Welcome to a new lesson from our Spoken Egyptian online course series. Today’s lesson is about the definite article in spoken Egyptian. In these short and to-the-point lessons, we will learn together the spoken Egyptian dialect via a series of blog articles and podcasts. This will be an excellent free companion to our YouTube channel. You will find referrals between blog posts and YouTube episodes whenever necessary. Make sure to check for new articles by visiting our blog regularly. Also don’t forget to join my free ‘Egyptian Arabic 101’ course, where I explain various essential components of the Spoken Egyptian Dialect.
In our previous article, we learned the alphabet letters and how to pronounce them in Egyptian. In this article, we learn the definite article of Egyptian dialect, so let’s dive in.
Unlike English, there is only one article to define nouns: ‘el’ الـ – undefined nouns have no articles in Arabic (and in Egyptian)
So, adding ‘el’ in front of any noun will define it. There is no need to memorize any articles because there is only one. This is a straightforward component of the spoken Egyptian
The sun and moon letters and their effect on the article’s pronunciation
At this stage, it is enough to know that we pronounce/do not pronounce the ‘laam’ of the ‘el’ article, depending on the letter following it. In the group called ‘sun’ letters, the ‘laam’ is NOT pronounced. Overall, there are 14 sun letters in Arabic. In my Arabic online courses, I explain to my students the difference between the moon and sun letters with examples. Have a look at the table of sun letters below
| ت | teh |
| ث | theh |
| د | daal |
| ذ | thaal |
| ر | reh |
| ز | zeen |
| س | seen |
| ش | sheen |
| ص | saad |
| ض | daad |
| ط | t’aa |
| ظ | thaa |
| ن | noon |
| ل | laam |
The rest of the letters are called ‘moon letters’. In moon letters, the ‘laam’ of ‘el’ MUST BE pronounced. the terminology of ‘sun’ and ‘moon’ comes simply from two examples
Example: Sun letter ‘sheen’ ش
In the word ‘the sun’, which means ‘el-shams’ (الشمس), the letter ش is a sun letter, so the laam is not pronounced. Therefore, we pronounce the word sun like this: ‘esshams’ – emphasising the sh and not pronouncing the laam.
I give more explanation about this point in my ‘Spoken Egyptian Beginner’s Guide eBook’ – you can download it now from my online bookstore
Example: Moon letter ‘k’aaf’ ق
n the word ‘moon’, which means ‘el-K’amar’ (القمر), the letter ق is a moon letter, so the laam MUST BE pronounced. Therefore, we pronounce the word ‘the moon ‘like this: ‘elk’ammar’ – pronouncing the ‘laam’.
So, that is it for this lesson. Simple right? Enrol for free in my Egyptian Arabic 101 course to get a strong foundation and learn spoken Egyptian online with ease. Now, do you know other Arabic words with sun and moon letters? Could you share them with me in the comments?