· 7 min read
Arabic Phrases for Beginners and Travel
By Language Lab editorial team
20 Arabic phrases for beginners and travel, written the way they sound: greetings, thanks, yes and no, asking for help, and what to know about Arabic first.
You can be polite in Arabic with a handful of phrases. Marhaban is hello and shukran is thank you. Min fadlak is please, na'am is yes and la'a is no. To introduce yourself, say ana ismee and your name. Kaifa haluka? asks how are you, and bikhair, shukran answers I'm fine, thank you. If you are lost, lam af'ham means I don't understand and hal tatakallam al ingliziya? asks whether someone speaks English. Bear in mind that everyday spoken Arabic varies a great deal from country to country; Modern Standard Arabic is the form understood across the Arab world. The 20 phrases below, written in English letters the way they sound, come from the BBC's guide to Arabic.
Greetings and goodbyes
| Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|
| marhaban | Hello |
| hala! | Hi |
| ila al’likaa' | Goodbye |
| ma’a ssalama! | See you later |
| souedtoo bi lika’ek | Pleased to meet you |
Polite words
| Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|
| min fadlak | Please |
| shukran | Thank you |
| a’afwan | You're welcome |
| na’am | Yes |
| la’a | No |
| ana a’asef | I'm sorry |
Talking about yourself
| Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ana ismee... | My name is ... |
| kaifa haluka? | How are you? |
| bikhair, shukran | I'm fine, thank you |
| lastoo bikhair | I'm not well |
Help and understanding
| Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|
| hal tatakallam al ingliziya? | Do you speak English? |
| lam af’ham | I don't understand |
| ahtajoo ilal musa’ada raja’an | I need help, please |
Reactions
| Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|
| mabrouk! | Congratulations |
| azeem! | Great |
Which Arabic is this?
The BBC's guide explains that Arabic comes in several forms. Classical Arabic is the language of the Qur'an and is today more a written language than a spoken one. Modern Standard Arabic is similar but easier; it is understood across the Arab world, used by television presenters and politicians, found in newspapers, and used to teach Arabic as a foreign language. Spoken Arabic is different again: there are many dialects, and the guide notes that a speaker from Iraq can find it almost impossible to understand a local Algerian, though both can communicate in Modern Standard Arabic.
For a traveller this means: learn standard phrases, and expect that the replies you hear may be in a local dialect and sound different from the textbook.
What to know before you start
- Arabic is the official language of the 22 countries of the Arab League, and the BBC's guide gives it as the native language of over 200 million people in that region.
- It is written from right to left, and the front of an Arabic book is where an English reader expects the back.
- Some sounds are made at the very back of the throat and take time to master, the guide says.
- Word order differs: the verb comes first, and adjectives follow the noun, so the red car is literally the car red.
- You already use Arabic words. Cotton, sugar, guitar, alcohol and lemon all came into English from Arabic.
A short exchange
- A: Marhaban. Kaifa haluka? Hello. How are you?
- B: Bikhair, shukran. I'm fine, thank you.
- A: Ana ismee ... My name is ...
- B: Souedtoo bi lika’ek. Pleased to meet you.
- A: Ma’a ssalama! See you later.
How to learn them
- Learn them by ear. The spellings here are approximations in English letters; the audio is the real guide.
- Say each one aloud several times, especially the sounds English does not have.
- Test yourself from English to Arabic.
- Review across a week. A 2013 review of learning research rated practice testing and distributed practice as high utility, and rereading as low.
- Know the scale if you continue: the US State Department places Arabic in Category IV, its hardest group, at 88 weeks or 2,200 class hours.
Language Lab's Arabic course is built around voiced real-life scenarios with an AI tutor, so you can hear the phrases and practise saying them.
Frequently asked
How do you say hello in Arabic?
Marhaban. A shorter, casual hi is hala!
How do you say thank you in Arabic?
Shukran. You're welcome is a'afwan, and please is min fadlak.
How do you say yes and no in Arabic?
Yes is na'am and no is la'a.
How do you say my name is in Arabic?
Ana ismee, followed by your name.
Is Arabic the same in every Arab country?
No. The BBC's guide says Modern Standard Arabic is understood across the Arab world, while everyday spoken dialects differ so much that speakers from distant countries can struggle to understand each other.
Is Arabic hard for English speakers?
Yes. The US State Department lists it in Category IV at 88 weeks of classes. The BBC's guide points to sounds made at the back of the throat, a different word order and right-to-left writing.
Sources: BBC Languages, A Guide to Arabic: Key phrases and 10 facts about the Arabic language (archived pages); US Department of State, National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Foreign Language Training; Dunlosky et al., Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2013. Checked on 13 October 2026. Photo: Al-Khazneh, the Treasury, Petra, Vyacheslav Argenberg / CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
