Now, while he’s no doubt really funny, his videos are not the easiest to comprehend for non-natives.

So in this post, I will share four of my favourite clips. They are all around a minute long.

And there are tons of Syrian slang phrases that you can learn from them.

Some of the phrases are quite unkind and harsh…but if you’re learning a spoken language, you got to learn all of them, eh? Both the good and the bad.

Ready? Let’s go!

Video #1

واللهِ يا صديقي, ما عم لاقي الموصفات اللي بدي اياها ببنت الحلال

I swear, my friend…I can’t seem to find the specifications that I want in my (future) wife

يعني واللهِ طلباتي مو صعبة

I mean, I swear..my requests aren’t difficult

بدي اياها تكون مثقفة, محبة للقراءة والمطالعة

I want her to be cultured and to love reading

(قراءة and مطالعة are synonyms)

وهيك شعراتا يكونو قصار

and her hair to be short

وبحبا تكون محتشمة شوي

and I would like her to be somewhat modest

معلم, وضحكتا بتكون رنانة

her laughter to be rich and vibrant

اي بس موعالية…وما بحبا تحط مكياج

but not loud…and I don’t like her to put on makeup

وتكون طباخة ماهرة

and she has to be a great/skilled cook

واخيرا تحب امي وتساعدا لانو بدي ساكنة معنا بنفس البيت

and finally, she has to love my mother and help her because I want her to stay with us in the same house

عن اذنك بس هي مطربان وكيس ملح

Excuse me, but here are a glass jar and a bag of salt

 اعطيون لامك وخليها تكبسك مخلل عندا وتكترو للملح

give them to your mother, let her press you down like how she would when making pickles, and get her to increase the amount of salt

*كبس is the verb to press/push down. The verb is also used to describe the way of preparing pickles

!تضرب انت وفتاة أحلامك

To hell with you and your dream girl!

Notes:

• تضرب انت/ tudrub enta

This phrase is the English equivalent to ‘damn you’ or ‘to hell with you’ or ‘screw you’…you get the point.

• بنت الحلال/ bint elhalal

‘Bint’ means a girl or a daughter. While ‘halal’ means something that is permissible or allowed.

Thus the phrase refers to a woman that you’re allowed to marry.

Depending on the context, the phrase can refer to a wife or a good/respectable woman. And in the video, it’s obvious that Amr is referring to a future wife when he said بنت الحلال

Palestinian Youtube, Maha, talks about this in her recent video which you can check out here (expression no. 6 starting from 06:45).

• A glass of jar & a bag of salt 

What do a glass of jar and a bag of salt got to do with anything, right?

The process of preserving pickles in a jar involves the squeezing or pressing the pickles, and adding salt to it.

Thus, when the girl told the guy that he should get his mother to put him in the jar, press him down, and add lots of salt…

in a way, she is telling the guy to be “preserved in a jar” (i.e stay in there, don’t come out) because he will never get his dream girl due to his unreasonable requests.

Furthermore, by asking his mother to increase the amount of salt, she hopes for the guy to “remain in the jar” for as long as possible (based on the assumption that the more salt you add, the longer the pickles get preserved).

EXTRA

So I started my language journey with Jordanian Arabic. I then started to expose myself to Syrian Arabic through watching drama series and having Syrian conversation partners.

And there is one thing that I notice about Syrian (and Lebanese) Arabic that differs from Jordanian and Palestinian Arabic.

The ه in the ها (that is attached to the back of a word) is often not pronounced.

So for example,

Instead of بحبها (baheb-ha), it becomes بحبا (baheb-ba).

Instead of هي عندها (hiye 3ind-ha), it becomes  هي عندا (hiye 3ind-da)

Instead of اولادها (uulad-ha), it becomes اولادا (uulad-da)

Video #2

شو بكي, ليش قاعدة هيك ما عم تعملي شي؟

What’s wrong? Why are you sitting and not doing anything?

مو جاي عبالي عاملة شي

I don’t feel like doing anything

طيب انا عندي شغلة نتسلى فيا نحنا تنتين. استني علي شوي

Okay, I got something that will entertain us both. Wait awhile

هاي كريم كرامل. اذا تاكلي اسرع مني, باخدك على مول واشتري شو ما بدك. رصيد مفتوح,الكرت كلواستخدميه

This is a Creme Caramel. If you eat it faster than me, I will take you to the mall and buy whatever you want. The account [credit] is open, the card is all yours to use

ليه كمان تمسخري علي وخدني على قد عقلي, كتير صدقتك

You’re mocking me? Are you saying that just to please me? Yea, I really do believe you

لحظة. قلتي رح تشتريلي شو ما بدي؟

Wait [a moment], you said that you will buy for me whatever I want?

شو ما بدك

Whatever you want

ليكي وعدتيني ها انو اي شي بطلبه

Promise me that (you’ll buy) anything that I ask for

والله شو ما بدك بس اطلبي وتمني

I swear, whatever you want. Just ask and wish for it!

!اي شي؟

Anything?!

اي شو ما بدك. خلصينا

Yes, whatever you want! Stop it (Stop asking)!

على مهلك, سريعة كتير انعمى في طينك انشالله

Slow down (take your time), holy crap, you’re fast

بس انا اسرع

I’m faster

  …عنجد ماما ؟! خلص

Really Mama? That’s it…

Notes:

• مو جاي عبالي/ muu jey 3a bali

The phrase is said when you don’t feel like doing something.

The literal meaning is “[it] is not coming to my mind”.

For example,

مو جاي عبالي شوف حدا

muu jey/jai 3a bali shuuf Hada

I don’t feel like seeing anyone

Similarly, if you want to say that you feel like doing something, then simply remove the مو from the phrase.

I’ve elaborated on this phrase in this post here

• 3ala mahlak/على مهلك 

Depending on the context, the phrase can mean ‘slow down’ or ‘take your time’.

I’ve elaborated more about it in this post here.

• انعمى في طينك/in3ama fii Thinak

The phrase literally means “blindness in your clay”.

But it is used as a vulgar expression to indicate amazement or shock – similar to how phrases like “holy cow”, “holy sh*t” and “holy crap” are used in the English language.

Note that the word, طينك, is used as a replacement to the actual intended word of دينك (your religion). Since to curse one’s religion is considered blasphemous, people replace the word, دينك, to طينك (clay/muck from the ground).

Instead of saying دينك, some also use the word, ديبك, which mean “your wolf”. So for instance, instead of cursing someone يلعن دينك, one would say يلعن ديبك.

Thus, طينك, and ديبك are just words to replace دينك in order to lessen the harshness of the vulgarity. But all of these are considered harsh – so it’s good to know them but don’t use them unless to close friends etc.

• اطلبي وتمني/utlubi uu tmanii

The phrase literally means “ask/request and hope”.

And it is a polite and hospitable expression that is said to loved ones when they ask for help or a favour.

It’s like saying “I’m at your disposal”, “I’m at your service” or even to the extent of saying “your wish is my command”.

For example:

ممكن اطلب منك طلب؟ :A

mumkin atlub minak Talab?

Can I ask you for a favour [request]?

شو ما بدك, اطلبي وتمني :B

sho ma bedak, utlubii uu tmanii

whatever is it you want, just say it and I’ll attend to it

[i.e I’ll gladly do whatever you ask of me. Just tell me what is it you want]

• خدني على قد عقلي/khudni 3ala 2ad 3a2li

The phrase literally means “take me as the size of my mind/brain”.

And the expression can be used in a variety of situations.

But in general:

to take someone as the size of his/her mind = to regard the person’s way of thinking as limited and simplistic

In addition, when you attempt to please person A to avoid any unnecessary fuss (for example, by agreeing with what A said or to give compliments without actually meaning it), people will regard you as taking person A as the size of his/her mind.

Because by doing things for the sake of pleasing someone so that any fuss is avoided, you’re being insincere and regarding the person as “simple” and easy to fool.

That is why in the video, the daughter was annoyed at the mother and (rhetorically) asked her “Are you taking me as the size of my mind?”. In other words, the daughter is telling the mother that “Are you simply saying that to please me?”.

This is so hard to explain but I hope you get what I mean! If not, the examples below will make things clearer.

First example:

A child comes along and expresses his opinions on a certain matter. The adults listen but do not take the child’s opinions seriously because they consider the child according to the size of his mind.

So in this context, one of the adults may say to the others:

خده على قد عقله

khudo 3ala 2ad 3a2lo

Thus, effectively telling the rest that “let him say what he wants, but don’t take him seriously because he’s still young and is limited in his perspective”.

Second example:

The phrase can also be said as an acknowledgment that one is not as intelligent as the other or as not well-informed regarding a topic.

For example, imagine you’re having a discussion or a debate with Ali.

You don’t agree with the points that Ali is saying and you can’t seem to understand the logic behind them.

But Ali is so insistent that he is right so you tell him:

خدني على قد عقلي وقلي (قولي) كيف

khudni 3ala 2a3li uu 2elli (2uuli) kif

Literal meaning: Take me as the size of my mind and tell me how

خدني على قد عقلي وفهمني كيف

khudni 3ala 3ad 2a3li uu fahemni kif

Literal meaning: Take me as the size of my mind and make me understand how

By saying this, you are effectively telling Ali that “I don’t think the same way you do, so why don’t you explain to me and convince me”.

Third example:

Take a look at this conversation between a man and his fiancee:

مو ملاحظ فيني شي مغير؟ :Woman

muu mlahez finii shii mghayir?

Don’t you notice anything different about me?

متل شو؟ :Man

mitl shu?

Like what?

قصيت شعري :Woman

2aseyt sha3rii

I cut my hair/ I got a haircut

اه طيب,نعيما ,حلوعليكي :Man

Ah taiyeb, na3eeman, helu 3alayki

Ah okay, na3eeman, it looks good on you

*نعيما is an expression/blessing to say to others who just got out of a shower/had a haircut/had a clean shave

ايوا خدني على قد عقلي  :Woman

aiwaaa, khudni 3ala 2ad 3a2li

So the woman is annoyed that the man did not notice that she had a haircut. The woman gets even more annoyed that the man simply said some nice words to please her.

So the woman tells the man something along the lines of “Yeah great, you’re just saying that to please me”.

So just remember, some expressions in a spoken language really depend on the context to figure out the right meaning and especially so when sarcasm is involved.

Video #3

احكيلك شي؟

Shall I tell you something?

لا

No

ولك بلا زناخة رح احكيلك بس ما بتقول لحدا خصوصاً ل ماما

Don’t be silly, I will tell you but don’t tell anyone especially Mama

ايه احكي, خلصيني

Let’s get this over with. Tell me.

عملت تاتو

I got myself a tattoo

شو هاد؟ صرصور؟

What’s that? A cockroach?

ولك فراشة ,لا تحكي ل ماما ها

No, a butterfly. Don’t tell Mama!

ولك حل عني ما رح احكي. ولا قلك, يمكن احكي

Go away from me, I won’t tell anyone…Or you know what? Maybe I’ll tell

نظفيلي كندرتي وطبقيلي خزانتي

 clean my shoes  and tidy up my wardrobe

ماشي, ماشي

Fine, alright

تفضل

Here you go

خلص, هلأ ما احكي

That’s it. Now, I won’t tell

ONE HOUR LATER

سوزان حبيبتي، مو انا امك و رفيقتك و اختك؟

Susan dear, am I not your mother, your friend, and your sister?

ايه, مبلا

Yes, of course

في شي بدك تخبريني عنو؟

Is there something you want to inform me about?

لا,شي متل شو يعني؟

No, something like what?

يعني متل التاتو اللي حكالي عنو اخوكي

Like the tattoo that your brother told me about

ورجيني ياه لشوف

Show it to me, let me see

يلعن امك على ابوكي

May God curse your mother and your father

ليكو

Here it is

صرصور؟؟؟

A cockroach?!!

!ولك فراشة

It’s a butterfly!

شوفي لك نزل ضغطي ها …هاد بيروح مؤقت يعني ؟

Look, my blood pressure went down (because of you)…it (the tattoo) goes away, it’s temporary, right?

تاتو لا. ..ما بيروح

Tattoo…no. It doesn’t go away

شو رايك اعملك كام واحد متلو في ارجاء جسمك الفسيحة وغيرلك ديكور وشك؟

What do you think if I make a few “tattoos” similar to yours all over your body and change the “decoration” of your face?

يا رب يا رب بس خليني ارجع شوف بعيني واميّز الالوان يا رب… يا رب

Oh God, just allow me to see with my eyes again and to be able to differentiate colours…Oh God…

Notes:

• بلا زناخة/bala zanaa5a

The word زناخة refers to “silliness”. The word بلا means “without” or when put in contexts, it means “don’t be”.

So put both of them together, you’ll get “without silliness”. In other words, don’t be silly or stop being silly!

• حل عني/ hail 3ani

The phrase is said to rudely shoo someone away, like ‘get away from me’ or ‘get lost’.

This phrase is one of the many common phrases to tell someone to get lost. And I have written a post about it – check it out here to know the rest!

• مبلا/mbala

The word مبلا is usually said to negate a negative question.

For example,

ما بدك تاكل شاورما؟ :A

You don’t want to eat Shawarma?

مبلا اكيد :B

No, of course I do (want to eat Shawarma)

• ليكو/leyko

The word ليكو is a call to attention – like “look at this!” or “look, here it is”.

ليكو is used if the thing that you’re pointing out is masculine in noun.

And if you’re referring to things that are feminine in noun, then the word ليكا (leyka) is used.

Video #4

آلو يا حبيبتي هلأ نحنا قرر منروح على المزرعة

Hi dear, we just decided to go to the farm*

ونسيت اسالك, انتي بتعرفي تسبحي مو؟

and I forgot to ask you, you know how to swim, right?

لأ ما بعرف

No, I don’t know

عم تمزحي؟! يعني كلب احسن منك؟

You’re joking?! You mean a dog is better than you?

حبيبي انت بتعرف تسبح؟

Darling, do you know how to swim?

اكيد طبعا

Sure, of course

يعني متلك متل الكلب

which means you’re exactly like a dog

انقصف قصف

Burrrn!

Notes:

• انقصف قصف/ inqasef qasef

OK, so I wrote burn to translate انقصف قصف

But that’s only because it’s the best equivalent English slang phrase I can think of.

The phrase انقصف قصف does not mean “burn”. At least not in the literal sense. 

قصف refers to shellings or bombings. And انقصف is the verb to be shelled/to be bombed.

Thus, the literal meaning is sort of like “the shell [the artillery shell used in warfare] got shelled” or “the bomb got bombed”.

So انقصف قصف is said as an exclamatory response to a humiliating insult where a comeback or a rebuttal is almost impossible.

It’s like when someone tried to be funny and made fun of you, but you came up with a comeback/response that’s 10 times better to the extent that the person is stunned and at a loss for words.

So it’s like “Ha! In your face!”/ “Ha! In his face!” or “You got burned!”/”He got burned!”…get it? I hope so.

• مزرعة/ mazra2a

And although Amr said مزرعة in the video, he was not actually referring to a “farm” where there are cows, goats, horses…

I mean…that’s what comes to mind when I hear the word “farm”. So I was confused and decided to ask a Syrian friend.

Turns out the word مزرعة refers to a place that has a swimming pool and is surrounded by greenery. It’s where people like to go for a retreat, for a picnic or for a gathering with family members and friends. I suppose it’s like a chalet.

Source

~~~

Think he’s hilarious? Check out Amr Maskoun’s Facebook Page here

That’s it, folks. It’s a long post but I hope you get to expand your vocabulary and gain insights into the language.

Which is your favourite video? Let me know in the comment section below!

P.S: Don’t forget to subscribe to my email list and be updated each time I publish a new post.

P.S.S. Like this post? Why not spread the love and share it?

The post Learn Syrian Slang Phrases from Hilarious Youtuber Amr Maskoun 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.

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