ENGLISH PHRASE | ARABIC TRANSLATION (PHONETIC) |
hello | Salaam (or Asalaam wa Alaykum) |
yes | Aiwa (or na’an) |
no | Laa |
Good morning. | Sabah al kayir. |
Good evening. | Masah al kayir. |
How are you? | Keef haluk? |
Praise be to Allah (idiom for “I am fine”) | Al hamdu lillah |
I am fine, thanks | Ana bikhayr, shokran |
Let’s go! | Yalla |
Dear one / beloved / friends | Habibi |
today | il-yoom |
tomorrow | bookra |
thank you | Shokran (or Shokrun) |
you’re welcome | Ahf-wahn |
What’s your name? | Aysh ismuk? |
My name is <John> | Ismee <John> |
Do you speak <English>? | Titakellem <ingleezi>? |
I don’t speak Arabic. | Ana laa atakellem al arabi. |
Where are you from? | Inta min weyn? |
I am from <America>. | Ana min <Umreeka>. |
Goodbye | Maa-salaamah |
ARABIC NUMERALS
Also check out these Arabic language websites. When you’re done, use your browser’s back button to return to Treasures of Egypt Tours.
- To hear common words pronounced by native speakers, visit Arabic 2000
- Omniglot also offers small audio files online and a short list of useful words and their phonetic pronunciations (including the very helpful phrase “My hovercraft is full of eels”)
- An excellent site which includes the Arabic alphabet: Linguanaut
- Another site for quick Arabic phrases (includes MP3 download): BBC
- Simple courtesy phrases and words: Dummies
- Many online companies, including Rosetta Stone and Transparent Language, offer audio CDs to listen and learn Arabic
- Or consider purchasing books and resources about the Arabic language