Travel phrases

Essential Arabic travel phrases

Pack the words that matter. These are the 34 Arabic phrases that actually come up on a trip, from your first السلام عليكم to calling for help, grouped by situation and written with a simple pronunciation guide, and read aloud at the tap of a button. Chosen the way a Arabic speaker would choose them, which is why the list ends with the phrases you only hear once you are there.

Quick answer

The most useful Arabic travel phrases cover greetings, politeness, directions, food, and emergencies. Learn a handful first: السلام عليكم (hello), من فضلك (please), شكرا (thank you), and أين الحمام؟ (where is the toilet?). This free tool groups 34 Arabic phrases by situation, each with a plain-English pronunciation and a play button that reads it aloud. They are the phrases Arabic speakers really use, not an English list translated into Arabic, so the last block is the one a phrasebook never has: what locals say to each other.

Start here

The first 10 Arabic phrases to learn

The ones you need on day one. Tap play, say the phrase back until it sounds close, then say it along with the voice: that is shadowing, the drill interpreters train with.

  1. 1 السلام عليكم Hello as-sah-LAH-moo ah-LAY-koom Literally peace be upon you; the greeting from Morocco to Oman, at any hour and to anyone; the lighter "marhaban" and "ahlan" are just as common between strangers
  2. 2 وعليكم السلام And peace be upon you wah ah-LAY-koom as-sah-LAHM The fixed reply to "as-salamu alaykum"; answering it with anything else sounds odd
  3. 3 صباح الخير Good morning sah-BAHH al-KHAYR Until about noon; the reply is "sabah an-nur", a morning of light
  4. 4 مساء الخير Good evening mah-SAH al-KHAYR From the afternoon on; the reply is "masa an-nur"
  5. 5 مع السلامة Goodbye MAH-ah as-sah-LAH-mah Said by the one leaving and the one staying; you will often hear "allah yisallimak" back
  6. 6 شكرا Thank you SHOOK-ran "Shukran jazilan" for a bigger thank you
  7. 7 من فضلك Please min FAD-lak To a man; to a woman it is "min fadlik", spelled the same; "law samaht" is the other everyday please
  8. 8 نعم / لا Yes / No NAH-am / LAH In speech you will hear "aywa" for yes across most of the region
  9. 9 عفوا You're welcome / Excuse me AF-wan The answer to "shukran", and also how you get past someone or catch a waiter's eye; to apologise, say "asif", or "asifa" if you are a woman
  10. 10 لا أفهم I don't understand lah AF-ham
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All 34 phrases, grouped by situation.

Greetings

السلام عليكم Hello as-sah-LAH-moo ah-LAY-koom Literally peace be upon you; the greeting from Morocco to Oman, at any hour and to anyone; the lighter "marhaban" and "ahlan" are just as common between strangers
وعليكم السلام And peace be upon you wah ah-LAY-koom as-sah-LAHM The fixed reply to "as-salamu alaykum"; answering it with anything else sounds odd
صباح الخير Good morning sah-BAHH al-KHAYR Until about noon; the reply is "sabah an-nur", a morning of light
مساء الخير Good evening mah-SAH al-KHAYR From the afternoon on; the reply is "masa an-nur"
مع السلامة Goodbye MAH-ah as-sah-LAH-mah Said by the one leaving and the one staying; you will often hear "allah yisallimak" back

Basics

شكرا Thank you SHOOK-ran "Shukran jazilan" for a bigger thank you
من فضلك Please min FAD-lak To a man; to a woman it is "min fadlik", spelled the same; "law samaht" is the other everyday please
نعم / لا Yes / No NAH-am / LAH In speech you will hear "aywa" for yes across most of the region
عفوا You're welcome / Excuse me AF-wan The answer to "shukran", and also how you get past someone or catch a waiter's eye; to apologise, say "asif", or "asifa" if you are a woman
لا أفهم I don't understand lah AF-ham
هل تتكلم الإنجليزية؟ Do you speak English? hal tah-tah-KAL-lam al-in-glee-ZEE-yah To a man; to a woman, "hal tatakallamin"; in the Maghreb French often works better

Getting around

أين الحمام؟ Where is the toilet? AY-nah al-ham-MAHM "Hammam" is understood everywhere; signs often say "dawrat al-miyah"
أريد أن أذهب إلى هذا العنوان I want to go to this address oo-REE-doo an ADH-hab ee-LAH HAH-dhah al-oon-WAHN Show the address on your phone as you say it; drivers often navigate by landmarks rather than street names
كم الأجرة؟ How much is the fare? kam al-OOJ-rah Ask before you get into a taxi, unless the driver switches the meter on
توقف هنا، من فضلك Stop here, please tah-WAK-kaf HOO-nah, min FAD-lak To a taxi or minibus driver as you come up to the spot
تذكرة واحدة، من فضلك One ticket, please TADH-kah-rah WAH-hee-dah, min FAD-lak

Eating out

القائمة، من فضلك The menu, please al-KAH-ee-mah, min FAD-lak Many places simply say "al-menu"; in a small eatery you may be shown the pots instead
بدون سكر، من فضلك No sugar, please bee-DOON sook-KAR, min FAD-lak Tea and coffee come very sweet unless you say so; "sukkar qalil" gets a little sugar
أنا نباتي I'm vegetarian AH-nah nah-BAH-tee "Nabatiya" if you are a woman; ask about stock too, since lentil soup and rice are often cooked with meat
الحساب، من فضلك The bill, please al-hee-SAHB, min FAD-lak It comes only when you ask; nobody will hurry you out
بالهناء والشفاء Enjoy your meal bil-hah-NAH wash-shee-FAH Said to anyone eating, often by the host; in the Levant you will hear the colloquial "sahtayn" instead

Shopping

بكم هذا؟ How much is this? BEE-kam HAH-dhah
هل يمكنني الدفع بالبطاقة؟ Can I pay by card? hal yoom-KEE-noo-nee ad-DAF bil-bee-TAH-kah Malls and hotels take cards; souks, taxis and small shops still want cash
هل هذا آخر سعر؟ Is that your final price? hal HAH-dhah AH-khir SEE-er The opening move of a haggle; expected in a souk, not in a supermarket or a mall
أتفرج فقط، شكرا Just looking, thanks ah-tah-FAR-raj FAH-kat, SHOOK-ran

Emergencies

النجدة! Help! an-NAJ-dah The cry for help; "saiduni", help me, works too
اتصلوا بالإسعاف! Call an ambulance! it-TAH-see-loo bil-is-AHF Emergency numbers differ from country to country, so look up the local one when you arrive
أحتاج إلى طبيب I need a doctor ah-TAH-joo ee-LAH tah-BEEB
أنا تائه I'm lost AH-nah TAH-ih "Ana taiha" if you are a woman

Locals say

إن شاء الله God willing in SHAH al-LAH Attached to any plan, from tomorrow to see you at five; it can mean yes, maybe or a polite no, and the tone tells you which
الحمد لله Thank God al-HAM-doo lil-LAH The usual answer to how are you, "kayf halak", whatever the day was like; also said after a meal or good news
تفضل Please, go ahead tah-FAD-dal Inviting someone in, offering a seat or food, handing something over; this is the form for a man, "tafaddali" to a woman, "tafaddalu" to a group
ما شاء الله What God has willed mah SHAH al-LAH Said when you admire something, a child, a house, a new car, so the praise cannot bring bad luck
يعطيك العافية God give you strength YAH-tee-kal AH-fee-yah Colloquial rather than textbook Arabic, heard across the Levant and the Gulf: said to anyone at work, a driver, a cook, a shopkeeper; the reply is "allah yaafik"

How to get the most from these phrases

Learn by situation, not alphabetically. Your memory files السلام عليكم next to the moment you would use it, so run through the greetings before you fly, the restaurant block on the way to dinner, and the emergency block once so it is there if you ever need it.

The pronunciation guide is written the way an English speaker would read it aloud, with the stressed syllable in capitals. It is a crutch, not the real sound. Press play, listen once, then say the phrase back: the audio fixes the vowels that plain English spelling cannot capture. Once a phrase feels easy, say it together with the voice, a beat behind, the way interpreters drill: our guide to shadowing explains the sequence.

Phrases get you to the country. What gets you fluent is meeting the same words again and again in context, which is exactly what reading does. Once من فضلك and شكرا feel automatic, the next step is a real Arabic sentence, then a page, then a book. That is the whole idea behind reading in Lingo7.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most important Arabic phrases for travel?

Start with greetings and politeness, then the phrases that solve a real problem: asking directions, ordering, paying, and getting help. On this page that is السلام عليكم (hello), من فضلك (please), شكرا (thank you), أين الحمام؟ (where is the toilet?), and النجدة! (help!). Learn those few and you can be polite and safe almost anywhere.

What do Arabic locals say that a phrasebook leaves out?

A phrasebook translates English, so it gives you the Arabic for "hello" and stops. The phrases people there actually trade all day are the ones with no English slot: إن شاء الله (God willing), الحمد لله (thank God), تفضل (please, go ahead). The "Locals say" block on this page collects 5 of them and says when each one is used, which is usually what turns a correct sentence into a normal one.

What do these Arabic phrases sound like?

Tap the play button next to a phrase and you hear it read aloud, so you can copy the sound instead of guessing it from the spelling. The written pronunciation is a crutch for English eyes, the audio is the real thing. Play السلام عليكم and شكرا a few times, say them back, and they come out right when it counts.

How do you say hello and thank you in Arabic?

In Arabic, hello is السلام عليكم (pronounced as-sah-LAH-moo ah-LAY-koom) and thank you is شكرا (SHOOK-ran). Add من فضلك (please) and مع السلامة (goodbye), and you have the words that carry most short exchanges with a shopkeeper, waiter, or stranger.

How do you ask where the toilet is in Arabic?

Ask أين الحمام؟ (pronounced AY-nah al-ham-MAHM), which means "where is the toilet?" in Arabic. If you only catch part of the reply, لا أفهم (I don't understand) and a smile usually gets it repeated or pointed out. It is one of the few phrases worth memorizing word for word before you go.

Do I need to learn Arabic before traveling?

No, but a dozen Arabic phrases go a long way. Locals warm up fast when you open with السلام عليكم and شكرا instead of English. You do not need grammar or fluency for a trip, just the survival set above. For anything past that, the fastest route to real Arabic is reading, which is exactly what Lingo7 is built for.