Saying hello
Arabic greetings are fixed formulas: you learn each one as a whole, and many of them come with a fixed reply that you must use instead of repeating the greeting.
مرحبا(marhaban) is the neutral hello you can say to anyone. أهلا(ahlan) is a friendly hi, and its longer form أهلا وسهلا(ahlan wa sahlan) means welcome — a host says it to a guest arriving at the door, a hotel, or a city.
| Welcome to the city! | أهلا وسهلا في المدينة!ahlan wa sahlan fil madîna! |
The greeting and its reply
The most widely used greeting across the Arab world is السلام عليكم(as-salâmu 'alaykum) — literally peace be upon you. It is answered with the same words turned around: وعليكم السلام(wa 'alaykumu ssalâmu), and upon you be peace. Do not answer السلام عليكم with مرحبا.
| Peace be upon you! — And upon you be peace! | السلام عليكم! — وعليكم السلام!as-salâmu 'alaykum! — wa 'alaykumu s-salâm! |
Morning and evening
The time-of-day greetings work the same way: the reply swaps الخير (the good) for النور (the light).
| greeting | reply | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| صباح الخير | صباح النور | good morning |
| مساء الخير | مساء النور | good evening |
| Good morning! — Good morning to you! | صباح الخير! — صباح النور!sabâhu-l-khayr! — sabâhu-n-nûr! |
| Good evening! — Good evening to you! | مساء الخير! — مساء النور!masâ'a l-khayr! — masâ'a n-nûr! |
These formulas never change for the person you speak to: you say صباح الخير to a man, a woman, or a whole room.
