I love to study languages, so one of the must-do's for me was to take an Arabic course. I now want to share the best bits I learned.
Greetings is not just 'Hi, how are ya' -business in Egypt. When you meet a friend, you generously shake or hold hands, stare gently in the eyes (also guys with guys, because eye contact and showing friendliness is crucial), and exchange the following:
-Sabah el heer. (Good morning)
-Sabah el nour. (Morning of light)
If you want to go the full round, the routine continues as follows:
-Sabah el full. (Morning scented with jasmine)
-Sabah el ishta. (Milky morning)
-Sabah el a-azel. (Morning scented with honey).
-Sabah el warda. (Morning scented with flowers).
By the way, Warda (flower) is also man's name, as well as Badri, which stands for 'early'. One of our bus drivers was called Badri (no pun intended, I guess). Well, let's move on.
- Amle ee? Means, 'How are you?'
- Meya, meya. = Good. (literally: 100, 100).
- Nouss, nouss. = Not so good. (Half, half)
The Egyptian Arabic differs a lot from Classic Arabic. For example, the everyday word for car in is 'arabeya', while in Classic Arabic it is 'sayyara'. Therefore, one needs to learn two sets of words, the vernacular, and Classic terms.
It's no coincidence that 'Sahraa' stands for desert, as of Sahara, which is the only environment type in this corner of earth, featuring rocky mountain ranges, sand, and sole acacia trees.
One of the very useful expressions I learned, was 'Not your business': 'Da mish shorlek.' Egyptians are extremely curious to the point of nosiness, and notorious gossips. The news seem to travel faster than in the internet! A person asking for something that do not belong to him, is called 'hesheriy'. Another funny one, reminding me of a certain Biblical analogy, meaning 'get lost', or, 'you can go now', is: 'Il beeb iifaod gemel', literally, 'The door is large enough for a camel to pass'.
The Arabic-speakers love idioms and proverbs. Here's one for you: 'After the incense is passed there is no sitting on.' (Don't overstay your welcome). The explanation: When the visit has lasted long enough, the host passes round the incense signifying that it's time for his guests to leave.
Moon, 'amar', has a lot of symbolism in Islam. Is also is an analogy for beauty. If you want to call someone beautiful, you can call her 'inti amar', 'you (are beautiful like) the moon'.
