In each post, I will demonstrate how just by knowing one verb in its three-letter root form (Form I) will enable you to use the verb in its other forms.

I always thought that it makes more sense to be taught all the verbs from the same root at the same time rather than at different points in the language journey.

The meanings of the verb in its other forms can easily be guessed once you grasp how the 10-verbs form system works.

And I hope to demonstrate that through sentence examples and seeing for yourself the pattern that arises.

This series of posts might be especially useful for those learning Spoken Arabic without any formal background in MSA/Fosha.

So for the first post of an ongoing series, we’ll begin with a simple verb:

عرف

In Spoken Arabic, the verb عرف can be used in the following forms:

• Verb Form I
• Verb Form II
• Verb Form V
• Verb Form VII
• Verb Form VIII

*Note: Audio recordings in this post were recorded by native Syrian speakers.

Verb Form I

Meaning:

• to know
• to recognise/identify

Conjugation table:

*Inflection of verbs does differ slightly between North and South Levantine. 

Audio for the North Levantine’s verb conjugation by a native Syrian speaker:

Sentence examples:

• to know

شكلك مألوف، بعتقد اني بعرفك

You look familiar, I think I know you

 ما كِنت بعرف أنو عندك حساسية للمأكولات البحرية

I didn’t know that you are allergic to seafood

زوجي ما عرف أنو عيد ميلادي كان مبارح

My husband did not know that yesterday was my birthday

كِنتي بتعرفي ولا مابتعرفي أنو كان لازم تسلمي المشروع اليوم؟

Did you (f) know or did you not know that you were supposed to submit your project today?

مجموعة الأولاد غشّوا بفحصهن (بفحصهم) الأخير على الرغم من أنو بيعرفوا أنو ممكن ينفصلوا بسبب هي الشغلة

The group of boys cheated on their final tests even though they knew they could get expelled

• to recognise/identify

In Spoken Arabic, natives use the Form I to refer to both “know” and “recognise/identify”. Whether they mean “know” or “recognise/identify” will thus depend on the context.

Note that for contexts with a more serious or formal tone, the verb Form V is used instead to refer to “recognise/identify”. 

ما عرفتك بقصة شعرك الجديدة

I could not (did not) recognise you with your new haircut

جواد ضعف كتير لدرجة ما قدر يعرف حالو بالمراية

Jawad lost a lot of weight to the point that he cannot recognise himself in the mirror

بيقولو انو الطفل بيعرف صوت امو دغري بعد الولادة

It is said that a child (can) recognise its mother’s voice soon after birth

حابة اشتري هاد الفستان اونلاين بس كيف بدي أعرف الأصلي من التقليد؟

I want to buy this dress online but how can I tell [recognise/know] the original from the fake?!

شفت شي عم يطير بالسما اليوم بس ما قدرت أعرف شو هو

I saw something flying in the sky today but I could not identify what it was

Verb Form II

Meanings:

• to introduce
• to define
• How Would I Know?!

Conjugation table:

*Inflection of verbs does differ slightly between North and South Levantine. 

Audio for the North Levantine’s verb conjugation by a native Syrian speaker:

Sentence examples:

• to introduce

سامي، بدي أعرّفك على أخوي الأصغر مني ،حسين

Sami, I would like to introduce you to my younger brother, Hussein.

تعال على حفلتي بكرى. بدي أعرّفك على رفقاتي

Come to my party tomorrow. I want to introduce you to my friends

ممكن تعرّفني على مديرك؟ بتمنى أنو أشتغل بشركتك بعد التخرج

Is it possible for you to introduce me to your manager? I hope to work at your company after graduation.

انفصلت ليزا عن صديقا (صديقها) من جديد، وكل رفقاتا (رفقاتها) عم يحاولوا يعرّفوها على رفقاتهن (رفقاتهم) الشباب

Lisa has just broken up with her boyfriend and all her friends are trying to introduce her to their male friends.

• to define

طيب يا صفّ, سؤال…كيف بتعرّفوا السعادة؟

Ok class, a question…how do you define happiness?

ونستون تشرشل بيعرّف النجاح على أنه القدرة على الانتقال من الفشل للفشل من دون فقدان الحماس

Winston Churchill defines success as the ability to go from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm

• How Would I Know?!

This got to be one of my favourite phrases because it is usually said either in a tone of exasperation that may involve some eye-rolling, or in a tone of indifference like a half-arsed reply

So the phrase is…

شو بيعرّفني / شو بعرّفني

and you can translate it as “how would I know?”, “how am I supposed to know?”, “how in the world am I supposed to know”, “how the h*ll am I supposed to know”…you get the drift.

Here are some examples:

مين كسر الصحن؟-
وانا شو بيعرّفني؟ بكون حدا من الصغار-

Who broke the plate? // How would I know? It could be one of the children

 امتى رح ينتهي الفيروس؟-
الله أعلم, أنا شو بيعرّفني؟-

When will the virus end? // God only knows, how would I know?

Verb Form V

Meanings:

• to get to know s/one
• to be introduced to s/one or s/thing
• to get to know about something [~to learn/discover]
• to identify/recognise  (for contexts with a more serious/formal vibe)

Conjugation table:

*Inflection of verbs does differ slightly between North and South Levantine. 

Audio for the North Levantine’s verb conjugation by a native Syrian speaker:

Sentence examples:

كيف تعرّفت على ابن عمي حسين؟

How did you know my cousin Hussein?

تعرّفت على حسين بحفلة عيد ميلاد روان السنة الماضية

I got to know Hussein during Rawan’s birthday party last year.

هي تعرّفت على زوجها من خلال رحلة عمل لاسبانيا، ورح يحتفلوا بعيد زواجهن (زواجهم) العاشر الشهر الجاي

She got to know her husband during a business trip to Spain and they will be celebrating their 10th anniversary next month.

العروس والعريس تعرّفوا على بعضهم من خلال صديقهم المشترك

The bride and groom were introduced to each other through a mutual friend

بتصدقوا؟ تعرّفنا على الملكة رانيا الليلة الماضية خلال حفلة خاصّة

Can you (pl) believe it? We were introduced to Queen Rania last night at a private function

شوف هاد الفيديو ورح تتعرّف أكتر عن تاريخ هي (هاي) الدولة

Watch this video and you’ll get to know (learn) more about the history of this country

حضرنا المحاضرة مبارح وتعرّفنا على فوائد التأمل

We attended the lecture yesterday and got to know a lot about the benefits of meditation

(الدفاع المدني لاقو جثث بالبحر بس ما حدا قدر يتعرّف عليهن (عليهم

The Civil Defense found dead bodies in the sea but nobody was able to identify them

Verb Form VII

This verb form is the passive version of verb Form I.

Passive meaning that there is no subject performing the action of the verb. In other words, there is no doer of the action.

Since the tense is passive, this verb form is not as common in Spoken Arabic as the other forms.

Conjugation table:

*Inflection of verbs does differ slightly between North and South Levantine. 

Audio for the North Levantine’s verb conjugation by a native Syrian speaker:

Here are some examples:

لسا ما انعرف امتى رح يخلص الحجر

It is not yet known when the quarantine will be over

هاد الشي بينعرف لما يلاقو لقاح للمرض

This will be known when they find a vaccine for the illness

للأسف ما في دليل كافي لينعرف القاتل

(Lit. Unfortunately, there is not enough evidence for the killer to be identified)

~ Unfortunately, there is not enough evidence to identify the killer

Verb Form VIII

Meaning:

• to admit, confess, acknowledge
• to recognise (in the political sense)

Conjugation table:

*Inflection of verbs does differ slightly between North and South Levantine. 

Audio for the North Levantine’s verb conjugation by a native Syrian speaker:

Sentence examples:

عمر مابقت يصدّق خطيبته بعدما اعترفتله بأنها كذبت عليه عن ماضيها

Omar could no longer trust his fiancé after she confessed to lying to him about her past

على الرغم من أنو حسن اعترف أنو هو كان على خطأ وندمان على أخطائو، أهلو ما سامحوه

Even though Hassan has acknowledged that he was wrong and regretful for his wrongdoings, his parents did not forgive him

حبيبتي، أنا أسف، أنا بعتذر.. بعترف اني غلطت معك

Darling, I’m sorry, I apologise…I admit that I’ve wronged you

مجموعة الشباب المراهقين اعترفوا أنهن (أنهم) سرقوا من دكانة أبو علي

The group of teenage boys has confessed to stealing from Abo Ali’s shop

السودان كانت أول دولة اعترفت بسيادة جنوب السودان لما استقل ب ٢٠١١

Sudan became the first country to recognise South Sudan’s sovereignty when it gained independence in 2011

في كم دولة ما بتعترف بإنو تايوان دولة مستقلة

There are some countries that do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state

~End~

Note that the verb عرف also exists in verb X (Form 10) [استعرف – يستعرف] to mean “to ask for information”, but since it is rarely used in Spoken Arabic, I’ve decided to exclude it from this post.

Soooo are you able to see some sort of pattern from the examples provided?  The pattern or link between some verb forms might be more apparent than the others.

Anyhoo, here’s a picture taken from The 101 Most Used Verbs in Spoken Arabic by Fridrik Tiedemann that summarises how the 10-verbs form system works:

~~~

And…that’s it! The Arabic verb is, after all, JUST a three-letter word

If you found this post useful and would like me to continue with this series, make sure to leave a comment below!

Till then, take care, stay safe and I’ll see you around in the hosh.

Lyn

The post The Arabic Verb Is Just A Three-Letter Word: عرف (Levantine) 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.

In this post, I will share the Arabic transcript of Ahed Tamimi’s interview with AJ +. I also copied the English translation provided by AJ + so that it will be easy to compare both Arabic and English version of the sentences simultaneously.

Months ago, Ahed Tamimi was released from prison for slapping an Israeli soldier.

Today, you’ll learn some words in Palestinian Arabic from her.

احنا انشالله رح نكون الجيل الي بيسلم للجيل بعدنا الحرية

We, God Willing, are going to be the generation that hands over freedom to the next generation

لو حتى مقدرناش بيسلم الجيل بعد ما الحرية, نقدر انو نخلي الجيل اللي بعدنا

Even if we can’t pass on freedom to the next generation, we can make the generation after us

يثورعلى كل هاي الاحتلال وكل الظلوم عشان نقدر انو نحرر فلسطين

revolt against the occupation and all the injustices in order for us to free Palestine

BECOMING A PALESTINIAN ICON

لما كنتي بالسجن, شو اكتر اشي اشتاقتي؟

When you were in prison, what was the thing you missed the most?

اشتاقت انو اتطلع بالنجوم بسماء بدون ما اشوف شبك

I missed gazing at the stars in the sky without looking through bars

او انو امشي بالشارع عادي بدون كلابشات بدون اربع مرات توقعي

Or walking on the streets normally without tripping on shackles four times

احكيلي عن اليوم اللي ضربتي فيه الجندي, شو صار؟

Talk to me about the day you slapped the soldier. What happened?

كان الجندي يضلو يجاكرنا وينزل الدرج من درنا

The soldier was trying to provoke me and he would come down the stairs of our house.

بحكيلو انو ما تنزلش من هون بالنهاية هذا بيتي

I told him, “Don’t come down from here.” After all, this my house

بوقتا سمعت انو ابن عمي تصاوب بوجهو واخدوه على المستشفى

During that time, I heard that my cousin had been shot. He was shot in the face and then was taken to the hospital.

بوقتا الجندي اللي طخ ونزل واقف يطخ على الشباب من الباب الدار

After he shot him, the soldier came and started firing at people from the door of our house.

ف انا بحكيلو انو روح, مش حقك طخ من عنا من الدار يعني

I told him to leave and that it’s not his right t0 shoot [people] from our house.

طبعا هو ضل جاكرني بوقتا انا يعني عصبت وضربته

Of course, he continued to provoke me and that’s when I got angry and slapped him.

ما خفتي؟

You weren’t scared?

بالنهاية يعني واحد مش لازم يخلي الخوف يسيطرعليه

At the end of the day, a person shouldn’t allow their fear to take control of them.

من وين جبتي هاي الشجاعة

Where did you get this courage from?

انو انتي بنت تضربي واحد جندي مسلح ممكن يموتك؟

You, a girl, to slap an armed soldier who could probably kill you?

اهلي مربين انو دائما ما اسكتش عن الغلط

My parents raised me to never stay quiet when something wrong is happening.

انو دائما اوقف بوش الغلط

That I should always stand in the face of any wrongdoing

هاي الشجاعة يعني ردة الفعل على وجود الجندي اللي في بيتي

My courage was a normal reaction to the soldier being in my house

او على ارضي او بلدي او يطخ على اهل البلد

or on my land, or in my country, or shooting at my people

بعدما ضربتيه توقعتي انو ييجوا يعتقلوكي؟

After you hit him, did you think you’d be arrested?

اه توقعت. نزّلوني كلبشوني عن اول الدرج

Yeah, I expected it. They brought me down, handcuffed me at the top of the stairs.

حطوني بسيارة الجيش, تعمدا يضلوا يسبوا علي

Then they put me in the armored vehicle. They kept swearing at me,

يستفيزوني عشان اعمل اي اشي ليزيدو التهمة علي

provoking me just so I would react, just so they could add more charges against me

بس انو انا دائما حاولت اكون انو هادية. بعدين نقلوني على التحقيق

But I tried to remain calm the whole time. Afterward, they brought me into the interrogation.

احكيلي عن التحقيق

Tell me about the interrogation.

كان في اكتر من انتهاك

There were several violations.

الانتهاك الاول ما كان معاي مجندة طول الفترة التحقيق

The first violation: There was no female soldier with me throughout the entire interrogation.

كان محققين اثنين يحققوا معاي

There were two male soldiers interrogating me

الانتهاك الثاني كان انو فش لا عندي محامي ولا حدا من اهلي

The second violation: I didn’t have a lawyer or any family member

مع انو قاصر لازم تحققوا معاي

present with me even though I’m a minor

الانتهاك الثالث كان انو بحكو كلام كتير بذيئ بالتحقيق

The third violation: They were speaking to me inappropriately during the interrogation.

صار يحكيلي انو اتني حلوة, شعرك حلو, انتي متل اختي

He started saying, “You are pretty. You have nice hair. You look like my sister.”

والانتهاك الرابع هو انو هددني بافراد عيلتي

And the fourth violation: He threatened me with my family.

شو قلتي انتي؟

So what did you tell them?

انا بوقتها كنت اضل احكيلهم بلتزم بحق الصمت

At that time, I kept telling them that I was committed to my right to remain silent

وخلال السجن, كيف كانو يتعاملوكي؟

And during prison, how did they treat you?

كان يعني ضغط من ادارة السجن, ع كل البنات مو بس انا كعهد

We faced pressure from the prison administration, all the girls, not just me

من ناحية يسكرو الصف وقت كنا نتعلم

They would cancel our classes

*من ناحية = on the one hand

من ناحية انو بوقت دورة القانون الدولي الانساني اللي كنا ناخدها

During our international law or human rights courses,

كانو يعني كتير يضربوا الطوارئ عشان يرجعونا على غرف

they would sound the alarm to send us back to our cells

وقدمتي التوجيهي بالسجن؟

Did you take your [high school] exams in prison?

اه قدمت التوجيهي ونجهت ويعني عملت حفلة بالسجن

Yes, I took my finals, passed them and threw a party in prison.

عملنا كل البنات حفلة صغيرة. ان شاء الله رح اكمل مسيرتي هاي انو ادرس قانون

Me and the girls threw a small party in the prison. God Willing, I’m going to continue my career studying law

حتى اصير محامية ارفع قاضية بالمحاكم الدولية

in order to become a lawyer who files cases in international courts.

بطالب كل الناس حتى لو شكاوى فردية يرفع على دولة الاحتلال بمحاكم دولية

I ask everyone, even if they are an individual, to file a complaint against the occupation at the international courts

هدا اشي كتير بأثير

This seriously makes a difference.

هو طبعا في اطفال كتار غيرك بالسجن اسرائلية

There are obviously a lot of kids, aside from you, in Israeli prisons

 احكيلي عن الاسيرات  اللي تعرفتي عليهم جوا

Tell me about the female prisoners you met.

القاصيرات عنجد كانو اقوى اشي بالقسم كلو بالسجن

The minor prisoners were the strongest in all of the prison

فاهمين عنجد القضية. فاهمين شو لازم يعملو بالسجن

They understand our cause. They understand what they have to do in prison.

انا كنت مثال بسيط للاسرى

I was just a simple prisoner.

انهم اسرى مع احكام عالية. هدول بحاجة انو ننتبهلهم شوي

There are prisoners who have longer prison sentences. Those are the people who are in need of our attention.

هل عندك امل بتشوفي سلام بين الفلسطينين والاسرائلين بحياتك؟

Do you have hope that one day you’ll see peace between Palestinians and Israelis?

كنا عايشين من قبل فلسطين, اليهود, المسيحين والمسليمين

We used to live together in peace – Jews, Christians and Muslims.

بس يعني هاي صهيونية

But this is Zionism.

هاي اللي الاشي اللي بخلينا ما نكوش بالسلام بالمرة

It’s what is preventing peace from ever happening.

ف انو مشكلتنا دائما مش مع اليهود

Our problem was never with the Jews

 مشكلتنا مع صهيونية زي دائما بنحكيه

Our problem is with Zionism. This is what we’ve always said.

ايش بتحبي تقولي ل اي بنت اسرائلية بعمرك رح تخدم بالجيش بسنة الجاي؟

What would you like to say to any Israeli girl of your age who’s going to serve in the military next year?

بحب احكيلها انو انتي كيف اصلا ترضي ع حالك انو تروح تمسكي سلاح تقتلي بني آدم؟

I would like to tell her, how could you allow yourself to grab a gun and kill a human being?

عمري ما تخيلت حالي انو اقتل اي حدا

I could never imagine myself killing anybody

ممكن حتى لو بتجيبلي القتل خالي ماقدرش اقتله انو

Even if you brought me the person who killed my uncle,

كيف رح اقدر خلي حدا تاني عايش هاي معاناة؟

how could I allow this suffering to happen to someone else?

عنجد هدا الاشي صعب كتير مش اي حدا يتحمله

It’s really hard. Nobody can handle it.

بتمنى عنجد يرجعوا على انسانيتهم يعني لو مرة يصارحوا حالهم

I really wish they’d go back to their humanity. Even for once, they should be honest with themselves.

عشان انو يقدرو يفهمو الصح من الغلط

So that they can understand right from wrong.

icon سموكي

They have called you “the icon

الفلسطين, صرتي رمزفلسطين

of Palestine.” You’ve become a symbol of Palestine.

بتحسي انو هادا شرف ولا عبء عليكي؟

Do you feel this is something to be honored by, or is it a burden on you?

اكيد شرف لانو ولا مرة كانت القضية الفلسطينة عبء علينا

Of course, it’s an honor because the Palestinian cause has never been a burden

انو اقدر اوصّل صوت ل عالم

I was able to convey a voice to the world.

رسالتي كعهد انو عزل, مقاطعة وملاحقة اسرائيل كمجريم الحرب

My message as Ahed is: Isolate, boycott and pursue Israel as a war criminal

و طبعا ربط بين النضال الاجتماعي, النضال الوطني و النضال الاجتماعي التحرري

and unify the national struggle and social liberation movement

عشان يكون مو بس منحرر من الاحتلال

so that we don’t just free ourselves from the occupation

لأ لازم نناضل عشان يكون عندنا مجتمع

No, we have to fight for a society that

 في مساواة, في عدالة بين الرجل والمراة

has equality and justice between men and women

بين الكبير وبين الصغير ما عنجد انو لازم نربط بين هالشغلتين

between old and young. We really have to link these two things together.

انو ما كان تحرر من تحت الاحتلال في رح يكون دمار داخل فلسطين يعني

If it’s just liberation from occupation, there will be a mess inside Palestine.

لأ ,لازم يكون واعيين انو النضال الوطني لازم يكون مربوط في النضال الاجتماعي

No, we have to be aware that the national activism should be aligned with social activism

*النضال = struggle

~~~

That’s it! It’s definitely not enough to listen to the interview once. Listen to the interview as many times as you need such that you can grasp the words that Ahed is saying in the video.

I was able to catch about 80% of the interview and got a friend to help fill in the gaps. So listening practice can be tough but it’ll be worth it once your ears get accustomed to the sound.

Below are some additional observations that are useful.

Notes:

Pronunciation of letter qaf ق in Palestinian Arabic

It is known that most people don’t pronounce the letter qaf as it is in Spoken Arabic. The letter is usually pronounced correctly if the word has a religious connotation to it. For example, words found in the Quran should be pronounced correctly and the letter qaf should be pronounced correctly too.

I have mentioned in previous posts such as this that Jordanians often pronounce the letter qaf as a hamzah ء (like most Syrians, Lebanese and Palestinian too) or as a strong “g” sound (usually men).

However, depending on regions, some Palestinians do pronounce the letter qaf as kaf ك. In other words, like the English “k”.

If you listen carefully, there are some words where Ahed had pronounced the qaf as a kaf. Such words include:

توقعي

توقعت

Adding ش as negation

Adding the letter ش to the back of verbs is a way to negate their meanings.

For example, instead of saying

ما بقدر احكي

ma ba2dar aHki

I can’t say

you can also say:

بقدرش احكي

ba2darsh aHki

or

ما بقدرش احكي

ma ba2darsh aHki

I have written about the word (فش) that also acts to negate meanings in another post. Read more under the bonus section in the post here.

~~~

PS: Want to get real serious at learning Levantine Arabic and in need of a darn good book? Check out my review of a book that has helped me tremendously in my learning journey here

PSS: Below is a lovely song dedicated to her by Zain Jordan. Check it out!

That’s all folks! Hope you pick up new words in Palestinian Arabic from this post.

If you can spread the word about this site to others learning Levantine Arabic, that would be great!

Cheers

Lyn

The post Spoken Palestinian Arabic Transcript of Ahed’s Interview with AJ+ appeared first on theLevanTongue.

The obvious ones in the list are Mashrou’ Leila from Lebanon and Jadal from Jordan. But there are more bands and artists to check out apart from those two.

Some of them may not be producing music anymore but it’s still worth checking their awesome music out. Folk, ska, reggae, psychedelic rock and even rap…I’m sure there’s at least a band that’s of your liking -read on to discover all of them 

1. MASHROU’ LEILA (Lebanon)

GENRE: INDIE ROCK

Other Epic Songs by MASHROU’ LEILA:

• Raksit Leila
• Sawsan
• 3 Minutes
• Kalaam
• Falyakon

2. JADAL (Jordan)

GENRE: Alternative rock

Other Epic Songs by JADAL:

• Salma
• Nyalek
• Wahde Bteshbahek
• Ya Ahla Oyoun

3. AKHER ZAPHEER (Jordan)

GENRE: ROCK, GRUNGE

Other Epic Songs by Akher Zapheer:

• Dayman Mawjood
• Feekee
• Keef Akoun Sadeeq
• Hob Ayyam Zaman

4. MEEN (Lebanon)

GENRE: ROCK

Other Epic Songs by MEEN:

• 7ada alleh abel ma yfil
• Btiswa Tizi
• Wosel L Balegh
• Ma2baret El A7lem
• 3al Mkhade

5. YAZAN HAIFAWI (Jordan)

GENRE: ROCK

Other Epic Songs by YAZAN HAIFAWI:

• Zay il Ballon
• Ya Reit

6. AUTOSTRAD (Jordan)

GENRE: INDIE ROCK

Other Epic Songs by AUTOSTRAD:

• Mirsal
• Estanna Shwai
• Ana bokra m3attel

7. ZAMAN BAND (Palestine)

GENRE: GYPSY, ROCK

Other Epic Songs by ZAMAN BAND:

• Malaki
• Ya Weali Weal
• Maria
• Fog El Nakhal

8. EL MORABBA3 (Jordan)

GENRE: ROCK

Other Epic Songs by EL MORABBA3:

• Hada Tani
• Taht il Ard
• Cigara Qabel Ma Nqoom

9. ADONIS (Lebanon)

GENRE: POP ROCK

Other Epic Songs by ADONIS:

• Stouh Adonis
• La Bel Haki
• Yeb’a Enna
• Leli Ya Lel
• Mafraa Amshit

10. AZIZ MARAKA (Jordan)

GENRE: ROCK JAZZ

Other Epic Songs by AZIZ MARAKA:

• Meen Gallak
• Heyye
• Bent El Nas
• Tzakkartek
• Bahki Lahali

11. EL FAR3I (Palestinian-Jordanian)

Genre: folk, acoustic rap, hip hop

Other Epic Songs by EL FAR3I:

• Sahib El Ra’i
• Dalik Malak
• Bein Kol El Nas
• Khayyal

12. APO & THE APOSTLES (Palestine)

GENRE: ALTERNATIVE FOLK ROCK

Other Epic Songs by APO & THE APOSTLES:

• Baji Wenek
• Bidi Masari
• Albi
• Bandora Blues
• Fil Zaman

13. TOOT ARD (Golan Heights)

GENRE: REGGAE, PSYCH ROCK

Other Epic Songs by TOOT ARD:

• Laissez Passer
• Bint Lkarye
• Majnoon
• A’sfur
• Nasma Jabalyia
• Syrian Blues

14. GHAZALL (Nazareth)

GENRE: JAZZ ROCK, REGGAE

Other Epic Songs by GHAZALL:

• Al Khareef
• Teebit
• Mish Mishta’a
• Elli Fat Mat

15. KHEBEZ DAWLE (Syria)

GENRE: ROCK

Other Epic Songs by KHEBEZ DAWLE:

• Belsharea’

• Beta’ammer

• Manam

16. ANAS & FRIENDS (Syria)

GENRE: Rock

Other Epic Songs by ANAS & FRIENDS:

• 3yonak
• Amara
• Haki
• Areeb
• Byeb’a

17. KHALAS (Palestine)

GENRE: ROCK

Other Epic Songs by KHALAS:

• Biladi
• Amona
• Alf Leila

***

What are your thoughts? If there are any bands or artists that you think should be included in this list, let me know in the comment section below!!

The best part of it all is that you don’t have to understand Arabic to enjoy the music.

P.S Check out my other songs related posts where you can learn a word or two in Levantine Arabic HERE.

P.S.S Like this list? Like and share this post! Don’t forget to subscribe too!

The post 17 alternative rock bands and solo artists from the Levant appeared first on theLevanTongue.

The topic may be controversial for some but my intention is to learn spoken Arabic. So reserve your judgements and let’s learn Levantine Arabic!

Ready? Yalla!

Elie from Lebanon:

وصار عمري تمنتعش سنة في حدا بالمجتمع بتعرف فيه عارف عني

When I turned 18, someone from my community found out about me

وخبر كل المحيط تبعي

and inform everyone in my circle about it

أصدقائي شغلي جامعة اهلي العايلة

my friends, work, university, parents, the family

وحتى الكنيسة اللي انا كنت عم بتردد اللا

and even the church that I used to frequent

وهيدا كان اصعب اسبوع في حياتي لانو

and this was the hardest week of my life because

لوقت كتير طويل كنت بعدني بقتنع انو هيدا الموضوع في الو غلط معين

for a long time, I was still convinced that this matter [being gay] was wrong

وصرت اقرا كتب عن النفس وكتب بيولوجيا

I started reading books about psychology and biology

لوصل النتيجة انو ما في خلل

till I reached the conclusion that there is no disorder/defect

ولكان لما قريت هول ابحاث العالمية

but when I read these international research

صرت متأكد اكتر انو لأ انا ما في اشي غلط

I became even more sure that no, there is nothing wrong

ما في اشي مش مزبوط او خلل

There is nothing that is not right or defective

لا نفسي ولا عقلي ولا جسدي ولا اي شي

not psychologically, mentally, physically or anything

انا انسان طبيعي

I am a normal human being

ولكن الميول والاحاسيس لعندي والانجذاب الى الأشخاص من نفس الجنس

but my inclination and feelings and attraction are towards people of the same sex

Khaled from Jordan:

كنت احس حالي وحيد

I used to feel alone

انو انا كتير وحيد في كل العالم

that I was the only one (gay person) in the world

 reference ما كان في مراجع ما كان في

there weren’t any references

حتى المسلسلات كل شي محظور

even the TV shows were censored

الاشي وحيد كنت نسمع عنه بهاي الفترة انو متلا

the only thing we used to hear about at the time was that…for example,

بمصر كان في اعتقالات

there were arrests in Egypt

او الناس اللي كانو ينقتلوا بالعراق

or people were killed in Iraq

واللي بسجن في سوريا  ويشنقوا علنا بايران

and people imprisoned in Syria and publicly hang in Iran

ف على طول كنت اربط انو حرام غلط ما مش لازم حدا يعرف عيب

so immediately I get the impression that [being gay] was forbidden, wrong, nobody should know, it was shameful

طريقة التفكيرتبعتي تغيرت مع السنين

my way of thinking changed with time

يعني رفضت انو انا استحي

I refused to be ashamed

بعد فترة حكيت لواحد من اعز اصدقائي

after a while, I told one of my closest friends

كان قلتلو انو انا مثلي

I told him that I am gay

“مستحيل ما بصدق”

“impossible, I don’t believe you”.

“بعدين بعد فترة قولي “صح انا بحبك زي ما انت ما بيهمني ايش انت

then after a while, he told me “I love you the way you are, I don’t care what you are”.

“قلتلو “اوكي تمام

I said “okay, good”.

Hamed from Lebanon:

اسمي حامد سينو بعمل موسيقى بغني بفرقة اسما مشروع ليلة بلبنان

My name is Hamed Sinno, I’m a musician, I sing in a band called Mashrou Leila from Lebanon

queer وانا

and I’m queer

بطبيعة الحال لما كنت بالمدرسة

Naturally, when I was in school

كان فيه كتير تنمر وتمسخر

there were bullying and mockery

 على الاشياء يلي كنت مهتم فيه

over the things that I was interested in

متل موسيقى متل الغنا

like music and singing

كإنو مسخ

As if I was a freak

ما كنت افهم بوقتا انو هيدا شي مش غلط فيي

I didn’t understand at that time that there was nothing wrong with me

هيدا شي غلط بناس يلي حوالي

that instead what was wrong was the people around me

لمجرد مع اني صرت اتعرف عن حالي

till the point that I started introducing myself

كشخص ثائبت انو رجل بيحب رجال

as a person who just happens to love men

وحسيت كأنو هيدا شال عبئ هائل عني

I felt as if a huge burden was lifted off me

لحتى بس بيني وبين نفسي منقدر نتقبل هيدا شي

just by being able to accept the matter between me and myself

صعب هيدا شي خاصة لما بعدنا صغار بالعمر

It’s hard especially when we are still young

وبيضلو صعب بس بيصير اسهل

and it stays hard, but it gets easier

Norma from Lebanon:

انا ما حسيت حالي بنتمي للمجتمع يلي كنت خلقانة فيه

I never felt that I belong in a society that I was born in

انا دايما كان يحطو علي قيود وشروط معينة

They were restrictions and conditions placed on me

يعني من انا وصغيرة

since I was small

ليش هلضحكة بصوت عالي هيك ؟ ,feminine ليش هلقد

Why are you so feminine, why do you laugh so loud?

barbieليش ما تلعب إلا مع بنات ليش تلعب بال

Why do you play with girls? Why do you play with barbie?

وبس اكتشفت كمان وبس عبّرت

When I discovered and expressed

وبس اعلنت عن هويتي الجندرية

and announced my gender identity

كمان ما كان في كتير تقبل ,كان في شوي رفض

 there was not much acceptance, there was some rejection.

“?trans انو “انت بدك تكوني

“you want to be trans?”

دقنك شو رح تعملي فيها

What will you do with your beard?

كتافك العراض شو رح تعملي فين

What will you do with your broad shoulders?

اصابيعك التخان شو رح تعملي فين

What will you do with your thick fingers?

بعتقد من لما صارو يقولو صار جلدي تخين

Since they started talking, I developed a thick skin

من كترما سمعت اشيا وقطع علي اشيا بحياتي

from a lot of things I heard and went through in life

يعني خلص صار متل نقطة المي بتيجي علي وبتنزل

I mean that’s it, it became like water, it come and fall [off my skin]

حقوقك هي حقوقي وواجباتك هي واجباتنا

We all have rights, we all have responsibilities

تنيناتنا مناكل تنيناتنا منشرب تنيناتنا منّام تنيناتنا منشتغل

Both of us eat, drink, sleep and work

الاشي ممكن يختلف عني وعنك هو ممكن الميول الجنسية

What may be different between you and me is perhaps our gender orientation

ممكن مع مين بفضل نام او شو بفضل البس

maybe with who I prefer to sleep with or what I prefer to wear

~~~

To hear more of such voices, check them out here

Sooo what do you think about this post? Do you have any questions about the usage of specific words? Let me know in the comment section below

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

P.S.S Want to get real serious at learning Levantine Arabic and in need of a darn good book? Check out my review of a book that has helped me tremendously in my learning journey here

The post Learning Spoken Arabic from the LGBT voices of the Levant. appeared first on theLevanTongue.

Mike Massy is one of my favourite Lebanese artists – so presenting to you a catchy and upbeat song of his for this post!

KhalaSna ba2a خلصنا بقا

This is a very useful phrase to say when someone is constantly pestering or nagging at you, and you want them to stop talking. You can say it when the person brought up a matter that annoys you or simply has been repeating the same thing over and over again.

For example,

مو قلتلك ما بدي احكي عن هلموضوع شي خلصنا بقا حلي عني

muu 2utillek ma bedi aHki 3an halmawduoq shii khalasna ba2aa heyli 3ani

Didn’t I told you that I don’t want to talk about this matter? Stop it, that’s enough. Get away from me.

عم ضلي تعيدي نفس الحكي خلصنا بقا

3am dholi t3iidi nafsel Hakii khalasna ba2aa

You have been repeating the same things over and over again. That’s enough, stop it

khalasnaaa ba2a. khalasnaa ba2a.khalasnaa ba2aa!!

Ok, you get my point.

Love الهوى

This word is not to be confused with the word الهوا which means “air”

*Note: In spoken arabic, the hamzah (ء) at the end of a word is usually not pronounced.

So for example, the word “air” هواء (hawa2) is pronounced as هوا (hawa).

Similarly, the word “sky” سماء (sama2) is pronounced as سما (samaa)

Ok back to the word الهوى

In the Arabic language, there are many words to describe “love” and there is a sort of hierarchy to those words. الهوى is one of those words. As you can see in the picture below, there’s a graffiti on the wall that says “راجعين يا هوا” which means “we’ll return, oh love”. Thus in the picture, الهوى  is used to describe love for a place or a nation. Note that the word was spelled differently, showing the flexibility of spelling in colloquial usage. Just know that it refers to “love” and not “air”.

Source

Another common word for love in Spoken Arabic is 3ashq (العشق). The word العشق refers to (probably) the highest degree of love – the love reserved for children, partners, parents etc. So for example, “انا بعشقك” connotes a greater degree of love than simply “انا بحبك”.

الكلام الفاضي

This phrase literally means “empty talk” and it refers to senseless talk. Talks that are meaningless and are often seen as a waste of time.

To tell someone not to say nonsensical stuff:

لا تحكي كلام فاضي

la teHki kalam faDhii

A synonym of “كلام فاضي” is “حكي فاضي”.

You can even say “بلا كلام فاضي” (bala kalam faDhii) or “بلا حكي فاضي” (bala Hakii faDhii) to tell someone not to spout nonsense.

For example:

A: اخي بكرة ما رح اجي عالعزيمة

akhi, bukra ma raH ajii 3al 3aziimeh

Brother, I won’t be going to the gathering (lit: invitation) tomorrow

B: بلا كلام فاضي بدك تجي غصبا عنك, عزمت الكل والكل وافق

balaa kalam faDhii, bidak tijee ghaSban 3ank, 3azamet elkol u elkol waafeq

don’t spout nonsense, i want you to come whether you like it or not. I’ve invited everyone and everyone agreed to come.

**Bonus word: عالفاضي**

On a side note, I was reminded of the phrase “3al faadhii” (عالفاضي) 

It’s a useful phrase that I often heard during my stay in Jordan. It’s often said to denote a waste of time or effort.

So for example,

-spent money on a product that doesn’t work? – >  عالفاضي

-woke up early to go to uni but found out that lectures got cancelled? – >  عالفاضي

Here an anecdote for y’all:

So I was returning back to Amman from Petra and had just gotten off the bus at the terminal. And as usual, there were many taxi drivers that surrounded the bus who were trying to persuade the alighting passengers to get a ride from them. On normal occasions, I would squirm my way out of the crowd and hail a taxi from outside of the terminal – just cause it’s cheaper that way.

But it was late that night and I was feeling tired. So I decided to ask one of the taxi drivers for the cost of the ride back to my apartment. Unsurprisingly enough, he quoted a ridiculously high price so I was nahhh, no thanks, I’m going to hail a taxi from outside. And then, that was when I heard it.

 “عالفاضي”, he said, muttering the phrase under his breath

Rudeeee. lol whateva *flips hair*

Anyhoo, I hope you know how to use the word now!

على مهلك

So the word 3ala mahlak connotes different meaning based on the context and situation. But generally, it’s said to tell someone to take his/her time, to not rush, and to do things at his/her own pace.

For example,

 على مهلك شوي شوي

3ala mahlak, swhay swhay

Often said to taxi drivers (looking at you Jordanians taxi drivers, lol I kid) who speed and weave through traffic. You can say ” على مهلك شوي شوي” to tell the driver to SLOW DOWN -just cause your heart is racing at 100km/hour as you hold on tight to the handle above the window.

Another example: a mother advising her son not to rush into marriage

شوي شوي عل مهلك لا تستعجل على زواجك كل شي بوقته حلو

shway shway 3ala mahlak, la testa3jel 3ala zawaajak, kol shii bwaqto helu

slowly, take your time. don’t rush into marriage. everything has its own time

شو ذنبي أنا ؟!؟

A common expression that literally means “what’s my fault” or “what’s my sin”. However, it is more accurately said to mean “what did I do to deserve this?!”.

You know those days when you feel that things aren’t going your way or you feel like the world is crashing down? Yep, sho zanbi ana yaaa Rab!! shooo?! (what.did.I.do.to.deserve.this?! No like seriously, what did I do?!?!)

Got your heart broken? Failed the test that you studied so hard for? Turned 30? Yep, I can hear that inner voice screaming “sho zanbi ana”.

بلكي

The word is used in the same manner as “might” or “perhaps”

There are some who say بركي (berki) instead of بلكي (balki) but they have the same meaning.

احكي معها بلكي تغير رئيها وتروح معنا عالمول

eHki ma3ha balki t3hayir ra2iiha u truuH ma3naa 3al mall

talk to her, she might change her mind and go to the mall with us

دقي لرفيقتك قبل ماتروحي لعندها بلكي ما كانت بالبيت

da2ii la rafiiqtek 2abel ma truuHi la 3ind ha balki ma kaanat bel bayt

call your friend before you go to her place, she might not be home

~~~

That’s it guys!

If you like this song, do check out the rest of his videos on his YouTube channel. He has lyrics videos that are in both English and Arabic -which make it great to learn a new word or two. My favourites are  كرمالي & بدي ضيع.

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

Lyn

The post Mike Massy – Khalasna Ba2a [Lebanese] appeared first on theLevanTongue.

Read on to find out the 6 phrases to tell someone to get lost!

I’ve personally never said any of them although I’m probably guilty of muttering some under my breath

1. Hail 3ani

 (to a male) حيل عني

 (to a female) حيلي عني

 (to more than one person) حيلو عني

This phrase means “get away from me” or simply “get lost”

2. eTlaq men raasi

(to a male) اطلع من راسي

(to a female) اطلعي من راسي

(to more than one person) اطلعوا من راسي

The phrase literally means “get out of my head!”

Y’know what they say: out of sight, out of mind…

3. farjeenii 3arD ktaafak

(to a male) فرجيني عرض كتافَك

(to a female- ktaafek) فرجيني عرض كتافِك

(to more than one person) فرجيني عرض كتافكم \ كتافكن

OR

ورجيني عرض كتافَك

There are two variations for the verb “to show” – you can say فرجيني (farjeeni) or ورجيني (warjeeni).

The phrase literally means “show me your shoulders” –so turn around and leave…

4. igleb wejHak/ igleb wiishak

اقلب وجهك

OR

اقلب وشك

The phrase means “turn your face around” – so get out and leave!

Source

However the verb “اقلب” can also mean “to turn something upside down” – thus the meme below..

Source

5. elbab bifuut jamal

الباب بيفوت جمل

The idiom is said to mean  “If you don’t like it, you can leave”

Its literal meaning, though, is that “the door is wide enough for the camel and lets the camel in”.

So for example,

 عجبك عجبك ما عجبك الباب بيفوت جمل

3ajabak 3ajabak, maa 3ajabak elbab bifuut jamal

If you like, you like it (i.e good for you), if you don’t like, elbab bifuut jamal (i.e you can leave)

6. ingalak men hon

انقلع من هون

This phrase is probably the rudest one of them all…thus, highly offensive.

It means to “get the hell outta here” and it’s definitely best not to use it at all.

*I have written the ق as a “G” since I’m used to the Jordanian/Palestinian accent. However, I believe that most Syrians would pronounce the  ق like the ء (hamzah).

~~~

I’m not to blame if you get into trouble for saying these!! Still, I hope you like this post.

Know of other such phrases?? Share them with me in the comment section below

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

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

Lyn

The post 6 phrases to tell someone to get get get out of here appeared first on theLevanTongue.

And I decided to choose this song called “Wahde Bteshbahek” because of the simplicity of the lyrics. In this post, you can learn 13 simple verbs and an expression.

So..ch ch ch check it out!

13 VERBS

1. To make or to let something/someone be… (Verb Form II)

خلى – بيخلي

Eg:

ما تخليني ازعل منك

ma tkhaliinii az3al menak

Don’t make me upset with you

2. To look like/ to look similar to.. (Verb Form I)

شبه – بيشبه

Eg:

شكله يشبه واحد من رفقاتي

sheklo yeshbah waaHad men ref3aatii

He looks like one of my friends

3. To forget (Verb Form I)

نسي – بنسى

Eg:

نسيت اقولك انو في مشكلة مع بطارية اللابتوب

inseet a2ulak eno fii mushkila ma3 baTaariya el laptop

I forgot to tell you that there is a problem with the laptop’s battery

4. To stop/quit (Verb Form II)

بطّل – ببطّل

Eg:

كبرنا وبطلنا نصدق كلام الناس

kberna uu baTalna nSadeq kalaam elnass

We grew up and stopped believing others’ words

(I have written a post about the use of this verb. Check it out here)

5. To miss something/someone (Verb Form 8)

اشتاق – بشتاق

Eg:

عندما بشوف هالمسلسل بشتاق لأيام زمان

3indama bashuf hal musalsal bashtaq la eyam zamaan

When I watch this drama series, I (start to) miss the good old days

6. To return (Verb Form I)

رجِع – برجع

Eg:

رجعت من الدوام ولقيت باب البيت مفتوح

rje3et men el dawaam uu la2et bab el bayt maftuuH

I returned from work and found that the door of the house was opened

7. To see (Verb Form I)

شاف – بيشوف

Eg:

بكرا رح سافر ف رح بشوفكم بعد اسبوع

bukra raH saafer fa raH bashufkum ba3ad usbuu3

Tomorrow I will be travelling so I shall see you all after a week

*Syrians would say بشوفكن instead of بشوفكم

8. To kiss (Verb Form I)

باس – بيبوس

Eg:

هداك الصبح باستني امي ع راسي وقالت انها بتحبني

hadaak elsbuH baasatnii emmi 3a raasi uu 2allat enha betHebni

That morning my mom kissed me on the head and told me that she loves me

9. To smell (Verb Form I)

شم – بيشم

Eg:

لما طلعت من المستشفى شميت الهوا الطبيعي وانبسطت

lama Tle3et men elmushtasfaa shameit el hawa elThabee3i uu inbastet

When I got out of the hospital, I was happy to smell the fresh air

10. To return home (Verb Form II)

روّح – بيروّح

Eg:

اكلت بهدلة من امي لاني روحت عالبيت مبارح متأخر بالليل

akalit bahdale men ummi li anni rawaHet 3al bayt mbaareH metakhir bel layl

I got nagged at by my mom because I came back home late at night yesterday

11. To believe (Verb Form II)

صدّق – بيصدّق

Eg:

المشكلة انك بتصدق كل اللي بيقولولك ياه

elmushkileh enak betSadeq kul elli bii2ululak yah

The problem is that you believe everything that they say

12. To play an instrument (Verb Form I)

عزف – بيعزِف

Eg:

كان يعزِف الكمان وهو صغير

kan ye3zef el kamaan uu huwe zghiir

He used to play the violin when he was small

13. To sing (Verb Form II)

غنى – بيغني

Eg:

بكرة رح اغني هاي الأغنية بالمدرسة

bukra raH aghani hai elughniyeh bel madraseh

Tomorrow I will be singing this song in school

EXPRESSION

بالمرة

bel mara

It’s a phrase to show emphasis and be used in the same way as “completely, “totally”or “at all”.

Eg:

هي غير مسؤولة بالمرَّة

heyye ghair mas-uu-leh bel marra

She is completely irresponsible

Eg:

انا ما اشتقتلك بالمرة

ana ma ashtaqtillak bel marra

I don’t miss you at all

Eg:

ما في فرق بالمرة

maa fii fareq bel marra

There’s no difference at all

BONUS –   فيش/ فش

The word فيش acts as negation and is commonly used in Jordanian/Palestinian Arabic.

Let me give you an example.

To say “I don’t know”, you can always say “ما بعرف” (ma ba3ref/ba3raf)

But that won’t be the only way that you’ll hear people say “I don’t know”. You will typically hear two other variations.

The first one is:

ما بعرفش

ma ba3rafiish

( add فيش at the end of the verb)

The second one is:

بعرفش

ba3rafiish

(add فيش at the end of the verb and remove the ما)

Similarly, this trick works for the phrase “..ما في ” (There’s no…)

Eg:

ما في مصاري

maa fii maSaarii

There’s no money/ I don’t have money

It is possible to say these as well:

ما فش/فيش مصاري

maa fiish maSaarii

OR

فيش/فش مصاري

fiish maSaarii

~~~

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

Lyn

The post Wahde Bteshbahek – Jadal | 13 verbs and an expression appeared first on theLevanTongue.

Or are you already aware that practically nobody speaks MSA in their daily lives and desperately hope to avoid being caught in the above-mentioned situation?

Ever wish for a book that you can invest in and refer to it constantly as a guide?

But have yet to find a suitable book?

Luckily for all of us Levantine Arabic learners, that book does exist!

And that book is…..

The 101 Most Used Verbs In Spoken Arabic: Jordan & Palestine (Third Edition)

by Fridrik E.Tiedemann Jr.

My battered and well-used book

I’ve purchased it at the University Bookshop in Amman back in 2015 for 25JD. I have used it for both self-study and classroom-study.

If you’re learning the Spoken Levantine Arabic (amiyya), then I would highly recommend this book. It has truly been a great investment for me. Even after having studied all of the given verbs, I still found myself referring to it from time to time because of all the other bonuses in it.

Is the book suitable for you?

I would say that the book suits best for intermediate learners or those who can afford a teacher (or a dedicated Arab friend) to sit with you and study the book together. That being said, I would still recommend beginners to get it. And I’ll tell you why.

• The Verb Inflection Chart

The book provides pages and pages of the verb inflection chart for all 10 verb forms. And this is already a huge advantage for beginners as the chart helps you to get the pronunciation right from Day 1. The chart guides you on the inflection according to the verb forms.

In this way, each time you learn a new verb (and if you’re able to recognise its verb form) you would also know it’s inflection.  For a beginner, this chart is extremely useful.

The conjugation table for the verb to lift/raise something (Verb Form I)

As you can see, the chart lists out all the inflection of the verb for all pronouns in both the present and past tense. In the last row, the changes in inflection are also provided when a pronoun is attached to the verb.

This means you’re pretty much covered when it comes to verbs. Learning the verbs, their inflections and conjugation all come in one package. You can’t do one without the other two.

And that’s why the chart comes in handy especially when you’re at the beginning of your Arabic learning journey.

• 101 Most Used Verbs in Spoken Arabic

Ok, this is pretty obvious.

This book helps you to focus on only THE MOST USED verbs. In that sense, it’s actually making life easy for you.

The given verbs are constantly used in typical daily conversations. Forget all the other verbs in the meantime (those are for when you have gotten a good grasp of the basics)

And what’s even better is that the book teaches you how to re-use one verb to come up with many different meanings!

As you can see from the picture, you can easily use the verb سكّر alone to express yourself in a multitude of ways – from hanging up the phone to slamming the door in someone’s face.

See what I mean? Imagine learning all of the 101 verbs!

**Although the book focuses on Spoken Arabic in Jordan and Palestine, that doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to speak to Lebanese or Syrians. All of the given verbs can also be found in both Syrian and Lebanese Arabic. I would say that the main difference between the countries’ spoken Arabic lies in the inflection of the verbs.

More Reasons As To Why The Book Is Top Notch

• Chunking method

Language experts have often quoted the chunking method when it comes to remembering foreign vocabulary and speeding up the language learning process. And this book allows you to learn Levantine Arabic via the chunking method by showing you how each verb is used in short phrases to carry a different meaning.

In short, the chunking method refers to the technique of learning a language in chunks (i.e phrases or short sentences.) If you learn in this manner, you can easily express yourself in more ways simply by replacing words from phrases you’ve learned.

You can read an article by Mezzoguild here to see how the writer utilises the chunking method with Egyptian Arabic. If you’re interested in knowing more about the method, check out this article by FluentU here

• Sentence examples

The various sentence examples provided for all 101 verbs do help me in gaining a greater understanding on how to correctly use those verbs. I’m also able to expand my vocabulary from the sentence examples. When I learn in this manner, I found that I’m able to retain the new vocabulary in my memory for a much longer period. Learning a word on its own without any sentence to provide contexts is always a big no-no in language learning!

• More than just 101 verbs

There’s a list of additional verbs of the same verb form below every conjugation table.

This means that you’re actually getting much more than what the book promises! Once you have gotten a good grasp of the 101 verbs, it is definitely useful to look through the additional verbs because they are also used in everyday conversations.

Additional verbs of the same form listed below the table

How To Use It

Without a doubt, the best way to tackle this book is by going through it with a teacher. I did exactly this for some of the verbs when I was studying Arabic in Amman.

However, with a teacher or not, the book already serves as a great tool to form sentences and questions in everyday Arabic style.

The author also posted a YouTube video on how to use the book (see below). Also do check out the other videos posted on the same channel- I found them to be very informative.

Conclusion

Simply put, the book is off the charts. Did I mention that it also comes with a CD to aid in the pronunciation? The only section of the book which I didn’t really utilise is the vocabulary list at the end – simply because words rarely last long in my head if I learn them from a list.

It’s a really comprehensive book and I’m glad that I own one! I’m also appreciative of the fact that the book is written in Arabic letters instead of being in a transliterated format.

***

So that’s MY review on The 101 Most Used Verbs In Spoken Arabic: Jordan & Palestine (Third Edition) 

Have you used the book before? Are you planning to get one? I would love to know your thoughts in the comments below.

The book should be available either via Amazon or Jamalon.

P.S.S I have also heard great reviews of other resources for Levantine Arabic such as the ones listed below. Feel free to check them out too!

• Shou Fi Ma Fi by Rajaa Chouairi
• Colloquial Palestinian Arabic: An Introduction To The Spoken Dialect by Nasser M Isleem
• Pimsleur Eastern Arabic (audio-based)

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

Lyn

The post The One Book That You Must Have If You’re Learning Levantine Arabic 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.