Question words give you control of a conversation. They help you open a subject, ask for missing information, and recover when the other person says something you did not expect.

The useful part is not memorizing six English translations. It is learning where each word sits in a sentence you can actually ask.

The core question words

Franco Natural English
meen who
eh what
fein where
emta when
leh why
ezzay how

You may see spelling variations such as leih and izzay. Franco is not standardized, so focus on the sound and sentence rather than one universal spelling.

What and who often come later

In Egyptian Arabic, eh and meen frequently appear after the verb or the thing they ask about.

Franco Natural English
enta aayez eh? What do you want? addressed to a man
enti aayza eh? What do you want? addressed to a woman
shoft meen? Who did you see?
da eh? What is this?
meen da? Who is this?

Do not force English order onto the question. Learn the frame:

subject + verb + eh or meen

Where, when, why, and how

These words can appear at the beginning or later depending on the sentence and emphasis. The following frames are dependable starting points:

Franco Natural English
enta saken fein? Where do you live? addressed to a man
enti gaya emta? When are you coming? addressed to a woman
enta meshit leh? Why did you leave? addressed to a man
ezzay aroo7 el mat3am? How do I get to the restaurant?

The form around the question word still changes for person and gender. Question words do not remove verb or adjective agreement.

Yes-or-no questions

Egyptian Arabic can turn a statement into a yes-or-no question through intonation and context:

Statement or question Natural English
enta Masri. You are Egyptian.
enta Masri? Are you Egyptian?
enti gayya. You are coming.
enti gayya? Are you coming?

The written Franco can look identical except for punctuation. The voice does important work.

Build follow-up questions

A conversation becomes easier when one answer naturally gives you the next question.

enta saken fein?
Where do you live?

ana saken fi Los Angeles.
I live in Los Angeles, said by a man.

beteshtaghal eh?
What do you do for work?

bashtaghal...
I work...

Keep the learner-facing spelling consistent so a known form does not look new each time it returns.

A response ladder when you get stuck

Questions also repair the exchange:

Franco Natural English
eh? What?
olt eh? What did you say?
ya3ni eh? What does that mean?
ezzay? How?

Tone matters. A one-word eh? can sound abrupt in some situations, so a fuller repair phrase may be safer with someone you do not know.

Practice

Match the information you need to the question:

  1. A person's identity.
  2. A location.
  3. A reason.
  4. A time.
  5. A method.

Answers:

Information Question word
identity meen
location fein
reason leh
time emta
method ezzay

Now say one complete question with each. The full frame is what turns vocabulary into speaking.

Useful references

Continue with asking someone to repeat themselves or a first Egyptian Arabic conversation.