3.3 Reading and Speaking: Shopping and Ordering in Egyptian Arabic
In this section:
- You will learn new expressions in Egyptian Arabic that relate to shopping and ordering food.
- You will practice using these expressions in role-play and common shopping situations.
Activity (8): With your classmates, discuss how you would say the following in Arabic. Write your translations in the box below.
| 1) | I don’t have news. | ………………………………………………… |
| 2) | There isn’t a teacher in the class. | ………………………………………………… |
| 3) | There is a new house on this street. | ………………………………………………… |
| 4) | My friend drinks coffee every day. | ………………………………………………… |
| 5) | I don’t like juice. | ………………………………………………… |
| 6) | The cat eats bread and milk. | ………………………………………………… |
| 7) | I drink tea with sugar. | ………………………………………………… |
| 8) | She wants to go to the class. | ………………………………………………… |
| 9) | I like to eat chicken and salad. | ………………………………………………… |
| 10) | There is a small dog in the car. | ………………………………………………… |
| 11) | There is no homework in the book. | ………………………………………………… |
| 12) | He does not want to live in a big city. | ………………………………………………… |
Shopping and Ordering
Learn new words and expressions in Egyptian Arabic relating to shopping and ordering food and drinks.
| English | Transcription | Arabic | English | Transcription | Arabic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| what you drink? | tishrab/i eeh? | تشرب /تشربي إيه؟ | If you (m.) please | min faDlak | من فضلَك |
| medium coffee | ahwa mazbuuT | قهوة مظبوط | If you (f.) please | min faDlik | من فضلِك |
| black coffee | ahwa saada | قهوة سادة | I (m.) want | 'aayiz | عايز |
| sweet coffee | ahwa sukkar ziyaada | قهوة سكر زيادة | I (f.) want | 'ayyiza | عايزة |
| lemon | lamoon | لمون | bring (m.) me | haat li | هات لي |
| mango | manga | مانجا | bring (f.) me | haati li | هاتي لي |
| orange | burtuqaal | برتقال | is it possible? | mumkin | ممكن |
| tomatoes | TamaaTim | طماطم | I am sorry | aasif/aasifa | آسف /آسفة |
| onions | BaSal | بصل | thank you | shukran | شكراً |
| peppers | filfil | فلفل | you are welcome | 'afwan | عفواً |
| shirt | qamiiS | قميص | ok | maashi | ماشي |
| trouser | banTaloon | بنطلون | there is | fii | فيه |
| skirt | jiiba | جيبة | there is not | mafiish | مافيش |
| blouse | blouza | بلوزة | something else | Haaga taani | حاجة تاني |
| T-shirt | tishirt | تي شيرت | how much? | bikaam | بكام |
| laptop | labtub | لابتوب | here you are | itfaDDal/i | اتفضّل / اتفضّلي |
Activity (9): What would you say in the following situations? Write your responses below.
| 1) | You enter a store and greet the owner. What would you say? |
| ……………………………………………………………………………………… | |
| 2) | You politely say that you need a small, green T-shirt. |
| ……………………………………………………………………………………… | |
| 3) | The salesman looks, but he does not find one and apologizes, saying there isn’t a green one. |
| ……………………………………………………………………………………… | |
| 4) | You ask if there is a white T-shirt. |
| ……………………………………………………………………………………… | |
| 5) | The salesman says yes, there is. |
| ……………………………………………………………………………………… | |
| 6) | You ask about the price of the white T-shirt. |
| ……………………………………………………………………………………… | |
| 7) | The salesman says the T-shirt is $10. |
| ……………………………………………………………………………………… | |
| 8) | You like the T-shirt and you say “okay” and hand over the money. |
| ……………………………………………………………………………………… | |
| 9) | The salesman asks you if you need something else. |
| ……………………………………………………………………………………… | |
| 10) | You thank the salesman and say goodbye. |
| ……………………………………………………………………………………… |
Activity (10): Role-Play: Record your skit below.
Work out a café scenario with your classmates using the expressions above and the expressions of request you learned so far. Consider the following:
- Casual greetings and welcoming the client.
- Exchange questions to inquire about what is there and what is not there.
- Make orders.
- The waiter delivers the orders.
- Ask for the bill, pay, and exchange thanks and goodbyes.
Key Takeaways
- Go to the next lesson to continue learning.
