How to say hello in Levantine Arabic

If you only learn one word, learn مَرْحَبا mar7aba. It means hello, it works with anyone, at any time of day, in Damascus, Beirut, Amman or Jerusalem, and nobody will find it too formal or too casual.

But a Levantine greeting is rarely one word. It's a call and a response, and the response is usually bigger than the call. Someone says hello, you say "two hellos". Someone wishes you a morning of goodness, you wish them a morning of light. Getting the reply right is what makes you sound like you've actually been there.

(The 7 in mar7aba is the breathy ح sound, and 3 is ع. It's how people write Arabic in Latin letters when texting.)

Hello, and hello back

• مَرْحَبا mar7aba: hello. Literally "welcome".
• Reply with مَرْحَبْتَيْن mar7abtayn, "two hellos", or أَهْلَيْن ahlayn, "two welcomes". Feeling generous: مِيَّة هَلا miyyet hala, a hundred welcomes.
• يا هَلا ya hala is the warm, pleased-to-see-you version, common in Jordan and Palestine.
• السَلامُ عَلَيْكُم as-salamu 3alaykum, peace be upon you, is the formal and traditional one, often said walking into a shop or joining a group.
• In Beirut and among younger people in the cities you'll hear plain hi, and in Lebanon bonjour, mixed in with the Arabic without anyone blinking.

Good morning, good evening

صَبَاح الخَيْر saba7 el khayr, morning of goodness, is good morning until about noon. The usual reply is صَبَاح النُّور saba7 el noor, morning of light. If you want to be charming, saba7 el ward (morning of roses) or saba7 el yasmeen (morning of jasmine).

From late afternoon it becomes مَسَا الخَيْر masa l-kheir, and the reply follows the same pattern: masa n-nour, evening of light.

Welcome

أَهْلاً وَسَهْلاً ahlan wa sahlan is what you say to someone arriving at your home, your shop or your country. It's often shortened to ahlan. The reply sends it back: ahlan feek to a man, ahlan feeki to a woman, "welcome to you too".

How are you?

This is where Levantine starts caring who you're talking to. كِيفَك؟ kifak? is how are you to a man, كِيفِك؟ kifik? to a woman, and kifkon? to a group. The ending is the only difference, and getting it wrong is the most common beginner slip, so it's worth practising out loud.

The answers, from most to least common:

• الْحَمْدُ لِلّٰه al7amdu lillah, praise be to God. It means "fine", and people say it whether or not they're religious.
• مْنِيح mni7, good, if you're a man; mni7a if you're a woman.
• تَمَام tamam, great, all good.

Shu akhbarak?, what's your news, is the more casual way to ask, and kif 7alak? the slightly more formal one.

Names

شُو اسْمَك؟ shu ismak? asks a man his name (shu ismik? for a woman). Answer with اِسْمِي ismi and your name. The polite follow-up is تَشَرَّفْنَا tsharafna, "we are honoured", which is how Levantines say nice to meet you.

Thank you, and goodbye

• شُكْراً shukran is thank you everywhere. When someone hands you something, you'll often hear يِسْلَموا yeslamo instead, literally "may your hands be safe".
• مَع السَّلامَة ma3 as-salameh, go with safety, is the standard goodbye. Casually: yalla bye, which is exactly what it sounds like.
• بْشُوفَك بَعْدِين bshoofak ba3den, see you later. To a woman, bshoofek ba3den.

Now say it to someone

Matching cards gets the words into your head. Saying them to a person is a different skill. The closest thing to that here is a scenario: a café where the barista opens with saba7 il-kheer! shu bt7ebb tishrab?, good morning, what would you like to drink, and you answer, order, and pay, in Levantine.

Try the café scenario in Levantine, or browse the full Levantine phrasebook for the replies, the variants for men, women and groups, and example sentences for every phrase here.