In plain text:

النجوم

This is pronounced an-nudjoom.

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The Arabic in the Quran is actually not too different from Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). Someone with a good understanding of MSA can read Classical Arabic texts such as the Quran with relative ease. Nevertheless, reading the Quran can be difficult, because in wide parts it’s style is poetic rather than prosaic. One easy way to approach the Quran is to decipher it word-by-word. Here is the first chapter (or sura) of the Quran – al-faatiHa word-by-word:

Of course, this word-by-word translation is merely a tool for gaining a better understanding of the meaning and grammar of the Quran. It does not replace more elegant translations. Here is a common English translation of the first chapter of the Quran:

In the name of God, the Lord of the Worlds.
The Beneficent, the Merciful.
Master of the Day of Judgment.
Thee do we serve and Thee do we beseech for help.
Keep us on the right path.
The path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed favors. Not (the path) of those upon whom Thy wrath is brought down, nor of those who go astray.

I will add more chapters of the Quran in the near future.

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Egyptian Arabic Phrases With Easy Pronunciation Guide

Here are some commonly used English phrases and their Egyptian Arabic equivalents. The pronunciation of the words is intended to be as easy as possible for English speakers. If you are going to visit Egypt make sure to study this page well. I hope you will find this helpful.

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EGYPTIAN ARABIC – USEFUL BLOG POSTS:

Egyptian Arabic – A Quick Introduction

Egyptian Arabic Quick Introduction Part 2: common phrases and words

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You will always need to use phrases like

• How much is this ?

• Thank you.

Now go on and teach yourself Egyptian Arabic. Note that this glossary is arranged thematically according to subject matter and not alphabetically.

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1. Arabic Dialects

Many people consider the Arabic script to be very complex and the writing system certainly counts as the number one reason for giving up on learning the Arabic language altogether. Read on to get a basic grasp of the Arabic script and Arabic letters. I also describe a method for learning the Arabic alphabet and writing system extremely fast – without rote memorization!

Ok, so here are the basics: there are 28 letters in the Arabic alphabet, each representing a distinct sound. So far so good: that’s only two more letters than in the English language. But, there are some crucial differences between our script and the Arabic script.

First: Arabic is written from right to left whereas English (and other Western languages) are written from left to right. This might be difficult to get used to at first, but it’s actually not that hard after some practice. Don’t be surprised if you catch yourself trying to read English from right to left after a few hours of reading practice in Arabic

Second: In the Arabic script, short vowels are usually not written. Short vowels are the short “u” sound e.g. in the word “could”, the short “i” sound e.g. in the word “with” and the short “a” sound in the word “cat”. So, instead of writing “could”, “with”, and cat”, Arabs would write “cd”, “wth”, and “ct”.

Third: Arabic letters change their shape according to their position relative to neighbouring letters in the word. However, this is not altogether foreign to English – in cursive writing by hand, our letters too undergo a certain degree of mutation to connect to the adjoining letters. The crucial insight that you have to grasp to master this aspect of the Arabic alphabet is to understand why the Arabic letters change their shapes when they are connected to other Arabic letters.

The reason for this is usually quite clear. Just take the letter “meem” for example. In its isolated form it consists of a small circle, a small stroke to the left and a long downward stroke. Now, when connecting this letter to the left, it would be inconvenient to go all the way from the end of meem’s downward stroke up to where the new letter starts. That’s why the long downward stroke just gets “cut-off”, leaving the letter “meem” with only the small circle and the short stroke to the left.

The shapes of other letters change for similar reasons.

Fourth: The Arabic alphabet contains a number of sounds that are not found in English. These sounds might be quite troubling for beginning Arabic learners, but once mastered they can be a great source of pride. The difficult Arabic sounds are qaaf, 3ayn, ghayn, raa, Taa, Daad, Saad, Zaa, Haa, khaa’.

Please check out my effortless magic key to the Arabic alphabet here.

Below is a table that shows all the letters of the Arabic alphabet in their various forms and their sounds:

The letters marked with an asterisk (*) do not connect to the left.

Do you want to learn the Arabic alphabet and writing system without having to copy out by hand each individual letter hundreds of times? Then, check out my effortless method here.

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1. Egyptian Arabic
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The next 10 Arabic proverbs.

11.

اذا اراد ربنا هلاك نملة انبت لها اجنحة (idha araada rabbuna halaak namla anbat laha adjnaHa)

“If God proposes the destruction of an ant he allows wings to grow upon her.”

The sudden elevation of persons to stations above their means or capacities, may often cause their ruin.

12.

اذا رايت اعور عبر اقلب حجر (idha ra’yit a3war 3abar iqlib Hadjar)

“If thou seest a one-eyed person pass by, turn up a stone.”

The people of Cairo turn up a stone or break a water-jar behind the back of any person whom they dislike, just on his leaving them, hoping thereby to prevent his return; this is a kind of incantation. The term one-eyed here expresses a person disagree­able on any account. The Arabs regard a one-eyed man as of bad omen, and nobody wishes to meet him.

13.

اذا رايت حيط مايل هرول من تحتها ( idha ra’yit HeeT maayil harwal min taHtaha)

“If thou seest a wall inclining, run from under it.”

Fly from him whose power is tottering, or whom dangers threaten. In the Egyptian dialect حيط is used forحائط.

14.

اذا كثرت الالوان اعرف انها من بيوت الجيوان (idha kathurat al-alwaan u3rif annaha min buyout al-djeeraan)

“If the dishes increase in number, it becomes known that they are from the houses of neighbours.”

In the East, neighbours frequently supply the wants of their friend’s kitchen on occasion of family feasts. This saying implies that when a person makes too expensive an entertainment, it is evident that he has borrowed from others. لون (lawn) in the plural means not only ” a colour,” but, among the Egyptians, a dish of dressed victuals.

15.

اذا كترت النواتية غرقت الركب (idha katurat al-nawaateeya ghariqa al-rakb)

“If the sailors become too numerous, the ship sinks.”

كترت instead ofكثرت. Theثis seldom pronounced in Egypt.

16.

اذا حبتك حية اطوّق بها (idha Habbatka Hayya iTawwaq biha)

“If a serpent love thee, wear him as a necklace.”

If dangerous people show affection towards thee, court their friendship by the most polite attention.

17.

اذا انكسر الجمل حمّل حمل حمار (idha inkasar al-djamal Hammil Haml Himaar)

“If thy camel break down, put on an ass-load.”

Suit thy business to thy circumstances.

18.

19.

اذا بُليت بالشحاتة دق الابواب الكبار (idha buliyat bi al-shaHaata daqq al-abwab al-kibaar)

“If mendacity [begging] should unfortunately be thy lot, knock at the large gates only.“

Ask assistance from those only who have the power of helping thee.

20.

اذا كان البصل يُهلّل له فالسكر ايش نقول له (idha kaan al-baSal yuhallil lahu fa al-sukar eysh naqool lahu)

“If an onion causes his loud rejoicings, what then shall we say to sugar ?”

Said of people who bestow admiration upon trifling objects.

Related posts:

1. Proverbs 01-10
2. Arabic Proverbs
3. The Quran

Here are the first 10 Arabic proverbs from Burckhardt’s book.

1.

الف دقدق ولا سلام عليك (alf daqdaq wa laa salaam 3alaiik)

“A thousand raps at the door, but no salute or invitation from within.”

This is said of a person’s fruitless endeavours to become intimate with another.

2.

الف قفا ولا قفاي (alf qafan wa laa qafaaii)

“(Let them strike or slap) a thousand necks, but not mine.”

Among the Arabs it is usual to strike the neck (US) and not the ears. A blow on the neck is considered a much greater affront than a slap on the face. Not only the neck, but a blow struck upon the neck, is expressed in the Egyptian dialect by qafan. Thus ” I struck him a blow on his neck” (ضربته قفا Darabtuhu qafan) is exactly equivalent in its meaning to the English phrase, ” I boxed his ears.”

3.

الف كركي في الجو ما تعوض عصفور في الكف (alf kurkii fii al-jauw maa tu3awwid 3uSfuur fii al-kaff)

“A thousand cranes in the air are not worth one sparrow in the fist.”

The crane (كركيkurkii) is a bird common in the Delta, particularly about the Lake of Menzaleh.كف (kaff) properly signifies the “hand” or “palm” of the hand, but in Egypt is generally used for the ” fist.”

4.

اذا كان القمر معك لا تبالي بالنجوم(idha kaan al-qamr ma3ak laa tabaalii bi al-nujuum)

“If the moon be with thee, thou needest not to care about the stars.”

5.

اذا كان معك نحس لا تسيبه يجيك انحس منه (idha) kaan ma3ak naHs laa tasiibuh yajiik anHas minhu)

“If a worthless fellow be with thee do not let him go, or else one worse will come to thee.”

The general meaning is, that we should bear present ills rather than, by endeavouring to remove tاem, expose ourselves to greater. This saying is often quoted with respect to servants, whose dishonesty and insolence are subjects of universal complaint throughout Egypt. The word يسيب(yasiib) in common acceptation signifies “to leave a thing, to let it go out of one’s hands.” The wordنحس (naHs) is used in Egypt to express a low, disorderly, unprincipled character—a base, worthless fellow.

6.

اذا كانت العمايم تشتكي الفسة ايش يكون حال اللأابسة (idha kaanat al-3amaaiim tashtakii al-fasa eesh yakuun Haal al-albasa)

“If the turbans complain of a slight wind, what must be the state of the inner drawers?”

This proverb is quoted when the citizens of Cairo murmur at oppression, the peasants having much greater reason for being discontented.الفسة (al-fasa) flatus, ايش (eesh) in the Egyptian dialect used forأي شيء(ay shai’), أابسة (albasa) plural of لباس(libaas), drawers worn under the great trowsers.

7.

اذا كان زوجي راضي ايش فضول القاضي (idha kaan zawji radii eesh faDuul al-qaaDii)

“If my husband consent, why should the Qadi’s [judge] interference be necessary?”

This means in general that when two parties who have contended agree to be reconciled, the arbitration of a third person is not requisite. But the saying more particularly alludes to divorces, which in many cases are determined by the Qadi.فضول (faDuul) in the Egyptian dialect, signifies—the meddling, officious interference of a third person.

8.

اذا نسيت الحمد تصلي بايش (idha nasiit al-Hamdu taSallii bi-eesh)

“If thou forgettest to say “Praise be to God,” in what other words wilt thou pray?”

This is addressed to persons who neglect the principal object or part of their business, and execute only that which is the least important. الحمد (al-Hamdu) means the expression الحمد لله(al-Hamdu li-lah), which commences the Fateha, or first chapter of the Koran, and should be recited in every prayer.بايش (bi-eesh) in the Egyptian dialect forباي شيء (bi ay shaii’). The Egyptians always put this after the verb in interrogations, asتصلي بايش(taSalli bi-eesh) —whilst the Syrians invariably place it before, and sayتصلي بايش .

9.

اذا كرهك جارك غير باب دارك (idha karihak jaarak ghaiyyir baab daarak)

“If thy neighbour dislike thee, change the gate of thy house.”

The intimacy with neighbours is much greater in the East than in Europe; and the repose of a family often depends upon the harmony subsisting between it and those who occupy the adjoining house.

10.

اذا حلق جارك بل انت (idha Halaq jaarak bull anta)

“If thy neighbour shaves (somebody), do thou soak (the head of the person whom he shaves).”

Always endeavour to act agreeably to the wishes of thy neighbour. يبل(yabull) to wet, meaning here to wet the head with a lather of soap before the application of a razor.

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ARABIC PROVERBS:

The Manners And Customs Of The Modern Egyptians

2nd edition

By John Lewis Burckhardt

TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE.

Many of the proverbial sayings translated in this volume, were collected by Sheref ed dyn Ibn Asad, (شرف الدين ابن اسد) a native of Cairo, who lived, it is said, early in the last century, but never acquired a very high literary reputation. The translator found those Proverbs written upon nine or ten leaves in the common-place book of a sheikh, with whom he was acquainted in this city; but they wanted explanation or commentary. Of those he has omitted a considerable number, many being alto­gether uninteresting, and others so grossly indelicate that he could not venture to lay them before the public, although it must be acknowledged that they excelled in wit. Several sayings which appear to have been popular in the time of Ibn Asad, are no longer current; and these the translator has marked with an asterisk.

The original collection he has augmented by some hundreds, committed to paper as he heard them quoted in general society or in the bazar. “Where the sense of a Proverb did not seem quite clear, he has explained it, or at least noticed the meaning commonly assigned to it, as well as any peculiarity of language wherever the provincial idiom differs from the learned Arabic. In this labour he was assisted by many intelligent Arabs of Cairo, The natives, in general, are so fond of figurative language and of witty allusions and comparisons taken from low life, that these sayings are constantly quoted on every common occasion, and express the tendency or moral of an event much better than could be done by a long or flowery speech. Many of these sayings are rhythmical, and sometimes the rhymes are ex­tremely happy; but the drollery is lost in a plain translation, which has been rendered as literal as possible, and in which the true sense has never been sacrificed to elegance. They are written in the vulgar dialect of Cairo, such as every inhabitant understands and every one uses, except perhaps a few who affect to despise the language of the lower classes. These Proverbs offer a genuine specimen of the Arabic at present spoken in the Egyptian capital, and the same, or very nearly the same, as that used in the towns of the Delta.

These sayings are useful, as they serve to show us* how the Arabs judge of men and things, and in this respect it must be acknowledged that many are dictated by wisdom and sagacity. Several Scriptural sayings and maxims of ancient sages will be found here naturalized among Arabs; as well as some Proverbs which have generally been supposed of European origin.

Meidani has collected many sayings that were current among the ancient Arabs at the most brilliant period of their social state and of their language; but the present collection offers to our view a different nation and different manners; it also exhibits in some places an adulterated dialect, and alludes to vices which were probably but little known among the forefathers of the Egyptians. It proves, however, that the language is not by any means so corrupted as various travellers have imagined, and that the principles of virtue and honour, of friendship and true charity, of inde­pendence and generosity, are perfectly well known to the modern inhabitants of Egypt, although very few among them take the trouble of regulating their conduct accordingly.

The number of nine hundred and ninety-nine Proverbs might easily have been augmented by one, but the translator refrains from completing the thousand, adopting here a notion prevalent among Arabs, that even numbers are unlucky, and that any thing perfect in its quantity is particularly affected by the evil eye. He does not pretend to possess such a thorough knowledge of the learned Arabic as would have enabled him to indicate every instance of dis­crepancy between the language of these popular sayings and that used by the ancient Arabian writers. His long residence at Cairo rendered the vulgar idiom of its inhabitants familiar to him and knowing how few specimens of that idiom have hitherto been published, he flatters himself with the hope that this collection may interest and gratify the Orientalist, and that his explanations will be regarded as the hasty work of a traveller subject to numerous inconveniences, and who may, in some cases, have been deceived by erroneous or defective information, and not criticised as the elaborate treatise of a learned Arabic scholar or grammarian, surrounded by all the means of making his com­position perfect.

CAIRO, 25th of March, 1817.

NOTE OF THE EDITOR.

To Burckhardt’s short Preface a few lines must here be added. That accomplished traveller has sufficiently explained his motives for withholding from publication several Proverbs which had found a place in his original collection. It seems necessary that the Editor should account why this volume does not contain even so many as Burckhardt evidently intended to publish (nine hundred and ninety-nine). The numerical series is interrupted in various parts of the manuscript, not by any accidental injury, mutilation, or loss of leaves, but by chasms, which amount in some instances to whole decades of Proverbs; the most considerable deficiency occurring where (in the middle of a page) immediately after No. 516 follows No. 577. These omissions may not unreasonably be supposed to have arisen from the writer’s mistake of one figure for another; in fact the 1 of No. 516 so much resembles a 7, (being nearly joined to the 5 by a stroke of the pen at its upper part,) that it might easily deceive the eye. Some allowance must also be made for the effect of those inconvenient circumstances to which our ingenious traveller has above alluded. Under whatever circumstances of difficulty, danger, or inconvenience, he may have collected and explained these Proverbs, his work offers a variety of curious and original information respecting the manners, customs, and opinions of an extraordinary people; while his philological remarks must prove highly useful and interesting to all who are desirous of understanding, with critical accuracy, the modern Arabic dialect used at Cairo.

In the composition of this work, as of his volumes already published, he adopted the language of our country, and generally with sufficient correctness; it has been, however, in some places, necessary to substitute an English for a foreign idiom, Burckhardt’s meaning being on all occasions most scrupulously preserved, even where his translation of certain terms or phrases (which the Arabic scholar will soon discover) appeared more literal than decent, it has been endeavoured by circumlocution to express the sense without offending delicacy. These and the omission of a few Proverbs (found to agree most exactly both in words and signification with others given under preceding numbers) constitute the only liberties which have been assumed by the Editor.

WILLIAM OUSELEY.

London, May 31st, 1830.

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Arabic proverbs are extremely useful for enriching your vocabulary. They also give us an insight into the culture.

The proverbs are taken from John Lewis Burckhardt’s book “The Manners And Customs Of The Modern Egyptians”.

Introduction

Proverbs 01-10

Proverbs 11-20

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2. Proverbs 11-20
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