Dialogue Script — Session 39: Sentences: I am...

A short bilingual conversation in Levantine Arabic that uses today's vocabulary — building first sentences with "I am..." Read it together, take turns playing each part, then try without the script. By the end of this session, your child should be able to say at least one "أنا..." sentence about themselves from memory.

The setting

Late afternoon on a balcony in Beirut. Karim, who is 9, is video-calling his cousin Maya, who is 8 and lives in Amman. Maya is in her kitchen with her mom. They haven't seen each other in months.

The dialogue

Line 1 — Karim waves at the screen

Karim: Marhaba Maya! Hadha ana, Karim! — Hi Maya! This is me, Karim!

Line 2 — Maya laughs and waves back

Maya: Ahlan Karim! Wenak? — Hi Karim! Where are you?

Line 3 — Karim holds up the phone to show the balcony

Karim: Ana fi al-bayt, 'ala al-balkon. Ana ma'a mama. — I'm at home, on the balcony. I'm with mama.

Line 4 — Maya smiles big

Maya: Ana kaman ma'a mama! W ana sa'ideh ktir lamma shuftak! — I'm with mama too! And I'm so happy when I saw you!

Line 5 — Karim grins

Karim: W ana sa'id ktir! Bas shu hal add kbirti! Inti kabireh halla'! — I'm so happy too! But wow, how much you've grown! You're big now!

Line 6 — Maya stands up tall to show

Maya: Ee, ana kabireh! 'Umri tman snin. W inta? — Yes, I'm big! I'm eight years old. And you?

Line 7 — Karim puffs his chest

Karim: Ana kabir kaman! 'Umri tisi' snin. — I'm big too! I'm nine years old.

Line 8 — Maya's mom calls from the kitchen, Maya turns

Maya: Yalla Karim, mama 'am tnaadi. Ma'a as-salaama! — Okay Karim, mama is calling. Bye!

How to use this script

First time — listen

1. Read it together once, with you doing both voices.
2. Point to each speaker label so your child knows who is talking.
3. Don't stop to explain every word — let the shape of the conversation land first.

Second time — alternate

4. You take Maya's lines. Your child takes Karim's lines (or vice versa — let them pick).
5. Read slowly. The "أنا..." sentences are the heart of today. Say them clearly.

Third time — switch

6. Swap roles. Whoever was Maya is now Karim.
7. Notice how the "أنا..." sentences change form when a boy says them versus a girl (kabir / kabireh, sa'id / sa'ideh). That's the lesson hiding inside the lines.

Fourth time — act it out

8. Use a real phone (turned off is fine) or just pretend. Stand on a balcony, or by a window, or in the kitchen.
9. Do the whole scene without the script. Miss words, make some up — that's good.
10. Bonus challenge: After the script, have your child make up their own "أنا..." sentence about themselves right now. Ana sa'id. Ana fi al-bayt. Ana ma'a baba. Anything they want.

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

These are bonus words your child will pick up just from hearing the dialogue. We'll formally teach some of them in later sessions, but it's okay to start absorbing them now:

• wenak / wenik (وَينَك / وَينِك) — where are you? (to a boy / to a girl)
• 'ala al-balkon (عَلى البَلكون) — on the balcony
• kaman (كَمان) — also / too
• ktir (كْتير) — very / a lot
• lamma (لَمّا) — when
• shuftak / shuftik (شُفتَك / شُفتِك) — I saw you (boy / girl)
• shu hal add (شو هَل قَدّ) — how much! (an exclamation)
• kbirti / kbirit (كِبِرتي) — you've grown (to a girl)
• halla' (هَلَّأ) — now
• ee (إي) — yes (casual Levantine)
• 'umri (عُمري) — my age / I am ___ years old
• tman snin (تْمَن سْنين) — eight years
• tisi' snin (تِسِع سْنين) — nine years
• 'am tnaadi (عَم تْنادي) — she is calling (right now)

You're not expected to memorize all of these. Just hear them. Over many sessions, they become familiar — and one day your child will use one without thinking about it.

A note on "I am" in Levantine

Notice something? There's no word for "am" in Arabic. We just say:

• أنا كَبير — Ana kabir — literally: "I big." Means "I am big."
• أنا في البَيت — Ana fi al-bayt — literally: "I in the house." Means "I am at home."

That little word "am" that English needs? Arabic doesn't. The sentence is already complete. This is one of the first things that makes Arabic click for kids — sentences are shorter, and the meaning is right there.

Yalla Arabic · Dialogue Script · Session 39