Free Levantine Arabic Lesson 2: Everyday Vocabulary, Self-Description Phrases
Level: Beginner–Intermediate Dialect: Levantine (Lebanese/Syrian/Jordanian/Palestinian) Focus: Useful words and phrases for talking about yourself, your habits, and past actions + introduction to past tense verbs.
1. New Vocabulary
Here are the key words from today’s lesson, presented clearly with:
- Arabic script
- Simple transliteration (common Levantine style)
- English meaning
|
Arabic
|
Transliteration | English | Notes / Example Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| حديثاً | 7adeesan | modern | Describes something new/current |
| نوع | noo3 | type / kind | نوع من الأصحاب = a type of friend |
| كل واحد | kol waa7id | everyone / each one | كل واحد يختار = everyone chooses |
| موضوع | mawdoo3 | topic / subject | الموضوع اليوم = today’s topic |
| قراءة | qiraa2a / qeraa2ah | reading | قراءة التاروت = tarot reading |
| توتر | tawater | tension / stress | عندي توتر = I feel stressed |
| فن | fann | art | فن القراءة = the art of reading |
| وظيفة | wazee feh | homework / task | ما فيني ساوي الوظيفة = I can’t do the homework |
| مزبوط | mazbooT | correct / right | جوابك مزبوط = your answer is correct |
| مهارة | mahaara | skill | عندي مهارة = I have a skill |
| خبرة | khibra | experience | خبرة كبيرة = a lot of experience |
| من زمان | min zamaan | a long time ago | بلشت من زمان = I started a long time ago |
| قبل | abel / qabel | before | قبل الدرس = before the lesson |
| بعد | ba3d | after | بعد الدرس = after the lesson |
| لما | lamma | when (in a clause) | لما بلشت = when I started |
| إمتى | emta | when? (question) | إمتى رحت؟ = when did you go? |
| هدية | hadiyye | gift | هذه هدية = this is a gift |
| إيحاء | ii7aa’ | intuition | بستخدم الإيحاء = I use intuition |
| مفيد | mofeed | useful | هذا مفيد جداً = this is very useful |
| معظم | mu3zam | most | معظم الناس = most people |
| معلومات | ma3loomaat | information | عندي معلومات = I have information |
| أسلوب خاص | usloob khaaSS | special style | عندي أسلوب خاص = I have a special style |
| صح | Sa77 | true / correct | كلامك صح = your words are true |
| قرار | qaraar | decision | قرار مهم = important decision |
| إيجابي | iijaabee | positive | طاقة إيجابية = positive energy |
| بفكّر | bifakker | I think | بفكّر إنو… = I think that… |
| إنو | inno | that (connector) | Very common in Levantine speech |
| ضعيفة | Da3eefeh | weak (f) | بشعر ضعيفة = I feel weak |
| نشيطة | nasheeTa | energetic (f) | أنا نشيطة = I’m energetic |
| كسلانة | kaslaaneh | lazy (f) | اليوم كسلانة = today I’m lazy |
2. Useful Phrases & Example Sentences
These are real sentences you can use right away to talk about yourself, your habits, and opinions.
|
Arabic Phrase
|
Transliteration | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| أحياناً أنا مشغولة وما فيني ساوي الوظيفة | a7yaanan ana mashghooleh w ma feenee saawi l-wazee feh | Sometimes I’m busy and I can’t do the homework |
| بحب استخدم التاروت كل يوم | ba7ebb ista5dem it-taarot kull yoom | I love using tarot every day |
| عندي مهارة وخبرة | 3indee mahaara w khibra | I have skill and experience |
| بلشت من زمان | ballashet min zamaan | I started a long time ago |
| بفكّر إن البحر بعيد من هون | bifakker inno l-ba7r ba3eed min hoon | I think the sea is far from here |
| الشجاعة لتشوفي الحقيقة | ish-shajaa3a la tshoofee l-7a ee eeh | The courage to see the truth |
| عندك طاقة إيجابية وأنت شخص نشيط | 3indak Taa a iijaabiyye w inta shakhS nasheeT | You have positive energy and you’re an energetic person |
Tip: In Levantine, we often use إنو (inno) to mean “that” when giving opinions: بفكّر إنو… = I think that…
3. Grammar Focus: Past Tense Verbs (Common Irregular Verbs)
In Levantine Arabic, the past tense is easy once you learn the pattern. Today we practiced two very common irregular verbs:
A. Verb: راح / يروح (raa7 / yroo7) – to go
| Person | Arabic | Transliteration | Pronunciation Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| I went | رحت | re7t | |
| You went (m) | رحت | re7t | Same as “I” |
| You went (f) | رحتي | re7te | Add -i for feminine |
| He went | راح | raa7 | |
| She went | راحت | raa7at | Add -at for feminine |
| We went | رحنا | re7na | Add -na |
| You went (pl) | رحتو | re7to | Add -to |
| They went | راحو | raa7o | Add -o |
Example: رحت عالمطعم بالصبح re7t 3a-l-maT3am bi-SSob7 → I went to the restaurant in the morning.
B. Verb: شاف / يشوف (shaaf / yshoob) – to see
| Person | Arabic | Transliteration | Pronunciation Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| I saw | شفت | shift | |
| You saw (m) | شفت | shift | Same as “I” |
| You saw (f) | شفتي | shifte | Add -i |
| He saw | شاف | shaaf | |
| She saw | شافت | shaafat | Add -at |
| We saw | شفنا | shifna | Add -na |
| You saw (pl) | شفتو | shiftu | Add -tu |
| They saw | شافو | shaafu | Add -u |
Example: شفت فيلم حلو أمس shift film 7elo ams → I saw a nice movie yesterday.
4. Quick Practice
Try translating these into Levantine Arabic (answers below):
- I went to the beach yesterday.
- She saw her friend at the café.
- We think that tarot reading is useful.
- I started learning Arabic a long time ago.
Answers:
- رحت عالشاطئ إمبارح (re7t 3a-sh-shaaTe2 imbaa ri7)
- شافت صاحبتها بالكافيه (shaafat Saa7bitha bi-l-kaa fey)
- منفكر إنو قراءة التاروت مفيدة (minfaker inno qiraa2et it-taarot mofeeda)
- بلشت أتعلم عربي من زمان (ballashet at3allam 3arabee min zamaan)
Homework / Practice Tips
- Write 5 sentences about what you did yesterday using past tense (رحت / شفت).
- Describe yourself in 3–4 sentences using today’s vocabulary (مهارة، خبرة، نشيط، إيجابي، etc.).
- Record yourself saying 3 phrases from Section 2.
You’ve got this! Keep practicing daily — even 10 minutes makes a big difference. See you in next Lesson!
Leran Arabic Online
Learn Arabic Online With Nassra Arabic Method
6-Month Online Membership.
Gain access to over 900 hours of content, including a 4K video library, audio Arabic lessons, and podcasts. Our carefully curated lessons cover a wide range of topics, allowing you to master the intricacies of Levantine and Gulf Arabic dialects. With downloadable transcripts, you can study at your own pace, anytime, anywhere.
Recent Posts
