Session 25 — Your Daily Routine & Telling Time¶

20-hour method — Phase 2, Session 5
Duration: ~2 hours
Main objective: describe your normal day in simple Levantine Arabic, tell the time, and connect several sentences into a short story.

Today is important because we're moving from survival phrases toward actual conversation.

By the end, you should be able to say something like:

"I wake up at seven. I have coffee and breakfast. I go to work at eight. I work until five. I come home, eat dinner, and go to bed at eleven."

1. 0:00–0:15 — Warm-up¶

Say these aloud.

brou7 3a sh-shoghol.
I go to work.

barja3 3a l-bēt.
I come back home.

bākul.
I eat.

beshrob ahwe.
I drink coffee.

bnām.
I sleep.

bfi2.
I wake up.

Now connect them:

bfi2, beshrob ahwe, w-brou7 3a sh-shoghol.

I wake up, drink coffee, and go to work.

Don't worry about the exact pronunciation yet. Fluency comes from repeatedly combining small chunks.

2. 0:15–0:30 — The daily routine vocabulary¶

Levantine	Transliteration	English
فيق	fī2	wake up
نام	nām	sleep
أكل	akal	eat
شرب	shereb	drink
روح	rā7 / rū7	go
رجع	raje3	return
اشتغل	ishteghal	work
درس	daras	study
طبخ	ṭabakh	cook
تفرّج	tfarraj	watch
قرأ	2ara	read
كتب	katab	write
تمرّن	tmarran	exercise/train
استحمّ	ista7amm	shower
لبس	libes	put on/wear
صحى	ṣe7i	wake up

For today, prioritize:

fī2 — wake up

bākul — eat

beshrob — drink

brou7 — go

barja3 — come back

beshteghil — work

bnām — sleep

3. 0:30–0:45 — “I wake up”¶

The verb:

فيق — fī2

To say:

I wake up

use:

bfi2

Example:

bfi2 s-sā3a sab3a.

I wake up at seven.

Notice the useful structure:

bfi2 + time

4. 0:45–1:00 — “I sleep”¶

bnām.

I sleep / I go to sleep.

Example:

bnām s-sā3a 11.

I go to sleep at 11.

You can combine:

bfi2 s-sā3a sab3a w-bnām s-sā3a 11.

I wake up at 7 and go to sleep at 11.

5. 1:00–1:15 — Telling the time¶

You already know:

sā3a

hour / clock

To ask the time:

addeish es-sā3a?

What time is it?

This is an extremely useful sentence.

Whole hours¶

Time	Levantine
1:00	sā3a wā7de
2:00	sā3a tnēn
3:00	sā3a tlāte
4:00	sā3a arba3a
5:00	sā3a khamṣe
6:00	sā3a sitte
7:00	sā3a sab3a
8:00	sā3a tmāne
9:00	sā3a tis3a
10:00	sā3a 3ashara
11:00	sā3a 7dā3ash
12:00	sā3a tnē3ash

You don't need to memorize all of them immediately.

Focus on:

sā3a sab3a

sā3a tmāne

sā3a khamṣe

sā3a 7dā3ash

6. 1:15–1:30 — AM and PM¶

You will often hear:

ṣob7

morning

ba3d eḍ-ḍohr

afternoon

lēl

night

Examples:

sā3a sab3a ṣob7.

7 AM.

sā3a khamṣe ba3d eḍ-ḍohr.

5 PM.

bnām s-sā3a 11 bil-lēl.

I go to bed at 11 at night.

For a beginner, don't overcomplicate this. If context is obvious, the hour alone is often enough.

7. 1:30–1:45 — “At”¶

You have already been using:

s-sā3a

at [the time]

Examples:

brou7 3a sh-shoghol s-sā3a tmāne.

I go to work at eight.

bfi2 s-sā3a sab3a.

I wake up at seven.

bnām s-sā3a 11.

I go to sleep at eleven.

8. 1:45–2:00 — Morning routine¶

الصبح — eṣ-ṣob7¶

morning

Useful expressions:

bfi2 eṣ-ṣob7.

I wake up in the morning.

beshrob ahwe.

I drink coffee.

bākul fṭūr.

I eat breakfast.

فطور — fṭūr¶

breakfast

bākul fṭūr s-sā3a sab3a.

I have breakfast at seven.

9. 2:00–2:15 — “I go to work”¶

الشغل — sh-shoghol¶

work

brou7 3a sh-shoghol.

I go to work.

brou7 3a sh-shoghol s-sā3a tmāne.

I go to work at eight.

You can also say:

beshteghil.

I work.

10. 2:15–2:30 — “I work”¶

اشتغل — ishteghal¶

work

Present:

beshteghil

I work / I'm working.

Example:

beshteghil bil-maktab.

I work in the office.

beshteghil min et-tmāne la-khamṣe.

I work from eight to five.

This gives you a very useful time structure:

min X la Y

from X to Y.

11. 2:30–2:45 — From...to...¶

من — min¶

from

لـ — la¶

to / until

Examples:

min tmāne la-khamṣe.

From eight to five.

beshteghil min et-tmāne la-khamṣe.

I work from eight to five.

brou7 min Beirut la Tripoli.

I go from Beirut to Tripoli.

This structure will become very useful later.

12. 2:45–3:00 — Lunch¶

غدا — ghada¶

lunch

bākul ghada.

I have lunch.

bākul ghada s-sā3a wa7de.

I have lunch at one.

Combine:

beshteghil min tmāne la-khamṣe, bas bākul ghada s-sā3a wa7de.

I work from eight to five, but I have lunch at one.

13. 3:00–3:15 — “Then”¶

بعدين — ba3dēn¶

then / afterwards

You already learned this in Session 24.

Now use it to build a story:

bfi2 s-sā3a sab3a. ba3dēn beshrob ahwe.

I wake up at seven. Then I drink coffee.

ba3dēn bākul fṭūr.

Then I have breakfast.

ba3dēn brou7 3a sh-shoghol.

Then I go to work.

This is the beginning of connected speech.

14. 3:15–3:30 — “After”¶

بعد — ba3d¶

after

ba3d sh-shoghol

after work

ba3d sh-shoghol barja3 3a l-bēt.

After work, I go back home.

You have:

ba3dēn = then

versus

ba3d = after

Don't confuse them.

15. 3:30–3:45 — Coming home¶

رجع — raje3¶

return / come back

Present:

barja3

I come back.

barja3 3a l-bēt.

I come home.

barja3 3a l-bēt ba3d sh-shoghol.

I come home after work.

16. 3:45–4:00 — Evening¶

المسا — l-masa¶

evening

bil-masa

in the evening

Examples:

bil-masa bākul.

In the evening, I eat.

bil-masa bshūf film.

In the evening, I watch a film.

17. 4:00–4:15 — Watching something¶

شاف — shāf¶

see/watch

Present:

bshūf

I watch / I see.

bshūf film.

I watch a movie.

bshūf TV.

I watch TV.

bshūf YouTube.

I watch YouTube.

You can say:

bil-masa bshūf YouTube.

In the evening, I watch YouTube.

18. 4:15–4:30 — Cooking¶

طبخ — ṭabakh¶

cook

Present:

bṭbukh

I cook.

bṭbukh 3asha.

I cook dinner.

عشا — 3asha¶

dinner

bākul 3asha.

I eat dinner.

bṭbukh 3asha.

I cook dinner.

19. 4:30–4:45 — Exercise¶

تمرّن — tmarran¶

exercise / train

btmarran.

I exercise.

btmarran bil-gym.

I exercise at the gym.

btmarran ba3d sh-shoghol.

I exercise after work.

You can also say:

brou7 3al-gym.

I go to the gym.

20. 4:45–5:00 — The complete daily sequence¶

Now combine everything.

Read slowly:

bfi2 s-sā3a sab3a.

I wake up at seven.

beshrob ahwe w-bākul fṭūr.

I drink coffee and have breakfast.

ba3dēn brou7 3a sh-shoghol s-sā3a tmāne.

Then I go to work at eight.

beshteghil min et-tmāne la-khamṣe.

I work from eight to five.

ba3d sh-shoghol barja3 3a l-bēt.

After work I come home.

bākul 3asha.

I eat dinner.

ba3dēn bshūf film.

Then I watch a movie.

bnām s-sā3a 11.

I go to bed at eleven.

This is already a ~45-second monologue.

21. 5:00–5:15 — Connecting with “and”¶

و — w¶

and

You already know this.

But now deliberately use it to avoid short disconnected sentences.

Instead of:

bfi2. beshrob ahwe. bākul fṭūr.

Say:

bfi2, beshrob ahwe w-bākul fṭūr.

This sounds much more like actual conversation.

22. 5:15–5:30 — Connecting with “but”¶

بس — bas¶

but

Example:

bfi2 s-sā3a sab3a, bas ma bākul fṭūr.

I wake up at seven, but I don't eat breakfast.

beshteghil, bas ma b7ebb sh-shoghol.

I work, but I don't like the work.

23. 5:30–5:45 — “Every day”¶

كل يوم — kell yōm¶

every day

brou7 3a sh-shoghol kell yōm.

I go to work every day.

btmarran kell yōm.

I exercise every day.

beshrob ahwe kell yōm.

I drink coffee every day.

24. 5:45–6:00 — “Usually”¶

عادةً — 3ādatan¶

usually

This is useful but not essential yet.

A more conversational expression:

3ādatan...

Usually...

Example:

3ādatan bfi2 s-sā3a sab3a.

Usually I wake up at seven.

This is a good chunk to learn.

25. 6:00–6:15 — “Sometimes”¶

أوقات — aw2āt¶

sometimes

You may hear:

ba3ḍ el-aw2āt

sometimes

But for now, learn:

ba3ḍ el-aw2āt

Example:

ba3ḍ el-aw2āt btmarran bil-masa.

Sometimes I exercise in the evening.

26. 6:15–6:30 — “Always / never”¶

دايماً — dāyman¶

always

beshrob ahwe dāyman.

I always drink coffee.

أبداً — abadan¶

ever / at all / never, depending on context

For the beginner stage:

ma بروح أبداً.

I never go.

Don't prioritize abadan yet. dāyman is more immediately useful.

27. 6:30–6:45 — Asking someone about their routine¶

Now you can turn your monologue into a conversation.

What time do you wake up?¶

emta btefi2?

What time do you wake up?

When do you go to work?¶

emta بتروح 3a sh-shoghol?

When do you go to work?

What do you do after work?¶

shu bta3mel ba3d sh-shoghol?

What do you do after work?

Do you exercise?¶

btmarran?

Do you exercise?

What time do you sleep?¶

emta btenām?

When do you go to sleep?

28. “When?”¶

إمتى — emta¶

When?

Examples:

emta btefi2?

When do you wake up?

emta brou7 3a sh-shoghol?

When do I go to work?

emta btenām?

When do you sleep?

This is a very high-frequency question word.

29. 6:45–7:00 — Conversation¶

A¶

emta btefi2?

When do you wake up?

B¶

bfi2 s-sā3a sab3a. w-enta?

I wake up at seven. And you?

A¶

ana bfi2 s-sā3a sitte w-noṣ.

I wake up at six-thirty.

B¶

emta بروح 3a sh-shoghol?

When do you go to work?

A¶

brou7 s-sā3a tmāne.

I go at eight.

B¶

shu bta3mel ba3d sh-shoghol?

What do you do after work?

A¶

btmarran, w-ba3dēn barja3 3a l-bēt.

I exercise, then I come home.

B¶

emta btenām?

When do you sleep?

A¶

bnām s-sā3a 11.

I sleep at eleven.

30. 7:00–7:15 — Translation challenge¶

Translate these without looking back.

1¶

I wake up at seven.

2¶

I drink coffee.

3¶

I have breakfast.

4¶

I go to work at eight.

5¶

I work from eight to five.

6¶

I have lunch at one.

7¶

After work, I come home.

8¶

I exercise in the evening.

9¶

Then I eat dinner.

10¶

I watch a movie.

11¶

I go to sleep at eleven.

12¶

I do this every day.

13¶

Sometimes I exercise in the morning.

14¶

What time do you wake up?

15¶

What do you do after work?

31. 7:15–7:30 — Build YOUR daily routine¶

Now replace the generic routine with your actual life.

Use this skeleton:

3ādatan bfi2 s-sā3a _____.

Usually I wake up at _____.

ba3dēn _____.

Then _____.

s-sā3a _ brou7 3a ___.

At _ I go to ___.

beshteghil min _ la ___.

I work from _ to ___.

ba3d sh-shoghol _____.

After work _____.

bil-masa _____.

In the evening _____.

bnām s-sā3a _____.

I go to bed at _____.

Now say the entire thing aloud.

Don't write a perfect paragraph first.

Speak first.

32. 7:30–7:45 — 60-second challenge¶

Without notes, speak for one minute about your normal weekday.

You should include:

waking time
breakfast
coffee
work
lunch
returning home
evening
dinner
bedtime

Use connectors:

w

ba3dēn

ba3d

bas

bil-masa

The objective is continuity, not grammatical perfection.

If you forget a word, simplify.

For example, instead of searching for "I prepare dinner":

bākul 3asha.

I eat dinner.

Keep talking.

33. 7:45–8:00 — Final active recall¶

Without looking at the lesson, produce:

Time¶

What time is it?

Routine¶

I wake up at 7.

Food¶

I have breakfast.

Work¶

I go to work at 8.

Duration¶

I work from 8 to 5.

After¶

After work, I come home.

Evening¶

In the evening, I watch a movie.

Frequency¶

Every day.

Question¶

What time do you wake up?

Bed¶

I go to sleep at 11.

Session 25 — Core vocabulary¶

Levantine	Transliteration	English
فيق	fī2	wake up
نام	nām	sleep
أكل	akal	eat
شرب	shereb	drink
روح	rā7 / rū7	go
رجع	raje3	return
اشتغل	ishteghal	work
طبخ	ṭabakh	cook
تمرّن	tmarran	exercise
تفرّج	tfarraj	watch
فطور	fṭūr	breakfast
غدا	ghada	lunch
عشا	3asha	dinner
شغل	shoghol	work
بيت	bēt	home
صباح	ṣob7	morning
مسا	masa	evening
يوم	yōm	day
ساعة	sā3a	hour
دقيقة	da2ī2a	minute
إمتى	emta	when
بعدين	ba3dēn	then
بعد	ba3d	after
كل يوم	kell yōm	every day
دايماً	dāyman	always

The 12 chunks to memorize¶

addeish es-sā3a?
What time is it?

bfi2 s-sā3a sab3a.
I wake up at seven.

beshrob ahwe.
I drink coffee.

bākul fṭūr.
I have breakfast.

brou7 3a sh-shoghol.
I go to work.

beshteghil min tmāne la-khamṣe.
I work from eight to five.

ba3d sh-shoghol...
After work...

barja3 3a l-bēt.
I come home.

bil-masa...
In the evening...

ba3dēn...
Then...

emta btefi2?
What time do you wake up?

bnām s-sā3a 11.
I go to bed at eleven.

Homework¶

1. Your real routine¶

Write and say aloud your actual weekday routine in 8–10 sentences.

Don't try to make it sophisticated.

The target is:

simple + understandable + continuous

2. One-minute recording¶

Record yourself describing your day.

Then listen once.

Don't correct everything.

Identify only three things:

one word you forgot
one pronunciation problem
one sentence you couldn't construct

Those become your review targets.

3. Time drill¶

At random times during the day, look at your clock and say:

es-sā3a _____.

Do this at least five times.

4. Question drill¶

Ask yourself:

emta btefi2?

emta brou7 3a sh-shoghol?

shu bta3mel ba3d sh-shoghol?

emta btenām?

Then answer immediately.

Session 25 checkpoint¶

You have now moved beyond isolated survival phrases.

You can construct a basic connected narrative:

bfi2 s-sā3a sab3a. beshrob ahwe w-bākul fṭūr. ba3dēn brou7 3a sh-shoghol s-sā3a tmāne. beshteghil min et-tmāne la-khamṣe. ba3d sh-shoghol barja3 3a l-bēt. bil-masa bākul 3asha w-bshūf film. bnām s-sā3a 11.

That is the pattern we want to develop over the next sessions: take the grammar and vocabulary you already know and turn them into longer, spontaneous speech.

Next: Session 26¶

Talking about what you did yesterday — introducing the Levantine past tense in a practical way.

We'll use familiar verbs first:

re7et — I went
akalet — I ate
sherebet — I drank
shoft — I saw/watched
ishtaghlet — I worked
raja3et — I came back

This will be your first substantial step from “what I do” → “what I did.”