لما المكالمة خلصت، كنت قاعد بشرب عصير وهي كانت قاعدة بتحط الملح في الصلصة.

When the call ended, I was drinking juice and she was putting the salt in the sauce.

Breakdown of لما المكالمة خلصت، كنت قاعد بشرب عصير وهي كانت قاعدة بتحط الملح في الصلصة.

• هي: she
• ال: the
• في: in
• يكون: to be

Questions & Answers about لما المكالمة خلصت، كنت قاعد بشرب عصير وهي كانت قاعدة بتحط الملح في الصلصة.

Why does the sentence start with لما? What does it mean here?

In Egyptian Arabic, لما often means when.

So لما المكالمة خلصت means when the phone call ended.

It introduces a time clause, just like when in English:

• لما وصلت = when I arrived
• لما شافته = when she saw him

In this sentence, it sets the background for what was happening after the call ended.

Why is it المكالمة and not just مكالمة?

المكالمة means the call / the phone call. The prefix الـ is the definite article, like the in English.

So:

• مكالمة = a call
• المكالمة = the call

Here, the speaker is referring to a specific call, so the call is natural.

What does خلصت mean exactly?