شو عم تعمل؟
shū ʿam taʿmel?to a man, everyday
In Lebanese Arabic you ask "what are you doing?" with شو عم تعمل؟ (shū ʿam taʿmel?) to a man and شو عم تعملي؟ (shū ʿam taʿmli?) to a woman.
Meaning: a question about someone's current activity (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Lebanese | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| شو عم تعمل؟ | shū ʿam taʿmel? | to a man, everyday |
| شو عم تعملي؟ | shū ʿam taʿmli? | to a woman, everyday |
Which one should you use?
Standard Arabic says ماذا تفعل؟ (mādhā tafʿal?). The Lebanese version is shorter and is what you hear in daily life.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word شو (shū) means "what" and عم (ʿam) shows the action is happening now. To a group you say شو عم تعملو؟ (shū ʿam taʿmlo?).
Did you know?
- The Levantine شو (shū) is often explained as a short form of an older phrase meaning "which thing".
Examples in context
- شو عم تعمل هلق؟shū ʿam taʿmel hallaʔ?What are you doing now?
- شو عم تعملي بعد الضهر؟shū ʿam taʿmli baʿd eḍ-ḍohor?What are you doing this afternoon?
- شو عم تعملو؟shū ʿam taʿmlo?What are you all doing?
Example conversation
Ghada texts her friend Paul and then calls him.
- Ghadaألو بول، شو عم تعمل؟alō pōl, shū ʿam taʿmel?Hello Paul, what are you doing?
- Paulعم إتفرّج على فيلم. إنتِ؟ʿam itfarrej ʿala film. ente?I am watching a movie. And you?
- Ghadaولا شي. تعا نطلع.wala shi. taʿa niṭlaʿ.Nothing. Come on, let us go out.
