Session 16 — A Day in Your Life¶

Second 20-hour cycle: 6 / 10
Total training: 26 / 40 hours
Duration: ~2 hours

Today we move toward real conversation.

The objective is to describe your daily routine and ask someone about theirs:

I wake up at 7.
I get dressed.
I have breakfast.
I go to work.
I come home in the evening.
I cook.
I watch TV.
I go to bed at 11.

We'll also start using time expressions and sequence words.

0:00–0:15 — Warm-up¶

Answer aloud, without looking anything up.

1¶

shu bta3mel halla2?

What are you doing now?

2¶

shu baddak ta3mel ba3den?

What do you want to do afterwards?

3¶

shu bte7ebb ta3mel?

What do you like to do?

4¶

shu baddak tekol?

What do you want to eat?

6¶

shu lawn sayyārtek?

What color is your car?

Now try:

shu bta3mel kel yom?

What do you do every day?

You don't need to answer perfectly yet.

0:15–0:30 — “Every day”¶

كل يوم — kel yom¶

kel yom

every day

Examples:

kel yom brou7 3a sh-shoghol.

Every day I go to work.

kel yom bshrob ahwe.

Every day I drink coffee.

kel yom bākul...

Every day I eat...

kel yom bnam بكير.

Every day I sleep early.

This is an extremely useful phrase because it lets you describe habits without learning complicated grammar.

0:30–0:45 — Daily routine vocabulary¶

Learn these as chunks, not isolated dictionary entries.

Levantine	Transliteration	English
بفيق	bfii2	I wake up
بقوم	b2ūm	I get up
بتحمم	bte7ammam	I shower
بلبس	blabbes	I get dressed
باكل	bākul	I eat
بشرب	bshrob	I drink
بروح	brū7	I go
بشتغل	beshtaghil	I work
برجع	barja3	I come back
بطبخ	bṭobokh	I cook
بحضر	b7aḍḍer	I prepare/watch
بقرأ	b2ra	I read
بنام	bnām	I sleep

For now, prioritize:

bfii2 — I wake up

b2ūm — I get up

blabbes — I get dressed

bākul — I eat

bshrob — I drink

brū7 — I go

beshtaghil — I work

barja3 — I come back

bṭobokh — I cook

bnām — I sleep

0:45–1:00 — The present-tense pattern¶

You've already encountered this in previous sessions.

For many verbs, the present tense uses a b- prefix.

Compare:

akol
eat

bākul
I eat

rou7
go

brū7
I go

nam
sleep

bnām
I sleep

eshtaghil
work

beshtaghil
I work

This b- pattern is one of the most important features of everyday Levantine Arabic.

But don't assume that simply adding b- always gives the correct pronunciation. Learn common verbs as complete chunks.

1:00–1:15 — Wake up → sleep¶

Let's build the beginning and end of your day.

Wake up¶

bfii2

I wake up.

bfii2 es-sā3a sab3a.

I wake up at seven.

sā3a = hour / clock

Get up¶

b2ūm.

I get up.

bfii2 w-b2ūm.

I wake up and get up.

Sleep¶

bnām.

I sleep.

bnām es-sā3a 11.

I sleep at 11.

1:15–1:30 — Morning routine¶

Now:

bfii2

I wake up.

b2ūm

I get up.

bte7ammam

I shower.

blabbes

I get dressed.

bākul

I eat.

bshrob

I drink.

Put them together:

bfii2, b2ūm, bte7ammam, blabbes, bākul w-bshrob.

I wake up, get up, shower, get dressed, eat and drink.

This is already a complete description.

1:30–1:45 — “Then”¶

بعدين — ba3dēn¶

Then / afterwards.

Very important.

bfii2, ba3dēn b2ūm.

I wake up, then I get up.

bākul, ba3dēn bshrob ahwe.

I eat, then I drink coffee.

barja3 3al-bēt, ba3dēn bṭobokh.

I come home, then I cook.

Another useful word¶

بعد — ba3d¶

After.

ba3d esh-shoghol

after work

ba3d el-akl

after eating / after the meal

ba3dēn

then / afterwards

For now, prioritize:

ba3dēn

1:45–2:00 — Going to work¶

شغل — shoghol¶

Work.

بروح عالشغل — brū7 3ash-shoghol¶

I go to work.

You'll hear:

3a + noun

meaning roughly:

to / toward / at

So:

3al-bēt

to home

3ash-shoghol

to work

3al-mat3am

to the restaurant

3al-kāfi

to the café

Part 2 — A complete morning¶

Now build this:

bfii2 es-sā3a sab3a.

I wake up at seven.

b2ūm.

I get up.

bte7ammam.

I shower.

blabbes.

I get dressed.

bākul fṭūr.

I eat breakfast.

bshrob ahwe.

I drink coffee.

ba3dēn بروح 3ash-shoghol.

Then I go to work.

Part 3 — Breakfast¶

فطور — fṭūr¶

Breakfast.

bākul fṭūr.

I have breakfast.

غدا — ghada¶

Lunch.

bākul ghada.

I have lunch.

عشا — 3asha¶

Dinner.

bākul 3asha.

I have dinner.

Notice that Arabic commonly uses:

bākul fṭūr

rather than needing an exact equivalent of English “have breakfast.”

Part 4 — At work¶

بشتغل — beshtaghil¶

I work.

beshtaghil kel yom.

I work every day.

beshtaghil min es-sā3a 8 la es-sā3a 5.

I work from 8 to 5.

من — min¶

from

لـ — la¶

to

So:

min 8 la 5

from 8 to 5.

Part 5 — Where?¶

You already know:

wein?

where?

Now combine:

wein beshtaghil?

Where do I work?

wein bteshtaghil?

Where do you work?

wein bte7ebb teshtaghil?

Where do you like to work?

And:

beshtaghil بـ...

I work in/at...

Depending on the location, you may use:

bi...

in/at...

Example:

beshtaghil bi-Massy.

I work in Massy.

Part 6 — Coming home¶

برجع — barja3¶

I come back / return.

barja3 3al-bēt.

I come home.

barja3 3al-bēt ba3d esh-shoghol.

I come home after work.

barja3 es-sā3a 6.

I come back at six.

Part 7 — Evening¶

Now:

barja3 3al-bēt.

I come home.

bṭobokh.

I cook.

bākul 3asha.

I eat dinner.

b7aḍḍer...

I prepare...

b7ḍor TV.

I watch TV.

bقرأ كتاب.

I read a book.

ba3dēn bnām.

Then I sleep.

Part 8 — Watch TV¶

In Levantine, you'll commonly hear:

b7ḍor TV

I watch TV.

You may also hear forms based on shāhad depending on dialect/context, but don't complicate this yet.

Learn:

b7ḍor TV.

Part 9 — “At night”¶

بالليل — bil-lēl¶

at night

bil-lēl bṭobokh.

At night I cook.

bil-lēl b7ḍor TV.

At night I watch TV.

bil-lēl bnām.

At night I sleep.

Part 10 — Morning / afternoon / evening¶

Levantine	Transliteration	English
الصبح	es-sub7	morning
الظهر	eḍ-ḍohr	noon
بعد الظهر	ba3d eḍ-ḍohr	afternoon
المسا	el-masa	evening
بالليل	bil-lēl	at night

Useful chunks:

es-sub7

in the morning

ba3d eḍ-ḍohr

in the afternoon

el-masa

in the evening

bil-lēl

at night

Part 11 — Time¶

You already know:

sā3a

hour / time

Now:

es-sā3a sab3a

at seven

es-sā3a tmāniye

at eight

es-sā3a tis3a

at nine

es-sā3a 3ashra

at ten

es-sā3a 7dā3ash

at eleven

es-sā3a tnē3ash

at twelve

Don't spend too much time memorizing numbers today. Use the ones you already know.

Part 12 — “In the morning”¶

Compare:

es-sā3a sab3a

at seven

es-sub7

in the morning

Together:

bfii2 es-sā3a sab3a es-sub7.

I wake up at seven in the morning.

Part 13 — “Today”¶

اليوم — el-yōm¶

today

el-yōm beshtaghil.

Today I work.

el-yōm ma beshtaghil.

Today I don't work.

shu bta3mel el-yōm?

What are you doing today?

Part 14 — Yesterday and tomorrow¶

مبارح — mbāre7¶

yesterday

mbāre7 shteghlet.

Yesterday I worked.

بكرا — bokra¶

tomorrow

bokra beshtaghil.

Tomorrow I work.

bokra ma beshtaghil.

Tomorrow I don't work.

These are extremely high-value words.

Your basic time line is now:

mbāre7 — yesterday

el-yōm — today

bokra — tomorrow

Part 15 — Now¶

هلق — halla2¶

now

halla2 beshtaghil.

I'm working now.

halla2 bākul.

I'm eating now.

halla2 bshrob ahwe.

I'm drinking coffee now.

Notice something important:

You do not need a separate English-style “I am doing” tense.

Context + the present form can express an action happening now.

Part 16 — Every day vs now¶

Compare:

kel yom beshtaghil.

I work every day.

halla2 beshtaghil.

I'm working now.

Same basic present-tense system.

The time expression tells you whether you're talking about:

a habitual action
an action happening now

This is exactly the distinction we discussed earlier.

Part 17 — Usually¶

عادةً — 3ādatan¶

usually

3ādatan bfii2 es-sā3a sab3a.

Usually I wake up at seven.

3ādatan bākul fṭūr es-sub7.

Usually I have breakfast in the morning.

You can also use:

عادة — 3āde

normally / usually

For now, recognize both, but prioritize:

3ādatan

Part 18 — Before and after¶

قبل — 2abel¶

before

2abel esh-shoghol

before work

2abel ma rou7 3ash-shoghol...

before I go to work...

بعد — ba3d¶

after

ba3d esh-shoghol

after work

ba3d el-akl

after eating

Part 19 — Sequence your day¶

Now use:

2abel

before

ba3dēn

then

ba3d

after

Example:

2abel esh-shoghol, bākul fṭūr.

Before work, I eat breakfast.

ba3dēn بروح 3ash-shoghol.

Then I go to work.

ba3d esh-shoghol, barja3 3al-bēt.

After work, I come home.

ba3dēn bṭobokh.

Then I cook.

Part 20 — Full daily routine¶

Read this aloud several times:

kel yom bfii2 es-sā3a sab3a.

Every day I wake up at seven.

b2ūm w-bte7ammam.

I get up and shower.

ba3dēn blabbes.

Then I get dressed.

bākul fṭūr w-bshrob ahwe.

I have breakfast and drink coffee.

ba3dēn بروح 3ash-shoghol.

Then I go to work.

beshtaghil 7atta es-sā3a 5.

I work until five.

ba3d esh-shoghol barja3 3al-bēt.

After work I come home.

bṭobokh w-bākul 3asha.

I cook and eat dinner.

ba3dēn b7ḍor TV.

Then I watch TV.

bil-lēl bnām.

At night I sleep.

Part 21 — Important correction: “until”¶

حتى — 7atta¶

until

beshtaghil 7atta es-sā3a 5.

I work until five.

This is another useful connector.

Part 22 — Asking about someone's routine¶

Now turn the sentences into questions.

You:¶

shu bta3mel kel yom?

What do you do every day?

You:¶

emta bfii2?

When do you wake up?

You:¶

emta بروح 3ash-shoghol?

When do you go to work?

You:¶

emta bترجع 3al-bēt?

When do you come home?

You:¶

shu bta3mel ba3d esh-shoghol?

What do you do after work?

You:¶

emta btenām?

When do you sleep?

Part 23 — “When?”¶

إمتى — emta¶

When?

This should become automatic.

emta bfii2?

When do you wake up?

emta bترجع?

When do you come back?

emta btenām?

When do you sleep?

Part 24 — Weekdays¶

You don't need all of them immediately, but start recognizing them.

Arabic	Transliteration	English
الاثنين	el-tnēn	Monday
التلاتا	et-tlāta	Tuesday
الأربعا	el-arb3a	Wednesday
الخميس	el-khamīs	Thursday
الجمعة	el-jom3a	Friday
السبت	es-sabt	Saturday
الأحد	el-a7ad	Sunday

Useful:

el-yōm es-sabt.

Today is Saturday.

bokra el-a7ad.

Tomorrow is Sunday.

Part 25 — Weekend¶

ويك إند — weekend¶

You will often hear the English loanword weekend in casual Levantine.

You can say:

bil-weekend...

At the weekend...

Example:

bil-weekend بروح 3a...

At the weekend I go to...

Part 26 — “I don't work tomorrow”¶

Combine several structures.

bokra ma beshtaghil.

Tomorrow I don't work.

bil-weekend ma beshtaghil.

I don't work at the weekend.

bokra baddi rou7 3a...

Tomorrow I want to go to...

Part 27 — “I have to”¶

This is a useful new structure.

لازم — lāzem¶

must / have to

lāzem eshtaghil.

I have to work.

lāzem rou7.

I have to go.

lāzem erja3 3al-bēt.

I have to go back home.

lāzem nām.

I have to sleep.

This is extremely useful in conversation.

Part 28 — “I don't have to”¶

mish lāzem

I don't have to / it's not necessary.

mish lāzem rou7.

I don't have to go.

mish lāzem eshtaghil el-yōm.

I don't have to work today.

This gives you another useful contrast:

lāzem

I have to.

mish lāzem

I don't have to.

Part 29 — “I can”¶

فيني — fīni¶

I can / I'm able to.

This is a very important Levantine expression.

fīni rou7?

Can I go?

fīni eshrob ahwe?

Can I drink coffee?

fīni sa3dak?

Can I help you?

fīni eshtaghil هون?

Can I work here?

You'll use this constantly.

Part 30 — “I can't”¶

ma fīni

I can't.

ma fīni rou7.

I can't go.

ma fīni eshtaghil el-yōm.

I can't work today.

Compare:

lāzem rou7.

I have to go.

fīni rou7.

I can go.

ma fīni rou7.

I can't go.

You now have:

baddi rou7.

I want to go.

lāzem rou7.

I have to go.

fīni rou7.

I can go.

And:

ma baddi rou7.

I don't want to go.

mish lāzem rou7.

I don't have to go.

ma fīni rou7.

I can't go.

This is a major expansion of your ability to express yourself.

Part 32 — Build your own day¶

Now create your actual routine.

Use this framework:

kel yom...

bfii2...

b2ūm...

bte7ammam...

blabbes...

bākul...

bshrob...

ba3dēn...

بروح...

beshtaghil...

ba3d esh-shoghol...

barja3...

bṭobokh...

bākul...

b7ḍor...

bil-lēl...

bnām...

Don't translate your routine from English word-for-word.

Use the Arabic chunks.

Part 33 — 60-second speaking test¶

Speak for one minute:

shu bta3mel kel yom?

You should cover:

when you wake up
what you do in the morning
breakfast
going to work
work
returning home
dinner
evening
bedtime

Don't stop because you don't know one word.

If necessary, simplify.

For example:

ba3d esh-shoghol barja3 3al-bēt.

bākul.

b7ḍor TV.

ba3dēn bnām.

Simple sentences are preferable to complicated sentences with errors.

Part 34 — Conversation drill¶

I'll ask. Answer aloud.

Part 35 — Listening-style recognition¶

Imagine you hear:

el-yōm bfii2 es-sā3a 8, ba3dēn bākul fṭūr w-bshrob ahwe. ba3dēn بروح 3ash-shoghol. barja3 3al-bēt es-sā3a 6. bil-lēl bṭobokh w-b7ḍor TV. ba3dēn bnām.

You should now be able to identify:

today
wake up
8 o'clock
breakfast
coffee
work
return home
6 o'clock
evening
cook
TV
sleep

This is the kind of comprehensible input you should start training your ear on.

Part 36 — Arabic reading¶

Read without transliteration:

كل يوم بفيق الساعة سبعة.

بعدين بقوم وبستحم.

بلبس وباكل فطور.

بشرب قهوة.

بعدين بروح عالشغل.

برجع عالبيت بعد الشغل.

بطبخ وباكل عشا.

بعدين بحضر تلفزيون.

بالليل بنام.

Don't worry if you can't decode every spelling immediately.

Your objective is to start associating the written form directly with the sound.

Part 37 — Your first real paragraph¶

Read this aloud:

أنا كل يوم بفيق الساعة سبعة. بقوم وبستحم، بعدين بلبس وباكل فطور. بشرب قهوة وبروح عالشغل. بشتغل لحد الساعة خمسة. بعد الشغل برجع عالبيت. بطبخ وباكل عشا، وبعدين بحضر تلفزيون. بالليل بنام الساعة حداش.

Don't translate while reading.

First understand the overall meaning.

Then go back and identify individual words.

Part 38 — Final translation test¶

Translate into Levantine Arabic:

Every day I wake up at seven.
Then I get up.
I shower and get dressed.
I eat breakfast.
I drink coffee.
Then I go to work.
I work until five.
After work I come home.
I cook dinner.
Then I watch TV.
At night I sleep.
Tomorrow I don't work.
I want to go home.
I have to work.
I can go.
I can't go.
When do you wake up?
What do you do after work?
What do you do every day?
What do you do at the weekend?

Part 39 — Final challenge: 3 minutes¶

You now have enough vocabulary to have a very basic conversation about your life.

Imagine I am meeting you for the first time.

I'll ask:

mar7aba! shu esmak?

wein bteshtaghil?

shu bta3mel kel yom?

emta bfii2?

shu bta3mel ba3d esh-shoghol?

shu bte7ebb ta3mel bil-weekend?

emta btenām?

Answer all seven without looking at your notes.

If you get stuck, don't switch to English immediately. Try to say something simpler.

For example, instead of:

“After work I usually go home, prepare dinner and then watch TV.”

you can say:

ba3d esh-shoghol barja3 3al-bēt. bṭobokh. ba3dēn b7ḍor TV.

That's better training.

Homework — 30 minutes¶

1. Memorize the time expressions¶

halla2 — now

mbāre7 — yesterday

el-yōm — today

bokra — tomorrow

kel yom — every day

3ādatan — usually

ba3dēn — then

2abel — before

ba3d — after

bil-lēl — at night

2. Memorize these six chunks¶

bfii2

b2ūm

blabbes

brū7

beshtaghil

barja3

Then:

bṭobokh

bākul

bshrob

bnām

3. Build your actual daily routine¶

Write 10–15 sentences in Arabic about your real day.

Don't translate an English paragraph.

Start directly from:

kel yom...

4. Speak it¶

Read your routine aloud three times:

first slowly
second normally
third without looking

The third repetition is the important one.

Session 16 checkpoint¶

The most important structures today are:

Time¶

halla2 — now
mbāre7 — yesterday
el-yōm — today
bokra — tomorrow
kel yom — every day
3ādatan — usually

Sequence¶

2abel — before
ba3d — after
ba3dēn — then

Daily actions¶

bfii2 — I wake up
b2ūm — I get up
blabbes — I get dressed
bākul — I eat
bshrob — I drink
brū7 — I go
beshtaghil — I work
barja3 — I come back
bṭobokh — I cook
bnām — I sleep

Ability / obligation / desire¶

baddi rou7. — I want to go.

lāzem rou7. — I have to go.

fīni rou7. — I can go.

ma baddi rou7. — I don't want to go.

mish lāzem rou7. — I don't have to go.

ma fīni rou7. — I can't go.

One important takeaway¶

You now have the beginnings of a real conversational timeline:

mbāre7 → el-yōm → halla2 → ba3dēn → bokra

And you can combine that with the present tense:

halla2 beshtaghil.
I'm working now.

kel yom beshtaghil.
I work every day.

bokra beshtaghil.
I'm working tomorrow / I work tomorrow.

This is exactly the kind of foundation we need before introducing more complex past and future structures.

Session 17 should build on this with family, possession and people: my father, my mother, my brother, my daughter, his house, her car, followed by a first systematic introduction to past tense through things you did yesterday.

Session 16 — A Day in Your Life¶

0:00–0:15 — Warm-up¶

1¶

2¶

3¶

4¶

5¶

6¶

0:15–0:30 — “Every day”¶

كل يوم — kel yom¶

0:30–0:45 — Daily routine vocabulary¶

0:45–1:00 — The present-tense pattern¶

1:00–1:15 — Wake up → sleep¶

Wake up¶

Get up¶

Sleep¶

1:15–1:30 — Morning routine¶

1:30–1:45 — “Then”¶

بعدين — ba3dēn¶

Another useful word¶

بعد — ba3d¶

1:45–2:00 — Going to work¶

شغل — shoghol¶

بروح عالشغل — brū7 3ash-shoghol¶

Part 2 — A complete morning¶

Part 3 — Breakfast¶

فطور — fṭūr¶

غدا — ghada¶

عشا — 3asha¶

Part 4 — At work¶

بشتغل — beshtaghil¶

من — min¶

لـ — la¶

Part 5 — Where?¶

Part 6 — Coming home¶

برجع — barja3¶

Part 7 — Evening¶

Part 8 — Watch TV¶

Part 9 — “At night”¶

بالليل — bil-lēl¶

Part 10 — Morning / afternoon / evening¶

Part 11 — Time¶

Part 12 — “In the morning”¶

Part 13 — “Today”¶

اليوم — el-yōm¶

Part 14 — Yesterday and tomorrow¶

مبارح — mbāre7¶

بكرا — bokra¶

Part 15 — Now¶

هلق — halla2¶

Part 16 — Every day vs now¶

Part 17 — Usually¶

عادةً — 3ādatan¶

Part 18 — Before and after¶

قبل — 2abel¶

بعد — ba3d¶

Part 19 — Sequence your day¶

Part 20 — Full daily routine¶

Part 21 — Important correction: “until”¶

حتى — 7atta¶

Part 22 — Asking about someone's routine¶

You:¶

You:¶

You:¶

You:¶

You:¶

You:¶

Part 23 — “When?”¶

إمتى — emta¶

Part 24 — Weekdays¶

Part 25 — Weekend¶

ويك إند — weekend¶

Part 26 — “I don't work tomorrow”¶

Part 27 — “I have to”¶

لازم — lāzem¶

Part 28 — “I don't have to”¶

Part 29 — “I can”¶

فيني — fīni¶

Part 30 — “I can't”¶

Part 31 — Three essential modal structures¶