الترزي بيقصر الكم.

A common Egyptian pronunciation is:

it-tarzi biyʾaṣṣar il-kumm

A rough breakdown:

• الترزي → it-tarzi
  
  • The ال becomes it- here because the ت is a sun letter, so the l sound assimilates.
• بيقصر → biyʾaṣṣar
  
  • The ق in Egyptian Arabic is often pronounced as a glottal stop (ʾ), not a hard q.
• الكم → il-kumm
  
  • Here ال stays il- because ك is a moon letter, so there is no assimilation.

So if you want a simple learner-friendly version, you can say:

it-tarzi biyʾassar il-kumm

الترزي means the tailor.

It is the person who alters, sews, or repairs clothes. In Egyptian Arabic, this is a very common word for tailor.

Notes:

• ترزي = tailor
• الترزي = the tailor

Because the word begins with ت, and ت is a sun letter.

In Arabic, when الـ comes before a sun letter, the l sound is not pronounced. Instead, the next consonant is doubled.

So:

• ال + ترزي
• not pronounced il-tarzi
• but pronounced it-tarzi

This is a pronunciation rule, not a meaning change.

بيقصر means he shortens, he is shortening, or sometimes he shortens regularly, depending on context.

It comes from the verb قصّر meaning to shorten.

In Egyptian Arabic:

• بيـ often marks the present/habitual form
• so بيقصر = he shortens / he is shortening

This form is used a lot in everyday speech for present actions.

In Egyptian Arabic, بـ is commonly used with present-tense verbs.

So:

• يقصر would be a more bare form
• بيقصر is the normal everyday Egyptian form meaning he shortens / he is shortening

This بـ often gives a present, habitual, or ongoing sense.

For learners, it is helpful to think:

• بيكتب = he writes / he is writing
• بيشتغل = he works / he is working
• بيقصر = he shortens / he is shortening

Because in Egyptian Arabic, ق is very often pronounced as a glottal stop.

So بيقصر is commonly pronounced something like:

biyʾaṣṣar

rather than:

biyaqṣṣar

This is one of the most noticeable differences between Egyptian Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic.

Here الكم means the sleeve.

In clothing context, كم refers to a sleeve of a shirt, dress, jacket, and so on.

So the sentence is talking about clothing alteration:

• the tailor shortens the sleeve

In pronunciation, it is usually:

il-kumm

with a doubled m sound.

Because Egyptian Arabic commonly allows and often prefers subject + verb + object in everyday speech.

So:

• الترزي = the tailor
• بيقصر = shortens / is shortening
• الكم = the sleeve

Altogether:

The tailor shortens the sleeve.

Arabic can sometimes use other word orders too, but this one is very natural in spoken Egyptian Arabic.

Yes.

In Egyptian Arabic, the present form often covers both meanings, and the exact meaning depends on context.

So الترزي بيقصر الكم could mean:

• The tailor shortens the sleeve
• The tailor is shortening the sleeve

If the situation is general, it may sound habitual.
If the action is happening now, it may sound progressive.

Context tells you which meaning is intended.

Arabic does not use separate words like English a or an.

Instead:

• a noun without الـ is usually indefinite: a/an
• a noun with الـ is definite: the

So:

• ترزي = a tailor
• الترزي = the tailor
• كم = a sleeve
• الكم = the sleeve

In this sentence, both nouns are definite:

• the tailor
• the sleeve

Because ك is a moon letter, not a sun letter.

That means the ل in الـ is pronounced normally.

So:

• الكم → il-kumm

Compare that with الترزي:

• ت is a sun letter
• so الترزي → it-tarzi

This is an important pronunciation pattern in Arabic.

It is singular.

الكم means the sleeve.

If you wanted the sleeves, you would use a plural form instead. A learner does not need to memorize all plural patterns immediately, but here the important point is:

• الكم = singular
• meaning one sleeve

A natural Egyptian negative would be:

الترزي ما بيقصرش الكم

This means:

The tailor does not shorten the sleeve
or
The tailor isn’t shortening the sleeve

Egyptian Arabic often negates verbs with:

• ما ... ش

So:

• بيقصر = he shortens
• ما بيقصرش = he does not shorten

It is clearly Egyptian Arabic in form.

The biggest clue is بيقصر with the بـ present marker, which is typical of spoken Egyptian Arabic.

In Modern Standard Arabic, the wording would be different in style and grammar.

Also, the likely Egyptian pronunciation of ق as a glottal stop is another clue.

So this sentence is best understood as spoken Egyptian Arabic, not formal Standard Arabic.

Three very useful things:

1. The definite article

   • الترزي = the tailor
   • الكم = the sleeve

2. Sun and moon letter pronunciation

   • الترزي → it-tarzi
   • الكم → il-kumm

3. The Egyptian present marker

   • بيقصر = he shortens / he is shortening

If you understand those three points, you are getting a lot of value from one short sentence.