Learn Levantine Arabic: The Past Tense for "You Male and Female"

Learn Levantine Arabic: The Past Tense of "You Studied" for Male and Female

Welcome to today's lesson on Levantine Arabic! We are diving into the past tense, specifically focusing on how to say "You studied" for both masculine and feminine subjects. 

Understanding Levantine Arabic

Levantine Arabic is widely spoken in countries like Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine. Mastering these basics will help you connect better with native speakers and enhance your communication skills in the region.

The Masculine Form: "Darast"

Firstly, let's start with the masculine form. In Levantine Arabic, "You studied" for a male is "Darast" (دَرَسْتَ). 

- **Verb Root**: The verb root here is "Daras" (درس), which means "to study."

- **Masculine Conjugation**: When addressing a male, you'll add a "t" at the end, resulting in "Darast" (دَرَسْتَ). 

Simple, right? Let's hear it one more time for clarity—"Darast" (دَرَسْتَ).

The Feminine Form: "Darasti"

Now, let's move on to the feminine form. For a female, "You studied" is "Darasti" (دَرَسْتِي). 

- **Feminine Conjugation**: Notice the subtle addition of the "i" at the end. The feminine form often has this "i" sound in Levantine Arabic verb conjugations. So, when you're speaking to a female, it's "Darasti" (دَرَسْتِي). 

Again, let's say it together for practice—"Darasti" (دَرَسْتِي).

Practical Examples

To put these into context, here are some example sentences:

- **Speaking to a Male Friend**: "Inta darast al-derous?" (إنتَ دَرَسْتَ الدروس؟) which means "Did you study the lessons?"

- **Speaking to a Female Friend**: "Inti darasti al-derous?" (إنتِ دَرَسْتِي الدروس؟) 

See how the verb changes slightly depending on the gender? It's important to practice these distinctions to sound more natural.

Additional Examples

Let's expand on the examples with different verbs:

- **To Read (Qara' - قرأ)**

  - **Masculine**: "Inta qara't al-kitab?" (إنتَ قَرَأتَ الكتاب؟) which means "Did you read the book?"

  - **Feminine**: "Inti qara'ti al-kitab?" (إنتِ قَرَأتِي الكتاب؟)

- **To Write (Kataba - كتب)**

  - **Masculine**: "Inta katabt al-essay?" (إنتَ كَتَبْتَ المقال؟) which means "Did you write the essay?"

  - **Feminine**: "Inti katabti al-essay?" (إنتِ كَتَبْتِي المقال؟)

- **To Work (Amil - عمل)**

  - **Masculine**: "Inta ʿamilt bi al-mashrooʿ?" (إنتَ عَمِلْتَ ب المشروع؟) which means "Did you work on the project?"

  - **Feminine**: "Inti ʿamilti bi al-mashrooʿ?" (إنتِ عَمِلْتِي ب المشروع؟)

- **To Eat (Akal - أكل)**

  - **Masculine**: "Inta akalt al-akl?" (إنتَ أَكَلْتَ الأَكْل؟) which means "Did you eat the food?"

  - **Feminine**: "Inti akalti al-akl?" (إنتِ أَكَلْتِي الأَكْل؟)

- **To Travel (Safara - سفر)**

  - **Masculine**: "Inta safrat li Beirut?" (إنتَ سافَرْتَ لِي بيروت؟) which means "Did you travel to Beirut?"

  - **Feminine**: "Inti safrati li Beirut?" (إنتِ سافَرْتِي لِي بيروت؟)

- **To Drink (Shariba - شرب)**

  - **Masculine**: "Inta shribt al-may?" (إنتَ شِرِبْتَ المي؟) which means "Did you drink the water?"

  - **Feminine**: "Inti shribti al-may?" (إنتِ شِرِبْتِي المي؟)

- **To See (shaaf - شاف)**

  - **Masculine**: "Inta shuft al-film?" (إنتَ شُفْتَ الفِيلم؟) which means "Did you see the movie?"

  - **Feminine**: "Inti shufti al-film?" (إنتِ شُفْتِي الفِيلم؟)

- **To Play (Laa'b - لعب)**

  - **Masculine**: "Inta la'abt kurat el-qadam?" (إنتَ لَعِبْتَ كُرَة القَدَم؟) which means "Did you play football?"

  - **Feminine**: "Inti la'abti kurat el-qadam?" (إنتِ لَعِبْتِي كُرَة القَدَم؟)

- **To Teach (Darrass - درّس)**

  - **Masculine**: "Inta darrast bi al-madrasa?" (إنتَ درَّستَ ب المدرسة؟) which means "Did you teach at the school?"

  - **Feminine**: "Inti darrasti bi al-madrasa?" (إنتِ درَّسْتِي ب المدرسة؟)

By mastering these simple changes, you can greatly improve your proficiency in spoken Levantine Arabic. Practice by replacing "study" with other verbs to get the hang of different conjugations.

Final Tips

That's all for today's lesson. Remember, language learning is all about practice and repetition. Listen to native speakers, practice with friends, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. The more you use these phrases, the more natural they will become. 

 For those interested in accessing 900 hours of Arabic lessons online and weekly premium podcasts complete with audio, transcripts, show notes, and PDFs, please take a look at My Phone App The Nassra Arabic Method.

Thanks for tuning in, and happy studying!

*Omar Nassra*