most common Arabic phrases – when & how to use them
When you are trying to speak any language, you start from the very basic sentences or phrases that are used in daily life. In this article, you will learn some basic phrases in Arabic that you can use in daily meetings with people, restaurants, shops, and to talk about the weather.
Basic Arabic phrases
Here are some basic phrases in Arabic that you will need to use every day:
| Arabic | English | Pronunciation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | أهلاً و سهلاً. | Welcome. | Ahlaan wa sahlaan. |
You can use this phrase to welcome someone at any time and place.
| 2 | تشرّفت بلقائك. | Honored to meet you. | Tasharaaftu biliqa’ek. |
This phase could be said at the beginning or\and at the end of a meeting.
| 3 | أنا سعيدٌ برؤيتك. | I’m glad to see you. | Ana sae’edon biru’yatek. |
| 4 | أتطلع لرؤيتك مرة أخرى. | Looking forward to see you again. | Atatalla’u liru’yatika marratan ukhraa. |
If you want to be nice to someone you have already seen or met before, you can say the first phrase. The second one is even nicer to say when you want to tell a person that you wish to meet them again.
| 5 | أراك فيما بعد، عليّ أن أذهب | See you later, I have to go. | Araka fima ba’ad, alayya an athhab. |
If you have to leave but are still planning to meet that person again, you can say this phrase.
| 6 | آسف لجعلك تنتظر. | Sorry for letting you wait. | A’asef lija’alika tantazir. |
The word “aasef” means sorry, and you can say the full phrase if you are late for an appointment and let people wait for you.
Watch the following video to learn how to pronounce these phrases.
Arabic phrases for thanking and complementing
We always need to thank people for a favor or just for being nice, so you can use the following Arabic phrases:
| Arabic | English | Pronunciation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | شكراً على الزيارة. | Thank you for the visit. | Shukran a’ala azziyara |
If someone visits you and you want to appreciate it, use this sentence.
| 2 | هذا لطفٌ منك! | This is nice of you! | hatha lutfon mink! |
This phrase could be used to thank someone for their kindness or compliment.
| 3 | أنتَ في غايةِ الكرم! | You are so generous! | ِAnta fi ghayati alkarm! |
Arabs, in general, are generous. So they may invite you for dinner. You can say this phrase, after thanking them.
| 4 | ذوقك رائع! | You have wonderful taste! | Thawquka ra’ee’. |
If you want to compliment someone’s shirt or food..etc, you can tell them how good it is by saying this phrase.
Watch the following video to learn how to pronounce these phrases.
Arabic phrases for cafes and restaurants
If you going to a restaurant or cafe, you may need to use Arabic phrases to ask for a service or to get information, here are some to help:
| Arabic | English | Pronunciation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | أعطني طبقاً من فضلك. | Give me a plate, please. | A’atini tabaqan min fadlek. |
The word “a’atini” means give me, you can put anything just after it, before saying “min fadlek – please” in the end.
| 2 | لو سمحت، أعطني لائحة الطعام. | Please, give me the menu. | Law samaht, a’atini’ lay’hata atta’am. |
The word “law samaht” is another way to say “please”, you can put it at the beginning of the phrase, then ask for the menu (or anything else), as you see in the example.
| 3 | ماذا لديكم على الفطور\الغداء\العشاء؟ | What do you have for breakfast/lunch/dinner? | Matha ladaykum a’ala alfutur\alghagaa’\ al’asha’? |
You can use this phrase to ask the waiter about the special menu of the day, or if the menu is missed, you can ask what they offer for your meal.
| 4 | أريد طاولة مع ثلاثة كراسي. | I want a table with three chairs. | Ouridu tawila ma’a thalathati karasi. |
You can say this sentence if you are pre-reserving a table or just came to a restaurant or cafe.
| 5 | كم يجب عليّ أن أدفع؟ | How much should I pay? | kam yajib alayya an adfaa’? |
This is a way to ask about the bill, use it when you do not know how much you have to pay.
| 6 | احتفظ بالباقي، شكراً. | Keep the rest, thanks. | Ehtafez bilbaqi, shkran. |
Use this phrase when you pay the bill and want to leave the change as a tip.
Watch the following video to learn how to pronounce these phrases.
Arabic phrases for shops
If you are planning to go shopping, the following sentences are will be useful for you:
| Arabic | English | Pronunciation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | كم ثمن هذا؟ | How much is it? | Kam thamanu hatha? |
This is, probably, the most essential question. Use it to ask about the price of anything you want to buy.
| 2 | هل لديكم أفضل\أرخص منه؟ | Do you have a better\cheaper one? | Hal ladaykum afdla\arkhasa minhu? |
If you see a product but are seeking a better one, you use the word “afda”. And if you want something cheaper use the Arabic word “arkhas”.
| 4 | لست بحاجةٍ إليه، شكراً. | I don’t need it, thanks. | Lastu bihajaten ilaaihi, shkran. |
This phrase could be used when the seller is offering you something that you do not want to buy.
| 6 | هذا يعجبني \لا يعجبني. | I like/I don’t like it. | Hatha yu’ejibuni \la yu’ejibuni. |
Say these phrases to express your opinion about different products that you see in the shop.
| 7 | أرني هذا من فضلك. | Show me this, please. | Arini hatha min fadlek. |
You can say this phrase to the seller when you want to ask them to show you something in their shop.
Watch the following video to learn how to pronounce these phrases.
Arabic phrases for weather
Weather is a part of our daily life, sometimes we need to ask or tell about it. For that you can use the following phrases:
| Arabic | English | Pronunciation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | كيف حال الطقس اليوم؟ | How is the weather today? | kaifa halu attaqsi, alyaum? |
This is the most common question about the weather. The word “attaqs” means weather. You can use another word instead of “alyaum”, like “fi baladikom” which means “in your country”.
| 2 | الطقس جميل\ممطر\مثلج\بارد\حار. | The weather is nice/rainy/snowy/cold/hot. | Altaqsu jamil \mumter \muthlej \bard \harr. |
The mentioned adjectives are used to answer the essential question about the weather. The word “jameel” means “beautiful” in general, but when it is about weather it means “nice”.
| 3 | كم درجة الحرارة الآن؟ | What is the temperature now? | kam darajatu alharara al’aan? |
Another question about weather concerns the temperature which is “alharara” in Arabic, you can use it to ask about the temperature outside.
Watch the following video to learn how to pronounce these phrases.
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