Today we are back with Egyptian Arabic Conversation 23.
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 23: The T-Shirts
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 23: Translation
This conversation is between two friends, Sami and Tarek.
They are talking about an order of t-shirts that Tarek made and Sami will be delivering.
Sami how are you? : sami ezayak?
سامي ازيك؟
All is good, you how are you? : Kolo tamam, enta 3amel eh?
كله تمام، انت عامل ايه؟
Thank God great, I wanted to ask you about the t-shirts, when will you finish them? : elhamdulelah bkheer, kont 3ayz as2lak 3ala el t-shirtat, hatkhlshom emta?
الحمد لله بخير، كنت عايز اسألك على التيشيرتات، هتخلصهم امتى؟
Probably tomorrow because the workers are still delayed in yesterday’s order. : ghaleban bokra 3lshan el 3ommal lesa met2kharen f order embare7.
.غالبا بكرة علشان العمال لسه متأخرين في اورد امبارح
Ok I am waiting for you, thanks a lot. : mashy khalas mstaneek, motshaker gedan.
.ماشي خلاص مستنيك، متشكر جدا
You’re welcome boss, I will send them to the same address, right? : el3afw ya basha, hab3thomlak 3ala nafs 3l3anwan sa7?
العفو يا باشا، هبعتهملك على نفس العنوان صح؟
Yes that’s correct. : aywa sa7 keda.
.ايوه صح كده
Egyptian Arabic Conversation 23: Important Vocabulary
Sami how are you? : sami ezayak?
سامي ازيك؟
This is the most common way to say “How are you?” in Egyptian Arabic. This is how you say it to a man (Sami is a male), but it would be pronounced “ezayik” if you were speaking to a female.
Definitely an essential Egyptian Arabic greeting to know.
All is good, you how are you? : Kolo tamam, enta 3amel eh?
كله تمام، انت عامل ايه؟
Kolo tamam is a common way to answer “How are you?”, and in this case he follows it up with another common way to say “How are you?”
Again, this is an essential phrase in Egyptian Arabic.
Thank God great. : elhamdulelah bkheer.
.الحمد لله بخير
The phrase elhamdulelah / الحمد لله pops up in any Egyptian Arabic conversation where the speaker wants to emphasize how thankful they are about something.
The workers are still delayed in yesterday’s order. : ghaleban bokra 3lshan el 3ommal lesa met2kharen f order embare7.
.العمال لسه متأخرين في اورد امبارح
Order / اورد is the word “order” but pronounced with an Egyptian Arabic accent.
Ok. : mashy khalas.
.ماشي خلاص
Mashy is one of the most common ways to say OK Egyptian Arabic. You can put it in just about any conversation.
The word khalas / خلاص is just kind of a filler word added for emphasis. We briefly touch on this in a separate Conversations post.
Thanks a lot. : motshaker gedan.
.ماشي خلاص مستنيك، متشكر جدا
This is one of the most common ways to say “thank you” in Egyptian Arabic.
You’re welcome boss. : el3afw ya basha.
.العفو يا باشا
“Boss” is one of the most common Egyptian nicknames.
Yes that’s correct. : aywa sa7 keda.
.ايوه صح كده
Lastly, this is a common way to say “yes”, among others.
Context + Further Explanation
You notice in this conversation that there are a few words that are just English instead of the “proper Arabic version” (“t-shirts” and “order”).
This is because like many languages, Egyptian Arabic has borrowed a bunch of vocabulary from modern-day English. For more of a background on the cultural implications of this, be sure to read up on the use of English in Egypt!
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Happy learning,
Cleo Lingo
