Arabic Greetings and Simple Everyday Conversations

Arabic has both formal and casual greetings. A widely used greeting is:

• السلام عليكم — as-salāmu ʿalaykum — “Peace be upon you.”
• وعليكم السلام — wa ʿalaykum as-salām — “And peace be upon you too.”

Another general greeting is:

• مرحبًا — marḥaban — “Hello.”

السلام عليكم is appropriate in many formal and everyday situations. The usual reply is وعليكم السلام.

In Modern Standard Arabic, the ending changes depending on whether the listener is male or female:

• كيف حالُكَ؟ — kayfa ḥāluka? — “How are you?” to one man
• كيف حالُكِ؟ — kayfa ḥāluki? — “How are you?” to one woman

A simple response is:

• أنا بخير، شكرًا. — anā bikhayr, shukran. — “I am well, thank you.”

To ask the question back, add:

• وأنت؟ — wa anta? — “And you?” to a man
• وأنتِ؟ — wa anti? — “And you?” to a woman

Read Arabic from right to left. A few sounds in these phrases may be unfamiliar:

• ش sounds like sh in “ship”: شكرًا (shukran).
• خ is a raspy sound made at the back of the throat, similar to the ch in German Bach: بخير (bikhayr).
• ح is a breathy, stronger h: حال (ḥāl).
• ع is a throat consonant. Beginners can approximate it with a light vowel sound: عليكم (ʿalaykum).

Break the greeting into manageable parts:

$\text{as-sa-lā-mu} \quad \text{ʿa-lay-kum}$

Stress is often heard around lā and lay: as-sa-LAA-mu ʿa-LAY-kum.

Here is a short polite exchange:

A: السلام عليكم
As-salāmu ʿalaykum.
“Peace be upon you.”

B: وعليكم السلام. كيف حالك؟
Wa ʿalaykum as-salām. Kayfa ḥāluka?
“And peace be upon you. How are you?”

A: أنا بخير، شكرًا. وأنت؟
Anā bikhayr, shukran. Wa anta?
“I’m well, thank you. And you?”

B: أنا بخير أيضًا.
Anā bikhayr ayḍan.
“I’m well too.”

In conversation, learn the whole response وعليكم السلام as one phrase rather than translating each word separately.