مرحبا Marhaba!
I am learning Arabic and am focusing on the Levantine dialect (as well as trying to learn MSA as well). I am absolutely loving it - what an amazing language!
Can some speakers of Levantine Arabic please share with me some quintessentially Levantine expressions and when/where I might use them (and if you know, where the expressions come from)?
شكرن جزيلن Thanks so much!
Alex / اليكس
Are you interested in a certain variant of Levantine Arabic? If you are interested in Syrian Arabic, you can check out this phrasebook with 600 colloquial expressions from beginner to advanced level: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075NNVJB3.
Also, this channel teaches colloquial Levantine Arabic from Syria: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCODocY1zzmorLGtWffXB87w
The expressions that Mohamed Saber wrote above are Egyptian, not Levantine. (You might know that already, but just in case you didn't, I didn't want you to be confused.)
I know you said you have a lot of online resources, but here's another one: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2mcPN2YDX31oaLnfZScx_g
It's mostly MSA (except for the numbers episode, which is Levantine), but it's really useful and fun for beginners.
How a beautiful/what a beautiful.....? =to express something or someone is so beautiful شو حلو
Mashy=ماشي=Okey/alright
it sounds/sames=الهيئةelheea’
Tou’brnyتئبرني =literally means bury me but we say it to express our strong love to close friends ,family and beloved people
Tou’breeny تئبرينيto a female
Katr kher allahكتر خير الله =answer to (how’S going/what’s up/how are you)
Bea’dبيعئد/Bejannبيجنن/beyakhd ala’elبياخد العئل/betayeer ala’el بيطير العقل= phrases to express your administration about something is fantastic or fabulous or beautiful for example
This movie is great =had/hayda elfelem bea’d هاد/هيدا الفيلم بيعئد
Syrian people say had this/Lebanese say haydaهيدا
This is a beautiful song =hay/haydee elghnee betjannهي/هيدي الغنيي بتجنن
Menehمنيح =fine, good
menehمنيحةfemale
Like this =heekهيك
مرحبا ALex
I’m Levantine Native speaker
I will tell you some Phrases are used in Levantine dialects particularly (Syria and Lebanon)
o’moul ma’arouf عمول معروف we say it when we want to ask someone for help or to do something for us (a little informal)
Bdy Azbak(to male) azbik(to a female) ma’ay بدي عزبك معي THe same of عمول معروف but more formal
Nice to meet you =tshrfna تشرفناfor both genders and for group of people
yeslmo=thank you for both genders
what’s up=sho mafi شو مافي(for both genders
Nayalak(to a male) نيالك=Good for you
Nayaly=good for meنيالي
Nayalik=to a female نيالك
Nayala=good for herنيالا
Nayalo=good for himنيالو
Mamnontelak=I’m grateful to you (to a male)ممنوتلك
Mamnontelik=to a female
How’s going =sho Akhbarak(to a male)
sho Akhbarik(to a female) شو اخبارك
موفق ياربGood luk
موفقة يارب Good luck to a female
