A first conversation should be short enough to finish and complete enough to feel real. This exchange lets you greet someone, ask a name, say where you are from, and return one question.
The forms below use masculine address where gender changes the line. A feminine version is shown beside it.
The conversation
| Speaker | Franco | Natural English |
|---|---|---|
| A | ahlan! ezzayak? | hi! how are you? addressed to a man |
| B | tamaam, el7amdulillah. wenta? | good, thank God. and you? |
| A | tamaam. esmak eh? | good. what is your name? addressed to a man |
| B | esmi Sam. wenta? | my name is Sam. and you? |
| A | esmi Steven. enta meneen? | my name is Steven. where are you from? |
| B | ana men amreeka. | I am from America. |
The purpose is not to memorize both sides forever. It is to recognize the other person's cue and produce your own part.
Change the address for a woman
| To a man | To a woman | Natural English |
|---|---|---|
| ezzayak? | ezzayek? | how are you? |
| esmak eh? | esmik eh? | what is your name? |
| enta meneen? | enti meneen? | where are you from? |
| wenta? | wenti? | and you? |
Keep the contrast small. Practice one version, then deliberately switch the listener.
Build the exchange in layers
Layer one: listen
Hear the entire interaction without pausing. Your job is to identify what kind of conversation is happening.
Layer two: answer with support
Read only your lines. Let the other speaker's question trigger the answer.
Layer three: answer from memory
Hide your side. If you get stuck, reveal the first word rather than the complete sentence.
Layer four: change one fact
Replace the name or country with your real information. A personal answer is easier to retrieve because it has a reason to exist.
What to do when the conversation changes
Real people do not follow scripts. Add one repair phrase before you need it:
momken te2ool tani?
Can you say that again? addressed to a man.
The repetition guide gives a fuller response ladder.
Carry your side with less help
The Glyph Day 1 demo moves from listening to a supported exchange and then asks you to answer from memory. That progression is the point of the first lesson.
Useful reference
You can practice a reviewed greeting version of this progression in Glyph's Day 1 demo.