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Il-ħanut fil-kantuniera
The shop on the corner
Module 6 · Around townGet to know the neighbours and practise what you've learned in a new story.
The storyA Saturday at the little shop on the corner by number 7: Karim, who came to Malta from far away many years ago, his wife Carmen, and an old friend who comes every evening at six.
New words in the story
- mara a woman, a wife (il-mara ta' Karim, Karim's wife)
- student a student
- Ġordan Jordan (mill-Ġordan, from Jordan)
Tap a word to see what it means.
Saturday, six in the morning. The street is still dark. On the corner by number 7, a light goes on in a small shop.
Is-Sibt, fis-sitta ta' filgħodu. Fil-kantuniera, ħdejn in-numru sebgħa, hemm ħanut żgħir.
Saturday, six in the morning. On the corner, by number 7, there's a small shop.
Dan il-ħanut ta' Karim. Il-ħanut għandu tletin sena.
This is Karim's shop. The shop is thirty years old.
KarimBonġu! Jien Karim. Is-Sibt inqum fil-ħamsa.
Good morning! I'm Karim. On Saturdays I get up at five.
KarimFis-sebgħa mmur is-suq bil-karozza. Hemm nixtri tuffieħ, tadam u patata.
At seven I drive to the market. There I buy apples, tomatoes and potatoes.
- Carmen
U jien hawn, fil-ħanut. Aħna t-tnejn naħdmu hawn.
And I'm here, in the shop. We both work here.
Din Carmen, il-mara ta' Karim. Hi minn Ħal Ġebel.
This is Carmen, Karim's wife. She's from Ħal Ġebel.
Imma Karim mhux minn hawn. Hu mill-Ġordan.
But Karim isn't from here. He's from Jordan.
- Karim
Fit-tmienja niġi lura mis-suq. Carmen, hawn huma għaxar kili tuffieħ!
At eight I come back from the market. Carmen, here are ten kilos of apples!
At ten, the shop bell rings. You come in with a shopping list.
Bonġu, Sur Karim! Flixkun ħalib, jekk jogħġbok.
Good morning, Mr Karim! A bottle of milk, please.
Bonġu, Sur Karim! Flixkun ħalib, jekk jogħġbok.
Good morning, Mr Karim! A bottle of milk, please.
KarimBonġu! Hawn hu. Xi ħaġa oħra?
Good morning! Here you are. Anything else?
Iva, nofs kilo ġobon. Sur Karim, int minn hawn?
Yes, half a kilo of cheese. Mr Karim, are you from here?
Iva, nofs kilo ġobon. Sur Karim, int minn hawn?
Yes, half a kilo of cheese. Mr Karim, are you from here?
- Karim
Le, jien mhux minn hawn. Jien mill-Ġordan. Imma issa Malta d-dar tiegħi.
No, I'm not from here. I'm from Jordan. But Malta is my home now.
U għaliex toqgħod hawn?
And why do you live here?
U għaliex toqgħod hawn?
And why do you live here?
- Karim
Meta kont żagħżugħ, kont student fil-Belt. Carmen kienet hemm ukoll.
When I was young, I was a student in Valletta. Carmen was there too.
- Karim
Hi minn hawn. Issa hi l-mara tiegħi, u dan ir-raħal ir-raħal tiegħi.
She's from here. Now she's my wife, and this village is my village.
- Carmen
U l-ħanut tagħna? Tletin sena!
And our shop? Thirty years!
U għandkom tfal?
And do you have children?
U għandkom tfal?
And do you have children?
- Karim
Iva, iben u bint. Issa huma kbar.
Yes, a son and a daughter. They're grown up now.
- Carmen
Binti toqgħod f'Għawdex, u ibni hawn, ħdejn l-istazzjon.
My daughter lives in Gozo, and my son here, near the station.
- Karim
Il-Ħadd binti tiġi bil-vapur u bil-karozza tal-linja, u ibni jiġi bil-mixi.
On Sundays my daughter comes by ferry and by bus, and my son on foot.
- Carmen
U nieklu kollha hawn, fil-kċina tagħna, wara l-ħanut.
And we all eat here, in our kitchen behind the shop.
Sur Karim, fejn hi l-posta? Għandi bżonn il-posta.
Mr Karim, where's the post office? I need the post office.
Sur Karim, fejn hi l-posta? Għandi bżonn il-posta.
Mr Karim, where's the post office? I need the post office.
- Karim
Il-posta? Dur fuq il-lemin, imbagħad it-tieni triq fuq ix-xellug. Il-posta bejn il-bank u l-ispiżerija.
The post office? Turn right, then the second street on the left. The post office is between the bank and the pharmacy.
Grazzi! U taf lil Ċikku?
Thank you! And do you know Ċikku?
Grazzi! U taf lil Ċikku?
Thank you! And do you know Ċikku?
- Karim
Lil Ċikku? Mela! Kulħadd jaf lil Ċikku.
Ċikku? Of course! Everybody knows Ċikku.
- Karim
Kemm għandu żmien? Ħadd ma jaf. Lanqas jien.
How old is he? Nobody knows. Not even me.
Evening. The street lamps come on. A big grey tomcat sits in front of the shop door, as he does every day.
Kull filgħaxija fis-sitta, Ċikku joqgħod quddiem il-ħanut, ħdejn il-bieb.
Every evening at six, Ċikku sits in front of the shop, by the door.
Filgħodu joqgħod fit-tieqa ta' Lina, is-Sibt fis-suq, u filgħaxija hawn.
In the morning he sits in Lina's window, on Saturdays at the market, and in the evening here.
- Karim
Bonswa, Ċikku! Hawn int mill-ġdid? Int bil-ġuħ?
Good evening, Ċikku! Here again? Are you hungry?
KarimĦu: ftit ħut. Imma ftit biss!
Here you are: a bit of fish. But only a bit!
- Carmen
Karim! Kull filgħaxija: ftit biss...
Karim! Every evening it's 'only a bit'...
- Karim
Ċikku ħabib tiegħi. Aħna ħbieb ta' ħafna snin.
Ċikku is my friend. We've been friends for many years.
Ella comes in on her way home from her grandmother's.
EllaBonswa, Sur Karim! Irrakkonta, jekk jogħġbok: kif taf lil Ċikku?
Good evening, Mr Karim! Tell me, please: how do you know Ċikku?
KarimKienet filgħaxija, bħal illum.
It was an evening, like today.
- Karim
Ħdejn il-bieb kien hemm qattus. Kbir, griż, u bil-ġuħ ħafna.
By the door there was a cat. Big, grey and very hungry.
- Carmen
Bħal illum! Hu bil-ġuħ kull filgħaxija.
Just like today! He's hungry every evening.
- Ella
Ċikku l-qattus tiegħek?
Is Ċikku your cat?
- Karim
Le, mhux tiegħi. Ċikku joqgħod fin-numru sebgħa. Imma ċ-ċena hawn!
No, not mine. Ċikku lives at number 7. But dinner is here!
- Ella
U fis-suq, u fil-kafetterija! Ċikku għandu tliet ċeni!
And at the market, and in the café! Ċikku has three dinners!
- Carmen
Għalhekk hu daqshekk kbir.
That's why he's so big.
Ċikku finishes his fish, washes his face and walks off towards number 7, tail high. Ella picks up her school bag too.
- Karim
Il-lejl it-tajjeb, Ċikku! Mur id-dar, għan-numru sebgħa.
Good night, Ċikku! Go home, to number 7.
- Carmen
Saħħa, Ella! Imxi dritt, imbagħad it-tieni triq fuq ix-xellug!
Goodbye, Ella! Go straight on, then the second street on the left!
Fil-ħanut m'hemm ħadd. Karim u Carmen bilqiegħda ħdejn il-mejda, u jixorbu t-te.
There's nobody in the shop. Karim and Carmen sit at the table and drink tea.
- Karim
Għada l-Ħadd. Għada jiġu t-tfal.
Tomorrow is Sunday. Tomorrow the children come.
- Carmen
U Ċikku wkoll, mela.
And Ċikku too, of course.
Practice 1/4 · Who says it
Who says it?
U jien hawn, fil-ħanut. Aħna t-tnejn naħdmu hawn.
U jien hawn, fil-ħanut. Aħna t-tnejn naħdmu hawn.
Iva, nofs kilo ġobon. Sur Karim, int minn hawn?
Iva, nofs kilo ġobon. Sur Karim, int minn hawn?
Bonswa, Sur Karim! Irrakkonta, jekk jogħġbok: kif taf lil Ċikku?
Practice 2/4 · True or false
True or false?
Karim mill-Ġordan.
Karim is from Jordan.
Carmen mhix minn Ħal Ġebel.
Carmen isn't from Ħal Ġebel.
Il-Ħadd, il-bint ta' Karim tiġi bil-vapur.
On Sundays Karim's daughter comes by ferry.
Ċikku l-qattus ta' Karim.
Ċikku is Karim's cat.
Is-Sibt Karim imur is-suq bil-karozza tal-linja.
On Saturdays Karim goes to the market by bus.
Practice 3/4 · What happens
What happens first?
Put what happens in order.
Practice 4/4 · Questions
Questions
Answer the questions.
Kif imur Karim is-suq?
How does Karim get to the market?
Fejn toqgħod il-bint ta' Karim?
Where does Karim's daughter live?
X'jagħti Karim lil Ċikku?
What does Karim give Ċikku?
Unit complete
