How to say “I'm fasting” in Egyptian Arabic
In Cairo you say ana sayem (أنا صايم). Tap play to hear it, then slow it down.
Read it your way:
- ana sayem / ana saymaأنا صايم / أنا صايمةI'm fasting (said by a man / by a woman)
The polite way to turn down food or drink in the daytime. Nobody will insist: “rabbena yeta2abbal” is the usual answer.
When to use it
Ana sayem (a man) or ana sayma (a woman) is the polite way to turn down food or a drink in the daytime in Ramadan. People will usually answer “rabbena yeta2abbal” (may God accept it).
Learn it with
ramadan gana
رمضان جاناRamadan is here (lit. Ramadan came to us)
allahu akram
الله أكرمGod is more generous (the reply to “ramadan kareem”)
enta sayem? / enti sayma?
إنت صايم؟ / إنتي صايمة؟Are you fasting? (to a man / to a woman)
shafo el-helal?
شافوا الهلال؟Did they see the crescent moon?
Say it out loud in a 6-minute lesson
“ana sayem” is in Unit 7, Ramadan & Eid: “The month begins”. Start free with Units 1–2, then unlock every unit with Pro. Practise with Egyptian audio, pronunciation feedback and an AI partner that talks like a Cairene.