Learn about renting a cell phone
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| INTRODUCTION |
| ArabicPod101.com presents Arabic Survival Phrases. This course is designed to equip you with the language skills and knowledge to enable you to get the most out of your visit to Arabic speaking countries, with particular focus on Morocco. So join us for Arabic Survival phrases. You will be surprised at how far a little Arabic will go. |
| Now before we jump in, remember to stop by ArabicPod101.com, there you’ll find an accompanying PDF, additional learning tools in the premium learning center, and other great Arabic language learning materials. In addition, you’ll find more information in the post. And if you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| In today’s lesson, we're going to cover renting a cell phone, an indispensable tool for the modern day traveler! In Morocco, you can rent a phone at many locations, including the airport. So it may be most convenient to just pick one up there. Although there are many teleboutiques or phone shops in Morocco, it is still better to rent a phone especially if you're on a business trip. Using a local phone is still a lot cheaper than the cost of roaming services. |
| You need to purchase a prepaid card that slips into a GSM phone. This card is what allows you to make and receive calls in Morocco. Usually, the card is linked to a prepaid account so that you'll never receive a phone bill, and you can add more talk time to your account by purchasing a scratch-off recharge card. Usually, you need your passport and a small deposit for a phone rental. |
| In Arabic, "I would like to rent a cell phone" is biġīt nikrī hātif mutanqil" (بغيت نكري هاتف متنقل). |
| biġīt nikrī hātif mutanqil |
| Let’s break it down by syllable: biġīt nikrī hātif mutanqil |
| biġīt nikrī hātif mutanqil |
| The first word, biġīt (بغيت), means "I'd like to" |
| biġīt |
| And, biġīt |
| This is followed by nikrī (نكري), which is a conjugated form of "to rent" |
| nikrī |
| nikrī |
| So to recap here, we have: biġīt nikrī, and literally, this means “I’d like to rent.” |
| Let’s take a look at the next: hātif (هاتف), which means "phone" |
| hātif |
| hātif |
| This is followed by mutanqil (متنقل), which means “portable” |
| mutanqil |
| mutanqil |
| So altogether, we have: biġīt nikrī hātif mutanqil |
| And literally, this means "I'd like to rent a portable phone." |
| Now, two important questions related to your plan are "Are incoming calls free?" and "How much are calls to the U.S.?" |
| "Are incoming calls free?" is waāš al-mukal-māt al-qādimah maǧānah?(واش المكالمات القادمة مجانة؟) |
| waāš al-mukal-māt al-qādimah maǧānah? |
| Let’s break it down: waāš al-mukal-māt al-qādimah maǧānah? |
| waāš al-mukal-māt al-qādimah maǧānah? |
| The first word, waāš (واش), means “are” or “do” in a question. |
| waāš |
| waāš |
| And this is followed by al-mukal-māt (المكالمات), which means "phone calls." |
| al-mukal-māt |
| al-mukal-māt |
| Next is al-qādimah (القادمة), which is "incoming" |
| al-qādimah |
| al-qādimah |
| The last word, maǧānah (مجانة), "free." |
| maǧānah |
| maǧānah |
| Altogether, we have: waāš al-mukal-māt al-qādimah maǧānah? |
| And this means "Are incoming calls free?" |
| Next is the phrase "How much are calls to the U.S.?" |
| "How much are calls to the U.S.?" in Arabic is bišḥal- al-mukal-amah liʾamrīkā? (بشحال المكالمة لأمريكا؟) |
| bišḥal- al-mukal-amah liʾamrīkā? |
| Let’s break it down by syllable: bišḥal- al-mukal-amah liʾamrīkā? |
| bišḥal- al-mukal-amah liʾamrīkā? |
| The first word, bišḥal (بشحال), means "how much" |
| Let's break down this word and hear it one more time: bišḥal |
| bišḥal |
| This is followed by al-mukal-amah (المكالمة), which is "phone call", as we said before. |
| al-mukal-amah |
| al-mukal-amah |
| This is followed by li (ل), which means "to" |
| li |
| The last word is: ʾamrīkā, which means “the U.S." |
| ʾamrīkā |
| ʾamrīkā |
| So altogether, we have: bišḥal- al-mukal-amah liʾamrīkā? |
| And this means "How much are calls to the U.S.?" |
| Now, to ask about another country or destination, simply substitute the word for the U.S. |
| In the case of “England,” the phrase would be: Britanya (بريطانيا) |
| Britanya (بريطانيا) |
| Britanya (بريطانيا) is “England” in Arabic. |
| Britanya (بريطانيا) |
| So the question becomes: bišḥal- al-mukal-amah l britanya? |
| bišḥal- al-mukal-amah l britanya? |
| Cultural Insights |
| Now remember, you can ask this question at your hotel as well, if you want to make a call from your room. Another option is to buy a phone handset in Morocco for about $50 and dispose of it at the end of your trip, this may be a cheaper option than renting a phone. |
| There are two cell phone companies in Morocco now with 1/3 about to launch its services in a few years. These companies are Meditel and Maroc Telecom. |
| One more time. The first company is Meditel, and the second one is Maroc Telecom. |
| You can buy a handset at any of the stores of these two companies and then buy a prepaid card as needed. Prepaid cards cost as low as $2 but you won't be able to talk too much, you can still receive calls though even after your credit expires. This may also be a more convenient option since it doesn't require any documents or deposit like renting a phone. |
Outro |
| Okay, to close out today's lesson, we'd like for you to practice what you've just learned. I'll provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you're responsible for saying it aloud. You'll have a few seconds before I give you the answer, so حظ سعيد, that means "good luck" in Arabic. |
| Ok, here we go! |
| "I’d like to rent a cell phone." - biġīt nikrī hātif mutanqil |
| biġīt nikrī hātif mutanqil |
| biġīt nikrī hātif mutanqil |
| "Are incoming calls free?" - waāš al-mukal-māt al-qādimah maǧānah? |
| waāš al-mukal-māt al-qādimah maǧānah? |
| waāš al-mukal-māt al-qādimah maǧānah? |
| "How much are calls to the U.S.?" - bišḥal- al-mukal-amah liʾamrīkā? |
| bišḥal- al-mukal-amah liʾamrīkā? |
| bišḥal- al-mukal-amah liʾamrīkā? |
| All right. This is going to do it for this lesson of Arabic Survival Phrases. Remember to stop by ArabicPod101.com. There you’ll find an accompanying PDF, additional learning tools in the premium learning center, and other great Arabic language learning materials. See you soon, which in Arabic is - ilā al-liqāʾ. |
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