Marhaba! It’s Anastasia again! Here are 4 ways to say hello in Arabic. We are also going to learn what each word means and in what situation to use it.

• Hello :  مرحباً   Pronunciation : Marhaban/Marhaba/Maraheb.

Marhaba is the most popular word used for hello in Arabic. It is simple and cannot be confused with any other word. Marhaban is the fancy term, Marhaba is more familiar and the most popular and Maraheb is mostly used among close friends.

• Good Morning : صباح الخير   Pronunciation : Sabah al Khayr.

To say good morning in Arabic we say Sabah al Khayr, it is usually answered with Sabah al Nour. Sabah al Khayr literally means the morning of good and Sabah al Nour means the morning of light, so the two people who are saluting each other are wishing each other goodness and light.

• يعطيك العافية   Pronunciation :  Yaatik Al Aafiya

This salute is most commonly used to say hello to workers and employers who have tough jobs or work really hard. When you say it, you are wishing them health/strength. It literally means may god give you health/strength.

• Hello, Bonjour or Hi

To everyone’s suprise, Arabs in general and the Lebanese people in particular  are open to multiple cultures. For example the English word hello and the French word bonjour are two very common words used among the Lebanese people to say hello and this is mainly because the Middle-East was under French and English mandate after WW2.