Learn how to use some common Arabic greetings
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| Marḥaban, ʾanā Carole! |
| Hi! I’m Carole. |
| Welcome back to ArabicPod101.com’s Al-ʿarabiyyah fi ṯalāṯi daqāʾiq the fastest, easiest, and most fun way to learn Arabic. |
| In the last lesson, we learned how to thank people by saying šukran and šukran ǧazīlan. In this lesson we’ll learn some of the most common greetings used in Arabic speaking countries. |
| Hal ʾantum ǧāhizūn? Are you ready? Fal nabdaʾ!, then let’s start! |
| The most common greeting is: |
| marḥaban or “Hi”! |
| [slowly] marḥaban! |
| This is a general way to greet people when you see them. |
| A more cultural greeting is Al-salāmu ʿalaykum. This means "peace be with you," and is generally used only by Muslims. We say it when we meet someone and also when we leave. |
| [slowly] Al-salāmu ʿalaykum |
| Someone could respond to Al-salāmu ʿalaykum with “marḥaban” or “Hi”, but it is more polite to respond to such greetings in the corresponding way. |
| Since Al-salāmu ʿalaykum means "Peace be with you", when greeted in that way we should answer back with “Wa ʿalaykum al-salām” which literally means “Peace be with you too”. |
| [slowly] Wa ʿalaykum al-salām |
| Whether you use “marḥaban” (“Hi”) or “Al-salāmu ʿalaykum”, it is also polite to ask the person how they are. Kayfa ḥāluka? “How are you?” |
| [slowly] Kayfa Hāluka? |
| Don’t forget that in Arabic, the word “you” needs to have a gender. So Kayfa Hāluka? is good if you are talking to a man, but if you are talking to a woman you should ask Kayfa Hāluki? |
| [slowly] Kayfa Hāluki? |
| When it's time to leave, we have many ways to say parting greetings. |
| You can say: wadāʿan or Goodbye. |
| [slowly] wadāʿan |
| The other person can reply “maʿa al-salāmah” which means “Be safe” |
| [slowly] maʿa al-salāmah |
| Let’s review the phrases you’ve learned in this lesson. |
| marḥaban is Hi |
| Al-salāmu ʿalaykum is Peace be with you |
| The response is Wa ʿalaykum al-salām |
| Kayfa Hāluka? or Kayfa Hāluki? is How are you? |
| wadāʿan is Goodbye and maʿa al-salāmah is Be safe |
| Now it’s time for Carole’s tips. |
| If the you’re leaving and you want to show the person that you would like to see them again, you can use ilā al-liqāʾmeaning “See you!”, or ʾilā al-liqāʾi qarīban! or “See you soon!” |
| [slowly] ʾilā al-liqāʾ / ʾilā al-liqāʾi qarīban! |
| Now you know lots of ways to greet people in Arabic! |
| During the next lesson we’ll learn the meaning of the phrase Hal tatakallamu al-ʾinklīziyyah? Do you already know it? I'll be waiting to talk about it with you in the next Al-ʿarabiyyah fi ṯalāṯi daqāʾiq lesson. |
| ʾilā al-liqāʾi qarīban! |
Comments
HideHi Listeners! Let's practice here!
This is awesome 😭
Hi Gregoire,
Thank you for taking the time to write to us and for the update.😊
If there's any way we can help you throughout your studies, please don't hesitate to ask us any questions you have here.
Cheers,
Ali
Team ArabicPod101.com
Update: All videos seem to work on the mobile app, so perhaps its a browser issue.
Hi, I am just starting, the video of the first lesson worked fine, but unfortunately the videos of the 2nd and now 3rd lessons do not launch. Is there something I can do to solve that issue please?
Hi Zuneira,
You are in luck! We have so much Standard Arabic content. Please search "Standard Arabic" in the lesson library for the full catalogue 😁
Nora
Team ArabicPod101.com
I want to learn modern standard arabic..
Hi Yusuf,
Shukran!
Nora
Team ArabicPod101.com
Great Lesson
Hi Meg,
That's:
See you.
ashuufak ba'deen
See you soon
ashuufak orayyeb
Nora
Team ArabicPod101.com
what's the arabic letters for see you and see you soon?
Hi Miss Javeria,
surirtu biliqaiki!
Nora
Team ArabicPod101.com
Assalamu Alaikum Ya Carol!
Asmi Javeria, Surirtu biliqaiki 😊
Kaifa Haluki?
Ilal liqaiki qariban.
Hi Keith,
My christian friends in Egypt say assalamu alaikum too. It has become more of a cultural thing now.
You could also just say "hi" and "bye". That is very common in Egypt.
Nora
Team ArabicPod101.com
Hello:
What is the polite, respectful way for a Christian to say or respond "Peace be to you?"
My understanding is that Al-salāmu ʿalaykum is only used by Muslims intended and spoken by Muslims to Muslims.
How should a Christian act in this example?
Thank you.
أهلا بلال،
نحن بخير. وأنت؟
Nora
Team ArabicPod101.com
اسلام عليڪم، كرول، كيف حلكِ؟
Salaam ABU BAKARR BAO,
You're welcome. 😉 We hope you found it useful. If you have any questions, please let us know.
Kind regards,
Levente
Team ArabicPod101.com
THANKS
THANK YOU
Hi Nurilya,
أنا بخير الحمد لله!
Nora
Team ArabicPod101.com