Egyptian Arabic A1, Unit 4: Countries and nationalities

Countries and nationalities

Egyptian Arabic A1 · Unit 4

GoalSay what nationality you are: add -i for a man and -iyya for a woman.

New words

مِصْرِي (miṣri) · Egyptian (a man)مِصْرِيَّة (miṣriyya) · Egyptian (a woman)أُوزْبَكِي (ūzbaki) · Uzbek (a man)أُوزْبَكِيَّة (ūzbakiyya) · Uzbek (a woman)رُوسِي (rūsi) · Russian (a man)رُوسِيَّة (rūsiyya) · Russian (a woman)تُرْكِي (turki) · Turkish (a man)تُرْكِيَّة (turkiyya) · Turkish (a woman)

Explanation

To say a nationality, take the country and add ـِي for a man or ـِيَّة for a woman. مِصْر becomes مِصْرِي (man) and مِصْرِيَّة (woman). Sometimes the end of the country is dropped first: رُوسْيَا becomes رُوسِي. Use it like طَالِب and طَالِبَة: أَنَا مِصْرِي (a man) and أَنَا مِصْرِيَّة (a woman). The shadda in ـِيَّة means the ي is said twice: -iyya.

Country	Man	Woman
مِصْر	مِصْرِي	مِصْرِيَّة
أُوزْبَكِسْتَان	أُوزْبَكِي	أُوزْبَكِيَّة
رُوسْيَا	رُوسِي	رُوسِيَّة
تُرْكِيَا	تُرْكِي	تُرْكِيَّة

Worked examples

Man and woman, side by side.

Karim

أَنَا رُوسِي. وِإِنْتِي؟

Salma

أَنَا أُوزْبَكِيَّة.

Karim and Salma say their nationality.

مِصْرcountry+ـِيَّةwoman ending

Build a nationality from its country.

Class activity

Choose five countries you know, from the table or from your own. Write the nationality for a man and for a woman. Ask a friend to check the ending: -ي for a man, -يَّة for a woman.

Practice

Say: “I am Egyptian” (you are a woman).

Say: “I am Russian” (you are a man).

Listen. A man says his nationality. Which country is it: India, Turkey or Russia?

What is the woman's ending?

Write the nationality of a man from Turkey.

I, you, he, she; countries

Countries and nationalities