Introduction
When traveling through Egypt, it is going to happen to you.
Unless you stay at an “all inclusive” hotel that gives you everything and you never leave, it’s unavoidable.
It’s a part of the Egyptian culture, and probably not going away anytime soon. Originally, the title of this post was “How to Deal With Being Overcharged.” But that’s kind of a defeatist attitude. Because there is definitely solution. And that solution is?
We’re glad you asked!
Today, Cleo Lingo will be explaining….how to bargain in Egyptian Arabic.
Vocabulary
As usual, we have some “need to know” vocabulary for you. We’ll follow that up with much more useful sentences and phrases.
All of them will help you bargain in Egyptian Arabic.
Money. : “fiLOOS.”
.فلوس
Prices. : “ass’ARR.”
.اسعار
Bargaining / Haggling. : “fihSAWLL.”
.فصال
Expensive. : “GHAWlee.”
.غالي
Cheap. : “rawKHEES.”
.رخيص
Crazy. : “megNOON.”
.مجنون
This last word (“megNOON”) is especially useful. Keep it in your back pocket anytime someone is acting particularly…well, crazy.
Example Phrases
I want to buy this. : “EYEizz ihSHTEHree DAW.”
.عايز اشتري ده
How expensive is this? : “beeKEHM DAW?”
بكام ده؟
This is one of the most important phrases you could learn. And it’s not just for bargaining!
Buying fruits and vegetables is a perfect example.
Also, make a habit of asking people for prices first. This will ensure you don’t go to buy it and then get asked for 5,000 pounds. Pro tip.
I only have Egyptian money. : “Ana mawAYuh fiLOOS MUSSree bess.”
.انا معايا فلوس مصري بس
Remember, there are two different forms of “have” in Egyptian Arabic.
Half the time people trying to sell you something will try to convince you that they only take foreign currency. It’s crap.
They will assume you are a tourist (maybe you are) and have a wallet full of dollars or euros.
Don’t buy into that (see that pun?).
In 99 percent of situations, Egyptian pounds are just fine.
Plus, you can always exchange currency in Cairo quite easy anyway.
First Response
Here are the simplest things you can say to get the conversation rolling.
No. : “LAW SHOkrawn.”
.لا شكرا
There are a bunch of ways to say “no” in Egyptian Arabic.
That is (very) expensive. : “Daw GHAWlee OWee.”
.(ده غالي (قوي
Let’s get something straight: we aren’t claiming all Egyptians are trying to get as much money from you as possible.
Stereotypes suck (unless you casually use them as jokes, which can be alright).
That being said, when bargaining in Egyptian Arabic, it happens.
Quite a bit.
While there are places where overcharging is common (the pyramids, Khan el Khalili and taxi rides), and places where it’s not (grabbing a bowl of koshary at your local joint and smoking some shisha with your buddies), it’s good to know this stuff.
Keep that in mind as you are reading today’s post.
Being a Bit Aggressive
This is where you will let the person know that you are to be taken seriously.
No, I won’t pay that number. How low can it go? : “Law, ana mish HEHDfaw’ elRAWkum DAW. uhKHAREhaw KEHM?”
لا انا مش هدفع الرقم ده..اخرها كام؟
Start from the ending. : “HEHT men elEHkhrr.”
.هات من الاخر
This means, basically: let’s just get to the end of it, instead of wasting each others time negotiating. You can use this one when you really want to buy something but you don’t feel like bargaining that much.
Once you bust this out, they know they have to take you seriously.
And honestly, you don’t have to be super fluent in Egyptian Arabic for your language skills to make a difference (this should be Cleo Lingo’s motto!).
Just a few sentences will win you some respect.
And that’s the ideal situation we are going for.
Mild Statements
These are the most mild, least extreme things you can say. It’s before you’re pissed off about how much he’s overcharging you.
Is this really the price? (Literally: It this it’s price really?): “HOOuh DAW saw’AIRhaw bihGEHD?”
هو ده سعرها بجد؟
I don’t think (Literally: feel) that’s the real price. : “Mish HHAWsiss in DAW elSAIRuhAWhaw elhawEEee.”
.مش حاسس ان ده السعرها الحقيقي
Can I (pay) 50? : “MOOMkin bihkhumSEEN?”
ممكن بخمسين؟
Notice how there is a “b” sound right before the “khumseen.” This is quite common in Egypt, just like a lot of verbs.
Can you do a discount? : “MOOMkin TAW’MELee TAWkhuhFEETDH?”
ممكن تعملي تخفيض؟
Might as well end this one on a joke. Never heard of anybody getting a discount from an Egyptian vendor.
Doesn’t hurt to ask though!
Angry Statements
Things have escalated a bit. You’re angry, have tried to bring the price down, and seen the vendor laugh in your face.
Time to get angry.
This is unfair. : “DAW hhuhRAWM.”
.ده حرام
Back to the famous “Haram” word that could be used for anything you don’t like (forbidden, not allowed, unfair, bad, wrong, not ok to do).
Indeed, all of these words have different translations, and using this word really depends on the context. You can’t, for example, say that parking here is “Haram” (you would say Mamnoo3 instead).
But this word can be quite useful when bargaining in Egyptian Arabic.
Are you crazy? Of course I will not buy this. : “Entaw megNOON? awKEED MISH huhSHTEHree DAW.”
.انت مجنون؟؟ اكيد مش هشتري ده
I mean, because I am a foreigner? Ok, what if I bring an Egyptian to buy it? : “AWluhSHANE Ana khowWEHguh yaw’nee? Teyeib, low WAWhhid MUHSSree HEHshtuhREEhaw?”
علشان انا خواجة يعني؟ طب لو واحد مصري هيشتريها؟
This is always a good one to show somebody that you’re serious.
Extreme Statements
You’ve gone against the advice of all your friends and have taken the argument up a level. You’re close to bursting…and you just don’t give a shit.
You might have a heart attack in spitting out these phrases…. but who cares if you get the right price?
This is trash. It’s not worth the money. : “Daw SHOghll zuhBEHluh. MeyeSTAWhuhLESH yuhTEDfaw FEEuh fiLOOS.”
.ده شغل زبالة. ميستاهلش يتدفع فيه فلوس
“Daw SHOgll” (This + Job) kinda means “this stuff.”
Do you want to rob me? : “Enta EYEizz tissRAWuhnee?”
انت عايز تسرقني؟
You are a thief. : “Enta huhRAWmee!”
!انت حرامي
Be careful with the extreme phrases. Especially the last one.
It’s been my personal experience that Egyptian men (most vendors are men) are quite high on the whole “honor” thing.
We cover this in our post about getting a taxi in Cairo, as well.
Humorous Remarks
Now that we have covered the serious stuff you might use if the vendor really is an asshole, it’s time to have a laugh. Not every vendor deserves escalation.
Sometimes, while bargaining in Egyptian Arabic, a laugh or two really is the best medicine.
I know this is from China. : “Ana AW’RUFF ENoo MEN elSEEN.”
.انا عارف انه من الصين
Let me take a tour and come back to you (probably when you don’t want to buy it and you will go search for a cheaper price). : “HEHiff uhLIFFuh wuh arGAW’luck.”
.هلف لفه و ارجعلك
Don’t feel the need to actually come back if you find a cheaper price!
Culture Corner
Bargaining / haggling for lower prices in local markets is pretty big in Eastern culture. It happens everywhere and has a super long history (not only in Egypt and the Middle East).
We recommend that you embrace it, try to live the whole experience of proper bargaining (even when you already think that the price is cheap), and have some fun telling your mates back home about your haggle stories.
Be careful, though, because you can’t just go bargaining about the price everywhere. Street markets and old shops only. Starbucks in Egypt is still Starbucks (although the Egyptian cashier won’t mind some laughs if you tried anyway).
In the end, some people argue that its alright for local communities to raise the price a bit for foreigners. What do you think? There’s probably good reasons for both sides of the debate. We at Cleolingo don’t know much about macro- and microeconomics…but paying a little extra for a good experience is great, as long as everyone is happy.
Good luck getting the lowest price. 🙂
…
Happy learning,
Cleo Lingo
