Today we are discussing how to talk about problems in Egypt, all in Egyptian Arabic.
Obvious disclaimer here: Egypt, like any other country, has good things and bad things about it.
And one of the most “advanced” ways to use a language is to know how to talk about the country.
Not just the good things – but the problems too!
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 problems in Egypt. After that we will cover the most important questions you need to know. Also included is an example conversation.
Problems In Egypt : Vocabulary
Here is the most important vocabulary you need to talk about problems in Egyptian Arabic.
Egypt. : masr
.مصر
Life. : al 7yah
.الحياة
Standard / level of life. : mostwa alma3ysha
.مستوى المعيشة
Inflation. : tad5om
.تضخم
Pollution. : talwoth
.تلوث
Traffic. : moror
.مرور
Sound. : sot
.صوت
Problems In Egypt : Example Phrases
Before we get started with example phrases, here are a few Cleo Lingo posts you might find helpful:
- How To Talk About The Life in Egypt
- Traffic In Egyptian Arabic
- Talk About Egyptian Culture
- Talk About The Egyptian Economy
A lot of these posts have relevant vocabulary.
Now let’s dive into some phrases you can us when discussing problems in Egypt.
Egypt is an interesting place. : masr makan momte3.
.مصر مكان ممتع
Egypt has problems like any other country. : masr 3ndha mashakel zy ay dwla tanya.
.مصر عندها مشاكل زي اي دولة تانية
Life / the life in Egypt is difficult. : al7ayah fy masr sa3b.
.الحياة في مصر صعبة
The life in Egypt can be hard sometimes. : al7yah fy masr aw8at momken tb8a sa3ba.
.الحياة في مصر اوقات ممكن تبقى صعبة
The standard of living in Egypt is not as high as other places. : mostwa alma3ysha fy masr msh 3aly zy al amaken altanya.
.مستوى المعيشة في مصر مش عالي زي الاماكن التانية
Inflation has gotten worse over the years. : altad5om b8a aswa2 3la mr alsnyn.
.التضخم بقي اسوا على مر السنين
Pollution in the big cities in Egypt is terrible. : al talwoth fy al modon al kbyra fy masr fazy3.
.التلوث في المدن الكبيرة في مصر فظيع
Traffic in Egypt is really difficult / bad! : 7arkt al mror fy masr s3ba awy.
.حركة المرور في مصر صعبة اوي
There is so much sound in Egypt. : fy aswat ktyr awy fy masr.
.في اصوات كتير اوي في مصر
Egypt is a very loud country. : masr dawsha awy
.مصر دوشة اوي
Problems In Egypt : Common Questions
Here are some common questions you might ask.
What are the common problems in Egypt? : ey hya al mshakel al montashra fy masr?
ايه هي المشاكل المنتشرة في مصر؟
Do you like living in Egypt? : bt7b al 3ysha fy masr?
بتحب العيشة في مصر؟
Notice here that the word العيشة can basically mean “the life” or “the living.”
Do you (fem/masc) think that life in Egypt is good? : teftekr / teftekry en al 3ysha fy masr kowysa
تفتكر/تفتكري إن العيشة في مصر كويسة؟
Is life in Cairo better than other Egyptian cities? : al 3ysha fy al8ahra a7la mn ba8y al modon?
العيشة في القاهرة أحلي من باقي المدن؟
Is living in Egypt healthy or unhealthy? : al3ysha fy masr s7ya wla msh s7ya?
العيشة في مصر صحية ولا مش صحية؟
Unhealthy here means literally “not healthy” (مش صحية).
How bad is the inflation in Egypt? : hwa al tad5om fy masr w7esh 8d ey?
هو التضخم في مصر وحش قد ايه؟
Has inflation made everything in Egypt expensive? : hwa al tad5om 5la kol 7aga fy masr ghalya
هو التضخم خلي كل حاجة في مصر غالية؟
How bad is the pollution in Egypt? : al talwoth w7esh 8d ey fy masr
التلوث وحش قد ايه في مصر؟
Unfortunately, it’s particularly bad in Cairo.
What is the traffic like in Egypt? : 7rkt al mror 3amla ezay fy masr?
حركة المرور عاملة ازاي في مصر؟
Does Egypt have less problems than other countries? : masr 3ndha mashakel a8l mn ba8y al belad?
مصر عندها مشاكل اقل من باقي البلاد؟
Problems In Egypt : Example Conversation
And finally, here is an example conversation about problems in Egypt.
It’s between both a man and a woman…
So keep an eye on the verb conjugations!
MAN: Hello Nour. A friend of mine asked me yesterday about the standard of life in Egypt. : ahlan ya nor sa7b lya sa2lny embare7 3n mostwa alm3ysha fy masr.
.أهلا يا نور. صاحب ليا سألني امبارح عن مستوى المعيشة في مصر
WOMAN: And what did you tell him? : wenta 8olt loh ey?
.وانت قولتله ايه
MAN: Look, it’s hard to say (tell you). But I think Egypt has problems just like any other country. : bosy sa3b eny a8olk bs a3t8d en masr 3ndha mshakel zyha zy ay dwla tanya
.بصي صعب اني اقولك. بس اعتقد ان مصر عندها مشاكل زيها زي اي دولة تانية
WOMAN: But what do you think is the biggest problem here? : bs teftekr ey hya akbr moshkla hena?
بس تفتكر ايه هي أكبر مشكلة هنا؟
MAN: Maybe pollution or maybe traffic but there is traffic in every city. : momken al talwoth aw momken 7rkt al mror bs 7rkt almror mawgoda fy kol madyna.
.ممكن التلوث او ممكن حركة المرور بس حركة المرور موجودة في كل مدينة
WOMAN: True. Do you think there is a solution to the traffic in Cairo? : sa7. teftekr en fy 7lol l7rkt al mror fy al8ahra?
صح. تفتكر ان في حلول لحركة المرور في القاهرة؟
MAN: I don’t know. Maybe bigger roads but truthfully I don’t know. : msh 3arf. momken 6r8 akbar bs 78y8y msh 3arf.
.مش عارف. ممكن طرق اكبر بس حقيقي مش عارف
WOMAN: I don’t know either! : wana kman msh 3arfa!
!وأنا كمان مش عارفة
Cultural Insight
Want to know about the standard of living in Egypt?
Just like anywhere else, it really depends on who you ask. There are Egyptians who have close to nothing, and also Egyptians who have a wonderful life money-wise.
Not really an insightful comment here, because it’s the same in just about every country. It is important to keep in mind when talking about the “problems in Egypt”, though. Like any other country, people are not equally affected by the standards of living.
Talk to your bowab, for example, and then discuss things with your wealthy neighbor – you will have a completely different conversation about life in Egypt.
…
Happy learning,
Cleo Lingo
