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Egyptian Arabic phrasebook

Egyptian Arabic (maSrī 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.

Pronunciation

Vowels

Egyptian Arabic differentiates between short and long vowels. Long vowels are shown in this phrasebook with a macron above the vowel.

ī 
as in "sheet" (long)
i 
as in "fig" (short)
ē 
as in "fate" (long)
ā 
as in "hand" (long)
a 
like ā but shorter
ū 
as in "shoe" (long)
u 
as in "put" (short)
ō 
as in "float"
ǟ 
as in "bar"
ä 
like ǟ but shorter

Consonants

Most Arabic consonants are not too difficult:

b 
as in English
f 
as in English
t 
as in English, pronounced more forward in the mouth
d 
as in English, pronounced more forward in the mouth
g 
as in English
k 
as in English
r 
as in English, pronounced trilled (as in Spanish)
l 
as in English, pronounced more forward in the mouth
h 
as in English, but occurs in unfamiliar positions
m 
as in English
n 
as in English
s 
as in English
z 
as in English
w 
as in English
y 
as in English
š 
as /sh/ in English
j 
as /s/ in pleasure (only found in loanwords)
p 
as in English (only found in loanwords)
v 
as in English (only found in loanwords)

The following are a little more unusual:

S 
emphatic s pronounced with the tongue raised and mouth tensed
T 
emphatic t pronounced with the tongue raised and mouth tensed
D 
emphatic d pronounced with the tongue raised and mouth tensed
Z 
emphatic z pronounced with the tongue raised and mouth tensed
q 
a hard k pronounced in the back of the mouth found mostly in borrowings from classical Arabic
x 
a harsh sound found in some English words like bach and loch
ğ 
a voiced x like a French "r"
ħ 
a hard h made in the pharynx

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).
ʿ 
a voiced ħ (IPA ʕ), famously equated to the sound of someone being strangled. Known in Arabic as ʿayin (ع).

Phrase list

Basics

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 
’is-salāmu-ʿalēku السلام عليكو
Hello (informal) 
’ahlan أهلا
Good morning. 
Säbǟħ ’il-xēr صباح الخير
Good evening. 
masā’ ’il-xēr مساء الخير
Good night (to sleep) 
tiSbäħ ʿala xēr تصبح على خير (to a male)
tiSbäħi ʿala xēr تصبحي على خير (to a female)
tiSbäħu ʿala xēr تصبحو على خير (to a group)
How are you? 
’izzayyak? إزيياك (to a male)
’izzayyik? إزييك (to a female)
’izzayyuku? إزييكو (to a group)
Fine, thank you. 
kwayyis šukran كوييس شكرا (male)
kwayyisa šukran كوييسه شكرا (female)
kwayyisīn šukran كوييسيين شكرا (group)
What is your name? 
’ismak ’ēh? إسمك ايه؟ (to a male)
’ismik ’ēh? إسمك إيه؟ (to a female)
My name is ______ . 
’ana ’ismi ______ أنا إسمي
Please. 
min fäDläk من فضلك (to a male)
min fäDlik من فضلك (to a female)
min fäDluku من فضلكو (to a group)
Thank you. 
šukran شكرا
You're welcome. 
ʿ afwan عفوا
Yes. 
’aywa أيوه
No. 
la’ لاء
Excuse me. (getting attention) 
law samaħt لو سمحت (to a male)
law samaħti لو سمحت (to a female)
law samaħtu لو سمحتو (to a group)
Excuse me. (avoiding offence) 
baʿd ’iznak بعد إذنك (to a male)
baʿd ’iznik بعد إذنك (to a female)
baʿd ’iznuku بعد إذنكو (to a group)
Excuse me. (begging pardon) 
lā mu’axza لاموءاخذه
I'm sorry 
’ana ’āsif أنا آسف (male)
’ana ’asfa أنا آسفه (female)
Goodbye 
maʿas-salāma مع السلامة
Goodbye (informal) 
salām سلام
I can't speak Arabic well. 
mabakkallimš ʿarabī kwayyis ما بتكلمش عَرَبيْ كوييس
Do you speak English? 
bitikkallim ’ingilīzi? بتتكلم إنجليزي؟ (male)
bitikkallimi ’ingilīzi? بتتكلمي إنجليزي؟ (female)
Is there someone here who speaks English? 
fī ħadd hina biyikkallim ’ingilīzi? في حدهنا بيتكلم انجليزي؟
Help! 
’ilħa’ūni! الحقوني
Look out! 
ħāsib حاسب (to a male)
ħasbi حاسبي (to a female)
ħasbu حاسبو (to a group)
I don't understand. 
’ana miš fāhim أنا مش فاهم (male)
’ana miš fahma أنا مش فاهمه (female)
Where is the toilet? 
fēn ’il-ħammām? فين الحمام؟

Problems

Leave me alone. 
’imši! إمشى (to a male or a female)
’imšu! إمشو (to a group)
Don't touch me! 
matilmisnīš! ماتلمسنيش (to a male)
matilmisinīš! متيلمسينيش (to a female)
I'll call the police. 
’ana ħakallim ’il-bulīs أنا هكلم البوليس
Police! 
bulīs! بوليس
Thief! 
ħärǟmi! حرامى
I need help. 
’ana miħtāg musaʿ da أنا محتاج مساعدة (male speaking)
’ana miħtāga musaʿ da أنا محتاجة مساعدة (female)
It's an emergency. 
ħāla Tǟri’a حالة طارئة
I'm lost. 
’ana taayih أنا تايه (male speaking)
’ana tayha أنا تايها (female)
I lost my purse/handbag. 
’ana Däyyäʿt šänTiti أنا طيعت شنطيطى
I lost my wallet. 
’ana Däyyäʿt mäħfäZti أنا طيعت محفظتى
I'm sick. 
’ana ʿayyān أنا عيان (male speaking)
’ana ʿayyāna أنا عيانة (female)
I'm injured. 
’ana mitʿ äwwär أنا متعاور (male speaking)
’ana mitʿ äwwära أنا متعاورة (female)
I need a doctor. 
’ana miħtāg duktūr أنا محتاج دكتور (male speaking)
’ana miħtāga duktūr أنا محتاجة دكتور (female)
Can I use your phone? 
mumkin ’astaʿ mil tilifōnak? ممكن أستعمل تيلفوناك؟ (to a male)
mumkin ’astaʿ mil tilifōnik? ممكن أستعمل تيلفونيك؟ (to a female)
mumkin ’astaʿ mil tilifōnku? ممكن أستعمل تيلفونكو؟ (to a group)
Can I use your cell phone? 
mumkin ’astaʿ mil mōbiylak? ممكن أستعمل موبايلاك؟ (to a male)
mumkin ’astaʿ mil mōbiylik? ممكن أستعمل موبايليك؟ (to a female)
mumkin ’astaʿ mil mōbiyluku? ممكن أستعمل موبايلكو؟ (to a group)

Numbers

0 
Sifr
1 
wāħid
2 
’itnēn
3 
talāta
4 
’ärbäʿä
5 
xamsa
6 
sitta
7 
sabʿa
8 
tamanya
9 
tisʿa
10 
ʿäšärä
11 
ħidǟšär
12 
’itnǟšär
13 
tälättǟšär
14 
’ärbäʿtǟšär
15 
xämästǟšär
16 
sittǟšär
17 
säbäʿtǟšär
18 
tämäntǟšär
19 
tisäʿtǟšär
20 
ʿišrīn
21 
wāħid wi-ʿišrīn
22 
’itnēn wi-ʿišrīn
23 
talāta wi-ʿišrīn
30 
talatīn
40 
’ärbiʿīn
50 
xamsīn
60 
sittīn
70 
sabʿīn
80 
tamanīn
90 
tisʿīn
100 
miyya
200 
mitēn
300 
tultumiyya
400 
rubʿumiyya
1000 
’alf
2000 
’alfēn
1,000,000 
milyo:n
number 
nimra or räqäm
half 
nuSS
less 
’a’all
more 
’äktär

Time

now 
dilwa’ti
later 
baʿdēn
before 
’abl
after 
baʿd
morning 
Säbǟħ
in the morning 
’iS-Subħ
afternoon 
baʿd ’iD-Duhr
in the afternoon 
’iD-Duhr
evening 
misa or masā’
in the evening 
misā’an
night 
lēla
in the night 
bil-lēl

Clock time

what time is it? 
’is-sāʿa kām?
it is ___  
’is-sāʿa ___
it is ʿ o'clock 
’is-sāʿa talāta biZZäbT
quarter past 
wi rubʿ
quarter to 
’ila rubʿ
half past 
wi nuSS
it is half past 
’is-sāʿa talāta wi nuSS

Duration

Days

Monday 
yo:m ’il-itneen
Tuesday 
yo:m ’il-talāt
Wednesday 
yo:m ’il-’arbaʿ
Thursday 
yo:m ’il-xamīs
Friday 
yo:m ’il-gumʿa
Saturday 
yo:m ’is-sabt
Sunday 
yo:m ’il-ħadd

Months

January 
yanayer
February 
febrayer
March 
mares
April 
ibril
May 
mayu
June 
yunya
July 
yulya
August 
ağustus
September 
sebtamber
October 
uktobar
November 
nufamber
December 
dissamber

Writing time and date

Colors

white 
abiad
black 
asuad
red 
ahmer
green 
akhdar
blue 
azrak
yellow 
asfar
orange 
burtuqali
pink 
wardi
purple 
banafsegy

Transportation

Bus and train

Can I buy a ticket? 
momkn Ashtrī tazkara ?
I will step down in (Heliopolis) 
Ana nazel fee misr (El-gedida)

Directions

front 
odam
back 
wara
right 
yemin
left 
shemal
up 
fook
down 
taht

Taxi

Can you drive me to (the hospital)? 
momkn tawasalnī (elmostashfā)?

This page was last edited at 13:41, on 16 June 2008 by Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. Based on work by Jani Patokallio and Cathy Ali and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel.

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