Useful Egyptian Arabic Phrases and Etiquette for Visitors

Egyptians are famously welcoming, and a few words of Arabic will earn you smiles everywhere from the velodrome to the bazaar. The phrases below are in Egyptian colloquial Arabic, the version spoken on the street, written the way they sound.

Greetings and basics

English	Egyptian Arabic	Note
Hello	salam / marhaban / ahlan	Ahlan is the friendliest everyday greeting
Peace be with you	as-salamu alaykum	The reply is wa alaykum as-salam
Welcome	ahlan wa sahlan	You will hear this constantly
Thank you	shukran
Please	min fadlak / min fadlik	To a man / to a woman
You're welcome	afwan
OK	mashi	Very common, also "fine" or "let's go"
Yes	aywa / na'am	Aywa is everyday, na'am more formal
No	la'
Goodbye	ma'a salama
God willing	inshallah	Used for anything in the future

In the market

English	Egyptian Arabic
How much is this?	bikam da?
It costs too much	da ghali awi
I want	ana ayez (man) / ana ayza (woman)
I don't want	ana mish ayez / mish ayza
I don't understand	ana mish fahem (man) / mish fahma (woman)
No thank you	la' shukran

To make a sentence negative, add mish, as in ana mish ayez, "I don't want".

Numbers

One to ten: wahid, itnein, talata, arba'a, khamsa, sitta, saba'a, tamanya, tis'a, ashara. Twenty is ishrin, fifty khamsin and a hundred miyya. Egyptians write Eastern Arabic numerals on many price tags and signs, so it is worth learning those too.

Etiquette

• Mosques: remove your shoes, dress modestly with shoulders and knees covered, and avoid visiting during prayer times. Women should cover their hair.
• Eating: use your right hand for eating and passing food. If invited to a home, a small gift of sweets is welcome.
• Greetings: handshakes are common between men; wait for a woman to offer her hand first.
• Photos: ask before photographing people, and avoid photographing military or police buildings.
• Ramadan: during the holy month, avoid eating, drinking or smoking in public during daylight. Evenings are festive.
• Tipping and haggling: both are part of daily life. Read the practical information page for details.

At the velodrome

Cheer in any language you like, but if you want to join the local crowd, yalla! ("come on!") works for every sport. Egyptian fans are loud and generous, and visiting teams in 2021 spoke warmly of the welcome. Two more words you will hear around the track and in the hotel casinos are mabrouk ("congratulations") for a winner and maalesh ("never mind") for a bet that did not come off.