Basic Arabic Words and Phrases for Beginners (With Pronunciation)

The basic Arabic words and phrases to learn first are marhaba (hello), as-salamu alaykum (peace be upon you), shukran (thank you), min fadlak (please, to a man), na'am and la (yes and no), and bikam? (how much?). Each row below gives Modern Standard Arabic in Arabic script with an English-friendly respelling, plus dialect notes where they matter.

Which Arabic is this? Modern Standard Arabic and the dialects

Modern Standard Arabic (MSA, called al-fusha) is the shared standard of books, newspapers and news broadcasts across the Arab world. At home and on the street, people speak a regional dialect such as Egyptian, Levantine (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine) or Gulf Arabic, and dialects can differ a lot from MSA and from each other. Educated speakers understand MSA, but they usually answer in their own dialect.

The phrases in this guide are MSA, because MSA is understood everywhere and matches what you will read on signs and menus. Where a dialect says it differently, this table shows the swap.

Two letters shift the most between regions. The letter ق (q) is usually a glottal stop in Egyptian and Lebanese speech and usually a hard g in the Gulf, so قهوة (coffee) is qahwa in MSA, close to "AH-wa" in Cairo and "AH-way" in Damascus, and gahwa in the Gulf. The letter ج is j in MSA, a hard g in Egypt, the s of "measure" in the Levant, and often y in the Gulf (masjid, mosque, can be heard as masyid). In Lebanon you will also hear merci for thank you, borrowed from French.

Arabic reads right to left

Arabic script runs from right to left, and the letters join in a cursive line, even in print, changing shape with their position in the word. Short vowels are usually left out of everyday writing: شكرا (shukran) is written with the consonants and the final long a, and you learn the missing vowels with the word. Beginner texts add them as small marks above and below the letters. Numbers are the exception: they run left to right, even inside a right-to-left sentence.

How it sounds: the letters English does not have

In the respellings in this guide, an apostrophe (') marks ʿayn, and kh, gh and q stand for the sounds below. Capital letters show the stressed syllable.

Greetings and their replies

Many Arabic greetings have a set answer.

As-salamu alaykum is grammatically plural, but it is used for one person too. Notice that the l of al- disappears before s: you say as-salamu, not al-salamu, and an-nur, not al-nur. For more set phrases with audio, see the Arabic greetings phrases.

"You" changes for a man or a woman

Arabic has a different "you" for a man and for a woman, so many everyday phrases have two forms. In MSA the difference is often only the final vowel, which is not written, so كيف حالك looks the same on paper for both. In everyday speech the ending is shortened to -ak for a man and -ik for a woman, which is why you hear kayf halak and kayf halik.

A few words change with the person speaking instead. A man says أنا آسف (ana AA-sif, I am sorry) and a woman says أنا آسفة (ana AA-si-fa). Shukran stays the same for everyone.

Thank you, please and the words you will hear all day

In sha' Allah and al-hamdu lillah are everyday words, not only formal religious phrases. In sha' Allah goes with any plan or hope: "See you tomorrow?" "In sha' Allah." Al-hamdu lillah is the most common answer to "how are you": Kayf halak? Al-hamdu lillah, bi-khayr. (Fine, thank God.)

Survival questions for travel and shops

For ordering food, the Arabic restaurant phrases pick up where this table stops, and the Arabic travel phrases cover tickets, taxis and directions.

Numbers 1 to 10 with Eastern Arabic numerals

Eastern Arabic numerals are used alongside Western digits in Egypt, Sudan and Arabic-speaking Asia; North Africa uses Western digits. Multi-digit numbers are written left to right, so ٢٥ is 25. Watch the shapes: ٠ (zero) is a small dot, and ٥ (five) is the one that looks like a zero.

Common mistakes English speakers make

• Skipping ʿayn. Na'am said as "nam" or 'afwan as "afwan" is understood, but the throat sound is part of the word. Practice the squeeze.
• Using the man's form with everyone. Kayf halak to a woman sounds off; switch to kayf halik and min fadlik.
• Answering a greeting with the same words. Sabah al-khayr back is understood, but sabah an-nur is the expected reply, and as-salamu alaykum is answered with wa alaykum as-salam.
• Expecting MSA back. People often reply in dialect, so learn the local "how are you" and "yes".

Once the greetings feel easy, short Arabic stories by level let you meet these words in context, and the tips for English speakers learning Arabic help you plan what comes next. Saying the phrases out loud is what makes them stick, and you can practice them with Polly, the PollyStop tutor.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most basic Arabic words for beginners?

Start with marhaba (hello), as-salamu alaykum (peace be upon you), shukran (thank you), min fadlak or min fadlik (please, to a man or a woman), na'am (yes), la (no), 'afwan (you are welcome) and ma'a as-salama (goodbye).

How do you reply to as-salamu alaykum?

The reply is wa alaykum as-salam, which means and upon you, peace. As-salamu alaykum is grammatically plural, but it is said to one person as well as to a group, and the same reply works for both.

Should I learn Modern Standard Arabic or a dialect first?

Modern Standard Arabic is the written standard used in news, books and signs across the Arab world, and educated speakers everywhere understand it. Everyday conversation happens in dialects such as Egyptian, Levantine or Gulf Arabic, so if you are preparing for one country, learning its dialect for speaking and MSA for reading is a practical mix.

How do you say thank you in Arabic?

Shukran is thank you and shukran jazilan is thank you very much. The usual reply is 'afwan, you are welcome. In Egypt you will also hear motashakker (said by a man) and motashakkera (said by a woman), and in Lebanon many people say merci.