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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.