Vocabulary Cards — Session 30: Sea and Mountain

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.

Card 1

Say it: BAHR Means: Sea

🎨 Picture: The Mediterranean from a Beirut balcony — blue water meeting the sky, a few boats.

Use it when: You see the ocean or sea. You're packing a swimsuit. You hear the word "beach." You look at a map of Lebanon.

Card 2

Say it: JA-bal Means: Mountain

🎨 Picture: A Lebanese mountain village in summer — stone houses, pine trees, a winding road.

Use it when: You see a mountain. You're hiking. You look up at hills from far away. You hear someone say "the village."

Card 3

Say it: NAHR Means: River

🎨 Picture: A small river running between rocks, with green trees on both sides.

Use it when: You cross a bridge. You see water running. You learn about rivers in school. You spot one on a hike.

Card 4

Say it: RAM-l Means: Sand

🎨 Picture: A child's hand letting sand pour through fingers at the beach.

Use it when: You're at the beach. You're at a playground sandbox. You shake sand out of your shoes. You build something with sand.

Card 5

Say it: SAKHR Means: Rock / boulder

🎨 Picture: The famous Raouché Rocks rising out of the sea in Beirut.

Use it when: You see a big rock. You climb on one. You skip stones. You spot Lebanon's Raouché in a photo.

Card 6

Say it: GHAY-meh Means: Cloud

🎨 Picture: One fluffy white cloud floating over a mountain peak.

Use it when: You look up at the sky. One cloud passes the sun. You see shapes in the clouds. The weather is changing.

Card 7

Say it: FAY-rooz Means: Turquoise (the color of the sea)

🎨 Picture: A turquoise stone next to the turquoise Mediterranean — same color, same name.

Use it when: You see that blue-green color. You describe the sea. You see a turquoise bracelet. You hear the famous singer's name on the radio.

This word is special. Fayruz is also the name of Lebanon's most beloved singer — every Lebanese family knows her voice. The color and the singer share one beautiful word.

A bonus card — for the family

Card 8 (bonus)

Say it: DAY-'a Means: Village (the mountain village your family comes from)

🎨 Picture: A small stone house with a red roof, surrounded by olive trees, high up in the mountains.

Use it when: You talk about where your family is from. You visit teta and jeddo in summer. You see a small town in the mountains. Someone asks, "Where are your people from?"

Every Lebanese family has a ḍay'a — even if they've never lived there. It's the village name passed down like a last name. Ask your family: Shu ismha ḍay'etna? (What's our village called?)

How to use these cards

1. Keep them somewhere visible. Fridge, backpack pocket, by the bed.
2. Sort them into two piles. Sea pile: bahr, raml, sakhr, fayruz. Mountain pile: jabal, nahr, ghaymeh, ḍay'a. (Some belong to both!)
3. Use them on the next trip. Beach day? Pull the sea cards. Drive up to the mountains? Pull the mountain cards.
4. Practice 30 seconds a day. Just pick one card. Say it. Use it.
5. Watch your kid pick a favorite. Most kids fall in love with one word — fayruz is the usual winner.

On the letter of the day: ف (fa)

Today's letter is ف. You can hear it in فَيروز (fayruz) — right at the start. Fffff. Like the wind off the sea.

Look for ف in other places this week: in فُل (jasmine flower), in فُستُق (pistachio), in فِنجان (small coffee cup). It's a letter that shows up at every Lebanese table.

Two places, one country

Lebanon is tiny — you can drive from the بَحر to the جَبَل in less than an hour. People swim in the morning and have lunch in a mountain village by afternoon. Ask your family: Bit-hibb el-baḥr aw el-jabal aktar? (Do you love the sea or the mountain more?)

There is no wrong answer. Most Lebanese say both.

Yalla Arabic · Vocabulary Cards · Session 30