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🇪🇬 Egyptian Arabic · Fluency Level 2

PART 2 · LESSON 20 OF 30 · 30 MINUTES

Cloth or excuses

At the Feast lunch Karim films Madame Nadia and Uncle Mahmoud telling how they met at the fabric shop: he said the blue silk was too expensive for a teacher, she asked whether he had the colour in cotton, and her father asked whether the shop sold cloth or excuses.

Audio instruction: English

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THE STORY

The Feast lunch at the Mansours' table in Heliopolis, Karim filming. Madame Nadia and Uncle Mahmoud speak plainly to their son and to Leo; Leo says the polite you to them; Layla never speaks.

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يَا مَامَا, بَابَا قَال إِيه?ya MAA-ma, BAA-ba 'al eeh?Mum, what did Dad say?
قَال الحَرِير غَالِي عَلَى مُدَرِّسَة.'al il-7a-REER GHAA-li 3A-la mu-dar-RI-sa.He said the silk was too expensive for a teacher.
إِذَا عَنْدِي قُطْن أَزْرَق.I-za 3AN-di 'utn AZ-ra'whether I have blue cotton
سَأَلِت إِذَا عَنْدِي قُطْن أَزْرَق.SA-'a-lit I-za 3AN-di 'utn AZ-ra'.She asked whether I had blue cotton.
وِكَان عَنْد حَضْرِتَك?wi-KAAN 3and 7ad-RI-tak?And did you have it?
قُلْت هَاطْلُبُه, وِمَكَانْش فِيه.'ult hat-LU-bu, wi-ma-KAANSH feeh.I said I'd order it, and there wasn't any.
كُلّ خَمِيس أَسْأَل إِذَا وِصِل.kull kha-MEES AS-'al I-za wi-SIL.Every Thursday I asked whether it had arrived.
أَبُوهَا سَأَل إِذَا بَبِيع قُمَاش وَلَّا أَعْذَار.a-BOO-ha SA-'al I-za ba-BEE3 'u-MAASH WAL-la a3-ZAAR.Her father asked whether I sold cloth or excuses.
قَال لِأَبُويَا عَايِز يِتْجَوِّزْنِي.'al li-a-BOO-ya 3AA-yiz yit-gaw-WIZ-ni.He told my father he wanted to marry me.
اِبْن الوَزّ عَوَّام!ibn il-WAZZ 3aw-WAAM!A goose's child is a swimmer!