In this lesson we will go over how to make simple requests. These are phrases that come up often in speech and are one of the mainstays of everyday conversation.
(You will have to excuse me if the audio portion of this lesson is a bit scratchy. I’ve just got my voice back from a nasty head cold.)
Asking Informally
The first word that we should learn is the word for “please” which is:
[audio http://aramaicnt.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/I-Would-Like-01.mp3]
“Please”
It literally means “in request” and it comes from the verb (“to ask” “to inquire”) which we learned in a previous lesson. The simplest way to ask for something is to name it, and follow it with . For example:
[audio http://aramaicnt.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/I-Would-Like-02.mp3]
“Water, please.”
“An apple, please.”
“Bread, please.”
Asking Directly
A more direct way to request something, or to express a need or want is to use the verb directly. One must use the appropriate gender. For example:
If the speaker is male they use :
[audio http://aramaicnt.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/I-Would-Like-03.mp3]
“I want some water.”
“I want an apple.”
“I want some bread.”
If the speaker is female they use :
[audio http://aramaicnt.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/I-Would-Like-04.mp3]
“I want some water.”
“I want an apple.”
“I want some bread.”
As you probably guessed the word is the word for “I.”
To be a bit more polite, one can also follow it up with .
In the next lesson we will learn how to ask someone else what they want, and with it the basics of asking questions.