انا كنت بقرا الرسالة وهي كانت بتكتب على الكمبيوتر.

Because كنت + بــ + present verb is a very common way in Egyptian Arabic to express an ongoing action in the past, similar to was reading in English.

• كنت بقرا = I was reading
• قريت = I read or I have read, depending on context

So in this sentence, كنت بقرا shows that the action was in progress, not just completed.

In Egyptian Arabic, بـ usually marks the present/habitual form, but when it comes after كان / كنت / كانت, it often gives a past continuous meaning.

So:

• بقرا = I read / I am reading
• كنت بقرا = I was reading
• بتكتب = she writes / she is writing
• كانت بتكتب = she was writing

This is one of the most useful patterns in spoken Egyptian Arabic.

Because كان changes depending on the subject.

• كنت = I was
• كانت = she was

So:

• انا كنت بقرا = I was reading
• هي كانت بتكتب = she was writing

The verb agrees with the subject in person and gender.

Yes, it could.

Egyptian Arabic often drops subject pronouns when the verb already makes the subject clear. So both are possible:

• وهي كانت بتكتب على الكمبيوتر
• وكانت بتكتب على الكمبيوتر

Including هي adds a little emphasis or clarity, like and she was...

So here هي is not strictly necessary, but it sounds natural.

وهي here means something like while she or and she.

It connects the two actions:

• انا كنت بقرا الرسالة = I was reading the message/letter
• وهي كانت بتكتب على الكمبيوتر = while she was typing on the computer

So وهي helps show that the two actions were happening at the same time.

It can mean either one, depending on context.

In Egyptian Arabic, رسالة can refer to:

• a physical letter
• a message
• even a text or written communication in some contexts

So if the meaning has already been provided to the learner, that context decides whether letter or message is best in English.

Yes, in more careful spelling, you may see بقرأ.

But in informal Egyptian writing, especially online or in chat-style writing, people often leave out the hamza and write:

• بقرا instead of بقرأ

Both represent the same word in this kind of context. For learners, it is useful to recognize that informal spelling is very common in dialect writing.

Yes, literally it is writing on the computer, but in natural English that often means typing on the computer.

In Arabic, كتب is the general verb to write, and depending on context, it can also cover typing. So:

• بتكتب على الكمبيوتر literally = she is writing on the computer
• natural English = she is typing on the computer

Yes. You could say:

• كنت بقرا الرسالة وهي كانت بتكتب على الكمبيوتر

This would still clearly mean I was reading the message/letter, and she was typing on the computer, because كنت already tells you the subject is I.

Egyptian Arabic often omits subject pronouns unless they are needed for emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

Because the normal word order here is:

subject + verb + object

So:

• انا = subject
• كنت بقرا = verb phrase
• الرسالة = object

That makes انا كنت بقرا الرسالة a very normal Egyptian Arabic sentence structure: I was reading the message/letter.

It is clearly Egyptian Arabic.

Some clues:

• انا instead of Standard Arabic أنا in a dialect context
• بقرا instead of Standard Arabic أقرأ
• بتكتب in the Egyptian spoken pattern
• the overall كان + بــ + verb structure, which is very common in colloquial Egyptian

A Standard Arabic version would look quite different.

You would usually switch away from كان/كنت + بــ + verb and use simple past forms.

For example:

• قريت الرسالة وهي كتبت على الكمبيوتر would suggest completed actions, though the exact meaning may sound less natural depending on context.

But the original sentence is specifically showing two background actions happening at the same time:

• I was reading
• she was typing

So كنت بقرا and كانت بتكتب are the best choices for that meaning.

Yes, على الكمبيوتر is the normal and natural expression.

• على = on
• الكمبيوتر = the computer

So بتكتب على الكمبيوتر is a very ordinary way to say she is typing / writing on the computer in Egyptian Arabic.