Unit 7 · My day, my week
bi-: I do, I'm doing
Capitals mark the emphatic letters, 3 is ع and 7 is ح, and ' is the glottal stop that Cairo uses for q.
The everyday present tense is bi- plus the verb, and it covers both "I do" and "I'm doing". 'ana bashrab shaay can be "I drink tea" or "I'm drinking tea", and the context decides. With "I", bi- and the verb's a- merge into ba-: baroo7 (I go), baS7a (I get up), bashrab (I drink). With "he" it's bi- plus ye-: beyaakol (he eats), beyzakir (he studies). With "she" it's bi- plus te-: betishtaghal (she works).
Hear it in sentences
بَانَام مِتْأَخَّر.
I go to bed late.
أَنَا بَاحْلَق الصُّبْح.
I shave in the morning.
- I
إِحْنَا بِنِفْطَر بَدْرِي.
We have breakfast early.
بَاصْحَى بَدْرِي كُلّ يُوم.
I get up early every day.
- i get up / am getting up
هُوَّ بِيعُوم فِي الْبَحْر.
He's swimming in the sea.
بَاشْرَب عَصِير كُلّ يُوم.
I drink juice every day.
- i drink / am drinking