A K E Y

TO THE EXERC I SE S IN

SPOKEN ARABHZ QW‘

EGYPT

Br J. SELDEN W ILLM ORE, M .A.

Demy Svo , sewed ,3s. 6d . net

Press Notices of the First Ed ttz'

on of“The Spoken Arabic of Egypt

”

Th e Nation says Not sinc e Spitta’

s epoch -mak ing work

have we h ad so d etailed an exam inat ion and so c omplete a

statement of th e actual fac ts of th e dialec ts of Egypt.

Egyp tian Gazette. An able,exh austive

,and scholarly

treatment of th e vernacular of Egypt th is m ost able work .

The Athenceum . Much th e best book on th e subjec t th ath as so far appeared th e system of transliteration adoptedis exc ellent , simple , yet adequate .

BY THE SAME AUTH OR

H ANDB OOK

S PO K E N EGYPT IAN ARA B I C

COMPR IS ING A SHORT GRAMMAR AND AN ENGL I S H- A RABICV OCABULA RY OF CURRENT W ORDS AND EXPRESSIONS

S quare 16mo , c loth , 28 .

THE SPOKEN ARABIC

OF EGYPT

GRAM IVIAR ,EXERCISE S , V OCABULARIES

J. SELDEN W ILLMORE,MA .

ONE or THE JUDG ES or THE NATI V E. OOURT or

ammAL ar can m

SECOND AND ENLARGED EDI TION

LO N D ON

DA V ID NUTT,5 7—5 9 L ONG A CRE

1905

A K E Y

TO TH E EXERC I SES IN

SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

Br J. SELDEN W I LLMORE , M .A .

Demy Svo , sewed ,3s. 6d . net

Press Notices of the First Edition of“The Spoken Arabic of Egypt

”

The Nation says‘Not sinc e Spitta’

s epoch -mak ing work

have we h ad so d etailed an exam inat ion and so c omplete a

statement of th e actual fac ts of th e dialec ts of Egypt.

Egyp tian Gaz ette. An able,exhaustive

,and sch olarly

treatment of th e vernacular of Egypt th is m ost able work .

The Athenwum . Much th e best book on th e subjec t th ath as so far appeared th e system of transl iteration adoptedis exc el lent , simple, yet adequate.

BY THE SAME AUTH OR

H ANDB O OK

S P O K EN E GY P T IAN A RAB I C

COMPR IS ING A SHORT GRAMMA R AND AN ENGL ISH- A RABICV OCABULARY OF CURRENT W ORDS AND EXPRESS IONS

S quare 1 6mo,c loth

,2s.

THE SPOKEN ARABIC

or EGYPT

GRAMM AR , EXERCISES , V OCABULARIES

J. SELDEN W ILLMORE,MA .

os s or THE JUDGES or THE NAT IV E COURT orAPPEAL AT CAI RO

SECOND REV I SED AND ENLARGED EDI TION

LO N D O N

DA V ID NUTT,5 7—5 9 L ONG ACRE

1905

Printed b y h u mm u s, HANSON av 0 0 .

u. th e Bullw tyne Press

I NTR O DU C T I ON

PROFESSOR SHELDON AMOS onc e remark ed to me that EgyptianArab ic had b een a hopeless pu z zle to him

,which he despaired

of ever b eing ab le to master,until he fell across Spitta Bey

’

s

grammar of th e language . Th en all b ecame clear at onc e .

Spitta’

s work was indeed a model of the way in whic h a spok en

living language should b e sc ientifically studied . But it was

necessaril y the work of a pioneer . I t opened the way wh ich

others shoul d follow and c omplete .

The work that was b egun b y Spitta seem s to m e to haveb een finished b y Mr . VV illmore . The present volum e conta ins

an exhaustive ac count of the Cairene d ialec t of EgyptianArab ic as it is spok en to -day . On the prac tical side it will

b e welcom ed b y those who live in Egypt and wish to understand

and b e understood b y the natives. But it will b e quite as

much welcom ed b y the student of sc ientific philology . I t tells

h im what he wants to know - how a living S em itic language

pronounc es its words and forms its grammar . For language

c onsists of sounds, not oi written symb ols, and its grammar is

that of ordinary conversation . What has b een termed anti

quarian philology is doub tless important to the historian or the

literary sc holar ; for linguistic sc ience it is of little use . The

living organism alone can yield sc ientific results ; th e Spellings

of a past age or the grammatical form s which exist onlv in

b ook s are a hindranc e rather than a help to sc ientific researc h .

I t is , of course,essential that the living organism should b e

represented as ac curately and exac tly as possib le . I n othe r

words,we must have a notation wh ich shall reproduc e th e

pronunc iation of a. language with approximate ac c uracy. Th

defec tive Arab ic alphab et , with its diac ritica l mark s and povertyV

INTRODUCTION

Of vocalic symb ols, is out of the question . I t b elongs to a pre

sc ientific age and people , and is wholly unfitted to represent

th e living sounds of a m odern Arab ic language . For this we

must have rec ourse to som e m odific ation of the Latin alphab et .

What this modification shall b e will depend on the immediate

ob jec t in view . If the ob ject is purely sc ientific,we may mak e

our choic e b etween th e alphab ets of Lepsius, Alexander J . Ellis,

or Sweet ; if, on the other hand,it is mainly prac tical , th ere is

nothing b etter than th e alphab et adopted in the Sac red Book sof th e East ,

”or that adaptation of Spitta Bey

’

s alphab et which

is to b e found in th e present work . Th is latter reproduc es

the pronunc iation of th e Cairene dialec t with all th e ac curacy

needed b y the prac tical student . I t sets b efore us a Sem iticlanguage as it really exists

,not an artific ial jargon such as has

b een imag ined b y grammarians of the old school or th e compilers

of newspaper artic les.

A . H . SAYCE .

PREFACE

TO THE SECOND EDITION

THE new edition has b een called for b y th e pub lish er in view of

th e c ontinued demand for th e Grammar b oth in Europe and in

Egypt sinc e the first b ecam e exhausted six m onth s ago . Ac omplete alphab etical list of th e words used in th e Exerc ises onth e Ac c idenc e has b een inserted , and an Appendix containing a

few additional grammatical notes ; and the work has b een g ene

rally revised . A K ey to th e Exerc ises,inc luding th e Stories ,

has b een pub lished separately.

I n Eur ope th e b ook has b een favourab ly received , b ut a longand careful critique wh ich appeared in th e Journa l of the RoyalAsiatic Society for April 1902 c ontains cer tain remark s to wh ich

it is necessary to reply . The wr iter c omplains, firstly, that I donot k eep up,

”as Spitta does,

“a regular comparison b etween

c lassica l and colloquial Arab ic . Th e reason of th is,h e say s

,

is apparent when the Author’

s Prefac e is exam ined . From it

may b e gath ered that h e does not b elieve that Cairene is derivedfrom c lassica l Arab ic . The reason why I do not throughout

draw parallels b etween the c lassical and colloquial is that th e

Grammar is not intended to b e a comparative one. I t is not,

lik e Spitta’s,addressed to scholars alone

,b ut in partic ular to

those who seek a prac tical knowledge of th e everyday speec h of

th e people . I t is my firm convic tion that,when the ob jec t is

m erely a prac tical one , the colloquial dialect should b e taugh t

without referenc e to th e literary,and b efore the latter is

attempted . I t would b e d ifiicul t to quote an instanc e of a

person who has learnt to converse fluently in an Oriental lan

guage after having b ecom e ac custom ed to th e literary style , and

this even after a great many years of residenc e in th e coun trv.

I t has b een my Ob jec t to show that Cairene Arab ic has a

g rammar of its own,and that it is quite unnecessary, if not wholly

incorrec t, to b ase it on that of the Qura ish . The reviewer

adds that I generally rej ec t th e servic e of a guide ,whose plac e

vii

viii PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION

is poorly supplied b y a little casual assistanc e wh ich I derivefrom H eb rew

,Syriac , or Amharic [Aramaic But the simi

larity b etween th e Heb rew and spok en Arab ic verb was longago remark ed b y Wright , and oth er scholars have ack nowledged

oth er points of resem b lan c e , to wh ich I have drawn attention in

th e Prefac e to the First Edition and elsewh ere . A writer inthe Journal Asiatique of the y ear 1850 says :

“En genera l

l’

H éb reu a plus de rapports avec l’arab e vulgaire qu

’

avec l’arab e

littéral et il en resulte que c e que nous appelons l’

arab e

vulgaire est égalem ent nu dialecte fort anc ien ; and Renan

(H istoire des L angues Se'

mitiqaes) :“L ’

arab e vulgaire est restc'

b ien plus rapproch é que l’

arab e littéral de l’H éb reu et du ty pe

essentiel des langues S ém itiques.

”The sim ilarity b etween

Cairene and Aramaic grammar and the form s which words

assum e in these two languages is very strik ing . For example ,the literary Arab ic tham anin f . thaman iyatun eight, thaurun

ow,dh ira

‘

nn arm ,appear in Aramaic as temancy f . temanya, tor

and dera ‘,in Egyptian Arab ic as tamanya , tOr ( tGr) , d ira

‘

.

l The

vernacular sh irsh root exists in Heb rew,Syriac , and Aramai c

,b ut

no t in c lassica l Arab ic ; the noun qashsh,regarded , it seem s

,b y

purists as a vulgar word , is used in the Book of Exodus to deno tethe stub b le which the Israelites gath ered for their b rick s . Myob jec t in drawing attention to th ese points of resemb lanc e

b etween th e Egyptian vernacular and anc ient Semitic languag esis to remove at least one prejudic e against the former b y show

ing that the title of‘

arab i mak sur (or m ekassar ) is b estowedupon it in the erroneous assumption that its words and forms

are mere ly c orruptions of Koranic Arab ic whic h have c rept in

sinc e the Hej ira,and that b ecause its grammar differs from

[Va/Hey grammar it has no grammar at all ! Max M iiller s ays

in a m ost instruc tive pass age that I t is a m istak e to imag ine

that dia lec ts are everywhere c orruptions of the liter ary language .

They are parallel streams wh ic h existed long b efore the

time when one of them was ra ised to that temporary eminenc e

whic h is the result o f literary cultivation . D ialec ts exist previons to the fo rmation of literary languages , for every literarylanguage is b ut one out of many dialec ts nor does it at all fo llowthat , after one of them has b een ra ised to the d ignity of a

literar y language , the others should suddenly b e silenc ed or

or C hanc ery Ara b ic . fo llows the Heb rew in ropra

senting the Ko ra n ic ( h and ( 11: b y sib ilants,th us H eb r . sln

‘

u'

,

z ea'

( nerd ) , nuhwy sOr,zira

'

,while Arama ic and spok en Arab ic

represent them invariab ly b y 1 and ( I as ab o ve .

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION ix

strangled . On the c ontrary, they live on in full vigour,though in comparative security ; and unless the literary and

c ourtly languages invigorate themselves b y a constantly renewed

interc ourse with their former compan ions, the popular dialec ts

will sooner or later assert th eir asc endancy.

” 1

The reviewer doub ts wh ether the fina l letters of ab , ak h ,and a few other words noted in 24 are in reality doub led , and

remark s that “a doub le consonant c losing a syllab le would b e

pronounc ed in exac tly the same way as a single one ; its dupli

cation c ould on ly b e apparent when it is followed b y a helping'

vowel .”

I t was b ecause I had h eard th e helping vowel that Iwrote th ese consonants doub le. Moreover , it is not exac t tosay that a final doub led consonant is pronounc ed in prec iselythe sam e way as a single one (see 24 , Remark I ob servethat

,with the exc eption of ab

,all these words are written with

a doub le c onsonant in Spiro’

s Arab ic vocab ulary.

3 Damm b lood ,omitted in the first edition ,

is now added to the list.

The reviewer next disputes th e orthography of th e words

written with t, d , s, and z , instead of t , d , s , and z , and suggests

tha t someb ody on the spot should inquire whether the conso

nants are really transmuted in the manner indicated .

’ Not

only have I submitted th e spelling of th ese words to a native,and often to m ore than one native

,b ut in many cases I have

found the words wr itten as I have g iven th em b y persons whose

education is only such as to enab le them to wr ite phonetically,or by Iaitibs reporting the exac t pronunc iation of the speak er .

Th e fo llowing ,for instanc e

,I have rec ently notic ed nidauwar ,

ga‘

b fit, faras, lamda ,dar b (quarter, distric t) , sot, asauwat, tar

( revenge), a‘

tatb a (she gave her) . Sometimes I have b een cor

rec ted when pronounc ing a word as it is written in the literarylanguag e, and to ld that “ whatever it may b e in Nahwy , we

pronounce in Arab ic with a t — or s or whatever it may b e .

All these th ings I have carefully noted , and I do not think that

anybody else “on the spot would b e a b le to proceed with

greater care and caution than I have myself .‘

1 By this rule the Heb rew literary language gradually gaveway to the popular Aramaic after 600 n.c .

2 S ee also Spitta .

3 H e doub les the 1) of ab in the plura l only.

Tawa has now b een omitted from the list , thoug h inta wa

and ittawa are g iven b y Spiro in the sense of to be felt /ml . Bo th

almaz and almas appear in his vocab ulary, b ut the c ommo n pru

nunc iation is almaz .

x PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION

The next ob servation is as follows : The h elping or semi

vowels are not as a rule represented . I t is hard to explainth e reason of th e om ission of the sign for hamzah qat

‘

b efore a

vowel , or to understand how the presenc e of th is c onsonant can

b e divined . Wh en mara is written how is any one to k now

that it must b e pronoun c ed mar’

a ? ” Th e helping vowels are

b elieved to b e represented throughout the b ook wherever theyare pronounc ed , and I have not b een ab le to d iscover om issions.

As to the omission of the sign qat‘

a th e note on p. 22 of the

Grammar was intended to c onvey that this sign would b e ec ono

inised b efore a word b eginning with a vowel,as ana I for

'

ana,

as its om ission th ere c ould cause no c onfusion . When it oc cursin th e m iddle of a word

,as in mas

’

ala,it

’

aggar , it is always

printed ; b ut it is not printed in mara,b ecause mara and not

mar'

a is th e only pronun c iation in use b y all c lasses .

Spitta, th e reviewer say s, does not c orrob orate my view that

the indefinite. artic le wah id agrees with th e noun . Some exceptions to th e rule have a lready b een g iven in 327 ( see also the

footnote ) , and it m ust b e admitted that wahid sitt,wahid b itta ,

&c will often b e said b y natives of the lower orders who are in

c onstant touc h with Europeans, just as they will s ay itnén

fursha and itnén k urbag . Many of th em will even c ommit these

b arb arism s in conversation with one anoth er .

“q allidu l

ifrang b i l k a lam b i sab ab innuhum‘

fish u t. Talyaniya wi l

I grig wi l Ingliz ,”as was remark ed to m e b y a native who avoids

such unnatura l c orruptions . Som e b elieve that it is a fine th ingto im itate European Arab ic . But these expressions should

surely b e avoided b y Europeans who wish to Spea k c orrec tly ,

just as th ey are avo id ed b y th e high er c lasses of the natives .

They are no t even k nown to those who have no intercourse with

Europeans .

S ome o th er points of differenc e b e tween S pitta and myse lfare pointed out — for instanc e , tha t the form s it

'

iz im ,itfib im ,

(ice, g iven b y S pitta a re no t rec og nised b y m e . I t may b e that

these forms are used in Upper Eg y pt , b u t I have b een unab le

to m ee t with an y one who has heard th em in C airo . But the

mo st impo rta n t point is the c onc ord o f the verb when it prec ede s a d e finite sub j ec t . Thus . a c c o rd ing to S pit ta we sa y .

yflga'

ni rasi, my hem ! arhcs . not tuga'

ni rfisl : lamma y igi

sil t . no t human tig i s sitt . I am a t a loss t o unders tand how

s o c are ful an o b se rve r as S pitt a ca n have arrived at this co n

elusio n . No do u b t ynga'

ni raisi will b e frequent ly b eard if thespeak e r is in c o nve rs atio n with a Europea n ,

o r if he c omes fromthe S uda n , or o c c as iona lly if he has a sma tte ring of the literarv

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION

idiom and tries to imitate it, b ut such a form cannot b e regarded

as b elonging to the grammar of the vernacular . Readingthrough Spitta

’s work after I had c onc luded my own

, I discovered many points of differen c e

,and was careful to d isc uss

each one of them with natives b efore pub lish ing my views. As

I understand , Spitta’s Sp rac hjagd was conducted dur ing five

years only, and I have always thought that he must havemod ified som e of his conc lusions had his valuab le life b een

spared .

The reviewer contends that my assertion that almost all

noun s ending in-’iya mak e th eir plural in

-dt can hard ly b e

ac cepted in view of th e numerous exc eptions, and insta nc es

ma'

addiya ,zarhiya, and qadjya as not adm itting of a plural in

-at . I do not think the exceptions are num erous. Of th ethree word s mentioned qadiya mak es b oth qadiyat and qadaya ,m a

‘

addiya , ma'

addiyat more frequently than ma‘ adi

,and zarb iyat

is the only plural of zarhiya given in Spiro’

s vocab ulary.

Th e word ama quoted b y th e reviewer on p. 434 of the

Journal should b e written amma,and the phrases amma aqul

lak does not signify do not I tell you ? b ut let me tell you ,or .

lik e lamma aqul lak, (wait) till I tell you .

It is stated in § 330 , Remark d . ,tha t rak har always agrees

with the sub jec t of th e sentenc e, &c . Th e reviewer has m isunder

stood my m eaning wh ic h is that rak har agrees in gender and

num b er with th e sub jec t of th e sentence , although it mayoften b e translated b y the adverb also . I did not mean to

convey tha t it could not similarly agree with the ob jec t of a

verb . The wording has now b een altered so as to preventmisconc eption.

I have no doub t tha t the use of b eyin ,with and without the

suffixes suggested b y the reviewer,is th e c orrec t one , and tha t

b éyinnu ( for so it should b e written ) stand s for b éyin innu ,b ut

I think there can b e no ob jec tion to saying that it is used

adverb ially in suc h phrases as ma'

andak sh e b éyin , gayin b uk ra

b éyin ,where it is prac tica lly equivalent to b aqa ( see

The reviewer in h is conc lud ing remark s a sk s to b e informe d

of the sourc e whenc e the ex amples and th e exe rc ises haveb een derived . The great ma jority of the examples as we ll a s

of the phrases wh ic h form the exerc ises are expressions whic hare heard every day, and it would c lea rly b e impo ssib le to

indica te the individuals who have at d iffe rent tim e s g ivenutte rance to th em ,

or the plac es where th ey have b een heard .

S pitta’

s examples c onsist a lmo s t entirely of phr ases ex tr ac te d

from th e sto ries pub lishe d a t the end o f his G r amma r . My

xii PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION

examples are derived primarily from fifteen years’

intercourse

with the natives,and secondarily from documents written in the

vernacular . Wh erever there could b e any doub t as to the

usage of a particular word or phrase I have subm itted the point

to a native or to natives. The stories are selections from a

numb er ob tained from native sourc es,and the reviewer may

feel assured that “suffic ient precautions were tak en to ensure

their b eing delivered in a wholly natural style .

”The repetition

of ya‘

ni of which h e complains is one of the charac teristic s of

th e speech of the less educated (cf. 590 ) b ut the h igh er c lasses

also mak e frequent use of it .

1

I am most grateful to th e reviewer for hav ing pointed out

several errors and m isprints which had escaped my notice .

2

H e suggests various alte1 ations in th e wording of the syntax .

I n some c ases I have adopted h is suggestions ,in otheis I have

made no change , either b eing unab le to agree with him or

fee ling that th e change proposed would unnec essarily puz z le the

ave1 av e student . I regret that I have not had tim e to enlarge

th e index .

Comparative philology is a sc ienc e unknown in Egypt.

There is no sch ool or university here where th e Semitic

languages and th e Arab ic dialec ts are studied . The seats of

suc h learning are to b e found in Europe and America , not in

the c ountries which are the b irthplac es of these languages , and

wh ere the b est Opportunities exist for their study. The onlylanguage wh ic h awak es any interest is th e c lassical language of

Arab ia ; the rest is left to foreigners whose lab ours are nu

k nown to,and unrecognised b y, any b ut European sc holars .

”

I t is not surprising , therefore , that no review of the present

Grammar has appeared in Egypt— at least from a native penBut a thousand and one c olumns have b een pub lished b y a

1 As th e y do in Turk ish into whic h langua g e the word has

b een impo rted .

‘

3 S om e of the c orrec tions of spelling whic h he proposes Iam una b le to ac cept, as qassad for qusad , the latter b e ing the

only form in use . I think he is right in h is ob servations on

the pronunc iatio n of the d in niir and the 1°

in riwaya

Appendix to the present edition) , b ut the i'

of li'

b is b eyond all

doub t the s am e a s that of ti'

l,b i

'

t . the . ( l iddan is only used‘

ala (larval; in mc/um'

.

3 H ow many Egyptians have heard of the grea t work on

po st c lass ica l A ra b ic to wh ic h Doz v devoted his life ? I haveno t me t one who had .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

x iv PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION

tha t th e religion of Islam is professed in Turk ey, P ersia , India ,

Ch ina,and a great many oth er c ountries wh ere Arab ic is neith er

Spok en nor written ; and , thirdly, that it must b e more in the

interest of religious education,as of all oth er education ,

that

the whole of th e population shoul d b e ab le to read and write

some form of Arab ic than that a few persons only sh ould have

that privilege . But is th is question in reality a religious one ?

Most Eastern‘

nations c ripple th eir en ergies b y having two

distinct languages, on e for writing and th e other for c on

versation .

Much stress is laid on th e advantag e of having one written

language for th e whole of th e Arab world . One wr iter ask s us

to c onsider how inconvenient it would b e if an Egyptian (m ean

ing of c ourse an educ ated Egyptian ) had to search for an inter

preter to explain th e m eaning of a letter received from a friend inSyria . H e forgets that as things are at present th e very greatmajority of persons search for

,and are at th e m ercy of

,not one

b ut two interpreters, even wh en b oth th e writer and h is friendare living in Cairo . Th ere cannot possib ly b e any intimate

correspondenc e at all under th ese c ircum stan c es. M oreover,

th ere is,under th e present system ,

very muc h in a letter fromAlgiers, Tunis, and oth er parts

— not to speak of the d ifferen c e

in th e formation of th e c harac ters,often nec essitating c omplete

transliteration — wh ich would b e unintellig ib le even to an

educated Egyptian .

Som e have argued that th e educated should gradually ao

c ustom th em selves to speak the written language and induc e

the masses to follow th eir example . One writer says h e has

already made a b eginning with a num b er of friends,b ut c on

fesses that th ey have to fall b ack on th e vernac ular in th eir

lig hter moods ; another suggests that a start should b e made b ydropping the 1) b efore the presen t tense of th e verb ,

ignoringth e fac t that th is partic le , whatever its origin e tymolog ically,is one of those wh ic h enab le the Speak er to express h is ideaswith th e greater prec ision required in these modern days. This

partic le is c ertainly a very an c ient one,for it has b een found 1 in

a manusc ript of the eleventh c entury, and he would ind eed b e a

suc c essful man who c ould ab olish it b y stigmatis ing it in a news

paper artic le . Languages c hange ac c ording to the requirements

of the age ,and the attempts of purists to improve them are , as

Max Muller says , perfec tly b oo tless.

Another c orresponden t ask s wh ic h of th e d ialec ts of Egypt

1 Hr Pro fesso r Marg o liuuth .

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION

is to b e c hosen for the literary language , and add s tha t , which

ever is c hosen ,the Governm ent will have to compose a d ic tionary

of its words and form rules of grammar for it , b ut un fortunatelyno Arab Governm ent would do this ; and , moreover , as no vulgar

dialec t ever lasts more than a h undred years, at the end of that

tim e a new dic tionary would have to b e written and a new set

of grammatical rules drawn up.

” Naturally , most of the litera

ture,and c ertam offic ial documen ts, would b e composed in the

dialect of the c apital . But th e d ifferenc e b etween it and other

Egyptian dialec ts consists main ly in pronunciation ,and wou ld

prac tically disappear in writing . I t has b een said b y an ac cu

rate ob server 1 that , if we exc lude the Bedouin trib es, th e whole

population of Egypt speaks a single dia lec t , the varieties of

wh ich are not greater than those wh ich distinguish th e Tuscanof Florence from the Tuscan of Siena , or the V enetian ofVenic e

from the Venetian of Belluno ; and even if they differed as

much ,for instanc e

,as Venetian does from Sic ilian

,why shouldn t

newspapers and oth er literature b e pub lished in th em , as th ey

are in the various dialects of Germany, Italy, and Sw1tz e1 land 2

I t is true that dia lec ts wh ich are only spok en b ecom e much

c hanged after a lapse of time,b ut the c hange is very gradual

wh en they are at the sam e time written ; and,moreover , how

can language do otherwise than change as th e world progresses ?

From th e natur e of things we cannot continue to all eternity to

express ourselves in the sam e way that our anc estors did ; there

would b e no health in us if we c ould . Compare the c ondition

of the c ur rent literary Arab ic itself . Would it b e intellig ib le

with its new words and new meanings of old words and its

French idioms to the writers of a thousand or even of two

hundred years ago ? The 1 700 quarto pages of Doz y’s S upplé

ment, d evoted almost entirely to the literary language of post

c lassical days, inc omplete as it is,is suffic ient testimony that it

would not b e intelligib le to them . As to the rules of g rammar,

these are not made b y governments b ut b y the nations them

selves, and th ey exist for spoken languages as well as for

wr itten.

I t has b een seriously asserted , b ut not , I th ink ,b y a native

writer , that the stories of‘Antar are understood in th eir orig inal

texts b y a ll sorts and c onditions of m en . Lane , in h is c hapter

on pub lic rec itations,says that as the poetry in the romanc e of

‘Antar is very imperfec tly understo od b y th e vulgar , those who

1 Professor Carlo Al fonso Nallino in his exc ellent manua l,

L’Arab o par/ate in Egitto.

xvi PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION

listen to it are mostly persons of some education . A writer inth e Muqtagaf

lsays :

“ The masses do not understand‘Antar

as they would have to understand educational b ook s. I f

you ask ed them th e m eaning of each word or each phrase

separately you would find that what th ey understand does not

represent more than th e shadow of the real meaning .

”I n

realityt

Antar is very imperfec tly understood even b y persons

of education b ut the gist of th e stories has b een made familiarto all from interpretations, sometimes given b y th e rec iter h im

self. There is no n eed to discuss th ese fac ts ; th ey are k nown to

every Egyptian ,and have b een admitted tom e b y all whom I have

questioned ,educated and uneducated . But even if th e general

drift of a rec itation in the literary language were intelligib le to

th e lower c lasses without interpretation , those c lasses wou ld

stil l have to go through many years of toil b efore th ey could

learn to write that language correc tly. Oth erwise ,how is it

that we m eet every day in documents written b y qualified c lerk s

such expressions as,a fa hal lam ahadan darab ak ? I learn

from a high ly educated native gentleman that h e submits h is

literary work s to a professional grammarian b efore venturing to

pub lish them .

Anoth er writer argues that in English also we have two

separate languages for conversation and literature , sinc e we

write,for in stan c e

,doubt and though , and pronounc e dout and

tho . Certainly th e study of English would from one point of

view b e fac ilitated if it were written phonetically b ut it is not

nec essary to point out that th is has noth ing to do with th e

question under consideration .

“What is to b ec om e of our anc estors ?‘

ask s another c on tri

b utor. What b ecom es of them now ? H ow m an y of the b est

educated of th e present day do or can read th e old c lassic s ? Ithink it is no exaggeration to say tha t many of them are b etter

k nown in Europe than they are in Eg y pt, just as the Greek

c lass ic s are more ac c urately stud ied in foreign un iversities than

they are at Ath ens.

I c ontent myself with suggesting the ab ove replies to the

arguments advanc ed against the un iversal adoption of th e

people’

s language , and look for a gradual change in the right

direc tion . Indeed . I feel c onfident that suc h a c hange has

already b egun . b ut it needs to b e enc ourag ed b y the influentia l

1 Ano ther writer in the sam e journal ( in the yea r 188 1 )considers th at the writte n Ara b ic d iffers from the spok en lan

guage as English d iffers from Frenc h , or Frenc h from La tin.

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION xvii

and patr iotic among the native population . Formerly the state

ments of prisoners and the depositions of witnesses were invari

ab ly translated ,as th ey were tak en down

,into the literarv

language. It is ob vious tha t under these c irc umstanc es the

judges, who had only the papers b efore them ,were left very

much in the dark as to what had b een ac tually sa id ; b ut in the

last few years there have b een found c lerk s b old enough to tak e

down the dec larations at least partially in the speak er’s own

words.

Some English students,as I understand

,woul d lik e the

Arab ic words throughout th e Grammar to b e written in the

Arab ic as well as in the Roman c haracter . But it must b e

rememb ered that th e ob j ec t of the b ook is to teac h the spoken

and not th e written language , and that therefore it must b e

sufficient to exac tly represent th e pronunc iation of the words,

which can easily b e done in the Roman charac ter,b ut on ly

imperfec tly in the Arab ic . Th e Arab ic type would treb le the

c ost of the b ook without,as it appears to m e

,any advantage

b eing gained . Th e Arab ic names of th e letters have not b een

changed , so tha t the student can h imself tra nsliterate the wordsas far as is prac tica b le .

A TREATI SE on the Arab ic language as Spok en in Egypt, and

particularly at th e capital , was pub lish ed b y W'

ilh ehn Spitta

in the year 1880 under the title of Grammatik des Arab ischen

V ulgdrdialectes con AEgyp ten . To th e sc holarsh ip and carefulresearches of this writer orientalists are indeb ted for the first and

,

perhaps, only serious attempt to sk etc h the distinguishing featuresof th e literary and vernac ular dialec ts. I n the grammars of“vulgar

” Arab ic which already existed , as in others wh ic h

have sinc e appeared , we find a c onfusion b etween two spok en

dialec ts, such as Egyptian and Syrian ,or a hopeless m ix tur e

of form s and expressions used only in conversa tion with those

which are pec uliar to the wr itten language. In some of th ese

grammars th e Arab ic words are written in Roman c harac ters

without any m ethod in others the Arab ic letters are employed .

In the la tter case the short vowels are om itted altogether ; a

single charac ter ( it ) is used for 12, (3, and an ,another (y) for 7

,

6,and ay, and a doub le consonant is printed sing le ; so that it

is impossib le in almost every case to pronounc e c orrec tly a word

with wh ic h we are not already orally acquainted .

‘ Signs for suc h

short vowels as oc c ur in the literary language , in th e form of

acc ents ab ove and b elow the conso nants, are employed in copies

of the Koran and oc casiona lly in other b ook s , as a g uide to

pronunc iation ; b ut new ones would have to he invented to

express sounds pec uliar to the spok en language if, in adoptingthe Arab ic c harac ter, we pointed

”the word s . To do so with

any approac h to completeness ,we should have to employ a system

of vowel-po ints and ac c ents akin to that in use for Heb rew ;

Thus bo th katab he wrote, and k utih it was wril len ,are re.

presented b y the letters It‘

l l) malak he posses se d, ma lik k ing], a nd

milk properly, b y walk , and the letters meet will b e read ac c o rd ingto the context mawt or mfit death , mauwit he killed ,

o r mauwitt I

xx PREFACE

b ut no Arab ic type would admit of th is . Natives would ,no

doub t,learn to read in th e Arab ic character without vowel

points th e language which they speak ,as they are already fam iliar

with th e words ; b ut th e language of the b ook s is naturally in

the k eeping of th e learned , who still regard with much jealousyth e introduction of “

vulgar grammatical form s or even of

words wh ich do not figure in the Qamus. Henc e th e proportionof people who are ab le to read and write in Arab ic - speak ingc ountries is exc eedingly small ; for th e work ing

—man,having no

tim e to study a strange idiom ,and nothing to gain b y learn ing

th e letters , remains,and will ever remain under the present

system ,illiterate . No doub t th ere is a c ertain b enefit in having

a common written language for the whole of th e Arab world , sothat a man of education b rought up in Algeria can read a b ook

pub lish ed in Egypt or Syr ia ; b ut it is a b enefit en joyed at the

expense of th e lower c lasses .

Th e foreigner who seek s a practical k nowledge ofthe languageis at another disadvantage . Whether h e engage a professor or

study from the b ook s,h e g enerally acquires a vocab ulary of

words only understood b y th e educated,and in the latter case

h e is c onfronted with the diffi culties resulting from th e ab senc e

of th e vowels .

Th e dialec t of Cairo presents many forms of very high

an tiquity . I ts prec ise pla c e in th e S emitic fam ily c ould b e

more easily determined if the influen c e wh ich the Quraishdialec t has had upon it c ould b e removed . Th ere can b e no

doub t that it is m ore c losely allied,in struc ture at lea st

, to

the Heb raic and Aramaic b ra nch es of the family than is the

language of the Koran and sub sequent Arab ic literatur e . Heb rewand Syriac , for in stanc e , have , lik e Cairene and other spok en

dialec ts,no final vowel in th e 3rd person singular of the verb

,

mak ing k atab and k tab re spec tively ( lit . Arab . k atab a 1) in

th e past te nse , nor in any person of the aorist exc ept in the

3rd person plural . The vowel of the preforma tive s y llab le is

in H eb rew z'

,in Syriac P

,b ut a in the prim itive form of th e

literary Arab ic verb . The dual is wanting in the verb and

and th e nouns liavo no ca se-end ings . I n Heb rew we

may note th e fo llowing further po ints of resemb lanc e : It has

no consonant al power at the end of words , though it may tak e

Literary Arab ic drops the final sho rt vowe ls in the jussive

3 I t is who lly ab sent in Syriac , and appears only in a few

nouns in H eb rew .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

xxii PREFACE

its passive. Further , we have the forms par‘al , par

‘el , pa

‘lal

(given as quadriliterals in the grammar) . The termination um

i s possib ly not a modern form ,b ut the equivalent of the archaic

Syriac an. Lastly, the Heb rew and Syriac syntax afiords

strong evidenc e of their c lose affinity to Cairene and other

living dialects. On the oth er hand , there is a very important

point which literary Arab ic has in common with the spok en

d ialects,nam ely, the use of b rok en plurals, a form which seem s

to b e preferred in Cairene Arab ic to the “perfec t

”

plural in at

(Heb rew oth ) ;1and further

, the use of the dual , even in nouns,

is hardly k nown to the other b ranches of the Sem itic family .

I t results , from the ab ove c onsiderations,that the so-c alled

Arab ic dialects of the present day present a comb ination of th e

pecul im ities of several b ranch es of the S em itic family. Th e

development which some of th em display in c ommon with

Heb rew is evidenc e of their great antiquity, wh ile the fac tthat in most cases the stronger forms have b een retained b yth e Koreish dialect indic ate that this latter separated at a com

paratively late period from the common parent . Allowanc emust

,of c ourse

,b e made for the c ircum stanc e of its growth

h aving b een arrested when it b ecame the sac red language of

Islam ,b ut the thinning of the vowels and oth er signs of advanc e

had b egun ,as we have seen

,in almost prehistoric times in

oth er b ranch es of the fam ily.

2

I n the following pages the everyday speech of the people

is presented to the student , and care has b een tak en to avoidwords whic h are not fam iliar to all c lasses . I t is generallycalled the vulgar dialec t of th e c oun try,

b ut it is vulgar only in

th e sense that it is popular and universal .3 M en of all c ond i

tions employ it in c onversation,though naturally many words

are use d b y the higher c lasses , espec ially as technica l term s .

whic h are. not understood b y the uneducated . A d isc ussion of

the re asons for the existenc e of one d ialec t for literature and

1 E th iopic is th e on lv other m em b er of the fam ilv whic h

adm its of b rok en plura l“3 I n Assvrian the vowel of the prefornmtive syllab le of the

aorist was 1 in the 3rd pe rso n . Syriac has the weak vowe l

e ven in the l s t person . The ll l l ll l a of the perfe c t appears in

Eth io pia (a languag e wh ic h has more in c ommon with c lassic al

Ar ab ic,ex i

'

ept fo r the ab senc e o f the dua l . than e ithe r H e b rew

or Aram aic ) , and is ret ained in A ln lm ric .

3 “ ‘

H xoww) The te rm “vulgar is o fte n ap

plied c ontemptuous ly to spo k en A rab ic .

PREFACE

another for conversation would be out of p lace here .

1 Therecan be no doub t that the progress of the nation is thereby°

mpeded ,and great advantages would be gained if one on ly

were used for both purposes . Th e wri tten language i s re

garded by the educated as pure (‘arabi nadif) , the spoken as

unclean or broken (‘arabi maksur) ,2 wh i le the lower c lasses term

the spoken ‘arabi and the wr itte n nahwi.8 To us it seemsst range that it should be necessary to wri te of bread and wateras khubz and ma’

,wh il e we speak of them as ‘esh and moiya

,

4 orto read from a documen t y aktub or yak tub uf

’ wh i le we regu larlyhear yik tib in conversation . I f we were to speak Eng l i shand wri te Dutch our l i terature would be understood , by theeducated at least

,over a wide area ; but it would not appeal

to our senses . The force of words consists in the assoc iationswh ich th ey reca l l— in the subtle rem ini scences they awake ofbygone days . N0 word or expression wh ich we meet on ly inbooks w il l enter into our l i fe like those wh ich have become

1 See the preface to Dozy ’ s Supplé nmzt aux Dz'

ctz’

onna ires

Arabes . He points out that the ear ly d ict ionar ies composed bythe fol lowers of the Pi ophet exc luded al l words not consideredc lass ic or “ sacred

,and , as modern comp ilations have added

but l itt le to the sto re by independent research , no col l ection ofwords in genera l use in any way approach ing to comp letenesshas as yet been made .

2 Apparentl y from the notion that the spoken d ialect i snothing but a corruption of the Koranic .

3‘Nahw

‘

i means l itera lly grammatical , and i s comm on ly app l i ed to the mongre l language employed in official correspondence . It is the “ c lassica l ” language artificial ly adapted tomodern wants . The Koran ic forms are mostly reta ined

,but

fore ign and in particular French id iom s are large ly introduced,

and words are g iven mean ings wh ich they do not bear in thec lassica l language . It i s u sed in speeches and in p lead ings atthe courts ( in term ing led often in the same sentence w ith thevernacu lar) , or in the d i scussion of techn ical subjects , andpedantically even in ord inary conversat ion . A brief sk etc h ofits acc idence i s g iven in an append ix to the Accidence .

Khubz i s co l loqu ia l in the d ialect of S yr ia .

5 As the vowe ls are not printed , yak tub and yak tulm wi l lbe written w ith the same letter s as yik tib . In the read ing ofcorrespondence and offic ial documents the final short vmwds areofte n not pronounced , the c lerks not be ing sufiic iently versed inthe c lassi ca l language to insert them .

xxiv PREFACE

fam i l iar to us through our intercourse w ith our fe l lowb e ings .1

To resume,the spoken language of Cairo represents in its

structure the d istinguish ing features of at least three branchesof the Sem itic fam i ly . It has borrowed some words from Coptic

,

wh ich it has thoroughly assimilated,as t imsah crocod ile, lib sh

(Copt . leb sh bush , reed ) , whence we have the verb lab b ish ,&c .

,

and others from the languages of Europe,includ ing Turk ish .

Further,a great many express ions be long ing in real ity to the

written language have,ow ing to the infl uence of the Koran

,

become fam i l iar even to the lowest c lasses,some of them in

a sl ightl y altered form ,others w ithout any change . But the

importations from abroad are by no means numerous,and on

the whole Cairene has preserved,un l ike some other Sem itic

id ioms,as Maltese and the modern d ialects of Abyssinia , an

essential ly pure character . Such is the language wh ich the.peop le have evolved for themse lves , and h isto ry warns us thatal l attempts to “ educate them up ” to express themse lves in anid iom not of the ir choosing w i l l meet w ith fa ilure . The wisercourse would be to throw aside al l prejud ice 2 and accept it , atleast for secular purposes

,as the on ly language o f the country .

There is reason to fear that,un less th is be done and a simp ler

system of wr iting be adopted,both the col loqu ial and l i te ra ry

d ialects w i l l be gradual ly ousted , as the intercourse with European nations increases

,by a fore ign tongue .

And let it not be supposed that the Ca irene or any otherspoken d ialect is unworthy of a l iterature . They are manyof them richer in their phraseology than any of the Europeanlanguages

,and w ith the introduction from the Nahwy voca

b ulary of the necessary techn ica l terms wou ld be capable ofex ln

'

essing e \ c ry idea of modern times , and th is in a l iv ingform . A movement in f avour of the vernacu lar would b est be

1 Dozy says of the earl y “ puri sts Blec onnaissaut la naturedes c lro ses

,no comprenant pas c t no vou lant pas comprend re

que tout daus re iuonde est sujet a varier , que les langues semoditiunt a mesure des mod ifications do la pc ns

éc,qu

'

e l lessub issm it la dépvn dane c d o In sorir-tc qu i l es par le et descc r-iv ains qu i s

'

c n sorw nt,i l s vou laient rendru immual ilc c t

perpctuc r ce l lo du l ivr'e do “10 11 c t n

’

m a iv ut que du ( leda in e t

du incpris pour les innovations p lus ou nio ius invo lonta ires doluurs c o ntmnpura ins .

"

U’

vst a i ns i qu'

c n France nu N“swc le on n

'

am it pas l'idou

qUo l'

id ioxne vulga il v fll t suscept ib le d etre c c rit . l lus as .

started by the press , 1 but it wou ld need to be strong ly support edby men of infl uence . Shou ld it succeed , a short time of com

pulsory educa tion , say two y ears , wou ld be suffic ient t o Spread aknow ledge of read ing and wr iting throughout the country .

The system of trans l iteration emp loyed in the grammar w i l l,

it i s hoped,recommend i tsel f to the Eng l i sh student . There i s

some inconven ience in representing a sing le A r ab ic lette r bytwo in the Roman character

,as al so in the use of dots be low

the letters ; and shou ld the Orienta l system ever be supersededby a European one for general use it

,

wi l l no doubt be foundmore su itab le to invent a separate cha racter for a l l those Arabicletters wh ich have no equ ivalent in the Latin alphabet .I venture to be lieve that Arabic scholars ,2 as wel l as those

who seek a practica l know ledge of the language,w i l l find matter

of interest in the fo l low ing pages . They have been wri tten atodd moments , ch iefly in vaca tion t ime , in ra ilway tra ins andsteamboats— a circum stance wh ich I must urge as a p l ea forany imperfections wh ich may be detected in the work .

I must not conclude w ithout expressing my indebtedness tothe heads of some of the Departments of the Egyptian Government and others for subscrib ing for a num ber of cop ies of thebook , and thereby enab l ing me to carry it through the press ,and al so to Professor Sayce for h is patience in reading throuv h

the manuscr ipt in the m id st of h is man i fo ld preoccupation s T enotes marked w ith the letter S . are con tr ibuted by h im .

CAIRO , 190 1 . J. S . W ILLMORE .

Nora — S ince writ ing the above,as essay on the Egyptian

a lphabet by an America n ph i lo log ist , who takes a deep in terestin th e we l fare of the Egypt ian peop le

,has come to my notice .

I quote the fol lowing passages from it to i l lustrate the coinc i

Some ha lf-hearted attempts have already been mad e .

A Cairene o f the lower c lass known to me Spent severa lyears at schoo l when he was a boy . He there learned theletters and part of the Koran by heart . Of the latter b e re

members but l ittl e , but he sti l l makes use of the letters for h iscorresp ondence , wh ich he wr i te s phonetical ly in the c o lloquia l

language , w ith here and there a na hwy phrase . Aske d whyhe d id not read the papers , he rep l ied that he cou ld not throwaway h is piastres on a l i t erature wh ich he d id not underst and .

2 Though not all . It W as start l ing to learn from a professorc langu ages at one of the Eng l ish un ivers ities that he

exc luded the l iving Arab ic d ialec ts from his stud ies .

xxv i PREFACE

dence of both h is and Sp itta ’s v iews w ith my own convictions.Not having referred to Sp itta ’s work for many years previousl yto the compl etion of my own

,I was unaware that he himse lf

desired to see the vernacu lar adopted for l iterary purposes .

“ No one who has read the deep ly- interesting preface to

the Grammatik can doubt the warmth of the hope which he

[Sp itta] enterta ined that the work— as h i s b iographer expressesit m ight contribute to the elevation of the Spoken d ia l ect intoa written language , thereby bridg ing over that deep chasm b e

tween the id iom of the peop le and the id iom of l iterature,whi ch

is the greatest obstruct ion in the path o f Egyptian progress . ’

The strik ing and forcibl e paragraph wh ich closes the prefac ehas been frequently c ited

,but a trans lation of it here can hard ly

be out of p lace : ‘ F inal ly , I w ill venture to g ive ut terance to ahope wh ich

,dur ing the comp i lation of th i s work

,I have con

stantly cher ished it is a hope wh ich concern s Egypt itse lf,and

touches a matter wh ich,for it and its peop le

,i s a lmost a question

o f l ife or death . Every one who has l ived for a considerab leperiod in an Arab ic- speak ing land knows how seriousl y all itsactiv ities are affected by the w ide d ivergence of the writtenlanguage from the spoken . Under such c ircumstances there canbe no thought of popu lar cu lture ; for how is it poss ib l e , in thebrief per iod of primary instruction

,to acquire even a hal f-way

know ledge of so difiicult a tongue as the l iterary Arab ic,when

,

in the secondary school s,youth s undergo the torture of its study

during several years w ithout arriving at other than the mostunsatisfying resul ts ? Of course the unfortunate graph ic med ium— the comp lex a lphabet— is in great part to b lame for all this ;yet how nruch easier wou ld the matter become if the studenthad merely to write the tongue wh ich he speaks

,instead of be ing

forced to write a language wh ich i s as strange to the pre sentgenerat ion of Egyptian s as the Lat in is to the peop le of I ta ly

,

or the O ld-Greek to the inhab i tants of Greece— a languagewh ich

,w i thout be ing the popu lar speech

,is no longer even th e

c lass ical Arabic ! A real l iterature cannot be thus deve loped ;for on ly the l im ited cu l tivated class knows how to use a bookto the ma ss of the peop le a hook is real ly a th ing unknown .

I f he have need to write a l etter,or execute a document , the

ord inary man of the peop le must put h imse l f blind ly into thehand s of a professional scribe ; he must trustirrg ly s ign the mostimport ant papers w ith a sea l wh ich he ca nnot read

,and which

uray be and i s eas i l y im it ated . \V hy ca n th is lamentab le con

d ition of th ings not be changed for the bette r ? S imp ly because

PREFACE xx vn

there is a fear , if the language of the Koran b e who lly givenup, of incurring the charge of trespassing upon the domain of

religion . But the Koranic language is now nowhere written ;for wherever you find a written Arab ic it is the Middle-Arab icof the offices. Even th e dub ious unity of the Islamitic peopleswould not b e disturb ed b y the adoption of the spoken vernac ular

,

since the language of prayer and of the ritual would still remain

everywhere the same . I t is also asserted that the New-Arab icis wholly unfit to b ecome the language of the pen b ecause it

ob eys no fix ed laws, and flows on without any syntac tic restric

tions. I venture to b elieve that the present pub lication provesthat the speech of the people is not so completely incapab le of

d isc ipline ; that , on the c ontrary, it possesses an ab undanc e of

grammatic al nic eties and that it isprec isely the simplic ity of its

syntax , the plastic ity of its verb al c onstru ction ,which will make

it a most serviceab le instrument . Did the Italian seem any more

prom ising when Dante wrote his Divine Com edy ? And would

a commission of the most learned and most expert men of Egyptnot b e ab le to do infinitely b etter that which it has not appeared

to me,a foreigner , too difiic ult to undertak e ?

’

Careful study of its details— espec ially if supplemented

b y a short period of use — can hardly fail to convinc e the investigator that it would b e difi

'

c ult,to say th e least , to c reate an

alphab et b etter adapted to its purpose than that of Spitta .

l

I ts general application to the national d ialect of Egypt wouldforthwith immensely fac ilita te the extension of k nowledge , and

inest imab ly lessen the task of the teacher throughout al l the

N ilotic lands ; and th is may well b e b rought ab out without, in

any measure , affect ing the position of the Old-Arab ic alphab et

as the med ium of the venerated c lassica l literature. Nor would

such a step detract from the sanc tified c harac ter of that a lpha

b et , with which the sacred Koranic sc riptures are written . The

Bib le of the Russians is printed b ymeans ofthe Cyrillic a lphab et ,2

The system of transliteration adopted in the present work

differs very considerab ly from Spitta’

s . In a b ook written for

Eng lish students , Eng lish tas tes had to b e c onsulted,and I am

sure that they would , for ex ample , have b een puz z led b y the use

oi j to represent the 3; sound, though ph ilolog ically it may he

the right letter to employ.

I t is strange that S pitta should not have rec ognised the

existence of th e th ic k z in the vernac ular.

2 The old S lavonic Bi le of Cyrillus is still the autho rised

version wherever a S lavonic language is spok en.

xxviii PREFACE

notab ly differing from that made use of in th e modern Russian .

Our own English Bib le , in its existing version,has many verses

and phrases which can hardly b e pronounc ed to b e stric tlymodern English . The Catholic Church regards on ly the Latinvulgate scriptures as authoritative , b ut the Catholic nations all

have secular literatures in th eir own vernacular . The Coptsdaily use th e Old-Arab ic alphab et and th e chan c ery

’ Arab icin their correspondence , while speak ing the Egyptian idiom

,

although their holy b ook s are in the an c ient Coptic , having itsown alphab et . Th ere are other instan c es

,even in the East

, of

similar alphab etical and literary evolutions and revolutions ;and there seem s no good reason why these examples should not

b e followed to advantage b y nationalities of whatever race or

c reed . Religion in no wise su ffers thereb y, wh ile the progress

of the people is immeasurab ly ac celerated .

There is little need of waitin g for the new Dante,whose

advent Spitta , in the c losing phrases of the prefac e to h is

Gmmmatz‘

k , seem s to hint at . Other effic ient forces are

already at hand . Hundreds of young m en are now c onstantlyrec eiving an excellent training in the h igher schools of the

Egyptian c ities— schoolswhich are yearly growing b etter . Thesesons of Egypt are b oth intelligent and patriotic . L et 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 th ere will soon

follow the unapproachab le b lessing of un iversal education ,with

its inevitab le result of a b road literature ‘ for the people , of the

people , and b y the people .

’

The presen t Government of Egyptm ight well lend its aid— as it is at last in a position to do

to such an effort . An American writer has c harac terised the

marvellous finan c ial,c ommerc ial

,agric ultural , and moral tm ns

formation of Egypt , effec ted in these later years , as‘ the most

splendid Ang lo-Saxon ach ievement of the c entury .

’

W hy can

not the m en who have b een the potent factor in b ring ing ab out

this b enefic ent material revolution ,now open the gate ,

as well,

to the spiritual developm ent of the people they rule so ab ly and

honestly'

4 There is b ut one path that passes th rough that

gate , and that path can b e traversed only b y a nation educated

in the language it underst ands . That language is a lready the

daily spee c h of soc ia l interc ourse,of the fam ily, the shop, and

the farm . W hy should it no t b ec om e the medium of an educ a

tion ,destined no t only to elevate the nation whic h has its home

under the pa lm s o f the N ile,b ut perhaps to revive , under a

nob le form ,the anc ient g lory of the who le S arac enic world

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2 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

REMARK a .-Nasb a , khifda , and ruf ‘a are b y the learned

termed respectively fatha , kasra ,and damma . e and 0 are re

garded as mere corruptions of the a and u sounds pecul iar to the

spok en dialects, so that it has b een necessary to invent names for

them . 3 no doub t results from the th inning (z'

mdla) of a,b ut

as its sound approaches more nearly that of kh ifda,the name

adopted seems suitab le.

REMARK b .—The following is, in outline

,the system of spelling

in use in Egypt :

The syllab le ha is pronounc ed b anasab or b anasab ;b i b ikhifad or b ikh ifad

b u b firufa‘or hurufa‘ ;

ta tanasab 1

ti tikh ifad 1

tu tfirufa ‘ 1

similarly kanasab ,1 k ikh ifad ,

1 kfirufa ‘

,

land so on throughout.

Or,a and u b eing in the Arab ic charac ter written ab ove the con

sonant which they follow,and i b elow ,

we may Spell ba , hé

q ha 2 nasb a ; b i,hé tahtih a ,

3 k hifda ; b u, be q ha ruf‘a .

When a word b egins with a short vowel,that is

,stric tly speak

ing , gat‘a followed b y a vowel , that vowel wil l b e pronoun c ed

if a,a qat‘a u 4 nasb a ; if i , i qat

‘a u khifda ; if u

,0 qat‘a u

ruf‘a . Ba is spelt b anasab alif wasl ; b i, b ikh ifad yewas] ; and

b 0,b firufa‘ wan was].

Consonants not followed b y a vowel are ca lled ab b igazam ( b ) ,tttigazam (t) , ak k igazam ( If) , &c . , or b efoqha gazma

,(k c .

Thus the name I b rah im may b e spelt— i qat

‘a u kh ifda ab b i

gaz am ranasab alif was] h ikh ifad ye wasl amm igaz am ; or a liftah tiha qat‘a u k h ifda we hé foqha gazma we i é foqha nasb a

we alif was] ( la foqha wala tahtiha) we he tah tiha k h ifda we

i lif was]we m im foqha gazma .

PRONUNCIATION OF THE VOW’

ELS

a is stric tly the Eng lish a of the words and , pal , as in

a lf thousand ,kata b he wrote, b ut the following mod ifications of

its sound must b e noted

(a) After it is prac tica lly leng thened to a'

,and this even

b efore two c onsonants,as in the words ‘

a la on , yig‘al he makes ,

gum‘a week ,

‘ammu h is unc le.

Or tana sab ,2 Above it ( pronounced also fag ba) .

3 Below it. Or we (and ) .

( b ) I t b ecomes of necessity b roadened when in proximity tothe consonants d , s , and g .

‘

( c ) I t usually has,when surrounded by weak consonants

,

the ob scure sound of a in the words against, final , or the un

written vowel of d idn’

t,as in naz z il bring down, laban milk

, or

the sec ond syllab le of ‘ab dalla

, pr . n . ,and ‘

arb agi d river.

(d) I t is thinned to ii or e, as baled village, ginéne garden (for

ginéna) , masriye an Egyptian or Cairene woman (for masriya) .After y this mod ification is not uncommon

,b ut in other cases

it is seldom heard from the lips of true Cairenes .

2

3. Long a (d ) retains its original pure sound (as in fother)when prec ed ed b y or kh and not at the same time followed b ythe weak semi-consonant y, as in

‘fida custom,k hfilis entirely, khan

inn, bazaar ; b ut its usual value is that of a lengthened ii,

such as is heard in the Italian word pad re ; e.g . bah door, hégathing . Th e Fellaheen and oth ers weak en it to short 6 , b ut a

Cairene will never say rigg'

ala men, though he pronounc es the a

in that word much less b roadly than in nar. A sound approac h

ing to that of ii is, however, sometimes heard b efore qat‘a or

y replacing qat‘a,3 and g , as in b a ’ in (hayin) appearing , sha

’ if

(shay'

seeing ,zaba‘ in customers, b aqi remaining , teltiqi you will

find . nder the infl uence of the emphatic consonants d, g ,

(2 b ecomes so much b road ened that an inexperienced ea r m ight

confound it with the sound heard in the English word water :

e.g . tab he rec overed ,daf he added

, sen] he fasted , salim oppressor,

b at armpit.

§ 4 . e sounds as e in men. I t oc curs mostly in unacc ented

open syllab les , and is then hardly distinguishab le from short i,as in yeshui (or yishuf) he sees .

‘

S ee remarks on these letters3 Cf . yanfiyir, fib rfiyir with sib timbar, the . Most of the

numerous examples g iven b y Spitta of imdl a or thinning of th e

wvowels are illustrations of foreign ( fellah , b edawi, or b e rb eri)pronunc iation. S uc h forms as k eh

‘

im ,lamde , do not oc cur in

the dialec t of C a iro as spok en b y natives .

As in the pres . partic ip. of verb s whose m iddle radica l is

m or 31. See g 19 and 27 , under the letter Bayin is prac ti

cally pronounced beyin,aiid is so writte n in the gr ammar.

e is used for i throughout the grammar in the

syllab les of the aorist and partic iples of some of the forms of

the verb whenever these sylla b les are pronounc ed with g rea t

rapid ity. Prac tica lly it mak es b ut little d ill'

erenre whe the r

i or e is written in th is pos itio n , pl‘

OV ld c i l that no stre ss is la id

on them. e is partic ularly pre ferred, as in l l ehrew , in the

4 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

6 has the value of English a in lane or ai in lain, as‘esh

bread . I t is th ick ened in syllab les containing h, t, d, s , or g,as

in beta a wall, b ed eggs, sef summer. After ‘eh it sounds much

as ai in aisle, as in far‘én two branches, and b efore w as the

French eu ,as in ‘iléwi high .

REMARK .— é

'

often stands for ai (ay) , as der monastery, fordayr, sh éyal , or shaiyal shayyal) porter .

1

5. i as in d id ; e.g . b int girl, misik he seized . Wh en followedb y it has the value of the French eu, as in li

‘b game and when

preceded b y that consonant it approach es very c losely to the

sound of e, or even that of the diphthong ai, as in san‘itu his

p rofession ,ma sim‘itsh she did not hear , and this even in an

unac c ented syllab le , as in sham ‘idan candlestick . The emphatic

consonants give it a pure a sound, as in didd against, wh ile w

following it converts it to the French ii, as in yistiwi it gets ripe.

After , and , to a less degree, b efore the gutturals, it approaches

th e sound of e (though h exerts b ut very little influenc e upon it) ,as h inna henna (nearly henna) , khidéwi K hed ive, h ina here (witha slight tendency only to e) , yikhtaf he snatches (i slightlydark ened) . 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 thereis a pause b etween it and the next word .

i soun ds as long i in French and Italian,as in dib wolf,

h iya she. I t is more liab le than the oth er vowels to b ecome

shortened at th e end of a word As in the case of its

sound resemb les that of e or ai after ‘e‘

n, as in tal

‘in going out

tisma‘ish thou (f.) dost not hear, tis

‘in ninety (prac ticallytal ‘én

,

‘iyal children (pron .

‘aiyal) . Before h it b ecomes a

rounded e, as in rih spirit. I t has a sound b etween it and en

after t, d , s , g , as in yediffi they a dd , and sometimes in the

Turk ish term ination bag/i i , as in yuz b ashi captain, in imitationof the Turk ish pronunc iation .

partic iples. Uniformity of spelling will b e to some extentsa c rific ed in the following pages to the desire to represent

as far as possib le the exac t pronunc iation of eac h word in its

varied surround ings . There is perhaps in no ca se so c lear a

d istinc tion b e tween i and J as there is in Eng lish , an inter

m ediate sound he ing heard in many words, as in imshi yo, and

in the axt ic le il .1 So Heb r. b it/i for bag/1h , &c .

CONNECTING OR HELPING VOWELS 6

REMARK .~ -The in arbe‘in forty, and I sma

‘in, pr. n .

,is too

slightly pronounc ed to influence the final syllab le.

6 . o and c are the rounded continenta l short and long 0 , b ut

they are not quite so c losed as in French ; e.g . ahé there he is !

hon mortar, yom day.

1 I n foreign words long 0 is retained,

wh ile short 0 usually gives place to u,as b antalon trowsers, b ut

qunsul consul .

7. u as in full , 12 as in fool ; e.g . shuft thou sawest,darahu

he struck him ,ffil beans . I n juxtaposition to the emphatic con

sonants and the gutturals their sound approaches that of b road

o and 6 , as in usb ur have patience (almost osb ur) , qutta cat

(nearly qotta ) , b urqu‘veil,

‘umr life,

‘usm an

, pr. n. (pron . almost

b urqo‘

,

‘omr

,

‘osm an ) .2 I n the word ‘

az t I wanted , u is some

times given the sound of u in cup .

THE DIPHTHONGS

8. ai (orig inally ay) is pronounced as at 111 aisle; e.g. shuwaiya

a little (for shuwayya) , ithaiyar he was permeate/L3Au as in German or as ou in house ; e.g . auwilfirst

,b auwaz

he squandered .

Oi is very rarely heard . I t is less open than on in boy, and

its true sound seem s to lie b etween that and the diphthong ai

e.g . moiya wa ter, istughummoiya a game of the nature of hideand -seek ,

‘oiyaq (for

‘iyaq) , plur. of ‘ayiq fop ,lar/ap ur.

REMARK .

— Maiya and ummaiya are oc casionally heard for

moiya , b ut they b elong to the provinces.

CONNECTING OR HELPING VOWELS

9 . As the Arab s of Cairo are unab le to pronounce three c onsonants in quick suc c ession

,it b ecomes necessary, when they

oc c ur together, to insert a short vowel b etween the sec ond and

1 So yom ,moth

,dor in Heb rew literary Ara b . yawm ,

mawt death , dawr turn. Note that ddr means age in Heb r. as

in co lloquia l Arab ic .

2 Or ra ther ‘6sman , the u b eing doub ly b roadened b y the

comb ined influenc e of and s.

5 When the y is not doub led it retains its value as a c on

sonant , and no d iphthong is formed,as in nay raw. Even when

it is doub led , the transformation into a d iph thong o ften seems

incomplete.

6 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

the third .

1 Th is vowel , it will b e understood, plays no part in

the Struc ture of the words them selves,and is m erely requisi

tioned b y th e speak er to b reak up a comb ination of c onsonants.

Nouns,verb s

, prepositions, and c on junctions are , under these

c ircum stanc es,link ed to the pronom inal suflixes b y the vowels

i or i t, their choice b eing regulated b y the laws of euphony.

Thus u is the c onnecting vowel when the suffix is ku, kum you ,

your , or hum they, their, while i is employed in most other

cases. Thus we say darab tuhum I struck them (for darab thum ) ;while from shutt I saw, and ha her, is formed shuftiha I saw

her ; so umm mother, umm iha her mother,ummukuyour mother.

When the second vowel is not so c losely attac hed to th e first asto form one with it

,the connecting vowel will b e e

,or (if th e

least stress is laid on it) i ;3e.g . shaft I saw,

ragil a man , shufte

ragil I saw a man, darab te walad you struck a boy, shirib te k etir ,b ut sh irib ti k tir or sh irib ti k etir you drank much (a slight pause

b eing made in th e latter case b etween th e two words to assist

the emphasis falling on k etir) , il haqqe lik or il haqqi lak you are

right, il b inte di or il b inti di this gir l.

REMARK a .

— e is sometimes h eard after th e negative suflix sh ,although neither preceded nor followed b y another consonant , as

ma fishe there is not,ma yiswashe it is not worth ; b ut possib ly

it here represents the long e of she thing , from wh ich the

negative form is ab b reviated .

REMARK b .—When there is a pause b etween the second and

th ird c on sonant,th e helping vowel is usually dispensed with , as

it has no purpose to serve. Th is oc curs not in frequently whenstress is laid on the first word , as in th e expression ik h s

‘al éh !

shame upon h im /

REMARK c .— The conn ec ting vowels

,though as a rule pro

nounc ed with the g reatest rapidity, have often the same value as

those wh ic h are used in the struc ture of the words themselves,and may b e sub jec t to th e sam e changes. They may b e length

ened under the influenc e of the ac cent and,b y the prin

c iples of c on trac tion,may even oust an original vowel ; thus

from uk ht sister, and n is ib i my b rother-in-[aw,

is formed uk hti

nsib i my bro/her - in-law’s sister ; from sahn d ish , and nahas

copper , sahn i nhfi s .

REMARK ( 1, — As,stric tly speak ing ,

no svllab le b egins with a

1 C f. the use o f s li°va and of sego l in He b rew.

2e is oc c a sio nally used fo r i , as unnneha for ummiha ; and

ummaha,&c .

,will b e heard , espec ia lly in the m id ina or c ity.

3 Note that it b ec omes 5 when leng thened , as in waq tiha.

GENERAL REMARKS ON THE VOWELS 7

vowel the insertion of e in such comb inations as ib ne as]

a man of a good stack , qumte ana I got up , is in ac cordanc e with

the rule.

10 . A helping vowel is also inserted in foreign words b etweentwo consonants which an Egyptian is unab le or loath to pro

noun ce consecutively, or the vowel is plac ed b efore the first so as

to form a separate syllab le with it , as sib insa or isb insa pantry

( Ital. disp ensa) , iksib iriss shyness.

l

GENERAL REMARKS ON THE VOWELS

g 1 1 . A long vowel followed b y two c onsonants, whether in

the same word or in two pronounced together without a pause ,

b ecomes shortened ,2 eand 6 b eing generally changed to i and u

respectively,3as

he rose rét ! would that

he rose and said ya ritna would that we I

value bet house

its value b itna (or our house

qfira ford zead b etna )qurtu h is fore head goz

tin min dih ? whose land is guz b a

(for tin this ?

min dih )Wh en one of the two c onsonants is a liquid or h

,the vowel

oc casionally, and in some cases optionally, remains long , though

not quite full and pure . Examples

hathum bring them ishab na ourfriends

yegib li (ye he brings to me mafihsh (or there is not

gib li) ma fihsh )

gezha , ht a, &c .

4

1 Or sik sib ri ss. See 22 for the comb inations of consonants

which an Egyptian is ab le to pronounc e .

2 The syllab le c onta ining the originally long vowel does not,

however, lose its ac cent b y reason of the vowel b eing shortened

thus we say y aqum yeqm,not yiqum yoq fil ; so yekun rigi

‘

, &c .

I t is. very import ant to k eep this fac t c onst antly in mind ,as the

vowels will h enc eforth b e mark ed long only when the y are s o

pronounc ed .

3 The f is sometimes ma inta ined , as in kefk um as you lik e

t sh. I d il l not come, ma‘a lék sh ,

not on you .

Most of the words c ited b y Spitta in illustration of this

exc eption are pronounc ed with a short vowe l.

8 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

1 2 . Short vowels may b ecome lengthened

(a) By the ac c ent b eing thrown upon them ,as b y an enclytic ,

as is sana the year, is sana-d’i this year ; b i l k éfiya-di in this

way, qab li dih (also qab li dih) before this, from qab l and dih,

the i b eing a helping vowel .

( 6) By a stress b eing laid on the syllab le in which they oc cur,as yigi ( for yigi) he

’

ll come, fi ani giha (for giha) ? in what d irection ? waqtiha at that moment, mahlikfi gently (you) , w Allah

‘

i

by God (for w Allahi) .REMARK — The vowels are often length ened without apparent

reason in the words b a‘dina , b a‘dik u , b a‘

dihum some of us, ofyou, of them ,

tauwina as soon as we, b ik in or with you. Theyare

,however , more frequently pronounc ed short

13 . A long vowel may b ecome shortened

(a) By two following consonants (g( b ) I n continuous discourse, the vowel b eing hastilypronounc ed

in order that the speak er may pass on at onc e to a final syllab leor the following word , as

iyam (for iyam )ideh (for ideh )yeshuffihum (for ye

shfiffihum )mudiriya

1province

tani marra (for tani) another time

manish ‘arif (for m anish I don’

t know‘arif)

ma rah itsh (for rahitsh ) she did not go

qam ir rag il qal In (for thereupon the man said to

qam ) him

yeqidu n nar (for yeqidu) they light thefire

The preposition f‘

i in is almost invariab ly pronounc ed fi in c on

junc tion with its sub stantive , as fi masr in Cairo . The negative

partic le ma b ecomes ma ; ya, th e sign of the vocative, ya ; il li,

the relative pronoun ,illi ; tani, tani ; and sometim es it is only the

last long vowel in a sentence wh ich is ab le to retain its value,

as ah lu illi matfi lu (for illi mfitfl lu ) h is peop le who have d ied ,

wala h ish masalan rfihit (for walfi hish , &c . ) no r indeed has

she gone?

1 And thenc e mudriya .

2 Experienc e will Sh ow how thoroughly th is princ iple per

vades the spok en languag e . Mfr not is frequently written in theA rab ic char ac ter b y the lower c lasses as mini only, aflixed to the

verb , and ya sim ilarly as ye”

sometimes even in the b ook s . The

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1 0 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

Th e vowel i,when unac c ented and long neither b y nature

nor b y position ,is seldom very distinctly heard when the word

in which it oc curs ends in a long c losed and c onsequently ao

c ented syllab le , as in b ir am earthen bowl , diris dry c lover (dris) ,siyfif swords.

I t oc curs more frequently than any other vowel ex c ept ,

perhaps, a in th e c olloquial language, and is in many situations

hardly distinguishab le from the helping vowel e. I n the pre

formative syllab les of th e aorist and in some forms of plural s it

replac es th e Koranic a ,as yik tib he writes, yiqfil (or yeqfil ) he

says, igmas kinds (K or . yak tub u , yaqi‘

ilu ,agnasun) .

Even b efore two c onsonants at the b eginning of a word it

has sometimes only a minimum value,or it may fall away alto

geth er and reappear b etween th em as a h elping vowel ; e.g .

( i)ddini gice me, (i)tfaddal ! pray ! diri‘ti my arms (for idri

‘ti) ,z ir ira buttons (for iz rira , the accent stil l remaining on th e second

syllab le) , sinan teeth (for isnam) , imrat or mirat wife, ib riq or

b iriq jug ,l Ib rah im or Birahim ,2 I sma‘in or S im a‘in . V ice

rersd,Isleman is used for Sileman when it is desired to

lengthen or emphasiz e th e word,as when calling one of that

name for the second or th ird time ; similarly Imb arka for

M eb arka (Meb arika) .REMARK — Short in itial u m ore rarely changes places with

the c onsonant , b ut in stanc es are not wanting , as Luqsfir (i.e.

il uqsur il qusur) the castles, Luscor, usb a‘

(for sub a‘) finger.

3

1 6 . The vowels are one and all thick er and more rounded in

Arab ic than they are in our language ,4a fact which should never

b e forgotten b y those who wish to speak without an Englishac c ent . But they will never receive their true colour ing un less

the consonants surround ing them are c orrectly pronounced .

Tak e care of the consonants and the vowels will tak e m re of

themselves,

” 5 is an excellent piec e ofadvic e ifproperly understood ;a nd it will b e found that the thic kn ess or comparative th inness

of a vowel depends to som e extent not onlv on the consonant

1 Cf . Heb r . z"ro‘ and c are arm . L ee (Heb r. gr am .) c ites

slab / ish and estab lish, xde

'

c and e’

xdés.

I n B irahim t lie i is not a lways pxonouneed vexy 1 1pidly,and sometimes Barah im 1s hea rd .

3 I l ob r. ezb a ‘.

4 Vowels are in Eng lish pronounc ed more in the front of

the mouth,in Ca irene A rab ic more in the upper par t of the

th roa t — (S )b Th is is the sub sta nc e of Spitt a

'

s remark .

GENERAL REMARKS ON THE VOWELS

immediately prec eding o r following it , b ut upon the whole

weight or measure of the word , resulting from the c onflic tinginfl uences of the c onsonants whic h it contains. Thus the vowelsof a word , or even of a phrase , in which one or more of the

letters t, d, s , g oc cur,will b e pronoun ced h eavily throughout

unless the weak er consonants exert a contrary influenc e ; and

this they will only b e ab le to do if not in immediate proxim ityto th e stronger ones. I n the word samfila nut (screw) , the first

a is th ick,the 12 slightly so , while the final ft scarc ely feels th e

influenc e of the s at all ; in b alta are, b oth a’

s are thick, the

first in spite of the b and I, b eca use b y pronounc ing it thick we

can get the tongue more quickl y in to the position required forthe pronunciation of the t. The c onsonants which tend to

resist th e thick shading of the vowels are b,t,h,( I,z, s, f,

l, m , n , y .

§ 1 7 . The following word s spelt in Arab ic dictionaries withthe dentals t, d , or the sib ilants s, are pronounced in the

dialec t of Cairo with g, d, s, or g , and are c ited here in view of

the effect wh ich these consonants have upon the vowels, as

explained ab ove . I n some instances (mark ed with an asterisk )the value of the t and d is nearer that of the English dentalsthan the Arab ic palatals. I t will b e ob served that an emphatic

consonant,b y ac ting on a whole word or phrase , is ab le to

assimilate a denta l or sib ilant to its own c lass ; also that the

letter r , espec ially wh en prec eded b y a long vowel,and the

vowel a attract the emphatic consonants ; and lastly, that t is

never immediate ly prec eded b y 3 , nor (on the other hand ) (1 b y s .

t for t

sometimes

vengeance

sort of d rum bear fruit

13 inc ludes the Koranic th

,and 2 the Koran ic ( lh

, pronounc ed

respec tive ly z and s in Nahwy.

S o partie. 1111111111 , dzc .

S o muk htar chosen,and ik htiyar choice ,

old man.

So qata ‘ ism t keep quiet.

So partic .

’ munt11ga r , b ut mintiz ir .

So tarm b to cover with dust, and pass . ittara b , &o. TheO

O

O

G

OO

12 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

tamr (ortamr)

tumb ak (or Persiantobacco

tumb ak )tandit cleaning

*tanfid

1 dusting*turumb éta tambourine

it taurat thep entateuch

tunis (and sakieh. rope

pl . tawanis)taiyar current

The t used in the formation of the dual of feminines is pa1tially assimilated to a palatal when th e i falls out, as

*udten (for

oditén ) two room.,s*fatten two towels (for ffititc ii) ; also in the

first and second person singular and second person plural , and

even in the third person fem . singular of the past tense of

verb s whose final radical is t or a'

,as

*ghulutt I made a mistake ,

* ‘aiyatit shewep t. Indeed itwould hardly b e possib le to pronounce

it otherw1se without a pause b etween the two syllab les. I n

heavy words forming their plurals in (it the final t is nec es

sarily pronoun c ed thick , and in 111 511 cups, its conversion to the

palatal is complete.

verb s are more c onveniently translated b y the infinitive , though

they are quoted in the th ird person singular of the past tense .

Where the aorist is not mentioned it a lso,as a rule

, has the

thic k c onsonant .

1 Th e ( I b eing at the end of the word does not exert so strongan influenc e on the in itial t as it does in ta ndif. Note that s

and : do not affec t the dental in the same deg 1 es as t and 11,

thus we say tan sh (not tansi1 ) baptism ,no1 does t usually

°

influenc e 3 and unless in c lose proxim ity to them .

9 The e lfc c t of the r b eing c ounterac ted b y the long finalsyllab le and the 8110 11; i of the first.

3 So sauwut shout, &c .

So sa iyit, i li iss aiyat reputed .

5 So manthr angry. W e s ay nataru‘ala til l d ini

‘u he thrust

it an arm’

s length of ,b ut *

nata ru [i l ard he threw it on the

ground .

GENERAL REMARKS ON THE VOWELS 1 3

gunpowder didd (or against

didd)5

young hens duida‘ 5 frogstreac herous to roll

or eleven dar ,dauwar7 to turn

radi bad

darb (and street radawa badness

pl . durfib ) saiyad, fishermandab b ur (also hornet séyaddab b flr ) sadar proceed

darfa (or leaf of shutter ‘asida (or soup offlour

darfa) or door ‘asida)

qusad Opposite

mab rad file

(or parrot namrud (b ut tyrant

pl . na

by your leave marda )I n suduf to chance, the dal is very thick , and in the aorist

yisdaf pra c tically d , the 3 b eing changed to s in conformity withthe rule stated ab ove .

London b ecomes Lundura or Lundura (or Lundra) .

s for 8 :

husat (and carpet

pl. ib sita )hum us (pl. c loak

ismarr 8 baranis)b ests

sp read out Bh lus

1 So barfida gun ( b ut also b arflda) .2 But more generally b ardu.

3 But singular b idriya .

S o maghdflr deceived ,b ut generally ghadar he dec

'

.e1ved5 So diddiyat animosities , though diddiya in the singular o n

account of the th in a aft er y.

6 I n the dict ionaries duida ‘.

7 So ddr turn . Dar, &c ,

are often pronounced with 11 W e

say in nar darit the fire sprea d, id darb e dfir blows j’

eIl thwl.

though dz'

ir when it stands alone .

3 S o asmar brown, &c . ,b ut m ism irr yetting b rown ,

b rownish .

9 And derivatives inmat be pleased ,inb iaht pleasure, No ,

b ut b aslt simple. These words are all also pronounc ed with a.

14: THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

sahran S

to guard inc ite

p ity to smooth

hot days in be over lcecning,month of

Badna

to scald

smooth with

sandp aper

acac ia nitetica

S o haris guard ian, il Mahrflsa Cairo , the.

S o ithassar regret, & c .

Though do ub le pl . form husfimat .

But risnni l capital , itrasm il argu ire capital , &c .

S o mask h ll t tur ned 1 1110 stone, &c .

S o sur1°

1 r b s,masrflr joyo us , b ut masirrat jogs.

And sa rzi lniti scm '

enger .

And som e tim es sib ir , & c .,to sit up .

S o sar ina lia. debauchery ,b ut sirnnih deb auchw.

S o sitiba tytng fl a t, sath sutl‘

lh ro of.

S o sa tr tine , 11111 1111 1 11 1 ruler, «k c .

But pe rhaps mo re usua lly iss alta n ,sultim , ac .

So musmar o r 11111 11 1 11 1 na il .

GENERAL REMARKS

lash

insure

c hap ter ofK oran

sur‘

reins

sufra (or tab le

sukkar (or sugar

5111111 111qsultaniya

enqut2

‘itis, die,

for z

almfig (almfis) d iamondag

‘ur tailless

irrantar get morose

it‘anta ; be arrogant

igaaflat to slip

1 But sukurtah insurance.

But ‘aris W egromn .

But firis horseman .

So kha lb ll s lia r.‘

O

d-

fi

w

ON THE VOWELS

fassar cap tain

fl tis (and de be killed

rivatives)

dealer in china ,

lamps, tic .

midd le

tarab é ga (or tab le

tam b é za )tuggina dozen

So saqt misca ir iage, euqqata door-latch , 151 C .

So ikhras, khurs dumb , the , b ut oc cas ionallykhum s

,&c .

7 And derivatives khasran spoilt, k huamu toss , p ity ,3 Literary lauwatha .

9 S o dual xzidsurtizn , b ut pl. mawfisir.

1° \Vith verb itmaskhar, &c .

l l

11 “1 111111111 middle, «to.

c istern

be ch illed

d ivide

pitcher

stones b ro/se n

smal l

to lie

be dumb

b e spoilt

bespatter

p ipe

bufioonerylarge bell

16 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

nonsense

buttocks

bell

to b utcher

carrots

deal in horses

gymnastics

be rustyk ind of eye

lotion

story, ridd le

forge, tell lies

fat, greaseto visit

make merrymud

woollen cloak

thyme

glare at

shriekfromjoyswallow

be in high

spirits

and a few others.

REMARK .— I t will b e ob served that a final long syllab le,

b earing as it were most of the weight of th e word , tends to check

the thick ening of the consonants of the other syllab les.

1 So gaz z zu butcher and other derivatives, b ut we frequentlyhear gazar , &c .

,and always yingiz ir, &c .

2

Q

CD

Q

Q

O‘

Q

W

10

l l

1 2

13

But ginz ari nile blue.

But hangar or haz zar to guess. Children say haz z fira .

So z fir false, b ut tazwir forging .

So zafi'

ar, &c .

,b ut z ifir greasy.

And most derivatives, b ut z iyara or z iyara a visit.

S o z eta noise.

And sub stantive zaghrfita , «lac .

But doub le pl . z uhfirat , and z uhi iya a fiower vase.

So yiz war he chokes , b ut z iwir he chok ,ed and zaurfin choking .

So fantag iya parade.

But ‘uz r ex cuse.

A lthough z ir (an earthen filter) is itself pronoun ced with z .

stripstone pave

ment

brawl

p lay on a

reed

tighten

flowers

a chokingthroat

force

petition

burst

make displayof turquoisecane

college of ElAzhar

plumpexcused , excus

able

tight

stand for zir

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18 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

PRONUNC IATION OF THE CONSONANTS

19 . b is pronounced a little thick er than in Eng lish ; e.g .

b én between, gab he brought ; nb at the end of a word approaches

the sound of up ,as in zamb fault.

t and d are more dental than they are in our language , b eingak in to

,if not identical with , the Italian ,

Spanish , and Celticdentals. The tongue should b e b rought well against the frontteeth and qu ick ly withdrawn ; e.g . tarak to leave, b irid grow

cold . t oc casionally sounds as d at the end of a syllab le , as

k adb u writing it (for kathu , contrac ted from k atib u ) , h anid itwas (for k anit) , yidha

‘ he follows (for il b id da this

house (for il b ét da , il b it da) , hadrid iz zab it his honour theofi cer. On th e other hand

,( I sounds as t in th e aorist of many

verb s whose past tense b egins with d, espec ially wh en the

m iddle consonant is j'

,as dih ik laugh , dafa

‘

p ay, dafan bury,

aor ., yidhak , yidfa

‘

, yidfin (pronounc e yithak , shuhhfid

witnesses, generally sounds shuhhat .

t is a strong palatal . The tongue is made c onvex and

b rought sharply against the palate , towards the m iddle ; e.g .

tab become well , sot voice ; as a final it sometimes sounds as d,

as yidb ukh he cooks (for yitb uk h ) .g sounds very much as the hard g in the Eng lish word yet.

The tongue should strik e h igh ab out the upper row of teeth ;e.g . gum they come, g ir lime, m bg waves .

gh is perhaps identical with the Northum b rian r , and is

nearly equivalent to the Provencal r grasse'

yé . The uvula liesalong the b ack part of the tongue , the tip of wh ich touc hes th e

b ottom of th e lower row of the front t eeth,wh ile the c entre is

arc hed e.g . g hab to be absent, b alagh to reach .

h is the English h,b ut is more distin c tly pronounc ed , the

lips b eing well opened . I t is always sounded whatever its potion in the word

,as in huwa he, afham I understand ,

nadah to

call though b etween two vowels it is sometim es rather slovenly

pronounced , as shehadtu his evid ence (a lmost shadtu ) .h is a smooth b ut very strong guttural aspirate ( see remarks

under A portion of the b reath is forc ed with some vio lenc e

th rough the nostrils 1 e .g . hzlga l /u'

ng , b alah dates .

1 S pitta s ays tha t a short a (of the nature of a furl it'

e

pa lhakh 7) is inserted b e tween i or 12 and h ( thus— ri‘h, r0"h) ,b ut th is appea rs to b e the ca se only when the syllab le is onl

phasiz od and d rawn out. l lih and rub ca n b oth b e pronounc ed

pure ly.

PRONUNCIATION OF THE CONSONANT8

(1 is, lik e a strong palatal . The tongue is plac ed h igh

ab ove the upper row of front teeth , the tip c urled upwards

against the palate . I ts peculiarly strong explosive sound,so

difficult to acquire , is less marked in Cairo than among the

Arab s of the desert ; e.g . daf he a dded , hadir ready,‘ad d t .

b ite.

r is pronounc ed more strongly and more forward in the

mouth than in English , and only very slightly trilled , if at all.

I t is always sounded distinc tly and with its full value, whereverits position ; e.g. rig]foot, darar damage.

2 as in the word zeal ; e.g . z ina ornament, ghaz p etroleum.

I n yizkur he mentions , sp eaks well of, and a few other words,it

sounds as s. g is a very strong z, partak ing of the nature of a

palatal. I t is pronounced at the b ack of the mouth , and the

b reath is expelled with considerab le forc e e.g . z alim opp ; essor .

s as in seal , b ut rather more forward in the mouth ; e.g . sus

weevil. At the end of a syllab le it is often sounded as 2 , as in

th e words isma‘ ! hear / masdud b locked , mask un inhab ited , hisb a

account (pronoun ced optionally izma‘

,

sh as in Englis h ; e.g . shab b youth , shash muslin. I t gener

ally represents the Turk ish tch in words b orrowed from that

languag e. In the foreign words shak k cheque, shak etta jacket

(also pronounc ed z ak etta and gak etta) , and oc casionally in the

word mush not, it is not, it has the sound of zh or English sh in

pleasure.

s is a very strong sib ilant pronounc ed well b ack in the mouth .

The tongue should b e held tight , so to speak ,and the tip pressed

against the lower front teeth . I t often sounds as g , as in

qasd intention, usb ur ! wait ! sugaiyar small (pronounce optiona lly

qaad ,is a strong guttural of the same nature as h, and pec uliar to

the S emitic languages , b ut is not quite so strong ly artic ulated

in Cairene as in some other Arab ic dialec ts ;le .g .

‘eu eye,

1 I ts exac t sound in c onjunc tion with the difl'

c rent vowe lscan only b e ac quired b y prac tic e . The fo llowing desc riptio n of

and h is g iven b y Max Muller from C z erinak . I f the g lo ttis

is narrowed and the vocal c hords b rought ne ar tog e the r, no t ,

however,in a stra ight paralle l position ,

b ut d istinc t ly no tc hed

in the midd le,wh ile at the same time the epig lo ttis is pl

‘

vh h m l

down ,then the stream of b rea th in pa ss ing as sumes the c ha r

acter of the Arab ic lib a (h) , as distinguished from h , the spiritus

asper. if th is hha is made sonant it b ec omes‘n iu . S t arting

from th e configura tion as desc rib ed for hha , all tha t takes plac e

20 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

b a‘ to sell . Som etimes it is b arely aud ib le , as in the numeral‘ishrin twenty, or in the expression ,

‘ab al ma yigi until he comes

and it has fallen out altogether from the num erals b etween 10

and 20,and from a few other words

,as lissa 1

still (for li s sa‘

,a)

b id ‘annak jar be itfrom you (for b i

‘id) .f as in English , except b efore g, 3 , sh , and s

,when it

approach es very near to the sound of v,as in yifdah he d isJ) aces ,

yifdal he remains, kh ifda the vowel i, yifz a

‘ he frightens, mehafza

government, lafz word , yifshakh he cuts in two, yifsah he exp lains

(pronounc e yivdah, &c .

g . The deep guttural k-sound of th is letter is often h eard

ven in conversation ,espec ially wh ere the words in wh ich it

oc curs are technical term s,or denote religious ob jec ts, or are as

a rule c onfined to the literary language . There are still, perhaps,

a few of the high er and learned c lass who adm it no other pro

nunciation,and the foreigner who adopts it will pass with the

mass for a man of great erudition . I n the words Qur ‘an K oran, ,

qamus dictionary, qat‘a2(where equivalent to hemza ) , all c lasses

give it the guttural sound ; b ut its usual value,whatever its

position in th e word,is a strong hiatus, such as is generally

heard b efore words b eginning with a vowel in German ,or in

the Fren ch word haut. Th e “educated g is th e Eng lish q

without its u ; and if,wh ile th e muscles of the throat are still

c ompressed preparatory to its vocalisation,a simple vowel sound

only is allowed to escape , the value of th e spiritus g , as heard at

th e b eginning of a syllab le ,will b e ob tained . When it oc curs at

the end of a syllab le the musc les are plac ed in position for the

full q sound,b ut almost imm ediately released ; e.g . (151 to say,

faq to awake. I t may of course b e doub led lik e any other

consonant . Between two vowels it is liab le to b e slovenlypronoun c ed and reduc ed to th e value of a weak qat‘a ,

as in

faqat on ly, daqa’iq minutes, laqét I found , b aqét I remained

,

yeqfim he f/ets up . Bi qadde eh ? by how much ? b ecomes

in order to change it into‘ain is that th e rim s of the apertures

left open for hha are b rough t c lose together , so that the stream

of air strik ing aga inst them c auses a V ib ration on the fissura

larangea ,and not

,as for other sonant letters , in the real

glottis .

1 Cf. f1s 1 ( fl is‘a ) at ( 1721 0

,in Alg e i ian .

9 Q am fls, 1s : 1lso pi onouiu ed “ith the aspirate ;

qu r'

im e i y rai e ly .

'

l he wou l qa t‘.t is on ly k nown to those who

have b een to sc ho o l,whe re of c o urse only the guttura l sound is

adm itted at lesso ns .

PRONUNCIATION OF THE CONSONANTS

practically bad de eh , and haqqiqatan truly , hayatan .

l iq b eforea consonant sometimes sounds almost as 6, as in itk haniqt I

quarrelled .

REMARK — The hard g-sound of th is letter , sometimes heard

in Cairo , is peculiar to natives of Upper Egypt and some other

parts of the c oun try, and must not b e im itated .

2

h: is perhaps slightly aspirated . Th e tongue should tou ch

the roof of the mouth and not b e too hastily withdrawn ; e.g .

kan he was, lik to thee. Before b and d , and sometimes at the

end of a syllab le , its sound approaches that of y, as in shawaiya

k b ir somewha t large, yikdib he lies.

kh as ch in Scotch loch . The vocal chords are compressed

and the b ack part of the tongue arched ; e.g . k had he took ,ak hkh brothe r .

l sounds much as in German,m ore liquid , trilled , and emphatic

than in English ; e.g . lél night, kalb dog . The doub le l in

Allah God ,is very strongly pronounc ed .

m as in English , b ut usually more emphatic at the b eginn ingof a. syllab le e.g . moiya water, Maryam hI ary .

n as in English ; e .g . nom sleep ,k han inn

,bazaar . Before

b,and generally b efore f, it sounds as m

,as in ganb u his sid e

,

min b a‘d after , manffik h b lo wn (pronoun ce gamb u ,are ) .

3

When ng oc cur togeth er, they are pronounc ed as in Englishring , as in yingah he recovers, gets out of a difficulty, sifinga

w as in Eng lish , except that its charac ter as a semi-vowel ism ore apparent . I t is pronounc ed a lmost as u at the end of a

word,as dilw b ucket (pronounc e almost dil u) .

4 W ith a it forms

the d iphthong au,as in b attauten (for b attawtén c ontrac ted from

b attawiten) two loores of coarse bread,daudih (for da we d ih )

this and that, yauliya (yawl iya for ya W il iya ) 0 la dyJ I t is

from its nature frequently interchanged with u .

y slightly weak er than in Eng lish . I ts true value seems to

1 The word is contrac ted to haqqatan ,then to ha ’

atan, and

the qat ‘a c onverted to y.

9 I t is a very old pronunc iation ; the Bab ylon ian dialect wasdistinguished from the Assyrian as far b ack as a c . 2500 b y

pronounc ing q as g .

3 S ome words seem to b e more easily pronounc ed when n

retains its value b efore f than when it has that of m ,as ina nffis

( not mamifis) jealous , angry .

4 I t bw rs the same relation to u that y does to i or to qat‘a

in such a word as tiyatro ( ti'atro) theatre.

22 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

lie halfway b etween y and qat‘a ; 1 e.g . yi‘m il he makes, iz z éyak

how are you ? b ahayim cattle, gay coming .

20 . Care must b e tak en to finish th e consonants,that is

,

to give each of them its full value . Oc casionally the first of two

consecutive con sonants is dropped b efore it is quite c ompleted ;b ut the hab it of hurrying from one letter to anoth er

,to wh ich

we are ac custom ed , is quite strange to an Oriental language .

Until h e realises th is, th e foreigner will have difficulty 1n makingh imself understood , however good h is pronunc iation may b e in

other respec ts.

THE HIATUS (qat‘a)

g21 . The Arab s consider , and no doub t rightly, that no syllab lecan b egin with a vowel ; b ut th e h iatus (or spiritus lenis) , whichthey say precedes it, only b ecom es perc eptib le b efore a vowel

imm ediately following a c losed syllab le , or after an open syllab le.

I t is called qat‘a a p iece cut of ,or ( less commonly) , ham za com

pression, and in the ab ove-m entioned positions is not easily d is

tinguished from the Cairene pronunc iation of 9 . That it hasthe value of a con sonant is shown b y the fac t that, wh en followinga c losed syllab le in th e sam e word, it throws th e accent on th e

vowel wh ich it introduces 39,

as in the word mas’ ala

question, and that the h elping vowel e may stand b etween the

last two consonants of one word and the (apparently) in itialvowel of th e next , as in qumte ana I got up that it is weak er

than g follows from the c ircum stanc e that it is constantly elided ,as qumt ana (pronoun ce qum -tana) , w ana and I (for we ana) ,&c . ,

b esides having wholly disappeared from many word s. I t

sometim es c loses a syllab le or even follows a consonant,in b oth

of wh ich cases it has the value of a weak ‘én,as in isti’nfif

appeal , guz’

p art. I t is often pronounced with the least possib leexertion

,and there is a tendency to drop it altogeth er at the end

of a syllab le .

2

DOUBLE CONSONANTS

22 . The Arab s are said to b e unab le to pronounc e two con

sonants at the b eginn ing of a syllab le without the help of a

vowel,and therefo re, whe re th ey o c c ur together in fo reig n word s ,

they det ach them b y pla c ing a short i or e e ither b efore or after

1 W ith whic h it is o ften in terc hang ed .

Qat‘a is not , a s a rule

, printed in th is work b efore the vowelsl b the b eg inning o fa word

,b ut its presenc e must no t b e forgotten

DOUBLE CONSONANTS 23

the first,as Ifransa , or Firansa

1(or Feransa) Franc e, ifrank (or

ferank ) frank , b erimo first ( Ital . primo) , sifing (isfing) sponges ,

hut the natives of Cairo often pronounc e br , gr, fr , hr , and gt, as

in krum b cab bage, ingliz English , as nearly as we can do our

selves without the intervention of a helping vowel .2

23 . Wh en a word not followed immediately b y another ends

in two consonants which cannot b e pronoun ced c onsecutively, a

scarcely audib le vowel sound appears b etween th e two , or afterthe sec ond , as in tib en 3

(or less frequently tib ne

) straw,dub er

dawn.

‘ in this position causes the preceding c onsonant to b e

sounded very sharply, wh ile it has b ut little value itself ,4 as in

rub ‘a fourth .

24 . The doub ling of a particular c onsonant is called b ythe Arab s tashdid (strengthening ) , and may b e either necessary,as b eing required b y the struc ture of the word itself

,as in

fahhim to cause to und erstan d ( from fihim to understan d) , fakkto untie or euphonic , as b eing due to assim ilation of one letter to

another,as ish shams the sun (for il shams) .

REMARK a.— Ob serve that the final c onsonant of the words

ab b 5 father, ak hkh brother, damm b lood , fumm mouth,and yadd

6

h and ,is single in th e literary language and doub led in th e

c olloquial . I n th e construct form th e two form er are,however ,

abu,ak hu , not ab b fi

,ak hk hfi Thus we say ab b e m in ?

whose father ? il akhk he dih this b rother,b ut abuh his father,

ak hfihum their brother.

REMARK b .

—The doub led consonants must b e distinc tly pro

noun c ed twice over,though when g , h , r

,sh

, f, q, M ,and y

are doub led , the first is not quite so ful lv sounded as the sec ond .

1 The i here is of the nature of that describ ed ab ove2 W e generally hear itmen ifrank

,talata (or talata) frank .

I always hear k i’

i rumb,as in um b -é -rella .

’

3 There is a vast distinction b etween th is sound and the tib inof Upper Egypt or of the inattentive foreign resident . The halfvowel inserted is equivalent to the H eb rew sh °va

, and the fifthord er of the Ethiopic vowels.

Spitta.

5 Cf. Syr. and Chald . ab b a ,whence In t . ab bas, Eng . ab bot.

Yadd is used for id in the spok en language , b ut only incertain expressions b orrowed from the literary dialec t. S o in

Syriac we have b oth yad and il a,Chaldee aydu.

7 The doub le l of walla or, is not a lways d istinc tly pro

nounc ed in hurried talk , as wala tnén or two ( for walla tnén , i.e.

walla itnén) .

24 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

But when there is a pause after th em ,either the first only will

b e heard , while the stress laid upon it causes a slight aspirate to

b e heard ; or , as is the case with two different consonants not

pronounc eab le together , a h elping vowel is plac ed after the

sec ond , as ragh(or ragg

e

) he shoe/ t. Occasionall y the second is

dropped even wh ere there is no pause , as k hash‘aléh (for khashshe

‘aléh ) he went into his presence.

25. Euphonic tashdid may tak e place

(a) Wh en th e Z of the artic le il is assimilated to the fir st letter

of th e noun to wh ich it is attached,that letter b eing one of the

following : t, t, g , d , d , r , z , z , s”sh s, h , nn ; e.a. it tib n the straw,

id darb a the b low,is sef

,the samd

,is sef the summer, in nar the

fi re (for il tib n ,il darb a

,

REMARK .— Th e i not uncommonly remains un changed b efore

the letters g and h , as il gazz ar (or 1g gaz zar ) the b utcher , il gum‘a

(or ig gum‘a) the week ,

il km si the chair,is preferred

c

to ik

k ursi,wh ile ig giran the neighbour, is more used than i] giran .

I t is purely a matter of euphony, suc h harsh com b inations as

ih k ull the whole, b eing mostly avoided . 9 appears to assim ilate

more easily than k . The artic le oc casionally remains intac t

b efore the oth er letters when the word is emphasized .

( b ) When the t of the fourth ,fifth , and sixth derived forms

of the verb is assimilated to the radical,b eing one of the ab ove

mentioned letters, with the exc eption of r and n,or wh en the

sign of the sec ond pers. sing . or th ird fem . sing of the aorist is

assimilated to t, d , or d e.g . ittallaqit she u as d ivorced ,iggann in

he went marl, ishsharmat it was torn, ik k ab b it was poured (forittallaqit , itgannin ,

b iddauwar or b iddauwar (for b itdauwar )she turns.

REMARK — Here again (1 and It often exert no influenc e , asitgad

‘an (or iggad

‘an )

1 to behave b ra rely. The imperative itkallimsp eak is more emphatic than ik kallim .

( c) When ,in the first or sec ond pers . sing . or the second

pers . pl. of the past tense of the verb,( 1 is assimilated to t or t

t o t, as khattu (for k hadtu) I took it, m b attu (for rab attu) youb o und . As a ru le

,however

,only a partia l assim ilation ta k es

plac e here , k h zu ltn more o ften than no t sound ing as it is wr itten ,

and the sec ond t of ra b a ttu b e ing less pala tal than the first .

(d ) Wh ere the th ird c onsonant of the th ird pers . sing . of the

past tense of the trilitera l verb is a sib ilant,and assim ilates the

negative sign sh,or is itse lf assimilat ed to it

,as ma yin

‘iss (or

yin‘ishsh ) he does not rim e

, ma vik hlass (or yik h lashsh ) he does n ot

A lso idgad‘an. ( S ee §

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26 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

gh with g, as yighdar he is ab le (for yiqdar) ; with hh ,1 as

k hish i (for ghish i)‘aléh (aor . yik hsha) to fa int, yik h sh il (more

usual than yigh sil , though the past tense ghasal is more usual

than k hasal) he washes, k hafar (or ghafar) to watch , igh talas(for ik h talas) to em bezzle.

h with very c ommonly, in fact wh enever the surroun dingletters are such as to render it easier to pronounc e ;

2e.g . b etahtu

h is, for b eta‘tu ( less usual) , b iht (for b i

‘t) I sold,ranwah go

away, b ut rauwa‘ ‘ala b étak go away home, ihtaraf to confess,

‘afaq ( or hafaq) to seiz e.

d with b (or p ) in lamda (pl. lumad ) or lamb a lamp .

r with r,as dun durma

3(or durdurma) ice-cream ,

Bon te Sa ‘id

(or Burte Sa‘id) Port Said ; with I

,as rak har the other also (for

lak har,t .e. il ak har) , rastab l the stable (for lastab l) . Revolver

b ecom es lifurfur.

z and g with s and s, as iz b italya hosp ital, b asab ort pass

port. (S ee also under pronun ciation . )sh with s and s in a few words, as sams (or shams) sun,

sakh sh (or shak h s) person, satrang (or shatrang ) chess,sagara

(nahwy shagara) tree ;4 with z in ingliz English .

f represents 11 in lifurfur and a few other words ; b ut the

Ara b s are ab le to pronounc e v, and rev ulver is often heard .

(S ee

g with It in a few Turk ish words,as k alfa or ( less usually)

qalfa chief female servant in a harems" Eau gazeuse is called

gaz zfisa or kaz z fiza. The nahwy tilqa’ i nafsu of his own accord

,is

pronounc ed tilka nafsu in the spok en language ; with hh in

b aqsh ish largess, present, from Pers. b ak hsh ish (through Turk ish ) ;with g (see ab ove) .

1 ‘eu,wh en : gh én ,

is represented b y kh in Assyrian — (S )2 The Heb r.

‘ayn is said to have b een pronounc ed very much

‘

LS h at one time .

3 The Turk ish form .

4sh is preferred in all these words b y the h igher c lass

,who

regard the other form s as c orruptions, though they are perhaps

in reality of a high er antiquity.

5 A few are pronounc ed with 71: only in Arab ic , thoughwritten with q in Turk ish

,as k arak bn (Turk ish qaraqél ) ,

th ere b eing very little difi'

erenc e b etween th e two letters

in that language ; b oth qarnab it and karnab it cauliflower,we said.

IXTERCHANGE OF CONSONANTS 27

k with lch in a few foreign words, as k hartfish cartouch ,

k harrub carrob .

l with n,as

‘ilwan or ( less usually)‘imwen add ress, super

crip tion ,in b arih (pronounce imb arih) for il b arih yesterday,

I sma‘in I shmael , in fingan (som etim es) for il fingan

1 the cup ,

kab suna capsu le, malifatfira manufacture, armali (Turk . ermenZ)Armenian, b arak at warsal (Turk . b erekat versin ) thank you ,

tantana (or tantil la) lace ( Ital ) ,‘ala tub b il ghafil (for tub b in)

unexpectetly. (See also under pronunciation . )m with b (see ab ove) ; with n

,as nata l

-it and matarit it

rained , madagh and nadagh chew tobacco, Fatma and Patna ,

pr. n .

,malin millieme, shindi (Turk . shimdi) a t onc e. (See under

this letter ,U; with the v of foreign languages, as wab fir (though m ore

often bab fir) vapors, warsin or warsal (ab ove) ; with y in som e

parts of weak verb s and verb al nouns,and in the expression ya

b fiwa (sometimes) for ya b uya my father

y with w (see ab ove) ; with qat‘a,as qay il (for qa

’il) sayingtiyatro theatre ( Ital teatro) ;

2conversely in ‘

al ! curse / (for

yin‘al)

TRANSPOS ITION OF LETT ERS

28. I t is not an uncommon thing in Arab ic for a word to

have two alternative form swi th the letters in different positions,as in the followi ng examples hafar (or fabar) to d ig , lak hb at (ork b e lb at) confuse, aranib or (rarely) anarib hares , na

‘al to c urse,

and yin‘a] he curses (or la

‘an and yil

‘an ) , 1ggauwi z to marry, and

(nahwy) iz zauwig , goz husband, goz a wife, and (nahwy) z 6g

and z oga, b art aman and marta b an earthen pot ; so gamadana

de mijohn, ginninar general (n

CONTRACTION

l . Emsmx

29. Wh en two vowels meet in different words,one of them

generally gives way, together with the qat‘a , and fa lls out , un less,

I Assimilation of course plays a part here ; I and n are,

owing to their na tural affinity, interc hanged whenever euphonyseems to demand it.

2 Cf. literary b i‘

r with Cairene b ir hiyr) , a well.

28 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

of course,there is a pause b etween the words ;

1and the weak er

usually yields to the stronger. E .g .

da na (for da’ana) it is I

w ana (for we ana) and I

h idd alb is (for b iddi alb is) I want to dress

ya hmad (for ya Ahmad ) Ahmed

ya lit (for ya illi) O thou who

w ummu (for we ummu) and h is mother

lagl (for li agl) for , in order that

il l atwal m inni (for illi atwal) he who is taller than 1

da na mmak or da n ummak it is I , your mother

(for da ana ummak )fi I b et (for fi il b et) in the house

ya ak h ana b ahaz zar waiyak I am onlyjok ing with you ,

(for ya akh i ana ,di e. ) myfriend

b ut ya ak hi ana ‘anzak my friend , I want you .

2

REMARK a .—The i throws out the a sometim es

,as in b i smi

llah (for b i ism i Allah ) in the name of God , b i z ui llah by God’

s

permission. W e may say either inta smak eh ? or int ismak eh ?

what is your name

REMARK b . E lision is b y no means ob ligatory upon the

speak er , and experienc e alone will enab le the foreigner to mak e

a proper use of it . Euphony and emphasis b oth play an im

portant part , and it must b e rememb ered that in Arab ic , as inother languages, it is important to lay a little stress upon ,

or to

1 A pause is often useful for the purpose of emphasizing theword that follows

,as ana we ab fiya k em an I and myfather too .

Vowels e lided are not printed in the g rammar,in order that

the exac t pronunc iation of the words in a sentenc e may b e c lear lyrepresented . I t must b e remem b ered that where the initial

vowe l of a word d isappears , the first syll ab le of that word will in

pronunc i ation form one with the last syllab le o f the prec edingword

,and when the fin al vowel of a word is thrown out

, the las t

c onsonan t of th at word will b elong to the first sylla b le of the

following Wo rd thus da b ne m in ? ( for da ib ne m in 7) whose son

is tha t / will b e pronoun c ed dab-ne m in ; int ismak el1

,in-tis1nak

eh . Th is system has the d isadvan tag e of presenting the words

wherever e lis io n ta k es plac e in a trunc a ted form b ut as they are

a ll g iven in fu ll in the vo c a b ularies , no c onfusion wil l ar ise . The

on ly a lternatives would b e to enc lose the 111 iss ing vowe ls in everyc ase in b ra c k ets

,o r ind ic a te. the ir o 111 iss ion b y an apostrophe . the

s ign universa lly adopted to represent the h iatus guru .

CONTRACTION

pause slightly after , one of the words comprising a sentenc e,

though none of them b e particularly emphatic , in order to g ivethe listener time

,as it were

,to look around him . Thus it may

b e preferab le at one tim e to say, 1amma ruh te ana when I went,‘ande uk h tu at his sister"s house, at another , 1amma ruht ana (pronounc e ruh tana) , or

‘and ukh tu (pronounc e

‘an duk htu) .

REMARK c .— The vowel of the definite artic le is almost invari

ab ly elided that of the prepositions b i, li, is oc casionally retained

and pronoun c ed very rapid ly, as 11 (or 15) ummu ( or 1 ummu ) tohis mother. I t never coalesces with the i of the conjun ction

2. Om ssrox ,on FALLI NG OUT or A LETrEa

§ 30 . Qat‘a may b e dropped , not only when its vowel coalesc es

with a prec eding one,b ut after a consonant or vowel, whatever

its position in the syllab le ; e.g . m i-nén (for m in en ) whence, k iséh ? (for k is eh 2) what purse ? ras head (nahwy ra

’s) , in sha llah

(or in sha Allah ) if God will ( b oth qat‘as disappearing ) .

REMARK .— When a verb in the th ird person plural is followed

immediately b y the defin ite article , the qat‘a,wh ich falls away

from the vowel of the latter to allow of the elision,is not infre

quently thrown b ack b ehind the u of th e verb b y way of com

pensation ,so that we may hear wagad ur ragil (for wagadu r rag il)

theyfound the ma n.

3 1 . The letter 71.wil l often disappear at the end of a “0 1 d,as

Alla (for A llah ) God , luh (or lu) to him ,b uh (or b u) in, by, h l

‘

l l l ,fiqi

( literary fiqih ) rec iter o] the K oran (b iit plural fuqalia) , fi (or fih )there is .

32. has fallen out from a few words (see I n um nia‘

li Aly’

s mother (name also of a plant) , it has c hanged places

with th e a .

33 . The short vowels may disappear :

(a) From an open penultimate syllab le , where the vowe l of

the antepenult ( if the word is of more than two sylla b les) is no t

one long b y position ; or from a final syllab le if the penultimate

is long and open ,and a word b eg inning with a vowe l fo llows

e.g . lazma (for laz ima) necessary k hatru (for khfitiru) h isd esire, q imtu (for qim itu) its value

,k ifaytu (for k ifz

‘

iyitu) its

1 C omp. i-tix in Eng lish for it is .

2 For the shortening of the long vowe ls see § 13 m y ,a nd c omp.

Heb r. me lek k ing , malka queen , «k c and Eth iopic fo r the d is

appea ran c e of the vowe l. The princ iple is not unk nown to o ther

lang uag es . Thus in Bulgarian we have ma lijk sma ll , f . niulka , the.

30 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

sufi ciency, wirm it (for wirim it) it s welled khadtu (forkhaditu) she tool: it, itkhanqu (for itk haniqu) they guarrelled ,walditu h is mother, sahb il b et (for sahib il b et) the owner of thehouse.

‘ayisha and ‘ésha are b oth in use as distinc t nam es.

REMARK a .

— A very short i or e is sometim es h eard in such

words as mu’ak h iz a b laming , laz ima necessari , ya Beshir !

Beshir / instead of the contracted form, th e vowel of the ante

penult b eing pronoun c ed half long . W e hear ‘alim in as the

plural of ‘alim learned , b ecause it hardly b elongs to the c ol

loquial language , b ut‘alma (for

‘alima) a female s inge/31

REMARK b .

— a , b eing the strongest of the vowels, generallyretains its plac e , espec ially when surrounded b y strong c on

sonants,as b aladu his village, darab it she struck

,b atahu they

wounded ; b ut k atab u (or katb u) they wrote, katab itu (or katb itu)she wrote it, wi hyatak ! (for wi hayatak by your life ma lqétfish

(for ma laqétfish ) I d id notfind it, taratan (or tartan ) sometimes,sahn i nhas a c0pper dish , and even talata n sara (for talata nasara)three Christians .

REMARK c .

-The short vowel rarely fall s out from the penult

of adverb s in -an (th e ac c usative ending in th e literary d ialect) , as

ghalib an p robab ly, saniyan second ly, such words b eing retained , a

strangers, in their b orrowed form ; b ut tartan (ab ove) for taratan .

REMARK d — When the vowel of the antepenult is 12 standingfor iw,

or i followed b y y, the vowel of th e penult does not , as a

rule , fall out,as yfi lidu (for yiwlidu) they give b irth , sub hiyitu

( = sub hiyyitu) its morning ; it does, however, som etimes in the

latter case,as baqiyt (or b aqit) il fulus (for b aqiyit

2 il fulfils) therest of the money.

( b ) From the prepositions b i, li ( b u , lu) , and from most of

the syllab les describ ed in 1 4,and oth er unac c ented short

syllab les at th e b eginn ing or in the m iddle of a word,as darahu

b ha (for darab fi b iha) they struck with it qulti lhum (for

qulte luhum ) I said to them ,naharak sa

‘id wi in b arak (for mu

b arak,nieb arak ) youd morning ! fi kmanu (for k um aun) in h is

sleeves , b itqfil (for b itequl) she says, yalla b ua,im sh i b na (for

yalla b ina ,let us be going ; ma lqu lhum she hfiga (for ma

laqfi luhu inshe) they found nothing for them ,moiya ndifa (for

1 Th is word is the Heb r .

‘alma a maid . Rules m ight po s

sib ly b e laid down as to the cases where the vowe l d isappears

a ltogether , and where it has an almost imperc eptib le value , as th e

Heb rew sheva .

The y here sounds as a weak gag‘a .

3 The fuller form s are very frequently used .

OMISSION OF MORE THAN ONE LETTER

nidifa) clean water, m it gineh wi k sur (for we k usur ) £ 100 odd,ma

msiktush (for mamisik tush ) I did not seize it, huwa mn en l (formin en fl) whence is he hiya ukh ti mn ab uya (for uk hti m in

ab uya) she is my sister by my father .

( c) From a few final syllab les, inc luding those of some dis

syllab ic partic iples 111 constant use , though in th is case the voweldoes not completely disappear when a word b eginning with a

consonant follows, and two or three monosyllab les ; e.g .

‘auz (for

‘awiz ) and‘ayz (for

‘ai ) wanting , says (for sayis) grooming ,groo m,rayh (for rayih) going , ittaub

1(for ittawib ) yawn ,

illau (for 1115we)exc ept, only that,

‘al (for

‘ala) on ,

adin,adi n (for adini) (though the

final i is originally long ) wh en imm ediately followed b y another

word , as adin get see I have come , u f waqtina (for fi waqtina) andin our time, ana f fikri haga I have something in my mind .

REMARK — The negative sign sh doub tlessly stands for she

thing .

34 . The vowel of the article is sometimes dropped , as lahsan

the best, litnén the two, laz har the university of El Azhar, listamb fili the man from Stamboul , lakhar or (more usually) rakhar 2 theother , lihmal the burdens

,liswid the b lack , lahmar the red ,

3

Luqsfir (for 11 uqsur il qusfir) ,4as litnén gum both came, il

waraq lab yad the wh ite paper, imrat lefendi the gentleman’

s wife.

REMARK .

— Th e artic le here forms one word with the noun,as

in Maltese , in wh ich dialect it universally drops the vowel when

followed b y a word b eginning with another vowel.

ABBREVIATION OR OM ISS ION OF MORETHAN ONE LETTER

35. The sem ic on sonant y, when b oth preceded and followedb y i or e, may c oalesc e with them b efore a single consonant , and

form the long vowel i , as b iqfil5 b iyqul) for b iyiqul (or

b iyeqfil) he is saying .

REMARK a.— S im ilarly uwi and iwu may form u,

b ut in th is

1 H ere also the c ontraction will not take plac e when a word

b eginning with a consonant follows.

2 See 27.

3 The vowel is very c ommonly omitted when the noun is one

of those describ ed in 3‘

6 1 .

1 See 15 , Remark .

5 The 11 of b iqfil is not pronounc ed very long in hurried con

versation. The iy often remains unc ha nged , as in ni iyten two

hund red .

32 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

case the union is not so complete, as fil iftu (for u wiliftu) andhis companion b i wugudhum (almost b figudhum ) in their

presence.

REMARK b .— The iyi of th e continued present of the perfect

verb occasionally c ontracts to i, as b ik tib u (for b iyiktib u ) theywrite.

36 . The final syllab le of ‘ala on

,and the in of m in from,

often fall out b efore th e definite article, as‘al hu san (for

‘ala l

husan ) on the horse,‘ag gim al (for

‘ala g gim al) on the camels,

‘ash

sh ib b ak (for‘ala sh shib bak ) on the wind ow,

m ir riglén (for min irriglén )from thefeet, mir riggala (for m in ir riggala )from the men.

1

The la of ‘ala has also disappeared in th e words ‘

ashan (for‘ala

sh an ) for, in order that, and‘ab al (for

‘ala b ail in th e conjunc tion

‘ab al ma) until.g 37. The artic le itself sometim es falls out after the relative

pronoun illi,as il akl

,illi nsan yaklu (for illi il insan) thefood

which man eats.

38. The following are examples of other form s of ab b revia

tion hayatan2(or haiyatan ) truly, sa

‘atak or sa‘tak (for sa

‘aditak )

3your Excellency, sid

4 or si (for saiyid ) lord , master, lissa

(for li is sa‘a) yet, still, mahfish

,m ush

,mush

,m ish (for ma huwash )

he, it, is not, not, ma hish (for ma h iyash ) she is not,wala h ish

nor is she, wad (for walad ) b oy, ta‘a (for ta

‘ala come u m b a‘d

(for amin b a‘d ) and after, k ur rismalu (for kul le rismalu) all his

capital, k ulle shin kan (for k ulle she in kan) whatever i t be, m in

adm in (for b eni adam iyin) sons ofAdam ,mortals, sal kh er or m isa

l kher yimassik h i 1 kher ) good evening , hamdilla for ( 11)hamdu li llah p raise be to God .

REMARK .—Corruptions from foreign languages, as warsha

workshop ,sib insa ( Ital . d isp ensa) pantry, kishk (or k ushk ) alm fi;

(Turk . gush gonmdz ) asparagus, occur in Arab ic as in other

languages.

5

1 W e c annot say‘atib n on straw,

‘ash ib bak on a wind ow

,

nor can at tib n ,

‘ash sh ib b ak stand for ‘

ala tib n,

‘ala sh ib b ak ,

Spitta.

2 S ee 1 9 , note.

3 Sa ‘adtak is also in use

, as indeed are all the ful l form s of

the examples exc ept 11 s sa‘a .

4 When ce Spanish C id .

5 The last example is an instanc e of “ popular etymology,

the Turk ish words having b een changed into o thers of sim ilar

sound b ut d ifi erent m eaning . C omp. Rotten Row from Iloal e d a

I to i .

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34 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

( b ) I t falls on the penult :1 . I n words of two syllab les, when th e last syllab le does

not contain a long c losed vowel or a short vowel c losed

b y two c onsonants.

2. I n polysyllab ic words, when the penul t c ontains a longvowel or one c losed b y two consonants

, or when it

contains a short vowel and th e antepenult c ontains a

vowel c losed b y two c onsonants ; or , in a word of more

than three syllab les, when th e antepenul t is short and

open ; provided that, in each of these cases, the last

syllab le do not contain a long c losed vowel or a short

one c losed b y two consonants. E .g . b arid cold,b iridtfi

you (plur .) took cold,shafitu 1 she saw him,

‘ask ari

sold ier,wagaditu shefound him, sagariti

2 my tree.

3 . For emphasis, as da’l’

man always (for da’iman ) .

REMARK a .— I .n th e words kh aditu she took it, kalitu she eat

it, the ac c ent is sometim es on th e antepenult, b ut m ore often on

the penult , as in the longer form s,ak haditu

,akalitu .

REMARK b .—Wh en the accent would b e on the penult , b ut

for a long final syllab le, it is generally divided b etween the

two,the form er sometim es rec eiving th e greater stress

,while

the vowel of th e latter is sligh tly shortened ; e.g . ai'b e‘in forty,

mewalla‘in lighting I sma‘in, p r. n. ,

Ib rahim, p r. n .

REMARK c .— Wh en th e antepenu ltimate is long , b ut followed

b y a short h elping vowel connec ting it with the suffix, th e

ac c ent,though usually on th e penult, may fall eith er entirely

on th e antepenult or partially on the antepenult and partiallyon the penult , as in k ulluhum all of them,

b iddukum you want,tanniha she went on ,

agranniha inasmuch as she, zeyuk um as

you ,k einn iha as if she, which may b e pronounced kulluhum

,

kulluhum,or kulluhum

,&c .

,ac cording to wh ere the speak er

desires to lay the stress. Kulluhum is,of course

,more emphatic

than either kulluhum or k ulluhum .

REMARK d .—I n a few adverb s ending in an ,

derived from the

literary language , th e ac c ent , though generally on the ante

penultimate,oc casionally falls on the penultimate syllab le , as

titratan (or taratan ) sometimes .

REMARK e.—The first syllab le of the c onstruct form of the

numerals talatt,k hamast

,and tamant is ac c ented , b ecause in pro

nunc iation th e t passes on to th e next word,as k hamas tuwad five

1 Sometim es pronoun ced sha'

fitu or c ontracted to shaftu.

2 Sub stantives of this form are usua lly contrac ted , as sagarti,b ai lartu h is cow, wh ile verb s as a rule remain unchanged .

EXERCISE IN PRONUNCIATION 35

rooms , taman tunfus eight p ersons ( for khamast uwad , tamant

unius) .

(c ) I t falls on the antepenul t in words of thr ee syllab les wh en

the penult and antepenul t are b oth open and the vowel of the

form er is short ; and in words of more than three syllab les, when

the antepenul t is long and open and the penult short and open ,

provided in b oth ca ses that the final syllab le do not c ontain a

long c losed vowel, or a vowel c losed b y two consonants ; e.g .

darab u they struck , b aladu his village, m e’a’

k h i’

z a1

reproach ,

so'

garu he insured it.

REMARK .—Where th e vowel of th e antepenult is a stand

ing for iw or uw, th e ac c ent will b e on the penult, as yfilidu they

give b irth , as also wh en th e antepenult c ontains the diphthongat (or é) standing for ay, as k uwaiyisa, p rettysometimes in hurried speech does not fall on any particular

syllab le , as in the word tani in tani marra ma ti‘m ilshe k ede !

don’

t do so again

Monosyllab ic words ending in a short vowel,as wi

,we and ,

b i,li,&c .

,are generally unacc ented

,b ut som etimes a following

word is emphasiz ed b y a stress b eing laid on them,as ana qulti

lak marra W i t tanya W i t talta I have told you once and twice

and thrice, inta tli‘te kaddah b i kalemak natsu you have proved

to be a liar by your own statement. The prepositions b i, li, with

the pronom inal suffixes and the d emonstrative da,di, b ecome

enc litic s when not emphatic , and are regarded as part of the

preceding2 word . Even dau (for da we) throws b ack its acc ent,

as in k ull e madau .

EXERCISE IN PRONUNCIATION ANDACCENTUATION 3

Hikayit il harami 1 maaltim .

Kan ti harami rah yom m in dol yisraq b et wahid tdgir . Qam

tili‘ ‘ala 1 héta we m isik fi sh sh ib ba

'

k . Tfl i‘ ish sh ib b ak fi idu ,

W iqi‘ ‘

ala l ard, inkasarit riglu . Khad b a ‘du we rah yi‘rug

‘and

il qadi ; qal lu z Ana k linte rayb asraq b ét it tfig ir il fulz'

ini‘

til i‘te ‘

ala l hé'

ta we m isikte fi sh sh ib b fik ; qam ish sh ib b ak till

fi idi wiqi‘

t,inkasarit rigli.

”

Q am il qadi amar wah id ‘ask ari

yerub “ yeg ib sahb il b et . Rah gab u we gib quddam il qfidi.

1 But words of th is form are generally contrac ted .

2 Though they are not so printed in th is work , to prevent

confusion .

3 The words conta ined in the following sto ry will b e found inth e vocab ularies. S ee 1 1 , note.

36 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

Sa’alu l qadi : “ I z z é’y, yaragil , shib b a'

kak mush mesammar taiyib ?

a'

hu l hara'mi da 1 mask in kan rayih yisraq b e’

tak ; tfl i‘ ‘

ala l

hé’

ta ; misik fi sh sh ib bak ; qam ish sh ib b ak tili‘ fi idu ; wiqi

‘

,

ink asarit riglu ; b aqa l haqqé‘alek dilwaqt .

”

Q al lu sahb il b et ;“W ana ma li, ya sidi ? h uwa ana illi rak k ib t ish sh ib b ak ? da

shugh l in naggar illi‘amalu .

”

Qal il qadi Hatu n naggzir

Rahu gab fih ; qal In 1 qadi : “ I z z éy inta ma rakk ib tish ish

sh ib bak da z éyi n n as '

.l a

'

ho b i sab ab ak il harami da lli kan reiyih

yisraq b et ir ragil da wiqi‘

,ink asarit riglu .

”

Q al In :“W ( ma

ma If, ya sidi'

l da mush shugh li : da shugh l il b anna illi rakk ibish sh ib b ak da fi 1 beta.

”

Q al il qadi Taiyib , h atu l b anna .

Rahu gab fih . Sa’alu l qadi : L éh ma rakkib tish ish shib b ak

da taiyib Cl Q al lu“Wallab i, ya sidi, da W ana b ab n i l b ét da

k anit b inte hilwa fayta‘ale

’

ya lab sa gallab iya masb fi'

gha sab gha

kuwaiyi’

sa . Basse’

t liha , qumt itlahet‘an shugli we ma

‘iriftish

arakk ib ish sh ib b ak z éyi 11 mils.

”

Q al luhum il qadi : Rfihu

h atu l b int illi k anit lab sa g gallab iya k k uwaiyisa di . Qamurahu , gab fiha ln . Q al liha l qadi : “ L éh kunti lab sa g gallab iya l masb figha ?

”

Qalit lu z W ana ma li ? da 1 hAqqe‘ala

s sab b agh illi sab agh il gallab iya lli k unte lab saha . Amar il

qadi yegib u s sab b agh . Rahu gab fih ; lak in ma‘iri

'

fsh e yequl

haga . Qam il qadi qal liihum :“Khudfi

'

h,ishnuqiih

‘ala b ab

dukkanu .

” Khadub yishnuqdh , laqfih tawil W e b ab id dukk anwati. Rahfi qalu li l qadi : “Da r ragil tawil qawi we b ab idduk k an sughaiyai rayb in nishn iiqu z z éy Qal luhum il qadi :Rfihfi shfifii lk um wahid qusaiyar, ishnuqfi

’

h .

” R ahum dauwtu'

u

‘ala wahid qusaiyar , k haddh , shanaqfih .

THE ARTICLE

40 . There are two artic les in Egyptian Arab ic — the definiteartic le il 1 the, wh ich is indec linab le , and the indefin ite wahid ,

wh ich agrees in gender and num b er with its noun,wh ether ex

pressed or understood,as il bab the d oor , il mara the. woman

,ir

riggala2 the men

,wali id rag il a man, wahda marra a woman ,

walida gat a (woman) came.

REMARK a .-The ad jec tive follows its sub stantive

,and when

1 Not e],a s it is g enerally written ,

though the very liquidand sem i-vowel nature of the Arab ic l tends to g ive the i a

slight e-colouring . The full va lue o f the vowe l returns in

e uphon ic tas/u / h l. I t is written it in Ma ltese . I t often has an

ob sc ure,neuter so und .

2 For the assim ilation of the I , sue 5; 25 .

Q

THE ARTICLE 37

the latter is definite the artic le is repeated with the ad jective , asil bab il k ib ir the b ig door.

REMARK b .—The indefinite artic le is very c ommonly omitted ,

or its place is supplied b y a noun of unity

umm mother

ab fih hisfatherbet house

ivalad (pl. boy

girl , daughter

kursi

ras (f. )id hand

qutta cat

sufra ,sufra d ining

-table

gib he came, has

come

iddini give me

shaft I saw

katab na we wrote

Note — The present ten se of the sub stantive verb is not

generally expressed in Arab ic in positive sentenc es.

EXERCISE l

Ummi‘ gat. I ddini qalam . Shufte husan iswid . I r riggala

hina. K atab na l kitab . I l b an at darahu ummi. I l wa la d

wiqi‘. I l husan kuwaiyis. I r rag il

‘ag uz . I l hawa kan sli id id .

I I fiwa rah. I l kalb e ‘add il b int . I l b ab ll r yigi b ukra. l l

kursi iswid . I l ‘ésh tfiaa. W ahda mara gat . Ab fih rag il taiy ih .

Kalb u ga‘im. Q alamha b atta l.

1 Attac hed as inseparab le suffixes to verb s,nouns, prepo

sitions, and c onjunctions.

VOCABULARY

darab he struck ,fireddarab fi they struck

wiqi‘ hefell

kan he was

rah he went‘add he b it

yigi he will comeshid id strong , violent

kuwaiyis pretty‘agfiz old

taeataiyib

iswid

k ib ir ( f .k ib ira)

sughaiyar

b attalg i

‘an, ga

‘anhuwa

,hfiwa

h ina

38 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

EXERCISE 2

The steamb oat is small . The horse is hungry. The h ouse

has fallen . A b ig dining -tab le . A little b oy has com e. Give

me (a) good pen . The m en struck th e b oy. A large steamb oat

came . The horse b it th e dog . A b ig b oy came (and ) struck th e

girls. H er head is large.

THE NOUNTHE NOUN SUBSTANTIVE

41 . The noun in Arab ic may b e eith er prim itive , as bab door ,or derivative, as merk ib ship ( from rak ab he rode) . Of th elatter the majority are derived from verb s

,1 b ut a large numb er

are denom inative, i .e. derived from other nouns,as merak b i

boatman ( from m erk ib ) , b auwab doorkeep er ( from b ab ) , and a few

from oth er parts of speech , as ma‘iya court, suite, from the

preposition ma‘ with .

g 42 . Denom inatives in clude

(a) Nouns of unity, denoting the individual of a c lass.

These are formed b y the addition of a to the primitive noun,

or ya where the noun ends in a vowel ; e.g

b aqar hine b aqara a cow

ghanam ghanama a sheep

gam us buffaloes gamfisa a bufi'

alo

samak fish samaka afishsagar, shagar trees sagara, shagara a tree

fil l beans ffila a bean

b atatis potatoes b atatsa (for a p otato

b atatisa )sillima

tub ab askawita

shughla3

a kind of cu qattaya4

cumber

kumm itra pears kumm itraya a pear

yusfefendi2 mandarin yusfefendiya a mandarin

oranges

b unti (or b ulti) a hind offish b ultiya

1 For the formation of these noun s see under the verb

228 2 For Yusif Efendi.3 Shughlana is used in the same way.

4 The a is lengthened b y the ac c ent falling on it .

THE NOUN 39

REMARK a .— The prim itive form s baqar

,sagar, are

coll ective nouns, denoting the whole c lass,not

,stric tly speaking ,

plurals.

1 They generally th emselves admit of a plural form as

well as the nouns of unity. Th ey are used m ore frequently of

natural than artific ial ob jects , and in th e case of an imals the

same form denotes b oth the male and female individual .

REMARK b .— From b unduq guns , is formed b unduqiya a gun

khara dung , mak es k harya .

REMARK c .

— The foreign word fuluka means b oth skifi’s and

a sk ifi, gin and ginn genzi and genius (b ut the ad jective ginniand its fem . ginniya are also used of th e in dividual) . On th e

other hand,qamar and qamara moon

,sik kin and sikkina a

knife, shum and shuma a thick. stick,and some oth ers are used

indifferently of the single ob ject only.

2

REMARK d .— The noun of unity sometim es denotes a port ion

of the whole, as qamh wheat, qamha a field or a small quantityof wheat, b edingan the egg p lant, b edingana afield of egg

-

p lants

(or a single egg-

p lant), maqat cucumbers, maqata a bed of cucum

bers. From qamha is form ed qamhfiya a hand ful of wheat (ora grain of wheat) ; so qashsh straw, qash sha a little straw,

qashshaya a very little straw (or a b lad e of straw) .Not a few words denoting nationalities form th eir nouns of

unity b y adding the ad jec tival term ination i , as :

lingliz the English ingliz i an Englishman

il ‘agam the Persians ‘

agami a Persian

il ‘arab the Arabs ‘

arab i an Arab

ir rum the Greeks rumi a Greek

ish sharkas the Circassians sharkasi a C ircassian

il arna ’ut the Albanians arna’uti an Albanian

il ifrang the Europ eans ifrang i a European

il malak an the Ameri cans malak ani an Ameri can

ish sh ilik ht the Bohemians shilik hti a Bohemian

1 W e may compare pea , peas , pease ; penny, pennies, penc e ;fish

,fishes , fish ,

in English . But the English c ollec tive nouns

have no plural . I t is strang e that th e plural of the Arab iccollec tives shoul d denote th e individual. Th ere is very litt ledifferenc e in m eaning b etween the plural of the noun of un ityand that of th e c ollec tive .

2 \V e say b i 1 161 by night, fi l 161 in the night, 101 n

nahar night and day, b ut léla a night, il lé la to-night. The

h igher c lasses use qamara . only in the sense of moonlight, if

at all .

40 THE SPOKEN ARAB IC OF EGYPT

Relative adj ectives used as sub stantives and denoting a pro

fession ,trade

,or quality are form ed b y th e vowel i or th e Turkish

termination gi b eing added to th e plural , and oc c asionally to th e

singular of th e prim itive noun e.g . sa ‘ati watchmaker ( fromsei ‘at, pl. of sé ‘a watch) , b arad

‘i maker of donkey-sadd les ( from

b aradi‘, pl. of b arda ‘a a donkey

-sadd le) , masha ‘li (for masha‘ili)torch -bearer ( from mashd‘il torches) , kutb i bookseller ( from k utub

books) , tash rifatgi master of ceremonies ( from tashrifat, pl . of

tashrifa) , b aram ilgi cooper ( from b aramil, pl . of b armil barrel) ,gazmagi shoemaker ( from gazma a pair of shoes) .REMARK — The term ination gi b ecomes shi in a few words

as tumb ak shi a seller of tumbak (Persian tobacco) , gumruk sh i

a custom-house ofi cer,ashsh i a cook .

1

The prim itive noun,wheth er in th e plural or singular, often

undergoes some change wh en rec eiving th e termination ; e.g.

dakakni a shopkeep er ( from dak ak in , pl . of duk k an sh0p )— the i

falling out,

2 farargipoulterer ( from fararig , pl . of farrug ) , turshagiseller ofpickles ( from turshipickles) , b urfigi bugler (from b uri bug le) ,tazkargi ticket

-collector ( from taz kara ticket)— the a falling out so

‘arb agi coachman ( from

‘arab a 3 carriage) , husari mat—maker ( from

husr mats) . I n turab i grave-digger ( from turab earth ) , and k hudari

greengrocer ( from k hudar greens) , the a is shortened . I n sanadgi

trunk -maker ( from sanadiq , pl . of sanq box) , th e c onsonant as

well as th e vowel has fallen out.

Some nouns of th is c lass are formed from fictitious or unused

plurals e.g . b arasm i vendor of c lover, dak hak hni tobacconist, fatatri

p astry-cook ( from supposed plurals b arasim ,

dak h akh in ,fatatir) ,

g iz amati shoemaker, from an unused plural of g izam (itself theplural of gazma) .A few tak e the termination dni, and others are quite irregular

in th eir formation ; e.g . fasak hani seller of fasikh (salted fish) ,halawani (or halwagi) confectioner ( from halawa sweets) , fakahani

fruiterer, from fak -ha (for fak ib a)fruit,nashashqi seller of snu17"

( fromnishfiq) , b fieati, b az awati, or b uawagi keep er of a beershOp ( bum ) ,a drunkard , suramati cob b ler ( from sarma a kind Q f shoe) , quradatia keeper of monkeys (qurud ) , k hamurgi innkeep er ( from k hamamir

,

pl. of k hammara) , ma‘addawiferryman (from ma

‘addiya ferry) ;

‘utuqi cob b ler , seems to b e formed from the adj ective ‘

atiq anc ient

1 These words are b orrowed direc t from Turk ish , in whic hlang uage g is pronounc ed soft.

2 I t is retained , however , in sak fi k ini cutter , and some others.

3 A Turk ish word for wh ich ‘arab iya is used in Arab ic .

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4 2 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

little Z enab , b ahraya p ond ( from b ahr) , gab alaya1 hillock , grotto

( from gab al mountain) , sagaraya shrub , moiya (for muyya, formaweya) water, from ma

’

(not used) .(d ) A c ollection or multitude of things, as maqat a bed of

cucumbers ( from qatta) .2

bringhe gave

he brought

he will bringhe opened

gentleman, sir

matches

EXERCISE 3

I so

sukkariya‘as su fra. I l ‘

arahiya b attala qaw’

i. I s sa ‘atiyegib l s sa

‘a b uk ra. Shuft il kalb fi 1 maqat. L efendiwiqi

‘ m in‘ala husanu . I l kuleb ‘

add il qutta. I l gazmagi gab il gazma

I r ragii idda l husan b ersim . Gib h ina ragil‘aguz qawi.3 I l

‘azab angi rah il b et (home).

EXERCISE 4

The b oy will b ring the b ook . The doork eeper Opened the

door . The gentleman is very hungry. The pastry- cook gave

the b oy a b iscuit. Th e dog saw the k itten up the tree. The

c ows are very small . Give me ( some) water. Th e pickles are

on the tab le. The fountain is very large H e gave me a

little. Bring me a watch .

THE NOUN ADJECTI V E

g 43 . The derivative adjec tives, lik e the sub stantives,may b e

either verb al or denominative.

§ 44 . Relative ad jec tives are formed b y the addition of the

1 Compare those of the sam e form mentioned ab ove (a.

Rem . d ) . They may also b e regarded as dim inutives.

2 The only instanc e , perhaps, in th e spok en language. The

literary form is maqtha’at

,from qiththat

3 The adverb follows the adjec tive it qualifies.

VOCABULARY

li

feu

foq

a i

m in‘ala

m in ‘ala

THE NOUN 43

terminations i, mi, aioi , dwi , dni, dti , or It to the primitive noun ;

e.g

turki‘arab i

sukk ari sugar

shahri

rigali

at the end , last end, p oint

dailynightlyof Bagdad

a — Many adjectives in dwi are used only as sub

a mountaineer tantawi a native ofmag ician (from Tanta

simmpoison) dungulawi a native ofmasrawi an Egyptian Dongola

turkawi (or a Tarlt

tirkawi)REMARK b .

-Foqani upper, is formed from th e preposition foq ,tahtani lower , from taht beneath , qab lani from qab l .REMARK c .

— As in the case of sub stantives,a letter is some

times added t o th e primitive noun,as k hulaqi quick

-tempered

( from k hulq temp er) . M ost sub stantives in a form th eir relative

adjectives b y changing that vowel into i , as k h ilqa nature,

k h ilqi natural , sh itwa winter, sh itwi. Damm b lood,mak es

damawi,ak hk h brother, ak hawi ; sharaq drought length ens the

a of the final syllab le and mak es sharaqi ; sharqawi, thoughformed from sharq east, is the relative ad jective of sharqiya , the

provinc e of that name so gharb awi native of Gharb iya ,b ahrawi

( from b ahr) native of Behera . A few in i are form ed lik e sub

stantives denoting trades , &c .,from plurals ( som e unused or

fictitious) , as qabaqib i belonging to the shoe called gab ga b (pl .qab aqib ) ,

1 farayh i (for farayih i) relating to a wedding ( from farah) ,fasafisi whimsical ( from fasfisa) .REMARK d .

— Th e termination Z? is b orrowed from th e Turk ish .

Both it and ( ltl are b ut sparingly used .

1 Musm ar qab aqib i is used of small nails,tin tacks .

from turk‘arab

sukkar

shahr

rigal (pl .of ragil)sana

ghalab a

44 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

45 . Dim inutive form s of adjectives are restric ted to a few

words,wh ich are, however , themselves in constant use ; e.g.

qulaiyil from qalil

qusaiyar1

sughaiyar1 (or

zughaiyar)k hufaiyif

2 thinnish from k hafif thin

kuwaiyis3

pretty, neat

h iléwa dainty, sweet from hilw.

Z ughannan , sughattat, gughattat, zughannfin tiny, are doub lydimlnutive.

COMPOUND NOUNS

§ 46 . I t is c ontrary to th e genius of Arab ic to form a new

noun b y the un ion of two primitive ones ; b ut a fewwords of this

construc tion have crept into th e language, ch iefly through the

influenc e of Turk ish ; e.g .

‘ardahal

maward‘anb arshayrismal (for rasmal)

qayimmaqam

bashkatib

(Turk . b ash

and Arab .

k atib ) captain

ag zak hana pharmacy commander

(Arab . agza in-ch ief

REMARK .—A compound is sometimes formed in sense b y two

words plac ed one after the oth er without a c on junction to connectthem

,as b ahri gharb i north -west, shamasi sud z arq b luish b lack

shutters .

1 From the rarely used form s qasir, saghir.

2 Rarely used .

3 From a supposed form ,kawis.

I .e. tea like amber (a street c ry) .5 So b ashmuhandiz

,b ash shawish (often pronounced

shawish ) , b ashmufattish, &c .

6 Pronounced sidredfw b y the uneducated .

drugs, and

Turk . k hana)k itab k hana‘arb akhana

antik hana (forantik ak hana)

tahsildar

(Arab . with

Persian term ination)

yuzb ashisirdar 6 (Pers )

COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES

V OCABULARY

laqét

EXERCISE 5

I r ragil gab i1 bunduqiya m in i1 b et we darahha fi wishshu .

H at il k itab il li foq i s sufra . I t tashrifatgi katab gawab tawd

li ummu . Shuft ab uh,lak in fen uk h tu ? II husari gib inb arih

we gab il husr wi s sanadqi yigi b ukra b i s sanadiq . I I hala

wani W i l fakahani rahu ‘ala b etha we gab u l b ask awit wi l

kumm itra . I s sa ’ati sallah is sa‘a h uwa rag il shatir qawi .

EXERCISE 6

The lady and her daughters went to Cairo yesterday. I havefound a short penc il on th e dining

-tab le . Bring it h ere and

b ring a pen and paper too. H e is very tall, h is shoul der

c omes ab ove th e window . W'

ill h e come h ere to-morrow ? Yes,

and h e will b ring his fath er and h is moth er too . Th e window is

very small , b ut th e house is b ig . Th e custom -house ofiic er cam e

and open ed th e door . I saw a tiny dog in th e sti eet . An old

c oachman b rought m e to th e war offic e . H e gave th e gii l a peai

The man is very quick tempered ; h e has struck th e little b oyand the girl too.

COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES

g 4 7. The comparative is expressed :

(a) By the positive followed in construc tion b y the pre

position‘an

,or ( less usually) m in than.

( b ) By a new form derived from the positive , and followedin c onstruction b y the preposition min ,

or ( less usua lly)‘an .

46 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

§ 48. The superlative is identical in form with the derived

comparative, of wh ich the following are instanc es

ak b ar

asghar

ak tar

arkh as

andafakwas

ahsan

less

lighter

dearer

uglier

more accursed

more imp ortant

least with no

positive in use

from k ib ir

sughaiyar (saghir)k itir (much)rik hisnidif

kuwaiyis

hasan (unused exc eptas a p r. n .)

qalilk hafif

ghali

wihishmal ‘fin

muhimm

c orresponding

REMARK .— Ob serV e that these words are of uniform c onstrue

tion ,with th e exc eption ofthose wh ich end in a doub le consonant

aqall is for aqlal , ahamm for ahmam . Sh idid stro ng , has the two

forms ashdad and ashadd .

VOCABULARY

I l kursi ghali‘an is sufra.

EXERCISE 7

Huwa shtara sufra we k ursi rikhis we gab hum‘ala l hét .

I ddini qalam rusas tawil. I l b é b

akwas m ish sh ib b ak . I s sandfiq tiqil , ldk in ak b afi e m in il b armil

I l b inte atwa l m in umm i, wi l walad qusaiyar‘an ab fiya . I l him

ark has m in in ul b it wi l m oiya ark has w ahsan mil litnén .

I l walad ish tara qam is atwa l m in b attfiuiya .

wi l akwas.

Huwu laagb at

1 Inseparab le suffixes .

NOUNS SUBSTANTIVE AND ADJECTI V E

EXERCISE 8

Th e barrels (are) cheaper than the b oxes. Th e shoemak er,who was in the garden yesterday, is taller than the fruitererwho b rought the apples and the pears to the house. The native

of-the-

provin ce-of—Sharqiya is stronger than th e cob b ler ; he

carried a sheep in a heavy b ox on his shoulder. The chair is

very large, b ut the tab le is still larger . The pric e is less than a

pound it is very cheap. The pear is b igger and dearer than the

apple. Give me (some) good b ananas and b ring an apple and a

plum from th e garden . H is dog is the largest and the b est .

THE GENDER or Nouns SUBSTANTIVE ANDADJECTIVE

§ 49. There are two genders only in Arab ic,the masculine

and the feminin e .

§ 50 . A noun may b e fem inine b y significa tion ,form

, or

usage.

51 . By signifiw tion are feminin e :

(a) Nouns and proper nam es which denote females,1

as

umm mother, b int girl , faras mare, Zenab , p r. n .

( b ) The names of countri es, towns , villages, &c .

, as :

ish Sh am Bughdad Bagdad

Istamb ul Oonstantinop le

( c ) The letters of the alphab et , words , and syllab les, as il

m im ,il mu

,mantuqa qawi the mim,

the (syllab le) mu i s strongly

52. By form are feminine :

(a) Nouns ending in a (or whether Arab ic or of foreignorigin ,

unless mascul in e b y signification ,as :

gimena garden da ‘wa

dunya (or world gazma

dinya)3 Oda

sana b ul itik a

writing warsha

1 A woman is often addressed in poetry ( in the colloquia lin the liteiary dialec t) in the mas cu line

,and impertinently in

conversation b y such terms as ya sidna, ya akh i

2 S ee 2 (d ) .3 A few words, wh ich are pronounced in two d ifferent ways ,

48 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

( b ) Th e following ending in d

imda

giz a

gh inah imm ahumm a

dura maize

sam a sky, heaven

REMARK a .— Wh en the final a is long , as in th e ab ove words,

it represents one of the radical letters of the word . I t is,how

ever , generally pronounced short in conversation .

REMARK b .— Sh ita is sometimes masculine ; lugb a language,

d ialect, is sometimes feminine. W e hear lughahum tikhin ,b ut

lughathum tik hina

53 . By usage the following words are femin ine

ard earth footid (andyadd) hand sp irit ; barrel

b atn belly of gunb alad town , village

b ir well

tob dress, robe

tiz buttocks

ghet field

dar fellah’s hut

daqn beard

dimagh brain , head

dukk an shopras head

REMARK a .— T6b

, ghet, furn ,

1and maghrib are generally

regarded as masculine b y the upper c lasses ; b ir is oc casionallymasc uline ; sik k in knife, is som etim es masculine

,as it has a

duplicate form in a ( sikk ina) h f-t wa ll,is oc casionally feminine

siban ik h spinach , masc . or fem . Labw d iversion, and hamm worry,are feminine only in th e expressions gatak lab w, gatak il hamm

the p lague ta/re you / dah r2 is fern . in one of its m ean ings.

are , in order that the student may b ec ome a c customed to b oth,

spelt differently in d ifferent places of the grammar . One man

will say Rab b ina our Lord,anoth er Rab b una

,or b oth may b e

used at different tim es b y th e sam e person .

1 A fem . form ,furna

,a lso exists.

2 Masc . when m eaning hac/r.

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50 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

EXERCISE 9

Ana laqét is sanadqi fi 1 warsha . I l merak b i gab fulukak ib ira . I l furn illi f b etu sughaiyara a i

,lak in hiya ak b ar m in

furn ina . Shufna kalb e gi‘an we qutta misk ina ‘

ala s sutuh .

I l gazmagi ish tara b unduqiya m in il u‘ tuqi, we shalha ‘

ala k itfu .

I l malik gib La il malika gat . Fen il kura ? Kan it qad1ma,

wi r ragil ramaha fi 1 fasqiya . I sh sh itwa gat , lak in ish sham se

lissa h ara. Binte h ilwa zey il qamara . I l walad rama l qutta fi1 b ir

,lak in wahda mara taiyib a talla ‘itha minha. Tab bakh

ah san min tab b ékha. I s sikk in metallima .

EXERCISE 10

The b oy has thrown a dirty old pair of shoes into th e room

tak e them out . Bring a large b ottle and a clean glass. The

carpet was very old h e has b rought a new ( one) . H is b eard is

long and dirty. H er shop is very far from here . The b oy struck

the poor little gir l in th e eye.

1 Put a c lean towel in the room

and tak e away th e dirty (on e) . H e has thrown th e b all from th e

window ; b ring it in . Th e woman who b rought the eggs to our

house is very tall , b ut her husb and is tall er . The sun was veryhot yesterday. H er dress is very pretty.

56 . Th e fem inine of living b eings is sometimes, as in oth er

languages, indicated b y a distin ct word . E .g .

rfig il mara

walad 2 b int

ab b umm

husan faras

tor b aqaradakar nitaya

57 . On the contrary, many form their fem inine regul arly,where a different word is used in English , as :

husband goza wife

walda 3 mother

paterna l unc le‘amma p aternal aunt

maternal unc le k hfila maternal aunt

dog kalb a b itch

1 Translate her eye.

9 Th e plur . wilad is used of ch ildre n— boys or girls.3 L it . parent.

NOUNS SUBSTANTIVE AND ADJECTIVE

§ 58. Some inanimate ob jects form a feminine Without anychange in the m ean ing , as

or qamara moon

or sikk ina knife

Gab an a coward is used without change of a man or a

woman .

§ 59. V erb al nouns ending in i form their feminines b yshortening the long vowel and adding th e syllab le ya ,

as

tani second tanya (for taniya)‘ali high

‘alya

§ 60 . Denominatives add that syllab le without shorteningthe vowel , as

a hosp ital attendant

coachman

naval

outer

REMARK.— Gahil ignorant, and the partic iple m istihaqq deserv

ing , have the forms gahl iya , m istihaqqiya , as though from gahli,mistihaqqi .

1

6 1 . A few ad jectives denoting colour s, and som e others

denoting mostly a personal defect , form th eir feminine b y trans

posing the first two and again th e last two lett ers ; e.g .

REMARK a .-The masculin es of these adjectives are all of

the same form,with the exception of iswid b lac k (for aswad) .

REMARK b .— A ‘wag crooked mak es ‘

6ga (for‘awga) .

In th e literary language ak b ar other mak es uk hra,and th is

1 Mistihaqqa is also used, espec ially b y th e educated

,and

gahla (pl . gub ala) oc casionally.

hamrakhadra

safrab éda (for b ayda)‘arga

k harsa

hatma .

52 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

form is used in th e spok en language preceded b y the definiteartic le ; thus masc . lak har (or rak har) ,

1 fem . ruk hra .

Auwil first mak es ula ; b ut this form is only u sed in a few

c onnections, as daraga ulafirst c lass,auwilan iya and oc casionally

auwila tak ing its place.

62 . Som e adjectives have no separate form for th e fem inine .

They include :

(a) Th e comparatives,2 as il b inte atwal

,il k umm itra

arkhas.

( b ) Those which already end in a ,as

p inli;

lying on the

back

( c ) Foreign words (with the exc eption of most of those

ending in i) , as

dughri straight

werdinari ordinarysagh sound

(d ) The following

complete shamurt

little

p lain, by itselflow

,vulgar

sound

small

1 S ee 27, p. 26 lukhra is not used .

2 The literary fem inine form of c omparatives is hardly, if

ever,h eard in conversation . I t oc curs

,however , in the name of

the village 1] Kub ra ( from ak b ar greater) .3 Used also sub stantively.

4 Used generally with sagh , as qirshe sfigh daiyan a tarzfp lastic .

5 I n th e expre ssion Gda khab is, i.e . a room without wind ows.

Ad jec tives of th is form do n ot g enerally t ak e the fem ininetermination in th e literary language .

I n k hnnnn in 1 10 111 .

youngexcellent

imprisoned

finished,ready

raw

lethargic

right

DECLENSION

D E C L EN S I O N

63 . I n the literary language most noun s have three case

endings— u or an for the nom inative ; i or in for the genitive ,

dative,and ab lative ; and a or an for th e ac cusative

,ac cording

as they are defined 1 or undefined .

These term inations, with th e following exc eptions, do not

exist in th e spok en language

(a) The nom inative ending u is sometimes h eard in the word

All ah God , and a few others, mostly in expressions of a religious

character, as

Allahu akb ar God is very great

shakk ar Allahu fadlak God reward your kindness

il hamdn li llah praise be to God

is salamu‘alekum

‘1peace be on you

(b ) The genitive and dative ending i and th e ac cusative end

ing a are used in oaths and religious formulas

as w Allah i (or W Allahi by God

b i smi llah (i .e. b i ismi in the name of GodAllah)

fi am ani llah God preserve you

b i z ui llah (b i iz ni A llah ) D . V .

la haula wala quwwata illa there is no power nor strength

b i llah but in God

(c ) The case ending in is heard

( 1 ) After the indefin ite pronoun éy,3and oc casionally after

kull all , as

éy insanin k an whatever man it may be

min eye g ih itin k anit from whatever d irection it bekulle shin ( contracted from whatever itmay be, everything

sh é ‘in ) kan

kulle nafsin every soul

1 L e. preceded b y th e definite artic le , or followed b y a noun

i n the genitive, or having a pronominal suffix . The stem of

fem . nouns in a to wh ich these term inations are added is

a t.3 But more usually is salam (or salzim )

‘alékum— a form of

salutation used only b y one Mussulman to another .

3 But the in is here sometimes pronounced separately, as b eingequivalent to ma . (See 264 ,

54 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

(2) I n a few nouns used adverb ially1

or with a preposition ,

ghasb in‘annu (more usually in spite of himself

gasb e‘annu)

h alin immediatelyenta wak ilin ‘

anni you are as my agent

ga’ ‘ala tub b in ghafil he came unexpectedly

mehab b itu ab b in ‘an giddin the lovefor him isfrom grand

father to father (i.e . he is

beloved of all the members

of hisfamily)‘é‘

tmin auwil ( contracted to last year‘amnauwil)

(d ) The ending an is h eard in a few words used as adverb s,and

oc casionally as an accusative of lim itation,as

halan at once

dawaman for ever

da’iman always

mararan time after timema

‘raffish la zatan wala I knowhim neitherpersonally

isman nor by name

REMARK .— The ab ove expressions do not in reality b elong

to the dialect of Cairo,b ut are b orrowed from the written

language .

THE GENITIVE

64 . A noun limiting the m ean ing of another is placed

immediately after it,and thus b y its position perform s th e

various functions of the gen itive , although undergoing no c hange

of form b ut wh en th e first of the two nouns ends in a,whether

as a singu lar or plural term ination ,it weak ens th e a to i and

adds the letter t.2 E .g .

1 But in most of th ese the in is a thinning of th e literaryan ,

th e sign of th e ob jec tive case.

3 S tric tly speak ing , it recovers the t from an older form at,

a form preserved to th is day in som e words in Amharic . Th isin its weak ened form is still the stem to which the pronom inal

suffixes as well as the dual and the case endings , when theyexist, are appended .

THE GENITIV E 55

a man’

s house the lady’

s car

the gate of the riage

house the Caliph ofthe g ate of the I slam

house of theman

’s sister the men of the

qalam rusas apencilof lead , village

a lead-p encil

a glass of wine

REMARK — An adjective as well as a sub stantive may assume

this form ,as

‘aiyén ill, fem .

‘aiyana ;

‘aiyanit eh ? how can she be

ill (g65. A few words ending in c add t without shortening th e

vowel ,1as :

prayer purity, charitydeath

thus

the prayer at W i hyét (for by the life Ofs unset wi hayfit) the P rophet

in nab i

Ma‘nameaning maymak e ma

‘nat or ma

‘n it

,or remain un changed ;

m irsa anchor, gb uwa jugglers,3shurakap artners, z umala comrad es

,

mak e mirsé t or m irsit , shurakat or shurak it,cite. Ru‘ashepherds

and su‘amessengers oc casionally mak e ru

‘at, su ‘at,b ut generally

rem ain as they are . Mugaza punishment generally mak es

mugazat , b ut is sometim es left unc hanged . Im da signature.

h imma fever, m ihma bath -heater, and a‘da members

,mak e imdit ,

himmit, m ihm it , a‘dit only.

§ 6 6 . Plurals of the form of shurak a and zumala,with the

exc eption of these two words,regularly c hange at into it, as

fuqara poor p eop le, fuqaha schoolmasters ; fuqarit, fuqah it , Masr

the poor, the schoolmasters , of Cairo .

§ 6 7 . All oth er words ending in ct und ergo no chang e .

1 As in the written languag e.

2 Z ika is in more comm on use than zakfi.

3 Ghuwamay also remain unc hanged .

56 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

‘aiyaha her illness istib da l the beginning ofdawana our medicine mas

’ala the matter

ghata1 s the cover of the sh ifa l mara the woman

’

s re

sanduq box corery

ikhfa l haga the hiding of ishtiha l thefather’s long

the thing walid inglugb a

2 l the language of ghada ,‘

as ha the boy’

s lunch ,

ing liz the English 1 walad d inner

rida r ragil the man’s con

sent(

REMARK a .

— As the final a is usually pronoun c ed short in

all th ese words, a knowledge of th e structure of the word is th e

only guide in determ in ing th e form of a noun ending in a or

(original) cl standing b efore anoth er in the genitive .

REMARK b .— Th e a is som etim es

,b ut rarely, retained b efore

the t instead of b eing c hanged to i , as sanat alf the year 1 000 ,sifatu his qualification (for sanit

,sifit)

3so maratén two women ,

marratén twice.

68. Ab b father, and oc c asionally ak hk h brother,add u when

prec eded b y a genitive retaining on ly a sing le c onsonant,as :

ab u Fatma Fatma’

s jathe r

ak hk he (or ak hu ) Sileman Solg/man’

s brother 4

§ 6 9 . Other ways of expressing the g enitive will b e notic ed

in th e syntax ; b ut it is nec essary to introduc e the learner at

th is stage to th e use of the word b etz‘

i‘

,

aorig inally a sub stantive

meaning p roperty. I t is inserted pleonastic ally b etween a noun

and its genitive , and in opposition to the former,as il b et b eta ‘

ir ragil the house the p roperty of the man,i.e . the man

’

s house. I t

has,however

,the fem inine term ination a wh en the preceding

sub stantive is feminine,and so is b est regarded as an adjec tive

m ean ing of or belonging to . Wh en the fem in ine form is in c on

struc tion with anoth er noun it b ec om es b eta‘it b y the rule

stated ab ove,or

,if followed b y a vowel

,b eta‘

t or b etahtas ii ‘

arab iya b etaht is sitt the lady’

s carriag e .

1 The a is shortened ac c ording to rule b efore two c onsonants .

2 C ontra ry to the literary form . Lugb a also exists ; b utneither of them are in c omm on use

,lag hwa having tak en their

plac e and m ean ing b oth as language and d ialec t.

3 S ifit is perhaps neve r heard .

4 For the c h anges wh ic h no uns undergo in c onnec tion with

the po ssessive sn iliXUs , se c 12 1 .

b S aid to ho ph ilu lng h'

a lly c o nne c ted with the litera ry mata ‘.

I t has dwind led to la in Ma ltese .

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58 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

b usta n nimsawiya tigi b uk ra . Hawa l yom én do] kan sh idid .

I l b ab fir ling liz i safir imb arih w ab uya safir fih . I l walad illi

sh irib il moiya l wisk ha b eta‘it b ahr in Nil

‘aiyan b i l kulera .

I b n il merak b i gib b i l m erk ib b etaht ab fih , lak in k ull il ‘afshe

b eta‘ il efendi illi kan fib a wiqi‘ fi 1 b ahr . H at li kummitra

tanya hah k ede sughaiyara , asghar min il auwilaniya.

EXERCISE 1 2

Bring the gentleman’

s hat from th e downstairs room . H e

came in h is father’

s carriage. The c ity of London is much finerand b igger than Cairo . The b ook wh ich was on the chair in the

dining-room has fallen on th e ground . The cook

’

s little dog has

stolen a fowl from the poulterer’

s shop. The greengrocer’

s son

struck th e poor Italian (woman ) , and b rok e h er arm . The diningtab le of his house is higher than the other .

1 Th e watchmak er

repaired th e old watch and b rough t it b ack to its owner’

s house.

The groc er’

s daughter is very pretty, and she is taller than h is

son . Throw away th e raw fruit ; it is very b ad . She is a low,

b ad woman . The b oy’

s dog ha s drunk the cat’

s m ilk . The

c ommander-in -ch ief 2 of the Egyptian army is an Englishman .

I s th e carpet finished ? Yes, sir ! Good l 3 Send it to the

house at onc e ! I found the little b oy’

s b ook on a chair in the

upstairs room . A European woman c ook,not 4 an Arab man

c ook . The b arrel of the man’

s gun was c rook ed .

THE NUMBERS OF NOUNS

70 . Th ere are three num b ers— singular , dual , and plural .

The dual, wh ich is used to denote two ob j ects, is formed b yth e syllab le en b eing added to the singular, as k itab a book ,k itab én two boo/cs ; rag il a man ,

rag lén (for rfig ilén) two men il

Mehammidén the two Mohammed s.

REMARK — The use of the dual is confined to sub stantives ,rdjec tives qualifying them b eing plac ed in the plura l.

7 1 . The t added to fem inines end ing in a ,when in c on

struc tion with ano th er noun,appears also in the dual

, the a

aga in b eing weak ened to wh ic h is liab le to fall out in ac cord

anc e with the rules laid down in 3°

33 ; e .g .

two cats futten ( from two turrets

two trees l'

flta )

taini. 3 ta iyib ! mush .

5 The a is oc ca s ionally reta ined ,as in mara tén two women,

rifat én two qualities .

THE NUMBERS OF NOUNS 50

72. The long vowels d and i are changed respectively to

ay or aw and iy, as

ghata a cover

sama

while 6 b ecomes we or iy, as

manguwén

b altuwen (orb altiyén)

REMARK a.— Wh ere final 6 is accented , the aspirate h is ih

serted ,2as in b ar?) 3 chest of drawers, rab o3 jac k p lane (dual

b arohén ,rab ohen) ;

3 ab b father mak es ab b en ,b ut the nahwg

ab uwen is sometimes used .

REMARK b .

—Som e noun s ending in d , having no dua l them

selves, b orrow that of a k indred form , as

shitwitén two winters (from sh itwa)ghad a ghadwiten two lunc hes ( from ghadwa)‘asha ‘

ashwiten two d inners

gala salwitén

lugb a laghwitén4

REMARK c .— Uk h t sister mak es regularly uk hten ,

b ut oc ca

sionally ik hwatén is heard .

6

REMARK d .— The plural form with th e num eral itmen two is

genera lly used instm of the dua l where more euphonious, espe

c ially if the word is of foreign origin , as itmen yauriya two aid e.

de camp (for yauriyén ) . Such forms as kuntratuwén two contrac ts

( from kuntrfitu), karruwén two carts,

6 b ashawén two pas has , can

hardly b e said to exist.73 . A few nouns are used in the dual only, signifying

the union of two ob jec ts wh ich ind ividually have no existe nc e .

as kalb itén forcep s, p inc ers. Their own dual would b e goz

kalb itén,a pair of p inc ers, dzc . Widn rarely has a dual form

,

1 Often fi lled manga.

2 Comp. 39 a , no te.

\V e m ight even write barOh , rabOh (as g ineh , from

guinea). Barb is from Fr. bureau , rab o from robot.

67 , note.

5 I t s avours of Syrianism .

\V e say‘arab lyiten karro or itmen ‘

arab iyzlt karro .

6 0 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

the plural b eing used instead , as W idani (or widani litnen )my ears.

1

74 . The duals of dir a‘ arm ,rig l foot,

‘én eye, id hand , and

(optionally) that of walid , when meaning parents, drop their

final 77. b efore a possessive suffix , as :

dira‘éya2 my arms his eyes

rig lék your feet their hands

For tultén two thirds, tultay is sometimes used , b ut only b y the

more educated c lasses.

75. The dual form oc cur s in the prepositions b énén (in th e

expression b én il b én én ) and hawalén around , and is added to

the interjec tion uff l' and oc casionally to other words as an in

tensive particle, as mush ah san ? ah sanén ,mush ahsan wah id

isn’

t it,wouldn

’

t it be better ? not only better, but doub lr , ever so

much better.

4 Hawalén generally loses its u lik e‘enen ,

&c . , under

the influenc e of the pronomina l suffixes, as hawaléya around me

b ut hawaléni, &c . ,are also heard .

THE PLURAL

76 . Plurals are of two k inds

(a) The Perfect Plural , so called b ecause the singular formremains unaltered b ut for th e addition of c ertain term inations

,

and

(b ) The Brok en Plural , in the formation of which the singular

undergoes a radical change . I n b oth cases there is only one

form for the masculine and the fem in ine.

77. The perfec t plural is form ed b y th e addition of in, ex,

ya (or rig/a) , or a to the singular.

78. The following noun s form their plural in in.

(a) Most verb al adjec tives ( inc luding partic iples) wh ich formtheir fem inine b y adding a to th e mascu line ; e .g . :

1 There is no suc h form as widnéya , as asserted b y Spitta .

H e is m istak en also in g iv ing ab b ahén ,u inmahfin ,

as the duals

of ab b and umm,instead of the regular form s ab b én and ummén .

2 Pronoun c e dirz‘

i‘aiya (see d ir i‘ti litnén is also sa id .

3 S ometim es pronounc ed‘anéh .

4 The n ame M ohammadfin is g iven in Upper Egypt to c h il

dren,in the hope , appar en tly, that they w ill b e doub ly b lessed

as b earing the name of the prophet two fold . A few other dual

names are in use .

writing

(pl . gahz in ,m

'

ak tfib in ,

REMARK — The term ination 53 is chan g ed to iy, and 12 to uw,

as in the formation of the feminine e.g .

pl .‘alyin (for

‘aliyin)

aduW in

( 6) Many nouns of th e form barré‘

ik ,

l mostly sub stantive

denoting a profession or trade . They were originally of the

nature of intensive adjectives, and were thus applied to persons

who perform ed a particular act repeatedly e.g .

a cultivator

a carpenter gab b a‘

r

milkman

liar

(pl . fallahin ,naggarin ,

ac ”) Su b stantives of this form endingin e change that vowel into ay, as saqqa water-carrier, b annabuilder (pl . saq ,qay

’

in &c .

1 The word fa‘al ( literary fa

‘ala ) is used b y the grammarians

of th e written language as the paradigm or model of all others

wh ich c onsist of a sim ilar comb ination of radical consonants and

vowels, as darab , b alad . By doub ling th e consonants,changing

the v owels, or shifting th e position of either or b oth,new para

digms (b ut always with the same consonants, f, l) are formed .

Thus kaddah liar, m isik he seized , im sik seize , are said to b e of

the forms fa“dl , fi

‘il,and ij

‘il respectively. Th e convenienc e

and necessity even of such a system in treating of a flexib lelanguage lik e the Arab ic will b e readily perceived . The letters

b , r , Ix: (wh ich , with the vowel i plac ed after each of th e first twoconsonants

, form the word b irik he kneeled ) are used throughout

this work in pre ferenc e to f, I,as ofi ering no d iffi c ulties of

pronwriciatio n. For words containing four radica l letters, the

word lak hba t confuse is sub stituted for the fa‘lal of the

gmmxnarmns.

‘

2 Applied in cussica l Arab ic only to an hab itual pro

fessional liar .

6 2 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

( c) Most relative adjectives in i. These insert a y b etweenthe vowel and th e plural termination , as

g i‘

rwani inner wustani central

fransawi French

(plur . guwaniyin ,

Gahil ignorant mak es gahliyin (gahiliyin ) .

rak har the other ruk hrin

mistihaqq deserving mistihaqqiyin .

79. The following tak e the term ination di

(a) A large numb er of sub stantives ending in a ( inc ludingnearly all those in iga) ,

1 masculine and fem inine , of Arab ic and

foreign origin e.g

sagara , Khalifa Calip h

gamfisa, merasla messenger

huk fima government yaqa collar

darb a a b low lamb a (or lampm ilaya sheet lamda)‘awaga cripple b arrima corks crew‘arab iya

‘ishriniya a twentyp iastre

piece

(plur . sagarat, gamfisat,‘arab iyat , lamb at ,2

( b ) Proper names,b oth masculine and feminine

M ehammad,Hasan

,Z enab Taha (man

’

s name) , Fatma (plur .

Mehammadat , Hasanat , Fatmat,

( c ) Nouns ending in d , and most of those wh ich end in u ,

or 6 . Th e form er change the d into aw,wh ile the latter ( con

sisting entirely of foreign words) either lose the vowel or c onvertit into mo and o c casionally into iy ; e.g .

qafa

pap a , pope salfi

k halzi

master

( plur . samawfit,hfib awat, Li's ) .

1 Exc eptions are gallab iya a robe, wh ich has the b rok en

plural galalib , th ough gallab iyat is also in use,sultaniya basin

(plur . sa lirtin ) .2 B ut mo re usua lly lumad .

3 Most of these may b e pronounc ed optiona lly with u or 0 .

A lso, b ut less c ommon ly, b fishfit .

THE PLURAL

tiyatru theatre fitro -u) filterkun tratu contrac t

(plur . tiyatrat ,1

sak u overcoat mango-u ) mango

(plur . seikuwat ,

b intu 2 a napoleon b intiyat

sugundu an und er-servant sugundiyat

b allo -u) ball , dance b alliyat (or balluwat)

REMARK .— When the 6 of the singular is ac c ented

,h is ih

set ted,as b are, rab o , b arohat , &c . , b ut these words are perhaps

b etter written b aroh , &c .,in the singular (see 39) so also in

the case of ac cented e, as kanab esofa (plur . kanab éhat) .

(d ) A few nouns in 6. These again insert y ; e.g .

sideri waistcoat b antufl i3

b aladi countryman guwanti4

sisi small pony efendi

and Turkish words with the termination b ashi, as

b imb ashi colonel yuz b ash i captain

(plur . sidériyat , b aladiyat , guwantiyat , b imb ash iyat,(e) The names of th e letters and syllab les. They insert an it

when ending in a vowel ; e.g .,b éhat , nunat, mahat

,tlw letters

I), n ,

the syllab les ma .

(f) The nam es of the months,as ramadanat Rama dans .

(g ) Nouns wh ich adm it of a doub le plural, or the plural of a

dual form ,as u lfiffit and alafat (plur . of ulfif and alaf

,them

selves plurs. of alf) thousands similarly

kushufat lists qadayat cases, matte/s

guruhat wound s qutflrat railway trains‘utiirat perfumes kub arat grandees

quyfldfit shackles ‘ishrinat twenties

wisfilat receip ts talatinat thirties

ashyat things qirsh énat pieces of two

kutub fi t books p iastres

1 A confused form tiyatrutat is sometimes heard .

2 From Ital . ve nti. A more c ommon p lural is b anati.3 Or bantaji.Ital . guanti.

64 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

(h ) A few passive participles used as sub stantives, as

mashrubat drinks m elauwinat things ofmasrfiqat

1 stolen goods various col

ours or kinds

( i ) A large numb er of verb al sub stantives, including all

those of th e form bardk and all those which are c onstructed

from th e derived forms of the verb e.g

talab demand gawahb adan body of a mah ill

garment ba ‘sir

book tafsil

question ik ramanimal tahamm il

foundation ,imtihan

lowwall istih san

(plur . talab at, b adanat , h iwanat, ikramat ,

(j) Many sub stantives of foreign origin ,as

astahl stable

b alak on balconyhuk s horse-box

b ah lawan wrestler

qayimmaqam lieutenant

gurnal journalduk k ar dog

-cart

g ine (or

gineh )k h an inn

(plur . astab lat, b uk sat , dukkarat, b rinsat ,REMARK .

— Gurnal m ore frequently mak es gardnin (n for l) ;dukk ar has also dakak ir .

(h) A few nouns not derived from verb s,though of Arab ic

orig in ,as :

b at armpit lady

gifir shield kind of basketk hawal dancing

-man con‘

ard (m .

nah ar day or f . )garaz bell

(plur. hatat, sitte’

it,

1 Not in use am ong the lower c lasses .

2 The plural of ‘amm paternal unc le and k hfil maternal uncle

is i‘m am,ikhwal

,not (at least in Cairo )

‘amm at

,k halat , as stated

by Spitt a.

letter

p lace

mark

detail

bountybearing malice

examination

app roval

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66 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

France

Austria , Ger

many

guests haddar

houses

comingtravelling,leaving

Egyptian

contented ,

p leased

strong ,firm

good , benefi centreadybuilt

all

m istak hdim emp loyed ,emp loyé

busy that, because

fixed , correct, instead ofright to-d ay

lying, lying to-night

ill

cold

hot

dear

EXERCISE 1 3

il lamb at we haddar il oda ,

‘ash zl n fih nds diyfif gayin

il léla . I s saqqayin illi gab u l moiya inb arih b attalin qawi ;humma misku b anat kunu l mashyin fi s sikka we da1 ab uhum

we ram fihum fi 1 ard , we saraqfi fulus—hum m inhum . Ana shufte

fi 1 gur nalat inn il bashawat il masriyin illi rfihu stamb ul mab

sutin m in tash rifat is sultan . Ana sl1ta1 t t (isl1ta1 et) b irohat m is

fiq , wah id m inhum‘ali ‘an it tany .in Wah id ragil gab b z

‘

11' dar i h

ii qutta l mask ina illi k anit fi mnk h z an M ehammadb

Efendi.

tulat

darb at gam dm b i fas kanit 2 f idu W 1 111 1uw1 tha ,lak in riggalt

il gam‘iya l k hairiya b etah t il ingliz , illi k nnu 11 : 1.d 1 i i 1 wadduh it

tumn . Sal1b ( s 1hib il b et‘am 1 l it taslihat il lazm in fi gn inti

( ginéniti) . I I b usta gat inb .11 i11 , wew 1b 1t li gawab at min il

1 Supply illi.2 For ill i k fin it .

fl yingmissing, want

fi

ingbring, get

ready, pref

p are (im

perative)he killed

they conducted

to

I want, you

want, he

wants

they love

he d id,made

there was, were

for, on account

THE PLURAL 67

b an al: ik hwati illi fi b lad ling liz . I d dunya ahsan in nahar da

fih tarawa kuwaiyisa . I l m ilayat wisk h in wi l b attaniyat ausak h

k aman . Guz tu rab it is suq we gab it ln b idten (b ed iten) we

hittit labma tara I t talagrafat b etfi‘ in nahar da ahamme m in

b etfi ‘ inbarih. B iyut qunsulatat Fransa we Nim sa mab niyin fi

wust il b alad . I l wilad is sughaiyarin gum . Fen il k itabat

b etfi‘ab fiya ? Laqét il waraqat

‘ala t tarab égat . I l b antufliyat

fi 1 6da b etaht il farsh . I s sandfiqén b etfi‘ ab fik gamdin .

Shaiyah li qalam en .

‘auz il k itab én wi l waraq illi f idak . Is

sa‘ten illi f udtak masb fitin litn én

’

! ana shrib te (sh irib te) sigarténb ass in nahar da . Shuft id dukkarén ii duk kanu ; litn én k uwai

yisin qawi. Banatu ‘aiyanin k ulluhum

,raqdin fi I b et. I s

sagartén illi fi gnint ab uya‘alyin

‘an b etfi‘

ak .

EXERCISE 14

Bring the lamps and put th em on the tab les in my room .

Tak e the twenty-

piastre-

piec es and g ive me ( some) two-

piastre

pieces instead of them . The employés of th e Egyptian Government are always b usy. My feet are c old

,b ut my hands are

warm . The b utc hers of London are dearer than those of Cairo.

There is a school fo r Frenc h 1 b oys and another for German

b oys, and th ere are Eng lish masters at“2 b oth . Pu t two towels

in th e room and tak e away th e d irty (ones) I wrote three lettersto my b roth ers to

-day . Yo ur b ook s are on a chair in the diningroom . The b oys and girls c ame around m e and seized my hands.

The gentleman took the rec eipts for3 the b ook s. The m esseng ers

b rought the papers from the W ar Ofiic e . The b al conies of our

two houses are b uilt over the two gardens. Th e b oys love th eir

fathers and their moth ers . Th e Egyptian army has b eaten th e

Soudanese. H e struck h im two b lows on the h ead “with a stick

(wh ich ) was in h is hand. Your eyes are smaller than m ine .

There were three b alls in th e town in one night. I saw three

b alloons flying in th e air . Two collars and three waistcoats are

m issing . They caught t he an ima ls in the gard ens, and b roug ht

thorn to the house. All of them are liars . The ladies are

leaving to -day ; send th eir luggage to the station . There are

c olonels a nd captains of the Eng lish army in the Egyptian army .

The walls of my ga rden are very low . Th e m ilkman has

b rough t only tw o b owls ( of) m ilk . The Arab ic languag e is

ric her than those off’ Europe . The Beys have b rough t (som e )

1 Trans. the Frenc h, the German .

3 b etfifi

Trans. h is head .

68 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

wrestlers from Turk ey. H ow many b ook s are there in your

b rother’

s lib rary ? Thousands.

§ 8l . Th e plural term ination ya or iya is assumed b y a

numb er of sub stantives and a few adj ec tives ending in i , at,hi gh

“

,ar , o

‘

r er , and a few others. The majority (with the ex

c eption of th ose ending in i ) are of foreign origin ,and denote

trades or professions ; e.g .

askafi k hiz indar paymaster

tarz i 1 ginninar general

haram i ikh tiyar old

Efendi imb erat6r emp eror

shukali quarrelsome b ank iyér ( or bunker

k h im iqi quick-temp ered b ank ier

,

sudan i Soudanese b anker)k awaling 1 locksmith afukatu advocate‘erb ag

’

i coachman. ( ab uk fi tu)unbash

‘

i corp ora l qunsulatu consulate

hek imdar command ant of shawish constable

p olice yawir aide-de -m mp

Plur . tarz iya , haramiya ,k hiiniq iy a , k awalingiya ,

ikhtiyariya ,afuk atiya , yau riya (for yawiriya) , &c .

REMARK a — Efend i, qunsulatu ,

b ank ier,and nouns ending in

b ashi have also plurals in at. (S ee ab ove . ) Bitshawish chief consta b le has a duplicate form ,

b itshawish iyat .

REMARK b .— I t will b e o b served that the plura l and fem in ine

singular of many of th ese nouns are identic al ; thus k hulaqiya

may m ean quirk-tempered men or a qui ck

-temp ered woman , tamar

giya men nurses or a. woman nurse.

82 . The following tak e the term in ation a 3

(a) Man y nouns of the form ba r-n il. as'

b annan a dealer in o il-merchant

c qfibed ealer in straw

slave- ( lea ler

wood -cutter

money- changer

camel-driver

( Ion/re y-boy tim id

k iela'r (horse)( plur . b anh ima ,

tab b finn, h annnfira

1 Turk ish .

2 Mo re usually knwa lini.3 Ha nnnfirin is som e tim es used ,

b ut appa rently only in the

b e lie f tha t it sounds educ ated .

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70 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

we talat rab oh at . I sh sh éyalin illi sh alu l ‘aishe b eta‘ il ‘

b éh

m in il b ab fir k asaru k ulle h aga illi fih ,we b a ‘dén talab u l ugra

b eta‘ithum . I s saggana fatahu b ab is sign ,k hadu qirshen m in

il masgfim n we S t yib fihum . I l gammala darahu l hammara we

k hallasfihum il b attaha . I l ab uk atiya kk allimu k etir . II

k haiyata sh taru talat lamunat we b urtuqanten we fak ha tan y a

kaman ,we hattfihum fi ‘

eyarat wi sh sh eyalin gab uhum‘zi la

b éthum . I l h ek imdariya mab sfitin m in il b itshawishiyat , wi 1

hitshawish 1ya mab sutin m in ish shaw1sh iya . I sh tiri nna 1 san ~

du‘

qen m is sanadq a b etfi ‘ is suq we hathum qawam . l n h aggai 1n

gab u l k hashab at we m istanniyin fulus hum ; wi sh shaiyala k aman‘au z in ugrith um . I t tamargiva wi t tamaigiyat nas taiyib in

EXERCISE 1 6

Th e lock -smith s came and repaired b oth the lock s of the door

of my house . The wash erwoman has b rought th e c lothes, b ut

where are th e c ollars and the sock s ? Give me two piastres for

the fisherm en wh o are waiting at 2 the door . The emperors of

Europe are very powerful . The tailors have sent thewaistcoats

they are very gG ood . Th e generals ai e old b ut strong Th e

c hildren are very timid . Give them an orange ; they are also

ve1 y g luttonous. The sun is hot ; put on your hat and sit under

the trees. The cam el-drivers were lying asleep on th e g round ,

b ut the slave dealers awok e th em and they all 3 went on . The.

Bey’

s stab les are very dirty.

THE BROKEN PLURAL

§ 83 . Brok en plurals are c onstruc ted in various way s. The

following is a list of the forms wh ich they assum e,tog e ther with

the princ ipal singular form s from which they are severa lly derived .

l . P lur . form ,b irak

,from singulars of the form s b arka

,

b irk,b irk a ,

b irik, b irik a , b urk ; e.g .

gazma p air of shoes

k h émn. ( f‘

or k hayma) tent

and the two foreign wordstanda

warsha.

d ib li

qili t4

llnu bnon/ Il l :

1 Fo r ishtiri liim .

3 kulluhum a fter the ve rb .

4. C ol lec tive noun .

THE BROKEN PLURAL

hila (for h iyla) wile

story

gidid old small coin

shull 1 horse-cloth

2. Burak,from sing . forms b arka

,b at ik ,

b urka ;

b alta

tak hta 1

lamda

harb a

bola1(for awda) uwad

gidid (gadid ) gudad

hufra hole hu farb ulgha (also b algha) kind of shoe b ulagh

door-hand le uk ar

p icture suwar

battalion urat

b fiza (for b uwz a ) beer-Shep b uwaz

3 . Burk or (rarely) b irk , from sing . forms b arakabarik

,b arika

,ab rak

,

2and ( in one case) ib rik ; e.g .

stic k

cloak

femalesimp le

old , clums y

simpleton

mat

dumb

squintingcrooked

red

1 Turk ish .

2 Expressing colours and b odily infirmities .

3 Also ‘ib t and‘ub ata .

A few of theseword s have also the plur . form b urkfin ,h irkfin

‘u5y

‘ib y ;n ity ;

ghushm

qudm‘uht

3

husr ;khurs

h il l (for huwl)‘fig (for

‘uwg )

humr

sumr

b id (for b uyd )sfid ( for suwd )‘imy

4

72 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

4 . Buruk ,from sing . form s b arik

,b aruk

,b irak ,

b irika ,burka ;

tariq road turuq ;rasfil messenger, apostle rusul ;

k itab boo/c kutub 1

m idina city mudun ;2

b urda (b urda) a kind of coat b ur ud (b um d)5. Birék , b urak ,

from sing . forms b ark, b arka, b arak ,

b atik ,

barik (and its diminutive , b uraiyik ) , b arrik ,b irk

,b irk a

,b irik

,

3

b urk ; e.g . :

b aghl

marra

farkha.b alad

walad

waraq

gamal

garya (for gariya)

da‘if

ghawittawil

qasir (and the more

usual form

qusaiyar)5

qadim

gam il

ghani (for ghan ly)shaqi (for shag ly)tari‘aiyil

1 The perfec t plur. k itfib fit is more commonly used b y the

less educated . The doub le plur . k utub -fit will also b e heard .

2 A rare form . M idan and ( less c ommonly ) midfi‘ in are

those in use .

3 A weak ened form of b arik ,th e i oc c urring mostly b etween

weak c onsonants .

Ulfid,1’

lrfiq are o ften used b y the educated , as also aulfid ,

Q usaiyar has also the perfec t plur . qusaiyur in .

mountain

camel

negress, slave-

girl

merchant

weak

deeptall

small, short

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74 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

9 . Burrak,from sing . form b arik e.g .

qasir minor quesar

10 . Burrak (and b irrak ), from sing . form b arik ; e.g .

tagir merchant tuggar

hagib Chamberlain,usher huggab

rak ib p assenger rukk ab

h aris guardian hurrassh ah id witness shuh had

z ab it ofi cer z ub b at

kafir infid el k utfar

b ass (for b asis) p ilgrim b iggfig (hussag )

judge, ruler hukkam

c lever , cunning shutter 1

1 1 . Burak a'

,

2 from sing . form s b arak,b arik b arik a

,b firik

,

b irik ;3e.g .

juggler

1 2. Barik and (weak ened form ) b irik ,from sing . forms

b ark,b irk

,b irfik (b urak ) ; e .g .

‘ab d slave

m i‘z goats

li imfir (or humar ) d onkey

1 These words were all originally present partic iples. Shatirhas sometim es the perfect plur . shatrin .

2 Representing b oth b uraka and b urak a of th e c lassical . The

a is sounded som ewhat long in a few c ases .

3 Weak ened form of b arik .

4 This form is only used as a sub sta ntive .

Or hiwa , qmla (pronounc e h iwfih , quda‘

ih ) . S o sa‘i messenger,

su‘a or su

‘fih .

THE BROKEN PLURAL

13 . I b ruk (ab ruk ) , from sing . forms b ark,b irak ; e.g.

farkh sheet of paper ifrukh

daqn beard idqun

raff shelf irfuf

nafs soul. infus

dal‘ rib idlu ‘

sahn d ish ishun

dira‘ arm idru ‘

14 . Ib rak and (stronger and less c ommon ly u sed form ) ab rak ,

from sing . forms b ark,b arak

,b ar-1k

,b irk

, b urk ; e.g.

ganb side ing ab

dal‘

rib idlfi‘

‘amm p aterna l unc le i‘mam

goz (for gawz ) pair, husband igwaz

k om (for kawm ) ikwam

dér (for dayr ) idyar

she‘ (for shay ’

) ashya’

(forashyfi

‘

)1

qafas iqfas

k h al (for k hawal) ik hwal

b ab (for b awab ) ihwahnab (for nayab ) inyab

2

sah ib ash ab ,ishfih ;

ignas

i‘b ab

igdfid

idnan

ib zaz 3

isnan 3

igyal

atyanauqat 4ib y arizyar

5

id lfiw

1 But common ly pronoun ced ashya . The m ixed plural ashyfitis in mo re general use .

Pronoun ced also nivab (see3 Or b iz fiz ,

sinan .

4 As ma vefutfish wala waqt il auqat, he will never lea ve itfora moment.

5 Or z iyfir .

cage

materna l uncle

door

canine tooth

owner, friend

kind

brea st-pocket

grandfather

wine- rut

b reast

teeth

centuryland

,soi l

time

well

water-jarb ucket

76 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

REMARK .

— Alf thousand mak es alaf (as in literary Arab ic ) oralaf raiy (or ra

‘

y) op inion ara = ar’aof th e c lassical ) ism name

asma ( class ic .

I 5 . l b rik a 2 and (rarely) ab rika,from sing . form s b arak

,

b arik,b irak

,b urak

,b ir ik ; e.g . :

mouth ihnika ;c loset ik nifa

gir ab scab bard igriha

h igab amulet ihgib a

h iram woollen c loak,b lanket ib rima

b iram earthen saucepan ib rima

lisan tongue ilsina

z irar ( itself plur . b uttons iz rira ;z irr)

b usat ib sita

husan ihsina

ghurab ighr ib a

righif irgh ifa

sib il is b ila

REMARK .— Tab ib physic ian mak es atib b a (for a tb ib a) .

1 6 . Ab rika and ib rik a,from sing . form s b arak

,b arik

dawa (for dawa’

) med icine

ghani ( for ghaniy) rich

shaqi rebelliou s,villa in

1 Or siyfid , g it-an .

2 Inc lud ing ib rika of the c la ssical. Many words of th is formare pronounc ed b lrika (see

3 The qat‘a c han g ing to4 These

,in c lassical Ara b ic . b elo ng to the prec eding form .

They are not m uch used b y the lowe r c la sses .

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78 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

h osh enc losure for cattle h ish anh 6d tank

,basin h idan

kom heap k im an

ghet (for ghayt) field ghitan ;

taqa wind ow tiqan

gada‘

youth ,finefellow gid‘an

ghalaq p annier ghulqan‘arab Arab

,Bedouin ‘

urb anb ab (for b awab ) d oor b ib ankhalaqa old garment k hulqan ;

ghaz al gazelle ghuz lan

ghata cover , lid ghutyan‘aris bridegroom

‘irsan‘arish pole of carriage

‘irsh anqadib rod qudban

shagi‘ brave shug

‘ansab i lad , app rentice suhyan ;rahib monk ruhb anh ét (for h a

’ it) wall h itank fi‘

elbow ki‘ankuz mug k iz an

ghfil ogre ghilanshuga b rave shug

‘an

ghurfi b crow gh irban

a‘ma b lind ‘imyan

REMARK a .— The form ab rak is pec uliar to a few ad jec tives

denoting c olours and personal defects, which have the duplicateform b urk or ( in the case of a‘ma) b irk .

-REMARK b .— The word niswan is used a s the plural of mara

woman.

20 Barak a ,from sing . form s b ark a (in c lud ing b ar ika) , b ai ik ,

b arkan , b irka , b irk an , b ii ik a ,b a1 kani, b u1 k ani ; e .g . :

halwa sweet/neat halawa

c aoya (sawiya) angle chapel z awaya ;yatini yatama

h ib la p regnant liabala‘ iryfm naked

‘araya ; 1

tikiya Moslem M onastery tak aya ;ghalban wretche d ghalab anasrfini Christian

(Nazarene)wu stani central was-ate

1 The perfec t plur.

‘iryfin in is muc h more common .

THE BROKEN PLURAL 79

2 1 . Buruka , from sing . form b arrik ; e.g .

qususa.

22 . Baraki '

(for b arak iy) , from sing . form s b ark ,b arka

b ark iya , b arak k iya , b irk a , b irk i, b irk iya , b irk aya , b urk i ;

e.g .

da ‘wa

léla (for layla)qahwa

comp laint

quarter (of a tou m)umbrella , shutter

fountain

ancient temp le

stream

k idneynose-baganchor

wild

kubfi 1

REMARK - 4311 13 maize, b altu overcoat, and b intu (or b inti)nap oleon, have plu1 als of this form ,

nam ely, da1 a“ifields of maizeb alati, b anati.

23 . Buraka . Sing . form s,b ark

, barak ; e.g .

1 Turk ish .

3 Du‘af is more comm on

aradiahfil i

sakawi

da ‘aW i

layali

qahaWd

Shakawi

hawarishamasi

fasaqi

ma‘adi

harab imagfiri

kalawimak h alimarasib arari waste

lan ds

sayasi

batatihadadimak hab ib ar-agh ik arasik abari

80 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

24 . Birfika , b uruka , from sing . forms b ark,b arak

,b irk ; e.g.

haqf ninnynat

‘uncouth

sab ‘ lion

dab ‘ hyena

saqf ceilingnaqz leafl ess b ranchb an k bank , bench

dakar male

nim r tiger

b uqfifa

nutfi ’a

sub fi‘a

duhu‘asuqfifa

nuqfiza

b infika

duk fira

numfira

REMARK .— Nouns which mak e b urfik a generally admit also

the form b uruk .

25. Birraka, from sing . form b arik ; e.g .

ragil man riggala

26 . Bawarik ,

1 from sing . form s b arak,b arik , barfik , barfik a ,

barrfik a,b irak e.g .

m a‘adtarikh‘amfid

saturb asfir

gamusta ’ustahfina

haddfita.

hag z fira

diwan

27 . Bayarik ,from sing . form b arrak ; e.g .

sarrfif m oney-changer sayarif

28. Lakhab it, from sing . form s lak h b at,lak hb ata , lakhhati,

lakh b it, lak h b ita , likhb it, lik hb ita, luk h b it, lukh b ut e.g .

mab rad fi lemagma

‘"Sxenzb ly

mafrash tab le- cloth

rafraf sp lash board (of ca r

b arb ak b cu lvert

mabarid

mag ami‘

mafa i-ishraffu'

tf

b arab ikh

1 Usually pronounc ed b awarik h , with a very slight acc ent on

th e second a ( see 13 )2 Sfimflla rivet sometim es mak es samfiwil (for sawfimil ) .

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82 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

30 . Lak hab ta ( lak hab ita) , from sing . form s lak hb at, lak hhati,lakhb at, lak hh ati, lak hb it , lak h b iti, lak hb fiti, lakh b utan ,

lakh ab fit,

likhb fit,luk hb utawi ; e.g

sharkas Circassians

samk ari tinker

b erb eri,b arb ari nativefoj Berber

gab b ar tyrant

masrawi Egyp tian

turk awi Turk

h indawi I nd ian

talmiz scholar

maiyidi (or m éyidi) an ancient small

coin mayayda

dakruri native of Dakrur dak arna ;targuman interpreter taragma

fara‘fin Pharaoh , tyrant fara‘na ;

dik tor doctor dakatra

dungulawi native of Dongola danagla

REMAR K .—Fayfimi native of the Fayoum (fayayma) may b e

inc luded in this list.

The quinquiliteral kustiban thimble mak es k asatb in ;2ardab b

a d ry measure, aradib b and aradih .

84. The following nouns, in addition to those already notic ed

(as ak hk h , ukh t , dura) , form th eir plurals quite irregularly

shekh old man,sheikh mash a’ ikh

(mashayik h )rus 3

eyam ,iyam ,

iyam , yam ,

yam

ru‘ah

m i‘fih

m iyfih

K hél horses, niswan (or n isa ) women ,H i speop le are represented

i n th e S ingular b y lm sa‘

in,mara

,and insfin respec tively .

But g enerally tu lfnniz .

But more usua lly k ustib ainfi t.

Nahwy rat‘s,rn

‘

l‘

ls.

S e c b e low und er lmrzikn .

The d im inutive mo iy a is the only sing . in use .

O'

J-

w

w

bd

THE BROKEN PLURAL 83

Th e plural of dira ‘ ar m is usually idru ‘

,b ut in construc

tion it tak es the form diri‘t as dir i‘ti litnén my two

arms.

g85. A few plurals, as fulfis money, manak h ir nose ( literallynostrils) , usul p rincip le, are used as singulars, the forms fromwhic h they are derived not b eing in use or b earing a differentm eaning ; b ut som e of th em are regarded as plurals for the

purposes of concord . Sutuh roof and its singular sath are b oth

in use,b ut the former is the more common .

86 . Comparatives and superlatives have no plural form ,with

the exception of ak b ar greatest ( in th e expression ak ab ir in nas

I]? andees) . Many c ollective nouns also,and in particular those

denoting small animals,have no plural , as dud worms , nam l ants .

Lastly, the adjectives enum erated in 62 as having no separate

fo1m for the feminine remain unchanged 1 11 the plural .

g87. id hand , rigl foot, and‘en eye use the dual form for the

plural , as arb ah t iden four hands,riglcn il husan the horse

’

s

feet.1

88. I t will b e ob served that foreign words, though generallymak ing their plural in

-at,are also susceptib le of b rok en form s.

On the whole,there is a tendency to prefer th e b rok en plur al

when th e foreign word lends itself to such a formation .

3‘

89 . As is shown b y th e ab ove lists,many words have more

than one form for the plural thus dal‘ rib mak es idla‘

,idlu ‘

,or

dalu ‘a . Experience alone wil l prove wh ich of these is in common

use,or whether

,as is the case with some of them

,one form is

heard as often as another.

90 . U lflf, plur . of alf thousand , and its doub le plu1 : ulfifat ,are expressive of an indefinite numb er. Thus we say talatt alafthree thous and ,

b ut ulfif (or u mm) thousand s ! or (adverb ially ) bythousands .

9 1 . The learner must not b e d isc ouraged b y the long list of

b rok en plurals. A careful study of the singular forms fromwhich th ey may in each case b e derived , and a comparison of

the different plurals wh ich may b e constru c ted from the sanu

singular form ,will c onvinc e him that the system is not without

order. The following plural form s2are those wh ic h are m o s t

c ommonly heard

1 ‘iyfln eyes is , however , som etim es h eard , as in A llah yilnnikmin ‘iyfin in nas God protect you from the eyes of men ( i.v. fromthe evil eye) .

2 As to the singulars , those that are rare are ind icated b v the

small numb er of examples ac companying them .

84 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

( 1 ) b irak , (2) b urak , (3 ) b urk , (4) b uruk , (5) b irak , ( 7) b irfik ,

b uruk , ( 10 ) b urrak , ( 1 1 ) b uraka , ( 14) ib rak , ( 15) ib rik a, ( 17)b awarik

, ( 18) b arayik , ( 19) b irk an , b urk an , (26 ) b awarik , (28)lak hab it, (29) lak hab it, (30 ) lakhab ta. Of these

and ( 30 ) oc cur more frequently than the others.

VOCABULARY

ball matni

game

notab le, head

man

cat

street

pyramids

pipe

Upp er Egypt

bufalo—droverastreet inCairo

tourist

mosque

hotel

bag , portman

teau

window-b lind

back

cob bler

thick

asking naz z il

p laced

ridingwearingeaten

cheap

freshcold (of per

sons)mak sur broken

Note — The num b ers refer to the plural forms . The adjectives to which no num b er is attached form their plura l in in

(exc ept , of course , those wh ic h have b een m entioned as havinga diffe rent formation) . Where a partic iple admits of b oth a

doub led ,warped

they work

they come

they sell

they walk

theyp ick upthey fearthey rode

they bought

I sp ent

they see

they sat

they sit

he brought, led

they threw

they b rought

they mend , re

pair

b ring down ,

draw down

they heard

they dran k

put

the/fudge, givedecisions

firesome of themor

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THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

EXERCISE 1 8

The mounds of Cairo are very ancient . The children are

very hungry ; th eir mouth s are always open . The carpets are

moth—eaten .

1 The sisters took 2 th e b lind (men) b y3 their hands

and led them to th eir houses. The Bedouins threw th eir lances

at 4 th e young m en . Th ere are cam els,b ulls

,b uffaloes, and

goats in the enc losures. The Beys b ought (some) ready-made

trousers from th e tailors in the M ousk i. The cob b lers m end old

pairs of shoes . The m erchants b ought (som e) cheap, dirty old

carpets, repaired them ,and sold th em dear to the tourists. The

m inarets of the m osque are new . Th e jugglers sit on th e

b alconies of the hotels. Put th e b ook s and papers on the shelves.

The ponds are very deep. The carpenters have b rought their

hammers,th eir files

,and their planes . The sh eikh s

’

b eards are

very long . The offic ers’

portmanteaux are in th e train . The

air is fresh, b ut the sun is hot ; draw down the b linds and

open th e windows. Bring three handfuls of c lover for th e

horses. Put the lids on the jars. The walls of my b roth er’

s

house are old b ut strong . The judges heard th e women’

s com

plaints. The orphans are m inors. Women are weak er than

men . Th ere are emperors and k ings in Europe . Th e horses are

cold ; put th e cloth s on th em .

5 H is nails are always long and

dirty. The handles of th e doors are b rok en . The porters are

c lumsy ignorant people. Th e peasants work in the fields. W e

saw th e pretty tails of the peacock s in th e gardens. The cattle

drank water from the tank s. The donk ey’

s ears are very long ,much longer than those of the horse. The messengers haveb rough t the invoic es. H is paternal and maternal unc les are

part ners. There are fountains in the streets. I saw (some) b eautiful women in the villages. The ladies

’

veils were thick .

VOCABULARY

Darwish (29) dervish kammfisha p air of tongs ,fanfis 26 ) lantern pincers

sarg , serg ( 7) sadd le nail

sigara ( 18) cigar , c igarette basket, hamper

tarb ush (29 ) fez ladder

ma‘laqa (28) spoon trap

shoka (2) fork consul

Trans. eaten by (m in ) the moths.

2 misik .

3 m in .

4 ‘ala .

5 Trans. put on them (hutti lhum ) the c loths .

THE BROKEN PLURAL

‘asfur ( 29) small b ird ,

scratch

sp irit, devil

mattress

net

11ole

fissare, crevice

jug , jartea-

pot

shopbedstead

carpet

c lerk

ledger , writingbook

canal

bucket

snake

cockroaches

engineer

workman

hook

jac ketEurop ean

soldier

ill ussulman

full, load edinhab ited ,

haunted

hanging , hung“P

broad m in gher

EXERC ISE 19

II b araln a harab fi m in id darawish . I l hanatir b etfi ‘ il b fisha

wat k hab atu f dakak ir 1 z z ub b at we kasaru rafar1fhum we faw -1

nis hum . Gum nas ulfl fat we sim ‘11 l ma zaz ik fi 1 ganayin . Fih

1 Turk ish .

shutting , shut

theyfl edthey knocked

against

they fellthey were

drownedthey stole

praysit

,be seated

take

they went upthey travelled

they entangle

look out / be

ware ofnesting

forged

I b rought

theyfillthey sold

they foundhang upthey built

open

they go upshut

they came

d id you put ?

abroad

this morningmuch

,toomuch

one thing , an

other thingwithout

88 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

tramwayat fi sh ari‘ id dawawin we fi k ull is shawari il kub ar b etfi‘

Masr. I s surug b etfi‘ il k h él b ashqa wi l b aradi

‘ b etfi‘ il b imir

b ashqa. I s sufragiya illi yishtaghalu fi b yut ir rub b awiyin minhumb arab ra u m inhum danagla , u minhum shuttar u minhum tanab la.

11 merak b iya wiq‘um m in il marak ib we gh irqum fi 1 b ahr I l

haramiya saraqfi b urad W i b rimawe galalib m in dawalib giranhum .

I shtirinna talat sanadiq sagayir min‘and id dak hak hniya. L e

fendiyat il muslim in yilb isu tarab ish , wi n nasara minhum yilb isfitarab ish , we minhum yilb isu b aranit. Shufte nas masarwa fi

b lad b arra lab sin harault sud tuwal. I sh shuwak wi l ma‘aliq

wi s sakak in mahtfitin‘as sufra ; itfaddal uq‘ud . F611 11 mafatih

b etu ‘ ihwah il b alakenat ? Khud k ammashat we qawadim we

talla‘ il masamir min iz zanab il. I t taragma b etfi‘ il luk andat wi

l k hamamir ya‘rafu ‘

arab iwi ngliz iwi fran sawiwe laghwat tanyin

kam an . I s salalim b etfi.‘ b itna ‘alyin . Shuftewilad ‘

urgemasak inmashyin b i l

‘akakiz . Misikna fran (firan ) fi 1masayid. I t talam za

mab sfitin m in il madaris wi 1 m e‘allimin . Q anasil Fransa wi l

m iskof safrfi fi b ab fir wah id . I l ‘asafir m e

‘ashsh ishin fi sh shamasi

b etfi‘shab ab ikna . Fih galagil m e

‘allaqin m in raqab iyit quttitna.

I s sifariya k an it 1 akwas m in gher il gamarik .

EXERCISE 20

Beware of the guns ! Th ey (are) loaded . Th e letters came

b y th e French b oat and th e newspapers b y the Italian. I saw

(some) scratches on2your fingers. Yes

,they (are) from the

nails in 3 the lids of th e b oxes wh ich came th is morning . The

frames of your pictures are very pretty, b ut too large. The

house is haunted b y spirits.

4 Put th e mattresses ou 5 the b ed

steads. The carpets in3 the upstairs room s are longer and wider

than th e mats in 3 the dining-room . The c ockroaches come out

of holes and crack s. I b rought the cups from England , b utb ought th e teapot and the trays in the shops in the 6 b azaars.

Th e women fill the jars from the canals and carry them ou 7

their heads to the villages. The young men raise the water

from the wells in b uck ets. Th e donk ey-b oys sold some scarab s

to the tourists in Upper Egypt, b ut they were all 8 forged . The

custom s-offi cers seized the b oxes, opened th em , (and) found themfull (of) snak es. The pub lic offices are c losed to-day. They

1 Would be.

2 fi .3 Trans. which (are) in.

4 Trans. by (m in) the spirits. 5 ‘ala.

6 b etu‘. 7 foq .3 kulluhum.

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90 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT.

W i itten than the spok en language, as talata kutub and

even talata ihsina three horses ( in spite of the vowel) 1

7. When the num eral is emphatic ,thus we m ight say

hat li talat k arasi, and,on repeating th e order

,talata

karasi.

(b ) Talat (and talatt) ,1 &c . ,

are used in all oth er cases in

preference to talata , &c . ,and in particular with plurals in wit, as

talat harimat , taman k itab at , talat sub un .

94 . W h en followed b y a noun b eginning with a vowel, the

second form , talat, &c ., appears as follows

3 . talatt 7 . sab a‘t (or sab ah t)

4 . arb a ‘t (or arhant) 8. tament

5 . k hamast 9 . tisa‘t (or tisah t)

6 . sitt 10 .

‘ashart

Example

talatt ishun three dishes eight persons

REMARK a .— Talat

,&c . ,

are oc casional ly, when the finalsyllab le of the noun is ac cented , heard b efore a vowel

, as talat

Ingliz , k hamas aradib b fi ve ardeb bs, as also (though still more

rarely) th e uncontrac ted forms talatit , khamsit, tamanyit (for

talatt, khamast,tamant) .

REMARK b .— Wah id

,wh en used as a numeral

,follows its noun ,

wh ile it precedes it when playing the part of an indefin iteartic le.

§ 95. The cardinal numb ers from 1 1 to 19,whatever their

position ,are as follows

1 1 . h idashar ( or ihdashar)2 1 6 . sittfishar

1 2 . itnashar 1 7. sab a ‘tfishar ( sab ahtfis

1 3 . talattashar b ar)14 . arb a ‘

tashar ( or arb ah 18. tamantashartfishar) 1 9. tisa ‘tashar (tisah tfishar )

1 5 . k hamastfi shar

Rename— I t will b e ob served that the ab ove are compo sed

of ‘ashar ten and the un its , b ut the former has dropped its and

lengthened the a of the first syllab le b y way of c ompe nsation .

The units of hidashar and itnashar appear a lso in a trun c ated

form . Note that the d of wah id b ec omes ( ac c ord ing at leas t to

the usual pro nunc iation ) c! in h id iis har

1 See b elow. Or h idfis har, ihd il shar ( see

THE NUMERALS

96 . Th e cardinals from 20 to 99 are

20 .

‘ishrin 40 . arb é ‘ln 1

21 . wahid u (orwe W i)‘ishr in 50 . khamsin‘ishrin 60 . sittin‘ish rin 70 . sab ‘in ( sab

‘én) 1

‘ishrin 80 . tamanin

90 . tis ‘

in ( tis‘én)

1

REMARK — The unit invariab ly precedes the ten thus we saykhamsa u talfitin five and th irty, not talatin u khamsa .

97. The remaining are as follows

100 . m iya ( in construction 2000 . alfenmit ) 3000 . talatt alaf

10 1 . miya u wahid 4000 . arb aht alaf (arb a‘t

1 02. m iya wi tnén aléf)miya wz

’

ih id u‘ishrin 5000 . k hamast alfif

1 99. miy a tis‘a u tis ‘in 6000 . sitt alaf

200 . mit n (m itén ) 7000 . sab ah t filaf ( sab a‘t

300 . tnltemiya emf)400 . rub

‘

emiya 8000 . tamant alafk hum semiya 9000 . tisaht alaf ( tise

‘t

600 . suttem iya emf)70 0 . sub ‘

em iya‘ashart alalf

tumnemiya h idé shar alf

900 . tus‘emiy a m it alf

1 000 . alf melyfin

a lf u wfihid malyflnén (or itmen1021 . alf

,wal

‘

iid u‘ishrin malyfln )

1 199. e lf,u miya,

tis‘a u tis ‘in talat malayin

13 1 4 . alf, tu ltem iya w arb ah

5 ,24G,8 17 khamas malayin ,miytén sitta w arb é ‘in alf

,tum

nemiya u sab ahta’

ishar.

REMARK a .— \Vh en used with the tens

,with“ do es no t t ak e

the feminine form , as wfihid u‘ishrin mara . W

'

ith the hundred s

it may, b ut sometimes remains unchanged .

im am: b .— The conjunction we , a , is always employe d to

Cuntwc t the units and the tens, and generally the thousands

and hundreds, b ut otherwise is heard only b efore t he last

nume ral .

For the pronunc iation of these word s, see g 39 b and 5 .

92 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

REMARK c .— The cardinals from 3 to 10 inclusive must (with

a few exceptions) b e followed b y a noun in th e plural , the re

mainder b y a singular .

REMARK d .— \V ah id (with feminine wahde ) is often used with

the numerals ab ove 10 , and oc casionally with the units, to em

phasiz e th e numb er, as kan fih k am ragil ? alf wahid how many

men were there ? a, thousand ! With numb ers under 1 1,the fem .

plur . wahdat must b e used,whatever th e gender of the noun

understood , there b eing no oth e1 plui al form of the unit . fl'

ah

d item or itnen wahdat cann ot b e said .

REMARK e.— Th e num erals from 200 to 900 (with the exc ep

tion of 600 ) are form ed b y the union of th e frac tional numb ers

with miya , wh en standing alone,and with its construct form mit

when followed b y a noun ,wheth er b eginning with a vowel or

a c onsonant .

REMARK f.-VVh en a unit forms part of a numb er ab ove 99

,

the noun ,if expressed , is generally plac ed b etween the larger

numb er and th e un it ; or when the unit is two the dual of th e

noun may b e sub stituted for it , as m it k itab u wah id 1 0 1 boo/rs ,

mit kitab wi tnén (or m it k itab we k itab én) books . I f th ewhole num b er prec edes, th e noun is usually in the plural , b einginfluenc ed b y the unit imm ediately b efore it , as miya u k hamsa

k itab at . Miya u k hamsa k itab is admissib le , b ut slovenly.

M iy a u wahid k itabat is oc casionally heard for m iya u wzih id

k itab .

REMARK g .— The following expressions should b e note d

itnén talata two or three kitab én talata two or three boo/cs ‘ashar

itnashar k itab ihna litnen both of us humma t talata al l three ofthem.

98. The ordinal numb ers from first to tenth are

l st . auwil,

auwilé ni ( f . 6 th . satit ( f . mi tts )?

fila,

1auwilfiniya) 7th . sab i‘ ( f . sab

‘a)

2md . tani ( f . tanya) 8th . tamin ( f . tamna)3 rd . tfil it ( f . talta) 9th . tfxsi‘ ( f . tas

‘a )

4th . rab i‘ ( f . rab‘a ) l 0th .

‘ashir ( f .‘ushm )

5th . kham is ( f . k hamsa )99 . The remaining ordinals are identical with the cardina ls

,

as ir ragil is sittashar the 18mman.

il la savours of nahwy, and , as an ad jec tive ,is rarely heard .

I t is used , as is also the regular fem . auwila , of the first prayer at

noon on Friday.

2 Nahwy sfulis, sad ism.

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94 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

1 05 . The following multiplicative ad j ec tives are in use

mufrid single, Simp le seven-foldmigwiz , two fold ,metanni double eight-fold

metallit three-fold , cubeinerab b a‘ four-fold , nine fold

square

in ekhammis five-fold tell-foldmesattit sixfold

(mesaddis)

106 . Distrib utive adjectives are expressed b y th e cardinal

numerals,as follows

wahid wahid one by one sitta sitta by sixes

wah id b a‘de one after theW all id other

or we may repeat the noun,as :

step by step regil ragil , one man , book ,at a time

kitab

or th e notion is gath ered without any repetition, as nizil is

salalim sillit n he came downstairs two steps at a time .

REMARK .— W ahda wahda is used adverb ially in the sense of

slowly, cautiously, wahda k ede u wahda k ede = half and ha lf.

Tin-a is used of th ings that are sold in forms

, as‘ishr in turit

lamun ; dasta of a pac /wt of a dozen or thereabout ‘ishr iniya of a

score of piastres riyfl l) .1 07 . Numeral ad j ec tives of the form b urak i 3 express the

num b er of parts of wh ic h the sub stantive with wh ic h they ag ree

is c omposed ,as nmglis sulasi, k hun iasi an assemb ly composed of

three, jive, persons .

1 The fo rms m esb b a ‘

,&c . ,

are used mostly in the sense of

possessa l of s ocen,151 2 , as d ik ine

‘oshar a cock with ten c laws . I n

o th er c ases ab u,unnn , &c . , are used with the card ina l

,as umm

a rba ‘a w arb e‘in mo th er of ( feet) , i.e . the centiIn

’de. ( S ee 20 1 )For g b z a pair , see 3 1 3 .

3 These words b e long to the C hanc ery languag e , and perhapssulasi is the o n ly mm in general use .

mesab b a‘

(mesob a‘

)metamm in

(metom in)metassa ‘

(metosa‘

)me

‘ashshar

(me‘oshar)

1

THE NUMERALS

108. The fractions are as follows

5 nuss1 k hum s 1

15 tumn

t tilt 3, ents 1 tus‘

rub ‘ 1sub ‘

11

6‘ushr

109 . Those less than are expressed b y periphrases, as

il guz‘ i] ‘ishr in minnu the 20th p art of it, suts il

‘ushr (or

‘ushr

sats) 31

0h itta m in talatin

31

3 , guz’én min ihdashar

tamantashar min sab ‘a u sab ‘én 1 8 parts out of 77 About

20 or 520 odd is expressed b y‘ishr in W i ksur (wi kusfir) .

REMARK a .— The plural of the frac tions from a]; to {U is

formed after model

REMARK — Th e noun in Arab ic c omes mostly b etween the

whole numb er and the frac tion ,as k hamast irgh ifa u nuss (rarely

k hamast u nuss irghifa) three loaves am] a half.

1 10 . The following examples, with those given in the

exerc ises, wil l ill ustrate the various ways of expressing the time

of day, the year , th e days of the month and week ,and the age

of a person

id dah r the present

qab l , ba‘d , A .H .

,P .M . year, Arab ic

id duhr

mi ss il lél midnight

kam is sii‘a ? what time is it ?

( or is ss‘a

is sa‘a it is one, two ,o’clock

ta‘a‘

ila fi 8 come at eight

sz‘

i‘a tamanya o’

c lock A .O .

a quarter past

fourtalata u tilt

half-pastfive in the year

sab ‘a u five minutes 1 000

past, to, seven it is the 2 5 th

of the monthtwenty minutes to-d ayto ten

illa , u , talata

it struck nine

1 The litesury suds

is sana di alfu tul temiya

u khamas

tashar‘

arab i, or is

sana di‘arab i (or‘arab iya) alfu tultemiya.

u khamas

ih nahar (la

k hamsa we‘ishrin fi

sh shahr , or

ish shahr

k hamsa we‘ishrin in

nahar (la

18 Some times lieurt l .

96 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

auwil,

the 1 st, the 5th lélt il k hamis Wednesdaykhamsa of Januaryyanfiyir

‘umrak kam (or how old are

kam fi sh shahr what’

s the day k am sana) ? you t

in nahar da of the month‘umri ‘ishrin I am twenty

to—day ? ib ne k hamsa , a boy offive, anahar (or yem ) Mond ay talatin man oflitnen ,

or thirtysimply litnen

REMARK .~— The Mohammedan lunar months have b een super

seded b y the Latin in Governm ent offi ces, though the latter are

onl y famil iar to those who are in contact with Europeans. The

Coptic are universally known , b ut they are agricul tural month s,and not in general use .

VOCABULARY

nah ar ilkhamis

nahar iggum

‘a

nahar is sab tfire yanfiyir

month fib rayir

age

cheque

silver

minute

d rawing-roo m

rou’

,line

, rile

Sun day

Tuesday M ember

ll'

ed nesday

The Arab s c onsider that the night belongs to the following

5 S eo § 19 .

3 Nuhfir and yom may b e omitted in eac h m e.

15611) is

more generally used b y those who wish to Speak correct ly.

”

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98 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

il lel. Pi an l sa‘a yeqfim il b ab fir ? Ghalib an yeqfnn is sa‘a

h idashar illa k ham sa b a ‘d id duhr ; taiyib ,had ( la1 il ‘

afsh ; fenish shanta t talta . Enta kunte fen ? aria 1 uh te b é tak k hamas

marrat . Khamsa fi sab ‘a tib qa k ham sa u talatin .

‘Ishrin m intamanin tib qa sitt1n . Fi arb o‘in 1 k am ‘

asha1 a u k am tamanya ?

Huwa b ne wahid w arb e‘in sana . Ab uya rag il k ib ir qawi fi 5

sinn ;‘umru z iyada

‘an m it sana .

‘Andak k am ? Fi éh ? is sa‘a ?

La’

,fi sinmak . Mehammad ak b ar min Hasan b i santen . Khud

ish shakk we hat li sab ‘a we ‘ishr‘in g

-inéh min 1] b ank,itnén

fadda W arb a‘a nsfis 9 wi l b aqyin suhah . Tilten u k hamast insas

tib qa talata u suts. Bukra nahar il hadd we h ilwa ak hir yoniish shahr. Enta sfifirt f auwil aghustus walla fi akhir yulya ?Qasam ‘

ashara ‘ala k hamsa . Qata‘ tamantashar m in sitta u

sittin ? Lamma safirt ana kan k ham sa fi sh shahr . I s sa‘a kam‘andak ? S a ‘tak kam ? Daqqit kam ? Barahit tamanya u nuss .

M istaqrab a li tnashar. W afit h idashar . Tamm it itnashar 11

rub ‘. Naqsa diqiqtén li larb a‘a .

‘um rak kam sana ? ‘

andi

talatin fatum . H iya thassal itnashar. Yitla ‘ fi 8 sinn z éye

k hamsin sana .

‘umri yitla

‘ ‘ishrin tam am . Huwa m istaqrab

li t tamanin . Yigi arb a‘a u nuss.

3

EXERCISE 22

There are 320 b ook s on the shelves in the dra wing-room .

241 7 m en were k illed 4 in the b attle . The wine-merc hants 5

sold b ottles in five months. The tourists b ought more

than 8000 c arpets in the b azaars. There are 640 sheep, 93

b uffaloes, 5 c ows,and 3 goats in the enc losures. There are 29

days in Feb ruary th is year. There are 1 2 months, 52 we ek s .

and 365} days in the year. Eig ht tim es th irty are 240 . Icam e to B u

ypt in ( the) b eg inn ing“of ( the) you 1887 . 11e left

in the sec ond week of January and retm ned at ‘ the end 3 of the

m onth . My fa ther is o lder than m y mother ; he is fifty-six .

“

The b ook s are the sixth and seventh on the fourth shelf . H e

was the twenty-first man in the file . Dec emb er is the last

month of the year . I have b een ten times in Paris and fifteen 1°

in London . W'

e retur ned 1 1 to Egypt on the 28th of Novemb er.

1 Or ii 12 £ 4 in ha lf sovere igns ; four half sovereig ns would b e

strhaht 111511 15. 8 Understa nd fi 8 Siva .

4 Trans . d ied .5 'I‘rans . merchants (J the wine.

0auwil . fi .

8 fik llir.

0 Trans . his age is ji/tyssix .1° Repea t times .

1 1 ‘ala .

Twelve from twenty-six leaves fourteeiL There are more than

four and a half m illion people in Londom 1 9 is the quar ter of

76 . Half of two and a half is one and a quarter. I t 1 ( is) thro

’

c loc k . H e will c ome at 2 5 3 0 . I t wants three m inutes to

six . P .M . The b oy was b orn twenty m inutes after midnight . H e went to b ed at 2 a quarter to ten

,and got up at

twenty minutes to n ine.

THE PRONOUN

THE PERSONAL PRONOUNS

§ 1 1 1 . These are

S meum n

l st pers. ana

2nd pers. inta, enta

3rd pers. huwa,‘

hua,hfiwa ’ (huwwa)

PLURAL FOR BOTH GENDERS

l st pers . ihna

2nd pers . mm (or intum )3rd pers. humma

,hum

§ 1 12. Huwa is sometimes contrac ted to hfi , ho, hu , or h e

when prec eded b y the c onjun c tion wa (always so pronounc ed in

this c onnection ) , the partic les m a,da

,the preposition fen where ?

the interrogative pronouns m in ,man

, the inseparab le interroga

tive partic le an,en

,and the in terjec tions ha , a , a . The length of

the first vowel depends 0 11 the emphasis thrown on it . S imilarly ,

hiya b ec omes hiya , hi, he (oc casionally a lso ha) , while humma is

shortened to hum ; thus wahu g ih and he came ; wab ya ,whhi,

wahé and she ya mé hu latif howagreeab le he is ( lab s tha t’s he !minhu 2 who is he 7 fenhu (also fénu) ? where is he 7 ahé there she is !

REnARK a .— H o is used as an interjec tion

,without distinc tio n

of gender, in the expressions h inal16 ! here you are / k ede he ! soloo/ ( l 0

REMARK b .— \Vith the negative partic les ma and sh

,ana

b ecomes man ish ; huwa mfish , mush , or m ish , and h iya mah ishb ut the ful ler forms mahuwash or ma hfl sh and lnah ivfish ,mahyhsh a re a lso in use .

‘i

is sd ‘a.

2 ii 5 sa‘a .

3 \Vhen empha tic .

The longer fo rms, of c ourse, g ive more emphas is to the

100 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

1 1 3 . As verb al sufiixes expressing the acc usative, the

personal pronouns tak e th e following forms

S rNGULAR

MASC .

l st pers . u i

2nd pers . ak,k

3rd pers . 11,11,h

PLURAL FOR BOTH GENDERS

1 st pers . na

2nd pers . kfi, k um1

3rd pers. hum

§ 1 14 . ah,its and u are used after consonants ; k , h i and h

~

1 fter vowels ;

he struck me darabuk fl

we struck thee

he struck thee

(fkhallak i he left thee

<f.>darahha he str'

uc /c her

1 15 . The vowe l u b ec omes 17. when pl ac ed immed iately b e

tween the verb and the sh of the negative , as ma darab ush he d i d

not sti the him .

3 Ma dai ab nash is oc casio nally hear d for ma

ab nahsh and ma darahush for ma da 1 ab uhsh .

3

§ l l (i . lzhe a o f a fem inine adjec th e 0 1 pm tic iple 13 length

ened when t ak ing a verb al sufiix,as h iya auz ak she wants ( i

wanting ) you,h iva m est anniyiihum she 1s awa iting them .

1 17 . The. persona l pronouns a re a lso appended to prepos i

tio ns and o ther indec linab le parts of S peec h in truncated forms,

wh ic h will b e ln-st illustrated b y a few examples ; it will b e

o b se rved that th c prepositions themse lve s some time s und e rgo a

c ha nge .

1 K 11 and k um a re use d o ptiona lly in mo st c ase s . The la tte r

is,howe ve r

,mo re

“educa ted

,

"as l iving the unlv form used in

writing .

2 An insta nc e o f two sn llixm a tt ac hed to the s ame verb .

Ma da rah fl sh may thus mea n e ithe r he d i d no t strike him ,

or they d id not strth'

v,o r o ve n they cth l no t strike h im .

theg/ struck you

(plur. )iddihm g ive it to me

me. darab we d id not

nahsh strike h im

ma darab uhsh they d id not

strike him

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102 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

rally the negative particles, and oc casionally b y themselves. The

vowel of In is lengthened with the negative wh en the h is dropped ,

as ma luhs (or ma lfish ) he has not.1 “Tith the first person we

have ma lish or ( less usually) ma liyash .

3 . Ma‘

,mi‘ with x

S INGULARMASC .

l st pers. mi‘i,ma

‘aya ; neg . ma mi‘ish

2md per s. ma‘ak

,ma

‘ak ; neg . ma ma‘ak sh

3rd pers. ma‘fih

,mi‘u ; neg . ma m i‘fish

PLURAL FOR BOTH GENDERS

l st pers . ma‘z‘

ina,m i‘na

,mih na

2md pers . ma‘aku

,ma

‘akum ,mihk um

4 . F1 in

S INGULARMASC . FEM .

l st pers. fiya ; neg . ma fiyash fiya2md pers. fik fik i3rd pers. fih ; neg . ma fih sh

,ma fish

,ma h ’ush ‘3 fiha

Plural fina,&c .

REMARK .— Fih often signifies simply there is as well as there

in it,ma fihsh there is not and th e 11

,when th ey are used in th is

way,is often dropped , espec ially in the negative , as ma fish

b adde h ina there is nobody here.

5 . Wara behind

S INGULARMASC .

l st pers . waniya

2nd pers. warak

3rd pc rs . warfih

P lural warfina, &c .

1 18 . Sim ilarly, oth er prepos itions end ing in a vowe l ; b utno te tha t ‘

ala on c hanges a. to 5,thus ‘

alfiya ,

‘a lék , lite

, and in

1 Ma lh tlsh ( fo r ma 1111 119 11) is a lso s aid , b ut the ab o ve are the

more usual c o ntrac tio ns .

9 Or,b y assim il atio n , ma fu 'ilsh .

FEM .

mi‘i, ma‘aya with

me, &c .

ma‘ak i ; neg . ma

ma‘ak ish

ma‘aha

,m ihha ; neg .

ma ma‘ahfish

THE PRONOUN 103

the th ird pers . sing . may, lik e fi, drop its h with the negative ,mak ing ma

‘alésh for

‘

ma‘aleh sh .

1 Hawalén around generallydrops its 71 , and so b elongs to th is c lass. (See

SINGULARMASC .

l st pers. m inni minni

2nd pers. minh ah

3rd pers. m inau minha and (rarely) m inniha2

PLURAL FOR BOTH GENDERSl st pers. minna (or m innina)2nd pers . minku

,minkum (rarely m innukfi)

3rd pers . m inhum (rarely m innuhum )‘An from,

than similarly doub les th e 71,b ut has no duplicate

forms.

§ 1 19 . Other prepositions ending in a consonant present no

irregularities, so that a single example will sufiic e‘A nd with , at

SINGULARMASC . FEM .

l st pers .

‘andi ‘

and i

2md pers.

‘andak ‘

and ik

3rd pers.

‘andu neg . ma

‘andush ‘

andiha

(‘anduhsh )

PLURAL FOR BOTH GENDERSl st pers .

‘andi na

2ad pers.

‘anduk fi (k um)

3rd pers.

‘and uhum

REMARK a .— h is sometimes h eard at the end of the 3rd

pers . sing ,and b efore the sh of th e negative . Note that the u

is lengthened in the negative form .

§ 120 . The suffixes are append ed to the c onjunc tions inn

that, izzay , iz z éy how,tauw until , and a few others . With the

c on junc tions they have the sam e forms as wh en atta c hed to the

I n prepo sitions end ing in a,the 11 should b e mainta ined ,

though warfish is some times hea rd .

2 Never m innah ,as S pitt a.

3 Tahtih und er him is some times used fo r tab tu , as more N u

phatic , so ta htik , 1850 . S imilarly qa b llh before h im ,and a few

o thers .

104 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

prepositions e.g . inni,inn iha that I , that she , iz zay ak (or iz z éyak ) 3

how are you ? Lana is som etimes h eard for 1am. With th e

partic le ha we have hahu hah um . Th e l st pers . retains

its full form ,thus ha ana .

REMARK a .— The negatives ma, tr? are never used with the

suffixes of the 2nd pers . sing . and plur .

REMARK — The sign of the 2nd pers . sing . appears in a few

adverb s,or words used adverb ially,

as qawamak,iyak ,

Bardb ecomes b ard iya , with the sufiix of the l st pers . sing .

POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS

1 21 . Wh en appended to nouns , th e same suffixes serve to

express th e genitive c ase of the personal pronouns , as b aladi the

m’

ttaye of me,i.e . my t illage. Th ey tak e th e forms appended

ab ove to th e prepositions‘and and wara

,ac c ord ing as they end

in a consonant or a vowel,exc ept that in the c ase of fem inine

singulars and plurals end ing in a the suffix is attac hed to th e ir

c onstruc t form e.g .

my house thy carpet

thy book

h is dauyhter

her hand thy (f.) nee/rour ( 10 0 7'

their pen

their son

our d ish

thy (f. ) footmy d ining

-tab le

REMARK a .— Ab b (ab ) fa ther adds the suffixes to its construc t

form a lu‘

n, thus ab fiya my f ather, ah flk i, a b uhum , &c . Akhk h

(ak h ) mak e s ztk li flya ,ak hflk ,

uk huk i. uk hinu ,ak h iku

,ak h ihum .

I n the vo c at ive ya k h i ( i .e . ya ak hi) is used as well as ya k hfiya ,

and oc casionallv va k ha ir , when the speak er Wishes to convey a

repro ac h,as ik h tish i ya k ha iy .

8 Ya ha my father and ya mma

my mo ther are heard fo r m a lul va and va um lni.‘

I la is no t use dwith the sec ond person .

S ee 570, und er Ii, no te .

‘

lassie d im inut ive uk ha iv.

In Uppe r I‘I-n pl ya mnmva is used .

3

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106 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

VOCABULARY

likeness

b it of old cloth

ing , ragmakhdum master (of ser

c ant)woman , lad ytotal , quanti ty,

number

writing-room

pocket

asphalt

wheel,bicyc le

neck , collar

mother-in-law

p oet

he looked ,

peered

come (pl .)he d ivorced

that is to say that, in order

I will pour that

they fastened , by the side of,boun d near

rafasfi they lac /red

EXERC ISE 23

Umm iha qa‘da ‘ala S lll l we haw tleha wiladha . Ab l

'

h a

hasse fi w ishsh iha we qal lih a :“ Yab inti inti shab ah ummik

tamam . Fen is sagayir b eti‘

l‘ak ? H ununa

‘and i ti geb i. Ta ‘

alt!

ya g id‘an

,ana m istanniku. I r rag il ghani qawi W 11 110. mab sfit ,

ya uk hti, lo innik m iggauwizah . Ma 103 11 ak hk he maugfld .

( l u zha tallaqha ,wih ya k had irk halaq itha we 1 1111 11 ‘

ala bet a lu'

lha .

Iiuwa da 1 : 1l1 : 1k l11l k l L a, da r:1b ni ana ; w 11 1111 w ak h l

'

lya

darab nah da i ha huw 1 13 1 sa l l qa lam illi ‘andak b etsi ‘

ak h ll ya :

Io

a‘ huwa h e t a ;ua ak h ina ( i)d 1 lah li. l l iya mara 11111151111 we

g uz ha z c yiha t a111 11 1n . l r rag il illi gaub lha gin uk htiha wi lli

wariyh 1 1a (waraya 11 1111 ) ib ne‘11 111 111 iha . l ilya gat m ib ha . I t

to

ab ik h illi 11111 li‘

1‘

1sh 11ix1ll‘

1 mush k uwa iy is . S hufte ha ltiy t Iu‘

,11 1111

kan1.‘

1 11 lueda uwar ‘a lu

‘

ih . ls sitte ‘aurfi k i li s 1311111 . l 1nr1

‘

1tu dam b it

11mm) 11 11 111 11111. 1111111. 1 ( 11 111mm 111-113 1111-11

Fo r W l h iya ( hiya ) .

I , you brought,haveb rought

take out

trarelled ( f .sing . )

deliver

you sold

we sowed

I, you , forgot,havefor

gotten

you know

you sit

stop ( imperat )marrying ,married to

look ing roun d

for

POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS 107

ddatfi lak walla liya ? lik . I l walad ill i quddamik ib nik ? Lik i

wilad ya hurma ? la ,ma lish . Rah udt in nom b eta‘ 1 we tallzr

is sagfig id illi fiha‘ala s sutuh ,

u naffadhum ta lyih 1 1 haramh a

gum‘andina 1 fi 1 lél , we saraqfi m inna ful usna . Inta nsit b altik

fi b itna . Shu‘arana mashhurin ‘

an shu ‘arit b iladk um .

2 ‘Arbagiyit

Masr ahsan min hammaritha . I s sitte gat m i‘i we k an ab uha

kamfin ma ‘ana . Humma b aladiyat1 , ya

‘ni kullima min b alad

wahda . Ya kh i ana qultilak inni ‘aiyan . Fen b araqihha ? ana

ddithum 3 liha auwil inb arih. Ghasalte ideya fi 1 fasqiya b etah tak .

Darab u l walad guml it darb at‘ala rigléh . W

'

ahda min ‘

o

enék

asghar min it tanya . Inta khadt id i

glaftar b eta‘i, w ana

‘anz u

b ukra . Shaiya‘fi li l lela .

EXERC ISE 24

Have you seen my inkhorn ? L ook around for it ; it was on

the tab le in the writing-room yesterday. H e fell off h is horse

and b rok e b oth his arms. H er aunt is the daughter of a c ele

b rated b rigand . Open your hands, and I will pour the waterover them . Th ey tied my arms b eh ind my b ack ,

threw me on

the ground , and k ick ed me4on my h ead and shoulders.

5 Ihave b rough t an apple for your little girl and two 0 1 three pears

for her b rother ; g ive them to them (in) the morning . Haveyou b rought your pen with you ? The lady who travelled withh im is h is moth er-ia-law . Have y ou seen my stick ? Yes

,I saw

it in th e corn er b ehind your umb rella . Where d id you put myportfolio ? I put it on your writh 1g -tab le with 6 the papers that

were in it . A small b oy put his hand in her pock et and took

her purse out of7 it,b ut she se ized him b y 7 h is collar and handed

him to the polic e. Have you any land ? No,I sold it to my

b rother. W e have sown the seed s in our garden . I have b roughtsome c lover for your horses. Good ! g ive it to them . S top at

“

the house in front 9 of you My b icyc le is newer than yours . Ihave forgotten hex name . The sen ant is like his master. The

sun is very hot ; why are you sitting in it ? 1s m \ c h : 1 i1 1

A lady ‘0 is sitting on it .

'

I he gentleman who ( is) 11 ith lie i ga t eit to me .

To our house .

2 Your country.

3 i for e‘

.

Trans . struc k me 10 1th ( b i) thei r [eet.5 Trans . my shoulders .

b i. 7 min .

3 ‘aud .

9 Trans . which ( is) in front of you.

W The indefinite artic le should b e expressed .

108 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

REFLEXIV E AND RECIPROCAL PRONOUNS

1 22. There is no d istinc t form for th e reflexive pronoun inArab ic . I ts plac e is supplied b y the personal pronoun ,

with or

without a preposition ,or b y one of th e words nafs self, ruh soul

,

spirit, shak hs (or sak h s) , zat person ,with th e possessive suffixes,

or b y th e word b a‘d

,with or without the suffixes ; e.g .

k hallik had ir keep yourself iltaqit ruhha shefound herreacly 1 gfiwa b et self inside a

shuf lak get yourself a‘arahiya carriage gib huwa he came in

niauwit nafsu he killed shak h su person

himself ana zati I myselfk hadu b a‘d or they took them

b a‘duhum selves Ofl'

1 23 . T1‘

11 length is sometimes used in the sam e way, as lamm e

tfilu he p acked h imself ojf ;1and in the c ase o fm ental operations

the word s b al m ind ,

‘aql intelligence, as ana shfiwirte ‘

aqli (ornafsi) 1 tool : counsel with myself, qal fi b alu he. sa id with in

, to ,

himself. Z z‘

i t and nafs,as also ‘

aql and b ail , may b e used together ,the sec ond word only tak ing the suffix

,11s h uwa zfit nafsu (or

hfiwa b i zat nafsu) he h is very self, qal fi‘aqle b filu . Hfilfiti and

halfitak ( literally my, your , cond ition) have the forc e of reflexivepronouns in such expressions as ragil z éye hfilaiti a man suc h as

myself. Ba ‘d also expresses th e idea of rec iproc ity or m utuality

(generally without , b ut often with ,the sutlix ) , as darah h a b a

‘d we« truck one another

,mauwitu b a ‘duh um they slew one anothe r.

THE DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUN

1 24 . Th e dem onstratives are

( 1) MASC .

( la,dih

,a nd ( rarely) ( leh

PLURAL F0 11 1mm ( l izxn izns

( lOl,( lOll

,(lfila

,( lfilut ”1688

REMARK u . Dih is m ore emphatic than da,the latter b e ing

mostly used a s an mwlitic,th rowing b ac k its ac c ent to the pr1

~

ru ling word .

1 Of. the express io n ana get b i 111 11 or 11111 1 caum by myself,

Only the two perso ns ar e in 11

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1 10 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

then only in a neuter sense , as min b a‘de z alik after tha t, afteru

'

ards ma‘ zalik in sp ite of that, howecer.

Th e partic le a ,or (oc casionally) ha and ma

,may b e prefixed to

the personal pronouns in th eir shortened forms, giving th em a

d emonstrative sense,as she (aho) ,

1 haho! ah e , ah i ! ahum ! there

he, she is, they are mahum b ut there they are

REMARK .— Th e full forms are sometimes h eard

,as ahumma .

Aho may b e used adverb ially of th e fem inine as well as the mas

culine . Thus a woman may say dana (da ana) aho here I am .

we cannot,however , say i1 b int aho there is the girl , though we

may say ah é il b int ah é .

REMARK — Th e feminine demonstrative di, di, wi th a , u‘

, or

ma prefixed , is used adverb ially, as wild in French , withoutdistinc tion of gender or numb er

,b ut the noun must b e ex

pressed , as adi ragil wisik h ,mara battala that

’

s a d irty man, a

bad woman ad i qershén here are two p iastres . The union ofana

with adi results in the form s adini, adini, adin ,or adin

,as adini

h ina quddamak,adin get .

REMA RK c .— Da

,and even th e fem . (11 are also used adver

b ially in c ertain cases. (S ee Syntax, gREMA RK d .

— I n th e expressions il yom to-day, il léla to-night,

is sub h this morning , is sana this year, ish sh itwiya th is winter, and-1 few oth ers

,th e artic le has the forc e ofa demonstrative pronoun .

THE INTERROGATIVE PRONOUN

1 25. The interrogative pronouns are :

( 1 ) Min who ? 6 , 011 , esh ,ma? what ?

iEMARK a .— M in may have the short form of the personal

pronouns attached to it , as m inhu ? who is he ? b ut it is more

usual to say m in “

huwa,&c .

REMARK h .

— Esh or ish (as it sounds when followed b y a con

sonant) is of much rarer use than 6. I t is a sh ortened form of

6 she? what thing 7

REMA RK c .— 1ij , 1211 , with the preposition li prefixed , fo rms the

interrogative adverb 16h ? why 7

( 2 ) S ixo ULAR.

.\ lASC .— a 1 1hu

, enhu ,anhfin ,

c ub un anhi,enb i

,anh e, enhe

,nu

huwa,enhuwa (anhflwa ,

c nh ilwa ) .FEM .

—eii l1in ,11 11111

,0 11111

,anhe , enhe ,

anh iya ,enh iya .

PLU | 1.— auhun ,e nh un ,

anhum,enhu in wh ich , what ]

i For the a c c ent,see 39 .

THE RELATIVE PRONOUN

REMARK a .— The masc . anhu is occasionally used with a fem i

nine noun .

REMARK b .— Of those forms which end in a vowel the ac c ent

is on the final syllab le ( except in the case of anh uwa,anh iya ,

where it is always on the penultimate ) when they stand alone,

and on the penultimate when they are followed b y the sub stan

tive or other word wh ich they qualify, as anh u ? wh ich ? whichone ? fi anh i b et , b alad ? in wh ich house, town ? Th e ac c ent is,

however , sometimes on the final syllab le when the demonstrativeda follows, as anhu-da ’

l 1 for anh u da l Those which end in a con

sonant are only used alone, the indec linab le ani b eing sub stituted

for the plural forms.

( 3) Ani, eni2 which , what ? for b oth genders and all num b ers,

as ani ragil 7 ani mara ? ani b ilad’

l

THE RELATIVE PRONOUN

5 1 26 . The relative pronouns are, for all genders and num

( 1 ) 1111, used b oth of animate and inanimate ob jec ts.

( 2) Ma , ma,used mostly of inanimate ob jec ts .

REMARK d — The persona l pronouns may b e inserted for em .

phasis b etween il li and a verb expressed or und erstood,as il li

huwa gib , ill i hiya b inti. (See Syntax ,

REMARK b . is used only where the ob jec t to which itrefers is understood or not defined b y the article , as

‘ala shan ma

q on account of thatwh ich he said , ahsan ma kan the best (which )there was ,muddit ma kan henfik d uring the t ime tha t he was there,k ulle ma 3 ton] lu whatever you say to h im , ya ma saraq t u qatalt

0 11 , for that wh ic h you stole, those wh ich you wha t a

number of rob beries an dmurders you have wmmitted

REMARK c .— Whose is express ed b y illi and the personal sufiix

appended to the noun ,as ir ragil ill i husanu gih ,

litera lly the man

who his horse came .

REMARK d .—The word min (Koranic man) is used in plac e of

illi in some proverb s and semi-religious expressions , as min tarakshe ‘ash ba lah who leaves a th ing lives without it, A llah yunsurak‘ala min yi

‘ad lk God give thee victory over (h im) who is thyenemy. I t is used also with kull 127) and with auwil

,as

auwil m in shuitu,dcc .

Sounding rather as anb uh da than aub uda .

The fina l vowe l is pronounc ed almost short.

also whene ver

See Syntax , 433 seq.

1 1 2 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

THE INDEFINITE PRONOUN

1 27 . The indefinite pronouns are :

K ullem in (k ulle m in k an ,kul lem in qam ) whosoever , ey, eéyiha

1

(or eyub a) whichever , whatever ; eye wahid , éyiha (eyuha) wahidwhichever one ; k ulle manhu whoever

,whosoever ; h ésu ( followed b y

the sub s. verb kan ) whatever ; wahid one,somebody ; hadd somebody,

anybody fuldn,il fulani 2 such a one k aza 3 such .

REMAR K a .— Kulle m in is generally accompanied b y the verb

k an or qam .

REMARK b .—Ey l s usually followed b y the genitive fo1 m in in,

when the latter is followed b y a ve1 b , as min eye b etin k an ,

b aladin k anitfromwhatever house, village, it may be. (See Syntax ,g 454 .

I l wahid corresponds to the English one in on e hopes

for the best. I] insan ( linsan) or il insan m inna is used in the

same way. (S ee Syntax ,

THE DISTRIBUTIVE PRONOUN

g 129 . The d istrib utive pronouns are

Kull ever /1, k ulle wah id e1 e7yone, k ulle m in (with k an) , kul lemanhu each , b a

‘d , m inb a‘d (either alone 0 1 followed b \ the pre

position m in) some, tani other, b a shqa one thing , another things"

V OCABULARY

M oral,tut/t lisfin

environs fi ‘l

p lac e‘esh

salary a l1l il b et

question, qarib ( 18)matter shidda

d rinhilzg auwil

f ountain qirsh, qirshe

khaddam servant

1 The ac c ent is g ene ra lly on the a ntepenult .

2 Fa lim never tak es the artic le , wh ile its ad jec tive fulani isnever without it.

3 Kara is the na liwy form of the adverb k ede ( c lass . had /1a) .But see 6 3 c

,no te .

6 For other Ways of expressing d istrib ution and division,see

Syntax , 438—42 .

ton(rue

d eed

b read

familyrelation

violenc e

beginninga tarijfp ia stre

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‘

1 14 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

humma k haddamin ‘andi, itk hanqu mbarih waiya b a

‘d fe wah idm inhum darab it tani 'fi ‘énu , tallahha . W i nta ‘

amalte eh ?

Ana nadahte li l hak im ; gib ,raggahha ; we qataht

‘

ugrit i]

hak im min mah iyit illi tallahha . W Allahi ‘amalte taiyib . I l

wahid lazim yertih1yeshuf il mas

’ala b i nafsu . I l b ab ur yeqfirn

min masr fi ani sa‘a ? Huwa kulle yomén talata yigi‘and in

Kul le m in qam nisa walla rigalfl’ L isanu kan marb fitmin sh idd it

ma b asal lu . H at li shuwaiyit‘esh min hésu kan . Ahum 1n a

dak dol illi waqfin‘and il b ab . Kulle min kan yeqfil innu ragil

taiyib . Tigi f ani sea? 11 b alad di anh in fihum . Kunte mash ifi s sikk a we ‘irifte nafsi leinni ‘

atshan ; fe ruhte sh ir ib te moiya

min is sib il illi wara b etik . Q ul gib‘andak fulan il ful ani , tequl

lu eh ? M in eye sikk itin ruht b ardiha tiwaddik il b alad .

EXERCISE 26

These are the men who were in the train with me . I n which

room did you sleep ? My b rother sleeps in (th e one) which isb eh ind your mother

’

s. Every one k nows h is (own) b usiness.

I m et someb ody at th e c lub yesterday (who) kn ows your fath er .

I was d efending myself . Th e b oy with Whose father you cam e

from Upper Egypt is now a servant in my house. H e has

married a woman fifteen years older than h im self.3 By wh ic h

b oat did you c ome ? Everyb ody who was th ere was pleased .

W hy d id you leave m e these and tak e the b est for 4 yourself ?Husb ands and wives should 5

always love one another . H e who

smok es ten c igarettes a day6smok es too many. I s there any

b ody h ere ? To talk is one th ing ,to do is another .

7 The two

b rothers live in the same house .

5 One sees inside the room s .

H e is always speak ing of h imself . Did you c ome a lone , or with

your family'4 I cam e with my fath er and mother and a ll m y

relations. I read the whole of th e b ook from b eginning to end .

I have g iven you th e b est I had ) ” “th y d id you let h im ge t

Because he b it my finger. \V hoso horse is that ? I t b elongs

to th e man whose house was rob b ed yesterdav.

l .e. it is nec essary that .

A plnr. of rilgil less used than riggfila .

Older than h im by ( b i) fifteen yea rs .

l i. 5 laz im .

0 Th i ns . in the clay.

Trans . The lath and the dea l

Trans . in one ho llsc .

Trans . from the th y/ inning to the end .

Trans . the best which was wit h me.

THE VERB

THE V ER B

130 . Verb s may b e either tril iteral or quadriliteral , t.e. theymay c ontain either three or four radical letters .

1 3 1 . Radical letters may b e either strong or weak . Astrong radical is one that remains unchanged throughout the

c onjugation of the verb thus h , t, I) , the root or rad ical letters of

the verb katab to write,b eing strong , appear in the same order

in every phase of th e verb, though the vowels may change and

other letters b e added . The weak c onsonants are w and y.

g 1 32. A triliteral verb wh ich contains three strong rad icals

is termed strong ,wh ile a verb c ontaining 20 or y or qat

‘a as

one of its radicals is termed weak . Those which have two such

letters are doub ly weak , and those wh ich have three treb ly weak .

133 . Strong verb s are sub divided into two c lasses

(a ) Those whose three radicals are all different , and

( 6) Those whose sec ond and third radic als are identical . The

former are called p eifect verb s .

134 . From the simple form of the verb , c omposed only of

the radicals and their connecting vowels, other forms, or con

jugations , are construc ted b y the doub ling of the radicals and

the addition of new letters .

135 . Th e verb has,as a rul e

, only one voic e , namely, the

ac tive ,1 two moods, the indicative and the imperative , and two

simple tenses , the past and the ao rist or imperfe c t , from wh ic h,

however , others are form ed b y means of prefix i s or b y aid of the

sub stantive verb kan ,and two partic iples or verb al adj ec tives, one

ac tive and the oth er passive . Th e infinitive mood is represented

b y verb al nouns expressing th e nature or quality of the verb .

1 36 . There are two numb ers, singular and plural , three

persons, and , for the 2nd and 3rd persons singular ,two genders .

THE S IMPLE PERFECT VERB

137. The 3rd person singular of the past tense tak es o ne

of the three following forms : b arak,b irik , b uruk ,

as darab he

struck , shirih he d rank , sug hur he was s mall , and the tense is

conjugated thus

MAS C .

l st pars . darab t 1 strap/i: or ha re struck

2nd pars . darab t thou estrus/seat,«to.

3rd pet‘

s . darab he str uck ,she , gt

The passive is usua lly expresse d b y one of the derived forms ,b ut s ee b elow

,14 1 and 50 5—50 6 .

1 1 6 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

PLURAL FOR BOTH GENDERS1 st pers . dai ab na -na) we struck , (S'c .

2nd pe1 s . darab tu (or darab tum )1

you struck , do.

3rd pe1 s . darab u (or da1 ab um )2 they struck ,

5 1 38. Similarly shirib and sughur ; b ut it must b e remem

b ered that the short vowels i and u often disappear b etween twoc onsonants.

3

REMARK a .— Many verb s of a neuter sense tak e the form

b irik or buruk optionally, though the latter is perhapsm ore c om

mon ,as

‘utus (or

‘itis) to sneeze a few tak e th e forms barak and

b irik , as b ak hal or (more usually) b ik hil to be stingy, and still

fewer all three forms,as khumur

,k h imir

,and oc casionally kh amar

to rise (of dough ) .REMARK — Most verb s of th e form b arak are transitive in

m eaning , those of th e form b irik mostly intransitive or passive ,whil e th ose of the form b uruk are invariab ly intransitive (neuteror passive) .

139 . I n th e formation of the aorist,th e first vowel of th e

past tense falls out , and th e sec ond b ec om es i (or less commonlya or u) , wh ile th e persons are denoted b y affixes or suffixes.

SI NGULARMASC . FEM .

1 st pers. adrah adrab I strike, will strike

2nd pers. tidrab tidrab i thou strikest, 5°

C .

3rd pers. yidrab tidrab he,she strikes, (j

'

c .

PLURAL FOR BOTH GENDERSl st pers . nidrab we stri ke

,cj'

c .

2nd pers. tidrab fi (or tidrab um ) you strike, (Sm.

3rd pers . yidrabu (or yidrab um ) they strike, (5

°

C .

§ l 40 . S im ilarly ak tib 1 write, adk hul I enter ( from k atab,

dak hul) , b ut with i and u respectively throughout in plac e of th e

( t of the sec ond syllab le .

REMARK a .— Oc casionally the y of th e 3rd person is indis

tinc tly h eard . I n in ‘al (or il

‘an ) from na

‘al

,la‘an to curse, it is

often dropped altogeth er .

4

1 Note that the u is quite short in all verb s wh en -um is used

b oth in th e 2nd and 3rd persons. Even it is hardly pro

nounc ed long .

3 Possib ly th e older form . C f. Aramaic p‘ah

‘

in .

3 S ee 33 .

4 So regularly in A ssyr ian and Heb rew,and in the d ia lec ts

ofAlgeria and Malt a.

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1 18 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

REMARK .

rahan pledge loathe

(rih im) tread on

tak e a o r i , ni‘is occasionally mak es an‘as ; zahar

,z ih ir appear

oc casionally agh ir (for aghar) .

( 2) Those whose final radical is h,h, q , or kh , except

(a) dala‘

swind le

rab a‘ trot

salah be reconciled

shab ah resemble

wh ich tak e i making adl i‘

,&c .

l

( b ) b araqit it lightened

b azaq spit

tab ak h cook

taraq knock

dalaq sp ill

razaq provideforzaraq slip awaysadaq be true

salaq boil nafak hsarak h cry

wh ich tak e u,mak ing tib ruq , ab zuq , &c .

REMARK .—Pak ah eatfruit tak es a or i.

begin

sep arate

retract, rescind

content

sp lit

hang

prattle, tell

tales

throttle

exhaust

pull from the

( 3) A numb er of words nearly all intransitive or neuter and

of th e form b irik or bnruk,

2or b oth ,

and expressing mostlym ental or physical qualities or conditions. The following is a

nearly complete list of th is c lass,exc lusive of those wh ich fall

und er ( 1 ) and (2)b ilid be dull

b iligh reach maturity

(b alagh )2

b ik hil be stingy

(b akhal) tuqul , tiqil

get cold

get th ick

be b lunted,

b lunt

be heavy

I Qanah convict of an ofience and lafaq sew may b e added to

this list of exc eptions, b ut they scarc ely b elong to the colloquiallanguage .

2 Birik and b uruk c orrespond to b arik (fa‘ila) and b aruk

( fa‘ula) of the literary language.

as m isik ( literary masaka) , &c .

3 But yib lugh gharadu he attains his desire.

Bir ik also represents fa‘ala

,

THE SIMPLE PERFECT VERB 1 19

tamar (tumur,bear fruit behave well

smirwturush , tirish become deaf chance

tafash ru n away become small

gifil (gafal) be shy, shy hold on , climb

gim id get hard

ghifil dose

(ghuful)ghilit,ghulut err

ghurum pay a fine

(ghirim )gh im id , be c losed

ghumud

harab fl eehurun be restive

bepatient ,dream

be sad

be evident,appear

retain in one’

s

mind

become sour

happen

arrive at

maturityhave Ophthal

mia

desire

get cheap

k afar

1 Also atmir . Th e form s in b rack ets are less used than th e

oth ers.

2 Also argh ib .

3 ‘Arag , yi‘rug is more usual .

suqutsuduf

sughur

sh ib it

(shab at)sh im it

shim is‘utul‘urug

3

‘ilim‘irid

gloat

baskgin the sun

be interrup ted

be lame

know

be wide,broad

‘im ir (‘umur) be inha bited

‘igiz b ecome infirm‘uqul be, become , wise‘irif know‘itir stumble‘itis,

‘utus sneeze

‘itish ,‘utush be th irsty

(faragh )firigh be emp tyfidil remain

fitir breakfastfitir be tepid

fitish choke

qi rib , qurub d raw near

qish il , become bank

qushul rup t

qido

ir be ab le

qisir , qusin be, get, short

qudum , become old

qidim

k ib ir

120 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

befinished , end be sp oilt, lose

leaven, ferment

To th e ab ove list must b e added th e following verb s,which

,

having a c orresponding ac tive form,may b e regarded as pure

passives1

tilif be destroyed , p erish (act talaf)ghidib , ghudub be vexed , sulk ghadab )ghilib be conquered , weary ghalab )b ilik

,hulik be exhausted , p erish halak )

b imid be exhausted , worried hamad)2

sib it be proved sab at)sik in be inhabited sakan )

be made, get drunk sak ar)

be destroyed‘adam)

be made, yet, poor faqar)be stung qaras)be d isgusted , bored qaraf)be divided , allotted qasam)be made

, get, ill marad)be dried , get dry nashaf

,

rarely iised )niqis , nuqus be lessened , grow less naqas) 4

1 Pure passives, b ecause th ey are derived direc tly from th e

ac tive without any external chang e . Cairen e Arab ic resemb les

H eb rew in its dislik e and spare usage of th ese forms Manyof th e ab ove also had no doub t originally an active form

,wh ich

has now b een supplanted b y th e first derived form b arrak,

b arrik .

2 As hamadu b i l ‘asaya .

3 Mostly in th e expression qusumit il qisma it wasfated .

4 Oth ei s are peculiar to Upper EO’

g ,ypt as gilid be fl ogged ,

qitil be killed .

drivel, be im

paired

( intellect)be

h

necessarylie in waitforbe clean

rep ent

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1 22 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

(3) Th e following

cryc ruc ify, torture

malakh 4

REMARK .— ‘Ab ad and ‘

aqad mak e also a‘b id and a

‘qid .

§ 1 43 . All oth er perfect strong verb s tak e i in the second

syllab le of the aorist , and are usually transitives of th e formb arak

,never of th e form b uruk .

1 M entioned ab ove 14 1,2 b ) .

‘2 Mentioned ab ove 1 41 , l b ) .3 But k harag yikh rig d istil .4 Mentioned ab ove 1 41 , 2 b) .

sp lit

be lame, limp

worshiptie

rub

mince

stingsit

go out

p ierce, bore

touch, strike

gentlycatch (a ball,

t o.)pull from its

socket

p ossess

sift

p rick , annoystrike

b low

change one’

s

mind

THE S IMPLE PERFECT VERB

VOCABULARY

the 5th Cop tic

month

the day afterto—morrow

news

condition

L ord

the 9th 111 0

hammedan

month

world

3507?coal , coals

truth

grass

bell

EXERCISE 27

Zara‘t it taqawi fi gnintak walla lissa ? Z ara‘naha fi shahre

tub a . Humma ‘irfu r ragil min wishshu . Inta qa‘adte ‘

al a kursiya

w ana qa‘adte ‘

ala kursik . L éh yirb utu riglén il kh irfan ? Lammalefendiyat yitla

‘um b arra fi s sef yiftahum shamasihum lah san

takhudhum ish sham s. Ta‘raf is sa

‘a k am dilwaq ti ? ana q ‘ud

(ana aq‘ud ) kulle yom sa

‘ten fi 1 b da t tah taniya ,

u b a‘dén atla ‘ °

aq‘ud fi 1 oda l foqaniya li hadd id duhr . Inti ya hurm a darab ti l

walad da s sughaiyar leh ?3 I l b inte d 1 tishb ih ab uha . I l mara

tutb uk h li guzb a wi wiladu . I sh shugle yik h las b a‘de b ukra .

L éh , ya b in t,tuq

‘udi k ulle yom h ina ? I l gazma b eta h tak

qudmit . I lli yisraq il b éda yisraq il fark ha .

4 Lamma ti‘taa'

‘ala h san k uwaiyis iddini k hab ar . Il li yak ul kuwaiyis yisman u

yitkhan . I l muslim yiftar fi ramadan ‘ala 5 l maghrib . Taiyib !

ana qb al ish sharti da . 11 b idum tin shaf fi sh shams . Tifdal

1 When th e penul t is ac cented .

2 \V e is often om itted b etween two verb s. (See Syntax ,3 The interrogative is often placed at the end of the sentenc e.

4 Proverb .5at .

bellows

wisdom

decanter

d isease, illness

I get uphe imprisoned

he burned

he begged

he got well

showme

he hearat

he tied

she,it, takes

,

catches

he eats

he says

lest, or

until,up to

al l that, when

ever

truly

124 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

fi 1 b et walla tukhrug b arra ? Lam ina yiqb adu‘ala l haramiya

yihb isfihum . Illi yishar fi 1 lél yirqud fi 11 nah ar . Namusaqarasitni fi sb a‘i. I l W ileid yirk ab u hmir wi r riggala yirk ab fi

k h él . Lamma tik sar kub baya walla h aga fi I b et b ass iddini

k hab ar ‘ash an a

‘raf . Lamma l wah id yi

‘

tas yeqfil : il hamdu

11 Ha Rab b u l ‘alamin . I l b et da sik in ‘

amnauwil walla la ‘

Kullima yik allimha ragil tugh nug . Suqtit m in‘al humar we

k asarit rigliha . Lamma yig i l k haddam yitruq‘ala l b ab aqum

dughri w alb is.Laz im tifriq il k uwaiyisin . M in en

‘iriftu l

hikaya di ? Mush lazim tink iru l haqiqa . I l masak in h ilk u

m in 11 g r . Lamma sm i‘na l garag tili‘na b arra we fatahna l

b ab . K haffe lak in ‘aqlu k huruf min sh iddit il ‘

aiya .

EXERCISE 28

She sat in a chair in th e k itch en . Wh en you grow up you

will b oth b e lik e your moth er . Th ey went out of the house at

ten m inutes to two , and will return in an hour’

s tim e .

1 Th e

girl snatched the stick out of 2 h er b roth er’

s hand . At'

3 what

time did you b reak fast yesterday ? Sh e denies everything .

Wh en the women shriek and the men fir e 4 off th eir guns, the

rob b ers run away. Wh en you b low with the b ellows the fir e

catch es 5 th e c oals. Th e sun b urns the grass. Wh en the b ellrings

6you must open th e door . Sh e shut the door in my fac e .

The sun rises at H e is a man b egs in th e street .

Do you k now h im,my daugh ter ? who is sad to—day ,

laugh s to-m orrow. These k n ives have b ecome old and b lunt .

W ho was m istak en, you or I ? I t gets soft after a time . You

must drink th e wine to-day, or it will go sour . Show me th e

man who witnesses truly . If you sit b y7 the window you will

c atc h c old . Wh en the judges give sentenc e , every one praises

th eir wisdom . Wh en you write to m e I will write to you . Put

the b utter in th e ic e-chest,8 that it may get c old and hard . W e

have b rok en a decanter and two glasses. W ho will guarantee

you ? Th e water has got tepid ; (it) will get cold soon .

9 Sh e

laughed at 10 h im and ran away. A 1 1good c arpenter gains every

day twenty or twenty-five piastres. Th e ch ildren remain in the

house alone . Th e disease will b ecome chronic with h im . You

(plur .) must sow your seeds in Septemb er .

1 Trans. after an hour.

2 m in .

3 ii.4 darab .

5 misik fi .

6 dm '

ab .

7gaub .

5 Trans. the box of (b eta‘

) the ice.

9 b a‘de shawaiya .

10 ‘ala .

1 1 Trans. the.

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126 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

I am in the habit of striking , or simply I am striking , inti‘ammala

b etidrab i (or tidrab i) , humma‘ammalin b eyidrab fi.

1

REMARK d .— The unfinished present may also b e expressed

b y the active partic iple with the sub stantive verb understood ,as ana h iya darb a, ihna darb in I am,

she is , we are, strik ing .

”

1 46 . Th e unfinished past (imperfect) 18 exp] essed b y means

of the aux ilia 1 y verb k an to be m the past tense, followed b y th eunfinished present , thus :

SINGULAR

MASC . FEM .

l st pers . k unte b adrab kunte b adrab I was striking ,used to strike

2nd pers. kunte b etidrab kunti b etidi ab i3rd pers. kan b eyidrab k anit b etid 1 ab

PLURAL FOR BOTH GENDERSl st pers. kunna b enidrab2nd pers. kuntfl -um ) b etidrab fi -um)3rd pers. kanfi b eyidrabu -um )

or with ‘ammal , k unte

‘ammal b adrab , &c .

1 47 . The finished past or plupe1 fec t is expressed b y kanfollowed b y the past tense of the ve1 b

,as k unte darab t I had

struck,kan darab he had struck

,kunna da1 ab na

,&c .

§ 1 48 . The unfinished futu1 e is exp1 essed b y the aorist of

the verb kan followed b y the unfinished pl esent , thus :

S INGULARMASC . FEM .

l st pers . ak un b adrab ak un b ad i ab I shall be strik ing

2nd pu s . tek un b etid l ab tekfini b etid i ab i

3rd pe1 s . yek e n b eyidrab tekun b etidi ab

PLURAL FOR BOTH GENDERS

l st pers . h ok um b c nidrab

2nd pers . tek fln ll -um ) b etidrahfi -um )3rd pers . yek finfi b eyidrab fl -uu1 )

REMARK .— Tll ls tense may also b e expressed b y the aorist

of k il n with th e ac tive partic iple , as akun dzu'ih , tek un darb a,

yek flnfl darh in 1 , she, they will be striking .

1 I t is in more frequent use in Upper Egypt , where it g enerally appears ih the c ontrac ted form ‘

amrna,without c hange of

g e n de r o r numb er .

Synt ax , 4118 .

THE PRESENT AND FUTURE 127

§ 149 . The finished future ( future pei fect) is composed of

the aorist of k an followed b y the past tense . Thus akun darab tI shall have struck , tekfini darab ti thou ( f . wilt have struck

,

yekfinfi darahu , &c .

150 . Th e indefim te future 18 expressed1 ) Simply b y th e aorist .

(2) Emphatically b y the aorist prec eded b y rayih (th eac tive partic iple of rah to go) , agreeing with th e sub j ec t in

gender and numb er, or b y its indec linab le form rah , or

(3) By the aorist with the partic le ha (sometim es pro

nounc ed ha) prefixed ; e.g .

SINGULAR

MASC .

l st pers. rayih (rayh )1 I will or am going to

rah adrah , or hadrab strike

2nd pers. rayih tidrab ,rah tidrab , or hatidrab

3td pers . rdyih yidrab ,rah yidrab , orhayidrab

PLURAL FOR BOTH GENDERSl st pers. rayb in nich ab ,

rah nidrab ,or ha nidrab

2md pers. rayhin tidrab u ,rah tidrab fl , or hatidrab fi.

31 d pel s. rayhin yidrab fi, rah yidrab d , or hayich ab u.

REMARK a.—The past tense of the auxiliary followed b y th e

future indefinite expresses that someth ing was going or ab out

to tak e plac e , or nearly took plac e , as k unte rayih ( rayh ) adrahkunte rah adrab , or k unte hadrab ,

&c ., I was going to strike

,&c .

,

kan rfi

jyih yfiqa

‘

, rah yfiqa‘

,hayflqa

‘ he was nearfalling . (Syntax ,$1, 486 .

REMARK b .—Ha is appended to the imperative in the donk e y

beys'

cry, harga‘ 1 ( i.e. ha

1 \ Ote that the qat ‘a of the first syllab le gene i allv d is'

ap

pears , so that rayh, rah adrah will b e pi onounc ed ray , ra , hadrab3 Or contrac ted

,rayhadrab .

FEM .

rayha (forrayiha)adrab 2

rah adrah , orhadrah

rayha tidrab irah tidrab i, orhatidrab i

rayha tidrab ,rah tidrab , orhatidrab

1 28 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

REMARK c .— Th e inseparab le particle la conveys with th e

aorist an oath or a threat ,1as w Allahi larmik fi dahya by God !

I will cast thee into adversity.

1 51 . Th e sub junctive and se-called optative or potential

moods are expressed b y means of the aorist and past tenses

(Syntax , 494 The comb ination of th e past tense of kan with

th e aorist of th e verb is equivalent in the apodosis of conditional

sentenc es to the English would have, as iz a kunte shuftu k unt

adrab u if I had seen him I would have struck him. (Syntax ,510 .

352. The partic iples ac tive and passive are respectively dar ibstriking and madrfib struck

,which are declined lik e ordinary

adjectives.

he shut, closed

before thatinstead ofalways

z°

f

EXERCISE 29

Betidrab il k hél 16h ? Lamma kanfi b eyidrab u l b anfidiq kunteb etirqud walla la H iya b etik h 1 ug k ulle yom is sa

‘a tuen ba ‘d id

duhr . l l husan b etisman‘ala sh Bad

hak ‘alek . Leh l ‘

ashan b eti1 kab husanak zey illi b eyirk ab auwil

mara . Inti, ya b itti, k utti h ti‘m ill c h fi 1 g inena b eta

‘it g iranna l

Q ab le ma rigi‘na kan ish shughle k hulus . li untu tlihtil 1amma

g ib il hak im walla l issa ? Kunna b nirga‘ we lissa fi 8 sikk a .

Kulle ma sar ak hna h na k anit h iya b etisk ut. Kan b eyishrud min

b ét ab fih 1amma qab a dfi‘alGh . I z a get is sa

‘

1‘a sitta ak 1

’

in liss a

1 I t is not very often h eard in the spok en language .

2 h unya world , weather is understood .

VOCABULARY

ak unkunna

dakhk hal

z i‘il

get

tili‘ feqmatarit , na

tarit3

qafal

qab le ma

b idal ma

tamalli

iz a (with

past tense)

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1 30 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

153 . Th e verb is rendered negative b y the partic le ma( 7nd )b eing plac ed b efore it , and sh after it in th e form of a suffix

,

1as

ma darab sh he d id not strike. The vowel i is inserted b etweenit and a verb ending in a consonant

,as ma darab tish you d id not

strike . Th e c onjugation Of the negative past tense and aorist,

firstly without , and secondly with,th e verb al sufiixes

,is as

followsSI NGULAR.

MASC . FEM .

l st pers . ma darab tish ma darab tish

2nd pers . ma darab tish ma darab tish

3rd pers . ma darab sh ma darab itsh

PLURAL FOR BOTH GENDERS

l st pers. ma darab nash

2nd pers. ma darab tfish

3rd pers. ma darab fish

S I NGULARMAsc . FEM .

l st pers. ma drab sh ma drab sh

2nd pers. ma tidrab sh ma tidrab lsh3rd pers. ma yidrab sh ma tidrab sh

PLURAL FOR BOTH GENDERs

l st pers. ma nidrab sh

2nd pers. ma tidrab fish3rd pers. ma yidrab fish

ma darab tfish I d id not strike him

ma darab tihash

ma darab tak sh

ma darab tik sh

ma darab tuhumsh

ma darab tuk fish

2nd pers . masc .

ma darab tfl sh tho u d idst not strike him

ma darab tihash her

ma darab tinish me

ma darab tuhun ish them

ma darab tinash

1 Comp. ne pas in Frenc h . (See further Syntax , 533

2nd pers .

THE NEGATIVE VERB

fem .

ma da mb tihsh thou d id st no t strike him

ma darab tihash

ma darab tihumsh

3rd pers . masc .

ma darab fish d id not strike

ma darab hé shma darab ak shma darab ik shma darab nish

ma darab kfishma darab nash

3rd pers . fem .

l st pers .

2nd pers .

3rd pers .

l st pers.

2ud pet'

s .

ma darab itfish she d id not strike him

ma darab ithash

PLURAL

ma darab nahsh we d id not strike him

ma darab nahash her

thee (masc )ma dar ab nfik ish thee (fem )ma clarab néhum sh them

ma darab nak fish

ma darab tuhsh you did no t str ike him

ma darab tfihash , (Sac . her

ma darab uhsh they did no t strike h im

ma darab uk sh thee (masc . )ma darab fik ish ,

di c . thee (fem )

S INGULAR

ma drab fish I do ,will, no t strike him

ma drab hash her

thee (muse

ma drab ik sh . (k c . thee (ft-nu . )ma s c .

ma tidrab fish,&c . thou (m . ) duet, wilt, not strike h im

132 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

2nd pers. fern .

ma tidrab ihsh thou (f.)ma tidrab ihfish ,

3rd pers

a yidrab fish he does i ii /t not strik e him

ma yidrab hash ,the. her

154. The prepositions ii and b i with their suffixes may

intervene,as well as , or in addition to , th e verb al suffixes ,

b etween th e verb and the negative sign sh , as ma tab ak hit lushshe d id not cook for him ,

nna tab ak hitu lush she d id not cook itforhim ,

darab hi 1 ‘asfiya ? la

’

,ma darab b ihash did he strike with the

stick ? No, he d id not strike with. it. But we may also say ma

tab ak h itshe luh ,ma tab akhitfish luh ,

and ma darab sh e b iha.

5 155. I n the compound tenses the sh is generally attached

to th e auxiliary, as ma kunnash kharagna ,b ut som etimes b oth

of th e negative signs will , for th e sak e of emphasis , ac companythe princ ipal verb ,

as k unna ma k haragnash

g 1 56 . I n proh ib itions the aorist is u sed in stead of the im

pei ative , or , in oth e1 words, the initial t 1 eappears , as ma tid

1 ab sh,ma tidrab ush do not sti t el. ( S ee fur ther Syntax , 49 1 .

The negative partic les may also b e joined to the pi onouns ,wh eth er ln th eir full or ti uneated fo1m s

,as ma hush (o 1 ma

liuwash ) not he, ma lish,ma

‘andfish (it is) not to me, with him ,

i.e . I

have,he has, not, ma

‘umrish shuitu 1 never sawhim in my life, ma

‘ ilmish (it is) not my knowledye, i.e . I do not know. They are

very commonly joined to the indefinite pronoun hadd one, an y

b ody, as ma b add ish darab no one struc k . As the preposition ii,with or without th e suffix of the th ii d pei s. sing . is used in the

sense of th e/ e is, so Ina fihsh (or ma fish ) signifies there is n ot.

158. Muslior m ish ( c ontrac ted from ma hush,ma huwiish )

may b e used as th e aorist of the negative sub stantive verb of all

numb ers and gender , as h iya ,humma

,h ina ? la ‘

, mush h i na

is she,are they, here ? No

,she is

,they are not

,here. I t some

t im es serves to negative th e verb , as mush k harag b arre ,( lak hul

g dwa he hasn

’

t gone out, he has come in ,m ush darab ha ? d idn

'

t he

strike her ? Mush qulti lak t igi ? d id n’

t [ tell you to come ? Mush

tig i waiyana ? won’

t you nome with us ? Mush tisk ut ! won'

t you

keep quiet

159 . I n th e first of the ab ove ph rases th e verb k harag withits c omplem ent is in rea lity the sub j e c t of the sub stantive verbund ersmod

,so that we wo uld trans la te l iterally it is not that he

went out.

‘ Th e umphas is would b u lo st if we s aid ma k ha mgsh e

hawa . I n th e o ther se nte nc es them is implied a stro ng b e lief

W'

e m igh t a lso sa v m ush lvinnu k harag .

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134 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

EXERCISE 32

Don ’t sit up after eleven . (H e ) who goes to b ed early does

not repent . The work wil l not b e finished b efore sunset .

1 I amnot going to b urn it. Doesn ’

t your mother ride ? S he did not

danc e at all. Don ’

t sneeze just in front of m e . I t thundered

and lightened , b ut it d id not rain. I have not eaten or drunk

all day long . H e doesn’

t play b illiards b etter than you . Won’

t

you Open the door to h im’

.t There is no b read in th e house .

D idn ’

t any one seize them 2 Won’

t you sit down and k eep quietS he took h er purse from her pock et without h er k nowing . Don ’

t

go down to th em . Don ’

t insult a man 2 who has not insulted you .

W e didn’

t h ear h im when he cam e . Don ’

t snatch it away fromm e . I t doesn

’

t rain much in Cairo . Th ey won’

t ever get dry.

Don ’

t listen to him . W e shall not return b efore Friday evening .

I neither won nor was b eaten .

1 6 1 . The derivative verb s are eleven in num b er,and tak e

the following forms

I .— Barrik or b arrak

,the latter wh ere the doub led or the

final c onsonant is one of,the letters t , gh , h, (t, r , g , s , g , k ,

and the former in other cases.

REMARK — Barrik make k neel and shaghgh il cause to work

form exc eptions to the ab ove ru le (b ut shaghghal is also in use) .1 62 . Verb s of th is form are usually transitive , either causa

tive (wh ere the prim itive verb is intransitive) or intensive (whenthe prim itive verb is transitive) , as qa

“ad cause to sit

,k assar

b reak in p ieces , hab b is imp rison a number of p erson s.

3 Nagg issignifies eith er to cause to be or to c ons ider unc lean ,

saddaq emmew

true, believe. Instanc es of in transitive verb s of th is form are :

b ahhar go north, gharrab yo west, gaddar ha re Smallp ox ,

zallaqbe slippery,

‘aiiin be putrid .

REMARK a .— I t not infrequently happens that a verb appear

ing in th is form is no t used as a simple triliteral . as k hammin

conjecture or it may b e d enom inative , t.e. d erived d ire c t ly froma noun

,wh ether of Arab ic or fore ig n orig in ,

as da b b ish fetchb b le (dab sh ) , b annig put und er chtoe Orm ( h ing narcotic ) , sab b in

to soap (sab fin ) .4

REMARK — Som e verb s , mostly b ear ing a neuter sense , are

u sed b oth in the prim itivo and lirst d erived fo rm withoutanyd ifi ere nc e ofm ea n ing ,

a s b ilid (or b u llid ) yet dul l ,‘igiz (or

‘a gg iz ) get old .

1 Da ns . the sunset.

9 Tra ns . the 1mm .

8 W e m ay say h ab as - luun o r hab b is-h um .b ut we c annot sa y

ha b b isu in th is sense .

F rom the I t alian th ro ug h Turk ish .

THE FIRST DERIV ED FORM

REMARK c .— A few are used b oth transitively and intran si

tively, as shahb il hurry, qarrah come or bring near,b attal abolish

be abo lished , take ho liday.

1 63 . Th e first derived form is c on jugated as follows

PAST TENSE

INGULARMAS C .

SFEM.

l st pers. b arrik t,b arrak t b arrik t

,b arrakt

2nd pers. b arrik t,b arrak t b arrik ti

,b arrak ti

3rd pers. b arrik ,b arrak b arrik it

,b arrakit

PLURAL FOR BOTH GENDERSl st pers. b arrik na

,b arrak na

2nd pers . b arrik tfi -um ) , b arrak tfi -um )3rd pers . b arrikfi -um ) , b arrak i

‘

i -um )

A O R I S T

S INGULARMASC . FEM .

l st pers. ab arrik , ab arrak ab arrik ,ab arrak

2ud pers. tib arrik,

l tib arrak t ib arrik i, tib arrak i

3rd pers . yib arrik , yib arrak tib arrik,tib arrak

PLURAL FOR BOTH GENDERSl st pers . nib arrik

,nib arrak

2nd pers . tib arrik u -um ) , tib arrak fi -um )3rd pers. yib arrik fi

-um ) , yib arrak fi -um )

UNFINISHED PRESENT

S INGULARMASC . FEM .

l st pers. b ab arrik,b ab arrak b ab arrik

,b ab arrak

2a pers. b itb arrik ,

’

b itb arrak b itb arrik i,b itb arraki

3rd pers . b iyib ar rik ,b eyib arrak h itb arrik , b itb arrak

(or b ib arrik ,

PLURAL FOR BOTH GENDERSl st pers . b in b arr ik

,b in b arrak (or b in t

-b arrik,

2ud pers. b itb arrik fl 2 -m 3) , b itb arrak i1

-m ) (or b iteb arrik il , & c . )

3rd pars. b ib arrikfi -m ) ,4 b ib arrak l

'

l -m )

1 Or teb arrik ,and so throughout .

2 For b iti (te) b arrik ,

3 [ .e.-um

, the u b eing short ened wh en the m is fl dd t ‘d,and

so throughout .

Or uncontrac ted b iyi (ye) b arr ik f) ,

136 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

IMPERATIVE

Sing . masc . b arrik,b arrak Fem . b arrik i

,harraki

Plur b arriku -m ) , b arrak fi -m )

Partic ip.

,ac tive and pass ,

m eb arrik, meb arrak (mib an

'

rik,

mub arrik,the ) .

1

'

REMARK .— The partic iple of th is form is frequently used as

a sub stantive , as me‘allim one who teaches

, a master .

VOCABULARY

address ragga’

give back , re

go south turn

inform torture

bind (b ook s, (live the l ie to

&c . )fassah mahre room ,

walla (ac t .)abo ut

loa d

show over drive awayemp loy shell , pee l

rut out (c loth , increase. make

lac .) much,

throw

keep waiting; teac h.

grow hard,

ha rden

pave

ha rden

lend

take out seller of f lors r

wala) r lnur ( law-end ing ,de

aarm t

lo ad,b urden

For tho V UW H l of the fi rst s y llab le . sou M r . I n the

lite r ary lungung u the vowe l o f the final svllah le is alwavs i in the

nut, awl ( l in tho puss . part ic iple .

From g ib s gypsu m .

3 So nwtimes pronounc ed ganéni.

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1 38 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

meaning , as safir start on a journey , b arik b less, c ongratulate,qab il meet.

1 65. The pr1nc 1pal tenses are conjugated as follows

PAST TENSE

SI NGULARMASC . FEM.

l st pers. b arik t b arik t

2ud pers. barik t b arik ti

3rd pers. b arik b ark it (for b arikit)

PLURAL FOR BOTH GENDERSl st pers. barik na

2nd pers . b arik tfi -m )3rd pers . b ark u -m )

A O R I S T

S INGULAR

MASC .

ab ariktih zirik 1

yib firik

PLURAL FOR BOTH GENDERS

l st pers . nib arik

2nd pers . tib ark fi -m )3rd pers . vib arkfi —m )

IMPERATI V E

Sing . masc . b firik Fem . hark i

Plur . b arkn -m )Partic ip.

,ac t . and pass ,

m o b fn'ik , m ob arak 9

REM -xim a .—I t w ill b e ob served that th e c o njugation of th is

form d ill ers in no way from tha t of th e first,exc ept that the

vowe l i disappears in som e of the perso ns in ac cordan c e w ith

the rules o f pronunc i ation .

REMARK h .— Tho passive pa rtic iph is som e times b o rrowed

from th e prim itive verb ,thoug h th e o the r pa rts of the latte r

we no t in u se o r h ear a ( lifl'

c rc n t m e a n ing ,as ina b r llk b les l .

1 Or te lnirik , y ehfirik ,d’ c

2 Th o latte r form is some tim es used as a pass ive partic iple,a s in th e writte n la nguag e .

THE SECOND DERIV ED FORM

VOCABULARY

quarrel with dafi‘ ‘an

heal , attend sam ihb less sa‘idcongratulate

‘amilbe in commerce,

‘fir id 1

business h asibtake as a part

ner

annoy, tease

race with

Oppose, CON

tradict

shfitim insult,

band

words with

leave one alone

quarrel with

EXERCISE 35

Huwa k ulle yom b i‘al ikni. I l1na rayh in neqab ilhum fi 1

mahatta . Min b i‘algu'2 I l hak im illi ‘

aligni 1amma k utte‘a iyan

‘amnauwil huwa lli m e

‘algu . Allah yib arik fik . H uwa

b eyitag ir wahdu ? La’

mesharik wah id tani waiyah . Huwum iggauwiz

« id id ; mu~h I ah tib arik lu ? Tamalli 1amma tkun

fayte. m in h ina, yi

‘ak suh 1 1 wilad do]. I] waladen d uk -hammn

rah yisahqu h ;"1 i l fi 1 " an . Hash i ya wliya ! Ihua k unn a

m i ihnin b a‘dina h i I fulus ‘ala s sab qa . l l b inti d i tamalli

mkhalffin i fi 1 kalam . K a11u b eyishatmfi b a‘d quddfim b itna

1amma g ib ish shawish u waddfihum it tum u . l uta mush rah

teffiriqni ab adan ? B itkhanqi’

l l walad ( la léh ya b int ? Gheilib nzi

hum fi 1 kOra . Bitqfil k hanquh walla k hanaqfih ? Bfn ‘

ak 3 Allfih

{1 r rag il il mush ‘firfini wala b arak Allfih ii 1 m ara l mush‘firfiniya .

EXERCISE 36

The b oys were playing with th e g irls. I will m eet you

outside the shop. I d idn ’

t strik e h i m ; I was only d e fend ingmyself . I f you do th is

,I shal l never pardo n you . Wh en do

yo u (plur .) st art ? I am starting b y4 the tra in wh ic h lenve s f'

at 2 3 6 Th ey weren'

t helping us ; we d id it b y ourse lves .

1 l > c tt1 r ‘au iad 2 F0 1 h itek hun iqi.

3 F11 1 the use of the past tense ,se e § 473 c .

ma‘ 5

y .eqnm

pardon

helptreat, deal wit/1

expose, exhib it

settle accounts

with, beware,

look out

look after

you say

passingresp onsible

h airya runningrace

afterward s

140 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

Your enemy does not always b ecome1your friend b ecause you

treat h im well . Th ey are not going to exh ib it their goods inthe windows of the shops. Spend th e money out of 2 your

pock et , and I will settle with you afterward s. When th ey

quarrelled my b roth er reconc iled them . You are responsib le ,i nd must 3 look after everyth ing .

1 66 . I II .— l b rak 4 and oc c asionally ( the literary form ) ab rak .

I t is eith er transitive,b earing th e same meaning as b arrik

,

as ikhb ar inform (for the more usual k hab b ar) , or intransitive( or neuter) , as izman endure

,last

,islam become a ill / is sulman .

REMARK .— Th is fo rm is of very rare oc currenc e in the spok en

lang uage .

1 67 . The past tense is c onj ugated as in th e other form s ;

the aorist mak es ab rik, tib rik ,

tib rik i, yib rik ,

&c . ; th e imperativeis ib rik

,the

,and the partic iple mub rik

,m ib rik .

REMARK a .— Th e part ic iple m ay exist where th e other par ts

o f th e verb are not in use,as mudh ik caus zuf/ to laugh , laugha b le.

Those verb s of th is form whose sense adm its of a passive partic iple derive it from the simple verb

,as alz am h e compelled , pass .

part . malz fim .

REMARK b .— Th e word murzuq provid ed for (b y God ) , b lest

seems to represent th e past partic iple o f a verb arzaq ,which

,

however , exists neither in the colloquial nor the literary language ;so mus

‘ad b lest, and a few others.

VOCABULARY

be p ossib le to i‘lan

one5 igwaz

imp over ish muh sin

i-o rupel , l20 e mushrik

responsib le

ihsan (ahsan) show rhuritj/ to , n i isri‘

make giftscome of ( lg/e,

inform.

treat with

honour

b ring to light

renmre

ma lre f ro/ 1s

It l/ ‘

b’

1yig i.

9 m in .

3 hiz iin with aor .

Comp. l’ luc uic . ii‘il. 5 \Vith 11 d irec t o b j ec t.

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1 42 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

be ad ded up

be served ,wa ited on

ithamaq be quick-tem

p ered

be known

be invited

be conquered

be washed

EXERCISE 39

11 b ab il b arrani b eta‘ b etua b eyitqifil min guwa. I tsharab

andina nib it k etir il lela. K allimna b i l ‘arab i ‘

ashan kalemak

yitfih im min kull in nas. I l k haddam il b attal yitrifid . I l hagat

dih lazim yitrifi‘ min h ina . I tkhab atna min ‘

arahiya fi 8 sikk a

quddam b étak . I ssarafit ful us k etir qawi fi 1 b inaya d i. I sh

sham se k anit b etit‘ib id ‘and ii ‘

agam . Lamma titgim i‘ il gum la

hana‘raf qimt il kull . I r ragil da mithim iq we shuk a li k etir ;

kull ima tkallimu yith im iq . Huwa yin‘irif b i l hamaqa b etah tu.

H iya m ittil b a m in Allah leinne Rab b ina yirzuqha b i walad .

EXERCISE 40

They were imprisoned in their (own) garden . She was se izedb efore she reached her daughter

’

s house . Both the doors of m y

b edr oom open inwards. The jack et too , in fac t the whole suit

must b e washed . Don ’

t sit there , orgyou will b e k ick ed b y

‘

one of those horses. W hy was b e d ism issed ? Because he d idn’

t

look after the house properly when we went away. If you playwith them you will b e b eaten . H ow ar e you going to he wa ited

on if there is no servant in the house ? The ch ildren were carried

on the c amel’

s b ac k . A small piec e has b een c hipped off. Tak ethat glass away or it will b e upset

3; 170 . V .— I tb arrik

,itb arrak f’ Th is form is c o nstru c ted

1 I trnfat in the d ic tio na rie s .

2 Or muhmfiq .

3 lah san. m in .

5 l tfa“al is not unk nown to th e litera ry d ia lec t. I t is

the H e b r. lu'

thpa‘el , Syriac et/cpa

‘al (the seco nd rad ica l

doub led ).

THE FOURTH DERIVED FORM

from the first derived form b y the addition of th e prefix it, and

ac ts as its passive , or denot es generally the c ondition into wh ich

its ob jec t is b rough t b y its ac tion ,as

naddaf c lean itnaddaf be c leaned

b arrad cool itb arrad get cool

hak k im give one autho ithakk im have, use (or ab use) ,rity such authority

Sometimes it b ears the same sense and acts upon the sam e ob j ec tas the fir st form

,b ut governs that ob j ect indirectly instead of

directly, as kallim ir rag il (or itkallim waiya r ragil) he spoke to

(with) the man, hadditu (or ithaddit waiyah ) he cha tted with him

or it may b e middle or reflexive in sense , as qallib turn , itqallib

turn oneself, roll back . When the first form is intransitive , the

fifth is rarely in use ; wh en it is,it is generally identical in

meaning , as qarrah (or itqarrab ) app roach . V ice b ered , when the

fifth form is neuter , without any referenc e to the ac tion of a

transitive verb,the first form does not often exist .

17 1 . The aorist is atb arrik , titb arrik , &c ., or atb arrak

,

titb arrak ,&c .

,ac cord ing as the past tense is itbarrik or itb arrak

sim ilarly, the imperative itb arrik or itb arrak and the partic iple

mitb arrik or m itb arrak .

REMARK a .—The literary form tab arrak wil l oc c asionally b e

heard in conversation for b oth itb arrik and itb arrak ,

1as also

mutab arrik for the active partic iple , as ragil m utak allim an

eloquent man .

REMARK b .— l tb arrid is sometim es heard for itb arrad

,itb ash

sh ir for itb ash shar, itraddad frequent for itraddid .

REMARK c .— The i of the initial syllab le of th e past tens e is

not infrequently plac ed after instead of b efore the t, and pro

nounc ed very shortly, as tikallim (almost tkallim ) .2

1 But only in imitation of the literary dialec t. Th e Chaldaicform is th e only one

, properly speak ing , in use in the c olloquia llanguage.

'

2 S ee 14 . For the assim ilation of the t with c ertain lette rs

in forms and see 25 b . I ts sound often approac hes

th at of d .

THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

VOCABULARY

itmarragh roll ( intr. )itb ashshar be b lessed with,

lucky in

itb assas (‘ala) p lay the spy

itb assim smile, laugh

knowinglyitb a“ad be removed , itrakah

keep awayi ttarrab be covered

,

filled withdust

be advanced

be harsh ,rough , with

look wit h d is

da in on

top ut up ,set in

b e tried

b e bound

regret

b e in safekeep ing

b ear malic e

b e soaped

be cut out

( c loth es, the.)

EXERCISE 41

l l hu san k an b eyitmar ragh fi 1 hash ish‘ash an gitt itu sukhna

we yimk in titb arrad . l hna LUu S l l h luu l l il k tir b i l husan da , ya‘ni

b asal‘andin a b ak ht . ( luz tu k anit b etitb assas ‘

a leh 1amma kan

b eyitb assim li wahda mish Sh ib bak . I l hamdu li l lah fariqni( lilwaq ti r rag il da 1 khab b as wi tb a

“ad minni. I s sikka dilwaq ti

m itta rrab a b i shuwaiyit ram] ma fihash moiya wala wahl . Ka n

zaman m in ash ab i, lak in in in you: ma tqadd im fi 1 huk llma k ab harn ifus wi ttallit ‘

al cym l l husfin b et a‘na b eyitrik ib b asse h i 8serg ; lissa ma tgarrab sh e fil

‘arah iya~ I l uwa rag il gab b ar b iyit

haggar fi 1 kalam ‘an in nfis

, ya‘ni b iqul luhum k alam gtim id .

be arranged

p lease / praytake a walk

be suspended

be shewn ,look

,

over

be driven,

ridden

be washed

g ive oneself airsb e recovered

he says

body

good fortuluck

ch arlatan

tailor

san d

mud

sadd le

phenic , car

bolic,ac id

p ain

floor, groundtogether

long ago

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146 T E SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

EXERCISE 43

II hurma tb ark it b i wugfid ish shekh ‘andiha. Huwa kan

b eyitghamiz waiyaya‘ashan amsik u . I r ragil da ttaqil

‘aleya

k etir qawi, hatta hasal li za‘al m in k alamu . I l ‘

arb agi da mush

b asse ma qib ilsh ugritu lak in itghasir‘aleya we darab ni b i

kurb agu . I l k haddam b eta‘1 ma yitk hasim sh e waiya hadd . Intatitraz il léh ‘

an in nas dol we tishtimhum min gher sab ab .2 Huwa

r ragil da , illi h uwa missa‘id b iya fi shughlu kullu ,

ma qal lish e

hatta “ k attar k herak .

”I k hwatu mishshark in waiyah fi l b et.

Kanu b iyish shak lu waiya b a‘d wara l gami

‘. I za ssAdifte waiya

S alim sallim li ‘aléh .

EXERCISE 44

Sh e quarrels with h er husb and every day. W e met your

b rother b y chanc e yesterday afternoon . They were discussingtogether

1all day long . W e are going to rac e one another .

Don ’

t wrangle with the people in the street. W e have b een

intimate with one anoth er (for) a long time . H e is assoc iated

with her unc le in b usiness.

"

Why do you interfere ? Th is isnot your b usiness. Possib ly we shall meet your b rother to

—nigh t

at th e sh eik h’

s house . W hy are you always seek ing a quarrelwith that poor old woman ?

1 73 . VII .— I nb arak . I t usually has a passive sense , and is

often interchangeab lewith the fourth form , as inliaraq (or itharaq)be burned , burned down, inhakam (or ithak am) bejudged b ut it

not infrequently b ears a middle or a reflexive sense,as inqafal

be shut,shut

,infatali be opened , op en, ink asar be broken,

break .

174 . The aorist is anb i1 ik,tinb i1 ik

,&c .

,imperative in b irik ,

1ub 1 1 hi &c . , partic iple m inb irik (or mab ruk ) .REMARK .

— The literary form of the pai t1c 1ple munb ar ik i

h eard 1 egularly in the w0 1 d m unk asi1 (fo1 m ink isir) wh en m ean

ing humb le, unassuming , and is frequently used b y th e more

educated c lasses in other words ; enk asar, yink asar, will some

times b e heard for ank isir.

1 Trans . with one another.

SIXTH AND SEVENTH DERIVED FORM S 1 47

VOCABULARY

be changed ink atab

bepulled inqalab

asund er, ingarah

sp lit ; sp rawl ingama‘

inb asat bep leased , itnaqal

enjoy intaqab

be seized

be swallowed

bep laited

be done with

precision

ingaz ar be slaughtered ;

be grieved at

lounge

be imprisoned masu id

gaze lovinglyat

ingharaf be lad led out,

d ished upbe baked

be milked

be Tub bed ,stolen

be killed

be guarded

EXERCISE 45

Da mush qalami il li hta‘i inb adal ‘andak . I nb arashit rigléh

we rab it k ulle rigl fi nahya. I l gazma lli gildiha mush taiyib

tinb irish qawam . Huwa minb isit k etir m in kalamak . Hat it

tasa l k uwaiyisa illi gat min b ilad b arra . La’

,hiya m ink isra

l

‘andi fi l isb insa . Da ragil taiyib , munk asir ‘

ala llah .

2 Lamma

mmasak il harami wagadu waiyah il fulfil s ? La ’

,di inpalatit

m innu u niz lit fi b atmu . Da r ragil da tamalli yinb ihit‘ala l

mara,

3 we h iya k am-fin mab huta ‘

aléh . I t tab ik h laz iin yintiqin

k em an shuwaiya . H iya rah tingiz ir qawi m illi h as al liha . I l

liab le da qudum ma yingidilsh . Khab ar eh ! it tab ik h lissaugarafsh ? Q a

‘adna mag

‘fisin ‘ala l masuid b eta‘ 1] ‘

arahiya .

I nqilib‘ala l ganb it tzini. I l ‘esh ink hab az ? La’

,lissa 1 11a

nk hab ass .

1 Or mak snr a.

2 Trusting in God .

3 I t). h is wife ,

148 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

EXERCISE 46

Didn ’

t you en joy th e th eatre very much yesterday ? Th e

cow will not b e m ilk ed b efore sunset . Two watch es and ab out

three hundred pounds have b een stolen from one of my drawers.

W e are very glad that1 th e stab les have b een removed from in

front of our house . Three of th e poor wom en were k illed and

one was wounded . All th e people of th e village were c ollec ted 2

outside th e omda’s house. Wh ere will the wood b e b ored ?

You will b e imprisoned (for) three years . Th e garden ought to

have 3 b een watch ed as-well-as 4 the house . S ix glasses and fourcups were b rok en to-day. H e was seiz ed at th e station wh en

h e was ab out to leave . Th e letters had not b een written b eforenoon . In sure your h ouse , lest it b e b urned down .

175 . VIII .— I b tarak .

5 Verb s of this form m ay b e

(a ) Reflexive (th e refl ex ob j ec t b eing usually d ir ec t,b ut

oc c asionally indirec t) , as ih taras guard , p rotect, oneself from ,

istanad support oneself against, iqtadar acquire p oner, wealth ,for oneself.

( b ) Rec iproc al, as ish tarak waiya sharik,ish sharik waiya)

be in p artnership with .

( c) Identical in meaning with a neuter simple verb or fourthform , as k humur (or ik h tamar) rise (of dough ).

(d ) Th e passive of the primitive verb or first derived form,

as irtafa‘ be ra is ed (rafa‘raise) , ishtaghal be occup ied or (as a

neuter verb ) be busy ( shaghghal occupy) , irta‘ash be frightened ,

tremb le, shiver.

(e) A c tive , b ut with a m eaning different to that of the simple

verb or fir st derived form ,as ih taram honour, istalaf borrow

( from haram dep rive of, sallif lend ).1 76 . Th e aorist is ab tirik

,&c . , the imperative ib tirik

,

tib tirk i,&c .

,and th e partic iple mib tir ik (or mab ruk ) .

REMARK .

— Ashtaghal and aftak ar ‘j l think,imagine, are in

use as we ll as ashtighil and aftik ir and mub tarik and niub tarak

are sometimes h eard,as in the words m uq tad ir well muk htal if

opp osing ,d ifferent, mush tarik associating , subscriber, muhtaram

honoured , honourab le, mu‘tamad trustworthy, mu

‘tab ar respecte d,

respectab le.

1 mab sfl t leinn .

2 Fem . s ing .

3 Rain lazim mush b ass .

Th is form is a variant of itb arak ,a nd is c omparatively rare

in th e c o lloq u ia l l ang uag e .

6 I n th e l itc rnrv lang uag e a sh tng h il , zl ftz1k ir.

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150 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

§ l 77. IX .- I b rakk . I t occurs only in verb s expressive of

colour or a b odily defect. When th e simple verb exists, itsmeaning b ecomes intensified in th e ninth form ,

as k hadar to be

green, ik hdarr be green all over . The c onjugation is as follows

PAST TENSE

SI NGULARMASC.

l st pers. ib rakk ét

2nd pers. ib rakk et

3rd pers. ib rakk

PLURALS FOR BOTH GENDERSl st pers. ib rakk ena

2nd pers. ib rak k étfi -m)3rd pers. ib rakk fi -m)

Aorist.— ab rakk ,tib rakk , tib rakk i, yib rakk ,

ib rakk ,&c . Particip.

— mib rikk .

VOCABULARY

become b lue as]

become brown

become red

become yellow

become dark

getfaded

getfl ushedbe aj/ected withOphthalmia

they keep awaybe dyed

EXERCISE 49

Lamma titgh isil il h idum tiz raqq. I s sagara di ha yitla‘

minha warde m i zriqq . L on il b uya b eta‘it b itna igradde shwaiya ,

ya‘ni m ush ‘

ala aslu. Lamma k utte fi b lad lingliz kal1 lent

b ayad b i hamar lak in b ayin‘aleya dilw11qti leinn i smarrét m in

kutr ish sh 11ms . K 11nte b iftik ir leinn is sagara di méyita ,lfikin

d 1lw 1qt1 b aqa wa1f1qh

'1 k ullu inik lnli1r .

‘6nén wilad il fallaihintirmaddi k tir ‘

ash ; 1n ma yik hsiltl sh wish shuhum wala yehfishfi

minun d d ib b f1n . Lumma t inshaf il b il ya tighmaqq.

1 For kan.

origin, original

cond ition

white, white

colour

red , redness

desert

b lue (for washing)

evident

ever since

EXERCISE 50

H er b ody has all turned yellow from the disease. H is facewas red from over running .

1 W e got very much sunb urnt 2

wh en we were riding every day in th e desert . The paint ou3

that wall will turn yellow wh en it gets old . The c olours of that

stu ff have quite faded ; it ought to b e dyed. H er fac e is verymuch flushed ; I think sh e has 4 fever.

1 78. X .— I stab rik

,istab rak .

5 I t is

(a) Refl exive ,6 in so far that th e ac tion is performed for the

b enefit of the sub ject . I n th is sense it may b e followed either

b y a direct ob ject or one governed imm ediately b y a preposition ,

as istashh id wah id he called some one to witness in his favour ;istahsal

‘ala h aga he acquired something for himself. As a re

fl exive,it not infrequently denotes an attempt or a desire to

ob tain the ob ject denoted b y the root of the verb,as istafhim

‘an h aga to attempt to get information ( i.e . inquire about) a thingor a b elief on the part of th e sub ject in the existence of the

notion expressed b y the primitive verb , as istarkhas il k itab heconsidered the book cheap enough for him .

7

( b ) Simil ar l n meaning to the simple verb ,whether transitive

or intransitive , as istaqb il receive (a visitor) .

( c) Th e passive of the primitive verb or first form ,as istak hdim

be employed .

REMARK — The last sense is b orne b y a few verb s only.

1 Trans. from excess of the running.

2 Trans. browned by the sun.

3 Trans. which is in.

4yekfin

‘andiha.

5 The vowel of the final syllab le depends on the c onsonants

enc losing it. (See I stab rak b ears the same relation to

a form sahrak as ib tarak does to b arak . S ee under quadrilits. ,

and cf. Syriac shaqtal and ishtaqtal.6 The form of the Semitic verb in -s was originally causative

,

that in -t reflexive ; h ence the -st forms must b e trac ed b ack to

a prim itively 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 emp ty ( from faragh beempty) . The idea of refl exiveness is not al \v 1ys apparent , as in

istagh shim consider inexperienced ,&c . ,

and the partic iple may b e

used ad jec tively without any refe1 enc e to an exp1 essed opinion ,

as m istaqrab near.

152 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

1 79. Some of those wh ich fall under (a) are formed fromnouns, as istahmar

,istaghash consider a donkey, young donkey

(gah sh ) .180 . Th e con jugation of th is form is sim ilar to that of I .

,

th e aorist b eing astab rik ,astab rak

,

1 tistab rik,tistab rak , &c . , th e

imperative istab rik , istab rak ,&c .

,and th e participle mistab rik ,

mistab rak .

REMARK a.— Mistab rak is som etimes heard irregularly for

m istab rik,as m istansab (for m istansib ) app roving .

REMARK b .— The same verb may b e b oth active and neuter

,

as ista‘gil urge on make haste.

181 . XI .— I stib arrik ,

istib arrak , a variant of th e tenth

form, and very rarely h eard as a derived form of the perfect

verb .

istab ‘ad

istatqal

istaghlib

istadrag

istarz aq

istaghraq

VOCABULARY

consider, find istakm il

toofarconsider heavy, istam lik

too severe

acknowledge

oneself con

quered

find good istihallif

exercise authe

rity over, istahfaz ‘ala

domineer garah

get newsfrom‘auwart

extract ghawa

be astonished qatalbe blessed ,find k hab ta

lucky nem

get to under ‘aiyil

stand

get one’

s liv

ingwaylayconsider

good

find easybe astonished

find , consider,

near

be d rowned ,sink deep in

nice,

flower

i lfonsieur , AI r.

jobleave

,holiday

prince

arrival

be finished,

complete

acquire domi

nion over .

renounce

consider small ,too small

take an oath,

threaten

protect, guard

to wound

you damaged

beguile

k ill

a knock

sleepchild

idea

citadel

walls, errand

rose-water

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154 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

favour-of 1 one of th e other W ho is going to rec eive

th e prince on3 h is arrival at 4 Alexandria. Of course you don

’

t

win any money while you are idle. W hy do you tak e me for

a simpleton ? I don ’

t tak e you for a simpleton ,b ut I was

astonished that you confessed yourself b eaten b y5 a small b oy.

W e must inquir e of 6 the polic e ab out th ese people to-morrow

morning . Don ’

t hurry too much ; it is early yet. You must

hurry on th e work a little.

VERBS WHOSE SECOND AND THIRD RADICALSARE IDENTICAL

5 182. The primitive verb is con jugated as follows

PAST TENSE

SINGULARMASC. FEM .

l st pers. maddét maddét I stretched out

2ud pers. maddét maddéti

3rd pers. madd maddit

PLURAL

l st pers. maddena

2nd pers. maddétu —m)3rd pers. maddu -m )

MASC . FEM.

l st pers. amidd amidd

2md pers. tem idd (timidd) temiddi (timiddi)3rd pers. yemidd (yimidd) temidd (tim idd )

PLURAL

l st pers. nemidd (nimidd)2nd pers. tem iddu -m ) (tim iddfi -m)3rd pers. yemiddfl

-m) (yim iddu -m )

IMPERATIVE

Sing . masc . midd , fem . m iddi. Plur . m iddfi -.m)

Partic ip. act . m adid (fem. madda, plur. madd in) .artic ip. pass. mamdud .

2 Partic ip. of istak hdim .

5 li

SECOND AND THIRD RADICALS IDENTICAL 155

§ l 83 . Th e oth er tenses are formed b y the help of th e pre

fix es and th e sub stantive verb,as in th e case of verb s whose

radicals are all d ifferent ; b ut note that owing to th e ac cent

falling on th e final syllab le , th e weak e or i of the aorist prefor

matives is either pronounc ed very rapidly or disappears alto

gether , th e 2nd pers. singular of th e c ontinued present b e

c om ing in the case of the ab ove verb b itmidd (for b item idd ) ,the 3rd pers. b imidd (i.e. b iym idd for b iyim idd) , and th e l st

pers. plural b inm idd (for b inimidd) . Th e 2ud pers. singular

feminine and the 2ud and 3rd pers. plural generally c on

tract also , th e fina l open vowels b eing somewhat shortened in

pronun c iation ,as b itmiddi, b im iddu .

184 . Verb s whose first or doub led consonant is t, gh , d , r,

z , s, g, k , kh , or have u for the second vowel in the aorist

exc ept

taqq wh en meaning sahhto die ‘

add

which tak e a,and

tann1 tink le rise to the sur

ghash sh cheat

harr be hot

raff hurry past

raqq be thin

rann ring ( intr .)sann wait

farrfadd end ( trans )

wh ich tak e i .

185 . Qarr mak es yequrr wh en meaning to talk ill of‘ad d

also mak es ye‘udd

,and k aff keep back oc casionally yekiff.

Khass concern and z ann think tak e eith er i or u.

VOCABULARY

sprinkle h agg for p ilgrim

boast,talk big h agig ( 10 )

shear h ashsh cut grass,sound hatt put

go on a p il gaff arrange in a ro w

grimage k h all be deranged

1 But rarely used .

156 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

beat, pound ,

mash , p lay

(music )cough

rain

p ick up

give back , re

ply, p ut to

(a door)rep air

pour

d emolish

injure, hurtleapindicate

pull

falsenufastenlook out

get soft

EXERCISE 53

Hasib ! ma tb uk hk hin ish b i l moiya . I rl

ragil da tamalli

b iyegukhk h e b i 1 k alam ,we ma yik allimnish illa

‘an nafsu . Ye

giz zfi sha ‘r il kh aruf b i l maqass. Ana laz im agiss ir ragil fi 1

mas ala I l g6z wi g g6za mush tamalli yeh ib b fi b a‘d . I l mus

lim 1n yeh iggu fi shahr i1 b ugga . Husanak k hasis qawi, yimk in

‘aliqu shuwaiya. I l b ersim mah shush walla lissa ? H iya k anit

hatta b ui nc t1tha‘at ta1 ab eza. Kull il qaz ayiz mah tfl tin we mas

fufin f6q 11 b ufi éh . Esh yek hussak b i l mas ala d i ? Mush

shugh lak . Inta ‘aqlak ma

ykhlul walla eh ? Lazim teduqqi l

batatis wi tna“am ih . Ana ma zunnish innu yigi nnahar da .

11 fanella 1li m a tk h ish shish fil ghasil . I shrab i d dawa d ih ,

yimk in tek hiffi‘aléh . Ma kansh e yisahhi ln yidrab in 11318 1161 il

masakin . 11 k tua b a‘de ma niz lit qab b it‘ala wishsh il moiya .

U ‘a 1 kalb e ( la lah san yi

‘addak . Mad 1m inta ‘

aiyan lazimtik inne nafsak m in il b a1 d . I 1 husan b ik uhh e shuwaiya l léla .

Taiyib , iddi ln b ranmash sh we huttu ln sh shu11. 11 matara b it

ruk k e shuwaiya .

1 Tur k ish .

med icine

scissors,shears

p iece

foddersink

, drain

flannel

land lord

writing -tab le

the 1 2 th MO

hammedan

month

bund le

washing , wash

stringhorse-cloth

rain

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158 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

VII I . Imtadd be stretched , lengthened out

Aor. amtadd,timtadd

,&c .

Imperat . imtadd

Partic ip. mimtadd

X . (a) I stiqall1

( b ) istaqlil consider little, too little, small

Aor . astiqall , tistiqall , &c .,

astaqlil , tistaqlil , &c .

Imperat. istiqall istaqlil

Partic ip. mistiqall mistaqlil

REMARK a.—Nearly all the verb s of this c lass are c onjugated

after the first model .

REMARK b .— Th e partic iple sometimes tak es th e form mista

b irk ,as mistam irr (for m istimarr) . Th e literary mustab ark

,as

mustamarr,&c . ,

will oc c asionally b e h eard .

REMARK c .— Forms I . ,

V . ,and X . ( b ) are , of c ourse, con jugated

in th e past tense , as well as in th e aorist , lik e th e second form of

the perfect verb ,namely, b arrik , b arrak while IV . ,

VII ., VIII . ,and X . (a) are c onjugated lik e th e primitive verb oftheir own c lass.

VOCABULARY

drive mad ithaqqaqbound

,limit itradd id ‘

ala

cause to have indarr

compassion

place in a row

be scratched

bep ut to (door)

1 Note that i h ero t ak es the plac e of th e a of th e perfec t

be verified

feel oneself

take oneself ofi'

be shorn

be mown

be p leased

be poured , sp ilt

befrighteneddeserve

perceice

inf/ Hire

consi der madconfessbe rea dyto rear

Charity, almsink

THE WEAK VERBS 159

EXERCISE 55

I I k haddam da mistigadde‘andi. Humma mistiqarrin

‘ala

nafsuhum .

'I l mara di 1 mask ina mistihaqqiya1 l hasana.

I stimarret fi sh shughl 111 1 in nahar . I tgarr il hab l m in in

nahyitén . I ndarrét k etir min k alamak .

gI ngarr ! im shi m in

quddami ! Huwa m ehib b i 11 k etir qawi. I l mas ala d 1 b itganmnni .

I l gh itan mehaddidin min kulle g iha . I thaqqaqit il mas ala

walla lissa Z I thak k e gild il k itab m inni .2 Allah yihannin

‘alek .

Kutte b astidalle ‘ala b etak . Kunna b inistik anne m in il b ard . I l

k itabat kanfi m irassasin fi r ruffif. K an m irtadd 3 11 b ab walla

maftfih ? l ltamm éna k allina fi 3 sikk a . Inti mitraddida ‘ala

i‘m amu ? Kanit mistaqlila4 l ful us.

EXERCISE 56

H e doesn’

t deserve a piastre . You wil l get wet, as5you have

6

no umb rella. Th e house ought to b e repaired . Your sister

drives me mad . The sh eepwill b e sh orn to-morrow. The horse

was frightened , and reared . A b ottle of ink has b een spilt on

your carpet. They consider th eir salaries mu ch too small . Th e

grass has not b een mown this year . Sh e was not ready wh en Icalled to h er . I thought you must have gone mad wh en you

put your foot in th e fire. W e have not yet verified th e matter .

The b ottle should not b e put on th e dining-tab le .

THE WEAK VERBS

VERBS WHOSE FIRST RADICAL IS QAT ‘A

187. As these verb s are few in num b er,and present various

irregular ities, it will b e convenient to give a list of them

,with

the forms c ommonly in use. I t will b e notic ed that in most of

them the primitive or simple form is wanting7:

azan givepermission

Aor. a'zin , ti

’

z in,&c .

Partic ip. ac t . m i’ zin Partic ip. pass. ma’z um

X . ista ’z in ask permission

Aor. asta’zin

,(160 .

I . Assar (fi) impress, annoyAor. a

’assar , ti

’assar

,&c .

Partic ip . me’assar

,&c .

1 See 60 ,Rem .

2 By me.

3 Mardud is more usual .4 Or mistiqalla .

5 mfulfim .

6 ma‘ak i

7 The imper'

,ati\ e b eing in every case regular ly form ed

,is

omitted for the sak e of b 1 ex ity.

1 60 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

IV. it ’agar be annoyed

Aor. at’isir , &c .

Partic ip. mit’isir.

I . Aggar let, hireAor . a

’aggar

Partic ip. me’aggar

V . it ’aggar be let

Aor. at‘aggar

Partic ip. mit ’aggar

I . W ahh id recognise the unity of GodAor.

Par tic ip. mewahh id

VIII . iltahad 1 (or ittahad) form a comp act with

Aor. altih id (attah id)Partic ip. miltih id (m ittihid)Ak had take

,usually shortened to k had and conjugated as

follows :PAST TENSE

MAS C.l st pers . k hadt

2nd pers. khadt

3rd pers. k had

l st pers. akhud 9

2md pers . tak hud

3rd pers. yak hud

PLURALnak hudtak hd il -m )yuk hd il

-m )Imper. k hud , k hudi, k hudfi -m ) .Partic ip. ac t. wfik hid ,

wak hda,wukhdin .

Pa rtic ip. pass. wanting .4

1 A c orruption of ittuhud . The latter form is in use amongthe educated .

‘2 The a of the first sylla b les of the nor. is not pronounc ed

ve ry long .

8 Mil k h itl . w ill smnvtimos he hmm l.

h l zn‘ lc llfl z in Nu lm '

y.

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1 62 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

spok en language , and th e verb is c onjugated throughout lik e k had ,as k alit she ate, kalna we eat, ak ul I eat, yaklu they eat, k ul ea t,wak il eating. I n the partic ip pass ,

ma’k i

‘

il,

1 th e qat‘a re

appears.

I . VV

akk il ( some times akk il) c ause to eat.

Aor. awakk il

Partic ip. mewakk il

V. it ’akhk h il be eaten, &c .

VI . ittak hil be eaten, attak h il , Sec .

I I . Allif compose, write, a’allif

,m e

’allif author.

V . I t’allif be composed , d‘

c .

Amar co mmand .

Aor . a’mur

,ti’mur (rarely tu

‘m ur) , &c .

Partic ip. ac t. wanting.

Partic ip.pass. ma’mur .

V . it‘ammar (‘ala ) arrogate a uthority over.

I . Amm in entrust,trust, a

’amm in &c .

I I . 51m in b elieve, trust, a‘amin , m e

‘

sm in .

I I I . I n partic ip. mu’m in belieuing .

X. ista’min trust, yista‘min , &c .

I . W annis be comp anion to , awannis, &c .

I I . anis ke ep company with , enterta in,a

’anis, me

‘

zi nis .

V. itwannis ( b i) be accompanied ,ha cefor cmnpanion .

X . I sta'

nifappeal( against a mista ’nil

'

.

X . I stanna (for ista‘

na) , astanna, mistanni.X . Istab il (for ista ’ b il ) be worthy, deserve, astab il .

lnistaih il

I . Aiyid affirm ,confirm ,

11’

aiyid , S'

e .

iA

t‘aiyid be (117777 7115 41

I I . Ayis b rave,

( lea-pair of, s‘ays ( fo r a

’iiyis ) ,ine

‘

ays (for m e‘ayis ) .

\ 11 ( lo l'

awan) arrive (of 11 tim e o r season ) , yi‘

lu ,

partic ip. Wanting .

I . W arraz show,awarri, m ewarri.

V . itwair fi. be shown , atwarrfi, m itW a rri.

I n inu‘k fdat ed it/ 11's . M itta

'

ik h il is ord inar ily used fo r

ma‘lul l.2 Perhaps etn no logica ll y c o nnec ted with ru

'

u am, the th ird form

of wh ic h ( fu ll ) sig nifies to show in literary appears as

wurfi (no r. auri) , in th e d ialec t ofSyria ,us ( 111 1 11gli f10 m wari . Aura

m ay oc c asionally b e heard a lso in Eg ypt .

THE WEAK VERBS 163

188. Attention is called to the following peculiarities, illustrated b y the ab ove examples

(a ) I n some c ases qat‘a passes into or , as in wak h id (for

akh id ) , wahhid (for abb id ) , or into y, as in istésar (for istaysar ,for ista ’

sar ) ; or disappears altogeth er , an a prec eding it b einglengthened to a

,as in yak ul , yak hud (for ya kul , ya khud ) , istab il

(for ista h il) ;1or is assimilated to t, as in ittahad (for it

’ahad ),

ittak il (for and to n in istanna (for ista’na) .

( b ) The two verb s iddan and idd a tak e i irregularly for a in

the first syllab le . Both drop qat‘a with its vowel in th e aorist ,

and idd a also in th e partic iple ,2 m iddi (for m i

’ iddi) .

( c ) Mi’ zin p ermitting is quite irregular ,

resemb ling the part ic iple of the th ird form .

3 I t sh ould b e wazin ( for azin ) , b ut itwould then have th e same form as the partic ip. of wazan to

weigh .

(d ) I ttakh il , ittak h id ,and ittak hir (for it

‘

akh il,

though

c on jugated after the sixth form,b ear the sense of th e fourth or

fifth.

(e) Khad and k al tak e a for i in the aorist in c ompensation

for the loss of the qat‘a,and wahhid i for a in the sec ond syllab le ,

that it may resemb le in sound th e word wah id .

(f) Th e forms VII .,IX . , and XI . are not in use .

189 . Medial qat‘a oc c urs in the verb s ra

’a see, ra

’af be in

dulgent, excuse, sha’

am be of ill omen , and sa’

al ask .

The three latter are conjugated regularly ,the aorist b eing

ar’

af,tir ‘

af, & c .

, the imperative ir’

af &c .

,th e partic ip. ac t. rayif

(for ra ’ if) , th e part ic ip. pass . mar‘fif b ut note that while ra’

af and

sa'

al tak e a in the final syllab le of the aorist and imperative ,sha'

am tak es i. Mas’fil is used in the sense of resp onsib le .

Sha ’am has fo r its first derived form

,b y sub stitution of w for

qat‘a ,shauwim (rarely sha“am ) . Ra’a (for ra

’ay) mak es ra

’et I

saw, &c . (regularly) aor . ara‘i,tira ‘i, dtc . ( irregularly, for ar

‘ay,

Or,in th e language of th e g rammarians

,th e ham za. ( qat

‘a)

is converted into th e al if p roductionz'

s.

2 The former appears as azzan in Nahwy , and is regarded as

the first derived form of azan p ermit. Ac c ording to rule,the

word should b e addin in the c olloquial . The a of the fina lsyllab le seems to b e in c ompensation for the weak ening of the

first. 1 11111 is perhaps the literary add zi,wh ich also

,as has b een

seen,appears as wadda in the spok en language .

3 1 . e. mu‘zin ,wh ic h exists in the litera ry language in the

sen se of infm ning .

164 T E SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

imperat. (m . and f . ) ra’i ; partic ip. act . ra’i (rayi) ; particip.

pass . not in use .

1

1 90 . Final qat‘a lik ewise occurs in a few verb s only. Most

of them are c on jugated regularly, as k afi’reward ( second derived

form of unused prim itive verb ) , kafi’

t,kafi‘

na,&c . ; aor. akafi ‘

,

&c . imperat . kafi ‘

partic ip. m ekafi ’ haiya’

( I . ) Show honour to ,haiya

’t,aor. ahaiva ‘

,&c . hazza ’

( I .) and istahz a’

(X .) mock , makefun of.

19 1 . Th e verb s sa’

(for c ontrac ted from sawa ’

) do harmto and sha ’

(for shayi’

) wish are somewhat irregular in their

con jugation . Th e fir st mak es si't , si‘na

,&c .

,in the past tense ;

aor. asi’

,tisi’ , &c . imperat . si’ partic ip. ac t . seyi

‘

(for SEN) . Th e

th ird form is asa’

(b y c ontrac tion) , hardly used exc ept in the

partic ip. m isi’ (for mus’i) .

Sha’ mak es sh i’ t,&c .

,in the past tense ; asha ’

,tisha’

, or ( inimitation of th e literary) tash a

’

,

2 &c . ,in th e aorist . Th e imperat .

and partic ips . are not in use .

REMARK — Several verb s wh ich have final qat‘a in the c lassical

language have y in the Cairene dialec t , as qara ( i.e. qaray)3read

( c lassic Haiya‘ has a duplic ate form ,

haiya (or haiya ) ,with haiyét , haiyéna ,

for th e other persons of the past tense ,and ahaiya ,

&c .,for th e aorist . Sha ’

often drops its qat‘a in the

expression in sha ’ Allah if God will , wh ic h then b ecomes in

sha llah .

V OCABULARY

Khad ‘ala get accusfomed

to

she threw

p iece of lea /her ,bind ing

hearingd ic tionary

1 Bet (for ra’et) is used b y l

'

e llaheen universa lly, and b yCairenes in the expre ssion ya. ret would Mal

,&c . The literary

form of the aorist am,&c .

,oc c urs in ya tam .

9 When th is is used the ac c ent falls slightly ( though c ontraryto rule ) on the final syllab le , as it also sometimes does in tisha ‘

,

yisha‘

,&c .

8 See 208 seq.

4 Turk ish.

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166 THE SPOKEN'

ARABIC OF EGYPT

VERBS WHOSE FIRST RADICAL IS W

192. Th ese are conjugated as perfec t verb s exc ept for thecontrac tions resulting from th e sem i-vowel nature of the 10 .

Thus wa‘ad p romise mak es in th e aorist an

‘id,tu‘id

, yfi‘id

,Ar c .

(for aw‘id,tiw‘id

,in th e imperat . fi‘id (for iw

‘id) , and

in th e partic ip. pass. mau‘fid (for maw‘fid ) . Similarly, anqa‘

,

yfiqa‘

,&c .

,from wiqi

‘

fall.REMARK a .

—Th e first syllab le of the 1 st pers. sing . of th e

aorist sometimes sounds almost as it instead of an .

REMARK b .— \V aqaf step mak es in th e aorist tuqaf, yuqaf

&c . ,and oc casionally tiqaf,

1 &c . The imperat . is uqaf. W iqi

(som etim es waqa‘

) mak es aqa‘ more frequently than anqa‘ in

the 1 st pers . sing . of the aorist ; tuqa‘

, yuqa‘

,&c . ,

in the oth er

persons, and oc casionally tiqa‘

, yiqa‘

, &c .

1 93 . The following verb s tak e a in addition to those wh ose

m ed ial radical is h, It , or or Whose final radical is h

, It , g ,or kit

arrive ( time or

oc casion)find

and oc casionally wiris inherit.2

1 94. W asaf describe tak es i irregularly for u,and the

following i irregularly for a

make d esolate

p romise

toad

REMARK .—The aorist of wagad is used b oth in an ac tive

and a passive sense. Oc casionally yugid is h eard ( in an ac tivesense only) for yfigad .

3 Wagah mak es yfigib ,when meaning

be incumbent upon.

“

I n the eigh th form the w is assim ilated to th e. t,as in verb s

1 But tiqaf is scarc ely pure Cairene.

2 Yuris is the c ommon form in th e spok en language.

3 But hard ly from the lips of a true Cairene .

But it is rarely used c olloquially in th is sense .

THE WEAK VERBS 1 67

whose fir st radical is qat‘a,as ittasal reach

,from wisil (for

iwtasal) .1 95 . The following are examples of th e derived form s

I . W'

ahhash make wild

waggih turn,d irec t

warib slant

wafiq agree with

augab app roach (of a

tim e, season) VIII .

itwagad , be found

atwigid ,&c .

V . itwahh al besmeared with

mud

itwaggih be turned ,di

rected

REMARK a .— Th e general remark s which have b een made

with regard to th e signification and use of th e derived form s

of th e perfec t verb apply, of c ourse, to those of th e weak verb,

as,for instanc e , that the partic ip. pass. of th e primitive form

often replac es that of the th ird,fourth ,

and oth er form s,as

itwaz an be weighed ,mau zun weighed .

REMARK b .— Verb s of this c lass whose m edial and final

rad icals are identical present no irregularity whatever.

VOCABULARY

weigh

beget, give b irth to

hurt, p ain

put on leaves

make room

agree with

get entangled ,

stuck , stranded

itwahhash b e turned into a

savage b ahri

1 Nahwy muttasil .2 Intensive.

itwarib be slanted

inwaga‘

smart

(more

usuallyitwaga

‘

)ittasal , reach

attisil ,mittisil 1

Not in use.

istauhash become wild

istanlid beget genera

tions of ch itd ren 2

be confused , stuckbe weighed

be laden

act as a go

between

love

incite

uncover ,

ceive

north

168 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

south mah tab il post-ofi ce

wild beasts b usta

sustenance haram wrong, shame

load qb l statement,

de

stinging , sting , claration

bite

EXERCISE 59

Lamma yugab il waqt n eruh‘ala b etu . M a tugadsh e andina

haga z éye di. Ma twagadtish ana fi rastab l 1amma saraqa l

k h el Humma k anu m itwaggihm‘ala l b ahr . I l b itta illi tk un

moiyitha shuwaiya tuqaf fib a l m erh ib we titwih is. Inta rah

tuhashni 1amma tsafir . Huwa ragil m itwahh ash z éyi l wah sh.

W iqif yitwihill fi 1 k alam . lh ya rah tul is abuha W umm iha li

wahdiha . W arib 2 il b ab ‘ash an ma b addish yik shifna. Yittisilu

rizqe m in‘and Allah . H uwa sak in fi masr min zaman u wilid

wi staulid b enak . I l gamal da mausuq wisqe3gam id

‘aléh . I r

ragil da stauhash fi 1 gibal . H iya wilditwaladén fi b atne wahda .

4

I s sagara warraqit walla lissa ? Ma k ansh e lazim t iw uz u‘aléh

yidrab ha . Uz il ll 1 gawah da m in fadlak .

EXERCISE 60

Her fac e was turned (to th e) South . My eye pains m e. Her

c loth es were smeared with mud . H er foot was swelling fromth e b ite of the m osquito . Leave th e door a little to .

5 She

doesn’

t love h im . The letter ought to have b een weighed . S top,

girl , or you will fall down6 th e steps. She will describ e the

house to you . W e had arrived (at) th e Pyram ids b efore theyleft 7 the hotel . You (plur. ) are overloading

3your donk eys . I

will ac t as your go-b etween 9 in the matter . Mak e a little room

for me, please . Don ’

t stop1 0 the c arriage in th e m iddle of the

street .

The no r . is often equivalent to th e partic ip. in English .

I .e . p at it to a littl e I .e . with a bun /en .

I . e . twins. Part ic ip. of itwfn'ib .

Trans . from on .

7 tili‘ m in .

Trans. over b y k etir at end of sentenc e .

Trans . I will art as a go- b elu'

een fo r ( ll) you.

’ I 0 0 D i

14 11s t ( lerl ved fo rm of wh l l l .

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170 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

PLURAL FOR BOTH GENDERSniqul , neqfil (for niqwul)tiqulfi

—m,teqfilfi

-m (for tiqwulfi-m )yiqfilfi

-m, yeqfilfi

-m (for yiqwulfi-m )Imperat. masc . qfil , fem . quli. Plur. qulu .

Partic ip. ac t . qayil (qfifiil) . Partic ip. pass. not in use.

1

REMARK a .— Th e Nahwy passive of this verb

, qil (for quwil) ,with its aor. yuqal (for yq al) , is oc casionally used impersonal]y ,

and c onsequently only in the 3rd pers. singular .

REMARK b .— A few verb s retain th e w in th e partic iple , as

tawi‘ obeying (also Th e partic iple of ‘az want is either‘awiz ( in pronunc iation almost

‘au z ) or

‘ayiz Yi‘iz , ye‘iz ,

are som etimes h eard for yi‘fiz

, ye‘

fiz . Nam sleep mak es nimt,

u imna,&c .

,in th e past tense , though it is for nawam .

1 98. Sei ‘conta in,

k haf 3 fear, nam ,

4and 2 211 ( in the expres

sion lam yazal , g 545) tak e a in th e final syllab le of th e aorist .

5

All others tak e n . A few are c onjugated lik e verb s With m ed ial

g in th e prim itive form ,and in the derived form s lik e those with

m edialw,as 1131 refer, hilt I referred ,

aor. ah il,b ut hauwil , ithauwil ,

rife ; ta‘obey, yiti

‘

,m ak es tauwa

‘or taiya

‘ in th e first derivedform ;

‘an help ,lift, l st pers.

‘int, aor . yi‘lu

,b ut I I .

‘awin or

( contrac ted )‘aun .

1 99 . Verb s of this c lass whose final radical is y (b eing thusdoub ly imperfec t) are not sub jec t to the c ontrac tions describ ed

ab ove,as k awa iron,

aor . akwi ; nor are the followingtiwil 5 gram tall dawak h

ghawat (and d ig down deepits passive

ghuwu‘r)

hawas

hawal

lang uage . I t will no t b e forgotten that the first syllab le is pronounc ed very short

,exc ept when , as oc casionally happens, it is

sub stituted for i or e,as yumfit he ( lies ( for yim fit) .

1 M itqal or m inqal are used instead so m indas lrurlden on ,«b e .

Literary nawima . I n th e l ite rarv languag e all these havei fo r th e sec ond vowel .

3 Yuk haf is som e tim es h eard fo r yik lnif.

Nam is often used with a pas sive signific ation ,as il qiz ziz da

laz im yo nam these b e ll /cs mu st be lu irl ( te rm .

5 Also tail, espec ially in the sense of lo rear /r, be long eno ugh .

THE WEAK VERBS 1 7 1

Thus th e partic ip. act . of khawat is k hawit , its partic ip. pass.

mak hwfit , its fourth d erived form itk hawat . Th e partic ip. pass. of‘awag is ma

‘fig (for ma‘wug) ; th e seventh form of dawak h and

dawash,indawakh and indawash respectively.

200 . Of these verb s, tiwil , ghawat

1ghuwut, and z iwir tak e

a in th e aorist , the rest i (dawak h and k awa‘ irregularly) .2

§ 20 1 . Th e following are instanc es of the derived forms of

those wh ich contract :

I . dauwar 3 turn round (datauwib cause to rep ent

I I . gawir be neighbour to

gawib or (b y answer

contraction)gaub

I II . aqam

IV. ithfish be kep t of

iddauwar be turned round

ish shauwaq lo ng foriggauwiz be married

,marry

VI . ittawil (‘ala) a ssault

,abuse

ittaub (for yawn partic ip. mittawib,

ittawib ) mittaub

inhash be kept of , get l st pers. inhasht ; aor.

away anhash

inhawag (nu aor. yinhiwigc ontracted)

VIII . ih tzig or (nu beg l st pers. ih tagt or

contracted) ihtawagt aor.

ihtawag ah tag or ah tiwig ;

part ic ip. m lhtag or

m ihtiwig

1 Ghawat is rarely used , espec ially in the past tense,the

sec ond form , ghauwat, generally tak ing its plac e .

2 S ee § 14 1 3 Or dauwar .

4 Ob serve that in th e d erived form s th e a of th e past tense

is maintained throughout.

5 III . is very rarely used . I stiqfim ( istaqam ) , with same

meaning , is more common than aqfim .

tab )

l st pers. gawib t ; aor .

agaub ; imperat .

gaub ; partic ip. me

gaub

l st pers. aqamt4aor.

aqim partic ip.

muqim,m eqim

o

1 st pers. ithasht aor .

atb ash partic ip .

m ithash

1 72 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

iswadd turn b lack

X . istigab2or (un grant a request

c ontracted )istagwib interrogate

istamwit pretend to be

dead or wretched

XI. Not in use .

REMARK a .-Nam sleep , lie down, has usually naiyim put to

sleep ,lay down ,

for its fir st d erived form,as though the m iddle

radical were 1 b ut nauwim is oc c asionally heard . Q aiyim raise

( from qam )3 is som etimes used for qauwim ,

b ut savours of fellahidiom . Tah go astray has tauwih , m ean ing to lead astray, and

taiyib to deal haughtily wi/h .

4

REMARK b .—Th e i of the fir st and fifth form s som etimes

b ecom es u under the influenc e of the first syllab le, as k hauwuf

frighten, itk hauwuf (for k hauwif, &c ) .

VOCABULARY

be left id le, onone

’

s hands

soak

repent

give upkeep ,

keep away

pass, leave

delay,be long

let pass

hoard

surround

g ive contract to,engage

1 Fem . in iswidda,b ut the fo rm in iswadd a is used as a sub

st antive m eaning a rough copg .

2 Oc c asiona lly pronounc ed istag zib .

3 Note qam ye qll in rise,b ut qam yeqim ra ise.

4 No doub t they are in reality d istinc t verb s.

l st pers. iswaddét ;aor. aswadd parti

c ip. m iswidd 1

1 st pers. istigab t , is

tagwib t ; aor . asti

gab , astagwib ; par

tic ip. m istigab , mis

tagwib

itb auwish succeed to

inb zi s be k issed

istigar call to assist

ance

istatwil nafsu hold one’

s head

high

I consented

believer, faith

fuldeaf and d umb

scarcitystone

goods

atmosphere

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174 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

VERBS WHOSE MEDIAL RADICAL I S Y

204 . I n these verb s the following c ontrac tions tak e plac e

(a) I n th e past tense of th e simple verb th e g , with its pre

c eding and following vowels,contrac ts into (2wh en th e latter of

th ese two vowels is followed b y a single c onsonant,and into i

wh en it is followed b y two c onsonants ; while in the ao rist the

y, with its following vowel , contracts into i . The changes wh ich

tak e plac e in th e derived forms are identic al with those which

oc cur in th e w verb s.

§ 205 . The following is an example of th e con jugation of a.

verb of th is c lass

PAST TENSE

SINGULARMASC. FEM.

l st pers. b i‘t ( for b aya‘t) b i‘t I sold

2nd pers. b i‘t b i‘ti

3rd pers. b a‘ b a‘it (for b aya‘it)

PLURAL FOR BOTH GENDERS

l st pers. b i‘na (for b aya‘na)

2nd pers. b i‘tfi-m (for haya‘tu—m)

I mperat. b i‘

,b i‘i

,b i‘fi.

Aor. ab i‘,teb i‘, &c .

Partic ip. ac t . b ayi‘ 1 Partic ip. pass . meb 1

REMARK — The uncontrac ted form of the passive participle

appears in ma‘

yfib d ishonoured , insulted , madyun ind ebted ( fromd isused dam) , and a few others ; tash be light

—headed mak es

matwfish more often than matyfish .

206 . 1351 11 appear, b at pa ss the night, and sha“ (for shaya’

)3

tak e a in the aorist (making ab an, fear and nxil ob tain

g enerally mak e tihib , yinil , b ut occasionally yuhab , yunzi l.4

REMARK — The verb k hayal dazz le does not c ontrac t either

in th e simple verb or in any of the derived form s.

1 "The d of the partic iple in ayi sometim es sounds near ly as 5

,

as b ayi‘

,

‘

b éyi‘

(or b efi, (S ee S imilarly , verb s with w

for the m iddle ra dical,b ut some of th em o ften c ontrac t to one

syllab le . (See ab ove. )2 The partic ip. pass. is not much used , that of t he fourth or

seventh derived form g enerally tak ing its plac e .

3 For the c onjugation of sha ’

,see 1 9 1 .

4.

‘

u for i in the first syllab le , apparently in the b elief that itsounds educated .

THE WEAK VERBS 1 7O!

207. The derived form s are as follows

I . khaiyat sew‘aiyid (

‘ala) visit on a fete day

séyib (for saiyib ) let go

I I . sayis (generallycontrac ted) groom ,

manage

ayir”

rep roac h

I I I . a‘ash 1 make live

IV. be sold

V. itb éyin (for to make c lear

itb aiyin )it‘ayiq think oneself a ( lan dgiddayin be in deb t

VII . be sold anb a‘ , minb a‘

VII I . b e puz z led yihtar , m ihté lIX . turn white ab yadd , m ib yidd

X . istigas2 ast igas, m istigis

istatyib (uncon find good , app rove

XI . istiraiyah3 (or rest, repose

istiréyah)REMARK .

— The first syllab le of th e fir st fo rm is sometimes

very hurriedly pronoun c ed , as though its vowel were i,as siyib ha

(or isyib ha , see for séyib ha /et her go. Th e first and fifth

forms oc casionally tak e 71) for y, although th e aorist is regular , as

zad increase, ao r. yiz id , b ut z auwid ,iz zauwid (for zaiyid , (t o ) .

VOCABULARY

k haiyish

ra ise, talcea [m yhang , p ut to

perplea;

melt (a c t . )

1 But no verb s of th is form can b e fairly said to exist in thu

c olloquial language .

2 I staqam is sometimes used for istiqém ,and some others

similarly b oth of the w and y c lass.

3 Th is form is in use also in other spok en d ialec ts.

p ut wrapping

(k hesh ) oncharge with a

f/eb l

exp ose

be let go, esoape

be mad e a

deb tor by,owe

1 76 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

choose rats is sana New Year’s

Day

fish dressmaker

be carried away valleyincrease

,rise

wrongevident

d irt

lantern

EXERCISE 63

Ushur 1amma b éyil lak il mas‘

ala m in auwilha li ak hirha .

Rfih rastab l we qul li s sayis2yi

‘allaq il kh él b i l

‘arab iya ,

we

yegib hum halan . Humma ma ya‘raffish yi

’m ilu 6h ; m ihtarinkhalis . Allah ya

‘raf il ‘ayib min il ma

‘

yub wi z z alim min il

mazlum . H fiwa k htar leinnu yil‘ab waiyaya ma yil

‘ab sh e waiyah .

Lazim tik haiyish is sanadiq b i l k h ésh qab l is safar . I l wasak ha

d i hatinshal m in h ina k ulliha. I hna b itna nbarih ak h ir marra

fi b itna ; b ihnah li garna. Ana ma k untish ‘au z adrab u ; il

‘asaya sséyib it m in idi ghasb e

‘anni. Beyin

‘alek innak ma

nimtish til l il lel . Kanit Shayla b intiha ‘ala ra sha . Q id il

fawanis b etfi. ‘ il ‘arab iya . I l mahk ama daiyinitu b i rasm il

qadiya . I r ragil da ddayin m inni kam qirsh . H uwa tamalli

mashi mit‘ayiq fi nafsu fi s sikak . K an me‘ayru ikminnu ma

kramnish zey innas.

EXERCISE 64

I told you to b ring3 me two chairs ; why didn

’t you b ring

them to m e ? I have lived all my life in the same4 village and

in the same4 house. \V e. often pass th e nigh t in town ?“ The

wh ite hen has laid two eggs . The matter puzzles m e altogether.

d

I am not going to inc rease your pay until 7 your work is3 b etter .

The Nile is rising every day. A groom who does not k now (how)to manag e

9a horse is no g room .

10 \V e are going to g e t upearly to

-morrowm o rn ing and fish in th e sea . I t was New Year ’

s

1 Sometim es pronounc ed

Pronounc e a lmost sag/s .

3 Trans. you b ring . Trans. in one .

5 I n the town

khalis.

7 illa 1amma .

5 Aor. of kfin .

9 Aor.

1° m ush ism u sayis.

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178 T E SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

PAST TENSE

SI NGULARMASC . FEM.

l st pers. mishit mishit I walked

2nd pers. mishit mishiti

3rd pers. mish i (mishiy) mishyit (mishiyit)

PLURAL FOR BOTH GENDERs

1 st pers. mishina

2nd pers. mishl tfi -m )3rd pers. mishyit

-m)

AORISTl st pers. amsh i

2nd pers. timshi

3rd pers. yimshi

PLURAL FOR BOTH GENDERS

1st pers. nimshi

2nd pers. timsh i’

i -m )3rd pers. yimshfi -m )

Imperat . imshi (m . and pl . imshfi .

Particip. ac t. m ash i.

§ 210 . All verb s of this class Of the form b arak are conjugated after the fir st

,and all oth ers after th e second model.

REMARK a .-Ya‘ni that is to say is used for yi

‘ni, from an

ob solete ‘ana .

REMARK b .

— Th e y or iy of th e 3rd pers. sing . of the past

tense is sometim es dropped , as mishit (for m ishyit , mish iyit) ,b ik it she wept (for b ikyit) . Baqa becomemak es b aqat (for b aqit)so tafat Optionally for tafit , and a few oth ers similarly laqafindoc c asionally mak es liqit (for laqét) in the l st and 2nd pers.

sing ,as though from liqi. Th e final syllab le Of the 2md pers.

sing . masc . sometim es sounds as at for ét, as ma lqathumsh I

did notfind them .

REMARK c .— Verb s Of this c lass of th e form b irik are almost

invariab ly passive or neuter,and may rar ely have a passive

partic iple .

1

1 Ghili boil has maghli boiled k hiz i be eclipsed , makhz i.

THE W EAK VERBS

§ 21 1 . All verb s of this c lass tak e i in the final syllab le of

the aorist exc ept th e following ,which tak e a

remain,become be bright,

get soft, cool

(weather)2

gara

ghil i be dear

ghishi3 (or faint

ghushi)‘isi (

‘usi)

‘ala

hidi

find

fillbecome evening

forget

be low

and a few passives and neuters,as tifi (or tafa)

7 be extinguished ,

shifi (and shufi) be healed , k hifi (or k hufi) be h idden , hide oneselfin shame, kh iz i (and k huz i) be ashamed , be given the tie, be eclip sed ,k h ishi be shy (aor . sometimes yukhsha for yik hsha) , nigi (naga)

8

be saved , escape.

REMARK — Th e fem . sing. of th e imperat. of th ese verb s endsin i , as in th e case of those whose aorists tak e i, as masc . imla

fi ll , fem . imli.

1 Th e final vowel of these verb s is not pronounced sufficientlylong for it to b e n ec essary to continue to mark it with a

c ircum fl ex .

2 I d d inya tarrit is more usual than id dinya tiryit .

3 Used impersonally.

4 Used also impersonally, sihi (or suh i)‘aleh

,m isi ‘

aleh ( ilwaqt) .

5. Ac t. shafa heal , yishfi.6 Al so yilqi.7 SO that we have tafa yitfi ex tinguish , tafa yitfa be extin

guished .

8 But naga yingi save.

be healed, get

well, heal

overwork one

self, wearydisobey, be

rebellious

be h igh

be b lind

be at leisure

read

be cruel

be powerful,autocratic

180 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

VOCABULARY

lihiq reach , overtake

shaqi unrulyh isab account

fatla p iece of string ,

do.

raghwa froth , efiervesdo

, p erform cence

foldbuild

hide

throw

loosen, let grow

protect

run, fl ow

reach , come to

agreement

EXERCISE 65

Yib qa lak kam qirsh m in 11 h isab ? Hiya tamalli tib di b i l

kalam qab le ma yikk allimu n nas. Ib ri 11 l qalam da min fadlak .

Bik ina qawi 1amma sm i‘na 1 k hab ar . Tanu l fatla marratén‘ash an tib qa gamda we ma tink isir sh . I l qamar mak h z i ; rfihishfifih qab le m a yitla

‘. I l b inte tik h z a m innina

,mush radya

tiqab ilna. Ana grit (girit)‘ala ak h ir nafasi 1 wi lh iqtu fi 1

mahatta qab l il b ab fir ma yeqfim . Ihk ii li l h ik aya kulliha‘ash an a

‘raf gara lkum eh . Ana mush ‘arif ‘ash an eh ma yirdash

yis‘a 11 fi 1 mas

’ala. S ihyfi

‘ala darb is sa‘a tam am . I l b ira di

b etirgh i raghwa k b h a 2 we tib qa qayma li q . Thna l isina

waiya b a‘d ‘

ala k ede . Ma tinS 1sh titfi3 l lamda qab le ma trahi.

l l husan h idi b a ‘de ma k an shaqi. I hni tfilak lagle tiqdar teffit.

WI ush lazim ti‘sa 1 b ulis.

EXERCISE 6 6

Wh ere did you find my hat ? Say to th e g irl : Fill your

pitcher from th e river . NV ere th ey running when you saw

them 2 Don ’

t pour the water in th e teapot4 till 5 it b oils.

S he refuses (doesn’

t c onsent) to come with us. S he doesn’

t let

1 I .e

. till I had no b reath le ft . S ee § 10 .l3 The first derived form ta ffa is in more common use .

4 b eta ‘ ish shay.

5 illfi lam ina .

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182 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

is generally pronounc ed , mesmi) is used as the passive partic iple

of samma to name, though th e simple verb sama is not in use.

Idda give has m iddi for the ac tive partic iple.

21 3 . The following are examples Of the other derived

forms

I I . laqafind , aor . alaq’

i,imperat . ldql , partic ip. melaqi.

I II . a‘ta give, l st pers. a

‘

tet , &c . ,aor. a

‘ti, ti‘

ti, &c .,

1 im

perat . i‘ti, &c ., partic ip. mu

‘ti.

imsa become eveningirma throw

isqa water

IV . itb ara be sharp ened , aor. atb iri, imperat. itb iri, parti

c ip. m itb iri.

V . iddaffa warm oneself, aor. addafia,imperat. iddaffa

(fem . iddaffi) , partic ip. middaffi.

VI . idditra hide oneself, aor. addara,imperat . iddara , par

tic ip. middari.

it‘afa get strong .

V'I I . intafa be extinguished , aor. antifi, imperat. intifi, par

tic ip. mintifi.

VII I . iltaqa find , meet, aor . altiqi, imperat. il tiqi, partic ip.

miltiqi.3

IX. Not in use .

X. istab da begin, aor . astab da , imperat . istab da, particip.

mistab di.

XI . istilaqqa catch , receive,4aor .astilaqqa, imperat . istilaqqa,

partic ip. m istilaqqi.

istik hab b a hide oneself.

REMARK — Th e learner will have no diffi culty in completingthe c on jugation Of th e ab ove verb s after themodels .of th e simple

verb and th e first derived form .

1 Ta‘ti

,&c .

,is som etimes h eard for ti‘ti, in th e b elief , perhaps,

that it is edu cated,though the literary form is tu ‘

tiyu .

9 Also afta .

3 M ishtari buying , customer, is sometimes heard for mish tiri,mistawi cooked

,very rarely for mistiwi. Instead of imtala be

filled , intala is Often h eard .

4 I stalqa is also used with the same meaning .

THE WEAK VERBS

VOCABULARY

make run

boil (act .)say one

’

s

p rayers

cross

fi ll , loadchoose

,select

punish

tend sheep ,

watch chas

tise

be thrown awayhide

befried

pretend

accuse

be brought updisguise one

selfbe fried ,

scorched

EXERCISE 67

I sh sh e illi ma yinfa‘sh yitrim i. Ma tk hallish badde yek hush

sh e qab le is sa‘a k hamsa. Ba ‘d il masarwa yitrab b fi fi b lad b arra .

Kull in nas yistah lu S sukk ar il masri ‘an b eta‘ b arra. Ruh

istasma‘an sahb il arde di, 11 haramiya fidlu mistik hab b iyin fi

waraq is sagara 1amma ntafit il lamda . Huwa m in muddit talat

sin‘ln ma stihammash . Rfih itkhifi min h ina ! Mush ‘auz asma

‘

il k alam da wala 1shuf wish shak . Rf1h itkhaffa b i lib se tani

gher illi‘alek . Q ulte li t tab b akha : daffi li l luqma d i shuwaiya

‘ala n nar. Huwa rtada lak in ana ma rditsh . H a t1 ab b i sha‘

1

min tani 2 b a‘de ma qassetu ? I l k hoga ra‘a l walad ‘

alqa‘ala

rigleh‘ashan yihaffadu l loh . Khalli b alak 1amma tiftah ish

shamb anya hiya tirgh i wi tqfim minnak . Ha titqalla b i h imu

ish shams iza qa‘adte h enak . Rah fen ? ana mush melaqiyah .

Ana mush fadi rflh inta wi stilaqqahum . I ntalat il qizaza walla

1 For wala ashfif. 2 let grow again.

be stujfedbe built

consent

find sweet

inquire name oftake (drink sdrugs, &C . )

take a bath

make learn byheart

out

ruin

morsel, mouth

fulchampagne

heat

board

a thrashing

ferryalmonds

walnuts

184 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

lissa ? I l k harfif yinh ish i b i 16z u g6z u gheru . Hiya b etiddi‘i

‘aleya inni saraqte k is—ha . I I walad k an masm i M ahmfid .

Allah yigaz ik !

EXERCISE 68

Go (and ) warm yourself a little b y1 the fir e. Go (to) the

mark et and b uy m e a little m eat and som e vegetab les. Whendo you want to b egin ? H e made me run all over

2 th e town .

Boil me a little water in a sau c epan . Hide yourself there tillh e c omes. H e has gone to say h is prayers.

3 Th e house will b e

b uilt on the piec e of land in front of your garden . Don ’

t load

the guns b efore I tell you . You ( t.) mustn’

t disguise yourself.W e crossed the river in th e ferry. (Those) who tak e hash ish

repent . Wait a little and I will give you a piastre each .

4 The

potatoes were frying in the k itch en . W e have b ought them all ;choose one for your self . Wh en you f. ) tak e a b ath

,don

’

t forgetth e soap.

g 2 1 4 . Doub ly imperfec t or weak verb s are those wh ich have

w or y for their initial or medial radical,and y for th eir final

radical . Th ey thus comb ine the peculiarities of two c lasses of

weak verb s.

§ 2 15 . The following are examples Of the simple verb and

derived forms.

Aor. Imper. Partic ip.

fulfil , complete aufi,tufi fifi (ac t .) wail

(pass ) maufi.

be aware ii a (ac t .) wa‘i

(f.) u‘

i

rawa irrigate irwi (ac t .) rawi(pass )marwi.

‘iyi be ill a‘

ya, ti‘

ya, &.c .

I . warra show awarri,Ar c .

I I . treat (m edically) adfiwi, dawi, &0 .

III . fira 6show auri

,tfir i

,&c . (pass )

maur i 7

res/ore to life ahvi

1 ‘and .

2 fi k u ll . 3 Aorist .

4 To each one .

5 VV a ‘a is also used .

6 For aur a,b ut th e u is not g enerally pronounced very long .

Th is form is not nearly as frequent as warra .

As tho ugh from a s imple form ,wara .

Very little used .

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186 T E SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

217. The verb ga’

(or gib ) come, which in c lassical Arab ic iswritten ga

’a (for gaya

’a) , is con jugated as follows in Cairene

PAST TENSE

SI NGULARMASC

,

1st pers. get, git

2nd pers. get, git

3rd pers. ga’

, gib ; negat.

ma gash

PLURAL FOR BOTH GENDERS1st pers. gena , gina

2nd pers. gétfi, gitfi-m)

3rd pers. gfi, gum

AORIST1st pers. agi

2nd pers. tigi, tigi

3rd pers. yigi, yigi

PLURAL FOR BOTH GENDERS

l st pers. nigi, nigi

2nd pers. tigu , tigu -m)3rd pers. yigfi, yigu —m )

masc . ta‘ala

,ta‘a; fem . ta‘ali

,ta‘i

Partic ip. act. masc . gay, gay, ge; fem . gaya , gaya ; plur .

gayin , gayin .

2

REMARK .— The a ofga

’ is length ened (th e qat‘a disappearing ) ,

not only with th e negative sign ,b ut whenever it is ac c ented , as

gani, galak he came to me,to you,

218. The word tann,or its lengthened form tammit

,with the

shortened form s of th e pronouns, is used eith er b y itself or withthe present partic iple and oc casionally the aorist to express a

c ontinued action . I t may itself tak e the preformative syllab les

of the aorist in addition to th e suffixes , or if prec eded b yrayih ,

rah, or ha, b e c onjugated either with or Without th em

,

LS follows

1 Ta‘u is never h eard . With th e affirmative particle ma

tigi, tigfi, should b e used,b ut ta‘fila-fl are sometimes

h eard .

2 The y is only half sounded

DEFECTI V E TRILI'

TERAL VERBS

PAST TENSE

SI NGULARMASC.

l st pers. tanni, tanniti,l mashi tanni, tanniti,

1 mashya I

continued walking2nd pers. tannak , tannitak ,

mashi tannik ,tannitik , mashya

3rd pers. tannu ,tannitu

,mash i tanniha ,

tannitha,mashya

PLURAL FOR BOTH GENDERS

l st pers. tannjna, tannitna, mashyin

2nd pers. tannuk fi -m ) , tannitkfi -m ) , mashyin

3rd pers. tannuhum ,tannithum

,mashyin

AORIST

atanni, atanniti, mashi atanni , atanniti, mashya

titannak , titannitak , titannik ,titannitik

,

mashi mashya

3rd pers. yitannfi , yitannitfi , titann iha , titannitha

mashi mashya

PLURAL FOR BOTH GENDERS

1st pers. nitannina ,nitannitna

,mashyin

2nd pers. titannuk fi —m ) , titannitkfi —m ) , mashyin

3rd pers. yitannuhum , yitannithum ,mashyin

INDEFINITE FUTURE

Rayih tanni, atanni, tanniti, atanniti , mashi ; rayha tanniha ,

ttanniha ,

2 tannitha ,ttannitha ,

‘2 mashya , the .

Imperat . tannak,tannitak ,

m ashi tannik,tan nitik

,mashya

tannuku -m ) , tannitkfi -m ) , mashyin .

REMARK a .— Th e preform atives of th e aorist are sometimes

omitted,as

‘ashan yin z ilum we tannuhum mashyin

‘ala fill that

they may go down and walls straight on . The negative imperativedoes not nec essarily tak e the preformative t. I n the 3rd pers .

sing . of the past tense tann may b e used without the pronoun

(as tanne mashi for tannu mash i) .REMARK b .

—Dann is sometim es h eard throughout for tann,b ut it is in less c ommon use . There is no d istinc tion of gender .

1 Oc casionally also tannitni and tannétni.2 For titanniha

,&c .

188 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

g 2 1 9 . The c on junction madam seeing that ( c omposed of ma.

and th e ob solete verb dam last) som etim es mak es madumt,

madum ti, in the 1 st and 2nd pers: sing ,as madum te get (for

madam get) seeing that you have come. I t remains unchang ed

in the oth er persons .

220 . Th e verb gab bring is very rarely used in th e impera

tive,th e verb hat 1 give, bring (fem . hati

, pl . hatfi) , replac ing it .

22 1 . Th e interjection yalla ( i .e. ya Al lah ) sometim es tak es

the sign of th e 2nd pers. of th e aorist,as ma tyalla (tiyalla)

come along then !

THE QUADRILITERAL VERB

222 . Quadriliteral verb s may b e :

(a) Reduplicated form s of weak tril iteral verb s,or of tri

literal verb s whose medial and final radical are identical,the

second radical in the second case appearing as th e final radicalof the n ew verb ; e.g

REMARK .— Dahdah weaken (originally da

‘da ‘

)4appears to he

an intensive form of th e perfect verb da‘af

,the final rad ical

b eing dropped .

( b ) Length ened form s of the perfec t or weak tril iteral , a new

letter b eing added at the b eginn ing , in the m iddle , or at the end

Of the word e.g .

1 Th is word is said to b e the imperat . of the th ird form of

the ob solete ata c ome, with prosthetic h after the analogy of the

Heb rew . I t is not u sed in any oth er tense .

The verb s in th is c olumn are the trilitera ls in wh ic h the

quadril itera ls h ave their orig in . They are given in the form in

whic h they b ear a sim ilar sense .

3 C f. the literary hasnr see.

Da ‘da‘ is still heard , though less frequently than dahdah .

soak

loosen

squeak

ogle

1vet

smash to p ieces

sm’

firise

,swell

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190 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

itna‘nis revive

lahwig goad

laswa‘ fl oglahwis lick c lean

it ‘Olaq behave lasciviouslykhozaq impale

qarwat 3 cut ofnaqwar insult

shahwar smear with soot

itqaryif get disgusted

wastan p lace in midd le

it‘alqan= it‘61aq ,

from ‘alaq)

itrahb in become a monk itrahhib

( c ) Original forms, or forms derived from tril iteral verb s

ob solete in b oth the literary and spok en dialects ; e.g .

b atb at sp lash rasras tremble ( fromtashtash fizz c old , &c .)dahdar roll ra

‘ra

‘ befresh. and green

dardish (fi 1 get confused (in kark ib put in d isorder

kalam) speak ing ) washwish whisp er

REMARK Many of th ese , lik e b atb at , rasras, are reduplicated ,or at least th e th ird radical is identical with the first . I n others

111 four radicals are different . Som e, like tashtash and

washwish , are no doub t onomatopoetic .

(d ) Purely denom inative , many of them from foreign nouns,

and all from nouns c ontaining more than three c onsonants,4

exc ept where a w is inserted,as ish sharwid to b low the hot win d,

c alled shard ; e.g .

handaq shoot

itb arqa‘

p ut on a reil

garna l write about one in a newspaper

itrasm il b e a capitalist

sfigur ins ure

kartin p ut into quarantine

maz rat b lustcr

itnam r ad be like Nimrod,i.e . act tyrannical/g

1 These verb s are not in use in tho Ca irene d ia lec t .

9 The prim itive verb generallv m eans to cheat in C airene .

3 Cf . also qurma log ,4 Unless sahb in to soap and nammar to number (name/10 ) b e

regarded as quad rilitorzd s ins tead of th e first derived form of

imag inary triliterals .

THE QUADRILITERAL VERB 19 1

RBMARK'

a.—I t will b e Ob served 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 oth er

letter. Thosewhich insert r and l correspond to th e Syriac par’el

and pa’ lel

,regarded in that language as form s of the triliteral

verb .

REMARK b .— Sometimes b oth the quadriliteral and perfec t

triliteral from which it is immediately form ed owe their origin

to a weak tril iteral , or a triliteral with a doub led radical (thelatter in many cases b eing no longer in use) , as z agh , zaghil ,zaghlil ; sh at scorch , sha

‘at, sha

‘wat.

g 223 . Quadr iliterals, and in particular the duplicated forms,

generally intensify th e meaning of the triliteral verb,and herein

increase the resemb lanc e wh ich they already b ear in stru cture

to the first d erived form of th e trih'

teral .

224 . The vowel of the first syllab le of the quad i iliteral

is always a ; that Of th e final syllab le i s a or i , in ac co1 danc e

with the rul e laid down mg 1 6 1 . There are,however

,a few

exc eptions, as garnal , wh ich is also at times pronounc ed garnil,shank al (or shankil)

1 hook,trip up ,

k ark ib upset, qashqish glean .

Those verb s whose second vowel is i are usually ac tive in

signification .

225 . The c onjugation Offers no difficulties, as will b e seen

from the following examples

PAST TENSE

SINGULARMASC. FEM .

l st pers. dahdart,kark ib t dahdart

,k ark ib t

2nd pers. dahdart,kark ib t dahdarti, kark ib ti

3rd pers. dahdar,kark ib dahdarit , k ark ib it

PLURAL FOR BOTH GENDERSl st pers . dahdarna

,kark ib na

2nd pers . dahdartfi -n1 ) , k ark ib tfi ( 4 113rd pers. dahdar il -ui ) , kark ib fi -m )

A O R I S T

S INGULAR

l st pers. adahdar,shark ib adahdar

,akark ih

2ud pers. tidahdar,2 tik ark ib tidahdal'i, tiku l

‘k ib i

3rd pers. yidahdar , yik ark ib tidahdar, t ikark ib

1 Bo th fore ig n words . Or tedahdar, &c .

1 92 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

PLURAL FOR BOTH GENDERS

1 st pers. nidahdar,830 .

2nd pers. tidahdarfi , &c .

3rd pers. yidahdarfi , &c .

Imperat .masc . dahdar,k ark ib ; fem . dahdari

,k ark ib i ; pl . dah

daru,k ark ib fi (n eg . ma tdahdarsh

,

1(he ) .

Partic ip. midahdar,mik ark ib (or m edahtar ,

REMARK — Th e verb tata 2 bend down ,though in reality a

quadriliteral , is treated in its conjugation as a trili teral of the

second derived form ,and mak es atati in the aorist

,metati in

the partic iple .

226 . Th ere is only one derived form,and th is we c onstruc t

b y affixing it to th e simple verb ,as itlak hb at be confused , iddahdar

be rolled , roll oneself, ik kark ib ( itkark ib ) be thrown into disorder .

REMARK a .—A second form

,ilkh ab itt

,

3oc curs in th e word

itma’ inn ( simple verb tam ’

an ) be easy in one’

s mind , confid ent ;r . atma‘inn ; partic ip . m itma

’ inn . This verb,however

,is not

in c ommon u se,lik e its k indr ed triliteral ittamm in .

REMARK b .— The derived form of th e quadriliteral answers

to th e fifth derived form of th e triliteral .

§ 227 . From “stop

’

er”is derived the verb istab b ar stop ,

4

aor . astab b ar , partic ip. mistib b ar,used in a neuter as well as

an active sense , and often with no referenc e to mach inery.

VOCABULARY

b argim

1 Or ma ddalo

idarsh .

2 Ta’

ta‘ in the. written dialec t .

Correspond ing to the literary ilk h aha tt

4 Of. th e Alexand rian ma st ab han ish from sta Irene— (S )I stahl i is also used as an imperative , b ut somewhat joc ularly.

l stab har is not to b e c o nfused with ista b ar , the e ighth form of

the verb sab ar .

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194 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

Ak huya ddarwish , ya‘ni b aqa darwish m in id darawish . I khraq

li kaman k harqe h ina‘ash an tib qa l k hashab a kul liha mik hal

s

b aqa . I n nar sha‘lilit fi 1 b ét . I t‘afrat il husan 1amma W iq

‘it

il ‘agala tah te riglu . Hiya khansarit il fulus fi idha , ya

‘n 1

tab b aqit idha‘aléhum . I l marad da‘da‘

u k t1r . Naz aru medah

dah . I l b ersim 1amma yik b ar fi 1 ard we yik hdarr , yequm1

yera‘ra

‘. Ma tqarb ass1 hmartak k ede ; haram

‘alek !

EXERCISE 70

The papers are all in c onfusion ; 2 why didn’

t you numb er

them 23 C ome (and ) read m e th is letter, please . Don ’

t (f.) k eepon walk ing ab out all night . They c ontinued playing and singingand danc ing until th e sun rose .

4 Nob ody was ever b rib ed b yhim, nor has he ever b rib ed anyb ody. You ought to frame one

of these two pic tures. Sh e was c arrying the b ask et on her arm

when th e ric e was spilt on the ground . W e b oth slipped and

went 5 rolling down th e b ank till we fell into the c anal. I saw

you standing th ere sh ivering6 with 7 c old . Th e horse was going

at an amb le. Sh e always plays the grand lady with m e . You

had b etter 8 register9your letters, seeing that there are cheques

in them . Th ey have returned the paper all torn . You haven’

t

addressed your letter . The b arley“

has to b e sifted b efore it is

given to the horse . H e wants to lord it over everyb ody . W ill

they put us into quarantine at Port Said ? Please loosen th is

cord a little . Tak e the tab lec loth in 1 0 the middle and fold it ( intwo) . What

U was she whispering in h is ear ? W hy didn’

t you

come when I called to you ? Youwill get ill if12you eat unripe

1 3

fruit . The fields Will b e irrigated1 4 to-morrow afternoon .

V ERBAL NOUNS

§ 228. Verb al nouns,adjectives, and sub stantives are those

which are derived direc tly from verb s. They may b e expressive

(a) Of the agent or person who ac ts, as k atib he that w1i tes, ac lerk , kannas a sweeper ( from k anas sweep) .

l l 550.

2 Par tic ip. fem .

3rd pers. sing . fem .4 Verb b efore sub st.

tann .6 Continued present .

min .3ahsan, at b eginning of sentenc e .

sagar .1" min .

After the verb .

1‘

iza ,with past tense .

Trans. wh ich is not (m ush ) rip e.

Fem . sing .

VERBAL NOUNS 1 95

( b ) Of th e person or thing on whom the act is performed ( th e

patient) , or of th e th ing created b y its action ,as mak tub a thing

written ,a letter

( 0 ) Of th e ac tion of the verb in an ab stract form , or of th e

b ecoming what it denotes, as darb striking , sugr a b eing small,

childhood .

(d ) Of th e doing of that action onc e , as darb a a str ik ing onc e,

a single b low.

(e) Of th e time or the plac e at wh ich it is performed,as

maghrib sunset (from gharab , gharrah ) 90 west,mak tab study,schoo l.

(f ) Of th e instrum ent with which it is perform ed,as muftah

key ( from fatah to open) .

(9) Of the vessel c ontaining that wh ich is produc ed b y th e

ac tion of th e verb ,as m ihl ab a milhpail ( from halab to milk ) .

229 . Classes a and b include not only th e ac tive and passive

partic iples b ut all adjectives derived from verb s, many of which

are used only as sub stantives. The following are th e princ ipal

forms which they tak e

FORM EXAMPLE1 . b ark sa

‘b hard , sahl easy2 . b arak gada

‘ brave, Hasan, pr. n . ( beautiful)

3 . b urk murr bitter

4 . kh ishin rough , in lumps , tik hit thic lrset

5 . b arak khalasfinished,haram forb id den, disgraceful

6ad1b well-b red

,da‘if weak

,b aliq shaved

b irik 1 b ik h 1l stingy, tiqil heavy, gidid new2

7 . b asud envious ,‘aguz aged

8 . k atib , tani, talit , sfih il easy.

9 . b arrak b attal bad , b asses spy , khaiyat tailor1 0 . b arrik 3 ak k il glntton ,

qassis p riest, saiyit singer

l lsak ran drunk

,

‘atshan thirsty, k harb an spoil t

‘iryan naked 4

1 2. ab rak ahmar,ab yad , ahwal , &c .

REMARK a .— The partic iples of the simple and derived form s

are excluded (with the exc eption of b arik ) from th e ab ove list,as th ey have b een already notic ed under th e verb s

1 Birik is a weak ened form of b arik . The a is always main

tained when th e enc losing c onsonants are strong .

2 Notic e wilif companion literary alif) .3 Intensive of b arik .

4 Ga ‘a’

in (and o c c asiona llv g i‘ an) is for gaw

‘fin ( from th e

so having fallen out .

196 THE SPOKEN .ARABIC OF EGYPT

REMARK b .—A few quadriliterals have an ad jective of the

form lak hb fit, as khalb us deceiving, a rogue.

REMARK c .— Barik is c onfined to th e partic iple and the

ordinal numb ers. Barrak and b arrik are generally intensive in

m eaning .

1 The former is used mostly of trades or professions.

The word gallal scavenger is a denom inative from gilla ; so tauwabbrickmaker from tub , sab b an from sab fin ,

shaddaf from shaduf .Barik

,b arfik

,and b ark an are often identical in m eaning with

th e passive partic iple of th e active verb (wh ether in th e simple

or first derived form ) ,2as qatil slain rasfil one sent, a

messenger marsfil) ,3 k harb an spoilt mak hrfib ) .

REMARK d .— Barik and b irik are frequently used in the

feminine to denote th e thing on wh ich the action of the verb has

b een performed,as dafina a thing buried , sariqa a thing stolen,

booty, liqiya afind madiya , from the intransitive mada p ass (oftime) , is used of a p revious lesson ( in school) . From nafa exile

are form ed the nouns nifaya and nifawa one spurned , an outcast.

REMARK e.— Ab rak (weak ened to ib rik in iswid) is confined

to th e comparatives and adjectives denoting personal defec tsREMARK f.

— A few ad jectives, derived from verb s whose

m iddle radical is w or y, tak e the form b aiyik (or b eyik ) , asmaiyit (méyit) dead ( from mat) , taiyib good (tab , yetib ) .

§ 230 . C lass 0 comprises th e so-called infinitives used sub

stantively. The prin c ipal form s of those derived from th e

primitive verb are as follows

EXAMPLESkatm concealing ,

‘add b iting , ak l eating , qol (for

qawl) saying , word , ser walking , proceed ing ,mashy walking , gait

2 . b arak‘amal doing , deed , talab demand ing , demand ,

marad being ill, illness,

‘ama being b lind ,

b lindness

3 . b arak k alam sp eaking , sp eech , sawad ‘1a being b lack ,

b lack

4 . b arfik qab ul accep ting

1 Kaddfib is used of one who has just told a lie,though it

properly signifies one add ic ted to lying , a p ro /essional liar.

2 Trik is the pass . partic ip . of the primitive Syriac verb ,

as b arflk is of the Heb rew .

3 Used as the pass . partic ip. of irs al (arsal) se nd , which is not ,however , in c olloquial use .

4 All the c olours have this form .

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198 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

REMARK a.— Oi th ese forms

,1,2,5,1 2

,16 , and 23 are mostly

in use , wh ile many of the others are of very rare oc currenc e.

Bark is gen erally the ab stract noun of transitive verb s ; b arak

of intransitive as often as transitives ; b irk is confined to

intransitives ; b iraka is mostly used of trades or professions ;b urak iya and b urfika are derived entirely from neuters usuallyadm itting b oth the form s b irik and b uruk

,and expressing

ab strac t qualities.

REMARK b .

— Many of these nouns are used in a con crete as

well as an ab stract sense,as ma

‘rifa knowing , an acquaintance,

and some of them only in a conc rete sense, as‘esh bread

(originally living) . S ome of th em have b oth an active and a.

passive signification ,as darb u his striking or h is being struck ,

su’alu his questioning , his question, or h is being questioned , his

examination.

REMARK c .— The letter wpreceded b y the vowel i and followed

b y d , i .e. in the form s b irak , b iraka, b uraka , is changed to y, as

qiyam (for qiwam ) , siyam fasting (for siwam ) , ziyara (or zuwara)visiting , z iyada (or zuwada) .

REMARK d .— The noun of the form b ark derived from verb s

whose last two radicals are the same is nec essarily identica l

with the 3rd pers. sing . of the past tense , and b arak is identical

with th e 3rd pers. sing . of th e past tense of th e perfect verb .

REMARK e.— Nouns derived from verb s whose m iddle radical

is w or y are in general sub ject to the changes to which the verb sthemselves are liab le . Those derived from verb s whose firstradical is w sometimes drop that letter , as sifa quality ( fromwasaf), giha d irection ( from wagah ) .

1

REMARK f .— A form b arak a appears in the words sala prayer ,

and haya life ( c ontracted from sa‘

awa and hayawa) , and in a few

other words not in general use .

§ 23 1 . The ab stract nouns of th e derived forms of the tri¢

literal verb are as follows

tab rik as taftish search ing ( fattish ), tadwir turning .

tab rak a as tazk ara remind ing , ticket ( z akk ar) .tab rik a as tegrib a trying, experi e nce (garm b ) .tab rika as tasliya amusing , amusement ( sa lla).

tahliya sweetening (halls ) .rF-u

NJ

r—ir—i

REMARK .— Tl1e first and fourth of these forms are b y far the

most common,the latter b e ing c onfined exc lusively to verb s whose

1 \V agah is not itself in use .

VERBAL NOUNS 1 99

final radical is y. A fifth form ,tab rak

,oc curs in th e word takrar

repeating (k arrar) , and a sixth in tilqa’a b ringing face to face with

( laqqa) ; b ut , th e former is scarc ely c olloquial,

1and th e latter is

u sed only in the expression m in tilqa’ 2

nafsu, nafsak ,&c .

, of h is,your , (Sun, own accord .

I I .1 . mi (m e , mu ) , b arik a 3

as mek halfa contradicting, a contravention (kh alif) ,m i’ak hiz a b laming (ak iz) , muwafqa agreeingwith (wafiq) , m igaub a answering (gawib ) ,m i‘ayra reproaching

2 . b irak as h isab taking account, bill (hasib ) .I II .

1 . ib rak as i‘lan p ub lish ing .

2 . ab réika 4 as agaza p ermitting, leave of absence, holiday.

REMARK .-The sec ond of th ese form s is confined to verb s

whose m iddle radical is w or y.

IV . Not in u se .

V . tab arrik,tib arrak

,tib arrik

, as takallim speaking, tiharrak

being moved , tiqaddim being advanced , tab arri inves

tigating , investigation.

VI . tab arik , tib arik , as tahamil bearing malice.

REMARK .— Form s V . and VI . do not b elong to th e colloquial

language, b ut are sometim es used in imitation of th e literarytab arruk and tab aruk .

VII . inb irak ,as ink ie being broken

,humiliating oneself

( inkasar) .

REMARK .-Tll is form lik ewise is very rarely h eard .

VIII . ib tirak as istilam receiving ( istalam ) .ishtiyaq yearning ( ish taq) .

IX . ib rikfik as ihm irar getting red .

X . and XI . istib rak as istifham getting infor mation.

2 . istib raka ,as istiqama rectitude, istighasa calling for aid ,

istiraha reposing .

1 Tak rir is the form in use .

2 Tilqa‘ is c orrupted colloquially to tilka.

3 The first syllab le is oc casionally it,espec ially b efore w.

The i usually falls out‘1 Literary ib raka . Note that the spok en language has in

th is instanc e the strong er vowe l.

200 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

REMARK a .— Only verb s whose middle radical is w or y have

th e second form,and of th ese only those which contract in the

past tense. From istagwib interrogate is formed istigwab , afteristib rak .

REMARK b .— I n some cases the noun is in use

, though th e

verb has b ecom e ob solete .

1 Th e verb al sub stantive of the

derived form s is not infrequently supplied b y th e prim itiveverb .

§ 232 . The ab stract noun of th e simple quadriliteral verb

tak es the form lakhb ata 2 that of th e derived verb ti(te)lahkb it ,as dahdara rolling , k harb asha scratching , ti(te)b artil a beingbribed .

§ 233 . Class d is form ed b y th e addition of th e feminineterm ination a to the ab strac t noun ,

th e form s b ark and tab rik

b eing used exc lusively for th is purpose in the case of th e primi

tive and fir st derived triliteral verb,as darb strik ing , darb a a

striking once, a b low ‘add b iting ,

‘adda a b ite tafriq mak ing a

d istinction, tafriqa a making a d istinc tion in a particular case.

REMARK a .—Nouns derived from verb s whose final radical is

y sometim es change th e y into to,as sharwa (for sharya) a pur

chase ( from shara buy) . A few nouns of this c lass tak e eith er

w or y ,as ghalwa (or ghalya) a boiling .

3

REMARK b .—With the exc eption of b arrak ,

the derived forms

very rarely, if ever,admit of a noun of th is c lass. The word

mutatiya a bend ing is an irregular formation ,b eing the feminine

of th e partic iple of tat-atreated as the form of a triliteral instead

of a quadriliteral,as it is in reality.

REMARK c .— I n the quadril iterals the derived form tilak hb it

b ecomes tilak hb ata ,

4as ti(te)mak hmada a being upset by shaking ,

5m,nauseousness.

REMARK d .— Wh en th e ab strac t noun already ends in a ,

as

in the c ase of th e simple quadriliteral verb ,no d istinc tion , of

course ,c an b e made

,and th e ad j ec tive wahda must b e added if

the idea of unity is to b e emphasized .

234 . Nouns of time and plac e derived from the simple

1 Or exists only in the literary d ialec t . The c o lloquialsometimes b orrows one part of Speec h , while it rej ec ts o thers

b elong ing to the s ame roo t .

2 Lak lib itn ,as we ll as tilnk hb ita (see b elow) , is sometimes

used b y th e h igh e r c la sses .

3 The plur . gha lwz‘

it is pre ferred to ghulyfit .

The learned say tilukh b itu u

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202 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

REMARK a .-The verb from which the instrum ent is derived

is not always in use,as in the case of misalla packing

-need le ( fromthe ob solete sall) .

REMARK b .—P1 om nak hal sift is form ed mank hul a sieve,

from ra a see miraya looking-

g lass, the qat‘a falling away.

§ 23 6 . Verb al nouns denoting a vessel tak e the sam e form s

as those of c lass j , as m ih lab a mills-pail (halab ) , m ib z aqa a

spittoon.

REMARK .-From kahal to paint the eyes with kuhl is derived

mukhila the vessel in which the paint is kep t.237. The ab ove c lasses

,though they comprise a vast numb er

ofwords,do not inc lude all the nouns derived direc tly from verb s

Of oth ers,th e following are m ost worthy of notice :

(a) Nouns denoting a part or small quantity. Th ese take

th e form b irka or b urk a,as

b itta a b it a mouthfulh issa ap ortion, share

(b ) Garments, coverings, &c .,many of wh ic h tak e th e form

b irak, as :

lib as drawers sheath,bag

h iram corerlet,woollen

over-garment

( c) The place where a th ing is constantly produc ed or found,or that b y m eans of which the ac tion of the verb is c onstantly

performed , is represented in a few instanc es b y the fem inineform of the intensive adjective b arrak , asmallaha a salt-mine

, tarrab a a mattress

salt-cellar ‘assara an Oi l press

Barradiya is the vessel wh ere water is k ept c ool.

REMARK .— A few intensive ad jec tives tak e the form s m ib rak

,

m ib rik, as m is

‘ad 1 fortunate, and mib k h it very lucky and m ityiz

wi th large thighs, formed from the nouns b ak h t and tiz .

238. The remaining form s are not easily c lassified , as theyare applied almost indiscriminately to different orders of nouns

,

sh ib b ak a window tiiiah

d ib b fin fl ies

239 . I t should b e noted also that a pait icular form is not

nec essarily c onfined entirely to a c lass. Thus shamnuim water

melons has the form of nouns denoting trades , &.c .

1 Unless it represents the passive partic iple of the verb as‘ad .

(See §

VERBAL NOUNS

VOCABULARY

resistance

forgaietyorder

sitting

p utting on,in

teresting one

self withstufiingenjoymentcontentment

,

p leasure

happiness

Aindness, com

passion

depravitychang ingstretching,

scope

seeing, view,

vision

crushingrising , depart

ingdemolish ingrespecting, re

spect

buying

preserving ,

protectingbeing b ig, man

hoocl

weakness

religio n

m anqaf

mahmal

20 3

need , want

cookingch ildhood

slaughteringclothingbeing knocked ,knocking

tyingreceip t

untyingcoughing ,cough

singingbeing silent

,

silence

going bare

footed

p lace of stan d

ing, stand

holy carpet

(S ee Lane,Mod .Egypt. ,c h . xxiv .)

p ri ce

doing , deed

a passing ,

going through

bench

pastrycand lestick

spider

kind of c loak

pot

saliva

oven

o ven (Arab )chand eliers

fruitsmallpox

204 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

b right, smilingagent, repre

sentative

slight

stumb le, come

suddenlyhonour wassa

engage, give

contract to

attach , hangbepressed ,

squeezed

take extract

fi llvaccinate

torture, punish

prepare

bring up , according to

educate for, in case of

EXERCISE 71

I I fahme da kullu na im ; k hallih yegib lina kh isl1in . I l

k hatte b eta‘ak sa‘b e qawi ; min yiqrah

'

é I I qassis da ragilak k il ; b idal ma yakul luqm itén k had il k ul l . Ana ‘

atshana

qawi iddini shu1 b it moiya .

‘Add il a‘nk ab fit al‘an m in qars

in namus. K alamak k ullu k idb min il auwul li l ak hir . I d

duk h ul sa‘b e ‘an il khurfig . M igib t il

‘aishe k an qab le m irwah

hum . Taman ish shi‘ir hi 1 mashal tis‘in sagh . Mush sahb i

h ilwa,b asse ma

‘rifti. I z a shafak il b ulls yik tib ak fi 1 m ek halfat .

l k tib li wasl ‘an istilam il fulfils . W aqt il maghr ib kfin it qa‘da

fi maktab ab uha . H uwa wak il il K halifa b i n niyfib a‘annu .

Shughl il m inshar li nashr il k hashab . Da rag il 11 111111 111 11

ya‘rafsh il k itab a wala l qiriiya .

‘Ande wisfll il haram iya yekflnil firar ahsan m in il m eqauma . K atm ii h aqiqa mush nad ir‘and ish shuhhad . Id fa‘ ‘

ala hasab maqdartak . S im i‘te titaqtiqil b arfid 1amma m ish it fih in 1151 1 . l\l 11tat1 1 it ak d i li s sahl mush

tamam ; tati k em 1 11 shuwaiya \V ishshu sim ih we l1 1 1 i11 ‘al1 h

leimun 1 11g il taiyib . Ghalet il m o iya gh 1lw1t11 11 11 11 1111 gh 11l 1 11

wahda b ass ? l l 10

111 1511 11 tab b e t1 11 l 1b 1 g 1 11n1d 1 . I t « ' 1 1111 u to h ittit

h int, lak in liqiya

‘zil . Ana

,ma fish luz llm "i. L a‘

,tig i ;

rl l ig iyak yinfa‘. H flwa lissa 111 11 k hulusse m in t ahdir il

‘11 1

'

11b iy11 2

S harrnftina we fin istina we liua s surur wi l insh irfih b i

approach

order, give

orders

know,recognise

injure, do harmto

charge, enjoin,order

exp lode

boil

more accursed

worse

after thatas though they

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206 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

smallpox .

l A European oven is b etter for c ook ing pastry than

an Arab oven . God will punish them ac c ording to th e weak

ness of their religion . Th e pilgrim s Spend2 two or thr ee days

in the preparation of th eir food ,3 until th e time for 4 th e de

parture of the mahmal approaches.

5 Th e meat is only halfc ook ed .

6 Leave it there in case of need . W e arrived b eforesunset and left b efore sunrise .

7 Th e pric e for slaughtering8a.

lamb is five piastres tariff. W e are not satisfied with 9 our foodand c loth ing . I h eard a k nock ing at 1 0 th e door . W hy d idn

’

t

you prevent him from strik ing h er ?l l Tying

12 is easier than

untying .

1 2 They do all these things13 to mak e fun of people.

“

When it first c am e down,

1 5 th e rain was slight . She has a

violent cough . Give me a little drink ing-water ,

16please . The

k ing gave orders for h is h ead to b e cut off.

17 I recognised h imb y

1 8 his 19 gait. Th ey were b usy with 90 th eir drink ing and

singing . If Speech is silver,silenc e is gold .

21 H e is ever wool

gathering .

22 Going b are-footed 23 is harmful to the health in

winter .

24 I saw h im as I was passing through25 Cairo .

1 The vac c ination of the children is for the p reservation from

2 fidil . 3 il ak l wi sh shurb .

5 Verb b efore the sub jec t .

6 Trans. coo/red ha lf a cooking .

7 Trans. before t he setting ( nuzul) of the sun before its

ris ing.

3 Genitive .

9 fi.

1°genitive.

1 1 Trans . his striking at (fi) her.

Trans. th e tying , the untging.1 3 Trans. doings.

1 4 ‘ashan id d ihk ‘

ala n nas.

15 Trans. in itsfirst descent.1 0 Trans . water (of) d r ink ing.

1 7 Trans . fo r (h i) the cutting 017°

(of) h is head .

1 3 m in .

19 b etfi‘u .

2° fi.

1“ Tr ans . if speech is of silenc e will be ofTrans . he ha s ever ( tamalli) wool gathering .

3 Trans. the g o ing , &c .

5“Trans . in the winter .

Trans . in my passing through

THE PREPOSITIONS

THE P REPO S I TI ON S

240 . The prepositions may b e divided into two c lasses

( l ) Inseparab le ,1or those which in pronunciation regularly

form one word with the noun or pronoun which th ey precede and

govern ; and

( 2) S eparab le .

24 1 . The former consists of th e followingBi

,b e

, b u at, by, in ,&c . , li, le , In for , to , &c .

,and wa wi

,we

by (in swearing ) , as w Allah ,w All ahi by God , wi b yat rasak by

( the life of) year head , wi n nab i by the P rophet.

REMARK .— Th e par ticle k a like, as , partak es of th e nature of

a preposition , and may also b e regarded as in separab le , b ut it is

scarc ely heard in th e Spok en language , exc ept in th e expressionzahir k a sh sham s as c lear as the sun , and in the conjunctionk einn (or k eyinn) .

24 2 . S epar ab le prepositions are , for the most part , derivedfrom verb s

,and a great numb er of th em are verb al nouns used

as sub stantives. The following is a list of those in common

outside

between

instead ofunder

d ur ing ,

th roughout

in, inside

beside

without,er cept

around

against

among

am id

1 They are written as separa te word s in this work , to preventcon fusion .

2 ‘Ala represents in sense th e literary ila,whic h is only

h eard , perhaps , in th e phrases 1 1111 ila hes or ila ma sha llah , t.e.

go to p errlition .

3 Mitl ( literary mithl) does not seem to b e k nown to mo st of the

lower orders I t is usually pronounc ed m isl b y the ed uc ated .

208 T ~ E SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

REMARK .—The changes which some of the prepositions

undergo in c on junc tion with the pronouns and the sign of the

negative have already b een notic ed

§ 243 . As in oth er languages, two prepositions may oc cur

togeth er , as min foq from above, of , m in warafrom behind . M inis som etim es used with anoth er to give greater prec ision , or

pleonastically, as b a‘de minnu , tah te m innak ,min gher h aga .

Others form a new preposition in con junc tion with another word,

as‘ala sh an (or

‘ash an) for the sake of, on account of, li hadd up to,

until , b i dun ,m in dun without

, ghasb e (or ghashin)‘an in sp ite of.

REMARK .— I n b ala

,b alash without ; never mind ! the i of hi is

strengthened to a .

THE ADV ERBS

244 . Many of these are ad j ectives used adverb ially, or sub

stantives in th e ac cusative c ase (see or with the pronominal

suffix of the 3rd pers. ; several are a comb ination of two or

more words,espec ially of a preposition with a sub stantive ; and

a few,lastly, are verb s in the 3rd pers. of the past 0 1 : aorist

tense . Some are used also as prepositions. The following are

frequently heard

( 1 ) Adverb s of time

ab adan never zaman , z éye formerlyaslu originally zaman

auwilan,fi 1 firstly sa‘

a, sa

‘at sometimes

auwil dilwaqt , dil at present

emta ? when waqti2

imbarih yesterday h alan at once

in nahar da to-day summa 3 then , next

b adri early‘amnauwil last year

b a‘d ha‘diha afterwards qab la , qab liha

b a ‘den afterwards lissa

b ukra to-morrow nihaytu , in

tamalli always nihaya1 11 11 1 1 again wakhri

dawaman always

(layman

(da‘ iman)

1 The Nahwy fo rm samiyan is sometimes heard .

9 For d i il wagt (g The 1"

seems to emphasiz e the

word . Cf . 11011 these hc re, kamfmi (for k 11 i 11a‘

111) similarly, perhaps,

the final ah in ya dGb ak,& c . (S ee 570 , note .)

3 Borrowed from the liter-.u '

y language .

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210 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

k einn k eI

apparently,

app arently

that is, namely

CONJUNCTIONS

245 . Th e following are of everyday oc currence

or ham both

but, when ham 4

since,seeing that hatta until

directly that li d] in directly that

inasmuch as hes ( le) inn inasmuch as

assuredly h ak im inasmuch as, in

factsa‘it ma at the time that

that ‘ala shan

, in order that,

innama

‘iwad,

‘uwad

ma

b a‘de m a

b idal ma

tauw,tauwe

ma

tul ma

gher inn

ex cep t that

seeing that, be

cause

only that,ex

cept that3

instead of

after thatinstead ofas soon as, no

sooner

as long as

excep t that

‘ashfin (ma) because of

‘ala inn that‘ala bal ma

,until

‘ab al ma

fa,fi,fe

qab le ma

kulle ma,

k ulli ma

k einn , k eyinn as ifle inn because, that

lagl ( li agl) in order that

lagle inn , in order that

lagle ma

\Vith the pro nom inal snfl ix es.

As in amma nsh il i let me see.

Fr . settlement.

Turk ish,from Persian .

INTERJECTI ONS AND EXCLAMATIONS

lah san lest

li bin . li hin until

ma

lak in ,we but

if, altho ugh

if not, but for 77’

when ya

mata 1 (only when

with past ya imm a2

tense)

INTERJECTIONS AND EXCLAMATIONS

246 . Th e following are in frequent useAllah ,

Alla dear me tay tay

(God)allahumm a in truth , in

deed

fih,ah-h 3

ah,alas , oh trrrr

ak h ,akh min fie on

ik hk h i, pugh , ugh gay gay gayhus

ufi’,nifén

ik h s (‘ala) fie, for shame

iy mind

iyzik beware, see that to call goats

you

iyah ,iyab a there he, she , is to ra ge a

i-i-yih ugh , not real ly donk eyinz il

,shinz il 4 more to quiet 3

oh,0 , oh oh , oho donk ey

umm al rather , I should sik sik sik to c all goats

think so, sik

to urge a b east

b i llahi by God of b urd en

b is b is h is to call a cat shegharib hou'

strange

1 Mata is rarely heard .

2 A lso ya immatan,savour-ing of Nahwy .

3 Expresses mostly d istress and ad m iration,and som etim es

an emph atic assent .

‘1 U sed espec ially to a horse . Sh inz il is intensive , and is

used wh en the first c ry ( imz il has no effec t .

5 Mostly with a and hede prefixed (3‘

inasmuch as

although ,whereas

and

or

ne ither nor

at the time that

to call a goat

wh en teachinga child to

walk

to m ak e a

cam el kneel

helpto quiet a

dog , 650 .

here

212 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

k is k is k is to mak e a la 1

horse go

b ack ma

k h -h -h-h to mak e a ya ma

camel k neel

to mak e a

camel stepcautiously

khatt k hatti to a donk ey for

the sam e

purpose

to call a per

son’

s atten

tion,hey

VOCABULARY

dawn istafh im

elbow darab b ulta

moustache khalathurrying waqqa

‘

recreation b i k h (i)lafservice b i l marra

church

haste istih bab

swim, fl oat

be correct, p ro

per

to lock

to breakfastto sit up ,

watch

thinh

catch

chill

pull

hand , reach

shoot

fish

cold , a

EXERCISE 73

Inta rayih‘ala fen ?

hat li waih id m inhum .

to express sur

prise

b ut

howmuch , how

to mak e a.

horse stop

custom

true

truth

falsehood ,falseare

Fih mandilen f udti foq it tarab éza ;Ma m i‘ish fulfl s wala mal lim fih ‘

andak

1 L a is followed b y th e persona l pronouns, huwa ,h iya ,

and

humma,b eing appended to it in the ir shortened forms

,as lab u

g ih ! lahe gat ! lahum gum !

2n d pers . ( la nta) .I t is b ut rarely used with the

‘

3 The y is b arely pronounc ed .

inquire

take a stroll

misc

letfall, dropcontrary to

once for all,

not at a ll

chumming to

gether

hand kerchiefmillieme

length

tongue

loch.

strength , power

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21 4 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

EXERCISE 74

I took cold yesterday from not wearing1

an 2 overcoat .

Sinc e wh en have you b een in Cairo ? 3 Please reach m e that 4

penc il from the top of the cupb oard . I wonder who has tornthese leaves out of my b ook ? If you go to b ed

5early, you must

not get up late . H e fell off 6 th e b ank into th e water , and

they were only just ab le to pul l h im out b efore h e was dr own ed .

You were making fun of me b eh ind my b ack . W e returned

with out anything7 after two days

’

shooting .

8 What is th e

distan c e from Cairo to th e Pyram ids ? Ab out two hour s and

a quarter walk ing .

9 H e said that h e will do 1 0 it for your sak e

onl y . W e ran after h im till we overtook him outside th e town .

Haven ’

t you ask ed him yet why h e didn’

t look for 1 1 my watch ,or mak e inquiries ab out 1 2 it ? Th e water flows round th e village ,and th e inhab itants fish in 1 3 it . H e is always trying

1 4 to talk

Nahwy, and says, for example : ir ragul allazi ga’ ‘indi ams

”

for “ ir ragil illi gib‘andi imb arih .

” Tell m e approximatelyhow long you have b een in th e Governm ent servic e .

” At what

tim e do th ey ring1 6 th e b ell for dinn er ? The telegram didn

’

t

c om e till two in th e afternoon . I s h is house next-door-to 1 7

the post-offic e or opposite to it ? When our work is finish ed 1 3

we will tak e a stroll as far as th e mark et . W hy did you mix

th e good with the b ad ? I t woul d-have-b een 1 9 b etter if you

had tak en the eggs out of th e b ask et b efore you dropped it on 20

the floor . I wish ( I had) ! Go straigh t on21

and turn to 99 the

left after the English chur ch . You will find it right at the

top .

2'1 Even 24 if she comes now sh e won’

t c atch 25 the train .

Sh e says sh e m et h im yesterday, whereas he doesn’

t arrive inC airo til l th e day after to-morrow . I can give it you as soon as

you come,only

26you must let me know b efore

,

‘

so that I may

g et it ready for23you . I s th e lady in or out ?

Trans . because I ( ikm inni ) did not wear.

2 Trans . the.

Trans. you since when in Cairo ? 4 da .

Past tense with iza .

6 From op"

.

7 haiga .

We ha d shot 9 Trans . to the walker .

Aorist .

12 ‘an .

m in .

1 4 ‘auz with aor .

Trans . the service of the Government. 16 darab .

ganb .

18 Aor . The verb to prec ede its sub j ec t.

kan .

90 fi .

‘3 1 Trans . in front of you.

29 ‘ala .

Trans . above, entirely.

2‘ hatta .

25 lihiq , aor.

b ass .

27 m in qab l . 18 11.

APPENDIX A

NAHW Y PRONUNCIATI ON AND FORMS

For é”

we hear ay (as in Eng lish aisle) , as‘ayn eye for 6

au (as in German ) , as kh aui fear .

3 and 2 tak e th e plac e of t and d wh ere these letters c orre

spond to the literary th and dh .

1

g is pronounc ed soft lik e the Eng lish j, as rajulretains its full value . (S eeFor th e pronun c iation of g , see 20 .

E lision of th e vowels ,in such instanc es as are given in § 29 ,

is to a great extent avoided .

Th e words c ited in 1 7 and 18 are,for the most part,

sounded as they are written in the dictionaries .

Th e definite ar tic le,which is pronounc ed at or cl, is assimilated

only to t, t, d , d, r , 2 , g , s, 5 , sh , and n .

Words are frequently u sed in th eir un contracted form s

a replac es th e c olloquial i in a large num b er of as

wa and, gad d grandfather , shagaratuhu (or shagaratu) his tree.

Nouns, when undefined , are declined after one or other of the

following models :

S I NGULARMASC .

N katib un

G. katib in

Ac . katib an

DUALN . katibani

G. A . katib aini

PLURALN . katibuna

G . A . katib ina

1 I n Heb rew also and oth er Semitic languages 3 and 2 answer

to th e Koran ic ih and dh in a large numb er of words .

2 Or , in the words of the grammarians,imala does not tak e

plac e ; b ut occ asiona lly we have i for a,as in ‘ ind = colloq .

‘and .

215

216 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

BROKEN PLURALMASC .

N . rigalun

G. rigalin

A . rigalan

N .

‘usm anu

G. A ‘usmana

Dual and Perfect Plural as ab ove.

BROKEN PLURALN . dirah imu

G. A . dirahima1

Undefined n oun s, i .e. nouns prec eded b y th e definite artic le,or followed b y anoth er noun in th e genitive , or having a pro

nom inal suffix ,are dec lined ac cording to th e first paradigm ,

b ut

without th e final -un ,as al b aytu the house

,G. al b ayti, A . al

b ayta ; k itab u1111111 the booh of God ,

k itzib uh u his boo/c.

Ab unfather and akhun brother are , under th ese c ircum stanc es,

dec lined as follows — N. abu, ak h u ; G. ab i, ak hi ; A . aha,ak h a

while th e dual loses the termination ni , and th e per fec t pluralth e term ination na , and i is sub stituted for a,

as mustakhdamih

his emp loye’

s.

REMARK b .—The final vowels and the tanwin (an ,

in, cm)

are more often om itted than not .

The cardinal numeralswhich differ from those in c ommon use

are as follows :MASC . FEM .

ahad(un)wah id(un)isnan ( i)salfis(un)saman‘ashr(un)ab ada ‘

ashara

isna ‘ashara

,&c .

samaniya‘ashara

,&c .

for b oth genders

salzi sfln, sa lfisin ,rho.

samfin fln,sam z

’

inin

m i‘ntun,m i’ah

m i‘atfin( i)salfisu (150 .

1 The student must consult the grammars of th e literary

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218 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

REMARK .— The final short vowels are sounded or not ac cording

to the will of the speak er .

1

S im ilarly are c on jugated sam i‘a to hear (aor . yasma’u) and

saqula be heavy. Th e passive is without exc eption b ur ik a in thepreterite and yub rak u in the aorist .

Th e derived forms are

1 . Ac t . pret . b urrak a, aor . yub arriku pass. pret . b urrika

,

aor . yub arrik u .

2 . Ac t . pret . b arak a , aor . yubariku ; pass. pret . b urika,

aor . yub arak .

3 . Act . pret . ab raka,aor . yub rik u ; pass. pret . ub rik a

,

aor . yub rak u .

4 . Ac t . pret . tab arraka ,aor . yatab arraku ; pass. pret .

tub urrik a , aor . yutab arrak u .

5 . Ac t . pret . tabarak a ,aor . yatab arak u ; pass . pret . tub firik a

,

aor . yutab arak u .

6 . Ac t . pret . inb arak a , aor . yanb arik u pass . pret . unb ur ik a,

aor . yunb arak a .

7 . Ac t . pret . ib tarak a , aor . yab tarik u ; pass. pret . ub turik a ,aor . yub taraku .

Ac t . pret . ib rak k a , aor . yab rak k u .

Ac t . pret. istab rak a , aor . vastab riku ; pass. pret .

ustub rika ,aor . vustab rak u .

REMARK .— Tll e d erived verb s are c on jugated throughout lik e

th e simple form . The partic iples and verb al nouns have alreadyb een given ,

for the most part , in th e grammar .

Instanc es of the other c lasses of triliteral verb s are

zanna to thinh’

,r anantu

,zauanna

,&c .

,instead of zannét , &c .

,

and sim ilarly all verb s with a doub led radica l ; q ila i t was said ,aor . yuqalu ; amata he p ut to death , aor . yum itu .

Th e quadriliteral is lak hb ata ,aor . yulak h b itu in the ac t .

,

and luk hb ita, yulak hb atu ,

in th e pass .

The prefix sh ,and o c c asionally sauf, is employed to g ive the

aorist a future se nse,as ha ,

&c . , in th e c o lq Uial language .

li on ( c lassic . k aun) , th e verb al noun o f kan to be, is used as

a c onj unc tion without b eing prec eded b y a preposition ,as k 0nu

rah since he has ge ne or the fac t of his ha r ing gone . Sometim es

1 The term in atio ns of the aorist undergo various c hanges in

th e c lassic al lang uag e , b ut as th ey are not g enera lly understood,

a nd are rarely im it ated in c onversation ,it would b e superfluous

to d esc rib e them .

APPENDIX 219

it is equivalent to inn ,le inn ,

as iltaz am k onu yigi he was com

pelled to come, k alliffin l k oni arfih they charged me to go.

Th e following are instanc es, in addition to those already given ,

of c ommon mistak esmade in th e attempt to im itate th e grammar

of the c lassical dia lect : lam is used with the past tense instead of

th e aorist , and even with a sub stantive , in plac e of [a the seventh

form of th e verb often appears as ab tarak for ib tarak ,as in

a‘tab ar he esteemed , a

‘taraf he confessed ; tawafia he d ied is almost

invariab ly heard for tuwuffi (c lassic . tuwufliya) .Many of th e form s given ab ove are only h eard in quotations

from b ook s or in Speeches. The verb , for instanc e , is con jugatedm prac tic e as in th e grammar 1 30 and

,b ut for th e

infl uenc e of French and of modern teaching , there is very little

difference b etween the everyday languagetD

of . th e educated and

that of the lower classes. Th e former woul d say ab uya rah

Amerika , the latter abfiya rah Amrik a fi b lad il malak an .

1

APPENDIX B

PROVINCIAL PRONUNCIATION

Th e following provinc ial peculiarities should b e noted

I n Upper Egypt

q is pronounc ed throughout as hard g , g generally as 2 .

The fem . term ination a, usually b ecomes e,as g inéne (for

ginena) ; so also in ane,inte

,ta ‘

ale (for ana,inta

, ta‘ala) .

I n other positions a is liab le to b e changed to i , asMeh imm id

(for M eharm nad ) , I ljmad (for Ahmad ) , so in the aorist of triliteralverb s (vnth the exc eption of those used in a passive o r neuter

sense) wh ic h elsewhere tak e th e vowel a ,as asriq , adrib (for asraq ,

adi ab ) ,2and in the second syllab le of v erb s of the fir st de1 ived

form ,and of quadriliterals

,as k hallis (for k hallas) , fantiz (f0 1

fantaz ) .

13 689 . If Speak ing in pub lic , the educated would say walid i

(or waldi) tawaggah il a Amerik a,b ut they generally d esc end

from the nahwy to th e c olloquial as they grow exc ited, and are

liab le in all cases to m ix the form s pecul iar to the two d ialec ts

in the sam e sentenc e .

So in th e c lassical language . On the other hand,a is often

heard for z'

in th e past tense,as masak

,sakat

,za

‘alt (for

misik ,i is sometimes h eard for u

,as sh ift for s hul t .

220 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

The vowel i is inserted b etween two consonants to facilitateth e pronunc iation ,

as ma lqétish for ma lqetsh ( lqitsh ) , tib in (fortib n

Th e l st pers. plur . of the aorist is frequently used for the

singular .

The ac c ent may fall on th e antepenult contrary to the rul e

laid down in 39 b , as m astab a , yidfinu .

By th e Bedouinse is often used for a

, q is pronounc ed as hard 9 , or ( in some

parts of th e c ountry) as in nahwy ,and g as English j .

1 Thus wehear jemel for gamal . d and are pronounc ed with c onsiderab le

emphasis.

I n th e Fayoum q is sometimes sounded as in nahwy.

1 Some sound it as s in p leasure.

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222 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

your three bad servants, ir ragil in naqqash the painter , lefendi l

k atib Monsieur le commis , il qalam ir rusas the lead—penc il , ilfingan il qahwa the cup of coj

'

ee, it tisht il ghasil the wash basin,il

gallab iya latlas the satin gown ,il b urnéta l khos the straw hat, il

b ib a l khashab the wooden p ip e, il id il k hashab liswid the b lack

wooden hand le, is sa‘a d dahab the gold watch ,

is sikk a l hadid 1

the railway, il m erk ib in nar thefi re (steam ) ship ,iz z imla litnen

(or litnen iz z imla) the two companions .

REMARK a.— Kamfewprec edes its sub stantive and alone tak es

th e article , as il k am qershe dol thesefewp iastres .

REMARK b .

— I n street cries an epithet is often emphasiz ed b yb eing plac ed b efore its sub stantive

,and in this case the latter

alone tak es the artic le,as ab yad is simit ! 9

REMARK c .— When the cardinal numeral prec edes the sub

stantive it is more usual for th e former onl y to have th e artic le,

unl ess emphatic , as litnen z im la,it talat b anat .

REMARK d .—The ad j ective does not tak e the artic le in a few

c ases wh ere it forms a c ompound with th e sub stantive , as ittamre h indi the tamarind .

( b ) With nouns ac companied b y a demon strative pronoun ,as

ir ragil da this man ,il mara duk —haiya that woman .

3

( c ) With ab strac t nouns and sub stantives denoting a c lass

or spok en of as a whole , as is surfir joy, il‘adl justice, id du

‘a

ahsan m in in nom prayer is b etter than sleep ,sinan il ‘

aql wisdom

teeth ,‘andu an il b al he is long

-suf eriny, ab u l hol father ofterror (the Sp h inx) , ragil

‘andu l qabaha an insolent man, tob m in

il harir a robe of S l l/t,shurb id duk hk han tobacco -smok ing , il

k ilab dogs , il lahm meat,il g idri smallpox ,

b et mab ni m in it tub

a house b uilt of b ricks , ib n il ‘amm cous in ,

k ub b ayt in nib it ‘

a wine-

glass, ik hsilu b i s sab fin wash it with soap ,ish taretu h i 1

ful fi s I bought it with money,fi 5 sa‘a k ham s a b a‘d id duhr at

jive o'

c lock in the afternoon .

REMARK .—I n some of the ab ove expressions , as in many

o thers,th e artic le may b e dr opped . Thus we may say l

’

aig il‘andu qab aha ,

tOb min harir , n iab ni 1n in tfib ,salam ‘

a lék um or

( less usually) is salam ‘alék um p eace hr with you , hail ,

‘

aiyan‘a iya hub b (o r ma rarl il hub b ) love-sick ,

‘u iuru feq il arb e

‘in (or

1 Le chem in ( le fer : Ia vote ferre’

e.

S ee fur th er,

:3 5 .

3 But a‘ fl z u b i llah d ih . (S ec synt ax of demonst rative

pronouns. )The wine-g lass is usua lly express ed b y il k ub b ava b e ta h t in

n ib it .

TEEE ARTICLE 223

foq ‘an il arb e‘in or foq ‘

an arb e‘in) he ismore than forty, it talatanussis sitta (or talata nusse sitta) three is half six . W e invariab lysay li l h é

‘

for sale, hi 1 husan ,h i 1 liq on horse

,donkey ,

bach,

b i l ‘arab i in Arab ic

,and usually b i l ugra for hire, hi 1 ful us

for money, though b i ugra and b i thi s are admissib le ; while , 0 11

th e oth er hand , b i z ib da with butter, b i siyasa d ip lomatically,moiya b i zet , b i malh water with oil

, salt, &c ., b i hib r with ink ,

&c . are more c ommon than b i z z ib da,(li e . W e usually say yishrab

duk hk han ,nib it

,(he .

,he smokes tobacco, drinks wine, &C .

,b ut shurb

id dukhk h an , in nib it,tobacco-smoking , wine

-drink ing , &c .,ab u l

hol , b ut ab u diqiq the father of flour ( butterfly) , ab u k hangar the

father of the dagger (nasturtium) .An ab strac t noun

, or one denoting a c lass,is sometim es used

without th e artic le in proverb ial expressions. I n short , no

very definite rul es can b e given as to th e use and omission of

the article in these cases,and th e learner cannot expec t always

to mak e the right choic e until he has had some prac tical

experl enc e .

REMARK .— Wh en used partitively (th e wo rd some b eing

understood ) or adjec tively (see g and in negative sentenc es,these nouns are

,of c ourse

,without the article, as k an fi nib it fi

1 kub baya there was (so me) wine in the glass, ma shuftish k ilab fib etu I d id not see any dogs in his house.

(d ) With th e names of some countries and towns,

and

oc casionally with proper names,as il Hind I nd ia ,

is Suez , ish

sh am Damascus, séyidna l H isén our lord H isén .

(e) With the names of the seasons, as ish sh ita winter, fi s

sef in summer ; the days of th e week ,as litnen Al onday, nah ar

il k hamis Tuesday ; the divisions of the day, as fi d duhr at noon ,

fi 1 maghrib at sunset, b ukra s sub h to—morrow morning so b i n

nahar by day, b i l 161 by night.

REMARK.— W e say, however , yom itnén m in dol a Mond ay,

kul le yom talat every Tuesday, nahar hadd of a Sunday, k anitmaghrib (or il maghrib ) it was sunset

,salléna sub h u duhr

,we

‘asr u maghrib we

‘isha we p rayed in the morning , at noon,in the

afternoon, at sunset, and in the evening .

(f ) Oc casionally with nouns wholly or partially indefinitein sense

,as shuite qutta foq is sagara I saw a cat up a tree

,

talab fi In 1 qahwa they ordered coffee for him,ma tish timsh ir

rag il illi ma shatamak sh don’

t insult a man who has no t insulted

you ,illi ma yeshufsh e min il ghu

’

rb al a‘ma he that cannot see

through a sieve is b lind

249 . The definite artic le is expressed in English , b utomitted in Arab ic

224 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

(a) With a noun followed immediately b y another noun or

a phrase limiting its m eaning (unl ess th e second noun is used

ad jectively, expressing a material,&c . as b ab il b et the door

of the house, qalam il walad the boy’

s pen, matrah ma tr il l; the

place where, wherever you go , b ut il qalam ir rusas the lead

pencil.

REMARK .— Th e fir st noun sometim es tak es th e artic le aswell

as the second when the latter is regarded as b eing in apposition

to it,or denotes th e ob ject it contains

,as 11 goz il kh el the p air,

the horses, i.e . the p air of horses , il h ittitén il bus the two bits ofreed

,is sukk ar in nab at the sugar

-candy, il fark h il waraq dihthis sheet of p aper 11 melahiz il b ulls the inspector of p olice, ilmarad ii hub b love sichness , b ut in many c ases th e artic le is

optional . Thus we may say il merk ib in nar di (or me1 k ib in

na1 d1) this steamboat,il fai d iz zanb il ir ruz z (or fard l Z zanb il

ir ruzz or farde z anb il ir ruzz) this basket of rice.

1 The first is

perhaps the most u sual . l l fuhfil il gamus means the youngbuffaloes, fuhul il gamus thefoals of the buffaloes.

REMARK .—The first noun may also tak e the artic le when it

prac tically forms a compound with the second . I n th is case the

second noun does not assume th e artic le (though it will , of course ,retain it if it alr eady has it wh en used indefinitely) , as il qersh eta

‘rifa the current p iastre, in nusse faddfin the half acre, il b ani

adam the sons of men, mortals , is sa ffe gab it the non-commissioned

officer, il qamar id din the (d ish called ) gamar id din.

W e may, however , also say, with perhaps a sligh t nuanc e of

meaning ,in nuss ii faddan d ih and nuss il faddfin dih ,

and b ani

adam is more usual than 11 b ani adam .

2

( b ) With the ordinal num erals and adj ec tives denoting ex

tremes,as auwil

,talit

,ak h irm ,

the first,third

,last

,day, huwa

fi ah san sihha he is in the best of health .

( 0 ) Irregularly in a few expressions , though the noun is

definite in sense,as k hab ar eh ? (or il k hahar eh ,

b ut less usually)what

’

s the matter ? b i qudrit Qadir by the m ight of the Mighty

(God ) , qatta‘

tariq a h ighu'

ayman ,lissa ma dak halslie d inya he

has not yet come into the world (of one who has no experienc e) ,m efattish 111i the inspec tor of the S outh (provinces) .

1 For fard ,see 3

°

300 .

Nusse k fl z il mo iya d ili this half jug of water is more usual

than in nus se k fiz il mo iya d ih ,and u inme khamsa di this p iece

office ( p iastres) than luinme k hamsa d i. For omission of the

ar tic le with the d emo nstrative , see 4211.

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226 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

THE NOUN SUBSTANTIV E

THE CASES

§ 253 . I t has b een already pointed out 63) that in the

language of Cairo th e c ases are rarely d istinguished b y inflec tions.

Their plac e is supplied b y prepositions which stand b efore thenoun without th e latter (with th e exc eptions h ereafter noted)undergoing any change .

254 . A noun in th e genitive may express :

(a) Possession ,wheth er it d enote the possessor or the th ing

possessed , or wheth er it b e material or d enote a quality or

attrib ute , as b et ab uya my father’

s house, imrat ak b uk your

b rother’

s wife, Malik id dinya L ord of the world , shatart in

naggar the carp enter’

s shill .

REMARK .—The idea of c lose attachment or relation of one

th ing to anoth er,as illustrated b y the following examples, is

inc luded under th is h ead shab ah ummu the image of h is mother,sh idd it il musadma the violenc e of the shock , k halawit 11 m ishwzir

the gratuity p aid for the errand , mab arah (or naharna) sa‘id may

your day be prop itious, good-morning to you, nas Lundura the

peop le of L ondon ,marad 11 hub b love-sickness

, y6m is safar the dayof departure, dak hil fi sinn 11 ‘ishrin getting on for twenty, yutama

l ab b , 1 umm ch ild ren who have lost their j ather , their mother,b éh ummu

,i.e . a bey by courtesy only, sirqit il fark ha the theft of

the fowl, ish ab is siriqa, is sirqa the victims of a theft, sirqit il

haramiya the theft committed by the rob bers , sahb 11 gitta the ownerof the corp se, i.e . the dead man , haddutit is sultan the story ab out

the sultan ,mashy il hafa a walking barefbated .

( b ) Fnlness, as k ub b ayit nib it a glass of wine, qizaz it hire. a

bottle of beer .

( c ) A part of a whole or the whole of a part, as hittit lah rn a

p iece of meat,rims is sana the beg inning , first day, of the year,

auwil , talit , ak h ir ish shahr the fi rst, third , end of the month

,

shuwa iyit malh a little salt. g im lit 11 11 s a number of peOpIe , b a‘d ir

riggal a some of the men ,k ul l ish shughl the whole of the b ii siiwsx,

til l 11 161 the whole of the night, garnih (gam i‘

) in mis all the p eople.

( rt) Cause and e/t'

ect, orig in,as wald i my f ather ( literally mg

H asan‘a li fl as an ,

son of Aly, k zitib 11 gawzib the writer o f

the letter, k atb il gawfib the writing of the letter, uflr 11 qamar the

l igh t of the moon,s imm 1] far rats/rants.

( e ) Material , a s g zi lla lviyit shash a muslin gown, 31111 111 1111 118 a

Copper d ish , sikk it il haulid the railway .

(f ) Measure of time,space, value , as inesatit ybm ,

a day'

s

THE NOUN SUBSTANTIVE 227

d istanc e, qim it sa‘a u nuss a matter of an hour and a half,mesafit

,waqte , shu1 b e s

o

igara,

‘

,fid m esafit sigara the time it tahes

to smoke a c ig ,arette a p ip e,

1qim 1t tah dir 11 husan the time required

for getting the horse ready, fi muddit A ‘rab i in the days of Arab y.

(g ) Use, often expressed b y a c ompound in English ,as

k ub b ayit in nib it a gla~s for wine , wine—glass,

2 ‘arab iyit ugra a

carr iage for hire, husan ruk ub a a hac k ,‘alit kh iyata a sewing

machine, odit su fra d ining-room , gallab iyit harim a lady’

s gown ,

ffitit wishsh,iden

,sufra a towel for the face, the hands, a tab le

255 . Th e second noun may in a general way lim it th e first ,as ma

‘rifit wishsh

,suq a p erson one kno ws only by sight, a market

acquaintance.

g 256 . Wh en th e first of th e two nouns is a v erb al sub stantive

the second naturally stands with regar d to it in the relation of

a su b j ec t when th e verb itself is intransitive , of a sub j ec t or

ob jec t wh ere the verb is intransitive, as wuqfi‘ 11 walad the boy s

falling , darb 11 walad k an shidid the strik ing of the boywas severe,i e . the boy was struck hard or the boy struck hard , fik ri, tak hmini

leinnu yigi it is my notion, conjec ture, that he will come, amar b i

h daru he ord ered him to appea r, b ut amar b i tah diru,b i mgib tu

he ordered him to be brough t, nuz ul 11 husan m in 11 gab al laz imyekun b i mnazr it is says the descent of the horsefrom the h ill must

be under the groom’

s superintend enc e, istilahna ah san m in k h inaq na

waiya b a‘d better that we should b e reconciled than quarrel with one

another .

257. The word b eta‘ is very frequently plac ed b etween the

two nouns,stand ing , as it were, in apposition to the first

,b ut

agreeing with it in numb er and g ender, as has b een seen in

th e ac c idenc e .

3 I t is mostly used to express the genitive of

possession ,and very rarely, if ever , to express th e genitive of

m easure . Wh en speak ing of near family relations we must not,as a rule

,use b eta ‘. Thus we should not say 11 akhk h e b eta

‘

i,il umm e b etah tu for ak huya , ummu

,unl ess we wish to speak

disrespec tfully . An exc eption ,however

,is mad e in favour of

mara and sitt in the sense of wife, the former b eing oc casionally

1 A period of time is often m easured b y the time it tak es to

perform a partic ular ac t,espec ially th e smoking a c igarette ; so

m esafit laffe (or malwe) sig zira we shurb iha the time it takes to roll

a c ig arette and smoke it. A fellah will say, b a‘d 11 maghrib b i

nusse‘alqit shad fif half a turn at the slimldf.

1’ Or k ub baya 11 n nib it or b eta ‘ in nib it.3 69.

228 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

followed b y b eta‘a and th e latter always .

1 No hard and fastrules c an b e laid down in other c ases for the use of b eta‘ , b utit may b e remark ed that it is b est om itted wh en no particular

stress is laid upon th e second noun,and when c learness or

eleganc e of expression would not b e gained b y its insertion .

2

Wh en it is used as an ad jec tive signifying proper or p eculiar to,it cannot b e om itted

,as it tiff-21h b eta‘ il akl eating app les.

g 258. Beta‘ , wh eth er in the sense of possessed or possessing ,may stand b y itself , agreeing with a sub stantive understood ,mush ‘

auz b etu‘i,

‘au z b etfi‘ ak h flya I don

’

t want mine,I want

my bro ther’

s,b eta‘ 11 ‘esh

,11 ‘

ads,11 hamam

,11 hammam ,

il

mantaIOn ,11 b urnéta ,

&c ., a seller of bread , lentils, doves , a bath

keep er, one who wears trousers, a hat, (f

ee ,b etu‘ il maz z ik a lissa

ma gush the musicians have not come yet. I n 11 b eta‘ dih th is

th ing , artic le, it retains its c harac ter as a sub stantive . Witheh ? what it serves as an interrogative partic le implying sur

prise or annoyanc e on the part of the speak er , as b eta‘ eh ti‘m il

k ede,arf1h waiyak ? What are you doing that for ? Why should

I go with you ? Lastly, it may b e used ,with or without the

th ird pronom inal suffix,in th e sense of et celera ,

as b iyizm‘

b atatis, ffil , gazar b eta‘ (or b eta ‘u) he grows potatoes , bean s,

carrots , (ffc .

§ 259 . When the first noun is indefinite and the sec ond a

possessive or c ausal genitive and definite,eith er b eta‘ or the

preposition 11 must b e inserted b etween th e two ,as b ét b etil ‘

ab uya (or 1 ab uya ) a house of my father’

s,b inte liya a daughter

of mine . Wh ere,on the other hand

,the second noun is in

definite ( in wh ic h c ase it c an often b e rendered in English b yan ad j ec tive) , no word need intervene , as hC-t

,b inte

,mul il k a

k ing ly house, a princess.

2360 . The adjec tive tab a ‘ is used m uc h 111 the same way as,

though less frequently than ,b etii ‘ b ut remains unc hanged with

fem inine and plural nouns , as 11 b et da , is siraiya d i, ta ha‘ min t

to whom does th is house,th is palace , b elong ?

§ 26 1 . Th o sub stantives ah 0,

3 umm ,ib n ,

h int , ah l,

stih ih

have in c ert ain expressio ns the sense of [h issessed of, wid o we d

1 S itti m ea ns my lady o r my gra iutnmther. S itt is not used

b y the lower c lasse s a nd se ldom b y the h igh e r in the se nse of

tr ite. A servant may say is sitte heta‘ itna when speak ing to

h is ma ste r of h is ( the la tte r'

s) wife .

‘

3 Thus W e should s ay udt is su l'

ra he t a‘ tak your d ining-room ,

no t 6 4111; sufrit nk .

3 The n is prac tic a lly pro no unc ed short.

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230 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

m in eye gihitin Iranit .

1 Som etimes th e verb is plac ed b etween

éy and its noun,and causes th e c ase ending to b e shifted to the

pronoun itself , as eyin k an wahid whichever one it be. The

length ened form éyiha is not followed b y a noun with the case

ending , as éyiha gam i‘ whichever mosque.

§ 265 . The genitive of use may also b e expressed for the

sak e of c learness b y m eans of b eta‘ or the prepo sition 11,as

k ub haya b etah t in n ib it (or 11 n nib it) .266 . When th e sec ond sub stantive d enotes the material it

is very frequently regarded as an ad jec tive,or stands in appo

sitiou to th e first,which then undergoes no c hange . Thus we

may say gallab iya shash instead of gallab iyit shash ; sim ilarly,

ib ra hadid a steel need le, nishara k hashab sawdust, shavings ,sik k a had id a railway, b itta dahab a piece of gold ,

a‘taln wazifa

naz ir he gave him thefunctions of a m inister , taz k ara ray1h gaya return-ticket. To emphasize th e material we may employ the

preposition m in ,as sub iin m in nahas (or m in in nahfis) .

REMARK .— W e may also say n isharit k hashab

,h ittit dahab ;

and waz ifit new is more usual than wazifa nazir . The p iece of

gold is h ittit id dahab (or 11 h itta d dahab ) , a railway tra in b ab fl l'

sikka hadid , the railway train b ab fir is sik ka 1 h adid (or b ab ursik k it il hadid ) .

26 7 . On the oth er hand,a noun limiting or explicative o f

another may stand to it in th e relation of a genitive , as‘arab iyit

k arru (or‘arab iya k arru) a cart. Wh en an ob j ec t is introduc ed

b y its generic term the latter,if end ing in a

,will of nec essity

tak e the construc tive form,as m id init Masr the c ity Of Uairo ,

sagarit lab akh an acac ia tree, sagart il filfil the p epper tree, nimrit

waliid,itnOn No . 1 , Q , qolit b int the word b int. Sana a year also

tak es th e construc tive form when followed b y its date,as 13

sanat tulteln iya in the year 3 0 0 .

REMARK .— Tlie two c onstruc tions are very frequently c on

fused,and suc h expre ssions as th e fo llowing will b e heard every

day : 11 hittit 1d dahab the p iec e of gold ,11 ‘ilb it id duk hk han

the tobac c o ba r,is sik k it il had id

,

2 il k é lt il ( lzw l lo

l l t d i th is measure

of corn,1] g t i] b ersim the field of r/o rer , waraq is sagnrit il

q il ta the leaves of th e tomato plant, ik k uhal r ish shuqzly the greates t

of scuumlrc /s , il l ) lZ l' il k ittfin the tint snort, the first and sec ond

no un with its a rtic le l iving rogurclwl : is o ur wo rd .

2118 . A d e finite noun wh ic h lim its a superla tive of d eg ree

1 But se e 0 3 .

2 q lid is no t he re used as an adj ec tive,for we s ay sik kit il

h mlid us we ll as is s ikka l liad id .

THE NOUN SUBSTANTIVE

may b e regarded as a genitive of relation ,as in ah san in nas

the best of peop le.

269 . The genitive of possession is sometimes employed in

Arab ic wh erewewould use a preposition ,as moiyit lib riq ink ab b it

the water in the jug was sp ilt.

270 . The insertion of an adverb or oth er word b etween th e

two nouns does not prevent th e first from tak ing th e t, as m esafit

taqrib an yom én a distan c e of about two days, mesafit yigi k hamas

daqayiq an interval of almostfive minutes, muddit b aqa sanatén a

period then of two years, qimit qfil talatin gineh a i'

alue of say

£ 30 .

§ 271 . A whole sentenc e often stands in the relation of a

genitive to a prec eding noun ,as 11 fik rit innu rah yigi in the

b elief that he was coming , muddit 11 k h idéwi k an fi Lundura at

the time the K hed ive was in L ondon, sa‘it ma kunna b arra at the

time we were out, 11 ghayit 1amma yigi till the moment he comes,

q611t ma ruh tish ,the statement that you d idn

’

t go,‘ibarit qab le

m a yshfiffi di th is expression ,before they see,

”sikk it illi yerub

ma yirga‘sh the road by which he who talces it never returns, b i

sab ab k unte qayil lu for the reason that I had told him .

REMARK .— The c onstruc t form is not always used with m a ;

thus we may say auwil lela ma yebat fi I b et as well as auwil

lélit,&c .

,thefirst night he sleeps in the house.

272 . Th e c onstruc t form is som etim es assum ed b y sa‘a and

sana and a few oth ers without reason,wh en used adverb ially, as

sanat yigi, sanat ma yiqish some years he comes, some he doesn’

t,

sa‘it yishrab , sa‘it ma yishrab sh sometimes he drinlcs, sometimes

he doesn’

t (or sana yigi,

g 273 . When two or more nouns are determined b y a

genitive , the first prec edes it , wh ile th e oth ers follow and

indicate their relation to it b y means of the pronom inal suffixes ,as ab u r ragil we b intu the man

’

s father and his daugh ter . i. e . the

man’

s father and daugh ter ,‘aql 11 quda wi stiqam ithum ,

the

wisd om and integrity of the judges, tul il‘ilb a we ‘

ard iha we

tuk hniha the length , b read th , and thickness of the box . Should ,

however,b eta‘ b e employed , th e order will b e th e sam e as

in English ,as it till wi l

‘ard wi t tuk hne b etu ‘ il ‘ilb a .

274 . Wh ere two or more ob j ec ts of a c lass are determined

b y more than one genitive they should b e repeated b efore eac h,

as k itab ab fik wi k ta b ak h fiya your father’

s and my b rother’

s

hoolt,sitriti we sidériya we sitrit ‘

1111 we sid érih Aly’

s and mycoat and waistcoat. W e may, however, often shorten th ese

1 Perhaps for sanata , sa‘ata , ac cusative forms used as adverb s .

232 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

sentenc es with th e help of b eta‘ , as sitriti we sid ériya wi b tfi‘

‘ali (or wi 111 b tn‘ an) . Wh en the ob jec t determined is one and

th e same in each,th e English construc tion will b e used

,as b et

Hasan we ‘ali H asan and Aly

’

s h ouse ; b ut th e full form of the

personal pronoun must b e added after th e sufiix,as qolak enta

wi l hurma di this lady’

s and your assertion.

275 . Th e ideas peculiar to th e dative are m ostly expressedin Arab ic b y m eans of the preposition

276 . I t has b een seen that th e ob j ec tive or accusative case

has rarely a d istinc tive sign exc ept som etimes when used as an

adverb .

2 M otion , too , one of its ch ief charac teristic s,is usually

expressed b y th e prepositions li,‘ala

,dz c .

3 b ut,as will b e seen

hereafter,the preposition not in frequently falls out after a

verb or verb al noun of m otion .

277 . A noun imm ediately following a predicate , and

lim iting or spec ifying its application ,m ay b e regarded as an

ac cusative of extent,

4as ragil k eb ir is sinn a man old (advanc ed )

in years ; k etir , qalil , 11 k alam loquac ious, taciturn ; m ek hattata‘anéha with p encille d eyes ; riglu m in

‘asa tin h is foot besmeared

with mud ; arde maz rfi‘a dura land sown with maize tar de

k halis 11 ugra a prepaid parcel ; k humm 111 116m lethargic ;tawil 11 id long -fingered (of a th ief) ;

5 tawil il lisan tong - tongued

(of a great talk er) . The fem inine adj ec tive is generally in th e

c on struc t form ,espec ially wh en the noun is c losely connec ted

with th e sub j ec t,as maridt il gism ill in body ; gam ilt is sfira

,

il wish sh beautiful of countenance b ut k halsa l ugra ,

6 malyana

moiya .

278. This locution is not very c ommon,and even in cases

wh ere it is adm issib le the preposition fi (or b i) may generally b e

inserted,as k eb ir fi s sinn ; nas nayin fi 1 k alam c rude

,raw a]

speech ; mardan b i g isni u . I t is more colloquial to say ana

nazari da‘if I have a weak sight than ana da‘if in nea r ; a footbroad

,long , &c .

,can only b e expressed b y

‘ar du

, tdlu qadam , &c .

279 . No t only verb s with their par tic iples , b ut ad jec tiveshaving th e forc e of a par tic iple , may tak e a d irec t ob jec t

,as

sharrib duk hkhan one who is constantly sinn/ring .

280 . The sign of the vocative c ase is th e interj ec tion ya !I t is oc casionally om itted

,espec iallv b efore proper nam es and a

1 S ee 2 S ee 6 3 , d .

11 S ee 570 .

4 As in Greek and Latin . The noun sometimes tak es thesign of the ac c usa tive in post-c lassica l Am b ic .

Eng . ligh t-fingered .

5 K huls it il ugra is ha rdly adm iss ib le.

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234 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

REMARK b .—Tu the expression ya ismak eh 1 (for ya inta lli

ismak eh l) b oth th e personal and relative pronouns have disappeared .

g 285 . The sign of the vocative is used in street c ries with

the ob ject for sale,to call th e attention of the passers to it , and

in this c ase th e epithet qualifying or pulling it is often plac ed

with or without ya first in th e senten c e and in th e masculine

singular , whatever th e gender and numb er of the sub stantive , as

ya tirm is lupines ya sub fin ya‘al best soap

! ‘arid ya k urrat 1

b road lee/1:8 b aladi ya b anzah ér !fine native ( lemons) ! qadim ya

lumad ! old lamps ! ahla m in 11 ‘asal ya b asal ! onions sweeter

than honey ! ya rfimi ya‘asal ya gagar ! carrots sweet as Greets

honey ! At th e end of the sentenc e th e ad jec tive may b e re

peated (generally without ya) , as b aladi ya krum b e b aladi !

native cab bar/es, native cab bages . ak hdar ya k ur1 at ak 11da1 1

286 . Somewhat sim ilar to the ab ove 18 th e use of ya as a

c ry of d ist1 ess or sui pi ise , as ya 1 asi ya‘Gni .

1 oh my head! oh

my eye ! ya léla soda ! oh unluc lcy night ! ya ana m ask in l 1 oh

wretched me ! ya b ak h tak ! what luck is yours ! ya ritua l oh I

would we ya ma nta wisik h oh , howdirty you are ! ya ma ulnf 1

oh howmany thousands

287 . I n scold ing , the interj ection is rarely om itted , and it

is usually repeated with every term of ab use,numerous as th ey

o ften are . I t will b e b est tra nslated in th is case b y the personal

pronoun you.

S, 288. A noun may b e used ab solutely without b eing pre

c eded b y a preposition or dependent 0 11 any other word in the

sentenc e . This use c orresponds in some instanc es to the dativeof other languages , with or without a preposition , in others to

th e so- called ac c usative ab solute or th e ac cusative of as

t ig i s sa‘a k ham sa you must come at five o’

c loch,111 nahar da to

d ay, 11 16111 d i this nigh t, tdni m another day, 11 gum‘a l gaya

nec t wee/c,k ulle yom is sub h erery ( lay in the morning ,

1d duhr at

noon ,11 maghrib at sunset

,sittin sana we sab ‘Gn yom ,

t.e. the

d evil 1 ca re,ruh na m safa k b ira we went a g reat d istance.

R EMA — I n suc h expressions as shufte wahid d ira‘

u n iak snra,

wishshu ink ash shar I saw a man with a broken arm , a wry fac e.we have two separate senten c es , the la tter c onta in ing a sub jec ta nd pred ica te with an e llipse of the sub sta ntive verb .

3“ A no un fo llowing ano the r no un or a perso na l pronoun ,

1 More c ommo n ly use d b y Fe llaheen .

11 Many of them may b e rega rded as adverb ia l expressions.

THE NOUN SUBSTANTIVE 235

and explicative of it, is said to b e in apposition to it , as Meham

mad il farran 111 . the baker ; is sultan ‘ab d 11 Ham id 1

guz k h é l

b atati a pair of horses , barrels ( i.e . as round as barrels) in nas 11

b ashawat W 1 1 b ahawat ; fih gama‘a diyfif

‘andina we have some

guests in our house ; ragil k haddam ,b éya

‘

,k haiyat, &c . ; qususa

b anat p riestesses ; in nas gamihhum the p eop le, all of them 11

g ib na kul liha the whole of the cheese hfiwa sh Sh ék h he the Sheikh

h iya rukhra she the other ( i.e . she too) intu litnen you both ;

iddétfi lu b idiya I gave it to h im (as) ap resent gab fih‘aiyina they

b rought it as a sample.

290 . The word luzfim necessity is very c ommonly u sed afteranother noun in th e sense ofneeded for, for the use of, as k hashabluzfim il furn wood for the stove, farsha luzfim 11 husan bedding

for the horse.

291 . The sec ond noun is sometim es annexed in apposition ,

though it is really of the nature of a g enitive , as tazkara ula ,tanya , talta daraga a first, second , third c lass , ticket 11 goz 11 k hél

the p air ( of) horses.

2

§ 292 . Th e noun in apposition may b e separated from the

other b y several words, as h iya k haragit min 11 6da 1 hurma she

went out of the room ,the woman ( I mean) .

293 . For th e sak e of c learness the relative pronoun followedb y th e personal pronoun may b e inserted b etween th e two nouns ,so that the second b ec omes the predic ate of the first

,as Meham

mad illi huwa 1 farran,il qu susa 1111 humma b anat .

§ 294 . The nouns nafs,shak h s

,zat

,

‘em,tul self, k ull , gam 1

all , and wab d a being a lone, with th e pronom inal suffixes, standsim ilarly in apposition to anoth er noun or pronoun introduc ingthem

,as ish sh ék h shak h su il hurma nafsiha 11 k h idéwi z atu ;

11 ‘asak ir ‘énhum the sheil

'h himself ; the lady herself, &c . ana get

131111 I came by myself ; 11 wilad kulluhum qarét il k itab k ullu I

have read the booh , the whole of it in nas gum gam ihhum the

p eople all came ; 11 ingliz wahduhum the English by themselves,

alone.

REMARK .

'

— The preposition b i and (with wab d ) 11 often intervene

,as 11 b int b i zatha ; ta

‘aln intu b i ‘enk ucome yourselves ,

ana b i tfili I by myself humma 11 wahduhum .

295 . A whole sentenc e or sub stantive c lause may stand in

apposition to a noun,as 11 k alam da ‘

ala inn ir ragil da ah san

m in k ull in h as gher sahih this statement,namely, that this man

1 The order is sometimes inverted,as 11 K hid éwi ‘

ab b as for‘ab b as 11 K h idéwi.

2§ 249 , a , Rem .

236 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

is superior to everybody (else) , is untrue. (Here th e words from‘ala inn to in nas are in apposition to 11 kalam da .) 11 khab ar

le innu inqatal the news that he has been k illed .

g296 . Sub stantives are som etim es used as adjectives,espec i

ally when th ey d enote a material 1 or a condition (as the state

of the weath er) ; e.g . gallab iya shash,a muslin robe ; mand il

harir a silk handkerchief ; b urnéta k hos a straw hat ; k itab

gild a bound book ; b ib a k hashab a wooden p ip e ; sik ka hadid an

iron (rail) way ; sa‘a dahab a gold watch ; sub un nah as copper

d ishes ; 11 kalb e‘anduhum nagasa the d og with them is an unc lean

th ing 1d d inya b ard , harr , nar the weather is cold,hot

,hot a sfi re

1d dinya‘atma

, dalma,shard

,wah la

,zahma

,ramadan I t is dark

,

b lowing a siroc co, muddy, crowded , Ramad dn ; k alamak nafla u

k idb your statement is foolish and false ; matrah dalma,

‘atma a

dark p lace h aga‘éb a d isgraceful thing ; oda katma a c lose room 2

qumash alwan a stufi'

of (many) colours, i.e . variegated ; samak,

b asket ignas various 7? h , m ixed b iscuits ‘1sh1 1n m uftah ishkal

twenty d ifferent keys ; kalam zur false statement,rag il k uhha a rag

of a man ( i.e . worn out) walad lak hma a mudd te headed boy ,

ma ra,zab fin tarab a charm ing woman ,

a sp lend id customer k itabk hara a worth less book ; qol sharaf word of honour ; da shughla

k arhe qawi that is a very fatiguing business 11 b ahr e‘om the rz rer

i s deep enough to swim in (not fordab le) ; zahma mot a d ead lyc rush ; idu shalal his hund is withered ;

‘1yar nar a shot from a

gun ishun luz fim is suf1 a ,k hud£nat luzum 11 akl

,it tab ik h , &c .

297 . V el b al sub stantives will som etim es b e followed b y a

sub st antive c lause as their ob j ec t , a s tak hm ini leinnu yig i it ismy conj ec tu i e that he will come b iddu yei uh il b alad it is ins

want,i.e . he wants to go to tonn haqquhum kan yidrab fih it was

their righ t to strike him ,i.e . they o ught to have struc k h im ; or

th e ob j ec t may b e another sub sta ntive , as haqquhum ish shanqthey ought to b e hanged .

NUMBER

g 298 . As has b een seen 111 th e a c c id enc e,wh en a noun ex

presses a wh o le c lass,the in div idual of that c lass ma y b e deno ted

b y add ing th e term in ation a a n d eve n wh ere the som e noun

presse s b o th th e c la ss an d the ind iv id ua l , as o fte n happens

when it has a b rok e n plura l , the te rm ina tio n ma y b e added fo r

c le arness if it is ne c e ssa ry to mak e a d istinc tio n,as ti‘b hu sna ke

1 As is th e c ase in English .

2n oda k lln b is

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238 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

in th is case the qualifying adjec tive will also remain unchanged ,

as ismuhum eh ? what are their names ? nafsuhum themselves

daqnuhum tawila their beard s are long ; simi‘na kalamhum b i

widnina we heard their statement with our ears ; g ismuk u (or

g ittitku) k ullu (k ulliha) m in‘as (min

‘asa) wah l your bod ies are

all besmeared with, mud .

304 . The same is the c ase with titles of respec t , b ut here

b oth adj ec tive and verb will b e in th e plural , as hadritku1

mab sfitin ? are your Honours satisfied sa‘aditku shuftfihum ? did

your Excellencies see them ?

REMARK .— ‘én is more frequently used in the plural in th is

c onnec tion . I n such an expression as tafl’

u sh sham ‘at b i b uik ithum they put out the cand les with their mouths ( i.e . they b lew

them out) , the plural is used b y preferenc e , as a separate ac t is

performed b y each person .

30 5 . I t will have b een notic ed that nouns of unity refer toin indefinite c lass . To express that an ob j ec t is one of a numb er

of others of a definite c lass,whether in reality or only ren

d ered so b y b eing prec eded b y the d efinite artic le,we m ust

employ th e num eral wahid or,when persons are spok en of

,rag il

or mara or the singular of the noun itself , followed b y the pre

position m in ,as wai l

-rid m in il khaddam in ; wahda m in is salal im

one of the steps ragil , mara,m in il ‘

urb an 2one of the Arab men,

women ; sallima m in is salzilim ; ghanama m in ghanamak one ofyour sheep yam m in il iyam one day.

3

306 . Th e plural demonstrative dOl is often used instead of

th e c lass b eing named,as yom m in ddl one of these days . The

noun in the singular may b e prec eded b y wahid , as wahid yomm in zat il iyam , or b e made d efinite for emphas is, as il m m

m in (101.

THE DUAL

30 7 . Nouns will no t nec ess arily or g enerally b e used in th e

dual num b er, altho ugh two o b j e c ts are spok e n of, unless it is

sought to emphas ize the fa c t o f the ir b eing two and two only.

I n o ther c a ses they will b e spok e n of in the plural . Thus we

may s ay of two b oys , as o f a larger num b e r . il wilful dol gum m in

(tn ? daun b flk leh'

t so dol k itab ati ana ( tho ugh o nly two ) ; ir mg lé uii b uyuthum ( no t mm a shah

'

t are you ( two ) friends !

The more e duc a ted some times s ay hadrfl tkum .

9 W e may a lso sa y rag il , nm ra m in b e t ll ‘ il ‘urbfm .

Or min ailt il iya'

no . ( See

THE DUAL 239

BEHAB IL — I t cannot , however , b e denied that the dual is

frequently used where in English we would not consider it

nec essary to desc rib e the ob j ec ts spok en of as two or b oth .

For instanc e , we m ight say hat il k itab én ill i fi 8 sufra g ive me

the ( two) books which are on the table, wh en it is as ob vious to th e

person addressed as to the Speak er that there are two only on

the tab le ; so litnén shitmitén both are insults (referring to in

sul ting expressions) , though shitma would b e more logica l .

308. The ad j ec tives have no dual form , even wh en used as

sub stantives .

0

§ 30 9 . The plural is used in plac e of the dua l in th e voca

tive,b ut it may b e followed for the sak e of emphasis b y itmen ,

as ya wil ad litnen you two boys .

3 10 . The num eral itnén is often ad ded pleonastically aftera noun in the dual

, to insure th e hearer’

s intention as hat li

k ursiyén itnén briny me two chairs,il k itzib én litnen the two

books— both of them or it may prec ed e a noun in the plural , as

itnén b éhat two B eys itmen M ehammadat litnén k hel we litnen

siyéis ; litnen riggala ,ik hwa

,&c . I n b oth cases the sec ond

word is in apposition to th e first— a fac t wh ich b ecomes partien

larly c lear when b oth of them tak e th e definite artic le , or the

fir st a pronominal suffix and the second the artic le,as litnen il

haramiya dol , k itabati dol litnen .

g 3 1 1 . Similar ly , raglén ,shak h sén , two men, two persozis, and

similar words, may prec ede a plural noun lim iting their sense,

as ga li shakhsén‘umnd two persons (amdus ) came to me. A

stress is h ere laid on the fac t that they were omda s,whic h

would not b e the case if W e said ga11‘umd itén .

3 1 2 . The following words are used in the singular prec e ded

b y itnén

(a) Those wh ich have no dual or plural forms,as itnén

karru 1 two carts ; itnén riglu two k icks (at a game resem b lingrounders) ; itnén daqqu ,

sinnu,kahk u (other term s used at that

game) ; itmen b ul is two policemen .

2

( b ) Most foreign piec es of money and a few other foreignwords, as itnén malin, ifrank ,

riyal , gineh , two willie/nos , franc s ,dollars, pounds ; itnén ma lyfin two millions .

REMARK .— H alinen, riyai lén ,

and malyunen are also in use,

and qorsh plastic always tak es the dual form .

1 ‘Arab iyitén karru is also in common use .

2 I tnén nib it,b ira

,la b an , &c .

,will b e h eard at restaura nts .

I tnén b ulls is e lliptic for rag lén (or nafarC-n ) b e tfi‘ il b ull

240 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

( c) Proper names oc casionally, as fih itmen ‘ab durrahman

there are two Abdurrahmans.

REMARK a .—The nuanc es resulting from the various con

struc tions m ay b e illustrated b y the following examplesFih M ehammadén there are two M .

’s fih Mehammadén itnén

there are two M .

’

s ; fih itnén Mehammad there are two me n ofthe name of M . fih itnén Mehammaden there are two men both

Al ohammefls ; fih itnen M ehammadat there are two— more than

one M . fih M ehammadat itmen there is more than one AL ,there

are two.

REMARK — The singular is very rarely used with itnén in

other than the ab ove cases .

l

REMARK c .— Hasan én is used for Has

-an and H isén , the two

sons of Ali,cousin of th e Prophet . Among the fellaheen indi

v iduals are often named by the dual , as Mehammadén,‘auwaden ,

&c . 75 , note) .3 13 . Twice is expressed b y the word taq with the d efinite

artic le followed b y itnén,as huwa tawil

‘anuak it taq itnén he 1 8

twice your size bo th b y litnen or da W 1'

da (or da w dih , often pronounc ed daudih ) , fem . di W i d i (or di u di) doub le b y the indec lin

a b le 2 adj ective m igwiz a pair b y th e word goz , wh ic h, lik e fard ,is som etim es used alone

,the ob jec ts to wh ich it refers b eing

understood,as goz k hél a p air of ho rses ; k an fi idu goz , i.s . a

b race of p istols ; il husan da yidrab hi 1 goz kicks with both itslegs , bucks.

§ 3 1 4 . The idea of twoi

easily passes into that of a sma ll

numb er,and suc h expressions as the following ar e of c ommon

oc c urrenc e : ana‘anzak fi k ilni itén I have a word or two

’

to sayto you idd i ln qershén ,

nussén, yine hint a piastre or two , some

small money ; il qersh én b e tfi‘i my lit/Infortune isb ur shuwaiyitén

wa it a co uple of sec on ds ;‘addi k hatwitfin min h ina wi tliiqi l b C

-t

quddamak you have only to yo two steps from. here and you’

ll findthe house in front of you.

1 Ma‘na itnfrn (fo r ma

‘n itén ) two meaning/s is some times s aid .

The express io n k urbag b i itnen lisan , quo ted b y S pitt a. m ig ht b e

used care le ss ly em ai l b y a native,b ut it sho uld not b e imitated .

2 But see 3 136,note .

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242 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

§ 3 19 . A noun in the dual oc casionally has its adjec tive inthe fem inine singular , and th is even ( espec ially if the ad j ectiveends in i) wh en expressing an animate ob j ect , as

‘énéh sughaiyara,humra

,mewalla‘a his eyes are small, red , darting fire ; hinten ,

raglén , talyaniya two I talian girls, men ; ir raglén il m istak hdima

‘andi

,il hagtén mafhfima (b etter m estak hdimin ,

mafhfimin) .320 . Although the cardinal num erals ab ove ten are followed

by a sub stantive in the singular , yet th e adjective qualifying thesub stantive will b e in th e plural (or fem inine singular ) , as

arb ahtashar ragil taiyib in (or taiyib a) fourteen good men‘ishrin

‘ilb a sughaiyara (or sughaiyarin) twenty small boxes mit maqtaf

malyana (or malyanin) a hundred full baskets. S imilarly with

th e word kam ,as k an fih k am darwish maqtfl lin (or maqtfda) ?

howmany dervishes were there k illed ? 11 k am darwish il harb in

the few d ervishes that got away. But where the sub stantive is

(or m ight b e) in the singular in any case , the ad jec tive may agree

with it , as itnashar gineh masri m itqaddim twelve Egyptian

pounds pa id in advance, for we m ight also say‘ashara g ineh .

32 1 . Nouns ofmultitude are generally qual ified b y ad j ec tivesin th e plural , as 11 gama

‘a dol za

‘lanin minni these people are

angrywith me giritna1 (for giranna) wisk h1n (or wisk ha) we have

d irty neighbours. So also are the words shuwaiya and hab b a a

small quantity ( lit . a grain) , as ish shuwaiyit it tib ne dol lazmin ?

are these few b its of strawwanted il ljab b it ir radda illi maugndin‘anclak the little bran you have in your house ; b ut the adjec tivesometimes agrees, as hat shuwaiyit , hab b it , moiya nd ifa bring a

drop of c lean water.

§ 3 22 . Collec tive nouns,on the contrary, are used with a

singular ad jec tive,exc ept in some cases when they denote a

num b er of human b eings, as il ghanam ,il b aqar

,il k uwaiyisa ;

il waraq il ab yad il ghafar ( b ut b etter 11 ghufara ) il b attfidln delthese harl watchmen .

REMARK .— A( ljec tives end ing in i very frequently remain

unchang ed wh ether the sub st antive b e in the feminine singular

or in the plural . Th is is partic ularly the c ase

(a) t n the ad j ec tive is so c lose ly c o nnec ted with its sub

stantive that the stress is la id on one as muc h as on the other,the two almost form ing o ne word .

( h) Where the ad j e c tive expresses the matc rial of wh ic h the

b je c t is mad e,or the c o untry o f its orig in ,

o r a c lass of person

or things to wh ic h it b e longs .

1 That is,our entourage. The ad je c tive is in conc ord with

the ide a.

THE ADJECTIVE

( c) When the adjective is a foreign word .

(d ) Wh en .it may b e translated b y an adverb .

( e) Wh en the sub stantive is indefinite .

E .g . b attikha séfi (rarely séfiya) a summer melon ( i.e . one of asummer cr0p) ; sik k a

‘umumi a pub lic road , thoroughfare ;

‘as ak ir,

gazma,sawari cavalry, rid ing boots ; 1] b adla l mulk i the civil

costume ; arde sharaqi (rarely sh araqiya) dried (unflooded ) land ;masamir qab aqib i tin tacks , small nails ; qahawi sahhari cofieehouses, taverns, kep t open a ll night ; is sik ka t tauwali the straight

road ; sikka sultani high -road ;‘atfa naffadi a lane with an out

let ;‘arahiya mallaki p rivate carriage ; b inaya b ughdadli 1 lath

and p laster build ing ;‘um la b arrani (occasionally b arraniya) bad

money lahma dani , b aqart mutton, beef ; saniya stamb uli( istamb fili) a tray from Constantinop le ; ishun ,

itb aq , sini china

d ishes, p lates ; fulus‘arab i Arab money ; argh ifa b aladi,

‘arab i

native,Arab , loaves ; dura shami Syrian maize ; itnén gineh masri

L . E . 2 ; natiga‘arab i, an Arab almanack ; il h inna l wahhab i

IVahhaby henna k ilma si‘idi a word used in Upp er Egyp t ; iz z awat

il ‘usmalli Turk ish grandees ; riggala h indi I nd ians ; b unduqiya

fallah i a gun such as the p easants use ; gazma, qum san , h ar

'imi

women’

s shoes,shifts b idum riggalimen

’

s clothes gallab iya hariri,ghaz li a silk

,spun silk

, gown ; hagat , isnaf, werdinari ord inary,second -class artic les b unduqiya miri

2gun supplied by the Govern

ment ; sakran sakra ingliz i laqét il 6da f6qani tah tani I found theroo m upside down ; k ilma sirri a secret

, pr ii ate , word ; ithassét

b i h aga k haf1fi I felt a slight sensation ; b aniAdam k hiyah , ma

yighlib fish3 illa l m6t 4 the sons of Adam are inventive, nothing but

death overcomes them .

REMARK — Th e ad jec tive remains unchanged even wh en thesub stantive is not expressed , as ir rum i d61 malu 1 b alad kull iha

theseforeign (dogs, just spoken. of ) havefilled the wh ole town .

§ 323 . Wh en th e adj ec tive does not fall under one of the

ab ove heads it will generally agree with the sub stantive , and

this may also happen ,wh en

,although it b elongs to one of th e

ab ove h eads, great stress is laid on it

,or

,at least

, greater stress

1 But mara b ughdad liya a woman from Bag/dad .

2 From Arab ic am ir,b or1 owed b y the Turk s and returned to

the language 1n its truncated form .

3 Note that the singular verb al sufl'ix is h ei 0 used

,b aniAdam

b eing regarded as a c ollec tive . Bani is used m a few expressions for

t

b an i) , the literary c onstruc t plur . of ib n .

4 The last three examples do not fall under any of the ab ove

heads.

244 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

than on th e sub stantive , and c onsequently wh en it is a predicate .

Fur ther , ad jec tives ending in dni and those which are derivedfrom adverb s or prepositions, as quddami front, invariab lyagree ; and lastly, adjec tives denoting nationalities agree with

a fem inine sub stantive denoting an an imate ob jec t .

l E .g .

réigil kan sakrim sakra ingliz iya k tir qawi ; il k ilma k anitsirriya ; is sikk a di ‘

umfimiya ? is this a thoroughfare ? iftah ishshab ab ik il f6qaniya (or il f6qaniyin ) open the top wind ows ; il

husan b iya‘rag b i riglu l quddamiya ,

1 waraniya the horse is lame

in thefore, hind , leg il k ilma lak hraniya the last word in nfis il

fulfiniya such and such p eople il ‘ask ar is Sudaniya the Soud anese

troops ; in nas il fransawiya wi t talyaniya French and I talian

peop le wahda ingliz iya an English woman.

§ 324 . Adjectives denoting nationalities always end in i ,b ut in place of them the c ollec tive noun is used in many c ir

cumstanc es. The following examples are given for the learner’

s

guidanc e , as more depends on custom than logic or analogy :

husan tiui k i ; mara , faras , turkiya ; rzi g il turk , turk i (or tur kawi)k h61 turk i (or turk ) ; nits turk ; b ashawat turk (or turk i) ; ir rag il( la turk ; ha san ingliz i ; k hél ingliz i (more rarely khél , ham

‘

u'

,

ingliz , and oc c asionally k hcl , «lee . ingliz iya) ; k hiyfd ingliz iya ;mara ingliz iya ; nas, niswan ingl iz ; ragil ifrang a Europ ean ;milfik ifrang ; k hél ifrang ; mara

,faras

,ifrangiya ; husain

‘agam i

a Persian horse ; t l ‘agami (or

‘agam ) ; mar a

‘agamiya ,

nfi s‘agam ; ir rag il da

‘agami ; reigil , h asan sharkasi a Circassian , a

C ircassian horse ; mara,faras

,sharkas1ya ; ii as sharak sa ; khél

shark as (or sharak sa) ; kh iyul sharkasiya (or sharak s a) ; ragilh ind i (rarely h ind ) an I nd ian ; riggala , b ash-awai t , h ind (rarerh indi) ; mara h indiya ; niswan h ind iya (or h ind ) ; rag il

‘a mb (or

‘arab i) ; ib ne

‘arab ; mara arab ly a mis

,n iswan

,

‘arab (or

‘urb fin ) ;

k ilab ‘arab ; ragil b adawi a Bed ouin ; riggala ,

niswfin ,b idW '

mara b adawiya ; b us-C1 11 magar a H ungarian horse ; faras magar

,

k hel n iagar ; nig il arna’ ut (or arna

’ fl ti) an Albanian ; faras,mara

,khé l :u

'

na’ dt (or arna

’ll ti) ; k h iyfll arna

‘

ll tiyu ;“as aranta ; rag il n im siwi an Austrian (or German) mara

,

1 But we s ay far k ha r iled (or nia lti) a tar/fey. “h ere the

sub stantive is a b rok en plura l it will sometimes remain nu

c h ang ed ,as in ir. z av at il ‘

usm alli ab ove ; ir. zawat il ‘us inalliya

may a lso b e used,and should b e whe re there is the lea st

emphasis , as,for instanc e

,if a d istinc tion were b e ing mad e

b etween A r ab s a n d Turk s .

3 The adj ec tive fo rm is rare ly used . \V e m igh t say da wdhid

magari, b ut lnaga r woul d b e more correc t.

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246 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

it should qualify, or wh en it is used adverb ially, as talata taiyib

(or taiyib in) three’

s all right, il b alad illi nta rdyihha tekfin m 1s

tab ‘ad (or b i‘id)

‘alék ,

i. .e it will be too far for you to go to the

village you are mak ing for (b ut il masafa b i‘1da) ; itfaddali m in

gher matrud , i.e. make yourself at ease wi thout fear of being sent

away ; k hadte haga mityassar k ede I tgot something which p ut

me in easy circumstances , b ut haga m ityassara a comfortable sum ; ruh fil mauqafwe naqqi li

‘arab iya ah san il maugfid

go to the stand and choose me a carriage— the best of everything

there ;‘andak maab fit

1 is ezi ‘a l maab fita) ? have you the right

time ? qal luhum mab rak he congratulated them ,til‘u mb ahhar (or

mb ahharin) they went away towards the north ; qulti lha.

hati ll

kursi ; qalit li taiyib hadir I said to her, Bring me a chair , and she

replied All right, lit. ( I am) ready ; mishyu mqab b il they u ent

south; ishtaréthum l ik his (or ruk has) I bought them cheap hattihawati hatte nafsu watya) he behaved modestly ; misht ma fishmaugud wala furash ma fish maugud there is neither a comb nor

brushes.

§ 329 . Beta‘ will often b e used in th e masculine sing ular

(with a fem inine or plural sub stantive , a) wh en it means for theuse of, in which c ase th e two sub stantives which it c onnec ts will

( espec ially if the second is indefinite) form a compound in English ,as hat il lamda b eta‘ is sala bring the d7 -7 oom lamp ; il haga

di b eta ‘

(or b eta‘it) h ina ; it tah una b eta

‘ b unn 2 a coffee-mill ; andb, oc casionally when the first is indefinite

,as k itabat b eta‘ ab fiya

books of myfather.

REMARK .— The masculine will sometimes b e heard irregularly

in other cases, b ut th is is an error equivalent to the use of the

masculine of the Frenc h past partic iple with a relative pronoun

referring in the ob lique case to a feminine sub stantive , wh ich

may pass in a Frenchman,b ut in a foreigner would b e attri

b uted to ignoranc e . This c onstruc tion will possib ly b ecome more

common in a later developm ent of th e language .

§ 3 30 . Lastly, when an ad jec tive prec edes its sub stantive,

wh ether as an attrib utive or a predicate , it generally undergoes

no change , as auwil, tfini, t : 1lit ,3gam il il lamda ! fine lanips

H

l issa fadil kh :unastashar yom there aret

still rc mainmgfi tteen days ,

k an maug fld nas k oth there were presentmanyp eop le ; k etir marra

many a ti ;me kan mai s1im 5 ‘alGh rig l insan there was del ineated

1 They also say‘andak aab t l

2 Or b etfi‘ il b unn .

8§ 353 .

1g 2413, 285.

5 C omp. the use of inc lus in Fr. and suc h phrases as passé

cette date.

THE ADJECTI VE 247

thereon a man’

sfoot ; il waraqa di marsfim fiba l ginéna there is a

p lan of the garde non this pap er ; lazmak haga ? do you want anything ? il marhum 1 walditi my d eparted mother ; iza kan maugud‘anduhum h aga if they had anything with them fih naqis wahda ,

b ut fih wahda naqsa there is one (f.) missing ; k an b éyin‘aléhum

‘alamat therewere. marks apparent on them ; ya

‘az iz rasak (as an im

precation) mab ruk (or mub arak )‘alek il wazifa congratulations

on your (new) post ; kuwaiyis (or k uwaiyisa) m innu 1 maru ’a di it

was fine of him to show such humanity (such humani ty wasfine on

REMARK a .— W

’

e say laz imni h aga I want something , mush

laz imhum ‘arah iya, &c . b ut general ly Iiizima haga , mush lazima

‘arahiya , &c .

REMARK b .~ —W

’

h ere the partic iple prec edes its sub stantive ,

and is ac companied b y th e definite artic le , tak ing the plac e of

the relative pronoun ,it should b e in c oncord , as il b et il li sakna

fih uk h ti the house in which my sister resides .

REMARK c .— Th e partic iple b ayin (b éyin ) is sometimes used

adverb ially and impersonally, and at others personally, and

in th e latter case in c oncord with th e sub stantive,

2 as inta b eyin‘aiyan (or inta

‘aiyan b éyin) you are seemingly ill , you are ill

apparently inti b éyin‘alek i k hassa (or b éyina

‘alek i khassa) you

app ear to be getting thin so b éyin‘aléhum ‘

aiyénin (or b éyinindi e. is sa

‘a

‘ashara b éyin it is ten o

’

c lock , it seems .

REMARK d .—Th e word rak har

,or less frequen tly lakhar (for

il Ak b ar) , may often b e translated b y also, b ut it always agrees

with th e noun or pronoun to wh ich it refers , as h iya rakhra she

also; intu gayin ruk hrin ? are you coming too t3

§ 33 1 . An ad j ec tive or partic iple may b e used as a sub

stantive,as it tawil yetul the tall can reach ; il hadrin those who

are (were)present il maul fid gidid the new born il miri the govern

ment ; darab fi 1 anhefired h igh above ; m ityassar b alah a fewdates ; il k ib ir b etahhum their chief ; k ub ar in mi s the great (ofthe) peop le, the grandees ; il ma

‘lfim the thing known, understood

mi‘ah maugud , mityassar he has got means meqauwara a scoopit tib b iya the doctors (for il huk um a t tib b iya) ; falatiya bad char

acters mashrfib é t things d runk , b everag es il b aqi the remain der ,

mak tfib a letter ; il b attal the evil ; il wfihid the one, &C .

§ 332 . An adj ec tive is not unc ommonly used in this waywith the preposition mi n following and separating it from the

1 But a lso max-h uma .

2 Comp. th e use of Sfih og and cam ps; in anc ient Greek .

2 Comp. vous autres and vosotros you) .

248 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

sub stantive , so that we have two sub stantives, one of them in

th e position of a partitive genitive , instead of the ad jectivein concord with its sub stantive

,as il wisk hin min in nas d irty

people ; ish shuttar m in il k haiyatin c lever tailors ; ketir min in

niswan yi‘milu k ede many women do so.

333 . An adjec tive qualifying two or more sub stantives may,as in English ,

b e repeated with each or plac ed in the plural , as

ir ragil it taiyib wi l walad it taiyib gum or ir ragil wi l waladit taiyib in gum the g ood man and the good boy, or the good man and

boy, have come ir ragil il b attal wi l mara l b attala (or ir ragil wil mara l b atté lin) sim ilarly, 1r ragil taiyib wi l walad taiyib (orir ragil wi l walad taiyib in ) the man is good and the boy i s good , or

the man and boy are good ,dzc .

§ 334 . When,on the c ontrary , one sub stantive is qualified

b y different attrib utive ad jec tives,they will b e plac ed after

it without b eing connec ted b y the copulative c on junc tion,and

b oth wil l tak e th e artic le wh en the sub stantive is definite,as

ragil tawil rufaiya‘a tall th in man ; b agat ward inari rik hisa

common cheap things ; il maratén d6l il fuqara l masak in these twop oor wretched women .

§ 335 . Th e predicate adj ec tive in th is case will not nec es

sarily b e c onnec ted b y the c opulative unless their meanings are

quite d istinc t,as in niswan d6l fuqara masakin (or fuqara u

masak in ) these women arep oor and wretched ; il k itfib at k ib ira u

sam ra the books are large and b rown.

REMARK .— I t will have b een ob served that the copula (or

sub stantive verb ) is not expressed b etween sub jec t and predi

c ate,at least in affirmative sentenc es

,wh en the fac t stated has

referenc e to th e imm ediate or c ontinuous present . I r rag il

yek un taiyib m eans the man will be,or may be, good .

33 6 . Adj ec tives,as we have seen

,are very frequently

used adverb ially,or rather th ey are turned into adverb s

,losing

in most c ases their power of inflec tion ,as huwa ‘

aiyan gidid ,

h iya‘aiyana gidid ,

humma‘aiyfinin g id id he, she , is ill again ,

theyare ill aga in malyan k itir very, too , full k ib ir qawi very big il

h usfin m ish i 115111 the horse u'

ent q uietly ; k an lab is ab yad he was

d ressed in wh ite taiyib well, good auwil ma get d irec tly I came ;

i‘m il da auwil d o thisjirst auwil inb firih ( for il b arih) yesterday ; ma

tgish tfini don’

t come again ,&c . ; m in h ina u tfili‘ (o r ray ih) he nce

forth sa‘tén raivih u s a

‘ten gay two hours there and two hours back .

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250 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

referred to definitely, as huwa ahsan il wilad dol he is the best ofthese boys.

REMARK b .— The word k eb ir often remains in the positive

in this connec tion ,as k eb ir 1n nas

,k eb ii it (k eb irt) in niswan ; ir

ragil da m in kub ar ish shuqay this man is one of the greatest ofra sc a ls.

1 Taiyib has a c omparative sense in the expression huwataiyib he is better ( in health ) .

2

§ 34 l . Th e same notion may also b e expressed b y an ab so

lute superlative followed immediately b y the noun it qualifies,neither of them tak ing the artic le, as atwal walad dih the tal lest

boy (of them) is thus one ; ah san ‘esh ‘andak (or ahsan

‘esh illi

a‘ndak

, or ah san ma fi 1 ‘esh illi ‘andak ) the best bread you ha t e ,

ma qalsh e adna haga he d idn’

t say the least th ing hiya fi ah san

siliha she is in the best of health .

342 . Th ere is som etimes a con fusion b etween the two

degrees of comparison ,the superlative b eing employed to c om

pare an ob j ec t to a c lass to which it does not b elong ,as huwa

ah san ik hwatu,ashqa k hwfitu he is the best, the most rascal ly, of

his brothers , i.e . he is b etter,more rascally , eve n than his brothers

(for ah san m in,shaqi ‘

an ,ik hwatu) .

3 W e may also say huwa

ah san,ashqa ma fi kwatu .

§ 343 . The pronominal sufiix ha is sometimes attac hed to

th e superlative when followed immediately b y a sub stantive , ashuwa ak b arha rag il he is the greatest ofmen adnaha , aqall iha kilma

m il li qulti lak the least word of those which 1 add ressed to you.

5 3 44 . Comparison may b e denoted b y a verb followed bythe preposition

‘an

,as huwa yitkallim

‘arab i ‘

annak he speaks

Ara b ic better than you. b addar ‘an il ‘fida he was w rlier than usual

istak hfif maisu ‘an wzihid he p reten ded , consid ered

,that he was

more alert than some one zad ‘anni fi sh shaga

‘a he had more

courage than I .

1 Huwa m in il k ub air ish shuqiiy is also s aid , b ut the con

struc tion is a m ixed one . Oth er ad jec tives are sometim es used

in the sam e way , as tawil il maugfid in the ( all one ( i.s . the talles

i)of those p resent, and W e may, of c ourse,say it tawil min

maug lldin .

2 Borrowed , perhaps , from the Turk ish éyid ir ( not dahaeyii lir) .

3 C omp. the Gre ek id iom , imit ated b y M ilto n in Fairestof lmr Daug h te rs , Eve ,

an d l’lin y

'

s ( homo )“o lnniu in non

so lu in liipodum se d ntiiun qnxulrupmlum spurc ntiss iluus .

"

Thu c o ns truc tio n is particularly common with the verb s of

the tenth derived form .

THE NUMERALS 251

5345 . Adverb s may b e ob jects of c omparison , as h ina ah san

min ohenak it is better here than there or one of the ob jec ts mayb e an idea denoted b y a verb al sentence , as huwa ahsan mim ma

(min ma) kan‘amnauwil (or elliptically nin ‘

amnauwil ) he isbetter than he was last year (than last year) ; hiya rufaiya

‘a m im

ma k an it she is thinner than she was ; huwa ah san mimma kan

he is b etter than ever he was.

5346 . Better than that (with a verb following ) 18 expressed b yahsan min inn (or m im

O

ma) or , with an ellipse of the min , ah san

ma, as da ah san min innina nrfih

‘andu that is better than that

we should go to his house ; 11 mot ah san mimma n‘ish k ede death

is better than that we should live thus ; ah san ma nmut b i l gti‘

better than that, that we die of hunger. I n rendering the ex

pression better to— than to we may employ the aorist without a

con junc tion in the first alternative, as ah san nidrab m im ma

nindirib (or ah san i1 wahid yidrab mim ma yindirib ) , or , wh en

possib le, the verb al noun,as is often the case in English . The

latter construction is the more idiomatic of the two .

347 Ah san , or , with the artic le , i] ahsan ,is used ab solutely

in the sense of it were better, best, no alternative or alternativesb eing mentioned , as 11 ah san tequl lu l haq q it were better that

you tell him the truth ; ah san tigina inta you had better come to us .

I t may also stand alone ad verb ially, the verb b eing supplied

from what has gone b efore , and may b e qualified 1 ed undantlyb y z iyada , as ana hatkallini waiyah ahsan ,

ahsan z iyada I will

speak with him that will be best— much better .

348. Ak b ar stands as an ab solute superlative without the

artic le in the expression Al lah ak b ar God is greatest, i.s . most

great.

THE NUMERALS

§ 349 . I t has already b een notic ed 97, Rem . c ) that thecardinal numb ers ab ove ten tak e their sub stantive in the sin

gular .

l The word mis forms an exc eption to this rule , as arb é ‘in

nas forty p eop le, the reason prob ab ly b eing that it has no sin

gular of its own ; b ut it is more correc t to say arb é ‘in nafas (ornafar ) .

§ 350 . The word 85‘s. in the sense of o’c lock prec edes the

num eral,wh ich is always the c ard inal

,and remains in the sin

gular , as tigi 8 85 ‘s. (or ii s sai ‘a )

‘ashara .

1 Inc lud ing ,of c ourse

,collec tives, so that we say ihdashar

b urtuqfina, not b urtq n.

252 THE SPOKEN ARABIC or EGYPT

REMARK .—Rfis, meaning a head of cattle, and foreign pieces of

money, are generally left in the singular with a c ardinal under

eleven,as arb a‘ (or arb a‘

a) ras (less usually than rfis) ghanamfour head of sheep ,

talata frank,sitte gineh . Malyfin million is

used in th e sam e way.

§ 35l . The cardinals retain the forms talata,arb a‘a , &c .

,

wh en followed b y a noun in th e singul ar , as talata g ineh ,b intu ,

&c .

,as has b een said b ut talata riggala , g inéhat , &c .

,will

sometimes b e h eard ; so also occ asionally wh en th e noun is

d efinite , as it talata k haddamin ,il arb a‘

a ghrush 1 dol these three

p iastres ; k an fih wahdam i‘aha talat b anat

,wi t talata b anat dol .

352 . The cardinals as a rule prec ede th e noun wheth er

definite or indefinite,b ut frequently follow it when it is definite ,

and oc casionally wh en it is indefinite , for th e purpose of em

phasis, as it talat k itab at (or il k itab at it talata) hat li k itabat

talata (for talat k itab at) bring me three books.

§ 353 . The ordinal may eith er prec ede or follow th e noun ;

in th e form er case neither will tak e th e article , b ut in th e latter

th e article will b e plac ed b efore b oth in ac c ordanc e with the

rules,as talit 116ba di (or in nb b a t talta di) this third time. The

noun will generally b e in th e plural , wh en preceding th e cardinal,

though the numb er b e over ten ,b ut with the h igh er numb ers

th e singular is sometimes h eard,as i ddini k itabat talattfishar ,

k itab at (or k itab ) m itén u wahid give me th irteen, a hund red and

one,books. K itab talattashar would mean book No. 1 8.

g 354 . Wh en ob jec ts are spok en of as b eing either of one

numb er or anoth er the d isjunc tive is not usually expressed ,and if one num b er is under ten and the oth er ab ove ten the

noun is generally mentioned twic e,first in th e plural and then

in th e singular, as talatt arb a ‘ k itabat ;‘ashar t inffir ,

riggala ,h idashar nafar

,three or four boo l s, ten or tu

'

elre men,b ut ‘

ashara

t nfi shar nafar,&c .

,will also b e h eard .

§ 355 . W e m ay express one or two, two or three, b y nam ingth e ob j ec t itself in th e first c ase in the singular and in the

sec ond in th e dual,and plac ing th e num eral whic h ind icates the

h igh er numb er imm ediately after it , as rag il itmen one or two

men ; qiza z ten talata two or three bottles or , in the first c ase, the

o b j ec t may h e nam ed in th e singular and repea ted in the dual ,as sufra sufritcn a tab le or two .

REMARK .— Th 0 insertion of the d isjunc tiv e po ints to the

ex iste nc e of a stro ng doub t in the m ind of the speak er as to

1 From sing . gh e rsh ,a duplicate form of qersh .

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254 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

THE PRONOUN

362 . The personal pronouns are not usually expressed

with the verb unless they are emphatic or their om ission would

c ause amb iguity,1 as gena mb arih we came yesterday ; ihna gens.

m barih we humma safru nnaharda we came yesterday and theyleft to—day.

§ 36 3 . When the pronouns of the first and second or the

first and th ird persons, or the first person and a noun ,ar e

togeth er the sub jects of a verb,the verb will b e in the first

person plural , as in English , as ana wi nta k unna maugfidin

you and I were p resent ana we hiya lazim nerfih she and I must

go ana wi l walad gena sawa the boy and I came together.

S im ilarly, when the second and th ird persons or the second

person and a noun are togeth er the sub jec ts,the verb will b e in

th e second person plural , as inta we huwa darahta l walad int'

i

we gartik b etitk hanqfi till in nahar you and your neighbour are

guarrelliny all day long.

REMARK .— Notic e that, contrary to the English c ustom ,

it is

usual to plac e the first person b efore the second and the sec ond

b efore th e third .

364 . The first person plural is very frequently used instead

of th e singular , as ihna gayin b uk ra are coming to-morrow,

though th e speak er alludes to h im self only ; similarly, when the

pronoun is not expressed , a plural verb or partic iple may b e

employed ,as

‘anzin nesh i

'

ifak I want to see you. The second

person plural is also used for politeness, as in many Europeanlanguages , b ut rarely even b y the educated . Instead of it the

words hadra and ganab hono ur, with the pronom ina l sufiix of the

second person (mak ing hadr it ak , ganab ak ) , are often employed ,

when equals or superiors are ad dressed . with the verb in the

sec ond person singular ,while hadritu and ganiib u are used when

they are spok en ot.

z

3 05 . A pasha is addressed as sa‘a dta k

,contrac te d generally

to sa‘tak your Beatitude, Ju

'

r c'

elleney, and spok en of as sa‘ad tu.

The vo cative va s a‘t il Basha is used b y inferiors only.

1 S uc h as m igh t arise from the fac t o f the first and sec ond

persons singular o f the past tense of the verb b e ing identical

in form .

The plural is ha dritku (kum) , ganahk fl (k um ) , see 30 4 .

( tomp. vue stra marred in S panish , voss a me lt ed in Portu

g uese , 7 0 8 Aalyov 0 0 8,a ds in Greek .

THE PRONOUN 255

§ 366 . When , on the oth er hand , the ob jects of the verb

c onsist of different personal pronouns, or of a personal pro

noun and a noun ,they will generally b e indicated b y a plural

suffix followed b y the full pronoun or pronouns and th e noun,

as ab uya shafna ana (or shafna na) wi nta my father saw (us) meand you il walad darab na (a)na we humma the boy struck me and

them ; il‘arb agi illi gab k fi inta wi l efendiyén the d river who

brought you and the two gentlemen ; il b ulis misikhum humma wi

n niswan the police seized them and the women.

REMARK .— The full form of the pronoun is som etimes

omitted , espec ially in phrases of a religious charac ter,as Allah

yihfagna wi n nas k ulliha God p reserve us and everybody.

§ 367 . There are two other constructions, however , which

are not unusual , viz

(a) Instead of th e plural suffix the singular is used , as

representing the first ob ject , followed b y the two full personal

pronouns or the pronoun and noun , as darahu huwa w ana he

struck him - him and me ; gab ha hiya wi b niha we b intiha he

b rought her and her son and daughter Darab u l walad w ana

should not b e said , i.e. the pronoun must prec ede the noun .

( b ) The verb may b e mentioned twic e , first with a pro

nominal sufiix and then with anoth er suffix or a noun ,as

darab ak we darab ni, m isik na we m isik hum .

REMARK .— These construc tions 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 ob jec ts.

368. As a noun or a preposition cannot tak e more than one

pronom inal suffix,they must either b e repeated with each

,as

b aladi u b aladak my village and yours, ab fik w ab uya your fatherand mine, ganb u we ganb iha by h im and her

,

‘alek i we ‘

ala b nik

on you (f.) and your son,katab liya we lik he wrote to you and to

me, or a c onstruc tion may b e used similar to that of the verb

with its ob j ec ts describ ed ab ove,as

‘alena na wi nta on me and

you ,k itab hum humma we huwa their book and his, warak fi intu

we huwa behin d you and him .

REMARK .— The noun may, of c ourse, b e replac ed b y the

possessive adjec tive b eta‘ with the suffix , as k itzib i wi b ta‘ak ,

b ut it is more usual to repeat the noun .

§ 369 . I t is not unc ommon for the personal pronoun ,with

whic h a part ic iple or ad jec tive is in c onc ord, to b e unexpressed

when there can b e no doub t as to the identity of the pe rson or

thing referred to ,as shayif ir ragil il li waqif ? do you see the man

stand ing ( there) ?‘auz Oh ? what ( to you want 7 rayih fi

'n ? rayihmasrwhere are you going t I am going to Cairo gaywa lla m istanni

256 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

lissa 2 are you coming or still waiting ? u‘a ! m ehauwidin look

out ! we are coming round (turning up a street) inta hadir ?Hadir are you ready ? I am ready ,

shuft innas dol ? Ewa ,masak in ma lhumshe b ét d id you see those p eop le ? Yes, they are

poor housetess p eop le.

1 The use of the adj ec tive hadir in replyto a c all 0 1 an order is an instanc e of th is figure , thoughsense it can in many instanc es b e hardly distinguished fro

gm an

adverb ,as M ehammad ! Hadir ! hfohammed / H ere I am ;

iqfil il b ab . Hadir ! shut the door. Good ( lit . I am ready to do

it) . The ellipse tak es plac e with partic iples much more

frequently than with adj ec tives.

370 . The personal pronoun is often placed b efore or afterth e noun

,or other part of speech , to which the corresponding

possessive suffix is appended , without any particular stress b eingnecessarily laid on it

,as inta b étak fen ? (you) where is your

house ana shughli fi M asr mywork is in Cairo humma‘adithum

innihum yigu s sa‘a talata their custom is to come at three fi b itna

hna in our house qulti ln leinni ana gay‘andu fi I b et ? d id you

tell me that I am coming to him at his house ?

3 71 . Similarly, the full form of th e personal pronoun mayb e added to th e suffixes appended to th e verb , as ana b akk allimak

inta I am sp eaking to you ma tidrab nish ana don’

t strike me.

§ 372. Th e personal pronouns are very commonly plac ed

pleonastic ally b etween th e relative illi and its pred ica te ,2eSpa

c ially when there is an ellipse of the c opulative verb kan ,as

ir rag il illi huwa h ina the man who is here ; il k ilfib il li humma

‘addu l walad the dogs which b it the boy ,

is sa‘a il li h iya

‘and

ab uya the watch wh ich my father has ; il‘ada illi hiya manguda

‘and il b adawin the custom 1071 41 71, ex ists amongst the Bedouins .

S 373 . I n each of the ab ove examples the personal pronounm ight b e om itted ,

and would b e as o ften as not ; b ut where the

relative c lause is merely explic ative of a definite antec edent

and in apposition to it , the personal pronoun should b e inserted,

as il w ilful illi humma shab na the boys who are ourfriends .

-l l i the latter c ase ,when the pred icate is a sub

stant ive ,th e personal pronoun is sometimes in ac c ord with it

a s b e ing th e most im portant word in the se ntenc e , as il mo iya

illi huwa sh sh irso b e ta ‘ il lab an the crater that is the rela y fromthe w ith .

1 No o ne b ut a fo re ig ner would s ay ana‘auz

‘arab iya , duh ,

unless the prono un were emphatic o r ano ther m ight b e under

s to o d if it we re om itted .

As in H eb rew.

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258 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

§ 378. Similarly, when the ob jec t of a verb precedes it the

suffix must still b e appended to the verb , so that the ob j ec t willb e mentioned twic e over

,as ab fiya shuftu ? haze you seen my

father ? (not ab uya shuft) ; il k hamsa iddithum lu (as to) thejive(piastres) I have (g iven them h i .m

REMARK .

— I t must not b e supposed that this idiom is unusual,

and employed only for the sak e of emphasizing th e ob j ect,as in

English . I t is on th e contrary exc eed ingly common .

379 . W hen a relative pronoun is the ob j ec t of a verb the

suffix will refer to its antec edent,as is sand uq illi gab fih the

box which they b rought ; il‘arab iya illi rik ib naha the carriage in

which we drove ; il karasi illi k asartuhum the chairs which you

broke. Th e antec edent may, of course,b e understood , as illi

‘addu t ti‘b an yek haf m in il hab l he whom a snake has b itten

starts at a rope.

REMARK a . Th is idiom may lead to c onfusion,as in ir ragil

illi k an darb u ,wh ich may m ean the man whom he was striking , or

the man who was strik ing him .

REMARK b .— When ma is used for illi the su ffix is not nec es

sary, and is very rarely employed , as‘ala hasab m a qal accord

ing to what he said , and the sam e is often the case where the

relative and antec edent are b oth omitted,as ma m i‘ ish add i lak

I have nothing to g ive you.

380 . Similarly, a preposition when it refers b ack to a noun

already m entioned will tak e the suffix appropriate to that noun,

as il b et illi quddamna m in sak in fih ? who lives in the house in

front of us ? is sagara d i fuqha‘asafir k etir there are many b ird s

on th is tr,

’

ee in n i swan luhum wilad the women have ch i ,ld ren ir

rag il illi‘aiidu fi ll s the man who has money .

381 . I n th e 1 elative c lause the g enitive of the relative

pronoun (whose) wil l b e trs'

i i islated 1 11 Aiab ic b y the nominatne

who ,wh ile the noun wh ic h in Eng lish governs the genitive will

tak e the pronominal suth'

x,as il b zisha illi b é tu ganb ih a the

p as/ca who se house is nea r ours il me sk ine d i il li husha nsaraq it

th is poo r woman whose money ha s been stolen ; il k alb illi rfisu

inqata‘it m in ‘

agalt il‘arahiya the d og whose head wa

s cut of bythe wheel of the ca rriage il mara illi guz ha

‘ab it thewoman who se

husband is an id iot i lli riglGh tuwiil yilnshi qawiim a man with

long le gs walks quickly il qazayiz illi g li ntyanhum fihum the bottles

with the corks ( or stop/ h r s) in ”l e t/ t .

38" Beta‘ here aga in ma y t ak e the plac e of the sutlix , th e

noun b eing ac c ompanied b y the d efinite artic le,as is s and llq illi

l g hata b etfi‘u r1

°

1h the box whose lid is lost.

53383 . I t is no t neeesmwv that the noun immed iate ly fo llow the

THE SUFFIXES 259

relative a verb or oth er word may intervene , as il b int illi shanaqab fiha (or , as in 3 78, illi ab uha shanaq fih ) il qalam ir rusas illi1 1k asar tarfu the p enc il the p oint of which is b roken in nas illi gum

gam ihhum the peop le all of whom came ; il walad illi l haramiya

k hataffi tarb fishu min rasu we k isu m in géb u the b oy whose tar

bush the thieves snatched from his head , and whose pu rse theysna tched from h is pocket ; il

‘aguz a illi qata

‘n sub ahha b i sikk in

we ras guzha b i mus the old woman whose finger they cut of with

a knife, and whose husband’

s head they cut 017with a razor,

1 il b in t

illi kan qa‘id ab fiha ganb uk htiha the girlwhosefather wa s sittingby her sister il b adawi illi kunti fi 1 k hema b etahtu theB edawy in

whose tentyou (f.) were il b asha illi k hadt il ward m in ginintu the

pa sha from whose garden you took theflowers ir ragil il li ma lushfulus ma lfish ish ab he that has no money has no friends ; lefendiilli l guhannam iya b ithimm e

‘ala l b alakfin b eta ‘ b étu the gentle

man along the balcony ofwhose house the bougainuillia c limbs .

§ 384 . The preposition tak es th e suffix where in English it

would govern the relative , and th is even when th e relative is

om itted ? as il b ét ill i k unte fih the house in which I was il

walad illi khataffi minnu l ful us the boyfro mwhom they snatche d

the money ; il yem illi safirna fih the day on which we started ; il

h ét ill i yeh imme‘aléh ish shib refayit

3 the wall on wh ich the honeysuck le climbs il ‘ib ara illi qulti lak

‘aléha the matter about which

I sp oke to you illi malfish fulfis ma lush ish ab Shufna b alad kull

in nas fib a niswan we saw a oittage in ( i e . of) u hid i all the p eop le

were women .

REMARK a .— W e cannot say il b et , is sanduq , fen shuftu the

house, the box ,where (for in which ) I saw it.

REMARK b .

— The preposition with its su ffix will b e om itted

wh en th e relative is R151 , and oc casionally when no relative is

expressed , as waddih matrah ma g ib tu take it to the place you

brought it (from ) ; dab b arfi tadb ir yesimm fih they devised a plan

by which they mightp oison him .

385 . A noun prec eded b y a num eral may tak e the suffix . as

it talata k haddam inak your three servants ; tani idak your other

ha nd ; b ut it is more usual in th is case to employ b eta‘

,or to

plac e th e numeral after the sub stantive .

386 . The suffix of the 3rd person fem inine may refer,lik e

Compare the conc iseness of the Arab ic with the c lumsine ss

of the Eng lish in these two phrases . The words k hatafil and

qata‘fl m ight b e repeated in the sec ond pa rt of the sentenc es .

2 As is the c ase when th e noun is ind e finite . (S ee3 Chevrefeuitte.

260 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

the full form hiya , to a plural ob j ec t , and even (though nu

usually) to a perfect plural denoting m en,as il ashyat illi gib

tiha the things I brought ; in 11513 kulliha all the p eople ; il mis

tak hdimin kulliha all the employés. I t may refer also to a.

numb er of ob jec ts previously m entioned , whether singulars or

plurals, masculines or feminines, as farragh il b arm il wi s sandiiqW i l k ull , u waddiha guwa l mak h zan emp ty the barrel and the

b ox and everyth ing (else) , and take them inside the cellar .

387 . I t is used in a neuter sen se,th e referenc e b eing to a.

whole sentenc e or an idea previously expressed or understood .

I t occurs frequently in the expressions yem ha , maharb a (ornahariha) , Sa

‘itha,and is then equivalent to the d emonstrative

pronoun that,i.e . the clay, hour, (i d , of that event, or the day of

which we were speak ing e.g . k unna yem b a fi 1 h aram we were

at the Pyram ids on that day ; k unte mashgh fil sa‘itha I was busy

at the time k unna sahranin lélitha we were sitting up that night

waqtiha gib wah id ta lab ni at tha t moment so me one came and

asked for me asliha kan gammfil he was originally a camel-d river

ma‘naha that is to say ; il fallaih in ma yi

‘iddush leinniha ‘eh

1amma yiqla‘u qudd zim in Des the fellaheen don

’

t account it an

imp roper th ing to ( lisrohe in pub lic ; yib qa fib a farag 1amma yigi

there will be time to think about it before he comes ( lit. there is a

respite, interval, in i t) ; fatihha‘al b ahari

1rid ing the h ig h horse ;

hatitha wati lowering one’

s tone , h um b ling oneself Allah gab hasalim God has made it to tur n. out well ; adi lli nzik irha ana that is

just what I deny .

388. Lastly, ha may b e appended to the superlative , givingit a sem i-ab solute sense

,as ak b arha raigil the greates t of me n;

kan lab is (pron . k al lab is) andafha qam is he ha d on the cleanestof shirt-sf"

§ 389 . The masc uline suflix is used in the sam e way with

the propo sitio ns‘a la and fi in the expressions ma

‘a lC-hsh there is

no th ing o n it,i. e . it d o esn

'

t matter ; fih and 11m fihsh (o ften c o r

rupted to fi and ma fish ) there is. a re , is . are not ( see Acc idenc e ,a 1 17 , and in a few o ther wo rds

,as a s lu orig inal ly ; li

wnqtu at that moment aqullu (o r aqa lliha ) at least nihnytu in

n ihfiya or sim ply nil1 :‘

1y a) jinally ba rdu (or b ard iha ) all the same ,

nevertlwless ; ma yig ish m inun no ad vantage will be guine l ma

‘a lék sho m inun no ha rm it ill come to you from it. don

'

t worry ;z i‘il lfi k in ma rdish yiwa rrih he got angry, but d idn

'

t want to

show it ; illi afta karu ana my idea is that

§ 390 . The pro nom ina l s u llixes a re as po ss ess ive b ut ra rely

L it . opening it to the north.

3 343 .

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262 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

REFLEXIVE AND RECIPROCAL PRONOUNS

§ 397 . When in an English phrase th e ac tion of a verb is

understood to have b een performed b y the sub jec t ac c identallyon som e part or property of itself

,it is usual to plac e the verb

in Arab ic in a form that b ears a passive signific ation ,as rigli

iik asarit I have b rolren my leg inqata‘

sub a ‘u he has cut h is

finger of ; ish sharmat b u1 qu‘ha she has torn her veil . Kasarte

rig li, qata‘sub a‘11 , are som etimes said with th e same sense

,b ut

they m ight imply1 that the ac t had b een done on purpose .

398 . Th e ab senc e of spec ial form s for 1 efl exive and rec iprocal

pronouns is supplied , as we have seen,b y m eans of the sub stan

tives nafs,b a‘d

,and others

,with the h elp in general of the

pronominal suffixes. Ba ‘d is sometimes repeated with the artic le

for emphasis , as sa‘du b a‘duhum il b a‘d they helped one another.

§ 399 . The English word own has no exac t equival ent,b ut

th e emphasis wh ic h it c onveys can generally b e rendered b y

plac ing the full personal pronoun after the sutfix,though this does

not always imply in Arab ic any particular stress as k unti

f b é ti ana I was in my own house ; da shagl ana shug li ana )that

’

s my own da milk ab uya , heta‘i ana (or illi b ta

‘i ana)11

°

giha tanya that’

s my father’

s property, my own is in another

qua rter .

REMARK .— I n such an expression as wadda 1 walad ‘

ala b étu

(or‘ala b étu nafsu) he tools the boy to his house, to his ownhouse.

there exists the sam e amb iguity as in English , nor would it b eany c learer whose house was intended if we were to say

‘ala b é tn

h ilwa (or hawa naisa ) .

§ 400 . I n many cases th e suffi x alone expresses the idea of

If,as k had ugritha luh he too /1: her wages f or h imself, i. e . h

approp riate/ l the/n. shuf lak ‘arahiya we tig i waiyana getyourself a

ra rriage awl come with as .

§ 40 l . S ame m ay g ene rally b e ti anslated b y wah id , or l1v

b a ‘d with o r witho ut the sullix es, as gen: 1 f yem wfd i id we 1 am»

o n. the same flay‘1 1111 1 11l11 1111 , 1 1111111 111 , tih id they are 0} one ( i.e . of

the same) age , he ight ; l11 1111 111: 1 11 1 i11 111 11 ha d they are 0/ one

winther’

s,i. e . the same age ; the. self-same, and wo rd s of sim ilar

impo rt , b y nafs , o r‘6 11 , or the partic le with the sufiiXe s , as

ii I lé la nafsiha on the self-same night ; iy alnnn 11 11 111 11111. d b l thes e

re ry ones ; h iya‘e nha she her very self. Nai ls ma y prec e de the

n o un,when the la tte r l 1e c o 111 1~s a k ind o f p artitive genitive ;

Lik e fat cassé ma jambe fo r je me suis cassé la jambc .

THE DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUN 263

wh ile ‘en may b e separated from its noun b y the pi eposition b i,

as nafs il yom b eta‘is safar the very day of the depai tu/ e hiya b i

‘énha, fi 1 yom b i ‘enu . (S ee 12

‘

402 . Ba‘(1 1s equivalent to th e English each or one another

,

as well as to himself , &c .,and undergoes no change of numb er

or gender ; thus we say in niswan ko

hadu b a‘d , 11°

wilad darahu

b a ‘d . Notic e the express ions humma ahsan min b a ‘d,each is

better than the other , ma b en i u b én b a‘d between ou i selves,z eye

ba ‘du i’

t 3 all the same.

403 . As in English , th e repetition of a Word will sometimes

serve to express th e notion of refl exiveness, as sot yishb ih sot

voices resemb le one another. This is not an uncommon idiom in

Arab ic .

§ 404 . The peculiar use of th e w0 1 d b ard with the suffixesmay hei e b e notic ed . I n general it is equivalent to the Eng lishst1 /l

, anyhow,notwithstand ing, a ll the same, and tak es th e mas

c uline,fem inine , or plural sufiix ac cording to th e gender and

numb er of the ob j ec t to wh ich it refers , as k unte b aftik ir leinnaktiddini z iyada , lak in it talata gineh b arduhum k uwaiyisin I thought

you would give me more, however , the £ 3 are good ( ac ceptab le) ;k attar kh erk um

,b ardiya ana mab sfita thank you , and I am satisfied

( implying that more would have g iven greater pleasure) b ardinalina niqb al we nigi neqab lak anyhowwe acc ept, and will come to

meet you .

§ 405 . With the sufiix of the th ird person it is often used

ad verb ially, as k hallasitm b ardu 1 ugra di, 11 b ardu k attar k hé i akth is remuneration , how ,evei will satisfy me, indeed I thank you

for i ,t in k an b i fl fis wal la m in gh er fulfils b ardu ya sidi z eye

b a ‘

du, ya

‘ni b ardu ma fish inani‘ b ardiya 1 ana k haddamak

, i .e.

whether you pay me or not, it’

s all the same, it doesn’

t matter,I am

your servant.

THE DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUN

40 6 . The rules wh ich govern th e concord of the ad j ec tivewith its sub stantive apply to th at of the d emonstrative pronouns ,so that a b rok en plural is very frequently, and a perfec t plura l

ionally, followed or represented b y d i and d ik -haiya ,as

k n ll il ashya d i all these th ings , hiya l h idfnn d i tig i‘a lek these

1 For the form tak en b y the sufiix with th is wo rd,see 120 .

I t is som e times pronoun c ed with (I , and is sa id to b e d erivedfrom b i ard . Can it b e the Turk ish birclch l

264 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

c lothesfit you, il b agat di 1 these things, il m istakhdimin d i ( b etterdb l) these emp loye

’

s .

§ 407. Even wh en an adjective qualifying a prec eding sub

stantive is a perfec t plural th e demonstrative will sometim es b e

in th e feminine singular , as ir riggala 1 m istak hdimin di,

§ 408. A demonstrative as well as a personal pronoun mayb e either in th e singular or plural wh en used with or referringto a collec tive noun ,

and is more lik ely to b e in th e latter

numb er when th e individuals of the c lass are separated ; thus

although we say generally il nam le dih these ants, il ghanam d i

these sheep, rath er than 11 namle db l , il ghanam dbl , we m ight call

to a drover limm il ghanam dbl m in sikk itna get these sheeptogether (and take them) out of my way so shuf in namle del

’

illi

m b ahtarin fi k ulle matrah look at these ants scattered all over the

p lace.

§ 409 . Shuwaiya is almost universally u sed with a plural

demonstrative as with a plural adjective , as shil ish shuwaiyit it

tib ne d b l take away thesefew b its of straw.

§ 4 10 . Although th e sub stantive qualified b y th e ad j ec tivekam is in the singular , th e d emonstrative will b e in the plural ,as il k am k ilma d bl these few words, k am k itab db l how manybooks are these ?

4 1 1 . An invariab le ad jective, or one used invariab ly, will b efollowed b y a plural demonstrative though th e sub stantive with

which it agrees is not expressed , as il b aladi d b l . (S ee4 12 . Th e demonstrative may, of cour se , stand alone, refer

ring to a noun understood , as da ah san this is better ,dol nas

taiyib in these are good p eop le‘au z d i ? do you want this ? (refer

1 ing to a feminine ob jec t) . I t will genei ally agree with the

noun unexpressed , so that we should not say k hud da tal e th is ,when pointing to a hat (b urnéta) or oth er fem inine ob j ec t

,b ut

it is sometim es used neutrally wh en th e ob jec t is not c learly

referred to , as da (for di) h aga k uwaiyisa ; da ( b ut b etter d i)fulfisak that

'

s your money.

§ 4 1 3 . There is not th e sam e d istinc tion b etween da and

dik -ha,&c .

,that there is b etween th is and that in English , d a

b eing equivalent to that almost as often as it is to th is,and

pointing to a d istant ob j ec t as we ll as to a near one ;2

e .g .

shfif il b inte d i b eti‘m il Oh h enak ? see what that g irl is doing

1 11 ashyat is more u sual , b ut il b agat d i is more common

than il hagat. d b l. Experienc e is the only s afe guid e .

2 Th is is th e reaso n why two d emonstm tives c an b e jo inedto g ether . (S ee §

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26 6 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

m in b etb ‘i dbl these servants of mine, b ut 11 k haddam in db l b etu‘i

these servants are mine.

4 18 . S imilarly, wh en two nouns are in apposition ,and

espec ially wh en th e second is used ad jec tively, th e d emonstra

tive may intervene or b e plac ed after b oth,as il walad da it

talmiz (or il walad it talm iz da) this school- boy ; il gallab iya d i 1harir (or 11 gallab iya 1 harn

’ di) this sills gown il b ab da 1 hadid

( or 11 b ab il hadid da) th is iron gate b ut it usually follows th esecond

,wh eth er a pur e genitive or not

,wh en th e two ar e c losely

united,as ii qalam ir 1 usas da this lead -

p enc il ,is sikk a l hadid

di th i s rai lway ,ir riggala 1 gn an d b l these neighbour ,

s ir mi l; in

nashadir d i this ammonia ; ish shuwaiyit , il hab b it, il moiya db l

this little,thesefew drop s of, water .

4 19 . Th e demonstrative is used without the artic le with a

proper nam e in th e singular , b ut if two or more persons of th e

sam e name are spok en of it will b e accompanied b y the artic le ,

as Mehammad da this (man called ) JIL ,b ut il Mehammadén ,

il

M ehammadat db l .

420 . The artic le is also om itted b efore the sub stantivefulan such a one (b ut not with the adjec tive ful ani) , and generally b efore a sentenc e equivalent to a noun ,

as a‘nzu b i llah da

th is man from whom God protect me,

1 b ut 11 ismu eh da gib (orismu eh da gib ) this Mr. What

’

s-his-name has come.

2 Finally, itis often dropped b efore sub stantives governed b y ab b and umm

as umm e‘ashara di.

§ 4 21 . This and that may often b e rendered b y th e adverb

k ede so,as 1amma shufte m inun k ede k unte rayh adrab u when I

saw that from him him do that) , I was about to stri ke h im so

b a‘d e k ede after that,di e . Kede is equivalent to the Eng lish

d emonstrative so in such a phrase as huwa sakran ? Ked e I s he

d run/t ? H e is so .

3

422 . Aho may, lik e da, b e used adverb ially ; thus a woman

may say aho gaya ! see, I am coming as well as ahé gaya ! so ab b

gat ahel see, there she’

s come 1 4

1 L it . th is I seek refuge with God (from) .2 Ab uk b tu da is used b y the uneducated . (S ee § 249 .

3 S o was orig inally a pronoun only, though now g enerallyUsed as an adverb .

1 No tic e that aho and ahe, tho ugh for ahnwa and ah iva ,

m ay b e used with the first person .

THE INTERROGATIVE PRONOUN

423 . Th e r interrogative m in ? is plac ed optionally at the

b eginning or the end of a direct sentenc e , as m in darab ak ? (ordarab ak min 2) who struck you min garak ? (or garak min who

your neighbour ? min gay b ukra ? (or gay b uk ra m in Eh is

only plac ed at the b eginning wh en c onsiderab le stress is laid on

it,th e r elative illi b eing often in serted b etween it and a verb

in this case , as eh qal lak (or éh ill i qal lak ) ir ragil da ? whatwas it that man said to you ? Here in ordinary c ircum stanc es

we woul d say ir ragil da qal lak eh ? (or qal lak eh ir ragil da l) .REMARK .

~ —I t is very unusual in any c ir cum stanc es for eh to

prec ede a verb when th e latter is not ac c ompanied b y any other

word ; for instanc e we very seldom h ear éh qal ? for qal eh ? or

bh ‘auz ? for ‘

auz eh ? I t is not in frequently th e first wordsenten c e where th e sub stantive verb is understood , as eh da ? eh

il haga di ? what (is) this thing ?L bh and its equivalent ‘

ala shan eh (or‘ash an eh ) for what

reason ? wherefore ? are put almost indifferently b efore or afterthe verb . Li eh sab ab ? b i sab ab eh ? for what cause ? and

imilar expressions generally stand first in the sentenc e,and

this is invariab ly the position of ésh ?

Anhu,&c . ,

as well as ani,must prec ede the sub stantive with

which th ey are used . (SeeI n indirec t sentences the interrogatives should always follow

the final verb,as qal lak darab u min

”

.l d id he tell you who struc k

h im ?

§ 424 . M in ? may sometimes b e translated b y th e ad jec tivalinterrogative which ? b eing prac tically equivalent to anhu or

ani,as min fihum M ehammad ? which of them is M . ? Wh en

repeated with the c opulative , it form s a k ind of plural , as min

11 m in shafuk ? (or shafak who were they who saw you ? k an min

11 m in maugb din ? (or maug b d who were p rwent ? I t may b e

followed b y the relative illi, th e sub stan tive verb and the third

personal pronoun b eing understood ,as min illi darab il gara z

? 1

who was itwho rang the bell

425 . Eh ,lik e m in

,may b e used with a plural noun ,

as eh il

hagat illi f gbb ak ? what are the th ings wh ich are in your pow/vet

h il k uwar d b l illi ‘au z til‘ab b uhum ? I t oc c asiona lly,

b ut

som ewhat incorrec tly, ask s , lik e anhu and ani, for one or more

o b jec ts out of a definite num b er,as ruh te ‘

ala eh hét min db l 3

to which of these houses d id you go

1 Huwa may, of c ourse , b e expressed as m in huwa lli g ib l

268 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

§ 426 . I ts use as a genitive in such phrases as hagit eh

(or b agt eh ) ? sittit eh ? how six ? (alluded to in 6 4 ) is veryc ommon ,

and,with an ad jective

,is equivalent to that of the

adverb iz z éy ; thus‘aiyan it éh ?

1 does not mean of what is she

ill ? which woul d b e ‘aiyana b i eh ? b ut how can she be ill ? and

implies a disb elief in th e statem ent .

REMARK .— W e may say with almost identical meaning , eh !

‘aiyana fen ? (or eh

'

illi ‘aiyana di l) .

g 427. Som ewhat similar is the use of eh with a verb in such

an expression as istanna ! I stanna eh ? W ait ! What do you meanby wait ? why should I wait ?

§ 428. The neuter interrogative ma is used only with the

preposition li with th e pronom inal su ffixes,as ma lu what has

he ? i.e . what is the matter with him ? 2 ana ma Ii ? what’

s that

to me ? ma li u ma lak ? what have I to do with you ? malhum

m in il fulus dol ? what share have they in this money ? 1115. lhum

fi l fulfis dol ? what hare they to d o with this money ? What is

the matter with this man , woman , «Sc ,must b e translated b y ir

ragil da ma lu ? il mara di ma lha ? ( or ma ln li r ragil da ?not b y ma li r ragil da , &c . Eh is som etimes added

pleonastic ally, as 1115. In eh ?

THE RELATIVE PRONOUN

429 . This c lass of pronouns has b een already treated of to

some extent under the Possessives and Suffixes, so that only a few

remark s need to b e added h ere,and firstly

°

430 . Th e relative illi is not expressed when th e antec edent

is indefinite,or the verb in th e relative c lause

,wheth er expressed

or understood , has the sense of a pluperfec t . I n the former

c ase th e relative c lause is often equivalent to a qualitativead jec tive

,as liya b et ma fihsh e ah san m inno I have a house

than wh ich there is none better, second to none ; yib qa wahid ma

k hadsh e ugritu there remains one who has not h ad h is p ay auwil

rag il gib ab fiya the first man to 6 0 7116 was my father ; fih bah

b eyik hb at there is a d oor bang ing ; fih nas ma yeh ib b uhsh there

are p eople who don’

t lihe h im ; if rag il fi 1 bah b eyis’

al ‘alék there

is a man at the door ask ing for you ; b ab flr quwwitu‘ishrin husan

an engine of twenty horse-power ; wah id ismu M . one named M .

iddini m in ah san ‘andak gire me of the best you have ; dak halna

Qa t‘a often fa lls out , as id d inya «.

lalnia. Dalm i té h ! (forda lrnit é li how can you call it darh

2 Q u’

a-t-il l

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270 THE SPOKEN ARABI C OF EGYPT

I t is mostly used in th e three following cases

(a) Wh en it partak es of the nature of an indefinite pronoun .

( b ) Where it is equivalent to th e English relative that go

verned b y a preposition unexpressed , its antec edent b eing a

date or period of tim e,or the relative c lause b eing in the posi

tion of a genitive governed b y th e antec edent .

After th e prepositions qab l , b a‘d

,b én ,

‘ashan (

‘ala sh im) ,

1

&c . ,and the sub stantive k ull , form ing conjunctionswith them ; e.g .

k aflit ma‘andu m in il fulus all the money he has, whatever money

he has ; k ulle maln whatever he has ; ah san ma mi‘1 the best I ha ? e ;

g iri‘ala ak h ir ma mi‘ah he ran as fast as he could , all he knew ;

‘ala ma shuf (maashfif) ana as far as I can see, judge ma b érilahmar u ma b en liswid between red and b lack ; il masafa ma b en

litnen the d istance between the two ahsan ma ii 1 ghanam b est of

everyth ing among the sheep ,1 .e. of all the sheep ,

ana ak b ar ma

fi k hwati ( ik hwati) I am the oldest of all my brothers, i.e . old er

than any of my brothers, matrah m a truh ruh, i .e . go where

you like‘ala qadde m ahum 2 ‘

auzin as much as they want ;nahar , yom ,

ma get the day that ( = on which ) I came ; fi msafit ma

tit‘ash sha akun hadir I will be ready as soon as ( by the time )you haved i ;ned sab ab m a z i‘il 1r ragil ( 0 1 sab ab ir rag il ma z i‘il )the reason that ( =for which) the man got angry ,

m in k utre ma

kan za‘lan 2from the excess of his anger qab le mayigi before he

comes ‘ashan ma rah because he has gone, &c .

REMARK .

— I h cases b and a ma should immediately prec ede

the verb,so that it is incorrec t to say sab ab ma r rag il z i‘il

,

qab le ma il walad gib , b ut see g 579 , note .

434 . Th e word in is often used instead of main case b wh en

the antec edent is a period of time,as nahar in safirna the day

that we started tani yom in get the day after you came h it] in

rahum the moment they went.

435 . M21 (or in) is som etim es om itted in case b,as that is

in English ,as a

‘rafu m in yom k unte shuftu fi b ét wah id sahh i

I know h im since a day I met h im. at the house of a friend of

mine so sab ab ir rag il z i‘il the reason the m an got angry.

4 36 . When th e th ird personal pronoun is the sub j ec t of a

verb of wh ic h ma is th e o b j ec t,it may b e appended to ms. in its

sho rtened fo rm as a sutfix,as in ‘

ala qadd e mahum‘auzin ab ove .

1 ‘ash an ma : Lat . guotl , Mod . Greek Suin Sui (In ) .

2 When the third personal pronoun stands for th e sub j ec t.of th e verb it may b e appended in its shortened form to ma.

H uwa b ec om es hu,h iya ,

hya , h t"

.

3 This is mo re vivid than m in k utre z a‘alu.

DISTRIBUTIVE PRONOUNS

lg 437 . When a statem ent is made with regard to two or

more ob j ec ts,and the Speak er proc eeds to define its particular

relation to each one of them , th e first may b e referred to,

wh ether animate or inanimate , b y ma followed b y th e personal

pronoun , the two together b eing equivalent to th e verb ya‘ni in

its adverb ial sense , as ana qarét il k itab én ma huwa k tab ak wi

k tab ‘al1 ; laqét it talata k ul luhum madb fih1n ,

ma huwa Meham

mad madrub b i rusasa fi sid1 u wi Hasan 1 asu maqtu‘a wi

Hsen madrfib b i sik k ina fi qalb u Ifound them all three slaughtered— llI ohammed shot with a bullet in his chest, H asan with his head

severed,and H isein. stabbed to the heart with a knife.

REMARK .— Illi may, of c ourse , b e used in the same way.

DISTRIBUTIVE PRONOUNS

§ 438 . Kull in th e sense of every, each , always prec edes its

sub stantive , as k ulle ragil every man ,kulle haga each thing ; b ut

wh en used with a definite noun it is treated as a sub stantive,

and is followed b y a genitive or is plac ed after the noun with

the pronom inal suffixes attach ed to it , as k ull ir riggala the wholeof the men

,i.e . all the men ,

k ull il m istak hdimin all the emp loyés ,k ull id dinya the whole of the world (or ir riggala , il m istak hdim ink ulluhum ,

id d inya k ulliha) . When th e noun is understood and

not represented b y a personal pronoun ,il k ull may b e used for

all of them ,the whole of it, as agib lak kam wah id m inhum

,

shuwaiya minhum ? Hat il kull . S hall I b ring you a fewof them ,

some of it ? B ring them all , the whole of it.

§ 439 . Tul expresses the whole in th e sense of extensionover a period , and is , lik e k ull , a sub stantive

,as tfil in nahar the

whole of the day. NV hen following its sub stantive it does not,

lik e kull , tak e th e pronom inal suffix , b ut plays the part of an

adverb , as la shuftuhum il lél tfil wala n nahar tul .4 40 . Every one is expressed b y k ulle wah id , k ulle hay ( i.e.

every living soul) , k ull in nas, ku lle m in kan ,&c . ; every one of the

men, every one of the books , b y k ulle wahid m in ir riggala ,

k ulle

wah id min ii k itabat (or k ulle ragil m in ir riggala , k ulle k it-Ji b

m in il k itab at) ; every man of them b y k ulle ragil m inhum ; So

k ulle k itab , k ulle k ub haya , m inhum ,every other b y k ulle tani

,

or k ull followed b y a noun in th e dual , as k ulle yOmGn everyother day .

§ 44 1 . One by one is expressed b y wahid wahid , or b y the

repetition of the noun ,as yerfihfi

‘ala l b iyfit b C

-t b et they go

round to the houses one by one ; two by two b y itnén itnC-n

,and so

forth .

272 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

g 442 . Either and neither have no exac t representatives, and

must b e rendered b y periphrases, as k ulle wah id m in litnen

yighdar yi‘milu either of them can do it ; kulle wah id (or dih we

dih ) yi‘

gib n‘

i (or litnen yi‘

g ib fini) either will p lease me ; musib it

dih walla dih tigharraq litnen ,

a mishap to either will ruin both ;wala yigish wala wah id m il litnen nor wi ll either of them come ;‘auz anhfin m inhum ? La dih wala dih which of them do you

want ? Neither ; wala wahid m il litnen gib (or litnen ma gfish )neither of them came 1 huwa wi sh shek h 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 b arrén in Nil on

either side of the Nile wala fi b arre m in b arren in Nil on neither

side of the Nile.

INDEFINITE PRONOUNS

443 . Th ese inc lude the numeral and indefinite article wah id,

which b ears most of th e senses in wh ich the English one is used ,as huwa yimk in yigi wah id yom p erhaps he will come one day

gani wah id one ( i.e . a certain man) came to me. One as an in

definite sub stantive may b e translated b ywah id (or more usually11 wah id) , or linsan (or linsan m inna) , as k alam z eye dih yiz a

“al

il wah id such a remark makes one angry ,ah san linsan ma yish

1 ab sh e z iyada‘an sitte sagayir fi 1 yom it is better that one do not

smoke not to smoke) more than six c igarettes a day ; linsan

m inna laz im yi‘m il wag iftu wala yintib ih li ik ar in 1189 o ne mu st

do one’

s duty without heed ing the notions of other people. Whenone is equivalent to they used indefinitely, it may b e expressedb y the th ird person plural of the verb , as yequlu 1 kalam da one

uses this expression.

444 . One as a definite sub st antive qualified b y an attrib u

t ive adj ec tive , and referring to an ob jec t already m entioned ,

a lso finds an equivalent in wah id ,as ana gib (ag ib ) lak wfihid

k uwaiyis , wahda k uwaiyisa (ac c ording as the noun understood

is masc . or fem .) I will b ring you a good one ; hat li kam wah idtuwal bring me a f ew long ones .

§ 445 . The un it m ay b e om itted when the noun has justb een qualified b y a n ad j ec tive Oppo sed in sense

,as is sahne d ih

1 No t both of them d uln’

t m mv, wh ic h we would translate b y

mush litnén g um . W e say k ullu m ush ii mah illu,m eaning

none of it is in its plac e.

2 But it is mo re id ioma tic to say yam m in il iyam (or ybmm in z fit il iyfi ln ,

or ydm 11 1 11 1 d b l) .

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274 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

verb s yigi, yitla‘

,used as adverb s

,as

‘umru yitla

‘ tamanin he is

some eighty years old , yigi gum‘iten ma shuftfish it is some two

weeks since I saw him ; b ut true advei b s must b e used wh ere a

future event is Spok en of thus we should not say haq‘ud henak

yigi (or yitla‘sanatén) , b ut taqrib an sanatén (or z éye sanatén) I

shall stay there some two years.

450 . Somebody can always b e expressed b y wahicl , as wah iddarab il garaz somebody rang the bell, &c . yiftik ir leinnu wah idhe thinks he is somebody ; something b y haga . Some some is

rendered,as one another (ab ove) , b y illi ill i

,or b y the pre

position m in with the suffixes,as gib talatin nafar minhum

riggala u m inhum niswan thirty p eop le have come, some men and

some women .

§ 45l . The quantitative adj ective is unexpressed (as anyab ove) , as hat

‘esh u zib da u gihna bring some bread

,b utter, and

cheese ; Shufna k lab fi s sik k a we saw some dogs in the street ; b ut‘andak ‘

esh ? Ewa . Taiyib ,idd ini m innu (or iddini) have you

some b read Yes. Good , give me some.

§ 452. Other as an ad jec tive finds its equivalent in tani or

in other words already m entioned . The indefinite other than is

expressed b y tani gher or b y gher alone,as wah da tanya gher

B ik hita another than B ikhita ma fish b adde ghéri.BEi iARK .

— Y6m m in dol m eans the other day, some f uture day,recording as the verb is past or future . Every other day is

rendered b y k ulle tani yom ,k ulle yom én ,

or k ulle yom we yom .

§ 453 . The indefinite relatives uhoevm ,11 hichever, 11 hosoei er,

&c .

,are expressed b y eye (or éyiha , ey11ha) wah id and e

‘

y fol

lowed b y a noun with 0 1 without the c ase end ing , whoever-1 t

may be. b y eye wahdin k an . But as a 1 ul e an English indefiniterelative may b e rendered b y il li (or ac c ompanied som et im es

b y other words to mak e th e sense c lear,as illi yidrab ni adrab n

1vhoerer slrzlces me I will strike him illi ti‘m iln a‘m ilu ana what

ever you do 1 1 1 1

'

ll do ; illi td ihnj b ardu ak un mab sfl t I shall be

rrmte nted 11 1th whatever you on e inc,illi veqfllu huwa b ardu

k idb 11 b a te1ve1 he says 1s a h e,

- 11 vom illl tigi fih b ard u yekun

k uwaiyis ; illi ma tak hdfish inta ak hdn nna I’

ll lahe trlu c lu't'e r

you d on’

t la/re illi yigr a y igra will happen will happen,

i.e . happ en 11~hal may waqte ma tig i tigi at whatever time yo u

come,come

,i.v . romp when yon l ike.

REnAuK .—'

l'

l1e re is som e tim e s a c o nfus io n b e twe en the ih

d e finite rola tivo adverb and the pro noun itse lf . as in the expre ssio n yidnqqn l nm z z ika li k u lle ma hadde usk hnshsh the band

strikes up in hono ur of ear /1 as he comes

1 Ku llo ma 1 1 1 1 ~11 11 ing whenerer.

THE VERB : ITS CONCORD WITH SUBJECT 275

454 . Ey, eyi wah id , and eyiha require th e noun to tak e th e

case ending when th e sub stantive verb follows (th e verb b eingusually in concord with the noun) , as b i eye ta1 iqtin k anit byany means whatever ; eye wah id f1qih in k an any schoolmaster ,

whoever he be ; m in éyuha duk kanin k anit from whatei er sh0p it

be ; b ut b i eye ta1 1qa b i eye tariqa m in‘andak (or illi

‘andak ) by

any means ; by any means you have ; ishtirih m in eyuha duk k an

buy it from any shop . Eye wahid and eyiha wah id b ecom e

eye wahdin and eyiha wahdin wh en followed b y a verb,and

remain masculine though a fem inine ob j ec t b e understood , as

eye wahdin gat , iddih liha give it to any woman who comes.

455. Fulan and th e adjective fulani are th e English such ,so and so, and may b e used together som ewhat pleonastically , as

fulan gib such a one has come ; 11 Béh fulan so an d so Bey ; il

mara l fulaniya such and such a woman shufte ful an il fulani.456 . I n dates k aza is generally employed , as lelit k aza m in

ish shahr on such and such a night of the month .

REMARK .— The definite such is a demonstrative adj ective , and

will b e generally rendered b y the adverb zey, as I never sawsuch

a man as you m a shuftish ab adan ragil z éyak .

457. Z ed ,‘amr , Ragh ib , and oc casionally

‘um ar

,are used as

hypothetical nam es,lik e Jones, B rown ,

and Rob inson in English ,

as Ragh ib gib u‘am re rah ; Z ed u

‘umar u Ragh ib u tirtan we

‘illan ; iz a darab ak Z ed min in nas.

THE V ERB

ITS CONCORD WITH ITS SUBJECT

§ 458. When th e sub ject is definite the verb as a general

rule ag rees with it in gender and numb er,as ir ragil gib th e

.

man came ; il mara‘aiyatit the woman wep t ; tfiga

‘ui 1 513 1 111y

head aches ( lit . pains me) ; ii i iggala yishtaghalu the men w0 1 k

b ut th e fo llowing important exc eptions must b e noted .

(a) “Ib en the sub jec t is a b rok en plural the verb is very

frequently plac ed in the feminine singular , as 11 ham ir insaraqit

kulliha ( or k ulluhum ) all the donkeys were stolen il t l k zinit

ta‘b ana the horses were tired ; niz lit il k ilab we auwit the dogs

1 I n relative c lauses th e verb is,of c ome s

,of the gender and

numb er of the antec edent,Whether expressed o r un dersto od , as

it t agir illi b ah 11 l b uda‘a id dawaiya lli nk ab b it ; illi k zin ll hina

rab h Masr .

276 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

came down and barked ish shabab ik infatah it the windows were

opened ; gat ir riggala we giryit in niswan the men came and

the women ran away k an fih ‘aiya k tir ma b én in nas, lak in il

hamdu li llah aghlab ha gat salima therewas a great deal of illnessamong thep eop le, b ut, thank God , most of them recovered mahab is

ghéru k anit mahbusa mi‘u other p risoners were imp risoned with

him is siyas m ishyit the sayces went away 1amma gat il b ara

b ra niz lit ir '

ruk kab min il b ab fir when the Berberis came the

passengers got downfrom the train .

REMARK a .— When the demonstrative is in th e fem inine

singular the verb should b e so lik ewise , as in nas di tigi, b ut in

nas dol yigu .

REMARK b .—The verb may b e in th e fem inine singular though

foll owed b y a predicate ad jec tive (or partic iple) in the plural , as‘énéh k anit maftfihin h is eyes were op en il wiraq k anit mak tub in

the papers were written .

REMARK c .— I n all the ab ove examples the verb m igh t also b e

in the plural , and would b e perhaps more often than not where

th e sub ject denotes human b eings, or wh en it prec edes th e verb .

( b ) .The verb will oc casionally b e in the fem inine singular

wh en the sub j ect is a perfec t plural and is prec eded b y the verb ,as 1amma gat lefendiyat m ishyit in naggarin when the Efend iscame the carp enters went away.

REMARK .— I n naggarin il mestak hdimin rab it (the sub j ec t

prec eding th e verb ) will rarely b e heard , b ecause b y plac ing the

noun first in the sentenc e we emphasiz e the fac t that it denotesa numb er of separate ob j ects .

1

( c ) The verb will sometim es b e in the th ird person singular

masculine when prec eding a plural sub jec t and separated fromit b y intervening words , as fat

-ah luhum b ab il b et il k haddamin

the servants Opened the door of the house to them b ut fatahu lhum

would also b e quite correc t , and indeed more usual .

REMARK .— The third person singular may oc c asionally b e

heard when the verb is similarly separated from a fem inine sub

jec t in the singular , as iddet ln higab‘ash i

‘

ru yerub m inun b i

1 The c onstruc tion is adm issib le when the perso ns or th ing s

describ ed are spok en of as a sing le b ody without referenc e to

their personality. I t must b e remem b ered that the feminine inArab ic also represents the neuter of o ther languag es , and that

several ob jec ts m entio ned tog ether , though they b e living ,ar e

liab le to b e regarded in the S em itic languag es as a mere multeitywhen their ind ividuality is no t b rough t. to th e foregro und . Comp.

553"

387,4 67 .

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278 THE S POKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

ghanam sheep ,th e verb is put in th e feminin e singular, as

qalit il‘ask ar li b a ‘diha the sold iers said to one another il ghanam

gat . I l ‘ask ar gum may also b e said .

REMARK c .— Nouns of this c lass

,denoting nationalities

,are

usually regarded as m asculin e singulars, b ut the verb is not in

frequently in the plural or th e fem inine singular , as lingliz

misk u (or m isk it) arduhum the English seized their land ; m ishyit

il ‘arab the Arabs are gone.

§ 46 2 . Wh en th e sub ject is a noun of multitude the verb

is usually in th e plural , b ut may also b e in th e mascul ine or the

feminine singular , as ahlu rahu (or rab it) Masr his peop le have

gone to Cairo il k halq igtama‘u(or igtama

‘it) thepeople collected ;il harim niz lfi

,niz lit

,niz il fi ‘

arab iya tanya the lad ies got into

another carriage k ulle b arre Masr b eyid‘u ‘

aléh all Egyp t curses

h im b a ‘d in nas yeqfilu (or teqfil) , th e latter agreeing with the

b rok en plural nas in the feminine singular ; b ut b a‘duhum

yequlfi (or yeqfil) ; il gama‘a dol rah yirk abu fi ‘

arab iyitak ?

are these p eolvle going to d rive in your carriage ? il‘alam da

,di,

dol gib , gat , gum m in 6 11 where have these p eop lelcome from ?

il k ulle gib (or gum ) all came. Of two verb s,one may b e in

th e singular and the oth er in th e plural , as il b a‘de gib wi l

b a ‘de ma gush some came and some did not come.

463 . Kam with its sub stantive is most frequently followed

b y a verb in th e fem inine singular , b ut th e plural is adm issib le,

and occasionally the masculine singular is heard when th e noun

d enotes male human b eings, as kam k ilab gat , ( less usually)gul kam mara gat , gul kam ragil gat , gu, gih ?REMARK .

— S huwaiya , hab b a ,and b a‘d ish i ( = ba

‘de she) , inthe sense of a. little

,are regarded as noun s of multitude

,and are

generally construc ted with a plural verb,as ish Shuwa-H

' it il

lab an gh ilyfl the little mil/ c has boiled ; hab b it tib n insaraqu m ir

ristab l a little straw was sto len from the stab le ; il b a ‘dish i

dol ma yik affush (or il b a‘d ish i da ma yek affish ) this small

guanl ity will not s uffic e .

46 4 . A verb will som etim es agree with the idea c onveyed

b y a word,though not a c ollec tive noun or a noun of multitude ,

rather than with the ac tua l fo rm o f the wo rd itse lf,as arba ‘

a

fi talata tib qa ( less usua lly yib qfl) itnfishar 4 x 3 equals I ?

itnfishar m in ‘ ishrin tib qa tamanya tire/re from twenty“ leaves

eight ; itnen yek i ll i two s enough ; ana rah add i lak ‘as hara

k hnllusuk ma fish ma‘nu ,

ma k hallasak she zeye

ma yi‘

g ilmk b aqa 1 am go ing to ofer you £ 1 0 ; it it satisfy yea ,

C c mom/e.

THE VERB : ITS CONCORD WITH SUBJECT 279

well an d good ; if not— why, p lease yourself ; k utte b iddi aruh

(for k an b iddi) I wanted to go ;1 ma k untish lazim agi (for ma

kanshe lazim ) ; yequm dimaghu yeffiq‘aleh 2 he recovers con

sciousness illi z éyina nirk ab 3 ham ir ! do such as we ride

donkeys ? yib qa inta k sib t it results that you have n o n; or it

may agree with a word which is stric tly in apposition to th e

sub jec t , or in th e relation of a genitive to it , b ut ofm ore im

portanc e in the sentence , as k ul le b arre Masr b etid‘i ‘

aléh (forb eyid

‘fi , as ab ove , agreeing with Masr) . This is commonly the

case where the word nafs and oth ers of similar m eaning prec ede

the noun with wh ich they are used,as nafs ir riggala qalu ;

so with titles,as hadritak , ganab ak ,

sa‘tak

,the verb agreeing

with the pronoun .

465 . Verb s expressing the state of th e weather are put in

the feminine, th e word dinya (dunya) b eing understood , as matarit

(or natarit) it rained , b etishti it is 7 d ining , b etir‘ad it thund ers,

g46 6 . Dinya (dunya) is also unde1 stood 4 1n the expressionsk anit id duhi

,il maghrib , qamar

, tui ab ,&C . it was noon, sunset,

moonlight, dusty, &c .,b ut k an is also said if the pred icate is

masculine,and even som etimes wh en it is fem inine .

§ 467 . I n the expression we k hulsit b aqa and so my story

ends , h ikaya is understood in ma dak halitshe 5 it has nothing to

do with it, th e sub jec t understood is a word or phrase justspok en . I n some oth ers , as gat salima it has turned out all

right, il hamdu li llah illi gat‘ala k ede thank God that it has

turned out that way, hak amit k ede it has been so ordained , h as

so happened ,z éye ma tigi tigi come what may, tek fln fi hanakak

tiqsam li ghérak , i.e . there is many a slip twia’ t the c up and the lip ,

the verb s are impersonal , the fem inine standing for the neuter .

REMARK — Impersonal verb s are , however som etimes in the

masculine,as ma yinfa

‘sh

,ma yigish m inn u it s of no use h asal

k her no harm’

s done (all’

s well that ends well) ; and b aqa is used

much more frequently than b aqat6

1 Kutte b iddi is used nearly as frequently as kan b iddi.2 The educated often use d imagh with a masc uline verb .

3 I lli zé y ina yirkab may b e said,b ut even then the plural

hamir will b e used .

4 I t is , however , frequently expressed in b oth cases,as id

d inya kfinit turab , b itir‘ad .

5 Or di ma dak halitshe wala k harag it that is neither here

nor there.

0 Baqat is oc casionally used for b aqa even when it is not

used in a purely ad verb ia l sense .

289 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT.

468. A definite dual sub jec t requires th e verb to b e in theplural , as ir raglén gu, niz lfi, or gum (gfi) ir raglén ; b ut it is

not unusual for the verb to b e in th e masculin e or fem ininesingular when it prec edes th e sub ject , as 1amma gib ir raglén ;

gatni sagartén ; and it will som etimes b e in the femininethough following its sub ject , if the latter denote an inanimate

ob jec t , and in particular if it denote the doub le m emb ers of th e

b ody,as ideh b itlit we ‘én éh rab it

,i.e . he has lost the use of h is

hands and his eyes . W e may say‘6n6h k anit maftfiha , or k anit

maftfih in ,or k anu maftf111a

,or k anu maftfihin ,

b ut k anitmaftuhin and k anfi maftuha are unusual .

g When the sub ject 18 indefinite and prec edes the verb ,

th e CODCOl d is regulated b y the rules and exceptions set forthin th e prec eding sections ; b ut wh en the verb prec edes, it is

plac ed b y preferenc e in the mascu line singul ar , whatever th e

gender and numb er of th e sub jec t ; e.g . mara ( 11 1 ab it b intiha

a woman beat her daughter , qutat wi k lab te‘adde b .1

‘1} cats and

dogs b ite one another ; 1 aglen ,k itab én , gum ; b ut ga lu wahda

‘aguz a there came to him an b ld woman ; niz il nas waiyah ‘

ala l

b alad the7 e went some peop le u ith him to the village ; ma y ib qa

lish ug1 a z eyi n h as I don’

t get p rope7 wages ; k an maugud nas

k etir there 1087 6 many peep le p 7esent ; liss:1 ma fatshe sana the m

has not get p assed a year ; ma l1asalshe m inha ssamara there has

not been any good result from it ; k an has 11 nadra an ac c ide nt

had happened ; 1amma yigi lak gawabat when you get letters iza

g ara 111 h aga if anything happened to him tab b e ‘aleya rag lén

two men overtook me, came upon me g ib k ham sa naggarin thereramefi re carp enters gfi li gurnfilén I received two newsp apers .

REMARK — The verb,however , not infrequently agrees, eSpe

c ially when it immed iately prec edes the sub j ec t,or the sub j ec t

is emphasized ,as hasnl it 111 nifs (or

‘6 11) the eril eye has come upo n

him gat lak dahya ! perd ition upo n yo u / k ulle ma tgi lu mara

y .itk h :‘

1niq w ;-1i\ : z

‘

1h 1 n hen/ ne1 a woman. comes near him he quarrels

71 7tli lmr ; k f1n (m k il nit)‘a lC‘h k iswa sfida he had on a Mad sm t.

'

l he su b stantive vc 1 b prec ed ing an ind efinite sub jec t will o ftena g re e with it in form ,

owing to th e fac t that the re is 11 11 ellipse

o f the re lative b e twe e n th e sub jec t and the fo llowing words , ask ilnit b int qa

‘da gaub il bab there was a g irl sitting near the door

( = hiya k llnit b int illi qa ‘da she was a. girl who k llnit

( le ss usua lly k iln ) dnwaya 1 1k 11b b it , b ut k ttn inkab b e dawlIyu (m

i; 1/( stand had bee nupset k tl nu riggala he nak‘ they were men who

S o khutl 1 igghla gfl o 1 k im it 1 i1 'g llln ga t , k l1 11 riggfila gum

o r k : 1 11 1 igg ll l11 gut.

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282 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

(e) An ac t to b e performed in the imm ediate future,as sib u ,

lah san (or we illa) qataltak leave it alone or I’

ll kill you ; é sh

qultum fi 1 mas’ala what say you about the matter ? k hallétik b e

‘afya ya sitt I leave you in health ( said b y a lady caller on tak ingleave).

(f ) An ac t wh ich may prob ab ly or possib ly tak e plac e at

some future time, such as would often b e d escrib ed b y the

sub junc tive in other languages , as in gib ,iza rah if he co me,

go ;1 li eye matrahin ruh t to whatever p lace you go ; eye betin

kan whatever house it be ; k ulle m in kan 2 whoever it be ; k ulle

ma amartfini b uh a‘m ilu whatever you co mmand me ( = shal l have

commanded me) I will do .

(0 ) An ac t wh ich has b een perform ed onc e and is c ited as a

rule for the future , as iz a kan fih m ishwar ruht if there is an

errand I go on it. This c onstruc tion is not uncommon in

proverb s, in wh ich V ividness of expression is always an ob jec t ;e .g . illi tarak she ‘ash b alah who leaves a th ing lives without it

( = waste not,want not) ; or in narrative where we could onlv

use the present or futur e in English ,as il walad m inna 1amma

yik b ar we‘auz yitgauwiz yequm yitlub mahre m in zit 11

b a ‘dén 1amma shaf : 1b i1h m ush ‘auz yiddi ln mahr hauwish

ugritu 1 1 gab mahre m in ‘andu we qam ab iih k hatab ln b int

when one Of our children grows up and wants to get married he

asks his father for (money for) a dower b ut when he sees

h is f ather unwilling to g ive it h im , he saves up h is earnings and

finds the dower Out of his own pocket, and. his father betroths himto a g irl .

3

g 474 . The verb s k halla let, shaf see, siini‘ hear, hasab believe,cons id er, laq a

,w: 1gadfind ,

and o thers ofa sim ilar signification ,when

them selves referring to past events , ma y b e followed b y another

verb in the perfec t wh ere in Eng lish it would b e in the infinitiveo r : 1 partic iple , the sec o nd verb form ing an ind irec t predicate t o

the o b j e c t of the first ; e.g . kh allé tu rah il b et 1 let h im go to

the house ; shuftiha got I saw her co me s im i‘ na l fulll s wiq‘ it

m in gé b u we heard the money fall from his pocket ; k utte bah

sib hu in ishtarflh I was thin/ring they had bought it ; shuitu

inga lad I saw h im fl ogged laqetu niz il rhb 1 found h im go ne.

REMARK . ma y also say k hallé tu yerlih ii b et , sim i‘na

l fulll s tll q a‘

,Mu

,b ut the fac ts are no t then so fully c ertified .

Fo r the c ond itio na l sentenc e s,see F10 7 seq.

2 (zni que cc soit .

3 The present a nd pas t are used ind isc rini iunte ly. the spe ak e r

c hang ing from one t o the o ther.

THE TENSES 283

The English I saw h im going will b e translated b y shuitu rayih,or we h ilwa rayih,

lor b iyerfih .

475 . The past tense is equivalent to the English plu

perfec t

(a) I n a c lause united to a previous one b y a con junc tion , as

ma fatfish illa 1amma mauwitu he d id n’

t leave h im till he had

k illed him ranwah qab le ma k hallas shughlu he went away beforehe had finished h is work b a‘de ma katab il gawah hattu fi zarfafter he had written the letter he put it in an envelope.

REMARK — I n indirec t discourse the past tense or present

used as a past is not followed , as in English ,b y the pluperfec t ,

b ut b y the simple perfec t , unless it is desired to lay particular

stress on the fac t that the ac tion was already completed at the

t im e that the reported words were spok en , as qal innu katab

il gawab he said tha t he had written the letter ; b ah sib innu gib

I thought he had come.

( b ) Oc casionally with lau ,16 , in conditional sentenc es. (Sec

50 7 seq . )476 . The past tense of the verb k an with a partic iple will

o ften eXpress th e pluperfec t , as k anu mhaddarin ii ak l they hurl

prepared the meal . This m ight also m ean they had been or were

p reparing the meal , ac c ording to the context .

§ 477 . The aorist c orresponds to our indefinite unfinished

present , as shib b u I love him ; il ghina yegib isln‘

ib riches bring

friends kul le yom yiddini qersh he gives me a piastre every dayish shamse titla

‘ fi ani sa‘a ? at wha t time does the sun rise ? or

to th e ind efinite future , as iz a shuftu ag ullu if I see him I will

tell h im 1amma yig i ashéya‘fl lak when he comes I will send h im

to you ; ish shamse titla‘ 6 ani sa‘a b ukra ? at what time does

(will) the sun rise to-morrow ?

BEHABIL — H GDCO English ad jec tives in able, ib le, &c .,may

generally b e translated b y the aorist of a passive or neuter

verb , and c ompound nouns often rendered b y its help, as

yittak il ed ib le ; y‘in irif rez ognisab le ; ma yitq ib ilsh unac ceptab le ;

ma yitfih irnsh inc omprehensi b le ; yimk in possib le ; qfimfl s vithattefi 1 geb a pocli et

-d ictiona ry ,m eqanwai a titqanwar b iha l g ib na

a cheese-scoop.

§ 478 . I t often plays the pin t of the h iste l i1 present, 11 .

yeqfil ta iyib ag i al l right , he says, I’

ll come ; yeq 1l in ab fih yiz a l

minun we yequl ln h is father then gets angry unth h i ,m and sa ys

to h im .

§ 479 . I t sometimes has the forc e of the imperfec t present.

1 5713.

284 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

espec ially wh en joined b y th e c opulative to another verb in the

imperfect present , th e bi b eing dropped perhaps in th e latter

case for euphony, as‘

l tindah li leh l why do you call me ( = are

you calling me) ? b it‘aiyat wi tza

“aq k ede léh ? what are you

crying and howling like thatfor ?REMARK .

— Simfl arly, th e b imay b e dropped in th e unfinishedfuture , as fi

‘z‘

i tekun tinse.

480 . An event wh ich happens hab itually at regular periods

may b e denoted eith er b y the aorist or th e imperfec t present ,as kulle sana nhigg (or b inhig og ) u e make the p ilgrimage every

year.

§ 481 . I t is used lik e th e perfect , and with much greater

frequency, to express a wish or desire (wh ich inc ludes a cur se) ,as Allah yihfaz ak , yisallimak God p reserve you Allah yitauwil‘umrak God prolong your life il ‘an (for Allah yil

‘an ) ab uk (God )

curse your father . Both pei fec t and aorist may oc cur in th e

same sentenc e, as shakar Allah fadlak u Rab b ina yitamm im b i

k her God requite your kindness , and our L ord bring about a safe

i .ssue

482. The aorist is very frequently attac h ed to a prec ed ingverb or its partic iple , or a verb al noun or expression ,

without

th e intervention of a conjunc tion or auv other partic le . Thismay happen

(a) Where it is equ ivalent to th e E nglish infinitive ,wh ether

simple or gerundial , and qualifying or lim iting th e sense of the

prec eding verb or verb al expression ,or acting (with its comple

m ent) as an ob jec t or an indirec t predicate , or denoting a pur

pose ; e.g .

‘auz arflh I want to go ; yi i af yik tib he knows how

to write ; talab na nruh we ashed to go ana ta lib m innak tiqdi lil h aga di I beg you to do th is for me ; em ts tigi tshufni ? whe n

will you come to see me ? g ib yishtimni he came to insult me .

b att: ilto asln ab duk k ‘l n I ha ve Jii en up sine/1 ing tobac co ; huwa

yik htish i ye1 1lh he is ashamed to g o ; k h :1 llih vitkallim let him

s ;pea/. fa1lish e till :i ‘‘

3 (are you) not free to go o ut ? b id 1l 1 , gharadi

am auwitu it is m y wish ( I ir,

ont) my p urpose, to k ill h im ; talab

m innu mo iya yishrab lhe a stred of him some water to d rink ‘alék fi

tik tib fl 111 it is fo r you to write to h im kan u ienab b ih ma had

d ish yig i‘an du he had g iven ord ers for no one to come to him ;

m a q adarsh e ,nna rd ish ,

ma qib ilshe , yak lulu he was unab le, un

willing ,he refused ,

to tulm it ma a‘rafshe nruh fen 1 do n

’

t Imam

where to go ma yehunshe‘aleya amauwitu I ha ven

'

t the heart to

trill it nmaru yerflh he ord ered h im to go knn lazim y igi he

o ught to ha ve come har am ,

‘1

‘

oh,

‘alik tequl k ede it is d isgraceful

of you to say so mu lhiqshe y ig i he could n'

t manage to co me ;

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286 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

form ing the unfinished past or imperfect tense , as kunte b ah sibinnak akhfih I was thinking that you were h is brother, b ut the

imperfect present is more usual .

§ 485 . A past customary or continued action is generallyd enoted b y the imperfec t present preceded b y th e auxiliary kan ,

as ana k ul le yom k unte b addi lu qersh én sagh I was giving him

two p iastres a clay kan b eyigi‘andi k tir he used often to come to

my‘

house ; kan b eyakul we yenam (for b iyenam ) waiyana mar

raten fi g gum‘a he used to d ine and sleep with us twice a week ;

kan b eyidrab fih he was strik ing him ; k amt b ith iz z e fi rasha she

was shaking her head .

1

§ 486 . I t has b een seen that the aorist may stand for the

English indefinite futur e , b ut as such it has only to do , in affir

mative sentenc es,with simple futur ity. To express vol ition or

the determ ination to perform an ac t we must add th e partic iple

rayih (rayh ,rah) , or th e partic le ha ,

or adopt a periphrasis ;thus 1amma tig i inta aruh ana when you come I shall go, b ut iza

get inta harfih ana if you co me I wil l go aruh léh ? why should

I go ? b ut ana rah ar uh I am going , I mean to go ; tigi b uk ra ?

will you come to-niorrow ha tigi b uk ra shall you come to morrow 7

inta ‘auz timna

‘ni min il mirwah ,

lak in b ardu harfih ana you

want to prevent mefrom going, but I will go a ll the same.

487 . The determination not to do a thing is, on th e con

trary , gene1 ally expressed b v the aoxist , as ruh min hina . Ma

ruh sh (ai uhsh ) go awayfrom here. I won’

t go ,sallimni I ‘

asasay a

lli fi idak . Ma sallimhalak sh (asallimha lak sh ) or mush rayihllimha lak give me up the stick you have in your hand . I will

not give it you .

REMAl iK .— Rayih ,

rah ,and ha are sometim es inserted where

we should expec t the aorist alone , as ma yisahhish leinni ana

i iiyih ak dib ala n mis it would not be right that I should go and

tell lies to p er/p ie.

488. A determinatio n not to ( lo a thing is sometim es ex

pressed b y mush ‘auz

,as il m asmin' mush ‘

auz yitla‘the na il

doesn’

t want to ( i .s . won'

t) value o ut.

489 . Th e futur e perfec t may in some c ases b e rendered b ythe aorist of the auxiliary followed b y the part ic iple o f th e verb ,

j ust as the pluperfec t may b e b y the p ast te nse of the aux iliarya nd the par tic iple ,

as mesa‘

i lit ma nakul is s amak yek l‘

lnfl gayb in

il la lun by the tinw we have eaten the fish they' will have b rought

the "mat.

Fo r th is use of ( i,see 5} 570 , Rem .

THE MOODS

T H E M OODS

§ 490 . The Spok en language has, as we have seen in the

acc idence ,two finite mood s only

— the indic ative and the ini

perative . As there is no separate form for the sub junc tive , theindicative has to perform its offic es .

§ 49 1 . The imperative maintains the t of the ao rist in the

sec ond person ,or , in other words , the aorist is used for it :

(a ) I n prohib itions , as ma tqarrab she don’

t go near (for

qarrab she) ; ma tgish don’

t come (for ta‘ala) ; iyak teriih mind

you don’

t go.

( b ) Wh en prec eded b y the par tic le ma 0 1 the imperative of

the verb b aqa,

1 as ma tqul li but tell me ; ma tigi ; ib qa trfih‘andu go to his house ; b ut we may also say ib qa ta ‘

ala, &c .

(c) Usually with the conjunc tion ya either, or, as ya tuq‘ud

ya timshi either sit down or go away, b ut uq‘ud walla mshi

( imshi) .(d ) Frequently in other cases to render th e command less

harsh or abm pt , as tigi b ukra mind you come to-morrow ; tib qa

tsallim li ‘ala b fik remember me to your father.

REMARK .—Tibqa , tib q1

‘

1 , are said more often than ib qa , ibqfi .

492 . To express an exhortation in connec tion with the firstor third person we may employ the verb k halli 144 ) followedb y the aorist , or the aorist alone

,as k hallina nrilh, k hallih

yitfaddal (or yitfaddal alone) let him come i ,n &c .,k hallil1 y 1t1 1b 1t

(or yitrib it) let it be bound .

§ 493 . Let us is also expressed b y the second person

singular of the imperative followed b y the preposition b i with

the suffix of the first person plural , as imshi b ina (or imshi b na)let us be going uq‘ud hina let us sit down.

REMARK .— Bina. is sometimes ad ded to the first person plural

of the ao rist , as neruh b ina ,di e .

494 . Th e se -c alled potential mood is mad e up in Arab ic , asin English , of a princ ipal and an aux iliary verb ,

as aqdar arilli

I can go ; yimk inak tigi you can come . The pas t tense may b e

rendered b y the aorist prec eded b y kan ,as k unt nshéya

‘ ii la 1

might, could , should ,

2 have sent it to h im mush k ntte t idd i lhum

shuwaiya min il kitir illi‘andak l couldn

'

t you have g iren them

a little out of the quantity you have ? kfinit ti‘mil Oh ? what was

she to do ? or b y the help of oth er auxiliaries,as k an viink inu

yidrab u he could have struck h im .

Used pleonastica lly .

2 A1 1 unfulfilled dutv is sometimes implied .

288 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

495. Would and would have, in a sub junc tive , c onditional ,or optative sense

,will b e rendered b y the tenses of the indica

t ive m ood .

§ 4 96 . I n indirec t discourse th e aorist, generally prec eded

b y ha or rayih, will b e employed , as qalit inniha tishéya‘ha ha

tik tib,rah tigi she said that she would send her

, would write, come.

497 . Th e English infinitive is expressed

(a) By th e aorist united to the prec eding c lause or word b ya conjunc tion ,

espec ially when th e infinitive denotes a purpose ,as 1 uhna l b alad ‘

ashan nistafh im ‘an il k hab ar we went to

town to inquire about the new ;s gib ts k itab ati‘ashan awai rihum

lak I have brought my books to show (them to) you ; hadda ma r

1 agil lagle yihk i lak h ik aytu we have brought you the man to tellyou h is story , talab m inun innu yi

‘allim ‘

ala l waraqa theybegged of him to sign the p aper ; at ‘ash shim inni aqdar agi I

hep e to be able to co me ; wa‘adni innu vik tib 1i he p romised to

write to me.

( b ) By th e aorist without a con junc tion (g(o) By a d efinite verb al noun governed b y the preposition 11,

or‘ash an wh en a purpose is expressed , as il mashye ah san m in

ir ruk fi b it is better to walk than to drive ; ma b aqa lnash h aga

gher it taslim we have nothing left us but to submit ; ithak am‘aléh b i l gild he was condemned to be flogged guhuz 11 l m irwahhe was prepared , ready, to go.

THE PARTICIPLES

§ 498. The ac tive partic iple very frequently replac es the

c ontinued present , and sometimes the past or future tense s,

ind th is wh eth er th e sub j ec t b e expressed or understood ; e .g .

k an k atib il gawfi b ( = k an b eyik tib u) 1amma tab b ét ana he

was wr iting the letter when I app eared yek un fatih il b fib 1amma

tusal he will be Opening the gate whe n you arrive ; ana gay I am

coming ; ana diiyir ( = k unte b ad f1r) fi l b alad we g ib wirhid qal11 as I was wall-ing round the town some one came and told me ;k an waqtiha shin-1b he was d rink ing at the moment ; qam waq ifhe stood stand ing ( = he stood up ) ; lam ina wisilna laqéna 11 mis

garyin ( or b eyig ril) wefoun d the people running when we arrive d

shul'

ma l m ashiiyik h taly‘

in ( b eyitla‘um ) m in 11 b alad rak b in

ham irhum we saw the sheikhs coming out of the village rid ingtheir donkeys ; ragga

‘ it ta lyin br ing bac k those who are going out

ish sh ib b ii k ‘ala yem in id diik h il , i.e . the wind ow is on your right

as you go in ; b ida l ma nta qii‘ id h ina ins tead of your sitting here ;

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290 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

dinner , hewaited at the door b a‘d il fulfis ma ndafa ‘it (or 1ammandafa‘it il fulfis) the money having been paid ; shal il ‘

aiyil‘ala

k itin we tili‘

yigri lifting the child on to his shoulder,he ran

away.

502 . But th ey may b e used lik e the aorist to qualify them ean ing of c ertain verb s

,as mat maqtfil ; and an active parti

c iple may

(a) Imm ediately follow the verb s rah , gib , qam ,fidil

,and

tann,lim iting th eir ac tion

,as rah gari he went running ; gena

mashyin we came walking , on foot qam waqif,sak it ; fidilna

tal ‘in 1amma li foq we continued going up till (we reached ) the top ;tannuhum sharb in they continued d rinking .

( b ) Define th e condition of th e ob ject of verb s signifying to

p erceive or find , as ana shuitu dakh il I saw h im going in laqétu

dérib il wad Ifound him striking the lad .

REMARK .— l n b oth cases the aorist or present may b e used

instead of the partic iple , and in the latter , espec ially after verb s

of seeing , the c on junc tion wemay b e inserted b etween the ob jec tand th e partic iple .

503 . A partial exception to th e rule laid down in g 50 ] isthe use of the copulative with the personal pronoun ,

which,

togeth er with the partic iple , are equivalent to a c lause intro

duc ed b y a temporal conjunc tion ,as itqab ilte waiyah w ana

rayih‘ala l b alad I met him as I was going to the village ;

shufnah W i hna gayin m in‘andak we saw him when we were coming

from you ; w ana m ash i waiya Mahm ud qal li as I was walk ingwith M .

, he said to me. (See further ,REMARK .

—Here again the continued present may b e used ,as itqab ilte waiyah w ana b ariih ,

&c .

,b ut the partic iple is

preferab le .

504 . The English gerund may b e rendered in Arab ic b y a

verb al noun,the aorist

,or a separate c lause sometim es intro

duc ed b y a c on junc tion,as yeh ib b e dars il lugha he is fond of

studying philology sahn li gharf id d ik a d ish for serving the

fowl ; ana b adrab ak ‘ashan daqqitak d i fi b inti I am h itting you

for p ush ing my d aug hter in th is way yehib b e yiqra fi 1 Q ur'im

he likes rea ding the K oran qam‘adda l b ahr we harab he escape d

by crossing the r it er shanaqfih‘ala shun ma qatal imrzitu he wa s

hanged fo r murd er ing h is wife iggann in ikm innu (or 1amma)daiya

‘ ful i'

lsu h e went ma d through having lost h is money k had u

b ard ikm innu k an W a‘

ulif fi 1 matara he ha s taken cold through

stand ing in the ra in katt ar k hém k illi g il t tha nk youfor coming ;

ma fish fayda fi innak terflh there’

s no g ood in your going .

CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

THE VOICES

505 . Th e passive voic e is expressed

(a) I n c ertain verb s b y a spec ial form (Acc idenc e , g( b ) By one ofthe derived form s (Ac c idenc e) .

( c ) By th e use of the th ird person plural of the ac tive,with

out referenc e to a definite sub j ec t , as darab fih he wa s beaten ;

mta katab u l gawah when was the letter written ? raybin yish

nuqub he is going to be hanged rah yiqtil we qatalfih he went to

kill (somebody) , and was k illed h imself.

506 . The agent is usually introduc ed b ym in when a passiveform is used

,b ut not infrequently b y b i, espec ially wh en it is

not a human b eing , as inqatal m in min ? by whom was he killed

quruste b i‘aqrab I was stung by a scorp ion .

REMARK — Although the passive form s are freely used in

Arab ic , it is b etter , as a rule,espec ially when the agent is ex

pressed , to put the verb in the active voic e thus the th ief wascaught by two men p assing would b e b etter translated b y itnén

kanfi faytin m isk u l haram i than b y il haram i itmisik m in itnen

k anu faytin .

CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

§ 50 7 . The protasis (or c lause c ontaining the cond ition) isintroduced b y iza or in when a future c ond ition is stated ,

and

b y Ian , iza , or in when a past c ondition is stated . I n a ll

c ases the verb must b e in the past tense ; e.g . iza gib wah id ifany one co me in wiqi

‘ il k itab m in idak if the book should fall

f rom your hand iza k unte ruht if you had gone lau k utte had

dart il husan if you had brought the horse.

508 . I za kan and in kan , followed b y the aorist,are used in

the sam e way as iza and in with the past tense , and followed b ythe imperfec t present introduc e a cond ition which may b e in

proc ess of fulfilment .

50 9 . The conjunc tion inn or le inn may intervene b etween

lau, is, &c .

,and the verb . \Vhen this happens , the verb kan

is understood ,so that the stric t rendering would b e were it that

not that the words introduc ed b y the conjunc tion forming a sub stantival c lause .

§ 5 10 . The following examples of affi rmative and negative

c lauses will show what tenses should b e used b o th in the pro

ta s is and apodosis ( that is , the c lause c ontaining the c onc lusio n) ,ac cording as the former implies that the fulfilm ent of the cond i

tion is, or was , possib le , pro b a b le , or impossib le

1 The form 16 is genera lly used in negative sentenc es .

292 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

(a) Future possib ility, or prob ab ility, or mere assumption

iza gib ,in gib , iza k an yigi (or in k an yigi) , arfih ana 1 if he

come (or comes) , I will go iza ma gash , in ma gash ,iz a. kan ma

yigish , iza ma kanshe yigi, in kan ma yigish , in ma k anshe yigi,arfih ana if he do (does) not come, I will go .

( b ) Present possib ility or prob ab ility : iza k an b eyigi, in kan

b eyigi, aruh ana if he is coming , I will go iza ma k ansh e b eyigi,in ma k anshe b eyigi arfih ana if he be (is) not coming , I will go .

(c ) Future improb ab il ity : iza gib , in gib ,ruht if he came

( should come) , I would go izama gash , in ma gash , ruht if hewerenot to come, I would go .

(d ) Past prob ab ility or possib il ity : iza kan gib ,in k an gib

arfih if he has come, I will go iz a ma k anshe gib , in ma kanshe

gib , arfih if he have (has) not come, I will go .

(e) Past improb ab ility : lau gib , lau innu ( le innu) gib ,in

k an gib arfih ana if he should have come,I would go lau ma (or

loma) , gash ,16 lagih , 1au innu ( le innu) ma gash , in k an ma gash ,

in ma kanshe gih , aruh ana if he should not have come, I will

90

(f) Past impossib ility (condition unfulfil led ) : lau gib ,lau

k an gih , lau k an yigi2ruht , k unte ruht , k unt ar fih ana if h e.

had come, I would have gone ; lau ( lo) ma gash ,16 la g ib ,

lau ( 16 )ma kanshe gib (yigi) , lau k an ma gash , 16 la k an gib (yigi) ruht,kunte ruht , k unt arfih ana if he had not come, I would have

gone.

(g) Imperfect impossib il ity lau k an b eyigi k unte ruht , k untarfih

,k unte b arfih

,ana if he had been coming , I would have gone

( be going) lau ( lo) ma k ansh e b eyigi, 16 la kan b eyigi, lau k an ma

b eyig ish k unte ruh t,k unt aruh , k unte b aruh, ana if he had not

b een coming , I would have gone ( been going) .REMARK a .

— I z lam yigi is sometimes used for in ma gash b ythe uneduc ated

,in the b elief that they are d isplaying a k now

ledge of nahwg .

REMARK b .— I n (g ) th e aorist is som etimes used for the c on

tinned present , as lau k unte a‘raf ma k untish as tarda if 1 h ad

known ( lit . b een hnowing , aware) , I would not have ac cepted .

§ 5 l l . La , a partic le of asseveration ,is sometimes prefixed

1 Som etimes,also

,k unte arfih when the prob ab ility is remo te.

I n k an yigi is pe rhaps m o re remo te than iza kan yigi.

the fulfilm ent o f the c o nd ition is prac tic ally a c erta inty, iz a or

in b ec om es equiva lent to lam ina,as in tili

‘ in nahar nerflh, i.e .

when I , is morning we will go.

Unusual .

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294 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

case the question is ac tually ask ed,and th e words must b e pro

nounc ed accordingly.

g 516 . Whether or is often expressed b y sawa in kan

au,walla (we illa) , as sawa n kan yik sab au yik hsar whether h

gain or lose whether or not b y iza kan ,iza (with past tense of

verb ) in kan,sawa n kan walla la ’

,walla ma

,as qul li iz a

kunte radi walla ma ntash radi, iza kunte ‘auz terfih walla la'

tell me whether you are willing or unwilling , whether you wish to go

or not in k anit takul walla ma tak ul whether she eat or not ;

iz a ruhte walla ma ruhtish whether you go or not ; ma a‘rafsh e

kan ir ragil maugud walla la’ I don

’

t knowwhether the man was

p resent or not ( in b eing understood , as ab ove) even if, though , b ywi lau

,wi lau inn

,or lau we inn

,as wi lau gib h uwa harfih ana

though he come, I will go ; haqfil il k alam da wi lau innuhum

yiwab b ak hfini I shall say this though they scold me k ib ir kan wi

lau sughaiyar be it large, or even be it small ; lau wi nnina m a

shufnah sh even though we saw it not.

REMARK .—W e must b e careful to d istinguish b etween walla

or ( =wa illa ,we illa) and wala nor wa la) we in la is con

trac ted to Willa ,as iskut Willa aqta

‘rasak be quiet or I will break

( lit . cut of ) your head .

INDIRECT DISCOURSE

517. An indirect quotation may b e introduc ed b y the

con junc tions inn ,leinn,

‘ala inn

,as qal innu

‘amal k ede he said

that he d id so ; or the original words may b e quoted , as qal ana‘amalte k ede ma tqulsh e li hadd ana

‘amalte k ede don

’

t tell anyone you d id so .

518. Oc casionally these two forms ofspeech are confused ,and

a d irec t quotation is introduced b y a conjun c tion ,

1as qa l le inni

k unte sak ran waqtiha he said he ( h imself) was d runk at the timeb a ‘dén ana qulti lha le inni ana hab b é tik I the n told her I love

her k hab b aru b asha ‘ala innina ma lqé nah she they informed the

washa tha t they had not foun d h i'

ni ; kan m enab b ih ‘a léya innak

tiha ddar il ak l he ha d ord ered me to p repare the mea l .

5 1 9 . I n indirec t questions the c ond itional partic le iza kan

may b e used with all persons , as sa’

alni iza k unte rayb ag i,

s a‘a la iza kan

,&c . ; or it may b e om itte d, and very generally

is,when there is an a lterna tive c lause ,

a s sa'

alni rfiyih ag i wa lla

1 S o 57 a sometim es in Greek . C onfusion is not lik e ly to

a rise from the doub le meaning ,the context showing what is

intended .

INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES 295

la,sh uftu walla la he asked me whether I am coming or not,

whethe r I sawhim or not ; istafh im g ib walla lissa inquire whether

he has co me yet or not ; or th e original words may b e quoted ,

as sa’alni rah tigi, shuftu walla la‘

. The first of the thr ee

forms of expression is the most usual .

520 . The conjunc tions inn ,le in

,&c .

,are not infrequently

om itted after the verb qal , though the quotation remains indirec t,

as qamma laqfish il walad they said they d idn’

tfind the boy ; issauwahjn yeqfilfi ma. shaffish il haram the tourists say they haven

’

t

seen the Pyramids qam‘aleya mel t (or mutt) they said of me th at

I had d ied ; 11 lab an mush maghli ; it tab b akha b itqul magh li

the milk is not boiled ; the cools says boiled ( i .e . that it is boiled) .

5521 . When the verb in th e indirect quotation or questionwould not logically b e in the past tense , it is plac ed in the

imperfec t present , aorist,or future in Arab ic ; thus what d id

he say ? He said he was com ing will b e translated b y qal eh ?

qal innu b iyigi ; he said he d idn’

t think b y qal‘ala innu ma

yiftik irsh ; they said they would bring them b y qalfi innuhum

yegib fihum (or hayegib fihum ) ; I asked h im if he acc epted b ysa

‘

altu iza. kan b eyirda ; so qal Ii innu ma ya‘rafshe haga

‘an 11

mas‘ala di he said he knew nothing of this matter.

INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES

§ 522 . An interrogative sentenc e usually stands without an

introduc tory partic le , as in English , when nothing is implieda s to th e answer , as rah tigi b ukra 2 are you coming to mou ou

shuft ir rag il illi kan h ina ? or when the verb 1s negative and

an affirmative ans“er is expec ted ,as me. shuftish 1r ragil d id n

’

t

you see the man ? I n oth er c ases it is not uncommonly intro

duc ed b y the word ya‘ni ( the 3rd pers . sing . of the aorist of

the d isused ‘ana to mean) , an afiirmative answer b eing then

invariab ly expec ted if the verb is affirm ative and a negative

answer if the verb is negative , as ya‘ni rah tig 1 b ukra ? you are

com ing to—mrrrrow,then ? ya

‘ni ma shuftish ir ragil da ? so you

d id n’

t see that man ?

§ 523 . Ya‘nj may b e followed pleonastically b y the noun

ma ‘na with the fem inine pronom inal sntlix

, as ya‘ni ma

‘naha

mush radi tig i so then lyou are no t willing to co me.

524 . Both in d 11 ec t and indirec t questions the interrogative

1 Ya‘nf and ma‘nfiha may b e expressed b y so the n,

as ab ove ,

b ut they are much more free ly used in interrogative sentenc es

than the ir English equivalents .

296 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

pronoun usually prec edes the verb when it is th e sub ject,and

follows it wh en it is the ob ject . (But see

§ 525 . An alternative question is introduc ed b y walla , as

‘au z teruh walla tistanna h ina do you want to go or stay here ?

sheya‘t 11 gawah walla huwa lissa ‘

andak have you sent the letter ,or have you still got it ?

§ 526 . Th e Arab s are very fond of introduc ing a principal

or causal sentenc e b y an interrogative c lause , for th e purpose

of attracting th e attention of the h earer to the fac t ab out to

b e stated ; e.g . 1amma sa’altu qal li eh 2 qal li le innu

‘umru

ma shafhash when I ashed him,what d id he tell me ? he told

me that he had never seen her in h is life wi humma maqsudhum

eh 2 maqsudhum yitaffishfihum and what was their object ? their

object was to drive them away ; ana qulti lak il k alam da léh'

.2

qultilak il k alam da ‘ashan ta‘

raf why d id I tell you that ?

I told it you that you might know.

g 527 . I nstead of answering yes or no, the person to whom

a question is addressed will often repeat th e princ ipal word

of th e interi ogative sentenc e (usually a verb ) in an affi1 mative

or a negative form ,as shufti k tab u 2 Shuftu (or ma shuftush ) ;

da k tab u 2 Ewa,k itab u ; fi nas h enaL 2 Fih ,

ma fish .

REMARK a .— Notic e th e inse1 tion of la’ iii such expressions

as get imb arih au innahar da 2 la , get imb arih ; gib te wah idwalla tuen 2 la gib ts wah id b ass ; da ragil taiyib 2 la

’

, taiyib ,th e second alternative , even though unexpressed , b eing deniedb efore th e first is affi rm ed .

REMARK b .— Note that qal is sometim es used for sa

‘al

,as

qal lu iza k an huwa rah yeruh dilwaqti walla yistanna shwaiya

he ashed him whether, (2c .

REMAR K c .— An interrogation may b e equivalent to a nega

~

tive,as akhallasqawam a

‘auwaq 2

= 1na‘auwaqsh ) I sha llfinish

guic /dy do you supp ose I shall be long ?

VERBS EXPRESS IVE or WONDER , SURPRISE ,

DOUBT,FEAR

§ 528. Wh ere a c irc um stanc e is m entioned as a matter of

surprise or doub t, th e sentenc e rec ord ing it is introduc ed b y

the c onjunc tion inn,

‘ala inn

,&c .

,and ac ts as the ob j ec t of

th e verb,as ana stag lu

'

ab te ‘ala innak ma t a

‘rafsh c ah s an min

k ede I am surprisu l that you ( to not know better tha n that ; ana

Ll l ( ll shak k e le innu h ilwa I d oub t whether it is he ; b ut where

an alternative or an interrogative fo llows , 110 c onjunc tion is

used,as itha iyarua l

'

ayhiu yig ll ua walla la ‘ we were peiyilcxed as

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298 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

‘amrish sim i‘te h aga z éye di I never in my life heard such a

thing. Th e sign is som etimes attach ed to the princ ipal verb,

instead of to the auxiliary, when th ere is a stress on th e

form er,as kan ma b iyak ulsh e (for ma k anshe b iyak ul) hewas not

eating k an lissa ma gash he had not yet come.

§ 534 . Ma is not infrequently omitted , espec ially in in

terrogative sentenc es,where an affirmative answer is expected

or astonishment implied at the existenc e of som eth ing , as

ma‘ak sh e fulfils ? haven ’

t you any money ? lak she ik hwa ? have you

no brothers ? k untish h enak ? weren’

t you there ? b alak she 1 h agadi ? don

’

t you remember this matter ? ma‘ak she wala k ham sa

sagh ? haven’

t you got even five p iasti es 2 iza kuntish dafa‘t kan

ahsan it would have been better if you had not pa id ; ma‘rafshe

k an maugud walla k anshe I don’

t knowwhether he was p resent or

not (b ut we may here also say wa la k anshe) ; adi sab ab ma

getsh this is the reason why I d idn’t come (to avoid the doub le

ma,b ut adi sab ab ma ma getsh will sometim es b e heard ) .535 . Ma is used without sh(a) Wh ere it is supported , as it were

,b y another word

or other words in th e sentenc e,which already so strongly

emphasize the negative notion that the sh is intuitivelydropped as superfluous, as wa llah i ana ma a

‘raf by God (in

very truth) I knownot ;1 ‘

umri ma shuftu ; wa 11a na ( = llah ana )m ani fah im k alamak of a truth I do not understand your words .

I t is not unusual , however , wh ere no particular stress is laid on

the strengthening word , to add the sh , as wa llfih i ma‘rafsh e

upon my word I don’t know.

( b ) I n emphatic wish es (b ut optionally) , as Alhih ma

yihrimna (or yihrimnfish ) m innak may God not d ep rrre us

of you .

(e) I n th e expressions ma drish illa , ma b asse illa,ma yish

‘ur

illa he d idn’

t lrnowwhere hewas , he hadn’

t time to look round before.

used with referenc e to a sudden event . The copulativewt 18 often inserted either b e fore or after illa

,as mu ush ‘

ur illa

( or we illa) waihid hatte idu fi geb i sudd enly I felt some one put

h is han d in my pocket ma b asset illan illa we ) winh id m inhum

natte fi ‘arab iya we harab I hadn

’

t time to look roun d b efore on e

of them sprang into a carriage and mad e Off.

(d ) When used for hi in th e sense of neither,and fo llowed in

m o ther c lause b y wa la nor,as ma k allim tu wala shuftu 1 neither

1 The om ission o f the sh h ere may al so b e due to the

prevalent no tio n that the Koranic , or at leas t the Nahwy, should

b e imita ted in a sentenc e of a re ligio us turn .

NEGATIVE SENTENCES 299

spoke to him nor saw him ana ma darab te wala ndarab t I neither

struck. nor was struck b ut the suffi x will often b e used,espec ially

if th e first sentenc e is emphatic or m ore emphatic than the oth er

or others , as ana ma darab tfish wala h ilwa dar ab ni I d id not

strike him ,nor did he strilre me.

(e) I n some phrases of a religious turn,and mostly in

proverb ial expressions, as da m a yik hallasni m in Allah tha t willnot savemefrom (the wrath of ) God , i.e . it is againstmy conscience

16 la ]kasurama k anit il falchfira butfor the breaking , there would beno pottery la she illi ma luh nafa‘ there is noth ing without a use.

(f ) Oc casionally in other expressions wh ere illa follows inthe sense of except or

,comb ined with m ix, in the sense of only,

as ana ma ddilak il fulus il la 1amma tsallimni l k imb iyala I

won’

t give you the money till you hand me the b ill ana ma ruh ti

lu illa nob a wahda I only went to h im once ma nis‘al il la‘ankum we ask only about you (i.e . my thoughts are only of you ) .Here again sh may b e added if m uch stress is laid on the denial .

536 . Neither nor are more generally expressed b y 1awala

,and sh is rarely added in th e fir st c lause and usually om itted

in the second,as la laqé tu wala dauwarte

‘aléh 1 haren

’

t found it,nor d id I look f or it la dak hal wala k harag , i.e . it has no thing to

d o with it ; la shutt ir ragil wala shutt akhflh I d idn’

t see the man ,

nor d id I see h is b rother ; la laq u l b int wala laqfl‘amm iha ; la

shuftilsh wala k allimt i’

ish (or la shufta wala kallimtu ) I neither

saw him nor sp oke to h im k hadu fulfisi wala k hallu lish h aga theytoo/c my money and left me nothing ; wala fish wahid gherna nor is

there any besides us ; wala h ish masalan uk hti nor is she, forexamp le, my sister . Where wala is equivalent to the Englishwithout sh shou ld b e ad ded

,as yishra b wala yfik ulsh he eats

without drinking , k had te m inni nusse g ineh wala raddetilsli .

§ 537 . Som etimes ma. is used pleonastically after wa la,and

in th is case the sh shou ld not b e omitted,as ma k uunash

ni‘rafhum wala humma ma yi‘raffinfish we d idn

’t ll‘uo u' them

,nor

( lid they know us ma‘andish nib it wala mo iya ma fish I have no

wine,nor hare I even any water k had u fulusi wala ma k halld lish

hfiga wa la ma fish haddo g b orun .

§ 538 . Mfi may b e plac ed b e fore a pronoun ,the sub j ec t o f

the sub stantive verb ,whether expressed or understood

,as m ush

ma huwash ) k iln h ina ? wasn’

t he here ? m a ntish radi i a re

you not willing ? iza k an (or k unte ) ma ntish rayha if you ( f. )are not going . Som etimes the pro noun is repeated ,

a s iza k unt

inta ma ntash rfiyih.

539 . Mush (m ish ) , as we have se en , is used fo r a ll g end e rs

and numb ers,and may b e fo llowed b y a ll tenses . l n inte rroga

300 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

tive sentenc es it invariab ly calls for an affirmative answer, as

mush k unte fi b étu inb arih .

‘3 weren

’

t you (i.e . surely you were) athis house yesterday mush ish sham se b etitla‘ m ish sharq .

2 doesn’

t

the sun"r ise in the east

5540 . When followed b y a verb negatived b y 1115. it mu st b e

translated b y not that, as mush ma rah sh not that he d idn’

t go

mush ana ma m ishitsh— m ishit not that I d idn’

t go— I went.

REMARK — Ma sh are oc casionally used with th e verb it

self wh en inush would b e more regular , as huwa m a rah sh e yisraqwe m isk uh darab uh itwas not that he went to steal and was caught

and beaten . With th e aorist it may serve to exp1 ess an emphatic

command or prayer , as mush tisk ut ! won’

t you be qu iet . mush

tisallifni wala k hamsa sagh . ? won’

t you lend me evenfivep iastres Z.mush tiftah li l b ah ? are you not going to open the door for me ?REMARK .

—Ma is . apparently pleonastic in such a phrase as

k éf sihhitak m in waqte ma ma shuftak sh how have you been since

I saw you (depuis queje ne vous ai nu) ? b ut the idea is d uring all

the time that I have not seen you . I n the expression nak ar innu

m a shaffish he denied that he saw him ,b oth negative partic les are

pleonastic .

g 541 . La,unless prec eded b y the c onditional particle 16 ,

rarely stands in th e spok en language b efore a noun with ellipse

of the sub stantive verb,exc ept in expressions b orrowed from

the Koran ,as 15, ilaha illa llah there is no god but God ,

in a few

proverb s, and in th e expression 1a b udde min (or‘an) lit . there

is no escape from , as la b udde m in m otu he must surely d ie ; la

b udde min inni arfih I must go. La is sometim es used as ma,ab ove

,with th e aorist to express a wish ,

as Allah la yi‘afik may

God not give you health,and oc casionally with th e past tense

when prec eded b y th e conditional in , as il la ( = in la) ma sha’

Allah if God will not. I n th e compound tenses the auxiliarymay remain positive and th e negative b e appended to th e prin

c ipal verb ,as k unna ma k haragnash . Th is adds

, perhaps , vivid

ness to the negation . So k an ma fish ‘esh there was no b read

(for ma kansh e fi ‘esh ) , lazim ma b addish g ih no one can hare come.

1

542 . The verb k halla som etimes passes on th e negative

wh ich would b e more logically attach ed to it than to th e qualifying verb

,as ana k hallétu ma rah sh I d idn

’

t let h im go ( for ma

k hallétftsh yerub ) , with no apprec iab le d ifferenc e of m eaning .

§ 54 3 . Th e verb following qidir be ab le, ran, may t ak e the

1 This is invariab ly th e c onstruc tion with lazim and word s

of sim ilar import form ing with the verb the past tense of the

potential mood .

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302 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

worked all day k hadu b a‘d (or k hadfi rauwahum ) they took themselves ofi

”

; qafal , fatah , id duk k an he c losed , op ened , the shop , k an

qafil , fatih imb arih he ( i.e . h is shop, do. ) was closed , open, yesterday,iqfil or qaffil (se. hanak ak ) be quiet,

“shut up ! yishrab nib it

he drinks wine, yishrab he d 7 inks itfaddal p ray walls in,

“do ,itfaddal ‘

esh , k ursi pray take some b read, a chair ;

‘amal

atrash,meyit he pretended to be d eaf, dead ; kan h atit or

nasflo (se. k h éshu ,&C .) we shal he was pitching h is tent, p utting

up , here, but has since decamp ed , huwa hatt he has become infir m

( from old age) ; kan yimshi yem idd (se. riglu) he stepped out,

walked fast ; sallim nafsu and sallim he surrend ered himself,surrendered .

REMARK a .—Tu the expressions sam Ramadan ,

ak al (or fitir)Ramadan hefasted during (kept) Ramadan, he eat during Ramaddn,the noun may b e regarded as an ac cusative of lim itation .

1

REMARK b .—Th e imperatives itla

‘and in z il are often used

,

wh en th e ob j ect is not expressed , for th e derived forms talla‘

,

naz z il .

g 547 . Som e verb s govern their ob jec t either direc tly . or

indirectly, i.e. b y m eans of an intervening p1 eposition ,as id dawa

n‘

afa ni (or nafa‘ li) the medic ine b enefited me,iggauwiz tiha I

married her, iggauwiz te b iha I was married to he7 ihk i li b i lh ik aya (or il h ik aya) tell me the story, sagadfi (or sagad ln) he70 0 7 sh ipped him ; lahag

‘aléh (or lahagu) he cheated him ; kab astu

I seized him ,k ab as ‘

aléh in nom sleep overcame h im ; yilz imni

(more usual than yilz im li) k ur siyén I want two chairs ( lit . two

chairs are necessary to me, so laz imni ‘arahiya , hama

‘annu

he protected , defended , him ,b ut Allah yiham ik ; ak ninu and

ak nin ‘aléh he annoyed h im ; sh am and sh ar ‘

aléh he counsel led

h im .

REMARK a .— I n some c as es the preposition may b e regarded

as part of the verb,as in English he begs for b rea d, &c .

REMARK b .-Th e preposition often produc es a slight d ifferenc e

of m eaning , as nadahu he called him ; nadah ln he ca lled to him

fatil he left h im, passed him ,fat ‘

aléh he passed by h im , paid him

a visit ; saddaqu believe it, saddaq b i believe in ;2 k hulust ish

shughl I havefinished the work , k huluste m in ish shughl I ha ve

finished with the worlc.548. Others , whose equivalents in Eng lish govern a direc t

o b j ec t , always require the h elp of a prepo sition to c omplete their

1 Unless these expressions are after the analogy of ‘ama l

Ramad zl n to keep Ramadan .

2 But always saddaq u of a person .

VERBS TRANSITIV E AND INTRANSITIVE 303

ac tion ,as k h af m in to fear ; b arik fi to b less shafaq ‘

ala to pityshaqqe

‘ala to visit ; nab b ih ‘

ala order ;‘allaq li 1 husan to fee d

the horse.

l

549 . Verb s expressive ofmotion are sometimes regarded as

transitives, and tak e a direc t ob jec t , as ruh te b et ab uk I went to

yourfather’

s house ; gani gawab m in Lundura I have received a

letter from London ; 1amma dakhalna l bet when we entered the

house hiya msafra skandariya she has leftfor , gone to, Alerand riawaddihum it tum u take them to the police station ; mizil il b aladhe has gone to town ramé tha l moiya I threw her into the water

b a ‘de ma wisil il moiya as soon as he arrived at the water wasalni

l gawab , i .e . I ha ve received the letter ; da ma yigish taman shélu

that doesn’t come to the price of ( =won

’

t payfor) the porterag e ;qataru he ran after h im so with causative verb s ragga

‘u

matrahu take it ba ck to its place waqqa‘tu l ard I threw h im o n

the ground wassalitu l b et she saw h im home. W e may also sayruhte

‘ala b et ab uk ,

dak hal guwa l b et , wasal li gawah , qatarwarah , &c .

,and note that the preposition generally intervenes

when the ob ject is the second or third personal pronoun ; thus

ruhti lak , yigi ln , yerub ln,aruh luhum are said in preferenc e

to ruhtak , yigih , yerfihu ,aruhhum .

REMARK .— Tigi is almost invariab ly used for ta‘ala when

th e ob jec t (direc t or indirec t) is a personal pronoun thus we say

tigini , not ta‘alani . The shortened form ta‘a c an

,under no

c ircumstanc es,tak e the suffix es.

g 550 . Verb s of rest are som etimes followed direc tly b y the

plac e as the ob j ec t , as huwa qa‘ad Bariz shab ren he remaine d

two months in Paris ana fidil te mahalli I rema ined in my551 . Verb s denoting to g ive, lend , deliver, dep rive of , strip ,

ward off, often govern the ind irec t ob j ec t d irec tly, as iddét il

walad k itab u I gave the boy h is boo/t ; iddini qershén sa llifni (orsallif Ii) gineh lend me a pound ; sallimu l b asha il gawah theydelivered the letter to the pasha ; Allah ma yihrim nash wiladna

( or m in wiladna) God bereave us not of our child ren il ghina d ih

yiharramni n n6m th is sing ing d eprives me of sleep qala‘fih

h id iimu they stripped h im of h is c lothes ; Allahumma k h na s sir

U God ,avert th e evil from us ; b ut in ord er that th e ind ire c t

o b jec t may stand alone ( t.e . without a preposition) , it mus t

immed iately fo llow the verb , or at le ast not b e prec ed ed b y the

d irec t o b jec t .

1 S ee further,under prepositions.

2 So ib dar ardab b ak yez ld .

304 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

552 . The d irec t ob ject is sometimes used for the indirect,as in English , wh en it is a personal pronoun ,

as qaraha l gawah

(for qara lha) he read her the letter ; ishtir1ni k itab (for ishtiri li)buy me a book ; zauwidnah h ib re ahmai we added some red ink to

it ; da‘anzha shugh l so Walla‘ui g ive me a light, b ut

walla‘ li hadi itu g ive the gentleman a light.

§ 553 . I n addition to the ab ove , the following verb s maytak e a doub le ob j ec t without the aid of a preposition

(a) Causative verb s,Whether in form or m eaning only, pro

vided that in th e former c ase the prim itive verb may have a

thing as its d irec t ob ject (ac . rei) , as warrétu1 l matwa I let h im

see (showed him) thep en/suite; qalla‘ il walad b idumu he made the

b oy take of h is c lothes ; sharrah b intak id dawa dih make your

daughter take this med icine ; niqsim ii ‘esh mussen we will d ivide

the b read into two ; rak k ib il fasse dahab set the stone in gold ;‘allim il walad il lugha he taught the boy the language ; qab b adni

l mab lagh he let me receive (paid me) the amount ; fakkaritu l

mas’ala she reminded h im of the matter ; dak hk hal is sanduq il

mak h zan p ut the box inside the cellar ; isqini moiya , qahwa giveme some water, coffee, to drink .

554 . Prepositions are not in frequently inserted ,as sharral)

id dawa dih li b intak ,

2 dak hk hal is sanduq fi 1 mak h zan,wakk ilu

li l linsan give it to the horse to eat.

( 6) Verb s signifying to make name, appoint, find , know,see ,

think , feel, &c .,as

‘amal il b e b asha he mad e the hey a pasha ;

sammu l walad Mehammad they named the boy hfohammed ;‘aiyinu l hak im qadi they made the doctor a judge ; ana b a‘de ma

qataltu laqétu ak huya when I had k illed h im Ifound h im ( to be)my b rother ;

3 humma ya‘raffik ragil taiyib

4 they know you (to be)a good man b ah sib u haram i I took h im for a thief.REMARK .

— I n the ab ove instanc es the second ob j ec t is a

pred icate ac c usative .

( c ) Verb s denoting to fi ll , &c .,and oth ers whose ac tion is

lim ited b y the noun and where the preposition with is used in

English , as malC-t 5 il kuz m oiya (or , b ut less usually, b i moiya )

1 Or warrot 111 .

2 Notic e the inversion of the order . \V e should not sayS harrah il m oiya l h int .

3 Ana l aqétu ,shuftu

,h uhsihu ,

rah il b alad are in

stanc es o i'

the s 1 111e c onstruc tion ,on ly in this c ase the sec ond

o b j ec t is a S entenc e .

Mm e usua lly ya‘rafflk le innak ragil taiyib .

b'

o the adjec tixe nu1 ly-1n .

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306 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

action on to anoth er noun as its ob jec t,as qab le duk hulna I b et

before our entering the house ; waqte rukub hum k h élhum at the

moment of their mounting their horses il istilah ah san m in

mirwah il karak on reconciliation is better than going to the p olice

station ; eh sab ab darb uhum ‘ammak 2 what is the 7eason of

thei7 beating your unc le shu1 b il husan il m oiya the h0 7 se’

s d 7 ink

ing the water .

REMARK a .— Wh en th e ob jec t is a personal pronoun this con

struc tion b ecomes impossib le , and a preposition must intervene,

as qum te fi z aqqitha di liya I sprang up on her pushing me in this

way ; b i sab ab hub b u fib a by reason of his lovefor her . Furth er,

a preposition generally separates a gen itive from th e ob j ect ifth e latter is a noun ,

as shurb il hu san fi 1 moiya .

REMARK b .— I n som e cases the noun following may b e regarded

as a genitive instead of an ob j ect,as ak l il b ataris the eating of

potatoes.

IMPERSONAL VERBS AND VERBS USEDIMPERSONALLY

558. Under these are inc luded

(a) Verb s and partic iples which have a sentenc e for their

sub ject wh eth er introduc ed b y a con junc tion or not , as ma

yehunshe‘aleh yisrif, yidaiya

‘ fulfis it is not a light thing for himto Sp end money ; ma yib

‘adshe innu yigi it is not imp ro bab le that

he will come; m a yimkinshe agi lak ,ma sim i‘sh e (or inni agi lak ,

innu ma smi‘sh ) it is imp ossib lefor me to come to you ,that he d id

no t hear ; iza saraqtu yib qa k uwaiyis lau raddétu it you stole it, it

will be well to return it ; yuk hrug , yitla‘

,min idak

,ti‘m il k ede ?

is itwithin your power to do such a th ing ? ma hasalsh e ab adan min

nak innak darab t ak hfik ? ( lid it never happen that you struck your

brother ? sadaf inni ruht it chanced that Iwent b éyin‘alek innak

‘aiyan it is clear from your asp ec t that you are ill ; ma k ansh e le

innu saraq mandil yom m in ( 101 ? wasn’

t it ( isn’

t it) a fact that heone day stole a handkerch ief ? fatni aqul lak inn i m safir I f orgot

( lit . it escap ed me) to tell you that I am g o ing away m a y ikafiik sh e

innak k harab te b éti b i fitnak we daiya‘te umri l does it not sill/ic e

you that you hare ruined nee— wrecked my life— by your calumnies

mashh flr ‘annu innu ghani it is rep uted of h im that he is rich

he is reputed to be r ich ) .B EMAltK .

— Tll 0 verb s him an d si‘ib smnetinws agree in gender

1nd num b er with the ob jec t of th e fo llowing verl 1,as 1na thunsho

‘aléh yidrahha he has not the h : art to strike lit r yis

‘

ab u a léya

1gziz il 1un1 it is hard for 7770 to p unish thu n ahé hfinit ‘

uléya wi

clul ’ul 1tilnl .

PECULIAR USES OF PARTICULAR VERBS 30 7

( b ) Verb s wh ich have no sub ject, t.e. passive form s of verb s

wh ich in the ac tive have an indirect ob j ec t,as il ‘

arahiya dasit‘aleh the carriage ran over him ,

indas ‘aléh he was run over ; hakam

‘aléh he passed judgment on h im

,ithakam ‘

aléh sentence was

passed on h im ; 1‘allim ‘

ala l waraqa he signed the pap er , it‘allim

‘ala l waraqa the p aper was signed ; k atab ‘

aléh he wrote on

it, inkatab‘aléh it was written on ; ghish i, ghim i,

‘aléh ( from

ob solete ac tives meaning to cover , darken) , it grew (was mad e)dark around him,

he fainted ; il moiya di mal ‘fib fib a some one

has beenp laying a game with this water .

REMARK .— The agent is introduc ed b y min or b i, as me

‘allim

‘aléh m innu signed by him b ut oc casionally it stands alone

,as

mind-as ‘aléh ‘

arah iya (or b i‘arahiya) run over b y a carriage.

( c ) Verb s whose sub j ec t is understood without having b een

previously m entioned,as matarit (or natarit) it rained ; b etir

‘ad

,

b etub ruq it thunders, lightens (se. id dunya) , &c . ; imsa‘aléhum

(or imsa‘aléhum il 161) the night overtook them ; k attar k herak

( se. Al lfih ) thank you ( lit . may H e increase your p7osperity) ;yurzuk , g azak ,

in ‘al ab fik may (God ) providefor you , p unish you ,

curse your father ; da‘anzha shughl .

REMARK a .— I n some c ases, as in hak amit k ede , it is diffi cult

to supply th e sub jec t . (SeeREMARK b .

—Allah may b e om itted with one verb and ex

pi essed with another in th e sam e sentenc e , as k attar k herak

wi shakk al Allah fadlak . Kattal Allah k héi ak is naturallymoi e emphatic than k attar kherak

PECULIAR USES OF PARTICULAR VERBS

g559 . The verb s dar and qam are often placed superfluou s lv

b efore another verb , serving , as it were , to introduc e it . The

form er is joined mostly to verb s of motion , and in all c ase s

retains its original signification of turning in a circ le,wh ile th e

latter is of much more general use,and is often b est left un

translated or rendered b y then, thereupon,&c . I t is

,as a rule

immediately fo llowed b y th e princ ipal verb ,wh ile. dar is usu ally

c onnec ted with it b y the copulative wi ; e .g . qulti ln ti‘m il eh h ina ’

( lam qal li ana b adauwar a la wahid I said to h im ,What a re you

doing here ? he said to me,

“I am tool ing for some one g ih : 1 l11‘

1l1

qam qaj ad ganb u h is jo the7 came and sat b y h 7777 : 111il< h tishi le

innu yequm yah ul waiya s sitt shy of ea tnu/ 77°ith the

1 Mahkfim is sometimes said for mahk l‘

nn‘a lbh con demned .

2 A slovenly expression for d i‘auza lha shug h l .

308 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

shaf k ede qam darab u fi wishshu when he saw that, he st7aightuaystruck him in the face ; qumt ana b ah sib le inniha gat I then

thought she had come ; yeqfim ab fih yiz‘al m innu his f ather there

up on g ets annoyed with h im ; yequm yuk h sha1 ‘

aleh m inni he

then fights shy of me ; hatta yedfir we yigi l ma‘ad until the

appointed time comes round k an yedur yelific he was going round ,

1amma darit u matit il ‘aguza when the old woman came to die ;

1amma yedur u yik hlas ish shahr when the month comes to an

end .

REMARK — Som etim es 1amma is used for wi b etween dar

and the other verb,as hatta yedur 1amma yistiwi until it gets

cooked .

Qam is som etim es attach ed to th e participle , as qam raqid‘aiyan he went to bed ill. I t is rarely used in th e imperative

exc ept when it retains its original sense (though still redundant) ,qum uqaf (or Waqif) get up ,

stand up right.

§ 560 . Baqa. Th e primary m eaning of this verb,namely,

to remain stationary , can b e traced in most of its derived uses,

the princ ipal ofwh ich are th e following(o ) I n th e sense of to beco me, as b aqét makrfish I got out of

breath ; b aqa mili tar he became, stood , perp lexed ; b aqfi mush

‘arfin yi

‘milu eh they stood in ignorance of what they should

do ; iz a ma laqétfish fi 1 b et hab qa ana ruhte b alash if ] don’

t

find him in the house, I shall have gonefor nothing iza kan k ede

yib qa enta ghash sh itni (or yib qa ismak 2ghashshitni) if it is so ,

then (it results that) you have cheated me ; yib qa yerub emta ?

when will he be going ? tib qa tigi b ukra ; ma tib qash teruh

b enak 3 ma b aqash qad ir yak ul he became unab le to eat.

(77) I n th e sense of starting or continuing the ac tion of the

verb to whic h it is attach ed,as b aqu yidrab fi f1h they began to

beat hi ,m b aqat tish l ab li hadd is sub h she went o n d r

'

wnhinqtill the 7nb rni 77g ,

ma b aqush laqyinu ,1 .6 . they gave up ti ying to

find i t.

(c ) With a period of time following it as its sub jec t . I n

th is connec tion it remains unc hanged in num b er and gender

b y the ru le laid down in 4 6 9 ; e .g . b aqa li sanatf'n fi Masr

I have been two years in Cairo ; k an b aqa ln talatt ishhur

1amma he had been three months when yib qa lha

1 This use of ( 151111 with an impersonal verb shows that it is

regarded as an a dverb,although it agrees with the ob jec t of

the verb in form .

2 S ee 590 , Rem . b .

8 I t is very commonly used with an imperative . (See

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THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

formerly, or gives th e princ ipal verb th e sense of a pluperfect,though remaining un changed , as ana y6m m 1n db l qulti ln kan

I once said to h im ; ish sh ita ‘auwimit id dinya kan the rain had

deluged the earth . I t is sometim es inflected,as qulti ln yom

kunt . Even in qulti ln inb arih kunt it c annot,as following

th e princ ipal verb , b e treated as an auxiliary ; it might b e translated b y th e slovenly expression , I told him yesterday, I d id .

REMARK .— Partic iples are , of c ourse , as liab le as all ad j ectives

to b e used as adverb s

§ 564 . The verb b eyit (first derived form of b at) is used inthe sense of keep ing a th ing with one at night, as b éyit il gawah‘andak w

‘

ishah waddih il b usta b éyit‘ala is used intransitively

of calling on one at night, as b éyitte‘ala n naqqash ‘

ashan yigi

b adri ‘andina I went to the p ainter overnigh t to tell him to come

to as early .

§ 565 . Ga ’

, gib , has often the sense of to be or become,as

1amma gib ab fih mab sfit m inun when his father was p leased withhim ; yigi azraq 1amma yinshaf it will be b lue when it dries.

Followed imm ediately b y th e aorist of another verb,it is

often equivalent to th e English comewith an infinitive,as lamma

get arfih when I came to go, i.e . just as I was go ing ; so 1amma gat

tulid , and , with a future sense , 1amma yigi yidrab ak ib rah minnu .

REMARK .— Till

‘ has also th e sense of become, or rather turn

out, p rove to be, as il walad tili‘shatir.

56 6 . Ya ret 1 would that is used wh en followed b y a past

tense,either alone or with th e pronom inal suffix , as ya ret ruh t

or ya ritmi ruht ; b ut wh en it is followed b y the aorist,the suffix

is om itted,as ya ret nerfih would that we might go .

567 . Th e verb b asar to see,though ob solete in th e past tense,

is used with the interrogative eh in th e first person singular of

th e aorist in the sense of so and so,et cetera ,

as kan ‘auz yiddi ln

dawa,ab sar eh he wanted to g ive her some med ic ine or someth ing .

Som etim es it c orresponds to our phrase“what was I say ing ,

lik e izs ak,b ut is not pronounc ed interrogatively. I t is used

o c c asionally at th e b eginning of a sentenc e as a strong interro

g ative , as ab sar Ch 11 madrih eh illi kunte b itqfil‘aleya what

’

s all

th is, p ray,

that you’

ve been saying about me ?

568 . The English must is expressed b y lazim ,as lazim yer ilh,

lazim yek un rigi‘

,&c .

,or oc casionally b y h i dd with the suffixes

,

1 For ra’

et 189,no te ) .

2 B idd with the su llixes m eans also to want. I t som etim es

g ives the nor. a pure ly future sense . The mod . Armenian b il hi

presents a curious para l lel .

THE PREPOSITIONS 3 1 1

as b idde arfih I must go ma b idduk fi sh titgab b aru‘alena (or

b idduk u ma tgab b arfish‘alena) you must not tyrannize over us.

g 56 9 . The verb to have has no equivalent in Arab ic,and

the ideas it c onveys must b e expressed b y h elp of th e preposi

tions,1as luh uk h t ,

‘andi k tab

,ma

‘ak fulus, &c . (See Ac c idenc e . )

THE PREPOS ITIONS

570 . A list of th e princ ipal preposition s has already b een

given in the ac c idenc e , and it remains only to add a few ex

amples of derived and peculiar uses of those wh ich most fre

quently oc cur :

b a‘de b uk ra to-morrow.

b a ‘de b a‘de b ukra the day after to-morrow.

ma fish b a‘de k ede nothing could be better

la qab lu wala b a‘du incomparab le, second to none.

Be'

u

Ben is usually, b ut not nec essarily, repeated with the second

of the two ob j ec ts wh ether it has referenc e to a material or

moral connection ,as

b én ik k ursi wi s sufra between the chair and the tab le.

b énak u b en ir rag il it tani between you and the other man .

ma fish m ehab b a b é n ig gb z a wi ( lurritha there is no love between

the two wives of one man .

b én da 11 b en da (or b én da wi da) between this and that.

The repetition often emphasizes the c onnec tion or relative.

position of the ob jec ts.

REMARK a .—Bén ,

lik e all other prepositions , must , of course,

b e repeated with eac h pronom inal suffix .

REMARK — To avoid c onfusion wh ere b én oc curs with three.

different ob jec ts, we may insert th e words min giha ,m in g iha

tanya ,as b asal k hinaqa b eni wi h énu m in giha u b én ak h ll na

min giha (or m in g iha tanya) a qua rrel arose b etween h im and new

on the one sid e and our b rother on the o ther .

Ma is sometimes added to the first hen,as ma fish haga

mab eni u b é nu there is nothing between us .

Bén is equivalent to half in suc h expressions as b é n naiyim 11

was half a s leep and half h unhe,hen b aliri u sh arqi north-cas t.

1 Ma lak implies c omplete possession ,and is mostly used in

a legal sense .

312 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

I t tak es th e dual form in th e expression b én il b enen midd ling ,and som etimes the plural when a plural suffix is attached to it ,1

as b éni u b énathum .

darahu b i ‘asaya he struck him with a stick

,&c . (as the instru

ment) .mitlaffe b i sh al wrapped up in a shawl.

b i sukk ar with sugar , b i z ib da with b utter.

qalam il k atib b i dawaytu the clerk’s p en and inkhorn.

il fanagin b i tb aqhum the cup s and saucers.

il hamir b i hmalhum the donkeys with their burdens .

tigi b i l humar , hi 1‘arah iya come with bring) the donkey, the

carriage.

2

harga‘ huh I will come back with him ( bring him back) .

sarah b i l mawashi he went top asture the cattle.

b ah hi 1 k alam he let out the secret.

talata ghériwalla hiya ? threewith counting) me or without meda b 1

’

da this with that,both .

‘arb agi b i sitra a driver wearing a coat (not a galldbiya) .ragil b i daqn a man with a beard .

itk allim b i sot‘ali he sp oke with (in) a loud voice.

k alam yikk allimfi b u an expression they use.

shuwaiya b i shwaiya (or shuwaiya shuwaiya) little by little.

b ahari b i (b etter ma‘

) gharb i north-west.

iswid hi (or ma‘

) ahmar reddish - b lack .

Allah yihannin‘alek b i qersh may God cause you to be comforted

with a p iastre.

itnen gineh hi 1 k etir, b i l aqall £ 2 at most, at least.

ma k taffish b i k ede they were not satisfied with that.

ah san b i k tir much better .

b i n nahar by day, hi 1 lél by night.‘aiyan b i l gidri ill with smallpox .

‘aiyan h i 1 gism ill in body.

hi 1 hanak by word of mouth , verbally.

b i kh laf k ede contrarily.

ak b ar b i shahrén two months older.

atwal b i m itrén two metres longer .

‘agaza b i talatt iyam a holiday of three days.

iddini b i‘ishrin (se. qersh ) give me a dollar

’

s worth .

1 As in H eb rew.

2 So imzil b i, &c .

,rendering a neuter verb transitive.

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3 14 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

qarrah ‘ala (o

‘

r min) drawnear:

fadil talatt iyam‘ala akh ir ish shahr it wants three days to the

end of the month .

saqqaf‘ala l k haddam he clapp ed his handsfor the servant.

shéya‘te ‘

a‘

leh ? have you sentfor it ?ish sh ib b ak yik shif

‘ala l ginéna the windowoverlooks the garden .

huttuhum‘ala ganh put them aside.

k hayif“ala um 1 u fearing for his life.

marhun‘ala riyalen p awned for two dollars.

k atab il k itab ‘aléha he entered into a contract ofmarriage with

her.

tek h iffe ‘ala d dawa

.

dih you will get well on this physic .

b etiftar , b itghaiyar riqak ,

‘ala eh ? on what do you breakfast ?

khad,wallif, it

‘auwid

,

‘ala take to, get accustomed to .

lonu iswid ‘ala hm ar of a redd ish—b lack colour .

khadtuhum marra walla ‘ala marratén did you take them all at

one time or at two difierent times ?

ghasal lina fala idena .

1

‘ala hasab il ‘ada illi ‘

aleya according to the custom I have.

ma ghdarshe (qdarsh e)‘aléh am not equal to it.

11 liaqqe‘alek yo u are in the wrong .

liya‘alek qersh én you owe me two p iastres.

‘ala 1 mah l

,

‘ala mahlak , (Ste. slowly.

‘ala mesifa at a distance.

‘ala k ullan ,

ala kulle hal ,‘ala l1 san h ala anyhow, better

‘ala zanni in my op inion .

‘ala fikri a ccord ing to my idea ,

while I th ink of it.istafh im ‘

ala,ista‘raf ‘

ala inquire about.

ista‘raf ‘

ala recognise.

gar‘ala bejealous of.

m zi ‘1 leh sh (or

‘alesh ) it doesn

’t matter .

qab i d ‘ala seize, catch hold of.

shiliid ‘ala g ive evidence again t

1 k k i d ‘ahL w il ud

,c ala haga insist with one

, press on someth ing .

rid i,istarda

‘ala (or b i) consent t0 .a th ing .

itmanna‘ala W zih i d a sk someth ing of one.

sa’al ‘

ala (or‘a h ) ask about.

ist ama‘ ‘

ala l isten to .

h ama‘ala (or

‘an ) defend .

mim in,ista ’m in

,W il l

o

l ltl ‘ala h ziga entrust one with a thing .

k itlili ‘ala wdhhl g ive one the tie .

‘a la g liatla nna /cares, of a sudden .

1 The wate r b eing poured over the. hands .

THE PREPOSITIONS

‘ala rasi we ‘éni,

‘ala r ras wi 1 ‘én

‘

most willingly, without fail

(generally in reply to a command or a .request) .itnamrad, itgab b ar, &c .

,

‘ala ty

‘

rannize over .

ratlén suk kar ‘ala talatt irtal ‘

asal two pound s of sugar with three

pounds of honey ( in cooking rec ipes) so khamsat ‘ala

‘asharat , shuwaiyit lab an

‘ala shuwaiyit moiya , dx .

min da ‘alada altogether .

yintib ikh k eman‘ala sanfe (pron . samfe) tani itmay be cooked also

in another way.

iggauwiz‘ala (or foq) wahda take another wifewithout divorc ing

a previous one .

‘ala till straight away m in b arra b arra) .

giri‘ala Ak hir nafas he ran till he was out of breath .

zauwar ‘aleya he Committed a forgery against me, told lies

about me.

fi 1 115113. illi h iya‘aléna as affairs are with us at present .

arb a‘ b ashawat itb auwishu ‘aléh W i huwa f Masr he has seen four

Pashas suc ceed to the Pashalik

b aka ‘ala weep for.

nfida ‘ala weihid cal l one .

da‘a ‘ala to curse .

mashsh i, fassah ,il 1111san

‘ala idak lead the horse up an ddown .

id dor ‘ala m in ? whose turn ?

da ghi li‘aleya that is too dear for me.

khud li ‘alék shuwaiya make a little room for me.

ittafaqu ,issawu

,rab afu l q61,

‘ala innuhum yeriihu they agreed

(arranged ) to go .

qell‘ala innu gib he said he had come .

1

b i‘id ‘an far from .

hadaiya‘rasak

‘an g ittitak I will sever your head from your bo dy .

it ’akhk har ‘an ish shughl he was behind with ( la z

y about) h is wo rk .

k eb ir ‘an (S

itlaha b i 1 li‘b e ‘an ish shughl he was more bent on play than on

‘an iz nak by your lea ve.

sa‘

al,istafhim

, & c . ,

‘an (or

‘ala ) ask , inquire , about.

hfima,dafa ‘

an defend .

kulle wah id sh ikle ‘an it tani each one is d zj

’

erent to the other.

huwa wak il ‘annu he is h is agent.

yighlab‘an i1 li‘b he gets tired of playing .

1 S ee conjunc tio ns .

3 16 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

iddini ‘ashara qurfish

‘an il meqaula k ulliha. give me ten piastres

for the wholejob .il ‘

a mb iya‘ala miss. 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 I hop e you will not come.

mfi. ‘annfish mé, ‘

aléh sh .

la. b udde ‘an motak (S

afaddal dih ‘an dih

,is safer ‘

an inni ab qa hina, I prefer this tothat, travelling to remaining here.

‘And

‘andi

,&c .

,I have, 6 c ,

with me, at my house.

ma.‘andish b ags. z éye di I would never do such a thing .

fassaltu ‘and il khaiyat, I had it cut out at the tailor

’

s.

kam ‘andak ? what

’

s the time by you ?

iz zanb e mush ‘andi the fault is not with me.

li ‘andak qersh én you owe me twop iastres .

ab fih gauwizu min‘andu h isfather married him at his expense.

Rab b una. razaqu m in‘andu God p rovided for h im .

‘andi mush kuwaiyis it is not becoming in my op inion.

il k alb e ‘anduhum nigis the dog is with them unc lean.

k an Waqif ‘and il bab he was standing at the door.

uq‘ud ‘andak

,istanna ‘

andak sit, stay, whe re you are.

nqai ‘andak (or simply

‘andak ) stop

‘and il luzfim in time (in case) of need .

k ullu ‘andi sawa it

’

s all the same to me.

Fi

enta ghaltan f arb a‘a sagh you arefour p iastres wrong .

talata. fi ‘ashara (S 1 03 ,

ans.‘anzak fi k ilma

,k ilmitén 1 I want to have a word , two words,

with you.

ans. b iddi atm ggfik fi mas’ala I have a favour to ask of you.

math flm fi sirqa accused of a theft.m isik fi seize hold of, hold on to.

b eyiskar fi 1 h ashish he gets d runk on hash-ish .

ma yi‘rafsh e fl he is no connoisseur of.

2

b iddini kam fi d ih ? how much will you give me for this 7 so

add ilak ‘ishrin g inéh fi 1 liusfin .

k idb e fi k id b lie upon lie 80 kmldfib fi kad ilall) .

k hashab fi k hashab noth ing but wood .

m l] fi 11 116m he went to sleep .

1 Tribus verbis te rolo.

9 1 1 no se conna itpas en.

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3 18 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

shuf 11 1 Basha see the Pasha for me.

ab ‘adiya tisawi lha

1alfén gineh a farm worth £ 2000 .

b akrag yak hud lu‘ishrm fingan a cofiee—p ot holding tuenty cups.

b iddi akk auwah 11,an

‘is 11, aghfal li, shuwaiya I want to lie down

a little,take a nap .

da‘a li to b less

k hud lak k ur si get yourself a chair .

ma nish qadir arsi li ‘ala h aga I don

’

t knowwhat to decide on.

m in mat ln ? whom has he lost

1amma tib qa lak2 il arde sukhna zeyi 11 Bar when you have the

ground as hot asfire.

qam huwa, qam lak 2 eh 23 rah darab il b int fi wish shih a what

do you think he~d id 2 he went straight and struck the girl in

the face.

qalu ln M ehammad they named him Al ohammed ; yequlu ln fil

they call it an elephant.

qa‘ad waiyaya 11 l maghr ib he sat with me till sunset.

( li) shuwaiya fat‘aleya presently he p assed by me.

( 11) wah du by h imself.

( Ii) tani yom is sub he gib next morning he came.

REMARK a .— The use of 11 or

‘ala after verb s of motion is

prac tically identical , b ut the latter is more common .

31 1311111 1111 b .

—For le inn ,see S 577.

ma‘ak il haqq you are right.

ma‘z alik all the same, in sp ite of this.

nahar il b adde ma‘ lelt il itnen S unday, day and night.

b ahr i ma‘

gharb i south-west.

m esafir lé l ma‘nahar travelling day and night.

ma‘ il maghrib at sunset ( = b i l magrib ,

fi 1 maghrib , b ut is more

vivid,implying c ontemporaneous ac tion ) .

1 I t is m ow usual to S ly visfiwi ln , yak hud 111 , &c ., than

yisawi, yak hml , simply 1 11 such cases .

3°

Lak 1n th ese t \\ o examples is an instanc e of the so-c alled

ethica l dative . C omp . the use of the sec ond p1 ouom inal suffixwith hard as fol lows : b aqa nta z auwar t il hikfiyn d i

‘aléyn .

Has-n] w ana ham lak k addah so you inrentwl this talc about me .

It is so , and I am

,as you see, a liar . The strengthened form

f th e adverb s q awfim , y a dob (qawfilnak , ya. < l6b ak ) pl'

ob ah lv

present : 1 s im ilar use of this su llix.

T H IS b'

Min

huwa min dori he is of my age, a contemp orary of mine .

dakhal m in guwa bah il b et (for guwa) he went inside the gate ofthe house.

da m in mudda that’

s a long time ago .

wiqi‘ m in tfil u he measured h is length on the ground .

ummu m atit minun he has lost his mother .

gab u‘idad il qahwa m in b ak firig u tanak they brought the vessels

for making cop‘ee, inc lud ing the bakrags and tanakas .

l

huwa m innina he is of our party.

nas m in kub ar 11 min sughar p eop le high and low.

‘anduhum tamaut ul ad m in suhyan u (min ) b anat they have eight

c hildren,what with boys and girls.

m inhum nas,m in b a‘de nfis (S

m innu farran u m inun b aqqal he is both a baker and a grocer .

yasalam m in 11 harr ! good heavens, what heat !

yerauwahfi min il maghrib they go away at sunset.

min fikri le inn it is my Opinion that.

gab atfih m in b etu they arrested him at h is house.

ish sham se titla‘ m in ish sharq the sun rises in the east.

min yom li yom from day to day.

khalli b filak m in 11 ‘afsh keep an eye on the luggage .

yatim min il umm one who has lost. his mother .

b attal mish (m in ish ) shughl idle, u ithout work .

m l; min hina ,m in b enak he 71613 !gone this, that, way.

‘adda m in 11 b ahr , m in foq il kub ri he c rossed the rivet

, passed

orer by the bridge.

qarrah m in (or 11) approach , quraiyib min near to .

ganb e m inun beside him (for ganb u) .m isik tu min ish sha ‘

r I caught him by the hair.

i] k halifa mat min 11 gidri the K halifd died of smallpox .

sitritak daiyaqa min tah t 11 h it your coat is too tight under the

arm .

zaman mudda min is sinin many a long year.

m inun li llah it is between God and h im .

itmaz zaqit il gallab iya min k itfiha the gown was tor n in th i

should er.

ma shuftish minnu haga z éye d i I never knew him. to do such a

th ing.

is sirga m inkfi 1‘

l one of you has committed the theft.kunte shéla ( = shayla) l wad we mat m inni the boy d ied in my

arms.

1 Different k inds of c offee-pots .

320 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

min da ‘alada a little of both .

‘auz teruh min dilwaqti ? do you want to go at once

hat m inun bring some of it.luh b et min b ab , min

‘atab a he has a house with its

app roach,all to himself.in madafa mil iman cleanliness is next to godliness.

z i‘il m in (or waiya) get annoyed with .

mala min (or b i or direct ob j ec t) fill with .

intaqam m in avenge one’

s self on.

talab , &c .,m in demand of

ti‘ib min get weary of.

Waiya, wiya

ana waiyak I am with you, of your opinion.

quraiyib waiyah related with .

k halli b alak waiyaya think of me, don’

tforget me.

enta waiya]; b ard ? are you cold ? have you taken cold ?

z i‘il waiya (or min ,

‘ala) .

Wara

‘amalu min waraya , min wara ‘ilmi he did it behind my

without my knowledge.

waraya shagl , diwan , talab I have work to do, to go to the ofi ce,am wanted .

talat sinin wara b a‘d three years consecutively.

mawarah u maquddamu all he has.

ish shahr illi warana dih next month .

Prepositions may b e plac ed b efore or govern other parts of

speech than nouns and pronouns , as ruh min hina ; ah san min

innina nmfit better than that we die, ma fish fayda fi innak 1

terfih there is no ad vantage in your going ; so‘ala inn

,leinn ,

ma‘ inn

,&c .

THE CONJUNCTIONS

S 57 1 . Of these,the following deserve some spec ial notic e

Fa, wa (usually pronounc ed fi ,fe

,wi

,we)

The fo1m er c onnec ts sentenc es on ly, and the 1 elation th eyb ear to one anethol is usually n ioi e 1 emote than wh en we is

employed . I t pick s up th e th i cad of the d isc oui se , and the fac tstated in the second sentenc e is often the effec t of that stated

1 L oinnak is more usual in ordinary conversation .

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322 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

to tell me ;1 kallif khatrak tistanna shuwaiya have the goodness

to wait a little.

S 573 . On th e other hand , where two or more nouns or pro

nouns are in sense united each with th e preceding one, the

con junc tion must b e expressed b etween every two , not only

(as is often th e case in English ) b etween the last b ut one and

the last , as is sab‘e wi l fil wi n nimr the lion , the elephant, and

the tiger ; gena ana wi hiya wi b uib a she, I and our son came ;kan hadir il

‘aris wi l ‘

arfisa W e waldéhum W i l kul l the bride,the bridegroom,

their p arents, and all the rest were there.

S 574 . W 1 is sometimes joined to the c onjunc tions amma and

lak in , as and to yet in English , and to the c onditional lau ,

giving it the sense of although , and may in the last case also

b e repeated with th e following word , as huwa gib we amma

k hfih ma gash he came, but his brother did not come ; humma

fikruhum k ede we lak in humma nas gah liya such is their id ea ,

but then they are ignorant p etp le we lau il walad rah (or welau wi l Walad rah) (SS575 . I n the following phrases the c onjunc tion seems out

of plac e in English , though its appearance is not in all cases

illogical : k ulle yom wi t tani every day or two ; marraten wi

talata two, or even three, times ; b a‘de yemén wi t talit laqétu ;

kulle sana (or‘am ) wi ntu b i k her may every year bring you

prosperi ty (lit . every year and you in prosp erity) ; shawaiya (or lishuwaiya or shwaiyitén or hab b itén ) wi gih presently he came

kulle ma da or dau ( = da we) yisman , yikh iss he gets fatter,thinner , every day ; ma ash ‘

ur illau ( = illa we , also allau) huwa

ganb i he was at my side before I knew it ( lit . I was onlyjust awareand there he was , ma saddaq allau gib ; ma kanshe m innu

illau shatamni what d id he do but insult me.

S 576 . Som ewhat analogous to the ab ove is the use of wi

with a partic iple , adjec tive , or the continued present tense , in

plac e of a temporal c onjunc tion and a verb,as shuftu w ana

ray1h il b alad I saw him as I was going to the village ; itqab ilte

W aiyah wi huwa gay min is sfiq I met him as he was coming fromthe market ; t alatin sana wi r ragil mat it is thirty years sinc e theman. died ; ya tara luh z aman we huwa

‘aiyan h as he been il l long ,

I wonder ; ana safii 'te wi nti sughaiyara I went away when you.

were a little girl ; ma shuftuhumsh illa we humma quddam i I

only saw them when they were before me ; ana sm ihtak wi nta

1 Germ . S eien b'

ie so gut and .

2 C omp. Eng . a momen t, and I’

ll be with you , a little wh ile,a nd ye sha ll see me.

”

THE CONJUNCTIONS 323

b itisrukh I heard you when you were crying out ; nadah ‘aléhum

wi humma b eyitla‘um he called to them as they were going out.

Ram s a .— The c lause with wi may prec ed e as well as follow

the other , as wi hna mashyin fi 8 sik ka gana wahid qal lina as

we were walking in the street, &c .

REMARK b .— Th e simple aor . may also b e used

,and the c on

jun ction and pronoun may b e (though they seldom are) omitted ,

as gab athum yisraqu he caught them stealing , seized them in the

ac t of stealing .

REMARK c .— W i is oc casionally used for 1amma with a past

tense , as w ana kunte henak shufta I saw him when I was

REMARK d .— As the sub stantive verb has no present part i

c iple , when I was, &c .,will b e translated b y w ana

,&c . , as wi

nta fi skandariya niz ilte fen ? where d id you p ut up when you

were at Alexand ria ? ma shuftfish wi huwa walad ? did n’

t you see

h im when he was a boy ?

REMARK e.— This c lause introduc ed b y wi is ,

regarded as a

genitive when a word expressing a period of time prec edes , as

min muddit W i nti b inte sugaiyara .

REMAB Kf.— W i is very seldom used in this way with anything

b ut the persona l pronouns.

5577 . The preposition li is affixed to the conjunc tion inn

without practically adding anything to its forc e ,1 as will b e

seen from the following examples, in eac h of which in m igh t

alone b e used : qul ti In 19 inni‘aiyan I told h im I was ill ;

‘ala

hasab Is in il mab lagh indaia‘ inasmuc h as the sum is paid ma

yisahhish le innak tigi it is not right that you should come m in

hés lo innina hadrin seeingthat we are present ; iz z éye gb z ik

l'

a innu ma gash ? how is it that your husband has not come ?

miraran lo inni shuft often“have I seen ; na

‘am le inniha qfi it

k ed e, a (it is) true she said so , but qul le innu gib say

( i.s . suppose) he came ; hassé t b i haga le inniha2gat fi

‘éni [feltsometh ing come into my eye huwa k hammin ls innins ranwah nu

he imagined we had gone ; darab nfih hatta lo innina mauwitnali

we beat him till we killed him ;‘ashan ls innina b iddina nsh fifak

REMARK a .— 1t will b e noticed that inn and le inn are not

nec essarily prec ed ed b y a verb,and also that when the sub j ec t

of the verb following is a perso nal pronoun it must b e appende d

as a sufi x to the conjunc tion,b ut when illa is u sed the pronoun

But le inn is more usual than the simple c onjunc tion.

Le inniha m ight here b e om itted .

324 TEEE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

is not expressed , as akk id ‘aléh innu yigi (or illa yigi) insist upon

his coming .

1

REMARK b .-Wh ere inn or le inn is prec eded b y another

conjunction or an adverb it may b e practically superfluous,having no conjunc tional force, as

‘ashan le innu gay since he is

coming amma innak ‘ab it verily you are a simpleton ; allahumma

inni ana z i‘ilte minnu indeed I was angry with him u b a‘dén ya

sidi le inniha tanniha mistanniya . I nn will oc casionally stand

quite alone,itself introducing the sentence

,as innak enta

‘ab it !

with the same m eaning as ab ove .

578. .

‘ala inn is optionally used for inn or le inn after qal ,

iftak har , k hammin , yih sib , and verb s of sim ilar import , as qulti

li ‘ala innu mush radi you told me he wasn

’

t willing ; iftak arte‘ala inn il husan da b eta

‘ak I thought this horsewas yours , b ah sib

a‘ la innak ta‘b an I thought you were tired .

579 . The relative ma forms conjunctions with the pre

positions‘ala

,qab l , &c . 24 or prepositions followed b y

c ertain nouns, as‘ala b al m

’

awhilst,‘alashan shan) or

‘ashan ma, &c . I t must in almost every case immediately pre

c ede th e verb ,so that where th e sub ject is expressed and pre

c odes the verb it is separated from the rest of the compound , as

qab l ir ragil ma yigi ;‘ab al ( = ala bal) il gawab ma yink itib

until the letter is written ,&c .

,b ut we may, of c ourse, say qab le ma

yigi r ragil , &C .

2

REMARK a .— W h en used with tauw it should not in any case

b e separated , nor is it, as a rule , wh en used with tfil .

REMARK b .— Ma is added for emphasis to k etir , halb att , and a

few other words,as k etir na m b asat , ma gena ,

&c . ; halb atte ma

yigi why, of course he’

ll come.

§ 580 . Tauw may tak e the pronom inal sufiix es, and means

with a past tense that the ac tion has just b een c ompleted , or ,wh en followed b y ma, as soon as it was c ompleted , as tanwu gib

he hasjust come tanwu ma ruh t as soon as you went. W ith the

aorist it denotes as soon as an ac t is (will b e) ac complished ,as

tauwu ma yig i'

as soon as he comes . I t should in the latter case

b e ac companied b y ma. The partic iple m ay b e used in plac e of

the past tense , as lissa tauwuhum gayin ma gum ) .

1 I lla is not in frequent use .

2 I t cannot b e said that qab le ma r rag il yig i is never heard,

b ut such an expression should not b e im itated .

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THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF. :EGYrT

ON RECEIV ING A C UP OF COFFEEQahwa da’iman . Reply

— damit hayatak (or Rab b una yid im‘alek is satr) .

AFTER EATINGI nb asatte k tir min in ak l . Reply

— b i sh shifa wi l ‘afya , to

wh ich the first replies— Allah yi‘afik (or yi

‘afi b adamak ) .

ON RISING To LEAV E‘an iznak ; nista

‘z im ; min gher mu

’ak hiz a.

To EXPRESS THANKS OR GRATITUDEKattar k herak ; mitshakk arin (mutashakk arin ) ; k attar alfe

k herak ; ana mamnifin min hadritkum u mutashakkar .

1 Rep lykattar k herak il ‘

afw efendim istaghfar Al lah .

To A B EGGAR ( in plac e Of a piece of money)Rfih ! Allah yihannin

‘alek ; yirz uq ; rfih , ya shekh ,

Al lah

yirzuqak ; Al lah yi‘

tik , yiddik .

To BEG PARDONMa t‘akhi z nish (ma t

’akhiznash finish

,&c Rep ly

— il‘afwe ya sidi ; ma

‘alesh ; la mu

’ak h z a .

To AN INV ALIDSh idde h élak . Reply

— ish sh idde ‘ala lla .

Mush ah san ? Rep ly— fl hamdu li llah ; Allah yisallimak .

ON INQ U IRING AFTER ONE’

s HEALTHI z z éyak

’

l Rep ly— fl hamdn li llah

, taiyib in ,&c . (or simply

il hamdu li llah ) .2

ON MEETING A FR IEND 3

Naharak sa‘ id ; naharak sa

‘id u m b arak . Reply— the sam e

words.

Ahlan u sahlan . I tiply— sahlan (or ah lan) hak .

1 For muta shak k ir,

Th e Tu1 k ish exp1 ession b arakatwarsal or warsin (Turk . versin) 18 still some times used

,espec ially

b y th e lower c lasses.

I t 18 not A1 ab 1c to say ana tn iyib , knttn1 k herak 1n reply to

an inquiry. Kattar k herak is no t used in this w .ay Kattark herak illi sa altini would b e c om et and intellig ib le ,

b ut th e

ab ove are the pi opc i I oplies .

3 A Mussuhnnn g 1 oe ts a nothe1 b y the expression sa lam (or

is sahim )‘a lc k ll . Rep Iy u lc ku s s nl

THE INTERJECTIONS

ON MEET ING A FRIEND IN THE EVENI NG‘

Allz’

ih yimassik b i 1 kh er , massik fi b i 1 kher l 38) Rep lymassikuhi 1 k her wi s sa‘ada.

Tim sa‘ala k hér. Rep ly

— wi ntu mnahl =m in ahl) il k her

(or wi ntu mnahlu) timsfi ‘ala kher (or b kh ér).

AT N IGHT

Léltak sa‘ida Rep ly

— same words.

Imsa ‘ala kher we tisb ah ‘

ala kh ér .

ON ANNOUNC ING A DEATH

Il b arak a fi h issak ,hak az a halt id dinya (or ad i halt id

dinya) ; il‘u I nr it tawilah (for it tawil lak ) ak hfik

'

mat,

husanak 111513, &c .

To ONE ABOUT To PRAY

I n sha’alla haraman. Rep ly

—suhb a (or gam

‘a,or Rab b ina

‘

yigma‘na ) ;

2or

Allah yitammin b i k her . Reply— in sha‘

allah , Rab b ina

yisma‘ m innak u yitammim lina wi lukum b i kh ér .

To ONE WH O HAS RECOV ERED FROM AN ILLNESS

Hamdilla ‘as salama . Rep ly

— Allah yisallimak .

TO A F IANCE

Mebarik . Rep ly— A llah yibarik fik ;

‘uqb a l ‘

andak ( = liandak ) .

To CONDOLE

I l baraka fi h issak . Rep ly— Allah yib arik fik .

ON THE OCCAS ION OF A FEST IV AL

Kul le sana wi nta ta iyib (or wi ntfl ta iyib in) . Reply— k ulle

‘am wi ntu b k hér ; il‘id rnebarik in sha lla h . Rep ly

— Ra b b ina

ye‘Od ‘

alena wi ‘alék b i khér .

1 These express ions are hard ly used b y any b ut Copts and

women .

3 I .s. unite us in Mec ca . These expressions are,of c ourse

,=

only in use among Mussulmans .

3 28 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

ON THE B IRTH OF A CHILD

Mab rfik il maul l'

id .

1 Illi (i.e. God) , gab lak yikhalli . lak .

Rep ly— Allah yib arik fik ; Rab b ina yiddik

To A FATHER ON THE DEATH OF A CHILD

Allah yi‘auwad 2 ‘

alék . Rep ly—ya mah san ‘

awadu, h alt id

d inya k ede .

ON AN AV ERTED M ISHAP,OR WHEN A THING HAS HAPPILY

TURNED OUT W ELL

HaSal k her il b amdu li llah illi gat salima.

ORDER OF W ORDS IN A SENTENCE

584 . The ru les as to the position of words in the sentenc e

will have already b een gath ered to some extent from the exer

c ises and examples, as well as from th e remark s b earing direc tly

on the sub ject , b ut a short résumé of them will not, perhaps , b e

out of plac e .

(a) The sub ject , when definite , may either prec ede or followthe verb

,a s ir ragil gib or gib ir ragil , ana ruh t or ruh t

ana.

( b ) When an indefinite singular , it very rarely prec edes nu

less th e indefinite article is expressed ; thus we should.

say g ib

ragil , b ut we may say wah id ragil gib . RiggG ala gum i s,how

ever, not uncommon .

(a) When two or more verb s have th e same sub jec t the

sub j ec t may prec ede th em all,follow the fi st

,or follow them a ll

,

as i s sitta k hadit b a ‘( liha u rahit

,or k had it ha‘diha S sitt u

rah it , or k hadit b a‘

(lihau rab it is S itt . Th e last order is rai er

than th e first and second .

(d ) With only a few exc eptions , th e qualificative adjec tivefollows its noun wheth er definite or indefinite .

(e) The dem onstrative pronouns almost invariab ly fo llow the

noun ,b ut words may intervene b etween the noun and it , as il

mah ill illi h na qa‘d ln fill dih this p lace in wh ich we are sitting

ye m ir rag il illi k an m i shi d ih .

1 When a mother is c ongratulated , the fo llowing words are

o ften added : wi ttahrih wi tgauwiz u ti hayfitik we fi hayatab fih .

3 ‘auwada llah ah sa n ‘

nwnd .

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330 THE S POKEN ARABIC OF “EGYPT

follow or prec ede an adjective which they qualify, as tamallinadif or madif tamalli, b ut th ey should follow when unemphatic

(n) Adverb s should not intervene b etween sub jec t and verb

or verb and s ub j ect unless very emphatic ; thus ir ragil qamh alan the man got up at once

,b ut ir ragil h alan qam (or qam

h alan ir ragil) the man immed iately got up so da halb atte ma

yisahhish that certainly won’

t do ana s sana di mush rah asafir

huwa da ’iman1 tamalli yib qa

‘aiyan .

2

(0 ) An emphatic word will often b e put in a prom inent

plac e, though its natural order would b e elsewh ere,as kanu l

qadi meshaiya‘il In as to the K ad i

,they had sentfor him ; m

f ish fi I b et sh .

FIGURES OF SPEECH

ELLIPSE

585. By this figure we understand the omission of a word

or words, to b e supplied from th e g eneral sense Of the phrase .

The following are instanc es of its use

(a) The omission of the name of God in such expressions as

k attar k herak , in‘al ab fik .

3

(b ) The verb qal is sometimes omitted in a narrative , as

giryit in Des k hab ar Oh”the p eop le ran up (saying )

Wh at’

s the matter ?

(a) Ushur , or a word of similar sense , is Often understood

b efore 1amma,as gara lhum eh ? Lamma s

’alhum what

’

s happened

to them'

att till (or I’ll tell you when) I have asked them.

(d ) W h en the ob j ec t , to which the action of th e verb has

referenc e,has just b een mentioned , and would , if referred to ,

b e represented b y a pronom inal sufiix if definite , or b y wahidif indefinite , it is frequently om itted altogethei , as ana qulti lak

tigib li l k itab da ; lc h ma g ib tish I told you to brzng me tha t

book uhJd z'

Wcln t you IntnJ zt ?‘auz k uI si ? Ewa , hat d c ?you want

a cha ir ? Yes,brtng one.

(e) Words are om itted in a few oth er expressions of com

mon oc currence , as the nouns sinin and ‘a lqa (a beating ) in ib ne

‘ashara , idd i ln k had b éh

,b asha (for rutb it b éh ,

&c . ) innama

liaga ;4 k éfak (for

‘a la k éfak ) as you like ;

‘andu u lfif he ha s

1 Notic e the ac c ent .

2 Notic e the d ifferenc e b etween shakwitu tamalli ma tinfa‘sh

and shakwitu Ina tinfa ‘she tamalli.

3 As in E ng lish B less yo u Curse you

Mats it y a une chose c'

é una rosa .

EUPHEMISM 33 -1

thousands (of pound s) is z ery ri ch ; mush ‘auz yidaiya

‘ he doesn t

wiSh to spend (money) ; id dinya nawiya (or nawiya

‘ala niya) the

weather is threatening . Fih moiya qadde tulen ( i.e. tul raglen) .Sa‘id and kherak are Often said in reply to nahfirak sa

‘id and

kattar k herak with an ellipse of the first word .

1

§ 586 . Th e form of ellipse called b rac hylogy Of comparison

is illustrated b y such expressions as qim tu ragil its height isthat of a man (for qimtu qimit ragil ) ; wishshu nfi‘im zeyi l

harim h isface is soft like a woman so San‘itu naggar his trad e

is that of a carpenter ; hil if‘aléha b i t talaq innih a ma tfutsh il

b et : qal laha ma tfutish il b é t we hi lif ‘aléha b i t talaq

fatitu.

EUPHEM ISM

5 587. The avoiding of unpleasant or unlucky words b yothers more propitious, som etim es implying the exac t Opposite ,is an idiom not unknown to Arab ic . Instanc es are

Iddi In 1ma‘lum give him hispresent or bribe (y

ou knowwha t) ;itwakk il (se.

‘ala lla) to go away ( lit . commend one

’

3 self to God) ;k hud il malyan take away thefull (cup ) , m eaning the empty one ;itwaffa (tuwnffi) die.

2

A person saying an unpleasant thing to another, or of an

other , wi ll Often address him , or speak of him in th e latter c ase,

as il b i‘id (or il ab‘ad) thefar , the farthest one, to avert the evil

from h imself or from the person addressed,as ya kalb il ab ‘

ad

you dog yin‘al ab u l b i‘id curse your father ikrush il ab ‘

ad d ih

drive away this fellow ak hk h il ab ‘ad mat h is brother has died .

3

Bid ‘anni and b id ‘

anuak ( = b i‘id ‘

anni, &c . , i .e. ish sharr

the evil) are used for the same purpose , as huwa b i‘aiyat leh ?‘ashan b id ‘

annak mat ab fih .

A man generally Speak s of his wife as gama‘itna (or il

gama‘a

‘andina ) , and oc c asionally as b éti (or ab le b éti, or fam i

liyite) ;4so gama

‘tak ,dLC .

, your wife ; wiladi may inc lude the

whole fam ily— wife as well as c hildren .

The word b ayad whitewash is used for z ift p itch . A house

should not b e spok en of as maq ffil .5

S ee also 26 1 , 300 , 3 13 , 357 .

2 I t is paralleled b y the word defunct.3 C omp. il ‘

umre tawilak , ab ove .

Fam iliyiti is a fter the Turk. familyam ,and rare ly used b v

the uned ucated .

5 Ziit will b e used,of c ourse ,

b y those who have to d eal withit . I l b é t maq ffil m ight imply tha t there had b een a death

in it . The word menafl'

ad Should b e used .

332 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

RHYME , USE'

OF S IM ILAR SOUND ING W ORDS, ANDALLITERATION

588. This figure oc curs

(a) W hen words of th e sam e origin ,b ut of different parts

Of Speech , are plac ed togeth er , as will naturally happen in a

language where most words are derived from a verb root . Thusthere is nothing c lumsy in such expressions as darab fih darb a ;

qismit il qisma innifate decreed that I huwa m eqawil wahid‘ala m eqaula he has made a contract with one; ish Sh éyal shal ishShela theporter carried the burden ; wah id ‘ab id b iyi

‘b id Rab b una

fi 1 gab al yiwahhidu a hermit worshipp ing the Lord in the mountain,

and declaring H is Unity ; yimtur il matar it rains ; yirga‘

margu‘na li our story now reverts to (lit . our returned returns ) ; il

k atib k atab il k itab the writer (clerk ) wrote the writ ,1 nor will an

e ffort b e made in any case to avoid th e sim ilar ity of sound b yusing a synonym .

2

(b ) I n proverb s and oth er expressions wh ere the rhym ing of

two or more words serves to impress th e meaning Of the whole

sentenc e on th e m emory ; e.g . ma ya‘rafshe b fi‘

u min ku‘u he

does not know his right hand from his left.(lit . the bone of h is toe

from his elbow) , kulle ma haSal waSaI , i . e. every little helps ; il

insan fi t tamr wi r Rab b e fi t tadb ir,i.e. man proposes and

God disposes ; lisanak hu Sanak 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 b y anoth er or

others Of similar sound rhym ing with it , b ut not nec essarily ex

pressing the sam e sense,or indeed any sense at all . The second

word is Often identical with th e first, b ut appears with a new

initial letter , generally and often in a length ened form ; e.g .

15. yi‘raf k alam wala salam (of a b oor) ; dak hal 1s dastfir wala

hudfir he entered without asking p ermission (saying dastflr) or

announcing hisp resence, i.e . without ceremony 1a fesh wala ‘alesh

,

i. e . without any result ; hOs dOs pelt-melt k halta b alta confu sed ly,

top sy-turvy ; la lha nafa‘ wala shafa‘

of no u se or ad vantage ma

‘and ish wala t wala ghét, i.e. I am homeless and p enniless ana

ragil m in b éti li ghé ti, i.e. simple ism e b ala g ism iddinya b aqat

1 La yu‘

qal li‘aqla

‘aqil is a favourite phrase among the

educated .

Gib na l gihna we have [n ought the cheese would b e more

pleasing to th e em than hadda l na l g ib na .

3 C f. H arfit and Marfit , the names of two reb el angels. Th e

K oran ic nam es for Cain and Ab el axe Qab il and H ab il.

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33 4 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

rigi‘

.tani he returned moiyit il maward rosewater ah san z iyada'

better ; b asse faqat only 1amma shafha qa‘da galsa h enak when he

saw her sitting there rasamhum ‘ala hasab taswirit sfirit b ani

Adam he drew them in thefor mof men ,da Iman tamalli always ;

ya‘m ma

‘naha I mean

,that is to say k atfit kulle haga every single

thing la b udde m in inni le inni arfih it is imp erative that I go‘ashan ikminnu mush ‘

auz because he doesn’

t want ; kan ah san

laz im terfih 1 you should have gone in sha’ Alla Rab b una yirzuqak

b i walad p lease God , the Lord will give you a son ; wahdani li

wahdu quite alone by himself ; ana mara‘azb a we g6z i mat I am

a widow woman, and my husband is dead ,

2 mab sut min q61

k alamu p leased with his words ; gallab iyitha k anit iz z ey

i

iha ? what

was her robe like ? b aqa lazim tequl li‘ala l k alam id dughrI we

‘ala l kalam I s sahih we ti

‘m il ma‘ruf tequl lI q6l sharaf— il waqt

illi ruhte f1h k an f ani waqt ?3 Wahid y6mm gih il b ashmu

handiz gib h ina fi 1 b et— k an hadir il khawaga 1amma gib , u

waqtiha 1amma gih ma k ansh e maug ud Salim h ina kan rah fi d

d iwan waqtiha is sa‘a tamanya k ede . W e amma l b ashmu

handiz 1amma gib k anit ya sidi is safe, titla‘ ya‘ni taqrib an tis

‘a

au tis‘a u rub ‘e k ede

,iz z éyak ,

4 u 1amma gih Rik ib husanu

we tannu mashi huwa wi l k haddam b eta‘u we 8 sayis b eta‘u we

tannu m ash i ‘ala b étu u niz il fi I b et b eta‘u .

5

590 . The words b aqa , qam ,b eta ‘ , ya

‘ni, iz z éyak ,

ab sar eh ,as we have seen

,are often slovenly inserted without adding to

the forc e of the words, b ut the first two,though generally m erely

expletives , som etim es add a nervousness or eleganc e to a sentenc e

wh ich is lost in a literal translation . To these we may add

ma t’ak hiz nish ( for ti ak hiznish ) excuse my saying so (passez moi

oe mot) , an expression frequently employed , espec ially when the

speak er is addressing a superior , without any reason ; ti‘raf you

know ; qal, yeqfil he said , says he ( in a narrative) walla hfiga or

something ,as mush k unte y6m m in d6l dakhalte fi b etu walla

h aga d id n’

t you go into his house one day or something ?

REMARK d — Ti‘raf (or ta‘raf) and qal , yq

‘

Il are b y no means

as c omm o nly used as th eir equivalents in European languag es ,b ut the latter are o ften used after verb s of ask ing ,

ordering ,&c . ,

c onvert ing an indirec t into a direc t sentenc e,as sa

'alha we qa l

l A m ixture of ideas. The expression is a very common one .

2 Of. 2 Sam . x iv. 5 .

3 Notic e the m ixture of c onstruc tion .

4 S ee b elow,590 .

5 The last sentenc es il lustra te the pro lixity of the lower

c la sse s .

PLEONASM AND TAUTOLOGY 335

laha he asked her , saying yigi yutlub m in abuh we yequl

ln

REMARK b .—The use of ism in such expressions as the

following may here b e noticed : da ismu b et ! do you call that a

house ? is that a house ? d ‘

i ismiha ‘arab iya ! call that a carriage

yib qa ismak ghalab tini so you have beaten me or it is a case ofyour having beaten me .

§ 59 l . The words masal (or masalan ) for examp le and b ard

(or b ard) , with the pronom inal sufiix es, are often repeated

several tim es in the same sentenc e , as lau m asalan rah min‘andak masalan haga if,for instance, you (for instance) lost some

thing ; b ardu ya sidi z éye b a ‘du ya‘h i b ardu ma fish mani ‘

ui dar ni‘m il k ede.

§ 592 .

(

il epetition may intensify or convey a plural notion ,

as dughri dughri quite straight ; b ukra b uk I a to-morrow as ever

is m in b arra b arra straight away ,iskut sakit keep quiet ; hasaJ

basal it has assured ly happ ened ;1 illi katab tu katab tu ;

2 wahidwahid one by one humma wiskh in wisk hin ; emta emta (or emta u

emta) yigi ? fen u fen rah ? where and oh whe re 2 fen hayhat u

hayb at 1amma nshfifak marra= k ulle hin u bin marra ; bitta

hitta p iece by piece ikwam ikwam in heap s ; k harramu

k hrfIm k hurum p ierce itall over wi th holes ;‘fid il qasab yib qa kul lu

‘

uqal ‘uqal a stick of sugar cane is full of notches ; fidil yidrab

yidrab yidrab fIh he kep t strik ing him one blow after another .

yik haiyat, yikhaiyat, yikhaiyat, stitching , stitching , stitching ,fi 1

ahsan we ah san we ak tar we ak tar minun .

593 . The princ ipal c lause is very frequently repeated with

a temporal c onjunc tion b y way of intl oduc ing a new event

c onsequent upon the first , as qa‘ad it hiya ; b a

‘de ma qa‘adit gib

ab fiha she sat down, as soon as she had sat down her father came

dak halt il b é t, 1amma dakhalt il b é t shuft I went inside the

house, when I went inside the house I saw

1 Or it has happened , and there is an end of it.3 “ 3 ycypadm 7 eypa¢a u

EXERCISES ON THE SYNTAX

I

K an lab is b adlit id diwan . I r rikab at yitrak k ib u fi z z uk ham

wi 1 ligam fi r ras ig gild . H at li b itta h ittitén sukkar . Mush

tis aln 1 su al b i 1 ma‘ruf ? I r ragil it taiyib yib an min kalamu 11

min wishshu . K an wah id miggauW I z wahda ismiha Sitt ab fiha .

Fatah qahwit hash ish . Ya ragil ya qahwagi hat lina kam fingan

qahwa . Q anasil Fransa wi l Miskof. I r ragil i] qahwagi qaddimIn 1 lahm wi mi‘u l ‘esh wi l malh . Q ul li

‘ala mas

’alt il b inte

di. Fen il goz il ham am ? Raddum humma l k ull it talata we

qalfi. K an mab ni ‘aléh sfir min il b ulad . Bab atu l qol waiya

b a‘d we qalfi. Ana ma yisahhish inni arkab il husan‘ala sarge

halfa ; illi z éyina ma yirkab she‘ala s surfig il halfa . Lamn Ia

tik hlas m in shughl il b et . Huwa dilwat fi ‘izz e b ulfighu . I l

usfil ‘anduhum 1amma l wahid yiddaiyif

‘anduhum yig Ib u In 1

qahwa . Hatte idu fi geb ha , fi géb il gallab iya l atlas b eta‘itha .

Enta tirkab fi 1 ‘arab iyit il k ub b el we ana rkab fi 1 hantfir .

‘aleha hagat fadda . K al lab is b adlit it tashrifa . K an fi idha

qirtas melab b is. Fidil il qirtas il m elab b is fi idha . I lb is mal

b usatak il harir . I sh tarena tob en talata sh Ish m in ish shash il

marmar . Sheyah lina itnashar k ursI min il k harazan au m in

il karasi l ‘ada illi mafrfish in b i l qash sh il ak hdar . Saniyit

‘asha k ib ira wi tish te hammam . Tahafna lha h ittit suhb it wards

kuwaiyisa . Tish ten talata ghasil li 1 hidfim nI in il k ub fir wi

saniyit fanag il m in in I I II h II s ash In shuI b il qahw ,II we hon

hagat luz flm il math-ak h . Dol aslulIum gaI in nI i II il b ar -

I i]

gharb i illi hfiwa"l l I I b il Uizm Ba ‘de

c

In II talluqha iddfilm

waraqit taq ha . GIIb ll lu d ulm it a‘ we I l I I l III it b edin fl an we

lahm it k ab ab mistiwiya fi 8 sanm . Kunte fi s afari) It is S fldfin ?l l k anfln il ‘III II b i huwa mab ni m in it tab “0 l lIug II I II , “e IIm In I I

l kanfl n il IIfI angi h flwa l} : I I lid . Yutb uk luuu ii lI ilIIl m in Dallas I I

fih nfis yu tb ukhum ti lI I

'

I

‘

I I I I fuk lIk lI I‘

II'

. H at li shuwaiyit z é t sII lg II nI .

Lammu. tirk has il Inuluk hiya yib qa r I'

IItlo fiha b i‘ islI I'in fadda

ta‘rifa . Yegib u l

‘

I'

I I t -I I il muluk hiya‘ula shim il k hamas sitt

unfus yik afi ihum‘II slIII wi fmr . Khalli n II I‘I I ' n Iewall Ii ‘a tah t il

halls. 1amma tig lIIi l In o iyu . Yisluqu l b é d fi 1 mo iya . Yifrumu

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338 T E SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

il li huwa luzum il ligam . I l k alam 1 da k an nahar il hadd . Q a‘ad

‘andu m esafa li b a‘d id duhr . Risha m in fadda II risham in dahab .

M in h iya l kib ir-a fihum . I l amri lak l

ya malik 1 5 sa‘ada . Gab

luhum m ahr ama qasab . Gat luhum il hurma l k hatha . W e

humma l g6z il k hél it taqm illi ‘aléhum m in in nah as lasfar ,

we ‘ala k ulle I as husan mahrama

, ya‘ni litnén k h6l ‘

ala rashum

mahi amtén ,wi l itu6n siyas k anu lab sin b adla mulk i b i s

sid6riyat il qasab I I b i t ta1 ab lisat il harir II h i I kufi iyat il

h arir . I l ashyat il ma k ulat yeqaddirnfiha k ul liha II I ma‘azim .

Shu f li ‘aI ab iya b i guz k h61 nudaf. K affit ma yekun luz fim il

farah . I z z afia k anit il ‘isha nahar il itn6n ma‘ l6lt it talfit .

I l wilad d6l wah id fuq I as wahid , ya‘ni wahid ib ne tamanya we

wah id ib ne ‘ashara we wahid ib ne itnashar

o

sana . H at li k ursi

au itn6n ,huttuhum fi 1 b alak 6n . I r ragil g6z il marra min d6l .

Q allib u‘ag ganb 6n . L 6nu hamar b i safar . I lli yeb i

‘ il gagar

yeliffe fi 1 hawari we yinadi wi yeqfil :“ya I

-fIm i ya‘asal ya

garar suk k ar .

” ‘I“

I d il qasab tfil ir rfigil au tul rag il u nuss .

‘auz qadde 6h ugritha ? Hittit it tir ‘

II di ya tara‘6 Ih walla.

k h 6d ? ‘arah iya b i h san fard . Baqa g ismu moiya . Ahsan

m innu t taq itn6n . I d dinya harri shdid . Z iyadt il k hér

k h6r6n . I l kidb e ma lfish riglén . Ma k anshe lazim tequl li l

k alam da 1 k idb . Da wfih id z ii n ilu . I l iyam d6l b arde k ltll '.

Indah li wah id I I I in il b ulis . K an yaui‘iya tn6n wars. 1 k hid6wi

m b arih . Rigi‘ b i idu fadya . Kanu n n I

“

I s waqtiha 1 ma‘azim

qay din fi udt il I I Iesafrin,wi l h é kan qfi

‘id \V 8.1 ) .Ihuni shi b ilfarah . H ittit6n k halak hil fi rigléha . I s sa a

‘

yda luhum kalam

gins. Shufna h ittit nitfit b inte fulla k hfIlis,lak in ‘

aléha g6z‘

i‘

I n

II g6 z k hidfid z 6yi l b annfira , nagafII khfilis . Q ul li‘

ala matlfib ak .

Inti b 6I ina waliya taiyib a m in b 6t IIas taiyib in . S ani I

s ta II Ib I Ili k uwaiyisa w I shun sini. K II II malffif ‘II la l k II I 'b fig

m iI I b II ‘ ( le hfiga II I iI I il h II I ir . Hutte d6l fi qalb is sultaniya s

siI I i. W I‘

I lla II l ‘islI I irI slIIIm .I‘II lisk II I I I l I l Dl zl l l lfld b int

mush walIId . FII I I IIghu S N l l ln li I I I Iis I I II II il In I ‘I II z iI II k ulliha .

Fad il k lI II II I II s s itte k lI iI l Ii II wi tII lII tt II I l III ‘ ‘

I Ig I“

Il gfimfis lissa III I I.I I IlII b II lI I

“

Is lI . IgiaI I I I I I ‘ II n I I I“I S wilfid i] b II lII Il il u I rI Ii I W I 1 fq u II

k ulluhum . Yilb isum lIiIl I I II I lI I InI iI I I I II I lIIf wi yeI lII I'

II ii 1 b alad .

l I'

II t shuwaiyit filfil I I I I I I1I |0q I . I s S II lII IIit il ufrang iyu a hsan

I I I iI I k ulle haga . I I I mis il fI 'I I I IS I IwiI ' II wi I tII l iII i I m istami

1 S e c I,no te I I I I l 29 , I ivm .

O I' III I I I-v lik

,b ut no t II II I I

'i lik .

EXERCISES ON THE SYNTAX 339

yinak . I l halla yekun mahmt fi ‘arriba shuwaiyit samn wi

shwaiyit d iqiq sughaiyara . I s sa‘a b aqat me

‘allaqa fi 1 h ét b i

masam ir tuwal had dadi. Ni‘m il lak salata rfim i wala ‘arab i ?

I s sittat il ‘usmalli yirkab u

‘arab iyat kub b él . I l k h iyam man

suba walla lissa ? Ih ua ma nilb is qum san ghazli. Timsh i

tamalli b i rigléha hafi. q I‘

I lfi lo inne y6m il k hamis we y6m

litnén humma as‘ad u mab rfik ii i m in iyam i] gum

‘a k ul liha

,

leinn ib wzi b is sama tib qa mfattaha ,W i l a kan il insan yequm

masal fl 1611: ig gum‘a fi m iss il lél we yisalli ln rak ‘ité n we

yittil lib min Allah le innu yekun 53 ‘id huwa W i mratu II wladu ,

Rab b una yiqb al m innu . I l h itan b etu‘ il fallahin

qusaiyara ma tk unsh e tawila . Inta b mfi\.

a misk 6fi ? I l ‘usye d6l

kulliha‘fig . Suqna l h usan

‘ala ak b ii sur

‘. Fad Il kh amas daqa) Iq

‘ad duhI . I ddini shuwaiyib gib na rfimi. I z z ub b at d6l tub giya

walla sawari ? I shtarét iswira min wahda mara swalliya .

Darab fih um i lle wahi d darba mufrid . Til‘um meqab b il . D61

h as turk we lag hwithum turk i. Milaya riggal i qutn . Il kilma

di sirri ma b énna . I ddini l kam qirsh illi ‘andak Ab yad il

‘Gsh ya qashati !

I ntum b éyinin nas taiyib in we umara kt ir qawi. Entab itiqb ad mah iyitak fi akhir ish shahr au fi auwilu ? I l ma

‘rfif

wi t ta iyib il li ‘amaltu waiya}: inta kaman laz im ti‘m ilu fi 1

wilad d6l . I d dinya wahla qawi n nahar da . M in h fIwa l k ib irl ietahhum ? Baqa l II ta latin sana fi khidmit il miri. K an lIi b is

iswid we rakib himai'

u b i l maqlfib . Huwa b ifauwit z amanu

ti 1 farigh . I s sik ka tinz il li l wati we titla ‘ li l ‘Iili, ya

‘ni

kulliha muqar . H fiwa b iringi wahid sh III -rib fi 1 hashish . IhuaI I naharda fi (1 dunya we b ukra fi 1 ak hra . Enta ta

‘raf ‘

arab i‘anni . H at waraq b usta min ab talata mallin . Fidilte henak

kitir ? Ia,b asse shahr itnén k ede . Kanit sayqa b

arb a‘a k hé l .

IV

Ana nta mb arih il had qulti li le innak b ukra tib qI I tfakkai niK an waqtiha minab b ih ‘

aléna le innak teh II I ld I Ir is samuliq is

sa‘a sitta b a‘d id duhr . I hna giI Iin II i I b é t. b etI I lI lI I I In I

'I I I Ib e

b itna , W i hna l k ii lle sui iI I ti lIfIra wahda . I t iI lIlII l ( lU l li

alé ba , b iI a 6h i] mas ala di ? Basse adi lli lI I Ia ‘II I I z iI I I I minnak .

Adi nta sluiyif ir rag il da lli h I‘

IW II‘amm ilI II . GilI I

'islItug lInl‘

andinu u b ardu katta r k héx‘u illi msliéya‘u . Tuiyil) II I lI

'

II‘irift.

il mas‘

ala hiya 6h . l l k hashab dili myhin ti'm ilfl f6qu 6h ?

Qa l lu z“ya ak h i mu fish ma trah anfim fili ? ’

Q II I lu :“ l6h

ya sid i ? Q ul l I I “am g lmrib we ‘

uuz I I I II tI'

I I II ai t fih .

340 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

‘and ina h ik ziya ghariba . Eh hiya ? Haddfitit I S sultan wi hmaru .

M in yi.

‘m i l l i sh shughl a d i ? ‘and i m in yi‘m ilhzi lak . Q udd 1

“

1mu

sik k it i s salama we sik k it in h adama we sikk it i l l i 3 9 1 1111 11 111

yirga‘sh ; £1 11111 h 1

“

1wa m in is sikka i l l i ma hadd ish y irga‘ m inha .I t, tam i‘ yeqille ma gama

‘. S im i‘te hi sse ni swan b eyitk hanqum

waiya b a‘

ql . I z z éy inta ma ntash ‘1“

11'if i l l i ‘

auz inu ? Ma ntish

nasya hag-11 ? La ,ma fish hfiga nasyfiha . I l hu sfin beta ‘na

rak b ah hiya . I l humfir gib fi riglu z alata . I ddén1“

1ha m ink afiit ma yilz imha . Q u1 l ina ‘

al mah1 i l l i mtfi ‘au z inu kam .

[l l i hna hasal ish sharaf b i wguclh 11n1 . I d 1“3 hum humma litnén

fi b a ‘duhum . Laqfihum k ulluhum maugudin humma 1: 111 111 111 ,i l l i qa ‘ id ‘ala kursi W i l l i qa ‘id ‘ala d iwan— k ulluhum qa‘d in .

H iya ma h i sh b intuk um ? éwa ya sitti ; taiy ib ana ‘arfa lha117-1111111

‘aris k uwaiyis . Ana basma‘ kul le m in kan b eyishk ur fihkitir qaw i . Qal l iha : “ liagit éh i l l i qadé tiha Nihaytu

éyuha wahda m inh um wi s salami i l l i tigi ‘and ik ( 11111 lha . Ey inkan 1V 1

“

1h id m inhum yig i‘andak m inhum tib qa tis ‘ain ‘

an 11

mas‘ .a1a Shfif ‘anzin 6h . I l mahal l i l l i hna qa‘d in f1h d ih .

Mahu ana ma i ditsh e ag i ‘ashan m ik h tishi . U b a ‘(16 11 i1 walad

ummu 1 5111113 111 we qalit 1u . Q al li z inta ‘auz kam q irsh Yasalam u sal l im ya kh i 117 1 l ugra d i ketir ‘

aléya . F ih m in 11‘111 11 m in id (111 11 . W 1 1 ‘

11 1'

ab iy1i t ham 111 i11“

1h 11 111 il ‘ai

'b agiya .

D i sh ihadt in n iswan kulliha gfir ; yimk in yek un w imbum‘ashara 111 11 tisduqshe m inh um wahda . Ma tib qish teshili hfigatqila tek un teqila qawi . Fi auwul 16111 111 11 twaladit il b int .

Ah l il bint ma kanshe ‘anduhum k h11111 '

1 1 . H 11tif( 1111 il hag 1 1

i l l a 111 11 sha A1111 11 . M i 11 h11111 mis yi1 kab um kl 1i ) 1“

11 1 1 1

yk 1“

111 11m 111b si11 111 111 11 11 111 yek un 11111 18 id ( l im ir W i sh 5 11 11 111111,we 1 11 1111111111 yek un 11

“

1b i s il 111-11 1111111311 lafrangi ; 11 111 1111111n1 yir

ka lmm i11g 11111 11 w imbum yirkab um 1111 111 111

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yig i yc‘a iyi d

‘11 1011 11 111 wi yequl 11111 11 11 1 :

“ k il 1lo 511 1111 wi 11t11 111

1 1 1 11 11111 11111 y ok un 11 1 11111 116 11 k u11111'

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i yek fi

1 111111 7.11111 i11 11 1111 1 1111 11 . 111 11110. 11 111 1111 11 minhum 1 isl1ti1 i 111 11k 1‘11111 1111s1111 111 11 1 1 r11 1 1111 11 . 31111 11513 111111 11 11111111

0

1111 k 1“

1 1111

maslq in 1v11 $ 11 1b

sikk 11 111 11 1 sik: 1k 1\1 11s1 h eyiftik in'

i 111 11111111111 (1

11 111111 1 11111111 , 11 1 1111.4 1 11 11 1111 1 ‘11 1 1111 i1 1 .1 Ma. titt ik ii she 19 111 111~

l insan 111 111 111 1 11“

1s 11 111q11 1 11 iza $ 11111< 11 it11 11111 11111111 sh .

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111111 1111 11111‘ il 'il

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sh 11 ‘1111 : 1 111 111 111 11 ‘

11 11 11 11 111111 . in 11111111

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XERC ISES ON THE SYNTAX

: 11 1 yeffit ir ragi l m inun . I l matara niz lit z éyi d

il‘fi30 1 11 na z i l m in b etit bet b 1hid 1111ha . Yiddaru f

m 111 1 agliha b irka . I l kalbe tamalli yeh ib b e yerub11 1 1 1 atrah ma yimshi . Rub matrah ma yi

‘

gib ak .

11 1wag t . W addiha tfini ma‘ rah ma g ib tiha . I]‘

1 1 1 m it Ana b aqul lak 161, teqfil ihlib u .

1 I sh -l r i shdid . La gawab ak W isi l wala gawab i. I l l il

“

la'israq il farkha . I l qirde

‘ande 11 111111 11 ghazal .l i ; t dfirig b eta

‘hum shawaiya l ah san in 1151 8 yiftik iru

11'

a . Ma m i‘ish fulfis il la (161. In kan ana wal l a'

l‘

v b arclu . Ma qal l i sh ‘ala m in (or‘al a l l i

,

‘al l i)l '

°

l s agniya . Agniyit 6h ? I lli ‘anduhum khamsin

1 1 1 ~ 11 i uhum ghunéy.

‘anz askun fi éye b ét in 115111 .

1 W aya . M in 11 11 1 41 1111 11 6 11 ? m in éy in k an W ah id,

‘

g il dukkan in kain it . S huf l ina eyiha h ét in kan

11 1 1 K ulluhum ausak h m in b a‘ ( 1. Ana ‘auz sagara

'

1 M i vi di sag arit lab ak h .

‘aiz in nek hushshe fi gnintak

l 1 11 a gat fiba . Da shé yi‘lamu Al lah . H fiwa 11a

i i1 i w ijku ? Da W ah id ma ya‘rafsh e hfiga . M in hilwa ?

Lima 11 [ash Lfiz im timnaHu an kede . La

,b i k h laf

Ac

'

i 11 ria‘

.auz 111u Ba‘d i she g ib W i 1 baqi ma gash .

1 1 1 111 i trnnemit g inch . Basma‘ inne d i 1ft1 1i la Yimk in

u 11 :1.dd 4yek 11 11 yiqrab 111 . 1111 gab da ‘au z was]. Ana

kul l e 1 11 kan b eyishk ur f1k . Shuf l i ‘ai ab iya tkun

isa W i l élha taiyiba . Ba ‘de ma ‘irifna l walad l e imunA11 1 1mm k uwaiyis ? Litnén mush kuwaiyisin . Da.

shufualhe b i ‘énéna we l akin sim i ‘na nas yeqfil fi‘annu .

I fi mat h W ah id ? La),d61 fi g iha W i d61 fi g iha . I l

i l li mushn a‘ruf ismu da . 11 qar ‘ il idraf ill i hfiwa f1hvig 11 fihl ughr i 11 161111 ak hdar we huwa. tawil . Kanulib uh mi il ganb i da W i l ganb i da . I tb uk h 2 l i shwaiyit111 111 éy sanf in kan . F 1h nas b fiz il k alb ‘

anduhum

11 f1h

342 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

Gib fi rigl il husan zalata fidlit guwa. haf1 u . Yirk ab ruk ub tuin kanit fares au husan au bagh la au hmar wi tannu mashihuwa. wi 1 khaddam b etfi.‘ I qfil i sh shab fib ik ‘ashan l a yigi‘ufar fi I bet wala yitkassar haga . Hasal il qisma wi tq 1.b ilna.

ma‘ b a ‘dina . I l mas ala. i l l i qulnfi l ik‘aléha we qulti 111 11

‘e leb a.

hadihna qadenéhfi. l ik . M in ba‘de ma stardum ‘ala l mab lagh

ahl il ‘arfisa , mishyit umm il

‘aris wi l ‘ari s w abu l ‘aris humma.l kul l

,we k hadit ha‘d iha we rfih it il hurma . Q a

‘adit umm iha

wi ummu w ab fih w ab fiha. fi Sela tanya . Yin cléf‘aléh samn u

sukkar . Fi gamé‘a dyfif gum

‘anduhum . Taiy ib , istardéna h i

1 mahr i l l i humma. 1; 1111511111 g ineh . I l harim tannuhum me zl inm in ‘ala ‘

arab iyithum we dak halum m in gfiw-a. l b éb wi tannuhum

dughri tal‘in ‘as salalim . Shal luhum i s sitfim l farrzl sh . M in

ba‘de ma ti l i‘ f6q il har im . Kan waqtiha. l harim gayb in lamfinwe ‘

asrinu we mal u l k ub b fiyfit. K finit ig z agharitg daym féq fi 1

harim . Yishtii-i lha. masfigh in k énit 2 11 111 11 11. 11 11 in k fin it l ibba .

Naz z ilu 1 ‘afsh il ‘arb agiya m in

‘ala. l karruwét . Terfih il 11111 111 11

we guzb a. fi bet il qfidi we ahliha k amfin waiyfiha . Shakwitha

ma hasalsh e m inha. samam . M in ba‘cl e ma tamm it talatt

ishhur . W i l maz z ik a ba‘de ma tik hlas m in id daqq tit‘ashsha

,we yak hdum ugrithum wi b aqsl1ishhum . Yifdal basse

talatt arba‘t iyam ‘ala fik h ir i sh shahr . Dabahu l fuhfil ilgamfis ig gu z

-1 1 111 b i 1 11 0 1 21 1 me ‘aiy im1 . Fi 1 ‘ed il kibir il

madafi‘ tidm b fi 3 subh 11 fi (1 duhr 11 fi 1 ‘ isha hatta tik hlas il

1rb a1 ‘t iyam b etfi‘ il ‘ed . Yiwz1 ll 1 11 w i l ‘a qulaiyila taht i i 11311111‘ashfm i t tc1 b ik h ma. yak hud she siwa ktir . Yiflaq1i l qal a.mussen . Yik harratflha, h in t h itat 11 11 halaq halaq . Yik l1- “

11 1 11 tul qar ‘e wk hrit halaq

,u b a‘dfin yigh lfih ghalwiten 1 11 1511 1 ‘

ak

k 11 11 1111 . In k finum yek unu‘e l a i l l i l ayh in yaklum . W all : 1 ‘

w i l ‘a k hafifa . Yek finu malyinha m in in nahyitén . Ba‘de D1 11yihritu l arcle b i l l i iahfir it yik liattatflha k hutfit , wi yirmu l b izrii -f il 1

0

1 11 111 1. M in ‘11 tt 1 il 1111 13. b izr iha yi

‘uuwnq ketir fi l

but t-a. yitlu‘ faq wish shilm . K lififit 111 11 511 11 yidm b lm‘11 lqa .

1311 1111 13 tir‘m l id d inya 1

'

z1‘de khafif wi b uqat 11 11 2 111 mum-11 1 11 11 2 1l l

qawlya .

“ H id flmak ( lfilzib min‘11111 k ll ‘ nk . Z i‘il Z : 1

‘: 1l sh id id .

Kan ruz iq b i 1 11 1111 11. E3 11 gfib ak 3 1118 1 ? ‘ iyit‘11iya.

s lid id qawi . VV akk ilu shuwaiy i b 111 11 111 .

‘ashfin yeré li

s111i11 11 11

l ‘6 11 i l l i lmsulit ln . 1 11 d umfl ‘niz lit, 111 i11 ‘C-ué h . Hukm hanifln ‘

1 Fur ‘111lt .

2 For 1111wi, quwiya agreeing w i th mata m.

3 For te l ‘fih .

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344 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

kulliha b i l fantaz iya 1 k uwaiyisa . K i s yehuttu f1h d ih u d ih .

La sama]; Al lah leinni ak dib ‘alek i. L 11mma get tul id il mara .

q umu.

l giran yisa‘dfihum yi‘ginu wi yik hb izu waiyahum In

mfi s il fal lahin i l l i yekunu yigum h ina f masr 1111 yek finu yeb i‘n

wi ishtirum 1 humma yisma‘11 l kalam m in il balad leinne bukra

s siyam . Yerub il gazzar dab ih il kha1 11f b i idu,we qab le ma.

3/ imash sh i s sikkina, ‘al11 raqab t il kharuf yeqfil : b i sm i llfihi

Allahu ak b ai,we yerub garir i s sikkina marraten . Yirga

‘u

yifassasu rfis il qarnab it fisfis fisfis .

‘ala. b fil ma 3' istiwi l ffil

yekfinum ghasalum it tammit ir ruzz . Yegib u farkha, yekfinfisharyinha m in i s sfiq. Lazim tisqi 1 arde 11 11131311 yedfir il b iz r u

yenab b it 11 yitla‘ ‘

ala. wish shiha . L emma yedfir il walad we

yisab b a‘. Fidil ir rfigil n z

’

iyim wi 1 kalbe harsu 1amma dfir 11 11111

11 fagr . B idal 111 11 nta, qfi‘id h ina ahsan teruh b indah l i l hakim .

Haiyfik Allah ! N 11 z 1a matma r11faiy11‘a . M z1 lqenash gara 111

haga . Shawir ln yig11 Anz1 mrab b ib a, m in sugb re sinniha .

Tannak mash i d 11gh 1 i‘11 111 1111 1amma. tclur 11 13113 11 1 wi tqul lak :

811 11 1 1110

m in en ? I ftakarna l q 11tt, gan 11 yenutt . I l

k ilm 1 d i b etitn itiq b i t 136 w~

11 ll11 b i t til ? Kan (1113711 31

‘as‘i s zeyil 1 1

‘111 21 . Ma tqulsh e l i hadd 11 11 11

‘amalte kede 11 kede . Kanlmqqiha tigi . Ma. 11

.

1iqsb e yig 1 . K unn 1t1 mashyin nitk allirn .

[ 1 11311 3711 $ 121

0

2 m erak k ib il gamfi‘a (161 ? Kan waqtiha m inab b ih

3

‘aléya le inn i a

‘allaq il husfin b i l

‘11 1

‘

11b iya . B i sabab kun t e1 l1ii 111 311

-1111 1 waraqa . Iza kunte mewassih ‘

11 111 ‘11 r11 b i3

'

11 111 11

k unnfish nit‘ib 11 11fsin11 1 Tigi b 1 ,1dri tkun tinsa .

4 Entatirk 11 b ‘

11r11b 13 11 we tannina hna l kul l merauwahin S 11 w11 . I nt11

mk hallif m inha ‘13 111? Biddik tistab rasi l nafsik . Kul le 3 0m

k unna, nsfim we niftar fi 1 111 11gb l ib . I l l i hab b fib itmen 3 ek1 l 1iRab b mm tfilithum . F1 1 ‘fib id ir rummfin fi b uqq il

walad kul l e 376m 1111 tt11 t1‘ 11b b 11 11 baqa kb ir . M in 611 5 ‘andakhaqqi 1 11111 11 hfiga z éyi (11 3 PI 111 in sh irib ha 11 1 11 M inhfitit ( 111 h ina ? Huwa dfiyir yidauwar

‘11 111 b fih .

I z a. 11 1111 11 11 11 qulti 111k le inn id (11W 1 11 i l l 11 11 11. fih ma. fihsb eshughl lCh e 11ta1 betis 11 1111 ‘

11 111 wazifa ? 811 11 11 in kam sahb ak

111 1 1111 in kuu 1it11 l1111k . A1111 n111 1us l1 ‘1 1i 1i wnlu 111 11 m i ‘ish k b abm

in k 11 11u ‘11 11z i11 31111 1111 11 1 11511 “11112111 I qfil i sh shulmb ik 11 31111 11 111

yig i‘uffir fi l 1101 111 1 111 titkussar “ 1117131 1 111 1111 m ilitfiga . I utum

For yishtirum .2 1115111 .

3 Pluperfec t .

Or 111 tinsfi. Prnn . m infin .

0 Better yitkmsmr .

EXERCISES ON THE SYNTAX 345

b itiz ‘alfi léh ? I hna ma Ina ? Yinfa‘ ma yinfa‘she z éye bardu

Inta za ‘alain leh yaba ? LGla l ‘esh wi l malh ma. k untish tauwilte

m i ‘ak . Q a l ib 111 iza kan ab fik yidra innak ghib te m in 11 b é t ?

Qal liha : kunte aqul 111 inni ruh t aghib . Binte in dihk it tifattahi sh sham s wi n ‘

aiyatit yir‘ad ir ra ‘d we yim tur il ma tar . In

kfinit ti s ’al ‘aleya tib qi tindahi‘aleya . In kan hfiwa wal la hiya

z éye ba‘du . W e lau W i nnina ma shufnfish il b int we lakin

ihna saddaq na qé lik‘ala inniha k uwaiyisa .

‘ala hasab le innina

ma knnnfish ni ‘rafhum wala humma ma. yi‘raffinfish . In iddétini

wal la ma ddétinish bardu W i si l . Ma tkhafsh e ya walad walatikh tishi ; ma fish hina il la na w ab fik wala ma fi sh badde

ghm'ib gherna . Ahsan in kuntfi ti ‘111 1111 ma‘ruf wi tk halliina l i

wahdina . I za kanum yis‘

alum ‘an ‘arab iyat qul luhum yegib u

‘ashanna hna . Taiyib , ana rayb ad d i l ak k ilma wahda ,

‘asharagineh ; iza kan k hallasak ma fish mani ‘ ; ma k hallasak sh e , z éyema yi

‘

gib ak baq a . W ad in qulti lak‘ala l q61 is sah ih ill i ma

b a‘dfish ‘and i kalam . I l k hamastashar qirshe ( 161 yik afl’

fik

wal la ma yikafl'

uk she,wi tkun mab s11 t walla ma tk unshe

mab sfit ? Ana ma kaltish m innu haga wala shirib te m innu

hfig a wala nahab te minun haga . Lan1ma n na s it taiyibini s salhin yeqfilu 1hum :

“ da haram ‘alékfi ; Allah y igfiz ik fi,

”

yeqfimu y eqfilu lhum :“ 11arzim halal , iza kan yi

‘az z ib na Rab

buna wal la ma yi‘az z ib nfish 31

°

bqa z éye ma ya‘t ai 3

' i ‘rmi l finawe amma intfi ma lk fish da‘wa l ina in kunna 11 5 11 111 11 11 niftar .

In ma kan she maugfid lamfin balad i we yikun ma gash il awfinb etfi‘u wala yek unshe tarah fi sagaru wala y ekunshe g ib itb fx

‘ fi

8 sfiq ,111 3

1 k 11 n waqtiha maugfid lamfln adalya shi ‘iri, fe tishtiri

m inun hilwa . I za ka n ma ltaqflsh mush kunte (lauwai't ? In

kan ma lhum she khabar yi‘milu éh baqa ? Gul1 t ma guhtish

ma yehimm inish . Shayifsh il kalb il mak lfib fi sikk itna ? Ma‘rafshe yi

‘

gib ni eh . In kunte ma ntish misad daqni. Q irfi;bakht wala faddzin shatara .

l I za ruh t ana tighdar ma t i uh shinta . La11 kunte a‘l ain inh iba bat tal a l am

D

kunte arghab iggawaz . Q ulti l i kfin le innak tib qa tfakkarni

‘ala mni ashéyah

hum 111 . I za khuluete badri ruht . H fiwa qal l i qu] innuhumkfinu naym in mi

‘i. Mush tis'ahm sa‘zl l bi l ma

‘rfif ! Z Gye ba

‘duin kan sukkar walla in kan tin wal la n kflnit kummitra. Anashuftu h ina kan min zaman . La yirlmm wala yikhalli m l'imitRab b ina tinz il . La gib wala shuiya

‘ khabar . I s'al m egxu'

ral)

wala tis’al tabib .

An ounce of luck is worth a pound of wit.

3 1 6 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

VII I

Ruhte rastab l tammart 11 hu san . Qam sa ’a111 1 we qal 11,“1 11 3111 fen ?

”Laz im tifakk arh i ‘ashan abqa a

‘tik 11 méh1y11

b uk 1 11 . I 11 ta léh b aqé t ma. gfiyib 11 muftfih 11 ghfiyit n 11h 1'

1 1'

376 111

litnen ya‘n i yib qa m b firih 11 hadd 11 376111 11 itmen ? I stannétu

lamma dar 11 l ibi s h idfimu Ba ‘dén tann i m istanni 1amma. dar u

gih . Laz imn1 gawab t1wadd1h 11 bu sta . Ruh ranwah 11 husfinfi rastab l W 1 bqa. 111 11111 ‘

11 1 bet Lamma. yihqfi yitl11b u11 11 11 11

bqa qul lak . Ba‘dén gab ahum , téni yom nahar 11 itmen ir riggalagum . Baqa ak h1 ih na ‘

11 u z 1n h i ’gle ‘ féq m innu . K hallfiha. b etim la.

111 111 11 b 1r . Qum ‘abb1 11 ta‘m1r11 . Tig11l i 1 b ét i s sfi‘a

‘ashara .

I l ginéna d1 baqa lha. talat S1111 11 11111 tfatah itsh . Rauwah 11'

rag il b étu za‘lan . I z z ey 11 111 11 1 abqa ibne b fisha. w arkab himfir !Ahsan 11 e

‘al l im 11 b ét we nisb ah 11 ib ‘11 t luhum . Ram ét11 fen ?B emebu 1 b ah 1 . B 11qet makrfish

.

‘11111 akh ir 11afas. H 11 ttz1 1e 111 11 1

b aqét akhud sillimten 11 111111 11 khe twa. wahda . U ba ‘dén g ibab fih qam qa

‘ad ganbu . We b aqat 11 ‘

arfisa 11111 511: 11

Q fim it 11315111113 fi m ilayitha wi z zaiyaril

t b i 1 b etahha we k hadibb a.‘diha. 11 tanniha qayma. ‘ala. h 11111a1 .

1 Q um t £111 11 W 11 113 11 11 511 1 11 13

11 qahwa. basset laqét b inte sughaiyara . I l walad baqa.m ik htish1qawi le innu yequm yak ul waiyahum . Taiyib ,

11 11 11 abqa. ddih111k 1 11111 b11 ‘de 11111 khadtu m in ak hfiya . Yal la

,111 11 11 11 1 11 1 113

711111 ,tinz ilfi baqa . F1 1 ah san dilwaqti laz im b aqat ma t lub ir ragil nafsuwe nis’alu . Laz im ti‘mil ma

‘rfif xvi tqul 1111 11 baqat

‘11 1 11 m eqaula

h 1y11 kam qirsh . Yitzm nu hfiwa qa ‘id yigham fiwe 11 11 111 111 11 qa‘diu

11 < r11 11 11 11 . T11 n11 1h 11 1 111 11 2 2111 11 tduqqe quddfim‘arab iyit

11 ‘111 111 1 11 11 t111

b

le innuhum dfu 11m k ulluhum 11 e m u“ahum ‘11 111 h ét

11 ‘11 1 15 . B 11 q11 z 7 11g11 111 11

'

. dayl a fi 8 5111 11 11 . Rah it waLhda. 1 111 11111 11 111 11 1 ( 111 5 1111 . 1 11 qultu 1 11 11111 111 k idb 11 11 3 111 1111 11 11 1 11m

‘11 1eku .

Qam (111 1 11h :1 :“Y11 w11y11 111t1 !

”

qfim it‘

, 11 13 11 sik tit ; qam q11l

1111 11 : 1 11131 ya l1n1 111 11 111 11 tru 11111 ‘11 11 3 11 .

‘11511 1 [11 11 11 1 11 111 11 damm .

11 1111 1 1 1111 yedtu 11 3 1br11d . 1 111 1 11h 3 11111‘ 11 b ig 11 7. 3 111 1111 i smu fi 7

z ab t13'

11‘11111 3 11 c111e mashfiyik hhurh le innuhum k halyin 111 (113 1111

111 11‘111011 1111 1 sl 1e A11 1). b 11 S 11 ‘1111k l agl e 111t11 , 111 111m 11 yeLuu

1 11d1 111‘

1g 11 , tib qa tsi‘idn1. K 11 1111111 ‘

11 11 11111 13

11 1111 3'edfu‘

11 3'ist1w1.

13a 13 qadd e b0 1 11111

‘11 8116111 shugh la 3 1 11 11 11 11 1111t ti 111 11 16

111 111 1111 111 11 1 11 1 1113111 11 . We 11 1111 11 21 111 11) 8 11n 0 8111 11 11 11 151

11 111 11 1 11 . A1111 111 11 yik hullasnish tuq‘11111 1111111 111 1 13 1131 1 . 2 113 1 111

yek finfl 1111 ‘11 1 11 11 1 1 1 17 1 111111; 1 111 1111 11 11 l hub 11 tidrab fi 1

gm 117 1111 13111 11 111 1 . 1111 1111 111 talatt 11 1 11 5 111111 111

mash . 1 1 11 111) 1111 11 111111 111 k hmnnstfish zn ‘ “311 1 111 11 111111. Q

11111 3 1131 1 11111

5111 1‘11111 11 011111 .

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3 48 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

dinya daima kuhl . I l b ab yiftah b ahr1. Lih iqtu wagadtu fi 1

I hna, m safrin bukra . I l arde dimaz rfi‘a b atatis walla eh

'

l

D61 hagat taqr1b iya . Ma shuftish illa tnen samm itb um l lak .

M ishyfi m in is sikk a illi nalgyit il gabal wara, b et‘ali Basha .

Gib fi ‘Gnu galata we lak in z alata m istaufiya qawi . Fidlit waiyéh

hatta leimun g ib fi 1 b ét . I l linsan da b uttu ln sh shul l lah san

yib rad . I l wé b id minna 1amma yekun ma‘nfiha ib ne k hamast?»

sham sana. Taiyib ummfi l b itis’alni ‘ala gawé z léh 1amma ma

ma‘ak sh i flfis ? I hna, k haddém in lik we li hmak . Ad i l kalam

illi ‘andi illi fi sarirti.

‘adt il masriyin il u sfil ‘

andudum yigi l

qficli yik tib il k itfib fi b ét il‘arfisa . I l usfil illi l maeriyin yimshfi

‘aléha . Baqat tequl li kede we tirga

‘ tequl li kede ? Az ragm in

b a‘duhum litnen . K an mésik rigléha tindirib . B ik hita illi

h iya uk hte talta luh .

IX

Iddi k ursi li s sitt tuq‘ud tistiréyalg. Q a

‘ad it hiya ; m in

ba ‘de ma qa‘adit talab u lha l qahwa . I staghlib il

-m z1h 1 wi qfilit

inn ii mahre da k tir . M in ba‘d ir ragil 11 121 simi‘ k alfimi.

Humma ‘anz in yista

‘rafu hkum wi ntum k emfin mush ‘

anzintista‘rafu b hum ? Ma, qulti lish le innuhum in kanum riggfila

walla nisa . M in ba‘de kul l e wi ll id m inhum ma mizil. Ana

tli‘te wi nta waqif fi l b ‘

c

‘

ib . Raylfi n 116g ib 11 hina yik tib line 1

gawab quddamna K ul l e ma gib t £1 11 21 lo

l flgkl f b éti tuk hudhainte, . Q al liha : iz z éye gfiz ik li innu b iyish shakk a m innik ?

I rk hi dri‘tak gambe m innak . Ma, ti‘m ilshe k arkab a m in gherluz fim . Hatsh flfu wi nta, tfili

‘ wi nta. n é z il . Sik itnfi ln,dak hal

b i l hum an ? A‘allimak is sirqa , teb utte idak fi géb i. Q albu

mab rfiq‘ala, h lu illi mfitfi ln . K ull e da wi hiya shayfn .

Fatah lu 3 dukk z‘

m . Luh ib n ‘amme 11 1q is il manfikh 1r . Ya

zauwidni ya b alfish shugh l . Manisli q z‘

ulir ar si li ‘111 1 1 h aga .

Bicld i astaqrab sikka tk un qurai ) 111 1 Ana lmssé b b i riglak wi

nta, 11 1515 11 1. Q am ab fl li kha tab 111 b int , b inte 1 fig il ta i ) 1b 11 shara ;‘11 111 b film ,

we qal 111 we qal l umm iha k nmfm, qal luhum

Yink h ilflh b il mmik hul . Ak l il fig] in nili kuwa iyis‘11 11 is séfi.

I t tuwfilzm{115q m in il k am wém nun-main fi t t il l . I t ta b b filin

yitnhb ilu wi z, gnmmfirin yigmnnmr um . M in bu ‘de 111 11 yinwi

niyitu illi huwa naiwi‘ulé l m. Mn tiz ‘nli

‘

sh waiya'

gé z ik k ib ir

qmvi, le innu i7i i kan h ilwa yiz‘ul ‘

ulé k i lfiz im tisrifi “ti z za ‘al ;‘zLS llfin ir rag il yimk in yek im gfiy t u

‘b fin m in b hug lu we yimk in

1 For summf'thum .

2 we gat e him an inch and he took an ell.3 li nafsu .

EXERCISES ON THE SYNTAX 349

yequl lik : qfimi, ya b itti, 111 11 haga , teqfim intima ttau

‘ihsb e 1 walatisma

‘ish kalamu , yimkin yekun ganbu‘asaya walla haga , yequm

min za‘alu yeruh

' darb ik b iha walla haga ; ahsan b i l ahsan tekfini yab inti muti‘a l i gozik . Ana ya sidi, Rab b una yitauwil

‘um rak

,nigi]

faqir, ma yisahhish inni adrab in m s wala sraq minhum walazallimhmn . Ba ‘de gum ‘a ana mush hina . Tequl ln ya

‘amm .2 Ya

iitha kanit darab itak . Ana b idd( i) akball i n nahar da } ek fin iswidala l ab ‘ad . In nas il fuqara yifhatu lhum nuqra fi 6da m in il b ét,wi yegib u qidra fukhkhar we yisurrfi fulus-hum fi lu ttit khalaqa

qad ima,we yirmfiha fi qalb bi qidra we yinaz z ilfi b i lli fib a I qidra

fi 11 nuqra ,we yighattfi

‘aléha balata , W i l balata tekun min shik le

bala t il 6da , we yilzaqu l balata bi bab b it izmint au bi shwaiyitgib s. Lainma tir‘ad id dunya W i l b arqe yibqa yub ruq yequlfiwaqtiha linsan yimk in iz a kan yittillib min Al lah yekun bab i ssama maftfih

,z éye fi l elt ig gum

‘a,we yistigab minun Rab b una .

W aq t il ak l W i auwu l ma yitqaddim yeqfil il insan : b i sm illah ir Rahman ir Rab im u 1amma yishb a

‘um m in il akl

5eq 1111‘

1 : il hamdu l i llah Rabb il ‘alam in ; W i n nas ill i ma

yeqfililsh kede yequl fl le inn Allah ) inaz z il fi b atnuh um il qaht

,

W i yeqfilu le innuh um,madam ma sammush

" ‘ala l akl walahamad fish Rab b una , ) eq i1infi vakl il m in h ina ,

wi l ‘afarit; yakhd fil akl e min

'

batnuhum wala yib qash basal‘anduhum qun

‘.

I za kan linsan m inna ‘auz yishtiri lu ga m in Sfl q ,

z é ) e masa lsfiq K han il Khalil i, 3er llh il wahid l i l b e) a

‘ m in dol,we ) ifsil

waiyah wa sa lam siggada wall a haga , wi yequl 111 :“ Ana ‘

auz issiggada di ashtirih a m innak . q ul lu “

Taiyib , ya sidi,ma1

°haba ; da hna tihsal lina l baraka b ik . q 1‘

1m il wahid

yeq iil 111 : Al lah ) il) 11 1 ik fik . q ul lu z Ta iyib itfarm g‘11 111

lli n ta ‘anz u . W e ba‘de ma tfarrag il 11131111‘ala s siggfida illi

ti‘gib u yeq l'

ll l i t tfig ir :“Q ul l i 11b aytu

‘ala akh ir taman .

q ul 111 I fsil s e ma 11t11 ‘11uz , ya

‘ni ma tikhtisb isb .

”

c 111

In wa salam In ta qul l i qab la is siggfida b i Masa lunhuwa rah yequl lu z Bi talatin ginéh .

” q um bi sabab i111 1 11qa

‘ad ‘andu we talab l11 fiugz

’

lu qahwa yequm yik li s ha‘nléh ln

innu yeffitu wi yerub yishtari m in gb c ru bi sab ab al1u1 l111 ii Ifingan il qahwa , yequm yequl 111 : La ‘

,dilwaq ti il1 11

°°

1 1111 niqs im

il balad 11 115156 11 ; k l111 ll11s11k W a lla lu l k ll 11llasuk 11111114 1

mfini‘ ; ana ( ld i 111k il k hamastfishar g ineh 11 Map 1 11 111111 11. Ii

ka lfi t. il 11115411 illi tilm nm l ; 11 1111 q'

1 g i ak lmd lm m in ‘1111dak .

titfiwi‘ ihsb .

350 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

q i’

im yeqfil Tigi bardu tshan a fna ,lakin ana ma ykhallasnish

it taman da ; ana b iddi aksab , ma b iddish akhsar .

”U ba ‘dén

il wahid yequl ln Taiyib , ana dd i lak sittashar q ul 111

Yiftah Al lah .

”

Taiyib ,sittfishar u m i ss . L a’

, yir z uqAl lah .

”

Taiyib ,ya Shekh

,k hallasak sab ah tfi shax° i l la

q ul In t tagir : Ya akhi,ma tuq

‘udshi tnfik ifni ; balash

menakfa ; da mu sh sh ira d ih ill i nta b etishtirih .

”

q fim il

wah id baqa,1amma hfiwa yequl kede u yiz

‘al , yiz auwidu rub ‘

,

wi yequl 111 K hallasak b i sab ahtashar wal la la’ q ul lu z

Baqa ma n1 a‘ak she z iyada ‘an i s sab ah tfishar 1101 ? q ul ln

L a ’

,dél sharyin wahda fi 1 h ét b i sitt

fishar 11 nuss

,w ana ddétak

dilwaqti z iyada nusse gineh‘an il li ‘

andina fi 1 b ét .

”

q ul lu z

Taiyib ,'

aqul l ak ya ma yi‘auwad Allah yik assib ak 11111 11 fulfis ;

k husran kasban nihaitu hadihna b i‘na wi 5

I za kan wahid khaditu sh sham s , il ah san yik halli wfihid

yid‘ak u m in wustu wi yemash shi idu fi qanfiyit dabru l i raqab tu

hatta yitalla‘ i sh sham s ; we hiya sh sham s tib qa mkab b ib a fi 1

qfira zeyi l‘inaba . U ba‘d id da‘k yihuttu

‘ala l ‘inab a dl mandil

we yiqrushfiha b i snanhum teqfim i sh sham s titaqqe wi tfarga‘

z éyi l b éda illi tkun fi 11 mar wi yekun zfi d ‘

11léh 11 s siwa . Uba‘dén yegib u shwaiyit m oiya. f fingfil qahwa , “i yidauwib fishwaiyit malh fi qalb i sh shuwaiyit il m oiya , 11 ba ‘dén yil iuttfll insan l fi widanu m in il moiya b i l malh ; wi auwul ma

yih uttflhfi 111 ying idi‘ ‘

11111 ganbu sh sh imfil , we yih uttuhfi 111 fi

1 widn il yem in ; teqfim il widn i t tash tash zeyi l b ab fir , ti‘mil

sh i sh,au zeyi b éda ttash taS h ii 8 san m ‘

11111 11 mir . YV i

yequm m in‘ala ganbu sh sh imfil

, yifarragh w idnu l yemin ;teqflm il m o iya tissafiu m in widnu ; lak in 11

°

11qti|111 yeq 11111 yilqi

l mo iya ti idu sukhna nfir , z éyi l moiya l l i tk uu b itighli fi 111111111111 l kanfl n

,m in quwwit

‘11 z 1n is h sham s . y irga

‘tfml

yenfim‘11 111 ganbu l yimin ; tvqum titash tush il “id u it. tanya

z éyi l : 1 11wilz‘

1 11iy11 ; we ( limfig hu ,l111 ‘1le 11111 li tl l l lt b e tub rum we

b itlill e 1 0 1111 111 1 1°1

°f1q ,wi hilwa yofl

‘

lq l i nafsu . U b a‘dén

yog ib fi l11 shuwa iyib 111 1 1111 11 b 11 l111li \'

11‘l 1i 111 11 1 11 11t6 11 t1 1 l1

‘

111 1 b alad!yishzu

'm b flh ,wi yenuiyim fl h wi y eg hattfih ; yequm

) isbul1 f1‘

1yiq s i 1 11 111511 11 , wi w ruh vis ‘

a‘: 1l: 1 shug hlu .

For 1 il i 11s1'

111 .

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352 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

nayma fi 1 ghurbal 1amma 11 s sub fi‘. H ina sab ah iyit i s sub fi‘

gat id daya wi ddu lha shuwaiyit 111 t we taqtaqithuml(ish

shuwaiyit 11 malh) fi wust 11 hara ; u lammit laha saba ‘

tamantashar ‘aiyil , u b aqum kul le wahid minhum masik sham ‘a

we yequl :“Bil galatak

,13 11 galatak

,

2 haiaqa dahab fi widanatak‘

2

qadde‘ashar daqayiq W 1 1 ‘iyfi l taf

‘

fu sh sham‘e,nafakhfih b i

hnik ithum,we khadu kull e manhu sham ‘itu 1111 f idu l i nafsu ;

we gah it id daya shuwaiyit nuqle min 11q i s sub fi‘ u farraqitu‘al a 1 filad ; we hiya k hadit il b fiqi 11 k had it ha

‘d iha 11 tan h ib a

mashya ‘ala b etha ; u tamme baqa 1 wildda wi s sub fi‘ b eta‘

wilad il ‘arab 11 fuqara ; we dumtum b i k h ér.

q filfi le inn 11 ‘irsa 1amma tig1 tfilid tequm tifhar liha

shaqqe wa l la g 11hr, wi t‘ash sh ish 11h b i shwaiyit sha 1 e z eye

d if1ra qad 1m1 a 111 1111 yiddaffai u bha n niswan,11 al la b i shuwaiyib

k hulqan‘ala shwaiyit qutn ; 11 ba‘den ti ‘al b id liha fi I bet hatta

t i ‘tar liha ‘ala z atuna walla m eshak h laqa walla halaq dahab au

asawir fadda wal la b urqu‘ b i ‘arusta W 1 1 ‘

arfisa tk un m in dahabb unduqi, we tak hudhum ‘

andiha fi gub riha . W e‘ala ra ’ye

q61 111 1 1218 le inniha ma tulidshe illa ‘ala masfigh m in dahab 11 11

1111n fad c_

1a . W e h iya 1amma tig i fi I bet teqfim tisruk h sal khawisk ha b ishi‘a yitm ili 1111 11 I bet kul lu m in foq 11 t11h t , yeqfim 11

shab il bet yequlu lha :‘andina Mhammad ‘

ai is, yiftik ii u le

1 11 n iha tihrab 111 111 11 k ilma (ii.

I z a kan yekun ti‘b fin 11 11 11 2111 1 1111 ma yk unshe‘amir 11 hét

gay yewish sh e m in 11 11 11 11 111 we qaisid 11 111 11113111 1111 yek un 1111 811 11sf1k 111 111111 , auwul 111 11 yik rufu i] hé t 111 111 b i‘id yeqflm

yuk hrug ffmi‘ ‘ala l g lmrib , wi yerub 111 ek ai '1'ash 11 111 111 1 111 1111 1: 11

hét ; 1 1 11 11 ‘11C'1 1 yii'

ga‘5 11111 11 ‘

11111 g u lu'n

,we h ilwa 1 gharib yimk in

11 1111 l{ 1101'

11,we lifiwa gfiri yewishslie , yimk in yoffit 11 1

5 11111111 1

b etah tu ; 11 waq tiha l< 11 1 1 1111s1111 yokumwiqif we b111< l 1t11 11111 111 1

yequm yz1l< 11 1 111111 1 wi t t i‘b fin yiz‘a l yetaqqe yemfit

‘11 111 81111 11 11

g fl luu'

a 1111 11 11 11 1 11115 111 ‘11111 11 11 1 1111 . \V 1 t ti‘b fm ‘61 1611 ug

-1111r 111 11.

yiglul arshe yc s ln‘

lf 1 11111 gher il gflham ; wi 11 f1ititu 1 13 1111 11 11 1 111

1 To keep ( 111 1 111 1 M ' il eye .

2 No tic e that the masc uline i s 11111111ta111e11 though the 0 111111

is 11 1 th is c ase : 1 g irl, tlm b e ing stvrc u lyped , b ut widnnfitik

i s s 1 1 111 1-t1111 1's suiul. l lirgu lfit is 11 nonsens e word .

EXERCISES ON THE SYNTAX

yi‘ma 1 b i ‘id 1 ma yshufsh . W i 1 gfiham d i yeqfilu 11 1151s: iza 11 11 1 1

Rab b una, yi‘

tiha 11 1 insfin we yak hudha we yerub biha fi b é tu

we yegib hab b it radda , walla hfiga , we yihuttuha fi wa ‘fiya

fuk hkhér au babb it nishfim khashab,we yihuttuhum fi eye

m zi ‘fin in 1151 11 yekfin h éd ir , we yihutt il in sfin ig g fl hara fi qalbuhum we yirm i qirshe sfigh taht ig gfiham we yighatti

‘ala lma

‘fin we yikhallih fi mahal le muhtak if1 lagle ma yib qfish

‘alé h

rig l, yisb ah i s subh we yik sh if il ma

‘fin yeqfim yilaqi m in b a'de

ma kan hfitit qe1 she wah id yilaqihum2 it11 én ; wi 11 hat te hitta.

b i ‘ashzu a yilaqiha hittiten b i‘asha1 at , wi 11 hat te riyailén yiiaqi

hum ai b ‘a riyalat, we tannu baqa. 11 z z iyfida 1amma. yehuttewfihid yilziqihum itmen .

X V I

Kan f1h rfigil we huwa. l issa, maugfid i smu Mehammad,huwa

m in Damanhfir il Bihéra, u k éin it‘aiyin waiya 1 ge sh il ingliz i fi

muddit harb i s Sfidfmil auwiléni, ya‘ni m in muddit k hamastfishar

sana,we kfin it wag iftu gaz z ér ; we qa

‘ad waiya l ge sh kull e

waqt is safariye , u fidil b a ‘diha muddit talatt arba ‘ sin in fi

S fidén . U 1amma. habbe leinnu -j ig i yisfifir‘ala barre Masr we

yirauwah baladu qam m ish i fi sikka fi wust ig gabal , u kan

yetfih fiba ; u kan yuq‘ud mfishi shah rén talata 1amma, W ugul fi

W adi i smu wfid i 1 k ilfi b , i i ° riggéh b etfi‘ il balad k ilfib wi 11 niswfinbetu ‘11 11 111 ban i adam ; 11 1amma wusil

‘anduhum qamum garyiu

il k ilz’

ib ‘aléh u laffum hawaleh ; u wah id m in 11 k ub firat b etuh

11 11 111 shwiya‘ wahid 111 11 1 tarafu ii 1 malik b etahhum leimun yig 1

yeshfif ir rfig il da 1 «rhar ib yitfarrag‘aléh ,

leinnu hilwa rfigil

ban i adam .

b

YVe 111 111 111 11 gib i s su l tan itfarrag ‘

11 111 1 °

1 11g i1 11 811111 11

11 hab b e lein nu yi‘zimu ‘a

o

ndu ; wi l akfib ir , i l l i 11 11 111 111 11 1 ‘um zul

b eisfi‘ il balad , kanu‘anzin iuKhrin 3i

‘z imflh ‘

.a11d 1111 um We131111 111 11 8 811 1111 11 talub y1 z 1n1 u

‘andu 11 11 111 111 11 t‘ak hkharum wi

q§ 1u 111 m in ba‘de 111 11 yik hlas i s sultfin 111 111 ‘uz umtu 111 11 11 k umfin

11 i ‘zi 111 u ‘11 11d i 1111 .

” Fe 1 5111 ir rag i l fi t ilk i1 yém wi f t ilk 11t‘umm ‘

und i s 811 1151 1,11 s sul tan b asatu wi cififu W e ik ram n l

g hfiya ; 11 ii b é t i s su l tan u sabab fitir i s subh,11 ga

’

i b fl 11 1 1

qahwa,sh ir ih u nb usa t

,u gum i1 ‘

umad b etfi‘ 11 13 11111 11 wi su b

bahum ‘

as sul tan wv qfilfi lu z“Nah z

‘

u uk sa‘ id u 11 1111111 111,ya

m ‘d b is sultan ; 111 1111 b iddilm n istu g iz m innak 11 1111 111 111 1 1 : 1k 1111d

id (lé f d i l) nedifn ‘z1 11dina . I s sul tan qul luhum : 1 11 1 111111 10

11 1111111111 . “11 11 1 1111 11111 k had flh we 11:1t ‘um luhum 111 11 11 1111 111

1 587 .

2 O r mulgtik if ( for m l i‘

b ik if) .3 4 1 11 111 referring to itué u .

. 354 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

‘6 sh 6 r6 tn6sh 6 r nafswalla ‘ishrin 116 1

'

s m in 6 k 6b ir i]b 6 16 d humma1 kul l d6f6h ‘

6 nduhum we harimhum humma l l i b iy6 ‘rain 1

lugha b et6‘rigg6lithum ,

W i l k 6 16m i l l i yequluh ir rigg616 humma1 116 1 1111 yitargimuh l i r r6gil b i l

‘.6 r6 b i Tannu r r6gil 16 1 11 111 6

q6‘6 d fi 1 b alad yigi muddit shahr 16mm6 l i y6m m in 261: ii iy6m

k 6m b inte wfihid m in in n6s il k ub6r , W 6 b fih 6 r6gil‘umda m in

d immi l b 6 16 d, q61it l umm iha : Ya ummi

,kul l in 1163 ‘

6 Z 6mu rr6gil da wi hna k am6m

‘6 11 2 111 ni‘z imu .

” Qam ir r6g il q6l M 6

f ish m6ni‘ ; ihna mi‘z imu. We hfiwa rah fi 1 b 6t. i l l i k 6 mm 6

‘z 11 1n

f1h id d6f ta16 b u minnu ; qal lu :“

.

T6 iyib itfaddal khudu .

U fi 161ith6 r r6gil it‘6 s11sh 6 ‘

anduhum W i nb 6 86 t W i 1 111 6 1 6 mr6t11

b asatitu m in 6 11 1 u shu1 b 11 m in 11 6 t kulle 6 5hy6 ,1gr6 nnu hfiwa

r r6gil d6 huwa gada‘shab b e sugh6r we surtu gam 116 . Q 6m it il

b inth b int ix 1 6gi1~ — ‘ishqitu we hab b itu ,

we 116 b b it leinnihatgauwiz u . U b 6 ‘de ma n6m 6 b 11h 6 W umm ih6 fi nuss il 161k 611 ir r6gil n6yim fi 11 1 6 116 11 il magly6 f6 , W i 1 b inte q6m itm in in n6m m 6 fz 11 ‘6 111 6 baq6sh gay i lh 6 11 116111 13 lé litha

m in hub b iha fi r 1 6gi l id d6f ; we q6mit rah it 111 , W 6 b 1‘

1h6

W unim ih6 k hamr611 in fi ‘izz in 116m ,we hi ) 6 k h6116 th 11 111 fi

6 11l6h 6 11 6n1 6 we § 6 hh it i1 r6gi1 we q6lit l11 :“Q 11 111 b ina , ya

m ‘6 llim Mehammad . Q 6 ] l iha : Aqfim aruh f611 ?

”

Q alit 111 :

i m isha m in in 116m W uq‘ud ‘

6 16 11616 111 ; 6 116 bidd i 6 1111116 1;‘6 16 hik 6y6 .

”H fiwa r 1 6g i l qam m in in 116 111 11 s ihi 11 q6

‘6 d ‘

6 16

h6lu we qal 1ih6 :“ Inti ‘

6 112 6 6h , y6 sitte Z b 6d6 . Q 6l itA11 6 hab b étak wi n ta y6 136 1 6 h 6 b b itni z 6y 6 n 6 111 6 116 b b 6t6 k 7

Qam (16 1 fi l m:“An6 h 6 b b 6tik ketir (16 111 , l6k i11 1116111

'

sh q6dir

6 q61, 1ei11ni k 116yif m in 6 b fik i we m in umm ik 16 yimauwitfini.

Q 6lit 111 :“Y6 tar6 i za k 6m 6 11 6 aqul luhum leinnuhum yigan

wizfim l ik tiqd 6 1 tuq‘11d h ina fi 1 b 6 16 d we i116 16 '2 Lfiz im tiqul

l i qab le 111 6 aqu l luhum , 376‘111 1 11 k unte r6di W 6 116 ma utash 1‘6d i .”

Q 6 ] l iha : A11 6 k l16yif agul l ik mani sh ra1d i trflh i tiftin1‘6 16y6 ,

wi 11 qulti l ik 6 11 6 1 11 111 m 6 qd6 rshe leinni agh ib‘6 11 wil6di W 6 16

shufhumsh,leinni b 6 q6 l i d ilwaqti khamas sitti 8 11 111 fi 1 gluu

'b u

W 6 16 shuftish wi16d i ; w ad in qulti l ik‘6 16 1 [16 qq ,

wi 1 ra'yi l l i ti‘m ilih 111 63 111 ‘

6 1611 . Q ailit 111 :“ A 11 6 flyis

l waiyfik w affit

6 1111 w 11f0t 116 111 111 ‘6 16 sh6 11 6 k i11 116 111 6 ya gada‘ , 6 11mm Allfih ,

m a tib qfish t if6 1'1 '

6 t fiya fi b lad il ghur b n ,ya ‘ni f b ulwd uk ? ”

Q 6 ] l i 116 : D6 h ilwa (16 yisuhh yn sitti 2 116 116 ? A116 sh il ik fuqrfisi 1 1 m6 l i b ut'fl k a, i l lu W

'

e 1111 11 1 111 6 1 bint wi 1° 1‘6g il k h 11dub ard uhum ,

W e ha ttit hiya id lm fi idu we 11111 11 gfilm l16 ‘i1' we

1 111 1111111 we k id 11'

t ( 6 1 111 ; 11 16 11 11 1111111" mushyin lmnma

116 11 1 111 11 l i 1111 1111 il 1111111 ; wi l b inte ka‘

m it, m istuhmsa‘6 16

111

'63’ is ( pronounc e a lmos t, ad s) .

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356 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

ganbu ‘ala smak h widnu ; u ba‘den we huwa nayim ,lak in nayim

sah 1 , qam b eyiftik ir it tigara, wi l ahwal illi kan fib a waiya t

tfigir il me srl , u b eyi‘m il

D

hisb itu ; u kan b eyiftik ir leinne luh‘and it tagir il masri maiyid l , we qam qal : Allah ! ya wad da.nta l ik m éyidi

‘and it tégir il masri illi h ilwa, kan sh irik ak ; i l la.tqum dughri

‘

wi thutte k itfe‘11 111 Masr we tutlub il méyidi m in

shirikak wala tffitu luh sh e abadan .

” Qam ir ragil qam min

balad i sh Sham,u gib m esfifir mak h sfis

‘ala shan yigi yakhudil m éyidi

‘ande shirik u . Fi l waqt illi réyili ye'

gub b e fih i shshéim i fi Masr , ya

‘ni waqtiha huwa, dék hil m in b auwab t il hadid

wi r ragil il masri qal :“Allah ! ya wad ;

”wi ftak ar fi nafsu

we qal : “ da nta ‘andak m éyidi l i shirik ak i t tagir i sh sh am i ;ana qalb i b idillini le inn ir ragil da yimkin yeqfim m in b iléd i shSham we yigi yeté lib ni b i l m éyidi illi

‘andi luh .

”W i ba‘d én

huwa b eyiftik ir fi 1 mas’ala di

,W agrann ir ragil i sh shfimi tabbe

quddfim b éb ii bet . Qam il masri sim i‘u we ‘irif h issu we qall i mr1

‘

1tu :“Ya, mara 11 11 11 11111 aqul l ik

‘ala mas ’ala . Qalib 111 :“Ya ragil rah tequl l i

‘ala mas’alit éh ? ya 1311 111 iyfik tekun

k hér .

” Qal liha :“ Inti m ish ‘arfa illi b ik hab b at ‘

11 111 1 b fib

da min ? Q alit lu : L 113 .

” Qal liha : A1111‘irifte hissu ,

we‘irifte h ilwa. min ; da 13 tfigir i sh 811 31 111 1 gay yak hud il m éyidi illi‘11 11di luh .

”

Q é lit lu z Ba‘dén ma, miftah luh sh il b 1‘

1b 2”

Q alliha : La’ ; igb ur i 1amma. ahrab qab le m in féq i s U

ba‘den qam ir l a l 11 l1 11 1 ab u nat te m in foq i s sutfih . i m it il

11111 1'

11 f11 tah it il b 11b l i sh sham i,we qalit lu : [ 11 1311 ‘

auz m in ?"

Qal liha : Ana ‘11u z sh 1 1 1k 1 (fulz1 n il fulani) . Q filit : T11iyib ,

d 11

fu lan safir il H igaz . Q 11 l liha :r

l‘

11 iyib ,w 11 11 11 k amfin waiyaya

l b umfi m b etahti wildit fi 3 sik ka,

‘auz 11 l1 1 1i 11111 madwid h iya we

b intiha,f e stenua hina, fi

hMasr 111 111 111 11 yighl r u yigi.

” U ba‘d es 1baht iyam bass i1 1 11g i l il m 11 s1 i 111 6111 sh sham i lissa maugfid

‘

,1:1ndu

fe qal l i 1 mm 11 :“A

n

na 1111 811 11 i :1 h 11‘m il ‘

11 iy11 11 , 11 b 1 ‘1

c

dé 11 11‘m il

weyit , 11 b 11‘de 111 11 111 11 1: yiwuddfini 11 nus i t 1111 11 11 3 idfi11 1

‘

111 i, 11 11 1b11 ‘d e11 111 yidfinfmi l1 i1w11 r11 l1 yuk hud m inni U b a ‘doii ir mg il‘11m 111 il hila d i 1 1 m at

,11 waddfih 11 dafam flh u ghuttfi

‘alé h

o

11

tut0 l1 , 11 tamm h um 111 1 \ 11 ) 1n U m in 1l imn in mis illi kfinu

mashyin fi 111 11 3 111111d 11 k 11 ii mash i sh shin ni. Qal : “ baqa y11wad m l; ti'f i m in bi l 11d i sh S ham wi tk 11llif nafsak we ci§rif il1 1 111 111

‘

1 1'if d i we t ig lim m lm Alisnn h i 1 11 11811 11 111 111 11 111 yok lmshsh

il le l we yehauwid tu u li tuk lnul m innu l1:mmak .

” l s sfi ‘u 111 111111m in il l1 l il 1 : 1 1 ril ‘

11 l11 b ub i t tu 1 l1 11, 11 t: 1 ll1 ‘1 sikk ina m in

gabu 11 q 11‘11 11 ganb i1 I

‘

: l" ll il moyl t “e (111 1 lu z“ A11 11 lazim

11 k liud lmqqi m in " llflb

l l k W 111 1 11 h itta m in kufunuk . Qam ir

nig i] il musri 1111 111 luzi‘ h i 1 kufim 11 ( 111 11 11

‘11 l11 lié lu

,u fak k

il ku fun m in maisu u ‘l"l 111 : 1311 1111 1 11 mg il tigi m iu b ilad

EXERCISES ON THE SYNTAX

i sh Shém mak hsfis‘ashfin méyidi wfih id ? Qam qal 111 Sh

shém i : “W i S'hm i‘na, 1 nta ya. masri lamma sm i‘tini k hab atte

‘ala bab b é bak qumte nattét m in féq is 3 1111111 harab t we qulteli l mara : ‘ ana m séfir il H igé z ;

’ u l amma laqitn i tauwilteS 11b a‘

tamant iyfim W ana sfir ib 11 mrauwah ‘ala, be tak k hufti

tk allifni ‘ala nafsak b i b éga ? We lakin il masrfif il l ana saraftufi akl u i shurb garaftu m in géb i, wi nta tak hud ba

‘

dak 11 tigim in féq i s sutfih wi ttgub b e fi 1 bet 111m we ti

‘m il ‘aiyén u ti

‘m il

méyit , wi tkalli 11 nés yidfinfik b i 1; turba. bi l b fiya we da kul lu‘ala sb én il m éyidi ! Ana w Allahi we 111 11 akhud h itta m ink afanak b idal il m éyidi b eté

‘i.” Qal lu z

“ Ya. akh i 11 1111 lfini

mutate wala garé. Ii b figa ; wi dilwaqti rayak eh ? Q ul l i .”

Humma fi 1 kalam u m itlu il la gama‘a haram iya agrannuhum

sarqin k b az init mal 11 m ih tar in yeshuffi matxah yiqsimu l m 1’

1 lfih

,we mush laqyin ; we tannuhum mashyin u b arb anin b i 1 mal

ha tta wuslu l qereia. il l i fiba turb it i r ragil il maeri . Eu 2 hummal haram i> a laqfi Sham

‘a qayda fi 1: turba ; qam wab id m inh umqal : Ya g id ‘an ihna minz i l niqsim il mal ‘ala b a‘

(l ine fi t tm ba.

l menauwara d i .” Humma niz lu 111,in k énu ‘iS‘hrin wal la talfitin ,

b i 1 mal il l i waiyab um . Qam il musri qal l i Sh sham i : Ga 111kil farag ; yalla n i‘m il 1110 3 113111 wi nnfim ihna litnén fi 1: tu i b a

lemma 11 Des dol yinz ilum wi nshufhum rayhin yi‘m ilfi é li ; iyak

yek111 3 l ina qisma fi l l i waiyahum . U ba‘dén litnen nam fi,wi

l haram iya niz lum b iqassimu 1 111511 ‘11 111 b a ‘

qluhum ; 11 mba‘dema tqassim il mfil fiflil waiyfihum wfib id n ziqiS

‘ m in z im lfitb um

ma k hadshe nis ib u m in il fulOS . H 11mma m i ‘ 1‘

1 h 11m sef mefaddad yisawi mauab wab id ; qamum qalu l i Sh shak b s

,i l l i

h il wa fad il d ih ma k hadshe ma 11ab 11 , q11111 lu z Ya11‘11zin niddi lak i s sef d ih fi manab ak . Qam hfiwa starda ;

( 111 10 111 :“Taiyib , ya Shat ir , n idd i 111 k i s S éf fi m 11 11fib ak ,

lfik i1 1

i sh shurfit‘11 111 kede ihna b iddina i11t11 tiflm b in nfiS' il itnen i]

m éyitin i l l i 1111 ) m in u anb e b a‘de dOl . Q 11 111 ir ragi l qal : Yak hwanna ,

ya tam 11 1111 drub b um we humma me 1 i ti 11 ? Mush

haram ‘aléna ? Q alfl lu z

“W i li t11 m 11 111k ? 111 1111 sl111r 11tn11

waiyak‘11111 kede

,wi n ma dai ub tub umsb e bi S sC-f 111 11 lak S lu

manab ‘and ina . Qam h ilwa ( 1111 :“W

'

e‘11111 S lum 6h rub atl1 ‘

1

m in gher manfib masalan ?”

Q um m i sik i s s b i idu we rub

féz i‘ ‘ala litnen il méyitin m l; yiglrab b um . Q 1‘

1 11 1 11 1111111 111 11

fam ‘um ‘ala l b arfim iyu , Tafasb u 11 11 111m 11 we film

1 mill , we fé tu s S éf,we kul l e wfib id g iri fi 1111 1131 1 . Qmu il

mu z-gri qal l i S b Sh 1'

1m i : K ede W 1 ak hi,11 |1i gut m in Allzih ,

wel iub b unn k b C-r b i zyfula m in

‘11 1 11111 we gut; l inu. b i 11 niyfib a;

fish m i ‘na. 2 By assim ilat ion . yok uu .

358 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

11 get l ina‘at tub tfib .

” Nihaytu 1 haram iye 1amma harab um

we giryum qam il masri qa‘ad yiqsim il mai l waiya sh shfim i ;

qasamuh nussén ; ku l le wfih id khad 11 1153 11 mé l . Q am il masri

qal 11 sh sham i : Khud manab ak we ranwah ‘ala baladek baqa.b i salama

,w ana, akhud manab i W arauwah ‘ala, beti . Q am qal

ish sham i, qal 11 1 masri :

“Ya akh i , ana ‘auz il meyidi b tfi‘i ;

ana, ma, futsh e haqqi .” Q am qal : “Ya akhi , mush mek afi ik

i1 mal da kul lu,11 l issa b iddauwar ‘

ala. m eyid i wahid kamanm inn i ? ” Humma fi 1 k alam 11 m itla waiya b a‘duhum bassulaqfi wfih id m in 11 haram iye basis m in taqt it turba , we hfiwa.waqte ma, k an b ib usse

‘aléhum m in il k hurm b etfi‘ it turba, qam

il masri ‘ala h élu ; 11 waqtiha kan ir rfigil il harfimi lfib is l i b da.fuq rfisu ,

we kan il masri rah k hfitif il l ibda m inun . Q am il

harfim i khaf 11 giri ; we kan il 11131511 qal 11 sh shfim i : “Wadd il l ibda fi 1 m éyidi b ta

‘ak

,wala tit‘ib nish wala, tit‘ib she nafsak

,

11 adinta, k huluste b i haqqak w ana k h luste b i haqq i,wi ‘té nu

Rab b una, kher b i z yfida .

” U sallimu ‘ala, ba ‘d

,11 ku l l e manhu

rauwah ‘ala, baladu .

XVII I

I n nas yeqfilu‘ala l ihrfim fi fik hir iz zaman 1amma. tqfim i1

qiyéma yiqfimum yigu 1 habash m in kutruhum,1e innuhum

k utér zeyi 1 naml , yigum bi salfitinhum b i wuzarithum bi‘askar

hum b i halhum bi m ih tiyalhum b i harimhum b i ‘iyalhum , yigfi

dughri‘ala l ihrfim ; wi l ihrfim titha iya

’ luhum fi eifat dahabkasr ; we humma yitk hanqfi waiya, b a

‘duhum fuq dahr il haram ,

wi yeqfimum ‘ala ba‘d

,wi yiqh

'

ab um b a ‘duhum ; W 1 da. yakhud

shuwaiya, wi da yak hud ketir , we yimauwitu ba ‘de b a‘duhum b i

b a‘11,wi yerfl h um k ulluhum fi sharbit moiya k e innihum ghirqu

fi 1 bah r,we ta ‘

1 b hum yeruh min gher fayda~

XIX

I I agrfld huwa i111 yek im m in gher daqn wala shanab we3 1111111 wish shu 1 11 113 8 1151‘ ii ii zfiyi l 11 1 W i 111 \ i< tib ih 11 11 11

yifdal 101 in 1 13 11 11 1 m e‘ak nin wi y zeqfll A‘fiz u b i 11 111

,da mg il

m bfihu wih ish 11 s: :1 11 1h s: :1 b b 111 11 11 ‘z11 1 1 s $ 1111h , y11

b i wishsh ii 1' 1 : 11ih ; y: 1‘11i sub uhnn iiistib ih i l lai lii wishsh

ir rfig i] 1111 11111 1 1 111 yifauwit sub h iyitu‘11 111 t i

' in 11 11 1111 1‘

11 : inn i £1 11 11 11 11 11 wishsh i1 zig rud 1111 ! Lfik in

h :1 1111 ‘m i1 I 6h 11 11 1111 ? ish shur l 'e inziqdfl r.

"W e 11 11 111 511 1

le inne 15111 11111) i1 ( 111 11 1111 wa la ‘

33 11 1111 11 11 agrfld .

For i ii‘m il , us the imper. u‘m il some t imes for i ‘w i l .

ahs an m in .

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360 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

lammétha fiba adi nta k altuhum fi sfi ‘a wahda ; yal la , ya gada‘

,

{sariq is salama,ruh fi halak ; Allah yihauwin

‘alek b aqa nafadteb i ‘

umrak .

”U ba‘den qal fi maisu s simmawi : “

rayih tuq‘ud

ti‘m il eh b aqa fi 1 b alad di madam i l l i hauwishtu fi sana ah é

rah fi daraga wah da .2 Ah san teruh terauwah b aqa

‘ala b aladak .

U seyib in nas i l l i k an gayib hum ,11 qal luhum : Rfihum intu

kaman li h alkum . W e khad b a‘du 11 m ish i ‘ala b ladu . W i 1

ganayn‘

i 1amma ranwah ‘ala b aladu qam qal il mas ala di fi 1

b alad b etah tu ; 11 wahid yeqfil li wah id 1amma ku l l id d inyak hadit khabar b ub . W i 1 q61 da yequluh il wilad i s sughaiyarin

m in muddit Efendina I sma‘in Basha .

W i yeqfilu n nas 1amma s simmfiwi yakhud in 11513 we yidakhk halhum fi 1 b et beta‘u we yighfil

‘aléhum , yek un m ehaddar qaz z

‘

in

k ibir nahas,wi l qazan yik hud 111 qadde qirb iten moiya, we

yekun mewalla ‘nar taht il qazan ; wi yegib in 1111 5 yi

‘allaqhum

mir riglehum , ya‘mi yik halli rigléhum li fC1q we rashum li taht fi

1 qazan ; u waqte ma yi‘allaqhum b i s si fa d i 3 eq11111 11 nas m in

sahd in h air yeqfim yin z il is simme m in ban i adam m in dufre

rigléh li ghayit Sha‘re rfisu fi qalb il qazfin ; wi 1amma yissa lf

yesh ilu wi yegib ghéru yi‘allaqu . W i yeqfilfi le inn is simme

d ih i l l i b eyik hrigu s simm ziwi m in gi ttit ban i adam yeqfilfi le

innu yiwaddih 11 8 8111151 11 betzi ‘n ; W i huwa mgiyu fi Masr we

ak hdu s simme mm m mi s b i amr is sultan .

Fih mi s m in id darfiwish il wfihid m inhum yim sik séfmin in

nahyitén b i idéh litnen we ba‘de ma qal : b i sm i 113111,Allfilm

akb ar ,

”

yeruh yidrab nafsu b i s séf ‘ala b atnu,wa l la ‘

ala k itfu

we yigi l khal ifa yeg ib wfih id darwi sh‘a la yeminu 11 wfihid

‘11 111

811 11 111111 ; wi r rfigil i l l i f idu s séf yenfim fi 1 zi rd wi y ehutt. issfif ‘ala 11 11 111 11

,W i yigi 1 khal ifa yistinid b i idéh litnen we yehutte

idéh ku l l e id ‘ala k itfe wzih id ,we yitla

‘ b i rig léb litnen 161] (111111‘

is séf we yittnk k a b i rigléh b i quwwitu‘11 111 fikh ir ‘

azmu,wi s 861

yib éyit gfiwa b atn id d i 1wi sh 11 b a ‘dC‘ n sequm‘11 111 116111 1 e11 11ssu

1 1 11115 y il ?1q1’

111 kharre ( lamme m in gismu W 11111 11 11 9 111 111 11fig 11 :W e auwul i1 Khal ifa ma yitalla

‘ is sCf b i idu 1 eb i11i sb a‘11 b i

1 11111 m in bamaku w i yemashshih ‘11 111 b ntn id ( 111 1 11 1s11 ‘

11 111 matrahis sef. W i 1wil11d 1 .~1 m1g l1 11 1y111 111 1 9 11 1itt11 lhum shisli fi 1111 11 11 k h 11111we yinafl id flh fi s id 115111111 11 1 11 111

0

1 3 1111 11 wi 3 0 11 1111 11 111 1111 1 lam iina

ii 111 1 1 ish sli isli 1 1 1111 nahyitfin wi m inhum wi Ifid il wfih id

m inhum yim sik q11 1°

1°

1iy11 W 111111 q 11 11 di1 fi i11C°11 11m we yerub dugh l 'i

qzntmu we zfigh i; il q iz ziz 11 k irslm . W im inhum 11 11 3 111111 riggfilu

k ub zir b i 1111 11 1 1 , wi 1 W 1

‘

111111 111 111111111 1 yimsik it ti‘ b fm b i idéhum

EXERCISES ON THE SYNTAX 30 1

litnen we yitannu yuqtum we yiqarqasb f ih b i bamaku b i lahmub i ‘

admu b i halu wi yib la‘u fi batmu ma yk hallish m innu haga .

U minhum nfis yim sik u l b itb it il wi l ‘ ,a yaa‘ni b itb it fahma

m iwahwiga , k ulliha hamra , wi yerfibfi diighr i b algh inha‘ala

tfil .

XXII

I l fallfili in i za shafu binte m in b anathum b itkallim walad

yik un shabb u b z’

iligh 11 h iya kman bal igh yeqfimu marratén

talata yinab b ihu‘aléha ab fiha u umm iha wi yeqfilu l ha

‘eh yab int ! Ma tim shish waiya bn i flan 11 mba ‘de ma yinab b ib u‘aléha wi yeshuffiha m ishyit waiyah tani , au waiya gh éru , yeqfim

ir ragi l ab fiha is si‘idi d ih , yequl l iha :“ Ya b int il manb fish

,

1

ana ‘amma qul l ik marra u itmen 11 talfita ma timshish waiyab n il m edafiisin ; inti ma

‘ammash tism a

‘i kalam i léh ? lak inkhud i bal ik 11 rauwah i ‘

al id U ba‘dén il b int k hadit

ha‘d iha 11 rab it ‘ala dfir ab fiha ,we umm iha qfilit laha Inti kutti

fén ya bitti 2 Q alit l iha“Ana kutte ‘amma mla moiya min il

babr fi z arawiye , W ab fii 2 ragab ni3 u giri warfiye u gatalni 4 11 gal

l i rauwah i ‘ala d dar,u g ibt iz z araw‘lye u gé t agr

‘i karsh ‘ala ddar .

”

Q élit laha umm iha : “ Ya sab iye w ani ma gul ti l ikla trfihisb e timl i m in z arawiye walla bage m in il babr . Madamint1 ma smi‘msh kalam i aho ab fik i yigtilik wala yik hal]1k i ; aheyib ga

" b i k éfu ‘ad ya b naiyiti. W e h ina r rag i l 1amma shafil b int talai; arba ‘ marrat

,walla khamas sitte mam at

,z im iq

m inha we qal l iha : “ Ana ‘amma gul l ik ‘al kalam wi nu ma

‘ammé sh tisma

‘i minni ya b int is gub aiyef ana la khal l i l

aghrib e wi t tiyzir ma ysb immfi l ik rib a wala khal l i l ik asar‘ala

wishsh il ard .

”l l b inte aysit , k haragit m in id dar 11 rfiliit waiya

walad i l l i kanit b itdfir waiyé b . H ina shaiba baqa,11 qal l iha

Inti b ard ik i ‘amma tdfiri waiya s sabi d ih w 11 1 111‘amma

traggab8 ‘al ek‘i fi sh sherg

911 fi 1 gharb e ma

‘ammfish alaigik i,

”

1 1 ba‘dén ad in ragab tik u shuftik d ilwak ét .

” 1 1 U ba ‘dén ir rfig ilkan waiyfih turya , 11 kan b iyi

‘z aq biha fi 1 gh é t, u qal l i l bin t

I stannini hmh,

“3 ana ‘auz arauwib 13 ma‘ak i d I] b inte

mask ina ma kanitsb e ‘a 1 f1 u

,lag le ak li ir ‘

um riha we agallm ,

1 A mo ther w i l l cal l her own ch i ld bint il kalb,bint

sharmfita ,&c .

2ab Oya .

3raqab ni.

5qal .

6yib qa .

8atraqqa l) .

9 sharq .

1 1 d ilwaq t , Cf . S yrian lmq -t .

1" lnina . Cf . S yrian honik . um uwuh .

36 2 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

qa‘adit fi 1 ghét 1amma gib ab fiha we gab if; turya , hattiha ‘ala

k itin 11 khad il b inte fi idu we hatte kitf ‘ala l khala,we tannu

mashi 1amma rah taht tal l e ‘a l i ; 11 fahat taht it tal l bi t turya,

u gab il bint 11 rah darib ha b i t turya, mauwitha

,11 dafanha fi 1

b irka i l l i fahatha taht it tal l 11 ramaha fih 11 radam ‘aleha ; u

tanne mash i m erauwah ‘ala betu U ba‘den,1amma rah il b ét,

umm il bint sa alitu we qalit lu z Ya b ne flan, ya

‘ni m in waqbil b inte ma rab it tiwaddi lak il ‘ésh fi 1 ghet, ya

‘n i dilwak fitimsa l lél wi l binte ma gatsh .

” Qam i r ragi l qal laha Ya wliyainti ha tug

‘udi 1 tegurri

2 we tigrugi3 wi tz inni ‘ala sham eh ? Iza

kan inti ma ntish rayha tik hfi d i 8 sira 4 ( sirt il bint) ana fut l iki i balad d i b i l l i fiba w atanni mash i .” Qamit qal ib 111 Taiy ib ,ya fulfin

,ana baz‘al ‘ala b inti wi nta z a‘lain ‘ala sh zin eh ? Qam

qal l iha : “Nihaytu ana rayb ag 1'

1l l ik ‘ala k ilme wahde ,5 walatgurri al eya wala tigrugi

‘aleya wala haga il b int khamas sittemarrat walla saba‘ marrat ana shuftiha waiya l wéd 6 we hiyamashya waiyah , qulti l ha : ya sab iyiti ya binti irga

‘i ma tigturish 7

waiya l wed d ih ;’ hiya ma sim ‘itsh e kalam i ; ana , akh ir ma

ghlub te m inha , k hadtiha fi id i 11 ruhte fi 1 khala 11 darab tiha b it turya 11 fahatti l ha b irka u lagah tiha s fiba b i k hulganha ,

we

dannéti mashi 11 gét ‘ala d dar ; w ad in gulti l ik‘ala mas

’alitha

we shfifi nti k éf rah ti‘m ili éh baga . i l it lu z We k éf, ya b fi

‘ammu, gataltiha 11 mauwuttiha 2 Qal l iha Ad in gataltiha we

mauwittiha b i t turya , ya‘n i dab ah tiha , waih iya rfih jt l i halha ;

shfifi k éf a ti‘mili baga . Q élit h iya : ‘aid

,ya bu ‘ammu

,11 k éf

ma zmagsh e‘ala b itt i Qal l iha : Tizmagi ma tizmagish

‘alak éfik ya sub iye . U ba‘dén il mara m in z a

‘alha ‘ala b intiha

sauwatit 11 sarrak hit ; 11 kan waqtiha 1; té f maugud in ti 1 balad 11

sim i ‘ g irik h il wal iya ; we waqtiha r rag i l m in z a‘alu hawa 11 11 11

11 111 yiqtil il mara we yidb ahha‘ashan hiya kani t b itsauwat 11

b itearrakh ; 11 ba‘dén 1amma sauwa tit gum il ghuiam,wi 1' ragi l

kan b id ilr ‘ala sikk ina 1amma h iya g in-rasitu b i S sirikh b etahha ,

11 f waqte w ugfld i t tauwéfa tab b um ‘11111 1' rag i l we qafashfih ; 11

1'

:il_

1 11m (l ayi'in k itfifu

,ya‘n i ( lauwal ’um i1léh wara k tfifu 11 kattiffih

b i habl e t il qinnib ( b iyi‘m ilfl h h i 2 z ift; teqflm tilfiqih z fiy il lu did ) .we ram ll fi r ig lf

-h (1611 haulid we garr l‘

lh litnén ,wfiliid m in

‘11 l a l

y imin 1 1 wfili id 1n i11 ‘11111 S ll sh im zil ; we hawa baqa f wufl uhum

i1° ragi l i l l i h flwa sfiliib il‘11 11 1111 ; wi l mam 111 1111311 m ish y it wn l 'ahum

we humm a wnk lnlin i1' 1'

1‘

1gi l,11 1amma wassalflh l i l

lnuk flma 11 sa llim fl h l i l b ul ie b etfi‘ il 11 1 111li1'iw1 .

l tuq‘mli.

4 i s S i l 'il d i .tiqtlu

'isli . 3 hu lah tilm .

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36 4 THE'

SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

mud ir l eih u il gaz z ér yak hud rzi e ir ragi l f ugritu z éye ma khad111 3 i1 baqara fi dab h iha ugritu . W 1 1 mara k hadit il fulfis taman11 baqara mm id 11 mud ir

,we da‘it 11 l qadi we l i l mudir 1e

innuhum k hallasu lha tarha m in ir ragil .

XX IV

Kan fih bint,binte b ikr

,

‘andiha ‘ashara tnashar sana , we

l aha m irat ‘abb,we m irat ab fiha k fin it tamalli mk halliya 1 binti

d i dayra fi 1 khala wi tdfir tiqash sh ish laha‘afsh 11 hatab lagli 1

k hab iz wi t tabik h . Q am ih yom m in zat liyam il binte mashya1aqat taqa m aftuha z éye nuqra fi 1 ard we 1aqatha b etidwi

z eye 10 11 11 faddao

; we kan it tin z il il b iiziti b maqtafha ,ma1it

il maqtaf b i‘enu

,u shal itu foq rasha k haditu wadditu ‘ala

bet ab fiha , iddatu limrat ab ilha wi 1111111 l aha :“Ya mrfit

ab fiya , khud i .”

Qamit 11 mara shafit; il maqtaf we‘irfi b i l l i

fih 1e innu ma]. Q al ib laha : “ Ya b itte g ib ti’ da m in en ? ”

1111111 laha : “Y umm, gib tu m in 11 khala ; laqé

’o nuqra w ana

dayra b aqash sh ish , qum te malet il maqtafwi tann i gaya .

”

Q fim itqal ib laha : “ Ummal rfihi 11 1111 kaman n eba lag] aghaddik i

g hadwa h ilwa . Q am ih i1 b int mask ina , k hadit il maqtaf wi

rigi‘it 1 11 111 lagl e tama

‘ mirat abuha fi (1 dunya l fanya . Q a‘adit

il b int tim la 1 maqtaf m in il mat lab ; wala kal lihash i l la l marra1 auwilaniya lagl e qism itha we qadar

‘um riha we agalha ; qam i]

matlab inqafal‘aleha wi 1 binte b alak it m in i1 ‘atash we h i1 a l issa

haya . W i f waqtiha kan abuha rauv1 a11 i1 bet m in barra barrasa

‘alha (m iratu)

‘ala b intu we qal 1iha :“ Fén 11 b int

,ya

1111111 111 11 :“ 1 1 amre mahu kaz a kaza wi d i (1 (16 1:

i] auwilani i l l i gzib itu we sh éya‘tiha tegib dur tfini.

” Qam irnig i] z i‘il ‘

11 l a b intu wi qal laha : Ya wliya f an i h itta ni b it ?

Q al ib 111 F1 1 b itta (1 fulaniya) . Q 11n1 rah yidauwar‘ala b intu

fi l b itta i l l i qalit ln‘a1éha 1 mara ; 1111 11 1 sim i

‘ h isse b i‘aiyat ;111qzi h h isse b intu we

‘irii tah t il arde b it‘aiyat. Qal l iha : Yab inti ya (fulzi na) . i l it 111

T

ab -11

‘atshfina isqini,

”

marraté n

1 11 111111 . Qam fal1at ‘11 1611a 11f11611 tul

-31111,m 11 111 111518 11 , 1 11 1 111 smi‘sh

i l la 1 h isse m in b i ‘id a‘ l a tfil me \ 1 1'

11 u b 11 ‘de11 qal l i111 :1“Ma b i

1 yadde 11i111 ; 1111 da 11 111 1 A111 111 11 1 1k11 11 1‘111ek i 11 e q ismitik 11 11 k 11 11 1 it,

‘11111 qadde kede we

‘11 111 qadde 111 11 l ik ‘

osh fi ( 1 dunya . \V e

tam k ‘11W 11 1111

‘al A111111 . W e

“ A111111 yib 1 i d imm itik 11

y is amhik .

”U b 11 ‘1l6 11 1111 11 11 111 11 $ 1111 fuq 111 1111111

,we kull e yém

yim la moiya l i n mi s yishrab ii m in im ,l i r 1

’

1iyi11 wi g gay .

Pi daqqe yeduqqfih in mis‘nla dri‘ithum . kan yek un

g 11 1111‘ m in 1161 ‘

1ish iq 111 11 11 1111 b int, yik lm lli 1 1i walla 1 11mm

EXERCISES ON THE SYNTAX 365

yiktib ismiha‘ala we yeg ib mara ghagar

'iya we yequl liha :

Duqqi l i ‘ala dra‘i ‘ala l iswi da fe h iya tduqqi 111 . W i l mara

min dol tisrah fi 1 hawari min dol , wi tza“aq wi tqfil : Nib éyina

1

z én we naclnziiira 1z én wa nduqqe z én wa ntfihir il b anat z en wa

nk hutte b il wada ‘z en ; illi luh raqab a

'

2yiduqq walla

.

yittab ir walla

yidmur walla yeshfif b ak htu . We m inhum m in niswan il

abrfir fi b lad 11 fallahin yeduqqum‘ala daqnuhum talat k hu ’

gfit 11

nuqta au talat nuqat fuq qfirithum‘ashan iz z ina lagle tib qa

h ilwa 11 ti‘gib ir ragil yimk in yihib b iha z iyada‘ala shén id daqq.

W i l b int il b ikr tiduqq‘ala dra ‘b a sh sh imal 1111's ( b i shikle

tadwirit dirs i s saqya) 11‘ala quritha ; we waqtiha 1amm a yib qa

d daqqe ii idha tahte k hunqitha we tib qa lab sa l asawir il faddafi ideb a , wi s siglia fi raqab itha wi l halaq fi widanha we bilb is

lih a qam 1s iswido

we tah te m innu gallab iya b égla tib qa l hagat d i

mib éyinab a leinniha h ilwa . Yeduqqum k emfin ‘ala sidr 11 111 851 11

‘al

‘

a shan il b uh ziq . L einn e kan fih wah id b asal 111 ‘aiya , wi l

‘aiya dih b aqa yi

‘atgtaahu k tir we yik hallih yishrab moiya min

gher qanfin ,u b aqa yak ul il ak l it talat 15111111: we ma b aqash il

akle yimri ‘aléh wala yinfa

‘11 b a ‘dén shawir ‘

aqlu we qal ah sanas

’

al wahid m in in mi s il m itqaddim in fi 5 si nn ; fe rah sa’al

wabid‘umru yitla

‘sab ‘én sana

,we qal 111 leinni, ya

‘amme fulfin ,

ana b asal ‘andi ‘

aiya k aza kaz a fi hfiwa qal 111 Yimk in ya b nileinnak kunte yém m in d61

,walla b figa ,

wiqifte‘ala furn wi

ddafi ét ‘aléh we stab lét id dafa ,

we yimk in aslak k unte b ardan1amma k un te waqif quddam il furn ; fe yimk in waqtiha l fum e

d ih yek fln i s sab ab asliha mara tek fin 11 11 1111; tawfig in samak fi 1

furn wi nta ma k had tish fi nafsak wala ‘téb 3 leinne ( 111 11 5111 yek un

samak mab tfit, fi 1 fu n,we bi sab ab qillit fik ritak 11 1111 1161; 1

5111 1:

is samak tigi‘alék 111 111 11 furn we h iya lli ‘

11 iyit11 k wa lla

yimk in k utte‘atshfm u kassilt 11 nim te b i ‘

atashak wi n ta ‘fil 'if

nafsak leinnak ‘atshan ,

we lak in m in tuqle di1u1‘

1ghak ghalub‘alek in mém we mim t , fi 1

‘aiya b asal

‘anrlak b i sab 1b 11 ‘

atasb ;fi l ahsan teruh ‘

ande wahda ghagariya tikhalliha * tiduqqi 1.1k‘ala sidrah. ” \V e huwa daqqe s e ir m a il 111 11 qal b a den

k hafl’.

XXVIP111 yimsb um fi 3 sikka we yitb additum l i wahduhum we

humma yekfinfi yimk in b e > iftaka 1 11 ii‘

11b 1d it Ra b b ina we 111 113 11

g b filin fib , we yimk in yek 1111 11 1absin 11 111111 111 qudam m eshun uugin

11 11 memqqa‘in au 3 1111 5 11 11 il y11 11 il 1 ; in 11118 yeqfl lu

‘111611 11 111 d61

magauin 11 11 magaz ib 11 u aul i ) 11 \V e 11 111 111 11 11 1 1 11 21 111, 11 wall 11 1 11

1 For nib éyin ,ni11111 ur.

2 I e .

‘umre 11 1 W“.

ift akurt . § 12 b

3 66 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

yakhudshe m in b adde fulfis wala yiqb alshe m in badde bfiga ; weiz a ak hadfi b aga , fu lfis au hidfim ,

humma yifarraqfihum 11 n11 masak in ; we yimk in iz a ak alum walla sh irb um yimk in yak h

lum b i guz‘e m in 11 fulfis illi tg i lhum ,

wi l b aqi yifarraqfih ;we lak in ma b add ish yigh dar yishufhum b iyak h lum 6h walla

b iyishrab fi éh wala b addish yighdar yeshufhum b iyenamum wala

ma b inamfish , ya‘ni Rab b una hfiwa 111 ‘alim buhum . W 1 11 1151s

yerfihfi‘anduhum yezfirfihum iza k anum yek finfi hayin . U

mb a ‘d in nas yuq‘udum quddamhum ,

wi yekfin il insan ‘auz

yiftik ir fi mas’ala yiftak arha fi

‘aqlu m in gher ma yequl luhum

b i 1 hanak,humma yeqfilfi lu iza k an fib a nafa‘ yeqfil fi

‘aléha

ma fihash , yeqfilfi : I l mas’ala di ma lhash nafa‘

,wi s sik ka d 1

au 1 mishwar dih au 1 b alad di au 1 giha di ma tim shish fihaf’

X X V I I

K an léla m in zat il layali kan fib a k hatmit Qur‘an ‘

ala shanfarab wi l fara11 da k an f1h tuhfir walad , we k an f1h fiqi b éyiqrawi 1 fiqi da s6tu k uwaiyis, ya

‘ni missaiyat fi 1 qiraya ,

we k an it

in nas malmfima qa‘da b etisma‘u ; we k an wahid yifiz z e min nas

1

i111 qaa‘din

,we k an yeqfil :

“Ya salam u sallim ! amma S61: i1

gada‘ da gam il illi b iyiqra. W aqtiha k an ab u 1 fiqi b adir ;

qam .simi‘ k ilmit ir ragil , 11 qam‘ala 116111 wi kan yerul; darib

k afi i f wish shu . W e kan il walad rah sarikh,we k anit in 11513

teqfim‘al a garkhit il walad , we qalit luh :

“ L éh , ya ragil , al ashan eh ? Haram ‘

alek ; darab t il walad il k affi da 16h ?”

Q alluhum : Nihaytu nafad is sahm

,wi 1 hamdu li llah b asal k h ér

‘ala k ede. W e maqsfid ab u l fiqi darab

2 il k afie ‘ala k ede

‘alashan k hayif

‘aléh min 11 ‘én ,

ah san yinb isid , u f darb 11 kafima b asal 111 511 haga illa k ull il kher.

XXVIII

Lam ina yi‘

ya‘aiyil eughaiyar yeqfim ahlu yeqfilfi : da

yimk in fulan lgasadu walla fulfma b asaditu ; yeqfimu yegib u

shuwaiyit mall; yitaqtaqfiha In ; 11 yimk in yak hdfl h ittit k halaqam in 11 k hulqfin il qadlma

, 111tta sughaiyara medauwara qadd il

qersh , yequsefiha b i 1 maqass we yak b dfiha , ma yik l1allfisb b adde

yeshufhum ,we yib ak hk haru b ha 1

‘aiyil , ya

‘ni yewalla

‘fiha waiya

1 mall; fi 11 mi r waiya b ittit shab b a z ifra min ‘and 11 ‘

attfir , wi

yedak b k hanfih 11 311 11 11 ir riba lag le 111 11 yesh imm iha il‘aiyil ; 11

tanwu ma b ak hk ha rfih b i r raqwa ye tib .

1 C ontrac ted from m in in 11 1313 . S tress is laid on the m in .

11 fi darb ( 11a11w . 11 11 61 1 11 darab ) .

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THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

XXX I

H ina f Masr iza k an 'il wahid yegib hittit b attikha a1i ratlénlab ma yek un sharihum li ‘iyalu wi yekun dakh il b uhum ‘

ala . l

b et , yeqfim iz a k anit mara walla rag il m in in nas illi humma

ah le hasad we‘enehum b etakhud wi b etisrah fil l insan

, yequmfi

yequl fi : ya salam da fulan da kulle sa‘a b eyishtiri h agat wi

yek hush shi b ha‘ala b etu ilb atti lli z eye dih mahu ‘

ala mak sah

k uwaiyis willa1 fi k h idma kuwaiyisa

‘ande gama

‘a frank walla

yek an fi eraya b eta‘it b ashawat turk .

”W e yimk in fi waqte m a

humma yuq‘udum yik k allimu W i yequrrfi wi yz innfi yeqfim il

insan yiddi 1 h aga li mrahu we h iya tk un gayb a shuwaiyit b amya

walla shwaiyit muluk hiya we tigi tqatfga‘ il hittitén il lab ma

,wi

tkun mek harrata l b aealtén we ramya lhum il b ab b it is samn fi‘arr il halla ; we tanwu ma ram it i1 hittitén fi qalb il halla

,we

waqtiha tkfin il mara qa‘da quddam i1 halla , wi tb ussi tlaqi 1

halla mattit wi nshalit m in 1611 i1 k anfin li wahdiha W i truh mak

b fib a li wahdiha min gher ma b adde yez uqqiha wala hadde yig i

yammitha , we tauwe ma k k ab b it; il halla yekfin ir ragil k haragu gib m in sh ughlu ,

teqfil : Ya b u ( flan) ma tiz ’alsh, ihna k al

lilua ‘al halla

‘ashara tnashar qersh e sagh , we lak in hiya nafad

fiha s sahm 11 nk ab b it li wahdiha. q ul liha : “Ya ( fulana)ana k unte dak h il min b ab il b et 11 shafitni ( fulana u fulana) welak in il hamdu li llah illi gat

‘ala b ab b it it, tab ik h wi k k ab b it ,

11 nafadit ‘énéhum fib a .

W i z a dak hal Wahid b i b attik ha walla eye hagt in kfinit illi

ykfin shfiriha li l ak l wi yek an mara walla ragil shaffih , we h ilwarak har shafhum

, yiftik ir leinne (161 yimk in 1151 3 hasfidiyin wi

yeqfil : ya ritma ma k untish shuftuhum 11 ala shaffini ; yimk in ,

ya wad,madam (161 shaffik tfiqa

‘ minnak il b attik ha li wahdiha

t ink isir wala nak ul wala mishrah m inha . W 1 n ma k kasaritsh

il b attik ha yimk in yik haniq miratu walla wiladu ; we tauwe ma

b asal il k hinaq walla b a ‘d 11 m samma yinfadde m in il k h inaq wi

yexfiq yeqfil : W Allah ya (fu1a1 1a) 1 z z a‘al illi 11:1 sal lina d ih

da min ‘en ( fulana) illi shafitni w ana dak h il b i 1 b attik ha .

XXXII

W ugfid il hamam fi I b et 11 11 Z 8 li l filad , ya‘ni l b é t illi

maugfid fih il l i 1m 1 111 um tk husb shfish wilad il gan il as liqiya

we do

a yeqfilfi le 1 11 11 11 b i sab ab tam 1 111 l 11 11 11 111 111 yiz k ur R : 1b b 1m a

yiwahh idAllah wi yequl :

“ya I lli yeqfil

“y

we illa (i .e. walla ) .

EXERCISES ON THE SYNTAX 369

Ra’fif humma l 1131Q ir rfimi l abyad we hfiwa fi rigléh rish ,

we luh shuw6sha rish fi rfisu ; wi lli yeqfil“Allah ! Allah ! ”

hfiwa l yaman i l iswid , sughaiyar‘an ir rfimi wi nb if fi gismu .

W e amma l balad i yizk ur Allah rakhar , we lak in il g insén d6 l

yizk urfih z iyada ‘an il balad i ; wi 1 balad i bid menaqqatin

nuqat nuqat, ahmar‘al abyad . U fih firak h balad i minhum d ik

ismu d ik me‘6shar luh fi riglo

6h ‘asbar sawab i ‘,wi huwa abyad

khal is fi 1 l6n ; we yeqfilu le mme huwa rakhar b irze fi 1 b 6t , wil b 6t; i l l i yib qa maugud fih yib qa murz aq we mus

‘

,ad we lanima

yi‘uz yiddan yisma

‘ dik il ‘arsh we yiddan waréh .

XXX I II

I l kalb il agrab 1amma yigi quddam b 6t il insfin yequm il

wahid ma yilz im she leinnu yidrab u wala yi z ib ahsan b i lah san yib sin

‘al6h b i luqmit‘6sh wi yek hallih yerub b i l ma

‘1 fif ;

alisan yimk in yek fin il kalb i da yekan wah id m in ik hwanna lgan yitla

‘um fi 11 nahar au fi 1 161 fi sifat k i lab walla f sifat qutat.

W i z a kan il mara m in d6l wal la r rfigil m in d6 l yeshfif il kalbed ih au il qu

'

qta d i wi yerfih yegib‘asaya yidrab hum yeqfim il

mara au ir rag il yiltib is fi dra‘u wal la fi riglu , au il mara yiltib is

g ism iha kullu , u ba‘dén il wah id m inhum yi

‘

ya .

XXX IV

I za kan wab id we hilwa b eyistib amma fi 1 b ammfim yik hab b a’

g

b i rig léh ,walla hfiga, fi 1 ard , we yek un waqtiha wah id m in iI

gai n fi 1 mahal] i l l i huwa k hab b at, f1h d ih , yerub waqtiha yiltib isi sh shak h si da

,11 waqtiha ,

b i sabab ma l ihsu 1 gai n, yib qa

‘aiyanfi gismu

,wala ma yefuqsh e m in 11

‘aiya bt6‘u i ll a 11 kan yerub

yezfir sh ék h m in il mashayikh ; we yimk in ma‘ kutr i zyartu fi

1 mashayikh, yinsirif m inun l

‘aiya ; we il l a f1h 11 68 m in il fuqaham in in il ‘al im in

,i l l i ) eku 11

‘anduhum ma 1 ifa taiyib

l b i lk itaba

,humma y1 0 hda1 um yik tib fi lu h igab ; we 3 ihm ilu Ii maisu ,

we yimk in ,b i sabab haml il h i ( r 1b d ih , Rab b ina yak hud b i yaddu

we yisb fih we yin s'

u if m inun r

b

'

1 iI1 d iIi. W i l hal im 1 uk h 1 in 12a

kan wahda w imbum nayma masal z a‘alfma m in guz ba ikm innu

m iggauwiz‘aléha

,au yek un

‘aiyil m in

‘iyalha 11161: au m in badde

yek fin yiqrab l iha , u f waqtiha teqflm m in mafz fi‘

a,we

yimk in tak hud moiyit; ghasil wishsh iha au ghasil idéha au rig l6ha

wi truh hadffiha fi b 6t ir rfiha wala tdastarshe , yequm yilh isha r

1 Adverb ial ly,for taiyiba . 116111 1111 .

370 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

rib walla l ginn ; we 1amma yifhamum ahliha leinne di ‘aléha

rih yeqfimu yak hdfib a we yizauwarfiha l mashay ikh , wi sh sh6k h ,i l l i tistiraiyah

‘ala g yarta,tamalli tzfiru 1amma yinsirif m inha .

XXXV

Suk nit il gan tekfin fi 1 hammamat au fi mahal lat b iyfit iladab au fi mahal lat mahgfira ma b add i sh yek un sak inhum

,ya

tkun suk nithum fi 1 khala, ya

‘ni fi 1 gib al an 111 1 magharat ; uminhum m in 11 ahmar u minhum m in 11 iswid . W i z a kan ilinsan yek un nay im fi b 6t mahgfir m e

’aggaru ,

we hfiwa r rag ilda yimk in yekun

‘6z ib l i wandu— we i l l a n kan it mara tk un‘azba l i wahdiha— we l i sabab 11 b 6t da yek fin inhagar we m in

gb 6r suk nit nas adamiya yimk in yekfin i1 gan yisk unfih . W e

h ina n kan ir rag i l ma yek unsh e‘arif inn il b 6t d ih mask fin ,

yeaggaru we yi‘az z il ‘iz alu ; we yimk in m in auwil 161a ma yeb at

fih,we da b i sabab ma yk unshe waiyah

‘aiyil wala mara

, yeq11m

1amma yenam yeqnm yisma‘tak hb it fi 1 b 6t we huwa nay im fi (1

dalma ; 11 m in k h6i11 yequm m in in n6m yiwa1la‘ lamda wa11a

sham ‘a u tauwe ma wal la‘ il l amda yib usse ma yelaqish tak hb itwala haga . W i z a taffa

,we yinam tan i marra

, yimk in yeb usse

yilaqi t tak hb it dar tan i ; yequm yiwalla‘ il lamda

,we yetannu

qa‘id ‘ala h élu 11 161 wala yshfif in u6m b i‘6nu 1amma yedfir in

nahar we yitla‘ ‘ala k h6r . W i za ma walla‘she yimk in yigi 111 1

wahid minhum fi gifat kalb,walla f sifat qutt, wal la f sifat sab

‘ewa11a dab ‘e wa11a arnab wa11a naga m in 11 wuhfish . W e yiqdar

y izhar we yigi 11 ban i adam fi sifat kul l e ashya m in il biwanat auf sifat ban i adam . W e h ina tanwu ma zuhur l i r rag i l an H

1 mara yequm yihb ishu b i idu au b i riglu ; yeqfim il wfihidm inhum mafz fi‘ m in n6mu ; u waqtiha iza kan yek un yi

‘raf

yiqra , yimk in yequm yitwadda we yisalli rak ‘itén 11 yiqra s

Samadiya ta1at marrat , we ay it il Kursi marra , wi yenam ; wewaqtiha iza kan f ih sukh an m in 11 gan fi 1 b 6t il mahg flr yihb aqu

k ulluhum . W e amma iza kan wahid m asalan ‘auz yek hush sh emah ille b 6t il adab wa11a b 6t mahgfir yeqfil :

“A‘fiz u b i 1111111m in i sh $ 116t ir ragim ; u waqte ma dak hal ithafaz

l m inkul l e haga b i sabab le innu ista‘az bi 11111 m in i sh shétfin 11 m inkul l e gan ; fe yitla

‘ sagh sal im ma yigra luhshe hfiga .

'

W i fshahre Ramadén ,

ya‘n i b i sabab is siyfim wi 1 adan f6q il mawad in we qirayit i1 Q ur

’fin fi 1 b iyfit kull e waqt , we tanniha l qirfiyadayra fi 1 gawami

‘ —fe h ina b i sabab kul l e z filik, we ‘

atiyit iz

z ika k amfin , yif<1a111 1 gain masgfinin m in auwul ram adan l i ak hru ,l i ghfiyit 11

‘id iz, z ughaiyar .

c .

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372 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

yer11 b fi 116111 . W 1 1 m 6rid ma yiqdarshe yintiqil m in matrahuz éye ma kan

‘afrit auwul ;1 we tauwu ma yidrab w6h id f ih

wish sh, wal la wishsh én , yeq11 111 n 1 168 leimun yib qa fardit

b artfisha qad ima .

XXXVII

I l kalbe 1amma yuqaf we yi‘auwi qudd6m h6ra m in dé l

wal la qudd6m b ét m in (161 yeqfilu n n6s 1111 yisma‘fih yeqfil u

“M 6. lak ti ‘an ‘an ? Ya tara rah yigra 6h ?”W 1 yeq11 111 11

nafsuhum : yimk in b adde rah yemfit h ina fi 1 h6ra wal la fi lb ét 1111 huwa w6qif qudd6mu .

”

XXXVIII

W aqte w il6d 11 kutt6b ma yitla‘um we yekfinu

‘anz in

yerauwahum b iyuthum ,sawa n kan fi Masr au fi 1 ary6f, auwu l

ma yigu k hargin m in b 6b 11 k utt6b , yimk in yek finu w i l6d il

g611 is sugaiyarin il ashqiya waqfin mistanniyinhum ; 16 11 111 fi

sifa tekun mak hfiya yek finum humma sh éfin bi‘6néhum w i l6d

11 k utt6b we humma tal ‘in , W 1 1 w i l6d ma yekfinfish sh éfinhum

we hina dol yigum yehib b um yishank alfihum we yeqfimu w i l6d11 k utt6b yedfisfihum tahte rigléhum yimauwitfihum .

XXXIX

Iza kan m6t wah id wi ndafan yimk in lélitha yib qa b éyin‘and

ahlu fi 1 bet 1111 huwa m6t f ih we yithaiya’ luhum

,leinne 1

‘

1l b 11

l i ssa maugfida fi qalb il b ét . q fimu ahlu yegib um itmenfuqaha au w6hid fiqi yiqra l Qur

’6n,11 f wus t it talat layfili

humma yimk in yeshfiffih fi 11 116111,11 mb a‘d i t talat layfili ma

yesh fifuh she 1a fi z z 6h11 ' 2 wala fi 1 b 6tin ;211 ba‘dén il fuqaha

yak hdfi ugrithum we yerfihfi l i halhum . We l6k in 11 fikr e d ih1111 b eyiftik irfih 111 n6s— lein 11 11h 11m yeq11 111 yek fin mangfid

k hiy6l fi 1 hGt— fi l (161 d ih yek un 11 1111 111 n i swan 11 11 111 111 11 iz

z ughaiyarin ; we amma 1'

rigg6la yez innu leinn il fik re d ih da‘ if .

We amma iza k 6 11 11‘ 1 '6g11 yekun qalbu khafif wi yeqfil : 11 11 11

shufte wz1l11d k hiy6l ,” we yeqfil 11 qol da 11wahid m in 11 muqriyin

au 11 fuqaha au 11 ‘ul ema,humma yeq11 111 :

“ il kh iyal d 11 ma.

yek unsh e m augfid 111 111 11 maiyit 1111 mfit ; da niaugfld 111 111 qab le

ma ymfit 11 maiyit ;” we yisb itum leinne huwa d ih i sh shé tfm

beta‘ wz1h id k 6n itqatal fi 1 mahal l e m in qab le sfib iq .

3

1 As he could when he was an afreet before .

2 whether awake or asl eep.

3 Only the Spirits of those who have met with a vio l ent dea thare general ly bel ieved to roam about the earth . A B e dou in of

EXERCISES ON THE SYNTAX

Lamma n h as yeshfifu migma we h iya naz la min i s sama

yeqfilfi‘aléha l

'

einniha niz lit ‘ala she t-an haraqitu we amma l

qfil il masb fit leinniha tinz il ‘ala z z ar ‘e yimk in tihraqu ,ya fi

gnéna tihraq il fawak ih b eta‘itha an i s sagar b etahha au tinz il fi

1 ard 11 tintifi.

I l mezeyara fi awan waqt is séf 1amma tqum ti t la‘ ba‘d idduhr fi ‘iz z il qaiyala 1amma d dunya tib qa m sahhada wi mewal la‘a z éyi 11 mar , we tib qa lak il arde sukhna z eye sharart in

mar,tib ussi tlaqi l m ez aiyara di titl

o

a‘ l ak ‘ala wish sh il ard

tituattatg, 11 ba‘den tib usei tlaqiha lab sa l zar abyad u labsa ab yacl

fi abyad ; 11 fih minhum illi l insan yilaqi lha w ilad qa‘din gan

b iha wal la f hudniha walla yek unum dayrin yil‘ab um hawaléha

wi hiya qa‘da ; 11 b a‘den

,ya akhi , teb ussi tlaqiha hatindah l i l

wahid b i i smu illi huwa masmi ‘al eh,wi tqul

“ Ya ( fulan) .

b i h i sse ‘al1 a 1 ; yequm il 1nsan yerudde

‘aleha ‘ala hasab le

inh ib a nadah itu b i smu ; u shuwaiya 1 eb u $ $ i ylaq1ha meqambm a

we m etamb ila,idéha rak hyaha ganhiba , wi tqul 111 :

“ Da 11

ummak ; ma tk hafsh yeqfim il wahid yiqarrab‘alé lia yilfiqiha

‘ax11 r11 f1la 1 titniqi] m in matrahha wala tim sh ish ‘ala rigléha

tilaqiha z éyi t taiyz‘

n'

a 1 manffik ha ; wi l wfi}1id ,iz a kal 111 agal

we ‘um ru tawi l

, yeqfim yequl fi‘aqlu :

“ ya wad,da taiyib we

hiy ummak k anit gat fi 1 khala ti‘m il eh ? Da lb atte,ya wad

,

il m ezaiyara illi 11 yeqfilu‘aléha , l i .” W i thussi tlfiqi g ismu

irta ‘ab wi rta‘ash we g ittitu k ulliha‘as‘asit . U ba‘dén yak lmd

b a ‘du 11 yigu ; wi tauwu ma giri titnattat warah zeyi 1 km

Q filo

i z a kan hfiwa ya‘raf yiqra s Samadi1 a walla avit il K 11 1 5 i,we qul tannu yiqra fiba we yig l i 1amma yed in we yinfid n1 i11 111ib i qam b tén talata we tauwe ma laqa nafsu b i‘id ‘anha yeqfilil hamdu l i llah Rabb il ‘filamin il li Rab b una nuggfini m inha

‘ala t r .

”VV i z a kan wah id ma nafadshe m inha b iqfilu 11 mis

yiqb a2 lha b izaz had id , we yib qa lhum slmwak wi t te 1‘ 11 1i su

b et.1 ‘ith 11m zeyi l ib a1 ; wi tauwe ma q :"

1 1 1 ab a‘ léha l insan 11 1 11111

yi‘7 l

‘l8h minha tequm tedummu‘ala s1d i 11111 wi tb ussi tlfiqi sh sh u

wak ( lak halit m in sid 1 11 til‘it 11 i i i i (111 11 1 11 , 11 ha‘(16 11 1 fiqa

‘1 0 111111 .

Giz a told me he met in the desert the form of 11 11 Engl i sh so ld ierwho fell W h il e vlimhing one of the Pyram ids . The eyes

,he s aid

,

were “mewalla‘in zeyi 11 mi r1

2 Yibqa by transposit ion .

374 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

XLII

Fik r in h as 1amma wah id yiglrab wfih id b i 515111 , ya‘ni b i sef

au b i sik k ina , we yiqtilu yeqfim ir rih beta‘ il maqtfil yiz har fi8 si lah we yikhab b at f ih yeqfil : qatalni (fu lan) .

wi 11 kan issil€1h fi b étu yeqfim tfil il lél yik hab b at fih yeqille ném ishab ilb ét yeqfimfi yish shakk fi l i l qatil illi hfiwa r ragil b etahhum wi

yeqfilfi 111 I s si lah b eta‘ak ( l a tfil il lé l ma yk hallinfish nenfim

hatqille numna léh ? Ma tsh il si labak min h ina,ahsan yigi

wahid def ‘andina wi yenam fi l 161 fi qalb il bet

, ya‘ni yeqfim fi

1 lél we huwa nayim yisma‘ tak h b it is si lah we yimk in il

‘afrit

yequl le inne fulan qatalni ; fi l ahsan b i l ahsan timna‘silahak

m in ‘and ina,ahsan id def 1amma yisma

‘ kalam ir rih yerubyik h b ir il bukama. Nihaytu shu f lak tariqa , ya tirmi s

.

si lah dafi 1 b ir ya fi 1 bahr ; il maqsud shuf lak tariqa timsh i ‘

aléha eyetariqt in k an it , ya immatan begib barada wi t

‘ammarha wi

tidrab ha fih yequm yitla‘ i1 I lb h ittit b artusha , wi l b al tfisha ya

nwalla‘ b iha fur1 1, ya nirmiha ii 1 khala , wala hadde wala mahdfid

1 eq111‘alena haga wi n ‘

1 sh salatin fi nafsih a t1il zamanna .

’

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376 ARABIC-ENGLISH V OCABULARY

aqall less

aqul I say, will sayaqfim I get upaqwa stronger

ak al,k al eat

ak ub b I pour, shall pour

ak un I shall be

ak b ar larger, older

ak sab I gain

ak k id insist, impress

ak k il greedy, gluttonous

ak l eating foodakwas p rettier, better

ak h fieak hir (a ) last ; (v .) keepak h iz blame

ak hras deaf and dumb

E,eh what ?

esh what

efendi gentleman, siremta when

I b riq jugib ‘

ad remove

ib lagh inform ; come of age

ib n son

ihwah (pl . of b ah ) doorsit

’aggar be let

it’

asas be annoyed

it’

ak k id be convinced

it’

ak hk har be late

itb auwish suc ceed to

itb fihis ( tis-c uss

itbarik be b lessed , fortunateitb a rt al be b ribed

itb asmm smi/e

itb ass as (‘ala ) p lay the sp y

itb ashshar be b lesse d with,

Iw hy in

611 where ; m in 611 (min én )whence

ewa , aiwa yes

éy, eyiha whichever

ak hk h brother akhfih his

brother

ak hk har postponealz am comp el, hold resp onsible

alf thousand

al‘an more accursed

worse

allif compose

amar order, give orders

an arrive (of a season )ana I

ani which what

an is entertainanhu

,enhu which ? what t

awan season , time

ayis risk (v . )

itb a“ad be removed,keep oneself

awayitb all be wetted

ittasal reach

ittaqil‘ala sp eak rough ly to

ittfik il be eaten

ittakh id be annoyed

ittak liir stand bac k

ittallit look with disdain

ittawib,ittaub yawn

ittziwil ,‘zi lu assault, ab use

itgarr be pulled

itgm'

rzl b be tried

i “zl llld be bound ( b ook )itg zunn

‘

,iggauml

‘ be add ed upitg liarb il be sifteditg liaszi l be washed

ARABIC-ENGLISH V OCABULARY

itghasir be bold

itghalab be conquered

itghamiz wink at one another

ithauwa be aired

ithab b be lovedithatt beputithaggar be harsh , rough

ithaddit chatithassar regret

itb ash be kep t ofithafiaz be in safe keepingithaqqaq be verifiedithakk be scratched

ithamaq be quick tempered

ithamal be carried

ithammil bear malice

itrab b a be brought upitrattib be arranged

itradd be put to (door )itraddid ‘

ala frequent (v . )itraz il ‘

ala b lackguard (v . )itrafad , itrafat be dismissed

itrafas be kicke d

itrafa ‘ be raised

itrakab be ridden,driven

itrakk ib be put up, fixed upitrama be thrown awayitramm be repaired

itrawa be irrigated

itshataf, ishshataf be chipped ,

itsharab,ish sharab be drunk

it‘ab ad be worshipped

it ‘ata be given

it ‘araf be known

it‘azam be invited

it‘fish ir associate

it‘afrat behave like one possessed

it ‘a llaq be suspend ed

it‘ayiq thin k oneself a dandy

itfaham be und erstood

itfaco

ldal p rayitfarrzig be shown, look , over

itfassah take a walk

itfassal be cut out (suit)itqaddim be advanced

itqafal be locked

itqala befrieditqalab be upset

itqalla befried , swrched

itqan perfect (v. )itk ab b be spilt

itk hab at be knocked , bumpeditk hadam be served

,waited on

itk hasim waiya have a d ifference

itkhafa hide oneselfitkh affa disguise oneselfitk haniq quarrel

itk hanqu they quarrelled

itlamm be gathered , collected

itmarragh roll

itmasak be seized,caught

itnaddaf be cleaned

itnaqal,

be removed

itnen two

itwagad befoun d, bep resentitwaggih be turned (towards)itwahas get entangled, stuc k

,

strand ed

itwahal be confused ,stuck

itwah hash become savage

itwarib be slanted ‘

put to (door)itwaz an be weighed

itwasaq be laden

itwassal ac t as a go-between

itwalad be born

ittalab ask for oneselfittarrab be covered

, fille'l,with

ig tama‘collect tor/ether ( neut . )

iggaddid be renewed

igga‘mas be puzt

’

ml up with

p ride

iggama‘ be co llecte d

igradd getfwledigwnz doub le (v. )

378 ARABIO-ENGLISH V OCABULARY

igwaz (pl . of gez )ighrib a (pl . of ghurab ) crows,

ighmaqq become dark ( colour )ihtag , ih tawag begihtar, ihtar be bewilderedihtaram honour (v .)ih tiram respect ( s . )ib rima (pl . of h iram ) b lanketsih san ,

ah san show charityihmarr turn red

ihna we

id hand

idda he gave ; iddan i he gave

me

iddat she gave

iddahdar be rolled

iddarwish become a dervish

idda‘a p retend idda‘

a‘ala

accuse

iddak h il interfereiddan call to p rayer

iddawa be treated med icallyiddayin min be ma de a debtor

by, owe

iddayiq bepressed , squeezed

iddet I, you , gave

iddini give me

iilduh they gave it, him

idyar (pl . of der) conventsirtaga

‘ m in renounce

irtadd be put to (door)irtada consent

irta ‘ash tremb le, befrightene d

irtafa ‘ be raised

irtakan lean (v . )irg liifa (pl. of rig liif) loavesirmadd get ophthalmia

irm i th row ( imp )

iz rad il getfl ushed

lZ l ‘ lq b ec ome b lue

iz zab lnq slip (v. )iz z fiy how ?

izhar b ring to lightisb insa , sib insa pantryistaulid beget generations of

children

istab da begin

istab rak be b lessed , find luckyistab ‘

ad find too faristatqal consider heavy, severe

istatwil nafsu hold one’

s head

istaghash consider a donkeyistaghrab be astonished

istaghraq be dro wned

istaghlib own oneself conquered

istaghmar consider a donk eyistah z a

’

makefun ofistahil deserve

istah sin approve,find goodistah faz ‘

ala p rotec t, guard

istah k im domineer

istah lafind sweet

istahm il las t, endure

istadrag‘ala get to understand

istarzaq get one'

s livingistarsad li waylayistarkh as consider cheapista

’

z in ask permission

istagraf consider nice , good

istas-hil find easyistasma

‘an inquire name of

istasghar consider small , too

small

istashh id call as witness

ista ‘

te take (d rinks, d rugs,ista ‘

gib be astonished

ista ‘

g il urge on make haste

ista ‘ruf make 1u

°

qua intanc e ofistafh im in quire

istufm g li vomit find emptyistaq b il receive

istiu lm l i fiml , cons ider, near

is takm il befinishe d

istuk li lmr get news fromist ak hd im b e employed

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380 ARABIC-ENGLISH V OCABULARY

illi who, which

ilwé n (pl . of 1611 ) coloursimb erz

’

itb r emp eror

imrfitu his wifeimk an

,amk an bepossib le

inb ahat ‘ala gaze at

inb adal be changed

inb arash be pulled asund er ,sp lit ; sp rawl

inb firih,imb érih yesterday ;

auwil inb firih the day before

yesterdayinb é s be hissed

inb asat,inb asat bep leased (min )

enjoyin b all be wetted

inb ana be built

inb isfit, inb isfit enjoymentin taqab bep ierced

intaqan be done with p recision

intala , imtala befilledintafa be extinguished

intawa befolded , bentm gadal bep laited

ingarah be wounded

ingarr talce oneself offinguz z be shorn

ingazar, ingazar be slaughtered

be tortured (mentally)inga

‘as lounge

ingstm zt‘ be collec ted

ingharaf be dished up

Oda , M u room

U it,his urub bmfi European

ugur ( pl . of ugra) fi‘fi loo/r out, beware ( imp. )ug ra pay, hire uquf stop ( imp. )udtn ,

"( itu od itn) h is room uq‘m l sit, be seated ( imp.)

U rnh lm I'Iurolie nk tfib nr October

Ingliz Englishingliz i English

inhab as be imp risoned

inharas be guarded

inhasha be stufiedinhasb sh be mown

inb ab b be loved

inhalab be milked

indarr feel oneself injuredinz fid increase, rise

in zalai; be swallowed

insab agh be dyed

insaraq he , it, was robbed

insaW a, be cooked

insarr bepleased

inshfil be carried awayinshim }; gaietyin ‘

araf be known

inqatal be killed

inqalab turn over (n eut .)inkab b bepoured , sp ilt

inkatab be written

inkasar be broken, be humb led

inkasaru they were broken

ink b ab az be baked

ink lm fld befrightenedinmasak

,imms sak be seized

inn that innuhum that

innama, except that, only that

iyfik beware! see that

ivz‘

nn,iyfim (pl . of 345111 ) days

ARABIC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY

ukra door hand le

uk htu his sister

(113 first (f. )umm mother

b auwar leare id le

b éb door

b ab fir engine, steamboat, train

b até tis potatoes ; b atatsa a

b attaniya b lanket

b ahlawz‘

mwrestler

b ahri northbada begin

b adri earlybad lay 6998

bar be left id le , on one’s hands

b ahfi'

im,b ahfiyim cattle

b ars shaip en (penc il , dzc . )barfib l (pl. of b irb a.) anc ient

temp les

b araq i‘

(pl. of b arqu‘

)ba t-smi] barrels (pl . of b armtl)

b e‘

u'ik li cong ratulate ; b firik fi

b arb , b arb !) chest of drawers

Berberi, native

of Berber

umm z‘

l l rather, prayummi my mother

uwacl , uwad (pl . of 6da, ads )

b argim talk confused ly, mutterb ard cold ( s. )b ardan cold (of p ersons)b arda ‘

a. donkey sadd le

b ardu none the less

b arra out b ilad b arra abroad

b arrimi outer

b arrik make kneel

b arqfiq p lums ; b arqfiqa a p lum

b arwiz frame (v .)has kiss (v . )b ass onlyb askawit biscuits b askawita a

biscuit

b ass he looked, peered

b ash soak

b fisha pasha

b ash b ish soak

b ashtak b ta writing tab le

b ashqa other,d ifferent

hé ‘ sell

b zi ‘u they sold

b a‘d after ; b a ‘de b uk ra the

day after to-morrow; ba ‘d e

ma after thatb a ‘dén afterwards, ne rtb a‘

gl one another

b aqa become. 560 )b uqar cows

,k ins b aa ua cow

b fiq l re maining , rema inder

b aq qfil grocer

b ak ht luc k

b ak hk h sprink le

bfil mind, memory

b alad l countryman

ba lfish no need

ARABIC -ENGL ISH VOCABULARY

b alak bn , b alk bn balconyb alta axe

b alm overcoat

b allfis,b allasi jar

b allastpare

b alla‘a sink , drain

hallbn , balloon

b allu ball , dance

b an app ear

b ans. build

b anfiti (pl . of b intu) napoleonsb anu they b uilt

b antufl , b an tufii slippers

b antalbn trousers

b ank bank

b anné builder

b ayfigl white, white colour

hayin ,b éyin appearing , appar

ent,apparently

b ét house

b etfi‘ (pl . b etfi‘

) belonging to, ofb éh (pl. b ehawil t) b eyb é ql eggs b éqla an eggb ersim ,

b arsim clover

b eyik knllim he is speakingb éyin ( b aiyin) explain ,

expose

b i,b e

,b u

,in

,with , by

b itt b int.) girl , ( laughter

b itslmwish chief constab le

b itqfil you sayb itna ( b etna ) our houseb ighfil (pl . of lmg lnl ) mulesb itlil l ins/earl of

b id (pl . of l l y tl il ) wh itel lltltf

’ l l for l ifwliti'n l l , 17 ,

T

Tnuwib cause to repent, c ease t aht und ert itb rep ent (

‘an) g irn up ,

we t ullu'

m l lower

nounc e mlu'

lir getting read y, bringingLut

‘im cwn-inah'

on ta b wld turningt itg ir merchant ( v. ) be in rom tahwil cheque

inerve tam ; ya tam I wonder

b ir a well

b ira beer

b ir id get cold , catch cold

b irka pond , lake

b irwfiz pictureframeb iz r seeds

b isilla p eas

b i‘id far, distantb i‘t I , you, sold

b iqfil he says

b lk l weepb ik hil stingyb ilfid (pl . ofb alad ) towns , villagesb il yardu b illiards

b imb éshi colonel

b infiya build ingb int g irl , daugh ter

b iyfit (pl . of b é t) housesb udfi‘a merchand ise, goods

b urtuqfin oranges

b urda,b urcla k ind of coa t u

'

orn

mostly in Upper Egypt

b urqu‘i'

eil ( s. )b urnéta hat

b usfi t carpet

b usta post

b uffé h sid eboard

b ukra to-morrow

b ulls , b ulls police

b ulisz} invoic e rai lway rec eipt

b umluqiyn gun

b fq pa int

lu'm s,b erins prince

b urnitjuk for b urné titak

l l,l 7, 33 )

h lfid for h llnd

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384 ARABIC-ENGL I SH VOCABULARY

té sa, bo wl

tab b fi ‘ala they fell upon,

tacked

té té, bend down

tarab éz a tab le

tarah bear fruit

taraq knock

tarfiwa freshness

tarifresh .

tarb fish fez

taza freshta

’fis p eacock

ta“am vaccinate

tafia,tafa extinguish

taffish d rive awaytaqtaq exp lodetaqm suit

tfil reach

talab fi they demand ed

té lib asking

o a’

, gib come

gab b ring

gab it she b rought

gfib fi they b rought

gab b fir c ruel

gab b is grow hard , get hardened

gat she came

gfih iz real ly,ready mad e

gei h il ignorant

gahh iz p repare

gada‘

fine fellow

gar neighbour

ga l-u. it happened

gnu-uh rroun/ l ( v . )

gum s, garaz, b e ll

g am lal b uc ket

gurm mak e run

garnnl pub lish . write about, in a

paper

gury a running

gfizu punish

gamfisa a

tall overlook

talla‘

,tallah he took out,

imp. take out, awaytalla

‘it she pulled out

tallaq he dirorcedtalyfini I talian

tawa fold (v . )(Jam ar bear fruit

tawil long , tall

tfiyirfiyingtili

‘

go out, up

til‘fi they went up

tim i‘ fi covet

tor bull

tfib a. the 5th Coptic month

tursh i p ickles

1311 1 height, length tfil il the

whole

tulfi‘ascent, rising , departing

gaz z shear

gaz z iu'

, gaz zar butcher

gazma pair of boots. shoes

gazmagi shoemaker

gass soun d (v . )

ga‘fin , gi

‘fm hung ry

gak hk h talk. big , boast

galsa. sitting

gullfil) slave dealer

gallab iya gown

gallid bind ( books)gama l c amel

gfim id hard ,strong

gz‘

uni‘ mosque

gamfls b ujfaloes

b uj/alo

gam‘iyn soc iety, meeting

gammfis b nj alo d rover

gamma] camel d river

gnmm id harden

gunn’

in, gunfiyin (pl . of ginéna)

ARABIC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY

ganéni, ganaini gardener

ganb beside, near

gannin drive mad

gawab letter

gawamis (pl . of gamfis)gay coming

géb pocket

gét I came

b rought

gitta body

gib he came, ha s come

giha direction

gidfirfoundation, lowwall

gdiid , gedid new

gid‘fin (pl . of gada

‘

)gir i run

giz amfiti shoemake r

gild leather ; gilda piece of

gilgil small bell

Ghab b ar throw dust

ghatfi cover ( s . )ghadfi lun ch

gharb , gharb i west

ghasal wash

ghasalt I , you, washed

ghasil washing , wash ( s. )ghassfila washerwoman

g lmslre ‘an in sp ite of

g lmsliim simp le , clumsy

g lmla. bail

g lmlfl b conquer

g halé b a (pl ofghalb fin )wretched

ghftli dear

g lu'

ilil) try to canquin'

ghfilib an pr obab ly. germ ally

gimla , gumla total quantity,

number

gimid get hard

gineh pound (money)gimena. garden

ginninfir general ( s. )gb z husband

g b z walnuts

gb za wife

gfi, gum they came

gudad , gadid (pl . of gidid)gurnfil journ al , newsp aper

.guz hu his wife

guz ha her husband

gfi‘ hunger

gu‘rfin scarab

gum udiya , hardness, hardiness

gumruk custom-house

gumruk shi custom-house officer

gum‘a Friday ; week

gfiwa in , inside

guwér environs

gninti my garden ( for genéniti)

ghalwa , gb alya a boiling

ghanag be shy , coy

ghani rich

ghanna sing

ghawa he beguiledghawit deep

ghfiya end

ghé t field

gb ér othe r, besides , other than

m in ghér without

gh ilmu we went away, were

a bsent

ghitsn (pl . of ghét )gb iriq be drowned

gb irqum they were d rowned

gb ili boil

386 ARABIC-ENGLISH V OCABULARY

ghilib , ghulub be conquered , ghurfib west

worsted ghulut err

ghiyfa‘

a chang ing ghuna a singing

Hat bring (imp. )hah little

, fewhadad a demolishinghadd demolish

harab flee, ran awayham b fi theyfledharam pyramids

hanfi happ iness

h idi become docile

Ha,ha, sign offuture

b aiyur p erp lea:

b auwish hoard upb ab ara kind of cloak

hab as imp rison

liab b love (v . )lgab l rap e

hatta even, until

b ut} put

liatta for hfitita puttingb utt-{1b wood -cutter

hattét I , you, put

hattfl they put

haga thing , somethinghagnr stone

lingg p ilgrim

[mug go on p ilgrimage

ha tlnf throw

b ad iq salt, bracki sh

lnu ltl some one , S an/ lag llll ll l ltl

until

l‘

nul tlid bound , limit

I'

lz‘

ulirp resent, rea dy ; (pl. liaglrin )hmldnr prepare, b ringhair hot

lmm q trarn

hawa wind,air, atmowhere

h idiya p resent, gifth idma garment

b ilik parish

h ina. here

h iya she

humma theyhuwa , hfiwa (huwwa) he, it

haram wrong , shamelmrfimi rob ber, th iefb ariqa fi reb arb s, lance

harb iya war ofi ce

lmrr heat, hotliaz z enjoymentb asal) ‘

ala b asab ac cording to

hasana charity, a lms

h ésib settle with ( imp. ) beware,mind

b asal happliasirn mat

hassnl reach1.

151 l keep away

hashish grass

haslnsli cut grass , mowlinsliwn shillinghula a going barefooted

lul fir. look after

lm ll'

auo

l make learn by kr art

lmqlqn truth

lmqq truth , right

lmq l luq rrrlj y

lmkn ri late

lmk iln doctor

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388 ARABIC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY

daqq beat, p ound , mash ; p lay(music)

daqn beard chin

dak hal enter

dak halfi they entered

dak hk hal he brought, put, in

dak hk han smoke ( chimney)dall (

‘ala) indicate

‘

dawak h ,dauwak b make giddy

dawaya inkpotdél tail

di this (f. )clib ban fliesdihik laughdihk laughing( lira‘ armdisamb ar Decemberdiqiqa minute

dikk a bench

Dab ‘ hyenadahr back

darab he struck , beat, rang (abell) , fired (a gun) ; darab

b fiya hep ainted darab b alta

he took a stroll

darab it she struck

darab fi they stroke

darab nfih we struck him

darb stri king b low

qlzu 'b u. a b low

Ra ‘a see

ru'

af be c lement, excuse

m uwzlh go awayru lmt; tie, b ind

m lm 10 theyfastene d, tiedl'

n b b l) plane

La rd ,lord

m l ) l) 2l b ring up

dilwaqt , dilwaqti now

dimégh brain , head

diwé‘

m ofi ce, ministry, compart

ment

diyé na religion

dob ; dob ak , ya dob scarcelydol these, those

dub éra stringdughri straight, straightwaydurg drawer

duk -hamma those

du kkfir dog-cart

dukkfin shop (f. )duk hfil entrydfilab

,délz

‘

l b cup board

dfin low

dungulfiwi native of Dongoladunya, dinya world weather

dra‘ diré‘

clarr injure, hurtda ‘if weakda

‘da‘ weaken

daman guarantee, insure

clef guest

(lirs molar toothdimu amongdiyfif (pl . of d éf)dub fi‘ (pl . of dub

‘

)du ‘fweakness

dufr finger—nail

rab ta bund le

rfigil 7mm

ruggahlm ragga‘ha 27)

m gga‘ he b rought back ,

turmJ, rip laced

m glm froth foam, efierrescem g lnwn froth ejfc rvescencerfihin wager ( v . )

ARABIC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY

rel; he went

l'flbfi they went Iradd give back , return ; put to

(a door)radfiwa dep ravityrazaq besto wupon, bless withrasm tax

rfis head ; rés is sana New

rust-ab ] il astab l

rasras tremb le (from cold )rassas place in a rowrfi‘a tend sheep ,

watch chas

tise

ra‘adit it thundered

ra‘ra

‘

get fresh and green

rafagfi they kicke d

rafraf sp lashboard of carriage

rafi shelfraqab a, neckraqab iya collar

mqad lie down

raqas dance

rfiqid lying , lying ill

rfikib ridingrakk rain (v .)rak ha loosen ,

let go

rama, he threw

m mit she threw

Z auwid increase

m b fi'

in,m b é

’

in (pl . of

z ab fin )zahfin customer , client

man personallyzfid increase (v . )zam ‘ to throw

zara‘nu

,mm hna ‘

H’

é’ sowed

m ‘al anger

ramfi they threw

raml sand

ramm repair

rann ringrawa.water , irrigate

rfiyih goingrét ; ya rét would that I

rigi‘ he returned

rigi‘na we returned

riggala (pl . of ragil)riggalt = riggélit 33)rigl footriha. smell (s. )rigli accep t, consent

ridit I consented

rizq sustenancerisi reach come to agreement

rif vil lage, countryriq salira

rik ib ride

rik b fi they rode

rik h is cheaprub fxt tyingrub b fiwi Europ ean

rul) ‘ quarter

ruh t I , you,went

ruzz rice

rfis (pl. of rag)ruffif (pl . of rafi )ruk n corner

zak etta jacketzaman time ; (v .) lastzaman long ago

z amb il basket,hamp er

zey like, about ; z éy

p roperlyz irfi‘fit crops

z i‘il get angryz ivada. more

390 ARABIC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY

Zab it ofi cer

zfih ir clear

z ahr fl owerz ahra b lue (for washing)z alam wrong (v.)

Sa’

harm (v .)sa

’al ask

sauwal; touristsab ab reason

sab at basket

sab iq race with

sab t S aturdaysab ‘ lion

sab qa race

saggfin g aoler

sagh ; qirsh e sagh tarzfi‘

p iastre

sadd b lock (v .)saddaq believe

saraq steal,rob

saraqfi they stole

sarg , serg saddle

sa‘a. strive, help

sa‘a. watch ; sa‘a so. a. some

times

sfi‘fmti watchmaker

Sfi‘id lie/J)

safnr journey (s. )sfifir tra rel , go away , start

firt I, you, travelled

safrit she travelledsafrfl they travelled

saqqfl water-earliersnk zu ' make drunk

sfik n overcoat

sak k lork (v. )sz’

il flow t /U ll 'n

salzun ponre, g reeting wi s

sal lim! mu'

nfor all

sullif lencl

z ann think

zub b fit (pl . of gab it)g ughannan ,

sughattat tinyzub fir (pl . of gahr)gfir force, forgery

Slsi pongsifm‘ lyu journey , tripsikak (pl. of sikka)sik ic be silent

sili il’ (74 ! ( trunk

sik in he inhab ited

sallim deliver ; sallim ‘al a sa

lute

sallimit she delivered

samak fishsfimih pardon (v.)sana year

sanadgi trunk-mak er

sandfiq boa;

sawa together

sayési (pl . of sisi)sfiyis groom , manage

séyalg, saiyal; melt

séyib fi, they let go

séyib t , saiyib t I , you,

sib il fountainsib tim b ar S ep tember

sitfira curtain,window b lind

sitt lady, grandmother

sitt,sitta six

sitra. coat

sigfira cigarette

siggfida ca rp et

sign priso n

S ld lord, master

sitléri waistcoat

sirir bedstewl

sirdfir , sidredfir comnm der-in

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392 ARABIC -ENGLISH VOCABULARY

shatam insult (v .)shatim insult one another

sh atir c lever (pl . shuttar and

shatrin )shagar trees shagara a tree

shagi‘ bold

sh ahid witness (s . )shahb il hurry (v . )shahr month

shah at begshadd he pulled

sharab stocking , sock

sharal; tear (v . )sharad run awayshari‘ street (pl . shawari

‘

)char ik take into partnershipsharb a draught

shar t condition

sharr wicked ness

sharraf honour (v . )sharqawi native of the p rovince

of S hargtyash a ‘ir poetsha ‘

r hair

sh a‘lil burst intoflames

sh af he saw

shaqi unru lyshaqq fissure, crevice

shnk éta jacketsh ak fish hammer

shakk cheque

shakwa c omp laint

sh il l he took awaysh amthey carried

S ham ; h ilfid ish Sh am Syria

sh znm z‘

isi sunshade, umb rella,

shutter

sham b anya champagne

« hams ( f, ) sun

‘fl iya d isease, illness

‘aiy id ‘

nla visit on 0 fi ts dayl iyn t. weep

‘niy il ch i/( l

‘u ivfin ill ‘

nuz .

‘ai'l. wanting

sham ‘a cand le

sham ‘idan cand lestick

shamm smell

shamm am water-melons

shanab moustache

sh anaq hangShanta bag , portmanteau

shank al hook

shawahid apparentlyshawish constable

sha’

if,shayif seeing

she thingshetan Satan, devil

sh éya‘fi they sent

Sh ib bak window

shitwa, sh ita wi nter, rain

shihid witness (v . )shidid , sh edid violent

sh idda violence

sh iddiya robustness

sh irih drink

shirik accomp lice, p artner

sh irib t I, you ,

drank

sh irb fl they drank

sh i‘ir barleyshil take away ( imp. )shof a seeing, vi ew,

vision

shfika forkshugh l work , business ; shughla

p iec e of work , jobshuhhfid (pl . of shfih id )shurb d rinkingshu ‘

ara (pl . of shfi‘ir )shuft; I

, you,saw

sb uqfiy (pl . of shaqi)shukali quick

-tempered , quarrel

some

slm ll horse-cloth

shuwaiva a little

ARABIC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY

‘anwar damage, ruin (v .)

‘auwaq be late, delay‘ab d ishonour

,be dishonourable

‘ab aya coarse woollen cloak‘ab b a fi ll‘at ‘

ala it

‘agala wheel , bicycle‘agam Persians‘agayiz (pl . of

‘agflza)

‘agin dough‘agfiz old ‘

agfiza. old woman‘adfi enemy6

‘adda cross

‘add he bit‘arab i Arab , Arabic‘arab iya carriage‘arag ,

‘urug be lame

‘arayis (pl . of

‘arfisa)

‘aricl broad‘arigl eap ose

‘arish shaft, pole (of carriage)‘arik quarrel with‘arfisa bride‘a t b agi coachman‘az want (v . )‘azab angi bachelor‘azz ib torture, punish‘asfik ir (pl. of

‘askari)

‘askari so ldier‘asfiya stick (pl .

‘usy)

‘asftlr smal l bird , spa / row

‘fish live‘as b fi d inner

,supper

‘ashim ‘

ala shamfor, because‘ashfin k ede therefore

‘ashwa d inner, supper‘afrit, spirit, devil‘a fsh luggage‘aql und erstand ing , intelligence‘ak ‘

ala ik ( il )

‘ak is annoy, tease‘al ‘

ala il

al very good , first rate‘ala on

,to

, at, of, about‘alam world‘ali high , loud‘alig heal , attend‘aliq ,

‘alfiq fodder

‘alqa a thrashing‘allaq hang up , put to, attack‘allim teach ; (

‘ala) sign

‘am swim, float‘amal he did , mad e,

‘amaliya doing , deed

amalt I, you, did

am il treat‘amm paternal uncle‘amma p aternal aunt‘amnauwil last year‘an from ,

than ;‘ala in (il )

‘and at, by

0

‘andak you have‘andi I have‘ankab fit spider‘auwin add ress (v . )‘awag crooked‘awin assist‘ayir reproach‘esh bread‘én eye‘eye r kind of basket‘ib y (pl . of

‘ab fiya )

‘itit stumb le‘itta moth‘itis sneeze‘id festival , holiday‘ir if he knew

, p erceirezl , rec ognised

‘ir ift I , you , knew, p ercm'

vet l‘irsim (pl . of

‘aris)

‘irshfin (pl . of h rish )‘isi be rebellious

,d iso bey

‘isho

rlnlya Si ll-

p iastres

piece

394

‘ilm knowledge‘imi get b lind‘iwaclma instead of (with verb s)‘iyi get ill‘6za need‘ubaqi cob bler

Fa , fi ,fe but, however , and

fauwit letp ass

fat p ass, leave

fatal.

) open (v . )fatab fi they opened

fatih shepassedfatih Opening , open

fatum they p assed

fatla p iece of stringfatatri pastry

-cook

fagr ( lawn

fahh im g ive to understan d, in

formfahm coal

facli emp tyfadda silver

fadl m in fadlak by your leave,kind ly

far mouse,rat

fara wedd ing festivitiesfar m'

gl p oulterer

farm ] separate (v . )fitl 'igh emp tyfi u'iq p artfrom,

leave

farrag‘a la shon'

orer

farrfin b aker

farsh bed ,b edd ing

in ) k lm hen

ffis (f. ) (wefussuh make room ; n

'

alk about

fusi liya founta inl'

ussul rut out ( c lo th ,

fil ‘il workman

t’

uair poor

ARABIC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY

‘uturat perfumes‘figa ,

‘oga ( f . of‘awag ) crooked

‘urb an (pl . of

‘arab )

‘ukk az crutch‘umad (pl . of

‘umda)

‘umr aye

fak ahanifruitererfak -hafruitfakk unfasten (s .) untyingfallah cultivator, fellahfanella fl annel , vestfanfis lantern

fayayma (pl . of fayfimi)fayit passingfayflmi native of the Fayoumfen where

fi, fi in

fib rayir Februaryfitir get tep id

fitir b reak the fast, breakfastfitir pastryfih in it, him , there is, are

fih im understand

fillil remain

firzh '

a fieeingfirfm (pl . of fair )fi ‘l deed

fik r idea

finik phenic (ac id )film fine

fingfin c upfat a passing , going through

q on,up , above, ou r

foqimi upp er

fut b I , you , passed , left

f (itu towelfutfir b reakfast

lune! ) for ffltité n 13 , 33 ,I T)

( urn oven, stove

furnina our oven

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396

quddfim infront of, before

qudfi, qudfih (pl . of qfidi)qurus be stung

qusalyar short

qusfid opposite

qu‘éid sitting (s.)

K ab b pour

k ab b ar maisu give oneself airsk ab rit matches

k atab write

k atab t I wrote

k atab na. u'

e ur ote

k atib clerk

k attar increase, make much

k attar k herak thank you

k atm concealingk atma c loseness (of air)k ahh cough (v .)k addfib liar

k addib give lie to

k urz‘

if decanter

k artin ‘ala put into quarantine

k arslm hurrying ( s. )k aza so and so

kasur b reak

kasnrfina saucepan

kaszu '

ll they b roke

kassar break to p ieces

k assil grow la zyk ashfin losingkaslmf uncornr , perceive

k il l ( : Lk nl) eatk nlzim n

'

ord ,talk

k nlfm lock

k ul l» dog k ullu! h is dogk ull biti'n forc epsku ll; I

, gnu, ate

k am fcir

kfun how much 7 howmany ?

kmnfin ,k om z

'

m too,a lso ,

still

kmnmfis lm tongs , p innvra

ARABIC -ENGL ISH VOCABULARY

k il n he was

k anab é sofakanas su'

eepk én it she wask finfi they u

'

ere

k ann carer, shelter (a )

k anfin natice stove

k awalini locksmith

k awalingi locksmith

k einn as though

k etir much,very k etirma often

k ede so , thus , justk elub b club

k ib ir g row bigk ib ir

,k eb ir big, old

k itfib book

k itfib a u'

riting (s. )k itab k hana libra ryk itf shoulderk idb falsehoo d, falsek is p urse

k ilfib (pl . of k alb )k inisa churc h

kam mound

k n ln‘

lr (pl . of k ib ir)k ub iu'fit g randees

k uh hfiya glas s . tumb ler

kub r lming b ig , manhood

k uth i lmnkso lle’

r

k u tt. fur k unt

kutr ex c ess

k ull lm m u h

k il l? ! ltd”km 'lvfig wh ipk usul) ga in . will

qfil say, suppose ( imp. )qult I , you , said

qamesh stufqunsul consul

qunsul étu consulate

qfiwa (quwwa) strength , power

ARABIC-ENGL ISH VOCABULARY

kfi‘elbow

kuleh little dogkuléra cholera

kull all ; k ulle min ken everyone ; kulle manhu whoever ;kulle me all that, whenever

kulluhum al l of themk umb aniya company

Khairi ( f. khairiya) charitablekhaiyfit tailor

khaiyish put wrapping (khesh )

k hauwiif timid

khauwif, khauwuffrighten (v. )khabatfi they knocked

khabat, khab bat knock (v . )khab bar informkhas charlatan

khabta a knock

khataf snatch

k hatt handwritingkhatrah your sak e

khéga master

khed it she took

khadfi they took

khad t I , you ,took

khad take k had ‘ala

get accustomed to

khaddfim servant

kham g go out

k bam q bore, piemc

k harfif sheepkharb susha sc ratch (s. )

h ho les

khass get thin ,shrink

kummitra pears ; kummitrfiya

a pear

kursi chair

kunt I was, you were

hunna we were

kuwaiyis prettyk uwar (pl. of kfira.)

k hass concern

khassar sp oil

khashab wood ; khashab a

piece of wood , boardkhashsh enter

k b éffear (v. )k hafa. hidekhafif light, slightk hafi get well

kh é l maternal uncle

kha la desert ( s. )kb alat

,mix

khaleqa ragkhelle completelykh z

‘

xlif Oppose

khallfa cal iph

k halbat confuse, mixk hall be deranged

k halle, let, leave

khallasfl they rescued

kha lli leave, let ( imp. )khamas

, khamsa jive

k hamis Thursdayk hammfu'

a inn

k b auaq throttle

k lu'

m iq qua rrel with

k hunsar rlench

k hunq throttling ( s . )k b awtlga merchant ll r.

k hésb sac la'

ng , wrappingk lné l horses

k h idma servic e

398

khirffin (pl. of k harfif)kh iz i be ec lip sed , be shyk hilfif b i k h lfif contrary to

khud take ( imp. )khu clfir greens, vegetables

k hudari greengrocer

k b urfig going out, exit

khuruf be impaired (intellect)

La (particle) exp ressing surprise(s246)

la,’

no

16 , la not

lau,16 if ; lau in even if ; 1615.

if not, but forlab an milk

lab is wearing , having on

lab b fin milkman

lagl , leagl that, in order tha t

laghwa language, dialect

lahsan lest ; because

lfib m meat ; lahma b it of meatlfiz im necessary (pl . laz mil ) ,

33)lasglmr for il asghar

la‘

i‘ib p lay with,

luff fold (v. )laqa

,lfiqa find

laqét I , you, found , havefo undlaqfi they foundlfik ln hut

lak h lmt confuselamfin lemons ;le mon

lam lm lamplamda lamp

lamfina a

Mil , ma wh ich ,what

lull , mu not

um iyit, méyit dea d

ARABIC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY

k hurs (pl . of ak b ras) deafdumb

k hurm hole

k husfira, kh isfira p ityk hulal i quick

-tempered

k hulus be finishedk hul sit is finished (f. )k halq temperament

lamm pick up1amma when

, until

laws, twist

lsimu that,in order that

16h why?

li,le

,In to

161, 1613 nig ht ; il léla to-night

Ii, liya to me

lib is c lothe , p ut on

lib s clothes , costume

lin iz for il igwéz

lilgiq reach , overtake

lisfm tongue

lissa still

li‘b game

liqiys. a findlingliz , for il ingliz

1611 boardl6z almonds

l6n colour

lugha. language

In]: to him,it

luqma morsel , mauthfidlukanda hotel

Lundura ,Lundura ,

mang l’

ld ou sting, alder, pm t

mmulnfp lace of attending, stimdmmm 'it. he killed

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400

malyfin full, loadedmandil handkerchiefmaward

,or moiyit il maward

rose-water

mawasir (pl . of masfira)mfiyu Ill aym etallim b lunt

megib a , m igib a a bringingm egiy, m egiya a comingm ehandiz engineer

meb ib b loving , friendm edauwar ‘

ala look ing aroun d

formerasla messenger

m erak b i boatman

m erk ib boat, shipm esafir journeying, starting , a

visitor

me‘ashsh ish nesting

m e‘allaq hanging , hung up

me‘allim teacher

meqauma resistance

m ek halfa a cont'raoening , police

ofi'

ence

menagg id upholsterer

m ittfik il eaten, gnawed

m itt metre

m iggauwiz married

m ib ha with her

m id ina town

m ir : m in ir ( il )Inll 'W il l} a going , departure

m is mm 18 ( il)m isik seize

mistaqrub li amn'

oaching . near

to

-Nu us , our

na iy im lay down

“Mum ra in

nutu l'it it rat/m l

h alt leap

ARABIC -ENGLISH VOCABULARY

nugnf chamlcltersnugga

‘

u’

co pywriter

magg id card , make mattresses

h agg is c onsider unc lean

uuhfir day in nahar da to-d ay

mistak hdim e mployed

mistanni waiting form isri‘

, musri‘ hurryingmiskfi they seized

mistini‘

forgedmish min ish

m ishi walk (v .)mishtara , mushtara a buyingmishwfir walk

, errand

mishyfi they walked , went on

m i‘i with me

mi‘za goatmil m in 11

milfiya sheet

milli min illi

m in from, than min ‘ala

from of ; m inha from her

min who ?

m inshfir saw

m infakh bellowsmoiya water

mat death ex ceed inglym b z bananas

m utfitiya a bowing , bend ing lo w

muhsin charitable

mudde perio d, time

Musk i name of a street in

Muslim Mussulman

musmfu'

,musmfir nail

Musyu Afr .

mush mahmvasb

mushr ik polytheist, idolater

mush ‘nrfint hairy

muftall} theymu

’

m in believer

ARABIC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY

nab ya direction , in the d irec

tion ofnadah call (v . )nadaht I cal led

ni z il descend ingnaz zil bring , d raw,

do wn

nfishif drynashr sawingnzi

'im soft

na fakh b low (v

naffacl shake, d ustmiqiswantingnaqqa choose

,select

nam he slep t, went to

namfis mosquitoes

nammar numb er (v. )newll hand ,

reach , pass

nfiyim lying . sleepingaerfib we go , will go

W ab fir boat, train

Wi tt lowwaged hefoundwaga

‘

pain (v . ) hurt, painwadd love (v. )wfilgid ( f . wahda ) one, awahda , li wab du by himself

wild] (pl. of widyan) val leywudda he b roug ht , led

waddO they conveyed ,b roug h t

waraq paper , papm , leaves

wfirib slant , put to

40 1

have for

nib it , neb it wine

nib aitu finallynidif clean

midim repent

miz il go, come , down

misa. women

nisiforgetn isit I you, forgot,gotten

mswan women

nisb if get dryni‘im get soft

mimt I, you, slept

nimr tiger

Nimss Austria , Germanynimséwi ( f . nimséwiya)trian, German

niyé b a procuration

nbm sleepnuz fil descent

DU $ $ halfnuqus get less

nufamb ar Novembernumflra (pl . of nimr)

ward roses , flowersward im

‘

u'i ord inary, co mmon

warm showwax-raq put on leaveswurri show ( imp. )warsha workshop (pl. wini sh )Wuzan ne igh

we u inc ite

wusfim(pl. of wusté nl)wasaq load ( v . )wusfik lm fl irt

wussa ‘ widen, make room

ww f desc ribe

wassa cha rge, enjoin, ord er

wag-l receipt (pl. wusultl t.)wufit she completed

402 ARABIC-ENGLISH VOCABULARY

wfifiq agree with

washwish whisp er

wz‘

iqif stand ing , stopp ingwaqb time waqtiha at that

time

waq‘a battle, fight

waqqa‘ to letfall , drop

waqqaf stop ( V . t .)wak il agent

wak k il make eat, feedwalad boywalla, or

wannis console, keep companywi

,we , 11 and

welau even if, althoughWidn (f. ) earW idyz

‘

m (pl . of Wadi)wirfiq (pl . of waraq )

Ya 0 ,oh

ya either, or

yatlm orp han

ya‘ni that is to say

yfiqa collar

yfik ul he eats

yanfiyir Januaryy eh i

‘fl they sell

yetulln‘u they drawout

yeg ib he b rings

yehib lu‘

l they love

yehfislnfl they keep off

yerfll) he ytn'

s , will g o

yerfillfi they g o

yeslnilfl lha-y rarry

yos lnl f he lo oks, sees

yos lnflfll they see

y c q l‘

l l he says

yeq ll l11 they soyy eqflm he , it, stand s “p , rims

yuk llfimm in thry fear

yelinnm‘

l they p tt‘h‘

up

yowm l‘li he tak es , ronrrys

yiUu‘ he go

es up ,rt

’tu

‘hen

yiglu‘

um they go up

wiris inherit

wirim swell (v . i.)wisq loa d

wisik h d irtywisil arrive

wisiya charge, order

W isfil, wusfil arrival

wish sh fawwislit she arrived

wiqi‘ he, it, fell

wiqi‘t I , you , fell

W iq‘um theyfell

W iqif stop (v . i. )wilid beget, gire birth to

wugfid p resence

wugul arrival

wust midd le, centre

wustfini centre, midd le

yigfi they come

villk umfi theyju dge

yiclm b u they strike

yiz k ur he mentions, speaks wel lof

yisallimfi‘ala they salute

yisk unfl they live, dwell

yisallalol u they mend, repa ir

yisrif he spends

yish b ik fi they entang le

yis lntighilfi, yishta ghalfi theywork

y ishrab he drinks

y i‘m ffl , ya‘mffi they know

yika llim he an aks to

yik kullimfi they speak

yilb is ll they d rew, put on

yimsb fl they walk

yimk in it in powiblc

yim lll theyfell

ylbm ( lay

yuz b ixs lnl capta in

yuq‘

udu they sit

yulya .Inly

yunyn Juno

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404

animal hiwtz'

n

annoy‘dkis b e

it’

asar,ittakhz

‘

d

another taint hamd u wahidone anoth er ba ‘d , ba

‘dz

’

h a,

ti c . 398 seq. )apparently bd

’

z’

n ,bag/ in , beg/ in ,

shawahid,ish shahz

’

d

appear bdn , htdz'

r

apple tz'

fidha ( col . pl. tlfi'

dh)apprentic e sa b i (pl . subydn)approach qarrab

approve z'

stahstn

approximately tagriban ,b l t

takhmtn

April abrilArab ‘Arab (pl .

‘urban) ,

‘ara b i

Arab ic ‘arab i

arise qam

arm dird ‘

a rmy gésh

around hawalén

a rrange rattib b e arranged

itrattib

arrive wisil , (of a, season) anarrival wisal, u

'

us ctl

asc end tili‘

asc ent tuld‘

annoyed

Bac helor ‘azabangi

b a c k ( s. ) dah r ; ( of c arriage)masnid stand b ac k tttdl-zhtr

b a il battcil

b ak e lchabaz ; b e b ak ed ink /m

tul :

Imk e r farrtlu.

b a lc o ny balakon, hut/min

ha ll k ct/ ‘a (pl . Imwur)iw il (da nc e ) tut/tab a lloo n tul /[tin

b a na na m62a ( c o l. pl. 11162 )b a nd (music ) ma z z ika

ENGLISH -ARABIC VOCABULARY

‘amma

hank bank

b arefootedfooted hafa

b arley shi ‘ir

b arrel barmil (pl. burumlt) ;( of gun ) wlmsdra

b ask et sabat

hath hammam (v . ) Lstihm nma

b a ttle u‘

aq‘

a

b azaa r s flq (pl . ism ig)b e kz in shall b e uk oln yo u

will he tek an ; l was, yo u

we re kunt, we were kuma ;

a going b are

ask sa’

al ; talab ; ask for

oneself z'

n‘

alab

ask ing ( s ) su’

cil , (part.) gdlibasphalt asfaltassault z

'

g dwz'

l ‘a la

assist sd ‘z’

d,

‘dwz’

n

assistanc e ; call to assist

ance istigdr

associate (v . i. ) it‘dshir b e

assoc iated ishshdrz'

k

astonish b e astonish ed

istaghrab , ista‘

g z'

b

asunder ; b e pulled asunder

inbarash

at ‘and ,

‘ala

atmosphere hawa

attach ‘allaq

attend z'

ltafat ; (medica lly)‘dlz

’

gAugust Aghusgusaunt (paternal)(maternal) khdlaAustria [V imsa

Austrian nimsa’

wi ( f . nimsd

wig/a)awak e (v. t . ) salt/m ; they

awok e sa/zJL'd

axe balm,

ENGLISH -ARABIC VOCABULARY

th ey were kamt there is,

are fi, tb ear (endure) istakmilb eard daqn (f. )b east ; wild b east malzahn

(col . pl . walash)b eat darab daqqb ecause ‘

ala shdn,‘ashdn

,

lalisan ,leinn

,ik minn

b ecome baqa

b ed farsh ; go to b ed mimBedouin badawi

b edstead sirir

b e fore qab l , qab le mab eg shaizat z

'

lztawag , ilztdgb eget wilid b eget generations ”

t

of ch ildren istaulz'

d

b egin bada ,istabda.

b eginning auwil

b egu ile ghawa

b eh ind mara.

b elieve saddaqb e liever mu ’

min

b ell g / lras, ga ra ; (small) g i'

lg il

b elonging to befd‘

(pl . betd‘

)

b ench d ikka

b end lam a

b ending ( bowing ) down ( smufdfiyaBerb er

,na tive of Berb er , ber

beri, barbar’i

b eside,b eside h im

,her ganbu ,

gnab z'

ha

b esides ghér

b estow upon razaqb ette r alwan , a/rwas

b eware ( imp. ) 1272, Mx ilz,iyd/r

b ewilder ; b e b ewildered i/gtcir ,

b ey b i , b é'

h (pl . b é'

hawd ! )b icyc le ,

‘aga la , bid /( lelt

b ig [rel/if , kibir (pl. kubdr)

b illiards ( li‘b ) z

'

l b ilyardu

b ind ra bag (b ook s) gullitl b e

b ound z'

tra bag ; itqallid

b inding ( cover of b ook s) g ild “:

( b ook s) taglidb ird (large) te

‘

ra ( col . p]. tér) :(small )

‘asl ra ( col . pl.

‘asfar)

b irth wild/l a. g ive b irth to

wfl id ( f . m’

ldit)b isc uit baskawita (pl. baskazri

‘

f)b it kitta (pl . é itat)b ite (v . )

‘add

b lack ismid ( f. sdda, pl . szld) ;

turn b lack iswadd

b lack guard (v . ) itrdzz'

l ‘ala

b lam e dl 'hiz

b lank et battciniya, [girdm (pl.z'

lzrima )b less bd rz

'

kfi b lesswith razaqb e b lest istab rak , z

'

fbdm’

lr ;b e b lest with itbashshar lrz

'

b lind (a . ) a‘ma ; get b lind

b loc k ( v . ) suddb low ( s. ) (far/1a ; (v . ) nafa/( hb lue 4 2m g (for washing)

za hrn b ec om e b lue ifraqqb lunt meta l/im ; g et b lunt

tz'

lim

b oard (s.) 161;b oast gakhlrfi.

b oat merkib

b oatman werakbib ody (pf/ la , gism

b o il gha la ghik'

b oiling (s. ) glwlu'a

, g/m lg/a

b old shag’i‘

; b e b o ld ilyhds ir

lDOOk

b ook seller [cut/ii

b ore (a ho le ) It'lLG I' IL/I

b orn b e b o rn ih na/ml

b o rrow {Ma /« fb o ttle l/ izdza

b o und (v. ) [lad / l idb ow ( b e nd down ) MN?

406

b owing (s. ) mugdgiyab owl tasa

b ox sanddqb oy wa lad , wad (pl . wilad , d lddualdd )

b rack ish lidd z'

qb rain dimdgh

b read ‘ésh

b reak kasar ; they b rok e

An saml ; b reak to piec es

kassar ; b reak the fastfin’

r

b e b rok en inkasar ; theywere b rok en inkasard

b reak fast (s. ) fuzur ; (v . ) figz’

r

b rib e (v . ) bargal ; b e b rib ed

z

‘

tbargal

b ride ‘ar zzsa, (pl .

‘ara zs

,b rag/ 2

'

s)b ridegroom

‘aris (pl . b rain)

b ridge qamara

b right (person ) sz'

mz'

lg.

b ring gdb , wad /l a ; I , you ,

b rought gib t ; she b rough t

yabit ; th ey b rought 962s

b ring it [aim h e b rings ,will b ring yeyik b ring in

dakhkhal ; b ring b ack ragga‘

;

b ring up talla‘

(imp.

(educ ate ) rabba ; b ring downna zz a

'

l ; b e b rought up z

’

tra bba

b ring ing meg iba ,ta b dir

b road ‘ar

’

id ( c omp. a‘rad)

C airo flfasr

raliph [cha lifacall (v .) nadak ; I , you ,

called

mulaht

camel gamal

c amel-driver gamma!

c ana l fr'

r‘a

c and le nhum ‘n

c and lestic k shmn‘a

‘

dd u

c apta in g/ uzbdshf

ca rd ( v . ) nagg/id

ENGLISH -ARABIC VOCABULARY

carding fang id

c arpenter acaggrir

c arpet m’

gzgc‘ida .

laud;c arriage

‘arahiya

c arrier Mfg/ ( il

c arry, ca rry away 3M ] ( imp.

sizil ) ; the y carr ied mam ,

the y c arry yesk ila b e c ar

ried a’

flmmal ; b e c arried ,c arried away imhcil

carrving ( s . ) mashdl

b roken maksflr

b rother akhkh ; my b rother

airb ag/a , akhi ; his b rother

akkd h

b rown asmar (pl . gnmr) ; b ecome b rown z

'

smarr

b uck et gardal

b uffalo gamzZsa ( col . pl. gamfl s,pl . gawamis)

b u ffalo -drover gammas

b uild bana ; th ey b uilt bamz ;b e b uilt z

’

nbana

b uilder banné

b uilding (s. ) b zina‘

ya

b uilt mabn'

i

b ull for

b ump khabatfib undle rabga,

b urn (v . t . ) ka raq ; b e b urnt

down z'

nlza raqb usiness shughl

b usy mashghfil

b ut ldk in, fe, ji b ut for [old

b utch er gazzar , gag gé r

b utter z ibda

b uy ishta ra. ( imp. ishtzm) ; I ,you ,

b ought ish iara,they

b ough t ishtara

b uying ( s . ) m iskfara,b y min

, bi ;‘a/nd ; ( in oaths)

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408 ENGLISH -ARABIC VOCABULARY

c ompartment diwan

c ompassion l u'

nniya

c ompel alzam

c omplain ishtaka

c omplaint shakwa

c ompletely tamam,khalis

c ompose (b ook , &c . ) allifconc ealing hatm

conc ern khass

c ondition sharpc on fec tioner halawanic onfess qam

“

,istigarr

c on fuse lakhbag, khalba ; b e

c onfused itwakalconfusedly ; talk con fusedlybargz

'

m

congratu late bdrz'

lc lz'

conquer gha lab ; try to c on

quer ghalz’

b ; b e c onquereditghalab own oneself c on

quered istaghlibconsent rigli irtada ; I con

sented righ t

c onsole a‘

m’

s,wannis

c onspire z'

ssdwa

constab le shawlsh ; c h ief c on

stab le b itshas h

C onstantinople I stanb dl

c onsu l qunsul

c onsulate qunsuldtu

c ontented mabsd ;c onte n tmen t in b isri;c ontinue isfimarr, tann. (g 2 18)c ontrac t ; g ive c ontrac t to qdm

’

l

c ontrad ic t, Uta/{fc ontrad ic tory ; b e c ontrad ic

to ry ikhtalafc on trary to b i Hi ldfc o nven t (Mr (pl .c o nvey mad da,

c onvinc e ; b e c o nvinc ed :"Ianq ,

{Ih it/rid

c ook (s. ) gab bu‘

kh.tabbd

[sha (v .) gabakh ; b e cook ed

msawa,

c ook ing taswiya

C opt Q ib ti (pl . Q ibag)c orner rulcn

c orrec t (a . ) ma gi/ 12; b e correct

sakh

c ostume libs

c ough ( s. ) kall lla ; (v . ) [fall /zc ountry b ildd rif, z

'

rydfc ountryman ba lad 'i

c ourt ma ldrama (pl . m héikz'

m)c over (s. ) ghatdc ovet gimi‘ficow baqam (pl . baqar, ba

gardt )c revic e sha qqc rook ed ‘

awa g ( f .‘dga , pl.

c rops z z’

rd ‘dt

c ross (v . )‘add a

c row ghurdb (pl ighriba)c ruel gab bdr

c rush dashsh

c rush ing dashsh

c rutc h ‘ulrlrdz

cucumb er khiyar b ed of

c uc umb ers , mugdla

c up jing fin

c upb oard d dldb , doldb

custom‘(lda

c ustomer zub dn ( pl . za bu in,

zabdyin)c ustom -house yumrul.‘

c ustom -house offi c er gum

ruksh i

c ut qufa‘

( imp. qa ss

c u t o ut (c lo th ) j'

assal 1 ,

y ou ,out qam‘l , qam/pl

b u c ut out iffa ssal

cut ting , c utting 0“(s. ) qaf‘

ENGLISH-ARABIC V OCABULARY

Damage‘auwa r ; I , you ,

damaged‘auwart

danc e (hall ) ballu ; lv .) raqagdandy ; think oneself a dandy

dark ; b ecome dark ighmaqqdaughter b int, b itt (pl . banat)

day 316m (pl. iydm, iycim) ,nahdr ; New Year

'

s dayrds t

'

s sana

dead méyit ( 1na zyit)dea f ; dea f and dumb akkras

(pL khan )dear (pric e) ghdlideath met

deb t d én ; charge with a

deb t da iyin , d éyin

deb tor ; b e mad e a deb tor

decanter ka rdfDecemb er d isambardec laration qé l

deduct qaga‘

, istanz il I ,you ,

deducted qam‘t, qaga l d

deed ‘amal iya , ji

‘l

deep ghawifdefend dd ‘

an

degree da raga

delay (v. i. ) z'

t’

akhkhar

deliver sallim

demand (a ) {alab ; (v .) ( d ah ;

they demanded {alab d

demolishing hadad

deny nakar

depart sci/ i1departure ( s. ) qiyam, {uld

‘

d epravity raddwad erang e ; b e deranged Nial l

dervish darwish b ecome

desc end nizil

descending ( s ) nuz fl l ; (part )nda

'

l

desc ent nuz d l

d esc rib e wasafdesert (s.) khaladeserve istilwqq, istdhz

’

l

devil shégdn ,

‘afri;

d ialec t laghwa

dictionary qémds

die mdt ; they d ied mdiu

d ifferenc e fa'

rq ; have a differenc e itkhdsim

d ifferent bashqa

difficul t sa‘b

d ifi'

use gmnil b e d iffuse {auwildine it‘aska

d inner ‘ashd ,

‘ashwa

d irec tion g iha , nahya : in t he

d irec tion of iza/wilb e turned in the direc tion

of away/g ih Ii

dirt was /ikha

d irty m’

sil dz ( comp. aiwa/via)d isc uss itbd/gis

disdain , look with d isdain

itta llit

d isease ma rad ,‘a iyd

d isg uise oneself itkhafiadish sa/gn , {o b i/{ ll b e dislwd

up in gha rafd ishonour ( v. )

‘( ih

d ismiss rafad (rafat) ; b e dism issed ilrafad

d iso b ey‘t

'

si

d ista nc e masdfad ist ant b i ‘i d

d ivid e qaw m

d ivorc e ( ullw,do ‘

uma l,

c/uda I , you, d id‘amal !

doc ile ; b e come doc ile h id i

4 10 ENGLISH -ARABIC VOCABULARY

doc tor halrimdog ka lb (pl . kildb )dog

-cart dukkdr (pl . dakakir)doing ( s.)

‘amaliya

domineer istalrk z'

m

donk ey kimdr, lzumdr (pl .kimir) consider a donk eyistahmar , istaghash

donk ey-b oy hammdr

donk ey-saddle barda‘

a

door bd b (pl. ibwdb )door-handle ul tra,

doork eeper bauwdb

doub le (a ) migwi'

z, (v . ) z

’

gwaz

(agwaz )doub led mam?doub t ( s. ) shakk ; no doub t

ma‘ldm

dough‘agin

drain ba lld‘a

draugh t sharba

draw out galla‘ they draw

out yezalla‘d

drawer durg

Ear m’

dn (f.) either

early badri

earth ard (f. ) (pl . arr’

idi)easy find easy is tas

-ln'

l

eat aka], lral I ate kalt, h e

ea ts wilful mak e eat waif/vi]

eaten ma‘lrd l , mi /rz

'

l b e eaten

ilttik il

ec lipse ; b e ec lipsed Mu'

z i

ufl'

ervesc e rag/ha

efl'

ervesc enc e rag/h rm .

e gg licda ( c o l. pl . Md )Eg vpt .ll asr, barre M asr

Uppe r Egypt is S a‘h l

,is

Eg y ptian masri

e ig h th ( s ) lawn

or ya

drawing-room sc

’

ila

dress (s.) libs, tob ; libis

th ey dress yilb z’

sd

dressmak er khaiydga

drink shirib ; I drank Shir/b l ;th ey drank shirb zl he drink s

yishrab b e drunk (water ,&c .) itsharab , ishsharab

drink ing shurb

drive sci/1 , m'

kib b e driven

itralfab

drop wagga‘

drown,b e drowned ghiriq,

i s t a g h r a q ; they were

drowned ghirgum

drug dawa (pl . adwiya ,

drunk sci /m in get dr unk sz'

lrz'

r

mak e drunk sakar

d ry (a . ) nfishzf ; get dry nishifdust turd b , guré b ; (v .) nafiad ;b e covered , filled , with dustzfl aral;

dye (v . ) sabagh ; b e dyed

insabagh

either

ya

elb ow kd ‘

eleven b idaslcar, lu’

dc‘

islmr,

iltd ushar , v'

kdashar

em b ank ment g isr

emperor imb errifér

employ khadd im

employee nu’

stalrhd im

emptyf dd i, fl in'

g/h

enc losure

end ( s ) g/Iuig/aendure zaman

e nemy‘ad el (pl . a

‘

dd )engag e qfim

'

l

eng ineer mehan di

Eng lish ( s ) Inglis ; (a . ) i'

ngl i: i

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4 12 ENGLISH-ARABIC

fish samaka ( col . pl . samak )(v .) {staid

fisherman sé'

ydd

fissure shaqqfive khamas, khamsa

fixed mag bayflame ; b urst into flam es sha‘h

’

l

flannel fanellafl ee harab th ey fl ed harab z

‘

t

fleeing, flightfirdrfloat ‘dm

floor are], ardiyaflow down sdl

flower gahr (pl . zuhd r) ; war/ la

(pl . ward )flush izraddfly ( s.) d ib baflying gagirfoam (s .) m ghwa (v . ) m ghafodder ‘

alig ,‘aldq

fold (v . ) tana, {a b baq, ,tawa

foolishness Izamdqafoot rig/ lfor ‘

ala shdn,

‘ashdn

forc e g tir , qizwa

forged misgim"

forgery z zir

Gaiety z’

nshircilz

gain kasab , lcz'

sib I gain alrsab

gam e li‘b

gaoler saggfin

garden g inc‘

na (pl . ( mm : m,

gandyz’

n)gardener ganéni

garm ent hz’

dma

gate

gath er gath er together (neu t . )i;1/amm b e ga th ered to

g e th er z'

tlamm , z'

ltamm

gaze at inbahat‘ala

general ( s . ) yinm'

m‘

ir

VOCABULARY

forget m'

sz'

I, you ,

forgotm

'

sit

fork sho‘

ka

forward gudddm b ring for

ward qaddim

fountain fasq'Zg/a , (drink ing )

sibil

four arba ‘

, arba‘a

fram e (s.) b irwdz ; (v .) barwizFrance Fransa,Frenchman fransdw

'

z‘

frequent (v . ) itrad did‘ala

fresh zdza , yam? get fresh and

green m‘m ‘

freshness gamma.Friday (yam ,

nahdr) ig gum‘a

friend sci/Lib

frigh ten khauwuf b e

frigh tened irta‘ash , inkhadd

from min from h er minha

front ; in front of gud ddmfroth ( s.) raghwa , (v .) raghafruitfrd ta, fair-hafruiterer fakahd nifry qili b e fried itqala ,

ifqalla

full malyc’

in

fun ; mak e fun of z'

stahza’

g enerally ghdlz’

ban

g entleman efend i

get ; g et up qcim , ( imp. ) g i1mI g et up aqdm

giddy ; mak e g iddy dawakh,

dauwak h

girl bint , bz'

tt (pl . bandit)give z

'

ddri ; I g ive , will g ive ,mid i ; give me i dd ini ; he

g ave m e z'

rld lini ; th ey gavehim it idd dh ; she gave

ikh/at ; I , you , gave , i ddét ;

g ive b ac k rag ga‘

,f add ; b e

g iV e n {I‘am

ENGLISH -ARABIC VOCABULARY

glass qz'

zdz ; kub bdya

g luttonous akkil

gnawed mittfikz'

l

go wi ll I, you , went ruht

sh e went rdlzz'

t ; they went

wilad ; h e goes . will go

yard /fl. we go , will go nemilzthey go yen ilzzi go awayrauwalz go out gik

",kharag

they went on mz'

shyzi ; th ey

go up yifl a‘zi

go-b etween

,ac t as a go

-b etween

going ( s. ) min ed/ft ; going out

khurfi g going through fo‘

t

goat mi‘za

good taiyib find good z'

sta/zsz'

n

z'

stag rafgoods budd

‘a

government leukzima

gown to‘

b , gallabiya her gown

tu bha

Hair sha‘r

hairy mush ‘ardni

half nusshamm er qad dm

hamper zanb il

hand ( s. ) id ; (v . ) ndwz'

l

hand ful lzifnclhandk erc h ief man/121

hand le (of doo r, dLC . ) ul trahandwriting [thanhang sharwahanging (s. ) ahanq ; (pa rt )me ‘

allaqhappen (M1 80 1, garahappiness hana

hard gdmz'

rl ; get hard gimid ,

gab les hard up wa‘g cl r

hard en (vat ) (la-mmak].gabbs

'

s

hardness , har diness gumml iya

grammar agrumiya

grandees was kubdrdt

grandmoth er gz’

dda, sz

'

tt

grass kash'ish

greedy akk il

green akhdar

greengroc er khudar’i

greens khude’

ir

greet sallim‘ala they greet

yisal limvl‘ala

groc er baqqé l

groom (s. ) sd’

z'

s,

ady/ 2'

s, (v . )sag/ 2

'

s

ground are} (f. ) (pl . arc'

idi)grow ; let grow rakha ; grow

up kibir

guarantee (v . ) daman

guard b e guarded z'

n/ram s

guardian Iran'

s (pl. hurrds)guest déf (P1 Clix/ 471 )gun bunduqiya

harm (v. ) darr, eu’

haste,mak e haste

ahahhz'

l

hasten shahb il

hat burnéga

haunted mas/b in,mahyar

have . I have ‘aml i ,

’

you hate‘and ak

he huwa ,[aiwa

head Tds hold one’

s h ead h igh

z'

stafirz'

l nafsu.

headman (of a village )‘umda

heal ‘dlz

'

yh ear simz" the y hea rd sim

‘c?

hearing ( s . ) sfmd‘

heart qalb

heat b urr,Za

'

wd

heavy tig il ; c ons ider heavyistatqa l

heig ht ( 121

4 14

h elp sa‘t'

d b e helped z'

ssd ‘z'

d

h en farkhahere hina see h ere ! ad i

hide khafa h ide oneselfikh /afar.

h igh‘d li

h im -u

h imself aafsahoard kauwz

’

sh

hold misik

holding (s. ) maslcahole kha '

rm,wra,kharg

holiday agaza‘

icl

honour (s. ) ilztz'

rdm, (v.) sharraf,ilztaram

hook ( s . ) shankalhorse imsan ; horses khél

I andic e talgideafileridle ; leave idle (on one

’

s

hands) banwar ; b e left id le

(on one’

s hands) baridolater mnsh ri/c

if iza,in lau ; even if lau in,

welau in if not zoza

ignorant gdhz’

l

ill ‘a t

’

yan ; get ill‘iyi

illness ‘a iyd

imagine ifl alvar

imm ediately la ilanimpair ; b e impaired ( intellec t)khw'

ufimportant m c k i m m. ( c omp.

a hamm )impove rish i fa (afqar)impress akkul (

‘ala )

imprison lawns b e impriso ned

in/iahas

fin /i ; hi ; ydwa ; in itfi h

ENGLISH -ARAB IC VOCABULARY

horse-c loth shall

hot lzd r, (Lair ; sukhn

hotel lukanda, llammdra

house 6615 (pl . big/at, buyfit), ourhouse b itna

how izzéy how much 2 kam

however it b e mahma lain

hung er gd‘

hungry ga‘dn

, gi‘dn

hurry (v. t. and i. ) shahb ilhurrying (s . ) karsha (part )m zsrz

‘

,musrl ‘

hur t (v .) darr, (pain) waga‘

husb and goz (pl . igwdz ) h er

husb and gazha

hyena dab‘

(pl. dulnl‘

)

incite sallag, wazz

increase zau zm'

d,kattar ;

zad,

ind icate (falle ‘ala

inform Ichab bar, fahlu

’

m, {b lag}:

inhab it sikin

inhab ited maskdn

inherit wiris

injure (v. ) darr ; feel oneselfin jured indarr

ink [Lib rinkpot dawdya

inn khammdra

inquire istafhim, istidallinside g ciwainsist ak in}!

instead b it /(fl ; bidal ma ,

‘iwdd

ma

insult shal am

ano th er shd tim

insure Mylar, damaninte llig enc e

‘aq l

inte rfere idd dkh il

insult one

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4 1 6 ENGLISH-ARABIC VOCABULARY

lawyer abu/tamlay (down) naiyim ( eggs) bddz

'

t

lazy kaslan, tanb z’

l,tanbal (pl.

tanab la) b e lazy tanb z'

l,

kassz'

l

lead (s . )lead (v. ) waddaleaf waraqa ( col . pl. waraq) ; put

on leaves ( tree) warraqleakage khararcin

lean on irta/ran ‘ala

leap (v .) nay;learn it

‘allim ; mak e learn b y

heart [taf adlearned ‘

tile'

m

leather gild ; piec e of leather

gz’

lda

leave agdza b y your leave

min jadlah ; (v . ) khalla ,séyz

'

b I, you ,

left seyibt,

ful l they left séyz’

bfi (quit)fan

'

gledger ( laftarlemon lav/Mina ( c ol. pl. lamda )lend sal lzfleng th {all

less agall get less nuqus

lest lahsan

let (permit) Irha lla ,imp. Ichalli ;

th ey let go se‘

yz’

b zi b e let

( house) it’

agga r ,

‘ b e let go

z'

sse‘

yib

letter

lia r lrad d éib

lib rary kutub /( hana

lie (down) mim , Tat/ (N1

lie (s . ) k id b give lie to

lia r/ 1117)

light ( s . ) m?r, (v . ) qd i l b ringto ligh t igb a r

ligh t ( no t h eavy) lr/mfijlighten bard /[it ( id d inya )lik e (a . ) zey,

m il l

lik eness sha ba h

lim it ( s. ) lu dd , qadd ; (v . )(Laddz

'

d

line khat!lion sab ‘ (pl . subd

‘

)little ( s.) shawaiya consid er

little , too little z'

stz'

ga ll,z’

staqlz'

l

live (v .)‘dsh ( inhab it) 827ml ;

they live yiskunu

living (s.) ma‘isha get one

’

s

living z'

starzagload (s.) kamla , wala] (v . )lmmmz

’

l , wasaq,‘ab ba ; b e

loaded , laden itwascu]loaf n

'

ghif (pl . irgh1fa )lock (s. ) ladlzin, (v . ) sa lt/rlock sm ith kam lh zi, kau

‘

alz'

ng i

London L undura , Lundura,

Lundm

long [avail (comp. atwa l) longago zamdn

look (v .) bass ; (searc h ) da uwculook after luifi z

‘

an ; look

over { ( r'

arrag‘al a

look out ! zZ ‘d

look ing for medauwar‘ala

loosen rakha , rak hrak h

lord rab b, sid

lose ormminnulo ud ‘dl i

lo unge z'

nga‘as , inya

‘maglove fiubb

, (v . ) lmb b , wal la!they love gold /16 :2 b e lovedt’

l/pa b b , ila/gab !)

loving nie /3m!)low W 717 ; (Mn

lower (u ) ttl ld antluc k (la/ ( hf

luc ky find lucky r'

slab rak

luggag e‘njkh

luggage va n malt/mm franmlmi

lunc h gluufvi

lying (down) nfi'

im . mfg/in:

lying down , lying ill n it/ £41

ENGLISH -ARABIC V OCABULARY

Mad magn'dn ; drive m ad

ganm’

n consider mad is

tigann

mak e ‘amal

malic e ; b ear malic e z’

thamm il

man ragil (pl . riggdla)manhood kub r

manage sdyz'

s

many ketir , kitir

March mars

mark (v .) ashsharmark et 3 224; (pl . iswdrj )married miggauwiz

mash (v. ) daqqmaste r makhdzim . S i d (teacher)me‘allim , kho

‘

ga

mat lmsira (pl . lmsr)matc h Ital/rim ( col . pl . kub rEt)mat-mak er lzusarimatter mas

’

ala ,khabar

mattress martuba

mattress -mak er menagg z'

d

mattress-mak ing tang/ 241

May mdyu

measure (v .) 968meat lalzm ,

lalmza

m ed ic ine dawa

meet qdbil , itqdb z’

l wa iya 1

met qdbz'

lt ; c hance to meet

issdd zf waiyameeting gam

‘iya

melt ( t . ) séyalc, saiyalt , clau'wz'

b

m emory bdl

mend sai led; they mend

gfi'

sal la/uz

m erc hant Ldgz‘

r (pl . tuggtir)merc handise buglé

‘a

m es senger mercwlam e tre m t

'

tr

m iddle wag;m ile m il

my moth er

m ilk (s. ) laban b e m ilk ed

inhalab

milkman lab bdn

milliem e millin

m inaret madna (mdflina)m ind (s . ) bailm ine (pr . ) betd

‘i ( f . beta‘ti

, pl .

betd ‘i)m inistry d iwdn, naz dra

m inor q ir

minute digiga

m ix khala;molar (tooth ) divsmoney fuldsm onth shahr

moon qamar, qamara

more z iydda

morning subh th is morningis sub/p

morsel lugma

m osque gdmi‘

mosquito mimdsa (col . pl .

716 771223 )m oth ‘

z'

tta.

mother umm ;

ummi

mother-in-law kamdt

m ound [com

mouse fdr (pl . f 2ra'

n)moustache shanab

mouth [Lanaqmouthful luq

'ma

mow kushsh b e m own in

Mr. efend’i,lrltawc

'

igu ,

f

umm/um uch Iza/ Zr

,Mlir

mud fwd /1!

m ule bag/cl, baghla (pl . [rig /nil)m usic ma z z il m

Mussulman llhwlim

m utter bargim

4 18 ENGLISH-ARABIC VOCABULARY

Nail musmar,musmdr

,mismcir

,

mismdr

nam e (s.) ism ; b y name

isman ; inquire name of

istasma, ‘cm

named masmi

napoleon bintu (pl. bandti)native baladi

n ear mz

’

staqm b find,consider

,

n ear istagrab

nec essary ldg z’

m

necessity luzflm

neck raqaba

need (s . ) luzz’

im, 0 5a ; no need

balc‘

tsh

neigh b our gdr

nesting (part ) me‘ashshz

'

sh

net shabuka

never abadan

new geclid , gidid ( comp.

0, oh ya

oath ; tak e an oath liilzf isti

Ziallz'

fob tain z

'

ttasal

oc casion fursa,Oc tob er Ulrluha ) ‘

of betd‘

(pl . betzi‘

)of c ourse ma

‘

ldm

off ; from o ff min‘ahz

o ffen c e "rm /( Indra

o llic e met/flab

o lliver {3 17s (pl . z it/fluff)

o flen ketir ma

o ld (person ) la‘

nb i'r, k ib ir ( comp.

ak bar) , i/rh l iytir,‘ag zlr, ( th ing )

qal lim (pl . qal lib ")(m “

ala

onc e warm onc e for al l mi 3

hi 1 war m

9 get Oph thalmia

agclad , pl . gudad , gud dd )b e new istigad d

newly gedid

news khabar ; get news fromistakh bar min

newspaper gurndl

nice ; consider nic e istagrafnight Ze

‘

l,Ze

‘

la ; pass th e night

bdt

Nile bahr,( min in nil

no la’

north balm; bahri go north

bahhar

not la,mush

,ma

notify i‘lan (a

‘lan)Novemb er nufambarnow d ilwaqt, d ilwaqti, Mlannumb er (v .) nammarnurse (hospital) tamargi f .tamargiya

one zodln'

d

only bass ; only that innama

open fi zq fl filz, fdtilzopen (v . ) fatab imp. affair ;they opened fatakti b e

opened z'

rffatakopening futile

Oph tlialmia

z'

rmadd

oppose 15716117

Opposite (I ll scid

or walla

o rang e ful fi l/T ina

o rder ( s . c harg e) in ord er

tha t lac/1, Ii agl ( v . ) amarord inur rm

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420 ENGLISH-ARABIC VOCABULARY

play (v .) li‘t'

b ; an instrument

daqq ; play with ld‘z'

l)

pleas e b e pleased inbasat,

insarr

pleased mabsd ;

plum bargfiqa (pl . barqziq)pock et gel)

poet shd‘z’

r (pl . shu‘ara)

polic e bull'

s ; police station

tumn,karalcén

polytheist mushrz'

lt

pommel ; tie th e b ridle to th e

pomm el of th e saddle garbas

pond b irka

pony 3252 (pl . say/2873)poorfagir b ec om e poor ifi agm

‘

porter shéydl

porterag e mashdl

portfolio maq ada

portmanteau shanm

possessed me‘dfra; b ehavelik e on e possessed it

‘afrat

possession ; acquire possessionistamlik

possib le (a .) mumlfz'

n b e

possib le z'

mkan it is possib le

yimkin

post busla

post-oth ee (maktab ) z

'

l busta

postpon e akhkhar

pot [calla

potato b ata tsa ( c ol . pl . b a l /il ls)poulterer fararg/ i

pound (money) g z’

néh

pound (v . ) ( laggpour lrab l) I will pour uimb l)

b e poured inlrab b

powd er ( bard d)power qeima ,

maqdara

powerful qdd z’

r

pray salla ; prav ! ilfuqldul .

’

umm til

prayer gala c a ll to prayer

i dda /1

prec ision ; do with prec ision

z'

tqan b e done with pre

c ision intagan

prepare qakhiz , lzaqlqlar

present (s. ) hidiya (a. ) hddz’

r,

maug zid b e present z'

twagad

present (v . ) qad d impresenc e wugficl

preserving (s. ) luff:press ; b e pressed ddq. idddyiq

pretend idda‘a

pretty kuwaiyis ( comp. alums)pric e taman

pride

princ e berins, b rins

prison habs, S ign

prisoner mahbfis , mas/rein (pl.masayin) ; mak e prisoner

z'

stésar

prob ab ly ghdlz'

ban

procuration niydba

proper ; b e proper salt/t

properly zéy in mis

property mdl

protec t llama ,ddfi

‘ “an , islalzfaz

‘ala

protecting In] ;pub lish in the paper gamal

pu ff ; b e pu ffed up with pride

igga‘mas

pugh 171°]t

pu ll (v . ) shruld ; b e pulle d

[lg/arr

punish grisa

purse Iris

put lu lu,imp. [my I . you ,

put Ita lic?! th ey put [ya lla

put on lib is , imp. lib is ; they

put on yilb isz? put to (door)rmh l , m irio ( harness)

‘al laq ;

b e put film". ill/gaff b e put

up he put to z'

rludd ,

itradd , ilwtlrib

py ram ids haram

ENGLISH-ARAB IC VOCABULARY

Quan tity (numb er) gumla ,

gimla

quarantin e ; put into quarantine kurti

’

n‘ala

quarrel itkltdniq , ishshcila’

l

quarrel with ‘drik , khém'

q ;they quar relled z

’

tkhangzi

Rac e (s. ) sabga ; ra c e with

sfib iq , issdb iqrag khalaqa

rain (s. ) (magara) , nagara (v . )nagarz

'

t (magarz'

t)raise rafa

‘

; b e raised it-rafa‘

,

rare ndd ir

rate ; first-rate‘dl

rather ! ummril /

raw m yrea ch bassal , ( (il , misi, ittasal ;

(overtak e) lz'

lu'

q ; he , it,

reaches yigla‘

; she reac h es

read qara I read qaré'

t

read ing qz'

rdya

ready W in gdhiz get oneselfready isti

‘add

ready-made gé lciz

rear (v. ) shab breason sab ab

reb e l (v .)‘t

'

si

reb ellious b e reb ellious ‘isi

rece ipt wa§ l (pl. trust/Jill ) , istilé mreceive istalam, istaqbil

rec ent ; b e rec ent istigadd

rec eption ( levee ) tashrif

reconc ile stil l};rec over ( v. n . ) khafi

quarrelsome shulcali

quarter rub ‘

queen malikaquestion su

’

dl

quickly qawdmquick -tempered shuka li,lali

red alzmar ( f . liamra, pl . l mmr)redness [Lamarregret ithassar

relate balsarelation (person ) garibreligion d zfyc

’

ma

rely i‘tamad

remain baqa, fidz’

l she remains

tibqa

remainder bdqi, baqiya

remaining bdq i

remove ib‘a d b e re

moved itba ‘ad , itnaqal

renew ; b e renewed iggadd id

renounc e tdb ‘an, z

'

rtaya‘ ‘

an ,

wtunz il ‘an

renowned mashhzir

repair sal lalz , ramm be re

paired z'

lramm.

repairs taslila, t aslilgdtrepent tdb nadam ca use

to repent tamn’

b ( an)replac e ragya

'

reply ( s . ) rat/ d , (v. ) raddreproach (v . )

‘dyir

resc ue kha llas thev re sc ued

khallasii

resemb le

resistanc e a ouma

respec t ( s . )respo nsib le "Ia/212111, ma s

'

iil

ho ld responsib le alzam

422 ENGLISH-ARABIC VOCABULARY

retire zfl arad

return ( s.) rugu m gga‘

;

m’

gz" we returned

rigi‘na

ric e ruzz

rich ghani

rich es mdl

ride rz'

lrz'

b th ey rode m’

lcbd

b e ridden itrakab

riding rdlcz'

b

ring (th e b ell ) darab ; (of m etal)rama

ripe mistiwi b ecom e ripe

istawa

rise qdm (of dough ) z’

lclztamar ;

(increase) inzddrising gull?

risk (v . ) dyz’

s

road sikka (pl . sikalc)rob saraq ; b e rob b ed {usaraqrob b er iza/Mimi

rob ustness sln'

dd iya

Sack ing lrhé‘

sh

sad b ecome sad lu'

zz'

n

saddle sarg , serg, (donk ey)barcla

‘a

sak e ; your sak e lclzatrak

salary mak iya

saliva riqsalt ( s . ) walk, (a. ) md lilz, Infi ll/1salute sallim ‘

a la

same rod /aid ; a ll th e same : éye

Ira‘d

sand mml

Satan ishshétdn

Sa turday (yOm ,na/u

’

ir) is sahlsauc epan lrasa rona

savag e ; lwc om e savage ih rab

roll.

dakdar,

id

dalu‘

ar,itmarragh b e rolled

iddalitarroof satlz, 5761127}room o

‘

da (odd ) pl . uwad (uwad )his room udtu ; mak e room

wassa ‘

, fassalzrope lmb lrose warda, ( col . pl . ward )rose-water (moiyit z

'

l) mawardroughly b ehave roughlyit/paggar speak rough ly to

z'

ttdqz'

l ‘ala

row (s.) safi'

; plac e in a row

m ama .

safrub b le dabsh fetch rub b le

dab bz'

sh

ruin (v . )‘auwar

run girl mak e run garra run

away sharad

running (s . ) gary

say qdl (imp . qzil.) I say, will

say aqzll you are sayingb itgz

’

il ; h e says yeqcil ; h e is

saying b iq zil they say

yegfilu ; I , you ,said qult ;

that is to say ya‘ni

saying qol

scarab gu‘rfin

scarc ely ya dol) , dobak

scarc ity q z'

lla

scatter ba/glar

sc ho lar talmiz

sc hool mad rasa

sc issors maqass

sc ope nmrlatl

sc orc h b e scorc hed itqalla

sc ratch (s . ) Irharhasha b e

sc ra tc hed ( th ing ) {limit/rsea bali r

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424 ENGLISH -ARABIC VOCABULARY

slaugh ter dabalg.

slaugh tering dabh

slave ‘abd

slave—dealer galldbsleep mim ; you sleep iendm ;

I slept nimtsleeping nf

‘

z’

im,ndyim

sligh t lclmfifslip (v .) izzali laqslippers bantufl ,

bantw‘li

slowly‘ala l mahl 570 )

mall sughaiyar c omp . asghm

consider small,too small

istasghar

smallpox gidrism ell (s rilza shamm

sm ile (v . ) itbassimsm iling simili

smok e ( s . ) dulclzlchdn (v . ) (of a

ch imney) dalclikhansm ok ing shurb id dukhkhdn

snak e ti‘bdn

snatc h kha lafsneeze ‘igis

so kede ; so and so kam ,lizaza

kaza

soak bdsh,bashbish

soap ( s. ) sas n, (v . ) sahl/in b e

soaped issab l/ in

soc iety shirlca (gath ering)gam

‘

iya

soc k shard l)

so fa kanab é'

soft nd ‘im g et soft ni‘im

soldier ‘aslca ri (pl .

‘asdlrir)

som e ba ‘d

som eb ody [rad ii

som etim es sometimes sd‘a

sll‘

a

someth ing lgdga

son ibn

S oudanese sfld rini

sound (v . ) gasssour ; go sour kumurl

south qibli go south gabbil

sow (v .) zara‘

; we sowed

zam'

na,zaral ma

Sparrow‘asfi

’

ira

speak itkallim,ilrlfallim ; h e is

speaking beyikkallim ; th eyspeak yikkallimii ; Speak to

lrallim h e speak s Well of

yizkur

spend saraf ; I spent saraft ,h e spends yz

’

srif ; b e spent

issarafspider

‘anlcab zit

spill kal b , ba/glar ; b e spilt

inltabb,itlrab l/

spirit (devil)‘afri ;

spite ; in Spite of ghasbe‘an

splashb oard (of carriage) rafmfSplit inbarash

Spoil lchassar,‘auwar

Spoon ma‘

laqa

Sprawl inbarash

Sprink le bakhkh

Spy play th e spy itbassas

squ eez e ; b e squeezed ddq,idddyiq

squint liawalsquint-eyed aliwal (pl . 6 221)stab le astab l the stab le

rasgab l

stand (plac e of standing )mauqaf

standing u'

dqifstart ( on j ourney) sdfir, qam ;

h e,it

,starts yeqfim

starting mesdjir, qa’

im, qdyim

statem ent (16l

st ation (railway, the . ) malmfl astature qima

steal saraq th ey sto le saratpl

steam b oat bal/ fir,walnlr

step ( s . ) sillimastic k (s . )

‘asdya (pl .

‘usy) get

stuc k ilmzlzas , {l ieu/ad

ENGLISH-ARABIC

still (ad . ) kamdn lissa

sting ( s. ) qarsa, (v . gai'

as)b e stung gurus

stinging qars

stingy bikhil

stock ing shard b

stomach barn

stone llagar (pl . l mgdra)stop waqqaf ; wz

'

qif

( imp . aqaf)stopping (standing still) wdgifstore-house makhzan

story ( tale) lziAd yastraight dughri

straightway dughri

strand ; get stranded itu-alias

street shdri‘

(pl .sikka (pl . si/talt)

strength gziwa

stretch mad d

stretc hing (s . ) mad adstrik e darab th ey strik e

yidrabfi she struck darab it

we struck (larabna theystruck dam /17.2 ; they strik e

yidrabzistriking darbstring dubdm ; piec e of string

fatlastroll tak e a stroll darab

bulga

strong shid id , gdmid

Tab le parabéga ,tarab éza (d in

tab lec loth mafrashta il dél

tailor khaiydl

tak e akltad ,khad ( imp. khad)

she tak es ta/rhud I, you,

took khad t, she took khm lit,they took khad t? take

VOCABULARY

stuff (s . ) gum/23h

stuff b e stuffed i'n/Laslza

stu ffing [pashwastumb le mb b ,

‘

z'

tz'

r

stumb ling (s . ) gabhasuc ceed suc ceed to itbauwish

such a one fuldnsugar sukkar

sugar-b asin sukka riya

suit (s. ) {aqmSultan Sultansumm er sér

’

sun (shams) , samssunset maghrib

Sunday (yo‘

m, nahar) z

'

l lea/1d

surely ya malzsansurfac e wishsh. rise to the

surfac e qab l)surround Zuiwz

'

psuspend

‘allaq ; b e suspen de d

it‘allaqsuspending (s . ) la

‘ligsustenanc e m

’

zyswallow bala

‘ b e swallowe d

ingala ;sweep (v .) [sand ssweet lcz

'

lw find sweet z'

stuhla

swell (v . ) wz'

rz'

m

swim ‘dm.

sword séfSyria ish Shim

Syrian shami

away shdl ( imp. sh il ) ;tak e off qala

‘

; tak e out

talla‘

,kharrag .

‘ tak e to

(get ac custom ed to) khmh le‘

a/a ; he tak es ( c onveys )yewadd i ; tak e onese lf o il

ingan ; tak e a tic k et q’

ub z‘

.

tazkara ; (drink s , &c . ) ism‘

ga

426 ENGLISH -ARABIC VOCABULARY

talk (s.) k tddm, 961 ; (v .)

i k k a l l z'

m ; th ey talk ed

s kallz'

mfi.

tall gamil (comp . atwal)tank b od

tax m sm

tea-

pot z’

brz’

g betd‘ ish shdy

teach ‘allz

'

m

teach er me‘allim

tear (v . ) shan ty, sharmat ; b e

torn ishsharmag‘

telegram talagrdf, tz'

lz'

grc’

iftemperament kha lqtemple (anc ient) bz

'

rba (pl .bm 'dbi)

tenn is (Zi‘b ) it tam

’

s

tepid g et tepid fitz'

r

terrac e 3 245227}than mm ,

‘an

thank ; thank you kattar

khém k

that (pr . ) ( 1a, d ih ( f . dik—ha

124) ( c . ) inn,leinn that

th ey innuhum

the t'

l

th eatre tiydtm

th eir - hum , beta‘hum

,betalzhum

them —hum

th ere b enc’

ik

th erefore ‘ashdn (

‘ala shdn) , kede

th ese d 6l

they humma

th ick z‘elrh z

‘

n , fz'

lzhin (pl . fulntlzdn)grow th ick Ii/rh z

'

n

th in rafaiya‘

th ing ledge ,

th ink m un,{fin/var

thir d ( S . ) ff”th irsty

‘agslum

th is (id,( lib . ( f . ( 12)

th o se (Ml,rlu/c-hamma

though u'

clau as tho ugh kc’

inn

thonm nd a /fthra sh ing (s . )

‘( l /qa

three ta lat,talata, talfita

throttle Izanaqthrottling [Langthrow rama (imp. irmi) ha dqf;

she threwmmz'

t they threw

ramfi, b e thrown awayd rama

thunder (v . ) m‘adit (id dinya)

Thursday (yam,nahdr) il

khamis

thus [cede

tick et tazkara.

tie (v .) m ba ; th ey tied rabatz’

l

tied marb zit

tiger m‘

mr

time wagt, zaman marra

mudda (season ) cur/in at

that time waqtiha

tim id khauwdftiny gugha

'

nnan, sughatmt

tire ta ‘ab

,ta.“ab get tired ti

‘a’

b

tired ta‘bdn

to Zz'

,le,

‘

ala ; to me 12,1'2ya ;

to h im luh

tob ac co flu/chichdn

tob acc on ist dak/zaklmi

to-day in nahdr da

togeth er sawa

to ‘morrow bukra th e dayafter to—morrow ba‘de b ukra

tongs luammdsha

tongue h san

to-night z'

l Ié'

la

too kamcin

tooth sz’

mza

torture (v . )‘az z ib b e tortured

ingu~

ar

total gumla, g imla

tourist sawed/t

towel ffimtown ba la d (pl . b ildd)trad e Hydra

train wahlir

tramwnv framuviy

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428 ENGLISH -ARABIC VOCABULARY

waiter sufragi, sufragzwaiting for mistanni

wak e siln'

walk mishi ; mak e to walk ,

walk ab out (t .) mashsha ;walk ab out ( i.) ddr ; th eywalk yimshzi tak e a walk

walk ing ( s.) mashy, (pa i-t . )

mi sh i

wall Mg, (Lam; low wall,

foundation wall g idd?‘

walnuts gOz

want ( s. )‘oza ; az

,

‘auz

,

‘az

'

z

wanting‘auz ,

‘a /z ; (defic ient)

nagzs

war Izav'b

warm clqjjlzwar—oth ee [zarbiyawarped matni

h (v . ) ghasal ; I washed

ghasalt b e wash ed itghasal

washerwoman ghassdla.

wash ing ( s. ) ghasilwatch ( s. ) sd

‘a ; (v .) ( sit up at

nigh t) sl/Lir , sik irwatchmak er sd ‘dti

water moiya

water-carrier saqqd

water—m elon shammfmna ( col .pl . shammdm )

waylay istan ad li

we Mme

weak da ‘ifweak en da ‘

nla ‘

weak ness d zc‘fwealthy ; b ecom e. wealthyiqta dar

wea r libis ; b e worn out with

ag e qudum

wearing [til/ is

weather d ingja ,d unya

wedd ing fam li

Wednesday (yo‘

m , nah cir) t'

l

arba ‘

( l arba‘

)week gum

‘a

weep bi/cz'

,

‘az

’

ya;weigh wazan ; b e weigh ed

itwazan

well (s . ) birwell taiyib ; get well they?

”

west ghu'

rzib ; (a . ) gharbiwet ; b e wetted itball , z

'

nball

what éh , ésh ,vud

,(m i

wh eel ‘agala

wh en Zamma ; wh en ? e mta ?

whenever kulle ma

wh erefénwhich illi, am enhu 1 25)wh ich ever

, éy,éyz

’

ha

wh ip Z ui'b t

’

igwh isper (v .) washwishwhite abyad ( f. b éda , pl . b id) ;wh ite c olour baydd

who zlli who ? m in ?

whoever kulle manhu

whole kull ; {221 Sahib

why léh

wick edness shew-r

wide ‘arid

widen wassa ‘

wife goza h is wife gu ttu ,

z'

mrdtu

win kusub

wind hawa

window shib bdk

window-b lind silflra

wine nebit

wink wink to one another

z'

tghdmz'

z

winter shita, shitwa

wisdom lei/nnawish (v .) sha

’

with ma‘

, waiya,bi with m e.

ml 1. with her milcha with

us ma‘dna

within g ziwa

ENGLISH-ARABIC V OCABULARY

without min ghér

witness (s . ) sha/l id (pl . shuhhdd ,shuhzid ) , (v . ) sliz

'

hz'

d call as

witness istashhid

woman mara, lmrma (politer

than mara ) women m'

swdn,m

'

sa

wonder istaghrab

wood khashab ; piec e of wood

khashaba

wool szifwool -gath ering tau

'

ahdn

word f/ o‘

l,kalam

work shughl, (v . ) ishtaghalthey work yz

’

shtz'

ghilu

workman fd‘z’

l

workshop warsha (pl . wirash )world dinya , dunya ,

‘(ilam

worse al ‘an

Yawn ittdwz’

b,ittaub

year sana (pl . s min) last year‘amnaum

’

l

yellow asfar ; b ecome yellow

yes ewa,azwa

yesterday inbdrz'

lz, z

'

mbdrz‘

h ;

worsh ip‘

abacl b e worshipped

it‘abad

would would that I ya 7'éf

wound (v . ) garaip, gawab ; b e

wounded z'

ngarah

wrangle ishshdhz’

n

wrap lafiwrapping luhé

'

sh put wrappingon khaz

’

yz’

sh,khé

‘

yz’

sh

wrestler bahlawdn

wretch ed maskin, glue/Mn (pl .

ghaldba)write katab I

, you ,wrote

katabt ; b e written inkata b

writing kitdba

writing-b ook daftar

writing-room maktab

writing-tab le bashfakhta

wrong harém , (v . ) : u lam

th e day b efore yesterdayauwil im i/drift

yet lissa

you 4 c, ak dzc . 1 21 )young sughaz

'

yav'

; young man

shab b

your (t; 1 2 1 ) betd ‘alr, betd‘ik

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432 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

itdastar ask p ermission, sagdastur (dastur)

itsaraf be sp ent ; depart

it‘ash sha d ine

itfadd be ended

itqab il meet

itqaddim be advanced

itk ab b ib be made round as a

ball,in balls

itlaff be wrapped upitmash sha take a walk

itnataq bep ronounced

itnattatjump ,ship

itnaqal remove one’

s self, be

removed

itwadda perform one’s ab lutions

ittallab aslcforih tz

‘

ir be bewildered, confused

iddafia warm one’s self

iddafiar be p laited

idraf kind of pumpkinirta ‘

ab takefrightirta ‘

ash tremb le

izar cloalc, shawl

iz zaiyar put on the izdr

izm int cement

iz n p ermission

ista ’

g iz ask p ermission

istaghfar as/c pardon

istaghla consider exp ensive

istab il deserveist nhras ‘

ala look after , see toistah la find sweet, pleasant

istarda consent

ista ’z in ask permission

ista ‘az fl y tofor refuge az )ista ‘

raf b i malw acquaintance ofistafrad be left aloneistaqrab consid er near

Usfl l regulatimis, mis tow, rule um unil of co urse, then

istama’ listen to

istawa be ripe, cooked

istigéb hear (a p rayer)istiraiyah to rest, rep ose

istiqam take up one’

s abode

issaqqa be soaked

issfiwa agree togethe r

isk andarfini Alexand rian

iswalli of Assouaniswira bracelet, wristband

istab ah b i meet in the morningissaffa be strained

ishtagb al work

ishshauwim consid er of ill omenisb shakk a comp lain Ofifti‘é la forgery, inventionik tasab gain ,

earn

ik h tfir,ik htfir choose

ik h tasha be shyiltaqa find ,

nieet

iltab is be clothed bepossessed of(a sp irit)

intafa, be extinguished

intaqal itnaqal

in tarash fall prone , on one’

a

faceingada

‘

( = liter . indaga‘

) lie on

one’

s side

inhugar be deserted ,haunted

in lmsnd be envied , have the evil

eye c ast on one

inglfif he added

ingalam be wronge d, tyranm'

: ed

over

insam f go array

inshfil be carried , put, awayi1 1fadd befinishedinwuhar befrightenediyfik perchance

VOCABULARY 433

Bauwfib a. gate

b at , b éyit pass the night

b agh], b aghla ( b igb é l) muleb ahhfiri sailorbaht ; il b . i] ab yad the WhiteNile

badan bodyb adla. suit of clothes

b ara setfreeb araka. b lessing , good fortuneharam go round , whirl

bart‘

ida,b arfida. gun

b argfisha old slipper, shoe

b an ’

shore, bank , country

b asat (hagat) to please, spreadb asit simple

b ak hk h squirt, spit out

ta ham accuse

whafp resent, give as a g iftwdwira circle, circumferenceta sqtyn broth

1 S ee Lane'

s Mo dern Egyptians , c h . v .

b ala‘ to swallow

b é ligh mature

b all to wet

b amya , the esculent h ibiscus1

b fin appear

b anzah ér,bezoar stone

b amnfira a crystal vase or

bottleb ét house ; sheath

b edingfin egg-p lant, auberg ine

b éyfi‘seller

b it well

b irfim ( ib rima) earthen potb irk a lake, marsh , pit

b izz breastb ish i‘ uglyb ik r virgin b inte b ikr a

g irl

b uhfiq fumesb urg tower

b urqu‘veil

b urnus wh ite woollen hooded

cloak

b fiz muzzle, snout

b uqq mouth

b ulzid steel

b ul figb maturityb unduqi (dahab ) 24 carat (asthe Venetian sequin)

ta‘mim wad ; p ipeful

taq rib i app roximative

tak bmtn guwsing , id ea

ta ll hill , heaptaman price , value

tammim to comp lete

mnb il sit id lyterm isa point tea l

434

ti‘ib get tire d

til linen

tila twisted rope

turb a (turab ) , turb a grave

Taiye‘

u‘

current

taiyéra kite

tauwfifwatchman, p atrol

tauwil (b élu) be p atienttab ib physic ian

tab b beat (ofheart)

tab b i] beat a drum

tab liya board , tab le

tfitfi bend down

tar revenge

tarab lis a silk g ird le or sash

tarah get rip e

tarsha. vomitingtariqa manner

tashtash tofizz

ta‘m fl avour

tafash run away

tafia extinguish (fire)tziqa window, hole

taqiya captaqtaq crack le, cause to crackle

taqq burst ; die

Gab rforce , compulsion

guda‘

(g id‘fin) brave fine young

fellow, gaillard

garr p ull, d raw

garm b test, trg

gurm s inform of, d isgracc

guz zfir b utcher

garu r carrots

gfi‘ be hungry

galus sit

gallis cause to sit

the p ulse or

THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

13q weight

tumna. the eighth part of the

aadd i

gama‘collect, add

gumfi‘a party, people

gamil beautiful

gfm g inn, germ

gawfiz marriage

gaiyiz allowed , per missible

gésh army

g ib s gypsum

g iha d irection

g id ila tress , p lait , h eist

g iri run

taqm suit of clothes, harness

tail to reach

talab to demand

talfiq d ivorce

tame} greed

t-fimi‘covetous

tawi‘ obeytér birds

tisht basin

tés ; b ahre tés exceed ing lytin Nile soil land

tbfp atrol

tub té b ;‘at tub té b just

wanted , apropos

tu b gi gunner

tuhfir circ umcision

Tura, name of a village ( the site

of a convict priso n)turya p ic/came

tfil ; tul me as long as‘aJa.

till straight awaytumu

‘covet

tuwfila sofa, mattress

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THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

haram ( il) (sacred shrine of)Mecca

haram wrong , sin

harir silkharb war

,battle

har mr put, set, hold upb arf edge

hazz am bind in a bund le

hasab‘ala look after

based to envy

bass tofeel

hash preventhafae keep , protect

hfifi‘

. barefoot

baqq right, what is d ue fi haqqiabout, against, me

hak im doctor

hal state,cond ition ;

‘ala k ulle

bal anyhow, however it maybe

11 2113. state, position

balab to milkhalaq (bulqén) ringshalal lawfulhaléwa sweets pourboire

halfa. a prickly reed -like weed

hama defend

Dauwar (d) cause to turn, turndauwib cause to melt, (S

'

c .

dab melt ; beworn out

dahab to slaughter

dab b ar contrive, arrange

diir (d) turndaraga. step , degree moment

tiii l ‘ig current, colloquial

da rm winnow,scatter

dai s tread ,run (

‘ala over)

dashsb grind

da ft} li b less

dm‘wa afl'

a ir, lawsuit

dufa heatdaqn chin ; beard

dak hal enter

dfik liil insid e

duk hk han emit s moke

dafau burydafiis b urydaqq grind p lay (a music al in

strument) ; tattoodfun (yidfim) last, continue

(yid im ) cause to last, per

petuate

da tum b lood

b amad praise

hamér red colour

hamal bear , carry

ham] carryinghammfila ( of z ir) standhan

’

gfir victoria ( carriage)hannin cause to p ityb fiya 3 b i l h éya. alive

b etwall

b és ; min h ésu kan however it

may be

1161 qa‘ad ‘

ala ll élu sit up

b ige‘

ib charm,amulet

H iga‘

iz H ijaz ; p ilgrimage

hirz protectionhiss sound ,

voice

hisab calcu lation

hi sb a account

bile trick , resourw ; ma h iltfish

b ags. he has means , no

thing

hilw sweet

hiwe‘

in animal

hudn embrace

husfim (husfimfit) hot summer

days

burr ( ihrfir)freehun na. woman

VOCABULARY

dawfiya inlasland

dfiya. midwifedib wolfdib la a p lainfinger-ringdiri know

diqiq fl ourd imfigh head ,

brains

dab ‘ hyena ,lion

da‘if weak

(jalma darknessdamar foretell thefuture

(:iéf guest

rab at il qé l agree

rab b lord , master

rat]pound (weight)ragab (for raqab ) observeit Rag

‘

un the S toned (Satan)raggab (Upper Egyptian )

raqabragha. cha tter ( lit . foam at the

mouth )rfiha rest b ét ir rfiha closet

mhfiya kamt-mill

437

dim ir a jack et (such as is

by sufragis and cavasses)dim ‘

a (dumfi‘

) a teardimma. conscience

dor story of a house

dura ma ize

durb ésh dry clods

dfin low,inferior

dirs cog-wheel

difira p lait, tressdiqit il khulq impetuositydimu amongst

(:iuhr noon

dufr nail (of the finger or toe)dulma. vegetables stufied with

mince-meat

m di bad

ram provideform sam d raw,

delineate

rag head , he ad-

p iece

m shwe. bribe, reward

ra‘ad to thund er

ra‘d thunder

raq ab look , perceive

raq-aha neck

nl q be c lear get better ( inhealth)

raqq grow thinraqqa

‘ to patch

raqwu spell , charm

rak ‘a bend ing of the Irnee in

prayer, prostratimc

rakk ib fix ,set up

rak b a. relax . letfallm ’

y opinion‘alu m ‘

y ac cord

ing to

righif loq/rib wind spirit

438 THE SPOKEN~

ARABIC OF EGYPT

ridi“-to consent

risi come to a decision

rism z‘

il capital

risha,featherrif country, village

riq saliva ; ghaiyar riqubreakfast on

Z auwid increase

z ab fin customer

z éd increase (neutz atfina bracelet

zad p rovisionsfor a journeyz aghrfita shrill cry ofjoyzam v

'

viya, ( = b allfisi) a large

earthen pot

z ar‘sowing cultivated land

m ‘al anger

z afi'

a bridal procession

z aqq push

zal in lam yazal does not cease

545)z alab fin i seller of zalabya (a kind

of fritter)

Z anwar take to visit

z ab at control

gab it ofi cer

z ab tiya principal police-ofil ce

z aghat to swallow

z agb rfita shrill cry of joyzahar appear

pai r to visit

g z’

ir ( z ik r) repeating the name

Sn'al ask sab ‘ lion

sab agh to dyes atv veil ing (one 8 sans) ; pa

rdon

m hhfigh dyerwide p lam ,

m thout sugar

suhnt p rove , hold. true sadnq tell the truth

s uh b n‘ be sown d ays old saga" imp rison

riktib stirrupriyél dollar , 20 piastresrutz

'

in lingo, foreign tongueruk fib a a mount

rukhém marb le

rilmi Gr eek

rummfin pomegranates

z ammz’

ir one who p lays on a

reed

zann grumble, scold

z awfiti belong ing to grand ees

z én taiyib (dialec t)z ifir greasyz ift pitch

z ik fi. alms

z im iq get angryz imil comrade

z ina ornament

z iyfida surplus, more

z iyfira ( g iyfira) tistizuk hma a strap

God (see Lane’s “Mod .

Egypt ,”ch . xxiv .)

zalat peb bles

gammar p lay on a reed pipe

g ammfir one who plays on a

reed pipe, p iper

ram ) think, suplwse

z fil ‘ forgery.pm'

wy

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440 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

safer yellowcolour

gaffe strain, filtersfilili p ious

galls, pray$5111 to fastSamadiya name of a chapter ofthe Koran

san‘a profession gughr smallness

, youth

san f class, k ind sub he, bouquetséd shooting, fishing gur

‘

( sur‘

) reins‘ala fikh ir sur

‘

séf summer atfull g allopsirfiya palace sfira facesirik h screeching

Sha ‘ to wish

sha ’am be of ill omen

sh é(a a‘send

sh é(a il cause to carrysh image, resemb lance

shab b young , yourug man

shab b a alum

shatfira c leverness, ski/l

shataf wash, rinse

shétir clever

shutfa flint—lockshahaq sigh

shahri month lyshadd pull

shara, buysham t make a cond ition

slim-tim spark

sham f honour

Sharb a d raught of water, «j'

c .

shart cond ition

sharrab g ive to dr in k

shurr evil

shurm f to hono ur

sharq East

sharmat tea r to pieces

shfish muslin

sha ‘x‘ hair

shah heal

shuq i rascal

slmq q to sp lit

si‘idi native of Upper Egyp t

§ i(sa)niya traygifa, qualitysiyém a fastsub h morning

sub h iya morning time,

early

SH

shaqq crack , crevice

shak er speak well ofshakk ar thank

shakwa complaint

shak h s (sakh s) p ersonsh al shawlsh am i Syriansham ‘

a a cand le

shamla band

shamm to smell

shank al ( shank il ) trip upsh awir consult

sh é thingsh ehéda testimonysb é l l ifting up carrying awaysh ib i‘ be satisfied , sat iated

sh irit rib bo n wick

sh il 'ik partner

Sh irwil l loose trousers

sh isli an iron spike

Sh i '

il ' barleyshi‘iri of the shape or form ofbarley

sh ita heal th

sh ik lformsh inishu a hole thro ugh a wal l

( sim ilar to a. thqa)hé ka forkshuwfis lm smal l tuft of ha ir

VOCABULARY

‘aiya make ill‘aiyat weep

‘aiyil child‘aiyim

1 appoint‘au

‘au ,

‘auwa , to bark

‘ab ba fil l

‘agab please, suit‘agan knead‘éd to return‘éd (in Upper Egy pt) b aqa

m‘arb id search for loot‘ard honour fi ‘

ardak ! mercy

‘arsh throne‘arfisa. bride a metal or wooden

ornament worn bywomen over

the nose, sujp orting the veil‘éz seek refugefrom‘azaq to tilt‘éz ib unmarried ,

widower

‘az z il remove (neut .)‘azm determ inatimi

, energy

‘fie soil , bespatter‘asar squeeze , press‘asb a Cu ba) b lack silk kerch ief(worn b y wom en round the

head )‘agr the time of afternoon prayer

44 1

‘aliqforage‘filim learned‘alqa a beating‘allim teac h ; mark‘amal make

,do ; make as if,

The lower c lasses o fte n say‘annin for ‘

uiyin .

3 In its use as an ad verb it is sometimes b eard together with

b aqa (‘fid bags) .

‘as

‘as become rig id

‘ashshish to nest‘fifa give health and strength to‘afrat; madd en, fright‘afrit devil , sprite‘afsh stufi

'

, baggage‘afya. health , strength‘aq l reason , head , intelligenc e‘afw pardon‘31 excellent

‘fim ir (‘ummfir) inhabiting , fre

quenting ;‘z'

un ir il b et name

given to the serp ent guard ian

of the house wherehe has fixedh is abod e

‘amla. act

, deed‘ammi

‘

ignorant‘fin raise‘awad a recomp ense, comp ensa

tion

eb vice,shame

‘ésb bread living , lvj e‘éla.family‘eu eye‘ib fida warsh ip‘ib fu’

a phrase matter‘ib b b reast-pocket‘itit ‘

alu. stumb le on‘igish be th irsty‘id festival‘ig l calf‘iriq to sweat

442 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

‘irsa weasel‘irq vein

‘urfiq il fig]radish taps

‘izfil efiects, furniture‘iz z height, fatness, depth‘isha, the time of evening p rayer‘ishiq fall in love with‘ilim know‘inab a, a grape

Fatan tell tales, denounce

fatten broth , bread soaked in

mil/e

fattah emerge (of the sun)Fattéh Opener (God)fahat d igfahar d igfah l calf, young of a bufi

'

alo, 6'

s.

( larger than th e‘igl)

faddan acre

faddad to silver, inlaywith silver

ffidi emp ty, d isengagedfarag chance, occasion

farah joy, weddingfaresmare

farash spread out furnish , stnfi'

(chairs, &c .)faram out small

,mince

ferret (fi) get rid of, chu ch

fart agh d istribute emp tyfarrfish sweeper ; ageneral servantfarm q d istribute, d ivide

farsh carpets , bedd ingfarqa‘ explodefaza ‘

spring up startle threaten

fazz jump upfasqiya, fountainfusa l to bargain

Q aiyala mid -flay heat qab b il to hi ss

qab ad to ca sh qatal [rill strike (in d ialect of

qab fl l, qub fl l acceptance Upper Egypt)

‘fid stick . (S ee‘nzame invitation banquet‘6m swimming ,

unfordable

(water)‘uz r excuse

‘usmalli Ottoman‘uffir dust‘uqb a end ; recompense

fags slice

fassas to shell, out into slices

féq recover consciousness

faqas to hatch

faik ir mindfulfakk ar remind

fak haréni maker of potteryffik hfira potteryfalaq to sp lit

ffini transient

fanta; deck out

fantai iya a show, parad e

fitir pastryfigl rad ishes

fihim und erstand

fidil remain

fikr thought, idea

fikra thought, idea

fiqi, f iqi schoolmaster ( in a, hut

tab ) , reciter of the K oran

filfil p epper

futfir b reakfa stfursha b rush

furn oven

fusduq , fuzduq p istachio nuts

fuk hk hér earthenware

f ill beansfull jasm ine

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444 THE SPOKEN ARABIC OF EGYPT

k afan shroud

k atf palm of the handk affa, saj icek allif cost ; expend

k ef ‘ala k éfak as you like

k éla a dry measure,the twelfth

p art of an ardab b

k amén ,k emfin also, more,

again

k itab book ; marriage contract

k itfib e wri tingk itf shoulder ; hatte k itf hurry

awayk idib tell a lie

k idb a lie false

Khab at strike, knockk hab ar news

k hab az bake

k hab iz bakingk hab as tell lies, slander

k hab ha'

g knock frequentlyk hatma. a recitation of the

K oran,K oran read ing

k hatab betroth

k hete f snatchk hatb a match-maker

k hatt make lines, rowsk hatt (k hutfit) line, furrowk hattat make lines, furrows,

ridges

k hetwa stepk hadd cheek

k harag go o ut

k h zu '

ag (yik hrig ) d istilk haragfin cane

k haraq to d rill , p iercek harr leak , fall in d rop sk hm '

rat cut into slices

k hur mq perforate with holesk haz ina treasury

kirsh belly, paunch

k is bag, p urse

k iféya sufi c iencyk ilma word

kom lump , piece ; mound

kub b él brougham

k ub r greatness ; old age

k uttéb p rimary school

k uh l a b lack pigmentfor the eyeskursi seat, throne ayit il Kursi

name of the 256 th verse of th e

2ud chap ter of the K oran

k fiz mugkufi iya shawl worn round the

head

k hass grow thin, shrink

k hasrén losing ; lost

k haf tofeark haff be light ; get well

k hala, desert, open sp ace

k h alifreefromk halifa caliph , chiefk hallasfinish , satisfy,

“do for,i t do

k hallif beget

k hamrzin d runk

k han ba zaark hfiyin treacherous

k her goodness good

k héra c hoosing , choice

k hib m experien ce ahl il k hib ra

expert

k h iliif d ill'

erence ; b i k hlfif con

tran’

lyk h iyél shadow

k hfid shallow. f orda b le

k hulus befinishe d

k lmlk hfil ank letk hunqu wrist

VOCABULARY

13h ( il fegt ) to dawnlazaq to stick (act .)lafi go round ; put round ,wrap uplaqa , léqa.find

lamm collect

lélfiti nightlylib b a. a kind of necklace (seeLane’s “Mod . Egypt .

”Ap

Maiyidi, méyidi old coin = one

para or fadda. half a

mite)maugfid found , present

mater ,mater rain

mfigfir earthen bas in

mag hfira cave, cavern

mag z ilb lunatic , fanaticmahgfir deserted , haunted

mah r dower

mah ill,mahal]p lace

mahrama a cloth of coarse

muslin embroidered in silk or

gold threads

mahz fiziya enjoymentmed fa.‘ gun, cannonmadwid manger

medyafa guests’

apartment‘ala. agree with (of

mfirid an evil j innee of a p ower

ful classmarte b fin an earthen pot

margeh to swingmarghfiba desire, fanc ymarhab a ! welcome !

lib da felt caplih iq reach , succeed , manage

to

liz iq to stick (neut .)liz im be necessarylissa still , not yet

lub ya haricot beans

luqma bit, mouthfulluman convict p rison , pena l ser

vitud e

marmar alabaster shash marmar muslin of a moiré

pattern

masa be evening ; eveningmasagh jewellerymesaia distanc emasal examp le, proverb ; for ex

amp le

masalan for examp le

masrfif (pl . masarif) expensesmashsha ca u se to go go

mashhad funeralma

‘rifa knowledge

ma‘rfif kind ness

, politeness

ma‘na, mi

‘na sense, meaning

maqtaf basket (made of palm

leaves)maqdfir app ointed , fatedmaqra

‘a wand

ma'k fil eaten , ed ib le

makrfish hurried ,out of

breath

mak sah p rofitmak l

'

i upset, upside down

maklfib ma d (dog )mak hsfis spec ial , p rivate

mall}; salt (adj )mal b ll s dress , garment

446 THE SPOKEN . ARABIC OF EGYPT

mall in millieme (ab out a

farthing)malmfim collected together

malyén fullma

’mfir ofi c ial rep resentative

mamrficl ill s

manéb portion, share

manfik hir nose

m ani‘ hindrance, obstaclemanfa‘

a advantage

manffik h b lown,filled out by the

wind

mank hul sieve

medauwar round

mez aiyara a demoness

meséfir travelling , traveller

mesahhad burning hot (of thesun )

mesha‘li executioner

meshak hl aqa , k ind of neclclace

me‘ak nin wretched

me‘allim teacher, foreman

mefaddaql silver-

p lated

meqaul a contract

meqamb ar hudd led upmekab b ib in balls

Nauwar to light, throw light

nahash d ig ; burynab b it sprout

nab b ih ‘ala. give instruc tions

to

net; leapnaga, save

magaf chandeliers, lanternsmagg is cons ider unclean

nahab to p lunder

nal‘

lfis copper, copper vessel

nab ya. d irection, side

ufida ca ll out

melab b is bonbons

m enaqqat spotted

mewahwig burning , onfirem ithaz z im girded

m itl like, as

m ityassar a good manymihla, d elay, resp ite

mihrfit p loughm istaufi large, enormous

missaiyat of repute

miskof Russian

m i‘akh z a b lame

m iqdfir quantitym ilfiya sheet, shawlm ill}; nice, good

muti‘obedient

mud ir governor, director

mudiriya province

murzaq p rovided for, b lestmusib a, afi

‘liction

mu‘tak af secluded

mufrad alone, single

muqtada (nahw. ) necessity, re

guirement

muqri read (man)mulfikhiya. a species of mallow

nadfima repentance

nagar sight ; evil eye

nears, look , evil eye

nasab to set uph afad escape enter, p ierce, pass

nafas b reathnafa‘ be of use ; use, profitnafak h inflatenfifiq deceive, be a hypocrite

nafs evil eye, envynailed pass (tn ) thro ughnfiqiswanting , less

mul l) hole

naqqut mark W k spots

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APPENDI X

PREFACE, p. xxi

,line 9 , add Aramaic edra‘ and z era .

3 . I n prayers the s of Al lah is pronounc ed almost as aw in

dawn

§ 4 . When the W following the'

i is itself followed b y an

ac cented vowel th e i retains its na tural sound as in riwaya story.

1 7. Th e name Tadros Theodore is sometimes written aswell

as pronounc ed Tafidrfis.42 (b ) . Add m ahffidiya learning by heart.42 (e) . Add ginéna ( from ganna) garden.

52 ( b ) . When ,as sometim es happens, the literary form is

used , th ese noun s are regarded as masculines. Thus we sayimditu mush gah ra his signature is not distinc t, b ut imdfih mush

zahir. W e hear is sama an as well as‘

alya .

53 . Widn ear should b e added to th e list of feminines, andalso tramway as meaning a tramway car thus we say it tram

way mishyit .

68. Allah God b ecomes llah,as it is supposed to stand for

al ilah the god ; thus I lah i my God ,not Allah i.

78. With th e lower c lasses mudir governor sometimes mak es

mudiriyfin in th e plural in imitation of the literary mudirfin .

§ 79 ( ht) . Add yadd yaddat when used of the handle of a

tool , dz c .

83— 7. Add yadd iyfid wh en used of the handle of a tool , a c .

109, Remark b . But we sometimes hear alf we k usur

gineh , dzc .

1 10 . Add 15 uk t l‘

lb ar sanat kam ? the 15th Oc to ber of what

ear ?y1 1 2 , Remark 6 . Ana may a lso assum e the form ani with

th e negative 151 , b ut lana is sa id as well as lani.12 1 (b ) . Dura mak es a lso duraya ,

b ut less c ommonly .

Usta mas ter mak es ustati only, yaqa. collar, yaqzitu ,very rare ly

yaqah ; ( c )'

adfi (orig ina lly‘

adfiw) enemy re c overs the w,thus

‘adfiwi ,

‘

ad ll wak ,

‘

aduwinu ,

t

adfiwdhum .

222. I t has b een sugg ested tha t all verb s we re orig inally .

b iliteral. Th ere ca n b e no doub t that the m eaning of the venb449 o

l"

450 APPENDIX

is o ften c ontained in the first two radic als. Compare, forexample, in th e dic tionaries

,th e verb s b eginning with the

radicals g z .

241 . Add gih it, nahyit in the direction of.

$ 244 . Add b i k h ilfe k hilaf opposite, crossways, as kh alli l

qazayiz b i k hilfe k h ilaf, i .e. turned in opposite directions . Yigi

is so c ompletely an adverb that it may b e prec eded b y a prepo

sition,as b afdiha b i yige sanatén about two years later .

§ 248 (a) . Add il hadrat il afukatiya M essieurs les avocats .

Remark b . The expression m in qadim iz zam an in days of old is

sometimes h eard . For an explanation of th is usage seeWrigh t,Arab ic Grammar (vol . ii. 86

,2md edit ) . Remark 0 . So

imsik ab u sham siya seize the man carrying an umbrella .

254 Remark . Add m in h alawit (or halaut) ir rfih from the

sweetness of life, i.e . in hi s desire to live ,daush it id dal h the noi se

of the beating gadwil id darb the multip lication table.

272 . Nim i a wahid and nim 1 it wahid No. 1 are b oth said .

288. Add samal al fwe tus emiya in the year 1 900 .

296 . Add mot il ada a natural death .

32 1 . The adj ec tive 1s som etimes in the feminine,as shaf il

k halqe (or il alam ) mashya he saw thep eop le walking ( cf.

380 . Add yimk in k am‘

ud k ab rit nayim b uh fi géb u p erhap s

he was sleep ing with a match in h is pocket.

g 387. Add yom iha.

389 . Add la tab anga wala gh éru (or gh erha) neither a p istolnor anything else .

400 . Th e pl onom inal suffixes representing the 2md person

are very c ommonly used as refl exives with th e verb k halla,as

k hallik h ina lea '

i'

e yourself, i.e . remain here, so k halliki wara,

k hallik u (not k hallfik u , 1 44 ) fi 1 6da .

§ 40 2 . Add humma tul bad they are of each other’

s, i.e . ofthe same, height.

3‘

423 . Notic e th e sub stitution of th e dem onstrative for theinterrogative in th e expression tishtigh il fi 0h we tak u l m inun ?what do you n or/c at to get a living ? ( lit . and eatfrom it) .

464,note 1 . So b iddina kunna i ishfif for kan b iddina

nshfif, &c .

476 . Add kan b aliq ( 1: 1 1pm he had shaved h is beard .

482. Add wanwit yin iauwit he killed for the sahe of k illingkhuft am sh i wa i 'ahu iu yidra l ifini I was afraid to follow them li st

they beat me.

530 . Add k hayif iuue yek fm huwa fearing lest it be he .

g 5 45 . A pleonastic negative is h eard a fter verb s of denying ,a s yiuk ir inne ma fish he denies that there is .

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APPENDIX

To ONE ABOUT TO SLEEP

N6m ile

afya (the sleep of health) . Rep ly— Allah y1 am: (or

yi‘

éfi) b adanak (God give you , your body, strength ) .

To ONE RI S ING IN THE MORNING

Sahh 1D nom (may your sleep have been good ) . Rep ly— sahh e

b adanak or Allah yihfazak (God p reserve you) .

To ONE STARTI NG ON A JOURNEY

Rab b ina yiwassalak b i s salama (our Lord conduc t you with

safety). Reply— ma

c

is salama .

To ONE COMI NG FROM THE BATH OR THE BARBER

Na Iman (may you have pleasure) . Rep ly— Allah yim

‘

am

alek (God grant you p leasure or smooth your path ) .

To A PERSON SNEEZ ING

Arhamak Allah (God have mercy on you) . Reply— Alla};

yihfazak or afak Allah (God give you health ) . Rep ly— Allah

yi afik.

BY A PERSON YAWN I NG

Astaghfar Allah ilt

az im (I ask p ardon of the great God ) , or

a uzu b i llah i m in ish shetan ir ragim (I take refuge with God

from S atan the stoned ).

To A BEGGAR

Rab b ina (or Rab b una) yiftah‘

alek (may our Lord open to

you,i.e . give you consolation) .

‘

ala llah (dep endent on God ) is sa id b oth b y and to b eggars.

585 (e) . Add ihna s sa‘

a k ham sa ; ihna gum‘

a ; il masafa

nusse vOm m ash i ; lazim maugfid (he must be present) .590 . Remark b . Add ismak faqir ? (do you cal l yourself

p oor

I NDEX

The numbers refer to the sections

ACCENT, 39 ELIS ION , 29Ac cusative, 63Direc t Ob jec t, 276- 79 , 288, 297,546- 57 FEMIN INE, 50—62 , 458 note ,

465— 7.

Adjec tive See also under verb ( conc ord )Re lative , 42 a

,44 Figures of speech , 585

- 93

Formation of, 43—45 Frac tions, 1 08- 9

C omparison of, 47, 337—48

M ultiplicative , 1 05

Distrib utive , 1 06 GEN ITI V E, 63 b , 64—6 9, 254—74Numeral

,1 07 Gerund , 504

S ub stantive used as,296

C oncord of, 3 1 6—30

Used as sub stantive, 331 , 332 IND IRECT d isc ourse , 517— 21U sed ad verb ially, 336 I nfinitive , 230—32 , 497, 565

Adverb , 1 0 4, 244 , 345, 581- 2 I n terjec tions, 246 , 583Apposition , 289—95, 4 18 I nterrogative sentenc es , 522- 27

Artic leDefinite , 40 , 1 2 4 (4 d ) , 248—52I ndefin ite ,

40 , 247 1\I O0 Ds , 490- 97

BAQA , 560Bets‘

,6 9

, 1 21 (Rem . d ) , 251 , 257—9.329 , 382

C ON D ITIONAL sentenc es, 507- 1 6

C onjunc tions, 245, 571- 80C onsonants

Pronunc iation o f, 19 , 20

Doub le , 22—4Assim ilation of

, 25

Transposition of, 28

C ontract ion , 9 (Rem . 29— 38

DATIV E, 63 b , 275, 288. 570 no te

Diminutivea, 42 c. 45

Diphthongs , 1 , 8 ORDER o f wo rds , 3 15, 3 52—3 , 360 ,

Dual , 70—75, 307- 14 , 3 17 , 4 68 423 , 584

NAHW Y, preface , append ix , and pm s im

Negative partic les, 1 5 3— 6 0

Negative sen tences , 533—45

Nouns

Fo rmation of,4 1

,4

C o llect ive , 42 a (Rem . a ) , 3 22 408.

4 6 1

Of unity, 42 a,129 8 . 305

C ompound, 46

Gender of, 49- 6 2

Dec lension of,6

V e rb al,228- 39, 29 7

U sed ab so lute ly ,258

O fmultitude , 32 1 , 46 2

Nume rals, 92

— 1 10 , 320 , 3 49 - 6 1

454 INDEX

PARTI CI PLES,498—503. See also ac c i

d enc e under verbPassive

,1 35, 505- 6 , 555

Plural, 76- 91 , 364

Prepositions, 240—43, 570

Pronouns

Personal, 1 1 1

—20 , 362—75

Possessive, 121 , 393—6Demonstrative

,1 24, 406

—22

I nterrogative , 125, 423—8Relative , 1 26 , 429—37I ndefinite , 1 27, 1 28, 443—57Distrib utive

,1 29, 438—42

Refl ex ive,1 22—3, 397—405

QAM , 559

Q at‘a,hiatus, 21

S INGULAR, 298—306Spelling , 1 (Rem . b )S uffixes, 1 1 3- 21 , 367—8, 376

400

TENSES , syntax , 473—89 Wu, u i, we. 5722—6

THE END

Printed b y HANSON

Ed inburgh 5“ Lo nd on

V ERBSTriliteral, 1 30—221

Derivative, 1 61- 81 , 186—7, 1 95— 6 ,

20 1 , 207, 21 2, 215, 226—7W eak

, 187—215

S trong , 1 33—86

W ith gat‘a for one Of the radic als

,

1 87—91

W ith w for one of the rad icals,

1 92- 202

W ith y for one of the rad icals,203—15

Defec tive,21 6—21

Q uadriliteral, 222—7C oncord with subject, 458—72Expressing fear

,surprise , &C . ,

528—32

Transitive and intransitive , 546- 57Impersonal , 558

Peculiar uses of, 559— 69

V ocative, 1 21 , 280—7V owels

Pronunc iation , 2—7, 1 6

H elping , 9, 1 0

S horten ing of, 1 1 , 1 3 , 15

L ength ening Of, 1 2