Ultimate Egypt travel guide compilation
Arabic 101 For Egypt Visitors (Egypt travel)
If you want to travel to Egypt (Egypt travel) but don’t speak Arabic, I have good and bad news for you. First, bad news: Arabic is extremely difficult. There’s a completely different alphabet, phonetic sounds that have no English equivalent, and words that change their meaning completely with just a slightly different accent on the pronunciation (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked someone where their “pigeon” is when I meant to ask where to find a bathroom). Indeed, Arabic consistently ranks second on lists of the most difficult languages for English speakers to learn. But don’t worry, there is some good news, too! Egyptians recognize their language is tough, and as a result, they are often
1) tolerant of poor pronunciation and 2) excited to hear visitors try to use it!
More good news.
English is fairly widely spoken and understood in Egypt. (French is widely spoken and understood.) People working in the tourism industry, such as hotels, restaurants, large stores and stops, and so on, are more likely to speak fluent or near-fluent English. Taxi drivers, small shop owners, and everyday people on the street typically speak at least a little English and are often eager to brush up on their skills (sometimes to the detriment of would-be Arabic learners!)
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Keeping all of this in mind, here are some useful Egyptian Arabic words and phrases to learn before your trip!
Assalamu alaykum This is a typical Egyptian greeting. Respond with “Wa alaykum asalam.
” Ma asalama A typical Egyptian goodbye…”Bye-bye” works too! Coming and going, Arabic speakers literally wish each other peace (salam). So, even if you don’t remember the entire phrase, a wave and a smile with salam will usually suffice.
In terms of greeting gestures,
Egyptians typically greet one another with a “double kiss” on either side of the cheek. (This is not a kiss on the cheek… More like the air next to the cheeks when they touch). Men greet men and women greet women in this manner; normally, men and women do not greet each other in this manner unless they are very familiar with one another.
As a foreigner, you will not be expected to initiate greetings and can simply shake hands. But if someone greeting you leans in for a double-kiss, be prepared and save yourself from that awkward moment when someone moves in for the traditional kiss and you only go in halfway for a handshake, realize at the last second what’s about to happen, move in a little closer to maybe try the kiss, panic, abort mid-gesture, and leave the other person awkwardly standing there. (Again, I’ve been in this situation more than I’d like to admit!)
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Welcome, Ahlan wa sahlan. In a typical Egyptian greeting, the word ‘welcome’ is used just as frequently as ‘hello’. Foreigners can expect to hear ‘welcome to Egypt’ as they walk down the street, get into a car, or enter a shop or restaurant. It’ll follow you everywhere! People who know no other English phrase know how to say ‘welcome to Egypt,’ and they say it all the time, so it’s only natural to learn the response in Arabic! If someone greets you with Ahlan wa Sahlan (welcome to Egypt in Arabic), respond with Ahlan Beek for men and Ahlan bee-kee for women. They’ll be over the moon!
Make sure to learn
Shokran. Shokran means “thank you.” (The response is Afwan; you’re welcome). But, aside from showing off your good manners, shokran can also be a very useful way of politely but firmly refusing to buy, look, eat, or take something you don’t want. You’ll quickly discover that, especially among street vendors, any refusal in English is interpreted as an invitation to continue interacting with you. A firm shokran, on the other hand, is more likely to convey the disinterested message quickly.
InShahAllah
This is probably the most common phrase you will hear in Arabic, along with shokran and “welcome to Egypt.” You can anticipate hearing it when inquiring about meeting times, opening and closing hours (we will return at 3 p.m., insha’Allah); the estimated time of travel (just one hour, insha’Allah); and whether a car is traveling in the correct direction (yes, we are heading in the correct direction, insha’Allah). actually in any sentence that uses a future tense conjugation of the verb.
This expression literally means “if God is willing,” which can be a lovely acknowledgement and reminder of how the Divine can be seen and felt in all facets of daily existence. Nevertheless, there’s a joke that claims these are actually equivalent to an Arabic passive “no”—that is, “don’t be ridiculous, this thing you want can never happen, but I’m too polite to say so.”
Directions
Yameen’s interpretation Meaning of Right Shemal Straight is meant by left
Alatool.This is the meaning of henna.
heNEK signifying that
Often Heard
Mashi, or simply “mesh,” denotes “okay” or “that’s okay.”
Izayak? meaning: How are you? (to a man) / Izayik (to a woman).
Qwayes definition: well
Kolo / Tamem Tamam means “fine” or “everything is okay.”
Meaning of shweya: a little (sometimes used twice, as in shweya shweya)
Meaning of Kateer: a lot
Kefeya means sufficient.
Khalas, which means “enough” or “stop,” can be spoken firmly if the previous polite “shokran” didn’t work.
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Counts
This serves only as a reference for the inquisitive and the overachievers! Fear not: Arabic numerals and, well, the Western equivalent of Arabic numerals are typically used to identify prices and currency. Remember to give credit to the Arabic-speaking community for the development of the current numbering system!
Numbers
Π 0 Sifr \ One waaHid, two ithnaan, three thalaatha, four arbaa, five khamsa, six sitta, seven sabaa, and eight thamaaniya 9 tisaa 10 aashara
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