[AD1]

I noticed that that my previous topic - Top Ten must see in Cairo - holds the record of views on this board (over 4,000). I aim to break this record, Insha'allah, by adding a similar useful topic: Top ten useful Arabic words - expressions for visitors and tourists. This is very basic and will help those who have no notion of the language. Hopfully the list will grow over time by those regulars who can add more, (provided they know more than ten words . Visitors who come back with newly discovered useful words are welcome to add to the list. We are looking for words or expressions you can use everyday to make life easier in Egypt.

Here we go:

1- Aiwa - (Yes). أيوه
2- La - (No). لا
3- Ma'lesh (never mind). معلش
4- Ezzayak (How are you {to a man}- f. Ezzayik) إزيك
5- Min Fadlak (Please - {to a man} - f. Min Fadlik) من فضلك
6- Bi-kam? (How much?) بكام
7- Mafeesh flous (I have no money - I can't increase my offer). مفيش فلوس
8- Mumkin el-Hisab, min fadlak? (May I have the bill please?) ممكن الحساب، من فضلك؟
9 - Insha' Allah (God willing) - used with any future term expression. إنشاء الله
10- Mabrook (Congratulations) - {{You now know top 10 used Arabic words most likely to be used by a visitor}} مبروك

(Just found out that this board accepts Arabic text - but that is a bonus for those who need it)[font=Arial][size=3][color=#000099]

AD

[zahraa]

AD1, on Dec 20 2006, 07:26 PM, said:

I noticed that that my previous topic - Top Ten must see in Cairo - holds the record of views on this board (over 4,000). I aim to break this record, Insha'allah, by adding a similar useful topic: Top ten useful Arabic words - expressions for visitors and tourists. This is very basic and will help those who have no notion of the language. Hopfully the list will grow over time by those regulars who can add more, (provided they know more than ten words . Visitors who come back with newly discovered useful words are welcome to add to the list. We are looking for words or expressions you can use everyday to make life easier in Egypt.

Here we go:

1- Aiwa - (Yes). أيوه
2- La - (No). لا
3- Ma'lesh (never mind). معلش
4- Ezzayak (How are you {to a man}- f. Ezzayik) إزيك
5- Min Fadlak (Please - {to a man} - f. Min Fadlik) من فضلك
6- Bi-kam? (How much?) بكام
7- Mafeesh flous (I have no money - I can't increase my offer). مفيش فلوس
8- Mumkin el-Hisab, min fadlak? (May I have the bill please?) ممكن الحساب، من فضلك؟
9 - Insha' Allah (God willing) - used with any future term expression. إنشاء الله
10- Mabrook (Congratulations) - {{You now know top 10 used Arabic words most likely to be used by a visitor}} مبروك

(Just found out that this board accepts Arabic text - but that is a bonus for those who need it)[font=Arial][size=3][color=#000099]

AD

Ahlan Ahlan, Really i am so pleased to have this wonderful topic here AD, so daily we can add new words, and sure it will helps all who will visit Egypt. But as you already have said we need who Visitors to add as well and I am sure they will add the most useful words to have 1000 words . And if any body likes to listen how to pronounce we can record it as well. I'll try to make it easy as I teach my tourists groups as language is considered culture we like to know it as well. So I have to great you AD.



Let's Start. Yallllllaaa



11- Yalllllllllllla -------- Let's ياللا some time we repeat to say YALLA YALLA.

12- Ahlan ----------- welcome / Hello اهلا and some times we can say AHLAN W-SAHLAN اهلا وسهلا . to remember it (ahlan looks like Alian as an English or French name but it because means hello so, A(H)lian.

13- Shukran ----------- Thank you. شكرا we will need it all the time either we will have something or even to say no thanks so it is will be a must during our trip, as i told my tourists, so how to remember how to pronounce, It is very easy HOW? Just we will remember two actions (English verbs) the first action you will have Shock so your reaction is you will RUN so we will say SHOCKRUN.

14- 'afwan ------- you are welcome عفوا
15- Salam ------- Hello / bye سلام it is easy short form for greeting for Assalamu Aleikom -Hello / peace upon you.

16- Fursa Sa'eeda -------- nice to meet you فرصة سعيدة .

17- Ma`a el salama --------- (Good Bye) مع السلامة

18 -Tamam ---------- O.K. / all Right تمام we say it if we like some thing. Or like to say perfect.

19- Misr / Masr -------- Egypt مصر we don't say Egypt, we say Masr so why anywhere you will find Misr Oil, Misr Bank, Misr Travel,.... etc as it is the Arabic word for Egypt.

20- Assif ------ Sorry اسف.

21- Mumken ------- Possibly / Can I/ Please ممكن we use it if we request or need something.

22- Helwa --------- Good / Beautful حلو / حلوة we say it if some thing good also we say Gameel if it is pretty good.

23- Ana Ohebak (m) ---------- I love you انا احبك / انا احبكم so I say it if I like some one or some thing

Ana Baheb Masr ----------- (I Love Egypt) انا بحب مصر or you can as Karen about Basbousa

24- Bass / Khalas ------- It is enough / It is over بس / خلاص you can say if you get tired of hassling some seller and you like to say it is over so you can get rid of them.

25- Mashi --------- OK / I agree / I accept. ماشى we say it we agree and accept something.

26 -Bokra ------- tomarrow. بكرة

27- Embraheh ------- yesterday امبارح

28- Annahaar-da ------ today. النهاردة.

29- Ya Salam / Begaad ------- OH / Really! يا سلام !

We hope having more….

[Joerg]

Let`s go on...

ana fahim = I understand
ana mesh fahim or ana mafahimsh = I don`t understand
fi = do you have / is there?
aiwa, fi = yes, I have / yes, there is
la, mafish = no I havn`t / no, there isn`t
mumkin ana? = may I?
fe:n mumkin ana ashtari...? = where can I buy...?
fe:n? = where / where is?
mine:n? = from where?
illa fe:n = whereto (direction)
yami:n = right
shma:l = left
(yalla) emshi! = hit the road!

to be continued

[zahraa]

Joerg, on Dec 21 2006, 06:04 PM, said:

Let`s go on...

ana fahim = I understand
ana mesh fahim or ana mafahimsh = I don`t understand
fi = do you have / is there?
aiwa, fi = yes, I have / yes, there is
la, mafish = no I havn`t / no, there isn`t
mumkin ana? = may I?
fe:n mumkin ana ashtari...? = where can I buy...?
fe:n? = where / where is?
mine:n? = from where?
illa fe:n = whereto (direction)
yami:n = right
shma:l = left
(yalla) emshi! = hit the road!

to be continued

Eid Sa'ed / Eid Mubrak ------- Happy Feast , when you greet some one with any feast or Xmas, عيد سعيد / عيد مبارك
Kol Sana Wenta Tayeb ------------ happy new year , it is season greeting wishing happy year كل سنة وانت طيب
Felos ------ money فلوس
Kahwa-------------- coffee قهوة
shay -------------- tea شاى
sukar ------------ suger سكر
Sabah El-Khier---------- Good Morning صباح الخير
Sabah El-Nour ------------ reply Good Morning صباح النور
Massa El-Khier---------- Good Afternoon / Evening مساء الخير
Izayiek----------------- how are you? ازيك
Ana Kwieyes ---------------- I am fine انا كويس
Elhamdellah ----------------- Thanks God الحمد لله
Miaa - Miaa ---------- 100% مية مية (It is informal word funny word we say it if we like to say it is good or fine)

[habibi]

zahraa, on Dec 27 2006, 10:54 PM, said:

Eid Sa'ed / Eid Mubrak ------- Happy Feast , when you greet some one with any feast or Xmas, عيد سعيد / عيد مبارك
Kol Sana Wenta Tayeb ------------ happy new year , it is season greeting wishing happy year كل سنة وانت طيب
Felos ------ money فلوس
Kahwa-------------- coffee قهوة
shay -------------- tea شاى
sukar ------------ suger سكر
Sabah El-Khier---------- Good Morning صباح الخير
Sabah El-Nour ------------ reply Good Morning صباح النور
Massa El-Khier---------- Good Afternoon / Evening مساء الخير
Izayiek----------------- how are you? ازيك
Ana Kwieyes ---------------- I am fine انا كويس
Elhamdellah ----------------- Thanks God الحمد لله
Miaa - Miaa ---------- 100% مية مية (It is informal word funny word we say it if we like to say it is good or fine)

the first word every tourist learn in egypt is: HABIBI = darling ;-)

[Gogo]

Joerg, on Dec 21 2006, 08:04 PM, said:

Let`s go on...

ana mesh fahim or ana mafahimsh = I don`t understand
...

mafahimsh? Didn't know you speak the upper Egypt accent (sa'eedi) too

[Joerg]

habibi, on Mar 16 2007, 04:28 PM, said:

the first word every tourist learn in egypt is: HABIBI = darling ;-)

Hi Nadine, welcome to the board.
The female form is habibati, or colloquially habibti.

Could it be you don`t live very far away from my hometown? (Köln)

[niledreaming]

habibi, on Mar 16 2007, 03:28 PM, said:

the first word every tourist learn in egypt is: HABIBI = darling ;-)

Habibi is also one of my favorite songs by Arm Diab!

[Joerg]

Gogo, on Mar 16 2007, 04:58 PM, said:

mafahimsh? Didn't know you speak the upper Egypt accent (sa'eedi) too

That`s not the only attribute I`ve in common with the sa'eedis.

[Gogo]

Joerg, on Mar 18 2007, 10:26 AM, said:

That`s not the only attribute I`ve in common with the sa'eedis.

What else?

[neilk]

Gogo, on Mar 18 2007, 08:12 PM, said:

What else?

try these:

Airplane: tayara
Airport: mattar
Bus: auto beas
Ticket: tazkara
Change: sarf or taghieer
Customs: gumruk
Station: mahatta
Porter: shaial or hammal
Train: atre or kittar
Suitcase: shanta
Departure: zehab
Arrival: wussul

neilk

[Svetlana]

the first word i learned in Cairo was "Ma' = Water"
then were
Negma = Star,
Gambary = Shrimp

[Gogo]

Svetlana, on Aug 30 2007, 09:37 AM, said:

the first word i learned in Cairo was "Ma' = Water"
then were
Negma = Star,
Gambary = Shrimp

Water = mayya (Ma' is classic)

[Svetlana]

Thanks Gogo .. yes, MAYYA... Unfortunately, my English at a rudimentary level... Therefore much for me remains secret, in particular meal... When I asked, that this , to me answered more often, we do not know, how it in Russian

[AD1]

Svetlana, on Aug 31 2007, 01:34 AM, said:

Thanks Gogo .. yes, MAYYA... Unfortunately, my English at a rudimentary level... Therefore much for me remains secret, in particular meal... When I asked, that this , to me answered more often, we do not know, how it in Russian

Very Interesting.

First Arabic words are becoming more exotic by the day. I suppose it depends on the occasion. Sitting by the seaside (Sharm?) at night looking at the stars and eating shrimps would explain mayya, negma and Gambary.

Others enocunter first words like Koshary, zahma and mafeesh - which imply that they probably landed in Cairo!

AD

[Gogo]

AD1, on Sep 1 2007, 11:45 PM, said:

Very Interesting.

First Arabic words are becoming more exotic by the day. I suppose it depends on the occasion. Sitting by the seaside (Sharm?) at night looking at the stars and eating shrimps would explain mayya, negma and Gambary.

Others enocunter first words like Koshary, zahma and mafeesh - which imply that they probably landed in Cairo!

AD

That was interesting and rational analysis, AD.

[Svetlana]

AD1, on Sep 2 2007, 03:45 AM, said:

Very Interesting.

First Arabic words are becoming more exotic by the day. I suppose it depends on the occasion. Sitting by the seaside (Sharm?) at night looking at the stars and eating shrimps would explain mayya, negma and Gambary.

Others enocunter first words like Koshary, zahma and mafeesh - which imply that they probably landed in Cairo!

AD

Very romantically.. Actually all was on another. I lived in the arabian family, I do not speak arabic, they do not speak russian.. We sit and we clean shrimps... And in shrimps the sea star, then a small fish has got to me... Only as the fish on-arabic I has not remembered..
Water.. In Cairo I constantly wished to drink... On the sea we certainly too were, only it was not Sharm... We went on the mediterranean sea
and that mean Koshary, zahma and mafeesh???

[Joerg]

Svetlana, on Sep 3 2007, 01:06 AM, said:

and that mean Koshary, zahma and mafeesh???

Koshary is a typical Egyptian dish composed of lentils rice, pasta, chick peas, onions, garlic and chili.
Zahma means crowded.
Mafeesh is used in terms of I havn`t or there isn`t.

But the words that typify the Egyptian way of life best are: Insha` Allah - boukra - maleesh.
The famous Egyptian IBM

[AD1]

Joerg, on Sep 3 2007, 09:30 AM, said:

Koshary is a typical Egyptian dish composed of lentils rice, pasta, chick peas, onions, garlic and chili.
Zahma means crowded.
Mafeesh is used in terms of I havn`t or there isn`t.

But the words that typify the Egyptian way of life best are: Insha` Allah - boukra - maleesh.
The famous Egyptian IBM

I think there should always be one first Arabic word to learn: Ahlan Wa Sahlan: Welcome. It is nice to hear and nice to say. Here it is in Arabic script:

أهلا وسهلا

[JamesJo]

While visiting Egypr myself, i found that almost nobody makes koshary at home because it is so cheap to order it and it is labor intensive... but i'd like to cook it myself