Darlene Eva

In Lebanese Arabic, a kiss is a بوسة (būse). The formal word is قبلة (ʾubla). For “kiss me” say بوسني (būsni).

A girlfriend is حبيبتي (ḥabībti), literally “my beloved”, in Lebanese Arabic. صاحبتي (ṣāḥbti) can mean either “my girlfriend” or just “my female friend”.

The usual way to say “nice to meet you” in Lebanese Arabic is تشرفنا (tsharrafna). تشرفنا (tsharrafna) is said by both people as they meet.

In Lebanese Arabic “apple” is تفاحة (tuffāḥa) for a single apple. The word تفاح (tuffāḥ) means apples in general.

The neutral Lebanese word for grandmother is جدّة (jedde).

Children in Lebanon call their grandpa سيدو (sīdo) or جدّو (jiddo). Both are warm family words and they are understood everywhere in the country.

A cow is a بقرة (baʼara) in Lebanese Arabic. Cattle in general are بقر (baʼar). Two cows are بقرتين (baʼartēn).

In Lebanese Arabic “no” is لأ (la2), said with a short glottal stop at the end. لأ (la2) is what you hear in everyday conversation.

Lebanese Arabic has no separate “good afternoon” greeting.

In Lebanese Arabic “wait” is استنّى (istanna) when you speak to a man and استنّي (istanni) to a woman. To a group you say استنّو (istannu).