For autodidact students of Egyptian Arabic, the second word is "be," and Lesson 1 has already given away the surprise: in the present tense Egyptian has no word for it. البيت كبير (il-bēt kibīr) is, word for word, "the house big," and it means "the house is big." The verb "be" appears only when a sentence leaves the present. Its name is كان (kān), and it is how Egyptian says "was," "were," "used to be," "had" (in the past), and "there was."
كان is a verb like any other and changes for person, but it is the shortest and most useful verb in the language. The speaker says كنت (kunt), "I was"; for a masculine thing the verb is كان (kān), "was"; for a feminine one it is كانت (kānit); and for several people it is كانوا (kānu), "were." Whatever follows is exactly what would follow in the present: a noun, an adjective, a place, a possession. الجو حلو (il-gaww ḥilw) is "the weather is nice"; الجو كان حلو (il-gaww kān ḥilw) is "the weather was nice." You add one word and the sentence moves into the past.
The same verb does a second job. Placed before another verb, كان turns it into a past continuous or a habit: كان بيلعب (kān biyilʕab), "he was playing"; كنت باشرب الشاي (kunt bāšrab iš-šāy), "I used to drink tea." It builds "if" sentences and "was going to" sentences, and it opens the oldest of all story formulas, كان يا ما كان (kān yā mā kān), "once upon a time."
The word comes from the Arabic root ك-و-ن (k-w-n), "to be, to exist," which also gives مكان (makān), "place," and كائن (kāʔin), "a being, a creature." In the future and after words like "must" and "perhaps," the same root gives يكون (yikūn), "he is, he will be," and in the habitual بيكون (biyikūn), "he usually is."
Script note: كان is three letters, kāf ك, alif ا, nūn ن. Alif never joins to the letter after it, so كا is one joined unit and the nūn stands in its own initial form after it. The spelling shows a difference of sound. Where the verb has a long ā, the alif is written: كان (kān), كانت (kānit), كانوا (kānu). Where an ending that begins with a consonant shortens it to a short u, the alif disappears, because short vowels are not written: كنت (kunt), كنتي (kunti), كنا (kunna), كنتوا (kuntu). In كانوا the final alif is silent: it is only a spelling convention for the plural ending -u, as in راحوا (rāḥu) in Lesson 1.
Key Takeaways: - كان (kān): "was." The past of "be," used with a noun, an adjective or a place; the present has no verb at all - The past changes with the person: كنت (kunt) I/you (M), كنتي (kunti) you (F), كان (kān) he, كانت (kānit) she, كنا (kunna) we, كنتوا (kuntu) you (pl), كانوا (kānu) they - Long ā before no ending or a vowel ending (kān, kānit, kānu); short u before an ending that starts with a consonant (kunt, kunna). The alif is written only for the long ā - "There was": كان فيه (kān fīh), and the verb stays masculine singular whatever follows: كان فيه ناس كتير (kān fīh nās kitīr) - "I had": كان عندي (kān ʿandi). In the present, عندي (ʿandi) alone is "I have" - Negative past: ما...ش (ma-...-š) round the verb: مكنتش (makuntiš), مكانش (makānš) - كان + بيـ (bi-) verb: "was doing," "used to do." كان + هـ (ha-) verb: "was going to do." لو كان (law kān): "if it were" - Future: هكون (hakūn), "I will be"; هيكون (haykūn), "he will be"; after لازم (lāzim) and ممكن (mumkin): يكون (yikūn) - كان يا ما كان (kān yā mā kān): "once upon a time"
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2.1a أنا I كنت I-was في in البيت the-house
2.1b ʔana (A-na) I kunt (kunt) be-PAST.1SG fi (fi) in l-bēt (l-BAYT) the-house.M
2.2a الجو the-weather كان was حلو nice
2.2b il-gaww (il-GAWW) the-weather.M kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG ḥilw (hilw) nice-M.SG
2.3a القهوة the-coffee كانت was سخنة hot
2.3b il-ʔahwa (il-AH-wa) the-coffee.F kānit (KAA-nit) be-PAST.3F.SG sukhna (SUKH-na) hot-F.SG
2.4a احنا we كنا we-were في in السوق the-market
2.4b ʔiḥna (ʔIH-na) we kunna (KUN-na) be-PAST.1PL fi (fi) in s-sūʔ (s-SOO') the-market.M
2.5a انتي you-F كنتي you-were فين where
2.5b ʔinti (ʔIN-ti) you-F.SG kunti (KUN-ti) be-PAST.2F.SG fēn (fayn) where
2.6a الولاد the-children كانوا were في in المدرسة the-school
2.6b il-wilād (il-wi-LAAD) the-children.PL kānu (KAA-nu) be-PAST.3PL fi (fi) in l-madrasa (l-MAD-ra-sa) the-school.F
2.7a أنا I مكنتش I-was-not في in البيت the-house امبارح yesterday
2.7b ʔana (A-na) I makuntiš (ma-KUN-tish) NEG-be-PAST.1SG-NEG fi (fi) in l-bēt (l-BAYT) the-house.M imbāriḥ (im-BAA-rih) yesterday
2.8a كان was فيه in-it جنينة garden قدام in-front-of البيت the-house
2.8b kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG fīh (feeh) in-it.M gnēna (g-NAY-na) garden.F ʔuddām (ʔud-DAAM) in-front-of il-bēt (il-BAYT) the-house.M
2.9a مكانش was-not فيه in-it ميه water امبارح yesterday
2.9b makānš (ma-KAANSH) NEG-be-PAST.3M.SG-NEG fīh (feeh) in-it.M mayya (MAY-ya) water.F imbāriḥ (im-BAA-rih) yesterday
2.10a كان was عندي at-me عربية car زمان long-ago
2.10b kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG ʿandi (ʿAN-di) at-me ʿarabiyya (ʿa-ra-BIY-ya) car.F zamān (za-MAAN) long-ago
2.11a كنت I-was باشرب I-drink الشاي the-tea كل every يوم day
2.11b kunt (kunt) be-PAST.1SG bāšrab (BAASH-rab) PRES-drink.1SG iš-šāy (ish-SHAAY) the-tea kull (kull) every yōm (yohm) day
2.12a الولد the-boy كان was بيلعب playing في in الشارع the-street
2.12b il-walad (il-WA-lad) the-boy.M kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG biyilʕab (bi-YIL-ʕab) PRES-play.3M.SG fi (fi) in š-šāriʕ (sh-SHAA-riʕ) the-street.M
2.13a كنت I-was هسافر I-will-travel امبارح yesterday بس but الجو the-weather كان was وحش bad
2.13b kunt (kunt) be-PAST.1SG hasāfir (ha-SAA-fir) FUT-travel.1SG imbāriḥ (im-BAA-rih) yesterday bass (bass) but il-gaww (il-GAWW) the-weather.M kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG wiḥiš (WI-hish) bad-M.SG
2.14a لو if كان was عندي at-me فلوس money كنت I-was اشتريت I-bought البيت the-house ده this
2.14b law (law) if kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG ʿandi (ʿAN-di) at-me flūs (floos) money.PL kunt (kunt) be-PAST.1SG ištarēt (ish-ta-RAYT) buy-PAST.1SG il-bēt (il-BAYT) the-house.M da (da) this-M.SG
2.15a كان was يا O ما how-much كان was كان was فيه in-it ملك king عنده at-him بنت daughter حلوة pretty
2.15b kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG yā (yaa) VOC mā (maa) how-much kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG fīh (feeh) in-it.M malik (MA-lik) king ʿandu (ʿAN-du) at-him bint (bint) daughter ḥilwa (HIL-wa) pretty-F.SG
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2.1 أنا كنت في البيت. (ʔana kunt fi l-bēt) "I was at home." 2.2 الجو كان حلو. (il-gaww kān ḥilw) "The weather was nice." 2.3 القهوة كانت سخنة. (il-ʔahwa kānit sukhna) "The coffee was hot." 2.4 احنا كنا في السوق. (ʔiḥna kunna fi s-sūʔ) "We were at the market." 2.5 انتي كنتي فين؟ (ʔinti kunti fēn?) "Where were you?" (to a woman) 2.6 الولاد كانوا في المدرسة. (il-wilād kānu fi l-madrasa) "The children were at school." 2.7 أنا مكنتش في البيت امبارح. (ʔana makuntiš fi l-bēt imbāriḥ) "I wasn't at home yesterday." 2.8 كان فيه جنينة قدام البيت. (kān fīh gnēna ʔuddām il-bēt) "There was a garden in front of the house." 2.9 مكانش فيه ميه امبارح. (makānš fīh mayya imbāriḥ) "There was no water yesterday." 2.10 كان عندي عربية زمان. (kān ʿandi ʿarabiyya zamān) "I had a car once." 2.11 كنت باشرب الشاي كل يوم. (kunt bāšrab iš-šāy kull yōm) "I used to drink tea every day." 2.12 الولد كان بيلعب في الشارع. (il-walad kān biyilʕab fi š-šāriʕ) "The boy was playing in the street." 2.13 كنت هسافر امبارح بس الجو كان وحش. (kunt hasāfir imbāriḥ bass il-gaww kān wiḥiš) "I was going to travel yesterday, but the weather was bad." 2.14 لو كان عندي فلوس كنت اشتريت البيت ده. (law kān ʿandi flūs kunt ištarēt il-bēt da) "If I had money I would have bought this house." 2.15 كان يا ما كان كان فيه ملك عنده بنت حلوة. (kān yā mā kān kān fīh malik ʿandu bint ḥilwa) "Once upon a time there was a king who had a pretty daughter."
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2.1 أنا كنت في البيت. 2.2 الجو كان حلو. 2.3 القهوة كانت سخنة. 2.4 احنا كنا في السوق. 2.5 انتي كنتي فين؟ 2.6 الولاد كانوا في المدرسة. 2.7 أنا مكنتش في البيت امبارح. 2.8 كان فيه جنينة قدام البيت. 2.9 مكانش فيه ميه امبارح. 2.10 كان عندي عربية زمان. 2.11 كنت باشرب الشاي كل يوم. 2.12 الولد كان بيلعب في الشارع. 2.13 كنت هسافر امبارح بس الجو كان وحش. 2.14 لو كان عندي فلوس كنت اشتريت البيت ده. 2.15 كان يا ما كان كان فيه ملك عنده بنت حلوة.
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These are the grammar rules for كان (kān), "be."
No verb in the present, kān in the past. As Lesson 1 showed, "the house is big" is البيت كبير (il-bēt kibīr). To say "was," add كان, and the rest of the sentence does not change: الجو حلو (il-gaww ḥilw), "the weather is nice," becomes الجو كان حلو (il-gaww kān ḥilw), "the weather was nice" (2.2). The negative of the present is مش (miš): البيت مش كبير (il-bēt miš kibīr), "the house isn't big." The negative of the past is not مش, but the ما...ش frame described below.
The past paradigm. The pronoun is usually said, but the ending already shows the person: - أنا كنت (ʔana kunt), I was (2.1) - إنت كنت (ʔinta kunt), you (M) were - إنتي كنتي (ʔinti kunti), you (F) were (2.5) - هو كان (huwwa kān), he/it was (2.2) - هي كانت (hiyya kānit), she/it was (2.3) - احنا كنا (ʔiḥna kunna), we were (2.4) - انتو كنتوا (ʔintu kuntu), you (pl) were - هما كانوا (humma kānu), they were (2.6)
Long and short. Before an ending that begins with a consonant (-t, -ti, -na, -tu) the vowel is a short u: kunt, kunti, kunna, kuntu. Before no ending, or an ending that begins with a vowel (-it, -u), it is a long ā: kān, kānit, kānu. The Arabic script shows the difference, because only the long vowel is written with an alif.
Negative. The verb is wrapped in ما...ش (ma-...-š), written together as one word, and the long and short vowels of the endings follow the rule above: - مكنتش (makuntiš), I/you (M) was/were not (2.7) - مكنتيش (makuntīš), you (F) were not - مكانش (makānš), he/it was not (2.9) - مكانتش (makānitš), she/it was not - مكناش (makunnāš), we were not - مكنتوش (makuntūš), you (pl) were not - مكانوش (makānūš), they were not
Agreement and word order. When the subject comes first, كان agrees with it in gender and number: القهوة كانت سخنة (2.3), الولاد كانوا في المدرسة (2.6). Nouns for things in the plural count as feminine singular, as in Lesson 1: الطلبات كانت جاهزة (iṭ-ṭalabāt kānit gahza), "the orders were ready." The part after كان is the same as in the present: a bare adjective (حلو, سخنة, وحش), a place (في البيت, في المدرسة), or a noun.
"There was." The present "there is" is فيه (fīh), and in the past it takes كان: كان فيه جنينة قدام البيت (2.8). Here كان does not agree with what follows. It stays masculine singular, even before a plural: كان فيه ناس كتير (kān fīh nās kitīr), "there were many people" (2.18). The negative is مكانش فيه (makānš fīh), "there was not" (2.9), and its present is مفيش (mafīš), "there is not."
"Had." Egyptian has no verb "to have." The present is a preposition with an ending: عندي (ʿandi), "at me," that is, "I have." In the past, كان goes in front: كان عندي عربية (2.10), "I had a car"; and in the negative, مكانش عندي (makānš ʿandi). عنده (ʿandu) in 2.15 is "at him," "he has."
kān + a verb with bi-. The present with بـ (bi-) is "does" or "is doing"; with كان in front it moves into the past: "was doing" (2.12, and 2.19 and 2.20 in the narrative) or "used to do," a past habit (2.11). Only كان carries the tense and the person, and the second verb keeps its present form: كنت باشرب (kunt bāšrab), "I used to drink."
kān + a participle. Participles such as قاعد (ʔāʿid), "sitting," عارف (ʿārif), "knowing," راجع (rāgiʿ), "coming back," are used with كان for the past: كنت قاعد (kunt ʔāʿid), "I was sitting" (2.21); كنت عارف (kunt ʿārif), "I knew" (2.26). With لسه (lissa), "just," as in Lesson 1, كان لسه راجع (kān lissa rāgiʿ) is "he had only just come back" (2.23).
kān + a verb with ha-. The future prefix هـ (ha-) after كان means "was going to," and often "was going to, but did not": كنت هسافر امبارح بس الجو كان وحش (2.13).
"If." For something unreal, لو (law) is followed by كان and a predicate, and the result clause starts with كنت or another form of كان and a past verb: لو كان عندي فلوس كنت اشتريت البيت ده (2.14), "if I had money, I would have bought this house."
The future. The future of "be" is هـ (ha-) + يكون (yikūn): هكون (hakūn), "I will be" (2.30); هتكون (hatkūn), "you (M) / she will be"; هيكون (haykūn), "he will be"; هنكون (hankūn), "we will be." The same يكون stands after words like لازم (lāzim), "must," and ممكن (mumkin), "may": لازم يكون في البيت (lāzim yikūn fi l-bēt), "he must be at home." The verb بقى (baʔa), "become," is also used in the future, and هبقى (habʔa) before a verb means "I'll (at some point)": هبقى أكلمك (habʔa ʔakallimak), "I'll call you some time."
كان يا ما كان. This is the fixed opening of a tale. Word for word it is "was, O how-much was," and it means that there were many things that once were. Another كان follows it, and then the story begins: كان فيه ملك (2.15).
Time words. امبارح (imbāriḥ), "yesterday," and زمان (zamān), "long ago," are the commonest companions of كان. من زمان (min zamān) is "for a long time," or "a long time ago."
Dual. Section F has the dual ending -ēn (-ين), "two," in فرسخين (farsakhēn), "two farsakhs," كهفين (kahfēn), "two caves," بربخين (barbakhēn), "two culverts," and تاريخين (tārīkhēn), "two histories."
Common Mistakes: - Saying كان in the present: \*الجو كان حلو for "the weather is nice." Say الجو حلو - Using كان for the person instead of the ending: \*أنا كان في البيت. Say أنا كنت في البيت - Not agreeing: \القهوة كان سخنة. Say القهوة كانت سخنة. But after فيه it stays masculine: كان فيه ناس, not \كانوا فيه ناس - Negating a simple past with مش: \*مش كنت في البيت for "I wasn't at home." Say مكنتش في البيت - Leaving off the -ش: \*ما كنت. Say مكنتش - Confusing the vowels: \*kān for "I was." The first and second person are kunt, not kān - Putting كان before every verb of a story. Use it once to set the time, then continue with the ordinary past, as the narrative of this lesson does
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كان is among the commonest words in the language, and it is the word on which a story hangs. Egyptians tell stories in the past: the حدوتة (ḥadūta), the tale told to children at bedtime, opens with كان يا ما كان, and in many tellings the formula then runs on in rhyme to a blessing on the Prophet before the story proper begins. The fixed phrase sets up the listeners for a time that is not now, and كان is the first word they hear.
Nostalgia is also built of this word. Egyptians speak with affection of the earlier Cairo of film, radio and café life as الزمن الجميل (iz-zaman il-gamīl), "the beautiful time," and the verb that begins an old man's memory is almost always كان: كنا بنلعب في الشارع لحد الفجر (kunna binilʕab fi š-šāriʕ liḥadd il-fagr), "we used to play in the street until dawn." The proverb اللي فات مات (illi fāt māt), "what has passed is dead," tells the listener to let the past rest.
Standard Arabic, الفصحى (il-fuṣḥa), also uses كان, and it is always in the written language: كان البيتُ كبيراً, with the case endings. The Standard negative of the past is لم يكن (lam yakun), as in the religious saying ما شاء الله كان وما لم يشأ لم يكن, "what God wills is, and what He does not will is not." Egyptians understand it and quote it, but in speech they say مكانش. Jahin's quatrain in Section F mixes the two: he writes the Standard لم in a line otherwise made of everyday words.
In writing messages, Egyptians often spell the verb in Latin letters and numerals: kont, kan, makontsh. In the Arabic script the spelling is steadier than most: كنت, كان, كانت, مكنتش, مكانش. In careful speech the vowel of kān is a long ā, but in Cairo it is often pronounced further forward in the mouth, between the a of "cat" and the a of "care."
In Upper Egypt, الصعيد (iṣ-ṣaʿīd), the verb is the same, but the speech around it differs, with g for ق (قال is gāl) and a different music. The Cairene forms are the ones taught here. The narrative of this lesson is a family visit: the grandfather comes back from the mosque, and the lunch table and the tea afterwards are the centre of the day, as they often are when Egyptian families gather.
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صلاح جاهين، رباعيات (Salah Jahin, Quatrains)
Salah Jahin (1930–1986) was the poet of Lesson 1, and his Quatrains open on كان more than once. This one begins with the story formula, كان فيه زمان, "there was once," and draws a lizard as long as two farsakhs, a farsakh being the old league of about five or six kilometres. It is a quatrain about fear. The text is as it is printed on the poetry sites consulted (poetsgate.com, Jannat ʿUmar, and a reprint of the collection with Yahya Haqqi's introduction). They differ in small points of spelling, which are noted in the commentary.
كان فيه زمان سحلية طول فرسخين كهفين عيونها وخشمها بربخين ماتت لكين الرعب لم عمره مات مع إنه فات بدل التاريخ تاريخين
F-A: Interlinear
F.1a كان was فيه in-it زمان long-ago سحلية lizard طول length فرسخين two-farsakhs
F.1b kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG fīh (feeh) in-it.M zamān (za-MAAN) long-ago saḥliyya (saḥ-LIY-ya) lizard.F ṭūl (tool) length farsakhēn (far-sa-KHAYN) two-farsakhs.DU
F.2a كهفين two-caves عيونها its-eyes وخشمها and-its-nose بربخين two-culverts
F.2b kahfēn (kah-FAYN) two-caves.DU ʿuyūnha (ʿu-YOON-ha) eyes-its.F wi-khašmaha (wi-KHASH-ma-ha) and-nose-its.F barbakhēn (bar-ba-KHAYN) two-culverts.DU
F.3a ماتت she-died لكين but الرعب the-terror لم not عمره ever مات died
F.3b mātit (MAA-tit) die-PAST.3F.SG lakin (la-KIN) but ir-ruʿb (ir-RUʿB) the-terror.M lam (lam) NEG ʿumru (ʿUM-ru) life-its.M māt (maat) die-PAST.3M.SG
F.4a مع with إنه that-it فات passed بدل instead-of التاريخ the-history تاريخين two-histories
F.4b maʿa (ma-ʿa) with ʔinnu (ʔIN-nu) that-it fāt (faat) pass-PAST.3M.SG badal (BA-dal) instead-of it-tārīkh (it-taa-REEKH) the-history.M tārīkhēn (taa-ree-KHAYN) two-histories.DU
F-B: Original and Translation
كان فيه زمان سحلية طول فرسخين / كهفين عيونها وخشمها بربخين / ماتت لكين الرعب لم عمره مات / مع إنه فات بدل التاريخ تاريخين
"Once there was a lizard two farsakhs long, / its eyes two caves, its nose two culverts. / She died, but the terror has never died, / though two histories have passed in place of one." (Translation: Latinum Institute.)
F-C: Original
كان فيه زمان سحلية طول فرسخين كهفين عيونها وخشمها بربخين ماتت لكين الرعب لم عمره مات مع إنه فات بدل التاريخ تاريخين
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
The first line is the pattern of 2.8 and 2.18: كان فيه, "there was," with كان masculine and fixed, followed by a feminine noun, سحلية, which does not change it. زمان (zamān), "long ago," is in the same place as in 2.10, and together with كان فيه it is the Egyptian "once upon a time." Jahin does not need كان يا ما كان: كان فيه زمان is enough to start the tale.
فرسخين (farsakhēn) and كهفين, بربخين, تاريخين are duals. Egyptian puts -ēn on a noun to say "two": كهف (kahf), "cave," gives كهفين (kahfēn), "two caves." The dual is the rhyme of the poem: فرسخين, بربخين and تاريخين all end in -ēn. تاريخ (tārīkh) means both "date" and "history." The size of the lizard is given in an old measure, the farsakh, the Persian league.
The second line has no verb. It is a nominal sentence, of the kind of Lesson 1, with the predicate first: "two caves, its eyes; and its nose, two culverts." بربخ (barbakh) is a drain pipe or culvert, خشم (khašm) in Egyptian is the nose, and the comparison, two eyes the size of caves and two nostrils the size of drain pipes, is the drawing of a cartoonist.
The third line is the key to the poem and the hardest to read. ماتت (mātit), "she died," is the past of a hollow verb, the same pattern as كانت (kānit). Then the terror, الرعب (ir-ruʿb), with its sun letter, the article assimilated, is the subject of a second death which does not happen. The line reads best as "but the terror never died": عمره (ʿumru), literally "its life," is the Egyptian "ever" in a negative sentence, as in عمري ما شفت (ʿumri ma šuft), "I have never seen"; here Jahin puts the literary negative لم (lam) where Egyptian would put ما (ma). This is the one line of the poem whose grammar is not plain: the reading here rests on the sense and on three concordant transcriptions. The transcriptions differ over لكين and لكن (said lakin in both), and over سحلية and سحليه, which are the same word. The last line gives the span of time: فات (fāt), "passed," a second hollow verb, and بدل (badal), "instead of." Time has gone by twice over, two histories where one was due, and the fear has not gone.
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A young man tells how he spent yesterday at his grandfather's house. Every line uses a form of كان, and the story is told as Egyptians tell it, with كان to set the scene and ordinary past verbs to move it on.
2.16a امبارح yesterday كنت I-was عند at جدي my-grandfather
2.16b imbāriḥ (im-BAA-rih) yesterday kunt (kunt) be-PAST.1SG ʿand (ʿand) at giddi (GID-di) grandfather-my
2.17a البيت the-house كان was كبير big وهادي and-quiet
2.17b il-bēt (il-BAYT) the-house.M kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG kibīr (ki-BEER) big-M.SG wi-hādi (wi-HAA-di) and-quiet-M.SG
2.18a كان was فيه in-it ناس people كتير many في in الجنينة the-garden
2.18b kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG fīh (feeh) in-it.M nās (naas) people kitīr (ki-TEER) many fi (fi) in l-gnēna (l-g-NAY-na) the-garden.F
2.19a أمي my-mother كانت was بتعمل doing الغدا the-lunch في in المطبخ the-kitchen
2.19b ʔummi (ʔUM-mi) mother-my kānit (KAA-nit) be-PAST.3F.SG bitiʿmil (bi-TIʿ-mil) PRES-do.3F.SG il-ghada (il-GHA-da) the-lunch.M fi (fi) in l-maṭbakh (l-MAT-bakh) the-kitchen.M
2.20a وأبويا and-my-father كان was بيقرا reading الجرنال the-newspaper
2.20b wi-ʔabūya (wi-ʔa-BOO-ya) and-father-my kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG biyiʔra (bi-YIʔ-ra) PRES-read.3M.SG l-gurnāl (l-gur-NAAL) the-newspaper.M
2.21a وأنا and-I كنت was قاعد sitting على on الكنبة the-sofa
2.21b wi-ʔana (wi-A-na) and-I kunt (kunt) be-PAST.1SG ʔāʿid (ʔAA-ʿid) sitting-M.SG ʿala (ʿA-la) on l-kanaba (l-KA-na-ba) the-sofa.F
2.22a الجو the-weather كان was حر hot والمروحة and-the-fan كانت was شغالة working
2.22b il-gaww (il-GAWW) the-weather.M kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG ḥarr (harr) hot-M.SG wi l-marwaḥa (wil-MAR-wa-ha) and the-fan.F kānit (KAA-nit) be-PAST.3F.SG šaghghāla (shagh-GHAA-la) working-F.SG
2.23a جدي my-grandfather كان was لسه just راجع coming-back من from الجامع the-mosque
2.23b giddi (GID-di) grandfather-my kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG lissa (LIS-sa) just rāgiʿ (RAA-giʿ) coming-back-M.SG min (min) from il-gāmiʿ (il-GAA-miʿ) the-mosque.M
2.24a قالي he-said-to-me كنت you-were فين where يا O ولد boy
2.24b ʔālli (ʔAAL-li) say-PAST.3M.SG-to-me kunt (kunt) be-PAST.2M.SG fēn (fayn) where ya (ya) VOC walad (WA-lad) boy
2.25a قلتله I-said-to-him كنت I-was مشغول busy شوية a-little
2.25b ʔultilu (ʔUL-ti-lu) say-PAST.1SG-to-him kunt (kunt) be-PAST.1SG mašghūl (mash-GHOOL) busy-M.SG šuwayya (shu-WAY-ya) a-little
2.26a ضحك he-laughed وقال and-said كنت I-was عارف knowing إنك that-you مشغول busy
2.26b ḍiḥik (DI-hik) laugh-PAST.3M.SG wi-ʔāl (wi-ʔAAL) and-say-PAST.3M.SG kunt (kunt) be-PAST.1SG ʿārif (ʕAA-rif) knowing-M.SG ʔinnak (ʔIN-nak) that-you.M mašghūl (mash-GHOOL) busy-M.SG
2.27a بعد after الغدا the-lunch شربنا we-drank الشاي the-tea بالنعناع with-the-mint وكان and-was طعمه its-taste حلو sweet
2.27b baʿd (baʿd) after il-ghada (il-GHA-da) the-lunch.M širibna (shi-RIB-na) drink-PAST.1PL iš-šāy (ish-SHAAY) the-tea bin-niʿnāʿ (bin-niʿ-NAAʿ) with-the-mint wi-kān (wi-KAAN) and-be-PAST.3M.SG ṭaʿmu (TAʿ-mu) taste-its.M ḥilw (hilw) sweet-M.SG
2.28a كانت was أحلى nicest قعدة get-together من from زمان long-ago
2.28b kānit (KAA-nit) be-PAST.3F.SG ʔaḥla (AH-la) nicest ʔaʿda (ʔAʿ-da) get-together.F min (min) from zamān (za-MAAN) long-ago
2.29a مكانش he-was-not عايز wanting يسيبني he-leaves-me أمشي I-go
2.29b makānš (ma-KAANSH) NEG-be-PAST.3M.SG-NEG ʿāyiz (ʿAA-yiz) wanting-M.SG yisībni (yi-SEEB-ni) leave-SUBJ.3M.SG-me ʔamši (ʔAM-shi) go-SUBJ.1SG
2.30a بس but إن if شاء wished الله God بكره tomorrow هكون I-will-be عنده at-him تاني again
2.30b bass (bass) but in (in) if šāʔ (shaaʔ) wish-PAST.3M.SG aḷḷāh (al-LAAH) God bukra (BUK-ra) tomorrow hakūn (ha-KOON) FUT-be.1SG ʿandu (ʿAN-du) at-him tāni (TAA-ni) again
2.16 امبارح كنت عند جدي. (imbāriḥ kunt ʿand giddi) "Yesterday I was at my grandfather's." 2.17 البيت كان كبير وهادي. (il-bēt kān kibīr wi-hādi) "The house was big and quiet." 2.18 كان فيه ناس كتير في الجنينة. (kān fīh nās kitīr fi l-gnēna) "There were a lot of people in the garden." 2.19 أمي كانت بتعمل الغدا في المطبخ. (ʔummi kānit bitiʿmil il-ghada fi l-maṭbakh) "My mother was making lunch in the kitchen." 2.20 وأبويا كان بيقرا الجرنال. (wi-ʔabūya kān biyiʔra l-gurnāl) "And my father was reading the newspaper." 2.21 وأنا كنت قاعد على الكنبة. (wi-ʔana kunt ʔāʿid ʿala l-kanaba) "And I was sitting on the sofa." 2.22 الجو كان حر والمروحة كانت شغالة. (il-gaww kān ḥarr wi l-marwaḥa kānit šaghghāla) "It was hot, and the fan was on." 2.23 جدي كان لسه راجع من الجامع. (giddi kān lissa rāgiʿ min il-gāmiʿ) "My grandfather had only just come back from the mosque." 2.24 قالي: كنت فين يا ولد؟ (ʔālli: kunt fēn ya walad?) "He said to me: Where were you, boy?" 2.25 قلتله: كنت مشغول شوية. (ʔultilu: kunt mašghūl šuwayya) "I told him: I was a bit busy." 2.26 ضحك وقال: كنت عارف إنك مشغول. (ḍiḥik wi-ʔāl: kunt ʿārif ʔinnak mašghūl) "He laughed and said: I knew you were busy." 2.27 بعد الغدا شربنا الشاي بالنعناع وكان طعمه حلو. (baʿd il-ghada širibna iš-šāy bin-niʿnāʿ wi-kān ṭaʿmu ḥilw) "After lunch we drank tea with mint, and it tasted lovely." 2.28 كانت أحلى قعدة من زمان. (kānit ʔaḥla ʔaʿda min zamān) "It was the nicest get-together in a long time." 2.29 مكانش عايز يسيبني أمشي. (makānš ʿāyiz yisībni ʔamši) "He didn't want to let me go." 2.30 بس إن شاء الله بكره هكون عنده تاني. (bass inšāḷḷāh bukra hakūn ʿandu tāni) "But God willing, tomorrow I'll be at his place again."
2.16 امبارح كنت عند جدي. 2.17 البيت كان كبير وهادي. 2.18 كان فيه ناس كتير في الجنينة. 2.19 أمي كانت بتعمل الغدا في المطبخ. 2.20 وأبويا كان بيقرا الجرنال. 2.21 وأنا كنت قاعد على الكنبة. 2.22 الجو كان حر والمروحة كانت شغالة. 2.23 جدي كان لسه راجع من الجامع. 2.24 قالي: كنت فين يا ولد؟ 2.25 قلتله: كنت مشغول شوية. 2.26 ضحك وقال: كنت عارف إنك مشغول. 2.27 بعد الغدا شربنا الشاي بالنعناع وكان طعمه حلو. 2.28 كانت أحلى قعدة من زمان. 2.29 مكانش عايز يسيبني أمشي. 2.30 بس إن شاء الله بكره هكون عنده تاني.
Setting the scene (2.16–2.18). The story starts with كان to put the listener in yesterday: كنت عند جدي, "I was at my grandfather's." عند (ʿand), "at," is the preposition of the عندي (ʿandi) of 2.10, with a noun after it instead of an ending: عند جدي is "at my grandfather's." The adjectives كبير and هادي (hādi, "quiet") follow كان in the masculine, to agree with البيت. In 2.18 كان فيه stays masculine before ناس, "people."
The family (2.19–2.21). Three people, three kinds of past continuous. كانت بتعمل (kānit bitiʿmil) and كان بيقرا (kān biyiʔra) are the pattern of 2.12: كان agrees with the subject, and the verb after it has the بـ prefix of the present. كنت قاعد (kunt ʔāʿid) is the participle pattern. The words for "my mother," أمي (ʔummi), and "my father," أبويا (ʔabūya), carry the pronoun ending and so take no article, as in Lesson 1's أخويا. Note that the participle has the narrator's own gender, masculine: a woman would say كنت قاعدة (kunt ʔāʿda).
Weather and fan (2.22). Two كان in a sentence, each with its own subject: الجو كان حر والمروحة كانت شغالة. The weather is masculine and the fan feminine, so the two verbs differ. شغالة (šaghghāla), "working, on," is the feminine participle of a machine that is going.
Just back (2.23). كان لسه راجع, "had only just come back." The word لسه (lissa) is in 1.19, and here it follows كان to put the whole action in the past.
Direct speech (2.24–2.26). In قالي, the ending -li is "to me," and in قلتله, -lu is "to him." كنت فين؟ (kunt fēn?), "where were you?", has no pronoun because the ending says it. In 2.26 كنت عارف إنك مشغول the second half has no كان of its own: مشغول follows إنك (ʔinnak, "that you") with no verb, because the busyness is at the same time as the knowing, which كنت has already put in the past. English says "I knew you were busy." To say that he had been busy earlier, Egyptian would add كان: إنك كنت مشغول.
Tea and the get-together (2.27–2.29). وكان طعمه حلو, "and its taste was sweet," puts the description of the tea in its own clause: ṭaʿmu is "its taste," with the ending -u. كانت أحلى قعدة (2.28) has no article on أحلى (ʔaḥla), "nicest," so it is "a nicest get-together," that is, "the nicest." In 2.29 the negative is مكانش عايز, "he did not want." عايز (ʿāyiz) is the masculine of 1.23's عايزة (ʿāyza), and يسيبني أمشي (yisībni ʔamši), "let me go," is two verbs side by side with no word between them.
Tomorrow (2.30). The tale ends with the future: هكون عنده. إن شاء الله (inšāḷḷāh), "God willing," is said whenever a plan is mentioned, and it is the Egyptian "if all goes well." The speaker calls his grandfather عنده (ʿandu), "at his place," without the name.
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كان (kān) — IPA: /kæːn/ — The ā is long. In Cairo it is usually further forward than the a of "father," between the a of "cat" and the a of "care." Hold it about twice as long as a short a. كنت (kunt) — IPA: /kunt/ — The short u is as in "put." The same short u is in كنا (kunna) and كنتوا (kuntu). كانت (kānit) — IPA: /ˈkæːnit/ — The stress falls on the long ā: "KAA-nit." كانوا (kānu) — IPA: /ˈkæːnu/ — The final alif is not pronounced. فيه (fīh) — IPA: /fiːh/ — A long ī, then a clear, breathed h at the end. مكانش (makānš) — IPA: /maˈkæːnʃ/ — The stress is on the last syllable, which ends in two consonants: "ma-KAANSH." مكنتش (makuntiš) — IPA: /maˈkuntiʃ/ — "ma-KUN-tish." The ending -iš, with a short i, is the negative. عندي (ʿandi) — IPA: /ˈʕandi/ — ع is made by squeezing the throat, as in العيش (Lesson 1). It is a consonant and must not be dropped. هكون (hakūn) — IPA: /haˈkuːn/ — A long ū, as in "fool." إن شاء الله (inšāḷḷāh) — IPA: /inˈʃaːɫɫaːh/ — Said as one word, in-SHAAL-laah. The l is dark, as in "full," as in الله in Lesson 1. قاعد (ʔāʿid) — IPA: /ˈʔɑːʕid/ — The Cairene ق is a glottal stop, then a long ā and ع. امبارح (imbāriḥ) — IPA: /imˈbæːriħ/ — The stress is on the second syllable. The final ح is the whispered, throaty h of الحساب. مشغول (mašghūl) — IPA: /maʃˈɣuːl/ — غ is a gargled r, as in French rue, made in the same place as خ but voiced. Vowel length: a long vowel (aa, ee, oo, ay in the respellings) is held about twice as long as a short one, and the difference between kān and kunt is one of length and of vowel quality, together.
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