Hello guys, how are you? Today’s post is a special one! It’s not a formal lesson, but a walking tour around the famous Sassine Square in the Ashrafieh neighborhood of Beirut.
Join me as we explore the area, visit the ABC Mall, find some famous food spots, and even discover some great resources for learning Lebanese. Come on!
Full Transcript: Walking Around Ashrafieh
1. Arriving in Sassine Square
Hello guys, how are you? Today we are the 15th of March and guess what? It is 31 degrees today in Beirut. We are suffocating, but tomorrow they they are telling there is a big storm coming. But every time they say storm, it is just winter. Anyway, we are in Ashrafieh today and we’re hitting the Sassine Square, the famous one. Uh, here directly it is ABC Mall. It’s a big mall. ABC Mall. And uh, it’s not a lesson, it is just walking around Ashrafieh. Come on.
2. Famous Food Spots (Tawook & Chocolate)
A very famous Lebanese restaurant, it’s called Malek el Tawook (ملك الطاووق) or the king of Tawook. The king of Tawook is a Lebanese restaurant and they make Tawook. Tawook is chicken, it is grilled with fries and everything with high fat, high fat. Falafel once again, you know.
How are you? (To a child counting in English) “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven.”
Hiba: oulon bel 3arabeh (قولن بالعربي) – “Say them in Arabic.”
(Child counts in Arabic) “waHad, tnen, tleteh, arb3a, khamseh, sitteh, sab3a, tmeineh, tis3a, 3ashra, Hda3sh, tna3sh, tleta3sh, arbata3sh, khamsta3sh, sitta3sh, sabata3sh, tmenta3sh, tisata3sh, 3ishreen.” (Lesson on numbers in Lebanese)
Hiba: Yislamo. (يسلموا). Shou esmak? (شو اسمك؟) – “Thank you. What’s your name?”
Child: 3issa.
I want to tell you something. Here we are at the best chocolate place in Lebanon. It is very very very good, very delicious. It is called Noura. Noura is so chic. It is expensive but so good.
3. A Chat with Popcorn Sellers
Hiba: neHna baddna popcorn. popcorn. (نحن بدنا بوب كورن) Hi. Hi. Leh 3am tbi3o bop corn? (ليه عم تبيعوا بوب كورن؟)
Kids: “Projet de Financement”.
Hiba: Projet de financement! Tayyeb ento b ayya madraseh? (طيب إنتو بأي مدرسة؟)
Kids: Nazareth.
Hiba: Umm, tayyeb khabbrouna shi, neHna 3am nsawwer halla’ 3al YouTube, 3am n3allem lebneneh, shou btkhabbrouna 3an lebnen? (طيب خبرونا شي نحن عم نصور هلق عاليوتيوب، عم نعلم لبناني، شو بتخبرونا عن لبنان؟) What can you tell us about Lebanon?
Kids: It’s a beautiful country. There are beautiful people in Lebanon.
Hiba: Like you! Selling popcorn. And how much is it?
Kids: 1000. 1000.
Hiba: 1000. raH eshtereh tnein. (لا 1000. رح أشتري اثنين.)
Kids: Ya heik l lebneniyyeh ya bala. (يا هيك اللبنانية يا بلا.)
Hiba: Okay. Thank you popcorn.
Kids: Merci.
Hiba: Merci, khalas. Bye.
Kids: Bye.
Full English Translation of the Dialogue
Hiba: We want popcorn. Popcorn. Hi. Hi. Why are you selling popcorn?
Kids: “A financing project.”
Hiba: A financing project! Okay, what school are you in?
Kids: Nazareth.
Hiba: Umm, okay, tell us something. We are filming for YouTube right now, we’re teaching Lebanese. What can you tell us about Lebanon?
Kids: It’s a beautiful country. There are beautiful people in Lebanon.
Hiba: Like you! Selling popcorn. And how much is it?
Kids: 1000. 1000.
Hiba: 1000. I’ll buy two.
Kids: That’s the Lebanese way or nothing!
Hiba: Okay. Thank you popcorn.
Kids: Thank you.
Hiba: Thank you, that’s it. Bye.
Kids: Bye.
4. Inside ABC Mall (Top Floor)
So, we entered the ABC Mall and you are in the top floor where there are a lot of restaurants. I’m going to show you my favorite uh, not place, but my favorite thing to eat and it is frozen yogurt. Let’s come, let’s walk. All the pizza. Here is the place where they have frozen yogurt with fruits, fresh fruits, and it is delicious.
And uh, a restaurant that opened recently in ABC… It is very very very good place where you can eat pizza, a very typical Italian pizza, and it is called Margarita.
And if you want, if you want to taste the man’ousheh (منقوشة), the Lebanese man’ousheh, you can come to Zaatar w Zeit (زعتر وزيت). And zaatar (زعتر) means thyme. Zaatar w Zeit. They are eating man’ousheh. Zaatar means thyme and zeit (زيت) means olive oil. So it is called thyme and olive oil. thyme and olive oil.
5. Learning Resources at Librairie Antoine
Okay, I found something very very interesting for you in Librairie Antoine in ABC, in Ashrafieh. And it is called the Lebanese dialect or le dialecte libanais, l’arabe littéral. And you can check it. It is the Lebanese dialect. And there are other stuff too for you. There is in French and there is one in English. Speak Lebanese with one CD, one cassette, and one book. One of the rare resources when you can learn Lebanese.
So, and um, if you want other stuff, I selected some of the books where you can learn Lebanese dialect. You can find it in my blog. Uh, if you come to Lebanon, check Librairie Antoine if you are interested in learning Lebanese. And my video for now is done. Thank you, have a great week.
Key Vocabulary & Places
| Lebanese Phrase | Transliteration | English Meaning |
| ملك الطاووق | Malek el Tawook | “King of Tawook” (restaurant) |
| طاووق | Tawook | Chicken (shish tawook) |
| شو اسمك؟ | Shou esmak? | What’s your name? |
| ليه عم تبيعوا؟ | Leh 3am tbi3o? | Why are you selling? |
| رح أشتري اثنين | RaH eshtereh tnein | I will buy two |
| منقوشة | Man’ousheh | Lebanese thyme/cheese flatbread |
| زعتر وزيت | Zaatar w Zeit | “Thyme and Oil” (restaurant) |
| زعتر | Zaatar | Thyme |
| زيت | Zeit | Oil (Olive Oil) |
