أهلاً
ahlaneveryday
The everyday "hi" in Egyptian Arabic is أهلاً (ahlan). Young people also say هاي (hāy), borrowed from English, and إزيك (izzayyak) asks "how are you".
Meaning: casual greeting (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Egyptian | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| أهلاً | ahlan | everyday |
| إزيك | izzayyak | casual |
| هاي | hāy | casual, young people |
أهلاً works with friends and strangers. The reply is أهلاً بيك (ahlan bīk) to a man and أهلاً بيكي (ahlan bīki) to a woman.
How does it change in a sentence?
إزيك changes with the person you speak to: إزيك (izzayyak) for a man, إزيك (izzayyik) for a woman and إزيكو (izzayyuku) for a group.
Did you know?
- The reply أهلاً بيك literally says "welcome to you" and is the normal answer to a simple أهلاً.
Examples in context
- أهلاً يا علي.ahlan ya ʿali.Hi, Ali.
- هاي، عامل إيه؟hāy, ʿāmel ēh?Hi, how are you doing?
- إزيك يا ريم؟izzayyik ya rīm?Hi Reem, how are you?
Example conversation
Two classmates, Ali and Reem, meet outside a university building in Cairo.
- Aliأهلاً يا ريم.ahlan ya rīm.Hi, Reem.
- Reemأهلاً بيك. إزيك؟ahlan bīk. izzayyak?Hi. How are you?
- Aliتمام الحمد لله.tamām el-ḥamdu lillāh.Fine, thank God.
- Reemيلا نروح المحاضرة.yalla nirūḥ el-muḥāḍra.Let us go to the lecture.
