Egyptian Arabic proverbs p1

Egyptian Arabic proverbs p1

التكرار يعلّم الحمار. (it-tikraar yi3allim il-Humaar.)

Repetition teaches (even) a donkey. (Practice makes perfect.)

في الامتحان يكرم المرء أو يحان. (fil-imteHaan yokram il-mar' aw yohaan.)

At the time of a test, a person rises or falls. (People's real worth is known only through trial.)

يا واخد القرد على ماله يروح المال ويقعد القرد على حاله. (ya waaxod il-'ird 3ala maalu yiruuH il-maal wa yi'3od il-'ird 3ala Haalu)

If you marry a monkey (i.e. someone ugly) for his money, the money will go away and the monkey will stay the same (as ugly as ever). (Don't marry for money.)

الوحدة خير من جليس السوء. (il-waHda xeir min giliis is-suu'.)

Being alone is better than being with someone bad. (Warning about keeping bad company.)

امشي في جنازة ولا تمشي في جوازة. (imši fi ganaaza walla timši fi gawaaza.)

Being involved in a funeral is better than trying to arrange marriages. (Warning about matchmaking.)

القرد في عين أمه غزال. (il-'ird fi 3ein ummu ġazaal.)

In his mother’s eye, the monkey is (as beautiful as) a gazelle. (Comment about mothers' bias or partiality to their children.)

لا يلدغ المؤمن من جحر مرتين. (la yuldaġ il-mo'men min goHr marratein.)

The believer is not bitten from the same hole twice. (Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.)

قليل البخت يلاقي العظم في الكرشة. ('aliil il-baxt yilaa'i l-3aDm fil-kirša.)

The unlucky person finds bones in his tripe dinner. (You can't escape bad luck.) See also the variation قليل البخت يتكعبل في السديري ('aliil il-baxt yitka3bil fis-sideiri), "The unlucky person trips over [his own] waistcoat/vest."

الطيور على اشكالها تقع. (iT-Tuyuur 3ala aškaaliha taqa3u.)

Birds of a feather flock together.

اليد في الميّة مش زي اليد في النار. (il-iid fil-mayya miš zayy il-iid fin-naar.)

The hand in water isn’t like the hand in fire. (Easier said than done; used to criticize someone removed from the situation at hand who is telling those involved how to deal with it.)

اللى على البرّ عوّام. (illi 3ala l-barr 3awwaam.)

The one on shore is a master swimmer. (See above.)

اللى على راسه بطحة بيحصص عليها. (illi 3ala raasu baTHa biHaSSiS 3aleiha.)

Those who have an injury on their head keep checking it. (People who have a weakness show it.)

لبس البوصة، تبقى عروسة. (labbis il-buuSa, tib'a 3aruusa.)

Dressing up a stick turns it into a bride. (Clothes make the man.)

ابن الوزّ عوّام. (ibn il-wazz 3awwam.)

The son of a goose is a swimmer. (Like father, like son.)

دوام الحال من المحال. (dawaam il-Haal min il-muHaal.)

Continuing the same state is impossible. (Nothing stays the same.)

اللى يشوف بلوة غيره تهون عليه بلوته. (illi yišuuf belwit ġeiru tihuun 3aleih belwitu.)

Seeing someone else’s problems makes your own problems seem smaller. (Considering others' problems will give you perspective.)

باب النجّار مخلع. (baab in-naggaar maxalla3.)

The carpenter’s door is falling apart. (Used to criticize someone who tells other people how to do things but doesn’t apply his advice to himself.)

الشاطرة تغذل برجل الحمار. (iš-šaTra tiġzil bi-rigl il-Homar.)

The clever one spins with a donkey’s leg (i.e. can make something out of nothing). (Used to criticize someone who blames their tools for their bad work.)

اللى ماعندوهوش مايلزمهوش. (illi ma3anduhuuš mayilzimhuuš.)

He who doesn't have (the money to pay for something) does not need it. (If you can't afford something, think twice about whether you really need it or not.)

بعد ما شاب ودوه الكتّاب. (ba3d ma šaab wadduuh ik-kuttaab)

After his hair went white, he went to school. (You can't teach an old dog new tricks. Used to criticize someone old trying to do things more suited to young people.)

عريان الطوق بينط لفوق. (3iryaan iT-Too' binuTT li-foo')

Someone without (even) a collar tries to jump up (i.e. to a higher social class). (Used to criticize someone poor trying to reach up too high above his social status.)

الفاضي يعمل قاضي. (el-faaDi yi3mel 'aaDi)

Someone free plays the judge. (Used to criticize someone with too much free time interfering in other people’s business.)

احنا في الهوا سوا. (eHna fil hawa sawa.)

We are in the same boat (lit. same air).

العروسة للعريس والجري للمتاعيس. (il-3aruusa lil-3ariis wel gari lil-mata3iis.)

The bride gets a bridegroom and the rest get miserable. (The bride and bridegroom are happy at a wedding, but the guests go home unhappily.)

اللى مكتوب عالجبين لازم تشوفه العين. (illi maktuub 3al-gibiin laazim tšuufu l-3ein.)

What is written on the brow will inevitably be seen by the eye. (One will inevitably meet one’s destiny.)

يا مآمن للرجال يا مآمن الميّة في الغربال. (ya me'aammin lir-ragaal ya me'aammin il-mayya fil-ġurbaal.)

Trusting men is like trusting water in a sieve.

الحلو حلو لو قام من النوم، والوحش وحش لو غسل وشّه كل يوم. (il-Helw Helw law 'aam min in-noom, wal-weHš weHš law ġasal wiššu kull yoom.)

The beautiful is beautiful (even right after) rising from sleep, and the ugly is ugly (even) if they wash their face every day. (You can't hide beauty or make the ugly beautiful.)