Ten Arabic Words to Help You With Your Vacation in Egypt

Ten Arabic words to help you with your vacation in Egypt is an essential tool during your vacation. The goal of this article is to provide every traveler with all the Arabic words and phrases needed during their vacation in Egypt. This article was written by a group of skilled team of tour guides and travel consultants who understand the values of knowing Arabic during a vacation in Egypt.

While arranging a vacation in Egypt you may think that it would be better if you learned Arabic to be able to communicate well with the locals there but that process is somehow difficult as there are tens of varieties in Arabic that depend on the geographical region and sounds differ from a place to another with the way of its pronunciation. So it is nearly impossible to learn all of the Arabic language varieties in Egypt and become a professional one at them and if you want the truth, you don’t actually need to go through all of those unnecessary procedures as only a few words can enable you to communicate well with the locals.

Basic Arabic Words to Know When Traveling to Egypt

We have tried in this article to make it so much easier for you to be able to communicate with the Egyptians without learning all about the Arabic language, its accents, dialects, and its so many words and have provided below some of the most common Arabic words, expressions, and phrases that are used in Egypt daily and you should read the description of each one of them to know how to use them. Here are the popular ten Arabic words and phrases for Egypt tourists:

1. Sahab El-Kheir "Good Morning"

Just like how you use the phrase "Good Morning" every day to your family, friends, and relatives, you can also use it but in its Arabic form that is pronounced as "Sabah El-Kheir". It is such a lovely phrase to use at public cafés, restaurants, taxi drivers, tour guides, receptionists, and any other one you love to greet him/her. You can say it with a smile and make sure that you will receive the best treatment ever. The answer to that greeting is usually "Sahab El-Nor" or "Sabah El-Kheir" also.

2. Shukran "Thank You"

It is something really important to thank anyone who offers you any kind of assistance as a sign of appreciation and the main way to say thanks in Arabic is by saying "Shukran" which has the same meaning of thanks. The answer to Shukran is "Afwan" which means in English "You Are Welcome" or Not at all.

3. Al-Salam Alaykom "Peace Be Upon You"

If you entered a closed place or if you are about to meet someone, the major greeting here is Al-Salam Alaykom that equals hi, hello, or peace be upon you in English. It can be abbreviated to be "Salaam". If you would like to start a conversation with any local, you should use this greeting and the usual answer to it is Al-Salam Alaykom W Rahmet Allah W Barakatoh that means "Peace Be Upon You Too".

4. In Shaa Allah “God Willing”

This expression is mainly used by Arabs when they are wishing to get something from Allah and they are praying for it. If someone is waiting for something for you and you just need him/her to wait, you can also use the same expression to give yourself a long time. You will probably hear is everywhere in Egypt and its answer is "In Shaa Allah".

5. Habiby "My Love"

Egyptians are so kind and they are always deal with foreigners in an intimate way so don’t get surprised when you meet someone for the first time says "Habibi or Habibty" to you which means in English "My Love" and this expression is mainly used to show the deep affection we have towards others. You will find mothers say it to their children, friends use it between each other, and locals say it to Egypt’s guests while speaking with them.

6. Lazeez "Delicious"

You can say that word after tasting an Egyptian meal and it got your interest. As you know, the Egyptians are mainly known for their special flavors and outstanding types of dishes and while being in Egypt, you should definitely taste some of that Egyptian Food like Molokhia, Fava beans, Taamia, Mahshi, Kebab, Kofta, seafood, Hawawshi, Koshari, and so many desserts. If you tasted something and you found it delicious, you can just say "Lazeez".

7. Saedni "Help Me"

Whenever you found yourself in trouble and that you should definitely need to seek others assistance, you should say the word "Saedni Min Fadlek" which means "Help Me Please" and you will find so many locals offer you assistance as best as they can for example if you lost your way, or if you want to know the direction of a place or similar things.

8. Aayez Ashrap "Want Some Water"

If you got thirsty while touring in Egypt and you want to find the nearest store that sells bottles of water, you just need to say "Aayez Ashrap Ma’ya" and as wise advice, you always need to keep a bottle of water with you while touring between the different archeological places in Egypt since it gets somehow hot during the daytime and the last thing you want to have in Egypt is hydration. Tape water is not recommended for tourists to be drunk at all but you can use it for washing hands and for taking a shower that is all.

9. Yalla "Come On, Let’s Go"

If you would like to change the place where you are and want to ask the others to join you, you can just say "Yalla" that equals "Let’s go". You will be so happy wherever you go to Egypt and won’t have enough patience to wait until you move from a place to another because of the real majesty of sightseeing.

10. Etfadel "Come In"

Because the majority of the Egyptians are very generous and kind, you will find some of them are actually asking you to come inside their own houses and get to know some of their traditions & customs. The best place to find that tradition is in the Nubian Village in Aswan while the Nubians are inviting tourists to come inside their houses and have pictures in front of their colored homes. In order to invite you to come in, you will hear the word "Etfadel".

Some Useful Arabic Words And Expressions

• Hello / Hi =  Salaam Alekom
• Welcome  = Ahlan
• Yes =  Aiwa
• NO =  laa
• Please  = law samaht
• Perfect  = mia mia
• How much =  Became
• Who  = Meen
• Where  = Feen
• I want  = Ana Ayez
• Really ya  = salam
• Go away =  Amshi
• Water  = Maya
• I don't want  = Moshayes
• No thank you  = Laa shoukrn
• Yes thank you  =  Aiwa shoukran
• Tea =  Shai
• Coffee  = Kahwa
• Thanks god  = Elhamadollah
• Left  = Shemal
• Right  = Yemin
• Enough  = khalass
• Milk = laban
• Beer = biera
• Sugar = sokkar
• Key = moftah
• Pillow = makhadda
• Soap = saboon
• Restroom = hammam
• Bed = sireer
• Door = bab
• Left = sheemai
• Right = yameen
• Straight ahead = aala tool
• Here = hena
• There = henak
• There is/are … = fee
• Is/are there?= fee … ?
• what's your name? = ismak/ismik he ? (m/f)
• I am / My name is… = ismi…
• where is the hotel ? = fayn al fondok ?
• where is the boat ? = fayn al markib ?
• where is the airport? = fayn al matter ?
• how much ? = bekam ?
• how many ? = kam ?
• why ? = lay ?
• when ? = imta?
• How? = izzay?
• how are you? = izzaiyak/izzaiyik? (m/f)
• how do you do? aamil/aamla ay? (m/f)
• I (me) = ana
• You = inta/inti (m/f)
• You (plural) = intom
• He = how
• She = heya
• We = ehna
• They = homma
• Yes, of course/thank you aywa, tab3an/shukran
• No, sorry/thank you la, aasif/shukran
• May I [please]? mumken [min faDlak]?
• May I take a photo here? mumken akhud Surah hina?
• May I look, please? mumken ashuuf min faDlak?
• May I go in from here? momken adkhul min hina?
• I just want to look ana 3ayiiz ashuuf bas
• A thousand thanks alf shokr
• Where is this? fayn dah/il Hammaam, min faDlak?
• I go this way? baruuH zayy kida?
• straight ahead 3ala Tuul
• Finished!
• It’s over!      khallaS!
• I’m done!
• I don’t need this la, ana mish miHtaag dah
• I don’t know. ana mish 3aarif/3aarfa
• Please go ahead!
• Please sit!              itfaDDal/itfaDDali
• Please take this!

Conclusion

With all of those Arabic expressions, you will find out upon your arrival to Egypt that so many Egyptians actually know how to speak fluent English especially in tourist spots and you won’t find any difficulty in contacting them. So be yourself and try to make your speech & requests so clear with the locals for successful communication and last but not least, choose one of our Egypt vacation packages to be among our satisfied customers who enjoy their best time in Egypt.

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