المسمار جنب الشاكوش.

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Breakdown of المسمار جنب الشاكوش.

• الشاكوش: the hammer
• المسمار: the nail

Questions & Answers about المسمار جنب الشاكوش.

How do I pronounce المسمار جنب الشاكوش in Egyptian Arabic?

A natural Egyptian pronunciation is:

el-mesmār gamb esh-shākōsh

A few helpful notes:

• المسمار → el-mesmār = the nail
• جنب → often pronounced gamb in Egyptian speech
• الشاكوش → esh-shākōsh = the hammer

Why esh-shākōsh and not el-shākōsh? Because ش is a sun letter, so the l in ال is not pronounced here.

You may also hear slightly different vowel spellings in transliteration, but the overall pronunciation will be very close to el-mesmār gamb esh-shākōsh.

Why is there no word for is in this sentence?

In Arabic, especially in simple present-tense sentences like this one, the verb to be is usually not said.

So:

• المسمار جنب الشاكوش literally looks like
• the nail next to the hammer

but it means:

• The nail is next to the hammer

This is completely normal. Egyptian Arabic often leaves out is / am / are in the present tense.

What does جنب mean exactly?