جدو
gedoaffectionate, Egyptian
In Egyptian Arabic children and adults call a grandfather جدو (gedo). The neutral word is جد (gedd), pronounced with a hard "g". It is also called سيدو (sīdo).
Meaning: father's or mother's father (noun)
Ways to say it
| Egyptian | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| جدو | gedo | affectionate, Egyptian |
| جد | gedd | neutral |
| سيدو | sīdo | affectionate |
جدو is what you say to your own grandfather. جد fits talking about someone's grandfather, as in جدي (geddi), "my grandfather".
Which one should you use?
Egyptians do not separate father's and mother's side with different words in daily speech. Some families say سيدو (sīdo) instead of جدو, but جدو is the common choice in Cairo.
How do you pronounce it?
The letter ج is a hard "g" in Egyptian Arabic, so جدو sounds like "GEH-do".
Did you know?
- The matching word for grandmother is تيتا (tīta), and جدو and تيتا are the usual pair in Egyptian families.
Examples in context
- جدو بيحكيلي حكايات.gedo biyiḥkīli ḥikayāt.Grandpa tells me stories.
- جدي عنده ثمانين سنة.geddi ʿandu tamanīn sana.My grandfather is eighty years old.
- هروح لجدو يوم الجمعة.harūḥ li-gedo yōm el-gumʿa.I will visit Grandpa on Friday.
Example conversation
Little Youssef talks to his grandfather in the family home in Tanta.
- Youssefجدو، احكيلي حدوتة.gedo, iḥkīli ḥadūta.Grandpa, tell me a story.
- Gedoحدوتة إيه؟ḥadūta ēh?What story?
- Youssefحدوتة الأسد.ḥadūtet el-asad.The lion story.
- Gedoتعالى اقعد جنبي.taʿāla uʾʿud ganbi.Come sit next to me.
