Why English speakers add "of" to noss kilo khubz

English glues quantities to things with "of": "half a kilo OF bread." Lebanese just sets the two nouns side by side, and the reflex to insert "of" is hard to shake.

Nouns simply stack. noss kilo khebez is "half kilo bread," with no linking word. There is nothing for "of," so adding one is the English-driven mistake.

Price glues "for" onto the number. hayda b-alfein ("this for 2000") attaches the preposition b- as a prefix on the number, not as a separate word floating before it.

"Free" is one word. balash means "free of charge" all by itself — do not build it as "for free" with a preposition.

And "not that one" is just mish. mish hayda places mish before the demonstrative, with no verb.

• badde noss kilo khebez. — Half a kilo of bread, please. (no "of")
• 2addesh hayda? — hayda b-alfein. — How much is this? It's for two thousand.
• w hayda? — hayda balash! — And this one? This one's free!
• mish hayda, hayda. — Not that one, this one.

Say it with me: noss kilo khebez, hayda b-alfein — stack the nouns, glue the b-, and drop the "of" entirely.