جبنة
gebna
In Egyptian Arabic, 'cheese' is جبنة (gebna).
جبنة is used for cheese generally, and Egyptians specify types like جبنة بيضا, 'white cheese', or جبنة رومي, a hard, aged cheese eaten at breakfast.
Meaning: the dairy food (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word comes from the same root as Standard Arabic جبن, reshaped with the Egyptian feminine ending.
Which one should you use?
There is no separate casual form, جبنة is used in speech and writing alike.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The word is neutral and used in all registers.
Is it said differently in some regions?
It is standard across Egypt, with جبنة رومي being a particularly Egyptian breakfast staple.
How does it change in a sentence?
جبنة is feminine and generally treated as uncountable.
How do you pronounce it?
The ج is pronounced as a hard g in Cairo, so جبنة sounds like 'GEB-na' rather than the Standard Arabic 'jubna'.
When do people say it?
A breakfast of جبنة، عيش and فول is one of the most common everyday Egyptian breakfasts.
Did you know?
- جبنة رومي gets its name because this hard, aged cheese was historically associated with trade routes connecting Egypt to the Byzantine, or 'Roman', world.
Examples in context
- ممكن سندوتش جبنة بيضا؟mumkin sandawitsh gebna beida?Can I have a white cheese sandwich?
- فطرنا عيش وجبنة وزيتون.fetarna eish w gebna w zatoon.We had bread, cheese and olives for breakfast.
- الجبنة الرومي دي حادقة شوية.el-gebna el-roomi di hadaa shwaya.This romy cheese is a bit sharp.
Example conversation
A grocer named Shaaban helps a customer named Wafaa choose cheese.
- Wafaaعندك جبنة بيضا طرية؟andak gebna beida tareyya?Do you have soft white cheese?
- Shaabanأه، وصلت دلوقتي طازة.aah, wiselt dilwa'ti taza.Yes, it just arrived fresh.
- Wafaaطيب هاخد نص كيلو.tayyib hakhod noss kilo.Okay I'll take half a kilo.
- Shaabanحاضر، حاجة تانية؟hazir, haga tanya?Right away, anything else?
