Session 22 — Food, Cafés & Ordering¶

20-hour method — Phase 2, Session 2
Duration: ~2 hours
Main objective: order food and drinks, ask for prices, express preferences, and handle a simple café/restaurant interaction.

Today we will deliberately reuse grammar from Sessions 1–21. The goal is automatic speaking, not accumulating grammar.

0:00–0:15 — Warm-up¶

Say these without translating.

baddi ahwe.
I want coffee.

ma baddi sukkar.
I don't want sugar.

fīni ākol?
Can I eat?

addeish hayda?
How much is this?

shu fi 3andkon?
What do you have?

baddi...
I want...

Now change the object:

baddi ahwe.

baddi shāy.

baddi may.

baddi 3aṣīr.

0:15–0:30 — Today's essential vocabulary¶

Drinks¶

Arabic	Transliteration	English
قهوة	ahwe	coffee
شاي	shāy	tea
مي	may	water
عصير	3aṣīr	juice
حليب	7alīb	milk
بيرة	bīra	beer
نبيذ	nabīz	wine

For now, focus especially on:

ahwe — coffee
shāy — tea
may — water
3aṣīr — juice

0:30–0:45 — Food vocabulary¶

Arabic	Transliteration	English
خبز	khobez	bread
لحمة	la7me	meat
جاج	jāj	chicken
سمك	samak	fish
بيض	bayḍ	eggs
رز	rez	rice
بطاطا	baṭāṭa	potatoes
سلطة	salṭa	salad
بندورة	banadūra	tomato
خيار	khiyār	cucumber
بصل	baṣal	onion
جبنة	jibne	cheese
لبنة	labane	labneh
حمص	7ommoṣ	hummus
فلافل	falāfel	falafel

The most useful for you:

جاج — jāj
chicken

سمك — samak
fish

بيض — bayḍ
eggs

سلطة — salṭa
salad

لبنة — labane
labneh

حمص — 7ommoṣ
hummus

0:45–1:00 — “I want…”¶

You already know:

baddi

I want.

For ordering, this is extremely useful.

baddi ahwe.

I want coffee.

baddi may.

I want water.

baddi salṭa.

I want a salad.

baddi 7ommoṣ.

I want hummus.

baddi jāj.

I want chicken.

1:00–1:15 — “I would like…”¶

A very useful polite structure is:

baddi... law sama7t.

I would like..., please.

Literally:

baddi = I want
law sama7t = please / if you permit

Examples:

baddi ahwe, law sama7t.

I'd like a coffee, please.

baddi may, law sama7t.

I'd like some water, please.

baddi salṭa, law sama7t.

I'd like a salad, please.

This is enough for a beginner. You do not need an elaborate formal construction.

1:15–1:30 — “For me…”¶

إلي — ilī¶

for me / to me

You may hear:

ilī ahwe.

A coffee for me.

But don't prioritize this yet.

For ordering, simply:

baddi ahwe, law sama7t.

is perfectly useful.

1:30–1:45 — Asking what is available¶

شو في عندكن؟ — shu fi 3andkon?¶

What do you have?

To several people / a business:

shu fi 3andkon?

What do you have?

Examples:

shu fi 3andkon la-fṭūr?

What do you have for breakfast?

shu fi 3andkon min el-7alawiyyāt?

What desserts do you have?

Don't worry about the exact plural system yet. Learn the question as a chunk.

1:45–2:00 — “Do you have...?”¶

You already know:

3andak...?

Do you have...?

But when talking to a restaurant/shop:

3andkon...?

Do you have...?

Examples:

3andkon labane?

Do you have labneh?

3andkon falāfel?

Do you have falafel?

3andkon may?

Do you have water?

3andkon ahwe?

Do you have coffee?

2:00–2:15 — The price¶

This is one of the most useful restaurant phrases.

addeish?

How much?

Point at something:

addeish hayda?

How much is this?

For feminine:

addeish hayde?

How much is this?

Plural:

addeish hol?

How much are these?

You don't need to master the gender distinction immediately.

Start with:

addeish hayda?

2:15–2:30 — “The bill, please”¶

الحساب، لو سمحت — el-7sāb, law sama7t¶

The bill, please.

el-7sāb, law sama7t.

This should become automatic.

You can also say:

fīna el-7sāb?

Can we have the bill?

For now, memorize:

el-7sāb, law sama7t.

2:30–2:45 — Preferences¶

You already know:

b7ebb

I like.

And:

ma b7ebb

I don't like.

So:

b7ebb el-jāj.

I like chicken.

ma b7ebb el-la7me.

I don't like meat.

b7ebb el-samak.

I like fish.

ma b7ebb el-baṣal.

I don't like onions.

2:45–3:00 — “Without…”¶

This is extremely useful when ordering.

بلا — bala¶

without

ahwe bala sukkar.

Coffee without sugar.

salṭa bala baṣal.

Salad without onion.

sandwish bala jibne.

Sandwich without cheese.

The structure:

[food] + bala + [ingredient]

3:00–3:15 — “With…”¶

The opposite:

مع — ma3¶

with

ahwe ma3 7alīb.

Coffee with milk.

salṭa ma3 baṣal.

Salad with onion.

khobez ma3 labane.

Bread with labneh.

You already know ma3 from:

ma3 ref2āti

with my friends.

Now you're extending it to food.

3:15–3:30 — “I want more / less”¶

أكتر — aktar¶

more

baddi aktar.

I want more.

أقل — 2al¶

less

baddi 2al.

I want less.

Useful:

sukkār 2al, law sama7t.

Less sugar, please.

may aktar, law sama7t.

More water, please.

3:30–3:45 — Numbers and quantities¶

You already know numbers.

Now combine them with food.

baddi wā7ad ahwe.

I want one coffee.

baddi tnēn ahwe.

I want two coffees.

baddi tlāte may.

I want three waters.

In natural conversation, the exact noun-number agreement can become more complicated. Do not stop speaking because of it.

Your immediate objective is communicating the quantity.

3:45–4:00 — Restaurant dialogue¶

Now put everything together.

Waiter¶

mar7aba! shu bte7ebb?

Hello! What would you like?

You¶

mar7aba. baddi ahwe w-may, law sama7t.

Hello. I'd like a coffee and water, please.

Waiter¶

shi tene?

Anything else?

You¶

eh. baddi salṭa ma3 jāj, bala baṣal.

Yes. I'd like a salad with chicken, without onion.

Waiter¶

shi tene?

Anything else?

You¶

la2, shukran.

No, thanks.

4:00–4:15 — New phrase: “Anything else?”¶

شي تاني؟ — shi tāni?¶

Anything else?

This is very common.

Answer:

la2, shukran.

No, thanks.

Or:

eh, baddi...

Yes, I'd like...

This tiny exchange is worth memorizing.

4:15–4:30 — “That's all”¶

بس — bas¶

that's all / just

bas, shukran.

That's all, thanks.

This is another very useful everyday word.

You already saw:

bas = but

Context determines the meaning.

But¶

b7ebb el-jāj, bas ma b7ebb el-samak.

I like chicken, but I don't like fish.

That's all¶

bas, shukran.

That's all, thanks.

4:30–4:45 — Coffee shop dialogue¶

Read aloud.

A: mar7aba.

B: ahlein.

A: shu bte7ebb?

B: baddi ahwe, law sama7t.

A: ma3 sukkar?

B: la2, bala sukkar.

A: 3andak shi tene?

B: eh, baddi may.

A: shi tene?

B: la2, bas. addeish?

A: khamse euro.

B: tfaddal.

4:45–5:00 — New word: “Here you go”¶

تفضل — tfaddal¶

Here you go / please / go ahead.

To a man:

tfaddal

To a woman:

tfaddale

You'll hear this constantly.

Examples:

Giving someone coffee:

tfaddal.

Here you go.

Entering somewhere:

tfaddal.

Go ahead / come in.

Someone offers you something:

tfaddal.

Please, take it.

You don't need to master every contextual meaning yet.

Recognize it.

5:00–5:15 — “I don't want…”¶

Now practice negative ordering.

ma baddi sukkar.

I don't want sugar.

ma baddi la7me.

I don't want meat.

ma baddi jāj.

I don't want chicken.

ma baddi ahwe.

I don't want coffee.

But notice:

baddi ahwe bala sukkar.

I want coffee without sugar.

This is often more useful than simply saying you don't want something.

5:15–5:30 — Food preferences conversation¶

Question¶

shu bte7ebb ta3kol?

What do you like to eat?

Answer:

b7ebb el-jāj w-es-samak.

I like chicken and fish.

Question¶

shu ma bte7ebb?

What don't you like?

ma b7ebb el-la7me.

I don't like meat.

Question¶

bte7ebb el-7ārr?

Do you like spicy food?

eh, b7ebb el-7ārr.

Yes, I like spicy food.

or:

la2, ma b7ebb el-7ārr.

No, I don't like spicy food.

5:30–5:45 — New vocabulary: taste¶

Arabic	Transliteration	English
حلو	7لو	sweet / nice
مالح	māle7	salty
حار	7ārr	spicy/hot
بارد	bāred	cold
سخن	sekhen	hot
طيب	ṭayyeb	tasty/good
زاكي	zāki	delicious/tasty

A very useful expression:

كتير زاكي — ktīr zāki

Very tasty.

To a feminine noun:

ktīr zākiye

Don't worry about the gender distinction yet.

5:45–6:00 — “I’m hungry / thirsty”¶

جوعان — jū3ān¶

hungry — masculine

ana jū3ān.

I'm hungry.

Feminine:

jū3āne.

عطشان — 3aṭshān¶

thirsty — masculine

ana 3aṭshān.

I'm thirsty.

Feminine:

3aṭshāne.

These are useful because they let you initiate the restaurant conversation.

ana jū3ān. baddi ākol.

I'm hungry. I want to eat.

ana 3aṭshān. baddi may.

I'm thirsty. I want water.

6:00–6:15 — Complete restaurant scenario¶

You enter a Lebanese restaurant.

Waiter¶

ahlein! tfaddal.

Welcome! Come in.

You¶

mar7aba. ana jū3ān.

Hello. I'm hungry.

Waiter¶

shu bte7ebb ta3kol?

What would you like to eat?

You¶

shu fi 3andkon?

What do you have?

Waiter¶

3anna falāfel, 7ommoṣ, salṭa, jāj w-samak.

We have falafel, hummus, salad, chicken and fish.

You¶

baddi jāj w-salṭa, law sama7t.

I'd like chicken and salad, please.

Waiter¶

ma3 baṣal?

With onion?

You¶

la2, bala baṣal.

No, without onion.

Waiter¶

shi tene?

Anything else?

You¶

eh, baddi may.

Yes, I'd like water.

Waiter¶

tfaddal.

Here you go.

You¶

shukran.

Thanks.

Later:

el-7sāb, law sama7t.

The bill, please.

6:15–6:30 — Reading challenge¶

Read this Arabic-only dialogue:

مرحبا، شو بتحب؟

بدي قهوة، لو سمحت.

مع سكر؟

لا، بلا سكر.

شي تاني؟

إي، بدي مي.

تفضل.

شكرا.

الحساب، لو سمحت.

Try to understand it without transliteration.

Then read it aloud.

6:30–6:45 — Translation challenge¶

Translate into Levantine.

1¶

I'd like a coffee, please.

2¶

Coffee without sugar.

3¶

I'd like water.

4¶

Do you have hummus?

5¶

What do you have?

6¶

How much is this?

7¶

Anything else?

8¶

No, that's all, thanks.

9¶

I'd like chicken with salad.

10¶

Without onion, please.

11¶

I'm hungry.

12¶

I'm thirsty.

13¶

I like fish.

14¶

I don't like meat.

15¶

The bill, please.

Don't look back until you've attempted all 15.

6:45–7:00 — Speaking drill¶

Imagine you're ordering breakfast.

You must say:

You're hungry.
Ask what they have.
Order coffee.
Specify sugar.
Order food.
Add water.
Say that's all.
Ask for the bill.

Try to do the entire interaction without English.

A possible structure:

ana jū3ān. shu fi 3andkon?

baddi...

ma3...

bala...

shi tene?

bas, shukran.

el-7sāb, law sama7t.

7:00–7:15 — Active recall¶

Cover everything above.

I give you the English; produce the Arabic.

English	Your answer
coffee	?
tea	?
water	?
chicken	?
fish	?
salad	?
bread	?
cheese	?
hummus	?
sugar	?
without	?
with	?
how much?	?
bill	?
please	?
anything else?	?
delicious	?
hungry	?
thirsty	?

Then check yourself.

7:15–7:30 — Conversation challenge¶

I am the waiter.

You are the customer.

Me:¶

ahlein! shu bte7ebb?

You respond.

Me:¶

ma3 sukkar?

You respond.

Me:¶

shi tene?

You respond.

Me:¶

ma3 baṣal?

You respond.

Me:¶

3andak shi tene?

You respond.

Me:¶

tfaddal.

You respond.

Me:¶

shi tene?

You respond.

Me:¶

el-7sāb?

You respond.

Your objective is to survive the entire interaction with short, simple sentences.

7:30–7:45 — Build your own order¶

Create an order using this template:

baddi ______, law sama7t.

ma3 ______.

bala ______.

w-baddi ______ kamen.

bas, shukran.

Then say it aloud three times.

7:45–8:00 — Session 22 checkpoint¶

You should now be able to do this spontaneously:

Enter¶

mar7aba.

Explain¶

ana jū3ān / 3aṭshān.

Ask¶

shu fi 3andkon?

Order¶

baddi...

Modify¶

ma3...

bala...

Ask price¶

addeish?

Finish¶

bas, shukran.

Pay¶

el-7sāb, law sama7t.

That is a genuine survival interaction.

Today's core chunks¶

Prioritize these over individual vocabulary:

baddi ___, law sama7t.
I'd like ___, please.

shu fi 3andkon?
What do you have?

3andkon ___?
Do you have ___?

bala ___
without ___

ma3 ___
with ___

shi tene?
Anything else?

bas, shukran.
That's all, thanks.

addeish hayda?
How much is this?

el-7sāb, law sama7t.
The bill, please.

ana jū3ān.
I'm hungry.

ana 3aṭshān.
I'm thirsty.

ktīr zāki.
Very tasty.

Homework¶

1. Memorize 10 chunks¶

Prioritize the core chunks above rather than trying to memorize every word.

2. Do one spoken restaurant role-play¶

Play both sides yourself:

waiter → customer → waiter → customer

Do it twice.

3. Describe your ideal meal¶

Use at least:

baddi
ma3
bala
b7ebb
ma b7ebb

Example structure:

baddi... ma3... bala...

4. Arabic reading¶

Read the restaurant dialogue in Arabic five times over the next few days, progressively faster.

5. Real-world challenge¶

If you have an opportunity to order something in Arabic, use just one phrase:

baddi ___, law sama7t.

Don't try to use everything at once. The objective is to make one Arabic structure automatic.

Next session¶

Session 23 — Shopping & money: asking for sizes, colors, prices, quantities, comparing things, saying too expensive / cheaper / I want this one, and negotiating a simple purchase.