Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Section I
Introduction
Essentials
Section II - Grammar
Nouns
Pronouns
Adjectives
Verbs
Adverbs
Prepositions
Conjunctions
Section III - Usage
Courtesies
Questions
Negation
Ownership
Numbers
Quantities
Which one?
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Which one?
Time
Section IV - How to say...
This section will be coming soon...
Appendices
Arabic writing and pronunciation
More about verbs than you will ever want to know
Irregular verbs
About this document
Copyright
Introduction
This document is a concise reference to grammar for people who are learning the spoken arabic of
Egypt. It is intended to be used alongside other study aids available free of charge at
www.lisaanmasry.com.
If you want to see a wider range of examples of Egyptian Arabic, check out the Lonely Planet
publication "Egyptian Arabic Phrasebook" by Siona Jenkins. It is a very useful pocket guide.
Getting started
This document is made up of three main sections:
essentials - an introduction to grammatical terms and to Egyptian arabic, pointing out the
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English Egyptian
loves
object noun
Sarah
'ahmad
biyihibb
saara
In both the English and Egyptian examples, there are three words: two words are nouns (people,
things or ideas) and the middle word is a verb, which explains what is happening. In both cases, the
noun before the verb (Ahmed) is the subject (the person or thing that is doing something) and the
noun after the verb (Sarah) is the object- is the person or thing that is having something done to it.
We can change the meaning by turning the words around, like this:
Sarah loves Ahmed
saarao bitHibb aacHmad
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Element
English Egyptian
loves
object noun
Ahmed
saara
bitihibb
'ahmad
The nouns do not change, they have just moved: we know from the order of the words that Sarah is
now the subject- the one who is loving, and Ahmed is now the object, the one who is loved. In
english, the verb does not change at all, but in Egyptian it changes a little because the subject is
now female, not male. We will look in more detail at how exactly verbs change to match the subject
later, in the section on verbs.
English
name
Sarah
Egyptian
saara
irraagil
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noun (specific)
the man
the woman
the cat
the idea
noun(general)
a man
a woman
a cat
an idea
noun(quantity)
some men
five men
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irraagil
issitt
il'utta
ilfikra
raagil
sitt
'utta
fikra
shwyit rigalae
chamas rigala
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any man
pronoun(subject) he
she
pronoun(object)
him
her
'ay raagil
huwwa
hiya
-uh
-ha
The word il- is corresponds to 'the' in english, but there is no equivalent to 'a'. The noun just
appears on its own.
Note that adding il- to a word affects the pronunciation if it begins with a sun letter.
Pronouns
Pronouns are the short words like I and they that often replace nouns in spoken English and
Egyptian, to make our speech clearer and more concise. Here is a simple example:
I love her
aacnaa baHibbahaa
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Element
English Egyptian
subject pronoun I
verb
love
object pronoun
her
'ana
bahibb
-aha
We can see that the subject is still at the start of the sentence and the object is still at the end of the
sentence, but in Egyptian the object pronoun is attached to the end of the verb. Let's turn that round
and see what happens:
she loves me
hiya bitiHibb-ny
Element
English Egyptian
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verb
loves
object pronoun
me
hiya
bitihibb
-ny
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Woa, what happened there? Everything changed, in both English and Egyptian! The reason is that,
in both languages, there are different forms of the pronoun for subject and object. There is a third
form of the pronoun that indicates ownership (my/his/your/their/its) but we will save that until we
cover pronouns in more detail. For now, let's just look at the subject and object pronouns.
Remember that object pronouns are attached to the end of the verb.
Subject
Object
'ana
me
us
you(m)
you(f)
you(pl)
'ihna
'inta
'inti
'intu
huwwa
hiya
him/it(m)
Egyptian
-ny
-na
-ak
-ik
-ukw
-uh
-ha
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she/it(f)
they
hiya
humma
her/it(f)
-ha
-uhum
them
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he writes books
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Egyptian
'ana Aaarifuh
'ahmad Aaarifuh
saara Aaarifah
'ana bashrab sagaeyar
'ana baktib kutub
'ahmad biyiktib kutub
huwwa biyiktib kutub
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he writes books
Note that the subject pronoun can be omitted if the meaning is still clear
There is no 'is'
The word is/am/are is one of the most commonly use verbs in english.... but, if you are talking about
something now (not the past or future), there is no word in Egyptian for 'is'. That's quite a big
difference, but it's not too difficult. Let's take a look at some examples:
English
I am tired
Ahmed is Egyptian
the cats are in the garden
Sarah is available
today is friday
Egyptian
'ana taAbaen
'ahmad masry
il'utat fy ilginyna
saara mawguda
innahaarda ilgumAa
dy miraaty
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this is my wife
my husband is at home
dy miraaty
guzy fy ilbiyt
When you are talking about a past or future situation, then the Egyptian words kaen - was and
haykun - will be are used. This will be covered in more detail later under verbs. Here are
some simple examples:
English
I am tired
Ahmed is tired
I was tired
Ahmed was tired
I will be tired
Ahmed will be tired
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Egyptian
'ana taAbaen
'ahmad taAbaen
'ana kunt taAbaen
'ahmad kaen taAbaen
'ana hakun taAbaen
'ahmad hayikun taAbaen
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There is no 'have'
The verb have is widely used in English, but there is no equivalent verb in Egyptian. Have is used
in many ways in English, and in Egyptian a different word is used for each meaning.
Meaning
English
Egyptian
maAaya kabryt
Aandy biyt
own
I have a house
must
I have to go
eat, etc
take
laezim 'aruwh
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some examples:
Gender
English
masculine book
masculine dog
masculine man
masculine biyt
masculine milk
masculine peace
masculine teacher
feminine
teacher
Arabic
kitaeb
kalb
raagil
biyt
laban
salaem
mudarris
mudarrisa
fikra
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feminine
idea
fikra
tarabyza
feminine
table
feminine
workshop
feminine
woman
feminine
daughter
girl
feminine
fire
feminine
head
warsha
sitt
bint
naar
raas
As you can see, the majority of feminine nouns end in -a . There are a few exceptions though:
some are obvious, like woman and daughter, but others, you just need to learn them. We will cover
this in more detail in the section on nouns.
In both english and Egyptian, there are two forms of a noun: singular and plural. Here are some
examples of plurals:
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English
Arabic
Singular
Plural
book
books
dog
dogs
man
men
child
children
house
house
kutub
kalb
kilaeb
raagil
riggala
tifl
'atfael
biyt
buyut
salaem
teacher(m) teachers
kitaeb
peace
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Plural
laban
milk
teacher(f)
Singular
teachers
mudarris
mudarrisyn
mudarrisa mudarrisaet
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teacher(f)
teachers
idea
ideas
fikra
'afkaar
tarabyza
table
tables
workshop
workshops
woman
women
daughter
girl
daughters
girls
fire
fires
head
heads
tarabyzaet
warsha
sitt
wirash
sattaet
bint
banaet
naar
nyraan
raas
ru'wus
In english, the majority of plural nouns are the same as the singular, with a suffix of -s for example
book/books, but there are a small number of words with unusual plurals, for example man/men and
child/children. In Egyptian, feminine nouns that end in -a have a very straightforward plural- or -at
: plurals of masculine nouns vary quite a lot- the vowels move about a bit but the consonants
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Adjectives
Adjectives are words that describe something- for example, good or small. In english, adjectives do
not change, but in Egyptian there are different forms of an adjective for masculine, feminine and
plural. Here are some examples:
English
he is tired
she is tired
they are tired
he is good
she is good
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Egyptian
huwwa taAbaen
hiya taAbaena
humma taAbanyn
huwwa kuwayis
hiya kuwayisa
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humma kuwayisyn
The good news is that the majority of adjectives require just a different ending for feminine- -a
and plural -yn forms. We will cover this in more detail in the section on adjectives
Adverbs
Just as adjectives describe a noun, adverbs say something about a verb - where, when, how often,
how much etc. They can also be used to describe the extent of an adjective (very good) or even
another adverb (very slowly). Many English adverbs end with -ly. Usage of adverbs is very similar
in English and Egyptian: here are some examples
describing English
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verb
verb
adjective
adverb
Egyptian
'ana hargaA baAd shuwaya
'ahmad biyimshy bisuraAa
'ahmad shaatir giddaen
'ahmad biyisu' bisuraAa maA'ula
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Prepositions
In English, prepositions link to a noun. This is possible in Egyptian, but prepositions are also
commonly used in place of verbs.
In Egyptian, prepositions are widely used in place of verbs, for example have is usually expressed
using the prepositions Aand ( own) and maAa ( have with you): see ownership for more
information. Here are some examples of prepositions:
English Egyptian English
after
behind
have
there is
baAd
wara
Aand
fy
Egyptian
hiya gaet baAd ilAashaa'
ilginyna wara ilbiyt
Aandy biyt fy il'aehira
fy mayae
Conjunctions
A conjunction joins two clauses to make a much more complex sentence. Here is an example:
I want to make bread but I don't have enough flour
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English
Main clause
Conjunction
but
Egyptian
Aaeyiz 'aAamil Aiysh
lakin
In English, the same word is often used for a preposition and a conjunction, but in Egyptian it may
be different. Sometimes it is only necessary to add the word ma to convert a preposition to a
conjunction.
Element
English
preposition
(dinner is a noun)
Egyptian
'iGsil iydyk 'abl ilAashaa'
conjunction
'iGsil iydyk 'abl ma taekul
(you eat is a clause- wash your hands before you eat
it contains a verb)
Nouns
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English
person
Ahmed
person
man
person
player
thing
leather
concept wisdom
concept appointment
Arabic
'ahmad
raagil
laeAib
gild
hikma
myAaed
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English
fikra
idea
woman
daughter
fire
head
Arabic
sitt
bint
naar
raas
Plurals
If there is more than one of something, the noun becomes a plural. For many nouns, only the ending
changes.
Gender
masculine
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Ending Singular
-yn
Plural
muhaesib muhaesibyn
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feminine
-at
muhasba
muhaesibat
Occupations
Generally speaking, the plural for trades ends with either -yn or -aya , but for professions
there are different endings for men -yn and women -at .
English
carpenter
greengrocer
male teacher
female teacher
Singular
Plural
naggaar
naggaaryn
chudary
chudariyya
mudarris
mudarrisyn
mudarrisa mudarrisat
Collective nouns
In english, fish can mean pieces of fish or one fish or several: the former is described as a
collective noun. In Egyptian, many foods- and some other things- have a collective noun. You can
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talk about one item, for example one fish, by adding -a ending
biyd
biyda
samak
dibbaen
samaka
dibbaena
Many materials- things that can be used to make something from, like leather or cloth, are treated in
the same way: you add -a to give the meaning a piece of...
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chashab
sabun
chashaba
sabuna
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Pairs
The egyptian word for shoes (gazma )relates to a pair. For a single shoe, it is necessary to
say fardit gazma .
English Egyptian
shoes
socks
gloves
gazma
sharaab
guwanty
Duals
If you want to talk about two people, or specify a quantity of two, see the section on two in numbers.
If you want to talk about two things (not people or quantities), you should use the dual suffix -yn .
This is equivalent to a couple which can mean exactly two, or approximately two. There are slightly
different forms for feminine nouns and words ending in -y . Here are some examples:
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English
English
Egyptian
two books
kitaabyn
kursy
-tyn
chair
two chairs
(ends with y)
kursiyyin
book (m)
minute (f)
Egyptian Suffix
kitaeb
-yn
di'y'a
-iyyin
Ownership
One way to express belonging is to add a posessive pronoun to the end of a noun. See ownership
for information about other methods. Here are some examples:
English
his book
my wife
your(m) idea
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on its own
with pronoun
kitaeb
kitaebuh
does not exist on its own
fikra
miraaty
fikritak
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Compound nouns
You can describe a noun using another noun, for example to say what material it is made from. The
qualifying noun is always singular. If the main noun is preceded by il- the qualifying noun is also
preceded by il- . Note that adding il- to a word affects the pronunciation if it begins with a sun
letter.
English
a plastic bag
the plastic bag
plastic bags
the plastic bags
Arabic
kys blastik
ilkys ilblastik
'akyaes blastik
il'akyaes ilblastik
Pronouns
Pronouns are short words that are used to replace nouns in spoken English and Arabic, to make
our speech clearer and more concise. In this example, Ahmed is the noun and He is the pronoun:
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Personal pronouns
In English, there are four versions of the personal pronoun (he, him, his, himself): in Egyptian, there
is an additional version (to him).
English Egyptian Form
he
him
to him
huwwa
subject
object
-uh
-luh
indirect object
-uh
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-uh
his
nafsuh
himself
posessive
reflexive
In Egyptian, there are separate forms of you for masculine, feminine and plural, but there is no
neuter (it): instead, it is necessary to use the he or she form, depending on the gender of the noun
Subject pronouns
A subject is the noun that appears before the verb- the person or thing that is doing something.
I like to read
aacnaa baaHib aacktib
The subject pronouns are:
English Egyptian
I
we
you(m)
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'ana
'ihna
'inta
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you(f)
you(pl)
he/it(m)
she/it(f)
they
'inti
'intu
huwwa
hiya
humma
Personal pronouns are not needed with verbs, as it is clear from the verb, but it is common to use
them, especially for emphasis. They are often used with participles.
Object pronoun suffixes
You can attach an object pronoun (for example me or him) as a suffix to an imperative, verb or
participle. to refer to the object.
give me the knife
iicddyny iil-sikkynao
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Suffix
-ni
-na
-ak
-ik
-kum
-u
-ha
-hum
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If there is an I before the last consonant and the suffix starts with a vowel, the -i- is dropped, so...
possessive pronoun suffix
Things that would be expressed using a posessive pronoun (my, your... etc) in English can be
handled using a possessive suffix attached to the noun, or using bitaA . The latter is used for
most imported words.
what (is) your name?
iicsm-ak iicyh?
The posessive pronouns themselves are pretty easy to learn, but when the pronouns are attached
to nouns, the vowels do a little dance to make sure that you don't get three consonants in a row.
Here are examples for nouns that end with one or two consonants:
Nouns ending in two consonants
English
after -C
after -CC
saahib
kalb
my
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-y
saahiby
-y
kalby
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our
your(m)
your(f)
your(pl)
his/its(m)
her/its(f)
their
-na
saahibna
-ina
-ak
saahibak
-ak
-ik
saahibik
kalbina
kalbak
-ik
kalbik
-uh
saahibuh
-ha
saahibha
-uh
kalbuh
-aha
kalbaha
For nouns ending in -a , the -a is replaced by -t or -it and then the ending is added.
Nouns ending in -a
English
after -C
after -CC
kura
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shanta
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my
our
your(m)
your(f)
your(pl)
his/its(m)
her/its(f)
their
-ty
kurty
-itna
kuritna
-tak
-tik
kurtak
-ity
-itna
-itak
kurtik
-itik
shantity
shantitna
shantitak
shantitik
-itkum kuritkum
-itkum shantitkum
-tuh
-ituh
-itha
kurtuh
kuritha
-ithum kurithum
-itha
shantituh
shantitha
-ithum shantithum
Nouns that end in alif -a are treated almost like feminine nouns, ie the alif is replaced by -it
and then the ending is added.
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English
-y
vyla
our
your(m)
your(f)
your(pl)
-ya
-na
vylitna
vylitak
-ki
vylitik
-kum vylitkum
-h
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vylity
-k
kursy
my
-w
vylituh
kursya
kursyna
kursyk
kursyky
Aadw
Aadwy
Aadwna
Aadwk
Aadwik
kursykum Aadwkum
kursyh
Aadwh
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his/its(m)
her/its(f)
their
-h
vylituh
-ha
kursyh
vylitha
kursyha
-hum vylithum
Aadwh
Aadwha
kursyhum Aadwhum
father
aacbb
brother
aacKK
'abwya
'achwya
'abuna
'abuk
'abuky
'achuna
'achuk
'achuky
'abukum 'achukum
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your(pl)
his/its(m)
her/its(f)
their
'abuh
'achuh
'abuha
'achuha
'abuhum 'achuhum
Egyptian
haechud baly min nafsy
irraagil nafsuh
huwwa Aaemalha binafsuh
Demonstrative pronouns
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These are the words that you use when you want to point at something.
English
this (man)
this (woman, thing)
those (men)
those (women,things)
Egyptian
dah
dy
dul
dyh
If you want to use one of these with a noun, to indicate which one, (for example, this book), you
should use a Demonstrative adjective. Fortunately, in both English an Egyptian, the demonstrative
pronouns are the same as the demonstrative adjectives. Note that, when using demonstrative
adjectives in Egyptian, the noun retains its il- prefix.
demonstrative English
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pronoun
pronoun
Egyptian
bikaem dah
bikaem ilkitaeb dah
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Indefinite pronouns
These are words like anybody, something etc. In Egyptian, these are made up of two words, but
they are used in exactly the same way as in English.
English
somebody
anybody
nobody
something
anything
nothing
somewhere
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Egyptian
hadd
'ay hadd
wala hadd
haega
'ay haega
wala haega
makaen
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anywhere
nowhere
'ay makaen
wala makaen
Relative pronoun
The relative pronoun illy is used to represent that, who and which
the left turn that is coming (ie the next left)
iil-yimyn iilly gayy
the man who lives here
iil-raagil iilly saakin hinaa
Adjectives
Adjectives can be used in two ways: to describe something, or to specify which one of several you
are talking about.
English
describe a cherry is red
describe the ball is red
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Egyptian
kiryza hamra
ilkura hamra
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Aaeyiz ilkura ilhamra
ilkitaeb kibyr
'araa't kitaeb kibyr
'araa't ilkitaeb ilkibyr
specify
irraagil 'aAma
raagil 'aAma barra
irraagil il'aAma barra
In English, when you use an adjective to specify which one of several you are talking about, you put
the word the in front of the adjective. It is almost the same in Egyptian, but you put il- before
both the adjective and the noun: the il- before the adjective is the one that means that the
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adjective is specifying which one you mean. Note that adding il- to a word affects the
pronunciation if it begins with a sun letter.
Egyptian
irraagil shaatir
issitt shaatrah
il'atfael shaatiryn
The following table shows some typical feminine and plural forms:
English Egyptian
masculine feminine
-ah
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plural
-yn
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big
good
red
easy
nice
free
brown
kibyr
kibyrah
kuwayis
'ahmar
sahl
latyf
faady
hamrah
bunny
humr
sahlyn
lutaaf
bunny
faadyah
kuwayisah kuwayisyn
latyfah
kubaar
sahlah
faadyyin
bunny
The feminine form of most adjectives is made by adding the suffix -ah , and the plural is formed by
adding the suffix -yn . Note that adding a suffix may affect the pronunciation.
We will look at some of the common exceptions later. Note that some words, for example brown
bunny are invariable- you use the same form for masculine, feminine and plural.
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Countries
A country name is usually converted to an adjective by adding -y . This can be used to refer to a
person, a language or something from a country.
English
Country
pl
-y
-iya
iyyin
Egypt
Greece
Italy
Sweden
the North
Europe
PRO version
masr
masry
ilyunaen
'iytalya
yunany
'iytaly
siwydy
ishshimael shimaly
'uurubba
siwydya
'iytalya
masriyyin
yunaeniya yunaeniyyin
issiwyd
masriya
'iytalyyin
siwydyyin
shimaeliya shimaeliyyin
'uurubby
'uurubbiya
'uurubbiyyin
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Irregular ones...
India
America
ilhind
hindy
hindya
'amryka
hunud
amrikiya
'amryky (people)
'amrikany ( things)
amrykaen
For some countries eg England, the adjective is made from the collective noun. Here are some
examples:
English
Country
-y
-iya
England
Arabia
Russia
Germany
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'ingiltira
collective noun
Aaraby
Aaraby
rusya
rusy
Aarabiyah Aarab
rusyah
rus
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Spain
For countries ending in two consonants and alif, the ending is -awy .
English Country m
-awy
Austria
France
innimsa
faransa
nimsaewy
pl
-awiya
-awiyyin
nimsawiyyah nimsawiyyin
One common usage of the country adjective is to talk about a person from that country. Here are
some examples:
English
an Egyptian man
an Egyptian woman
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Egyptian
waehid masry
wahda masrya
waehid 'ingilizy
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waehid 'ingilizy
an englishman
an englishwoman
a frenchman
a frenchwoman
wahda 'ingilyzya
waehid faransawy
wahda faransawiya
The feminine and plural are used only for people. For inanimate objects, the masculine form only is
used. Here are some examples:
English
a greek boat
French cheese
Egyptian
markib yunany
gibna faransaewy
ilAarabiyaet 'amrikany
american cars
Colours
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pl
'abyad
'iswid
'asfar
'azra'
biyda
suda
safra
'ahmar
suwd
sufr
zar'ah
'achdar chadra
biyd
zur'
chudr
hamra
humr
Colours derived from a material or thing just have a -y added. They are invariable: the feminine
and plural form is the same as the masculine form.
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English
m/f/pl
brown
coffee
bunny
golden
silver
copper
light grey
faddy
nahasy
rumady
rusaasy
dark green
olive
zyty
pale blue
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zahaby
dark grey
lead
dark blue
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kuhly
labany
nibyty
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nibyty
dark red
wine
kastanae'yy
chestnut
light brown
honey
Aasaly
purple
violet
banafsigy
burtu'aly
orange
Personal attributes
Personal attributes or disabilities follow the same pattern as the basic colours:
English
pl
'ahbal
habla
hubl
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squinting
bald
bald
'a'raA
'aslaA
fair skin
blonde
'ash'ar
dark skin
brunette
'asmar
frizzy haired
left handed
right handed
lame
blind
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'ahwal
'akrat
hulaa'
'arAa
salAaa'
sha'ara
samra
karta
'ayman yimna
'aArag
'aAma
'urA
sulA
shu'r
sumr
kurt
'ashwal shula
huwl
Aarga
shul
yumn
Aurg
Aamya
Aumy
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deaf
'asam
deaf
samaa'
'achras charsa
mute
summ
churs
Egyptian
shwaya
bi'iAtidael
'awy
chaalis
giddaen
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giddaen
Aail'achir
too
'awy
Egyptian
ilAarabiya 'itdarrarit shwaya
issigaeda kaenit Galya 'awy
he is extremely rich
this house is too big
ilbiyt dih kibyr 'awy
You may have noticed that the word qawy has two meanings: very and too. This sometimes
causes confusion when Egyptians speak english: they say, for example, too much when they
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Comparatives
In english we take an adjective like big and add suffixes -er to make comparative bigger and -est
to make the superlative biggest. In Egyptian there is one word, a comparative, that is used for both.
The context indicates the meaning.
We can compare two things using min :
English
Ahmad is taller than me
he is more stupid than I thought
Egyptian
'ahmad 'atwal minny
huwwa 'aGba min makunt faekir
We can also make comparison without specifying the second thing like this:
English
Ahmad is a lot taller
the weather will be a little better tomorrow
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Egyptian
'ahmad 'atwal bikityr
ilgaww haykun 'ahsan shuwaya bukra
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For the superlative (best, biggest) the comparative is used immediately before a noun:
English
mohammed is the tallest student
he is the youngest boy
Egyptian
muhammad 'atwal taalib
huwwa 'asGar walad
ittaalib il'atwal tuluh mitr 1 wa 90 santy
dih 'ahla fustaen fy ilmahal
kaen 'ahsan yum fy hayaty
Making comparatives
As you may have noticed from the previous examples, the comparative is often derived from the
adjective as follows:
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English
big
easy
tall
classy
adjective
comparative
kibyr
'akbar
sahl
'ashal
tawyl
'atwal
raqy
'arqa
exceptions
good
kuwayyis
'ahsan
For adjectives with two consonants and ending in -y or -w , the final letter changes to alif-layena
-a .
English
pretty
expensive
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adjective comparative
hilw
'ahla
Galy
'aGla
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expensive
loud/high
rich
healthy
stupid
clever
Aaly
'aAla
Gany
'aGna
sahy
Gaby
no comp
'aGba
zaky
'azka
For adjectives with three consonants where the last two consonants are the same, the middle vowel
is replaced with a fatha -a .
English
serious
new
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adjective comparative
gadd
gidyd
no comp
'agdad
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important
numerous
lucky
popular
light
delicious
few
muhimm 'ahamm
Aadyd
mahzuz
mahbub
no comp
no comp
'ahabb
chafyf
'achaff
lazyz
'alazz
'alayil
'a'ael
In English, it is not possible to make a comparative in the usual way from some adjectives, for
example interesting: instead, we say more interesting. The same is true in Egyptian: the words
'aktar - more and 'a'ael - less are used with the adjective. Here are examples of adjectives
that are handled this way
Group
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English
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Egyptian
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participles
beginning with m
participles
beginning with ta
adjectives
he gets more selfish every day
beginning with 'a-
adjectives
ending with -an
'ana ta'lidy 'a'ael minnak
huwwa biyib'a 'anany 'aktar kul
yum
saara taAbaena 'aktar min 'ahmad
Verbs
A verb tells you what is happening- for example, reading, walking etc. In Egyptian, the general
meaning of a word is defined by the consonants, and several related words may contain this set of
letters. For example, the letters ktb are used to make the words write, type, book, writer, written,
writing, office and desk. The exact meaning is affected by the vowels, prefixes and suffixes (extra
bits at the beginning and the end). Here are some of the ways the exact meaning can change for
verbs:
tense - when something happens (past, present, future)
case - who is doing it (I, you, he, etc)
mode - must, could etc
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Pronouns
There are three main types of pronouns that can be used with verbs:
subject - I, we, you, he, she, it, they
object - me, us, you, him, her, it, them
indirect object - to me, to us, to you, to him, to her, to it, to them
In Egyptian, the subject pronoun is a separate word before the verb: the object and indirect object
pronouns are attached to the end of the verb. Here are a some examples:
Pronoun
English
Subject
I know Ahmed
Arabic
'ana Aaarif 'ahmad
'ana Aaarifuh
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Object
Object
saara Aaarifah
iddyhwly
Subject pronoun
The subject pronoun appears before the verb or participle.
English Arabic
I
we
you(m)
you(f)
you(pl)
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'ana
'ihna
'inta
'inti
'intu
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you(pl)
he/it(m)
she/it(f)
they
huwwa
hiya
humma
Object pronoun
You can attach an object pronoun (for example me or him) to the end of an imperative, verb or
participle. See pronouns for more information.
Ahmed envies me
aacHmad biyiHsad-ny
English
me
us
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Suffix
-ny
-na
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-ak
you(m)
-ik
you(f)
-kum
you(pl)
him/it(m)
her/it(f)
them
-uh
-ha
-hum
If there is an -i- before the last consonant and the suffix starts with a vowel, the -i- is dropped. If
the verb requires a preposition (to, from etc) the object goes on the preposition.
Here are some examples:
English
show me!
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Egyptian
warryny
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nobody helped us
mahaddish saeAidna
'ana shuftak
I saw you(m)
'ana bahibbik
I love you(f)
'ana Aaarifuh
I know him
'ana 'ultilhum
I told them
Indirect object
Some verbs require two objects- for example:
give it(f) to me
iiddy-haa-ly
It is the direct object and to me is the indirect object. The indirect object suffixes are as follows:
English
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Suffix
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to me
to us
to you(m)
to you(f)
to you(pl)
to him/it(m)
to her/it(f)
to them
-ly
-lina
-lak
-lik
-luku
-lu
-laha
-luhum
Tenses
In both english and Egyptian, a verb has different tenses to indicate when something happens- in
the past, now or in the future. The usage of each tense will be explained in more details later. Here
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bi-imperfect
ha-imperfect
active participle
passive participle
imperative
verbal noun
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Example Meaning
katab
yiktib
biyiktib
hayiktib
kaetab
maktub
iktib
kitaeba
No of
cases
he wrote
8 (i/we/you, etc)
8 (i/we/you, etc)
he is writing
he writes
8 (i/we/you, etc)
he knows how to write used with kaen
he will write
used with kaen
8 (i/we/you, etc)
3 (m/f/pl)
3 (m/f/pl)
write!
3 (m/f/pl)
2 (s/pl)
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place
maktab
2 (s/pl)
Case
The two main tenses of a verb are the perfect and the simple imperfect: the bi-and ha- imperfect
just have prefixes added to the simple imperfect. The usage of these tenses will be explained in
more detail the section on time. Here is the he case of each tense:
Tense
English
perfect
he wrote
he writes
ha-imperfect
he will write
Egyptian
huwwa katab
huwwa laezim yiktib
huwwa biyiktib
huwwa hayiktib
There are eight possible cases for each tense, corresponding to the eight pronoun forms
(I/we/you/he, etc). Remember that the three imperfect forms are very similar.
Perfect
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Perfect
Here is an example of the perfect, which is used for things that occurred in the past.
Perfect
English
I wrote
we wrote
you(m) wrote
you(f) wrote
you(pl) wrote
he/it(m) wrote
she/it(f) wrote
they wrote
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Pronoun Verb
'ana
katabt
'ihna
katabna
'inta
katabt
'inti
katabty
'intu
katabtu
huwwa
hiya
katab
katabit
humma
katabu
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they wrote
Simple imperfect
The imperfect has no meaning on its own: it is used in four ways:
with kaen for things that happened in the past
with modals like must, could, should etc.
with bi-prefix for things happening now
with ha-prefix for things that will happen
Here is an example with laazim, which means must.
Simple Imperfect
English
I must write
we must write
you(m) must write
you(f) must write
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laezim 'aktib
'ihna
laezim niktib
'inta
laezim tiktib
'inti
laezim tiktiby
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you(pl)must write
he/it(m)must write
she/it(f)must write
they must write
'intu
laezim tiktibu
huwwa
laezim yiktib
hiya
laezim tiktib
humma
laezim yiktibu
The english word must is a proper modal, it is the same for all cases. The Egyptian word
laezim is a proper modal. Later on, you will learn how to use participles and verbs as modals,
and you will see how they will change to match the case.
bi-imperfect
For the majority of verbs, the bi-imperfect is used to describe things happening now, and for
habitual actions. See active participles for the exceptions
It is the same as the simple imperfect, with a bi- in front. Note that there are some small changes
to the beginning of the imperfect when the prefix is added.
bi-imperfect
English
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Pronoun verb
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I write
we write
you(m) write
you(f) write
you(pl) write
he/it(m) writes
she/it(f) writes
they write
'ana
baktib
'ihna
biniktib
'inta
bitiktib
'inti
bitiktiby
'intu
bitiktibu
huwwa
hiya
biyiktib
bitiktib
humma
biyiktibu
ha-imperfect
The ha-imperfect is used for things that will happen at some time in the future.
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It is the same as the simple imperfect, with ha- in front. Note that there are some small changes to
the beginning of the imperfect when the prefix is added.
ha-imperfect
English
I will write
we will write
you(m) will write
you(f) will write
you(pl) will write
he/it(m) will write
she/it(f) will write
Pronoun Verb
'ana
haktib
'ihna
haniktib
'inta
hatiktib
'inti
hatiktiby
'intu
hatiktibu
huwwa
hiya
hayiktib
hatiktib
humma
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hayiktibu
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humma
hayiktibu
is/was/will be
As mentioned earlier, there is no word for is in Egyptian. There are, however, words for was - kaen
and will be - haykun .
kaan
kaen can be used on its own to talk about some situation in the past, or it can be used with the
imperfect and bi-imperfect to move the meaning of the verb into the past, and with the ha-imperfect
to indicate something that almost or nearly happened.
kaan
English
I was
we were
you(m) were
you(f) were
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Pronoun Verb
ana
kunt
ihna
kunna
'inta
kunt
'inti
kunty
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you(f) were
you(pl) were
he/it(m) was
she/it(f) was
they were
'intu
kuntu
huwa
kaen
hiya
kaenit
humma
kanu
Egyptian
kaen hina
kunt taAbaen 'awy
ilhafla kaenit kuwayisa
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preposition
preposition
we had a house
bi-imperfect
bi-imperfect
kaen Aandina biyt
kaen biyishrab sygaara
kaen biyishrab sigaeyar
kunt hadusuh
Note that, for prepositional sentences, kaen does not change with the subject of the sentence it is always kaen - it was.
haykwn
haykun simply means will be. Here are some examples:
haykwn
English
I will be
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Pronoun verb
ana
hakun
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we will be
you(m) will be
you(f) will be
you(pl) will be
he/it(m) will be
she/it will be(f)
they will be
ihna
hankun
'inta
hatkun
'inti
hatkuny
'intu
hatkunu
huwa
haykun
hiya
hatkun
humma
haykunu
Egyptian
ilhafla hatkun kuwayisa
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'ana hakun faady issaeAa chamsa
Note that, for prepositional sentences, haykun does not change with the subject of the
sentence - it is always haykun - it will be.
Time
Here is a summary of ways to express when something happens:
Construction
perfect
kaen + imperfect
kaen + bi-imperfect
bi-imperfect
PRO version
Example
katab
Meaning
he wrote
kaen yiktib
he was writing
kaen biyiktib
he used to write
biyiktib
he is writing
he writes
he can write
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ha-imperfect
hayiktib
kaen hayiktib
kaen + ha-imperfect
kaen haymut
raayih + imperfect
hayruh + imperfect
he will write
he intended to write
he almost died
raayih yiktib
hayruh yiktib
he is going to write
Participles
In both English and Egyptian, a participle is derived from a verb, but is used like an adjective. There
are two types of participle- active and passive. As they are adjectives, in Egyptian, there are three
forms- masculine, feminine and plural.
Participle English
Masculine Feminine
Plural
-a
-yn
Active
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wanting
Aaeyiz
Aaeyiza
Aaeyizyn
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Active
knowing
Active
understanding
Active
boiling
Active
daydreaming
Passive
bound
Passive
blessed
Passive
born
Passive
understood
Aaarif
Aaarifa
faehim
faehima
Galayaen Galayaen
sarhaen
mitgalid
sarhaena
mitgalida
Aaarifyn
faehimyn
Galayaen
sarhanyn
mitgalidyn
mawlud
mafhum
mawluda
mafhuma
mawludyn
mafhumyn
Active Participles
In English, we can describe something happening now by using the present tense or the active
participle:
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present I look
Verb
Active
Participle
hatt
haatyt
saefir
misaefir
Airif
Aaarif
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understand
sleep
angry
fihim
faehim
naem
naeyim
ziAil
zaAlaen
Active participles are like adjectives, and have masculine, feminine and plural forms. Here are some
examples showing how the participle agrees with the subject
English
I(m) know Ahmed
I(f) know Ahmed
we know Ahmed
you(m) know Ahmed
you(f) know Ahmed
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Verb
'ana Aaarif 'ahmad
'ana Aaarifa 'ahmad
ihna Aaarifyn 'ahmad
'inta Aaarif 'ahmad
'inti Aaarifa 'ahmad
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huwwa Aaarif 'ahmad
hiya Aaarifa 'ahmad
humma Aaarifyn 'ahmad
The participle is also used for an action that took place in the past but whose effect is still in force,
for example reserving a room:
Element
perfect
participle
English
tabacht ilAasha
'ana taabach Aasha
Arabic
I cooked dinner (a long time ago)
I cooked dinner (it is reaady now)
Passive Participles
A passive participle describes something that has had something done to it. In English it often ends
with -ed, and in Egyptian, it often begins with ma- . Passive participles are like adjectives, and
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Arabic
Verb
il'akl matbuch
tabach
issultaniya maksura
il'ardiyaet maGsulyn
kunt mitgawwiz
salamy mudachan
kasar
Gasal
'itgawwiz
dachchan
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Modal
Example
laezim
laezim yiktib
Meaning
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laezim
laezim yiktib
mumkin
mumkin yiktib
mihtaeg
mihtaeg yiktib
yimkin
yimkin yiktib
ilmafrud
ilmafrud yiktib
darury
darury yiktib
he must write
he could write
he needs to write
he might write
he should> write
it is essential that he should write
Aalashaen
Aalashaen yiktib
in order to write
pronounced Aashaen
There are also some verbs or participles that can be used as modals. Here are some examples:
Type
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Modal
Example
Aaewiz
Aaewiz yiktib
Meaning
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participle
participle
noun
verb
verb
verb
verb
verb
verb
Aaewiz
Aaewiz yiktib
naewy
naewy yiktib
nifs
nifsuh yiktib
'idir, yi'dar
Airif, yiAraf
yi'dar yiktib
yiAraf yiktib
habb, yihibb
lihi', yihla'
raah, yiruh
nisy, yinsa
yihibb yiktib
lihi' yiktib
raah yiktib
nisi yiktib
he wants to write
he intends to write
he wishes he could write
he is able to write
he knows how to write
he likes to write
he managed to write
he went to write
he forgot to write
Participles must agree with the gender and number, and verbs must be the appropriate case. True
modals like laezim do not change. Here are some examples.
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Type
English
modal
I must write
modal
modal
he must write
modal
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verb
I like to write
verb
he likes to write
Arabic
'ana laezim 'aktib
'inta laezim tiktib
huwwa laezim yiktib
humma laezim tiktibu
'ana Aaeyiz 'aktib
hiya Aaeyiza tiktib
humma Aaeyizyn yiktibu
ana baehibb 'aktib
huwwa biyihibb yiktib
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verb
verb
humma biyihibbu yiktibu
If the subject of the verb is not the same as the subject of the modal
I want to go (same)
I want him to go (different)
in both english and egpytian you add an object pronoun to the modal: in Egyptian it is attached to
the modal, or to any preposition associated with it.
English
she wants me to write
she wants to write
she wants him to write
he wants her to write
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Arabic
hiya Aaeyizany 'aktib
hiya Aaeyiza tiktib
hiya Aaeyizah yiktib
huwwa Aaeyizha tiktib
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bitihibbuh yiktib
biyihibbha tiktib
chalitw yiktib
talabt minnuh yiktib
Imperatives
When you want to tell somebody to do something, you use an imperative. In Egyptian, there are
three forms- masculine, feminine and plural. Here are some examples.
English
Verb
Imperfect
look!
go!
PRO version
yibuss
buss
yiruh
-u
bussy
ruwh
ruwhy
bussu
ruwhu
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yiygy
come!
taAaly
taAalu
taAaela
irregular
eat!
shut up!
calm down!
walk!
(go away)
yaekul
kul
kuly
yuskut
yihda
yimshy
kulu
'iskut
'iskuty
'ihda
'iskutu
'ihdy
'imshy
'ihdu
'imshy
'imshu
verbal nouns
It is sometimes useful to make a noun from a verb. Here are some examples:
English
wash your hands before eating
I have a reservation
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Arabic
Verb
kal
Aandy hagz
haegiz
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liAib
Negation of verbs
You can say that something is not happening using the word mish . It can appear before a verb,
or wrapped around it. Here are some examples:
English
he is not here
he was not here
I have not travelled outside egypt
I do not know
he was not able to come
he will not come
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Egyptian
huwwa mish hina
huwwa makansh hina
masafirtish barra masr
'ana mish Aaarif
ma'dirsh yigy
mish hayigy
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matimshysh
Adverbs
A verb explains what is being done: adverbs can be used to specify how, when, where and in what
manner it is being done. There can be more than one adverb- they are placed after the verb. Here
are some examples.
English
direction
position
time
Egyptian
'ahmad taalaA fu'
'ahmad gayy hina
'ahmad hayigy bukra biillyl
'ahmad biyimshy daymaen
'ahmad biyimshy bisuraAa
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quality
extent
'ahmad biyimshy bisuraAa giddaen
direction
Direction adverbs can be used with verbs like go
English
up
down
left
right
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Egyptian example
fu'
taht
shamael
yimyn
I am going upstairs
he dived down
turn left!
look right!
Gitis taht
chushsh shamael
buss yimyn
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Aala tul
straight ahead
location
Location adverbs can be used with verbs like go
English Egyptian English example
here
there
hina
hinaek
come here!
I have to go there tomorrow
Egyptian example
taAala hina
laezim 'aruwh hinaek bukrah
time
Time adverbs are used to specify when you do something: they can be used with almost any verb.
Here are some examples:
English
immediately
Egyptian
halaen
English example
I will open it immediately
dilwa'ty
PRO version
Egyptian example
haftahuh halaen
'ihna gaehizyn dilwa'ty
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dilwa'ty
now
already
innahaarda
today
tomorrow
next week
PRO version
no
equivalent
bukrah
huwwa mawgwd
ilhafla innahaarda biillyl
haruwh il'iskandiraaya
bukrah
'imbaarih
wasalt 'imbaarih
'awil
'imbaarih
il'usbwaA
illigaey
'ashtarytuh 'awil 'imbaarih
hanrawwah il'usbwaA
illigaey
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il'usbwaA dih
this week
last week
early
evening
later
again
badry
biillyl
baAdyn
kamaen
marrah
baAd kida
we will eat and afterwards we will
afterwards
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shuftaha il'usbwaA 'illy
faet
laezim ni'um badry bukrah
fy hafla biillyl
hashufak baAdyn
Ganny il'aGniya dih
kamaen marrah
hanaekul wa baAd kida
hani'Aad fyilginyna
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afterwards
baAd kida
min
ago
sikint hina min zamaen
frequency
This group of adverbs specifies how frequently you do something. Here are some examples:
English
usually
always
English example
Aaedataen
daymaen
naediraan
rarely
regularly
recently
PRO version
Egyptian
bi'intizaem
min 'urayib
Egyptian example
'ana bashuf ahmad naediraan
baruh ilgym bi'intizaem
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recently
'abadaen
at all
thany
again
Galibaen
often
forever
finally
lil'abad
all
(my/his/her)
life
tul ilyum
all day
firstly
recently
tul ilAumr
Aaeyiz 'aruh hinaek thany
hiya taAbaena Galibaen
mahaddish biyiAish lil'abad
mattar tul ilyum
kaen biyishrib sagaeyar tul
Aumruh
'awilaen
'achyraan
min wa't
lilthany
PRO version
baruh ilginyna min wa't lilthany
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occasionally
lilthany
biissaeAa
hourly
sometimes
'ahyanaen
binishuf samak 'irsh 'ahyanaen
hina
'aw'aet bitmattar fy masr
sometimes
'aw'aet
Note: always goes at beginning of
sentence
Extent
The following adverbs can be placed after an adjective or another adverb to indicate the extent:
English
slightly
reasonably
PRO version
Egyptian
shwaya
maA'ula
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'awy
very
extremely
chaalis
giddaen
Aail'achir
too
'awy
Derived adverbs
Most adjectives in english can be converted to an adverb by adding the letters -ly, for example nice
becomes nicely. In Egyptian, the adjective can be converted to an adverb by adding the ending -an
English
officially
theoretically
PRO version
adjective adverb
rasmy
nazary
rasmyaen
nazariyaen
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theoretically
naturally
literally
generally
normally
slightly
tabyAy
tabyAyaen
harfy
harfyaen
Aumumy Aumumaen
Aady
Aadataen
'ulayil
'alayalaen
Similarly, a noun can be converted to an adverbal phrase by adding the word with, for example
with care. In Egyptian, the same can be achieved by adding bi- at the start of the word.
English
with care
with speed
PRO version
Egyptian
bihazar
bisurAa
biirraaha
English
he opened the box carefully
Ahmed drives very fast
Egyptian
fatah ilAalba bihazar
'ahmad biyisu' bisurAa 'awy
'ilaAbu biirraaha
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with calm
with precision
with
moderation
in the evening
biirraaha
biizzabt
bi'iAatidael
biillyl
eat moderately
there is a party this evening
'ilaAbu biirraaha
il'igtimaeA 'achad saeAa
biizzabt
'akul bi'iAatidael
fy hafla biillyl
Miscellaneous
English
Egyptian
together
(people)
sawa
together
(people and
things)
maAa baAd
separately
well
PRO version
English example
kul wahid
liwahduh
kuwayis
we will travel
separately
he sings very well
Egyptian example
'ihna misaefiryn sawa
'ihna misaefiryn maAa baAd
'ihna misaefiryn kul wahid
liwahduh
huwwa biyiGanny kuwayis 'awy
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well
Prepositions
Prepositions define a relationship (in time, space,etc) between a noun and something else. In both
english and Egyptian, the preposition goes before the noun that it defines the relationship to. Here
are some examples:
Domain
English
time
after
space
behind
quality
like
reference
Egyptian
baAd
wara
zayy
Aand
according hasab
according to the police,
to
the riot started at 2am
ownership have
PRO version
Egyptian English
hasab kalaem ilbulys, ishshaGab
'ibtada issaeAa ithnyn
Aandy biyt fy il'aehira
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Preposition English
name
Ahmed
complex
noun
the man
who...
object
pronoun
her
qualifying
pronoun
this
Egyptian
hiya maAa 'ahmad
il'utta guwwa ilbiyt
wasalt baAd irraagil illy wasal
issigaeda
wasalt baAdaha
mihtaeg 'alam thany zayy dah
Be careful! If it's not a noun, but a complete clause (ie it has a verb), you have to use a
conjunction. In english, it's confusing because the preposition and conjunction are often the same
word: in Egyptian it is necessary to insert the word maa to convert a preposition ot a conjunction.
See more about this below.
Prepositions of time
PRO version
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after
'abl
before
athnaa'
during
lihadd
till
liGaeyit
till
Egyptian
hanibtidy baAd ilAiyd
laezim 'adhin ilbiyt 'abl issyf
ittadchyn mamnuA 'athnaa' ilAashaa'
'ana mawgud lihadd ilAashaa'
humma mawgudyn liGaeyit saeAa
tamanya
Prepositions of space
English
from
away from
PRO version
Egyptian English
Egyptian
min
he is from Cairo
Aan
ilkalb garry minny
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at/toward
fu'
above
taht
below
opposite
opposite
at
PRO version
fy
at
facing
Aala
'usaad
guzy fy ilbiyt
sha''aty fu' ilmaGsala
fy samak kityr taht ilmayaeh
ilmataAm 'usaad mahattit
il'ataar
'ubael
fy
wishsh
Aand
maktab ilgamaarik Aand
ilmataar
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Aand
at
behind
beside
wara
gamb
fy
in
guwa
inside
outside
bara
between
Aala
on
PRO version
byn
biittul
il'utta waraaky
kaen fy hadtha ganb ilgamAa
ilkalb fy ilginyna
laezim ni'Aud guwa ilbiyt
Aaeyiz haga min baraa?
ilAysh Aala ittarabyza
ilGarda'a byn issaharaa' wa
ilbahr
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biittul
along
surrounding
ishshaariA
ilmanzar hawalyn ilbiyt gamyl
'awy
Note that you don't need a prepositional to after words like raah - go.
I am going to Cairo
aacnaa raayiH iil-Qaahirao
Miscellaneous Prepositions
English
concerning
there is
Egyptian
'amae...
fa...
zayy
like
PRO version
Egyptian English
fy
fy bu'Aa Aala il'amys dih
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there is
Aan
about
according
to
contrary
hasab
Aaks
'ila
except
ba'ra kitaeb Aan iththura
hasab kalaem 'ahmad, haykun fy
hawaa' kityr bukrah
r'ayy Aaks r'ayak
mafish akl 'ila ilAayshsh dah
maAada
except
instead of
despite
baddal
biirraGm
min
nigih biirraGm min ziraaAuh ilmaksur
fy Aashara duyuf zae'yid 'ithnyn
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zae'yid
plus
muwazafyn
Prepositions of ownership
This important group is discussed in more detail in the section on ownership.
English
own
have with you
have got
for
Egyptian
Aand
maAa
ly
Aalashaen
English
I own a car
I have a cigarette lighter
I have two legs
there was a phone call for you
Egyptian
Aandy Aarabiya
maAayah walaeAa
ly riglyn
kaen fy mukalma Aalashaenak
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In English, many conjunctions are the same as prepositions: In Egyptian, some prepositions can be
converted to a conjunction by adding the word ma . Here are some examples:
Element
English
Egyptian
'iGsil iydyk 'abl ilAashaa'
'iGsil iydyk 'abl ma taekul
hiya wasalit baAd ilmasarahiya
hiya wasalit baAd ma ilmasrahiya 'ibtadit
biyitsarraf zayy ilmaelik
biyitsarraf zayy ma yikun ilmakaen bitaeAuh
yikun is added in the last example because it is something that is unlikely to happen. See kaan
for more details.
Conjunctions
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Conjunctions are the useful little words that join clauses together to make more complex sentences.
I want to make bread but I don't have enough flour
Aaayiz aacAamil Aiysh lakin maAandysh diqyq kifaayao
Part
English
Main clause
Conjunction
but
Egyptian
Aaeyiz 'aAamil Aiysh
lakin
If you just want to attach a noun, you should use a preposition, but if you want to attach a clause
(ie, there is a verb on both sides), then a conjunction is required. In English, the same word is often
used for both preposition and conjunction, but there are differences in Egyptian: see prepositions
and conjunctions for more details.
If there is a subject pronoun in the second clause, it becomes an object pronoun attached to the
conjunction. For example:
I feared that she was lost
aanaa Kuft iinnahaa tikwn taahit
The following table lists most of the common conjunctions, and gives examples how they can be
PRO version
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used.
English
Egyptian
English Example
'inn
that
as long
as
tul ma
Aalashaen
because
pronounced
Aashaen
in order
to
after
and
PRO version
Egyptian Example
ana chuft 'innaha tikun taehit
tul ma bitis'y ilginyna, izzaraA
hayikbar
Aalashaen
baAd ma
wi
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Aala 'inn
as if
kae'inn
as if
'abl ma
before
bass
but
lakin
but
'in
if
'iza
if
instead
PRO version
zayy ma
as if
badal ma
ditto
If you go, you will get into a fight
badal ma matruh, kalimhum
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instead
of
zay ma
like
neither..
nor..
lae...
walaeh..
'aw
or
wala
or (in
question)
'ahsan
rather
than
otherwise
unless
PRO version
wa 'illa
'ila 'iza
zayy ma Aamalt fyh hayitAamil
fyk
la dah naefaA walaeh dah
biyinfaA
mumkin naekul samak 'aw firaach
Aaewiz taekul samak wala
firaach?
'akul issamak 'ahsan min ilfiraach
'ichrassy wa 'illa haarawahik
matidyhush filus 'ila 'iza 'ana
samahtylak
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If I were rich...
If an event or situation is improbable or impossible, in English we use modals like 'would' and 'were'.
In Egyptian, the word kaen is used after law . Compare these two sentences:
if I have time, I will read the book
iicdhaa Aandy waqt, haaqraac iil-kitaab
if I had time, I would read the book
law kaan Aandy waqt, kunt qaryt iil-kitaab
When
conditional clause
past
Courtesies
This section summarises the expressions that are used daily to greet and say goodbye to people,
ask for things and thank people on a day to day basis.
Religion
Religion is very important in Egypt. There are several phrases that you will hear regularly in any
conversation.
Egyptian
English
ilhamdu lillah
'allah yisalaemak
'allah yisalaemik
'inn shaa' 'allah
ya rab
thanks to Allah
may god protect you m
may god protect you f
god willing
Oh god!
rabbina
PRO version
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rabbina
our god!
issalaem Aalykum
greeting
Aalykum issalaem
response
Addressing somebody
ya is often used before somebody's name or title as a greeting
Egyptian
ya 'ahmad
ya rayis
ya 'ustah
ya 'ustaez
English
hey, Ahmad!
hey, boss!
driver!
hey mister(teacher)!
to a respectable person
ya 'ustaeza
PRO version
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hey madam!
basha
pasha m/f
In addition to the standard pronouns for you, there are some more formal versions:
Egyptian
'inta
informal
English
you m
you f
you pl
'inti
'intu
hadritak
sir
hadritik
madam
formal
PRO version
siyadtak
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siyadtak
siyadtik
'afandim
sir
madam
Sir/Madam
Greetings
To welcome somebody, you can use one of these phrases...
Egyptian
greeting
response
response
response
greeting
PRO version
English
'ahlaen wa sahlaen
'ahlaen wa sahlaen
welcome to you m
welcome to you f
'ahlaen byk
'ahlaen byky
hamd illah Aala salamtak
greeting
greeting
hamd illah Aala salamtik
Whenever you meet somebody that you already know, you should shake hands (very gently) and
use one of the following greetings.
Before sunset, the following informal greetings are used:
Egyptian
greeting
response
response
response
English
sabaeh ilchyr
sabaeh innur
sabaeh il'ishta
sabaeh ilful
a day of wellbeing
a day of light
a day of cream
a day of daisies
After sunset, the following informal greetings may be used: I have heard them very rarely, though.
Egyptian
PRO version
English
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greeting
response
response
misaa' ilchyr
misaa' ilchyr
misaa' ilful
an evening of wellbeing
an evening of wellbeing
an evening of daisies
English
Aaemil 'iyh?
Aaemila 'iyh?
'izayak?
'izayik?
il'achbaar 'iyh?
what's new?
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response
response
response
response
response
response
question
question
miya miya, ilhamdu lillah
kuwayis, ilhamdu lillah
kuwayisa, ilhamdu lillah
nus nus
mish battaal
wa 'inta?
and you m?
and you f?
wa 'inti?
If you know them well, you should ask how their wives, children, etc...
Introductions
PRO version
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Egyptian
English
'ismak 'iyh?
'ismik 'iyh?
'ismy ...
tisharrafna
'istirayahy
tishrab 'iyh?
tishraby 'iyh?
PRO version
English
make yourself m comfortable
make yourself f comfortable
what will you m drink?
what will you f drink?
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Meal time
Egyptians normally have two big meals a day, plus a snack before bedtime.
English
Time
Types of food
Egyptian
breakfast
11-12am
fitaar
breakfast
sunset
(Ramadan)
lunch
5-8pm
dinner
before
sleeping
yogurt, fruit
'iftaar
Gada
Aasha
Here are some expressions that are often used around meal times
Egyptian
remark
PRO version
biilhanna wa ishshiffa
When to say it
before or after eating
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remark
response
sufrah daeymaen
say to host
before leaving table
like "thanks for the meal"
biilhanna wa ishshiffa
Please
Egyptian
to m
to f
to m
to f
to m
to f
PRO version
English
Aan 'iznak
excuse me
Aan 'iznik
law samaht
law samahty
please
min fadlak
min fadlik
please
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request
response
mumkin...
mumkin
Thank you
Egyptian
remark
remark
remark
reply
reply
English
shukraan
'alf shukr
mutshakir a'wy
Aafwaen
ilAafw
don't mention it
you are welcome
you are welcome
Goodbyes
PRO version
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Egyptian
remark
reply
English
maAa issalaema
maAa issalaema
hashufak 'imtae?
hashufik 'imtae?
hashufak baAdyn
hashufik baAdyn
with safety
with safety
When will I see you f?
When will I see you f?
See you m later
See you f later
Achievement
Egyptian
English
hazz saAyd
remark
PRO version
mabruk
good luck!
congratulations
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remark
response
response
'allah yibaarik fyky
congratulations
god bless you m
god bless you f
Occasions
Egyptian
English
kul sana wa 'inta tayib every year and you are happy
birthdays, new year, feasts
remark
response
ramadaan karym
'allah 'akram
during ramadan
during ramadan
Opinions
Egyptian
question
PRO version
English
'iyh r'ayak?
question
question
question
response
response
response
response
response
response
response
PRO version
'iyh r'ayik?
tamaem?
tamaem kidah?
'aywa
mashy
tamaem
tayib
haadir
mayinfaAsh
mish mumkin
response
response
response
response
response
response
response
response
response
laa'
laa' 'abadaen
'aha
Aafwaen?
'ana mish Aaarif
'ana mish Aaarifa
'ana mish faehim
'ana mish faehima
no
never!
offensive way of disagreeing
Pardon?
if you didn't hear
I m/f am not sure
I m don't know
I f don't know
I m don't understand
I f don't understand
Hassle
PRO version
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'imshy
chalaas kidah
haraam Aalyk
haraam Aalyky
go away!
stop this
shame on you m!
shame on you f!
chalyk muhtaram
be respectful!
'ihtirim nafsak
if a man gets
over-friendly to a woman
Insults
remark
remark
PRO version
remark
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humaar
'ibn marah
donkey
offensive
your father is a woman
very offensive
remark
response
very offensive
'ifandim???
pardon????
Negation
The word mish is used to negate a phrase. It is either placed in front of the verb or preposition,
or wrapped around it.
Structure
English
I have cigarettes
I don't have any cigarettes
Preposition
There is water
There is no water
I was there
kaan
PRO version
Arabic
Aandy sagaeyar
maAandysh sagaeyar
fy mayaeh
mafysh mayaeh
'ana kunt hinaek
'ana makuntish hinaek
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'ana shuft 'ahmad
'ana mashuftish 'ahmad
'ana Aaarif
'ana mish Aaarif
participle
I do not know
aacnaa maAaarifsh
He wants to eat
imperfect
PRO version
Aaeyiz yaekul
mish Aaeyiz yaekul
mayaekulsh
bahibb ilkitaeb dah
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bi-imperfect
I do not like this book
less common...
mish bahibb ilkitaeb dah
]
I will buy the book
Ha-imperfect
I will not buy the book
imperative
hashtiry ilkitaeb
mish hashtiry ilkitaeb
go away!
iimshy!
don't go!
use mish+you-imperfect
matimshysh
Sometimes ma- is used on it own- the -sh does not appear after the word. There are no rules about
when this can happen.
Numbers
Arabic digits are not the same as Roman digits:
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zero
one
two
three
four
five
six
seven
eight
sifr
waehid
'itnyn
talaeta
'arbaAa
chamsa
sitta
sabAa
tamanya
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nine
10
ten
tisAa
Aashara
Ordinal
fifth
Cardinals
Cardinals are used for counting and specifying how many of something. Usage of the first few
numbers is complicated, but it gets easier after that :-). There are special rules for:
People of a particular nationality (eg one englishman)
Quantities- weight, money, and when you are ordering something (eg teas)
People in general (men, women etc)
Things - everything else
PRO version
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Number Form
Nationals
Egyptians
Quantities
Things
People
weight
books
men
money
chairs
women
tea
minutes
sifr
wazn
zero
mafysh
masriyyin
+plural
noun
kutub
rigala
karasy
filus
sittaet
da'aeyi'
shaey
kylw
waehid
masry
ginyh
+sing
noun
PRO version
shaey
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wahda
one
masriya
+sing
noun
kitaeb
raagil
kursy
sitt
di'y'a
ns
on its own
rigala
'itnyn
masriyyin
sittaet
+plural
noun
kylw
'itnyn
PRO version
gynyh
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two
+sing
noun
shaey
kitabyn
kursiyyin
noun-yn
di'i'tyn
kylw
talaeta
+sing
noun
gynyh
masrya
shaey
three
kutub
talat
PRO version
masry
rigala
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rigala
talat
karasy
sittaet
da'aeyi'
+plural
noun
four thru nine, same as 3
Zero
For zero, there is no equivalent of no as in no books. Instead, the verb or preposition is negated
with mish . As in english, the noun is a plural. Alternatively, you can use or without- min Gyr
.
English
zero
no egyptians (m/f)
no weight
no money
PRO version
Egyptian
sifr
mafysh masriyyin
wazn
filus
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no money
no tea
no men
no women
no books
no chairs
no seconds
shaey
ragala
sittaet
kutub
karasy
da'aeyi'
One
The number one has a masculine and feminine form. Both forms are used for people of a particular
nationality eg an englishman.
For weights, money and when ordering things, the masculine form only is used.
In English, we would usually say a book rather than one book: the same is true in Egyptian, but
PRO version
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Egyptian
waehid
waehid masry
waHdao maSriyao
a kilo
waaHid kylw
a guinea
waaHid ginyh
one tea
waaHid shaay
a man
raagil
a woman
sitt
a book
kitaab
a chair
kursy
a minute
diqyqao
Two
For people of a particular nationality, eg two englishmen or two egyptians, use the number 'itnyn
PRO version
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PRO version
Egyptian
'itnyn
'itnyn masryyin
two kilos
iictnyn kylw
two guineas
iictnyn ginyh
two teas
iictnyn shaay
two men
iictnyn ragaalaa
two women
iictnyn sittaat
two books
kitaabyn
two chair
kursiyyin
two minutes
diqiqtyn
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Three to Ten
For People of nationalities, use the number followed by a plural noun.
For weights, money and when ordering things, use the number followed by a singular noun.
For people and things, use the short form listed below followed by a plural noun:
Digit English Egyptian English
3
PRO version
three
four
five
six
seven
eight
talaeta
'arbaAa
chamsa
sitta
sabAa
tamanya
three books
four books
five books
six books
seven books
eight books
Egyptian
talat kutub
'arbaAa kutub
chamas kutub
sitt kutub
sabaA kutub
taman kutub
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tisAa
nine
Aashara
10
ten
nine books
ten books
tisAa kutub
Aashara kutub
Egyptian
hidaeshar
'itnaeshar
talatshar
'arbaAtashar
chamastashar
sittashar
English
eleven books
twelve books
thirteen books
fourteen books
fifteen books
sixteen books
Egyptian
hidaeshar kitaeb
'itnaeshar kitaeb
talatshar kitaeb
'arbatAshar kitaeb
chamastashar kitaeb
sittashar kitaeb
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sixteen
seventeen
eighteen
nineteen
sabaAtashar
tamantashar
tisAatashar
sixteen books
seventeen books
eighteen books
nineteen books
sabaAtashar kitaeb
tamantashar kitaeb
tisAatashar kitaeb
The digits in Egyptian numbers are written in the same order as in European numbers. When
expressed as words, however, the two digits are stated as units and tens, as in german not english,
with wa in between:
35
thirty five
Kamsao wa talatyn
Here are the numbers from 20 to 90:
English Egyptian
twenty
Aasharyn
talatyn
PRO version
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thirty
forty
fifty
sixty
seventy
eighty
ninety
talatyn
'arbaAyn
chamsyn
sittyn
sabaAyn
tamanyn
tisAyn
Hundreds
Here are the numbers from one to nine hundred. Note that the short form myt is used when
hundreds are followed by a noun (which must be singular):
English
PRO version
Egyptian
short form
+ singular noun
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one hundred
two hundred
three hundred
four hundred
five hundred
six hundred
seven hundred
eight hundred
nine hundred
miya
myt kitaeb
mityn
mityn kitaeb
tultumiya
tultumyt kitaeb
rubAumiya
rubAumyt kitaeb
suttumiya
subuAmiya
suttumyt kitaeb
subuAamyt kitaeb
tusAumiya
tusAumyt kitaeb
Thousands
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Here are the numbers from one to nine thousand. Five thousand should really be chamsaet 'alf
, but it is pronounced as below.
English
one thousand
two thousand
three thousand
four thousand
five thousand
six thousand
seven thousand
eight thousand
PRO version
Egyptian
alf
alfyn
talat talaef
'arbaA talaef
chamas talaef
sit talaef
sabaA talaef
taman talaef
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nine thousand
ten thousand
tisaA talaef
Aashar talaef
Ordinals
To explain the sequence of things (first, second, third), you use the ordinal. It can be either as an
adjective or as a noun in the genitive form: As an adjective, the ordinal be preceded by il and, for
1 to 9, must agree with the gender of the noun. From 11 onwards, the cardinal numbers are the
same as ordinals, and are used as adjectives only.
English
the third day
third day
the third time
third time
PRO version
Egyptian
ilyum ittaelit
taelit yum
ilmarra ittalta
taelit marra
ilyum ilAaeshir
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Aaeshir yum
ilmarra ilAaeshira
Aaeshir marra
ilyum ilhidaeshar
ilmarra ilhidaeshar
ilyum ilAasharyn
ilmarra ilAasharyn
awwil
Egyptian
ilkitaeb il'awwil
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first
'uula
second
tany
tanya
third
taelit
talta
fourth
rabAa
rabAa
fifth
chams
chamsa
PRO version
il'utta il'uula
ilkitaeb ittany
il'utta ittanya
ilkitaeb ittaelit
il'utta ittalta
ilkitaeb irrabAa
il'utta irrabAa
ilkitaeb ilchaamis
il'utta ilchamsa
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sixth
saedis
saetit
seventh
seventh
eighth
eighth
ninth
ninth
tenth
PRO version
saebiA
saebiAa
taemin
tamna
Aaeshir
il'utta issaetit
ilkitaeb issaebiA
il'utta issaebiAa
ilkitaeb ittaemin
il'utta ittamna
ilkitaeb ittaesiA
taesiA
tasAa
ilkitaeb issaedis
Aaeshira
tenth
the tenth cat
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il'utta ittaesiAa
ilkitaeb ilAaeshir
il'utta ilAaeshira
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tenth
From the eleventh onwards, the cardinal and ordinal are the same. Here are some examples:
Number
eleven
twelve
thirteen
twenty
thirty
forty
one hundred
two hundred
PRO version
Ordinal
English
hidaeshar
'itnaeshar
talaetashar
Aasharyn
thalatyn
'arbaAyn
miya
mityn
Egyptian
ilkitaeb ilhidaeshar
ilkitaeb il'itnashar
ilkitaeb ittalaetashar
ilkitaeb ilAasharyn
ilkitaeb ittalatyn
ilkitaeb il'arbaAyn
ilkitaeb ilmiya
ilkitaeb ilmityn
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two hundred
three hundred
one thousand
tultumiya
'alf
ilkitaeb ittultumiya
ilkitaeb il'alf
Fractions
The following fractions are widely used:
English
half
a third
a quarter
three quarters
Egyptian
nus
tilt
rubaA
talaet 'arbaAa
Questions
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To ask how many people or things, you should use kam before the noun. To ask for a
sequence or reference number (what or which, you put the kam after the noun. In all of these
cases, the noun is singular.
Type English
count How many children do you have?
count How many days will you stay?
count How many guests tomorrow?
what
what
what
what
Egyptian
Aandak kam walad?
kam yum hatinizil?
kam zibun bukrah?
nimritak kaem?
issaeAa kaem?
il'igtimaeA issaeAa kaem?
sha''ytak raqam kaem?
Aaeyiz dur kaem?
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Ownership
There are several different ways to indicate ownership and belonging. These are:
Egyptian
Meaning
Egyptian
English
possessive
my/your/his
pronoun
'ismuh
simple
genitive
ism ilwalad
bitaeA
of
his name
the name of the boy
ilbasbur bitaeAy
belonging
Aand
maAa
ly
PRO version
ownership
have with you
having for a purpose
intended for
attached
my passport
Aandy biyt
maAaek kabryt?
I have a house
Do you have matches (on you)?
fy busta lyk
milk
(my/your/his) property
possessive pronoun
In both english and arabic, the most common way of expressing ownership is with a posessive
pronoun (my, your... etc). In egyptian, this is a suffix attached to the noun. Here are some examples:
English
my name
your(m) name
your(f) name
my house
his house
my father
PRO version
Arabic
'ismy
'ismak
'ismik
biyty
biytuh
'abwya
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your(f) father
his father
our god
'abuha
'abuh
rabbina
The posessive pronouns themselves are pretty easy to learn, but when the pronouns are attached
to nouns, the vowels do a little dance to make sure that you don't get three consonants in a row.
See pronouns for more information.
simple genitive
In english, the simple genitive can take two forms: both are expressed in the same way in arabic.
English
Egyptian
'ism irraagil
'ism irraagil
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il- can be attached to the second noun if required, but must never be attached to the first noun. If
the first noun is feminine, the -a ending changes to -it . Nothing must be placed between the
two nouns. Adjectives go after the second noun, but must agree in gender and number with the first
noun. If a possessive suffix is required, it must go on the second word (or use bitaeA ) . Here are
some examples:
English
the boy's name is strange
I have her telephone number
Where is the railway station?
Do you know my cousin? (uncle's son)
Do you know my cousin? (uncle's son)
Have you seen the boss's new car?
Egyptian
'ism ilwalad Garyb
Aandy nimrit tilyfunha
mahatit il'atr fyn?
'inta Aaarif 'ibn Aammy?
tiAarif 'ibn Aammy?
'inta shuft Aarabiyit ilmudyr ilgidyda?
'inta shuft ilAarabiya 'illy maAa ilmudyr ilgidyd?
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I want a bottle of water
iddyny 'izzaezit ilmayaeh
Belonging- bitaA
bitaA is used in several ways:
noun +
noun +
bitaA +
bitaA +
bitaA is always used for ownership when the noun ends in -yn and for imported words (my
villa). It is not used for parts of the body (my leg).
English
I have lost my passport
Egyptian
'ana daayAt ilbasbur bitaAy
Aandak kam 'uuda fy ilvyla bitaAtak?
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huwwa bitaeA chudaar
He is a vegetable seller
huwwa bitaeA laban
He is a milk seller
means he's a ladies' man
battal tuhrush fy bitaeAak
bitaeA is like a participle, so it has to agree in gender and number with the noun. Here are all of
the possible endings:
English
belonging to me
PRO version
pl
the book
the bag
the books
ilkitaeb bitaeA-
ishshanta bitaAt-
ilkutub bituA-
bitaAy
bitaAty
bituAy
bitaAna
bitaeAitna
bituAna
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bitaAna
belonging to us
bitaeAitna
belonging to you(m)
belonging to you(f)
belonging to you(pl)
belonging to him
belonging to her
belonging to them
bitaeAak
bituAna
bitaAtak
bitaeAik
bituAak
bitaAtik
bitaeAitkum
bitaeAuh
bituAha
bitaeAithum
bitaeAitha
bitaAhum
bituAkum
bituAuh
bitaAtuh
bitaAha
bituAik
bitaAkum
bituAhum
Ownership - Aand
Aand means that you own something but don't necessarily have with you. It can also be used
about members of your family. An object pronoun can be added to indicate who owns something.
Here are some examples:
English
PRO version
Egyptian
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Aandy Aarabiya
I have a car
Aanduh waladyn
Aandak kutub?
Arabic
Aandy
Aandina
Aandak
Aandik
Aandukum
Aanduh
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he has
she has
they have
Aanduh
Aandaha
Aanduhum
Egyptian
maAak ilmafatyh?
'ana haaruh maAaak
maAak fakka?
Egyptian
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I have
we have
you(m) have
you(f) have
you(pl) have
he has
she has
they have
maAaeya
maAana
maAaek
maAaky
maAaekum
maAaeh
maAaha
maAaehum
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for something that is intended for somebody or something. It is also used when an inanimate object
has something. Here are some examples:
English
he has only one leg
she has two children
there is mail for you (f)
I owe you five pounds
Lit: I have five founds for you(m)
this present is for (all of) you(pl)
I want a garden seat
A seat intended for the garden
the flat has a garage
Egyptian
lyh rigl wahda bas
lyha waladyn
fy busta lyky
Aandy chamsa giny lyk
ilhidaya dy lykum
Aaeyiz kursy lilginiyna
ishsha''a lyha garaaj
ishsha''a fyhae'uudtyn
the flat has two bedrooms
use fy because rooms are inside
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m
liya
lyna
lyk
lyky
lykum
lyh
lyha
lyhum
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Egyptian
Aanduh biyt milkuh
Aandy 'ard milk fy ilGarda'a
Quantities
You can specify a quantity in several ways:
measures - metres, kilos etc
numbers
containers - packs, bottles etc
approximate amounts - a little, a lot etc
Measures
For weights, lengths and other measurements, you use a number followed by a singular noun.
'ahmad tuluh mitr 1 wa 90 santy
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ishshanta dih bi Aishryn ginyh
'itnyn kylw bataatis, law samaht
Aaeyiz myt garam salamy
mihtaeg rubaA kylw zibda
ilAarabiya gaebit tamanya tun mayae
Numbers
See the section in numbers for more information about this.
Containers
If you want something in a container of some sort: carton, bottle, etc, you use the genitive of the
container. The main effect of this is that words ending in tee-marbuta -a are pronounced -it .
Here are some examples:
PRO version
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Aaeyiz Aalbit sagaeyar
'izzaezit maeya, law samaht
Approximate measures
tea without sugar
normal tea
(with three sugar)
weak tea
strong tea
a little milk
I don't have enough money
PRO version
shaey mazbut
shaey chafyf
shaey ti'yl
shuwayit laban
maAandysh filus kifaeya
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Aanduh filus kityr
Aandak 'ashaeb yama
Questions
There are four main groups of questions.
Direct- what, when, why
Indirect- courteous question and whether
Confirmation - isn't it so?
Rhetorical- you are making a point and don't expect an answer
English quirks
In english, it is possible to ask a question in many different ways. some of these translate easily into
Egyptian: others require a little thought. The ones you need to watch out for are:
sentences with 'do' where you are not doing anything
sentences with 'got' where you are not getting anything
sentences with how followed by an adverb or adjective (see adverbal question)
For all english verbs except is and have, you can turn a statement into a question by putting do in
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front of it.
you know John
do you know John?
.
In egyptian, you can either add huwwa at the start of the sentence or use inflection you know
john?
The word have is somewhat overused in english, and English speakers often reduce the risk of
confusion by saying have you got rather than the older form, still used by most americans, do you
have...?. There is no equivalent in egyptian, so inflection is used
Direct questions
It is possible to frame a direct question in several ways:
using a query word at the end of the sentence
preceding a sentence with huwwa
by inflection
Query words
In english, a query word normally start the sentence: in egyptian it is normally at the end of the
sentence. For example
where are you going?
raayiH fyn?
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Egyptian
'iyh
'imta
fyn
minyn
'izzay
'anhw
kaem
how many
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what (number)
how much (of something)
how much (money)
why
kaem
'add iyh
bikaem
lyh
The simple imperfect ('aAamil, tiAuz, yiruh is often used in questions. Here are some
examples:
English
how are you?
how are you?
lit. what are you doing?
what are you doing?
Egyptian
'izzayak?
'aAamil 'iyh?
bitaAamil 'iyh?
'ashufak 'imta?
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'ashufak 'imta?
ilmahatta fyn?
mumkin 'ashtiry ward min fyn?
minyn mumkin 'ashtiry ward?
'inta minyn?
'ashhan ittilyfun dah 'izzay?
Aaewiz ilkitaeb 'anhw?
'anhw ilkubaeya bitaAitak?
Aaewiz laban 'add iyh?
ishshanta dy bikaem?
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why is he going?
Egyptian
'add iyh? 'add kidah
lyh? Aalashaen
lyh? kidah
lyh? 'ahsan kidah
lyh? lyh laa'?
To ask how many people or things, you should use kaem before the noun. To ask for a
sequence or reference number (what or which, you put the kaem after the noun. In all of these
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Egyptian
Aandak kaem walad?
hatinizil kaem yum?
kaem zibun bukrah?
nimritak kaem?
issaeAa kaem?
il'igtimaeA issaeAa kaem?
sha''itak ra'am kaem?
sha''itak 'anhw?
Aaeyiz dur kaem?
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Pronoun questions
In english, it is possible to make a question by swapping the subject and verb. For example,
he is english
is he english?
The equivalent in Egyptian arabic is to put the query pronoun huwwa at the start of the
sentence. You should think of this as "Is it so that..."
huwwa iicnta gaay maAa-naa?
Is it so that you are coming with us?
Inflection
In english, you can make a statement by saying she is coming. or turn it into a question, she is
coming? just by the tone of your voice: the pitch rises a little at the end of the sentence to indicate
a question. You can do exactly the same thing in Arabic. hiya gayya is a statement nd hiya
gayya? is a question.
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Direct
Indirect
where is the station? Can you tell me where the station is?
what is the time?
is he coming?
The query-word whether is used only in indirect questions: in egyptian, 'iza is used for this.
English
Can you tell me where the station is?
Do you know what the time is?
Do you know whether he is coming?
Egyptian
mumkin ti'uly fyn ilmahatta?
'inta Aaarif issaeAa kaem?
'inta Aaarif 'iza huwwa gayy?
Confirmation questions
If you are pretty sure about something but want to check, you can use one of the following methods:
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English
he's coming, isn't he?
he's coming, isn't that so?
he's coming, right?
Arabic
huwwa mish gaey?
huwwa gaey, mish kidah?
huwwa gaey, sahh?
Rhetorical questions
A rhetorical question is used to make a point: you don't expect an answer. Any of the above
methods can be used to ask rhetorical questions.
English
wouldn't it be better if you(m) shut up?
you(m) must be kidding!
you(m) are an idiot, right?
PRO version
Arabic
mish tiskut 'ahsan?
bithazzar, mish kidah?
'inta 'ahbal, sahh?
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re-phrased
Egyptian
kaem marra fy il'usbwaA...
ilharraara kaem
huwwa il'imtihaen kaen
saAb?
Time
Time can be expressed in several different ways:
units of time - days, weeks etc
parts of the day - morning/afternoon
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Units of time
English Egyptian Plural
moment
second
minute
hour
day
week
month
PRO version
lahza
lahzaet
thanya
thawany
di'y'a
da'aeyi'
saeAa
yum
saAaet
'ayaem
'usbuA
'asaebiyA
shahr
shuhur
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month
year
lifetime
sana
sinyn
Aumr
'aAmaar
Arabic
illyl
issubh
masaa'
fagr
idduhr
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idduhr
noon
baAd idduhr
after noon
ilmaGrib
sunset
nus illyl
midnight
Time of day
In English, it is normal to use half and quarter hours to describe time. In addition, in Egyptian, thirds
are used. Here is a list of the words that can be used:
English
half
a third
a quarter
PRO version
Arabic
nus
tilt
rubA
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and
less
wa
'ila
Arabic
sabAa
sabAa wa chamsa
sabAa wa Aashara
sabAa wa rubA
sabAa wa tilt
sabAa wa nus 'ila chamsa
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sabAa wa nus
sabAa wa nus wa chamsa
tamanya 'ila tilt
tamaanyao iiclaa rubaA
tamanya 'ila Aashara
tamanya 'ila chamsa
Relative time
English
the day before yesterday
yesterday
today
PRO version
Arabic
'awil 'imbaarih
'imbaarih
innahaarda
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today
bukrah
tomorrow
baAd bukrah
Arabic
iluusbwaA 'ily faet
iluusbwaA dih
iluusbwaA 'ily gaey
Arabic
dilwa'ty
baAd shuwayao
baAdyn
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not yet
early
late (at night)
lissah
badry
wachry
Days of week
English
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
PRO version
Arabic
yum ilaahad
yum il'ithnyn
yum ittalaet
yum il'arbaAa
yum ilchamys
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Friday
Saturday
yum ilgumaAa
yum issabt
Dates
Which one?
This section explains how to specify which of several things we are interested in, or talking about.
Definite article
To talk about a particular man, we say 'the man' in english. In arabic, we attach il- to the front of
the noun.
the man is reading his book
iil-raagil biyiqraac kitaab-uh
Note that adding il- to a word affects the pronunciation if it begins with a sun letter.
Indefinite article
If we don't want to refer to any man in particular, we say 'a man' in english. There is no equivalent of
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Adjectives
In both English an Egyptian, you can use an adjective to specify which one you are interested in:
you simply put the - il- in front of the adjective. Note that, in Egyptian, the noun still retains its il prefix.
PRO version
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English
Egyptian
Aaeyiz kura hamra
'araa't ilkitab ilkibyr
specify
Demonstrative adjectives
One particular type of adjective is a demonstrative adjective. These are almost the same as the
demonstrative pronouns.
this man
iil-raagil dah
The demonstrative adjectives are:
English
this (man)
Arabic
irraagil dah
ilkitaeb dah
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this (thing, m)
this (thing, f)
this (woman)
these (men)
these (men) nearer
these (women)
these (things,m)
these (things,f)
over there (m)
over there [f]
PRO version
ilkitaeb dah
ilhaga dah
issitt dy
irragala dul
irragala dy
issittaet dul
ilkutub dy
ilhagaet dy
'ahw
'ahy
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'ahum
Comparatives
You can use a comparative in the same was as an adjective to specify which one you mean:
English
mohammed is the tallest student
he is the youngest boy
Egyptian
muhammad 'atwal taalib
huwwa 'asGar walad
ittaalib il'atwal tuluh mitr 1 wa 90 santy
dih 'ahla fustaen fy ilmahal
kaen 'ahsan yum fy hayaty
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Arabic script
There are 28 basic letters in Egyptian arabic, and about a dozen modifiers.
Writing goes from right to left, and the majority of arabic letters join onto the following letter and so
there are therefore four forms of each letter: solitary, initial, middle and final. For the six letters that
do not join, there are just two forms- solitary and final.
position normal letter non-joining letter
solitary
initial
middle
final
The three short vowels a , i and u and shadda , which doubles the length of a consonant, are
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collectively called tashkyl or vowellization. Tashkyl is not normally used in written arabic apart
from in the Quran. If they are used, they are written above a consonant but pronounced after it: for
the convenience of non-arabic readers, I have included the tashkyl, but written it after the
consonant.
Transliterated arabic
The transliterated form is an exact representation of the arabic script in roman letters: this is not
always straightforward, as there are a lot more letters and modifiers in arabic than there are in the
roman alphabet.
If you want to be able to say words accurately, you need to be able to read either arabic or the
transliterated form- for example, so that you can see the difference between syn and saad.
Here is a summary of the less obvious features of the system:
Letter
Transliterated Pronounced/arabic
short vowel
a [e] i u
aa ee ii uu
aeiu
a 'e i uu
'a 'i 'u
yw
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yw
voiced qaf
soft consonant
dhstz
hard consonant
DHSTZ
double-letter consonants
dh sh th
t-marbuta
alif-layena
yw
'y 'w
'
dhstz
dhstz
z sh th
-a
-a
It is readable if you ignore hamza ' and tee-marbuta - , and read atif-layena a as a.
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Pronounced arabic
The pronounced form is supposed to be how an english person would write a word or phrase. For
ease of reading, the pronounced arabic in this document does not follow the rules that join words
together, for example sun letters and consonant clusters.
the alphabet
This table shows how to read and pronounce the arabic letters, and how they are written in roman
letters throughout the dictionary.
name
arabic
trans
pronounced
literated
examples
Notes
'aywa
alif
hamza above
aac
'a
mas'ala
bad'a
'intaeg
ae as in
aeroplane
luGaet
makaen
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alif
fatha
aa
hamraa'
aa as in hard
faar
Gata
alif
kasra
ii
ilwalad
'ism
alif
hamza below
iic
'i
'istanna
'itfaehim
'umm
alif
damma
uuc
'u
'ustaez
'esif
alif
PRO version
ee
ee
mut'ekil
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madda
ee
ee
'echir
baAd
by
kibyr
gawaeb
taht
ty
'aktar
kursaet
thabbit
thy
th
th
mathal
bahth
gaeb
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gyn
magmuAa
churraag
jaekit
jyn
'ajinda
not arabic
borrowed from farsi
byj
haedith
ha
'ihna
yiruh
chaaf
kha
ch
as in loch
achaz
taarych
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daem
dal
nady
zaed
zaekar
thal
dh
z
th as in there
kizb
'ustaez
raah
ray
tary'
'iftakar
zayy
zyn
PRO version
gazar
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gahhiz
sitt
syn
masaa'
dars
shaef
shyn
sh
sh
rashwa
mish
sanf
saad
'asad
chaalis
dahr
PRO version
hadritak
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hadritak
'abyad
daad
taba'a
batal
Galat
taa
zarf
yizhar
hazz
zaa
Aala
baAd
taebiA
A - nasal a
ain
Galab
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gin
G - gargling noise
suGayar
baeliG
fiAlaen
fah
mifalis
nidyf
veh
vyla
v
not arabic
nuvimbir
'udaem
qaf
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'
nu'ta
as in cockney bottle
(bo'le)
sadda'
qana
qana
k
sounds swallowed
raqam
sadyq
kaen
kef
'aktar
hadritak
lakin
lem
Aala
ful
mumkin
mym
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Aaemil
naem
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nashaat
nwn
'ihna
sinyn
hey
hina
_ah
_it
it
zahar
tee-marbuta
sura
'izzaezit zyt genitive
bottle of oil
wishsh
wow
yum
Audw
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s'wael
wow-hamza
wc
'w
mas'wliya
wow-alif
oo
'intu
unusual pronunciation
for verb endings
yizhar
yeh
taarych
zayy
yeh-hamza
ra'yys
yc
'y
daf'y
Aala
alif-layena
nada
alif-layena
madda
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Ye
muthannae
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short vowels
dawla
basal
fatha
'inta
'arbaAa
madda
short e
rarely used
min
kasra
kibyr
'inti
sufrah
damma
tulaeb
'anhuh
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sukun
silent
other symbols
sadda'
shadda
hadd
it is above
fathatan
tanwyn
tatwyl
daeymaen
used on alif
at end of word
used for spacing
'ana
aac
yc
wc
hamza
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r'ya
'
s'wael
as in cockney bottle
(bo'le)
hawaa'
Stress
In most words, the second to last syllable is usually stressed.
'iftakar
kitaeb
mudachan
The stress moves to the last syllable if it contains a long vowel (alif, wow, yeh) or ends with a
double consonant. Remember that the letter AIN is treated as a consonant.
taAbaen
maftuh
yidu''
This means that the stress will move if suffixes are added to a word.
Feminine endings
When a word ends in _aaCiC (where C is any consonant) has a feminine ending attached, the i
disappears and the aa is pronounced as an a.
waehid -> wahda
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Elision
If a word ends with a vowel and the first vowel of the next word is either an i or a u, the words are
run together (elided) and the i or u omitted.
'inta minyn? -> 'intamnyn?
This also happens if you attach an object suffix that begins with an i.
consonant clusters
If putting two words next to each other makes more than two consonants in a row, a shwa (which
sounds like a short a) is inserted between the words.
baAd kidah -> baAdakidah
Sun letters
If the definite article, il- , is attached to a word that begins with a sun-letter (t t d d l r n s s z z
) the l is dropped and the sun-letter is doubled:
il- shams -> ishshams
Pronunciation exceptions
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The pronunciation of some pronoun and verb endings is a little unusual. For the you(pl) 'intu
subject pronoun and for you(pl) and they in the verb perfect, the ending is written -w a but
pronounced -uh .
The word because is written Aalashaen but pronounced Aashaen .
The word orange is written burtu'ael but pronounced burtu'aen .
Irregular verbs
There are very few irregular verbs in Egyptian: here are all the ones that I know of:
be/was - kaen
eat - kul
take - chud
come - gih
give - idda
fall - wi'iA
stop - wi'if
Be - kaen
The verb 'to be' does not exist in the present tense. It is used only in the perfect and Ha-imperfect
forms.
English Pronoun Perfect Ha-Imperfect
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I
we
you (m)
you (f)
you (pl)
he
she
they
'ana
kunt
'ihna
kunna
'inta
kunt
'inti
kunty
'intu
hakun
hankun
hatkun
hatkuny
kuntuh hatkunuh
huwwa
hiya
kaen
kaenit
humma
kanuh
haykun
hatkun
haykunuh
Eat- kul
kul has irregular imperfect froms
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kalt
ihna
akul
kalna
'inta
kalt
'inty
'intu
huwa
kal
kalit
humma
kul
takly
kuly
kalu
kulw
yaekul
hiya
naekul
kaltu
taekul
kalty
Active
Participle
kalw
taekul
yakluh
Take- chud
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chudt
ihna
achud
chadna naechud
'inta
chudt
'inty
chady
'intu
taechud
huwa
achad
hiya
chadit
humma
tachdy
chudty
chudw
yaechud
taechud
achadu yachduh
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chud
chadtw chadtw
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Active
Participle
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Come- gih
Pronoun Perfect Imperfect Imperative
'ana
gyt
ihna
gyna
'inta
'inty
'intu
huwa
hiya
humma
tygy
taAaly
tygu
taAalu
gaey
gaeya
gayyin
yigy
gaet
taAaela
gih
gytu
nygy
tygy
gyty
gyt
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'egy
Active
Participle
tigy
gum
yigu
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Give- idda
Pronoun Perfect Imperfect Imperative
'ana
'idyt
ihna
addy
'iddyna niddy
'inta
'iddyt
'inty
'intu
tiddy
'iddyty
'iddy
tiddy
huwa
'idda
hiya
humma
'iddu
'iddu
yiddy
'iddyt
'iddit
'iddytu tiddu
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Active
Participle
tiddy
yiddu
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fall- wi'iA
Pronoun Perfect
Imperfect Imperative
'ana
a'aA
wi'iAt
ihna
wi'iAna
'inta
'inty
wi'iAtu
huwa
wi'iA
hiya
humma
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tu'aA
wi'Au
wae'iA
tu'aAy
tu'aAu
wa'Ait
wa'Ayn
yu'aA
wi'Ait
nu'aA
wi'iAty
'intu
wi'iAt
Active
Participle
tu'aA
yu'aAu
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stand- wi'if
Pronoun Perfect
Imperfect Imperative
'ana
a'af
wi'ift
ihna
wi'ifna
'inta
wi'iftu
'intu
huwa
wi'if
hiya
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nu'af
tu'af
wi'ifty
'inty
wi'ift
uu'af
tu'afy
tu'afu
uu'afy
uu'afu
wae'if
wae'ifty
wae'ifyn
yu'af
wi'fit
Active
Participle
tu'af
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humma
wi'fu
yu'afu
KvTv
KvTT
KvTvB
KvTBvL
KaaTi
KvTT
KaaTiB
KvTBvL
KTBL=root consonantsv=aiuV=wy
From any of these main stems, it is possible to derive more stems by adding prefixes. Here are
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some examples:
Prefix Main stem Derived stem Meaning
iit-
KvTvB
iitKvTvB
yitKvTvB
iit-
KvTTvB
iitKaTTaB
yitKvTTvB
iit-
KaaTiB
yiKTvB
iitKaaTiB
yitKaaTiB
each other
iiKt-
KvTvB
iiKtvTvB
yiKtvTvB
as iit-
iin-
KvTvB
iinKvTvB
yinKvTvB
as iit-
iista-
KvTvB
iistaKvTvB
yistaKvTvB
consider or seek
There are also some verbs that are derived from classical arabic- the perfect genarally begins with
aa-, and the imperfect with yu-.
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Copyright
This material is Copyright 2007-2012 Mike Green.
You may distribute the documents and applications free of charge if it is strictly for non-commercial
use, and:
either the material is supplied complete and in its existing form
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or extracts from the material are attributed to www.lisaanmasry.com and carry the original
copyright details of the document
If you need to access the entire dictionary database for any reason, please ask and maybe I can
supply it in a more convenient form.
Mike Green
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