Free Levantine Arabic Lesson 1: Mastering Your Daily Schedule!

Category: Free Lessons, Levantine Dialect, Beginner Friendly

Marhaba (Hello) and welcome to your first structured lesson! Today, we’re diving into one of the most useful conversations you’ll ever have: describing your busy day. This lesson is built from a real, natural dialogue in Levantine Arabic (the spoken dialect of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine).

Let’s break it down piece by piece, learn the essential patterns, and then practice with some exercises.

Part 1: The Core Conversation

Let’s look at the text we’ll be mastering today.

📖 Arabic Text:

شُو عَنْدَك اليُوم ؟

بِصَرَاحَه اليُوم عَنْدي كْتِير إِشْيَا. السَّاعِه تِسْعَه بِـ الصِبح عَنْدي مَوعِد مع مُدِيري و السَّاعِه عَشرَه عَنْدي مُقَابَلِه مَع شركِه مُهِمِّه وَ السَّاعَه وَحْدِه عَنْدِي غَدَا مَع أَحْمَد وَ سَامِر والسَّاعَه تْلاتِه عَنْدِي مُقَابَلِه مَع المُهنْدِس رَامِي والسَّاعَه خَمْسِه عَنْدِي دَرْس عَرَبي والسَّاعَه تْمَانِه بِـ المَسَا عَنْدِي حَفْلِه بِـ بَار يَلِّي جَنب مَحَطِّة جِسِر لُنْدُن.

 

 

🔊 Transliteration (Pronunciation Guide): 

 Sho 3andak alyawm? 

 Bisaraha alyawm 3ndi ktir ishiya, sa3ah tise3ah bisobeh 3ndi mau3id ma3 mudiri, wa sa3ah 3sharah 3ndi muqabelah ma3 sharika muhimmeh, wa sa3ah wa7deh 3ndi ghada ma3 Ahmad wa Samer, wa sa3ah tlehteh 3ndi muqabelah ma3 almuhandis Rami, wa sa3ah khamseh 3ndi dars 3arabi, wa sa3ah tmaneh bilmasa 3ndi hafleh bbar yalli janb ma7attet Gisr London.

*(Note: Numbers like 3 represent the Arabic letter "ع" - a guttural 'a' sound from the throat.)*

🌍 English Translation: 

What do you have today?

Honestly, today I have a lot of things. At 9 o'clock in the morning, I have an appointment with my manager; at 10 o'clock, I have an interview with an important company; at 1 o'clock, I have lunch with Ahmad and Samer; at 3 o'clock, I have an interview with engineer Rami; at 5 o'clock, I have an Arabic lesson; and at 8 o'clock in the evening, I have a party at the bar next to London Bridge station.

Part 2: Vocabulary & Phrase Breakdown

A. The Essential Question & Response

• شو عندك اليوم؟ (Shu 3andak alyawm?): The universal way to ask "What's your plan?" or "What do you have going on?"

• بِصَراحَه (Bisaraha): "Honestly," used to start a statement for emphasis.

• عندي كتير إشيا (3ndi ikteer ishiya): "I have many things." عندي = I have. كتير = many/a lot. إشيا = things (from أشياء).

B. Key Appointment Nouns

C. Telling Time

• الساعه... (assa3ah...): At ... o'clock.

• بِالصِبْح (bilsebih): In the morning.

• بِالمَسا (bilmasa): In the evening.

• Time Numbers: تِسْعَه (9), عَشْره (10), وَحْدِه (1), تْلَاتِه (3), خَمْسِه (5), تْمَانِه (8).

Part 3: The Golden Sentence Structure

The dialogue follows a perfect, repeatable formula. Learn this, and you can describe any schedule:

الساعة + [Time] + عندي + [Event] + مع/في/بـ + [Person/Place]. 
 (At [Time] I have [Event] with/at [Person/Place].)

 

Examples from the text:

1. الساعه تسعه... عندي موعد مع مديري. 
    (At 9... I have an appointment with my manager.)

1. الساعه تمانه... عندي حفله ببار. 
    (At 8... I have a party at a bar.)

1. ...بـ بار يَلِّي جَنب محطة... 
    (...at the bar that is next to the station...)

📝 Part 4: Practice Exercises

Test your understanding and apply what you've learned.

Exercise 1: Vocabulary Match

Match the Arabic word on the left with its correct English meaning on the right.

1. مَوْعِد

2. غَدَا

3. مُقابَلِه

4. دَرْس

5. حَفْلِه

A. Lesson
B. Party
C. Appointment
D. Lunch
E. Meeting/Interview

*(Answers: 1-C, 2-D, 3-E, 4-A, 5-B)*

Exercise 2: Fill in the Blanks

Complete the sentences using the vocabulary from this lesson.

1. الساعه سِتَّه بِالمَسا، عِنْدي __________ مع أهلي. (dinner - عَشَا)

2. يَدّي أتْعَلَّم. عِنْدي __________ إنجليزي غَداً. (lesson)

3. شُو عِنْدَك بَكْرة؟ __________، عِنْدي شُغْل كْتير. (Honestly)

*(Suggested Answers: 1- عَشَا, 2- دَرْس, 3- بِصَراحَه)*

Exercise 3: Build Your Own Schedule

Using the golden structure, write 3 sentences describing your real or ideal tomorrow.

Example: الساعة عَشْرة بِالصُّبْح، عِنْدي دَرْس يُوغا. (At 10 AM, I have a yoga lesson.)

Exercise 4: Listening & Comprehension (Role-Play)

• Step 1: Read the original Arabic dialogue out loud. Focus on the flow.

• Step 2: Ask a friend (or pretend!): "شُو عَنْدَك اليُوم ؟"

• Step 3: Answer them by creating your own 3-item schedule using the structure you learned.

📌 Lesson Summary & Key Takeaways

• To ask about plans: Use شو عندك اليوم؟

• To state what you have: Always start with عندي (I have).

• To structure your day: Use the "الساعه... عندي... مع/في..." formula.

• Critical Vocabulary: Master the 5 key nouns for appointments.

• Connecting Ideas: Use وَ (wa) for "and" and يَلِّي (yalli) for "that/which" to describe places.

Great job! You've just learned how to navigate one of the most common conversations in daily Arabic life.

 .

مع السلامة وتشوفوني بدرس الجاي!
(Maʿa ssalāmeh w tshūfūni b-dars il-jāy! - Goodbye and see you in the next lesson!)

Omar Nassra