Common Arabic Words and Phrases

Arabic is a very exciting and eloquent language to learn. It is spoken in 28 countries and by more than 350 million native speakers around the world.  Arabic shares one common “written” language and more than 30 “spoken” dialects.
Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is the universal form of the language that all Arabic speakers understand. It is the modernized form of Classical Arabic, and it is the language used in books, newspapers, literature, official documents and formal situations, such as a news broadcast and parliamentary speech.
Colloquial Arabic, on the other hand, refers to the many regional varieties, which constitute the everyday spoken language. Colloquial Arabic is used in informal (usually unwritten) contexts, such as talking to one’s family and friends.
Colloquial Arabic shares some features with MSA, while each form has its own grammatical and linguistic features. The differences between the colloquial varieties are sometimes so pronounced that one can often tell where a speaker is from just by listening to them speak.
The most effective way to master an Arabic dialect is to spend a few years in the place where it is spoken.
Speakers of colloquial Arabic from different parts of the world usually use Modern Standard Arabic to communicate with each other.
If you speak a European language, the rules and concepts of the Arabic language may be unfamiliar to you at first, but learning Arabic becomes easier and more interesting once you become familiar with a few basic rules.
Below is a list of some common words and phrases in Modern Standard Arabic that you can use right away in everyday conversations with native Arabic speakers.

Phrase in Arabic	Phrase in English	Pronunciation
أنا	I	ʾAna
أنتَ	You (male)	ʾAnta
أنتِ	You (female)	ʾAnti
أنتُم	You (plural)	ʾAntum
نَحْنُ	We	Naḥnu
هُم	They	Hom
هُوَ	He	Huwa
هِيَ	She	Hiya
ذا	This (masculine)	Hadha
هذه	This (feminine)	Hadhahi
السَّلامُ عَلَيْكُمْ - مَرْحَبًا	Hello - Peace	ʾAssalāmu ʿalaykum - marḥaban
وعَلَيْكُمُ السَّلام - مَرْحَبًا	(To which the reply is): Hello - Peace	Wā ʿalaykumu s-salām - marḥaban
أَهْلاً	Welcome	ʾAhlan
مَعَ السّلامَة	Goodbye	Maʿa s-salāma
!صَبَاحُ الخَيْر	Good morning!	Sabaḥu l-ḫair
!مَساءُ الخَيْر	Good evening!	Masāʾu l-ḫair
!تُصبِح على خَيْر	Good night! (to a male)	Tusbiḥ ʿala ḫair
!تُصبِحينَ على خَيْر	Good night! (to a female)	Tusbiḥi ʿala ḫair
کَيْفَ ٱلْحَال؟	How are you?	Kayfa l-ḥāl
;كيف حالُكَ؟	How are you? (to a male)	Kayfa hāluka
كيف حالـُكِ؟	How are you? (to a female)	Kayfa hāluki
وَأنـْتَ؟	And you? (to a male)	Wa ʾanta
وَأنـْتِ؟	And you? (to a female)	Wa ʾanti
!أراكَ في مَا بَعد	See you later! (to a male)	ʾArāka fima baʿd
!أراكِ فِيمَا بَعد	See you later! (to a female)	ʾArāki fima baʿd
مَا ٱسْمُك؟	What's your name?	Mā smuk
…اسْمِي	My name is …	Ismi
.لا أتَحَدَّثُ الْعَرَبيّة	I don't speak Arabic.	Lā ʾataḥaddaṯu l-ʿarabiyyah
.أتحدث الإنجليزية	I speak English.	Ataḥaddaṯu al-ingilīziyyah
.أتَحَدَّثُ قليلاً من الْعَرَبيّة	I speak a little Arabic.	Ataḥaddaṯu qalilan min l-ʿarabiyyah
.لا أعْرِف	I don't know.	Lā ʾaʿrif
.لا أفْهَم	I don't understand.	Lā ʾafham
نَعَمْ	Yes	Naʿam
لا	No	Lā
مِنْ فَضْلِك	Please	Min faḍlik
شُكْرًا	Thanks	Šukran
!شـُكـْراً جَزيلاً	Thank you very much!	Šukran jazīlan
!عفواً	You're welcome!	ʿAfwan
.عَفْوًا - عُذْراً	Excuse me.	ʿAfwan - ʿuḏran
.آسِف	I'm sorry.	ʾĀsif
مبروك	Congratulations	Mabruk
كَمْ؟	How much?	Kam
.أنا جائِع	I'm hungry.	ʾAna jāʾiʿ
أُمِّي	My mother	ʾUmi
أَخِي	My brother	ʾAḫi
أُختِي	My sister	ʾUḫti
عَمِّي	My uncle (paternal)	ʿAmi
خَالِي	My uncle (maternal)	Khali
عَمَّتي	My aunt (paternal)	ʿAmati
خَالَتِي	My aunt (maternal)	Ḫalati
زَوجِي	My husband	Aawji
زَوجَتي	My wife	Zawjati
جَدِّي	My grandfather	Jaddi
جَدَّتي	My grandmother	Jaddati

Colors

Phrase in Arabic	Phrase in English	Pronunciation
أَبْيَض	White	Abyaḍ
أَحْمَر	Red	Aḥmar
أسْوَد	Black	ʾAswad
أَزْرَق	Blue	Azraq
أَصْفَر	Yellow	Asfar
أَخْضَر	Green	Aḫḍar
رَمَادِي	Gray	Ramādi
بُرْتُقَالِي	Orange	Burtuqālī

Numbers

Phrase in Arabic	Phrase in English	Pronunciation
صِفْرٌ	Zero	Ṣīfr
واحِد	One	Wāḥid
اِثْنَان	Two	Iṯnān
ثَلاثَة	Three	Ṯalāṯah
أرْبَعَة	Four	ʽArbaʿah
خَمْسَة	Five	Ḫamsah
سِتّة	Six	Sittah
سَبْعَة	Seven	Sabʿah
ثَمَانِيَة	Eight	Ṯamāniyah
تِسْعَة	Nine	Tisʿah
عَشَرَة	Ten	ʿAšarah
أَحَدَ عَشَر	Eleven	ʾAḥada ʿašar
اثنَي عَشَر	Twelve	Iṯnay ʿašar
عِشْرُوْن	Twenty	ʿIšrun
ثَلاثون	Thirty	Ṯalāṯun
أَرْبَعون	Forty	ʾArbaʿun
خَمْسون	Fifty	Ḫamsun
سِتون	Sixty	Sittun
سَبْعون	Seventy	Sabʿun
ثَمَانون	Eighty	Ṯamānun
تِسْعون	Ninety	Tisʿun
مِئَة	One hundred	Miʾah
مِئَتَاْن	Two hundred	Miʾatān
ثَلاثُمِئَةٍ	Three hundred	Ṯalāṯumiʾah
أَرْبَعُمِئَةٍ	Four hundred	ʾArbaʿumiʾah
خَمْسُمِئَةٍ	Five hundred	Ḫamsumiʾah
سِتُّمِئَةٍ	Six hundred	Sittumiʾah
سَبْعُمِئَةٍ	Seven hundred	Sabʿumiʾah
ثَمَاْنُمِئَةٍ	Eight hundred	Ṯamānumiʾah
تِسْعُمِئَةٍ	Nine hundred	Tisʿumiʾah
مِئَةٌ وَوَاْحِدٌ	One hundred and one	Miʾah wa wāḥid
مِلْيونُ	One million	Milyun
بِلْيونُ	One billion	Bilyun
مِلْيَاْرُ	One milliard (billion)	Milyār
تْرِلْيونُ	One trillion	Trilyun

Days of the Week and Months

Phrase in Arabic	Phrase in English	Pronunciation
يَوْم	Day	Yawm
أَيَّام	Days	ʾAyyām
أُسْبُوع	A week	ʾUsbuʿ
أَسَابِيْع	Weeks	ʾAsābīʿ
شَهْر	A month	Šahr
أَشْهُر	Months	ʾAšhur
سَنَة	A year	Sanah
سَنَوات	Years	Sanawāt
السَّبْت	Saturday	ʾAs-sabt
الأَحَد	Sunday	ʾAl-ʾaḥad
الاِثْنَيْنِ	Monday	ʾAl-ʾiṯnayn
الثُّلاثَاء	Tuesday	ʾAl-ṯulāṯāʾ
الأَرْبِعاء	Wednesday	ʾAl-ʾarbiʿāʾ
الخَمِيس	Thursday	ʾAl-ḫamīs
الجُمُعَة	Friday	ʾAl-jumuʿah

Gregorian Calendar

Phrase in Arabic	Phrase in English	Pronunciation
يَنايِـِر	January	Yanāyir
فِبْرايِر	February	Fibrāyir
مَارِس	March	Māris
أَبْريل	April	ʾAbrīl
مَايو	May	Māyu
يُونـْيو	June	Yunyu
يُولِـْيو	July	Yulyu
أُغُسْطُس	August	ʾUġustus
سِبْتَمْبَر	September	Sibtamber
أُكْتوبَر	October	ʾUktubar
نُوفَمْبَر	November	Nuvamber
دِيسَمْبَر	December	Disamber

Hijri Calendar

Phrase in Arabic	Phrase in English	Pronunciation
الْمُحَرَّم	Muharram	ʾAl-muḥarram
صَفَر	Safar	Safar
رَبِيْعُ الأَوَّل	Rabi I	Rabīʿu l-ʾawwal
رَبِيْعُ الآخِر	Rabi II	Rabīʿu l-ʾāḫir
جُمَاْدَىْ الأُوْلَىْ	Jumada I	Jumāda l-ʾulā
جُمَاْدَىْ الآخِرَة	Jumada II	Jumāda l-ʾāḫirah
رَجَب	Rajab	Rajab
شَعْبَاْن	Shaban	Šaʿbān
رَمَضَاْن	Ramadan	Ramadān
شَوَّاْل	Shawwal	Šawwāl
ذُوْ القِعْدَة	Dhu al-Qadah	Ḏu l-qiʿdah
ذُوْ الحِجَّة	Dhu al-Hijjah	Ḏu l-ḥijjah