Session 13 — Family, People & Possession¶

Second 20-hour cycle: 3 / 10
Total training: 23 / 40 hours
Duration: ~2 hours

Today we focus on one of the most important building blocks of Levantine Arabic:

Who is this person?
Who is your family?
Whose is this?
I have / you have / he has / she has...

You already know:

3andi — I have

Today we'll turn that into a complete system.

0:00–0:15 — Warm-up¶

No notes.

Answer aloud:

1. Who are you?¶

shu ismak?

2. Where are you from?¶

min wein inta?

3. Where do you live?¶

wein bteskon?

4. What do you do?¶

shu bteshtaghil?

5. What did you do yesterday?¶

shu 3melt mbāre7?

6. What will you do tomorrow?¶

shu baddak ta3mel bukra?

Now add:

3andak 3ayle?

Do you have a family?

0:15–0:30 — Family vocabulary¶

Learn these as chunks, not isolated dictionary words.

Arabic	Transliteration	English
عيلة	3ayle	family
أب	ab	father
بيّ	bayye	dad/father
أم	em	mother
إمّي	imme	my mother / mom
أبوي	abūye	my father / dad
بنت	bent	girl / daughter
ابن	ibn	boy / son
ولد	walad	boy / child
أخ	akh	brother
أخت	okht	sister
زوجة	zawje	wife
زوج	zawj	husband
صاحب	ṣā7eb	male friend
رفيق	rafii2	male friend
صاحبة	ṣā7be	female friend
رفيقة	rafi2a	female friend

For now, prioritize:

3ayle
bayye
imme
bent
ibn
akh
okht
ṣā7eb / ṣā7be

0:30–0:45 — “I have”¶

You already know:

3andi

I have.

This is extremely important because Arabic doesn't use a simple verb equivalent to English “have” here.

Think of:

3andi + thing/person

as:

I have + thing/person

Examples:

3andi بنت.

I have a daughter.

3andi ibn.

I have a son.

3andi akh.

I have a brother.

3andi okht.

I have a sister.

3andi ṣā7eb.

I have a male friend.

Negative¶

ma 3andi...

I don't have...

Examples:

ma 3andi akh.

I don't have a brother.

ma 3andi okht.

I don't have a sister.

ma 3andi waqt.

I don't have time.

That last sentence is worth remembering:

ma 3andi waqt.

0:45–1:00 — The possession system¶

Now expand:

Person	Levantine	English
أنا	3andi	I have
إنتَ	3andak	you have M
إنتِ	3andik	you have F
هو	3ando	he has
هي	3anda	she has
نحنا	3anna	we have
إنتو	3andkon	you plural have
هنّي	3andon	they have

This is a major table.

Say it aloud:

3andi

3andak

3andik

3ando

3anda

3anna

3andkon

3andon

What is happening?¶

The basic concept is:

3and + person

The ending changes.

Compare:

3andi — I have

3andak — you M have

3andik — you F have

3ando — he has

3anda — she has

You will hear these constantly in conversation.

1:00–1:15 — Questions with 3and-¶

Now conversation becomes much easier.

Do you have a car?¶

To a man:

3andak sayyāra?

To a woman:

3andik sayyāra?

Does he have a car?¶

3ando sayyāra?

Does she have a car?¶

3anda sayyāra?

Do they have a car?¶

3andon sayyāra?

Answering¶

Yes¶

ee, 3andi sayyāra.

Yes, I have a car.

No¶

la2, ma 3andi sayyāra.

No, I don't have a car.

Rapid drill¶

I'll give you the English.

Say the Arabic.

I have a daughter.¶

3andi بنت.

You have a daughter — male.¶

3andak بنت.

You have a daughter — female.¶

3andik بنت.

He has a daughter.¶

3ando بنت.

She has a daughter.¶

3anda بنت.

We have a daughter.¶

3anna بنت.

They have a daughter.¶

3andon بنت.

1:15–1:30 — Possessive suffixes¶

Now we move to a different but related structure.

English:

my house

Arabic can attach “my” directly to the noun.

بيت — bēt¶

house.

My house¶

bēti

Your house — male¶

bētak

Your house — female¶

bētik

His house¶

bēto

Her house¶

bēta

Our house¶

bētna

Your house — plural¶

bētkom

Their house¶

bēton

This is another major system.

Compare the two systems¶

This distinction is important.

“I have a house”¶

3andi bēt.

Literally:

At me, a house.

“My house”¶

bēti.

The possessive ending is attached to bēt.

So:

3andi bēt.

I have a house.

but:

bēti kbiir.

My house is big.

1:30–1:45 — The possessive suffix family¶

Use:

sayyāra — car

My car¶

sayyārti

Your car — male¶

sayyārtak

Your car — female¶

sayyārtik

His car¶

sayyārto

Her car¶

sayyārta

Our car¶

sayyārtna

Their car¶

sayyārton

The exact pronunciation can vary slightly according to the noun and dialect, so learn these first as whole forms.

A crucial distinction¶

Don't confuse:

3andi sayyāra

I have a car.

with:

sayyārti

my car.

And:

3andak sayyāra

you have a car.

with:

sayyārtak

your car.

1:45–2:00 — Family conversation¶

Now imagine you meet a Lebanese/Levantine speaker.

Me:¶

3andak 3ayle?

Do you have a family?

Answer.

Me:¶

3andak wled?

Do you have children?

Answer.

You can say:

ee, 3andi bent.

Yes, I have a daughter.

or:

ee, 3andi bent w-ibn.

Yes, I have a daughter and a son.

Me:¶

adde 3omra?

How old is she?

You can answer:

3omra ...

She's ... years old.

Age¶

You already know:

3omri 46.

I'm 46 years old.

For another person:

3omro 50.

He's 50.

3omra 10.

She's 10.

Notice:

3omri

my age

3omro

his age

3omra

her age

Part 2 — “Who is this?”¶

This is one of the most useful conversational structures.

Who?¶

miin?

Who?

This¶

For masculine:

hāda

this

For feminine:

hāyde

this

You will also hear forms such as hayda / hayde depending on speaker and dialect.

For your active vocabulary, learn:

hayda — this, masculine

hayde — this, feminine

Who is this?¶

Male person¶

miin hayda?

Who is this?

Female person¶

miin hayde?

Who is this?

Answering¶

hayda ṣā7bi.

This is my friend.

hayde ṣā7bti.

This is my female friend.

hayda akhūye.

This is my brother.

hayde okhti.

This is my sister.

Part 3 — “My brother / my sister”¶

This introduces another very important way of expressing possession.

أخ — brother¶

akh

brother

akhūye

my brother

أخت — sister¶

okht

sister

okhti

my sister

بنت — daughter¶

bent

daughter

benti

my daughter

ابن — son¶

ibn

son

ibni

my son

These are worth learning as complete words:

akhūye

okhti

benti

ibni

Part 4 — Family description¶

You can now say:

hayda akhūye.

This is my brother.

hayde okhti.

This is my sister.

hayde benti.

This is my daughter.

hayda ibni.

This is my son.

Then add information:

3omro 40.

He's 40.

3omra 10.

She's 10.

beshtaghil b-Beirut.

She works in Beirut.

beskon b-France.

She lives in France.

Part 5 — “My” with ordinary nouns¶

Let's expand beyond family.

كتاب — ktāb¶

book

ktābi

my book

تلفون — telefon¶

phone

telefonī

my phone

مفتاح — miftā7¶

key

miftā7i

my key

شغل — shoghol¶

work

shoghli

my work

بيت — bēt¶

house

bēti

my house

The general concept:

noun + possessive suffix

Part 6 — “Where is my...?”¶

Now combine wein with possession.

Where is my phone?¶

wein telefonī?

Where is my key?¶

wein miftā7i?

Where is my car?¶

wein sayyārti?

Where is my house?¶

This is less natural because you normally know where your house is, but grammatically:

wein bēti?

Part 7 — Possession + location¶

This is where your language starts becoming much more flexible.

telefonī 3a ṭ-ṭāwle.

My phone is on the table.

miftā7i 7add el-bāb.

My key is next to the door.

sayyārti barra.

My car is outside.

benti bil-bēt.

My daughter is at home.

Part 8 — New location vocabulary¶

Learn these today:

Arabic	Transliteration	English
جوّا	jowwa	inside
برّا	barra	outside
فوق	fo2	above / upstairs
تحت	ta7t	under / downstairs
حدّ	7add	next to
قدّام	2eddām	in front of
ورا	wara	behind
جنب	janb	beside

Examples:

benti jowwa.

My daughter is inside.

sayyārti barra.

My car is outside.

miftā7i ta7t el-ktāb.

My key is under the book.

telefonī 7add el-ktāb.

My phone is next to the book.

Part 9 — Describe a person¶

You need only a few adjectives at first.

Arabic	Transliteration	English
كبير	kbiir	big / old
صغير	zghiir	small / young
طويل	ṭawiil	tall / long
قصير	2ṣiir	short
حلو	7elw	nice / beautiful
منيح	mnii7	good
تعبان	ta3bān	tired
مبسوط	mabsūṭ	happy
زعلان	za3lān	upset
مشغول	mashghūl	busy

For now, focus on:

kbiir

zghiir

mnii7

ta3bān

mabsūṭ

Part 10 — Adjective agreement¶

You have already encountered:

bēt kbiir

big house

For a feminine noun:

sayyāra kbīire

big car

Notice:

kbiir → masculine

kbīire → feminine

Another example:

walad zghiir

small/young boy

bent zghīire

small/young girl

You don't need to master every adjective rule today.

Just begin noticing:

-e

often marks the feminine form.

Part 11 — Describe your family¶

Now combine everything.

Example:

3andi بنت.

benti zghīire.

3omra 10.

benti mnii7a.

benti bil-bēt.

This is already a coherent description.

Now make your own description.

Include:

who you have
relationship
age
where they are
one adjective

Part 12 — Asking someone about their family¶

You now have enough vocabulary to conduct a simple conversation.

You:¶

3andak 3ayle?

Do you have a family?

Them:¶

ee.

Yes.

You:¶

3andak wled?

Do you have children?

Them:¶

ee, 3andi بنت.

You:¶

adde 3omra?

How old is she?

Them:¶

3omra 10.

You:¶

wein bteskon?

Where do you live?

Them:¶

beskon b-Beirut.

Part 13 — Your turn¶

I'll be the other person.

Answer aloud.

Me:¶

3andak 3ayle?

Me:¶

3andak wled?

Me:¶

adde 3omra benti?

Me:¶

wein bteskon?

Me:¶

3andak akh?

Me:¶

3andak okht?

Me:¶

wein akhūk?

Me:¶

shu bteshtaghil benti?

Don't worry if some questions are beyond what you can answer comfortably. The point is to make you produce, not just recognize.

Part 14 — “I don't have...”¶

This deserves its own drill.

I don't have a brother.¶

ma 3andi akh.

I don't have a sister.¶

ma 3andi okht.

I don't have a car.¶

ma 3andi sayyāra.

I don't have time.¶

ma 3andi waqt.

I don't have money.¶

ma 3andi masāri.

masāri is a very useful Levantine word for money.

Part 15 — “Do you have...?”¶

Rapid drill.

Do you have money?¶

3andak masāri?

Do you have time?¶

3andak waqt?

Do you have a car?¶

3andak sayyāra?

Do you have a phone?¶

3andak telefon?

Do you have children?¶

3andak wled?

Do you have a brother?¶

3andak akh?

Now switch to a woman:

3andik...?

Part 16 — Important distinction: 3and- vs possessive suffix¶

This distinction should become automatic.

I have a phone.¶

3andi telefon.

My phone.¶

telefonī.

You have a phone.¶

3andak telefon.

Your phone.¶

telefonak.

He has a phone.¶

3ando telefon.

His phone.¶

telefono.

So:

HAVE

3andi
3andak
3andik
3ando
3anda
3anna
3andkon
3andon

versus:

MY / YOUR / HIS...

-i
-ak
-ik
-o
-a
-na
-kom
-on

You will encounter these two systems constantly.

Part 17 — Translation challenge¶

Translate aloud.

1. I have a daughter.¶

3andi بنت.

2. My daughter is at home.¶

benti bil-bēt.

3. I have a brother.¶

3andi akh.

4. My brother is young.¶

akhūye zghiir.

5. He has a car.¶

3ando sayyāra.

6. His car is outside.¶

sayyārto barra.

7. She has a sister.¶

3anda okht.

8. Her sister is tired.¶

okhta ta3bāne.

9. We have a house.¶

3anna bēt.

10. Our house is big.¶

bētna kbiir.

Part 18 — Reading practice¶

Read these aloud.

أنا عندي بنت.

بنتي بالبيت.

عندي أخ.

أخوي صغير.

عنده سيارة.

سيارته برا.

عندها أخت.

أختها تعبانة.

عنا بيت.

بيتنا كبير.

Now try to understand them without transliteration.

Part 19 — Real-life simulation¶

Imagine you are showing someone a photograph of your family.

You:¶

hayda...

Who is he?

Finish the sentence.

Then:

hayde...

Who is she?

Then describe them.

You should produce something like:

hayda akhūye.

3omro ...

hayde benti.

3omra ...

hayde ṣā7bti.

beskon ...

The important thing is to build connected speech, not isolated vocabulary.

Part 20 — Final challenge¶

Challenge A — 30 seconds¶

Talk about your family.

You must use:

3andi

at least twice.

And:

benti / akhūye / ...

where appropriate.

Challenge B — 30 seconds¶

Describe your home.

Use:

bēti

fi

jowwa

barra

ta7t

fo2

7add

Use at least five sentences.

Challenge C — 60 seconds¶

Pretend you've just met someone.

Have a conversation containing:

your name
where you're from
where you live
your work
your family
your daughter's age
where she lives
something you have
something you don't have

Try to do the whole thing without English.

Part 21 — Today's core vocabulary¶

Do not try to memorize every word in this lesson.

Your priority list is:

Family¶

3ayle — family
benti — my daughter
ibni — my son
akhūye — my brother
okhti — my sister
ṣā7bi — my friend

Possession¶

3andi — I have
3andak — you have M
3andik — you have F
3ando — he has
3anda — she has
3anna — we have
3andon — they have

Possessive¶

-i — my
-ak — your M
-ik — your F
-o — his
-a — her
-na — our
-on — their

People¶

miin? — who?

hayda — this M

hayde — this F

Part 22 — Homework¶

Exercise 1 — Possession¶

Say these aloud:

I have a car.

I have a daughter.

I have a brother.

I have a phone.

I have money.

Then negate all five.

I don't have a car.

I don't have a daughter.

etc.

Exercise 2 — Switch the person¶

Take:

3andi sayyāra.

Change it to:

you M

you F

he

she

we

they

Exercise 3 — Possessive suffixes¶

Take:

bēt

Produce:

my house

your house M

your house F

his house

her house

our house

their house

Then do the same with:

sayyāra

Exercise 4 — Family monologue¶

Speak for one minute about your family.

Use at least:

3andi
benti
3omra
beskon
bteshtaghil
one adjective

Don't write the monologue first.

Speak it.

Session 13 checkpoint¶

You now have two related but distinct systems:

“Have”¶

3andi — I have
3andak — you have M
3andik — you have F
3ando — he has
3anda — she has
3anna — we have
3andkon — you plural have
3andon — they have

And:

“My / your / his...”¶

bēti — my house
bētak — your house M
bētik — your house F
bēto — his house
bēta — her house
bētna — our house
bētkom — your house plural
bēton — their house

The conceptual difference is:

3andi bēt.
I have a house.

versus:

bēti.
My house.

And now you can combine this with the material from Sessions 11–12:

mbāre7 re7et 3a-bēti.
Yesterday I went home.

halla2 benti bil-bēt.
My daughter is at home now.

bukra ra7 rou7 ma3 akhūye.
Tomorrow I'll go with my brother.

This is the point where the language starts becoming combinatorial: rather than memorizing whole sentences, you can assemble new ones from the pieces you've learned.

Next: Session 14 — Food, Restaurants & Everyday Requests¶

We'll use the possession and present/past systems in a very practical situation:

food and drinks
ordering in a restaurant
بدي / ما بدي
quantities
بدّي كمان — I want another / more
asking for the price
likes and dislikes
بحب / ما بحب
في / ما في
asking what something contains
ordering for yourself and someone else
a complete restaurant conversation in Levantine Arabic.