Gulf Arabic Expressions and Phrases
This guide is in Gulf Arabic. Click here for the Standard Arabic version.
Table of Contents
Modern language-teaching methods highlight the importance of using collocations and language chunks, thereby giving students a practical sense of the language and embedding new words in a meaningful context. The Arabic language is not very different, especially since Gulf Arabic and other dialects are rarely taught in schools or language institutes. Students are left to rely, instead, on media and immersion in order to get a grasp of the language.
Arabic students at all levels can benefit from a phrase book, and so here we have compiled a list of basic Arabic expressions and phrases in Gulf Arabic. The list is organised by topic and each Arabic expression, phrase or sentence is presented with transliteration and audio pronunciation. We will be updating the list periodically.
Before you begin, you might benefit from taking a look at the transliteration guide.
Greetings and Related Arabic Expressions
Much like English, there is a myriad Arabic expressions marking the seemingly countless, cultural occasions, one might encounter in the Arab world. Which is why, a basic Arabic expression like ‘hello’ may vary from region to region. The major dialects, however, are universally understood. Gulf Arabic is quickly becoming koiné as the region hosts an increasing number of migrants each year, many of which are Arabs themselves. You may even be surprised to encounter a Gulf Arabic speaker in the south of India.
These phrases should be understood no matter where you are in the Arabic-speaking world, and easier for an English speaker to learn, since Gulf Arabic has more than a handful of laon words from English.
Hello
ah-lan
اهلا
Welcome
mar-Ha-ba
مرحبا
Good morning
Sa-baa-H il khare
صباح الخير
Good evening
ma-saa. il khare
مساء الخير
Good night
tiS-baH 'a-la khare (m)
tiS-ba-Heen 'a-la khare (f)
تصبح على خير
تصبحين على خير
How are you?
shakh-ba-rek (m)
shakh-ba-rich (f)
شخبارك؟
شخبارج؟
I am fine, and you?
a-na zane, wa in-ta (m)
a-na ze-na, wa in-ti (f)
انا زين، وانت؟
What is your name?
shi-nu is-mek (m)
shi-nu is-mich (f)
شنو اسمك؟
شنو اسمج؟
My name is Michael
is-mi mai-kul
اسمي مايكل
Where are you from?
il akh min wane (m)
il ikht min wane (f)
الاخ من وين؟
الاخت من وين؟
I am from France
a-na min fa-ran-sa
انا من فرنسا
Pleased to meet you
t-shar-raf-na
تشرفنا
Goodbye
ma-'a as-sa-laa-ma
مع السلامة
See you later
a-chu-fek ba'-dane (m)
a-chu-fich ba'-dane (f)
اجوفك بعدين
اجوفج بعدين
See you tomorrow
a-chu-fek ba-cher (m)
a-chu-fich ba-cher (f)
اجوفك باجر
اجوفج باجر
Good luck
bit taw-feeg
بالتوفيق
Congratulations
mab-ruuk
مبروك
Basic Phrases Whilst Travelling
Have you ever found yourself stuck at the airport on your way to a Gulf Arabic country without an English speaker in sight. Al though that scenario is highly unlikely today, you might still find the following list of Arabic expressions useful in case you want to strike up a conversation with an Arabic speaker, getting through customs or asking for help, whilst travelling in the Arabic world.
Where are you travelling?
wane m-saafir (m)
wane m-saaf-ra (f)
وين مسافر؟
وين مسافرة؟
Have you been to this airport before?
jeet hal ma-Taar min ga-bil (m)?
jee-ti hal ma-Taar min ga-bil (f)?
جيت هالمطار من قبل؟
جيتي هالمطار من قبل؟
I lost my luggage
Dhai-ya't shna-Ti
ضيعت شناطي
Excuse me, where is the bathroom?
law sa-maHt wane il Ham-maam
لو سمحت، وين الحمام؟
Where is the currency exchange?
wane il Sar-raafa
وين الصرافة؟
Yes, I have a ticket
ee ma-'ai tath-ki-ra
اي، معاي تذكرة
No, I don't have a visa
laa ma 'in-di ta.-shee-ra
لا، ما عندي تأشيرة
I have a residence permit
'in-di i-qaa-ma
عندي إقامة
My flight is late
il Tai-yaa-ra ta-akh-a-rat
الطيارة تأخرت
I am waiting for someone
an-ti-dthir aH-ad
انتظر احد
Have we met before?
tlaa-gaena min ga-bil
تلاقينا من قبل؟
What is the departure time?
me-ta Teer il Tai-yaa-ra
متى تطير الطيارة؟
When does boarding begin?
me-ta yib-da. il Su-'ood
متى يبدأ الصعود؟
I missed my flight
ra-Hat 'a-lai il Tai-yaa-ra
راحت علي الطيارة
I want to buy a ticket, if possible
ab-bi ash-ta-ri tath-ki-ra i-tha mum-kin
ابي اشتري تذكرة، اذا ممكن
I am tired of waiting
te-'abt min il in-ti-dthaar
تعبت من الإنتظار
Safe trip
bis sa-laa-ma
بالسلامة
Arabic Expressions for the Restaurant
You are quite lucky that in the Arab world, people are not as pedantic about their eating habits. In a cosmopolitan city, you will find food from all over the world and people adopting whatever temporary culture and etiquette most appropriate for the type of food and occasion. Even in a traditional Arabic restaurant, it is quite a rarity for people to sit on the floor and eat with their hands, and even more so, you may never find a waiter who fails to take your order in English. Nevertheless, here is a handful of Arabic expressions to help you order your first meal in Arabic.
Can we meet at the restaurant?
mum-kin nit-gaa-bal bil maT-'am
ممكن نتقابل بالمطعم؟
It is just my friend and I
a-na wa Sa-dee-qi bas
انا وصديقي بس
May I see the menu?
mumkin a-chuuf il mehn-yuu
ممكن اجوف المنيو؟
Do you have a wine list?
'ind-kum lis-tat wain
عنكدم لستة نبيذ؟
The food needs a little salt
il a-kil yeH-taaj shwai milH
الأكل يحتاج شوي ملح
The soup is hot
ish-shor-ba Saakh-na
الشوربة صاخنة
Can I have some water, please?
mum-kin mai min faDH-lek (m)
mum-kin mai min faDH-lich (f)
ممكن ماي من فضلك؟
The food was delicious
il a-kil kaan la-theeth
الأكل كان لذيذ
Can I pay by card?
mum-kin ad-fa' bil bi-Taa-qa
ممكن ادفع بالبطاقة؟
Yes, please
ee min faDH-lik
اي، من فضلك
No, thank you
laa shuk-ran
لا، شكرا
I will call a taxi
bat-ti-Sil bi tak-si
باتصل بتاكسي
I had a great time
is-ta-nast waa-jid
إستانست وايد
See you next week
a-chuu-fek il is-buu' il jaay (m)
a-chuu-fich il is-buu' il jaay (m)
اجوفك الاسبوع الياي
Phrases for the Hospital
May I see the doctor?
mum-kin a-chuuf il dik-tor
ممكن اجوف الدكتور؟
What do you suffer from?
shi-nu feek (m)
shi-nu feech (f)
شنو فيك؟
I feel a little nauseous
a-His bil lo-'a
احس باللوعة
I think I have a fever
a'-ti-qid fee-ni skhu-na
اعتقد فيني سخونة
I am not sure
mub mit-.ak-kid
مب متأكد
Do you have your ID?
'in-dik ha-wiy-ya
عندك الهوية؟
Yes, I have it
ee 'in-di
اي، عندي
Do you have insurance?
ma-'aak ta.-meen
معاك تأمين؟
I have travel insurance
ma-'ai ta.-meen sa-far
معاي تأمين سفر
No problem
mub mush-ki-la
مب مشكلة
You can wait inside
tig-dar tin-ti-dthir daa-khil (m)
tig-da-reen tin-ti-dth-reen daa-khil (f)
تقدر تنتظر داخل
Arabic Expressions for the Cinema
What would you (f) like to see?
shi-nu ta-been t-chuu-feen
شنو تبين تجوفين؟
I heard there is a new Tarantino film
si-ma't fi fi-lim ja-dee-d min ikh-raaj ta-ran-ti-no
سمعت في فلم جديد من إخراج تارنتينو
Have you watched the trailer?
chift il tash-wee-qa (m)
chifti il tash-wee-qa (f)
جفت التشويقة؟
It looked great
shak-la wa-yid zane
شكله وايد زين
Hi! Can I have two tickets please?
mar-Ha-ba mum-kin tath-kir-tane min maDH-lik
مرحبا! ممكن تذكرتين من فضلك؟
Let us get some popcorn
khal-na nish-ta-ri fu-shaar
خلنا نشتري فشار
Let us hurry
yal-la bsir-'a
يالله بسرعة
I would like to see the trailers
ab-bi a-chuuf il tash-wee-qaat
ابي اجوف التشويقات
We will be updating this list periodically. You can download the Arabic alphabet chart and transliteration guide here. If you find yourself still perplexed about how to learn Arabic, you may find some solace in our guide on the subject. You can also subscribe to our newsletter, as we frequently update our website with new articles, lessons and courses. We would also appreciate your feedback in the comments section below.
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