Language/Standard-arabic/Vocabulary/Basic-Words-and-Phrases

learn a few basic words and phrases in Arabic

Greetings

• Hello or Welcome/Márhaba, ahlan

• (reply)/áhlayn

• Greetings/As-salám aláykum (peace be with you)

• (reply)/Waláykum as-salám (and to you peace)

• Good morning/Sabáh al-kháyr

• (reply)/Sabáh an-núr (a morning of light)

• Good evening/Misá al-kháyr

• (reply)/Misá an núr

• Goodnight/Tisbáh al-kháyr (wake up well)

• (reply)/Wa ínta min áhlu (and you are from His people)

• Goodbye/Máa Saláma

• How are you?/Káyf hálak? (to a man)/Káyf hálik? (to a woman)

• Fine, thank you/Zayn, al-hámdu, li-la

• Please/Min fádlak (to a man)/Min fádlik (to a woman)

• Thank you/Shúkran

• Thanks be to God/Al-hámdu li-llá

• God willing (hopefully)/Inshá allá

• Yes/Náam or áiwa

• No/La

Useful phrases

• What is your name?/Shú ismak? (to a man)/Shú ismik? (to a woman)

• My name is…/Ismi…

• Where are you from?/Min wáyn inta? (for a man)/Min wáyn inti? (for a woman)

• I am from: England/ána min Ingíltra

• the United States/ána min Amérika

• Australia/ána min Ustrália

• I have 1/2/3 children/Andi walad/waladun/thalatha awlaad

• How do you say . . . in Arabic?/Chayf tegool . . . bil’arabi?

• May I take your photo?/Mumkin sura, min fádlak? (to a female: Mumkin sura, min fádlik?)

• Do you speak English?/Btíhki inglízi?/Teh ki ingleezi?

• I speak English/Bíhki inglízi

• I do not speak Arabic/Ma bíhki árabi

• I do not understand/Ma báfham

• Repeat, once more/Kamán márra

• Do you have…?/ándkum…?

• Is there any…?/Fí…?

• There isn’t any…/Ma fí…

• Never mind/Ma’alésh

• It is forbidden…/Mamnú’a

• What is this?/Shú hádha?

• I want/Uríd

• I like/ana bhib

• I don’t like/Ana ma bhib

• I do not want/Mauríd

• Hurry up/Yalla/bi súra’a

• Slow down/Shwáyya

• Go away!/Imshi!

• What time is it?/Adáysh as-sáa?/kam as-sáa?

• How long, how many hours?/Kam sáa?

• You’re welcome/Afwan

• OK/Tayib/N’zain/Kwayyis

• Not OK/Mish kwayyis

• Come in/After you/Tafdal

• Excuse me/Afwan/lau samaht

• Sorry/Afwan/Muta’assif

• Can I…?/It is possible?/Mumkin?

• I don’t know/Mabaraf

• No problem/Ma fi mushkila

• Perhaps/Mumkin

• Not possible/Mish mumkin

• What time is it?/Kam as saa?

• How much?/Bikaim?

• How many?/Cham?

• What?/Shu?

• What is this?/Shu hadha?

• I’m ill/Ana mareed

Vocabulary

General

• embassy/safára

• post office/máktab al-baríd

• stamps/tawábi’a

• bank/bank

• hotel/otél/fúnduq

• room/ghurfah

• museum/máthaf

• hospital/mustashfa

• doctor/doktor

• chemist/saydaliyeh

• police/shurta/boulees

• ticket/tádhkara

• passport/jiwáz as-sáfar

• good/kuwáys

• not good, bad/mish kuways

• open/maftúh

• closed/musákkar/múghlik

• old/kadeem

• new/jadeed

• big/kabeer

• small/saghir

• beautiful/zayn

• hot/haar

• cold/bareed

• open/maftuh

• shut/mughlag

Eating out/drinking

• restaurant/máta’am

• breakfast/futour

• lunch/ghadaa

• dinner/ashaa

• food/ákl

• fish/simich

• meat/láhm

• chicken/dijaj

• mutton/ghanam

• milk/halíb

• cheese/jabne

• butter/zibdeh

• eggs/bayd

• bread/khúbz

• salad/saláta

• honey/‘asl

• yoghurt/laban

• jam/murabbeh

• dates/balah

• olives/zatoon

• delicious/ladhidh

• coffee/káhwa

• tea/shay

• beer/beera

• cup/finján

• with sugar/bi súkkar

• without sugar/bidún súkkar

• mineral water/mái ma’adaniya

• glass/gelaas

• bottle/zajaja/botel

• I don’t eat meat/Ana ma bakul laham

• I am a vegetarian/ána nabbáti (for a man)/nabbátiya (for a woman)

• Enough, thanks/Bas, shukran

• the bill/al-hisáb

Getting around

• Where…?/Wáyn…? /'ayna.......?

• How far is it to…?/Kam almasafa ila…? / Kam ba’eed min hina

• downtown/wást al bálad

• street/shária

• car/sayára

• taxi/táxi

• shared taxi/servís

• bus/hafila

• aeroplane/tayára

• airport/matár

• petrol, super/benzín

• diesel/mazout

• to/íla

• from/min

• in/fi

• right/yamín

• left/yassar

• straight/gida

• here/hina

• there/hunak

• near/gareeb

• far/ba’eed

• town/madina

• city/madinat

• north/shamaal

• south/janub

• east/sharq

• west/gharb

Days and numbers

• today/al yawm

• tomorrow / bokra / ghadaan

• yesterday/ al'ams

• early / mbach’ir/ mubakiraan

• late/ mot’akhir

• day/ yoom / yawm

• night/ layl

• Monday/ al ithnayn

• Tuesday/ ath thalatha

• Wednesday/ al araba’a

• Thursday/ al khamees

• Friday/ al jum’a

• Saturday/ alsebt

• Sunday/ al'ahad

• zero/sifir

• one/wáhid / wahid

• two/ithnayn

• three/taláta

• four/árba’a

• five/khámsa

• six/sítta

• seven/sába’a

• eight/tamánia

• nine/tísa’a

• ten/áshara

• eleven/hidáshar

• twelve/itnáshar

• twenty/áishreen

• twenty-one/wáhid wa áishreen

• twenty-two/ithnayn wa áishreen

• thirty/thalatheen

• forty/arba’een

• fifty/khamseen

• sixty/sitteen

• seventy/saba’een

• eighty/thimaneen

• ninety/tis’een

• one hundred/maya

• one hundred and fifty/may wa khamseen

• two hundred/mayatayn

• three hundred/thaltamaya

• four hundred/rab’amaya

• five hundred/khamsamaya

• six hundred/sittamaya

• seven hundred/sabamaya

• eight hundred/tamnamaya

• nine hundred/tissamaya

• one thousand/alf

Shopping

• market/souk

• shop/dukkán / matjar

• money/fulús / mal

• no money/la fulús / la mal

• cheap/rakhís

• expensive (very)/gháli (jídan)

• too expensive/ktir gháli

• receipt, invoice/fatúra, wásl

• How much does it cost?/Adáysh?/Bikaim?

• I like this/Buhíbb hádha

• I do not like this/ma buhíbb hádha