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.

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

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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!

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