Today we are discussing how to talk about money in Egyptian Arabic.
This is an important topic in just about any language, so it’s an important one to understand.
In this post we follow our usual “How To” format. First, we will give you the most important vocabulary and example phrases you need for discussing money in Egyptian Arabic. After that we will cover the most important questions you need to know about money. Also included is an example conversation.
Money In Egyptian Arabic : Vocabulary
Here is the most important vocabulary you need to talk about money in Egyptian Arabic.
Money. : flos.
.فلوس
Currency. : 3omla.
.عملة
Guinea. : genyh.
.جنية
Save (money). : ye7wesh flos.
.يحوش فلوس
Invest (money). : ystathmer flos.
.يستثمر فلوس
The economy. : al e8tsad.
.الإقتصاد
Job. : wazyfa.
.وظيفة
Work. : shoghl.
.شغل
Money In Egyptian Arabic : Example Phrases
I think money is important. : a3ta8d elflos mohema.
.أعتقد الفلوس مهمة
All he cares about is money. : aktar 7aga byhtam byha elflos.
.أكتر حاجة بيهتم بيها الفلوس
The Egyptian currency is not strong. : al3omla almsrya msh 8wya.
.العملة المصرية مش قوية
Learn how to talk about the Egyptian economy in Egyptian Arabic if you want to discuss this topic further.
It is almost 30 guineas to the dollar! : t8ryban al dolar b 30 genyh!
.تقريبا الدولار ب 30 جنيه
She is trying to save money for a car. : hya bt7awel te7awesh flos l3rabya.
.هي بتحاول تحوش فلوس لعربية
I want to learn about investing. : 3awz at3allem al estethmar.
.عاوز اتعلم الاستثمار
The economy these days is not very good. : al e8tsad alyomyn dol msh koways awy.
.الإقتصاد اليومين دول مش كويس أوي
I like my job, but I wish I earned more. : ana ba7b wazyfty bs 3ayz aksb aktr.
.أنا بحب وظيفتي، بس عايز أكسب أكتر
He loves to work…a lot! : hwa by7b yshtghal … gdan.
.هو بيحب يشتغل … جدا
Egyptian do indeed work quite a lot.
Here’s how to talk about your job in Egyptian Arabic.
Money In Egyptian Arabic : Common Questions
While this section is all about questions about money…
It’s worth reading up on the most common questions in Egyptian Arabic generally.
For now – here are some about money.
Note: these are conjugated in the male form.
Verbs are conjugated slightly differently if you are asking a woman.
Here are two posts that explain it:
How important is money in your life? : elflos mohemma 8d ey fy 7yatk?
الفلوس مهمة قد ايه في حياتك؟
How much money is enough for you? : yekafyk flos 8d ey?
يكفيك فلوس قد ايه؟
How much money do you make? : bt3ml flos 8d ey?
بتعمل فلوس قد ايه؟
Do you know how many guineas equals one dollar? : t3raf kam genyh ysawy dolar wa7d?
تعرف كام جنيه يساوي دولار واحد؟
What do you do for work? : bt3mel ey lshoghlak?
بتعمل ايه لشغلك؟
Do you think you make enough money at your job? : teftekr enk bt3ml flos kfaya fy wazyftak?
تفتكر إنك بتعمل فلوس كفاية في وظيفتك؟
Do you understand investing? : betfham fy el estthmar?
بتفهم في الاستثمار؟
Do you save money? : bt7wesh flos?
بتحوش فلوس؟
How much money is enough to you to save each month? : ykfyk flos 8d ey 3shan t7wesh kl shahr?
يكفيك فلوس قد ايه عشان تحوش كل شهر؟
Do you think you’re good with money? : teftekr enk koys fy t3amlk m3 elflos?
تفتكر إنك كويس في تعاملك مع الفلوس؟
Are Egyptians good with money? : almsryyn byt3amlo kowyes m3 elflos?
المصريين بيتعاملو كويس مع الفلوس؟
Controversial post, but Egyptians will love you for it, we promise…
How to talk about Egyptian people in Egyptian Arabic.
Do you think the topic of money is complicated? : teftekr en mawdo3 elflos mo3a8d?
تفتكر إن موضوع الفلوس معقد؟
Example Conversation
And finally, here is an example conversation about money.
It’s between both a man and a woman…
So keep an eye on the verb conjugations!
MAN: Hi Hoda, I have a question about money. : ahlan yahoda 3ndy so2al 3n elflos.
.أهلا ياهدي، عندي سؤال عن الفلوس
WOMAN: Hi Mohamed. Sure, how can I help you? : ahlan ya m7md. 6b3an ezay a8dr asa3dak?
أهلا يا محمد. طبعا ازاي اقدر اساعدك؟
MAN: Well, I want to learn about saving money, but I don’t know how. : bosy، ana 3awez at3lem a7wesh flos, bs msh 3arf ezay.
.بصي، انا عاوز أتعلم احوش فلوس ، بس مش عارف ازاي
WOMAN: Do you think that you’re not very good with money? : teftekr enk msh kowyes fy t3amlk m3 alflos?
تفتكر إنك مش كويس في تعاملك مع الفلوس؟
MAN: No, I don’t understand the topic very well. But I want to start saving. : laa ana msh fahm almawdo3 kowyes awy. laken 3awez abda a7wesh.
لا انا مش فاهم الموضوع كويس أوي. لكن عاوز أبدا احوش.
WOMAN: I understand. Well, maybe you can just try to spend less. : fahma. bos momken t7awl tsref a8l.
.فاهمة. بص، ممكن تحاول تصرف أقل
MAN: Yes, but that’s hard for me. I like to spend money too! : tmam bs da sa3b awy blnesba lya. ana ba7b asref elflos awy.
.تمام بس دا صعب أوي بالنسبة ليا. أنا بحب أصرف الفلوس أوي
WOMAN: Well, there’s a lot of books you can read about money. Maybe that helps. : bos fy kotob ktyr te8dar teraha 3n elflos momken tsa3dk.
.بص في كتب كتير تقدر تقرأها عن الفلوس ممكن تساعدك
MAN: Thank you very much Hoda, I will read more about the topic. : shokran awy ya heba h8ra aktar 3n almawdo3.
.شكرا اوي يا هبة هقرأ أكتر عن الموضوع
WOMAN: You’re welcome Mohamed, good luck! : al3fw ya m7md rabna ywaf8k.
.العفو يا محمد ربنا يوفقك.
Cultural Insight
When I (Eric) first moved to Egypt in 2015, the exchange rate was around seven pounds to the dollar.
After “floating the currency” numerous times since then, it is now 30 pounds to the dollar.
This is a massive difference, and has affected the lives of Egyptians everywhere. The people of the country don’t necessarily make more than they did 8 years ago, even as inflation has raised prices.
You can imagine that this would be stressful and frustrating for your average Egyptian – and oftentimes, it is!
Something to keep in mind if you are a foreigner!
…
Happy learning,
Cleo Lingo
