Monthly and elsewhere on the Tour Egypt website, one of the best ways to prepare for a trip to Egypt is to learn a little Egyptian Arabic. Egyptian Arabic is the most common form of Arabic in the Middle East and North Africa, largely due to the influence of Egyptian TV, radio and movie culture. It s nice to be able to greet someone on the street or to say thank you in the native tongue for a small kindness. The most convenient way to learn a few phrases is to purchase a phrasebook for the Egyptian Arabic language. There are also simple illustrations as well as some explanatory paragraphs in each section.
All translations are in transliterated English as well as Arabic script.
At the end of the book is a vocabulary section, so that you can look up common words with ease. What this book does not have, is a vocabulary section at the end with the words in transliterated Arabic English and Arabic script English. That phrasebook is slightly larger and a few dollars more. For the once in a lifetime tourist, I think the less expensive Lonely Planet Egyptian Arabic Phrasebook would be a great little addition to your travel pack and will bring you lots of fun and good experiences, interacting with the local people. If you want to learn a little more Arabic but are not yet ready for a full course in Arabic, then try the Rough Guide s Egyptian Arabic Phrasebook.