78 Levantine Arabic Phrases To Start Speaking Like A Local

If you’re just starting to learn Arabic, then it’s always a good idea to commit a few phrases to memory so that you have them ready to go in conversation.  

And given the differences between Arabic dialects, it’s even more useful to have some phrases ready to go in the dialect you're learning.

So if you’re keen to learn the Levantine dialect, read on to find a list of the most useful Levantine Arabic phrases so that you can start speaking more fluently and immersing yourself in the culture. 

A Couple Pointers On Levantine Arabic

But before jumping in, there’s a couple of helpful tips to keep in mind as you start learning new Levantine Arabic phrases. 

First off, Arabic has its own script, which means that you’ll likely start learning phrases at first using transliterations of words into the Latin alphabet.

Because of this, you might see different spellings of the same phrases depending on who is writing them. 

The big challenge with this is that there are some sounds in Arabic pronunciation that just don’t exist in English or other languages in the Latin alphabet. In these cases, some people will spell certain letters using numbers that look a bit like the letter in Arabic. 

For example, you might find people spell SabaH (morning) as Saba7, with “7” signifying the letter “ ح” or “H”, or ‘ain (eye) as 3ain, with “3” standing in for the letter “ع” or “‘ain”. Check out this Arabic chat alphabet guide if you want to learn more. 

There’s also the issue of conjugating verbs and nouns depending on whether the subject is masculine or feminine, so it’s good to also learn how you might conjugate different phrases depending on the gender. 

Also, if you're already familiar with the Arabic alphabet, there are some letters that are pronounced differently between Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and Levantine Arabic.

For example, “ق” is pronounced with a back-in-the-throat “Q” sound in MSA, but is often not pronounced at all in Levantine Arabic.

If you’re curious to know all of the differences in pronunciation, then you can also check out this video.

Last but not least, Levantine Arabic is used across a number of countries, including Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine. So as a disclosure, you may also find that there can be differences in pronunciation and word choice depending on which country you’re in.

Now let’s get to it!

Saying “Hello” In Levantine Arabic

For starters, it’s a good idea to know how to say “hello” in Levantine Arabic. There’s a few different ways that you can say “hello”, but the most common out of all of them is: 

#1 – Hello – MarHaba – مرحبا

There are a few variations of this that are also good to know that all come from the same root word MarHaba, which are: 

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

#3 – Hello!/Greetings! – MaraaHib –  مراحب 

You can also say: 

#4 – Hi! – Ahlein! – أهلين

This one is actually a variation of 

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

Lastly, it’s always important to know: 

#5 – Hello (Peace be upon you) – Salaamu ‘alaykum – سلام عليكم

#6 – And also with you (response) – Wa ‘alaykum salaam –  و عليكم سلام

#7 – Hi! (peace)  – Salaam – سلام

While these greetings are rooted in Islamic tradition, they’re used pretty interchangeably as “hello” to greet people. 

Other Greetings In Levantine Arabic

There’s also Arabic greetings that you can use depending on the time of day. Here’s a few that you’ll be sure to use on a daily basis that are pretty standard across all dialects, including Levantine Arabic:

#8 – Good morning – SabaH elkheyr – صباح الخير

#9 – Good morning (response) – SabaH el-noor – صباح النور

#10 – Good evening – Masa’ elkheyr – مساء الخير 

#11 – Good evening (response) – Masa’ el-noor – مساء النور

Another uniquely Levantine Arabic phrase that you might hear a lot is: 

#12 – Greetings! (May God bless you) – Ya’aTeek el’aafi/yeh – يعطيك العافيه/ة

#13 – Greetings! (May God bless you too) – Allah ya’afeek – الله يعافيك

While the phrase literally means “May God bless you”, you typically use it when you’re greeting someone that’s engaging in some type of work or activity.

For example, you can use it when greeting someone working at the cash register at a store.

Also, it’s good to know how to greet someone on the phone. In Levantine Arabic, you’ll typically answer the phone by saying: 

#14 – Hello? – Alo? – الو

Being Polite In Levantine Arabic

You’ll also want to know some Levantine Arabic phrases that allow you to be polite and show respect to the people around you. For starters, you should definitely learn: 

#15 – Thank you – Shukran – شكرا

There’s also a few variations that you can say to express thanks, such as: 

#16 – Thanks a lot – Shukran kteer – شكرا كتير 

#17 – Thanks a lot (a thousand) – Alf shukur – ألف شكر  

#18 – Thanks to you – Shukran ilak/ilek – شكرا الك 

The most standard response to “thank you” would be: 

#19 – You’re welcome – ‘afwan – عفوا 

But if you want to show just how much you know Levantine Arabic, you can impress your peers by saying: 

#20 – It’s my pleasure (On my head) – ‘ala rasi – على راسي

If you want to get someone’s attention, or ask for something politely, then you can say: 

#21 – Excuse me/please – Low samaht/samahti – لو سمحت/ي

#22 – Excuse me/please – Min FaDlak/FaDlek – من فضلك 

To apologize, you can say: 

#23 – I’m sorry – Ana Aasif/aasifa – أنا اسف/ة

And if you want to ask if you can do something in a polite manner, then you can start your sentence by saying: 

#24 – With your permission – Ma’a iznak/ek – مع اذنك

Other Helpful One-Word Levantine Arabic Phrases

There’s a number of other one-word Levantine Arabic phrases that are good to know that you’ll be sure to use regularly. For example: 

#25 – Yes – Na’am – نعم

#26 – Yes – Eywa – أيوه

#27 – No – La – لا

#28 – I mean/like – Ya’ani – يعني

#29 – OK – Tamam – تمام

#30 – Great/OK – Tayyib – طيب

#31 – Of course – Taba’an – طبعا  

#32 – Of course/definitely – Akeed – أكيد

#33 – Never – Abdan – ابدا

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

How Are You? 

There’s quite a few ways that you can ask how someone is doing. Here’s a few to get you started: 

#35 – How are you? – Keefak/Keefek? – كيفك

#36 – How’s everything?  – Keef kul shee? –  كيف كل شي؟ 

#37 – What’s new? – Shoo el-akhbar? – شو الأخبار؟ 

There’s also quite a few ways that you can answer this. To name a few: 

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

#39 – I’m good/fine – Ana mneeH/mneeHa – أنا منيح/ة

#40 – I’m alright/Things are all right – Ma shee Hal –  ما شي حال 

#41 – All is well – Kul shee tamam – كل شي تمام

Introducing Yourself And Getting To Know Others

Once you’ve broken the ice, you’ll likely want to introduce or talk about yourself a little bit to get to know others. Here’s a few phrases that might come in handy: 

#42 – What’s your name? – Shoo ismak/ismek? –  شو اسمك؟

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

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

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

#46 – How old are you? – A’desh ‘omrak/’omrek? – اديش عمرك؟

#47 – I’m __ years old – ‘Omri __. عمري__.

#48 – What’s your job/occupation? – Shoo btashtaghl/btashtaghli? – شو بتشتغل/ي؟ 

#49 – What’s your job/occupation? – Shoo ‘amlak/’amlek? – شو عملك؟

#50 – Where do you live? – Enta/Enti sakin/eh weyn? – أنت ساكن/ة وين؟ 

#51 – I live in _____ – Ana sakin/eh bi ____. – أنا ساكن/ة ب__

Once you’ve introduced yourself to someone, you might also follow by saying: 

#52 – Nice to meet you – Tasharrafna – تشرفنا 

#53 – Nice to meet you too (the honor is mine) – Sharaf ilee – شرف الي

#54 – Nice to meet you (happy chance) – Fursa sa’aideh –  فرصة سعيدة 

#55 – Nice to meet you too (response: I’m happier) – Ana as’aad/as’aed – أنا اسعد

Phrases For Everyday Situations

Beyond these phrases, there’s a few phrases that you’ll be sure to use everyday if you go to a country that uses Levantine Arabic. Whether you’re going to the bazaar or driving around town, here are a few phrases to keep in mind: 

#56 – How much? – A’desh? – اديش

#57 – What’s the price of ___? – A’desh ha’ el___? – اديش حق ال__؟

#58 – I want to buy this. – Biddi ashreeh/a – بدي أشريه/ة

#59 – What’s the time? – A’desh al-sa’a? – اديش الساعة

#60 – Do you know where the bathroom is? – Hal b’ta’arif/i weyn el-hammam? – هل بتعرف/ي وين الحمام؟

#61 – Do you speak English? – Hal b’takallam/i inglizi? – هل بتكلم/ي انغليزي؟ 

#62 – I don’t understand Arabic well – Mu fahim/e ‘arabi kweyyis – مو فاهم/ة عربي كويس 

#63 – Could you bring (give) me the menu? – Mumkin a’aTeeni al-menu? – ممكن أعطيني المينو؟

#64 – Could you bring (give) me the bill? – Mumkin a’aTeeni al-fatura? – ممكن أعطني الفاتورة؟

#65 – Here you go. – Tafaddal/i – تفضل/ي

#66 – (Could you take me to)____, please. – ___, law samaht. – ___, لو سمحت.

#67 – Go straight – Dughri – دغري

#68 – Turn right – Dur ‘al-yameen – دور عاليمين

#69 – Turn left – Dur ‘al-yasar – دور عاليسار

#70 – (Stop) here, please – ‘aindak law samaht / huun law samaht – عندك لو سمحت / هون لو سمحت

#71 – Let’s go – Yallah – يالله

Special Occasions

There’s a few phrases you can use for special occasions, whether it be to congratulate someone or to celebrate a birthday: 

#72 – Congratulations! – Mabruk! – مبروك! 

#73 – Congratulations (a thousand)! – Alf mabruk! – ألف مبروك!

#74 – Happy birthday!/Happy new years!  – Kul sana wu anta/eh Tayyib/e! – كل سنة و انت/ي طيب/ة

Interestingly, you can use the phrase for “Happy Birthday” to also celebrate the new year!

Saying Goodbye

And finally, if you want to say good-bye to someone, there’s a few phrases you can choose from: 

#75 – Good-bye – Ma’asalaameh – مع السلامة

#76 – Farewell – Wada’a – وداع

#77 – Bye!/See you! – Yallah Bay – ياللة باي

#78 – See you tomorrow! – Bashoofak/ek bukra – بشوفك بكرى

Levantine Arabic Phrases: Time To Start Connecting With The Locals

There you go! You've just learned 78 Levantine Arabic phrases to help you start speaking Levantine Arabic.

Of course there are many other Levantine phrases that are useful to know. But this list will give you a foundation to build from as you navigate speaking in Levantine Arabic. 

And while there are some similarities between phrases across different Arabic dialects, it's always useful to know a few phrases that are unique to the dialect you're learning to score extra points with locals and native speakers. 

And what better way to practice than my beginner course, Arabic Uncovered? The course teaches you through the StoryLearning® method, making it a fun, easy, and effective way to start mastering Levantine Arabic phrases. 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.