Lesson 8: Yes, No & Maybe
Time for three key words in Arabic: yes, no, and maybe. Sounds simple, right? Well, Arabic has a fun twist on this one.
How to say "yes" in Levantine Arabic
You have two common ways:
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إيه (eh) – Very commonly used in daily life
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Example:
– إيه، بدي قهوة (eh, beddi 2ahwe) → "Yes, I want coffee."
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نَعَم (n3am) – A bit more formal
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Often used in polite or serious conversations.
- Used when answering the phone
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لا (la) – Straightforward and used everywhere
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Example:
– لا، ما بدي (lā, mā baddī) → "No, I don’t want."
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In many Arabic-speaking countries—including parts of the Levant like Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine—it’s very common to respond with just a sound and a gesture instead of a full word like "no."
For “no,” people might:
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Make a clicking sound with the tongue (kind of like "tsk")
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Slightly raise the head upward, sometimes with a quick eyebrow raise
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Maybe add a hand gesture like a slight shake or palm up
How to say "no"
How to say "maybe"
You can choose between 3 expressions depending on the mood or context:
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ممكن (mumkin) – "Possible / maybe"
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Often used in neutral, polite, or thoughtful responses.
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Example: ما بدو؟ (mumkin ma beddo?) → "Maybe he doesn't want"
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بركي (berke) – "Maybe / what if"
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Slightly uncertain, more colloquial
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Example: بركي ما في مدرسة (berke ma fi madrasa) → "maybe there is no school."
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بلكي (belke) – Similar to berke, but some areas don't use it
In this lesson, we learned how to say 'coffee,' and in a previous one, we also covered 'water.' Do you remember them? La (لا)? No problem—check them out below!
- Coffee → 2ahwe / قهوة
- Water → May / مي
Congratulations on getting through the lesson! If you'd like to take it a step further and challenge your skills, here are some practice questions waiting for you. How would you answer them?