1.3 Vocabulary and Speaking: Introducing Each Other
In this section:
- You will learn new words and expressions that will help you start a conversation in spoken Arabic.
- You will be aware of the sociolinguistic varieties in using Arabic.
Vocabulary (1)
Learn these new words in Egyptian Arabic that relate to greetings and introductions. Listen and repeat many times for fluency.
| English | Transcription | Arabic | English | Transcription | Arabic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| welcome | ahlan wa sahlan | أهلاً وسهلاً | I | ana | أنا |
| nice to meet you | tasharafna | تشرفنا | you (m.) | inta | إنتَ |
| how are you (m) | izzayak | إزيّك | you (f.) | inti | إنتي |
| how are you (f.) | izzayik | إزيِّك | he | huwwa | هو |
| good (m.) | kuwayyes | كويس | she | heyya | هي |
| good (f.) | kuwayyesa | كويسة | my name | ismi | اسمي |
| what? | eeh? | إيه | your (m.) name | ismak | اسمَك |
| from where? | menein? | مِنين | your (f.) name | ismik | اسمِك |
| where? | fein? | فين | his name | ismu | اسمه |
| thank you | shukran | شكراً | her name | ismaha | اسمها |
| you are welcome | 'afwan | عفواً | yes | na'am/aywa | نعم /أيوة |
| goodbye | ma'assalama | مع السلامة | no | laa | لا |
| I have | 'indi | عندي |
Activity (3): Read and listen to this sample dialogue, then practice with your classmates.
| English | Transcription | Arabic | Speaker |
|---|---|---|---|
| peace be upon you | Assalaamu 'alaykum | السلام عليكم | A |
| and peace be upon you | Wa 'alaykumussalaam | وعليكم السلام | B |
| how are you? | Izzayak (m.) / Izzayik(f.) | إزيّك /إزيِّك؟ | A |
| I am good, thanks God, and you? | Ana Kuwayyes (m.)/ kuwayyesa (f.) AlHamdu Lillah, wenta (m.) / wenti (f.)? | أنا كويس / كويسة الحمد لله .. وإنتَ/إنتي؟ | B |
| I am good, thanks God | Ana Kuwayyes (m.)/ Kuwayyesa (f.) AlHamdu Lillah. | أنا كويس / كويسة الحمد لله | |
| What is your name? | Ismak (m.) / ismik (f.) eih? | اسمَك/اسمِك إيه؟ | A |
| My name is .............., and you? | ismi ………….., wenta (m.) / wenti (f.)? | اسمي ــــــــــــــ وإنتَ /إنتِ؟ | B |
| My name is ............. | ismi ـــــــــــــــــــ | اسمي ــــــــــــــ | A |
| where are you from? | Inta (m.) / Inti (f.) menein ? | إنتَ/إنتي منين؟ | B |
| I am from the city of ......... in ............., and you? | Ana min madinat ………. fee ………… , wenta (m.)/ wenti (f.)? | أنا من مدينة ــــــــــــ في ـــــــــــــــ وإنتَ/إنتي؟ | A |
| I am from the city of ....... in .......... | Ana min madinat ………. fee ………… | أنا من مدينة ــــــــــــ في ــــــــــــــــ وإنتَ/إنتي؟ | B |
| nice to meet you | Ahlan wa sahlan, tasharfna | أهلاً وسهلاً ...تشرفنا | A |
| nice to you meet you too | Ahlan biik (m.)/ biiki (f.) | أهلاً بيك/بيكي | B |
HaDritak/HaDritik/ HaDaratkum حضرتَك / حضرتِك / حضراتكم
- حضرتَك is used to show respect when we speak to a male who we do not know well yet.
- حضرتِك is used to show respect when we speak to a female who we do not know well yet.
- These are more common in spoken Arabic rather than standard Arabic.
- These are more commonly used when there is a difference in age, prestige, or position
Activity (6): Practice the following dialogue with your classmates while filling the gaps. Record in the box below.
Sami : Ahlan wa Sahlan
Mona: Ahlan biik
Sami : Ismi Sami, wa ism HaDritik?
Mona : __________________________
Sami : Tasharrafna, HaDritik menein
Mona : _______________ Elqahirah
Sami : Ahlan wa sahlan
Mona : wa HaDritak ?
Sami: Ana min eskindiriyya
Mona : _______________________
Sami : Ahlan biiki
Key Takeaways
- You can hold a mini-conversation with your classmates to get to know each other.
