Free Resources -> Arabic Dialects -> Egyptian Arabic
Egyptian Arabic Phrases With Easy Pronunciation Guide
Here are some commonly used English phrases and their Egyptian Arabic equivalents. The pronunciation of the words is intended to be as easy as possible for English speakers. If you are going to visit Egypt make sure to study this page well. I hope you will find this helpful.
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EGYPTIAN ARABIC – USEFUL BLOG POSTS:
Egyptian Arabic – A Quick Introduction
Egyptian Arabic Quick Introduction Part 2: common phrases and words
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You will always need to use phrases like
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How much is this ?
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Thank you.
Now go on and teach yourself Egyptian Arabic. Note that this glossary is arranged thematically according to subject matter and not alphabetically.
| English phrase (sentence or question) | Arabic equivalent phrase | description or comment |
|
Numbers |
||
| one 1 | waahid | |
| two 2 | it-nain | Try to say it as one word. The first part (it) is pronounced just like the word “it” in Egnlish. The second part (nain) is said in the same way you say the word “nail” in english (of course, replacing the “l” with an “n”). |
| three 3 | ta-laa-ta | The “ta” is said as if you were saying “tab” or saying “taxi” and the “laa” part is said as if you were saying the word “lamb”. |
| four 4 | are-ba-ah | For the “ah” you need to squeeze your throat and make it sound more high-pitched than the normal “a” sound. |
| five 5 | kham-sa | The “kham” element is pronounced like the English “ham”, but with the “h” with much more “friction” from the back of the throat. Same sound as in the German word “Sprache” or at the start of the Spanish word “jamón”. |
|
Buying |
||
| money | full-loose | |
| this | da or dee | The Egyptian word “da” is used in conjunction with masculine words and “dee” is used with female words. |
| how much is this ? | bee cam dee orbee cam da | the “cam” part is said as if you are saying camera. while you are asking this question, you should always point to the thing that you are asking about its price. |
| pound | gan-neigh | As if you are saying “gain” and “neigh” as in “neighbour” |
| one pound | gainayih waahid | |
| two pounds | it-nain gainayih | |
| three pounds | ta-laa-ta gainayh | |
| four pounds | are-ba-ah gainayh | |
| half (1/2) | noss | |
| half of a pound | noss gainayh | |
|
Transportation |
||
| taxi | taxi | |
| bus | auto-bees | |
| train | atr | as if you are saying to “utter“ |
| micro bus | micro bus | sometimes it is said as “macro bus” but it means “micro bus” |
| underground metro | metro | |
| by taxi | bill taxi | |
| by train | bill atr | |
| by car | bill are-a-bee-ya | |
|
Food |
||
| food | akl | as if you are saying “tackle” |
| water | ma-ya | the “ma” part is said as if you are saying “mark” |
| juice | ah-seer | |
| fruits | fak-ha | the “fak” part is said as if you are saying “fact” and the “ha” part is said like in “hand” |
| cup | fin gaan | |
| big cup | kob baya | |
| mug | mug | |
| big mug | kooz | |
| dish | ta-bak | |
| bowel | sol-ta-nay-a | |
| cake | ca-ak | |
| soup | shorba | |
| salad | sa-la-ta | |
| bean | fool | |
| potato | ba-taa-tis | |
| tomato | ta-maa-tim | |
| chocolate | shoko-laa-ta | sometimes said “shoka-la-ta” |
|
Miscellaneous |
||
| big | ke-beer | |
| very | ah-wee | |
| very big | ke-beer ah-wee | |
| tall | tow-wheel | |
| short | ou-sayar | |
| may be | yem-kin | |
| yes | ah | |
| yes | ay-wa | |
| no | la-ah | |
| thank you | shook-ran | As in “he SHOOK and RAN” |
|
Housing |
||
| room | ouda | |
| bed | saw-rear | |
| chair | kor-see | |
| table | ta-raw-bee-za | |
| key | mof-tah | |
| button | zoo-raar | |
| telephone | telephoon | |
| radio | rad-you | |
| book | kee-taab | |
| pin | a-la-m | |
| picture | sew-ra | |
| window | shoe-baak | people living in upper Egypt say “shobbaak” while other people also say “shibbaak” |
