فيه جبنة في البيت.

In this sentence, فيه works like there is or there are in English. It introduces the existence of something.

So:

• فيه جبنة = there is cheese
• فيه ناس = there are people

In Egyptian Arabic, فيه is extremely common for this pattern.

Not in this sentence.

• في by itself usually means in
• فيه here means there is / there are

So:

• في البيت = in the house
• فيه جبنة = there is cheese

Even though فيه can also mean in it in other contexts, here it is best understood as a fixed existential expression: there is / there are.

Egyptian Arabic often does not use a separate present-tense verb equivalent to English is/are in simple sentences.

In existential sentences like this one, فيه does the job of expressing existence:

• فيه جبنة = there is cheese

So you do not need another word for is here.

Because the sentence is introducing something indefinite: cheese / some cheese, not the cheese.

Compare:

• فيه جبنة في البيت = there is cheese / some cheese in the house
• الجبنة في البيت = the cheese is in the house

This is an important difference:

• indefinite noun after فيه often means something exists
• definite noun at the start often means you are talking about a specific thing already known

Because البيت means the house/home, a specific place, while جبنة is indefinite here.

So the sentence is structured like:

• فيه = there is
• جبنة = cheese / some cheese
• في البيت = in the house

This is very natural: something indefinite exists in a specific place.

It can mean either, depending on context.

In a sentence like this, English usually says there is some cheese in the house, but Egyptian Arabic often just uses the bare noun:

• جبنة = cheese / some cheese

Arabic does not always need a separate word for some.

A common Egyptian pronunciation is:

fīh gibna fil-bēt

A few pronunciation notes:

• فيه = fīh
• جبنة = gibna
  In Egyptian Arabic, ج is usually pronounced like a hard g in go, not like English j
• في البيت often sounds like fil-bēt in natural speech

So the whole sentence flows naturally as:

fīh gibna fil-bēt

Because this is Egyptian Arabic pronunciation.

In Egyptian Arabic:

• ج is usually pronounced g
• short vowels can differ from what you may have seen in Modern Standard Arabic materials

So جبنة is commonly pronounced gibna in Egypt.

This is one of the most noticeable pronunciation differences between Egyptian Arabic and more formal Arabic.

Yes. In Egyptian Arabic, فيه is commonly used for both there is and there are.

For example:

• فيه ولد برّه = there is a boy outside
• فيه ولاد برّه = there are boys outside

So you do not usually change فيه based on singular vs. plural.

No. فيه does not usually change based on whether the noun is masculine or feminine.

So you can say:

• فيه جبنة = there is cheese
• فيه بنت = there is a girl
• فيه راجل = there is a man

This makes it easier than English in some ways, because you do not have to think about agreement here.

Yes, but the basic neutral order here is very natural:

• فيه جبنة في البيت

You may also hear:

• في البيت فيه جبنة

That version puts more attention on in the house first, almost like:

• In the house, there’s cheese

So word order can shift for emphasis, but the original sentence is a normal everyday way to say it.

In Egyptian Arabic, the common negative is:

مفيش جبنة في البيت

Pronounced roughly:

mafīsh gibna fil-bēt

So:

• فيه = there is / there are
• مفيش = there isn’t / there aren’t

This is a very useful pair to memorize.

This is Egyptian Arabic / colloquial Arabic.

In Modern Standard Arabic, you would more likely see something like:

• يوجد جبن في البيت
• هناك جبن في البيت

But in everyday Egyptian speech, فيه is the normal, natural choice.

Also, جبنة is especially common in Egyptian Arabic for cheese, while MSA often uses جبن.

في البيت literally means in the house/home. In Arabic, this is a very natural way to say what English often expresses as at home or in the house, depending on context.

So Arabic may use in the house, where English might prefer at home. That is normal and idiomatic.

They mean different things.

• فيه جبنة في البيت = there is cheese in the house
  This introduces the existence of cheese.

• الجبنة في البيت = the cheese is in the house
  This talks about a specific cheese that both speaker and listener already know about.

So the first is an existence sentence, and the second is more like a location sentence about a known item.

It can mean both, depending on context.

In everyday Egyptian Arabic, البيت often means:

• the house
• the home
• sometimes simply home

So في البيت can feel like:

• in the house
• at home

The exact English wording depends on the situation.