Session 24 — Getting Around: Directions & Transport¶

20-hour method — Phase 2, Session 4
Duration: ~2 hours
Main objective: ask for directions, understand basic directions, talk about transport, and get from A to B.

Today we move from transactional Arabic to survival Arabic: you need to be able to ask a stranger for help and understand a simple answer.

1. Warm-up — 10 min¶

Say these aloud without translating:

wein...?
Where...?

wein el-ma7aṭṭa?
Where is the station?

kīf بروح 3a...?
How do I get to...?

2arīb wala b3īd?
Is it near or far?

3al-yamīn.
To the right.

3ash-shmāl.
To the left.

3al-tūl.
Straight ahead.

shukran 3a musa3adtak.
Thanks for your help.

The goal today is to make these chunks automatic.

2. The essential question: “Where?”¶

وين؟ — wein?¶

Where?

You already know:

wein 3aysh?

Where do you live?

Now extend it:

wein el-7ammām?

Where is the bathroom?

wein el-ma7aṭṭa?

Where is the station?

wein el-fondu2?

Where is the hotel?

wein el-maṭ3am?

Where is the restaurant?

wein el-matar?

Where is the airport?

3. Places you need¶

Arabic	Transliteration	English
محطة	ma7aṭṭa	station
مطار	matar	airport
فندق	fondu2	hotel
مطعم	maṭ3am	restaurant
مقهى	ahwe	café
حمّام	7ammām	bathroom
شارع	shāre3	street
سوق	sū2	market
صيدلية	ṣaydaliyye	pharmacy
مستشفى	moustashfa	hospital
جامعة	jāme3a	university
بنك	bank	bank
سوبرماركت	sūpermārket	supermarket

The most important today:

ma7aṭṭa — station
matar — airport
maṭ3am — restaurant
7ammām — bathroom
sū2 — market

4. “How do I get to...?”¶

A very useful structure:

kīf بروح 3a...?

How do I go to...?

The verb:

rou7

to go

So:

kīf بروح 3a Beirut?

How do I get to Beirut?

kīf بروح 3al-maṭ3am?

How do I get to the restaurant?

kīf بروح 3al-ma7aṭṭa?

How do I get to the station?

For now, memorize the whole pattern:

kīf بروح 3a...?

5. The verb “to go”¶

راح — rā7¶

went / go

You have already encountered:

re7et

I went.

For your current conversational needs:

rou7

go

brou7

I go / I'm going

btrū7

you go

brou7 3a Beirut.

I'm going to Beirut.

btrū7 3al-maṭ3am?

Are you going to the restaurant?

Don't try to memorize the entire conjugation today.

The important chunk is:

brou7 3a...

6. “Is it near or far?”¶

قريب ولا بعيد؟ — 2arīb wala b3īd?¶

Near or far?

2arīb

near

b3īd

far

Examples:

el-maṭ3am 2arīb?

Is the restaurant nearby?

la2, b3īd.

No, it's far.

eh, 2arīb.

Yes, it's nearby.

7. “How far?”¶

قديش بعيد؟ — addeish b3īd?¶

How far is it?

You can use:

addeish b3īd?

How far?

Or:

addeish btekhod?

How long does it take?

This second question becomes particularly useful with transport.

8. “How long does it take?”¶

قديش بتاخد؟ — addeish btekhod?¶

How long does it take?

Examples:

addeish btekhod bil-sayyāra?

How long does it take by car?

addeish btekhod 3al-ma7aṭṭa?

How long does it take to the station?

A common answer:

3ashar da2ī2.

Ten minutes.

nus sā3a.

Half an hour.

sā3a.

One hour.

9. Time vocabulary¶

Arabic	Transliteration	English
دقيقة	da2ī2a	minute
ساعة	sā3a	hour
نص ساعة	nuṣ sā3a	half an hour
ربع ساعة	rob3 sā3a	quarter of an hour
هلّق	halla2	now
بعدين	ba3dēn	later
بكير	bakīr	early
متأخر	mta2akher	late

Examples:

3ashar da2ī2.

Ten minutes.

rob3 sā3a.

A quarter of an hour.

10. Directions¶

The four essential expressions:

3al-yamīn
to the right

3ash-shmāl
to the left

3al-tūl
straight ahead

la-wara
backwards / back

Important¶

yamīn = right

shmāl = left

tūl = straight

You should learn them as chunks:

3al-yamīn

3ash-shmāl

3al-tūl

11. “Turn”¶

لفّ — liff¶

turn

liff 3al-yamīn.

Turn right.

liff 3ash-shmāl.

Turn left.

This gives you a very common direction pattern:

liff + direction

12. “Go straight”¶

rou7 3al-tūl.

Go straight.

You may also hear:

kmel 3al-tūl.

Continue straight.

kammel = continue.

For now:

rou7 3al-tūl

is enough.

13. “At the corner”¶

زاوية — zāwye¶

corner

3and ez-zāwye

at the corner

Example:

el-maṭ3am 3and ez-zāwye.

The restaurant is at the corner.

You may also hear:

3and l-muftra2

at the intersection.

Don't prioritize that yet.

14. “Next to”¶

حدّ — 7add¶

next to / beside

7add el-bank.

Next to the bank.

el-maṭ3am 7add el-fondu2.

The restaurant is next to the hotel.

Very useful structure:

X 7add Y

X is next to Y.

15. “In front of”¶

قدّام — 2oddām¶

in front of

2oddām el-maṭ3am.

In front of the restaurant.

el-bank 2oddām el-fondu2.

The bank is in front of the hotel.

16. “Behind”¶

ورا — wara¶

behind

wara el-bank.

Behind the bank.

So now you have:

Levantine	English
7add	next to
2oddām	in front of
wara	behind
3al-yamīn	right
3ash-shmāl	left
3al-tūl	straight

This is enough to understand a surprisingly large number of directions.

17. “Near the...”¶

حدّ — 7add¶

Remember:

7add

can mean next to.

So:

7add el-ma7aṭṭa

next to the station.

el-maṭ3am 7add el-sū2.

The restaurant is next to the market.

18. Transport¶

Now learn the main transport words.

Arabic	Transliteration	English
سيارة	sayyāra	car
تاكسي	tāksī	taxi
باص	bāṣ	bus
قطار	2itār	train
مترو	metro	metro
دراجة	darّāje	bicycle
مشي	mashye	walking
طيارة	ṭayyāra	plane

19. “By car”¶

bil-sayyāra

by car

brou7 bil-sayyāra.

I go by car.

By bus¶

bil-bāṣ

brou7 bil-bāṣ.

I go by bus.

By train¶

bil-2itār

brou7 bil-2itār.

I go by train.

By taxi¶

bil-tāksī

brou7 bil-tāksī.

I go by taxi.

20. “On foot”¶

مشي — mashye¶

walking / on foot

brou7 mashye.

I go on foot.

You can ask:

fīni rou7 mashye?

Can I walk there?

21. Taxi interaction¶

This is an important survival dialogue.

You¶

mar7aba.

Hello.

Driver¶

ahlein.

Hello.

You¶

3a el-fondu2, law sama7t.

To the hotel, please.

Driver¶

ayy fondu2?

Which hotel?

You¶

fondu2 ...

Hotel ...

Then:

addeish btekhod?

How long does it take?

The driver:

3ashar da2ī2.

Ten minutes.

You:

addeish el-2ejer?

How much is the fare?

22. “How much is the fare?”¶

الأجرة — el-2ejer¶

fare / transport price

addeish el-2ejer?

How much is the fare?

For a taxi, this is useful.

You already know:

addeish?

So this is simply another application of a structure you already know.

23. “Stop here”¶

Very useful in a taxi:

hawn, law sama7t.

Here, please.

Or:

wa22ef hawn, law sama7t.

Stop here, please.

hawn = here.

24. “Here / there”¶

هون — hawn¶

here

hawn.

Here.

هنيك — hnīk¶

there

hnīk.

There.

Examples:

el-maṭ3am hawn.

The restaurant is here.

el-bank hnīk.

The bank is there.

25. “Is it this way?”¶

A very useful clarification:

mn هون؟

This way?

You can point:

mn hawn?

From here?

Or:

la-hawn?

This way?

If you are unsure:

3al-yamīn?

To the right?

They can answer:

eh.

Yes.

or:

la2, 3ash-shmāl.

No, to the left.

26. Full directions dialogue¶

Imagine you're lost.

You¶

mar7aba, law sama7t. wein el-ma7aṭṭa?

Hello, excuse me. Where is the station?

Person¶

rou7 3al-tūl.

Go straight.

You¶

ba3dēn?

Then?

Person¶

liff 3al-yamīn.

Turn right.

You¶

ba3dēn?

Then?

Person¶

el-ma7aṭṭa 7add el-bank.

The station is next to the bank.

You¶

2arībe?

Is it close?

Person¶

eh, 5 da2āye2.

Yes, five minutes.

You¶

shukran 3a musa3adtak!

Thanks for your help!

Person¶

3afwan.

You're welcome.

27. New phrase: “Excuse me”¶

You need this before asking a stranger.

لو سمحت — law sama7t¶

Excuse me / please

To a man:

law sama7t

To a woman:

law sama7ti

You already learned it for ordering.

Now it becomes a general politeness tool:

law sama7t, wein el-maṭ3am?

Excuse me, where is the restaurant?

law sama7t, kīf بروح 3al-ma7aṭṭa?

Excuse me, how do I get to the station?

This is an excellent example of why learning chunks is efficient.

28. New phrase: “Thank you for your help”¶

shukran 3a musa3adtak.

Thanks for your help.

musa3ade = help

You don't need to memorize the noun's grammatical construction yet.

Just memorize:

shukran 3a musa3adtak.

29. “You're welcome”¶

عفواً — 3afwan¶

You're welcome.

You already know this may also function as an apology/attention-getter depending on context.

For now:

shukran.

3afwan.

That's enough.

30. Reading challenge¶

Read without transliteration:

لو سمحت، وين المحطة؟

روح عَ الطول.

بعدين؟

لف عَ اليمين.

بعدين؟

المحطة حدّ البنك.

قريبة؟

إي، خمس دقايق.

شكرا عَ مساعدتك.

عفوا.

Now read it aloud three times.

31. Listening-style challenge¶

Imagine someone tells you:

rou7 3al-tūl, ba3dēn liff 3ash-shmāl, w-el-maṭ3am 7add el-bank.

Extract three instructions:

Go straight.
Turn left.
The restaurant is next to the bank.

Don't translate every word. Extract the route.

32. Transport challenge¶

Translate into Levantine:

1¶

Where is the station?

2¶

How do I get to the hotel?

3¶

Is it far?

4¶

Is it near?

5¶

How long does it take?

6¶

By car?

7¶

By train?

8¶

Go straight.

9¶

Turn right.

10¶

Turn left.

11¶

The restaurant is next to the hotel.

12¶

The bank is in front of the station.

13¶

Stop here, please.

14¶

How much is the taxi?

15¶

Thanks for your help.

Try all 15 before checking your notes.

33. Speaking drill — directions¶

Imagine you're giving someone directions from your home to a restaurant.

Use at least:

rou7...

liff...

3al-tūl...

7add...

2oddām...

ba3dēn...

For example:

rou7 3al-tūl. ba3dēn liff 3al-yamīn. el-maṭ3am 7add el-bank.

Go straight. Then turn right. The restaurant is next to the bank.

Don't worry about whether your imagined route is geographically realistic.

The exercise is linguistic.

34. Speaking drill — being lost¶

You are lost.

You need to ask a stranger.

Produce the conversation:

law sama7t...

wein...?

The person gives directions.

You ask:

2arīb wala b3īd?

Then:

addeish btekhod?

Finally:

shukran!

Try to do the whole exchange from memory.

35. Important grammar observation¶

You are now seeing something that will become increasingly important:

Arabic often uses prepositions + chunks.¶

For example:

3a = to

bil- = by/in the

7add = next to

2oddām = in front of

wara = behind

Rather than trying to translate each word literally, learn:

3al-yamīn

3ash-shmāl

bil-sayyāra

bil-bāṣ

7add el-bank

as complete useful units.

This is exactly the kind of pattern recognition the 20-hour method is trying to develop.

36. Today's vocabulary¶

Levantine	Transliteration	English
وين	wein	where
هون	hawn	here
هنيك	hnīk	there
محطة	ma7aṭṭa	station
مطار	matar	airport
فندق	fondu2	hotel
مطعم	maṭ3am	restaurant
شارع	shāre3	street
سوق	sū2	market
سيارة	sayyāra	car
تاكسي	tāksī	taxi
باص	bāṣ	bus
قطار	2itār	train
قريب	2arīb	near
بعيد	b3īd	far
يمين	yamīn	right
شمال	shmāl	left
طول	tūl	straight
حدّ	7add	next to
قدّام	2oddām	in front of
ورا	wara	behind
بعدين	ba3dēn	then/later
دقيقة	da2ī2a	minute
ساعة	sā3a	hour

37. The 12 chunks to memorize¶

These are today's priority:

law sama7t, wein...?
Excuse me, where is...?

wein el-ma7aṭṭa?
Where is the station?

kīf بروح 3a...?
How do I get to...?

2arīb wala b3īd?
Near or far?

addeish btekhod?
How long does it take?

rou7 3al-tūl.
Go straight.

liff 3al-yamīn.
Turn right.

liff 3ash-shmāl.
Turn left.

7add el-bank.
Next to the bank.

bil-sayyāra.
By car.

hawn, law sama7t.
Here, please.

shukran 3a musa3adtak.
Thanks for your help.

38. Homework¶

Exercise 1 — Route narration¶

Choose a real route you know well.

For example:

home → supermarket

Describe it aloud in Arabic:

rou7...

liff...

ba3dēn...

7add...

Try for 60 seconds.

Exercise 2 — Transport¶

Answer aloud:

kīf بروح 3a Beirut?

Give three different answers:

bil-sayyāra

bil-bāṣ

bil-2itār

Then make complete sentences:

brou7 3a Beirut bil-sayyāra.

Exercise 3 — Question speed¶

Answer these as quickly as possible:

wein...?

kīf بروح...?

2arīb wala b3īd?

addeish btekhod?

bil-bāṣ wala bil-2itār?

Your goal is immediate response, not perfect grammar.

Exercise 4 — Arabic reading¶

Read the directions dialogue five times.

On the final two readings:

no transliteration.

Session 24 checkpoint¶

You should now be able to survive this situation:

You're in Beirut, your phone battery is dead, and you need to find a station.

You can say:

law sama7t, wein el-ma7aṭṭa?

You receive directions.

You can ask:

2arībe wala b3īde?

You receive more directions.

You can check:

3al-yamīn?

You can clarify:

ba3dēn?

And when you arrive:

shukran 3a musa3adtak.

That is exactly the type of high-frequency survival ability we want at this stage.

Next session — Session 25¶

Daily routine & telling time.

We'll build on the verb system you have already encountered and work toward being able to say:

I wake up at 7.
I have breakfast.
I go to work.
I work until 5.
I come home.
I eat dinner.
I watch something.
I go to bed at 11.

The important part will be moving from individual sentences → a connected 1–2 minute story about your day.