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THE SPOKEN ARABIC
OF EGYPT
A KEY
TO THE EXERCISES IX
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
By J. SELDEN WILLMORE, M.A.
Demy 8vo, sewed, 3s. lid. net
Press Notices of the First Edition of
"The Spoken Arabic of Egypt"
The Ration says: — " Xot since Spitta's epoch-making work
have we had so detailed an examination and so complete a
statement of the actual facts of the dialects of Egypt. "
Egyptian Gazette. — "An able, exhaustive, and scholarly
treatment of the vernacular of Egypt . . . this most able work. "
Tin' Athenaeum. — "Much the best book on the subject that
has so far appeared . . . the system of transliteration adopted
is excellent, simple, yet adequate."
BY THE SAME AUTHOR
HANDBOOK
OF
SPOKEN EGYPTIAN ARABIC
COMPRISING A SHORT GBAMMAK AND AN ENGLISH-ARABIC
VOCABULARY OF CURRENT WORDS AND EXPRESS!
Square 16mo, cloth. 2s.
THE SPOKEN ARABIC
OF EGYPT
GRAMMAR, EXERCISES, VOCABULARIES
BY
J. SELDEN WILLMOEE, M.A.
ONE OF THE JUDGES uF THE NATIVE COOT
APPEAL AT CATRO
SECOND REVISED AND ENLARGED EDITION
o|«-l
0%
LONDON
DAVID NUTT, 57-59 LONG ACRE
1905
â–
Pnm
INTRODUCTION
Professor Sheldon Amos once remarked to me that Egyptian
Arabic had been a hopeless puzzle to him, which he d
of ever being able to master, until he fell across Spitta I
grammar of the language. Then all became clear at once.
Spitta's work was indeed a model of the way in which a sp
living language should be scientifically studied. But it was
necessarily the work of a pioneer. It opened the way which
others should follow and complete.
The work that was begun by .Spitta seems to me to have
been finished by Mr. Willmore. The present volume contains
an exhaustive account of the Oairene dialect of Egyptian
Arabic as it is spoken to-day. On the practical side it will
1).- welcomed by those who live in Egypt and wish to understand
and be understood by the natives. But it will be quil
much welcomed by the student of scientific philology. It tells
him what he wants to know — how a living Semitic lane
pronounce.- it- words and forms it.- grammar. For
consists of sounds, not of written symbols, and its grammar is
that of ordinal}- conversation. What has been termed anti-
quarian philology is doubtless important to the historian or the
literary scholar; for linguistic science it is of little use. T
living organism alone can yield scientific results; the spellings
of a past age or the grammatical forms which exist only in
hooks are a hindrance rather than a help to scientific research.
It Lb, of course, essential that the living organism should be
represented as accurately and exactly as possible, [n
word.-, we must have a notation which shall reproduce the
pronunciation of a language with approximate accuracy. Tie-
defective Arabic alphabet, with it- diacritical mark.- md poverty
vi INTRODUCTION
of vocalic symbols, is out of the question. It belongs to a pre-
scientific age and people, and is wholly unfitted to represent
the living sounds of a modern Arabic language. For this we
must have recourse to some modification of the Latin alphabet.
What this modification shall be will depend on the immediate
object in view. If the object is purely scientific, we may make
our choice between the alphabets of Lepsius, Alexander J. Ellis,
or Sweet; if, on the other hand, it is mainly practical, there is
nothing better than the alphabet adopted in the " Sacred Books
of til.- East," or that adaptation of Spitta Bey's alphabet which
is to be found in the present work. This latter reproduces
the pronunciation of the Cairene dialect with all the accuracy
needed by the practical student. It sets before us a Semitic
language as it really exists, not an artificial jargon such ae
been imagined by grammarians of the old school or the compilers
of newspaper articles.
A. 11. SAYCE.
PREFACE
TO THE SECOND EDITION
The new edition has been called for by the publisher in view of
the continued demand for the Grammar both in Europe and in
Egypt since the first became exhausted six months ago. A
complete alphabetical list of the words used in the Exercises on
the Accidence has been inserted, and an Appendix containing a
few additional grammatical notes ; and the work has been gene-
rally revised. A Key to the Exercises, including the Stories,
has been published separately.
In Europe the book has been favourably received, but a long
and careful critique which appeared in the Journal of the- Royal
Asiatic Society for April 1902 contains certain remarks to which
it is necessary to reply. The writer complains, firstly, that I do
not " keep up," as Spitta does, "a regular comparison between
al and colloquial Arabic." The reason of this, he Bays,
•• La apparent when the Author's Preface is examined. From it
may be gathered that he does not believe that (Jairene is derived
from classical Arabic.'" The reason why I do not throughout
haw parallels between the classical and colloquial is that the
Grammar is not intended to be a comparative one. It is not,
like Spitta's, addressed to scholars alone, but in particular to
those who seek a practical knowledge of the everyday speech of
the people. It is my firm conviction that, when the object i-
merely a practical one, the colloquial dialect should be taught
without reference to the literary, and before the Latter is
ipted. It would be difficult to quote an instance of a
person who has learnt to converse fluently in an Oriental Lan-
. •• after having become accustomed to the literary style, and
this even after a great many year- of residence in the country.
It has been my object t<> show that Cairene Arabic has a
of its own. and that it La quite unnecessary, if not wholly
incorrect, t<> base it on that of the Quraish. The reviewer
adds thai I generally reject the service of a guide, whose place
vii
viii PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
is poorly supplied by a little casual assistance which I derive
from Hebrew, Syriac, or Amharic [Aramaic?]. Bui the simi-
larity between the Hebrew and spoken Arabic verb waa long
ago remarked by Wright, and other scholars have acknowle
other points of resemblance, to which I have drawn attention in
the Preface to the First Edition and elsewhere. A writer in
the .Journal Asiatique of the year 18">U -ays: "En general
L'Hebreu a plus de rapports avec I'arabe vulgaire qu'avec I'arabe
Litteral . . . et il en n-sulte que ce que nous appelons I'arabe
vulgaire est egalemeut on dialects fori ancien;" and Renan
(Histoire des Langues SSmitiques) : "L'arabe vulgaire â–
bien plus rapproche' que I'arabe litteral de 111' breu <-t du I
itiel des Langues Semitiques." The similarity 1"'
Oairene and Aramaic grammar and the forms which words
me in these two languages is v>r\ - ; riU • : ._:. For example,
tie- literarj Arabic thamanin f. thamaniyatun eight, thaurun
".'â– . dhira'un urm, appeal- in Aramaic as temaney f. temanj
anddera', in Egyptian Arabic as tamanya, , diraV
vernacular shirsh root exists in Hebrew, Syriac, and Aramaic, but
not in classical Arabic; the noun qashsh, regarded, it seems, by
purists as a vulgai word, is used in 'In- Book of Exodus I
the stubble which tie' Israelites gathered for their bricks. M\
in drawing attention to these poiit ambiance
I' •■sen bhe Egyptian vernacular and ancient Semitic langu
remove at leasl one prejudice against the former by show-
ing that tic title of 'arabi maksur (or mekassar is bestowed
upon i* in tie- erroneous assumption thai its words and forma
are merely corruptions of Koranic Arabic which I pi in
since the Hejira, and that because it- grammar diffi
\ . wy grammar it has do grammar at .ill! Max Aluller
in a most instructive passage thai " It is a mistake to inu.
that dialects are every where corruptions of the literary langv
. . . The} an 1 parallel streams which existed Long before the
tin..- when die- of them was raised to that tempoi
which i- the resull of Literary cultivation. Dialects axial
vious to the formation of Literary Langua
Language is bul one out of iuan\ dialects ; nor d ill follow
that, after one of them ha- been raised to the dignity
Literary Language, the others Bhould suddenly he silenced or
. ,. "i i 'hancerj Arabic, follows the Hebrew in
senting tie- Koranic i/i and •/// by sibilants, thus II
', w hile Aramaic V i
represent them Lnvariabl] bj t and d â–
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION ut
strangled. . . . On the contrary, they live on in full vigour,
though in comparative security; an<l unless the literary and
courtly languages invigorate I hemselves by a constantly renew ed
intercourse with their former companions, the popular dialects
will sooner <>r later assert their ascendancy." 1
The reviewer doubts whether the final letters of ab, akh,
and a few other words noted in ? 24 are in reality doubled, and
remarks that "a double consonant closing a syllable would be
pronounced in exactly the same way as a -ingle one; its dupli-
cation could only lie apparent when it is followed by a 'helping'
vowel." It was because I had heard the helping vowel thai 1
wrote these consonants double. Moreover, it is not exact to
say that a final doubled consonant is pronounced in precisely
the same way as a single one (see § 24, Remark b).- 1 observe
. with the exception of ab, all these words are written with
man! in Spiro's Arabic vocabulary. 3 Damm Wood,
omitted in the first edition, is now added to the lit
The reviewer next disputes the orthography of the words
written with t, d, 8, and /., instead of t, d, S, and z. and suggests
that •• somebody on the spot should inquire whether the c
nants are really transmuted in the manner indicated. 1
only have 1 submitted the spelling of these words to a oa1
and often to more than one native, but in many cases 1 have
found the words written as 1 have given them by persons w
education is only such as to enable them to write phonetically,
or by kdtibe reporting the exact pronunciation of the speaker.
following, for instance, I have recently noticed: nidauwar,
za'bf) lamda, darb (quarter, district), >â– â– {. asauwat,
\\n (.</tr gam her). Sometimes I have been cor-
rected when pronouncing a word as it is written in the literarj
I, and told thai " whatever it may be in Nahwy,
pronounce in Arabic with a t '' — or s or whatever it maybe.
All these things I have earel'ulb noted, ami I do not think that
anybody else "on the spot" would be able to proceed with
i 1 caution than 1 have myself. 4
this rule the Hebrew literary language gradually
way to the popular Aramaic after GOO i:.c.
â– al " Bpitta.
He doubles the b of ab in the plural only.
um has no* been omitted from the list, though u
and en b) Bpiro in the senseof to be folded. Both
din i/ and almas appear in bis vocabulary, but the oommon pro-
num-i.it ion is all
x PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
The next observation is as follows :— " Tin- helping or semi-
vowels are not as a rule represented. . . . It is hard to explain
the reason of the omission of the Bign f<>r hamzah qat* before a
vowel, or to understand how the presence of this consonant can
be divined. When mara is written how i- any one to fa
that it must be pronounced mara?" The helping vowels are
believed to be represented throughout the book wherever they
are pronounced, and 1 have not been able to discover omissions.
As to the omission of the sign qat'a (') the note on p. '2'2 of
Grammar was intended to convey that this Bign would be econo-
mise!! before a word beginning with a vowel, as ana / for 'ana,
as its omission there could cause no confusion. When
in the middle of a word, as in mas'ala, it'aggar, it i> al
printed; bui it is not printed in mara, because mara and
mar'a is the only pronunciation in use by all
spina, the reviewer Bays, does nut corroborate m\ view that
the indefiniti article wahid agrees with the noun. Some ej
tdons to the rule have already been given in i the
footnote), and it must he admitted that wahid
&c . will often be said by natives of the Lower orders v.
constant touch with Europeans, jusi ej will say "
fursha and it iien kurb&g. Many of them will even commil
barbarisms in conversation with one anothei 'Yeqallidn 1
afrang l>i 1 kal&m hi sabab innuhum 'ashu t Taly&niya wi 1
[grig wi 1 rngllz," a was remarked tome by a native who avoids
such unnatural corruptions Some believe that it hing
to imitate European Arabic. Bui these • ould
suiel\ he avoided by Europeans who wish to speak correctly,
just as they are avoided by the higher clast
They are ool even known to those who have no intei with
Europeans
s ther points of difference between Spitta and i
pointed <>nt for instance, that the forms it'isam, itfihim,
jiu'ti by Spitta are nol recognised 1>\ me. It may be
forms ate used in Upper Egypt, bu1 1 have been unable
to meet with anyone who ha- beard them in ('aiio. But the
most importanl point i- the concord of the
I voi dine; •
I iinm.i J
sitt. lio1 lamn. tt. I am at .1 |oS8 (•• under-'
ireful at
elusion. No douht \ 'â– Will l>e f iv< pitMll I \ heard if the
kei t- in 1 on with a European, o! if i from
Sudan, 01 â–
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION xi
idiom ;tn<l tries to imitate it, but socfa a form cannot be regard*"!
as belonging to the grammar of the vernacular. K>
through bpitta's work after I had concluded my own, I dis-
covered many points of difference, and was careful to dia
each one of them with natives before publishing my views.
I understand, Spit ichjagd was conducted during five
only, and 1 have always thought that he must have
modified some of his conclusions had his valuable life been
spai ed.
The reviewer contends that my assertion that almost all
nouns ending in -tya make their plural in -<)t can hardl} be
accepted in view of the numerous exceptions, and instai
Idlya, zarbtya, and qadlya as not admitting of a plural in
I do not think the exceptions are numerous. Of the
word- mentioned qadlya makes both qadiyatand qadaya,
'addiyat more frequently than ma'adi, and sarbtyat
only plural of sarbtya given in Spurn's vocabulary.
The word ama quoted by the reviewer on p. 434 of the
Journal should be written amma, and the phrases annua aqul
lak does not signify do not I I (out but lei n
like lamma aqul lak. (wait) till I tell you.
It is stated in ?' 330, Remark d., that rakhar alvi
with the subject of the - I &c. The reviewer has misui
i my meaning which i> that rakhar gendei and
number with the Bubject of the sentence, although it may
1 1>\ the adverb also. I did not meai
bat it could not similarly agree with the object
The wording has now been altered so as to pr-
inception.
I have no doubt that the use of bSyin, with and without the
sutl'r. - by the reviewer, is th . and thai
beyinnu (for so it should be written) stands for beyin innu, but
I think there can be no objection to Baying that it is used
adverbially in Buch phrases as ma 'andakshe beyin, gaytn bukra
.• i- pracl ica 11\ eq liva lent to baq
ewer in his concluding remarks asks to be informed
of ' i . iinl th<- e bave
been derived 1. examples as w<
of tin- phrases which form th< rhich
I every day, and it would clearlj be impossible to
indicate the individuals who have at differenl tii
the places where they hai •
Spitl iples consist almosl entirely of phr
published al the end of bis Grammar, M.
xii PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
examples are derived primarily from fifteen year.-' intercourse
with the natives, and secondarily from documents written in tin-
vernacular. Wherever there could be any doubt as to the
usage of a particular word or phrase I have submitted the point
to i native or to natives. The stories are selections from a
number obtained from native sources, and the reviewer may
feel assured that "sufficient precautions were taken
their being delivered in a wholly natural style.'' The repe il
of ya'nl of which he complains is one of the characteristi
the speech of the less educated (cf. § 590) but the higher ol
also make frequent use of it. 1
I am most grateful to the reviewer for having pointed out
several errors and misprints which had escaped my no-
li suggests various alterations in the wording of the syntax.
I 9 I have adopted bis suggestions; in others 1 have
in le no change, either being unable to agree with him or
feeling thai the change proposed would unnecessarily puzzle
_• -indent. I regret that I have not 1 i
tie index.
Comparative philology IS a science unknown in 1
i- no school oi- university here where tie S<
languages and the Arabic dialect- are studied
such learning are to he found in Europe and America, n
the countries which are the birthplace* of these languages, and
where the besl opportunities exist tor their study. The onli
language which awake- anj interest i- the classical languag
Arabia : the rest is left to foreigners who-.- lab un-
known to, and unrecognised by, any bul European Bchol
It i- not surprising, therefore, that no review of the pr»
Grammar has appeared in Bgy] st from ,i native .
!• i thousand and <<n<- columns I published I
a the) do in Turkish into which lai g a word has
been imported.
i. .il" the corrections of spelling which he ['imposes I
am unabl for qusad, the latter being the
Onl) form in use. | think he is right in his obest vatioOl
tie- pronunciation of the â– '< in nur and tin- in riw
Appendix t.. tie- presenl edition), bu1 f li'b i- beyond :ill
doni.t the - that of til, hi't. 4c Qiddan is only
' ni a fyasab in r i
8 How many Egyptians have beard of ti. . on
which Doij devoted hi- life 1 I I
not met one n ho bad
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION xiii
certain section of the native press anathematising my
tinn that for secular purposes there should be one language for
speech and literature, and that the vernacular. The d
pro] tns t<> me so desirable and necessary unless
benefits of educat ion are to be for ever confined to the privili
twel i a., that I am at a loss to account for the opposition
of i It would he interesting to know how far the
opinion of the country U expressed in the articles which have
appeared in the newspapers. Several native gentlemen of high
ling have assured me that they desire the change One
90 far as to Baj thai all thinking men are in favour of it;
another considers that the project would find more partisanc if
it had not be i I by foreigners; the idea has been several
times advanced and advocated by dative writers in the Muqtafqf
the year 1881. J It is, 1 think, for the lower ther
in opinion, as they are the inter
It i- not for a small number of persons who already
i means of communicating their thoughts in writu
decide that tie- rest of the population shall have no means of
bo doing. As far as I b ive been able to learn from these cl
they would gladly read all kind- of literature, even aewsp
it' only they were not written in a dialect which is incompre-
hensible to them, and which could only become comprehensible
to them if they gave up their pursuits and spent many years of
hool. It is worthy of note that the //,-
which was written in th> vernacular, had, up t>
tine- ofi .a much wider circulation than any other
paper in tie- country It must be confessed, however, that
its popuJ parti} die- to it- anti- European policy.
'I'll.- following are the principal arguments adduced by the
press against the use of the vernacular a- the language of
Firstly, there is the religious question. The ver-
oded, differs widely from the Is ol the
Koran, and the religion of [slam would suffer if the pre*
age, which i- practically identical with that in
which the Koran i- written, were - ppreased by tin- vej
not mj wish at to di cuss this question at length,
and i' will he sufficient to .ill to mind, firstly, that the literary
• of the day. although it- grammar i--, nominal]
that, of the Koran, diffei tonsiderabl) fi
al both hi i' ' in and its phraseoli - lly,
tie which appeared in • '
xiv PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
that the religion of Islam is professed in Turkey, Persia, India,
China, and a great many other countries where Arabic is neither
spoken nor written ; and, thirdly, that it must be more in the
interest of religious education, as of all other education, that
the whole of the population should be able to read and write
some form of Arabic than that a few persons only should have
that privilege. But is this question in reality a religious one?
Most Eastern nations cripple their energies by having two
distinct languages, one for writing and the other for con-
versation.
Much stress is laid on the advantage of having one written
language for the whole of the Arab world. One writer a<ks us
to consider how inconvenient it would be if an Egyptian (mean-
ing of course an educated Egyptian) had to search for an inter-
preter to explain the meaning of a letter received from a friend in
Syria. He forgets that as things are at present the very great
majority of persons search for, and are at fche mercy of, not one
but two interpreters, even when both the writer and his friend
are living in Cairo. There cannot possibly be any intimate
correspondence at all under these circumstances. Mon
there is, under the present system, very much in a letter from
Algiers, Tunis, and other parts not to speak of the diflcei â–
in the formation of the characters, often necessitating complete
transliteration — which would be unintelligible even to an
educated Egyptian.
Some have argued that the educated should gradually ac-
custom themselves to speak the written language and induce
the masses to follow their example. One writer says lie has
already made a beginning with a number of friends, but con-
fesses that I hey have to fall back on the vernacular in their
lighter moods; another suggests that a Btart should be made by
dropping the b before the present tense of the verb, ignoring
the tact thai this particle, whatever its origin et vmologically,
Lb one of those which enable the speaker to express his ideas
with the greater precision required in these modern days
particle is certainly a very ancient one, for il has been found 1 in
;i manuscript of the eleventh century, and he would indeed he a
successful man who could aholish it l>\ stigmatising it in a •
paper article. Languages change according to the requirementi
of the age, and the attempts of purists to improve them ai
\| Mailer says, perfectly bootless
Another correspondent asks which of the dialect*
1 l'.\ Profess N l joliouth.
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION xv
is to be chosen for the literary language ; and adds that, '• which-
. \. i is chosen, the Government will have to compose a dictionary
of its words and form rules of grammar for it, but unfortunately
in Ar.ili Government would do this ; :md, moreover, as no vulgar
dialect ever Lists more than a hundred years, at the end of that
time a new dictionary would have to be written and a new set
of grammatical rules drawn up." Naturally, most of the litera-
ture, and certainly official documents, would be composed in the
dialect of the capital. But the difference between it and other
Egyptian dialects consists mainly in pronunciation, and would
practically disappear in writing. It has been said by an accu-
rate observer l that, if we exclude the Bedouin tribes, the whole
population of Egypt speaks a single dialect, the varieties of
which arc- not greater than those which distinguish the Tuscan
of Florence from the Tuscan of Siena, or the Venetian of Venice
from the Venetian of Belluno ; and even if they differed as
much, for instance, as Venetian does from Sicilian, why shouldn't
newspapers and other literature be published in them, a- they
are in the various dialects of Germany, Italy, and Switzerland ?
h is true that dialects which are only spoken become much
changed after a lapse of time, but the change is very gradual
when they are at the Bame time written ; and, moreover, how
can language do otherwise than change as the world progresses?
From the nature of things we cannot continue to all eterni*
express ourselves in the same way that our ancestors did; there
would be no health in us if we could. Compare the condition
of the current literary Arabic itself. Would it be intelligible
with it- new words and new meanings of old words and i;>
French idioms to the writers of a thousand or even of two
hundred years ago? The 1 Too quarto pages of Dozy's SupplS-
5, devoted almost entirely to the literary language of post
LCal day-, incomplete as it is, is sufficient testimony tK
would not be intelligible to them. As to the rules of grammar,
are not made by governments but by the nations them-
• -. and t h<-\ exist for spoken languages a- well as for
written.
It ha- been seriously asserted, but not. 1 think, by a native
writer, thai the stories of 'Antar are understood in their original
i'\ ill -oil, and conditions of men. Lane, in his chapter
on public recitations, says that a- tin- poetry in the roinan
tr is very imperfectly nndersl 1 by the vulgar, those who
1 Professor <'arl<i Alfonso Nallino in bis excellent m
tto in Egitto.
xvi PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
listen to it are mostly persons of some education. A writer in
the Mvqtataf 1 says: "The masses do not understand 'Antar
as they would have to understand educational books. If
you asked them the meaning of each word or each phrase
separately you would find that what they understand does not
represent more than the shadow of the real meaning." In
reality 'Antar is very imperfectly understood even by persons
of education ; but the gist of the stories has been made familiar
to all from interpretations, sometimes given by the reciter him-
self. There is no need to discuss these facts ; they are known to
every Egyptian, and have been admitted to me by all whom 1 have
questioned, educated and uneducated. But even if the general
drift of a recitation in the literary language were intelligible to
the lower classes without interpretation, those classes would
still have to go through many years of toil before they could
learn to write that language correctly. Otherwise, how
that we meet every day in documents written by qualified clerks
such expressions as, a fa hal lam ahadan darabak ? I learn
from a highly educated native gentleman that he submits hi-
literary works to a professional grammarian before venturing to
publish them.
Another writer argues that in English also we have two
separate languages for conversation and literature, sine.
write, for instance, doubt and th* ugh, and pronounce dout and
tho. Certainly the study of English would from one point of
view be facilitated if it were written phonetically : but ii
necessary to point out that this has nothing to do with the
question under consideration
•' What is to become of our ancv- ther contri-
butor. What becomes of them now I How many of the
educated of the present day do or can read the old classi - I
think it is no fcion to »y thai many of them are i i
known in Europe than they are in Egypt, just Greek
ics are more accurately Studied in foreign universities than
re at Athens.
1 content mj Belf with Bugj to the
Lvanced against the universal adoption <>t
people's language, and look for a gradual change in the lL'lit
direction. Indeed, I feel confident thai such a change has
dv begun, bu1 it needs t<> be encouraged by the influential
Another write] in the Bame journal (in the 3
considers that the written Arabic differs from the spoken lan-
i .Jish differs from French, or French h m L tin.
PEEFAl K 10 I1IK SECOND EDITION rvii
and patriotic among 'he native population. Formerly I
ments of prisoners and the depositions of witnesses were invari-
ably taranslated, as thej were taken down, into tin- lit
_ lage. It is obvious that under these circomst
judges, who had only the papers before them, were left very
much in the dark as to what had been actually said; but u
last few re have heen found clerks bold enough to take-
down the declarations at least partially in the speaker's own
words.
Some English student-, as 1 understand, would like the
ic words throughout the Grammar to be writt
Arabic as well as in the Roman character. But it must be
remembered that the object of the book is to teach the spoken
and not the written language, and that therefore it musl
sufficient to exactly represent the pronunciation ords,
which can easily be done in the Roman character, but only
imperfectly in the Arabic. The Arabic type would I
cost of the book without, as it appears to me, any advai
being gained. Tie
changed, bo that the student can himself translitex
I -ii]e.
- W.
PREFACE
TO THE FIRST EDITION
A treatise on the Arabic language as spoken in Egypt, and
particularly at the capital, was published by Wilhelm Spitta
in the year 1880 under the title of Grammatik
*he scholarship and careful
rches of this writer orientalists are indebted for the first and,
perhaps, only serious attempt to sketch the distinguish.il g
of the literary ami vernacular dialects. In
"vulgar" Arabic which already existed, as in others which
since appeared, we find a confusion between two sp
dialects, such s tian and Syrian, or a hopeless mi .
of forms and .- used only in conversation with I
which are peculiar to the written language. In some of i
mar.- the Arabic wok!.- are written in R
without any method ; in others the Arabic yed.
are omitted altog
single cL I a . , and another
Mt is prii
ible in ah
withwhicl already orally acquainte
in the literary lai
and below thl >ed in i
i . ..ally in other
uiciation; but new ones would ha.
lounds peculiar to the spokeu language if, in adopting
.. e •• pointed 1 he words. I
â– aid have to en.
n to that in
. lualak } . :
milk ind the lettei will be n
• . mauwit ht kill* ■'.
xx PREFACE
but no Arabic type would admit of this. Natives would, no
doubt, learn to read in the Arabic character without vowel-
points the language which they speak, as they are already familiar
with the words ; but the language of the books is naturally in
the keeping of the learned, who still regard with much jeal
the introduction of "vulgar" grammatical forms or even of
words which do not figure in the Qamus. Hence the proportion
of people who are able to read and write in Aral tic-speaking
countries is exceedingly small; for the working-man, having no
time to study a strange idiom, and nothing to gain by learning
the letters, remains, and will ever remain under the pres
system, illiterate. No doubt there is a certain benefit in having
a common written language for the whole of the Arab world, so
that a man of education brought up in Algeria can read a book
published in Egypt or Syria; but it is a benefit enjoyed at the
expense of the lower classes.
The foreigner who seeks a practical knowledge of the language
is at another disadvantage. Whether he engage a professor or
study from the books, he generally acquires a vocabulary of
words only understood by the educated, and in the latter case
em i fronted with the difficulties resulting from the absence
of the vowels.
The dialect of Cairo presents many forms of very high
antiquity. Tts precise place in the Semitic family could be
more easily determined if the influence which the
dialect has had upon it could be removed. There can be no
doubt that it is more closely allied, in structure at least, to
the Hebraic and Aramaic branches of the family than is the
language of I be Koran and subsequent Arabic literature. Hebrew
and Syriac, for Instance, have, like Cairene and other spoken
dialects, no final vowel in the 3rd person singular of the
making katab and ktafa respectively (lit. Arab, kataba 1 ) in
the past iense, nor in any person of the aorist except in the
3rd person plural. The vowel of the preformative --liable is
in Hebrew /. in Syriac e, but a in the primitive form <>f the
literary Arabic verb. The dual Lb wanting in the vert
pronoun, 3 and the nouns have HO ease endings. 1- II
may note tic following further points of resemblance:
do consonantal power al the end of words, though it maj
1 Literary Arabic drops the final shot I vowels In the j
onh .
It is wboll\ absent Lo Syriac, and appears onl\ in . n
nouns in Hebrew.
PREFACE xxi
of an accent, thus malka this; 1 u\
e and an o in certain c lit.
a full vowel disappears under circumstances similar t<> •
i ibed in ? 33 of the grammar, as melek, matt
.. ligvul : - y in the early stages of tlie langnag
•ii words as 'arbhiytm (later, but rarely, 'arbhrim)
falls out, as rem for re'm (cf. ; the
vowel of the tirst syllable in certain cases is thrown Ottl
ced to 1. as in
amar, § 15); the e and t'-sounds frequently re]
in the verbs (above), or as in n.
malik, ahad), ve (but I; there ai ''Oth
d and itfa"al ; the letter dh of the literary A
unknowi placed by z;* ve awl is soften- -fore
a labial and before a consonant moved only by : the
mn of the 1st person is hemma (lit. Arab, huma, ('air.
humma), the interrogative mi (lit. Arab. man. Cair. min); ani
onetimes used for the 1st person, as in Cairene : the 3rd
ii hu often accompanies the noun pleonast really
_ rammar). as ha ish hu the man he. h
In Byriac the verb system offers acme very striking points
of resemblance to Egyptian in addition to those men-
t the simple verb does not >ugh
we i of the form p'el (fi'il). with coiTespoi
. es of the form p'al (fa'al), the vowel of the 2nd radic
the aorist being generally a in the li; I (see
• >f the grammar); in place of it we have the derived
term ethp'el 7 ( = itfa'al, unknown â– 1 in literary
• ic); in the first derived form we have both pa"al and
pa"el (=fa"al, £a"il), with i. lit. tafa"al) for
laughter.
i also in El hiopic.
3 Aramaic i.
nerally d in Cairene, but . in Nahwy. In Aramaio we
talmid, as sometimes in Cairene. The fact that even the
eat difficulty in pronouncing \ that all
classes can pronoi Btebrew equivaJ
ticant.
. unknown t<> Literary Arabic, are
I uaic even than in Hebrew,
bardly traceable either in Hebi
Sebr. bitl pahel itfa"al, a form known to Literary Arabia
onl\ in i; ige.
xxii PREFACE
its passive. Further, we have the forms par'al, par' el, pa'lal
(given as quadriliterals in the grammar). The termination urn
is possibly not a modern form, but the equivalent of the archaic
Syriac un. Lastly, the Hebrew and Syriac syntax affords
strong evidence of their close affinity to Cairene and other
living dialects. On the other hand, there is a very important
point which literary Arabic has in common with the spoken
dialects, namely, the use of broken plurals, a form which seems
to be preferred in Cairene Arabic to the " perfect " plural in at
(Hebrew 6th) ; l and further, the use of the dual, even in nouns,
is hardly known to the other branches of the Semitic family.
It results, from the above considerations, that the so-called
Arabic dialects of the present day present a combination of the
peculiarities of several branches of the Semitic family. The
development which some of them display in common with
Hebrew is evidence of their great antiquity, while the fact,
that in most cases the stronger forms have been retained by
the Koreish dialect indicate that this latter separated at a com-
paratively late period from the common parent. Allowance
must, of course, be made for the circumstance of its growth
having been arrested when it became the sacred language of
islam, but the thinning of the vowels and other signs of ad\
had begun, as we have seen, in almost prehistoric times in
other branches of the family.
In the following pages the everyday speech <>f the people
is pre-enled to the student, and care has been taken to avoid
word- which are not familiar to all classes. It IS generally
called the \ ulnar dialect of the country, but it is vulgar only in
the sense that it is popular and universal.' B!< n of all condi-
tions employ it, in conversation, though naturalL many words
are used by the higher classes, especially as technical term-,
which are uot understood by the uneducated. A discussi
the reasons for the existence of one dialect for literal ire and
1 Ethiopic is the only other member of the family which
admits of broken plurals.
I .nan the rowel of the preformative syllable of the
â– was i in the 3rd person. Syriac has the weak vowel
even in the I si person. The final a of the | ppears in
Ethiopic (a language which has more in common with classical
Arabic, exci pi for the absem f the dual, than eithei II
or Aramaic), and is retained in Amharic,
•■'II Mm ,/ SutAcKTos." The term " vulgar so ap-
plied contemptuously to spoken Arabic.
PREFACE xxiii
another for conversation would be out of place here. 1 Tin-re
can be no doubt that the progress of the nation is thereby
impeded, and great advantages would be gained it' one only
wen- used for both purposes. The written language is re-
garded by the educated as pure ('arabl oadlf), the spoken as
unclean or broken ('arabl maksur), 8 while the lower classes term
the spoken 'arabl and the written nahwi. a To us it seems
strange that it should be ueoessary to write of br<a<l and water
as khubz and ma', while we Bpeak of them as 'esh and moiva, 4 or
to read from a document yaktub or yaktubu/' while we regularly
r yiktib in conversation. If we were I English
and write Dutch our literature would be understood, by the
educated at least, over a wide area; but it would not appeal
to our senses. The force of words i in the associations
which they recall — in the subtle reminiscences they awake of
bygone days. No word or expression which we meet only in
books will enter into < *ur lit'.- like those which have become
^ e the preface to Dozy's Supplement aux Diction
Arat».<. He points out that the early dictionaries composed by
the followers of the Prophet excluded all words not considered
tcred," and, as modern compilations have added
but little to the >tore by independent research, no collection of
words in genera] use in any way approaching to compl.T
has a â– â– aiade.
Apparently from the notion that the spoken dialect is
nothing bur a corruption of the Koranic.
i> literally grammatical t and is commonlv ap-
plied to the mongrel language employed in official correspond-
ence. It is the "classical" language artificially adapted to
modern wan! ] inic forms are mostly retained, but
foreign and in particular French idioms are largely introduced,
and words are given meanings which they do not bear in the
teal langi is used in sp shee and in pleadings al
the courts (intermingled often in the same sentence with the
vernacular), or in the discussion of technical subjects, and
itically even in ordinary conversation. A brief sketch of
•id. -nee i given in an appendix to the Accidence.
I illoquia] in the dialed of 83 ria.
a the vowels are not printed, yaktub and yaktubu will
d with the same ! j tktdb. In thi
pond. -nee and official documents the Anal short
pronounced, the clerks not being sufficiently vei ed in
tin- classical language to insert them.
xxiv PREFACE
familiar to us through our intercourse with our fellow-
I icings. 1
To resume, the spoken language of Cairo represents in its
structure the distinguishing features of al least three branches
of the Semitic family. It has borrowed some words from Coptic,
which it has thoroughly assimilated, as thnsah crocodile, libsh
(Copt, lebsh bush, reed), wlience we have the verb labbish,
and others from the languages of Eiu*ope, including Turkish.
Further, a great many expressions belonging in reality to the
written language have, owing to the influence of the Koran,
become familiar even to the lowest classes, some of them in
a slightly altered form, others without any change. But the
importations from abroad are by no means numerous, and on
the whole Cairene has preserved, unlike some other Semitic
idioms, as Maltese and the modern dialects of Abyssinia, an
lially pure character. Such is the lai irhich the
people have evolved for themselves, and history wains us that
all attempts to "educate them up' r to express themselves in an
idiom not of their choosing will meet with failure. The \
course would be to throw aside all prejudice 2 and accepl it, al
leasl for secular purposes, as the only language oi the country.
There is rea -m.i to Eear 1 hat . unless this be done and a simpler
system of writing be adopted, both the colloquial and literary
dialects will be gradually ousted, as the intercourse with Euro-
nations increases, by a foreign tongue.
And let it not be supposed that the Cairene or
spoken dialed is unworthy of a literature. They are many
of them richer in their phraseologj than any of the European
langu I with the introduction from the Nahwy .
bulary of the necessary technical term- would be capabl
ssing every idea of modern times, and this in a In
form. A movement in favour of the vernacular wool I
1 I ' t he earl) "pu al la nature
5, ue comprenant pas et ne voulanl pas compre
que toul dan le est sujel a varier, que I
modifii m mesure des modifications do i
subissenj la dep 'ndu ace de I â– qui les parli
ecrivaina qui . ila voulaient immuab
perp <in li\ iv de I >ieu el n'a\ ai at que du
• lii a ir les in ou m. hi
leurs contempoi ai
u ( i qu'eu I i paa lid e
que I'idiome v ulgn cept ible â– w.
PBEFAl E xxv
!-t ; « it .-■I l>\ the p rooo , 1 bat it would aeed t<i !>•• strongl) supported
>i\ men of influence. Should it bucc 1. â– â– > Bbort Time of
pulsory education, say two years, would be sufficient to Bpread 1
knowledge of reading and writing throughout tin- country.
The system of transliteration employed in the grammar will,
it is hoped, recommend itself to the English student. Thi 1
some inconvenience in rep - a single Arabic letter by
two in the Roman character, as also in the use of dote below
the letters; and should the Oriental system ever be superseded
by ;i European one for general use it will no 'l"ul>t be found
suitable to invent a separate character for all those Arabic
- which have n<> equivalent in the Latin alphabet.
I venture to believe thai Arabic scholars, 5 as well as those
who seek a practical knowledge of the language, will find matter
of interest in the following pages. Thej have been written at
odil moments, chiefly in vacation time, in railwaj trains :m<l
Bobcat — a circumstance which 1 must ! plea for
any imperfections which ma} be detected in the work.
1 must not conclude without expressing my indel
the beads of some of the Departments of the Egyptian Govern-
ment and others for subscribing for n number of copies of th.-
hook, and thereby enabling me to carrj it through the pi
and also to Professoi Bayce for his patience in reading through
the manuscripl in the midst ol his manifold preoccupations. The
marked with the lei 9 re contributed by him.
Oaibo, 1 J. El WILLMORE
N'mik. sine- writing the above, a ay on the Egyptian
nlph : American philologist, who takes a deep into
in the welfare of the Egyptian people, has come to mj notice.
I quote the following | From it to illustrate tin- ooinci-
3 me half-hearted attempts have already been made.
A 1 '..!. e le of the lower class know n to
van ol when he \\.i- :i boy. II'' there learned the
lettert and nut of the Koran bj heart. Of tin- latter he
l.ut little, bul In' -till makes use of the r his
dence, which he writes phonetically in the colloquial
. with here and there ;i iiuhwy phrase. Asked win
he 'lid not read the papers, he replied th.it be could not thro*
>n :i literature which be did not understand,
ugh not all. h .-t.. leai a f
tnitic l.r . • one of the English univei i( he
excluded the I.-. tie dialecta from In- studies
xxvi PREFACE
dence of both his and Spitta's views with my own convictions.
Not having referred to Spitta's work for many years previously
to the completion of my own, I was unaware that he himself
desired to see the vernacular adopted for literary purp
" 2S*o one who has read the deeply-interesting prefa
the Grammatik can doubt the warmth of the hope which he
[Spitta] entertained that the work — as hi> biographer expi
it— ' might contribute to the elevation of the spoken dialect into
a written language, thereby bridging over that deep chasm be-
tween the idiom of the people and the idiom of literature, which
is the greatest obstruction in the path of Egyptian prog]
•• The striking and forcible paragraph which closes the pi
has been frequently cited, but a translation of it here can hardly
be out of place: 'Finally, 1 will venture to give utterance to a
hope which, during the compilation of this work, I have con-
stantly cherished ; it is a hope which con- - Egypt Itself , and
touches a matter which, for it and its people, is almost a question
of life or death. Every one who has lived for a considerable
period in an Arabic-speaking land know- how Beriously all its
activities are affected by the wide dive s â– ' the written
language from the spoken. Under such circumstances bhere can
o thought of popular culture; for how is it possible, in the
brief period of primary instruction, to acquire even a half-way
knowledge of so difficult a tongue as the literary Arabic, when,
in the secondary schools, youths undergo the tortui study
during several years without arriving at other than the most
unsatisfying results? Of course the unfortunate graphic medium
— the complex alphabet — is in great pari to Maine for all this;
vet how much easier would the matter become if the student
had merely to write the tongue which he Bpeaks, instead of being
forced to write a language which i- a- strange to the pn
generation of Egyptians as the Latin is bo the people of Italy,
or the Old-Greek to the inhabitants of Greece — a language
which, without being the popular speech, ia no Longer even the
classical Arabic! A real literature cannot be thus developed ;
for only the limited cultivated class knows bow to use a book;
to the mass of the people a hook is really a thing unki
If he have oeed to write a Letter, locument
ordinary man of 'he people must put himself blindly into
bands of a professional scribe; be must trusti the most
important papers with a sea] which he cannot read, and which
may l» and is easil) imitated. VThj can this lamentable con-
dition of thing- not \«- changed for the better 1 Simply because
PREFACE xxvii
. it the language of the Koran be wholly gj
up, of incurring the charge of trespassing upon the domain of
religion. But the Koranic language is now oowhere written ;
for wherever you find a written Arabic it is the Middle-Arabic
oft! Even the dubious unity of the [slamitic peoples
would riot be disturbed by the adopt ion of the spoken vernacular,
language of prayer ami of the ritual would -till remain
ywhere the same. It i- also asserted that the New-Arabic
is wholly unfit to become the language of the pen because it
obeys no fixed laws, and Hows on without any syntactic restric-
tions. I venture to believe that the present publication pi
that the speech of the people is not so completely incapable of
discipline; that, on the contrary, it possesses an abundance of
cal niceties ; and that it is precisely tin- simplicity of its
syntax, the plasticity of its verbal con stru ction, which will make
it a i. iceable instrument. Did the Italian seem any i
promising whi I wrote his Divine Comedy? Ami would
of the most learned and most expert men of Egypt
be able to do infinitely better thai which it has not appe
to me, a 1 r, too difficult to undertake?'" . . .
reful study of its details- especially if supples
by a short period of use can hardly fail to convince the in-
■that it would be diil c ilt, b • Least, to •
alphi • adapted to its purpose than that of Bpitta. 1 . . .
pplication to the national dialect of Egypt would
forthwith immensely facilitate the exl of knowledge, and
tdmably lessen the task of her throughout al
Nilotic land- ; and th- may well be brought about without, in
any measure, affecting the position of I kbic alphabet
• • medium of the venerated classical literature. Nor would
Mich :i step detract from the sanctified character of that alpha-
•vith which the sacred Koranic scripture- are i
Bible of the Russians is printed bymee
The system of transliteration adopted iii the present work
differs verj considerably from spina's. In a book written foi
lish Btudi had to be consulted, and I am
that tle'V Would, for example, ha\e bc.Ul pll/./l-d bv the US6
ant the y sound, though philologicallj il
the i ighl letter to employ .
It i- that Bpitta should not have n I the
of the thick . (-) in the \ ernacular.
old Slavonic Bible of Cyrillua U -till tlie authorised
version wl Slavonic language La spoken.
xxviii PREFACE
notably differing from that made use of in the modern Russian.
Our own English Bible, in its existing version, has many versea
and phrases which can hardly be pronounced to be strictly
modein English. The Catholic Church regards only the Latin
vulgate scriptures as authoritative, but the Catholic nations all
have secular literatures in their own vernacular. The Copts
daily use the Old-Arabic alphabet and the 'chancery' Arabic
in their correspondence, while speaking the Egyptian idiom,
although their holy books are in the ancient Coptic, having its
own alphabet. There are other instances, even in the East, of
similar alphabetical and literary evolutions and revolutions ;
and there seems no good reason why these examples should not
be followed to advantage by nationalities of whatever race or
creed. Religion in no wise suffers thereby, while the prog
of the people is immeasurably accelerated. . . .
"There is little need of waiting for the new Dante, whose
advent Spitta, in the closing phrases of the preface to his
Grammutik, seems to hint at. Other efficient forces are
already at hand. Hundreds of young men are now constantly
receiving an excellent training in the higher school> of the
Egyptian cities — schools which are yearly growing better. These
sons of Egypt are both intelligent and patriotic. Let all these
youth of the newer generation put their shoulders to the wheel.
Let them give their influence — great, if properly applied — to
the development of the popular tongue, and there will boos
follow the unapproachable blessing of universal e lucation, with
its inevitable result of a broad literature 'for the people, of the
people, and by the people.' The present Government of Egypt
might \\ ell lend its aid— as it is at last in a position to do
to such an effort. An American writer has characterised the
marvellous financial, commercial, agricultural, and moral trans-
formation of Egypt, effected in these later y< 'the most
splendid Anglo-Saxon achievement of the century." Why can-
not the men who have been the potent factor in bringing about
this beneficent material revolution, nov< open the gate, as well,
to the spiritual developmenl of the people the] rale so abrj and
so honestly? There is but one path thai passes through that
gate, and that path can be traversed onlj bj a nation educated
in the language it understands. Thai language is already the
daily speech of social intercourse, of the family, the -hop. ami
the farm. Whj should it not become the medium of an educa-
tion, destined not only to elevate the nation which ha- it- home
Under the palm- of the Nile, hut per ha p.- to revive, under a
noble form, the ancienl glory of the whole Baraoanic world?"
THE SPOKEN
ARABIC OF EGYPT
ACCIDENCE
THE ALPHABET
§ 1. The alphabet of Cairene Arabic consists of the following
thirty letters : —
VOWELS.
NAME.
VOWELS.
NAME.
a
1
or nasba
6 or rof'a
e
•'â–
or khefda
u
ll or ruf'a
i
i
or khifda
CONSONANTS
NAME.
1 "N.SONANTS.
NAME.
b
be
s
sad
t
te"
sh 1
shin
t
(
'en
g
h
glm
ghen
he
f
q
k
to
qaf
k&t
h
ha
khi
kha
d
.11
i
lain
d
il.'ul
m
mini
r
it-
D
nun
z
Zt'll
w
wan
z
8
za
sfn
y
ye
In addition to the above there are three diphthongs : <ii, <iu,
and "/, and the hiatus ('), colloquially called qaf*a. The circum-
flex is used to lengthen th.- vowels,
1 In the few cases wh . lc are followed by % without
forming one letter with it, they will in the following pages be
rated from it by a hyphen, as in the woa I â– . N '~ n:l -
lik ha.
2 THE SPOKEX ARABIC OF EGYPT
Remark a. — Nasba, khifda, and ruf'a are by the learned
termed respectively fatha, kasra, and damma. e and o are re-
garded as mere corruptions of the a and u sounds peculiar to the
spoken dialects, so that it has been necessary to invent names for
them, e no doubt results from the thinning (imdla) of a, but
as its sound approaches more nearly that of khifda, the name
adopted seems suitable.
Remark 6. — The following is, in outline, the system of spelling
in use in Egypt : —
The syllable ba is pronounced banasab or banasab;
„ bi „ ,, bikhifad or bikhifad ;
,, bu ,, ,, burufa' or burufa' ;
,, 1a ,, ,, tanasab ; J
,, ti ,, ,, tikhifad ; x
,, tu ,, ,, turufa* ; l
similarly kanasab, 1 kikhifad, 1 kurufa'. 1 and so on throughout.
Or, a and u being in the Arabic character written above the con-
sonant which they follow, and i In-low. we may spell ba,
foqha 2 nasba; bi, be tahtiha, 3 khifda; bu, be foqha ruf'a.
When a word begins with a short vowel, thai !y speak-
ing, qat'o, followed by a vowel, that vowel will be pronounced —
if a, a, qat'a u 4 nasba; if i, i qat'a u khifda; if u, u qat'a n
ruf'a. 13a is spelt banasab alii wasl ; bi, bikhifad yfi wasl : and
bu, burufa' wan wasl.
Consonants not followed by a vowel are called : abbigasai
attigazam (t), akkipazam (/,), ttc, or be foqha gasma, &C.
Thus the name Ibrahim may be spelt — i qat'a u khifda abbi-
gazaui ranasab alif wasl bikhifad V' wasl ammig â– alit
tahtiha qa^'a u khifda we he foqha gasma we re fdqha :.
we alit' wasl 'la iYxjhawala tahtiha i we h.' tahtiha khihl
alit' wasl we nuin fdqha gasma.
PRONUNCIATION OF THE VOWELS
£ 2. a U strictly the English ■' of the words an</.
alt' // ' . hut the following inoditi.
iund must he noted : —
(a) After • it is praoticall} lengthened to <i. and tin
before two consonants, as in the words 'ala
gum'a mmu hit
I >i tanasab, onounoe I [ha).
3 lithnc it. ' Or we l . /).
PRONUNCIATION OF THE VOWELS 3
(b) It becom. dened when in proximity to
the c<>: '1 ~. 1
(r) It usually has when surrounded by weak c
the â– - iund of a in the words against, the un-
written vowel of didn't, as in nazzil &r»n^ down, laban mH
aoond syllable of 'abdalla, pr. />., and 'arbagl d\
It is thinned to -/ or e,as balad p»2Za0 . _
•;a), masriye an Egyptian i "a// (for masi
r y thi- modification is not uncommon, but in other i
seldom heard from the lips of true Cab
§ 3. Long a (d) retains its original pure sound (as in father)
when preceded l>y ' or kh and not at the same time followed bj
the weak semi-cons'i:i;int y, as in -ada custom, khilis entirely, k
inn, bazaar; but it- usual value is that of a lengthen-
such as is heard in Ihe Italian word •.</. bah door, haga
thing. The Fellaheen and others weaken it to short a\ but a
Oairene will i. .la men, though he pro:
in that word much less broadly than in n&r. A sound approach-
•o that of a is, however, sometimes heard before qa$*
placing qat'a, 3 and q, as iii KVin (bavin) appearing, .-.
;. zaba'in cueU \\ remaining, tel&qt you trill
1 'In* influence phatic coi
d becomes ><» much broadened that an inexperieii
confound it with • 1 heard in the English woi
I, ilif hi
l»at arm,
§ 4. as e in I ' •
open syB i is then hardly distinguishable from sh<
:
1 Bee i' :: urki d these letl 1 9).
. yanuyir, fibriyir with Bibtun
aum( - or thinni
foreigo (fellah, bedawi, or l» ri
pronunciaJ Such forms a- kelam, lamde, '1" ir in
the dialed of ' poken by na1
iti the prea particip. of verbs whose middle radical i-
and L'T. under the letter y. B&yin is pi
cally pronoum • i written in the gramm
i for • throughout the grammar in the preforn
and pai ticipli me of t be I
1 with _
t -. Practically it makes but little difference whet
:i in this position, provided t bat n< •
ilarly preferred, as ii i l «r, in tie-
4 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OP EGYPT
e has the value of English a in lane or ai in lain, as 'esh
bread. It is thickened in syllables containing h, t, d, s, or z, as
in heta a wall, bed eggs, sef summer. After '<% it sounds much
as ai in aisle, as in far'en two branches, and before w as the
French en, as in 'ilewi high.
Remark. — e often stands for ai (ay), as der monastery, for
dayr, sheyal, or shaiyal (= shayyal) porter. 1
§ 5. i as in did ; e.g. bint girl, misik he seized. When followed
by ' it has the value of the French eu, as in li'b game ; and when
preceded by that consonant it approaches very closely to the
sound of e, or even that of the diphthong ai, as in san'itu his
profession, ma sim'itsh she did not hear, and this even in an
unaccented syllable, as in sham'idan candlestick. The emphatic
consonants give it a pure u sound, as in didd against, while w
following it converts it to the French it, as in yistiwi it get* ripe.
After, and, to a less degree, before the gutturals, it approaches
the sound of e (though h exerts but very little influence upon it),
as hinna henna (nearly henna), khidewi Khedive, hina here (with
a slight tendency only to e), yikhtaf he snatches (i slightly
darkened). Yeghdar he is able, is regularly heard for yighdar.
Before r it is occasionally pronounced as i, though as a rule it is
short, as irmi throw, for irmi.
The conjunction wi and, is often pronounced weu when there
is a pause between it and the next word.
i sounds as long i in French and Italian, as in dlb iv>>If.
hiya she. It is more liable than the other vowels to become
shortened at the end of a word (§ 13). As in the case of i, its
sound resembles that of e or ai after '<?//, as in tal'in going out
(pi.), tisina'ish thou (f.) dost not hear, tis'in ninety (practically
tul'.'n, Ac), 'iyal children (pron. 'aiyal). Before h ir becomes a
rounded e, as in rih spirit. It has a sound between ii and i
after t, d, s, z, as in yedifu they aid, ami Mum'tiines in the
Turkish termination bdshi, as in yusbashi <-aptain, in imitation
of the Turkish pronunciation.
participles. Uniformity <>t' spelling will be to some extent
sacrificed in the following pages to the desire to reprt
as far as possible the exact pronunciation <>f each word in its
varied Burroundings. There is perhaps in i
distinction between I and i as there is in English, an ii
mediate sound being heard in many words, as in imshl po, and
in the article Q.
1 So llel'i-. /"/// for baythf Xi-.
CONNECTING OR HELPING VOWELS 5
Remark. — The ' in arbe'in forty, and Isma'in, ///■. //., is too
slightly pronounced to influence the final syllable.
§6.0 and o are the rounded continental short and long <>, but
they are not quite so closed as in French ; e.g. aho there he is .'
hdn mortar, ydm day. 1 In foreign words long o is retained,
while short o usually gives place to u, as bantalon trowserSj but
ijiinsul consul.
>â– as in full, â– Q, as in fool; e.<j. shuft thou satwest, darabu
he struct; him, ful beans. In juxtaposition to the emphatic con-
Minants and the gutturals their sound approaches that of broad
o and 6, as in usbur have patience (almost osbur), qutta eat
(nearly qotta), burqu' veil, 'umr life, 'usman, pr. n. (pron. almost
burqo', 'umr, 'osman).- In the word 'uzt / wanted, u is some-
times given the sound of u in cu}>.
THE DIPHTHONGS
§ 8. ai (originally ay) is pronounced as at in aisle; e.g. shuwaiya
a little (for shuwayya), ithaiyar he teas perjJw'/. 3
Au as in German or as uu in house; e.g. auwil jirst, bauwaz
he 8qn
very rarely heard. It is less open than oy in boy, and
its true sound seems to lie between that and the diphthong at .
'.;/. moiya water, istughummoiya a game of the nature of hide-
l (for 'tyaq), plur. of 'Ayiq/op, larkspur.
ECsmabb . MLaiya and nmmaiya are occasionally heard for
moiya, but they belong to the provinces.
CONNECTING OR HELPING VOWELS
As the A rali.- of < "airo are unable to pronounce thtt
BonantB in quick succession, it becomes necessary, when they
occur together, to insert a Bhort vowel between the second and
i, moth, ddr in Hebrew literary Arab, yawm,
mawt '/"//A, ilawi- turn. Note that dor nn -an> (//- in llel'r. afi
in ooUoquial Arabic.
â– -man, the u being doubly broadened by the
combined influence of ' and a
When the v is not doubled it retains its value as a con-
:.t,ainl no diphthong is formed, as in nay raw, Even when
doubled, the transformation into a diphthong often
incompli
6 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
the third. 1 This vowel, it will be understood, plays no part in
the structure of the words themselves, and is merely requisi-
tioned by the speaker to break up a combination of consonants.
Nouns, verbs, prepositions, and conjunctions are, under these
circumstances, linked to the pronominal suffixes by the vowels
i or it, their choice being regulated by the laws of euphony.
Thus u is the connecting vowel when the suffix is kii, kum you,
your, or hum they, their, while i is employed in most other
cases. Thus we say darabtuhum / struck them (for darabthum) ;
while from shuft / sau; and ha her, is formed shuftiha J bow
her; so umm mother, ummiha tier mother, ummukil your mother.*
When the second vowel is not so closely attached to the first as
to form one with it, the connecting vowel will be e, or (if the
least stress is laid on it) i; z e.g. shuft I saw, ragil a man, shufte
ragil / saw a man, darabte walad you struck a boy, shiribte ketir,
but shiribti ktir or shiribti ketir you drank much (a slight pause
being made in the latter case between the two words to assist
the emphasis falling on ketir), il haqqe lik or il haqqi lak you are
rigid, il binte di or il bintf di this girl.
PiEmark a. — e is sometimes heard after the negative suffix .</>,
although neither preceded nor followed by another consonant, as
ma fishe there is not, ma yiswashe it is not worth; but possibly
it here represents the long e of she thing, from which the
negative form is abbreviated.
Ri;mark b. — When there is a pause between the second and
third consonant, the helping vowel is usually dispensed with, as
it has no purpose to serve. This occurs not infrequently when
stress is laid on the first word*, as in the expression ikhs 'aleh !
shame upon him I
Remark e. — The connecting vowels, though as a rule pro-
nounced with the greatest rapidity, have often the same value as
those which are used in the structure of the words themselves,
and ni:i\ be subject to the same changes. They may be length-
en.^! under the influence of the accent (^ 12), and, by the prin-
ciples "f contraction, may even oust an original vowel; thus
from okht sister, and nisibl my brotlier-in-lav), is forme. 1 ukhti
nstbi my brother-in-law's sister; from salm dish, and nah&a
coppi r, gahni nhfts.
Ri ifABK d. A--, strictly Bpeaking, do syllable begins with a
1 Cf. the use of sh^vs and of segol in Hebrew.
2 e is occasionally used for i, as ommeha for ummiha: ami
umm; i ha, dfec., will be heard, especially in the midtna or "city."
s Note that it becomes < when lengthened, as in
GENERAL REMARKS ON TDK VOWEM 7
•lie insertion of e in such combix ibne as]
a man o/a 7' unite ana / ^of w;/, is in accordance with
the rule.
A helping % "wel isalso inserted in foreign words h. -
two consonants which an Egyptian is unable or loath to pro-
noun itivelv, or the vowel is placed before the first •
to form a separate syllable with it, as sibinsa or isbinsajNifi/ry
(ItaL dispensa), iksibiriss '.'-press. 1
N'ERAL REMARKS ON Til?: VOWELS
§ 11. A long vowel followed by two consonants, whether in
the same word or in two pronounced together without a pa
becomes short nd 6 being generally changed to i and u
respectively, 3 a -
• jam
qam qal
qtma
qimtu
qura
qurto
tin min dih ?
(for tin
dih)
When one of the two consonants is a liquid or //, the vowel
donally, and in Borne cases optionally, remains long, though
not quite full and pure. Examples : —
hat hum bring them ishabna id*
\i (ye- he bring* to me mafihsh (or tliere u ><"t
li) ma fthsl
â–
ret :
would ti
he rose and
ya ritna !
/could that we !
value
bet
hoi
Us ralue
bitna (or
our house
forehead
betna)
• head
goz
husband
land
guzha
husband
th
1 Or siksibriK - ir the combinations of consonants
which an Egyptian is able to pronom
table conl I he originally
I be vnwi'l being shortened ;
qnm yeqftl ; so yektin rigi',
keep Tlii rtantly in mind, i
U will henceforth be marked long only when they an
eed.
maintained, as in kSfkti i
/
in illusl
• V. iWel.
8 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
§ 12. Short vowels may become lengthened : —
(a) By the accent being thrown upon them, as by an enclytic,
as is sana the year, is sana-di this year ; bi 1 kefiya-di in this
way, qabli dih (also qabli dih) before this, from qabl and dih,
the i being a helping vowel.
(b) By a stress being laid on the syllable in which they occur,
as yigi (for yigi) he'll come, fi aril giha (for giha) 1 in what direc-
tion ? waqtiha at that moment, mahliku gently (you), w Allah!
by God (for w Allahi).
Remark. — The vowels are often lengthened without apparent
reason in the words ba'dina, ba'diku, ba'dihum some of us, of
you, of them, tauwina as soon as we, bik in or with you. They
are, however, more frequently pronounced short.
§ 13. A long vowel may become shortened : —
(a) By two following consonants (§ 11).
(b) In continuous discourse, the vowel being hastily pronounced
in order that the speaker may pass on at once to a final syllable
or the following word, as : —
iyam (for iyam) days
ideh (for ideh) his hands
yeshuf uhum (for ye- they see them
shufuhum)
mudiriya 1 province
tani marra (for tani) another time
manish 'arif (for manish / don't know
'arif)
ma rahitsh (for rahitsh) she did not go
qam ir ragil qal lu (for thereupon the man said to
qam) him
yeqidu n nar (for yeqldu) they light the fire
The preposition fi in is almost invariably pronounced fi in con-
junction with its substantive, as fi masr in Cairo. The o< gatdve
particle ml becomes ma; ya, the sign of the vocative, ya ; illi.
the relative pronoun, illi ; tani, tani : and Bometimefi it Le only the
last Long vowel in a sentence which is able to retail its value,
asahlu illi matfl In (for illi matu lu) his people who have died,
wala hish masalan rahit (for walfi blah, &c) nor indeed hat
she <,:â–
1 And t hence mudrlya.
" EDxperience will Bhow how thoroughly ihi> principle per-
vades ih" spoken language. Mfl not is frequently written in the
Arabic character by the lower classes as mtm only, affixed to the
verb, and ya similar!] as pi sometimes even in the books. The
GENERAL REMAKES ON THE VOWELS c
(c) When in a final open and therefore unaccented syllable, as
hati briny (f.)
intu you
tigi you
irnii! thr
sufragi table-icaiter
mi.-hi he went
giri ran
ghani rich
qara he read
berberi native of Berber
katabu they trrote
(for hati, intu, &c.).
£ 1 4. In certain positions, or under certain influences described
below, the vowels e, i, u, and occasionally a, sink to the rank of
semi-vowels, and are pronounced with great rapiditv.
(a) When unaccented and playing the part of helping vowels,
as gibte kursi / brought a chair, 'andiha tcith her, innlha thai
she (for the more usual 'andiha, innfha).
{b) When the proposition li, le, lu to forms, together with
the pronominal suffixes, the indirect object of a verb and remains
unaccented, as qal luhum (for the more usual qal liihum) he sai'l
to ih
I D the first syllable of the participles and verbal nouns of
the second and third forms of the verb, as meshaiya' sendiwj,
medamm: . ICehammad, pr. n. f meAiqtJhidiii
(d) In the first syllable of the aorist of verbs whose second
and third radical letters are identical, or whose middle radi
w or y (§ 182), as yi'idd (or ye'idd) he counts, tequl thou *a\
yeshilu they carry aicay.
> not disappear altogether according to the
rul' •", aa mi'&khiza (for mi'akhza) blaming.
(/) \\ here H is followed by it.- homogeneous consonant w, as
shuwaiya a little, kuwaiyis pretty (practically shwaiya, kwai-
In a few other words and syllabi.- wh<
illy calls for a hurried pronunciation, as we I
m ya wad! look out, boy/ (pron. a«ay wad), ketlr much
(the final syllable being much emphasised).
suffixes n( and I were sometime.- writb 1 i in the classical
_ lage. A native uneducated, hut acquainted with tl
and phonetically, will omit the aUf in such words
:.i h' taw me. In such noun- as babiir si-
kanon tt a in the literary language with
hardly be said to be pronounced long nnless the whole word is
Wnpl .rally written in this work wit)
circumflex.
Hhi ;■• times pronounced m I i
dialect.
10 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
§ 1 5. The vowel ?', when unaccented and long neither by nature
nor by position, is seldom very distinctly heard when the word
in which it occurs ends in a long closed and consequently ac-
cented syllable, as in biram earthen hotel, dirts dry clover (dris),
siyuf stcords.
It occurs more frequently than any other vowel except,
perhaps, a in the colloquial language, and is in many situations
hardly distinguishable from the helping vowel e. In the pre-
formative syllables of the aorist and in some forms of plurals it
replaces the Koranic a, as yiktib he writes, yiqul (or yequl) he
says, ignas hinds (Kor. yaktubu, yaqulu, agnasun).
Even before two consonants at the beginning of a word it
has sometimes only a minimum value, or it may fall away alto-
gether and reappear between them as a helping vowel ;
(i)ddini give me, (i)tfaddal ! pray/ diri'ti my arms (for idri'ti),
zirira huttons (for izrira, the accent still remaining on the second
syllable), sinan teeth (for isnan), imrat or mirat wife, ibriq or
biriq jug, 1 Ibrahim or Birahim, 2 Isma'in or Sima'in. V
versa, Isleman is used for Sileman when it is desired to
lengthen or emphasize the word, as when calling one of that
name for the second or third time ; similarly Inibarka for
Mebarka (Mebarlka).
Remark. — Short initial u more rarely changes places with
the consonant, but instances are not wanting, as Luqsiir (i.e.
il uqsur = il qusur) the castles, Luxor, usba' (for Buba') finger.*
§ 16. The vowels are one and all thicker and more rounded in
Arabic than they are in our language, 4 a fact which should never
be forgotten by those who wish to speak without an English
accent. But they will never receive their true colourint: unless
the consonants surrounding them are correctly pronounced
"Take care of the consonants and the vowels will take care of
themselves," 6 is an excellent piece of advice if properly understood;
and it will be found that the thickness or comparative thinness
of a vowel depends t<> some extent not only on the consonant
1 Cf. Eebr. /. i ■•'■• and Lei Elebr. gram.) cites
etabh ! iblish, )(0es :n,| l l '\
Birahim the i is not always pronounot pitlly,
and some! imes Barahim is heard.
8 He.br. ezba*.
* Vowels are in Knglish pronounced more in the front of
mouth, in Cairene Arabic more in the upper part oi
11, i~ i- the substance of Spitta'a remark.
GENERAL REMARKS OX THE VOWELS 11
immediately preceding or following it, but upon the whole
weight or measure of the word, resulting from the conflicting
influences of the consonants which it contains. Thus the v<
word, or even of a phrase, in which one or more of I
. d, s, z occur, will be pronounced heavily throughout
unless the weaker consonants exert a contrary influence; and
this they will only be able to do if not in immediate proximity
to the stronger ones. In the word samula nut (screic), the tir-r
a is thick, the A lightly so, while the fit rcely feel-
influence of the s at all; in balta axe, both a'a are thick, the
first in spite of the b and I, because by pronouncing it thick ^e
can get the tongue more quickly into the position required for
the pronunciation of the {• The consonants which tend to
• the thick shading of the vowels are ?•, i, h, d, z, », /,
/, m, n, y.
The following words spelt in Arabic dictionaries with
the dentals t, d, or the sibilants s, z, 1 are pronounced in
dialect of Cairo with t, d, g, or z, and are cited here in view of
the effect which these con.-onants have upon the vowels, as
ined above. In some instances (marked with an asterisk)
the value of the t and d is nearer that of the English dentals
than the Arabic palatals. It will be observed that an emphatic
consonant, by acting on a whole word or phrase, is able to
dental or sibilant to its own class; also that the
dally when preceded by a long vowel, and the
vowel a attract the emphatic consonant-; and lastly, r hat t is
r immediately preceded by «, nor fon the other hand) d I
t for t: —
i l.i t
wilder
ed
tar â–
' i ine$
iklr
rhno8e
taza
i -t.in.it *
//.-"•
ib.'za (or
table
ir 5
-•fin
tur.ii
Tin
tort of dru
a
t ;i;
fruit
1 t in c lu de s the Koranic th, and g the Koranic i ,pron< I
arid t in Ndhwy,
1C. iiiihti! .
nd ikhtivar c/
ic ' muntazar, Imt mini i/.ii .
fc> I Uh du*t, and ;
12
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
tamr (or
dates
tor (but pi.
ox
tamr)
tiran) 2
turnbak (or
Persiantobacco
tatura
thorn apple
tumbjik)
tisht (and pi.
basin
tandif
cleaning
tushut)
*tanf id i
dusting
za'tar
thyme
*turumbeta
tambourine
santi
centimetre
it taurat
the pentateuch
sot 3
voice
tunis (and
sakieh rope
sit 4
repute
pi. tawanis
)
natar (or
tli rote
taiyar
current
''natar) 'â–
The t used in the formation of the dual of feminities is par-
tially assimilated to a palatal when the i falls out, as *udten (for
oditen) two rooms, *futten two towels (for f utitcn) ; also in the
first and second person singular and second person plural, and
even in the third person fern, singular of the past tense of
verbs whose final radical is t or d, as *ghulutt / made a mistake,
*'aiyatit site wept. Indeed it would hardly be possible to pronounce
it otherwise without a pause between the two syllables. In
"heavy" words forming their plurals in at the final / is n<
sarily pronounced thick, and in tasat cups, its conversian to the
palatal is complete.
verbs are more conveniently translated by the infinitive, though
they are quoted in the third person singular of the past b
Where the aorist is not mentioned it also, as a rule, has the
thick cons< inant.
i The d being at the end of the word does not exerl bo Btrong
an influence on the initial / as it does in tandif. Note that f
and | do not affect the dental in the Bame d f and it.
thus we Bay tanair (not Uvnstr) baptism ; nor does / u.-ualh
influence s and unless in close proximity to them.
- The effect of tin- r being counteracted by the long final
syllable and the short i lit' the first.
- i |auwa{ shout, &c.
* So saiyit, missaiyat reputed.
- i inaiiUir an : /ri/. We say nataru "da till dir.'i'u be thrust
it an arm's teitgtfi off t but * nataru (i 1 ard At t H the
grot
GENERAL REMARKS ON THE YOWBLS
l.°»
d for d / —
barnd 1
gunpOWCk r
didd (or
against
bardu -
also
didd) 5
tadara 3
young hens
dufda' â–
frogs
•.'haddar 4
treacherous
dahrag
to roll
bar (or
eleven
dar,dauwar 7
to turn
hidashar)
tad)
had
dart) (and
radawa
I'ddnesB
pl.durub)
>iiyad,
fisherman
dabbur(al>o
h<>rnet
seyad
dabbfir)
aadar
>ed
darfa (or
leaf of shutter
'asida (or
soup of flow
darfa)
or door
•asida)
darra
udder
qusad
opposite
dura
maize
mabrad
file
durra (or
parrot
namrud (but
tyrant
durra)
pi. na-
dastur
by your leave
marda)
In suduf to chance, the dal is very thick, and in the aorist
yisdaf practically d, the s being changed to s in conformity with
the rule stated above.
London becomes Lundura or Lundura (or Lundi-.i).
s for 8 : —
a-tabl
ttalde
busat (and
carpet
atlas
8a tin
pi. ibsita)
assar
im/'C.^
luirnus (pi.
cloak
i r inarr 8
i/i t brown
1 la ranis)
master
t pasta
step
ba?at 9
tut
Bulus
Paul
1 So baruda gun (but also baruda).
Bat more generally bardu.
gular bid]
So nag] i, but generally ghadar he deceit
- i diddly&t animosities, though diddlya in the singular oi
account <>f the thin <t after y,
'â– In tli.- diet ionaries dufda'.
7 So dor turn. I 1 re often pronounced with d; we
•'>o fin spread, id darbe d&i fell thick,
:\\ dir when it standi alone.
â– , &c., but misnirr getting brown,
' And derivative- i i il • leased, iid>i«..r I
I grordi are all aln pronounced w
14
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
bastawiya
roll of stuff
sahran "
sitting up at
bast
rex d pen
a i lint
bastarma
dried meat
issarmah 'â– '
to lice fast
bust a
pod
sara ( but
he in i
buqsumat
biscuits
aor. yisri)
(usually)
sagar,sagara
trees, a tree
bulis
police
issattah lu
flat
tasa
bowl
sattar 11
t<> i â–
tasa
to cheat
satarang
chess
tass
to strike
satal
intoxicate
ghutus (and
to dive
Silt 1
hurl,, t
deriva-
sata(and de-
t<> attack
tives)
rivatives)
haras *
to guard
sallat, <fcc.
incite
hasra -
pity
saltah
t" smooth
husum (fre-
hot days in
issaltan, <tc 12
be overnei'iiiwj,
quently
mouth of
civ.
also hu-
Badua
salata (or
sat ait
sum) :;
salata
ras (pi. rus)' 1
head
saniat, <fcc.
to .--ratd
rafas (and
kick
sandai a
tuft
deriva-
sanilarus
rarnish
tives)
santil
smi of harp
satur
chopper
saininar (us-
in nail down
saklial 5
revile
ual;;.
sarr' 1
to cheer
saiiitar. &C.
smooth trith
salali '
SOndpoq
saraya
palace
saut
acacia mOotiea
garba'
to hurry
1 So hi.ris guardian^ il Main . &c
-' So it hassar n gn i . &c.
3 Though double pi. form husumat.
4 Bui rismal capital^ itrasmil acquin capii .a..
3c maekhut turned into stone, Ac
Bo sunn'. /.<//.-. masrur joyotut, bu1 masin I
7 A lid -.nal'.il l BCatH u
l sometimes sihir, &c, to $U up.
■uinalia <i,hiui clu ,■i .. but >inuah •l>l»iuchee.
-ii i ii:i lying flat) path >uiuli
"> ( .-i ..'•/■. A C
u Bui perhaps more usually issaltan, Bulfai
So musmar or mismar tail.
GENERAL REMARKS ON THE VOWEL-
15
simsl
brok
faetar
n'n
BUD
lit Uian<l <!••-
be killed
§irm
fitMu
rivatives)
la.<!<
fin t as
cisft
jAgar '
!
qarnae
be chilled
chapter of
<|a>sat, ifcc.
di\
Koran
i|i>t
pitci
Mir
reins
kharaa&D
stones i
.sutr.i (or
table
small
gufra),&c.
khalbaa
to lie
yukkar i
sugar
kliuru- ''
be dumb
sukkar),ifcr
khusur "
, >ilt
sultni.
basin
lair.'.
titer
>ultaiiiva
ina-uia '•*
pipe
>ii'i«it -
to fall
maskhara 10
buffo
'asalla
may he
_-|i.';> (pi.
large beU
;i 3
bria\
oawaghls)
'iti>, Ac,
to m
nuninlsi (or
deal' r in china,
'U.sU,
0.<uta/i
iiumru-i u
la mpe, ..
EaiHf 4
W.l-.t, WLHt '-
in id
I fox z: —
almaz (aln ond
bazabart
passport
tail.
bazra
mongrel
izau
ta/a
if hi.'
be arrog
taiabe/.a (or
'table
izziit! it
to slip
tarabeza)
izzarbin
stor
tozztna
Bui lukurtab insurana .
- i paqt miscarriage, suqq&ta door-latch, &c.
I '.nt 'aiis bridi groom.
• But f &ri ■nan.
'iar.
&&, but occasionally wre beai
â– I derivatives khasrao spoilt, Icbtu
Literary lauwal ba.
3 dual in i-uit. ii, l>ut |.l. mav
With verb itmafkhar, Ac.
11 PL iiaiii.n
11 So uwawHHV intervene, wuft&ni mt
16
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
tuzze fishsh
nonsense
zallat, &c.
strip
tiz"
buttocks
zalat
stone pave-
garaz (garaz)
bell
ment
gazar x
to butcher
zambalita
brawl
gazar
carrots
zamniar, &c.
play on a
gambaz
deal in horses
reed
gumbaz
gymnastics
zamruat
tighten
ganzar
be rusty
zahr, zuhur 9
flowers
ginzara 2
kind of eye-
zaura 10
a choking
lotion
zor
throat
hazzura 3
story, riddle
zur
force
zauwar 4
forge, tell lies
'ariza
petition
zaf ar 5
fat, grease
fazar, &c.
burst
zar 6
to visit
fantaz n
make display
zat?
make merry
faruzi, farozi
of turquoise
zabat
mud
kharazan (or
cane
za'but
icoollen cloak
khazaran)
za'tar
thyme
lazhar
college oj El
za'faran
saffron
Azhar
zagar
glare at
lazlaz
plump
zaghrat 8
shriek from joy
nia'zur 12
excused, excus
zagat
swallow
able
zaqtat
be in high
mazmur
tight
spirits
mazyara 13
stand for zir
and a few others.
Remark. — It will be observed that a final long syllable,
bearing as it were most of the weight of the word, tends to check
the thickening of the consonants of the other syllables.
1 So gazzar butcher and other derivatives, but we frequently
hear gazar, &c, and always yingizir, ifcc.
But ginzari nile-blue.
But hazzar or hazzar to guess. Children say hazzilra.
So zur false, but tazwir forging.
So zaffar, kc, but zifir greasy.
And most derivatives, but ziyara or ziyara a visit.
So zi* ta n
8 And substantive sagbxuta, &c.
9 But double pi. zuhurat, and zuhriya a f
10 So yirwar he choh e, i>ut ziwir he choked, and sauran choking.
' ' So I'antaziya parodt .
But *uzi
1 Although zir (<m earthen fitter) is itself pronounced with ..
GENERAL REMARKS ON THE VOWELS
17
-. On the other hand, a few words written in the literary
language with a palatal or hard sibilant are pronounced with
the corresponding softer consonant : —
gaiter
ton
In mabsut content, the t is sometimes pronounced as a
dental, and in taiyib good, it resembles the English t.
t for t:—
tangara
tarram
tarraz
saucepan
break the teeth 1
embroider
tuzluk (pi
tizalik)
turnata -
d for d.—
daq 3
be narrow
dufda'
frogs
dh-s (pi.
/m Jar tooth
madagh,na-
masticate, chew
dirus)
dagh
dihik, <fcc.
laugh
8 for s : —
sabagh 4
dye
sandilq
box
saqal, <tc.
j'olish
sagh 7
work in gold
samgh, &,c.
gum
_rh s
sound
aakk
strike
sidr 9
brt cat
speak true
siqala(ItaL)
scaffolding
iially)
me
simakh
orifice (of ear)
aidgh
chet/c
sinebar (or
fir
sifr
cipher, blow
-iii'' ;
:-iqi 6
be cold
Bdl (Turkish)
icarrant-ofjv-' r
sahra
desert
misfirr 10
turned yellow
saqqaf
•■hip the hands
for *.■—
qazara Calso qazara) filth
1 Of a Berpenl .
- lint more usually turnata.
â– 'â– And derivatives daiyaq narrow,
' So sabbagh dyer, dkc.
idlq true, &c.
â– i frost, Baq'an frosty,
. i> W( U< ry.
'. ijirsln ifigh
' istcoat.
r yellow.
18 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
PRONUNCIATION OF THE CONSONANTS
8 19. b is pronounced a little thicker than in English; e.ff.
ben between, gab lie brought ; nb at the end of a word approaches
the sound of np, as in zanb fault.
t and d are more dental than they are in our language, being
akin to, if not identical with, the Italian, Spanish, and Celtic
dentals. The tongue should be brought well against the front
teeth and quickly withdrawn; e.g. tarak to leave, birid grow
cold, t occasionally sounds as d at the end of a syllabi
kadbu writing it (for katbu, contracted from katibu), kanid it
teas (for kanit), yidba' he follows (for yitba'), il bid da this
house (for il bet da, il bit da), hadrid iz zabit his honour the
officer. On the other hand, </ sounds as t in the aorist of many
verbs whose past tense begins with d, especially when tin-
middle consonant is /, as dihik laugh, dafa' pay, dafan bury,
aor., yidhak, yidfa', yidtin (pronounce yithak, ifcc.) ; shuhhad
witnesses, generally sounds shuhhat.
t is a strong palatal. The tongue 18 made convex and
brought sharply against the palate, towards the middle; e.g.
tab become well, B&t voice; as a final it sometimes sounds as </'.
as yidbukk he cooks (for yitbukh).
g sounds very much as the hard g in the English wo
The tongue should strike high about the upper row of teeth;
e.g. gum they come, gir lime, mfig waves.
git is perhaps identical with the Northumbrian /•. and is
nearly equivalent to the Provencal /• grassSyi. The uvula lies
along the bark part of the tongue, the tip of which touches the
bottom of the lower row of the front teeth, while the centre i-
arched ; e.g. ghab to be absent, balagh to reach.
h is the English //, but is more distinctly pronounced, the
litis being well opened. It is always .Miunded whatever its posi-
tion in the word, as in huwa he, af ham / understand, nadah to
call; though between two vowels il Ls sometimes rather slovenly
pronounced, as shehadtu his evidence (almost ghadtu).
I; is a b oth bul \ ery strong guttural aspiral narks
under 'j. a portion of the breath La forced with Borne vi( .
through the nostrils 1 ; <.g. hags thing, bal
1 Sputa Bays thai a shorl a (of the nature of a furtive
pathakhf) is inserted between I ad l< (thus rt*h, i
but this appears to be the case only when the syllable La cm
phasized and drawn out Elth and ruh can both I
pure!) .
PRONUNCIATION OF THE CONSONANTS 19
if is, like f, ;i strong palatal. The tongue is placed high
above the upper row of front teeth, the tip curled upv<
in- palate. Its peculiarly strong explosi
difficult to acquire, is less marked in Cairo than among the
Arabs of the des rt; e.g. daf he added, hadir ready, 'add to
pronounced una.- strongly and more forward in the
mouth than in English, and only very slightly trilled, if at all.
1' i- always sounded distinctly and with its full value, wherever
its position ; - .g, rigl foot, darar </<i/ini : /- .
- in the word zeal; e.g. zina ornament, ghaz petroleum.
In yizkur he mentions, speales well of, and a few other words, it
>ound> a.- & j is a trery Btrong .:, partaking of the nature of a
palatal It i- pronounced at the back of the mouth, and the
Wreath is expelled with considerable force; e.<j. zalim oppressor.
8 as in seal, but rather more forward in the mouth ; â– .
'7. At the end of a syllable it is often sounded as z, as in
the words isma'l hear I masdud blocked, maskun inhabited, hisba
account (pronouneed optionally izma', ftc.).
th as in TCpgliah ; eg. shal>l> yoiitli, sh.i.-h muslin. It gi
ally represents the Turkish teh in words borrowed from that
language In the foreign words shakk cheque, shaketta .,
pronounced saketta and gaketta), and occasionally in the
word mush not, it is not, it has the sound of ~h or Kn gliqh ah in
m .
i \.m v strong sibilant pronounced well back in the mouth.
The ' bould be held tight, so to speak, and the tip pressed
againsl the lower front teeth. It often sound.- as i, as in
qasd intention, usbur I wait. 1 sugaiyar email (pronounce optii
qasd, d
guttural of the same nature as //.and peculiar to
the Bemitic languages, bul is not quite so strongly articulated
in Oairene as in some other Arabic dialect
I- noid in conjunction with the differenl vowehs
can only be acquired by practice. The following description of
• and | ii given by Mas Miiller from Czermak. " It' the _â–
mowed and the vocal chords brought near together, aot,
however, in a straigbl parallel position, but distinctly notched
in the middle, while at the same time the epiglottis is pr<
down, then the stream of breath in passing assumes the <
Arabic hha (/'). as distinguished from h, the pii-itua
It bhi manl it become - '..in. Stai ting
from the configuration as d( I foi hha, all that takes \
20 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
ba' to sell. Sometimes it is barely audible, as in the numeral
'ishrin twenty, or in the expression, 'abal ma yigi until he comes ;
and it has fallen out altogether from the numerals between 10
and 20, and from a few other words, as lissa 1 still (for li s sa'a),
bid 'annak far be it from you (for bi'id).
/ as in English, except before d, z, z, s, sh, and s, when it
approaches very near to the sound of v, as in yifdah he disgraces,
yifdal he remains, khifda the vowel i, yifza' lie frightens, mehafza
government, lafz word, yifshakh he cuts in two, yifsah he explains
(pronounce yivdah, &c).
q. The deep guttural A'-sound of this letter is often heard
even in conversation, especially where the words in which it
occurs are technical terms, or denote religious objects, or are as
a rule confined to the literary language. There are still, perhaps,
a few of the higher and learned class who admit no other pro-
nunciation, and the foreigner who adopts it will pass with the
mass for a man of great erudition. In the words Quran Koran,
qamiis dictionary, qat'a 2 (where equivalent to hemza), all classes
give it the guttural sound ; but its usual value, whatever its
position in the word, is a strong hiatus, such as is generally
heard before words beginning with a vowel in German, or in
the French word haut. The " educated " q is the English </
without its u ; and if, while the muscles of the throat are still
compressed preparatory to its vocalisation, a simple vowel sound
only is allowed to escape, the value of the spiritus q, as heard at
the beginning of a syllable, will be obtained. When it occurs at
the end of a syllable the muscles are placed in position for the
full q sound, but almost immediately released ; e.g. qal to say,
faq to awake. It may of course be doubled like any other
consonant. Between two vowels it is liable to be slovenly
pronounced and reduced to the value of a weak qat'a, as in
faqat only, daqa'iq minutes, laqel / found) baqet / remained,
yequm he yets up. Bi qadde eh? by lioic much? becomes
in order to change it into 'ain is that the rims of the apertures
left open for hha arc brought close together, so that the stream
of air Btriking against them causes a vibration <>n the fissura
larangea, and uot, as for other sonant letters, in the real
glott 1
1 Cf. fisa ( ti is -.',•. 1 1 at once, in Algerian.
Qamus, however, is also pronounced with the aspirate;
qur'an verj rarely. The word qat'a is only known to those who
have been to Bchool, where of course only the guttural sound is
.tdmitii'd at lessons.
PRONUNCIATION OF THE CONSONANTS 21
practically badde eh, and haqqiqatan truly, hayatan. 1 iq before
a consonant sometimes sounds almost as e, as in itkhaniqt /
quarrelled.
Remark. — The hard ^-sound of this letter, sometimes heard
in Cairo, is peculiar to natives of Upper Egypt and some other
parts of the country, and must not be imitated. 2
/â– is perhaps slightly aspirated. The tongue should touch
the roof of the mouth and not be too hastily withdrawn ; e.<j.
kan lie was, lik to thee. Before b and d, and sometimes at the
end of a syllable, its sound approaches that of '/, as in shuwaiya
kbir somewhat large, yikdib he li<s.
kh as rh in Scotch loch. The vocal chords are compressed
and the back part of the tongue arched ; e.g. khad he took,
akhkh brothi r.
I sounds much as in German, more liquid, trilled, and emphatic
than in English ; e.g. lei night, kalb dog. The double I in
Allah God, is very strongly pronounced.
m as in English, but usually more emphatic at the beginning
of a syllable ; e.g. moiya water, Maryam Mar;/.
n as in English; e.g. ndm deep, khan inn, bazaar. Before
b, and generally before /, it sounds as m, as in ganbu hi*
min ba'd after, manftikh blown (pronounce gambu, &c.). a
When ng occur together, they are pronounced as in English
ring, as in yingah he out of a difficulty, sifinga
spoh
w as in English, except that its character as a semi-vowel is
more apparent. It is pronounced almost as u at the end of a
word, as dilw bucket (pronounce almost dilu). 4 With a it forms
the diphthong aw, as in battauten (for battawten contracted from
battawiten) two loaves of coarse bread, daudih (for da we din)
this and that, yauliya (yawliya for ya wiliya ) lady/ It is
from its nature frequently interchanged with u.
y slightly weaker than in English. It- true value seems to
1 The word is contracted to haqqatan, then to ha'atan, and
the qat'a converted I
- 1: u b very old pronunciation; the Babylonian dialect was
distinguished from the Assyrian as far hack as it.c 2500 by
ouncing q as g. 1 8
3 Some words Beem to be more easily pronounced when n
as it- value before/than when it has thai of m, as manfus
< no! mamfus) jea out, angry.
4 It Hears the sain.- relation to it U - to I or to qat'a
in such a wop . ,, (ti'atro) thi
22 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
lie halfway between y and qat'a ; 1 e.g. yi'mil lie makes, izzeyak
how are you ? bahayim cattle, gay coming.
§ 20. Care must be taken to " finish " the consonants, that is,
to give each of them its full value. Occasionally the first of two
consecutive consonants is dropped before it is quite completed ;
but the habit of hurrying from one letter to another, to which
we are accustomed, is quite strange to an Oriental language.
Until he realises this, the foreigner will have difficulty in making
himself understood, however good his pronunciation may be in
other respects.
THE HIATUS (qat'a)
§ 21. The Arabs consider, and no doubt rightly, that no syllable
can begin with a vowel; but the hiatus (or spiritus lenis), which
they say precedes it, only becomes perceptible before a vowel
immediately following a closed syllable, or after an open syllable.
It is called qat'a a piece cut off, or (less commonly), hamza com-
pression, and in the above-mentioned positions is not easily dis-
tinguished from the Cairene pronunciation of q. That it ba-
the value of a consonant is shown by the fact that, when following
a closed syllable in the same word, it throws the accent on the
vowel which it introduces (§ 39, b.), as in the word mas'ala
question, and that the helping vowel e may stand between the
last two consonants of one word and the (apparently) initial
vowel of the next, as in qumte ana / gut up ; that it is weaker
than q follows from the circumstance that it is constantly elided,
as qumt ana (pronounce qum-tana), w ana and I (for we ana),
besides having wholly disappeared from many words. It
sometimes closes a syllable or even follows a consonant, in both
of which cases it has the value of a weak Vv, as in isti'naf
appeal, guz 1 //art. It is often pronounced with the leasl possible
exertion, and there is a tendency bo drop it altogether at the
of a Billable. 2
DOUBLE CONSONANTS
§ 22. The Arabs are said to be unable to pronounce fcwo eon'
sonants a1 the beginning of a syllable without the help of t
vowel, and thereforej where they occur bogel her in foreign words,
they detach them by placing a short » or < either before or after
1 With which it is often interchani
Qa^a is not, as a rule, printed in this work before thei
at the beginning of a word, bul it- presence mu bten.
DOUBLE CONSONANTS 23
the first, as Ifransa, or Flransa 1 (or For. we, ifrank (or
ferank) /rank, bertmo first (Ital. primo), situ s
but the natives of < iairo often pronounce br, gr,Jr, kr, and :
in krumb cabbage, ingllz English, as nearly q do our-
selves without the intervention of a helping vowel. -
When a word not followed immediately by anothe
in two coi which cannot be pronounced consecutively, a
cely audible vowel Bound appears between the two, or after
the second, n- in til>'n 3 (or less frequently tibn*) strata, dtuh'r
' in this position causes the preceding consonant to be
sounded very sharply, while it has but little value itself, 4
rub' a fourth.
. The doubling of a particular consonant is called by
the .' shdid (strengthening), and may be either
eing required by the structure of the word
fahhim to cause to understand (from fihim to , t'akk
to unfit- ; or euphonic, as being due to assimilation of on
another, as ish shams the sun (for il Bhams).
Remark a. — Observe that the final consonant of the words
abb 6 father, akhkh brother, damm Wood, fumm mouth, and yadd*
. i- .-iiiL'le in the literary language and doubled in the
colloquial. In the construct form the two form* r ever,
abu, akhu, not abbu, akhkhu (§ li'l). Tl obe min I
thert il akhkhe dih th . but abuh his father,
akhfihum th' :
Kkmakk h. — The doubled consonants must be pro
nounced twice over, though when g, h, r, sh, ', /, y, /.-A, â–
â– be first is not quite so fully sounded as the second. 7
1 The i here i oatnre of that described above (i 15).
- We generally hear itneo ifrank, talata (or talata) frank.
" I always hear kfirumb, as in ' umb-o-rella.' " — (S.)
-t distinction between this sound and the tibin
of Upper Egypt or of the inattentive foreign resident. The half
vowel inserted u equivalent to the Hebrew >lr\a, and the fifth
order of the Bthiopic towels.
-, itta.
< "t. Syr. and Ohald. abba, whence 1. I I
< III i> used for Id in the spoken language, but only in
.in expressions borrowed from the literary dialect. Bo in
a- we have both v// and Ida, Chaldee ayda,
7 The double / of walla or, is not always distinctly pro-
nounced in hurried talk, as wala tnen or two (foi walla tndi .
walla Ital
24 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
But when there is a pause after them, either the first only will
be heard, while the stress laid upon it causes a slight aspirate to
be heard ; or, as is the case with two different consonants not
pronounceable together, a helping vowel is placed after the
second, as rag h (or ragg e ) he shook. Occasionally the second is
dropped even where there is no pause, as khash 'aleh (for khashshe
'aleh) lie went into his presen
§ 25. Euphonic tashdid may take place : —
(a) When the / of the article il is assimilated to the first letter
of the noun to which it is attached, that letter being one of the
following : t, t, g, d, d, r, z, z, s, sh, 8, k, n ; e.<J. it tibn the straw,
id darba the blow, is sef, the .-"ran/, is B§f tJtt summer, in nar th*
fire (for il tibn, il darba, &c. ).
Remark. — The / not uncommonly remains unchanged before
the letters g and k, as il gazzar (or ig gazzar) the butcher, il gum'a
(or ig gum'a) the week; il kursi the chair, is preferred to ik
kursi, while ig giran the neighbour, is more used than il gtran.
It is purely a matter of euphony, such harsh combinatdoi
ik kull the whole, being mostly avoided, g appears to assimilate
more easily than /,-. The article occasionally remains intact
before the other letters when the word is emphasized.
(b) When the / of the fourth, fifth, and sixth derived forms
of the verb is assimilated to the radical, being one of the ah
mentioned letters, with the exception of r and n, or when th<
sign of the second pers. sing, or third fern. sing, of the aorist is
assimilated to t, d, or d ; e.g. ittallaqit sh* . ggannin
he went mad, ishsharmat if was torn, ikkabh it was poured (for
ittallaqit, itgannin, &&), biddauwar or biddauwar (for bitdau-
she turns.
Remark. — Here again g and /,- often exert no influei
•.in (or iggad'an) 1 /" behavt bravt \y. The imperative itkallim
ttpeah is more emphatic than ikkallim.
('•) When, in the first or second pers. Bing. or the »
pers. pi. of tlu> past tense of the veil., <l is assimilated to/ or/
to /, :is kli.it tn (for khadtu) I took if, rakittu (for rabattu) you
bound. As a rule, however, only m partial assimilation takes
place here, khadtu more often than no! Bounding as it i- wi
and the Second / Of rahattu being leSS palatal than the iiist.
i</> Wnere the third consonanl of the third pen. sing, of the
tense of the triliteral verb is a sibilant, and assimilates the
negative sign sh, or is itself assimilated to it, as ma 3
_\ in'ishsh) /" does not d , ma yikhlass (or yikhlashsh) i
INTERCHANGE OF CONSONANTS 35
finish, ma yihbisbsh (from yihbis) he dne.< not . ma
yikhhishsh h>> d"'S n/A lake (from yikhbiz). The negati.
_ rawiz he mil marry, is ma yiggauwizz, ma yiggauwi-
ma yiggauwishsh.
Where one liquid is assimilated to another, as kal lu
(for kan lu) there was t<> him, Le. he had : so yekul I
il la (for in la) if not, lazrnil lu (for lazmin lu) we.<sary (pi.)
to hint, b;il li (for ban li) it appeared t" me, mil litnen (for mill
Litnen) from tht t>r<>, Bakhkhal lu (fur sakhkhan lu) lie Ju
for Asm, mir riglen (for min riglSh) from hi.-- feet, khulkhar
rigleha (for khulkhal) the anklets on lierfeet, khanna (for khalna)
our uncle, qunna (for qulna) ic said, ishtiri nna (for ishtiri
lna, i.e. ishtiri Una) buy for a.--, ana minni r ruhi (for minni 1
ruhi, i.e. minni li ruhi) / of myself, ir ra'adit (for in ra'adit )
if it thunders, il laqet (for in laqgt) if I find, kam masik (foi
kan masik) tie tea.* luiding.
Kkmabk. — The / of the preposition fi is sometimes as
lated to a b following it (the i dropping out), as qa'adu b Bariz
they I and sh of niush not, to another sibilant,
as muz sanbl it it not my fault, mug >aliih it is not true.
Kunt / was, thou wast, is very frequently pronounced kutt, as
kutte fun ? where icere you ? and bint daughter, girl, bitt. 1
INTERCHANGE OF CONSONANTS
The Koranic th is regularly pronounced s in oahwy,
while it is represented in the colloquial language by /, and
rionally by s; ti •. thaqtl heavy, thalatha r
nahw. saqll, salasa ; colloq. talata, tiqil, ittaqil, or (less usually)
. il 'ala to bt harsh.
The Koranic dh (dhal) i.s z in oahwy, (2, and occasionally z in
ne ; thus Kor. akhadha hei ok, nahw. akhaz; Cair. akhud,
but (from the sam ^biz blame; Kor. dhimma
naliw. ziiiiina ; Cair. dimma.
• h m, as manta].'>n (or !>antal'n) fr
minadim (for bin sdan A tarn, rubatizii [(
. ul_\ represents the p, and occasionally the v of foi
.
il Turkish coin), babur train,
_ ,i- for babur; with foreign /-sound, as
'il.
1 H I 8yi iac
26 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
gh with q, as yighdar he is able (for yiqdar) ; with kh, 1 as
khishi (for ghishi) 'aleh (aor. yikhsha) to faint, yikhshil (more
usual than yighsil, though the past tense ghasal is more usual
than khasal) he washes, khafar (or ghafar) to watch, ightalas
(for ikhtalas) to embezzle.
h with ' very commonly, in fact whenever the surrounding
letters are such as to render it easier to pronounce ; 2 e.g. betahtu
his, for beta'tu (less usual), biht (for bi't) / sold, rauwah go
vway, but rauwa' 'ala betak go atcay home, ihtaraf to confess,
'afaq (or hafaq) to seize
d with b (or p) in lamda (pi. lumad) or lamba lamp.
r with », as dundurma 3 (or durdurma) ice-cream, Bonte Sa'id
(or Burte Sa'id) Port Said ; with I, as rakhar the other also (for
lakhar, i.e. il akhar), rastabl the stable (for lastabl). Revolver
becomes lifurfur.
z and z with « and s, as izbitalya hospital, bazabort pass-
port. (See also under pronunciation.)
sh with s and s in a few words, as sams (or shams) sun,
sakhsh (or shakhs) person, satrang (or shatrang) chess, sagara
(nahrcy shagara) tree ; 4 with z in ingliz English.
f represents v in lifurfur and a few other words ; but the
Arabs are able to pronounce v, and revulver is often heard.
(See § 19.)
q with k in a few Turkish words, as kalfa or (less usually)
qalfa chief female servant in a harem. b Eau gazeuse is called
gazzusa or kazzuza. The nahwy tilqa/i nafsu of his oicn accord, is
pronounced tilka nafsu in the spoken language ; with kh in
1 taqshish largess, present, from Pers. bakhshish (through Turkish) ;
with g (see above).
1 l rn, when = g/it"», is represented by kh in Assyrian. — (S.)
2 The Hebr. 'ayn is said to have been pronounced very much
ls h at one time.
3 The Turkish form.
4 sh is preferred in all these words by the higher class, who
regard the. other forms as corruptions, though they are perhaps
in reality of a higher antiquity.
5 A few are pronounced with // only in Arabic, though
written with q in Turkish, as karakdn (Turkish qaraqdl),
there being very little difference between the two letters
in that language; both qarnahrj and karnabtt caulifl
are said
INTERCHANGE OF CONSONAWTS
k with lch in a few foreign words, as khartush cartouck,
kharriib carrob.
I with n, as 'ilwan or (less usually) 'inwan addr
*cription, inbarih (pronounce imbarih) for il barih
in Ishmael, in fingan (sometimes) for il fingan l the cuj*,
kabsuna capsule, malifatora manufacture, armali (Turk. > rrnen'i)
Armtmian, barakat warsal (Turk, berekat versin) thank you,
tantana (or tantilla) lace (Ttal.), 'ala tubbil ghafil (for tubbin)
'>/. (See also under pronunciation.)
ui with b (see above) : with n, as natai it and matarit it
I, madagn and nadagh cltew tol >, Fatma and Fatna,
pr. 7i., malin miUidme, shindi (Turk, shimdl) at once. (See under
this letter, ;j 19.)
th the v of foreign language-, as wabur (though more
often babur) vapore, warsin or warsal (above) ; with y in some
parts of weak verbs and verbal nouns, and in the expression ya
buwa (sometimes) for ya buys ! my father !
y with t0 (see above): with qat'a, as qayil (for qa'il) saying,
tivatro theatre (Ital. teatro);* conversely in'al! (for
yin'al) (§ HO).
TRANSPOSITION OF LETTERS
§ 28. It is not an uncommon thing in Arabic for a word to
have two alternative forms with the letters in different positions,
as in the following examples : hafar (or fahar) to dig, lakhbat (or
khall ranib or (rarely) anarib hares, na'al
and yin'al lie curses (or la'an and yil'an), iggauwiz I .. and
(na/ury) izzauwig, gflz husband, gd2 and (na
and zoga, bartaman and martaban earthen pot ; so gamaduna.
demijohn, ginninar general (n = 1).
CONTRACTION
1. Eusioh
§ 29. When two vowels meet in different words, one of •
.• gether with the qat'a, and falls out, m
• of course plays a part here; / ami n are,
owing to their natural affinity, interchanged whenever euj
to demand it.
1 Of. literary bi*» with Oairene Mr ( = biyr), a icell.
28 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
of course, there is a pause between the words ; 1 and the weaker
usually yields to the stronger. E.g. : —
da na (for da 'ana) it is I
w ana (for we ana) and I
bidd albis (for biddi albis) i" want to dress
ya hmad (for ya Ahmad) Ahmed/
ya Hi (for ya illi) thou who !
w ummu (for we ummu) and his mother
lagl (for li agl) for, in order that
ill atwal minni (for illi atwal) he who is taller titan I
da na mmak or da n ummak it is I, your mother
(for da ana ummak)
fi 1 bet (for fi il bet) in the house
ya akh ana bahazzar waiyak I am only joking with yon,
(for ya akhi ana, &c.) my friend
but ya akhi ana 'auzak my friend, I want your
Remark a. — The i throws out the a sometimes, as in bi smi
llah (for bi ismi Allah) in the name of God, bi zni llah by I i
permission. We may say either inta smak eh 1 or int ismak ah \
wit, d is your name ?
Remark l>. — Elision is by no moans obligatory upon the
speaker, and experience alone will enable the foreigner to make
a proper use of it. Euphony and emphasis both play an im-
portant part, and it must be remembered that in Arabic, as in
other languages, it is important to lay a little stress upon, or to
1 A pause is often useful for the purpose of emphasizii
word that Follows, as ana we abuya kem&n I ami my father too.
Vowels elided a i-i • not printed in t lie grammar, in order thai
the exact pronunciation of the words in a sentence may be clearlj
represented. It musl be remembered thai where the initial
vowel of a woid disappears, the firsl syllable of that word will in
pronunciation form one with the last syllable of the preceding
word, and when the final \ ow el of a w Mid is thrown out. the la-;
consonanl of that word will belong to the firsl pliable of the
following word ; thus da line inin / (for da ibne nun f) UfhoSi
is that? will he pronounced dab oe nun; int Lsmak en, in-tismak
(h. Tin- Bystem ha-- the disadvantage of presenting the words
wherever elision takes place in a truncated i or in ; but as they an
all given in full in the vocabularies, no confusion will arise,
only alternatives won hi he to enclose the missing vowels in ever}
ii brackets, or indicate their omission by an apostrophe, the
gigS universally adopted to repre-.nt the hiatus •/ i/'u.
CONTRACTION 29
pause slightly ;ifter, one of the words comprising '-nee,
though none of them be particularly emphatic, in order to
the listener time, as it were, to look around him. Thus it may
be preferable at one time to say, lamma ruhte ana when I
'ande ukhtu at his sister's house t eA another, lamma ruht ana (pro-
nounce rah tana), or 'and ukhtu (pronounce 'an dukhtu).
Remahk c. The vowel of the definite article is almost invari-
ably elided ; that of the prepositions bi, li, is occasionally retained
and pronounced very rapidly, as li (or le) ummu (or 1 ummu) to
hit mother. It never coalesces with the i of the conjunction
inn.
2. Omission*, oh Falling Out of a Letter
§ 30. Qat'a may be dropped, not only when its vowel coa
with a preceding one, but after a consonant or vowel, whal
its position in the syllable ; e.<j. mi-nen (for min en) whence, ki
seh ( (for kis §h I) what purse f ras head (nahicy ra's), in sha llah
(or in sha Allah) if God will (both qafas disappearing).
Remark. — When a verb in the third person plural is followed
immediately by the definite article, the qat'a, which falls away
from the "rowel of the latter to allow of the elision, is not infre-
quently thrown back behind the u of the verb by way of &
ation, so that we may heal- wagad ur ragil (for wagadu r r
they found the man.
The letter// will often disappear at the end of a word, as
Alia (for Allah) God, luh (otIu) t<> hi m, huh (or bu) in, by, him . fSqJ
(literary fiqih) reciter of the Koran (but plural fuqaha), fi (orfih)
.
- has fallen out from a few wordi 19). In omnia'
li Al'fs mother (name also of a plant), it has changed places
with tin- '/.
The .short vowels may disappear: —
(a) From an open penultimate Byllable, where the vowel of
the antepenull (if the ward Lb of more than two syllables) is not
one l"ii.L r by position ; or from a final syllable it the penultimate
is long and open, and a word > • • ■lt i 1 1 1 1 i • i :_ r with a ""owe! follow
<.;/. la/.m.i (for Llama) necessary (fern.), khatru (for kh.itiiu) hi*
•, qimtu (for qimitu) its rain-. Irifaytu (for kif&yitu) its
1 ( Somp. i-t
l rthe shortening of the long vowels se< , andcouip.
Hebr. melek king, malka queen, ex., and Bthiopic t"i the
appearance of the \ owel. The principle is m>t unknown
Thus in Bulgai ian we have malbk small, f. in
30 THE SPOKEX ARABIC OF EGYPT
sufficiency, wirmit (for wirimit) it swelled (fern.), khadtu (for
khaditu) she took it, itkhanqu (for itkkaniqu) they quarrelled,
walditu his mother, sahb il bet (for sahib il bet) the owner of the
house, 'ayisha and 'esha are both in use as distinct names.
Remark a. — A very short i or e is sometimes heard in such
words as mu'akhiza blaming, lazima necessary, ya Beshir !
Beshir I instead of the contracted form, the vowel of the ante-
penult being pronounced half long. We hear 'alimin us the
plural of 'alim learned, because it hardly belongs to the col-
loquial language, but 'alma (for 'alima) a female singer. 1
Remark b. — a, being the strongest of the vowels, generally
retains its place, especially when surrounded by strong con-
sonants, as baladu his village, darabit she struck, batahu they
wounded ; but katabu (or katbu) they wrote, katabitu (or katbitu)
she wrote it, wi hyatak ! (for wi hayatak !) by your life ! ma lqetush
(for ma laqetush) / did not find it, taratan (or tartan) sometime*,
sahni nhas a copper dish, and even talata nsara (for talata nasara)
three Christian*.
Remark c. — The short vowel rarely falls out from the penult
of adverbs in -an (the accusative ending in the literary dialect), as
ghaliban probably, saniyan secondly, such words being retained, as
strangers, in their borrowed form; but tartan (above) for taratan.
Remark d. — When the vowel of the antepenult is A standing
for iw, or % followed by y, the vowel of the penult does not, as a
rule, fall out, as yulidu (for yiwlidu) they give birth, subhiyitu
( = subhiyyitu) its â– morning ; it does, however, sometimes in the
latter case, as baqiyt (or baqtt) il fulus (for baqiyit - il fulus) tie
rest of the money.
(/v) From the prepositions bi, li (bu, lu), and from most of
the syllables described in § 14, and other unaccented short
syllables at the beginning or in the middle of a word, a.> darabu
bha (for darabu biha) they struck with it (fern.), qulti lhuni (for
quite luhum) / said to them, naharak sa'id wi mbarak (for mu-
barak, mebarak) good morning.' li kmanu (for kumanu) in hi-
sleeves, bitqul (for bitequl) she says, valla bna, imshi bna v toi
yalla bina, &c.) 8 let us be going ; ma lqu Ihumshe hags (for ma
laqu luhumshe) they found nothing fir them, moiya adifa (for
1 This word is the Eebr. 'alma a maid. Rules might pos-
sibly be laid down as to the rases where the vowel disappears
altogel her, and where it has an almost imperceptible value, as the
Hebrew sbPva.
Che y here sounds as a weak qaf'a.
a The fuller forms are very frequently used.
OMISSION OF MOKE THAN ONE LETTEl; .".1
nidifa) dean water, mtt gineh wi ksur (for we kusur) £100 odd, ma
msiktush (for ina niisiktusk) / did not seize it, hmwa mn en I (for
min §n I) wAenee u fee f hiya ukhti mn abuya (for ukhti min
abuya) she is my sister by my father.
From a few final syllables, including those of some dis-
syllabic participles in constant use, though in this case the vowel
does not completely disappear when a word beginning with a
consonant follows, and two or three monosyllables ; e.g. 'auz (for
'awiz)and 'ayz (for 'ayi/.» waii&tt^, says (for s&yis) grooming, groom,
ravh (for T&ph) going, ittaub 1 (foritt&wib) yaum, illati (f or illS
â– , only thai, 'al i tor 'ala) on, adin, adin (for Sdlni) (though the
final i is originally long) when immediately followed by another
word, as adin g£t eee I have come, u f waqtina (for fi waqtin;- )
in our time, ana f fikri haga I have something in my mind.
Remark. — The negative sign sh doubtlessly stands for sh<
thing.
§ 34. The vowel of the article is sometimes dropped, as lab
the bed, litnen the two, lazhar the university of El Azhar, listam-
buli the man from Stambotd, lakhar or (more usually) rakhar 2 the
â– , lihmal the burdens, liswid tlie hlwlr, lahmar the red,*
Luqsur (for il uqsur = il qusur), 4 as litnen gum both came, il
waraq labyad the white paper, imrat lefendi the gentlt man's
Remark.— The article here forms one word with the noun, as
in Maltese, in which dialect it universally drops the vowel when
followed by a word beginning with another vowel.
ABBREVIATION OR OMISSION OF MORE
THAN ONE LETTER
§ 35. The senii-con-onant //, when both preceded and followe.I
l.y i or e, may coalesce with them before a single consonant, and
form the long vowel i, as biqul 6 ( = biyqul) for biylqul (or
biyequl) he is saying.
Remark a. — Similarly uwi and iwu may form u, but in this
1 Here also the contraction will not take place when a word
[finning with a consonant follows.
3eeg -'7.
3 The vowel ia very commonly omitted when the noun is on.
of those described in ,^ Gl.
' See g 15, ]!>:„i<ir/:.
The i of biqul is not pronounced very long in hurra
The iy often remains unchanged, a- in miylou tuu
32 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
case the union is not so complete, as uliftu (for u wiliftu) and
his companion (f.), bi wugudhum (almost bugudhum) in tlteir
presence.
Eemark b. — The iyi of the continued present of the perfect
verb occasionally contracts to i, as biktibu (for biyiktibu) they
write.
§ 36. The final syllable of 'ala on, and the in of min from,
often fall out before the definite article, as 'al husan (for 'ala 1
husan) on the horse, 'ag gimal (for 'ala g gimal) on the camels, 'ash
shibbak (for 'ala sh shibbak) on the window, mir riglen (for min ir
riglen) /ro??i the feet, mir riggala (for min ir riggala)/Vo?/i the men. 1
The la of 'ala has also disappeared in the words 'ashan (for 'ala
shan) fur, in order that, and 'abal (for 'ala bal in the conjunction
'abal ma) until.
§ 37. The article itself sometimes falls out after the relative
pronoun illi, as il akl, illi nsan yaklu (for illi il insan) Hie food
which man eats.
§ 38. The following are examples of other forms of abbrevia-
tion : hayatan 2 (or haiyatan) truly, sa'atak or sa'tak (for sa'adi-
tak) 3 your Excellency, sid 4 or si (for saiyid) lord, master, lissa
(for li is s&'&jyet, still, mahush, mush, mush, mish (for ma huwash)
he, it, is not, not, ma hish (for ma hiyash) she is not, wala hish
nor is she, wad (for walad) boy, ta'a (for ta'ala ! ) come ! u m ba'd
(for u min ba'd) and after, kur rismalu (for kulle rismalu) all his
capital, kulle shin kan (for kulle she in kan) ichatever it be, min-
admin (for beni adamiyin) sons of Adam, mortals, sal kher or misa
1 khcr ( = yimassik bi 1 kher) good evening, hamdilla for (il)
hamdu li M&h. jyraise be to God.
Remark. — Corruptions from foreign languages, as warsba
icorkshop, sibinsa (Ital. dispensa) pantry, kishk (or kushk) almfif
(Turk, qtish qonmdz) asparagus, occur* in Arabic as in other
languages. 5
1 We cannot say 'atibn on straw, 'aahibbak "/; a window,
nor can at tilm, 'ash shibbak stand for 'ala tibn, "ala shibbak, U
Spitta
- Sec i; 19, note.
- t'adtak i> also in use, as indeed are all the full [onus of
tbf examples excepl li b sa'a
4 Whence Spanisb ( '/-/.
6 Xhe lasl example is an instance of ••popular etymology,"
the Turkish words having been changed into others "t' irimilar
Bound but different meaning, Gomp .. fi from HouU tin
Rot.
ACCENT 33
ACCENT
§ 39. The accentuation of the syllable is more than usually
marked in Egyptian Arabic, and is a distinguishing feature of
the dialect. It is important, therefore, to master the rules by
a Inch it is governed. They are as follows : —
(a) The accent is on the last syllable : —
1. When it contains a long closed vowel or a short vowel
closed by two consonants; e.g. bardan cold, bin'dt /
became cold.
2. In the following words when standing alone : anhu, anhl,
anhe, unburn, minhii, minhe, minhum which, who,
ah6, ah'.-, ahiim there he, she is, they are ; ikhkhi ! />«<//< .'
ad? see here I iyi ! (pronounce iyi-i-h \) how now .' ikhshl !
for shame .' iff! ! Tie .' l
3. Exceptionally, by way of emphasis, the other syllables
being also, but not to an equal degree, accented, as
abadan never I husib look out ! tannu qa'id henak
lamma . . . dar abiih u gib. "he remained sitting t here till
at last his father came (or right on till, Src).
4. In a few foreign words, as rabd s (Fr. rabot) plane,
sukurta we.
Remark. — Da, dih, di this, lu to him, lak to you, &c, bu in
. bak in you, &c } and even liba to her, biha in h<;r, luhum to
them, buhum in them, may be used as enclitics, and throw their
it back to the last syllable of the word preceding them, 3
as ir ragil da this man, il binti di this girl, 'ala da on this, da wi
dih this and that, makhtuba' 4 lu betrothed to him.
1 A alight aspirate is heard at the end of all these words, bo
â– might perhaps be classed under 1.
- 'inetimes a consonant is added in foreign words BO thai
the accent shall not fall <>n ;i final open syllable, as h.
(Turk, hinto, Hungar. hinto) carriage, victoria. Rabd, sukurta,
. may also !»• written with a final h.
3 As ze in Ethiopic and :.a in literary Arabic, in the
ssions li/.a, iniii/.i.
r the lengthening of the rowel Bee \ 12. l.i and bi with
the pronominal Buffixes, when attached in sense to a preceding
phasized, throw back their accenl to the
final syllable of that word; thus we pronounce iddihum lu
them, but iddihum luh give them to him, with empl
on him.
34 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
(b) It falls on the penult : —
1. In words of two syllables, when the last syllable does
not contain a long closed vowel or a short vowel closed
by two consonants.
2. In polysyllabic words, when the penult contains a long
vowel or one closed by two consonants, or when it
contains a short vowel and the antepenult contains a
vowel closed by two consonants ; or, in a word of more
than three syllables, when the antepenult is short and
open ; provided that, in each of these cases, the last
syllable do not contain a long closed vowel or a short
one closed by two consonants. E.g. barid cold, biridtu
you (plur.) took cold, shafitu l she saw him, 'askari
soldier, wagadftu she found him, sagariti 2 my tree.
3. For emphasis, as da'iman alicays (for da'iman).
Remark a. — In the words khaditu she took it, kalitu she eat
it, the accent is sometimes on the antepenult, but more often on
the penult, as in the longer forms, akhaditu, akalitu.
Remark b. — When the accent would be on the penult, but
for a long final syllable, it is generally divided between the
two, the former sometimes receiving the greater stress, while
the vowel of the latter is slightly shortened ; e.g. arbe'in forty.
mewalla'in lighting (plur.), Isma'in, pr. u., Ibrahim, pr. n.
Remark c. — When the antepenultimate is long, but followed
by a short helping vowel connecting it with the suffix, the
accent, though usually on the penult, may fall either entirely
on the antepenult or partially on the antepenult and partially
on the penult, as in kulluhum all of them, biddukum you want,
tanniha she went on, agranniha inasmuch as she, zeyukum as
you, keinniha as if she, which may be pronounced kulluhum,
kulluhum, or kulluhum, &c, according to where the speakei
desires to lay the stress. Kulluhum is, of course, more emphatic
than either kulluhum or kulluhum.
Remark d. — In a few adverbs ending in an, derived from the
literary language, the accent, though generally on the ante-
penultimate, occasionally falls on the penultimate syllable, as
taratan (or baratan) sometimes.
Remark e. — The first syllable of the construct form of the
numerals talatt, khamast, and tamant is accented, because inpro-
nunciation the / passes on to the next word, askhamas tuwadjfM
1 Sometimes pronounced shatitu or contracted to Bbaftu.
'-' Substantives of this form are usually contracted, as (agartt,
baqartu his cow, while verbs as a rule remain unchanged.
EXERCISE IN PRONUNCIATION 35
rooms, taman tunfus eight persons (for khamast uwad, tainant
unfu>).
(c) It falls on the antepenult in words of three syllables when
the penult and antepenult are both open and the vowel of tin-
former is short ; and in words of more than three syllables, when
the antepenult is long and open and the penult short and open,
provided in both cases that the final syllable do not contain a
long closed vowel, or a vowel closed by two consonants ; e.g.
darabu they struck, baladu his village, me'a'khiza x reproach,
so'garu he insured it.
Remakk. — Where the vowel of the antepenult is H stand-
ing for iw or uw, the accent will be on the penult, as yulidu they
give birth, as also when the antepenult contains the diphthong
ai (or e) standing for ay, as kuwaiyisa, pretty (/.).
sometimes in hurried speech does not fall on any particular
syllable, as in the word tani in tani marra ma ti'milshe kede !
don't do so again !
Monosyllabic words ending in a short vowel, as wi, we and,
bi, li, tire, are generally unaccented, but sometimes a following
word is emphasized by a stress being laid on them, as ana qulti
lak marra wi t tanya wi t talta / have told you once and twice
and thrice, inta tli'te kaddab bi kalamak nafsu you have proved
to be a liar by your men statement. The prepositions bi, li, with
the pronominal suffixes and the demonstrative da, di, become
enclitics when not emphatic, and are regarded as part of the
preceding 2 word. Even dau (for da we) throws back its accent,
as in kulle ma dau.
EXERCISE IN PRONUNCIATION AND
ACCENTUATION 3
Hikayit il harami 1 mazltfrn.
Kan fi har&mi rah yom min dol yisraq bet wiihid tagir. Qam
t ill' 'ala 1 hi'ia we misik fi sh shibbak. Tfli 4 ish shibbak '(i Idu,
wiqi* 'ala 1 an], inkasarit right. Khad ba'du we rah yi*rug 'and
il q&di ; qal lu : " Ana ktinte rayh asraq bit it tagir il fulani ;
tili'te 'ala 1 heta we misfkte fi sh shibbak; qam ish shibbak tili*
fi iili ; wiqit, inkasaril rigli." Qam il qadi amar wahid •â–
yniili 4 yegib sahb il bet. Rah g&bu we gih quddam il qffdf.
1 Bui words of this Form are generally contra
OUgh they are not so printed in this work, to prevent
confusion.
3 Th«- words contained in the following storj will be found in
the rocabularii a. 4 See \ I I .
36 THE SPOKEN AKABIC OF EGYPT
S&'alu 1 qaVli : " Izzey, ya ragil, shibbakak mush mesammar taiyib I
ahu 1 harami da 1 maskin kan rayih yisraq betak ; tfli' 'ala 1
h£ta ; misik fi sh shibbak ; qam isb shibbak tili' fi idu ; wiqi',
inkasarit riglu; baqa 1 haqqg 'alek dilwaqt." Qal lu sahb il bet;
" W ana nia' li, ya sidi? htiwa ana alii rakki'bt ish shibbak? da
shughl in naggar illi 'amalu." Qal il qadi : " Hatu n naggar ! "
Rahu gabtth ; qal lu 1 qadi : " Izzey inta ma rakkibtish ish
shibbak da zeyi n nas ? a'ho bi sababak il harami da Hi kan rayih
yisraq bet ir ragil da wiqi', inkasarit riglu." Qal lu : " W ana
ma 7 li, ya sidi ? da mush shughli : da shughl il banna illi rakkib
ish shibbak da fi 1 heta." Qal il qadi : " Taiyib, hatu 1 banna."
Rahu gabuh. Sa'alu 1 qadi : " Leh ma rakkibtish ish shibbak
da taiyib ? " Qal lu : " Walla'hi, ya sidi, da w ana babni 1 bet da
kanit binte hilwa fayta 'aleya labsa gallabiya masbugha sabgha
kuwaiyisa. Basset liha, qumt itlahet 'an shugli we ma 'iriftish
arakkib ish shibbak zeyi n nas." Qal luhum il qadi : " Ruhu
hatu 1 bint illi kanit labsa g gallabiya k kuwaiyisa di." Qamu
rahu, gabuha lu. Qal liha 1 qadi : " Leh kunti labsa g galla-
biya 1 masbugha?" Qalit lu : " W ana ma li? da 1 haqqe 'ala
s sabMgh illi sabagh il gallabiya Hi kunte labsftha." Amar il
qadi yegibu s sabbagh. Rahu gabuh ; lakin ma 'ii -if she yequl
haga. Qam il qadi qal luhum : " Khuduh, ishnuquh 'ala bab
dukkanu." Khaduh yishnuqtfh, laquh tawll we bab id dukkan
wati. Rahu qalu li 1 qadi : " Da r ragil tawil qawi we bab id
dukkan sughaiyar; rayhin nishnuqu zzey ? " Qal luhum il qadi :
"Ruhu shufii lkum wahid qusaiyar, ishnuquh." Rahum dauwaru
'ala wahid qusaiyar, khadflh, shanaqilh.
THE ARTICLE
§ 40. There are two articles in Egyptian Arabic — the definite
article il x the, which is indeclinable, and the indefinite wahid,
which agrees in gender and Dumber with its noun, whether ex-
pressed or understood, as il bab the door, il mara tin woman, it
riggala - the /inn, wahid ragil a man, wahda tnarra a woman,
wahda gal " (woman) came.
Remabe (/. Tin' adjective follows its substantive, and when
1 Not el, a- it i> generally written, though the very liquid
and scnii-vouf] nature <>t' the Arabic / tends to give tin- i a
Blight e-colouring. The full value "I' the vowel returna in
euphonic taehdid. It is written //in Maltese. It often I
obscure, neuter Bound.
- For t he assimilation of t be I,
THE ARTICLE
37
the latter is definito the article is repeated with the adjecth
il bab il kibir the big door.
Remark 6. — The indefinite article is very commonly omitted,
or its place is supplied by a noun of unity (§ 42).
VOCABULARY
umm
mother
darab
he struck, fired
abuh
his father
darabu
they struck
house
wiqi'
lie fell
wal.nl (pi.
boy
k:"m
he teas
wilad)
rah
he vent
bint (pi.
girl, daughter
'a Id
he bit
banat)
yigi
he will come
kitab
book
shidid
strong, violent
qalam
pen
kuwaiyis
pretty
hawa
wind
'aguz
old
hu>an
horse
taza
fresh
kalb
dog
taiyib
good
babor
steamboat,
iswid
black
train
kibir (f.
big, old
kursi
chair
kibira)
ras (f.)
hewl
sughaiyar
small, little
id'
haw/
battal
bad
qutta
rat
gi'an, ga'arj
hungry
Bufra, sufra
'lining-table
huwa, hawa
he, if
gih
he came, has
hina
come
bukra
to-morrow
i'Mini
give me
-u 1
his, him, it
shuft
I saw
-ha 1
her, its, if
katabna
ire wrote
Tli'- present tense of the substantive verb is nut,
generally expressed in Arabic in positive sentences.
EXERCISE 1
Ciniiii gat. Iddini qalam. Bhufte husan iswid. Lrriggala
Katabna 1 lotah, Jl banal darabu ommi. 11 walad
wiiji'. 11 husan kuwaivis. Jr r&gi] 'agi'iz. II hawa kali Bhidid.
Huwa rah. 11 kalb.- 'add il bint. 11 I'll. . i- yigi lmkra. 11
t iswid. J 1 ■•' -h i i/a. Wahda mara gat. A.buh ragil (aiyib
Kalbu ga'&n. Qalamha battiil.
ttached a- inseparable Buffizea to verbs, nouns, prep
sitions, and oonjunctiona
38
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
EXERCISE 2
The steamboat is small. The horse is hungry. The house
has fallen. A big dining-table. A little boy has come. Give
me (a) good pen. The men struck the boy. A large steamboat
came. The horse bit the dog. A big boy came (and) struck the
girls. Her head is large.
THE NOUN
THE NOUN SUBSTANTIVE
§ 41. The noun in Arabic may be either primitive, as bab door,
or derivative, as merkib ship (from rakab he rode). Of the
latter the majority are derived from verbs, 1 but a large number
are denominative, i.e. derived from other nouns, as merakbi
boatman (from merkib), bauwab doorkeeper (from bab), and a few
from other parts of speech, as ma'iya court, .suite, from the
preposition ma' with.
§ 42. Denominatives include : —
(a) Nouns of unity, denoting the individual of a class.
These are formed by the addition of a to the primitive noun,
or ya where the noun ends in a vowel ; e.g. : —
baqar
ghanam
gamils
samak
sagar, shagar
fill
kine
sheep
buffaloes
fish
trees
beans
baqara
ghanama
gamusa
samaka
sagara, shagara
fula
a cow
a sheep
a buffalo
a fish
, a tree
a bean
batatis
potatoes
batatsa (for
batatis.- 1 )
a potato
sillim
tfib
steps, ladder
bricks
sillima
tuba
a step
" brick
baskawit
biscuits
baskawita
a biscuit
shughl
qatta
tvork
a kind of cu-
cumber
shughla s
qattaya*
a job, some-
thing to do
a cueumbi r
kummitra
yusfefendi -
pears
mandarin
kummitra ya
yusfefendiya
a pear
a mandarin
oranges
liiinti (orlmlti) a hind offiah
bultiva
1 For the formation of these noons see under the \.rl>
(§§ 228-39). - For Yftsif Efendi.
8 Shughlana IS used in the same way.
4 The r/ is Lengthened by tie 1 accenl Calling on it.
THE NOUN
39
Remark a. — The primitive forms baqar, sagar, <fcc, are
collective nouns, denoting the whole class, not, strictly speaking,
plurals. 1 They generally themselves admit of a plural form as
well as the nouns of unity. They are used more frequently of
natural than artificial objects, and in the case of animals the
same form denotes both the male and female individual.
Remark b. — From bunduq guns, is formed bunduqiya a gun ;
khara dung, makes kharya.
Remark c. — The foreign word fuluka means both skiffs and
a skiff, gan and ginn genii and genius (but the adjective ginni
and its fern, ginniya are also used of the individual). On the
other hand, qamar and qamara moon, sikkin and sikkina a
knife, shum and shuma a thick stick, and some others are used
indifferently of the single object only. 8
Remark d. — The noun of unity sometimes denotes a portion
of the whole, as qamh wheat, qamha a field or a small quantity
of wheat, bedingan the egg-plant, bedingana a field of egg-plants
(or a single egg-plant), maqat cucumbers, maqata a bed of cucum-
bers. From qamha is formed qamhaya a handful of wheat (or
a grain of wheat); so qashsh straw, qashsha a little strata,
ijashshaya a very lift'" straw (or a blade of straw).
^ Not a few words denoting nationalities form their nouns of
unity by adding the adjectival termination i, as : —
lingliz
the English
inglizi
an Englishman
il 'ag
the Persians
'agami
a Persian
il 'arab
the Arabs
'arabi
an Arab
ir rum
the Greeks
riimi
a Greek
ish sharkas
the Circasi
sharkas)
a Circassian
il arna'ut
the Albanians
arna'uti
an Albanian
il if rang
the Europeans
ifrangi
a European
il nuilakan
the Americans
malakani
an American
ish shilikht
the Bohi mians
shilikhti
a Bohemian
1 We may compare pea, peas, pease : penny, pennies, pence ;
fish, fishes, fish, in English. But the English collective n
hive no plural. It is strange that the plural of the Arabic
collectives should denote tin- individual There i- very little
difference in meaning between the plural of the noun of unity
and that of the collective.
1 We say bi I M by night, fi 1 l.'l in the night, lei u
uahar wight "nd ,/„>/. but 1,'i.-, ,, night, il h-la to-night. The
higher classes use qamara. only in the sense of oonlight, if
at all.
40 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
Relative adjectives used as substantives and denoting a pro-
fession, trade, or quality are formed by the vowel i or the Turkish
termination at being added to the plural, and occasionally to the
singular of the primitive noun ; e.g. sa'ati watchmaker (from
sa'at, pi. of sa'a watch), barad'i maker of donkey-saddles (from
baradi', pi. of barda'a a donkey-saddle), masha'li (for masha'ili)
torch-bearer (from masha'il torches)., kutbi bookseller (from kutuh
books), tashrifatgl 7>iaster of ceremonies (from tashrifat, pi. of
tashrifa), baramilgi cooper (from baramil, pi. of barmil bairel),
gazmagi shoemaker (from gazma a pair of shoes).
Remark. — The termination gi becomes shi in a few words,
as tumbakshi a seller of tumbak (Persian tobacco), gumrukshi
a cudom-house officer, ashshi a cook. 1
The primitive noun, whether in the plural or singular, often
undergoes some change when receiving the termination ; e.g.
dakakni a shopkeeper (from dakakin, pi. of dukkan shop) — the i
falling out,' 2 fcir&rgl poulterer (from fararig, pi. of farrug), turskagi
seller of pickles (from turshi pickles), burugi bugler (from buri bugle),
tazkargi ticket-collector (from tazkara ticket) — the a falling out ; so
'arbagi coachman (from 'araba 3 carriage), husari mat-maker (from
husr mats). In turabi grave-digger (from turab earth), and khudari
greengrocer (from khudar greens), the a is shortened. In sanadgi
trunk-maker (from sanadiq, pi. of sanduq box), the consonant as
well as the vowel has fallen out.
Some nouns of this class are formed from fictitious or unused
plurals ; e.g. barasmi vendor of clover, dakhakhni tobacconist, fatatri
pastry-cook (from supposed plurals barasim, dakhakhin, fatatir).
gizamatl shoemaker, from an unused plural of gizam (itself the
plural of gazma).
A few take the termination dni, and others are quite irregular
in their formation; e.g. fasakhani seller of fasikh (salted fish),
halawani (or halwagi) confectioner (from halawa streets), fakaham
fruiterer, from fak-ha(for fakiha )//7i//,nashashqi selL r of snuff '(from
nishuq), buzatt, buzawati, or buzwagi keeper of a beershop (buza),
a drunkard, suramati cobbler (from sarma a kind of shoe), qnrad&t)
a keeper of monkeys (qurud), khamurgi innkeeper (from khamamtr,
pi. of khammara), ma'addawi ferryman (from ma'addiya /erry);
'utuqi cobbler, seems to be formed from the adjective 'atiq ancient :
1 These wonls arc borrowed direct from Turkish, in which
language g is pronounced soft.
- It is retained, however, in aakakinj ctrffer, and Borne others.
8 A Turkish word for which 'arabiya is used iu Arabic.
THE NOUN 41
'azabangi bachelor, is a lengthened form of 'azib ; so falasangi
bankrupt (from falis).
(b) The abstract idea of the primitive noun.
Substantives of this class end in iya, and are often identical
with the feminine singular of the relative adjective or of a sup-
posed relative ending in t ; e.g. insaniya humanity (from insani
human), ittifaqiya agreement (from ittifaqi), bashawiya pashaship,
behawiya bey ship, sbitwtya winter season, maghribiya tin
et, subhtya morning, 1 'asrlya 2 afternoon, safariya(or Edfai
time spent in travelling, trip, 3 himariya don&eyishness, 'umadiya
the office of htmda {headman of a village), mashghuliya a being
busy (from partic. mashghul), mafhumiya comprehension, maq-
sudiya purposing, nutu'iya (adj. nat') uneouthness, 'uzubiya
celibacy (adj. 'azib), gumudiya hardness, khushuniya rough-
ness.
The same form sometimes denotes concrete object-
namuMya mosquito curtain, raqabiya collar, sukkariya sugar basin,
'ishrinlya a piece of 20 piastres, mashrabiya window in a w
screen or the screen itself.
Remark a. — In some cases a feminine adjective is used
absolutely, its substantive being understood (£§ 331, 332), as il
harbtya the war-office, for (nazart) il umur il harbiya.
Rkmark b. — Sometimes there is no noun in use to which the
substantive can be referred for its ovigin, as fasqiya fountain,
hanafiya tap, battaniya blanket.
(c) The diminutive of the original noun. This class is more
limited in Cairene Arabic than the literary dialect. The forms
it takes will appear from the following examples : binaiya a little
daughter, girl (from bint), shuwaiya a little (from she thing),
wilaiyid small boy (from walad), Ruhaiyim, 4 pr. n. (from rahlm
merciful), bihera lake (from bahr sea), qutet kitten (from qutt
cat), kuleb puppry (from kalb dog), shuwe'sha a little tuft of hair
(from shusha), 'uK-d little slave (in pr. n. 'ubed Alia), suw
a little market-place (from suq), hinC-m small loaf (from hanum),
sattuta (or sattut) young lady (from sitt). fasfusa small abt
qarqusha small bucuits, dallu'a spoilt child (no primitive noun).
Faftumaand Fattum littl-i Fat ma, 'aiyusha little Aisha, Zannuba
1 Matinee, as distinguished from subh matin.
2 As distinguished from asr.
"Uritey.
* A ime.
it much used In < airo.
42
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
little Zenab, bahraya pond (from bahr), gabalaya 1 hillock, grotto
(from gabal mountain), sagaraya shrub, moiya (for muyya, for
mawaya) water, from ma' (not used).
{d) A collection or multitude of things, as maqat a bed of
cucumbers (from qatta). 2
VOCABULARY
hat
bring
li
to me
idda
he gave
fen?
where ?
gab
he brought
foq
on, up, over
yegib
he will bring
qawi
very
fatah
he opened
min
from
Efendi
gentleman, sir
'ala
on
kabrit
matches
min 'ala
from off
EXER(
3ISE 3
Is sukkariya 'as sufra. II 'arabiya battala qawi. Is sa'ati
yegib is sa'a bukra. Shuft il kalb n 1 maqat. Lefendi wiqi' min
'ala husanu. II kuleb 'add il qutta. II gazmagi gab il gazma.
Ir ragil idda 1 husan bersim. Gih hina ragil 'aguz qawi. 3 II
'azabangi rah il bet (home).
EXERCISE 4
The boy will bring the book. The doorkeeper opened the
door. The gentleman is very hungry. The pastry-cook gave
the boy a biscuit. The dog saw the kitten up the tree. The
cows are very small. Give me (some) water. The pickles are
on the table. The fountain is very large (f.). He gave me a
little. Bring me a watch.
THE NOUN" ADJECTIVE
$ 43. The derivative adjectives, like the substantives, may be
either verbal or denominative.
§ 44. Relative adjectives are formed by the addition of the
1 Compare those of the same form mentioned above (a.
Rem. d.). They may also be regarded as diminutives.
2 The only instance, perhaps, in the spoken language,
literary form is maqtha'at, from qiththat ( — qatta).
8 The adverb follows the adjective it qualities.
The
THE NOUN
43
terminations i, wi, aioi, divi, dni, dti, or It to the primitive noun ;
e.g. :—
turki Turkish from turk
'arabi Arabic „ 'arab
sukkart sugary
shahri monthly
rigali belonging to
men
sanawi yearly
ghalabawf chattering,
talkative
auwilanl first
tarfanf at the end, last „ tarf ovd, point
yomati daily „ y6m day
lelati nightly „ lei night
bughdadll of Bagdad
Remark a. — Many adjectives in dwi are used only as sub-
stantives, as : —
sukkar
shahr
rigal (pi.
of ragil)
sana
ghalaba
auwil
tarf
yom
lei
sugar
year
chatter
gabalawi
simmawi
maarawi
turkawi (or
tirkawi)
Remark b.-
a mountaineer
magi 'dan (from
simmpoison)
an Egyptian
a Turk
tantawi a
dungulawi a
native of
Tanta
native of
Dongola
-Foqanl upper, is formed from the preposition f&q,
tahtani lower, from taht beneath, qablant from qabl.
Remark c. — As in the case of substantives, a letter is some-
times added to the primitive noun, as khulaqt quick-tempered
(from khulq temper). Most substantives in a form their relative
adjectives by changing that vowel into i, as khilqa nature,
khilqi natural, shitwa winter, shitwi. Damm blood, makes
damawi, akhkh brother, akhawi ; sharaq drought lengthens the
a of the final syllable and makes sharaqi; sharqawi, though
formed from sharq east, is the relative adjective of sharqiya, the
province of that name ; so gharbawi native of OharUya, bahjrawi
(from bahr) native of Behera. A few in % are formed like sub-
bives denoting trades, &c, from plurals (some unused or
fictitious), as qabaqibi belonging to the shoe called qabqab (pi.
qabaqlb), 1 faraj In (for faraj ihi) relating to a wedding (from farah ).
fasafisl whimsical (from fasfisa).
Remake d. — The termination It is borrowed from the Turkish.
Both it and dti are but sparingly used.
Musmar qabaqibi is used of small nails, tin /arks.
44
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
§ 45. Diminutive forms of adjectives are restricted to a few
words, which are, however, themselves in constant use ; e.g. : —
qulaiyil
qusaiyar 1
sughaiyar x (or
zughaiyar)
khufaiyif 2
kuwaiyis 3
hilewa
very little
short
small
from qalil
from khafif thin
thinnish
pretty, neat
dainty, sweet from hilw.
Zughannan, sughattat, zughattat, zughannun tiny, are doubly
diminutive.
COMPOUND NOUNS
§ 46. It is contrary to the genius of Arabic to form a new
noun by the union of two primitive ones ; but a few words of this
construction have crept into the language, chiefly through the
influence of Turkish ; e.g. : —
'ardahal
maward
'anbarshay
rismal (for ras
mal)
qayimmaqam
bashkatib
(Turk, bash
and Arab.
katib) B
agzakhana
(Arab, agza
Remark. — A
words placed one
them, as bahri g
shutters.
petition
rose-water
amber-tea 4
capital
lieutenant-
colonel
head clerk
pharmacy
drugs, and
Turk, khana)
kitabkhana
'arbakhana
antikhaDa (for
autikakhana)
tahsildar
(Arab. w 7 ith
Persian ter-
mination)
ynzbashi
sirdar 6 (Pers.)
library
coach-house
tax-collec-
tor
captain
commander
in-chief
compound is sometimes formed in sense by two
after the other without a conjunction to connect
harbl ?iorth-west, shamasi sud zarq bluish black
From the rarely used forms qasir, saghir.
Rarely used.
From a supposed form, kawis.
I.e. tea like amber (a street cry).
So bashmuhandiz, bashshawish (often pronounced bit-
shawish), bashmufattish, &c.
Pronounced sidredar by the uneducated.
COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES
45
VOCABULARY
wishsh
ga wab
Masr
qalam rusas
face
letter
Cairo
lead-pencil
laqet
illi
inbarih
I found, hav
found
who, which
yesterday
waraq
shibbak
kitf
paper
window
shoulder
fi
wi, we, u
keman, ka-
in
and
too, also, still
sikka
tawil
'fill
shatir
street
long, tall
high, loud
clever
rri an
lakin
li, le, lu
bi, be, bu
hut
to
in, with
sallah
rahu
he repaired
they went
ewa, aywa
yes
EXER
3ISE 5
Ir rfigil gab il bunduqiya min il bet we darabha fi wishshu.
Hat il kitab illi foq is sufra. It tashrifatgi katab gawab tawil
li ummu. Shuft abilh, lakin fen ukhtu ? II husari gih inbarih
we gab il husr wi s sanadqi yigi bukra bi s sanadiq. II hala-
wani wi 1 fakahani rahu 'ala betha we gabu 1 baskawit wi 1
kummitra. Is sa'ati sallah is sa'a ; huwa ragil shatir qawi.
EXERCISE 6
The lady and her daughters went to Cairo yesterday. I have
found a short pencil on the dining-table. Bring it here and
bring a pen and paper too. He is very tall, his shoulder
comes above the window. Will he come here to-morrow \ Yes,
and he will bring his father and his mother too. The window is
very small, but the house is big. The custom-house officer cam.
and opened the door. I saw a tiny dog in the street. An old
coachman brought me to the war-office. He gave the girl a pear.
The man is very quick-tempered ; he has struck the little boy
and the girl too.
COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES
§47. The comparative is expressed : —
(a) By the positive followed in construction by the pre-
position 'an, or (less visually) min than.
(6) By a new form derived from the positive, and followed
in construction by the preposition min, or (less usually) 'an.
46
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
§ 48. The superlative is identical in form with the derived
comparative, of which the following are instances : —
from kibir
,, sughaiyar (saghir)
„ kitir (much)
,, rikhis
„ nidif
,, kuwaiyis
„ hasan (unused except
as a pr. n.)
„ qalil
„ khafif
„ ghali
„ wihish
„ mal'im
,, muhimm
with no corresponding
positive in use
Remark. — Observe that these words are of uniform construc-
tion, with the exception of those which end in a double consonant ;
aqall is fur aqlal, ahamm for ahmam. Shidid strong^ has the two
forms ashdad and ashadd.
akbar
greater
asghar
smaller
aktar
more
ark has
cheaper
andaf
cleaner
akwas
prettier
ahsan
better
aqall
less
akhaff
tighter
aghla
dearer
auhash
uglier
al'an
more accursed
ahamm
more important
adna
least
VOCABULARY
tiffah
barquq
blra
nibit
tarabeza
gim'na
ginSh
aliiiya
apples
JilllillS
beer
wine
table
garden
£ sterling
my father
qamis
111 MX.
tainan
tiqil, teqtl
shal
ishtara
-hum l
-na l
shirt
bananas
price
heavy
i rried
light
tin in, their
us, nur
EXERCISE 7
Huwa shtara gufra we kursl rikhis we gabhum 'ala 1 l><"t.
II kursi ghali 'an is sufra. Iddini qalam rus&s tawil. II b&b
akwas mish shibbak. Is sanduq I iqll, lakin akhaffe min il barmll
11 binte atw.il min uiiniii, wi 1 walail (|Usaiyar 'an aWiya. 11 bin
aikhas min in nibit wi 1 m«>iya aikhas w ah-an mil lit inn.
il walad Ishtara qamig atual min battanlya. Huwa l aa g h a r
wi 1 akw
parable suffixes.
NOUNS SUBSTANTIVE AND ADJECTIVE 47
EXERCISE 8
The barrels (are) cheaper than the boxes. The shoemaker,
who was in the garden yesterday, is taller than the fruiterer
who brought the apples and the pears to the house. The native-
of-the-province-of-Sharqiya is stronger than the cobbler ; he
carried a sheep in a heavy box on his shoulder. The chair ia
very large, but the table is still larger. The price is lees than a
pound ; it is very cheap. The pear is bigger and dearer than the
apple. Give me (some) good bananas and bring an apple and a
plum from the garden. His dog is the largest and the best.
THE GENDER OF NOUNS SUBSTANTIVE AND
ADJECTIVE
There are two genders only in Arabic, the masculine
and the feminine.
A noun may be feminine by signification, form, or
usage.
1 . By signification are feminine : —
(a) Nouns and proper names which denote females, 1 us
umm mother, bint girl, faras mare, Z.'-nab, pr. n.
(6) The names of countries, towns, villages, &c., as: —
"uam
5 ria
Bughdad
Bagdad
Masr
Cairn
Istambul
Constant iuojjit
Banz
Paris
(c) The letters of the alphabet, words, and syllables, as il
mim, il mu, mantuqa qawi the mini, the (syllal'lt, mu is str
jiriji
- . By form are feminine : —
(a) Nouns ending in a (or e),'- whether Arabic or of foreign
origin, unless masculine by signification, as: —
gin
garden
da'wa
•■I aim
dunya (or
world
gazma
[j air of shots
dinya) 3
oda
room
sana
year
bulitika
polities, craft
kit&ba
writing
warsha
>C"ri:
1 A woman is often addressed in poetry (in the colloquial as
in the literary dialect) i;. dine, and impertinently in
il by -uch terms as ya sidna, va akhina.
2 (rf).
few words, which arc pronounced in two different
48
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
(b) The following ending in d : —
imda
signature
sala
prayer
giza
punishment
shita,
winter
ghina
riches
ma'na
meaning
himma,
fever
mihma,
bath-heater
humma,
mirsa
anchor
dura
maize
wafa,
decease
sama
sky, heaven
Remark a.— When the final a is long, as in the above words,
it represents one of the radical letters of the word. It is, how-
ever, generally pronounced short in conversation.
Remark b. — Shita is sometimes masculine ; lugha language,
dialect, is sometimes feminine. We hear lughahum tikhin, but
lughathum tikhina (§ 67).
§ 53. By usage the following words are feminine : —
ard
earth
id (and yadd)
hand
batn
belly
balad
town, village
bir
â– well
tub
dress, robe
tiz
buttocks
ghet
field
dar
fellah's hut
daqn
beard
dimagh
brain, head
dukkan
shop
ras
head
rigl
ruh
foot
spirit ; barrel
sikkin
of gun
knife
shams, sains
sun
'en
fas
eye
mattock
furn
oven
maghrib
sunset
merkib
ship
nar
fire
nafs, nifs
soul, self; spite
Remark a. — T6b, ghet, furn, 1 and maghrib are generally
regarded as masculine by the upper classes ; bir is occasionally
masculine; sikkin knife, is sometimes masculine, as it has a
duplicate form in a (sikklna) ; het wall, is occasionally feminine ;
sibanikh spinach, masc. or fern. Lahw divt rsion, and hamm iron-//,
are feminine only in the expressions gatak lahw, gatak il hamm
the plague take you! dahr 2 is fern, in one of its meanings.
are, in order that the student may become accustomed to both,
spelt differently in different places of the grammar. One man
will say Rabbina our Lord, another Rabbuna, or both may be
ised at different times by the same person.
1 A fern, form, furna, also exists.
2 Muse, when meaning back.
NOUSB SUBSTAXTIVE AXD ADJECTIVE 49
Remark b.— Manakhk Koae, fulus money, nas ™w e sutuh
,0,/, terrace .are in reality "broken plurals," 1 flthoth e
singular of the last only exists, and are construed eith^with a
feminine singular or a plural adjective or verb. iman (or emL
orik from the little used sing, yemln) is generallv onsS
wxth a feminine singular, never with a plural
§ 54. All other nouns are of the masculine gender as walad
^Abet house, Khalifa ft^, Wj i Ota* § ' ^
lA V^fennnineis f ° rmed from masculine nouns by the
addition of the vowel a, as :— y
^ ib , ir 'feat fern, kibira
farhan happy „ farMna
hilw meet j? hilwa
wa ^ d «*> „ wahda
mahk fa^ ma i ika *
goz husband goza
ghassal washerman ghassala
humar «&>• humara
tio^aTt'^lVr ]it , erar y language the feminine termina-
tion i b at , and the t is retained in a few Turkish proper name-
borrowed from Arabic words expressive of virtuous quali ieT a,
bT b n '^f ' ' 1 r *?» The ^ ' 1S ^und ZirbnTfro"
ibn, bin son) and in ukht awfer (from akh, akhkh brother).
queen
wife
washerwoman
she-ass
tabbakh
kiira, kdra
bed
futa
siggada
kubbaya
miskin
wisikh
har
gidld
qadim
l.i'id
metallim,
mitallim
ana
VOCABULARY
cook
ball
kanit
shil
eggs
towel
hutt
carpet
glass
rama
j ">"r, wretched
dirty
hot
talla'it
shufna
bass
new
la"
old
far
blunt
guwa
barra
lissa
1
she, it
min
site was
carry, take
away
put
he threw, threw
away
she took out
we saw
only
no
in, inside
out, outside
like
still
from
See ,* 7(3
50 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
EXERCISE 9
Ana laqet is sanadqi fi 1 warsha. II merakbi gab fuluka
kibira. II furn illi f betu sughaiyara qawi, lakin hiya akbar min
furnina. Shufna kalbe gi'an we qutta miskina 'ala s sutuh.
II gazmagi ishtara bunduqiya min il 'utuqi, we shalha 'ala kitfu.
II malik gih ] La', il malika gat. Fen il kura ? Kanit qadima,
vvi r ragil ramaha fi 1 fasqiya. Ish shitwa gat, lakin ish shamse
lissa hara. Binte hilwa zey il qamara. II walad rania 1 qutta fi
1 bir, lakin wahda mara taiyiba talla'itha minha. Tabbakb
ahsan min tabbakba. Is sikkin metallima.
EXERCISE 10
Tbe boy bas thrown a dh'ty old pah' of shoes into the room ;
take them out. Bring a large bottle and a clean glass. The
carpet was very old ; he has brought a new (one). His beard is
long and dh'ty. Her shop is very far from here. The boy struck
the poor little girl in the eye. 1 Put a clean towel in the room
and take away the dirty (one). He has thrown the ball from the
window ; bring it in. The woman who brought the eggs to our
house is very tall, but her husband is taller. The sun was vcr\
hot yesterday. Her dress is very pretty.
§ 56. The feminine of living beings is sometimes, as in other
languages, indicated by a distinct word. E.g. : —
ragil man mara ivoman
walad 2 boy bint girl
abb father umm mother
husan home faras mare
tor bull baq.ua cow
dakar male nitaya female
§ 57. On the contrary, many form their feminine regularly,
where ;i different word i-s used in English, as : —
goz husband g6za wife
wilid 3 father walda 8 mother
'aram patent d uncle 'am ma paternal aunt
khal maternal unci kh&la maternal aunt
kalb dog kalba bitch
i
Translate her eye.
2 The plur. wilad is used of children — boy* or girl*.
8 Lit. parent.
NOUNS SUBSTANTIVE AXD ADJECTIVE 51
§ 58. Some inanimate objects form a feminine without anv
change in the meaning, as :— wwnouii anv
qamar or qamara moon
sikkin or sikkina knife
womim* 11 " """* * "^ With ° Ut chan * e of a ™n or a
thelo^r-^ 1 " 3 add ^ Sylkble With ^ shortening
bahn° ^^ ^giya
barrani oz ^ e/ . batiriya
Ta^nt SSL $52fc
§ 61. A few adjectives denoting colours and Rnn,« ^ Q
denoting mostly a personal defect, form theh I ' '• mininP hv t
posing the first two and again the'last two letu" -^ ¥-
ahmar rpd u
m, ' Ka hamra
akhdar green kh adra
a f ar , S^w safra
akhra, rf wm j j^jj^^
^tam * oo/ /^,,, hatma
Kkmabk &.— A'wag o-oo/v,/ makes '6ga (for <awga)
1" th, bterary language akhar other makes ukhra, and this
52
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
form is used in the spoken language preceded by the definite
article ; thus masc. lakhar (or rakhar), 1 fern, rukhva.
Auwil first makes ilia ; but this form is only used in a few
connections, as daraga ula, first class, auwilaniya and occasionally
auwila taking its place.
§ 62. Some adjectives have no separate form for the feminine.
They include : —
(a) The comparatives, 2 as il binte atwal, kummitra
arkhas.
(b) Those which already end in a, as : —
bamba
pink
hilewa
sweet
sitiha
lying on
back
the
sada
plain, pure
(c) Foreign words (with the exception of most of those
ending in i), as : —
finu
fine
dughri
straight
falsu
false, bad
werdinari
ordinary
berimu
first
sagh
sound
sukundu
second
(d) The foil
owing : —
tamam
complete
shamurt
young
hah 3
little
Ml
excellent
haf
plain, by itself
khabis &
imprisoned
dun
low, vulgar
khalas
finished, ready
daiyan 4
sound
khain
raw
sughar
small
khumm 6
lethargic
shemal
left
yemin
right
1 See § 27, p. 26 ; lukhra is not used.
- The literary feminine form of comparatives is hardly, if
ever, heard in conversation. It occurs, however, in the name of
the village II Rubra (from akbar greater).
3 Used also substantively.
4 Used generally with sagh, as qirshe sagh daiyan a tariff
piastre.
5 In the expression 6da khabis, i.e. << room without window.
Adjectives of this form do n<>< generally take tlie Feminine
termination iii the literary language.
,: I ii khmniii in in'iin.
DECLENSION 53
DECLENSION
.5 63. In the literary language most nouns have three case
endings — u or tin for the nominative ; i or in for the genitive,
dative, and ablative ; and a or an for the accusative, according
as they are defined l or undefined.
These terminations, with the following exceptions, do not
exist in the spoken language : —
(a) The nominative ending u is sometimes heard in the word
Allah God, and a few others, mostly in expressions of a religious
character, as : —
Allahu akbar God is very great
shakkar Allahu fadlak God reward your kindness
il hamdu li llah praise be to God
is salamu 'alekum 2 peace be on you
(b) The genitive and dative ending i and the accusative end-
ing a are used in oaths and religious formulas —
as w Allahi (or w Allahi !) by God
bi smi Hah (i.e. bi ismi in the name of God
Allah)
fi amani llah God preserve you .'
bi zni llah (bi izni Allah) D. V.
la haula waJa quwwata ilia there is no power nor strength
bi llah but in G
('■) The case ending in is heard : —
(1) After the indefinite pronoun ey, 3 and occasionally after
kull all, as : —
insanin kan whatever man it may be
min eye gihitin kanit from whaii on it be
kulle shin (contracted from whatever it may be, everything
shG'in) kan
kulle nafsin every soul
1 I.e. preceded by the definite article, or followed by a noun
in the genitive, or having a pronominal suffix The stem of
fern, nouns in a to which these terminations are added is
-at.
Bui more usually is aalam (or salam) 'alSkum — a form of
d only by one -Mussulman to another.
• ; Bat the in is here Bomel imes pronounced separately, as being
equivalent (See ^ 264, 434.)
54 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
(2) In a few nouns used adverbially 1 or with a preposition,
ghasbin 'annu (more usually
gasbe 'annu)
balin
enta wakllin 'anni
ga' 'ala tubbin ghafil
mehabbitu abbin 'an giddin
'amin auwil (contracted to
'amnauwil)
in spite of himself
immediately
you are as my agent
he came unexpectedly
the love for him is from grand-
father to father (i.e. he is
beloved of all the members
of his family)
last year
(d) The ending an is heard in a few words used as adverbs, and
occasionally as an accusative of limitation, as : —
halan
dawaman
da'iman
mararan
ma 'raffish
isman
la zatan wala
at once
for ever
always
time after time
I know him neither personally
nor by name
Remark. — The above expressions do not in reality belong
to the dialect of Cairo, but are borrowed from the written
language.
THE GENITIVE
§ 64. A noun limiting the meaning of another is placed
immediately after it, and thus by its position performs the
various functions of the genitive, although undergoing no change
of form ; but when the first of the two nouns ends in a, whether
as a singular or plural termination, it weakens the a to t and
adds the letter t. 2 E.g. : —
1 But in most of these the in is a thinning of the literary
an, the sign of the objective case.
- Strictly speaking, it recovers the t From as older form at,
a form presei'\ .il fco this day in some words in Amharia This
in its weakened form is still the stem to which the pronominal
suffixes as well as the dual and the case endings, when they
exist, are appended
THE GENITIVE
bet ragil
bab ii
babbetukht
ir ragil
qalam rusas
kubbayit
uibit
a man's house
the gate of the
house
the (jate of the
house of the
man's sister
a pencil of lead,
a lead-pencil
a glass of wine
is
'arabiyit
sitt
Khalifit (or
Khaliftjil
Islam
riggalit (or
riggalt) il
balad
55
the lady's car-
riage
the Caliph of
Islam
the men of the
village
Remark. — An adjective as well as a substantive may assume
this form, as 'aiyan ill, fern, 'aiyana ; 'aiyanit eh ? how can she he
i#/(§426).
§ 65. A few words ending in a add t without shortening the
vowel, 1 as : —
sala
haya
thus : —
salat il
maghrib
prayer
life
the prayer at
sunset
zaka 2
wafa
purity, charity
death
wi hyat (for by the life of
wi hayat) the Prophet
in nab!
Ma'na meaning may make ma'nat or ma'nit, or remain unchanged ;
mirs'i anchor, ghuwjj jugglers? shuraka partners, zumala comr
make mirsat or mirsit, shurakat or shurakit, etc. Ru'a shepherds
and su-.'i messengers occasionally make ru'at, su'at. but generally
remain as they are. Mugaza punishment generally makes
mugazat, but is sometimes left unchanged. Imda signature,
himn .'nilmia bath-heater, and a'da members, make imdit,
himmitj mihmit, a'dit only.
§ 66. Plurals of the form of shuraka" and zumala, with the
exception of these two words, regularly change a into it, as
fuqara poor people, fuqahfi schoolmasters; fuqarit, fuqahit, M in
the poor, the schoolmasters, of Cairo.
§67. All other words ending in d undergo no change
E.g. :—
1 As in the written language.
* Zika is in more common use than zak.'i.
: - Ghuwfl may also remain nucha:
56
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
'aiyaha
her illness
istibda 1
the beginning of
daw ana
our medicine
mas'ala
the matter
ghata 1 s
the cover of the
shifa 1 mara
the woman's re-
sanduq
box
cover ij
ikhfa 1 haga
the hiding of
ishtiha 1
the father's long-
the thing
w.ilid
ing
lugha 2 1
the language of
ghada, 'asfaa
the boy's lunch.
ingliz
the English
1 walad
dinner
rida r ragil
the man's con-
sent
Remark a. — As the final a is usually pronounced short in
all these words, a knowledge of the structure of the word is tin-
only guide in determining the form of a noun ending in a or
(original) a standing before another in the genitive.
Remake />. — The a is sometimes, but rarely, retained before
the t instead of being changed to I, as sanat alf the year 1000,
sifatu his qualifica tin // (for sanit, sifit); 3 so niaraten two women,
marraten twice.
§ 68. Abb father, and occasionally akhkh brother, add u when
preceded by a genitive retaining only a single consonant, as: —
abu Fatma Fatma's father
akhkhe (or akhu) Sileman Solyman's broth r 4
§ 69. Other ways of expressing the genitive will be noticed
in the s}-ntax ; but it is necessary to introduce the learner a1
this stage to the use of the word beta - , originally a substantive
meaning property. It is inserted pleonastically between a noun
and its genitive, and in opposition to the former, as il
ir ragil the house the property of the man, i.e. tin man's //</>/.-•.•. It
has, however, the feminine termination <i when the preceding
substantive is feminine, and so is best regarded as an adject iv.
meaning of or belonging /<<. When the feminine form is in con-
struction with another noun it becomes beta'il by the rule
.stated above, or, it' followed bj a vowel, beta'! or betaht (*; 19),
as il 'arablya betaht is sitt the lady's carri
1 The a is shortened according to rule before twocoi - inanta
I >ntrary to the literary form. Lugha also exists; hut
neither of them arc in common use. laghwa having taken their
place and meaning both as language and dialect.
:i sitit is perhaps nei er heard.
1 For the changes which nouns undergo in connection with
the possessive suffixes, see § 121.
â– 1 to he philologically connected with the literary mata*.
It has dw indled to /,/ in Maltese.
THE GENITIVE
VOCABULARY
madr
ooi
kuKra
cholera
t (or
â– am, tele-
?ahib
matt
taligraf)
graph ornce
//â– â– â–
Lundiira
London
taqribi
approximative
(Lundra)
nimsawi
Austrian
Ion
colour
niin ?
ici
makhzan
cellar, si
,1 â– 1
1
room
yeruh
he goes, will go
inakhzan
luggage-van
Safir
he true elled,
fran
left
'afsh
luggage
iqta'
cut, take (a
diwan
compartment,
ti':!:-t, &
ministry,
saraq
he stole
office
kasar
he b
busta
post
Ruqut
it fell, has
burneta
hat
fal
farkha
fowl
warrini
shot
la ba.li
milk
sbirib
he drank
dira'
arm
shaiya'
sent, send
khawaga
merchant,
(impera-
gentleman
tive)
_
army
ya -
air
bahr
sea, river
tan!
bock, â– <â– _
in Nil, bahr
the Nile rtw r
quddam
.
in Nil
of,
-
groom
fih
in it in
tlint the demonstrative pronoun as a rule follows the
noun, which is preceded by the definite article; also that the
â– f two noons, of which the second is in the genitive,
take the article even when it is definite in sen.^e. Tim- wi
l>.'t ir ragil, not il gil.
EXERCISE 11
! ragil illi km fi 1 ftda 1 barranfya betaht il makhzan 1
Ibn il kutbi yeruh il madrasa 1 nimsawlva. Am laqel Ba*a ti
1 :n 1 goddam il bab il barrani !»•' ' . hiya betalt mini
it bahr in Nil hilwa. Tainan it talagraf itn&
wardinari, u wahda finu kaman. tqta 1 1:
ula a wahda ?ugundu keman. Ldn il i -
uimad iswid. Ilu:t il 'afsl ml; li 1 babur il
kibtr hi makhzao il fransawt, wi $ yughaiyar ti d diwan. h
58 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
busta n nimsawiya tigi bukra. Hawa 1 yomen dul kan shidid.
U babiir linglizi safir imbarih w abfiya safir fih. II walad illi
shirib il moiya 1 wiskha beta'it bahr in Nil 'aiyan bi 1 kulera.
Ibn il merakbi gih bi 1 merkib betaht abuh, lakin kull il 'afshe
beta,' il efendi illi kan fiha wiqi' fi 1 bahr. Hat li kummitra
tanya hah kede sughaiyara, asghar min il auwilaniya.
EXERCISE 12
Bring the gentleman's hat from the downstairs room. He
came in his father's carriage. The city of London is much finer
and bigger than Cairo. The book which was on the chair in the
dining-room has fallen on the ground. The cook's little dog has
stolen a fowl from the poulterer's shop. The greengrocer's son
struck the poor Italian (woman), and broke her arm. The dining-
table of his house is higher than the other. 1 The watchmaker
repaired the old watch and brought it back to its owner's house.
The grocer's daughter is very pretty, and she is taller than his
son. Throw away the raw fruit; it is very bad. She is a low,
bad woman. The boy's dog has drunk the cat's milk. The
commander-in-chief 2 of the Egyptian army is an Englishman.
Is the carpet finished ? Yes, sir ! Good ! 3 Send it to the
house at once! I found the little boy's book on a chair in the
upstairs room. A European woman cook, not 4 an Arab man
cook. The barrel of the man's gun was crooked.
THE NUMBERS OF NOUNS
£ 70. There are three numbers- singular, dual, and plural
The dual, which is used to denote two objects, is formed by
the syllable en being added to the singular, as kdt&b a book,
bi 'â– )! two boohs; ragi] a man, ragleu {\<>v ragilfin) hoo men; il
Mehammidcm the two Moha
Remark. The use of the dual is confined to Bubstai
■•lives qualifying them being placed in the plural.
S 71. The t added to feminines ending in a, when in con-
struction with another uoun, appears also in the dual, the a
tgain being weakened to /,' which is liable to fall oul in accord
nice with the rulo laid down in . : —
» j 1 1 1 1 i t r- 1 1 two
tin
fiittrn ( from two '
i int. '-' g 46. ' iyibl * mush.
III.- a is occasionally retained, as in tnarat i
two '/mi/
THE NUMBERS OF NOUNS
72. The long vowels d and i are changed re-pectively to
ay or aw and iy, as : —
ghata a rover ghat
sama heaven samawgn
kursl kursiyen
while o becomes u>c or iy, as : —
mango 1 mango manguwen
overcoat baltuwen (or
baltiycn)
Remark a. — "Where final o is accented, the at is in-
serted, 2 as in baro 3 chest of draicers, rabo 3 jack plane (dual
barohen, rabohen) ; 3 abb father makes abben, but the nahwy
abuwen is sometimes used.
\rk b. — Some nouns ending in d, having no dual them-
selves, borrow that of a kindred form, as : —
shitwiten two winters (from shitwa)
ghadwiten two lunches (from ghadwa)
'ashwiten two dim
SalVi
1 a L'liwiten 4
ark c. — Ukht sister makes regularly ukhten, but occa-
sionally ikhwat>'n is heard. 5
kk d. — The plural form with the numeral itm'n two is
generally used instead of the dual where more euphonious, espe-
cially if the word is of foreign origin, as itnen yau
de-camp (for yauriyen . Such forms as kunti Ltuwen tie
(from kuntratu), karruw.'-n two catrUf bashawi
hardly be Said I
nouns are used in the dual only, signifying
the union of two i bich individually i
a^ kalbitdn / -. Their own dual would !>••
kalbi . xv. Widn rarely has a dual I
shift
winter
ghada
lunch
dinner
sala.
prayer
lugha
1 Oftt-n called manga.
â– Wb write bai -'h, fron
- nanism.
6 \\ I '.'<"': •:•.;!
60 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
the plural being used instead, as widani (or widani litnenj
my ears. 1
§ 74. The duals of dira' arm, rigl foot, 'en eye, id hand, and
(optionally) that of walid, when meaning parents, drop their
final n before a possessive suffix, as : —
dira'eya 2 my arms 'eneh 3 hi* eyes
riglek your feet idehum their hands
For tulten tico thirds, tultay is sometimes used, but only by the
more educated classes.
§ 75. The dual form occurs in the prepositions benen (in the
expression ben il benen) and hawalen around, and is added to
the interjection uff ! and occasionally to other words as an in-
tensive particle, as mush ahsan ? ahsanen, mush ahsan wahid
isn't it, wouldn't it be better? not only better, but doubly, evt
much better. 4 Hawalen generally loses its n like 'enen, Occ, under
the influence of the pronominal suffixes, as hawaleya around
but hawaleni, &c, are also heard.
THE PLURAL
§ 76. Plurals are of two kinds : —
(a) The Perfect Plural, so called because the singular form
remains unaltered but for the addition of certain terminations,
and
il)) The Broken Plural, in the formation of which the singular
undergoes a radical change. In both cases there is only one
form for the masculine and the feminine.
77. The perfect plural is formed by the addition of
ya (or lya), or a to the singular.
§ 78. The following nouns form their plural in in : —
(a) Most verbal adjectives (including participles) which form
their feminine by adding a to the masculine ; B.g. : —
1 There is no such form as mdnSya, as asserted by Spitta
He is mistaken also in giving abbahen, ummahen, as the duals
nf ;. I ill ami iimm, instead of the regular forms abben and Gunmen.
- Pronounce dir&'aiya (see § 1); diri'tt libnen is also said.
3 Somel imea pronounced *an6h.
1 The name Mehammaden is given in CTpper Egypl to chil-
dren, in the hope, apparently, that they wall be doubly blessed
ning the name of the prophet twofold. A few other dual
names are in use.
pahiz ready
taiyib
battal
THE PLURAL 61
katib writing
maktiib icritten
_ thzin, maktubin, ic).
\rk. — The termination t is changed to iy, and u to uic,
the formation of the feminine ; e.g. : —
';\li
high
pi. 'alyin (for 'aliyin)
mistanni
i raiting
., mistanniyin
'adu
enemy
„ 'aduwin
(6) Many nouns of the form barrak. 1 mostly substantives
denoting a profession or trade. They were originally of t\w
nature of intensive adjectives, and were thus applied to persons
who performed a particular act repeatedly ; e.g. : —
fallah.
a cultivator
battal
naggar
a cirj/>:nter
gabbar
tyrannical,
labban
milkman
tyrant
kaddub -
liar
(pi. fallahln, naggarin, (fee). Substantives of this form ending
in d change that vowel into ay, as saqqa water-carrier, banna
tmihler (pi. saqqayin, fc
1 The word fa'al (literary t'a'ala) is used by the grammarians
of the written language as the paradigm or model of all
which consist of a similar combination of radical consonants and
rab, balad. By doubling the consonants, changing
tin- vowels, or shifting the position of either or both, new para-
digms (but always with the same con- /, ', /) are formed.
Th.ua toaddab liar, mi.-ik he seized, imsik seize, are said to be of
tli<- Forms yr-.'r , //'//. and if'il respectively. The conveni
and : n of such a system in treating of a ll.
language like the Arabic will be readily perceived. The !•
k (which, with tin- vowel i placed after each of the lit- -
consonants, form the word bhik ghoul
work in preference to/', •. /. as offering no difficult^
pronunciation. Fur words containing four radical I- '
word lakhbat confuet is substituted for *
plied in "classical" Arabic only to an habitual ("pro-
") liar.
62
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
(c) Most relative adjectives in I. These insert a y between
the vowel and the plural termination, as : —
guwani
fransawi
inner
French
wustani
central
(plur. guwaniyin, &c).
Gahil ignorant makes gahliyin (gahiliyin).
rakhar the other rukhrin
mistihaqq deserving mistihaqqiyin.
§ 79. The following take the termination at : —
(a) A large number of substantives ending in a (including
nearly all those in iya), 1 masculine and feminine, of Arabic and
foreign origin ;
e.g. :—
sagara,
gamiiNi.
hukuma
darba
government
a blow
milaya
'awaga
'arabiya
'ishriniya
sheet
cripple
a twenty piastre
piece
Khalifa
Caliph
merasla
messenger
yaqa
collar
lamba (or
lamp
lamda)
barrima
rorlcscrew
(plur. sagarat, gamusat, 'arabiyat, lambat, 2 &c).
(b) Proper names, both masculine and feminine : —
Mehammad, Hasan, Zenab, Taha (inan's name), Fatma (plur.
Mehammadat, Hasanat, Fatmat, &c).
(c) Nouns ending in d, and most of those which end in u, o*
or 6. The former change the a into aw, while' the latter (con
sisting entirely of foreign words) either lose the vowvl or convert
it into uw, and occasionally into iy ; e.g. : —
desert
sam, i
babfi
basha, 4
shy
papa, jKjpe
â– -h r
qafa
khala
(plur. samawat,
kikiv, ',! , A C. |.
captions are gallabiya a robe, which has the broken
plural galalib, though gallabiyat is also in use, sultan
i plur. xilfiun i.
- But ni"i e usually Lumad.
Blosl of these may be pronounced optionally wit!
4 Also, but less commonly, b&ahat,
THE PLHIAL
63
tiyatru thtatrt
kuntiatu contract
(plur. tiyatrat, 1 &c).
saku overcoat
(plur. sakuwat, kc).
titro (-u) filter
mango v '-u) mango
bintu -
sugundu
ballo (-u)
a napoleon
an under-servant
ball, dance
bintiyat
sugundiyat
balliyat (or balluwat)
Remark. — When the 6 of the singular is accented, h is in-
serted, as bar6, rabo, barohat, &c, but these words are perhaps
better written baroh, &c, in the singular (see § 39) ; so also in
the case of accented e, as kanabe sofa (plur. kanabehatj.
(rl) A few nouns in i. These again insert y ; e.g. : —
sid Sri
baladi
sis!
waistcoat
countryman
small pony
bantutii ;
guwanti '
efendi
slippers
pair of gloves
and Turkish words with the termination bashi, as : —
biini
colonel
yuzbashi , lain
(plur. sideriyat, baladiyat, guwantiyat, bimbashiyat, cV'c).
(e) The names of the letters and syllables. They Lnserl
when ending in a vowel ; v.g., K-hat, nunat, mabat, the I
li, n, the syllables ma.
(/) The names of the months, as ramadanat Bamadans.
(g) Nouns which admit of a double plural, or the plural of a
dual form, as ulufat and alat'at (plur. of uluf and alaf, them-
selves plurs. of alf) thousands ; similarly : —
kushufat
lists
qad&yat
casts, matters
ihat
Wound*
quturat
raihcay train*
•in; rat
perfumes
kubarat
gran
i)uyudat
shackles
'i.-iuuiai
fir*
wisiilat
receipt*
talal
third' *
asbyat
things
qirshi
i of two
kutubat
booh*
1 A. confused form biyatrutat Lb sometimes beard.
- From lial. venti. A more common plural La banatl.
'Kint ujl.
1. guanti.
64
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
(h) A few passive participles used as substantives, as : —
mashrubat drinks melauwinat things of
inasruqat l stolen goods various col-
ours or kinds
(i) A large number of verbal substantives, including all
those of the
form bardk and
all those which
are constructed
from the derived forms of the verb ; e.g. : —
talab
demand
gawab
letter
badan
body of a
mahill
•place
garment
ta'sir
mark
kitab
book
tafsil
detail
su'al
question
ikram
bounty
hiwan
animal
tahammil
bearing malice
gidar
foundation,
imtihan
examination
low wall
istihsan
approval
(plur. talabat,
badanat, hiwanat,
ikramat, &c).
(J) Many
substantives of foi
-eign origin, as :-
astabl
stable
faraman
firman
balakon
balcony
qazan
caldron
buks
horse-box
sharab
stocking
bahlawan
wrestler
alay
regiment
qayimmaqam lieutenant
brins
prince
gurnal
journal
babilr
dukkar
dog-cart
frank
frank
gine (or
shilin
shilling
gineh)
rival
dollar
khan
inn
forZ);
(plur. astablat, buksat, dukkarat, brinsat, etc.).
Remark. — Gurnal more frequently makes garanin (n
•lukkar has also dakakir.
(k) A few nouus not derived from verbs, though of Arabic
origin, as : —
lady
kind of basktt
coward (m.
orf.)
(plur. b&tat, sittat, &c.). 2
1 N*)t in use among the lower classes.
'-' The plural of 'aiimi patented unde and khh\ maternal uncle
Is i'niaTii. ildiwal, not (at leasl in Cairo) 'ammflt, khalat, as stated
by Spitta.
bat
armpit
sitt
gifir
shield
'eyar
khawal
dancing-man
gabta
oahar
day
garaz
bell
THE PLURAL
65
§ 80. The following plurals in at are formed somewhat
irregularly : —
behawat (or behat or bahat)
sanawat
abahat or (though rarely) abbat l
ummahat
zawat
lurdawat (or lurdat, lordat)
ikhwat
ikhwat
banat
gamalat (or gumalat)
qulalat
Remark a. — Umm makes ummat when meaning having, pos-
sessed of (see § 261), as niswan ummat hidiim bid women with
white clothes. Akhkh has also ikhwan in the sense of brethren,
associates. Ikhwa is another form of plural of both akh and
ukht. To prevent confusion, we may add the words dukur males
and banat, as liya ikhwa banat wi dkur / have sisters and brothers.
Sana has a duplicate plural, sinin.
Remark b. —
be (or b«h)
bey
8ana
year
ab (abb)
father
umm
mother
zat
person
lurd (or lord)
lord
akh (akhkh)
brothei'
ukht
sister
bint
girl
gamil
beautiful
qalil
few
shita
subh
winter
morning
'asr
'isha
afternoon
evening
have no plural of their own, but borrow that of kindred nouns
in iya, expressing the whole period or season, as talat shitwiyat
three winters or winter seasons. Ghada and 'asha use the forms
ghadwat, 'ashwat (from ghadwa, 'ashwa).
VOCABULARY
nas
jieoj'le
gazzar
butcher
tashrtf
reception
me'allim
teacJier
gam 'iya
society, as-
'asaya
dick
sembly
taslih
repairing, im
tumn
district }>olice-
provement
station
ballon
balloon
dunya
world, weatJter
tasa
bowl
tarawa
freshness
niahatta
station
Blg&ra
cigarette
kitabkhana
library
wust
centre, middle
Urubba
h'urope
suq
market
bflftd it Turk
Turkey
The nahwy abaw&t is sometimes heard.
66
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
Fransa
France
tayir (t&'ir)
flying
Nimsa
Austria, Ger-
naqis
missing, want-
many
ing
diyuf
quests
haddar
bring, get
biyut
houses
ready, pre-
gay
coming
pare (im-
mesafir
travelling,
perative)
leaving
mauwit
he killed
masri
Egyptian
waddu
the// conducted
mabsut
contented,
to
pleased
'auz
I want, you
gamid
strong, firm
want, he
khayrt
good, beneficent
wants
hadir
ready
yehibbil
they love
mabni
built
'amal
he did, made
kull
all
kan fib
there was, were
mistakhdim
employed,
'ala shan,
for, on account
employe
'as hun
of, in order
mashgbul
busy
that, because
mazbut
fixed, correct,
bidal
instead of
right
in nahar da
to-day
raqid
lying, lying
il lela
to-night
ill
tainalli
always
barid
cold
inn (con-
that
sukhn
hot
junct.)
ghall
dear
EXERCISE 13
Hat il lambat we haddar il 6da, 'ashan fth nas diyuf gayin
il lela. Is saqqayin illi gabu 1 moiya inbarih bat^alin qawi ;
humma mLskfi banat kand 1 mashyin fi s sikka we darabuhum
we ramuhum fi 1 ard, we saraqii fulus-hum minhum. Ana shufte
fi 1 gurnalat inn il bashawat il magrlyin illi rahu stambul mab
sutin min tashrifat is sultan. Ana shtarel (ishtaivt) bardh&t mis
suq, wahid minhum 'fill 'an it tarn in. Wahid ragil gabbar darab
il qutta 1 maskina illi kanit fi maklizan Mehammad KlVndi talal
darbat gamdfn bi fas kanit' 2 f idu we mauwitha ; lakin riggalt
il gam'iya 1 khairlya betaht il ingliz, illi kanu hadrtn wadduh it
tumn. Salib (§ahib il bet 'amaJ it ta<hat il lazmtn li gninti
(ginuniti). II busta gat inbarih, we gabit li gawabat min il
Sttppl] illi.
• Pot illi kanit.
THE PLURAL 67
banat ikhwati illi fi blad lingliz. Id dunya ahsan in nabar da ;
fib tarawa kuwaij isa. II milayat wiskhin wi 1 battaniyat ausakh
kaman. Guztu rahit is suq we gabit .lu bidten (bediten) we
hittit lahma taza. It talagrafat betu' in nabar' da ahamme min
betu- inbarih. Biyut qunsulatat Fransa we Nimsa mabniyin fi
wust il balad. II wiiad is sughaiyarin gum. Fen il kitabat
betu' abuya ? Laqet il waraqat 'ala t tarabezat. II bantuf liyat
fi 1 Oda betaht il farsh. Is sanduqen betu" abuk gamdin.
Skaiyah li qalamen. <auz il kitaben wi 1 waraq illi f idak. Is
sa'ten illi f udtak inazbutin litnen 1 ana shribte (shiribte) sigarten
bass in nahar da. Sbuf t id dukkaren fi dukkanu ; litnen kuwai-
yisin qawi. Banatu 'aiyanin kullubum, raqdin fi 1 bet. Is
sagarten illi fi gnint abuya 'alyin 'an betu'ak.
EXERCISE 14
Bring tbe lamps and put them on the tables in my room.
Take the twenty-piastre-pieces and give me (some) two-piastre-
pieces instead of them. The employes of the Egyptian Govern-
ment are always busy. My feet are cold, but my hands are
warm. The butchers of London are dearer than those of Cairo.
There is a school for French 1 boys and another for German
boys, and there are English masters at 2 both. Put two towels
in the room and take away the dirty (ones). I wrote three letters
to my brothers to-day. Your books are on a chair in the dining-
room. The boys and girls came around me and seized my hands.
Che gentleman took the receipts for 3 the books. The messengers
brought the papers from the War Office. The balconies of "our
two houses are built over the two gardens. The boys love their
lathers and their mothers. The Egyptian army has beaten the
Soudanese. He struck him two blows on the head 4 with a stick
(wl.irh) was in his hand. Your eyes are smaller than mine
There were three balls in the town in one night, I saw three
balloons flying in the air. Two collars and three waistcoats are
missing. They caught the animals in the gardens, and brought
them to the house. All of them are liars. The ladies arc
leaving to-day ; send their luggage to the station. There are
colonels and captain* of the English army in the Egyptian army
Ihe walls of my garden are very low. The milkman ha*
brouglH only two bowls (of) milk. The Arabic language it
richer than those of * Europe. The Beys have brought (some)
1 Trans, the French, the German.
' r u ; * betiV.
* Trans, hie heutL '- betu" 1 .
68
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
wrestlers from Turkey. How many books are there in your
brother's library ? Thousands.
$ 81. The plural termination ya or iya is assumed by a
number of substantives and a few adjectives ending in i, <ji,
bdsM, or, or. er, and a few others. The majority (with the ex-
ception of those ending in i) are of foreign origin, and denote
trades or professions ; e.g. : —
askafi
cobbler
khizinrlar
paymaster
tarzi *
tailor
ginninar
generrd
harami
robber
ikhtiyar
old
Efendf
iinberator
emperor
shukalt
quarrelsome
bankiyer (or
bunker
khimiqi
guide-tempered
l>ankier,
sudani
Soudanese
banker)
kawalingv-
locksmith
afukatu
advocate
'arbagi
coachman
(abukatu)
unbashi
corporal
qunsulatu
consulate
hekimdar
command ai if of
shawish
(•unstable
police
yawir
aide-de-camp
Plur. tarziya, haramiya, khimiqtya, kawalingtya, ikhtiyariya,
afukatfya, yauriya (for yawiriya). ,v<-.
Remark a. — Efendi, qunsulatu. bankier, and nouns ending in
bashj have also plurals in at. (See above.) Bit sha wish chief con-
stable has a duplicate form, bitshawishiyat.
Rshabe b. — It will be observed that the plural and feminine
singular of many of these nouns are identical; thus khulaqiya
may mean quick-tempered men or a quick-tempered woman, tainar-
giya men nurses or a woman nurse.
$ 82. The following take the terminal ion a .- —
(a) Many nouns of the form barrdfi; as :
bam mil
a dealer in
zaiyat (or
oil-merchant
''".!' ' ''
ZeYat)
babban
dealer in straw
saggan
turnkey
gallab
dove-dealer
ghassal
washerman
hat tab
wood-cutter
sammak
fisherman
jarraf
money-changer
Bhaiyal (or
porter
gammal
camel-driver
aheyal)
hammar B
donkey-boy
khauwaf
tn
rallas
kick 1
(plur. bannana,
tabhaiia, h annua
la, &&).
1 Turkish. M.av usually kau.ilini.
'â– llaiuinatin is SO times used, but apparent!) only in tin*
b< li< i thai it Bounds educated.
THE PLURAL
c:<
Remark a. — The great majority, it' not the whole, of these
may also make their plural in in. But on the other hand, a
great many nouns of this form make their plural in in only.
Where the noun admits of a feminine form, as ghassala tea
woman, it is better to use the plural in in to prevent confusion.
(b) A few adjectives of the form barrik, as : —
sarrif
khauwif
money-changer
timid
akkil
gluttonous
.Remake. — Sarrif is more common, perhaps, than sarraf,
especially in the plural.
VOCABULARY
lamun
lemons
ilbis
/>ut on
burtuqan
orange*
shalu
they carried,
hidum
clot lie*
carriedaun
wiraq (uraq)
l>aperx
mishyii
they walked.
raf'a
pity
walked air ay
farsh
Lidding
yikkallimu
they speak
Bign
prison
(or vitkal-
hantalon
trousers
limu)
ogra
hire, iv a
katabt
I irrote
Iiahwi
Chancery Ian
kasaru
they broke
guage
yib
In li't lj,i
.tin
imprisoned
sal l.i In':
they repaired
1 k\< i i
remaining, rest
sahhu
they icoke
luzim
sary
khallasti
they rescued
qadir
powerful
uiisku
Ho y at ized,
d&) ini
ping
caught
talat
th ree
kam?
him- utnity t *
kulluhum
all of l/i< /a
ii"W much f
khad
h> took
k.tir (kitir)
much, very
shaiya'u
/III'// S, lit
lain gh@r
without
dakhalfi
thetj i i/fi'red
halt a
. at tart
yilhisii
they put on,
-l a
KXKKCISE 15
In ti.'is il kubar&t yilbifiu kuwaiyis we yikkallimd nahwi. wi
n oAa il baqyin yilbisO gallabiyat we yikkallimfk 'arabl; lakin
lefendiyal katnftn wehatta 1 bashaw&l yikkalliinfi 'arabl ti b
thum. II 1 1 . 1 1 .mi iya dakhalu bel in naggarin wi >araqu kalbiten
QOUO in t In tUDgulai
- Suffixed to n.Kins.
70 THE SPOKEN 7 ARABIC OF EGYPT
we talat rabohat. Ish sheyalin illi shalu 1 'afshe beta* il beh
rain il babur kasaru kulle hfiga illi fih, we ba'den talabu 1 ugra
beta'ithum. Is saggana fatahu bab is sign, khadu qirshen min
il masgunfn we seyibiihum. II gammala darabu 1 hammara we
khallasuhum il hattaba. II abukatlya kkallimu ketir. II
khaiyata shtaru talat lamunat we burtuqanten we fak-ha tanya
kaman, we hattuhum fi 'eyarat wi sh sheyalin gabiihum 'ala
bethum. II hekimclariya mabsutin min il bitshawishiyat, wi 1
bitshawishiya mabsutin min ish shawishiya. Ishtiri nna 1 san-
dfiqen mis sanadqiya betu' is suq we hathum qa wain. I n naggarin
gabu 1 khashabat we mistanniyin fulus-hnm ; wi sh shaiyala kaman
'auzin ugrithum. It tamargiya. wi t tamargiyat nas taiyibin
EXERCISE 16
The lock-smiths came and repaired both the locks of the door
of my house. The washerwoman has brought the clothes, but
where are the collars and the socks ? Give me two piastres for
the fishermen who are waiting at 2 the door. The emperors of
Europe arc very powerful. The tailors have sent the waistcoats ;
they are very good. The generals are old but strong. The
children are very timid. Give them an orange; they are also
very gluttonous. The sun is hot ; put on your hat and sit under
the trees. The camel-drivers were lying asleep on the ground,
but the slave- dealers awoke them and they all 3 went on. The
Rey's stables are very dirty.
THE BROKEN PLURAL
§ 83. Broken plurals are constructed in various ways. The
following is a list of the forms winch they assume, together with
the principal singular tonus from which they are severally derfr ed.
1. Plur. form, birak, from singulars of the forms barka,
birk, birka, birik, birika. burk; e.g. :
jra/.ma
pair <>) <hoes
gizam
khoma. (for khayma)
tent
khiyani
and the two foreign words
tanda
awning
I mad
warsha
workshop
wiraafa ;
dibb
bear
dibab
qity 4
Copts
qibat ;
ibra '
11a
ibar
For ishl ii i lina.
- ti or Mud.
3 kulluhum after the verb. 4 Collective
noun. ' /.-. 'ibra
THE BROKEN PLURAL
71
gitta
body
gitat
birka
pond
birak
'itta
moth
'itat
hlla (for
hiyla)
wile
hiyal
slra
story
siyar ;
gidid
old small coin
gidad;
midina
city
midan ;
shull i
horse-cloth
shilal
2. Burak,
e.g. :—
balta
from sing
. forms barka,
barik
, birik, burka ;
axe
bulat
takhta »
bench
tukhat
lamda
lamp
lumad
harba
lance
hurab
oda x (foi
• awda)
room
uwad
gidid (gad id)
new
gudad ;
hufra
hole
hufar
bulgha (also balgha)
kind of shoe
bulagh
ukra
door-handle
ukar
sura
picture
suwar
orta l
battalion
urat
buza (for
buwza)
beer-shop
buwaz
3. Burk or (rarely) birk, from sin?.
forms
barafca, biraka,
bank, barlka,
abrak, 2 and
(in one case) ibrik ; e.Q
'. : —
'ae&ya
stick
<usy
'abaya
cloak
'iby ;
nitaya
female
nity ;
ghashim
simple
ghushm
qadim
old, clumsy
qudm
'abit
simpleton
'ubt ; 3
hasira
mat
husr ;
akhras
dumb
khurs
ahwal
squinting
hul (for huwl)
a 'wag
crooked
fig (for 'uwg)
almiar
red
hunir
asmar
brown
sumr
aliy ad
wh tie
bid (for buyrl )
iswid
black
sud (for suwd)
a'm.i
'Jir///
•imy 1
1 Turkish.
2 Expressing colours and bodily infinniti
8 Also 'il>t
and 'ubata.
4 A few of these words
have also the plur. form
burkan. bii
72
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
4. Buruk, from sing, forms barik, baruk, birak, birika., burka;
e,.g. :—
tariq
road
turuq ;
rasul
messenger, apostle
rusul ;
kitab
book
kutub ; 1
inidina
city
mudun ; 2
burda (burda)
a kind of coat
burud (burud)
5. Birak, burak, from
sing, forms bark, barka, barak, barik,
barik (and its diminutive,
buraiyik), barrik, birk, birka, biiik, 3
burk ; e.g. : —
baghl
mule
bighal ;
marra
time
niirar
farkba
fowl
firakh
balad
town
bilad
walad
boy
wiliid *
waraq
paper
wiraq 4
gabal
mountain
gibal
gamal
camel
gimal
garya (for gariya)
negress, slave-girl
guwar ;
tagir
merchant
tugar ;
da'if
weak
du'af
gbawit
deep
ghuwa$
tawil
tall
tuwal
qasir (and the more
small, short
qusar
usual form
qusaiyar) 6
qadim
old
qudam
gamil
beautiful
gamil
sahlh
true, whole
Sill Kill
ghani (for ghanfy)
rich
^huiiay
shaqi (for shaqiy)
<rick"l, felon
shuqay
tari
fresh
turay;
'aiyil
'â– llild
'iyal ;
1 The perfect plur. kitabat is more commonly used by the
less educated. The double plur. kutubat will also bo heard.
2 A rare form. Midan and (less commonly) mida'iu are
those in use.
8 A weakened form of barik. the i occurring mostly between
weak consonants.
4 Ulad, liraq air often Usrd by thr educated, u> ;dsu aulad,
auii'uj.
6 Qusaiyar has also the perfect plur. qusaiyartn.
THE BROKEN PLURAL
ear
widan
teeth
sina.ii ;
handful
hifan ;
new
gudad
great
kubar ;
toicer
birag
widn
sinn
hifna
gidid
kibir
burg
Remark. — Nisa women has no corresponding singular form.
C. Birk, from sing, form baraka ; e.g. : —
dawaya inkpot diwy
7. Biruk (or buruk, the u being often assimilated), from sing,
forms bark, barik, birik, barki, birk, burk ; e.g. : —
batn
bell;/
butun
gahsh
foal of doulcey
guhush
dab'
hycena
dubu'
sab'
lion
subu'
naqz
L-affeas brawli
nuquz
ban-
shore
burur
tall
hill
tilul
alf
thousand
uluf
b.':t (for
bayt)
house
biyut (or
buyiit )
raff
shelf
rufuf
daqn
beard
diqun
asl
root
usul
sef (for
sayf;
sword
siyuf
aniuj
giyush ;
malik
king
muluk (or
milfik);
shahid
witness
shuhiid ; 1
saighi
delivery -book
E i rug
gidr
root
gidur
hind
Indians
binud
gidd
grandfather
L'i'lud
dik (for
diyk)
cock
diyuk :
buig
pig> on-coi on roof
of t'
buriig
8. Hir.ik.
, from
sing.
form b&rik ; t.g. : —
r B&'is,
sayis) groom
•iyiq
da idy
tyiq
1 More umi:i11\ nhuhh&d, especially amongsl
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
9. Burrak, from sing, form barik ; e.g. : —
qasir
minor
qussar
10. Burrak (and birrak), from sing, form barik ; e.g.
tagir
merchant
tuggar
hagib
chamberlain, usher
huggab
rakib
passenger
rukkab
haris
guardian
hurras
shahid
witness
shuhhad
zabit
officer
zubbat
kafir
infidel
kuffar
hagg (for
hagig)
pilgrim
higgag (hug-
gag)
hakim
judge, ruler
hukkam
shatir
clever, cunning
shuttar l
11. Buraka, 2 from sing, forms barak, barik, barika, barik,
birlk ; 3 e.g. : —
amir
'abit
qadim
hakim
Khalifa
hawi
qadi
bikhil
shirik
12. Barik and (weakened form) birik, from sing, forma
bark, birk, birak (burak) ; e.g. : —
'abd slave 'abid ;
chieftain
umara
imbecile
'ubata
ancient
qudama 4
physician
hukama
Caliph
Khulafa ;
juggler
hiwa 5 (for
hiwaya) ;
judge
quda r> (for
qudaya) ;
greedy
bukhala
partner
shuraka
mrz
himar (or hum&r)
slave
goats
donkey
mi'iz ;
himir
1 These words were all originally present participles, Shatir
has sometimes the perfect plur. shatrin.
2 Representing both buraka and buraka of the classical. The
a is sounded somewhat lung in a. few eases.
8 Weakened form of barik.
4 This form is only used as a substantive.
5 Or hiwfi, qudfi (pronounce biw&h, qudfth). Sos&'l messenger,
.su'a or sir.ih.
THE BROKEN PLURAL
7:1
13. Ihruk (abruk).
from sine, forms bark,
birak ; e.g. : —
farkh
sheet of paper
ifrukh
daqn
beard
idqun
raff
shelf
irfuf
nafs
soul
infus
dal'
rib
idlu'
sahn
disk
ishun
dira'
arm
idru'
14. Ibrak and (stroi
iger and less commonly
used form) abrak.
fruiii sing, forms bark.
barak, barik, birk, burk ; e.g. : —
ganb
side
ingab
dal'
rit>
idla'
'am ni
paternal uncle
i'main
goz (for
gawz)
pair, husband
igwaz
kom (for kawm)
heap
ikwam
der (for
dayr)
convent
idyar
shA' (for
shay 1
th ing
ashya' (for
ashya') ; '
qafas
<-age
iqfas
lchal (for khawal)
hiaternal uncle
ikhwal
bab (for
bawab)
door
ibwab
nab (for
nayab)
canine fnoth
invab; 2
sahib
owner ; friend
ashab, ishab ;
gins
kind
ignas
•ibb
breast-pocket
i'bab
gidd
grandfather
igdad
dinn
wine- cot
idnan
bizz
"bread
ibzaz 3
sinn
teeth.
isnan 3
gii
century
igyal
tin
land, soil
atyan
waqt
time
auqat 4
bir (for
bi'r)
well
ibya i-
zir
water-jar
izyar 5
d i 1 w
bucket
id law
1 But commonly pronounced ashya. The mixed plural ashy&t
is in more genera] use.
- E*ronOUnced also nival* (see § 15).
3 Or bizaz, sinan.
4 A.s ma yefutushwala waqt il auqat, he will never leave
I
5 Or ziyar
7G THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
'id festival i'yad
sid lord isyad ; 1
tuql weight itqal
gurn barn igran 1
guz' part igza'
sur (for suwr) wall iswar
sfiq market iswaq
buq trumpet ibwaq
ruh. spirit irwah
Remark. — Alf thousand makes alaf (as in literary Arabic) or
alaf ; raiy (or ra'y) opinion ara ( = ar'a of tbe classical) ; ism nance
asma (classic, asma').
15. Ibrika 2 and (rarely) abrika, from sing, forms barak,
barik, birak, burak, birik ; e.g. : —
hanak mouth ihnika ;
kanif closet iknifa;
girab scabbard igriba
higab amulet ihgiba
hiram woollen cloak, blanket ihrima
biram earthen saucepan ibrima
lisan tongue ilsina
zirar (itself plur. of buttons izrira j
zirr)
busat carpet ibsita
husan horse ihsina
ghurab crow ighriba ;
righif loaf irgbifa
sibil fountain isbila
Remark. — Tabib physician makes atibba (for atbiba).
16. Abrika and ibrika, from sing, forms barak, barik;
e.g.
dawa (for dawa') medicine idwiya 3 (or
adwtya) :
gbani (for gbaniy) rich agniya
shaqi rebellious, villain ashqiya*
1 Or siya'l. giran.
2 Including ibrika of the classical. Man) words of this form
are pronounced blrika (see § 15).
8 Tin- qat'a changing to u.
4 Tbese, in classical Arabic, belong to the preceding form,
They are not much used by the lower classes.
THE BROKEN PLURAL
77
17. Bawarik, from sing, forms
birika), barik, burk, barika; e.g.:
barka (contracted from
hadsa
fak-ha
nadra
madna
hafir
khatim
dufr
saniya
Remark. — Suba 1 finger
sabi'.
18. Barayik (bara'ik),
occurrence
fruit
incident
minaret
hoof
signet-ring
jiuger-nail
trail
makes sawabi',
from
ha wid is
fawakih
nawadir
mawadin ;
hawafir
khawatim ;
dawafir ;
sawani
an unused sin^.
from sing, forms barik. barika, ba
bariika, birka, birik,- birika, 2 bireka, burka, buruk ; e.g. : —
habib friend
garima cri me
'aguz ld
'azuma banquet
'arusa bride
shiffa Up
Sllfa husband's brother's
wife
cattle
lock of hair
city
garden
one of two or more
wives 3
zubun customer
Remark. —It will be noticed that, with the exception of birka
and burka, the second syUable of these singulars is long
19. Birkan burkan, from sing, forms bark, barka, barak,
baraka, barak, bank, barik, burk, burak, abrak ; e.g. :—
* babb , , (Witt sbubban
far(forta'r) me firan*(for
fi'ram
var tambourine (Iran* (for
__ t6r(for t awr) bull Jg**
bihim. bibima
gidila
midina
ginena
durra
habayib ;
garayim ;
•agayiz ;
'azayim
•arayis ;
shafayif
salayif ;
bahayim ;
gadayil
madayin ;
ganayin ;
darayir ;
zabavin
1 For the pronunciation of these words, see § 19
2 Weak forms of barik, barika.
* Li their relationship to one another, eo-ejuwe.
Generally pronounced firan, tiran, <fcc. (§ 15).
â– 78
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
hosh
enclosure for cattle
hishan
hod
tank, basin
hidan
kom
heap
klman
ghet (for ghayt)
field
ghitan ;
taqa
window
tiqan ;
gada'
youth, fine fellow
gid'an
ghalaq
pannier
ghulqan
'arab
Arab, Bedouin
'urban
bab (for bawab)
door
biban ;
khalaqa
old garment
khulqan ;
ghazal
gazelle
ghuzlan
ghata
cover, ltd
ghutyan ;
'aris
bridegroom
'irsan
'arish
pole of carriage
'irshan
qadib
rod
qudban
shagi*
brave
shug'an
sabi
lad, apprentice
subyan ;
iahib
monk
ruhban
het (for ha'it)
wall
hitan ;
ku'
elbow
ki'an
kuz
mug
kizan
ghul^
ogre
ghilan ;
shuga*
braoe
shug'an
ghurab
crow
ghirban ;
a'ma
blind
'imyiin
Remark a. — The
form abrak is peculiar to
a few adjectives
denoting colours and
pers
onal defects, which have the duplicate
form burk or (in the
case
of a'ma) birk.
Remark b. — The
word
niswan is used <is the plural of mara
woman.
20. Baraka, from
sing,
. forms barka (including barika), barik,
barkan, birka, birkan
, birika. barkant, burkani ;
e.g. :—
halwa
sweetmeat
halawa
/.auvii (zawiya)
angle chapel
tawaya ;
yatim
orphan
yatama ;
hibhi
pregnant
habala ;
'iryan
naked
'araya ; 1
tikiya
Moslem monastery
takaya ;
ghalban
wretched
glial aba ;
nasranl
Christian
(Nazarene)
nasara ;
wustani
<-en
wasata
The perfect plur. 'iryanin is much more common.
THE BROKEN PLURAL
79
21. Buruka, from sing, form barrik ; e.g.
qassis priest
qususa
22. Barak! (for barakiy), from sing, forms bark, barka.
barkiya, barakkiya, birka, birki, birkiya, birkiya, burki ;
e.g. :—
ard
ahl
sakw
du - wa
lela (for layla)
qalnva
shakwa
hara
shamsiya
fasqiya
ma'addiya
birba
migra
kilwa
mikhla
miisa
birri
sts!
bittiya
hiddaya
mikhbaya
burgbl '
kursi
kubri »
earth
family
overcoat
claim
night
coffee, coffee-house
complaint
quarter {of a town)
umbrella, $h utter
fountain
ferry
ancient temple
stream
kidney
nose-bag
anclwr
wild
pony
cask
kite
hiding-place
screw
chair
bridge
aradt
ahail
sakawi ;
da'awi
laj all
qahawt
shakawl
hawari ;
sham a si
fasaqi ;
ma'adi ;
barabi
magari
kalawi
makhalf
marasi ;
barari waste
lands
sayasi ;
batati ;
hadadi
makhabi ;
baraghi
karasi
kabari
Remark. — Dura maize, baltu overcoat, and bintu (or binti)
napoleon, have plurals of this form, namely, darawi fields of mai:.> .
balati, banati.
23. Buraka. Sing, forms, bark, barak ; e.g. : —
hagar
da'if
stone
weak
hugaia ;
du'afa 2
Turkish.
2 LVaf ia wore common.
30
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
24. Biruka, buruka, from sing, forms bark, barak, birk ; e.g. : —
baqf ninny buqfifa
nat* uncouth nutu'a
sab' lion sulm'a
dab' hyena dubu'a
saqf ceiling suqufa
naqz leafless branch nuquza
bank bank, bench binilka ;
dakar male dukura ;
nimr tiger numura
Remark.— Nouns which make buruka generally admit also
the form buruk.
25. Birraka, from sing, form barik ; e.g. : —
ragil man riggala
26. Bawarik, 1 from sing, forms barak, barik, baruk, baruka,
barruka, birak ; e.g. : —
ma'ad time, period mawa'id ;
tarikh date (time) tawarikh ;
'amud column 'awamid
satur chopper sawatir
basur hamiorrhoid bawasir
gam ua buffalo gawamis
ta'ils peacock tawa'is ;
tab. una mill tawalnn 2
hadduta tale, gossip hawadit
hazzura riddle hawazir ;
diwan office dawawin
27. Bayarik, from sing, form barrak ; e.g. : —
sarraf money-changer sayarif
28. Lakhabit, from sing, forms lakhnat, lakhbata, lakhbatt,
lakhbit, lakhbita, likhbit, likhbita, lukhbit, lukhbut : p.<j. : —
mabrad
file
mabarid
magma'
mafrash
assembly
table-cloth
magami'
mafaiish
rafraf
splashboard (of car-
rafanf
barbakfa
riage
culvert
Kiiabikh
1 Usually pronounced bawartkh, with a very slight accent on
the second a (see § 13).
- .Samula rivet sometimes makes aam&wil (for gaw&mtl).
THE BROKEN PLURAL
81
doraq (dawraq)
kind of bottle
dawariq ;
mabkhai'a
censer
mabakbir
makkama
court
niahakim
barda'a
donkey's saddle
baradi'
shabraqa
treat
shabariq ;
'antari
chemise
'anatir ;
bulisa (bawlisa)
invoice
bawalis ;
gilgil
small bell
galagil;
gimgima
skull
gamagim ;
burqu'
•
veil
baraqi'
gumruk 1
custom-house
gamarik
dungul
axle (of carriage)
danagil
Remark. — Mebar (for
maybar) packing needle makes mawabir.
29. Lakhabit,
2 from
sing, forms lakbbat,
lakhbata, lakb-
bati, lakhbiitiya,
lakbbit.
lakbbita, lakkbut, lakbbilta, likbbat,
likhbata, likhbit,
likhbiyi
it, lukhbat, lukbbata,
lukbbatiya, lukh-
bet, lukbbeta ; e.g. : —
ballas (or ballasi)
kind of jar
balalis ;
sahhara
trunk, box
sahaliir ;
gallabiya
gown
galalib ;
tafsil
detail
tafasil
mazzika
music, band
mazazik
barrima
corkscrew
bararim ; 3
barghut
jieas
baraghit
katkut
eh icken
katakit
zarbun
low, vulgar
zarabin
ma'zum
invited, guest
ma'azim
masgun
prisoner
masagto
mazlum
o j 'pressed
inazalini
ma'mur
a Government re-
presentative
ma'am i i- ;
tannura
ekirt
tananir ;
biiwaz
j'i lure-frame
barawiz
shibb&k
window
shababik;
-ikkin
knife
8 ik.ikin ;
shinl Lyan
troueerBWormby women Bhan&ttxi .
mu!
key
inafatih
ddl&b, dulab
cupboard
daw<b :
-uliaiiiva
botol, basin
BB latin ;
qustdk
kind of voatchrchain
qaa&l tk
bun
hat
bar!
Turkish. -' The second a is practically short, as above,
3 Better barrtm I
82
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
sharkas
samkari
berberi, barbari
gabbax
masrawi
turkawt
hindawl
talmiz
maiyidi (or meyidi)
dakruri
targuman
fara'un
diktor
dungulawl
30. Lakhabta (lakhabita), from sing, forms lakhbat, lakhbati,
lakhbat, lakhbati, lakhbit, lakhbiti, lakhbuti, lakhbutan, lakhabut,
likhbut, lukhbutawi ; e.g. : —
Circassians sharaksa ;
tinker samakra
native of Berber barabra ;
tyrant gababra ;
Egyptian masarwa
Turk tarakwa
Indian hinadwa ;
sclwlar talamza 1
an ancient small
coin mayayda ;
native of DakrHr dakarna ;
interpreter taragma
Pharaoh, tyrant fara'na ;
doctor dakatra ;
native of Dongola danagla
Remark. — Fayilmi native of the Fayoum (fayayma) may be
included in this list.
The quinquiliteral kustiban thimble makes kasatbin ; - ardabb
a dry measure, aradibb and aradib.
§ 84. The following nouns, in addition to those already noticed
(as akhkh, ukht, dura), form their plurals quite irregularly : —
shekh old man, sheikh masha'ikh
(mashayikh)
ras head ru§ 3
yom day Ova in. ivain,
i \ a in , vain,
yam
ra'i 4 shepherd ra'&h
(ma') 8 water mi'ah
miya hundred miy&h
K In'- 1 hoi'8( 8, rriswan (or oisa) worn* n, o&speopli are represented
in the singular l»\ husan, mara, and ins&n respectively.
1 I'.ui generally talamiz.
2 But re usually kustibanat
3 Nahwy ra's, ru'ua
4 Bee below under buraka.
•'■The diminul i\ e moiya in t be only
sine, in use.
THE BROKEN PLURAL 83
The plural of dira' arm is usually idru', but in construc-
tion it takes the form diri't (idri't), as diri'ti litnen my two
arms.
§ 85. A few plurals, as funis money, manakhir nose (literally
nostrils), usul principle, are used as singulars, the forms from
which they art- derived not being in use or bearing a different
meaning; but some of them are regarded as plurals for the
purposes of concord. Sutuh roof and its singular Bath axe both
in use, but the former is the more common.
§ 86. Comparatives and superlatives have no plural form, with
the exception of akbar greatest (in the expression akabir in naa
(jrandees). Many collective nouns also, aud in particular those
denoting small animals, have no plural, as dud worms, nam! ants.
Lastly, the adjectives enumerated in § Gl> as having no separate
form for the feminine remain unchanged in the plural.
§ 87. Id hand, rigl foot, and 'en eye use the dual form for the
plural, as arbaht iden four hands, riglen il husan the horse's
feet. 1
§ 88. It will be observed that foreign words, though generally
making their plural in -at, are also susceptible of broken tonus.
< Mi the whole, there is a tendency to prefer the broken plural
when the foreign word lend- itself to such a formation.
A- is shown by the above lists, many words have more
than one form for the plural : thus dal' rib makes idla', i.jln*, or
dulii'a. Experience alone will pio\ e which of these is in common
or whether, as is the case with some of them, one form is
heard as often as another.
§ 90. Uluf. plur. of alt' thousand, and its double plur. ulufat,
of an indefinite number. Thus we say talatt ilat
/. but uluf (or ulufat) thousands/ or (adverbially) by
thousands.
§ 91. The learner must not be discouraged by the long list of
broken plurals. A careful study of the singular forms from
which tiny may in each CaS6 be derived, and a comparison of
the different plurals which may be constructed from the same
angular form, will convince him that the system is not without
trder. The following plural forms- are those which are mosl
commonly heard : —
1 'nun eyes is, however, sometimes heard, as in Allah yihmlk
min 'ivi'in in n.'is Qod protect you from (he eyes of men (ie..
(Ii< <-r,l eye).
io the singulars, those that are rare are indicated h\ I be
.-mall number of examples accompanying them,
84
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
(1) birak, (2) burak, (3) burk, (4) buruk, (5) birak, (7) biruk,
buriik, (10) burrak, (11) buraka, (14) ibrak, (15) ibrika, (17)
bawarik, (18) barayik, (19) birkan, burkan, (26) bawarik, (28)
lakhabit, (29) lakhabit, (30) lakhabta. Of these (1), (2), (5), (14),
(18), (28), (29), and (30) occur more frequently than the others.
VOCABULARY
kura (1)
ball
matni
doubled,
li'b
game
warped
'umda (2)
notable, head-
yishtaghalu
they work
man
yeshilu
they carry
qutta (2)
cat
yigft
they come
sikka (1)
street
yebi'u
tliey sell
haram
pyramids
yimshu
they walk
masiii'a (26)
pipe
yelimmu
they pick up
sa'id (or si'id) Upper Egypt
yekhafu min
they fear
gammas (-a)
buffalo-drover
rikbu
they rode
Muski
a street in Cairo
ishtaru
tliey bought
sauwah
tourist
saraft
I spent
garni' (17)
mosque
yeshufu
they see
lukanda
hotel
qa'adu
they sat
shanta
bag, portman-
yuq'udu
they sit
teau
wadda
he brought, led
sitara (18)
window-blind
ramu
tliey threw
dahr
back
gabu
they brought
'utuqi
cobbler
yisallahu
they mend, re-
tikhin (5)
thick
pair
talib
asking
nazzil
bring doirn,
mahtut
placed
draw down
rakib
riding
sim'u
they heard
labis
wearing
shirbu
tic y drank
ma'kul
eaten
hutt
J'lit
rikhis (5)
cheap
yihkuniu
they j 'lull- .
tari
fresh
bardan
cold {of per-
kham.is
fir.
sons)
minhuin
some of tliem
maksur
broken
walla
or
Note. — The numbers refer to the plural tonus. The adjec-
tives to which no number is attached form their plural b
(except, of course, those vrhioh have been mentioned as having
a different formation). Where a participle admits of both a
THE BROKEN PLURAL 85
perfect and a broken form the latter will be employed onlv
when the participle fa used as a substantive ; thus we Sul
ma'zumin they are invite,/, but il ma'azim (or il r,rvzuminU? m
fe guest, I ; katbin rkAtibin) ^ Li^SafS
Aa« un&m), but il kutaba ^p rferfe y (01
EXERCISE 17
. Ir rigcrala Di yishtaghatt fi wiraah in naggartn betu' MW
ZsZl S wi t ^' U rK hUm ghUShDl - ^ k â„¢ b^l^bl
torn* bid w, kbar (kubfir), we betu' il iskoshrakit humr we
fughanann Fi gnint ig Giza fih dubu' wi sb* kuMr w!
nmura. we hiwmat sughaiyarin kaman. U hurras bet* dWf^
il fallahm y.shilu We kubSr tukhan, we larnma v tn ^ V a
yidrabuW. Myar il qibat minhum qndam -jaw, D^aS
shaiya' ladw;y, wi 1 mturat. II 'arbagiya nabsut n mTn
zabayinhum. 1 ebi'u 1 khirfan fi 1 iswa^ 5 Zubbat fl „Til
maari minhum mgliz u minhum wilad <arab. ' II mth^H w
IW yihkunm fi 1 bilad. Lighriba (il iglnil, vin ?1 A V]
ganayu, ^e yelxmmu hitet <&h we hagat tlnyto min il ra di
II ft in yekhafu m in 3 qutat, wi 1 (ju tat yekhSu min il K&
Shi 1 il hugara min is sikak. II < urba n betu' il haram vikkallimA
ngl, 21 ,,.,,, mm il hammara betu' Maar. II «S£j£K
«* dak !::,■kanu maksurfn ; mm ^abiuml Subyan
fayayma nkbu Lumrhum we rahu ishtaru talatt irghifa min il
lyam. II kh,l betft' ikhwatu shuqay. II kit abk ill; fi t-5?
uwad" 1 iSSSXF^ T1 ^ ^^" Ll^fl
uwad. Ikhwati khur? w urnml w abQva hul. Is sayasl betu'
} ; / ! T • UTa - J^wanna gum we 'ayztn yeshufu
ban itil miah, I n ate gam rakbtn kbel wi bghal wi h
M '///<. 2 TV ~ i
Hie trater-comj'u/iy.
86
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
EXERCISE 18
The mounds of Cairo are very ancient. The children are
very hungry ; their mouths are always open. The carpets are
moth-eaten. 1 The sisters took- the blind (men) by 3 their hands
and led them to their houses. The Bedouins threw their lances
at 4 the young men. There are camels, bulls, buffaloes, and
goats in the enclosures. The Beys bought (some) ready-made
trousers from the tailors in the Mouski. The cobblers mend old
pairs of shoes. The merchants bought (some) cheap, dirty old
carpets, repaired them, and sold them dear to the tourists. The
minarets of the mosque are new. The jugglers sit on the
balconies of the hotels. Put the books and papers on the shelves.
The ponds are very deep. The carpenters have brought their
hammers, their files, and their planes. The sheikhs' beards are
very long. The officers' portmanteaux are in the train. The
air is fresh, but the sun is hot ; draw down the blinds and
open the windows. Bring three handfuls of clover for the
horses. Put the lids on the jars. The walls of my brother's
house are old but strong. The judges heard the women's com-
plaints. The orphans are minors. Women are weaker than
men. There are emperors and kings in Europe. The horses are
cold ; put the cloths on them. 5 His nails are always long and
dirty. The handles of the doors are broken. The porters are
clumsy ignorant people. The peasants work in the fields. We
saw the pretty tails of the peacocks in the gardens. The cattle
drank water from the tanks. The donkey's ears are very long,
much longer than those of the horse. The messengers have
brought the invoices. His paternal and maternal uncles are
partners. There are fountains in the streets. I saw (some) beau-
tiful women in the villages. The ladies' veils were thick.
VOCABULARY
Darwish(29)
fanus (26)
sarg, serg (7)
sigara (18)
tarbusli(L".i)
dervish
lantern
saddle
cigar, cigarette
fez
kammasha
musmar (29)
zanbil (29)
sillim (28)
pair of tongs,
pincers
nail
has/,-' t, hamper
ladder
ma'laqa (28)
shok.l (2)
spoon
fork
masyada(28)
qunsul (28)
trap
consul
1 Trans, eaten by (min) the moths.
2 niisik. 3 min. ' 'ala
5 Trans, jmt on them (lmtti lhum) the cloths.
THE BROKEN PLURAL
87
'asfiir (29)
kharbasha
(-at or 29)
'afrit (29)
martaba(28)
shabaka
khurni (7)
shaqq (7)
ibriq (29)
ibriq beta'
ish shay
dukkan (29)
sirir (18)
siggada (29)
katib (11)
daftar (28)
tir'a(l)
gardal (28)
ti'ban (29)
sirsar (29)
muhandiz
fa'il(ll)
shankal (28)
shakcta
rubbawi (or
urubbawf)
'askari (28)
muslim
malyan
maskun
me f alluq
'arid (5)
small bird,
sparrow
scratch
spirit, devil
mattress
net
hole
fissure, crevice
jug, jar
tea-pot
Shop
bedstead
carpet
clerk
ledger, writing-
booh
canal
bucket
snake
cockroaches
engineer
workman
i Kin J:
jacket
European
soldier
Mussulman
full, loaded
inhabited,
haunted
hanging, hung
up
broad
qafil
harabit
khabatd fi
wiq'um
ghirquni
saraqu
itfaddal
uq'ud
khud
tU'a
safru
yishbiku
u'a, (6'a) !
me'ashshish
mistini', mis-
tana'
gibt
yimlfi.
ba'u
laqu
'allaq
baiiu
iftah
vitla'um
iqfil
gu, gum
hattet ?
bilad bai-ia
is subh
kettr '
bashqa l
min gher
shutting, shut
they jied
they knocked
against
they fell
they were
drowned
they stole
pray !
sit, be seated
take
they went vp
they travelled
they entangle
look out I be-
ware off
nesting
forged
I brought
they rill
they sold
they found
hang vp
they built
open
they go up
shut
they came
did you put ?
abroad
this morning
much, too much
one thing, an-
other thing
without
EXERCISE 19
II barabra harabu min id darawish. II hanafir bctu' il b&sha-
w.tt khabutu f dakakir iz zubbat we kasam raf arif htnn we faw3
nis-hum. (ium nas ulut'at we sim'u 1 mazaztk fi 1 ganavin. Fth
Turkish.
88 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
tramwayat fi shari' id dawawin we fi kull is shawari il kubar betu'
Masr. Is surug betu' il khel bashqa wi 1 baradi' betu' il himir
bashqa. Is sufragiya illi yishtaghalu fi byut ir rubbawiyin minhum
barabra u minbum danagla, u minbum shuttar u minbum tanabla.
11 merakbiya wiq'um min il marakib we ghirqum fi 1 bahr II
haramiya saraqu burad wi hrima we galalib min dawalib giranhum.
Ishtirinna talat sanadiq sagayir min 'and id dakhakhniya. Le-
fendiyat il muslimfn yilbisu tarabish, wi n nasara minbum yilbisu
tarabish, we minhum yilbisu baranit. Shufte nas masarwa fi
blad barra labsin baranit sud tuwal. Isb sbuwak wi 1 ma'aliq
wi s sakakin mahtfttin 'as sufra ; itfaddal uq'ud. Fen il mafatih
betu' ibwab il balakonat? Kbud kammashat we qawadim we
talla' il masamir min iz zanabil. It taragma betu' il lukanclat wi
1 khamamtr ya'raf u 'arabi wi nglizi wi fransawi we laghwat tanyin
kaman Is salalim betu.' bitna 'alyin. Sbufte wilad 'urge masakin
mashyin bi 1 'akakiz. Misikna f ran (firan) fi 1 masayid. It talamza
mabsiitin min il madaris wi 1 me'allimin. Qanasil Fransa wi 1
miskof safnl fi babur wahid. II 'asafir me'ashsbisbin fi sh shamasi
betu' sbababikna. Fih galagil me'allaqin min raqabiyit quttitna.
Is sifariya kanit 1 akwas min gber il gamarik.
EXERCISE 20
Beware of the guns ! They (are) loaded. The letters came
by the French boat and the newspapers by the Italian. I saw
(some) scratches on 2 your fingers. Yes, they (are) from the
nails in 3 the lids of the boxes which came this morning. The
frames of your pictures are very pretty, but too large. The
house is haunted by sphuts. 4 Put the mattresses on 5 the bed-
steads. The carpets in 3 the upstairs rooms are longer and wider
than the mats in 3 the dining-room. The cockroaches come out
of holes and cracks. I brought the cups from England, but
bought the teapot and the trays in the shops in the 6 bazaars.
The women fill the jars from the canals and carry them on 7
their heads to the villages. The young men raise the water
from the wells in buckets. The donkey-boys sold some scarabs
to the tourists in Upper Egypt, but they were all 8 forged. The
customs-officers seized the boxes, opened them, (and) found them
full (of) snakes. The public offices are closed to-day. They
1 Would be. 2 fi. 8 Trans, which (are) in.
4 Trans, by (min) the spirits. 5 'ala.
6 betu'. 7 foq. 8 kulluhum.
THE NUMERALS 89
brought ladders and went np on â– the roof. The engineers have
built bridges over' the large canals. The workmeS we" la"e
v^ravT 0~!; h the T Th f S °" t,a " eSe3 -StaS
r„:rinThetpoS. and put tbe >*** — 5? £
THE NUMERALS
§ 92. The cardinal numbers from 1 to 10 are :—
1. wahid (f. wahda)
2. itnen
3. talata, 4 talat
4. arba'a, arba'
5. khamsa, khamas
6. sitta, sitt
7. sab'a, saba'
8. tamanya (for tamaniya),
taman
9. tis'a, tisa'
10. 'ashara, 'ashar
th£ t f y «? nitS ruleS can be laid d ™ for the use of
the two forms from 3 to 10, but the following remarks will tin
the speaker to make a correct choice. rem arics will help
(a) Talata, arba'a, &c, are used :—
1. When standing alone, as humma talata 'auzin
X:% d °M~" ^ ** ° f «» -nth, as at
2. Generally speaking, with nouns denoting human
beings, unless the plural ends in -at, as talatf S
sab'a madrftbin tamanya nas, tis'a khurs, the no n k
tins case being in reality in apposition to the numeA
or the word persons understood. We hear, howeve such
;xr b r s as talat niswan *** ^ «-rt
P rotss4 yllables ' as talata khca (here «— *
naml USUally ^ Collective nouns > a « *^ta harim, gamus,
«35o7m ?llT f m + T y \ When «rf «» ^e angular
$650), as talata (or talata) ./row, khamaa K in6h a 5
arba'a nyal (but arba' riyalafc)
6. Generally with words belonging more properly to the
'"'I- 2 'ashan.
- 'iishan. a si'iduii\ i
Sometimes talata, if followed by a noun. '
90 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
written than the spoken language, as talata kutub and
even talata ihsina three horses (in spite of the vowel). 1
7. When the numeral is emphatic ; thus we might say
hat li talat karasi, and, on repeating the order, talata
karasi.
(b) Talat (and talatt), 1 &c, are used in all other cases in
preference to talata, &c, and in particular with plurals in -at, as
talat harimat, taman kitabat, talat suhun.
§ 94. When followed by a noun beginning with a vowel, the
second form, talat, &c, appears as follows : —
3. talatt 7. saba't (or sabaht)
4. arba't (or arbaht)
5. khamast
6. sitt
Example : —
talatt ishun three dishes
8. tamant
9. tisa't (or tisaht)
10. 'ashart
tamant eight persons
unfus
Remark a. — Talat, <fec, are occasionally, when the final
syllable of the noun La accented, heard before a vowel, as talat
Tngliz, khamas aradibb Jive ardebbs, as also (though still more
rarely) the uncontracted forms talutit, khamsit, tamanyit (for
talatt, khamast, tamant).
Remark b. — Wahid, when used as a numeral, follows its noun,
while it precedes it when playing the part of an indefinite
alt icle.
§ 95. The cardinal numbers from 11 to 19, whatever their
position, are as follows : —
11.
bddfi shai (or ihdashar) 9
1G.
sittashar
L2.
il ii.; -liar
17.
saba'1 ishar (sabahtas-
13.
talattashar
har)
1 I.
arba'tashar (or arbah-
18.
tamantashar
tasliar)
L9.
t isatashar (tdsaht4shar)
15.
khamastashar
RBMAltK. It will be observed thai the above are OOmpoaed
..I 'ashar ten and the units, but fehe Eormer l>a-> dropped its • and
lengthened the a of the iir-t syllable by way of oompeosation.
The units of hidashar and Ltnashar appear also in a truncated
form. Note that the ./of wahid Deoomes (according at Leaf
the usual pronunciation) d in bidasbar (§ 1 7 ».
i Bee l"'l'>\\ I >r hidashar, Lh Lash u i
THE NUMERALS
91
§ 96. The cardinals from 20 to 99 are :-
20. Ishrin
2 1 . wahid u (or we. wi) 'ishrin
22. itnCn u ,, „ "ishrin
L'5. khamsa u ,, ,, 'ishrin
29. tis'a u ,, ,, 'ishrin
30. talatin
40. arbe'in 1
50. khamsin
60. sittin
70. sabln (sab'en) l
80. tam&nin
90. tis'in (tis'en) 1
Remark. — The unit invariably precedes
khamsa u talatin five and thirty, not talatin
§ 97. The remaining are as follows : —
the ten ; thus v.
u khamsa.
100.
miya fin construction
2000.
altY-n
mit)
3000.
talatt alaf
101.
miya u wahid
4000.
arbaht alaf
(arba'f
102.
miya wi tn.'-n
alaf)
121.
miya wahid u 'i
shrin
5000.
khamast alaf
199.
miya tis'a u tis'
in
6000.
sitt alaf
200.
miytcn (miten)
7000.
Sabaht alaf
(saba'
300.
tultemiya
alaf)
400.
rub'emtya
tamant alaf
500.
khum8emtya
9(M)0.
tisaht alaf
(tisa't
600.
suttemtya
alaf)
700
Bub'emiya
10,000.
'asharl daf
800.
tumnemlya
11,000.
hidashar alf
900.
tus'emtya
100,000.
luit alf
1000.
alf
1,000,000.
inalvun
1001.
alf ii u ;ih id
i\<H i0,000.
malvuncu (oi
1021.
alf. wahid u 'isl
irin
inalyfin)
L199.
alt', a miya, 1
u ti.-'in
3,000,000.
talat ma 1 . \ ;i
i
131 I.
alf. tultemiya w arbah-
ihar
1 ,817 khamaa mal&yin, miyten sitta w arb61n alf, turn
bar.
I;im\i;k o. When used with the tens, wahid does not take
the feminine form, as wahid â–¡ 'ishrin mara. With the hundreds
it may, but >"in tim< i remains unchanged.
I;i.m\ i />. The conjunction »•<■, u, is always employed t<>
connect the units and the tens, and generally the thousands
and hundreds, bul otherwise is heard only before the
numeral.
l-oi the pronunciation of these word
92 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
Remark c. — The cardinals from 3 to 10 inclusive must (with
a few exceptions) be followed by a noun in the plural, the re-
mainder by a singular.
Remark d. — AVahid (with feminine wahda) is often used with
the numerals above 10, and occasionally with the units, to em-
phasize the number, as lean fih kam ragil ? alf wahid hon- wan//
men were there? a thousand! With numbers under 11, the fern,
plur. wahdat must be used, whatever the gender of the noun
understood, there being no other plural form of the unit. Wah-
diten or itnen wahdat cannot be said.
Remark e. — The numerals from 200 to 900 (with the excep-
tion of 600) are formed by the union of the fractional numbers
with miya, when standing alone, and with its construct form mit
when followed by a noun, whether beginning with a vowel or
a consonant.
Remark /. — "WTien a unit forms part of a number above 99,
the noun, if expressed, is generally placed between the larger
number and the unit ; or when the unit is two the dual of the
noun may be substituted for it, as mtt kitab u wahid 1"1 I
mit kitab wi tnen (or mtt kitab we kit&ben) 1"' boohs. If the
whole number precedes, the noun is usually in the plural, being
influenced by the unit immediately before it, as miya a khamss
kitabat. Miya u khamsa kitab is admissible, but slovenly.
Miya u wahid kitabat is occasionally heard for miya u wahid
kitab.
Remark g. — The following expressions should be noted :
itnen talata two or three ; kitiben talata two or thret book* : 'ashar
itn&shar kitab ; ihna litnen both of us ; humma t talata all three of
them.
% 98. The ordinal numbers from first to truth are : —
1st. auwil, auwilani (f. 6th
ula, 1 amvilaniva)
2nd. tan) ff. tanya)
3rd. talit (f. talta)
1th. rabi' (f. rab'a)
5th. khamis (f. khamsa)
7th. sd.i' (f. gal
8th. tainin (f. tamna)
9th. taai' (f. t
Kith. 'asbir(f. 'ash, a)
The remaining ordinals are identical with the cardinals,
as ir i I tashar the 19th num.
1 Ola savours of nahwy, and, as an adjective, is rarely heard.
It, is used, as ii also the regular fern, atra ila, of the first prmj
DOOC on Friday.
8 Nation s.idis, sadiaBi
THE NUMERALS 93
§ 100. The ordinal.- below 10, except the form auwilanl, ma)
i noun definite in sense without varying their
ler, neither taking the article ; or noun and ordinal may .
odef, the ordinal following the noun, and both taking the
article, as talit ragfl, talit mara, or ir ra«:il it talit, il mara t
bait* the 3rd man, the Srd woman. The former construction is
the more idiomatic. Tani yum signifies the nej~t day or the day
foUo I Lnl yftm il 'id the day following the festival at
.'//'/ day of the festival. Last is expressed by the word akhii.
which may also precede the noun, or by akhii ani, which fol-
lows it.
1 . The Turkish ordinals from 1 to 9 are also in use, but
they are almost entirely restricted to military matters. They
are aa follows : —
1st. biringi
2nd. ikingi
3rd. utshingi 1
4th. durtingi
5th. beehingf
6th. altingi
7th. yedingi
8th. sekizingi
9th. dukuzingi
s' 102. The Italian words berimu, sukundu (or sugundu !,
used far L-t, 2nd and Srd clans on the railways,
3. The numeral adverbs once,i . . .. are expi
■I •. by the help of the word marra tone, as marra wahda,
marraten, talat mi , or by the use of a verbal noun of th<-
tion, and generally of the same root, as an accom-
darabtu darbiten, talat darbat / struck him
. thrice. - ' </.)
I; [ark. Notice th<- expressions darabtu anwil marra wi t
tan_\ n. darabtu marraten wi balata ; kulle ydm wi t
. or kulle ydrnen or kulle tan] ydm every â– auwil l>
auwil tU; auwil w&hid A 1 . talit hum or it talit fthfim (oi
minhum) the fit ml >>ne of them . itnen ti talata ' • thi
ta f arba'a to multiply tin-" by four.
i. Multiplicative adverbs are rendered by the word blq
with v 1 j* • :nti<l>- followed by the cardinal nun.
huwa ghanl 'anal it (aq itnen, ir hlq b
/ . . - .in trabla about
tunes as muili a
1 I D ' iiiju.
2 Sukundu if i >>f an under servant.
94
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
§ 105. The following multiplicative adjectives are in use : —
mufrid
sinijle, simple
mesabba'
L-fold
migwiz,
two-fold,
(mesoba')
luctanni
double
metammin
eight-fold
metallit
three-fold,
cube
(rnetuniin)
inerabba'
fourfold,
square
met.i
(metosa')
nine-fold
mekhammis
j ire-fold
me'ashshar
tetirfold
inesattit
six-fold
(me'Osbar)
1
(mesaddis)
g 106. Distributive adjectives are expressed by the cardinal
numerals, as follows: —
wahid wahid one by one
wahid ba'de one after the
wahid other
or we may repeat the noun, as :
sitta sitta by ei.
khatwa
khatwa
step by step
ragil ragil,
kitab
kitab
one man, book,
at a time ;
or the notion is gathered without any repetition, as nizil La
salalim sillimten he came downstairs two steps at a time.
Remark. — Wahda wahda is used adverbially in the sense of
slowly, cautiously, wahda kede u wahda kede — half and half.
Tura is used of things that arc sold iii fours, ae 'ishrtn turit
laiiiun ; dasta of a packet <fa doti â– > >/t ; 'ishrtntya of a
of piastres { • rival). -
L07. Numeral adjectives of the form burakl 8 express the
number of parts of which the Bubstantive with which thej ..
is composed, as maglis sulasi, khum
â– In- â– ,five, /" rsons.
1 The forms mesoba', .w., arc used mostly In the sei
possx â– < as dlk me'oahar a cock with i In
other cases abu, umm, &c., are used with the cardinal, as omm
alha'a w arln'-'m motif r ),i.v.th - 261.)
Pox gi â– â– <i pair, Bee ;' S 1 3.
â– These words belong to the Chancer) lai uad perhaps
in- uiil\ one in general
THE NUMERALS
95
§ 108. The fractions are as follows :-
^ nu-v ] khums
| tilt' ,' suts 1
tumn
tus'
•iislir
by periphrasee
i
i
in
tilt
- 4 - rub' ] sub'
.'. Those less than ,',, are expn
il <ruz- il 'ishiin ininiiu the 80th part of it, SUts il "u.-lir (or 'ushi
• hitta min talatin ', . guz'gn min ihdashaj
-fin- min sab'a u sab'ln 18 parts out About
Id is expressed by 'ishrin wi ksiir (wi kustir).
Kkmark a. — The plural of the fractions from | to ,',, is
formed after model (14).
Remakk b. — The noun in Arabic comes mostly betw< en the
whole number and the fraction, as khamasl irghifau auss (rarely
khamast u nus< irghifa) thret loaves and a half.
i 110. Tli" following examples, with those given in the
. will illustrate the various ways of expressing the time
of day. the year, the days of the month and week, and the
of a person : —
id iluhr
noon
is sans dl alf
the j 'resent
qabl, ba'd,
A.M., I'.M.
u tultemlya
year, Arabic
id iluhi -
U khuii
a 1316
QUSB il h'-l
mid/night
bar
what tune i* it :
•uabi, or is
(nr is a&'a
san
DD ')
'arabi (or
wahda,
o'clock
u tulteu
it r i
u kham a
ta'ala li i
at '-'ojlit
bar
â–
o'clock
afrangl (car
A.D.
.i u rub'
ti quarter i<a-<t
afranglj
fi nu-
or inil.i'U
• lit
i mll&dlya)
kli.iin>.i u mi--
ll at/
ti aanat alf
in tht year
i u
fivt mil
Ji"
kh.n
in oahar da
it is :
Ola khan
kh.ilii^i \s.-
of ."
. ill. i
'iahrtn ti
to-day
tilt
to t> II
ah ahahr, or
iah ahahr
ilia, ii. •
kli.un-,i w .•
larabil
ii struck n
'iahrtn in
daqqil 1
'
96
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
auwil,
khamsa
yanayir
kam fi sh shahr
in nahar da
the 1st, the 5th
of January
what's the da;/
of the mouth
to-day ?
Monday
Kit il khamis
'umrak kam (or
kam sana ) ?
'umri •ishrin
ibne kharusa,
taliitin
Wednesday
night x
how old are
you?
I am twenty
a boy of five, a
man of
thirty
nahar (or yom)
litnen, or
simply litnen
Remark. — The Mohammedan lunar months have been super-
seded by the Latin in Government offices, though the latter are
only familiar to those who are in contact with Europeans. The
Coptic are universally known, but they are agricultural months,
and not in general use.
VOCABULARY
ugra (2)
pay, A//'
nahar il
Thursday
hulls
poll''
khamis
oafar ( 14)
person
nahar ig
Friday
bdad ish
Syria
gum's
Sham
nahar is Babt
Saturday
hariqa
fire
yanayir
January
shahr (13)
month
fibrayir
/'• tiruanj
siini
aye
mars
March
shakk -
cheque
abril
April
fadda
,s//
in 1 yu
diqiqa (18)
minute
yunya
June
sala
drawing-room
yulya
July
>ati
. line, file
aghuttos
Augmt
oahar (or
Swt
aibtimbar
-
ydm) il
nktubar
'<• c
hadd 8
nofambar
nahar it
disambar
talal
pim'a
nahar il
Wednesday
mistaqrab li
'/»;/.
arba' (oi
• t<>
larb
tal»h'j 'ala
i
â– \;i\ .
The Arabs consider that the night belongs to tlu> follon
L9.
thai and y6m may be omitted in each case Fdno Lb
more generally osed by those who wish t<> speak "correctly."
THE NUMEBAM
.]:
mai.
j iarif
yiaallimfi
yeqfbm
kunt
ruht
tibqa (f.)
fat
fatum
wafit,tammit
tiha-
yitla'
inatil
rigi 4
itwjtlad
D DO
hapi
./ killed
they go
i tltey
lie, it, starts
I ir</,.
I
remains,
comet,
s/ie pat
they passed
it (f . )
she, it, reaches,
comes up tu
they •
It- red.
he was born
he si' i .
bed
qaaam 'ala
(alls', q
tizil
min
qam
" iiimauwil
luh
taiuaru
dl
ilma
dilwaqti
an] I
gh&libao
ba*d id dubr
'audi
'andak
ah i
lamina
97
he divided by
he deduct
from
he a
last i/t-ar
t'i hiii>, fie has
comply*-, ex-
actly, just
this (f.)
now
which t
rally
â–
P.M.
with me, I have
xritii you, you
have
trl/^ri
like, abmd
EXERCISE -1
J) fu'ala wi„ ngrit talatl iyto. Abfty. gib „al
Uiamtawegabikhwatl larba'a. !1 barf
bullj ana* ,] kh am aa t aaha r sbaql illi (abb*) 'amnamri] -at â– talat
:"•"' h, " t 'l' u -•'' "« mauwitfl wftkid we fehrtn nafar G
piual u rub«emit hu^n u wahid min bildd iah ahAm.
Y';."" ""*« Khamastalaf.miytenu-aabamto,
,; 1 i| " 1 .>:-; ,;1 '" ! ""- l! "-< «- yi-allina <ala aahabhum.
11 lI . klU !*! """ - T,r u - .l.i- rafl we khalli Ui li 1
h " m ~ u ' ' ','"•■'" "■■''■" ■«■■• "Atfd b teUfttn li afa shahr
"»" J ^nduni alf Q suttemtya sitta
;.;"'"• J* 'If u tumnemlya tis'a u ti
•; U>1 '"'■• »' m taldt. sibtimbar. ttna dilwaql
kbam.rtl.hu ukl Ibar. II qaa
98 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
il lei. Fi ani sa'a yequm il babur? Ghaliban yequm is s&'a
hidashar ilia khamsa ba'd id duhr; taiyib, haddar il 'afsh; fen
isli shanta t talta ? Enta kunte fen? ana ruhte betak khamas
marrat. Khamsa fi sab'a tibqa khamsa u talatln. 'Ishrtn min
tamantn tibqa sittin. Fi arbe'in 1 kam 'ashara u kam tamanya \
Huwa bne wahid w arbe'in sana. Abuya ragil kibir qaw5 li a
-inn ; 'u'.nru aiyada 'an mit sana. 'Andak kam I Fi eh ( is s;Va ?
La 1 , fi vsinnak. Mehammad akbar min Hasan bi santen. Khud
ish shakk we hat It sab'a we 'ishrin gineh min il bank, itn.'n
fad da w arba'a nsas 2 wi 1 baqyin suhah. Tilt.'-n u khamast i
tibqa talata u suts. Bukra nahar il hadd we huwa fikhir y8m
ish shahr. Enta safirt f auwil aghustus walla fi akhir yulya \
Qasam 'ashara 'ala khamsa. Qata' tamantashar min sitta u
sittin? Larama safirt ana kan khamsa fi sh shahr. Is sa'a kam
'andak? Sa'tak kam ? Daqqit kam ? Darabit tamanya u DUgs.
Mistaqraba li tnashar. Wafit hidashar. Tammit itnashar u
rub'. Naqsa diqiqten li larba'a. 'umiak kam sana i 'audi
talatin fatum. Hiya thassal itnashar. Yitla' ii S sinn
khamsin sana.. 'umri yitla' 'ishrin tauiiim. Huwa mi-taqrah
li t tamanin. Yigi arba'a u nuss. 8
EXERCISE 22
There are 320 books on the shelves in the drawing-room.
2-41 7 men were killed 4 in the battle. The wine-merchants *
sold 15,201 bottles in five months. The tourists bought more
than 8000 carpets ill the bazaars. There are 640 sheep, 93
buffaloes, 5 cows, and •"> goats in the enclosures. There are 29
days in February this year. There are 12 month-. 52 w<
and iM>53 "lays in the year. Fight times thirty are 240. I
came to Egypt in (the) beginning ° of (the) year 1887. II
in the second week of January and returned at 7 the end " of the
month. My father is older than my mother; h.> i- titt\
The bunk- are the M\th ;ilid seventh on the fourth shelf. He
was the 1 went \ tirst man in the tile. December m the last
1 itli of the year. I bave been ten times in Paris and tit't.
in London. We returned 11 to Ggypl on the "_ ,v; ;l mber.
1 ( »r ii 1 arbd'ln.
£ 1 in half sovereigns j four lialt* sovereigns would be
â– l aderstand ii e
4 Trans, died, '•' Ti •■■.
''â – auwil. T ii. thir,
v Trans. Ia.< aj> is jifty-.-ije. u ' R HUM H '
THE PRONOUN 90
Ivefrom twenty-six leaves fourteen. There are mow than
four and a half million people in London. 19 is the quart
" ,; - Half of two and a half is one and a quarter. It
o'clock. He will come at 8 5-30, h wants three minufc
:. The boy was born twenty minutes aftei mid-
He went to bed at a a quarter to ten, and got up at
twenty minutes tu nine,
THE PRONOUN
THE PERSONAL PRONOUNS
§ 111. These are: —
SfHOUL&B
MASC. FEM
1st pers. ana ana
2nd pers. inta, enta j, lt] -
3rd pers. huwa, hua, huwa 3 (hawwa) hlya
Plural fob both Gendeba
1st pers. ihna
2nd pers. intu (or int.um)
3rd pers. liuiiuria, hum
112. Huwa is sometim ; to Ml, hd, hu, or ho
when preceded by the conjunction wa (always so pronounced in
this connection . the particles ma, da, the preposition fen u
the interrogative pronouns mln, man. the inseparable intern
ti\,- particle an, en, and the interjections ha, a, ... The length of
the firsl rowel depends on the emphasis thrown on it. Similarly
hlya becomes hlya, bl, hi (occasionally also ha), while humma is
shortened to hum; thus wahu gih and 1 wahya «
ya mahu latff! howagreeabh h. is / dkh6 thafs Ju '
mmhu? whoulu .' fenhu (also fenu)1 when i»h 1 &Uth
Rkmaeb a.--Hoisusedasan interjection, without .1:
"•'••'\<" "' ■!•" wions binah61 km mux
l;,MWI •; With "'- negative particles ma and ah, ana
become, manieh; huwa mush, mush, or mish, and hlya mahish
'"", "' , ; f" 11 " 1 '"""- mahuwaah or mahOsh and mahn
manyaao
Whenemph
forms, ol com . emnhai
Live.
100
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
§ 113. As verbal suffixes expressing the accusative, the
personal pronouns take the following forms : —
Sin-
gular
M ISC.
FEM.
1st pers. ni
ni
2nd pers. ak, k
ik, kt
3rd pers. u, u, h
ha
Plural for both (Ienders
1st pers. oa
2nd pers. ku, kum J
3rd pers. hum
§ 114. ak, ik and u are used after consonants; /r, hi and h
after vowels ; e.g. : —
darabni
darabnak
darabik
khallaki
darabha
he struck i»e
we struck thee
he struck thee
he left tlvee
hf struck her
darabukii they struck you
(plur.)
iddilmi '-' give it to TM
ma darab- ice did
nahsh strike him
madarabuhah they did not
strike him
§ 115. The vowel u becomes ri when placed immediately be-
tween the verb and the sh of the aegative, as ma darabuah he did
nut strike //////.'â– Ma daralmash is occasionally heard for DM
darabnahsh, and ma darabuah for ma darabuha
.^110. The a of a feminine adjective or participle is li
ened when taking a verbal Buffix, as htya 'auzak > (is
wanting) you, hlya mestanniyahum sht is awaiting t)
M7. Tlic personal pronouns are also appended to preposi
tions and other indeclinable parts of Bpeech in truncated forma,
which will be best illustrated by :t few examples; it will be
observed that the prepositions themselves sometimes under]
change.
1 K a and kum are used optionally in mo L'he latter
is, however, more "educated," as being the only form used in
H lit iic_'.
\n instance of two suffixes attached to the same verb.
8 Ma darabush maj thus mean either //'â– did
or they did n <t strike, or even ti m.
THE PRONOUN
1. I'.i fry, with, to: —
101
>IM.I UK
Ma ~ fem.
• 1st pen. blya, bl blya, l>i by m*
2nd [..is. bak, bik, bik 1 bik, bikl, blld by
bnh,Doh,bu biha, biha him, her
l'l.i BAL FOB BOTB I iKNDBBS
1st pers. bina
2nd pare, bikum, blkum, l.ukum
3rd pers. bihum, bihum, buhum
'J. Li/o.—
SlNGULAB
" ' EM.
1st pers. li. liya 11, llya
2nd pers. lak, ]ik )ik. (iki
3rd pers. luh- loh, lu laha, liha
J'i.i kai. km: BOTH GBKD]
1st pers. lina, lana
2nd pers. likum, Inkum
3rd pers. luhtun
Rkmabk. When sta n d ing alone, or with the negative termi
â– p . generally l.ik,' lik for the
id l'iki (blkl), liki for the fern.; bqt bak, lak for the
. and bik, lik for the fem. when appended to a \.
other word. /.'.</. : —
lik sa'a !
liki g
ma i
ma Udah(for
ma liklsh)
•■■in. 'i
watch :
>.'i"i a hus-
ban
Imi' you imt a
watch !
lull' I/mi lint U
husband ?
iddl lak
idda lik
ma lak .'
you
(m.)
II /lilt IS !
matt'
i in. |
EUmabk. The forms blya and Llya are u^-.\ when standing
done, bl and II when appei ther words, includi
form bika 1- used in th< ezpreai
'" ni IflV ' â– on from.
• The h oi l.ul,, luh is alwaya dropped unleaa thi
• I.
102 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
rally the negative particles, and occasionally by themselves. The
vowel of lu is lengthened with the negative when the h is dropped,
as ma luhs (or ma lftsh) he has not} "With the first person we
have ma lish or (less usually) ma liyash.
3. Ma', mi' with .—
Singular
masc. FEM.
1st pers. mi'i, ma'aya; neg. ma mi'ish mi'i, ma'aya with
me, &c.
2nd pers. raa'ak, ma'ak ; neg. ma ma'ak&h ma'aki ; neg. ma
ma'akish
3rd pers. ma'ah, mi'u ; neg. ma mi'ush ma'aha,mihha; neg.
ma ma'ahash
Plural for both Genders
1st pers. ma' ana, mi'na, mihna
2nd pers. rna'aku, ina'akum, mihkum
4. Fi in : —
Singular
masc. FEM.
1st pers. fiya; neg. ma fiyash fiya
2nd pers. fik fiki
3rd pers. fib ; neg. ma fihsh, ma fish, ma fi'iish- fiha
Plural fina, &c.
Remark. — Fih often signifies simply there is as well as
is in //, ma fihsh there is not ; and the A, when they are ased in this
way, i.s often dropped, especially in the negative, as ma fish
hadde hina there is nobody here.
5. Wara behind.' —
Singular
masc. FEM.
1st pers. war&ya war&ya
2nd pers. warak warakl
3rd pers. warah waraha
Plural waiana. Ac
§ lis. Similarly, other prepositionfl ending in a vowel; l>ut
i "t â– that 'ala <â– >> changes 'i to ''. thus 'alfiya, l ali lv. &c, and in
1 Ma lliusli (for ma lltmsh) is also said, hut the above are the
more usual contrad ions,
'-' < >r, 1>\ assiniilat ion. in i t'u'ush.
THE PRONOUN 103
the third pers. ring, may, Like fi, drop its h with the negative
making ma'alSsh For ma'alehsh.' Hawalen around generally
drops its », and so belongs to this class. (See § 75.)
Minyhwj; —
Singular
masc. FE ^
1st pers. minni m i nn j
2nd pers. minnak minnik
3rd pers. minnu m i n h a and (rarely) minniha*
Plural for both Genders
1st pers. minna (or minnina)
2nd pers. minku, minkum (rarely minnuku)
3rd pers. minhum (rarely ainnuhum)
formt n// ° m ' t,U ' n Slnii, ' ul - V doublea tl '" "' but has no duplicate
119. Other prepositions ending in a consonant present no
irregularities, so that a single example will suffice:—
'And with, ,if : —
Singular
, «. „ Mwr - ran.
1st pers. 'audi <all( j i
2nd pers. 'andak /. lllllik
•''"1 pers. 'andu («anduh)«; neg. ma'andush «andiha
('anduh
Plural fob bote Genders
1st pers. 'and ina
2nd pers. 'andukti (kum)
3rd pers. 'anduhum
Remark a. -h is sometimes heard at the end of the 3rd
pers. sung., and before thesA of the negative. Nfo1
1- lengthened in the uegative form.
120. Tin- suffixes are appended to the conjunctions inn
that, i/./.av, i/./.'v how, tauw until, and a few others. With the
conjunctions they have the Bame forms as when attached to
1 In prepositions ending in a, the h Bhould be maintained
though warash is sometimes heard,
minnah, as Bpitta.
Cahl I onetimes used for tahtu, as more em-
phatic, so tahttk, &o. Bimilarly qablth befm
(it l>. :
104
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EOYPT
prepositions ; e.g. inni, innilia that I, that she, izzayak (or izzeyak) :
how are y</u ? Lana is sometimes heard for l;"mi. With the
particle ha we have hahu, hahe, hahum. The 1st pars, retains
its full form, thus ha ana. 1
Remark a. — The negatives md t Id are never used with the
suffixes of the 2nd pers. sing, and plur.
Remark l>. — The sign of the 2nd pers. sing, appears in a few
adverbs, or words used adverbially, as qawamak, tyak, Ac- Bard
becomes bardiya, with the suffix of the 1st pers. sing.
POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS
§ 121. When appended to nouns, the same suffixes Berve to
express the genitive case of the personal pronouns, as baladi the
village of me, i.e. my village. They take the forms appended
above to the prepositions 'and and wara, according as they end
in a consonanl or a vowel, except that in t\\<- case of feminine
singulars and plurals ending in a the suffix is attached
construct form ; e.r. : —
bSti
my house
siggadtak
thy '•«/•/ et
kitabak
thy l< ml;
(for sig-
bintu
his daughter
gaditak)
idha
her ha ml
raqabtik(ra-
thy (f.) neck
babna
our iloor
qabitik )
qalamhum
their pen
waraqitna
our /â– i
ibnuhum
their son
khulafithum
thi ir caliph*
gahnina
our dish
gha^aya
my ■•â–
riglik
thy (f.) foot
kursiki
thy (f.) '-hau
sut'riti
my dining-tahle.
ReMARB a. A lilt (al>) father add 8 the Buffixi S t.i its emisirucT
form abu, tlms abuya my â– , abukf, abuhum, Ac. Akhkh
(akh) makes akhuya, akhuk, akhuki, akhlna, akhtku, akhihum.
In the vocative ya khi (i.e. ya akhi) is used as well as ya khuya,
and occasionally ya khaiy, when the speaker wishes to com
reproach, as ikhtishl ya khaiy. 8 Ya l>a , father And \.i mma
my m other are heard for ya abuya and ya ummt. 4
//,/ i-. n..' ii^.vi with t he Recond p- i
r0, nmler a, Qote.
• llaasic diminutive ukhaiy.
' l I ii I | ■i ■• i I", j pi ya mma) a i* used.
POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS
tr J : 7' PWsof Reform buwka, and some others ,,..
^."»~» termmating in long a, as in classical Arabic^
^ -Hu-n.-.l and the t added as well, as n,
.khu],f ;i t,,,„,,,,/ v ^, sll .; u , shivath ,;,•
•■'^ , ' • The same is the case with a few
t.-.....n,H. sm.n.lar. ,„ „. M l, lir | 1; - llmiII „,. , v A|/| .^
mawe.' [khwa /.,-„>/„ ,•.<. ,/,/,,,, ma kes ikhwati
Hkmakk.-. Somenonnsin t take y only in the first pen
as baladly mp countryman (f or baladtya). Verbal nouns, J> ,„,-'
:/. usually msert y, and are thus treated as ending in
^n»nt throughout^ as inaglyu (or magfh)A« comingTZeiyl
*- «gO0 |~r —i* Sgiyina (mag^a?
Nouns ending in long accented d or 6 insert /, between the
vowel and suffij, as bur61 ,.■/,„..,-,/ , , tll . r V , '
>chang< >the final vowel into*, as baltfya (or baltl :
■1,:il,, - v; ' k ""• ^t& .< .,/. ballina «r /J/ s,ku
// makes sakwi.
1; ', M '- K '•■The ,P 088 essive adjective beta', with the suffixes
^ where xt would be clumsy to append ihein ,.. th, ££
teelf. Femimne plurals in & are many of them nol considered
{•«* the suffixes; thus we say * feft, betu'i .„, ,
tr ,:,M ' ' disappearan, E the una! n with the
suffixes ,., thedual oi ld,rigl,and di 71
, ,, l; The full form of the pronoun may in all .
MW award which already has the suffix, as beti ana o,
"" j ^alehumhumma,darabnahna/« ^Z
, ;' I MV Turkish suffix m (-Arabic!) occurs in the
otha words borrowed from that language
bheUterarylanguaj
1 the Greek Avlcvnp.
1 : "^ militarj grades, as onl
106
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
VOCABULARY
shabah
khalaqa
makhdum
hurma
gumla, gimla
maktab
geb
isfalt, asfalt
'agala
raqaba
hamat
bizr
sha'ir(ll)
bass
ta'alu
tailaq
ya'nl
akubb
rabatil
rafasft
likeness
bit of old cloth-
ing, rag
master (of ser-
vant)
woman, lady
total, quantity,
number
writing-room
pocket
aspJtalt
wheel, bicycle
neck, collar
mother-in-law
xrr'dn
poet
he look' 'I,
peered
tome (pi.)
he divorct d
that is to say
/ will pour
they fasti ned,
bound
they Licked
gibt
talla*
/, you brought,
have brought
take out
safrit
travelled (f.
sallim
sing.)
â– h liver
bi't, biht
yOU sold
zara'na,
zarahna
twed
nisit
J, you, forgot)
liar-
ti'raf , ta'raf
guff' n
you 1:
tuq'ud
uqaf
you sit
stop (imperat.)
miggauwiz
marrying,
married to
medauwar
looking r
'a la
for
niaslihur
leinn
that, in i -
that
ganb
by tl
if ir
EXERCTSE 23
Ummiha qa*da 'ala kursiha we hawaldha wiladha. A.buya
basse ti wishshiha we qal liha: "Ya hinti inti ahabah ummik
tamam." FGnisaagayir betti'ak? Bumma 'andi li gebi. I
ya gid'an, ana mistannlku. tr ragil ghanl qawl w ana mabsut,
ya nkliti, le innik miggauwizah. Ma lush akhkhe mau|
Guzha tallai|lia. wiliva ' khadit khalaqitha W6 rah it 'alftbdtal
Ijuua darab akhuk? La', darabnl ana; w ana w ak
darabnah darba kuwaiyisa. 11 qalam illi 'andak beta' akhti
la', huwa beta'! ana: akhina (i)ddah li. 1 1 iva inata b
guzha tdyiha tamam. I> ragil illi ganbil khtiha wi 111
ya i.a (waraya ana) ibne 'ammiha. II _ it mihha, I-
kh illi ma li'i'i>h malli iiin-h ku\vai\ is. Shuft <• l.:ilt i \ 1 la', ana
kaman medauwar 'aldh. [s sitte 'auzAkt fi $ ? [mratudai
Bumma dddh 1 abuk 1 li abflk I
1 Pot wi hi j
POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS 107
ddatd lak walla ltya? lik. II walad ill i <piddamik ibnik? Liki
wilful ya hurmal la', ma lish. Ruh udt in ndm bet • we I
i illi fiha 'ala s $utuh,u naffadhum taiyib. II haramiya
gum \uidina 1 fi 1 1§1, we Baraqu minna fulusna. Inta nsit baltik
fibitna. Shu'arana mashhurfn 'an shirarit biladkum.- 'Arb -
Ma>i- ahsan min hammaritha. Is sitte gat mi'l we kan abuha
kaman ma'ana. Humma baladtyatt, ya'nl kullina min balad
wahda. Va khi ana qultilak inni 'aiyan. F.'n baraqihha ? ana
'Mithum 3 liha auwil inbarib. Ghasalte i-lTya ri 1 fasqtya betahtak.
bu 1 walad gumlit darbat 'ala riglgh. Wahda min â–
it min it tanva. Inta khadt id daftar betaf, w ana 'auzu
bukra. Shaiva-Q li 1 lC-la.
KXERCTSE 24
Have you seen my inkhorn ? Look around for it; it was 01.
the table in tin- writing-room yesterday. He fell off his 1
and broke both his anna. Her aunt is tin daughter of a cele-
brate 1 brigand. Open your hands, and I will pour the watei
oyer them. They tied my arms behind my bark, threw me
ad, and kicked me 4 on my head and shoulders. 5 I
have brought an apple for your little girl and two or three j
for her brother; give them to them (in) the morning. I;
you brought your pen with you; The lady who travelled with
him is his mother-in-law. Have you Been my stick 1 Y s, I
it in the corner behind your umbrella. Where did you put mj
olio? I put it on your writing-table with'"' the papers
in it. A small boy put his hand in her pocket and I
her j • of 7 it, but she seized him by 7 his collar and ha
him t.. th.- police. Have you any land i No. l sold it to m\
brothei . We have sown the seeds in our garden. I have brought
i your h< I od ! give it to them. Stop
the house in front ' of you. My bicycle is newer than yours. I
hav< her name. The servant is like his master. The
ryhot; why are you sitting in it i Where is my chair?
A. lad} is sitting on it. The gentleman who w>) with her g
• •
| TIJ.
With (In) th> ir
<>j $hould
hi. : min.
I ; â–
â– d.
108
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
REFLEXIVE AND RECIPROCAL PRONOUNS
§ 122. There is no distinct form tor the reflexive pronoun in
Arabic. Its place is supplied by the personal pronoun, with or
without a preposition, or by one of the words nafs self, ruh soul,
spirit, shakhs (or sakhs), /.at person, with the possessive suffixes,
or by the word ba'd, with or without the suffixes ; eg. : —
khallik hadir keep yourself iltaqit ruhha sJu found her-
ready guwa bet « If inside a
shuf lak get yourself a house
'arabiya carriage gih huwa he came in
mauwit nafsu he killed shakhsu person
hi in self ana zati / myself
khadu ba'd or tliey took th> m-
ba'duhum % off
§ 123. Till length is sometimes used in the same way. as lamme
lulu //<â– pacJced himself off', 1 and iii the case of mental operations
tin- winds bal i/iiu</, 'aql intelligence, as ana sh&wirte 'aqll (or
nafsi) / took counsel with myself, qal ii balu Ic said within, to,
himself. Zat and nat's, as also 'aid and bal, may In- used together,
The second word only taking the suffix, as huwa zat nafsu (or
huwa hi zat nafsu) !,< Ins very self, qal ti 'aqle balu. Ilalati
halatak '-' (literally my, your, condition) have the force of reflexive
pronouns in such expressions as ragil zeye halati a man such as
myself. Ba'd also expresses the idea, of reciprocity or mutuality
(generally without, but often with, t he suffix), as darabna ba'd
.â– â– /nick (in'- another, mauwitu ba'duhum tltey slew om another.
THE DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUJN
J; 124. The demonstratives are : —
(')
M \S<\
da, dili, and (rarely) deh
mm.
di. di
th in
l'l.i i: \i. FOB i."i II ( iEH DER8
d61, ddlt, dola, ddlal
Rbmarb <i. Dih is more emphatic than da. the latter being
'lv used as an < i ol it ie. throwing back it- accent to the
ceding word.
i . the expression ana g£l hi tuli or (ul I
alone.
Onl\ t be two persons are in use.
THE DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUN 10'J
Remark h. — In the "midlna" or city 1 dah is often heard
for <lih, and dlya for « I i .
Remark c.- When da stands alone immediately before the
personal pronouns, the latter may either remain unchanged or
me the truncated forms described above, as da huwa or da
b.6 that's he.
Remark d. — Both the singular and the plural forms are need
irately, or in close connection with a substantive, which takes
the definite article, and almost invariably precedes the pro
noun; e.g. ir ragil dih, ir ragil da, il mara di, il mara 1 di, ir
Lladdl; but da khaddam this {man is) a servant, d&\ betu'i
these {arc) mine. Ddli is rarely, and ddla, ddlat are perhaps uevei
heard with a noun. The latter form i> mostly used In women.
(2) Singular.
M.\sr. — dik-ha, duk-ha, dik-hat,duk-hat, dik-haiya, dik-haiyat,
duk-haiyat, dik-hauwa, duk-hauwa.
Fkm. — dik-ha, dik-hat, dik-haiya, dik-haiyat, ami ^seldom and
incorrectly) duk hat and duk-haiyat that.
Plural for both Genders
Duk-ham, duk-hamma, dukhuinnia and (occasionally) dik-
haiinna and dikdiaiyat I
1 )a. dili, Sec., are often used together with dik-ha, >V<-., to give
ter distinction to tin- object t<> which they refer, 1- ir-ragil
duk-ha dih, il hal> duk-hauwa dih, il mara dik-haiya di, tliat man.
in yonder : duk-ham ddl illi quddamak thoee there in
front of you. They are further used with another form, dak
(below), which seldom stands by itself . It remains unchanged
thus : dak dih. dak di, dak ddl.
Remark. Ddl is occasionally heard with the singular forms
(including dik), giving them a plural sense, as 'Ink ha ddl, duk
hauwa ddl, dik ddl, <Hk haiya ddl, dik-ha1 ddl.
(:}) I>ik (or dik). dak (/ak),-' tilk masc. and fern. that.
They are used with a few words expressive of time, a> dik in
:. tilk il ydm that day, dak il waqt that time, ti tilk il Idla
\at night, and have no plural form. Thej musi be imm<
• li.itfh followed bj I be ai I icle.
I Zalik that'.
This word is seldom beard in tin' colloquial language,
/ . in the Bidna l Hi- i., Gamallya, ami nei
quai '
\ nahw\ form "t the literary dhak, and 1 irelj beai 1
110 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
then only in a neuter sense, as min ba'de zalik after that, after-
wards ; ma' zalik in spite of that, however.
The particle a, or (occasionally) ha and ma, maybe prefixed to
the personal pronouns in their shortened forms, giving them a
demonstrative sense, as aho (aho), 1 hab.6 ! ahe, ahi! ahum! then:
'he, she is, the// are ! mahum but there they are!
Remark. — The full forms are sometimes heard, as ahumnia.
Aho may be used adverbially of the feminine as well as the mas-
culine. Thus a woman may say dana (da ana) aho here / am.
We cannot, however, say il bint aho there is the girl, though we
may say ah6 il bint ahe.
Remark 6. — The feminine demonstrative di, di, with a. ■>, or
ma prefixed, is used adverbially, as voild .' in French, without
distinction of gender or number, but the noun must be ex-
pressed, as adi ragil wisikh, niara battala that's a dirty man, a
bad woman; adi qershen here are tim piastres. The union of ana
with adi results in the forms adini, adi'ni, adin, or adin, as adini
hina quddamak, adin get.
Remark c— Da, and even the fern. di. are also used adver-
bially in certain cases. (See Syntax, § -11G.)
Remark d. — In the expressions il y6m to-day, il 161a to-night,
is subh this morning, is sana this year, ish shitwtya this winter, and
a few others, the article has the force of a demonstrative pronoun.
THE INTERROGATIVE PRONOUN
§ 125. The interrogative pronouns are : —
(1) ?klin irh'ii e, t'jl, <*sh, Ilia '.' what t
Remark a. — Min may have the short form of the j" i
pronouns attached to it. as minhu? who is /it/ but it i> more
usual to say niiu huwa, &C.
Remark 6. — Esh or ish (as i1 sounds when followed by a con-
sonant) Lb of much rarer use than §. It is a shortened form oi
.'• she 1 i what * -
Remark c. E, 6h, with the preposition li prefixed, forme the
interrogative adverb \i\\( u-hyf
(2) Singular.
MaSO. anliu. enlui, aiiliun, eiiln'in anlii, enhi, anh< .
huwa, enliuwa (anhuwa, enbuwa).
I'i m. cnliin. anlii. enhi, anhe, enhe, anhtya, enhtya.
I'l.fi;.-— aiiliun, enlnin. aiiliuiu. enlmiu which, whoti
1 For the aocent, Bee J 39.
THE RELATIVE PRONOUN" 111
Rem lbs i. — The maac. anhu is occasionally used with a
nine noun.
forma which end in a vowel •'..
is on tin- final Byllable b in of anhuwa, an!
where it La always on the penultimate) when they stand a]
and on the penultimat • when they are followed by the
oar other word whieh they qualify, as anhu I
' ii anhi hi't. bal.id ^ in which fionse, town? The accent i-.
however, sometimes on the final syllable when the demonstrative
■la follows, as anha-da I • for anhu dal Those which end in a con-
sonant are only u.-,e<l alone, the indeclinable an; being substituted
tor the plural forms.
(3) A for both genders and all numbers.
as ani ragil ? ani mara I ani bilad .'
THE RELATIVE PROXuUN
j 126. The relative pronouns are, for all genders and num-
bers : —
(1) Illi, used both of animate and inanimate obj<
(*2) Ma, ma, used mostly of inanimate ol>
Remark a, — The personal pronouns may be u r em-
•■illi and a verb expressed or understood, as illi
huwu gih. ill i hiya binl S > ri 372.)
' i ted only where the object to which it
1 or not defined by the article, as 'ala shan ma
qal "it account "/that which â– ihsan ma kan 'hicfi)
; lit ma kan henak during the tin
kulle ma a tqul lu whatever >jiu say to him, ya ma saraqt o qatalt
kill* d (i.e.
number <>/ robl .'). 4
lbs 'â– . -Whoa la expressed by illi and the personal
oded to the noun, aa ir ragil illi huganu gih, literall j I
I he word min (Koranic man) is used in pi
illi in some pi mi religious <■•.
without it, Allah vunsurak
•ala min yi'adlk God
i 1 also with kull ( id with au« U
I min shuftu, ac.
anhuh da than anb
* The final vowel La pronounced almost short.
112
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
THE INDEFINITE PRONOUN
§ 127. The indefinite pronouns are : —
Kullemin (kulle min kan, kulle min qam) whosoever ; ey, eyiha x
(or eyuha) whichever, whatever; eye wahid, eyiha (eyuha) wahid
tohichever one ; kulle manhu whoever, whosoever; hesu (followed by
the subs, verb kan) whatever ; wahid erne, somebody; hadd somebody,
anybody ; fulfill, il fulani 2 such a one ; kaza 3 such.
Remakk a. — Kulle min is generally accompanied by the verb
kan or qam.
Remark //. — Kv is usually followed by the genitive form in in,*
when the latter is followed by a verb, as min eve betin kan,
baladin kanit from whatever house, village, it mat/ be. (See Syntax,
§ 454.)
$ 128. II wahid corresponds to the English one in one hopes
for the best. II insan (linsan) or il insan minna is used in the
same way. (See Syntax, § 443.)
THE DISTRIBUTIVE PRONOUN
§ 129. The distributive pronouns are : —
Kull every, kulle wahid everyone, kulle min (with kan), kulle
manhu each, ba'd, minba'd (either alone or followed by the pre
position min) some, tani other, bashqa one thing, another thing. 6
V< )CABULARY
kalam
word, talk
lisan
tongue
guwar
environs
fi'l
deed
matrah
place
Vsh
bread
mahiya
salary
ahl il bCt
Janti/y
mas'ala
question,
qartb (18)
relation
matter
shidda
violence
sibil
(I rin hi it. if-
auwil
' â– finning
fountain
qirsh, qirshe
a tariff piastre
khadd&m
servant
Bagh
1 The accent is generally on the antepenult.
- Kulfm never takes the article, while its adjective fulani is
never without it.
3 Kaza is the nahu v form of the ;i'l\vHi kede (el.i-
4 Bui see g 63 c, note.
6 For othei w.i\> >ing distribution and division, *ee
Syntax, §g 138 12.
THE DISTRIBUTIVE PRONOUN
113
kelubb(klubb)<-/u6
shiribt
/ drank
akbir
end
txwaddi
it (f.) lea
kebir, kibir
old
con
kullu
the whole of it
qui
say, i \ \
•at. -ban
th irsty
(imperat.^
nazil
descending
quit
/, you, said
mashi
walking on foot
tenam
you t
waqif
standing,
beyikkallini
he in speaking
stopping
'an
of
marbut
tied
ye nam
he sleeps
seeing
saiyibt
I left
( Bheyif)
ibt)
dan' 'an
defending
'amalt
I, you, did
akaab
I gain
yishrab
inks,
gara
it happened
smokes
•irift
I knew, per-
yiskunu
they
ceived,
insaraq
he, it, was
nd
robbed
'irift ?
did you know,
addi
I give, will give
learn ?
wahdu (or li
by himself
ltklmnqu
they quarrelled
wahdu)
nadaht>- li
Iealled, sent for
wahdiha (li
by ]<â–
-- '
lie r> turned,
wahdiha)
need
fa, fi, fe
but, and
I rut, ded
wi
by (in oa1
(qataht)
'ala
uu, of, about
h> sees
EXERCI8E 85
Kolleyom akaab U qershen. A«li 1 kal&m illi 'audi. Kulle
uiiu kan yiakur fill kettr qawt. Kulle wahid qa'id 'ala kurst.
Addllakhamsa sagh walla ah? l-l-li la ."v.- ] . Fenirrftgil
illi kun -aii'l.t'. In • i. '. Bah g&bak hina? ana g£l bi
Humma gam li wahduhum. Kulle maubu yakhud ugritu.
Hadihna na/.lin. Da khaddam 'andt. Da bnukum walla bne
' Quite 'ala mini Da Hi hina ganbina. 'Irifte ism
il balad dl i Ewa, hlya iamiha Qina. 1 Ajdi 1 gaw&b illi gib
bi 1 bofta betahl in naliar da, l-'li' kasa noon iafa shahr.
M huwa i- ragil illi waqif -lak dih \ G I balad fi 1 midlna,
ya'nl ti Bidna 1 EisSn wi 1 Gamallya wi gwarha yeqtilti ix i
dab wi 1 hurma dlya. I • lhayif duk-bammal d&l illi waqftn
M Eawa 1 malik uafau. 11 barabra, illi
■1\. i eh, a • m a in Dpj ai
114 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
humma kkaddamin 'andi, itkhanqu mbarih waiya ba'd ; fe Wahid
minhum darab it tanl *fi 'enu, tallahha. Wi nta 'anialte eh ?
Ana nadahte li 1 hakim; gih, raggahha ; we qataht ugrit il
hakim min inahiyit illi tallahha. W Allahi 'amalte taiyib. 11
wahid lazim yertih l yeshuf il mas'ala bi nafsu. II babiir yequn
min masr fi ani sa'a? Huwa kulle yomen talata yigl 'andina.
Kulle min qam nisa walla rigal.- Lisanu kan inarbiit min shidtlii
ma hasal hi. Hat li shuwaivit Vsh min hesu kan. Ahumm
dak dol illi waqfin 'and il bab. Kulle min kan yequl innu r&gil
taiyib. Tigi f ani sa'a? II balad di anhin fihum. Kunte mash!
fi s sikka we 'irif te naf si leinni 'atshan ; f e ruhte shiribte inoiya
min is sibil illi wara betik. Qui gih 'andak ful&n il i'ulani, tequl
lu eh? Min eye sikkitin ruht bardiha tiwaddik il balad.
EXERCISE 26
These are the men who were in the train with me. In which
room did you sleep? My brother sleeps in (the our) which i.-.
behind your mother's. Every one knows his (own) busi
I met somebody at the club yesterday (who) knows your father.
I was defending myself. The boy with whose Father you c
from Upper Egypt is now a servant in my house. Hi- has
married a woman fifteen years older than himself. 3 By which
boat did you come? Everybody who was there was pleased.
Why did you leave me these and take the best for 1 yourself?
Husbands and wives should 6 always love one another. He who
smokes ten cigarettes a day 6 smokes too many. Is there any-
body here? To talk is one thing, to do is another. 7 The two
brothers live in the same house. 1 'hie sees inside the rooms
He is always speaking of himself. 1 'id you oome alone, or with
your family? I came with my lather and mother and all m\
relations. 1 read the whole of the book from beginning to end."
1 have given you the besl I ha 1.'" Wh\ di.l you lei him
liecau.Mi he hit m\ linger. Whose horse i> that 1 It he.
to the man whi was robbed yesterdaj .
1 /..â– . it ! > , that.
- A plur, of ragi] less used than rigg&la.
/• than him by (hi) _///'/•
1 li. mi. ma. ./; /
Trans. 'Hi, tulle . . ., anil the 'hoi . . .
ins. in <"i'' hot
'-' Trail -. fro the beginning to th>
'" Trans.
THE VERB 1 15
THE VERB
§ 130. Verba may be either trilateral or quadriliteral, i â–
may contain either three or four radical letti rs.
11. Radical Letters may be either strong or weak A
strong radical is one that remains unchanged throughout the
conjugation of the verb; thus k, t, b, the root or radical let*
the wb katab to write, being strong, appear in the >ame order
in every phase ol the verb, though the vowels may chaj and
other letters be added. The weak consonants are w and y.
§ 132. A tnliteral verb which contains tin , radioals
rmed strong, while a verb containing w or y or qat'a I
one of its radicals is termed weak. Those which have two such
letters are doubly weak, and those which have three trel.lv weak
166. Strong verbs are subdivided into two classes :—
Co) I hose whose three radicals are all different, and
(/>) 1 hose wlu.se second and third radicals are identical The
former are called perfect verbs.
I'll. From the simple form of the verb, composed only of
the radicals and their connecting vowels, other forms, or con-
ju^taons, are constructed by the doubling of the radicals and
fine addition of new Letters.
|:; " The v.-rl. a rule, only one voice, nameh the
• two moods, the indicative and the imperative, and two
â– ""P* tenses, ,l! " P 11 * and the aorist or impei ect, from which
however, others ar« formed by means of prefix or by aid of the
substan ive verb kan, and two participles or verl iladjectives one
â– and the other passive. The infinitive m 1 is represented
D J JwW oouns expressing the nature or quality of the verb
: l36 - V'"'" :ir " two ttttmbers, singular and plural, three
one, and, for the 2nd and 3rd persons singular, two genders.
THE SIMPLE PERFECT VERB
Lngularof the past tense takes one
three following forms: barak, birik, buruk, as darab he
truck, Bhirib he -Ira,,,, pughur he woe email, and the I
conjugated thus: —
BlNQl LAB
HAf i i : M .
rabt darabl / dr , U rk
Jâ„¢ darabtl thouetrucl
darab darabit he etntck, she,
, ially expressed by of the derived forma
but lee below, g 111 ai 506.
116 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
Plural for both Genders
1st pers. darabna (-na) we struck, fyc.
2nd pers. darabtii (or darabtuni) l you struck, fyc.
3rd pers. darabfi (or darabum) 2 they struck, 8{c.
§ 138. Similarly shirib and sughur ; but it must be remem-
bered that the short vowels i and u often disappear between two
consonants. 3
Remark a.— Many verbs of a neuter sense take the form
birik or buruk optionally, though the latter is perhaps more com-
mon, as 'utus (or 'itis) to sneeze ; a few take the forms barak and
birik, as bakhal or (more usually) bikhil to be stingy, and still
fewer all three forms, as khumur, khimir, and occasionally khamar
to rise (of dough).
Remark b. — Most verbs of the form barak are transitive in
meaning, those of the form birik mostly intransitive or passive,
while those of the form buruk are invariably intransitive (neuter
or passive).
§ 139. In the formation of the aorist, the first vowel of the
past tense falls out, and the second becomes i (or less commonly
a or u), while the persons are denoted by affixes or suffixes.
Singular
MASC.
fem.
1st pers.
a drab
adrab
I strike, will strike
2nd pers.
tidrab
tidrabi
thou strikest, $â– <â– .
3rd pers.
yidrab
tidrab
he, she strikes, fyc.
Plural for both Genders
1st pers. nidrab toe strike, §c.
2nd pers. tidrabu (or tidrabum) you strike, Sfc.
3rd pers. yidrabu (or yidrabum) they drike, $c.
§ 140. Similarly aktib J "-rite, adkhul / entrr (from katab,
dakhal), but with i and u respectively throughout in place of the
a of the second syllable.
Remark a. — Occasionally the y of the 3rd person is indis-
tinctly heard. In in'al (or il'an) from na'al, la'an to curse, it is
often dropped altogether. 4
1 Kote that the u is quite short in all verba when -um is used
both in the 2nd and 3rd persons. Even a is hardly pro-
nounced long.
- Possibly the older form. Ct. Aramaic p'alun.
8 See § 33.
4 So regularly in Assyrian and Hebrew, and in the dialects
of Algeria and Malta.
THE SIMPLE PERFECT VERB ll7
Remark b.— The form of the 1st pers nlur is in « f
pressions used for the 1st ner* «™ 1 ? ■" m\ •? few ex-
the 2nd pers. masc. and the 3rd fern. sing, of the a^rist vl
invaSXTth^of 2T l 1 th % 1St peFS - ** ° f the ***** -
sonfrK THp 1 i Pf^mative syllable of the other per-
aorist :- ^^^ ^ teke « in the ^syllable of the
(1) Those whose second radical is h,h, or «, except:-
(a) taham
tahaf
ta'ab
ta'ain
gaham
dahan
dahash
da'af
ra'ab
ra'ash
ra'a<lit
accuse
give as a present
tire
engraft
expel
grease
bother
weaken
frigid en
thunder
which take i, making athim, athif, &c.
(£)sha<ar fed ' m ^ k
qa'ad git
which take u, making ash'ur, fa..
loon en
encliant
cough
prosperous
mah
speak well of
load
annoy
soldi r
.vras/ a ?â–
be drowsy
crush
pers. si , ,;,. A '""' i: '" md MalteS ° " fa "*■"■* «■- 4- « <l.- to
i»ut yj raf, ,vc. are used.
118
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
Remark. —
rahan pledge zihid loathe
(rihin) dahash tread on
take a or % ; ni'is occasionally makes an'as ; zahar, zihir appear
occasionally azhir (for azhar).
(2) Those whose final radical is h, h, l , q, or kh, except : —
(a) dala'
raba'
salah
shabah
sicindle
trot
be reconciled
resemble
shara'
faraq
fanakh
qana'
begin
separate
retract, rescind
content
which take i, making adli', &C 1
(/v)baraqit it lightened
sharakh
shanaq
qaraq
tell
split
hang
prattle,
tales
throttle
exhaust
pull from the
socket
blow
bazaq spit
tabakh cook
taraq knock
dalaq spill khanaq
razaq provide for mashaq
zaraq slip away malakh
sadaq be true
salaq boil nafakh
sarakh cry
which take u, making tibruq, abzuq, &c.
Remark. — Fakah eat fruit takes a or i.
(3) A number of words nearly all intransitive or neuter and
of the form birik or buruk, 2 or both, and expressing mostly
mental or physical qualities or conditions. The following is a
nearly complete list of this class, exclusive of those which fall
under (1) and (2) : —
bilid
be dull
birid
get cold
biligh
reach maturity
tukhun
get thick
(balagh) 2
tilim
be bluntt d,
bikhil
be stingy
blunt
(k.khal)
tuqul, tiqil
be heavy
1 Qanah convict of an offence and lafaq sew may be added to
this list of exceptions, but they scarcely belong to the colloquial
language.
2 Birik and buruk correspond to barik (fa'ila) and barak
(t'a'ula) of the literary language. Birik also represents fa'ala,
as misik (literary masaka), &c.
:; But yiblugfa gharadu he attains his desire.
THE SIMPLE PERFECT VERB
119
tamar (tumur
, hear fruit
silik
behave well
timir) 1
suqut
fall
turush, tirish
become deaf
suduf
chance
tafash
i-un away
sughur
become small
gifil (gafal)
he shy, shy
shibit
hold on, climb
gimid
get hard
(shabat)
ghifi]
dose
shimit
gloat
' (ghuful)
shimis
hasklin the sun
ghilit,ghulut
err
'utul
be interrupted
ghurum
pay a fine
'urug 3
be lame
(ghirim)
'ilim
know
ghimid,
he closed
'irid
he vide, broad
ghumud
'imir ('uniur
i he inhabited
harab
flee
'igiz
become infirm
hurun
he restive
'uqul
be, become, vise
hilim
be patient ;
'irif
know
dream
<itir
stumble
hizin
he sad
'itis, 'utus
sneeze
hidir. hudur,
be evident,
'itish, 'utush
be thirsty
hadar
appear
(faragh)firig
\be empty
hafad, hafaz
retain in one's
fidil
remain
mind
fitir
breakfast
himid,
hecome sour
fitir
he tepid
humud
fitish
choke
ha sal
happen
qirib, qurub
draw near
dibil
wither
qishil,
became bank-
dirik (darak)
arrive at
qushul
rupt
maturity
qidir
he able
rimid (or
have ophthal-
qisir, qusur
be, get, short
rimid)
mia
qudum,
become old
raghab 2
desire
qidim
rikhis,
get cheap
kibir
grow big,
rukhus
grow up
zaman
continue, last
kafar
rebel, he dis-
simin
get fat
obedient
silim
he safe
kimil
he finished
>ikliin,
get hot
kisil, kusul
be lazy •
sukhun
kutnr, kitir
increase
1 Also atmir. The forms in brackets are less used than the
others.
2 Also arghib.
3 'Arag, yi rug is more usual.
120
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
khulus
(khalas,
khilis)'
kliimir
(khumur,
khamar)
khidil
khigil
khurus,
khiris
be finished, end
leaven, ferment
be weary
be ashamed
be deaf and
dumb
khisir,
khusur
khuruf
lizim
libid
nidif
nidim
be spoilt, lo*e
drivel, be im-
p aired
(intellect)
be necessary
lie in wait for
be clean
repent
To the above list
having a correspond
passives l : —
ialif
ghidib, ghudub
ghilib
hilik, hulik
himid
sibit
sikin
sikir
'idim
fiqir
qiris, qurus
qirif, quruf
qusum 3
mirid
nishif
niqis, nuqus
must be added the following verbs, which,
ing active form, may be regarded as pure
be destroyed, perish
be vexed, sullc
be conquered, weary
be exhausted, perish
be exhausted, worried
be proved
be inhabited
be made, get drunk
be destroyed
be made, get, poor
be stung
be disgusted, bored
be divided, allotted
be made, get, ill
be dried, get dry
be lessened, grow less (
act. talaf)
ghadab)
ghalab)
halak)
hamad) 2
sabat)
sakan)
sakar)
'adam)
faqar)
qaras)
qaraf)
qasam)
marad)
nashaf,
rarely used)
naqas) 4
1 Pure passives, because they are derived directly from the
active without any external change. Cairene Arabic resembles
H threw in its dislike and spare usage of these forms. Manj
of the above also had no doubt originally an active form, which
has now been supplanted by the first derived form barrak,
barrik.
2 As hamad u bi 1 'asaya.
3 Mostly in the expression qusumit il qisma it teas fated.
4 Others are peculiar to Upper Egypt, as gilid be flogged,
qitil be killed.
THE SIMPLE PERFECT VERB
121
Remark a. — Some of the exceptions to (1) and (2) are perhaps
explained by the fact that the active verb must take i or u in the
aorist, so as not to be identical in that tense with the passive
form, as in the case of da'af, razaq, sahal, sa'ad, fanakh, and
qahar, which have passives, di'if, riziq (or ruzuq), sihil, si'id,
finikh, quhur, making ad'af, arzaq, <fec, in the aorist.
Remark b. — Apart from the words mentioned above, the
pure passive is rarely used conversationally, even by the edu-
cated, in the past tense, 1 though it is heard now and again in
the aorist in the form yibrak (literary yubrak) ; and it may
happen that an active verb forming the aorist in a will be
identical in that tense with the active, as il kalam da ma
yiqbalsh, ma yifhamsh that statement is inacceptable, incompre-
hensible.
(4) The following transitive verbs : —
daiab
strike
shirib
drink
daman
guarantee
qibii
accept
hiblit
conceive
kasar
break
rikib
ride, drive
kusub
gain
sakhat
turn to stone
khataf
snatch
§ 142. The following verbs take u in the second syllable :-
(1) Those whose second radical is t, d, s, sh, or kh, except :
fasal
khasam
(a) The few which take a (§ 141).
(A) The following which take i\—
divide
deduct
lakham
embarrass
(2) Those whose final radical is t , d, r, or z, except
(a) The few which take a.
(b) The following which take i : —
basat (basat) please
sahar enchant
.->hahar speak well of
shi'ir a make verses
Remark. — Zahar, zihir appear, 'arad exhibit, 'asar squeeze out,
farad impose, duty on, nazam, put in order, take either u or /.
1 Qutil (for inqatal) and a few others may perhaps be excepted.
- Mentioned above (§ 141, 1 a).
faqar
impoverish
fakar
think, imagine
qahar 2
annoy
nakar
deny
122
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
(3) The following : —
barad
balas
baram
baraz
bazaq 1
tiqab
tarak
talab
tabakk l
tarad
gbanag
haras
haram
hakam
darag
damagh
damak
dakhal
raqad
raqas
zaghad
sabak
sikin
sikit
samal
file
extort
ticist
project
spit
pierce
leave
demand
cook
rxpel
be coy
guard
bereave
judge
insert
brand
compi'ess
enter
lie, lie ill
dance
push
east lead
dwell
be silent
tcithstand,
dure
sarakh 1
salab
sharad
sharakh l
'arag
'abad
'aqad
farak
faram
qaras
qa'ad 2
kharag 3
kharam
lakam
laqam
malakh 4
rualak
nakhal
nakhas
naqaf
nafakh 4
nakat
cry
crucify, torture
run away
split
be lame, limp
worship
tie
rub
m ince
sting
sit
go out
pierce, bore
touch, strike
gently
catch (a ball,
Sfc.)
pidl from its
socket
sift
prick, annoy
strike
blow
change ones
mind
Remark.— 'Abad and 'aqad make also a'bid and a'qid.
8 143. All other perfect strong verbs take i in the second
syllable of the aorist, and are usually transitives ot the form
barak, never of the form buruk.
Mentioned above (§141, 2 b\
Mentioned above (§ 141, 1 b).
But kharag yikhiig distil.
Mentioned above (§ 141, 2 b).
THE SIMPLE PERFECT VERB
123
VOCABULARY
taqawi
tuba
kanabe
ba'de bukra
kbabar
shart
Rabb
ramadan
alam
hikaya
fahm
haqiqa
hashish
garaz (or
garas)
zaman
matbakh
talg
set ds
the oth Coptic
month
sofa
the day after
to-morrow
news
condition
Lord
the 9th Mo-
hammedan
month
world
story
coal, coals
truth
grass
'bell
time
kitchen
ice
minfakh
hikma
karaf
'aiya
aqum
habas
haraq
shahat
khaff
warrinl
simr
rabat
takhud
yakul
vequl (yiqulj
lahsan
li hadd
kulle ma
(kulliima)
bi 1 haqq
bellows
wisdom
decanter
disease, illness
I get up
he imprisoned
he burned
he begged
he got well
show me
he hea d
he tied
she, it, takes,
catches
he eats
he says
lest, or
until, up to
all that, when-
ever
truly
EXERCISE 27
tnh, V q T fi gn V ltak Walla lissa? Zara'naha fi shahre
tuba. Humma-irfurragilminwishshu. Intaoa'adte ««1« 1™
wanaqa'adte'alakurs.k. Ltt vu-butu riaSn^ r ^akursiya
Vj hen the penult is accented.
3 jy^ s f ten fitted between two verbs. (SeeSvntax 8579 !
< Pt'rb" ^^" 6 1S ° ften Placed at thL ' ■* of S" 2a22
5 at.
124 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
fi 1 bet walla tukhrug barra ? Lamma yiqbadu 'ala 1 haramiya
yihbisiihum. Illi yishar fi 1 lei yirqud fi n nahar. Namusa
qarasitni fi sba'i. II wilad yirkabu hmir wi r riggaia yirkabu
kkel. Lamma tiksar kubbaya walla haga fi 1 bet bass iddini
khabar 'ashan a'raf. Lamma 1 waliid yi'tas yequl : " il hamdu
li 11a Rabbu 1 'alamin.'' II bet da sikin 'amnauwil walla la' ?
Kullima yikallimha ragil tughnug. Suqtit min 'al humar we
kasarit rigliha. Lamma yigi 1 khaddam yitruq 'ala 1 bab aqimi
dughri w albis. Lazim tifiiq il kuwaiyisin. Min en 'iriftu 1
hikaya di? Mush lazim tinkiru 1 haqiqa. II masakin hilku
min il gu'. Lamma smi'na 1 garaz tili'na barra we fatahna 1
bab. Khaffe lakin 'aqlu khuruf min shiddit il 'aiya.
EXERCISE 28
She sat in a chair in the kitchen. When you grow up you
will both be like your mother. They went out of the house at
ten minutes to two, and will return in an hour's time. 1 The
girl snatched the stick out of 2 her brother's hand. At 3 what
time did you breakfast yesterday? She denies everything.
When the women shriek and the men fire 4 off their guns, the
robbers run away. When you blow with the bellows the fire
catches 6 the coals. The sun burns the grass. When the bell
rings 6 you must open the door. She shut the door in my face.
The sun rises at 4.20. He is a man (who) begs in the street.
Do you know him, my daughter? (He) who is sad to-day,
laughs to-morrow. These knives have become old and blunt.
Who was mistaken, you or I ? It gets soft after a time. You
must drink the wine to-day, or it will go sour. Show me the
man who witnesses truly. If you sit by 7 the window you will
catch cold. When the judges give sentence, every one praises
their wisdom. When you write to me I will write to you. Put
the butter in the ice-chest, 8 that it may get cold and hard. We
have broken a decanter and two glasses. Who will guarantee
you? The water has got tepid; (it) will get cold soon. She
laughed at 10 him and ran away. A n good carpenter gains every
day twenty or twenty-five piastres. The children remain in the
house alone. The disease will become ohronic with him. You
(plur.) must sow your seeds in September.
1 Trans, after an hour. 2 min. ;; li.
4 darab. 6 misik fi. " darab.
7 ganb. s Trans, the box of (beta') the ice,
'•' lia'de slmwaiya. 10 'abi. n Trans, the.
imsik
seize
imsiku
irqud
lie doicn
uq'udu
sit
THE IMPERATIVE 125
THE IMPERATIVE
§ 144. We may form the imperative from the aorist by
dropping the initial t of the 2nd pers., thus : —
idrab strike
idrabu
(idrabum)
With the negative, however, and the particle ma, the t is
retained. 1
Remaek. — A wish or command having reference to the. 1st
or 3rd pers. is expressed by the aorist, or by the verb khalli
let followed by the aorist, as nidrab let us strike, khallini adrab
(or khallin adrab), khallihum y idrabu let me, them, strike. Note
that khalli remains, as a rule, in the singular even when several
people are addressed. It may be used with a neuter or passive
verb as well as an active one, as khalli yiskhan il hammam let
the bath he heated.
§ 145. The unfinished present is expressed by the aorist
with the syllable be (or bi) prefixed to the preformatives. The
vowel disappears before the a of the 1st person.
Singular
MASC.
fem.
1st pers.
badrab
badrab
2nd pers.
betidrab
betidrabi
3rd pers.
beyidrab
betidrab
I am striking
thou art striking
he, she, it, is striking
Plural for both Genders
benidrab we are striking
betidrabvi (betidrabum) you are striking
beyidrabu (beyidrabum) they are striking
Remark a.— Beyi is sometimes contracted to bi in the 3rd
pers. plural.
Remark b. — The syllable me {mi) is sometimes heard for be
(bi) in the 1st pers. plural, as menidrab for benidrab.
Remark c. — The intensive adjective 'ammal (lit. doinij fn
(piently), from the verb 'amal to do, occasionally precedes the
above form or that of the aorist itself. It agrees with the
subject in number and gender, as ana 'ammal badrab (or adrab)
> bee §491.
126 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
/ am in the habit of striking, or simply I am striking, inti 'ammala
betidrabi (or tidrabi), hunima 'ammalin beyidrabiL 1
Remark d. — The unfinished present may also be expressed
by the active participle with the substantive verb understood,
as ana darib, htya darba, ihnadarbin I am, she is, we are, striking?
§ 14G. The unfinished past (imperfect) is expressed by means
of the auxiliary verb kan to be in the past tense, followed by the
unfinished present, thus : —
Singular
masc. FEM.
1st pers. kunte badrab kunte badrab / was striking,
used to strike
2nd pers. kunte betidrab kunti betidrabi
3rd pers. kan beyidrab kdnit betidrab
Plural for both Genders
1st pers. kunna benidrab
2nd pers. kuntu (-um) betidrabu (-urn)
3rd pers. kanu beyidrabu (-um)
or with 'animal, kunte 'ammal badrab, &c.
| 1 17. The finished past or pluperfect is expressed by k."ui
followed by the past tense of the verb, as kunte darabt / had
struck, kan darab be bad struck, kumia darabna, inc.
§ 148. The unfinished future is expressed by the aorist of
the verb kan followed by the unfinished present, thus: —
SmauiiAB
M.\ FEM.
1st pers. akun ba Irab akun badrab I shall be striking
2nd pers. bekun betidrab tekuni betid]
3rd pers. yekun beyidrab tekun betidrab
Plural fob both Gkndebs
1st pers. uekun benidrab
2nd pers. tektLnft (-um) betidrabu (-um)
3rd pers. yekunu beyidrabti < -um)
Remabk. This tense ma] also 1"' expressed by the aorist
of kan with the active participle, as akun darib, tekun darba,
yekunu darbln /, she, they will In striking.
â– it i^ in in,. i.- frequent use in Upper Egypt, where it gene
rails appears in tin- contracted form 'amma, vrithout changi
gender or Dumber.
3; •
THE PRESENT AND FUTURE 127
§ 149. The finished future (future perfect) is composed of
the aorist of kan followed by the past tense. Thus akun darabt
/ shall have struck, tekuni darabti thou (f.) uilt Jiave struck,
yekunll darabil, &c.
§ 150. The indefinite future is expressed : —
(1) Simply by the aorist.
(2) Emphatically by the aorist preceded by rayih (the
active participle of rah to f/o), agreeing with the subject in
gender and number, or by its indeclinable form rah, or
(3) By the aorist with the particle ha (sometimes pro
nounced ha) prefixed ; e.g. : —
Singular
MASC. FEM.
1st pers. rayih (rayh) : rayha (for I will or am going to
rah adrab, or hadrab rayiha) strike
adrab -
rah adrab, or
hadrab
2nd pers. rayih tidrab, rayha tidrabi
rah tidrab, or hatidrab rah tidrabi, or
hatidrabl
3rd pers. rayih yidrab, rayha tidrab,
rah yidrab, or rah tidrab, or
bayidrab hatidrab
Plural for both Genders
1st pers. rayhin nidrab, rah nidrab, or ha nidrab
2nd pers. rayhin tidrabu, rah tidrabi), or batidrabu.
3rd pers. rayhin yidrabu, rah \ tdrabu, or hayidrabu.
Remark a. — The past tense of the auxiliary followed by the
future indefinite •" , that something was going or about
Ice place, or nearly took place, as kunte rayih (rayh a. hah.
knnte rah adrab, or kunte hadrab, (fee, 1 was going to si
kan rayih yuqa',rah yuqa', nayuqa' he was near falling. (Synt
.iik b. — 1.1a is appended to the imperative in the donkei
■is . barga' I (».< . be u _
' Note that the qatfa of the first syllable generally disap
pears, bo thai rayh, rah adrab will be pronounced raj , ra, hadrab
Or © at racted, rayha' drab
128
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
Remark c. — The inseparable particle la conveys with the
aorist an oath or a threat, 1 as w Allahi larmik fi dahya by Gud !
I will cast thee into adversity.
§ 151. The subjunctive and so-called optative or potential
moods are expressed by means of the aorist and past tenses
(Syntax, §§ 494-5). The combination of the past tense of kan with
the aorist of the verb is equivalent in the apodosis of conditional
sentences to the English would have, as iza kunte shuftu kunt
adrabu if I had seen him I would have struck him. (Syntax,
§510.) *
§ 152. The participles active and passive are respectively darib
striking and madrub struck, which are declined like ordinary
adjectives.
• VOCABULARY
mal
property,
akun
/ shall be
riches
kunna
we were
namus
mosquitoes
dakhkhal
he put in
waqt
time
zi'il
lie got angry
haga
thing, any-
get
I, you, came
thing
till' f6q
he ascended
'asha,
dinner
matarit, na-
it rained
shi'ir
barley
tarit -
hamd
acid
qafal
he shut, closed
buya
paint
qable ma
before that
darab
buya
he painted
bidill ma
instead of
fi
tamalli
ahcays
farran
baker
iza (with
if
khisara
pity
past tense)
(khusara)
EXERC
'ISE 29
Betidral) il khOl leh ? Lamina kam'i beyidrabu 1 ban&diq kunte
betii'qud walla la' I Hiva betikhrug kulleydm i^ s&'a tiu'n ba'd id
duhr. 11 hus&n be1 isman 'ala > 1 1 shi'ir, Betidhab 'ala min? Bad-
liak -airk. L- h I 'ash&n betirkab hus&nak /."villi beyirkab auwil
mara. Intt, 3 1 bittt, kutti l>t i'milj §h ti 1 ginf oa beta'it giranna ?
liable ma rigi'na kan ish shughle kbulus. Kuntu tlihtu laiiiina
gih il hakim walla Lissa I Kunna bnirga' we Lissa ti b sikka.
Kulle ma .saiakbna lina kanit lu\a betiskut Kan bc\ islnud niin
bi't abuli lainina qabadfi 'ak'li [za iklin lissa
1 It is not very often beard in the spoken Lang
'â– ' Dunya world, weather is understood.
THE PRESENT AND FUTURE 129
bahab bi 1 kura barr.i. welakin iza get is sa'a sab'a akim rigi't
'ala 1 bet. Inta rayih tukhrug einta 1 Ana rah akhrug is sa'a
rba'a u tilt. Humma rayhin virkabu nnaharda walla la 1 ? La',
bass is .sitte hatirkab. Itla' min hina. Ishrabi nioiya ndita
Ifdalu li 1 bet lamma rga' ana. Khallina niftah ish shibbak. " Id
dakakin fathin bukra s subh ? La% qaflin 'ashan il 'id. Fin
kubbaya maksura ; min kasarha ? Hiya maksura min nafsiha
kede. Kunna bnishrab qahwa. Kanit betimtur wi btir'id wi
btibruq tul in nahar.
EXERCISE 30
Where l were you sitting ? At what » was she laughing f I ran
away from him when I saw him getting angry. 2 In England they
used to hang thieves, 3 but now they imprison them. The water
is getting less every day. They covet her riches. She was
going upstairs 4 two steps at a time. They were painting the
house when I came. They will be sitting in the kitchen laugh-
S with the cook till dinner-time. e You will have returned,
my daughter, before we go out. We are going to beg (some)
cigarettes of 7 you. The acid will burn the paint. You will
tire yourself. She is going to ascend the pyramids. (It is) a
pity ; she will be tired. (Is) the lady contented with 7 her ser-
vants ? She (is) contented with one of them, but the others are
always getting drunk. What (is it) that makes them drunk'
Why were you sitting outsid,. the door instead of doing « your
work '! It is going to rain. Put the horse in the stable ;*he will
sold outside. Wash your bauds before you cook anything
The horse was running away. The baker closes on Sunday, but
iln- tobacconist remains open. 9 Shut the windows and open' the
doors. The clock was striking twelve when we went out. I am
being stung all daylong by 10 mosquitoes. She was about to
knock at the door when the girl opened it. Will they remain
here when their children return « Let her come in and sit down
Why was she angry ? Because you (/.) shut the door in her face
W e we,, going out when they were coming in. You were
writing upstairs, and your dinner was getting cold downstairs.
1 The interrogative* should be placed at the end of the sen.
t( ' n f- Unfinished pres.
l^"^- II" thieves. 4 tili* 'as salalun.
: ' fl) " sl "" 1 F"s«Mit c Trans, the time of dinner
' ,mu - 8 Aon,.,.
Act. particip. 10 liy (bi j ihp mo8quiioe ^
I
130 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
§ 153. The verb is rendered negative by the particle ma (nid)
being placed before it, and sh after it in the form of a suffix, 1 as
ma darabsh he did not strike. The vowel i is inserted between
it and a verb ending in a consonant, as ma darabtish you did not
strike. The conjugation of the negative past t<>nse and aorist,
firstly without, and secondly with, the verbal suffixes, is ad
follows : —
Singular
MASC. FEM.
1st pers. ma darabtish ma darabtish
2nd pers. ma darabtish ma darabtish
3rd pers. ma darabsh ma darabitsh
Plural for both Genders
1st pers. ma darabnash
2nd pers. ma darabtush
3rd pers. ma darabush
Singular
U ASC. FEM.
1st pers. ma drabsh ma drabsh
2nd pers. ma tidrabsh ma tidrabish
3rd pers. ma yidrabsh ma tidrabsh
Plural for both Genders
1st pers. ma nidrabsh
2nd pers. ma tidrabush
3rd pers. ma yidrabush
1st pers.— Singular
ma darabtush / did not strike him
ma darabtihash ,, ,, her
ma darabtaksh ,, ,, thee (misc.)
ma darabtiksh „ ,, thee (fern.)
ma (larabtuhutush ,, ,, them
ma darabtukush ,, ,, y<m
2nd pers. masc. —
ma darabtush thou didst nut strike him
ma darabtdhash „ ,,
ma darabtintsh „ ,, me
ma darabtuhumsli „ ,, them
ma (In .ibt inasli
1 Couip. tie . . . p<U in French. (See further Syntax, § 533
teq.)
THE NEGATIVE VEKB 131
2nd pers
f>'IU. — â–
ina darabtibsh
thou didst not
strike him
ma darabtibash
II
>»
her
ma darabtinish
>>
W
me
ma darabtibuinsh
>5
1)
them
ma darabtinask
>l
>)
its
3rd pers.
inasc. —
ma daiabush
he did not i
strikt
' him
ma darabhash
>i
her
ina darabaksh
>>
..
thee (masc.)
iua darabiksh
:â– >
>»
thee (fern.)
ma darabnish
»?
i?
me
ma darabbumsh
>>
ii
them
ma darabkush
if
>>
you
ma darabnash
)»
i)
us
3rd pers.
fem. —
ma darabitush
she did nut strife
! him
ma. darabitbash
>»
ii
leer
Plural
1st pers. —
ma darabnahsb we did not strike him
ma darabnahash ,, ,, her
ma darabnaksh ,, ,, tliee (masc.)
ma darabuakish „ ,, thee (fern.)
ma darabnahumsh „ „ them
ma darabnakusb ., ,, >,ou
2nd pers. —
ma darabtuhsh you did not strike him
ma darabtuhash, (fee. ,, .. her
3rd pers.
ma 'larabuhsh they did not strike him
ma darabaksh ,, .. thee (masc.)
ma darabukish, (fee. ,. ., ttiee (fern.)
Singular
1st pers. —
ma drabusb / do, will, n^t strike him
rna drabhash ,, ,, her
ma drabaksh ,, ., thee (max
ma drabiksh, <kc „ ,. thee (lem.;
2nd pers. ma.-":. —
ma tidrabush, a*c. thou (m.) dost, wilt, wA strike him
132 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
2nd pers. fern. —
ma tidrabihsh tliou (f.) „ „ him
ma tidrabibash, <fcc. „ „ „ her
3rd pers. —
ma yidrabush he does, will not strike him
ma yidrabhash, kc. „ .. her
§ 154. The prepositions li ami bi with their suffixes may
intervene, as well as, or in addition to, the verbal suffixes,
between the verb and the negative sign sh, as ma tabakhit lush
she di'l not cook for him, ma tabakhitu lush she did not rook it for
him, darab bi 1 'asaya? la', ma darab bihash did he strike with the
stick ? No, he did not strike with it. But we may also say ma
tabakhitshe luh, ma tabakhitush luh, and ma darabshe biha.
§ 155. In the compound tenses the x/i is generally attached
to the auxiliary, as ma kunnash kharagna, but sometimes botli
of the negative signs will, for the sake of emphasis, accompany
the principal verb, as kunna ma kharagn&sh (.^ 541).
£ 156. In prohibitions the aorist is used instead of the im-
perative, or, in other words, the initial t reappears, as ina tid-
rabsh, ma tidrabush do not strike. (See further Syntax, § 491.)
§ 157. The negative particles may also be joined to the pro-
nouns, whether in their full or truncated forms, as ma hush (or ina
huwash) not he, ma lish, ma 'andush (it is) not to me, toith him, i.e. /
have, he has, not, ma 'umrish shuftu I never saw him in my lift . ma
'ilmish (it is) not my knowledge, i.e. / do not know. They are
very commonly joined to the indefinite pronoun hadd one, <ut> -
body, as ma haddish darab no one struclt. As the preposition fi,
with or without the suffix of the third pers. sing., is used in the
sense of there is, so ma fihah (or ma fish) signifies there is not.
§ 158. Mush or misli (contracted from ina hush, ma huwash)
may he used as the aorist of the negative Substantive verh of all
numbers and gender, as hiya, humma, hina \ La', mush Inn a
is she, are they, hen ' No, she is, they are m<f, here. It some-
times serves to negative the verb, as mush kharag barra, dakhal
gdwa he hasn't gone out, hi has come in, mush darabha i <li<hit he
strikeheri Mush quit! lak tigiJ didn't I tell you to com Mush
tig! waiy&na? won't you o&me with ust Mush tiskutl won't you
keep </"i' f !
i i. In thr fust of the above phrases the verb kharag with
its c plemenl is in reality the subject of the substantive verb
understood, so thai we would translate literall] t is not that he
went <"//.' The emphasis would be losl it we said ma kharagahe
barra* In the other sentences there is implied a Btrong belief
1 We might also saj mush leinnu kharag.
THE NEGATIVE VERB
!33
or persuasion in the mind of the speaker that it has been, will
be, or should be, performed.
§ 160. La is used for via in the word wala, composed of w.i
( -wi. we) i.i)i' I and la not; and the verb or other word following
it does not generally take the negative suffix sit unless the
negative with the conjunction may be translated by without or
and yet, the previous sentence being an affirmative one, as la
ilakhaltish wala tlihtish / neither went in nor came out, but ana
dakhalt wala hush 'arif / icevt in without his knuwing?
VOCABULARY
bal
mind, memory
gher
besides, other
bilyardu
billiard*,
than
billiard-
yimkin
it is possible
talil"
that, pos-
kis
bag, purse
sibly
bikhil
stingy,
zt'y in nas
as one should,
avaricious
j>ro}>erly
kanas
sweep
abadan
necer, not at all
saraf
spend
min en
whence, how
data -
pay
bi z zur
by fi
zahir
cl^ar
EXERCISE 31
Ma hummssh raghaiyarln. Ma fish hadde gherna fi 1 bet.
II 6da Hi ma tihasli sagagtd mush kuwaiyisa. Yimkin ma
nismahsh. Ma 'raffish la zatan wala isman. Ana ma 'rafhash
wala hiya ti'rafnt La yishrab wala yakul. Tishrab wal.i
takulsh. Likshe 2 ikhwaf Ana kulle shahr badfa' lak talat
ginehat wala ti'milahe abnglak sey in nas. Balaksh 9 il haga
di? Ana ma 'umrish simihte haga z&ye «li. Ma ntish fahma
kalami? La', kalamak mush zahir abadan. Ma kuntish be-
tindahi 11? Ihna mush ravhin ni.dihat minhuui haga. Mush
kan ibnak bina qabl id dnhr? Ma hasal luhumshe haga. Hiya
iuish rayha titla* tul in oahdrl Tani marra ma ti'miHsh haga
â– dye di. Mush niknis sliuwaiva qable ma tuq'ud i Ma'aksh â–
qirshen? Ma llflh akhkhe wala ukht. Mush ana Hi kas
fan>n; da r ragil il 1 i kan beyidrab buya ti 1 bet, hAwa 11:
k i-ailiiim. U bikhil ma yisrifshe fuliis ilia hi z zur. Ihna in a
kunnash 'arfin h'innik ma 1.1 iksahsln- ziyada 'an kede. Lamina
ma tindahihshe ha ya'raf min 6n leinnik 'auzah 1 Ma k&nitshe
hidrit laftsma gih abuha. Ma tirkabshe hussn beyi'rug.
e further Syntax.
J ^ 1 . t is omitted in some circumstances (§ 534).
8 The preposition ti is understood (s' ">' s "» • )•
134 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
EXERCISE 32
Don't sit up after eleven. (He) who goes to bed early does
not repent. The work will not be finished before sunset. 1 I am
not going to burn it. Doesn't your mother ride? She did not
dance at all. Don't sneeze just in front of me. It thundered
and lightened, but it did not rain. I have not eaten or drunk
all day long. He doesn't play billiards better than you. Won't
you open the door to him ? There is no bread in the house.
Didn't any one seize them ? Won't you sit down and keep quiet !
She took her purse from her pocket without her knowing. Don't
go down to them. Don't insult a man 2 who has not insulted you.
We didn't hear him when he came. Don't snatch it away from
me. It doesn't rain much in Cairo. They won't ever get dry.
Don't listen to him. We shall not return before Friday evening.
I neither won nor was beaten.
§ 161. The derivative verbs are eleven in number, and kike
the following forms : —
I. — Barrik or barrak, the latter where the doubled or the
final consonant is one of .the letters t, gh, ft. d, /, z, 8, ', q, /. ,
and the former in other cases.
Remark. — Barrik matte kneel and shaghghil cava, to work
form exceptions to the above rule (but shaghghal ifi also in use).
§ 162. Verbs of this form arc usually transitive, either causa-
tive (where the primitive verb is intransitive) or intensive (when
the primitive verb is transitive), as qa"ad eautst to sit, kasnar
break in pieces, habbis imprison a number of persons. 9 Naggis
signifies either to cause to be or to consider unch an, saddaq considt r
true, believe. Instances of intransitive verbs of this form are:
bahhar go north, gharrab go west, gaddar have smallpox, nJlaq
ppery, 'affin be putrid.
1!i:.m\kk a. — It not infrequently happens that a verb appear
ing in this form is not used as a simple triliteral, as khammin
conjectun . or it may be denominative, i.e. derived directly from
a noun, whether of Arabic or foreign origin, as dabbish
rubble (dabsh), bannig put under cldoroform thing narcotic), sabbin
to soap (sahtin). 4
Rkmabb A. Some verbs, mostly bearing a neuter sent
used both in the primitive and first derived form withoutanydiffer-
i me of meaning, ^ bilid (or ballid)^ / dull, 'igia (or
1 Ti ans. thi sunset.
'â– Trans, the man.
\V. iit ; \ i'. I ib hum or habbif hum, but we cam, I
habbisu in t bifl sense.
I ' m i he I talian t hrougli Turkish.
THE FIRST DERIVED FORM 135
Remark c. — A few are used both transitively and intransi-
tively, as shahhil hurry, qarrab come or bring near, battal abolish
or be abolished, take holiday.
§ 163. The first derived form is conjugated as follows : —
PAST TENSE
Singular
masc. FEM.
1st pers. barrikt, barrakt barrikt, barrakt
2nd pers. barrikt, barrakt barrikti, barrakti
3rd pers. barrik, barrak barrikit, barrakit
Plural for both Genders
1st pers. barrikna, barrakna
2nd pers. barriktu (-urn), barraktii (-um)
3rd pers. barriku (-um), barraku (-um)
AORIST
Singular
masc. fem.
1st pers. abarrik, abarrak abarrik, abarrak
2nd pers. tibarrik, 1 tibarrak tibarriki, tibarraki
3rd pers. yibarrik, yibarrak tibarrik, tibarrak
Plural for both Genders
] si pers. nibarrik, nibarrak
2 1 M 1 pers. tibarriku (-um), tibarraku (-um)
3rd pers. vikuriku (-um), yibarraku (-um)
UNFINISHED PRESENT
Singular
masc. FEM.
1st pers. babarrik, babarrak babarrik, baban*ak
2nd pers. bitbarrik, 2 bitbarrak bitbarrikl, bitbarrakt
3rd pers. biyibarrik, beyibarrak bitbarrik, bitbarrak
(or bibarrik, &c.)
Plubal fob lorn Genders
1st pers. binbarrik, binbarrak (or binebarrik, &c.)
2nd pers. bitbarriku 2 (-m 3 ), bitbarrak u (-m) (or bitebar-
riki'i, &c )
3rd pars, btbarriku (-m), 4 btbarraku (-m)
1 Or tebarrik, and bo throughout.
For biti (te) barrik, <fec.
• /.■. -inn, the '• being shortened when the m is added, and
s<i i bronghoal .
4 Or anoontracb d biyi (ye) barriku, <fcc.
136
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
IMPERATIVE
Siii' r . niasc. barrik, barrak Fein, barriki, barraki
Phir. barriku (-m), barraku (in)
Particip., active and pass., inebarrik. mebarrak (mibarrik,
mubarrik, tfcc.). 1
'Remakk. — The participle of this form is frequently used aa
a substantive, as nie'allim one who teaches, a matter.
VOCABULARY
kallini
address
raggu'
give hack, re
qabbil
go south
turn
khabbar
inform
'azzib
tori
gallid
bind (books T
kaddib
give the
&c.)
kassil
grow lazy
fassak
make roctt .
dakhkhan
smoke (chim-
walk (act.)
ney, Ac)
(f/nnit
ta"ab
tire
liammil
load
f.-ihhim
inform
farrag 'ala
slww over
taiksh
dri\
kbaddim
employ
qaahshar
shell, peel
fassal
i-'it out (cloth,
kattar
inert
&e.)
much
hadaf
tli row
sallini 'ala
>ite
eabbar
keep waiting
'alliin
teach
gabbis :
grow hard,
•;illini 'all
sign
harden
menaggid
ufthnhterer
ballat
l>ii â– â– â–
qnm&sh
stuff
gammid
harden
bisilla
peas
sallii
/' //â– '
ganaynJ
kharrag
take out
baraaml
â– â–
1
make cl
iui7.nl
.
khaftsar
(kh
twliV
dahhak
make laugh
nla
ghabbar
throw dust
1 Pot the vowel <>t' the firsl syllable, Bee ~i W In the
literal*) language the vowel ol the final syllable is always i in the
l / in the pass, pari iciple.
Krom gibs rum.
* Sometimes pronounced ganeni.
THE FIRST DERIVED FORM 137
EXERCISE 33
Ana rayh af?alli<l kitab£n 'and il megallid. Dimaghu r 1 1 « » -
gabbisa. Bahhar sana wala tqabbil yom. II furne bitdakhkhan
kettr; lazim nenaddafha bukra a subh. Ihdif li kora wahda,
mush haddif li 1 kull. Sallim li 'ala wiladak. Inta Hi 'irift il
hikaya, khabbarni 'anha. Taiyib, ana hafahhimha lak. Ya
barasml inta bitharnmil humarak hamla qadde kede tiqlla leh ?
ti'azzibu leh, ya gabbarl Allah yi'azzibak zeye ma 'azzibtu.
Hat Una 1 waraqa "ask'ni ne'allim 'ah'-ha. Khaddimtish il baia-
bra dol ii betak ? Ya ganayni ! ma tkattarsh il moiya ; rah
tikhassar il ward. Dabbish ya walad 'ala 1 banna. II gammal
kan rayih yibarrik gimalu. Ivhalli wahid menaggid yinaggid Una
mertabten. Hiya rah tikallimik 'an il mas'ala. Nazzil it tars
beza di min 'as sutuh. Ma tkliarragfihash baira. In nas dol
yinaggisu 1 kalb.
EXERCISE 34
Hurry up (plur.); don't keep us waiting. Why arc you
driving those men away? The cat was looking for her kittens
all day long. I am going to teach you Arabic. I don't get
tired coming down; 1 what tires me is going up. a You have
stolen my pencil: give it Kick to me. Will you lend me five
pounds? The road isn't paved. The story will make you
! tugh. Are you not going t<> take the child for a walk? J
don't believe your statement at all. 1 am ir» >i u^r r<> cut the
stuff out myself. After lunch we are going t<> show you over
the stables. What are you doing, girl? 1 am shelling peas.
§ 164. II. — Barik. 8 Verbs of this form denote: —
(a) An attempt or striving to perform the action exp
by the primitive verb, as ghalib sefk to ooereoi
(6) A mutual performing of that action by both subject and
object, as rihin to mo/ce one bet with oneself, wager. In the
r sense the indirect object of the primitive verb becomes
the direct object of the uecond form, a-~ La'ibnl ( liu'l> waiyaya
he played with me. 4 Others have an apparently primitives
the simple verb not being in use or bearing an entirel) different
1 Trans, ft u< the deea id.
:•.•-' • nt.
3 The Koranic barak(a) (rarelj heard).
4 In the former it sometimes reman;- indirect, m
waiy.ih (or »bqu) he raced tnt/< min [raced him), lit. tried /<< poet
knit.
138 THE SPOKEN" ARABIC OF EGYPT
meaning, as safir start on a journey, barik bless, ctinrfratulate,
qabil meet.
§ 165. The principal tenses are conjugated as follows :—
PAST TENSE
Singular
MASC. l'Klf.
1st pers. barikt barikt
2nd pers. barikt barikti
3rd pers. barik barkit (for barikit)
Plural for both Genders
1st pers. barikna
2nd pers. bariktd (-m)
3rd pers. barku (-m)
AORIST
Singular
MASC.
KEM.
1 st pers. abarik
abarik
2nd pers. tibarik 1
tibarkl
3rd pers. yibarik
t ibarik
Plural fob both Gendebs
1st pers. oibarik
2nd pel-, tibarku (-m)
3rd pors. yibarkQ (-m)
IMPERATIVE
Sing. masc. barik Fern, barki
I'lur. barki) (-in)
Particip., act. and pass., mebarik, mebarak'
Remake a. — It will be observed thai the conjugation of tbis
form differs in n<> way From thai of the first, except that
vowel ? disappears in some <>i the persons in accordance with
i In- rules of pronunciation.
Remark b. -The passive participle is sometimes borrowed
from fche primitive verb, though the other parts ol the La
are not In us.- or bear a different meaning, as mabrfik I
1 Or tebarik, j ebarik,
i The l.iti.'i form La sometimes used rive participle,
in the written language.
THE SECOND DERIVED FORM
139
VOCABULARY
4 a\rik
quarrel with
dafi' 'an
defend
•Alig
heal, attend
samih
pardon
barik fi
bless
sa'id
help
barik li
congratulate
'amil
treat, deal witii
tagir
be in commerce,
'arid l
expose, exhibit
business
hasib
settle account:'
sharik
take as a part-
with, bei cart,
ner
look out
'akis
annoy, tease
hafiz 'ala
look after
sahiq
race with
bitqul
you say
khalif
oppose, con-
fayit
passing
tradict
mas'ul
/< sponsible
shatim
insult, band;/
mush'arani
hairy
words with
gary
a running
fariq
leave one alone
sabqa
race
khaniq
quarrel with
ba'dfn
afterwards
EXERCISE 35
Huwa kulle y8m bf'arikni. Ihna rayhln neqabilhum fi 1
mahatta. Mln bl'algu? II hakim illi 'align! lamma kutte
'aiyan 'amnauwil huwa Hi me'algu. Allah yib&rik fik. Huwa
beyitagir wahdu? La' mesharik wahid tanl waiyah. Huwa
miggauwiz gidld; mush rah tibarik hi? TamaUi Lamma tkun
fayta min bina, yi'aksuha 1 wilad d61. 11 waladen duk-hamma
i ah yisabqu ba'd fi 1 gary. Basbi ya wllya! Ihna kunna
iiitahniii ba'dina bi 1 t'ulus 'ala 8 sabqa. 11 binti di tamalli
mkhalfani fi 1 kalam. Kami beyishatmu ba'd quddam bitna
lamma gih ish shawish u waddahum it tunm. Inta inusli rah
tefariqnj abadan I Bitkhanqi 2 1 walad da llh ya hint ? ( ihalibna-
hum li 1 kora. Bitqul khanquh walla khanaquh? Barak 9 Allah
fi r ragil il mush'arani wala liaiak Allah li 1 mala 1 mush-
'araiiiya.
EXERCISE 36
The boss woe playing with the girls. I will inert you
outside the shop. 1 didn't strike him; I was only defending
myself. If you do this, I shall never pardon you. When do
you (plur.) start? I am starting by ' the train which leaves
:it *J •."»'; r.M. The} weren't helping us; we did it by ourselves.
1 I'.- iter 'arrad. - For bitekhaniql.
; Foi the use of the past tense, see g 17.'; â– -.
* ma' yequm.
110
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
Your enem y does not always become l your friend because you
treat him well. They are not going to exhibit their goods in
the windows of the shops. Spend the money out of 2 your
pocket, and I will settle with you afterwards. When they
quarrelled my brother reconciled them. You are responsible,
and must- 1 look after everything.
§ 1 66. III. — Ibrak 4 and occasionally (the literary form) abrak.
It is either transitive, bearing the same meaning as barrik,
as ikhbar inform (for the more usual khabbar), or intransitive
(or neuter), as izman endure, last, islam become a Mussulman.
Remark. — This form is of very rare occurrence in the spoken
language.
§ 1(17. The past tense is conjugated as in the other forms;
the aorist makes abrik, tibrik, tihriki, yibrik, &c. : the imperative
is ibrik, &c, and the participle mubrik, niibrik.
Remark a. — The participle may exist where the other parts
of the verb are not in use. as mudhik caitsino to laugh, laughable.
Those verbs of this form whose sense admits of a passive parti-
ciple derive it from the simple verb, as alzam h compelled, pass,
part, malzum.
Uemark h. — The word murzaq provided for (by God), 1>ie*t
seems to represent the past participle of a verb arzaq, which,
however, exists neither in the colloquial nor the literary language;
so mus'ad blest, and a few others.
VOCABULARY
imkan (am-
be possible to
Han
notify
kan)
one 1 *
igwaz
double
ifqar
impoverish
mnlisin
charitable
alzam
compel, hold
mushrik
polytlu isf,
responsible
idolatt r
ihsan (alisan)
show charity to,
niisi'i'
hurrying
make gifts
(musri
)
iblagb
come of age,
\ imkin
it is /*<
inform
possibly
ikram.
treat with
qiyam
starting,
(akram |
honour
fit ft a /â– >'
izhar
bring to light
kntr
â– aa
ib'ad
remove
ra>m (7)
Ltqan
zira'at
•/ >.<
nice
1 yigt
min.
3 1
w ith aor.
* Oomp. Ph
1'iiie. if-il.
5 With
a direct object
THE THIRD DERIVED FOKM 141
EXERCISE 37
Ma mkannish agahhiz il gawabat betu'i qable qiyam il busta.
Ana lzamtak leinnak tifdal hina, ya'ni tkun inta malzum u
mas'ul 'an kulle haga. Lazim titqin nina (titqin lina) t tabikh
ziyada shuwaiya nnaharda, 'ashan fib diyuf. Lamma misku 1
haramiya kanu misri'ln bi 1 gary. Ana lamma get inta 'andi,
mush akramtak? Yimkin nirkab sawa bukra.
EXERCISE 38
The excessive taxation ] was impoverishing the country.
Won't it be possible for you to write 2 to me to-morrow ? He
is a very charitable man; he is making gifts every day. Your
tennis balls did not last more than two or three months. You
must notify them before Friday. Possibly we shall ^o out to-
night. They are responsible, not I. There are still many poly-
theists in the world. They did not show me much honour.
§ 1G8. IV. — Itbarak. 3 It generally serves as the passive of
the primitive verb; thus from habae imprison is formed ithabas
to be imprisoned, from misik seize, itmasak be seized. But the
primitive form is not always in use. Itbarak sometimes has a
neuter, reflexive, or middle sense, as itlafat turn round to look,
and is in a few cases identical in meaning with the primitive
form, as Ltbasat be pleased, from bisit (little used), ittalab a-
oneself
i 169. The aorist is atbirik, titbirik, tdtbirki, <fec, the impera-
tive itbirik, itbirkl, itbirku (-m). The participle (mitbirik) is not
much in use, the passive participle of the simple verb generally
taking its place, as mahbi'is. inamsuk, &c.
VOCABULARY
itqafal
be locked
itlafat li
look to, after
itfatah
be opened
ithamal
be carried
ishsharah
be drunk
ishshataf
be f/it/',
itfahain
be understood
broken off
itkbahat
be knocked^
itqalab
be upset
bump d
it'abad •
bi worshipped
1 Trans, the excess of the taxes,
- Aor. {limt) i/ou wriU .
8 Thi> t'orui, unknown bo literary Arabic, corresponds to the
Syriac ethp'el, regarded as the passive of tli<- primitive verb. It
is doubtless!} more ancient than the reduplicated form Ltbarrok.
112
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
itgama'.
be added up
itrafas
be kicked
iggama*
itrafa'
be raised
itkhadam
be served,
itrafad l
be dismissed
waited on
binaya
building
ithamaq
be quick-tem-
'agam
Persians
pered
gumla
total
it'araf
be hnoicn
shukali
quarrelsome
it'azam
be invited
khulq
temperament
itghalab
be conquered
hamaqa
foolishness
itghasal
be washed
taqm
suit
EXERCISE 39
II bab il barrani beta,' betna beyitqifil min gilwa. Itsharab
'andina nibit ketir illela. Kallimna bi 1 'arabi 'ashan kalamak
yitfibim min kull in nas. II khaddam il battal yitrifid. II hagar
dih lazim yitrifi' min hina. Itkhabatna min 'arabiya fi s sikka
quddam betak. Issarafit fulus ketir qawi fi 1 binaya dL Ish
shamse kanit betit'ibid 'and il 'agam. Lamma titgimi' il gumla
hana'raf qimt il kull. Ir ragil da mithimiq 2 we shukali ketir;
kullima tkallimu yithimiq. Huwa yin'irif bi 1 hamaqa betahtu.
Hiya mittilba min Allah leinne Rabbina yii'zuqha bi walad.
EXERCISE 40
They were imprisoned in their (owu) garden. She was seized
before she reached her daughter's house. Both the doors of my
bedroom open inwards. The jacket too, in fact the whole suit
must be washed. Don't sit there, or :f you will be kicked by 4
one of those horses. Why was be dismissed % Because he didn't
look after the house properly when we went away. It yon play
with them you will !><• beaten. How are you going to be waited
on if there is no servant in the house i The children were eurried
on the Camel's back. A small piece has been chipped off. Take
that glass away or it will be upset
j 1 7u. V.— Itbarrik, itbarrak. 8 This form La constructed
1 Itrafal in t be diet ionariea
8 lalisan.
2 Or mahmoq.
5 Itfa"al is nut unknown to the lit « >i ;t i\ dialect. It is
the llfhr. /iit/tpu'e/, Syriac eihpa'eU (the second radical
double. 1).
THE FOURTH DERIVED FORM 143
from the first derived form by the addition of the prefix it, and
acts as its passive, or denotes generally the condition into which
its object is brought by its action, as : —
naddaf dean itnaddaf be cleaned
barrad cool itbarrad get cool
hakkim give one autho- ithakkim have, use (or abuse))
rity such authority
Sometimes it bears the same sense and acts upon the same object
as the first form, but governs that object indirectly instead of
directly, as kallim ir ragil (or itkallim waiya r ragil) he spoke to
(with) the man, hadditu (or ithaddit waiyah) he >• hotted with him ;
or it may be middle or reflexive in sense, as qallib turn, itqallib
turn oneself, roll bach. When the first form is intransitive, the
fifth is rarely in use ; when it is, it is generally identical in
meaning, as qarrab (or itqarrab) approach. lire versa, when the
fifth form is neuter, without any reference to the action of a
transitive verb, the first form does not often exist.
§ 171. The aorist is atbarrik, titbarrik, <fcc, or atbarrak,
titbarrak, &c, according as the past tense is itbarrik or itbarrak ;
similarly, the imperative itbarrik or itbarrak and the participle
mitbarrik or mitbarrak.
Remark a. — The literary form tabarrak will occasionally be
heard in conversation for both itbarrik and itbarrak, 1 as also
mutabarrik for the active participle, as ragil mutakallim an
eloguent man.
Remakk b. — Itbarrid is sometimes heard for itbarrad, itbash-
shir for itbashshar, itraddad frequent for itraddid.
Remark c. — The i of the initial syllable of the past tense is
not infrequently placed after instead of before the t, and pro-
nounced very shortly, as tikallini (almost tkallim).' 2
1 But only in imitation of the literary dialect. The Chaldaic
form is the only one, properly speaking, in use in the colloquial
language.
2 See § 14. For the assimilation of the t witb certain letters
in forms (1), (5), and (u), see ^ 25 b. Its sound often approaches
that of d.
144
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
VOCABULARY
itmarragh
roll (intr.)
itrattib
itbashshar
be blessed tcith,
itfaddal !
lucky in
itf assah
itbassas ('al
i) play Mm S PV
it'allaq
itbassim
smile, laugh
knowingly
itfarrag 'ala
itba' 'ad
be removed,
keep away
ifcrakal )
ittarrab
l>e covered,
itghasal
j i lied with
kabbar oifsu
dust
kbaff
itqaddim
be advanced
biqul
ithaggar
l>e harsh,
gitta
'"ala
rough, villi
bakht
ittallit
look with dis-
dain on
kliabbas
itrakkib
to put up, set in
kbaivat
itgarrab
}>e tried
laud
itgallid
be bound
wald
ithassar
regret
serg, sarg
ithatt'az
be in safe
hamd il iinik
('and)
keeping
ithanimil
bear mali-oe
waga*
(min)
ardiva
issabbin
be soaped
sawa
itfassal
be cut out
(clothes, &c.)
ainiaii
be arranged
please I pray !
take a walk
be suspended
be shewn, look,
over
be driven,
ridden
be waslied
<}ive oneself airs
be recovered
he says
body
good fortune,
luck
charlatan
tailor
sand
mud
sou Idle
phenie, car-
bolie, acid
pain
floor, ground
togetlf r
long ago
EXERCISE 41
II hnsan kail bevitniaiT.tgh fi I hashish 'ashan gittitu sukhna
\vc )imkin tilKaiiMil. lima Uu.Mi -i„u na klirl>i 1 bUR&D 'la,_\a't..
basal 'andiiia bakht. Uuztu k.'mit bet it balsas 'il'li l.unm.i kai.
beyitbaaaim li wahda miab nhibhftlr 11 luuudu li llah Uriqnl
dilwaqti r ragil da 1 khabbas witba"ad mmm. Ii aikka dilwaqti
mittarraba bi shmvaivit land J ma filiasli moiva wala wald. Kai,
/ainaii min ashabt, lakio min yflm ma tqaddim li 1 bukuma kabbar
ii if us \s i ttallit 'al \a 11 lm-an beta'na be\ it rikib basse bi I
erg; liaaa ma tgarrabaha lil 'arablya. Sawa ragil gabb&r biyit
tiaggar /i 1 kattn 'an in oas, ya'nl biqul luhum kalam g&mid,
THE FIFTH DERIVED FORM 145
Ba'de makan khaffe min il <aiya itqallib <aleh il waga' tani
Huwa thakkim 'algya we qal li i'mil di u di. BevithasL ketir
'ala nafsu bi lit rah minnu. 1 ' "
EXERCISE 42
m They were talking together a long time. The book has been
in his-keepmg (for) years. If you beat him at 2 the game, lie will
owe you a grudge. The windows were put in yesterday only
I he floor must be well 3 soa ped and washed with carbolic acid
ilis jacket was cut out for him by « a tailor. The books were
arranged on the shelves. Pray sit down ! The boots are cleaned
every morning. We are going to take a little * walk after dinner «
I he overcoats have all been hung up behind the door. She is
going to look over the house.
«. f i 72 ' £ T?T Itbarik - U bears the same relation to the second
that the fifth does to the first. When used reflexively or reci-
procally the direct object of the second form is usually governed
by the preposition waiya, as qabiltu (or itqabilte waivah) / met
turn It is conjugated precisely as the second derived"' form the
aonst being atbarik, titbarik, titbarki, &c, the imperative itba-
rik, &c, and the participle mitbarik or (borrowed from the primi-
tive form) mabruk. r
YOCABULARY
itbarik
itghamiz
ittaqil 'ala
itghasir 'ala
itkhasim
itrazil 'ala
Lssa'id
isb.8b.axik
is sad if
be blessed, for-
tunate
exchange a
wink
speak crossly,
roughly,
with
be bold with
have a differ-
ence, fall
out
blackguard
be helped
be associated
chance to meet
itkhaniq
itbahis
issabiq
ishshahin
it'ashir
iddakhil
kattar
kherak
wugud
kurbag
tigara
sabab
lnudda
1 I.e. he has lost.
* t;.i\il. (after verb).
5 ahuwaiya (after the verb).
li.
6 Tra
quarrel
dispute, discuss
contend with
wrangle
associate,
become inti-
mate
interfere
thank you
presence
whip
trade
reason
/" rind, time
the dinner.
E
146 THE SPOKEN" ARABIC OF EGYPT
EXERCISE 43
II hurma tbarkit bi wugtid ish shekh 'andiha. Huwa kan
beyitghamiz waiyaya 'ashan amsiku. Ir ragil da ttfiqil 'aleya
ketir qawi, hatta hasal If za'al min kalamu. II 'arbagi da mush
basse ma qibilsh ugritu lakin itghasir 'aleya we darabni bi
kurbagu. II khaddam beta'i ma yitkhasimshe waiya hadd. Inta
titrazil leh 'an in nas dol we tishtimhum min gher sabab ? Huwa
r ragil da, illi huwa missa'id biya fi sbugblu kullu, ma qal lishe
hatta " kattar kherak." Ikhwatu inishsharkin waiyah fi 1 bet.
Kanu biyishshaklu waiya ba'd wara 1 garni'. Iza ssadifte waiya
Salim sallim li 'aleh.
EXERCISE 44
She quarrels with her husband every day. We met your
brother by chance yesterday afternoon. They were discussing
together 1 all day long. We are going to race one another.
Don't wrangle with the people in the street. We have been
intimate with one another (for) a long time. He is associated
with her uncle in business. Why do you interfere? This is
not your business. Possibly we shall meet your brother to-night
at the sheikh's house. Why are you always seeking a quarrel
with that poor old woman ?
§ 173. VII. — Inbarak. It usually has a passive sense, and is
often interchangeable with the fourth form, as inharaq (or itharaq)
be burned, burned down, inhakam (or ithakam) b( judged ; but it
not infrequently bears a middle or a reflexive sense, as inqafal
be shut, shut, infatah be opened, open, inkasar he broken, break.
§ 174. The aorisi isanbirik, tinbirik, && ; imperative inbirik,
inbiiki, &c. ; participle minbirik (or mabriik).
I!, .mark. — The literary form of the participle munbarik i>
heard regularly in the word munkasir (for minkisir) when mean
ing humble, unassuming, and is frequently used by the more
educated classes in other words; ankasar, yinkasar, will some
times be beard for ankisir.
1 IV i ii.s. with one another,
SIXTH AND SEVENTH DERIVED FORMS 147
VOCABULARY
inbadal
be changed
inkatab
be written
inbarash
be pulled
inqalab
turn over(intv. )
asunder,
ingarah
be wounded
split ; spra wl
ingama*
be collected
inbasat
be pleased,
itnaqal
be removed
enjoy
intaqab
be pierced ,
inmasak
be seized
bored
(immasak)
sogar
insure
inzalat
be swallowed
wagad
find
ingadal
be plaited
nahya
direction
intaqan
be done with
gild
leather
precision
isbinsa
pantry
ingazar
be slaughtered ;
(sibinsa)
be grieved at
khabar eh 1
what's the
inga'as
lounge
matter ?
inhabas
be imprisoned
masnid
back of carri-
inbahat 'ala
gaze lovingly
age (inside)
at
baqara
cow-
ingharaf
be ladled out,
tiyatru
theatre
dished up
habl
rope
inkhabaz
be baked
khashab
ivood
inhalab
be milked
durg (14)
drawer
insaraq
be robbed,
ghurub
west
stolen
fingaii
cup
inqatal
be killed
taqriban
about
inharas
be guarded
hatta
until
EXERCISE 45
Da mush qalami ; illi bta'i inbadal 'andak. Inbarashit rigleh
we rahit kulle rigl fi nahya. II gazma Hi gildiha mush taiyib
tinbirish qawam. Hfnva minbisit ketir min kahlmak. Hat it
t,i>.i 1 kuwaiyisa illi gat min bilad barra. La', hiya minkisra '
'audi fi 1 isbinsa. Da ragil tniyib, inunkasir 'ala Hah. 2 Lamina
mmasak il harami wagadu waiyah il fultis? La', di inzalatil
minmi u nizlit ii balnu. Da r ragil da tamalli yinbihit 'ala 1
mara, 3 we hiya kaman mabhuta 'al€h. It tabikh lazim yintiqin
kcinaii Bhuwaiya. Hiya rah tingizir qawi milli basal Liha. II
hable da qudum ma yingidilsh. Chabar §h! it tabikh lissa rua
ogarafsh.? Qa'adna mag'u$in 'ala 1 masnid beta* il 'arabiya.
[nqilib 'ala 1 ganb it tank 11 'lah inkhabaz? La - , lissa ma
nkhabass,
1 Or ma!
- Trusting in Ood.
I.e. "his ><â– >'/(_.
148 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
EXERCISE 46
Didn't you enjoy the theatre very much yesterday? The
cow will not be milked before sunset. Two watches and about
three hundred pounds have been stolen from one of my drawers.
We are very glad that l the stables have been removed from in
front of our house. Three of the poor women were killed and
one was wounded. All the people of the village were collected 2
outside the omda's house. "Where will the wood be bored?
You will be imprisoned (for) three years. The garden ought to
have 3 been watched as-well-as 4 the house. Six glasses and four
cups were broken to-day. He was seized at the station when
he was about to leave. The letters had not been written before
noon. Insure your house, lest it be burned down.
§ 175. VIII. — Ibtarak. 5 Verbs of this form may be : —
(a) Reflexive (the reflex object being usually direct, but
occasionally indirect), as ihtaras c/uard, protect, oneself from,
istanad support oneself against, iqtadar acquire <pow\ /â– , wealth,
for oneself.
{b) Reciprocal, as ishtarak waiya ( = sharik, ishsharik waiya)
be in partnership with.
(c) Identical in meaning with a neuter simple verb or fourth
form, as khumur (or ikhtamar) rise (of dough).
(d) The passive of the primitive verb or first derived form,
as irtafa' be rais&l (rafa* raise), ishtaghal be occupied or (as a
neuter verb) be busy (shaghghal occupy), irta'ash be frighk
tremble, shiver.
(e) Active, but with a meaning different to that of the simple
verb or first derived form, as ihtarani honour, istalaf borrow
(from haram deprive of, sail if lend).
§ 17G. The aorist is abtirik, etc., the imperative ibtirik,
tibthki, ike, and the participle mibtirik (or mabriik).
Remark. — Ashtagbal and aftakar 6 / think, imagine, an- in
use as well as asht ighil and aft ikir ; and niubtarik and iniihtaiak
arc sonicl hues heard, as in the words muqtadir id U off, mukhtalit
opposing, different, mushtarik associating, subscriber, muhtaram
honoured, honourable, mu'tamad trustworthy, mu'tabar respt
respectable.
1 inabsi'it leinn. - I'Vm. >ing.
8 kan la/.im 4 mush b
6 This form 18 a variant of ithaiak, and is COmparal
in the coll< quia] language.
the literary languace nshtjiehil, aftakir.
THE EIGHTH DERIVED FORM
149
VOCABULARY
Igtama'
gather together
khatrak
yovr sake
(intr.)
'agin
dough
irtaga'
go bark from.
shurb
drinking,
renounce
smoking
i'tazar
excuse oneself,
hidiya
present
be " hard
ma'isha
a living
up "
fi ma'isha
living togethe
iltafat
attend
wahda
i'timad
trust, rely, be
mitr (14)
metre
convinced
kam
a few (with
iftirad
retire, live
noun in
alone
sing.)
irtakan
lean
sa'a . . . sa'a
sometimes . .
iftaqar
become poor
sometimes
baqa
become
EXERCISE 47
Kulle lela yigtimi'u. waiya ba'd we yithadditu li ba'de nuss
il lei. Ana htaramt akhuk 'ashan khatrak. Huwa fen ? Aho !
mishtighil fi 1 gine.na. Kalamu mikhtilif, ya'ni s;'ra yequl haga
we sa'a yequl haga tanya. H 'agin rah yikhtimir dilwaqti.
..ihna 1 iyam dol min shurb il qahwa wi s sagSyir. Huwa
qtadar ketir u baqa ghanl 'an ikhwatu. Lam ma htazar <:ili
'andi wi stalaf minnl khamas ginehat. Ana htamadte leinnak
tisallii" li 1 kitabat ddL Kan fi ma'isha wahda waiyana, lakin
muftarad dilwaqti li wahdu. Iltifit li shuglak.
EXERCISE 48
Why are you shivering? have you 1 fever? Xo, I am only
shivering from the cold. It is raised - three metres from th>'
ground. She was supporting herself against 3 the wall. She is
a woman of means. 4 I must borrow a few pounds from my
brother. Trust in 5 God. Are you in partnership with your
uncle, or not ? Don't ever work after eleven o'clock at night. 1 '
The door opened when 1 was supporting myself against it. and
T fell on the floor. I am goin^r to give up drinking tea. Will
you lend me five pounds ? No, I am hard-up myself. She
was once very rich, but now she has become poor. We were
very much occupied â– all daj .
1 'andak. • - Rarticip. da.
4 Particip. of iqtadar. 5 'ala. ° bi 1 h'l.
7 Particips. from primitive or supposed primitive verbs.
150
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
§ 177. IX. — Ibrakk. It occurs only in verbs expressive of
colour or a bodily defect. When the simple verb exists, its
meaning becomes intensified in the ninth form, as khadar to be
green, ikhdarr be green all over. The conjugation is as follows : —
PAST TENSE
MASC.
1st pers. ibrakket
2nd pers. ibrakket
3rd pers. ibrakk
Singular
fem.
ibrakket
ibrakketi
ibrakkit
Plurals for both Genders
1st pers. ibrakkena
2nd pers. ibrakketil (-m)
3rd pers. ibrakku. (-m)
Aorist. — abrakk, tibrakk, tibrakki, yibrakk, &c.
ibrakk, &c. Particip. — mibrikk.
VOCABULARY
Imper. —
izraqq
become blue
asl
origin, original
ismarr,
become broion
condition
ismarr
bayad
white, white
ihmarr
become red
colour
isfarr
become yellow
hamar
red, redness
ighmaqq
become dark
khala
desert
igradd
get faded
zahra
blue (for wash-
izradd
get flushed
ing)
irmadd
be affected tvith
bii'in, bavin,
appearing,
ophthalmia
brvin
trident
yehushu
(hey keep away
min waqtiha
since
insabagh
be dyed
EXERCISE 49
Lamma titghisil il hidiim tizraqq. Is pagan <li ha yirhi*
minha warde mizriqq. Lon il buya betu'it bitna igradde shwaiya,
ya'ni mush ( ala aalu. Lamma kutte fi bl&d tinglii kal 1 ldni
bayad bi bamar l.-ikin bavin 'aldya dilwaqti leinni pmarrtt min
kutr ish shams. Borate baftikir leinn i-< pagan dl nuvita, lakin
dilwaqti baqa waraqha kullu mikhdirr. vm'n wil&d il fallfthtn
birmaddi kttr 'ashan ma \ ikhsilush wishshuhum wala yehushA
inimiii d dibb&n. Lamina tinshai il l'i'iva tighmaqq.
1 For kan.
EIGHTH AND NINTH DERIVED FORMS 151
EXERCISE 50
Her body has all turned yellow from the disease. His face
was red from over running. 1 We got very much sunburnt -
when we were riding every day in the desert. The paint on 3
that wall will turn yellow when it gets old. The colours of that
stuff have quite faded ; it ought to be dyed. Her face is very
much flushed ; I think she has 4 fever.
§ 178. X.— Istabrik, istabrak. 5 It is :—
(a) Reflexive, 6 in so far that the action is performed for the
benefit of the subject. In this sense it may be followed either
by a direct object or one governed immediately by a preposition,
as istashhid wahid he called some one to mtness in his favour ;
istahsal 'ala haga he acquired something for himself. As a re-
flexive, it not infrequently denotes an attempt or a desire to
obtain the object denoted by the root of the verb, as istafhim
'an haga to attempt to get information (i.e. inquire about) a thing ;
or a belief on the part of the subject in the existence of the
notion expressed by the primitive verb, as istarkhas il kitab he
considered the hook cheap enough for himJ
(b) Similar in meaning to the simple verb, whether transitive
or intransitive, as istaqbil receive (a visitor).
(c) The passive of the primitive verb or first form, as istakhdim
be employed.
Remark. — The last sense is borne by a few verbs only.
1 Trans, from excess of the running.
2 Trans, broicned by the sun.
3 Trans, which is in.
4 yekun 'andiha.
5 The vowel of the final syllable depends on the consonants
enclosing it. (See § 161.) Istabrak bears the same relation to
a form sabrak as ibtarak does to barak. See under quadrilits.,
and cf . Syriac shaqtal and ishtaqtal.
6 The form of the Semitic verb in s was originally causative,
that in -t reflexive ; hence the -gt forms must be traced back to
a primitively causative sense All other senses are posterior and
derivative. — (S. )
7 Both these senses may occur in the same word, as istafragh
vomit, "retch " (desiderative), and consider empty (from faragh be
' i/i ))/>/). The idea of reflexiveness is not always apparent, as in
ghshim consider inexperienced, (fee, and the participle may be
used adjectively without any reference to an expressed opinion,
as mi6taqrab near.
152
THE SPOKEN" ARABIC OF EGYPT
§ 179. Some of those which fall under (a) are formed from
nouns, as istahmar, istaghash consider a donkey, young donkey
(gahsh).
§ 180. The conjugation of this form is similar to that of I.,
the aorist being astabrik, astabrak, 1 tistabrik, tistabrak, &c, the
imperative istabrik, istabrak, &c, and the participle mistabrik,
mistabrak.
Remark a.— Mistabrak is sometimes heard irregularly for
mistabrik, as mistansab (for mistansib) approving.
Remark b. — The same verb may be both active and neuter,
as ista'gil urge on ; make haste.
§ 181. XI.- — Istibarrik, istibarrak, a variant of the tenth
form, and very rarely heard as a derived form of the perfect
verb.
VOCABULARY
istab'ad
consider, find
istakmil
be finished,
too far
complete
istatqal
consider heavy,
istamlik
acquire domi-
too severe
nion over
istaghlib
acknowledge
istanzil ('an)
renounce
oneself con-
istasghar
consider small,
quered
too small
istahsin
find good
istihallif
take an oath,
istahkiin
exercise autho-
threaten
rity over,
istahfaz 'ala
protect, guard
domineer
garah
to wound
istakhbar
get news from
'auwart
you damaged
istakhrag
extract
ghawa
beguile
istaghrab
be astonished
qatal
kill
istabrak
be blessed, find
khabta
a knock
lucky
n6m
sleep
istadrag
get to under-
'aiyil
child
stand
fikr
idea
istarzaq
get one's liv-
qal'ii
citadel
ing
mishwar
walk, errand
istarsad (li)
waylay
moiyit il
rose-icater
istazr.it'
consider nice,
maward
good
zahr
flotoer
istas-hil
find easy
Musyu
Monsieur, Mr.
ista'gib
be astonished
shugla
job
istaqrab
find, consider,
agaza
lean* , holiday
//'Hi-
brins
prii
istaghraq
be drowned.
wusfd
arrival
sink deep in
furigh
empty
1 See§ 171.
TENTH AXD ELEVENTH DERIVED FORMS 15:;
ghashiru inexperienced, 'ashan kede therefore
simple ma'lum no doubt, of
walau,welau although, even
if '
bardu none the less
course
madam seeing that
badri early
EXERCISE 51
Lamma tli'na min il bet kan fikrina neruh masbyin 'ala
riglena li hadd il qal'a, lakin wi hna 1 fi nuss is sikka istab'adna
1 mishwar u rikibna 'arabiya. ELunte rayh aqul lu 1 kalam da
lakm istatqaitu shuwaiya. Madam 'auwarti ktabu lazim tis-
tahsil lu 2 wahid gheru walau bi 1 fulus. Hiya tamalli betistah-
marni u btistaghshimni, ya'nt betiftikir leinni gbasbim ma <raf slie
haga. Ir riggala dol nas battalln ; istahfaz 'ala nafsak minbum
Saraqt il baga di leb ? Aho stabkim 'aleya sb sbetan wi gwani w.-
saraqt. Humma beyistiliallifu li 'ala innubum, lamma yitqablu
waiyaya fi s sikka, yikhanquni. II mara di mistakbdima 'ande
min ? Yistakbra<?u moiyit il maward min iz zubur. II muslim
yistabrak bi wugud il Qur'an fi betu. Ana dilwaqti istadra-te
sbuwaiya 'ash shugbl. Ma'lum kulle yOm 'auz yiksab baga
'ashan yistarzaq. Is sitt istazrafit ir ragil u khaddamitu 'and'iha.
Rayhin nistasbid larba' riggala dol fi 1 mas'ala. Ista'gibna ktir
'ala kalamak. Ihna sta,'rafna buh min zaman wi 'ii-ifna ba'd
Ma smihtinish lamma khabbatte 'ala 1 bab? La', kunte mis^
tagbraq fi n nom u ma smihtish wala khabta. Istafraghte 'aqlu
laqetu zeyi 1 'aiyil. Anhi sikka mistaqrabba, di walla di }
Lamma yigi inta lazim tistaqbilu wi tqa"adu. Ba'de ma stam-
liku 1 hitta banuba biyut. Istaghlib nafsu liya,
EXERCISE 52
I bought it because I considered it cheap. This wine won't
keep more than a year. In whose house were you employed
before Mr. A. engaged you? 3 Possibly you will be astonished
at my statement, but it is none the less true. Two men waylaid
the merchants outside the village, killed one of them, and wounded
the other. He didn't consider the job sufficiently easy, and
therefore didn't accept it. This road is much longer than that
The work is not yet finished. He renounced his holiday in-
1 When we were, whilst ice were.
- Fiw l lii in a good one.
3 Trans, before employed you Mr. A.
154 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
favour-of 1 one of the other employes. 2 Who is going to receive
the prince on 3 his arrival at 4 Alexandria. Of course you don't
win any money while you are idle. Why do you take me for
a simpleton? I don't take you for a simpleton, but I was
astonished that you confessed yourself beaten by 5 a small boy.
We must inquire of 6 the police about these people to-morrow
morning. Don't hurry too much ; it is early yet. You must
hurry on the work a little.
VERBS WHOSE SECOND AND THIRD RADICALS
ARE IDENTICAL
§ 182. The primitive verb is conjugated as follows : —
PAST TENSE
Singular
masc. FEM.
1st pers. maddet maddet I stretched out
2nd pers. maddet maddeti
3rd pers. madd maddit
Plural
1st pers. maddena
2nd pers. maddetu (-m)
3rd pers. maddu (-m)
AO RIST
Singular
masc. FEM.
1st pers. amidd amidd
2nd pers. temidd (timidd) temiddi (timiddi)
3rd pers. yemidd (yimidd) temidd (timidd)
Plural
1st pers. nemidd (nimidd)
2nd pers. teniiddii (-in) (timiddu -m)
3rd pers. yemidd u (-m) (yimiddu -m)
IMPERATIVE
Sing. masc. midd, fern, middi. Plur. middu (-m).
I'.u ti<i|>. act. madid (fem. madda, plur. maddin).
articip. pass, mamdud.
1 li. 2 Particip. of istakhdim. 8 'and.
* fi. 6 li. 6 niin.
SECOND AND THIRD RADICALS IDENTICAL 155
§ 183. The other tenses are formed by the help of the pre-
fixes and the substantive verb, as in the case of verbs whose
radicals are all different; but note that owing to the accent
falling on the final syllable, the weak e or i of the aorist prefor-
matives is either pronounced very rapidly or disappears alto-
gether, the 2nd pers. singular of the continued present be-
coming in the case of the above verb bitmidd (for bitemidd),
the 3rd pers. bimidd (i.e. biymidd for bivimidd), and the 1st
pers. plural binmidd (for blnimidd). The 2nd pers. singular
feminine and the 2nd and 3rd pers. plural generally Con-
tract also, the final open vowels being somewhat shortened in
pronunciation, as bitmiddi, bimiddu.
§ 184. Verbs whose first or doubled consonant is t, gh, d, r,
?, s, q, k, kh, or ', have u for the second vowel in the aorist.
except : —
taqq
which take a, and
tann a
ghashsh
harr
raff
raqq
rann
stun
fair
fadd
which take i.
§ 185. Qarr makes yequrr when meaning to
also makes ye'udd, and kaff keep back occ
Kh.iss concern and zann think take either i or u,
when meaning
sahh
be correct
to die
nrl
♦add
bite
tinkle
qabb
rise to the sur-
cheat
face
he hot
qarr
confess
hurry jmst
qall
grow less
be thin
kashsh
shrink
ring (intr.)
kann
cover, hide
tcait
khass
get thin
flee
khaff
recover
en/f (trans.)
'arr
disgrace
talk ill of; 'add
isionally yekiff.
VOCABULARY
bakhkh
sprinkle
hairs* for
vil'irim
gakhkh
boast, talk big
' hagig(10)~
gazz
shear
hashsh
cut grass, mote
g:iss
sound
hatt
l>nt
hagg
go on a pil-
eaff
arrange in a row
grimage
kliall
be â– >
1 But cai
ely used.
15b
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
daqq
beat, pound,
dawa
medicine
mash, play
maqass
scissors, sh^or
(music)
hitta
piece
kahh
cough â–
'aliq, 'aluq
fodder
rakk
rain
balla'a
sink, drain
lanmi
pick up
fanella
flannel
radd
give back, re-
sahb (sahib)
landlord
ply, put to
il bet '
(a door)
basbtakhta l
writing-table
ramm
repair
t^gga, bigga
the 12th Mo
kabb
pour
hammedan
hadd
demolish
month
darr
injure, hurt
rabta
bundle
natt
leap
ghasil
icashing, wash
dall ('ala)
indicate
dubara
string
shadd
pull
shull
horse-cloth
maghshiish
false
matara,
ram
fakk
unfasten
natara
hasib
look out
sha'r
hair
nrim
get soft
buffeh
sideboard
EXERCISE 53
Hasib ! ma tbukhkhinish bi 1 moiya. Ir ragil da tamalli
biyegukhkhe bi 1 kalam, we ma yikallimnish ilia 'an nafsu. Ye-
gizzu sha'r il kharuf bi 1 maqass. Ana lazim agiss ir ragil fi 1
mas'ala. Tl goz wi g goza mush tamalli yehibbu ba'd. II mus-
limiii yeliiggu fi shahr il hugga. Husanak khasis qawi, yimkin
'aliqu shuwaiya. II bersim mahshush walla lissa? Miya kanit
hatta burnrtitha 'at tarabeza. Kull il qaza viz mahtutin we mas-
fufin f6q il bufffdi. E*h yekhussak bi 1 mas'ala dl \ Mush
shughlak. Inta 'aqlak makhlul walla eh ? Lazim teduqqi 1
batatis wi tna"amfb.. Ana ma zunnish innu yigi nnahar da.
II fanella di ma tkhishshish fil ghasil. Ishrabi d dawa dib,
yimkin tekhiff! 'aleh. Ma kanshe yisahhi hi yidrab in nas ddl il
masaktn. 11 kura ba'de ma nizlit qabbit 'ala wishsh il moiya.
U'a 1 kalhc da lahsan yi'addak. Madam bata 'aiyan lazim
tikinne nafsak min il hard. 11 husan bikuhhe shuwaiya 1 lt-la.
Taivih, Lddi hi branmashsh wo huttu lu sh shull. 11 matara bit-
rukke shuwaiya.
1 Turkish.
SECOND AND THIRD RADICALS IDENTICAL 157
EXERCISE 54
Stretch out your hand, girl, and pick them up from the
ground. Why didn't you put the door to I My landlord is
going to repair the house from top l to bottom. 2 Let us pour
the wine into an empty bottle. They are pulling down the old
house in the street near us. A little wine won't do you any
harm. After you have undone the parcel put the string in one
of the drawers of my writing-table. They seized him as he was
jumping 3 over the wall. I think the streets are blocked
Please show us the houses which have been repaired. She
was looking from the north window which overlooks our gar-
den. The pilgrims will not have returned before the end of
the month. We were all pulling from one direction. I smell
a very bad smell near the sink. This piece must be bad ; it
doesn't ring at all.
§ 186. Of the derived forms of these verbs, II., VI., IX.,
and XL do not occur in the spoken language, while III. occurs
only in a few participles, some of them used as substantives, as
mekhill injurious, mehimm important, m.e\A\>b friend. The others
are as follows : —
maddid stretch out
amaddid, timaddid, &c.
maddid
memaddid
L Bassas cause to look
Aor. abassas, tibassas
Imperat. bassas
Particip. 4 mebassas
IV. Itmadd be stretched
Aor. atmadd, titmadd, &c.
Imperat. itmadd
Particip. mitmadd
V. Itbassas play the spy itmaddid stretch oneself
Aor. atbassas, titbassas atmaddid, titmaddid, <fec.
Imperat. itbassas itmaddid
Particip. mitbassas mitmaddid
Remark. — Mitraddad is sometimes heard for mitraddid.
VII. Indarr he injured
Aor. andarr, tindarr, &c.
Imperat. indarr
Particip. mindarr
1 foq.
3 Trans, and he is jumpinrj.
2 taht.
4 The same form is used for both voices.
158
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
VIII. Imtadd be stretched, lengthened out
Aor. amtadd, timtadd, &c.
Imperat. imtadd
Particip. mimtadd
X. (a) Istiqall l
(b) istaqlil consider little, too little, small
Aor. astiqall, tistiqall, &c, astaqlil, tistaqlil, &c.
Imperat. istiqall istaqlil
Particip. mistiqall mistaqlil
Remark a. — Nearly all the verbs of this class are conjugated
after the first model.
Remark b. — The participle sometimes takes the form mista-
birk, as mistamirr (for mistimarr). The literary mustabark, as
mustamarr, &c, will occasionally be heard.
Remark c. — Forcns I., V., and X. (b) are, of course, conjugated
in the past tense, as well as in the aorist, like the second form of
the perfect verb, namely, barrik, barrak ; while IV., VII., VIII.,
and X. (a) are conjugated like the primitive verb of then 1 own class.
VOCABULARY
gannin
drive mad
ithaqqaq
be verified
haddid
bound, limit
itradd id 'ala
frequent
hamuli
cause to have
indarr
feel oneself
compassion
injured
rassas
place in a row
ingarr
take oneself off
haqqaq
verify
ingaEz
be shunt
itball, inball
be wetted
inhashsh
be mown
itgarr
be pulled
insarr
be pl<
ithabb,
be Iw
inkabb
.
inhabb
inkhadd
be fright ned
ithakk
be scratched
Lstihaqq
, !â– .-
itradd,
be put to (door)
istiliass (bi)
ire
irtadd
isti'lall
inquire
ithatt,
I- put
istigann
It r rtiad
inliatt
istii|alT
run '
itlaiinii.
be gathered,
isti'ad'l
be ready
iltalillll
colU <â– /> d
shabb
to now
itraiiiin
/,. reptu
liasana
charily, alms
iggaddid
â– wed
hibr
ink
1 Note that i here takes the place of the a of the perfect
verb.
THE WEAK VERBS 159
EXERCISE 55
II khaddam da mistigadde 'andi. Humma mistiqarrin 'ala
nafsuhum. II mara di 1 maskina mistihaqqiya 1 1 hasana.
Istimarret fi sh shughl tul in nahar. Itgarr il habl min in
nahyiten. Indarret kettr min kalamak. Ingarr ! irushi min
quddami ! Huwa meliibbi li ketir qawt II mas'ala di bitganninnt.
II ghitan mehaddidin min kulle giha. Ithaqqaqit il mas'ala
walla lissa 'i Ithakke gild il kitab minni. 2 Allan yihannin 'alek.
Kutte bastidalle 'ala betak. Kunna binistikanne min il bard. II
kitabat kanu mirassasin fi r ruf uf. Kan mirtadd 3 il bab walla
maftub? lltammena kullina fi s sikka. Inti mitraddida 'ala
i'mamu ? Kanit mistaqlila 4 1 fulus.
EXERCISE 56
He doesn't deserve a piastre. You will get wet, as 5 you bave' J
no umbrella. The house ought to be repaired. Your sister
drives me mad. The sheep will be shorn to-morrow. The horse
was frightened, and reared. A bottle of ink has been spilt on
your carpet. They consider their salaries much too small. The
grass has not been mown this year. She was not ready when I
called to her. I thought you must have gone mad when you
put your foot in the fire. We have not yet verified the matter.
The bottle should not be put on the dining-table.
THE WEAK VERBS
VERBS WHOSE FIRST RADICAL IS QAT'A
§ 187. As these verbs are few in number, and present various
irregularities, it will be convenient to give a list of them, with
the forms commonly in use. It will be noticed that in most of
them the primitive or simple form is wanting " : —
'azan give permission
Aor. a'zin, ti'zin, &c.
Particip. act. mi'zin Particip. pass, ma'zun
X. ista'zin ask permission
Aor. asta'zin, &c.
I. Assar (fi) impress, annoy
Aor. a'assar, liassar, &c.
Particip. me'assar, &c.
1 See § 60, Rem. 2 By me. 8 Mardud is more usual.
4 ( >r mistiqalla. 'â– ' madam. 6 ma'ak
7 Tin- imperative, being \x\ every case regularly formed, i*
omitted tor the Bake of brevity.
160
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
IY.
it'asar be annoyed
Aor.
at'isir, &c.
Particip.
mit'isir.
I.
Aggar let, hire
Aor.
a' aggar
Particip.
me 1 aggar
V.
it'aggar be ht
Aor.
at' aggar
Particip.
mit'aggar
I.
Wahhid recognise the unity of God
Aor.
awahhid
Particip.
mewahhid
VIII.
iltahad l (or ittahad) form a compart with
Aor.
altihid (attahid)
Particip.
miltihid (mittihid)
Akhad take, usually shortened to khad
and conjugated as
follows : —
PAST TENSE
MASC.
FEM.
1st pert
;. khadt
khadt
2nd pers
\. khadt
khadti
3rd pers
;. khad
Plural
khadna
khadtil (-m)
khadu (-m)
AORIST
khudit
1st pen
s. akhud 2
akhud
2nd pert
I. t akhud
fcakhdl
3rd pers. yakhud
takhud
Plural
nakhud
takhdu (-m)
yakhdu (-in)
Imper. khad, khudi, khudu (-u\).
Particip act. wakhid, wakhda, wakhdin.
Particip. pass, wanting. '
1 A con up
tion of ittahad. The latter f<
trio Lfl in us.< among
the educated.
- The a of fehe Orel syllables of the aor. \m not pronouDoed
.rn long.
\1 \\, hi. I a-.-, w ill some! imefl be In
• Ma'khuz in Naliwv.
THE WEAK VERBS 1G1
Remark. In Nahwy the past tense of the simple verb is
akhaz. that <>f the second derived form ,'tkhiz. The aor. of tin-
latter is heard in the spoken language in the expression ma
t'akhiznish (plur. ma t'akhizunlsh) do not blame me, pardo i
Tikhud, yikliud, be., are sometimes heard for takhud, &c.
I. Akhkhar delay, a'akhkhar, me'akhkhar.
II. akhir hold back, a'ikhir, me'akhir.
V. it'akhkhar be late, be slow (watch), at'akhkhar,
mit'akhkhar.
VI. ittakhir stand back, attakhir, mittakhir.
I. Addib teach one good manners, a'addib, me'addib.
V. if addib be taught, $c.
I. Iddan call to prayer.
Aor. addan, tiddan, &c.
Particip. me'addin. 1
I. Idda. give.
Aor. addi, tiddi, ic.
Particip. act. middi.
I. Wadda convey (the literary adda), 3rd pers. sing,
fern, iddat (for iddit).
Aor. awaddt.
Particip. mewaddl.
Aza hurt, vizi, particip. wanting.
I. Azza.
III. In particip. mu'zt injurious.
TV. It'aza be hurt at'izi, mit'izi.
V. It'azza be annoyed, at'azza, mit'azzf.
Asar • fake captivt . a'sir, particip, wanting.
X. istesar (istaysar) same meaning, mistesar.
IV. It'assif regret, at'assif, mit'af
X. Particip. mista'sif, regretting.
I. Ashshar mark, a'ashshar,
V. it'ashshar be mark"!, fyt.
Aras inherit, a*ris, waris. 3
T. Akkid ('ala) i//.<i.<f, press, a'akkid, &c.
"V. ifakkid be convinct
Akal eat. The qa^'a and vowel almost always disappear in the
1 The Nahwy mu'azzin is sometimes heard, especially when
used substantively of the man who calls t<> prayer,
duplicate foi m, wii is.
i.
162 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
spoken language, and the verb is conjugate 1 throughout like khad,
as kalit she ate, kalna we cat, akul / eat, yaklu they eat, kul eat,
wakil eating. In the partieip pass., ma-kfil, 1 the qatfa re-
appears.
I. Wakkil (sometimes akkil) cause to eat.
Aor. awakkil (a'akkil).
Partieip. mewakkil (me'akkil).
V. it'akhkhil be eaten, &c.
VI. ittakhil be eaten, attakhil, &c.
II. Allif compose, write, a'allif , me'allif author.
V. It'allif be composed, fyc.
Amar command.
Aor. a'mur, ti'mur (rarely tu/nun). &c
Partieip. act. wanting.
Partieip. pass, ma'mur.
V. it'ammar ('ala) arrogate authority ovt \
I. Ammin entrust, trust, aainmin, &c.
II. aniin believe, trust, a'amin, me'amia.
III. In partieip. mu'min believing.
X. ista'mln trusty yista'min, &c
T. Wannis be companion to, awannis, Sx.
II. anis keep company with, entertain, a'anis, mc\inis.
V. itwannis (bi) be accompanied, have for companion.
X. l8ta*nifa^ea7{againBt a decision), asta'nifjmista'nif.
X. IstannS (for ista'na), astanna, miatannt.
X. Istahil (for ista'hil) be worthy, deserve, astuhil.
â–¡aistahil.
f. Aiyid affirm, confirm, .1 an id, Ac.
V. it'aiyid be affirmed.
II. Avis rUk, brace, despair o/\ a'aya (for a'
me*ays(for me-a\
An (for awan) arrive (of a tin , yi*tn,
pan icip. banting.
I. Wana - eJlOW, awarri, nirWaii ,
V. itwarra bi shown, atwarra, mitwarri.
1 In nia'kul • Mittakliil Lfl Ordinarily used foi
lnaknl.
Perhaps et 3 mologically connected withra'aw , the third form
of which (ara) signifies to sho in literary Arabic, and appears as
aura (aor. aurl), in the dialect of Syria, as though froo ■-•• a.uri
lionallj be heard also in Kgypt.
THE WEAK VERBS 163
§ 188. Attention is called to the following peculiarities, illus-
trated by the above examples : —
(«) In some cases qat'a passes into v\ as in wakhid (for
'akhid), wahhid (lor 'ahhid), or into y, as in istesar (for istaysar,
for ista'sar) ; or disappears altogether, an a preceding it being
lengthened to a, as in yakul, yakhud (for ya'kul, ya'khud), istahil
(for ista'hil) ; ] or is assimilated to t, as in ittahad (for it'ahad),
ittakil (for it'akil), and to n in istanna (for ista'na).
(b) The two verba iddan and idda take i irregularly for a in
the first syllable. Both drop qat'a with its vowel in the aorist,
and idda also in the participle,- middi (for mi'iddi).
(c) Mi'zin permitting is quite irregular, resembling the parti-
ciple of the third form. 3 It should be wazin (for azin), but it
would then have the same form as the particip. of wazan to
weigh.
(d) Ittakhil, ittakhid, and itt;ikhir (for it'akhil, &c), though
conjugated after the sixth form, bear the sense of the fourth or
fifth.
Khad and kal take a for i in the aorist in compensation
for the loss of the qat'a, and wahhid i for a in the second syllable,
that it may resemble in sound the word wahid.
(/) The forms VII.. IX., and XI. are not in use.
§ 1 8i» . Medial qat'a occurs in the verbs ra'a see, ra'af be in-
duhjenl , excuse, sha'am /- u n, and sa'al cuk.
The three latter are conjugated regularly, the aorist being
ar*af, tir'af, &c, the imperative iraf &c, the particip. act. rayif
(for ra'it'), the particip. pass, maruf ; but note that while ra'af and
Ba'al take a in the final syllable of the aorist and imperative,
sha'am bikes i. Masul is used in the sense of respond i 1 1 > .
Sha'am his for its first derived form, by substitution of w for
qat'a, shauwim (rarely sha''am). Ra'a (for ra'ayi makes ravt /
SOW, &C. (regularly) ; aor. ara'i, tiia'i, <kc. (irregularly, for ar'ay,
' ( >r, in the language of the grammarians, the hamza (qat'a)
is converted into the cdif productionis.
• former appeal - as azzan in Nahwy, and is regarded a>
the first derived form of azan permit. According to rule. the
word should be addin in the colloquial. The a of the final
syllable — ma to be in compensation for the weakening of the
first I'l'l.'k ta perhaps the literary addft, which also, as has been
seen, appears as waddd in the spoken language.
/ le'ivin, which exists in the literary language u
of informing.
164 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
&c.) ; imperat. (m. and f.) ra'i; particip. act. ra'i (rayi) ; particip.
pass, not in use. 1
§ 190. Final qat'a likewise occurs in a few verbs only. Most
of them are conjugated regularly, as kafi' reward (.second derived
form of unused primitive verb), kafi't, kafi'na, «fec. ; aor. akafi',
&c. ; imperat. kafi' ; particip. meka.fi' ; haiya' (I.) show honour to,
haiya't, aor. ahaiya', &c. ; hazza' (I.) and istahza' (X.) mock, make
fun of.
§ 191. The verbs sa' (for sa\ contracted from sawa') do harm
to and sha' (for shayi') wish are somewhat irregular in their
conjugation. The first makes si't, si'na, &c, in the past tense ;
aor. asi',tist' 7 &c. ; imperat. si' ; particip. act. seyi' (for sa'i). The
third form is asa' (by contraction), hardly used except in the
particip. niisi' (for mus'i).
Sha 4 mokes shi't, &c, in the past tense ; asha', tisha', or (in
imitation of the literary) tasha', 2 &c, in the aorist. The imperat.
and particips. are not in use.
Remakk. — Several verbs which have final qat'a in the classical
language have >j in the Cairene dialect, as qara (i.e. qaray) 3 read
(classic qara'). Haiya 1 has a duplicate form, haiya (or haiya).
with haiyet, haiyena, &c, for the other persons of the past tense,
and ahaiya. Arc, for the aorist. Sha' often drops its, qat'a in the
expression in sha' Allah if God tcill, which then becomes in
sha llah.
VOCABULARY
Khad 'ala
get accustomed
agrumtya
grammar
to
galea
sitting
i; i f 11 it
site threw
baskawtt
biaewita
gilda
of leather,
qadiya
affair, ruse
binding
duiab«
cupboard
sima'
hearing
sitt
grandmother
qam -
dictionary
mahkama
court
I; t (for ra'et) La used 1>\ Fellaheen universally, and by
Cairenes id the expression ya ret would that, bo. The literary
form of the aorist aia, itc, occurs in \;i b
-' Wnen this Lb used the accent falls slightly (though contrary
t<, rule) on the final syllable] as it also sometimes does in tisha.',
\ Lsha'i ifcc.
See § 208 4 Turkish,
THE WEAK VERBS 16:
EXERCISE 57
Akhuya rain zaman mit'isir 'anni ma yflrallmmtsh. II
qutta di dflwaqti waklida 'alena. Ana afchiztu kefir fi 1 mas-
•al;i di. Leh? ma ti'akhzusb, huwa ma'zur. Hiya tamalli
hetittukhid min gher sabab. Lazim ti'akhir nafsak shuwaiya.
Kami mittakhrin we qa'din bi'id 'anni. II mraddin biyiddan
kulle y&m fi d duhr. Abuya ma yi'zil lisb x leinni atraddad 'ala
n nas bi 1 Kl. Min middi lu 1 kitab da? Ana. II gesh il
masri mistesar 'as.'ikir rain betii' id darawish. II yilda betaht
il kitab da me'ashshara. Ittakhir 'anni shuwaiya lahsan id
dinya harr. Lazim ti'akkid 'aleh leinnu yiwaddi 1 fulfis *ala
beti. Hiya aysit 'ala 'umriha we ramit nafsiha fi 1 bakr. Ana
mi'ayis waiyaku, zeye ma tigi tigi. 2 Ma yir'afshe abadan 'ala
1 kbaddamin min ish shughl. Huwa ha yirafni w ana mush
hara'th. Zeye ma si'ak si*u. Humma tul in nahar yistahzu'
li. Hiva ma kanitsh misi'a lik.
EXERCISE 58
Are you going to eat this apple yourself or give it to the
horse to eat '-. z She was convinced that you had not taken the
medicine. She has composed a dictionary and a grammar. If
he permits me. 4 I will go. The tree will bear when it- time
pomes. 5 You don't deserve your wages because you don't work.
Who took the biscuits from the cupboard? Half of them are
eaten. I am going to ask permission from him to' take one
of his old garments 7 and give it to the man who was begging
in our street yesterdaj . Th«- court has postponed the hearing
of your case till to-morrow's sitting. The house has been let
to my grandmother. You are late! Forgive me, my watch is
slow." Give us the pleasure of your society 9 this evening. He
does as lie likes. Please God, we shall see you here to-morrow.
1 For yizin lish.
2 Fem. in a neuter sense. (See § 4-07.)
8 Wakkil, with double direct object.
4 Trans, to
6 The verb to precede its subject.
* 'ala inni.
7 hidma min hidumu 1 qudam. (See § 443, note 2.)
I 'laying.
9 tigi wannisna.
166
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
VERBS WHOSE FIRST RADICAL IS W
§ 192. These are conjugated as perfect verbs except for the
contractions resulting from the semi-vowel nature of the to.
Thus wa'ad promise makes in the aorist au'id, tfi'id, yu'id, &c.
(for aw'id, tiw'id, &c); in the imperat. u'id (for iw'id), and
in the particip. pass, mau'ud (for maw'ud). Similarly, auqa',
yuqa', &c, from wiqi' fall.
Remark a. — The first syllable of the 1st pers. sing, of the
aorist sometimes sounds almost as u instead of au.
Remark b. — "Waqaf stop makes in the aorist tuqaf, yuqaf,
&,c, and occasionally tiqaf, 1 &c. The imperat. is uqaf. Wiqi'
(sometimes waqa') makes aqa' more frequently than auqa' in
the 1st pers. sing, of the aorist; tuqa', yuqa', &c, in the other
persons, and occasionally tiqa', yiqa', &c.
§ 193. The following verbs take a in addition to thoie whose
medial radical is h, h, or ', or whose final radical is h } A, ', q,
or kh : —
wagab arrive (time or wirim
occasion) wisil
wagad find
and occasionally 7 wiris inherit. 2
swell
arrive
§ 194. Wasaf describe takes i irregulaily for u, and the
following i hTegularly for a : —
wahag
con/use
wahash
make desolate
wahar
frighten
wa'ad
promise
waham
frighten
wasaq
load
wahab
give
Remark. — The aorist of wagad is used both in an active
and a passive sense. Occasionally yugid is heard (in an active
sense only) for yiigad. 3 Wagab makes yugib, when meaning
be incumbent upon.*
In the eighth form the w is assimilated to tin- /. as in verba
But tiqaf is scarcely pure Cairene.
Yflris is the common form in the spoken language.
But hardly from the lipa of a true Cairene.
But it is rarely used colloquially in this sens*'.
THE WEAK VERBS
167
whose first radical is qat'a, as ittasal reach, from wisil (for
iwtasal).
§ 195. The following are examples of the derived forms : —
I. Wahhash???«/te wild
waggih turn, direct
II. warib slant
wafiq agree with
III. augab approach (of a
time, season)
IV. itwagad, he found
atwigid,
Arc.
V. itwahhal besmeared with
mini
itwaggih be turned, di-
rected
VI. itwarib be slanted
VII. inwaga' smart
(more
usually
itwaga')
VIII. ittasaJ, nach
attisil,
mittisil l
IX. Not in use.
X. istauhash become wild
istaulid beget genera-
tions of chil-
dren 2
Remark a. — The general remarks which have been made
with regard to the signification and use of the derived forms
of the perfect verb apply, of course, to those of the weak verb,
as, for instance, that the particip. pass, of the primitive form
often replaces that of the third, fourth, and other forms, as
itwazan be weighed, mauziin weighed.
Remark b. — Verbs of this class whose medial and final
radicals art; identical present no irregularity whatever.
VOCABULARY
wazan
weigh
itwahal
he confused, stitch
wilid
beget, give birth to
itwazan
be weighed
waga*
hurt, pain
itwasaq
be laden
warraq
put on leaves
itwassal
act as a go-
wassa'
make room
bet ween
wafiq
agree with
wadd
love
itwahas
get entangled,
wazz
incite
etude, stranded
kashaf
uncover, per-
itwahhash
be turned into a
ceive
savage
bahri
north
1 Nahwy muttasil.
2 Intensive.
>8
THE SPOKEN
ARABIC OF EGYPT
qibli
wahsh
south
wild beasts
maktab il post-ojjice
busta
rizq
wisq
qars
sustenance
load
stinging, sting,
bite
haram wrong, shame
qol statement, de-
clan d ion
EXERCISE 59
Lanima yugab il waqt neruh 'ala betu. Ma tugadshe Minima
haga zeye di. Ma twagadtish ana fi rastabl lamina saraqu 1
khel. Humma kanu mitwaggihin 'ala 1 bahr. II hitta illi tkun
moiyitha shuwaiya tuqaf fiha 1 merkib we titwihis. Inta rah
tuhashni lanima tsafir. Huwa ragil niitwahhash zeyi 1 wahsh.
Wiqif yitwihil ' ti 1 kalam. Hiya rah turis abulia w ummiha li
wahdiha. Warib' 2 il bab 'ashan ma haddish yikshifna. Yittisilu
rizqe min 'and Allah. Huwa sakin li masr min zaman u wilid
wi staulid henak. II gamal da mausilq wisqe 3 gam id 'aleh. Ir
ragil da stauhash fi 1 gibal. Hiya wildit waladen fibatne wahda. 4
Is sagara warraqit walla lissa ? Ma kanshe lazim tiwizzu 'aleh
yidrabha. Uzil li 1 <jawab da min fadlak.
EXERCISE 60
Her face was turned (to the) South. My eye pains me. Her
clothes were smeared with mud. Her foot was swelling from
the bite of the mosquito. Leave the door a little to. 5 She
doesn't love him. The letter ought to have been weighed. Stop,
girl, or you will fall clown d the steps. She will describe the
house to you. We had arrived (at) the Pyramids before they
left 7 the hotel. You (plur.) are overloading 8 your donkeys. I
will act as your go-between 9 in the matter. Make a 1 ttle
for me, please. Don't stop 10 the carriage in the middle of the
street.
1 The aor. is often equivalent to the particip. in English.
8 I.e. put it t<> a little. I e. with a burden.
4 I.e. tn-iiis. •'■Particip, of it warib.
6 Trans from on ~ tili- min.
8 Trans, unr 1>\ krtir at end of sent. nice.
8 Trans. / will act as a go-beticeen for (li) you,
1,1 First derived form of \\ iqif.
THE WEAK VERBS 169
VERBS WHOSE MEDIAL RADICAL IS IF 1
§ 196. Most of these differ from the strong verbs in the primi-
tive form and in the fourth, seventh, eighth, and tenth derived
forms. In the past tense of the primitive verb the w, with its pre-
ceding and following vowels, contracts into a when the latter of
these vowels is followed by a single consonant, and into u when it
is followed by two consonants ; while in the aorist the n; with its
following short vowel, contracts into the long vowel which is homo-
geneous to the short one. In the fourth, seventh, eighth, and tenth
forms the tv, with its vowels, becomes a in the past tense when
the following vowel precedes a single consonant, and a when it
precedes a double consonant ; while in the aorist the tv, with its
following vowel, contracts to d. These forms are, however,
sometimes conjugated regularly. In the imperative the initial
vowel falls away, and in the active participle the w is weakened
to a qat'a or a scarcely audible y.
§ 197. The following is an example of the conjugation of the
primitive verb : —
PAST TENSE
Singular
masc. FEM.
1st. pers. quit (for qawalt) quit I said
2nd pers. quit (for qawalt) qultl (for qawalti)
3rd pers. qal (for qawal) qalit (for qawalit)
Pllral for both Gendeks
qulna (for qawal na)
qultu, qultum (for qawaltu-m)
qalu, qaluni (for qawalu-m)
AORIST
Singular
1st pers. aqiil (for aqwul) aqfil
2nd pers. tiqul 2 tequl (f or tiqwul) tiqiili, tequli (for
tiqwuli)
3rd pers. yiqfll, yequl (for yiqwul) tiqul, tequl
1 In some of those verbs the middle radical was originally //,
or some other guttural ; cf. dahas and das, both meaning to
crush, sh,'. I) be grey and the literary shahiba, Amharic mala
swear with Ethiop. mahala.
2 The 1st pers. sing, of the aor. <>\' 'az take refuge is pro
nounced a'uzu in the expression a'UZU billah, as in tin- literary
170
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
Plural for both Genders
niqiil, nequl (for niqwul)
tiqulu-m, tequlu-m (for tiqwulu-m)
yiqulu-m, yequlu-m (for yiqwulu-m)
Imperat. masc. qui, fern. quit. Plur. qillu.
Particip. act. qayil (q;Vil). Particip. pass, not in use. 1
Remark a. — The Nahwy passive of this verb, qil (for quwil),
with its aor. yuqal (for yuqwal), is occasionally used impersonally,
and consequently only in the 3rd pers. singular.
Remark b. — A few verbs retain the w in the participle, as
tawi' obeying (also tayi'). The participle of 'az want is either
'awiz (in pronunciation almost 'auz) or 'ayiz ('ayz). Yi'iz, ye'iz,
are sometimes heard for yi'uz, ye'uz. Nam sleep makes nimt,
nimna, &c, in the past tense, though it is for nawam. 2
;5 198. Kit' contain, khaf 3 fear, nam, 4 and zal (in the expres-
sion lam yazal, § 545) take a in the final syllable of the aorist. 5
All others take u. A few are conjugated like verbs with medial
y in the primitive form, and in the derived forms like those with
medial w, as hal refer, hilt / referred, aor. ahil, but hauwil, ithauwil.
Arc. ; tii 4 obey, yiti', makes tauwa' or taiva' in the first derived
form; 'an help, lift, 1st pers. 'int, aor. vi'in, but 11. 'awin or
(contracted) 'aun.
£ 199. Verbs of this class whose final radical is y (being thus
doubly imperfect) are not subject to the contractions described
above, as kawa iron, aor. akwi ; nor are the following : —
tiwil 5
grow tall
dawakh
make giddy.
ghawat (and
dig down da />
overpower
its passive
da wash
deafen
ghuwut)
ziwir
choke
ha was
talk con-
'awag
hem I
fusedly,
kawa'
recline
drive silly
khawat
bother
hawal
squint
language. It. will OOt In' forgotten that the first Syllable is pro
nounced very short, except when, as occasionally happens, a is
substituted For i or i . as yumut he dies (for yimut).
1 Mitqal or tninqal are used instead ; so mindas trodden on, Asc.
'-' Literary oawima. In the literary language all these have
I for the second \ owel.
:l Yukhat' is sometimes heard for yikhaf.
1 Nam is often used with a passive signification, as il qixas da
l.'i/.im yenam these bottles must be laid down.
b Also tiil, especially In the sense of to roa '<, be long enottjh.
THE WEAK VERBS
171
Thus the particip. act. of khawat is khawit, its particip. pass,
makhwut, its fourth derived form itkhawat. The particip. pass, of
'awag is ma'ug (for ma'wug) ; the seventh form of dawakh and
dawash, indawakh and indawash respectively.
§ 200. Of these verbs, tiwil, ghawat 1 ghuwut, and ziwir take
a in the aorist, the rest * (dawakh and kawa' irregularly). -
§ 201. The following are instances of the derived forms of
those which contract : —
II.
III.
dauwar 3
tauwib
gawir
gawib or (by
contraction)
gaub
aqam
titrn round (dar)
eause to repent (tab)
he neighbour to
answer
IV. ithash
reside
be kept off
1st pers. gawibt ; aor.
agaub ; imperat.
gaub; particip. me-
gaub
1st pers. aqamt; 4 aor.
aqim ; particip.
muqim, meqim 5
1st pers. ithash t ; aor.
athash ; particip.
mithash
VI.
VII.
VIII.
iddauwar
ishshauwaq
iggauAviz
ittuwil («ala)
ittaub (for
ittawib)
inhash
inhawag (un-
contracted)
ihtag or (un-
contracted)
ihtawag
be turned round
long for
be mnrried, marry
assault, abuse
yawn
be kppt off, get
away
beg
particip. mittawib,
mittaub
1 st pers. inhasht ; aor.
anhash
aor. yinhiwig
1st pers. ihtagt or
ihtawagt ; aor.
ahtair or ahtiwig ;
particip. mill'
mihtiwig
1 Ghawat is rarely used, especially in the past tense, the
second form, ghanwat, generally taking its place.
- Bee§ 141 (2). » Or dauwar.
4 Observe that in tin- derived forms the a of the past tens.*
is maintained throughout.
5 III. is very rarely used, [stiq&m (istaqam), with same
meaning, is more common than a j m
172
THE SPOKEN AEABIC OF EGYPT
IX. isvvadd
turn black
X. istigab 2 or (un- grant a request
contracted)
istagwib interrogate
1st pers. iswaddet ;
aor. aswadd ; parti-
cip. miswidd x
1st pers. istigabt, is-
tagwibt ; aor. asti-
gab, astagwib; par-
ticip. mistigab, mis-
tagwib
istamwit
XI. Not in use.
pretend to be
dead or wretched
Remark a. — Nam sleep, lie down, has usually naiyim put to
sleep, lay down, for its first derived form, as though the middle
radical were y, but nauwim is occasionally heard. Qaiyim raise
(from qam) 3 is sometimes used for qauwim, but savours of fellah
idiom. Ttih go astray has tauwih, meaning to lead astray, and
taiyih to deal haughtily with. 4
Remark b. — The i of the first and fifth forms sometimes
becomes u under the influence of the first syllable, as khauwuf
frighten, itkhauwuf (for khauwif, ic).
VOCABULARY
bar
be left idle, on
it hamvish
stir reed to
one's hands
in has
be kissed
bash
soak
istigar
call to assist-
tab
repent
ance
tab 'an
!/ive up
istatwil nafsi
hold ones head
hash
keep, keep away
high
has
kiss
rid it
I consent* d
fat
pass, leave
nmniin
believer, faith-
'auwaq
delay, be lottg
ful
laivwit
let pass
akhras
deaf and dumb
hamvish
hoard
qilla
scarcity
ha wit
surround
hagar
stone
qawil
give contract to,
buda'a
goods
engage
h.iwa
atmosphere
1 Fern, miswidda, bul the form miswadda is used as a sub-
stantive meaning </ rough copy.
2 Occasionally pronounced istag&b.
Note q&m yequm rise, but qfiia yeqtm raise,
â– * No doubt they are in realitj distinct verbs.
THE WEAK VERES 173
EXERCISE 61
h, ] Qm ^i S i Sfiq * ibauw .f il buda< * Lamma baqa 1 'esh nashif
bu.hnah fi moiya Ummu htawagit li fi i kam qirsh w ana
ma jrditeh add|hum hha II rnalaka tbauwishit inatrah 'amniiha
Ikhwani ayzm yitauwibuni 'an shurb id dukhkkan. ' II bihim
Tt'^Sl, 2 "VU7 ln - Uh ma sti&rM** lamma darabflka?
It tabbakha, beta'itna miggauwiza wahid akhras. Ana thaahte
mm id il ball? we nattet fi 1 bahr. Mush lazirn tittawil <ak
nniL J 1 ^t^ 11 ^- , Hiya betistatwil nafsiba we tiftikh-
1 iutur? Kunna mnaiyrminu fi 1 ard 'ashan neshufu taivib " " II
askar hautit il biyut. Hiiwa 'aunni min <andu bi kam nu.s
11 oda beta'itna miswidda kulliba min id dukbkban beta' furne
K^V i S .""Sr? min ' ala * shu S hle M II mai-a d!
tihwrl bi 1 <enen htnen. Qfdi li min dar e abik> Ip * d a ^
SirffrS T3 A n 1i • Ma f \ h haga t{khauw uf u abad -- i^
shayi it ragil da walla ma ntasb sbayf u I
EXERCISE 62
Didn't you see her when she was passing the house- ? Let me
pass please. We went to bed « yesterday at "half-past ten and < o
up at a quarter to nine; how many a hours did we sleep? DM
you kiss the lady's hand? Wliv didn't ^-â„¢, l ., , ^
from ns 2 TV oil l L ? V * } ° U kee P the do g s aw « 7
1,1,1 Ub ' Tbe ladd f r w (too) short ; it won't reach. The lady
wants yon; go (and) see her. Don't be frightened, Si: he
™n TtTi ^ J T kind bef ° re y<^onth wfeTyou
yawn. They were hoarding up their money f or * years This
stone has been kissed by thousands of * the faithful Th.
closeness of the atmosphere of the court overpowered Sud'
She raised her child from* the ground and put him on lc S h
They were reclining on sofas in the dining-room. Don't be long.'
§ 202. There are no verbs with w for the final radical.
VERBS WHOSE INITIAL RADICAL IS 7
°J%Z'A' (am) > *»»• >*- *■»S **Wl
4
nun.
kam, with substantive in sine.
min 'ala.
t he c^';;/::;i:;:^;' s^^g* of *• -^ ** •-« *
174 THE SPOKEN AKABIC OF EGYPT
VERBS WHOSE MEDIAL RADICAL IS Y
§ 204. In these verbs the following contractions take place: —
(a) In the past tense of the simple verb the y, with its pre-
ceding and following vowels, contracts into a when the latter of
these two vowels is followed by a single consonant, and into i
when it is followed by two consonants ; while in the aorist the
y, with its following vowel, contracts into i. The changes which
take place in the derived forms are identical with those which
occur in the w verbs.
§ 205. The following is an example of the conjugation of a
verb of this class : —
PAST TENSE
SINGULAR
MASC. FESL
1st pers. bi't (for bay a' t) bi't Isold
2nd pers. bi't bi'ti
3rd pers. ba' ba'it (for baya'it)
Plural for both Genders
1st pers. bi'na (for baya'na)
2nd pers. bi'tu-m (for baya'tii-m)
Imperat. bi', bi'i, bi'u.
Aor. abi', tebi', &c.
Particip. act. bayr 4 (b&'i'). 1 Particip. pass. mebi*.
Remark — The uncontracted form of the passive participle
appears in ma'yub dishonoured, insidted, niadyun indebted (from
disused dan), and a few others; tash be liyht-headed makes
matwush more often than niatyush. 2
^ 20G. Ban appear, bat pass the night, and sha 1 (for shaya') 3
take a in the aorist (making aban, &C.). HUtibfear and mil obtain
generally make tihib, yinil, but occasionally yuhab, yunal. 4
Remark. — The verb khayal dazzle does not contract either
in the simple verb or in anv of the derived forms.
1 The a of the participle in ayi sometimes sounds nearly as c,
as biiyi', bevi* (or ba'i, ttc). (See § 3.) Similarly, verbs with a-
for the middle radical, but some of them often contract to one
syllable. (See above.)
'-' The particip. pass, is not much used, that of the fourth or
i i.th derived form generally taking its place.
" For the conjugation of aha', see § L91.
4 a for i in the first syllable, apparently in the belief that it
hounds educated.
THE WEAK VERBS
175
3 20 7. The derived forms are as follows : —
I. khaiyat
'aiyid ('a la)
seyib (for saiyib)
II. sayis (generally
contracted)
'ivir
III. a'ash 1
IV. itba 4
V. itbeyin (for
itbaiyin)
VI. it'ayiq
iddayin
VII. inba'
VIII. ihtar
IX. ibyadd
X. istigas'-'
istatyib (uncon-
tracted)
XI. istiraiyah 3 (or
istireyah)
Remark. — The first syllable of the first form is sometimes
very hurriedly pronounced, as though its vowel were t,aa siyibha
(or isyibha, see § 15), for seyibha let her go. The first and fifth
forms occasionally take w for y, although the aorist is regular, as
zad increase, aor. yizid, but zauwid. izzauwid (for zaiyid, &c.).
VOCABULARY
veto
visit on a fete day
let go
reproach
make live
be sold
to make char
think oneself a dandy
be in debt
be sold
be puzzled
turn whitt
call for help
find good, approve
rest, repose
aor. a'ish
atba', mitba'
anba', ininba'
yihtai - , mihtar
abyadd, mibyidd
astigas, mistigis
qad
light
khaiyish
put wrapp
'ash
live
(khOsh) on
bad
lay eggs
daiyin
charge with a
sal
flow down
debt
qaS
try on
beyin
expo
shal
raise, takeanny
yib
he let ;/". • - apt
'allaq
Jiang, put to
iddayin mill
he made a
haiyar
perplex
d>ht or by.
suiyah
nc'if (act.)
owe
1 But no verbs of this form can be fairly said to exist in the
colloquial language.
2 Istaqam i- sometimes used foi istiqam, and some i
similarly both of the w and y el
3 This form is in use also in other spuken dialects.
176
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
ikhtar
choose
ras is Sana
New Year's
(ikhtar)
Day
istad
fish
khaiyata
dressmaker
inshal
be carried away
wadi (pi.
valley
inzad
increase,
rise
widyan)
zalam
wrong
ketir ma
often
beyin
evident
(before
wasakha
dirt
verb)
fanus
lantern
ghasbe l 'an
ikminn
in spite of
because
EXERCISE 63
Usbur lamma beyil lak il mas'ala min auwilha li akhirba.
Ruh rastabl we qui li s sayis 2 yi'allaq il khel bi 1 'arabiya, we
yegibhum Mian. Humma ma ya'rafush yi'milu 6h ; mihtarin
khalis. Allah ya'raf il 'ayib min il ma'yub wi z zalim min il
mazlum. Huwa khtar leinnu yil'ab waiyaya ma yil'abshe waiyah.
Lazim tikhaiyish is sanadiq bi 1 khesh qabl is safar. II wasakha
di hatinshal min hina kulliha. lima bitna nbarih akhir marra
li bitna ; bihnah li garna. Ana ma kuntish 'auz adrabu ; il
'asaya sseyibit min idi ghasbe 'anni. Beyin 'alek innak ma
nimtish till il lei. Kanit shayla bintiha 'ala radia. Qid il
fawanis betu' il 'arabiya. 11 mahkama daiyinitu bi rasm il
qadiya. Ir ragil da ddayin minni kam qirsh. Huwa tamallt
mashi mit'ayiq fi nafsu fi s sikak. Kan me'ayru ikminnu ma
kramnish zey inntis.
EXERCISE 64
I told you to bring 8 me two chairs; why didn't you bring
them to me? I have lived all my life in the same 4 village and
in the same 4 house. We often pass the night in town. 8 Tie'
white hen has laid two eggs. The matter puzzles me altogether. 8
I am not going to increase your pay until " your work i> s better.
The Nile i.^ i ising every day. A groom who does not know (how)
to manage 9 a horse is no -room. 11 ' We are going to get up
early to-morrow morning and fish in the sea. It was New fear's
1 Sometimee pronounced g?iazh.
I Tonounce almost jay*.
Ti.ms. you bring. Trans, in one.
,; khalis. ' Ula lamina.
8 Aor. of
Aor.
mush ismu s,i_\ is.
THE WEAK VERBS 177
Day, and all the inhabitants 1 were paying each other visits
The sun causes the snow to melt on the mountains and flow
down into the valleys. My sister is going to - the dressmaker
to-morrow to try on 3 her new ball 4 dress.
VERBS WHOSE FINAL RADICAL IS Y
§ 208. These verbs are of the forms barak and birik, but
drop the y, leaving the vowel of the final syllable somewhat
lengthened. It is pronounced fully long when the negative
suffix -sh or the shortened forms of the personal pronouns are
attached, or when it is, for any other reason, accented.
Remark. — A few neuter verbs take the form burik for birik, 5
but optionally, as 'usi be 'rebellious (for 'isi).
§ 209. The conjugation of the simple verb is as follows : —
PAST TENSE
SlKGDIiAB
MASC. FEM.
1st pers. tafet tafet / extinguished
2nd pers. tafet tafeti
3rd pers. tafa (for tafay) tafit (for tafayit)
Plural for both Gexders
1st pers. tafena
2nd pers. tafetu (-m)
3rd pers. tafu (-m)
A R I S T
Singular
1st pers. atfi atfi
2nd pers. titfi titft
. 3rd pers. yitfi titft
Plural for both Gexders
1st pers. nitfi
2nd pers. titfii (-m)
3rd pers. yitfu (-m)
Irnperat. itfi (m. and f.), pi. itfu.
Particip. act. \-\V\. Particip. pass, matft
1 in nas betu' il baht'l. - •and.
\or. * bt-t.v il ballu,
5 It will be remembered thai most verba of the form bai-ak
are transitive, while birik is mostly intransitive.
u
178 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
PAST TENSE
Singular
masc. FEM.
1st pers. mishit mishit I walked
2nd pers. mishit mishiti
3rd pers. mishi (mishiy) mishyit (mishiyit)
Plural for both Genders
1st pers. mishina
2nd pers. mishftu (-m)
3rd pers. mishyu (-m)
AORIST
1st pers. amshi amshi
2nd pers. timshi timsht
3rd pers. yimshi timshi
Plural for both Genders
1st pers. nimshi
2nd pers. timshu (-m)
3rd pers. yimshu (-m)
Imperat. imshi (m. and f.), pi. imshu.
Particip. act. mashi.
§ 210. All verbs of this class of the form barak are conju-
gated after the first, and all others after the second model.
Remark a. — Ya'ni that is to say is used for yi'ni, from an
obsolete 'ana.
Remark b. — The y or iy of the 3rd pers. sing, of the past
tense is sometimes dropped, as mishit (for mishyit, mishiyit),
bikit she icept (for bikyit). Baqa become makes baqat (for baqit) ;
so tafat optionally for taiit, and a few others similarly ; laqa//W
occasionally makes liqit (for laqet) in the 1st and 2nd pers.
sing., as though from liqi. The final syllable of the 2nd pers.
sing. masc. sometimes sounds as at for H, as ma lqathumsh /
did not Jim/ tin in.
Remark c. — Verbs of this class of the form birik are almost
invariably passive or neuter, ami may rarelj have a passive
participle. 1
1 Ghili boil has maghli bailed ; khizi In eclipsed, niakhzi.
THE WEAK VERBS
§211. All verbs of this class take i in the
the aorist except the following, which take a :
179
baqa 1
tiri
gara
ghili
ghishi 3 (or
ghushi)
'ala
hidi
hifi
hili
himi
diri
din
ridi
ra'a
sa'a
sihi 4
sihi
remain, become
get soft, cool
(weather) 2
happen
be dear
faint
become docile
go barefooted
be sweet
be hot
come to life
know
get warm
consent, accept
see
help
forget
wake
sifi
shifi 5
shiqi
'i?i (<usi)
'ill
'imi
fidi
qara
qisi (or qasa)
qiwi
khiri
laqa 6
mala
misi 4
nisi
witi
final syllable of
be bright,
limpid
be healed, get
well, heal
overwork one-
self, weary
disobey, be
rebellious
be high
be blind
be at leisure
read
be cruel
be powerful,
autocratic
find
fill
become evening
forget
be low
and a few passives and neuters, as tin (or tafa^ • be extinguished
shifi (and shufi) be healed, kkifi (or khufi) be I ^ 2S/
mshcuy, klnzi (and khnzi) be ashamed, I ti$*B
knisni be shy (aor. sometimes yukhsha for yikhsha), nigi (naW
be saved, escape. ' ^ \ â– -
Remake .-The fern, sing, of the imperat. of these verbs ends
fill f emM 6 ° aSe th(XSL " Wh ° Se a ° riStS take *' aS masc - ^
J The final vowel of these verbs is not pronounced sufficiently
long tor it to be necessary to continue to mark it with a
circumflex.
2 Id dinya tarrit is more usual than id dim;, tiryit
3 Used impersonally. '
waqt) 1186 * 1 alS ° ™P er * )nall . v ' sihi (° r suhi ) 'aleh, misi 'aleh (il
5 Act. shafa heal, yishft
6 Also yil.p.
/So that we have tafa yitfi extinguish, tafa yitfa. be esctin-
gUl>> 8 But naga yingi save.
180
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
VOCABULARY
bada
begin
lihiq
reach, overtake
bara
sharpen
shaqi
unruly
haka
relate
hisab
account
ragha
froth, foam,
fatla
piece of string,
effervesce
Sfc.
qala
fry
raghwa
froth, efferves-
qada
do, perform
cence
tana
fold-
hikaya
tale
bana
build
ibriq
pot
khafa
hide
shani'a
candle
rama
throw
sbarr
wickedness
rakba
loosen, let groio
darb
striking, blow
hama
protect
ballasi
pitcher
giri
run, flow
kasarona
saucepan
risi
reach, come to
bi 1 lei
at nig) 'it
agreement
lagl
in order that
EXERCISE 65
Yibqa lak kam qirsh min il bisab ? Hiya tamalli tibdi bi 1
kalam qable ma yikkallimu n nas. Ibri li 1 qalam da min fadlak.
Biktna qawi lamma smi'na 1 khabar. Tanu 1 fatla marraten
'ashan tibqa gamda we ma tinkisii-sb. II qamar makbzi ; riihi
shufih qable ma yitla'. II binte tikhza minnina, musb radya
tiqabilna. Ana grit (girit) 'ala akhir nafasi 1 wi lhiqtu fi 1
mahatta qabl il babur ma yeqiim. Ihku li 1 bikaya kulliba
'asban a'raf gara lkum eh. Ana musb 'arif 'asban eh ma yirdash
yis'a, li fi 1 mas'ala. Sihyu 'ala darb is sa'a tamam. II bira di
betirghi raghwa kbira 2 we tibqa qayma li fuq. Ihna risina
w.tiya ba'd 'ala kede. Ma tinsish titfi 3 1 lamda qable ma truhi.
11 husan bidi ba'de ma kan shaqt; lhni tulak lagle tiqdartefut.
Mush lazim ti'sa 1 bulls.
EXERCISE 66
Where did you find my hat? Say to the girl: Fill your
pitcher from the river. Were they running when you saw
them? Don't pour the water in the teapot 4 till 5 it boila
She refuses (doesn't consent) to come with us. She doesn't let
1 /.-. till I had no breath Left. - See § L03.
:i The first derived form taffn is in more common use.
i li shaj . B illi lamma.
THE WEAK VERBS
181
her hair grow. At what time do you want to wake to-morrow ?
The boys throw a bucket of water over his head. The men were
watering their fields from the canal. Why didn't you ( /".) put
out the candle before you went to bed ? If 1 you read too much
at night you will grow blind. I want you to do 2 something for
me. The cook was frying fish in the saucepan. The goods
are getting dearer 3 every day. Are you going on foot? 4 This
house was not built 5 when I came here. God protect us from
the wickedness of our enemies.
§ 212. The first derived form is constructed regularly, except
that the vowel of the final syllable is invariably a as well as that
of the first. Thus from mala is formed malla, from mishi, mashsha.
The conjugation is as follows : —
I
'AST TENSE
Singular
1st pers.
2nd pers.
3rd pers.
MASC.
rabbet
rabbet
rabba
FEM.
rabbet
rabbeti
rabbit
/ educated
Plural for both Gexders
1st pers. rabbena
2nd pers. rabbetu (-m)
3rd pers. rabbu (-m)
Remark b. — Khallat is usually said for khallit.
A R 1ST
Singular
1st pers. arabbi arabbi
2nd pers. tirabbi 6 tirabbi
3rd pers. yirabbi tirabbi.
Imperat. rabbi (m. and f.), rabbu (-m).
Particip. merabbi (whether in active, passive, or neuter
sense).
Remark. — The passive participle is generally supplied by the
simple verb or one of the other derived forms. Masmi (or,
1 izakan with aor.
: ' Trans, getting dear.
6 Particip. pass.
2 Trans. / want you do (aor).
4 Particip. of mishi.
6 Or terabbi, <tc.
182 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
is generally pronounced, mesmt) is used as the passive participle
of samma to name, though the simple verb sama is not in use.
Idda give has middi for the active participle.
§ 213. The following are examples of the other derived
forms : —
II. laqaym^, aor. alaqi, imperat. laqi, particip. melaqi.
III. a'ta give, 1st pers. a'tet, &c, aor. a'ti, ti'ti, &C., 1 im-
perat. i'ti, &c, particip. mu'ti.
ikhla
let go
imsa
become evening
ifta 2
pronounce a
irma
throw
fetica
isqa
water
IV. itbara be sharpened, aor. atbiri, imperat. itbiri, parti-
cip. mitbiri.
V. iddaffa warm oneself, aor. addaffa, imperat. iddaffa
(fern, icldaffi), particip. middaffi.
VI. iddara hide oneself, aor. addara, imperat. iddara, par-
ticip. middari.
it'afa get strong.
VII. intafa be extinguished, aor. antifi, imperat. intifi, par-
ticip. mintifi.
VIII. iltaqa find, meet, aor. altiqi, imperat. iltiqi, particip.
miltiqi. 3
IX. Not in use.
X. istabda begin, aor. astabda, imperat. istabda, particip.
mistabdf,
XI. istilaqqa catch, receive f aor.astilaqqa, imperat. istilaqqa,
particip. mistilaqqi.
istikhabba hide oneself.
Remark. — The learner will have no difficulty in completing
the conjugation of the above verbs after the models.of the simple
verb and the first derived form.
1 Ta'tl, etc., is sometimes heard for ti'ti, in the belief, perhaps,
that it is educated, though the literary form is tu'Hyu.
2 Also afta.
3 iSI islitaii buying, customer, is sometimes heard for mishtiri,
mistaw? cooked, very rarely for mistiwf. Instead of imtala be
filled, intala is often beard.
4 Istalqa is also used with the same meaning.
THE WEAK VERBS
183
VOCABULARY
garra
ghalla
salla
'adda
'abba
naqqa
gaza
ra'a
itrama
itkhafa
itqala
idda'a
idda'a 'ala
itrabba
itkhaffa
itqalla
make run
boil (act.)
say one's
prayers
cross
Jill, load
choose, select
punish
tend sheep,
watch; chas-
tise
be thrown away
hide
be fried
pretend
accuse
be brought up
disguise one-
self
be fried,
scorched
inhasha
be stuffed
inbana
be built
irtada
consent
istahla
find siceet
istasma ('an
) inquire name of
ista'ta
take (drinks,
drugs, &c.)
istihamma
take a bath
haffad
make learn by
heart
qass
cut
'auwar
ruin
luqma
morsel, mouth-
ful
champagne
shambanya
himu
heat
ibh
board
'alqa
a thrashing
ma'addfya
ferry
16z
almonds
goz
walnuts
EXERCISE 67
Ish she All ma yinfa'sh yitrimf. Ma tkhallish hadde yekhush-
she qable is sa'a khamsa. Ba'd il masarwa yitrabbu fi blad barra.
Kull in nas yistahlu s sukkar il masri 'an beta' barra. Ruh
istasma 'an sahb il arde di. II haramiya fidlu mistikhabbiyin fi
waraq is sagara lainma ntafit il lamda. Ilfiwa min muddit talat
sinin ma stihammash. Ruh itkhifi 'min hina ! Mush 'auz asma'
il kalam da wala 1 shiif wishshak. Ruh itkhaffa bi libse tan!
gh8r illl 'alek. Quite li t tabbakha : daff'i li 1 luqma di shuwaiya
*ala n nar. HAwa rtada lakin ana ma rditsh. Ha trabbi sha'r
min tain 2 ba'de ma qassotu ? II kh6ga'ra'a 1 walad 'alqa 'ala
nglSh 'ashan yihaffadu 1 16k Khalli balak lamma tiftah ish
shambanya hiya tirghi wi tqum minnak. Ha titqalla bi himu
ish shams iza qa'adte henak. Rah fen? ana mush melaqlyah.
Ana mush fadi ; ruh inta wi stilaqqahum. Intalat il qizaza wal la
For wala ashuf .
2 let groxo again.
184
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
lissa ? II khariif yinhishi bi 16z u goz u gh£ru. Hiya betiddi'i
'aleya innt saraqte kls-ha. II walad kan masmf Mahmrtd.
Allah yigazik !
EXERCISE 68
Go (and) warm yourself a little by 1 the fire. Go (to) the
market and buy me a little meat and some vegetables. When
do you want to begin ? He made me run all over 2 the town.
Boil me a little water in a saucepan. Hide yourself there till
he comes. He has gone to say his prayers. 3 The house will be
built on the piece of land in front of your garden. Don't load
the guns before I tell you. Yon (/*.) mustn't disguise yourself.
We crossed the river in the ferry. (Those) who take hashish
repent. Wait a little and I will give you a piastre each. 4 The
potatoes were frying in the kitchen. We have bought them all ;
choose one for yourself. When you(/.) take a bath, don't forget
the soap.
§ 214. Doubly imperfect or weak verbs are those which have
w or y for their initial or medial radical, and y for their final
radical. They thus combine the peculiarities of two classes of
weak verbs.
§ 215. The following are examples of the simple verb and
derived forms.
Aor. Imper. Particip.
wafa
fulfil, complete
aufi, tufi Mi (act.) waft
(pass.) mauft.
wi'i 5
be aware
au'a li'a (act.) wal
(f.)iVi
rawa
irrigate
arwi irwl (act.) rawi
(pass )
marwi.
'iyi
be ill
a'ya, ti'ya, &c
I.
warra
show
awarrl, &c.
II.
dawa
I medically)
i adawt, dawi, &e.
III.
lira G
show
auri, tun, &C. (pass.)
maiii'i :
ihya 8
restore to life
ahyi
1 'and. - ii kull. rist.
* To each one. 6 Wa'a is also used.
6 For aura, but tlu> u is doI generally pronounced v.-r\ long
This form is not aearly i a frequenl as warra.
A a t bough from a simple form, wara.
\ .1 \ little used.
DEFECTIVE TRILITERAL VERBS 185
IV. Itrawa be watered, atriwi, niitriwi. 1
V. Itwaffa 2 die, atwaff a, mitwaffi.
Itrauwa be watered, quenched.
VI. Iddawa be treated, addawa, middawi.
Issawa agree, conspire.
VII. Intawa be folded, antiwi, mintiwi. 1
VIII. Istawa be ripe, cooked, agree, astiwi, mistiwi.
IX. No example.
X. Istahwa catch cold, astahwa, mistahwi.
Istaufa be completed, astaufa, mistaufi.
XI. No example.
Remark a. — The verb hiyi has istaha blush as the tenth de-
rived form (for istahya), 3 aor. astihl (for astahya), particip. mistihi.
Remark b. — The following verbs take a in the aorist : —
sawa 4 be worth 'iyi be ill
hiyi revive wi'i beware
Wufi be completed (of a term, &c), though a pure passive,
makes yufi only. 5
DEFECTIVE AND IRREGULAR TRILITERAL VERBS
§ 2 1 6. It will not, of course, be supposed that all the parts of
any particular verb are in use. In some cases the meaning of a
word will restrict its use to one or two forms, or even to a single
tense; in others, habit has for one reason or another preferred
some forms or tenses to others. Thus the imperat. ishmil keep /
the left, with the aorist ashmil, will frequently be heard, though
the past tense shamal has fallen into disuse. There are com-
paratively few verbs possessing more than eight or nine derived
torn is.
1 Marwi and matwi are used by preference.
2 Literally, be fulfilled. The nahwy form tawaffa is some-
times heard.
Iiva in the written language means to revive, istaha to
blush, the simple verb (hayiya)also bearing both these mean i
4 Sawa is used in the same sense as, and much more Ere
quently than, the simple vea b.
6 Or perhaps we should say that it is not used at all in the
aorist, the active form wal'a, which sometimes has itself a passive
sense, being used instead ; bnuswafit(orwufyffc)i] mudda the term
was completed, but tun 1 mudda (only) the term will he complei
186 THE SPOKEN AKABIC OF EGYPT
§ 217. The verb ga' (or gih) come, which in classical Arabic is
written ga'a (for gaya'a), is conjugated as follows in Cairene : —
PAST TENSE
Singular
MASC, FEM.
1st pers. get, git get, git
2nd pers. get, git geti, giti
3rd pers. ga 1 , gih ; negat. gat
ma gash
Plural for both Genders
1st pers. gena, gina
2nd pers. getu, gitu (-m)
3rd pers. gu, gum
AORIST
ist pers. agi agi
2nd pers. tigi, tigi tigi, tigi
3rd pers. yigi, yigi tigi, tigi
Plural for both Genders
1st pers. nigi, nigi
2nd pers. tigu, tigu (-m)
3rd pers. yigu, yigu (-m)
Imperat. masc. ta'ala, ta'a, ; fern. ta'ali, ta'i ; plur. ta'alu,
ta'a. 1
Particip. act. masc. gay, gay, ge ; fern, gaya, gay a; plur.
gayin, gayin. 2
Remark. — The a of ga' is lengthened (the qat'a disappearing),
not only with the negative sign, but whenever it is accented, as
gani, ga lak he came to me, to you, Arc.
§ 218. The word tann, or its lengthened form iannit. with the
shortened forms of the pronouns, is used either by itself or with
the present participle and occasionally the aorist to express a
continued action. It may it si If take the ^reformative syllables
of the aorist in addition to the suffixes, or it' preceded by
ifivili. rah, or ha, be conjugated either with or without them,
is follows : —
1 Ta'u is never heard. With the affirmative particle ma
(§ 491), tigi, tigu, should be used, but ta'ala-u are sometimes
rd.
- The y is only half sounded (^ 20).
DEFECTIVE TRILITERAL VERBS 187
PAST TENSE
Singular
MASC. FEM.
1st pers. tanni, tanniti, 1 mashi tanni, tanniti, 1 mashya 1
continued walking
2nd pers. tannak, tannitak, mashi tannik, tannitik, mashya
3rd pers. tannu, tannitu, mashi tanniha, tanrritha, mashya
Plural for both Genders
1st pers. tannina, tannitna, mashyin
2nd pers. tannuku (-m), tannitku (-m), mashytn
3rd pers. tannuhum, tannithum, mashyin
AORIST
1st pers. atanni, atanniti, mashi atanni, atanniti, mashya
2nd pers. titannak, titannitak, titannik, titannitik,
mashi mashya
3rd pers. yitannu, yitaimitu, titanniha, titannitha,
mashi mashya
Plural for both Genders
1st pers. nitannina, nitannitna, mashyin
2nd pers. titannuku (-m), titannitku (-m), mashyin
3rd pers. yitannuhum, yitannithum, mashyin
INDEFINITE FUTURE
Rayih tanni, atanni, tanniti, atanniti, mashi ; rayha tanniha,
ttanniha, 2 tannitha, ttannitha, 2 mashya, tire.
Imperat. tannak, tannitak, mashi ; tannik, tannitik, mashya :
tannuku (-m), tannitku (-m), mashyin.
Remark a. — The preformatives of the aorist are sometimes
omitted, as 'ashan yinzilum we tannuhum mashyin 'ala tul that
they may go down and walk straight on. The negative imperative
does not necessarily take the preformative t. In the 3rd
sing, of the past tense tann may be used without the pr
(as tanne mashi for tannu mashi).
Remark b. — Dann is sometimes heard throughout for tann,
but it is in less common use. There is no distinction of gender.
1 Occasionally also tannitni and tannetni.
'-' For titanniha, ifcc.
188
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
§ 219. The conjunction madam seeing that (composed of ma
and the obsolete verb dam last) sometimes makes madumt,
madumti, in the 1st and 2nd pers. sing., as madumte get (for
madam get) seeing that you have come. It remains unchanged
in the other persons.
§ 220. The verb gab bring is very rarely used in the impera-
tive, the verb hat 1 give, bring (fern, hati, pi. hatu), replacing it.
§ 221. The interjection yalla {i.e. ya Allah) sometimes takes
the sign of the 2nd pers. of the aorist, as ma tyalla (tivalla)
come along then !
THE QUADRILITERAL VERB
§ 222. Quadriliteral verbs may be: —
(a) Reduplicated forms of weak trilateral verbs, or of tri-
literal verbs whose medial and final radical are identical, the
second radical in the second case appearing as the final radical
of the new verb ; e.g. : —
bashbish
soak
bash ' 2
rakhrakh
loosen
rakha
sausau
squeak
sawa
liaslias
ogle
bass 3
baibil
wet
ball
dashdish
smash to 'pieces
dashsh
sham shim
miff
shamm
qabqab
rise, swell
qabb
Remark. — Dahdah weaken (originally da'da') ' appears to bo
an intensive form of the perfect verb da'af, the final radical
being dropped.
(6) Lengthened forms of the perfect or weak triliteral,
letto r bi bag added at the beginning, in the middle, or at the
of the word ; e.g. : —
1 This word is said to be the imperat. of the third form of
the obsolete ata came, with prosthetic h after the analogy of the
Hebrew. It, is not used in any other tor
i The \>a-l>s in this column are the triliterals in which the
quadriliterals have their origin. They are given in the form in
which t he) bear a similar sense.
â– : ( !f. tin- literary basai
* hr.ia- ia still heard, though less frequently than dahdah.
THE QUADRILITERAL VERB
189
da'mish
b° half blind 1
'iraish
dahdar
roll, slope
indahar
ghatrash
turn a deaf ear
thish
issarmah
live fast
ramah 2
shaqlib
upset
qalab
aha'laq
suspend
'alaq
shaqdif 3
throw
qadaf
sha'bat
climb, hold to
sbibit
khalbat
confuse
khalat
qarbat
be stingy
qarrat
i-salbat
be incited
sallat
kharbaq
pierce with many holes
kharaq, kbarraq
kharbish
scratch
kharash 4
kharwish
scratch (as a mouse)
kharash 4
qarqash
munch
qarash
idda'bil
fade
dibil
lahlib
blaze
labab
sha'lil
burst out in flames
sha'al
zaghlil
be dazed
zaghal 5
halwifi
talk inanely
hawas
sharmat
tear to pieces
sharat
qarmish
munch
qarash
farsbin
spread out
fa rash
itfaltin
I ice fast, become arogue
itf alat 4
it'afwin
grow strong
it'afa
itma'yaq
play the fop
if ayiq
ma'yar
re rile
f ayir
ma'gin
make putty
'agan
itma\shaq
become enamoured
-hiq
matwih
lead astray
taiyih
itmakhtar
swagger
kbatar 6
inga'mas
n dine
inga'as
1 As in tbe expression 'enu mida'misha.
2 We say yisgarmah (or yirmah) wara n niswan. For th>'
initial sibilants, compare the ist of the tenth derived form ami
the Bister languages Aramaic and Ethiopic.
Shaqdif has recently fallen into disuse.
4 Not in use; falat means to get /<><â– ,â– .
'i in vn.'li zaghit. Many truiterals are them-
selves only lengthened forms of weak verbs, or veil'- with a
doubled radical, as ahaqqar from Bhaqq ('ala) I bo basar,
(above). See below, Rem. b.
Lshshakhtar to bluff (a word, however, not in common
use).
190
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
revive
na'ash 1
goad
flog
lick clean
lahag 2
lasa'
lahas
behace lasciviously
impale
cut off
insult
smear with soot
'alaq
khazaq l
qarat x
naqar
shahhar
get disgusted
place in middle
qirif
wassat
itna'nis
lahwig
laswa'
lahwis
it'olaq
kkozaq
qarwat 3
naqwar
shahwar
itqaryif
wastan
it'alqan ( = it'olaq,
from 'alaq)
itrahbin become a monk itrahhib
(c) Original forms, or forms derived from triliteral verba
obsolete in both the literary and spoken dialects ; e.g. : —
batbat splash
tashtash fizz
dahdar roll
dardish (fi 1 get confused {in
kalam) speaking)
Remark. — Many of these, like batbat, rasras, are reduplicated,
or at least the third radical is identical with the first. In others
all four radicals are different. Some, like tashtash ami
washwish, are no doubt onomatopoetic.
(d) Purely denominative, many of them from foreign nouns,
ami all from nouns containing more than three consonants.'
except where a w is inserted, as ishsharwid to blow th> hot wind,
called shard ; e.g. : —
rasras
tremble (from
cold, &c.)
ra'ra'
be fresh and green
karkib
put in disorder
washwish
wh i\<per
bandaq
itbai
shoot
put mi a veil
bunduq
burqu'
garnal
itrasmil
write din nd one in a
/"• a. capitalist
n> n:<, ,
gonial
rismal
insure
Kiikii.
kartin
ina/.rat
itnamrad
pit! into quarantine
bluster
hi- Wee Nimrod, i.e.
act
karantina
mi. .
tyrannically
1 These verbs are not in use in the Cairene dialect.
be primil i\ <â– \ erb generally means /" cheat in ( iairene.
8 Of. also 'I'n M.. i log, stump.
4 Unless sahlun /" soap ami Dammar to numl I ) be
regarded as quadriliterals instead of tin- first derived form of
imaginary triUterals
THE QUADRILITERAL VERB 191
Remark a. — It will be observed that n is the only letter
added at the end of a triliteral to convert it into a quadriliteral,
and that m and w are more frequently added than any other
letter. Those which insert r and I correspond to the Syriac par' el
and pa'lel, regarded in that language as forms of the triliteral
verb.
Remark b. — Sometimes both the quadriliteral and perfect
triliteral from which it is immediately formed owe their origin
to a weak triliteral, or a triliteral with a doubled radical (the
latter in many cases being no longer in use), as zagh, zaghil,
zaghlil ; shat scorch, sha'at, sha'wat.
§ 223. Quadrilaterals, and in particular the duplicated forms.
generally intensify the meaning of the triliteral verb, and herein
increase the resemblance which they already bear in structure
to the first derived form of the triliteral
§ 224. The vowel of the first syllable of the quadriliteral
is always a ; that of the final syllable is a or i, in accordance
with the rule laid down in £ 161. There are, however, a few
exceptions, as garnal, which is also at times pronounced garnil,
shankal (or shankil) 1 hook, trip up, karkib upset, qashqish glean.
Those verbs whose second vowel is i are usually active in
signification.
". The conjugation offers no difficulties, as will be seen
from the following examples : —
PAST TENSE
Singular
masc. FEM.
1st pers. dahdart, karkibt dahdart, karkibt
2nd pers. dahdart, karkibt dahdart!, karkibt!
3rd pers. dahdar, karkib dahdarit, karkibit
Plural for both Genders
1 -• pers. ilalnlarna, karkibna
2nd pers. dahdartu (-m), kmkibtn (-m)
3rd pers. dahdarfl (-m), karkibu (-m)
A O R I S T
Sim, i LAB
1st pers. adahdar, akarkib adahdar, akarkib
2nd pera tidahdar, 3 tikarkib tidahdart, tikarkibl
pera yidahdar, yikarkib tidahdar, tikarkib
1 Botli t, ; rds, - Or tedahd
192 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
Plural for both Genders
1st pers. nidahdar, <s:c.
2nd pers. tidahdaru, <fcc.
3rd pers. yidahdaru, <fcc.
Imperat. masc. dahdar, karkib ; fern, dahdari, kaikibi ; pi. dah-
darii, karkibii (neg. ma tdahdarsh, 1 <kc).
Particip. midahdar, mikarkib (or medahtar, etc.).
Remark. — Tbe verb tata- bend down, though in reality a
quadrilateral, is treated in its conjugation as a trilateral of the
second derived form, and makes atati in the aorist, metati in
the participle.
| 226. There is only one derived form, and this we construct
i ly ailixing it to the simple verb, as itlakhbat be confused, iddahdar
be rolled, roll oneself, ikkarkib (itkarkib) be thrown into disorder.
Remark a. — -A second form, ilkhabitt, 3 occurs in the word
itma'inn (simple verb tam'an) be easy in one'* mind, confi
aor. atma'inn ; particip. mitma'inn. This verb, however, is not
in common use, like its kindred triliteral ittammin.
Remark b. — The derived form of the quadrilateral answers
to the fifth derived form of the triliteral.
,.' 227. From " stop 'er " is derived the verb istabbar stop,*
aor. astabbar, particip. mistibbar, used in a neuter as well as
an active sense, and often with no reference to machinery.
VOCABULARY
bargim
talk con-
bartal
bribe
fusedly,
barwiz
fra
mutti r
bahtar
spiJl, scatter
tanbil
b> lazy
izzahlaq
sfi/i
khansar
clench
itrahwin
am
gim
translate, in-
'anwin
terpret
gharbil
rift
1 ( >r ma ddahdarsh.
- Ta'ta- in the written dialect.
Oorresponding to the literary ilkhabatt (if'alalla),
1 Of. the Alexandrian ma stabbanlsh from
T-tal»l> is also used as an Imperative, bu1 somewhat jocularly.
lvhil'kii La do1 to be confused with the eighth form of
t he verb sabar.
THE QUADRILITERAL VERB
193
kartiii 'ala put into qua-
rantine
qarbas tie to the pom-
mel of the
saddle 1
igga'mas be puffed up
with pride
issattit ('alu) play the grand
lady
.an 'ala lord it over
if afrat become like one
possessed^
beha
naughtily
iddarwish become a der-
vish
tabbaq
fold
gkanna
raqaa
dance
wiqif
stand
tawa
fold
tawa
hide
if ata
be given
dar
ivalk about
lawa
twist
gisr
embankment
sura
picture
sharumam
water-melons
fruta
fruit
ruzz
rice
mafrash
table-cloth
sabat
basket
EXERCISE 69
Inti ddawett 'ande min ? Istawena sawa 'ala kede. Ir
riggala ddl issau 2 'ala bni yidrabuh. II bed yithatte fi 1
kasarona wi yinsiwi. Ma taknlah ish shammama di ; mush
mistiwiya. Ma titwiah dira'i, 'auz tikassaru ( II 'agaya kanit
mittawlya wara dahru. Hatf, ya bitte, kursi aq'ud 'al.'h. Ta'a
ya wa'l, warrl li Hi ti idak. Agi ana 'andak walla ha tigi inta
'audi? Ga 8 lakshe khabar 'an abuk, ya'ni ylgj walla la - ? Ma
hyash gaya llela i La', ihna Hi gayln. II binte tanniha taht is
Bagara lamina gib abulia. Tannuhum mashytn huninia wi r
la 'ala biyuthum. Tannitik tal'a waiyahum 'ala ffiq. Tan-
nina hna 1 kull nierauwalnn sawa. Tanniha 1 ma/./.ika tduqqe
quddam il 'arabiyat. In niswan tannuhum lamina hassalu 1 bet.
Inti l«jb tamalli titannik fi matrah wahid t Ma tannakshi tqul
haga zeye di. Tamalli biyebargim bi 1 kalam; mush 'arif biqul
rii. II arde mibaabbiaha bi 1 moiya, ma tdghdarshe tdl'ab.
Rayhln nigarnal il mas'ala li 1 garanin (garantl). Da ragil
metanbil u kamau migga'mae G nafau, biyiftdkir ma fish hadde
gheru. Kunna mdahdarin il kura ti 1 ard bidal ma uihdif ha 'alt.
1 From qarbus (qarabus). The verb is used of forcing up
the bead of a donkey, <fec., by tying tin- reins to a ring in the
Baddle.
atracted from is&iwtL The accent is on the final
syllable.
is pronounced somewhat Bhortlj 3 13.)
M
194 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
Akhuya ddarwish, ya'nf baqa darwish min id darawish. Ikhraq
li kaman kharqe hina 'ashan tibqa 1 khashaba kulliha mikhar-
baqa. In nar sha'lilit fi 1 bet. It'afrat il husan lamma wiq'it
il 'agala tahte riglu. Hiya khansarit il fulus fi idha, ya'ni
tabbaqit idha 'aleiram. II marad da'da'u ktir. Nazaru medah-
dah. II bersim lamma yikbar fi 1 ard we yikhdarr, yequm !
yera'ra*. Ma tqarbassi hmartak kede ; haram 'alek !
EXERCISE 70
The papers are all in confusion ; 2 why didn't you number
them i 3 Come (and) read me this letter, please, Don't (/.) keep
on walking about all night. They continued playing and singing
and dancing until the sun rose. 4 Nobody was ever bribed by
him, nor has he ever bribed anybody. You ought to frame one
of these two pictures. She was carrying the basket on her arm
when the rice was spilt on the ground. We both slipped and
went 6 rolling down the bank till we fell into the canal. I saw
you standing there shivering 6 with 7 cold. The horse was going
at an amble. She always plays the grand lady with me. You
had better 8 register 9 your letters, seeing that there are cheques
in them. They have returned the paper all torn. You haven't
addressed your letter. The barley has to be sifted before it is
given to the horse. He wants to lord it over everybody. Will
they put us into quarantine at Port Said? Please loosen this
cord a little. Take the tablecloth in 10 the middle and fold it (in
two). What n was she whispering in his ear ? Why didn't you
come when I called to you ? You will get ill if l2 you eat unripe ls
fruit. The fields will be irrigated 14 to-morrow afternoon.
VERBAL NOUNS
§ 228. Verbal nouns, adjectives, and substantives are those
which are derived directly from verbs. They may be expressive : —
(r/) Of the agent or person who acts, as katib he that writes, a
<-IpvJ,-, kannas a sweeper (from kanas sweep).
1 ^ 11 (2), 559. 2 Parbicip. fem.
3 3rd pers, -sing. fern. 4 Verb before subst.
5 tann. 6 Continued present.
7 min. N ahsanj at beginning of sentence.
â– ' Bdgar. "' min.
11 After the verb. ia i/.a, with past tense.
18 Trans, which is nut (mush) ripe,
li Fem. sing.
VERBAL XOUXS 195
(b) Of the p jrson or thing on whom the act is performed (the
patient), or of the thing created by its action, as maktub a thing
written, a letter. *
(c) Of the action of the verb in an abstract form, or of the
becoming what it denotes, as darb striking, sugr a being small,
childhood.
(d) Of the doing of that action once, as darba a striking one .
a sine lie blow.
(e) Of the time or the place at which it is performed, as
maghrib sunst t (from gkarab, gharrab) go west, maktab study, school.
(/) Of the instrument with which it is performed, as muf tali
key (from fatah to open).
(g) Of the vessel containing that which is produced by the
action of the verb, as mihlab a rnilkpail (from halab to milk).
§ 229. Classes a and b include not only the active and passive
participles, but all adjectives derived from verbs, many of which
are used only as substantives. The following are the principal
forms which they take : —
FORM EXAMPLE
1. bark sa'b hard, sahl easy
2. barak gada' brave, Hasan, pr. n. {beautiful)
3. burk murr bitter
4. birik khishin rough, in lumps, tikhit thickset
5. barak khalas finished, haram forbidden, disgraceful
fi J barik adib veil-bred, da'if iceak, haliq shaved
I birik y bikhil stingy, tiqil heavy, gidid new 2
7. baruk hasud ear ions, 'aguz aged
8. barik katib. tani, talit, sahil easy.
9. barrak battal bad, bagsas spy, khaiyat tailor
10. barrik 3 akkil glutton, qassis p?v'e&^, saiyit singer
,, j barkan sakran drunk, 'atshan thirsty, kharban spoilt
( birkan 'iryan naked *
12. abrak ahmar, abyad, ahwal, &c.
REMARK a. — The participles of the simple and derived forms
are excluded (with the exception of barik) from the above list,
as they have been already noticed under the verbs.
1 Birik is a weakened form of barik. The a is always main-
tained when the enclosing consonants are strong.
2 Notice wilif companion (■■-• literary alif).
8 Intensive of barik.
4 Ga'ao (and occasionally gi"au) is for gaw'an (from ga'). tii.t
v having fallen out
196 THE SPOKEN â– ARABIC OF EGYPT
Remark b. — A few quadriliterals have an adjective of the
form lakhbut, as khalbus deceiving, a rogue.
Remark c. — Barik is confined to the participle and the
ordinal numbers. Barrak and barrik are generally intensive in
meaning. 1 The former is used mostly of trades or professions.
The word gallal scavenger is a denominative from gilla ; so tauwab
oHckmaker from tub, sabban from sabun, shaddaf from shaduf.
Barik, baruk, and barkan are often identical in meaning with
the passive participle of the active verb (whether in the simple
or first derived form), 2 as qatil slain ( = maqtul), rasu.1 one sent, a
messenger ( = marsul), 3 kharban spoilt ( = makhrub).
Remark d . — Barik and birik are frequently used in the
feminine to denote the thing on which the action of the verb has
been performed, as dafina a thing buried, sariqa a thing stolen,
booty, liqiya a find ; madiya, from the intransitive mada pass (of
time), is used of a previous lesson (in school). From nafa exile
are formed the nouns nifaya and nifawa one spurned, an outcast.
Remark e. — Abrak (weakened to ibrik in iswid) is confined
to the comparatives and adjectives denoting personal defects (§61).
Remark /. — A few adjectives, derived from verbs whose
middle radical is w or y, take the form baiyik (or beyik), as
maiyit (meyit) dead (from mat), taiyib good (tab, yetib).
§ 230. Class c comprises the so-called infinitives used sub-
stantively. The principal forms of those derived from the
primitive verb are as follows : —
form examples
1. bark katm concealing, 'add biting, akl eating, qol (for
qawl) saying, word, sit walking, proceeding.
mashy walking, gait
2. barak 'amal doing, deed, talab demanding, demand,
marad being ill, illness, 'ama /" ing blind.
blindness
3. baruk kalam speaking, speech, sawad 4 a being black.
black
4. baruk qabul accepting
1 Kaddab IS used of one who lias just told a lie, though it
properly signifies one addicted fco lying, a professional liar.
• B'rlk is the pass, particip. of the primitive Syriac verb,
is barfik is of the I [ebrew.
Used as the |>:is->. particip. of irsal(ar8al)Mnd > whioh i
however, in colloquial use.
4 All the colours have this form.
VERBAL XOUXS
197
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
FORM EXAMPLES
birk 'ilm knowing, knowledge, kidb lying, lie
birak gilas sitting, rida consenting, consent,
(burak) (ghuna) a being independent, riches
ghina
birak
birik
burk
burak
( buruk I
[ biriik i
barka
kitab writing, Look, 1 qiyani rising, starting
nibiq braying 2
sukr a getting drunk, shurb drinking, tul (for
tuwl) being long, length
au'al questioning, question
dukhul entering, entry, luzum being necessary,
necessity, surur being glad, gladness, wisul ar-
riving, arrival, ghiliiw being dear
20. barakan
rahma pitying, compassion, da'wa pretending,
pretension
baraka nadafa cleaning, 'amaya blindness
baruka marii'a manliness (verb not in use)
birka sirqa thieving, theft
biraka tigara trading, trade, shiyala carrying, khiyata
sewing, tailor's profession
birika migiba bringing, migiya coming
buraka ghufara watching, guarding
biu-uka su'uba being difficult, difficulty, suhula being easy,
facility
dawaran turning, shawafan seeing, dawakhaa
getting giddy, tawahan (or tayahan) going as-
tray, icool gathering, khararan leaking
21. barkana saghrana bnng childish, farsana I >eing courageous,
intrepidity
22. birkan bunyan building, nisyan (nusyan) forgetting
(burkan)
23. birkiya shiddiya 3 strength
24. burukiya sukhuniya being hot, gumudiya being hard
25. mabrak mashal (for mashyal) i carrying
26. mabrik raibi' (mebi'), for mibyi', selling, migi 1 coming
(mibrik)
27. mibrak mirwah going
28. mabraka maqdara&''/«7^w?#er/u/,mashvakl]a being a
29. mabrika ma'rifa knowing, knowledge, ma'isha (fur ma'-
yi.-ha) living
30. mi (mo) mehabba loving, affection
barka
1 In a passive ><'nse.
• verb Lb only used in the first derived form (tiahhaq).
8 A lengthened form of shidda.
* Just as yeh&b is tor yihyab (i 204 seq.).
198 THE SPOKEN" ARABIC OF EGYPT
Remark a. — Of these forms, 1, 2, 5, 12, 16, and 23 are mostly
in use, while many of the others are of very rare occurrence.
Bark is generally the abstract noun of transitive verbs ; barak
of intransitive as often as transitives ; birk is confined to
intransitives ; biraka is mostly used of trades or professions ;
buraktya and buruka are derived entirely from neuters usually
admitting both the forms birik and buruk, and expressing
abstract qualities.
Remark h. — Many of these nouns are used in a concrete as
well as an abstract sense, as ma'rifa knotting, an acquaintance,
and some of them only in a concrete sense, as 'esh bread
(originally living). Some of them have both an active and a
passive signification, as darbu his striking or his being struck,
su'alu his questioning, his question, or his being questioned, his
examination.
Remark c. — The letter w preceded by the vowel i and followed
by a, i.e. in the forms biiuk, biraka, buraka, is changed to y, as
qiyam (for qiwam), si vain fatting (for siwam), ziyara (or zuwara)
visiting, ziyada (or zuwada).
Remark d. — The noun of the form bark derived from verbs
whose last two radicals are the same is necessarily identical
with the 3rd pers. sing, of the past tense, and barak ia identical
with the 3rd pers. sing, of the past tense of the perfect verb.
Remark e. — Nouns derived from verbs whose middle radical
is w or y are in general subject to the changes to which the verbs
themselves are liable. Those derived from verbs whose first
radical is w sometimes drop that letter, as sifa quality (from
wasaf), giha direction (from wagah). 1
Remark /. — A form baraka appears in the words sala pray r,
and haya life (contracted from sa,' iwa and havawa). and in a few
other words not in general use.
15 231. The abstract nouns of the derived forms of the tri-
literal verb are as follows : —
I.
1. tabrlk as fcafttsh searching (fattish), tadwlr turning.
2. tabraka as tazkara reminding, ticket (aakkar).
3. tabrika as tagriba trying, experience (garrab).
4. tabrika as tasllya amusing, amut -.ilia).
tahliya sweetening (halla).
Remark. — The firsl and fourth of these forms are by far th>>
most common, the latter being confined exclusively to verbs ^ , -
1 Wagah is not itself in use.
VERBAL NOUNS 199
final radical is y. A fifth form, tabrak, occurs in the word takrar
repeating (karrar), and a sixth in tilqa' a bringing face to face with
(laqqa) ; but the former is scarcely colloquial, 1 and the latter is
used only in the expression min tilqa' - nafsu, nafsak, &c., of his,
your, fyc, own accord.
II.
1. mi (me, mu), barika 3
as mekhalfa contradicting, a contravention (kkalif),
mi'akhiza blaming (akiz), muwafqa agreeing
with (wafiq), migauba answering (gawib),
mi'ayra reproaching ('ayir).
2. birak as hisab taking account, bill (hasib).
III.
1. ibrak as i'lan publishing.
2. abraka 4 as agaza permitting, bare of absence, holiday.
Remark. — The second of these forms is confined to verbs
whose middle radical is w or y.
IY. Not in use.
V. tabarrik, tibarrak, tibarrik, as takallim speaking, tiharrak
being moved, tiqaddim being advanced, tahairi inves-
tigating, investigation.
VI. tabarik, tibarik, as tahaniil bearing malice.
Remark. — Forms V. and VI. do not belong to the colloquial
language, but are sometimes used in imitation of the literary
tabarruk and tabaruk.
VII. inbirak, as inkisar being broken, humiliating oneself
(inkasar).
Remark. — This form likewise is very rarely heard.
VIII. ibtirak as istilam receiving (istalam).
ishtiyaq yearning (ishtaq).
IX. ibrikak as ilunirar getting red.
X. and XI. istibrak as istifhiim getting information.
2. istibraka, as istiqama rectitude, istighasa ratling far aid,
istiraha reposing.
1 Takrir is the form in use.
- Tilqa' is corrupted colloquially to tilka.
3 The first syllable is occasionally u, especially before w.
The i usually falls out (§ 33).
4 Literary ibraka. Note that the spoken language has in
this instance t ht* stronger vowel.
200 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
Remark a. — Only verbs whose middle radical is w or y have
the second form, and of these only those which contract in the
past tense. From istagwib interrogate is formed istigwab, after
istibrak.
Remark b. — In some cases the noun is in use, though the
verb has become obsolete. 1 The verbal substantive of the
derived forms is not infrequently supplied by the primitive
verb.
§ 232. The abstract noun of the simple quadriliteral verb
takes the form lakhbata ; 2 that of the derived verb ti(te)lahkbit,
as dahdara rolling, kharbasha scratching, ti(te)bartil a being
bribed.
§ 233. Class d is formed by the addition of the feminine
termination a to the abstract noun, the forms bark and tabrik
being used exclusively for this purpose in the case of the primi-
tive and first derived trilateral verb, as darb striking, darba a
striking one, a blow; 'add biting, 'adda a bife ; tafriq making a
distinction, tafrtqa a making a distinction in a particular ease.
Remark a. — Nouns derived from verbs whose final radical is
y sometimes change the y into w, as sharwa (for sh&rya) ./ pur-
chase (from shara buy). A few nouns of this elas< take either
w or y, as ghalwa (or ghalya) a boiling. 9
Remark //. — With the exception of barrak, the derived forms
very rarely, if ever, admit of a noun of this class. The word
mutatiya a bending is an irregular formation, being the feminine
of the participle of tata treated as the form of a triliteral instead
of a quadriliteral, as it is in reality.
Remark c. — In the quadriliterals the derived form tilakhhit
becomes tilakhbata, 4 as ti(te)makhmada a /'ring upset by shaking,
i)-<-., nausi ousness.
ElEHABE </. — When the abstract noun already ends in *'. as
in the case of the simple quadriliteral verb, no distinction, of
course, caii he made, and the adjective wahda must he added if
the idea of unity is to be emphasized.
I. Nouns of time and place derived from the simple
1 Or exists only in the literary dialect. The colloquial
sometimes ho now, one part of speech, while it rejects others
belonging to the Bame root.
I.akhhita. as well as tilakhhita (see below), U sometimes
used by the higher claa
J The plur. ghalwal is preferred to gha!
4 The [earned say tilakhbl
VERBAL NOUNS 201
trilateral verb take the forms mabrak and mahrtt +i, Q t
when the vowel of the final syllable ifie J" £ a tnerX
also when it la u, and in a few cases where it is i ; â– "^??_ >
maghtas
matbakh
maktab
rnaglis
maghrib
a large basin for plunging
kitchen
school
place or time of sitting, as-
sembly
time of going west, sunset
(from ghutus, yightas)
(from tabakh, vitbukh)
(from katab, yiktib)
(from galas, yiglis)
(from gharab, yighrib)
Remark a— The noun of time and place of verbs whose
s ^^r^;^r omes iM > as ma * tm -«ss*^s
radical is ,? â„¢St ( ^ m .S a,n ' ^ im )' and those whose media]
Remark 6 -Several of these nouns take the feminine termi-
nation, as madrasa school (from daras vidri^ ? f , . *'
mabrad
maq
misann
mamsaha
masyada
inin.ishsha
muftah
minshar
minqar
iiii.j\
mlzao (for
miwzan)
a fie
scissors
a steel for sharpening
a doth for wiping
a trap
a fly whisk
a key
a saw
a chisel
a gauge
a balance
barad
qass
sann
masah
sad
nashsh
fatah
na«bar
naqar
qas
wazan
yaktub!' lh " S " ( ' aS " S * " " in th " "rfttn dialect, as fa
L ' The meaning dignity, position, is not wnerallv h„,,„
tt. t,;;z:r' *** ^ » fS&« ££
More commonly ma'ad.
202 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
Remark a. — The verb from which the instrument is derived
is not always in use, as in the case of misalla packing-needle (from
the obsolete sail).
Remark b. — From nakhal sift is formed mankhul a sieve,
from ra'a see miraya looking-glass, the qat'a falling away.
§ 236. Verbal nouns denoting a vessel take the same forms
as those of class /, as mihlab a milk-pail (halab), mibzaqa a
spittoon.
Remark. — From kahal to paint the eyes ivith kuhl is derived
mukhila the vessel in which the paint is kepA.
§ 237. The above classes, though they comprise a vast number
of words, do not include all the nouns derived directly from verbs.
Of others, the following are most worthy of notice : —
(a) Nouns denoting a part or small quantity. These take
the form birka or burka, as : —
hitta a hit luqma a mouthful
hissa a portion, share
(b) Garments, coverings, &c, many of which take the form
birak, as : —
libas drawers girab sheath, bag
hiram cover let, woollen
over-garment
(c) The place where a thing is constantly produced or found,
or that by means of which the action of the verb is constantly
performed, is represented in a few instances by the feminine
form of the intensive adjective bai-rak, as : —
mallaha a salt-mine,
salt-cellar
tarraha a mattress
'assara an ml press
Barradiya is the vessel where water is kept cool.
Remark. — A few intensive adjectives take the forms mibrak,
mibrik, as mis'ad 1 fortunate, and mibkhit very lucky and mityi/.
mth large thighs, formed from the nouns bakht and tiz.
§ 238. The remaining forms are nut easily classified, as they
are applied almost indiscriminately to different orders of nouns,
as : —
slnbbak a window tiffah aj \
diblian flies
i 239. It should be noted also thai a particular form is not
necessarily confined entirely to a class. Thus shammam wctfer-
melons has the form of nouns denoting trades; ifcc.
1 Unless it represents the passive participle of the verb as'ad.
(See g 167.)
VEEBAL NOUNS
203
VOCABULARY
khatt
handwriting
'oza
need, want
sharba
draught
taswiya
cooking
dukhul
entry
sugr
childhood
niyaba
procuration
dabh
slaughtering
nashr
sawing
libs*
clothing
qiraya
reading
titakhbit
being knocked,
firar
fleeing
knocking
meqauma
resistance
rubat
tying
surur
joy
wasl
receipt
inshirah
gaiety
fakk
untying
wisiya
order
kuhha
coughing, cough
qu'ad
sitting
ghuna
singing
tazylr
putting on, in-
sukat
being silent,
teresting one-
silence
self with
hafa
going bare-
hashwa
stuffing
footed
hazz
enjoyment
mauqaf
place of stand-
inbisat,
contentment,
ing, stand
inbisat
pleasure
mahmal
holy carpet
hana
happiness
(See Lane,
hinniya
kind ups*, com-
Mod.Egypf.,
passion
ch. xxiv.)
radawa
depravity
taman
price
ghiyar
changing
'amaliya
doing, deed
madad
stretching,
fut
a passing,
scope
going through
shof
seeing, view,
dikka
bench
vision
fitir
pastry
dashsh
crushing
sham'idan
candlestick
tuhl<
rising, depart-
'ankabut
spider
ing
habara
kind of cloak
hadad
demolishing
halla
pot
ihtiram
respecting, re-
l'iq
saliva
spect
furn
own
mushtara
Inlying
kanun
oven (Aral))
(mishtara)
nagaf
chandeliers
hit/
preserving,
fak-ha
fruit
protecting
gidri
Kill all jinx
kubr
being big, man-
na'iui
soft
hood
gahil
ignorant
du'f
weakness
nadir
rare, scarce
diyana
religion
hadiq
salt (adj.)
204
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
simih
bright, smiling
qarrab
approach
wakil
agent, repre-
amar
order, give
sentative
orders
khafif
slight
Irif
know, recognise
tabb
stumble, come
darr
injure, do liar in
suddenly
to
sharraf
honour
wassa
charge, enjoin,
qawil
engage, give
order
contract to
taqtaq
explode
'allaq
attach, hang
ghala, ghili
boil
daq
be pressed,
al'an
more accursed
squeezed
(mal'un),
qala*
take off, extract
worse
mala
Jill _
ba'de ma
after that
ta"am
vaccinate
ke'innuhum.
as though they
'azzib
torture, punish
(keyinnu-
gahhiz
prepare
hum)
rabba
bring up,
'ala ha sab
according to
educate
lagl, li agl
for, in case of
EXERCISE 71
II fahme da kullu na'im ; khallih yegfb lina khishin. II
khatte beta'ak ea'be qawi; min yiqrahl II qassis da ragi]
akkil ; bidal ma yakul luqmiten khad il kull. Ana 'at&h&na
qawi ; iddint shurbit moiya. 'Add il 'ankabut al'an min qara
in namus. Kalamak kullu kidb min il auwul li 1 akhir. Id
â– 1 ukhul sa'be 'an il khurug. Migibt il 'afshe kan qable mirwah-
hum. Taman ish shi'ir bi 1 mashal tis'tn sagh. Mush gahbl
huwa, basse nia'rit'ti. Iza sbafak il bulis yiktibak fi 1 mekhalfat.
Iktib li waal 'an istilam il fulus. Waqt il maghrib kanit qa'da
fi maktab abulia. Huwa wakil
Shugbl il minshar li oashr il
ya'rafah il kitaba walal qir&ya.
il firai alisan min il meqauma.
â– and ish Bhuhnad. I'lt'a- 'ala hasab maqdartak. Simi'te tituqtiq
il barud lamina miskit till in liar. Mutatiyit^k dl li s galfi mush
tamaiii ; tati knnan shuwaiya. W'ishshu simih W6 beyin 'aKh
Leinnu ragi] taiyil). Ghal6t il moiya ghalwitdn walla ghalya
walida bawl II h u~."i i i (abbe (abba gamda. [tgauwizte hittit
bint, lakin liqtya 'al. Ana. ma flab luxum agt. La 1 , tdgl;
migtyak yinfa'. II • i liasa ma khulusae min tali lit- il 'arabiyal
-l...i i .it't iiia we anistina we haaa] Lina g sunn- wi 1 in&bii
il Khalifa bi n niyfiba 'annu.
khashab. Da ragi! gahil ma
'Ande wiaul il haramlya j
Katin il baqtqa mush nadir
VERBAL XOUXS 205
wugudak 'andina. Zeye ma wassetuni adini 'amalte bi 1 wi*ty i
lukum. Huwa qal lak kede qol sahih ? Lazim neqawil wahid
'ala ta'liq in nagaf wi sh sham'idanat luzum il farah we 'ala
tahdir is sagagid luzum id dikak liagle qu'ad in nas 'aleha.
Guzha shtara lha habara lagli t tazyir biha. Qaddimu 1 farkba
bi hashwitu. Tannubum fi hazz wi mbisat we fi bana we fi
srur lamma yedurum we yirga'um 'ala bethum. Ana ra'aftu
inin hinniyit qalbi 'aleh. Min radawit qalbiha 'ah'na qamit
darabitna wi khanaqitna, we baqat 1 nafasi middayiq min maskitha
fi raqabti, u baqet a'aiyat min khanqiha fiya u min darbika fi\ a.
Akl il fawakih yinfa' li ghiyar ir riq. Fi nas yehibbu t tabikh
hadiq shuwaiya zeye nusse huduqiya. Shuf 'ala madad shofak.'-'
Ma titla'sh il khamsa min gebu ilia bi qal' id dirs. Khalli
balak maly ik kubbaya yekun khafif lahsan yitkabb in nibit
'as sufra. Kutr il kalam yidurr. II walad min gumudiyitu u
min shiddiyitn rah dughri misik ir ragil u raniah 'ala dahru.
Qaulu 1 minaggid 'ala tangid il maratib. Khallib 'an nar
lamma yistiwi u tibqa taswiyitu zi'v iz zibda. Min ba'de ma
yikhlasu min dashsh il ful yigharbiluh, u ba'd it tigharbil
yihuttuh fi 1 halla. Ana ahayif leinn il masiira di fiba khararan.
Betu fi ani sikka ? Auwil tahwidak 'ala 1 yimin.
EXERCISE 72
As soon as I bad finished cleaning 3 the house. It waa
broken by a stone falling on it when the wall was being pulled
down. 4 From her limited knowledge of Arabic. 5 When he had
got down from 8 the horse. He showed 7 them great honour-,
as though they were big people Choose me a good can
from the stand. You must make a contract with him for* the
girl. (It is) she who brought me up from my childhood to my
manhood. I have not yet finished buying what La accessary
for the table. Children are vaccinated to protect them from
3ee§ 560.
2 < tr 'ala maddit sh&fak (or ish Bhdf).
8 Tra.ua. from the cleaning of.
4 Trans, the descent of a ntune on il at tlt>/ Him oftht pulling
down of the wall.
5 Trans, tht emallness of her h < the Arabic.
6 Trans, after hie descent from on.
7 'amal 1. » 'ala.
206 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
smallpox. 1 A European oven is better for cooking pastry than
an Arab oven. God will punish them according to the weak-
ness of then- religion. The pilgrims spend 2 two or three days
in the preparation of their food, 3 until the time for 4 the de-
parture of the maltmal approaches. 5 The meat is only half-
cooked. 6 Leave it there in case of need. "We arrived before
sunset and left before sunrise. 7 The price for slaughtering 8 a
lamb is five piastres tariff. We are not satisfied with 9 our food
and clothing. I heard a knocking at 10 the door. Why didn't
you prevent him from striking her? 11 Tying 12 is easier than
untying. 12 They do all these things 13 to make fun of people. 14
When it first came down, 15 the rain was slight. She has a
violent cough. Give me a little drinking-water, 16 please. The
king gave orders for his head to be cut off. 17 I recognised him
by 18 his 19 gait. They were busy with 20 their drinking and
singing. If speech is silver, silence is gold. 21 He is ever wool
gathering. 22 Going bare-footed 23 is harmful to the health in
winter. 24 I saw him as I was passing through 25 Cairo.
1 The vaccination of the children is for the preservation from
the . . .
2 fidil. 3 il akl wi sh shurb. 4 Of.
6 Verb before the subject.
6 Trans, cooked half a cooking.
7 Trans, before Hie setting (nuztil) of the sun . . . before its
rising.
« Genitive. 9 fi. w Of, genitive.
11 Trans, his striking at (fi) her,
12 Trans, th* tying, the untying,
13 Trans, doings.
14 'ashan id dihk 'ala n nas.
1 5 Trans, in its fust descent.
M Trans, water (of) drinJcing.
17 Trans, for (bi) the cutting off (of) his head.
is „,-,,,. i9 beta'u. 20 fi.
n Trans, if speech is of .... silence trill /» of . . .
--' Trans, he has ever (tamalll) wool gathering.
"'•' Trans. ///' going, &c.
24 Trans, in the winter,
-'•' Trans, in my pa sing through ('ala).
THE PREPOSITIONS
THE PREPOSITIONS
207
S 2 t0. The prepositions may be divided into two classes :
(I) Inseparable, 1 or those which in pronunciation regularly
form one word with the noun or pronoun which they precede and
govern ; and
(_') Separable.
§ 241. The former consists of the following :
Bi, be, bu at, by, in, <fcc., li, le, In/or, to, dec., and wa, wi. we
by (in swearing), as w Allah, w Allahi by God, wi J, vat rasak by
{the life of) your head, wi n nabl by the Prophet.
Remark.— The particle ka like, as, partakes of the nature of
a preposition, and may also be regarded as inseparable, but it is
scarcely heard in the spoken language, except in the expression
xahir ka sh shams as clear as the sun, and in the conjunction
keinn (or keyinn).
§ 24l\ Separable prepositions are. for the most part, derived
from verbs, and a great number of them are verbal nouns used
as substantives. The following is a list of those in common
use: —
in
above
before
up to
in front of
opposite
behind
till, a ji to
up to, as far as,
until
with
like
with
behi nil
amid
barra
outside
fi, fi
ba'd
after
f6q
ben
between
qabl
bidal
instead of
qadd
taht
under
quddani
tui
during,,
qusad
throughout
khalf
guwa
in, inside
lamma
ganb
beside
li hadd, li
ghe*
without, except
ghayit
haw&len
around
ma', mi 1
didd
wjaii/yt
mitl*
dimn
among
nun
zey
a*-, lilce
waiya, wlya
'ala 2
on, against
wara
'an
from
WUst
'and
by, with, n<-.
1 They are written as separate words in this work, to prevent
confusion,
2 'Ala represents in sense the literary ila, which is only
heard, perhaps, in the phrases rah ila bes or ila ma sha Uah. i.i.
go to perdition.
8 Mitl(literarymithl)does not seem fcobeknowntomoal of the
lower orders— (8.). It is usually pronounced mial by the educated.
208
THE SPOKEN AEABIC OF EGYPT
Remark. — The changes which some of the prepositions
undergo in conjunction with the pronouns and the sign of the
negative have already been noticed (§ 117).
§ 243. As in other languages, two prepositions may occur
together, as min f6q from above, off, min wara from behind. Min
is sometimes used with another to give greater precision, or
pleonastically, as ba'de minnu, tahte minnak, min gher haga.
Others form a new preposition in conjunction with another word,
as 'ala shan (or 'ashan)/or the sake of, on account of, li hadd up to,
until, bi dim, min dim without, ghasbe (or ghasbin) 'an in spite of.
Remark. — In bala, balash toithout ; never mind I the i of bi is
strengthened to a.
THE ADVERBS
§ 244. Many of these are adjectives used adverbially, or sub-
stantives in the accusative case (see § 63), or with the pronominal
suffix of the 3rd pers. ; several are a combination of two or
more words, especially of a preposition with a substantive; and
a few, lastly, are verbs in the 3rd pers. of the past or aorist
tense. Some are used also as prepositions. The following are
frequently heard :-
(1) Adverbs
of time : —
abadan
never
zaman, zeye
formerly
aslu
originally
zaman
auwilan, fi 1
firstly
sa'a, sa'at
sometimes
auwil
dilwaqt, dil-
at present
emta?
lohen ?
waqti ' 2
imbarih
yesterday
halan
at once
in nahar da
to-day
summa 3
then, next
badri
early
'amnauwil
last year
ba'd, ba'diha
afterwards
qabla, qabliha
before
ba'den
afterwards
lissa
not yet, still
bukra
to-morrow
nihavtu, in
Jin ally
tamalU
always
ninaya
tani '
again
wakhi'i
late
dawaman,
always
il.i \ man
(da'iman)
1 The Nahwy form Baniyan is sometimes heard.
2 Fur- <li il waql (§ 416). The I seems to emphasise (she
word. Oi.d&iltJtesi h re, kamanl (f or kaman) ; similarly, perhaps,
thr final ale in ya d6bak, <fec. (See | B70, note.)
B Borrowed from the Literary language.
THE ADVERBS
209
(2) Adverbs of place : —
barra
out
fen?
where?
taht
under
foq
above
guwa
inside
quddam
in front
henak
there
qusad
opposite
hina
here
wara
behind
(3) Adverbs of manner and degree : —
atabt, atari
now, assuredly
halbatt, il-
certainly, no
izzey ?
how ?
batt 2
doubt, pro-
bardu, bardu
also, all the
bably
same
dughri l
straight
balash
no need of,
dobak, ya d61
) scarcely,
gratis
hardly
bass
only
rubbama, li
perhaps
baqa, baqat
however, still
rubbama
beyin
apparently
zeye bardu
all the same
belki, 1 belkin
perhaps
ziyada
more
bi hsab
cautiously
sabiq
formerly
bi zyada
too much,
sawa, sawiya
together
enough
sirqa
stealth ily
bishwGsL
gently
sirr
si cretly
bi 1 aqall
at least
shawahid,
evidently
bi t takhmln.
approximately
ish shahid
takkmin
shuwaiya
a little
" tamam, bi t
completely
'asalla
!>• rliaj>-<
tamam
'ala 1 mabl •
slowly, gently
taqriban
about
faqat
only
tes, bakre tcs
very much
qawi
strongly \ very
ghaliban,
probably,
qawam
quickly
ghalib
mostly, gene-
qalle ma
seldom
rally
kaza, 4 kede
so, thus
ghershe
only
kef
how
hantara, ya
I wonder if
ket we ket
so and so
bantara,
kitir (kettr)
7n uch
ya tara
kaman, ke-
a/so, again
hatta
even
man, ke-
haqqa
truly
niaiii
1 Turkish.
il batt the conclusion. The // is frequently dropped.
1 also with the pronominal suffixes.
4 Not in general use.
o
210
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
keinn, ke-
apparently
ma'naha kan
liowever it be
yinn x
mot
exceedingly
khalis
entirely
mush, mush,
not
la', la
no, not
mish
la budd
of necessity
nar
exceedingly
leh?
why ?
na'am
yes
ma
but
wasil
at all
masal, masa-
for example
wi s salam
once for all
lan
ya'ni
that is to say
mahsan, ya
apparently
yitla'
about
mahsanak
yigi
about
ma'naha
that is, namely
CONJUNCTIONS
§ 245. The
'ollowing are of everyday occurrence : —
au
or
ham . . .
both . . . and
amma 2
but, when
ham 4
agrann
since, seeing that
hatta
until
auwil ma
directly that
hal in
directly that
azinn
inasmuch as
hes (le) inn
inasmuch as
atabi, atari
assuredly
hakim
inasmuch as, in
iza, izakan
if
fact
in
if
sa'it ma
at the time that
inn, ilia
that
'ala shan,
in order thai,
ilia inn
except that
'asban (ma) because of
ikminn
seeing that, be-
'ala inn
that
cause
'ala bal ma,
until
innama
only that, ex-
'abal ma
cept that 3
fa, fi, fe
and, so
'iwad, 'uwad
instead of
qable ma
before that
ma
kulle ma.
whenever
ba'de ma
after that
kullf ma
bidal ma
instead of
keinn, keyinn as if
tauw, tauwe
as soon as, no
le inn
because, that
ma
sooner
lag] (li agl)
in order that
tul ma
as long 08
Lagle inn.
in order that
ghOr inn
exccjit that
lagle ma
1 With tlir pronominal Buffixea.
s As in amma nshuf let me see.
6 FY. seuh meat.
4 Turkish, from Persian.
INTERJECTIONS AND EXCLAMATIONS 211
lahsan
lest
madam
inasmuch as
li hin, li hin
until
ma'inn
although,
ma
whereas
lakin. we
but
(wa),wi,we,u
and
lakin
walla
or
lau. welau
if, although
wala . . . wala
neither . . . nor
161a
if not,
but for
waqte ma
at the time that
lamma
when
ya . . . ya
or . . . or
mata l (only
when
ya imma . . .
or . . . or
with past
ya imma 2
tense)
INTERJECTIONS AND EXCLAMATIONS
246. The following are in frequent use : —
Allah, Alia
(God)
allahumma
dear me
in truth,
deed
ah, ah-h 3 ait, alas, oh
akh, akh min fie on
ikhkhi, pugh, ugh
ukhkh, iffi,
uff. uffen
ikhs ('ala)
iyak
iyah, ivaha
t-i-yih
inzil, shinzil ;
oh, o, oh
uinmal
fie, for shame
mind
beware, see that
you
tliere he, she, is
ugh, not really
bi llahi
bis bis bis
oh, oho
rather, I should
think so,
pray
by God
to call a cat
tay tay
ta-a-ta
trrrr
gay gay gay
hus
ho, he (hoh,
heh) 5
hay hay hay
hay
ha-ah, harga'
hiss
sik sik sik
sik
shl-ih
she ghartb
to call a goat
when teaching
a child to
walk
to make a
camel kneel
help
to quiet a
dog, c\rc.
here
to call goats
to urge a
donkey
to quiet a
donkey
to call oroats
to urge a beast
of burden
how stran
1 Mata is rarely heard.
so ya immatan, .savouring of Nahwy.
3 Express,- mostly distress and admiration, and sometimes
an emphatic assent.
Jed especially to a horse. Shinzil is intensive, and is
used when the first cry (inzil !) has ii,, effect.
6 Mostly with a and kede prefixed (§ 124).
212
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
kis kis kis
to make a
la'
to express sur-
horse go
prise
back
ma
but
kh-h-h-h
to make a
ya ma
how much, how
camel kneel
very
khat
to make a
ya ma hsan
surely
camel step
yalla
come on
cautiously
ya ret
would that
khatt, khatti
to a donkey for
ya salam, ya
fancy, dear me
the same
satir
purpose
yiss, yisse -
to make a
khud
to call a per-
baqa
horse stop
son's atten-
yu-uh (ya
oh
tion, hey I
salim)
VOCABULARY
fagr
dawn
istafhim
inquire
ku<
elbow
darab bulta
take a stroll
shanab
moustache
khalat
mix
karsha
hurrying
waqqa'
let fall, drop
fusha
recreation
bi kh(i)laf
contrary to
khidma
service
bi 1 marra
once for all,
kinisa
church
not at all
ista'gil
haste
istihbab
chumming to-
'am
sioim, float
gether
sah.li
be correct, pro-
mandil
handkerchief
2)er
mallin
mil Heme
sakk
to lock
tul
length
fitir
to breakfast
lis&n
tongue
sihir (sihir)
to sit up, watch
kalun
lock
iftakar
think
quwwa
stn ngth, power
birid
catch cold, a
(quwa)
ch ill
'ada
custom
shad d
pull
sahih
tno
nawil
hand, reach
saliilia
truth
Lstad
shoot
kidb
falsehood, fat *>'
samak
fish
bulla
<!.!â– â–
EXERCISE 7:;
Inta i-avili 'ala Fen? Flh mandil&n f udti F6q it tarab&xa;
liat li wahid minhum. Ma mi'ish fuluswala malHm; t'ih 'andak
1 La is followed l>\ the personal pronouns, huwa, hiya, and
humma, being appended to it in their shortened forms, as lahu
-ill ! la.hr gal ! laluilii
2nd pers. (la nta).
i but rarely used with th<>
Tlic y is bare!} pronounced.
INTERJECTIONS AND EXCLAMATIONS 213
inta? Itla' 'ala foq we shuf iza kan huwa rayih yinzil wala la - .
Khali: s6tak qadde tulak. Beyin innl sakket bab 'ala 1 fadi,
ya'ni 'ala 1 hawa, bidal ma (a) dakhkhal lisan il kalun fi 1 hadid.
Beyishtaghal 'ala qadde quwwitu. Shiddi nna 1 garaz. Ana
gay 'andak taht is sagara. Intu msallatin in nas del 'aleya leh?
Humma til'um min hina ya tara wala lissa ? Lazim nequm
bukra badri lahsan ma nilhaqsh babur. La ; , ma darabtush
qadde kede gamid : khafif. 1 Humma mashyin - ala mahluhum
ketir ; khallihum yista'gilu sbuwaiya fi 1 mashy. Li hadde
dilwaqti ma sbuftisb wala wahid minbum. Balash kalam bina ;
iskut ! Rah tigi emta ? Ba'de sa'a u nusse agt. Ibna lissa ya
dob kunna fitirna lamma tabb ir ragil. Kan 2 il qizaza ya dob
'ayma fdq wishsb il moiya. Ihna kunna 'andu ruin yigi sa'ten.
Lshtaghalna tul il lei lamma li ghayit tulfi' il fagr. 'asban eh
'amalte kede bi kblaf 'adtak 1 Sitritak mashriita min 'and il ku'.
Ragil mitlak mush lazim tikbaf min walad sughaiyar. .Sihirna
lamma s sa'a talata min il lei. Tiftikir leinnu yigi ? Ma 'rafsh,
ya yigi ya ma yigish. Uq'ud henak inta lamma (a)ruh ana
agibha. H husan khadu bard ikminnu waqif min gher ish shull.
Ish shah'd nihaytu zeye ma quit ana. Illi yibeyil li sbawahid
sahihit qulak buwa kalam akhuk w ukhtak. Atabi r ragil da
kalamu sahib, we lakin 'ammu atabih ragil kaddab. 'Iwad ma
tibqa hina min gher shughl ahsan bi 1 marra tigi tishtighil 'andi
fi 1 ghet- Litn<'n saknin sawa istilibab. Wi hyat shanabak, ya
kalami mush kidb ; ana ragil faqir. ma yisahhish inni akdib
•al.'-k. Yehibbiha mot. II kalam da na ma smihtiish ilia dil-
waqti. Yazauwidni 3 ya balash shughl. Nihaytu qui li eyuha
wahda minhum wi s salam illi tkun nizlit. Huwa qal li 'ala
innu ha yigi bukra s subh. Rasu kbira khalis mush kebira
Humma qalu li a'mil ish shughle dih ana b nafsi. Iyak tefut
'aleya u ma tinsash. Ihna kunna min dirnnuhum. Hiya
tewila? la', basse ganbik tawila. Yc 4 ulu "imshi" keinniha 4
karsha, we " mashshi " keinniha 4 fusha. Ya mahsan yekun gara,
lu baga; ummiil 'auwaq leh? Abuya ma mat min zaman. M
tiiri titfaddaJ tuq'ud 'andina shuwaiya. Ya ma nta wisikh ya
walad ! Ikkhi 'alCh, da ragil mal'un. Akh minnak illi 'amalt
il 'amaliya di. Ma niqdarshe nitlub minnu shughle ketir hakim
buwa ragil 'agiiz. Mahma kanit il haga teqila tinshal. Lahna
kunna hina ! ma kunnash. Lahu ana darabtu t
1 Adjectives used adverbially. (See Syntax, £ 33C.)
2 For kanit (§ 458, </).
8 I.e. //>// /""/.
* Syntax, § 387.
214 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
EXERCISE 74
I took cold yesterday from not wearing l an 2 overcoat.
Since when have you been in Cairo ? 3 Please reach me that 4
pencil from the top of the cupboard. I wonder who has torn
these leaves out of my book ? If you go to bed 5 early, you must
not get up late. He fell off 6 the bank into the water, and
they were only just able to pull him out before he was drowned.
You were making fun of me behind my back. We returned
without anything 7 after two days' shooting. 8 "What is the
distance from Cairo to the Pyramids ? About two hours and
a quarter walking. 9 He said that he will do 10 it for your sake
only. We ran after him till we overtook him outside the town.
Haven't you asked him yet why he didn't look for u my watch,
or make inquiries about 12 it ? The water flows round the village,
and the inhabitants fish in 13 it. He is always trying 14 to talk
JSakwy, and says, for example: " ir ragul allazi ga 1 'indi ams "
for " ir ragil illi gih 'andi imbarih." Tell me approximately
how long you have been in the Government service. 15 At what
time do they ring 1,; the bell for dinner ? The telegram didn't
come till two in the afternoon. Is his house next-door-to 17
the post-office or opposite to it ? When our work i.s finished 1S
we will take a stroll as far as the market. Why did you mix
the good with the bad ? It would-have-been 19 better if you
had taken the eggs out of the basket before you dropped it on M
the floor. I wish (I had) ! Go straight on 21 and turn to : - the
left after the English church. You will find it right at the
top. 23 Even 24 if she comes now she won't catch 25 the train.
She says she met him yesterday, whereas he doesn't arrive in
Cairo till the day after to-morrow. I can give it you as soon a>
you come, only -' you must let me know before, 27 so that I may
get it ready for 28 you. Is the lady in or out?
1 Trans, because I (ikminni) did not wear. - Trans, the.
3 Trans, you since when in Cairo? * da.
5 Past tense with iza. 6 From off. " haga.
8 We had shot. ° Trans, to the walker.
io Aori u 'ala. u 'an.
13 niin. 14 'an/, with aor.
1 5 Trans, the service of Hue Government. '" darab.
1 7 ganb. 18 Aor. The verb to precede its Bubject.
w Uan. 20 fi. -' Trans, in front of you. « 'ala.
23 Trans, above, entirely. '-' 4 hatta. 25 lihiq, aor.
-''' bass. 2: niin qabl. ^ li.
APPENDIX A
NAHWY PRONUNCIATION AND FORMS
For <? we hear ay (as in English aisle), as 'ayn eye ; for 6,
au (as in German), as khauf fear.
8 and z take the place of t and d where these letters corre-
spond to the literary th and dh. 1
g is pronounced soft like the English J, as rajul ( = rSgil.)
'• retains its full value. (See § 21.)
For the pronunciation of y, see § 20.
Elision of the vowels, in such instances as are given in §29,
is to a great extent avoided.
The words cited in ^ 17 and 18 are, for the most part,
sounded as they are written in the dictionaries.
The definite article, which is pronounced «/ or el, is assimilated
only to t, t, d t (I, r, z, z, s, s. sh, and n.
Words aie frequently used in their uncontracted forms (§ 33).
a replaces the colloquial i in a large number of words, 2 as
wa and, gadd grandfather, shagaratuhu (or shagaratu) his tree.
Nouns, when undefined, are declined after one or other of the
following models : —
Singular
fem.
katibatun
katibatin
katibatan
MASC.
N.
katibun
G.
katibin
Ac.
katiban
N.
katibani
G.A.
katibaini
N.
katibuna
G.A.
katibina
Dual
Plural
katibalani
katibataini
katibatun
katibatin
1 In Hebrew also and other Semitic languages s and z answer
to tlir Koranic /// and <lh in a large number of words.
- Or, in the words of the grammarians, imala does not take
place; but occasionally we have i for a, as in 'ind=colloq. 'and.
216
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
Broken Plural
MASC.
N. rigalun
G. rigaliri
A. rigalan
N. 'usmanu
G. A. 'usmana
Dual and Perfect Plural as above.
Broken Plural
N. dirahimu
G. A. dirahima l
Undefined nouns, i.e. nouns preceded by the definite article,
or followed by another noun in the genitive, or having a pro-
nominal suffix, are declined according to the first paradigm, but
without the final -tm, as al baytu the limine, G. al bayti, A. al
bayta ; kitabu 'llahi the book of God, kitabuhu his book.
Abim father and akhun brother are, under these circumstances,
declined as follows : — N. abfi, akh.fl ; G. abf, akhi ; A. aba. akha ;
while the dual loses the termination ???', and the perfect plural
the termination na, and i is substituted for <i, as mustakhdamih
his employes.
Remark b. — The final vowels and the " tanwin " (un, in, an)
are more often omitted than not.
The cardinal numerals which differ from those in common use
are as follows : —
MASC.
ahad(un)
wahid(un)
2. isnan(i)
3. salas(un)
8. sanian
10. 'ashr(un)
11. ahada 'ashara
12. isna 'ashara, &C.
18. samaniva 'ashara, <fcc.
20. 'ishrrin(a). for both genders
30. salasfin, salaatn, Arc.
80. 3am Lnun, Bamfinln
100. mi'atun, mi'ah
200. mi'atan(i)
aaI&8U nii'a(lin), &C,
REM.
ihda
wahida(tun)
salasa(tun)
sam&niya
'ashiira(tun)
ihda 'ashrata
1 The studenl must consult the grammars of the literan
APPENDIX
ordinals are : —
MASC.
1st. auwal(un)
2nd. sani
3rd. salis(un)
8th. samin(un)
FEM.
flla
saniya(tun)
salisa(tun), &c
samina(tun)
217
11th. hadi 'ashara, <fec.
The pronouns which must he regarded as Nahwy are :
haza this, f. hazihi, pi. comm. ha'ula* ; zalik this, thai ; allazi who,
which, f. allatt, du. allazan, f. allatan, pi. allazin ; and the
personals nahn(u) we, hum they. f. hunna.
The verbal suffixes which express the accusative differ from
those in general use in the 2nd pers. sing., the masc. taking the
form Tea and the fern. M, and in the 3rd pers. sing, masc, which
appears as hu. The dual huma them both and kuma you both,
and the fem. plurs. hunna them and kunna you, will be sometimes
heard. Thus we have nazartuhu I saw him, qataltahuma thou
didst slay them both.
Remark. — The u of hu, huma, hum, and hunna is in certain
cases changed to i.
The same forms are appended to nouns and prepositions, as
akhaztu saifahu minka / took his sword from thee.
The perfect trilateral verb in its ground form has a invariably
after the first radical, in both the preterite and aorist, and a, i,
or u after the second radical.
The following is an example of its conjugation : —
Singular
masc.
FEM.
1. qataltu qataltu
2. qatalta qatalti
3. qatala qatalat
PRETERITE
Dual
Plural
masc.
FEM.
MASC.
FEM.
qatalnd qatalnl
qataltuma qataltuma qataltum qataltunna
qatalfi qetalatd qatalu qatalnfi
AORIST
1. aqtulu aqtulu naqtuhi naqtulu
2. taqtulu taqtulina taqtul&ni taqtul&ni taqtuluna taqtulna
3. yaqtulu taqtula vaqtulani taqtulani yaqtuluna yaqtulna
language as to what nouns are " triptotes " and what " diptc
and m to the circumstances in which the genitive and accusative
are employed.
218 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
Remark. — The final short vowels are sounded or not according
fco the will of the speaker. 1
Similarly are conjugated sami'a to hear (aor. yasma'u) and
saqula he heavy. The passive is without exception burika in the
preterite and yubraku in the aorist.
The derived forms are : —
1. Act. pret. burraka, aor. yubarriku ; pass. pret. burrika,
aor. yubarriku.
2. Act. pret. baraka, aor. yubariku ; pass. pret. burika,
aor. yubarak.
3. Act. pret. abraka, aor. yubriku ; pass. pret. ubrika,
aor. yubraku.
4. Act. pret. tabarraka, aor. yatabarraku; pass. pret.
tuburrika, aor. yutabarraku.
5. Act. pret. tabaraka, aor. yatabaraku; pass. pret. tuburika,
aor. yutabaraku.
6. Act. pret. inbaraka, aor. yanbariku ; pass. pret. unburika,
aor. yunbaraka.
7. Act. pret. ibtaraka, aor. yabtariku ; pass. pret. ubturika,
aor. yubtaraku.
8. Act. pret. ibrakka, aor. yabrakku.
9. Act. pret. istabraka, aor. yastibriku ; pass. pret.
ustubrika, aor. yustabraku.
Remark. — The derived verbs are conjugated throughout like
the simple form. The participles and verbal nouns have already
been given, for the most part, in the grammar.
Instances of the other classes of triliteral verbs are :
zaima to think, zanantu, zaiiaiina. Ac. instead of zanie't, Ac,
and similarly all verbs with a doubled radic *U said,
aor. yuqalu ; amata /'"â– put to death, aor. yumltu.
The quadriliteral is lakhhata, aor. \ulakkbitu in the act.,
and lukhhita, yulakhhatu, in the pass.
The prefix m, and occasionally sauf, is employed to give the
aorist a future sense, as in, ,w„ in the colloquial language.
K.'ii (classic, kaun), the verbal noun of kan to be, is used as
a conjunction without being preceded l>\ a preposition, aa konu
rah ."inrr he has ;/"/" or the fact of his hairing .</"//â– . Sometimes
1 The terminations of the aorist undergo various chang
the classical language, but as the) are not generally understood,
and are rarely imitated in conversation, it would be superfluous
to describe them.
APPENDIX 219
it is equivalent to inn, le inn, as iltazam k6nu vigi he was com-
pelled to come, kallifuni koni aruh they charged me to go.
The following are instances, in addition to those already given
of common mistakes made in the attempt to imitate the grammar
ot the classical dialect : lam is used with the past tense instead of
the aorist, and even with a substantive, in place of la ; the seventh
form of the verb often appears as abtarak for ibtarak, as in
a tabar he esteemed, a'taraf lie confessed ; tawaffa he died is almost
invariably heard for tuwuffi (classic, tuwuffiva).
Many of the forms given above are only heard in quotations
from books or m speeches. The verb, for instance, is conjugated
in practice as in the grammar (§§ 130-232), and, but for the
influence of French and of modern teaching, there is very little
difference between the everyday language of the educated and
that of the lower classes. The former would say abuya rah
Amerika, the latter abuya rah Amrika fi blad il malakan. i
APPENDIX B
PROVINCIAL PRONUNCIATION
The following provincial peculiarities should be noted ■—
In upper Egypt —
q is pronounced throughout as hard g, z generally as z
m The fern, termination a usually becomes e, as ginene (for
ginena) ; so also in ane, inte, ta'ale (for ana, inta, ta'ala)
In other positions a is liable to be changed to i, as Mehimmid
C far , M , el ' U - '' I " : " 1 (for Ahmad), so in the aorist of triliteral
verbs (with tin- exception of those used in a passive or neuter
sense) which elsewhere take the vowel a, as asriq, adribffor asraq
adrab),- and in the second syllable of verbs of the first derived
form, and of quadrilaterals, as khallis (for khallas), fantiz (for
fantaz). '" • ■v
39. It .speaking in public, the educated would say w&lidi
(or wald!) tawaggah da Amerika, but they generally •• descend "
from the nahwy to the colloquial as they grow excited, and are
liable u all rases to mix the forms peculiar to the two dialects
in the same sentence.
So in theclassica] language. On the other hand, a is of ten
tense, as masak, sakat, za'al
heard for u, as shift for shuft.
, ": u : 1 [ OT ' . in tn " Pwl tense, as masak, sakat, a"alWfbr
misik, Ssc) ; i is sometimes heard for u, as shift for shufl
220 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
The vowel i is inserted between two consonants to facilitate
the pronunciation, as ma lqetish for ma lqetsh (lqitsh), tibin (for
tibn).
The 1st pers. plur. of the aorist is frequently used for the
singular.
The accent may fall on the antepenult contrary to the rule
laid down in § 39 b, as mastaba, yidfinu.
By the Bedouins —
e is often used for a, q is pronounced as hard g, or (in some
parts of the country) as in nahwy, and g as English j. 1 Thus we
hear jemel for gamal. d and ' are pronounced with considerable
emphasis.
In the Fayoum q is sometimes sounded as in nahwy.
1 Some sound it as s in pleasure.
SYNTAX
THE ARTICLE
§ 247. The indefinite article agrees with its noun in gender,
as wahid ragil a man, wahda sitt a lady. It is very rarely, if
ever, expressed with abstract nouns, as zi'iq min gher fa'da
(fayda) a noise without profit, 1 and should in all cases be omitted
unless the speaker desires to throw some stress on the noun, or
generally to ensure the attention of the hearer. The noun
stands in apposition to the article, and never precedes it.
Remark a. — Wahid and wahda may be used alone of a man,
a woman, as shufte wahid / saw a {man), wahda gat li a {woman)
came to me, miggauwiz wahda 'amya married to a blind woman,
and may in this case itself take the definite article. It may, of
course, stand alone, whatever the noun with which it agrees, when
it still partakes of the nature of a numeral, as 'andak kuwar I
iddini wahda have you any balls? Give me one. 2
Remark b. — The quantitative adjective some, when used as
the plural of the indefinite article, is either unexpressed in
Arabic or is rendered by the words ba'd, kam, &c., as shufte
riggala (or ba'de riggala or kam ragil) fi s sikka / saw some men
in the street?
§ 248. The definite article is in the following cases used in
Arabic where not expressed in English : —
(a) With adjectives, numerals, or adjectival substantives in con-
cord with, in apposition to, or limiting a substantive, which itself
I he article or a pronominal suffix, as ir ragil it taiyib t good
man, ilbintil 'aiyana the sick girl, khaddamtnak il battalin it b
1 I.e. "Much ado about nothing? Ga'ga'a min gher tahn a
shouting without any grinding, is used in the same .sense, or as
equivalent to "empty vessels make the most sound." The word
ga'ga'a is not, however, understood by all classes.
2 For further uses of wahid. see under distributive and de-
finite pronouns.
• ; See § 451.
221
222 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
your three bad servant*, ir ragil in naqqash the painter, lefendi 1
katib Monsieur le commix, il qalam ir rusas the had- pencil, il
fingan il qahwa the cup of coffee, it tisht il ghasil the wash basin, il
gaflabiya latlas the satin goion, il burneta 1 khos the straic hat, il
biba 1 khashab the wooden pipe, il id il khashab liswid the black
â– wooden handle, is sa'a d dahab the gold watch, is sikka 1 hadid 1
the railway, il merkib in nar the fire (steam) ship, iz zimla litnen
(or litnen iz zimla) the two companions.
Remark a. — Kam/ew precedes its substantive and alone takes
the article, as il kam qershe dol these few piastres.
Remark b. — In street cries an epithet is often emphasized by
being placed before its substantive, and in this case the latter
alone takes the article, as abyad is sinut ! -
Remark c. — When the cardinal numeral precedes the sub-
stantive it is more usual for the former only to have the article,
unless emphatic, as litnen zimla, it talat banat.
Remark d. — The adjective does not take the article in a few
cases where it forms a compound with the substantive, as it
tamre hindi the tamarind.
(b) With nouns accompanied by a demonstrative pronoun, as
ir ragil da this man, il mara duk-haiya that "<<
(c) With abstract nouns and substantives denoting a class
or spoken of as a whole, as is surur joy, il 'adl justice, id dii'a
ahsan min in n6m prayer is better than sleep, sinan il 'aql wisdom
teeth, 'andu tul il bal lie is long-suffering, abu 1 hoi father of
terror (the Sphinx), ragil 'andu 1 qabaha an insolent man, tub min
il harir a robe of silk, shurb id dukkkhan tobacco-smoking, il
kilab dogs, il lahm meat, il gidri smallpox, bet mabnl min it tub
a house built of bricks, ibn il 'ainm cousin, kubbayt in nibit 4
a wine-glass, ikhsilu bi s sabus wash it with soap, Lshtar&tu bi 1
fulus / bought it with money, li s sa'a khamsa Ut'd id duhr at
five o'clock in the aft> nn
Remabk. -In Borne of the above expressions, as in many
others, the article may be dropped. Thus we ma) Bay ragil
'andu qabaha, tdb min harir. mabni min m 'alSkum or
(less usually) Ls salam 'alSkum with you, hail, 'aiyan
'aiya lnil>l> (or marad il hubb 7.\ *umru fdq il ai
1 !.■■ch min ./• h r la voi*
- ••• further, §285.
Bui a'uzu bi Hah dih (See syntax of demonstrative
pronouns.)
4 Tin wine-glass is usually expressed l>y il kul I iht in
nibit.
THE ARTICLE 223
foq 'an il arbe'in or foq 'an arbe'in) he is more than forty, it talata
nuss is sitta (or talata nusse sitta) three is half six. We invariably
say li 1 be* for sale, bi 1 husan, bi 1 humar onhoise, donkey, back,
bi 1 'arabi in Arabic, and usually bi 1 ugra for hire, bi 1 fulus
for money, tbough bi ugra and bi fliis are admissible ; while, on
the other hand, bi zibda with butter, bi siyasa diplomatically,
moiya bi zet, bi malh water with oil, salt, &c, bi hibr with ink,
etc. are more common than bi z zibda, &c. We usually say yishrab
dukhkhan, nibit, &c, he smokes tobacco, drinks wine, Ac, but shurb
id dukhkhan, in nibit, tobacco-smoking, wine-drinking, &c, abu 1
hoi, but abu diqiq the father of flour (butterfly), abu 'khangar the
father of the dagger (nasturtium).
An abstract noun, or one denoting a class, is sometimes used
without the article in proverbial expressions. In short, no
very definite rules can be given as to the use and omission of
the article in these cases, and the learner cannot expect always
to make the right choice until he has had some practical
experience.
Remark.— When used partitively (the word some being
understood) or adjectively (see § 296), and in negative sentences*
these nouns are, of course, without the article, as kan fi nibit fi
1 kubbaya there was (some) wine in the glass, ma shuftish kilab fi
betu / did not see any dogs in his house.
(d) With the names of some countries and towns and
occasionally with proper names, as il Hind India, is Suez, ish
sham Damascus, seyidna 1 Hisen our lord Hisen.
(e) With the names of the seasons, as ish shita winter, fi s
sef in summer; the days of the week, as litnen Monday, nahar
fi khamis Tuesday ; the divisions of the day, as fi d duhr at noon,
fi 1 inaghrib at sunset, bukra s subh to-morrow morning ; so bi n
nahar by day, bi 1 lei by night.
Remark.— We say, however, yom itngn min dol a Monday,
kulle yom talat every Tuesday, nahar hadd of a Sunday, kanit
maghrib (or il maghrib) it was sunset, sallena subh u duhr, we
•asr u maghrib we <isha we prayed in the morning, at noun, in the
afternoon, at sunset, and in the evening.
(f) Occasionally with nouns wholly or partially indefinite
in sense, as shufte qutta fuq is 8a gara / saw a cat up a in â–
talabu lu 1 qahwa they ordered coffee for him, ma tishtimsh fi
rfigil db ma ahatamaksh don't insult a man who has not insulted
you, ilh ma yeahufahe min il ghurbSl a'ma he that cannot
through a su ve it blind (pruv.).
§ 249. The definite article is expressed in English, but
omitted in Arabic: —
224 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
(a) With a noun followed immediately by another noun or
a phrase limiting its meaning (unless the second noun is used
adjectively, expressing a material, &c), as bab il bet the door
of the hoiise, qalam il walad the hoy's pen, matrah ma truh the
place where, wherever, you go; but il qalam ir rusas tJie lead-
pencil.
Remark. — The first noun sometimes takes the article as well
as the second when the latter is regarded as being in apposition
to it, or denotes the object it contains, as il goz il khel the pair,
the horses, i.e. the pair of horses, il hittiten il bus the two bits of
reed, is sukkar in nabat the sugar-candy, il farkh il waraq dih
this sheet of paper, il melahiz il bulls the inspector of police, il
marad il hubb love-sickness ; but in many cases the article is
optional. Thus we may say il merkib in nar di (or rnerkib in
nar dt) this steamboat, il fard iz zanbil ir ruzz (or fard iz zanbtl
ir ruzz or farde zanbil ir ruzz) this basket office} The first is
perhaps the most usual. 11 fuhul il gamus means the young
buffaloes, fuhul il gamus the foals of the buffal
Remark. — The first noun may also take the article when it
practically forms a compound with the second. In this case the
second noun does not assume the article (though it will, of course,
retain it if it already has it when used indefinitely), as il qershe
ta'rifa the current piastre, in nusse faddan the half acre, il bani
adam the sons of men, mortal*, is gaffe zabit the non-commissioned
officer, il qamar id din five (dish called) qamar id din.
We may. however, also say. with perhaps a slight nuance of
meaning, in miss il faddan dih and nuss il faddan dih, and bani
adam is more usual than il bani adam.-
(//) With the ordinal numerals and adjectives denoting ex -
trrim-s. as auwil. lalit. akhir Yoin, the fir St, third, last, day, lmwa
ti ahsan sihha he is in the best of health.
(c) Irregularly in a few I'.xpri'ssions, though the nouii is
definite in sense, as khabar 8h? (or il khabar 6h, but less usually)
what's the matter? bi qudrit Qadir by tfu might of the Mighty
(God), qatt&< tariq a highwayman, lissa ma dakhalshe dinya hi
has not yet come into the world (di one who has qo experience),
mefattish qibli the inspector of the South (provi
300.
1886 kuz il moiya dih this half jug of water is more usual
: in nusse kuz il moiya dih, and umme khamsa di this
off. ii in lumme khamsa dl. For omission of the
article with the demonstrative, si
THE ARTICLE 225
Remark. — The article is generally omitted by the lower
classes with the word afukatu (or abukatu) advocate, lawyer, as
afukatu Hasan (for Hasan il afukatu), afukatu gih. 1 With the
name of an office followed by Efendi the article is usually
omitted, as Mufti Efendi.
§ L'jiJ. The cases in which Arabic agrees with English in
suppressing the definite article may be studied from the follow-
ing examples: ya'raf 'arabi he knows Arabic, fi shahre ramadan
in the mouth of Ramadan, gahannam hell (but il ganna heaven)?
min yom li yomfrom day to day, min id li id from hand to hand,
dahr fi dahr back to back, 'ala ghafla of a sudden, unawares, huruar
sikka a street donkey, 'arabiyit ugra a hackney carriage, husan
rukuh a hack, lei ma - nakar day and night, nazir mahatta a station-
master, sa'i busta a postman, 'askari bulis 3 a policeman, ibn«
haram a child of sin, bahri, qibll, Sec., North, South, &c. 4
§ 251. It will be observed that in many instances the second
noun is used as an adjective, or the two together form a com-
pound. When the first is definite, the word beta' (see § 69) is
inserted between them, as il humar beta' is sikka the street
donkey, is sfri beta' d busta the postman : or in some cases the
second retains its character as an adjective, and takes the article
as well as the first, as il wilad d haram the children of sin.
§ 252. The definite article has the force of a demonstrative
pronoun in the expressions in noba this time, d yOm to-day,
d lela to-night, ish snitwiya this winter, and in a few others;
of a personal pronoun in such phrases asbidd akhsd liden 5 / want
to wash my ham?*, huwa khusara fi 1 mi">t it would be a pity to kill it,
Zituwid lu 1 'ali<i increase his forage, khassarti nna 1 akl you
have spoilt our food, khataf minni 1 burneta he snatched my hat
from me : of a relative when used with a predicate adjective (or
participle) preceding its substantive, a.- d bet d inuqi.ni fih abuya
the house in which my father liv
1 Comp. the use of Matter in older English and Maitre in
French, especially as a legal title.
2 Literally the garden, paradise.
3 The plural, however, is usually 'asakir d buli§.
4 See also above, § 248, c, Rem.
5 Comp. me laver les mains, die Hdnde wascJien, &c.
6 Not in common use.
226 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
THE NOUN SUBSTANTIVE
THE CASES
§ 253. It has been already pointed out (§ G3) that in the
language of Cairo the cases are rarely distinguished by inflections.
Their place is supplied by prepositions which stand before the
noun without the latter (with the exceptions hereafter noted)
undergoing any change.
§ 254. A noun in the genitive may express : —
(a) Possession, whether it denote the possessor or the thing
possessed, or whether it be material or denote a quality or
attribute, as bet abuya my father's house, imrat akhiik your
brother * wife, Malik id dinya Lord of the world, shatart in
naggar the carpenter's skill.
REMARK. — The idea of close attachment or relation of one
tiling to another, as illustrated by the following examples, is
included under this head: shabah ummu the image of his mother,
shiddit il musadina the violence of the shock, khalawit il mishwar
tin- gratuity paid fur the errand, naharak (or naharna) sa'id may
your day be propitious, good-morning to you, mis Lundura the
people of London, marad il hubb love-sickness, yum is safar the day
of departure, dakhil fi sinn il 'ishrin getting on for twenty, yutama
1 abb, 1 umm children who have lost their fattier, their motlier,
beh ummu, i.e. a bey by courtesy only, sirqit il farkha the theft of
the fowl, ishab is siriqa, is sirqa the victim* of a theft, sirqit il
haramiva the theft committed by the robbers, sahb il gitta the oumt r
uj the eur/ixe, i.e. the dead man, haddutit is sultan the story about
the sultan, mashy il hata a walking bare/noted.
(A) Fulness, as kubbayit nibit a gtass of wine, qizazit btra a
bottle of bet r.
(r) A pari of a whole or the whole of a part, as hittit Lahm a
of meat, rag is sana the beginning, first da .
auwil, talit, akhir ish shahr th* first, third, end "/ the month,
shuwaiyil malh a tittle salt, gimlit naa a number of i>*d ir
riggala some oj the men, kull ish shugbJ the wliole q
tul il lei thr tn.nl, of the night, gamih (garni*) in naa all t
(</) Qausi ■•/, origin, as waldi my father (literally my
begetter), Basao 'all ffasan, son of Aly, k&bib il gaw&bf/u urta
thr letter, kai l . il gawab ///< writing of the letter, mir il (jam.-u- (lie
light of the ///<<"/<, simm U far ratsbane.
i ) Material, as gallabiyil eihfLah a muslin gown, gahni nh&B a
copper dish, sikkil il hadid the railway.
(/) Measuxi if time, space, value, as mesafil ydm, a
THE NOUN SUBSTANTIVE 227
distance, qimit sa'a u nuss a matter of an hour and a half,
mesafit, waqte, shurbe sigara, 'fid, mesafit sigara the time it takes
to smoke a cigarette, a pipe, 1 qimit tahdir il husan the time required
for getting the horse ready, fi muddit A'rabi in the days qfAraby.
(g) Use, often expressed by a compound in English, as
kubbayit in nibit a glass for wine, wine-glass, 2 'arabiyit ugra a
carriage for hire, husan rukuba a hack, 'alit khiyata a sewing
machine, odit sufra dining-room, gallablyit harim a lady's gown,
futit wishsh, iden, sufra a towel for the face, the Jiands, a table-
napkin .
§ 255. The second noun may in a general way limit the first,
as ma'rifit wishsh, suq a person one- knows only by sight, a market
acquaintance.
i. 256. When the first of the two nouns is a verbal substantive
the second naturally stands with regard to it in the relation of
a subject when the verb itself is intransitive, of a subject or
object where the verb is intransitive, as wuqiV il walad the boy's
falling, darb il walad kan shidid the striking of the boy was severe,
Le. the boy was struck hard or the boy struck hard, fikri, takhmini
leinnu yigi it is my notion, conjecture, that he xcill come, amar bi
hdaru he ordered him to appear, but amar bi tahdiru, bi mgibtu
he ordered him to be brought, nuzul il husan min il gabal laziin
yekun bi mnazrit is says the descent of the horse from the lull must
be under the groom's superintendence, istilahna ahsan min khinaqna
waiya ba'd better that we ski mid be reconciled titan quarrel with one
another.
§ 257. The word beta' is very frequently placed between the
two nouns, standing, as it were, in apposition to the first, but
agreeing with it in number and gender, as has been seen in
the accidence. 3 It is mostly used to express the genitive of
possession, and very rarely, if ever, to express the genitive of
measure. When speaking of near family relations we must not,
as a rule, use beta.'. Thus we should not say il akhkhe beta'i,
il umme betahtu for akhuva, ummu, unless we wish to speak
disrespectfully. An exception, however, is made in favour of
mara and sitt in the sense of wife, the former being occasionally
1 A period of time is often measured by the time it takes to
perform a particular act, especially the smoking a cigarette
ljie.s.'itit lail'e(<y/- malwe) sigara we shin biha tin time it takes tn roll
d emoke it. A fellah will say, ba'd il inaghrib hi
nufse *alqit shaduf . . . half a turn at tin <iiaduf.
2 Or kubbava li n nibit or beta' in nibit.
8 §69.
228 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
followed by betaYa and tbe latter always. 1 No bard and fast
rules can be laid down in other cases for the use of beta', but
it may be remarked that it is best omitted when no particular
stress is laid upon the second noun, and when clearness or
elegance of expression would not be gained by its insertion. -
When it is used as an adjective signifying proper or peculiar to,
it cannot bo omitted, as it tiffah beta' il aid eating apples.
§ 258. Bet,?, whether in the sense of possessed or possessing,
may stand by itself, agreeing with a substantive understood, as
mush 'auz betu'i, 'auz betu' akhuya / don't want mine, I want
my broiler'*, beta' il 'esh, il 'ads, il hamam, il hammam, il
mantalon, il burneta, <fcc, a seller of bread, lentils, doves, a bath-
keeper, nite who wears trousers, a hat, <(â– 'â– ., betu' il mazzika lissa
ma gush the musician* have not come yet. In il beta' dih this
thing, article, it retains its character as a substantive. With
eh? what? it serves as an interrogative particle implying sur-
prise or annoyance on the part of the speaker, as beta* eh ti'mil
kede, aruh waiyak ? What are you doing that for ! Wlty should
I go with you? Lastly, it may be used, with or without the
third pronominal suffix, in the sense of â– ! cetera, as biyizra'
batatis, ful, gazar beta' (or beta'u) he grows potatoes, bean*,
carrots, &c.
$ 259. When the first noun is indefinite and the second a
possessive or causal genitive ami definite, either beta' or the
preposition li must be inserted between the two. as bet beta'
abtlya (or 1 abHya) a house of my father's, binte Uya it dau jhter
of' mine. Where, on the other hand, the second noun is in-
definite (in which case it can often be rendered in English by
an adjective), no word need intervene, as bfit, binte, muluk a
kingly house, a princess.
260. The adjective taba' is used much in the same n
though Less frequently than, beta', but remains unchanged with
feminine and plural nouns, as d bdt da, La giiraya dt, taba' mln I
to whom does this house, tin* palace, belong?
L. The substantives abfL,' umm, il>n, bint, ahl, sahib
have in certain expressions the sense ol
1 sitti means my lady or my grandmother. Sitl Lb not used
l>v the lower classes and seldom by the higher in the sense of
wife A Bervanl may saj La sitte beta'itna when speaking to
bis master "t his (the latter's) wife.
Thus we should say ndt Lf lufra L> I ./ •lining-room,
not ... 1 it lufritak.
3 Th>' u is practically pronounced Bhort.
THE NOUN SUBSTANTIVE 229
with, as ragil abu fultis a man of money, abu daqn, shanab
'imma, fcc, a rutin with a beard, a moustache, wearing a turban, <kc,
waraq beta' il busta min umme qirshe sagh postage stamps worth
a piastre tan if, umme quweq tlie screedv-owl, baruda umme shutfa,
kabsul, a gun with a flint-, a percussion-lock, ragil ibne talatin
sana a man of thirty, bint arbe'in sana a woman of forty, ragil
able kbibra a respectable man, on* who knows, cm expert, ana
mush min able zalik / am not that sort of man, able zimma a
man of Tumour, ragil sahib mal a man of wealth.
Remark a. — The noun is sometimes understood, as abu 'ishrin
containing twenty (piastres), i.e. a dollar, ragil abu mlten (or
mltSn gineh) a man who has £200 a month, 1 umme arba'a w
arbe'in possessed of forty-four (feet), i.e. a centipede.
Remark &.- — A fire piastre piece may be expressed by umme
khamsa or hitta min umme khamsa or hitta bi khamsa, fine
piastre pieces by hitat min umme khamsa or hitat min umme
khamsat or hitat bi khamsa or hitat bi khamsat.- Similarly,
a ten piastre piece is umme 'ashara. &c. Umm may take the
plural form ummat, as umniat qershenat two piastre pieces, but
hitat min umme (or abu) qershenat is more usual. Neither ahl
nor abu are used in the plural in this connection.
§ 262. The partitive genitive may sometimes be expressed
by the prepositions min and ft, as fth nas in niswan minhirm
yitbarqa'u there are people, t/te women of them (i.e. whose women)
the w il, shuwaiya minnu a little of if. auwil y6m min ish
shahr the first day of the month, il mitre ftha yisawi qirshen a
metre of it is worth two piastres,
§ 263. Under the partitive genitive may be classed the us.'
of the constructive form before the interrogative Ih? as shuft
il haga di ? hagit eh ? (or hagt eh <) l)i<i you see tins thing ! What
thing?
§ 2C,-i. The noun following the indefinite pronoun fey is
placed in the genitive, and generally takes the case ending in
unless it is followed by a relative pronoun, as feye dukkanin
whichever, any. shop, bi feye tariqtin by any means, but bi eye
tartqa illi 'andak by any means you have. When the noun is
followed by the substantive verb it retains the cas i ending,
although the verb usually agrees with it, as eye wahdin kan,
1 One may hear the following: min da? Da abu mit gin.'h
Who is that.' That's a (or the) man who has £100 a month.
A man is estimated in Egypt, as in other countries, by Lis
income.
• We ma\ also say simply khains.it, 'asharat, <fec.
230 THE SPOKEN" ARABIC OF EGYPT
min i'}T gihitin kanit. 1 Sometimes the verb is placed between
ey and its noun, and causes the case ending to be shifted to the
pronoun itself, as eyin kan wahid whichevt r one it be. The
lengthened form eyiha is not followed by a noun with the case
ending, as eyiha garni' whichever mosque.
§ 265. The genitive of use may also be expressed for the
sake of clearness by means of beta' or the preposition li, as
kubbaya betaht in nibit (or li n nibit).
§ 266. When the second substantive denotes the material it
is very frequently regarded as an adjective, or stands in appo-
sition to the first, which then undergoes do change. Thus we
may say gallablya shash instead of gallabiyit shash ; similarly,
ibra badtd a steel needle, nishara khashab sawdust, shavings,
sikka hadid a railway, hitta dahab a piece of gold, a'tS lu waztfa
nazir he gave him the functions of a minister, tazkara rayih gay
a return-ticket. To emphasize the material we may employ the
preposition min, as suhiin min oahas (or min in oahas).
Remark. — We may also say nisharit khashab, hittit dahab;
and wazifit nazir is more usual than wazifa nazir. The piece of
gold is hittit id dahab (or il hitta d dahab), a railway train babur
sikka hadid, the railway train babur is sikka 1 hadid (or babur
sikkit il hadid).
§ 267. On the other hand, a noun limiting or explicative of
another may stand to it in the relation of a genitive, as 'arabiyit
karru (or 'arablya karru) a cart. When an object is introduced
by its generic term the latter, if ending in a, will of necessity
bake the constructive form, as midinit Masr the city of Cairo,
sagarit labakh an acacia tree, gagart il lillil the p pper tn e, oimrrl
wahid, itneii No. /, .'. qolit bint the word bint. Sana >/ year also
takes the constructive form when followed by its d;itc, as li
sanal tultemiya in the year S00.
Remark. — The two constructions are xcvx frequently con-
fused, and such expressions as the following will he heard every
day: il hittit id dahab the piece of gold, il 'ilbU id dukhkhan
the tobacco box, is sikkit il hadid, 8 il kell il qamha di this mea
f com, il gliet il bersim the field of clover, waraq is sagarit il
iji'ita the leaves of Hue tomato /'/mil, ik kubar Lsh shuqny //
of SCOUndrele, il bizr il kit tan ///'â– I nil .<â– ></, the firsl and second
noun with its article being regarded as our word.
-. A definite noun which limits a superlative of degree
1 But see g 63.
Badtd is not here aged as an adjective, For we say sikkit il
badid as well as is sikka 1 lia
THE NOUN SUBSTANTIVE 231
may be regarded as a genitive of relation, as in ahsan in nas
t/ie best of people.
§ 269. The genitive of possession is sometimes employed in
Arabic where we would use a preposition, as moiyit libriq inkabbit
the water in the jug was spilt.
§ 270. The insertion of an adverb or other word between the
two nouns does not prevent the first from taking the t, as mesafit
taqriban yomen a distance of about two 'lays, mesafit yigi khamas
daqayiq an interval of almost five minutes, muddit baqa sanaten a
period then of two years, qimit qui talatin gineh a value of say
£30.
§ 271. A whole sentence often stands in the relation of a
genitive to a preceding noun, as li fikrit innu rah yigi in the
belief that he was coming, muddit il khidewi kan fi Lundura at
the time the Khedive wax in London, sa'it ma kunna barra at the
time we were out, li ghayit lamma yigi till the moment he comes,
qolit ma ruhtish, the statement that you didn't go, 'ibarit qable
ma yshiifu di this expression, " before they see," sikkit illi yeruh
ma yirga'sh the road by which he who takes it never returns, bi
sabab kunte qayil lu for the reason that I had told him.
Remark. — The construct form is not always used with ma ;
thus we may say auwil lela ma yebat fi 1 bet as well as auwil
lelit, (fee, the first night /o j sleeps in the house.
j5 272. The construct form is sometimes assumed by sa'a and
sana ami a few others without reason, when used adverbially, as
sanat yigi, sanat ma yiqish some years he conies, some he doesn't,
sa'it yishrab, sa'it ma yishrabsh sometimes he drinks, sometimes
he doesn't (or sana yigi, etc.). 1
§ L'7.'>. When two or more nouns are determined by a
genitive, the first precedes it, while the others follow ami
indicate their relation to it by means of the pronominal suffixes,
as abu r ldgil we bintu the man's father ami /n's daughter, i.e. the
mints father and daughter, 'aql il quda wi stiqfunithum, ///<'
wisdom and integrity of tin' judge*, till il 'ilba we 'ardiha we
tuklmiha the length, breadth, iir/'t thickness of the box. should.
however, beta' be employed, the order will be the same as
in English, as it tul wi 1 'ard wi t tukhne betiV il 'ilba.
§ 274. Where two or more objects of a class are determined
by more than one genitive they should be repeated before each,
as kit&b abuk wi kt&b akhuya your father's and my brother's
booh, sitriti wh sideriva we sitiit, 'fdi we siderih Alifs and my
root and waistcoat. We may, however, often shorten i}\*-^-
Perhaps for sanati, sa'ata, accusative forms used as adverbs.
232 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
sentences with the help of beta', as sitriti we siderlya wi btu'
'all (or wi Hi btu' 'all). When the object determined is one and
the same in each, the English construction will be used, as bet
Hasan we 'ali Hawaii and Aly's house ; but the full form of the
personal pronoun must be added after the suffix, as qolak enta
wi 1 hurma di this lady's and your assertion.
§ 275. The ideas peculiar to the dative are mostly expressed
in Arabic by means of the preposition li. 1
§ 276. It has been seen that the objective or accusative case
has rarely a distinctive sign except sometimes when used as an
adverb. 2 Motion, too, one of its chief characteristics, is usually
expressed by the prepositions li, 'ala, <te. ; 3 but, as will be seen
hereafter, the preposition not infrequently falls out after a
verb or verbal noun of motion.
§ 277. A noun immediately following a predicate, and
limiting or specifying its application, may be regarded as an
accusative of extent, 4 as ragil kebir is sinn a man old {advanced)
in years ; ketir, qalil, il kalam loquacious, taciturn; mekhattata
'aneha with pencilled eyes ; riglu min'asa tin his fool besmeared
with mud; arde mazru'a dura /aw/ sown with maize; tarde
khalis il ugra a prepaid, parrel ; khnmm in nom lethanjir :
tawil il id long-fingered (of a thief) ; 5 tawil il lisan long-tongued
(of a great talker). The feminine adjective is generally in the
construct form, especially when the noun is closely connected
with the subject, as maridt il gism ill in body : gamilt is sura,
il wishsh beautiful of countenance ; but kbalsa 1 ugra, 8 malyana
moiya.
§ 278. This locution is not very common, and even in cases
where it is admissible the preposition fi (or In) may generally be
inserted, as kebir fi s sinn; mis naytn fi 1 kalam crude, ram o)
speech; mardan bi gismu. It is more colloquial to say ana
na/.ari da' If / lmr> a weak sight than ana da'if in nazar; afoot
broad, long, &c, can only be expressed by 'ardu, tulu qadam, a. .
§ 27'.'. Not only verbs with their participles, but adjectives
having the force of a participle, may take a direct object, as
sharrib dukhkhfm one who is constantly smoking.
§ 280. The sign of the vocative ease is the interjection yal
It is occasionally omitted, especially before proper names and a
1 Bee § 570. 9< 63, d. » See § 570.
4 As in Greek and Latin. The noun sometimes Like- the
sign of the accusative in post-classica] Arabic.
Bng. light fingt
6 Khahit il ugra is hardly admie ible,
THE NOUN SUBSTANTIVE 233
few words in common use, as bauwfib ! porter / Mehammad ! amma,
amm ! mother ! walad ! bint ! &c. It is also omitted with
efendim sir (but not with sitt).
§ 281. "When a person is addressed by both his names the
interjection is repeated before the second, as ya Mhammad ! ya
Salim ! This is also generally the case when he is called by his
name preceded or followed by his trade or profession, or is
designated by two or more qualities, as ya Hasan, ya hammar !
donkey-boy Hasan/ ya wad, ya Mhammad! boy/ Mohammed/
ya ragil ya saqqa, beya', naggar ! you fellow, water-carrier \ vendor.
carpenter / ya Bkhita, ya bint, yakhti ! girl, sister Bikh da 1 ya
ragil ya tani you, the newt man I
Remark. — The interjection is not always repeated where the
quality, title, or profession is almost inseparably attached to the
name. Thus a man habitually called 'amme J Mehammad Uncle
Mohammed, or Me'allim 'alt foreman Aly, might be addressed by
ya 'ammi Mhammad, ya m'allim 'ali ; but if there is the least
pause between the two words, ya will be repeated. The word
ragil sometimes forms a compound in sense with a noun ex-
pressing a profession, and alone takes the sign of the vocative,
as ya ragil saqqa, ! water-carrier /
§ 282. Lastly, the second noun, especially if denoting a high
office, may take the definite article instead of the interjection
being repeated, as ya sidna 1 qfuli our lord the Kadi.
§ 283. The interjection may, of course, be placed before
adjectives and participles used substantively, and will be
repeated with them when they are in concord with a sub-
stantive expressed, as ya 'aguz ! old man / ya 'atshan ! 2 oh thirsty
one / ya ragil ya atrash ! you, you deaf man I ya 'auza 1 qiita oh
lady who /rant tomatoes /
§ 284. It may be placed before personal and, elliptically,
before relative pronouns, as ya inta ! you there ! u'a ya Hi shayil il
mishanna, ya Hi mashi min gher ma tiftah 'enak look out youwho are
carrying the bread basket, you who are walking with your eyes shut .'
ya bitte ya Hi 'auza 1 hummus ! ladies who want chick-peas / 2
Remark a. — When the subject addressed is named or other-
wise indicated after the personal pronoun, ya will either be
repeated or stand before the noun only, as ya inta ya Mhammad,
ya inta ya ragil (or inta ya Mhammad, inta ya ragil).
1 'anmi is applied as a title of respect to an elderly man or
one older than the speaker.
2 Street cries. The water-seller sometimes says 'atshau
without ya.
234 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
Remark h. — In the expression ya ismak eh ! (for ya inta Hi
ismak eh !) both the personal and relative pronouns have dis-
appeared.
§ 285. The sign of the vocative is used in street cries with
the object for sale, to call the attention of the passers to it, ami
in this case the epithet qualifying or p uffing it is often placed
with or without ya first in the sentence a in I in the masculine
singular, whatever the gender and number of the substantive, as
ya tinnis ! lupines ! ya subun ya \d ! best soap .' 'arid ya kurrat !
broad leeks I baladi ya banzaher \fine native {lemons) ! qadlm ya
lumad ! old lamps! ahla min il 'asal ya basal! onions siveeter
than honey ! ya rum! ya 'asal ya gazar ! carrot* sweet as G
honey I At the end of the sentence the adjective maybe re-
peated (generally without ya), as baladi ya krumbe baladi!
native cabbages, native cabbages! akhdar ya kurrat akhdar !
§ 286. Somewhat similar to the above is the use of ya as a
cry of distress or surprise, as ya rasi ! ya vni ! oh my head! oh
m u eye! ya lela soda! oh unlucky night! ya ana maskin! 1 oh
wretched me! ya bakhtak ! what luck is yours! ya, ritna ! "h I
would we ! ya ma nta wisikh ! oJt, how dirty you an 1 .' ya ma uluf !
nli J/, nr many thousands .'
§ 287. In scolding, the interjection is rarely omitted, and it
is usually repeated with every term of abuse, numerous as they
often are. It will be best translated in this case by the personal
pronoun you.
$ 288. A noun maybe used absolutely without being pre-
ceded 1 iv a preposition ox dependent on any other "word in the
sentence. This use corresponds in some instances to the dative
of other languages, with or without a preposition, in others to
the SO-Called areusat ive absolute or the accusative of extent
t ii:i s s;?a khamsa you must come at five o'clock, in nahar da /<<-
day, illeladi this night, fcani y6m another day, il gum's 1 gaya
next week, kulle ydm is Bubh every day in the morning, id dul
noon, il maghrib at sunset, sitttn sana we sab'Sn you, i.e, tir'
devil I cart , ruhna msafa kbira we n-, nt a great dista
Rem irk. In such expressions as shufte wahid diraHi mak
wishshu mkashshar / saw a man with a broken arm, a wry
we have two separate sentence--, the latter containing a subject
ami predicate with an ellipse of the substantive verb.
^ 289. A noun following another noun or a personal pronoun,
1 More c monly used by Fellaheen.
' l Man) of them may he regarde 1 as adverbial ezpresa
THE NOUN SUBSTANTIVE 235
and explicative of it, is said to be in apposition to it, as Moham-
mad il farran M. the baker ; is sultan 'abd il Hamid ; i guz khel
batati a pair of horses, barrels (i.e. as round as barrels) ; in nas il
bashawat wi 1 bahawat ; fih gama'a diyiif 'andina ice have some
guests in our house; ragil khaddam, beya', khaiyat, &c; qususa
banat priestesses ; in nas gamihhum the people, all of them; il
gibna kidliha the whole oftht cheese; huwa sh Shekh he the Sheikh ;
liiya rukhra she the other (i.e. she too) ; intu litnen you both ;
iddetu lu hidiya / gave it to him (as) a present ; gabiih 'aiyina they
brought it as a sample.
§ 290. The word luziim necessity is very commonly used after
another noun in the sense of needed for, for the use of, as khashab
luziim il furn wood for the stove, farsha luziim il husan bedding
for the horse.
§ 291. The second noun is sometimes annexed in apposition,
though it is really of the nature of a genitive, as tazkara ida,
tanya, talta daraga a first , second, third class, ticket; il goz il khel
the pair (of) horses.*
§ 292. The noun in apposition may be separated from the
other by several words, as hiya kharagit min il oda 1 liurma she
/â– ut out of the morn, the woman (I mean).
§ 293. For the sake of clearness the relative pronoun followed
by the personal pronoun maybe inserted between the two nouns,
so that the second becomes the predicate of the first, as Moham-
mad illi huwa 1 farran, il qususa illi huninia banat.
§ 294. The nouns nafs, shakhs, zat, 'en, tfil self, kull, garni'
all, and wahd a being alone, with the pronominal suffixes, stand
similarly in apposition to another noun or pronoun introducing
them, as ish shekb shakhsu ; il hurma nafsiha; il khidewi zatu ;
il 'asakir 'gnhum the sheikh himself ; the lady herself, &c. ; ana get
tfdi I came by myself; il wilad kulluhum; qar^t il kitab kullu /
have read the boot:, the whole of it; in nas gum gamihhum the
people all came; il ingltz wahduhum the English by themselves,
alone.
Remark. — The preposition bi and (with wahd) li often inter-
vene, as il bint bi /.at ha; ta'ftlfi intu bi 'enku come yourselves ;
ana bi tuli / by myself ; humma li wahduhum.
$ 295. A whole sentence or substantive clause amy stand in
apposition to a noun, as il kalani da 'ala inn ir r;igil da ahsan
min kull in nas gln'r s.ihih this statement, namely, that this man
1 The order is sometimes inverted, as il Khidewi 'abb.is for
•abbas il Khidewt.
8 § 249, a, Hem.
236 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
is superior to everybody (else), is untrue. (Here the words from
'ala inn to in nas are in apposition to il kalam da.) II khabar
le innu inqatal the news thai tie has been killed.
§ 296. Substantives are sometimes used as adjectives, especi-
ally when they denote a material 1 or a condition (as the state
of the weather); e.g. gallabiya sh&sh, a muslin robe; mandil
harir a silk handkerchief; burneta khos a straw hat; kitab
gild a bound book : biba khashab a wooden /<>/» j ; sikka hadld an
iron {rail) way; sa\'a dahab a gold watch; Buhun nahas copper
dishes ; il kalbe 'anduhum nagasa the dog with them is an unclean
thing ; id dinya bard, harr, nar the weather is cold, hot, hot as fin .
id dinya 'alma, dalnia, shard, wahla, zahma, ramadan it is dark,
blowing a sirocco, muddy, crowded, Ramadan ; kalamak nafla u
kidb your statement is foolish and false ; matrah dalma. 'at ma a
dark place ; haga 'eb a disgraceful thing : 6da katma a close room .•*-'
qumash alwan a stuff of (many) colours, i.e. variegated; samak,
baskot ignas various fish, mixed biscuits ; 'ishrtn muft&h ishkal
twenty diffi rent keys ; kalam ztir false statement ; r&gil kuhna a rag
of a man (i.e. worn-out); walad lakhma a muddle-headed boy;
nrara, zabun tarab a charming woman, a splendid customer; kitab
khara a worthless book; qdl sharaf word of honour ; da shughla
karbe qawi that is a very fatiguing business; il bahre'dmiAe river
is deep enough to swim in (not fordable)', zahma mot '/ "'â–
crush : tdu shalal his hand is witliered ; 'iy&r nar a shot from a
nun : ishun luzfim is sufra, khud&raM luzum il akl, it tabikh, itc.
§ 297. Verbal substantives will sometimes be followed by a
substantive clause as their object, as t.iklmiinl leinntl yigl it is
mi/ conjecture Hod Jo- will come; biddu yeruh il balad it is his
want, i.e. he waul* to go to town ; haqquhum kan yidrabuh it
their right to strike him. i.e. they ought to have struck iiim ; or
the object may be another substantive, as haqquhum ish shanq
they oug/tt to be hanged,
NUMBER
§ 20S. As lias been seen in tin- accidence, when a no
presses a whole class, the individual of thai class may be denoted
o\ adding the termination " .• and even where the same noun
expresses both the class and the individual, as often happens
when it has a broken plural, the termination maj be added t'"i
clearness if il ltj to make a distinction, as ti'ban i
1 As is the caM in English.
s -6da khabla (g 62).
NUMBER 237
or makes (pi. ta'abin), ti'bana (or ti'bana wahda) a single snake.
The same termination will sometimes be added to an abstract
noun to give it greater vividness, as kunna fi 'izz in noma 1
hilwa we icere in the middle of a sweet deep. Muta is a fatality,
a case of death, akla one eating, a meal.
§ 299. Wahid, with its fern, wahda, as a substantive corre-
sponds to one in English, and may be used in the dual and
plural, as addi lu kummitra ? Ewa, iddi lu wahda wahditen shall
I (jive him a year ? Yes, give him one or tiro.
§ 300. The word fard or farda (pi. fardat) is used as the
singular of nouns denoting objects that go in pairs, the latter
form generally taking the t when followed by the noun, as
though it were a partitive genitive, as fardit gazma, 1 shurab,
guwanti an odd shoe, stocking, glove ; fard (or fardit) haniam one of
a pair of pigeons ; fardit tabanga a pistol. Sometimes it follows
the noun, as 'arabiya bi hsan fard a single-horse carriage ; or the
noun may be understood, as talatt igwaz u fard three pairs and
a single one ; farda a pistol ; farden balah two paniers of dates ;
fardit husan an odd, a tingle horse-shoe ; farde ruzz a single basket
made of rice-straw, or a sack of rice; bunduqiya bi farda a
single-barrel led gun ; ragil bi farda, abu farda 2 a one-eyed man.
REMARK. — The plural is fardat, but the broken form ifrad
is used in the expression ifrad in nas individuals, without re-
ference to couples.
§ 301. 'nil stick and zirr are similarly used of plants and a
few objects made of wood, as 'ud mantur, basal, ward apiece of
stock, a bulb, 'i rose-cutting', 'ud halfa ( = halfaya) a blade of half a
grass . 4 A<1 kabrit or simply 'ud ( = kabrita)« match, as 'andak 'ud
awalla' buh Bigartt? have you a match with which I can light my
cigarette? zirre kniyar, shammam a cucumber, a im'lon.
REMARK. — 'ud kabrit sham' a wax match is also said.
§ 302. The word kam, whether meaning how many ' or
is always followed by a noun in the singular number, 3 though
the adjective or pronoun qualifying it will be in the plural, as
kam qiz&za? how many bottles? nazzd il kam kubbaya dol il
kuwaiyisin bring down these few pretty glasses.
§ 303. When the plural pronominal suffixes arc appended to
the word ism name, <>r words denoting self 4 or part* oftlie body
or the body itself, the nouns often remain in the singular, and
1 Note that although gazma means apair of boots, and con-
sequently gizam pairs of boots, we may say guz gizam for a single
pair. ' J Or t'anla k( i)i ima.
3 Oomp. Italian, qualche bottiglia. 4 Bee § L22.
238 THE SPOKEN" ARABIC OF EGYPT
in this case the qualifying adjective will also remain unchanged,
.is ismuhum eh? what are their names'} nafsuhum tJu
laqnuhum tawila their beards are long; simi'na kalamhum hi
widnina we heard thevt statement with our ears : gismuku (or
gittitku) kullu (kulliha) min'as (min'asa) wahl yo
all besmearx d with mud.
§ 304. The same is the case with titles of respect, but here
both adjective and verb will be in the plural, as hadritku 1
mabsfitin? are your Honour* satisfied 1 sa'aditkfi shuftuhum? did
â– /our Excellencies see them ?
Remark. — 'en is more frequently used in the plural in this
connection. In such an expression as talfu sh sham'at bi hniki-
thum they put out the candles with their mouths (i.e. they
them "it/), the plural is used by preference, as a separ
performed by each person.
§ 305. It will have been noticed that nouns of unity refer to
an indefinite class. To express that an object is one of a number
of others of a definite class, whether in reality or ouh
1 so by being preceded by the definite article, we
employ the numeral wahid or, when persons are spoken i>i.
< i mara or the singular of the noun itself, followed by the pre-
position min, as wahid min il khaddamtn; wahda min is s-ilalim
one of the ttteps . r.'igil, mara, min il 'urban 8 one of the Arab
women; sallima min is salalim; ghanama min ghanamak i
your sheep ; y6sa min il iyam one day. 8
. The plural demonstrative ddl is often used instead of
the class being named, as ydm min dfil one of tliese days.
noun iii the singular may be preceded by wahid, as wahid y6m
min /.at il iyam, or l>e made definite fox emphasis, as il i.
min ddl.
the dual
7. Nouns will not access ii ily or generally be use 1 in the
dual cumber, although two abj spoken of, un)
sought to emphasize the fact of their bei id two only.
In other cae a they will be spoken of in the plural. Thus
â– i two boys, as of a larger auruber, il wilud dol gum min
i. i darabukleh? so d&l kitabiil t ana (though only two) ; ir rag
ti buyuthum (not bOtenhum), intuafhabl are you {
1 Thenar Located sometimes saj hadratkum,
- \\ i in i j :i !. in. n. i min betu' il 'ui
s ( >i mm sit d iyam.
THE DUAL 239
Remark. — It cannot, however, be denied that the dual is
frequently used where in English we would not consider it
necessary to describe the objects spoken of as two or both.
For instance, we might say hat il kitaben illi fi s sut'ra give mt
tlie (ftco) books ichic/i are on the table, when it is as obvious to the
person addressed as to the speaker that there are two oni
the table ; so litnen shitmiten both are insults (referring to in-
sulting expressions), though shitina would be more logical.
g 3< »s. The adjectives have no dual form, even when us
aubstantrt
§ 309. The plural is used in place of the dual in the voca-
tive, but it may be followed for tin- sake of emphasis by itnen,
:.- ya wilad litnen you two boys.
g 310. The numeral itnen is often added pleonastically after
a noun in the dual, to insure the hearer's intention, as hat li
kursiyen itnen bring me two chain, il kitabSn litnen (!>•
books — both of them ; or it may precede a noun in the plural, as
itnen beb " is; itnen Mehammadat ; litnen khcl we litnen
siyas ; litnen riggala, ikhwa, dec. In both cases the second
word is in apposition to the first — a fact which becomes particu-
larly clear when both of them take the definite article, or the
first a pronominal suffix ami the second the article, as Litnen il
haramiya ddl, kitabati ddl Litnen.
I. Similarly, raglen, skaklw'n, t -.and
similar words, may precede a plural noun limiting their -
li shakhsen 'umad two persott A
here laid on the fact that they were omdas, which
would not be the case if we said ;_ r a li 'umditen.
312. The following words are used in the singular preceded
by itm'-u : —
te which have no dual or plural Forms, as itnen
kanu ' two carts; itnen riglu two kicks (at a game resembling
rounders); itnen daqqu, ainnu, kahku (other terms used at that
game); itnen bulls two \ ■>.'•
Mi -• foreign pieces of money and a few other foreign
words, as itnen malln, ifrank, rival, gineh, tu\
dollars, pounds; itneu malyun two millions.
Kk.makk. — Malinen, riyalen, and malyunen are also in use,
and qersh bakes the dual form.
1 '.'' i karru is also in common use.
- [tnen nib t, btra, Lilian. ,vr., will be beard I rants.
Itnen bulls, is elliptic for raglen (or oafaren) betu' il bulls,
240 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
(c) Proper names occasionally, as fill itnen 'abdurrahman
t/iere are two Abdurrahmans.
Remark a. — The nuances resulting from the various con-
structions ma)' be illustrated by the following examples : —
Fih Mehanimaden there are two M.'s; fill Mehammaden itn§n
there are two M.s; fih itnen Mekammad there are two men of
the name of M. : fih itnen Mehammaden there are two men both
Mohammeds ; fih itnen Mehammadat there are two — more than
one M.; fih Mehammadat itnen there is mure than one M., there
are two.
Remark b. — The singular- is very rarely used with itnen m
other than the above cases. 1
Remark c. — Hasanen is used Eor Hasan and Hisen, the two
sons of Ali, cousin of the Prophet. Among the fellaheen indi-
viduals are often named by the dual, as Mehammaden, 'auwaden,
itc. (§ 75, note).
§ 313. Twice is expressed by the word tai| with the definite
article followed by itnen, as huwa tawil 'annak it taq itnen '
twice your size ; both by litnen or da wi da (or da w dih, often pro-
nounced daudih), fern, di wi di (or di u di) ; double by the indeclin-
able - adjective migwiz ; a pair by the word g6z, which, like fard,
is sometimes used alone, the objects to which it refers being
understood, as g6z kind a pair of horses : kan ti Mu gos, i.e. a
brace of pistols ; d husan da yidrab bi 1 guz kicks with both it.<
legs, bucks.
§ 311. The idea of two easily passes into that of a small
number, and such expressions as the following are of common
occurrence : ana 'auzak ti kilmit6n / haw a word or two to toy
to you .- iildi lu qershen, nussen, give htm a piastre or tw<>, -
email money; il qersh€n betu'l my little fortune ; isbur ahuwaiyiten
wait a couple of seconds; 'add! khatwit' u min hina wi Uaqi 1 l» t.
quddamak you have only to go two steps from, lure and you'll find
tlie house in front of you.
1 M.i'hii itnen (tor ma'niten) two mea ii sometimi • L
The expression kurbag bi itnen lisftn, quoted bj Bpitta, might be
used carelessly even b) a native, but a should not be imitated*
J But Bee 3 o'_' , i, note.
THE ADJECTIVE 241
THE ADJECTIVE
§ 315. It has been seen in the accidence that attributive
adjectives are regularly placed after their substantives, the
article being repeated when the latter are definite, as naggar
shatir a clecer carpenter, in naggar ish shatir the clever carpenter,
but in naggar shatir the carpenter (is) clever.
§ 316. The adjective, whether attributive or predicate, agrees
as a general rule in gender and number with its substantive,
as walad taiyib ; ir ragil taiyib ; il mara taiyiba ; ir riggala, in
niswan, taiyibin.
§ 317. As adjectives and participles have no dual form, they
must be placed in the plural when qualifying dual substantives, as
ir ragKn taiyibin ; il hagten ruafhumin both things are intelligible.
§ 318. An adjective qualifying a plural substantive is, how-
ever, very frequently put in the feminine singular, especially
when the plural is a broken one or ends in at, as il kkcl il battala
il kibira ; widanu tawila his ears ar<' long; lulus qulaiyila little
money; il kilab ish sha'rana tJie mad days; nas iktiyariya old
people ; il kitabat il qadima ; is sagarat 'alya the trt es are high ; ir
riggala mitrattiba 'ala sfuf the men are arranged in rows; in
naggarin il mistakhdima 'audi the carpenters employed at my
house; ish shawishiya il bass&sin is siniysk the secret police con-
stables, spies : is salatat it talyaniya Italian salads; il mahabis il 1 i
mahbusa mi'u the prisoners imprisoned with him; in niswan it
tawila the tall women; il 'askar is sudaniya tfa Soudanese troops;
dol (referring to a plural substantive) fransawiya tiirse are Fnau'li.
Remark. — In nearly all of the above examples the adj<
might also be put in the plural, and we might, say is gagarat
'alvin, khrl kubar, widanu tuwal, &c, and generally would say
in naggarin miatakhduntn, il mahabis illi mahbusin mi'ah. The
only rules that can be laid down for the learner's guidance are
the following : —
(a) Perfect plurals, especially those in ///.and plural substan-
tives denoting human beings, usually have their adjective in the
plural.
(/>) Broken plurals, unless they denote human beings, usually
hat 8 t heir adjective in the feminine singular.
Adjectives ending in i rarely agree in number with a
plural substantive, unless it ends in in.
It follows thai kitabat kubar La more usual than kitab&l
tu, and kutub kebira more usual than kutufa kubar, and thai
we should say aiswan kubar gumal (oi gamalat) in preference to
niswan kibira eamila.
242 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
§ 319. A noun in the dual occasionally has its adjective in
the feminine singular, and this even (especially if the adjective
ends in i) when expressing an animate object, as 'ench sughaiyara,
humra, mewalla'a his eyes are small, red, darting fire ; binten,
raglen, talyanfya two Italian girls, men ; ir raglen il mistakhdima
'andi, il hagten mafhuma (better mestakhdimin, mafhumin).
§ 320. Although the cardinal numerals above ten are followed
by a substantive in the singular, yet the adjective qualifying the
substantive will be in the plural (or feminine singular), as
arbahtashar ragil taiyibin (or taiyiba) fourteen good men : 'ishrin
'ilba BUghaiyara (or sughaiyarln) twenty small boxes ; mit maqtaf
malyana (or malyanin) a hundred full baskets. Similarly with
the word kam, as kan fih kam darwish rnaqtulin (or maqtula)?
//'///• man y dervishes were there killed? il kam darwtsh il harbin
the few dervishes that got away. But where the substantive is
(or might be) in the singular in any case, the adjective may agree
with it, as itnashar gineh masri mitqaddim twelve Egyptian
pounds paid in advance, for we might also say 'ashara gini h.
§321. Nouns of multitude are generally qualified by adjectives
in the plural, as il gama'a del za'lamn minni t! Ifl are
angry with me; giritna 1 (for giranna) wiskhin (or wiskha) u* have
dirty neighbours. So also are the words shuwaiya and habba a
small quantity (lit. a grain), as ish shuwaiyit it tibne d&l lazmin?
are these few bits of si ran- wanted I il habbit ir radda il 1 i maugudtn
'andak the little bran you have in your house; but the adjective
sometimes agrees, as hat shuwaiyit, habbit, moiya ndlfa bring a
drop of clean water.
§ 322. Collective nouns, on the contrary, are used with a
singular adjective, except in some cases when they denote a
number of human beings, as il ghanam, il baqar, il kuwaiyisa ;
il waraq il abyad ; il ghafar (but better il ghufara) il battalia ddl
• /■/ watchnu a.
Remabk.— Adjectives ending in i very frequently remain
unchanged whether the substantive be in the fenunine singular
or in the plural. This lb particularly the case: —
(a) When the adjective is so closely connected with its sub-
stantive 1 1 1 .- 1 1 the stress is laid on one as much as on I
the two almosl forming one word.
(A) Where the adjective ■•• the material of which the
subject is made, or tie- country of its origin, or a class of |
or t bines to which it belongs.
1 Ti r - ntouragx T I jeotive is In sonoord
th" idea.
THE ADJECTIVE 243
('•) When the adjective is a foreign word.
('/) When it may be translated by an adverb.
(e) When the substantive is indefinite.
E.g. battikha sefi (rarely sefiya) a summer melon (i.e. one of a
summer crop); sikka 'umfinri a public road, thoroughfare; 'asakir,
gazma, sawari car airy, riding boots; il badla 1 mulki the civil
costume; aide sharaqi (rarely sharaqi ya) dried (unflooded) land ;
lii.tsamir qabaqibi tin tacks, small nails ; qahawi sahhari coffee-
houses, taverns, kept open all night ; is sikka t tauwali the straight
road ; sikka sultani high-road ; 'atf a naffadi a lane with an out-
let ; 'arabiya mallaki private carriage ; binaya bughdadli l lath
and plaster building ; 'umla barrani (occasionally barraniya) bad
y ; lahma dani, baqari mutton, beef ; saniya stambuli
(istambuli) a tray from Constantinople ; ishun, itbaq, sini china
dishes, plates ; fulu.s 'arabi Arab money ; arghifa baladi, 'arabi
native, Arab, loaves ; dura shami Syrian maize; itnen gineh masri
L. E. 2 ; natiga 'arabi, an Arab almanack ; il hinna 1 wahhabi
Wahhaby henna ; kilma si'idi a, word used in Upper Egypt ; iz zawat
il 'usmalli Turkish grandees; riggala hindi Indians ; bunduqiya
fall ah i a gun such as the peasants use; gazma, qumsan, harimi
teamen's shoes, shifts; bidum riggali men's clothes ; gallairtya hariri,
ghazli a si//;, spun silk, gown; hagat, isnaf, werdinaii ordinary,
second-class articles ; bunduqiya miri 2 gun supplied by the Govern-
ment; sakran sakra inglizi ; laqet il Gda foqani tahtani I found the
room upside down; kilma sirri a secret, private, word; it It
bi h&ga khafifi / felt a slight sensation ; ban! Adam khiyali, ma
yighlibush* ilia 1 mot 4 the sons of Adam are inventive, nothing but
death overcomes them.
IiEMahk. — The adjective remains unchanged even when the
substantive is not expressed, as ir rumi ddl malu 1 balad kulliha
these foreign {dogs, just spoken of) have filed ll'- whole town.
§ 323. When the adjective does not fall under one of the
above heads it will generally agree with tin- substantive, ami
this may also happen, when, although it belongs to one of the
• ■heads, great stress is laid on it, or, at least, greater stress
1 Bat mare bughdadliya a woman from Bagdad.
- From Arabic amir, borrowed by the Turks and returned to
the language in its truncated form.
»te thai the singular verbal suffix is h< re used, bani Adam
being regarded as a collective BaaoJ is used in a fe* expres-
sions for banu, the Literary construe! plur. of ibn.
4 The last three examples do not fall under any of the above
heads.
244 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
than on the substantive, and consequently when it is a predicate.
Further, adjectives ending in dnl and those which are derived
from adverbs or prepositions, as quddami front, invariably
agree ; and lastly, adjectives denoting nationalities agree with
a feminine substantive denoting an animate object. 1 E.g. ir
ragil kan sakran sakra ingliziya kttr qawi ; il kilma kanit
sirriya ; is sikka di 'umumiya? is this a thoroughfare ? iftah ish
shababik il fuqaniya (or il foqaniyin) open the (op windows; il
husan biya'rag bi riglu 1 quddamiya, 1 waranlya the horse is tan"
in the fore, hind, leg ; il kilma lakhraniya the last word; in nas il
fulaniya such and such people; il 'askar is sudaniya the Soudanese
troops; in nas il fransawtya wi t talyaniya French and Italian
people; wahda ingliziya an English woman.
§324. Adjectives denoting nationalitiea always end in i,
but in place of them the collective noun is used in many cir-
cumstances. The following examples are gives for the learner's
guidance, as more depends on custom than logic or anal _
hu<;'in turki ; mara, faras, turkiya : ragil turk, turki (or turkawi) ;
khel turki (or turk) ; nas turk ; bashaw&t turk (or turki) ; ir ragil
da turk; husan inglizi ; khel inglizi (more rarely kind, hamlr,
ingliz, and occasionally khel, ifec, ingliziya); khiyul ingliziya;
mara ingliziya; nas, nisw.m ingliz; ragil ifrang a European;
miluk ifrang; khel ifrang; mara, faras, ifrangiya ; hus&n 'agami
a Persian horse; khel 'agami (or 'again); mara 'agamiya, nas
'agam ; ir ragij da 'agami ; ragil, husan, sharkasi a Oircassi
Circassian horse; mara, faras, sharkasiya; nas sharaksa; khel
sharkas (or sharaksa); khiyul sharkasiya (or aharakf
hind] (rarelj hind) an Indian; riggala, bashawat, hind (rarer
hindi); marahindlya; nisw.m hindiya (or hind); ragil 'arab (or
'arabi); Lbne 'arab; mara arabiya : nas, niswan, 'arab (or c url
kilal) 'arab; ragil badawl a Bedouin; riggala, uisw&n, bidw;
mara badawiya; huaan magar a Hungarian h
kind magar; 9 r&gil arna'ut (or aina'iiti) an Albanian; I
mara. aina-iitiya, kh'd ariai'iit (or arna'ut 1 1 ; khivd aina'.'
h'is arant.a; ragil uimsawi an Austria mara,
1 I ; 1 1 t we Baj farkha ruml ,. Where the
substantive is a broken plural it. will sometimes remain un-
changed, as in i/. /.aw.'it il 'usinalh aboVi . ' il 'usmalUya
may also be used, and should be where there La the least
empl i"i instance, it' a distinction were being made
between Arabs and Tin ks.
: The adjective form is rarely used. We might saydawahid
magart, but magar would be mor<
THE ADJECTIVE 245
faras, nimsawiya ; nas nimsawiya ; in nils d61 nimsawi ; naggarin
nimsawiya ; x ragil, husdn, talyani ; niara talyaniya ; riggala, nas,
talyaniya; ragil malakan (or malakani) an American : nas malakan
(or malakaniya); ragil, husan, rumi a Greek, Greek horse : mara
rumiya ; nas rumiya (or irwam) ; ragil igrigi a Greek; mara
g _• ya (or grigi) ; nas igrig (or igrtgt) ; shilikht Bohemians;
ragil shilikht (or shilikhti) ; mara shlikhtiya.
325. Ketir much is generally unchanged, but the plural
kutar is sometimes heard, especially when animate objects are
spoken of, as nas kutar many people, the feminine ketira rarely ;
we may say kal lu 'iyal ketir, kutar, or ketira, but the fi;
the most usual. Kutar implies a greater number than ketir.
§ 32G. The following also usually remain unchanged, especially
when the substantive is indefinite : —
ag-har day-blind qahir had, abandoned
qalil, qulaiyil little
midrig marriageable
migwiz double 2
uiufrid single
baligh marriageable
darig current
ha mil pregnant
salim sound
'agfiz old
E.g. naa qulaiyil (occasionally qulaiyila or qulaiyilin) ; mara
'aguz, but il mara 1 'agfiza di; binte baligh (rarely balgha);
tili'na salim (occasionally sulam or salmin) we came out safe and
neh ag-har (also guhr) ; il haga di qalil this is a little
thing (more correct than qalila) ; mara qahir (rarely qalira) ;
kilma darig (less usually darga) a word in common use, but il
lugha d darga the colloquial language.
In the expression leltak sa'tda the a is often barely audible.
7. Wahid may be used in the masculine in the expres-
sions is sa'a wahid it is one o'clock, nimra wahid number one,
'ishrin, talatin, <vc. ilia wahid save one, although the objects
referred to are feminine, as 'umri khamsin ilia wahid /
thirty savt one. In other cases it should agree with its sub-
stantive whether used as a numeral or the indefinite article. 8
-. An adjective or participle often remains unchanged
when it is used in a neater sense, agreeing rather with the idea
conveyed by the whole sentence than with the substantive -which
1 The plurals niins.'iu i\ in, talyaniyin, are not frequently used,
ingliziyin, rumiyin, 6c., are never heard.
But binte migwiza a marriageable girl.
3 Occasionally even a native will say carelessly wahid bint,
wahid lamda, A*c, but such expressions are not to be imitated.
246 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
it should qualify, or when it is used adverbially, as talata taiyib
(or taiyibin) three's all rigid, il balad illi nta rayihha tekun mis-
tab'ad (or bi'id) 'alek, i.e. it will be too far for you to go to the
village you are making for (but il masafa bi'ida) ; itfaddali rain
gher matrud, i.e. make yourself at ease without fear of being sent
away ; khadte haga mityassar kede / got something which put
me in easy circumstances, but haga mityassara a comfort-
able sum ; ruh fil mauqaf we naqqi li 'arabiya ahsan il maugud
go to the stand and choose me a carriage — the best of everything
there; 'andak mazbut 1 ( = is sa'a 1 mazbuta) ? have you the right
time? qal luhum mabruk he congratulated them ; til'u mbahhar (or
mbahharin) tJiey went away toward* the north ; qulti lha hati li
kursi ; qalit li taiyib hadir I said to her, Bring me a chair, and she
replied, All right, lit. (/ am) ready; mishyu mqabbil they went
south; ishtaruthum rikhta (or rukhas) / bought them chap ; hattiha
wati (= hatte nafsu watya) he behaved modestly ; misht ma fish
maugdd wala furash ma fish maugud there is neither a comb nor
brushes.
§ 329. Beta' will often be used in the masculine singular
(with a feminine or plural substantive, a) when it means for tlv
use 'f, in which case the two substantives which it connects will
(especially if the second is indefinite) form a compound in English,
as hat il lamda beta' is gala bring the drawing-room lamp; il haga
di beta '(or beta'it) hina ; it tahuna beta' bunn " a coffee-mill ; and
6, occasionally when the first is indefinite, as kitabat beta' abuya
books of my fatlr r.
Remark. — The masculine will sometimes be heard irregularly
in other cases, but this is an error equivalent to the use of the
masculine of the French past participle with a relative pronoun
referring in the oblique case to a feminine substantive, which
may pass in a Frenchman, but in a Foreigner would be attri-
buted to ignorance. This construction will possibly become more
Common in a later development of the language.
330. Lastly, when an adjective precedes its suhstantive,
whether as an attributive or b predicate, it generally undei
no change, a - auw il, bant, talit, 1 la ; 3 garni] il lamda I fine la>
fadil khamastashar y6m there are still remaining fifteen â– â–
kan maugdd oas ketfr there wen present many p< j 'â– ; kettrmam
many a time : kan marsum 6 'aleh rig] ins&n (hen woe delim
1 They also saj 'andak /ah' I - < >r beta' il bunn.
3 S :;;,;; - 4 & -I s -
(''imp. the uso of indue in Fr. and BUch phi..
cetti
THE ADJECTIVE 247
thereon a maris foot ; il waraqa di marsum f iha 1 ginena there is a
plan of the garden on this paper; lazmak haga? do you tcant any-
thing 1 il marhum * wakliti my departed mother ; iza kan maugud
'anduhuru haga if they had anything with them; fib naqis wahda,
but fib wahda naqsa there is one (f.) missing; kan beyin 'alehum
'alamat there were, marks apparent on them; ya 'aziz rasak (as an im-
precation) ; mabruk (or mubarak) 'alek il wazifa congratulations
on your {new) post ; kuwaiyis (or kuwaiyisa) minnu 1 manra di it
was jine of him to show such humanity (such humanity was fine on
his part).
Remark a. — We say lazimni haga i" want something, musb
lazimbum 'arabiya, >kc. ; but generally lazima haga, musb lazima
'arabiya, <tc.
Remark b. — Where the participle precedes its substantive,
and is accompanied by the definite article, taking the place of
the relative pronoun, it should be in concord, as il bet illi sakna
fib ukbti the house in which my sister resides.
Remark c. — The participle bayin (beyin) is sometimes used
adverbially and impersonally, and at otbers personally, and is
in the latter case in concord with the substantive,- as inta beyin
'aiyan (or inta 'aiyan beyin) you are seemingly ill, you are ill
apparently ; inti beyin 'aleki khassa (or beyina 'aleki khassa) you
appear to be getting thin; so beyin 'alehum 'aiyanin (or beyinin
•aiyanin), d:c. ; is sa'a 'ashara beyin it is ten o'clock, it â– <â–
Remark </. — The word rakhar, or less frequently lakhar (for
il akhar), may often be translated by also, but it always a.
with the noun or pronoun to which it refers, as hiya rukhra she
also ; intu gayin rukhrin? are you coming too / 3
§ 331. An adjective or participle may be used as a sub-
stantive, as it tawd yetul the tall can reach ; il hadrin those who
art (wert )prt sent ; il maulud gidid the new born ; il miri the gov
ment ; darab fi 1 'ah lie fired high above; mityassar balah a few
dates; il kibir betahhum their chief; kubar in nas the gnat (of
tin ) people, the grandees; il ma'lum the thing known, understood;
mi'ah maugud, mityassar lie ha* got means; meqauwara a .<>-oop ;
it tibbiya the doctors (for il hukuma t tibbiya); falatiya badchar-
aeters ; mashrubat things drunk, beverages; il b;iqi the remain
maktub a letter; il battal the evil; il wahid the one, Sue.
332. An adjective is not uncommonly used in this waj
with the preposition min following and separating it from t In â–
1 But also marhuma.
2 (Jump, the use of 6>/Aos and tftavtpos in ancient Greek.
3 Comp. vow autri i and vosotros ( = you).
248 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
substantive, so that we have two substantives, one of them in
the position of a partitive genitive, instead of the adjective
in concord with its substantive, as il wiskhin min in nas dirty
people; ish shuttar min il khaiyatin clever tailors ; ketir min in
niswan yi'milu kede many women do so.
§ 333. An adjective qualifying two or more substantives may,
as in English, be repeated with each or placed in the plural, as
ir ragil it taiyib wi 1 walad it taiyib gum or ir ragil wi 1 walad
it taiyibln gum the good man and the good bog, or the yood j/ian and
boy, have come; ir ragil il battal wi 1 mara 1 battala (or Lp ragil wi
1 mara 1 battalin) ; similarly, ir ragil taiyib wi 1 walad taiyib (or
ir ragil wi 1 walad taiyibln) the man is good and the boy if good, or
the man and boy are good, &c.
§ 334. When, on the contrary, one substantive is qualified
by different attributive adjectives, they will be placed after
it without being connected by the copulative conjunction, and
both will take the article when the substantive is definite, as
ragil tawil rufaiya' a tall thin man: hagat ward in. -in rikhisa
common cheap things; il maratOn dul il fuqaral niasakin these two
poor wretched women.
§ 335. The predicate adjective in this case will not I
sarily be connected by the copulative unless their meanings
quite distinct, as in niswan dol fuqara masaktn (or fuqara u
masakin) these women are poor and wretched; il kitabat kil>ira u
samra the boolcs are large and brown.
Remark. — It will have been observed that the copula (or
substantive verb) is not expressed between subject and predi-
cate, at least in affirmative sentences, when the fa 1 has
reference to the immediate or continuous present. Ir •
yekun taiyib means the man will be, or may be, good.
§336. Adjectives, as we have seen, are very frequently
used adverbially, or rather they are turned into adverbs, losing
in most eases their DOWOT of inflection, as huwa "aiyan gidid,
hlya 'aiyana gidid, htunma 'aiyantn gidid
maly&n kitir very, too, full; kibtr qawl very big; il
lius.'in mishi had! the horse went quietly; kan lftbis abyad ht
white ; taiyib ! well, good I auwil ma gfit dirt ctly It i
i'mil da auwil do this first ; auwil inbarih (for il b&rih ) y ■-■?• r In
tanl dovft come again, (fee.; min hina a tali* (or rftyih) â–
forth : sa't'ii la} ill u sa't'"n gfty tiro hours I' I 00 hours
COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES 249
COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES
§ 337. When the adjective does not take the comparative
form (see § 47) it of course agrees in gender and number with
the substantive, as hiya kbira 'anni she is older than I, humma
shuttar 'annak they are cleverer than you.
§ 338. There are two cases apart from the above construction
when the adjective remains in the positive, viz : —
(a) Where it is used absolutely denoting excess, as fatla
di qusaiyara walla tamam ? is this piece of string too short or all
right? mantalonak tawil 'alc'k your trousers are too long for you.
(h) Where the object with which the comparison is made is
understood, as huwa kbir walla nta ? is he the taller or you ? (i.e.
huwa kbir 'annak walla nta kbir 'annu?) : min fiku tawil ? winch of
you is the taller? (i.e. 'an it tani) ; ana 1 kibir fina / am the oldest
of us.
Remark a. — We may also say ana lakbar fina.
Remark b. — Ketir with the definite article has a superlative
sense in the expression bi 1 ketir at most ; bi 1 aktar bears the
same meaning, but may more often be translated generally.
§ 339. The qualitative adjective is denoted by means of
adverbs or adverbial expressions, as ahsan shuwaiya, ketir a
little, much, betti r ; akbar it taq itnen twice as big ; and the quali-
tative superlative by adverbs, or (but much less commonly) by
the repetition of the positive adjective, as kebir ketir very big;
'aiyan qawi very ill; kebir kebir; tikhin tikhin very thick; so
ketir ketir very very, or very much ; shuwaiya shuwaiya very
little. 1 In the expressions auwil b auwil, ahsan bi 1 ahsan (or
il ahsan bi 1 ahsan, or ahsan bi ahsan) first of all, best of all, the
preposition bi intervenes. 2 The adverb more is expressed by
ziyada, as beyishrab ziyada minnak (or 'annak) he drinks more
than you ; kulle yom ziyada more and more every day. He gets
thinner, fattt r, fyc, every day may be translated by kulle malu
bikhiss, beyisman, &c.
§ 340. When an object is represented as being the most
prominent of a whole class, the noun denoting the class stands
in the relation of a genitive to the superlative, as huwa ahsan
in uas he is the best of men ; hiya al'an in niswan she is the must
accursed of women.
Hi \!\kk a. — The construction is the same if the class is
1 We say also shuwaiya sugaiyara, shuwaiya kbfra.
2 The expression auwil (or biringt) wfthid A 1 may be noted
here.
250 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
referred to definitely, as huwa ahsan il wilad dul he is the best of
these boys.
Remark b. — The word kebir often remains in the positive
in this connection, as kebir in mis; kebirit (kebirt) in niswan ; ir
ragil da min kubar ish shuqily this man is one of the greatest of
lis. 1 Taiyib has a comparative sense in the expression huwa.
taiyil) he is better (in health). 3
!. The same notion may also be expressed by an abso-
lute superlative followed immediately by the noun it qualifies,
neither of them taking the article, as atwal walad dih the t
boy (of them) is litis one; ahsan 'esh ( andak(or ahsan 'esh ill £
'andak, or ahsan ma fi 1 '§sh illi 'andak) the best bread you l>
ma qalshe adna haga he didn't say the least thing : luya fi ahsan
sihha she is in the best of health.
§ 342. There is sometimes a confusion between the two
degrees of comparison, the superlative being employed to com-
pare an object to a class to which it dors not belong, as huwa
ahsan ikhwatu, ashqa khwatu he is the best, the most rascally, of
his brothers, i.e. If is better, more rascally, even titan his bra
(for ahsan min, shaqi "an, ikhwatu). ; We may also Bay huwa
ahsan, ashqa ma ii kwatu.
3. The pronominal suffix ha is sometimes attached to
the superlative when followed immediately by a substantia
huwa akbarha rfigil If is tht greatest ofnu n ,â– ad nana, aqalliha kilma
mill i (julti lak the least word of those whicli la .
II. Comparison may be denoted by a verb followed by
the preposition 'an, aa huwa yitkallim 'arabi 'annak
Arabic UetU r titan you : l>.ol<l:u- 'an il 'fida he was < arW r than hi
istakhfif nai'su -an wahid he pretended, considered, thai
more alert than so ' sftd 'annl ii ah shags'a If , ; .
courage Hunt J.
1 Huwa min il kubar ish ahuqay ia also said, but ti;
structioii is a mixed one. Other adjeetu
in thf same way, as tawil il maugudtn tht
of a .a, and we may, of oourse, aaj i{ t.r-wl min il
Borrowed, perhaps, Erom tie- l'urk i-i (nol Jaha
iyidir).
I omp. tin- Greek idiom, imitated by Biiltoo in " I
of ber Daughters, l and Pliny'a (homo) "011111111111 non
solum bipedum sed etiam quadruped um Bpurcatissimus."
Che construction is partioularlj common with the rtrbsof
tie- tenth derii ed form.
THE NUMERALS 251
§ 345. Adverbs may be objects of comparison, as hina ahsan
min-henak it i.< better here than there ; or one of the objects may
be an idea denoted by a verbal sentence, as huwa ahsan mini ma
(min ma) kan 'amnauwil (or elliptically nin 'amnauwil) hi ie
better than he was last year (than last year); hiya rufaiya'a mim
ma kanit she is thinner than she was ; huwa ahsan mimma kan
he is bitter than ever he was.
§ 34G. Better than that (with a verb following) is expressed by
ahsan min inn (or mim ma) or, with an ellipse of the min, ahsan
ma, as da ahsan min innina nruh 'andu that is better than that
hould ;/o to his house; il mot ahsan mimma n'ish kede death
is better titan that we should live thus ; ahsan ma nmut bi 1 gu'
â– than that, that we die of hunger. In rendering the ex-
pression better to — than to we may employ the aorist without a
conjunction in the first alternative, as ahsan nidrab mim ma
nindirib (or ahsan il wahid yidrab mim ma yindirib), or, when
possible, the verbal noun, as is often the case in English. The
latter construction is the more idiomatic of the two.
§ 347. Ahsan, or, with the article, il ahsan, is used absolutely
in the sense of it were better, best, no alternative or alternatives
being mentioned, as il ahsan tequl lu 1 haqq it were better that
you tell him the truth ; ahsan tigina inta you hadbettt reome to ue.
It may also stand alone adverbially, the verb being supplied
from what has gone before, and may be qualified redundantly
by ziyada, as ana hatkallim waiyah ahsan, ahsan ziyada / will
with him, that will be beet- much better.
§ 348. Akbar stands as an absolute superlative without the
article in the expression Allah akbar God is greatest, i.e. most
great.
THE NUMERALS
§ 349. It has already been noticed (§ 97, Rem. c) that the
cardinal numbers above ten tike their substantive in the sin-
gular. 1 The word nas forms an exception to this rule, as arbe'in
.ison probably being that it has no sin-
gular of its own; Lut it is more correct to say arb.'-'in nat'as (or
i
i I. The word s&'a in the sense of o'clock precedes the
numeral, which is always the cardinal) and remains in th>< sin-
gula!, u tigi b a "a (or ti a B&'a) 'ashara.
1 Including, of course, collectives, so that we say ihdaahar
burtuqana, not burtuquu.
252 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
Remark. — Ras, meaning a head of cattle, and foreign pieces of
money, are generally left in the singular with a cardinal under
eleven, as arba' (or arba'a) ras (less usually than rus) ghanam
four head of sheep, talata frank, sitte gineh. Malyiin million is
used in the same way.
§ 351. The cardinals retain the forms talata, arba'a, &c,
when followed by a noun in the singular, as talata gineh, bintu,
ifcc., as has been said (§ 93), but talata riggala, ginebat, <fcc, will
sometimes be heard; so also occasionally when the noun is
definite, as it talata khaddamin, il arba'a ghrush 1 d61 these three
piastres ; kan fill wahda mi'aha talat banat, wi t talata 1 tanat dol. . . .
§ 352. The cardinals as a rule precede the noun whether
definite or indefinite, but frequently follow it when it is definite,
and occasionally when it is indefinite, for the purpose of em-
phasis, as it talat kitabat (or il kitabat it talata) ; hat li kitahat
talata (for talat kitabat) bring me thre-i books.
§ 353. The ordinal may either precede or follow the noun;
in the former case neither will take the article, but in the latter
the article will be placed before both in accordance with the
rules, as talit n6ba di (or in n6ba t talta dl) this third time. The
noun will generally be in the plural, when preceding the cardinal,
though the number be over ten, but with the higher numbers
the singular is sometimes heard, as iddini kitabat talattashar,
kitabat (or kitab) miten u wahid give me thirteen, a hundred ami
one, books. Kitab talattashar would mean book So. 13.
§ 354. When objects are spoken of as being either of one
number or another the disjunctive is not usually expressed,
and if one number is under ten and the other above ten the
noun is generally mentioned twice, first in the plural and then
in the singular, as talatt arba* kitabat; 'ashart inf&r, riggala,
hidashar nafar, three or four books, ten or twelve men, bul 'aahara
tnashar nafar, ifcc, will also be heard.
• . We may expres two, tiro or three, by naming
the object itselt' in the first case in the singular and in the
second in the dual, and placing the numeral which indicates the
higher number immediately after it. as ragil itnen ont or tiro
□ talata lira OT three botth • . OT, in the firsl CaSO, the
objecf may be named in the singular and repeated in the dual,
ui'ra Bufritdn a table or two.
EIehabk. — The insertion of the disjunctive points to the
existence of s Btrong doubt in the mind of the speaker as t<>
• Prom sing, ghersh, a duplicate form of qerah.
THE NUMERALS 253
which i.s the right number, as talata walla (or au) arba'a three,
or it may be four, the last number being the extreme limit.
§ 356. The date of the year and the month is expressed by
means of the cardinal numbers, as sanat tultemiya w arbe'in the
year SJfi ; it talata beta' ish shahr the third of the month ; khamsa
abril 5 April. The word Sana may be omitted, just as nahar or
yom is in the date of the month.
Remark. — Observe that in the date of the month the month
is in apposition to the numeral instead of being a partitive
genitive.
§ 357. The words sa'a hour and 'umr age are often unex-
pressed, as in English, with the numerals, as tigi talata u nuss
you must come at half -past three; hiya zeye arba'a, foq il arbe'in
she is about four, above forty. Gineh may also be understood,
and sagh and ta'rifa may stand tor qershe sagh, qershe ta'rifa, as
'andu malyunen he ha* two millions ; yesawi tamanya sagh, talata
ta'rifa it is north eight tariffs three small, piastres.
§ 358. Twofold, threefold, <.jv., are expressed, as has been seen,
by the word taq with the definite article followed by the car-
dinal numeral, and note that taq always remains in the singular
in this connection.
§ 359. Occasionally a cardinal expressing a round number
is used by itself as a multiplicative adverb; e.g. 13a kalbe
wihish. Wi za kan mrfc wihish, da sabab leinnak tidrabu I Ifs
a loathsome dog. And if it is a hundred times (i.e. ever so) loath-
some, is that a reason why you should beat it / ddl 'ishrin kaddabin
liars ticenty times over ; kattar alfe kherak thank you a thai
times.
§ 360. When several objects and a portion of one of them
are spoken of, the substantive should first be mentioned with the
numeral qualifying it and the fraction follow coupled with it
by the conjunction, as talatt irghifa u nuss (not talatt u nuss
irghifa) three and a half loaves ; knamastashar wiqqa u tilt./,
and a third okes ; qa'ad ala rukba u nuss to kneel on one knee ; bul
we Bometimes hear miyten wi ksur qersh for miyten qersh wi
ksilr, tu-n hundred piastres odd, &c,
361. It is much more usual in Arabic than in English to
indicate a figure slightly under a round number by statin-- the
difference between it and the latter, as 'umri talatin ilia tnen,
wahid / am thirty less two, save one, year; is sa'a 'ashara u ausg
ilia khamsa l'j-25.
254 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
THE PRONOUN
§ 3G2. The personal pronouns are not usually expressed
with the verb unless they are emphatic or then- omission would
cause ambiguity, 1 as gena mbarih tee came yesterday; ihna g@na
mbarih we humma safru nnaharda we came yesterday and they
left to-day.
§ 363. When the pronouns of the first and second or the
first and thud persons, or the first person and a noun, are
together the subjects of a verb, the verb will be in the first
person plural, as in English, as ana wi nta kunna maugudin
you ami 1 hi* re present : ana we hiya lazim neruh slie and 1
go ; ana wi 1 walad gena sawa the hoy and. I can"' together.
Similarly, when the second and third persons or the second
person and a noun are together the subjects, tin' verb will be in
the second person plural, as inta we huwa darabtu 1 walad ; inti
we gartik betitkhanqu tul in nahsr you and your neighbour are
quarrelling all day louy.
Remark. — Notice that, contrary to the English custom, it is
usual to place the first person before the second and the second
before the third.
i$ 364. The first person plural is very frequently used instead
of the singular, as ihna gayin bukra we are coming to-morrow,
though the speaker alludes to himself only; similarly, when the
pronoun is not expressed, a plural verb or participle may be
employed, as 'auztn neshufak I want to see you. Th<
person plural is also used for politeness, as in many European
languages, hut rarely even by the educated, [nstead of it the
words b&dra and gan&b honour^ with the pronominal suffix of the
second person (making hadritak, ganabak). are often emp]
when equals or superiors are addressed, with the verb in the
•1 person singular, while ha.liitu and ganftbu air us • 1 when
they aii' spoken of.-
>. \ pasha is addressed as sa'adtak, contracted generally
•tik your Beatitudt . Excellency, and spoken idui.
The vocative ya saM il B&sha Lb used by inferiors only.
1 Sueh as might arise from tin- fart of the Br8l and - I
singular of the past tense of the verb l
in form.
The plural Lb badritkfl (kum), ganabku (kum),
Comp. vuestra merced in Spanish, vossa merced In r
guese, ' •■k.
THE PRONOUN 205
§ 366. When, on the other hand, the objects of the verb
consist of different personal pronouns, or of a personal pro-
noun and a noun, they will generally be indicated by a plural
suffix followed by the full pronoun or pronouns and the noun,
as abuya shafna ana (or shafna na) wi nta my father saw (us) me
and you ; il walad darabna (a)na we humma the boy struck me and
thtm ; il 'arbagi illi gabku inta wi 1 efendiyen the driver who
brought you and the two gentlemen ; il bulls misikhum humma wi
n niswan the police seized them and the women.
Remark. — The full form of the pronoun is sometimes
omitted, especially in phrases of a religious character, as Allah
yihfazna wi n nils kulliha God preserve us and everybody.
§ 367. There are two other constructions, however, which
are not unusual, viz. : —
(a) Instead of the plural suffix the singular is used, as
representing the first object, followed by the two full personal
pronouns or the pronoun and noun, as darabu huwa w ana lie
struck him — him and me; gabha hiya wi bniha we bintiha Jte
brought her and her son and daughter. Darabu 1 walad w ana
should not be said, i.e. the pronoun must precede the noun.
(b) The verb may be mentioned twice, first with a pro-
nominal suffix and then with another suffix or a noun, as
darabak we darabnt, misikna we misikhum.
Remark. — These constructions are much more common than
in English, and the latter is often employed where there is no
need to emphasise either the verb or its objects.
§ 368. As a noun or a preposition cannot take more than one
pronominal suffix, they must either be repeated with each, as
baladi u baladak my village and yours, abuk w abuya your father
and mine, ganbu we ganbiha by him and Iter, 'aleki we 'ala bnik
on you (f.) iiml //our sun, katab liya we lik he wrote to you and to
m<>, or a construction maybe used similar to that of the verb
with its objects described above, as 'alena na wi nta on tnt
you, kit&bhum humma we huwa their booh and his, war&ku intu
we huwa behind you and him.
Remark. — The noun may, of course, be replaced by the
live adjective beta* with the suffix, as kitabi wi bta'ak,
but it is more u>ual to repeat the noun.
'. It is not uncommon for the personal pronoun, with
which :i participle or adjective is in concord, to be unexpressed
when there Ban be no doubt as to the identity of the person or
thing referred to, as Bhftyif ir rfigi] ill! waqifS do you set the man
ling (there)t 'auz >\i< what do you want I rayih fen? rayih
mafr when or- you going ' J em going to Cairo ; gay walla mistannl
256 THE SPOKEN AEABIC OF EGYPT
lissa ? are you coming or still xcaiting ? u'a ! mehauwidin look
out I we are coining round (turning up a street); inta hadir?
Hadir are you ready ? I am ready ; shuf t innas dol ? Ewa,
masakin ma lbuni.she bet did you see those people ? Yes, they are
poor houseless people. 1 Tbe use of tbe adjective hadir in reply
to a call or an order is an instance of this figure, tbougb in
sense it can in many instances be hardly distinguished from an
adverb, as Mehammad ! Hadir! Mohammed J Here I am;
iqfil il bab. Hadir ! shut the door. Good (lit. / am ready to do
it). The ellipse takes place with participles much more
frequently than with adjectives.
§ 370. The personal pronoun is often placed before or after
the noun, or other part of speech, to which the corresponding
possessive suffix is appended, without any particular stress being
necessarily laid on it, as inta betak fen? (you) where is your
house ? ana sbughli fi Masr my work is in Cairo ; humma 'adithuni
innihum yigu s sa'a talata their custom is to come at three ; fi bitna
hna in our house ; qulti lu leinnl ana gay 'andu fi 1 bet? did you
tell me that I am coming to him at his house ?
§ 371. Similarly, the full form of the personal pronoun may
be added to the suffixes appended to the verb, as ana bakkallimak
inta / am speaking to you ; ma tidrabnish ana don't etrih
§ 372. The personal pronouns are very commonly placed
pleonastically between the relative il I £ and its predicate,- espe-
cially when there is an ellipse of the copulative verb kai
ir ragil ill £ huwa hina the man who is here ; il kilab il 1 L humma
'addu 1 walad the dog* whicli bit the hog; is sa'a il 1 1 hlya "and
abuya the watch which my father has ; il 'ada illi hiya mauguda
'and il badawln the custom which exists amongst â– uns.
.. 1 1 each of the above examples the personal pronoun
might be omitted, and would be as often us not ; bul where the
relative clause is merelj explicative of a definite autre. -dent
and in apposition to it. the personal pronoun should be inserted,
aa il wil.nl illi humma shabna the boys who are ovrj
Remaek. In the latter case, when tin* predicate is a sub-
stantive, the personal pronoun is sometimes in accord with it
as being the most important word in the sentence, as il moiya
illi huwa sh Bhirse beta* il laban the water that is the whey from
the milk.
i N,> one bul •> foreigner would say ana *au
unless the pronoun were emphatic or another might l>r under
stood it' ii w ei e "inn ted.
A- in I I'-ln .w .
THE SUFFIXES 257
§ 374. Huwa (huwa) and hiya are of course applied to
inanimate as well as to animate objects, so that they will be
translated by he, slie, or it, according as the object is masculine,
feminine, or neuter. The concord of the personal pronouns with
the nouns which they represent is governed by the same rules
as that of the adjective with its substantive, but the feminine
singular hiya can hardly be used with reference to a stron^
plural, thus though we may say in naggarin il mistakhdima hina"
we must refer to the carpenters as humma, not hiya.
§ 375. Huwa is sometimes used impersonally for the demon-
strative da, as huwa mush sahih leinnu darabak ? is it not true
that he struck you ? and may serve as well as its feminine and
plural to introduce a substantive, which then stands in apposition
to it, as huwa r ragil mush gay? isn't the man coming? hiya 1
bint biti'mil eh? what's the girl doing? humma n naggarin
yishtaghalu tul in nahar the carpenters work all day. The de-
monstrative may be added (although the personal pronoun itself
resembles a demonstrative in this usage), as huwa 1 kitab da
beta' mm? whose book is this? or the personal and demonstrative
may stand together without a substantive, as bitqul 'ala min?
Huwa da of whom are you speaking ? 0/ this one ; hiya di illi kanit
betibki? is this the woman who was weeping?
Huwa is used interjectionally to introduce another personal
pronoun, whatever its gender, as huwa ana shuftu? huwa hiya
1 mahkama rah tihkum 'aU'va !
THE SUFFIXES
§ 37G. Tbe suffixes may be appended, as we have seen,
to many conjunctions and adverbs as well as to nouns and
verbs, being nothing but shortened forms of the person., 1
pronouns.
§ 377. When, as not infrequently happens, a word which in
English would take the sign of the genitive is placed before the
governing word, the Later will pick the former up, as it were.
by nnans of the suffix, as ir ragil da bOtu ten? where is this
man'shouse? il wiliya di 1 maaktna shuftekhaJaqitha? this poor
old woman, did you see her rags? il walad da mln khad gazmitu
who has taken this boy's shoes? It is tbe same with a relative
clause when the antecedent is suppressed, as illi kan binabetu
fen? for ten bet (ir ragil) illi kan bin*?
258 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
§ 378. Similarly, when the ohject of a verb precedes it the
suffix must still be appended to the verb, so that the object will
be mentioned twice over, as abuya shuftu ? have you seen my
/(ttlier? (not abuya shuft) ; il khamsa iddithum lu (as to) the Jive
(piastres) I hare given them him.
Remark. — It must not be supposed that this idiom is unusual,
and employed only for the sake of emphasizing the object, as in
English. Jt is on the contrary exceedingly common.
§ 379. "When a relative pronoun is the object of a verb the
suffix will refer to its antecedent, as is sanduq illi gabuh the
box which they brought; il 'arablya illi rikibnaha tlie carriage in
which we drove; il karasl illi kasartuhum tJie chairs which you
broke. The antecedent may, of course, be understood, as illi
'addu t ti'ban yekhaf mint il habl he whom a make has bitten
starts at a rope.
Remark a. — This idiom may lead to confusion, as in ir ragil
illi kan darbu, which may mean the man whom he was striking, ox
the man who was striking him.
Remark &.— When ma is used for illi the suffix is not
sary, and is very rarely employed, as 'ala basab ma qal a
ing tn wlwi he said, and the same is often the case where the
relative and antecedent are both omitted, as ma mi'ish add! lak
/ hare not him/ to give you.
§ 380. Similarly, a preposition when it refers hack to a noun
already mentioned will lake the suffix appropriate to that noun,
as il b§t illi quddamna min sakin fih I who tires in the hous
front of its ? is sagara di f uqha 'asafir ketlr there an many birds
on this tree ; in oiswan Luhum wilad the women hat â– n ; ir
ragil illi 'andu litis the man who has money.
§ 381. In the relative clans.- the genitive of the relative
pronoun (whose) will be translated in Arabic by the nominative
who, while the noun which in English governs the genitive will
take the pronominal suffix, as il basha illi beta ganbim the
se house is mar ours; il maakina di illi flusha naaraqit
this poor woman whose money has been stolen; il kall> illi
ini|ata'it nun 'agalt il "aiahiya the dog whttSC cut off by
il,, wheel of thi carriag< ; il man illi guzha "ahit //
husband is an idiot ; illi riglen (uwal yimshl qawlm a man with
long lays walks quickly ; il qazaj i/. illi ghutyanhum flhum the I
with the corks (or .-■/<'/'/»/■.•.) in them.
!, Beta* here again tnaj take the place of the suffix, the
noun being accompanied by the definite artii l( . udijq illi
1 ghata l.cta'u i.ih tin /»>./• whoSM /"/ '■•>' lost.
It is not necessary thai in immediate! 3 follow the
THE SUFFIXES 2.59
relative ; a verb or other word may intervene, as il bint illi shanaqti
abuha (or, as in § 37s, illi abuha shanaquh) ; il qalam ir rusas illi
nkasar tarfu the pencil the point f which is broken ; in naa illi gum
gamihhum the people all of whom came; il walad illi 1 har&miya
khatafu tarbushu inin rasu we kisu min genu the hoy whose tar-
bush the thieves matched from his head, and whose purse they
snatched from his pocket; il 'aguza illi qata'u subahha bi sikkiii
we rag guzha bi mus the old woman whose finger they rut off with
a hufe,and whose husband's head they cut off with a razor, 1 Si bint
illi kan qa'id abuha ganb ukhtihatoe girl whose father was sitting
by her sister ; il badawi illi kunti fi 1 khema betahtu the Bedawy in
whose tent you (f.) were ; il b&sha illi khadt il ward min ginintu' the
pasha from whose garden you took the flowers; ir ragil illi ma lush
fulus ma lush ishab he that has no money has no friends; lefendi
illi 1 guhannamiya bithimme 'ala 1 balakun beta«*betu the gentle-
man along the balcony of whose house the bougainvUlia climbs.
§ 3^4. The preposition takes the suffix where in English it
would govern the relative, and this even when the relative is
omitted, 2 asil bet illi kunte fih the house in which I was; il
walad OH khatafu minnu 1 fulus the hoy from whom they snatched
the money; il ydm illi safirna fih the day on which we started ; il
hft dli yehimme 'al<!h ish shibrefayit 8 the wall on which theh
suckle climbs; il 'ibara illi qulti lak 'aleba the matter about which
J spoke to you ; illi ma lush fulus ma lush ishab ; shufna balad kull
m nas fiha niswun we saw a cillagein (i.e. of) which all the p
xcere women.
I:i:.m akk a.— We cannot say il bet, is sanduq, fen shuftu the
home, * >"' box, where (for in which) I saw it.
Remabk b.— The preposition with its suffix will be omitted
when the relative is ma, and occasionally when no relatii
expressed, as waddSh matrah ma gibtu take it to the place you
brought it {from); dabbaru fcadblr yesimmuh they devised a plan
i ;/ which they might poison him.
§385. A i.nun precedcl bya numeral may take the suffix, as
ir lalata. khadd&ninak your three servants; tan! Sdak your other
hand; but it is more usual in this case to employ beta*, or to
place the numeral after the substantive.
% 386, The suffix of the 3rd person feminine maj refer, like
1 Compare the conciseness of the Arabicwith the clumsii
oftheEnglirti in these two phrases. The words khatafu and
' '"' n-prat.-.l i„ the second part of tl,
- the ease when the nous is indefinite. (See B 130 )
3 Chcvrefeutlir. v 5 '
260 THE SPOKEN" ARABIC OF EGYPT
the full form hiya, to a plural object, and even (though un-
usually) to a perfect plural denoting men, as il ashyat ill! gib-
tiha the things I brought; in nas kulliha all the people ; il mis-
bakhdimin kulliha all the employee. It may refer also to a
number of objects previously mentioned, whether singulars or
plurals, masculines or feminines, as farragh il barmil \vi s sanduq
wi 1 kull, u waddiha guwa 1 makhzan empty tlie barrel and tlte
box and everything (â– he), and take Ho m inside Hie cellar.
§ 387. It is used in a neuter sense, the reference being to a
whole sentence or an idea previously expressed or understood.
It occurs frequently in the expressions ydmha, naharha (or
nahariha), sa'itha, and is then equivalent to tlie demonstrative
pronoun thai, i.e. tlie day, lunir, <.»••., of that event, or the day of
which ice were speaking; e.g. kunna ydmha li 1 haram
at the Pyramid* mi that day; kunte mashghul sa'itha / was busy
at the time ; kunna salnanin lelitha m were sitting up that night ;
waqtiha gih wahid (alabni at that moment tome one camt
asked for me; asliha kan gamma! he was originally a aamel-drivt r ;
ma'naha thai is to say; il fallahln ma yi'iddush leinniha
lainma yiqla'u quddam in nas the fellaheen don't account U at
improper thing to disrobe in public ; yibqa fiha farag Lamma
there null be time to think about it before he comes (lit. ///- re is a
respite, interval, in if); fatihna 'al baharl 1 riding the high i
hatithii wati lowering one's tone, humbling oneself; Allah gabha
sallm God ha* made it to tam <>ut well; add Hi oakirha ana U
just what I d, ny.
§388. Lastly, ha may Ins appended to the superlative, giving
it a semi-absolute sense, as akbarha ragil thr greatest of
kan Labis (pron. kal Labis) andafha qamle he had an th
of shirts.*
§ 38'J. Tin- masculine Bollix is used in the same waj
the prepositions 'ala ami fi in the expressions ma 'alehal
nothing on it, i.e. it doesn't matter; fib and ma Shah (often >-,>i
rupted t.i fi .nid ii a i tsh) ti Locidenoe,
.^ 117, lis); and m a few other words, as aslu originally i li
waqtu ''/ thai iio>m> nt ; aqallu (or aqalliha) oi least . oinaytu (
ya Hi - simply nih&jBk) finally . bardu (or bardih •
-/.•• '• , ma yigtah minnu no advantage will •
'alekshe minnu >i" harm nil corns I
ri'il Id. in in. i rdlsh yiwarrlh he got angry, hut didn'i
ihow il : ill! aftakaru ana . . . my idea i* that
â– i, The pronominal Buffixea
1 Lit â– i ning it to the math.
THE POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS 261
appended to adjectives, and then only of course when they are
used as substantives, as ya 'aztzi my dear.
§ 391. The possessive particles must be suffixed to the sub-
stantive when followed by an adjective or another substantive
in apposition, not to the adjective, so that we must say kitabak
il kuwaiyis, not kitab kuwaiyisak. The only exception, perhaps.
to this rule is the occasional use of the suffix with kull in a few
expressions, as il 'umre kullak nil your life (for 'urarak kullu).
§ 392. The possessive is curiously used for the demonstrative
in the expressions fi yomi, nahari, sanati, etc., as ana fi sanati
ma ruhtish 1 haven't been this year ; inta fi naharak ma shuftush ?
htven't you seen him all (your) day ?
THE POSSESSIVE PPOXOUXS
§ 393. It has been seen that Arabic h;is no distinct possessive
pronouns, their place being supplied bv the suffixes or the word
beta' ($ 121). (See also § 261.)
§ 394. The secondary possessives mine, his, as well as the double
possessive forms hers, ours, yours, theirs, are usually expressed
bv beta' with the suffixes, but sometimes the noun expressing
tin- object possessed is repeated instead, as il kitab da kitabi
this book is my book; il fulus d61 fulusak walla flusl?(for betu'ak
walla betu'i) is fins money yours or mine? A book of trn
expressed by kitab l£ya, or kitab min kitabati,
kitdbatak, <fcc, or kitab min betu'i, <fec. (sec also § 438), or,
idiomatically, wahid min kit&b&ti, &c.
§ 395. When the noun denotes a living object we may use
the indefinite article, and merely append the suffix to the noun.
as wahid sahbi a friend of mine.
Remark. — When the demonstrative is used with the noun,
the possessive is expressed by a relative clause, as is sufra dl
illi (hlya) betahtak this table of yours.
§ 396. The possessive is sometimes expressed by the definite
article when the noun is preceded by the preposition li with a
pronominal Buffix as the indirect, object of a verb, as kassarti li
I qalam you have broken my pen; khassarti una ( - khassarte Una)
1 akl you have spoilt our food; or even when there is n<. indirect
object expressed, the subject of the verb being ,.|„. possessor ol
the object, as bidd aghsil llden / want in wash my hands?
1 The possessive pronoun is replaced by the article m a fen
half adverbial phrases, as ana 'arfak leinnak ma tdkdibshe 'all \a
aba. Ian il Muur / know you would never in your life tell
(8ee§252.)
262 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
REFLEXIVE AND RECIPROCAL PRONOUNS
§ 397. When in an English phrase the action of a verb ia
understood to have been performed by the subject accidentally
on some part or property of itself, it is usual to place the verb
in Arabic in a form that bears a passive signification, as rigli
hkasarit / have broken my leg; inqata' suba'u lie has cut his
finger off; ishsharmat bnrqn'ha she has torn her veil. Kasarte
rigli, qata' suba'u, are sometimes said with the same sense, but
they might imply 1 that the act had been done on purpose.
§ 3'J8. The absence of special forms for reflexive and reciprocal
pronouns is supplied, as we have seen, by means of the substan-
tives nafs, ba'd, and others, with the help in general of the
pronominal suffixes. Ba'd is sometimes repeated with the article
for emphasis, as sa'du ba'duhum il ba'd they h another.
§ 399. The English word own has no exact equivalent, but
the emphasis which it conveys can generally be rendered by
placing the full persona] pronoun after t he suffix, though this does
not always imply in Arabic any particular stress (§ 'Mo), as kunti
E l>eti ana / was in my own house ; da shug] ana ( = shugli ana)
my own affair; da milk abuya, beta'! ana (or il 1 i bta'l ana)
li giha tanya that's my father's property, my own is in an
quarter.
Remark. — In such an expression as wadda 1 walad 'ala bfitu
(or 'ala betu nafsu) he took the boy to his house, to his own fa
there exists the same ambiguity as in English, nor would ir be
any clearer whose house was intended if we were to say 'ala I
huwa (or huwa nafsu).
100. In many cases the suffix alone expresses the idea of
self, as khad ugritha lull he took her wages for himself, Le. he
appropriated them ; shut' Lak'arabiya we tig! waiyftna get yourt
carriage and come with lis.
L. Same may generally be translated by wahid, or by
ba'd with or without the suffixes, as gena i yom w
on the eami day ; 'umruhum, (ulhum, wfthid tin y an
the ' , height; bumma min dor ba'd tl
another's, Le. and words of similar
Import, by nafs, or 'ftn, or the particle tya, with the snili x.
ti I lria nafsiha on the selfsame night . tyahuio humma d61 I
very ones', biya 'enha she her very «« N fs maj precede the
noun, when the latter becomes â– kind of partitive genii
'• l.,'.. \ja
THE DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUN 263
while 'en may be separated from its noun by the preposition bi,
as nafs il y6m beta' is safar the very day of the departure ; hiya bi
'enha, fi 1 yum bi 'enu. (See § 122.)
§ 40l\ Ba'd is equivalent to the English each or one another,
aa well as to himself, Arc, and undergoes no change of number
or gender ; thus we say in niswan khadu ba'd, il wilad darabu
ba'd. Notice the expressions humma ahsan min ba'd, each is
better than the other, ma beni u ben ba'd between ourselves, z<\v
ba'du if s all the same.
i 403. As in English, the repetition of a word will sometimes
serve to express the notion of rellexiveness, as sot yishbih sot
ndces resemble one another. This is not an uncommon idiom in
Arabic.
§ 404. The pecnliar use of the word bard with the suffixes
may here be noticed. In general it is equivalent to the English
still, anyhow, notwithstanding, ail the same, and takes the mas-
culine, feminine, or plural suffix according to the gender and
number of the object to which it refers, as kunte baftikir leinnak
tiddini ziyada, lakin it talatagineh barduhuni kuwaiyistn / thought
you would give me more, however, the £3 are good (acceptable) ;
kattar kherkum, bardiya ana mabsuta thank you, and I am satisju d
(implying that more would have gi\ on greater pleasure) ; bardina
hna niqbal we nigi neqablak anyhow we accept, and will come I"
meet yon.
§ 405. With the suffix of the third person it is often used
adverbially, as khallasitni bardu 1 ugra di, u bardu kattar khGrak
this remuneration, however) will satisfy me, imleed I titanic you
for it ; in kan bi Ih'is walla min gher fulus bardu ya stdl zeye
ba'du, ya'ni bardu ma fish niani' hardiya * ana khaddamak, i.e.
whether you pay me or not, it's all the same, if doesn't mutter, I am
your servant.
THE DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUN
§ 40G. The rules which govern the concord of the adjeoti
with its substantive apply to t hat of the demonsl ratdve pronouns,
so that a broken plural is very frequently, and a perfect plural
occasionally, followed or represented by di and dik haiya, a.s
kidl il ashya di nil these things, hiya 1 bidum di fcigi 'alfik these
1 For the form taken by the BuffiX with this word, see ;< 120,
It i> sometimes pronounced with </, and is said to he derived
from hi ard. Can it be the Turkish birdeh /
264 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
clothes fit you, il hagat di x these things, il mistakhdimin di (better
dol) these employes.
§ 407. Even when an adjective qualifying a preceding sub-
stantive is a perfect plural the demonstrative will sometimes be
in the feminine singular, as ir riggala 1 mistakhdimin di.
§ 408. A demonstrative as well as a personal pronoun may
be either in the singular or plural when used with or referring
to a collective noun, and is more likely to be in the latter
number when the individuals of the class are separated ; thus,
although we say generally il namle dih these ants, il ghanam di
these sheep, rather than il namle dol, il ghanam dol, we might call
to a drover limm il ghanam dol min sikkitna get these sheep
together {and take them) out of my way ; so shuf in namle dolilli
mbahtarin fi kulle matrah look at these ants scattered all over the
place.
§ 409. Shuwaiya is almost universally used with a plural
demonstrative as with a plural adjective, as shil ish shuwaiyit it
tibne dol take away these few bits of straw.
§ 410. Although the substantive qualified by the adjective
kam is in the singular, the demonstrative will be in the plural,
as il kam kilma dol t/iese few words, kam kitab dol how many
books are these ?
§ 411. An invariable adjective, or one used invariably, will be
followed by a plural demonstrative though the substantive with
which it agrees is not expressed, as il baladi dol. (See § 322.)
§ 412. The demonstrative may, of course, stand alone, refer-
ring to a noun understood, as da ahsan this is better ; dol nas
taivibin tliese are good people ; 'auz di? do you want this? (refer-
ring to a feminine object). It will generally agree with the
noun unexpressed, so that we should not say khud da take this.
when pointing to a hat (burnita) or other feminine object, but
it is sometimes used neutrally when the object is not clearly
referred to, as da (for di) haga kuwaiyisa ; da (but better di)
fulfisak that's your money.
§ 413. There is not the same distinction between da and
dik-lia, <fcc., that there is between this and that in English, da
being equivalent to that almost as often as it La to this, and
pointing to a. distant object as well as to a Dear on.';- e.g.
shut' il binte di beti'mil eh hen&k? see what that girl is doing
1 II ashvat ddl is more usual, bu1 il b&g&1 di is more common
than il hagat dol. Experience is the only safe guide,
- This is the reason why two demonstratives oan be joined
together. (See § 124.)
THE DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUN 265
there ; il kitab da Hi shtaretu lu mbarih yi'gibu ? does he like that
book which I bought him yesterday? da she we da she this is one
iking and that is another.
§ 414. Dik-ha and dik-hauwa necessarily imply the existence
of another object closer at hand ; thus we say khushshe min il
bab dih illl 'andak, mush min dik-ha go in by this door near yov,
not by (hat there ; 'auz il burneta di walla dik-haiya ? do you want
this hat or the other? If the objects are beside one another, we
must speak of both as da ; thus, in the last example, if the
speaker were holding the two hats in his hand, he would say
'auz il burneta di walla di?
§ 415. Da occasionally precedes both noun and ai'ticle, as
da 1 kalam mush kuwaiyis that assertion is not seemly ; so in the
adverbial expression dilwaqt, and it may be placed both before
and after a word for the sake of emphasis, as da r ragil da, di 1
hurma di, deh da! (for da eh da) what's this, what's the meaning
of this? We may even in the last expression repeat the demon-
strative twice, and say da deh dih ! deh dih da 1 kalam !
§ 416. Both da and di sometimes partake more of the nature
of demonstrative exclamations than of pronouns. This happens
in most of the cases where they precede the nouns, and
they will not necessarily be in concord with them ; e.g. da
flan gih (or da flan da gih) see! so and so has come ; deh da d
dawaya di ! what sort of an ink-pot is this ? kebir da eh ? how's it
large? ho/o can you call it large? da kalamak eh? ichat's tit at
yrju're saying ? da nnaharda (or di nnaharda) this very day ; x da
hna fulan here we are, whoever it be; da lei ! bid it was night I da
nnaharda dunya we bukra akhra, i.e. we live to-day, and to-morrow
we die ; da 1 arde kulliha '6m min kutr il moiya see the ground is
all deluged toith water ; da s sana di ma fishe harr why, there's no
heat at all this year ; }a di 1 lela is suda, ya di n uahar il wisikh
what a black night, a dirty day, is this/ 2 kulle ma da (or dau =
da we) yisman he grfs fatter and fatter.
§ 417. When the substantive is qualified by an adjective th<'
demonstrative may either be placed between the two or follow
the adjective, as id dawaya di 1 kebira (or id dawaya 1 kebira di)
this large ink-horn ; il khaddamin dol il battalin (or il khaddamin
il battalin dol). It should, however, be always placed after the
possessive adjective beta' to prevent confusion; thus il khadda-
1 Comp. the pleonasm in It. quesi'oggi and Fr. ce juurd'hui,
oggi and hui being from the Lat. hodie ( = /*<»• die).
2 I.e. what a night of horrors, a terrible dag .'
266 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
inin betfi'i dol these servants of mine, but il kkaddaniin dol betu'i
these servants are mine.
§ 418. Similarly, when two nouns are in apposition, and
especially when the second is used adjectively, the demonstra-
tive may intervene or be placed after both, as il walad da it
talmiz (or il walad it talmiz da) this school-hoy ; il gallabiya di 1
harir (or il gallabiya 1 harir di) this silk gown : il bab da 1 hadid
(or il bab il hadid da) this iron gate ; but it usually follows the
second, whether a pure genitive or not, when the two are closely
united, as il qalam ir rusas da this lead-pencil; is sikka 1 hadid
di this railway ; ir riggala 1 giran dol these neighbours; ir ruh in
nashadir di this ammonia; ish shuwaiyit, il babbit, il moiya dol
this little, these few drops of, water.
§ 119. The demonstrative is used without the article with a
proper name in the singular, but if two or more persons of the
same name are spoken of it will be accompanied by the article,
as Mehammad da this (man called) M., but il Mehammaden, il
Mehammadat dol.
§ 420. The article is also omitted before the substantive
fulan such a one (but not with the adjective fulani), and gener-
ally before a sentence equivalent to a noun, as a'uzu bi llah da
this man from whom God protect me, 1 but il ismu eh da gih (or
ismu eh da gih) this Mr. Whafs-his-name lias come. 2 Finally, it
is often dropped before substantives governed by abb and uinm
(§ 261), as umme 'ashara di.
§421. This and that may often be rendered by the adverb
kede so, as lamma shufte minnu kede kunte rayh adrabu ichen I
saw that from him (*±him do that), I was about to strike him : so
ba'de kede after that, &c. Kede is equivalent to the English
demonstrative so in such a phrase as huwa sakrao 1 Kede it
drunk? He is so. 3
§ 422. Aho may, like da, be used adverbially : thus a woman
may say ah6 gaya ! & e, / am coining ! as well as ahe* gaya ! *<> aho
gat ahe* ! .-< i , there she's come ! 4
1 Lit. this I seek refuge with God (from).
2 Almk.it ii da is used by the uneducated. (See ^ 240.)
3 So was originally n pronoun only, though now generally
used as an adverb.
1 Notice that aho and ahe, though for ahuwa and ahiya,
may be used with the first person.
THE INTERROGATIVE PRONOUN 2(57
THE INTERROGATIVE PRONOUN
§423. The interrogative min? is placed optionally at the
beginning or the end of a direct sentence, as min darabak ? (or
darabak min?) who struck you ? min garak? (or garak min ?)
is your neighbour ? min gay bukra? (or gay bukra min?). Eh is
only placed at the beginning when considerable stress is laid on
it, the relative illi being often inserted between it and a verb
in this case, as eh qal lak (or eh illi qal lak) ir ragil da ? what
it that man said to you? Here in ordinary circumstances
we would say ir ragil da qal lak eh ? (or qal lak eh ir ragil da ?).
Remark. — It is very unusual in any circumstances for eh t. i
precede a verb when the latter is not accompanied by any other
word; for instance we very seldom hear eh qal? for' qal eh? or
eh 'auz ? for 'auz eh ? It is not infrequently the first word in a
sentence where the substantive verb is understood, as eh da ? eh
il haga di? what (is) this thing?
Leh and its equivalent 'ala shan eh (or 'ashan eh) for what
«n? wherefore? are put almost indifferently before' or aftei
the verb. Li eh sabab? bi sabab eh? for what cause? and
similar expressions generally stand first in the sentence, and
this is invariably the position of esh ?
Anhu, &c, as well as anl, must precede the substantive with
which they are used. (See § 125.)
In indirect sentences the interrogatives should always follow
the final verb, as qal lak darabu min ? did he tell you who struck
him !
§ 424. Min? may sometimes be translated by the adjectival
interrogative which? being practically equivalent to anhu or
am, as min fihum Mehammad? which of them is M.? When
repeated with the copulative, it forms a "kind of plural, as min
u min shafnk? (or shafak ?) who were they who saw you ? kan min
u min maugudln? (or maugud?) who were present? It may be
followed by the relative illi, the substantive verb and the third
personal pronoun being understood, as min illi darab il garaz? 1
who was d who rang the liell?
125. Eh, like min, may be used with a plural noun, as eh il
bagat illi f ggbak \ what are tlie things which are in your pocket '
eh il kuwar dfd illi 'auz til'ab buhum ? It occasionally, but
-mm, .'what incorrectly, asks, like anhu and anl, for one or more
objects out of a definite number, as ruhte 'ala gh bet min ddl I
to which of these houses did you qo '
1 Huwu may, of course, be expressed as min huwa Hi gih i
268 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
§ 426. Its use as a genitive in such phrases as hagit eh
(or hagt eh) ? sittit eh ? how six ? (alluded to in § 64) is very
common, and, with an adjective, is equivalent to that of the
adverb izzey ; thus 'aiyanit eh? 1 does not mean of what is she
ill ? which would be 'aiyana bi eh ? but how can site be ill ? and
implies a disbelief in the statement.
Remaek. — We may say with almost identical meaning, eh !
'aiyana fen? (or eh illi 'aiyana di !).
§ 427. Somewhat similar is the use of eh with a verb in such
an expression as istanna ! Istannaeh? Wait! What do you mean
by wait ? why should I wait ?
§ 428. The neuter interrogative ma is used only with the
preposition li with the pronominal suffixes, as ma lu what has
he? i.e. what is the matter with him?" ana ma li? what's that
to me? ma li u ma lak? what have I to do with you? ma lhum
min il fulus dol ? what share have they in this money ? ma lhum
fi 1 fulus dol? what hare they to do with this money? What is
the matter with this man, woman, $c, must be translated by ir
ragil da ma lu? il mara di ma Ilia? (or ma lu li r ragil da I
etc.), not by ma li r ragil da, &c. Eh is sometimes added
pleonastically, as ma lu eh ?
THE RELATIVE PRONOUN
§ 429. This class of pronouns has been already treated of to
some extent under the Possessives and Suffixes, so that only a few
remarks need to be added here, and firstly : —
§ 430. The relative illi is not expressed when the antecedent
is indefinite, or the verb in the relative clause, whether expressed
or understood, has the sense of a pluperfect. In the former
case the relative clause is often equivalent to a qualitative
adjective, as liya bet ma fihshe ahsan minnu / have a lumse
than whtrh there is none better, second to rum . yibqa wahid ma
khadshe ugritu there remain* one who has >«</ had i< pay . ;l,nwl
ragil gib abuya the first man to come was my father; Gh bah
beyikhbal there isadoor banging; fih nas ma yehibbuhsh
are people who don't Wee him; fi ragil li 1 b&b beyis'al 'alfik
is a man at the door asking for you; babur quwwitu 'lahrln lmsan
an engine of twenty horse-power; wabid Umu M. one namol M. ;
iddini min ahsan 'andak gm meof the bed you hare ; dakhalna
i Qat'a often falls out, as id dinya dalma, Dalmi tch ! (for
dalmit 6h !) how <â– "" you call it dark .'
ina-t-il !
THE RELATIVE PRONOUN" 269
f bet sahbu mush maugud we went into a house whose owner was
absent ; qabilna wahid wishshu mekashshar we met a man with a
sulky face ; huwa ragil ma yi'raf she haga he is a man who knows
nothing, an ignoramus; da ragil la ba'se ininnu (or 'aleh) an
unobjectionable man ; kalam ma lush asl an unfounded statement ;
gabu 1 walad kanu mhammiyinu they brought the boy wham
they had already bathed, i.e. having previously bathed him ; min
dimnuhum kan il qadi mesheya'il lu ( = mesheya'in lu) amongst
them was the kadi, for whom they had sent. '
Remark a. — Where the relative is the object of the verb the
suffix may also be omitted, as ma 'andish addi lak (or addih lak)
/ hwe none, nothing, to give gnu.
Remark b. — Notice the expression 'auz sanduq. 'auzu ginsu
eh ? ( = 'auz illi yekun ginsu eh ?) / want a box. What kind do
you want ?
§431. The antecedent may be omitted when there is no
doubt as to its identity, as illi kan hina rah henak. This is
often the case where the antecedent to be supplied is in the third
person, as in proverbs, as illi ma yeshufshe min il ghurbal a'ma
he who cannot see through a sieve is blind ; illi ma luhshe hadde,
luh Rabbina 1 he who is without any one, fyc. Illi is equivalent to
the English what when standing for that which, as illi a'rafu
aqulu lak id, at I know I will tell you ; illi shuftu ana innu huwa
Hi darabha what I saw was that ( = asfar as I could see) it was he
who struck her.
§ 432. Illi . . . wi Hi has the force of one . . . another, or
the one . . . the other? as illi yiddi lu qirshen wi Hi yiddi lu
talat qurush wi Hi yiddi lu arba'a one gives him two piastres, an-
other three, and another four ; illi yigfl bukra wi Hi vigu ba'de bukra
some come to-morrow, and others the dag after.
§ 433. MS (ma) refers almost exclusively to inanimate ante-
cedents, corresponding to the Latin quod or id quod. It some-
times contains within itself the force of both antecedent and
relative, and as the object it does not, like illi, require the verb
to take the suffix. Except when followed by the preposition
ben (the copula being understood) its antecedent, when ex-
pressed, though somewhat definite in sense, is never accom-
panied by the article.
1 In the expression illi yiddi lak humar ma tshufshe sinnu
kam (= don't look a gift horse iri the mouth), illi yiddi lak is
equivalent to iza ddfi lak wahid.
"-' As qui . . . qui in Fr.
270 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
It is mostly used in the three following cases : —
(a) When it partakes of the nature of an indefinite pronoun.
(b) Where it is equivalent to the English relative that go-
verned by a preposition unexpressed, its antecedent being a
date or period of time, or the relative clause being in the posi-
tion of a genitive governed by the antecedent.
(<•) After the prepositions qabl, ba'd, ben, 'ashan ('ala sha.ii), 1
>vc.,and the substantive kull, forming conjunctions with them ; e.g.
kaflit ma 'andu min it fultis all the money he has, whatever money
he has ; kulle ma lu whatever he has ; ahsan ma mi'i the best I hare ;
giri 'ala akhir ma mi'ah lie ran as fast as he could, all he kneu :
'ala ma shilf (ma ashuf) ana as far as I can see, judge ; ma ben
lahmar u ma. ben liswid between red and black ; il masafa ma, ben
litnen the distance between the two ; ahsan ma, fi 1 ghanam best of
everything among the sheep, i.e. of all the sheep; ana akbar ma
fi khwati (ikhwati) / am the oldest of all my brothers, i.e. older
than any of my brothers, matrah ma truh ruh, i.e. go where
pott like; 'ala qadde mahum 2 'auzin as much as they want;
nahar, yom, ma get the day that ( = on which) I came ; fi msafit ma
tit'ashsha akun hadir I trill be ready as sunn as {by the tin/')
you have dined ; sabab ma, zi'il ir ragil (or sabab ir ragil ma zi'il)
the reason that (= for which) the man got angry; min kutre nut
kan za'htn 2 from the excess of fets anger; qable ma. yigi before lie
comes : 'ashan ma rah because he has gone, (fee.
Remark. — In cases b and c ma should immediately precede
the verb, so that it is incorrect to say sabab ma r ragil zi'il,
qable ma il walad gih, but see § 579, note.
§ 434. The word in is often used instead of ma in case ft when
the antecedent is a period of time, as nahar in satirna the day
that we started ; tani y6m in get the day after you came ; hal in
rahum the moment they went.
$ 435. Ala (or in) is sometimes omitted in ease l. as thai \<
in English, as a'rafu min yom kunt.e shuftu fi bdt wfthid lahbi
/ know him since a day I met him at the house of a friend of
mine : so Babab ir ragil zi'il the reason the man got angry.
â– â– 1-36. When the third personal pronoun is the subject of a
verb of which ma is the objeot, it may be appended bo ma in its
shortened form as a suffix, as in -ala qadde mahum 'an/in above.
1 'aslian ma - Lat. quod, Kfod. Greek 8u$Ti (=Sia 5ti),
2 When the third persona] pronoun stands for the subject
of the verh it nia\ be appended in it- shortened fern b
IJuwa becomes bu, btya, bya, he\
1 This is more rivid than min kutre â– a'alu.
DISTRIBUTIVE PRONOUNS 271
§ 437. When a statement is made with regard to two or
more objects, and the speaker proceeds to define its particular
relation to each one of them, the first may be referred to,
whether animate or inanimate, by ma followed by the personal
pronoun, the two together being equivalent to the verb ya'ni in
its adverbial sense, as ana qaret il kitaben ma huwa ktabak wi
ktab 'ali ; laqet it talata kulluhum madbuhin, ma huwa Meham-
mad madrub bi rusasa fi sidru wi Hasan rasu maqtii'a wi
II s&D madrub bi sikkina fi qalbu I found them all three slaughtered
— Mohammed shot with a bullet in his chest, Hasan with his head
severed, and Hisein stabbed to the heart with a knife.
Remark. — Illi may, of course, be used in the same wav.
DISTRIBUTIVE PRONOUNS
S 438. Kull in the sense of every, earJi, always precedes its
substantive, as kulle ragil every man, kulle haga ewh thing ; but
when used with a definite noun it is treated as a substantive,
and is followed by a genitive or is placed after the noun with
the pronominal suffixes attached to it, as kull ir riggala £Ae whole
of the men, i.e. all the men, kull il mistakhdimin all the employes,
kull id dinya the whole of the world(ar ir riggala, il mistakhdimin
kulluhum, id dinya kulliha). When the noun is understood and
not represented by a personal pronoun, il kull may be used for
nil of them, lln' whole of it, as agib lak kam wahid minhum,
shuwaiya minhum 'i Hatil kull. JShall I briny you a fen- <f them,
some of it? Bring them all, the whole of it.
§ 439. Tul expresses the whole in the sense of extension
over a period, and is, like kull, a substantive, as tul in miliar ///.
whole of the day. When following its substantive it does not.
like kull, take the pronominal suffix, but plays the part of an
adverb, as la shuftuhum il lei till wala n miliar tul.
§ 440. Every one is expressed by kulle wahid, kulle hay li.e.
every living soul), kull in mis, kulle niin kan, (fee. ; every one of tin
men, <>r<>nj one of the books, by kulle wahid niin ir riggala,, kulle
W&hid niin il kitabat (or kulle ragil niin ir riggala, kulle kitab
niin il kitabat); every man of them by kulle ragil minhum; so
kulle kitah, kulle kubbaya, minhuiii, every other by kulle tani,
or kull followed by a noun in the dual, as kulle yoiuOn every
other day.
§441. One by one is expressed by wahid wahid, or by the
repetition of the noun, as yeruhu 'ala 1 biyut bet bit they go
round to the h<uis>..< <>u<- by one; two by two by itnen itnen, and so
forth.
272 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
§ 442. Either and neither have no exact representatives, and
must be rendered by periphrases, as krdle wahid min litnen
yighdar yi'milu either of them can do it; kulle wahid (or dih we
dih) yi'gibni (or litnen yi'gibuni) either will please me ; musibit
dih walla dih tigharraq litnen a mishap to either will ruin both ;
wala yigish wala wahid mil litnen nor null either of them come;
'auz anhun minhum ? La dih wala dih which of them do you
want? Neither ; wala wahid mil litnen gih (or litnen ma gush)
neither of them came; 1 huwa wi sh shekh ma gush neither he nor
the sheikh came ; la na (la ana) wala nta neither I nor you; la
Mhammad wala Hsen neither M. nor H. ; fi barren in Nil on
either side of the Nile; wala fi barre min barren in Nil on neither
side of the Nile.
INDEFINITE PRONOUNS
§ 443. These include the numeral and indefinite article wahid,
which bears most of the senses in which the English one is used,
as huwa yimkin yigi wahid yom perhaps he will come one day ; -
gan! wahid one (i.e. a certain man) came to me. One as an in-
definite substantive may be translated by wahid (or more usually
il wahid), or linsan (or linsan minna), as kalam zeye dih yiza"al
il wahid such a remark makes one angry ; ahsan linsan ma yish-
rabshe ziyada 'an sitte sagayir fi 1 yum it is better that one do not
smoke (= not to smoke) more than six cigarettes a day; linsan
minna lazim yi'mil waziftu wala yintibih li fkar in nas one must
do one's didy without heeding the notions of other peopU , When
one is equivalent to they used indefinitely, it may be expressed
by the third person plural of the verb, as yequlu 1 kalaui da one
uses this expression.
§ 444. One as a definite substantive qualified by an attribu-
tive adjective, and referring to an object already mentioned,
also finds an equivalent in waliiil, as ana gib (agib) lak wahid
kuwaiyis, wahda kuwaiyisa (according as the noun understood
is masc. or Eem.) / will bring you a good one; hat U kam wahid
tnwal bring me a f> w tony ones.
§445. The unit may bo omitted when the noun has just
been qualified by an adjective opposed in Bense, as i> gahne dih
1 Not both oi them didn't COine, which we would translate by
mush litnen gum. We say k nil it mush li mahillu, meaning
none of it is in its place.
'-' But it is more idiomatic bo say yflm min il iyam (or yom
min Eftt il iyam, or y6m min ddl).
INDEFINITE PRONOUNS 273
wisikh, iddini (wahid) nidif this plate is dirty, give me a
one.
§ 446. When one and the other or another are opposed in a
sentence to each other, their Arabic equivalents may be omitted
altogether, the repetition of the substantive being sufficient, as
it sometimes is in English, to indicate the meaning, as ruhna
min giha li giha, min b§t li bet we went from one place to mother,
from house to house; rigle li f6q we rigle li taht one leg up and
the other down; id tid'ak bi s sabiina we id tesubb one hand
scrubbing with the soap while the other pours {the water) ; iddi lu
1 gawab mh. id li id, i.e. give him the letter from your hand into
las; yom fih u y6m ma fish one day there is and another there
isn't; bitruh tamalli? Yom ewa u yum la' do you always yo?
due day yes and, another no (i.e. one day I do and another 1 don't) ;
da gins wi da gins that is one sort and this is another.
Remark.— The word tani may be added to the noun repeated,
as ruhna min giha li giha tanya, &c.
§ 447. One . . . another, as substantives, may be translated
in this connection by illi . . . illi (§ 432) ; one thing . . . another
thing, by bashqa . . . bashqa ; l or we may repeat the substantive,
as da kitab we da kitab, &o.
§448. Any one, anybody, any person ( = somebody) may be
rendered by wahid or hadd, as shufte wahid (or hadd) ? did yon
see anybody! iza gib hadd if any one should come, hadde minkti
'auz yeruh? does any one of you want to go/ the plural any
( = some) by nas, haga, Ac min, or simply min. as fih mis minku
rahu Masr? have any of you been to Cairo? wa!a haga min il
wuhush nor any wild beasts; fih minhum battalin ?* are any of
them bad? _ (For the use of the indefinites ey, eviha, see beluu.j
As an indefinite quantitative adjective (again = some) any is
not expressed in Arabic, but as a substantive it is general In
represented by min with a pronominal suffix, though here again
it may be omitted, as 'auz karasi, laban? do you want am, chairs
milk ! mush 'auz minhum, minnu (or mush 'auz) I don't want ami
It i:\iakk. —With the negative signs hadd signifies no on,
nobody, as ma haddish gih nobody came. Anything, when equi-
valent to something, is rendered by haga, in other cases by Syiha
haga or kulle shin (she in) kan, as 'andak haga tiddihfi li? 'bar-
you anything to give me 1 ma tqul lush haga don't tell him any-
thing ; a(hh lu eh \ Iddi 1,, ,\\ e haga what shall I give him I Give
hun anything ; kulle shin kan yiqdl anything will do.
§ I Hi. Some in the sense of about is best translated bj the
1 Turkish.
274 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
verbs yigi, yitla', vised as adverbs, as 'umru yitla' tanianin he is
some eighty years old, yigi gum'itrn ma shuftush it is some two
weeks since I saw him ; but true adverbs must be used where a
future event is spoken of ; thus we should not say haq'ud henak
yigi (or yitla' sanaten), but taqrlban sanatrn (or zeye sanaten) /
shall stay there some two years.
% 450. Somebody can always be expressed by wahid. as wahid
darab il garaz somebody rang the bell, <fcc. ; yiftikir leinnu wahid
he thinks he is somebody ; something by haga. Some . . . some is
rendered, as one . . . another (above), by illi . . . illi, or by the pre-
position min with the suffixes, as gih talatin nafar minhum
ri^gala u niinhum nisw&n thirty people hare come, some men and
some women.
§451. The quantitative adjective is unexpressed (as any
above), as hat 'esh u zibda u gibna bring some bread, butter, and
cheese; shufna klab fi s sikka we saw some dogs in the street; but
'andak'esh? Ewa. Taiyib, iddini minnu (or iddini) have you
some bread? Yes. Good, give me some.
§452. Other as an adjective finds its equivalent m tani or
in other words already mentioned. The indefinite otttt r th
expressed by tani gher or by ghgr alone, as wahda tanya gher
Eikhita another than Bikhita; ma fish hadde gherl.
Ki-makk. — Ynm min d.M means the other day. some /"fun day,
according as the verb is past, or future. Every oth-
rendered by kulle tani ydm, kulle yftmen, or kulh> yfooo we yftm.
I 453. the indefinite relatives whoever, whichever, who*
&c, are expressed byfiye (or §yiha, §yuha) wahid and §y fol-
lowed by a noun with or without the case ending.
may be by lye wahdin kfin. But as a rule an English indefinite
relative may be rendered by illi (or mi), accompanied sometimes
by other words bo make the Berne clear, as illi yidrabnl adrabu
lohoever strikes me I will strike him ; illi ti'milu a'mila ana what-
ever ,/,,„ do 1 will do; illi todihnJ bardn akun mal
contented with whatever you give m . illi yequlu hfiwa I
kidb whatever he says is " lie; il ydm illi tigi fih bardu y<
kuwaiyis; illi ma takhddsh inta akhdu ana /'// take >rhi â– â– â–
you don't take ; illi yigra yigra
i.e. happen what may; waqte ma ti-i tigl at whatever time you
come, come, i.e. come when you I
i;i M m,k There is Bometimes a confusion between the In-
definite relative adverb and the pronoun itself, as in u
aion yiduqqu 1 mazcfka li kulle ma hadde yekhushBh th-
strikes up in honour of each as he â– l
Culle ma meat a -
THE VERB: ITS CONCORD WITH SUBJECT 27B
§ 454. Ey, eyi wahid, and eyiha require the noun to take the
ending when the substantive verb follows (the verb being
usually in concord with the noun), as bi eye taiiqtin kanit by
any means / chat ever ; eye wahid fiqihin kan any schoolmaster,
rer he be ; min eyuha dukkanin kanit from whatever shop it
be; but bi eye tariqa ; bi eye tariqa min 'andak (or ill) 'undak) by
any means ; by any means you hare ; ishtirih min eyuha dukkan
buy it from any shop. Eye wahid and eyiha wahid become
lye wahdin and eyiha wahdin when followed by a verb, and
remain masculine though a feminine object be understood, as
eye wahdin gat, iddih liha give it to any woman who comes.
§ 435. Fulan and the adjective fulani are the English such,
so and so, and may be used together somewhat pleonastic-ally, as
fulan gih such a one has come; il Beh fulan so and so Bey; il
inara 1 fulaniya such and such a woman; shufte fulan il fulani.
§ 456. In dates kaza is generally employed, as lelit kaza min
ish shahr on swli and such a night of the month.
Remark. — The definite such is a demonstrative adjective, and
will be generally rendered by the adverb zey, as / never saw such
a man as you ma shuftish ahadan ragil zeyak.
§ 457. Zed, 'anir, ilaghib, and occasionally 'umar, are used as
hypothetical names, like Jones, Brown, and Robinson in English,
as Ragbib gih u 'amre rah; Zed u 'umar u Raghib u tirtan we
'illan ; iza darabak Zed min in mis.
THE VERB
ITS CONCORD WITH ITS SUBJECT
§ 158. When the Bubject is definite the verb as a genera]
rule agrees with it in gender and number, as ir ragil gih the
man earn ; il mara 'aiyatit the woman wept ; tfiga'nS r&s-i my
bead aches (lit. pains me) ; ir riggala yishtaghalu the m> n work : '
hut the following important exeepl inns must lie noted : —
(a) When the subjeci is a broken plural the verb is very
frequently placed in the feminine singular, as il hamir insaraqil
kuUiha (or kulluhuni) all the donkeys wen stolen; il kh& kanit
aa th hones were tired; nizlil il kilab we iauwit the dogs
1 In relative clauses the verb is, of course, of the gender and
number of the antecedent, whether expressed or understood, aa
ittagirilll bah li 1 buda'a ; i<l dawaya Hi nkabbit; ill kand bins
r.ilni Masi-.
276 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
came down and barked ; ish shababik infatahit the windows were
opened; gat ir riggala we giryit in niswan the men came and,
the ivomen ran away ; kan fib. 'aiya ktir ma ben in nas, lakin il
hamdu li llah aghlabha gat salima there was a great deal of illness
among the people, bid, thank God, most of them recovered ; mahabis
gheru kanit mahbusa mi'u other 2>>'isoners were imprisoned with
him ; is siyas misbyit the sayces went away ; lamma gat il bara-
bra nizlit ir rukkab min il babur when the Berberis came the
passengers got down from the train.
Remark a. — When the demonstrative is in the feminine
singular the verb should be so likewise, as in nas di tigi, but in
nas dol yigu.
Remark b. — The verb may be in the feminine singular though
followed by a predicate adjective (or participle) in the plural, as
'eneh kanit maftuhin his eyes were open ; il wiraq kanit maktubin
the papers were written.
Remark c. — In all the above examples the verb might also be
in the plural, and would be perhaps more often than nut when
the subject denotes human beings, or when it precedes the verb.
(//) The verb will occasionally be in the feminine singular
when the subject is a perfect plural and is preceded by the verb,
as lamma gat lefendiyat mishyit in naggarin when tht Efendis
came the carpenters went away.
Remark. — In naggarin il mestakhdimin rahit (the subject
preceding the verb) will rarely be heard, because by placing the
noun first in the sentence we emphasize the fact that it denotes
a number of separate objects. 1
(r) The verb will sometimes be in the third person singular
masculine when preceding a plural subject and separated From
it by intervening words, as Fatah luhiun bab il bfit il khaddamin
the » rvante opened the door of the house to them ; but Fatahu Ilium
would also be quite correct, and indeed more usual.
Remark. — The third person singular may occasionally be
heard when the verb is similarly separated from a feminine Sub-
ject in the singular, as LddSI lu higab 'ashan yeruh minnu l>i izni
1 The construction is admissible when the persons «>r things
described are spoken of as a single body without reference to
their personality. It must be remembered that the Feminine in
Arabic also represents the neuter of other languages, and thai
several objects mentioned together, though they be living, are
liable to be regarded in the Semitic langu i mere multeity
when their individual it \ is not brought to the Foreground. Oomp.
THE VERB: ITS CONCORD WITH SUBJECT 277
Hah il 'en / gave him a charm that the evil eye might, by God's
permission, depart from him; but this is an irregularity not to be
imitated. 1
(d) When the past tense of the substantive verb kan precedes
a definite subject it very frequently remains unchanged, especially
if the subject is a feminine singular, and this even when it serves
as the auxiliary of another verb which itself agrees with the
subject, 2 as kan il bint fi 1 bet the girl was in the house; kan id
dawaya ikkabbit the inkstand had been upset; iza kan il binte
tigi (in preference to iza kanit il binte tigi); k3,n ummu bit'aiyat
his mother was weeping ; kan (or kanit) is sa'a tnen it was two
o'clock ; kan id dinya dalma it was dark.
§ -159. When the verb precedes two or more definite subjects
of different genders or numbers, it may either agree in gender
and number with the first, or be placed in the plural, as gih (or
gum) il walad w abuh the bog and his father came, gat (or gum)
il mara wi bniha ; insaraqit il 'arabiya we taqmiha the car,
and its harness were stolen; qumt ana wi Mhamrnad / and M.
got up.
§ 460 When the subjects precede, the verb should be in the
plural, as il mara wi 1 walad gum ; ana wi nta ruhna; but it is
occasionally made to agree with the first when feminine, as hlya
w abulia r&hu or (less usually) r&hit; but abuha we hlya r&hu,
not rah.
461. When the subject is a collective noun the verb will
be in the masculine singular, as il gamus kan li 1 ghet the
buffaloes were in the field ; is sagar yikhdarre li shahr abril the
get green in the montlt of April : il lainiin, il burtuqan, ghili
j, have got dear; bunduqhum inzabat min il bulls
their guns were st ized by the police ; kam nafar gat (or gum) ! how
many person* came ?
Remark a. — Though the above construction is the usual one,
Tin- verb is sometimes in the plural, especially when the subject
denotes living beings, as il ghafar gih (or gu) tho watchmen
â– â– urn' .
Remark b. — With the words 'askar soldiers, troops, and
1 'I'll'' intervening words ma\ cause the Bpeaker to forget that
I with a masculine verb and intended t.> use a masculine
i «'U u. In i he above example, for instance, the word hasad might
be in lii- thoughts when in- began with the eerb yeruh.
En oompound tenses the auxiliary is often of a different
number and gender to tin- principal verb, as il gama'a kanit
lissa ma gush tJu },><>j,/< had /"•/ yet a
278 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
ghanam sheep, the verb is put in the feminine singular, as
qalit il 'askar li ba'diha the soldiers said to one another ; il ghanam
gat. II 'askar gum may also be said.
Remark c. — Nouns of this class, denoting nationalities, are
usually regarded as masculine singulars, but the verb is not in-
frequently in the plural or the feminine singular, as lingliz
miskii (or miskit) arduhum the English seized their land ; mishyit
il 'arab the Arabs are gone.
§ 462. When the subject is a noun of multitude the verb
is usually in the plural, but may also be in the masculine or the
feminine singular, as ahlu rahu (or rahit) Masr his j/eople have
gone to Cairo ; il khalq igtama'u (or igtama'it) the people collected ;
il harim nizlu, nizlit, nizil li 'arabiya tanya tlie la/lies got into
another carriage ; kulle barre Masr beyid'u 'aleh all Egy]>t a
him ; ba'd in nas yequlu (or teqiil), the latter agreeing with the
broken plural nas in the feminine singular ; but ba'duhum
yequlu (or yequl) ; il gama'a dol rah yirkabfi li 'arabiyitak?
ate these people going to drive in your carriage? il 'alam da, di.
dol gih, gat, gum min e"n where have these people* cc
il kulle gih (or gum) all came. Of two verbs, one may be in
the singular and the other in the plural, as il ba'de gih wi 1
ba'de ma gush some came and sorru did not come.
v 4G3. Kani with its substantive is most frequently followed
by a verb in the feminine singular, but the plural is admissible,
and occasionally the masculine singular is heard when the noun
denotes male human beings, as kam kilab gat, (less usually)
gfl i kam mara gat, gti i kam ragil gat, gu, gih !
Remark. — Shuwaiya, habba, and ba'dishi ( = ba'de si
the sense of «/ lift • . arc regarded as nouns of multitude, and are
generally constructed with a plural verb, as ish shuwaij it il
Lilian ghilyti the little milk has boiled; babbit tibn inflaraqfl mir
ris^abl a little straw was stolen from (he ntable ; il ba'dishi
ddl ma yikaffush (or il ba'dishi da ma yekafflah) this small
quantity will nut suffice.
! A verb will sometio with fche idea conveyed
by b word, though nol a collective noun or a noun of multil
rather than with the actual form of fche word itself, as arba'a
ti tal.it. i feibqa (less usually yibqu) Ltnashai , " 12;
itn'isliar min 'ishrin bibqa tamaiiva twelve from timit-.
eight; itndo yekaffi two's enough; ana rah add] lak 'aahara
gindh ; iza khallasak ma fish ma'na, ma khallaiakabe . . .
ma yi'gibak baqa / am going to offer you il": \fU sottf/
â– monde.
THE VERB: ITS CONCOBD WITH SUBJECT 279
welt and good ; if not — why, please yourself ; kutte biddi aruh
(for kan biddi) 1 wanted to go ; l ma kuntisk lazim agi (for ma
kanshe lazim); yeqiim dimaghu yefuq 'aleh 2 he reeai
mess; illi zeyina nirkab 3 hamir! do such as ice rid
donkeys? yibqa inta ksibt it results that you han won; or it
may agree with a word which is strictly in apposition to the
subject, or in the relation of a genitive to it, but of more im-
portance in the sentence, as kulle barre Masr betid'i 'aleh (for
i"-\ id'u, as above, agreeing with Masr). This is commonly the
where the word nafs and others of similar meaning precede
the noun with which they are used, as nafs ir riggala qalu ;
so with titles, as hadritak, ganabak, sa'tak, the verb agreeing
with the pronoun.
i; 4G5. Verbs expressing the state of the weather are put in
the feminine, the word dinya (dun ya) being understood, as matarit
(or natarit) it rained, betishti if is raining, betir'ad it thunders, die.
i; 466. Dinya (dunya) is also understood 4 in the expressions
kanit id duhr, il maghrib, qamar, turab, &o. it was noon, sunset,
moonlight, dusty, &c, but kan is also said if the predicate is
masculine, and even sometimes whim it is feminine.
§ 467. In the expression we khulsit baqa and so my story
. liikaya is understood ; in ma dakhalitshe B it has nothing to
do with it, the subject understood is a word or phrase just
spoken. In some others, as gat salima it has turned out all
right, il hamdu li llah illi gat 'ala kede thank God that it has
turned out that way, hakamit kede it lias beta so ordaim /, has
so happened, afiye ma fcigl tigi come what may, tekun h hanakak
tiqsam li gherak, i.e. there is many a slip twixt the ewp and tft
the verba are impersonal, the feminine standing fur the neater.
Remark. — Impersonal verbs are, however, sometimes in the
masculine, as ma yinfa'sh, ma 3 iglsh minnu it's of no use ; hasal
kher no harm's done (all's well that ends welt) ; and baqa is used
much more frequently than baqat 6 (§ 560).
1 Kutte biddi is used nearly as frequently as kan biddi.
2 The educated often use dtmagh with a masculine verb.
3 Illi zrvina yirkali may be Said, but even then the plural
hamir will be used.
4 It is, however, frequently expressed in both cases, as id
dinya k.'mit turab, bitir'ad.
Or 'li ma dakhalitshe wala kharagil that is neitlier ken
nor li.
'â– Baqat is occasionally used for l>aqa even when it is nol
used in a purely adi erbia] sen se.
280 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
§ 468. A definite dual subject requires the verb to be in the
plural, as ir raglen gu, nizlu, or gum (gu) ir raglen ; but it is
not unusual for the verb to be in the masculine or feminine
singular when it precedes the subject, as lamma gih ir raglen :
gatnl §agart@n ; and it will sometimes be in the feminine
though following its subject, if the latter denote an inanimate
object, and in particular if it denote the double members of the
body, as ideh bitlit we '§neh rahit, i.e. he has lost the use of his
hands and his eyes. We m:iy Bay 'eneh kanit maftuha. or kanit
maftuhin, or kanu maftuha, or kanu maftuhin, but kanit
maftuhin and kanu maftuha are unusual.
§ 469. When the subject is indefinite and precedes the verb,
the concord is regulated by the rules and exceptions set forth
in the preceding sections ; but when the verb precedes, it is
placed by preference in the masculine singular, whatever the
gender and number of the Bubject; < .</. mara darabit bintiha
a woman beat her daughter; qutat wi klab te'adde ba'd tats ami
dogs bite one another; ragl@n, kitaben, gum: bul L'.i lu wahda
'aguza there came to him an old woman ; nizil nas waiyah 'ala 1
balad there >rent some people with him to tin village : ma yibqa
lish ugra zeyi n nus / don't get proper wages; kan maugud nas
ketir there were many peoj>l>- present ; lissa ma fatshe -
iot yet passed a year ; ma hasalshe minha Bamara
not been <<»>i good result from it: kan hasal nadra an accident
had happened ; Lamma yigi lak gawabat when you get letter* : iza
lu haga if anything happened to him; tabbe 'aleya raglfin
two men overtook me, came upon me ; gih khamsa naggartn !
came five carpenters ; gfi Ltgurnalfin / received '
1!i:m\i;k The veil), however, not infrequently agi
ciallv when it immediately precedes the subject, or the sul
is emphasized, as hasalit lu nit's (or '§n) the > inl eye has c
him ; gat Lak dahya! perdition upon you/ kulle ma ti.'i lu i
yitkhaniq waiyaha whenever a v> ir him he qua
with her, kan (or kanit) 'alfih kiswa sftda h /
The substantive verb preceding an Indefinite subject will often
agree with it in form, owing to the fact that there is an ellipse
of the relative between the subject and the following word
kanit bint qa'da ganb il bab tin
( I. i bint illi qa'da •'. , . .); kanit
usually 1 '.a okabbit, but kan inkal I j i an
inkstand had > . kanu riggala henak ' tht
i So g '
THE TENSES 281
were then ; kan rigg&la henak there were men there, in such a
phrase as ma gash ilia mratu the verb is masculine although the
noun is definite as agreeing with the word hadd in
The full expression would be ma gash hadde ilia mratu gat.
70. When following the indefinite pronoun gy and it-
noun the verb regularly agrees with the noun, but occasionally
remains unchanged, as eye gihitin kanit whatever direction it be.
With l.irsu, on the contrary, it remains unchanged, as 'auz
yitgauwiz binte min hesu kan he wants to marry >> airl, wl
the he.
Rbhabk. — Kan serving as an auxiliary an<l placed after the
principal verb is generally unchanged, as aati ana gil tiha kan ;
ana qultilak inbarih kan.
171. The verb is never in the feminine when preceding a
perfect plural, and very rarely when preceding a dual or broken
plural denoting human beings; thus, while both nizil and nizlu
im (or naggaren) are admissible, nizlit cannot be said.
•17i'. Though the first of two or more verbs may not a^ree
in gender and number with a subject common to both of them.
the other or others may and generally will, and this whether the
subject be definite or indefinite, as gat il banat a misku fihum
// "' ' seized them; q&bilni ragldn u gftru yimshti
waiyftya two men met mo and continued walking with me; lamma
yiL'i lak mara we tis'alak wfu n a woman comes to you and asks you ;
iltammit in nas 'alfiya we darabuni we saraqunl the f
around me and beat awl robbed me; (jam abb il bint w ummiha
qftlfl . . .
THE TENSES
. 17::. The past tense (or perfect) denotes: —
| An act just completed at the present time, as katabt il
gawab / havt written the letter; kanasu 1 6da th v 1 t th
room.
completed at some past time, as kataht il gawftb
qable ma yigJ / wrote the letter be/ore he came; banu ] b.'t
'amnauwij they built the housi last year.
• An act begun at the time of speaking, or previously,
and continued at the pr nt time, as il walad habbiha II, â–
<ll> n inlnr, ,r 1 1, /, , ,- ■. s;l , |, \ :ll{ „ ;l { y\^ r J ul f , /(//
alzam tak leinnak \> • '■I ommand yon to go; istaghrabl /
hed ; ha< ( <|uha qafaltul i ght to have sh
prayei or wish, as la samah Allah G bid; dumtum
bi Uh."r may you keep well, farewell ; katl Allah)
'''"â– ' ""â– well-being, thank you ; gat lak dahya perdition
yOU ; in-hall:. h ma rnl.it / l,,.j â– you won't
282 THE SPOKEX ARABIC OF EGYPT
(e) An act to be performed in the immediate future, as sibu ;
l.t 1 is; u i (car we ilia) qataltak leave it alone or I'll kill you; §sh
qultum h 1 mas'ala what say you about the matter I khallGtik be
'afya ya sitt / leave you in health (said by a lady caller on taking
leave).
(/) An act which may probably or possibly take place at
some future time, such as would often be described by the
subjunctive in other languages, as in gih, iza rah if he t
go; 1 li eye matrahin ruht to whatever place you go; §ye botin
lean whatever house if be; kulle min kan 2 whoever it be; kulle
ma amartuni buh a'milu whatever you command me ( = shall have
commanded me) I will do.
(</) An act which has been performed once and is cited as a
rule for the future, as iza kan fill inishwar ruht if then' it
errand I yo on it. This construction is nut uncommon in
proverbs, in which vividness of expression is always an object ;
e.g. illi tarak she 'ash balah who haves a thing live* without if
(â– = waste not, want not)', or in narrative where we could onlj
use the present or future in English, as il walad ininna lamina
yikbar we 'all/, yitgauwiz yequm yitlub lnahre miu abl'lh . . . u
ha'deii lamina shat' aln'ih mush 'auz yiddi In luahr bauwish
ugritu u gab mahre min 'andu we qam abuh khatah hi bint
wlien one of our children grows up ami wants to get marru I /'<â–
asks his father for (money for) a dower . . ., but wh
his father unwilling to give it him, he saves uj> /lis earnings and
finds the dower out of his own pocket, and his father betroths him
to a girl. 9
17!. The verbs khalla ht, sliat' >". siini" hear, ha- •'â– â–
mils/,/, /•, lai|.-i, waga< I find, a i id o1 hers of a similar signification, when
themselves referring to past events, maj be followed by another
verli iii the perfect where in English it would be in the infinitive
Of a participle, the second verb forming an indirect predict
the objeel of the first; e.g. khalldtu rah il bei / •' /<
Hi" house; shuftiha gal / saw her com . Bimi'na 1 fulus wiq'it
min gdbu we heard ilt<- money fall from his pocket; kutte bah-
sibhum ishtaruh / mis thinking they had bought it ; ^liut't •.;
ingalad I saw him flogged ; laqdtu nisi] rah I found him
Rkmabk. We m is also Bay khalldta yeruh il bet, suni'ns
1 fulus tuqa', .v.-., hut the facts are no1 then so fully certified.
1 For the conditional
toit.
The present and pasl are used indiscriminately, the sp
changing from one to the other,
THE TENSES
The English / saw him going will bo translated by shuftu rayih,
or we huwa rayih, 1 or biyeruh.
^ 475. The pa > is equivalent to the English plu-
t : —
(a) In a clause united t<> a previous one by a conjunction, as
ma f&tosh ilia lamma mauwitu lie didn't leave Jam till he had
killed him : rauwah qable ma khallas shughlu he went away befon
he had finished his work : ba'de ma katab il gawab hattu fi zarf
after h> had written the letti r he put it in an • nvelope.
Kkmark. — In indirect discourse the past tense or pi
used as a past is not followed, as in English, by the pluperfect,
but by the simple perfect, unless it is desired to lay particular
- on the fact that the action was already completed at the
time that the reported words were spoken, as qal innn katab
il gawab h* said thai //â– had written th? letter; bahsib innu gih
1 thought he ha
(b) Occasionally with tan, Id, in conditional sentences.
" /•)
'.. The pasl tense of the verb kan with a participle will
often express the pluperfect, as kanu mbaddarfn il akl they had
prepared the meal. This mighl also mean they h"*! been or
.- the meal, according to the context.
7. The aorisl corresponds to <>ur indefinite unfinished
is ahibbu / ov him; il ghina yegib ishab rides bring
U ; kulle vnm yiddlni qersh hi gives me </ piastn > very day .
Lab shamse liihr ti â– i ,; sa'a? at what time does the sun rise? o\
to the indefinite future, thuftu aqulln if I set him I will
tell him : lamina yigl ashdya'fl lak when /<â– : / him
la* ti ani sa'a bukra? at what tinu
(will) the sun rise to-morrow f
Rkmabk. II- nee English adjectives in able, il' L . A'-., ma)
generally lie translated by the aorist of s passive or neuter
verb, and comp >und nouns often rendered by its help.
vitt.ikil edible; yin'irif recognisable; ma yitqibilsh unacceptable;
ma yitfihimsh incomprehensibU ; yimkin possible; qamus yithafte
ti I gflb a pocket-dictionary ; meqauwara tdtqauwar biha 1 gibna
a chi â– â– â– -scoop.
i. It often plays the pari 'it' the historic present, at
yequl (aiyib agl all right, h taps, r 11 come; yequm abuh yis'al
minim we yequl lu his father then gets angry with him, and
to him.
tetimes baa the force of the imperfeel pr<
284 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
especially when joined by the copulative to another verb in the
imperfect present, the bi being dropped perhaps in the latter
case for euphony, asl tindah li leh? why do you call me ( = are
you calling me)? bit'aiyat wi tza"aq kede leh? what are you
crying and howling like that for ?
Remark. — Similarly, the bi may be dropped in the unfinished
future, as u';1 tekun tinsa.
§ 480. An event which happens habitually at regular periods
may be denoted either by the aorist or the imperfect present,
as kulle sana nhigg (or binhigg) we male the pilgrimage â–
year.
§481. It is used like the perfect, and with much greater
frequency, to express a wish or desire (which includes a curse),
as Allah yihfazak, yisallimak God preserve you; Allah yitauwil
'umrak God prolong your life ; il'an (for Allah yil'an) abuk (God)
curse your father. Both perfect and aorist may occur in the
samo sentence, as shakar Allah fadlak u Rabbina yitammim bi
kher God requite your kindness, and our Lord bring about a
issm .
§ 482. The aorist is very frequently attached to a preceding
verb or its participle, or a verbal noun or expression, without
the intervention of a conjunction or any other particle. This
may happen : —
(a) Where it is equivalent to the English infinitive, whether
simple or gerundial, and qualifying or limiting the sense of the
preceding verb or verbal expression, or acting (with its comple-
ment) as an object or an indirect predicate, <>r denoting a pur-
pose; e.g. 'an/- aruh / want to go; yi'raf yiktib he knows how
to write : talalma nruh we asked to go ; ana talilt minnak tiqdi li
1 haga <li / beg you to do this for rru ; emta fcigi tshufntl when
will you come to see met ,u'ih yishtimnS he came to insult
liattalir ashrab dukkftn / haw given uj> smoking tobacco; huwa
yikhtishi yeruh he is asha . khallih yitkallim let him
speak : fadtshe tithr I {are you) not free to go outt biddt, gharadl
amauwitu it is my wish (/ want), my purpose, to kill him ; talah
iniiinu moiya yishrab' he asked of hiv r to drink; 'al.'kil
fciktibA In it is foryou to write to him . kan menabbih ma bad-
dish yigl 'andu he hud given orders f ''<»;» ;
ma qadarshe, ma rdisb, ma qibilshe, yakhda i unable, w+
.rilling. In refused, tn take it . ma a'rafahe aruh tVn / don't â–
where to go ; ma yehunshe 'al6ya amauwitu / haven't //»»• luart t<>
kill d ; amain yeruh v ordered him t<> g<> .â– kan lasim yigl //-
ought to have come ; baram, H 'l>. 'alek t> qui k>
tf you to sny so. ma Ihiqshe yigl ht couldn't
THE TENSES 285
i tinsa take care you don't forget; u'a tftqa' beware of fatting â–
>he haqqu yidrabu ht had no >•/<//</ to strike him ; 'auzak
i www .• qui In yiddih lak tell him to ,.
you; ma hibbish (ahibbish) titkallim kede quddam in
don't !â– * you t<> speak thus in public; bilif yimauwitu he
/;>// it ; shgya't aglbu / have sent to fetch it ;
t up; il hakim harrag 'algh ma yit-
la'ahe nun il l»-t the doctor forbade him i j house .- lazim
h fa must go; lazim yaknn rah fa »/ M tf fa M ^ 0/ie • m >it
hum, aqnllak //oi^ to tell you; rah vilbis /,, has go
â– yikhlaa ,/ has come near to being finished (Le. 1 1
knm be finished); qarrab yigi fa tmU soon be here; khayif vefut
fa t8 afraid to pass.
(b) Where, being the complement of the preceding verb it
would be expressed by a participle in English; e.g. .lakhal
mzl1 - Wl ' wwwj w, dom; tili- yigrf fi
rowing; Bhataznn! fi 1 lei u bat sabah vishtimni Ac insulted me
at night, went to bed, and got up insulting me in the morning â–
mAshl yighannl singing as he went. This idiom is verv common
with the verbs qa'ad and fidil, as qa'adna ndardish t ll i] j
•hatting together all night; kan qa'id yiqra fi 1 Quran /,
"#" â– the Koran; fidil yishrab he conHm
hdilna aimanl lamina wisilna toe continued walking till we am
iv,- besides denoting continual,
running after him; sir yidrab il waladbi
'asaytu fa %a» Atttir^ tfa /,„,, „■///< his stick. Dar veliff Lb
used in the sense of walking around, as kan dftyir yeliffe li 1
bal â– ting about the village.
II.- imperfect present is sometimes used in the same
Qushyit liiya betihsib il fulns lissa li gebba she
thinking the money was still m her pocket, and may also
replace the aorisl as an historic present, as a ba'den biya bitqnl
u th ' n " '"" • baqnl lu ana mush ana illi -an, iLt il
Mmal.ya di, lakin ma' zalik beyifdal yidrab ttya I told him U
I who 'hi it, but in spite of that h goes on striking
, Ii .'" v, ' rh l'-' fularly used in the present
for the indefinite or im] . ,„, kU ssa hinaf bahsCbak
, " ,,L " "■«■"'■• t I thought you had gom i i
la fargha / thought ti, , un-
" ,;,h '-'' **nu\ . Idhf Bahsib il lamda rita why did
, t "' 1 th,: " â– â– â– 'â– I â– i vming.
1: ' M !;l - I may be preceded bj the auxiliary kin,
1 ' J »uld be followed by a rerb in the paal tej i
286 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
forming the unfinished past or imperfect tense, as kunte bahsib
innak akhuh / was thinking that you were his brother, but the
imperfect present is more usual.
§ 485. A past customary or continued action is generally
denoted by the imperfect present preceded by the auxiliary kan,
as ana kulle y6m kunte baddi lu qershen sagh / was giving him
two piastres a day ; kan beyigi 'andi ktir h- used often to ea
my house ; kan beyakul we yenam (for biyenam) waiyana mar-
raten fi g gum'a he used to dine and sh ep with us twice a
kan beyidrab fih he was striking him ; kanit bithizze fi rasha she
was shaking her head. 1
S 48G. It has been seen that the aorist may stand for the
English indefinite future, but as such it has only to do, in affir-
mative sentences, with simple futurity. To express volition or
the determination to perform an act we must add the participle
rayih (rayh, rah), or the particle ha, or adopt a periphrasis;
thus lamma tigi inta aruh ana when you come J shall go, but iza
get inta haruh ana if yon a I 'I go ; aruh l<"h ? why should
I got but ana rah aruh / am going, I /mint to go; tigi bukra ^
trill you come to-morrow ! ha ti^i bukra shall you eo
inta 'auz timna'ni min il mirwah, lakin bardu haruh ana yom
want to prevent me from going, but J will go all the .-an:-.
i 487. The determination not to do a thing is, on the con-
trary, generally expressed by the aorist, as ruh min hina. Ms
rubsh (aruhsh) go away from here, J won't go ; aaJlimni 1
Hi fi idak. Ma sallimhl laksh (asallhnha laksh) or mush rayih
asallimha lak give mc up the stick you have in your hand. I irtll
tail givt if you.
Remark.- Rayih, rah, and ha are sometimes inserted where
we should expect the aorist alone, as ma yisahhisb h-inni ana
rayih akdib ala n lias if would not be right that 1 â– and
tell //â– b to peoplt .
• A determination sot to do a thing is sometuni
pressed by mush 'auz, as il musmar mush 'auz y it l.r
ant to ( i.". won t) come out.
'. The future perfeet may in some eases be rendered by
borisl of the auxiliary followed by the participle of she rerb,
just as the pluperfect maj be bj the pasl tense of the auxiliary
Ui.l the participle, as mesafit ma mikul is samak 3 lybtn
il laliiu l'ij fh< titm "•' liar- eaten On j:>i< they trill hoot i -ought
th> in' at.
I this use of ti. . I, Rem
THE M<x,DS 287
THE MOODS
'. The Bpoken language baa, as we have Been in the
two finite moods only— the indicative and the in
peralave. As there is no separate form for the subjunctive the
•• has to perform its offices.
. The imperative maintains (die t of tin- aorist in the
n. or, m other words, the aarist is used for i1 •—
'".' , ]n proWbitions, as ma tqarrabshe ,- /f or
'I :i1 ' ^ tgteh don't •,!;,,: iv , k r.., }l
don t go.
When preceded by the particle ma or the imperative of
•"'•I' baqa,' as ma (qui li but tell me; ma tigi; ibqa truh
>andu po to fcu house; but we may also say ibqa ta'ala <fcc
lywith the conjunction ya either, or, as ya tun«ud
•/• ,,/ rfowi ,„• oo (way, bo* uq'ud walla rnshi
Brequentay i„ other cases to render the commun-l less
barsh or abrupt as tigl bukra mimd you com* ttHnOTTOW ; tibqa
tsallun h â– ala box ra lember me to your fat
Ci-muck. -Tibqa, tibqu, are said more often than ibqa, ibqu
• *» z - '" express an exhortation in connection with
»n we may employ the verb khalll (§ 144) foil.
'"/,; f ''r' :l " ri ^ ; ' : khalllna nrfth, khallih
d^ (or ptfaddai alone) /*/«*> ■...... khallih yitribit
itril.it) /./ U be bound.
. ; ! : ' :; - 'â– â– ' .â– â– â– alao expressed by the second person
J«f of the imperative followed by the preposition bi with
. 1.x ,.t the first person plural, as imshl bina (or imsbi bna)
nq'ud bina let m rit down.
. ,:! ■••••■' ■B sometimes added to the firsl person plural
ol the aorist, as nerufa bina, &c.
died potential mood is made np in Arab*
1 fa principal and an auxiliary verb, as aqdar
yunfanak tig] youem Dh, may be
"' l ; ,v,: â– preceded bj kan, as kunl asheya'u lu 1
''["â– '''' **tohn . mush kutte tiadi limn,
• Iin :;!'- V!l I" 1 " .' ki«rdl!«andakS
V' '>"■quantity yon ha* ' kanrt ti'mil •
by the help of other auxOJ kan yiinl
vi Irabu ht ould ha him.
1 I pi lis.
in fulfill, -l ehitj is »ae*J»ea implied,
288 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
§ 495. Would and would have, in a subjunctive, conditional,
or optative sense, will be rendered by the tenses of the indica-
tive mood.
§ 496. In indirect discourse the aorist, generally preceded
by ha or rayih, will be employed, as qalit inniha tisheya'ha. ha
tiktib, rah tigi she said that she would send her, would write, cone.
§ 497. The English infinitive is expressed : —
(a) By the aorist united to the preceding clause or word by
a conjunction, especially when the infinitive denotes a purpose,
as ruhna 1 balad 'ashan nistafhim 'an il khabar we went to
town io inquire about the news ; gibte kitabati 'ashan awarrlhum
lak / have, brought my boohs to show (them to) you ; haddarna r
ragil laglo yihki lak hikaytu we hare brought you the man to tell
you his story; talab minnu innu yi'allim 'ala 1 waraqa they
begged of him to sign tJie paper; at'askshhn inn! aqdar agi /
hope to be able to come; wa'adnf innu yiktib li he promised to
write to me.
(b) By the aorist without a conjunction (§ 482).
(c) By a definite verbal noun governed by the preposition li.
or 'ashan when a purpose is expressed, as il mashye ahsan min
ir rukub it is better to walk than to drive; ma baqa ln&sh h&ga
ghlr it taslim we have nothing left us but to submit : ithakam
'aleh bi 1 gild he urts condemned to be flogged ; guhuz li 1 mirwah
he was prepared, ready, to go.
THE PARTICIPLES
§ 498. The active participle very frequently replaces tin 1
continued present, and sometimes the past or future t<
and this whether the subject be expressed or undersi
kan katib il gawab ( = kan beyiktibu) lamina tablet an
was writing tin letter when J appear* t . yekun fatih il bftb Lamma
busal lie will be opening tin gati when gun arrive; ana gay 1 am
coming; ana dayir( = kunte badur) fi 1 balad we gib. wahid ijal
li as / was walking round the town some one canu and told
kan waqtiha sbArib lie was drinking at the moment . qain waqif
lie stuud standing (<=* he stood up) \ lamma wisilna laqi na n n&fl
garyin (or beyigru) we found the people running
shufna 1 maahayikh (alyin (beyifWum) min il balad rakbln
liainirhum we SOW the sheikhs comi: the village riding
their donkeyt ; ragga* ii. talyin bring back //<".-< who are going out ;
isli shibbftk 'ala v.'iniii id dakhil, i.e. tht window is on your right
</.-• you go in ; bid*] ma nta q&'id hina instead of your sitting
THE PARTICIPLES 259
ma Dish qaylak imbarih? didn't I tell you yesterday? ma fish
lm i is there nothing (you) ham forgotten f ana mrabbfh
'and! min Bugre sinnu I have brought him up from his chUdh
kan fatih, qafil he hail shut, opened (hie, shop, $c); so ragil qari
a reading man, i.e. a read man; rah dugri sharib fing&n il qahwa
â– /// straight and drank the cup of cofft e, i-e. he drank it straight
off; yeruh dugri darib il walad fi wiahshu he straightway I if flu
boy in the face;* ana mush n&yim li 1 b§t il lela(for ma akunshe
iiuviin), il babur qayim in naharda walla buki-a? is th<- boat
starting to-day or to-morrow? so ma ntish hina buki'a? won't you
be Itere to mo) row ? the participle of the substantive verb not
g in use.
'. The passive participle refers only to an act already
past, and the English imperfect passive participle must be
translated by a periphrasis ; thus laqSt il walad ma â– hub bi
i the boy struck with a stick; laqet il walad be-yi-
drabuh (or beyidrabu fib) I found the boy being hit.
,§ 500. The participles, like any other adjective, may qualify
a noun or be used substantively or adverbially, as ir ragil il
hadir the man who ut present; il mara 1 maqtula the mur
"â– 'Jinan; kalam matbtV a printed statement ; il gawabat ii i
rs; id dakhil lazim yikhalli balu he who
goes in must h il matqul ma yihkish hikaytu, i.e.
//"-/( tell tt>j tales; wahid gahil in ni'ma, nakir il ma'rui
getful of favours, i.<-. an ungrateful man; il gari yusal qabl il
bJ the runner arrives before the walker; uq'ud sukit sit q
il husan misbi had! the horse went quietly.
il. The active participle is, strictly speaking, imperfect
in its action, and neither it nor the passive participle can be
used by themselves, like the English participles, to define the
circumstances of an action. An English clause, therefore, in
which a participle has of itself the full force of a verb, must
I into one introduced by a conjunction, or be othei
phrased; thus madam 'irifte innak mush gay tili"
knowing that you weren't coming, 1 went out (not 'firif innak);
lumm.i t'akkidte inniha gal having
come; ba'de ma sakkSt il bab ljatt/t il muftah ti gfibS having
d the door, I put the key in mypo ket; ma rdlsh yigi ikminnu
red, he was unwilling to conn , ba'de
1 h&\ dakhal il bet having jx
in beyit'asha Lstanna li 1 bab
1 Upmp. the English " Don't go hitting him," " Whj d
go doing thai
T
290 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
dinner, he waited at the door ; ba'd il f ulus ma ndafa'it (or lamma
ndafa'it il fulus) the money having been paid ; shal il 'aiyil 'ala
kitfu we till* yigri lifting the child on to his shoulder, he ran
away.
§ 502. But they may be used like the aorist to qualify the
meaning of certain verbs, as mat maqtul ; and an active parti-
ciple may —
(a) Immediately follow the verbs rah, gih, qam, fid.il, and
tann, limiting their action, as rah gari he went running ; gena
mashyin we came walking, on foot ; qam waqif , sakit ; fidilna
tal'in lamina li foq we continued going up till {we reached') the top ;
tannuhum sharbin they continued drinking.
(b) Define the condition of the object of verbs signifying to
perceive or find, as ana shuftu dakhil / saw him going in ; laqetu
darib il wad I found him striking the lad.
Remark. — In both cases the aorist or present may be used
instead of the participle, and in the latter, especially after verbs
of seeing, the conjunction we may be inserted between the object
and the participle.
§ 503. A partial exception to the nde laid down in § 501 is
the use of the copulative with the personal pronoun, which,
together with the participle, are equivalent to a clause intro-
duced by a temporal conjunction, as itqabilte waiyah w ana
rayih 'ala 1 balad / met him as I teas going to the oMagt .
shufnah wi hna gay in min 'andak we saw him when we were coming
from you ; w ana mash! waiya Mahmud qal li as I was walking
with M., he said to me. (See further, $ 576.)
Remark. — Here again the continued present may be used,
as itqabilte waiyah w ana baruh, Arc, but the participle is
preferable.
§ r> ( ) -4 . The English gerund may be rendered in Arabic by a
verbal noun, the aorist, or a separate clause sometimes intra
duced by a conjunction, as yehibbe dars il lugha //- is fond of
studying philology; &ahn ligharfid dik </ dish for serving ih>'
fowl; ana badrabak 'asban daqqitak di 6 l>inti / am hitting you
for pushing my daughter in this way ; yehibbe yiqra li I Qur*ao
he likes reading the Koran ; qam 'adda 1 bahr we barab
by crossing the river; shanaquh 'ala sbazi ma qatal imratu hi
hanged for murdering his wife; iggannin ikminnu (or lamma)
daiya' fulusu he went mad through having lost his money; kbadu
bard ikminnu kan wfiqif ii 1 ma^ars he has taken cold through
standing in the rum . kattar kberak illi g§t thank you far coming;
ma Fish fayda ti innak berub there's no good in your going.
CONDITIONAL SENTENCES 291
THE VOICES
§ 505. The passive voice is expressed —
(a) In certain verbs by a special form (Accidence, S 141).
(b) By one of the derived forms (Accidence).
(r) By the use of the third person plural of the active, with-
out reference to a definite subject, as darabuh he wo* 'â– â–
katabn 1 gawab i when was the letter written ! rayhin yish-
nuquh /" is going f<> be hanged; rah yiqtil we qataluh he went t<>
"kill {somebody), and //â– </.-â– killed himself.
16. The agent is usually introduced byminwhen a passive
form is used, but not infrequently by bi, especially when it is
not a human being, as inqatal min min ? hy whom was he kitted '
quruste bi 'aqrab / was stung by a scorpion.
Remark. — Although the passive forms are freely used in
Arabic, it is better, as a rule, especially when the agent Le
pressed, to put the verb in the active voice ; thus the thief was
caught by two 'men passing would he better translated by itnen
kanil faytin misku 1 harami than by il harami itmisik min itnen
kanti faytin.
CONDITIONAL SENTENCES
^ 507. The protasis (or clause containing the condition) is
introduced by iza or in when a future condition is stated, and
by lau, 16, 1 iza, or in when a past condition is stated. In all
- the verb must he in the past tense; e.g. iza gib wahid if
an;/ one come ; in wiqi* il kitah min idak if the hoe,/: should /all
from yout hand ; iza kunte ruht if you had gone ; lau kutte had-
dart il husan if you had brought the horsi .
§508. Iza kan and in kan. followed by the aorist, are used in
the same way as iza and in with the past tense, and followed b\
the imperfect present introduce a condition which may he in
process of fulfilment.
9. Tin- conjunction inn or le inn may intervene between
lau, Id, la. a-c, and the verb. When this happens, tin- verb kan
ii understood, so that the strict rendering would he ir, re it that
. . . not (hat . . . the words introduced by the conjunction form-
ing a substantival clan-.-.
•"■in. '|'h,. following examples of affirmative and negative
clauses will show what tenses should he used both in the pro-
tasis and apodosis (thai is, the clause containing the conclusion).
irding as the former implies that the fulfilment of the condi-
tion i lible, probable, or impossible: —
1 The form Id i- generally used in negative aentei
292 THE SPOKEN" ARABIC OF EGYPT
(a) Future possibility, or probability, or mere assumption :
iza gih, in gih, iza kan yigi (or in kan yigi), aruh ana 1 if lie
comi (or corner), I will go ; iza ma gash, in ma gash, iza kan ma
yigish, iza ma kanshe yigi, in kan ma yigish, in ma kanshe yigi,
aruh ana if he do (does) not come, I will go.
(/') Present possibility or probability : iza kan beyigi, in kan
beyigi, aruh ana if he is coming, I will go; iza ma kanshe beyigi,
in ma kanshe beyigi aruh ana if he he (is) not coming, I inill go.
('•) Future improbability : iza gih, in gih, ruht if he came
{should come), I would go ; iza ma gash, in ma gash, ruht if he were
not to come, I would go.
(</) Past probability or possibility : iza kan gih, in kan gih
aruh if he has come, I will go ; iza ma kanshe gih, in ma kanshe
gih, aruh if he have {has) not come, 1 will go.
{>â– ) Past improbability : lau gih, lau innu (le innu) gih, in
kan gih aruh ana if he should have conn . / would go ; Lau ma (or
loma), gash, 16 la gih, lau innu (le innu) ma gash, in kan ma gash,
in ma kanshe gih, aruh ana if he should not have come, I will
go.
{/) Past impossibility (condition unfulfilled) : lau gih, lau
kan gih, lau kan yigi 2 ruht, kunte ruht, kunt aruh ana if he
had come, I would have gone ; lau (In) ma gash, 16 la gih, lau (h)
ma kanshe gih (yigi), lau kan ma gash, 16 la kan gih (yigi) ruht,
kunte ruht, kunt aruh ana if lie had not come, I would have
gone.
(v) Imperfect impossibility : lau kan beyigi kunte ruht, kunt
aruh. kunte baruh, ana if he had been cuming, I would have gone
{be going) ; lau (16) ma kanshe beyigi, Id la kan beyigi, lau kan ma
beyiglsh kunte ruht, kunt aruh, kunte baruh, ana if he had it"?
h en â– â– oming, I would have gone {been going).
Rehire <i. — I/, lam yigi is sometimes used for in ma gash by
the uneducated, in the belief that they are displaying a kn>>\\-
Ledge of nahwy.
Remark &.— In (g) the aori&l is sometimes used for th<
binued present, as lau kunte a'raf ma kuntish astarda if I had
known (lit. been knowing, aware), I would not h ted.
§511. La, a particle of asseveration, is sometimes prefixed
1 Sometimes, also, kunte aruh when the probability is remote.
In kan \L r i La perhaps more remote than iza kan yigi. When
the fulfilment of the condition is practically a certainty, i
in becomes equivalent to lamma, a.> in t i 1 i • m oahar ueruh, Le
wh( u it in morning we will go.
{ ini-aial.
CONDITIONAL SENTENCES 293
to the verb in the apodosis, as lau kunte itqabilte waiyaha
lakunte mauwittuha had I met her, I would assuredly haw. killed
her.
§ 512. Iza kan is generally regarded as one word, kanremain-
inohanged in number and person, 1 as iza kan agi, yigu if I,
they, come ; but we may also say iza kunte (or kutte) agj kanu
yigu, itc. With in, on the contrary, kan should agree with the
subject, as in kanit 'agabitak walla n kanit ma 'agabitakshe
whether sht pleased you or not.
i 513. L6* ma, 16 la, and sometimes in m;l, may immediately
precede a substantive in the sense of but for { = " for),
as 13 m.'i khdfu minhum but for his fear of them ; 18 la d dawa dih
kutte mutt but fur this medicine, T had died; in ma kansbi d darb
but for the blow. The verb kan is not infrequently expressed, as
lo la kan id dawa dih, etc.
£ 514. The conditional particles are often omitted, especially
when there are two alternative clauses, as raysen fi merkib
tighraq, lit. two pilots in a boat, {awl) it si/t/:.< ; kalam il lei mad-
ln'm hi zibda; yitia' 'aleh in nahar, yesih the words of the night an
id with butter,if( "hen) the day rises «/»-// them they melt
away ; tiqraha ma fihash haga read it, and there is nothing in it ,•
Bhalu li fdq zeye ma fish haga he lifted it up as if then
were) nothing; yig! ma yigish z§ye ba'du it is all the same whether
nee or not ; yigl, taiyib; ma yigish, ni'mil eh I if I
well and good ; {but) what shall we do if he does not conn f gih gih,
ma gash neshuf lina (artqa tanya if he comes, he comes : if hi <'<â– â– >
not. we shall see what {else) can h done; ma fish fulus, ma
s-sh iii) mom y, no brt ad; - kan henak, khud minnu radd ; ma kanshe
henak, fut il gawab ( andu if he is there, bring on answer from him .-
if If is not, leave the letter at his house; iza kan khallasak ma
Rah mani' ; ma khallasakshe z§ye ma* yi'gibak baqa if it satisfies
you, well and good ; if not, why, ('/<>) as yo keblr kan an
lughaiyar whether ii be much or little; naggar walla mush r.
ma Inash da'wa it does not cona rn us whetht r he is a carpi nteror not.
515. The conditional particles are expressed after verba
denoting wonder, surprise, be., thus, instead of Baying bastaghrab
iza kan rah yigl walla la', we Bay bastaghrab rah yigl walla la- or
tan \ i lj- i walla la*. After verba of asking they may be
used or not optionally, as sa'altu iza kan rayih yigl (or sa'altu
yigl) / askedhimifht were earning ; but Dote that in the latter
1 Kan Bometimea remains unchanged also with lau. as lau
.nt't ii for lau kunte shuftu.
.mi I: iji'iL.
294 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
case the question is actually asked, and the words must be pro-
nounced accordingly.
§ 516. Whether ... or is often expressed by f;awa in kan . . .
an, walla (we ilia), as sawa n kan yiksab au yikhsar whether he
gain or lose ; whether . . . or not by iza kan, iza (with past tense of
verb) in kan, sawa n kan . . . walla la', walla ma, as qui li iza
kunte radi walla ma ntash radi, iza kunte 'auz teruh walla la'
tell me whether you are willing or unwitting, whether you wish to go
or not ; in kanit takul walla ma takul whether she eat or nut •
iza ruhte walla ma ruhtish whether you go or not ; ma a'rafshe
kan ir ragil maugud walla la' I don't know whether fit" man was
present or not (in being understood, as above) ; even if, though, by
wi lau, wi lau inn, or lau we inn, as wi lau gih hftwa harii.h ana
thongh he come, J will go; haqul il kalam da wi lau innuhum
yiwabbakhuni I shall say this though they scold mr ; kibir kan wi
lau sughaiyar be it large, or even be it small ; lau wi nnina ma
shufnahsh even though we saw it not.
Remark. — We must be careful to distinguish between walla
or ( = wa ilia, we ilia) and wala nor ( = wa la) ; we in la is con-
tracted to willa, as iskut willa aqta' rasak be quid or I will break
(lit. cut off) your head.
INDIRECT DISCOURSE
§ 517. An indirect quotation may be introduced by the
conjunctions inn, leinn, 'ala inn, as qal innu 'amal kede ht
that In' tii<l so; or the original words may be quoted, as qal ana
•ainalte kede ; ma tqulshe li hadd ana 'amalte kede don't tell aim
one you did so.
§ 518. Occasionally these two forms of speech are confused, and
a direct quotation is introduced by a conjunction, 1 as qal le inni
kunte sakran waqtiha //'■said he {himself) was drunk at the time .•
ba'den ana qulti lha In inni ana liaMV-tik Itlcu f>>l>l her I l'ir'
her; khabbaru 1 basha'ala Lnnina ma lqgnahshe they i nformed the
pasha that they had not found him : kan menabbib 'aldya innak
tihaddar il akl //-• had ordered //"■to prepare the meal.
519. In indirect questions the conditional particle iza kan
may l»" used with all persona, as sa'alni iza kunt t > rayh agt,
sa'alu iza kan, Ac. ; OT it may be Omitted, and \.iy generally
is, when 1 1 1 • - 1 ■« - i- an alternative clause, as sa'alni i walls
1 So i'l;i sometimes in Greek, Confusion is not likely t.<
arise from the double meaning, tin- context showing what is
intended.
INTERROGATIVE BENTENl
la, .shuftu walla la h" asked rue whether I am coming o
him or not; istafhim gih walla liasa inquin whether
te }> r not ; or the original words may lie quoted,
i rah tigi, shuftu walla la\ The first of the I
forms of expression is the most usual.
K The conjunctions inn, le inn, <tc, are not infrequently
omitted after the verb qal, though the quotation remains indirect,
as qalfl ma laqush il walad they said they didn't find the boy; is
sauwahin yequlu ma shafush il haram the tourists saytl
the Pyramids ; qald 'aleya mat (or mutt) they t
I had died; il laban mush maghli ; it tabbakha bitqul maghll
flu 'â– ! ; the cook i I (i.e. that it it
i 521. When the verb in the indirect quotation or qn.
would not logically be in the past tense, it is placed in the
imperfect present, aorist, or future in Arabic; thus what
■v : 11 said he ■/will be translated by qal §h?
qal innu biyigi ; h- said h- didn't think by qui -ala inm
yiftikirsh ; th y said they v<>ul<l bring them by qalu innuhum
yngibuhum (or ha 3 _ am); / asked him. if he accepted by
tu ba kan beyirda; so qal li innu ma ya'rafahe haga -an U
inas'ala 'li h> said 'ne knew nothing of this matter.
INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES
§ 522. An interrogative sentence usually stands without an
introductory particle, as in English, when* nothi plied
th< answer, as tab tigi bukra I <n- you com\
shaft ir ragil illi kan hina? or when the verb i-
f&rmative answer is expected, a- ma Bhuftish ir ragi] i
you see the man t In othej is oot uncommonly h
d by the word ya'nl (the 3r<l pers. sing, of th.- aorisl
the disused 'ana /<< mean), an affirmative .-. then
invariably expected if the verb is affirmative, and a negative
•i- if tli. ; verb is negative, as ya'nl rah tigi bukra \ you are
coming to-morrow, then? ya*nl ma Bhuftish ir rikgi] da I
didn't see that
xa'nl may !"• followed pleonastically by th.- noun
ma'na with the feminine pronominal Buffix, as* ya'nl ma-:
mu^li radi ti^'i so th- n ' you a
I â– in direct and indirect questions the interrogative
1 Va'ni and ma'nftha may be i
but thej are much more freely used in Lutein
than th-i; I . rcjuivul- :
296 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
pronoun usually precedes the verb when it is the subject, and
follows it when it is the object. (But see § 423.)
§ 525. An alternative question is introduced by walla, as
'auz teruh walla tistanna hina do you want to go or stay here ?
sheya't il gawab walla huwa lissa 'andak have you sent the letter,
or have you still got it t
§ 526. The Arabs are very fond of introducing a principal
or causal sentence by an interrogative clause, for the purpose
of attracting the attention of the hearer to the fact about to
be stated ; e.g. lamma sa'altu qal li eh ? qal li le innu 'umru
ma shafhash when I asked him, what did he tell me? he told
me that lie had never seen her in his life ; wi humma maqsudhum
£h ? maqsudhum yitaffishuhum and what was their object? their
â– was to drive tliem away ; ana qulti lak il kalam da leh?
qultilak il kalam da 'ashan ta'raf . . . why did I tell you that 1
I told it you that you might know. . . .
§ 527. Instead of answering yes or «o, the person to whom
a question is addressed will often repeat the principal word
of the interrogative sentence (usually a verb) in an affirmative
or a negative form, as shufti ktabu ? Shuftu (or ma shuftush) ;
da ktabu ? Ewa, kitabu ; fi nas henak ? Fih, ma fish.
Remark a. — Notice the insertion of la' in such expressions
as get imbarih au innahar da? la', get imbarih; gibte Wahid
walla tncn? la' gibte Wahid bass; da ragil taiyib ? la', taivib,
the second alternative, even though unexpressed, being denied
before the first is affirmed.
Remark h. — Note that qal is sometimes used for sa'al, as
qal lu i/.a kan huwa rah yeruh dilwaqti walla yistanna shwaiya
he asked him win ther, $&
Remark c. — An interrogation may be equivalent to a
ti\c. as akhallas qaw jm ; a'auwaq ? ( = ma 'auwaqsh) / shall finish
quickly; do you suppose I shall I- I
VERBS EXPRESSIVE OF WONDER, BURPEISE,
DOUBT, FEAK
§528. Where a circumstance is mentioned as a matter of
surprise or doubt, the Bentence recording it is introduced by
the conjunction inn, 'ala inn, &c., and acta as the object ox
the verb, as ana staghrabte 'ala innak ma ta'rafshe ahsan bud
kede / am ewj vised that you do not km \o better than that .
'andi shakke leinnu huwa / doubt whether it it />â– . but where
an alternative or an interrogative follows, no conjunction is
. a> ithaiyarna rayhtn yiguna walla la- ici wen
NEGATIVE SENTENCES 297
r they were coming to us or not ; istaghrab rah ni'mil <'-li
fih h> wondered what we were going to do to him; 'andi shakke
yektin hdwa walla gheru / am in doubt as to whether it be h
â–
§ 529. The English I wonder whether may generally be
translated by ya tara 1 or haltara (or hantara), which may either
precede or follow the verb, as ya tara rah fen / wonder
he has gone; humma til'um min Masre ya tara have they left
, / wonder; so in a dependent sentence, as shut" ya tara
ni'mil eh see, find out, what we should do. Tin- conditional par-
ticles sometimes follow, as qui li ya tara in kunte mabsttt walla
la' tell me, as I am woncU ring, whether you are conti nted or not.
§ 530. The clause which contains the object of fear, being a
future event, is introduced by the conjunction lahsan (or ahsan)
or occasionally, but improperly, by inn, le inn, &c. ; or it may
1 by itself ; as khayif lahsan. ahsan yigi, ma yigish ft wring lest
he come, do not come, or (less usually) khayif yigf, ma yigish.
§ 531. Sometimes the negative la is used superfluously though
the event is expected to take place,- as khaf la yemut il walad
he feared lest the boy die or the boy would die; khad waiy&h sham-
min kh>"/f la tumtur id dinya he took an umbrella for fear it
I rain. Similarly with the verb wa'a, a^ A* a la tinsa.
§532. When the object Lb an event which is believed to be
actually taking place, or t< > have already taken place, it will he
introduced by the conjunction inn, le inn, as khayif le innu
•ing he bt coming, I
NEGATIVE SENTENCES
3. The negative suffix sh may be attached, as we have
in the accidence, to pronouns and pronominal suffixes,
well as to the verb, and even to other words when emphatic;
in kunte ma ntish mesaddaqnl if you don't believe me,
where in ma kuntish mesaddaqni might equally well be said ;
in kan ma Ihumshe 'fish (for in ma kanshe luhum) if
haven't any bread; ma bSnlah u bdnak h&ga (for ma ftsh bdnS
u bdnak) then is nothing between us; ma humm&sh kubar
humma mush kubar) they art notlargt ; ma ( ilm!sh le innu rah
1 have nn km that he ha haddish gih; ma
1 V;i tara ifi more often used than haltara. Tara is the 2nd
of the \ erb ra'a.
//./ in Greek, m in Latin, ne, non t no in the Romance
langti.
298 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
'umrish simi'te hfiga zgye di i" never in my life heard such a
thing. The sign is sometimes attached to the principal verb,
instead of to the auxiliary, when there is a stress on the
former, as kan ma, biyakulshe (for ma kanshe biyakul) he icas not
eating ; kan lissa ma gash he had not yet come.
§ 534. Ma is not infrequently omitted, especially in in-
terrogative sentences, where an affirmative answer is expected
or astonishment implied at the existence of something, as
ma'akshe fulus? haven't you any money ? lakshe ikhwa ? have you
no brothers? kuntish henak ? weren't you there? balakshe 1 hfiga
di ? don't you remember this matter? ma'akshe wala khamsa
sagh ? haven't you got even five ]jiast7 , es ? iza kuntish dafa't kan
ahsan it would have been better if you had not 'paid; ma 'rafshe
kan maugud walla kanshe / don't know whether he was present or
not (but we may here also say wa la kanshe) ; ad! sabab ma
gctsh this is the reason why I didn't come (to avoid the double
ma, but adi sabab ma ma getsh will sometimes be heard).
§ 535. Ma is used without sh : —
(a) Where it is supported, as it were, by another word
or other words in the sentence, which already so strongly
emphasize the negative notion that the sh is intuitively
dropped as superfluous, as wa llahi ana ma a'raf by G<>d (in
very truth) I know not ; * 'umri ma shuftu ; wa 11a na ( = llah ana)
infini fahim kalamak of a truth 1 do not understand your words.
It, is not unusual, however, where no particular stress is laid on
the strengthening word, to add the eh, as wa llahi ma 'rafshe
upon my word I don't know.
(b) In emphatic wishes (but optionally), as Allah ma
yihrimna (or yihrimn&sh) minnak may God not depn
i if you.
(<•) In the expressions in a , drish ilia, ma basse ilia, ma yish'ur
ilia he didn't know where he was, If hadn't time to look round before
. . . , used with reference to a sudden event. The copulative
iri is often inserted either before or after ilia, as ma aah'UT ilia
(or we ilia) u;ilii'l hatte idu ti gfibi suddenly I felt s,<me one /nd
his hand in my pocket : ma basest illau ( = ilia wet u.diid minhuui
tiatte ii 'arablya we barab / hadn't time to Ionic round be/or
of tii, in sprang into n carriage and mode off.
(</) When used for la in the sense of neither, and followed in
another olause by wala nor, as ma kallimtu wala shuftu [neither
1 The omission of the sh here may also be due {<â– > the
prevalent notion that the Koranio, oral least the Nahwy, should
he imitate. 1 in a BentenCS of a reliffioufl turn.
NEGATIVE SENTENCES 290
spoke to him nor saw him ; ana ma darabte wala ndarabt I neither
struck nor "-as struck : but the suffix will often be used, especially
if the first sentence is emphatic or more emphatic than the other
or others, as ana ma darabtush wala huwa darabnt / did
strike him, mn- did lm strike me.
(e) In some phrases of a religious turn, and mostly in
proverbial expressions, as da ma yikhallasni inin Allah that will
not same me from (thr wrath of) God, i.e. it is against my conscit no
16 la 1 kasurama kanit il fakhfira but for the breaking, tlmn in mid be
ttery ; la she" illi ma luh nafa' there it nothing without a ?/.»'.
(/) Occasionally in other expressions where ilia follows in
the sense of except or, combined with ma, in the sense of only,
as ana ma ddilak il Cuius ilia lamma tsallimni 1 kimbiyala /
won't give you the money till you ham/ me the bill : ana ma ruhti
hi ilia nftba wahda / only went to him owe; ma ois'al ilia
'ankum we ask only about //ou (i.e. my thoughts tare only of you).
Here again sh may be added if much stress is laid on the denial.
§536. Neither . . . nor are more generally expressed by Id . . ,
wala. and sh is rarely added in the first clause and usually omitted
in the second, as la Laq&tu wala dauwarte 'aleh J ha>> nit found it,
nor ili'l I look for il ; In dakhal wala kharag, i.e. il has nothing to
'to with if ; la shuft ir ragil wala shuft akhuh I didn't see the man,
nor ili'i I see his brother; la laqu 1 bint wala Laqfi 'ammiha; la
shuftu>h wala kalliintusli (or la shuftu wala kallinitu) / neither
saw him nor spoke to him ; khadu fulusi wala khallu llsh haga they
took my money and left me nothing : wala fish wahid gherna nor is
there any besides us ; wala hish masalaii okhti nor is she, for
example, my sister. Where wala is equivalent to the English
without sh should be added, as yishxab wala yakulsh Ju
without drinking, khadte minnl nuase gineh wala raddgtush.
§ ."i.">7. Sometimes ml la used pleonastically after wala, and
in this case the sh should not be omitted, as ma kunnash
ni'iafhum wala hiimma ina \ i'raf unash W6 didn't Limn- them, HOT
did they know us; ma 'andish nihil wala moiya ma fish / have no
wine, nor have I even any water ; khadu fulusi wala ma khallu lish
: wala ma fish hadde gherna.
Ma may be placed before a pronoun, the subject of
the lUDstantive verb, whether expressed <>r understood, as mush
( ma buwish) k.'m hina / wasn't he heret ma ntiah r&dt?
mm ?mt willing t iza kan (or kunte) ma Dttsh rayha if yo\
are not going. Sometimes the pronoun Lb repeated, as u i kunt
inta in i â– ill.
1 M 1 1 - 1 1 i niish i. as we have seen, is need for all genders
and numbers, and may !>•• followed by all benses. In inten
300 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
tive sentences it invariably calls for an affirmative answer, as
mush kunte fi betu inbarih ? weren't you (i.e. surely you were) at
his house yesterday ? mush ish shamse betitla' mish sharq ? doesn't
the sun rise in the east ?
§ 510. When followed by a verb negatived by ma it must be
translated by not that, as mush ma rahsh not that he didn't yo ;
mush ana ma mishitsh — mishit not that I didn't go — / went.
Remark. — Ma . . . sh are occasionally used with the verb it-
self when mush would be more regular, as huwa marahshe yisraq
we miskfih darabuh it was not that he went to steal and teas caught
and beaten. With the aorist it may serve to express an emphatic
command or prayer, as mush tiskut ! won't you be quiet ! mush
tisallifni wala khamsa sagh ? won't you lend me even five piastres I
mush tiftah li 1 bab? are you not going to open the door for me?
Remark. — Ma is apparently pleonastic in such a phrase as
kef sihhitak min waqte ma ma shuftaksh how have you been since
I saw you (depuis que je ne vous ai vu) ? but the idea is during all
the time that 1 have not seen you. In the expression nakar innu
ma shafush he denied that he sate him, both negative particle.- are
pleonastic.
§ 541. La, unless preceded by the conditional particle 16,
rarely stands in the spoken language before a noun with ellipse
of the substantive verb, except in expressions borrowed from
the Koran, as la ilaha ilia llah there is ?/" god hid God, in a few
proverbs, and in the expression la, budde min (or 'an) lit. there
is no escape from, as la budde min motu he must surely die ; la
budde min inni aruh / must go. La is sometimes used as ma,
above, with the aorist to express a wish, as Allah la yi'afik may
God not give you health, and occasionally with the past tense
when preceded by the conditional in, as il la ( = in la) ma aha'
Allah if God will not. In the compound tenses the auxiliary
may remain positive and the negative be appended to the prin-
cipal verb, as Ltunna ma kharagnash. This adds, perhaps, vivid-
ness to the negation. So kan ma fish 'fish there WOS u<> \
(f or ma kanshe f S ( fish),lazim ma haddish gih noonecanhavi come '
§542. The verb khalla sometimes passes on the negative
which would be more Logically attached to it than to the quali-
fying verb, as ana khallfitu ma rahsh / didn't let him go (for ma
khallfitflsh yeruh), with no appreciable ditt'ereneo of meaning.
§54.".. The verb following qidir !■> able, can, may take the
1 Tliis is invariably the construction with Lazim and words
of similar import forming with the verb the past tense of the
potential mood.
VERBS TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE 301
negative, aa niqdar ma nis'alaksb we are able not to ask you, i.e.
we are not liound to ask you.
§ 544. Ma fish i> occasionally used as the negative of yekun,
or even kan, but in this case it is usually equivalent to is,
less than, as ish shurut ma fish darb yihsal minnak the conditions
are, no blows on your part ; is sa'a ma fish arba'a it is not yet four ;
il mesafa ma benhum ma fish mitren the dist<in<-e between them is
nut two metres (lit. as to the distance between them, there are not tiro
metres ; mush arba'a. mush mitren, would not necessarily imply
that the time— number — was less); kalna gibna ma' 'esh bass,
ma fish zibda ire ate cheese with bread only, no butter. It has the
force of a noun in the expression qafalu 1 bab 'ala ma fish (or
'ala 1 hawa), i.e. without it-< homing anything to hold it.
i 545. The negative particle lam of the written language is
sometimes employe-! by the lower classes in the desire to pa-
educate*!, but always with the past tense, as lam shuftu wala
ra'etu, except when preceded by the (also educate'!) conditional
particle iz, and in the expression lam yazal.
VERBS TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE
§ 54G. Many veil is are used as in English, sometimes transi-
tively, sometimes intransitively or reiiectively. as darab il garaz
he raw/ the bell, il garaz darab the bell rang ; shahhilu he hurried
him, shahhil he hurried ; qaddimu liina 'andS bring him forward
to in", qaddim kam&n shuwaiya come a little further forward .
iqla' hidftmak take off i/<>nr clothes, qala'fth they stripped him.
qala' we nizil fi 1 moiya he stripped and went into tin water; zad
ugi'itu he increased his pay, zad in Nil the Nile rose; fcamm§t Lsh
shughla / /<"'■• finished tin' job, tammit ish shughla the job is
finished; khulust ish shughJ I have completed the work, khulua ish
shughl the work is completed; Libia hidumu (or lihis) he dn
ghaiyar (or ghaiyar hidtlmu) he changed; qarrab il huafin bring
the horse near, qarrab li t talitwar ' I nent ,
yiduqqu (nafsuhum) they tattoo (themselves) ; battalt id dukhkhan
/ have given u/i smoking, il madrassa batfalit the nchool kept
holiday; ghasal he washed himself, ghaea] tdgh, hidumu, at.;
ridd il qizftza stoi . i.e. put the cork in, the bottle, ana aaddSt bidalu
I took hie place (filled the vacancy) ; rabatuh 1 > i 1 bab] th>
him with a /•"/".', biddj arbut (sc. il qdl) waiyah / want to come
to terms with him, il babur rabat th* boat moored; ishtaghal il
Iiuviii h worked, exercised, the hone, ishtagha] tul in oabi
1 Trottoir.
302 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
worked all day ; khadu ba'd (or khadu rauwahum) tliey took tliem-
selves off ; qafal, fatah, id dukkan lie dosed, opened, the shop, kan
qafil, fatih irnbarih lie (i.e. Ms shop, $'c.) was closed, open, yesterday,
iqfil or qaffil (sc. hanakak) be quiet, "shut tip!" yishrab nibit
he drinks xoine, yishrab he drinks ; itfaddal pray walk in,
§c, itfaddal 'esh, kursi pray take sorm bread, a chair ; 'amal
atrash, meyit he pretended to be deaf, dead ; kan hatit or
nasib (sc. kheshu, &c.) we shal lie was pitching his tent, putting
up, here, but has since decamped, huwa batt he has become infirm
(from old age) ; kan yimshi yemidd (sc. riglu) he stepped out,
'walked fast ; sallim nafsu and sallini lie surrendered himself,
surrendered.
Remark a. — In the expressions sain Ramadan, akal (or fitir)
Ramadan lie fasted during (kept) Ramadan, lie eat during Ramadan.
the noun may be regarded as an accusative of limitation. 1
Remark b. — The imperatives itla' and inzil are often used,
when the object is not expressed, for the derived forms talla\
nazzil.
§ 547. Some verbs govern their object either directly or
indirectly, i.e. by means of an intervening preposition, as id dawa
nafa'ni (or nafa' li) the medicine benefited me, iggauwiztiha /
married her, iggauwizte biha J was //tarried to her ; ihki li bi 1
hikaya (or il hikaya) tell me the story, sagadu (or sagad lu) he
worshipped him; lahag 'aleh (or lahagu) he cheated hint; kabastn
I seized him, kabas 'aleh in nfim sleep overcame him; yilzimni
(more usual than yilzim li) kursiyen I /rant tiro chairs (lit. two
chairs are necessary to me, so lazimni 'arabiya, <fce.); hiinia •annu
he protected, defended, him, but Allah yihamik ; akninu and
aknin 'aleh he annoyed liim ; sharu and shar "aleh he eOtUUeUed
h im .
Rbmabe a. — In some cases the preposition may be regi
as part of the verb, as in English hi begs for bread, sec.
Remark b. — The preposition often produces a slight dill'erenee
of meaning, as nadahu he called him : oadah lu he coiled to him ;
fain he I' ft him, passed him, fat 'aleh lie passed by him, paid him
a visit ; saddaqu believe it, saddaq l>i believe m .- khulust ish
shughJ I have finished the work, klmlnste mis Lah ahughl 1 hart
finished with the work*
."i|S. Others, whose equivalents in Knglish gOVem a direct
object, always require the help of a preposition to complete their
1 Unless these expressions are, after the analogy of 'amal
Ramadan t<> keep Ramadan,- (S.)
i But always saddaqu of s person.
VERBS TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE 303
action, as khaf min to fear ; barik fi to bless : shafaq 'ala to pity .•
shaqqe l ala to visit; nabbih 'ala order, 'allaq li 1 husan to
the horse. 1
i 549. Verbs expressive of motion are sometimes regarded as
transitives, and take a direct object, as ruhte bet abuk / went to
your father's houn : ganigawabmin Lundura I ht ed a
• from L>j/i>lo)i ; lamma dakbalna 1 bet when we entere<l the
house : hiya msafra ekandariya she has left for, gone to, Alexandria ;
waddihum it tumn take them to the psiice station ; nizil il balad
is gone to town ; ramgtha 1 moiya I thri w her into the water ;
ba'de ma wisil il moiya as soon as he arrim d at the watt r ; waealni
1 gawab, i.e. / hoot the letter; da ma yiglah taman shelu
tliut doesn't come to the price of (= won't pay for) the porta
qataru he ran after him : so with causative veil is : ragga'u
matrahu take it ba •/• A> its phve ; waqqa'tu 1 ard 1 threw him <m
the ground; wassalitu 1 bet she saw him home. We may also Bay
ruhte 'ala bet abuk, dakbal guwa 1 bet, wasal li gawab, qatar
warah, <fcc, and note that the preposition generally intervenes
when the object is the second or third personal pronoun ; thus
ruhti lak, yigi lu, yeruh lu, aruh luhum are said in preference
to ruhtak, yigih. yeruhu, aruhhum.
Remark. — Tigi is almost invariably used for ta'ala when
the object (director indirect) is a personal pronoun ; thus we say
tigtni, not ta'alani. The sliortened form t&'a can, under no
circumstances, take the suffixes,
§550. Verba of resl are sometimes Followed directly by the
place as the object, as huwa qa'ad Bartz shahren he remained
onths in Paris; ana fidilte maha.Ul 1 remained in my place. 9
§ 551. Verbs denoting t<> give, lend, deliver, deprive <>j\ strip,
ward off. often govern the indirect object directly, as iddet il
walad kit&bu / gave the i»/i/ his book : iddini qershen ; Ballifnj (or
s.illif li) gineh lend me a pound ; sallimu 1 basha il gawab they
delivered the letter to the pasha ; Allah ma yihrimnash wiladna
min wiladna) Qod bereave us not of our children ; il ghina dih
viharramni â–¡ nom this tinging deprives nu of sleep; aala'tlb.
hidumu they stripped him of his clothes; Allahumma kfina - -
Qod, avert the evil from us; but in order that the indirecl
object may stand alone (».e. without a preposition), it nm-t
immediately follow the verb, or al least not be preceded bj the
direct obj<
further, onder prepositions.
- ihdar ardabbah yeztd.
304 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
§ 552. The direct object is sometimes used for the indirect,
as in English, when it is a personal pronoun, as qaraha 1 gawab
(for qara lha) he read her the letter ; ishtirini kitab (for ishtirt li)
buy me a book ; zauwidnah hibre ahmar we added some red ink to
it ; da 'auzha shughl (§ 558) ; so walla'ni give me a light, but
walla' li hadritu give the gentleman a light.
% 553. In addition to the above, the following verbs may
take a double object without the aid of a preposition : —
(a) Causative verbs, whether in form or meaning only, pro-
vided that in the former case the primitive verb may have a
thing as its direct object (ac. rei), as warretu l 1 matwa / let him
see (showed him) the penknife ; qalla' il walad hidumu he made the
boy take off his clothes ; sharrab bintak id dawa dih make your
daughter take this medicine ; niqsiin il 'esh nusscn we will divide
the bread into two ; rakkib il fasse dahab set the stone in gold ;
'allim il walad il lugha he taught the boy the language; qabbadni
1 mablagh he let me receive (paid me) the amount ; fakkaritu 1
mas'ala she reminded him of the matter ; dakhkhal is sandiiq il
makhzan put the box inside the cellar ; isqini inoiya, qahwa give
me some water, coffee, to drink.
§ 554. Prepositions are not infrequently inserted, as sharrab
id dawa dili li bintak,- dakhkhal is sandiiq fi 1 makhzan, wakkilu
li 1 husan give it to the horse to eat.
(b) Verbs signifying to make, name, appoint, find, know, see,
think, feel, &c, as 'arual il be basha he made the beg a pasha :
sammiu 1 walad Mohammad they named the boy Moharm
'aiyinu 1 hakim qadl they made the doctor a judge; ana ba'de ma
qataltu laqetu akhuya when I had killed him I found him (to !>• )
my brother;* humma ya'rafuk ragil taiyib 4 they know you {I" !â– )
o good man; bahsibu harami / took him for a thief.
Kkmakk. — In the above instances the second object is a
predicate accusative.
(c) Verbs denoting to fill, &c, and others whose action is
limited by the noun and where the preposition with is used in
English, as malet 6 il kuz inoiya (or, but less usually, bi moiya)
1 Or warrSt lu.
- Notice the inversion of the order. We should nol
sharrab il moiya I bint.
:; Ana laqitu, shuftu, bahsibu, rfih il balad (§474), are in.
stances of the same construction, only in this case the second
object is a sentem
1 More usually ya'rafuk le innak rfigil (aiyib.
& So the adjective malyun.
VERBS TRANSITIVE AND INTRANSITIVE 305
JT filled the mug with water ; 'as riglu tin he besmeared his foot
with mud ; darab il bet buya he painted the house.
Remark a. — We might regard the objects included under
this heading as mere complements attached to the verb, but
they take the sign of the accusative in literary Arabic, as in
other languages.
Remark l>. — Notice the expression rahit timla moiya (oi
simply timla) she went to draw water.
(d) Verbs which are followed by a noun of kindred signifi-
cation, the so-called cognate accusative or internal object, often
the infinitive of the verb itself (§ 230), or one which limits the
extent of their action, as darab il walad darbiten, 'alqa, nabbuten.
khazrantC-n r 'asayten talata, kaff, kaffen he struck the boy two
blows, yave him a thrashing, hit him with a nabbilt, gave him
or three cuts with a cane, a stick, gave htm a cuff, &c ; saUa
rak'iten he j/rayed two prostrations, i.e. a short prayer ; ana nazil
mishwar / am going on an errand ; qasamna r righit' qisnign we
divided the loaf into two halves; kharamt il murina khurmCn /
bored two holes in the plank; isbugh li t tob sabgha kwaiyisa
dye this dress for me nicely (lit. a nice dyeing); naddafha nadafa
taiyiba ; qa u adhum 'ala banuka qu'ad il talamza make them sit on
benches as schoolboys sit ; ghalet il moiya ghalyiten (or ghalwiten)
/ the water in- ice; il husan tabbe tabbi shdid the i.
bled badly; id'ak riglu da'ke kuwaiyis (or rla'ka kuwaiyisa)
give his leg a good rubbing; it tabbakha sauwit il kharshuf nusse
siwa bass tJu cook ha-< only half cooked the art okes , istiqamna
henak istiqama kbtra we make a long stay then .
vKK. — It will be seen that the noun of unity is genernlly
used in such expressions. When otherwise, the noun generally
serves more to intensify the meaning, 1 as rametu ramy, mush
daqqStu bass I threw him down, I didn't only push him; asma 4
• / hear only.
§ 555. In the passive construction the object which does not
become the subject remains attached to the verb or participle
:ts in English, as yit'allimu 1 mazzika they are fought music;
il ki/.'tii itmalit moiya th mugsw with water; riglu kanit
mitfasa '..: hisfo t was besmeared with mud; il be*t madrub buya.
ve of the nature of a participle may also be
qualified by a verbal noun as an accusative of specifical ion, as kan
hdid Ju ngly ill ;
drunk a* a lord; bo malyan malw brimful.
i. The verbal noun may, like the verb itself, [
imon in Beb] i
306 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
action on to another noun as its object, as qable dukhulna 1 bet
before our entering the house ; waqte rukubhum khelhum at the
moment of their mounting their horses ; il istilah ahsan min
mirwah il karakon reconciliation is better than going to the police
station; eh sabab darbuhum 'ainmak ? what is the reason of
their beating your uncle ? shurb il husan il moiya the horse's drink-
ing the water.
Remark a. — When the object is a personal pronoun this con-
struction becomes impossible, and a preposition must intervene,
as qumte fi zaqqitha di liya / sprang up on her pushing me in this
way ; bi sahab hubbu fiha by reason of his luce fur her. Further,
a preposition generally separates a genitive from the object it'
the latter is a noun, as shurb il husan fi 1 moiya.
Remark b. — In some cases the noun following may be regarded
as a genitive instead of an object, as akl il batatis the eating of
potatoes.
IMPERSONAL VERBS AND VERBS USED
IMPERSONALLY
§ 558. Under these are included : —
(a) Verbs and participles which have a sentence for their
subject whether introduced by a conjunction or not, as ma
vehunshe 'aleh yisrif, yidaiya' fulus it is not a light thing for him
to spend money ; ma yib'adshe innu yigi it is not improbable that
he will come; ma yimkinshe agi lak, ma simi'she (or inni agi lak,
innu ma sini'sh) it is impossible for me to come to you, that he did
not hear ; iza saraqtu yibqa kuwaiyislau raddctu if you stole it. it
will be well to return it ; yukhrug, yitla', min idak, ti'mil kede?
is it within your poiver to do such a thing ! ma hasalshe abadan min-
nak innak darabt akhuk? did it never happen that you struck
brother? sadaf inni ruht it chanced that I u- nt ; b§yin 'alek innak
•;iiy;'m it is dear from your aspect that you are ill ; ma kanahe le
innu saraq mandi] y6m min d61 ? wasn't it (isn't it) a fact that h
one day stole a handkerchief? fatal aqul lak inni msafir /
(lit. it escap Ime) to tell you that I am going away ; ma yikaffikshe
innak kharabte l >« ■t i bi fitaak we daiya'te umri I does it not suffice
you that ymi bar- n wrucfa d my life— by your calumnies .'
mashlu'ir 'annu innu ghani it is repxded of him that he is rich
( = he is reputed to be rich).
Rem \i;k. The verbs ban and si'ib sometimes agree in gender
and number \\ ith the object of the following verb, as ma thunshe
•.ilrli yidrabha he has not the Heart /<• strike her; yis/abfi alSya
agazihum it is haul for nu to punish them : a In'- banit 'alGya wi
darabt iha.
PECULIAR USES OF PARTICULAR VERBS 307
(h) Veil is which have no subject, i.e. passive forms of verhs
which in the active Lave an indirect object, as il 'arahiya dasit
'aleh the carriage ran over him, Lndas 'aleh he was run over; hakam
'aleh he passed judgment on him, ithakam 'allh
paused on him; 1 'allim 'ala 1 waraqa he signed the paper, it'allim
'ala 1 waraqa the paper was signed; katab 'alSh he "-rote on
it, inkatab 'aleh it ivas written on; ghishi, ghimi, 'aleh (from
obsolete actives meaning to cover, darken), it is made)
dark around him, he fainted ; il moiya di mal'ub fiba some one
lias been playing a name with this water.
Remark. — The agent is introduced by min or bi, as me'allim
'aleh minim signed by him ; but occasionally it stands alone, as
mindas 'aleh 'arabiya (or bi 'arablya) run i ver I"/ a carriage.
(c) Verbs whose subject is understood without having been
previously mentioned, as matarit (or natarit) it rained; betir'ad,
betubruq it thunders, lightens (sc. id dunya), <fec. ; imsa 'alehum
(or imsa 'alehum il h'l) the night overtook them ; kattar kherak
(.-'â– . Allah) thank you (lit. may II- increase your prosperity);
yurzuk, gazak, in'al abuk may (God) provide for you, punish you,
curse your father ; da 'auzha shughl. 2
Remark a. — In some cases, as in hakamit kede, it is difficult
to supply the subject. (See § 4(17.)
Remark A. —Allah may be omitted with one verb and ex-
pressed with another in the same sentence, as kattar kherak
wi sliakkar Allah fadlak. Kattar Allah kherak is naturally
more emphatic than kattar kherak.
PECULIAR USES OF PARTICULAR VERBS
§ 559. The verbs dar and q&m are often placed superfluously
before another verb, serving, as it were, to introduce it. The
former is joined mostly to verbs of motion, and in all cases
retains its original signification of turning in a (■//•'•//.while the
latter is of much more general use, and is often besl left un-
translated or rendered by then, thereupon, &c. It is, as a rule.
immediately Followed by the principal verb, while dar is usually
connected with it by the copulative wi; < .-/. ijulti lu ti'mil fih hina?
• | .- 1 1 1 1 ijal 11 "ana badauwar ala wahid " I said to him, What an you
doing hen ! In- said to nu . "I am looking for someone ; " gih
qam qa/ad ganbu his father canu and sat by him; mikhtishi le
innu yequm yakul waij gtoith the lady; lamma
1 Malikuin Is sometimes said formahkum 'alfih
\ lovenly expression for dl 'auza Ihs Bhughl.
308 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
shaf kede qam darabu fi wishshu when he saw that, he straightway
struck him in the face; quint ana bahsib le inniha gat / tit en
thought she had come ; yeqfrm abuh yiz'al minnu his father tJu re-
upon gets annoyed with him; yequm yukhsha 1 'aleh minni he
then fights shy of me; hatta yedur we yigi 1 ma'ad until (he
appointed time comes round ; kan yedur yeliff he was going round;
lamma darit u matit il 'aguza when the old woman came to
lamma yedur u yikhlas isb sbabr when the month comes to an
end.
Remark. — Sometimes lamma is used for wi between dar
and tbe otber verb, as hatta yedur lamma yistiwi until it gets
cool:
Qam is sometimes attached to the participle, as qam raqid
'aiyan he went to bed ill. It is rarely used in the imperative
except when it retains its original sense (though still redundant),
as qum uqaf (or waqif) get up, stand upright.
§ 560. Baqa. The primary meaning of this verb, namely,
to remain stationary, can be traced in most of its derived uses,
the principal of which are the following : —
(a) In the sense of to become, as baqet makrush I got out of
breath; baqa mihtar he became, stood, peiplexed ; baqu mush
'arfin yi'milu eh they stood in ignorance of what they should
do ; iza ma laqetush fi 1 bet habqa ana ruhte balash if I don't
find him in the house, I shall have gone for nothing ; iza kan kede
yibqa enta ghashshitni (or yibqa ismak 2 ghashshitni) if it
then (it results that) you have cheated me; yibqa yeruh emta?
when will he be going? tibqa tigi bukra ; ma tibq&sh terufa
henak ; 3 ma baqash qadir yakul he became unable to eat.
(b) In the sense of starting or continuing the aetion of the
verb to which it is attached, as baqu yidrabti fib they begem to
beat him; baqat tishrab li hadd is snbh sJu went on drinking
till the morning ; ma baqush laqyinu, i.e. they part up trying /<<
find it.
(c) With ;i period of time following it as its Bubject. In
this connection it remains unchanged in number and gender
by the rule laid down in § It'. 1 .*: e.g. baqa li Banatdn ti M -â–
/ hav( been two years in Cairo: kan baqa hi talatt ishhur
lamma . . . h>- had been three months whin . . . ; yibqa lha
1 This use of qam with an impersonal verb shows that it is
regarded as an adverb, although it agrees with the object of
the verb in form.
- Bee ,' 590, Rem. b.
8 It is very commonly need with an imperative. (Bee §491).
PECULIAR USES OF PARTICULAR VERBS 309
y6men dayra (or we hiva dayra, 1 or we hiya bitdur) site has
for two days; huwa ghayib (or we huwa
Lb) baqa lu saba' sinin he has been absent for seven years;
baqa lak kam yum hina? — 'aiyan? how long have you been here?
—ill >
in the past tense with the negative emphasising a quali-
fying verb in the aorist, as ma baqash yigi he won't a
there is no chance of his coming now; ma baqitsh aruh /
go at all now; ma baqSnash ni'attib betak we icill never
your threshold again.
(e) As a pure adverb. As such it takes the form baqat as
well as baqa, though the latter is by far the commoner. It may
be omitted in translation or rendered by so then, <fcc. ; e.g. shuf
lak eh baqa see what lie will tell you; ni'mil eh ba [a \ wh it
are ice to >lo then ? lakin baqa ti'milii ma'ruf hut anyhow do me
the kindness; baqa mitwakkU bukra? so you are off to-mor
baqa 1 fulus di mush betahtak? this money is not yours,
baqat ha t'azzil min hina so you are moving from here; dilwaqti
baqat abuh mat. Baqat is perhaps more likely to be used where
there is a pause.
§ 561. Some few verbs, as sabah to get up in the morning,
aabaq precede, qurub (or qarrab) approach, rip} . 1 in
conjunction with othe> I -lated by an adverb or
rbial expression in English, though they are infl
ighout. The following examples will illustrate their use:
nisbah oib'atfl lak we will in the i . Lsbah tig!
first thing in ' but sometimef
full Bense of the verb may be rendered, aa sabahna laqena d
dinya betishti lit raining: Babaqna qtdna lak
in told you before, ana sabiq fakkartu / reminded him previously;
ish shughla qurbit tikhlas the job is nearly finished) lamina qarrab
yi^'i 1 ma'ad when tJi hand; rigi' khallit
niinlia h( begat am ! by ht r. s
'. A verb is sometime- followed immediately by another
in the same I I <>f practically the same meaning, but
an intensive. The latter will in this case be generally
rendered by an adverb or adverbial expression, :i- rah qa^a' //â– â–
/, ghufus ma bansh he has eh an vanished.
1 •:' other verbs w- id adverbially we may uotice the
substantive verb kan, which often bears the meaning of
1 S 576.
1 mp. the use <>f rigi' in such an expri
ii /c want tin.
310 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
formerly, or gives the principal verb the sense of a pluperfect,
though remaining unchanged, as ana yom min dol qulti lu kan
I once said to him; ish shita 'auwimit id dinya kan the rain had
deluged the earth. It is sometimes inflected, as qulti lu yum
kunt. Even in qulti lu inbarili kunt it cannot, as following
the principal verb, be treated as an auxiliary ; it might be trans-
lated by the slovenly expression, / told Mm yesterday, I did.
Remark. — Participles are, of course, as liable as all adjectives
to be used as adverbs (§ 336).
§ 564. The verb beyit (first derived form of bat) is used in
the sense of keeping a thing with one at night, as beyit il gawab
'andak w isbah waddih il busta ; beyit 'ala is used intransitively
of calling on one at night, as bcyitte 'ala n naqqash 'ashan yigi
badri 'andina / went to the painter overnight to tell him to come
to us early.
§ 565. Ga', gih, has often the sense of to be or become, as
lamina gih abuh mabsiit minnu when his father iras pleased with
him ; yigi azraq lamma yinshaf it will be blue when it drii 8.
Followed immediately by the aorist of another verb, it is
often equivalent to the English come with an infinitive, as lamma
get aruh when I came to go, i.e. just as I teas going ; so lamma gat
tdlid, and, with a future sense, lamma yigi yidrabak ihrab minnu.
Remark. — Tili' has also the sense of become, or rather turn
out, prove to be, as il walad tili' shatir.
§566. Ya rOt 1 would that is used when followed by a past
tense, cither alone or with the pronominal suffix, as ya r£t ruht
or ya ritni ruht ; but when it is followed by the aorist, the suffix
is omitted, as ya ret neriih would that ire might go.
$ 567. The verb basar to see, though obsolete in the past tense,
is used with the interrogative eh in the first person singular of
the. aorist in the sense of so ami so, et cetera, as kan 'auz yiddf lu
dawa, absar §h he wanted to give her some medicine or something.
Sometimes it corresponds to our phrase " what was I saying,"
like izzeyak, but is not pronounced interrogatively. It is used
occasionally at the beginning of a sentence as a Btrong im
gative, as absar eh u madrik §h illi kunte bitqul 'aldya what's all
this, pray, that you've been saying about me?
568, The English must is expressed by lazim, as lazim yeruh,
Lazim yekun rigi', <fec, or occasionally by bidd a with the suffixes,
i Fur ra'ei <.' 189, note).
'-' Bidd with the suffixes means also to want. It sometimes
gives ila' aor. a purely future sense. The mod. Armenian btdi
prese'nl a a (anions parallel.
THE PREPOSITIONS 311
as bidde aruh / must go ; ma biddukush titgabbaru 'alena (or
bidduku ma tgabbarush 'alena) you must not tyrannize ovn- us.
§ 569. The verb to have has no equivalent in Arabic, and
the ideas it conveys must be expressed by help of the preposi-
tions, 1 as luh ukht, 'andi ktab, ma'ak fulits, &c. (See Accidence.)
THE PREPOSITIONS
§ 570. A list of the principal prepositions has already been
given in the accidence, and it remains only to add a few ex-
amples of derived and peculiar uses of those which most fre-
quently occur : —
Ba'd
ba'de bukra to-morrow.
ba'de ba'de bukra the day after to-morrow.
ma fish ba'de kede nothing could be better.
la qablu wala ba'du incomparable, second to none.
Ben
Ben is usually, but not necessarily, repeated with the second
of the two objects whether it has reference to a material or
moral connection, as : —
ben ik kursi wi s sufra between the chair and the table.
bgnak u b§n ir ragil it tani betwet n you and // an.
ma fish mehabba b§n ig g6za wi durritha there is no love bet
tin two wives of one man.
ben da u ben da (or b§n da wi da) between flm and that.
The repetition often emphasizes bhe connection or relative
I ion of the objects.
Remake a. — B§n, like all other prepositions, must, of course,
be repeated with each pronominal sumac.
Remark 6. — To avoid confusion where ben occurs with th
different objects, we may insert, the words min giha, min giha
tanya, as basal khinaqa bfini wi benu min giha u bfin akhuna
min giha (or min giha tanya) a quarrel arose between him ami
on the one side ami < ur brother on //<• other.
Ms is sometimes added to the first be*n, as ma fish biga
mabfinl a b6nu there is nothing between us.
' 'â– ' " is equivalenl bo half in Buch expressions as ben nayim a
?fihl huh' â– I half awake, ben bahri u sharqi north
1 Malak implies complete possession, and is mostly used in
a legal sei
312 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
It takes the dual form in the expression b§n il benen middling,
and sometimes the plural when a plural suffix is attached to it, 1
as b§ni u b§nathum.
Bi
darabu bi 'asaya he struck him with a stick, &c. (as the instru-
ment).
mitlaffe bi shal wrapped up in a shaiol.
bi sukkar with sugar, bi zibda with butter.
qalam il katib bi dawaytu the clerk's pen and inkhorn.
il fanagin bi tbaqhum the cups and saucers.
il hamir bi hmalhum the donkeys with their burdens.
tigi bi 1 humar, bi 1 'arabiya come with ( = bring) the donkey, the
carriage. 2
harga' buh / will come back xoith him (bring him back).
sarah bi 1 mawashi he xoent to pasture the cattle.
bah bi 1 kalam he let out the secret.
talata gheri walla biya ? three with ( = counting) me or 'without me ?
da bi da this with that, both.
'arbagi bi sitra a driver icearing a coat (not a galldbiya).
ragil bi daqn a man xoith a beard.
itkallim bi sot 'all he spoke xoith (in) a loud voice.
kalam yikkallimii bu an expression they use.
shuwaiya bi shwaiya (or shuwaiya shuwaiya) little by little.
bahari bi (better ma') gharbi north-west.
iswid bi (or ma') ahmar reddish-black.
Allah yihannin 'alek bi qersh may God cause you to be comforted
with a ]//'astre.
itnen gingh bi 1 ketir, bi 1 aqall £2 at most, at least.
ma ktafush bi kede they were not satisfied tcith that.
ahsan bi ktir much better.
bi n nahar by day, bi 1 lei by night.
'aiyan bi 1 gidri ill xoith smallpox.
'aiyan bi 1 gism ill in body.
bi 1 hanak by word of mouth, verbally.
bi khlaf kede contrarily.
akbar bi shahrcn two months older.
atwal bi mitrf-n two metres longer.
'agaza bi talatt iyam a holiday of three days.
iddini bi 'ishi'in \sc. qersh) give me a dollar's worth.
1 As in Hebrew.
2 So inzil bi, &c, rendering a neuter verb transitive.
THE PREPOSITIONS 313
yomu bi yomen l (zeyi 1 miri) his day is equal to two, i.e. a very
long one.
hitta bi qershen a two piastre piece.
itkallim fi haqqu bi taiyib he spoke tcell of him.
ni'inil il kulle bi 1 marra let's do it all at once (straight away).
mathum bi sirqa accused of theft.
qum bina, valla bna (or bina), &c, (§ 493).
simihti bu / have heard of it.
auwil b auwil first of all.
sakin bi (better fi) 1 bet living in the house.
fasalni bi qershen he settled (agreed) with me for two piastres.
bi msafit sa'ten at a distance of two hours.
ish shamse kanit 'ala 1 gabal bi qasabten talata the sun icas two
or three " qasabas " 2 above the hill.
ma dritsbe bi takhbit il babur / didn't feel the shaking of the
train.
'arrafnt buh introduce me to him.
ma 'lamshe bi 1 mas'ala I know nothing of the matter.
amaru bi 1 hudur, bi 1 magty he ordered him to come.
ana kalliftu, wassgtu, bi 'arabiya I ordered a carriage of him.
itmaskhar bi wahid make fun of one.
bi llahi by God, in truth.
hi khatrak that's your affair, as you like.
ishtaretu l>i qersh / bought it for a piastre.
Remark. — Affixed to the substantives, or adjectives used as
substantives, bi corresponds to the English preposition by or
the adverbial termination ly, as bi s sudf by chance ; bi 1 ghalat
by mistake; bi z zabt properly, accurately, exactly ; bi t tarn ani
completely ; bi z zur of necessity.
Ganb (pronounce gamb).
huwa ganbak tawil he is tall compared to you.
Zey
â– 'â– ' lye zeyu = zeye ba'duhum.
'Ala
leys he passed by rm . called on me on hi.< way.
yekun 'aldya / shall be responsibh for it.
in km 'aldya if it depended on me.
yequl 8h 'ala 1 mas'ala di? what dues he say of this mattt
1 Or hi 'ashara, - A qasaba«3'55 metres.
314 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
qarrab 'ala (or min) draiv near.
fadil talatt iyam 'ala akhir ish shahr it wants three days to the
end of the month.
saqqaf 'ala 1 khaddam lie clapped his hands for the servant.
sheya'te 'aleh? have you sent for it ?
ish shibbak yikshif 'ala 1 ginena the window overlooks the garden.
huUuhum 'ala ganb put them aside.
khayif 'ala 'umru fearing for his life.
marhfm 'ala riyalen pawned for two dollars.
katab il kitab 'aleha he entered into a contract of marriage with
her.
tekhiffe 'ala d dawa dib you will get well on this physic.
betiftar, bitghaiyar riqak, 'ala eh ? on what do you breakfast i
khad, wallif, it'auwid, 'ala take to, get accustomed to.
lonu iawid 'ala hmar of a reddish-black colour.
khadtuhum marra walla 'ala marratcn did yon take them <d\ at
one time or at two different times ?
ghasal lina 'ala idena. 1
'ala hasab il 'ada illi 'aleya according to the custom I have.
ma ghdarshe (qdarshe) 'aleh / am not equal to it.
il haqqe 'al<"k you are in the wrong.
liva 'alek qersh^n you oice me two piastres.
'ala 1 mahl, 'ala mablak, &c. slowly.
'ala mesafa at a distance.
'ala kullan, ala kulle hal, 'ala hsan hala anyhow, better. . . .
'ala zanni in my opinion.
'ala fikri according to my idea, while I think of it.
istafhini 'ala,, ista'raf 'ala inquire about.
ista'raf 'ala recognise.
gar 'ala be jealous of.
ma 'alehsh (or 'ah'sh) it doesn't matter.
qabad 'ala seize, catch h<>ld of.
shihi'l 'ala give evidence againtt.
akkid 'ala wahid, cala haga insist with one, press on Something.
ridi, Lsl irda 'ala (or l>i) consent to a thing.
it.inauiia 'ala wahid ask something of one.
aa'a] 'ala (or 'an) ask about.
istama' 'ala listen /<>.
hama 'ala (or 'an) defend.
ammin, ista'min, wahid 'ala haga ••ntrust one wUh a thing.
kidib 'ala wahid give <>nr lh<- lie.
â– ala ghafla unawares, of a
1 Tin' water being poured over tin- hands.
THE PREPOSITIONS J15
'ala taai we 'eni, 'ala r ras wi 1 'en too** willingly, without fail
uerally in reply to a command or a. request).
itnamrad, itgabbar, &c., 'ala tyrannize over.
ratlin sukkar 'ala talatt irtal 'asal two pounds of sugar with three
pound* of honey (in cooking recipes) ; so khamsat 'ala
'asharat, shuwaiyit laban 'ala shuwaiyit moiya, Arc.
min da 'ala da alfogt ther.
yintibikh keman 'ala sanfe (pron. samfe)tani it may he cooked
in another "-ay.
gg iwiz 'ala (or f6q) wahda take another wife without .divorcing
a previous one.
'ala tul str '.'/( = min barra barra).
giri 'ala akhir nafas /*• ran till he n:a-< out of on
zauwar 'aleya he committed a forgery against me, told lies
a !
fi 1 hala illi hlya 'alena as affairs are with us at present.
aiba- bashawat itbauwiehu 'aleb wi huwa f Maar hi has seen four
ed t . the Pashalik [Khediviai
baka 'ala
nada 'ala wahid call
da'a 'ala !
maahshi, fassah, il huaan 'ala idak lead tht ho
i-1 ddr "al.i min 1 wh
_ . Ul 'aleya thai
klui'l li 'alek shuwaiya make a little room for me.
ittafaqu, iaaawu, rabatu 1 qol, 'ala Lnnuhum yeruhu (h
{arranged) to
qal 'ala innu gih he said ht /â–
lii'i<l 'an /or /rom.
hadaiya' raaak 'an gittitak / wU ir head ft
it'akhkhar 'an iflh shugh] hi
keblr 'ao (§ 47),
itlaha l)i 1 li'be 'an Lab shughl he was more bent on m on
â– r/;.
'an iznak by your
ea'al, istafhiin, &c., 'an (or 'ala)
liain â– â– â–
kulle wahid .slnkl>- 'an il I u to th-
huwa wakil 'anim / /• at.
yighlab 'an il lii> / ny.
onjunctions.
316 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
iddini 'ashara quriish 'an il meqaula kulliha give me ten piastres
for the whole job.
il 'arabiya 'ala mta the carriage is for when ? when do you want
the carriage ?
naqqasu 'an il ugra he reduced his wages.
ma 'annak (or la 'annak) get / hope you will not come.
ma 'annush = ma 'alehsh.
la budde 'an motak (§ 541).
afaddal dih 'an dih, is safar 'an inni abqa hina I prefer this to
that, travelling to remaining here.
'And
'andi, &c, I have, fyc, with me, at my house.
ma 'andish haga zeye di / would never do such a thing.
fassaltu 'and il khaiyat / had it cut out at the tailor's.
kam 'andak ? wharfs the time by you ?
iz zanbe mush 'andi the fault is not with me.
li 'andak qershen you owe me two piastres.
abiih gauwizu min 'andu his father married him at his expense.
Rabbuna razaqu min 'andu God provided for him.
'andi mush kuwaiyis it is not becoming in my opinion.
il kalbe 'anduhum nigis the dog is with them unclean.
kan waqif 'and il bfib he was standing at the door.
uq'ud 'andak, istanna 'andak sit, stay, where you are.
uqaf 'andak (or simply 'andak ) ! stop !
'and il luzum in time (in case) of need.
kullu 'andi sawa it's all the same to me.
Ft
enta ghaltan f arba'a s&gh you are four piastres wrong.
talata fi 'ashara (§ 103, Rem.).
una 'auzak fi kilma, kilmiten l I ivant to have a word, two words,
with you.
ana l>idili atraggak fi mas'ala I have a favour to ask of you.
mathuin 11 Birqa accused of a theft.
misik t'i seia hold of, hold on to.
beyiakar ti 1 hashish he gets drunle on hashish.
ma yi'rafshe t'i he is no connoisseur o/. 8
tiddlni kfim fi dih? how much will you give me for this? so
addiiak 'ishrin gingh fi 1 hus&n.
kidbe fi kidb lit upon lie : so kaddab li kadd&b.
khashab li khashab nothing but wood.
rah fi n i n"'ii i he wt >if to sh • />.
1 Tribus verbis te volo. '-' 1/ ne se connaii pas en.
THE PREPOSITIONS 317
sitta fi 1 miya 6 per cent.
humma fi s rafra they are at table.
!w-r An 31 "' » JS™^ 1 / 1 ] ar<1 > nlt {t > J threw him > on the ground.
it talit fthum the third one of them.
tirkal, il hnsan fi 1 bet walla fi 1 lukanda ? will you mount at the
home or the hotel ?
mabsutfn fi (for min) akluhum pleased with their food
limiu- fi to covet.
min hubbu fiha/ram his love for her.
safir fi 1 babur in nimsawl he travelled by the Austrian boat.
betidfa eh fi sh sbugbla di ? what are you paying for this job ?
? !r a i mUSh f dhjr sometim <* H ** dear and sometimes not.
ragii ilk fa 1 quwwa di a man of such strength.
ma ti'akhiznish. Fi eh 1 excuse me. For what ?
marra fi marra/rom time to time.
waddih fi 1 bet fi 1 busta (for <ala) take him to the house, take it
[to) the post.
I'-'li-'n fi ba'duhum two h's following one another
il wiqqa fih an olce of it.
»^ E A A £ K r F[ 1S V6ry fre( l uen % ^ed with the unfinished
and indefinite ten.es to emphasize the continuance of the action,
as kan boyishi.Me fi 1 habl he was pulling away at the rope-
i.Jl»." k yu«,ibu ih hatta mauwitfih they beZt hJtdl they /
F6q
'umru fdq it fcalatln (or without the article) he is over thirty
roq 'an sa'a more than an hour.
iggauwiz foqha (or f6q minha), as 'aleha (above).
Li
liya. lik. be. T, you, #<-., hn
ma lakshe haqqe tidrabha you have no business to strih
! ^i.khMtjn, i„h (»•,,,. im,,,,,) th , lj/hl , (ll ,, t]iirhi
• 1 ainre b Huh it rests with God.
film rtha wihaha / smelling horribly
llk """ ,,1: you left f
ma tr,:, t - i,,| llull .,„. u , lla Wn» one domtt understand a word
a tf«b •' lamda i llnl)l ,;„• m
mazzaq lu I gallabtya te tore his gown for him
•'•'I luhshe shughla can't you find him ajobt
318 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
shuf li 1 Basha see the Pasha for me.
ab'adiya tisawi lha 1 alfen gineh a farm worth £2000.
bakrag yakhud lu 'ishrin fingan a coffee-pot holding twenty cup>s.
biddi akkauwah li, an'is li, aghfal li, shuwaiya / want to lie down
a little, take a nap.
da'a li to bless
khud lak kursi get yourself a chair.
ina nish qadir arsi li 'ala haga / don't know what to decide on.
rain mat lu ? whom has he lost ?
larunia tibqa lak 2 il arde sukhna zeyi n nar when you have the
ground as hot as fire.
qam huwa, qani lak 2 eh ? 3 rah darab il bint fi wishshiha what
do you think he did? he went straight and struck the girl in
the face.
qalu lu Mehammad they named him Mohammed ; yequlu lu fil
they call it an elephant.
qa'ad waiyaya li 1 maghrib he sat toith me till sunset.
(li) shuwaiya tat 'al§ya presently he passed by me.
(li) wahdu by himself.
(li) tani yom is subhe gih next morning he came.
Remark a. — The use of li or 'ala after verbs of motion is
practically identical, but the latter is more common.
Remark b. — For le inn, see § 577.
Ma'
ma'ak il haqq you are right.
ma' zalik all the same, in spite of this.
oahar il hadde ma* lelt il itnen Sunday, day and night.
bahri ma' gharbi south-west.
mesafir Id ma' nahar travelling day and night.
ma' il maghrib at sunset ( = bi 1 magrib, ti 1 maghrib, but is more
vivid, implying contemporaneous action).
1 It is mole usual To say yis&wi lu. yakhud lu. Ac. thai-
yisawi, yakhud, simply in such cases.
Lak in these two examples is an instance of the ao-called
ethical dative. Comp. the use of the Becond pronominal suilix
with bard as Follows: baqa nta sauwart il hikaya dJ 'aleya.
Ila-al w ana bardak kaddab so you invented this tali about me.
It fa f â– liar. The strengthened forms
of the adverbs qawam, ya ddb (qawamak, ya dobak) probably
present a similar use of this suffix.
THE PREPOSITIONS 319
Mia
huwa min d6ri he is of my age, a contemporary of mim .
dakhal min guwa bab il bet (for guwa) he went inside the ga
the h
da min mudda thafs a long time ago.
wiqi' min tulu 7u measured his length on the ground.
iimrnu nmtit minnu he has lost his moth' r.
ga\bu 'idad il qahwa min bakarig u tanak they brought the vessels
for making coffee, including the bakrags and tanakas. 1
huwa minnina he is of our party.
nas min kubar u min sughar people high and low.
'anduhum tamant olid min subvan u (min) banat they haw eight
children, what with hoys and girls.
minhum nas, min ba'de nas (§ 448).
minnu farran u minnu baqqal he is both a baker and a grocer.
y,i salam min il hair! ijood heaven*, what heat!
yerauwahti min il maghrib they go away at sunset.
min fiki'i le inn it is my opinion that.
zabatuh min betu they arrested him at his hot
ish shamse titla' min ish sharq the sun rises in the east.
min y&m li y8m from day to day.
khalli balak min il 'afah keep an eye on the luggage.
yatim min il umm one who has lost his mother.
battal mish (min ish) shughl idle, without work.
rah min hina, min henak he has gone this, that, way.
'adda min il bahr, min fuq il kubri he crossed th
ovt r by the bridge.
qarrab min (or li) approach, quraiyib min near t<>.
ganbe minnu beside him (for ganbu).
misiktu min ish aha*! / caught him by the hair.
il khalifa mat min il gidrl the Khalifa died of smallpox.
sitritak daiyaqa min taht il bat your coat is too tight under fh>
arm.
/.ainaii mudda min is sinin many a long year.
minnu li llah it is between God and him.
itmazzaqit il gallabtya min kitliha the gown was torn in tin
shoulder.
liiitti.-h minnu baga zdye dj / never Linn- him to do such a
thing.
i- sirqa tninkQ t'iku one of you has committed the theft.
k nut 4- shela ( ahayla) 1 wad we ma1 minn] th boy died U
arms.
1 1 tifferenl kinds of coffee-pots.
320 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
min da 'ala da a little of both.
'auz teruh min dilwaqti? do you leant to go at once?
hat minnu bring some of it.
luh bet min Mb, min 'ataba he has a house with its door, its
approach, all to himself.
in nadafa mil iman cleanliness is next to godliness.
zi'il min (or waiya) get annoyed with.
mala min (or bi or direct object) fill with.
intaqam min avenge one's self on.
talab, &c, min demand of.
ti'ib min get iceary of.
Waiya, iciya
ana waiyak i" am with you, of your opinion.
quraiyib waiyah related with.
khalli balak waiyaya think of me, don't forget me.
enta waiyak bard ? are you cold ? have you taken cold ?
zi'il waiya (or min, 'ala).
Wara
'amalu min waraya, min wara 'ilmi he did it behind my back,
without my knowledge.
waraya shugl, diwan, talab / have work to do, to go to the ojjice,
am wanf< 1 1.
talat sinin wara ba'd three years consecutively.
nifi warah u ma quddamu all he has.
ish sbahr illi warana dih next month.
Prepositions may be placed before or govern other parts of
speech than nouns and pronouns, as ruh min hina ; ahsan min
innina nmut better than that we die, ma fish fayda fi innak 1
teruh there is no advantage in your going; so 'ala inn, leiun,
ma' inn, «tc.
THE CONJUNCTIONS
§ 571. Of these, the following deserve some special notice : —
Fa, wa (usually pronounced h, fe; wi, we)
Thf former connects sentences only, ami the relation the]
bear to one another is usually more remote than when wa is
employed. It picks up the thread of the discourse, and the fact
1 in the second sentence is often the effect of th
1 1.. Innak is more usual in ordinary conversation.
THE CONJUNCTIONS 321
in the first, 1 as il walad iza rah li wahdu yimkin yetuh, fa ahsan
teruh waiyah if the boy goes alone he may lose his way, so' you
had better go with him; fe ana lamma smihte minnu kede rigi'te
darabtu tani and when I heard him say that, I stmck him again â–
kan fi idu sikkina, fi ihna min khofna tba'adna minnu he had a
knife in his hand, and so we were afraid and kept away from him
lhe verb of the second sentence may be in the imperative or
the first be introduced by a conjunction, as ana khadte minnu
talagraf le innu gay, fi ruh enta iddi khabar li 1 Basha / have
had a telegram from him saying he is earning, so go and tell the
Pasha ; ma dam huwa mush 'auzu f e ahsan niddih li gheru since
he doesn't want it, we had better give it to some one else.
It is sometimes used immediately before the verb in a sen-
tence introduced by the conjunction amma (or we amma) or
lakin (we lakin), to show emphatically that the action of the
verb relates exclusively to a particular object, as litnen dol
rahum we amma 1 baqyin fe fidluni matrahhum.
§ 572. Wi connects both single words'and sentences. It i«
commonly omitted between two verbs closely connected even
though then- subjects are different, as rigi< ir ragil 'and il farran
talab minnu r raghif the man went back to the baker's and asked
him for the loaf; dauwarte <aleh laqetu / looked for it and found
it; arga' asukku / will come back and lock it; 2 gih yikahhilha
'ammaha lie went to paint it (his eye) with "kohl," ami blinded it • 3
hat li 'arabiya tkun kuwaiyisa get me a carriage, and let it be a
good one; ishtirmna saniya tkun min in nahas lasfar buy me a
brass tray (with a stress on the word brass) ; ana twaladte laqetu
kede I found it so when I was born, i.e. / know it was so since my
ovrth ; nadahti lu gih I called him and lie came; ana qulti lak ma
tiftahsh il bub tequm dugri tiftahu / told you not to oj>en thy
'/our, ami you immediately go and open it; ma saddaq ggt qal li
he waited m I came, awl then told me ; raysSn li markib tighraq
(S 514), ihdar ardabbak yezid be present at the {delivery of)
yowrardabb, awl it wiU iwrease(be better measure); enta qadde
kede 'abit 'amalte kede were you such <t simpleton a.< h, do that t
Remakk.— Such expressions as rah we gab, qam huwa we
abaf, are uncommon. Note that after i-mii ma'ruf be so hind
the copulative is regularly used, though not after kallif khatrak
{donnez-vous la peine), as i'niil ma'ruf we qui li be m good M
1 It is equivalenl in many cases to the German darm.
■B • ■• gab, banzi] astafhim, a.-. I a nega-
tive verb, as ma g&ah qal li he didn't come ami tell me.
J Proverb.
322 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
to tell me ; l kallif khatrak tistanna shuwaiya hare the goodnesA
to wait a little.
§ 573. On the other hand, where two or more nouns or pro-
nouns are in sense united each with the preceding one, the
conjunction must be expressed between every two, not only
(as is often the case in English) between the last but one and
the last, as is sab'e wi 1 fil wi n nimr the lion, the elephant, and
tlte tiger; gena ana wi hiya wi bniha she, I, ami our son came;
kan badir il 'aris wi 1 'arusa we waldehum wi 1 kull tlie bride,
the bridegroom, their parents, and all the rest were there.
§ 574. Wi is sometimes joined to the conjunctions amma and
lakin, as and to yet in English, and to the conditional lau,
giving it the sense of although, and may in the last case also
be repeated with the following word, as huwa gih we amma
khuh ma gash he came, but his brother did not come; humma
fikruhum kede we lakin humma nas gahliya such is their idea*
but then they are ignorant people ; we lau il walad rah (or we
lau wi 1 walad rah) (§ 516).
§ 575. In the following phrases the conjunction seems out
of place in English, though its appearance is not in all cases
illogical: kulle yom wi t tani every day or two; marraten wi
talata two, or even three, times ; ba'de yomen wi t talit laqetu ;
kulle sana (or 'am) wi ntu bi kher may every year bring you
prosperity (lit. every year and you in prosperity) ; shuwaiya (or li
shuwaiya or shwaiyiten or habbiten) wi gih presently he came ; 2
kulle ma da or dau ( = da we) yisman, yikhiss he gets fatter,
thinner, every day ; ma ash'ur illau ( = ilia we, also allau) huwa
ganbi lie was at my side before I knew it (lit. 1 iras on I y just aware
and there he was, &c.) ; ma saddaq allau gih ; ma kanshe minnu
illau shatamni what did he do but insult w> .
§ 576. Somewhat analogous to the above is the use of wi
with a participle, adjective, or the continued present tense, in
place of a temporal conjunction and a verb, as slnit'tu w una
ravili il balad / son: him us I was going to th< village; itqabilte
waivah wi buwa g&y niin is si'u| / met him as iim/ from
tfie mart'/ ; talatin Sana wi r ragil mat it is thirty yetflt since the
man died; ya tara lull zamaii we huwa 'aiyan //■/.-• h- bem ill long,
l wonder; ana B&ftrte wi nt i gughaiyarai u-nt an-ay uh>n you
a liith- girl ; ma shuftuhumab iQ* we bmama qodd&ml I
i>nhj taw tluiii when tiny wen before m>- ; ana nmihtak wi nta
1 ( lei in. >• gut. mid.
'â– ' <\>ni|i. Eng. a mOMBnt, and /â– . "a little irhde,
and yr shall see me."
THE CONJUNCTION? 823
bitisrukh / heard you when you were crying ^ut ; nadah 'alehum
wi humma beyitla'um he called to them as they were going out.
Remark a. — The clause with wi may precede as well us follow
the other, as wi hna mashyin fi s sikka gana wahid qal lina as
toe were walking in the street, kc.
Remark b. — The simple aor. may also be used, and the con-
junction and pronoun may be (though they seldom are) omitted,
d>athum yiaraqu he caught them stealing, seized them in the
met "f stealing.
Remark c. — Wi is occasionally used for lamma with a past
-. as w ana kunte henak shuftu / sav> him when J
there.
Kkmark d. — As the substantive verb has no present parti-
ciple, when I wot, dec, will be translated by w ana, <i:e., as wi
nta fi skandariya nizilte fen ? where did you put up when you
â– Iria 1 ma shuftush wi huwa walad ? didn't you set
him when he was a boy ?
Remark e. — This clause introduced by wi is. regarded as a
genitive when a word expressing a period of time preced-
min muddit wi ntt bint* sugaiyara.
Remark/. — Wi is very seldom used in this way with anything
but the personal pronouns.
17. The preposition li is affixed to the conjunction inn
without practically adding anything to its force, 1 aa will be
bom tni» following example h of which inn nii;_ r )iT
alone be used : qulti lu le iuni "aivan / told him I was ill .
hnnah la inn il mablagh Lndafa' inasmuch as the sum ufpeuet; ma
vi-ahliish le innak fcigj U u not right that you should come; min
le innina hadrln a â– ing th i
le innu â– i ix it thai y lias not ee
rriiiii.ui le iuni shuft often has* I 'am le inniha qalit
kede, lakin . . . (it is) true she said so, out . . . ; qulleinnugil
(i.«-. suput • )heca ra Le inniha '-' gat ti •find i
thing come into my eye ; huwa fr ham min le innina rauwahna
lut imagined we had gone; darabn&h hat&a le innina mauwil
we beat him till we killed him , 'a>han le innina bid lina nsh
vuee we want to
\uk a. — It will he noticed that inn and le inn are not
iv pi ried \<y a v.-il ., and also that when the subject
y<i the v.-rli following is a pea sonal pronoun it must be appended
-uffix to the conjunction, but when ilia La used (she pronoun
.t leinn is more oeuaJ than the simple conjunction.
* Le inniha might here I"- Offiitl
324 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
is not expressed, as akkid 'aleh innu yigi (or ilia yigi) insist upon
his coming. 1
Remark b. — Where inn or le inn is preceded by another
conjunction or an adverb it may be practically superfluous,
having no conjunctional force, as 'ashan le innu gay since he is
earning ; amma innak 'abit verily you are a simpleton ; allahumma
inni ana zi'ilte minnu indeed I was angry with him ; u ba'den ya
sidi le inniha tanniha mistanniya. Inn will occasionally stand
quite alone, itself introducing the sentence, as innak enta 'abit !
with the same meaning as above.
§ 578. 'ala inn is optionally used for inn or le inn after qal,
iftakhar, khammin, yihsib, and verbs of similar import, as qulti
li 'ala innu mush radi you told me he wasn't willing ; iftakarte
'ala inn il husan da beta'ak I thought this hoi'se was yours ; bahsib
'ala innak ta'ban / thought you were tired.
§ 579. The relative ma forms conjunctions with the pre-
positions 'ala, qabl, &c. (§ 245), or prepositions followed by
certain nouns v as 'ala bal ma whilst, 'alashan ( = 'ala shan) or
'ashan ma, &c. It must in almost every case immediately pre-
cede the verb, so that where the subject is expressed and pre-
cedes the verb it is separated from the rest of the compound, as
qabl ir ragil ma yigi ; 'abal ( = ala bal) il gawab ma yinkitib
until the letter is written, &c, but we may, of course, say qable ma
yigi r ragil, &c. 2
Remark a. — When used with tauw it should not in any case
be separated, nor is it, as a rule, when used with till.
Remark b.— Ma is added for emphasis to ketir, halbatt, and a
few other words, as ketir na mbasat, ma gena, ifcc. ; halbatte ma
yigi ivhy, of course he'll come.
§ 580. Tauw may take the pronominal suffixes, and hum in
with a past tense that the action has just been completed, or,
when followed by ma, as soon as it was completed, as tauwu gih
he haxjusf come; tauwu ma ruht as soon as yon went, With the
aorist it denotes as soon as an act is (will be) accomplished, u
tauwu ma yigi as soon as he comes. It should in the latter case
be accompanied by ma. The participle may be used in place of
the past tense, as lissa tauwuhum gayiu ( - ma gum).
1 Ilia is not in frequent use.
8 It cannot be said that qable nia r ragil jdgl is never heard,
but such an expression should not be imitated.
THE INTERJECTIONS 325
THE ADVERBS
§ 581. As has been seen (§§ 244, 336), substantives, adjec-
tives, and even verbs, may be used as adverbs.
§ 582. Adverbs may qualify substantives as well as adjectives,
as huwa sahbi ketir he is a great friend of mine.
THE INTERJECTIONS
§ 583. As an appendix to the list of interjections given in
the accidence, a few expressions used mostly among friends on
the occurrence of common events are here given. 1
To One Starting on a Journey
Tariq is salama ; ma' is salama; Rabbina 2 yiwaddik bi
kher. Reply — Allah yisallimak ; in sha' Alia, nshufak (or nshuf
wishshak, wishshukfi) fi kher.
Rabbina yitammim 'alek bi kher. Reply — Allah yihfazak ;
Rabbina yigma'na 'aleku bi kher.
To One Returned from a Journey
Salamat ; hamdu li llah (or hamdilla) 'as salama ; wahashtina,
auhashtina.^ Reply — Allah yisallimak ; wahashtina, to which
the person returned may reply — Allah yihfazak, yisallimak.
To Congratulate
Mebarik (mubarak). Reply — Allah yibarik fik.
To One Leaving after a Vimt
Sharraftina. Reply — ihna Hi tsharrafna ; Allah yisbarraf
qadrak; or
Anistina. R'-jdy — Allah ye'ansak; Allah yitfaddal 'al6k bi
1 kher ; or
Nauwarte bStna. Reply — Allah yihfazak ; or
Hasal lina g siin'ir hi Wgudkum. Reply — Allah yihfazak.
After Drinking (in a Friend's House)
11 hamdu li llah (saluting at tin- saim- time). /fry/y— Hanl'an
(liik.mii ), to which the drinker replies — Allah vihannlk (or hannak
Allah 3 ).
1 The meaning of tli" words which follow, if not already
given ii' the body of the grammar, will be found in bhe vocabu-
lary at, 1 1 1 * - end.
bbina and Rabbuna are both said, the latter after th«
Kterarj . Nabwyish.
326. THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
Ox Receiving a Cup of Coffee
Qahwa da'iman. Reply — damit hayatak (or Rabbuna yidim
'alek is satr).
After Eating
Inbasatte ktir min in akl. Reply — bi sh shifa wi 1 'afya, tot
which the first replied — Allah yi'afik (or yi'afi badanak).
On Rising to Leave
'an iznak ; nista'zim ; min gher mu'akhiza.
To Express Thanks or Gratitude
Kattar kherak ; mitshakkarin (mutashakkarin) ; kattar alfe
kherak ; ana mamnun min hadritkum u mutashakkar. 1 Reply —
kattar kherak ; il 'afw ef endim ; istaghfar Allah.
To A Beggar (in place of a piece of money)
Ruh ! Allah yihannin 'alek ; yirzuq ; ruh, ya shekh, Allah
yirzuqak ; Allah yi'tik, yiddik.
To Beg Pardon
Ma t'akhiznish (ma t'akhiznash . . . unish, kc). Reply — il
'afwe ya sidi ; ma 'alesh ; la mu'akhza.
To an Invalid
Shidde helak. Reply — ish shidde 'ala 11a.
Mushahsan? Reply — il haindu li llah ; Allah yisallimak.
On Inquiring after One's Health
Izzeyak? Reply — il hamdu li llah, taiyibin, &c. (or simply
il hamdu li llah). 2
On Meeting a Friend 3
Naharak sa'id J naharak sa'ld U inbarak. Reply— Hie Same
words.
Ahlan u sahlan. R<ply — sahlan (or ahlan) l>ak.
1 For mutashakkir, (fee. The Turkish expression barakai
warsal or warsin (Turk, versin) is still sometimes used, especially
by the lower classes.
- It is not. Arabia to say ana (aiyib, kattar kherak in reply to
in inquiry. Kattar kherak is uot used in this way. rTattai
kherak illi sa'altinl would be oorrecl and intelligible, but U> i
above are th*> proper replies,
\ \\w mlman greets another by the expression iciam ^>r
iin) 'all ku. Reply -'aldku a Balam.
THE INTERJECTIONS 32?:
Ox Meeting a Friend in the Evening
Allah yir.iHssik bi 1 kh'-r, massiku bi 1 khgr 1 (S 38) J;
—massiku bi 1 kher wi s sa'ada.
Timsa 'ala kher. Reply— wi ntu mnahl ( = mia ahl) il kher
(or wi ntu mnahlu) ; tirnsu 'ala klier (or bkher).
At Night
I, ltak sa'ida (§ 326). %/y-same words.
Imsa 'ala kher we tisbah 'ala kher.
On Announcing a Death
II baraka fi hissak, hakaza halt id dinva (or adi halt id
dmya); il W it tawilak (for it tawil lak) . . . akhuk „, t
husanak mat, dkc. '
To one about to Pray
In sha' alia haraman. /^/y-suhba (or gaura, or Rabbina
yigma'na) ; - or
Allah yitammin bi kher. Reply-in sha' allah, Rabbina
yisuia minnak u yitammim lina wi lukum bi kher.
To One who has Recovered fhom an Illness
l.IamdiJi ... y-Vy-Allahyisallimak.
To a Fiance
Mebarik. Reply-AMh yibarik fik ; -uqba 1 'andak ( = It
anuak). v
To CoKDOLE
II baraka li hi>.vik. A'-yVy — Alhth yibarik Ilk.
Oh the Occasion of a Festival
Culle .sana wi nta faiyib (or wi ntu taivihm). fi-^-kuUe
-nt, lbk |,, ; il -i.l Ifl .-Uirik in BOB 11,1, &J
'aldna wi 'al8k hi khfir.
women.
' Th """ "P*** "" lly used hvanv hut Oopte and
men. • • â–
only in um among Bfuasulm
328 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
On the Birth of a Child
Mabruk il maultld. 1 UK (i.e. God), gab lak yikhall! lak.
Reply — Allah yibarik fik ; Rabbina yiddik (yi'tik).
To a Father on the Death of a Child
Allah yi'auwad 2 'alek. Reply — ya mahsan 'awadu, halt id
dinya kede.
On an Averted Mishap, or when a Thing has happily
turned out well
Hasal kher ; il hamdu li llah illi gat salima.
ORDER OF WORDS IN A SENTENCE
§ 584. The rules as to the position of words in the sentence
will have already been gathered to some extent from the exer-
cises and examples, as well as from the remarks bearing directly
on the subject, but a short resume of them will not, perhaps, l>e
out of place.
(a) The subject, when definite, may either precede or follow
the verb, as ir ragil gih or gih ir ragil, ana ruht or ruht
ana.
(/;) "When an indefinite singular-, it very rarely precedes un-
less the indefinite article is expressed; thus we should say gilt
ragil, but we may say wahid ragil gih. Riggala gum is, how-
ever, not uncommon.
(c) When two or more verbs have the same subject the
subject may precede them all, follow the first, or follow them all,
as is sitta khadit ba'diha u rahit, or khadit ba'diha s sitt u
rahit, or khadit ba'diha u rahit is sitt. The last order is rarer
than the first and second.
(</) With only a few exceptions, the qualificative adjective
follows its noun whether definite or indefinite.
(e) The demonstrative pronouns almosl invariably follow the
noun, but words may intervene between the noun and it, as il
mahill illi hna qa'din fth 'lili this place in which i tting ;
yeqQm ir ragil illi kan mfish] <lih.
1 When a mother is congratulated, the following words are
often added: wi ttalirih wi bgauwizu li hayatik we li hayat
abuh.
1 = 'auwada llah ahsan 'awad.
ORDER OF WORDS IN A SENTENCE 320
(/) Interrogative*, especially e (eh), le, kam, min, and the
conjunction emta, 1 are usually at the end of the sentence.
((/) A verb is never in a strict sense preceded by its object,
but the object may be mentioned absolutely (for the sake ot
emphasis or clearness) before the verb, and be represented and
so repeated after the verb by means of the pronominal suffix, as
ir ragil slmt'tu, never ir ragil shuft.
(It) When the subject follows the verb, the object and other
wards as well may come between the two, though it is more usual
for the subject to be near the verb, as katab ir ragil il gawab,
or katab il gawab ir ragil ; min ba'de ma khadit il khamsa
gin£h il 'aguza after the old woman had taken the £5 ; qal lu
tan ib il Beh " good ! " mid the Bey.
(i) With verbs of giving, <fcc, the indirect object should
precede the direct as in English, unless the former is governed
by a preposition, when it may either precede or follow, as a'ta 1
walad il kora, but a'ta 1 kuia li 1 walad, or a'ta li 1 walad il
kora.
(j) It is better in a conjunctive clause to place the verb
before its subject, whether definite or indefinite, especially
where there is another verb connected by the copulative ; thus
lamina gih ir ragil u shut" halt il walad is much preferable t<.
lamma r ragil gih, <fec.
(fc) Th<' auxiliary kan may be separated from the principal
verb, as kanit min qable li 1 babur (alabitu minnl she had asked
me before in the boat ; kau waqtiha abuya fib. 'andu shugl
my father was busy at that moment.
ih, rah. when used with the aorist, should not be separated.
(/) The vocative may occur in the middle of the sentence,
even between subject and verb, as ana ya sidi ma 'amaltish I.
quite ya bitti li nat'si la/ini tikhalliki qalbik gamid / said t>>
\f t M j girl, you must keep a brave heart ; is Bikkl 'li ya gada'
min liina 'ala i''\i< where, my lad, does this road /â–
ana ma ma'lsh ).i klii fuluS j liati \a bitte kursi.
(m) The adverbs kettr, qawt, follow in most cases the words
qualify, as (aiyib qawt, but kettr Bometimes precedes,
I of how, to what degree, also follows an adjective,
buf rufaiya'tn izzdy see how thin they are, and is usually at
tin- end of the sentence, in accordance with rule (/), as mat
Others, as taqrtban about, tamallt ahoa ithei
1 This is apparently due to Coptio influence (8). Tl
junction mate { emta) always precedes, but it is \<i_\ rarely
330 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
follow or precede an adjective which they qualify, as tamalli
uadif or nadif tamalli, but they should follow when unemphatic.
(v) Adverbs should not intervene between subject and verb
or verb and subject unless very emphatic ; thus ir ragil qam
halan the man got up at once, but ir ragil halan qam (or qam
halan ir ragil) the man immediately got up ; so da halbatte ma
yisahhish that certainly won't do ; ana s sana di mush rah asafir ;
huwa dayman l tamalli yibqa 'aiyan. 2
(p) An emphatic word will often be put in a prominent
place, though its natural order would be elsewhere, as kanu 1
qadi meshaiya'il lu as to the Kadi, they had sent for him ; ma
fish fi 1 bet 'esh.
FIGURES OF SPEECH
ELLIPSE
§ 585. By this figure we understand the omission of a word
or words, to be supplied from the general sense of the phrase.
The following are instances of its use : —
(a) The omission of the name of God in such expressions as
kattar kherak, in'al abuk. 3
(h) The verb qal is sometimes omitted in a narrative, as
giryit in nas ..." khabar eh " the people ran up (saying)
" What's the matter ? "
(c) Usbur, or a word of similar sense, is often understood
before lamma, as gara lhum eh ? Lamina s'alhum what's happened
to them ? Wait till (or I'll tell you when) I have asked them.
(d) When the object, to which the action of the verb has
reference, has just been mentioned, and would, if referred to,
be represented by a pronominal suilix if definite, or by Wahid
if indefinite, it is frequently omitted altogether, as ana qulti lak
tigib li 1 kitab da; leh ma gibtish / told you to bring me that
hook; why didn't you bring it 9 'auzkursl? Ewa, hat do you want
a chair ' )'â– 8, bring <>ue.
(e) Words are omitted in a few other expressions of com-
mon occurrence, as the nouns sinin and 'alqa (a beating) in ibnfl
'ashara, i<Mi lu ; khad b§h, basha (for rutbit b8h, &o.) ; innama
haga; 4 k&fak (for 'ala kdfak) as you lih ; 'andu uluf hi hoi
1 Notice the aooent.
2 Notice the ditl'erence between shakwitu tainalli ma tinfa'.-li
anil sliakwit.ii ma 1 1 nl'a'.-lie t;iin;illi.
3 As in English Bleeeyouf Ovneyi
4 Main il y n urn choe* ; e'i una cosa.
EUPHEMISM 331
thousands (of pound* | . is <â– < ry rich : mush 'aus yidaiya' he d
wish to spend (money); id dinya nawiya (or nawiya 'alaniya) the
weather is threatening. Fih moiya qadde tulen (i.e. tul raglen).
S;t'id and kherak are often said in reply to naharak sa'id and
kattar kh&rak with an ellipse of the first word. 1
§ 58G. The form of ellipse called brachylogy of comparison
is illustrated by such expressions as qimtu ragil its height is
tliat of a man (for qimtu qimit ragil) ; wishshu na'im zeyi 1
harim his face is soft like a woman's ; so san'itu naggar his trade
is that of a carpenter ; hilif 'ab'ha bi t talaq inniha ma tfutsh il
b»*t = qal laha ma tfuti^h il bet we hilif 'aleha bi t talaq iza
fatitu.
EUPHEMISM
§ 587. The avoiding of unpleasant or unlucky words by
others more propitious, sometimes implying the exact opposite,
is an idiom not unknown to Arabic. Instances are : —
Iddi lu 1 ma'lum give hint his present or bribe (you know what) ;
itwakkil («c 'ala 11a) to go away (lit. commend one's self to God.);
khud il malyan take away the full (cup), meaning the empty one ;
i l waff a (tuwuffi) die. 2
A person saying an unpleasant thing to another, or of an-
other, will often address him, or speak of him in the la
;i> il bi'id (or il ab'ad) the far, the farthest one, to avert the evil
from himself or from the person addressed, as ya kalb il ab'ad
vin'al abu 1 bi'id curse your father ; ikrush il ab'ad dih
drive away this fellow ; akhkh il ab'ad mat his l>r>A1t'-r has d
Bid 'annl and hid 'annak ( = bi'id 'anni, <fcc, i.e. ish sharr
th" evil) are used for tin- Bame purpose, as huwa bi'aivat leh ? .
'ashan bid 'annak mat abuh.
A man generally speaks of his wife as gam&'itna (or il
gama'a 'andina), and occasionally as bC-ti (or ahle b'ti, or fami-
liyite); 4 so gama'tak, &c., your wife; wiladl may include the
whole family — wife as well as children.
The word bayad whitewash is used for sift pitch. A house
should not be spoken of as maqful. 9
1 See also g§ L'61, 300, 313, 357.
1 1 is paralleled by the word defunct,
•* Comp. il 'ttmre tawilak, above.
1 Pamillyiti is after the Turk. famHyam, and rarely used by
â– neducated.
Zift will be used, of course, by those who have to deal with
it. M II Mt maqful" might imply that there bad l»«-**ti a d
in it. The word menaffad should be used.
332 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
RHYME, USE OF SIMILAR SOUNDING WORDS, AND
ALLITERATION
§ 588. This figure occurs : —
(a) When words of the same origin, but of different parts
of speech, are placed together, as "will naturally happen in a
language where most words are derived from a verb root. Thus
there is nothing clumsy in such expressions as darabiih darba ;
qismit il qisma inni fate decreed that I . . . huwameqawil wahid
'ala meqaula he has made a contract with one; ish sheyal shal ish
shela the porter carried the burden; wahid 'abid biyi'bid Rabbuna
fi 1 gabal yiwahhidu a hermit worshipping the Lord in the moun-
tain, and declaring His Unity ; yimtur il matar it rains ; yirga'
margu'na li our story now reverts to (lit. our returned returns) ; il
katib katab il kitab the tvriter (clerk) wrote the writ ; l nor will an
effort be made in any case to avoid the similarity of sound by
using a synonym. 2
(ft) In proverbs and other expressions where the rhyming of
two or more words serves to impress the meaning of the whole
sentence on the memory; e.g. ma ya'rafshe bu'u min kii'u he
does not Icnoio his right hand from his left (lit. the bone of his toe
from his elbow); kulle ma hasal wasal, i.e. every little helps; il
insan fi t tafkir wi r Rabbe fi t tadbir, i.e. man proposes ami
God disjwses ; lisanak husanak wi n suntu sanak your tongue is
your horse ; take care of it, and it will take care of you.
(c) Where a particular word is emphasised by another or
others of similar sound rhyming with it, but not necessarily ex-
pressing the same sense, or indeed any sense at all. The second
word is often identical with the first, but appears with a new
initial letter, generally ?», 3 and often in a lengthened form :
la yi'raf kalam wala salam (of a boor) ; dakhal la dastur wala
hudur he entered without asking permission (saying dastui
announcing his presence, i.e. without ten mony ; La ffish wala 'ale'sh,
i.e. irithaut any result ; hos d6s pell-mell ; khalta balta confusedly,
topsy-turvy; la Ilia nafa' wala shafa' of no use or advantage ; ma
'andtsh wala be»5 wala gliet. <-e. ^ <"" homeless and pi ///>;■ss ; ana
ragil min bfiti li gheti, La simple; isme bala gism ; iddinyabaqat
1 La yu'qal li 'aqle 'aqil is a favourite phrase aiming the
educated.
'-' Gibna 1 gibna we have brought the eheen would be mora
pleasing t<> the ear than haddarna 1 gibna.
:l Cf. llai'ut and .Ma rut, the names of two rebel angel& The
Koranic names for Cain and Abel are Qabil and ElabiL,
TLEONASM AND TAUTOLOGY 333
kulliha 'osa u losa nothing but dirt ami mud in the street* ; ma
shuftish wala ragil wala tagin, i.e. no one and nothing ; x tanialli
qayim nayiin (tul in nahar fi betu) of a stay-at-Jiome ; wala fayda
wala 'ayda of no use or profit (return) ; halan balan at once ; haudat
u laudat bends and curves ; dus dughri 2 in a straight line ; tannu-
hum yikkallimu fi haqq in nas we yequlu qal u qil u qulna u kan
u filfui wi 'illan u tartan they went on gossiping about people and
saying, " he said," and " it was said," and " we said," and "he was,"
and " such a one" ami " so and so ; " wala kitah wala mitab ma fish
there is no book, nor anything like a book ; dauwarte 'aleh fi salqat
u malqat / searched for him up hill and down dale ; kulle hin u
min every now and then ; ma 'andish shughla wala mashghula /
have nothing whatever to do ; la she' wala mashwe' nothing what-
ever ; ma fish hadde wala mahdud wala she' wala mashwe' no-
body and nothing ; haga mihtaga something or other; itmal§na
turab ihna u halna u mihtalna (or mihtiyalna) we were covered
with dust as well as everything belonging to us ; bala kani wala
inani, i.e. don't tall: nonsense ; ma tuq'udshi tqul li la kani wala
mani wala dukkan iz zalaba.ni (or il fakharani).
So great is the love for rhyme, that gram mar is sometimes
sacrificed for it, as itghadda tmadda (for itmadd), it'ashsha it-
mashsha, i.e. after dinner rest awhile, after supper walk a mile ;
birgalatak birgalatak halaqa dahab fi widanatak; 8 161a 1 kasftra
ma kanit il fakhura. 4
PLEONASM AND TAUTOLOGY
§ 589. This figure is naturally very common in a rich
language like the Arabic, where the same idea can he dressed
in manifold garbs. It is due usually to the desire of the speaker
to make his meaning clear by repeating it in different words,
or by translating a nahwy term into its corresponding dririg, or
vice versa. As in other languages, it is much more prevalent
in the talk of tho lower classes ihan in that of the educated;
>â– .</. daklialna guWS ti d dukkan (where dakhalna fi d dukkan
or dukhalna <1 dukkan would express the same sense); so kharag
barra; kansabaq qablu («sabaqu); dughri ii 1 hal immediately;
li awan \\ ; i â– j t is get in the *uiiiiu>f sniso/i ; QUI bt'nua u ben ha'd ;
1 The? say of a bachelor, la 'anda man wala tagin.
2 Tin ki>h.
8 See Exercise XIII.
* A.bjOve, though used bj I rs (for
tour), is not Arabic.
334 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
rigi' tftni he returned ; moiyit il maward rose water ; ahsan ziyada
better ; basse faqat only ; lamma shaf ha qa'da galsa henak when he,
gam her sitting tJiere ; rasaruhuin 'ala hasab taswirit siirit bani
Adam he drew them in the form of men ; da'iman tamalli always :
ya'ni ma'naha I mean, that is to say ; kaffit kulle haga every single
thing ; la budde min innt le inni aruh it is imperative that I go ;
'ashan ikminnu mush 'auz because he doesn't want; kan ahsan
lazim teruh 1 you should have gone ; in sha' Alia Rabbuna yirzuqak
bi walad please God, the Lord will give you a son ; wahdani li
wahdu quite alone by himself ; ana mara 'azba we gozt mat / am
a xoidow woman, and my husband is dead, ; 2 mabsut min qui
kalamu pleased with his words; gallabiyitka kanit izzeyiha? what
was her robe li/ce? baqa lazim tequl li 'ala 1 kalam id dughri we
•al.i 1 kalam is sahih we ti'mil ma'ruf tequl li qol sharaf — il waqt
illi ruhte fih kan f ani waqt? 3 Wahid yom gih il bashmu-
handiz gih hina fi 1 bet — kan hadir il khawaga lamma gih, u
waqtiha lamma gih ma kanshe maugud Salim hina kan rah fi d
diwan waqtiha is sa'a tamanya kede. We am ma 1 bashniu-
handiz lamma gih kanit ya sidi is sa'a titla' ya'ni taqriban tie**
avi tis'a u rub'e kede, izzeyak, 4 u lamma gih . . . Rikib husanu
we tannu mashi huwa wi 1 khaddam beta'u we s sayis beta'u we
tannu rnashi 'ala betu u nizil fi 1 bet beta'u. 5
§ 590. The words baqa, qam, beta', ya'ni, izzeyak, absar eh,
as we have seen, are often slovenly inserted without adding to
the force of the words, but the first two, though generally merely
expletives, sometimes add a nervousness or elegance to a sentence
which is lost in a literal translation. To these we may add
ma t'akhiznish (for ti'akhiznish) accuse my saying so {jpaesez moi
re. mot), an expression frequently employed, especially when the
speaker is addressing a superior, without any reason : ti'raf yem
knots ; qal, yeqiil he said, say.< he (in a narrative) ; walla h.i_
something, as mush kunte y6in min dol dakhalte fi betu walla
h&ga dicbt'i you go into hi* house one day <>r something t
Remark a. — Ti'raf (orta'raf) and qal, yeqftl are by no bmbju
as commonly used as their eejUtf! alcnt- in Kuropean langu
but the latter are often used after verbs of asking, ordering, Ac .
conrertung an indirect into a direct sentence, as aValha we qal
1 A mixture of ideas. The ex pi eooion is a very common one.
* Of. '1 Sam. xiv. 5.
8 Notice the mixture of construction.
* See below, § 590.
The last sentences illustrate the prolixity of the lower
ee
PLEONASM AND TAUTOLOGY 335
laha he asked her, saying . . . ; yigi yutlub min abuh we vequl
lu . . .
II km ark b. — The use of ism in such expressions as the
following may here be noticed : da ismu bet! do you call that a
house t is that a house? di ismiha 'arabiya! call that a carriage I
yibqa iamak ghalabtini so you have beaten me or it is a case of
your having beaten me.
. The words masal (or masalan) for example and bard
(or bard), with the pronominal suffixes, are often repeated
several times in the same sentence, as lau masalan rah min
'andak masalan haga if, for instance, you (for instance) lost A
thing; bardu ya sidi zt'ye ba-du ya'hl bardu ma fish mani'
bardina niqdar ni'mil kede.
§ 592. Repetition may intensify or convey a plural notion,
as dughri dughri quite straight; bukra bukra to-morrow "as ever
is " ; min barra burru straight away ; iskut sakit keep quiet ; hasal
hasal it has assuredly happened ; l illi katabtu katabtu ; 2 wahid
wahid one by one ; humma wiskhin wi.-khin ; emta emta (or emta u
emta) yigi ? fen u fen rah i " where and oh wliere ? " fen hay hat u
hay hat lamma nehufak marra = kulle hin u hin marra; hitta
hitta piece by piece (§106); ikwam ikwam. in heaps; kharramu
khrum khurum pu rce it cdl over with holes; 'ud il qasab yibqa kullu
'uqal 'uqal a stick of sugarcane i* full of notches; fidil yidrab
yidrab yidrab fih he kept striking him one blow after another,
yikhaiyat, yikhaiyat, yikhaiyat, stitching, stitching, stitching ; fi 1
abaan we ahsan we aktar we aktar ininnu.
§ 593. The principal clause is very frequently repeated with
a temporal conjunction by way of introducing a new »•-.
consequent upon the first, as qa'adit hiya; ba'de uia qa'adit gih
abulia the sat down, OS 900n as she had sat down h'-r father came .
dajkhalt il bit, lamma ilakhalt il bit >lnit'r ... 7 went inside the
. a 1,. n I "â– i>i inside tlie house I saw . . .
1 Or it has happened, and (here is an end of it.
2 "o yty/>a(jia ytypatpa.
EXERCISES ON THE SYNTAX
Kan labis bacllit id diwan. Ir rikabat yitrakkibu fi z zukham
wi 1 ligam fi r ras ig gild. Hat li hitta hittiten sukkar. Mush
tis'alni su'al bi 1 ma'ruf ? Ir ragil it taiyib yiban min kalamu u
min wishshu. Kan wahid miggauwiz wahda ismiha Sitt abulia.
Fatah qahvvit hashish. Ya ragil ya qahwagi hat lina kam fingan
qahwa. Qanasil Fransa wi 1 Miskof . Ir ragil il qahwagi qaddim
lu 1 lahm wi mi'u 1 'esh wi 1 malh. Qui li 'ala inas'alt il binte
di. Fen il goz il hainam ? Raddum humma 1 kull it talata we
qalu. Kan mabni 'aleh sur min il bulad. Rabat u 1 qol waiya
ba'd we qalu. Ana tua yisahhish inni arkab il husan 'ala Barge
halfa; illi zeyina ma yirkabshe 'alas surug il halfa. Lamina
tikhlas min shughl il bet. Huwa dilwaqti fi 'izze buliighu. II
usul 'anduhum lamma 1 wahid yiddaiyif 'anduhum yigibu lu 1
qahwa. Hatte idu fi gebha, fi geb il gallabiya 1 atlas beta'itha.
Enta tirkab fi 1 'arabiyit il kubbel we ana rkab fi 1 hantur.
'aleha hagat fadda. Kal labis badlit it tashrtfa. Kan fi idha
<|irtas melabbis. Fidil il qirtas il melabbis fi idha. llhis mal-
busatak il harir. Isntar&na toben talata slush min ish shftsh il
marmar. Sh§yah lina itnashar kursi min il khaia/.an au min
il karasi 1 'ada illi mafrushln bi 1 qashsh il akhdar. Sanlyit
'asha kibira wi tishte haminam. Tahafna lha hittit BUhbil ward.'
kuwaiyisa. Tighten talata ghasil li 1 fiidum min il kabftr wi
sanlyit fanagtl min in oahas 'ashan shurb il qahwa. we
hagar Luzum il matbakh. Ddl asluhum gayin min il barr il
gharbl illi huwa gharb il Gtsa. Ba'de ma (allaqha [ddaha
waraqit (alaqba, Gabu lu dulniit gar* we dulmit bedingao we
lahmit kabab mistiwlya fi a Bamn. Kunte li Bafarlyit is Sudan?
11 kanun il 'arabl huwa mabnl min it tub we 1 hugara, we amma
1 kanun il afrangl huwa hadid. Yuthiikhum ti hilal min nahas u
fill nas yutliukhu m li hram fukhkhar. ilat h >huwaivit y.rt salaam.
Lamma tirkhas il miilukhiya vihija r i a : 1 • • t'.lia hi 'i>hrin fadda
ta'nfa. Yeglbu l ii'l/n il mulukhiva 'ala BhAn il khainas .sitr
\infus yikalVilium 'aaha wi ftur. Khalli n iiai' im-walla'a t iht il
bulla lamma ti^'hli 1 iya. Yi.shnju 1 Md ti 1 1 1 1 < > i \ a. Yit'iumu
EXERCISES ON THE BYNTAX
1 lahm fnq tabltya khashab an qurma khashab. FSn ratlOn il
labm il li ddrthum lak? Dif 'aleb guz'e min is sukkar we
guz'e min is Bamn. II hulq&n il hadid. Hat li 1 furaha sh sha'r
'ala sbahha dibla dahab bi gdiia. Yeduqqu 1 filfil fi 1 gum il
hagar au li gurn rakham au kbaahab we vedisbshu 1 ful fi 1
rabayu 1 hagar. Is gahn il ful in nubit. Yebillu 1 ful fi 1 moiya
u ba'deu yisaffuh, lamma yinabbit, min moivitu. Kulle y6m
■■'ala qaddi kfayit il via. ! '• ink ma'l
fadda? Ish shuwaiyit il malh wi t fcmnnit ix razz illi gibtubuiii
min is suq hatithum fgn? lahtirl li shuwaiyit lamun min il
baladl. Lldi lu 1 kuz il indiva. It tabikh kan mahtflt fi qalbe
fukbkb.a-. Wazant il kilt ^ id dura? Hal lina' n nus Se
qadab lr ruzz. Qutit Iakandarlya zayda fi 1 halawa wi fi t
i 1 kubr 'an qutit il gharb, wi ahsan minha i wi fi
t tabikb. Yebfu 1 lnbya il qadah fiha bi qirahen aigh au bi
_b. Illi yebi'u 1 basal il akhdar yenadu 'aleh fi s aikak
.lu: "ahlamin il 'asal ya basal." Mafish fibgtutuahdt ghaall
iden. Tehibb il fitlr abn z$t i Taiyib, iddlni talatt arl
ummat samn we fitirten itnSn ummat zlt. In nfis Oil 'anduhum
il qirah 'anduhum iahab. Min is eana li a aana, Kan mit-
hazzim bi shamkt ?uf fi wustu. Minhum yilbiau 1 qumaan il
ghazll we yilbiram il 'azba - f6q raahum ; wi minhum ydlbisuhum
min bani-. wi minhum yilbiaubum nun qu$ne bind;." II fi
il qahwa .- sada bi 'ishrin ta'rtfa, wi 1 fingan il qahwa 1 hilw abu
sukkar bi qerahe ta'rlfa. Iddini mihkt khami b iyam. 11]
hawa matar. Humma gharqantn fi d ndi Khadu n i
lha 1 bard. Ana kutte 'aiyan 1
wnauwii zamanu bi 1 lid,. Khud lak ahuwaiyit ramla min
il bSda. Ihna maafrln fi babur il 'asr. Hlya dakhalit
a 1 khamsin. 11 hawa ddauwar li qibli. Wilfid il harftm
yi'rafu ba'd. [r ragiJ da tamalli 'andu aiyadit kalam. Ihna
a ahle khibra yikahifu «ala 1 b6t. Hm . we
lithum. Iddini talattfiahar hitta bi qershenat we
Li bni adam minna lu rbe'ln shabah
" Jl " i; " I 'anduhum
I'l dinya harriha shidid wi uamusha kittr \di
nmrahtiah ana. Kulliha bi dial taqrll ,it mak-
1 wishsh. Meaafil ma yistiwi I i Mil
r Diinhutii gib .i mityasaar minhum ma gftah. td
aimm. Humma kulluhum q il
•■'" mi'&h .„,,,!,■Bhutfa. Sb
1 J
338 THE SPOKEX ARABIC OF EGYPT
illi huwa luzum il ligam. II kalam * da kan nahar il hadd. Qa'ad
'andu mesafa li ba'd id duhr. Risha min fadda u risha min dahab.
Min hiya 1 kibira fihum. II amri lak - ya malik is sa'ada. Gab
luhum mahrama qasab. Gat lubum il hurnia 1 khatba. We
humma 1 goz il khel it taqm illi 'alehum min in nahas lasfar,
we 'ala kulle ras husan mahrama, ya'ni litnGn khel 'ala rashum
mahramten, wi 1 itnen siyas kanu labsin badla mulki bi s
sideriyat il qasab u bi t tarablisat il harir u bi 1 kuffiyat il
hartr. II ashyat il ma'kulat yeqaddimuha kullilia li 1 ma'aztm.
Shuf li 'arabiya bi guz khel nudaf. Kaffit ma yekun luzum il
i'arah. Iz zaffa kanit il 'isha nahar il itnen ma' lelt it talat.
II wilad dol wahid fuq ras wahid, ya'ni wahid ibne tamanya we
wahid ibne 'ashara we wahid ibne itnashar sana. Hat li kursi
au itnt'n, huttuhum fi 1 balakon. Ir ragil goz il marra min d61.
Qallibu 'ag ganben. Lonu hamar bi sat'ar. Illi yebt' il gazar
veliffe fi 1 hawari we yinadi wi yequl : " ya rumi ya 'asal ya
gazar sukkar." 'ud il qasab tul ir ragil au tul ragil u miss,
"au/. qadde eh ngritha? Hittit it tir'a dl ya tara '6m walla
khod? 'arabiya bi hsan fard. Baqa gismu moiya. Ahsan
minnu t taq itnen. Id dinya harri shdid. Ziyadt il kin';
kheren. II kidbe ma lush riglen. Ma kanshe lazini tequl li 1
kalam da 1 kidb. Da wahid ziunlu. II iyam d61 barde kitir.
Indah li wahid min il bulis. Kan yauriya turn wara 1 khidewi
mbarih. Rigi' bi idu fadya. Kami n nas waqtiha 1 ma'aztm
qaydin fi udt il tnesairin, wi 1 be kan qa'id waiyahum sahib il
Farah. Hittiteri khalakhil fi rigleha. Is sa'ayda Luhum kalam
gins. Shufna hittit nitfit binte fulla klialis, lakin 'aleha goz 'iyiin
u g6z khidud zGyi 1 bannura, nagafa klialis. Qui li 'ala matlubak.
II
Inti beyina waliya taiyiba min b€t nas (aiyibtn* Saniya
stambuli kuwaiyisa w islam Bint, Kan malfuf 'ala 1 k
min ba'de baga min il hartr. Hutm ddl li qalb is sultan
sint. Walla'u 1 'isbrin shama'a liakandarani. II maulud bint
mush walad. ETarraghu § >ahn li n oiswan il ma'aztm kullilia.
Fadil khamas .-itt'' khirf&n wi talatl arha' 'uguM gamus Lissa
Ddabahush. [gtama'u n o&s wilad il balad il agntya \si 1 fuqara
kulluhum. yilbisum bidumhum in oud&f wi G 1 balad.
Il:ii shuwaiyil filfil madquqtn. Is salatai il afrangtya aheau
min kulle hlga. In o&s il fransawiya w i mistani-
1 Bee . I. note 2, and jj 29, Rem.
1 Or an • lik. but not amri lik.
EXERCISES OX THE SYNTAX 339
II halla yekun in 'arriha ahuwaiyit aamn wi
q BUghaiyara. U sa<a baqat me'allaqa fi 1 hgf bi
tuwal haddadt Ni'mil lak salata rami wala e ai
il 'uamalll yirkabu 'arabtyat kubbil. II khiyam
walla lissa? [hna ma nilbia qumsan ghazli. Emshl
1U ],i ri - W le inne ydm il khamla we ydm
htnen humma aa'ad u mabrflkin min ivam i] gum'a kulliha
leinn ibwab is sama tibqa mfattaha, wi za kin il in&in y^qvan
maaal £ Kit ig gum'a fi nuas il 'l,;i we yiaalM lu rak'iten we
yittilhl. min Allah le innu yekun aa'id, huwa wi mr&tu a wlddu,
yimkin Rabbuna yiqbal minim. 11 hit&n betu' il fai.
quaaiyara ma tkunshe tawila. Lata hmay a miskof 1 ? n*uaye
kulliha 'ug. Soqna 1 husan < ala akbir § lilkham
•ad duhr. Iddini ahuwaiyit gibna ruml 1/ zubbat d61 tul
walla aawirl? Iahtarit iswira min wahda mara
Daralrahum kulle wfihid darba mufrid. Til'um meqabbil.
turk we laghwithum turki. Milaya riggfill qutn. II kilraa
* sirri ma benna. Iddiui 1 kam qirah Oil 'andak Abyad il
III
Intum bSyinln Das taiyibin we umara ktir qawi. Enta
bitiqbad mabiyitak li akbir iah shahrau fi auwilu ? II ma'ruf
Wi t taiyil, illj -aiualtu waiyfik inta kain.'tii lazim ti'milu fi 1
wilSd d51. Id dinya wahla qawi d uahar da. Min huwa 1 kibir
nu " 1 ' Baqalul a fi kbidmit il mlrl. Kan labia
lawid we rakib himaru bi 1 maqlub. Huwa btfauwil
li 1 fangh. Is sikka tmzil li 1 watj we titla 1 li 1 •
kulliha nuqar. Euwa biringi wahid sharrtb fi 1 hash ah Ihna
li d dunyawe bukra ii 1 akhra. I. ,f 'arabl
iraq l.usta min ab mallln. Fidilte henik
k \ tu '' , '- ***** itnto kede. Kanit sayqa'arabtya b
-•a khSl.
uta mbarih U had qui ti 1, le innak bukra tdbqa tfakkaml
waqtiha minabbih 'altaa le innak tehaddai
ba'd id duhr. [hna gtran wi 1 bet betahhuj
. w, hna 1 kulle aaknln ii blra wahda. Itfaddal qui li
'1 maa'aladl? tdi Uihna '
A ' h ' 1 da 11. huwa 'ammiha. Gib yishl ujhal
:' l,1,i lu kattaj khfiru .Hi mahSya'u. Taiyib adinlrift
'1 jnaa'ala biya 6h. Jl khaahab dih rayhln .,■„„! t .,,„
i ••}.. akin ma flab ma(rah anlm hi. Q in; •• i, h
1 ' ll lu: "• ibal flh."
340 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
'andina hikaya ghariba. Eh hiya? Haddutit is sultan wi hmaru.
Min yi'mil li sh shughla di? 'andi min yi'milha lak. Quddamu
sikkit is salama we sikkit in nadama we sikkit ill i yeriih nia
yirga'sh ; li rah huwa min is sikka illi ma h&ddish yirga* minha.
It tanii' yeqille ma gama'. Simi'te liis.se niswan beyitkhanqum
waiya ba'd. Izzey inta ma ntash Tuif illi 'auzinu? Ma ntish
nasya haga? La', ma fish haga nasyaha. II husan beta'na
rakbah htya. II humar gih fi riglu zalata. Iddenaha min
kaffit ma yilzimha. Qui lina 'al mahr illi ntu 'auzinu kam.
[Hi hna basal ish sharaf bi Wgudhum. Idehum liuimna litnen
fi ba'duhum. Laqfihum kulluhum maugudin humma t talata,
illi qa'id 'ala kursi wi Hi qa'id 'ala diwan — kulluhum qa'dtn.
Elya ma lush bintukum? Iwa ya sitti ; taiyib ana 'arfa lha
wahid 'aris kuwaiyis. Ana basma' kulle min k;'m beyishkur fib
kitir qawi. Qal liha : " hagit rb illi qadettha lna?" Nib
gyuha wahda minhum wi s salam illi tigi 'andik quli lha. Eyin
kan wahid minhum yigi 'andak minhum tibqa tis'alu 'an il
mas'ala. Shuf 'anzin eh. 11 mahall illi hna qa'dtn till din.
Mahu ana ma rdttshe agi 'ashan aukhtishi. U ba'dSn il walad
ummu r.'iliit lu we qalit lu. Qal li : " inta 'auz kam qirsh I " Ya
salam u sallim ya klu wi 1 ugra di ketir 'allya. Flh min il
'al u min id dun. Wi 1 'arabty&t hammiluhum il 'arbagtya.
Di shihadt in niswan kulliha zur; yimkin yekun minhum
'ashara ma tisduqshe minhum wahda. Ma tibqish teehtli
tqlla tekun teqila qawl. Fi auwul lela ma twaladit il bint.
A hi il bint ma kanshe 'anduhum khabar. Hatifdal il '
mi'ah ilia ma aha Allah. Minhum nas yirkabum khiyul wi
ykunum labsln minhum yekun labia id dimir wi sh shirwal,
we minhum yekun labia il mantaldn lafrangi; u minhum yir-
1 n minhum yirkabum hamtr. Kulle ma hadde
ye'aiyid 'aiehum wi yequl luhum: "kulle sana wi ntum
jaiyibln." 11 kharuf ininliuin yekun bi qarnSn kubar wi ;
iiiiin zahrln min r&eu. Kulle manhu minhum yishtiri lu akl
'ala hasab marghubtu. Min ba'de naa min il fallahln k&nu
mashyln wuste Bikka min sikak Masr beyiftikirO innuhum fi
ghlfanhum, Ee daa 'alfihum 'arabtya. Ma tiftikirshe 1<- inne
linsan min in nas il fuqara iza nzalam ahakwitu ma tinfa'sh.
[ddlhum qadde mahum 'auzln. Illi yekun hadir luhum yidra-
m l.n. Y.l.u" i min il malh fdq mil I i I
ba'dishe filfil. Naa min il [grig khanquh. Is sikka illi r
minha rflhl ftha. Kami ma yilzim in kan min puhun walla min
kubbayai . Minhum m 'anduhum yel
li bittitdn khulqan. II willya Hi htya waqfa quddamak. 11
i ma 'irifah il 'aiya Hi huwa 'aiyftn huh. W is .â– in naqb
EXERCISES ON THE SYNTAX 341
*;• l;i qadde ma yef&t ir ragil minnu. II matara nizlit zeyi d
durbSah illi yekun nazil min 1 1 <*â– t i t b*t bthidduba. Yiddaru f
ya tk-'in asliha birka. II kalbe tamalll yehibbe yeruh
waiya sahbu matrah ma yimabi. Ruh matrah ma yi'gibak.
Kulle sh.' lull waqt. Waddiha tani matrah ma gibtiha. II
wahid al'an min it tani. Ana baqrd lak 1 ihlihu. 1 I-
di harriha shdld. La gawabak wi-.il wala gawab!. Illi
yiaraq il b§da yisraq il farkha. II qirde 'ande umnm g]
Fih efendiyat iddarig beta'hum shuwaiya lahsan in n&s yiftikiru
innuhuin 'ammtya. Ma mi'lsh fulfta ilia dul. In kan ana walla
v.'tliid zgye bardu. Ma qal lish 'ala min (or 'ala Hi, 'alll)
I A| yit §h I Illi 'andnhum kha
shaliri mush ismulmm ghun&y. 'auz askun fi Sye b3t in kAn.
tishtiri li daw&ya. Min ani dukkan I min Sy in kan wahid,
min .'viha dukkan in kanit. Shuf lina Syiha bfet in kan
-â– ikan. Knllulinm ausakb min ba'd. Ana 'auz gi
:h. TaiyibwidJ jagaritlabakh. 'aizin nekhushsbe fi gnintak
uwar 'ala kura gat filia. Da sh.*- yi'laiiiu Allah. Iliwa na
batkMniq waiyaku? Da wahid maya'rafahe haga. Min huwa I
] >a Hi hina li Ma&T. L/.iin timna'u 'an kede. La', bi khlaf
fcede. Adi 11 ilina 'auzinu. B gih wi 1 I
Akhuya 'andu tumnemit gin&h. Baama' Lnnedl ifti'ala. Yimkin
niauv. itu hadde yekun yiqrab hi. Jlli gab da 'auz wa&l.
i' kulle min k&n beyiabkur flk. Shuf 11 'arabtya tkun
kuwaiyisa wi kh§lha (aiyiba. Ba'de ma 'irif na 1 walad leinnu
mahsut. An' I hum kuwaiyis? I musb kuwaiyis i l'i
-!,•' ma shufnahshe bi •■lakin aimi'na innu.
Humma fi matrah W&hidf La*, ddl fi giha wi ddl ii giha. 11
I illi mush ma'ruf iamu da. 11 qar 1 il idr&f illi huwa Flh
me'auwig a flh dughrl n Idnu akhdar we huwa tawil. In
beyiqallibfih min il ganbi da wi 1 ganbi da. [{bukh* li shwaiyit
ii min 6ye sanf in k.in. Flh na> bftz il kalh 'aii'luhum
nigis, ii i'ih n.is yinaggisu gismu kullu. I* (aiyib luh w<- li n
wi r radl li wahdu. [krush il '41am ddl il wiakhtn min
qudd&m bitna. Ana b&kul l§la ful wi Ifila 'ads. Inta fi likr
w ana fi likr. Kulle wfdiid shiklr 'an it I'm. Add] !
sanduq bi ti'du walla hi lli fthl Imshi waiy&h matrah ma
lii. Bhuftuhum fen? Bhuftuhum ii mahallemak&nuqa'dln.
Huiiim a tndo ikhwa ahaan min ba'duhum. Flh wil&d bamm&ra
ukku 1 himtr betuhhum bi mism&r dsJchil min 'asaya ismiha
niiklikhn I ilia ma luh ,',khir. Kulh- W&hid \irlul>ni
1 ! ma t |:,1.
1 < >f an impossible thii Or idbukh.
342 THE SPOKEN" ARABIC OF EGYPT
V
Gih fi rigl il husan zalata fidlit guwa hafru. Yirkab rukubtu
in kanit faras au husan au baghla au hmar wi tannu masht
hiiwa wi 1 kkaddam beta'u. Iqfil ish shababik 'ashan la yigi
'ufar fi 1 bet wala yitkassar haga. Hasal il qisraa wi tqabilna
ma' ba'dina. II mas'ala illi qulna lik 'aleha we qulti lna 'aleha
hadihna qadenaha lik. Min ba'de ma stardum 'ala 1 mablagh
ahl il 'arusa, mishyit umm il 'arts wi 1 'aris w abu 1 'aris humma
1 kull, we khadit ba'diha we rahit il hurma. Qa'adit ummiha
wi ummu w abuh w abulia fi oda tanya. Yindaf 'aleh samn u
sukkar. Fi gama'a dyuf gum 'anduhum. Taiyib, istardSna bi
1 main- illi bumma t talatin gineh. II hartm tannuhum nazlin
min 'ala 'arabiyithum we dakhalum min guwa 1 bab wi tannuhum
dughrt tal'in 'as salalim. Shal luhum is sitara 1 farrash. Min
ba'de ma till* foq il harim. Kan waqtiha 1 harim gaybin lamun
we 'asrtnu we main 1 kubbayat. Kanit iz zagharlt dayra fflq fi 1
hartm. Yishtiri lha masagh in kanit zatunaauin kanit libba.
Nazzilu 1 'afsh il 'arbagiya min 'ala 1 karruwat. Teruh il hurma
we guzha fi b§t il qadi we ahliha kaman waiyaha. Shakwitha
ma hasalshe minha samara. Min ba'de ma tamm it talatt
ishhur. Wi 1 mazztka ba'de ma tikhlas min id daqq tit-
'ashsha, we yakbdum ugrithum wi baqshishhum. Yifdal basse
talatt arba't iyam 'ala akhir ish shahr. Dabahu 1 fuhul il
gamus ig gazzartn bi 1 ugra 1 me'aiyina. Fi 1 '6d il kibir il
mada.fi' tidrab fi s subh u li d duhr u fi 1 'isha hatta tikhlas il
arba't iyam betu' il 'ed. Yiwalla'u wil'a qulaiyila taht il bulla
'ashan it tabikh ma yakhudshe siwa ktir. Yiflaqu 1 qar'a
aussen. Yikharratuha hitat hitat au halaq halaq. Yikhanatu
1 qar'e takhrit halaq, u ba'd&n yighluh gluih. i t •"■1 1 tal&ta -ak
kanun. In kanum yekunu 'rla illi ray bin yaklum. Walla 4
wil'a khafifa. Yekunu malyinha min in oahyitdn. Ba'de ma
yihritu 1 arde bi 1 maharit yikhattat dha khutut. wi yinnu 1 birr
ii l , . 1 1 â– f il lni'iii. Min 'ait ' il qttya bizriha yi'auwaq ketir fi ]
ard hatta yitla' fuq mshshiha. Khafit Lahsan yidrabha 'alqa.
Baqat tir'ad Ld dinya ra'de khafif wi baqal oazla ma(ara nuzul
qawtya. 8 Biduniak dabit min 'ala ku'ak. Zi'il ea'al Bhidld.
Kan ruziq bi walad. Esh gabak Maar? Ba'dfin -iy.t 'aiya
ahdtd qawt. Wakkilu shuwaiyit lahm. 'ashan yeruh'minnu
1 'rn illi hasalil In. Id dumu' ni.-.lit min '€neh. Bukra hani$la'
1 For 'adt.
- For qawt, qawtya agreeing with m
For beruh.
EXERCISES OX THE SYNTAX 343
1. Guna gama'a min ashabna. 'ashan eh tit : ab kull it
ta'ab dih ? A'rafu mi'rifit wis'hsh. Ma tsaddaqshe kull il hals
illi beyihlisu lak, wala kull ir raghy illi beyirghih lak fi haqqt. II
hidum d61 'auza fcinshitif shatfa miliha. 'eneh kanit mewalla'in
zgye sharart in nar. Ketir uluf minhum safirit is Sudan. It
mutativa Hi titatiha di tiwaqqa'ak ruin ( al husan. liizz is a
liazzitf'-u kede.
VI
Anatakhminileinne maf bumshe turab. Riglu kanit min'asa
tin. Ma gh larshe akhud had le minku akhaddimu. Kashaf
'al hSta laqaha mashquqa nuasen. Lamma tigil takhlu 'audi
haqaddim luku haga hilwa. Ti'mil ma'ruf we tibqa twassi r
la, illi tibqa tishtaghal hina, yibqu mmal lamma yehiddum
yehiddum bi hsab. Intum mewaddivm il khashab da fen?
Ihn i gayin nishtaghal 'andak bukra. Kattar kheru illi vekuu
li wahdu wi ykun yeshuf shughl <ala qadde kede. lima sheflnak
rSgil laiyih. Laqgnahum tani y6m nahir it talat beyishtaghalu
ufatahu lhum shinlsha h" 1 h."t. Lamma shuftahum beyibnum.
Hah raiii.Iia fi qalb il bir, khallaha. Girt hirib min il balad.
I yebih we yishtirl li kulle higa hatta kusub lu mal k
»ha li qalb il balad. Rah 'andu we huwa ma
Fahe 1- inn ir ragil <la gu/.ha. Qa'ad yishrab li 1 qahwa
lamma. li ghayit nusa il 131. Ana khaddamak. tibat «andi hina.
II ' lina 'asha lakin yekun il ma'kul sanfe wahid. Dakhalu
'hum fi 1 gingna. Oq'ud hina t ilatt iyam u ba'den teruh
'and is >ult;'in we titqaddim quddamu wi tbua il ard we tit-
•akhkhar; yequl lak: "gibt il haga dl?" qui lu: "hagibha
bukra." [ssawum waiya ba'duhuin we qalu ihna nmau'wi
s sikka wi huwa gay min -and abuh. Is sultan kan minabbih
ma haddish yeqld nur fi 1 balad. Qumtana tli'te agr
il khaddamln. Ana ma bahsibkish bitqulll kede.
II a kanit miahyit betihsibhum arba'a sigh. Laqgtha nasya 1
• Q* 1 1; I " '""' garrgi il husan ketlr. Wi ata ya 'ammi
mmad quite gh li 1 mas'ala dl? Tekhalll l.dik, ma tins
lllkl fakra taiyib. Khallihum yigu yitfaddalum yiaha
turn 'andina. Ana ahibbe le innik tibql mabButa. Taiyib, am
i nl astafhim minnu 'annu. Maddi lu Ida we rah dughrl b
,,:i - rnsha Alia Rabbuna yihmik li min 'enfin in Das. In shalla
Rabbuna yisma' minnak. Kanwaqtiha Lkhaddam beta'ug&yib lu
- betahta we q&'id mithaddar biha we miatannth. Ni
••■la kede, Bnta rayijj teruh waiy&na walla Eadil binal
iilakanit iL'araotya meghattfya I. aha] wi ml.it
344 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
kulliha bi 1 fantaziya 1 kuwaiyisa. Kis yehuttii fih dih u dih.
La samah Allah leiimi akdib 'aleki. Lamma gat tulid il mara.
Yequmu 1 giran yisa'dithum yi'ginu wi yikhbizu waiyahum. In
nas il fallahin illi yekfinu yigum hina f masr il 1 i yekfinu yebi'u
wi ishtirum l humma yisma'u 1 kalam min il balad leinne bukra
a siyam. Yeruh il gazzar dabih il kharuf bi idu, we qable ma
yimashshi s sikkina 'ala raqabt il kharuf yeqiil : " bi smi llahi
Allahu akbar," we yeruh garir is sikkina marraten. Yirga'u
yifassasu ras il qarnabit fisfis Asm-, 'ala bal ma yistiwi 1 fill
yekimum ghasalum it tumnit ir ruzz. Yegibu farkha yekunu
sharyinha min is silq. Lazim tisqi 1 arde hatta yedur il bizr u
yenabbit u yitla' 'ala wishshiha. Lamma yedftr il walad we
yisabba'. Fidil ir ragil nayim wi 1 kalbe harsu lamma dar a Lib
il fagr. Bidal ma nta q&'id hina ahsan teruh tindah li 1 hakim.
ELaiyak Allah ! Nazla matara rufaiya'a. Ma lqgnash gars lu
haga. Shawir In yigi. Ana mrabbtha min Bughre sinniha.
Tannak mashi dughri 'ala fcul lamma tdur u tusal wi fcqul lak :
" adini." Sharih min en? Iftakarna 1 qutt, gana yenutfc. II
kilma d! betitnitiq bi t to walla bi t ta? Kan d&yir j i'
1 a'ni.i. Ma tqulshe li hadd ana 'amalte kede u kede.
haqqiha tigt. Ma Ihiqshe yigi. Kunna mashyin nitkallim.
[nta ya sta 2 merakkib il gama'a d61 i Kan waqtiha minabbih 3
'allya le inni a'allaq il husan bi 1 'arabiya. Bi sabab kuut ■•
qayil lu yirmi 1 waraqa. Iza kunte mewasslh 'ala 'arabiya ma
kunnasb nit'ib nafsina. Tigi hadri, u'a tkun tinsa. 4 Enta
tirkab 'arabiya we tannina hna 1 kull merauwahln sawa. Inta
mkhallif minha 'iy&l? Biddik tistahrasi 1 nafsik. Kulle y6m
kunna nsuin we niffar f\ 1 maghrib. Illi habbuh itnTn yekun
Rabbuna talithum. Fi 1 'abid yu'sur ir rumman ii buqq il
walad kulle y6m hatta trabba a baqa kbtr. Min 6n 8 'andak
haqqi fcqul li h&ga z§yi dl? Hal in shiribha rah nayim. Mi-
hat it da hina \ Kuwa d&yir yidauwar 'ala huh.
VII
l/.a k "in ana qulti lak Le inn id diw&n ill ana fih ma iilislu-
shughl lb enta betis'alnJ 'ala wazlfa? Sawa in kan jahhak
walla in kan qaxibak. Ana inanisli "arif wala nia lui'ish khah.u
in kanu 'auziii walla mush 'au/.in. Iijlil isb shahabik "a.-dian la
yigi 'uf&r li 1 beM wala fcitkaasar 8 h&ga wala miht&ga. lntum
1 For yishtirum. d j Pluperfect
i »i v.; la ti- !'■• ■•'■' • " Better yitk
EXERCISES ON THE SYNTAX
lehl lima ma lna? Yinfa' ma yii I urdu
ii yaba J Ex La l 'eah wi 1 malh ma kontdsl
bfik yidra innak ghibte min il
Qal liha : kunte aqul lu inni ruht aghtb. Binte in dihkil
shams wi n 'aiyatit yir'ad ir ra'd we yimtur il â–¡
kanit tis'al 'al( fcindabi 'aleya. In km huwa walla biya
!an wi nnina ma shufnash il bint we
ihna saddaqna q'Mik 'ala inniha kuwaiyisa. -ala hasab le i
ma kunna&h ni'rafhum wala humma ma yi*rafunash. In idd I
walla ma ddfitinish bardu wiail. Ma tkhafsl
tikhtishi : ma fish hina ilia na w abfik wala ma fish 1
erna. AJhsan in kuntu ti'milu ma'ruf wi tkhalluna li
Una. Iza kamim yis'alum "an 'arabfy&t qui Inhum yegibu
•ashanna hna. TaiyiK ana rayh addl lak kilina wahd
ginSh; iza kan khallasak ma fish muni': ma khallasak
ma yi'gibak baqa. Wadln qulti lak "ala 1 q81 if sahlh illi
kalam. II khaJ
walla ma yikaffokshe, wi tkun i alia ma tkni
mabsut \ Ana ma kaltish minnu haga wala shiribl
wala oahabte minnu Lamina
;lu lhum : " da haram 'al§ku : Allah ;
lu lhum: "haram halal, iza kan yi'azzil
buna walla ma yi'azzibnash yibqa z§ye ma ya*raf yi*mil I
we am ma intu ma lkush da'wa Una in kuni.
In ma kanshe maugud lamftn baladl we yikun ma gash il .
'n wala 3
i, wi ykun waqtiha Lalya shi-
minnu huwa. I/a kan ma Itaqnah mush kunte dauwart? In
kan ma lhumshe khabar yi'milu §h baq
ma yehimminlsh. Shayifah il kalh il maklub fi sikkil
'rafshe yi'gibnl 6h. In kunte ma ntish n
bakht wala faddan shatara. 1 Iza ruht ana tighdar ma truhsh
inTa. Laa kunte a'lam inniha baftala lam kunte arghab ig
'. 'Juki li kan le innak tibqa tfakkarni 'ala inni
hum lu. Iza khuluate badri ruht. Huwa qal li qui innahum
kanu naymtn mi't. Mush t&alna su'll bi 1 ma'ruf ! Zdye ba'du
in kan sukkar walla in kan tn walla n k'mit kuiimii'
shuftu hina kan min zaman. La yirham wala yikhalll rahmit
Rabbina tinzil. La gih wala shaiya* khabar. [s'al megarrab
•
1 An ouna of luck b worth a pound of wit.
346 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
VIII
Ruhte rastabl tammart il husan. Qam sa'alni we qal li,
"rayih fen ? " Lazim tifakkarni 'ashan abqa a'tik il mahiya
bukra. Inta leh baqet ma gayib il niuftah li ghayit nahar ydm
litnen ya'ni yibqa mbarih il hadd u yorn il itnen 1 Istannetu
lamma dar u libis hidumu. Ba'den tanni mistanni lamina dar u
gib. Llzimni gawab tiwaddih il busta. Ruh rauwah il husan
fi rastabl wi bqa ta'ala 'al bet. Lamma yibqu yitlubfih aua
bqa qui lak. Ba'den sabahum, tani yom nahar il itimn ir riggala
gum. Baqa akhi ihna 'auzin nitla' foq minnu. Khallaha betimla
min il bir. Qum 'abbi li ta'mira. Tigini 1 bet is sa'a 'ashaxa.
II ginena di baqa lha talat sinin ma tfatahitsh. Rauwah ir
ragil betu za'lan. Izzey li inni abqa ibne basha w arkab himar !
Ahsan ne'allim il bet we nisbah nib'at luhum. Rametu fen?
Etametu 1 bahr. Baqet makrush 'ala akhir nafas. Hatta le inni
baqet akhud sillimten talata fi kkatwa wahda. U ba'den gih
abuh qam qa'ad ganbu. We baqat il 'arusa mirat il 'axis.
Qamit itlaffit fi milayitha wi zzaivarit bi 1 izfir betahha we khadit
ba'diha u tanniha qayma 'ala halha. 1 Qumt ana w ana bashrab
il qahwa basslt laqet binte sughaiyara. 11 walad baqa mikhtishl
qawj le innu yequm yakul waiyahum. Taiyil>. ana abqa ddih
lak min ba'de ma khadtu min akhuya. Yalla, in kuntu ravhin,
tinzihl baqa. Fi 1 ahsan dilwaqti lazim baqat nutlub ir ragil nafsu
we nis'alu. Lazim ti'mil ma'rul' wi tqul Una baqat 'al il meqaula
hlya kam qirsh. Yitannu huwa qa'id yighanni we humma qa'din
yistimi'um il ghuna. Tanniha 1 mazzika tduqqe quddam 'arablyit
il 'arusa hatta le innuhum daxum kullukum we rauwahum 'ala be1
il 'axis. Baqa /. zagharit dayra fi s sikak. Rahitwakhda 1 mah-
rama 1 qasab. In qultu 1 kalam kidb ha yibqa haram 'al&ku.
Qam qal liba : "Yawliya inti ! " qamit biya siklit; qam qal
liba : •• Inti ya hurma ma truddi 'aleya." 'asu 1 mahrama damm.
Lamma yedur u yibrad. llli rah vitla' il higaz yiktib ismu fi z
/aliti_\.i 'ala yadde mashayikhhum le Lnnubum khalyis ; <1 diyuD
ma 'alehumshe haga. Ana basa'dak lagle inta. lamma yekun
'.null haga, tibqa tsa'idni. khallih 'an nar hatta yedur u yistiwi.
Baqat qadde gum'a shefa shughla ze'yi n nas, u baqal ti'mil le
imiilia mala taiyiba. W'e huwa 'ala hasab Mighic sinnu nisi
iimiiiu. Ana ma yikhallasnlsh tuq'udl bina waiyaya. '/.< \\ Hi
yekunfl tahin il higaz. Fidlit tikhbat li 1 bab u tidrab l\ 1
garaz hatta nizlum ahl il Int. Baqfi La talatt iyam ma stiliam-
iii m. 11 l>al' da baql In khamastashar y6m maqful. Qam
1 — inas|i\a duffhrl 'ala k<" t'ha.
EXERCISES ON THE SYNTAX 347
raqid 'aiyan. Ana rah a'mil saiyad. Nizil biyistad. Elan basis
mish shibbak. Khabbaru 1 basha 'ala innina ma lqenahsh.
Q'atdgj wala bwarrtni wishshak. Ma yehunahe 'al3h yisrif. We
lau inniha tunitur. Lau ma kanshe basal 'uzre kunt>' ruht.
Izakanil ki'lln- yingl kan is .sidqeahsan. Mush timsbi fi adabakl
II futur musb hadirl Ewa hadir. Taiyib, inzil. II khera 1
auwilaniya illi khtarha linsan hiya Hi ahsan. Min h'.su kan
ana biddl anih. Min ba'de ma kanit batiddiha ituen gineh
iddaha khamsa. Ma titgabbarush 'al§ya. Ihna hanitgabbar
'alek il |h I II bab ma yiftahshe min barra. Enti nisiti 1
wisiya illi wassetik l>iha. Kusub fi t tigara di maksab. lakin
bahre t<'s. Huwa Hi sbammimni 1 kbabar. In nas yequlu inn
akl il 'iruq biuV il figl il baladi bi 1 waraq beta'u yihsal minnu
manf&'a li n nazar. Khalli sahbu yigi yutlubu minni. Baqa
min il merauwalnn. Intarash tarsha gamda. Ana li muddit
ydmdn ma shuftush. Iza beyitte 'ala sh shugbla di hatisbah
f&di. Khushsh il 6da, Shilhum sli.jl wahid. Yakhdu 1 hagar
in in il gabal we yinazziluh il bahr. Luh min 'ande Rabbuna
kulle ydm righif. Ihna nhibbe le innak tekun mabsut minna.
Taiyib, ya gid'an, bardu kattar kherkum. Rayhin nerakkibu z&ye
ma hna 'aiztn. Eah 'arrafkum blya innl r&gil taiyib I 11 walad
biyis'al il qahwagi biyequl lu . . . Itfaddal it 'ashaha. Kalum
Htnen wi abasatum : ba'd il 'asba qal lu : " Ya akin inta min
anhlbalad?" Inta sa'it ma hadaftiha li 1 btr ana stilaqqitba.
Wi humma beyitfaasahum li 1 ginSna laqu goz hamam. B
li uniiii il banat, gabba qal liha. U ba'den we hiya bitqul li
kede wi btindah 'aleya qumt ana bahsib li inniha bitqul 11 ta'al!
fuq. (iih li widni 1 kalam z8y illi hiya bitqul li. Simi'te hissik
winti betindahtlt. MakhuIustishUssaininhinal Mushtisma'
kalaml 'an kalam ddll Qabl il 'a?r bi yigl s&'a. 11 husan da
kh&fiis; lazim tizauwid hi 1 ( allq. Ir ragil da Bbaqi nar. Ma
yebunsbc 'aleya akul li 1 >•' t ghe*r be'tak. [zakan qaadte
bona ganbj yibqa kuwaiyis. Taman it talagraf kliam.Mii sagh;
kan 1'ih kilina migwiz. San'itu yebi' kar&si. Ma bSnl&h
u li'iin haga. Kull.' kam y8m yi^ r i ? Betigrl Leh kuntl
Kunna khayfin la tibrab minna 1 bint, Ddl wilad 'amme
ba'd, Kull.- wahid minhum yequl kalam sihkl. 11 baga 'li
ma ix'ii Zdd we 'ulnar we Raghib. 'ala kullan ahsan min
!i. Gharramnah Qussen faiyibtn. Dabbar lu 'ala muta.
Fadil 'ib&ra 'an khamaa daqa'iq kede. [hna lissa li 1 kalam w
i oadab It, l/a kan tezid 'annl li 1 li'l> yibqa i&mak ghalab-
tini. II qalam yizbuj 'an il 'aql. II ghina yegtb ifhab. Q6
\ i 1 1 1 : i r : . • ii | g&b. siiuftulium 1 Ewa, tauwuhum fayttn 'aldnu
Lam yizal li gbayit il &o biyifrif fulusu li 1 li'l) wi 1 qumar. I i
348 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
dinya dalma kuhl. II bab yiftah bahri. Lihiqtu wagadtu fi 1
"let. Ihna msafrin bukra. II arde di mazru'a batatis walla eh (
1)61 hagat taqribfya. Ma shuftish ilia tnen samraitbum ] lak.
Mishyu min is sikka illi nahyit il gabal wara bet 'ali Basha.
Gih fi 'enu zalata we lakin zalata mistaufiya qawi. Fidlit waiyah
hatta leinnu gib fi 1 bet. II husan da huttu lu sh ahull lahsan
yibrad. II wahid minna lamma yekun ma'naha ibne khan:
shar sana. Taiyib ummal bitis'alni 'ala gawaz leh lamma ma
ma'akshi flus? Ihna khaddamin lik we li bnak. Adi 1 kalam
illi 'audi illi fi sarirti. 'adt il masriyin il usul 'andudum yigi 1
qadi yiktib il kitab fi bet il 'arusa. II usul illi 1 maariytn yimshu
'aleha. Baqat tequl li kede we tirga' tequl li kede ? Azrat min
ba'duhum litnen. Kan masik rigleha tindirib. Bikhita illi
hiya ukhte talta luh.
IX
Iddi kursi li s sitt tuq'ud fcistire'yah. Qa'adit hiya ; min
ba'de ma qa'adit talabu lha 1 qahwa. [staghlit il mahr wi q&lit
inn il mahre da ktir. Min ba'd ir ragil ma simi' kalauii.
Humma 'auzin yista'rafu bkum \vi ntum keman mush 'auzin
tista'rafu bhum? Ma qulti lish le innuhum in kanum riggala
walla nisa. Min ba'de kulle wahid minhum ma nizil. Ana
tli'te wi nta waqif fi 1 bab. Ray h in nlgibu hina yiktib lina 1
gawab quddamna. Kulle ma gibt ana haga f be"tS taklmdha
inta. Qal liha : " izzeye gdzik li innu biyishshakka minnik?
Irkhi dri'tak gambe minnak. Ma ti'milshe karkaba min gher
luzum. Hatshufu wi nta tali' wi nta nazil. Sikitna lu, dakhal
l)i 1 huinar.- A'allinmk is sirqa. fcehutte idak ii gfibt. Qalbu
mahruq 'ala hlu illi mfttoO lu. Kulle da hasal wi hiya shayfa.
Fatah lu 3 dukkan. Luh ibn 'amme a&qis il man&khtr. Ya
zauwidn! ya balftsh shughl. Blanish q&dir ar>i li 'ala hftga.
Bidd! astaqrab sikka tkun quraiyiba. Ana haasdt biriglakwi
nta mfishi. Qam abiih khatab lu bint, binte ragil (aiyib, u >harat
•.il;i huh a, we qal hi we qal 1 ummiha kam&n, qal luhum . . .
Yinkhiluh hil mankind. Akl il fig] in nili kuwaiyifl "an i* s.'t'i.
It tuuala atwal min il kaiauvta. niarratrn ti t ti'il. It taU./din
\ilal>hilu wi y. zamtnarin vi/ammanim. Min ba'de ma \inui
nivit.n illi lniua iriwi 'alrha. Sla t ' al -h wa i'al kihir
qawi, !«• innn iza kan hiiwa yiz'al \ikki lazim tUrili nti z za'al ;
•a-han ir lagil yimkin yekun gkj ta'b&D min Bhuglu W« vimkin
1 For >;liii ii n t hum.
I â– nch and : ell.
• I . . li oaftu.
EXERCISES OX THE SYNTAX
yequl lik: q Mini, ya bitti, bati haga, tequm inti ma ttau'ib.-lie* wala
kalainu, vinikin yekun ganbu 'aa&ya walla baga. yequm
min za'alu yerub darbik biha walla baga ; ahsan bi 1 abjsan tek
binti muu-a li gdzik. Ana yasidl, Babbuna yitauwil 'unii-ak,
faqtr, ma yiaabbisb iimi adrab in nils wala sraq minbum •
zallimbum. Ba'degum'a ana mush bina. Tequl lu ya 'amm ? Ya
ritlia kaiiit darabitak. Ana bidd(i) akballi n nahar da y.-kun iswid
•al 1 1 ab'ad. In naa il fuqara yifhatu Ihum nuqra fi 8da min il bet,
wi yegibu qidxa fukbkbar we yiaurru fulus-hum fi bittit khalaqa
ma, we yinnuha fiqalbbiqidia we yinazzilubi Hi fiLa 1 qidra
fi n nuqra. we yigbattu 'aleha balata, wi 1 balata tekun min shikle
balat il 5da, we yilzaqu 1 balata bi babbit izmint au bi shwaiyit
Lamma tirad i<l dunya wi 1 barqe yibqa yubruq yequdu
waqtiba lin-an yimkin iza kan yittillib min Allab yekun bab i.s
li lelt ig gum'a, we yistigab minnu B
Waqt il akl wi auwul ma yitqaddim yequl il ii.
llab ir Bahm&n ir Bahim : " u lamma yiahba'um min il akl
" il liamdu li llah Kabb il 'alamin : " wi n lias il!.
Luab kede yequlu le inn Allab yinazzil li batnubum il
wi yeqfllu le innuhum. madam ma sammusb 3 'ala 1 akl wala
ham.i i lab Bab i yaklu min bina, wi 1 'afarlt ya,.
1 akle min batnubum wala yibqasb basal 'anduhum qun'.
Iza kan linsan mil yiabtirl baga min e
b .'J Khan il Kbalih, yerub il w&bid li 1 bSyaV min d61, we ;
waiy&b masalan sigg da walla haga, wi yequl la: " A.na 'a
tninnak." Yequl lu : •• Taiyil>. j
laba; da t 1 Una 1 baraka bik." il wahid
yequl lu : " Aili b j i ik flk." Yequl lu : " Taiyib it:
Hi nta 'ausu." W ma tl _' il in.-an 'al.i i ill;
ir: " •Jul li da akhir taman."
I lu : " II 'ii. ma tikhtishl h." i
lu majsalan : " I nta qui li q . .la bi kain?" Mi
buwa rah yequl lu : " Bi talatin j Yequm I innu
lab lu lingau qabwa yequm yik b le
innu rub yishtarl miu gberu bi sabab ahurbu ii 1
n il qabwa, yequm yequl lu : " La', dilwaqt i ihi
il balad . walla I I khalla§al
maiii" ; ana ddl lak il kbai
katlit il hagsil ill dchudha min '
1 tit&wi'ifa
350 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
Yeqiirn yequl : " Tigi bardu tsharrafna, lakin ana ma ykhallasnish
it tuman da ; ana biddi aksab, ma biddish akhsar." U ba'den
il wahid yequl lu : "Taiyib, ana ddi lak sittashar." Yequl lu :
"Yiftah Allah." "Taiyib, sittashar u nuss." "La-, yirzuq
Allah." -•Taiyib, ya Shekh, khallasak sabahtashar ilia rub* % "
Yequl lu t tagir : " Ya akhl, ma tuq'udsbi tnakit'm ; balash
menakfa ; da mush shira dih illi nta betishtirih." Yequm il
Wahid baqa, lamma hftwa yequl kede u yiz'al, yizauwidu rub*,
\\ i yequl lu : " Khallasak bi sabahtashar walla la' ?" Yequl lu :
" Baqa ma ina'akshe ziyada 'an is sabahtashar dul 1 " Yequl lu :
" La', dol sharyin wahda fi 1 bit bi sittashar u nuss. w ana ddetak
dilwaqti ziyada nusse ginC-h 'an illi 'andina fi 1 bit." Yequl lu :
" Taiyib,' aqul lak ya ma yi'auwad : Allah yikaasibak ; batflfulus;
khasran kasban nihaitu hadihna bi'na \vi 8 salam."
XI
1/a kan wahid khaditu sh shams, il ahsan yikhalli Wahid
\ id'aku mill wustu wi yemashshJ ldu li qanayit dahru li raqabtu
hatta yitalla' ish shams ; we hiya sh shams tibqa lnkabbiba li 1
. /.< \ i 1 'inaba. V ba'd id da'k yihutbu 'ala 1 'inaba dl mandil
we yiqrushuhabi snanhum ; tequm ish shams ti^aqqe wi tfarqa 4
/.ryi 1 beda illi tkun fi n liar wi yekun /.ail 'al."ha B siwa. U
ba'din yegibu shwaiyit moiya 1" fingfil qahwa, wi yidauwibu
shwaiyil malh fi qalb ish shuwaiyil il moiya. u ba'ddn yihuttu
1 insfm l li widinu min il moiya bi 1 malh; wi auwul ma
vihuiiuha lu yingidi' 'ala ganbu sh shimal, we yihumiha lu fi
1 widn il yemin ; tequm il widni fa-h:.t-h s€yi 1 babur, ti'mil
shi . . . sh, an /.i'yi bids t^asbtash li b samn 'ala a nfir. Wi
yequm min 'ala ganbu sh shimal, yifarragh widnn 1 yemtn ;
tequm il moiya tissaffa min widnu; lakin waqtiha yequm yil«|i
1 moiya ti tdu Bukhna oar, /< y'\ 1 moiya Hi tkun bitighll li balla
•ala 1 kan fin, min quwwii 'azm Ish shams. \\
MMiam 'ala ganbu 1 yimln ; tequm titash^ash il widi
1 auwilanlya ; we dim&ghu, ba'de ma kanil betubrtu
bitliffe 'aleh, tequm beruq, wi bftwa yefuq li oafra. 1' ba'dftn
!>fi lu shuwaiyil lamfin baladt, ya'nl lamuntin tal&ta baladl
banzaher, yisbarrabuh, \\ i yenaiyimuh \\i 3 yequm
yisbah f&yiq /• j i 1 husan, vm yeruh yis'a 'ala shughlu.
I
EXERCISES ON THE SYNTAX 351
XII
Yequlu ii oaa leinn it ti'b&n illi buwa 'amir il bel tul ma
buwa qa'id fi 1 IVt ahsan bi 1 ahsan ihna ma n'azzihshe wala
buwa kamfin ma yi'azzlnash ; leinn ihna inazzan&hau mauwil
teqam wiliftu ti^'i masalan tilaqi halla ftha tablkh walla m
yekun fih laban yimkin tekun tebukhkhe fth ; a waqte ma
bakhkhit bi hanak-ha yimkin ishab il mahalk' yi'yum an hadde
in in wiladhum ; we amma iza k .-in il ins&n ma yeqarrabshe bi 1
'ummar illi bumma b sukkan illi bumma t ta'&btn, wala ma
azztbumahe wala ma yimauwitsheminhum h&ga, bumma rukbrln,
iza kan il akle makshuf, yekunfi mebafzic wala
iralr.'i luli.-lic wala yebukhkhusb fill wala yi'milusb a/.iya ii
1 bi'r abadan. We tul ma yuq'udum we yitauwilu ii 1 b§t we
yif qisu we yulidum yif dalu 1 ( omre kullu mehaftzin *al§h. We
fih uas inin nas il qudm yequlum dul 'ummar il biyut, we ahsan
ina nkallimlniiii>ln- wala nidrabhumahe wala nmauwithumshe
li'iiniuhum makhaliq, Jlabbuna kbaliqhum bi rw&h zeyina :
yimkin bi aabab leinnina ma n'azzthumshe wala humma ma
-h yimkin illi n&ye d61 yekunum ' qudumlium sa'ad
'aldna, we yimkin ba'de ma okun fuqara Rabbuna yis'idna ( ala
qudumhum,
XI 11
I. amma bwaladit il bint bashsharu abuha leinniha bint : qam
abuha ri'i] Bhuwaiya leinniha b tnu q.'ilu In: •• Ya bnl
i tit .i betiz'al 'ala shan Sh \ da 1 bint rizqiha l>i rizqen, s we amma
1 walad l>i rizqe wibid." Hina r ragil, lamma simi' il kalam da
toinhom, bamad Rabbuna we qal : •• II hamdu li llah Rabb il
'ilamln, ihna mistardiytn bi Hi ddah Una Rabbuna.'" I' mba'dr
wiladl il 1'iiit gabu 1 ommiha talatt igwaz firakb a fard, a ba-
qum yidbukhu lha kulle yfim farkha, we gum il L r ir n yibarkhu
Ilia; we lamma t unni i- subu 1 .'In Ilia Bhuwaiyit DUqle 'all
k.ua >liam'a i kandarfinl, we yeqlbu lha santya we yehuttfl flha
Bhuwaiyil moij . we yegtbti lha qulla (leinn il mauluda bint)
{Aha fi qalb is saniya n talatt arba' Bham'&t, uq duhum
u lia'tuljum hawalSn il qulla u tannohom qaydln lamma durum
wi iifafum. We ii auwil l-'lit ina twaladit il bint, lii'" ;, lia d
1 uik'il u lia/./itlia till niaiiat." n talat a. We t.inn il bint
/ double gift from God, u Be will pi r hex
â–
352 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
nayma fi 1 ghurbal lamrua li s subu'. Hina sabahiyit is subu'
gat id daya \vi ddu lha shuwaiyit malli we taqtaqithum 1 (ish
shuwaiyit il malli) fi wust il hara ; u laminit laha saba'
tamantashar 'aiyil, u baqum kulle wahid minhuin masik sham'a
we yequl : " Birgalatak, birgalatak, 2 halaqa dahab fi widanatak " -
qadde 'askar daqayiq wi 1 'iyal taffu sh shain'e, nafakkuk bi
hnikithum, we kbadu kulle nianhu sham'itu illi f idu li uafsu ;
we gabit id daya shuwaiyit nuqle miu nuql is subu' u farraqitu
'ala 1 ulad ; we biya khadit il baqi u khadit ba'diha u tanniha
masbya 'ala betha ; u tamnie baqa 1 wilada wi s subu' beta'
wilad il 'a rab il fuqaia ; we dumtuin bi kber.
XIV
Yequlu le inn il 'irsa lamma tig! tulid tequm tifbar liba
sbaqqe walla guhr, wi t'ashshish fib bi sbwaiyit sha're eSye
diflra qadfma milli yiddaffaru bba n niswan, walla bi shuwaiyit
khulqan 'ala sbwaiyit qutn ; u ba'den ti'arbid lilia fi 1 bet hatta
ti'tar lilia 'ala zatuna walla meshakhlaqa walla halaq dahab au
as.iwir fadda walla burqu' l)i 'arustu wi 1 'ariisa tkun min da
bunduqi, we takhudhum 'andiha fi guhriha. We 'ala raw
qol in nas le inniba ma tulidsbe ilia 'ala masagh min dahab au
min fadda. We biya lamma tigi fi 1 bet tequm tisrukh sarkha
wiskha bishi'a yitmili bha 1 bet kullu min fuq li taht, yequmu
shab il bet yequlu lha : " 'andina Mhammad 'arts," yiftikiru le
inniha tihrab min il kilma di.
XV
I /a. kan yekun ti'ban barrani illi ma ykunahe 'amir il bet
gay yewishshe min il khala we qasid il mahall illi yekun lb
sakin fiha, auwul ma yikrufu 'amir il bit min bi'id yequm
yukbrug Eazi' 'ala 1 gharfb, wi yeruh mekarrashu min naliyit il
; u ba'di n yirga' sidna 'ala guhru, we huwa 1 g oxkin
min khofu, we huwa, gari yewishshe, yimkin yeful il g
betahtu ; u waqtiha iza kan LLnsan yekun waqif webakhtu qayim
yequm yakhudba wi i ti'ban yi qqe yemul 'ala shan il
gukara illi kan tnashi 'ala nurha. Wi t bi'bi ig-har ma
darshe yeshuf min gher il guhara; wi n fatitu 1 guhara di
1 To keep <'IV the evil •
- Notice that the masculine is maintained though the child
is in this case a girl, the phrase being fped, but wi lanatik
is sometimes sai 1 Birgalal is b nonsense word.
EXERCISES ON THE SYNTAX' 398
yi'mu 1 bi'id 1 ma yshufsh. Wi 1 gtlhara di yequlu n nas iza kan
Rabbuna vi-tiha li 1 insan we yakbudha we yeruh biha fi bStu
we yegib habbit radda, walla b£ga, we vihuttuha fi wa'aya
fukhkhar au habbit nishara kbashab, we yihuttubura fi lye
m&'un iu kan yekun hadir, we yihutt il ins&n ig gflhara fi qalbu-
hum we yirmi qirshe Bagh tabt ig gunara we yighatti 'ala 1
iuaM'm weyikhalllh fi mahalle muhtakif 1 lagle ma yibqash 'ah'h
rigl, yisbab is subh we vikshif il ma'un yeqilm yilaqi min ba'de
ma kan hatit qersbe wahid yilaqihum '-' itnen ; wi n hatte hitia
bi 'asbara yiiaqlba hittiten bi 'asharat, wi n hatte riyalen yilaqi-
hum arba' riyalat, we tannu baqa fi z ziyada lamma yehutte
wahid yilaqihum itnen.
XVI
Kan fih ragil we huwa lissa maugiid ismu Mohammad, huwa
min Damanhur il Bihlra, u kan it'aiyin waiya 1 gesh il inglizi fi
muddit barb is Sudan il auwilani, ya'ni min muddit khamastashar
sana, we kanit waziftu gazzar; we qa'ad waiya 1 gSsh kulle
waqt is safariya, u fidil ba'diba muddit talatt arba' sinln fi s
Sudan. U lamina habbe leinnu 'yig! yisafir 'ala barre Masr we
yirauwah baladu qani mishl fi sikka i\ wust ig gabal, u kan
yetuhfiha; u kan yuq'ud mashi shahren talata lamina . wusul ii
wftdl ismu wadi 1 kilab, ir riggala betu- il balad kilab wi nniswan
betu'hum bani adam; u lamina wusil 'andubum qamumgarytn
il kilab 'ali'li u latl'uin hawah'h; u wahid min il kubar&t betuh-
hum abaiya' wahid mill taiafu li 1 malik betahhum leinnu yigi
v. ishtif ir' ragil da 1 gharlb yitfarrag 'aleh, leinnu huwa ragil
bani adam. We lamma gih is sultan itfarrag 'ala r ragil a sh&fu
a babbe leinnu yi'zimu'andu; wi 1 akabir, illi bumma 1 'umad
betu' il balad, kanu 'auzin rukhrin yi'zimun 'andubum. W â–
lamina s sultan talab yi'zimu 'andu hiiiinna fakhkhaiuui wi
qalum : " min ba'de ma yikbla? is sultan min 'azumtu ibna kam&n
niv.iinu 'aiidina." Fe rah ir ragil fi tilk il y6m wi I tilk il lela
t'azam -and is sultan, B b sultan basatu wi dafu we ikramu 'ala 1
ghaya ; u ba1 ti b§1 is sultan u sabah iitir is subh, u gabfl In 1
qahwa, sbirib u nbasat, u gum il 'umad betu 1 il balad wi sab-
',,.â– ,1,111.1 -.,- sultan we qalfl lu: "Naharak Ba'ld u mbarak, ya
sa'dl is sultan ; ibna biddina nista'giz minnak leinnina nakhud
id d.'f dih nedifu 'andina." te sultan qal Luhum : " [tfaddalti
khuduh." We bumma kbadub \\<- d&fuh 'andubum in kanum
587.
inuhtikif (for mu'tikif).
* -hum refei ring to itudn.
354 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
'ashara tnashar nafs walla 'ishrin nafs min akabir il balad humma
1 kull dafuh 'anduhum we harinihum humma Hi biya'rafu 1
lugha beta' riggalithum, wi 1 kalam ill! yeqiiluh ir riggala humma
1 harim yitargimiih li r ragil bi 1 'arabi. Tannu r ragil lamma
qa'ad fi 1 balad yigt muddit shahr lamma li yom min eat il iyam
ki'ui binte Wahid min in nas il kubar, w abviha ragil 'umda min
dimni 1 balad, qalit 1 ummiha: " Ya umini, kull in nas 'azamu r
ragil da wi hna kaman 'auzin ni'zimu." Qam ir ragil qal : " Ma
fish mani' ; ihna ni'zimu." We huwa rah fi 1 bet illi kan ma'zum
fih id def talabu minnu ; qal lu : " faiyib itfaddal khudu."
U fi lelitha r ragil it'ashsha 'anduhum wi nbasat wi 1 mara mratu
basatitu min akl u shurb u min kaffit kulle ashya. igrannu huwa
r ragil da huwa gada' shabbe sughar we surtu gamila. Qamit il
bint — bint ir ragil — 'ishqitu we habbitu, we babbit leinniha
tgauwizu. U ba'de ma nam abuha w ummiha fi nuss il 111
kan ir ragil nilyim fi mahall il madyafa, wi 1 binte qamit
min in ndm mafzii'a ma baqash gayi lha n nom fi lelitha
min hubbiha fi r ragil id def ; we qamit rahit lu, w abulia
w ummiha khanminin fi 'izz in nom, we hiya khallathum fi
ahlaha noma we §ahhit ir ragil we qalit lu: " Qum bina. \a
ni'allim Mehammad." Qal liha : " Aqum aiuh fen V Qalit lu :
" Qiim isha min in nom w uq'ud 'ala helak ; ana biddl aqullak
'ala hikaya." Huwa r ragil qam min in nom u ?ihi u qa'ad 'ala
helu we qal liha : " Inti 'auza eh, ya sitte ZbGda." Qalit :
" Ana habbetak wi nta ya tara habbitni zry ana ma habbe'tak / "
Qam qal liha: "Ana habbetik ketir qawi, lakin nianisk q&dir
aqul, leinni kliayif min abuki we min unimik la yimauwituni.
Qalit lu : " Y T a tara iza kan ana aqul luhum leinnulium vigau-
wizuni lik tiqdar tuq'ud hina fi 1 balad W6 ilia la' ! La/.im thud
li qablema aqul luhum, ya'ni in kunte radi walla ma ntash radi.''
Qal liliu : " Ana kliayif aqullik inanisli radi truhi tiftini 'ul.'va,
wi n qulti lik ana radi ma qdarshe h-inni ughib 'an wiladi wala
shufhumsh, leinni baqa li dilwaqta khamaa mtti bdIo B 1 ghurba
wala Bhuftish wiladi; w adin qulti lik 'ala 1 1i:icj.j. wi i la'v
illi ti'milih mashi 'ahh. Qalit lu : "Ana iji& 1 \\ai\ak w afut
ahli w at'iii baladi 'ala ahanak ; innama ya gada', amanl Allah.
ma tibq&sh tifarraj t'i\a fi bl&d il ghurba, ya'ni f baladak?"
Qal liha : " Da huwa <la yisahh ya aitti Zbeaa i Ana ahtlik ruq
rftatu ma li haraka ilia nti." \\ <• liumina 1 bint wi p ragil kliadu
ba'duhum, we hat: it btya idha ti tdu we rahu g4bu ba'fcr ire
rikbun wehattum kitt ti t (artq; u tannuhum mashytn lamma
danim u wuslu li hadd il bain ; w i 1 binte kanit mi-t.dna-u 'ala
a'flj i- (pronounce almost
EXERCISES OX THE SYNTAX 3.05
abuwaiyit zad waiyaha; taunuhuin yaklum u yisbrabu 6 1 'e&h
illi gaybah il bint; we lamina wu&lum li 1 bahr il inalih, 1 we
hlya 1 mesafa di muddit 'asbar itnashar yom min widy&n il
kilab, nizlum fi merkib. We hina agrann abulia w ummiha
lamina q&mn min in qodq baasum la laqu 1 bint wala laqu r
id tl«"f. Darum yigrum fi 1 balad wi yidauwarum malqu Lhumshe
rihawala gbubariya. ilattuin kitf we, agrannuhum hummamin
'adit bum ya'rafu 1 gurra illi linsfin yekun mashi fiha, tann ir
ragil wi inratu wi wladu subyan u banat sughaiyarin we humma 1
kull rakbin gimal tannubum lamma wualum libadd il bahr, meaafit
itnashar yom gabuha fi 'ashart iyam ; u iii/.lmn min 'ala gmalbum.
U baqa r ragil yi'au'au 'ala bintu wi yindah 'alaha we yiqul liba
la r lutan betakhum: "Ya bint irga'i u t'fiti r ragil il khayiu
dib u ta'ali 1 ummik wi 1 abuki we li khwatik." Qalit: " Ti'ai-
yatum ma ti'aiyatusli maniflh gaya." Wi humma rig'u akhir ma
gbulbum, u rauwahum 'ala bladbum za'lanin 'ala shan il bint, we
q&lu : " bi khatirha azinniha matit." Wi r ragil khad il bint u
taniiii mashi min babur il bahr li babur il barr hatta wisil li
baladu, Damanbur il Bihera, we rauwab 'ala betu ; we qa"ad il
bint fi bit makbsus li wahdiha U katab 'abba wi ggauwizha.
II inaia 1 qadlma talabitha hdnniha ti'zimha 'andiba ; qam ir
ragil khaf 'ala 1 bint lahsan trsimmiha, we lmwa ma rdish yi-
kliallilia trub 'andiha. U fidlit mabsuta u f hazz u nbir-at ; we
kballifit minnu banat u subyan, we tanniha maugi'ida waivah li
gh&yit il ydm. D tammit bikayit wadi 1 kilab illi humma rig-
galitlium kilab u harimha minadmin.
XVII
Kan wabid Bhami t;'gir u wahid t&gir ma&rf; we kanu litnOn
humma tburaJka waiya ba'duhum, we kanu biyisrabum G kailit, il
bilad waiya ba'd, we yifdalura qaymln n D&ymto u waklin we
aharblo aawa. < mba'de ma ktasabum min it. tig&ra we si'dum,
we habbe kulle wabid minhum It- innu yakhud oaybu we \irga*
'ala baladu, (jam i.sb .shaini kbad maiiabu illi tli' bi li | tig&ra, il
makaab wi r riemal, u wadda 4 aabbu we qaJ Lu ; " Ya akin oahuf
bak li kb'i ;" we sallimu 'ala ba'd, a kbadu ba'duhum bi
1 budn, we da qaJ li da: "fjariq is lallma, usbuf wiebahak G
Qui leinne, ya stdi, shsblmi khad ba'du u aim 'ala blad
i.di Sh.nn, wi j maarl rigi 4 'ala Blair. U ba'de ma wuai]
baladu t tagir Lab abami we rauwab bdtu we Ballim 'ala 'iltu «<•
ptanu wi Btaqim /i d dai betabtn, nam 1, la min il layill
1 So dujtinguiabed from il babj tli Nils,
356 THE SPOKEN AEABIC OF EGYPT
ganbu 'ala smakh widnu ; u ba'den we huwa nuyiin, lakin nayim
sahi, qam beyiftikir it tigara wi 1 ahwal illi kan fiha waiya t
tagir il masri, u beyi'mil kisbitu ; u kan beyiftikir leinne luh
'and it tagir il masri maiyidi, we qam qui : " Allah ! ya wad da
nta lik nieyidi 'and it tagir il masri illi huwa kan shirfkak ; ilia
tqum dughri wi thutte kitfe 'ala Masr we tutlub il meyidi min
shirikak wala tfutu luhshe abadan." Qam ir ragil qam min
balad ish Sham, u gih mesafir makhsus 'ala shan yigi yakhud
il meyidi 'ande shiriku. Fi 1 waqt illi rayih yetubbe fih ish
shami fi Masr, ya'ni waqtiha huwa dakhil min bauwabt il hadid
wi r ragil il masri qal : " Allah ! ya wad ; " wi ftakar fi nafsu
we qal : " da nta 'andak meyidi li shirikak it tagir ish shami ;
ana qalbi bidillini le inn ir ragil da yimkin yequm min bilad ish
Sham we yigi yetalibni bi 1 meyidi illi 'andi luh." Wi ba'den
huwa beyiftikir fi 1 mas'ala di, w agrann ir ragil ish shami tabbe
quddam bab il bet. Qam il masri simi'u we 'irif hissu we qal
li mratu : " Ya mara ana rah aqul lik 'ala mas'ala." Qalit lu :
" Ya ragil rah tequl li 'ala mas'alit eh? ya fcara iyak tekun
kher." Qal liha : " Inti mish 'arfa illi bikhabbat 'ala 1 bab
da min ? " Qalit lu: "La'." Qal liha: " Ana 'irifte hissu, we
'irifte huwa min ; da t tagir ish shami gay yakhud il meyidi illi
•audi luh." Qalit lu: "Ba'den ma niftah luhsh il bab?" Qal
I ilia : "La'; isburi lamina ahrab qable min fdq ia BUtuh." XJ
ba'den qam ir ragil u harab u natte min fuq is sutuh. Qamit il
mara fatahit il bab li sli shami, we qalit lu : " Inta 'an/, min I "
Qalliha: " Ana'auzshiriki<fulanil t'ulaiu)." Qalit: " Taiyih. da
t'ulan s.'ifir il Higaz." Qal liha: "Taiyih, w ana kaman waiyaya
1 huinara betahti wildit ii s sikka, 'an/, abni Ilia madwid hi) a \\>'
bintiha, f astanna hina li.Masr lainnia yidur u yigi.'' U 1
sabaht [yarn bass ir ragil il masri laqa sh sham] lissa maugud 'andu,
f e qal li 1 mara: "Ana ahsan rah a'mil 'aiyan, u ha'deii a'inil
m@yit, u ba'de ma mut yiwadduni n nas it furba yidfinunl, u mba'de
ma yidfinunl huwa rah yakhud minni §h?" l T ba'ddn ir ragil
•ainal il hila di u mat, u uaddfih u dafanuh U gha'/u 'alfh u
t'atiih, u taiinuhuni mashyin. U min climn in Q&8 illi kanu
mashyin li mashhadu kan mashi bL shami Qal: "baqa ya
wad rah tigi min bilad ish Sham wi tkallif nalVak we tisrif il
masarif dj wetighramha? Ahsan bilahsan lamma yekhushsh
d Itl we yehauwid teruh bakhud minnu baqqak." I> s&'a balata
min il l.'l rah ir ragil 'ala halt if turha. u talla' .-ikkina min
gdbu u qa'ad ganb ir ragil il m6yi1 we qal lu: "Ana lasim
akhud haqql min gildak walau bitta min kafanak." Qam ir
I Igil d ma-ri qam t'a/.i' hi 1 kafan U qa'ad 'ala h'lu, U fakk
il kafan min nafsu a qal lu: "Baqa yi ragil tigi min bil&d
EXERCISES ON THE SYNTAX 357
ish Sham makhsus 'ashan mgyidi wahid?" Qam qal In sh
Bhami: "Wi shmi'na 1 nta ya maarl lamma sini'tini khabatte
4 ala bab betak qumte nattet min fdq is sutfih harabt we quite
H ] I1,; "' :i: • : '" :l msafir il Higaz;' u lamma laqitni tauwilte
saba' tamant iyam w ana sarih u mrauwah 'ala bgtak khufti
tkallifnl 'ala nafsak bi haga? We lakin il masruf ill ana saraftu
fi akl a f shurb garaftu min ggbi, wi nta takiiud ba'dak u tigi
min fdq is sutuh wi ttubbe fi 1 bet tan! we ti'mil 'aiyin u ti'mil
in." \ it. wi tkalli n nas yidfintik bi t turba bi 1 haya we da kullu
'ala shan il mgyidi! Ana w Alh'.hi we lau akhud hitta min
kafanak bidal il mgyidi beta'f." Qal lu: "Ya akbl'ana lani
mutte wala gars' U haga; wi dilwaqti rayak eh? Qui IL"
Humma fi 1 kalam u mitlu ilia gama'a haramiya agrannuhum
sarqin khazlnit mal u miht&rln yeshfif ft matrah yiqsimu 1 mil
f:li. we mush laqyin ; we tannuhum mashvin u harbanin bi 1 mal
hatta wusln 1 qarafa il 1 i fiha fcurbit ir ragil il masrl. Fu 2 humma
1 haramiya laqfi sham'a qaydafi t turba; qam wahid minhum
qal : " ^ a gid'an ihna oinzil niqsim il mil 'ala ba'dina ii t turba
1 menauwara di." Humma nizlum,in kanu 'ishrtn' walla tal
bi 1 mil il 1 1 waiyahum. Qam il masri qa] li sh shami : "Ga lak'
il farag; yalla ni'mil mgyittn wi anam ihna litnSn fi t turba
lamma â–¡ oas ddl yinzilum wi ashufhum rayhln yi'milu gh; iyak
yekul » lina qisma fi 1 1 i waiyahum. U ba'dgn litngn namu, wi
1 haramiya ni/luui blqassimu 1 mal 'ala ba'duhum; u mba'de
ma bqassim il mal fidil waiyahum wahid naq'is min omlathum
ma khadshe ni?lbu min il fulua. Humma mi'ahum Bef me-
faddad yisawi manab wahid; qamum qalu li >h shakhs, illi
huwa fa-lil dib ma khadshe manabu, qalu lu: " Ya (fulan) ihna
'au/.in niddl lak is >;< dih fi manabak." Qam huwa Btarda ;
qalu lu. "Taiyib, ya shatfr, niddl lak is sef fi manabak, lakin
ishshuru! 'ala kede ihna biddina inta tidrab in nas il ifcnen il
mgyitin illi naymln ganbe ba'de ddl." Qam irragil qal: •• Ya
khwanna, ya tara ana drabhum we humma mgyittn? Mush
1,L, ;" M 'algna?" Qalu lu: "Wi nta ma lak? Ihna shuru(na
wary&k 'ala kede, wi n ma darabtuhumshe bi a sgf ma lakshe
manab 'andina." Qam huwa qal: "We 'ala shan gh rah i
Imn ghgr manab masalan?" Qam au'sik is sgf bi Idu we
'â– 'la litngn il mgyittn rah yd drabhum. Qamu humma
'â– "" ,;il: ' ' haramiya, 'afratuhum. Tafashu humma we I
1 "" , - Wr tl,i •'• kulle wahid giri i\ nahya. Qam il
maarlqal li ahshamt: "Kede, ya a'khi. ahj gat min Allah, we
Rabbuna 'tana kher bi zyada min 'andu \v.- gat Una bi d hi
1 6ah mi'na. assimilation. 8 \,
358 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
u gat lina 'at tubtab." Nihaytu 1 haramiya lamma harabum
we giryum qam il masri qa'ad yiqsim il mal waiya sh shami ;
qasamuh nussen ; kulle wahid khad nuss il mal. Qam il masri
qal li sh shami : " Khud manabak we rauwah 'ala baladak baqa
bi salama, w ana akhvid manabi w arauwah 'ala beti." Qam qal
i.sh shami, qal li 1 masri: " Ya akhi, ana 'auz il meyidi btft'l ;
ana ma futshe haqqi." Qam qal: " Ya akhi, mush mekaffik
il mal da kullu, u lissa biddauwar 'ala meyidi wahid kaman
minni?" Humma fi 1 kalam u mitlu waiya ba'duhum bassii
laqii wahid min il haramiya basis min taqt it turba, we huwa
waqte ma kan bibusse 'alrhum min il khurm beta' it turba qam
il masri 'ala helu ; u waqtiha kan ir ragil il harami labis libda
fuq rasu, we kan il masri rah khatif il libda ininnu. Qam il
harami khaf u giri ; we kan il masri qal li sh shami : " Waddi
1 libda fi 1 meyidi btfi'ak, wala tit'ibnish wala tit'ibshe nafsak,
u adinta khuluste bi haqqak w ana khluste bi baqqi, wi 'tana
Kabbuna kher bi zyada." U sallimu 'ala ba'd, u kulle manhu
rauwah 'ala baladu.
XVIII
In nas yeqiilu 'ala 1 ihram fi akhir iz zaman lamma tqiim il
qiyama yiqumum yigu 1 habash min kutruhum, le innuhum
kutar zeyi 1 nanil, yigum bi salatinhum bi wuzarithum l>i 'askar-
hum bi halhum bi mihtiyalhum bi hariiuhum bi 'iyalhum, yigu
dughri 'ala 1 ihram ; wi 1 ihram tithaiya' lubum ti si rat dahab
kasr; we humma yitkbanqu waiya ba'duhum fuq dahr il baram,
wi yequmum 'ala ba'd, wi yidrabum ba'duhum ; wi da yakhud
shuwaiya wi da yakhud ketlr, we yimauwitu ba'de ba'duhum bi
ba'd, wi yei'uhuiii kulluhum fi sharbit moija ke innihum ghirqu
fi 1 bahr, we ta'abhum yeruh min gher fayda.
XIX
II agrud huwa ill! yekun min gher daqn wala shanab we
yibqa wishshu amJaa aa'im z6yi 1 harlm. Wi Hi yi?tibih bub
yifdal tfd in nahar me'aknin wi yequl: " A.'uzu bi 11. di, da ragil
sabahu wihish u nabah sabbahna 'ala s subh, ya Eatt&h, ya 'altm,
l>i wishshu i- radl dih ; ya'ni bna sabahna nistil>ih ilia Li vri&hsh
ir ragil da! Rabbuna yifauwil Bubhtyitu 'ala kh&r in nahar
da 1'' inni ana bashshauwiui nnn wish ah i! agrud da! I.akin
haiia'inil ' 6h baqa \ i-li Bharre maqdur." \\V 'ala ra*y il maaal
1.' bine sabab il qurud wala 1 ' sabab d agi Id.
For ni'iiiil. as the unper. a ( mi] sometimea for i'mil.
ali in min.
EXERCISES ON THE SYNTAX 3.19
XX
Kan fill w.'ihM ganaynl kulle y6m is subh kan yakul aj
lamfina baladl banzaher bi qishruhum. U yum min dol kan ir
ragil da maahl ti a sikka, we qablu wahid simmawi ; wi 8 simii
<lih yequlu 'aleh le innu h^yibqa fi idu maqra'a grid min girid
in nakhl, u maktub 'aleha sihr ; wi yequlu le innu auwul ma
yikhbat insan •.da rasu Id 1 maqra'a di yitannu mashi warah in
kan ragil au mara au walad. Hina lamina shaf ir ragil da 1
ganeni mashi fi a sikka u shafu gisim simin rah khabtu 'ala rasu
bi 1 maqra'a; qam il ganeni mishi wara r ragil is simmawi, we
tannuhum mashyin litnen lamma dakhalum bet is simmawi ; wi
r ragil is simmawi habas ir ragil il ganeni guwa 1 bet, u sakk il
bab 'aleh u khad ba'd, wo rah yistad ghdru. Qam il ganeni ga'
we qarasit 'aleh batnu mig gu' ; qam qal fi balu : " ya wad, qum
dan war lak 'ala haga fi bet ir ragil da takulba." We huwa ma
kanshe 'arif leinne da simmawi, wi le inne fi bctu till simme
minshal ; u kan waqtiha laqa magUT fukhkhar, we huwa da'ir
yi'arbid, wi 1 magur makfi ; qam 'an barf il magur bi idu, laqa
tahte minim -.aim. wi f qalb is sahn haga misiina we yabsa ; we
lamma sbafha misfirra wi t" 16n il "ads, lamma 1 'eah yissaqqa fih,
qam min gfi'u qal: " ya wad, madam enta ga'an adi ata Iaqet
tasqiyit 'ads ahe" quddamak; kul minha lamina tishba' walla
knlha knllilia in qidirte 'ahdia we sit.tin Sana sahvn ydm huwa
rayih yigl yi'mil lak ."di ^ Iza kan rayih yigl we yidauwar
•all ha wi yis'alni, ana <|id lu min gu'i akaltiha." Qa'ad ir ragil
kalha kulliha wi nhasaf ; wi agrann IT ragil is simmawi gih
t'atah il bab we dakhal hi r riggala wi 1 'iyal wi n niswan illi
huwa g&yidhum min barra, qam qa"adhum li mat rah, we
habas-hum. D ba'd§u <|al li uafsu: "ya wad, qable ma tish-
tighil, shut' il haga illi ata shlyilha." Rah yidauwar taht il
magur 'ala s sahn; qam laqah gahne ma lhuah, zeye ma ykun
maghsul bi 1 moiya; qam oadah li r ragil ig ganeni, u qal lu :
â– I da. ya ragil, hina." Qal Lu: "Na'am,'auz haga?" Qal
lu: "II magur fen?" Qal: " Ana, ya sidl, ana wallah min gu'l
kaltiha." Qal lu: "Ya ragil, kaltiha izzey? di haga tmauwit,
u Exdye kaltiha?" Qal lu: " I >i ma mauwititnish ; da na
laqitha hilwa wi haibtdha t'attit 'ads, qumte kaltiha." Qam qal
lu: " Enta kunte a&lak jan'itak edi?" Qal lu: "Minsughrl li
kubrl li ghayil il an w ana ganaynl, we kulle y6m, ya stdt, ana
aqul lak il haqq, aghaiyar ir rlq 'ala rbe'tn tamuna benzaher."
Qam qal lu: • i ir, naf adte bi 'umrak dilwaqt ; ana qa'adl
ahauwish tul is sintu ddl kam shahr au wi a sana 1 illi
1 au kam aana ;
360 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
lammetha fiha adi nta kaltuhum fi sa'a wahda ; yalla, ya gada',
tariq is salama, ruh fi halak ; Allah yihauwin 'alek ; baqa nafadte
bi *umrak." U ba'den qal fi nafsu s simmawi : " rayih tuq'ud
ti'mil eh baqa fi 1 balad di madam illi hauwishtu fi sana aim
rah fi daraga wahda? Ahsan teruh terauwah baqa 'ala baladak."
XJ seyib in nas illi kan gayibhum, u qal luhum : Ruhum intfi
kaman li halkum." We khad ba'du u mishi 'ala bladu. Wi 1
ganayni lamma rauwah 'ala baladu qam qal il mas'ala di fi 1
balad betahtu; u wahid yequl li wahid lamma knll id dinya
kliadit khabar bub. Wi 1 qol da yequluh il wilad is sughaiyarin
min muddit Efendina Isma'in Basha.
Wi yequlu n nas lamma s simmawi yakhud in nas we yidakh-
khalhum fi 1 bet beta'u we yighfil 'alehum, yekun mehaddar qazan
kibir nahas, wi 1 qazan yikhud lu qadde qirbitSn moiya, we
yekun mewalla' nar taht il qazan ; wi yegib in nas yi'allaqbum
mir riglehum, ya'ni yikhalli riglehum li f6q we radium li taht fi
1 qazan; u waqte ma yi'allaqhum bi s sifa di yequlu n nas min
sahd in nar yeqfim yinzil is simme min ban! adam min dufre
rigleh li ghayit slia're rasu fi qalb il qazan ; wi lamma yissaffa
yeshilu wi yegib ght'ru yi'allaqu. Wi yeqfilii le inn is simme
dih illi beyikhrigu s simmawi niiu gittit banl adam yequlfl le
innu yiwaddih li s sultan beta'u; wi huwa mgiyu fi Masr we
akhdu s simme min in nas bi amr is sultan.
XXI
Fih nas min id darawish il wahid minhum yimsik sdf min in
nahyiten bi ideh litnen we ba'de ma qal : " bi smi llali, Allahu
akbar," yeruh yidrab nafsu bi s sef 'ala batnu, walla 'ala kitfu
we yigi 1 khalifa yegib wahid darwtsh 'ala yemtnu u wahid 'ala
shmalu ; wi r ragil illi i tdu s sef yenam ii 1 ard wi yehutt is
s' f 'ala batnu, wi yigi 1 khalifa j istinid bi id.' h lit urn we yehutt*
idlh kulle id 'ala kitfe wahid, we yitla' bi rigleh lit urn f6q dahr
is srf we yittakka bi riglih l>i quwwitu 'ala akhir*azmu, wi
yibfiyitguwa ba^n id darwtsh ; d ba'dSn yequm 'ala heiuyebussu
ii nas la yilaquh kharre damme min gismu wala hasal lu fa
we auwnl il Khalifa ma yitalla- Is B§f bi Idu yebilli >l>a'u bi
riqu min hanaku wi yemashshih 'ala hatn id darwtsh 'ala matrah
is srf. \\"i 1 wilad ig ^ughaiyartn vrhuttu lhuin shish ti hanakhum
we yinalliduh fi sid&ghhum nahyitSn, wi yehuttu Ihum lamuna
fi tail' ish shlsh min nahyit.'n J wi minhum wilad il Wahid
minhum yimsik qarraya walla qandtl fi id.'hum we yeruh dughrl
<|itiini we z&ghit, il qizaz fi kirshu. Wi minhum nas min rig
kubftr bi dqun, wi 1 wahid mil hum yimsik it ti'ban bi id. hum
EXERCISES ON THE SYNTAX 3C1
litn&n we yitannu yiKjtum we yiqarqash fih bi hanaku bi lahmu
bi 'admu bi halu wi yibla'u fi batnu ma ykhalli.-h minnu hfiga.
U minhum nils yimsiku 1 hittit il wil'a, ya'ni hittit fahma
miwahwiga, kulliha hamra, wi yeriihu dugbri balghinba 'ala
tub
XXII
II fallahin iza Bhfifu binte min banathum bitkallim walad
yikun shabb u baligb u biya kman baligh yequmu marratfin
talfita yinabbibu 'alGha abulia u ummiha wi yequlu lha : " 'eb ya
bint ! Ma timsbi.sh waiya bni flan ; " u inba'de ma yinabbibu
'alfiha wi yesbufuba mishyit waiyfih tani, au waiya gheru, yequm
ir rfigil abulia is si'idi dib, yequl liba : " Ya bint il manbush, 1
ana 'amma qui lik marra u itnen u talfita ma timshish waiya
bn il medaffisin ; inti ma 'am mash tisma'l kalami K'h ? lakin
khudi bfilik u rauwahi 'al id dar." U ba'den il bint kbadit
ba'diha u rfihit 'ala dfir abulia, we ummiha qalit laba : " Inti kutti
ffin ya bitti ? " Qalit liha : "Ana kutte 'amma mla moiya min il
bahr fi zarawiye, w abfii 2 ragabni 3 u giri warfiye u gatalni 4 u gal
Ij rauwahi 'ala d dar, u gibt iz zarawiye u g§t agrl karsh 'ala d
dar." Qalit laha ummiha: " Y"a sabiye w ani ma gulti lik
la truhlshe timli min zarawiye walla hfige min il bahr. Mfidfim
inti ma smi'tish kalami alio abuki yigtilik wala yikhalliki ; aho
yibga 8 bi kefn 'fid ya bnaiyiti." We hina r rfigil lamina Bhfif
il hint talat arba' marrfit, walla khamas sitte marrfit, zimiq
minha we qal liha : " Ana 'amma gul lik 'al kalfim wi nti ma
'ammfish t i .- 1 1 1 .• i - i iuinni ya bint is subaiye, 7 ana la khalli 1
aghribe wi t tiyar ma yshimmfl lik rfha wala khalli lik asfir 'ala
wishsh il ard." II binte aysit, kharagil min id dar a rfihit waiya
1 walad illi kfinit bitdur waiyfih. Hina ahafha baqa, u qal liha :
" Inti bardlkj 'amma tduri waiya s .val.i ilih w ana 'annua
ib a 'ahki ii ah Bherg 8 a G 1 gharbe ma 'ammfish alfigi
ii ha'ih'n adin ragabtik u shuftik dilwak&t." n U ba'den ir rfigil
kan waiyfih furya, u kan biyi'zaq blha fi 1 ghf-t, u <jal li 1 bint
' I •innini hnili. 1 -' ana 'auz aianuih 1:: nia'aki d dfir." 11 binte
na ma k&nitshe 'arfa, a, lagle akhir 'umriha we agalha,
1 A mother will call her own child bint il kalb, l>int ish
sliai'Ili'Va. &c,
1 abuya, 3 raqabni. * qatalni.
6 (|al. i yibqa. " pabiya.
â– atraqqab. " aharq. 10 alfiqtld.
11 dilwaqt. < If. Syrian hal(|. t .
, - hina. t'i. Syrian hontk. irauwah.
362 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
qa'adit fi 1 ghct lamma gih abulia we gab it turya, hattiha 'ala
kitfu u khad il binte fi idu we hatte kitf 'ala 1 khala, we tannu
masbi lamma rah taht talle 'all ; u fahat taht it tall bi t turya,
u gab il bint u rah daribha bi t turya, mauwitha, n dafanha fi 1
birka illi fahatha taht it tall, u ramaha fih u radam 'aleha ; u
taune mashi merauwah 'ala betu. U ba'den, lamma i-ah il bet,
umm il bint sa'alitu we qalit lu : " Ya bne flan, ya'ni min waqt
il binte ma rahit tiwaddi lak il 'esh fi 1 ghet, ya'ni dilwaket
imsa 1 lei wi 1 binte ma gatsh." Qam ir ragil qal laha : " Ya wliya
inti ha tug'udi 1 tegurri 2 we tigrugi 3 wi tzinni 'ala shan eh ! Iza
kan inti ma ntish rayha tikhfi di s sira * (sirt il bint) ana fut lik
il balad di b illi fiha w atanni masbi." Qamit qalit lu : " Taiyib,
ya t'ulan, ana baz'al 'ala binti wi nta za'lan 'ala shan Oh ? " Qam
qal liha : "Nihaytu ana rayh agiil lik 'ala kilme wahde, 6 wala
tgurri ' aleya wala tigrugi 'aleya wala haga ; il bint khamas sitte
marrat walla saba' marrat ana shuftiha waiya 1 wed c we btya
mashya waiyah, qulti lha: ' ya sabiyiti ya binti irga'i ma tigturish '
waiya 1 wed dih ; ' hiya ma sim'itshe kalami ; ana, akhir ma
ghlubte minha, khadtiha fi idi u ruhte fi 1 khala u darabtiha bi
t turya u fahatti lha birka a Lagahtiha* fiha bi kbulganba, we
danneti mashi u get 'ala d dar ; w adin gulti lik 'ala mas'alitha
we shufi nti kef rah ti'mili eh baga." Qalit lu : " We k6f, ya l>u
'ammu, gataltiha u mauwuttiha ,? " Qal liha: " Adingataltihawe
mauwit t ilia hi t turya, ya'ni dabahtiha, wahfya rahit li halha ;
shufi kef a ti'mili baga." Qalit hiya : " 'ad, ya bu 'ainmii, u k.*f
ma zmagshe 'ala bitti ! " Qal liha: "Tizmagi ma ti/.magish 'ala
kefik ya subiye." ba'den il mara min za'alha 'ala bintilia
sauwatit u sarrakhit ; u kan waqtiha t t6f maugudts ti 1 balad u
simi' sinkh il waliya ; we waqtiha r ragil min za'alu huwa kan
rah yiqtil il mara we yidbahha 'ashan hiya kanit biteauwaf u
bit&arrakh; u ba'd§n Lamma sauwai.it gum il ghufara, wi r ragil
kan bidur 'ala sikkiiia lamina hiya garrasitu bi b sirikh betahha,
ii f waqte wugud it tauwafa (abbum'ala r ragil we qafaahuh ; u
rahum dayrts kitafu, ya'ni dauwarum id&h wara ktafu a kattifuh
l»i table til qinnib (biyi'miluh bizzift bequm tilaqth /•"> il had id).
we ramti li rigleb q§d hadid we garruh litndn, wahid min 'ala 1
\iiniii u w&hid min 'ala sh Bhimal; we huwa baqa f wua^uhtun
ir ragil illi huwa sahib il 'amla ; wi 1 mara mratu miahj it warahum
we bumma wakhdia ir ragil, u tannuhum lamma waasaluh li 1
hukuma u sallimuh li 1 bulla betaV il mudii
1 tuq'udl. ' tii|uni. a taqruq
* i.> sira di. •■wahda. ' ; wad.
: t iqturtsh. B 1 iqahtiha.
EXERCISES ON THE SYNTAX 363
XXIII 1
Kan fi hikaya 'an hurma ti bilad ir rif le inniha Icuuit 'andiha
shabbit baqara; qam talabha Bhfikh il balad le innn yeshagh-
ghalha 'andu fi 1 mihrat au fi 1 gum Rukhra. 2 Qamit il mara
khafit 'ala baqaritba, q&lit lu : "Ana ma ghdarshe addiha lak,
dt bit'aiyishnl u bit'aiyish 'lyali, u waraya 'iyal yutama."
Qam sh<"kh il balad ma smi'she minba u talab minha ir
rusum beta* il miri. Qalit: " Ma hrltish." Qam khad minha
1 baqara bi 1 ghadre 'anha, u talab wahid gazzar u khalla g
gazzar dabahha; u kauwim il baqara kwam, u talab naa il balad
qadde talatin arbe'ln khamsin sittin nas 'ala qadde miqdar
likwam; u kulle wahid minhum khad lu k< K >m bi t taman
wi 1 k.'im lii riyal, ya'nl qui sitttn koin bi sittin rival, u khad il
fulus darabhum fi 'ibbu. Qamit il mara 'aiyatit qalit lu : "Ana
•au/.a taman il baqara btahtt walla baqarti bi nafsiha leinn il
liaqara btahtl tisawi lha mtya a 'ishrln riyal." Qal liha : " Ya
wliya ma lki.sh 'audi haga; rflhi shtikt matrah ma tisfitiki."
Rahit 'and il uiudir wi shtakil ir ragil illi hflwa shekh il balad,
wi q&lit lu: "Ya hadrit il mudtr shekh il balad (il fulanlya), illi
liiva baladt, talab minni rusum it tin; qulti lu: "ana sahbit
'iyal it.iin wala ma mi'lsh fulus dilwaqti; lamma yigini.' Qal
li : ' ma yimkinshe ; ma ghdarsh at'akhkhar 'an fulus il miri.'
Qam zalamnl we garre baqarti minni l>i 1 gabre 'annl we haddar
il gazzar, u dabahha we kauwimha kiwam, sittin kdm, kulle k6m
l.i ryal." Qam qal laha 1 mudtr: "Ya wliya, ummal baqartik
tisawi ti t taman kam?" Qalit lu: " Ya hadrit il mudir, tisawi
niiva u 'isbrin rival." Qam il mudir talab shekh il balad we
hadda il mara we haddar in oaa illi shtaru 1 ikwam min lahm
il baqara wi g gazzar ill! dabah il baqara bi oafsu, wi â–¡ oaa
kulliha magmu'a, we amar bi lamme meshayikh il bilad kul-
luhum, we haddar q idi 1 mudlrtya we Ba'alu, we qal lu : " Eh il
. ya hadril il q&di, illi oi'milu fi r ragil da z§ye ma zalam
i\ mara d! i\ baqaritba?" Qam il q&dl qal li 1 mud r: " Yilzam
leinn il gazzar yi'mil li r ragil da zcye ma 'amal ti 1 baqara
l.t.ilit il mara, ya'ni yidbahu g gazzar we yiqassimu kwam we
yifarraq likwam 'ala a sitttn Das illi humma khadu kwam il
baqara, kulle kdm l>i riyalen, yibqfl miya we 'ishrtn riyal, hukme
ma talaliit, il mara tamau baqaritba, 'an amr il q&dl we amr il
mudtr." Gum il masba'ltya kattifu r ragil illi huwa 'umdit il
balad we ramuh fi 1 ard, we dabahu 1 gazzar, u kauwumu kwam
we farraqu 'aa sittto oafs, kulle kdm bi riyaJSn ; we amar il
1 This Btor) La told bj Lane {Mod. Egyp., chap, iv.).
erbially.
364 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
mudir leinn il gazzar yakhud ras ir ragil f ugritu zeye ma khad
ras il baqara fi dabhiha ugritu. Wi 1 mara khadit il fuliis taman
il baqara min id il mudir, we da'it li 1 qadi we li 1 mudir le
iunuhum khallasu lba tarha min ir ragil.
XXIV
Kan fih bint, binte bikr, 'andiha 'ashara tnashar sana, we
laba mirat 'abb, we mirat abuba kanit tamalli mkhalliya 1 binti
di dayra fi 1 khala wi tdiir tiqashsbisb laba 'afsb u hatab lagli 1
khabiz wi t tabikh. Qamit yom min zat liyam il binte mashya
laqat taqa maftuha zeye nuqra fi 1 ard we laqatba betidwi
zeye Ion il fadda ; we kanit tinzil il binti b maqtafha, malit
il maqtaf bi 'enu, u shalitu foq rasha kbaditu wadditu 'ala
lirt abuba, iddatu limrat abulia wi qalit laba: " Ya mrat
abuya, khudi." Qamit il mai'a shafit il maqtaf we 'irfit illi
fih le innu mal. Qalit laha : " Ya bitte gibti da min en?"
Qalit laha: "Yum'm, gibtu min il khala; lnqrt nuqra w ana
dayra baqashshish, qumte malet il maqtaf wi tanni gaya." Qamit
qalit laha : " Ummal ruhi hati kainan ndba lagl aghaddiki
ghadwa hilwa." Qamit ii bint, maskina, khadit il maqtaf wi
rigi'it tan! lagle tama* mirat abiiha fi d dunya 1 fanya. Qa'adit
il bint timla 1 maqtaf min il matlab ; wala kal lihash ilia 1 mam
1 auwilaniya lagle qismitha we qadar 'uniriha we agalha ; qam il
matlab inqafal 'aleha wi 1 binte halakit min il 'atash we hiya lissa
haya. Wi f waqtiha kan abulia rauwah il bit min barra barm
sa'alha (miratu) 'ala bintu we qal liha : "Fen il bint, ya
(fulaua)?" Qalit luh : "II amre mahu ka/.a kaza wi di d dor
il auwilani illi gabitu we shSya'tiha tegtb dur tani." Qam ir
rdgil zi'il 'ala bintu wi qal laha: "Ya wliya f ani hitta rahit?"
Qalit lu : " Fi 1 hitta (1 fulaniya)." Qam rah yidauwar 'ala bintu
fil hitta illi qalit lu 'aleha 1 mara; qam simi' hisse bi'aiyat;
laqah hisse bintu, we 'irif taht il arde bit'aiyat. QaJ liha : " N a
bimi ya (fulana)." Qalit lu: "Yaba 'afshdna : isqtnl," marrat§n
talata. Qam fahat 'aleha tuh'n talata, ma talhash, wala Bmi'sh
ilia 1 hisse min bi'id 'ala tul mesafa ; u ba'il'n qal liha : " Ma bi
1 yadde hlla ; ha da ami- Allah hakam 'allkl weqismitik hakamit
'ala qadde kede we 'ala qadde ma lik -r.-h li «1 dunya." We
tarak 'awadu 'al Allah. We qal: "Allah yibrl dimmitik u
yisamhik." I' ba'd§n bana Ilia sbil fuq minha, we kulle y6m
yimla moiya li d naa yishrabO minnu, li r rayih wi g gay.
\\V
Fi daqqe yeduqquh in nfts 'ala dri'ithum. In k&o yekan
gada' min ddl 'ashiq wahda bint yikhalli 1 flql walla 1 man
EXERCISES ON" THE SYNTAX 335
yiktib Lsmiha 'ala dr&'u we yegtb mara ghagartya we yequl liba .
" Duqqi li 'ala dra'i 'ala 1 ismi da ; " fe hiya tduqqi lu. Wi 1 mara
min d<M tisrah li 1 haw&rl min ddl, wi tza"aq wi tqfil : " NibSyina l
zen we nadmura ' z>'n wa nduqqe zen wa ntahir il ban&t zen wa
nkhutte b il wada' zen ; ill i luh raqaba - yiduqq walla yittahir walla
yidmur walla yeshuf bakhtu." We minhum min niswan il
ahrar fi blad il fallahin yeduqqum 'ala daqnuhum talat khutut u
nuqta an talat nuqat fnq qurithum 'a.dian iz zina lagle tibqa
hilwa u ti'gib ir ragil yimkin yihibbiha ziyada 'ala shun id daqq.
Wi 1 bint il bikr tiduqq 'ala dra'ha sb shimal dira (bi shikle
tadwtrit dirs ia saqya) u 'ala quritha : we waqtiha lamina yibqa
d daqqe fi idha tahte khunqitha we tibqa labsa 1 asawir il fadda
fi ideha, wi a sigha fi raqabitha wi 1 balaq fi widanha we tilbis
liha qamis iswid we tahte minnu gallabiya b£da tibqa 1 hagat di
mibe'yinaha leinniba hilwa. Yeduqqum keman 'ala aidr il insan
'ala shan il buhaq. Leinne kan fih wahid haaal lu 'aiya, wi 1
'aiya dih baqa yi'attashu ktir we yikhallih yishrab moiya min
gher qanun, u baqa yakul il akl it talat taqat we ma baqash il
akle yimri 'ah'li wala yinfa' ; u ba'd&D ahawir 'aqlu we qal ahsan
as'al wahid min in naa il mitqaddimin fi s ainn ; fe rah sa'al
wahid 'umru yitla' sab'en sana, we qal lu leinnl, ya 'amme fulan,
ana haaal 'andi 'aiya kaza kaza ; fi huwa qal lu : " Yimkin ya bni
leinnak kunte y6m min d61, walla haga, wiqifte 'ala t'urn wi
ddaffSt 'al§h we stahlSt id dafa, we yimkin aalak kunte bardan
Lamina kunte w&qif quddam il furn ; fe yimkin waqtiha 1 fume
dili yekun ia sabab a&liha mara tekun hartit taw&gin samak fi 1
furn wi nta ma khadtisb fi nafsak wala 't.'t. 8 leinne da aalu yekun
fi 1 turn, we bi aabab qillit fikritak khallSt riht
is samak t i lt i 'ah'-k min il furn we hiya Hi 'aiyitak ; walla
yimkin kutte 'at&han u kassilt u nimte bi 'ata&hak wi nta 'arif
aafaak leinnak 'atsh.in, we lakin min tuqle dimaghak ghalab
'al$k in ndm we nimt, fi 1 'aiya haaal 'andak bi sabab il 'afash ;
ti 1 ahsan teruh 'ande wahda ghagartya tikhalUha ' tiduqqi lak
•ala sidrak." We huwa daqqe zSye ir ragil ma qal lu, u ba'ddn
khail.
X X V 1
Fih D&a yimshum S b aikka we yithadditum li wahduhum we
humma yekund yimkin beyiftakaru li 'ib&dit Rabbina we mash-
ghulln fih, w>- yimkin yekunu labsin budum qud&m meahani]
an meraqqa'ln au yimshu 'iryantn; in n&a yequlu 'aldhum ddl
magftntn au magazib au auliya. We amma min 'adl il wall mi
1 For oiblyin, uidmur. - / â– . 'umre |
» - iftal « g l
366 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
yakhudshe min hadde fulus wala yiqbalshe min hadde haga ; we
iza akhadu haga, fulus au hidum, humma yifarraquhum li n mis
il masakin ; we yimkin iza akalum walla shirbum yimkin yakh-
lum bi guz'e min il fulus illi tgi Ilium, wi 1 baqi yifarraquh ;
we lakin ma haddish yighdar yisbufhum biyakblum eh walla
biyishrabu eh wala haddish yighdar yeshufhum biyenamum wala
ma binamush, ya'nt Rabbuna huwa Hi 'alini buhum. Wi n nas
yerilhu. 'anduhuni yezuruhum iza kanum yekunu hayin. U
mba'd in nas yuq'udum quddamhum, wi yekun il insan 'auz
yiftikir fi nias'ala yiftakarha fi 'aqlu min gher ma yequl luhum
bi 1 hanak, humma yequlu lu iza kan fiha nafa' yequlu 'aleha ;
ma fihash, yequlu : " II mas'ala di ma lhash nafa', wi s sikka di
au 1 mishwar dih au 1 balad di au 1 giha di ma timshish fiha."
XXVII
Kan lela min zat il lay alt kan fiha khatmit Qur'an 'ala shan
farah ; wi 1 farah da kan fih tuhfir walad, we kan fih fiqi beyiqra ;
wi 1 fiqi da sotu kuwaiyis, ya'ni missaiyat fi 1 qiraya, we kanit
in nas malmuma qa'da betisma'u ; we kan wahid yifizze min nas 1
illi qa'din, we kan yequl : " Ya salam u sallim ! amma sot il
gada' da gamil illi biyiqra." Waqtiha kan abu 1 fiqi hadir ;
qam simi' kilmit ir ragil, u qam 'ala helu wi kan yeruh darib
kaffi f wishshu. We kan il walad rah sarikh, we kanit in nas
tequm 'ala sarkhit il walad, we qalit luh : " Leh, ya ragil, ala
slum eh ? Haram 'alek ; darabt il walad il kaffi da leh ? " Qal
luhum : " Nihaytu nafad is sahm, wi 1 hamdu li llah hasal kher
'ala kede." We maqsud abu 1 fiqi darab 2 il kaffe 'ala kede
'alashan khayif 'ah-b min il 'en, ahsan yinhisid, u f darb il kaff
ma hasal lush haga ilia kull il kher.
XXVIII
Lamma yi'ya 'aiyil sughaiyar yequm ahlu yequlu : " da
yimkin fulan hasadu walla fulana hasaditu ; " yequmu yegtbu
shuwaiyit malli yitacjtaquha lu ; u yimkin yakhdu hittit klialaqa
min il khulqan il qadima, hittii pughaiyara medauwara qadd il
qersh, yequ§§uha I >i 1 maqag; we yakhduha, ma yikhallush ^adde
yeshufhum, we yrbakhkharu bha 1 'aiyil, ya'ni vcwalla'uha waiya
1 inalh ii D nai' waiya hittit shabba /.ifra min 'and il 'attar, wi
yedakhkhanfih ' ashan ir riha lagle ma _\<>hiiniuilia il 'aiyil ; u
tauwu ma bakhkharuh bi r raqwa \ « • ' i 1 > .
1 Contracted from min in nas. Stiv.-> is laid uu the min.
s =fi darb (nahw. li ki'mu darab).
EXERCISES ON THE SYNTAX 36;
XXIX
Iza kan yekun zir maugud fi bet min biyut wil&d il 'arab. wi
z zir da masalan malyan moiya walla haga, we gih iz zir wiqi.
min 'ala 1 hammala betahtu we tabbe fi 1 ard, teqiim il mara
tiz'al we tinwihir, we qalbiha yetubbe, wi tqul : " ya tara rah
yigra <'h fi 1 bet?" U ba'den yimkin tequm tequl fi nafsiha :
"ya bitte rayha tiza"ali naf sik leh? Yimkin hatihsal 1 nnufba
walla haga, wi tkun asliha nazra walla nifs walla haga min ragil
walla min mara, yekun hadde dakhal guwa betik we shaf il farsh
wi 1 mat rah mehaiya', we yimkin, lamma dakhal, shahaq wala
qalshe 'ma sha' Allah,' wala haga, fi 1 mas'ala di hasalit min
kede we lakin il hamdu li llah illi gat 'ala kede."
XXX
Iza kan il 'aiyil ibne talat sintn walla khamsa sitti snin, we
'auz il insan yi'inil lu taswira yihraqha 'ala shan in nazra, yegib
hittit waraqa we yigib ibra walla dabbus, we yimsik il hittit
il waraqa bi idu we yiqussuha bi 1 maqaaa we yirsimha 'ala hasab
rasme ta$wirit baniadam,we yikharraqil waraqa bi 1 ibra we yequl :
"fi 'en fulana u flan u flan u flana," we huwa beyikharraq fiha,
ya'ni n nas illi huwa zanin Leinnuhum hasadii Lbnu \\ alia l>iutu; wi
mba'de ma yikharraq il waraqa khuruni khuruin yegib 'ud kabrit
we yimaik il waraqa fi tdu we yikarrarha, ya'ni yisaddar il waraqa
quddam wishsh il 'aiyil we yi walla' ha we yidaniha li 1 hawa,
teqfan il 'en teruh min il walad. Ya immatan yakhud qataru,
ya'ni in kan bint yakhud niandilha min 'ala rasha iza kanit
'iriqit Fib we biya 'aiyana, walla iza kan walad yakhud taqitu illi
'iriq fih, we yiwaddu 1 qatar 'ande wahid min il fuqaha illi yekun
ya'raf yeqla il qatar \\i ykun yi'raf yiktil) higab&t li 1 'ival ; we
huwa tauwu ma qaa il qatar yequm yi'raf il 'aiya illi 'aiyan buh
il 'aiyil we yiftah il kitab we yi'mil hisab in oigm we yiktib il
higab 'ala hasab muqtada nigm il 'aiyil, we yiktib li 1 higab ftya
min ftyftt il Qur*an Lab Bharlf; we umm il 'aiyil takbud il higab
min il fiql bi qabul minim bi nlya khalsa, we takhdu tigallidu
bi hittit gilde sikhtiyau ahmar walla jfar walla khdar, z§ye ma
tkun, we td1 lu qarafae ta'rifa walk qerahe sogh ugrit it tagltd ;
we takhdu ti'allaqu li 1 'aiyil li raqabtu bi hittil qtt&o walla
sliirit wi tt'auwit fi lu min tahte batu sh shimal; we tauwu ma
kbaff il 'aiyil 'ala 1 higab teruh il mara tiwaddi r raahwa li 1
ii(|i 'ala hasab ehuruthum waiya ba'duhum.
1 Bee § 1<J'J rein.
368 THE SPOKEN" ARABIC OF EGYPT
XXXI
Hina f Masr iza kan il wahid yegib hittit battikha au ratlcn
lahma yekun sharihum li 'iyalu wi yekun dakhil buhum 'ala 1
bet, yequm iza kanit mara walla ragil ruin in nas illi humnia
able hasad we 'enehuru betakhud wi betisrah fil 1 insan, yequmit
yequlu : " ya salam da fulan da kulle sa'a beyishtiri hagat wi
yekkushshi bha 'ala betu ilbatti Hi zeye dih mahu 'ala maksab
ikuwaiyis willa 1 fi kbidnia kuwaiyisa 'ande gama'a frank walla
yekun fi sraya beta'it bashawat turk." We yimkin fi waqte ma
humma yuq'udum yikkalliruu wi yequrru wi yzinnu yequm il
insan yiddi 1 haga li mratu we hiya tkun gayba shuwaiyit bamya
walla shwaiyit mulukbiya we tigi tqatta' il hittiten il lahma, wi
tkun mekharrata 1 basalten we ramya lhum il babbit is samn fi
'arr il halla ; we tauwu ma ramit il hittiten fi qalb il halla, we
waqtiha tkun il mara qa'da quddam il halla, wi tbussi tlaqi 1
halla nat^it wi nshalit min foq il kanun li wahdiha wi truh mak-
buba li wahdiha min gher ma hadde yezuqqiha wala hadde yigl
yammitha, we tauwe ma kkabbit il halla yekun ir ragil kharag
u gih min shughlu, tequl : " Ya bu (flan) ma tiz'alsh, ihna k;d-
lifna 'al halla 'ashara tnashar qershe sagh, we lakin hiya naiad
fiha s sahm u nkabbit li wahdiha." Y"equl liha : " Ya (fulana)
ana kunte dakhil min bab il bet u shaiitnl (fulana u fulana) we
lakin il hamdu li llah illi gat 'ala habbit it tabikh wi kkabbit,
u nafadit 'enehum fiha.
Wi za dakhal wahid bi battikha walla eye hagt in kiinit illi
ykfm shariha li 1 akl wi yekun mara walla ragil shafiih, we huwa
rakhar shafbum, yiftikir leinne dol yimkin nas hasvidiyin wi
yequl : " ya ritna ma kuntish shuftuhum wala shafuni ; yimkin,
ya wad, madam dol sbafuk tuqi' minnak il battiklia li wahdiha
tinkisir wala nakul wala nishrab minha." Wi n ma kkasaritsh
il battikha yimkin yikhaniq miratu walla wihulu ; we tauwe ma
hasal il khinaq walla ba'd il insan ma yinfadde min il khinaq wi
yerfiq yeqiil : " W Allah ya (fulana) iz za'al illi hasal lina dih
da min 'en (fulana) illi shafitn! w ana dakhil bi 1 battikha."
XXXII
Wvigvid il hamam fi 1 b«*t hii-ze li 1 (ilad, ya'ni 1 bdt illi
maugtld fth il hamam ma tkhushah&sh wilad il gan il ashqtya
we da ye(|illu le innu bi sabab tamalli 1 hamam yizkur Elabbuna
we yiwahhid Allah wi yeqftl: "ya Ki'ilf!" Illi yeqtU "ya
1 m we ilia (*.6. walla).
EXERCISES ON THE SYNTAX 369
Ra'uf " huinma 1 hamam ir rumi 1 abyad we huwa fi rigleh rish,
we luh shuwesha rish fi rasu ; wi lit yeqill " Allah ! Allah ! "
huwa 1 yamani 1 iswid, sughaiyar 'an ir rumi wi nhif fi gisniu.
We amma 1 baladi yizkur Allah rakhar, we lakin il ginsen dol
yizkuruh ziyada 'an il baladi ; wi 1 baladi bid menaqqatin
nuqat nuqat, ahmar 'al abyad. U fih firakh baladi minhum dik
ismu dik me'ushar luh fi rigleh 'ashar sawabi', wi huwa abyad
khalis fi 1 Ion ; we yequlu le inne huwa rakhar hirze fi 1 bet, wi
1 bet illi yibqa maugud fih yibqa murzaq we mus'ad, we lamma
yi'uz yiddan yisma' dik il 'arsh we yiddan warah.
XXXIII
II kalb il agrab lamma yigi quddam bet il insan yequni il
wahid ma yilzimshe leinnu yidrabu wala yi'zih ; ahsan bi 1
ahsan yihsin 'aleh bi luqmit 'esh wi yekhallih yeruh bi 1 ma'ruf ;
ahsan yimkin yekun il kalbi da yekun wahid min ikhwanna 1
gan yitla'um fi n nahar au fi 1 lei fi sifat kilab walla f sifat qutat.
Wi za kan il mara min dol walla r ragil min dol yeshuf il kalbe
dih au il qutta di wi yeruh yegib 'asaya yidrabhum yequm il
mara au ir ragil yiltibis fi dra'u walla fi riglu, au il mara yiltibis
gismiha kullu, u ba'den il wahid minhum yi'ya.
XXXIY
Iza kan wahid we huwa beyistihamma fi 1 hammam yikhabbat
bi rigleh, walla haga, fi 1 ard, we yekun waqtiha wahid min il
g&n ti I mahall illi huwa khabbat fih dih, yeruh waqtiha yiltibis
ish shaklisi da, u waqtiha. bi sahab ma libsu 1 gan, yibqa 'aiv;in
fi gismu, wala ma yefuqshe min il 'aiya bta'u ilia n kan yeruh
yezur shekh min il mashayikli ; we yimkin ma' kutri zyartu fi
1 mashayikh, yinsirif minnu 1 'aiya ; we ilia fih nas min il fin (alia
min in na.s il 'alimin, illi yekun 'anduhum ma'rifa taiyib 1 l>i 1
kitaba, humma yighdarum yiktibu lu higab ; we vihniilu li nat>u.
we yimkin, hi sabab ham] il higab dih, Rabbina yakhud l>i yaddu
we yishfih we yinsirif minnu r rih dih. Wi 1 harim rukhrin i/.a
kan wahda minhum navma masal za'alana min guzha ikminnu
miggauwiz 'alSha, au yekun 'aiyil min 'iyalha mat au min hadde
yekun yiqrab liha, u f waqtiha tequm min numha 9 mafzu'a, u.-
yimkin takhud moiyit ghastl wishshiha au ghasil id^haau rigldha
wi truh hadfaha fi bdt ir raha wala tdastaxshe, yequm yilbiaha i
1 Adverbially, for- faiyiba. - odmha.
370 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
rih walla 1 ginn ; we lamma yifhamum ahliha leinne di 'aleha
rih yeqiimu yakhdfiha we yizauwaruha 1 mashayikh, wi sh shekh,
illi tistiraiyah 'ala zyartu, tamalli tzfiru lamma yinsirif minha.
xxxy
Suknit il gan tekun fi 1 hammamat au fi mahallat biyiit il
adab au fi mahallat niahgura ma haddish yekun sakinhum, ya
tkun suknithum fi 1 khala, ya'nl fi 1 gibal au fi 1 magharat ; u
minhum min il ahmar u minhum min il iswid. Wi za kan il
insan yekun nayim fi bet mahgur me'aggaru, we huwa r ragil
da yimkin yekun 'azib li wahdu — we ilia n kanit mara tkun
'azba li wahdiha — we li sabab il bet da yekun inkagar we min
gher suknit nas adamiya yimkin yekun il gan yiskuniih. We
hina n kan ir ragil ma yekunshe 'arif inn il bet dih maskun,
yeaggaru we yi'azzil 'izalu ; we yimkin min auwil lela ma yebat
fib, we da bi sabab ma ykunshe waiyah 'aiyil wala mara, yeqiim
lamma yenam yequm yisma' takhbit fi 1 bet we huwa nayim fi d
dalma ; u min khofu yequm min in nom yiwalla' lamda walla
sham'a ; u tauwe ma walla' il lamda yibusse ma yehiqish takhbtt
wala haga. Wi za tafifa, we yinam tani marra, yimkin yebusse
yilaqi t takhbit dar tani ; yequm yiwalla' il lamda, we yetannu
qa'id 'ala helu tul il lei wala yshuf in nom bi 'enu lamma yedur in
nahar we yitla' 'ala kher. Wi za ma walla'she yimkin yigi lu 1
wahid minhum fi sifat kalb, walla f sifat qutt, walla f sifat sab'e
walla dab'e walla arnab walla haga min il wuhush. We yiqdar
yizhar we yigi ii bani adam fi sifat kvdle ashya min il hiwanat au
f sifat bani adam. We hina tauwu ma zuhur li r ragil au li
1 mara yequm yihbishu bi idu au bi riglu ; yequm il wahid
minhum mafzu' min nomu ; u waqtiha iza kan yekun yi'raf
yiqra, yimkin yequm yitwadda we yisalli rak'iten u yiqra b
Samadiya talat marrat, we ayit il Kursi marra, wi yenam : we
waqtiha iza kan fih sukkan min il gan fi 1 bet il mahgur yihbaqu
kulluhum. We amma iza kan wahid masalan 'auz yekhushshe
m.ihille bet il adab walla bet mahgur yequl : " A'uzu bi llahi
min Lfib sh^tan ir ragim ; " u waqte ma dakhal ithafaz 1 min
kulle haga l)i sabab le innu ista'az bi llah min isli slirtan u min
kulle gan ; fe yWW sagh salim ma yigra luhshe haga. Wi f
shahre Ramadan, ya'nl bi sabab is siyam wi 1 adan f6q il mawa-
din we qirayit il Qur'an fi 1 biyut kulle waqt, we tanniha 1 qiraya
dayra fi 1 gawami' — fe hina bi sabab kulle ealik, we 'atiyit iz
zika kamaii, yifdalu 1 gan inasgi'min min auwul rainadan li akhru,
li ghayit il 'id iz zughaiyar.
1 § 473 c.
EXERCISES ON THE SYNTAX 371
XXXVI
Iza kan wahid mashi fi 1 khala li wahdu fi blad il aryaf
nahyit ig Giza au nahyit lihram au gherha, illi flhum nas 'arab
min qatta'in it tariq beyiq'udum tamalli fi 1 khala 'ashan yilaqu
wahid yistafradu bu we yimsikuh in kan waiyah hittit humara
walla hittit humar walla gahsha walla gamal walla qa'iid ; iza kan
uas min d61 yilaqu wahid mi'ah min il hagat di in kan min
hiwanat walla min fuliis walla min malbils, yakhdfiha minnu we
yiqtiliih, wala yisma'u minnu kalam lamma yequl luhum : " Fi
'ardukum, seyibuni ; madam khadtu 1 haga betahti,'' ilia n kan
yinikin 'umru tawil ; wi n kan 'umru sughaiyar yeqiilu lu : " Ya
ihna nse"yibak izzey 2 Yimkin teruh tiftin li 1 hukiima
au truh tukhbus li ahali 1 balad beta'tak, u ba'd( A 'ii il hukuma tak-
hud khabar, u humma yigum yakhduna wi yewaddtboa 1 karakon
we yisaffaruna 1 bahr il abyad au yewadduna fi luman ig Giza
au f luman Tura. Ahsan bi 1 ahsan ihna mu>h lazim nekhalli
lak ghubariya." U ba'den humma yidbahub we yidfinuh we
yirdimu 'al<h we yeffltHh. Hina tauwe ma tatilh yuq'ud yom
talata arba'a 'ashara, 'ala zeye ma yuq'ud, u ba'den yitla"
'afrit, yibqa f sifat humar au arnab au qutta au kalb au sab s au
dab' au nimr au asad au qird au nisnas, ya'ni fi kafiit kulle
ashya; we iza kan wahid mashi li wahdu fi 1 khala, we huwa
• fi sifat humar, yeqimi ir ragil yequm yirkabu we yequl fi
'aqiu : 'â– 'ala kulle hal il humar da yiwaddinl li hadd il balad
beta'ti ; " we lakin ma yi'rafshe leinne da 'afrit; yequm baqat
huwa wi v ragil rakib f6q minnu yequm fi 1 auwul yibqa tul
mitr, u ba'den yebnss ir ragil yilaqih baqa tulu talat arbat
imtar ; u ba'den ir ragil iza kan yekus mi'ah sikkina we
yitallahha min gebu, we yitalla' is silah min il b6t beta' idu, —
we humma min 'adl il 'afrit yekhafu min is silah we min in
nar, — wi 1 'afrit lamina shaf ir ragil talla' is silah min glbu ij.iin
qal li r ragil: " I'mil ma'ruf ma bidrabnish \\ ana waddik li
hadde ln'-tak." U ba'den min ba'de ma kan tul arba't imtar
baqa fi tul mitre wahid u wafsal ir ragil li hadd id dar beta'tu;
we yiqa uiiiias z.'yi 1 liuiu.'ir illi yckun saliili we yequl : " N'a
ragil, lau makanshe waiyak is silah dih ana kunte tauwihtak we
kunte dihikte 'alek."
D ba'ddn yekun huwa r ragil da walla wahid gheru mashi
fi 1 khala u mi'ah baruda mi'ammara, wc- yitla' lu 1 'afrit da huwa
nafsu, we \i'j\ lu f yifat dab' au dlb, wi c ragil yeruh dirib fih il
baruda yibqa 1 'afrit naarid, we yibqa tulu 'ashara bnashar mitr;
wi /.a kan wahid yiqdar yiqra 'ah'h ayat il Kursi walla s
Saiuadi\a, taUW6 lua ijaiiha waijtiha 1 liiaiid \idimilH' tfllu we
372 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
yeruh fi halu. Wi 1 marid ma yiqdarshe yintiqil rain matrahu
zeye ma kan 'afrit auwul ; l we tauwu ma yidrab wahid fih
wishsh, walla wishshen, yequlu n nas leinnu yibqa fardit
bartiisha qadima.
XXXVII
II kalbe lamma yuqaf we yi'auwi quddam Lara min dol
walla quddam bet min dol yequlu n nas ill! yisma'tih yequlu :
"Ma lak ti'au'au? Ya tara rah yigra eh?" Wi yequlu li
nafsuhum : " yimkin hadde rah yemitt hina fi 1 hara walla fi 1
bet illi huwa waqif quddamu."
XXXVIII
Waqte wilad il kuttab ma yitla'um we yekunu 'auzin
yerauwahum biyuthum, sawa n kan fi Masr au fi 1 aryaf, auwul
ma yigu khargin min bab il kuttab, yimkin yekunu wilad il
gan is sugaiyarin il ashqiya waqfin mistanniyinhuin ; lakin fi
sifa tekun makhfiya yekiinum humma shefin bi 'enehum wilad
il kuttab we humma tal'in, wi 1 wilad ma yekunush shefinhum :
we hina dol yigum yehibbum yishankaluhum we yequmu wilad
il kuttab yedusuhum tahte riglehum yimauwituhum.
XXXIX
Iza kan mat wahid wi ndafan yimkin lelitha yibqa beyin 'and
ahlu fi 1 bet illi huwa mat fih we yithaiya 1 luhum, leinne ruhu
lissa mauguda fi qalb il bet. Yequmu ahlu yegibum itnen
fuqaha au wahid fiqi yiqra 1 Qur'an, u f wust it talat layali
humma yimkin yeshufuh fi n ndm, u mba'd it talat layali ma
yeshufuhshe la fi z zahir- wala fi 1 batin : - a ba'dfc] il Fuqaha
yakhdu ugrithum we yeruhti li halhuni. We lakin il fikiv <lili
illi beyiftikiruh in nas — leinnuhum yequlu yekun maugud
khiyal ii 1 ln't -fi 1 q61 dih yekun min in oiswanau min il 'iyal iz
zughaiyarin : we amma r riggala yezinnu leinn il fikre dih da'if.
We amma iza kan ir ragil yekun qalbu khaftf wi yequl: "ami
shufte wahid khiyal," we yequl ilq&l da li wahid min il muqriytn
au il Euqaha an il 'ulema, humma yequlfl : " il khiyal da ma
yekunshe maugtid min il maiyit illi mat: da maugud min ([able
ma vinut il maiyit;" we yisbitum leinne huwa dih iah sh
beta' wahid kan itqatal ti 1 mahalle min qable s&biq.'
1 As he could when he was an afreet before.
- /.. . w bet her awake or asleep.
3 Only the spirits of those who bave met with a violent death
are generally believed bo roam about the earth. A Bedouin of
EXERCISES ON THE SYNTAX 373
XL
Lamma n nas yeshufu nigma we hiya nazla min is sama
yequH 'aleha leinniba nizlit 'ala shetan haraqitu ; Ave amma 1
qol il masbut leinniha tinzil 'ala z zar'e yimkin tihraqu, ya fi
gnena tihraq il fawakih beta'itha au is sagar betahha an tinzil fi
1 ard u tintifi.
XLI
II mezeyara fi awan waqt is sef lamma tqum titla' ba'd id
dubr fi 'izz il qaiyala lamma d dunya tibqa msahhada wi me-
walla'a zeyi n nar, we tibqa lak il arde sukbna zlye sharart in
nar, tibu?si tlaqi 1 mezaiyara di titla' lak 'ala wishsh il ard
titnattat, u ba'den tibussi tlaqiba labsa izar abyad u labsa abyad
fi abyad ; u fib minbum illi 1 insan yilaqi lba wilad qa'din gan-
biba walla f hudniha walla yekunum dayrin yil'abum hawaleha
wi hiya qa'da ; u ba'den, ya akbi, tebussi tlaqiha hatindah li 1
wahid bi ismu illi huwa masml 'aleh, wi tqul "Ya (f ulan) ! "
bi hisse 'all qawi ; yequm il insan verudde 'aleha 'ala hasab le
inniba nadahitu bi smu ; u sbuwaiya vebussi ylaqtha meqambara
we metainbila, ideha rakhyaha ganbiha, wi tqul lu : " I la n
ummak ; ma tkbafsh ; " yequm il wahid yiqarrab 'aleba yilaqlha
'ammalii J titniqil min matrahha wala timshlsh 'ala rigleha
tilaqiha / ara 1 manfukha : wi 1 wahid, iza kal lu agal
we'umi'u tawil, yequm yequl fi 'aqlu ; " ya wad, da taiyib we
hiy ummak kanit gat fi 1 khala ti'mil eh? Da lbatte, ya wad,
il mezaiyara illi d nas yequlu 'aleha li." Witbussi tlaqi gismu
ii-i.i-.il. wi rta'ash we gittitu kulliha 'as'asit. I" ba'den yakhud
ba'du u yigri; wi tauwu ma giri titnattat warah zSyi 1 kura.
iza kali htlwa y.iTat' yiijia > Sa mailn a walla ay it il Kur>i,
we (jul tauiiu yiqra Rha we yigrj lamma yedtlr we yinfid minha
bi qasabtdn talata ; we tauwe ma laqa nafsu bi'id 'anha yequl:
" il hamdu li llab Rabbi] 'alamiu illi Elabbuna naggani minha
•ala kln'r." Wi z.i kaii Wahid ma nat'adslie minha biqulu n na-
yiqba - lha bizaz hadid, we yibqa Ilium shuwak wi t termisa
beta'ithum z§yi 1 ibar; wi tauwe ma qarrab 'aleha linsan we ma
yigrtah minha tequm tedummu 'ala sidriha, wi tbussi tlaqi Bh shu-
wak dakhalil min sidru til'it min dahru, u ba'dSo yuqa' yemut.
told me he met in the desert the form of an English soldier
who fell while climbing one of the Pyramids. The eyes, he said,
w ere " mewalla'ln z6yi â–¡ nar."
1 g ! 1...
ibqa bj transposii i<m.
THE SPOKEN AEABIC OF EGYPT
XLII
Fikr in nas lamma wahid yidrab wahid bi slab, ya'nl bi sef
au bi sikkina, we yiqtilu yequm ir rih beW il maqtul yizhar fi
s silah we yikhabbat fib yequl : " qatalni (fulan) " ; wi n kan is
silah fi betu yequm till il lei yikhabbat fih yeqille n.6m ishab il
b('t ; yeqiimii yishshakkvi li 1 qatil illi huwa r ragil betahhum wi
yequlu lu : " Is silah beta'ak da till il lei ma ykhallinash lienam ;
hatqille numna leh? Ma tshil silabak min hina, absan yigi
wahid def 'andina wi yenam fi 1 lei fi qalb il bet, ya'ni yequm fi
1 lei we huwa nayim yisma' takhbit is silah we yimkin il 'afiit
yequl le inne fulan qatalni ; fi 1 ahsan bi 1 ahsan timna ; silahak
min 'andina, ahsan id def lamma yisma' kalam ir rih yeruh
yikhbir il hukuma. Nihaytu shuf lak tariqa, ya tirmi a silah da
fi 1 bir ya fi 1 bahr ; il maqsud shuf lak tariqa timsh! 'alSha eye
tariqt in kanit, ya immatan tegib baruda wi t'ammarha wi
tidrabha fih yequm yitla* ir rih hittit bartiisha, wi 1 bartusha ya
nwalla' biha furn, ya nirmiha fi 1 khala, wala hadde wala mahdud
yequl 'alena haga wi n'ish salatin fi nafsina tul zamanna."
VOCABULARY
TO THE WORDS CONTAINED IN THE EXERCISES
ON THE ACCIDENCE
Part I. — Arabic-Exglish
The following abbreviations are used in this vocabulary : —
a.
ad.
c.
col.
stands for
adjective
adverb
conjunction
collective
pr.
prep.
s.
V.
stands foi
w
pronoun
-ition
substantive
verb
comp.
comparative
v.i.
5)
verb intransitive
f.
feminine
v.n.
»
\ erb neuter
m.
masculine
v.t.
n
verb transitive
part.
participle
Augab approach (time, season)
ausakli dirtier
auwil, auwiluni first
abadan never, not at all
abb father ; abuh his father;
abftya my father
abuk&tn lawyer
abril april
at&bi now, assuredly
atwal longer
agftza leave, holi>/ay
agdad newer
agrumtya grammar
agzagj chemist
aghuffufl august
ahamsD more important
aid it l».*t family
â– JlMD /â– '
178
adS see here! adtnt, adiu hen I
addi / give, "-ill give
adwiya drugs (sing, dawa)
aradi, pi. of ard
axba.' four ; l 1 , (§ 110)
ard i arth, [I run in I
ardiya floor, g
ark has chi "/â– â– I
azan li permit
ast'alt asphalt
a>t.iiil stable
aaghar smaller
'gin, original I
aabshar mark (v.)
a'd.'i i a, mies (pi. of 'adu)
a Tad A/7. ;
a'ina /.//««/ (a.)
376
ARABIC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
aqall less
aqiil J say, will say
aqum / get up
aqwa stronger
akal, kal eat
akubb I pour, shall pour
akun I shall be
akbar larger, older
aksab I gain
akkid insist, impress
akkil greedy, gluttonous
akl eating ; food
i i k was prettier, better
akh fie !
akbir (a.) Zas^; (v.) Zreep back
akhiz blame
akbras deaf aivl dumb
akhkb brother ; akbuh his
brother
akhkhar postpone
alzam compel, hold responsible
alf thousand
al'an more accursed (mal'un),
worse
allif compose
amar order, give orders
an arrive (of a season)
ana 1
ani irhich ? what ?
anis enteriain
anliu, enbu which? what?
a wan season, time
ayis n'sA- (v.)
E, eb what ?
esb what ?
efendi gentleman, sir
emta when ?
E
en where; min 6n (minen)
//â– hence
rwa, aiwa yes
ey, eyiba whichever
Ibrlq jug
ib'ad remove
iblagb inform. ; come of age
ibn sow
ibwab (pi. of bab) '/ot> / - s
it'aggar 6e /e£
it'agas 6< annoyi d
it'akkid be convinced
it'akhkhar bi late
itbauwish suca > d to
it iiahis discuss
itbarik be blessed, fortwnaU
it 1 ■.- 1 1 • t .- 1 1 be bribi d
itbassim smile
it I'.is-a- cala) play the spy
itbashsbar be blessed with,
lucky in
itba"ad be removed, keep oneself
away
itball be wetted
in.;>:il reach
itt;\(|il 'ala sprak roughly to
i 1 1 ,'i k i l b( <aten
ittakbid be am â–
ittakhir stand back
itiallit look with disdain
it t a will, ittaub yawn
it.'iwil. -ala assault, (d'use
itgarr be pulled
itgarrab In tried
[pallid bi bound (l>ook)
itgama', iggama' / up
itgharbi] be sifted
itffhasal /<< washed
ARABIC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
.-.77
itghasir be bold
itghalab be conquered
itgh&miz wink at one another
ithauwa be aired
ithabb be loved
ithatt be put
ithaggar be harsh, rough
ithaddit chat
ithassar regret
ithash be kept off
ithaffaz be in safe keeping
ithaqqaq be verified
itkakk be scratched
ithamaq be quick tempered
ithamal be earned
i'hammil bear malice
itrabba be brought up
itrattib be arra
itra<M In: />>// to (door)
itraddid l aA& frequent (v.)
itrazil 'ala blackguard (v.)
itrafad, itrafat be dismissed
itrat'as be kicfa d
itrafa' In- /
i, i„- riddi />. â– â–
itrakkib be put up, fixed ></>
itrama be thrown away
itramm be repaired
itrawa be irrig
itsliataf. ishshafaf be chipped,
broken off
iteharab, ishsharab h irunk
it'abad be worship \
ir-;iT;i In- given
it'araf be knoum
it'azam be invih d
it'asbir aseocii
tt'afra{ behaix Ufa '"/■/"'«"S8ed
it'allaq i« guspt nded
it'&j i<i / In HI: "it- « if 'i dandy
itfatah l»- <>p< n,,l
itfahain //< tin
itfadda] pray
itfarrag i» $hown, A-"/.-, â–
itfassah take a walk
itfassal be cut out (suit)
itqaddim be advanced
itqafal be locked
itqala be f
itqalab be upset
itqalla be fried, scorched
itqan perfect (v.)
itkabb be spilt
itkhabat be knocked, bumped
itkhadam be served, waited on
itkhasim waiya ha ence
with
itkbafa hide om
itkhaffa disguise oneself
itkhaniq quarrel
itkhanqu they quarrelled
itlamm be gatht red, colh cted
itrnarragh roll (v.i.)
- k be seized, caught
itnaddaf be cleaned
itnaq; 1
itnen two
itwagad be found, I
itwaggih be turned (towards)
itwahaa get
itwahal I I, stuck
itwahhash
itwarib h slanted l put to (door)
itwazao be weighed
itwasaq i» laden
itwaasal act as a go-h fireen
itwalad bt born
itqalab ask for oneself
i\ tarrab i > com red, tilh I, with
dust
igtama' collect togt thi r (neut.)
iggaddid be rent
igga'maf bt puffed up with
pride
,.<• /„ collected
igradd g I fa U d
igwai doubU ( v. |
378
ARABIC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
igwaz (pi. of goz)
ighriba (pi. of ghurab) crows,
/Vn/,:-<
ighmaqq become dark (colour)
ihtag, ihtawag beg
ihtar, ihtar l» j bewildered
ihtaram honour (v.)
ilit iram respect (s.)
ihrima (pi. of hiram) blankets
ihsan, ahsan show charity
ihmarr turn red
i 1 1 ri . i we
id ha
idda he gave; iddant he gave
iddat she gave
iddahdar be rolled
iddarwish nsh
idda'a pretend; idda'a 'ala
accuse
iddakhil interfere
iddan tall to prayer
iddawa be treated medically
iddayin min be made a debtor
by, ouh
idd&yiq be pressed, \
i<l'l-'-t /, you, gave
i'Mini give me
idddh they gave it, him
idyar (pi. of d§r) convt nts
irl aga' min n noun
irtadd be put to (door)
irtada consi nt
irta'ash tremblef be frightened
irtafa' bt raised
irtakan
irghifa | pL of rightf) loaves
irmadd </< / ophthai
iriai Ihmir (imp. )
i/a if
i radd g< t flush* d
izraqq becomt blue
izzahlaq slip (v.)
izzey h
izhar bring to light
isbinsa, sibinsa pantry
istaulid beget generations of
children
istabda liegin
Lstabrak be blessed, find lucky
istab'ad find too far
istatqal consider heavy, severe
istatwil nafsu hold one's I,
high
Lash consider a donkey
i pab be astonished
istaghraq be drowned
istaghlib â– red
istaghmar consider a donkey
istahza' make fun of
istahil dest
istahsio food
istahfaz 'ala protect, guard
istalikim dorm
istahla find <iceet
istahmil last, â–
istadrag 'ala â– /> t i nd
istarzaq get ont 's U
istar&ad li waylay
istarkhas consider cheap
ista'/.iu at -ion
istazraf o . â– â– >od
Istas iiil fin â– ' â– asy
istasma 'an inquirt nam*
?ghar a 'ill, too
small
LBtaahbid â– ; t n at
i>ta-ta take {drinks, drugs, <yc.)
vs\ /gib ■'• ast ■■i '
i.-taT.i! â– '/iiittntar
istafhim inqn â–
istafragh omit ; find empty
istaqbil n
istaqrab find,
istakiuil /• fin
istakhbar ;/•/ m we from
istakbdim bt â– mpl
ARABIC-EN< JLISB 70< SABTJLARY
istak j \.)
tstalaf bo
[stambfll Stamboul, Oonetanti-
istamlik acquit â– â– â– of
istanzi] dedud ; * 'an) rem
istanna •
ipe, he
roo/:> d
ike priso
•'nt
Lsl ihaqq d
a oath, (h
istihamma take a bath
istihbab chumming together
istidall inquire
Lsti'add idy
istiqan
istiqall, istaqlil
ill
Lstilaqqa catch,
istikann seek bTu
i-tiln :
i
â– IjH ,1
i — .- » 1 - : 1 1 1 lord it
'' /• let go, • - â–
[gkandartj Iria
Lskandaran! ' sham'
â– null* .<
Lakoshrakil racquets
ism n
Lsman by â–
iftwadd turn bl
igw&q j j-l. of >'';<) |
iswid
ooi
issadif chance to rm â– t
isaaraf be apt nt
isfarr turn //• UotD
isinarr turn bl\
ishtaghal be busy, work
ishtara buy
ishtarak tnership
LshtarSt / bought
ishtai u //<< ij bought
Lshtiri buy (imp. »
ishtirinna ( = ishtiri Una) buy
for us
isnshahid aj pon ntly
ishshahin wra
[]
ishsharmaf bt turn
isii.-li.'ikil quarrel
i'tazar meself
mad trust, n ly .
i'lan, alai
i'mam pL of 'amm)
it'tah ojh n (imp. i
iftarad /•• ■'■.
iftaqar &< c
iftakar imagvm , th
ifrangl A'»/-.y
ifqai 'sh
iqtad '////
•'' (imp. i ; /''//' (//<•/,• /)
iqfij shut (imp. )
ikram, akram //â– <<>/ trt'fA Ac
ikkal]imu they tall
ikmiiiii
ik lit ar. iklit.-'ir chOi
ikhtalaf be contradictory
ikhtamar i -â– {dough)
Lkhtiyar old
ikliklii pugh .' ugh .'
ikliw ,
ikliw.'iu broth*
Libia put mi (imp, )
iltafal ati
iltamm /â– gat)
ilia e/ j \
'.80
ARABIC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
illi vho, which
ilwan (pi. of Ion) colours
imbeiator emperor
imratu his wife
imkan, amkan be possible
iubabat 'ala gaze at
inbadal be changed
inbarasb be pulled asunder,
split; sprawl
inbarib, imbarih yesterday;
auwil inbarib the day before
yesterday
inbas be hissed
inbasat, inbasat hepleased (min )
' "Joy
inball be wetti d
inbana be built
inbisat, inbisat enjoynu nt
intaqab he pierced
intaqan be done with \ precision
intaJa, imtala be Jill* d
intafa be > x fin gui shed
intawa he folded, bent
ingadal be "plaited
ingarah 6i wound* d
ingarr tab oneself off
ingazz be shorn
ingazar, ingazar be slaughtered ;
/>, tortun d t mentally)
inga'ag /</>///</<•
ingama' h, colli cted
ingharaf be dislu d up
Ingliz English
inglizi English
inhabas be imprisoned
inbaras be guarded
inbasha he stuffed
inhasbsb he mourn
inhabit he loved
inhalab he milked
irularr feel oneself injured
Lnzad inert ast . rise
inzalat be swallowed
insabagh /»_ dyed
insaraq he, it. mis robbed
insawa be cool'" I
insarr be pleased
Lnshal be carried away
inshirah g â–
in'araf be known
inqatal be hilled
inqalab turn over (neat.)
inkabb bepourt'/. -<jiilt
inkatab /» written
inkasar hr broken, he hw
inkasaru they wen broken
inkbabaz be bo.
inkbadd bt fright-
inmasak, immasak
inn that (c): innulnun that
tic y
innaiiia '.'■••> j>t that, only that
i\ak that
iyain. iv/un (pi. <>t' j
' .'. 1. 1 room
his
ugar (pi. "t" ugra)
ugra /-'.v. hio
inltu, udtu ( oditu) hit
(Jrubba Kurojn
urublia\'\i
limp.)
uqai ttoj < imp, >
uq'ud sit, imp.)
nkt
AJRABU ENGLISB 70CABULAKY
38!
akra d
nkht -
ukhtu
fila Jhtt (f.)
uiniii n <>ther
niiiiiii //",
uwad, awad (pi. of
TOO
B
Baaw&b •/â–
bauwar /< ace /<//•
ghi
J'"'
li.itii
bahlaw&D prettier
liter
Ualil • //;
bahr -
li.iliri north
bada I
badrl
.
baha'im, l>.ih;'iviin
pencil, Ac. )
i
baraqit // liyh '
,i- (pi, of barq
1..11.1U. pi of b
li:'u id cold
b&rik li congratulati . barik ti
barbai t, berber
bargiii
bard cold (s.)
barda'a d
bardn
barra out ; bil&d bai i
barr&ni i
barrik rnafa /
I y/'// |
barwiz/,
v. )
ba.-k.c.
.
bash
bashbisb •
"
li.'i'u •
ba'd after; ba'de bukra ///<•
â–
ba'd
.
1 >.'u i i
l)a«|(|a!
I 'a kht /;/<•/,
Kaklikli .-,
382
ARABIC-EXGLISH VOCABULARY
balakdn, balkdn balcony
balta axe
baltu overcoat
ballas, ballasi jar
hi Hat />are
balla'a sink, drain
ballon, balloon
ballu /-(?//, '/-/•
ban appear
bana A?///-/
banati (pi. of bintu) />>ij>o1eon?
banu ///- // /'«///
bantufl, banl ulli >7//<y" rs
bantal&n trousers
bank //a///,-
banna builder
bayad "■///'• . «ZoMr
bayin, bf-yin a/j . appar-
ent, appan ntly
ouse
ging to, of
lirli (pi. behawaM )
b£d ej7.^8 ; b$da a»i
berstm, barsim ctow r
beyikkallim A- /â– < speaki
beyic (baiyin) explain, â– xpos(
bi, be, l'u. j'n, //â– ////. A//
bitt ( bint) : /<V/, daughter
bitshawish -•A/-/' constable
bitqul
bitna (b£l oa) ">//• fa
bighal (pi. of baghl i mules
bidal rVw/< '
bid pi. of abyad |
l.iiltri, for I. .'.li'.'n (§§ 11. 17,
blr a well
blra ;
birid gretf eo&Z, eafcA cold
birka pomi, /"/,•>
birwaz picture frame
bizr si
bisilla /" is
bi'ld/ar, distant
bi't 1.
blqul A' s
l>iki ,.
liikhil rft»
bilad(pl. of balad) founts, a'-'
bilyardu billiards
bimb - •'/
binaya building
bint _'////, daughU r
biyut (pi. of 1" '
buda'
burtuqan onw
burda, burda
mostly in Upper Egypt
burqu* > // (s.)
burners fori
busa{ '-'ifj'-t
luitlVh .-7</< htninl
lmki
bulls, bul -
bulla) /,â–
bunduqiya </'./<
buya patnJ
1 »i- i t i — , berii
burnittak
11, 17.
bifid fi bilad
T.niw ib ceutsi '
tali rap< ni
ta| 'iui va Hnation
erchant i <•<>»>-
â–
•
ta'hu •:
taliu U /
ARABIC-ENGLISH V< K A I'.TJLARY
tarabfea I
â– itei-pret
targumai) m/< rpreU r
ta/.k i
tiizyir clothing oneself in
Tasu iva -•<•
taalth
â–
tashrli •_ monies
(imp.)
'
ta"ab
itely
"!'• I'M
'"J
takhu :
tikliinin : hi t tiklnnin at a
i imately
:. talata, thr&
• ligraf telegrai
.
talmiz .- •/.
â–
tamalll "
â–
tamn
•In (pi. <»f tanbil)
tanbil, tanbal . 1 * i 1 /<>
tangtd carding, making
tresses, ..
tandtf cleaning
tannu, tannita /
tanniha, &c (§ 218)
tawahan wool gatJu
t»'ki'm you wiU be
•.\ </•>// if. will be
tenam
tibqa sfu
titakhbtt >â–
_
tigharbil si
1 Lhassal .»•/,.
lira
ti'il>
ti'lian snah
ti'raf, ta'raf you kn
tiffafa apples ; tiffaha
beqtl a
tikliiii -//•(*'/• thick
t i 1 i 111 get >'/ nut
tilt n thiol
tiwaddj â– <!>â–
tiyatru ///â–
t6b -//
tul ilia lt> r
Turk bil&d it
Turk /
fcnq'ud you fit
tukliaii (pi. of t ik hi ii ) thick
tumn mi eighth
tramw&y tram
turn* ii
taliakl
taliikl lish
â–
584
ARABIC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
tasa howl
tabbii 'ala they fell upon, at-
tack'.* I
tata bend down
fcarabeza table
tarak bear fruit
taraq knock
tarawa /'/'>
fori fresh.
tarbush ft z
taza fresh
ta'us peacock
ta"am vaccinate
taffa, tafa extinguish
taffish drive away
taqtaq explode
taqni suit
fcal n acJi
talabu they demanded
talib asking
tall overlook
talla', tallah he took out, away ;
imp. take out, away
t alia 'it she pulled out
tallaq he dirorced
talyani Italian
tawa fold (v.)
tamar bear fruit
tawil lon<j, tall
tayir flying
tili' ,'/o o«f. w_p
tiLu they went up
timi' fi oo
tt'ir /'////
tuba the bill Coptic month
turshi pickles
till height, length ; tul il the
whole
tulu' ascent, rising, departing
G
ga', gih come
ring
gabit gfte brought
gabti //Vy brought
gabbar <v>/< /
gabbis ;//■'"'• /<•>/-■/. ;/'•/ hardened
gat >//' C077W
gahiz ready, r<-<vly
g&hil ignorant
gahhiz /'/• <
gada' fine ft How
ighbour
gara // /"'/</<â–
garah mmthi < v.)
gar '-. garaz ft< //
gardal fctcfa /
gam "'//,•<■/•//»
garnal publish, w\ . fa a
gary a rimming
«_r . \ x. : i punish
gazz »7iear
gazzar, gazzar butcher
gazma pair '/ feoofe, sAoes
gazmagi sh
gass sound (v.)
ga'an, gi'an }tun</ry
gakhkh £o2Ac ///</, I
galsa sitting
gallab slam
gallabiya gown
gallid bind
gamal camt /
gain ill hard, strong
garni*
gamfls buffaloes . gamfl
buffalo
tin>)
gammas ; \ffal
gammal vmel d
gammid h i
gana'in, ganayio i pi
AKAI.H ENGLISH VOCABULARY
385
lener
ar
tad
â– 'â– :/â–
gawamls (pi. of gamfls)
geb p
g /
vrmy
<ribt /. you, brought, have
light
<_'itt:i
gib he ra. .
giha
gid&p foundation, low nail
gdild, <_ f edid new
gidri •
gid'an (pi. of gada')
giri run
gizamati eh
gisr
gild leather ; gilda ,
/' '///^ /•.
gilgil small bell
gimla, gumla total quantity.
nun
gimid get hard
gineh pouwl (money)
ginena go.
ginninfa ;/â– ru ml (<,.)
gdz husband
oalnuts
goza
itn. gum M<e>/ c«?/?6
gudad, gud&d (pi. of L r i<lid)
gurual,/"
guztu his
guzha her husband
gu' liuihi' r
gu'r&Q .«-'irab
gumudiya, bardic - ^ss
gumruk custom-house
guinruk-lii eustom-houi
gam'a 7 >ek
Lri'nva in, *
guwar environs
gninl _ niti)
(ill
( ihabbar th
(a.)
ghadS /"/."'A
gharb, gh
ghasaJ eoosA
.It /. you, washed
ghaal]
}_'lia .;/'
ghasl
gbala
ghall
juer
i rally
ghalwa, gbalya a boiling
gbaxtag 6< >A//.
rich
ghanna sing
gbam
ghaw
gh&ya - W
^'lirt //'</'/
miii gher without
ghtt&D (pi.
ghiriq
ghirqum '
L'liili
ARABIC-EXGLISH VOCABULARY
be conquered,
ghilib, ghulub
worsted
ghiyar a changing
Hat bring (imp.)
hah HUle,feio
hadad a demolishing
hadd demolish
harab /fee, ran away
harabti they fled
haram pyramids
liana lni/,yiness
liidi heroine docile
ghurilb west
ghulut err
ghuna a singing
H
hawa wind, air, atmosphere
hidiya present, <jift
hidma garrm nt
hilik parish
hina here
hiya she
humma they
huwa, huwa (huwwa) lie, it
Ha, ha sign of future
haiyar perplex
hauwish hoard up
habara kind of <-/nak
habas imprison
habb /or" (v.)
hahl i-'ifn'
hatta i uere, //«///
batt /////*
for batita putting (f.)
h;itt;ii> icood-outter
l.i.'tf (<'t A i/ou, put
hattu ///< v /<>//
haga thing, something
hagar stone
hagg pilgrim
bagg V "// pilgrima
hadaf throw
b&diq >'///, /â– /â– ti>-/:>*h
hadd sol - wftty . lihadd
a 1,1 i I
haddid bounds limit
badu . (pi hadrtn)
haddai 1 prepare, bring
liar //"/
haraq /<>//•//
haram wrong,
ha rami robtier, i
bariqa ///r
harba /a/zee
harbiya //•<//• o$ce
hair //<<//, fatf
hazz ' ///.<<
hasab ; 'ala hasab ae â– â– <>nlinij in
hasana charity, alms
hasib .<'///'' //•//// ; (imp.) fan
mind
hasal //'/y///- R
hasira ///«/
hassal /•• ,/ -h
hash /'
hashish ;,-
haslish ./// gran, >>Wir
hashwa stuffing
liat'a -/ .■•-;/;/ ;
liatiz look a
haffad moJa loam byhetsri
baqtqa //•////;
baqq t uth, right
haqqaq verify
hakim
A i: A UK-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
38;
halan immediately
hala wiiii • r
lialla pot
hama pr<
hamilt mother-itirlaui
hamar red, Hour
hamaqa fu Jishness
ham >yns
ham.]
hammar donkey-hoy
1 lain main bath
hammil load (v.)
lunula load (s.)
halia
Lanak mouth
hantur victoria
hannin cause to pity
hawal squint
hawali'n around
haw
hawit surround
â– ,ill
chat ever
hekimdar commandant
hilir ink
( pi. of hitta)
hitta piece of land
'.'
>tli
higgag (pL of b
hidashar, hidashar, 1 l_i â–
ih'larihai •
hiilir appear
hiziu be sad
hisab account
hifna handful
h\h. , :. protecting
hikava .-terry
hikma wisdom
hilw e
himlr (pi. of humar)
himu heat
himm& fever
hinnlya compassion,
lawful animal
hdd tank
hosh enclosure
hubb Zor<?
hutt jwd (imp.)
hugara (pi. of hagar)
huduqiya go&ti
hurras (pi. of harisj
dians
'hurma woman, lady
huaaj [far
lius'tu forae
hu si-
ll ufra liole
hukuma govt m
hul (pi. i if ahwal) .-â– jiiiii'-
huxn&r, him&i donkey
hunrad </â– t sour
humr (pi. <if ahmar)
J>
1 >a this
lai)in charge wi&i a debt
r, dauwar turn ; ('ala)
dabbiafa / tch rubble
dabb nng
ilabdar roll (v.t.)
dahhal
ilk about
'ass
h dt rvisJi
dashsb crushing
dafa' .
dafi' ('an) protect
daft
daffa
â–
388
ARABIC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
daqq heat, pound, mash; play
(music)
daqn beard ; chin
dakbal enter
dakhalu they entered
dakbkbal he brought, put, in
dakbkhan smoke (chimney)
dall (*ala) indicate
'dawakh, dauwakh make giddy
dawaya inkpot
del tail
dt this (f.)
yWhhkn. flies
dihik laugh
dibk laughing
(lira' arm
disambar December
diqiqa minute
dikka bench
dilwaqt, dilwaqti now
diinagh brain, head
diwan office, ministry, compart-
ment
diyana religion
dob ; dobak, ya dob scarcely
d.61 these, those
dubara siring
dugbri straight, straightway
durg drawer
duk-bamma those
dukkar dog-cart
dukkan shop (f.)
dukbul - idnj
dulab, ddlab cupboard
dun low
dungulawi native of Dongola
dunya, dinya world ; weather
dra' = dira'
D
Dab' hyena
dahr back
darab he struck, beat, rami (a
bell), fired (a gun); darab
biiya he painted ; darab balta
he took a stroll
.I: ir. i bit she struck
darabu they stroke
darabnah we struck him
darb striking ; blow
darba a blow
darr injure, hurt
da'if weak
da Sla' waken
daman guarantee, insure
def guest
dirs molar tooth
dimn among
divui (pi. of diM)
diibiV (pi. of dab')
(lu'f weakness
(lufr fimji r-nail
li
Ra'a
ra'af be clement, ex
. ill go away
rabat tie, hind
nili.iiu they fasti ru I, tied
rabdh plane
rabb Lord, lord
rabba bring up
l;il»t:i
i-'lmI man
i 27)
light back, re-
tur
ragba
raghwa froth .
, r&hii
ARABIC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
-
rah he went
they went
radd give back, return; put to
(a i
radaw.-i depravity
razaq pon, bless with
rasm tax
ras head; ras is sana New
Year's day
bl = il astabl
ia>ras tn mble (from cold)
rassas place in a row
ra'a t- ttch ; chas-
tise
i.i -a 'lit it thundi
ra'ra' ;/â– / fresh and green
rafagu they kicked
rafraf splashboard of carriage
rait' .-//• //■'
raqaba neck
raqabiya collar
raqad lie down
raqaa <ttnce
raqid //////;/, //,<>. 7 *7/
rakil'
rakk TOMJ (v.)
rakha
rakhrakh too
he tlir> w
1:1 in it s?u threw
ramu ///<;<// threw
rami xarcd
ramm repair
rani] m?'/ (v.i.)
rawa water, irr
r't ; ya iV-t would that I
rigi' fte returned
rigi'na we retu
(pi. of ragil)
lit (§33)
rig] /ootf
riha s7/2e/Z (s.)
ridi accept, '■••n*ent
ridlt / consented
rizq mst< nance
risi reach; come to a/jreement
rif vittagi . country
riq saliva
rikib /•/</'â–
rikliu /7*?y rocfe
i-ikliis cheap
rubat fytw^
rubb&wi European
ml)' quarter
rulit /, yo», iflettf
ruzz
rus (pi. of
ruffif (pi. of raff)
riikn
Zatra ' ■■• (v.t.)
in, Baba'in (pi. of
zabtLn)
•, c7t< rri
i '///
â– â– â–
'li:i, /.iralilia ."■.-•""• -/
/a'nl
zaketta ja
/i man A)/-./ fl^O
• i ml m1 basket, ham \
•propi rlij
/.irfi'at CTttpS
/i'il â– !< t angry
I I
390
ARABIC-EXGLISH VOCABULARY
Zabit officer
zalrir clear
zahr flower
zabra Hue (for washing)
zalani ivrong (v.)
zann tMrik
zubbat (pi. of zabit)
zughannan, sugbattat tiny
zubiir (pi. of zabr)
zur force, forgery
S
Ba' harm (v.)
sa'al ask
sauwah tourist
sabab reason
sabat basket
sabiq race with
sabt Saturday
sab' //on
sabqa ram
saggan c/aoh r
sagh; qirshe sagh tariff piastre
sadd A/*"-/,- (v.)
saddaq 6< /
saraq sfeoZ, ro&
saraqfi ///< y *fote
sarg, serg saddle
sa'a strive, help
sa'a watch; sa'a . . . sa'a .-
fames
sfi'ati watchmaker
S.'l'i'l //>//,
safar jbum / (s.)
safir //■" y. »tar<
sa£b t /, //"", //•'?/• //■d
safril •-■//- //•'"•' Ked
sat'rA ///'// //vf- //. ./
saqqa* watt r-ca
eakar mate drunk
Baku overcoat
sakk A)--/,- (v.)
sal /^'"' "'
;//«, ///;</ , w i |
• <///
>.i 11 it' /. //•/
sallim deliver ; sallim 'ala sa-
sallimit sfte eft //
saxaakJisJi
samih pardon (v.)
sana year
sanadgi trunk-maker
sandiK|
sawa togetfu r
sayasi (pi. of slsl)
sayia groom, manage
sryalj, saiyali
seyibu, they It t go
seyibt, saiyibt /. you, I
Bibtl fountain
sibtimbar S
sitara curtain, window bUnd
sitt lady, grandmotht r
sitt, sitt: i six
sitra coat
cigarette
da i-aipet
Bign /
sid A*/-./, w
sMi'ri fraM
sirlr b ■/■*■.'•
sirdar, sidred&i
cWe/
Bifartya jounu y, Wp
sikak (pi. of sikka)
Bikil
sikir »/'/ d
sikin 6e /';///â– !
ARABIC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
391
sik!-:
.sikkin, sikkina knife
sillim steps, ladder; sillima one
step
(s.)
simih bright, smiling
siini- hear
simin grot
sim'u they heard
Binls (pi. of .-ana)
Sinn
tin
subft' (pi. of sab')
a sixth
sftd (pi. of iswid) â–
suq market
sufra dining-table
.; table-servant
sukkar sugar
sukkaiiya sugar bat
sukhuna, sukhuniya/erer
sukhn A"/
D sultan
B
Saiya'l, s.'-yVl fisherman
pabl youth, <i. ,
sabbar
pagara a tree
^atiin / •'/?■r ; sabb
ili) il l><'t landlord
snliili //(/ .
salulia fru&
sahli
sahh .
1
sar.ikh gftrti k (v.)
â– dt
kiI; (v.) arrange
prayi >â–
â– ra "â– //)'/ -room
salili
yalla prop
8.illat in
sallah />e repaired
pallahu //i^y repaired
tray
si'-f summer
sihi to
sihir (siliir) .<// ?//•, >ratrh
-
>ulia' finger
subh imirniii'i ; is subh
>ulyan (pi. - )
sutuli
pugunda a
sujiiiiyar .-//<«//
pughr '7///
suiainati cobbler
siirui-
sufra •
su.pit faU (v.)
suinr (pL i 'Town
thin
SB
IMA (v.)
:i. si i .'vali for -
>liai â–
slial'.ili r-
slialiaka in f
slmlili young
slial.i
392
ARABIC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
shatam insult (v.)
shatim insult one another
shatir clever (pi. shuttar and
sbatrin)
shagar trees; shagara a tree
shag!' bold
sbahid witness (s. )
shahhil hurry (v.)
shabr month
shahat beg
shadd he pulled
shara.1) stocking, sock
sharat tear (v.)
sharad run away
shari' street (pi. shawari')
sharik take into partnership
sharba draught
shart condition
sharr wickedness
sharraf honour (v.)
sharqaw! native of the provina
of Sharq
sba'ir poet
sha'r TiazV
sha'lil /'///•>•/' info flames
sliaf Tie saw
shaqi unruly
shaqq fissure, crevice
shak§ta /ac/a /
shakftsh hammer
shakk cheque
shakwa complaint
shal />â– ' carried, took away
shalti ///< v caj
Sham : bilad ish Sham SynVi
Bhamasl *>ui.</i<i<1>\ umbrella,
shutter
ahambanya chanq i
shams (f,) sun
sham'a candle
sham'idan candlestick
shamm s?rae7J (v.t.)
shammam water-melons
shanab moustache
shanaq Twrea
shanta &aa, portmanteau
shankal hook
shawahid apparently
shawish constable
sha'if, shayif seeing
slir thing
shgtan Satan, <levil
sbeya'u they sent
shibbak wi
shitwa, shita winter, rain
shihid mtn< --â– (v.)
shidld, shed id violent
sbidda viol
shiddiya robustru ss
shirib drink
shirik accomplice, partner
Bhiribt /, you, drank
sbivbu they drank
shHr barley
shil take away (imp.)
shQf a
sh&ka fork
shugh] work, business ; shughla
shuhhad (pi. of shahid)
shurh drinking
Bhu'ara < pi. of sha'ir)
slmft /, //<»/, MM0
shuqay (pi. of shaql)
Bhukall quid trr% I-
slnill horse cloth
Bhuwaiya a ; t>le
'aiya E/niM
• ii\ i' [ft ■p
n ///
•aiyid 'ala
'ai\ il <•/(//»/
'.â– mi/, 'air wanting
ARAIJK '-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
'an- t ,/in (v.)
'auwart you damaged
'auwaq !
• lishonour, be dishonour
':il>l,i/7'//
Vila it
in thirsty
•le
ins
yiz (pi. of 'agfiza)
â– 1 dough
â– igfLza old woman
'ada cust
'adda cross
'add fee bit
'arabi Arab, Arabic
'arabtya carriage
*arag, 'urug ; - la
yis (pi. of 'arfisa)
'arid broad
'firid
/e)
'arik ///?
'azab tor
'azzib tortun . punish
ir (pi. of 'askai i)
'aakarl .-•<//,//, ,-
7,- (pi. 'i:
>// ////•</, spat r
â–
'asl for, 6eca
â– ashwa dinner, supper
.
•al-li /</;/•,'
•aql understa
'ala ik (il)
•akis annoy, tease
<al ^ 'ala il
• .1 /v-ry good, first
'ala o?;, fo, a/, o/, a&owtf
'alam /'<7rZd
'all //''////, /owd
'alig A'"//, attend
'aliq, ; a 1 Tiq /ocfefer
'alqa a thrash
'allaq 7?a«f/ wp, ptd /o. attack
'allim teach; ('ala)
'am x//7//; , 7? oa£
'amal fa '//•/. made, has done,
'ainalha i
'amalt /, yaw,
'amil £rea£
'amm paternal uncle
'amma paternal aunt
'amnauwil last
'an from, than ; = 'ala ii
•and a£, Ay •
'andak //"// have
'aii<li / //•
Miikabut q
'anwin </>/,/,'.<.•< (v.)
'a win .â–
'avir reproach
'6ah /'/-ea</
â–
vyar /•''/••/ o/ basket
•il'\ (pi. of -al'aya )
'itir stumble
' i t T : i 7no<^
'itU <neeze
xtival, holiday
'irif //•
nu
•irit't /. you, /,7/« //•, y
(pi. nf v •
'irshan (pi. of Parish)
'isbrtntya ?i
394
ARABIC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
'ilm knowledge
'imi qet blind
'iwadma instead of (with verbs)
*iyi get ill
'oza need
'utaqi robbler
'uturat perfwn
'flga, '6ga (f. of fewag) crooked
'urban (pi. of 'arab)
'ukkaz crutch
'uniad (pi. of 'umda)
'umr age
F
Fa, fi, fe but, however, and
fairwit hi pass
t'jt j iss, leave
fatab open (v.)
fatahu they <>i>imed
i'atit she passt d
tatih opening, open
la 1 ma I In // passt 'I
fatla piece of airing
fatatri pastry-cook
fagr dawn
fabbim give to understand, in-
form
fakm coal
F&di empty
Fadda w7»< r
fadl : min fadlak A// gfOW /â–
kindly
far mouse, ra£
farab wedding f .-•//
Far i'_'i poulten r
faraq separati (v.)
1 1 empty
fariq part from, /■•
Farrag 'ala s/
Fai i mi • /,--/â–
Farsb /" • /, 2x dding
I'm kli:i
fas (f.)
ib ///^/,-' ,
(v.t.)
fasqiya/o
• «l -•>// .-«/ (elol
t'a'il workman
faqti j
fakahani fruiterer
f;ik-h& f)*uit
fakk unfasten ; (s.) untying
fallah cultivator, fellah
fan el la
fanus /«//// ///
fayavnia ()>1. of favumi)
f&yit passing
t'avuin ;/' f//e .Fay
frll ///
fi, fi «'n
fibrayir February
fitir ;/- / /»/'/'/
fitir break the fast, breakfast
fitibc pastry
fih in it. Him, thert is, an
fihim vii'lrrstand
fidil n main
l'nur a /• - /'/';/
firaii (pi. Of f;'ir)
li'l d
fikr i
linik phenie (add)
finu _////•â–
F6q on, up,
FoqanJ hi
fui t /. . />ft
fl'lta /
fin ur /'/> akfast
futt.-n For fi
17)
furnina i ur <>i>en
ARABIC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
fusha
fulan such a one
fulus mot
fulftka skiff
Fran- 1
'suit
Q
Q: i hail seize
qabil
qabilt /
qabb
qabbil go -<ntth
qabl be/on ; qablem
(with verbs)
qatal hill
qa| ict
I
qat ; cutting, cutting >>fr' (s.)
qah&wl (pi. of qahwa)
qahwa
J/7W (v.)
qadir
q
qu'lil limit,
â–
qada do, / - y
qftdl /
qadlya affair, â–
i (v.)
qarili
/ hi/
qarl f saddle
qarrab apj . • «*•■/<
qafil shutting, shut
qafal gfcd
qila/V//
qala 4 £a&e ojf, extract
qalb ^ar#
qal- extruding
qal'a efta
qalam j* /<â– ; qalamha /<â– 1
qalam ruga? feod y •
qam & /-ose
([•uiiar, qamara //e-orm
qamis sfota
qamfis dictionary
ra bridge
qawam quickly
q.'iwi w /-y
qawil
qibaf (pL of qibti)
qibil -(
gil.ri '
qibli -
qidir At- <<
qira\ â– (s )
qirsh, qersh jTuufr qirshgnat
vriff piastre (2yd.)
qixasa botth
qilla .-farcify
qtma amount, aafa . 1
qiniiib tirinr. In m/>
qiy&m starting, departun
iti<m
in (pi. of qu llm)
qudan
qudum
396
ARABIC-ENGLISH VOC ABULA 1 1 Y
quddam in front of, before
quda, qudah (pi. of qadi)
qurus be stung
qusaiyar short
qusad opposite
qu'ad sitting (s.)
qfil say, suppose (imp.)
quit I, you, said
qumash stuff
qunsul consul
qunsulata consulate
quwa (quwwa) strength, power
Kabb pour
kabbar naisu give oneself airs
kabrit matches
katab write
bt 1 wrote
katabna we wrote
katib clerk
kattar increase, make much :
kattar kherak thank you
katm concealing
katma closen ess (< \ f a ir)
kahh cough (v.)
kaddab liar
kaddib give lie to
karat'
kartin 'ala put into quarantine
karsba hurrying (s.)
kaza so and so
kasar break
kae irfina saua pan
kasarti tJu y broke
kassar break to pieces
kasflil grow lazy
kasban losing
kashaf
kalam word, talk
kalftn lock
kalb dog ; kalbu ft is dog
kalbitfin
kalt /. you, " / '
kaiu how mttch / how many}
kaman, kemAo too t also, still
kamiii
kan he u-as
kanabe sofa
kanas sweep
kanit she was
kanu th> y
kann cover, shelter (v.)
kaniln not
kawalini locksmith
kawalingi
keinn as though
!• much, very : k( •;nna
kede so, f&vs, /usi
kelubb eZ«o
kibir grow big
kiblr, kebtr A/-/, "/</
Id tab A.,,./,-
kitaba writing (s.)
kdtabkhana ///<
kit f sAou2
kidb/ false
kilab (pL Of kalb)
kdm
kuliar (pL of kibtr)
kul> i
kubb
kubr
kutbt ( â– r
fox kuut
kulil (a.)
hip
ku-
AHABIC-ENGLISH V0< A i . t T,
kul r
kull all : kulle min kan every
kullf manhu tohOi
kull- whenever
kulluhuni 'ill of them
kumbai puny
kuiumitr.i . immitraya
a i
kuiiT / ,ou were
kunna ice were
kuwaiyis pretty
kuwar (pi. of k
KH
Kliaiii (f. khairiya) charitablt
khaiyat tailor
khai': rappiivj (kht:>h)
khauw&f timid
khauwif, khxawai frighten (v.)
kli.il >• ' /\ thi y knur,,
khabaf, khabl
khai
khabl
'ike
khadil
kha
klia'i' ,'
khai |
kha —
khaahab /rood; khashaba
I, board
khasl
kh&i/ear (v.)
khafa
khaftf light, slight
khafi .
/tele
kha!
khalat
khai
khai dy
khalif
khai bat mis
khall
khalla
khai]
khai!
I
kham /
khallili. r .
khanaq tl,.
398
ARABIC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
khirfan (pi. of kharuf)
khizi be eclipsed, be shy
khilaf ; bi khlaf contrary to
khud take (imp.)
khudar gn ns, vegetable*
khudari greengrocer
khurug going out, exit
khuruf he impaired (intellect)
khurs (pi. of akhras) deaf mid
dumb
khurm hole
khusara, khisara pity
khulali q nick -tempered
khulus be nnislied
khulsit is finished (f.)
kbulj temperaau at
La (particle) expressing surprise
(§ 246)
la' no
la, la not
lau, 16 if; Ian in even if ; 161a
', but for
laban mill;
l&bis wearing, having on
labb&n milkman
lagl, leagl that, in ordt r thai
Laghwa language, diah >i
lahsan It si ; /» oause
lahm meat ; Lahma bit of
la/.im necessary (pi. lazniin.
§ 33)
lafghar Eor il asgbjff
I a 'ili play with
lift fold (v.)
laqa, Ifiqa find
it'i't /. you, found, have found
laqu ///â– // found
lakin &ld
1 a k 1 1 1 >
laiiifin lemon*} laiuuin ,[
/â– tnon
lamba la
lamda l'im/>
lamm pick
lamma wJu n, until
lawa
leinn that, in order I
l.'h why?
li. le, lu to
l'l. 1 'la night ; il h'la tn-nijht
li. liVa fo
Libia cZolfc , put on
â– i me
LigW&Z for il igwftl
lihiq r take
still
li'll ;,
liqlya a find
lingUz, for il ingliz
16h board
16z a
I6n eo2oMf
lugha
lull (0 /</
luqma ; </W
lukanda /'.
Lvuidura, Lundoim, Ltmdm
Lou
Ma, in. i which, "'hut
J J i : i i \ it, li.
M
Ill.lIlL'
inaiiM
AitABlC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
mauwitti they killed
mabra I fi
rn.il.'
ixa ii.it â– . im rain
t ruined
matbakh kite
mutrah /
maghrib sunet f
magh&hflab fa
mabiya salary
mahl, '.ila mahl slowly
iii.ilni
vtion (railway,
mah&kim (pi. of mahkama)
in.-ihtiV /
mahsan, ya d • ly
mahfa lio
1 1 1 .- 1 } i k : 1 1 j i -â– l court, tribunal
madad sh tch i \g, â– ->â– "/â– >
madam t g thai
mad .
madra
Ldina) minart t
â– woman
mai bk\ !
> >i 1
III : 1 1 / all
' VTth
maczika music, band
I, correct
pit
â– "ii
â– in i
-,. .1
imi/iifi ,1
in.i-iiii no
masnid back of a
masarwa ( pi. of ma
•mi
I ill I
M:i>i i /
ada trap
bal carryi
mashayikh (pi. <>f sbekb)
mashgbfil busy
ma&bh&r n
maabsba mala to walk, iraJI.
mashy a walking
ii in' with
ma'addiya /'• rry
ma'ana with us
ma'isha a living
ma'rifa acquair, !
ma'laqa
ma'l in known ; no doubt, of
cot
mail
mafra loth
â–
maqaaf
maqdara , ility
]iiai|!'ul ci
ma'kfil eaU n
maktab writing
maktab il bu<
maksfir i oh u
makhddm nu
makhisan a 11 how .
in:ikli/;iii I'liii ,'i\\ l
in a train
in .1 propt rty,
mala fill,
malik king
malika â– ,
malh salt
•
ln:il\ •/ fill
400
ARABIC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
malyaii full, loaded
mandll handkerchief
maward, or moiyit il ma ward
rose-water
mawaslr (pi. of masura)
mayu May
metallim blunt
megfba, migtba a bringing
, megiya a coming
mebandiz i ngineer
mebibb loving, friend
medauwar 'ala looking around
for
uierasla messen
merakbl boatman
merkib boat, sh ip
ying, starting, a
visitor
me'ashsbish nesting
me'allaq hanging, hung up
liic'.illil;.
meqauma r« sisl
mekhalfa a contravening, police
menaggid upholsterer
mittaki] i aten, gnawed
mitr
uwiz married
mililia witl
midlna tuirn
mir inin ir (il)
mirwah a going, departun
mis inin is (il)
misik
mistaqrab li a\
mistakbdim employed
1 1 ii waiting for
misri', musri' hurrying
miskfi they ?Hzed
mistini'/o
mish = min ish
niisin walk (v.)
misbtara, musntara a huying
misbwar walk, errand
misbyu they walked, went on
mi'i with m*
mi'za
mil == min d
milaya sheet
mill! = min illi
min from, than : mill 'ala
from off; minba from her
It 1 1 !
minsbar
mint'akh belhjics
moiya wah r
niui death; exceedingly
mdz bananas
mutative a bowing, bending low
mulisin charitable
mudda . time
MuskJ name of a .<//• I
' ro
M aalim Mu.<.<<tl>n<in
musmar, musmar pumI
Musyu .l//-.
mush mabuwash
mushrik polyiheiiU, i'lo* I
musb'aranl /<•â–
mufl
uin'mi
N
nai\ im lay 'I, urn
eap (\ )
Al; \l;l< -ENGLISH VOCABULARY
4 «.)1
nahya direction, in the direc-
tion of
naiiali rail (v.)
nadaht / called
! ./• ecending
nazzil bring, >!ra>r, â– /
nuzar eyesight
â–
Nivii'mi Christina
n&ahif dry (a.)
nashr tawing
i.. i in.
iiatar ;•• non
natakli Mow (v.)
naffad thahe, duet
D&qifl irantinij
naqqa r/<<,
nakar deny
Ham /c .-•/'/<?, EA nt '
naiiii'i- moequitoet
iianuiiar tm, ni- r (v.)
oawil hand, /■• •
na\ ni>r
nayim lying, sleeping
II go
WabAx boat, train
"i in l
. n ; (â–¼.) hurt, ) a
m add love (v.)
u.ihicl (f. waliila)
v. ali<lu, li wah' hi /"/ /</
Wahcll '/â– â– '
wahl
il.nl
(pi. of widyan > valley
in /<<• brought, led
w i â– 1 < 1 l"l // â–
I /"/" »', -
mint, Debit uwu
niliaitu finally
oidif cfcan
oidim r- j>ent
nizil f/o, '"//<.', •/
uisa Moyiu /'
nisi forget
nisit /, you, forgot, h-n
â– â– â– â– II
niswfin loomen
oishif oeJ oVy
ni'iui «/< / .-<,irt
Nil A7A<
iiiint /, yon, gfepl
niinr ti'j- r
Nimsa .1 uetria, I
nimsawl (f. nimsawiya) . I >.■-•-
tnan, German
aiy&ba /•!•<■>,■<iti<m
1 1 in .-A i /<
IlUZl',1
nu>s half
nuijiis g\ t h h
Qofambar A- ■• mber
nuinura (pi of niinr)
\Y
u ard .'"-■• 4, fto\
wardinarl ordinary, common
In nr
I /ml on fa
warrl cAoto (imp.)
waraha workehop (pL irirash)
u.i/all Id /<//«
wau met'fo
• ( u Ofj >ni)
(v.)
k lia dirt
W .«1 jv,-. (/ 7 ( |,1 W :i ■oil.it )
2a
ARABIC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
\\af14 agree toith
wash wish whisper
waqif standing, stopping
waqt time; waqtiha at that
time
waq'a "battle, fight
u;i(|i|,r to lit fall. <//â– <>/>
waqqal stop (v. t.)
wakil agent
wakkil make rat, feed
walad boy
walla or
waanis console, keep company
wij we, 11 and
wclaii 1 Vi n If although
wids (f.) far
widy&n (pi. of wa<li)
w 11:14 (I 1 '- "*" wwaq)
wirie titfa
wirim moeZ2 (v. i.)
wisq load
wisikh dirty
wisil arrive
\vi>iya cfa
wisul. wusul arrival
wishsh /'are
wi r lit ."//'â– arrived
wiqi' fte, it, fell
wiqiM /, ;/.».. /'-'//
wiq'um /A. ///', //
wiqif stop (v. i.)
wilid /";/'/, give birth to
wugud presence
wusul arrival
wust middle, <â– â– 1
wust&nl centre, middle (a)
Ya 0, 0*
ya - itht r, or
yatim orphan
ya'ni that is to say
y&qa collar,
yakul be eafa
\aiu\ir January
yebl'ti ///'// •-'-//
yetalla'u ///<â– ;/ tfrato cm/
yegtb he brings
yebibbu they love
yeljushti they keep off
li he [!'<• s, will <j''
yeruiti tht
yeshfld th , carry
yeshuf he look -.
yeshflfu /A- y
\ eqfl] It
yeqfilu //<-•// •-"//
m he, //, stands it/,
yekhafO min ///' y ft ti>
yelimmO tht y pick up
yewaddi h( takt .
\ i • 1 . 1 • '. • \chfS
\ 1 • 1 . 1 . \up
yiiru ttey com*
yihkumu they judge
\ idrabu they si
yizkur /<- mentions, speakt
"/
visalliinu ' :
\ iskunti they I .
yisallahu they
yisiif he q
3 ishbiku they entai
yishtighilu, yi&htaghalti they
yisbxab he drinks
\ i-r
yiknllim
yikkalliinu tin
yilbiau ihe\
\ im.-liu tht 7 n alk
\ imkin it
yimlu they fill
'in
yuq'udu the\
yulya July
yunya Juntt
VOCABULARY
TO THE WORDS CONTAINED IX THE EXERl [g
ON THK ACCIDENCE
Part II. — English- Akaijic
A wfyid (§ 247)
aWilin maqdara
able gddir . be able qidir
about | oearly) tiy i taqi
abovi-
abroad j: bildd barra
were absent ghilma
(v.) thatam ;
rik
_ •
.
acid "
aequai make
acqu
add g added
i an', igga
addreei i €uuoin
advance qaddim ; be adi
Idim
affai
o!
Dt ten/: U
ree with mhlj ; &£
together is/'tira
agreement ; come t<< agrees
air /< MM ; ^'ivc- oneself aira
feabbar w/tu; be aired
tihauiDa
vriya
alive //"/'/;/'//
all fcuZZ ; all day /<;/ in .
all of them Intlluhuiu
almonds
alms //.;•
alone waljdu, livafydu ; live
alon<
althoug /;z /«, nwc 1
in
• llw.l .
a ml .It- (v.) itnthirin
among/If, a
amount -y////,/
i ma
anil «■. , tent*, «
404
ENGLISH-ARABIC VOCABULARY
animal hi wan
annoy l dkis ; be annoyed
it'asar, ittdkhid
another tdnl ; Tcamdn wdhid ;
one another ba l d, ba'dina,
4re. (§§398seq.)
apparently bd'in, bdyin, beyin,
shawdhid, ish shdhid
appear bdn, hidir
apple tiff aha (eol. pi. tiffdh)
apprentice sabi (pi. subydn)
approach qaiTab
approve istahsin
approximately taqriban, bi t
talthmin
April ah ril
Arab 'â– Arab (pi. 'urban), 'arabi
Arabic 'arabi
arise qdm
arm dird*
army '/'Wi
around hawalen
arrange rattib ; be arranged
itraitib
arrive wisil, (of a season) cwj
arrival wisul, wustil
ascend till 1
ascent tuhl i
ask sa'al ; talab ; ask for
oneself itfalab
asking (s.) su'dl, (part.) tdlib
asphalt as/alt
assault ittdwil l ala
assist sd'zd, 'a ta'n
assistance ; call to assist-
ance istigdr
associate (v. i.) it'dshir ; be
associated ishshdrik
astonish ; be astonished
istaghrab, ista'gib
asunder ; be pulled asunder
inbarash
at 'and, 'ala
atmosphere hawa
attach l alhi<i
attend ilta/at ; (medically)
i dlig
August Aghmfiu
aunt (paternal) l amma ;
(maternal) khdla
Austria Niinsa
Austrian nimsdtc! (f. mmad-
irhja)
awake (v. t.) sahha ; they
awoke ta/.'/td
axe balta
B
Bachelor 'azabangi
back (s.) dahr ; (of carriage)
mcumid ; stand back ittdkhir
bad ball"!
bake khabaz . be baked inkha-
baz
baker farrdn
balcony bcdakdn, bcdk&n
ball fcHra (pi. /./mar)
ball (dance) ballu
balloon bcUl&ii
bans (col. pi.
band (music) ma 68fa
I iank 6anA
barefooted : a going bare-
footed !â–
barley shitr
barrel barmil (pi. bar i mil);
(of gun) masdr.i
basket >//«(/
kit h hanundii' . (v.) utiha
Itatt le ,.;r./\i
bazaar tUq (pi. Mtodg)
/// . 1 shall be
w dl We t, hi'm . I was, mi
were hunt, we were kunni ,
ENGLISH -ARABIC VOCABULARY
40J
were Jatnu ; there is,
areft,fVi
bear (endure) istahmil
beard </</<//< (f. )
wild beast wahglia
(col. pi. I0OA«A)
beat darah ; Jagq
because 'tV/ sfato, 'askdn,
la/^-'i/), /â– fan, il;iniit/i
Income boga
bed /arsft .â– <:<> to bed ndm
Bedouin bcvl"
bedstead rirtr
before qabl, gable ma
beg thahat ; ihtaimy, iht&g
beget unlid ; beget generations
of children istavlid
begin bada, ist
beginning amoU
beguile gh
behind wara
I »t*l i*'\-.- taddaq
believer mu'min
bellgriras, garaz ; (small) gQgU
belonging I pi, i» tir)
bello \kh
bench dUcka
bend linwi
bending (bowing) down (s.)
unit
Berber, oath e of Berber, >•• r
beside, beside him, her ganbu,
gnainha
besides ghSr
'. upon /•
beware (imp.) "•<', //■/.*■//, tydk
bewilder; be bewildered *///</'/.
ilihir
Ucv W, bih (pi. bihaw&t)
bicycle, 'agala, buiklstt
. kibir (pi. kul
billiards (U'b) il bUyardu
bind raba{ ; (books) g
bound itrabaf ; xtgaUid
binding (cover of books) gUda;
(books) tag! "id
bird (large) fSra (col. pi. ter) ;
(small) 'asfdra (col.pl.'
V)irth wildda . give birth to
â– â– /'//,/ (f. tnldit)
biscuit ba&kaiotta (pi. hn.<L<ur?)
bir Atfta (pi. Iiitat)
bite" (v.) w/
black /-•//•/</ (f. .-•<<'/'/, pi.
turn black iswadd
blackguard (v.) itr6
blame dkhiz
blanket baffdniya, liir&m (pi.
ihrima)
Irikfi ; bless with
be blest istabrak, itbdrik;
be blest with itbathshar bi
blind (a.) a'ma ; get Mind •/ n i
block (v.) a .././
blow (s. ) A//-/. a . (v. i nafakh
blue ./•.,•-// ; (for washing)
i . become bine izraqq
blunl (a.) metallim , get blunt
///////
board (s.) WA
• gakhkh
boat merkii
boatman /<- ra&ftl
•.
l»<»il (v.t.) <//<<*/./ (v.i.) <//(// 1
boiling (s.) ghnlun, ghalya
bold sling!* ; be bold //./'.
book .
bookseller /.-«//'/
hole) kharaq
born : !»•• born iftoa
buttle <//
i ' \ . ) /. '
1 down i /
406
ENGLISH-ARABIC VOCABULARY
bowing (s.) mutdtiya
bowl tdsa
box sand&q
boy iralad, wad (pi. loil&d, tfUdd
ualdd)
brackish hddiq
brain dimdgh
bread l esh
break kasar ; they broke
fazsarH; break to pieces
kassar ; break the fast fitir;
be broken inkasar ; they
were broken inkasaril
breakfast (s.) futur ; (v.) fitir
bribe (v.) hartal; be bribed
itbartal
brMe 'â– arilsa (pi. 'ard'is, l annjis)
bridegroom l aris (pi. Hrsdri)
bridge qantara
bright (person) rimih
bring //'"'A, wadda ; I, you,
brought gtbt ; she brought
ijdbit ; they brought gdbH ;
bring it Adta ; he brings,
will bring yegib ; bring in
dakhkhal ; bring back ragga'",
bring up talla' (imp. talla'),
(educate) rabba; bring down
nazsril; be brought up itrabba
bringing megiba, tahdtr
broad 'arid (comp. a'rad)
broken makstir
brother akhkh ; my brother
akhuya, akhi ; his brother
akhUh,
brown asmar (pi. sumr) ; be-
come brown ismarr
bucket gardal
buffalo gamilsa (col. pi. ga?nd<,
pi. gataamU)
buffalo-drover gammds
build bana ; they built band ;
be built inbana
builder banvn
building (s.) bindya
built mabni
bull for
bump khabat fi
bundle rah fa
burn (v. t.) haraq ; be burnt
down inharaq
business skugJtf
busy mashgh&l
but h'lkin, fe,fi ; but for VAA
butcher gazz&r, gaxxdr
butter eibda
buy ishian (imp. i^hfh-i): 1,
you, bought they
bought i-',f'ir"i
buying (s.) mwAfaru
by mtn, »; 'and; (in oaths)
ict
< lairo Afofr
caliph ///"
call (â–¼.) nadah ; T. you, called
nadahi
camel gamal
c imel-driver gwnmdl
canal I
candl<
candlestick sAam't&ki
captain yw '.bdnhi
(v.) naggid
carding tangid
carpenter nag
carpet eiggdda, 6uady
cari Lag
carriei
.i- 1 \ . o my away tfcU (imp.
>•///*/); they
they carry yenhUd ; b
i ied i ''•' <•»/ .- b<
.■ui ie I i way in.«)hd
cat i y in -
ENGLISH-ARABIC VOCABULARY
40;
kffair) qa
ft, 1
cellar
ft '> (*•) '
( pi.
my : master of re-
moiii
chair i
champagne thambanya
chan . â– /'//'
chang< be changed
i/'/A • _
chang fyoV
charge assa
charity fyuana ; show charity
to ihtan {ah/tan |
charitable mu^Mfl : /.''<â– >
khnirvja)
charlatan /.vc
â– â– tea
comp. arkhaf) ;
find cheap islar/
chemist
'"'
drawers) /<«/•<'//
child •
child! 'hr
<-)ii]t, l»- chipped ithsha
cholei
choose na . ikhfdr
church /■•'
chumming
cigai Ira
. 1 naddaf .
cleaning i â–
1 .- •
clement ; be clem*
clench I; I, 1
clerk /
clever sh&fir (pi. gkuffdr,
,<hatrin)
cloak (woollen) 'oMya(pl. "toy)
dosed magfuJ, gafil
closenee
clothes hid,'/, /t
clover -eller of clover
faramtl
club kelubb
bman Vrr6a<7»
â– <//â– '.<
cobblei
cockroach sirsdr
<• >ffe<
coffee house qahira (pi. 7
cold (s.) /■?/•'/ ; (a.) 64rid ; (of
persons) '•'/ ■get col<l
•'.- catch cold akhad, khad,
bard, hhadu !
t-ollar
collect yama' ; 1"' col
ingama't itlamm,
ran
(••■lour l>'m (pi. '/""
come ;/â– ('. /'// ' imp. :
(pi. td-nhi) ; 1 came 7< '
came, baa oome goJ ,• fchej
came 7-/, 0ttfn ; 1"- comes,
will come j 'â– /' . they
WD >i ir.il
coming (a) 1
( parr } gay
command 1 I
mder-in chief
oommi
men
comm
company / keep
company
408
ENGLISH-ARABIC VOCABULARY
compartment diwdn
compassion hinniya
compel alzam
complain ishtaka
coin plaint shaJcwa
completely tamdm, klialis
compose (book, &e.) allif
concealing katm
concern khass
condition sharf
confectioner halawdnt
confess qarr, idiqarr
confuse lakhbat, khalbat ; be
confused iticahal
confusedly ; talk confusedly
bargim
congratulate hi'trik li
conquer ghalab ; try to con-
quer ghdlib ; be conquered
itghalab ; own oneself con-
quered istaghlib
consent riiji, irtaija ; I con-
sented riilit
con x ilr dn%s t irannis
conspire issdwa
constable shanfish; chief con-
st a I ilc bitshav/tsh
I lonstanl inople Istanbul
consul gwiful
consulate qUHSUldtU
oontented mabs&t
cunt.-iitment inbisdl
continue istimarr, tann ($ 2 1 s)
contract; give contract x^qdwil
contradict, khalif
ci/iit radictory ; be conl radic
tory ikhtalqf
conl rar) to bi khldf
COn\ ''lit ,!,'â– (pi. i'/i/ilr)
convey wadda
com Lnce ; I"- emu [need l tamad %
ifakJdd
cook (s.) fabbdkh (f.), fabbd-
kha (v.) fabakh ; be cooked
insawa
conking ta8wtya
Copt Qibti (pi. Qi&af)
corner m&fl
correct (a.) mazbHf j be correct
sahh
costume libs
cough (s.) kuhka ; (v.) WJ/
country bildd ; rif, irydf
countryman baladi
court mahkama (pi. mahakim)
cover (a ) ghafd
covet tin"'- ti
cow baqara (pi. hw/ar, ba-
qarut)
crevice shaqq
era ted l aioag (f. '<3 .-</. pi.
crops zird'dt
v. ) 'a Ida
crow ghurdb (pi. i'jbriba)
cruel gabbdr
crush dashsh
crushing dashsh
crutch Uil:li'\z
cucumber khiydr ; bed of
cucumbers, imi/dtii
r\\]> ji in/tin
cupboard dtildb, dUdh
custom 'â– '
customer :ui>itn (p'
custom-house gutnruk
custom- house officer
rti&oA I
cut '/<«.'"' (imp. /,
cut out (cloth) /">■>•' 1
you, out qafa't,
be cut out
cutting, cutting off (s.) '/(/r
ENGLISH-ARABN VOCABULARY
•
D
I
damaged 'auwati
dance (kill) baliu; (v.) raqas
dandy ; think oneself a dandy
lyiq
dark : become <lurk ighmaqq
daughter bint, bitt (pi. bannt)
dawn
day ;,â– 'â– >.' (pi. tydm, i>/"nt).
nah'ir ; New fear's day
rtb
dead m^ti (mai'ytf)
• 1 <-.• i f ; deaf and dumb akhra>
(pi. khitr.<)
dear (price) ;/•'
death //"'</
debt '''-'/( . charge with a
debt 'i'li'/in, dSyin
he made ;t debtor
idddyin
declaratio]
deduct tanztZ ; 1.
yon, deducted </<it<rt. â– .
deed . //"'/
deep ;/ ; '
<n
delay (\. i.) ifaihkhar
deliver §aliim
denuu ;V>.- (v.)
they demanded fa
demolish tad /
demolishing
den} miLiir
dep 11 1 •'>///•
dep - n, /«///'
deprai n
me a
del â– â–
descend ni-Jl
â– ling (a.) rwedi,
descent >>•â–
describe i
desert (s.) khala
d — i v.- istihaqq, isi
devil tlt't'in, 'afri(
dialect bi<jlar<i
dictionary go";
I .- they died
difference farq . have a differ-
different bcuhqa
difficult f
diffuse t'iir',1 : be diffuse fatttti
dine ifcuha
dinner 'ashd, 'athwa
direction gi/ia, nakya ; in the
direction of . . . nahyit . . ..
be turned in the din
of Utoaggih li
dirt uxufikha
dirty wisikh (comp.
discuss it I h\I; i.<
w ith die lain
disgui -
. fabikJi . be dished
up
dishonour (v.) '46
dismiss ra/ad I be du
missed if rani' I
disol •
distance
distant 1
dividi
divorce fttliat/
'nl % tj&fa I . you, did
docih
410
EN( JLISH- ARABIC VOCABULARY
doctor hakim
dog kalb (pi. kildb)
dog-cart dukkdr (pi. dakakir)
doing (s.) i amalu/a
domineer istahkim
donkey himdr, humdr (pi.
himir) ; consider a donkey
istahmar, istaghash
donkey-boy Jiammdr
donkey-saddle barda'a
door bdb (pi. ibicdb)
door-handle ukra
doorkeeper bauivdb
double (a.) migwi::, (v.) igwaz
(agwaz)
doubled matnt
doubt (s.) 8hakk ; no doubt
ma'h'iin
dough 'â– agin
drain balld'a
draught sharba
draw out tall a' ; they draw
out ye tali 'a' d
drawer durg
drawing-room sola
dress (s.) libs, tab ; (v.n.) libis ;
they dress yilbisu
dressmaker khaiydta
drink shirib ; I drank ehirtbt ;
they drank shirbu ; he drinks
yishrab ; be drunk (water,
&c.) itsharab, ishzharab
drinking shurb
drive sd<j, rikib ; be driven
Urakab
drop ica/]'ja l
drown, be drowned gkiriq,
istagh ra q ; they were
drowned ghirgum
drug dawa (pi. adwtya, idtotya)
drunk sakr&n : get drunk rihirj
make drunk sakar
dry (a.) ndihif ; get dry nish&f
dust tur&b, purdb; (v.) naffad;
be covered, filled, with dust
iffarab
dye (v.) sabagh ; be dyed
insabaijh
E
Ear '/■/</« (f.)
early /w/W
earth a/v/ (f.) (pi. anfcff)
easy ; find easy inta»-h%l
eat afarf, /,<// ; I ate /a//, he
ydkul ; make eal wakkil
eaten ma' kill, mittdkil ; beeateD
iUdkil
eclipse ; be eclipsed khizi
effervesce ra gha
effervescence raghwa
(col. pi. !
Eg; pi M'isr, bam M i
Upper Egypt
v/
Bgj pi ian
eighth (>.) /u^/*
either ; either ... or ya
. . . ya
elbow Lu'C
eleven hidashar, hid
ihdashar, dtdashar
embankment gitr
empen
employ khaddim
employee mutakhdim
empty fddt, farigh
enclosure //<W;
end (a) i
endure istahmil, zaman
enemy Wd (pi. <cdd)
engim ■••//.:
English (s ) i (a.) >*,//<"-.*
ENGLISH-ARABIC VOCABULARY
411
enjoin ira?.sa
enjoy | min
enjoyment inbi.<>'i(, ha::
entangle ; they entangle yifih-
bQeA ; get entangled itwaAas
enter dakhal, khashsh ; they
filtered dak?,
• dukhUl
environs g
err gkuluf
errand mishwdr
escape
Europe I '
European ifrangi, ruh>
{untSbi
even hatta
everybody kulle min t&n
exactly •
d ; for example
mn
except (ad.) ilia; except that
innama
- l-i.fr
excuse; excuse oneself t'tuzar
•ing maugHd
explode taqtaq
expose 'Arid : (make clear)
. (to view) 'drid
extinguish tatfa ; be extin-
guished into fa
extract gala' ; utakhrag
extracting
eye 'en
.it nazar
Face tcishth
fade igradd
faithful hiiimin
full >r
false lcidb
falsehood lcidb
family oJ
Ear ''ii'l; find too far istab'ad
••n rabat . they fastened
min
t'ath.-r abb ; my father
abUy 1 : hi- father ab(Ui
'<> the >h.t t. ni of)
am, man from the Fayoum
â– via)
f; (v.)kh6f (ij
the'.
filrr&yir
t.-.-l
ftUoH | 4 t2;j)
imma (humrnn
S ;/ l:hu n'tya
few g&tftMitya, &am, 7i/iA
fez fa
fie -7/7/
field ghjf (pi. qhUdn)
fight (battle) y.
they till /,;'//</(< .
be fille<l intnla (imttda)
filling (s.) maly
finally mhaUu
find (s.) liqiya ; (v.) Im/n.
a, found
found fagd ,• be •
jtaa
fine /I
â–
finish ; be finished khulus
(f. him â–
• .
â–
412
ENGLISH-ARABIC VOCABULARY
fish samaka (col. pi. samak) ;
(v.) istdd
fisherman seydd
fissure shaqq
five kliamas, khamsa
fixed mazbut
flame; burst into flames shotlil
flannel fandla
flee harab ; they fled harabUi
fleeing, flight firdr
float l dm
floor ard, ardlya
flow down sal
flower zahr (pi. zuhur); ward a
(pi. ward)
flush izradd
fly (s.) dihbdna
flying fdyir
foam (s.) raghwa ; (v.) ragha
fodder 'a^g-, 'a/w?
fold (v.) taraa, tabbaq, tawa
foolishness hamdqa
foot ?-j</Z
for l aJa slidn, i ashdn
force zur, qwca
forged tuistini 1
forgery zur
forget nisi; I, you, forgot
nisit
fork shoka
forward qudddm ; bring for-
ward qaddim
fountain fasqiya, (drinking)
sibil
four arba\ arba'a
frame (s.) birwdz ; (v.) banciz
France Fransa
Frenchman fransdid
frequent (v.) itraddid l ala
fresh tdza, tart ; get fresh and
green ra'ra 1
freshness taraira
Friday {yom, nahdr) ig gum 'a
friend sahib
frighten khauicuf ; be
frightened irta'ash, inhhadd
from min ; from her miuha
front ; in front of qudddm
froth (s.) raghwa, (v.) ragha
fruit frdta, fak-ha
fruiterer fakahdni
fry qili ; be fried itqala, itqalla
full malydn
fun ; make fun of istaliza'
G
Gaiety imhir&k
gain kusub, Jdsib ; I gain <7/,-.n7/7,
game //'/.
gaoler eaggdn
garden ginena (pi. i/aini'i/i,
gan&yin)
gardener aaneni
garment hid ma
gate />"/'
gather ; gather together (neul .)
igtama* ; be gathered to-
gel ber itlamm, iltamm
gaze at i id a ih at '(da
general (-.) ijiiiitiin'ir
generally ghdliban
gentleman r/iinli
get; get up </'n//, (imp.) '/
I get up ih/iiiii
giddy ; make giddy dawakh,
dawwakh
girl bint, bitt (pi bmnit)
give /'/â– /'/ ; 1 give, will give,
.//./;. give me fe&ftnl; he
gave me idddni ; they gave
him it idddh ; she gave
/V/,/.// ; I. you, gave, /-/'A'/ ;
give back ragga\ radd ; l>e
ENGLISH-ARABIC VOCABULARY
413
<:l;iss qizaz ; kubbdya
gluttonous aklrU
gnawed mittdkil
go rah ; I, you, went ruht :
she went r&hit ; they went
rdhH ; he goes, will go
yerdh ; we go, will go nerith ;
they go yeruhu ; go away
rauwah ; go out fill', kharag ;
they went on mishyu ; they
go up yithc'i
^o-between, act as a go-between
Utoassaf
u">ing (s.) mirtcah ; going out
khurug ; going through /of
goat ?7ii l za
good taiyib ; find good istahsin ;
istazraf
goods budd'a
:"ivcrnment hukuma
gown fob, gallabiya; her gown
tuhha
grammar agrw
grandees nas kubdrdt
grandmother gidda, eitt
grass hashish
greedy akk'd
green akhdar
gi >engrocer khudart
greens khuddr
greet sallim 'cUa ; they gree^
yisallimd l ala
grocer baqqdl
groom (s.) sd'is, sdyis, (v.)
st'iyis
ground ard (f.) (pi. arddi)
grow ; let grow rakha ; gn »w
up hibir
guarantee (v.) daman
guard ; be guarded inharas
guardian /tan's (pL kurrdf)
guest rf^* (pi. diyuf)
gun bundu'i'nja
H
Hair a/uzV
hairy nzttsVand
half /mss
hammer tJiaJtUsh, qadvtm
hamper zanbtl
hand (s.) W; (v.) mf //•/'/
handful ////'//'/
handkerchief iwui'lU
handle (of door, &C.) «/./"
handwriting Lltatt
hang â– -â– /i'iri-1'/
hanging (s.) ehanq; (part.)
me*ailctq
happen fcztaZ, gara
happiness //"«'<
hard g&mid ; get hard gimid,
gabbu : hard ap ma i ;tlr
harden (v.t.) gammid . (v.n.)
iness, hardiness gwnudtya
harm (v.) f/a/v, sa'
haste, make haste itfa'gif,
hasten shahhil
hat burnSfa
haunted rnasfctbi, malign r
have, I have "<//"/t ,• von have
he huwa, I
head rds; hold one's head high
ietafivil nofou
headman (of a village) 'unohi
heal '(>//./
hear wW ; thej heard -
hearii <r
heart ya/6
heat //a/v, $tmd
heavy Hgil ; consider h.
istcUqcU
height fiil
414
ENGLISH-ARABIC VOCABULARY
help sdHd ; be helped issdHd
hen farkha
here hina ; see here ! adt
hide (v.t.) khafa ; hide oneself
ikhlafa
high 'dlt
him -u
himself nafsu
hoard hauwish
hold misik
holding (s.) maska
hole khurm, hurra, kharq
holiday agdza ; 'id
honour (s.) ihtirdm, (y.)sharrqf,
thiamin
hook (s.) shanked
horse husdn ; horses khel
horse-cloth shull
hot hdr, harr ; sukhn
hotel lukandd, Itammdra
house bet (pi. biyi'it, buyut), our
house bifna
how izzey ; how much ? kdm
however it be meihma ledn
hunger <ju l
hungry ga'&n, (ji l dn
hurry (v. t. and i.) dhahhil
hurrying (s.) iareha; (part.)
in /'.</â– {', inusri'
hurt (v.) dan; (pain) waga*
husband </6z (pi. iijic&z) ; her
husband guzha
hyena dab 1 (pi. dubu')
I ana
ice tain
idea fikr
idle ; leave idle (on one's
hands) bauwar ; be left idle
(on one's hands) bdr
idolater mwhrik
it' im, in bin ; even if lau in,
irrlau iii ; if not IMA
ignorant gdhil
ill l aiydn : get ill 't'//t
illness 'aiyd
Imagine iftaka
immediately Ivdan
impair ; be impaired (intellect)
klturiif
importanl /*' e b t m >" (oomp,
ahamm)
impoverish ifqar {a/qar)
impress akkid {'a/a)
imprison halm* .• be imprisoned
i n hi 1 1 a t.i
fi ; U ; .juira , in \\
incite sallat, wan
increase (v.t.) -atari, J, kattar :
(v.i.) zad, inz'i'l
indicate aaUe Wa
inform khabbar, fahhini, ibtagh
inhabit .<ikin
inhabited maskOm
inherit wirit
injure (v.) dan-; feel 01
injured indarr
ink hibr
inkpot diliriii/n
inn khammdra
inquire ittafkim, itHdaU
inside g^Lwa
insist akkid
instead . ' wdtt
ma
insult $kota$H ; insult
another ehdtim
insure sdgar, </â–
intelligent
I did Jul
ENGLISH ARABIC VOCABULARY
416
interpret targim irrigate rawa ;
interpi eter targimidn itrawa
invite 'azam; be invited it-a::am j Italian falydni
irrigated
Jacket ."•'
January yandyir
jar ibriq, ball&f, bcUMfi
job shii'/hf
journey (s.) Ba/ar
journeying mesdfir
joy surdr
judge (a.) <j'k/> (pi. gudd); (v.)
hakam ; they judge yi^kumu
jug z'6?*^7
juggler //''"y
July yvlya
June yunya
K
Keep; keep away, oft hdsh;
tbey keep away //> /ni.<li>i :
be kept away, ofE inh('i-<h .
keep back dfcAtr
beeping ; be in »fe keeping
itlllltj'll
key nwftdh, miftdk
Khedive KhidSwi
kick rqfaf, jarab l>i rxglu ; they
kicked ra/tisi'i : be kicked
kill hinmnt, ,/utnl • they killed
nhimrila ; lie killed ////<l/<l!
kind (s.) ptn0
kindly W / /«//'
kindness ^wtntyo, /«/■/
kine /«/'/rt/-
kiu^ r mo///:
kiss (v.) bdi ; be kissed ////".«
kitchen ma(bak/i
kitten /".'-V
kneel birik ; make kneel batrrik
knife sikkin
knock (s.) khabfa ; (v.) fara^,
khabafi khabbaf ; they
knocked khabafU ,' be knocked
itkhabaf
know '«'«/; I, you, knew vW/V .
they kn>>\\ i/i'rti/ii ; be
known it'n Kit, lu'araf
knowledge 'i/m
Ladder rillim
lady n'A . play the grand ladj
lake I
lame ; be lame ''/<//, '
lamp /<iu'/itt, iiinuiii
lance Inulxi
land
landlord j';/'/. (fd/ju'6) // WÂ¥
Langu .,. • , layhica
lantern f&mu
large /.• ■-/-, /.-. •■■'» (comp. tiAiar)
'.) dfcfor, d
'/.«//,, uUahtNti
late witUiri ; be late 'o
it'ohlthltor
laugh i/f/r/V. ; make laugl
laughing (s.) '(/(A
116
ENGLISH-ARABIC VOCABULARY
lawyer abukdtu
lay (down) naiyim; (eggs) bad it
lazy kasldn, tanbil, tanbal (pi.
tanabla) ; be lazy tanbil)
kassil
lead (s.) rusds
lead (v.) wadda
leaf waraqa (col. pi. waraq)', put
on leaves (tree) warraq
Leakage kharardn
lean on irtakan 'ala
leap (v.) wa£f
learn it'allim ; make learn by
heart haffad
learned l dlim
leather gild; piece of leather
gild a
leave (s.) agdza ; by your leave
pw*» fadlak; (v.) khaUa,
aegib ; I, you, left seyibt,
futt ; they left segibu ; (quit)
/W/7'7
ledger daftar
lemon lamuna (col. pi. laitiun)
lend sail if
length t'il
less aqaill; get less nuau?
lest lahtan
let (permit) khalla, imp. khalli;
t hey let go e&yibd ; be let
(house) ifaggar; be let go
i$8$yib
letter gawdb
liar kadddb
library kutubkhdna
lie (down) »'?///, raqad
lie (s.) /,v''/A , give lie t"
lighl (a.) ?"// - , (v.) </<>'/. bring
in lighl itAar
lighl (imt heavy) k1taf\f
lighten i"ir<i</ii (id dinya)
like (a.) ..///. B*»M
likeness thabah
limit (s.) ljudd, qadd ; (v.)
Aate- fo"( /
line fefalff
lion sai' (pi. subd')
little (s.) xhuwaiya ; consider
little, too little istiqoM,
istaqlil
live (v.) 'eWi ; (inhabit) siki/t ,
they live giskunu
living (s.) maHsha ; get one's
living istarzaq
load (s.) liamla, wittq; (v.)
Iwummil, waeaq, 'abba; be
loaded, laden titoasaq
loaf right/ (pi. //;//
lock (s.) kolun, (v.) MUfcA
locksmith kawalini, kawalingi
London Lundura, Lundura,
Lundra
long faw?2i (comp. a(ual) ; long
ago ::an"i/i
look (v.) fcttf; (search) d,iu>rar ;
look after Ad/ff 'on ; look
over itfafrag 'â– ala
look out ! (2'd
looking for medawoar 'ala
Loosen rakha, rakhrakh
lord rdbb, efd
lose /â– '//, minnu
loud 'r///
lounge inga'as, inya*maf
Love (s.) //«/»/-, (v.) (oM, imhM .
they love yekibbA ; beloved
ithabb, inkabb
Loving Virhihh
low //•./// ; di'in
lower (a.) t<ilr
luck bakfti
lucky ; find lucky istal
luggage 'a/sh,
luggage van makhzan fnmtdwt
luucli yh
Lying (i1"\mi) ri'i'im, wi>;
l\ ing down, Lying ill
ENCUSH ARABIC VOCABULARY
41'
M
Mad magnUn ; drive mad
gannin . consider mad /.«>•-
t/'jann
make l amal
malice; bear malice ithammil
man rdgil (pi. riggdla)
manhood kubr
manage 8&yi&
many ketir, Jcitir
March mars
mark (v.) a&h&har
market tsuq (pi. istodq)
man Led miggaumz
mash (v.) dajg
master makhdUm, tdd ; (teacher)
lie i alii in, khdga
mat //«.<ii<< (pi. Ams/)
match kabrtta (col. pi. knhnt)
mat-maker /insari
. Jchabar
mattress rnartaba
mattress m ik ////
matt ress making tangtd
idyu
measure (v.) aits
meal i<il;m, lahma
medicine dau •/
meet q&bil, itqdbil waiya ; I
met qdbilt ; chance t . .
lif waiya
ting gam'iya
melt ,â– /,, aaiyah, lautoib
memory bdl
mend yallah . t hej mend
merchant tdpir (pi. tuggdr)
merchandi e &i
.
metre nu'<r
middle u
mile ///<7
milk (s.) laban ; !>»• milked
iiiludab
milkman labbdn
millieme â– mil/in
minaret madna {m&dina)
mind (s.) 6oZ
mine (pr.) feft£'4 (f. /„ fo'#, pi.
Wt)
ministry dttodn, nazdra
minor qdsir
minute diqiqa
mix kltalat
molar (tooth) din
money fidHi
month shu/ir
moon go-mar, qama
more aydda
morning Slt&J ; this morning
subh
• 1 luqina
mosque garni 1
mosquito ndm ,-,,!. pi,
Htta
mot her uiitiu , my mother
a in :u i
mot her -in-law hnim'it
mound hdm
mouse/-//- (pi, /nun)
moustache shu
mouth fymaq
mouthful /it /nut
mow JiasJwh . be mov i
haehsh
M i e/endt, khawdya, nn
much /.'//'/•, /,////•
mud ////A/
mule /«/-////, baghla (pi. '
Mm
.Imaii Muslim
Hilt
'1 D
418
ENGLISH-ARABIC VOCABULARY
N
Nail musmar, musmdr, mismdr,
in is mar
name (s.) ism ; by name
isman ; inquire name of
istasma 'an
named mas/mi
napoleon bintu (pi. bandit)
native baladi
near mistaqrab ; find, consider,
near istagrab
necessary lazim
necessity luzHm
neck raqaba
need (s.) luzum, l 6za ; no need
baldsh
neighbour gdr
nesting (part.) me'ashshtsh
net shabaka
never aba/hm
new gedid, gidtd (comp.
agdad, pi. gudad, gud&d) ;
be new istiga<l<l
newly gedid
news khabar ; get news from
istakhbar min
newspaper gwrnal
nice ; consider nice istazrnf
night lei, lela; pass the night
bat
Nile bahr, bah r in nil
no la'
north bahr, bahri ; go north
bahhar
not la, mush, ma . . . eh
notify i'lan (a'lan)
November nufaml
now dilwaqt, dilwaqii, /••<
number (v.) nammar
nurse (hospital) tamargt f.
tamar<ji>/a
0, oh ya
oath ; take an oath hilif i*ti-
hallif
obtain ittasal
occasion /
bar
of betd* (pi. /»■/'//')
of course ma l Mm
off : from off //'/" '"/<'
offence â– khal/a
office maktab
officer ~"'"7 (pi. zitifofy)
old (person) /••/</>, &»6Jr (comp,
<.â– ), //,/(//// I bing)
on â– :<
onci â– '
71, A/' / ;// Q
only 0088 : only that mm
open ma/hill, fdUh
open (v.) /atod imp. r-
they opened be
opened ii/aiuh
opening /-/////
ophthalmia : gel ophthalmia
//•//< '
in ordei
ordinan
origin
EX(.JLISH-AR ABIC VOCABULA R S
419
other in n't, basJiqa, ghir
our -an, betcfna t'. betdHtna (pi.
betu'na)
out barra
outer <W/'
oven (European) fum ; (Arab)
kdnnn
arerfdq, l ala
overcoat bal/ti. sdTcu
overlook (of a window)
overtake lihiq
owe idd&yin
owner sahib
Pain (s.) waga\ (v.) iraga 1
paint (s.) but/a, (v.) darab
biiya
pantry isbinea, ribinsa
paper waraqa (coL pi. warag,
pi. wirdq, urdq, aurdq)
pardon (v.) .«hnih
Pari
partner ehirtk ; take as a pari
ner th&rik
hip shirka ; be in part-
aership ishiarak
push.'! /<<-
yW/ ,• (hand) ?>'//r?7 .• let
'/â– iV , she passed
///V/ ,• they i
(s.) /')/ .' (p:LTt.) flf»f,
I
i//'it
F»y (s.) ";/■" (pi. ugfar); (v.)
(col. pi. i.
mi
peel
:
perfumes 'uturdt
period mwlda
perish hilik
permission izn ; ask permission
ista'zin
permit azan (Ji)
perplex haiyar
persevere istimarr
Persian 'agami (col. pi.
peA< m n
personally -.Alan
pheni
(tariff)
tweir
,• they pick up
piastre qirsh,
piece Hshri
pick (up) i
pickles tt/isJti
picture s
piece hi/fit (pi. /*//<//)
, (with man]
holes) fcharbaq ; be pierced
pil< rim hagg
pilgrimagi pilgrimage
pincers kdmm
pipe
(a.) /r/tis< in i, kh
cause i" pity fcw
place I |
plane (tO »1 |
420
EXOLISH-ARABIC VOCABULARY
play (v.) UHb ; an instrument
daqq ; play with l&Hb
please ; be pleased inbasaf,
insarr
pleased mdbsut
plum barquqa (pi. barq&q)
pocket gib
poet shd'ir (pi. shu'am)
police hub's; police-station
tumn, karakbn
polytheist mushrik
pommel ; tie the bridle to the
pommel of the saddle qarbas
pond birka
pony sisl (pi. saydsi)
poor faqir ; become poor iftaqar
porter sheydl
porterage mash&l
portfolio mahfada
portmanteau shcuita
possessed me l afrat ; behave
like one possessed it'afrat
possession; acquire possession
istamlik
possible (a.) . vwmkin ; be
possible irnkan ; it is possible
ijiinhin
post busfa
post-office (maktab) it busfa
post pone akhkhar
pot Italia
potato bafafsa (col. pi. bafdfis)
poulterer farargi
pound (in •iic\ ) ginSh
pound (v.) daqq
pom- kabb . I will pour akubb ;
be poured irikabb
powder batrild (bardd)
power qdUoa, maqdara
powerful qddir
pray salla ; pray! it/addalJ
llllUIHll .'
prayer tola . call to pi i\ er
iddatn
precision ; do with precision
itqan ; be done with pre-
cision intaqan
prepare gahhiz, haddar
present (s.) hidiya ; (a.) hddir,
maugdd ; be present itwagad
present (v.) qaddim
presence w\
preserving (s.) hifz
press ; be pressed ddq. idddyiq
pretend idda'a
pretty Icuwaiyis (comp. alacas)
price taman
pride
prince bt rins, brim
prison hobs, sign
prisoner mahbus, masgun (pL
igin) ; make pi
istesar
probably ghdliban
procuration niydba
proper ; be proper salih
properly z&y in wis
property mdi
protect kama, d&fir l an, istakfaz
l ala
protecting hifz
publish in the paper gamai
puff; be puflVd up with pride
iggaf
pugh ikJchi
pull (v.) shadd ,• be palled
itiji i, r
punish g
purse
put haff, n "P- fait •' '■V MI «
put haffit : they put haffu ;
put on libit, imp. ilbis : they
put oi . put to (door)
radd, wdr b t harm
be put ithaff, inhatt ; be put
up Urakkib ; be put bo irtadd,
it ra</</, itirnnl)
mi. Is liaram
ENGLISH-ARABIC VOCABULARY
421
Q
Qtity (number) gu
quarantine; put into quaran-
tine kari
quarrel itkh&mq, itihthdkU;
quarrel with l drQc, khdmq ;
they quarrelled ItlJianqu
quarrelsome shulcali
quarter ruft
queen ma
question -<u'dl
quickly qawam
quick-tempered shukaM, khu-
I'l/l
B
ibqa; race with
- ibiq
•Jialaqa
ruin (&,) | (v.)
natarit {mutant)
raise raja' ; be raised iirq
iri"
'nl
'I .'
r.iw
(overtake
• .■she re
fill-:
lUret
reading ,
read;
•
•ah
rebel t v. |
rebel!
vdd
i
i
red ah mar (f. pi. kumr)
redness hamdr
a
relate haka
relation (person) q
r.-ly rfnmad
remain baqa, jidil ; she remains
til .
'•' I "J' 1
remaining
remove ib'ad {al re
mov.
renew; be renew. .1
I i
renowned masti
repair foUah, ramm; be i>
paire I
. •
â–
repl) (>.) /•'/-/./. i
le khali
â–
â–
tnsible
bold responsil .
422
ENGLISH-ARABIC VOCABULARY
retire iftarad
return (s.) i-ugu 1, ; (v.t.) ragga 1 ;
(v.i.) rigi* ; we returned
rigi'na
rice ruzz
rich ghani
riches mat
ride n'fe'6 ; they rode rikbH ;
be ridden itrakab
riding rdkib
ring (the bell) darab; (of metal)
rami
ripe mistiwi ; become ripe
istawa
viseq∋ (of dough) ikfttamar;
(increase) inzdd
rising tuh'r
risk (v.) dyis
road sikka (pi. sikak)
rob sara^ / be robbed tnsaraq
robber hardmi
robustness shiddtya
roll (v.t.) dahdar, (v.n.) />/-
JaJttar, itmarragh ; be rolled
iddaktar
roof s«///, sm£#A
room o(/a (oeZa) pi. Mwad {mewl) ;
his room udtu ; make room
wassa\ fassdh
rope 7mA/
rose warda (col. pi. ward)
rose-water {moiyit it) maward
roughly ; behave roughly
ithaggar ; speak roughly to
ittdqil l ala
row (s.) saff; place in a row
rassa*, mff
rubble dabsh ; fetch rubble
dabbish
ruin (v.) 'auwar
run j7m ; make run gwra ; run
away sharad
running (s.) ;/a?*y
S
Sacking UMsTi
sad ; become sad hh.in
saddle sarg, serg, (donkey)
barda'a
sake ; your sake khatrak
-alary maMya
saliva rt 'â– /
ah (s.) ma^A, (a.) mdlik, hddiq
salute sallim i ala
-a in.' irnhiil ; all the same
ba'd
-ami /•</////
Sat unlay (ydm, nalidr) is tdbt
: 1 1 1 Jcasartina
ge ; become savage itwah-
hath
siw in0 i/asfir
say '/'f/ (imp. 7///) ; I say, will
say </-//// ; you are Baying
bitgi/l ; he says yeqyl; he is
saying hh/iil ; they
f« .• I, you, said gtttt ;
that is i -rti
saying yd/
scarab gu'rdn
scarcely dibak
scarcity qifla
scatter bahtor
scholar tetimtz
Bchool ma
scissors n
scope madad
scoi oh ; be scorched itgalla
I . he
Scratched (thing) itliakk
ihr
ENGLISH-ABABIC VOCABULARY
423
â– li for dauwar 'ala
• >1 tdni ; stigUndu
'a; I, you, saw
skuft ; lie sees yeshuf ; they
see yeshufO.
, taqdtot
seeing (part.) ah&Hf, ahdyif ;
addm ; (s.) ahdf
Beize misik, qabad ; she seized
mixkif : they seized mixlcu ;
besei/nl itmasak, in(m)masak
seizing (s.) maska
â– I iht'i'ja
self rca/s; himself na/su; by
liimself V'th'lu, li wakdu
sell M'y I, you, sold bi't, bihf ;
they Bold Wtfy thej
.'/â– ' '
scii'l sh&ya* ; they sent sTteya'ti
separate /arag
September Sibtim i
nit l;l,ihl,l''ini
serve khadam . !>»■served
itkhadam
Ben ice khidma
settle : settle with A&A
sevci . sliidid, U gtl ; con-
sider severe utati/at
shafl 'â– /- -<// ( pi. Hrshdn)
shame (>.) Ininnii
Sharqiya ; native <'t' the pro-
vince of Sharqiya, Sharqdwi
Bharpeo (pencil) 6ara
shear ;/*'.- . !>•• Bhorn i»
p kharOJ (jil. khirffin)
-lif.-i //,/'
sheikh //â– ". // (pi. mashd'ikh,
mcuhdyikh)
shelf /"/'' (pi. riifi'i/)
â– hell (v.) qashshar
shelter (v.) frawi .• seek shelter
1st i I. till II
.-hip merkib
shirt </a/,
shoes (pair of) gazma
shoemaker <ju::in"'j.
shoot dared) {bi I bunduqiya);
(go shooting) /s7</'/
.-.Imp dukkdn
short qusaiyar
shoulder
show (v.) irarrn, imp. vurr', ;
show over farrag ; be shown
over itfarrag
shriek (v.) sarakh
shrink Mara
shut (v.) qafed, imp. ?'y/?/ .- b< j
.shut itqqfal
shutter shamsiya, samsiya
s butting (part.) */<////
shy ; be shy ghanag, khizi
si leboard A////V/,
>ift gharbil ; be sifted ityharbil
sifting tigharbU, tegharbU
sign (v.) •(?////// '(/A/
at; be silenl .-//,•//
silver fadda
simple (person) ghashim
sing ;/Ar/,-
singing ghuna
sink ( ) bcdld'a ; sink deep in
istaghraq
ridim
Bister >//■•/// (pi. ikhtodt)
ja'ad, imp. ?/yv/</ .â– you sii
i ,â– i hey Bal qa'adH ;
t hey sit yuqHuM . ail np at
night st'At'r, stAir
sitting (s.) -//.â– i . (part.)
'/, n'tta
sixth (s.) sute
eAriS feldka, ft
sk\ 8d
! mi (\ .i.) rrdrt'6 , be (anted
itwdrib
424
ENGLISH-ARABIC VOCABULARY
slaughter dabdh
slaughtering dabh
slave 'abd
slave-dealer galldb
sleep nam ; you sleep tendm :
I slept nimt
sleeping nd'im, nayim
slight khqfif
slip (v.) izzahlaq
slippers bantiifl, bantufli
slowly 'ala I malil (§ 570)
small sughaiyar comp. asghar;
consider small, too small
istasghar
smallpox gidri
smell (s.) riha ; (v.t.) shamm
smile (v.) itbaxtim
smiling simih
smoke (s.) dukhhhdn ; (v.) (of a
chimney) dakhkhan
smoking shurb id dukhhhdn
snake ti'ban
snatch khataf
sneeze Htis
so kede ; so and so kaza, kaza
kaza
soak bash, bashbish
soap (s.) sabxln, (v.) Bobbin : be
soaped issabbin
society shirka ; (gathering)
gam'iya
Mick shar&b
sofa kanabe
soft nd'im ; get soft ni'im
soldier 'askari (pi. 'asdkir)
some 6a'rf
somebody hadd
somt't imrs . . . somet Lines -•<<'<(
. . . sd'a
Bomel hing hdga
son ihu
Soudanese %u\
sound (v.) gas*
sour: l" 1 sour foumu I
south qibli ; go south qabhiJ
sow (v.) zara' ; we sowed
zara'na, zarahna
sparrow 'asfura
speak itkallim, ikkallim ; he is
speaking beyikkallim ; they
speak yikkallimu ; speak to
kallirn ; he speaks well of
yizkur
spend saraf; I spent saraft;
he spends yisrif ; be spent
issaraf
spider 'ankab&t
spill kabb ; bahtar ; be spilt
inkabb, itkabb
spirit (devil) V'/Wf
spite ; in spite of ghasbe 'an
splashboard (of carriage) rafraf
split iribarash
spoil khassar, 'autocar
spoon ma'laqa
sprawl iribarash
sprinkle bakhkh
spy ; play the spy itbassas
squeeze ; be squeezed ddq,
idddyiq
squint hawdl
squint-eyed ahwal (pi. hi'//)
stable asfabl ; the stable
rastabl
stand (place of standing)
mauqaf
standing wdqif
start (on journey) sdfir, adm :
he, it. starts >;â– jww
start Lng mt e&fir, >n
in. 'nt. ./.;/
station (railway, a*-.) mah'itfa
stature •I'nttn
, saraq ; thej stole Baraqd
steamboat babUr, wabOr
Btep (s.) .<ill i ma
still. pi. '".>•//) .
stuck <>ir,i/i(L« f if /â– â–
ENGLISH-ARABIC VOCABULARY
125
still (ad.) haman .
sting (s.) qa
be stung qurus
stinging qars
lissa
(v. qaras) ;
stocking shardb
stomach la! ii
stone hagar (pi. kugdra)
stop (v.t.) waqqaf; (v.i.) //v'^tY
(imp. uqaf)
stepping (.-.landing still) UH
stoi' lakhzan
story (tale) hik&ya
ght dughri
straightway dughri
strand ; get stranded itwahas
street shdri' (pi. sha/oni'),
sikka (pi. rikak)
s ' ;
ii (v.t.) madd
stretching is.) madad
strikr rfarafi . they strike
ijidrabu . she struck gfa
we struck darabna ; they
struck (/ ' hey .strike
yidraM
striking darb
string dubd i; piece of string
fat/a
stroll ; take a stroll da
butt a
strong shidid, gdmid
stuff (s.) qumdsh
>tuff ; be stulf«'d inhasha
stuffing kashtoa
stumble tabb, 'itir
stumbling (s.) fabba
succeed ; succeed to ifbawwish
such a onefuldn
sugar suhkar
sugar-basin sukkariya
suit (s.) faqm
Sultan Suit tin
summer
sun (shams), seems
sunset i nag h rib
Sunday (ydm, nahdr) if hadd
surely ya mahsan
surface wishsh ; rise to the
surface qabb
surround hdurif
suspend •alltiq ; be susj
it'attaq
suspending (s.) ta'liq
sustenance rizq
swallow bala' : be Bwallowed
iuzalat
sweep (v.) kanas
sweet hilw ; find sweet istahla
swell (v.) wirim
swim
sword sif
Syria >'.<h Shdm
S\ i in.] i shdmi
a ; (din-
ing) .oi/ra, tu/ra
tablecloth
tail </>â– /
tailor khaiydt
ahhail, khad (imp. khud) :
takes takhud ; I. you,
took /''///. -he took khadit,
tfaei took hJttfiii ; take
away .»•//'// (imp. iA£/) ;
take off qahr . take out
talla\ lcharrag ; take to
accustomed to) /,•//</«/./<•
'<//'/ .• he takes (con i
! // . take oneself off
iii'/an ; take a tick I ,
im ; (drinks,
426
ENGLISH-ARABIC VOCABULARY
talk (s.) kal&m, qol ; (v.)
ikkallim ; they talked
ikkallimu
tall tairil (comp. atwal)
tank hod
tax rasm
tea-pot ibriq beta' ish shdy
teach l allim
teacher m&allim
tear (v.) sharat, sharmat ; be
torn ish sharmat
telegram talagr&f, tiligrdf
temperament khidq
temple (ancient) birba (pi.
bar&M)
tennis (li l L) it tanis
tepid ; get tepid jitir
terrace svfi'/h
than min, l an
thank ; thank you kattar
kherak
that (pr.) da, dih (f . '//"), dik-ha
(§ 124) ; (c.) inn, leinn ; that
they innuhum
the il
theatre tiydtru
their -hum, beta'hum, betahhum
them -hum
1 here Tiendk
t 1 lerefore 'ashdn ('ala shdn). k< It
i hese '/'"J
they humma
thick tekhin, tikhin (pi. tukhdn) ;
grow thick tikhin
I liin rufaiya'
thing /"';/'', k//t
think zawn, iftakar
third (s.) ////
thirsty 'afshdn
this (A/, J/// (f. r//')
those '/"/. ihilc htiiiiimi
though wdau ; as though ke'inn
thousand "//'
thrashing (s.) 'aZgtf
three £oZa£, talaia, taldta
throttle lianaq
throttling hanq
throw rama (imp. irmi) ; hadaf;
she threw ramit ; they threw
ramix; be thrown away
itrama
thunder (v.) ra l adit (id dinya)
Thursday (yom, nahdr) il
khamis
thus kede
ticket tazkara
tie (v.) rabat ; they tied rabatu
tied marhfit
tiger nimr
time wa^tf, zaman ; marra ;
mudda ; (season) awdn ; at
thai time waqtiha
timid khauwdf
tiny zughannan, sughattat
tire Zr/'aft, ta"ab ; get tired // vA
tired ta'b&n
to /?', Ze, l ala ; to me 2t, liya ;
to him Zm/i
tobacco dukhkhdn
tobacconist dakhakhni
to-day in nahdr da
together s< urn
to morrow bukra : the day
after to-morrow ba'cU bukra
tougs kammdsha
tongue />'.<> in
to-night il lela
too kamdn
tootli einna
torture (v.) 'azzib . be tortured
ingazar
t.»t:il guinla, gimia
tourisl sauwdh
towel
town balad (pi. bQ
trade tigA
train babdr, >ntl-ih
iy tramwdy
ENGLISH- ARABIC VOCABULARY
127
trari- >m
trap masyada
travel (v.) sdfir ; I, you, tra-
velled jsdfirt ; she travelled
safrit : they travelled safrd
tray saniya
treat (v.) 'â– amil, (medically)
•'///'/ ; be treated (medically)
idddtoa
tree sagara (shagara)
tremble irta'ash, (from cold)
rasras
trip (s.) sq fanya, sifariya
trousers bantalon, mantalon
true sahih
trunk sanddq
trunk-maker sanadqt
truth haqq, haqiqa, saMha
try (v.t.) garrab ; try on
be tried it garrab
Tuesday (yum, naliar) it talat
Turk Turk
Turkey bildd it Turh
turn (v. t. and neut.) dam
turn oneself over inqalab
turning (up a street. dec.)
tahimd
twist tau-a
two itnen
tying (s.) ruhdt
U
Ugh ikhkhi
umbrella shamstya, miiidya
uncle (paternal) l amm (pi.
i'mdm); (maternal) khi'il
unclean nigis : consider unclean
:â– //â– â– <
uncover kasha/
under tdht
understand fihinz; be under-
stood itfaham : get to under-
stand istadrak (*ala)
unfasten /"/•/,â–
unruly sTiaqi, (pi. shuqdy)
until hadd, It hadd
untying (s.)/a/,7/
up/dg
upholsten i gid
upper/'-;,
upset qalah ; be upset itqalab
urge on ista'gil
us -na
Vaccinate ta l am
vaccination tnt-'nn
valley in'hll (pi. widydfl)
veil (s.) burqu' (pi. /"iri'hfi 1 )
verify l<."'i'l'"l •' hH verified
ithaqqaq
very aavC, /.''/'/'
victoria (carriage) hanfUr
view
village &a&u2 (pL fa'&fcZ)
vinli 'lice .«:/
violent shedid, shidid
\ Lf LOU .-7/iV'
visit : visit on a ffite day i aiyid
'ala
visitor 'A/' (pi. diydj\ \esdfir
\ oice sd{
W
r (v.) /-'/// 'n
â–
keep wait
in;.' >•'(/•''
128
ENGLISH-ARABIC VOCABULARY
waiter sufragi, sufragi
waiting for mistanni
wake (v.i.) sihi
walk mishi ; make to walk,
walk about (t.) mashsha ;
walk about (i.) ddr ; they
walk yimshu : take a walk
itfassah
walking (s.) mashy, (part.)
mdshi
wall Mt, hcta ; low wall,
foundation wall giddr
walnuts goz
want (s.) '6::a ; (v.) l az, 'auz,
'aiz
wanting l auz, l aiz; (deficient)
ndqis
war harb
warm (v.t.) daffa
war-office karbiya
warped matni
wash (v.) ghasal ; I washed
ghasalt ; be washed itghasal
washerwoman ghassdla
washing (s.) ghasil
watch (s.) sd'a ; (v.) (sit up at
night) sihir t sihir
watchmaker sd'dti
water moiya
water-carrier $aqq&
water-melon shammdma (col.
pi. shamm&m)
waylay istarsad li
we iliiiit
weak '/""'/
weaken da' da'
weakness rfit*/
wealthy; become wealthy
iqtadar
wear libia; be worn out with
age qudum
r ea ring /<//</.<
u .Mt her dinya, dunya
wedding faraJi
Wednesday (yd?n, nahdr) il
arba' (I arba 1 )
week gum'a
weep biki, 'aiyat
weisrh wazan : be weighed
itwazan
well (s.) bir
well taiyib ; get well /7mjf
west (s.) ghurab ; (a.) gharbi
wet ; be wetted itball, inball
what e, eh, esh, md, ani
wheel 'agala
when lamina ; when ? emta ?
whenever kulle ma
where fen
which illi, ani, enhu (§ 1 25)
whichever, ey, eyiha
whip / urbdg
whisper (v.) washwish
white abyad (f. beda, pi. bid) ;
.white colour baydd
who illi ; who ? nwn 1
whoever hullo, manhu
whole/,;///,- Idl; sahih
why /e/i
wickedness skarr
wide 'arorf
widen icassa'
wife goza ; his wife guztu,
imrdtu
win husub
wind /iazra
window ehibbdk
window blind .<// ira
\\ i 1 1 1 ■«eW£
wink ; wink to one another
itghdmiz
winter eTiita, shit mi
wisdom hikma
wish (v.) .-//</'
with /;/'/', irniiia. hi ; with me
/»/'/ . w ith her milthi , with
as ma'dna
within guwa
ENGLISH-ARABIC VOCABULARY
429
without min </Jier
witness (s.)8hdhtd (pl.shuhhdd,
shuhild), (v.) shih ill ; call ;is
witness istashMd
woman mara, hurma (politer
than mara) ; women niswdn,
nisa
wonder istaghrab
wood kha&halb ; piece of wood
khashdba
wool >'///'
wool-gathering tawaTidn
word gdl, l.aldm
work (s.) ehughl, (v.) isMaghal .
they work yisMighilu
workman/'''//
workshop warsha (pi. wirash)
world '////'/â– ', dunija, 'dlam
worse a/'««
worship l abad , be worshipped
it'abad
would ; would th;it I ya "V
wound (v.) garah, garrah ; be
wounded ingarnh
wrangle ishshdh in
wrap /'/jf
wrapping khesh ; put wra] >ping
on khaiyish, kMyish
wrestler bahlawdn
wretched maskin, ghalbdn <\<\.
ghaldba)
write katab ; I, you, wrote
katabt : be written inkatab
writing kitdba
writing-bonk daftar
writing-room maktab
writing-table bash tt ikh fa
wrong hardm, (v.) zalam
Yawn ittdivib, ittaub
year sana (pi. «w2n) ; last year
l amnaun il
yellow asfar; become yellow
isl'arr
yes (?//</, a
• I- l.i v inbdrilt, imbdrih;
the day before yesterday
auwil imbdrih
yet lissa
you -A:, a/c <fcc. (§ 121)
young sughaiyar ; young man
ehabb
your (§ 121) ; te/tf'aA-, fr â–
VOCABULARY
TO THE WORDS CONTAINED EN THE EXEBC .
ON THE SYNTAX 1
A
Aflas
agal â– i of life
ag-har half blind, purblind
r, let on hire
'"J 'J
agrann inatn nuchc that;
that
abJ (ahall i
;ihlan u sahlan
i b good ma idab
cl<>
V
arnab h<ire, rabbit
aziun = k<inn
azral
asad lion
asar trace, relict
iced
akhiz to blame
akhdar gr<
akhrag, ikhrag â– oxd
amana security; ainant Allah
= bi llah
amir (umara) of a good family
ainr c
ainlas smooth, p\ lished
an
, jes
I
ifo-kli!.'.
ittukka lean Ot
: 'al;i trust in
itliaiy.
ithaddit
1 Th
OCCU I
'â–
<31
4.3^
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
itdastar ask permission, say
"dastur " (dastur)
itsaraf be spent ; depart
it'ashsba dine
itfadd be ended
itqabil meet
itqaddim be advanced
itkabbib be made round as a
ball, in balls
itlaff be wrapped up
itmashsha take a walk
itnataq be pronounced
itnattat/jtrap, skip
itnaqal remove one's self, b<
removed
itwadda perform one's ablutions
ittallab ask for
ihtar be bewildered, con/used
iddaffa irarm one's self
iddaffar be plaited
idraf kind of pumpkin
i rta'ab take fright
irta'ash tremble
izar cloak, shawl
izzaiyar put on the i::dr
izmint cement
izn permission
ista'giz ask permission
istaghfar ask pardon
istaghla consider expensive
istahil <l>-serve
i-t 1 1 1 1 ■•■i s 'ala hi"/,- after, a i to
ista Ma find sweet, pleasant
tstarda consent
ista'zis ask permission
fly to for refuge (
Lsta'raf l>i make acquainton
Istafrad /» left atom
istaqrab consider near
istama' listen to
istawa be ripe, cooked
istigab hear (a prayer)
istiraiyah to rest, repose
istiqam take up one's abode
Lssaqqa be soaked
iesawa agree togetfier
iskandarani Alexandrian
iswalli of Assouan
iswira bracelet, wristband
istabab. bi meet in tlie morning
issaffa be strained
ishtaghal work
isbshauwim consider of ill omen
ishshakka complain of
ifti'aMa forgery, invention
Lktasab gain, • arn
iklitar, iklitar rhoose
ikhtasha 6< shy
Utaqa find,
Ht&bis be clothed ; bt possessed of
(a spirit)
intafa be extinguished
intaqal = itnaqal
rash fall prone, on one's
face
ingada* ( = liter. indaga') lie on
â– t< d, haunted
inhasad be en the enl
i on one
i i nl at'
inzalam be wronged, t\
• >n r
insaraf go away
inshal I. put, auay
in fad d be finished
inwahar ' â– frightened
i\ik |
Usui regulations! custom, rule | omnia] . thm
VOCABULARY
433
B
Bauwaba gate
bat, beyit pass the night
â– Ttpil
batin inner, hi
battikh water-melon*
baghl, baghla (bighal) m
bahhari .-ailor
bahr; il b. il abyad the White
badan body
badla suit of clothes
ban .-••7 free
baraka lietring, goo> I fortune
baram go round, whirl
baruda, baruda gun
bartusha old flipper, shoe
barr shore, bank, country
barq lightning
it) to plea
basit rim}
basal onions
bashsbar give good news
il
ba'at send
ba'ir camel
bakht lurk
bakbkh squirt, spit out
bakhkhar Sprinkle with 11
balata slab
bala' fo swallow
baligh mature
ball fo W7gf
bamya, the esculent hibiscus 1
ban appear
banzahdr, bezoar stone
bannura a crystal M
bet house ; sheath
bedingan egg-plant, auberg/.t â–
beya' seller
bir ^eZZ
biram (ibrima) earthen pot
birka lake, marsh, j>it
bizz breast
bishi 4 ugly
bikr virgin
girl
buhaq fumes
burg ?â–
burqvr
burnus white woollen hooded
cloak
buz muzzle, snout
buqq mouth
bul.Vl
bulugb maturity
bunduqi (dahab) 7/ caraZ (a.*
</i€ Ki i- in)
binte bikr a
pan
â– :ay
tih.trn accuse
as a gift
•
t.i-n mm / tun
t I'Miira load ; pipeful
t iqrtbl approzimat
iiiin queering, id* a
tall /<//'/, i,
taman pri â– . value
tammim /" eon
tanbO sit idly
tannin point ; U al
ah, v.
'4.14
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
ti'ib get tired
til linen
tila twisted rope
t.urba (turab), turba grave
I tuql weight
tunina the eighth part of t/ce
qadah
Taiyar current
taiyara kite
tauwaf watchman t patrol
tauwil (balu) be patient
tabib physician
tabb beat {of the pulse o
heart)
tabbil beat a drum
tabliya board, table
tata bend down
tar revenge
tarablis a silk girdle or eash
tarah get ripe
tarsha vomiting
tariqa manner
tashtask to ji:.:.
ta'iu flavour
tafash run away
taffa extinguish (fire)
^aqa window, hole
(aqiya cap
taqtaq crackle, came i<> crackle
taqq burst ; die
taqm suit of clothes, harness
tal to reach
talab to demand
talaq divorce
tama' greed
tami' covetous
tawi' obey
ter birds
tish^ fcut*
tes ; bahre tes exo etlingly
tin Nile --"d ; laiul
tof patrol
tubtab ; 'at tubtab just at
wanted, a propos
tubgi gunner
tukur circumcision
Tura nam* of a village {the site
of a convict pr
turya pickaxe
tul ; tul ma an long «w ; 'ala
tul straight airay
tuiuu' covet
tuwala sofa, mattrene
G
(Jabr force, compulsion
gada' (gid'&n) brave /Site yxng
f Uow t gaillard
garr /-«//, <//•«//•
garrab ferfj try
garraa inform -/, disgrace
g l/./.il' (zz) I'Utclt. f
gazar cm- rots
g4* fa hungry
gaku .■••//
gallia cow i .'" •</
gama 1 collect, add
gama'a / orfy, /
garni) /" autiful
gan >///<«, penis
gaw.'iz MOTI
gfiyii istille
gdab <irw//
gibfl gypsum
giha
gidU i .'
giri / <m
VOCABULARY
prid jiolm brat
Giza (ig) jicliiv of a viUag-i {llie
rite of a conoiet prison)
gisim bulky
gild skin, hide, leather
gins, /.-in • .
gthax* Jewel
guhr hole
gurra track, footprint*
gurn mortar ; bora
>±i<jr
GH
Ghaivar to chanye
gh.-'ih be absent
ghafta 'ala cover
ghagari gipty
ghadda >jive lunch to
ghadr perjidy
ghadwa lunch
ghaiib strange ; a <tranyer
gharxam to fine
gbarq&n dmu-ned
1 gazelle
gha/.li of spun silk
hing
ghafal, ghifil to dose
ghafir watchman
ghala boU
ghalab eon
gbanl rich
ghiiya end; li ghaya up to
ghut
ghirirn befi ted, pay a fine
ghilib. ghulub be conqu>.>
wear i â– d
ghina wealth
ghubariya( = asar) trace, ttsiiyt
ghurab rrow
ghorba strange land
ghurbal larye sieve
II
Hauwin make easy
hab fear
hfthanh run against, jiy id
habaq
\i.i\A> jly at
ha;: bt 'J-ritul
ba da seel
barab, hirib run away
hai-.nii the pyramid, pyramid*
hazz shake
n/yisy, excited
talk idly
balfl idle talk
haiina to interest, con>
hanna make happy
hilik, halak perisli
Hind (il) India
hou mortar
Jl
hawwid (urn a corner
hams i-li COlit •(. hard
tan*
-., little bit
j'w I
.!' throw
A\ of a blacksmith
li.i'ltlr
hadd .' . ''Ji'y
hara (ha win) set of
qua
â– uyh
436
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
haram (il) (sacred -shrine of)
Mecca
haram icrong, sin
harir silk
barb war, battle
harrar put, set, hold up
barf edge
hazzam bind in a bundle
hasab 'ala look after
hasad to envy
hass to feel
hash pi-event
hafaz keep, protect
baft barefoot
hafir hoof
haqq right, what is due ; fi baqqi
about, against, me
hakim doctor
hal state, condition; 'ala kulle
hal anyhow, however it may
be
hala state, position
halab to milk
halaq (hulqan) rings
halal lawful
halawa sweets ; pourboire
half a a prickly reed-like weed
hama defend
hamad praise
hamar red colour
hamal bear, carry
haml carrying
hammala (of zir) stand
hantur victoria (carriage)
bannin cause to pity
haya ; bi 1 haya alive
het wall
hes ; min hesu kan however it
may be
hel ; qa'ad 'ala belu sit up
bigab charm, amulet
Higaz Hijaz ; pilgrimage
birz protection
hiss sound, voice
hisab calculation
hisba account
hila trick, resource ; ma hiltfish
haga he has no means, no-
thing
hilw sweet
hiwan animal
hudn ( rubrace
husurn (husumat) hot sumimr
days
hurr (ihrar)/rea
hurma woman
D
Dauwar (d) eause to turn, (urn
dauwib cause to melt, §c.
dab meit ; be worn out
da bah to slaughter
dabbar contrive, am
d;lr (d) turn
daraga step, degree ; moment
darig current, colloquial
darra winnow, eeatti r
d&8 tread, run ('ala â– )
â– l;i^}ish gnu. I
da'a li bleu
da'vra affair, U notuii
dafa //' '//
daqn chin ; beard
dakbal - â–
dakhi] ituide
ilakhkhaii emit smoke
dafan bury
daffia bury
daqq grind . play (a n?j/</>a7 in-
str u ment); tai
dam (villain) /<!.</, <•<>»//•
(yidlm) cant* to lewt,
1" t
damm blood
VOCA HILARY
437
da way a inkstand
rife
•lib icolf
dibla a plain finger-ring
diri know
diqiq
dimagh head, brains
dimir a jacket {such as is worn
by siifr i ees)
dim'a (dumu') a tear
dimrua conscience
dor story of a house
dura maize
durbC^h dry clods
dun low, inferior
D
Daiyif entertain
dab' hyena, lion
da' if weak
daf add , entertain
dalma dari
damar foretell the future
da mm collect, gather
dawa shine
dC-f guest
dirs cog-wheel
difira plait, tress
diqit il kbulq impetuosity
dim n amongst
duhr noon
dufr nail {of t lie finger or toe)
dulma vegetables stuffed with
mince-meat
B
Ra'uf mere Jul
rauwah go away
rabat il q ' I
rabb lord, master
rabba educate, bring up
i;i*l pound {weight)
ragab (for raqab) 6b
ii Ragtm OS Statu d [Satan)
raggab (Uppei ian)
raqab
ragba chatter (lit. foam at the
mouth)
r:\ha rest : bdt ir ralia cl
ragbab wish for
rabam have eo i on
rah ,i\a hand -m ii I
nth i in merciful
ntbuia m
ru.hu.
radani ver up with earthy $c,
radd
radda
radt bad
razaq provide for
ras //ea//, head-piece
rashwa &rfl .
ra*ad t<t (h
ra'd thun<l> r
raqab ZooA-, /w<-
raqaba ru
r&q /"' '/■ar . >/■' 6< tfw ("«
ittft)
raqq prou ^?'n
raqqa* to patch
raqwa >/ • II, '-harm
rak'a / ///â– /
prayer, prostration
rakkih _//'.. , ft / up
rakba relax. I- 1 fall
ra'y "pinion . 'ala i.i'y accord-
ing t<t
rigbif
rih tr in/ ; spirit
438
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
ridi to consent
risi come to a decision
rismal capital
risha feather
rif country, milage
riq saliva; ghaiyar riqu
breakfast on
<ala
rikab stirrup
riyal dollar, 20 piastre
rutan lingo, foreign tongue
rukuba a mount
rukham marble
lumt Greek
rumman pomegranates
Zauwid increase
zabfin customer
zad increase (neut.)
zatilna bracelet
zad provisions for a journey
zaghrflta shrill cry uf joy
zarawiya ( = ballast) a large
earthen pot
zar' solving ; cultivated land
za'al anger
zaffa bridal procession
zaqq push
zal in lam yazal does not cease
(§ 54 f>)
zalabani seller of zalahya (a kind
of fritter)
zammar orc<e ?c7*o plays on a
reed
zann grumble, scold
zawati belonging to grandees
zen = taiyib (dialect)
zifir greasy
zift p*fcft
zika alms
zimiq ^e^ angry
zimil comrade
zina ornament
ziyada surplus, more
ziyara (ziyara) OMtJ
zukhma a strap
Zauwar take to n'sit
zabat control
zibit officer
zab^lya principal police office
zagliat U) sinillow
z:ighn"ita shrill cry of joy
z.ihar appear
zar in visit
zar (zikr) repealing th>' name of
God (see Lane's "Mod.
Egypt," cli. xxiv.)
zalat pebbles
zajamsLrplay <n <i reed pipe
zammar one who plugs on a
reed p»j • .
/aim think,
zfir forgery, perjury
S
Sa'aJ ows
aabagb to dye
aabbagb dyer
aabat prow, fcoM I'Hf
â– abba' m * w " ,/ ";/ v <"'''
Bab 1 Now
satr n //('';/ (one's tint) : |
Badaq taU if*< frifl(ft
BagaO imjnsoii
VOCABULARY
sahm arrow
Bar proceed
sarah rove, travel : go to one*
work
sa'ad, Ba'ad 'ala m //."â–
perous
lrrospt rity : Exeelli ncy
Ba'id, rii'id prosperous
safaiiya <nj? f exp edition, cam-
p'liim
safaq ta&e f 6r»ft«
?«e< on a journey
saq dr
saqa /o »ater, irrig
saqsaq soak
i KNlA; (J't-pqr? in broth)
sakin (sukktin) dwelling, haunt-
ing, spirit
salata, salata ealad
salaq boil
•ii u sallim ! <?ear me/
.-.-tl \iii l safety
galfim
salgam a l;i/»/ of turnip
sallim deliver ; moh
wen
samara fruit, i
samm t<> poison
>.inilll.l to â–
8ai))inar nail, fatten down
samn //- Med imttT
sawa /o fqiinl
aawari cavalry
s6f sicord
sidgh '•
sil'Iih ./'•-"'■//■■/'//
sihr 80f
siderl waistcoat
siilr /'/■0*£
sidq //-?///i
fiira /W?
sirri .^cre^
sirmah profligate
si'i (vis-;i) ", /,*/,•? oneself
In
siil become prosperous
sikit 6e mZertf
sikin uth'ihit
sikkina /,/n7e
sikhtiyan moroeco binding
silali rrcopoM, a
simakh (il widn) orifire (of the
simiii poison
6immawi maoisfem
siw.i '/ cooking
Bu'al </'/'>â– '
subiV s^ri-T)f/t ilny
sukhra, sukhra .•<</•/•<'«
sukaa habitation
sultaiiiya l-osin, ftOliJ
â– "an
•aawaf /-> .-■/</•*' /.'
snliall //-' M '' â–
•ababiya following morning
tabar, -ulmr fc /<•'/<- ;</,
â– aMjTfl
. rx»/, /•
»ahd y/ oi heat
sahi fl/'-rt/,-' 1
sahib friend
sahh /-»- / /-'7" /•, /<»;///
-ah ha
•addar Ar//w '•///, put in f
-.
linn I
saiakli, parrakh
- hi- to wrap
tarkha " cry, i
440
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
safar yellow colour
saffa strain, filter
salih pious
salla pray
sam to fast
Samadiya name of a chapter
the Koran
san'a profession
sanf class, kind
siid shooting, fishing
sef summer
siraya palace
sirikh screeching
Sha' to wish
sha'am be of ill omen
she(ai)ya' send
sbe(ai)yil cause to carry
shabah image, resemblance
shabb young, young man
shabba alum
shatara cleverness, skill
shataf wash, rinse
shatir clever
shutfa fiint-lock
shahaq sigh
shahri monthly
shadd pull
shara /my
sliar.it make a condition
sha i.i i : i spark
shar.if honour
sharba draught of water, yc.
-li.ii-t n mdit Km
sharrab give to drink
sh.irr evil
aharraf to honour
Bharq East
li.inu.it tear to pieces
Bhasb. muslin
slui'r hair
ahafa heal
shaql rascal
shaqq to split
of
si'idi native of Upper Egypt
si(sa)niya tray
sifa quality
siyam a fast
subh morning
subhiya morning time, early
morning
sughr smallness, youth
suhba bouquet
sur' (sur') reins ; ala akhir sur'
at full gallop
sfira face
SH
sbaqq crack, crevice
shakar speak well of
sbakkar thank
sbakwa complaint
shakhs (sakbs) pei'son
shal shawl
shami Syrian
sham 'a a candle
shamla band
shamm to i
sbankal (shankil) trip up
ahawir consult
she thing
shehada testimony
sln'l lifting up; carrying away
shibi' be satisfied, satiated
shirit ribbon ; wick
shirik partner
sliii wjl loose irons, n
Bhlsh an iron sjn'kf
slii li- barley
slii-iri of the thape Or form of
barley
sliif.i health
sliikl form
ahinlsha -/ hole through
I similar bo ;i |
ah6ka fork
ahuwdsha small tuft of hair
VOCABULARY
441
•aiy;t make ill
'aiyat ireeji
'aiyid to feast
'aiyil child
'aiyin l appoint
'au'au, 'auwu, to bark
'auwad Cfjiuj" ruatt
'auwaq be lon-i, delay
'abba fill
'atiya giviwy, gift
'attar druggist
'â– Ag&b please, suit
'agan knead
'ad to return
'ad (in Upper Kgvpt) = I
'ads lentils
'arts bridegroom
'arbid search fur loot
'ard honour ; fi 'ardak !
'arr to disgrace
'arafa throne
'arflsa bride : a in^ial or <
ornament worn l»j wonu
the rtose, tujiporting th*
ig- from
'azaq to till
'azib unma
â– â– ar
'azzib torture, punish
'azzil r> mo
'asm determinate ><, energy
'aaal honey
'as' is <irv.
*&8 soil, I-
'as^ii res*
'a..«l>a (*azba) 6/ocX: »•///.• /••
• n by women round flu-
he .
'aar th i/ternoon j
- become rigid
'ashshish £o /<e*rf
'afa give health ami .<tr^mgth tu
'afrat madden , frighten
'afrit devtZ, sprite
'afsh *£ujf, baggage
'afya health, strength
'aql reason, head, intelligence
'af w pardon
'al excellent
'alam mkwW
'aliq forage
'alim learned
'alqa a beating
'alliin feocA ; ///a/7.-
'amal make, do; make as if,
pret
'amir ('ummar) inhabiting t fre-
quenting ; 'amir il bC-t nam^
/ fo ///-- serpent guardian
of the house wlterehe hat
his n
'am la
'anmii ignorant
'an /•-.
'awad a recompense, tom\
ti m
vb vice, -hame
v>h ///-<>/-/ ,- It ring, .
'81a family
â– !/e
'ibfida " r*Atp
'ibara phras* ; matter
•ilili •'•</
'i-isli A. thirsty
Hval
'iiiij
1 I • nmin f..i -;ii\ in.
:m adverb it i> sometu . svitli
44J
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
'irsa weasel
'irq vein ; 'urfiq il figl radish fops
'izal effects, furniture
'izz height, fulness, depth
'isha the time of evening prayer
'ishiq fall in love with
'ilim know
'inaba a grape
l M stick. (See §301.)
'uziima invitation; banquet
'6m swimming ; unfordable
(water)
'uzr excuse
'usmalli Ottoman
'ufar dust
'uqba end ; recompense
F
Fatan tell tales, denounce
fatta broth, bread soaked in
m ilk
fattah emerge (of the sun)
Fattah Opener (God)
fahat dig
fahar dig
fakl calf, young of a buffalo, fyc.
(larger than the 'igl)
faddan acre
faddad to silver, inlay with silver
fadi empty, disengaged
farag chance, occasion
f arah joy, wedding
faras mare
farash spread out ; furnish, stuff
(chairs, <fec.)
faram cut si null, mince
farrat (fi) get rid of, " churl:''
farragh distribute ; empty
furnish sweeper ; a general servant
farraq distribute, divide
farsh carpets, bedding
farqa' explode
faza' spring up ; startle ; threaten
f azz jump up
fasqtya fountain
fa$al to bargain
fa?? slice
fassas to shell, cut into slices
faq recover consciousness
faqas to hatch
fakir mindful
fakkar remind
fakharani maker of pottery
f akhfira pottery
falaq to split
fani transient
fantaz deck old
fantaziya a show, parade
fitlr pastry
figl radishes
fihim understand
fidil remai?i
fikr thought, idea
fikra tliought, idea
fiqi, fiqi schoolmaster (in a kut-
tdb), reciter of the Koran
filfil p> y/'' /•
futur breakfast
fursha fwush
furn oven
fusduq, f uzduq pist achtO nut*
fukhkhar eartht mean
fiil bat us
full jusi/i Ine
Qaiyala mid-day heat
qabad to cash
qabul, qubul accsj i
Q
qabbil to kits
qatal kill : strike (in dialect of
Upper Egypt)
VOCABULARY
443
qatar that on which perspiration
ha-? fallen
qatar )~un after, go with
qatam cut with teeth
qatta' it tariq highway robber
qalit famine, hunger
qad to light, kin/He
qadam foot
qadar appointed period, destiny
qadah a dry measure (small
fraction of the ardabb)
qadr worth, p<>
qadd about, nearly
qaddim present, offer
qada do, accomplish
qaras to sting, pinch
qarafa cemetery
qaraq talk scandal, tell tales
qarr conf 88, tell tales
qarr&ya lamp (in form of a
bowl)
qarrab approach
qar* vegetable marrows
qarash crunch
qarqash crunch, munch
qarn horn
qarnablt cauliflower
qazan boiler, cauldron
qaa to measurt
qassim divide into parts
qagab sugar cane ; gold thread
qasaba a land measure
qasad int( rid
qashsh straw, stubble
qashshish, qashqish pick up,
gather, glean
qa'iid young camel
qafash seize
qall bedeficient, belittle; lessen(tr.)
qallib turn upside down, stir
qammas to skip
qanaya small canal, stream
qanun code of laros, rule
qandil cup or glass for holding
oil, used as a lamp
qed fetter, shackle
qibil accept
qitan cotton cord
qidir be able
qidra earthen pot
qirat 24th part of a fad dan
qirib be near : be related.
qirba water-skin
qirtas conesliaped paper hag
qird monkey
qisma portion, fate
qishta cream
qishr rind, bark, shell
qiyama day of resurrection
quta kind of tomatoes
qudftm arrival
qui-.i forehead
qurma log
qulla earthen water-bottle
qumar gambling
qun' contentment
K
Kauwim heap up; cut up into
pieces
kab&b pieces of mutton or land*
( ro •/' 'i "U skew rs)
kal)l> pour, upset
kattif He the hands behind (he
back
karaf rmeU out, sniff
karakdn pulia station
karawSta sofa
karsh hurrying
karka l>a noise
kasban gainer
kasr (in dahab kasr)*>kh&in
raw
1 be lazy
kashaf uncover
k&fa to reward
444
THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT
kafan shroud
katf palm of the hand
kaffa suffice
kail if cost; expend
ki'f ; 'ala kefak as you Wee
kela a dry measure, the twelfth
part of an ardabb
kaman, keman also, more,
again
kitab book ; marriage contract
kitaba writing
kibf shoulder ; hatte kitf hurry
away
kidib tell a lie
kidb a lie ; false
kirsh belly, paunch
kis bag, purse
kifaya sufficiency
kilma word
kom lump, piece ; mound
kubbOl brougham
kubr greatness ; old age
kuttab primary school
kuhl a black pigment for the eyes
kursi seat, throne ; ayit il Kursi
name of the 256th verse of ttw
2nd chapter of the Koran
kuz mug
kuffiya shawl worn round tht
head
KH
Khabat strike, knock
kbabar news
khabaz balce
khabiz baking
khabas tell lies, slander
khabbat knock frequently
khatma a recitation of the
Koran, Koran reading
khatab betroth
khafaf snatch
khatba match-maker
khatt make lines, rows
kbatt (kbufftt) line, furrow
khuUat make lines, furrows,
ridges
kbatwa step
khadd cheek
kharag go out
kharag (\ ikluig) distil
kharazan cane
kharaq to drill, piera
kharr /< (dc, full in dr\ pa
klianat CUt into si
kbarraq /< rforate with hoh t
khasina treasury
khass grow thin, shrink
khasran losing ; lost
khaf to fear
khaff be light ; get well
khala desert, open space
khali free from
khalifa caliph, chief
khallas finish, satisfy, ll do for,"
" do"
khallif beget
kliaiuran drank
khan bazaar
klia\ in treacherous
khrr goodness ;
khdra choosing, choice
khibra experience; ahlilkhibn
khilaf '/;_ bi khl&f con-
t rarity
khiyal shadow
khdd shaUoio, fordable
kliulus /'â– â– jin.
klnilkii.il anklet
khunqa wrist
VOCABULARY
415
Labakh acacia EgypHaca
lab. (il fagr) to dawn
lazaq to stick (act.)
laff go round; put rouwJ, wrap up
laqa, \a.qa. find
laqab thrmo
lamm collect
lelati nightly
libba a kind of necklace (see
Lane's " Mod. Egypt." Ap-
pendix A)
libda felt cap
libiq reach, succeed, manage
'to
liziq to stick (neut.)
lizim be necessary
lissa still, not yet
lubya haricot beans
luqma bit, mouthful
luman convict prisrm, penal n r-
vitude
M
Maiyidi, meyidi old coin = one j
para or fadda (= half a
mite)
maugud found, present
mablagh sum, amount
matar, natar rain
matlab buried treasure
r far then ;
magbara r»
magzub lunatic, fanatic
mahgflr deserted, haunted
m;ibr dower
maliill, maball place
uialnaina a cloth of coarse
muslin embroidered in sUk or
gold threa/1*
ma}]/.uzi_\a enjoyment
raadfa' gun, cannon
madwid manger
mad\afa guests' apartment
man (yiim-1) 'ala agree with (<>f
food]
marid an evil jinnee of a ,
ful t
an carl If n pot
iiiai^'ah to swing
marghftbft desire, fancy
niai h:tl';i ' | • I
marmar alabaster ; sbfisb mar-
mar muslin of a moire
pattern
masa be evening ; evening
in i-agb jewellery
masafa distance
masal example, proverb ; for * j-
ample
masalan for example
masruf (pi. masarif) expenses
masbsba cau,-e to go ; go
masbbad funeral
ma'rifa knowledge
ina'ruf kindness, }>oliteness
ina'iia. mi'na sens?, meaning
niaqtaf basket (made of palm
Laves)
rnaqdur appointed, fated
niaqra'a wand
ina'kul eaten, edible
makrftah hurried, out of
breath
maksab profit
niakfi upset, upside doum
niakluli ma i (dog)
niakhs'.'is .sy â– ial, p
inalib salt (adj. i
malbQs dress, gam .
446
THE SPOKEX ARABIC OF EGYPT
mallin mlllibne (about a
farthing)
malnium collected together
malyan full
ma'mur official representative
marnrud ill
manab portion, share
manakhir nose
inani' hindrance, obstacle
ruanfa'a advantage
manfukh blown, filled out by the
wind
mankhul sieve
medauwar round
mezaiyara a demoness
mesafir travelling, traveller
inesahhad burning hot (of the
sun)
mesha'li executioner
meshakhlaqa, kind of necklace
me'aknin wretched
me'allim teacher, foreman
mefaddad silver-plated
meqaula contract
meqambar huddled up
mekabbib in balls
melabbis bonbons
menaqqat spotted
mewahwig burning, on fire
mithazzim girded
mitl like, as
mityassar a good many
mihla delay, respite
mihrat plough
mistaufi large, enormous
missaiyat of repute
miskof Russian
mi'akhza blame
miqdar quantity
milaya sheet, shawl
milih nice, good
muti' obedient
mudir governor, director
mudiriya province
muizaq provided for, blest
niusiba affliction
mu'takaf (nahw.) secret, sec luded
mufrad alone, single
niuqtada (nahw.) necessity, re-
quirement
muqrt read (man)
mulukhiya a species of mallow
N
]Sauwar to light, throw light
on
nabash dig ; bury
nabbit sjirout
nabbih 'ala give instructions
to
natf leap
oaga save
aagaf chandeliers, lanterns
oaggia consider unclean
nahab to plunder
imli.-'is copper, copper veteei
oahya direction, side
n&da -a// out
nailaraa repentance
nazar sight ; evil e>je
nazra look . evil eye
nasab to set up
nafad esca]>e ; enter, pierce, pass
oaf as breath
Tiafa' !•€ of MM ," \U6\ profit
nat'akh iurla/e
nafiq dec* ir> , M a hypocrite
Oafs ' ril f ye, >'iiv>/
oaffad pass (tr.) thn u gh
nai|is wanting, less
nai|l> hole
oaqqat mark wUh %\
VOCABULARY
447
nakif rry
haklial gift
liauil ants
nawa intend
laayib portion, lot
nitfii piece, bit
m^'i* unclean
nihaya end
nisa women
nkey
iiisib, na&ib portion, share
nishara sawdust,
nifs envy, spite
nil! of the Nile
nimr tiger
niya intention; niya khal&a
good faith
nur //yM
nuqra /<o/e
nuql c//7e<2 fruits and nuts
(mekassarat)
mukhastya spur, goad
W
Wati foic
wagad to find
wahsh toild animal
wafcl, wahla mud
wada' sea shells
wadda' take leave of
waraq paper ; >
wazifa duty
wassa' void n, make room
-i to charge, order
1 cause to arrive, conduct
wa>l receipt
washsh glide (as a serpent)
wa'aya earthen bowl
wall saint
wiliya lady, aid tooman
walla' to light, burn
widn ear
wisikh dirty
wi>il arrive
wishah face, surface, shot
wilifa companion, p
wil'a live coal
wu>t in the centre of, amidst
Yabie dry
yatim orphan
yadd = id (§ Ii4, note)
yamani of Yen
yanini, yamma,
yawir aide-de-camp
APPENDIX
POEFACE, p. xxi, line 9, add Aramaic edra' and zera .
§ 3. In prayers the a of Allah is pronounced almost as aw in
§ 4. When the w following the i is itself followed by an
accented vowel the i retains its natural sound as in riwaya dory.
i 17. The name Tadros Theodore is sometimes written as well
as pronounced Taudrus.
| 42 (&). Add mahfudiya learning by heart.
§ 42 (e). Add ginena (from ganna) garden.
"2 (b). When, as sometimes happens, the literary form is
used, these nouns are regarded as masculines. Thu- w
imditu mush zahra his signature is not distinct, but imdah mush
gahir. We hear lb sama 'all as well as'alya.
§ 53. Widn ear should be added to the List of feminines, and
also tramway as meaning a tramway car ; thus we say it tram-
way mishyit.
18. Allah God become> ilah, as it is supposed to stand for
al il.'ih the god; thus Ilahi my God, not Allah!
§ 78. With the lower classes ruu<lir governor sometimes makes
mudiriyiin in the plural in imitation of the literary mudirun.
7.i (/.â– ). Add yadd yaddat when used <>f the handle of a
tool, itc.
§§ 83 7. Add yadd iyud when used of the handle of a tool,
I, Remark i>. But we sometimes hear alf we kusur
gindh, kc.
§110. Add 15 uktubar mal k&rnf tfu \:>U, < >rl,at
i 111.'. Remark b. Ana may also ass ime the form anl with
thi la, hut l.'ma i- Bald as well as laiii.
; I - ! 'i. Dura makes also duraya, hut less commonly.
i -::iii only, yaqa collar, yaqfitu, very rarely
' In (originally 'aduw) enemy recovers the w, thus
'adi'iwi. 'aduwak. ' :>â– i . w ina, 'aduwiihuui.
222, I' has been sugg< sted thai all verba were originally.
biliteraL There can be i lo doabl that the meaning <>f the verb
2 t
450
APPENDIX
is often contained in the first two radicals. Compare for
radicals'gz! 11 dictionai ' ies > th « verbs beginning with' the
§241. Add gihit, nahyit in the direction of.
n £ 24 ^.^ C J d 1 , bi 1 1 f h 1 i ! f , e khilaf opposite, crossicays, as khalli 1
qazayiz bi khdfe khilaf, i.e. turned in opposite dictions. Y J
is so completely an adverb that it may be preceded by a prepo-
sition as ba diha bi yige sanaten about two years later.
Remalftfc -^^ n ******* Messieurs les avocats.
Kemaik b. The expression mm qadim iz zaman m r/a?/ 5 of old is
sometimes heard. For an explanation of this usage see Wright
"Arabic Grammar" (vol. ii. §86, 2nd edit.). Remark c° So
imS1 Qo^ U ' hams 7 a seize th * man carrying an umbrella.
§254 Remark. Add min halawit (or halaut) ir ruh from the
sweetness ofhfe, i.e. in hi, desire to live; daushit id dsrtthZZ
of the beahno '; gadwil id darb the multiplication table.
\ HI' a 1 i? m W ^ id , and nimrit wal - lid ^' ! are both said
! oL 7T! Sanal alf we tus ' emi y a *' w * 7 < e ^ar 1900.
8 Z.)b. Add mot il Ma a natural death.
t u f 32 , L T^fdJective is sometimes in the feminine, as shaf il
i q o e A° r f^l am) mashya he saw the people walking (cf S 46<>)
§380. Addyimkinkan'udkabritnayimbuhfigebu/er/J;
he was sleeping with a match in his pocket.
§ 387. Add yomiha.
§ 400. The pronominal suffixes representing the 2nd person
are very commonly used as reflexives with the verb khalla, as
Mir, ,. \Tt yâ„¢' 8 ^ { - Q - r emain here, so khalliki wara
khalhku (not khalluku, § 141) fi 1 6da.
§ 102 Add humma tul ba'd they an other's, i,, o/
the same, fa ight.
m § 423. Notice the substitution of the demonstrative for the
interrogative in the expression iishtigl.il ii , h we fcakul minnu?
what do you work at to get a living? (lit. and eat from it)
a6h lt£ note L So biddina k " n " ;i <"*M for kan biddina
H76. Add ka,, haliq daqnu hehadehat ard
khuft amshi warahum yidrabuni / emu „/,■„/■/ to ,;,/,w them led
they beat me.
§530. A.dd khayif inneyelriln buwa fearing leet it A-
.V.l.». A pleonastic negative is beard after verbs of denvin*
as yinkir inne ma Fish t that then
APPENDIX 451
§ 549. Add khadtu beti / took it to my house.
§ 533. Add hallifnahum il yemin tee made them swear th>-
oath.
§ 554 (d) Remark. Add mauwitu mot.
§ 561. The verb c ad return is used much in the same way as
rigi, as la quite wala'idt, i.e. I didn't say it either onre or t/cice.
§ 570. Bi. Add bi llalii by God, bi z zimma wi d diyana by
my (or your, kc.) conscience and religion; bi 1 lun da of this
colour : yimshi bi rasu 'iryana he walks icith his head bare; sukku
bi 1 muftah lock it with the key.
So ana zeyi zeyak we are alike.
'ala. A'ld dafa'te qirshen 'al gawab I paid two piastres on
the letter ; da sa'be 'al<"k it is hard on you; simi'te 'aleh innu
kliad basha / hare heard that he has been made a pasha ; sitta
'ala talata tibqa tis'a six and three make nine.
'â– in. Add an iznak by your lea
Fi. Add kunte bayit fi 1 fallahtu / was spending the night
in the country; darab fill /, him; ma yi'rafshe fi s sa'a
ht doesn't know how t" tell the time; fi 'ashami innu yigl I •>
â– that la: will rome.
Li. Add nam lak shuwaiya take a little sleep; li khami-
y&m satir on the fifth day h>- departed.
Ma'. Add madbiif ma'ah seized on him.
.Miii. Add it Kt minnu li 1 khala there is nothing bet\c<<n
the house and the desert ; misku uiin dira'u he caught hold ,,(
him by his arm ; ma khadti.sh bal! ininhum / did//' hem ;
kliad tar abuh minni he avenged his father on me ; yiqrub li min
il gidd he is related to nu through my (or his) grandfatfu r.
§578. Inn forms one word with the participle beyin (bavin)
the n's coalescing, thus we hear beyinnu gay for beyin innu
beyinmi kede, it is clear that it is so. Bdyinne kede is
also used.
§ 583. Add—
To One who has Drunk Water
llaui'an {good luck). Reply hanakum Allah (God mah you
proxjii'rrmx).
To Express Thanks
• ir kli.'iak {God increase your prosperity). Ii>i>ly — we
kli' i.ik ' and yours).
TO W K\ Mil)
Salamtak {your safety, i.<-. God restore yon to health).
452 APPENDIX
To One about to Sleep
^ Norn il 'afya (the sleep of health). Reply— Allah yi'afik (or
yi'afi) badartak (God give you, your body, strength).
To One Kising in the Morning
Sahh in nom (may your sleep have been good). Reply— z&hhe
badanak or Allah yihfazak (God preserve you).
To One Starting on a Journey
Rabbina yiwassalak bi s salama (our Lord conduct you with
safety). Reply — ma' is salama.
To One Coming from the Bath or the Barber
Naiman (may you have pleasure). Reply— Allah yin'am
alek (God grant you pleasure or smooth your path).
To a Person Sneezing
Arhamak Allah (God have mercy on you). Reply— Allah
yihfazak or c afak Allah (God give you health). Reply— Allah
yi afik.
By a Person Yawning
^ Astaghfar Allah il 'azim {I ask pardon of the great God), or
a uzu bi llahi min ish shetan ir ragim (/ take refuge with God
from Satan the stoned).
To a Beggal
Rabbina (or Rabbuna) yiftah 'alek (may our Lord open to
you, i.e. give you consolation).
'alA llah (dependent on God) is said both by and to beg-
§ 585 (e). Add ihna s sa'a khamsa ; ihna gum'a ; il mas
nusse y6m mashi; lazini niaugud (In must be present).
§590. Remark h. Add ismak faqlr? (do >/ou call yourself
poor ?)
INDEX
The numbers refer to the sections
Accent, 39
Accusative, 63
Direct object, 276-79, 288, 297.
546-57
Adjective —
Relative, 42 a, 44
Formation of, 43-45
Comparison of, 47, 337-48
Multiplicative, 105
Distributive, 106
Numeral, 107
Substantive used as.
Concord of, 316-30
Used as substantive. 331,
Used adverbiallv, 336
Adverb, 104, 244, "345, 581-2
Apposition, 289-95, 418
Article —
Definite, 40, 124 (id), 24*
Indefinite, 40.
Elision, 29
Feminine, 50-62, 458 note, 465-7
See also under verb (concord)
Figures of speech, 585-93
Fractions, 108-9
Genitive, 63 b. 64-6:', 254-74
Gerund, 504
Indirect discourse. 517 -1
Infinitive, 230-32, 497, 565
Interjections, 246, 583
Interrogative sentences, 522-21
Moods, 490-97
. 560
Beta', 69, 121 (Rem. d), 251, 257-
ntences, 507—1 '"<
Conjunctions, 245, 571-80
i loiuonants —
Pronunciation of, 19,
Doubl-. 2
A isimilation of, 25
Transposition i .
Contraction, 9 (Rem. o), 29
k, 68 b, 275. 288, 570 nob
Diminutives, 12 c, 15
Diphthongs, 1, 8
Dual, 70 75, 807-14, 317. I
NahWT, preface, appt n.iix, and; I
X gative particles,
i ve Benteno*
Nouns —
I' oi mation of, i .
Collective, 42 o il,
461
Of unity, 12 a,
( lompound, 46
oder of, 4'.'
I >• oli osion ', 6
Verbal, 21
Used absolutely.
I l multitude, I
Numerals, 92-111 19 61
OBOBB of words, -'US,
â– -I
454
INDEX
Participles, 498-503. See also acci-
dence under verb
Passive, 135, 505-6, 555
Plural, 76-91, 364
Prepositions, 240-43, 570
Pronouns —
Personal, 111-20, 362-75
Possessive, 121, 393-6
Demonstrative, 124, 406-22
Interrogative, 125, 423-8
Relative, 126, 429-37
Indefinite, 127, 128, 443-57
Distributive, 129, 438-42
Reflexive, 122-3, 397-405
Qam, 559
Qat'a, hiatus, 21
Singular, 298-306
Spelling, 1 (Rem. b)
Suffixes, 113-21, 367-8, 376-92
400
Tenses, syntax, 473— £
Verbs —
Triliteral, 130-221
Derivative, 161-81, 186-7, 195-6,
201, 207, 212, 215, 226-7
Weak, 187-215
Strong, 133-86
With qat'a for one of the radicals,
187-91
With w for one of the radicals,
192-202
With y for one of the radicals,
203-15
Defective, 216-21
Quadriliteral, 222-7
Concord with subject, 458-72
Expressing fear, surprise, &c,
528-32
Transitive and intransitive, 546-57
Impersonal, 558
Peculiar uses of, 559-69
Vocative, 121, 280-7
Vowels —
Pronunciation, 2-7, 16
Helping, 9, 10
Shortening of, 11, 13, 15
Lengthening of, 12
Wa, wi. ire. 572— ti
THE END
Printed i>y I'.ai.i.antym , Hansom
Edinburgh &• London
CO.
BINBINGSECT. MAY 2 3 1966
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