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Arabic

Basic Questions in Arabic

Knowing how to ask a few useful questions in Arabic will help you with the basics of communicating. These Arabic questions will help with greetings, directions, and getting information you need.

man (man; who)
‘ayna (ay-nah; where)
mataa (mah-tah; when)
kayfa (kay-fah; how)
li maadhaa (lee mah-zah; why)
kayf al-Haal? (kah-yef al-hal; How are you?)
maa ‘ismuka? (mah ees-moo-kah; What’s your name?) (MS)
maa ‘ismuki? (mah ees-moo-kee; What’s your name?) (FS)
kam as-saa’a? (kam ah-sah-ah; What time is it?)
bikam haadhaa? (bee-kam hah-zah; How much is this?)
‘ayna al-mirHaad? (ay-nah al-meer-had; Where is the bathroom?)
hal tatakallam al-injliziya? (hal tah-tah-kah-lam al-een-jlee-zee-yah; Do you speak English?)
hal yumkin ‘an ta’id min faDlik? (hal yoom-keen an tah-eed meen fad-leek; Could you please repeat that?)

Arabic Greetings, Goodbyes, and Polite Expressions

In the Middle East, first impressions are very important, so don’t underestimate the importance of greetings. Remember to be courteous and use the informal ways of greeting people for old friends and relatives.

‘ahlan wa sahlan (ahel-lan wah sahel-lan; hi) (informal)
‘ahlan (ahel-lan; hi) (informal)
‘as-salaamu ‘alaykum (ah-sah-lah-moo ah-lay-koom; hello)
SabaaH al-khayr (sah-bah al-kah-yer; good morning)
masaa’ al-khayr (mah-sah al-kah-yer; good evening)
‘ilaa al-liqaa’ (ee-lah ah-lee-kah; see you soon)
‘ilaa al-ghad (ee-lah al-rad; see you tomorrow)
‘afwan (af-wan; excuse me)
shukran (shook-ran; thank you)
shukran jaziilan (shook-ran jah-zee-lan; thank you very much)

Days of the Week in Arabic

Use this list, which includes pronunciation, to keep track of the weekdays in Arabic. Notice that in Arabic, the days of the week are not capitalized.

al-’ithnayn (al-eeth-nah-yen; Monday)
ath-thulathaa’ (ah-too-lah-tah; Tuesday)
al-’arbi’aa’ (al-ar-bee-ah; Wednesday)
al-khamiis (al-kah-mees; Thursday)
al-jumu’a (al-joo-moo-ah; Friday)
as-sabt (ah-sah-bet; Saturday)
al-’aHad (al-ah-had; Sunday)

An Introduction to Numbers in Arabic

Get to know how to say your numbers in Arabic. You’ll need them for shopping, dining, and transportation. Here’s a list of Arabic numbers, with the pronunciation, to get you started:

Arabic	Pronunciation	Translation
waaHid	wah-heed	1
‘ithnayn	eet-nah-yen	2
thalaatha	tah-lah-tah	3
‘arba’a	ar-bah-ah	4
khamsa	kam-sah	5
sitta	see-tah	6
sab’a	sab-ah	7
thamaaniya	tah-mah-nee-yah	8
tis’a	tees-ah	9
‘ashra	ash-rah	10
‘iHdaa ‘ashar	ee-heh-dah ah-shar	11
‘ithnaa ‘ashar	ee-theh-nah ah-shar	12
thalaathata ‘ashar	thah-lah-tha-tah ah-shar	13
‘arba’ata ‘ashar	ah-reh-bah-ah-tah ah-shar	14
khamsata ‘ashar	khah-meh-sah-tah ah-shar	15
sittata ‘ashar	see-tah-tah ah-shar	16
sab’ata ‘ashar	sah-beh-ah-tah ah-shar	17
thamaaniyata ‘ashar	thah-mah-nee-ya-tah ah-shar	18
tis’ata ‘ashar	tee-seh-ah-tah ah-shar	19
‘ishreen	ee-sheh-reen	20
thalaathiin	thah-lah-theen	30
‘arba’iin	ah-reh-bah-een	40
khamsiin	khah-meh-seen	50
sittiin	see-teen	60
sab’iin	sah-beh-een	70
thamaaniin	thah-mah-neen	80
tis’iin	tee-seh-een	90
mi’a	mee-ah	100