How to Tell Time in Egyptian Arabic: Part Two

Introduction

Last week we covered the essentials for telling time in Egyptian Arabic.

This week we are giving you the rest of the information you need to be a pro. This includes the Egyptian system for telling you what time of the day you are referencing (there are five religious one), as well as some “times phrases” (before that, later, etc.).

Rush hour traffic in Cairo might not care about your time all that much.

We sure do.

Today, Cleo Lingo will be explaining….how to tell time in Egyptian Arabic, part two.

Vocabulary

In case you weren’t aware, Muslims pray five times a day. Because these prayers are spread pretty evenly throughout the day, each one has it’s one “name,” and can essentially be used in conjunction with the “time system” to be more specific.

Here they are:

In the morning : “el SOBh”

.الصبح

Late morning : “el FEHgrr”

.الفجر

Around noon : “el DOHhr”

.الضهر

Around sunset : “el MAWghrbb”

.المغرب

In the evening. : “bellLAYL”

.بليل

Here are two phrases you hear all the time. Yes, they are used almost everywhere.

After that. : “BAWid uhKEHduh”

.بعد كده

Before that. : “AWblu KEHduh”

.قبل كده

Two phrases that indicate whether or not you’ll be on time. But hey, it’s Egypt, so expect a lot of the second one!

Early. : “BEHdree”

.بدري

Late. : “mehTAWkhrr”

.متأخر

And, of course, the days.

Yesterday. : “imBAREuh”

.امبارح

Before yesterday. : “OWwill imBAREuh”

.اول امبارح

Tomorrow. : “BOKEruh”

.بكرة

After tomorrow. : “BAWid’ BOKEruh”

.بعد بكرة

Time to introduce you to “guy” (next) and “feht” (last). These can be used in numerous ways, but for now, understand them as expressing times.

Next week. : “elessBOOuh EHlee GUY”

.الاسبوع اللي جي

Next month. : “elSHAWhrr elGUY”

.الشهر الجاي

Next year. : “elSEHnuh EHlee GUYuh”

.السنة اللي جاية

Because “SEHnuh” (year) is a feminine noun, it ends with a “tamruhbootuh.” This makes the pronunciation of “guy” slightly different. Check out our two posts about nouns for more information.

Last week. : “essBOOuh EHlee FEHT”

.الاسبوع اللي فات

The next are for when you plan to do something in the future.

Later. : “BAWihDANE”

.بعدين

Soon. : “ohREYEihb”

.قريب

Fun fact!

Say “hawshoofuck ooREYEihb,” it means “see you soon.” Say “hawshoofuck BAWihDANE,” it means “see you later,” and is slightly more rude.

A long time ago. : “Men zuhmehn.”

.من زمان

“Men zuhmehn” is basically used in a million different ways to mean something that has been seemingly happening since the beginning of time. It’s probably useful in every other sentence, whether serious, sad, or hilarious. This phrase is like a magic trick that all Egyptians love.

Now. : “dellWAWuhtee”

.دلوقتي

Immediately. : “dellWAWuhtee HEYElawn”

.دلوقتي حالا

We will finish this up with some example sentences.

Mix and match, and make Egyptian Arabic your playground of experimentation.

The Muslims fast from elfehgr to elmaghrib. : “ELMOOSluhMEEN beeSOOmoo men elFEHgr leelMAWghrib”

.المسلمين بيصومو من الفجر للمغرب

The flight is tomorrow morning. : “elteeAWruh BOKEraw ihSOBEh”

.الطيارة بكرة الصبح

Remember, there’s often not a direct word in Arabic for “is”.

The film came out last April. : “elFILM NEHzll awBREEL EHlee FEHT”

.الفيلم نزل ابريل اللي فات

We have seen the word “nehzill” before.

Next year I will be 26 years old. : “ELSEHnuh EHlee GUY heyeKOON ‘AWNdee SEHtuh wuh ehshREEN SEHnuh”

.السنة الجاية هيكون عندي ٢٦ سنة

Mohamed came back last week from France. : “Mohamed REHgaw ehssBOOuh EHlee FEHT men fuhRANsuh”

.محمد رجع الاسبوع الفات من فرنسا

I am traveling tomorrow at night. : “Ana muhSEHfrr BOKEraw behlLAYL”

.انا مسافر بكرة بليل

Kind of a weird thing with the “meem” (م) in this one….but we will leave it for now!

Cultural Insight

We started out giving you the details about the five “call to prayer” times. That wasn’t a joke.

While it’s ok to fit your five prayers in around your schedule (and even, honestly, ok not to pray at all….depending on who you ask), some Muslims take the times seriously. What does that mean?

Yup, waking up at 5 AM six days a week (besides Fridays) to pray. This isn’t an Egypt tip so much as an “Islam around the world” tip.

Regardless of how religious you are, you have to admit: that’s dedication!

Good luck making your appointments like a boss. 🙂

…..

Happy learning,

Cleo Lingo