لما بكون صوت الراديو واطي، اختي بتقدر تدرس.

When the radio volume is low, my sister can study.

Breakdown of لما بكون صوت الراديو واطي، اختي بتقدر تدرس.

• ي: my
• ال: the
• اخت: sister
• كان: to be

Questions & Answers about لما بكون صوت الراديو واطي، اختي بتقدر تدرس.

What does لما mean here?

Here لما means when or whenever.

In this sentence, it introduces a situation or condition:

• لما بكون صوت الراديو واطي = when the radio is low / whenever the radio volume is low

So it is not only a one-time when in the past. In everyday Levantine, لما often introduces repeated or general situations too.

Why is بكون used here?

بكون comes from the verb كان / يكون, meaning to be.

So:

• بكون ... واطي = is low
• more literally: is being / happens to be low

In Levantine, adding بكون can make the clause sound more like a general situation:

• لما بكون صوت الراديو واطي = when the radio is low
• You may also hear لما صوت الراديو واطي, which is shorter and also natural in many contexts.

So بكون is helping express the state clearly inside the when clause.

Why is it بكون and not بيكون?