The goal of #TeamMaha is to make the process of learning and speaking Arabic a bit less maddening for you all, whether that be through offering language study advice, detailed vocabulary and grammar notes, or a bit of much-needed comic relief. I focus mainly on Egyptian dialect here, but you’ll find some Levantine and Modern Standard Arabic posts as well. I, the author, am an Arabic-English translator currently based in Cairo, Egypt. ...
We often instinctively reach for filler words when struggling to string sentences together in a foreign language. These are some of the filler words that I hear most often each day that Egyptian Arabic learners can start using right away to make their speech sound more natural. This post does come with two warnings attached: one, don’t depend on يعني too much because it will harm your capacity for quick-thinking in Arabic / you will start to sound like the Egyptian equivalent of a valley girl, and two, these words WILL make their way into your English speech patterns if you get really good. ...
As we all know, literally no one on the planet speaks Modern Standard Arabic as their native language, and as such, using MSA in normal, daily sounds unnatural and strange. Following is a list of words that FusHa learners often use in conversation while transitioning to colloquial Arabic that are quite abrasive on Egyptian ears. What I’m really trying to say is: you literally sound like you are reciting Canterbury Tales right now. Stop. Please. ...
أنا بموت فيك “Ana bamoot fiik” (‘fiiky’ when said to a girl) “I love you! / You are so great!” If you’ve been searching for a phrase at just the right crossroads of creepy and disturbing to let your loved ones know that you appreciate them, this one’s for you!
يا ولاد الجزمة “ya welad eg-gezma“ Similar to, but different from, ‘bastards.’
!يا حاج “Ya hagg!“ “Hey, person that appears to be over fifty years old and thus most likely visited Mecca to perform the Hajj once.” Why yes, those 21 words DID just condense themselves into two syllables.
تشرب سجارة؟ “tashrab sigara?” “Do you want a cigarette?” I cannot fully express to you all how confusing this one is the first time you hear it.
طيزين في الباس “teezayn fil bas“ “Inseparable / best friends.” Exponentially more intimate and evocative than “two peas in a pod.”