Urban Lebanese متل mitel means “like” when it compares resemblance, manner, or role: هيدا متل هداك “this is like that one,” اعمل متلي “do as I do.” It can also introduce an example: مشروبات سخنة، متل القهوة والشاي “hot drinks, such as coffee and tea.”
English like and as divide these jobs differently. Lebanese متل presents one thing as a model for another. Contrast unequal degree on the comparative page.
Resemblance and comparison
هالقهوة طعمها متل القهوة اللي شربناها بصور.
hal-ʾahwe ṭaʿma mitel el-ʾahwe lle shribnāha b-Ṣūr.
This coffee tastes like the coffee we had in Tyre. (resemblance)
هيدا الطريق مش متل التاني؛ أضيق وأطول.
hayda ṭ-ṭarīʾ mish mitel et-tēne; aḍyaʾ w-aṭwal.
This road isn't like the other one; it's narrower and longer. (negative resemblance)
هي بتحكي متل إمها، بس صوتها أوطى.
hiyye btiḥke mitel imma, bass ṣawta awṭa.
She talks like her mother, but her voice is lower. (manner modeled on a person)
Comparison with متل means similarity, not degree. أطول من says “taller than”; طويل متل says “tall like/as.”
Exemplification: such as
متل can introduce one or more members that illustrate a category. The category comes first, then the example.
بدنا أكل خفيف، متل سلطة أو شوربة.
bidna akel khfīf, mitel salaṭa aw shūrba.
We want light food, such as salad or soup. (exemplification)
فيك تجيب شي للضيافة، متل فواكه أو حلو.
fīk tizhīb she laḍ-ḍyēfe, mitel fawēke aw ḥilo.
You can bring something for the guests, like fruit or sweets. (example, not exhaustive list)
An example does not assert that the category contains only those items. If the choice is closed, use يا... يا... or a direct alternative question.
Role and capacity
With professions and social roles, متل can mean “as/in the capacity of,” especially when the role is being compared with another possible role. Context prevents the ordinary resemblance reading.
اشتغلت بالمشروع متل مستشارة، مش متل موظفة دايمة.
ishtaghalet bil-mashrūʿ mitel mistashāra, mish mitel mwaẓẓafe dēyme.
I worked on the project as a consultant, not as a permanent employee. (capacity/role)
عاملوه متل ضيف، مش متل زبون.
ʿāmalū mitel ḍēf, mish mitel zabūn.
They treated him like a guest, not like a customer. (assigned social role)
Clausal manner and متل ما
Before a full clause, متل ما means “as/the way that.” It introduces a model whose action is repeated or matched.
رتب الملفات متل ما فرجيتك مبارح.
ratteb el-malafāt mitel ma farzhētak mbēreḥ.
Arrange the files the way I showed you yesterday. (manner clause)
صار كل شي متل ما توقعنا.
ṣār kill she mitel ma twaʾʾaʿna.
Everything happened as we expected. (clausal comparison)
Do not translate English as soon as with متل; Lebanese uses a dedicated temporal expression such as أول ما. The nearest English word is not enough.
Suffixed forms
Pronoun suffixes attach directly: متلي، متلك، متله، متلها، متلنا، متلكن، متلهن. These mean “like me/you/him/her/us/you/them.”
إذا بدك توصل بكير، اعمل متلي واطلع قبل العجقة.
iza baddak tūṣal bkīr, iʿmal mitle wiṭlaʿ ʾabel el-ʿazhʾa.
If you want to arrive early, do what I do and leave before traffic. (first-person suffix)
ما حدا بيعرف ينظم الوقت متلها.
ma ḥada byiʿraf ynaẓẓem el-waʾet mitla.
Nobody knows how to organize time like she does. (feminine suffix)
Relationship dialogue
ليش اخترتوا هيدا المطعم؟
lēsh ikhtarto hayda l-maṭʿam?
Maya: Why did you choose this restaurant?
بدنا محل هادي متل المطعم القديم.
bidna maḥall hēde mitel el-maṭʿam el-ʾdīm.
Rami: We wanted a quiet place like the old restaurant. (resemblance)
والأكل كمان متله؟
wil-akel kamēn mitlo?
Maya: Is the food like it too? (masculine suffix)
تقريبا، وفي أطباق لبنانية متل الكبة والفتوش.
taʾrīban, w-fī aṭbāʾ libnēniyye mitel el-kibbe wil-fattūsh.
Rami: Almost, and there are Lebanese dishes such as kibbeh and fattoush. (example)
زي is common in Palestinian and Jordanian varieties (regional: Palestine/Jordan) and occurs elsewhere through contact. The Beirut production baseline is متل; do not mix زي into otherwise specifically Lebanese speech without a regional reason.
Common Mistakes
❌ أختي أطول متلي.
Incorrect for an unequal degree comparison — use من after the comparative.
✅ أختي أطول مني، بس صوتها متل صوتي.
ukhte aṭwal minne, bass ṣawta mitel ṣawte.
My sister is taller than me, but her voice is like mine.
❌ اعمل متل هو.
Incorrect — a pronoun complement attaches as a suffix.
✅ اعمل متله إذا بدك نفس النتيجة.
iʿmal mitlo iza baddak nafs en-natīzhe.
Do what he does if you want the same result.
❌ مين بتحكي متل؟
Incorrect English-style stranding — keep متل before its interrogative complement.
✅ بتحكي متل مين من عيلتك؟
btiḥke mitel mīn min ʿēltak?
Who in your family do you talk like?
Key Takeaways
Use متل for resemblance, examples, roles, and modeled manner. Add ما before a clause, attach pronoun suffixes directly, and use من rather than متل after a comparative adjective. Recognize regional زي, but produce Beirut متل consistently.
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