Dialogue Script — Session 9: Today I Feel...

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 — and by Session 9, they're getting really good at it.

The setting

A child (Karim) sits on the balcony after school. His mom (Mama) comes out with two glasses of water. The sun is starting to go down over the neighborhood. Karim looks a little quiet today.

The dialogue

Line 1 — Mama sits down next to Karim

Mama: Keefak ya habibi al-yawm? — How are you today, my dear?

Line 2 — Karim shrugs

Karim: Mish mabsut, mama. Ana ta'ban shway. — Not happy, mama. I'm a little tired.

Line 3 — Mama hands him the water

Mama: Leesh ta'ban habibi? Za'lan kamaan? — Why are you tired, my dear? Are you sad too?

Line 4 — Karim looks down

Karim: Aywa, shway za'lan. W bukra 'indi imtihaan w ana khayif. — Yeah, a little sad. And tomorrow I have a test and I'm scared.

Line 5 — Mama puts her hand on his shoulder

Mama: Wala yhimmak. Kull an-naas btikhaaf shway abel al-imtihaan. Ana ma'ak. — Don't worry. Everyone gets a little scared before a test. I'm with you.

Line 6 — Karim smiles a tiny bit

Karim: Hallaq ana mabsut shway. Shukran mama. — Now I'm a little happy. Thanks, mama.

Line 7 — Mama laughs and hugs him

Mama: W ana mabsuteh lamma inta mabsut, ya habibi. — And I'm happy when you're happy, my dear.

How to use this script

First time — listen

1. Read it together once, with you doing both voices.
2. Move your face with each feeling word — frown on za'lan, eyes wide on khayif, smile on mabsut. Kids learn feelings by watching your face, not just by hearing the word.

Second time — alternate

3. You take Mama's lines. Your child takes Karim's lines.
4. Read slowly. When you say a feeling word, point to your chest.

Third time — switch

5. Your child takes Mama. You take Karim.
6. If your child is a girl, that's totally fine — just switch mabsut → mabsuteh, ta'ban → ta'baneh, za'lan → za'laneh, khayif → khayfeh. This is real practice with the m/f endings from today's vocab.

Fourth time — act it out

7. Go sit on your balcony, your stoop, your couch — wherever feels like an "after school" spot.
8. Bring two glasses of water. Make it real.
9. Do the whole scene. Miss words. Make up words. The point is the shape of the conversation: How are you? → I feel X → Why? → Because Y → It's okay → Now I feel better. That shape is a real Arabic conversation kids can have for the rest of their lives.

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

These are bonus words your child will pick up just from hearing the dialogue. We'll formally teach some of them in later sessions — for now, just let them wash over the ear:

• keefak / keefik (كيفَك / كيفِك) — how are you (to a boy / to a girl)
• al-yawm (اليَوم) — today (this is in the session title!)
• mish (مِش) — not (the everyday Levantine "no/not")
• shway (شْوَي) — a little, a bit
• leesh (ليش) — why
• kamaan (كَمان) — also, too
• aywa (أيوا) — yes (casual)
• bukra (بُكرا) — tomorrow
• 'indi (عِندي) — I have
• imtihaan (امتِحان) — test, exam
• wala yhimmak (ولا يْهِمَّك) — "don't worry about it" (a classic Levantine phrase — say it to your kid often)
• kull an-naas (كُلّ النّاس) — everyone, all the people
• ana ma'ak / ma'ik (أنا مَعَك / مَعِك) — I'm with you
• hallaq (هَلَّق) — now
• lamma (لَمّا) — when

You're not expected to memorize all of these. Just hear them. Over many sessions, they become old friends.

A note on feelings in Arabic

In Levantine Arabic, feeling words change with gender. A boy says ana mabsut. A girl says ana mabsuteh. A boy says ana ta'ban. A girl says ana ta'baneh. This isn't a hard rule to memorize — kids absorb it just by hearing the right form for themselves over and over.

If you're a parent reading this with your daughter, use the -eh endings when she's speaking. If with your son, use the plain forms. If you're a teacher with a mixed classroom — model both, every time. "Mabsut wala mabsuteh?" ("Happy [boy] or happy [girl]?") becomes a fun call-and-response.

And one more thing: it's okay to talk about sad and scared. Arabic-speaking families talk about feelings all the time — over tea, on the balcony, in the kitchen. Giving kids the words for za'lan and khayif in Arabic isn't sad. It's a gift.

Yalla Arabic · Dialogue Script · Session 9