Lesson 1
Greetings and Self-Introduction
التحية والتعارف
Your first unit opens with the most natural entry point into Arabic: how Muslims greet one another and how to introduce yourself. These phrases will serve you every single day.
Key Vocabulary
ArabicTransliterationMeaning
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمas-salāmu ʿalaykumPeace be upon you
وَعَلَيْكُمُ السَّلَامwa-ʿalaykumu s-salāmAnd upon you peace (reply)
كَيْفَ حَالُك؟kayfa ḥāluk?How are you?
بِخَيْر، شُكْراًbikhayrin, shukranFine, thank you
مَا اسْمُك؟mā smuk?What is your name?
اسْمِي...ismī...My name is...
مِنْ أَيْنَ أَنْت؟min ayna ant?Where are you from?
أَنَا مِن...anā min...I am from...
Sample Dialogue
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُم وَعَلَيْكُمُ السَّلَام، كَيْفَ حَالُك؟ بِخَيْر، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّه
As-salāmu ʿalaykum Wa-ʿalaykumu s-salām, kayfa ḥāluk? Bikhayrin, al-ḥamdu lillāh
Peace be upon you And upon you peace, how are you? Fine, praise be to Allah.
مَا اسْمُك؟ اسْمِي عُمَر. وَأَنْت؟ اسْمِي فَاطِمَة
Mā smuk? Ismī ʿUmar. Wa-ant? Ismī Fāṭima
What is your name? My name is Umar. And you? My name is Fatima.
Pronunciation Focus
The letter ع (ʿayn) in عَلَيْكُم is a deep throat constriction with no English equivalent. Start by making an "ah" sound then tighten the throat it will come with practice. The ح in الْحَمْد is a strong breathy h from the chest, different from the soft English h.
- السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُم is the universal Islamic greeting use it whenever you meet a fellow Muslim.
- الْحَمْدُ لِلَّه (al-ḥamdu lillāh praise be to Allah) is the standard response to "how are you?"
- Masculine "you" is أَنْتَ (anta); feminine is أَنْتِ (anti). The greeting adapts slightly: حَالُك (m) / حَالُكِ (f).
- Arabic is written right to left train your eye by reading each example from right to left.