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FIRST CONVERSATIONS

Greetings in Egyptian Arabic

Practise a greeting as a short exchange rather than a single isolated word. You need a way to respond, ask how someone is, and end the conversation.

1

Understand the pattern

Try this exchange: A says es-salamo 3aleikom; B replies wa 3aleikom es-salam. A asks ezayyak? when speaking to a man, or ezayyek? when speaking to a woman. B can answer el-7amdu lillah, tamam. The Arabic spelling ุฅุฒูŠูƒ can look the same without vowel marks, even when the spoken ending changes. To introduce yourself, use ana esmi followed by your name. Religious greetings are common, but the choice of greeting also depends on the relationship and setting.

2

Examples to use

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Masri LatinArabic scriptMeaningUsage note
es-salamo 3aleikomุงู„ุณู„ุงู… ุนู„ูŠูƒู…peace be upon you / helloโ€”
wa 3aleikom es-salamูˆุนู„ูŠูƒู… ุงู„ุณู„ุงู…reply to the greetingโ€”
ezayyak?ุฅุฒูŠูƒุŸhow are you? (to a man)โ€”
ezayyek?ุฅุฒูŠูƒุŸhow are you? (to a woman)โ€”
el-7amdu lillah, tamamุงู„ุญู…ุฏ ู„ู„ู‡ุŒ ุชู…ุงู…thank God, all goodโ€”
esmak eh?ุงุณู…ูƒ ุฅูŠู‡ุŸwhat is your name? (to a man)โ€”
ana esmi...ุฃู†ุง ุงุณู…ูŠ...my name is...โ€”
forsa sa3eedaูุฑุตุฉ ุณุนูŠุฏุฉnice to meet youโ€”
ma3 es-salamaู…ุน ุงู„ุณู„ุงู…ุฉgoodbyeโ€”
3

Try it yourself

Complete the exchange: A: es-salamo 3aleikom. B: ___. Then introduce yourself using your own name. Which form of โ€œhow are you?โ€ would you use with a woman?

4

Answer and explanation

Reply wa 3aleikom es-salam (ูˆุนู„ูŠูƒู… ุงู„ุณู„ุงู…). Introduce yourself with ana esmiโ€ฆ (ุฃู†ุง ุงุณู…ูŠโ€ฆ). Use ezayyek? when addressing a woman. Practise both roles so you can recognise the reply as well as ask.

Sources and editorial note

Further reading on this topic. These external references use their own transcription conventions; they are not an endorsement or a review of this guide.

Greetings in Egyptian Arabic