Dialogue Script — Session 1: Hello & Goodbye

A short bilingual conversation in Levantine Arabic that uses today's vocabulary. Read it together, take turns playing each part, then try without the script. By session 5, kids should be able to do this kind of mini-dialogue from memory.

The setting

A child (Lina) comes home from school. Her grandmother (Teta) is in the kitchen. It's late afternoon.

The dialogue

Line 1 — Lina opens the door

Lina: Marhaba teta! — Hi, grandma!

Line 2 — Teta turns around, smiling

Teta: Ahlan ya habibti! Masaa al-khayr! — Welcome, my dear! Good evening!

Line 3 — Lina hangs up her bag

Lina: Masaa al-khayr teta! — Good evening, grandma!

Line 4 — Teta gestures to the table

Teta: Yalla, ta'ali! Al-akil jaahiz. — Come on, come here! The food is ready.

Line 5 — Later, after they eat. Lina is going to do homework.

Lina: Shukran teta. Ana raayha adrus. — Thanks, grandma. I'm going to study.

Line 6 — Teta nods

Teta: Yalla habibti. Ma'a as-salaama! — Okay my dear. Goodbye!

Line 7 — Lina, walking away

Lina: Ma'a as-salaama teta! — Goodbye, grandma!

How to use this script

First time — listen

1. Read it together once, with you doing both voices.
2. Don't worry about pronunciation perfection. Just let your child hear the rhythm.

Second time — alternate

3. You take Teta's lines. Your child takes Lina's lines.
4. Read slowly. Look at each other when you speak.

Third time — switch

5. Your child takes Teta. You take Lina.
6. This is harder because Teta has the longer lines. That's the point — it's a stretch.

Fourth time — act it out

7. Stand up. Pretend the kitchen is your kitchen. Pretend the door is the front door.
8. Do the whole scene with hands, body, walking around. Don't look at the script.
9. It's okay to miss words. The shape of the conversation is what matters.

What new words are in here (beyond today's main 5)?

These are bonus words you might pick up just from the conversation. We'll formally teach some of them in later sessions, but it's okay to start hearing them now:

• yalla (يَلّا) — come on / let's go (the course's namesake!)
• ya habibti (يا حَبيبتي) — "my dear" / "darling" (literally: "oh my love" — feminine form)
• ya habibi (يا حَبيبي) — same, masculine form
• teta (تيتا) — grandma (Levantine)
• jiddu (جِدُّو) — grandpa (Levantine; not in this dialogue but worth knowing)
• shukran (شُكراً) — thank you
• ta'aali / ta'aal (تَعالي / تَعال) — come (to a girl / to a boy)
• al-akil (الأَكِل) — the food
• jaahiz (جاهِز) — ready
• raayha / raayih (رايْحَة / رايِح) — going (girl / boy)
• adrus (أَدرُس) — I study

You're not expected to memorize all of these. Just hear them. They become familiar over many sessions.

A note on the dialect

The Arabic in this dialogue is Levantine spoken Arabic — what people actually say in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Jordan. It's slightly different from the Modern Standard Arabic in the alphabet lessons. That's intentional:

• Levantine for talking (what families say)
• MSA for reading and writing (what books and signs use)

Both are real, both are useful, both are taught here. Don't worry if you notice small differences. Kids absorb both naturally.

Yalla Arabic · Dialogue Script · Session 1