Lesson 3: False verb - There is/are - Fi (في)

Say hello to our first "false verb"! (fi) – the verb for "there is" and "there are", perfect for when you're out shopping.

What does fi / في mean?

In Levantine Arabic, في means:

  • "There is"

  • "There are"

It’s used to say that something exists or is present.

English Arabic Transcription
There is a teacher في أستاذ Fi ustaadh
There is a student في طالب Fi tulaab
There is chocolate في شوكولا Fi shokola

Fi (في) is called a "false verb" because it behaves like a verb in meaning, but isn’t really one grammatically since we don't really conjugate it. 

Is there Coke? في كوكاكولا؟ (fi kokakola?)

!سوري، ما في (sori, ma fi!)

Hmm... what does that mean? Let’s break it down:

  • "في" means “there is”

  • "ما" is how we say “not” or “no”

  • So "ما في" = “there isn’t”

Just putting "ما" before "في" makes it negative. So "!سوري، ما في" means "Sorry, there isn’t." Easy, right?

And yes — in places like Lebanon, it’s common to use the word "sorry" in casual speech. However, you might notice the “r” is pronounced a bit softer, depending on the speaker.

Well done! You finished your third lesson! Bravo!

If you'd like, you can answer these few questions to keep practicing!

How can we ask "is there school"?

Fi madrassa? - في مدرسة؟

How can we reply "There isn't"?

Ma fi (madrassa) - ما في (مدرسة)

Let's review a bit! How can we say "the school in good?"

المدرسة منيحة (al-madrase mnii7a) = The school is good

Remember, we say "منيحة" and not "منيح" because the word "مدرسة" (madrase) is feminine.

 

How do we know it’s feminine?

In Arabic, most feminine words end in "ـة", which sounds like “a” at the end. So when a noun ends in "a", it’s usually feminine.

This is just like in languages like Spanish or French, where words ending in "a" or "e" are often feminine.

For example:

  • مدرسة (madrase) → feminine → we say منيحة (mnii7a)

  • أستاذ (ustaadh) → masculine → we say منيح (mnii7)

 

So here’s the simple rule: Does the noun end in "a"? Then it’s probably feminine, and it needs a feminine adjective.