I might be a bit biased, but I think Arabic is one of the most underrated languages. It is the national language of 27 countries and 420 million people. It is also the liturgical language of 1.6 billion Muslims, yet my Arabic class in the States had 10 people.
I think more people should learn Arabic, so I have a list of 10 basic words and phrases that you should know in Arabic. Please note that these are all in Modern Standard Arabic. There are many dialects including Egyptian Arabic that differ slightly.
1. سلام عليكم pronounced "As-salmu alaykum". This literally means "peace upon you" and it is a universal greeting. You can say it to anyone, anywhere, at anytime of day. The response to this is "wa-alaikum-salam" which literally means "and upon you peace".
2. كيف حالك؟ pronounced "kaif halak" for a boy or "kaif halek" for a girl". This literally means "how's the news?" But it is used to say "how are you?" There are many responses for this. You can say "Ana bekher" which plainly means "I'm good". You can also say "elhamduallah" which means "thanks be to God". You can say both or one or the other. Whatever floats your boat.
3. مع السلامة pronounced "ma el-salama". Literally translated, it means "with peace". However, it is used to say bye. The response would be "ma el-salama".
4. ان شاء الله pronounced "inshallah". This basically means "by God's will". Arabs use this all the time. "I will go to the cinema tomorrow, inshallah." "I will pass the test, inshallah." The texting abbreviation is "isA".
5. من فضلك pronounced "men fadlak" if you talk to a boy or "men fadlek" of you talk to a girl. This literally means "from your favor" but it's used to say "please".
6. شكرًا pronounced "shokran". This means "thank you". You use it to show gratitude to someone for something they did for you.
7. ما اسمك؟ pronounced "ma ismak" for a boy or "ma ismek" for a girl. This means "what's your name?" It is used when you don't know someone's name.
8. (انا اسمي... (كوري pronounced "Ana ismy... (Corie)". Can you guess what it means? Right!/Wrong! It means "my name is... (Corie)". It is used to introduce yourself in any given situation.
9. كل عام و انت/انتم بخير pronounced "kol am wa enta (boy)/enty (girl)/entom (multiple people) bekher". This means "every year and you be good". This is said on any special occasion. Birthday? Kol am wa enta bekher! Mother's Day? Kol am wa enty bekher. Wedding? Kol am wa entom bekher. When someone says this to you, the response is "wa enta bekher" when responding to a boy or "wa enty bekher" when responding to a girl.
10. انا احبك pronounced "Ana ohebak" for a boy and "Ana ohebek" for a girl. This means I love you <3
That's it! I hope you guys enjoyed this post and maybe you'll take up Arabic... or not. Let me know if you'd like another post like this because I do know more Arabic words and phrases. Also let me know if you learned anything or if it was just confusing.
I was featured on the AFS-USA blog. You can see the post here: http://www.afsusa.org/afs-blog/study-abroad/article/?article_id=7798
I couldn't have done it without your support of me and this blog so shokran gedan (very much).
Ana ohebokom (I love you all) and I will talk to you again soon. Until then,
Learn something today.
Ma el-salamaaaaaaaaaa
Corie.
The backgrounds in the pictures are mine. The first is the sunset I saw on the way to the pyramids once. And the other is the Red Sea in El Sokhna. :)
