Some Egyptian words carry more weight than their dictionary entry suggests. ma3lesh is glossed as "it's OK". That's accurate and also doesn't tell you much, because what it really does is smooth over a small mistake so everyone can keep going. You'll hear them all day in Cairo.
Here are the ones our first course teaches, with what they actually do and a line where you can hear them in use.
ma3lesh: never mind, it's fine
has two jobs.
The first is answering an apology. Someone bumps you, or turns up late, and says You answer ma3lesh. It lets them off.
- Never mind, Nour. It's fine.
The second is shrugging off a small letdown and changing course. In our grocery dialogue there's no toast. The customer doesn't argue. She says ma3lesh and asks for something else:
- Never mind. Is there local bread?
You can also use it on yourself, a bit like "oh well". In the taxi dialogue, a passenger who's running late tells the driver ma3lesh and asks him to hurry:
khalaaS: done, settled, OK then
means it's finished. In conversation it draws a line under something, whether that's an apology or a decision.
Next to ma3lesh it means "really, forget it". On its own, after some back and forth, it means we've decided. Here's a man choosing a Mother's Day present. His mum doesn't like chocolate, so:
- OK then, flowers are better. And a book too?
His friend's answer is worth stealing as well: Good idea!
tamaam: great, that works
is yes with a bit of approval in it, closer to great or perfect. It's the word you'll hear when someone accepts a price, confirms a time or ends a phone call.
- Ten pounds? Fine.
- Great. Thanks, goodbye.
Put kollo in front and you get , everything's fine. It pairs well with ma3lesh when you're the one who's sorry and the other person wants you to drop it:
- I'm sorry. Never mind, it's all fine.
el-7amdu lillah: thank God, I'm fine
means thank God, and it's built into the answer to how are you. In that spot it's the everyday way to say you're fine.
- Fine, thank God.
- Thank God, Mona, everything's fine.
If you only learn one reply for 'ezzayyak, make it this. Our greetings guide has the whole exchange.
'en sha allah: God willing
goes on anything in the future. See you tomorrow? 'en sha allah. It works as a polite yes about something that hasn't happened yet.
- God willing. Bye.
Two more you'll hear early
mafeesh moshkela is no problem. In our unit 8 dialogue a job applicant hears the reception shift starts at seven, and answers straight away: In the morning? No problem. I get up early.
is lucky you, said to a man. In our unit 7 dialogue it's the reply to someone who works from home and never has to get up early. It's friendly, with a bit of envy mixed in.
What about yalla?
You might have come looking for yalla. It isn't in our A1 course yet, so there's no clip of it on this page. We only publish words that are voiced in Cairene Egyptian and checked by a speaker, and we'll add yalla here once it's recorded.
Common questions
What does ma3lesh mean in Egyptian Arabic? Roughly never mind or it's OK. You say it when someone apologises to you, and you say it yourself when a plan falls through and you're moving on to the next one.
What's the difference between khalaaS and tamaam? tamaam agrees. It means great, or that works. khalaaS closes something off, like that's settled or OK then. You'll often hear khalaaS right after a decision gets made.
Do Egyptians say el-7amdu lillah even if they aren't religious? It's part of the standard answer to how are you, so you'll hear it from almost everyone. kwayyis, el-7amdu lillah is fine, thank God, and it works as an everyday reply.
Is yalla in the Bel Masri course? Not in A1 yet. We only publish words with a clip voiced in Cairene Egyptian and checked by a speaker, so yalla will show up here when it's in the course.