<!-- This is a hidden comment: Do not unify IPA brackets, because [] mean that this is the exact sound, & // mean that it is an approximation
Dotless ? is intentional, as its pronunciation is in between i - e -->
; a : like '''?''' but shorter. {{IPA|[a]}} ; ? : as in "hand" (long). {{IPA|[a?]}} ; a : like '''a''' but shorter. {{IPA|[?]}} ; a : as in "bar". {{IPA|[??]}} ; o<small> ~ </small>u : similar to "put" (short). Tends to be merged into short /o/, or in between /u/ & /o/ {{IPA|/?/}} ; ? : similar to "float". {{IPA|/o?/}} ; ? : as in "shoe" (long). {{IPA|/u?/}} ; e<small> ~ </small>? : as in "fig" (short). Tends to be merged into short /e/, or in between /i/ & /e/ {{IPA|/?/}} ; ? : similar to "fate" (long). {{IPA|/e?/}} ; ? : as in "sheet" (long). {{IPA|/i?/}}
<!-- This is a hidden comment: Do not unify IPA brackets, because [] mean that this is the exact sound, & // mean that it is an approximation
Dotless ? is intentional, as its pronunciation is in between i - e -->
Most Arabic consonants (''Sawa<big>_f</big>et'' ?????) are not too difficult: :You should notice, also, that in Egyptian Arabic, consonants can be long (doubled).
; b <big> ? </big> (be): as in English ; f <big> ? </big> (fe): as in English ; t <big> ? </big> (te): as in English, pronounced more forward in the mouth ; d <big> ? </big> (d?l): as in English, pronounced more forward in the mouth ; g <big> ? </big> (g?m): as in English, ''not'' "j" {{IPA|/d?/}} as in Modern Standard Arabic ; k <big> ? </big> (k?f): as in English ; r <big> ? </big> (re): as in English, pronounced trilled (as in Spanish) ; l <big> ? </big> (l?m): as in English, pronounced more forward in the mouth ; h <big> ?? </big> (he): as in English, but occurs in unfamiliar positions ; m <big> ? </big> (m?m): as in English ; n <big> ? </big> (n?n): as in English ; s <big> ? </big> (s?n): as in English ; s <big> ? </big> (se): as in English, ''not'' "th" {{IPA|[__]}} as in Modern Standard Arabic ; z <big> ? </big> (z?n): as in English ; z <big> ? </big> (z?l): as in English, ''not'' {{IPA|[d]}} as in Modern Standard Arabic ; w <big> ? </big> (waw): as in English ; y <big> ? </big> (ye): as in English ; ? <big> ? </big> (??n): as "'''sh'''" in the English word "'''she'''". {{IPA|[?]}} <!--WEB-START--> ; j <big> ? </big> : as "'''s'''" in the English word "plea'''s'''ure" (''only found in loanwords''). {{IPA|[?]}}. Its counterpart <big> ? </big> may be used instead, in transliterations. ; p <big> ? </big> : as in English (''only found in loanwords''). Its counterpart <big> ? </big> may be used instead, in transliterations. ; v <big> ? </big> : as in English (''only found in loanwords''). Its counterpart <big> ? </big> may be used instead, in transliterations. <!--WEB-END-->
The following are a little more unusual:
; S <big> ? </big> (Sad): emphatic '''s''' pronounced with the tongue raised and mouth tensed. {{IPA|/s?/}} ; T <big> ? </big> (Ta): emphatic '''t''' pronounced with the tongue raised and mouth tensed. {{IPA|/t?/}} ; D <big> ? </big> (Dad): emphatic '''d''' pronounced with the tongue raised and mouth tensed. {{IPA|/d?/}} ; Z <big> ? </big> (Za): emphatic '''z''' pronounced with the tongue raised and mouth tensed. {{IPA|/z?/}} ; q <big> ? </big> (qaf): a hard '''k''' pronounced in the back of the mouth {{IPA|/q/}}, not the glottal stop of Modern Standard Arabic ; x <big> ? </big> (xa): a harsh sound found in some English words like ''bach'' and ''loch''. {{IPA|[x]}} ; ? <big> ? </big> (??n): a voiced '''x''' like a French "r". {{IPA|[?]}} ; H <big> ? </big> (Ha): a hard '''h''' made in the pharynx. {{IPA|[?]}}
And the last two are very hard indeed for non-native speakers to get right, so try to get a native speaker to demonstrate. That said, most beginners tend to opt for the simple approach of ignoring those pesky apostrophes entirely, but it's worth it to make the effort.
; <font size=4> _f </font> : a glottal stop {{IPA|?}}, or the constriction of the throat as between the syllables ''uh-oh'', but in Arabic this is often found in strange places such as the beginning of a word. Known in Arabic as '''hamza''' ?
; <font size=5> ` </font> : a voiced ''H'' {{IPA|?}}, famously equated to the sound of someone being strangled. Known in Arabic as <big>`</big>ayn <big>?</big> or <big>`</big>'''?n'''.
<!-- Please, do not remove text enlargement of _f & ` -->
Many Arabic expressions are different for men and women, depending both on the gender of the person talking (you) and the person being addressed.
; Hello : <big>_f</big>es-sal?mu-<big>`</big>al?ku ?????? ????? ; Hello (''informal'') : <big>_f</big>ahlan ?????
; Good morning. : SabaH el-x?r ???? ?????
; Good evening. : mas?<big>_f</big> el-x?r ???? ?????
; Good night (''to sleep'') : teSbaH <big>`</big>ala x?r ???? ??? ??? (''to a male'')<br>teSbaHi <big>`</big>ala x?r ????? ??? ??? (''to a female'')<br>teSbaHu <big>`</big>ala x?r ????? ??? ??? (''to a group'')
; How are you? : <big>_f</big>ezzayyak? ???? (''to a male'')<br><big>_f</big>ezzayyek? ???? (''to a female'')<br><big>_f</big>ezzayyoku? ????? (''to a group'')
; Fine, thank you. : kowayyes ?ukran ???? ???? (''male'')<br>kowayyesa ?okran ????? ???? (''female'')<br>kowayy?s?n ?okran ?????? ????? (''group'')
; What is your name? : <big>_f</big>esmak <big>_f</big>?h? ???? ???? (''to a male'')<br><big>_f</big>esmik <big>_f</big>?h? ???? ???? (''to a female'')
; My name is ______ . : <big>_f</big>ana <big>_f</big>esmi ______ ??? ????
; Please. : min faDlak ?? ???? (''to a male'')<br> men faDlek ?? ???? (''to a female'')<br>men faDloku ?? ????? (''to a group'')
; Thank you. : ?okran ?????
; You're welcome. : el <big>`</big>afw ?????
; Yes. : <big>_f</big>aywa ????
; No. : la<big>_f</big> ??
; Excuse me. (''getting attention'') : law samaHt ?? ???? (''to a male'')<br>law samaHti ?? ????? (''to a female'')<br>law samaHtu ?? ????? (''to a group'')
; Excuse me. (''avoiding offence'') : ba<big>`</big>d <big>_f</big>eznak ??? ???? (''to a male'')<br>ba<big>`</big>d <big>_f</big>eznek'' ??? ???? (''to a female'')''<br>ba<big>`</big>d <big>_f</big>eznoku ??? ????? (''to a group'')
; Excuse me. (''begging pardon'') : l? mu<big>_f</big>axza ?? ??????
; I'm sorry : <big>_f</big>ana <big>_f</big>?sef ??? ??? (''male'')<br><big>_f</big>ana <big>_f</big>asfa ??? ???? (''female'')
; Goodbye : ma<big>`</big>as-sal?ma ?? ???????
; Goodbye (''informal'') : sal?m ????
; I can't speak Arabic well. : mabakkallem? <big>`</big>arabi kwayyes ?? ?????? ???? ????
; Do you speak English? : betekkallem <big>_f</big>?ng?l?zi? ?????? ???????? (''male'')<br>betekkallemi <big>_f</big>?ng?l?zi? ??????? ???????? (''female'')
; Is there someone here who speaks English? : f? Hadd hena beyekkallem <big>_f</big>?ng?l?zi? ??? ?? ??? ?????? ????????
; Help! : <big>_f</big>elHa<big>_f</big>?ni! ???????
; Look out! : H?seb ???? (''to a male'')<br>Hasbi ????? (''to a female'')<br>Hasbu ????? (''to a group'')
; I don't understand. : <big>_f</big>ana me? f?him ??? ?? ???? (''male'')<br><big>_f</big>ana me? fahma ??? ?? ????? (''female'')
; Where is the toilet? : f?n <big>_f</big>el-Hamm?m? ??? ???????
; Leave me alone. : s?bni! ????? (''to a male), <br>s?b?ni! ?????? ('' to a female'') <br>s?b?ni! ?????? (''to a group'')
; Go away! : <big>_f</big>em?i! ???? (''to a male or a female'')<br><big>_f</big>em?u! ???? (''to a group'')
; Don't touch me! : matelmesn??! ?? ??????? (''to a male'')<br>matelm?s?n??! ?? ???????? (''to a female'')
; I'll call the police. : <big>_f</big>ana hakallem <big>_f</big>el-bul?s ??? ???? ???????
; Police! : bul?s! ?????
; Thief! : Harami! ?????
; I need help. : <big>_f</big>ana meHt?g mosa<big>`</big>da ??? ????? ?????? (''male speaking'')<br><big>_f</big>ana meHt?ga mosa<big>`</big>da ??? ?????? ?????? (''female'')
; It's an emergency. : H?la Tare<big>_f</big>a ???? ?????
; I'm lost. : <big>_f</big>ana taayeh ??? ???? (''male speaking'')<br><big>_f</big>ana tayha ??? ????? (''female'')
; I lost my purse/handbag. : <big>_f</big>ana Dayya<big>`</big>t ?anTeti ??? ???? ??????
; I lost my wallet. : <big>_f</big>ana Dayya<big>`</big>t maHfaZti ??? ???? ??????
; I'm sick. : <big>_f</big>ana <big>`</big>ayy?n ??? ???? (''male speaking'')<br><big>_f</big>ana <big>`</big>ayy?na ??? ????? (''female'')
; I'm injured. : <big>_f</big>ana met<big>`</big>awwar ??? ????? (''male speaking'')<br><big>_f</big>ana met<big>`</big>awwara ??? ?????? (''female'')
; I need a doctor. : <big>_f</big>ana meHt?g dokt?r ??? ????? ????? (''male speaking'')<br> <big>_f</big>ana meHt?ga dokt?r ??? ?????? ????? (''female'')
; Can I use your phone? : momken <big>_f</big>asta<big>`</big>mel tel?f?nak? ???? ?????? ???????? (''to a male'')<br> momken <big>_f</big>asta<big>`</big>mel tel?f?nek? ???? ?????? ???????? (''to a female'')<br> mumken <big>_f</big>asta<big>`</big>mel tel?fonku? ???? ?????? ????????? (''to a group'')
; Can I use your cell phone? : momken <big>_f</big>asta<big>`</big>mel mobaylak? ???? ?????? ???????? (''to a male'')<br>momken <big>_f</big>asta<big>`</big>mel mobaylek? ???? ?????? ???????? (''to a female'')<br> momken <big>_f</big>asta<big>`</big>mel mobayloku? ???? ?????? ????????? (''to a group'')
It is not uncommon to see what is formally called "Eastern Arabic Numerals", in Arabic known as "Indian numbers" (????? ????? arq?m hendeyyah). Be careful in that zero is represented as a dot (?) while five (?) looks like the zero with which we're familiar. Furthermore, numbers are read left-to-right and '''not''' right-to-left as is text.
; 0 (?): Sefr ???
; 1 (?): w?Hed ????
; 2 (?): <big>_f</big>etn?n ?????
; 3 (?): tal?ta ?????
; 4 (?): <big>_f</big>arba<big>`</big>a ?????
; 5 (?): xamsa ????
; 6 (?): setta ???
; 7 (?): sab<big>`</big>a ????
; 8 (?): tamanya ??????
; 9 (?): tes<big>`</big>a ????
; 10 (??): <big>`</big>a?ara ????
; 11 (??): Heda?ar ?????
; 12 (??): <big>_f</big>itna?ar ??????
; 13 (??): talatta?ar ???????
; 14 (??): <big>_f</big>arba<big>`</big>ta?ar ????????
; 15 (??): xamasta?ar ???????
; 16 (??): setta?ar ?????
; 17 (??): saba<big>`</big>ta?ar ???????
; 18 (??): tamanta?ar ???????
; 19 (??): tesa<big>`</big>ta?ar ???????
; 20 (??): <big>`</big>e?r?n ?????
; 21 (??): w?Hed we-<big>`</big>??r?n ???? ? ?????
; 22 (??): <big>_f</big>etn?n we-<big>`</big>??r?n ????? ? ?????
; 23 (??): tal?ta we-<big>`</big>??r?n ????? ? ?????
; 30 (??): talat?n ??????
; 40 (??): <big>_f</big>arb?<big>`</big>?n ??????
; 50 (??): xams?n ?????
; 60 (??): s?tt?n ????
; 70 (??): sab<big>`</big>?n ?????
; 80 (??): taman?n ??????
; 90 (??): t?s<big>`</big>?n ?????
; 100 (???): meyya ???
; 200 (???): met?n ????
; 300 (???): toltomeyya ??????
; 400 (???): rob<big>`</big>omeyya ??????
; 1000 (????? ): <big>_f</big>alf ???
; 2000 (?????): <big>_f</big>alf?n ?????
; 1,000,000 (?????????): mely?n ?????
; number : nemra ???? or raqam ???
; half : noSS ??
; less : <big>_f</big>a<big>_f</big>all ???
; more : <big>_f</big>aktar ????
; now : delwa<big>_f</big>ti ??????
; later : ba<big>`</big>d?n ?????
; before : <big>_f</big>abl ???
; after : ba<big>`</big>d ???
; morning : SabaH ????
; in the morning : <big>_f</big>eS-SobH ?????
; afternoon : ba<big>`</big>d <big>_f</big>eD-Dohr ??? ?????
; in the afternoon : <big>_f</big>eD-Dohr ?????
; evening : mesa ??? or mas?<big>_f</big> ????
; in the evening : mes?<big>_f</big>an ??????
; night : l?la ????
; in the night : bel-l?l ?????
; what time is it? : <big>_f</big>es-s?<big>`</big>a k?m? ?????? ????
; it is ___ : <big>_f</big>es-s?<big>`</big>a ___ ??????...?
; it is 3 o'clock : <big>_f</big>es-s?<big>`</big>a tal?ta (beZZabT) ?????? ????? (??????)?
; quarter past : we rob<big>`</big> ? ???
; quarter to : <big>_f</big>ella rob<big>`</big> ??? ???
; half past : we noSS ? ??
; it is half past 3 : <big>_f</big>es-s?<big>`</big>a tal?ta we noSS ?????? ????? ? ??
; Monday : y?m <big>_f</big>el-etn?n ??? ???????
; Tuesday : y?m <big>_f</big>el-tal?t ??? ??????
; Wednesday : y?m <big>_f</big>el-<big>_f</big>arba<big>`</big> ??? ??????
; Thursday : y?m <big>_f</big>el-xam?s ??? ??????
; Friday : y?m <big>_f</big>el-gom<big>`</big>a ??? ??????
; Saturday : y?m <big>_f</big>es-sabt ??? ?????
; Sunday : y?m <big>_f</big>el-Hadd ??? ????
; January : yan?yer ?????
; February : febrayer ??????
; March : m?res ????
; April : ebr?l ?????
; May : m?yu ????
; June : yonya ?????
; July : yolya ?????
; August : a?osTos ?????
; September : sebtamber ??????
; October : okt?bar ???????
; November : nofamber ??????
; December : d?samber ??????
; white : abyaD ????
; black : eswed ????
; red : aHmar ????
; green : axDar ????
; blue : azra<big>_f</big> ????
; yellow : aSfar ????
; orange : borto<big>_f</big>ani ???????
; pink : bambi ????
; purple : banafsegi ??????
; Can I buy a ticket? : momken A?teri tazkara? ???? ????? ?????
; I will step down in (Heliopolis) : Ana n?zel fe (maSr el-g?d?da) ??? ???? ?? (??? ???????)? (''male speaking'')<br>Ana nazla fe (maSr el-g?d?da) ??? ????? ?? (??? ???????)? (''female'')
; front : odd?m ????
; back : wara ???
; right : yem?n ????
; left : ?em?l ????
; up : f?<big>_f</big> ???
; down : taHt ???
<!-- Dotless ? is intentional, as its pronunciation is in between i - e -->
; Can you drive me to (the hospital)? : momken tewaSSalni (elmosta?fa)? ???? ?????? (????????)?