A1Unit 1 · Hello! · Lesson 1 of 100
Hello and welcome
marḥaba · ahla w sahla · ahlan fīk
Goal: Greet people, welcome them and thank them, and answer each greeting with its own reply.
New to the sounds? Read the 10-minute guide: how to read and say Palestinian Arabic →
Dialogue
It is a cold November evening. Lina has just arrived from Chicago at her uncle's house in Ramallah, and the family opens the door. You will learn the first greetings, and the reply that goes with each one.
Lina rings the bell of her uncle's house in Ramallah. Abu Khalil opens the door.
- Abu KhalilLīna?Lina?
- Linaaywa! marḥaba!Yes! Hello!
- Abu Khalilmarḥabtēn! ahla w sahla!Hello to you! Welcome!
- Linaahlan fīk!Thank you! (literally: welcome to you)
- Imm Khalilil-ḥamdilla ʿas-salāme!Thank God you arrived safely!
- Linaalla ysallmik!God keep you safe! (to a woman)
- Abu Khalilya mīt ahla w sahla!A hundred welcomes!
- Linashukran, shukran ktīr!Thank you, thank you very much!
- Imm Khalilwalaw!Don't mention it!
New words
| Palestinian Arabic | English |
|---|---|
| marḥaba | helloreply: marḥabtēn "hello to you" (or marḥaba) |
| ahlan | hireply: ahlan fīk to a man, ahlan fīki to a woman, ahlan fīkom to several people |
| ahla w sahla | welcomereply: ahlan fīk / ahlan fīki; ya mīt ahla w sahla "a hundred welcomes" |
| is-salāmu ʿalēkum | peace be upon you (greeting)reply: w ʿalēkum is-salām |
| il-ḥamdilla ʿas-salāme | thank God you arrived safelyto someone back from a trip; reply: alla ysallmak to a man, alla ysallmik to a woman |
| ā | yes |
| aywa | yes, sure |
| laʾ | noend it with a short catch in the throat |
| shukran | thank youshukran ktīr "thank you very much" |
| ʿafwan | you're welcome; excuse mereply to shukran |
| walaw | don't mention itreply to shukran |
Grammar
1. Every greeting has its own reply
In Palestinian Arabic you do not answer a greeting with the same words. Each greeting has a fixed reply. Learn them in pairs.
| Someone says | You answer | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| marḥaba | marḥabtēn | hello |
| ahlan | ahlan fīk (to a man) · ahlan fīki (to a woman) | hi |
| ahla w sahla | ahlan fīk · ahlan fīki | welcome |
| is-salāmu ʿalēkum | w ʿalēkum is-salām | peace be upon you (more formal; said mostly by Muslims) |
| il-ḥamdilla ʿas-salāme | alla ysallmak (to a man) · alla ysallmik (to a woman) | thank God you arrived safely |
| shukran | ʿafwan or walaw | thank you |
Some replies change when you answer a woman: fīk becomes fīki, ysallmak becomes ysallmik. You will see this again and again.
2. Yes and no
3. A line over a vowel
A line over a vowel means it is long: hold it twice as long. marḥabtēn has a long ē, salāme a long ā. The sounds page of this course explains every letter, such as ḥ and ʿ.
Practice
1Match the Arabic and the English
shukran
laʾ
aywa
ahla w sahla
walaw
2Choose the right reply
Someone says marḥaba! You answer:
The reply to marḥaba is marḥabtēn.
A man says ahla w sahla! to you. You answer:
To a man: ahlan fīk. alla ysallmak answers il-ḥamdilla ʿas-salāme.
A woman says il-ḥamdilla ʿas-salāme! to you. You answer:
Speaking to a woman: alla ysallmik.
Someone says is-salāmu ʿalēkum. You answer:
You say shukran to a friend. Your friend answers:
ʿafwan or walaw answer shukran.
3Complete the sentence
il-ḥamdilla ___! = Thank God you arrived safely!
ahlan ___! = Hi to you! (you answer a woman)
shukran ___! = Thank you very much!
4Say it in Palestinian Arabic, then check
A man welcomes you with ahla w sahla! Answer him.
ahlan fīk!
Thank someone very much.
shukran ktīr!
Yes! Hello!
aywa! marḥaba!
5True or false?
Lina answers Abu Khalil's welcome with ahlan fīk.
Imm Khalil answers Lina's thanks with walaw.
laʾ means "yes".
laʾ means "no". "Yes" is ā or aywa.
Summary
- You can say hello: marḥaba, ahlan, and answer marḥabtēn, ahlan fīk or ahlan fīki.
- You can welcome a guest with ahla w sahla and greet someone who has arrived: il-ḥamdilla ʿas-salāme.
- You can answer is-salāmu ʿalēkum with w ʿalēkum is-salām.
- You can say yes and no: ā, aywa, laʾ.
- You can thank someone with shukran and answer thanks with ʿafwan or walaw.