A collection of useful phrases in Egyptian Arabic. Click on the English phrases to see them in many other languages.
Key to abbreviations: m = said by men, f = said by women, >m = said to men, >f = said to women, pl = said to more than one person.
English (Egyptian Arabic) ألعامّيّة ألعريّة ألمصريّة Welcome (ahlan wa sahlan) أهلاً و سهلاً Hello (is salām 'alaykum) ألسّلام عليكم
rsp - (wa 'alaykum is salām) وعليكم السّلام
(ahlan wa sahlan) أهلاً و سهلاً
rsp - (ahlan beek) أهلاً بيك
inf - (ahlan) أهلاً How are you?
I'm fine, thanks. And you? m/f/pl - (izayyak/izayyik/izayyuku) إزّيّك؟
m/f/pl - ('aamil/ 'amla/'amleen ey) عامل إيه؟ كويّس، الحمد لله. وأنت؟
m/f - (kwayyis/a, al hamdulillah. wa inta/i) Long time no see What's your name?
My name is ... (m/f) (ismak/ismik ey?) إسمك إيه؟ (ismee ...) اسمي... Where are you from?
I'm from ... (Inta/inti minayn?) إنت منين؟ (ana min ...) أنا من ... Pleased to meet you (fursa sa'ida) فرصة سعيدة
response - (ana al'asad) أنا الأسعد Good morning (ṣabā il kẖayr) صباح الخير
response - (ṣabā in noor) صباح النّور Good afternoon/evening (misa' il kẖayr) مساء الخير
response - (misa' in noor) مساء النّور Good night (tiṣbaḥ 'ala kẖayr) تصبح على خير
response - (winta min ahla) وأنت من أهله Goodbye (bai) باي (ma'is salāma) مع السّلامة Good luck (hazz sa'eed) حظ سعيد! Have a nice day (youm sa'eed) يوم سعيد Bon appetit (bil hana wish shifa'!) بالهنا و الشفاء!
response - (allah yihanneek/i) الله يهنّيك Bon voyage (tirooh wa tigi bis salaama!) تروح و تيجي بالسّلامة!
response - (allah yisallimak/yisallimik) الله يسلّمك I understand m (ana faahim) أنا فاهم
f (ana fahma) أنا فاهم I don't understand m (ana miš faahim) أنا مش فاهم
f (ana miš fahma) أنا مش فاهم Please speak more slowly (mumkin titkallim bilrrāha) ممكن تتكلّم بالرّاحة Please say that again (mumkin ti'ool/ee taani?) ممكن تقول ثاني؟ Please write it down (mumkin tiktibuh/tiktibeeh?) ممكن تكتبه؟ Do you speak Arabic? (bititkallim/ee 'arabi?) بتتكلّم عربي How do you say ... ? (izzay a' ool ...?) إزّاي أقول ...؟ Excuse me ('an iznak/iznik/izniku - m/f/pl) عن إزنك! How much is this? (bikam da?) بكم ده؟ Sorry (aasif/a - m/f) آسف! Thank you
Reply (mut shakkrān) متشكّرين (shukrān) ﺷﻜﺮﺍﹰ
(shukrān gazēlan) ﺷﻜﺮﺍﹰ جزيلاً ('afwan) عفواً Where's the toilet? (el-ḥammām fain?) الحمام فين؟ This gentleman/lady
will pay for everything () Would you like to
dance with me? I love you to a man - (ana baħibbak) ٲنَا بحِبَّك
to a woman - (ana baħibbik) ٲنَا بَحِبِّك Leave me alone! Call the police! (itaṣṣal bil bulees) إتّصل بالبوليس! Merry Christmas
and Happy New Year Happy Easter Happy Birthday كل سنة و إنت طيّب
(kull sana wa inta tayyib >m, kull sana wa inti tayyiba >f)
و إنت طيّب
response - (wa inta tayyib >m, wa inti tayyiba >f) My hovercraft
is full of eels One language
is never enough لغة وحدة بس ماتكفيش ابداً
(lo3'a wa7da bass matkafeesh abdan)
| English | (Egyptian Arabic) ألعامّيّة ألعريّة ألمصريّة |
|---|---|
| Welcome | (ahlan wa sahlan) أهلاً و سهلاً |
| Hello | (is salām 'alaykum) ألسّلام عليكم rsp - (wa 'alaykum is salām) وعليكم السّلام (ahlan wa sahlan) أهلاً و سهلاً rsp - (ahlan beek) أهلاً بيك inf - (ahlan) أهلاً |
| How are you? I'm fine, thanks. And you? | m/f/pl - (izayyak/izayyik/izayyuku) إزّيّك؟ m/f/pl - ('aamil/ 'amla/'amleen ey) عامل إيه؟ |
| كويّس، الحمد لله. وأنت؟ m/f - (kwayyis/a, al hamdulillah. wa inta/i) | |
| Long time no see | |
| What's your name? My name is ... | (m/f) (ismak/ismik ey?) إسمك إيه؟ |
| (ismee ...) اسمي... | |
| Where are you from? I'm from ... | (Inta/inti minayn?) إنت منين؟ |
| (ana min ...) أنا من ... | |
| Pleased to meet you | (fursa sa'ida) فرصة سعيدة response - (ana al'asad) أنا الأسعد |
| Good morning | (ṣabā il kẖayr) صباح الخير response - (ṣabā in noor) صباح النّور |
| Good afternoon/evening | (misa' il kẖayr) مساء الخير response - (misa' in noor) مساء النّور |
| Good night | (tiṣbaḥ 'ala kẖayr) تصبح على خير response - (winta min ahla) وأنت من أهله |
| Goodbye | (bai) باي (ma'is salāma) مع السّلامة |
| Good luck | (hazz sa'eed) حظ سعيد! |
| Have a nice day | (youm sa'eed) يوم سعيد |
| Bon appetit | (bil hana wish shifa'!) بالهنا و الشفاء! response - (allah yihanneek/i) الله يهنّيك |
| Bon voyage | (tirooh wa tigi bis salaama!) تروح و تيجي بالسّلامة! response - (allah yisallimak/yisallimik) الله يسلّمك |
| I understand | m (ana faahim) أنا فاهم f (ana fahma) أنا فاهم |
| I don't understand | m (ana miš faahim) أنا مش فاهم f (ana miš fahma) أنا مش فاهم |
| Please speak more slowly | (mumkin titkallim bilrrāha) ممكن تتكلّم بالرّاحة |
| Please say that again | (mumkin ti'ool/ee taani?) ممكن تقول ثاني؟ |
| Please write it down | (mumkin tiktibuh/tiktibeeh?) ممكن تكتبه؟ |
| Do you speak Arabic? | (bititkallim/ee 'arabi?) بتتكلّم عربي |
| How do you say ... ? | (izzay a' ool ...?) إزّاي أقول ...؟ |
| Excuse me | ('an iznak/iznik/izniku - m/f/pl) عن إزنك! |
| How much is this? | (bikam da?) بكم ده؟ |
| Sorry | (aasif/a - m/f) آسف! |
| Thank you Reply | (mut shakkrān) متشكّرين (shukrān) ﺷﻜﺮﺍﹰ (shukrān gazēlan) ﺷﻜﺮﺍﹰ جزيلاً |
| ('afwan) عفواً | |
| Where's the toilet? | (el-ḥammām fain?) الحمام فين؟ |
| This gentleman/lady will pay for everything | () |
| Would you like to dance with me? | |
| I love you | to a man - (ana baħibbak) ٲنَا بحِبَّك to a woman - (ana baħibbik) ٲنَا بَحِبِّك |
| Leave me alone! | |
| Call the police! | (itaṣṣal bil bulees) إتّصل بالبوليس! |
| Merry Christmas and Happy New Year | |
| Happy Easter | |
| Happy Birthday | كل سنة و إنت طيّب (kull sana wa inta tayyib >m, kull sana wa inti tayyiba >f) و إنت طيّب response - (wa inta tayyib >m, wa inti tayyiba >f) |
| My hovercraft is full of eels | |
| One language is never enough | لغة وحدة بس ماتكفيش ابداً (lo3'a wa7da bass matkafeesh abdan) |
Egyptian Arabic (اللغه المصريه الحديثه) is dialect and not a language. It is considered a variety of the Arabic language of the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic language family. It originated in the Nile Delta in Lower Egypt around the capital Cairo. Descended from the spoken Arabic brought to Egypt during the seventh-century AD Muslim conquest, its development was influenced mainly by the indigenous Copto-Egyptian language of pre-Islamic Egypt, and later by other languages such as Turkish/Ottoman Turkish, Italian, French and English. The 76 million Egyptians speak a continuum of dialects, among which Cairene is the most prominent. It is also understood across most of the Arab World due to the predominance of Egyptian media, making it the most widely spoken and one of the most widely studied varieties of Arabic.
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