Waiting to Return Part 1

Background to This Week’s Text

This is the first of two posts from the recently established Awbah (see definitions below) media channel, focussing on the compelling account of the young Khartoum resident, Ahmed Haidar, as he talks about his experiences of war, having to leave the capital and his hopes for the future of his country.

The intermediate level text is fast, spontaneous and highly colloquial Sudanese and is an excellent cold listening test resource. Ahmed is one of so many thousands who have had their lives turned upside down by the ongoing conflict and he offers a youthful and positive perspective on how to cope in these difficult times.

In this 4-minute opening section, Ahmed recalls the start of the war, his family’s reaction and how he came to leave the capital.

Perhaps we could translate the name of the media channel as “Returning”. The channel has uplifting interviews with young Sudanese creatives.

Possible Approaches

Ahmed speaks quickly and sometimes a little indistinctly. One approach might be to take the text as a conversational cold listening test. What basic, throwaway expressions did you miss when compared with the transcript? Remember you can always slow down playback speed after the first or second listening at natural speed.

If you would like pre-viewing orientation comprehension questions then consider the following:

How did Ahmed come to learn about the outbreak of war? Where was he and how did he react? How would you describe his material circumstances? What might you deduce about his background and family? How and why did he leave Khartoum and where did he go initially? What was the most valuable or precious thing he took with him and why was that problematic? How does he feel about going back to Khartoum?

Lexical Focus

You will hear many everyday expressions you might not know if you haven’t experienced daily life in Sudan.

How would you say “a phone call”, ring”, “skip a call”, and the sound a phone makes in Sudanese Arabic? What expressions would you use for “shout / yell”, “relax / chill out”, “sleepy”, “scroll” (a social media site), “burnt”, “bam!”, “frightened / startled”; “we were sorted / fine / comfortable”, “shoes,” “change of clothing”, “charge up” and “disconnect” (fridge, etc), “close up / switch off”, “to keep / pull oneself together / cope, get a grip of oneself,” “check up on someone/ something”, “deny”, “neighbourhood”, “a mess / confusion”, and “nosey / curious”? Which verb would you use for “empty”, describing shops?

Which expressions we have seen before in this blog will be used for “clashes”, “coups” and ” I thought that..”? How would you say “I’ve just gone to bed” in Sudanese colloquial?

Watch the Video Here

كل واحد عندو طريقة مختلفة للتخفيف على الناس وأحمد حيدر كان بحاول يزرع فينا الضحكة والابتسامة في عز ا المفتاح؟ #السودان #ذكريات #الحاضر 

Transcript

Transcript with Explanatory Notes

1 everyone has different ways of alleviating; takhfiif (the situation they find themselves and others in)

2 literally, in the magnitude of sorrows `izz-al-aHzaan; perhaps here in the depth of sorrow

3 yadaab; a slang variation of yaadoob; just, just now; da yadoob kifaaya, it’s just enough, yaadoob khiliS; he has just finished; yaadoob-na raja`na;

4 maakhad raaHti; rest / relax; literally to take my rest

5 tirin tirin; note the sound a phone makes in Arabic

6 al-mukaalama; the call

7 `aayiinta; literally, I eyed

8 na`saan; sleepy

9 jalayt; to skip

10 maa fii `aadah inu; he isn’t accustomed to / he doesn’t usually

11 yukoorik; shout / yell

12 zaT; and just like that / bam!, he hung up

13 bigiit makhluu`; I became alarmed / frightened / startled

14 maHruug; burnt

15 ishtibaak; clash

16 bigiit ugallib; I started scrolling

17 al-ishtibaak; see 15)

18 burDuu kunta gaa’il; and I also thought that …. see Two Songs

19 al-ingaalabaat; coups

20 biga tafDaa; emptied

21 tashtakii; complain / grumble

22 raagidiin raa’s; relaxed, to be updated

23 wa umuuranaa ZaabTa; we were comfortable / we were sorted; from ZabaT / ZabbiT; to put sth right, fix taZbiiT

24 makaroonaat; macaroni

25 muaajiriin; renting / hiring

26 Halafatnii `adiil; she made me swear / promise Hallafa; put someone under oath; Hilf; oath, also pact

27 aghlaa Haaja; the most expensive

28 jizmii; shoes, plural of jazma; jazmaji; shoemaker, cobbler

29 shilta kam ghiyaar; (a few) changes of clothes

30 TafTif; to switch off / close

31 waSiiyaat al-amahaat al-kahribaa’; to be updated

32 afSul; disconnect; from faSala

33 tashan; from shaHana I / ashHana IV, for phone, fridge etc

34 ahaanida; Sudanese colloquial; and here it is (masc)

35 ankur; deny

36 proper noun, (name)

37 intigaadaat; criticisms

38 khaafiihu; hiding

39 ad-da`aama; support, but here Ahmed is referring to the RSF, Rapid Support Force, who clearly entered and took over their home theeby making the issue of the key irrelevant

40 al-khaalaanii itmaassak; what kept me together / what let me keep myself together

41 bintawannas; to chat, spend time chatting

42 see 40)

43 bintaTamun `ala; check up on / be reassured about sth

44 itkhala`ta; I was startled by;

itkhala`ta khu la; I jumped out of my skin

45 kunta bishtaki min; I complained about / moaned about

46 ightarab; go abroad as an emigrant / emigrate

47 iktashafta; discovered

48 `alanuu; announced

49 naDiifa; literally; clean, but here clear / safe

50 jaayTa; mess / chaos; from jaaT; (u, jooTA), to muddle, mess up, make a din / fuss

51 see 43)

52 al-Hilla, plural Hilal; the neighbourhood, also village

53 muriinaa; the media doesn’t show us, from warra, i, to show

54 shamshaar; nosey / curious, also gossip / spread rumours in other contexts