حضرتك بدك ملعقة كبيرة ولا شوكة وسكينة؟

حضرتك is a polite way to say you in Levantine Arabic, similar to saying sir, ma’am, or a respectful you in English.

In this sentence, it helps make the question sound more polite, especially in a service setting like a restaurant.

A few useful notes:

• It literally comes from a word related to your presence.
• In everyday speech, it often just functions as a respectful you.
• It can be used for both men and women.

So حضرتك بدك...؟ is more polite than just بدك...؟

بدك means you want.

It comes from the Levantine verb-like expression بدّه / بدها / بدهم..., which is used to express wanting.

In this form:

• بدك = you want (addressing one person)
• بدي = I want
• بدو = he wants
• بدها = she wants
• بدنا = we want
• بدكم = you all want

So:

• حضرتك بدك...؟ = Do you want...?

Yes, they both refer to you, but they do different jobs.

• حضرتك adds politeness and emphasis.
• بدك is the actual part that means you want.

This is very normal in Arabic. The subject can be mentioned even though the verb or verb-like form already shows who the subject is.

So the structure is something like:

• حضرتك = polite you
• بدك = you want

Together, it sounds natural and polite, not repetitive in a strange way.

Literally, ملعقة كبيرة means a big spoon or a large spoon.

But in context, especially in restaurants or when setting a table, it often means a tablespoon or a larger spoon as opposed to a small spoon.

Word by word:

• ملعقة = spoon
• كبيرة = big / large

Because Arabic often uses descriptive phrases like this, ملعقة كبيرة can function like English large spoon or tablespoon, depending on context.

Because ملعقة is a feminine noun, and adjectives in Arabic usually agree with the noun in gender.

So:

• ملعقة is feminine
• therefore the adjective is كبيرة and not كبير

Compare:

• ملعقة كبيرة = a big spoon
• كوب كبير = a big cup

This kind of agreement is very important in Arabic.

Here ولا means or.

In this sentence, it introduces the second option:

• ملعقة كبيرة ولا شوكة وسكينة؟
• A large spoon or a fork and knife?

In Levantine Arabic, ولا is very commonly used in questions offering alternatives.

It is different from أو, which also means or, but ولا is especially common in spoken dialect when asking this kind of either/or question.

Because Arabic, like English, often leaves out repeated words when they are understood from context.

In English, you can say:

• Do you want a spoon or a fork and knife?

You do not need to say:

• Do you want a spoon or do you want a fork and knife?

The Arabic sentence works the same way:

• حضرتك بدك ملعقة كبيرة ولا شوكة وسكينة؟

The meaning of بدك carries over to the second option automatically.

شوكة وسكينة is a very natural pair in Arabic, just like fork and knife in English.

Word by word:

• شوكة = fork
• وسكينة = and knife

Arabic does not need to repeat extra words here, because the phrase is understood as one combined option: a fork and knife.

Also, Arabic often leaves out the indefinite article, because Arabic does not have a separate word for a/an. So:

• شوكة can mean a fork
• سكينة can mean a knife

Because Arabic does not have an indefinite article like a/an in English.

So:

• ملعقة can mean a spoon
• شوكة can mean a fork
• سكينة can mean a knife

If the noun does not have الـ at the beginning, it is often indefinite, and English may translate it with a/an.

So:

• ملعقة كبيرة = a large spoon
• شوكة وسكينة = a fork and knife

This depends mainly on the form of بدك.

For one man:

• حضرتك بدك ملعقة كبيرة ولا شوكة وسكينة؟
• pronounced roughly biddak

For one woman:

• حضرتك بدك ملعقة كبيرة ولا شوكة وسكينة؟
• often pronounced biddik

In writing, many people still write بدك for both, but the pronunciation changes.

For more than one person:

• حضرتكم بدكم ملعقة كبيرة ولا شوكة وسكينة؟

So the main changes are:

• singular polite: حضرتك
• plural polite: حضرتكم
• singular want: بدك
• plural want: بدكم

A common Levantine-style pronunciation would be roughly:

ḥaḍritak biddak malʔaʔa kbīre willa shōke w-sikkīne?

A few pronunciation notes:

• حضرتك is often said more like ḥaḍritak / ḥaḍretak
• بدك is usually biddak or biddik
• ملعقة can be pronounced in different regional ways, often something like malʔaʔa
• كبيرة becomes kbīre in dialect, not kabīra
• ولا is often willa
• شوكة is often shōke
• وسكينة is often w-sikkīne

Exact pronunciation varies by country and city, but this is a useful general Levantine approximation.

Because spoken Levantine Arabic often simplifies vowels and changes word endings compared with Standard Arabic.

So:

• Standard Arabic كبيرة = kabīra
• Levantine كبيرة = kbīre

This is very common in dialect:

• final -a often becomes -e
• short vowels inside words may be reduced or dropped

That is why learners often notice forms like:

• صغيرة → zghīre
• كبيرة → kbīre

This is one of the major differences between Levantine and Standard Arabic.

Yes, very natural.

It sounds like something a waiter or server might ask when bringing food or setting the table.

Because it includes حضرتك, it sounds polite and customer-friendly. Without حضرتك, it would still be understandable, but a bit less formal or less courteous.

A server might also say similar things like:

• بدك ملعقة صغيرة؟ = Do you want a small spoon?
• بدك سكين؟ = Do you want a knife?
• حضرتك بدك شي تاني؟ = Would you like anything else?

So overall, this sentence is a good example of polite everyday Levantine.