متل العالم  والناس

TRANSLItERATION:

mtl l 3alam w l nes

MEANING:

Literally: like the world and its people

This post by Team Maha explains the expression well. Like what Team Maha said, the literal translation of العالم as ‘world’ is misleading because the word actually refers to human beings.

But not just “human beings” per se but decent, respectable and ordinary people.

In short,  the expression refers to “everyone else” or “like the rest of the world”.

The expression is commonly used in situations where basic life necessities are being deprived, for being outside the norm or simply for not being like “everyone else”.

As such, the expression is often used in a negative or not-so-positive situation.

Here are some examples as to how you can use the expression:

لازم اتعلم انجليزي متل العالم والناس

I have to learn (to speak) English like the rest of the world

*Using this expression hints at the tone of desperation for not knowing a language that is deemed as the universal language

هون مافي كهربا ولا ميّ ولا مازوت ولا غاز متل العالم والناس

There’s no electricity, no water, no Mazut (fuel oil), no gas here unlike the rest of the world

*This is the exact sentence that my Syrian friend who’s currently in Aleppo sent me a couple of weeks ago

امتى بدك تصير تعرف تطبخ متل العالم والناس؟

When will you learn to cook like everybody else?

*Some Syrians use the word ايمت (ey-mat) instead of امتى

حاج تلتهي واقعد ادرس متل العالم والناس

Stop being distracted and sit down and study like everyone else

~~~

That’s it, folks!

I hope you find this useful. If you do, hit the share buttons and spread the knowledge!

Take care and I’ll see you around in the hosh,

Lyn

P.S Don’t forget to check out the rest of the ALEF series!

The post ALEF #06: Like the world and its people appeared first on theLevanTongue.

اخر زمان

Transliteration:

akher zaman

Meaning:

Literal: the end of time

However, the phrase is used to express strong dissatisfaction and criticism towards a behaviour, trend or product that are not in line with traditions or societal norms.

The idea behind the expression is that the behaviour or trend in question is deemed as one of the signs of doomsday. This is an exaggeration, of course. But you get the idea.

It’s like seeing teenage kids sporting a ridiculous fashion trend and thinking to yourself, “What’s the world coming to?!”.

Do note the expression is pretty harsh and not a nice thing to say.

Examples:

شباب اخر زمان

shabab  akher zaman

شباب = young men

بنات اخر زمان

banat akher zaman

بنات = girls/daughters

These are two common phrases that have the English equivalent of “kids these days” –  y’know the phrase older people say when they disapprove of the behaviours of kids from the younger generation.

The expression is usually uttered on its own since the explanation is in the context.

To see how the phrase can work in various contexts, simply type the phrase into YouTube.

For example, if you type شباب اخر زمان into YouTube, you’ll come across videos of men dancing flamboyantly or effeminately (behaviours that are not kindly looked upon in a conservative society).

Take a look at this clip titled “بنات اخر زمان” from a famous Lebanese comedy show.

Initially, I thought that the expression, بنات اخر زمان, is referring to the fact that the woman (instead of the man) knows how to change a car’s tyre.

But I was wrong.

At the end of the clip, it became clear that the expression is referring to the fact the woman had asked for the man’s number and suggested that they could go out for drinks (just cause she helped him fix the car).

The show is obviously making fun of the fact that men can get away with asking women out after doing a favour for them, but not the other way around…

Near the end of the clip at 03:32, the conversation goes like this:

اي منروح نشرب شي كاس

Let’s go and grab some (alcoholic) drinks

تففف على بنات اخر زمان

(okay, this is untranslatable but it’s like ‘to hell with girls like you that cause the world to be in this f***ed state’)

تف is the sound made when spitting

ولو احترم حالك لو سمحت

Have some respect [respect yourself], please

روحي انتي احترمي حالك, يا عيب شوم

No, you go and respect yourself. Shame on you

I thought I recalled seeing a post somewhere in the World Wide Web about the phrase عيب شوم. It drives me crazy now that I can’t seem to find it. All I found was this which is not the one I recalled seeing. =(

Anyhoo, here are more common examples:

جيل اخر زمان

jeel akher zaman

جيل = generation

طلاب اخر زمان

tulaab akher zaman

طلاب = students

اولاد اخر زمان

uwlad akher zaman

اولاد = children

موضة اخر زمان

mawdah akher zaman

موضة = fashion

BONUS

Here’s an additional expression for you!

مكان اخر الدنيا

Transliteration:

makan akher dinya

Meaning:

an isolated/remote/secluded place, far away from everyone or everything else

Literally: “a place (at) the end of the world”

Examples:

لاقيت شغل جديد بس والله مكانو باخر الدنيا كتير بعيد علي

la2eyt shugl jdid bas wallah makano b-akher dinya, ktiir ba3eed 3alai

I found a new job but God, the place is so far away from me!

Take a look at this clip from the Jordanian show, Female, and listen from 4:52 till 5:01.

تيما, صحيح عنجد بتكون تسكن بتلاع العلي؟ ما لقيتي محل تاني؟ تلاع العلي اخر الدنيا. ما في ولا اشي حواليها

Tima, saHeh 3anjad bitkun tuskon bi Tla’ al Ali? Ma la2eyti mahal taani? Tla’ al Ali akher dinya. Ma fii wala ishii hawalayha

Tima, is it true that you are living at Tla’ al Ali? You could not find a different place? Tla’ al Ali is such an isolated place [located at the end of the world]. There is absolutely nothing around it.

Fun fact: I used to live at Tla’ al Ali at the beginning of my stay in Amman (and it’s not as bad as she made it out to be! lol).

~~~

That’s it, folks. I hope you like the post.

As usual, let me know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Take care and I’ll see you around in the hosh,

Lyn

P.S. Don’t forget to hit the share buttons and spread the word about theLevanTongue to others learning Levantine Arabic!

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The post ALEF #05: Akher Zaman appeared first on theLevanTongue.

 من بنات افكار

Transliteration:

Men Banat Afkaar

NOTE:

Although this expression has its roots in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) / Fusha, it is also used in Spoken Levantine Arabic. 

Meaning:

Literally: From the daughters of thoughts

Figuratively:  an original idea

Examples:

انا كتير فخورة بحالي لانو هلأ خلصت اكتب روايتي الاولى اللي من بنات افكاري

ana ktiir fakhuur bi Hali la eno hala2 khalaset uktub riwaayatii el uwlaa elli men banat afkaarii

I’m so proud of myself because I’ve just completed writing my first novel that is based on my original thoughts.

الكاتب وقع بمشكلة ولازم روح عالمحكمة بعد ما كشفت الناس انو كل مسلسلات اللي كتبها هي مش من بنات افكارو

el kaateb wi3eq bi mushkila uu lazem ruuh 3al mahkameh ba3ad ma kashafat el nas eno kol musalsalat elli katabha hiye mesh men banat afkaaro

The writer got into trouble and had to go to court after people discovered that all the series he wrote were not original (and had been copied from elsewhere).

شو رايك نروح نعمل مقلب ل بابا ونقولو انوعملنا تاتو؟ :A

shu rayik nruuH na3mal maqlab la Baba uu n2uulo eno 3amelna tatoo?

What do you think of us doing a prank on Dad and tell him we got ourselves tattoos?

*Some Lebanese and Syrians say ضرب (Darab) instead of مقلب 

!هههه يا شاطرة, من وين جبتي انتي هاي الفكرة الرائعة اه؟ :B

hahaha yaa shatra, men wayn jibtii entii hai el fikrat el raa2i3ah ah?!

hahaha you clever girl, where from did you get this great idea?!

من بنات افكاري :A

men banat afkaarii

I thought of it on my own 

~~~

I remember the first time my teacher said the expression, I could not get what she meant.

I was like:

مين هدول البنات؟

(Who are those girls?)

That’s it, folks! I hope you like this post.

Take care and I’ll see you around in the hosh.

Lyn

P.S. #ALEF will not be posted every Friday but every now and then on Fridays. This is so that I can spend time providing a greater variety of posts

P.S.S. Don’t forget to hit the share buttons and spread the word about theLevanTongue to others learning Levantine Arabic!

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The post ALEF #04: Men Banat Afkaar appeared first on theLevanTongue.

من فوق الاساطيح

TRANSLITERATION:

men fawq el asaaTih

mEANING:

Literally: from above the rooftops

Figuratively: to do something secretly or illegally without anyone knowing

EXPLANATION & Examples:

The two examples below show the literal usage of the expression.

هو بحب يرقص من فوق الاساطيح

huwe beheb yor2os men fawq el asaaTih

He likes to dance on rooftops

 انا عم طير الطيارة الورقية من فوق الاساطيح

ana 3am Tiir etTayaarah elwaraa2iiye men fawq el asaaTih

I am flying the paper airplanes from the top of the rooftop

Okay, pretty straight-forward.

Now, the figurative usage of the expression can be used in a variety of contexts.

But the general idea is describing an action that is being done stealthily or not in a straightforward manner.

This is because instead of knocking on the door to enter the house, the person is trying to sneak into the house via the rooftop.

For example, in this scene from the Syrian series, Ghadan Naltaqi…

At 00:38, the guy is telling the other guy…

أخي . ما عندك غير طريقين . يا فيزا من فوق الأساطيح , يا بتركبلي بهالبحر وانت وحظك

akhi, ma 3indak ghair Tareeqein. Ya Visa men fawq el asaaTih, ya bterkebli bi hal bahr uu enta uu hazak

Brother, you only got two options. Either you get yourself a visa illegally or you try your luck traveling by sea (you ride the sea together with your luck)

In this situation, since getting a visa is a not an easy process, the man is advising his friend to get the visa through illegal means, secretly, without anyone knowing – thus getting the visa “from above the rooftops”.

Here is another example.

Your and your friend are sitting in different rooms and she is trying to talk to you by shouting across the room.

You cannot hear her properly so you shout back:

 تعالي لعندي ليش عم تحكي من فوق الاساطيح؟

ta3ali la 3indi leish 3am tahki men fawq el asaaTih?

Come to me, why are you talking “from above the rooftops”?

So in this situation, your friend is talking to you “from above the rooftops” because of the indirect manner of communication.

Instead of coming to your room and talk to you, she’s shouting across the room.

~~~

That’s it, folks! Check back next Friday for another ALEF post, or better still, subscribe to be notified of new posts!

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The post ALEF #03: men fawq el asaaTih appeared first on theLevanTongue.

فوقاني تحتاني

Transliteration:

fawq2ani taHtaani

Meaning:

“upside down”

Not literally but figuratively.

As in “you turned my world upside down”. Not “the picture is hung upside down”.

The usage of the phrase will be clearer after going through the examples below.

Examples:

الحرب قلبت العالم فوقاني تحتاني

el harb 2albet el 3aalam fawq2ani taHtaani

The war turned the world upside down

الاولاد عملوا فوضى وقلبوا البيت فوقاني تحتاني

el uulad 3amalu fawdha uu 2alabuu elbayt fawq2ani taHtaani

The children made a mess and turned the house upside down

BONUS

Okay, so what if you want to say “the picture is hung upside down”?

The word is:

بالمقلوب

bel maqluub

inverted / upside down

Here are two examples:

الصورة معلقة بالمقلوب

el suura m3ala2a bel maqluub

The picture is hung upside down

علقوهن (علقوهم) الأسرى بالمقلوب

3ala2uuhun (3ala2uuhom) el usraa bel maqluub

The prisoners were hung upside down

~~~

That’s it, folks! Check back next Friday for another ALEF post, or better still, subscribe to be notified of new posts!

PS: If you like this post, you’ll like the rest of the ALEF series too.

ALEF #01: Ma Bahut Bidimtii

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The post ALEF #02: fawq2ani taHtaani appeared first on theLevanTongue.

ما بحط بذمتي

Transliteration:

ma baHut bidimtii

Alternatives:

ما بدي حط بذمتي

ma biddi/baddi Huut bi dimti

Meaning:

I ain’t taking responsibility for what I about to say

I’m not accountable for what I about to say

Erm, what?

Explanation & Examples:

Okay, so this expression has a religious undertone to it. On the day of judgment, everyone will be held accountable for his or her words and actions.

So this expression is said when people are not completely sure of the validity of what they are about to say.

And just in case, what they are about to say is completely false, they hope that they won’t be held accountable or be penalised for it on the day of judgment.

The word, ذمة, probably has no English equivalent but it is related to all things consciousness, moral integrity, ethics, etc.

So how is this expression used in spoken contexts?

Often, it is ironically said when gossiping about others.

It’s like “I know I’m going to say something unkind or questionable so I’ll say ma baHut bi dimti first just to prove I’m not a bad person”.

Here are some examples:

ما بحط بذمتي بس والله هالزلمة مو منيح. ديرو بالكم (بالكن) منو

ma baHut bidimtii bas wallah hal zalameh muu mniiH. diiru balkom (balkun) meno

I don’t mean anything by this (i.e please don’t hold this against me, God!) but I swear that man is not a good man. You guys better be careful of him.

OR

ما بحطا (بحطها) بذمتي بس روان يلي كسرتلك الموبايل, ما وقع لحالو :A

ma bahutaa (bahut-ha) bidimtii bas Rawan illi kasratlak el mobile. ma w2e3 lahaalo

I don’t mean anything by this but Rawan was the one who broke your mobile phone. It didn’t fell on its own.

!انت شو عم تحكي؟ متاكد؟ :B

enta shu 3am taHki? mit2aked?

What are you talking about?! Are you sure?!

ما بعرف انا, بس هيك حسيت :A

ma ba3ref ana. bas heik haseit

I don’t know, but this is what I feel.

The expression can also be used as a way as to not get involved in the matter (i.e to not be part of the “sin”) if you’re not the one spreading the news.

سمعت انو ماريا ما اجت عالبيت من تلات ايام والناس عم تقول انو بجوز هربت مع صاحبها لتعيش معو

sme3et eno Maria ma ejat 3al bayt men talat eyam uu el nas 3am t2ul eno bjuuz harbat ma3 saaHebha

I heard that Maria has not returned home for the last three days. People said she probably ran away to live with her boyfriend.

والله ما بعرف وما بحط بذمتي :B

wallah ma ba3ref uu maa bahut bidimtii

I swear, I don’t know anything about it and I don’t want to get involved (i.e I don’t want to be part of the sin of backbiting)

~~~

Note: There are some who refrain from using this expression because, hey, if it ain’t completely true, best not to mention it.

That’s it, folks. Check back next Friday for another ALEF post, or better still, subscribe below to be notified of new posts!

PSS: Like this post? Do me a favour and share it!

The post ALEF #01: Ma BaHut Bidimtii appeared first on theLevanTongue.