If you are learning Egyptian Arabic, you will interact with people. And when you do, you need to know how to introduce yourself in Egyptian Arabic.
We know know, we know. Real life human contact is scary, and doing it with a potential language barrier is even worse. Sometimes a bowl of popcorn, a cozy bed, and five hours of binge-watching How I Met Your Mother is really all you want to do. We get it. We’ve been there.
You want to learn Egyptian Arabic, right? Well, then I guess it’s time to break the ice with Egyptians. Trust us. It’s good for the soul. You can Netflix it up later, we promise.
Today, Cleo Lingo Will be explaining…..how to introduce yourself in Egyptian Arabic.
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Phrases To Introduce Yourself in Egyptian Arabic
What’s your name? : “EsmUHk ey?”
اسمك ايه؟
My name is… : “ESSmee….”
…اسمي
We thought we’d spend about a month and a half before getting around to this gem. Thank us later.
Where are you from…. : “ENtuh menANE?”
انت منين؟
I come from…: “Ana men…”
…انا من
…America/Germany/France/Spain/Italy : “…Amreekuh/Almania/Faransa/Aspania/Italia.”
أمريكا|المانيا|فرنسا|اسبانيا|إيطاليا…
I am…. : “Ana….”
…انا
(This should be obvious by now.)
…American/German/Spanish/Italian/Belgian/French : “…Amrericy/Almani/Aspani/Itali/Beljiki/Fransowee”
امريكي| الماني| اسباني|إيطالي|بلجيكي|فرنساوي…
Keep in mind that these nationalities are all presented in the male version. Just like a ton of languages, Arabic has gender. We will be explaining in a Lesson quite soon the linguistic difference between male and female. It has far-reaching implications beyond nationalities.
You know Arabic/You can speak Arabic? : “BiTAW’ruff Awrawbee?/btetKElum Awrawbee?”
بتعرف عربي؟ | بتتكلم عربي؟
Yes, a little. : “EYEwuh, shwaya.”
.ايوه, شوية
Yes, I speak Arabic better than you! : “EYEwuh, Ana betKElum AWrubee AWHsen Menuck!”
!ايوه انا بتكلم عربي احسن منك
Or, if you want to make it snappy:
Better than you! : “AWHsen Menuck!”
!احسن منك
This last phrase obviously isn’t meant to be serious, but it will probably get some laughs. Sure, you don’t speak Egyptian Arabic all that great now. But give it some time, and maybe someday this phrase will be true.
Then again, feel free to bust this out when you go back home to your non-Arabic speaking friends. They won’t have any idea what you’re saying, but you’ll have the smug satisfaction with the confused (and maybe impressed) look on their face.
Personal Information When You Introduce Yourself in Egyptian Arabic
How old are you? : “Awndek KEHM sEnuh?”
عندك كام سنه؟
The literal translation is “how many years do you have.” A bit strange, as we covered in our post on using “awnd” and “maw.”
I am…..years old. : “Ana AWNdee …..”
…انا عندي
Be sure to tack on a number at the end.
I arrived one week/one month/two months ago. : “Ana gate men esBOOwa/SHAWhrr, SHAWhuRANE.”
.انا جيت من أسبوع | شهر | شهرين
The word “men” is used for a lot of things, but here it indicates time in the past. We are just going to assume that you are relatively recent in Cairo.
I am still new…..in Egypt/Cairo. : “Ana LISSuh guDEED fee misr.”
.انا لسه جديد في مصر
You can just use the first part (I am still new) whenever you want to get out of trouble. This was certainly my strategy whenever I did something I shouldn’t have. Forget to pay, cut in line, call somebody’s mother a rotten tomato…..I’m still new, man.
Being not only a foreigner, but also a new foreigner, can work miracles when you’re trying to avoid responsibility for wrongdoings. As an added bonus, it’s quite vague, so you could even use it after a decade of living here!
That being said, don’t overuse this one. With great power comes great responsibility….
Where do you live? : “Entuh SEkin fane? / Entuh AW’dd fane?/ Entuh NEHzll fane?”
انت ساكن فين؟ | انت قاعد فين؟ | انت نازل فين؟
Although each one of these (generally) means “Where do you live?”, here is helpful breakdown.
First one means literally “Where do you live?”; the second one literally means “Where are you sitting?”. They are used interchangeably with “SEHkin fane?” (see below).
Third one is a bit more interesting. It literally means “Where are you going down at?”, which fits more in the metro (“Where are you exiting?”). In this example, it means “Which hotel/hostel are you staying at?”, or “Where do you stay?”. However, this one’s not so common.
I live in….. : “Ana SEHin fee….”
…انا ساكن في
Again, if you are a normal human being that is scared of giving out your address, you can always lie. No need telling a potential serial killer where he can find you.
But where’s the fun in that?
What are you doing here?/What do you do for a living? : “BiTAW’mll eh?/ BihtishTUHgll eh?”
بتعمل ايه؟ | بتشتغل ايه؟
Work or traveling (literally “tourism”)? : “Shoghul walla seeAWhuh?”
شغل ولا سياحة
If you introduce yourself in Egyptian Arabic, expect this question to pop up. Egyptians simply must know what you’re doing in their country.
And here’s how you can answer.
I am working here. : “Ana bihSHTUgll HEnuh.”
.انا بشتغل هنا
I am studying. : “Ana BEHress….”
.انا بدرس
I am a student here. : “Ana TAWleb hena.”
.انا طالب هنا
And if you have made the unfortunate decision to only be in Cairo for a few days?
I am traveling. : “SeeAWhuh (tourism).”
سياحة
For when the person wants specifics…
How to talk about travel in Egyptian Arabic is also great to know.
What do you work as? : “BitSHTUgl ay?”
بتشتغل ايه
I am a….Teacher/Translator/ at embassy/ lawyer/engineer/cook (they are the best) : Ana …Modares/motargem/fe sefara/mohamee/mohandes / tabbukh(a)”
مدرس | مترجم | في سفارة | محامي | مهندس| طباخ
I study…. : “Ana BEHress….”
.انا بدرس
If it’s the first one, you either work for some NGO, work for a foreign government at an embassy (or something similar), or teach. Go to a party in Cairo full of expats, and you’ll get the joke. If it’s the second, you are studying Political Science at American University in Cairo.
In the far future, we will be doing an advanced post on how to make fun of AUC students. Stick around.
After You Introduce Yourself in Egyptian Arabic
Nice to meet you. : “Foursa saeduh.”
فرصة سعيدة
Nice to meet you too! : “Ana asawed.”
انا اسعد
Just because we felt like picking a bunch of “weird with literal translation” phrases today, here’s some more.
Nice to meet you is literally “a happy chance.” Nice to meet you too is “I am happier.” For some reason, even if you have slaughtered the conversation thus far with mistakes, it’s great to get this one right. You leave on a happy note, and the Egyptian feels appreciated. Win-win.
Can I get your phone number? : “Momkin rakawmak?”
ممكن رقمك؟
Sure, my number is…. : “Tabaawn, rakami….”
…طبعا, رقمي
This is for when you are making friends. If you feel comfortable, go ahead and give it away. Egyptians are (no surprise) the masters at what Cleo Lingo talks about. But if you aren’t comfortable? If this dude has a weird smile, seems to want your money, or looks like he might have a tase in his pocket?
I don’t have a number here. : “Ana mesh maawia rakawm hena.”
.انا لسه مش معايا رقم هنا
Even if you do. Which, if you are planning on living in Egypt, might be kind of a good idea.
Good bye! : “Maw el selawma.”
.مع السلامة
I will you see soon! : “Ashowfak urayeb.”
.اشوفك قريب
Who doesn’t like a nice little send off?
Cultural Insight
Like so many countries around the world, English in Egypt is much more prevalent among younger people. For a combination of reasons (cultural, historical, and educational), the cut-off age seems to be right around 30. Older than that, your English probably isn’t great. Younger than that, there’s a decent chance you speak it well. To get people to speak Arabic with you is sometimes difficult.
Because of that, to introduce yourself in Egyptian Arabic might seem a little pointless. They speak English anyway, right? Who cares?
Push through it. The reliance on English while traveling (or living) in Egypt is understandable, but it will cause problems. You will come across Egyptians that either don’t speak English, or prefer to stick to Arabic. This is guaranteed. Introductions (and the ice that is broken with them) are one of the most important things you can learn. It shows a level of respect and appreciation to Egyptians that English just can’t provide.
So get out there and connect. Ditch Netflix for a night, and go out and introduce yourself. Even if it’s with the younger crowd that speaks your language.
Good luck with meeting new people. ☺
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Happy learning,
Cleo Lingo
