Lesson 1: Basic Greetings and Essential Words in Levantine Arabic
What better way to begin than with greetings?
Let’s dive into some essential words and phrases that will help you get started with Levantine Arabic.
Step 1:
Review the vocabulary learned
HELLO
Mar7aba مَرحَبا
Mar7abteen مَرحبَتين (two "hello")
GOOD
Mnii7 منيح (for a male)
Mnii7a منيحة (for a female)
Personal Pronouns and some key words with examples:
Ana أَنا : I
Ente إِنتي : you (f.)
Enta إِنتَ : you (m.)
Kamaan كَمان : too
Bi بِ : in / at
W و : and
!أَنا كَمان Ana kamaan!
Me (I) too / also / neither!
إِنتي بِ بَيروت؟ Ente bi Beirut?
Are you (f.) in Beirut?
أَنا منيح وإِنتَ؟ Ana mnii7 wenta?
I am good, and you (m.)?
Saying yes and no in Levantine Arabic
👌Eh / Ah إِيه / أَه
Note you may hear إِيه (eh) or أَه (ah), depending on the regional accent.
🙅♂️La / la2 لا / لأ
While both لا (la) and لأ (la2) can be used the latter one is more emphatic.
👌Eyowa / Ayowa إِيوا / أَيوا
This is a magic word with many different meanings and uses. While it can also be used as a “Yes", it also carries a tone of acknowledgment or encouragement and can, thus, also be used as:
- As a confirmation of agreement (like “yes, that’s right”).
- As a way to keep the conversation going or when listening to someone’s story or explanation to show you’re following (like “yeah / okay / uh-huh”).
- As encouragement like saying “go on / exactly / that’s it.”
Extra vocabulary
Here are some key words that were also used in the first lesson:
- Ustaadh (أستاذ) – Teacher
- Taalib (طالب) – Student
- Madrase (مدرسة) – School
- Tsharrafna (تشَرَّفنا) - Nice to meet you.
We are learning Arabic shway shway (step by step, literally: little by little), so don’t worry if the first class felt overwhelming! If you want to practice what you’ve just learned, here are a couple of questions to test your knowledge! Also on the right you will find a self-guided booklet with exercises!