74 Gulf Arabic Phrases To Start Speaking Like A Local

It’s always worth knowing a few phrases off the top of your head when you’re learning any language – and it’s no exception when learning Arabic. 

But unlike many other languages, Arabic is incredibly diverse and includes a variety of dialects. It doesn’t matter whether you’re trying to learn Egyptian Arabic, Levantine Arabic, or Gulf Arabic – what matters is learning a few of them in the one that you’re focusing on personally. 

When I was in Qatar, I found that locals warmed up to me more quickly when I used quintessentially ‘Gulf’ phrases compared to others that are more standard across dialects. 

So if you’re learning in Gulf Arabic, this is the article for you! Read on for 74 of the most useful Gulf Arabic phrases that will help you start connecting with locals.

Helpful Tips For Learning Gulf Arabic Phrases

Before starting to wrap your tongue around some of these Gulf Arabic phrases, there are a few useful things to know about Gulf Arabic and the Arabic language in general. 

Arabic is not like other languages written with the Latin alphabet. It has its own unique script, which means that if you’re a beginner just getting started, you won’t be able to read in Arabic. 

Fortunately, the Arabic script is pretty easy to learn, and you can get the basic idea of it with just a few hours of study. Here’s a quick guide to the Arabic alphabet if you’ve just started learning Arabic.

If you’re trying to start learning some phrases even before learning the alphabet, you’ll need to learn them using transliterations of the phrases into the Latin alphabet. 

But don’t feel thrown off if you see different spellings of the same words. This is because some sounds in Arabic don’t appear in English, so there are often a variety of spellings for the same word. 

In fact, I’ve had chat conversations with Arabic speakers and we would often have back-to-back texts of different spellings of the same word, with some using numbers to symbolize letters.

Check out this Arabic chat alphabet guide if you want to learn how to read “Franco Arabic” (a mix between letters and numbers). 

Another point to keep in mind is verb and noun conjugation, which means you might use different variations of the same phrases depending on who you’re addressing. 

Also, Arabic pronunciation varies and some letters in Gulf Arabic are pronounced differently from Modern Standard Arabic (MSA).

For example, while “ق” is pronounced with a back-in-the-throat “Q” sound in MSA, you might pronounce this as “G” in Gulf Arabic. The letter “ج” that is pronounced as “J” can often start sounding like “Ch” as well. 

Now that you’re briefed on these pointers, let’s jump into learning some phrases!

Greetings In Gulf Arabic

It’s always useful to know how to greet people in Gulf Arabic. It’s the first step to starting a conversation with locals so that you can start mastering the language and navigating your way around a new culture. 

I’ve used all of these greetings on this list in the past when visiting Qatar or other countries in the Gulf, as well as in other Arabic-speaking countries.

That’s because some of these Arabic greetings are used across all dialects, while others are more specific to Gulf Arabic. 

#1 – Hello (Peace be upon you) – As-salaamu ‘alaykum – السلام عليكم

#2 – Hello (and also with you) (response) – Wa ‘alaykum as-salaam –  و عليكم السلام 

#3 – Hello – MarHaba – مرحبا

#4 – Hello (response to “hello”) – MarHabtein – مرحبتين

#5 – Hello/Welcome! – Ahlan wa Sahlan – أهلا و سهلا 

#6 – Hi! – Ya hala – يا هلا

#7 – Hi! – Hala – هلا

#8 – Hello! – Ahlan beek/beech – اهلا بيك

#9 – Greetings/God bless you (may God give you life) – Hayyak Allah- حياك الله

#10 – Greetings (may God bless you) (response) – Allah yaHayyeek – الله يحييك 

#11 – Hello? (on the phone) – Alo? – الو

There’s also different greetings that you can use depending on the time of the day. And if you know any of the other Arabic dialects or have studied MSA, you’ll likely have learned these already: 

#12 – Good morning – SabaH alkhayr – صباح الخير

#13 – Good morning (response) – SabaH al-noor – صباح النور

#14 – Good evening – Masa’ alkhayr – مساء الخير 

#15 – Good evening (response) – Masa’ al-noor – مساء النور

Make sure to keep your eyes and ears open to learn the responses to different greetings, which are not always the same.

One time when I was first learning Arabic, I greeted someone first by saying “Sabah al-noor / صباح النور” (good morning (response)), which got some funny looks. 

Meeting People In Gulf Arabic

People in the Gulf are very hospitable and welcoming, so from experience, I can say that in addition to a lot of eating, tea-drinking, and shopping, there’s a good chance that you’ll be doing a lot of small talk while meeting people. 

Whether you’re walking around town or shopping in the souk (market), having these Gulf Arabic phrases up your sleeve will set you apart from other visitors, and will help you start to get to know your peers in the Gulf region.

#16 – How are you? (in Kuwait and Qatar) – Shlonek?(masculine)/Ishlonik?(feminine)  – شلونك؟

It’s good to note here that there are different conjugations for this phrase, as well as other phrases, depending on the gender or the number of people you are addressing. For example, if you want to ask a large group of people how they are doing, you’d say: 

#17 – How are you? – shlonkum? – شلونكم؟ 

There are also other phrases you can use to ask how people are doing, like: 

#18 – How are you? (in UAE) – IshHalek?/IshHalik? – اشحالك؟

#19 – How are you? – Keyf Halek?/Keyf Halik? – كيف حالك؟ 

#20 – How are you? (in Saudi Arabia) – Wishlonak?/Wishlonek? – وشلونك؟

#21 – How are you? (What’s new?) – Shoo khbarak?/Shoo khbarek? – شو خبارك؟ 

#22 – Are things going well? – Umoor tayyiba? – أمور طيبة؟

As you can see, there are variations on the question “how are you?” depending on which country in the Gulf you are in.

To be safe, it’s worth learning all of them so that you can recognize them as you hear them, and to get a basic idea of which ones to use in different Gulf countries. 

To respond to someone asking how you’re doing, you can use any one of these phrases: 

#23 – Thanks be to God (all is well) – Alhamdulillah – الحمد الله

#24 – Fine, thanks be to God – Bikhayr, alhamdulillah – بخير الحمد لله

#25 – Fine, thanks be to God – Zayn, alhamdulillah – زين الحمد لله

The last of these three (Zayn, alhamdulillah / زين الحمد لله) is the most ‘Gulf’-sounding of the three. I definitely get more positive reactions when I used this response compared to the others. 

Being Polite In Gulf Arabic

Politeness is highly valued and regarded in any Arabic-speaking country, so it’ll always go a long way to know a few Gulf Arabic phrases that allow you to be polite and show respect towards the people around you. 

Of all of the phrases to help you get around, you should definitely learn: 

#26 – Thank you – Shokran – شكرا

This is the simplest way to say “thank you”, but there are also other ways that you can express thanks or gratitude. Here’s a list of them, as well as the most standard responses to “thank you”: 

#27 – Thanks – Mashkoor/a – مشكور/ة 

#28 – Thanks (plural) – Mashkooreen – مشكورين

#29 – Thanks to you – Shukran lak/lek – شكرا لك

#30 – Thanks (Health to you) – Tislam/Tislami – تسلم/ي

#31 – Thanks (Health to your hands) – Tislam/i Eedak/ek – تسلم/ي ايدك

#32 – Thank you (May God bless you) – Ya’aTeek al’Aafi – يعطيك العافي

#33 – Thank you very much – Shukran jazeelan – شكرا جزيلا

#34 – You’re welcome – ‘afwan – عفوا 

#35 – You’re welcome (Forgiveness) – Ela’afoo – العفو

If you’re trying to sound the most local, then I’d definitely recommend that you say “Mashkoor/a / مشكور/ة”. The last time I was in a souq / سوق (market) in Kuwait, using this phrase helped me get a better bargain. 

There are also other phrases that you can use to be respectful towards the people around you. For example: 

#36 – Excuse me – Low samaht/samahti – لو سمحت/ي

#37 – Excuse me – IsmaH lee – اسمح لي

#38 – Please – Min FaDlak/FaDlech – من فضلك 

#39 – I’m sorry – Aasif/aasifa – اسف

#40 – Please (come in/go ahead) – TafaDal/i – تفضل/ي

Useful Everyday Gulf Arabic Phrases

If you’re walking around in a country or city that uses Gulf Arabic, there are a number of sentences that are worth memorizing so that you can go about your everyday life. Here are some phrases to help you get through if you’re the only English speaker around: 

#41 – How do I go to ___? – Shloon arooH ____? – شلون أروح _____؟ 

#42 – Do you speak English? – Tatakallam inglizi? – تتكلم/ي انغليزي؟

#43 – I want ___. – Abee ____. – أبي ____. 

#44 – I don’t want ______. – Ma abee ____. – ما أبي ____. 

#45 – I don’t understand Arabic. – Ma afham ‘arabi. – ما أفهم عربي

#46 – I know a little bit of Arabic. – A’aref ‘arabi shway. – أعرف عربة شوي

#47 – Can you say that again? – Mumkin ta’id marra thaniya? – ممكن تعد مرّة ثانية؟ 

#48 – I’m ready to order. – Ana jahiz/a aTlab. – أنا جاهز/ة أطلب.

#49 – Can I have the bill please? – El-Hisab low samaHt. – الحساب لو سمحت 

#50 – Where is____? – Wayn____? –  وين ____؟ 

#51 – How much does this cost? – Kam thaman hada? – كم ثمن هادا؟ 

#52 – What’s the time? – Al-sa’aa kam? – الساعة كم؟ 

While you might want to automatically say that you don’t speak or understand Arabic – in my experience, this has always turned off the potential for more conversation. 

Instead, you can say that you know a little bit. That way, the locals can keep trying to practice speaking with you and you can improve your language skills. 

In my early days of learning Arabic in the Gulf, there was a shopkeeper who lived right next to my place. He didn't speak a word of English, but was fascinated by foreigners. I used to drop in there every evening after work and spend ages chatting with him.

He would teach me tons of Gulf Arabic phrases and would always laugh when I used MSA by mistake! That was one of my favourite moments because it brought me the real warmth of human connection in a very different country.

So don't let the fear villain stop you from connecting with the locals!

There’s also plenty of one-word phrases that will help you communicate with the people around you. Here’s a short list to get you started: 

#53 – Yes – Eeh – اي

#54 – No – La – لا

#55 – Yes, of course – Eeh, bala – اي بلى

#56 – Sure – Akeed – أكيد

#57 – Of course – Taba’an – طبعا  

#58 – Exactly/precisely – BaDhabt – بضبط

#59 – God willing (hopefully) – Inshallah – ان شاء الله 

#60 – Let’s go – Yallah – يالا

Introductions And Getting To Know Each Other In Gulf Arabic

To get to know a culture, you have to get to know the people who live in it! Here are some handy Gulf Arabic phrases that you can use to introduce yourself and to get to know the people around you. 

#61 – What’s your name? – Eesh ismak/ismek? –  ايش اسمك؟

#62 – My name is ___ – Ismi ___ – اسمي___

#63 – Where are you from? – Min weyn ent/enti? – من وين انت/ي؟

#64 – I’m from ___. – Ana min ___. – أنا من __.

#65 – Where do you work? – Wayn tashtaghli? – وين تشتغل/ي؟

#66 – I work at ____. – أشتغل في _____. 

#67 – Where do you live? – Wayn sakin/e? – وين ساكن/ة؟ 

#68 – I live in _____ – Sakin/Sakna fi  ____. – ساكن/ة في___. 

#69 – Nice to meet you – Tasharrafna – تشرفنا 

#70 – Nice to meet you too (the honor is mine) – Sharaf lana – شرف النا

Gulf Arabic Phrases To Say Goodbye

If you’re ready to head home and get some rest after going around town and meeting some people, you’ll need to know how to say “goodbye”. 

The best way to do this is to say: 

#71 – Goodbye – Ma’asalaameh – مع السلامة

#72 – Bye – Yalla bay – يلا باي

#73 – God be with you – Allah Ma’ak – الله معك 

#74 – See you (Hope to see you when it’s good) – Nshoofak ‘ala khayr – نشوفك على خير

I’ve always found that using the last phrase (Nshoofak ‘ala khayr/ نشوفك على خير) has helped when I’m feeling really ready to go.

Since the people are very hospitable and welcoming, I’ve always found that I’ve had to reiterate saying all of them in a very drawn-out conversation just to say farewell. 

Getting To Grips With Gulf Arabic Phrases

There you have it! That’s my list of 74 of the most useful Gulf Arabic phrases you can learn. 

As you may guess from the list, these phrases are just the tip of the iceberg, and there are many more phrases that you can learn that are specific to each of the countries in the Gulf region. 

Regardless, these phrases here are sure to help you start navigating everyday life in the Gulf, so be sure to test them the next time you’re out and about. 

Looking for more ways to practice these phrases? Check out my course: Arabic Uncovered! The course teaches you Arabic through the StoryLearning® method, making it a fun, easy, and effective way to start learning Gulf Arabic while also mastering MSA. Get your free 7-day trial here. 

Olly Richards

Creator of the StoryLearning® Method

Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.

Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.

When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.