ده رخيص

Using this phrase is like playing with Lego blocks. You just point and say it! However, Arabic has gender, so you need to match the word to the item. If you’re talking about a masculine item like a قميص (shirt) or موبايل (phone), use ده رخيص. If the item is feminine, like a شنطة (bag) or ساعة (watch), you switch it to دي رخيصة. It’s a small change that makes you sound like a pro. You can also add قوي (very) at the end to say ده رخيص قوي (This is very cheap).

Use it whenever you’re shopping! It’s perfect for the souq (market) when you finally hear a price you like. It’s also great when you’re browsing online with friends and find a sale. You might even use it at a restaurant when you see the bill is lower than expected. It’s a very social phrase. It invites others to agree with you and share in the joy of a bargain.

Here is the golden rule: never use رخيص to describe a person. While in English you might call someone "cheap" meaning they are stingy, in Arabic, calling a person رخيص is a heavy insult. It implies they have no honor or are "low-class" in their behavior. If you want to call someone stingy, use the word بخيل instead. Also, avoid using it in high-stakes business meetings where you want to sound sophisticated; use سعر معقول (reasonable price) instead.

Egypt is the world capital of bargaining. In Cairo, the price tag is often just the beginning of a conversation. Finding something رخيص is considered a skill. It’s a point of pride to tell your family how you got a great deal. There’s a certain thrill in the hunt for the lowest price, and ده رخيص is the victory cry at the end of that hunt.

If something is so cheap it’s practically free, Egyptians say يا بلاش (Ya balash). It literally means "O for nothing!" Another favorite is لقطة (Lo'ta), which means "a steal" or "a catch." If you want to be more poetic about how cheap something is, you can say بتراب الفلوس (Be torab el flous), which literally means "for the price of dirt."