Lesson 2: Basic Greetings and Conversations in Levantine Arabic
In Arab culture, greetings are a big deal! They set the mood, show respect, and open hearts. So make sure you know all about them before moving ahead into the language!
Step 1:
Review the vocabulary learned
Mar7aba مَرحَبا
Mar7abteen مَرحبَتين
Ahlan أَهلاً
Ahleen أَهلين
HELLO
Mar7aba مَرحَبا is an all-day greeting and while mar7abteen مَرحَبتين (two mar7abas) is its traditional repply. Nowadays, however, it’s more common to hear Ahlan أَهلاً or ahleen أَهلين as a repply.
HOW ARE YOU?
Keefak? كيفَك؟ (for a male)
Keefek? كيفِك؟ (for a female)
ARE YOU GOOD?
Enta mnii7? إِنتَ منيح؟ (for a male)
Ente mnii7a? إِنتي منيحة؟ (for a female)
GENDERED VS GENDER-NEUTRAL WAYS OF SAYING "GOOD"
Mnii7 منيح (for a male)
Mnii7a منيحة (for a female)
Bikheer بخير ("in goodness")
Al7amdellah الحمدلله ["thank God (good)"]
Maashi al7aal ماشي الحال ("the situation is moving")
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 البَيت؟ Ente bi albeet?
Are you (f.) at home?
أَنا وإِنتَ؟ Ana wenta?
Me 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.”
REVIEW OF BASIC GRAMMAR RULES
AL / EL / L- ال
THE DEFINITE ARTICLE
- Ustaadh (أستاذ) – A teacher
- Alustaadh (الأستاذ) – The teacher
A / E ة
THE FEMININE MARKER
- Taalib (طالب) – A student ♂
- Taaliba (طالبة) – A student ♀
EEN ين
THE DUAL
- M3allim (معلّم) – A teacher
- M3allimeen (معلّمين) – 2 teachers
Want to practice what you’ve just learned? Try the questions below! And on the right, you’ll find a self-guided booklet packed with exercises to practice on your own.