What Language Is Spoken in Egypt: Arabic, English and a Mini Phrasebook
What language do they speak in Egypt, and will you be understood? In short: Arabic is the official language, but English gets you almost everywhere a traveller goes. Below: how Egyptian Arabic differs from standard Arabic, where English works and where it does not, and a mini phrasebook for the market, taxi and restaurant.
The official language: Arabic
Egypt’s official language is Modern Standard Arabic, used in newspapers, documents and official speeches. In daily life Egyptians speak their own dialect, Egyptian Arabic or Masri. Thanks to Egyptian cinema, music and television, it is the most widely understood dialect in the Arab world.
Ancient Egyptian survives only in the liturgy of the Coptic Church, and the hieroglyphs you see in temples were deciphered in 1822 by Champollion. More in “Interesting facts about Egypt”.
Is English spoken in Egypt
- Hotels and resorts — reception, restaurants and animation teams speak English.
- Tourist sites and museums — signs are in Arabic and English, and staff speak English.
- Guides — fluent English; Egyptologist guides on private tours often speak other languages too.
- Markets, taxis and small cafés — basic English and numbers; agree prices clearly.
A mini Arabic phrasebook for travellers
| English | Egyptian Arabic |
|---|---|
| Hello | salam aleikum / ahlan |
| Thank you | shukran |
| No, thank you | la, shukran |
| Yes / No | aiwa / la |
| Please | min fadlak (to a man) / min fadlik (to a woman) |
| How much? | bekam? |
| Expensive | ghali |
| Water | maya |
| Good / OK | kwayes / mashi |
| Goodbye | ma’a salama |
| God willing | inshallah |
“Inshallah” you will hear constantly — it means anything from “certainly” to “maybe”. “Yalla” means “let’s go” or “come on”.
Language on our tours
Our tours run with English-speaking guides, and private tours can be arranged with an Egyptologist guide in English or several other languages — just ask when booking. You can also message us in English on WhatsApp or Telegram at any time.
Entertainment · Hurghada
Turkish Hammam in Hurghada — Standard or Cleopatra with Massage
- 2 hours
- Group
- Daily
Cairo & pyramids · Hurghada
Cairo by Bus from Hurghada (with a Church and a Mosque)
- 22 hours
- Group
- Wed, Thu, Sat
- Kids friendly
