Today we are back with Egyptian Arabic Conversation 18.
In each Conversations post, we will provide you with:
- a screenshot from an actual conversation between two Egyptians
- the translation of each line of text, including English, Franco and Arabic script
- context on the conversation and further explanation
We think learning Egyptian Arabic from actual, authentic conversations between Egyptians is both fun and effective. We hope you like it too!
Egyptian Arabic Conversation 18: Ok Hurry Up
As always, we will start out with a screenshot of a WhatsApp conversation in Egyptian Arabic.
The conversation is in Franco, but we put the actual Arabic below.
Before getting started with this Conversations post, be sure to check out our post on writing in Franco Arabic.
Egyptian Arabic Conversation 18: Translation
One note before we get started – this is a conversation between two men.
Pay attention to the verb conjugations.
Where are you Joe, the boss is asking about you. : enta fen ya joe, elmodeer bys2al 3alek.
.انت فين يا جو, المدير بيسأل عليك
I am on my way almost at work. : ana f eltaree2 aho dakhel 3ala almaktab.
.انا في الطريق اهو داخل على المكتب
Ok hurry up because he needs you urgently. : tayb khalas engez 3lshan hwa 3ayzak darory.
.طب خلاص انجز علشان هو عايزك ضروري
Ok one minute and I will be in front of him. : tayb de2e2a w ab2a odamo.
.طيب دقيقة وابقى قدامه
Egyptian Arabic Conversation 18: Important Vocabulary
Where are you? : enta fen?
انت فين؟
This will often be followed by ya / يا when directly addressing somebody.
Speaking to a woman it would be enti fen?
One of the most common Egyptian Arabic questions you should learn.
The boss is asking about you. : elmodeer bys2al 3alek.
.المدير بيسأل عليك
Elmodeer is the boss, and 3alek / 3aleki (feminine) is how you say “about you.”
A good thing to know when speaking about your job.
I am on my way. : ana f eltaree2.
.انا في الطريق
Literally means “I am on the path.”
This is the most common way to say “I am on my / the way” when going somewhere.
Almost at work. : dakhel 3ala almaktab.
داخل على المكتب
This literally means “entering in the place.”
Ok hurry up : tayb khalas engez.
.طب خلاص انجز
A bit to unpack here.
Here are the most common meanings of the three words here:
- طب / tayb = Ok
- خلاص / khalas = Alright / Finish up
- انجز / engez = Decide
Taken together, this three word phrase basically mean “Ok but hurry up already!”
We have covered the word tayb before – lots of ways to use it!
He needs you urgently. : hwa 3ayzak darory.
.هو عايزك ضروري
This technically means “He wants you urgently.” Basically, “he wants you to be here urgently.”
And yes – darory / ضروري is a common way to indicate urgency.
One minute. : de2e2a.
.دقيقة
This is literally “minute” (“one minute” would be de2e2a wa7eda), but this is understood the same.
Context + Further Explanation
Somebody being late for work is a very normal thing in Egyptian culture.
This has many different reasons:
- Traffic in Egypt is some of the worst in the world
- Many Egyptians take public transportation to work, and there are often delays with it
- Egyptians are just generally quite tardy
We talk a lot about this in our post on “Egyptian time.”
Our advice to you?
Just chill out a bit. Joe will eventually get there! 🙂
…
Happy learning,
Cleo Lingo
