Egyptian Arabic ุงูู ุตุฑู
The most widely understood dialect in the Arab world, thanks to a century of Egyptian film, television and music.
Lessons
Structured lessons covering greetings, family, food, travel and more.
Phrases
How to say hello, thank you, happy birthday and the rest, with audio and the forms for a man, a woman or a group.
Common Words
The words you meet most often, each with audio and real example sentences from our stories.
Stories
Read and listen to Egyptian Arabic stories with translation and a vocabulary glossary.
Vocabulary
Search the word database, hear each word, and save it to your review deck.
Start Here
The order to learn Egyptian Arabic in, from the alphabet to your first conversation.
Vocabulary by Topic
Word lists for numbers, food, family and more, each with audio and free practice.
Pronunciation
The six sound changes that separate Egyptian Arabic from what textbooks teach.
Verb Conjugations
Full conjugation tables for 72 common verbs, every tense, affirmative and negative.
Conversation Practice
Talk to the AI tutor in Egyptian Arabic and get corrections as you go.
Where Egyptian Arabic is spoken
Spoken by around 100 million people in Egypt, and understood almost everywhere else in the Arab world because of how much Egyptian media the region has watched. If you only learn one dialect and want to be understood broadly, this is usually the one.
What makes Egyptian Arabic different
ุฌ is pronounced "g", not "j"
The word for "beautiful" is gamiil, not jamiil. This single sound is the fastest way to identify an Egyptian speaker, and it applies across the whole vocabulary.
ู usually becomes a glottal stop
qahwa (coffee) is said as ahwa, and qalb (heart) as alb. The letter is still written, just not pronounced as a q outside formal speech and some rural varieties.
Present tense takes a b- prefix
baktib means "I write" or "I am writing", where Fusha would use aktub. The bare form without b- is reserved for things like "I want to write".
Negation wraps the verb
ma...sh goes around the verb: makatabtish, "I did not write". It is one of the first patterns that stops sounding strange and starts sounding natural.
Practice the basics
8 questions, half of them spoken out loud. Free, no account needed.
Common questions
Should I learn Egyptian Arabic or Modern Standard Arabic first?
If your goal is to talk to people, start with Egyptian Arabic. Modern Standard Arabic is the language of news, books and formal writing, and almost nobody speaks it conversationally. If your goal is to read Arabic literature or the Quran, start with Fusha.
Will Egyptian Arabic be understood outside Egypt?
Largely yes. Decades of Egyptian cinema and music mean most Arabic speakers can follow Egyptian Arabic even when they do not speak it themselves. The reverse is not always true.
How different is Egyptian Arabic from Levantine?
Close enough that speakers understand each other with a little effort. The vocabulary overlaps heavily; the pronunciation of ุฌ and ู, the question words, and some everyday verbs are the main differences.