Egyptian Arabic Grammar

Conjunctions

Conjunctions are the useful little words that join clauses together to make more complex sentences.

I want to make bread but I don't have enough flour
Aaayiz 'aAamil Aiysh laakin maAandeesh di'ee' kifaaya
عا َيـِز أعـَمـِل عـِيش لا َكـِن مـَعـَنديش د ِقيق كـِفا َيـَة
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.

You can go out when you have finished your homework
mumkin tuKrug lamma hatiKlis ilwaegib
مـُمكـِن تـُخر ُج لـَمّا َ هـَتـِخلـِس ا ِلوا َجـِب

When you have finished your homework, you can go out.
lamma hatiKlis ilwaegib, mumkin tuKrug
لـَمّا َ هـَتـِخلـِس ا ِلوا َجـِب، مـُمكـِن تـُخر ُج

If there is a subject pronoun in the second clause, it becomes a pronoun suffix attached to the conjunction. For example:

I feared that she was lost
aana Kuft innaha tikoon taahit
ا َنا َ خـُفت ا ِنّ َها َ تـِكون تا َهـِت

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.

I think that you are wrong
I think you are wrong

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.

I said that I was busy
'ana 'ultiluh 'inni kunt mashGool
أنا َ قـُلتـِلـُه إنّي كـُنت مـَشغول

I think that you are wrong
'aftikir 'innak Galtan
أفتـِكـِر إنّ َك غـَلتاً

I know that he is lying
'ana Aaarif 'innuh biyikdib
أنا َ عا َر ِف إنّ ُه بـِيـِكد ِب

I feared that she was lost
aana Kuft 'innaha tikoon taahit
ا َنا َ خـُفت إنّ َها َ تـِكون تا َهـِت

I think that we are ready
'aftikir 'inn 'ihna gahzeen
أفتـِكـِر إنّ إحنا َ جا َهـِزين

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:

if I have time, I will read the book
'iza Aandi wa't, ha'r'a ilkitaab
إذا َ عـَندي و َقت، ها َقرأ ا ِلكـِتا َب

if I had time, I would read the book
law kaan Aandi wa't, kunt 'areet ilkitaab
لـَو كا َن عـَندي و َقت، كـُنت قـَريت ا ِلكـِتا َب

if I had money, I would buy a car
law maaya filoos, kunt 'ashtireet Aarabiya
لـَو ما َيا َ فـِلوس، كـُنت أشتـِريت عـَر َبـِيـَة

When conditional clause
past 'iza kaan إذا َ كا َن + perfect
present 'iza kaan إذا َ كا َن + imperfect
future 'iza kaan إذا َ كا َن + imperfect

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