And the first word is…”still”!

How To Say “Still” In Levantine Arabic?

There are two words that natives across the Levant would use and they are…

1. بَعَد

2. لِسّا / لِسّة

And the tables below will show you how to add personal pronouns to them…

As you can see, there can be different ways that natives conjugate for لسة within the Levant. The ways vary from region to region.

For example, in addition to the ones mentioned in the table, there are natives such as Syrians from Aleppo who say لسّعتو instead of لسّاتو.

Don’t let the variations bother you. For simplicity’s sake, you might want to just stick with the ones in the yellow columns.

Before we look at the sentence examples, it is useful to note that when it comes to using the word لسة to refer to “still”, you may choose to add or omit the attached pronouns.

So for example, if you want to say “He is still young”, you can choose from the following sentences:

هو لسة صغير

هو لساته صغير

هو بعده صغير

As you can see, using both لسة and لساته is acceptable.

However, you can’t use بعد without the attached pronoun because native speakers will tell you that it sounds odd and unnatural.

So all in all, remember to attach the pronouns when using بعد to refer to “still”.

UPDATE:

I’m guessing you have to add the attached pronoun to بعد when using adjectives. For example, if you want to say “he’s still tired” or “he’s still young”, بعده is used. If you omit the attached pronoun and just say بعد, it won’t sound natural.

However, I’ve seen natives (from Lebanon and Syria) use بعد on its own when using verbs. For example, if you want to say “I haven’t watched it (the movie) yet”, you can say:

ما حضرته بعد

However, my Jordanian friend insists that the sentence structure above sounds unnatural and he would rather say

بعدني ما حضرته

or

ما حضرته بعدني

So maybe it’s a North Levantine Arabic vs South Levantine Arabic thing

~~~

Now, let’s look at more sentence examples

Note: The audio recordings are by a native Syrian speaker so the attached pronouns used are the North Levantine ones.

Sentence examples:

وين حسن؟ لسة رح يجي عالشغل؟

بعدو رح يجي عالشغل؟

Where is Hasan? Is he still coming to work?

حسن لساتو عالطريق للمكتب

حسن بعدو عالطريق للمكتب

Hasan is still on his way to the office

وين رايح؟ خليك شوي كمان، لسة بكير

بعدو بكير

Where are you(m) going? Stay awhile more, it is still early

وطوا صوتكن! لسة في طلاب عم يقدموا فحص بالغرفة التانية

بعدو في طلاب عم يقدموا فحص بالغرفة التانية

Lower your (pl) voice! There are still students taking their examinations in the next room

أنا بروح عالنادي كل يوم بس لسة ما عم ينزل وزني

بس بعدو وزني ما عم ينزل

I go to the gym every day but I’m still not losing weight

ديانا لسة ما قررت اذا رح تجي للحفلة اليوم باليل

ديانا بعدا ما قررت اذا رح تجي للحفلة اليوم باليل

Diana still hasn’t decided if she is coming to the party tonight

بتعرفِ اذا لسة ليزا هي مديرة الشركة؟

بتعرفِ اذا بعدا ليزا هي مديرة الشركة؟

Do you(f) know if Lisa is still the manager of the company?

كيف رح نروح  عالبحر الميت هلق؟ لسة الدنيا عم تمطر

بعدا الدنيا عم تمطر

How are we going to the Dead Sea now? It is still raining

شو صار لأبو علي؟ صار أسبوع ولسة دكانتو مسكرة

صار أسبوع وبعدا دكانتو مسكرة

What happened to Abo Ali? It has been a week and his shop is still closed

الولاد لساتن معصبين منك لأنو ما خليتن يروحوا عالسينما

الولاد بعدن معصبين منك لأنو ما خليتن يروحوا عالسينما

The children are still mad at you (m) for not letting them go to the cinema

فيقوا ياجماعة! صارت الساعة 10 الصبح ولسة انتوا نايمين؟

صارت الساعة 10 الصبح وبعدكن نايمين؟

Wake up (pl)! It’s already 10 in the morning and you all are still sleeping?

لسة انت عايش بنفس البناية؟

بعدك عايش بنفس البناية؟

Are you (m) still living in the same building?

ليش لساتك فايق لهالوقت؟

ليش بعدك فايق لهالوقت؟

Why are you still awake at this hour?

إنتِ لساتِك بأستراليا؟

إنتِ بعدِك بأستراليا؟

Are you (f) still in Australia?

إنتِ لساتك بتحبِ هداك الشخص؟

إنتِ بعدِك بتحبِ هداك الشخص؟

Are you(f) still in love with that guy?

لسة ما خلصتِ من المهمة؟

بعدِك ما خلصتِ من المهمة؟

You’re (f) still not finished with the task?

لسة مش متأكد من اللون الّي رح ادهن فيه غرفتي

بعدني مش متأكد من اللون الّي رح ادهن فيه غرفتي

I’m still not sure what color to choose to paint my room

رح أتأخر، لساتي علقان بزحمة السير

بعدني علقان بزحمة السير

I will be late, I’m still stuck in the traffic jam

[For South Levantine Arabic, you can say علقان بالأزمة instead]

(انا ما بعرف كتير. لساتني عم اتعلّم بس رح حاول (أحاول) ساعدك (أساعدك

(بعدني عم اتعلّم بس رح حاول (أحاول) ساعدك (أساعدك

I don’t know much, I’m still learning, but I’ll try to help you

عطينا دقيقة، لسة عم نحاول نحلّ اللغز

بعدنا عم نحاول نحلّ اللغز

Give us a minute, we are still trying to solve the puzzle

حمود ربك أنو لساتنا عايشين

حمود ربك أنو بعدنا عايشين

Be grateful that we are still alive

~~~

That’s it, folks! I hope you find this post useful!

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

Lyn

The post How To Say “Still” In Levantine Arabic appeared first on theLevanTongue.

Marhaba! A simple post for today – how to say “by mistake” and “on purpose” in Levantine Arabic.

Let’s take a look at some sample sentences:

عن قصد

on purpose / deliberately

*The word قصد can be pronounced as ‘gaSed’, ‘qaSed’ or ‘2aSed’. (ء = 2)

 شفتك شو عملت  وبعرف انك عملته عن قصد

I saw what you did and I know that you did it on purpose

ماله محمد؟ ليش ضرب هداك الشب عن قصد؟

What’s wrong with Muhammad? Why did he deliberately beat up that guy?

انت ليش معصب؟ مو انا قلتلك انه ما عملتها عن قصد

Why are you so angry? Didn’t I tell you that I did not do it on purpose?

Alternatively, you can use the word:

قصداً

**Note that the word قصداً is more frequently used in Syria and Lebanon and less so in Jordan and Palestine.

هو قصداً كذَب علي مشان أعمل الشي اللي طلبه مني

He deliberately lied to me so that I will do the thing that he asked of me

ليلى ما تأخرت بالرد مو قصداً بس ما كان عندا (عندها) نت قوي لترد بسرعة

Layla did not deliberately reply late but she did not have a strong internet connection to be able to reply quickly

The following are 2 words that have the same meaning but are more frequently used in Jordan and Palestine. 

عمداً

&

بالعمداً

on purpose / deliberately

Here are some examples:

احمد بالعمداً بحب يضايق اخته بالحكي

Ahmad likes to deliberately annoy his sister with (his) words

انا بالعمداً كتبت هالكلمة لاني كنت زعلان منك

I wrote this word on purpose because I was upset at you

صحيح اني سويت هالشي بس ما سويته بالعمداً

It is true that I did this (thing) but I didn’t do it on purpose

In general, the words, بالعمداً and عمداً can be used interchangeably in Spoken Arabic. So it is perfectly fine if you choose to say عمداً instead of بالعمداً in the sample sentences above.

بالغلط

by mistake / accidentally

الكل ضحكوا على سلمى لما دخلت حمام الرجال بالغلط

Everyone laughed at Salma when she accidentally entered the male washroom

انا متأكد إنو هاي الكلمة مكتوبة بالغلط لانو ما الها معنى

I’m (m) sure this word is written by mistake because it doesn’t make any sense

(محمد حكى عن سر روان بالغلط قدام أهلها (أهلا

Mohamad accidentally mentioned Rawan’s secret in front of her parents

~~~

That’s it, folks!

If you like the post and found it useful, do share it with other Levantine Arabic learners

Till then, take care & I’ll see you around in the hosh.

Lyn

The post Learn Levantine Arabic Phrases: By mistake & On Purpose appeared first on theLevanTongue.

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

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

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

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

!معقول هيدي العجقة؟

This traffic jam is unbelievable

آه هيدي العجقة قال

Yeah they call this a traffic jam

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

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

ما بعرف ليش هيك منضل نحب منخلق مشاكل لحالنا

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

ما بيعرفو انو العجقة كلها منافع؟

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

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

For example, I have a doctor appointment at 5 pm

قلت انا هيك بضهر بكير ع ساعة سبعة

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

وبجيب كل أغراضي معي وبحضَر طبختي هوني وهيك

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

 يعني بتسلى بين هالناس لانو هون

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

كيف ما طلعت في ناس حواليك ببتسملن وببتسمولك يعني

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

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

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

ابدا ابدا ما حدا بيتطلع بحدا

not at all, nobody will ever look at anyone

وبعدين ساعة في سير هونيك وساعة يلي ما بكون في سير

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

هيك بيشرد تفكيرنا دغري انو ممكن يكون في شي مشكل

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

في شي اشتباك مسلح بشي منطقة

like an armed clash in some area

اني كرمال هيك ماعجبتني كندا, ابدا ابدا, ما عجبتني

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

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

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

ولي على قامتي انشالله انسيت جيب ابن اختي معي

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

وكنت على قليلة اقعدو ورا وخلص كل دروسه

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

كنت اني سمعتله, نغدينا سوا وتسلينا

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

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

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

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

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

*من قبل = by

يعني مثلا هلأ الموظفين بيقضوا تلات اربعة ساعات بالعجقة بالكنديتون

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

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

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

بيقضوا شي ساعتين تلاتة, بيرجع بكير ع بيته, عايلته

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

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

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

الله وكيلكن, من الفجر للنجر

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

يعني العمور بيخلص والشغل ما بيخلص

life ends but the work doesn’t end

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

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

ايه والله ما عجبتني

I swear, I don’t like Canada

Notes

• Traffic jam

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

• Doctor

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

• It’s worth it. Or not.

محرز \ محرزة

Worth it

For example,

تكميل دراستك شي محرز وخاصة اذا بساعدك تلاقي شغل احسن

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

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

For example,

مو محرزة تشتري بضاعة مزيفة لانو ما بتضل كتير

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

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

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

عجب – بيعجب

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

هادا الدرس بيعجبني كتير

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

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

• Lebanese Verb I -To Leave/ To go out

ضهر – بيضهر

dha-har , bed-har

• Yaa Haraaam *shakes head*

يا حرااام

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

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

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

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

muttering “Ya Haraam” under breath

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

For example,

يا حرام مفكرة حالها حلوة وهي لأ

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

يا حرام شو هبلة مصدقتو انو بيحبها وهو عم يضحك عليها

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

• Woe Is Me/Shucks!

ولي على قامتي

wali 3ala 2aamtii

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

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

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

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

الله وكيلك

Allah wakiilak

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

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

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

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

~~~

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

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

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

Today, I’m Quitting My Job

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

هديك المرة كنت قاعد مع خوري بكنيسة

One day I was sitting with a priest in a church

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

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

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

يا الله بتشكرك ع هالنعمة

Dear God, I thank you for this grace

كل اليوم بدون استثناء لمدة تلاتين سنة

Every day, without exception, for thirty year

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

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

نحنا كل شي منصلي وبعد ما إجانا شي منو

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

قام جاوبه هالزلمة: الوعية.الوعية أكبر نعمة من الله

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

الوعية

Waking up

alarmأنا شو بعمل وقت تدق هال

What do I do when my alarm rings?

بفتح عيوني

I open my eyes

بقوم من الفرشة

Get out of bed

وبحضر حالي تأكون طارق يللي مطلوب مني

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

بتطلع بهالمراية يللي قرفان منها

I look at myself in the mirror with disgust

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

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

وببلش يومي

And begins my day

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

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

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

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

مع إني عارف إنو الجواب أقل من واحد بالمية

Despite knowing that the answer is less than one percent

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

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

بقعد وببلش شغلي يللي طلع من مناخيري

I sit and begin my work that I loathe

وبرجع بتذكر قصة هيدا الخوري

Only to remember the story of the priest

أحلى فترة بحياتي وقتا كنت صغير

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

جهلان ومش سئلان

Ignorant and carefree

وقتا كنت ولد, كان عندي حلم

When I was a kid, I had a dream

بس ع كبر مات الحلم

But as I got older, the dream died

وعلقت بهالروتين

And I got stuck in this routine

بس اليوم

But today

اليوم تحديدا

Precisely today

رح ينبسط مني هالولد

I will make that little kid proud

لانو اليوم ـ اليوم رح اترك شغلي

Because today, today I’m quitting my job

يعني أنا ما عم بستوعب يللي قلتلي إياه

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

معقول راسك؟

Are you for real?

شو فكرت يعني؟ ما فهمت شو برم في مخك

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

لحتى عم بتقلي إنه تركت شغلك

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

شو به مخك؟

What is wrong with you?

لك كل الناس عم تقتل حالا عم تتفلفل لحتى تلاقي شغل

People are killing themselves to find a job

وانت على البارد المستريح بتترك شغلك؟

And you, out of the blue, quit yours?

ولك بك شي يا إبني؟

Are you insane?

تعبت وما كنت مبسوط

I was tired and unhappy

!يا نوسك

How cute of you!

اهم شي انو الواحد يكون مبسوط؟

As if it’s important for someone to be happy

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

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

هيك يعني؟

Is this how it’s going to be?

امبلا رح كون ممثل

Yeah I did, I’m going to be an actor

ممثل؟ شو انا ربيت مارلون براندو هون عندي بالبيت؟

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

بفهم إنو بتحب الهوايات وشجعناك عالهوايات وبتحب السينما

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

!بس لهون وبس

But that’s about it!

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

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

لو فيي كنت تركت هالبلد تأترك هالناس

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

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

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

متله..متله..متله..متله وحتى متله

or him…him…him…him…or even him

ومتلا

and like her

اذا بفل وين بتكوني؟

If I leave, where will you be?

وين بتكوني انتي؟

Where will I find someone like you?

بكرا

Tomorrow

خلينا نأجلا لبكرة

Let’s postpone it to tomorrow

بس بكرة

But tomorrow

بكرة عنجد

Tomorrow, seriously

رح اترك شغلي

I’m quitting my job

~~~

NOTES:

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

#01: مش طايق/مش طايقة

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

Example:

ماني / مش طايقة احكي معو

I  can’t stand talking to him

#02: طلع من مناخيري

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

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

For example:

هي مو مبسوطة مع جوزا وحياتا معو طالعة من مناخيرا

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

That’s it, folks!

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

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

Lyn

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

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