Sample

حاليعن شوي

Sam

ple

© 2018 by Matthew Aldrich The author’s moral rights have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publisher. Cover art: Mona Mohamed ISBN: 978-0-9986411-7-1 website: www.lingualism.com email: contact@lingualism.com

Sample

i | ©

Introduction .................................................................................................................. iii

How to Use This Book ................................................................................................... iv

1. What's your name? ................................................................................................... 1

2. Where are you from? ................................................................................................ 6

3. How old are you? .................................................................................................... 11

4. When were you born? ............................................................................................ 16

5. What do you do? ..................................................................................................... 21

6. Where do you live? ................................................................................................. 26

7. Are you married? .................................................................................................... 31

8. Do you have any brothers or sisters? ..................................................................... 36

9. Do you speak any foreign languages?..................................................................... 41

10. What is your favorite color? ................................................................................. 46

11. Do you play any sports? ........................................................................................ 51

12. What did you eat for lunch yesterday? ................................................................ 56

13. When do you usually get up? ............................................................................... 61

14. What is your favorite food? .................................................................................. 66

15. Who is your favorite actor or actress? ................................................................. 71

16. What are you wearing today? .............................................................................. 76

17. How many times a year do you get sick? ............................................................. 81

18. What did you do this morning? ............................................................................ 86

19. What is your favorite season or kind of weather? ............................................... 91

20. Do you like to sing or dance? ................................................................................ 96

21. What color are your eyes and hair? .................................................................... 101

22. What is your favorite holiday of the year? ......................................................... 106

23. Can you drive?..................................................................................................... 111

24. Where do you meet your friends? ...................................................................... 116

25. Is there anything you don’t like eating? ............................................................. 121

26. What are you afraid of? ...................................................................................... 126

Sample

ii | ©

27. How do you feel today? ...................................................................................... 131

28. What are you going to do tomorrow? ................................................................ 136

29. What is your favorite hobby? ............................................................................. 141

30. How would you describe your personality? ....................................................... 146

Appendix A: Pronunciation ....................................................................................... 151

Appendix B: Numbers ............................................................................................... 155

Appendix C: The Levantine Arabic Texts ................................................................... 156

Visit

Audio Tracks Access the free accompanying MP3s, which can be downloaded or streamed from the Audio Library.

Anki Flashcards Study the questions and native speakers’ responses using Anki flashcards with audio—available as a separate purchase.

Sample

iii | ©

Shwayy ‘An Haali ( حاليعن و ي ش šwayy 3an ɧāli A Little About Myself) will be of tremendous help

to independent language learners who want to develop their conversational skills and increase their Arabic vocabulary.

Very simply, Shwayy ‘An Haali presents the results of a survey given to 10 native speakers of Levantine Arabic (five from Lebanon and five from Syria). Each of the 30 sections in the book begins with a question from the survey followed by the 10 responses and a breakdown of the vocabulary and concludes with a page where you are encouraged to give your own answer to the question using newly learned words and phrases.

This book was designed in such a way that it can be an effective learning tool for learners at all levels:

For beginners, even the most basic words are found in the glossaries with their English translations. Even if you find the sentences challenging and cannot understand some of the underlying grammar at work, you will be able to pick up useful phrases while building your vocabulary. The questions and responses appear in Arabic script and are followed by English translations. The glossed vocabulary also appears with phonemic transcription (pronunciation in the Latin alphabet) to aide in pronunciation. For detailed information on the sounds of Levantine Arabic and the system of phonemic transcription, see Appendix A.

For more advanced learners, the texts appear again in the back of the book (Appendix C) without voweling (tashkeel) or translations, to provide a more challenging reading experience without distractions. Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) translations are also given after each question and response for learners who are more proficient in MSA and can benefit from comparing the similarities and differences between it and Levantine Colloquial Arabic (LCA).

When a vocabulary item is commonly used in either Lebanon or Syria, but not both, it is marked as such and is followed by its equivalent in the other country.

The accompanying MP3s, free to download from the Lingualism Audio Library at www.lingualism.com, make up an invaluable part of the learning process, allowing you to hear and mimic native speakers’ pronunciation, pitch, intonation, and rhythm.

The author would like to thank all of the contributors for their participation in the Shwayy ‘An Haali project.

The MP3s can be downloaded for free

by accessing the Lingualism Audio Library at:

www.lingualism.com

Sample

iv | ©

The sections are numbered, but that does not mean you have to do them in order. Sections do not build on previous sections, and words and phrases found in each section are given even if they appear in other sections. That said, if you are a beginner, you will want to do sections 1-10 first, as these lay out even the most basic words (pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions), which are sometimes excluded from the other sections.

Each section begins with a question presented in the masculine singular form, as is the norm on surveys.

The feminine form appears below in the glossary area, marked with ♀. On the audio tracks, you will hear both the masculine and feminine versions of the question.

The MSA translation of the question is marked with M.

Vocabulary from the question.

Vocabulary found in more than one response is listed here, before the first response, starting with nouns. Irregular plurals are shown in parentheses.

Verbs: The base form of the perfect tense is followed by the imperfect form in parentheses. To learn more about conjugation, refer to our book Levantine Colloquial Arabic Verbs.

Other parts of speech follow: adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, particles, prepositions, and conjugations, in that order.

Each response appears next to the speaker’s photograph and name. After each name, L for Lebanon and S for Syria reminds you where the speaker is from. The response appears in Arabic script with voweling (tashkeel), followed by its English translation, its MSA translation marked with M, and vocabulary unique to that response.

Study the responses. Listen to the audio tracks and read the responses. Notice how words are used together. Making note of (or highlighting) groups of words used together in meaningful chunks and memorizing them will help you to produce more natural, idiomatic language. (Note on the audio tracks: There is a 3-second pause between each response—not enough time for you to repeat it, but this should give you time to pause the audio.)

Sample

v | ©

Numbers are generally written as numerals. For help reading numbers, see Appendix B.

Give your own response. At the end of each section, there is a page where you can practice using words and phrases you have learned. First, write out the question in the “arrow” box. Then write your own personal response to the question. As you can see, there are places for two more responses. Whose? Be creative:

• Interview a native speaker of Levantine Arabic • Interview your teacher or a classmate. • Use the questions to talk to Levantine Arabic

speakers online on a language exchange web site or chat room.

• Interview a friend or family member (in English!), and translate (or paraphrase) their answers into Levantine Arabic.

• Imagine you are interviewing a celebrity or public figure. What might their answers be? Use what you know about them, find out more online (Wikipedia, etc.), or just be imaginative.

• Create your own fictional character to answer the questions!

Try your best when answering, but don’t worry about making mistakes. These are part of the learning process. The book Levantine Colloquial Arabic Vocabulary (available from Lingualism) contains additional words and phrases you may want in order to write your responses. You can also use other references, of course, such as a dictionary or native speakers. If you still cannot find the word you are looking for, go ahead and substitute it in your sentence with the Modern Standard Arabic word or even the English translation. Perhaps later you will have an opportunity to improve your responses.

Practice reading. The questions and responses appear again in Appendix C, written without voweling and without the distraction of the phonemic transcriptions, translations, and glossaries. Practice reading them (with or without the audio).

Sample

1 | ©

♀ ك ا س شو ؟ م M مك؟ما هو ا س šū what شوم name (asêmi أسامي .pl) ísim ا س ك ـ ;ak m. your- ـك -ik f. your

plural (ajmê3 ج ماعأ .pl) jámi3 جم ع

(umniyyêt أ م ن ي ات ,amêni أماني .pl) umníyyi أ م نيةwish, desire

ناتو ;má3na meaning مع نى ma3nêtu its مع meaning; the meaning of which is...

L ب bayy (pl. بي ات bayyêt) / S أب abb (pl. هات ب أ abbahêt) father

friend (rifaʔêt ر فقاة .pl) rfīʔ ر فيق to call (out); to cry (y3áyyiʈ ي عي ط) 3áyyaʈ عي ط

to mean (yá3ni ي ع ني) 3íni ع ني

ma3rūf well-known, common مع روف i my- ـي

húwwi m. it; he ه و

li to me- ـلي

u m. its, his- ـو kill all; every ك ل u and و

bass but; just بس

la-ʔánnu because he/it لأن و

مي ه دى ه لال. ه دى ي ع ني الت و جيه والإر و ي مع روف ا س م ش . شاد وه و ا س

My name is Hoda Helal. Hoda means orientation and guidance, and it’s a pretty common name.

M ،مي هدى هلال رشادو ا س م معروفو هدى يعني الت وجيه والإ . هو ا س

tawjīh orientation ت و جيه

iršêd guidance إر شاد

و ي šwayy (+ adjective) a little, somewhat ش

مكشو ؟ ا س

Hoda L

Sample

2 | ©

مي عاله وية م حم د راني، بس ك ل العالم بيعي طولي راني . ا س

The name on my I.D. is Mohamed Rani, but everybody calls me Rani.

M ،مي في بطاقة الهوي ة محم د راني . لكن الكل ينادونني رانيو ا س

ـالع 3a(l)-__ ( الـ +على ) on the __; to the __

hawíyyi identification, I.D.; identity ه وية

( العالم il3ālam everyone (lit. the whole (kill) )ك ل

world); 3 عالمālam (pl. م ل واع 3awālim) world

ع أ م نية مي ي ع ني أ م ن ي ات جم ين. ع ي ل تي ب ت عي ط لي موني. ا س . م نى نورالد

Mona Noureddine. My family calls me Moni. My name means wishes, the plural of wish.

M ،مي يعني ا منيات؛ جمع ا منيةو منى نورالد ين . عائلتي ينادونني موني. ا س

3áyli family ع ي ل ة

م مع روف ك تير ب ل ب نان ومع ناتو مي إب راهيم. ه ي دا الا س . البي الم كر م ا س

My name is Ibrahim. It’s a common name in Lebanon, and it means the Venerable Father.

M سم معروف كثيرا في لبنان مي ابراهيم. هذا الإ . يعني الإ ب المكر م و ا س

L ي دا دااه háyda / S ه hāda m. this

ktīr very; a lot, very much ك تير

libnên Lebanon ل ب نان

mkárram honorable, venerated م كر م

Rani L

Mona L

Ibrahim L

Sample

3 | ©

مي هم س م على م سم ىة ا س و ت الخفي بس من ي ا س . . مع ناتو الص

My name is Hamsa. It means subdued sound [whisper] but it’s not an aptronym [fitting name].

M ،مي همسة وت الخافت،و ا س ما على مسم ىو يعني الص . لكن ه ليس ا س

وات .ʂōt (pl صو ت aʂwāt) sound; voice أص

xáfi hidden خفي

L من ي mánni / S مالي māli I am not

3ála to; on على

musámma named, called م سم ى

مو مي أ ي هم خاد م الأر ب عين. أب ا س م ها مر ي م ا س . بسام وأ م ي ا س

My name is Ayham Khadem Al Arbien. My father’s name is Bassam, and my mother’s name is Maryam.

M ام مي ا يهم خادم الإ ربعين، ا بي ي دعى بس مها مريمو ا س . ا مي ا س

S أ م umm (pl. أ م هات ummahêt) / L م إ imm

(pl. م هات إ immahêt) mother

اـه -ha = اـ -a f. its; her

ب ح مع م س. سم وني أه لي هي ك لأن و و ل د ت الص و الش مي نور، ومع ناتو ض ا س

و . جه جه ة الض

My name is Nour, which means sunlight. My parents gave me this name because I was born in the morning, at the break of the dawn.

M مس ب ح مع بزوغ الش مس. سم وني ا هلي هكذا لإ ن ني ولدت في الص مي نور، يعني ضوء الش . ا س

و ɖaww light ض

šámis sun شم س

to call, name (ysámmi ي سم ي) sámma سم ى

ni me- ـني

áhil parents; family أه ل

hēk like this; so هي ك

to be born (yíwlad ي و لد) wílid و ل د

ب ح ʂúbuɧ morning ص

ma3 with مع

S جه جه ة jáhjaha / L شق شق ة šáʔšaʔa break (of dawn)

Hamsa L

Ayham S

Nour S

Sample

4 | ©

ة م م ن و را الق ص ب لي وطب عا ك ل الن اس ب تع ر ف هالا س ين الش مي علاء الد ا س

هورة . المش

My name is Aladdin Alshibli, and of course, everybody knows my name from the famous tale.

M ة المشهورة سم م ن وراء القص بلي وطبعا الكل يعرف هذا الإ مي علاء الدين الش . ا س

ʈáb3an of course طب عا

nês pl. people ناس

to know (yá3rif ي ع ر ف) 3írif ع ر ف

ha-(l)- (+ noun) this هالـ

min from م ن

wára behind و را

ة story (ʔúʂaʂ ق صص .pl) ʔuʂʂa ق ص

هور mašhūr famous مش

مي أماني ع أ م نية ور ف قاتي ب ي عي طولي مينو ا خ ت صارا . ا س . ه و ب ي ع ني جم

My name is Amani. It is the plural of wish. My friends call me Mino for short.

M مي ا ماني . عائلتي ينادونني مينو با ختصارو يعني جمع ا منيةو ا س

ixtiʂāran shortened, concisely ا خ ت صارا

ر الط و ي ش، بس ر ف قاتي أح يانا بيصي حولي مي عما هل ا س . ط و ي ش لأن و أس

My name is Ammar Altwaish, but sometimes my friends call me Twaish because it’s easier.

M ،مي عم ار الطويش . لكن ا حيانا ا صدقائي ينادونني طويش لإ ن ه ا سهلو ا س

aɧyênan sometimes أح يانا

S صي ح ʂáyyaɧ (ي صي ح yʂáyyiɧ) / LS 3 عي طáyyaʈ (ي عي ط y3áyyiʈ) to call (out), shout

هل áshal easier; easy أس

Aladdin S

Amani S

Ammar S

Sample

5 | ©

Sample

6 | ©

♀ م ن وي ن؟ إن تي

M من ا ين ا نت؟ ínta you إن ت min from م ن wēn where وي ن قة ق .mánʈiʔa (pl من ط manāʈiʔ) area, region مناط

ي عة ي ع .ɖay3a (pl ض ɖáyi3) village ض

وت bērūt Beirut بير

libnên Lebanon ل ب نان

ل áʂil origin أص

يا سور sūriya Syria

ɧálab Aleppo (city in Syria) حلب

ام ش ال -ššêm Damascus (capital of Syria)

city (múdun م د ن .pl) madīni مدين ة

sêkin living ساك ن

L ل ق ي و لد) wílid و ل د L S / (yíxlaʔ ي خ لق) xíliʔ خ yíwlad) to be born

ma (+ verb) not ما

ktīr very; a lot, very much ك تير ána I أنا

اـه -ha = اـ -a f. its; her

i my- ـي

b- in, at ب ـ la- to; for; of لـ u and و

وت م ها قر ناي ل بس ساك ن ة ب بير ي عة ا س قة المتْ ب ل ب نان، م ن ض . أنا م ن من ط

I’m from the district of Metn, in Lebanon; from a village called Qarnayel, but I live in Beirut.

M مها قرنايل . لكن ا قطن ببيروتو ا نا م ن منطقة المتن بلبنان، م ن ضيعة ا س

bass but; just بس

إن ت م ن وي ن؟

Hoda L

Sample

7 | ©

ي عة ل و ة إن و ما ع ن دي ض وت. خ ل ق ت هون وبع د ني هون.. م ش ح . م ن بير

From Beirut. I was born here, and I am still [living] here. It’s too bad that I don’t have a village [hometown].

M لإزلت هنا.. للا سف لإ ا ملك ضيعةو م ن بيروت. ولدت هنا .

hūn here هون

L بع د ني bá3dni / S ات ني ...lissātni I (am) still ل س

L م ش miš / S وم mū not

لو ɧílu nice, good; sweet ح

...ínnu that إن و

ن دو 3índ-u to have ع

وت وت. أنا ما ب ح س با ن ت ماء ك تير لبير وت. أه لي م ن بير . م ن بير

From Beirut. My family is from Beirut, but I don’t feel that I really belong to Beirut.

M ا نا لإ ا شعر بانتماء كبير ا لى بيروتو م ن بيروت. عائلتي م ن بيروت .

áhil family; parents أه ل

b- to feel ب ـ (yɧiss ي ح س ) ɧass حس

intimêʔ affiliation, belonging ا ن ت ماء

مال ل ب نان، خ ل ق ت هونيك ور بيت كمان لي م ن ش . أنا أص

I’m from northern Lebanon. I was born and raised there, too.

M نشا ت هنالكو ا نا ا صلي م ن شمال لبنان، ولدت .

مال šmêl north ش

L هونيك hūnīk / S نيك ه hnīk there

to grow up (yírba ي ر بى) ríbi ر ب

kamên also, too كمان

Rani L

Mona L

Ibrahim L

Sample

66 | ©

ل ة؟شو أ ♀ ك ل ت ك الم فض

M لة؟ ما هي ا كلتك المفض

šū what شو

ل أك ákil = أك ل ة ʔákli (pl. أك لات aklêt) food

ل mufáɖɖal favorite م فض rizz rice ر ز

bītza pizza بيت زا

ة láɧmi meat لح م

,kíbbi kibbeh (balls of bulgur, minced onions ك ب ة

and finely ground meat) ن دو 3índ-u to have ع

to like; to love (yɧibb ي ح ب ) ɧabb حب

ɣárbi western غر ب ktīr very; a lot, much, many ك تير

akīd of course, sure أكيد ma (+ verb) not ما ي híyyi f. it; she ه ma3 with مع

mítil like, as م ت ل

لـ ب الإضاف ة b-ilʔiɖāfi la- in addition to

بان خ وبيت زا ل ة م ن ن المع كرو ن ة ع د جاج ور ز ب س . ع ن دي ك تير أك لات م فض

I have many favorite dishes, such as pasta with chicken, rice with spinach, and pizza.

M لة مثل المعكرونة بالد جاج لدي العديد من الإ كلات بانخ والبيتزاو المفض . الإ رز بالس

mínnun from them م ن ن

ma3karōna pasta مع كرو نة

3a __ à la __; on; to ع

djêj chicken د جاج

بان خ sbênix spinach س

ل ة؟ شو أك ل تك الم فض

Hoda L

Sample

136 | ©

شو رح تع م لي ب ك را؟ ♀

M ماذا ستفعل غدا؟

šū what شو

raɧ (+ imperfect verb) will رح

to do; to make (yá3mil ي ع م ل) 3ímil ع م ل

búkra tomorrow ب ك را jêm3a university, college جام عة

غ ل غال .šíɣil (pl ش ašɣāl) work, job أش

house (byūt ب يوت .pl) bēt بي ت

ءشياأ íšya / S إشيا šī (pl. L شي ašyāʔ) thing

ب ح ʂúbuɧ morning ص

friend (male) (rifaʔêt ر فقاة .pl) rfīʔ ر فيق

L 3 ع ط ل ةúʈli (pl. أع طال a3ʈāl) / S 3 ط ل ة عíʈli

(pl. 3 ع طلúʈal) day off; holiday

to go (yrūɧ ي روح) rāɧ راح

ن دو 3índ-u to have ع

báddi I want بد ي

to see (yšūf ي شوف) šêf شاف

to go (out) (yínzil ي ن ز ل ,yínzal ي ن زل) nízil ن ز ل

to go (out) (yúʈla3 ي ط لع) ʈúli3 ط ل ع ba3dēn then, later, after that بع دي ن

mítil il3ādi as usual م ت ل العاد ة 3ála to; on على = -3a عـ

3índ at (one’s home) ع ن د

mítil like, as م ت ل

ma3 with مع

غ ل وإر جع فوفي. بع دي ن روح عالش ب ك را رح روح عالجام عة إح ضر ص

. عالبي تTomorrow, I’m going to college to attend my classes. Then I’ll go to the work, and after that, I’ll go back home.

M غل . ا عود ا لى المنزلو غدا سا ذهب ا لى الجامعة لإ حضر صفوفي، ثم ا ذهب ا لى الش

to attend; to watch (yíɧɖar ي ح ضر) ɧíɖir ح ضر

S صف ʂaff (pl. فوف م حاضرة ʂfūf) / SL ص muɧāɖara class, lecture

to return, go back (yírja3 ي ر جع) ríji3 ر ج ع

تع م ل ب ك را؟شو رح

Hoda L

Sample

137 | ©

ن د أه لي هرة بد ي روح لع غ ل. بع دي ن ب روح عالج يم وب الس ب ك را ع ن دي ش

و ي . ش

Tomorrow, I have work, and then I’ll go to the gym, and late in the evening, I’ll drop by my parents’ for a while.

M هرة ا ريد ا ن ا زور ا هلي قليلاو غدا لدي عمل، ثم ا ذهب ا لى الن ادي . خلال الس

L جيم jīm / SL نادي nêdi gym

L سهرة sáhara / SL مسا mása evening

la- to لـ

áhil parents; family أه ل

و ي šwayy a little, a bit ش

غ ل. بع دي ن شوف حاب ب ش محل وهي ك م ت ل العاد ة حروح عالش . أص

I’ll go to the work, and then I’ll see my friends somewhere or whatever, as usual.

M هكذا.. مثل العادةو سا ذهب ا لى العمل ثم ا لتقي با صدقائي با حدى الإ ماكن.

ɧa- (+ imperfect verb) will حـ

حاب .ʂāɧib (pl صاح ب aʂɧāb) friend أص

šī maɧáll somewhere شي محل

hēk so, like that هي ك

ب ح وروح قض ن هار ع ن د بي ت ج د ي ب الج بل ب غ راضي الص . ب ك را رح ض

Tomorrow, I’ll pack my things in the morning and spend the day at my grandfather’s house in the mountains.

M باح ي اليوم في بيت جد ي بالجبلو غدا سا جمع ا غراضي في الص . سا ذهب لإ قض

ب ) ɖabb ضب yɖubb) to collect, gather ي ض

ɣrāɖ pl. things, stuff غ راض

to spend (yʔáɖɖi ي قض ) ʔáɖɖa قض

nhār daytime ن هار

د دود ج .jidd (pl ج jdūd) grandfather

mountain (jbêl ج بال .pl) jábal جبل

Rani L

Mona L

Ibrahim L

Sample

138 | ©

غ لي المط لوب م ن ي ي إن ز ل على الج ام عة وخل ص ش . ب ك را م ت ل العاد ة بد

Tomorrow, as usual, I’ll go to college and finish the work required of me.

M ا نهي العمل المطلوب من يو الجامعة غدا كالعادة، سا ذهب ا لى .

to conclude, finish (yxálliʂ ي خل ص) xállaʂ خل ص

maʈlūb required مط لوب

mínni from me م ن ي

ويات وار على الرب و ة. بد نا ن ت غد ى هونيك، والمس ب ح م ش طال عين ب ك را الص

. راي ح عالقه و ة مع ر ف قاتي

Tomorrow morning, we are going to the Er Raboué and we’ll have lunch there. And in the evening, I’m going to a café with my friends.

M باح سنذهب ا لى الر بوة . في المساء، سا ذهب ا لى المقهى مع ا صدقائيو سنتغد ى هنالك،و غدا في الص

ʈāli3 going (out) to طال ع

to go (out) to (yúʈla3 ي ط لع) ʈúli3 ط لع

وار journey (mašawīr مشاوير .pl) mišwār م ش

نا baddna we want بد

to have lunch (yitɣádda ي ت غد ى) tɣádda ت غد ى

hūnīk there هونيك

S ويات lmása in- المسا lmaswiyyêt / LS- المس the evening

rāyiɧ going راي ح

ʔáhwi coffee قه و ة

غ ل، بك ير بع دي ن أ ط لع وشوف صديق تي . عم فك ر روح عالش

I’m thinking of going to the work early, and then I’ll go see my friend.

M ا فك ر في الذ هاب ا لى العمل باكرا، ثم ا خرج لملاقاة صديقتي .

3am (+ imperfect verb) am/is/are __-ing عم

to think (yfákkir ي فك ر) fákkar فك ر

bakkīr early بك ير

ʂadīʔa (female) friend صديقة

Hamsa L

Ayham S

Nour S

Sample

139 | ©

غ ل رح إن ز ل وشوف صاح ب تي ون ط لع ن ت عش غ ل وبع د الش ع ن دي ب ك را ش

وا . س

Tomorrow, I have work. And after work, I’ll go see my girlfriend, and we’ll have dinner together.

M ى مع بعضو بعد ذلك سا ذهب لإ لتقي بصديقتيو غدا لدي عمل . نتعش

ba3d (+ noun) after; still بع د

ʂāɧbi girlfriend صاح ب ة

to have dinner (yit3ášša ي ت عش ) t3ášša ت عش

وا sáwa together س

ب عيش اليو م ب ك ل تفاصيل و ومع ذل ك ب خط ط لب ك را ب شك ل بسيط فب ك را ب ح

. رح أت عل م أل ماني

I like to seize the day, yet my plans for tomorrow are simple: I’m going to learn some German.

M ا عيش اليوم بكامل تفاصيله ومع ذلك فتخطيطي ليوم الغد بسيط، غدا سوف ا تعل م الإ لماني ة ا حب ا ن .

to like; to love (yɧibb ي ح ب ) ɧabb حب

to live (y3īš ي عيش) 3āš عاش

day (ayyêm أي ام .pl) yōm يو م

kill all; every ك ل

detail (tafāʂīl تفاصيل .pl) tafʂīl تف صيل

ma3 zālik although, in spite of that ذل كمع

to plan (yxáʈʈiʈ ي خط ط) xáʈʈaʈ خط ط

كال .šákil (pl شك ل aškêl) way; shape, form أش

basīʈ simple بسيط

) t3állam ت عل م yit3állam) to learn ت عل م ي

almāni German أل ماني

. وبيجوز إن ز ل مع ر ف قاتي على شي كافي ه ب ك را كمان ع ط ل ة فرح فيق م ت أخ ر

Tomorrow is the weekend, too, so I’m going to get up late, and maybe I’ll go to a café with my friends.

M را . من الممكن ا ن ا ذهب مع ا صدقائي ا لى ا حد المقاهيو غدا ا يضا يوم عطلة، فسا ستيقط متا خ

kamên also, too كمان

fáraɧ joy, happiness فرح

to get up (yfīʔ ي فيق) fêʔ فاق

SL م ت أخ ر mitʔáxxar / L م أخ ر mʔáxxar late

S بيجيز bijīz / LS يِ ك ن yímkin maybe

S ج از jêz (ي جوز yjūz) to be possible

kāfē café, coffee shop كافي ه

Aladdin S

Amani S

Ammar S

Sample

140 | ©

Sample

146 | ©

♀ ي ت ك؟ كيف ب توصفي شخ ص M كيف تصف شخصي ت ك؟

kīf how كيف

ف) wáʂaf و صف yūʂuf) to describe يوص

šaxʂíyyi personality, character شخ صية nês pl. people ناس

ʈamūɧ ambition طموح to think (yfákkir ي فك ر) fákkar فك ر

to like; to love (yɧibb ي ح ب ) ɧabb حب

to do; to make (yá3mil ي ع م ل) 3ímil ع م ل

to say (yʔūl ي قول) ʔāl قال

3ámali practical, pragmatic عملي

ʔáwi strong, powerful ق وي

حالو واث ق م ن wêsiʔ min ɧāl-u = م ن نف سو واث ق wêsiʔ min náfs-u self-confident

ijtimê3i sociable; social ا ج ت ماعي aɧyênan sometimes ا أح يان = aɧyên أح يان

b-sír3a quickly ب سِ عة

ktīr very; a lot of, much, many ك تير

áɣlab most (of) أغ لب ma (+ verb) not ما

ي تي راي قة ب شخ ص ب ساع د، بس أح يان ب عص ي وب ح ب الإج مال. ب فك ر ب غير

. ب سِ عةOverall, I have a quiet personality. I think about others, and I’m ready to help, but sometimes I get angry quickly.

M لكن ا حيان ا نفعل بسرعةو ا ساعد، ا حب ا ن و شخصي تي جي دة ا جمالإ، ا فك ر بغيري .

rêyiʔ quiet, tranquil راي ق

b-ilʔijmêl altogether, in general ب الإج مال

و ɣēr-u others غير

to help (ysê3id ي ساع د) sê3ad ساعد

ب ب) 3áʂʂab عص y3áʂʂib) to get angry ي عص

ي تك؟ كيف ب توصف شخ ص

Hoda L

Sample

151 | ©

Levantine Colloquial Arabic (LCA) is a spoken dialect with no official status or rules of orthography. Native speakers tend to borrow spelling conventions from Modern Standard Arabic with some accommodations to account for LCA pronunciation. Arabic script, however, is ill-suited to show the actual pronunciation of LCA, including word stress and sound changes that occur when verbs are conjugated. Even if you are comfortable with Arabic script, it is advised that you pay close attention to the phonemic transcription (and audio tracks) to determine a more precise pronunciation of words and phrases. IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) symbols are found in [square brackets] in the descriptions below. You may find exceptions to the following rules, especially when it comes to words borrowed from other languages.

The following sounds are also found in English and should pose no difficulties: examples b ب [b] as in bed bána ىن ب (build) d د [d ] as in dog, but with the tongue

touching the back of the upper teeth dáris س ر د (study)

f ف [f] as in four fātūra تور ةفا (bill) j ج [j] as in pleasure and beige jísim م ج (body) س h ه [h] as in house hājam م ج اه (attack) k ك [k] as in kid ákal ل ا ك (eat) l ل [l] a light l as in love líbis س ب ل (get dressed) m م [m] as in moon māt مات (die) n ن [n] as in nice nísi سي ن (forget) p ب [p] appears in some foreign borrowings spōr بور (sport) س s س ث [s] as in sun síni ن ة س (year) š ش [ʃ] as in show šū وش (what) t ت [t ] as in tie, but with the tongue touching

the back of the upper teeth tlāti تلا ت ة (three)

v ف [v] appears in some foreign borrowings mūvī موفي (movie)

w و [w] as in word wēn ي ن و (where)

y ي [j] as in yes yíktub ب ت ك ي (he writes)

z ز ذ [z] as in zoo zār زار (visit)

Sample

155 | ©

دواح ١ wāɧad (f. ه واح د wáɧdi) one ت ٦ ة س sítti ( ت sitt) six س

ة سب ع ٧ tnēn two ت نين ٢ sáb3a ( ع سب sábi3) seven

ة لات ت ٣ tlêti ( لات ت tlêt) three ان ة ٨ ) tmêni تْ ن تْ tmin) eight

ةع ار ب ٤ árb3a (ار بع árba3) four ع ٩ ة ت س tís3a ( ع ت س tísi3) nine

ة خم س ٥ xámsi ( س خم xámis) five ة عشْ ١٠ 3ášra ( ْ3 عشášir) ten

When modifying a noun:

• the number 1 follows the noun and agrees in gender. • the number 2 can be followed a plural noun, but more commonly the dual suffix

.ēn is used instead of the number- ين ـ

• the numbers 3-10 have shortened forms (shown in parentheses above) and are followed by plural nouns.

ش ع دا ح ١١ ɧdā3iš eleven ٦١ ت ا ش ع س sittā3iš sixteen

ش ع ت نا ١٢ tnā3iš twelve ٧١ ش ع تاسب sabatā3iš seventeen

ش ع الت ت ١٣ tlatā3iš thirteen ٨١ ش ع تا ان تْ tmantā3iš eighteen

٤١ ٩١ arbatā3iš fourteen ع شبتا ر أ ش ع تاس ت tisatā3iš nineteen

٥١ ش ع تا س خم xamstā3iš fifteen

٠٢ ين ت ين ٦٠ 3išrīn twenty ع شْ sittīn sixty س

٠٣ لاتين ت tlêtīn thirty عين سب ٧٠ sab3īn seventy

عين ر ب أ ٤٠ arb3īn forty نينا تْ ٨٠ tamênīn eighty

عين س ت ٩٠ xamsīn fifty خم سين ٥٠ tis3īn ninety

Compund numbers (21, 75, etc.) are formed literally as “one and twenty”, “five and seventy”, etc. The number 1-9 in its full form (that is, not the shortened form) precedes ينواح :u و .xámsi w sab3īn seventy-five و سب عين ة خم س ;wāɧad u 3išrīn twenty-one د و ع شْ

Sample

156 | ©

اسمك؟ شو ك؟ اسم شو

هدى: اسمي هدى هلال. هدى يعني التوجيه والإرشاد وهو اسم شوي معروف.

راني: اسمي عالهوية محمد راني، بس كل العالم بيعيطولي راني. منى: يعني أمنيات جمع أمنية.منى نورالدين. عيلتي بتعيطلي موني. اسمي

إبراهيم: اسمي إبراهيم. هيدا الاسم معروف كتير بلبنان ومعناتو البي المكرم. همسة: اسمي همسة. معناتو الصوت الخفي بس مني اسم على مسمى. أيهم: اسمي أيهم خادم الأربعين. أب اسمو بسام وأمي اسمها مريم.

سموني أهلي هيك لأنو ولدت الصبح مع اسمي نور، ومعناتو ضو الشمس.

جهجهة الضو. نور:

اسمي علاء الدين الشبلي وطبعا كل الناس بتعرف هالاسم من ورا القصة

المشهورة. علاء الدين:

أماني: اسمي أماني. هو بيعني جمع أمنية ورفقاتي بيعيطولي مينو اختصارا . عمار: طويش لأنو أسهل. اسمي عمار الطويش، بس رفقاتي أحيانا بيصيحولي

Sample