السمسار شاف الشقة.

The real-estate agent saw the apartment.

Breakdown of السمسار شاف الشقة.

• شاف: to see
• شقة: apartment
• سمسار: the real-estate agent; broker

Questions & Answers about السمسار شاف الشقة.

What does ال mean in السمسار and الشقة?

ال is the definite article, like the in English.

• السمسار = the broker / the agent
• الشقة = the apartment

So the whole sentence has two definite nouns: the broker and the apartment.

How would I say an apartment instead of the apartment?

You would usually just remove ال:

• شقة = an apartment
• الشقة = the apartment

So:

• السمسار شاف شقة = The broker saw an apartment

In everyday Arabic, there is usually no separate word for a/an. Indefiniteness is often shown simply by not using ال.

How is this sentence pronounced in Levantine?

A rough pronunciation is:

is-samsaar shaaf ish-shaʔʔa

But this can vary by region. You may also hear something closer to:

es-semsaar shaaf esh-sheʔʔa

A few important pronunciation points:

• شاف is pronounced shaaf, with a long aa
• In الشقة, the is often pronounced as a glottal stop in Levantine