Arabic Language: Responses
How good is your arabic? Before you embark on your journey to learn this fascinating language, here are some practical tips to help you get started:
Speak it: You learn to speak by speaking. There is just no other way of doing it! Jump in there and go for it.
Use it or Lose it: Study, read, listen, talk, write, drill, chant, sing. Listen to Emirati songs, watch Emirati movies, browse Emirati magazines, newspaper and websites. Go to authentic Emirati Arabic speakers and try to speak with them in their local dialect as much as possible. Keep the conversation going!
Arabs place great importance on greetings, often greeting each other with a number of phrases and fixed responses enquiring about each other’s health, wellbeing and family.
As a courtesy, its important for visitors to learn the basics of how to say hello and goodbye when in their company.
* Indicates if you’re speaking as a female or when you’re speaking to a female.
Responses:
- Look! shuff!/ *shuffi
- Where? wain?
- On your right a’la yameenak
- On your left a’la shamalak
- Straight on a’la tool
- Stop! aqif/ *aqifi
- Go! imshi
- Come! ta’al/ *ta’ali
- Let’s go! yalla
- Tell me qulli/ *qulili
- When? mata? or emta?
- Bring me/ give jeeb/ *jeebi
- This hatha
- That hathaak
- There isn’t any mafi
- No problem mafi mushkila
- There is no time mafi waqt
- Impossible mush mumkin
- Finished Khallas
- If God is willing Insh’Allah
- For sure Wallah/ akeed
- Ramadan blessings Ramadan Kareem
- Eid blessings Eid mubarak
