Arabic words you need to know to build your Arabic vocabulary
Common Arabic words: facts and figures
The Arabic language is estimated to be made out of millions of words with the largest Arabic dictionary having over 120,000 words. This can look like a really big and frightening number to someone wanting to start learning Arabic, but here's the good news: you only need to know roughly 5% of the total words to be fluent in Arabic. This translates into knowing only the most common Arabic words in order to be able to have fluent conversations in Arabic.
When you know the most common 100 Arabic words
You can understand 50% of the texts written in Arabic
Top 10 most common Arabic words pronounced by fluent Arabic speakers
1. مرحبا = Hello
Let's naturally start with "مرحبا" which means "Hello" in Arabic. This is one of the most known words in Arabic and a great way to start a conversation with someone from Dubai. Click play below to listen to the actual pronunciation:
مرحبا
2. حب = Love
Love is a universal feeling and we definitely had to talk about it here. Arabic people have a lovely way of saying they love someone or something through the word "حب". Hear it in action here:
حب
3. سعادة = Happiness
When there's love, there's definitely happiness. We are all chasing "سعادة" as Arabic speaking people would say. Listen closely and you might just get some “happiness” in your life today:
سعادة
4. قط = Cat
Let's talk pets. There are two types of people in the world: cat people and dog people. We are going to talk about cats first or how people in the United Arab Emirates would say: "قط". Listen to how it sounds like:
قط
5. كلب = Dog
But let's not forget our lovely and loyal companions, dogs. A dog in Arabic is "كلب", a really useful word for dog lovers worldwide. Here is how you would pronounce it:
كلب
6. يبتسم = Smile
Now it is time to smile. Or how someone from Dubai would say: "يبتسم". Smiling makes us happy and helps us stay healthy, so that's why we all need to smile every day. Here's the Arabic pronunciation:
يبتسم
7. سعودي = Saudi
Next, let’s see how people in Saudi Arabia refer to Saudi Arabians. The correct answer is "سعودي". Listen to how an Arabic speaker would pronounce it:
سعودي
8. نعم = Yes
Yes, we have arrived at number 8 where “yes” is the subject to be discussed. Arabic speakers say “yes” by simply saying "نعم". Enhance your understanding by listening to how a person from Dubai would pronounce it:
نعم
9. شكرا لك = Thank you
Thank you for reading this far or should I say "شكرا لك" as they say in Arabic. Here's a native speaker thanking you in Arabic:
شكرا لك
10. مع السلامه = Goodbye
No polite conversation can end without a good old goodbye or "الى اللقاء" how Arabic people usually say. Now it's time for a delightful Arabic voice to say "Goodbye" to you:
مع السلامه
Common Arabic words to know
Arabic words related to places
Arabic words for transportation
Arabic adjectives and adverbs
Now, let’s explore the ultimate goal of learning Arabic: having real conversations. That’s exactly why we’ve made speaking exercises an essential part of our lessons so you can practice the cool Arabic words you just learned. You have to try our Voice Chatbot, a computer program so advanced you can actually have an intelligent conversation with. Just engage in a conversation and you get asked questions, you respond and the Chatbot understands what you're saying and continues the chat. It’s a remarkable technology that made millions of people fall in love with Mondly.
Did you know?
Arabic words for people
• صعب (ha'ab): hard
• سهل (sahl): easy
• جاف (jaf): dry
• رطب (ratb): wet
• مبكرًا (mubakeran): early
• متأخر (muta'akher): late
• سريع (sarie): fast
• يسار (yasar): left
• أيمن (alman): right
• بارد (barid): cold
• ساخن (sakhin): hot
• ببطء (be'bot): slowly
• بصوت عالي (bisawt eali): loudly
• بهدوء (bihudu'): quietly
• هناك (hunak): there
• هنا (huna): here
• أول (awwal): first
• بعدها (baedaha): then
• أحيانًا (ahyanan): sometimes
• جداً (jidan): very
Arabs love camels so much that they use over 100 words to describe them. For example, “al-‘aees” is a white camel with blond hair, “al-thowee” is a camel that is too weak to stand up and “al-ghub” is a camel that drinks once every two days. They also have 11 words for love, 50 for beautiful and over 100 to describe God.
Why learn the most common Arabic words first?
Make Arabic learning fun and easier
Starting with the Arabic basics means you will begin by learning the easiest words first and gradually increase difficulty. This way you will feel great while learning and see how your language knowledge broadens.
Have basic Arabic conversations in no time
You'll be able to speak to someone from Dubai or Cairo about regular topics like weather, politics or family. This will make you confident in your Arabic skills and eager to learn more.
Become fluent in Arabic faster
By learning the most common Arabic words first you are learning the smart way. Why learn the most unusual words in Arabic when you might never use them in real life?
You improve your Arabic vocabulary
Each new Arabic word you learn piles up until your vocabulary builds stronger and stronger. Each lesson gets you one step closer to fluency.
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