يضرب حشيش “yadrab hashish“ aka, “He smokes hash.” This applies to all illicit drugs: You don’t smoke, take, or inject them, you just…hit them. Although I guess you can drink hash too. #TheMoreYouKnow

هو عاوز الضرب بستين جزمة “hwa 3awz ed-darab b-sitteen gazma“ Equivalent to “That guy really sucks,” but with a far better mental image.

الجو عامل ايه؟ “el gaw 3amel eh?“(accompanied by a wink, nudge, & grin) I think it’s kind of great that ‘So, how’s the weather?’ is used in English as a kind of cultural signifier for not having anything better to talk about or feeling awkward, but in Egypt, it’s sometimes used to ask about someone’s significant other. Same phrase, COMPLETELY different meaning. My guess for the reason there’s a euphemism for this that may be the fact that dating before getting engaged or married is widely considered a no-no / something you usually (not always) have to hide from your parents here, but correct me if I’m wrong. I’ve also never actually heard this one firsthand because it’s mainly used among guys (there’s a whole other world of speech out there that I’ve only been able to see glimpses of. I call it: Shabab Arabic) but one generous shab named Fady was kind enough to share this one with me. I will be poking around for more of this type of phrase in the future. ...

أنت بيئة قوي “Enta bee2a awi” (to a guy) This actually means something like, “you are so trashy right now.” Can also be used to describe geographic locations, restaurants, bars, and anything that has fallen prey to disrepair or sketchiness. I’m personally not sure how the word ‘environment’ came to mean ‘trash’–I think I’d be making quite a leap by suggesting it has to do with how the environment in Cairo is actually consistently quite full of trash, so I won’t do that. ...

مش عارفة انام “mesh arefa anam” (said by a female) This actually strangely means “I can’t sleep.” The structure مش عارفة (I don’t know) is used very commonly in Egyptian to mean ‘cannot.’ True story: when I went back to America for a visit last year after just 6 months in Egypt, I said a whole host of ridiculous things, including “I don’t know how to open the door mom,” as well as the above. Another good one I almost said before catching myself: “I won’t know how to come to the party” (مش هاعرف اجي للحفلة / I can’t come to the party). The main idea here is, once you get to a certain point, Arabic syntax will creep its way into your native language and wreak havoc on your speaking ability, so just prepare yourselves for that. ...

بلا قافية “bila gafiya“ This is an extremely useful and wonderful little phrase brought to my attention by a friend in Jordan. The way he explained it, you use it when someone says something that could be misinterpreted, much like how English speakers use ‘That’s what she said.’ The example he gave was someone saying لانه صغير (‘li’anoo sa3’eer’ – because he/it is small) with the appropriate douchey response being بلا قافية. ...

الف سلامة عليك “alif salams alayk/alayky“ Arabic is funny in the respect that there are sentences/phrases that you are required to use in certain situations; otherwise, whatever you say is just wrong. This is one example of such. When someone says they’re sick, you can either say سلامتك (salamtak/tik – ‘your health’) or الف سلامة عليك and the correct response is الله يسلمك (allah ysalemak/ek).

في قلق في البلد “Fi 2ala2 fil balad“ Means something like, “People are concerned about today,” and is mainly used when demonstrations are planned. These types of days are associated with various advantages and disadvantages. Pros: -Literally no one will be on the metro or outside anywhere in general – very fast cross-city travel times -Numerous photo opps with APCs, if you’re into that Cons: -Lots of police with guns all over the place ...

وشك حلو علي “weshak 7elo alaya“ Actually means, “You bring me luck.” So that’s a thing.

If you want to communicate effectively with Egyptian friends, you’re going to have to know how to properly disparage, praise, and express tepid enthusiasm about events and people. In Egyptian, the three main words you’ll need to do this literally translate to “balls” “cream” and “solid.” -The word بيضان (‘beydan’) comes from a slang term for testicles (which, incidentally, literally means eggs) and is used to say that something is lame. As in, الحفلة بيضان – The party is lame. Sometimes when someone that you’re out with is being annoying or difficult, I’ve heard friends say ايه البيضان دا which literally translates to ‘what is this ballsness.’ Go ahead and put that one in your back pocket for later. ...