اختي ما بتحب الخس كتير، بس بتحب الفلفل مع الاكل.

My sister does not like lettuce very much, but she likes pepper with food.

Breakdown of اختي ما بتحب الخس كتير، بس بتحب الفلفل مع الاكل.

• ي: my
• ال: the
• مع: with
• اخت: sister

Questions & Answers about اختي ما بتحب الخس كتير، بس بتحب الفلفل مع الاكل.

Why is اختي used instead of a separate word for my plus sister?

In Arabic, possession is often shown by attaching a suffix directly to the noun.

• اخت = sister
• اختي = my sister

The -ي at the end means my.

So instead of saying something like my sister, Arabic combines them into one word. In Levantine pronunciation, اختي is often said as ikhti.

Why is there no separate word for she in ما بتحب?

Because the verb already shows the subject.

• بتحب here means she likes or she loves
• The b- marks the present/habitual tense in Levantine
• The form of the verb tells you it is she or you depending on context

Since the sentence starts with اختي, we already know the subject is my sister, so there is no need to add هي (she). You could say اختي هي ما بتحب... for emphasis, but it is not necessary.

What does the بـ in بتحب do?

In Levantine Arabic, بـ usually marks the present or habitual tense.

So:

• بتحب = she likes / she loves