1.4 Speaking: greetings and introductions in Egyptian Arabic
In this section
- You will learn basic Egyptian Arabic phrases for greetings and introductions.
- You will also learn about how Egyptian Arabic verbs are different in conjugation and you will use them in small talk and basic conversation.
- You will apply this speaking practice in self-introduction both in standard and spoken Arabic.
- You will have sections to record your own presentation and sections to practice with classmates.
Egyptian conversation
Read and the following expressions in Egyptian Arabic and listen to the recording below.
| English | Arabic |
|---|---|
| How are you (m.) | إزيّك = أخبارَك إيه = عامل إيه؟ |
| How are you (f.) | إزيِّك = أخبارِك إيه = عاملة إيه؟ |
| good thanks, God | كُويّس /كُويّسة الحمد لله |
| good | تمام = بخير |
| my name | اسمي |
| your (m.) name | اسمَك |
| your (f.) name | اسمِك |
| his name | اسمه |
| her name | اسمها |
| what? | إيه |
| from where? | مِنين |
| where? | فين |
| who? | مين |
| how? | إزاي |
Now learn how the conjugation of familiar verbs in Egyptian Arabic and listen to the recording.
| to live | to speak | to work | to study | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ساكِن | باتكلّم | باشتغل | بادرِس | أنا |
| ساكِن | بتتكلّم | بتشتغل | بتدرِس | إنتَ |
| ساكْنة | بتتكلّمي | بتشتغلي | بتدرسي | إنتِ |
| ساكِن | بيتكلّم | بيشتغل | بيدرِس | هوّ |
| ساكْنة | بتتكلّم | بتشتغل | بتدرِس | هيّ |
Activity (12): Read the following questions, listen to the embedded recordings underneath then respond in the recording box below.
| with a female classmate | with a male classmate |
|---|---|
| إسمِك إيه؟ | إسمَك إيه؟ |
| إنتي منين؟ | إنتَ منين؟ |
| جِنسيتِك إيه؟ | جِنسيتك إيه؟ |
| بابا جنسيته إيه؟ وماما جنسيتها إيه؟ | بابا جنسيته إيه؟ وماما جنسيتها إيه؟ |
| إنتي بتدرسي إيه؟ | إنتَ بتدرس إيه؟ |
| إنتي ساكنة فين؟ | إنتَ ساكِن فين؟ |
| إنتي بتشتغلي؟ فين؟ | إنتَ بتشتغل؟ فين؟ |
| بابا بيشتغل إيه؟ وماما بتشتغل إيه؟ | بابا بيشتغل إيه؟ وماما بتشتغل إيه؟ |
Activity(13): With your classmates, translate these questions into Arabic and engage in a conversation to get complete answers then report your findings to class.
1)What is your nationality?
2)What is the nationality of your father?
3)What is the nationality of your mother?
4)Which language do you speak?
5)What does your father work?
6)What does your mother work?
Activity (14): Practice speaking. Read the following prompts then respond in audio recording.
Sing and learn
Watch the song and identify the key line in it.
Key Takeaways
- You can sustain a basic conversation in Egyptian conversation about your study, work and family.
- You can identify the linguistic relationship between standard Arabic and the Egyptian spoken variety for daily communication.
