For autodidact students of Egyptian Arabic, the third word is "and," and it is the smallest word in the course: a single letter, و, which is not even written as a word of its own. It is attached to the front of whatever it introduces, and it is pronounced wi. Lesson 1 gave the language no word for "is" in the present, and Lesson 2 gave it "was." Lesson 3 gives it the glue that holds everything else together. البيت كبير وحلو (il-bēt kibīr wi-ḥilw) is "the house is big and nice"; عيش وملح (ʿēš wi-milḥ) is "bread and salt"; and the little letter is the same in both.
English keeps "and" as a word with spaces around it. Egyptian writes it as a prefix, so وبنت is one written unit, wi-bint, "and a girl." It joins nouns (شاي وقهوة, "tea and coffee"), adjectives (كبير وحلو, "big and nice"), verbs (دخلت وقفلت, "I went in and closed"), and whole sentences. It is also asked to do more than English asks of "and." In a story it stands in for "then" and "next." Between two contrasting clauses it often means "but": القهوة سخنة والشاي بارد is "the coffee is hot and the tea is cold," and the "and" is almost "while." Before a clause that tells what else was going on, it means "while" or "when": جيت وانت مش هنا (gīt wi-nta miš hina), "I came when you weren't here."
The word is very old. Standard Arabic has the same conjunction as wa-, and the cognate letter with the same shape and the same job is the vav of Hebrew. Egyptian has worn the vowel down to a short i: wi-. In quick speech it can be worn down further, to a bare w or u, so that أنا وانت is heard as "ana winta," with the conjunction hardly more than a lip movement before the next word.
Script note: و is waw, a letter with two lives. It is the consonant w (as in the word حلو, ḥilw, where the و is a consonant at the end) and also the long vowels ū and ō (in نور, nūr, "light," and فلوس, flūs, "money"). As the conjunction, it is the consonant w followed by a short i, and since short vowels are not written, the whole word is one letter. Waw is one of the six letters that never join to the letter after them (ا د ذ ر ز و), so it is written next to the following word without being linked to it: وبنت, وقهوة, والشاي. Unlike a space, this small gap does not make a separate word. Never put a space between the conjunction and its word: و بنت is wrong. Before the article ال the conjunction and the article run together, والبيت (wi-l-bēt), and before a sun letter the article becomes the next consonant, as it did in Lesson 1: والشاي (wi-š-šāy), والنور (wi-n-nūr).
Key Takeaways: - و (wi): "and." One letter, written attached to the front of the next word, never with a space - It joins nouns, adjectives, verbs and whole sentences: شاي وقهوة (tea and coffee), كبير وحلو (big and nice), دخلت وقفلت (I went in and closed) - In a list, put it before the last item, or before every item after the first: عيش وجبنة ولبن (ʿēš wi-gibna wi-laban) - Before ال it gives wi-l-: والبيت (wi-l-bēt); before a sun letter the article assimilates: والشاي (wi-š-šāy), والنور (wi-n-nūr) - A word that begins with a helping vowel loses it after wi: انت becomes وانت (wi-nta), اشتريت becomes واشتريت (wi-štarēt) - Between clauses it may mean "and then" (narrative), "but" or "while" (contrast), or "when, at the time that": جيت وانت مش هنا - Numbers above twenty use it, units first: واحد وعشرين (wāḥid wi-ʿišrīn), "twenty-one" - Not to be confused with ولا (walla), "or" in a question - Fixed phrases: وبعدين (wi-baʿdēn), "and then what?"; كل سنة وانت طيب (kull sana wi-nta ṭayyib), "every year and may you be well"; والله (wallāh), "by God"
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3.1a عيش bread وملح and-salt
3.1b ʿēš (ʿaysh) bread wi-milḥ (wi-milh) and-salt
3.2a أنا I وانت and-you صحاب friends
3.2b ʔana (A-na) I wi-nta (WIN-ta) and-you.M.SG ṣuḥāb (su-HAAB) friend.PL
3.3a البيت the-house كبير big وحلو and-nice
3.3b il-bēt (il-BAYT) the-house.M kibīr (ki-BEER) big-M.SG wi-ḥilw (wi-hilw) and-nice-M.SG
3.4a عندي at-me ولد boy وبنت and-girl
3.4b ʿandi (ʿAN-di) at-me walad (WA-lad) boy.M wi-bint (wi-BINT) and-girl.F
3.5a القهوة the-coffee سخنة hot والشاي and-the-tea بارد cold
3.5b il-ʔahwa (il-AH-wa) the-coffee.F sukhna (SUKH-na) hot-F.SG wi-š-šāy (wish-SHAAY) and-the-tea.M bārid (BAA-rid) cold-M.SG
3.6a الولاد the-children بيلعبوا playing في in الشارع the-street وأنا and-I قاعد sitting في in البيت the-house
3.6b il-wilād (il-wi-LAAD) the-children.PL biyilʿabu (bi-YIL-ʿa-bu) PRES-play.3PL fi (fi) in š-šāriʿ (sh-SHAA-riʿ) the-street.M wi-ʔana (wi-A-na) and-I ʔāʿid (ʔAA-ʿid) sitting-M.SG fi (fi) in l-bēt (l-BAYT) the-house.M
3.7a اشتريت I-bought عيش bread وجبنة and-cheese ولبن and-milk
3.7b ištarēt (ish-ta-RAYT) buy-PAST.1SG ʿēš (ʿaysh) bread wi-gibna (wi-GIB-na) and-cheese.F wi-laban (wi-LA-ban) and-milk.M
3.8a أنا I باحب I-like القهوة the-coffee وانت and-you بتحب you-like الشاي the-tea
3.8b ʔana (A-na) I bāḥibb (BAA-hibb) PRES-like.1SG il-ʔahwa (il-AH-wa) the-coffee.F wi-nta (WIN-ta) and-you.M.SG bitḥibb (bit-HIBB) PRES-like.2M.SG iš-šāy (ish-SHAAY) the-tea.M
3.9a رحت I-went السوق the-market واشتريت and-I-bought خضار vegetables
3.9b ruḥt (ruht) go-PAST.1SG is-sūʔ (is-SOOʔ) the-market.M wi-štarēt (wish-ta-RAYT) and-buy-PAST.1SG khuḍār (khu-DAAR) vegetables.COLL
3.10a قعدنا we-sat وشربنا and-we-drank الشاي the-tea واتكلمنا and-we-talked شوية a-little
3.10b ʔaʿadna (ʔa-ʿAD-na) sit-PAST.1PL wi-širibna (wi-shi-RIB-na) and-drink-PAST.1PL iš-šāy (ish-SHAAY) the-tea.M wi-tkallimna (wit-kal-LIM-na) and-talk-PAST.1PL šuwayya (shu-WAY-ya) a-little
3.11a فتحت I-opened الباب the-door ودخلت and-I-entered وقفلته and-I-closed-it وراي behind-me
3.11b fataḥt (fa-TAHT) open-PAST.1SG il-bāb (il-BAAB) the-door.M wi-dakhalt (wi-da-KHALT) and-enter-PAST.1SG wi-ʔafaltu (wi-ʔa-FAL-tu) and-close-PAST.1SG-it.M warāya (wa-RAA-ya) behind-me
3.12a جيت I-came وانت and-you مش not هنا here
3.12b gīt (geet) come-PAST.1SG wi-nta (WIN-ta) and-you.M.SG miš (mish) NEG hina (HI-na) here
3.13a دخلت I-entered الأوضة the-room والنور and-the-light كان was مطفي off
3.13b dakhalt (da-KHALT) enter-PAST.1SG il-ʔōḍa (il-OH-da) the-room.F wi-n-nūr (win-NOOR) and-the-light.M kān (kaan) be-PAST.3M.SG maṭfi (MAT-fi) switched-off-M.SG
3.14a لو if كان was عندي at-me فلوس money كنت I-was اشتريت I-bought عربية car وبيت and-house
3.14b 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 ʿarabiyya (ʿa-ra-BIY-ya) car.F wi-bēt (wi-BAYT) and-house.M
3.15a الباب the-door اللي that يجيك comes-to-you منه from-it ريح wind سده block-it واستريح and-rest
3.15b il-bāb (il-BAAB) the-door.M illi (IL-li) REL yigīk (yi-GEEK) come-SUBJ.3M.SG-to-you.M minnu (MIN-nu) from-it.M rīḥ (reeh) wind siddu (SID-du) block.IMP.M.SG-it.M wi-starīḥ (wi-sta-REEH) and-rest.IMP.M.SG
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3.1 عيش وملح. (ʿēš wi-milḥ) "Bread and salt." 3.2 أنا وانت صحاب. (ʔana wi-nta ṣuḥāb) "You and I are friends." 3.3 البيت كبير وحلو. (il-bēt kibīr wi-ḥilw) "The house is big and nice." 3.4 عندي ولد وبنت. (ʿandi walad wi-bint) "I have a boy and a girl." 3.5 القهوة سخنة والشاي بارد. (il-ʔahwa sukhna wi-š-šāy bārid) "The coffee is hot and the tea is cold." 3.6 الولاد بيلعبوا في الشارع وأنا قاعد في البيت. (il-wilād biyilʿabu fi š-šāriʿ wi-ʔana ʔāʿid fi l-bēt) "The children are playing in the street and I am sitting at home." 3.7 اشتريت عيش وجبنة ولبن. (ištarēt ʿēš wi-gibna wi-laban) "I bought bread, cheese and milk." 3.8 أنا باحب القهوة وانت بتحب الشاي. (ʔana bāḥibb il-ʔahwa wi-nta bitḥibb iš-šāy) "I like coffee and you like tea." 3.9 رحت السوق واشتريت خضار. (ruḥt is-sūʔ wi-štarēt khuḍār) "I went to the market and bought vegetables." 3.10 قعدنا وشربنا الشاي واتكلمنا شوية. (ʔaʿadna wi-širibna iš-šāy wi-tkallimna šuwayya) "We sat, drank tea and talked for a while." 3.11 فتحت الباب ودخلت وقفلته وراي. (fataḥt il-bāb wi-dakhalt wi-ʔafaltu warāya) "I opened the door, went in and shut it behind me." 3.12 جيت وانت مش هنا. (gīt wi-nta miš hina) "I came when you weren't here." 3.13 دخلت الأوضة والنور كان مطفي. (dakhalt il-ʔōḍa wi-n-nūr kān maṭfi) "I went into the room and the light was off." 3.14 لو كان عندي فلوس كنت اشتريت عربية وبيت. (law kān ʿandi flūs kunt ištarēt ʿarabiyya wi-bēt) "If I had money, I would have bought a car and a house." 3.15 الباب اللي يجيك منه ريح سده واستريح. (il-bāb illi yigīk minnu rīḥ siddu wi-starīḥ) "The door that the wind comes through, block it and rest." (a proverb)
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3.1 عيش وملح. 3.2 أنا وانت صحاب. 3.3 البيت كبير وحلو. 3.4 عندي ولد وبنت. 3.5 القهوة سخنة والشاي بارد. 3.6 الولاد بيلعبوا في الشارع وأنا قاعد في البيت. 3.7 اشتريت عيش وجبنة ولبن. 3.8 أنا باحب القهوة وانت بتحب الشاي. 3.9 رحت السوق واشتريت خضار. 3.10 قعدنا وشربنا الشاي واتكلمنا شوية. 3.11 فتحت الباب ودخلت وقفلته وراي. 3.12 جيت وانت مش هنا. 3.13 دخلت الأوضة والنور كان مطفي. 3.14 لو كان عندي فلوس كنت اشتريت عربية وبيت. 3.15 الباب اللي يجيك منه ريح سده واستريح.
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These are the grammar rules for و (wi), "and."
One letter, written attached. The conjunction is a prefix: وبنت is wi-bint, with no space. Its forms in speech are wi- (the usual one, before a consonant), w- (before a vowel, and in quick speech), and u- (quick speech, after a consonant). In writing it is always و. The forms of the other word do not change: بنت (bint) stays بنت, and the conjunction is simply added to its front (3.4).
With the article. Before ال the sequence is wi-l-: والبيت (wi-l-bēt), والخيار (wi-l-khiyār). Before a sun letter the article becomes the consonant that follows, exactly as it does by itself: الشاي (iš-šāy) gives والشاي (wi-š-šāy, 3.5); النور (in-nūr) gives والنور (wi-n-nūr, 3.13); الطماطم (iṭ-ṭamāṭim) gives والطماطم (wi-ṭ-ṭamāṭim).
A helping vowel is dropped. Words that begin with a vowel that is only there to be pronounced, such as انت (inta) and اشتريت (ištarēt), lose that vowel after wi, and the written alif is kept: وانت (wi-nta, 3.2, 3.12), واشتريت (wi-štarēt, 3.9), واتكلمنا (wi-tkallimna, 3.10), واستريح (wi-starīḥ, 3.15). Words that begin with a true glottal stop keep it: وأنا (wi-ʔana, 3.6, 3.20) and وأشوفك (wi-ʔašūfak, 3.28).
Nouns and adjectives. Two nouns are joined by wi- before the second: شاي وقهوة (šāy wi-ʔahwa, "tea and coffee"). Two adjectives that follow a noun are joined in the same way: بيت كبير وحلو (bēt kibīr wi-ḥilw), "a big, nice house." Egyptian puts the adjectives after the noun and the "and" between them; it does not put them in front.
Lists. English puts "and" before the last item only. Egyptian may do the same (شاي وقهوة وعصير, "tea, coffee and juice"), or it may put wi- before every item after the first, as 3.7 does: عيش وجبنة ولبن. Verbs in a row. Actions that follow one another are joined by wi- before each verb after the first: فتحت الباب ودخلت وقفلته (3.11). The first verb sets the tense and person, and each wi-verb takes its own ending: دخلت (dakhalt), واشتريت (wi-štarēt). Where one subject does a series of things, no pronoun is repeated.
"And" for "but" and "while." Between two clauses with different subjects, wi- does not join in the way English does; it puts two facts next to one another and leaves the listener to feel the relation. القهوة سخنة والشاي بارد (3.5) and أنا باحب القهوة وانت بتحب الشاي (3.8) are two contrasts that English would join with "while" or "but." Egyptian grammars note that wi- is used a great deal in narrative where English has "then" and "next," and often where English has "but."
The circumstantial wi. When wi- is followed by a subject and then a predicate, the clause is the setting of the main one: "when," "while," "although." جيت وانت مش هنا (gīt wi-nta miš hina, 3.12), "I came when you weren't here." In 3.13 the clause carries its own كان: دخلت الأوضة والنور كان مطفي, "I went into the room, and the light was off." The subject is placed directly after wi-, and the predicate may be a noun, an adjective, a place or a verb.
Command and result. After a command wi- gives the result that follows: سده واستريح (siddu wi-starīḥ, 3.15), "block it and you will rest." The second imperative is then a promise, not a second order.
Numbers. From 21 up, the number is built with wi-, units first and the tens after: واحد وعشرين (wāḥid wi-ʿišrīn), 21; اتنين وتلاتين (itnēn wi-talatīn), 32; خمسة وأربعين (khamsa wi-ʔarbaʿīn), 45. Sums are read the same way: خمسة وتلاتة تمانية (khamsa wi-talāta tamanya, 3.24), "five and three is eight."
Fixed phrases. وبعدين؟ (wi-baʿdēn?) means "and then?" and is said when the speaker wants to move on, or is impatient: "so what now?" كل سنة وانت طيب (kull sana wi-nta ṭayyib) is the greeting for a feast or a birthday: "every year, and may you be well." The oath والله (wallāh), "by God," begins with the same letter, and it is the wāw of swearing, not of joining.
Do not confuse with ولا. ولا (walla) is "or" in a question: عايز شاي ولا قهوة؟ (ʿāyiz šāy walla ʔahwa?), "do you want tea or coffee?" And is wi-; or is walla.
Common Mistakes: - Leaving a space: \*و بنت. Write وبنت, and say wi-bint - Saying "and" with a long vowel, \wā or \wa: that is the Standard Arabic wa-. The Egyptian word is wi- - Forgetting the assimilation: \wi-il-šāy. Say wi-š-šāy; \wi-il-nūr. Say win-nūr - Saying wi-inta with a glottal stop between the two: \*wi-ʔinta. Say wi-nta - Putting "and" between an adjective and the noun it describes as in English: \*كبير وحلو بيت. Say بيت كبير وحلو - Confusing wi- with ولا (walla), "or" - Making every clause of a long story begin with wi-. Egyptians use it freely, but they also use connecting words such as بعدين (baʿdēn), "afterwards"
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The first example of this lesson is also its oldest custom. العيش والملح (il-ʿēš wi l-milḥ), "bread and salt," names the bond between people who have eaten together. Egyptians call bread عيش (ʿēš), which is also the word for "life," and the phrase says that two people who have shared that bread and its salt owe one another loyalty. بيننا عيش وملح (bēnina ʿēš wi-milḥ), "there is bread and salt between us," is said to remind someone of that debt.
The conjunction is also the hinge of a greeting. On a feast day, a birthday or the New Year Egyptians say كل سنة وانت طيب (kull sana wi-nta ṭayyib), and the answer is وانت طيب (wi-nta ṭayyib), "and you, too." Neither half has a verb; the "and" is what joins the year to the wish.
In story-telling the word is the thread. A grandmother's tale, a joke, the account of a quarrel on the stairs, all go on in a chain of "and": جيت وقعدت وبعدين قالي... (gīt wi-ʔaʿadt wi-baʿdēn ʔālli...), "I came, and I sat down, and then he said to me...". The English child's "and then ... and then ..." is the Egyptian adult's style. And وبعدين؟ (wi-baʿdēn?), "and then?", is what a listener says to ask for the next part, and what an impatient speaker says to ask "so what now?"
Egyptians write it in Latin letters on a phone as a bare w: ana w enta. In the Arabic script the conjunction is stable in spelling, and everyone writes it attached. The Standard Arabic and (wa-) has the same spelling and a different vowel, and it opens oaths: the short sura called al-ʿAṣr begins والعصر (wa-l-ʿaṣr), "by time." Egyptians know the Standard sound and use it in quotation, but in speech they say wi-.
Men address an older man at a market stall as يا حاج (ya ḥāgg), "O pilgrim," a title of respect that does not need a pilgrimage behind it. It begins the market dialogue of this lesson, in which the customer and the stallholder trade greetings, goods and blessings, and every line of the dialogue is joined to the one before by wi-.
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صلاح جاهين، رباعيات (Salah Jahin, Quatrains)
Salah Jahin (1930–1986) is the poet of Lessons 1 and 2, and the quatrain below is one of his best known. It sets two burials side by side, the tomb of a happy man and the pit of a vagrant, and the poem is an "and": it holds the two graves in one sentence and gives them one smell. The text is as it is printed on the poetry sites consulted (poetsgate.com and the Arabic Trader forum's collection of the quatrains). In the printed collections the quatrain ends with the refrain عجبي (ʿagabi), "how strange!", which is not repeated here. The sources spell the second word of the second line حفره where standard spelling would write حفرة; the text here follows the sources.
ضريح رخام فيه السعيد اندفن وحفره فيها الشريد من غير كفن مريت عليهم قلت يا للعجب لاتنين ريحتهم لها نفس العفن
F-A: Interlinear
F.1a ضريح tomb رخام marble فيه in-it السعيد the-happy-one اندفن was-buried
F.1b ḍarīḥ (da-REEH) tomb.M rukhām (ru-KHAAM) marble fīh (feeh) in-it.M is-saʿīd (is-sa-ʿEED) the-happy-one.M indafan (in-DA-fan) bury-PASS.PAST.3M.SG
F.2a وحفره and-pit فيها in-it الشريد the-vagrant من from غير other كفن shroud
F.2b wi-ḥufra (wi-HUF-ra) and-pit.F fīha (FEE-ha) in-it.F iš-šarīd (ish-sha-REED) the-vagrant.M min (min) from ghēr (ghayr) other kafan (KA-fan) shroud
F.3a مريت I-passed عليهم on-them قلت I-said يا O للعجب to-the-wonder
F.3b marrēt (mar-RAYT) pass-PAST.1SG ʿalēhum (ʿa-LAY-hum) on-them ʔult (ʔult) say-PAST.1SG yā (yaa) VOC li-l-ʿagab (lil-ʿa-GAB) to-the-wonder.M
F.4a لاتنين for-the-two ريحتهم smell-their لها to-it نفس same العفن the-rot
F.4b la-tnēn (la-TNAYN) for-the-two rīḥithum (REE-hit-hum) smell-their.PL laha (LA-ha) to-it.F nafs (nafs) same il-ʿafan (il-ʿA-fan) the-rot.M
F-B: Original and Translation
ضريح رخام فيه السعيد اندفن / وحفره فيها الشريد من غير كفن / مريت عليهم قلت يا للعجب / لاتنين ريحتهم لها نفس العفن
"A marble tomb where the happy man was buried, / and a pit where the vagrant lies without a shroud. / I passed by them and said, what a wonder: / the smell of both has the same rot." (Translation: Latinum Institute.)
F-C: Original
ضريح رخام فيه السعيد اندفن وحفره فيها الشريد من غير كفن مريت عليهم قلت يا للعجب لاتنين ريحتهم لها نفس العفن
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
The poem rests on one wi-, at the beginning of the second line. In the first line the tomb is described by a relative clause with no relative word: ضريح رخام فيه السعيد اندفن, "a marble tomb [in which] the happy one was buried." The word فيه (fīh, "in it") does the work of "in which," and the verb اندفن (indafan, "was buried") is دفن (dafan, "bury") with the prefix in-, which makes a verb passive: "got buried." The second line begins with wi-: وحفره فيها الشريد من غير كفن, "and a pit [in which] the vagrant [was buried] without a shroud." The first line's verb is not said again; the "and" tells the listener to carry it forward. The conjunction links two clauses of the same shape and leaves the second incomplete, and the shape is the thought: the two graves are weights on a balance. The halves answer each other: ضريح / حفره, فيه / فيها, السعيد / الشريد, اندفن / (understood). Even the gender follows the noun: فيه "in it" (M) for the tomb, فيها "in it" (F) for the pit.
من غير كفن (min ghēr kafan) is "without a shroud," literally "from other [than] a shroud." The phrase is the everyday Egyptian "without." The third line has no wi- but the same walk as the narrative of Section E: مريت (marrēt, "I passed") is the past of a verb whose root has a doubled middle letter, and عليهم (ʿalēhum, "on them") goes with it, since "pass by" in Egyptian takes على. قلت يا للعجب (ʔult yā li-l-ʿagab) is an exclamation: "O to the wonder," that is, "what a wonder!" The word عجب (ʿagab) is the same word as the refrain عجبي (ʿagabi), "my wonder," which closes each of Jahin's quatrains of this group.
The last line is the punch. لاتنين is written as one word, and it is the contraction of لـ (li, "for") + الاتنين (il-itnēn, "the two"), "for both of them": the commentary rests here on the sense and on the two printed texts, and the exact spoken form (la-tnēn) is given as written. ريحتهم (rīḥithum, "their smell," with -hum for "their") is a feminine noun in the construct, and لها (laha) is "[it] has," literally "to it," since Egyptian says "to it" where English says "has," as it said عندي in Lesson 2. نفس العفن (nafs il-ʿafan) is "the same rot": نفس (nafs) means "self" and, before a noun, "the same." The whole argument is made with the smallest word of the language: two graves, and one smell.
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A customer buys vegetables from an older stallholder. The lines alternate between them, the customer first, and each one is joined to the last by the conjunction, in a greeting, a list, a sum or a blessing.
3.16a صباح morning الخير the-good وازيك and-how-are-you يا O حاج pilgrim
3.16b ṣabāḥ (sa-BAAH) morning il-khēr (il-KHAYR) the-good wi-ʔizzayyak (wiz-ZAY-yak) and-how-are-you.M ya (ya) VOC ḥāgg (haagg) pilgrim
3.17a الحمد the-praise لله to-God وانت and-you ازيك how-are-you
3.17b il-ḥamdu (il-HAM-du) the-praise li-llāh (lil-LAAH) to-God wi-nta (WIN-ta) and-you.M.SG ʔizzayyak (ʔiz-ZAY-yak) how-are-you.M
3.18a عايز wanting كيلو kilo طماطم tomatoes وكيلو and-kilo بصل onions
3.18b ʿāyiz (ʿAA-yiz) want-M.SG kīlu (KEE-lu) kilo ṭamāṭim (ta-MAA-tim) tomatoes wi-kīlu (wi-KEE-lu) and-kilo baṣal (BA-sal) onions
3.19a حاضر ready والخيار and-the-cucumbers كمان also
3.19b ḥāḍir (HAA-dir) ready-M.SG wi-l-khiyār (wil-khi-YAAR) and-the-cucumbers kamān (ka-MAAN) also
3.20a لأ no الخيار the-cucumbers غالي expensive وأنا and-I مش not محتاجه needing-it النهارده today
3.20b laʔ (laʔ) no il-khiyār (il-khi-YAAR) the-cucumbers ghāli (GHAA-li) expensive-M.SG wi-ʔana (wi-A-na) and-I miš (mish) NEG miḥtāgu (mih-TAA-gu) needing-it.M in-nahārda (in-na-HAAR-da) today
3.21a الطماطم the-tomatoes طازة fresh والبصل and-the-onions كمان also
3.21b iṭ-ṭamāṭim (iṭ-ta-MAA-tim) the-tomatoes ṭāza (TAA-za) fresh-F.SG wi-l-baṣal (wil-BA-sal) and-the-onions kamān (ka-MAAN) also
3.22a بكام for-how-much الطماطم the-tomatoes والبصل and-the-onions مع with بعض each-other
3.22b bi-kām (bi-KAAM) for-how-much iṭ-ṭamāṭim (iṭ-ta-MAA-tim) the-tomatoes wi-l-baṣal (wil-BA-sal) and-the-onions maʿ (maʿ) with baʿḍ (baʿḍ) each-other
3.23a الطماطم the-tomatoes بخمسة at-five والبصل and-the-onions بتلاتة at-three
3.23b iṭ-ṭamāṭim (iṭ-ta-MAA-tim) the-tomatoes bi-khamsa (bi-KHAM-sa) at-five wi-l-baṣal (wil-BA-sal) and-the-onions bi-talāta (bi-ta-LAA-ta) at-three
3.24a يعني it-means خمسة five وتلاتة and-three تمانية eight
3.24b yaʿni (YAʿ-ni) it-means khamsa (KHAM-sa) five wi-talāta (wi-ta-LAA-ta) and-three tamanya (ta-MAN-ya) eight
3.25a وتحب and-you-like حاجة thing تانية other
3.25b wi-tḥibb (wit-HIBB) and-like-SUBJ.2M.SG ḥāga (HAA-ga) thing.F tānya (TAAN-ya) other-F.SG
3.26a أيوه yes ليمون lemons ونعناع and-mint لو if سمحت you-permitted
3.26b aywa (AY-wa) yes laymūn (lay-MOON) lemons wi-niʿnāʿ (win-niʿ-NAAʿ) and-mint law (law) if samaḥt (sa-MAHT) permit-PAST.2M.SG
3.27a اتفضل please-take الليمون the-lemons والنعناع and-the-mint
3.27b itfaḍḍal (it-FAD-dal) be-pleased.IMP.M.SG il-laymūn (il-lay-MOON) the-lemons wi-n-niʿnāʿ (win-niʿ-NAAʿ) and-the-mint
3.28a شكرا thanks يا O حاج pilgrim وأشوفك and-I-see-you بكره tomorrow
3.28b šukran (SHUK-ran) thanks ya (ya) VOC ḥāgg (haagg) pilgrim wi-ʔašūfak (wi-ʔa-SHOO-fak) and-see-SUBJ.1SG-you.M bukra (BUK-ra) tomorrow
3.29a في in أمان safety الله God وسلملي and-greet-for-me على on الولاد the-children
3.29b fi (fi) in ʔamān (ʔa-MAAN) safety aḷḷāh (al-LAAH) God wi-sallimli (wi-sal-LIM-li) and-greet.IMP.M.SG-for-me ʿala (ʿa-la) on l-wilād (l-wi-LAAD) the-children.PL
3.30a الله God يسلمك keep-you-safe ويخليك and-keep-you
3.30b aḷḷāh (al-LAAH) God yisallimak (yi-sal-LI-mak) keep-safe-SUBJ.3M.SG-you.M wi-yikhallīk (wi-yi-khal-LEEK) and-keep-SUBJ.3M.SG-you.M
3.16 صباح الخير وازيك يا حاج؟ (ṣabāḥ il-khēr wi-ʔizzayyak ya ḥāgg?) "Good morning, and how are you, sir?" (customer) 3.17 الحمد لله وانت ازيك؟ (il-ḥamdu li-llāh wi-nta ʔizzayyak?) "Thank God, and how are you?" (stallholder) 3.18 عايز كيلو طماطم وكيلو بصل. (ʿāyiz kīlu ṭamāṭim wi-kīlu baṣal) "I want a kilo of tomatoes and a kilo of onions." (customer) 3.19 حاضر والخيار كمان؟ (ḥāḍir wi-l-khiyār kamān?) "Right away, and cucumbers too?" (stallholder) 3.20 لأ الخيار غالي وأنا مش محتاجه النهارده. (laʔ il-khiyār ghāli wi-ʔana miš miḥtāgu in-nahārda) "No, the cucumbers are expensive and I don't need them today." (customer) 3.21 الطماطم طازة والبصل كمان. (iṭ-ṭamāṭim ṭāza wi-l-baṣal kamān) "The tomatoes are fresh, and so are the onions." (stallholder) 3.22 بكام الطماطم والبصل مع بعض؟ (bi-kām iṭ-ṭamāṭim wi-l-baṣal maʿ baʿḍ?) "How much for the tomatoes and the onions together?" (customer) 3.23 الطماطم بخمسة والبصل بتلاتة. (iṭ-ṭamāṭim bi-khamsa wi-l-baṣal bi-talāta) "Tomatoes are five and onions three." (stallholder) 3.24 يعني خمسة وتلاتة تمانية. (yaʿni khamsa wi-talāta tamanya) "So five and three is eight." (customer) 3.25 وتحب حاجة تانية؟ (wi-tḥibb ḥāga tānya?) "And would you like anything else?" (stallholder) 3.26 أيوه ليمون ونعناع لو سمحت. (aywa laymūn wi-niʿnāʿ law samaḥt) "Yes, lemons and mint, please." (customer) 3.27 اتفضل الليمون والنعناع. (itfaḍḍal il-laymūn wi-n-niʿnāʿ) "Here you are, the lemons and the mint." (stallholder) 3.28 شكرا يا حاج وأشوفك بكره. (šukran ya ḥāgg wi-ʔašūfak bukra) "Thank you, sir, and I'll see you tomorrow." (customer) 3.29 في أمان الله وسلملي على الولاد. (fi ʔamān aḷḷāh wi-sallimli ʿala l-wilād) "Go in God's keeping, and give my love to the children." (stallholder) 3.30 الله يسلمك ويخليك. (aḷḷāh yisallimak wi-yikhallīk) "God keep you safe, and keep you." (customer)
3.16 صباح الخير وازيك يا حاج؟ 3.17 الحمد لله وانت ازيك؟ 3.18 عايز كيلو طماطم وكيلو بصل. 3.19 حاضر والخيار كمان؟ 3.20 لأ الخيار غالي وأنا مش محتاجه النهارده. 3.21 الطماطم طازة والبصل كمان. 3.22 بكام الطماطم والبصل مع بعض؟ 3.23 الطماطم بخمسة والبصل بتلاتة. 3.24 يعني خمسة وتلاتة تمانية. 3.25 وتحب حاجة تانية؟ 3.26 أيوه ليمون ونعناع لو سمحت. 3.27 اتفضل الليمون والنعناع. 3.28 شكرا يا حاج وأشوفك بكره. 3.29 في أمان الله وسلملي على الولاد. 3.30 الله يسلمك ويخليك.
Greetings (3.16–3.17). Egyptian greetings are strings of wi- clauses. صباح الخير (ṣabāḥ il-khēr), "good morning," is complete, and the customer adds وازيك (wi-ʔizzayyak), "and how are you?" The answer thanks God, الحمد لله (il-ḥamdu li-llāh), and turns the question round with وانت ازيك (wi-nta ʔizzayyak), "and you, how are you?" The ending of ازيك (ʔizzayyak) is masculine, since it asks a man; to a woman it is ازيك (ʔizzayyik). The title حاج (ḥāgg), "pilgrim," is said to any older man in the street, as a courtesy.
Two measures, one verb (3.18). The verb is not repeated: عايز كيلو طماطم وكيلو بصل. The second كيلو (kīlu) takes the wi- and the first does not, as in a list in English.
"Too" and "also" (3.19, 3.21). كمان (kamān) means "also" and often stands at the end of a wi- clause: والخيار كمان؟ "and cucumbers too?" In 3.21 the second half of the sentence is just والبصل كمان, "and the onions too," with the adjective ṭāza understood and not repeated.
Contrast and reason (3.20). لأ الخيار غالي وأنا مش محتاجه النهارده gives two clauses with the second joined by wi- to give the reason. The negative of the participle is مش (miš) with محتاج (miḥtāg), "needing," and the ending -u is "it": the cucumbers are "it" in the masculine. النهارده (in-nahārda), "today," is the commonest time word with a present plan.
The price (3.22–3.24). بكام (bi-kām) is "for how much?" with بـ (bi-), "at, for." The answer repeats the same بـ with the number: بخمسة (bi-khamsa), "at five," بتلاتة (bi-talāta), "at three"; the pounds and the kilo are understood. In 3.24 يعني (yaʿni), "it means," makes the customer's reckoning a summing-up, and the sum is read as in Section D: خمسة وتلاتة تمانية.
A question that carries on (3.25). وتحب حاجة تانية؟ opens with wi- although there is no earlier clause of the stallholder's to follow: the "and" continues the exchange as a whole, and it is the stallholder's way of asking "and what else?" The verb تحب (tḥibb) is "like, want" without the بـ, the bare form that Egyptian uses for an offer or a polite question; with the بـ (بتحب, bitḥibb, 3.8) it states a habit. تانية (tānya) is the feminine of تاني (tāni), "other, second, again," in agreement with حاجة (ḥāga), "thing."
Please and here you are (3.26–3.27). لو سمحت (law samaḥt) is, word for word, "if you have permitted," the Egyptian "please," and to a woman it is لو سمحتي (law samaḥti). اتفضل (itfaḍḍal) is the command "be pleased," said when handing something over, and in reply to a thank you. The two goods are joined: الليمون والنعناع, with the article repeated in each, so that wi-n-niʿnāʿ shows the assimilation of the Section D rule.
Leave-taking (3.28–3.30). The customer thanks and promises: شكرا يا حاج وأشوفك بكره, "thanks, and I'll see you tomorrow," in which وأشوفك (wi-ʔašūfak) is the bare verb "see" with the ending -ak, "you," and no بـ, so it is a plan and not a habit. The stallholder's blessing في أمان الله (fi ʔamān aḷḷāh), "in God's safekeeping," is the Egyptian "goodbye" for someone going, and وسلملي على الولاد (wi-sallimli ʿala l-wilād) is "and say hello to the children for me": سلملي (sallimli) is the command "greet" with -li, "for me," and على (ʿala) takes the people to be greeted. The customer's answer, الله يسلمك ويخليك, joins two blessings with wi-: يسلمك (yisallimak), "may he keep you safe," and يخليك (yikhallīk), "may he keep you." ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
و (wi) — IPA: /wi/ — The lips are rounded for w and spread for the short i. Do not say "wa" or "wee." وانت (wi-nta) — IPA: /ˈwinta/ — The glottal stop of انت is lost; the two words are one: "WIN-ta." والبيت (wi-l-bēt) — IPA: /wilˈbeːt/ — The article is joined to the conjunction: "wil-BAYT." والشاي (wi-š-šāy) — IPA: /wiʃˈʃaːj/ — The article becomes sh, which is doubled: "wish-SHAAY." ṭamāṭim (طماطم) — IPA: /tˤaˈmaːtˤim/ — ط is a heavy t, made with the tongue flattened and the back of the mouth lowered; the vowels next to it become darker. عيش (ʿēš) — IPA: /ʕeːʃ/ — ع is made by squeezing the throat, as in Lessons 1 and 2; ē is a long vowel as in "day" without the glide. حاج (ḥāgg) — IPA: /ħaːɡɡ/ — ح is the whispered, throaty h; the ج is g, as always in Cairo, and it is long. ازيك (ʔizzayyak) — IPA: /ʔizˈzajjak/ — The z and the y are both doubled; the stress is on zay. عايز (ʿāyiz) — IPA: /ˈʕaːjiz/ — The stress is on the first syllable. خيار (khiyār) — IPA: /xiˈjaːr/ — خ is the scraping sound of Scottish "loch"; there is a clear y before the long ā. رخام (rukhām) — IPA: /ruˈxaːm/ — The first vowel is a short u; the last syllable is long. ضريح (ḍarīḥ) — IPA: /dˤaˈriːħ/ — ض is the heavy d, from the same family as ط; the final ح is whispered. نعناع (niʿnāʿ) — IPA: /niʕˈnaːʕ/ — ع begins and ends the second syllable. Vowel length: ē and ā are long; in the respellings, ay, aa and ee are held about twice as long as a short vowel, as in Lessons 1 and 2.
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