*Note: The word “هون” literally means “here” and of course you can always replace the word “هون” with “هلأ” (now).

Here is an audio recording of the phrases and the sentences examples. (All thanks to Rasheed for this audio)

Examples:

من هون ورايح بتقدر تقدم المنحة اونلاين \ عن طريق الإنترنت

From now onwards, you can apply for the scholarship online

 من هون ورايح رح اقرأ كتاب جديد كل أسبوع

From now onwards, I will read a new book every week

من هون وطالع ما في طلعة من البيت بدون ما تاخد إذني

From now onwards, there’s no going out of the house without my permission

من هون وطالع رح كون متفائل مهما صار

From now onwards, I will be positive no matter what happens

~~~

Do you know how to use the phrase now?

Great! Now not only do you know how to say “from now onwards…”, I bet you also know how to say “from today onwards…” and “from this year onwards…”.

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

Lyn

P.S Don’t forget to like and follow my Facebook Page where I’ll share stuff related to Levantine Arabic that I find online.

P.S.S Subscribe to my newsletter and never miss a post!

The post Learn Levantine Arabic Phrases: From now onwards… appeared first on theLevanTongue.

Say whaaaat?! (I promise it’s nothing complicated)

**Note: This is for Levantine Arabic learners who have no prior or little knowledge in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA).

So welcome to the first post of Fakr bel Arabi (think in Arabic).

In this post, you will learn how to say the Levantine Arabic equivalent of

“when I was young/little”

Seriously, Lyn? Is it really that hard? You had to create a post about this?

When = لما (lama)

I was = كنت (kunt/kint)

young/little = صغير / صغيرة (zghiir/zghiire)

Khalas! “When I was young/little” ya3ne “لما كنت صغير” (lama kunt / kint zghiir).

Wayn el moshkile? [Where’s the problem? i.e what’s the matter?]

Well, the problem is that I can say this to native speakers and not an eyelid will be batted.

Why?

Simply because the phrase is understandable. They understand what I mean by that.

And it is also technically NOT wrong to say that.

But the thing is, native speakers usually say something different when they want to say “when I was young/little”.

What is it?

The phrase is:

وانا صغير

uu ana zghiir

For example:

كنت مشكلجي وانا صغير

kunt/kint mashkalji uu ana zghiir

I used to be a troublemaker when I was young

قضيت وقت كتير بالمكتبة وانا صغيرة

2aDeyt waqt ktiir bel maktabe uu ana zghiire

I spent a lot of time in the library when I was young

كان حلمي وأنا صغير انه اكون/كون دكتور

kan helmi uu ana zghiir eno akun/kun doktor

When I was young, it was my dream to be a doctor

كنت زيك وانا صغيرة

kunt zaiyak/zaiyek uu ana zghiire

I was like you when I was young

زي = Palestinian/Jordanian Arabic

Alternatively, you can say متلك

كان بحب ياكل مصاصات وهو صغير

kan baHeb yakol mSaaSaat uu huwe zghiir

When he was young, he liked eating lollipops.

كانت تروح لهديك المدرسة وهي صغيرة

kaanat truuH la hadiik el madrase uu hiye zghiire

She used to go to that school when she was young

~~~

Who would have thought that the phrase carries the stated meaning?

Besides, a literal translation will be “and I’m young/little”.

This is why I recommend implementing the chunking method during language learning. Don’t know what that is? Check out this article here.

That’s it. I hope this post has been useful.

It is the little things like this in a language that if you’re aware of and incorporate them into speech, you’ll be a baby step closer to sounding like a native.

Till the next post,

x Lyn

The post Fakr bel Arabi #01: When I was young appeared first on theLevanTongue.

فوقاني تحتاني

Transliteration:

fawq2ani taHtaani

Meaning:

“upside down”

Not literally but figuratively.

As in “you turned my world upside down”. Not “the picture is hung upside down”.

The usage of the phrase will be clearer after going through the examples below.

Examples:

الحرب قلبت العالم فوقاني تحتاني

el harb 2albet el 3aalam fawq2ani taHtaani

The war turned the world upside down

الاولاد عملوا فوضى وقلبوا البيت فوقاني تحتاني

el uulad 3amalu fawdha uu 2alabuu elbayt fawq2ani taHtaani

The children made a mess and turned the house upside down

BONUS

Okay, so what if you want to say “the picture is hung upside down”?

The word is:

بالمقلوب

bel maqluub

inverted / upside down

Here are two examples:

الصورة معلقة بالمقلوب

el suura m3ala2a bel maqluub

The picture is hung upside down

علقوهن (علقوهم) الأسرى بالمقلوب

3ala2uuhun (3ala2uuhom) el usraa bel maqluub

The prisoners were hung upside down

~~~

That’s it, folks! Check back next Friday for another ALEF post, or better still, subscribe to be notified of new posts!

PS: If you like this post, you’ll like the rest of the ALEF series too.

ALEF #01: Ma Bahut Bidimtii

PSS: Like this post? Why not spread the love and share it? 

The post ALEF #02: fawq2ani taHtaani appeared first on theLevanTongue.

The two numbers are نص (half) and ستين (sixty).

In addition, you can also hear how these numbers are used in contexts via an audio track available online.

So let’s find out how to use these numbers, shall we? Yalla, here we go…

HALF

First up, we got the number ‘half’! Or نص (nos) in Arabic.

Here are some examples to use the number as a way to place emphasis:

لأ مو هيك :A

la2, muu heik

nope, not like this

 !لأ هيك ونص :B

 la2, heik uu nos!

no, like this and half!

In this example, B uses the word ‘نص’  to insist that he is right and to reject/rebuff what A had said. The idea of using the word ‘half’ is to signify that a simple “I’m right” is not enough to convey the message, thus the need to add “half” in order to place emphasis or to insist.

I suppose you can liken the usage to how people use the phrase  “110%” instead of “100% “to signify exceeding the standard or as an emphasis. For example: “I’m not only 100% sure, I’m 110% sure!”

Here is another example:

 ! انت ما بتقدر تعمل هالشغلة :A

you cannot do this (thing)!

 ! لأ بقدر ونص :B

No, I can do that and more!

In this example, the word  ‘نص’ is again used to counter A’s claim and to insist that B is totally capable of doing much more than the usual.

Here’s another example:

 انت مانك قدّا :A

you’re not capable

قدّا ونص :B

I am capable and half

So like I mentioned previously, you can hear how this number is used in Spoken Arabic in an audio track. So head on over to this link. It is a podcast in Syrian Arabic called “Hay el Matar”.

I initially found the podcast through Soundcloud but at the time of writing this post, I couldn’t locate all of the tracks on the channel anymore. There are only the last ten episodes on Soundcloud and perhaps the rest have been removed. If you’re interested, here’s the link to the channel on Soundcloud.

Luckily, however, the tracks are available on the Sowt website.

For this post, you’ll need to listen to the first episode. Either head over to the link or listen to the audio track below (which I had downloaded when it was available on Soundcloud months ago).

Fast forward the audio till 03:52 and you’ll hear two men arguing.

Here’s how the conversation goes:

!انا شو ذنبي؟ :A

What’s my fault (literal: sin)?

i.e It’s not my fault!

!لأ سيدي, ذنبك, ذنبك ونص :B

No sir, it’s your fault. Your fault and half!

So in this context, the word ‘نص’  is used to retort A’s claim that he’s not at fault and to assert that, on the contrary, it’s his fault.

Thus, ‘نص’  is used as an exaggeration in order to emphasise that A is truly at fault.

Bonus!

My Syrian friend, Rasheed, which I got to know through Tandem (a great app, btw) told me a joke when I told him of this observation (using numbers as an emphasis).

So the joke goes like this…

There is a tomato and we want to cut it up equally among 3 people. What do we do?

Here’s the solution:

منجيب هي البندوراية ومنقلا

we bring this tomato and say to it

انت بندورية انت؟ انت عنجد بندورية؟

Are you a tomato? Are you really a tomato?

فهي بتعصب

So the tomato got angry

وبتقول اي انا بندوراية ونص

and it says “Yes, I’m a tomato and half!”

ومنعطي كل شخص نص

So then we give each of us half (equal piece) of the tomato

Lol! A lame joke, I know, but hey, now you’ll remember how to use the number as a way to place emphasis!

SIXTY

Using the same audio track as above, listen to the track carefully at 14:27.

The woman is having an argument with a group of men at the restaurant and the conversation goes like this:

!انا ماني ولد, فهمانة ؟ :A

ana maani walad, fahmaneh?!

I’m not a boy, understand?!

!!انت ولد وستين ولد :B

ente walaad uu seeteen walaad!!

you’re a boy and a boy times 60!!

The woman is calling the man a ‘boy’ and thus insulting him. And the number sixty is used to emphasise the word ‘boy’ and his childishness (or whatever else that is associated with the word ‘boy’)

In other words, you’re not just a boy. You’re a boy x 60. You’re a kid, you’re childish, so stop acting like a grown man, etc. Get the idea? I hope so!

Here’s another example:

هو غبي وستين غبي

huwe 3habi uu seeteen 3habi

He’s not only stupid, but so darn bloody stupid

~~~

That’s it, folks! Hope this post is useful.

It is good to note that depending on contexts, using both of the numbers may contain a tone of challenge.

As usual, let me know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Till the next post,

Lyn

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 Place Emphasis By Using Two Numbers in Levantine Arabic appeared first on theLevanTongue.

I hope you’ll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

~~~

البتراء هي الوطن

هو اليوم الاول من المسيرة والشمس مشرقة. الياس قاعد تحت الفي وساند ضهره على شجرة زيتون مع العنزة المفّضلة عنده و اللي سماها وردة

قبل شوي حّضر إلياس ابريق شاي ، وهلأ عم بيشف من كاسة الشاي على مهلو , بينما عم يطلع على المنظر اللي بالرغم من إنه كتير مألوف بس بياخد العقل. بيعتبر الياس شرب الشاي مع نعنع طقس مهم من طقوسه الصباحية و نادرًا ما يبلش يومو بدونو

نسمة هوا قوية طيرتو وإلياس على طول بيزبط كوفيتو الحمرا والبيضا اللي لاففها على راسو. بيمد اجريه بمحل مريح وما عم يحسن يفتّح عيونو من الشمس لما هو بتطلع على الافق. بعد شوي وبدون مايحس بّلش يفكر بجّدو المتوفي

متل ابوه وجده والكل اللي اجا قبلهم، انولد إلياس بالبتراء ومتلهم كمان بيعرف البتراء حجر حجر

كانو إلياس وجدو بحبو يقعدو سوا بالزبط بنفس المكان اللي قاعد فيه إلياس هلأ – تحت شجرة الزيتون . كانو يقعدو ويضحكو على السياح اللي مبينين متل النمل من فوق . من لما توفى جدو قبل سنتين فقد الياس رفيقو الغالي وهلأ ما عم يشارك هالمنظر غير مع العنزة تبعو اللي واقفة جنبو

قديش إلياس مشتاق لجدو و بضل بيتذكر الجملة اللي كان بيقولها جدو دايما – ولدت بالبتراء ورح اموت فيها

البتراء هي الوطن

احيانا بتساءل إلياس اذا في شي يوم رح يزهق ويمل من مدينة الورد الاحمر. ممكن يجي يوم و ازهق من المكان اللي بعتبره وطني طول عمري؟

وفجأة انقطع حبل افكارو لما سمع ابوه عم يصفرلو. “وينك يا ولد؟ قوم وتعال لهون! السياح جايين” صرخ ابوه بصوت عالي

إالياس بيشرب الباقي من كاستو الشاي بشّفة واحدة وبيمشي بسرعة لأسفل المنحدر الصخري مع وردة اللي عم تلحقو

هو متأكد إنو اليوم رح يكون يوم معجوق متل العادة. وبطريقه لتحت بيقدر يشوف السياح عم بيمشو على مهلهم باتجاه الشارع المعمد. عنجد أشكالهم متل النمل من فوق

نهاية الجزء الاول

~~~

~~~

Petra is home

It is the first day of March and the sun is shining brightly. Ilyas is sitting under the shade and leaning his back against the olive tree with his favourite goat that he named “Wardeh”.

A while ago, Ilyas had prepared a pot of tea and is now sipping slowly from his cup of tea, while gazing at the all too familiar yet breath-taking view. Ilyas considers drinking tea with mint an important morning routine and he rarely starts his day without it.

A strong breeze blew past his and Ilyas immediately adjusts his red and white keffiyeh that is wrapped around his head. He stretches out his legs in a comfortable position and he can barely open his eyes from the sun rays as he stares into the horizon. After a while and without realising it, he begins to think of his late grandfather.

Like his dad and grandfather and all that came before them, Ilyas was born in Petra and like them too, he knows Petra like the back of his hand.

Ilyas and his grandfather used to sit together at the exact spot that he is currently sitting at – under the olive tree. They used to sit and laugh at the tourists who appear like ants from above. Since the death of his grandfather two years ago, Ilyas lost a dear friend and now shares the view with no one else except his goat standing beside him.

Oh how Ilyas misses his grandfather so and is constantly reminded of the phrase that he always used to say: I was born in Petra and I will die in it too.

Petra is home.

Sometimes Ilyas wonders if there comes a day where he will get sick and tired of the red rose city. Perhaps there comes a day where I get bored of that place that I consider as home my entire life?

Suddenly, Ilyas’ train of thoughts was cut off when he heard his father whistling to him. “Where are you, boy? Come here. The tourists are coming!” shouted his father loudly.

Ilyas drinks the rest of his tea in one gulp and hurries quickly to the bottom of the rocky slope with Wardeh following behind him.

He is sure that today will be another busy day as usual. On his way down, he could see the tourists strolling towards the Colonnaded Street. They really do look like ants from above.

End of Part One.

PS: Like it? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below!

PSS: Now, anyone interested in drawing up some illustrations?

The Inspiration

The post Keep Running: #01 Petra is Home 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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