditish l-bal, “maybe you didn't notice”.
Refusing: never a bare la. Apology + reason + open door: sme7 liyya, b7al daba ma-nqdersh; khelliha l merra ukhra.
Excusing yourself: ma-kanetsh f yeddi, l-7ala s3iba, ma-3ndi ma ndir.
Formulas
| Form | Say it | Means |
|---|---|---|
| اللَّهْ يْحْفْظْكْ آ سِيدِي، عَنْدِي مُشْكِيلْ | llah y7fdek a sidi, 3ndi mushkil | God keep you, sir, I have a problem |
| مَا بْغِيتْشْ نْقُولْ بْلِّي نْتَا غْلْطْتِي، وَلَكِنْ… | ma-bghitsh nqul blli nta ghlteti, walakin… | I don't want to say you got it wrong, but… |
| يْمْكْنْ مَا رْدِّيتِيشْ الْبَالْ | yemken ma-redditish l-bal | maybe you didn't notice |
| كَنْطْلْبْ مْنْكُمْ تْرَجّْعُو لِيَّا الْفْلُوسْ | kantleb menkum trejj3u liyya l-flus | I request that you refund my money |
| سْمْحْ لِيَّا، بْحَالْ دَابَا مَا نْقْدْرْشْ | sme7 liyya, b7al daba ma-nqdersh | sorry, I can't for now |
| وَاللَّهْ مَا كَانْتْشْ فْيْدِّي | wallah ma-kanetsh f yeddi | honestly, it wasn't in my hands |
| خَلِّيهَا لْمَرَّة أُخْرَى، إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهْ | khelliha l merra ukhra, inshallah | another time, God willing |
| الْحَالَة صْعِيبَة، مَا عَنْدِي مَا نْدِيرْ | l-7ala s3iba, ma-3ndi ma ndir | things are hard, there's nothing I can do |
Rows 5 and 7: the “no” is wrapped and leaves a way out.
What English gives you, and what it costs
Free: “I'm afraid I can't right now”, “I don't want to point fingers, but…”: English already wraps refusals and blame.
Free: “maybe another time” = khelliha l merra ukhra.
Costly: the opening blessing. English complaint letters start with “Dear Sir”; Darija ones with a wish for the listener.
Your mistake, not someone else's
Under pressure, you answer with a bare la. Clear, but in Darija it slams the door.
×— تْعَاوْنِّي؟ — لَا.“Can you help me? — No.”
✓— تْعَاوْنِّي؟ — سْمْحْ لِيَّا، بْحَالْ دَابَا مَا نْقْدْرْشْ“Can you help me? — Sorry, I can't right now.”
If you really don't want to, b7al daba still works: nobody will ask again.
The Alexandrian maqama
A real extract from al-Hariri's Maqamat (12th century), in rhymed prose: each pair of phrases rhymes. A woman drags her husband before the qadi. The husband is Abu Zayd, the trickster of every maqama, and he'll walk out with money.
فَقَالَتْ: أَيَّدَ اللهُ الْقَاضِيَ. وَأَدَامَ بِهِ التَّرَاضِي. […]
فَلَمَّا أَنْسَانِي طَعْمَ الرَّاحَةِ. وَغَادَرَ بَيْتِي أَنْقَى مِنَ الرَّاحَةِ. قُلْتُ لَهُ: يَا هٰذَا إِنَّهُ لَا مَخْبَأَ بَعْدَ بُوسٍ. وَلَا عِطْرَ بَعْدَ عَرُوسٍ. فَانْهَضْ لِلِاكْتِسَابِ بِصِنَاعَتِكَ. وَاجْنِنِي ثَمَرَةَ بَرَاعَتِكَ.
فَزَعَمَ أَنَّ صِنَاعَتَهُ قَدْ رُمِيَتْ بِالْكَسَادِ. لِمَا ظَهَرَ فِي الْأَرْضِ مِنَ الْفَسَادِ.
[…] وَقَدْ قُدْتُهُ إِلَيْكَ. وَأَحْضَرْتُهُ لَدَيْكَ. لِتَعْجُمَ عُودَ دَعْوَاهُ. وَتَحْكُمَ بَيْنَنَا بِمَا أَرَاكَ اللهُ.
فَأَقْبَلَ الْقَاضِي عَلَيْهِ وَقَالَ لَهُ: قَدْ وَعَيْتُ قَصَصَ عِرْسِكَ. فَبَرْهِنِ الْآنَ عَنْ نَفْسِكَ. وَإِلَّا كَشَفْتُ عَنْ لَبْسِكَ. وَأَمَرْتُ بِحَبْسِكَ.
al-Ḥarīrī, Maqāmāt (s. XII), «al-Maqāma al-Iskandariyya». Texto de ar.wikisource.org con cortes marcados […]; vocalización completada por Learning Darija · dominio público
Did you follow?
How does the woman address the qadi?
Show answers
With a blessing: “May God strengthen the qadi”.
What had she asked her husband?
Show answers
To go and earn a living from his trade.
What was his excuse?
Show answers
His trade had no market because of the corruption in the world.
What does the qadi tell the husband?
Show answers
Prove himself, or he'll be sent to prison.
Check
Two here, three more in the C1 book.
Exercises 1 and 2 are here, with answers. Exercises 3 to 5 are in the C1 book, the PDF this site lives on: you can see the first item of each below.
1Sort
Bare “no” or wrapped “no”?
لَا.سْمْحْ لِيَّا، بْحَالْ دَابَا مَا نْقْدْرْشْمَا نْقْدْرْشْ.خَلِّيهَا لْمَرَّة أُخْرَىسِيرْ فْحَالْكْ.وَاللَّهْ مَا كَانْتْشْ فْيْدِّيمَا بْغِيتْشْ.اللَّهْ يْسَهّْلْ
Bare
Wrapped
2Soften it
Rewrite following the clue in brackets.
- لَا. (رْفْضْ مْؤَدّْبْ)
- نْتَا غْلْطْتِي. (خْفّْفْ)
- رَجّْعْ لِيَّا الْفْلُوسْ. (طْلَبْ رَسْمِي)
- مَا جِيتْشْ. (عْذْرْ)
3True or false?
According to the maqama.
- The woman opens her complaint with a blessing.
4Put in order
Three formulas.
داباسمحما نقدرشليابحال
5Your complaint
Write an eight-line dialogue complaining to someone in authority: formula, facts, request.
اللَّهْ يْحْفْظْكْمَا بْغِيتْشْ نْقُولْكَنْطْلْبْ مْنْكُمْسْمْحْ لِيَّامَا كَانْتْشْ فْيْدِّي
The rest is in the C1 book
The C1 bookShow answers
| 1. Sort | Bare: لَا. · مَا نْقْدْرْشْ. · سِيرْ فْحَالْكْ. · مَا بْغِيتْشْ. / Wrapped: سْمْحْ لِيَّا، بْحَالْ دَابَا مَا نْقْدْرْشْ · خَلِّيهَا لْمَرَّة أُخْرَى · وَاللَّهْ مَا كَانْتْشْ فْيْدِّي · اللَّهْ يْسَهّْلْ |
|---|---|
| 2. Soften it | سْمْحْ لِيَّا، بْحَالْ دَابَا مَا نْقْدْرْشْ · مَا بْغِيتْشْ نْقُولْ بْلِّي نْتَا غْلْطْتِي، وَلَكِنْ… · كَنْطْلْبْ مْنْكُمْ تْرَجّْعُو لِيَّا الْفْلُوسْ · وَاللَّهْ مَا كَانْتْشْ فْيْدِّي |
The C1 book: In preparation
Write and I will tell you the day it is out. One email, no list.
I can now
- Complain with formula, facts and request.
- Soften a reproach.
- Refuse without slamming the door.
- Read a maqama in rhymed prose.