Emergency

1. الحقوني!

   Ilḥaʾūni!

   Help!

   Usage

   The standard shout for help, addressed to several people at once.

   Grammar Note

   Plural imperative + ني "me". To one person it would be الحقني.

2. كلم الاسعاف لو سمحت

   Kallim il-isʿāf law samaḥt

   Please call an ambulance

   Usage

   To a woman say كلمي.

   Grammar Note

   Imperative to one man.

3. انا عيان

   Ana ʿayyān

   I am sick

   Usage

   A woman says انا عيانة.

   Grammar Note

   There is no verb "to be" in the present: subject + adjective is a full sentence.

4. فين اقرب مستشفى؟

   Fēn aʾrab mustashfa?

   Where is the nearest hospital?

   Usage

   اقرب means "nearest" and is followed by an indefinite noun.

   Grammar Note

   The superlative is "afʿal + indefinite singular noun".

5. شنطتي اتسرقت

   Shanṭiti itsaraʾit

   My bag was stolen

   Usage

   The passive is formed by prefixing ات- to the verb.

   Grammar Note

   اتسرقت is the passive past, 3rd feminine, of سرق "steal", agreeing with feminine شنطة.

6. محتاج دكتور

   Miḥtāg duktōr

   I need a doctor

   Usage

   A woman says محتاجة دكتور.

   Grammar Note

   محتاج is a participle that takes its object directly.

7. صدري بيوجعني

   Ṣadri bi-yiwgaʿni

   I have chest pain

   Usage

   Literally "my chest hurts me". The same pattern gives راسي بيوجعني "my head hurts".

   Grammar Note

   bi- (present) + verb + ني "me".

8. كلم البوليس

   Kallim il-bulīs

   Call the police

   Usage

   A short urgent order. To a woman say كلمي البوليس.

   Grammar Note

   بوليس is borrowed from "police" and is the everyday word in Egypt.

9. ضيعت الباسبور

   Ḍayyaʿt il-basbōr

   I lost my passport

   Usage

   Literally "I lost the passport"; "my" is understood from context.

   Grammar Note

   The 1st person past ends in -ت.

10. محتاج مترجم

    Miḥtāg mutargim

    I need an interpreter

    Usage

    A woman says محتاجة مترجم.

    Grammar Note

    محتاج is a participle that takes its object directly.

11. فين سفارة اليابان؟

    Fēn sifārit il-yabān?

    Where is the Japanese embassy?

    Usage

    Swap the country name to ask for another embassy.

    Grammar Note

    A possessive chain; سفارة becomes sifārit when linked.

12. كفاية!

    Kifāya!

    Stop it!

    Usage

    It means "enough". Said firmly it stops the other person.

    Grammar Note

    A noun used like a command.

13. ماتلمسنيش!

    Ma-tilmisnī-sh!

    Do not touch me!

    Usage

    To a woman say ماتلمسينيش.

    Grammar Note

    A prohibition wraps the verb: ما + verb + ش.

14. حريق!

    Ḥarīʾ!

    Fire!

    Usage

    A shout to warn of a fire.

    Grammar Note

    The same word as in MSA; ق is pronounced [ʔ].

15. حرامي!

    Ḥarāmi!

    Thief!

    Usage

    Shout it when something is stolen; people nearby will help.

    Grammar Note

    A female thief is حرامية.

16. سرقة

    Sarʾa

    Robbery

    Usage

    A noun for describing the incident. فيه سرقة means "there has been a theft".

    Grammar Note

    Noun from سرق "steal".

17. نشال

    Nashshāl

    Pickpocket

    Usage

    Used in the sense "watch out for pickpockets" in crowds.

    Grammar Note

    A pattern (faʿʿāl) for occupations and habitual doers.

18. خطف

    Khaṭf

    Kidnapping

    Usage

    A noun for reporting an incident.

    Grammar Note

    Noun from the verb خطف "snatch".

19. قتل

    Atl

    Murder

    Usage

    A noun for reporting an incident.

    Grammar Note

    ق is pronounced [ʔ], so the initial ʾ is not written.

20. شغب

    Shaghab

    Riot

    Usage

    A word heard in news and warnings.

    Grammar Note

    Often used as أعمال شغب "acts of rioting".

21. فيه قنبلة!

    Fī ʾunbula!

    There is a bomb!

    Usage

    A shout to warn of danger.

    Grammar Note

    فيه marks existence.

22. فين قسم البوليس؟

    Fēn ʾism il-bulīs?

    Where is the police station?

    Usage

    قسم is the word used for a police station.

    Grammar Note

    A possessive chain: قسم + البوليس.

23. كلم المطافي لو سمحت

    Kallim il-maṭāfi law samaḥt

    Please call the fire brigade

    Usage

    المطافي means the fire service. To a woman say كلمي.

    Grammar Note

    A composed sentence with regular grammar.

24. فيه حد هنا بيتكلم ياباني؟

    Fī ḥadd hina bi-yitkallim yabāni?

    Is there anyone here who speaks Japanese?

    Usage

    ياباني means both "Japanese (language)" and "Japanese (person)".

    Grammar Note

    بيتكلم works like a relative clause describing the person.

25. محفظتي اتسرقت

    Maḥfaẓti itsaraʾit

    My wallet was stolen

    Usage

    محفظة is feminine, so the verb is the feminine اتسرقت.

    Grammar Note

    Passive prefix ات-.

26. حاسب!

    Ḥāsib!

    Watch out!

    Usage

    To a woman say حاسبي, to several people حاسبوا.

    Grammar Note

    Imperative.

27. ممكن توصلني المستشفى؟

    Mumkin tiwaṣṣalni l-mustashfa?

    Please take me to a hospital

    Usage

    To a woman say ممكن توصليني.

    Grammar Note

    After ممكن the prefixed verb follows directly.

28. اخرج من باب الطوارئ

    Ukhrug min bāb iṭ-ṭawāriʾ

    Go out through the emergency exit

    Usage

    To a woman say اخرجي, to several people اخرجوا.

    Grammar Note

    A composed sentence with regular grammar.

29. حصلت حادثة عربية

    Ḥaṣalit ḥādsa ʿarabiyya

    There has been a traffic accident

    Usage

    عربية is "car"; literally "a car accident happened".

    Grammar Note

    A composed sentence; the verb is feminine to agree with حادثة.

30. دي حالة طارئة

    Di ḥāla ṭāriʾa

    It is an emergency

    Usage

    Sums up the situation in one line when asking for help.

    Grammar Note

    The demonstrative دي agrees with feminine حالة.

31. بسرعة لو سمحت

    Bi-surʿa law samaḥt

    Please hurry

    Usage

    Works for a taxi as well as an emergency.

    Grammar Note

    ب + noun is used adverbially.

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