Today we are back with Egyptian Arabic Conversation 19.
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 19: Safe Travels
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 19: Translation
One note before we get started – this is a conversation between two men.
Pay attention to the verb conjugations.
Good morning Hamada, Happy Eid. : Saba7 el foll ya hamada, kol sana w enta tayb.
.صباح الفل يا حمادة، كل سنة وانت طيب
Good morning, Happy Eid to you too Kimo. : Saba7 elfoll, w enta tayb ya kimo.
.صباح الفل، وانت طيب يا كيمو
What are you gonna do in the vacation? : Hat3mel eh f elagaza?
هتعمل ايه في الاجازة؟
I will sacrifice with my family on the first day then do some family visits. : Haba7 awel yom ma3 ahli, w ba3den shwyt zyarat 3a2lia.
هدبح اول يوم مع اهلي وبعدين شوية زيارات عائلية؟
And you? : W enta?
وانت؟
I will travel with my family to Sahel, the weather is so hot. : Hsafer ma3 ahli elsa7el, elgaw 7ar awy.
.هسافر مع اهلي الساحل ، الجو حر قوي
Nice, safe travels. : Gamed, tegi belsalama.
.جامد ، تيجي بالسلامة
Egyptian Arabic Conversation 19: Important Vocabulary
Good morning. . : Saba7 el foll.
.صباح الفل
This is just one way to say greet somebody in Egyptian Arabic.
Happy Eid. : kol sana w enta tayb.
.كل سنة وانت طيب
This is the most common way to greet somebody during a holiday.
Read more about the phrase here.
Happy Eid to you too Kimo. : w enta tayb ya kimo.
.وانت طيب يا كيمو
This is the response to kol sana w enta tayb.
As for “Kimo” – this is a nickname for the name Kareem.
What are you going to do? . : Hat3mel eh?
هتعمل ايه؟
This is an example of the Egyptian Arabic future tense.
I will sacrifice. : Haba7.
.هدبح
More explanation on what this means in the “context” section.
Some family visits. : shwyt zyarat 3a2lia.
.شوية زيارات عائلية
Sahel. : elsa7el
.الساحل
This is also called The North Coast in English.
It’s a very common place to go on vacation.
Nice, safe travels. : Gamed, tegi belsalama.
.جامد ، تيجي بالسلامة
Gamed is a very common “slang” way to say nice / cool / awesome.
Tegi belsalama is an important phrases because, like English, it’s what you say to wish somebody safe travels or a safe trip.
Context + Further Explanation
Eid El Adha (which these two men are talking about) is called the Feast of Sacrifice. It’s also known as Yawm an-Nahr (slaughter day) يوم النحر, and is the second and the biggest of the two main Islamic holidays.
After the first prayer on this day, the udhiyah (ritual sacrifice of cattle) is performed. The udhiyah honors the willingness of Prophet Ibrahem (Abraham) to sacrifice his son Ismael as God has ordered him to.
In Egypt, Muslims go to perform the Eid prayer and do the sacrifice in dedicated areas. After this they will usually feed the poor and gift some food to their friends and family.
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Happy learning,
Cleo Lingo
