Egyptian Arabic Grammar

Quantities

You can specify a quantity in several ways:

Measures

For weights, lengths and other measurements, you use a number followed by a singular noun.

Ahmed is 1m90 tall 'ahmad Toolooh mitr 1 wa 90 santi
أحمـَد طولوه مـِتر ١ و َ ٩٠ سـَنتي
this bag is 20 pounds ilshanTa dih bi Aishreen gineeh
ا ِلشـَنطـَة د ِه ب ِ عـِشرين جـِنيه
2 kilos of potatoes, please 'itneen keelw baTaaTis, law samaht
إتنين كيلو بـَطا َطـِس، لـَو سـَمـَحت
I want a hundred grams of salami Aaayiz meet garam salaami
عا َيـِز ميت جـَر َم سـَلا َمي
I need a quarter kilo of butter mihtaag rubaA keelw zibda
مـِحتا َج ر ُبـَع كيلو ز ِبد َة
the truck brought eight tonnes of water ilAarabiya gaabit tamanya Tun mayaat
ا ِلعـَر َبـِيـَة جا َبـِت تـَما َنيـَة طـُن مـَيا َة

Numbers

See the section in numbers for more information about this.

Containers

If you want something in a container of some sort: carton, bottle, etc, you use the genitive of the container. The main effect of this is that words ending in tee-marbuta -a ــَة are pronounced -it ــِت. Here are some examples:

you must take one spoonful of medicine laazim taKuz maAla'it dawa'
لا َز ِم تـَخـُذ مـَعلـَقـِة د َوا َء
I want a pack of cigarettes Aaayiz Aalbit sagaayar
عا َيـِز عـَلبـِة سـَجا َيـَر
a bottle of water, please 'izzaazit maaya, law samaht
إزّا َز ِة ما َيـَة، لـَو سـَمـَحت

A/an and Some

In English, if you are talk about one non-specific instance that is countable you would use the indefinite article a or an, for example a book or an apple. There is no equivalent of a/an or some in Egyptian arabic.

Likewise, when you are talking about an unspecified amount something that is not countable, you say some sugar. Again, there is no equivalent in Egyptian Arabic. You can specify a quantity, for example shuwayit

شـُو َيـِة
(a little) but there is no word for an unspecified quantity.

Approximate measures

tea without sugar shaai meen Geer sukkar
شا َي مين غير سـُكّـَر
normal tea
(with three sugar)
shaai mazbooT
شا َي مـَزبوط
weak tea shaai Kafeef
شا َي خـَفيف
strong tea shaai ti'eel
شا َي تـِقيل
a little milk shuwayit laban
شـُو َيـِة لـَبـَن
I don't have enough money maAandeesh filoos kifaaya
مـَعـَنديش فـِلوس كـِفا َيـَة
he has a lot of money Aanduh filoos kiteer
عـَند ُه فـِلوس كـِتير
you have a lot of friends
informal
Aandak 'aShaab yaama
عـَند َك أصحا َب يا َما َ

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