You may not have know this, but Egypt has awesome agriculture. Because of this, knowing how to buy fruits and vegetables in Egyptian Arabic is quite important.
Indeed, amazing fruits and vegetables are everywhere in Cairo. Delicious strawberries bursting with flavor, stalks of broccoli greener than grass, and mangoes bigger than your head. The Nile River is certainly doing something right.
Today, Cleo Lingo will be explaining….how to buy fruits and vegetables in Egyptian Arabic.
Phrases To Buy Fruits and Vegetables in Egyptian Arabic
We’ll start out with some greetings. Don’t want you just walking up unannounced to some guys fruit stand. He might think you’re trying to make off with bananas.
Good morning. : “Sabah al hair.”
.صباح الخير
Good afternoon/Good evening. : “MESSuh al hair.”
.مساء الخير
Pro tip: get your fruits and vegetables in the morning. They have just been freshly delivered at this time, and haven’t yet had to deal with the sun and the flies. We’ll talk about some more specific advice in today’s “Cultural Insight.”
Peace be upon you/Hello. : “SuLAWM awLAYkome.’
.السلام عليكم
You knew this one already. This is your ace in the pocket in just about every situation.
Where is the bag? : “Fane al SHUNtuh?”
فين الشنطة؟
I want… : “EYEizz…”
…عايز
I am looking for… : “Ana bihDOWurr AWluh….”
…انا بدور على
Buy Fruits in Egyptian Arabic
We are keeping it simple today. It’s common practice to put each different kind of fruit/vegetable in a separate bag. You’ll usually see a stack of little white plastic bags for your convenience. If you need help, utilize the last two phrases. Otherwise, the people will probably leave you alone.
Here are the most common fruits that you will find.
Fruit : “FECK-huh”
فاكهة
I want to buy some fruit. : “EYEizz ehshtEHree FECKhuh.”
عايز اشتري فاكهة
Where is the fruit? : “Fane elFECKhuh?”
فين الفاكهة؟
Oranges: “BORtuhWAWN.”
برتقان
Apples: “TooFEH”
تفاح
Strawberries : “fuhROWluh”
فراولة
Mangoes: “MAWNguh”
مانجا
Watermelons : “bawTEEH”
بطيخ
Peaches : “HOOH”
خوخ
Banana/s : “MOHzz”
موز
While this is a somewhat serious topic, you know us. We had to get in at least one funny snippet that is, nonetheless, quite useful. Be careful when pronouncing this word because you could very well slip up. Say it slightly differently and you have said “Sexy.” Don’t want to ask fruit man for a bunch of bananas, only to realize that you’re hitting on him. That’d be a bummer.
Buy Vegetables in Egyptian Arabic
Let’s move onto vegetables.
Vegetables : “hooTHDAWR”
خضار
I want to buy some vegetables. : “EYEizz ehSHTEHree hooTHDAWR.”
عايز اشتري خضار
Where are the vegetables? : “Fane el hooTHDAWR?”
فين الخضار؟
Carrots : “GUHzrr”
جزر
Tomatoes : “tuhMAWtum”
طماطم
Cucumbers : “heyeARE”
خيار
Bell peppers : “fill-fill”
فلفل
Spinach : “suh-BEHnih”
سبانخ
Eggplant : “BIHtinGEHN”
بتنجان
Onions : “BUHsll”
بصل
Green beans : “fawSOOleeuh”
فاصوليا
Potatoes : “buhTAWtuss”
بطاطس
More Phrases You Should Know
Now that you know how to say various fruits and vegetables, it’s time to tell them how much you want. Keep in mind that in many bigger stalls, you simply grab what you want, throw it in a bag, and then they weigh it. Assuming you have to tell them how much you want, though, start out with the following phrases, followed by the fruits you would like to order
I want an eighth/quarter/half kilo. : “Eyeizz TOHmnn/rObaw/NUSS kilo.”
عايز ربع\نص كيلو
I want a kilo. : “Eyizz kilo.”
عايز كيلو
And some example phrases, just do you know you are doing it right.
I want a kilo of bananas. :”EYEizz kilo MOHzz.”
عايز كيلو موز
I want a half kilo of apples and a quarter kilo of strawberries. : “EYEizz nuss kilo tooFEH wuh ROHbaw kilo fuhROWluh.”
عايز نص كيلو تفاح و ربع كيلو فراولة
When you have it all gathered up and are getting ready to pay:
Anything else? : “Haga TAWnee?”
حاجة تاني؟
This is usually what an Egyptian will ask you after you have finished “ordering” something (in this case your bunch of fruits and veggies). We have seen it before, but it bears repeating.
No, that’s it. thanks: “Law’a, bes’ keduh…Shukrawn”
.لا, بس كده..شكرا
That’s enough. : KiFAYuh kehduh.
.كفاية كده
Is there a big bag? : “Fee SHUNtuh kuBEEruh?”
في شنطة كبيرة؟
This is for after the fruit guy has put all your fruits and vegetables in bags. Hopefully, if you don’t have a bag with you, they’ll help you out with a big one.
How expensive is that? : “beeKEHM keduh?”
بكام كده؟
Do you have change? : “Maw’k fekuh?”
معاك فكة؟
I don’t have change. : “Mish mawAYuh feckuh.”
.مش معايا فكة
This is in case he asks you for specific change. That’s quite normal in Cairo, as you will quickly come to realize.
Finally, some random useful phrases. Now that we have given you what most people would actually buy at the market (or most normal people, anyway), equip yourself with some conversational ammo.
Can you please help me? : “Moomkin tisawEDnee?”
ممكن تساعدني؟
But I want something good/sweet. This is rotten. : “Bess eyeizz haga HELLoowuh. Da BOizz!”
.بس عايز حاجة حلوة..ده بايظ
More (a little more), please. : “Awtar (shwayuh), lo sumAWHT.”
.اكتر (شوية) لو سمحت
Be careful! : “Khud behluck!”
!خد بالك
This last one is for when the fruit man is handing your bananas in a way that might bruise them. Maybe it’s because you accidentally called him sexy. In any case…..be careful.
Cultural Insight
We all know Cairo is a busy place. More people than you can count, more horns than you can make sense of, and at the end of the day, not a whole lot of space to carry bags of carrots around. That’s why you should take this tip to heart: go on Friday mornings.
Friday is the day of prayer in the Middle East, and most people in Egypt will have it as their one off day of the week. As awesome as the hustle and bustle of a busy Arab city are, Friday mornings are amazing. Quiet. Empty. Sleepy. Three words that you’d never associate with a city of 20 million. But on Friday mornings before 10 AM, Cairo is a ghost town. It is the perfect time to do some produce shopping.
As a last little tidbit, I lived in Dokki most of my time in Cairo. The open air market on Soliman Gohar street is hard to beat. Cheap, easily accessible, and if your guy doesn’t have what you are looking forward, his neighbor fruit man probably does. Soliman Gohar was truly a work of beauty. And on Friday mornings, with the selection largely to myself, I felt like the citrus king of the world. I often got two backpacks worth of stuff for just over three dollars. Can’t beat that.
Good luck with your leafy greens. 🙂
…..
Happy learning,
Cleo Lingo
