لا الراوتر ولا المودم شغال.

It means neither ... nor ....

So:

• لا الراوتر = neither the router
• ولا المودم = nor the modem

Together, لا الراوتر ولا المودم شغال means Neither the router nor the modem is working.

In Egyptian Arabic, this is a very common way to connect two things under one negative idea.

This is the normal pattern for neither ... nor:

• لا
  • first item
• ولا
  • second item

So the structure is:

• لا X ولا Y

Here:

• لا الراوتر
• ولا المودم

ولا is basically and not / nor in this kind of structure.

Because the negation is already built into لا ... ولا.

If you said مش, you would be using a different structure. For example, another natural Egyptian way to say the same basic idea is:

• الراوتر والمودم مش شغالين = The router and the modem aren’t working.

So:

• لا ... ولا ... = neither...nor structure
• مش = ordinary negation of a predicate

Both are possible in Egyptian, but they are different sentence patterns.

شغال literally means working, running, or on depending on context.

With devices, it often means:

• functioning
• operating
• turned on and working properly

So in this sentence, شغال does not mean someone is employed or busy. It means the device is working / functioning.

Examples:

• التليفون شغال = The phone is working.
• النت مش شغال = The internet isn’t working.

Good question. In this kind of لا ... ولا ... structure, Egyptian Arabic often uses a singular predicate like شغال, especially when each item is being thought of separately: neither this one nor that one.

So شغال is very natural here.

But if you rewrote the sentence in a different way, you would normally use the plural:

• الراوتر والمودم مش شغالين = The router and the modem are not working.

So the difference is tied to the structure:

• لا الراوتر ولا المودم شغال → singular predicate is normal
• الراوتر والمودم مش شغالين → plural predicate is normal

Because they are being treated as definite nouns: the router and the modem.

Even though router and modem are borrowed words, Egyptian Arabic still treats them like regular nouns, so they can take the definite article الـ.

So:

• راوتر = a router

• الراوتر = the router

• مودم = a modem
• المودم = the modem

In Egyptian pronunciation:

• الراوتر is usually pronounced something like er-router
• المودم is usually pronounced el-modem

Why the difference?

Because the ل in الـ changes depending on the next letter:

• ر is a sun letter, so the ل assimilates: ar-/er-
• م is a moon letter, so the ل stays: al-/el-

So learners often hear:

• er-router
• el-modem

They are loanwords, borrowed from English, but they are fully normal in everyday Egyptian Arabic.

That is very common in technology vocabulary. Egyptian speakers often use borrowed words for modern devices, especially in casual speech.

So a learner should not be surprised to hear words like:

• راوتر
• مودم
• لاب
• موبايل

These are common and natural in conversation.

It is much more naturally Egyptian Arabic.

The biggest clue is شغال, which is very common in spoken Arabic, including Egyptian, for working / running.

In Modern Standard Arabic, a more formal version would usually be different, for example using a verb like يعمل or يعملان.

So if you see:

• شغال
• tech loanwords in a casual sentence
• no case endings

that strongly suggests spoken dialect, not formal MSA.

Yes. A very common alternative is:

• الراوتر والمودم مش شغالين

This means the same basic thing: The router and the modem aren’t working.

Compare:

• لا الراوتر ولا المودم شغال = Neither the router nor the modem is working.

• الراوتر والمودم مش شغالين = The router and the modem aren’t working.

The first one highlights the neither...nor idea. The second one is often a little more straightforward and conversational.

Not if you want the clear meaning neither the router nor the modem.

For that meaning, you normally need the full pair:

• لا ... ولا ...

If you remove the first لا, the sentence no longer clearly has the standard neither...nor structure.

So for learners, it is best to remember it as a set pattern:

• لا X ولا Y

No. شغال is a very flexible Egyptian word.

Depending on context, it can mean:

• working / functioning — for devices
• working — for a person at a job
• running / in operation — for systems or services
• busy doing something — in some contexts

Examples:

• المكنة شغالة = The machine is working.
• أنا شغال دلوقتي = I’m working right now.
• السيستم مش شغال = The system isn’t working.

So in your sentence, context tells you it means functioning.

No. In Egyptian Arabic, you do not use the case endings you learn in Modern Standard Arabic.

So you just say:

• لا الراوتر ولا المودم شغال

without adding any final vowel endings for nominative, accusative, etc.

That is completely normal in spoken Egyptian.