Start speaking from the first page. Read the phrase, press Play, say it aloud, then tick “I can say it”. All Arabic here is Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), written without vowel marks, as it usually appears in everyday writing.
Status: in development. Phrases, Play buttons and the phrase check are here. Real recordings and sound-by-sound pronunciation practice are still to come. Play uses your device’s text-to-speech voice, not a recording of a person.
Step 0: the sounds and letters
You do not need to finish the alphabet before you start speaking, but reading the letters helps. HikmahBridge already has a course for this — use it alongside these phrases.
Available
Alphabet and letters
Letter recognition, shapes, connecting letters and short vowels, from the Qur’an Reading course.
Listen, repeat and compare for the sounds ح خ ع غ ق ص ض ط ظ. No automatic pronunciation scoring is planned until it can be done properly.
Progress:0 of 44 phrases ticked as “I can say it”. Your progress is currently saved on this browser/device; it may be lost if you clear your browser data. The transliteration is a pronunciation aid, not a spelling.
Course modules
Work through the modules in order, or jump to the one you need. The current module is highlighted.
Greetings
Start here. Say the greeting, then the reply. In Muslim and Arabic-speaking settings the greeting is often the first thing you say.
السلام عليكم
as-salamu ‘alaykum
Peace be upon you (the standard Muslim greeting)
وعليكم السلام
wa ‘alaykumu s-salam
And upon you, peace (the reply)
مرحبا
marhaban
Hello
صباح الخير
sabah al-khayr
Good morning
صباح النور
sabah an-nur
Good morning (the reply)
مساء الخير
masa’ al-khayr
Good evening
مساء النور
masa’ an-nur
Good evening (the reply)
كيف حالك؟
kayfa haluk
How are you?
To a man. To a woman it is said haluki; the spelling is the same.
الحمد لله
al-hamdu lillah
Praise be to God
A very common answer to how are you.
بخير
bi-khayr
Fine, well
Introducing yourself
Ask and answer the first questions people ask when they meet.
ما اسمك؟
ma smuk
What is your name?
To a man. To a woman: smuki, same spelling.
اسمي أحمد
ismi ahmad
My name is Ahmad
Put your own name after ismi.
من أين أنت؟
min ayna anta
Where are you from?
To a man. To a woman: anti, same spelling.
أنا من …
ana min …
I am from …
Say your country after min.
تشرفت بمعرفتك
tasharraftu bi-ma’rifatik
Pleased to meet you
وأنا أيضا
wa ana aydan
Me too (and I as well)
وأنت؟
wa anta
And you?
To a woman: wa anti, same spelling.
Please, thank you, sorry
Small words that make every conversation easier.
من فضلك
min fadlik
Please
شكرا
shukran
Thank you
عفوا
‘afwan
You are welcome (also: pardon me)
عذرا
‘udhran
Excuse me, sorry to bother you
آسف
asif
I am sorry
A woman says آسفة (asifa).
لا بأس
la ba’s
No problem, it is fine
Yes, no and goodbye
نعم
na’am
Yes
لا
la
No
مع السلامة
ma’a s-salama
Goodbye
إلى اللقاء
ila l-liqa’
See you later (until we meet)
Numbers 0 to 10
Say them aloud in order, then out of order.
صفر
sifr
0 (zero)
واحد
wahid
1
اثنان
ithnan
2
ثلاثة
thalatha
3
أربعة
arba’a
4
خمسة
khamsa
5
ستة
sitta
6
سبعة
sab’a
7
ثمانية
thamaniya
8
تسعة
tis’a
9
عشرة
‘ashara
10
When you do not understand
These phrases keep a conversation going. They are the most useful phrases for a beginner: use them early and often.
لم أفهم
lam afham
I did not understand
هل يمكنك أن تعيد؟
hal yumkinuka an tu’id
Can you repeat?
To a woman: تعيدي (tu’idi).
تكلم ببطء من فضلك
takallam bi-but’ min fadlik
Please speak slowly
To a woman: تكلمي (takallami).
ماذا يعني هذا؟
madha ya’ni hadha
What does this mean?
كيف أقول هذا بالعربية؟
kayfa aqulu hadha bi-l-‘arabiyya
How do I say this in Arabic?
لا أتكلم العربية جيدا
la atakallamu l-‘arabiyya jayyidan
I do not speak Arabic well
Phrase check
Twelve quick questions, half listening-and-reading and half choosing the Arabic. It checks recognition only.
Next
Put these phrases to work in a short scripted conversation.
Please note: this Arabic is standard beginner phrasing but has not yet been reviewed by a native-speaker teacher. Tell us about any mistake on the contact page.
