Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Introduction
Egyptian Arabic has many different ways to address people, varying according to age, gender, and social class of the person being addressed. Note: If you are directly calling or addressing someone, you must use the vocative particle the word
(ya) before their name or title. This is like how the word "o" used to be used in English
("O Hamlet, speak no more!"): a word that came directly before the name/title of the person you were talking to. But while "o" is no longer used in English, "ya" is used all the time in Arabic. It is not optional; you need to use it when talking to people.
How are you, Ahmed?
(izzayyak ya Ahmed?)
Where are you, Leila?
I'm at your service, sir/ma'am.
Also note that if you use a title with someone's name, you should use their first name, not their last.
Where shall I take you, Miss Maryam?
Good morning, Professor Safaa.
Keep in mind that in Arabic, titles in reference to one's profession are very commonly used, more so than in English. A doctor (either medical or someone with a PhD) would be addressed
as
lewa; an
mohandis or
(efendim), sir/ma'am
The best general Arabic equivalent to the English "sir/ma'am." From the Turkish "efendim."
The formal/respectful equivalent of inta/inti, similar to the French "vous." This would be used not only with someone older than you, but also with people like your boss, a judge, university professor, police officer, etc. You wouldn't use it with "ya"; you'd simply plug it into a sentence where you'd ordinarily say enta/enti. Like
(mumkin as'al HaDritak su'aal?), Can I ask you a question? (sa3adtak - sa3adtik), Your Honor
Similar to HaDritak but more formal/respectful, and less commonly used, especially among the middle class.
-
(beih) and
(baaa)
Both of these are used to address people respectfully. (They are from the Turkish "bey" and "pasha.") However, a middle-class Egyptian probably wouldn't use either too much except with for example a government official they were trying to butter up. Servants, on the other hand,
-
might use or women.
Commonly used to address family members (parents, siblings, etc.), children, and friends, including friends of the same sex. It's worth noting that the masculine form, Habiibi, is often used to address
(madaam), Mrs.
From the French "madame," this word can be used to respectfully address a married woman, usually from the middle/upper class.
"mademoiselle."
(madamwazeil) or
(aanesa), Miss
Used to respectfully address a young unmarried woman. The former is from the French
(TanT), aunt
From the French "tante," this word can be used to respectfully address an older woman. (3amm), paternal uncle
Can be used to address someone like a family friend, or someone who may be older and from a lower social class (like a doorman or a man selling food at a market). Or it can be used very casually to address a friend (this is usually between young men).
Used to politely addres police officers. (Hagg - Hagga), lit. someone who has gone on the Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca)
Used to address old, usually working-class, men or women. It's best to be sparing in your use of this, especially if you don't know if the person you're addressing is Christian or not, and also since it will make people feel old. (rayyis), lit. "president"
Can be used to address working-class men. And taxi drivers use it a lot when they ask strangers on the street for directions "Ya rayyis! Fein aari3 (whatever)?"
(osTa)
Used to address working-class people who are trained in a skiled trade, like car mechanics or carpenters. Commonly used to address taxi drivers. From the Turkish "usta." (mi3allim)
May generally be used to address a lower/working-class man, particularly those in professions like butchers or bakers. Or may be more specifically used to address a working-class man in a position of authority, like a business owner, foreman or gang leader.
(ahlan wa sahlan)
(ahlan bk) when welcoming someone (ex. to your country or home). And you
is not really used in Egypt outside of tourist signs and so forth, but in other
places like the Gulf and Levant, it's used frequently to say hello.
Hello:
Response:
(waraHmatu
(SabH al-xeir)
(SabH an-nr)
jasmine), and
used more by the rural and lower classes), but you can still use them to add some color to your speech.
(mas' al-xeir) (mas' an-nr) , (keif Hlak)
, and
here too.
How are you?: Response: hear (izzayyak). You can also say, things?" or response would be Humdulillh" on its own. How are things going?: eih);
can be said in a colloquial context too, but in Egypt it's much more common to (izzayy il-aHwaal?), "How are
(izzayy iS-SiHHa), "How's [your] health?" A common colloquial (kwayyis al-Humdulillh), "Good, thank God," or just "al-
(eih axbr);
(axbrak
(3amil/3amla eih)
These expressions are kind of like "What's up?" as it's used in the U.S.; you don't really proceed to explain what's going on in your life and don't say
like I did once; people will laugh at you! If you want to say "Nothing new," you can say
(kwayyis,
"Good") or
Goodbye:
Response:
(allh ysallimak) - said by the person leaving; lit. May God protect you
Often when people are leaving they just say "salm" or "as-salmu 3aleikum" and those remaining say "ma3a s-salma." Used when s.o. leaves on a trip:
Bon voyage: Response:
(reHla sa3da)
(rabbina ygbak bis-salma) - lit. May God bring you safely (rabbina yiwaSSalak bis-salma) - lit. May God deliver you safely (tirH witg bis-salma) - lit. Go and come safely
(allh ysallimak)
Used to welcome s.o. arriving from a trip or greet s.o. who has just recovered from an illness:
Response: Welcome to Egypt: Response:
(Humdilla 3as-salma) - lit. Thank God for (your) safety (allh ysallimak)
You can also say "Menawwara" on its own to welcome someone anywhere.
(ukran) or
(allh yxallk)
(salmtak) or
. However,
Please: Please:
Please, go ahead:
(min faDlak)
(law samaHt) - can also be used to get ex. a waiter's attention (itfaDDal) - an invitation to sit, enter a room, take something, etc.
Thank you:
A thousand thanks:
(mutaakkir 'awi).
Also, when someone compliments you or something you did, you can tell them,
\
Thank you: Response:
"That's from your taste." This is used much like the English "Thank you, you're too kind."
(kattar xeirak) - lit. May God increase your good fortune (xeirak saabi') - lit. Your goodness preceded mine
Used to thank a cook for a great meal, or more generally to thank someone for a present.
You're welcome:
(3afwan)
(il-3afw) or
Sorry:
(sif)
(la mo'axza) or
wills This is used a lot, anytime you talk about something taking place in the future. "See you tonight in a' allh." "I'll do it tomorrow in a' allh." "Can you finish the report by Thursday?" "In a' allh." And so on.
(na3man)
(Haraman)
Bon appetit:
Response:
(allh yihannk)
Said by a guest to the host at the end of a meal: dayman 3mir) - lit. May you always prosper Response:
or
(dayman or
When someone sneezes: The sneezer says: Someone else: The sneezer:
yafir lana wa-lakum)) - lit. May He have mercy on us and you (and forgive us and you) This is what Muslims in Egypt say when someone sneeezes. The optional addition that some people say. "Very gladly" responses to requests:
part is an
(bikull sirr) - lit. with all pleasure (3ala l-3ein wir-rs) - lit. on the eye and head (min 3eini di w3eini di) - lit. from this eye and this eye
The last two are pretty "baladi," but still good to know.
(sallimli 3a...)
(allh ysallimak)
Good luck:
(rabbena ywaffa'ak) - lit. May God make you succeed (bit-tawf' in a' allh)
(HaZZ sa3d).
Happy birthday:
This is how you would say "Happy birthday" literally, but people actually just use their local variant of
(see below).
Tayyib) - lit. May you (and your family) be well every year. Response:
(winta Tayyib)
(kull 3m wa-antum
(allhu akram)
(ramaDn karm)
This is the greeting used for Ramadan in Egypt, but often used in other areas.
(ramaDn mubrak) is
This is the greeting used for the Muslim Eids (holidays/festivals): Eid al-Fitr, at the end of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha.
Congratulations:
(3o'blak)
Can be used when someone congratulates you on any happy occassion (a wedding, new baby, promotion, etc.) to wish them the same good fortune. However, you would want to be tactful when using it; for example, if you'd just had a baby and a friend who couldn't have children congratulated you, it would be better not to say "3o'blik" to her.
Be strong: Response:
This expression can be used as a condolence, or for encouragement anytime someone is about to face a challenging event, like a test or job interview.
(il-ba'iyya fi Haytak)
(Haytak il-ba'iya)
Another condolence. Some people may view this as sacrilegious see here, for example so you may want to stick with
(al-baq' lillh)
(wa-ne3ma billh)
A condolence that's standard Arabic but also sometimes used in Egypt by Muslims. It's simply a reminder that everyone dies.
o o o o o
Asking yes/no questions Asking "alternative" questions Additional notes on questions in Egyptian Arabic
Egyptian Arabic
which
| ( maa/maada) ( ayya)
( eih) - - ( anhu
and
are used in different types of questions; the former is used in questions that do not
have verbs, while the latter is used in questions that do have verbs. Frequently the pronoun corresponding to the noun being asked about.
is followed by
Standard Arabic What's your name? What's the difference between us and them? What do you want? What shall I tell you?
Egyptian Arabic
( ismak
eih?)
(eih il-far'
beinna wa-beinhum?)
( maada
turiid?)
( inta
3aayiz eih?)
( maada
aquul lak?)
( a'ollak eih?)
can be used with a pronoun suffix to mean "which of..." In Egyptian Arabic,
Standard Arabic Which one of them do you prefer? Which team do you support?
Egyptian Arabic
( ayyahum
tufaDDil?)
(bitfaDDal ayya
waaHid minhom?)
( tuajja3 ayya
fariiq?)
( bitagga3 ayya
farii'?)
\\
. This can be a
little tricky, since it can come either before or after the noun being referred to. The formulation is either: 1. [nhu/nhi/nhum - stress falling on the first syllable] + [indefinite noun] 2. [definite noun] + [anh/anh/anhm - stress falling on the second syllable]
Note that you would usually go with the second option only when the "which" question is on its own -- simply asking "Which book? Which girl?" as opposed to "Which book do you like? Which girl do you know?" in which case you'd probably go with the first option.
Which apartment do you live in?
Which floor?
(id-door anh?)
Where
Egyptian Arabic
( fein)
) [( (3ala] fein)
(minein)
Egyptian Arabic
( ayna lmatHaf?)
( ilmatHaf fein?)
( ila
ayna daahiba?)
( min ayna
anta?)
( inta
minein?)
Why/when
Egyptian Arabic
( limaada)
(leih) | ( 3aaan
eih/3alaaan eih)
( limaada)
( mata)
Standard Arabic
( imta)
Egyptian Arabic
Examples of usage:
Why did you go to Egypt? Why do you hate him? Why did he pick her?
( li-maada dahabti
ila miSr?)
( li-maada
takrahu?)
( li-maada
ixtaarha?)
( ixtaarha 3aaan
eih?)
( mata saya3uud
Hasan?)
( Hasan hayirga3
imta?)
( mata
3iid miilaadak?)
( 3iid milaadak
imta?)
Who
Egyptian Arabic
(man) (li-man)
or
Egyptian Arabic
( da kitaab
miin?) Whom did you meet?
( man
qaabalt?)
How/how much
Egyptian Arabic
( bi-kam) ( mundu
mata)
( bi-kam) ( min
imta)
The use of
is fairly simple, but note that in Arabic (both standard and colloquial)
must
be followed by a singular noun (unlike English, in which "how many" is followed by a plural noun). And in standard Arabic, this singular noun must be in the accusative case and remember that since the noun is singular, it must be nunated.
Standard Arabic How are you? How did you know? What time is it?
Egyptian Arabic
( kayfa
Haaluka?)
( izzayyak?) ( 3ereft
izzaayy?)
( kayfa
3arafta?)
( is-saa3a
kam?)
( kam
3umruki?) Lit. How much is your age?
( 3andik
kam sana?) Lit. How many years do you have?
( kam
Taaliban fil-jaami3a?)
( kam Taalib
fig-gam3a?)
in standard Arabic and
in the
Egyptian dialect. For the other meanings of "how much" (to what extent; how much of an uncountable noun), you use
used for "to what extent, how big, how long, how much" questions) in Egyptian.
Egyptian Arabic
( ilkitaab da bi-kam?)
( kam tuHibb
miSr?)
( bitHebbe maSr
'adde eih?)
( kam ma3ak
min al-maal?)
( ma3aak filuus
'adde eih?)
"How long" can be a bit tricky to express in Arabic. But before I get into that, an explanation on
Note:
circumstances under which the main action took place. Basically, it's used in a sentence that talks about two things: the main event, and what was going on in the background at the time.
helps describe the background events. Here are some examples of usage:
is
Egyptian Arabic
In colloquial Arabic, there are multiple ways to ask a "how long" question. The expression
talking about an action that began in the past and is still continuing. Like "X amount of time has elapsed since I began doing this."
So you can ask been..." or While
...( ba'aalak kam...) to ask "How many [singular unit of time] have you
...( ba'aalak 'adde eih...) to ask more generally "How long have you been..."
must be followed by a specific, singular unit of time (an hour, a day, a year),
Egyptian Arabic
( kam
daamit al-3amaliyya?)
( il-3amaliyya ba'it
'adde eih?)
( kam saa3a
daamit al-3amaliyya?)
( il-3amaliyya
ba'it kam saa3a?)
How big is this bag?
Egyptian Arabic
( inta
maSri)
( hal inta
maSri?)
( ig-gam3a
di mahuura)
( ig-gam3a
di mahuura?)
An alternative to
, it's used
in standard Arabic only, and cannot be used in front of a definite noun or a word beginning
Isn't that so?
. Examples:
(a-adan alqaak?)
Will I see you tomorrow? (This is the title of a famous Umm Kalthoum song.)
( am) ( aw)
(walla) (walla)
(am) is
An "alternative" question presents two or more choices to pick from. In standard Arabic, used to separate a single pair of choices.
:
What do you prefer, tea or coffee?
However, if you are presenting more than two choices to pick from, you must use between each choice.
(aw) in
safar bis-sayyaara aw biT-Taa'ira aw bil-qiTaar aw bis-safiina?) Do you prefer to travel by car, plane, train, or ship? That's all for standard Arabic. In Egyptian Arabic, you simply use each choice you're presenting.
(tufaDDil as-
-
saada walla 3ar-riiHa walla mazbuuT walla ziyaada?)
(mazaagak eih -
What do you feel like - black, a little sugar, sweet, or very sweet? (in reference to coffee/tea)
For here or to go?
Have you left yet? (lit. Did you leave or not yet?)
Would you like tea?
(tirab aay?)
(tirab eih?)
(tiigi ma3aana?)
particular)" and Why me?
(ime3na ana?)
mi3anda ma3aaya?) emphasis
So how come nothing's going my way? (lit. the world is against me) - with a sort of "why me?"
: :
laazim niktib kulle da fil-imtiHaan?" il-ustaaz: "ya Habiibi, 'ummaal hansa''atku zzaay?") then] how could we fail you?"
Student: "Professor, how come we have to write all of that in the exam?" Professor: "[If you didn't,
,
If you're not you, then who are you? The expression
(maalak?)
(maal Dina?)
(ana maali?)
What business is it of mine? (implying that I don't see what the topic at hand has to do with me)
him) 3.
(malha wa-maali?)
What's she got to do with me? (implying that I don't want anything to do with her)
(maalik wa-maalu?)
What's he got to do with you? (implying that you should leave him alone and stop interfering with
There are also quite a few "tags" you can tack onto the end of your question to ask for affirmation:
or not?
(walla la?)
or what?
(walla eih?)
isn't that so?
(mi kida?)
(wallana alTaan?)
or am I mistaken?
(SaHH?)
...( inta maSri...) and add on any of the above expressions to mean
How do you say...? How do you say "Welcome/hello/happy birthday" etc. in Arabic? I have an entire page dedicated to common phrases like this here. But you can use ahlan wa sahlan or
marHaba for both "Welcome" and "Hello." "Happy birthday" is 3iid miilaad sa3iid, but people usually just use kull sana winta Tayyib (in Egypt), or kull sane winte saalim (in the Levant). The standard phrase is you're addressing a woman, say kull 3aam wa-antum bexeir. If kull sana winti Tayyiba or kull sane winti saalme. (The standard phrase stays the same.) How do you say "I love you" in Arabic? What are some Arabic endearments?
Egyptian Arabic
baHebbak
Addressed to a woman
baHebbik
Addressed to two people Addressed to three or more people, at least one of whom is a man Addressed to three or more women
baHebbuku
uHibbukum
baHebbuku
uHibbukunna
baHebbuku
"ana" beforehand, but it's not really necessary, since it's clear that it's "I" just from
the conjugation. If you want to say you love someone "a lot," you can add
katiiran or
cute.
'awi in 3ammiyya. Or for an even more enthusiastic 'add id-dunya, which would sound a little corny but
And here's a list of Arabic endearments. All of these are used in Egyptian Arabic, as well as other dialects, and will be understood by any Arabic speaker. Note that if you use them to address someone, they should be preceded by
Habiibi (to a man or a woman); Habibti (to a woman) Habiib 'albi (to a man); Habibet 'albi (to a woman) 3aziizi (to a man or a woman); 3azizti (to a woman) ruuHi 3eini 3oyuuni / (nuur 3eini/3einaya) Hayaati; 3omri aali (to a man); aliya (to a
woman)
my darling (also used between friends and family, including people of the same sex)
my heart's darling
my dear
() - ana
mutaaq(at)un ileika
Addressed to a woman
() - ana
mutaaq(at)un ileiki
Addressed to two people Addressed to three or more people, at least one of whom is a man Addressed to three or more women
() - ana
mutaaq(at)un ileikuma
() - ana
mutaaq(at)un ileikum
() - ana
mutaaq(at)un ileikunna
I put the appropriate phrase if you're a woman in parentheses so if you're male, ignore what's in the parentheses and use
mutaaqatun.
For the Egyptian dialect, there are actually three ways to say "I miss you." The first uses the pasttense conjugation of the verb
, but even though it's past tense, it's frequently used with a
present-tense meaning. The second uses the present-tense conjugation of the verb. And the third uses the active participle to describe a state of being, which in this case is the state of missing someone:
Past tense Addressed to a man Addressed to a woman Addressed to more than one person
Present tense
Active participle
waHateni
betewHani
inta waHeni
waHatiini
betewHaiini
inti waHaani
waHatuuni
betewHauuni
intu waHenni
( kibiir)
big
( akbar)
bigger
( kitiir)
many
( aktar)
more
( fa'iir)
poor
( af'ar)
poorer
( gamiil)
pretty
( agmal)
prettier
( sahl)
easy
( ashal)
easier
( Sa3b)
hard, difficult
( aS3ab)
harder
( Tawiil)
tall, long
( aTwal)
taller, longer
( Tayyib)
nice
( aTyab)
nicer
2.
( Helw)
sweet, nice
(-i) or
(-w).
( aHla)
sweeter, nicer
( 3aali)
high
( a3la)
higher
( aali)
expensive
( ala)
more expensive
( zaki)
smart
3.
( azka)
smarter
( gediid)
new
( agadd)
newer
(mohimm)
important
( ahamm)
more important
( xafiif)
light
( axaff)
lighter
'( aliil)
few
( a'all)
less, fewer
( laziiz)
delicious
There is an irregular comparative:
( alazz)
more delicious
( kwayyis)
good
( aHsan)
better
by (min).
Hussein is taller than me.
To form a superlative (comparing one thing to multiple other things), you can use the elative adjective followed by an indefinite noun. This has a basic "the [adj]est [noun]" meaning.
This is the cheapest jacket.
Cairo is the biggest city in Egypt.
For another kind of superlative, you can use the elative adjective followed by a definite plural noun. This has a "the [adj]est of (all) the [nouns]" meaning.
He's the youngest of the boys in the class
This is the cheapest of the jackets in the shop.
Cairo is the biggest of the cities in Egypt.
Introduction Some basic adjectives Inflections for gender and number Agreement Nisba adjectives
Introduction
An adjective is a word that describes a noun "smart," "pretty," "good," etc. Remember that
a good book
(kitaab kwayyis)
(howwa naayim)
He is sleeping.
() () ()
long; tall smart stupid rich poor old (in reference to things, not people) new pretty, beautiful ugly
() () () () () () () () () ) (
Tawiil (pl.) Tuwaal zaki (pl.) azkiya abi (pl.) abiya ani (pl.) aniya fa'iir (pl.) fu'ra 'adiim (pl.) 'udaam gediid (pl.) gudaad gamiil (pl.) gumaal 'abiiH (pl.) 'ubaHa weHi naDiif (pl.) nuDaaf wisix aali raxiiS kwayyis weHi sahl Sa3b ti'iil xafiif 3aali waaTi tixiin rofayya3
clean dirty expensive cheap good bad easy hard, difficult heavy light high low fat thin
sarii3 baTii'
(-iin) for the regular plural form. But again, many adjectives do not have
regular plural forms, so for those you have to memorize the broken plurals. The first half of the list above is made up of adjectives with broken plurals. Also see the following examples:
Singular feminine
Plural
( kibiir) ( fa'iir)
Singular masculine
( kibiira) ( fa'iira)
Singular feminine
( kobaar) ( fu'ra)
Plural
goo d
( kwayyis
)
( kwayyesa
)
(-i) and is not of the form
( kwayyisii
n)
(faa3il). When you're adding
and
Singular feminine
Plural
( abi) ( zaki) ( ma
Sri)
is of the form
and the suffix when you're making it feminine/plural. And while the masculine form of this adjective has a long "aa," the feminine and plural forms have a short "a."
Singular feminine
Plural
( aali) ( haadi)
( alya) ( hadya)
( alyiin) ( hadyiin)
Adjectives: agreement
In English, adjectives come right before the noun they describe, but in Arabic, adjectives always directly follow the noun they modify. Also, adjectives and nouns must always agree in definiteness (they must be both definite or both indefinite). Adjectives for singular nouns A singular noun is modified by a singular adjective of the same gender.
(il-mudarris il-gediid)
(bint hadya)
a quiet girl - lit. "girl quiet" Adjectives for dual nouns Any dual noun must be modified by a plural adjective.
(waladein
maSriyyiin) two Egyptian boys
( kitaabein alyiin)
two expensive books
( bintein suriyyiin)
two Syrian girls
Adjectives for human plural nouns
( 3arabiyyatein
gudaad) two new cars
Human plural nouns, masculine or feminine, are usually modified by masculine plural nouns.
big boys
(awlaad kobaar)
small girls
(banaat Soaar)
Adjectives for non-human plural nouns Non-human plural nouns are modified by feminine singular adjectives. This is confusing at first, but you get used to it fast!
(dowal mit'addima)
advanced countries
old cars
(3arabiyyaat 'adiima)
new movies
(aflaam gediida)
Note: A lot of beginning students get confused about adjectival phrases and whether or not they can be complete sentences. Look at these examples for some clarification:
(it-tilmiiz aaTir)
(it-tilmiiz i-aaTir)
(tilmiiz aaTir)
Nisba adjectives (
Nisba adjectives are those that indicate a relationship, often a nationality. Nouns are transformed into these adjectives in this manner: 1. Drop any definite article at the beginning of the noun, and any taa marbuuTa ( alif (
) or
(-ii) for the masculine adjective, (-iiyyiin) for the plural adjective.
Here are some examples of nouns and their correponding nisba adjectives:
Noun
Feminin e singula r
Plural
(maSr )
(ma
Sri)
(maSr
eyya)
(maSr
iyyiin)
(libnaa n)
(libnaa ni)
(l
ibnaney ya)
(
libnaniyyi in)
(am
riika)
Am eric an
(a
mriiki)
(amrike
yya)
(amrik
iyyiin)
(fili
sTiin)
(fil
isTiini)
(filisT
iineyya)
(filisTii
niyyiin)
Sy ria
(sur
ya)
Syri an
(suu
ri)
(sureyya )
(suriyyi
in)
Su da n
( issuuda an)
Sud ane se
(su
daani)
(suda
neyya)
(suda
niyyiin)
sc ho ol
(m
adrasa )
(m
adrasi)
(madr
aseyya)
(madr
asiyiin)
Note: For some nouns that end in -a, you don't follow that formula but use the suffixes awi),
(-
(-aweyya), and
(-awiyyiin).
Nou n
Adj ecti ve
Feminin e singular
Plural
Fr an ce
(f
arans a)
Fren ch
(fa
ransawi )
(faran
saweyya )
(fara
nsawiyyii n)
As ia
(
asya)
(asawi )
(a
saweyya )
(
asawiyiin )
ye ar pr op he t
(
sana)
(sanawi )
(s
anaweyy a)
(
sanawiyyi in)
(nabi )
(
nabawi )
(n
abaweyy a)
(n
abawiyyin )
Feminine singular
Plural
( 3arab
i)
( 3arabey
ya)
( 3arab
)
( turki) ( kurdi
)
( turkeyya
)
( atraa
k)
( kurdeyy
a)
( akraa
d)
( ma
ribi)
( marib
eyya)
( ma
arba)
( in
giliizi)
( inglii
zeyya)
( ingilii
z)
Introduction
Active participles act as adjectives, and so they must agree with their subject. An active participle can be used in several ways: (1) to describe a state of being (understanding; knowing), (2) to describe what someone is doing right now (going, leaving), and (3) to indicate that someone/something is in a state of having done something (having put something somewhere, having lived somewhere for a period of time).
I understand what you're saying.
(heyya nayma)
She is sleeping.
I've put up the picture.
(HaaTiT iS-Suura)
For some verbs, active participles are not used, while for others, they are used frequently and must be used instead of the present continuous tense if you want to describe a current action. If you mess up and use an imperfect-tense verb where you should use an active participle (or vice versa), it can change your sentence's meaning completely!
Active participle
Imperfect tense
( ana
labsa badla) I am wearing a suit (right now). vs.
( balbis badla)
I wear a suit (on a regular basis).
( ana
raayiH in-naadi) I'm going to the club; I'm on my way there right now. vs.
( 3aamil
eih?) An idiomatic way of asking someone, "What's up?" vs.
( biti3mel eih?)
What are you doing (right now)? -or- What do you do (as a career)?
Passive participle
fi3il)
( faa3il)
( 3aarif) in a state of
knowing
( faahim) in a state of
understanding
fa33)
( HaTT) to put
Form 1 defective verbs (of the type
fi3i or fa3a)
( mii) to go
Form 1 hollow verbs (of the type
faa3)
* Note: When the imperfect howwa conjugation of the verb in question ends in -a, as with "istanna - yistanna," the ending -a is replaced by -i in the active participle, as with "mistanni."
Generally speaking, the most commonly-used active participles fall into the categories of motion or action (going, coming, leaving, carrying), location (living, staying), and mental state (seeing, understanding, wanting). Here is a table of some of these active participles:
Masculine singular coming going going/w alking leaving returnin g going home traveling
Feminine singular
Plural
( gayy) ( raayi
H)
( gayya) ( rayHa
)
( gayyiin) ( rayHii
n)
( maa
i)
( may
a)
( mayii
n)
( xaar
ig)
( xarg
a)
( xarg
iin)
( raagi
3)
( rag3
a)
( rag3i
in)
( mir
awwaH)
( mira
wwaHa)
( mira
wwaHiin)
( mis
aafir)
( mis
afra)
( mis
afriin)
( Taali
3)
( Tal3a
)
( Tal3ii
n)
( naazil
)
( aayi
l)
standing
(waa'
if)
sitting
'( aa3id
)
awake
( Sa
aHi)
( SaH
ya)
( SaH
yiin)
sleeping
( naayim
)
( nayma
)
( naymii
n)
taking
(waax
id)
(waxd
a)
(waxdi
in)
eating
(waak
ul)
(wakla) ( mist
anniyya)
(wakliin
)
waiting living (in a place) living (in general) rememb er know understa nd want
( mis
tanni)
( mist
anniyyiin)
( saak
in)
( sakna
)
( saknii
n)
( 3aa
yi)
( 3ay
a)
( 3ayii
n)
( faakir
)
( fakra) ( 3arfa
)
( fakriin
)
( 3a
arif)
( 3arfii
n)
( faahi
m)
( fahma
)
( fahmii
n)
( 3aayi
z)
( 3ayza
)
( 3ayzii
n)
see
( aa
yif)
( ayfa) ( sam3
a)
( ayfiin
)
hear
( saa
mi3)
( sam3
iin)
Examples of usage
Here are some examples of situations in which you could use the active participle. Note that generally you can leave out the subject pronoun that would go with the active participle, as long as it's clear who you're talking about.
I'm about to go out to the supermarket, and I tell the people I'm with,
( ana
maya, 3ayziin Haaga?) Someone asks you how you are, and you say,
I don't know.
You're walking down a flight of stairs, and your friend downstairs calls you to ask where you are. You say, I'm going right down.
( ana rayHa ssenema) Someone asks you where you live, and you say,
( ana
I live in Heliopolis.
saakin fi maSr ig-gediida) Someone asks you where your parents live, and you say,
You see a friend of yours standing somewhere waiting, and you ask her,
You've been waiting for a friend, and then when you see him arrive: There he comes.
!( mi misadda'
3eineiyya!)
has just been completed. You can think of it as saying, "I'm still in the state of just having (done whatever)."
I've just eaten.
(lissa wakla)
Introduction
Passive participles, like active participles, act as adjectives, and so they must agree with the noun they're describing. A passive participle may express a current state of being; a couple of examples would be "known" and "understood." Or it may express a state of having been the result of an action that has already been performed. Examples would be "written" (i.e. the item is in a state of already having been written) and "cooked" (i.e. the item has already been cooked). Use of the passive participle obscures the identity of the person who performed the action.
( mumassil ma3ruuf)
a well-known actor
( beiD ma'li)
fried eggs
Passive participle
( maf3uul) ( maktuub) written ( mafhuum) understood ( maf3uu3) ( maHbuub) beloved ( makbuub) spilled/poured ( maf3i) ( mawi) grilled
fa33)
fi3i or fa3a)
( awa) to grill
( nisi) to forget
Most other triliteral verb forms
( mansi) forgotten
Substitute "mi" for the "yi" of the imperfect howwa verb conjugation*
* Educated Egyptians often pronounce this "mi" as "mu" due to influence from standard Arabic see the pronunciation "muxtaar" (as opposed to "mixtaar") as an example. Note: For verbs that are not of Form 1, the active participle and passive participle are usually exactly the same! You would use context to tell which it is.
(miHtall)
This could be the active participle, "occupying," or the passive participle, "occupied."
You might also have noticed that hollow verbs were not included in the above table of passive participle derivations. This is because passive participles are not used for these verbs. Rather, you would derive a passive participle from the verb's corresponding passive form (which would generally begin with
it-).
(baa3) to sell
This has no passive participle. So you would instead use the verb:
(itbaa3) to be sold
(mitbaa3), "sold."
But also note that aside from passive verb forms of hollow verbs, you do not usually use passive participles derived from
distinguish between a passive and active participle that would otherwise be the same.
(dalla3) to spoil
The active and passive participle of this verb is the same: So people will use
(midalla3)
only in its active participle sense. For the passive participle, they use:
(rabba) to raise or grow (as in a parent raising a child, or someone growing a plant)
The active and passive participle of this verb is the same: So people will use
(mirabbi)
only in its active participle sense. For the passive participle, they use:
verb.
(mitrabbi) well-raised
But usually for passive verbs, you would derive a passive participle from the corresponding Form 1
(itkatab) to be written
This has no passive participle. So you would instead use the corresponding Form 1 verb: (katab) to write
(maktuub), "written."
(itkasaf) to be embarrassed
This has no passive participle. So you would instead use the corresponding Form 1 verb: (kasaf) to embarrass
From this you would derive the appropriate passive participle, "embarrassed."
(maksuuf),
Adverbs of time
Adverbs of place
today
( innahaarda)
here there
yesterday
( imbaa
riH) outside
( hina) ( hin
aak)
tomorrow now
( bukra) ( dilwa'ti
)
( barra
)
inside
( guw
wa)
later
( ba3dein
)
( foo') ( taH
t)
( zamaan
)
'( ariib/'o
rayyib)
'( udd
aam)
(wara
)
finally usually
( axiiran) ( 3aadatan
)
( aaliban)
sometime s
( aHyaan
an)
'( awi) ( il-film da 3agibni 'awi) - I liked that movie ( di Suura Helwa 'awi) - This is a really
a lot.
( giddan) ( kalaamak gamiil giddan) - What you're saying ( kitiir) ( il-xabar da 'ala'ni kitiir) - This news really (moot) * This is very slangy. ( il-aaani di gamda moot) - These ( kamaan)
( istanna kamaan wayya) - Wait a little more. nearly ( ta'riiban) ( fiDilna ta'riiban noSS saa3a) - We had
almost half an hour left.
( wayya) ( il-mumassil da
laazim tixtaar adwaaru aHsan wayya) - That actor should pick his roles a bit better.
( kida)
( mi 3arfa bit3aamilni kida leih) I don't know why you're treating me like this. in this way/manner
bis-sur3a 3aaan alHa' awSal) - I was walking down the street fast so I could make it on time.
(yalla nibda' 3aaan nixallaS 'awaam) Come on, let's get started so we can finish quickly. slowly
( biwei iwayya, mista3gil 3ala eih?) [Go] slowly, what are you in a hurry for? right away, immediately
( 3ala Tuul)
( imi
3ala Tuul li-Hadde matlaa'i g-gaami3 3ala maalak) - Go straight until you find the mosque on your left.
( 3amdan)
The genitive construct and other ways to express possession in Egyptian Arabic
The genitive construct -
(il-iDaafa)
), then
). For example:
the boy's book
(kitaab il-walad)
the girl's name
(ism il-bint)
(mediinat il-'uds)
If
(bint 3ammi)
ends in a taa' marbuuTa, then the end of that word will be pronounced -it instead of
-a.
my sister's room
(ooDit oxti)
Nabila's car
(3arabiyyit Nabiila)
my friend's picture
(Suurit SaHbi)
(a''it Nagwa)
Nagwa's apartment
may be definite or
the boy's book
(kitaab il-walad)
Hasan's book
(kitaab Hasan)
a boy's book
(kitaab walad)
or
. As usual, it will agree in gender, number, and definiteness with the noun
it modifies.
( kitaab bint
Tawiil) a girl's long book
But sometimes, if both or
( kitaab bint
Tawiila) a tall girl's book
there can be confusion over what noun is being modified by the adjective, as with this phrase:
boy's long book"?
(kitaab il-walad iT-Tawiil) - does this mean "the tall boy's book" or "the
Fortunately, Egyptian Arabic has a solution for this kind of ambiguity: use of the construction. The word possession.
(bitaa3)
(female form
bituu3) indicates
the tall boy's book
the boy's long book
This construction is also used if you want to modify both terms of the
with adjectives.
the little boy's long book
(3and-) - used to talk about "having" something in the sense of owning or possessing it.
That man has a big house.
inanimate object.
You have a letter in the mail.
The room has three windows.
(ma3a) - used to talk about something you physically have with you.
(ma3aak filuus?)
Do you have money (with you)? Here are the "conjugations" of these words:
I have you (masc . sing.) have you (fem. sing.) have he has she has
( 3andi) ( 3andak)
(leyya) ( lik)
( ma3aay
a)
( ma3aak
)
( ma3a
akii)
( ma3aah) ( ma3aa
ha)
( 3andena) ( 3anduku
)
( ma3aan
a)
( ma3a
aku)
( 3anduhu
m)
( ma3aa
hum)
I don' t have you (ma sc. sing. ) don' t have you (fem . sing. ) don' t have he does n't have she does n't
( ma3a
ndii)
( malii
)
( ma
ma3ii)
( ma3a
ndak)
( mal
ak)
( ma
m3ak)
( ma3a
ndikii)
( ma
lkii)
(ma
m3akii)
( ma3a
nduu)
( mal
uu)
(m
am3ahuu)
( ma3
andahaa)
( ma
lhaa)
(ma
m3ahaa)
have we don' t have you (pl.) don' t have they don' t have
( ma3a
ndenaa)
( mal
naa)
(ma
m3anaa)
( ma3
andukuu)
( m
alkuu)
(m
am3akuu)
(ma3
anduhum)
(ma
lhum)
(m
am3ahum)
To shift into the past tense, you say preposition + pronoun suffix.
(kaan) or
3amal kida) I had no idea that he was the one who did that.
):
(yajib an) ( 3ala + object + an) ( min al-laazim an) ( min al-waajib an) ( min aD-Daruuri an) (yanbai an) ( min al-mafruuD an) ( min al-muftaraD an) (yumkin an) ( min al-mumkin an) ( min al-mustaHiil an) ( min al-mutawaqqa3 an) ( min al-muntaZar an) ( min as-sahl an) ( min al-yasiir an) ( min aS-Sa3b an) ( min al-jadiir
bid-dikr anna)
must, should must have to, it is necessary to it is necessary to it is necessary to should should should, ought to might, may it is possible to it is impossible to it is expected that it is expected that it is easy to it is easy to it is hard to it's worth mentioning that it's well-established that it's (well-)known that
( min al-waaDiH anna) ( min al-mafhuum anna) ( min al-murajja3 an) ( min al-muHtamal an) ( min al-muqarrar an) ( min al-muttafaq
3aleihi an)
it's clear that it's understood that it's most likely that it's probable that it's been decided that it's been agreed that it's customary to it's preferable that it's better that it's more suitable/proper to it's natural that it's forbidden to it's permitted to
( min al-aHsan an) ( min al-ajdar an) ( min aT-Tabii3ii an) ( min al-mamnuu3 an) ( min al-masmuuH an)
To shift to the past, add add
Examples:
al-amn?)
(hal yajib munaaqaat qaDaaya mitl al-kaarita l-insaaniyya fii burma fii majlis
Should issues like the humanitarian disaster in Burma be discussed in the Security Council?
" "
miSriyyiin) anger).
(fiilm iiraani 3an itiyaal as-saadaat min al-mutawaqqa3 an yatiir aDab al-
An Iranian movie about Sadat's assassination is expected to anger Egyptians (lit. excite Egyptians'
ila Zaahira ida lam tuwDi3 liha Huluul munaasiba wa-jidriyya) This problem may turn into a phenomenon if appropriate and radical solutions for it are not found.
laday ru'yatu jeian ariiban yansaHib min arDu) land.
It's natural for a citizen, any citizen, to rejoice at the sight of a foreign army withdrawing from his
as-salaam fil-waqt nafsu) progress in the issues of Gaza and the peace process at the same time.
filasTiini fa-sayakuun min aS-Sa3b jiddan taHqiiq taqaddum fi mawDuu3eiyy azza wa-3amaliyyat If we can't overcome the divisions within Palestinian society, then it will be very difficult to achieve
...
can, it's possible it's impossible perhaps may, it is possible that it's easy to it's hard to it's forbidden to it's permitted to
There are also modals that are active participles. Remember that all active participles act as adjectives, and thus have masculine, feminine, and plural forms.
- - ( 3aayiz - 3ayza - 3ayziin) - - ( naawi - nawya - nawyiin) - - '( aa3id - 'a3da - 'a3diin) - - ( 3ammaal - 3ammaala 3ammaliin)
There are also modals that you attach a pronoun suffix to:
to feel like to mean to must have - indicates something happening at the proper or expected time continuing to
wish
Examples:
mawDuu3 'abl ma taaxod qaraar) You should've thought about it before you made a decision.
kwayyis) We should all spend our time well.
I didn't mean to annoy you.
witkallemt bi-'alb gaamid) I wish I hadn't talked so openly and bravely.
(zamanha gayya)
(zamaanak gu3t)
xilSit law kunti sa3idtiini) Everything would've been finished by now if you'd helped me.
Troubles keep on befalling us.
di 3ammaala tkoHH fi wesT i-aari3) This beat-up old car keeps coughing in the middle of the street.
(il-3arabiyya l-kaHyaana
o o o o
Dual nouns Broken plurals Regular masculine plurals Regular feminine plurals
Nouns: gender
Nouns are the names of things, whether objects, people, or places. Nouns in Arabic, both human and non-human, are either masculine or feminine. Usually, if a (singular) noun ends in a ta marbuuTa (, pronounced -a), it is feminine, and if it doesn't end in a ta marbuuTa, it's masculine.
( beit)
house
masculine noun
( a''a)
apartment
feminine noun
However, there are exceptions. All of these words are feminine, even though they don't end in a ta marbuuTa:
Nouns that can refer to both men and women (like job titles) can be made feminine with the addition of the suffix
(-a).
Feminine
Nouns: number
Dual nouns In Arabic, if you're talking about two things, you need to use the dual form of the noun. Just add the suffix
Dual
( kitaab) ( ibbaak)
( kitaabein) ( ibbaakein)
, -a), you need to "untie it" change it to ("sentence") as an example:
Add the
(gomla)
):
suffix:
Dual
( mudarris) (mohandis)
If you want to talk about a pair of things, like socks or shoes, you should use the singular form of the noun, and it'll be understood that you're talking about a pair. If you want to talk about one item
out of a pair, say
(farda min), literally "an individual from." (laazim ateri gazma gdiida)
I need to buy a new pair of shoes. - Note that although "gazma" technically means "shoe," it's understood that you mean a pair of shoes.
understood to mean a pair. Broken plurals
I can't find one of my socks. - Again, note that "araabi" technically means just "my sock," but it's
Plural
With these nouns, you simply have to memorize their plural forms until you internalize the broken plural patterns. Eventually, once you've memorized enough broken plurals, you'll start being able to predict the plural forms of new nouns.
Regular masculine plurals There are some nouns that have regular (sound) plurals. Almost all masculine nouns that have regular plurals fall under the category of job titles etc. that can refer to either men or a mixed group of men and women. To make one of these nouns plural, you simply add the suffix
(-iin).
Plural
Note: In Arabic, plural human nouns that take the masculine form can refer to either a group of all men, or a group of men and women. So a group of
engineers, or a mixed group of male and female engineers. Regular feminine plurals To make a feminine noun (that doesn't have a broken plural form) plural, you drop the taa marbuuTa and add the suffix take this plural form (see
(-aat). Many foreign loanwords, even some that are masculine, and
).
Plural
Note: If you want to talk about a group of all women, you take the masculine singular form of the noun and, again, add the
suffix.
Feminine plural
( mudarris) (mohandis)
( mudarrisaat) (mohandisaat)
actor artist
( mumassil) ( fannaan)
( mumassilaat) ( fannaanaat)
Noun-number construction for 1: [singular noun] + [form of the noun in gender] (for emphasis)
(for emphasis)
Noun-number construction for 3 through 10: [short form of the number] + [plural noun]
Multiples of 10
To read out numbers from 21 to 99: [number in ones place] wa[multiple of ten]
(itnein wa-talatiin), 32
Multiples of 100
To read out numbers from 101 to 999: [multiple of 100] + [number in ones place] + [multiple of ten] - "wa" comes before the last number
Multiples of 1,000
To read out numbers from 1,001 to 999,999: [multiple of 1,000] + [multiple of 100] + [number in ones place] + [multiple of 10]
wa-3iriin), 10,426
xamsiin alf tus3omeyya tamanya wa-talatiin), 51,938 wa-arbi3iin alf tultomeyya xamsa wa-sittiin), 147,365
(waaHid wa-
(meyya sab3a
10,000+
Cardinal numbers
( Sifr
)
(wa
aHid)
1s t
- ( aw
wil - uula)
( itne
in)
2n d
- ( taa
ni - tanya)
( tala
ata)
( tal
at)
3r d
- ( taali
t - talta)
( ar
ba3a)
( arb
a3)
4t h
- ( ra
abi3 rab3a)
( xa
msa)
( x
amas)
5t h
- ( x
aamis xamsa)
( sitta)
( sitt
)
6t h
- ( s
aadis sadsa)
( sab
3a)
( sab
a3)
7t h
- ( sa
abi3 sab3a)
(ta
manya)
( ta
man)
8t h
- ( taa
min tamna)
( tis3
a)
( tisa
3)
9t h
- ( ta
asi3 tas3a)
1 0
( 3a
ara)
( 3a
ar)
10 th
- ( 3
aair 3ara)
Note: While the rest of Arabic is written right-to-left, numbers are written left-to-right!
So
( raagil waaHid)
( kelma waHda)
In a similar way,
However, there's a special instance here: singular count nouns. These nouns are always
1. The kinds of nouns you use in ordering food, drinks, and so on:
one (cup of) coffee two (cups of) tea five beers
2. Most nouns indicating some kind of measurement (such as weight, length, distance, monetary
3. The words
(waaHid kilometr) one kilometer two Egyptian pounds ( itnein gineih) three piasters ( talaata 'ir) two million ( itnein milyoon) ( arba3a bilyoon) four billion
(milyoon), million, and (bilyoon), billion
On to the numbers 3 through 10! The "short form" of these numbers must precede the plural form of a noun. Here we don't have to worry about gender agreement.
Note that with any number from 3 up, you may make the number + noun phrase definite by simply adding a definite article to the first word in the number.
With any number from 11 and up, the number must precede a singular noun. There is no gender agreement.
Note that with all numbers from 11 up, the ordinal numbers are the same as the cardinal numbers.
For numbers that fall within this range, you literally say "one and twenty, two and twenty, three and twenty," etc.
21 32 43
And if you want to say "21 cars" or whatever, you just put the singular form of the noun right after the number.
20 0
30 0
40 0
50 0
60 0
70 0
80 0
( xumsomey
ya)
( xumsom
iit)
( suttomiit) ( sub3omiit
)
( tumnomiit)
90 0
( tus3omeyya
)
( tus3omiit
)
For numbers that fall within this range, you do the same thing as above but add the multiple of 100 to the beginning.
(meyya waaHid w3eriin) ( xumsomeyya itnein wa-talatiin) ( suttomeyya talata warbi3iin) (meyya witnein)
Multiples of 1,000
Cardinal numbers 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 9,000 10,000
( alf) ( alfein) ( talat talaaf) ( arba3 talaaf) ( xamas talaaf) ( sit talaaf) ( saba3 talaaf) ( taman talaaf) ( tisa3 talaaf) ( 3aar t-alaaf)
For numbers in this range, see this "formula": [multiple of 1,000] + [multiple of 100] + [number in ones place] + [multiple of 10]:
51,938
(meyya
sab3a wa-arbi3iin alf tultomeyya xamsa wa-sittiin)
147,365
10,000+
Cardinal numbers 11,000 12,000 etc. 100,000 200,000 500,000 1 million 2 million 3
million 1 billion
( bilyoon)
(ism al-iaara)
(al-ism al-mawSuul)
Demonstrative pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns (this, that, these, those) point to and identify a noun or pronoun. In standard Arabic, the demonstrative pronoun comes before the noun it refers to; in 3ammiyya, it follows the noun. While fuSHa has specific words for "that" and "those" (as opposed to "this" and "these"), 3ammiyya does not.
Standard Arabic
Egyptian Arabic
Egyptian Arabic
( iddars da)
( di)
* Note that all plural non-human nouns are grammatially treated as feminine, and this applies to demonstrative pronouns (as well as other things like adjectives). this girl this pillow These books are long
( ilbint di)
( ilmixadda di)
( haadihi
l-kutub Tawiila)
( il-kutub
di Tawiila)
These cars are new that (masc.) that man that (fem.) that girl these (masc. dual) *
( haadihi s-sayaraat
jadiida)
( il3arabiyyaat di gediida)
is used with nouns in the nominative case ( ;) is used with nouns in the genitive and accusative cases (
).
These (two) boys are Egyptian
| ( haataani/haateini)*
( dool)
is used with nouns in the nominative case ( ;) is used with nouns in the genitive and accusative cases ( ). these ( haataani l ( il(two) girls I saw these (two) girls these (masc. and fem. pl.) these men bintaan) bintein dool)
( ra'eitu
haateini l-bintein)
( dool) ( ir-riggaala
dool)
these girls
( haa'ulaa lbanaat)
( ilbanaat dool)
( uulaa'ika lbanaat)
Relative pronouns
Relative pronouns (such as "that, which, who") begin relative clauses, which act like adjectives and describe the noun they follow. In Arabic, if the relative pronoun is referring back to a noun that is a direct object or the object of a preposition (like "the book [that] I read," "the girl [whom] I wrote to"), a pronoun suffix referring to this noun must be added to the relative pronoun.
the book that I read - lit. "the book that I read it"
the girl whom I wrote to - lit. "the girl whom I wrote to her"
If you are referring to a noun that is indefinite, you do not use a relative pronoun.
I have a colleague who speaks six languages. - Note that although English still uses the relative pronoun "who," there's no corresponding pronoun in Arabic.
These two rules hold for both standard and Egyptian Arabic. Relative pronouns in standard and Egyptian Arabic The Egyptian dialect has only one relative pronoun:
Standard Arabic, on the other hand, has a whole bunch of relative pronouns:
Egyptian Arabic
( il-kitaab
illi 'areitu)
( allati)
( illi)
* Again, remember that all plural non-human nouns are grammatially treated as feminine singular.
( il-bint
illi darsit 3arabi)
| ( alladaani/alladeini)
( illi)
is used with nouns in the nominative case ( ;) is used with nouns in the genitive and accusative cases ( ). the two teams who ( al-fariiqaan ( ilreached the
finals alladaani waSalaa ila nnihaa'i) farii'ein illi waSalu nnihaa'i) used in reference to a feminine dual noun *
| ( allataani/allateini)
( illi)
is used with nouns in the nominative case ( ;) is used with nouns in the genitive and accusative cases ( ). the two women who ( al-imra'ataan stayed in the
village I gave the present to the two girls who wanted it used in reference to a masculine allataani baqiyataa fi l-qaria)
( alladiina)
( illi)
plural noun
( al-maSriyyuun
alladiina ya3maluun fil-xaliij)
| ( allaati/allawaati) ( an-nisaa'
allawaati ya3milna fi majaal al-handasa)
Note: Relative pronouns are only used to refer to a definite noun. If you are not referring to a definite noun, you would not use a relative pronoun. See these examples:
Standard Arabic I talked to the Egyptians who work in the Gulf I talked with Egyptians who work in
Egyptian Arabic
(takallamtu ma3a
l-maSriyyiin alladiina ya3maluun fil-xaliij)
the Gulf
( takallamtu ma3a
maSriyyiin ya3maluun filxaliij)
(kallimte
maSriyyiin bitaalu fil-xaliig)
(aho),
(ahe), and
(ahom). When
pronounced with the emphasis on the first syllable (ho, he, hom), these words introduce a word/phrase with a "there it is" meaning.
(he gayya)
When these words are pronounced with the emphasis on the second syllable (ah, ah, ahm), they follow a noun and act as demonstrative pronouns drawing attention to the noun.
-
ah)
Do you have the key (with you)? - I have the key (with me) right here.
(beiti)
my house
(kitaabu)
his book
(uxtuhum)
their sister
Note: If the noun that's owned ends in a taa' marbuuTa ( and made into a
singular.
The object and possessive pronoun suffixes are exactly the same except for the first person
English my your (masc.) Singular your (fem.) his her our Dual your their our your (masc.) Plural your (fem.) their (masc.) their (fem.)
Standard Arabic
Egyptian Arabic
(-i) (-ka) (-ki) (-u) (-ha) (-na) (-kuma) (-huma) (-na) (-kum) (-kunna) (-hum) (-hunna) (-ku/-kum) \ (-ak) (-ik)
(-hom)
Note: In standard Arabic, if the noun that's owned is dual (ends in the noun has a sound masculine plural suffix ( final
-aan or
-ein), or if
-uun or
(waa
lidaan) two parents
(waali
daahum) their parents
( mu'a
yyiduun) supporters
( mu'ay
yiduuh) his supporters
(yadei
n) two hands
(yadeiha)
her hands
( mud
arrisiin) teachers
( mud
arrisiyya) my teachers
Note: In Egyptian Arabic, if a noun, verb, or preposition ends in a vowel that is not a taa' marbuuTa, some of the pronoun suffixes you'll need to use with it will change. For object/possessive pronouns:
( -ni) stays the same. ( -i) ( -ya) ( -ak) ( -k) ( -ik) ( -ki) ( -u) ( -h)
Also, the final vowel in the noun/verb/whatever will need to be lengthened. Some examples:
(war
a) behind
(waraay
a) behind me
( Hawaa
li) around
( Hawaleiy
ya) around me
( li-)
for
(liik)
for you (masc. sing.)
(warra)
to show
(warraak)
he showed you (masc. sing.)
( 3al
a) on
( 3aleik
i) on you (fem. sing.)
( baaba)
dad
( babaaki)
your dad (fem. sing.)
( ma3a
( ma3aah
( fi)
( fiih)
) with
Note: In colloquial Arabic, when used with possessive suffixes, the words and
(ab), "father,"
(abu) and
( abuuya)
my father
( axuuya)
my brother
( abuuk)
your (masc. sing.) father
( axuuk)
your (masc. sing.) brother
( abuuki)
your (fem. sing.) father
( axuuki)
your (fem. sing.) brother
( abuuh)
his father etc.
( axuuh)
his brother
Note: Usually, you do not use possessive pronoun suffixes with dual nouns in Egyptian Arabic. Instead, you say "il-[noun]ein bituu3[possessive pronoun suffix]."
my two books
( 3eineiyya)
my (two) eyes
( iideiyya)
my (two) hands
( 3eineik)
your eyes
( rigleik)
your legs
( iideik)
your hands
etc.
Subject pronouns
Subject pronouns (I, you, we, he, she, we, they) take the place of a noun and function as the subject of a sentence.
I am from the US.
(howwa mohandis)
He is an engineer.
Note: In Arabic, the subject pronoun is frequently dropped. You can tell from a verb conjugation who the subject is, so it's not really necessary to use the subject pronoun in such cases except for emphasis. However, in equational (verbless) sentences like the two above, you do need the subject pronoun. Subject pronouns in standard and Egyptian Arabic
Standard Arabic
Egyptian Arabic
they we you (masc.) Plural you (fem.) they (masc.) they (fem.)
)homa(
Note: In English, there is only one second-person pronoun, "you," which is used whether you're talking to one person, two people, or more. But in Arabic, as you see above, there are masculine and feminine versions of "you," as well as singular, dual (standard Arabic only), and plural versions:
Arabic), and ( (
\ \
if you're addressing three or more people. Note that the dual "you"
) is the same regardless of gender. In standard Arabic, there is also a dual version of "they"
- which is gender-indiscriminate as well) and masculine and feminine versions of the plural
"they" (
and
and
).
Note that Egyptian Arabic has fewer pronouns than standard Arabic, since it has no dual pronouns; it just has plural pronouns that are used to talk about two or more people, of any gender. And the colloquial
are gender-neutral.
Object pronouns
Object pronouns (me, you, us, him, her, them) are used when you do something directly to someone or something else. In Arabic, these pronouns are suffixes that are attached to the verb:
(Darabatu)
(yakuruuni)
English me you (masc.) Singular you (fem.) him her us Dual you them us you (masc.) Plural you (fem.) them (masc.) them (fem.)
Standard Arabic
Egyptian Arabic
(-ni) (-ka) (-ki) (-u) (-ha) (-na) (-kuma) (-huma) (-na) (-kum) (-kunna) (-hum) (-hunna) (-ku/-kum) \ (-ak) (-ik)
(-hom)
and
are both used, but the former is more colloquial than the
Here are some examples of object pronoun usage, using the verb
English He asked me He asked you (masc.) Singular He asked you (fem.) He asked him He asked her
Standard Arabic
(sa'alaka) (sa'alaki)
(sa'alak) (sa'alik)
(sa'alahu [more standard] or sa'alu [more colloquial]) (sa'alaha [more standard] or sa'alha [more
colloquial]) He asked us Dual He asked you He asked them He asked us He asked you (masc.) Plural He asked you (fem.) He asked them (masc.) He asked them (fem.) (sa'alna) (sa'alkuma) (sa'alhuma) (sa'alna) (sa'alkum) (sa'alku/sa'alkum) \ (sa'alkunna) (sa'alhum) (sa'alhom) (sa'alhunna)
Introduction
There are two types of conditional statements: the possible (If you work hard, you'll do well; if I see Samia today, I'll ask her out) and the impossible/counter-to-fact (If I were rich, I'd buy a Mercedes; if I'd known that, I wouldn't have done what I did). There are two main words for "if" in Arabic: there's also the more literary/classical conditions, while
(law) and
.) In standard Arabic,
is used for impossible conditions. In Egyptian Arabic, however, the two words being more common.
Possible conditionals
The "if" clause may begin with
or
, followed by:
( iza
kunte tiHebbe tiigi) if you'd like to come
( iza kunte
faaDi) if you're free
( iza
kunte 3aayiz tiigi) if you want to come
( iza
kaan 3andi l-wa't) if I have time
(law kaan
mumkin) if it's possible
The "then" clause may begin with a future-tense verb or command.
( hatkallem ma3aahom)
I'll talk to them
( ta3aala ma3aaya)
come with me
Examples:
(law ofte Dina nnahaarda, ha3zemha 3ala l-3aa) If I see Dina today, I'll invite her to dinner
(law kan da
osluubak, matiz3ale iza makallemtake taani) If that's your way of doing things, (then) don't get upset if I don't talk to you again.
Impossible/counter-to-fact conditionals
Again, the "if" clause may begin with of
or
(law kunte
oftu) if you'd seen him
. What follows that may be a past- or present-tense verb, modal, or active participle.
(law kunte
bitHebbeni) if you loved me
(law kunte
faakir) if I('d) remembered
Note that, as with the last example, this clause may be identical to its "possible" equivalent. What really distinguishes possible from impossible conditionals is the following: The "then" clause must begin with an appropriate form of
tense verb, if you are talking about something you would/wouldn't have done, or a simple present/future-tense verb if you're talking about something you would do (right now).
( kaan geh)
he would've come
\( kunt a'ollak/ha'ollak)
I would tell you
Examples:
( iza kunte
zakirte kwayyis, kunte gibte daragaat aHsan) If you had studied well, you would've gotten better grades.
(law ma3aaya
filuus, kunt ishtareit 3arabiyya Mercedes)
( law kan mumkin aruuH ma3aak, kunte roHt, laakin ana kunt
mauula) If I could've gone with you, I would've, but I was busy.
( law makunte
enta 'oltili, kaan Hadde taani 'alli) If you hadn't told me, someone else would've.
(law kunt
bitHebbeni, makunte 'olt illenta 'oltu) If you loved me, you wouldn't have have said what you said.
(law kunte 3arfa lgawaab, kunt ha'ollak) If I knew the answer, I would tell you.
( Hatta wa-law
kunte 3arfa l-gawaab, makunte 'oltilak) Even if I'd known the answer, I wouldn't have told you.
( Hatta wa-law
kunte 3arfa l-gawaab, makunte ha'ollak) Even if I knew the answer, I wouldn't tell you.
Types of sentences
In traditional Arabic grammar, there are two basic types of sentence, based on what the sentence's first word is.
1.
first word is a verb.
The subject (
noun (the boy; Cairo; Ahmed), pronoun (I; he; they), or noun phrase (the math teacher; a long book).
means a piece of news, so you can think of the predicate as delivering news
about the subject. It may be an adjective (happy), verb (woke up), or noun (student). Here are some simple examples. The subject is in bold, and the predicate is underlined.
.( al-walad miSri)
The boy is Egyptian. - The subject is a noun, and the predicate is an adjective.
.( howwa Tawiil)
He is tall. - The subject is a pronoun, and the predicate is an adjective.
Note: In sentences with a verb, standard Arabic usually follows a Verb-Subject-Object order, though sometimes it uses a Subject-Verb-Object order. The Egyptian dialect pretty much always follows a Subject-Verb-Object order.
( xarajat
Manaal mubakkiran) The boy ate an apple.
( Manaal
xargit badri)
( akala l-waladu
tuffaaHatan)
( il-walad kal
tuffaaHa)
Negation
Now, how do we negate these sentences? Negating a sentence with a verb is simple; you just negate the verb. (To learn how to negate a verb in Egyptian Arabic, go here.) Negating a sentence without a verb, however, requires a different but still quite simple approach. In standard
( ana lubnaaniyya)
I am Lebanese.
( ana lastu
lubnaaniyya) I am not Lebanese.
( bint 3ammi
mudarrisa) My cousin is a teacher.
( bint
3ammi laysat mudarrisa) My cousin is not a teacher.
(howwa Tawiil)
He is tall.
(howwa laysa
Tawiil) He is not tall.
( honaaka
xiyaar aaxar) There is another choice.
(laysa
honaaka xiyaar aaxar) There is no other choice.
( ana libnaniyya)
I am Lebanese.
( ana mi libnaniyya)
I am not Lebanese.
( bint
3ammi mudarrisa) My cousin is a teacher.
( bint 3ammi
mi mudarrisa) My cousin is not a teacher.
(howwa Tawiil)
He is tall.
(howwa mi Tawiil)
He is not tall.
( laazim
tiSHa badri)
( mi
laazim tiSHa badri)
( mafii xiyaar
taani)* There is no other choice.
* Note: In Egyptian Arabic, if a verbless sentence contains an inverted predicate (that is, where the predicate comes before the subject instead of after) consisting of either preposition and pronoun suffix, like the
, "there is," or a
...
(ma...) form.
al-maaDi) - used to indicate actions that have been al-muDaari3) - used to indicate actions that SaHiiH) and weak
the imperfect/present (
have not been completed yet. There are two main classes of verbs in Arabic: sound ( (
mu3tall). Here's an outline of the types of verbs: ( al-fi3l aS-SaHiiH) Sound verbs - don't have a or as one of the three root letters o ( al-fi3l aS-SaHiiH as-saalim) Regular sound
verbs
( al-fi3l al-muDa33af) Geminate/doubled verbs daqqa - yadiqqu (to knock) radda - yaruddu (to reply) ( al-fi3l al-mahmuuz) Hamzated verbs - where is
where the second and third radicals of the root are the same
akala - ya'kulu (to eat) sa'ala - yas'alu (to ask) bada'a - yabda'u (to begin) ( al-fi3l al-mu3tall) Weak verbs - have a or as one
( al-fi3l al-mitaal) Assimilated verbs - begin with or (usually ); in the imperfect and in other situations the often
disappears
waDa3a - yaDa3u (to put) waSala - yaSilu (to arrive) ( al-fi3l al-ajwaf) Hollow verbs - the second radical is either a or ; in the perfect, the or is replaced by an alif baa3a - yabii3u (to sell) 3aada - ya3uudu (to return) ( al-fi3l al-naaqiS) Defective verbs - where the final root radical is either or a nasiya - yansa (to forget) bada - yabdu (to appear, seem)
( to write)
English I wrote you (masc.) wrote Singular you (fem.) wrote he wrote she wrote we wrote you wrote Dual they (masc.) wrote they (fem.) wrote we wrote you (masc.) wrote Plural you (fem.) wrote they (masc.) wrote they (fem.) wrote Standard Arabic )katabtu( )katabta( )katabti( )kataba( )katabat( )katabna( )katabtuma( )katabaa( )katabataa( )katabna( )katabtum( )katabtunna( )katabuu( )katabna( )katabna( )katabtuu( Egyptian Arabic )katabt( )katabt( )katabti( )katab( )katabit(
)katabuu(
( to write)
English Singular I write Standard Arabic )aktubu( Egyptian Arabic )aktib(
you (masc.) write you (fem.) write he writes she writes we write you write Dual they (masc.) write they (fem.) write we write you (masc.) write Plural you (fem.) write they (masc.) write they (fem.) write
)taktubu( )taktubiina( )yaktubu( )taktubu( )naktubu( )taktubaani( )yaktubaani( )taktubaani( )naktubu( )taktubuuna( )taktubna( )yaktubuuna( )yaktubna(
)niktib( )tiktibuu(
)yiktibuu(
( al-fi3l al-muDa33af)
Verbs where the second and third radicals of the root are the same. Geminate verbs - perfect mood
( to reply)
English I replied Singular you (masc.) replied you (fem.) replied Standard Arabic )radadtu( )radadta( )radadti( Egyptian Arabic
he replied she replied we replied you replied Dual they (masc.) replied they (fem.) replied we replied you (masc.) replied Plural you (fem.) replied they (masc.) replied they (fem.) replied
)radda( )raddat(
)radadna( )radadtuma(
)radd( )raddit(
)raddaa( )raddataa(
)radadna( )radadtum( )radadtunna(
)radduu(
)radadna(
Note that in fuSHa, the doubled consonant is separated into two consonants for all the conjugations except the highlighted ones. In 3ammiyya, though, the doubled consonant stays doubled. Geminate verbs - imperfect mood
( to reply)
English I reply you (masc.) reply Singular you (fem.) reply he replies she replies we reply you reply Dual they (masc.) reply they (fem.) reply we reply Plural you (masc.) reply Standard Arabic Egyptian Arabic
)aruddu( )taruddu( )taruddiina( )yaruddu( )taruddu( )naruddu( )taruddani( )yaruddaani( )taruddaani( )naruddu( )tarudduuna(
)nirodd( )tirodduu(
)tardudna(
)yarudduuna(
)yardudna(
)yirodduu(
In fuSHa, the doubled consonant remains doubled for the imperfect conjugations, with the exception of the second- and third-person feminine plural conjugations. In 3ammiyya, the doubled consonant again remains doubled for everything.
( to eat)
English I ate you (masc.) ate Singular you (fem.) ate he ate she ate we ate you ate Dual they (masc.) ate they (fem.) ate Plural we ate Standard Arabic )akaltu( )akalta( )akalti( )akala( )akalat( )akalna( )akaltuma( )akalaa( )akalataa( )akalna( )akalna( Egyptian Arabic )akalt( )akalt( )akalti( )akal( )aklit(
you (masc.) ate you (fem.) ate they (masc.) ate they (fem.) ate
)akaltuu(
)akaluu(
for the sake of direct comparison with fuSHa, I went with the latter variation for this table. Hamzated verbs - imperfect mood
( to eat)
English I eat you (masc.) eat Singular you (fem.) eat he eats she eats we eat you eat Dual they (masc.) eat they (fem.) eat we eat you (masc.) eat Plural you (fem.) eat they (masc.) eat they (fem.) eat Standard Arabic )akulu( )ta'kulu( )ta'kuliina( )ya'kulu( )ta'kulu( )na'kulu( )ta'kulaani( )ya'kulaani( )ta'kulaani( )na'kulu( )ta'kuluuna( )ta'kulna( )ya'kuluuna( )ya'kulna( )naakul( )taklu( Egyptian Arabic )aakul( )taakul( )takli( )yaakul( )taakul(
)yaklu(
Note that while in fuSHa the hamza is kept in the imperfect conjugations, in 3ammiyya it is elided into a long alif. Hamzated verbs 2 - perfect mood
( to ask)
English I asked you (masc.) asked Singular you (fem.) asked he asked she asked we asked you asked Dual they (masc.) asked they (fem.) asked we asked you (masc.) asked Plural you (fem.) asked they (masc.) asked they (fem.) asked Standard Arabic )sa'altu( )sa'alta( )sa'alti( )sa'ala( )sa'alat( )sa'alna( )sa'altuma( )sa'alaa( )sa'alataa( )sa'alna( )sa'altum( )sa'altunna( )sa'aluu( )sa'alna( )sa'alna( )sa'altuu( Egyptian Arabic )sa'alt( )sa'alt( )sa'alti( )sa'al( )sa'alit(
)sa'aluu(
( to ask)
English I ask you (masc.) ask Singular you (fem.) ask he asks she asks we ask Dual you ask Standard Arabic )as'alu( )tas'alu( )tas'aliina( )yas'alu( )tas'alu( )nas'alu( )tas'alaani( Egyptian Arabic )as'al( )tis'al( )tis'ali( )yis'al( )tis'al(
they (masc.) ask they (fem.) ask we ask you (masc.) ask Plural you (fem.) ask they (masc.) ask they (fem.) ask
)yis'aluu(
( to read)
English I read you (masc.) read Singular you (fem.) read he read she read we read you read Dual they (masc.) read they (fem.) read we read you (masc.) read Plural you (fem.) read they (masc.) read they (fem.) read Standard Arabic )qara'tu( )qara'ta( )qara'ti( )qara'a( )qara'at( )qara'na( )qara'tuma( )qar'aa( )qara'taa( )qara'na( )qara'tum( )qara'tunna( )qara'uu( )qara'na( ('areina) ('areituu) Egyptian Arabic ('areit) ('areit) ('areiti) ('ara) ('arit)
('aruu)
Again, note that while the hamza is kept in the fuSHa conjugations, it is elided in 3ammiyya.
( to read)
English I read you (masc.) read Singular you (fem.) read he reads she reads we read you read Dual they (masc.) read they (fem.) read we read you (masc.) read Plural you (fem.) read they (masc.) read they (fem.) read Standard Arabic )aqra'u( )taqra'u( )taqra'iina( )yaqra'u( )taqra'u( )naqra'u( )taqra'aani( )yaqra'aani( )taqra'aani( )naqra'u( )taqra'uuna( )taqra'na( )yaqra'uuna( )yaqra'na( )ni'ra( )ti'ru( Egyptian Arabic )a'ra( )ti'ra( )ti'ri( )yi'ra( )ti'ra(
)yi'ru(
, or .
( al-fi3l al-mitaal)
Verbs where the first radical is a long vowel (usually
).
(to arrive)
English I arrived you (masc.) arrived Singular you (fem.) arrived he arrived she arrived we arrived you arrived Dual they (masc.) arrived they (fem.) arrived we arrived you (masc.) arrived Plural you (fem.) arrived they (masc.) arrived they (fem.) arrived Standard Arabic )waSaltu( )waSalta( )waSalti( )waSala( )waSalat( )waSalna( )waSaltuma( )waSalaa( )waSalataa( )waSalna( )waSaltum( )waSaltunna( )waSaluu( )waSalna( )wiSilna( )wiSiltuu( Egyptian Arabic )wiSilt( )wiSilt( )wiSilti( )wiSil( )wiSlit(
)wiSiluu(
(to arrive)
English I arrive you (masc.) arrive Singular you (fem.) arrive he arrives Standard Arabic )aSilu( )taSilu( )taSiliina( )yaSilu( Egyptian Arabic )awSil( )tiwSil( )tiwSili( )yiwSil(
she arrives we arrive you arrive Dual they (masc.) arrive they (fem.) arrive we arrive you (masc.) arrive Plural you (fem.) arrive they (masc.) arrive they (fem.) arrive
)taSilu( )naSilu( )taSilaani( )yaSilaani( )taSilaani( )naSilu( )taSiluuna( )taSilna( )yaSiluuna( )yaSilna(
)tiwSil(
)niwSil( )tiwSilu(
)yiwSilu(
Note that in the imperfect mood, an assimilated verb drops its first letter in fuSHa. In 3ammiyya, however, the initial letter remains.
( al-fi3l al-ajwaf)
Verbs where the second radical is either a
( to visit)
English I visited Singular you (masc.) visited you (fem.) visited Standard Arabic )zurtu( )zurta( )zurti( Egyptian Arabic )zurt( )zurt( )zurti(
he visited she visited we visited you visited Dual they (masc.) visited they (fem.) visited we visited you (masc.) visited Plural you (fem.) visited they (masc.) visited they (fem.) visited
)zaara( )zaarat( )zurna( )zurtuma( )zaaraa( )zaarataa( )zurna( )zurtum( )zurtunna( )zaaruu( )zurna(
)zaar( )zaarit(
)zurna( )zurtuu(
)zaaru(
Note that the long vowel is dropped in all conjugations but those for the third-person singular, dual, and plural masculine. When the long vowel is dropped, it is replaced by a short version of the long consonant used in the imperfect conjugation. For example, the
zaara is yazuuru, so a short "u" is used. Other examples: the imperfect conjugation of kaana is yakuunu, so a short "u" is
imperfect conjugation of used for the perfect conjugations where the long vowel is dropped. But the imperfect conjugation of instances. Hollow verbs - imperfect mood
English I visit you (masc.) visit Singular you (fem.) visit he visits she visits Dual we visit
you visit they (masc.) visit they (fem.) visit we visit you (masc.) visit Plural you (fem.) visit they (masc.) visit they (fem.) visit
)tazuuraani( )yazuuraani( )tazuuraani( )nazuuru( )tazuuruuna( )tazurna( )yazuuruuna( )yazurna( )nizuur( )tizuuru(
)yizuuru(
Note that here the long vowel is dropped only for the feminine second and third-person plurals.
( al-fi3l an-naaqiS)
Verbs where the final root radical is either a
-).
Defective verbs - perfect mood
( to forget)
English I forgot you (masc.) forgot Singular you (fem.) forgot he forgot she forgot Standard Arabic )nasiitu( )nasiita( )nasiiti( )nasiya( )nasiyat( Egyptian Arabic )niseit( )niseit( )niseiti( )nisi( )nisyit(
we forgot you forgot Dual they (masc.) forgot they (fem.) forgot we forgot you (masc.) forgot Plural you (fem.) forgot they (masc.) forgot they (fem.) forgot Defective verbs - imperfect mood
)nasiina( )nasiituma( )nasiyaa( )nasiyataa( )nasiina( )nasiitum( )nasiitunna( )nasiyuu( )nasiina( )niseina( )niseitu(
)nisyu(
( to forget)
English I forget you (masc.) forget Singular you (fem.) forget he forgets she forgets we forget you forget Dual they (masc.) forget they (fem.) forget we forget you (masc.) forget Plural you (fem.) forget they (masc.) forget they (fem.) forget Standard Arabic )ansa( )tansa( )tansiina( )yansa( )tansa( )nansa( )tansaani( )yansaani( )tansaani( )nansa( )tansuuna( )tansana( )yansuuna( )yansuna( )ninsa( )tinsu( Egyptian Arabic )ansa( )tinsa( )tinsi( )yinsa( )tinsa(
)yinsu(
, al-awzaan).
(Forms 11 through 15 are very rare, so people usually just focus on forms 1 through 10, although 9 is also pretty rare). Each form has a basic meaning associated with the general meaning of the root being used. Here's a more detailed breakdown, using
all taken from old handouts I got at the AUC, so it's not my original work.) Form 1 -
(fa3ala)
Expresses the general verbal meaning of the root in question Root Form 1 verb (x-r-j) - leaving, departing
make
distance Form 2 -
(fa33ala)
Built on form 1 by doubling the middle radical of the form 1 verb (adding a shadda to it) Often is a causative version of the form 1 verb
(s.o.)"
Often an intensive version of the form 1 verb (especially if the form 1 verb is transitive)
Form 3 -
(faa3ala)
Built on form 1 by adding an alif between the first and second radicals of the form 1 verb Usually gives an associative meaning to the form 1 verb; describes someone doing the act in question to or with someone else
Form 4 -
(af3ala)
Built on form 1 by prefixing an alif to the form 1 verb and putting a sukuun over the first radical Similar to form 2 in that it is usually a causative version of the form 1 verb
(s.o.)";
Form 5 -
(tafa33ala)
form 5 is usually intransitive) Sometimes an intensive version of a form 1 verb (jama3a) means "to collect, gather";
together"
Form 6 -
(tafaa3ala)
Form 7 -
(infa3ala)
abstain (from)"
Form 8 -
(ifta3ala)
Form 9 -
(if3alla)
Built on form 1 by adding the prefix adding a shadda to the last radical Relates to colors
to the form 1 verb, placing a sukuun over its first radical, and
Form 10 -
(istaf3ala)
and second radicals; a sukuun must be placed over the first radical Often a considerative version of the form 1 verb; means "to consider or to deem someone to have the quality" of the form 1 verb in question
remote or unlikely" Often a requestive version of a form 1 verb; means "to request or to seek something" for oneself
And here's a table of all the verb forms, including their perfect and imperfect conjugations
( ), and verbal nouns ( soon as you can; it'll really come in handy.
exception of form 1 - the second vowel in the imperfect and perfect conjugations, and the verbal noun), if you just memorize them, you'll know them for almost every verb there is. So if you're learning Arabic, I suggest you memorize all the verb forms along with their associated meanings as
or
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10
at the beginning:
( HoTT) ( ruuH)
beginning.
( mi) ( ftaH)
at the
Step 3 is to determine whether you can leave the verb like that or need to add an
If the verb is like the verbs in the left-hand column (i.e. "HoTT," "ruuH"), and has a consonant followed by a vowel, you leave it alone. This is the correct command form.
But if the verb is like those on the right, and has a consonant cluster at the beginning, you can't leave it that way and say "mi" or "ftaH." In Egyptian Arabic, consonant clusters like that aren't allowed at the start of words. So you have to add an
at the beginning:
( imi) ( iftaH)
This is the formula for a command to a man. So, step 4: in order to formulate commands to a woman or to a group, you just add an -i or -u suffix, respectively.
Note: With defective verbs, where the base verb ends in a vowel (as with the ending vowel before adding -i or -u. Some more examples:
(yistin
na) to wait
( stin
na)
( istin
na)
- ( isti
nni istinnu)
(yiS
Ha) to wake up
( SH
a)
( iSH
a)
- ( iS
Hi - iSHu)
(yinsa)
to forget
( nsa)
( insa)
- ( insi
- insu)
initial
( i3m
el)
form
(yi3mel
) to do/make
( 3mel
)
- ( i3m
eli - i3melu)
(yirga
3) to return
( rga3
)
( irga
3)
- ( irg
a3i - irga3u)
(yigri)
to run
( igri
)
- ( igri igru)
(yinzil)
to go down
( inzil) ( itkalli
m)
- ( inzili
- inzilu)
(yitkalli
m) to talk
- ( itkal
limi itkallimu)
(yiftikir
) to remember
( ftikir
)
( iftiki
r)
- ( ifti
kri - iftikru)
(yita
il) to work
( ta
il)
( ita
il)
- ( ita
li - italu)
(yiayy
ar) to change s.t.
( ayy
ar)
( ayya
r)
- ( ayy
ari - ayyaru)
(yikallim
) to talk (to s.o.)
( kallim) ( saa
3id)
( kallim) ( saa3
id)
- ( kallim
i - kallimu)
(yisaa
3id) to help
- ( saa
3idi saa3idu)
(yizaak
ir) to study
( zaak
ir)
( zaaki
r)
- ( zakr
i - zakru)
(yi'uum)
to get up/rise
- '( uumi
- 'uumu)
(yiiil)
to carry
- ( iili iilu)
So to sum up with a simplified rule: if the verb is any of the following, you don't need to add an the beginning of the command.
to
form 2 verbs
(yiayyar) (yigarrib)
form 3 verbs
(yisaa3id) (yiHaawil)
geminate/doubled verbs
to help to try/attempt
(yirodd)
to reply
(yiboSS)
hollow verbs
to look
(yiruuH) (yisiib)
and
to go to leave
Note: With hamzated verbs that have a long alif right after the initial
(like
yaaxod
- -
- -
(kol -
And if the verb isn't in one of those categories, you do need to add an command. Note: There are a couple of irregular commands:
Verb
Command forms
- - ( haat - haati
- haatu)
- ( geh - yiigi) to
come
...( laazim...)
you must/have to...
...( il-mafruuD)
you should...
...( aHsan...)
it'd be better to...
...( mumkin...)
can you...?
Words like
general, it's the best all-purpose polite way to phrase a request. And of course it's always good to say "please"!
- - - -
Examples:
( kaan il-mafruuD
tiwSil min zamaan) You should have arrived a long time ago.
( mumkin tiwarriini
s-sikka?) Can you show me the way?
go
Step 2: put
( matHoTTe) ( matruuHii)
at the beginning and
at the end.
( matimii) ( matiftaHuu)
That's it! A table of negative commands, using the same words as the big table above.
Step 2 add
and
Fem./pl. forms
( ti3mel)
you do/make
( mati3mel
)
- ( mati3meli
i - mati3meluu)
( tirga3
) you return
( matirga
3)
- ( matirga
3ii - matirga3uu)
( tigri)
you run
( matigrii
)
- ( matigrii
- matigru)
( tinzil)
you go down
( matinzil
)
- ( matinzilii
- matinziluu)
( titkalli
m) you talk
(matitkall
im)
- ( matitkall
imii - matitkallimuu)
( tiftikir)
you remember
( matiftik
ir)
- ( matiftik
rii - matiftikruu)
( tita
il) you work
(matita
il)
- ( matita
lii - matitaluu)
( tiayya
r) you change s.t.
( matayyar
)
- ( matayy
arii - matayyaruu)
( tikallim)
you talk (to s.o.)
( matkallim
)
- ( matkallim
ii - matkallimuu)
( tisaa
3id) you help
(matsa3
id)
- ( matsa3
idii - matsa3iduu)
( tizaaki
r) you study
( matzak
ir)
- ( matzakr
ii - matzakruu)
( ti'uum)
you get up/rise
( mat'um
)
- ( mat'umii
- mat'umuu)
( tiiil)
you carry
( matil)
- ( matilii matiluu)
To negate those two irregular imperatives, you just do the two steps described above.
- - ( tigiib - tigiibi -
- - ( matgib - matgibii -
matgibuu)
(balaa) with the appropriate second-person imperfect verb conjugation. This is not
as strong as a direct negative order; it can have the connotation of a polite request or even mere advice/preference on behalf of the person talking. If you saw a friend standing in the street to catch a bus and there was a place to sit nearby, you might say,
aari3, aHsan-lak te'3od gowwa) "No need to wait like that in the street, it'd be better for you to sit inside."
them,
If you were in a library and there were a bunch of children making noise nearby, you could tell
"No noise, kids." 2. Use
(ew3a) with the appropriate second-person imperfect verb conjugation. Note that if
changes to
it's used; it can be a "watch out/take care!" kind of statement (like warning, or a very strong "Don't dare do that!" kind of statement.
often is), a
If someone tall was going into a room with a low door, you might tell them,
(ew3a raasak)
Watch out for your head. If someone was waiting and waiting for someone who wasn't going to come, you could say,
Don't keep waiting for him forever. To warn someone not to forget their cellphone:
If you'd had an argument with someone and were really mad at them: Don't dare talk to me again, I don't want to see your face again!
conjugation. Note that if you're addressing a woman, you're addressing a group, it becomes
(iiyyaaku).
changes to
(iiyaaki), and if
colloquially to express a very strong prohibition (like "Don't you dare do that!!"). However, if it's used with someone you know well in a context that isn't angry, it doesn't necessarily express such strong feeling.
Don't eat any of my food that's in the fridge!
to indicate that
and moon letters" (rules of assimilation of the -l of the definite article). Nouns
EA
- information on how to inflect nouns for gender and number (make them feminine, dual,
- definition of what adjectives are and how to inflect them for gender and number. A
list of common, basic adjectives. Information on the rules of adjective agreement with nouns, and how to form nisba adjectives.
EA
for comparisons. How to make both comparative and superlative statements. Adverbs manner). Subject and object pronouns Possessive pronouns examples. Demonstrative and relative pronouns with examples of usage. The genitive construct and other ways to express possession the
EA EA MSA EA MSA EA MSA EA
- lists of common adverbs, arranged by type (adverbs of time, place, degree, and
- information on
construct that indicates possession, and on prepositions that can also be used for the
interrogative words (who, what, when, where, how, why, etc.), yes/no questions, and questions posing alternatives to choose from. The verb forms
MSA
- information on the different verb forms and their associated meanings, and a
table of all the verb forms including their perfect/imperfect conjugations, active/passive participles, and verbal nouns. Verb conjugations
EA MSA
- information on the past, simple present, present continuous, and future tenses:
The imperative
- how to form and negate commands, including tables showing the steps to do
- the usage of the active participle, including examples, how to derive the
active participle from verbs, and a table of commonly-used active participles. The passive participle
EA
derive the passive participle from verbs. Conditional statements lots of examples.
EA
Numbers
EA
- the numbers from 0 to 1 billion, information on how to read out long numbers, and
- information on the nominative, genitive, and accusative cases: when and how
to use them, with examples. kaana, inna, and Zanna and their sisters
MSA