Fablingo / Fablingo Lebanese / Level pre-A1
Episode 15 · Mraja3a — Errands around the ḥayy
Duration: 8:47
Coming soon on YouTube
After this lesson you can:
Carry earlier phrases across three situations in one continuous outing.
In this episode
You run one unbroken morning across three registers — a polite good-morning to Dr. Hala, bread and the daftar with Sett Sana, a coffee at Abu Naji's, Jad's casual khalas tossed across the square — and the ḥayy now runs through you.
Last time, Jad cracked open the street register for you — fast, funny, a little reckless — and it clicked with the quiet formal world of Dr. Hala, the daftar kindness of Sett Sana, and Abu Naji’s bottomless coffee heart. This morning? One smooth lap across all three. Let’s see if the ḥayy runs through you now.
You lock Téta Nabiha’s door, brass key warm in your palm. The square is awake — broom swish, coffee hiss. Your plan: check a paper with Dr. Hala, grab bread with Sett Sana, then a coffee with Abu Naji. One walk, three registers.
صباح الخير! نازل عالساحة؟
ايه، رايح عالصيدلية وبعدين الدكّانة… وبالآخر قهوة!
The pharmacy is cool and tidy. Dr. Hala looks up, precise as always. This is your formal stop — deep breath, polite words lined up.
بونجور، لو سمحت، عندك موعد؟
بونجور، لو سمحت، عندك موعد؟ — good morning — excuse me, do you have an appointment? (formal) · bonjour, law sama7t, 3indak maw3id?
Hear her rhythm? First a friendly borrowed good-morning — بونجور — then the polite cushion لو سمحت “please/excuse me,” and finally the question: عندك موعد؟ “do you have an appointment?” Watch the sounds: in عندك, that 3 is the deep 3ayn — 3in-dak — if you’re a woman it’s 3indik. موعد has that glottal 2-like stop on the 3 (it’s actually a hamza vibe), say maw-3id with the deep 3. Register: this is polite, front-desk language — perfect with officials, reception, or the doctor. Common mistake: dropping لو سمحت — it gets blunt. Keep it in.
بونجور، لو سمحت، عندك موعد؟ — good morning — excuse me, do you have an appointment? (formal) · bonjour, law sama7t, 3indak maw3id?
Say it with me: «بونجور، لو سمحت، عندك موعد؟». Again, a little slower: «بونجور… لو سمحت… عندك موعد؟». Now natural pace, like you belong at that counter.
بونجور، لو سمحت، عندك موعد؟ — good morning — excuse me, do you have an appointment? (formal) · bonjour, law sama7t, 3indak maw3id?
بونجور دكتورة… لو سمحت، عندِك موعد لِلأوراق؟
ايه، بعد شوي. خَلّيك عاليمين، لو سمحت.
That landed. You held the formal line without freezing. Paper stamped, a polite nod, and you’re back in the sun.
صباح الخير يا جاري! بدّك خبز اليوم؟
قدّيش الخبز؟
قدّيش الخبز؟ — عالدفتر — how much is the bread? — on the tab · 2addesh el-khubz? — 3a-l-daftar
عالدفتر.
قدّيش الخبز؟ — عالدفتر — how much is the bread? — on the tab · 2addesh el-khubz? — 3a-l-daftar
قدّيش — 2addesh — is “how much,” with that popped 2 at the start. الخبز — el-khubz — bread; feel the rough خ “kh” and the bunched bz ending. She answers: عالدفتر — 3a-l-daftar — literally “on the notebook/tab.” Register: neighborhood-trust casual. She’s saying, pay later, we’re neighbors. Common mistake: saying كم like school Arabic here — people will get you, but in Beirut 2addesh is what your mouth should know.
قدّيش الخبز؟ — عالدفتر — how much is the bread? — on the tab · 2addesh el-khubz? — 3a-l-daftar
Try it: «قدّيش الخبز؟». Slower: «قدّيش… الخبز؟». Now the answer with a shrug: «عالدفتر». Natural pace, neighborly tone.
قدّيش الخبز؟ — عالدفتر — how much is the bread? — on the tab · 2addesh el-khubz? — 3a-l-daftar
قدّيش الحليب؟ … إذا بتريدي… عالدفتر؟
خلاص خلّصنا. روح اشرب قهوتك.
Last stop: Abu Naji’s ahwé. He’s your teacher today — the easy host who turns phrases into home.
بدّي قهوة، لو سمحت.
بدّي قهوة، لو سمحت — صحتين — I'd like a coffee, please — to your health · badde 2ahwe, law sama7t — sa7tein
صحتين!
بدّي قهوة، لو سمحت — صحتين — I'd like a coffee, please — to your health · badde 2ahwe, law sama7t — sa7tein
بدّي — badde — “I want/I’d like.” قهوة — 2ahwe — feel that throat catch, the 2 at the start. Then the magic cushion again: لو سمحت. He answers with صحتين — sa7tein — literally “two healths,” our way to say “enjoy.” Register: perfect polite in a friendly setting. Common mistake: saying أريد like the textbook — too formal for coffee with Abu Naji; badde is your friend here.
بدّي قهوة، لو سمحت — صحتين — I'd like a coffee, please — to your health · badde 2ahwe, law sama7t — sa7tein
Together: «بدّي قهوة، لو سمحت». Slower: «بدّي… قهوة… لو سمحت». Now the reply, smile in it: «صحتين!»
بدّي قهوة، لو سمحت — صحتين — I'd like a coffee, please — to your health · badde 2ahwe, law sama7t — sa7tein
بدّي قهوة، لو سمحت… سادة.
قهوتك علَيّي يا عيني. خلّصنا، اقعد ارتاح.
خلص، منيح، يلا باي!
خلص، منيح، يلا باي — okay, cool, bye (casual) · khalas, mni7, yalla bye
Three little street buttons: خلص — khalas — “that’s it/okay/done.” منيح — mni7 — “good/cool.” يلّا باي — yalla bye — “alright, bye.” Register: super casual. Don’t toss this at Dr. Hala’s counter; with friends it’s perfect. Common mistake: using خلص as a sharp “enough!” tone — soften it when you just mean “okay.”
خلص، منيح، يلا باي — okay, cool, bye (casual) · khalas, mni7, yalla bye
Your turn: «خلص، منيح، يلّا باي». Again, quicker, like Jad: «خلص، منيح، يلّا باي!». Now natural, easy-breezy.
خلص، منيح، يلا باي — okay, cool, bye (casual) · khalas, mni7, yalla bye
خلص… منيح… يلّا باي يا جاد!
Quick check: you opened formally at the pharmacy, asked for bread and floated on the daftar, ordered coffee and got a heartfelt sa7tein, then waved Jad off with casual ease. If one still feels shaky, rewind, mouth it slowly, then roll it into the next scene with me.
صباح! كيفك اليوم؟
منيح… بدّك قهوة؟
مرّة تانية، بوعدك. بكرا بعد الظهر؟
خلص، منيح… بكرا.
صحتين يا جيران!
هَيْ الخبزة تبَعك! وما تنسى… عالدفتر.
صحتين… وشكرًا ستّ سناء! بسلّفِك بكرا.
نهاركن سعيد. لو سمحت… بتجيبلي هالورقة لتوقيع المختار؟ عندك موعد معه؟
بونجور… لو سمحت، بسّأل إذا في موعد…
منيح! منحكي بعدين… يلّا باي!
اليوم عشية منولّع عالفحم. تجي تتعشّى هون؟ وجيب جارتك المنظّمة… شو اسمها… مايا!
خلص، منيح. بسألها… وبجي.
One morning, three voices, and you moved between them. Tonight there’s a grill, a maybe-invite to Maya, and a daftar that trusts you’ll be back. Feels like belonging, no?
Before you go, mouth the four anchors: the formal counter question, the bread price and that lifesaving daftar, the coffee order with a warm sa7tein, and Jad’s breezy sign-off. If they sit right in your mouth here, they’ll show up when you need them out there.
Two lessons a week — Tuesday and Friday. Come back for dinner at the café, and maybe a plan with Maya. This is Fablingo Lebanese — your ḥayy, your voice. Yalla, bye.
Vocabulary
| Phrase | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| بونجور، لو سمحت، عندك موعد؟ | good morning — excuse me, do you have an appointment? (formal) | |
| قدّيش الخبز؟ — عالدفتر | how much is the bread? — on the tab | |
| بدّي قهوة، لو سمحت — صحتين | I'd like a coffee, please — to your health | |
| خلص، منيح، يلا باي | okay, cool, bye (casual) |
Grammar in this lesson
None new — consolidates have, badde, numbers, question words and courtesy across the casual↔polite register spectrum with three cast members.