Egyptian Arabic phrasebook
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Contents
Egyptian Arabic (maSri مصري) is the modern Egyptian vernacular and the most widely spoken and understood colloquial variety of Arabic. It is spoken by 77 million people, mainly in Egypt. It is used in everyday speech, comics, advertising, song lyrics, teen magazines, plays, and TV shows, but rarely in novels, newspapers, and never in news reporting, which use Modern Standard Arabic instead.
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Vowels
Egyptian Arabic has many more vowels (Hàràkât حركات) than the three of Classical Arabic, and it differentiates between short and long vowels. Long vowels are shown in this phrasebook with a macron above the vowel. The stress falls on the long vowels. Long vowels can be shortened when not stressed.
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Main Egyptian vowels Arabic Vowel-letters may act as semi-vowels. Acting as vowels at the middle & end of words, they are pronounced as:
Acting as semi-vowels, mainly pronounced as:
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- a
- like ā but shorter. (IPA: [æ])
- ā
- as in "hand" (long). (IPA: [æː])
- à
- like â but shorter. (IPA: [ɑ])
- â
- as in "bar". (IPA: [ɑː])
- o ~ u
- similar to "put" (short). Tends to be merged into short /o/, or in between /u/ & /o/ (IPA: /ɵ/)
- ō
- similar to "float". (IPA: /oː/)
- ū
- as in "shoe" (long). (IPA: /uː/)
- e ~ ı
- as in "fig" (short). Tends to be merged into short /e/, or in between /i/ & /e/ (IPA: /ɪ/)
- ē
- similar to "fate" (long). (IPA: /eː/)
- ī
- as in "sheet" (long). (IPA: /iː/)
[edit] Consonants
Most Arabic consonants (Sàwâ’et صوائت) are not too difficult:
- You should notice, also, that in Egyptian Arabic, consonants can be long (doubled).
- b ب (be)
- as in English
- f ف (fe)
- as in English
- t ت (te)
- as in English, pronounced more forward in the mouth
- d د (dāl)
- as in English, pronounced more forward in the mouth
- g ج (gīm)
- as in English, not "j" (IPA: /dʒ/) as in Modern Standard Arabic
- k ك (kāf)
- as in English
- r ر (re)
- as in English, pronounced trilled (as in Spanish)
- l ل (lām)
- as in English, pronounced more forward in the mouth
- h هـ (he)
- as in English, but occurs in unfamiliar positions
- m م (mīm)
- as in English
- n ن (nūn)
- as in English
- s س (sīn)
- as in English
- s ث (se)
- as in English, not "th" (IPA: [θ]) as in Modern Standard Arabic
- z ز (zēn)
- as in English
- z ذ (zāl)
- as in English, not (IPA: [ð]) as in Modern Standard Arabic
- w و (wâw)
- as in English
- y ي (ye)
- as in English
- š ش (šīn)
- as "sh" in the English word "she". (IPA: [ʃ])
- j چ
- as "s" in the English word "pleasure" (only found in loanwords). (IPA: [ʒ]). Its counterpart ج may be used instead, in transliterations.
- p پ
- as in English (only found in loanwords). Its counterpart ب may be used instead, in transliterations.
- v ڤ
- as in English (only found in loanwords). Its counterpart ف may be used instead, in transliterations.
The following are a little more unusual:
- S ص (Sâd)
- emphatic s pronounced with the tongue raised and mouth tensed. (IPA: /sˤ/)
- T ط (Tà)
- emphatic t pronounced with the tongue raised and mouth tensed. (IPA: /tˤ/)
- D ض (Dâd)
- emphatic d pronounced with the tongue raised and mouth tensed. (IPA: /dˤ/)
- Z ظ (Zà)
- emphatic z pronounced with the tongue raised and mouth tensed. (IPA: /zˤ/)
- q ق (qâf)
- a hard k pronounced in the back of the mouth (IPA: /q/), not the glottal stop of Modern Standard Arabic
- x خ (xà)
- a harsh sound found in some English words like bach and loch. (IPA: [x])
- ğ غ (ğēn)
- a voiced x like a French "r". (IPA: [ɣ])
- H ح (Hà)
- a hard h made in the pharynx. (IPA: [ħ])
And the last two are very hard indeed for non-native speakers to get right, so try to get a native speaker to demonstrate. That said, most beginners tend to opt for the simple approach of ignoring those pesky apostrophes entirely, but it's worth it to make the effort.
- ’
- a glottal stop (IPA: ʔ), or the constriction of the throat as between the syllables uh-oh, but in Arabic this is often found in strange places such as the beginning of a word. Known in Arabic as hamza ء
- `
- a voiced H (IPA: ʕ), famously equated to the sound of someone being strangled. Known in Arabic as `ayn ع or `ēn.
[edit] Phrase list
- lestet el `ebàrât ليستة العبارات
[edit] Basics
- asaseyyāt أساسيات
Many Arabic expressions are different for men and women, depending both on the gender of the person talking (you) and the person being addressed.
- Hello
- ’es-salāmu-`alēku السلام عليكو
- Hello (informal)
- ’ahlan أهلاً
- Good morning.
- SàbâH el-xēr صباح الخير
- Good evening.
- masā’ el-xēr مساء الخير
- Good night (to sleep)
- teSbàH `ala xēr تصبح على خير (to a male)
teSbàHi `ala xēr تصبحي على خير (to a female)
teSbàHu `ala xēr تصبحو على خير (to a group)
- How are you?
- ’ezzayyak? إزيك (to a male)
’ezzayyek? إزيك (to a female)
’ezzayyoku? إزيكو (to a group)
- Fine, thank you.
- kowayyes šukran كويس شكرا (male)
kowayyesa šokràn كويسة شكرا (female)
kowayyısīn šokràn كويسين شكراً (group)
A far more common response to the question "how are you" is simply to thank God - el-hamdu lillah الحمد لله
- What is your name?
- ’esmak ’ēh? إسمك ايه؟ (to a male)
’esmik ’ēh? إسمك ايه؟ (to a female)
- My name is ______ .
- ’ana ’esmi ______ أنا إسمي
- Please.
- min fàDlàk من فضلك (to a male)
men fàDlek من فضلك (to a female)
men fàDloku من فضلكو (to a group)
- Thank you.
- šokràn شكراً
- You're welcome.
- el `afw العفو
- Yes.
- ’aywa أيوا
- No.
- la’ لأ
- Excuse me. (getting attention)
- law samaHt لو سمحت (to a male)
law samaHti لو سمحتي (to a female)
law samaHtu لو سمحتو (to a group)
- Excuse me. (avoiding offence)
- ba`d ’eznak بعد إذنك (to a male)
ba`d ’eznek بعد إذنك (to a female)
ba`d ’eznoku بعد إذنكو (to a group)
- Excuse me. (begging pardon)
- lā mu’axza لا مؤاخذة
- I'm sorry
- ’ana ’āsef أنا آسف (male)
’ana ’asfa أنا آسفة (female)
- Goodbye
- ma`as-salāma مع السلامة
- Goodbye (informal)
- salām سلام
- I can't speak Arabic well.
- mabakkallemš `arabi kwayyes ما بتكلمش عربي كويس
- Do you speak English?
- betekkallem ’ıngılīzi? بتتكلم إنجليزي؟ (male)
betekkallemi ’ıngılīzi? بتتكلمي إنجليزي؟ (female)
- Is there someone here who speaks English?
- fī Hadd hena beyekkallem ’ıngılīzi? فيه حد هنا بيتكلم إنجليزي؟
- Help!
- ’elHa’ūni! إلحقوني
- Look out!
- Hāseb حاسب (to a male)
Hasbi حاسبي (to a female)
Hasbu حاسبو (to a group)
- I don't understand.
- ’ana meš fāhim أنا مش فاهم (male)
’ana meš fahma أنا مش فاهمة (female)
- Where is the toilet?
- fēn ’el-Hammām? فين الحمام؟
[edit] Problems
- mašākel مشاكل
- Leave me alone.
- sıbni! سيبني (to a male),
sıbīni! سيبيني ( to a female)
sıbūni! سيبوني (to a group)
- Go away!
- ’emši! إمشي (to a male or a female)
’emšu! إمشو (to a group)
- Don't touch me!
- matelmesnīš! ما تلمسنيش (to a male)
matelmısınīš! ما تلمسينيش (to a female)
- I'll call the police.
- ’ana hakallem ’el-bulīs أنا هكلم البوليس
- Police!
- bulīs! بوليس
- Thief!
- Hàrâmi! حرامي
- I need help.
- ’ana meHtāg mosa`da أنا محتاج مساعدة (male speaking)
’ana meHtāga mosa`da أنا محتاجة مساعدة (female)
- It's an emergency.
- Hāla Târe’a حالة طارئة
- I'm lost.
- ’ana taayeh أنا تايه (male speaking)
’ana tayha أنا تايهة (female)
- I lost my purse/handbag.
- ’ana Dàyyà`t šànTeti أنا ضيعت شنطيتي
- I lost my wallet.
- ’ana Dàyyà`t màHfàZti أنا ضيعت محفظتي
- I'm sick.
- ’ana `ayyān أنا عيان (male speaking)
’ana `ayyāna أنا عيانة (female)
- I'm injured.
- ’ana met`àwwàr أنا متعور (male speaking)
’ana met`àwwàra أنا متعورة (female)
- I need a doctor.
- ’ana meHtāg doktōr أنا محتاج دكتور (male speaking)
’ana meHtāga doktōr أنا محتاجة دكتور (female)
- Can I use your phone?
- momken ’asta`mel telıfōnak? ممكن أستعمل تيلفونك؟ (to a male)
momken ’asta`mel telıfōnek? ممكن أستعمل تيلفونك؟ (to a female)
mumken ’asta`mel telıfonku? ممكن أستعمل تيلفونكو؟ (to a group)
- Can I use your cell phone?
- momken ’asta`mel mobàylak? ممكن أستعمل موبايلك؟ (to a male)
momken ’asta`mel mobàylek? ممكن أستعمل موبايلك؟ (to a female)
momken ’asta`mel mobayloku? ممكن أستعمل موبايلكو؟ (to a group)
[edit] Numbers
- `àrqâm أرقام
It is not uncommon to see what is formally called "Eastern Arabic Numerals", in Arabic known as "Indian numbers" (أرقام هندية arqām hendeyyah). Be careful in that zero is represented as a dot (٠) while five (٥) looks like the zero with which we're familiar. Furthermore, numbers are read left-to-right and not right-to-left as is text.
- 0 (٠)
- Sefr صفر
- 1 (١)
- wāHed واحد
- 2 (٢)
- ’etnēn إتنين
- 3 (٣)
- talāta تلاتة
- 4 (٤)
- ’àrbà`à أربعة
- 5 (٥)
- xamsa خمسة
- 6 (٦)
- setta ستة
- 7 (٧)
- sab`a سبعة
- 8 (٨)
- tamanya تمانية
- 9 (٩)
- tes`a تسعة
- 10 (١٠)
- `àšàrà عشرة
- 11 (١١)
- Hedâšàr حداشر
- 12 (١٢)
- ’itnâšàr إتناشر
- 13 (١٣)
- tàlàttâšàr تلاتاشر
- 14 (١٤)
- ’àrbà`tâšàr أربعتاشر
- 15 (١٥)
- xàmàstâšàr خمستاشر
- 16 (١٦)
- settâšàr ستاشر
- 17 (١٧)
- sàbà`tâšàr سبعتاشر
- 18 (١٨)
- tàmàntâšàr تمنتاشر
- 19 (١٩)
- tesà`tâšàr تسعتاشر
- 20 (٢٠)
- `ešrīn عشرين
- 21 (٢١)
- wāHed we-`ıšrīn واحد و عشرين
- 22 (٢٢)
- ’etnēn we-`ıšrīn إتنين و عشرين
- 23 (٢٣)
- talāta we-`ıšrīn تلاتة و عشرين
- 30 (٣٠)
- talatīn تلاتين
- 40 (٤٠)
- ’àrbı`īn أربعين
- 50 (٥٠)
- xamsīn خمسين
- 60 (٦٠)
- sıttīn ستين
- 70 (٧٠)
- sab`īn سبعين
- 80 (٨٠)
- tamanīn تمانين
- 90 (٩٠)
- tıs`īn تسعين
- 100 (١٠٠)
- meyya مية
- 200 (٢٠٠)
- metēn متين
- 300 (٣٠٠)
- toltomeyya تلتمية
- 400 (٤٠٠)
- rob`omeyya ربعميه
- 1000 (١٬٠٠٠ )
- ’alf ألف
- 2000 (٢٬٠٠٠)
- ’alfēn ألفين
- 1,000,000 (١٬٠٠٠٬٠٠٠)
- melyōn مليون
- number
- nemra نمرة or ràqàm رقم
- half
- noSS نص
- less
- ’a’all أقل
- more
- ’àktàr أكتر
[edit] Time
- wa’t وقت
- now
- delwa’ti دلوقتي
- later
- ba`dēn بعدين
- before
- ’abl قبل
- after
- ba`d بعد
- morning
- SàbâH صباح
- in the morning
- ’eS-SobH الصبح
- afternoon
- ba`d ’eD-Dohr بعد الضهر
- in the afternoon
- ’eD-Dohr الضهر
- evening
- mesa مسا or masā’ مساء
- in the evening
- mesā’an مساءاً
- night
- lēla ليلة
- in the night
- bel-lēl بلليل
[edit] Clock time
- wa’t el sā`a وقت الساعة
- what time is it?
- ’es-sā`a kām? الساعة كام؟
- it is ___
- ’es-sā`a ___ الساعة...
- it is 3 o'clock
- ’es-sā`a talāta (beZZàbT) الساعة تلاتة (بالظبط)
- quarter past
- we rob` و ربع
- quarter to
- ’ella rob` إلا ربع
- half past
- we noSS و نص
- it is half past 3
- ’es-sā`a talāta we noSS الساعة تلاتة و نص
[edit] Duration
- el modda المدة
[edit] Days
- el ’ayyām الأيام
- Monday
- yōm ’el-etnēn يوم الإتنين
- Tuesday
- yōm ’el-talāt يوم التلات
- Wednesday
- yōm ’el-’arba` يوم الأربع
- Thursday
- yōm ’el-xamīs يوم الخميس
- Friday
- yōm ’el-gom`a يوم الجمعة
- Saturday
- yōm ’es-sabt يوم السبت
- Sunday
- yōm ’el-Hadd يوم الحد
[edit] Months
- eš-šohūr الشهور
- January
- yanāyer يناير
- February
- febrâyer فبراير
- March
- māres مارس
- April
- ebrīl ابريل
- May
- māyu مايو
- June
- yonya يونيه
- July
- yolya يوليه
- August
- ağosTos اغسطس
- September
- sebtamber سبتمبر
- October
- oktōbàr اُكتوبر
- November
- nofamber نوفمبر
- December
- dısamber ديسمبر
[edit] Writing time and date
- ketabet el wa’t wet-tarīx كتابة الوقت و التاريخ
[edit] Colors
- alwān ألوان
- white
- àbyàD أبيض
- black
- eswed إسود
- red
- àHmàr أحمر
- green
- àxDàr أخضر
- blue
- azra’ أزرق
- yellow
- àSfàr أصفر
- orange
- borto’âni برتقاني
- pink
- bambi بمبي
- purple
- banafsegi بنفسجي
[edit] Transportation
- el mowaSlât المواصلات
[edit] Bus and train
- el bàSS wel-’àTr الباص و القطر
- Can I buy a ticket?
- momken Ašteri tazkara? ممكن أشتري تذكرة
- I will step down in (Heliopolis)
- Ana nāzel fe (màSr el-gıdīda) أنا نازل في (مصر الجديدة) (male speaking)
Ana nazla fe (màSr el-gıdīda) أنا نازلة في (مصر الجديدة) (female)
[edit] Directions:
ettegahāt إتجاهات
- front
- oddām قدام
- back
- wàrà ورا
- right
- yemīn يمين
- left
- šemāl شمال
- up
- fō’ فوق
- down
- taHt تحت
[edit] Taxi
- taksi تاكسي
- Can you drive me to (the hospital)?
- momken tewaSSàlni (elmostašfa)? ممكن توصلني (المستشفى)؟
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