انا عطشان، بس اخي نعسان ولسه بالسرير.

In Levantine Arabic, the present-tense verb to be is usually not stated.

So:

• أنا عطشان = I am thirsty
• أخي نعسان = my brother is sleepy

Literally, it looks like I thirsty and my brother sleepy, but that is completely normal in Arabic.

If you wanted the past, then you would use a verb, for example:

• كنت عطشان = I was thirsty

Here, بس means but.

So:

• أنا عطشان، بس أخي نعسان = I’m thirsty, but my brother is sleepy

A useful note: in spoken Arabic, بس can also mean only / just / enough, depending on context. But in this sentence, it clearly means but.

لسه means still here.

So:

• لسه بالسرير = still in bed

ولسه is just:

• و = and
• لسه = still

So ولسه بالسرير literally means and still in bed.

You may also see لسا instead of لسه in Levantine writing. Both are common.

Because the preposition بـ attaches directly to the noun.

• بـ = in / at / with depending on context
• السرير = the bed
• بالسرير = in the bed / in bed

In this sentence, بالسرير means in bed.

This is very common in Arabic: short prepositions often attach to the following word.

Yes, you may hear both.

• بالسرير is very natural in Levantine for in bed
• في السرير is also understandable and common in many contexts

Often, بالسرير sounds a bit more idiomatic for the everyday idea of being in bed, while في السرير can sound a little more literally physical, like inside/on the bed, depending on context.

Yes, they function like adjectives describing a state:

• عطشان = thirsty
• نعسان = sleepy / drowsy

In this sentence they are masculine singular, because:

• the speaker is presented as male in أنا عطشان
• أخي is masculine, so نعسان matches him

If the speaker were female, you would usually say:

• أنا عطشانة = I’m thirsty (female speaker)

And if it were my sister, you would say:

• أختي نعسانة = my sister is sleepy

Yes, sometimes أنا can be dropped if the context is already clear.

For example, in conversation, someone might simply say:

• عطشان = I’m thirsty

But in this sentence, أنا helps make the contrast clearer:

• أنا عطشان، بس أخي نعسان
  I’m thirsty, but my brother is sleepy

So it is natural and useful here, even though Arabic often allows the subject pronoun to be omitted in context.

It is understandable and correct, especially in writing, but in everyday Levantine speech there are other very common options too.

You may hear:

• أخي / اخي = my brother
• أخوي = my brother (very common in speech)
• regional forms like خيّي in some areas

So the form in your sentence is fine, but it may sound a bit more neutral or writing-like than some very casual spoken alternatives.

That is very common in informal Arabic writing.

So you may see:

• انا instead of أنا
• اخي instead of أخي

In texting, chat, and casual online writing, people often leave out hamzas and other spelling details. It usually does not cause confusion for native speakers.

A simple pronunciation guide would be:

ana ʿatshān, bas akhi naʿsān w lissa bis-srīr

A few useful notes:

• ع in عطشان and نعسان is a sound that English does not really have
• ط in عطشان is a heavier, deeper t
• ولسه is often pronounced like w lissa
• بالسرير may sound like bis-srīr in connected speech

You do not need perfect pronunciation right away, but it helps to notice that some sounds are deeper or throatier than their English equivalents.