Hello in Egyptian Arabic: Greetings & Meeting People

Quick answer Hello in Egyptian Arabic is ahlan (أهلاً); the formal greeting is es-salamu ʿaleikum (السلام عليكم), answered with wa ʿaleikum es-salam. Good morning is sabah el-kheir, reply sabah en-nur. "How are you" is izzayyak to a man and izzayyik to a woman. The full greetings table is below; the PDF is the printable version with a dialogue and exercises.

How do you say hello in Egyptian Arabic?

The everyday hello is ahlan (أهلاً), often doubled to ahlan wa sahlan when you welcome someone. The formal greeting, used with strangers, elders and in shops, is es-salamu ʿaleikum (السلام عليكم), answered with wa ʿaleikum es-salam. In Cairo you will also hear a casual hay among young people, but ahlan is the one that works everywhere.

Good morning in Egyptian Arabic, and the replies people expect

sabah el-kheir means "morning of goodness"; the standard reply is sabah en-nur, "morning of light". Egyptians like to play with it: sabah el-full (morning of jasmine) and sabah el-ʿasal (morning of honey) are warm, slightly playful replies you will hear from friends and shopkeepers. The evening pair works the same way: masaʾ el-kheir, answered with masaʾ en-nur. There is no separate "good afternoon"; sabah el-kheir carries you to about noon, masaʾ el-kheir from then on.

How do you ask "how are you" to a man or a woman?

Egyptian Arabic changes the ending of many phrases depending on whether you speak to a man or a woman. izzayyak is to a man, izzayyik to a woman, izzayyuku to a group. The same -ak / -ik switch runs through the whole sheet: ismak eh? / ismik eh? (what's your name?), enta minein? / enti minein? (where are you from?). Exercise 3 on the worksheet is built around exactly this switch, because it is the one grammar point beginners need from day one.

Three sounds that make Egyptian greetings sound Egyptian

ج is a hard g as in "go", never "j": gamil, beautiful. ق is a glottal stop, the catch in "uh-oh", written ʾ: ʾahwa, coffee. And ع, written ʿ, is a squeezed "a" from deep in the throat; it opens ʿaleikum and ʿarabi. Get these three right and Egyptians will answer you in Arabic instead of switching to English. The PDF has the full 25-phrase list, a café dialogue in Cairo to read in pairs, five exercises and the answer key. For greetings across all dialects and more replies, read Arabic greetings and responses; for the pronouns behind -ak and -ik, go on to worksheet 3.

What's inside the PDF

• 25 phrases in three groups: greetings and goodbyes, meeting someone, small words you use every hour. Arabic script, pronunciation and the (m)/(f) forms side by side
• Pronunciation box: the three sounds that make Egyptian sound Egyptian (ج as g, ق as a glottal stop, ع)
• A café dialogue in Cairo to read in pairs, with script, transliteration and translation
• Five exercises: matching, gap fill, rewriting (m) to (f), comprehension questions, write your own introduction
• A speaking check, so nothing stays on paper
• Answer key and teacher notes on a separate page you can remove before handing out

How to use it on your own

Work through section A out loud, not silently. Tick a phrase only when you can say it from the English alone. Do the dialogue twice, once as each speaker, then record yourself saying your own introduction (Ex. 5) and listen back once.

How to use it in class

Fits a 45-minute lesson or a 20-minute warm-up (section A plus the dialogue). The dialogue works in pairs; swap roles on the second read and let students replace Sara's name and country with their own. Ex. 3 (man or woman) is the key exercise, because the (m)/(f) ending is the one grammar point beginners need from day one. Points fields on every exercise, answer key on the last page.

Preview

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Frequently asked questions

How do you say hello in Egyptian Arabic?

ahlan (أهلاً) is the everyday hello and works with everyone. es-salamu ʿaleikum (السلام عليكم) is the formal greeting for strangers, elders and shops; the reply is wa ʿaleikum es-salam. Young people in Cairo also say hay, but ahlan is the safe choice.

How do you say good morning in Egyptian Arabic?

sabah el-kheir (صباح الخير), literally "morning of goodness". The expected reply is sabah en-nur, "morning of light". Friends often answer with sabah el-full (morning of jasmine) or sabah el-ʿasal (morning of honey). Good evening is masaʾ el-kheir, answered with masaʾ en-nur.

How do you say how are you in Egyptian Arabic?

izzayyak? to a man, izzayyik? to a woman, izzayyuku? to a group. The usual answer is kwayyis, el-hamdulillah (good, thank God), kwayyisa if you are a woman, followed by w-enta? / w-enti? (and you?).

Do I need to read Arabic script to use this worksheet?

No. Every phrase comes with a pronunciation in Latin letters, written the way Egyptians text each other. The Arabic script is there for learners who already read and to get your eyes used to it.

Is this Egyptian Arabic or Modern Standard Arabic?

Egyptian Arabic, the spoken language of Cairo, as people use it with family, in shops and in films. Modern Standard Arabic greetings such as kayfa haluka are understood but sound like a newsreader in conversation.

Is this worksheet free?

Yes. Download the PDF, print it and share it as often as you like for personal use and in class. Please keep the Yallah Speak credit in the footer.