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.

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.

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.