Belinda Brianna

In Egyptian Arabic rest, meaning relaxation, is راحة (rāḥa). The verb “to rest” is ارتاح (irtāḥ), as in ارتاح شوية (irtāḥ šwayya), “rest a little”.

In Egyptian Arabic home is بيت (bēt). منزل (manzil) is more formal and used in writing or official speech.

The easiest greeting in Egyptian Arabic is أهلاً (ahlan). A more formal one is السلام عليكم (es-salāmu ʿalaykum), “peace be upon you”.

Egyptian parents tell small children كاكا (kāka) for poop. The medical word is براز (barāz) and the vulgar everyday word is خرا (ḵara).

In Egyptian Arabic marriage is جواز (gawāz). زواج (zawāg) is the more formal word, used in writing, news and official forms.

In Egyptian Arabic a store or shop is محل (maḥall). The plural is محلات (maḥallāt).

In Egyptian Arabic, a common way to insult someone like a “bastard” is ابن كلب (ibn kalb), literally “son of a dog”.

A common Egyptian word for a loser, meaning a failure, is فاشل (fāšel), فاشلة (fāšla) for a woman.

Egyptians wish happy holidays with كل سنة وإنت طيب (kol sana w-enta ṭayyeb), “every year and you are well”. It fits Eid, Christmas, Easter and birthdays.

In Egyptian Arabic “yes” is أيوه (aywa) and “no” is لأ (laʾ). The word آه (āh) is a casual “yes”. Egyptians use أيوه (aywa) in nearly every conversation.