Understand the pattern
Law sama7t addresses one man; law sama7ti addresses one woman. The speakerโs gender is not what controls this choice. By contrast, aasif or aasfa describes the person apologising, and fahem or fahma describes the person who understands. Learn these distinctions inside a sentence. If someone speaks too quickly, use momken te2ool tani? to ask a man to repeat. Learn the reply as well as the question, and avoid pretending you understood an important detail just because you recognised one word.
Examples to use
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| Masri Latin | Arabic script | Meaning | Usage note |
|---|---|---|---|
| law sama7t | ูู ุณู ุญุช | please / excuse me (to a man) | โ |
| shokran | ุดูุฑุงู | thank you | โ |
| el-3afw | ุงูุนูู | you're welcome | โ |
| aasif / aasfa | ุขุณู / ุขุณูุฉ | sorry (man / woman) | โ |
| aywa | ุฃููุฉ | yes | โ |
| la2 | ูุฃ | no | โ |
| mish fahem / fahma | ู ุด ูุงูู / ูุงูู ุฉ | I don't understand (man / woman) | โ |
| momken te2ool tani? | ู ู ูู ุชููู ุชุงููุ | can you say that again? | โ |
| fein...? | ููู...ุ | where is...? | โ |
| bekam da? | ุจูุงู ุฏูุ | how much is this? | โ |
Try it yourself
You are a woman apologising: choose aasif or aasfa. You are politely addressing a man: choose law sama7t or law sama7ti. Finally, choose a phrase for asking someone to repeat.
Answer and explanation
Use aasfa (ุขุณูุฉ) for the woman apologising, and law sama7t (ูู ุณู ุญุช) when addressing a man. Momken te2ool tani? (ู ู ูู ุชููู ุชุงููุ) asks a man to say it again.
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.