Egyptian Arabic A1, Unit 10: At a friend’s home

At a friend’s home

Egyptian Arabic A1 · Unit 10

GoalWelcome a guest, invite them to sit and ask what they drink.

New words

أَهْلًا بِيك (ahlan bīk) · welcome (to a man)أَهْلًا بِيكِي (ahlan bīki) · welcome (to a woman)اُقْعُد (uʾʿud) · sit down (to a man)اُقْعُدِي (uʾʿudi) · sit down (to a woman)تِشْرَب إِيه؟ (tishrab ēh?) · what will you drink? (to a man)تِشْرَبِي إِيه؟ (tishrabi ēh?) · what will you drink? (to a woman)

Explanation

At a friend's home the host says أَهْلًا بِيك to a man and أَهْلًا بِيكِي to a woman. Then comes اِتْفَضَّل, «please, come in». The host asks you to sit with اُقْعُد or اُقْعُدِي and asks تِشْرَب إِيه؟ or تِشْرَبِي إِيه؟, «what will you drink?». Answer with a drink and thank your host. The ending ـِي shows that the host speaks to a woman. The verb تِشْرَب is a first taste of the present tense (unit 13).

Meaning	To a man	To a woman
welcome	أَهْلًا بِيك	أَهْلًا بِيكِي
sit down	اُقْعُد	اُقْعُدِي
what will you drink?	تِشْرَب إِيه؟	تِشْرَبِي إِيه؟

Worked examples

Mina

أَهْلًا بِيكِي. اِتْفَضَّلِي.

Salma

شُكْرًا.

Mina

اُقْعُدِي. تِشْرَبِي إِيه؟

Salma

شَاي مِن فَضْلَك.

Mina welcomes Salma. Press each line.

Hana

أَهْلًا بِيك. اُقْعُد.

Ahmed

شُكْرًا.

Hana

تِشْرَب إِيه؟

Ahmed

قَهْوَة.

Hana welcomes Ahmed. Press each line.

Sit here, sit there. Press each card.

Class activity

Play host and guest. Welcome a man and then a woman, ask each to sit, and ask what they drink. The guest answers with شَاي، قَهْوَة، مَيَّة or لَبَن and says شُكْرًا. Write the short dialogue in your notebook.

Practice

How does a host welcome a woman?

The picture shows a man. Tell him to sit down.

Press Listen. Is the host speaking to a man or to a woman?

The picture shows tea. A guest asks for tea. What does the guest say?

Which question is for a man: تِشْرَب إِيه؟ or تِشْرَبِي إِيه؟

Mini dialogues

At a friend’s home