For autodidact students of Egyptian Arabic, the first word is "the," and in Arabic "the" is not a separate word at all. It is a prefix, ال (il-), written joined to the front of its noun: بيت (bēt) is "a house" or "house," البيت (il-bēt) is "the house"; باب (bāb) is "door," الباب (il-bāb) is "the door." The two letters ا and ل never change for gender or number: الراجل (ir-rāgil), "the man"; البنت (il-bint), "the girl"; الستات (is-sittāt), "the women."
What does change is the sound. Before about half the consonants of the alphabet, the l of the article is swallowed by the first consonant of the noun, which is then pronounced double. These are the "sun letters," named after الشمس (iš-šams), "the sun," which is said iš-šams and never il-šams. The other consonants are the "moon letters," named after القمر (il-ʔamar), "the moon," where the l is heard. The spelling does not change: the Arabic script always writes ال, whatever is said.
The vowel of the article is a short i: il-bēt, il-walad. After a word that ends in a vowel, it drops, and only the l, or the doubled consonant, is heard: في البيت is fi l-bēt, "in the house"; راحوا السوق is rāḥu s-sūʔ, "they went to the market."
Egyptian Arabic uses "the" more than English does. Things spoken of in general take the article: بحب الشاي (baḥibb iš-šāy) is "I like tea," literally "I like the tea." And there is no word for "a": a noun without the article is indefinite, so بيت (bēt) is "a house" and فيه جنينة (fīh gnēna) is "it has a garden."
Script note: ال is two letters, alif ا and lam ل. Alif does not join to the letter after it, so ال is written as a little unit of its own and lam then joins the noun: ال + بيت = البيت. When the noun itself begins with lam, two lams stand side by side: ال + لبن = اللبن (il-laban), "the milk." The preposition ب (bi-, "with, by, in") is written joined to the article: بالنعناع (bin-niʿnāʿ), "with mint."
Key Takeaways: - ال (il-): "the." A prefix joined to its noun, the same for every gender and number - Sun letters (t, d, r, z, s, š, ṣ, ḍ, ṭ, ẓ, l, n): the l is assimilated and the consonant doubles: الشمس (iš-šams), الشاي (iš-šāy), الراجل (ir-rāgil) - Moon letters (the rest): the l is heard: البيت (il-bēt), الباب (il-bāb), القهوة (il-ʔahwa), الكتاب (il-kitāb) - The spelling is always ال; only the pronunciation changes - After a vowel, the i of il- drops: في البيت (fi l-bēt) - General statements take the article: بحب الشاي (baḥibb iš-šāy), "I like tea" - There is no "a": بيت (bēt), "a house" - An adjective after a definite noun takes the article too: البيت الكبير (il-bēt il-kibīr), "the big house" - "This" comes after the noun, which keeps its article: الكتاب ده (il-kitāb da), "this book"
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1.1a البيت the-house كبير big
1.1b il-bēt (il-BAYT) the-house.M kibīr (ki-BEER) big-M.SG
1.2a الباب the-door مقفول closed
1.2b il-bāb (il-BAAB) the-door.M maʔfūl (ma'-FOOL) closed-M.SG
1.3a الشمس the-sun حامية hot
1.3b iš-šams (ish-SHAMS) the-sun.F ḥamya (HAM-ya) hot-F.SG
1.4a القهوة the-coffee سخنة hot
1.4b il-ʔahwa (il-AH-wa) the-coffee.F sukhna (SUKH-na) hot-F.SG
1.5a جبت I-brought العيش the-bread
1.5b gibt (gibt) bring-PAST.1SG il-ʿēš (il-ʿAYSH) the-bread
1.6a الولد the-boy في in المدرسة the-school
1.6b il-walad (il-WA-lad) the-boy fi (fi) in l-madrasa (l-MAD-ra-sa) the-school.F
1.7a اشتريت I-bought اللبن the-milk من from البقال the-grocer
1.7b ištarēt (ish-ta-RAYT) buy-PAST.1SG il-laban (il-LA-ban) the-milk min (min) from il-baʔʔāl (il-ba'-'AAL) the-grocer
1.8a البنت the-girl فتحت opened الشباك the-window
1.8b il-bint (il-BINT) the-girl fataḥit (FA-ta-hit) open-PAST.3F.SG iš-šibbāk (ish-shib-BAAK) the-window
1.9a الكتاب the-book ده this بتاعي mine
1.9b il-kitāb (il-ki-TAAB) the-book.M da (da) this-M.SG bitāʿi (bi-TAA-ʿi) of.POSS-my
1.10a الواد the-boy ده this أخويا my-brother
1.10b il-wād (il-WAAD) the-boy.M da (da) this-M.SG ʔakhūya (a-KHOO-ya) brother-my
1.11a الأكل the-food اللي that على on الترابيزة the-table بارد cold
1.11b il-ʔakl (il-AKL) the-food.M illi (IL-li) REL ʿala (ʿA-la) on t-tarabēza (t-ta-ra-BAY-za) the-table.F bārid (BAA-rid) cold-M.SG
1.12a الميه the-water مقطوعة cut-off النهارده today
1.12b il-mayya (il-MAY-ya) the-water.F maʔṭūʿa (ma'-TOO-ʿa) cut-off-F.SG n-naharda (n-na-HAR-da) the-day-this
1.13a بحب I-like الشاي the-tea بالنعناع with-the-mint
1.13b baḥibb (ba-HIBB) like-PRES.1SG iš-šāy (ish-SHAAY) the-tea bin-niʿnāʿ (bin-niʿ-NAAʿ) with-the-mint
1.14a البيت the-house الكبير the-big بتاع of جدي my-grandfather فيه in-it جنينة garden
1.14b il-bēt (il-BAYT) the-house.M il-kibīr (il-ki-BEER) the-big-M.SG bitāʿ (bi-TAAʿ) of.POSS.M giddi (GID-di) grandfather-my fīh (feeh) in-it.M gnēna (g-NAY-na) garden.F
1.15a الستات the-women راحوا went السوق the-market واشتروا and-bought الخضار the-vegetables والفاكهة and-the-fruit
1.15b is-sittāt (is-sit-TAAT) the-women.PL rāḥu (RAA-hu) go-PAST.3PL s-sūʔ (s-SOO') the-market wi-štaru (wish-TA-ru) and-buy-PAST.3PL l-khuḍār (l-khu-DAAR) the-vegetables.COLL wi l-fakha (wil-FAK-ha) and the-fruit.F
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1.1 البيت كبير. (il-bēt kibīr) "The house is big." 1.2 الباب مقفول. (il-bāb maʔfūl) "The door is closed." 1.3 الشمس حامية. (iš-šams ḥamya) "The sun is hot." 1.4 القهوة سخنة. (il-ʔahwa sukhna) "The coffee is hot." 1.5 جبت العيش. (gibt il-ʿēš) "I brought the bread." 1.6 الولد في المدرسة. (il-walad fi l-madrasa) "The boy is at school." 1.7 اشتريت اللبن من البقال. (ištarēt il-laban min il-baʔʔāl) "I bought the milk at the grocer's." 1.8 البنت فتحت الشباك. (il-bint fataḥit iš-šibbāk) "The girl opened the window." 1.9 الكتاب ده بتاعي. (il-kitāb da bitāʿi) "This book is mine." 1.10 الواد ده أخويا. (il-wād da ʔakhūya) "This boy is my brother." 1.11 الأكل اللي على الترابيزة بارد. (il-ʔakl illi ʿala t-tarabēza bārid) "The food on the table is cold." 1.12 الميه مقطوعة النهارده. (il-mayya maʔṭūʿa n-naharda) "The water is cut off today." 1.13 بحب الشاي بالنعناع. (baḥibb iš-šāy bin-niʿnāʿ) "I like tea with mint." 1.14 البيت الكبير بتاع جدي فيه جنينة. (il-bēt il-kibīr bitāʿ giddi fīh gnēna) "My grandfather's big house has a garden." 1.15 الستات راحوا السوق واشتروا الخضار والفاكهة. (is-sittāt rāḥu s-sūʔ wi-štaru l-khuḍār wi l-fakha) "The women went to the market and bought vegetables and fruit."
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1.1 البيت كبير. 1.2 الباب مقفول. 1.3 الشمس حامية. 1.4 القهوة سخنة. 1.5 جبت العيش. 1.6 الولد في المدرسة. 1.7 اشتريت اللبن من البقال. 1.8 البنت فتحت الشباك. 1.9 الكتاب ده بتاعي. 1.10 الواد ده أخويا. 1.11 الأكل اللي على الترابيزة بارد. 1.12 الميه مقطوعة النهارده. 1.13 بحب الشاي بالنعناع. 1.14 البيت الكبير بتاع جدي فيه جنينة. 1.15 الستات راحوا السوق واشتروا الخضار والفاكهة.
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These are the grammar rules for ال (il-), "the."
One form for everything. ال does not change for masculine or feminine, singular or plural: الباب (il-bāb, the door, M), الشمس (iš-šams, the sun, F), الستات (is-sittāt, the women, PL). It is always written joined to its word, never as a separate word.
Sun letters and moon letters. The pronunciation of the l depends on the first consonant of the noun. - Sun letters: ت t, د d, ر r, ز z, س s, ش š, ص ṣ, ض ḍ, ط ṭ, ظ ẓ, ل l, ن n, and ث ذ in the words that keep them from Standard Arabic, where Egyptians say them as t, s, d or z. The l becomes that consonant and the consonant is doubled: الشمس (iš-šams), الشباك (iš-šibbāk), الشاي (iš-šāy), الستات (is-sittāt), السوق (is-sūʔ), الترابيزة (it-tarabēza), النهارده (in-naharda), النعناع (in-niʿnāʿ), اللبن (il-laban). - Moon letters: all the others, among them ب b, ح ḥ, خ kh, ع ʿ, غ gh, ف f, ق ʔ, ك k, م m, و w, ي y, and the hamza. The l is heard: البيت (il-bēt), الحساب (il-ḥisāb), الخضار (il-khuḍār), العيش (il-ʿēš), الفاكهة (il-fakha), القهوة (il-ʔahwa), الكتاب (il-kitāb), المدرسة (il-madrasa), الولد (il-walad), الأكل (il-ʔakl). - ج g and ك k: in Egyptian, ج is pronounced g, and it is a moon letter like ق in Standard Arabic: الجمل (il-gamal), "the camel." In quick speech, however, many Cairenes let the l slide into g and k as well, and the dictionaries record both: ig-gamal or il-gamal, ik-kitāb or il-kitāb. This course writes the careful form, il-, and you will be understood with either.
il- and l-. At the start of a sentence, or after a word ending in a consonant, the article is il-: il-bēt, min il-baʔʔāl. After a word ending in a vowel it loses its i: المدرسة after في is fi l-madrasa (1.6); السوق after راحوا is rāḥu s-sūʔ (1.15); الترابيزة after على is ʿala t-tarabēza (1.11). The same happens to the i at the start of other words: و (wi), "and," before اشتروا (ištaru) gives wi-štaru (1.15). This course's transliteration writes what is said; the Arabic script always writes ال.
Prepositions with the article. ب (bi-), "with, by, in," is written joined to the article and loses its vowel: ب + النعناع = بالنعناع (bin-niʿnāʿ), "with mint" (1.13). و (wi), "and," is also written joined: والفاكهة (wi l-fakha), "and the fruit" (1.15). في (fi), "in," and على (ʿala), "on," are written as separate words, and the article after them is heard without its i: في المدرسة (fi l-madrasa), على الترابيزة (ʿala t-tarabēza).
No copula in the present. "The house is big" is simply البيت كبير (il-bēt kibīr): a definite noun followed by an adjective without the article makes a sentence (1.1–1.4). If the adjective also takes the article, the result is a phrase, not a sentence: البيت الكبير (il-bēt il-kibīr) is "the big house" (1.14). This difference, article or no article on the adjective, is the whole difference between "the house is big" and "the big house." Egyptian, unlike Levantine, keeps a full vowel in كبير (kibīr), and so says il-bēt il-kibīr with a plain il- on both words.
Agreement. An adjective agrees with its noun in gender: البيت (M) كبير, الباب (M) مقفول, الشمس (F) حامية, القهوة (F) سخنة. Feminine adjectives usually end in ة, pronounced -a: sukhna, ḥamya, maʔṭūʿa.
Generic use. Where English uses no article for things in general ("I like tea"), Egyptian uses ال: بحب الشاي (1.13). Mass nouns, abstract nouns and plurals in general statements are definite in Egyptian Arabic: الحب (il-ḥubb), "love."
No word for "a." Egyptian has no indefinite article: a noun without ال is indefinite. فيه جنينة (fīh gnēna), "it has a garden" (1.14).
"This" comes after the noun. The demonstrative follows a noun that keeps its article: الكتاب ده (il-kitāb da), "this book" (1.9); الواد ده (il-wād da), "this boy" (1.10). ده (da) is masculine, دي (di) feminine, دول (dōl) plural: البنت دي (il-bint di), "this girl"; الستات دول (is-sittāt dōl), "these women." Without the article, the same words make a sentence with the demonstrative as subject: ده كتاب (da kitāb), "this is a book." Note that الكتاب ده بتاعي (1.9) is a sentence: "this book (is) mine."
النهارده, "today." The everyday word for "today" contains the article and the demonstrative fused into one: in- + نهار (nahār), "day," + ده (da), "this": "the-day-this." It is heard in-naharda, and after a vowel n-naharda (1.12).
Possession. A definite thing owned by someone is joined with بتاع (bitāʿ), "of, belonging to": البيت الكبير بتاع جدي (1.14). The owned noun keeps its article. بتاع agrees with the owned noun: بتاعة (bitāʿa) for a feminine noun, بتوع (bitūʿ) for a plural. With a pronoun ending, as in جدي (giddi, my grandfather) or أخويا (ʔakhūya, my brother), the noun is already definite and never takes ال: never \*الجدي.
Relative clauses. After a definite noun, "that, which, who" is اللي (illi): الأكل اللي على الترابيزة (1.11). اللي never changes, and itself contains the old article.
Common Mistakes: - Saying il-šams or il-sūʔ. Before a sun letter the l is not pronounced: iš-šams, is-sūʔ. - Writing the assimilation. The script always writes ال: الشمس, never \*اششمس. - Dropping the article in general statements because English does: \*بحب شاي for "I like tea." Say بحب الشاي. - Putting the article on the adjective when you mean a sentence: البيت الكبير is "the big house," not "the house is big." - Dropping the article before ده: "this book" is الكتاب ده, not \*كتاب ده. ده كتاب means "this is a book." - Putting ال on a noun that has a pronoun ending: جدي, not \*الجدي. - Looking for a word for "a." There is none: بيت is "a house."
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Egyptians call their language مصري (maṣri), "Egyptian," after مصر (maṣr), the name of the country, which in everyday speech is also the name of Cairo: a villager going up to Cairo says he is going to مصر. When they set it against the Standard Arabic of school and the news, they call it العامية (il-ʿammiyya), "the colloquial." Standard Arabic is الفصحى (il-fuṣḥa), "the most eloquent." Both names carry the article.
Many of the commonest everyday formulas contain the article. Morning greetings are صباح الخير (ṣabāḥ il-khēr), "morning of the good," answered صباح النور (ṣabāḥ in-nūr), "morning of the light." الحمد لله (il-ḥamdu lillāh), "praise be to God," answers "how are you?" النهارده (in-naharda) is "today," and بكره (bukra) "tomorrow." Several of these appear in the dialogue below.
Bread in Egypt is عيش (ʿēš), a word that in Standard Arabic means "life," and the round flat loaf of every table is العيش البلدي (il-ʿēš il-baladi), "the country bread." The classic breakfast is فول (fūl), stewed fava beans, and طعمية (ṭaʿmiyya), the Egyptian falafel, made from fava beans rather than chickpeas, bought hot from a street cart and eaten in bread with tahini and salad. The dialogue of this lesson takes place at such a cart.
Egyptian Arabic and Standard Arabic live side by side. Children speak Egyptian at home and learn Standard Arabic at school; the news, the Friday sermon and official documents are in Standard Arabic; the family, the market, the café and above all the cinema, television and popular song are in Egyptian. Because Cairo was for most of the twentieth century the capital of Arab film and recording, Egyptian is the one spoken Arabic that people from Morocco to Iraq understand. It also has a written literature of its own: colloquial poetry, زجل (zagal), from Bayram al-Tunisi to Salah Jahin, Fouad Haddad and Ahmed Fouad Negm, plays, and in recent decades novels and blogs.
Within Egypt the speech varies. Cairo says ʔ for the letter ق: القهوة is il-ʔahwa. Upper Egypt, الصعيد (iṣ-ṣaʿīd), says g for ق and often a palatal j or d-y for ج, and much of the Delta countryside has its own forms. This course uses the Cairene forms throughout. On phones and social media, Egyptian is also written in Latin letters, with numerals for sounds that English spelling lacks (2 for the hamza and the Cairene ق, 3 for ع, 7 for ح): el 2ahwa, 3eish. Learning the Arabic script lets you read signs, menus, film posters and the poem of Section F.
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صلاح جاهين، رباعيات (Salah Jahin, Quatrains)
Salah Jahin (1930–1986), cartoonist, lyricist and poet, was the master of Egyptian colloquial verse and did more than anyone to make it a literature in its own right. His رباعيات (rubāʿiyyāt), Quatrains, short poems of four lines each closing with the cry عجبي! (ʿagabi!), "how strange!", are known by heart all over Egypt. This one asks the oldest of questions in the plainest of words. The text is as printed in the collection and reproduced on Arabic poetry sites; the spelling الحياه, with ه for ة, is the printed one, and rhymes with ياه.
خرج ابن آدم من العدم قلت: ياه رجع ابن آدم للعدم قلت: ياه تراب بيحيا... وحي بيصير تراب الأصل هو الموت و الا الحياه؟
F-A: Interlinear
F.1a خرج came-out ابن son-of آدم Adam من from العدم the-nothingness قلت I-said ياه oh
F.1b kharag (KHA-rag) go-out-PAST.3M.SG ibn (ibn) son-of ʔādam (AA-dam) Adam min (min) from il-ʿadam (il-ʿA-dam) the-nothingness ʔult (ʔult) say-PAST.1SG yāh (yaah) INTERJ
F.2a رجع returned ابن son-of آدم Adam للعدم to-the-nothingness قلت I-said ياه oh
F.2b rigiʿ (RI-giʿ) return-PAST.3M.SG ibn (ibn) son-of ʔādam (AA-dam) Adam lil-ʿadam (lil-ʿA-dam) to-the-nothingness ʔult (ʔult) say-PAST.1SG yāh (yaah) INTERJ
F.3a تراب dust بيحيا comes-alive وحي and-living بيصير becomes تراب dust
F.3b turāb (tu-RAAB) dust biyiḥya (bi-YIH-ya) live-PRES.3M.SG wi-ḥayy (wi-HAYY) and-living-M.SG biyṣīr (biy-SEER) become-PRES.3M.SG turāb (tu-RAAB) dust
F.4a الأصل the-origin هو he الموت the-death و and الا if-not الحياه the-life
F.4b il-ʔaṣl (il-ASL) the-origin.M huwwa (HUW-wa) he.COP il-mōt (il-MOHT) the-death wa (wa) and lla (lla) if-not il-ḥayā (il-ha-YAA) the-life.F
F-B: Original and Translation
خرج ابن آدم من العدم قلت: ياه / رجع ابن آدم للعدم قلت: ياه / تراب بيحيا... وحي بيصير تراب / الأصل هو الموت و الا الحياه؟
"Man came out of nothing; I said: Oh! / Man went back to nothing; I said: Oh! / Dust comes alive... and the living turns to dust: / which is the origin, death or life?" (Translation: Latinum Institute.)
F-C: Original
خرج ابن آدم من العدم قلت: ياه رجع ابن آدم للعدم قلت: ياه تراب بيحيا... وحي بيصير تراب الأصل هو الموت و الا الحياه؟
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
The quatrain turns on four abstract nouns, and every one of them carries the article: العدم (il-ʿadam), "nothingness," twice; الأصل (il-ʔaṣl), "the origin"; الموت (il-mōt), "death"; الحياه (il-ḥayā), "life." This is the generic article of 1.13: English says "death or life," with no article, but Egyptian, like Standard Arabic, makes abstract nouns definite. All four begin with moon letters (ع, ء, م, ح), so the l is heard each time.
Against them stand two nouns without the article, and the difference is the poem. تراب (turāb), "dust," and حي (ḥayy), "a living thing," are indefinite: not "the dust" but any dust, some dust, which comes alive and dies. ابن آدم (ibn ʔādam), "son of Adam," is the everyday Egyptian phrase for "a human being"; it is definite without the article, because آدم is a name.
للعدم (lil-ʿadam), "to nothingness," shows the preposition ل (li-), "to," joined to the article: the alif of ال is dropped and two lams meet, ل + العدم = للعدم.
The last line is a nominal sentence of the pattern of 1.1, with a pronoun in the middle: الأصل هو الموت, "the origin, it is death." When both halves of a sentence are definite, Egyptian, like Standard Arabic, often puts هو (huwwa), "he, it," between them to show where the subject ends. و الا (wa-lla, said walla), "or," literally "and if not," is the everyday Egyptian word for "or" in questions, and it is usually written ولا; Jahin's printed text writes it in two words.
The verbs are Egyptian through and through: خرج is said kharag, with g for ج; قلت is ʔult, with the Cairene catch for ق; رجع, "returned," is rigiʿ; and بيحيا (biyiḥya), "lives, comes alive," and بيصير (biyṣīr), "becomes," carry the prefix ب (bi-) of the Egyptian present, which this course will meet again and again. The lines rhyme on ياه, ياه and الحياه, and the poem ends, as all the quatrains do, on the question that it leaves open, followed in the book by عجبي!
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Mona buys breakfast for her office from the ful cart on the corner, kept by ʿAmm Saʿid. She calls him عم (ʿamm), "uncle," as Egyptians address an older working man, and he calls her بنتي (binti), "my daughter." Every line uses the article.
1.16a منى Mona صباح morning الخير the-good يا O عم uncle سعيد Said
1.16b mona (MO-na) Mona ṣabāḥ (sa-BAAH) morning il-khēr (il-KHAYR) the-good ya (ya) VOC ʿamm (ʿAMM) uncle saʿīd (sa-ʿEED) Said
1.17a عم uncle سعيد Said صباح morning النور the-light يا O بنتي my-daughter
1.17b ʿamm (ʿAMM) uncle saʿīd (sa-ʿEED) Said ṣabāḥ (sa-BAAH) morning in-nūr (in-NOOR) the-light ya (ya) VOC binti (BIN-ti) daughter-my
1.18a منى Mona الفول the-beans سخن hot النهارده today
1.18b mona (MO-na) Mona il-fūl (il-FOOL) the-beans sukhn (sukhn) hot-M.SG in-naharda (in-na-HAR-da) the-day-this
1.19a عم uncle سعيد Said الفول the-beans لسه just طالع coming-out من from القدرة the-pot
1.19b ʿamm (ʿAMM) uncle saʿīd (sa-ʿEED) Said il-fūl (il-FOOL) the-beans lissa (LIS-sa) just ṭāliʿ (TAA-liʿ) coming-out-M.SG min (min) from il-ʔidra (il-ID-ra) the-pot.F
1.20a منى Mona بكام for-how-much الساندوتش the-sandwich
1.20b mona (MO-na) Mona bikām (bi-KAAM) for-how-much is-sandawitš (is-san-da-WITSH) the-sandwich
1.21a عم uncle سعيد Said الساندوتش the-sandwich بعشرة for-ten جنيه pound
1.21b ʿamm (ʿAMM) uncle saʿīd (sa-ʿEED) Said is-sandawitš (is-san-da-WITSH) the-sandwich bi-ʿašara (bi-ʿA-sha-ra) for-ten gnēh (g-NAYH) pound
1.22a منى Mona اديني give-me أربعة four فول beans واتنين and-two من of الطعمية the-taameya
1.22b mona (MO-na) Mona iddīni (id-DEE-ni) give-IMP.2SG-me arbaʿa (AR-ba-ʿa) four fūl (fool) beans wi-tnēn (wit-NAYN) and-two min (min) of iṭ-ṭaʿmiyya (it-taʿ-MIY-ya) the-taameya.F
1.23a عم uncle سعيد Said عايزة wanting العيش the-bread البلدي the-country ولا or الشامي the-Syrian
1.23b ʿamm (ʿAMM) uncle saʿīd (sa-ʿEED) Said ʿāyza (ʿAAY-za) wanting-F.SG l-ʿēš (l-ʿAYSH) the-bread il-baladi (il-BA-la-di) the-country-M.SG walla (WAL-la) or š-šāmi (sh-SHAA-mi) the-Syrian-M.SG
1.24a منى Mona البلدي the-country والطعمية and-the-taameya سخنة hot لو if سمحت you-permitted
1.24b mona (MO-na) Mona il-baladi (il-BA-la-di) the-country-M.SG wi ṭ-ṭaʿmiyya (wit-taʿ-MIY-ya) and the-taameya.F sukhna (SUKH-na) hot-F.SG law (law) if samaḥt (sa-MAHT) permit-PAST.2M.SG
1.25a عم uncle سعيد Said الطعمية the-taameya في in الزيت the-oil دلوقتي now
1.25b ʿamm (ʿAMM) uncle saʿīd (sa-ʿEED) Said iṭ-ṭaʿmiyya (it-taʿ-MIY-ya) the-taameya.F fi (fi) in z-zēt (z-ZAYT) the-oil dilwaʔti (dil-WA'-ti) now
1.26a منى Mona حط put الطحينة the-tahini والسلطة and-the-salad على on جنب side
1.26b mona (MO-na) Mona ḥuṭṭ (hutt) put-IMP.2M.SG iṭ-ṭaḥīna (it-ta-HEE-na) the-tahini.F wi s-salaṭa (wis-SA-la-ta) and the-salad.F ʿala (ʿA-la) on ganb (ganb) side
1.27a عم uncle سعيد Said الطلبات the-orders جاهزة ready يا O بنتي my-daughter
1.27b ʿamm (ʿAMM) uncle saʿīd (sa-ʿEED) Said iṭ-ṭalabāt (it-ta-la-BAAT) the-orders.PL gahza (GAH-za) ready-F.SG ya (ya) VOC binti (BIN-ti) daughter-my
1.28a منى Mona الحساب the-bill كام how-much
1.28b mona (MO-na) Mona il-ḥisāb (il-hi-SAAB) the-bill kām (kaam) how-much
1.29a عم uncle سعيد Said الحساب the-bill ستين sixty جنيه pound
1.29b ʿamm (ʿAMM) uncle saʿīd (sa-ʿEED) Said il-ḥisāb (il-hi-SAAB) the-bill sittīn (sit-TEEN) sixty gnēh (g-NAYH) pound
1.30a منى Mona تسلم may-be-safe إيدك your-hand والعيش and-the-bread ريحته its-smell حلوة lovely
1.30b mona (MO-na) Mona tislam (TIS-lam) be-safe-SUBJ.3F.SG īdak (EE-dak) hand-your.M wi l-ʿēš (wil-ʿAYSH) and the-bread riḥtu (RIH-tu) smell-its.M ḥilwa (HIL-wa) sweet-F.SG
1.16 منى: صباح الخير يا عم سعيد. (mona: ṣabāḥ il-khēr ya ʿamm saʿīd) "Mona: Good morning, ʿAmm Saʿid." 1.17 عم سعيد: صباح النور يا بنتي. (ʿamm saʿīd: ṣabāḥ in-nūr ya binti) "ʿAmm Saʿid: Good morning to you, my girl." 1.18 منى: الفول سخن النهارده؟ (mona: il-fūl sukhn in-naharda?) "Mona: Is the ful hot today?" 1.19 عم سعيد: الفول لسه طالع من القدرة. (ʿamm saʿīd: il-fūl lissa ṭāliʿ min il-ʔidra) "ʿAmm Saʿid: The ful has only just come out of the pot." 1.20 منى: بكام الساندوتش؟ (mona: bikām is-sandawitš?) "Mona: How much is a sandwich?" 1.21 عم سعيد: الساندوتش بعشرة جنيه. (ʿamm saʿīd: is-sandawitš bi-ʿašara gnēh) "ʿAmm Saʿid: Ten pounds a sandwich." 1.22 منى: اديني أربعة فول واتنين من الطعمية. (mona: iddīni arbaʿa fūl wi-tnēn min iṭ-ṭaʿmiyya) "Mona: Give me four ful and two taʿmiyya." 1.23 عم سعيد: عايزة العيش البلدي ولا الشامي؟ (ʿamm saʿīd: ʿāyza l-ʿēš il-baladi walla š-šāmi?) "ʿAmm Saʿid: Do you want the baladi bread or the white pita?" 1.24 منى: البلدي، والطعمية سخنة لو سمحت. (mona: il-baladi, wi ṭ-ṭaʿmiyya sukhna law samaḥt) "Mona: The baladi, and the taʿmiyya hot, please." 1.25 عم سعيد: الطعمية في الزيت دلوقتي. (ʿamm saʿīd: iṭ-ṭaʿmiyya fi z-zēt dilwaʔti) "ʿAmm Saʿid: The taʿmiyya is in the oil right now." 1.26 منى: حط الطحينة والسلطة على جنب. (mona: ḥuṭṭ iṭ-ṭaḥīna wi s-salaṭa ʿala ganb) "Mona: Put the tahini and the salad on the side." 1.27 عم سعيد: الطلبات جاهزة يا بنتي. (ʿamm saʿīd: iṭ-ṭalabāt gahza ya binti) "ʿAmm Saʿid: Your order's ready, my girl." 1.28 منى: الحساب كام؟ (mona: il-ḥisāb kām?) "Mona: How much do I owe you?" 1.29 عم سعيد: الحساب ستين جنيه. (ʿamm saʿīd: il-ḥisāb sittīn gnēh) "ʿAmm Saʿid: Sixty pounds altogether." 1.30 منى: تسلم إيدك، والعيش ريحته حلوة! (mona: tislam īdak, wi l-ʿēš riḥtu ḥilwa!) "Mona: Thank you, and the bread smells wonderful!"
1.16 منى: صباح الخير يا عم سعيد. 1.17 عم سعيد: صباح النور يا بنتي. 1.18 منى: الفول سخن النهارده؟ 1.19 عم سعيد: الفول لسه طالع من القدرة. 1.20 منى: بكام الساندوتش؟ 1.21 عم سعيد: الساندوتش بعشرة جنيه. 1.22 منى: اديني أربعة فول واتنين من الطعمية. 1.23 عم سعيد: عايزة العيش البلدي ولا الشامي؟ 1.24 منى: البلدي، والطعمية سخنة لو سمحت. 1.25 عم سعيد: الطعمية في الزيت دلوقتي. 1.26 منى: حط الطحينة والسلطة على جنب. 1.27 عم سعيد: الطلبات جاهزة يا بنتي. 1.28 منى: الحساب كام؟ 1.29 عم سعيد: الحساب ستين جنيه. 1.30 منى: تسلم إيدك، والعيش ريحته حلوة!
Greetings with the article (1.16, 1.17). صباح الخير and صباح النور are possessive phrases of the old kind: "morning of the good," "morning of the light." The first noun has no article, the second has it, and the whole is definite. In النور the sun letter ن swallows the l: in-nūr.
Ful and the pot (1.18, 1.19). الفول (il-fūl) is the stewed beans, cooked slowly overnight in a tall pot, the قدرة (ʔidra). In 1.18 the article and النهارده sit side by side: il-fūl sukhn in-naharda, "is the ful hot today?", a sentence because سخن has no article. لسه (lissa), "just, still," with an active participle, طالع (ṭāliʿ), "coming out," means "has only just come out."
Prices (1.20, 1.21, 1.28, 1.29). بكام (bikām), "for how much," asks a price. The thing priced is definite: بكام الساندوتش؟ "How much is the sandwich?", where English says "a sandwich." الحساب كام؟ (il-ḥisāb kām?), "the bill, how much?", puts the question word last, as Egyptian usually does. After numbers above ten the counted noun is singular: ستين جنيه (sittīn gnēh), "sixty pounds."
Ordering (1.22). In a café or at a cart, the food itself stands for the portion: أربعة فول (arbaʿa fūl), "four ful," means four ful sandwiches. من الطعمية (min iṭ-ṭaʿmiyya), "of the taʿmiyya," is partitive: some of the taʿmiyya the cart is frying. اديني (iddīni), "give me," is the imperative with the ending -ni, "me."
Two breads, one question (1.23). العيش البلدي (il-ʿēš il-baladi), "the country bread," is the brown round loaf; العيش الشامي (il-ʿēš iš-šāmi), "the Syrian bread," is the white pita. Both adjectives take the article, because they describe a definite noun: definite noun, definite adjective, as in 1.14. In the answer the noun is left out and the article stays on the adjective: البلدي (il-baladi), "the country one" (1.24). ولا (walla), "or," is the same word that Jahin writes و الا in Section F. عايزة (ʿāyza), "wanting," is the feminine participle: ʿAmm Saʿid speaks to a woman.
After a vowel (1.23, 1.25, 1.26). عايزة العيش is ʿāyza l-ʿēš; في الزيت is fi z-zēt; والسلطة is wi s-salaṭa. The i of the article drops, and only the l or the doubled sun letter is left.
Plural of things (1.27). الطلبات (iṭ-ṭalabāt), "the orders," is a plural of things, and the adjective is feminine singular: جاهزة (gahza), "ready." Plurals of things are treated as feminine singular, as in Standard Arabic.
Thanks (1.24, 1.30). لو سمحت (law samaḥt), "if you permit," is "please" to a man; to a woman it is لو سمحتي (law samaḥti). تسلم إيدك (tislam īdak), "may your hand be safe," thanks anyone who has made or prepared something; the answer is الله يسلمك (aḷḷāh yisallimak), "God keep you safe." In والعيش ريحته حلوة, "and the bread, its smell is sweet," the noun with the article is named first and then picked up by the ending -u, "its": a very Egyptian way of building a sentence.
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ال (il-) — IPA: /il/ — The vowel is a short i, as in "bit." After a vowel it disappears: في الزيت /fizˈzeːt/. الشمس (iš-šams) — IPA: /iʃˈʃams/ — The sun letter is held twice as long as a single sh: "ish-SHAMS," not "il-SHAMS." الستات (is-sittāt) — IPA: /issitˈtaːt/ — A long s, and a long t in the middle of the word. الراجل (ir-rāgil) — IPA: /irˈraːɡil/ — The doubled r is trilled. الجمل (il-gamal) — IPA: /ilˈɡamal/, in quick speech /iɡˈɡamal/ — ج is a hard g, as in "go," everywhere in Cairo. البيت (il-bēt) — IPA: /ilˈbeːt/ — ē is a long, pure e, as in French été, with no glide into "ee." The same vowel is in العيش (il-ʿēš) and الخير (il-khēr). الفول (il-fūl) — IPA: /ilˈfuːl/ — ū is a long oo, as in "fool." The long ō of الموت (il-mōt) /ilˈmoːt/ is a pure o, as in French eau. القهوة (il-ʔahwa) — IPA: /ilˈʔahwa/ — The Cairene ق is a glottal stop, the catch in the throat in the middle of "uh-oh." The h is breathed out clearly. الحساب (il-ḥisāb) — IPA: /ilħiˈsaːb/ — ح is a strong, whispered h from the throat, as if breathing on glasses to clean them. الخير (il-khēr) — IPA: /ilˈxeːr/ — خ is the rough sound of Scottish "loch" or German "Bach." العيش (il-ʿēš) — IPA: /ilˈʕeːʃ/ — ع is made by squeezing the throat; it is a consonant, not a vowel, and must not be dropped. الطعمية (iṭ-ṭaʿmiyya) — IPA: /itˤtˤaʕˈmijja/ — ط is an "emphatic" t: the tongue is drawn back and the vowels around it darken. The same holds for ص ṣ (/sˤ/) and ض ḍ (/dˤ/): الخضار (il-khuḍār) /ilxuˈdˤaːr/. النهارده (in-naharda) — IPA: /innaˈharda/ — The stress falls on the syllable har. الله (aḷḷāh) — IPA: /ʔaɫˈɫaːh/ — Almost the only word in which l is "dark," pronounced with the back of the tongue raised, as in English "full." Vowel length: long vowels (aa, ee, oo, ay, oh in the respellings) are held about twice as long as short ones, and length can change meaning. Stress usually falls on a long vowel or on the syllable before the last.
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Course Index: [latinum.substack.com/p/index](https://latinum.substack.com/p/index)