# Egyptian Arabic: male and female animals



## gsc

I recently wrote to a friend 'my dog woke me early' but made a big mess of it trying to refer to my dog as a female.

Would some-one kindly write that in script and transliteration for me please, both for male and female dogs.

Also, is it usual to refer to animals as 'she'?

I have read that many in Egypt consider dogs unclean but I don't know if that is something from the past.  Here in the UK we often talk about our pets, especially dogs, as if they were part of the family.


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## cherine

gsc said:


> I recently wrote to a friend 'my dog woke me early' but made a big mess of it trying to refer to my dog as a female.
> 
> Would some-one kindly write that in script and transliteration for me please, both for male and female dogs.


If your dog is a male, then use "he", if it's a she-dog then use "she". Remember that there's no "it" in Arabic (like in the Romance languages). People, animals and objects are either male or female. Nothing's neutral 

As for your sentence:
My dog woke me early.
kalbi Sa77aani badri
كلبي صحّاني بدري
It's the same in MSA except for a minor change: أيقظني مبكرًا


> Also, is it usual to refer to animals as 'she'?


It depends on the gender of the animal. But usually dogs are referred to as "he" and cats are "she", unless we want to be specific.


> I have read that many in Egypt consider dogs unclean but I don't know if that is something from the past. Here in the UK we often talk about our pets, especially dogs, as if they were part of the family.


It's not a matter of nationality but of religion. Islam considers dogs "impure" (I'm not sure about the word in English, but in Arabic it's نجس) So, if I play with a dog, I can't go an pray right after unless I take a shower first أغتسل . Islam allows dogs only for garding pruposes حراسة and for helping the blinds.
Christians in Egypt, and in other Arab countries, don't have this issue with dogs.


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## gsc

Thank you Cherine

Could I ask how some-one Muslim would view my dogs if they came to visit me?  Would it be a problem for them? They are very much part of the family and have the run of the house.


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## cherine

It depends on the person. But it's preferable to keep the dogs away from the person till he/she shows wether it's ok for him/her to play with the dogs, or be close to them...

I remember when I was in highschool and visited a Christian friend of mine, she had that little sweet dog. I thought about it for a second, and decided it's ok to play with the dog then go home and take a shower. No problem. But I can't garantee that all Muslims think the same way.
Maybe it would be also nice to discuss it with your friend in question before they visit you.


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## gsc

Thank you Cherine. Your advice is very welcome  I often say to new friends 'you will have to visit us one day' but I hadn't thought that the dogs may be a problem.

And just to keep the thread on topic:

How do I say 'my cat is a male but he is neutered'
uTTa is cat?


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## cherine

What do mean by "neutered"?
If you want to talk about your male cat, you simply say: el oTT btaa3i القط بتاعي . So your sentence is "el oTT btaa3i..." and then the "neutered", with no need for "but".


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## gsc

cherine said:


> What do mean by "neutered"?
> If you want to talk about your male cat, you simply say: el oTT btaa3i القط بتاعي . So your sentence is "el oTT btaa3i..." and then the "neutered", with no need for "but".


 
neutered = castrated (no longer able to mate)

If someone asks me 'Is your cat male or female'? I would answer 'My cat is a male but he is neutered'.


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## Mahaodeh

gsc said:


> Thank you Cherine
> 
> Could I ask how some-one Muslim would view my dogs if they came to visit me? Would it be a problem for them? They are very much part of the family and have the run of the house.


 
Well, some don't mind dogs; however most do not have a problem with the dog itself, they just have a problem with the dog physically touching them. If the dog is not trained to stay clear from someone that has not called it, it may be a problem for some people.


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## gsc

Thank you Maha.  It's important for me to understand such things before I offer to put friends up if they come to England.  It could indeed be a big problem for some.


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## londonmasri

cherine said:


> My dog woke me early.
> kalbi Sa77aani badri
> كلبي صحّاني بدري


 
If the dog was male would it be:

kalby sa77eny 

(?)

shokran very much.


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## ayed

gsc said:


> My cat is a male but he is neutered'.


2TTi z(th)akar laakinnuh "makhSi"*إطي ز/ذكر لكنه مخصي*


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## Josh_

londonmasri said:


> If the dog was male would it be:
> 
> kalby sa77eny
> 
> (?)
> 
> shokran very much.


 
If the dog is male it would be, as Cherine said:

_kalbi Sa77aani badri._

If the dog is female it would be:

_kalbiti Sa77itni badri._

But, I suspect, unless it is important to note that the dog is female for some reason, that would not be said. Cherine's sentence would be the default.

The base verb 'to wake' (translitive) is _SaHHa (صحّى)_.


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## cherine

It is male كلبي , a female would be:
kalbeti Sa77etni badri
كلبتي صحتني بدري

... and 3afwan very much 


P.S. I wrote my post while Josh was posting his.


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## djamal 2008

cherine said:


> It is male كلبي , a female would be:
> kalbeti Sa77etni badri
> كلبتي صحتني بدري
> 
> ... and 3afwan very much
> 
> 
> P.S. I wrote my post while Josh was posting his.



I would say my cat is neutered and it necessarly means he's a male.
If I say my cat is spayed it means she's a female.

To geld is used for horses, and castrated for other animals.


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## gsc

ayed said:


> 2TTi z(th)akar laakinnuh "makhSi"*إطي ز/ذكر لكنه مخصي*


 
Thank you Ayed.

Would this be 
'uTTii zakar laakin makhSi' in Egypt?


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## ayed

gsc said:


> Thank you Ayed.
> 
> Would this be
> 'uTTii zakar laakin makhSi' in Egypt?


  and others may comment ..


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