How to learn Egyptian Arabic as an English speaker

This is a practical plan for English speakers who want to speak Egyptian Arabic: to get around Egypt, talk with Egyptian friends or family, or follow Egyptian films. It assumes no Arabic at all. It’s written by the team behind Mashi, so the app appears at each stage, but you can follow the plan with any resources.

Before you start: choose Egyptian, not textbook Arabic

Most Arabic courses teach Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), which nobody speaks at home. If your goal is conversation with Egyptians, learn Egyptian Arabic (Masri) first. The differences are explained, with examples, in Egyptian Arabic vs MSA.

Stage 1 · Weeks 1–2: sounds and survival phrases

• Learn to hear the new sounds before you worry about grammar. Start with the pronunciation guide: ع, ح, خ and the Cairo glottal stop.
• Learn 20 phrases you can use at once: greetings, numbers to twenty, and how to order a drink.
• Use transliteration for now. You can start speaking before you can read Arabic script; pick up the letters gradually alongside.

In Mashi: start at Level 1, True Beginner. Its first three lessons are free and cover “me and my things”, people and home, and drinks.

Stage 2 · Weeks 3–8: build your own sentences

• Learn sentence frames, not lists. Ana ayiz… (I want), ana andi… (I have) and feen…? (where is) let you combine every new word you learn.
• Learn nouns with their plural and adjectives in masculine, feminine and plural. Egyptians notice when the ending is wrong.
• Learn one verb tense properly across all eight pronouns before moving to the next.

In Mashi: Levels 1 and 2 (True Beginner and Beginner) teach food, clothes, shopping, numbers, days and greetings, with past-tense verbs in Level 1 and present-tense verbs in Level 2.

Stage 3 · Months 3–6: real conversations

• Listen to whole conversations, first with the transcript, then without. Try the six on the listening practice page.
• Shadow: play a line, pause, and say it back at the same speed. It is the fastest way to sound natural.
• Start speaking with a person, even ten minutes a week with a tutor or an Egyptian friend.

In Mashi: Level 3, Intermediate, covers places, directions, family, school, holidays and work, with the future tense. Every lesson has a short recorded dialogue.

Stage 4 · Month 6 onwards: everyday life

• Bargaining, booking, the doctor, the weather and your daily routine.
• Watch Egyptian films and series with English subtitles and listen for words you know. The films and TV page has the words you’ll hear most.

In Mashi: Level 4, Advanced, builds up to a full day in Cairo.

Going to Egypt in two weeks?

Skip the order above and focus on what you’ll use:

1. Days 1–3: greetings, please and thank you, and numbers to twenty (for prices).
2. Days 4–7: the travel phrases for food and drink and getting around.
3. Days 8–11: shopping and bargaining, and the hotel and directions conversations on the listening page.
4. Days 12–14: the “if you feel unwell” phrases, then replay everything you learned. Download the audio before you fly so you can practise offline.

A daily habit that works

• 15 minutes every day beats two hours on Sunday. Short, frequent practice is easier to keep up.
• Listen first, then read. Hear a word before you look at its spelling.
• Say everything out loud. Recognising a word and saying it are different skills.
• Review your mistakes rather than only moving on to new lessons.

Mashi has 40 lessons. At one lesson every two days, that’s about three months for the whole course.