Your Friendly Guide to Arabic Basics in the Middle East

Warm Arabic Greetings

●    Salaam Alaikum / Wa Alaikum Salaam: The classic greeting meaning “peace be upon you” and its reply, “and upon you be peace,” is a must-know for any visitor
●    Hala: Think of this as the Arabic equivalent of “hey!”. Perfect for a casual hello 
●    Mabrook: This cheerful way to say “congratulations” is sure to bring a smile to someone’s face
●    Habibi / Habibti: A term of affection for friends or loved ones—habibi for men and habibti for women. You might even hear “Yalla, habibi!” meaning “Let’s go, my friend!”

Polite Phrases for Everyday Use

●    Shukran (Thank you) / Afwan (You’re welcome). These are perfect for when you want to show gratitude
●    Min fadlak / Min fadliki: The polite way to say “please,” with min fadlak for men and min fadliki for women
●    Aasif / Assifa: Need to apologise? Use aasif for men or assifa for women—it’s as simple as that!

Quick Responses

●    Ay-wa / Naam: Yes
●    La’: No
●    La shukran:No, thank you

Getting Around Made Easy

●    Maazera: (Excuse me) Start your question with this to get someone’s attention politely.
●    Wayn al hammam?: (Where is the toilet?) You’ll thank us for this one!
●    Ala yamen / Ala yassar (Go right / Go left)
●    Henna (Here)

In an Emergency

Let’s hope you don’t need these, but just in case:
●    MosaAda (Help!)
●    Al shurtaa (Police)
●    Moustashfa (Hospital)
●    Dakhtar (Doctor)
●    Hal Ladika hatef? (Do you have a phone?)

Start a Conversation

●    Is-mee [your name] (My name is...)
●    Kaeef halak? (How are you?)
●    Anaa min [country] (I’m from...)
Handy country names include:
●    Ame-ri-ki (America)
●    Brai-ta-ni (Britain)
●    Al hind (India)

Counting from 1 to 10

Counting in Arabic is easier than you think! Here’s a quick rundown:
●    Waahad (One)
●    Ithnayn (Two)
●    Thaltha (Three)
●    Arba’a (Four)
●    Fkhamsa (Five)
●    Sitta (Six)
●    Saba’a (Seven)
●    Thamaanya (Eight)
●    Tiss’a (Nine)
●    Ashara (Ten)

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