Arabic dialects / Egyptian Arabic
🇪🇬 Learn Egyptian Arabic
Egyptian Arabic, or Masri, is the most widely understood Arabic dialect, because Egyptian film, television and music have reached Arabic speakers everywhere for nearly a century.
What makes Egyptian Arabic distinct
- The letter ج is pronounced as a hard g in Cairo, which marks Egyptian speech immediately.
- Coptic, the language of Egypt before Arabic, left sounds and words behind.
- Its question words often come at the end of the sentence, as in ismak eh, "what is your name".
Essential Egyptian Arabic phrases
These come straight from the first sections of Lahja’s Egyptian Arabic course.
| English | Say it | Arabic |
|---|---|---|
| How are you? | izzayak | إزيّك؟ |
| What's your name? | ismak eh | اسمك ايه؟ |
| Thank you | shukran | شكراً |
| Please | min fadlak | من فضلك |
| I love you | ba7ebbak | بحبّك |
| Let's go | yalla bina | يلا بينا |
| How much? | bikam | بكام؟ |
| Delicious | ta3m hilo | طعم حلو |
| No problem | mish mushkila | مش مشكلة |
In the spelling, 3 is the letter ayn, 7 is a breathy h, 2 is a glottal stop, 5 is kh and 9 is qaf.
Lahja’s Egyptian Arabic course
- 54 words and phrases across 7 sections
- Every word has a recording by a native speaker
- Short lessons, practice rounds and a test for each section
- Sections 1 to 3 are free. Pro is $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial
Best for: Learners who want the dialect most Arabic speakers can follow, film and music fans, and travellers to Egypt.
Questions about learning Egyptian Arabic
- Is Egyptian Arabic different from Modern Standard Arabic?
- Yes. Egyptian Arabic is the spoken language of Egypt, with its own pronunciation, grammar and everyday words. Modern Standard Arabic is the formal written language, so learning it alone will not prepare you for ordinary conversation in Egypt.
- How do I start learning Egyptian Arabic?
- Start with greetings and everyday phrases you can use straight away, and listen to native speakers as often as you can. Lahja’s Egyptian Arabic course has 54 words and phrases across 7 sections, in five minute lessons.
- Is the Egyptian Arabic course free?
- Sections 1 to 3 are free and stay free. Lahja Pro unlocks the rest for $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial.
- Does the course use native Egyptian Arabic speakers?
- Yes. All 54 words in this course have recordings by native speakers.
Other dialects
Lahja teaches 11 dialects in all, including: