Original Instructional Text: A Home Recipe | Arabic (Levantine) Grammar

This Elon-authored recipe gives one simple method for a tomato-and-cucumber salad. It is a generic teaching text, not a reproduction of a cookbook or a claim that every Lebanese household gives the dish the same name, ingredients, proportions, or sequence. Home methods vary; the language pattern is the focus.

The main instructions address a group (informal plural), as if several relatives were preparing lunch together. The analysis then transforms the commands for one woman. Measure phrases introduce quantities, object clitics keep ingredients active, and result participles identify when the dish is ready.

Full recipe

هاي طريقة بسيطة لسلطة بندورة وخيار؛ كل بيت بيزبطها عذوقه.

hāy ṭarīʾa bsīṭa la-salaṭet banadōra w-khyār; kill bēt byzabbeṭa ʿa-zawʾo.

This is a simple way to make tomato-and-cucumber salad; every household adjusts it to its taste. (method explicitly variable)

اغسلوا تلات حبات بندورة وحبتين خيار، ونشفوهن منيح.

ighslo tlēt ḥabbēt banadōra w-ḥabbtēn khyār, w-nashshfūhon mnīḥ.

Wash three tomatoes and two cucumbers, and dry them well. (plural commands)

قطعوهن قطع زغيرة وحطوهن بصحن كبير.

ʾaṭṭʿūhon ʾiṭaʿ zghīre w-ḥoṭṭūhon b-ṣaḥen kbīr.

Cut them into small pieces and put them in a large bowl.

قطعوا نص بصلة وشوية بقدونس ناعم، وزيدوهن عالخضرة.

ʾaṭṭʿo noṣṣ baṣale w-shwayyet baʾdūnes nāʿem, w-zīdūhon ʿal-khoḍra.

Finely chop half an onion and some parsley, and add them to the vegetables.

بكاسة زغيرة، اخلطوا عصرة حامض مع تلات معالق زيت زيتون ورشة ملح.

b-kēse zghīre, ikhloṭo ʿaṣret ḥāmeḍ maʿ tlēt maʿēleʾ zēt zētūn w-rashshet meleḥ.

In a small cup, mix the juice of a lemon with three spoonfuls of olive oil and a pinch of salt.

دوقوا التتبيلة؛ إذا الحامض قوي، زيدوا شوي زيت.

dūʾo t-tatbīle; iza l-ḥāmeḍ ʾawe, zīdo shwayy zēt.

Taste the dressing; if the lemon is strong, add a little oil.

صبوا التتبيلة عالسلطة وقلبوها بالخفيف.

ṣobbo t-tatbīle ʿas-salaṭa w-ʾallbūha bil-khafīf.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss it gently.

وبعدين خلوها ترتاح خمس دقايق.

w-baʿdēn khallūha tirtēḥ khames dʾāyiʾ.

Then let it rest for five minutes.

إذا بتحبوا النعنع، زيدوا كم ورقة آخر شي؛ وإذا ما بتحبوه، اتركوه.

iza btiḥebbo n-naʿnaʿ, zīdo kamm waraʾa ākher shī; w-iza ma btiḥebbū, itrokū.

If you like mint, add a few leaves at the end; if you don't like it, leave it out. (optional ingredient)

لما تكون السلطة مخلوطة منيح، بتكون جاهزة؛ وقتها قدموها.

lamma tkūn es-salaṭa makhlūṭa mnīḥ, btkūn zhēhze; waʾta ʾaddmūha.

When the salad is well mixed, it's ready; serve it then. (result-state check followed by the final command)

Line-by-line grammar and recipe logic

Line	Form	What it contributes
1	هاي طريقة... كل بيت	Introduces one method and explicitly leaves room for household variation instead of claiming a canonical recipe.
2	اغسلوا... نشفوهن	Plural -وا addresses the cooks; attached ـهن resumes all five vegetables.
2	تلات حبات / حبتين	Three selects plural unit حبات; two appears as the dual unit حبتين before the content noun.
3	قطعوهن... حطوهن	The ingredients need not be repeated because the plural object suffix keeps them active.
4	نص بصلة / شوية بقدونس	Fraction and approximate quantity directly precede what they measure.
5	عصرة... تلات معالق... رشة	Container and portion heads come before their contents in compact measure phrases.
6	دوقوا؛ إذا... زيدوا	A sensory check licenses a conditional adjustment rather than pretending one quantity fits every lemon.
7	صبوا... قلبوها	Two coordinated commands belong to one dressing step; feminine ـها now tracks السلطة.
8	بعدين خلوها ترتاح	بعدين opens the next step; خلّى takes the object plus a bare embedded verb: “let it rest.”
9	إذا بتحبوا... إذا ما بتحبوه	The optional branch preserves preference; the recipe remains complete without mint.
10	مخلوطة... جاهزة؛ وقتها قدموها	Two feminine result predicates agree with السلطة; وقتها then licenses the final plural command.

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Recipe clitics follow the active ingredient, not English “it.” ـهن tracks the plural vegetables; ـها later tracks feminine السلطة or التتبيلة.

Plural commands as an instructional voice

The recipe uses اغسلوا، قطعوا، حطوا، اخلطوا، دوقوا، زيدوا، صبوا، قدموا. These are genuine plural imperatives. A recipe writer can use them for a real group or as an inclusive instructional style. That does not make plural universally more polite; a message addressed to one known woman normally uses feminine singular commands.

Strong verbs remove the second-person prefix and retain plural -وا, realized as -o. Geminates preserve doubling: صبوا is ṣobbo, not ṣabo. Object clitics attach after the plural command: قطعوهن، قلبوها، قدموها. See imperative formation and imperative clitics.

Transforming the recipe for one woman

When Maha sends the same instructions directly to Leila, plural -وا becomes feminine -ي. The object suffix still refers to the ingredients, so ـهن does not become feminine singular merely because the cook is one woman.

اغسلي البندورة والخيار، قطعيهن، وحطيهن بصحن كبير.

ighsle l-banadōra wil-khyār, ʾaṭṭʿīhon, w-ḥoṭṭīhon b-ṣaḥen kbīr.

Wash the tomatoes and cucumbers, cut them up, and put them in a large bowl. (to one woman)

اخلطي التتبيلة ودوقيها، وإذا بدها زيت زيدي شوي.

ikhloṭe t-tatbīle w-dūʾīha, w-iza badda zēt zīde shwayy.

Mix the dressing and taste it; if it needs oil, add a little. (to one woman)

The addressee ending and object suffix do separate jobs: دوقيها contains feminine command دوقي plus feminine object ـها.

Measure phrases and honest imprecision

تلات حبات بندورة counts three units; حبتين خيار packages two units with the dual; نص بصلة measures a fraction; تلات معالق زيت counts spoonfuls; رشة ملح gives a conventional small portion. The measure noun comes first and the content follows.

Not every home recipe uses calibrated spoons. Here معلقة means a spoonful, and عصرة or رشة remains deliberately approximate. The taste check in line 6 is therefore grammatical and practical: it converts ingredient variation into a conditional adjustment. Exact food-safety or dietary requirements would need an appropriate specialized source, not this language text.

Sequencing and result

Attached و groups tightly connected actions. بعدين marks the larger transition from tossing to resting. آخر شي locates an optional final addition. The result clause checks whether the salad is مخلوطة and جاهزة; وقتها قدموها then ties the final command to that checkpoint.

This alternation makes the text easy to follow: actions first, then a visible result. A mere list of imperatives would not tell the cook how to recognize completion. The broader sequencing system appears under sequenced commands.

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Good instructions combine action with a checkpoint. قلبوها tells the cooks what to do; السلطة مخلوطة منيح tells them what successful completion looks like.

Follow-up transformation task

Rewrite the dressing and finishing steps for one woman. Begin with:

اخلطي عصرة حامض مع الزيت، دوقي التتبيلة، وصبيها عالسلطة.

ikhloṭe ʿaṣret ḥāmeḍ maʿ ez-zēt, dūʾe t-tatbīle, w-ṣobbīha ʿas-salaṭa.

Mix the lemon juice with the oil, taste the dressing, and pour it over the salad. (to one woman)

Continue with قلبيها، خليها ترتاح، قدميها. Preserve every attached ـها, because changing the addressee does not change the feminine salad or dressing.

Recycling map

Plural and feminine imperatives from imperative formation.
Attached objects in نشفوهن، قطعوهن، قلبوها، قدميها.
Instruction sequencing with و، بعدين، آخر شي.
Measures and contents: حبات بندورة، معالق زيت، رشة ملح.
Fractions and approximators: نص، شوية، كم.
Conditional adjustment with إذا.
Result predicates مخلوطة، جاهزة with feminine agreement.

Common Mistakes

Using a masculine command for one woman

❌ يا ليلى، اخلط التتبيلة ودوقها.

Agreement error—one female addressee requires feminine command endings.

✅ يا ليلى، اخلطي التتبيلة ودوقيها قبل ما تزيدي ملح.

yā Layla, ikhloṭe t-tatbīle w-dūʾīha ʾabl ma tzīde meleḥ.

Leila, mix the dressing and taste it before you add salt.

Detaching the object suffix

❌ قطعوا هن وحطوا هن بالصحن.

Incorrect spacing—the object suffix attaches to each command.

✅ قطعوهن وحطوهن بصحن واسع.

ʾaṭṭʿūhon w-ḥoṭṭūhon b-ṣaḥen wēseʿ.

Cut them up and put them in a wide bowl. (plural addressees, plural object)

Negating the positive imperative directly

❌ ما زيدوا الزيت كله مرة وحدة.

Incorrect prohibition—the second-person t-prefix returns after ما.

✅ ما تزيدوا الزيت كله مرة وحدة؛ زيدوه شوي شوي.

ma tzīdo z-zēt killo marra waḥde; zīdū shwayy shwayy.

Don't add all the oil at once; add it little by little.

Using a singular measure after three

❌ حطوا تلات معلقة زيت.

Incorrect number phrase—three selects plural معالق.

✅ حطوا تلات معالق زيت، وبعدين دوقوا التتبيلة.

ḥoṭṭo tlēt maʿēleʾ zēt, w-baʿdēn dūʾo t-tatbīle.

Add three spoonfuls of oil, then taste the dressing.

Key Takeaways

Plural commands organize the main recipe, while feminine forms show how the same directions change for one woman. Addressee marking and object suffixes remain separate. Measure phrases put the unit before its content, sequence markers divide the procedure, optional إذا clauses preserve preference, and result participles tell the cook when the salad is ready.

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