Airport & Customs

1. الباسبور لو سمحت

   Il-basbōr law samaḥt

   Your passport, please

   Usage

   What an immigration officer says; a traveller can also say it when handing the passport over.

   Grammar Note

   "Law samaḥt" literally means "if you would allow"; to a woman it is "law samaḥti".

2. حضرتك جاي مصر ليه؟

   Ḥaḍritak gayy maṣr lē?

   What is the purpose of your visit?

   Usage

   Literally "why have you come to Egypt?". For a woman, "gayya".

   Grammar Note

   "Ḥaḍritak" is the polite "you"; the participle "gayy" expresses "coming". Composed from words checked in dictionaries and corpora.

3. هتقعد كام ليلة؟

   Hatiʾʿud kām lēla?

   How many nights are you planning to stay?

   Usage

   To a woman: "hatiʾʿudi".

   Grammar Note

   The prefix "ha-" marks the future; the noun after "kām" is singular. Composed from words checked in dictionaries and corpora.

4. شنطتي ماوصلتش

   Shanṭiti ma-waṣalit-sh

   My luggage hasn't arrived

   Usage

   Say this at the baggage desk, then show your boarding pass and baggage tag.

   Grammar Note

   Negation wraps the verb: ma- + verb + -sh. "Shanṭa" is feminine, so the verb is the feminine waṣalit.

5. دي شنطة ايد

   Di shanṭit īd

   This is carry-on luggage

   Usage

   "Shanṭit īd" is literally "hand bag"; say it at security or the gate when pointing at your carry-on.

   Grammar Note

   "Shanṭit īd" is a noun chain (bag of hand). Composed from words checked in dictionaries and corpora.

6. فين البوابة؟

   Fēn il-bawwāba?

   Where is the gate?

   Usage

   Show the gate number on your boarding pass while asking.

   Grammar Note

   "Bawwāba" is a "large door/gate" and is used for boarding gates too. Composed from words checked in dictionaries and corpora.

7. هنركب الطيارة امتى؟

   Hanirkab iṭ-ṭayyāra imta?

   When does boarding begin?

   Usage

   Literally "when do we get on the plane?".

   Grammar Note

   "Ha-" + "n-" is the "we" future; "rikib" is the verb for getting on a vehicle. Composed from words checked in dictionaries and corpora.

8. أنا في المطار دلوقتي

   Ana fi l-maṭār dilwaʾti

   I'm at the airport now

   Usage

   Handy when messaging a driver or your hotel.

   Grammar Note

   After a vowel the i of the article drops: fi l-maṭār.

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