Unlock the Wonders of the Arabic Language for Travel

The use of the Arabic language today, especially Modern Standard Arabic, opens a channel of communication with the world’s speaking population of more than 466 million people. The importance of the Arabic language is also increasing while traveling. It is a part of the world that is witnessing a great boom in the development of business, real estate, construction, technology, and other sectors. Hamil Al Quran Academy will help you to know more about The importance of language in travel experiences and the Benefits of learning Arabic for travel purposes in the next lines.

Arabic Language Essentials

A brief overview of the Arabic language

God has honored the Arabic language, and the Holy Qur’an was revealed in it, just as the Prophet Muhammad, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, was an Arab and spoke the Arabic language, and the daily prayers of Muslims are performed in Arabic. Arabic is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, and it falls under the Middle Semitic language family that includes Aramaic, Hebrew, and Phoenician. The Arabic language is believed to have originated from the Aramaic language more than a thousand years ago among the nomadic Bedouin tribes in the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula.

In the seventh century AD, the Arabic language spread with the Islamic conquests that extended across the Middle East, North Africa, Central and West Asia, to areas in China. The presence of the Arabs, who carried their language, religion, and culture with them in different parts of the world, played a major role in planting the seeds of the Arabic language that grew with the passage of time.

The Arabic language is one of the pillars of the cultural diversity of humanity, and it is one of the most widespread and used languages in the world, and UNESCO confirms that more than 400 million people speak Arabic daily, and the world celebrates the International Day of the Arabic Language on December 18, when it was signed Choosing this particular date to celebrate the Arabic language because it is the day the United Nations General Assembly took in 1973 its historic decision that the Arabic language be the sixth official language in the organization.

Unique features and characteristics

The Arabic language is characterized by great characteristics and the more the student deepens in this language, he will be amazed at its secrets and bewildered by the abundance of what distinguishes it, including:

The limitless capacity

Al-Khalil bin Ahmad Al-Farahidi (d. 114 AH) counted the words used from the Arabic language, and found them to be five million and ninety-nine thousand and four hundred words, so how many words are used today? And one of the researchers points out that the user does not exceed (5620) words only! And what is the truth of Imam Al-Shafi’i when he said: And the tongue of the Arabs is the widest of tongues in terms of doctrine and the most verbal?

The statement

The Almighty said: {And indeed, it is a revelation of the Lord of the Worlds * The Trustworthy Spirit has brought it down * upon your heart so that you may be among the warners * in an Arabic tongue It is clear.” [Al-Shu’ara’: 192-195].

Conservative language

The Arabic language is a conservative language that changes slowly. For example, the degree of difference between the Arabic of the eighth century and the twentieth century is less clear than between the English of these two centuries.

Fertile language

Arabic is a fertile language, as Arabic has absorbed the best of what is in the correct Arabic dialects through reproduction and derivation, and the best of what is in foreign languages through transmission and Arabization.

Lightness and agility

The Arabs flip some letters to ease, just as they do not combine two consonants while we find in some languages the combination of three consonants, just as the Arabs do not combine dissonant letters.

Arabic script and pronunciation guide

Arabic script is the art and design of writing Arabic letters. Arabic script is written from right to left and from top to bottom of the page. Arabic script is distinguished by being continuous, which makes it possible to acquire different geometric shapes through rotation, angulation, ebb and flow, intertwining, overlapping, and installation.

One of the characteristics of the Arabic language is that its utterances have an impact on the ear. It has a musical effect that varies in intensity and subtlety according to the compositions. It affects the soul with a special effect, whether it is prose or composition.

The Arabic language has thirty-four categorical phonemes and twelve supra-categorical phonemes, including for the categorical phonemes:

/ت/ /ط/ /ك/ /ق/ /ء/ /ب/ /د/ /ض/ /ج/ /ف/ /ث/ /س/ /ص/ /ش/ /خ/ /ح/ /ه/ /ذ/ /ز/ /ظ/ /غ/ /ع/ /م/ /ن/ /ل/ /ر/ /و/ /ي/ الكسرة / ِ / الفتحة / َ / الضمة / ُ / الكسرة الطويلة /ي/ الفتحة الطويلة / ا / الضمة الطويلة /.و /.

Arabic script and pronunciation need to be studied in more detail because it is a broad science that cannot be listed in some points. You can join the Hamil Al Quran Academy to learn Arabic script and Arabic sounds easily online at the hands of experienced and qualified native Arab teachers teaching Arabic to non-native speakers.

Enroll in our conversational Arabic classes online for free trials now!

You can experience it for yourself now in practice through the free trial offered to you by Hamil Al Quran Academy.

Useful Arabic Phrases for Travelers

Greetings and basic expressions

Word	Arabic Word	Pronunciation
Hi	أهلا	ahlan
Good morning	صباح الخير	sabah alkhayr
Good afternoon	نهارك سعيد	naharuk saeid
Good evening	مساء الخير	masa’ alkhayr
Welcome	مرحبا	marhaban
Hello my friend	أهلا يا صديقي	‘ahlan ya sadiqi
How are you?	كيف حالكم ؟	kayf halukum ?
I’m fine	أنا بخير	‘ana bikhayr
thank you	أشكرك	‘ashkuruk
Good	بخير	bikhayr
Not so good	لست بخير حال	last bikhayr hal
You’re welcome	عفوا	eafwan
my pleasure	هذا من دواعى سرورى	hadha min dawaeaa sruraa

Asking for directions

English	Word in Arabic	Pronunciation
Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to ..?	عذرا هلا أخبرتني كيف أصل إلي؟	eudhran hala ‘akhbaratni kayf ‘asil ‘iilay?
Excuse me, do you know where the … is?	عذراً، هل تعرف أين يقع …؟	edhraan, hal taerif ‘ayn yaqae …?
on your left	على يسارك	ealaa yasarik
on your right	على يمينك	ealaa yaminik
straight ahead of you	أمامك مباشرة	‘amamak mubasharatan
How far?	كم يبعد	kam yabeid

Arabic Words for Ordering food and drinks in restaurants

English	In Arabic	Pronunciation
Come in	تفضل بالدخول	tafadal bialdukhul
What would you like to start with?	بماذا تريد أن تبدأ؟	bimadha turid ‘an tabda?
What would you like to drink?	ماذا تحب أن تشرب؟	madha tuhibu ‘an tashirabi?
What would you like for dessert?	ماذا تريد للحلوى؟	madha turid lilhalwaa؟
Is everything all right?	هل كل شيء بخير؟	hal kulu shay’ bikhayrin?
Did you enjoy your meal?	هل إستمتعت بوجبتك؟	hal ‘iistamtaet biwajbatiki?

Shopping and bargaining

English	In Arabic	Pronunciation
How much is this?	بكم هذا؟	bikum hadha?
That’s cheap	ذلك رخيص	dhalik rakhis
That’s good value	السعر جيد	alsier jayid
That’s expensive	السعر غالي	alsier ghali
Do you sell …?	هل تبيعون …؟	hal tabieun …?
Have you got anything cheaper?	هل لديك أي شيء أرخص؟	hal ladayk ‘ayu shay’ ‘arkhasu?
It’s not what I’m looking for	ليس هذا ما أبحث عنه	lays hadha ma ‘abhath eanh
Do you have this item?	هل لديكم هذا الصنف	hal ladaykum hadha alsinf

Emergency phrases and seeking help

English	In Arabic	Pronunciation
Can you help me soon?	هل يمكنك مساعدتي حالا	hal yumkinuk musaeadati halan
I need to..	أحتاج إلى	‘ahtaj ‘iilaa
I need your help	أحتاج مساعدتك	‘ahtaj musaeadatak
I can not wait	لا استطيع الانتظار	la aistutie alaintizar

What are some common mistakes to avoid while learning Arabic?

Use your mother tongue a lot

One of the most common mistakes made by people learning the Arabic language is using the mother tongue a lot while learning to understand the meanings of words and to understand the rules of the new language. This is usually acceptable at the beginning, but with progress in learning and having a good amount of vocabulary and terminology, we must reduce the use of the language The mother and to rely on what we have learned of terms and words to explain new terms and words and to understand grammar.

Use one way to learn

To learn any language, we must learn 4 skills and use educational methods and methods that suit each skill, and we should not rely on only one method. Learning Arabic is based on four basic skills:

• Listening and watching 
• Conversation and Speech
• Reading 
• Writing and expression

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Summary and Key Takeaways

Through the previous lines, it became clear to us the importance of the Arabic language in travel. Speaking the Arabic language is one of the key factors for the success of your travel to countries that speak the Arabic language. Where you can communicate well with the people and institutions that you need during your travels. It also saves you from many difficulties and challenges that may result from your inability to correctly express what you want or your wrong understanding of what others say. Therefore, if you intend to travel to Arab countries, it is recommended that you learn the Arabic language, even in a simple way, that enables you to express yourself and understand others, so that you can properly communicate with Arab people, and your trip and stay will be easier and more enjoyable.