Learn Levantine Arabic with Livi

Hi listeners, I hope you are all really well.

Sorry that I took a while to record the next episode.

Today I'll be speaking again with my friend Adam (also known as Ahmed) from Gaza about the reasons behind him choosing to study international social work.

Very important to this conversation is the fact that Adam is blind and, as a result, has had to face a lot of significant challenges.

However, he is using his lived experience as a disabled man to help others; through studying international social work.

If you want to know more about his story you can check out his GoFundMe page linked at the bottom. Adam is raising money to pay his tuition fees and living expenses as he completes his studies in the Netherlands. The world needs more dedicated and compassionate social workers like Adam so if you are interested please check out his fundraiser.

I suppose it's also important to say that in this episode there is a lot we don't discuss, including details of what Adam's family in Gaza are facing right now. We weren't consciously avoiding the topic, more that there sometimes aren't sufficient words to describe something.

Big thank you to Adam for making the time to speak to me even in these terrible moments and still finding ways to laugh in spite of it all.

You can follow my account on insta for updates @learnlevantinewithlivi

Here is the vocabulary:

ماشي الحال - It is so so

 لقب - Nickname

بالتحديد - Specifically

كفيف - Blind

لاللي ما بيعرفوا - For those who do not know

فقدت بصري - I lost my sight

زي ما انتِ شايفة - As you can see

دمار - Destruction

ذوي احتياجات خاصة - People with special needs

اتصاوبوا - They got injured

عناصر منتجة في المجتمع 

Productive members of society

تأهيل- Rehabilitation

أسأل مجرب ولا تسأل طبيب

Ask someone who has  firsthand experience with a disease rather than a doctor.

تخمين - Guessing

سؤال عشوائي - Random question

برج العقرب - Scorpio (Zodiac sign)

شو بعرفك! - You never know!

عقبات  - Obstacles

التنهد - A sigh

امكانية الوصول - Accessibility

مش أحسن شي من ناحية

It's not the best (usually when you are talking about something which is no better than the bare minimum)

القوة العضلية - Physical strength

رسوم الدراسة - Tuition fees

مصاريف - Expenses

أصرف على نفسي - To spend on myself

يساريين - Leftists

مهاجرين - Immigrants

ودودين - Friendly

البنية التحتية - Infrastructure

صدمة ثقافية - Culture shock

حرفيا - Literally

على أرض الواقع - In reality

حضنتها - I embraced her

مزدحم - Crowded

مقارنة ب - In comparison with

مع احترامي الشديد - With all due respect

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-ahmed-studeren-en-zijn-droom-waar-te-maken?utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1&utm_content=undefined&utm_medium=chat&utm_source=whatsapp&utm_term=undefined

*Vocab below

Hi everyone, I hope you're all really well.

Today I'm going to be talking to Adam about a really important topic; psychology and mental health.

We actually recorded this episode last year (apologies for the delay in publishing) just before Adam made a very long and difficult journey from Gaza to the Netherlands in order to start his studies at Han University.

I'm mentioning this a) because Adam is a remarkable person b) he is currently running a GoFundMe to support his studies in International Social Work.

Adam has been blind all of his adult life, but this has never stopped his determination, especially for helping others with disability. He is studying International Social Work in order to be able to develop a career in this field in order to have a positive impact.

As he is in some financial difficulties at the moment he is fundraising to support his tuition fees and living expenses for the next few years.

If you would like to read more about Adam (whose real name is Ahmed....Adam is a nickname) and check out a personal video from him, then you can check this link here https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-ahmed-studeren-en-zijn-droom-waar-te-maken?utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1&utm_content=undefined&utm_medium=chat&utm_source=whatsapp&utm_term=undefined

Many thanks and enjoy the episode!

Vocabulary:

حواجز - Barriers

بشكل سلس  Fluently/ smoothly

فأر التجارب = Guinea pig / lab rat

Logic / Logical - منطق / منطقي

جرحتني  - it hurt me / it scarred me 

بضلني ساكت- I remain silent / I keep silent

طبيب نفسي - psychiatrist 

صدقًا- honestly

نابع عن = Stems from 

إحاطة = understanding grasping of something

أنماط =  patterns/stereotypes

كتمت مشاعري = I suppressed my feelings

التنمر = Bullying

فخورة = Proud

شكرا على المدح = Thanks for the compliment 

ما بيتناقض مع =Does not contradict with 

 بحنان= Compassionately-tenderly

Hello and welcome to all the listeners. I disappeared for a while because I was overloaded with work and travel and didn't have enough time to make new episodes for you. And, to be totally honest, I was being a bit lazy....but i've shaken off the laziness and here I am, back to share a new episode with you which is a conversation with my brilliant friend Melissa.

We'll be hearing a conversation between Melissa and I where we will discuss her work in the world of theatre, Armenian culture, her experiences growing up as Armenian in Lebanon and how she combines multiple languages and cultures together in her life. 

I hope you will find the conversation as interesting and useful as I did. 

Below are the vocab that will help you when listening to the podcast (lots today as an apology for not making an episode for so long!)

بعتذر مسبقا  - I apologise in advance

مهندسة معمارية - architect

هندسة معمارية - Architecture

تصميم المسرح - Theatre design

شغف - Passion

كبير الشغف في - My passion grew

فراغ في /بداخلي - an emptiness inside me

نوبه - attack/panic

بالوقت الحالي  - now / in the present moment

إبادة جماعية - Genocide

انتماء - Belonging

لبنانية قبل بكفاية / انا لبنانية بشكل كافي - I am Lebanese enough

متمسكة - Attached/connected

مواطنة من العالم - Citizen of the world

ملحوظ - Impressive/distinctive

بفتكر/ بفكر - I think

الشتات - The diaspora

يستعيروا - They borrow

نزوح/ نازحة،نازح - Exodus / Displaced

اجدادنا - Grandparents / Our Grandparents منخبر بعض قصص - We tell each other stories

أكتسبت - I gained / I acquired

افسر حالي - I explain myself

مماثل - Similar / Comparable

برهن - Prove (to prove something)

بسلط الضو على شي - To shine a light on something / To highlight something

Hello and welcome to all the listeners and a Happy Christmas!

I hope you are all well and in good health.

I'm finally ready to make new episodes and this week i'll be talking to my friend Adam from Gaza about our experiences in learning languages. 

Adam is also an Arabic teacher and I advise you to have a go studying with him because he really knows and understands the nuances within Arabic and English and he's super patient with his students. I also benefitted a lot from my conversations with him because he has a Gazan accent (which I am not used to) and I like to be flexible with understanding different accents in the region. 

He's got some spots available for new students if you'd like to try studying Arabic through conversation with him. 

If you'd like more information, send us an email at [email protected]

I'd also like to say a big thank you to Muhammad, who teaches Arabic on italki. He's from Syria, living in Germany and from time to time I take lessons with him - when I feel like brushing up on my Arabic. He helped me out preparing for this episode and getting my brain in gear after neglecting my Arabic for a few weeks. He's such a great teacher and super encouraging to his students, so check him out! Here is the link to his page on italki: https://www.italki.com/teacher/2678645

Here is the new vocab for this week. Enjoy!

أنا عال العال - Couldn’t be better 

فضولي - curious

دءوب - diligent, perseverant

بشكل رسمي - formally

بستحي - I am ashamed

بخجل - I am shy

مقالة - Article

ميزة - characteristic or quality, or feature

حاجز ذهني - mental block

أفكار مسبقة سيئة - negative preconceptions

اتجاهلت - I ignored, I neglected

استمرارية - continuation

احنا في الهوى سوى - we are in the wind together - you and be both, we are both in the same shit, used quite humorously.

حاجة / حاجات - a thing, things

بتناسبني - it suits me / it fits me 

قدوة - an example or a model

Dear listeners, I hope you are well.

This episode will be a bit different. There won't be a conversation, just vocabulary. 

As I am sure you are aware, terrible things are happening in Palestine right now. 

Many Palestinian journalists are risking their lives to cover what is happening. 

One of the greatest gifts of being able to speak Arabic is that you are able to meaningfully engage with and understand what Arabic-speaking journalists are reporting, live. 

Injuries - إصابات

Injured (m/f/p) - مصاب/  مصابة /  مصابين

Tear Gas - غاز مسيل للدموع

Continuation - استمرار

Worshipers - المصلون

قنابل صوتية - sounds bombs / stun grenades

رصاص مطاطي - rubber bullets

قوات الخيالة - mounted horse units

هراوات - batons

إهانات - insults

اعتداءات جسدية - physical assaults

احتلال - occupation

مصادرة الأراضي - land seizures

تزوير الوثائق - document forgery

تهجير قصري - forced eviction

التطهير العرقي - ethnic cleansing

مياه عدامة - skunk water

قصف - bombing

دمار - destruction

ركام - heap/pile

سياره اسعاف - ambulance

توغل بري - land incursions

قصف جوي - air bombing / air strikes

تمييز عنصري - apartheid

مقاومة - resistance

Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Nine and Happy Christmas!

I've just started an instagram page where I will post podcast episodes and more content including videos, vocab and tips on language learning and differences between accents - check it out here @learnlevantinewithlivi https://www.instagram.com/learnlevantinewithlivi/?hl=en

I hope you are all well even though the world is rather...upside down. 

Thanks to all of you who sent suggestions and thoughts about the podcast via email. I’d encourage you to send more as I love hearing your feedback. Please feel free to get in touch at [email protected]

Also, Ramzi still has some spaces available for conversational Arabic classes for intermediate students. His classes are ideally suited to those who can understand around 70% of the conversations in the podcast. For more information please get in touch at the same email address [email protected]

Today we are going to return to the topic of 'home'. We recorded this episode whilst we were back in our 'home' countries. Listen out for the sounds of the Old City of Jerusalem in the background whilst Ramzi is talking. 

Here are some of the new words we will be hearing in today's episode:

بمستوى مجازي - On a metaphorical level

البيوت كلها فوق بعضها - The houses are all on top of each other

المهجر - In the diaspora / Abroad

الخروج من رحم امهاتنا - Getting out of our mothers’ womb

نوع من الغربه - A kind of strangeness

حقيبتي وطني ،و وطني حقيبتي - My backpack is my homeland and my homeland is my backpack.

سور - Wall

معقد - Complicated

اشي بهبل - Something foolish/trivial

الاشياء الملموسة - Tangible things

الحواس - The senses

هوية - Identity

مسلوب - Stolen

تكوين المكان - Spatial configuration

مغتربين - Expatriates

Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Nine! I hope you are all doing great and are ready for another episode. Thanks to all of you who sent suggestions and thoughts about the podcast via email. I’d encourage you to send more as I love hearing your feedback. Please feel free to get in touch at [email protected]

Also, Ramzi still has some spaces available for conversational Arabic classes for intermediate students. His classes are ideally suited to those who can understand around 70% of the conversations in the podcast. For more information please get in touch at the same email address [email protected]

I've just started an instagram page where I will post podcast episodes and more content including videos, vocab and tips on language learning and differences between accents - check it out here @learnlevantinewithlivi https://www.instagram.com/learnlevantinewithlivi/?hl=en

Here are some of the new words we will be hearing in today's episode:

مهاجر - Migrant

نقلت - I left / I moved

اضطراري - Forced

إمكانية الرجوع - The possibility of returning

متوفر - Available

بحكم - By virtue

ينتزع - To snatch

تبديل - Changing / Replacing

حروب - Wars

الانتماء - Belonging

مستأجر - Rented

معروض - Offered / Shown

جرعة من الحنين - A small dose of nostalgia

بأعزز - I reinforce / strengthen

Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Eight!

Apologies for my absence, but now i'm back AND I have some news which is that i've set up an email address through which you can pass on your comments and feedback about the podcast as well as make suggestions for topics you would benefit from hearing about. 

Please feel free to get in touch at [email protected]

In other good news, i'm happy to tell you that Ramzi has some spaces available for conversational Arabic classes for intermediate students. His classes are ideally suited to those who can understand around 70% of the conversations in the podcast. For more information please get in touch at the same email address [email protected]

I can highly recommend him as a teacher.

Here are some of the new words we will be hearing in today's episode:

عبارات - Sayings

أمثال - Examples

تعبير - Expression

وفرة - Abundance

بتستحضر - You evoke

وقح - Rude

اللغة المحكية - The spoken language

مبالغين - Exaggerators / People who exaggerate 

مشابهة - Similar

فاصلة - Comma

بذكرو - They mention

الديك - The cockerel

معطيات - Data

برمي - I throw

تجنب - Avoiding / Avoid

بذيء - Indecent

سلفاً - In advance

Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Seven!

Apologies that we disappeared for a month. But now we are back with a new episode where Ramzi and I will ask each other questions about travel and transport.  

Getting to grips with how you structure questions in Arabic is something I certainly struggle with so there will be an element of translation in this episode (English-Arabic & Arabic-English) to help give some examples in the different question structures the two languages have.

Here are some of the new words we will be hearing in today's episode:

سياح - Tourists

Hello everyone and welcome to Episode Six.

Today we are going to try a slightly different format where Ramzi and I will ask each other 5 questions. 

Getting to grips with how you structure questions in Arabic is something I certainly struggle with so there will be an element of translation in this episode (English-Arabic & Arabic-English) to help give some examples in the different question structures the two languages have. 

It's also a chance for us to express our personal opinions about a range of subjects. Feeling like you can truly express yourself in another language is quite a journey and takes time and patience - so I hope this episode helps you. 

Here are some of the new words we will be hearing in today's episode:

I switch on - بشغل

Global crisis - أزمة عالمية

From my humble experience (lit) / in my humble opinion - تجربتي المتواضعة

Subject to change - قابلة للتغير

From different angles - من أكثر من زاوية

I comprehend it - أستوعبها

Thirties - الثلاثينات

Twenties - العشرينات

Clarification - توضيح

It lost a lot - خسر كثير

It has no relationship / irrelevant - ما اله / الها علاقة

I suffer - بأعاني

To pass - بيمروء

Catastrophe/Disaster/Calamity - مصيبة