Session 28 — Building Real Conversations¶

Level: very beginner → early A1
Duration: ~2 hours
Main objective: stop producing isolated sentences and start asking, answering, and extending simple conversations.

You already have:

present tense
past tense
future with ra7
basic daily vocabulary
beddi — I want
lāzem — I have to
yimken — maybe
basic time expressions

Today we connect all of that.

1. 0:00–0:15 — Warm-up: the conversation loop¶

A conversation normally follows:

Question → answer → follow-up question

For example:

shu 3melt mbāre7?
What did you do yesterday?

re7et 3a sh-shoghol.
I went to work.

Then don't stop.

Ask:

w-enta?
And you?

This tiny expression is extremely important.

وإنت؟ — w-enta?¶

And you?

For a woman:

w-enti?

And you?

You'll use this constantly.

2. 0:15–0:30 — The six question words¶

Start memorizing these as a group.

Arabic	Transliteration	Meaning
شو	shu	what
مين	mīn	who
وين	wēn	where
لوين	la-wēn	where to
إمتى	emta	when
ليش	lēsh	why

You already know shu, la-wēn, and emta.

Today add:

mīn — who

lēsh — why

3. 0:30–0:45 — “Who?”¶

مين؟ — mīn?¶

Who?

Examples:

mīn hāda?

Who is this?

mīn ma3ak?

Who is with you?

mīn shoft?

Who did you see?

mīn ra7 yiji?

Who is going to come?

Example¶

shoft ṣa7bi mbāre7.

I saw my friend yesterday.

mīn shoft?

Who did you see?

shoft ṣa7bi.

I saw my friend.

4. 0:45–1:00 — “Why?”¶

ليش؟ — lēsh?¶

Why?

Examples:

lēsh re7et 3a sh-shoghol?

Why did you go to work?

lēsh ma re7et?

Why didn't you go?

lēsh ra7 trou7 3a Beirut?

Why are you going to Beirut?

Simple answers:

la2anno ishtaghlet.

Because I worked.

la2anno beddi shūf ṣa7bi.

Because I want to see my friend.

5. 1:00–1:15 — “Because”¶

لأنّو — la2anno¶

because

This is a very useful connector.

lēsh re7et 3a Beirut?

Why did you go to Beirut?

la2anno beddi shūf ṣa7bi.

Because I wanted to see my friend.

Another:

lēsh ma sherebet ahwe?

Why didn't you drink coffee?

la2anno ma كنت نعسان.

Because I wasn't sleepy.

For now, don't worry about mastering every grammatical detail after la2anno.

Learn it as a chunk:

lēsh...? → la2anno...

6. 1:15–1:30 — Question formation without English-style auxiliaries¶

English:

Did you go?

Arabic:

re7et?

English:

Are you going?

Arabic:

btrou7?

English:

Will you go?

Arabic:

ra7 trou7?

Notice the pattern.

Arabic often doesn't need separate equivalents of:

do / did / are / will

The verb form + context + intonation carries much of the meaning.

Compare:

re7et?
Did you go?

btrou7?
Are you going?

ra7 trou7?
Are you going to go?

7. 1:30–1:45 — The same question across time¶

Take:

rou7 — go

Past¶

re7et?

Did you go?

Present¶

btrou7?

Are you going?

Future¶

ra7 trou7?

Are you going to go?

Now:

akal — eat

Past¶

akalet?

Did you eat?

Present¶

btākul?

Are you eating?

Future¶

ra7 tākul?

Are you going to eat?

This is excellent practice because it forces you to distinguish the three time frames.

8. 1:45–2:00 — Ask about someone's day¶

Use this basic conversation:

kīfak?

How are you?

mni7, w-enta?

Good, and you?

Then:

shu 3melt elyōm?

What did you do today?

Possible answer:

ishtaghlet.

I worked.

Follow up:

w-ba3d sh-shoghol?

And after work?

ra7et 3a l-bēt.

I went home.

Then:

shu ra7 ta3mel il-lēle?

What are you going to do tonight?

ra7 shūf film.

I'm going to watch a movie.

This is already a real three-stage conversation.

9. 2:00–2:15 — Asking about people¶

Useful vocabulary:

Levantine	Transliteration	English
صاحبي	ṣa7bi	my male friend
صاحبتي	ṣa7bti	my female friend
رفيقي	rafī2i	my male friend
رفيقتي	rafī2ti	my female friend
بنتي	binti	my daughter
ابني	ibni	my son
زميلي	zamīli	my male colleague
زميلتي	zamīlti	my female colleague

Example:

mīn ma3ak?

Who is with you?

ṣa7bi ma3i.

My friend is with me.

Question:

mīn ṣa7bak?

Who is your friend?

For now, don't worry about every possible possessive form. Learn useful chunks.

10. 2:15–2:30 — “Where?”¶

You already know:

wēn?

where?

la-wēn?

where to?

Now:

wēn ساكن؟ — wēn sāken?

Where do you live?

ساكن — sāken¶

living / residing

Answer:

sāken bi Rouen.

I live in Rouen.

Or:

ana sāken bi...

I live in...

11. 2:30–2:45 — “Where are you going?”¶

la-wēn ra7 trou7?

Where are you going to go?

ra7 rou7 3a l-bēt.

I'm going home.

ra7 rou7 3a sh-shoghol.

I'm going to work.

ra7 rou7 3a l-gym.

I'm going to the gym.

Now ask:

w-enta la-wēn ra7 trou7?

And where are you going?

12. 2:45–3:00 — “When?”¶

إمتى — emta¶

when

emta re7et?

When did you go?

emta btروح 3a sh-shoghol?

When do you go to work?

emta ra7 trou7?

When are you going to go?

Answers:

mbāre7.

Yesterday.

elyōm.

Today.

bokra.

Tomorrow.

ba3d shway.

In a little while.

13. 3:00–3:15 — “A little while”¶

بعد شوي — ba3d shway¶

in a little while / later

Very useful in everyday conversation.

ra7 rou7 ba3d shway.

I'm going to go in a little while.

b7kī ma3ak ba3d shway.

I'll talk to you in a little while.

ba3d shway bākul.

I'll eat later.

شوي — shway¶

a little / a bit

shway.

A little.

kteer.

A lot / very much.

These two are worth memorizing together:

shway ↔ kteer

14. 3:15–3:30 — Talking about preferences¶

You already know:

beddi

I want.

Now:

ma beddi

I don't want.

Examples:

beddi ahwe.

I want coffee.

ma beddi ahwe.

I don't want coffee.

beddi rou7.

I want to go.

ma beddi rou7.

I don't want to go.

Now ask:

shu بدك؟ — shu بدak?

What do you want?

For a woman:

shu بدِّك؟ — shu baddik?

What do you want?

15. 3:30–3:45 — “Do you like...?”¶

بتحب؟ — bte7ebb?¶

Do you like...?

Examples:

bte7ebb ahwe?

Do you like coffee?

bte7ebb Beirut?

Do you like Beirut?

bte7ebb l-musī2a?

Do you like music?

Answer:

eh, b7ebb.

Yes, I like it.

la2, ma b7ebb.

No, I don't like it.

16. 3:45–4:00 — Like + thing¶

b7ebb ahwe.

I like coffee.

b7ebb l-ba7er.

I like the sea.

b7ebb l-musī2a.

I like music.

ma b7ebb l-bēt kteer.

I don't like the house very much.

You don't need complicated constructions yet.

Build confidence with:

b7ebb + noun

17. 4:00–4:15 — Asking preferences¶

Now make questions:

shu bte7ebb?

What do you like?

shu ma bte7ebb?

What don't you like?

bte7ebb l-ba7er?

Do you like the sea?

bte7ebb tsāfer?

Do you like travelling?

تسافر — tsāfer¶

travel

You can answer:

eh, b7ebb tsāfer.

Yes, I like travelling.

18. 4:15–4:30 — Mini conversation¶

A¶

bte7ebb l-ba7er?

Do you like the sea?

B¶

eh, b7ebb l-ba7er kteer.

Yes, I like the sea a lot.

A¶

bte7ebb tsāfer?

Do you like travelling?

B¶

eh, b7ebb tsāfer.

Yes, I like travelling.

A¶

la-wēn bte7ebb tsāfer?

Where do you like to travel?

B¶

b7ebb rou7 3a...

I like going to...

This last construction is useful:

b7ebb + verb

I like to...

19. 4:30–4:45 — Conversation connectors¶

You need connectors to prevent your speech from sounding like a list.

و — w¶

and

akalet w-sherebet ahwe.

I ate and drank coffee.

بس — bas¶

but

beddi rou7, bas ma b2dar.

I want to go, but I can't.

كمان — kamān¶

also / too

ana kamān b7ebb l-ba7er.

I also like the sea.

يعني — ya3ni¶

I mean / that is / like

This is extremely common in spoken Arabic.

Don't worry about mastering its exact meaning yet.

Listen for it.

20. 4:45–5:00 — Joining sentences¶

Instead of:

I worked. I went home. I ate. I watched TV.

Say:

ishtaghlet, w-ba3d sh-shoghol raja3et 3a l-bēt. ba3dēn akalet w-shoft film.

I worked, and after work I came home. Then I ate and watched a movie.

Now add bas:

beddi shūf film, bas ana ta3bān.

I want to watch a movie, but I'm tired.

تعبان — ta3bān¶

tired

21. 5:00–5:15 — “Because” conversation¶

Question:

lēsh ma re7et?

Why didn't you go?

Answer:

la2anno كنت ta3bān.

Because I was tired.

Another:

lēsh ra7 trou7 3a Beirut?

Why are you going to Beirut?

la2anno beddi shūf ṣa7bi.

Because I want to see my friend.

Pattern:

lēsh...?

la2anno...

Train this as a pair.

22. 5:15–5:30 — The “question ladder”¶

This is today's most important drill.

Start with:

shu 3melt mbāre7?

What did you do yesterday?

Answer:

re7et 3a sh-shoghol.

Then ask:

la-wēn re7et?

Where did you go?

Answer:

re7et 3a sh-shoghol.

Then:

emta re7et?

When did you go?

s-sā3a tmāne.

At eight.

Then:

lēsh re7et?

Why did you go?

la2anno ishtaghlet.

Because I worked.

Then:

w-ba3d sh-shoghol shu 3melt?

And what did you do after work?

raja3et 3a l-bēt.

I came home.

You have just sustained a conversation around one event.

23. 5:30–5:45 — Don't answer with one word¶

Weak:

A: shu 3melt mbāre7?
B: shoghol.

Better:

A: shu 3melt mbāre7?
B: ishtaghlet. re7et 3a sh-shoghol s-sā3a tmāne.

Even better:

B: mbāre7 ishtaghlet min et-tmāne la-khamṣe. ba3d sh-shoghol raja3et 3a l-bēt.

Your target is:

Answer + one extra piece of information.

This is one of the best habits for conversational fluency.

24. 5:45–6:00 — Conversation repair¶

Real conversations involve misunderstandings.

Learn these now.

شو؟ — shu?¶

What?

شو يعني؟ — shu ya3ni?¶

What does that mean?

ما فهمت — ma fhemet¶

I didn't understand.

فيك تعيد؟ — fīk t3īd?¶

Can you repeat?

شوي شوي — shway shway¶

Slowly / little by little.

ما بعرف — ma ba3ref¶

I don't know.

These are more useful than pretending you understood.

25. 6:00–6:15 — “I don't understand”¶

ma fhemet.

I didn't understand.

ma fhemet shu 2elt.

I didn't understand what you said.

قلت — 2elt¶

you said / I said, depending on context

Don't worry about fully mastering this verb yet.

For now, memorize:

ma fhemet.

and:

fīk t3īd?

Can you repeat?

26. 6:15–6:30 — Full conversation¶

Read this aloud.

A¶

mni7. shu 3melt mbāre7?

Good. What did you do yesterday?

B¶

mbāre7 ishtaghlet. ba3d sh-shoghol raja3et 3a l-bēt.

Yesterday I worked. After work I came home.

B¶

akalet jāj w-salṭa. w-enta?

I ate chicken and salad. And you?

B¶

shu ra7 ta3mel il-lēle?

What are you going to do tonight?

A¶

ra7 shūf film.

I'm going to watch a movie.

A¶

eh, b7ebb l-aflām kteer.

Yes, I really like movies.

That is a perfectly reasonable beginner conversation.

27. 6:30–6:45 — Your turn¶

Answer these questions out loud, without writing first.

10¶

lēsh bte7ebb tsāfer?

After each answer, add one extra sentence.

28. 6:45–7:00 — Translation challenge¶

Translate into Levantine:

What did you do yesterday?
Where did you go?
Who did you see?
Why did you go there?
What are you doing today?
What are you going to do tomorrow?
Do you like coffee?
What do you like?
I'm tired, but I want to go.
I don't understand.
Can you repeat?
And you?

29. 7:00–7:15 — Build a conversation from nothing¶

Imagine you meet a Lebanese/Syrian/Palestinian/Jordanian speaker.

Start:

ahlan, kīfak?

Then ask:

shu 3am ta3mel halla2?

What are you doing now?

Then:

shu 3melt mbāre7?

What did you do yesterday?

Then:

shu ra7 ta3mel bokra?

What are you going to do tomorrow?

Then:

bte7ebb tsāfer?

Do you like travelling?

Then:

la-wēn bte7ebb tsāfer?

Where do you like travelling?

Then:

lēsh?

Why?

You've now moved between:

present → past → future → preferences → reasons

That is exactly the conversational flexibility we want.

30. 7:15–7:30 — One-minute conversation simulation¶

I am your conversation partner.

Answer each question immediately.

ahlan! kīfak?

↓

shu 3am ta3mel halla2?

↓

shu 3melt mbāre7?

↓

la-wēn re7et?

↓

shu ra7 ta3mel bokra?

↓

bte7ebb tsāfer?

↓

la-wēn bte7ebb tsāfer?

↓

lēsh?

Don't prepare written answers.

Speak.

31. 7:30–7:45 — Fluency drill¶

Take this sentence:

mbāre7 re7et 3a sh-shoghol.

Now expand it:

mbāre7 re7et 3a sh-shoghol s-sā3a tmāne.

Then:

mbāre7 re7et 3a sh-shoghol s-sā3a tmāne, la2anno ishtaghlet.

Then:

mbāre7 re7et 3a sh-shoghol s-sā3a tmāne, la2anno ishtaghlet. ba3d sh-shoghol raja3et 3a l-bēt.

Then:

mbāre7 re7et 3a sh-shoghol s-sā3a tmāne, la2anno ishtaghlet. ba3d sh-shoghol raja3et 3a l-bēt w-akalet 3asha.

The principle:

Sentence → detail → reason → consequence → another detail

This is how you start sounding conversational rather than textbook-like.

32. 7:45–8:00 — Final test¶

Without looking back, tell me:

Part 1 — Yesterday¶

What did you do yesterday?

Use at least 5 sentences.

Part 2 — Today¶

What are you doing today?

Use at least 3 sentences.

Part 3 — Tomorrow¶

What are you going to do tomorrow?

Use at least 3 sentences.

Part 4 — Preferences¶

Tell me:

something you like
something you don't like
somewhere you like to go
why you like it

Part 5 — Ask me questions¶

Ask me five questions in Levantine Arabic.

Don't translate them mentally from English if you can avoid it.

Session 29 — Core vocabulary¶

Levantine	Transliteration	English
مين	mīn	who
وين	wēn	where
لوين	la-wēn	where to
إمتى	emta	when
ليش	lēsh	why
لأنّو	la2anno	because
وإنت؟	w-enta?	and you?
بعد شوي	ba3d shway	in a little while
شوي	shway	a little
كتير	kteer	a lot / very
بس	bas	but
كمان	kamān	also
يعني	ya3ni	I mean
بتحب؟	bte7ebb?	do you like?
بحب	b7ebb	I like
ما بحب	ma b7ebb	I don't like
تعبان	ta3bān	tired
ساكن	sāken	living
تسافر	tsāfer	travel
ما فهمت	ma fhemet	I didn't understand
فيك تعيد؟	fīk t3īd?	can you repeat?
شوي شوي	shway shway	slowly
ما بعرف	ma ba3ref	I don't know

The 15 chunks to memorize¶

w-enta?
And you?

shu 3melt?
What did you do?

shu 3am ta3mel?
What are you doing?

shu ra7 ta3mel?
What are you going to do?

mīn hāda?
Who is this?

mīn ma3ak?
Who is with you?

wēn sāken?
Where do you live?

lēsh?
Why?

la2anno...
Because...

bte7ebb...?
Do you like...?

b7ebb...
I like...

ma b7ebb...
I don't like...

ma fhemet.
I didn't understand.

fīk t3īd?
Can you repeat?

shway shway.
Slowly.

Homework¶

1. The 5-question exercise¶

Write five questions you could genuinely ask someone.

For example:

shu 3am ta3mel elyōm?

Then answer each question yourself.

2. The “because” exercise¶

Make five question → reason pairs:

lēsh...? → la2anno...

Example:

lēsh ra7et 3a sh-shoghol?
la2anno lāzem eshteghil.

3. One real conversation¶

If you have an opportunity to speak with an Arabic speaker, don't try to demonstrate everything you've learned.

Use only:

kīfak?
shu 3am ta3mel?
shu 3melt mbāre7?
shu ra7 ta3mel bokra?
bte7ebb...?
w-enta?

The goal is interaction, not grammatical perfection.

Session 29 checkpoint¶

You now have the basic machinery for an actual beginner conversation:

Ask¶

shu? — what?

mīn? — who?

wēn? — where?

emta? — when?

lēsh? — why?

Answer¶

mbāre7... — yesterday...

elyōm... — today...

bokra... — tomorrow...

Connect¶

w... — and...

bas... — but...

la2anno... — because...

ba3dēn... — then/later...

Keep the conversation alive¶

w-enta? — and you?

ma fhemet. — I didn't understand.

fīk t3īd? — can you repeat?

This is a significant shift from memorizing sentences to actually interacting.

Session 30 should consolidate Sessions 25–29 with a full simulated conversation, while introducing only a small amount of new vocabulary. The focus should be speed, comprehension, correction, and spontaneous speaking rather than another large grammar block.

Session 28 — Building Real Conversations¶

1. 0:00–0:15 — Warm-up: the conversation loop¶

وإنت؟ — w-enta?¶

2. 0:15–0:30 — The six question words¶

3. 0:30–0:45 — “Who?”¶

مين؟ — mīn?¶

Example¶

4. 0:45–1:00 — “Why?”¶

ليش؟ — lēsh?¶

5. 1:00–1:15 — “Because”¶

لأنّو — la2anno¶

6. 1:15–1:30 — Question formation without English-style auxiliaries¶

7. 1:30–1:45 — The same question across time¶

Past¶

Present¶

Future¶

Past¶

Present¶

Future¶

8. 1:45–2:00 — Ask about someone's day¶

9. 2:00–2:15 — Asking about people¶

10. 2:15–2:30 — “Where?”¶

ساكن — sāken¶

11. 2:30–2:45 — “Where are you going?”¶

12. 2:45–3:00 — “When?”¶

إمتى — emta¶

13. 3:00–3:15 — “A little while”¶

بعد شوي — ba3d shway¶

شوي — shway¶

14. 3:15–3:30 — Talking about preferences¶

15. 3:30–3:45 — “Do you like...?”¶

بتحب؟ — bte7ebb?¶

16. 3:45–4:00 — Like + thing¶

17. 4:00–4:15 — Asking preferences¶

تسافر — tsāfer¶

18. 4:15–4:30 — Mini conversation¶

A¶

B¶

A¶

B¶

A¶

B¶

19. 4:30–4:45 — Conversation connectors¶

و — w¶

بس — bas¶

كمان — kamān¶

يعني — ya3ni¶

20. 4:45–5:00 — Joining sentences¶

تعبان — ta3bān¶

21. 5:00–5:15 — “Because” conversation¶

22. 5:15–5:30 — The “question ladder”¶

23. 5:30–5:45 — Don't answer with one word¶

24. 5:45–6:00 — Conversation repair¶

شو؟ — shu?¶

شو يعني؟ — shu ya3ni?¶

ما فهمت — ma fhemet¶

فيك تعيد؟ — fīk t3īd?¶

شوي شوي — shway shway¶

ما بعرف — ma ba3ref¶

25. 6:00–6:15 — “I don't understand”¶

قلت — 2elt¶

26. 6:15–6:30 — Full conversation¶

A¶

B¶

A¶

B¶

A¶

B¶

A¶

B¶

A¶

B¶

A¶

27. 6:30–6:45 — Your turn¶

1¶

2¶

3¶

4¶

5¶

6¶