Egyptian Arabic Pronouns: I, You, He, She, We, They

Egyptian Arabic has eight personal pronouns. English "you" splits into three: one for a man, one for a woman and one for a group.

The pronouns

There is no separate feminine "you all" or "they", as there is in Modern Standard Arabic. Use intu and humma for any group.

No verb "to be" in the present

To say "I am…" or "she is…", put the pronoun next to the description. Nothing goes in between.

• أنا مِن مَصرana min masrI'm from Egypt.
• إنتِ تَعبانة؟inti ta3baana?Are you (f) tired?
• هُمَّ في البيتhumma fil-beetThey're at home.

You can usually drop the pronoun

A verb already shows who is doing it (see the present tense), so the pronoun is optional. Adding it gives emphasis, like stressing "I do" in English.

• بحب القهوةba7ebb il-2ahwaI love coffee.
• أنا بحب القهوة، هوَّ بيحب الشايana ba7ebb il-2ahwa, huwwa bi7ebb ish-shaayI love coffee; he loves tea.