ana : "I" or "I am" pronounced almost like the name Ana
sana : year
kull : (rhymes with pull) entire or every
TaYib: (masculine)(put the accent and emphasis on the"Y") "kind" or "well"
Tayiba:(femanine) "kind" or "well"
Tayibeen: (group) "kind" or "well"

inta: (masculine) "you" when addressing a male
inti : (femanine pronounced in-tee) "you"
into: (plural) "you" "all of you" "you all"

"wa" "wi" "wu" : " and" .... When this word "wa/i/u" appears prior to a word that begins with a vowel, then it's conjucated with it. However, it reamains un-conjugated when prior to an Arabic word that begins with a consonant.

wa ana = wana = "and I" or "and I am"
wa Kull = wa Kull = "and the entire" or "and every
wa inta = winta = " and you" (to a male) sounds like someone from Brooklyn pronouncing winter as "winta"
wa inti = winti = "and you"
wa into = winto = "and you" (to a group of people)

mubrook : congratulations ( mub : rhymes with cub, sub, tub
the oo in rook: sounds like rude, crude,food.)

Here is a comon expression one person can give to another for a festive occasion, like their birthday or to each other on a holiday like New Year, or religious holiday, etc....

EXPRESSION OF CONGRATULATIONS
To a male: Kulli sana winta taYeb = Every year and you are well = May you be well all your years.
female: Kulli sana winti taYeba
group (like a family): kulli sana winto taYebeen

Example: A young boy just graduated highschool or you want a sustitute expression for happy birthday.
tell him: Kulli sana winta tayeb = May you be well all your years
variation: "mubrook! Kull sana winta Tayeb." = Congratulations! May you be well all your years.

RESPONSE
to a male: winta TaYeb = and you well = same to you = likewise
female: winti Tayiba
group: winto Tayibeen = and all of you well = same to your family = same to you all

I recommend that you run these words by someone who speaks conversational Egyptian or Arabic for the appropriate pronounciation.
When you're confident that you have mastered the correct pronounciation, I recommend that you practice both the delivering and responding expressions to the male, female and group. Consider flash cards.

SUMMARY

Kulli sana winta tayib. Response... winta tayib. winti tayiba. winto tayibeen
kulli sana winti tayiba.
kulli sana winto tayibeen.
ana
mubrook!

Good luck!

I'm trying this post for size. Let me know if you find it useful and if it's worth posting more like it or any suggestions that you may have.
posted by:
Adel, M.C.
Maryland
  • Re: Egyptian Conversational Lesson number 1

    Sat, March 8, 2008 - 6:48 AM
    This is awesome! I hadn't seen the previous Lesson 1, so thank you for reposting. I just recently went out to purchase a few Arabic books and CDs to hold me over until classes start at the local community college this summer. (I missed the Spring semester.)
    Great idea!

    Also... maybe you could add a thread for common phrases in Egyptian music, so that we could start understanding our music right away? :-)
  • Re: Egyptian Conversational Lesson number 1

    Mon, March 10, 2008 - 5:31 PM
    Awesome, Thanks for taking the time to assemble that. The only word I know aside from bellydance terminology is "habbibi"! Now I can pick out a few words in the songs we practice to.
    • Re: Egyptian Conversational Lesson number 1

      Tue, March 11, 2008 - 1:46 PM
      This is terrific and a great help! I only know a few words in Arabic. Are there specific idioms that make Egyptian different let's say Lebanese or Syrian Arabic.
      I have been told (mind you I don't speak arabic, I only know a very few words, so I am asking out of ignorance), I have been told that the word "habbibi" is a term of endearment that a woman says to a man and the word "habbibiti" is what a man says to a woman.
      To say a woman is beautiful, it's "ya helwa" and to call her pretty is "ya zinah". Is this accurate or have I been mislead?
      • I am not familiar with Lebanese or Syrian idioms. My "guess" is that there are idioms that are unique to Egypt yet easily understood by other Arabic dialects and vica versa.

        Your statement about habibi, habibty, ya helwa, ya Zeina is correct and warrants a topic all to itself. Be careful how you pronounce Zeina. You are correct that it means beautiful when it is pronounced Zay na where "Zay" almost rhymes with pay,clay. However, if you pronounce it incorrectly, zinah (almost rhymes with sinna), it would mean "adultery."

        Enchalla (God willing), I will post a topic on these words to answer your question.
      • Hi Jeff, response number 2

        Tue, March 11, 2008 - 8:53 PM
        jamila=beautiful
        ya jamila= hey beautiful...... In the Egyptian dialect "j" is pronounced "g" like in grass=Ya gamila
        ya hilwa= hey sweety.

        "Zaina" is a girls name and it does mean beautiful. I believe that if you tell a lady "ya Zaina," you are implying her to be beautiuf by comparing her to the girl "Zaina" was beutiful and who Mohmed Abdel Wahab sang about. It is more common to say that something (femenine) or a lady is "jamila" or "hilwa" than to say she is Zaina.

        For example, One can say God's peace be with you but it may sound funny to say "Jeffrey be with you." Where Jeffrey means "God's peace."
        Regarding Habibi and habibty, that warrants a thesis. If you are interested, here it is:
        tribes.tribe.net/bdfl/thre...6084d4ebca

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