News from LisaanMasry
Use this page to keep up with recent changes on the LisaanMasry web site....
News...
23/04/2020 Android fix for download and sound problems
Android versions 9 and 10 do not allow download using http (non-secure) connections. Fortunately, the new domain name supports https (secure) connections, so release 2.3.1 of the Android app fixes problems with download and sound by using https.
11/01/2020 New domain name, everything updated
lisaanmasry.com is now lisaanmasry.org. All of the apps and documents have been updated to reflect this change. If you are using an app, you should update it in order to keep it working. If you have already downloaded the kindle or PDF documents, there is probably no need to download new copies.
23/08/2016 Linux app now available, Windows and Mac updates
The Java app is now available as a Debian linux package. There are also updates for Windows and Mac to deal with problems with sound file download.
14/08/2016 Android app version 2.2.2 now available
This app supports the additional permission requirements of Android version 6, which prevent operation of the sound download and sound recording functions. It also includes improvements to the sound download facility and a few minor bug fixes.
27/07/2016 PDF version 2.1 now available
A new release of the PDF dictionary is available. It contains lots of new words and a few corrections.
21/05/2016 First version for Mac OS/X (V2.0) is now available
There is now a version of the app that is designed for Mac OS/X. It is identical to the Windows version apart from the user interface, for example the menu bar is at the top of the screen.
This version is written in Java and requires the JRE: if you do not have it already, there is a link to the Oracle web site on the download page and on the Java page.
16/04/2016 iOS app version 1.3 is now available
Version 1.3 now supports pinch and stretch gestures to zoom in on most of the views. The user interface now supports arabic. The examples view has several improvements. You can now check for updates to the app, the dictionary database and the grammar document. In addition, there are lots more words and examples.
29/03/2016 Windows version 2.0 is now available
The latest version of the Windows app is now available for download. This is a complete rewrite to bring the app up to date. It also contains lots more words, improvements to the examples view and there is now a facility to update the dictionary database.
This version is written in Java and requires the JRE: the app will give you instructions how to install this if it is not already on your computer.
05/02/2016 Web site improvements
We have added some new features to the online examples.
- when you click on a word, the corresponding word in the other language is highlighted
- you can click on a word in the translation (formerly you could only click on an example word)
- the translations now have recordings.
01/02/2016 Android Version 2.2 now available
This app contains some major new features. It now has a dictionary view (a list of words in alphabetical order) and a player feature: you can listen to vocabulary, example sentences and pronunciation whilst you are travelling, preparing a meal or just relaxing.
If the device language is set to arabic, the app works in arabic. There are several other improvements and lots more words.
11/12/2015 PDF Download problems
There were a couple of problems with the web site which prevented some downloads of the PDF version of the dictionary. These are now fixed.
16/10/2015 PDF Version 2.0 available
There is a new release of the PDF version of the dictionary. It has an improved layout, more word form details for Egyptian verbs and lots more words. This version was actually published on the 24th August, but no press release was issued.
09/10/2015 The word baqa بـَقى
You will often hear the word baqa بـَقى in Egyptian conversation, but it's not easy to translate. It is used in several ways, and some usages do not have an exact equivalent in European languages. You can find some notes about its usage here.
24/09/2015 Learning vocabulary
If you want to learn vocabulary, don't just memorize a list of words... here is our guide to effective vocabulary learning.
11/09/2015 Online dictionary updates
The web site has been updated. It is now more mobile-friendly, and the main pages are now available in Arabic. The dictionary and thesaurus functions have been updated to use the same layout as the search function. Also, there are now lots more words and examples!
28/08/2015 Kindle V2.1 is now available
The kindle dictionary format is now available again. Both dictionary and e-book versions have been updated to add lots more words, more word forms for verbs and a few corrections.
03/06/2015 iPhone/iPad dictionary V1.2 is now available
This version contains lots of new words, with corrections and expanded information for many existing words, and most of the displays have been tidied up and improved.
The vocabulary learning tool now uses SRS (spaced repetition system) to maximise learning efficiency.
This version introduces the pronunciation tool, which lists words containing similar sounds and lets you record and listen to yourself repeating words.
16/05/2015 Kindle dictionary V2.0 is now available
This represents a big step forward for the kindle version of the dictionary, taking full advantage of the touch screen available on the more recent kindles.
The dictionary and thesaurus are now combined, and the verbs have been added: the entries in each section are now cross-linked. There are now two dictionary sections: English to Egyptian Arabic and Egyptian Arabic to English. We have added about 1,000 more words, and the Appendices have been expanded to provide a lot more information about arabic writing and Egyptian pronounciation.
16/04/2015 Windows app V1.3.2 is now available
This version contains 500 new words and several corrections to spelling and pronunciation. It also supports the new method of playing sounds online: the old method does not support all words, and will be discontinued shortly.
30/03/2015 Mirror web site
The connection between Egypt and the rest of the world often gets busy. To provide a faster response time for all dictionary users, search requests are now routed to the nearest server. Requests from Egypt are handled by www.lisaanmasry.org, which is based in Cairo, and requests from all other countries are handled by www.egyptianarabicdictionary.com, which is based in the UK.
If you are redirected to the wrong site, please let us know so that we can update our information.
12/03/2015 Web site improvements
The online version of the dictionary has been updated to use the latest version of the database, fix a few bugs and generally tidy up the online documentation.
The mobile version of the dictionary, originally launched in 2007 for use on mobile phones with very small screens, has been retired so that we can concentrate our efforts on the more popular products.
04/03/2015 Android app V2.1 is now available
This version contains two new features to improve your pronunciation in arabic or english, and to learn to read and write arabic. In addition, there are lots of new words and examples, and several improvements to the existing features.
03/12/2014 Windows app V1.3.1 is now available
This version fixes a couple of bugs in V1.3: sound download was unreliable and the fatha key did not work in the reading section.
26/11/2014 Windows app V1.3 is now available
This version contains major improvements to the vocabulary learning, pronunciation and arabic reading and writing functions. It also offers full support for usage in arabic, over 1,200 examples, 1000 more words and gender information for arabic nouns and adjectives.
08/11/2014 Fix bug in Windows grammar
When you download the windows version of the grammar document, the sound did not play on some browsers. This update fixes the problem.
10/10/2014 Additional examples for web site
We now have over a thousand examples of Egyptian Arabic sentences on the web site. We will be rolling out new releases that include the new examples for Windows, Android and iPhone over the next couple of months.
A big thank you to Reem el Gohary and Monzer Abo el Yazeed for their hard work in compiling and checking the examples.
25/07/2014 Web site improvements
We have introduced a few minor improvements to the web site.
The word details page has been divided into three parts- the word itself, any examples for the word and full conjugation details for verbs. If examples and/or verb details are available, you can access these directly from buttons next to a word on the search view.
The example sentences now have their own page. You can access all examples using the 'examples' link in the 'Online options' bar on the left of the dictionary, search, thesaurus word and verb pages. You can also see the examples for a particular word (if available) by clicking the 'Examples' button next to the word. The examples page is now much more interactive, and offers details of each of the words in the example sentence.
10/07/2014 iPhone/iPad V1.1.1 is now available
An new version of the app for iPhone and iPad is available from the Apple appStore.
This version fixes a bug when downloading sound files on devices that have a 64-bit processor.
11/06/2014 iPhone/iPad V1.1.0 is now available
An new version of the app for iPhone and iPad is available from the Apple appStore.
This version includes a fix for a bug introduced by iOS7.1, new words, feminine and plural for all adjectives and the gender and plural for all nouns.
27/05/2014 Learn to read and write arabic
An easy to use, step by step introduction to reading arabic, and a practice aid to improve your arabic writing skills.
During the learning stage, the arabic letters are divided into ten groups of four or five letters: if you study one group per day, you will have learned the entire alphabet after just ten days!
You can tailor the difficulty level of the writing exercises to suit your needs.
15/05/2014 Android app V2.0 is now available
This version is a major step forward. It has about 1,500 new words and now includes gender and plural for all Egyptian nouns.
It has a completely re-designed and improved user interface to take advantage of new features of Android version 4.x, yet is still works on Android 2.1! Many of the reliability issues with the previous version have been addressed
There are several new display options, and the vocabulary learning facilities have been extended, so that it's easier to add words to your personal vocabulary list and easier to learn them too!
This verson also introduces Egyptian Arabic example sentences: you can point at a word in an example and instantly see its meaning.
06/05/2014 Online dictionary updates
The online dictionary has had a few of updates. There is now an on-screen keyboard on the search screen, so that you can type in arabic characters even if you don't have an arabic keyboard. There is also a usage rating for all egyptian arabic words. This appears as a star next to the word- point at it for a full description.
21/3/2014 PDF Dictionary and Thesaurus
The complete dictionary and thesaurus in PDF format is now available for download.
4/2/2014 iPhone and iPad app
Apple has approved the iPhone and iPad app and it is now available from the appStore.
04/01/2014: New Kindle releases
New releases of the dictionary and thesaurus for Kindle contain about a thousand new words, together with some corrections and improvements.
15/12/2013: New Windows application released
This version contains about a thousand new words, together with over 350 fully annotated examples of typical usage. The facility to download all of the sounds for a language is now built into the application.
The Windows application contains everything that is available php/user, plus some useful tools to help you learn words, learn to read and write arabic and improve your pronunciation.
23/11/2013: Web site update
About a thousand new words have been added to the web site.
In addition, there are about 350 example sentences. When you click on a word in the search or thesaurus pages, you will go to the page for the selected word: if there are any examples that use this word, they will be displayed.
12/08/2013: Minor update for Android app (V1.6.1)
This update prevents a crash when you accidentally press the Search button twice. There are several minor bug fixes. It also has larger controls for Android 4.x and a completely revised help file
You can download it from from Google Play, Google Play, or from this site.
31/07/2013: Update for Android app
This update has a more reliable database and sound download system and deals with a number of stability issues. It also contains about 500 new words.
You can download it from from Google Play, Google Play, or from this site.
27/07/2013: Problems with playing sounds
Recent changes to Internet Explorer and Firefox have broken the 'play sound' facility in the online dictionary and in online and Windows versions of the grammar.
We have updated all of the online material to fix this problem: unfortunately, this fix means that 'play sound' will not work correctly with some old versions of web browsers.
If you run into a problem, please contact us, giving us full details of the browser that you are using.
19/05/2013: Dictionary and Thesaurus for Kindle released!
The full Egyptian Arabic Dictionary and Thesaurus are now available for Kindle, to complement the existing Egpytian Arabic Grammar eBook.
You can use Kindle's powerful dictionary facilities to look any word. You can also point at a word in any english eBook, to see a translation of the word into Egyptian Arabic.
The Thesaurus provides lists of words with similar or related meanings.
more info...20/12/2012: EAD for Windows V1.00 released!
This version contains lots of new features:
- an option to help you learn to read arabic
- a full thesaurus, with all english words classified
- arabic language support within the application
- improved user interface
- stressed-syllable marks
- full verb listings- perfect/imperfect/ha-bi-imperfect/imperative/participles
- integrated with the new Egyptian Arabic Grammar
08/12/2012: Android V1.5 released
This Android release is packed with exciting new features:
- thesaurus view
- vocabulary learning aid
- stressed-syllable marks
- egyptian arabic grammar integrated with the dictionary
- full verb listings- perfect/imperfect/ha-bi-imperfect/imperative/participles
08/12/2012: Stress marks
A small but useful new feature for the web site: if you select the pronounced option for egyptian words, the stressed syllable is underlined. try it...
21/11/2012: Grammar for kindle and PDF
The kindle and PDF versions of the Egyptian Arabic grammar are now available. more...
18/11/2012: Web site improvements
The online dictionary, thesaurus and search functions have been tidied up to make a more coherent and improved facility. In addition, if you click on a word in any of these views, you will see full details for the word. For Egyptian verbs, this includes all cases of perfect, imperfect, bi-and ha-imperfect and the participles. more...
14/11/2012: Egyptian Grammar
The Egyptian grammar has been thoroughly revised and checked. It has a new section that starts with the basics, then goes into detail with over 1,500 examples. Each example has pronounced and arabic writing, and you can hear somebody saying them. You can read it online or download and install it on Windows. more...
14/06/2012: New words
We have added another 500 words. This applies to windows, android and the online dictionary.
03/06/2012: Hear the words
The recordings or words have not been working properly lately. There is currently a big fight over mp3 audio patents, and the web browser suppliers are changing their products from week to week to minimise the risk of a lawsuit.
The sound handling now works again on Firefox (but you DO need the Windows Media Player plugin) and Microsoft Internet Explorer. This fight is likely to continue until 2017 when the last of the patents expire. If you experience problems, please let me know and I will try to find a solution.
25/05/2012: Bug fix for online version
There was a problem with the search function of the online dictionary when searching for arabic words. This has now been fixed, and you can now search for arabic words using either arabic or european letters.
05/05/2012: New release of the Android app
Release 1.3 of the Android version of the Egyptian Arabic Dictionary is now available. Here is a list of the new features:
- play recordings of somebody saying the words
- lots of new words and many corrections to existing words
03/05/2012: New release of the windows version
The windows version has had a makeover! Version 0.9 of the windows application is now available for download. Here is a summary of new features:
- completely redesigned, simplified user interface
- recordings now available for all arabic words
- lots of new words and many corrections to existing words
- sound modules can be downloaded separately, so you only take what you need
28/04/2012: Web version fully revised
The web version of the dictionary has been completedly revised and checked. In addition, there are now recordings for practically all arabic words. Try it now!
18/03/2012: New online search facility
The full-screen online dictionary now has a new search facility, to help you find a word even if you are not sure how to spell it. it suggests about ten words that are the most similar the word that you entered. It searches through all word-forms, so it will find unusual english past participles like 'flown', and it will find both perfect and imperfect for arabic verbs, singular and plural for arabic nouns and adjectives. Try it now!.
16/03/2012 New web site for the rest of the world
The new website for use from outside Egypt, www.egyptianarabicdictionary.com, went online today. For the time being, the new site will mirror www.lisaanmasry.org, but will probably offer faster response when Egypt's link to the rest of the world is busy.
10/03/2012 Word of the day
This new option (near the top of the list on the right of each page) randomly selects a word from the dictionary. Try it now, maybe you will find something interesting!
09/03/2012 New Android release
Android EAD version 1.1 is the first 'signed' version of the dictionary for Android. The previous release was a development version, and will expire after one month.
09/03/2012 New Layout for the web site
The opening page has been redesigned to provide easier access to the key functions and to make space for up-coming additions. The new layout will spread through the site as new features are added and existing features are updated. THe new logo was designed by Khalid Adel at Absolute Studios. Nice work, Khalid!