Conjunctions
Conjunctions are the useful little words that join clauses together to make more complex sentences.
Part | English | Egyptian | |
Main clause | I want to make bread | Aaayiz 'aAamil Aiysh | عا َيـِز أعـَمـِل عـِيش |
Conjunction | but | laakin | لا َكـِن |
Subordinate clause | I don't have enough flour | maAandeesh di'ee' kifaaya | مـَعـَنديش د ِقيق كـِفا َيـَة |
If you just want to attach a noun, you should use a preposition, but if you want to attach a clause (ie, there is a verb in bit that you want to attach), then a conjunction is required. In English, the same word is often used for both preposition and conjunction, but there are differences in Egyptian: see prepositions and conjunctions for more details.
In both English and Egyptian, you can put the subordinate clause either before or after the main clause. This doesn't change the meaning at all, just the emphasis.
If there is a subject pronoun in the second clause, it becomes a pronoun suffix attached to the conjunction. For example:
The following table lists most of the common conjunctions, and gives examples how they can be used.
English | Egyptian | Example | |
that | 'inn | إنّ | I feared that she was lost aana Kuft 'innaha tikoon taahit ا َنا َ خـُفت إنّ َها َ تـِكون تا َهـِت |
as long as | Tool ma | طول ماَ | as long as you water the garden, the plants will grow Tool ma bitis'i ilgineena, ilzaraA hayikbar طول ما َ بـِتـِسقي ا ِلجـِنينـَة، ا ِلز َر َع حـَيـِكبـَر |
because | Aalashaan | عـَلـَشا َن pronounced Aashaen | I don't have a car because there is not enough money maAndeesh Aarabiya Aalashaan mafiysh filoos kifaaya مـَعنديش عـَر َبـِيـَة عـَلـَشا َن مـَفـِيش فـِلوس كـِفا َيـَة |
in order to | Aalashaan | عـَلـَشا َن +imperfect | I need money in order to buy food mihtaag filoos Aalashaan 'ashtiri 'akl مـِحتا َج فـِلوس عـَلـَشا َن أشتـِري أكل |
after | baAd ma | بـَعد ماَ | we will leave after the movie has finished hanimshi bAad ma ilfeelm yiKlaS حـَنـِمشي بعـَد ما َ ا ِلفيلم يـِخلـَص |
and | wi | وِ | I went to the bank and it was closed raht ilbank wi kaan ma'fool ر َحت ا ِلبـَنك و ِ كا َن مـَقفول |
as if | Aala 'inn | عـَلى إنّ | |
as if | ka'inn | كا َإنّ | he spends money as if he is rich biyuSrif filoos ka'innuh Gani بـِيـُصر ِف فـِلوس كا َإننـُه غـَني |
as if | zayi ma | ز َيي ماَ | he spends money as if he is rich biyuSrif filoos zayi ma yikoon Gani بـِيـُصر ِف فـِلوس ز َيي ما َ يـِكون غـَني |
before | 'abl ma | قـَبل ماَ | |
but | bass | بـَسّ | I would like to go but I don't have time nifsi arooh bass maAandeesh wa't نـِفسي ا َروح بـَسّ مـَعـَنديش و َقت |
but | lakin | لـَكـِن | ditto |
if | 'in | إن | If you go, you will get into a fight 'inn rooht hinaak, haatit Kaani' إنّ روحت هـِنا َك، حا َتـِت خا َنـِق |
if | 'iza | إذاَ | if you have some money, lend me fifty pounds 'iza kaan maAaak filoos, salifni Kamseen ginya إذا َ كا َن مـَعا َك فـِلوس، سـَلـِفني خـَمسين جـِنيـَة |
instead of | badal ma | بـَد َل ماَ | instead of going, call them badal ma matrooh, kalimhum بـَد َل ما َ مـَتروح، كـَلـِمهـُم |
like | zai ma | ز َي ماَ | as you did for him, he will do for you zayi ma Aamalt feeh hayitAamil feek ز َيي ما َ عـَمـَلت فيه هـَيـِتعـَمـِل فيك |
neither.. nor.. | laa... walaah.. | لا َ٫٫٫ و َلا َه٫٫ | neither this is working nor is this working la dah naafaA walaah dah biyinfaA لا َ د َه نا َفـَع و َلا َه د َه بـِيـِنفـَع |
or | 'aw | أو | we can eat fish or chicken >mumkin naakul samak 'aw firaaK مـُمكـِن نا َكـُل سـَمـَك أو فـِرا َخ |
or (in question) | wala | و َلاَ | would you like fish or chicken? Aaawiz taakul samak wala firaaK? عا َو ِز تا َكـُل سـَمـَك و َلا َ فـِرا َخ؟ |
rather than | 'ahsan | أحسـَن | I would prefer to eat fish rather than chicken 'akul ilsamak 'ahsan min ilfiraaK أكـُل ا ِلسـَمـَك أحسـَن مـِن ا ِلفـِرا َخ |
otherwise | wa 'illa | و َ إلّاَ | shut up otherwise we go home! 'iKrassi wa 'illa haarawahik إخر َسّي و َ إلّا َ ها َر َو َحـِك |
unless | 'ila 'iza | إلا َ إذاَ | don't give him any money unless I allow you to matideehoosh filoos 'ila 'iza 'ana samahteelak مـَتـِديهوش فـِلوس إلا َ إذا َ أنا َ سـَمـَحتيلـَك |
Note that and wa وَ is used a lot in narrative to replace conjunctions like next and then. It is also often used in place of but.
that-clauses
Verbs that deal with communication, opinion or emotions can be followed by a that-clause, which specifies what you said or thought or felt. Note that, in English, the that is sometimes omitted, but it's still a that-clause.
In Egyptian, this is expressed using 'inn إنّ. Note that the subject pronoun of the that-clause can be attached to 'inn إنّ as a suffix.
Conditional clauses (if.. then...)
There are two words meaning if: they are 'iza إذاَ and law لـَو. 'iza إذاَ can be used under all circumstances: law لـَو cannot be used with the imperfect form of a verb or a preposition.
In English, the word then is occasionally used to complement if. In Egyptian, there is no equivalent word.
If I were rich...
If an event or situation is improbable or impossible, in English we use modals like 'would' and 'were', or backshift the tense of the verb (for example, present becomes past). In Egyptian, the word kaan كا َن is used after law لـَو. Compare these two sentences:
When | conditional clause |
past | 'iza kaan إذا َ كا َن + perfect |
present | 'iza kaan إذا َ كا َن + imperfect |
future | 'iza kaan إذا َ كا َن + imperfect |