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Talking to a man or a woman in Egyptian Arabic
English says "you" to everyone. Egyptian Arabic doesn't: many words change if you talk to a man or to a woman, and some change with who is speaking. It sounds hard, but the pattern is simple and you learn it naturally.
Talking TO a man or a woman
| Arabic | Man / woman | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| إزيك؟ | Izzayyak? / Izzayyik? | How are you? (to a man / to a woman) |
| لو سمحت / لو سمحتي | Law samaḥt / Law samaḥti | Excuse me / please |
| أهلاً بيك / أهلاً بيكي | Ahlan bik / Ahlan biki | Welcome to you |
| اتفضل / اتفضلي | Itfaḍḍal / Itfaḍḍali | Here you are / go ahead |
| معاك حق / معاكي حق | Ma'ak ḥa' / Ma'aki ḥa' | You're right |
The clue is often the ending: -ak for a man, -ik or -i for a woman.
When YOU are a man or a woman
| Arabic | Man / woman | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| عايز / عايزة | 'Ayez / 'Ayza | I want |
| مش عارف / مش عارفة | Mish 'aref / Mish 'arfa | I don't know |
| آسف / آسفة | Asif / Asfa | I'm sorry |
| جعان / جعانة | Ga'an / Ga'ana | I'm hungry |
| مبسوط / مبسوطة | Mabsuṭ / Mabsuṭa | I'm happy |
A woman adds -a to describe herself: 'ayez becomes 'ayza, asif becomes asfa.
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