You know a handful of words. You can say ezzayak and shokran. But the moment you want to say “I went”, “I’m working” or “we’ll see you tomorrow”, you freeze.
That’s because sentences live and breathe through their verbs. The good news? Egyptian Arabic verbs are far simpler than most learners fear. There are no long lists of tenses like in English or French. Once you learn one verb in three forms and two tiny prefixes, you can talk about yesterday, today and tomorrow.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through the past, present and future in spoken Egyptian, step by step, with conjugation tables, real everyday examples and the most common verbs to learn first.
How to read the transliteration in this article
3 = ع (ʿayn) · 7 = ح (a strong, breathy “h”) · 2 = a glottal stop, like the pause in “uh-oh” (used for ء and for most Egyptian ق) · kh = خ · gh = غ · sh = ش · doubled vowels (aa, ee, oo) are long · doubled consonants (bb, ll) are held slightly longer.
How Egyptian Arabic Verbs Work: The Big Picture
Every Egyptian Arabic verb has two basic shapes:
- The past form – for completed actions: katab كتب (he wrote).
- The present form – the “base” for everything else: yektib يكتب (he writes).
From the present form, you build two more forms simply by adding a prefix:
| Prefix | Meaning | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| (none) | bare form, used after words like “want” or “must” | يكتب yektib | (that) he writes |
| b- بـ | present: habits and ongoing actions | بيكتب beyektib | he writes / he’s writing |
| ha- هـ | future | هيكتب hayektib | he will write |
That’s the whole system. Unlike Modern Standard Arabic, Egyptians don’t use sawfa or sa- for the future, and they don’t use the formal vowel endings you might have seen in textbooks. As Encyclopaedia Britannica puts it, in Egypt the spoken vernacular differs greatly from the literary language, and verbs are one of the clearest places where you’ll notice it.
One more thing to know before we start: dictionaries and teachers list Egyptian verbs by their “he” form in the past, so katab means “to write”. It’s the equivalent of the English infinitive.
The Past Tense in Egyptian Arabic
The past tense describes finished actions: “I wrote”, “she ate”, “we went”. You take the past stem and add an ending that shows who did the action.
Here is our model verb, katab (to write):
| Pronoun | Egyptian Arabic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| أنا ana | كتبت | katabt | I wrote |
| إنت enta | كتبت | katabt | you (m) wrote |
| إنتي enti | كتبتي | katabti | you (f) wrote |
| هو howwa | كتب | katab | he wrote |
| هي heyya | كتبت | katabet | she wrote |
| إحنا e7na | كتبنا | katabna | we wrote |
| إنتو ento | كتبتوا | katabtu | you (pl) wrote |
| هما homma | كتبوا | katabu | they wrote |
Notice that “I wrote” and “you (m) wrote” are identical: katabt. In real life, context or the pronoun makes it clear.
Real-life examples:
- إحنا أكلنا كشري امبارح. e7na akalna koshari embaare7. – We ate koshari yesterday.
- هي شربت قهوة الصبح. heyya sherbet 2ahwa es-sob7. – She drank coffee in the morning.
- كتبتلك رسالة على الواتساب. katabtelak resaala 3al-whatsapp. – I wrote you (m) a message on WhatsApp.
Useful time words for the past: امبارح embaare7 (yesterday), الأسبوع اللي فات el-osboo3 elli faat (last week), من شوية men shewayya (a little while ago).
Talking about yesterday? That’s the past tense: e7na akalna koshari embaare7.
The Present Tense in Egyptian Arabic: The Magic “b-” Prefix
The present tense is where Egyptian Arabic really sounds like Egyptian Arabic. Start with the bare present form, then add b- (بـ) in front.
Step 1: The bare present form
| Pronoun | Egyptian Arabic | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| أنا ana | أكتب | aktib |
| إنت enta | تكتب | tektib |
| إنتي enti | تكتبي | tektibi |
| هو howwa | يكتب | yektib |
| هي heyya | تكتب | tektib |
| إحنا e7na | نكتب | nektib |
| إنتو ento | تكتبوا | tektibu |
| هما homma | يكتبوا | yektibu |
Step 2: Add b- for the everyday present
| Pronoun | Egyptian Arabic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| أنا ana | بكتب | baktib | I write / I’m writing |
| إنت enta | بتكتب | betektib | you (m) write |
| إنتي enti | بتكتبي | betektibi | you (f) write |
| هو howwa | بيكتب | beyektib | he writes |
| هي heyya | بتكتب | betektib | she writes |
| إحنا e7na | بنكتب | benektib | we write |
| إنتو ento | بتكتبوا | betektibu | you (pl) write |
| هما homma | بيكتبوا | beyektibu | they write |
With “I”, the b- simply joins the vowel: b + aktib = baktib.
One b- form covers both English present tenses. baktib can mean “I write” (a habit) or “I’m writing” (right now). Context does the rest:
- أنا بشرب شاي كل يوم. ana bashrab shaay kol yoom. – I drink tea every day.
- هو بيشتغل في بنك. howwa beyeshtaghal fi bank. – He works at a bank.
- إنتي بتتكلمي عربي؟ enti betetkallemi 3arabi? – Do you (f) speak Arabic?
- بتعمل إيه دلوقتي؟ bete3mel eih dilwa2ti? – What are you (m) doing now?
When do you drop the b-?
Use the bare form (no prefix) after words that express wanting, needing or ability:
- عايز أشرب قهوة. 3aayez ashrab 2ahwa. – I (m) want to drink coffee.
- لازم أمشي. laazem amshi. – I have to go.
- ممكن أسألك سؤال؟ momken as2alak so2aal? – Can I ask you (m) a question?
Forgetting the b- in normal sentences is one of the most common slips I hear. It’s number four on my list of Egyptian Arabic mistakes beginners make.
Habits and right-now actions both use the b- prefix: bashrab shaay kol yoom.
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The Future Tense in Egyptian Arabic: Just Add “ha-“
Here’s the easiest part. To talk about the future, take the bare present form and add ha- (هـ) instead of b-.
| Pronoun | Egyptian Arabic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| أنا ana | هكتب | haktib | I will write |
| إنت enta | هتكتب | hatektib | you (m) will write |
| إنتي enti | هتكتبي | hatektibi | you (f) will write |
| هو howwa | هيكتب | hayektib | he will write |
| هي heyya | هتكتب | hatektib | she will write |
| إحنا e7na | هنكتب | hanektib | we will write |
| إنتو ento | هتكتبوا | hatektibu | you (pl) will write |
| هما homma | هيكتبوا | hayektibu | they will write |
Compare that with the MSA sawfa aktubu, and you can see why Egyptians find the formal future so bookish.
Real-life examples:
- بكرة هنروح الأهرامات. bokra hanroo7 el-ahraamaat. – Tomorrow we’ll go to the Pyramids.
- هكلمك بعدين. hakallemak ba3dein. – I’ll call you (m) later.
- هتيجي الحفلة؟ hateegi el-7afla? – Are you (m) coming to the party?
Useful time words for the future: بكرة bokra (tomorrow), بعدين ba3dein (later), الأسبوع الجاي el-osboo3 eg-gaay (next week).
Plans for tomorrow take ha-: bokra hanroo7 el-ahraamaat.
How to Make Verbs Negative in Each Tense
Once you can conjugate, you’ll want to say what you didn’t do or won’t do. Egyptian uses two tools: ma…sh (ما…ش) wrapped around the verb, and mesh (مش) in front of it.
| Tense | Negative | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Past | ما كتبتش | ma katabtesh | I didn’t write |
| Present | ما بكتبش | ma baktibsh | I don’t write |
| Future | مش هكتب | mesh haktib | I won’t write |
A simple rule of thumb: use ma…sh for the past and present, and mesh for the future. In the present you will also hear mesh baktib, which is fine too.
- ما فهمتش. ma fehemtesh. – I didn’t understand.
- أنا مش هنزل النهارده. ana mesh hanzel en-naharda. – I’m not going out today.
For more examples, see my mini-lesson on how to negate in spoken Egyptian.
Bonus: Talking About Habits in the Past (“I used to…”)
Combine the past of “to be”, kaan كان, with a b- verb, and you get “used to” or “was doing”:
- كنت بروح الجيم كل يوم. kont baroo7 eg-gym kol yoom. – I used to go to the gym every day.
- كانت بتذاكر لما اتصلت. kaanet betzaaker lamma ettasalt. – She was studying when I called.
Just change kont to match the person: kont (I / you m), konti (you f), kaan (he), kaanet (she), konna (we), kontu (you pl), kaanu (they).
12 Essential Egyptian Arabic Verbs to Learn First
You don’t need hundreds of verbs to start speaking. These twelve appear in conversations every single day. Each one shows the past “he” form, the present “he” form and the “I” form with b-.
| Meaning | Past (he) | Present (he) | I + b- |
|---|---|---|---|
| to write | كتب katab | يكتب yektib | بكتب baktib |
| to drink | شرب shereb | يشرب yeshrab | بشرب bashrab |
| to eat | أكل akal | ياكل yaakol | باكل baakol |
| to do / make | عمل 3amal | يعمل ye3mel | بعمل ba3mel |
| to understand | فهم fehem | يفهم yefham | بفهم bafham |
| to go | راح raa7 | يروح yeroo7 | بروح baroo7 |
| to see | شاف shaaf | يشوف yeshoof | بشوف bashoof |
| to say | قال 2aal | يقول ye2ool | بقول ba2ool |
| to sleep | نام naam | ينام yenaam | بنام banaam |
| to like / love | حب 7abb | يحب ye7ebb | بحب ba7ebb |
| to speak | اتكلم etkallem | يتكلم yetkallem | بتكلم batkallem |
| to come | جه geh | ييجي yeegi | باجي baagi |
Three patterns to watch
Most verbs follow the katab model exactly. A few common groups change their vowel in the past when you add an ending:
- Middle-vowel verbs like raa7 (go) and shaaf (see) shorten: ro7t رحت (I went), shoft شفت (I saw), 2olt قلت (I said), nemt نمت (I slept).
- Doubled verbs like 7abb (love) add -ei-: 7abbeit حبيت (I loved).
- Verbs ending in a vowel like 2ara (read) also add -ei-: 2areit قريت (I read).
And geh (to come) is simply irregular: geet جيت (I came), geh جه (he came), gat جت (she came). Learn it as a chunk.
Learning to say things naturally in Egyptian often means more than conjugating correctly. It means choosing the verb Egyptians would actually use.
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How to Practise Egyptian Arabic Verbs Every Day
- Learn one verb in all three forms at once. Don’t memorise katab alone. Learn katab, beyektib, hayektib together.
- Describe your day out loud. In the morning, say what you’ll do (ha-). In the evening, say what you did (past).
- Learn verbs inside phrases. Bete3mel eih? is easier to remember than the verb 3amal on its own.
- Listen before you read. Egyptian vowels shift slightly from speaker to speaker, so trust your ears.
- Speak every week and get corrected. That is how the patterns become automatic.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many tenses does Egyptian Arabic have?
Egyptian Arabic has two basic verb forms, past and present. The future is formed by adding ha- to the present form, and kaan plus a b- verb expresses “used to”. With these four patterns you can cover almost everything English expresses with its many tenses.
What does the b- prefix mean in Egyptian Arabic?
The b- prefix marks the everyday present. It covers both habits (“I drink tea every day”) and actions happening now (“I’m drinking tea”). For example, bashrab means “I drink” or “I’m drinking”.
How do you form the future tense in Egyptian Arabic?
Add ha- (هـ) to the bare present form: aktib becomes haktib (I will write), and yeroo7 becomes hayroo7 (he will go). Negate it with mesh: mesh haktib (I won’t write).
Are Egyptian Arabic verbs the same as MSA verbs?
Many share the same roots, so MSA knowledge helps. But the vowels, the prefixes and some common verbs differ. For example, MSA sawfa adh-habu (I will go) becomes haroo7 in Egyptian. If speaking with Egyptians is your goal, read whether to start with MSA or a dialect.
How many verbs should a beginner learn first?
Start with 10 to 20 high-frequency verbs like the ones in the table above. Combined with the b- and ha- prefixes, they let you talk about your daily routine, your plans and what happened yesterday.
Conclusion: Three Forms, Two Prefixes, Endless Sentences
Egyptian Arabic verbs follow a clear and friendly system. Learn the past form for what happened, add b- for what you do, and add ha- for what you will do. Use the bare form after 3aayez, laazem and momken, and negate with ma…sh or mesh.
Pick three verbs from the list today and use them to describe your yesterday, today and tomorrow. You’ll be surprised how quickly they start to feel natural.
Ready to take the next step? Start the free Egyptian Arabic 101 course today. And if you’re just getting started, read how to introduce yourself in spoken Egyptian next.
Yalla, nebtedi! – Let’s get started!