I remember watching Jordanian shows like Female with my teacher during the last few months I was studying in Jordan and that was what enabled me to take my Arabic proficiency to the next level. So I’m going to do just the same here.

In this post, you’ll watch a short one minute scene from Female, Episode 9, Season 1. Although it’s just a one minute scene, there are a few useful phrases and words that you can learn.

Read all the way till the end where I’ll provide further explanation to some of the phrases. Ready? Let’s go!

The scene is from 00:47 to 01:40.

If you find that the speed of speech is too fast, use the playback speed function available and reduce the speed to 0.75.

 هاي ماما

Hi Mum

أهلين حبيبتي

Hello dear

كيفك؟

How are you?

تمام٬ أسخنلك أكل يا ماما؟

Fine. Should I heat up the food?

لا ما تغلبي حالك٬ ما إلي نفس

No, don’t trouble yourself. I’m not in the mood

ليش يا إمي؟

Why?

ماما, بابا هون؟ ما بدي إياه يسمع

Mum, is Dad here? I don’t want him to hear

لا أبوكي مش هون٬ شو صار؟ هدا رجائي مزعلك؟ هدا الإنسان أصلاً مش مناسب إلك٬ هدا واحد كلب٬ شو بدك فيه؟ إجت منه ما إجت منا

No, your dad is not here. What happened? This Rajae guy made you upset? This human being is not suitable for you in the first place. He is a dog. What do you see in him? He’s the cause, not us.

ماما ماما ماما

Mum, mum, mum

بعدين أصلاً هو كل أهله ما بيناسبونا٬ ولا هم من مستوانا

Also, his family does not suit us nor are they from the same level as us

ماما

Mum

ما بدك إياها هالجيزة

You won’t want to have this marriage

ماما

Mum

ول ول ول٬ هدا مخبية بقلبك إنتي يعني كاتمة٬ كنت مفكرة أم رجائي هي الحماية٬ هي اللي بتكره٬ هي اللي مش طايقتنا يعني وهي اللئيمة٬ طلعتي إنتي كمان؟ منيح اللي صار كل هدا الإشي عشان أعرف إيش موقفك يعني

Woah hold on. So this is what hidden in your heart? So you’ve been suppressing (your feelings)?. I thought Rajae’s mum is the “mother-in-law”. She’s the one who hates, she’s the one who can’t stand/tolerate us…that she’s the evil one. Turned out you too? All that happened was a good thing because I now know what your stand (opinions) is in this matter.

ما تغلبي حالك [ma tghalbi Hallak]

This is a very common and polite expression that means “Don’t trouble yourself”.

If you’re talking to man, it would be ما تغلب حالك (ma tghaleb Hallak)

The root verb is غلّب (Verb Form II) which means to trouble or to inconvenience someone.

A common reply to this expression is

غلبتك راحة

[gha-lab-tak/ gha-lab-tek raaHa]

There’s no trouble

(Lit: your trouble goes away)

ما إلي نفس [ma illi nifs]

This is often said when you’re not in the mood to do something.

For example,

هاليوين ما الي نفس اعمل شي بس بدي نام

These days I don’t feel like doing anything, I just want to sleep

ما الي نفس اكل لقمة

I don’t feel like having (eating) a bite

شو بدك فيه [shu biddak fii]

If you’re referring to a female or a feminine noun, the phrase will change to

شو بدك فيها

shu biddak/ biddek fii-ha

The literal meaning is “what do you want with it?” but it usually said with a tone of bewilderment. For example in this scene, I have translated the phrase to “what do you see in him?” which I believe captures a more accurate meaning.

It’s a simple phrase but when used in the context of relationships, the question carries the “why are you even with him?” or “what do you get out of him” sort of vibe.

For example,

لك هاد لعوب وكذاب شو بدك فيه؟

This (guy) is a player and a liar, what do you want with him?

إجت منه ما إجت منا [ijat mino ma ijat minna]

I think this is a hilarious phrase. It’s usually said to oneself or a third-party but never in front of the person you’re accusing (because it’s unkind to do so).

This phrase literally means “it came from him, it did not come from us”.

So in this scene, Tima’s mother is re-assuring Tima that whatever happened is not her fault or her family’s fault but instead it is all because of Rajae (it came from him, remember?)

For example, a friend whom I don’t really like called me up and invited me to go out with her for lunch. Since she’s a friend, I have little choice but to accept the invitation even though I don’t want to meet up with her.

However, she called me up the next day and apologised that something cropped up and she could not meet me up for lunch anymore. I assured her that it’s okay and we can always meet up some other time.

When I hang up the phone, I felt relieved and muttered to myself,

اجت منك, ما اجت مني

It came from you, it didn’t come from me

…which means that “the cancellation of the invitation came from you, not from me so although I’m relieved that we don’t have to meet, I don’t have to feel bad about it because you’re the one who could not make it…”

Get it?

كاتمة [Katmeh]

The masculine version of this word is كاتم.

The word refers to being discreet about what one feels towards something and suppressing those feelings.

So in the above scenario, Tima accused her mother of being كاتمة all this while and only now revealing her true feelings.

In other situations, the word is also used to describe feeling suffocated.

For example,

مديرتي كاتمة على نفسي ما بتخليني اخد بريك

My manager is suffocating me, she doesn’t let me take a break

هي مش طايقتنا

This phrase means that she can’t tolerate us or she can’t stand us.

If you break down the word طايقتنا, it’s actually

طايقة + نا

So if a woman wants to use the word طايقة, here are some of the ways:

مش طايقتك

I can’t stand you

مش طايقة ريحة الأكل

I can’t stand the smell of the food

So you use طايقة if you’re a female and طايق if you’re a male.

~~~

That’s it, folks!

I hope you find this type of posts useful. If you do, let me know and I’ll be writing more of such #One Minute posts from various Levantine Arabic shows.

Lastly, don’t forget to hit the share buttons and spread the knowledge!

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

Lyn

The post #One Minute of Jordanian Arabic (Female show Ep 9) appeared first on theLevanTongue.

So I came across a Youtube channel called “The Adventures of Sitt Najeh” which acts as another resource for me to practice listening to Lebanese Arabic and to pick up new words.

The series is about a Lebanese middle age woman who moved to Canada from Lebanon, and each video pokes fun at the differences in the living conditions and culture between both countries. I like the channel as each video is short (most are under 5 minutes) and some of them have English subtitles.

In this post, I will introduce you to one of the videos titled “كلها منافع ” which means “Everything about it has benefits”. And, the “it” refers to a traffic jam.

So without further ado, let’s dive in to see how do traffic jams contain any benefits – from the perspective of Sitt Najeh, of course!

!معقول هيدي العجقة؟

This traffic jam is unbelievable

آه هيدي العجقة قال

Yeah they call this a traffic jam

  عنجد يلي نحنا هون, كيف منفهم الأشياء بهالبلد هيك بطريقة غريبة عجيبة

It’s really weird how we understand things in this country

ما بعرف ليش هيك منضل نحب منخلق مشاكل لحالنا

I don’t know why we like to create problems for ourselves

ما بيعرفو انو العجقة كلها منافع؟

Don’t they know that a traffic jam is full of benefits

مثلا انا اليوم عندي موعد لعند الحكيم على الساعة خمسة بعد الضهر

For example, I have a doctor appointment at 5 pm

قلت انا هيك بضهر بكير ع ساعة سبعة

I said to myself, I can leave early at 7 am

وبجيب كل أغراضي معي وبحضَر طبختي هوني وهيك

and bring all my things with me and prepare my cooking here

 يعني بتسلى بين هالناس لانو هون

and have fun with these people…because here (in Lebanon)

كيف ما طلعت في ناس حواليك ببتسملن وببتسمولك يعني

however you look at people around you, you can smile to them and they will smile back

ايه لو كان متل كندا, اعود بلله, ما حدا بيتطلع بحدا هونيك

if it’s Canada, nobody ever looks at each other here

ابدا ابدا ما حدا بيتطلع بحدا

not at all, nobody will ever look at anyone

وبعدين ساعة في سير هونيك وساعة يلي ما بكون في سير

then, sometimes there’s traffic and other times when there’s no traffic

هيك بيشرد تفكيرنا دغري انو ممكن يكون في شي مشكل

we’ll immediately think that perhaps there’s some kind of problem

في شي اشتباك مسلح بشي منطقة

like an armed clash in some area

اني كرمال هيك ماعجبتني كندا, ابدا ابدا, ما عجبتني

this is why I don’t like Canada at all. Canada doesn’t appeal to me

شو هيدا انا اليوم عاملة لوبيا زيت وتبولة. في احسن من هيك؟

What’s this…today, I’m cooking green beans in oil and Tabouleh, there’s nothing better than this

ولي على قامتي انشالله انسيت جيب ابن اختي معي

Shucks/Darn it!, I forgot to bring my nephew with me

وكنت على قليلة اقعدو ورا وخلص كل دروسه

at the very least, I could have gotten him to sit behind and finish all his studies

كنت اني سمعتله, نغدينا سوا وتسلينا

 I could have recited to him, have lunch together, and have fun

العجقة جدا هيك منيحة لراحة الموظفين, يمكن معقول نحنا مش منتبهين على هالشغلة

a traffic jam is really good for the well-being of employees. it’s unbelievable that we are not attentive/aware of this

يمكن هيدا تخطيط جديد, ايه تخطيط جديد من قبل الدولة, نحنا كيف هيك ما انتبهنا

maybe this is a new plan. Yes, a new plan by the government. How could we not have noticed it?

*من قبل = by

يعني مثلا هلأ الموظفين بيقضوا تلات اربعة ساعات بالعجقة بالكنديتون

for example, employees spend three, four hours in the traffic jam and in the air condition

بعدين انو بس يوصل على المكتب, بكون ما محرزة, يعني ما محرزة الدوام

and when they reach the office, it’s no longer worth it. There’s no point in working

بيقضوا شي ساعتين تلاتة, بيرجع بكير ع بيته, عايلته

they spend two, three hours and then return home early to their families

ايه لو كان متل كندا, يا حرام, من الفجر للنجر

If it’s Canada, poor thing, (people work) from dawn till dusk

الله وكيلكن, من الفجر للنجر

I swear, I’m not lying to all of you, from dawn till dusk

يعني العمور بيخلص والشغل ما بيخلص

life ends but the work doesn’t end

ايه يعني كرمال هيك ما عجبتي كندا, ابدا ابدا ما عجبتني

that is why I don’t like Canada. Canada doesn’t appeal to me

ايه والله ما عجبتني

I swear, I don’t like Canada

Notes

• Traffic jam

In Lebanese and Syrian Arabic, traffic jam is referred to as 3aj2a – عجقة while in Jordanian Arabic, it is referred to as azmeh –  ازمة (the MSA word for ‘crisis’).

• Doctor

Nowadays, most Arabs generally refer to a doctor as “doktor دكتور”. But there are still some who use the word Hakeem -حكيم to refer to a doctor or a physician.

• It’s worth it. Or not.

محرز \ محرزة

Worth it

For example,

تكميل دراستك شي محرز وخاصة اذا بساعدك تلاقي شغل احسن

It is worth it to continue your studies especially if it helps you to find a better job

Similarly, negate it using words such as “مو \ مش” and you’ll get the opposite meaning – it’s ain’t worth it/ it’s worthless.

For example,

مو محرزة تشتري بضاعة مزيفة لانو ما بتضل كتير

It is not worth to buy fake goods because they do not last long.

• It amazes me and appeals to me. Thus I like it very much.

What am I talking about here? I’m referring to the Verb Form I (one of the 101 most used verbs) that means something or someone amazes/appeals to someone.

عجب – بيعجب

For example, you can use the verb if you want to say “This lesson is amazing! I like it a lot!”.

هادا الدرس بيعجبني كتير

Similarly, if you want the opposite meaning – it does not appeal to me and thus I do not like it – simply add ما before the verb. Also, pick the right verb tense (past tense or present tense) according to your sentence.

For example, when I say هاد الشي ما عجبني [hadel shii maa 3ajabni], it means that this thing did not appeal to me nor did it amaze me. In short, I did not like this thing (whatever it is).

• Lebanese Verb I -To Leave/ To go out

ضهر – بيضهر

dha-har , bed-har

• Yaa Haraaam *shakes head*

يا حرااام

Ya Haraaam is a phrase that is said to generally convey feelings of sympathy, pity and sadness. And depending on contexts, it may also convey a tone of disapproval.

Saw animals being beaten up by their owners in Petra? Yaa Haraaam

Knew a talented and well-mannered child who died young? Yaa Haraam

In the featured video, the phrase is said by Sitt Najeh to convey sympathy and a slight disapproval for employees who work extremely long hours.

muttering “Ya Haraam” under breath

Take note that the phrase can sometimes be used sarcastically in order to mock and scoff.

For example,

يا حرام مفكرة حالها حلوة وهي لأ

It’s sad to see that she thinks she’s pretty but in actual fact, she’s not

يا حرام شو هبلة مصدقتو انو بيحبها وهو عم يضحك عليها

It’s such a pity that she’s an idiot for believing that he likes her when he’s only fooling around (lit: laughing at her)

• Woe Is Me/Shucks!

ولي على قامتي

wali 3ala 2aamtii

The phrase is often said to feel sorry for oneself and to moan about one’s misfortune.

It is said in the same way as to how English speakers would say “Shucks” or “Darn it”.

For example, I was watching a Syrian show called “Ghadan Naltaqi” and the girl said this phrase repeatedly in a state of panic. That’s because she was hanging out with her boyfriend when she saw her uncle in the distance and realised that he has caught her with her boyfriend.

• I swear to God, I ain’t lying. Trust me

الله وكيلك

Allah wakiilak

A ‘wakeel’ (وكيل) refers to someone that has been appointed to represent the appointer and to carry out a service on the appointer’s behalf.

However when someone says “الله وكيلك”, he or she is more or less saying that “I’m saying this in front of you and in front of God” And since God is all knowing, he or she is also saying “trust me, God knows I’m speaking the truth. There’s no way I would dare lie about what I’m telling you.” This phrase is similar to ‘الله شاهد’ – God’s my witness.

To put it simply, the phrase means ‘I swear, I’m not lying’.

In the video, Sitt Najeh says the phrase to emphasise the fact that employees in Canada do indeed work long hours (from dawn till dusk). Furthermore, she says ‘ الله وكيلكن’ as she is referring to the viewers as a whole.

~~~

So does this post appeal to you? I hope it does Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below and if you have any specific topic that you want me to blog about, let me know too!

PS. Remember to subscribe if you haven’t. And if you have, spread the word about theLevanTongue to all your friends learning Levantine Arabic

The post Learn why traffic jams are beneficial for Arabs in Lebanese Arabic appeared first on theLevanTongue.

Ready? Let’s go!

يا سلام انا بحب اقرا واستمتع يوم العطلة

I like to read and enjoy the weekend

خصوصا انو الجو مش بارد اليوم

especially when the weather today is not cold

معك حق يا جل جل شوف ما احلى جو والعصافير اللي حوالينا

you’re right Jul Jul. Look, how beautiful is the weather and the birds that are around us

جل جل؟

Jul Jul?

نعم

Yes

مش عارفة اقعد هون. بيصير منغير اماكنا؟

I can’t sit here, can we change our places?

طبعا يا تن تن, انا بيهمني انك تكوني مرتاحة

Of course Tun Tun, it matters to me that you’re comfortable

شكرا كلك زوق

Thanks a lot!

شو هاد؟ ما لقي العصفور يخرج فضلاته إلا على كتابي؟

what’s this?! A bird just shat on my book?!

*العصفور يخرج فضلاته = the bird excretes its droppings

شو هالحظ السيء هاد

What bad luck is this..

بالعكس يا جل جل انت محظوظ

On the contrary, Jul Jul, you’re lucky!

لاني انا سمعت لما وقعت على راس واحد فضلات عصفور بيكون محظوظ

because I heard that when a bird’s dropping fell on one’s head, he or she is lucky

معقول يا طن طن؟

Really, Jul Jul?!

المهم بتكون ايجابي ومتفائل

What’s important is that you be positive and optimistic

صح انا لازم اكون ايجابي ومتفائل, مزبوط كلامك يا تن تن

True, I have to be positive and optimistic. Your words are right, Tun Tun.

اذا بدك ,نرجع نغير اماكنا

If you want, we can return and change our places

شكرا يا تن تن بلكي هيك بتحسن نهاري

thank you Tun Tun, perhaps now my day will be better

ايش هدا…صوت نحلة

what’s this..the sound of a bee

كشي يا نحلة

go away bee!

روح يا نحلة

go away bee!

!شو حظ اليوم؟

What kind of luck am I having today?!

معليش معليش يا جل جل خلص خليك متفائل

never mind, don’t’ worry Jul Jul, that’s okay, remain optimistic

هلأ الأمور اكيد رح تتحسن

now things will surely improve

الواحد لازم بيكون ايجابي ومتفائل حتى لو الأمور ما زبطت

one has to be positive and optimistic even though things didn’t work out

جل جل؟

Jul Jul?

نعم

Yes.

شو رايك منغير اماكنا؟ بلكي حظك بتغير

What do you think about changing our places? Perhaps your luck will change

طيب يا تن تن يالله منغير اماكنا

Ok Tun Tun, yallah, let’s change our places

…شو هاد

what’s this..

تن تن مش معقول هدا اليوم

Tun Tun, today is unbelievable!

!هادا اللي ما توقعته…عاصفة؟ هادا اللي كان ناقص

I did not expect this…a storm? This is what’s missing!

*هادا اللي كان ناقص is said sarcastically

ما تقلق يا جل جل

Don’t worry Jul Jul

خليك دايما ايجابي ومتفائل

always remain positive and optimistic

ايجابي…حاضر يا تن تن, رح اكون ايجابي, ما انا ايجابي

positive…alright Tun Tun. I will be positive…Am I not positive?

جل جل؟

Jul Jul?

نعم

Yes

انا عندي فكرة, رح تعدل مزاجك وتصلح نهارك

I got an idea…it will adjust your mood and fix your day

هاي جبتلك مظلة جل جل…هيك بتتحسن نهارك

Here I brought you an umbrella..this way, your day will be better

انا حظي سعيدة…تعرفي ليش؟ لانك صديقتي

My luck is great (lit: happy)…do you know why? Because you’re my friend

ومش بس هيك…صديقتي مفضلة

and not just a friend…but my favourite friend

تعرفي اشي كمان يا تن تن؟

do you know what else, Tun Tun?

شو؟

What?

اني شفتك قديش مهتمة تساعديني عشان اكون مبسوط

I’ve seen how keen (lit: interested) you are in helping me so that I will be happy

طبعا انا بحب اساعدك يا جل جل واساعد كل اصحابي

Of course, I like to help you and help all of my friends

~~~

NOTES

1. To Enjoy -Verb no. 10

استمتع – بستمتع + ب

For example,

زمان وانا صغيرة كنت بستمتع بالمسلسلات التركية

zaman uu ana zghireh kunt bastamta3 bi musalsalat elturkiya

I used to enjoy (watching) Turkish series when I was small

2. The sound when swatting away insects

Let’s start with the verb for “to swat away” the fly, bee, cat, etc.

Verb I: كش – بكش

According to the awesome book that I have for Levantine verbs (check it out HERE!), the inflection for the present tense may differ. Jordanians will often pronounce the present tense بكش as بكُش (with a dammah-bikush) while other Levantine speakers will pronounce it as بكِش (with a kasrah-bikesh). Similarly, the command will be kush for Jordanians and kesh for the rest.

كش من هون

kush/kesh men hon

Get away from here

(while swatting away a fly)

3. Weather جو ولا طقس؟

The word جو (jaow) is a common word that refers to “weather” in Jordan and Palestine. Meanwhile, I observe that most Syrians refer to the weather as طقس (thoqs) in everyday conversation. طقس is also the word for weather in Modern Standard Arabic. But I guess both are used interchangeably.

4. It matters to me…(I care)

بيهمني

bihemni

طمني عنك, بيهمني انك تكون بخير

Tamany 3anak, bihemni enak tkuuni bkhair

Update (reassure) me about you, it matters to me that you’re fine

Similarly, the opposite is..

ما بيهمني

ma bihemni

It don’t matter to me

ما بيهمني مين يحكي ورا ضهري

ma bihemni miin yeHki wara Dhahree

I don’t care (it doesn’t matter) who talks behind my back

ما بيهمني الحق على مين

ma bihimni elHaq 3ala meen

I don’t care who’s at fault

Do note that depending on contexts, the phrase may express an ambivalent attitude when said.

5. Thanks! That’s nice of you 

كلك ذوق

In spoken arabic, the second word is pronounced as زوق (like joke with a ‘z’). And it’s usually said to thank someone for a service or as a reply to a compliment. Think of it as the English equivalent of  “thanks, that’s nice of you” or “that’s kind of you”.

6. On the contrary

بالعكس

Bel aks = on the contrary, nope it’s the opposite…

Simply said, it is said to negate something that was said earlier.

This also reminds me of another phrase:

انا عكسك

ana 3ksak

I’m the opposite of you

(For example when your friend eats vegetables and you don’t)

7. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps…

بلكي

I have written about the usage of this word before. Check it out here.

8. That’s okay, no worries

 معليش

ma3lish

For example, you accidentally spilled water in your friend’s car and you felt bad about it. Your friend, knowing that it was just an accident, reassured you that it’s not a problem and said معليش

Never mind, don’t worry, that’s okay, no worries…..ma3lish habibi, ma3lish

9. Really?! No way, that’s unbelievable!

معقول

ma32ul

مش معقول / مو معقول

mesh/muu ma32ul

Fed-up with the poor customer service? Shake head and say ma32uuul?!?!!

Disgusted at the ridiculously high prices of items sold at the store? Stomp off and say mesh ma32uul!!

The phrase can also be said in a positive way. For example when you are amazed or impressed at someone’s capabilities. And of course, it can be said sarcastically.

When your classmate got first in class and you’re low key surprised,

معقول شو شاطرة انتي

ma32ul shu shaTrah enti

that’s unbelievable, you’re so smart

3an jad muu ma32uuul!!

There are so many contexts where the phrase can be said. One way to grasp the usage in various contexts is by watching drama series

10. Umbrella

Both the words شمسية (shamsiiya) and مظلة (mazhalah) are used in Spoken Arabic.

~~~

That’s it, folks! Hope this post has been useful for you. Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below – I would love to read them.

PS. If you like this post, feel free to check out my other post on another Hikayat Simsim’s video HERE

Take care and I’ll see ya in the hosh,

Lyn

The post Beginners: Learn Jordanian Arabic through Sesame Street 2 appeared first on theLevanTongue.

There aren’t many shows available that are suited for beginners which can be quite frustrating especially when you want to practice listening or take a break from textbooks.

But fear not! If you look around hard enough, there are videos out there suited for beginners. And what another great way is there than to start with cartoon series!?!

Hikayat Simsim is a Jordanian production and unlike most cartoons that are in Modern Standard Arabic, Hikayat Simsim is in Amiyya (spoken Arabic). There are not a lot of videos on the channel but there should be enough to get you started.

So in this post, I will provide the transcription for a video so you can learn new words and practice your listening skill. Read until the end for further explanations on certain useful phrases.

Source

It’s time to relive your childhood days watching Sesame Street, but this time in Jordanian Arabic! Ready? Yalla!

يا عينباتي ما احلاكم ما اطيبكم ما ازكاكم

Oh my grapes, how beautiful and delicious you are

طعم الحبة متل سكر

The taste of the piece of grape is like sugar

يا سلام ما ازكا طعمة العينب

Oh wow, how delicious is the taste of the grape!

فعلا يا جل جل بيشهو ما ازكاهم خصوصا لما يكونو مقطوفين من الحديقة ومغسولين منيح وناضجين

Indeed they are appetizing and delicious especially when they are picked directly from the garden, properly washed and when they are ripe

الى عينب من الفواكة مفيدة كتير لما باكله بشعر بالقوة

the grapes are one of the very healthy (lit: beneficial) fruits – when I ate it, I feel energised

فعلا معك حق يا جل جل

Indeed you’re right, Jul Jul

مرحبا عمه كامل

Hello Uncle Kamel

اهلا تن تن

Hello Tun Tun

مرحبا جل جل

Hello Jul Jul

اهلا اهلا يا تن تن

Hello Tun Tun

انت قطفت العينب من الدالية؟

You plucked the grapes from the grapevines?

 انا كمان بدي اقطف عينب

I, too, want to pluck grapes

كتير كتير كتير طيبين

They are very very very delicious!

تفضلي يا تن تن كلي عينب

Here you go, Tun Tun, eat the grapes

شكرا يا عمه كامل بس انا بدي هدا كل القطف

Thank you Uncle Kamel, but I want all of that grapes

هاد يا تن تن؟ بس هاد يا تن تن بعضه مش ناضج

This one, Tun Tun? But this one, Tun Tun…some of them are not ripe

بس انا بدي اياه

But I want them

يا تن تن بحكيلك ما رح يكون ناضج يعني رح يكون حامض

Tun Tun, I’m telling you that it will not be ripe. That means it will be sour

خليني اجربه

Let me try it

شوفي العينب كتير قاسي

Look, the grape is very hard

يا عمه كامل لو سمحت

Oh Uncle Kamel, pleaseeee

حاضر يا تن تن امري ل الله مع انو مش مستوي

Alright Tun Tun, I will do as you say, even though it’s not ripe

بس لازم اغسلك اياه بالأول

But I will have to wash it first

يا عيني على عينباتي شو انو طعمهم زي العسل متل السكر

Oh my god, the grapes – they taste like honey, like sugar

تفصلي يا تن تن

Here you go, Tun Tun

حامض حامض حامض

It’s sour, sour, sour!

بس انا شايف انو زاكي , زاكي كتيرمتل سكر

but I see that it’s delicious! Very delicious like sugar

لأ حامض حامض انا ذقته حامض

Nope, it’s sour, sour…I tasted it, it’s sour!

طبعا حامض يا تن تن بس عرفي ليش عينباتك حامضين بس عينبات جل جل حلوين وزاكيين؟

Of course it’s sour, Tun Tun. But do you know why your grapes are sour but Jul Jul’s grapes are nice and delicious?

ليش؟

Why?

لانو العينب اللي لقدام جل جل عينب ناضج يعني مستوي

Because the grapes that are in front of Jul Jul are ripe, meaning they are ready to be eaten

والعينب اللي لقدامك عينب لساته مش مستوي

and the grapes that are in front of you are still not ripe yet

طيب انا كيف رح اعرف اذا العينب مستوي؟

Okay, how will I know if the grapes are ripe?

اه هاي بسيطة يا تن تن

Ah, this is easy, Tun Tun

شوف لما بتتطلع على العينب بتلاقي انوملمسه قاسي كتير معناته مش مستوي

Look, when you look at the grapes, if you’ll find that the feel of it (texture) is hard, that means they are not ripe

اذا كان طري؟

if they are soft?

اذا كان طري بيكون مستوي

if they are soft, they are ripe

وكمان لونه لما بيكون صار على اصفر شوي يعني بيكون ناضج

and also when the colour turns slightly yellower, that means they are ripe

صحيح يا جل جل

That’s correct, Jul Jul

عشان هيك عينباتي حامضين وعينبات جل جل حلوين

that is why my grapes are sour and Jul Jul’s grapes are nice

بالضبط يا تن تن برافوعليكي

exactly Tun Tun, Bravo!

~~~

NOTES

1. Grapes

Ok so I have spelled the word as عينب but know that the correct spelling is without the ي.

So the actual spelling of grapes is عنب but the common way to pronounce it is عينب (aynab).

In spoken Arabic, both the words ‘عينب’ and ‘عينبات’ are used to describe grape in its plural form (i.e grapes).

A piece of grape would be described as “عنباية” or less commonly as “حبة عنب”.

2. Fine, I’ll do as you say…

امري الى الله

amri ilaa Allah

So this phrase is often said as a way to give in to the other party’s request. It literally means “my affairs/things to God”.

For example,

You want to go out with friends but your mother insisted that you should stay at home. After multiple futile attempts at persuading your mother, you finally give in to her and say:

امري الى الله ماما ما رح روح معهم

amri ilaa Allah, Mama. ma raH ruH ma3hom

I will do as you say, Mama. I will not go out with them

Or

The wife has been pestering her husband to buy her a new handbag. Her husband initially refused but after much persuasion, he finally gives in and says:

امري الى الله رح اشتريلك

amri ilaa Allah, raH ashtarillek

Okay fine, I will buy for you (the handbag)

3. Oh My Eyes!

يا عيني

This is a common expression to express amazement at how beautiful or amazing something is. It’s sort of like “I can’t believe my eyes!”.

For example,

يا عيني شو حلوة هاي الشنطة

Ya 3aynee, sho helwe hai elshanTah

Oh wowww, how beautiful is this handbag!

But do note that this phrase can be said sarcastically

For example people would often say “يا عيني عليك” as a way to show that they are impressed by what you just did or said.

So depending on context, it can means “yepp, you got it!” if you finally got what the person is trying to convey or “good job!” if you (surprisingly) managed to answer a question correctly.

And by it being said sarcastically, I meant a combination of these two gifs below…

!!يا عيني عليييك

The phrases ‘يا سلام’ and ‘يا سلام عليك’ are also used in the same way.

4. zay or metl, metl or zay

زي او متل

So both words are synonyms that are used in Jordanian Arabic to mean “like” (i.e: it tastes like sugar). To my knowledge, most Syrians do not use the word زي.

5. naaDhej or mistawi, mistawi or naaDhej

ناضج او مستوي

Both words are considered synoyms in spoken arabic.

To refer to food that is ripe or ready to eat, the word “مستوي” is used more often than “ناضج”.

The word, “ناضج” can be used to describe both food and humans, while the word “مستوي” is only exclusively used to describe food.

When using “ناضج” to describe humans, it would carry the meaning of “mature”.

For example,

هو مش جاهز للزواج لانو هو مش ناضج

huwe mesh jaaHiz lal zawaj la eno huwe mesh naaDhej

He is not ready for marriage because he is not mature (in his thinking/behaviour)

6. **drools**

بيشهو

biishahu

From the word ‘appetite’ (شهية shahiiye), the verb form بيشهو is often used to describe food that is appetizing, that you drool over and crave for.

However, it is not limited to describing food but almost anything that had you longing for it.

For example,

هداك المحل بيعمل وبيبيع اكلات بيشهو

hadaak elmahal bya3mal u biibii3  aklat biishahu

That shop makes and sells delicious food that is mouth-watering

البلد ما فيها شي بيشهي الواحد انو يضل فيها

elbalad maa fiihaa shi biishahi elwaaHad eno yDhol fiiha

The country has nothing to entice a person to remain staying in it

7. Verb I – to pick/to pluck:

قطف – بيقطف

2aTaf – bii2Taf

All of the other verbs mentioned in the video are included in the book that I recommend to all serious Levantine Arabic learners.

To check out my review of the book that has helped me tremendously in my learning journey, click HERE

~~~

Like this post? Comment below if you would like to see more posts suited for beginners! A second post on another Hikayat Simsim’s video might be coming soon

P.S Don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t & spread the word about theLevanTongue!

The post Beginners: Learn Jordanian Arabic through Sesame Street! appeared first on theLevanTongue.

This post is especially interesting since I have taken a clip from a Syrian mini-drama series that is unlike any others. The series is an interactive drama series where you can choose which character to follow in the beginning.

I came across the series via an article published by the Middle East Eye. The whole series contains short clips under 5 minutes -which is great cause they are not that long. You can check out the article here 

Now, let’s get back to the clip…

!خلدون

Khaldoun!

!شو في شو في؟

What’s up?! What happened?

ما في شي كالعادة

Nothing, as usual

حدا شافك وانت جاي لهون؟

Did anybody saw you make your way here?

لأ اتطمن ضيعنا

No, relax (rest assured), they lost me

طيب…معك شي؟

Ok…do you have anything on you?

فتح تحقيق يا زلمة؟

You’re interrogating me?

• تحقيق means “investigation”; فتح تحقيق = open an investigation

آسف…غريندايزر تماما

Sorry, you’re a complete Grendizer (i.e a hero)

• The Grendizer is the main character of a Japanese anime television series and manga called the “UFO Robot Grendizer” which was popular amongst kids growing up in the Middle East. If someone calls you a Grendizer, that means you’re a hero/champion.

The Grendizer

Source

الشاي على النارعلى حظك لح صبلك شاي

The tea is boiling, lucky you, I will pour you a cup

• Some people in Syria use “لح” while others use “رح”. Both have the same meaning of “will” (future tense)

عظيم

Great

شوفلك شغلة تانية

Go find yourself a different job

خيرج صحافة شو بدك اشتغل؟

I’m a graduate of journalism. What do you want me to work as?

اشتغل جريدة ولا اشتغل شي تلفزيون؟

Shall I work at newspapers (companies) or at a TV channel?

• Adding شي to something is an easy way to express yourself when you don’t know the exact terms. Eg: “شي تلفزيون” can easily mean “things relating to television”

خلص تطلع ع برا

Fine, get outside

برا وين؟

Outside where?

؟ cool انزل ع بيروت؟ كتير واوو؟ و

Go to Beirut? Be someone “wow” and “cool” ?

مسيح جوخ

be a bootlicker

• the phrase is often used to describe that one employee in the office who always do things to get in the good books of his/her boss -which behaviour annoys the rest of the staff

برا قصدي شي قناة برا محترمة او هيك مراسل

Outside – I mean some sort of channel, something respectful…or be a reporter

خلدون منصورمن قناة”…شو بعرفني؟”

“Khaldoun Mansour, reporting from…”…what do I know?!

• People often say “شو بعرفني” to mean “what do I know?” or “how am I supposed to know?!”

قناة رياضية

A sports channel

بس بس بس

That’s enough

بفضل ابقى هون احسن وقتا

I prefer to stay here, it’s better

اشتقتلك يا عرص

I missed you, buddy

• WARNING: عرص does not mean “buddy” so please don’t go calling your friends عرص
• In fact, it’s a vulgur word that probably best translates to “bastard” or “pimp” in English
• Here, in this context, since Khaldoun and Karim are good friends, the word was said in a light-hearted manner and was not intended to cause offense (just like how we can get away with swearing at our best friends..simply cause they are our best friends)

صارلي زمان مو شايفك

It has been so long since I last seen you

والله يا استاذ بدك تشوف صاحبك قريبا غريندايزرعن حق وحقيق ؟

I swear, you will see your friend become a true Grendizer

• عن حق وحقيق= truly

شو قصدك؟

What do you mean?

قررت انضام الاسعاف الشعبي

I’ve decided to join the civilian ambulance unit

شو؟ شو بدك تموت؟ انت تعرف هدول شو؟

What? Do you want to die? Do you know what they are like?

انت تعرف..؟

Do you know…

!ما بدي اعرف

I don’t want to know!

لأ بدك تعرف!

No, you got to know!

حبيبي بيشتغلوا ليل مع نهار

These guys work day and night

ما بيعرفوا خوف ما بيعرفوا موت

without any fear of death

طلعوا ناس من تحت الانقاض من تحت القصف

evacuating people from under the rubbles and the shellings

لك احسن هدول قاعدين قدام الكاميرات قدام التلفزيونات

they are much better than the people that appear on TV

عم تنظرواعلينا

   preaching to us (but never practicing what they preach)

لابسين غرافيتات متل حضرتك

wearing neck ties like you

• حضرتك is the formal version of “you”; of course in this scene, the formal version is intentionally used to make Khaldoun seems like one of those important men in politics/media etc

شو..شو بك؟

What’s wrong (with my tie)?

انا عندي درس

I got class

تروح ع درس؟

You’re going to class (dressed like that?!)

ولك بدي ابقى عندك شغلة يومين اه

Hey, I will stay at your place for two days or so

• شغلة is added to create the uncertainness – “شغلة يومين” = two days or so

ايه ايه اكيد ولو

Sure, of course

• ولو is a common word said to mean “of course” but has the connotation of “come on, there’s no need to ask, of course you can stay”
• often said to good friends/relatives/family members who ask you for a small favour

بس لتروق الأوضاع وبروح

Once things calm down, I’ll leave

طبعا طبعا

Sure

دير بالك ع حلك سلام

Take care of yourself, bye

يعطيك العافية

Hello (May God give you health)

اهلا استاذ كريم

Hello Mr Karim

تفضل

Come in

 استاذ كريم بدك لأ تواخذني انا لازم امشي هلأ

Mr Karim, I hope you don’t mind, I have to go now

• لأ تواخذني = don’t take offense/ don’t be offended

اي ولا يهمك خد راحتك

Don’t worry, take your time

هدا حسابك

Here’s your pay

كتر خيرك

Thank you so much (May God increase your good fortune)

تفضل

Please

شكرا

Thanks

كنا سبعة بالشلة

There were seven of us in our clique

• شلة refers to “clique” – the group of friends you always hang out after school etc

نص مع ونص ضد

Some are pro, some are against

اجى الحرب وتركوا واحد ورا تاني

The war came and one by one, they started to leave

حمادة صار موظف في جماعية تركية

Hamada is now employed in an association in Turkey

ويوسف عم يعمل مطرب بلبنان

and Yousef is becoming a singer in Lebanon

سامي اختفئ

Sami disappeared

عمرعم بأرجل بالمانيا

Omar is smoking sheesha in Germany

زينون عم يتعاطى مخدرات باليونان

Zeynoun is doing drugs in Greece

• Verb VI تعاطى – بتعاطى is always used to describe “doing drugs” or “abusing drugs”

خلدون كن اكتر واحد متهور

Khaldoun was the most reckless among us

وانا كريم – استاذ خصوص

And I’m Karim, a private tutor

امشي حد الحيط وقول يا رب الستر

I live my life minding my own business

(Lit: I walk close to the wall)

• يا رب الستر is a prayer to ask God to cover up wrongdoings/sins but in this context it was said to ask God for protection from troubles – to stay out of troubles and not to cause troubles to anyone (i.e. live a simple life, keep one’s affairs to oneself and keep out of others’ affairs)
• “بمشي من الحيط للحيط وبقول يا رب الستر” and “بمشي جنب الحيط وبقول يا رب الستر” are similar phrases with the same meaning

!شو في؟ لحظة لحظة

What’s happening? Wait, hold on!

• لحظة = ” a moment”

 حياتي ما عملت شي

I never did anything in my entire life

والله ما عملت شي

I swear I never did anything

ولا حتى بحياتي واقف مع هاد او هاد ولا حكيت او كتبت ع الفيس متل ما بتوصيني امي

Not a moment in my life did I side with somebody, said anything or posted anything on Facebook like how my mother instructed me

وليكي تحت العرض بين أربعة حيطان

But look, here I am – underground surrounded by four walls

• The Form II Verb “to stand” (وقف – بوقف + مع) can be used to mean “to side with someone or to stand by someone
• Eg: مو انت رفيقي؟ ليش ما وقفّت معي بأوقاتي الصعبة؟ -Aren’t you my friend? Why didn’t you stand by me during my difficult times
• The Form II Verb (وصى – بوصي) can have different nuances in meanings depending on contexts. The most common meaning is “to instruct” (but not in a strict manner.) For example…

نسيت شو وصيتني مبارح, شو كان بدك؟

I forgot what you ask of me (“instruct”) yesterday. What was that you wanted?

وصيتك تجيبلي علبة حليب

I asked (“instructed”) you to get me a carton of milk

• Another common phrase that makes use of the verb is بتوصيني بشي؟(betwasinee bi shii). It  is often said to family members and close relatives as a form of courtesy before leaving a place or even a country. For example…

يلا انا رايح ,بتوصيني بشي؟

I’m going off now, do you want/need anything?

لا سلامتك

No, it’s okay, thanks

***

If you’re interested in watching the rest of the series, do watch the first video – the beginning here before choosing the character you want to follow.

Take care and I’ll see  ya in the hosh,

Lyn

The post Undocumented بدون قيد [Syrian] appeared first on theLevanTongue.

Today, I’m Quitting My Job

This episode is one of my favourites from the Beirut, I Love You series. The Lebanese dialect is probably the one that I’m least exposed to and the hardest to grasp. Anyway, English subtitles are already included in the video – so here’s the Arabic transcript!

هديك المرة كنت قاعد مع خوري بكنيسة

One day I was sitting with a priest in a church

*خوري is a common Christian surname and it also refers to “priest” in Arabic

وخبرني انو كل يوم لمدة تلاتين سنة كان يشوف ذات الزلمة، يجي ع تمانة ونص ع بكرا يركع ويصلي

And he told me that every day for thirty years, he saw a man came at 8:30 early in the morning, getting down on his knees and praying

يا الله بتشكرك ع هالنعمة

Dear God, I thank you for this grace

كل اليوم بدون استثناء لمدة تلاتين سنة

Every day, without exception, for thirty year

ففي نهار بيقوم هالخوري وبيسألو: يا خي شو هي هالنعمة يللي أعطاك إياها الله لهالقد تكون ممنونله

So one day the priest goes to him and ask “What is the grace that God has provided you with to make you this thankful/grateful to Him?”

نحنا كل شي منصلي وبعد ما إجانا شي منو

We sit here and pray all day and have not received anything from Him

قام جاوبه هالزلمة: الوعية.الوعية أكبر نعمة من الله

The guy replied “Waking up, waking up in the morning is the greatest gift from God”

الوعية

Waking up

alarmأنا شو بعمل وقت تدق هال

What do I do when my alarm rings?

بفتح عيوني

I open my eyes

بقوم من الفرشة

Get out of bed

وبحضر حالي تأكون طارق يللي مطلوب مني

And adjust myself to be the Tareq that they expect of me

بتطلع بهالمراية يللي قرفان منها

I look at myself in the mirror with disgust

بجرب قرر من اشيا ما بتفرق معي، بس بعيونن بتعمل كل الفرق

Try to decide between futile things that I could hardly care about but which in their eyes makes all the difference

وببلش يومي

And begins my day

اليوم ما رح يختلف ولا شوي عن إللي مضى أو عن إللي جاي

a day that will not differ at all, neither from the previous nor the upcoming days

بطلع بالسرفيس وبتساءل: كم زلمة وعيوا اليوم مع البسمة ع وجهن؟

I get in the taxi and start to wonder “How many people in the world woke up today with a smile on their face?”

مع إني عارف إنو الجواب أقل من واحد بالمية

Despite knowing that the answer is less than one percent

بوصل ع الشغل يللي مش طايقه بس مجبور فيه لأنو الفواتير عم تتكدس عندي بالبيت

I arrived to work that I despise but am forced to do because of all the bills stacking up endlessly at home

بقعد وببلش شغلي يللي طلع من مناخيري

I sit and begin my work that I loathe

وبرجع بتذكر قصة هيدا الخوري

Only to remember the story of the priest

أحلى فترة بحياتي وقتا كنت صغير

The best times of my life was when I was a kid

جهلان ومش سئلان

Ignorant and carefree

وقتا كنت ولد, كان عندي حلم

When I was a kid, I had a dream

بس ع كبر مات الحلم

But as I got older, the dream died

وعلقت بهالروتين

And I got stuck in this routine

بس اليوم

But today

اليوم تحديدا

Precisely today

رح ينبسط مني هالولد

I will make that little kid proud

لانو اليوم ـ اليوم رح اترك شغلي

Because today, today I’m quitting my job

يعني أنا ما عم بستوعب يللي قلتلي إياه

I don’t understand [comprehend] what you’re saying

معقول راسك؟

Are you for real?

شو فكرت يعني؟ ما فهمت شو برم في مخك

what were you thinking? I don’t understand…what went through your mind?

لحتى عم بتقلي إنه تركت شغلك

Till the extent that you’re telling me you quit your job

شو به مخك؟

What is wrong with you?

لك كل الناس عم تقتل حالا عم تتفلفل لحتى تلاقي شغل

People are killing themselves to find a job

وانت على البارد المستريح بتترك شغلك؟

And you, out of the blue, quit yours?

ولك بك شي يا إبني؟

Are you insane?

تعبت وما كنت مبسوط

I was tired and unhappy

!يا نوسك

How cute of you!

اهم شي انو الواحد يكون مبسوط؟

As if it’s important for someone to be happy

ما فكرت ولا بمستقبلك ولا فكرت كيف بدك طالع مصاري ولا فكرت كيف بدك تعيش

Don’t you think of your future or how you’re going to make a living, or how you’re going to survive?

هيك يعني؟

Is this how it’s going to be?

امبلا رح كون ممثل

Yeah I did, I’m going to be an actor

ممثل؟ شو انا ربيت مارلون براندو هون عندي بالبيت؟

An actor? I don’t recall raising you up to be the next Marlon Brando

بفهم إنو بتحب الهوايات وشجعناك عالهوايات وبتحب السينما

I understand that you have hobbies and that we encourage you such as your love for cinema

!بس لهون وبس

But that’s about it!

شو رح يقولوا عنا العالم؟ شو رح يقولوا عني الناس أنا؟

What will people think? What will people say about me?

لو فيي كنت تركت هالبلد تأترك هالناس

If I could, I would have left this country and these people behind

بس إذا بفل من هون بدي روح ع بلد وين فيني لاقي ناس متلو

But if I leave, I want to go to a country where I can find people like him

متله..متله..متله..متله وحتى متله

or him…him…him…him…or even him

ومتلا

and like her

اذا بفل وين بتكوني؟

If I leave, where will you be?

وين بتكوني انتي؟

Where will I find someone like you?

بكرا

Tomorrow

خلينا نأجلا لبكرة

Let’s postpone it to tomorrow

بس بكرة

But tomorrow

بكرة عنجد

Tomorrow, seriously

رح اترك شغلي

I’m quitting my job

~~~

NOTES:

There are two common phrases that are found here that you, too, can use in your everyday life – especially when you’re frustrated and having a bad day.

#01: مش طايق/مش طايقة

Meaning: (I) hate/loathe/can’t stand/despise…

Example:

ماني / مش طايقة احكي معو

I  can’t stand talking to him

#02: طلع من مناخيري

So the word مناخير refers to ‘nose’ and the phrase literally means that something “came out of my nose”.

It is a phrase to express your frustration and anger over something or a situation.

For example:

هي مو مبسوطة مع جوزا وحياتا معو طالعة من مناخيرا

She is not happy living with her husband and her life with him is “coming out of her nose” – > She is frustrated and annoyed with her marriage life.

That’s it, folks!

Do watch the rest of the series on YouTube – the series is definitely worth checking out especially if you’re learning Lebanese Arabic.

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

Lyn

P.S If you haven’t already, do subscribe to my newsletter and never miss a post!

The post Beirut I Love You – Episode 5 Lyom Ra7 Etrok Cheghleh [Lebanese] appeared first on theLevanTongue.

الحب الحب is a recent Jordanian series featuring Rajae Qawas which got aired last year. Roya Comedy has uploaded snippets of each episode in its YouTube channel where you can check them out.

Short clips are sure a great way of squeezing in some listening practice into a busy schedule without being overwhelmed. The only annoying thing in the video is the background music…

Yallah, ready? Let’s go!

تيتة morning,ياسمينا

Yasmina, Morning teita

• It’s pretty common for elders to call their children/grandchildren the same term – eg: mama/baba/teita  (although I find it pretty weird lol)
• Teita can either be spelled as تيتا or تيتة

ياللة حبيبتي قومي قومي ع الدوام

Yallah darling, get up for work

• Depending on the context, دوام can refer to both work and school

لأ لأ ما بدي ما بدي

No, I don’t want to

عندك دوام يالله حبيبتي قومي

You have work, yallah darling, get up

ما في دوام اليوم

No work today

ما في دوام ؟ كيف هادا؟ على اي اساس؟ يالله قومي قومي

No work? How is that so? On what basis? Yallah, get up, get up

على الأساس انا هيك قررت خلص تيتة

On the basis that I just decided not to (go to work). Enough, teita

هيك قررتي؟

Is this what you decided?

اه

Yeah

طيب

Fine

يا الله  تيتة مشان الله سكريه

Oh God! Grandma, for God’s sake, close it

انتي قومي سكريه انا ما دخلني

You get up and close it, it’s none of my business

ياسمينا لأمتى بدنا نضل هيك تيتة

Yasmina, till when do we have to remain like this, teita?

هايني منيحة

Here I am – feeling great

صباح الخير

Good morning

صباح النور

Good morning

ياسمينا انتي هيك مقتنعة بشعرك؟

Yasmina, you’re satisfied with your hair?

• مقتنع/مقتنعة  literally means “convinced”

هيك احسن؟

Is this better?

ياسمينا البابا اتصل ياسمينا, بسألني ليش ما تردي عليه

Yasmina, your father called. He asked me why didn’t you pick up his call

• Verb VIII to call/contact someone اتصل- بتصل
• Verb I to answer/respond رد – برد

لأني لو بدي ارد عليه كنت رديت عليه, مش طايقة احكي معو هاليومين

If I wanted to reply him, I would have done so.

I can’t stand to talk to him these days

وانتي متى كنتي طايقة تحكي معو؟

Since when were you able to tolerate talking to him?

• مش طايق \ مش طايقة –  can’t stand/bear/tolerate something/someone
• Eg: I (male) can’t stand him –  مش طايقو; I (female) can’t stand him – مش طايقتو

مشان الله تيتة هلأ مش وقته

For God’s sake, teita, now is not the time

حبيبتي هادا بابا وبضل بابا ما بيصيربتضلك تتجانبيه ما بيصير

My dear, your father remains your father. You can’t continue to avoid him, you simply can’t!

• ما بيصير = you can’t do that; it’s a no-no
• Verb VI to avoid تجانب – بتجانب

هدا بابا لما جاي ع باله, لما ما جاي ع باله انا مو موجدة بحياته

Father is only like this when he felt like so. If he do not feel like it, it is as if I do not exist in his life

 بعرف بعرف حبيبتي معك حق بس قالي انو مشتاقلك, لازم تعطيه فرصة

I know darling, I know. You’re right. But he told me that he misses you. You have to give him an opportunity/chance

ان شاء الله لازم اطلع ع الشغل تأخرت

InshAllah (God willing). I have to go to work now, I’m already late

• Verb VI to be late تأخَر- بتأخر

لأ, تاكلي ساندويتشك بالأول

No, eat your sandwich first

تيتة والله مو جاء ع بالي

Teita, wallah, I don’t feel like it

ياسمينا انتي تعرفي شوبالنسبة الي الفطور خط احمر

Yasmina, you know how I feel with regards to breakfast – it’s a no- no

• خط احمر literally means “a red line” – thus a no-no/off limit/off topic etc

مشان الله مش وقته تكوني غريبة هلأ

For God’s sake, now is not the time for you to be weird

لأ وقتا وقتا وقتا تاكلي ساندويتش وتشربي شاي وبعدين بتروحي يالله يالله

No, it’s the time. Eat your sandwich and drink your tea. Only then you can go. Yallah

• Some Arabs (especially Syrians) would say وقتا instead of وقتها

Phrase of the day

• جاي على بالي – to feel like doing something

جاي على بالي اكل بيتزا

I feel like eating pizza

جاي على بالنا نروح على السينما

We feel like going to the cinema

**Add the negation (ما/مو/مش) and you’ll get the opposite**

• مو جاي على بالي – to not feel like doing something

مش جاي على بالي اروح على أي محل

I don’t feel like going anywhere

***

I hope you’ve learned a thing or two! As usual, let me know your thoughts in the comment section

Take care and I’ll see ya in the hosh,

Lyn

The post Learn Jordanian Arabic through the Alhob Alhob show appeared first on theLevanTongue.

Let’s build our vocabulary and practice listening through clips that are available on YouTube. In this post, I will provide the transcript from various parts of Episode #12,  اختي [my sister] from the series رجائي كائن عدائي 

Background information:

The series explores the various negative behaviours/mindsets that are prevalent in society.

The title itself means “Rajae being hostile” or simply put “Rajae being a jerk” (Rajae is a famous Jordanian actor and comedian.)

I enjoyed watching the series when I first started learning Levantine Arabic. And I hope you will too!

The video:

 clip starts at 1:05

I would suggest watching the full clip first to get the gist of what it’s about and to train your listening skills. It’s also helpful if you note down the phrases/words that you are able to catch as you watch along.

Let’s get started!

Time (01:12)

وين, وين-

Where are you going?

 شو يلي وين هاي, شو دخلك؟-

What do you mean by “where”? It’s none of your business

 ايش ايش شو يلي دخلني؟-

What do you mean “it’s none of my business” ?!

• The question “شو دخلك؟” is often impolitely asked to mean “what’s your involvement in this?” or “how does this concern you?” and thus share the English equivalent of “it’s none of your business/it’s none of your concern.
• Similarly, شو  دخلني؟, can be said when you’re feeling nonchalant and could not be bothered to get involved in a matter. For example, you can say شو  دخلني؟ in order to avoid being dragged into a heated discussion between two friends.

Time (01:28)

 انت وين عايش اخي؟ بأي عصر ؟-

Brother, where are you living? In which era?

 ما انتي بتموت على عولمة وديمقراطية-

Aren’t you the one who’s crazy about globalisation and democracy?

• To بموت على something is to be crazy/obsessed over that something. The phrase is also commonly used to refer to cravings. Eg: I’m craving/dying for Knafeh (traditional Palestinian dessert) = انا بموت على الكنافة

 Hannadyبال gym, ايش ايش ايش ايش شو دخل العولمة بالحرية, بال

What?! What does globalisation got to do with freedom, gym and Hannady?!

Time (01:38)

طب, بحكيلك, فيش طالعة من البيت-

Fine, i’ll tell you what…no going out of the house!

 انا كتير خفت منك….يا اللة, شايف شايفني كيف عم برجف-

I’m so afraid of you…Oh God, look, look how I’m shivering

• “طب” is the short form of “طيب” which means “fine” or “Ok”
• “فيش” is the same as “ما في”
• In the Jordanian/Palestinian dialect, “ش”  acts as a negation when added at the end of verbs. For example,  بعرفش is the same as ما بعرف (I don’t know)

Time (01:48)

الو, ماما وينك؟-

Hello Mama, where are you?

عند ام محجوز, عم نحضر بالعرس ابنها عالدي في دي-

I’m at Um Mahjooz’s. We are watching the wedding of her son on DVD.

ماما, ابنك حبسني بالبيت-

Mama, your son locked me up in the house!

•  The verb “حبس” means to imprison/lock up/trap someone

Time (01:57)

و ليش تتطاوش مع اهلك؟-

Why did you argue/fight with your family/parents?

لاني حبست اختي بالبيت-

Because I locked my sister up in the house

وللل يا زام, شو اهلها هدول ما بحترم الحقوق الأخ-

Man…what kind of family is that to not respect the rights of the brother?!

• The verb VI “تطاوش” means to argue or fight with someone. Similarly, the noun “طوشة” means a fight or a scuffle and it’s often used to describe a fight between men that takes place on streets.
• “يا زام” is the short form of “يا زلمة

Time (02:21)

وانت ليش ماشي معنا؟-

and why are you walking with us?

وانتي شو دخلك؟-

it’s none of your concern

طيب, طيب, ياللة يا شاطر ياللة حبيبي ياللة روء روء خلص الحارة كلها عرفت انك زلمة-

Fine, fine..yallah clever one, yallah my dear, yallah, calm down, calm down…it’s okay, the whole neighbourhood knows that you’re a “man”

• روء is said to mean “calm down”, “relax” or simply asking someone to take a chill pill
• شاطر is used to describe an intelligent (male) student. Of course in this context, it’s being said sarcastically

Time (3:13)

انا برضاش حدا يجيب سيرة اختي بكلمة-

I don’t tolerate anyone talking about my sister

• You can see here once again the use of “ش” at the end of the verb (برضى) as a negation.
• The verb برضى means to be satisfied/to be willing. In the above context, it’s said to suggest  “I’m not having any of it” [Don’t talk about my sister!]
• To bring (ييجيب) someone’s biography (سيرة) is a common expression to mean talking about someone/bring up the topic of someone
• بكلمة is said for added emphasis. Not even a single word about my sister

Time (3:23)

اوف…خلص خلص سكّرالموضوع, سكّر الموضوع-

Oof, that’s enough, let’s end the topic

• The verb “سكر” means to close

Time (4:04)

ما عارفنا مستر محمد؟-

Don’t we know each other Mr. Mahmud?

شو جايبك هون ولكِ؟-

What brought you here?!

جاية اشوف قلة الأدب اللي انت فيها-

I came to see the inappropriateness of your behaviour

• “قلة الأدب” generally refers to impolite/indecent behaviours that are deemed to be socially unacceptable. A synonym would be قليل الأدب
• اللي انت فيها literally means “that you’re in”

ولك مجنونة انتي؟-

Are you crazy?

مين هاي اللي معك؟-

Who’s this that you’re with?

عفوا ما بعرف انه مصاحب-

Sorry but I didn’t know that he’s attached

 مش صاحبته يا حبيبتي انا اخته. جاية احط حد ل قلة الأدب اللي عم بيصير-

I’m not his girlfriend, I’m his sister. I came here to put a stop to the inappropriateness that is happening now.

• حط حد is “to put a limit on” or “to put a stop to” something. In this context, the woman is calling his brother out for his action that is deemed as inappropriate by society (being seen with another woman in public)

ولكِ شو بتخبصي مجنونة ؟-

What nonsense are you spouting?!

• شو بتخبص is said when someone is spouting nonsense – what are you blabbering about?!

 مش هدا اطلبك معي؟ كل ما شوفني مع حدا حتى لو كنت عام بشتري من خضرجي-

Isn’t this what you demanded of me? Every time you see me with someone even if I was buying (something) from the grocer..

ولكِ روحي عالبيت لحدا شوفكِ هون يفكرجاية تأرجيلي-

Go back to the house, someone will see you here and think that you came here to smoke argilla

حد متل مين؟ ابن جيران لصاحبك رجائي؟ اطمن حبيبي هدا اللي بحرشك وبحكيلك دير بالك على اختك وبيصير زلمة على اختك؟ هدا عم ينتقم مني لاني ما عطيته وج يا حمار

Someone like who? Our neighbours’ son, Rajae, who’s your friend? Rest assured habibi, this is the person who kept telling you stuffs and tells you to keep an eye over your sister and to control her.  He’s taking revenge on me because I snubbed him, stupid!

• I have no idea what’s بحرشك means but I’m assuming she meant “بحرضك” which means “he incited you (against me)”; to feed someone stories in an attempt to stir up trouble
• دير بالك on its own means “take care”; to دير بالك على someone is to take care of someone/watch over that someone; دير بالك من someone is to be careful/wary of someone
• بيصير زلمة على اختك = to have control over your sister (Lit: being a man towards your sister)
• Verb VII to take revenge: انتقم – بنتقم
• ما عطيته وج  literally means “I did not give him a face” And what she meant by that is “I ignored him/ I snubbed him”
• حمار (donkey) is of course a popular word to insult someone – to call someone stupid or a fool amongst other things

استني بس افهميني شوي-

Wait, try to understand me

نعم؟-

Yes?

فعلا كلامك صح انا آسف-

مو انا اللي غيرك وانتي اختي حبيبتي ما النا غير بعض

Actually, you’re right, I’m sorry. Don’t you have only me (besides yourself) and you’re my sister, my dear one, we don’t have anyone except each other.

• كلامك صح = your words are right

 مروح عالبيت؟

So you’re going home?

لا قاعد شوي بس بوصَلك وبرجع-

No, I will sit here for a while longer. But I will give you a lift and return

• The verb II وصّل  means to give someone a lift/ride [Lit: to cause someone to arrive somewhere]

لا لا لا مش مشكلة باخد تاكسي-

No, no, no. Not a problem, I’ll take a taxi

لا لا لا بوصلك-

No, no, no, I’ll give you a ride home

لا ولك خلص كمل قعدتك عنجد باخد تاكسي يا لله باي-

No, stop it, remain seated. I’m serious, I’ll take a taxi. Yallah bye

ايوااا احكي هيك من الاول بدك تاخدي تاكسي عشان يقل ادبو –

معاكي

Ahaa why don’t you say from the beginning? You want to take a taxi so that he (the driver) can behave inappropriately towards you

• يقل ادبو literally means he lowers/reduces his good manners/virtues (and thus acts inappropriately); they behave inappropriately would be  يقلوا ادبهم
• معِك is just another way of saying معاكي

ولك انت صاير نسخة عن صاحبك…كائن عدائي

You’re becoming just like your friend…a complete jerk!

• “نسخة” means “a copy”
• صاير نسخة عن – Saayir nuskha 3an someone = to become like someone [Lit: to become a copy of someone]
• “كائن عدائي” literally means “a hostile being”

***

That’s it! Take care and I’ll see ya in the hosh,

Lyn

The post Learn Spoken Arabic and explore stereotypes via an entertaining Jordanian series. appeared first on theLevanTongue.