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🇪🇬 Egyptian Arabic · Fluency Level 1

PART 3 · LESSON 24 OF 30 · 30 MINUTES

Cairo Never Sleeps, Right?

A night on a rooftop over Downtown with Karim, Mona and Nour, mint tea and the whole city below: the little questions Egyptians hang on the end of a sentence to get a nod.

Audio instruction: English

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THE STORY

The roof of a Downtown building late on a March night, mint tea on the table and the lit city below. Karim, Mona, Nour and Leo are friends of the same age and speak plainly to each other.

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Words and phrases

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مِش كِدَه?mish KI-daisn't it, word for word not so
دِي القَاهِرَة كُلَّهَا, مِش كِدَه?di il-qa-HI-ra kul-LA-ha mish KI-da?This is the whole of Cairo, isn't it?
كُلَّهَا, وِمِش نَايْمَة.kul-LA-ha wi-MISH NAY-ma.All of it, and it's not asleep.
القَاهِرَة مَبِتْنَامْش,il-qa-HI-ra ma-bit-NAAMSHCairo never sleeps, the negative wrapped around the verb
القَاهِرَة مَبِتْنَامْش, صَحّ?il-qa-HI-ra ma-bit-NAAMSH sa77?Cairo never sleeps, right?
بِتْنَام فِي الزَّحْمَة.bit-NAAM fi iz-ZA7-ma.It sleeps in the traffic.
بَسّ النَّسِمَة هِنَا فُوق, وَلَّا إِيه?bass in-NA-si-ma HI-na foo' WAL-la eeh?But the breeze up here, or what?
قَعْدَة زَيّ دِي حِلْوَة, وَلَّا لأ?'A3-da zayy di 7IL-wa WAL-la la'?A sitting like this is lovely, or not?
يَا تَرَى رَاجِل الرَّادْيُو بِيرَوَّح?ya TA-ra RAA-gil ir-RAD-yu be-RAW-wa7?I wonder, does the radio man go home?
بِيرَوَّح السَّاعَة وَاحْدَة, صَحّ يَا لِيُو?be-RAW-wa7 is-SAA-3a WA7-da sa77 ya LI-yu?He goes home at one, right, Leo?

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