Stage 2 • Lesson 3 of 3
Module 3: Street Vocabulary and Survival Situations
These practical vocabulary banks focus on immediate communication for transport, food, shopping, and payment situations across daily life in Egypt.
1. Taking a Taxi (رُكُوب التَّاكْسِي)
Use these commands and direction words to handle short rides smoothly.
| Arabic Phrase | Transliteration | Meaning | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| عَلَى جَنْب يَا أُسْطَى | 'Ala ganb ya osta | To the side, driver! | |
| حَاسِب | Haasib | Pull over here / Stop here. | |
| عَلَى طُول | 'Ala ttool | Straight ahead. | |
| يِمِين | Yemeen | Right. | |
| شِمَال | Shemaal | Left. | |
| الْعَدَّاد شَغَّال؟ | El-'addad shagghal? | Is the meter working? |
2. Ordering Food (طَلَب الأَكْل)
Cover hunger, ordering, the bill, and simple customization requests.
| Arabic Phrase | Transliteration | Meaning | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| أَنَا جِعَان / جِعَانَة | Ana ge'aan / ge'aana | I am hungry (male / female). | |
| عَايِز / عَايْزَة | Ayez / Ayza | I want (male / female). | |
| الْحِسَاب كَام؟ | El-hesab kaam? | How much is the bill? | |
| مِنْ غِير شَطَّة | Men gheer shatta | Without hot sauce / spicy peppers. | |
| مَيَّه مَعْدَنِيَّة | Mayya ma'danayya | Mineral water. | |
| الْأَكْل حِلْو قَوِي | El-akl helw awi | The food is very delicious. |
Egyptian Reminder:
In many words, Qaf softens in Egyptian speech, so qawi is commonly heard as awi.
3. Shopping in Markets (الشِّرَا فِي السُّوق)
These are key phrases for asking prices, negotiating, and paying.
| Arabic Phrase | Transliteration | Meaning | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| بِكَام دَه؟ | Be-kaam da? | How much is this? | |
| غَالِي قَوِي! | Ghaali awi! | Very expensive! | |
| آخِر كَلَام؟ | Aakher kalam? | What is your final price? | |
| كِيس | Kees | A plastic bag. | |
| فَكَّة | Fakka | Small change / coins. |
4. Telling Time and Numbers (الْوَقْت وَالأَرْقَام)
You will use these forms constantly in transport, shopping, and payments.
| Arabic Phrase | Transliteration | Meaning | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| السَّاعَة كَام؟ | Es-sa'ah kaam? | What time is it? | |
| رِبْع | Reb' | Quarter (15 minutes). | |
| تِلْت | Telt | Third (20 minutes). | |
| نِصّ | Ness | Half (30 minutes). |
Time Rule:
Say the hour first, then add the fraction. Example: السَّاعَة تَلَاتَة وَنِصّ (Es-sa'ah talata w ness) = 3:30.
Core Numbers for Payments
Memorize these first for quick transactions.
| Arabic Number | Transliteration | Value | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| وَاحِد | Wahed | 1 | |
| إِتْنِين | Etneen | 2 | |
| تَلَاتَة | Talata | 3 | |
| أَرْبَعَة | Arba'a | 4 | |
| خَمْسَة | Khamsa | 5 | |
| عَشَرَة | 'Ashara | 10 | |
| عِشْرِين | 'Eshreen | 20 | |
| مِية | Meya | 100 |