Modern Standard Arabic is the official language of Egypt today. ... Arabic did not become the official language of Egypt until the 17th century. Although the language of the ancient Egyptians and Arabic share linguistic roots, ancient Egyptians did not speak Arabic.

What did Egypt speak before Arabic?

Prior to the Arab conquest of Egypt in the 7th century AD, the Egyptians spoke Coptic, a later phase of ancient Egyptian. Following the Arab conquest, there was a prolonged period of time when both Coptic and Arabic were spoken in Egypt.

What language did the ancient Egyptians speak?

The Egyptian language was an Afroasiatic language that was spoken in Ancient Egypt. It has been written 5000 years, which makes it one of the oldest written languages known today. The Coptic language is the modern form of the Egyptian language.