Family talk combines possession, number, gender, age, and relationship words in a few short turns. The original dialogue below does not present a “typical Egyptian family”; it shows two individuals exchanging information and asking relevant follow-up questions in informal Cairene. Review the broader have and need expressions for the عند + suffix system used here.
Complete original dialogue
Salma and Nader have recently met. They are sharing basic family information without assuming that everyone has siblings, is married, or lives with relatives.
ـ عندك إخوات يا نادر؟ ـ أيوه، عندي أخ وأختين. وإنتي؟ ـ أنا عندي أخت واحدة، اسمها دينا. ـ هي أكبر منك ولا أصغر؟ ـ أكبر مني بسنتين، ومتجوزة وعندها ولد. ـ ابنها عنده كام سنة؟ ـ عنده أربع سنين. اسمه آدم وبيحب الكورة قوي. ـ طب بتشوفيهم كتير؟ ـ أيوه، عادة بنروح لهم يوم الجمعة.
— ʿandak ʾikhwāt ya Nādir? — ʾaywa, ʿandi ʾakhkh wi-ʾokhtēn. wi-nti? — ʾana ʿandi ʾokht waḥda, ismaha Dīna. — hiyya ʾakbar minnik walla ʾaṣghar? — ʾakbar minni bi-santēn, wi-mitgawwiza wi-ʿandaha walad. — ibnha ʿandu kām sana? — ʿandu ʾarbaʿ sinīn. ismu Ādam wi-biyiḥibb il-kōra ʾawi. — ṭabb bitshūfīhum ktīr? — ʾaywa, ʿāda binrūḥ lahum yōm il-gomʿa
— Do you have any siblings, Nader? — Yes, I have a brother and two sisters. How about you? — I have one sister; her name is Dina. — Is she older or younger than you? — Two years older than me. She's married and has a son. — How old is her son? — He's four. His name is Adam, and he really likes soccer. — So, do you see them often? — Yes, we usually go to their place on Fridays.
The translation supplies have, is, and “years old,” but Egyptian builds those meanings with عند, zero-copula predicates, and age expressions.
Lines 1–2: عند + suffix expresses possession
عندك إخوات؟ is literally “at-you siblings?” and functions as “Do you have siblings?” The suffix ـك points to Nader. His answer changes the suffix: عندي “at-me / I have.” Egyptian does not insert a verb corresponding to English do or have.
إخوات is a common plural of أخ/أخت used collectively for siblings. Nader then specifies أخ وأختين. أختين is the ordinary Egyptian dual form “two sisters”; it does not require the formal nominative/oblique alternation of MSA.
عندنا تلات إخوات، ولدين وبنت.
ʿandina talat ʾikhwāt, waladēn wi-bint
There are three siblings in our family: two boys and a girl.
The natural English recasts عندنا as “there are in our family.” Literal word-for-word translation would sound unnatural.
Line 3: number and noun form cooperate
Salma says أخت واحدة, literally “a sister, one.” For exactly one, Egyptian commonly uses the singular noun followed by the agreeing numeral واحدة when the number is contrastive. It is not an indefinite article.
اسمها دينا has noun اسم plus feminine possessive ـها: “her name.” The present nominal sentence has no verb “is.” The feminine reference comes from the suffix, not from the proper name's shape.
عندي أخ واحد، واسمه سامح.
ʿandi ʾakhkh wāḥid, wi-smu Sāmiḥ
I have one brother, and his name is Sameh.
Lines 4–5: comparison, gender, and age difference
هي أكبر منك ولا أصغر؟ uses explicit هي because Salma's sister is being contrasted between two alternatives. The elatives أكبر/أصغر do not change shape for feminine gender. منك marks the comparison point: “than you.”
Salma answers without repeating هي: أكبر مني بسنتين “older than me by two years.” The prefix بـ marks the amount of difference. Then feminine متجوزة agrees with the sister, while عندها keeps her as possessor.
أخويا أصغر مني بتلات سنين ولسه في الجامعة.
ʾakhūya ʾaṣghar minni bi-talāt sinīn wi-lissa fil-gāmʿa
My brother is three years younger than me and is still at university.
Lines 6–7: asking and answering age
ابنها is “her son”: ابن + ـها. عنده كام سنة؟ literally asks “at-him how many years?” The answer keeps the same possession frame: عنده أربع سنين. With three through ten, the counted noun appears in a plural form; here سنين is the everyday plural used in age.
اسمه آدم again uses a possessive suffix and zero copula. بيحب has the b-imperfect because loving soccer is presented as a current stable preference, not one future event.
Lines 8–9: follow-up makes the exchange social
طب moves from facts about the nephew to contact with the family: “So / well then.” بتشوفيهم combines feminine second-person بتشوفي with plural object ـهم “them.” Salma replies بنروح لهم: b-imperfect بنروح presents a recurring habit, and لهم means “to them / to their place.”
عادة marks the answer as a usual habit rather than an exceptionless schedule. يوم الجمعة supplies the recurring day, while b-imperfect بنروح carries the habitual event.
This follow-up is interested without demanding private information. In a new relationship, questions about marriage or children may be welcome, sensitive, or intrusive depending on the speakers. Grammaticality does not guarantee social appropriateness.
Register and variation
The exchange is mainstream urban Cairene (informal). Families vary in whether they say إخوات, list brothers and sisters separately, or use regional kin vocabulary. متجوزة is the ordinary Cairene participle “married”; formal متزوجة with different consonant realization belongs to a more MSA-oriented performance (formal). Do not silently replace one with the other when annotating Egyptian speech.
Common Mistakes
❌ أنا عندي يكون أختين.
Incorrect English-style extra copula—عندي already forms the possession predicate.
✅ أنا عندي أختين وأخ.
ʾana ʿandi ʾokhtēn wi-ʾakhkh
I have two sisters and a brother.
❌ أختي كبير ومتجوز.
Incorrect gender agreement—the predicates describe a feminine singular person.
✅ أختي كبيرة ومتجوزة.
ʾokhti kbīra wi-mitgawwiza
My sister is older and married.
❌ ابن هي عنده أربع سنة.
Incorrect possession twice over—attach ـها to ابن, and use plural سنين after four.
✅ ابنها عنده أربع سنين.
ibnha ʿandu ʾarbaʿ sinīn
Her son is four years old.
❌ عندي واحد أخ اسمه نادر.
Incorrect use of واحد as an indefinite article; when one is contrastive, it follows the noun.
✅ عندي أخ واحد اسمه نادر.
ʿandi ʾakhkh wāḥid ismu Nādir
I have one brother named Nader.
Key Takeaways
- Possession and age use عند + pronoun suffix, not English have/be syntax.
- Kin plurals and number phrases work together: إخوات، أختين، أربع سنين.
- Gender appears in predicates and suffixes: متجوزة، عندها، اسمها.
- Natural family talk uses follow-up questions, but social boundaries still depend on the relationship.
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