Useful Arabic Words and Phrases

Here’s a list of common Arabic words and phrases which you’ll find useful when traveling to Syria, or indeed any Arabic speaking country. Familiarize yourself with them, but also remember that a lot of people in Syria speak English and quite a few speak French too, so you shouldn’t have too much of a problem communicating.

Notes:

- There are two types of Arabic, the first is called classical or formal, and is used in all official documents, school and university text books, news broadcasts, and most newspapers and magazines. It adheres to very strict grammatical, spelling and pronunciation rules, and is therefore understood by any Arab speaker even though it is never used in everyday conversation. The second type of Arabic is known as common, or local. It’s akin to slang, and is used primarily for conversation. This type of Arabic varies widely from country to country, and region to region. It has almost no rules whatsoever, and much of it’s vocabulary contains non Arabic words. Consequently, this type of Arabic is heavily accented, and will usually not be understood by other Arab speakers from outside the region. The type of common Arabic spoken in Syria and the surrounding countries is known as Levantine Arabic.

- “el” or “al” in Arabic, are the equivalent of “the” in English, ie: definite article.

- an ‘ apostrophe, is used to denote a glottal stop.

- There are quite a lot of Latin words used in common Syrian Arabic, a legacy of the French mandate.

- The following words and phrases are in common Levantine Arabic, and will be understood throughout the Levantine region.

Airports, Borders, Customs:

Gamarek,  Gimrok – customs

Hidood – border

Hajez – checkpoint

Basbor – passport

Visa – visa

Ta’sheera – entry, exit stamp

Rosoom – fees

Souk el Hurra – duty free

Mamnoo’ – banned, no entry

Bawabeh – gate

Dokhool – entry

Khorooj – exit

Greeting:

Al Salamu Aleykom – translates to peace be upon you. used to greet and sometimes also to say goodbye. This is the formal type of greeting.

Wa Alaykom el Salam – translates to : and peace upon you too. used to reply to the greeting/farewell above.

Ma al Salamah: translates to – peace be with you. used to say farewell.

Marhaba: translates to hello. Informal greeting, used with friends and close associates.

Shopping, Bartering:

Andak – Do you have

Kam, Be Kam – How much is it.

Kteer – its too much

Gheir lon- different color

Qmasheh, Qmash – Fabric, fabrics

Sigadeh – carpet, rug

Sigadeh Ajameyeh – persian rug

Kindra, Kanader – shoe, shoes

Amis – shirt

bantalon – trousers

Slib – underpants

Jrab – socks

Shahata – slippers

Klasheh – sandals

Mayo- swimwear

Manshafeh – towel

zeit – sunblock

Nadarat – eye glasses

Nadarat shamseya – sun glasses

Situational, Assistance, Places:

Shokran – thank you

Afwan – when used to reply to the above, it means you’re welcome. when used on its own, it can mean sorry or excuse me.

Min Fadlak, Lao Samahet – please

Bidee – i want

Taxi – Taxi

Ila el – to the

Wakef Andak – stop here

Wein el, Ayna el – where is the

Mathaf – museum

Bolice, Shirta – police

Makhfar Shirta, bolice – police station

Hotel – hotel

Matar – airport

Mahtat Bas, Bolman – bus, coach station

Mahatat Qitar – train station

Toilet, Hammam – toilet, bathroom, washroom

Mashfa, Mostashfa – hospital

Safara – embassy

Mat’am – restaurant

Souk – shops

Mak’ha – cafe

Mak’ha Internet – internet cafe

Talephone – telephone

Food, drink:

Akel – food

Khobez – bread

Somen – Buns

Maiye (pronounced “my”) – water

Kazooz, kola – soft drink

Fawakeh – Fruit

Beera – beer

Nbeet – wine