Egyptian Arabic phrasebook
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| Many Arabic expressions are different for men and women, depending both on the gender of the person talking (you) and the person being addressed. | | Many Arabic expressions are different for men and women, depending both on the gender of the person talking (you) and the person being addressed. |
Revision as of 10:43, 3 March 2011
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)
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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
- 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!
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