Learn about a high-frequency phrase
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Finally, you’ve got a seat at a table. Now it’s time to order! |
| In this lesson, we'll cover how to ask for a menu and then order your food and drinks. |
| GRAMMAR POINT |
| Normally you have to catch the waiter’s attention, perhaps by raising your right hand up a bit. Then you’ll ask for a menu - |
| el meniu law samaḥt. |
| Let’s break it down: |
| (slow) el meniu law samaḥt. |
| Once more: |
| el meniu law samaḥt. |
| المنيو لو سمحت |
| el meniu means “the menu”. |
| (slow) el meniu. |
| el meniu. |
| And of course, law samaḥt means “please.” |
| (slow) law samaḥt. |
| law samaḥt. |
| Here’s the whole expression again: |
| el meniu law samaḥt. |
| ・ |
| In most cases, the waiter or waitress will begin by asking what you’d like to drink: |
| teshrab eh? |
| Let’s break it down: |
| (slow) teshrab eh? |
| Once more: |
| teshrab eh? |
| تشرب إية؟ |
| teshrab is the second person form of the verb yashrab, which in English means “to drink.” |
| (slow) teshrab. |
| teshrab. |
| eh means “what”. |
| (slow) eh. |
| eh |
| Again, the whole question is |
| teshrab eh? |
| ・ |
| Now let’s take a look at some typical beverages Egypt’s cafes and restaurants might have: |
| mayya (“water”) |
| (slow) may-ya. |
| mayya. |
| lamonata (“Lemonade”) |
| (slow) lamonata. |
| lamonata. |
| Pepsi (“cola”) |
| (slow) Pepsi. |
| Pepsi. |
| ・ |
| Once you have looked at the menu, you can finally call the waiter over for the order. |
| ・ |
| Now let’s take a look at some good dishes you can find on a typical Egyptian menu. They are very common and you shouldn’t miss out on them if you come to Egypt. |
| maḥshi (“stuffed vegetables”) |
| (slow) maḥshi. |
| maḥshi. |
| mesaʾaʿa (“eggplant tagine”) |
| (slow) mesaʾaʿa. |
| mesaʾaʿa. |
| waraʾ ʿenab (“Dolma”) |
| (slow) waraʾ ʿenab. |
| waraʾ ʿenab. |
| In Egypt when you order, you can just say the name of the dish you want and add law samaḥt, which means “please.” |
| ・ |
| Let’s say you want to order Pepsi and mesaʾaʿa. You should say to the waiter: |
| Pepsi w mesaʾaʿa law samaḥt. |
| (slow) Pepsi w mesaʾaʿa law samaḥt. |
| Pepsi w mesaʾaʿa law samaḥt. |
| بيبسي و مسقعة لو سمحت |
| In this sentence the word w means “and.” |
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