Vocabulary Cards — Session 6: I Am Big, I Am Small

Print this page. Cut along the dotted lines. Each card is index-card sized. Carry them in your pocket. Look at one card during car rides, snack time, before bed.

A note before you start: in Arabic, words change a little when they describe a boy vs a girl. We add a tiny "-eh" sound at the end for girls. You'll see it on every card today. Don't worry about memorizing the rule — just say both forms out loud and your ear will catch on.

Card 1

Say it: kbir (boy) / KBI-reh (girl) Means: Big

🎨 Picture: A small child standing next to a tall older brother, looking up. The big brother is laughing.

Use it when: Your older sibling walks in (akhuy kbir — my big brother). You see a huge watermelon at the market. Someone asks how old you are and you puff up your chest.

Card 2

Say it: sa-GHIR (boy) / sagh-IR-eh (girl) Means: Small / little

🎨 Picture: A toddler holding a tiny kitten in both hands. The kitten fits in her palms.

Use it when: You see a baby cousin (ibn 3ammi sghir). You find a tiny pebble on a Mediterranean beach. Your little sister wants to come along — hiyyeh sghireh.

Card 3

Say it: ta-WIL (boy) / taw-IL-eh (girl) Means: Tall / long

🎨 Picture: A father reaching up to grab something from the top kitchen shelf. A child watches from below.

Use it when: Baba is tall (baba tawil). You see a tall building in Beirut or Amman. Your hair has gotten long over the summer — sha3rik tawil!

Card 4

Say it: qa-SIR (boy) / qas-IR-eh (girl) Means: Short

🎨 Picture: A child measuring herself against the doorframe with a pencil mark, smiling.

Use it when: You're shorter than your cousin and you're proving it. You got a haircut and your hair is short now. The car ride was short — al-tari2 qasir.

Card 5

Say it: HIL-u (boy) / HIL-weh (girl) Means: Sweet / cute / lovely

🎨 Picture: A grandma (teta) pinching the cheek of a giggling toddler. Both are laughing.

Use it when: You see a baby and your heart melts (shu hilu!). The kunafa tastes sweet. Someone shows you a drawing they made — hilweh ktir!

This word starts with our letter of the day: ح (Ha) — that deep, breathy H from the back of your throat. Try it: Hhhhh-ilu.

A bonus card — for the family

Card 6 (bonus)

Say it: SHAA-ter (boy) / SHAA-tra (girl) Means: Clever / smart / well-behaved

🎨 Picture: A child showing a parent a finished puzzle, beaming with pride. The parent is clapping.

Use it when: Your kid puts their shoes on by themselves. They finish their homework. They share with their sibling without being asked. Every teta in the Levant says this word about a hundred times a day: shaater! shaatra!

How to use these cards

1. Say both forms out loud. Every time. Kbir, kbireh. Kbir, kbireh. The ear learns the pattern faster than the brain.
2. Play "Who is it?" Hold up a card. Point at someone in the room or in a photo. Boy or girl form? Let the kid choose.
3. Stick them on the things they describe. Kbir on the big pillow. Sghir on the small one. Tawil on the tall lamp. Let the house become the lesson.
4. Don't correct too fast. If your kid says kbir about mama instead of kbireh, just repeat it back the right way with a smile. They'll catch it.

On the letter ح (Ha)

Today we met ح — the deep H sound. It lives inside hilu (sweet), and you'll hear it in lots of family words coming up: Habibi (my love), Hummus, Halawa.

It's not the same as the English H. It comes from deeper — like you're fogging up a window with your breath. Practice it with your kid. Make it a game. Whoever does the breathiest Hhhhh wins.

One more thing for grown-ups

These adjectives are the building blocks of describing the whole world. Once your kid has these five, you can play "describe everything we see" on a single walk to the park. The tall tree. The small dog. The big truck. The cute baby. The short fence.

That's a whole language lesson hiding inside a normal afternoon. Yalla.

Yalla Arabic · Vocabulary Cards · Session 6