يتعلم
yit'allim
In Egyptian Arabic, 'to learn' is يتعلم (yit'allim).
يتعلم is used for learning a language, a skill or a lesson, exactly like English 'to learn', as in بتعلم إنجليزي, 'I am learning English'.
Meaning: to gain knowledge or a skill (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The verb comes from the same root as Standard Arabic تعلّم, with the Egyptian present-tense prefix ب- added for ongoing action.
Which one should you use?
There is no separate casual or formal verb, يتعلم is used everywhere.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The word is neutral and used in every register.
Is it said differently in some regions?
It is standard across Egypt.
How does it change in a sentence?
The imperative to a man is اتعلم (it'allim), and to a woman اتعلمي (it'allimi).
How do you pronounce it?
Said 'yit-AL-lim', with a doubled l sound in the middle.
Did you know?
- Al-Azhar in Cairo, founded over a thousand years ago, is one of the oldest continuously operating centers of learning in the world.
Examples in context
- باتعلم عربي من كام شهر.bat'allim arabi min kam shahr.I've been learning Arabic for a few months.
- اتعلم تسبح من صغرك؟it'allimt tesbah min soghrak?Did you learn to swim as a kid?
- لازم نتعلم من غلطنا.lazim nit'allim min ghaltana.We must learn from our mistake.
Example conversation
Shady asks his friend Passant about her new hobby.
- Shadyسمعت انك بتتعلمي جيتار؟seme't innik betit'allimi guitar?I heard you're learning guitar?
- Passantأه، باتعلم لوحدي من فيديوهات.aah, bat'allim le-wahdi min videohat.Yes, I'm learning on my own from videos.
- Shadyصعبة ولا بتتعلميها بسرعة؟sa'ba wala bet'allimiha bisur'a?Is it hard or are you learning it quickly?
- Passantفي الأول كانت صعبة بس دلوقتي أحسن.fi el-awwel kanet sa'ba bas dilwa'ti ahsan.At first it was hard but now it's better.
