Expand Your Vocabulary: Discover Essential Words and Phrases Related to Egypt

Essential Greetings and Everyday Expressions

Knowing some Egyptian Arabic greetings is super useful. It helps you make a good first impression, makes your time in Egypt easier, and might even be the beginning of a conversation that helps your practice your Egyptian Arabic!

These phrases are relatively simple. Just keep in mind that the way you respond is sometimes slightly different than what you say when you start the greeting!

1 Hello (peace upon you). Salaam aleikum. .سلام عليكم

3 Good morning; Saba7 elkheer. .صباخ الخير

4 Good morning (response). Saba7 el noor. .صباح النور

5 Good evening. Massa elkheer. .مساء الخير

7 Good evening (response). Massa el noor. .مساء النور

Common Phrases for Tourists

Making small talk is something you will most likely do a lot of. That means that these Egyptian Arabic phrases are some of the most important ones to have up your sleeve.

Plus, as a lot of people will tell you, Egyptians love to talk! If you are a foreigner in their country, their curiosity about you will often lead to some short basic conversations. So these phrases will definitely come in handy!

8 Hows it going? 3aamil eh / 3ammluh ay? عامل ايه  /  عاملة ايه

9 How are you? Izzayak / Izzayik? ازيك

10 Whats up? Eh akhbaar? / Akhbaarak eh? اخبارك ايه / ايه اخبار

11 I am good. Ana Kwayyis / kwayISSuh انا كويس / انا كويسة

12 Everythings great. Kullu tamaamh. .كله تمام

13 Nice to meet you. Forsa sa3eeda .فرصة سعيدة.

14 Nice to meet you, as well. Ana As3ad. .انا اسعد

15 Thanks be to God. alHamdulillah الحمد لله

This last phrase is something you will hear all the time.You can use it whenever you want to say that you are good.

Its also common when Arabic speakers talk about positive events that have happened in their life things they are grateful for.

Definitely one of the most common phrases in Egypt!

Exploring Egyptian Culture

Politeness is super important in Egypt. Thats because Egypt (like many Muslim countries) is a religious society, and phrases that show respect are valued highly.

Even if you are a beginner in Egyptian Arabic, these polite phrases will go a long way!

17 A thousand thanks. Alf shokr. .الف شكر

18 Youre welcome. 3afwan. .عفوا

19 Pardon me please. Law sama7t. .لو سمحت

20 Please go ahead. Etfutdll / Etfutdlee .اتفضل اتفضلي. (masculine followed by feminine)

21 Excuse me. Ba3d izznuck / izznick. .بعد اذنك

22 I am sorry. Ana awsiff / awssfa. انا تسف اسفة.

English is quite prevalent in many countries. Not so much in Egypt. You will likely find yourself in situations where the person you are speaking to only speaks Arabic.

Not only is that a great chance to practice your Egyptian Arabic, but it makes the following phrases in Egyptian Arabic even more important!

23 Can you help me, please? Momken tsa3dni / tsa3dini, law samht?

ممكن تساعدني / ممكن تساعديني (feminine)

24 No problem! Mish mooshkela! !مش مشكلة

25 Do you know the way? Enta a3ruff / entee a3ruffuh altaree? انت عارف انتي عارفة  الطريق

Bargaining and Asking Questions

Bargaining is a huge part of Egyptian culture. This is one of the most common problems foreigners in Egypt seem to share.

Simply put, bargaining in Egypt is quite aggressive, and you will likely be shocked at how pushy a lot of Egyptian vendors can be. There are a ton of common questions that are important to know in any language. Here are some of the most common questions that you will ask in Egyptian Arabic.

Remember these along with the Egyptian Arabic small talk phrases and youre good to go!

35 What is your name? Esmak/ick eh? اسمك ايه

36 Where are you from? Enta / entee menane? انت انتي من اين (masculine you and femine you are first two words here)

37 Where do you live? Sakin fane / sakina fane? ساكن فين ساكنة فين

38 How much is this? Bikam daw? بكم دة

39 What time is it? Elsa3a kam? الساعه كم

40 Where is the bathroom? Fane el7mmam? فين الحمام

41 Can I have a menu/coffee/water/shisha? Moomkin menu/awhuwu/maya/shisha?

42 Where are you? Enta / entee fane? انت انتي فين

43 Do you speak English? Betkehlm/ee Englizee? (masculine followed by feminine do you speak) بتتكلم- بتتكلمي  انجليزي

As I noted at the beginning, Arabic conjugates verbs differently depending on the gender of the person doing the action. This is most common with the you pronoun in Egyptian Arabic

Essential Phrases for Travel and Communication

Here are some common situations you will find yourself in when speaking Egyptian Arabic. Two pro tips⁚ public transportation is quite cheap, and you pay for almost everything in Egypt with cash.

44 Hey driver! Ya usta! !يا اسطى

45 Next street. Elshare3 elgaya. .الشارء الي جي

46 Straight ahead. 3ala tool. .على طول

47 Left right. Yameen / shamel .يمين شمال.

48 How expensive is the ticket? Eltazkara bkam? التزكارة بكم

49 I am hungry/I am thirsty. Ana ga3an / ana 3atschan .انا جعان انا عتشان.

50 Can I pay with credit card? Momken adfa3 belkart? ممكن ادفع بلكارت

51 May I enter here? Moomkin edkhol hena? ممكن ادخل هنا

52 I want to buy this. Eyeizz / eyezuh ehshteree daw. .عايز / عايزة اشتري دة

53 What does.mean in Arabic? Ya3ni ay. bel 3rabi? يعني ايه..بل عربي

Inevitably, people will ask you about yourself. Even if you arent yet fluent in Egyptian Arabic, a few phrases can go a long way. Here are some phrases that will help you talk about yourself.

56 I am.years old. 3ndy..sinuh .عندي.سنة

Tags: Egypt,

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