Ownership
There are several different ways to indicate ownership and belonging. These are:
Egyptian | Meaning | Egyptian | English |
possessive pronoun | my/your/his | ![]() إسم ُه | his name |
simple genitive | of | ![]() ا ِسم ا ِلو َلـَد | the name of the boy |
![]() بـِتا َع | belonging | ![]() ا ِلبـَسبور بـِتا َعي | my passport |
![]() عـَند | ownership | ![]() عـَندي بـِيت | I have a house |
![]() مـَعَ | have with you | ![]() مـَعا َك كـَبريت؟ | Do you have matches (on you)? |
![]() لي | having for a purpose intended for attached | ![]() في بوسطـَة ليك | there is some post for you |
![]() مـِلك | (my/your/his) property | ![]() ا ِلبـِيت د َه مـِلكـُه | that house is his property |
possessive pronoun
In both English and Egyptian, the most common way of expressing ownership is with a posessive pronoun (my, your... etc). In Egyptian, this is a suffix attached to the noun. Here are some examples:
English | Arabic |
my name | ![]() إسمي |
your(m) name | ![]() إسم َك |
your(f) name | ![]() إسم ِك |
my house | ![]() بـِيتي |
his house | ![]() بـِيت ُه |
my father | ![]() أبويا َ |
your(f) father | ![]() أبوها َ |
his father | ![]() أبوه |
our god | ![]() ر َبّ ِنا َ |
The posessive pronouns themselves are pretty easy to learn, but when the pronouns are attached to nouns, the vowels do a little dance to make sure that you don't get three consonants in a row. See pronouns for more information.
simple genitive
In English, the simple genitive can take two forms: both are expressed in the same way in arabic.
English | Egyptian |
the man's name | ![]() إسم ا ِلرا َجـِل |
the name of the man | ![]() إسم ا ِلرا َجـِل |
il-iil_ ا ِلـ can be attached to the second noun if required, but must never be attached to the first noun. If the first noun is feminine, the -a_ao ــَة ending changes to -it_it ــِت. Nothing must be placed between the two nouns. Adjectives go after the second noun, but must agree in gender and number with the first noun. If a possessive suffix is required, it must go on the second word (or use bitaaAbitaaA بـِتا َع). Here are some examples:
English | Egyptian |
the boy's name is strange | ![]() إسم ا ِلو َلـَد غـَريب |
I have her telephone number | ![]() عـَندي نـِمر ِة تـِليفونها َ |
Where is the railway station? | ![]() مـَحـَطـِة ا ِلقـَطر فين؟ |
Do you know my cousin? (uncle's son) | ![]() إنت َ عا َر ِف إبن عـَمّي؟ |
Do you know my cousin? (uncle's son) | ![]() تـِعـَر ِف إبن عـَمّي؟ |
Have you seen the boss's new car? | ![]() إنت َ شوفت عـَر َبـِي ِة ا ِلمـُدير ا ِلجـِديد َة؟ |
Have you seen the new boss's car? | ![]() إنت َ شوفت ا ِلعـَر َبـِيـَة إلّي مـَعـَ ا ِلمـُدير ا ِلجـِديد؟ |
I want a bottle of water | ![]() عا َيـِز إزّا َز ِة مـَيا َه |
give me this bottle of water | ![]() ا ِدّيني إزّا َز ِة ا ِلمـَيا َه dyh |
Belonging- bitaAbitaA بـِتـَع
bitaAbitaA بـِتـَع is used in several ways:
- noun + bitaA + possessive suffix, to indicate ownership
- noun + bitaA + possessive suffix, as an alternative to a genitive
- bitaA + product (milk, onions, tyres etc), to indicate somebody who sells the product
- bitaA + possessive suffix, to refer to a man's or woman's private parts
bitaAbitaA بـِتـَع is always used for ownership when the noun ends in -yn_yn ـين and for imported words (my villa). It is not used for parts of the body (my leg).
English | Egyptian |
I have lost my passport | ![]() أنا َ ضا َيعت ا ِلبـَسبور بـِتا َعي |
how many rooms does your villa have? | ![]() عـَند َك كـَم أ ُوضـَة في ا ِلڤيلا َ بـِتا َعتـَك؟ |
Where are your teachers? | ![]() فين ا ِلمـُد َرّ ِسين بـِتو َعـَك؟ |
He is a vegetable seller | ![]() هـُوّ َ بـِتا َع خـُضا َر |
He is a milk seller means he's a ladies' man | ![]() هـُوّ َ بـِتا َع لـَبـَن |
Stop scratching yourself! | baTTal tuhrush fi bitaaAakbaTTal tuhrush fy bitaaA-ak! بـَطّـَل تـُهر ُش في بـِتا َعـَك |
bitaaA bitaaA بـِتا َع is like a participle, so it has to agree in gender and number with the noun. Here are all of the possible endings:
English | m | f | pl |
the book | the bag | the books | |
![]() ا ِلكـِتا َب بـِتا َعـ | ![]() ا ِلشـَنطـَة بـِتا َعتـ | ![]() ا ِلكـُتوب بـِتوعـ | |
belonging to me | ![]() بـِتا َعي | ![]() بـِتا َعتي | ![]() بـِتوعي |
belonging to us | ![]() بـِتا َعناَ | ![]() بـِتا َعـِتناَ | ![]() بـِتوعناَ |
belonging to you(m) | ![]() بـِتا َعـَك | ![]() بـِتا َعتـَك | ![]() بـِتوعـَك |
belonging to you(f) | ![]() بـِتا َعـِك | ![]() بـِتا َعتـِك | ![]() بـِتوعـِك |
belonging to you(pl) | ![]() بـِتا َعكـُم | ![]() بـِتا َعـِتكـُم | ![]() بـِتوعكـُم |
belonging to him | ![]() بـِتا َعـُه | ![]() بـِتا َعتـُه | ![]() بـِتوعـُه |
belonging to her | ![]() بـِتا َعهاَ | ![]() بـِتا َعـِتهاَ | ![]() بـِتوعهاَ |
belonging to them | ![]() بـِتا َعهـُم | ![]() بـِتا َعـِتهـُم | ![]() بـِتوعهـُم |
Ownership - AandAand عـَند
AandAand عـَند means that you own something but don't necessarily have with you. It can also be used about members of your family. An object pronoun can be added to indicate who owns something. Here are some examples:
English | Egyptian |
I have a car | ![]() عـَندي عـَر َبـِيـَة |
he has two children | ![]() عـَند ُه و َلـَدين |
do you have any books? | ![]() عـَند َك كـُتـُب؟ |
Here are all of the possible forms.
English | Arabic |
I have | ![]() عـَندي |
we have | ![]() عـَند ِناَ |
you(m) have | ![]() عـَند َك |
you(f) have | ![]() عـَند ِك |
you(pl) have | ![]() عـَند ُكـُم |
he has | ![]() عـَند ُه |
she has | ![]() عـَند َهاَ |
they have | ![]() عـَند ُهـُم |
Having with you maAamaAa مـَعَ
maAamaAa مـَعَ means that you have something or somebody with you. It takes an object suffix to say who it is with.
English | Egyptian |
Do you have the keys? | ![]() مـَعـَك ا ِلمـَفا َتيح؟ |
I will go with you | ![]() أنا َ ها َروح مـَعـَـَك |
Do you have any change? | ![]() مـَعـَك فـَكّـَة؟ |
Here are all of the possible forms:
English | Egyptian |
I have | ![]() مـَعا َياَ |
we have | ![]() مـَعا َناَ |
you(m) have | ![]() مـَعا َك |
you(f) have | ![]() مـَعا َكي |
you(pl) have | ![]() مـَعا َكـُم |
he has | ![]() مـَعا َه |
she has | ![]() مـَعا َهاَ |
they have | ![]() مـَعا َهـُم |
intended for - ly-ly_ ليـ
lily لي can be used for parts of the body, members of your family, for something that is attached, and for something that is intended for somebody or something. It is also used when an inanimate object has something. Here are some examples:
English | Egyptian |
he has only one leg | ![]() ليه ر ِجل وا َحد َة بـَس |
she has two children | ![]() ليها َ و َلـَدين |
there is mail for you (f) | ![]() في بوسطـَة ليكي |
I owe you five pounds Lit: I have five founds for you(m) | ![]() عـَندي خـَمسـَة جـِنية ليك |
this present is for (all of) you(pl) | ![]() ا ِلهـِد َيـَة دي ليكـُم |
I want a garden seat A seat intended for the garden | ![]() عا َيـِز كـُرسي لـِلجـِنـِينـَة |
the flat has a garage | ![]() ا ِلشـَقّـَة ليها َ جـَرا َچ |
the flat has two bedrooms use fify في because rooms are inside | ![]() ا ِلشـَقّـَة فيها َأ ُوضتين |
Here are all of the possible forms:
English | m |
I have | ![]() لـِيَ |
we have | ![]() ليناَ |
you(m) have | ![]() ليك |
you(f) have | ![]() ليكي |
you(pl) have | ![]() ليكـُم |
he has | ![]() ليه |
she has | ![]() ليهاَ |
they have | ![]() ليهـُم |
Possession property milkmilk مـِلك
Ownership of real estate - houses, land etc, can be expressed with milk-milk_ مـِلكـ plus a suffix.
English | Egyptian |
He has his own house | ![]() عـَند ُه بـِيت مـِلكـُه |
I own land in Hurghada | ![]() عـَندي أرض مـِلك في ا ِلغـَرد َقـَة |