لما انا عم ادرس بالبيت، اختي عم تسمع الراديو على صوت واطي.

Here لما means when or while. It introduces a time clause:

• لما انا عم ادرس بالبيت = when/while I’m studying at home

In Levantine, لما is very common in everyday speech for this kind of meaning.

عم marks an action as ongoing or in progress in Levantine Arabic.

So:

• عم ادرس = I am studying
• عم تسمع = she is listening

Without عم, the verb often sounds more habitual or general, depending on context.

For example:

• بدرس = I study / I’m studying regularly
• عم ادرس = I am studying right now / currently

Yes, the verb already shows the subject, so أنا is often optional.

You could say:

• لما عم ادرس بالبيت...

and it would still mean when I’m studying at home...

Including أنا can add:

• a little emphasis
• clarity
• a more explicit spoken style

So both are natural, but dropping أنا is also very common.

Because بالبيت contains the preposition بـ meaning in / at, attached to البيت:

• بـ = in / at
• البيت = the house / home
• بالبيت = at home / in the house

This attached form is extremely common in Arabic.

Because the ـي at the end means my.

So:

• اخت / أخت = sister
• اختي / أختي = my sister

In informal Levantine writing, the initial hamza is often omitted, so you may see:

• اختي instead of
• أختي

Both represent the same word.

Both word orders are possible in Arabic, but اختي عم تسمع... is a very natural way to say my sister is listening...

Arabic allows flexible word order. In Levantine, starting with the subject is very common in everyday speech:

• اختي عم تسمع الراديو
• عم تسمع اختي الراديو

The first one usually sounds more neutral and straightforward in conversation.

الراديو means the radio. The definite article الـ is added just like the in English.

In this sentence, it refers to a specific thing being listened to, so الراديو is natural.

Also, راديو is a borrowed word, but it behaves like a normal noun in Arabic, so it can take الـ:

• راديو = a radio
• الراديو = the radio

In Arabic, the present tense usually does not use a separate word for am / is / are the way English does.

So instead of saying something literally like my sister is listening, Arabic uses:

• the subject
• the imperfect verb
• and, in Levantine, often عم for the progressive

So:

• اختي عم تسمع literally looks like
• my sister ongoing-listens

but naturally means

• my sister is listening

This is an idiomatic Levantine expression meaning at a low volume or quietly.

Literally, it is something like:

• على = on / at
• صوت = sound / voice
• واطي = low

So the phrase means:

• on a low sound which in natural English is
• at a low volume

This is a very common everyday way to talk about TV, music, radio, and phone volume.

Because واطي is describing صوت, and صوت is masculine.

So the adjective agrees with the noun:

• صوت = masculine
• واطي = masculine form

If the noun were feminine, you would usually expect the feminine form واطية.

Yes, but the meaning would shift a bit.

• عم ادرس = I am studying right now / at this moment / in an ongoing situation
• بدرس = I study / I’m studying habitually or generally

So compare:

• لما انا عم ادرس بالبيت، اختي عم تسمع الراديو... = while I’m studying at home, my sister is listening to the radio...

• لما بدرس بالبيت، اختي بتسمع الراديو... = when I study at home / whenever I study at home, my sister listens to the radio...

The version with عم sounds more like a scene happening now or at a specific time.

It can feel like either, depending on context.

Because both actions are ongoing:

• I’m studying
• my sister is listening

English often prefers while in this kind of sentence. But when is also possible.

So لما here can cover both ideas:

• when I’m studying at home...
• while I’m studying at home...

That flexibility is very normal in Levantine Arabic.