امبارح كنت تعبان، ومشان هيك ما رحت عالشغل.

Yesterday I was tired, and that is why I did not go to work.

Breakdown of امبارح كنت تعبان، ومشان هيك ما رحت عالشغل.

• ال: the
• شغل: work
• و: and
• راح: to go

Questions & Answers about امبارح كنت تعبان، ومشان هيك ما رحت عالشغل.

What does امبارح mean, and is it the normal word for yesterday in Levantine?

Yes. امبارح means yesterday and is very common in Levantine Arabic.

You may also see it written as مبارح. Both are used in dialect writing, since informal Arabic spelling is not fully standardized.

So:

• امبارح / مبارح = yesterday

Why is كنت used before تعبان?

كنت is the past form of to be for I.

In Levantine, if you want to say I was tired, you usually say:

• كنت تعبان = I was tired

This is different from the present, where Arabic often does not use a separate verb for to be:

• أنا تعبان = I am tired
• كنت تعبان = I was tired

So كنت is there because the sentence is talking about a past state.

Does تعبان mean tired or sick?

It most commonly means tired, worn out, or exhausted. In some contexts it can also suggest not feeling well.

So depending on context, كنت تعبان could mean:

• I was tired
• I wasn’t feeling well

In this sentence, since the result is I didn’t go to work, it could naturally suggest either I was tired or I was unwell, depending on the translation you were given.