Lesson 36: Discussing Politics in Lebanese Arabic (Part 2)

Welcome back to our lesson on politics. This is a more advanced lesson where we will break down full sentences related to news and current events in Lebanon, covering topics like the garbage crisis, protests, and the government.

While the sentences are a bit longer, we will go through them slowly so you can learn how to construct complex ideas and better understand Lebanese news reports.

Full Transcript: Analyzing Political Sentences

1. The Garbage Crisis

Let’s start with a topic that has been in the news in Lebanon.

Sentence: “There is a garbage crisis in Lebanon and the government did not find a solution yet.”

In Lebanese Arabic: fi ‘azmit-nifeyeit b lebnen wel Hkoumeh ba3ed ma le’yit Hall. (في أزمة نفايات بلبنان والحكومة بعد ما لقيت حل)

• Crisis: ‘azmeh (أزمة)
• Garbage: nifeyeit (نفايات) or zbeleh (زبالة)
• Government: Hkoumeh (حكومة)
• Yet: ba3ed (بعد)
• Solution: Hall (حل)

Sentence: “Every municipality is responsible of waste sorting.”

In Lebanese Arabic: kil baladiyyeh mas’ooleh 3an farz el nifeyeit. (كل بلدية مسؤولة عن فرز النفايات)

• Municipality: baladiyyeh (بلدية)
• Responsible: mas’ooleh (مسؤولة)
• Sorting: farz (فرز)

2. Protests & Demands

This sentence covers vocabulary related to civil movements.

Sentence: “There are ongoing peaceful protests in the Lebanese capital demanding the resignation of the Minister of the Environment.”

In Lebanese Arabic: fi muzaharat silmiyyeh mustamirra bil 3asmeh el-lebneniyyeh 3am bt-talib bi-isti’alit wazir el-bi’a. (في مظاهرات سلمية مستمرة بالعاصمة اللبنانية عم بتطالب بإستقالة وزير البيئة)

• Peaceful: silmiyyeh (سلميّة)
• Protests: muzaharat (مظاهرات)
• Ongoing: mustamerra (مستمرة)
• Demanding: 3am bt-talib (عم بتطالب)
• Resignation: isti’aleh (إستقالة)
• Minister of the Environment: wazir el-bi’a (وزير البيئة)

3. Tragic Events

This is a difficult but sometimes necessary sentence to understand from the news.

Sentence: “Today, 50 people were killed as a result of an explosion.”

In Lebanese Arabic: lyom khamseen shakhes meito natijit ‘enfijar. (اليوم خمسين شخص ماتوا نتيجة إنفجار)

• 50 people: khamseen shakhes (خمسين شخص)
• Were killed: meito (ماتوا)
• As a result: natijit (نتيجة)
• Explosion: ‘enfijar (إنفجار)
• Note: A related word you might hear is shaheed (شهيد), which means “martyr.”

4. Amending the Constitution

This sentence deals with parliamentary actions.

Sentence: “In 2013, the parliament amended the constitution to extend their term.”

In Lebanese Arabic: bil 2013, majlis el nuwweib 3addalo el dostour ta y’addro ymeddo la nafson. (بالـ ٢٠١٣، مجلس النواب عدّلوا الدستور تيقدروا يمدّدوا لنفسهم)

• Amended: 3addalo (عدّلوا)
• The constitution: el dostour (الدستور)
• To extend their term: ta ymeddo la nafson (تيمدّدوا لنفسهم)

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Key Vocabulary & Phrases

Lebanese Phrase	Transliteration	English Meaning
أزمة نفايات	‘Azmit nifeyeit	Garbage crisis
حكومة	Hkoumeh	Government
بلدية	Baladiyyeh	Municipality
مظاهرات سلمية	Muzaharat silmiyyeh	Peaceful protests
إستقالة	‘Isti’aleh	Resignation
وزير البيئة	Wazir el-bi’a	Minister of the Environment
إنفجار	‘Enfijar	Explosion
شهيد	Shaheed	Martyr
عدّلوا	3addalo	They amended
الدستور	El dostour	The constitution