Navigating the Lebanese Home: A Vocabulary Guide

In this video, I’m thrilled to take you on a linguistic journey through the heart of a Lebanese home, exploring the various rooms and the items you can find in them. On the 24th of February, or as we say in Lebanese, ‘arb3a w 3ishreen shbat’, we dive deep into the vocabulary related to different parts of a house, from the bedroom and living room to the kitchen and bathroom. I’ll be breaking down the terms for you, providing translations and even some cultural insights, especially when it comes to the kitchen and our beloved Lebanese dishes. So, whether you’re looking to expand your Arabic vocabulary or just curious about Lebanese culture, this lesson is packed with information to help you understand the essentials of a Lebanese household. Let’s embark on this educational adventure together, and by the end of this video, you’ll be more familiar with the Lebanese way of life and the language we speak at home.

Transcript:

Introduction

Hello guys, today we are the 24th February which means ‘arb3a w 3ishreen shbat’. Today, we’re going to have a lesson about the things you find in a home. Let’s start first of all with ‘home’, you know, ‘beit’.

Building and Floors

Building means ‘bineye’.
Floor: ‘tabi2’. For multiple floors: ‘tawabi2’.
If you want to ask ‘on which floor do you live?’: ‘b ayya tabi2 enta 3ayish/ ente 3aysheh/ ento 3aysheen?’

Rooms and Their Contents

Bedroom: ‘oudit l nom’

Because ‘room’ means ‘ouda’.
Bedroom is ‘oudit l nom’ because ‘nom’ means sleep.
In a bedroom, we find:
Bed: ‘takhet’. ‘takhteh’ means my bed.
Closet: ‘khzeineh’.
Clothes: ‘tyeib’. In the Arabic fus-ha it’s ‘thiyab’, but in Lebanese it’s ‘tyeib’ because generally the ‘th’ becomes ‘t’ in the Lebanese dialect (or ‘s’).
Television: It’s not very healthy to put a television in your bedroom. Television is ‘television’ or TV. In fus-ha, we say ‘talfaz’.

Living Room: ‘oudit l a3deh’

In a living room, you find:
Couch: ‘kanabeye’. Couches: ‘kanabeyet’. You can also say ‘sofa’ like in French and English.
Table: ‘tawleh’. Tables: ‘tawlet’.
Chair: ‘kirseh’. Chairs: ‘karaseh’.

Kitchen: ‘matbakh’

If you want to say ‘what are you cooking?’ for a man: ‘shou 3am totboukh’. For a woman: ‘shu 3am totbkheh’.
Because ‘tabekh’ means ‘cooking’:
I’m cooking: ‘ana 3am botboukh’.
You are cooking (m.): ‘enta 3am totboukh’.
You are cooking (f.): ‘ente 3am totbkheh’.
‘shou 3am totbkho’ for a group of people.
In a kitchen, we find:
Oven: ‘forn’. P.S. ‘forn’ is very common in Lebanon. Why? Because in the morning we go to the ‘forn’ (oven/bakery) to buy mana2eesh/man2ousheh, the famous man2ousheh with zaa3tar or jebneh. So ‘l sobe7 mn rou7 3al forn ta neshtereh mana2eesh’: ‘in the morning we go to the bakery (oven) to buy mana2eesh/man2ousheh’. ‘forn’ is a bakery where you can buy mana2eesh or bread, lots of delicious stuff.
Sink: ‘majla’. ‘ana 3am bejleh l s7oon’: I’m cleaning the dishes.
Dish: ‘sa7en’. Dishes: ‘s7oon’.
Fork: ‘shawkeh’. Forks: ‘shouwak’.
Knife: ‘sikkeen’. Knives: ‘skekeen’.
Common expression to say you have a stomachache: ‘7asseh 3endeh skekeen b me3edteh’: I feel I have knives in my stomach.
Spoon: ‘male23a/male32a’. Spoons: ‘male3i2/male2i3’. There’s a dilemma of how to pronounce spoon in Lebanese. In fus-ha it’s ‘mil3aqa’, but in the Lebanese dialect it’s either ‘male23a’ or ‘male32a’.
Cup: ‘kebbeyeh’. Cups: ‘kebbeyet’.

Bathroom: ‘7emmem’

In the bathroom, we find:
Towel: ‘manshafeh’.
Soap: ‘saboon’. If you want to say ‘in the morning I wash my face’: ‘l sobe7 bghassil wejjeh’.

Brushing Teeth

If you want to say ‘how many times in a day do you brush your teeth?’:
How many times: ‘kamm marra’.
Betfarsheh: you brush.
Teeth: snein.
Your teeth: sneinak(m.)/sneinik(f.).
In a day: bl nhar.
So ‘how many times in a day do you brush your teeth?’: ‘kamm marra betfarsheh sneinak bl nhar?”

Conclusion

For today’s lesson, I gave you a lot of information. Study well and have a great time.

Recap:

English	Lebanese (Latin Letters)	Lebanese (Arabic Alphabet)
Home	beit	بيت
Building	bineye	بناية
Floor	tabi2	طابق
Multiple Floors	tawabi2	طوابق
Bedroom	oudit l nom	أوضة النوم
Room	ouda	أوضة
Sleep	nom	نوم
Bed	takhet	تخت
My Bed	takhteh	تختي
Closet	khzeineh	خزانة
Clothes	tyeib	تياب
Television	television / TV	تلفزيون
Living Room	oudit l a3deh	أوضة القعدة
Couch	kanabeye	كنباية
Couches	kanabeyet	كنبايات
Table	tawleh	طاولة
Tables	tawlet	طاولات
Chair	kirseh	كرسي
Chairs	karaseh	كراسي
Kitchen	matbakh	مطبخ
Cooking	tabekh	طبخ
Oven/Bakery	forn	فرن
Sink	majla	مجلى
Dish	sa7en	صحن
Dishes	s7oon	صحون
Fork	shawkeh	شوكة
Forks	shouwak	شوَك
Knife	sikkeen	سكّين
Knives	skekeen	سكاكين
Spoon	male23a / male32a	ملعقة
Spoons	male3i2 / male2i3	ملاعق
Cup	kebbeyeh	كباية
Cups	kebbeyet	كبايات
Bathroom	7emmem	حمام
Towel	manshafeh	منشفة
Soap	saboon	صابون
I wash my face	bghassil wejjeh	بغسل وجي
You brush your teeth	betfarsheh sneinak	بتفرشي سنانك