Levantine Arabic (Shami) for Non-Native Speakers
Beginner → Early Intermediate January 13, 2026
Main Goals of This Lesson
- Learn the most important present continuous and future tenses in everyday Levantine Arabic
- Build useful daily vocabulary + some spiritual/motivational words
- Understand how to naturally translate English thoughts into spoken Shami
1. The Two Most Important Grammar Points
| Tense | Marker | Shami Example | Natural English Translation | Important Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present Continuous (happening right now) | عم + verb | عم آكل | I'm eating (right now) | Used for actions happening at this moment |
| Simple Future (will / going to) | رح + verb | رح أروح | I will go / I'm going to go | Very common in daily conversation |
| Normal Present (habits / general truth) | no marker | بسافر كتير بالصيف | I travel a lot in the summer | Used for repeated actions & general facts |
2. Vocabulary – Most Important Words
A. Everyday Verbs
| Shami | Pronunciation (approx.) | English |
|---|---|---|
| عم استخدم | 3am estakhdem | I'm using (right now) |
| عم آكل | 3am ākol | I'm eating |
| عم أشتغل | 3am eshtghel | I'm working |
| رح أدرس | raḥ adrós | I will study |
| رح أروح | raḥ rūḥ | I will go |
| بسافر | bsāfer | I travel (usually) |
| وقّف | waqqef | Stop! (command) |
| فوت | fūt | Enter! / Come in! |
B. Place & Time Words + Useful Expressions
| Shami | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| برا | barra | outside |
| جوا | juwwa | inside |
| جنب | janb | next to / beside |
| ديما | dīman | always |
| هلق | hallaʾ | now / right now |
| كتير | ktīr | a lot / very |
C. Spiritual / Motivational Vocabulary
| Shami | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| استسلام | istislām | surrender |
| إيمان | īmān | faith |
| قوة | ʾuwwe | power / strength |
| كمال | kamāl | perfection |
| نضيف | naḍīf | clean / pure |
| الخوف ممنوع | el-khōf mamnūʿ | Fear is forbidden |
| مسموح | masmūḥ | allowed / permitted |
3. Very Useful Full Sentences (Memorize These!)
- مافيني أحكي معك هلق، عم آكل بالمطعم. → I can't talk to you right now, I'm eating at the restaurant.
- عم أشتغل وأدرس كتير هالأيام. → I'm working and studying a lot these days.
- رح أروح عَ لبنان كل سنة مشان شوف عيلتي. → I go to Lebanon every year to see my family.
- أنا ديما برا البيت. → I'm always outside the house.
- إذا بدي أكون كامل دايماً → رح ضلّ تعبان. الكمال لله بس، أنا إنسان. → If I want to be perfect all the time → I'll stay tired. Perfection belongs to God only, I'm just human.
- لما أستسلم لله، بعطي القوة لله. → When I surrender to God, I give the power to God.
4. Quick Practice Exercises
Exercise A – Present Continuous (عم) Change these verbs into present continuous (I'm doing it right now):
- أدرس → ____________________
- أروح → ____________________
- آكل → ____________________
Exercise B – Future (رح) Change into future tense:
- أدرس → ____________________
- أسافر → ____________________
- أشتغل → ____________________
Exercise C – Choose the correct word
- الخوف ………………… a) مسموح b) ممنوع
- القلب لازم يكون ………………… a) نضيف b) تعبان
- أنا مش لازم أكون ………………… a) كامل b) إنسان
(Answers at the bottom – try first without looking!)
Quick Summary – What You Must Remember
- عم = right now (present continuous)
- رح = will / going to (future)
- Shami speakers love short forms: مافيني = ما فيني, هلق = الآن
- Many spiritual words are very similar to Modern Standard Arabic (إيمان، استسلام، كمال)
Keep speaking even if you make mistakes — that's how you improve! 🌟 Good luck and enjoy learning Levantine Arabic!
Answers Exercise A: 1. عم أدرس 2. عم أروح 3. عم آكل Exercise B: 1. رح أدرس 2. رح أسافر 3. رح أشتغل Exercise C: 1-b, 2-a, 3-b
