Session 15 — Describing People & Things¶

Second 20-hour cycle: 5 / 10
Total training: 25 / 40 hours
Duration: ~2 hours

Today we move from naming things to describing them.

By the end of the session, you should be able to say things like:

hayda bēt kbiir.
This is a big house.

sayyārti abyad.
My car is white.

benti zghīire w-mnii7a.
My daughter is young and nice.

hal-ahwe 7elwe.
This coffee is good/tasty.

ma b7ebb hal-bēt, ktiir zghiir.
I don't like this house; it's too small.

The main goal is adjective agreement: masculine vs feminine.

0:00–0:15 — Warm-up¶

Answer aloud.

1¶

shu bte7ebb tekol?

What do you like to eat?

2¶

shu baddak teshrob?

What do you want to drink?

3¶

3andak sayyāra?

Do you have a car?

4¶

wein sayyārtek?

Where is your car?

5¶

shu 3melt mbāre7?

What did you do yesterday?

6¶

shu bta3mel halla2?

What are you doing now?

Now add a description:

sayyārti...

Finish the sentence with an adjective.

0:15–0:30 — The basic adjective structure¶

In Levantine Arabic, adjectives generally come after the noun.

English:

a big house

Arabic:

bēt kbiir

Literally:

house big

More examples¶

sayyāra kbīire
a big car

walad zghiir
a young/small boy

bent zghīire
a young/small girl

bēt 7elw
a nice/beautiful house

sayyāra 7elwe
a nice/beautiful car

The adjective changes according to the noun's gender.

0:30–0:45 — Masculine and feminine¶

You've already seen this principle.

Masculine¶

bēt kbiir

big house

walad zghiir

small boy

telefon jdīd

new phone

Feminine¶

sayyāra kbīire

big car

bent zghīire

young girl

ṭāwle jdīde

new table

A very common feminine ending is:

-e

So:

kbiir → kbīire

zghiir → zghīire

jdīd → jdīde

Don't assume every adjective behaves identically, but this is an important pattern.

0:45–1:00 — Core adjectives¶

Today, learn these.

Masculine	Feminine	English
kbiir	kbīire	big
zghiir	zghīire	small / young
ṭawiil	ṭawīle	tall / long
2ṣiir	2ṣīire	short
jdīd	jdīde	new
2adiim	2dīme	old
7elw	7elwe	nice / beautiful
mnii7	mnii7a	good
ta3bān	ta3bāne	tired
mabsūṭ	mabsūṭa	happy
za3lān	za3lāne	upset
mashghūl	mashghūle	busy

Focus first on:

kbiir / kbīire

zghiir / zghīire

jdīd / jdīde

7elw / 7elwe

mnii7 / mnii7a

1:00–1:15 — Adjective drill¶

I'll give you the noun.

You give me the correct adjective.

بَيْت — bēt¶

big

bēt kbiir

سيارة — sayyāra¶

big

sayyāra kbīire

ولد — walad¶

small

walad zghiir

بنت — bent¶

small

bent zghīire

تلفون — telefon¶

new

telefon jdīd

سيارة — sayyāra¶

new

sayyāra jdīde

1:15–1:30 — “This is…”¶

You already learned:

hayda — this, masculine

hayde — this, feminine

Now combine them with adjectives.

Masculine¶

hayda bēt kbiir.

This is a big house.

hayda telefon jdīd.

This is a new phone.

hayda walad zghiir.

This is a young boy.

Feminine¶

hayde sayyāra kbīire.

This is a big car.

hayde بنت zghīire.

This is a young girl.

hayde ṭāwle jdīde.

This is a new table.

1:30–1:45 — Definite nouns¶

Now an important detail.

You already know:

bēt kbiir

a big house

But:

el-bēt el-kbiir

the big house

The definite article el- applies to the adjective too.

Compare:

bēt kbiir

a big house

el-bēt el-kbiir

the big house

More examples¶

sayyāra kbīire

a big car

es-sayyāra el-kbīire

the big car

telefon jdīd

a new phone

et-telefon el-jdīd

the new phone

The exact pronunciation of el- changes before some consonants. You don't need to master that today; you've already encountered examples such as:

es-sub7

es-samak

eṭ-ṭāwle

For now, prioritize recognition.

1:45–2:00 — Description challenge¶

Look around you.

Choose five objects.

For each, say:

hayda/hayde + noun + adjective

For example:

hayda telefon jdīd.

hayde ṭāwle kbīire.

hayda bēt kbiir.

Don't worry about whether every object is actually “new” or “big.”

The goal is to produce the structure.

Part 2 — Colors¶

Now we'll add colors.

Core colors¶

Arabic	Transliteration	English
أبيض	abyad	white
أسود	aswad	black
أحمر	a7mar	red
أزرق	azra2	blue
أخضر	akhdar	green
أصفر	asfar	yellow
برتقالي	bortoqāli	orange
بني	bunni	brown
رمادي	ramādi	grey
زهري	zahri	pink

Start with:

abyad

aswad

a7mar

azra2

akhdar

bunni

Part 3 — Color agreement¶

Some colors have forms that don't follow the simple -e pattern.

For example:

abyad — white, masculine

bayḍa — white, feminine

So:

bēt abyad

white house

but:

sayyāra bayḍa

white car

Similarly:

aswad — black M

sawda — black F

a7mar — red M

7amra — red F

akhdar — green M

khaḍra — green F

These are common adjective patterns you should learn as pairs.

Part 4 — Color drill¶

House — masculine¶

bēt abyad

white house

Car — feminine¶

sayyāra bayḍa

white car

House¶

bēt aswad

black house

Car¶

sayyāra sawda

black car

House¶

bēt a7mar

red house

Car¶

sayyāra 7amra

red car

Part 5 — Your clothes¶

This is a very useful real-world exercise.

You already know:

t-shirt

You can use the common Levantine loanword:

t-shirt

Shirt¶

2amīṣ

shirt

Pants¶

banṭalōn

trousers/pants

Shoes¶

kəndara

shoe

Jacket¶

jakēt

jacket

Now describe what you're wearing.

For example:

labes t-shirt abyad.

I'm wearing a white T-shirt.

labes banṭalōn akhdar.

I'm wearing green trousers.

You don't need to master labes yet as a full verb paradigm. Learn the phrase as a useful chunk.

Part 6 — “I am wearing”¶

لابس — lābes¶

For a male speaker:

ana lābes...

I'm wearing...

Examples:

ana lābes t-shirt abyad.

I'm wearing a white T-shirt.

ana lābes banṭalōn aswad.

I'm wearing black trousers.

For a female speaker, you will hear:

lābse

This distinction is useful to recognize.

Part 7 — Describing people¶

Now let's combine:

family + possession + adjectives.

Example:

hayde benti.

This is my daughter.

benti zghīire.

My daughter is young.

benti mnii7a.

My daughter is good / well.

benti mabsūṭa.

My daughter is happy.

You can combine adjectives:

benti zghīire w-mabsūṭa.

My daughter is young and happy.

Part 8 — “And”¶

You already know:

w

and.

Use it to connect adjectives.

bēt kbiir w-7elw.

A big and beautiful house.

sayyāra kbīire w-jdīde.

A big and new car.

benti zghīire w-mnii7a.

My daughter is young and nice.

Part 9 — “Very”¶

كتير — ktiir¶

Very / a lot / much.

You've already encountered this.

Now use it with adjectives:

kbiir ktiir

very big

zghiir ktiir

very small

7elw ktiir

very nice

mnii7 ktiir

very good

For feminine:

kbīire ktiir

7elwe ktiir

You will hear this constantly.

Part 10 — “A little”¶

شوي — shway¶

A little / somewhat.

Examples:

zghiir shway.

A little small.

ta3bān shway.

A little tired.

ghāli shway.

A little expensive.

This becomes particularly useful when shopping.

Part 11 — Expensive / cheap¶

غالي — ghāli¶

expensive

رخيص — rkhiiṣ¶

cheap

Feminine:

ghālye

rkhīṣa

Examples:

hal-sayyāra ghāliye.

This car is expensive.

hal-telefon ghāli.

This phone is expensive.

hal-akl rkhiiṣ.

This food is cheap.

Part 12 — Shopping conversation¶

Imagine you're looking at a phone.

You say:

hayda telefon jdīd?

Is this a new phone?

Seller:

ee.

You:

2addeish se3ro?

How much does it cost?

Seller:

...

You:

ghāli shway.

It's a little expensive.

Or:

mnii7.

Good.

Or:

baddi eshteri.

I want to buy it.

This connects today's lesson to Session 14.

Part 13 — “I want this”¶

You can say:

baddi hayda.

I want this.

For a feminine object:

baddi hayde.

I want this.

Examples:

baddi hayda.

I want this one.

ma baddi hayde.

I don't want this one.

This is very useful in shops and restaurants.

Part 14 — “Which?”¶

أي — ay¶

Which?

Examples:

ay wa7ad?

Which one?

ay sayyāra?

Which car?

ay bēt?

Which house?

You may also hear:

ay wa7de?

Which one? — feminine.

For now, memorize:

ay wa7ad?

Which one?

Part 15 — “This or that?”¶

Now:

hayda wala hayda?

This one or this one?

hayde wala hayde?

This one or this one?

wala means:

or

Examples:

ahwe wala shāy?

Coffee or tea?

samak wala djāj?

Fish or chicken?

hayda wala hayde?

This or this?

Part 16 — “That”¶

You'll hear:

hāda / hayda

for this.

For “that,” common Levantine forms include:

hēdaak

that one, masculine

and:

hēdeek

that one, feminine.

Dialect pronunciation varies, so don't make these a major memorization target yet.

Your immediate productive priority is:

hayda

hayde

because you'll use them constantly.

Part 17 — Description without “is”¶

This is important.

English:

The house is big.

Levantine Arabic:

el-bēt kbiir.

Literally:

the house big.

There is no present-tense equivalent of English “is” here.

Another example:

sayyārti kbīire.

My car is big.

Not:

“My car is something big.”

Just:

sayyārti kbīire.

Part 18 — Negative descriptions¶

Now:

ma...

My car isn't big.

sayyārti ma hiyye kbīire.

This is possible, but in ordinary Levantine you will more naturally encounter a simple negation structure depending on the dialect/context.

At your level, use:

sayyārti mish kbīire.

My car isn't big.

مش — mish¶

not / isn't

This is another very important word.

Examples:

mish kbiir.

It's not big.

mish jdīd.

It's not new.

mish ghāli.

It's not expensive.

mish mnii7.

It's not good.

For feminine:

mish kbīire.

mish jdīde.

Part 19 — مش vs ما¶

You now have two different negation patterns.

Verbs¶

ma bākol.

I don't eat.

ma re7et.

I didn't go.

Descriptions / nouns¶

mish kbiir.

It's not big.

mish jdīd.

It's not new.

This distinction is extremely useful.

Don't translate mish as a direct equivalent of every English “not.” Learn the patterns.

Part 20 — Compare¶

It is big.¶

kbiir.

It isn't big.¶

mish kbiir.

I eat.¶

bākol.

I don't eat.¶

ma bākol.

I went.¶

re7et.

I didn't go.¶

ma re7et.

You are now seeing a much more systematic Arabic grammar.

Part 21 — Describe objects around you¶

Look around you.

For each object, make three statements:

Example: phone¶

hayda telefon.

This is a phone.

telefon jdīd.

The phone is new.

telefon abyad.

The phone is white.

Then:

telefon mish kbiir.

The phone isn't big.

Do this with five objects.

Part 22 — Describe your car¶

This is a good exercise because you can use several known structures.

Start:

3andi sayyāra.

Then:

sayyārti...

Describe:

color
size
age/newness
whether you like it
where it is

For example:

3andi sayyāra.

sayyārti abyad...

sayyārti kbīire.

sayyārti jdīde.

b7ebb sayyārti.

sayyārti barra.

Don't copy the example exactly. Use your actual car.

Part 23 — Describe your home¶

Use:

bēti...

You need at least:

big/small
old/new
nice
inside/outside
one location

Example:

bēti kbiir.

bēti 7elw.

bēti jdīd.

el-matbakh jowwa.

el-sayyāra barra.

Part 24 — Mini conversation¶

Person:¶

shu hayda?

What's this?

You:¶

hayda telefon.

This is a phone.

Person:¶

jdīd?

Is it new?

You:¶

ee, jdīd.

Yes, it's new.

Person:¶

ghāli?

Is it expensive?

You:¶

ee, ghāli shway.

Yes, a little expensive.

Person:¶

baddak eshteri?

Do you want to buy it?

You:¶

ee, baddi eshteri.

Yes, I want to buy it.

Part 25 — Another conversation: clothes¶

Person:¶

shu lābes?

What are you wearing?

You:¶

lābes t-shirt abyad.

I'm wearing a white T-shirt.

Person:¶

w-shu?

And what else?

You:¶

lābes banṭalōn aswad.

I'm wearing black trousers.

Person:¶

7elw.

Nice.

You:¶

shukran.

Thank you.

Part 26 — Question drill¶

Answer aloud.

1¶

shu lawn sayyārtek?

What color is your car?

lawn = color.

2¶

sayyārtek jdīde?

Is your car new?

3¶

bētk kbiir?

Is your house big?

4¶

shu lawn t-shirt?

What color is the T-shirt?

5¶

hayda ghāli?

Is this expensive?

6¶

bte7ebb hayda?

Do you like this?

7¶

baddak hayda?

Do you want this?

Part 27 — Color question¶

شو لون...؟ — shu lawn...?¶

What color is...?

Examples:

shu lawn sayyārtek?

What color is your car?

shu lawn bētk?

What color is your house?

shu lawn t-shirt?

What color is the T-shirt?

Answer:

abyad.

aswad.

a7mar.

azra2.

akhdar.

Part 28 — “What kind?”¶

You may hear:

shu no3o?

What kind is it?

no3 = type/kind.

For now, just recognize it.

A very common beginner conversation is:

shu hayda?

What is this?

hayda...

This is...

Then:

shu lawno?

What color is it?

abyad.

White.

kbiir wala zghiir?

Big or small?

kbiir.

Big.

You can now conduct a surprisingly complete description with very little vocabulary.

Part 29 — Arabic reading¶

Read these without transliteration:

هيدا بيت كبير.

هيدي سيارة كبيرة.

هيدا تلفون جديد.

هيدي سيارة بيضا.

هيدا بيت أبيض.

بنتي صغيرة.

أخوي طويل.

سيارتي سودا.

ما بحب هيدا.

بدي هيدي.

Notice the recurring endings:

-ة

in feminine nouns/adjectives.

And:

-ي

in possessive forms such as:

بنتي

سيارتي

بيتي

Part 30 — Your first adjective transformation drill¶

I'll give you:

bēt kbiir

Now make it feminine.

You need:

sayyāra...

Answer:

sayyāra kbīire.

2¶

telefon jdīd

Make it feminine:

sayyāra jdīde.

3¶

walad zghiir

Make it feminine:

bent zghīire.

4¶

bēt abyad

Make it feminine:

sayyāra bayḍa.

5¶

bēt aswad

Make it feminine:

sayyāra sawda.

This is the beginning of automatic gender agreement.

Part 31 — Translation challenge¶

Translate aloud.

1. This is a big house.¶

hayda bēt kbiir.

2. This is a new car.¶

hayde sayyāra jdīde.

3. My car is white.¶

sayyārti bayḍa.

4. My house is big.¶

bēti kbiir.

5. My daughter is young.¶

benti zghīire.

6. My brother is tall.¶

akhūye ṭawiil.

7. This is expensive.¶

hayda ghāli.

8. This isn't expensive.¶

hayda mish ghāli.

9. I like this.¶

b7ebb hayda.

10. I want this one.¶

baddi hayda.

Part 32 — Speaking challenge¶

Challenge 1 — Object¶

Choose one object in front of you.

Speak for 30 seconds.

Use:

hayda/hayde

noun

color

size

new/old

b7ebb / ma b7ebb

Example structure:

hayda telefon.

telefon abyad.

kbiir shway.

jdīd.

b7ebb hayda.

Challenge 2 — Person¶

Describe a family member.

Use:

hayda/hayde

relationship

age

one physical description

one personality/condition adjective

Example:

hayde benti.

3omra ...

zghīire.

mabsūṭa.

Challenge 3 — Yourself¶

Describe what you're wearing.

Use:

ana lābes...

At least:

top
trousers
color
one adjective

Part 33 — Final test¶

Don't look at the answers.

Translate:

This is a big house.
This is a small car.
My car is black.
My house is white.
My daughter is young.
My daughter is happy.
My brother is tall.
This phone is new.
This phone is expensive.
This phone isn't expensive.
I like this.
I don't like this.
I want this.
What color is your car?
Is your house big?
Is this new?
Is this expensive?
Which one?
This or that?
I'm wearing a white T-shirt.

Part 34 — Homework¶

Exercise 1 — Gender¶

Take these masculine/feminine pairs and say them aloud:

bēt kbiir / sayyāra kbīire

walad zghiir / bent zghīire

telefon jdīd / sayyāra jdīde

bēt 7elw / sayyāra 7elwe

bēt mnii7 / sayyāra mnii7a

Repeat until the gender change becomes automatic.

Exercise 2 — Describe five objects¶

For each object:

name it
say its color
say its size
say whether it's new/old
say whether you like it

Template:

hayda/hayde...

... lawn ...

... kbiir/zghiir ...

... jdīd/2adiim ...

b7ebb / ma b7ebb...

Exercise 3 — Describe your home¶

Speak for one minute.

Use at least:

bēti
kbiir / zghiir
7elw
one color
jowwa
barra
7add
fo2 / ta7t

Exercise 4 — No English¶

For five minutes, look around your environment and silently name/describe things in Arabic.

For example:

hayda ktāb.

ktāb abyad.

hayde ṭāwle.

ṭāwle kbīire.

This is one of the most useful habits you can build at beginner level.

Session 15 checkpoint¶

You now have the basic structure for description:

NOUN + ADJECTIVE

bēt kbiir
big house

sayyāra kbīire
big car

And:

MASCULINE → FEMININE

kbiir → kbīire
zghiir → zghīire
jdīd → jdīde
7elw → 7elwe
mnii7 → mnii7a

You also have:

hayda — this M

hayde — this F

mish — not / isn't

ktiir — very / a lot

shway — a little

ghāli — expensive

rkhiiṣ — cheap

shu lawn...? — what color is...?

And, importantly, you can now combine the material from the previous sessions:

3andi sayyāra.
I have a car.

sayyārti bayḍa w-kbīire.
My car is white and big.

b7ebb sayyārti.
I like my car.

baddi eshteri sayyāra jdīde.
I want to buy a new car.

ma baddi sayyāra kbīire.
I don't want a big car.

This is the transition from memorizing phrases to constructing your own sentences.

Next: Session 16 — Daily Life & Reflexive/Movement Verbs¶

We'll build a complete day in your life in Levantine:

wake up
get up
shower
get dressed
eat breakfast
leave home
go to work
come back
cook
relax
watch TV
go to bed
كل يوم / عادة / هلق / مبارح / بكرا
sequencing with بعدين، بعد، قبل
and a first proper 5-minute conversation.