Egyptian Arabic phrasebook

Egyptian Arabic (maSri مصري) is the modern Egyptian vernacular and the most widely spoken and understood colloquial variety of Arabic. It is spoken by more than 90 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.

Pronunciation

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. If long vowels were shortened then they won't be stressed. Stress isn't shown in words without a long vowel, because it would be complicated.

Main Egyptian vowels Arabic Vowel-letters: ’alef; ا: [æ, ɑ] ("a" as in cat or father) wâw; و: [o, u] ye; ي: [e, i] They may act as semi-vowels, mainly pronounced as: wâw; و: [w] ye; ي: [j] ("y" as in the English word yes)

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 

as in "more". (IPA: [o])

ō 

similar to "float". (IPA: [oː])

ū 

as in "shoe" (long). (IPA: [uː])

e 

similar to "fate" (short). (IPA: [e])

ē 

similar to "fate" (long). (IPA: [eː])

ī 

as in "sheet" (long). (IPA: [iː])

Consonants

Most Arabic consonants (Sàwâ’et صوائت) are not too difficult:

You should notice, also, that in Egyptian Arabic, consonants can be geminated (doubled). Arabic alphabet in general differ in shape slightly, depending on their position in words.

b ب (be)

as in English.

d د (dāl)

as in English, pronounced more forward in the mouth.

f ف (fe)

as in English.

g ج (gīm)

as in English, go.

h هـ (he)

as in English, but occurs in unfamiliar positions.

k ك (kāf)

as in English.

l ل (lām)

as in English, pronounced more forward in the mouth.

m م (mīm)

as in English.

n ن (nūn)

as in English.

r ر (re)

as in English, pronounced trilled (as in Spanish and Italian).

s س (sīn)

as in English.

s ث (se)

as in English, see.

t ت (te)

as in English, pronounced more forward in the mouth.

w و (wâw)

as in English.

y ي (ye)

as in English.

z ز (zēn)

as in English.

z ذ (zāl)

as in English, zero.

š ش (šīn)

as the English sh in 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:

D ض (Dâd)

emphatic d (IPA: /dˤ/) pronounced with the tongue raised and mouth tensed. Most Egyptians don't distinguish its pronunciation from د (IPA: [d]).

ğ غ (ğēn)

a voiced (x) like a French "r". (IPA: [ɣ])

H ح (Hà)

a hard h made in the pharynx. (IPA: [ħ])

S ص (Sâd)

emphatic s (IPA: /sˤ/) pronounced with the tongue raised and mouth tensed. Not pronounced in all positions.

T ط (Tà)

emphatic t (IPA: /tˤ/) pronounced with the tongue raised and mouth tensed. Not pronounced in all positions.

x خ (xà)

a harsh sound found in some English words like bach and loch. (IPA: [x])

Z ظ (Zà)

emphatic z (IPA: /zˤ/) pronounced with the tongue raised and mouth tensed. Not pronounced in all positions.

q ق (qâf)

a hard k pronounced in the back of the mouth (IPA: /q/). In Egyptian Arabic it is usually a glottal stop (IPA: [ʔ]).

The last two are hard for non-native speakers, 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.

Phrase list

lestet el `ebàrât ليستة العبارات

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)
’ezzāy Hàdretàk? إزي حدرتك (to an elder; Hàdretek: female)

Fine, thank you. 

kowayyes šokràn كويس شكرا (male)
kowayyesa šokràn كويسة شكرا (female)
kowayyesīn šokràn كويسين شكراً (group)
A far more common response to the question "how are you" is simply to thank God - el-Hamde  lellah الحمد لله

What is your name? 

’esmak ’ēh? إسمك ايه؟ (to a male)
’esmek ’ēh? إسمك ايه؟ (to a female)

My name is ______ . 

’esmi ______ إسمي

Please. 

men 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`de  ’eznak بعد إذنك (to a male)
ba`de  ’eznek بعد إذنك (to a female)
ba`de  ’eznoku بعد إذنكو (to a group)

Excuse me. (begging pardon) 

la 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. 

mabatkallemš `arabi kwayyes ما بتكلمش عربي كويس

Do you speak English? 

betekkallem ’engelīzi? بتتكلم إنجليزي؟ (male)
betekkallemi ’engelīzi? بتتكلمي إنجليزي؟ (female)

Is there someone here who speaks English? 

fī Hadde  hena beyekkallem ’engelīzi? 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 fāhem أنا مش فاهم (male)
’ana meš fahma أنا مش فاهمة (female)

Where is the toilet? 

fēn ’el-Hammām? فين الحمام؟

Problems

mašākel مشاكل

Leave me alone. 

sebni! سيبني (to a male),
sebīni! سيبيني ( to a female)

sebūni! 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)
matelmesenīš! 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 Târ’à حالة طارئة

I'm lost. 

’ana tāyeh أنا تايه (male speaking)
’ana tayha أنا تايهة (female)

I lost my purse/handbag. 

’ana Dàyyà`te  šànTeti أنا ضيعت شنطيتي

I lost my wallet. 

’ana Dàyyà`te  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 telefōnak? ممكن أستعمل تيلفونك؟ (to a male)
momken ’asta`mel telefōnek? ممكن أستعمل تيلفونك؟ (to a female)
mumken ’asta`mel telefonku? ممكن أستعمل تيلفونكو؟ (to a group)

Can I use your cell phone? 

momken ’asta`mel mobàylàk? ممكن أستعمل موبايلك؟ (to a male)
momken ’asta`mel mobàylek? ممكن أستعمل موبايلك؟ (to a female)
momken ’asta`mel mobàyloku? ممكن أستعمل موبايلكو؟ (to a group)

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)

`àšrà عشرة

11 (١١)

Hedâšàr حداشر

12 (١٢)

’etnâšàr 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-`ešrīn واحد و عشرين

22 (٢٢)

’etnēn we-`ešrīn إتنين و عشرين

23 (٢٣)

talāta we-`ešrīn تلاتة و عشرين

30 (٣٠)

talatīn تلاتين

40 (٤٠)

’arbe`īn أربعين

50 (٥٠)

xamsīn خمسين

60 (٦٠)

settīn ستين

70 (٧٠)

sab`īn سبعين

80 (٨٠)

tamanīn تمانين

90 (٩٠)

tes`īn تسعين

100 (١٠٠)

meyya مية

200 (٢٠٠)

metēn متين

300 (٣٠٠)

toltomeyya تلتمية

400 (٤٠٠)

rob`omeyya ربعميه

500 (٥٠٠)

xomsomeyya خمسميه

600 (٦٠٠)

sottomeyya ستميه

700 (٧٠٠)

sob`omeyya سبعميه

800 (٨٠٠)

tomnomeyya تمنميه

900 (9٠٠)

tos`omeyya تسعميه

1000 (١٬٠٠٠ )

’alf ألف

2000 (٢٬٠٠٠)

’alfēn ألفين

3000 (٣٬٠٠٠)

talattalāf تلاتلاف

4000 (٤٬٠٠٠)

àrbà`talāf أربعتلاف

5000 (٥٬٠٠٠)

xamastalāf خمستلاف

6000 (٦٬٠٠٠)

settalāf ستلاف

7000 (٧٬٠٠٠)

saba`talāf سبعتلاف

8000 (٨٬٠٠٠)

tamantalāf تمنتلاف

9000 (٩٬٠٠٠)

tesa`talāf تسعتلاف

10,000 (١٠٬٠٠٠)

`àšàrtalāf عشرتلاف

11,000 (١١٬٠٠٠)

Hedâšàr ’alf حداشر ألف

100,000 (١٠٠٬٠٠٠)

mīt ’alf ميت ألف

200,000 (٢٠٠٬٠٠٠)

metēn ’alf ميتين ألف

1,000,000 (١٬٠٠٠٬٠٠٠)

melyōn مليون

1,000,000,000 (١٬٠٠٠٬٠٠٠٬٠٠٠)

melyâr مليار / belyōn بليون

number 

nemra نمرة / ràqàm رقم

half 

noSS نص

less 

’a’all أقل

more 

’àktàr أكتر

Time

wa’t وقت

now 

delwa’ti دلوقتي

later 

ba`dēn بعدين

before 

’abl قبل

after 

ba`d بعد

morning 

SobH صبح

in the morning 

’es-SobH الصبح

afternoon 

ba`de  ’ed-dohr بعد الضهر

in the afternoon 

’ed-dohr الضهر

evening 

mesa مسا or masā’ مساء

in the evening 

`al mesa ع المسا

night 

lēla ليلة

in the night 

bel-lēl بلليل

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 w-noSS الساعة تلاتة و نص

Duration

el modda المدة

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

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 

desamber ديسمبر

Writing time and date

ketābet el wa’te wet-tarīx كتابة الوقت و التاريخ

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

Transportation

el mowaSlât المواصلات

Bus and train

el otobīs wel-’àTr الاوتوبيس و القطر

Can I buy a ticket? 

momken Ašteri tàzkàrà? ممكن أشتري تذكرة

I will step down in (Heliopolis) 

Ana nāzel fe (màSr el-gedīda) أنا نازل في (مصر الجديدة)‏ (male speaking)
Ana nazla fe (màSr el-gedīda) أنا نازلة في (مصر الجديدة)‏ (female)

Directions:

ettegahāt إتجاهات

front 

oddām قدام

back 

wàrà ورا

right 

yemīn يمين

left 

šemāl شمال

up 

fō’ فوق

down 

taHt تحت

Taxi

taksi تاكسي

Can you drive me to (the hospital)? 

momken tewaSSàlni (elmostašfa)? ممكن توصلني (المستشفى)؟

This is a usable phrasebook. It explains pronunciation and the bare essentials of travel communication. An adventurous person could use it to get by, but please plunge forward and help it grow!