Lebanese-Arabic phrases | Most common phrases for everyday life

Lebanese-Arabic phrases – Here you will find the most common phrases in Lebanese-Arabic with translation. | Free & useful

Lebanese-Arabic phrases - Most common phrases for everyday life

Lebanese-Arabic phrases are short expressions or idioms often used in speech to be polite, express gratitude, greet or say goodbye or simply to have a pleasant conversation.

They are an important part of Lebanese-Arabic culture and can be useful in different situations, both in private and business life.

Lebanese-Arabic phrases you should know

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Greet someone in Lebanese-Arabic

If you want to greet someone in Lebanese-Arabic, it’s actually quite easy:

English Lebanese-Arabic Phonetic (IPA)
Welcome! in Lebanese أهلا وسهلا! /ʔahlan w sahlan/
Good day to you! in Lebanese نهارك سعيد! /nhaːrek saʕiːd/
Good morning to you! in Lebanese صباح الخير إلك! /sˤabaːħ lxeːr ʔɛlek/
Good evening! in Lebanese مسا الخير! /masaː lxeːr/
Good to see you. in Lebanese منيح شفتك. /mniːħ ʃeftak/
I’m glad to see you. in Lebanese مبسوط إني شفتك. /mabsˤuːt ʔinni ʃeftak/

If you are greeted in Lebanese-Arabic, the best way to respond is as follows:

English Lebanese-Arabic Phonetic (IPA)
Have a nice day too! in Lebanese نهارَك سعيد إنت كمان! /nhaːrak saʕiːd ʔenta kamaːn/
Thanks, it’s nice to see you too. شكراً، حلو شوفك كمان. /ʃukraːn, ħelo ʃoːfak kamaːn/

How is my dialogue partner?

As in any other country, it is polite to start by asking where the person you are talking to is located. Here’s how you do it:

English Lebanese-Arabic Phonetic (IPA)
How are you doing? in Lebanese كيفك؟ /kiːfak/ (to a male) /kiːfik/ (to a female)
Are you doing well? in Lebanese إنت منيح؟ /ʔenta mniːħ/ (to a male) /ʔenti mniːħa/ (to a female)

If you are asked how you feel, you can answer with the following phrases:

English Lebanese-Arabic Phonetic (IPA)
Thank you for asking, I am fine. شكراً لأنك سألت، أنا منيح. /ʃukraːn laʔannak saʔalt, ʔana mniːħ/ (to a male)
/ʃukraːn laʔannik saʔalti, ʔana mniːħa/ (to a female)
Thank you, I am fine. in Lebanese شكراً، أنا منيح. /ʃukraːn, ʔana mniːħ/ (male)
/ʃukraːn, ʔana mniːħa/ (female)
Thank you, I am not doing so well. شكراً، مش كتير منيح. /ʃukraːn, miʃ kteːr mniːħ/ (male)
/ʃukraːn, miʃ kteːr mniːħa/ (female)
Thanks, I’m fine. How are you doing? شكراً، أنا منيح. كيفك؟ /ʃukraːn, ʔana mniːħ. kiːfak?/ (to a male)
/ʃukraːn, ʔana mniːħa. kiːfik?/ (to a female)

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How do I say goodbye to someone in Lebanese-Arabic?

Saying goodbye to a friend or stranger in Lebanese-Arabic is not that difficult. Just use the following phrases:

English Lebanese-Arabic Phonetic (IPA)
Goodbye! in Lebanese باي! /baːj/
Take care of yourself! in Lebanese دير بالك ع حالك! /diːr baːlak ʕa ħaːlak/ (to a male)
/diːri baːlik ʕa ħaːlik/ (to a female)
See you tomorrow in Lebanese بشوفك بكرا /bʃuːfak bukra/ (to a male)
/bʃuːfik bukra/ (to a female)
See you soon in Lebanese بشوفك قريب /bʃuːfak ʔariːb/ (to a male)
/bʃuːfik ʔariːb/ (to a female)
See you later in Lebanese بشوفك بعدين /bʃuːfak baʕdeːn/ (to a male)
/bʃuːfik baʕdeːn/ (to a female)
Good night in Lebanese تصبح على خير /tˤesˤbaħ ʕala xeːr/
Sleep well in Lebanese نام منيح /neːm mniːħ/ (to a male)
/neːmi mniːħ/ (to a female)
Talk to you later. in Lebanese بحكيك بعدين. /baħkiːk baʕdeːn/ (to a male)
/baħkiːki baʕdeːn/ (to a female)
Nice to have met you! in Lebanese تشرفت بمعرفتك! /tʃarraft b maʕreftek/ (to a male)
/tʃarraft b maʕreftek/ (to a female)

How do I introduce myself in Lebanese-Arabic?

When travelling in Lebanon, sooner or later you will come into contact with local people. Naturally, you’ll want to introduce yourself in Lebanese-Arabic and know who you’re talking to.

English Lebanese-Arabic Phonetic (IPA)
My name is Jonas. اسمي يوناس. /ʔisme joːnaːs/
What is your name? in Lebanese شو اسمك؟ /ʃuː ʔismak/ (to a male)
/ʃuː ʔismik/ (to a female)
What is your surname? in Lebanese شو كنيتك؟ /ʃuː kinneːtak/ (to a male)
/ʃuː kinneːtik/ (to a female)
What is your first name? in Lebanese شو اسمك الأول؟ /ʃuː ʔismak l ʔawwale/ (to a male)
/ʃuː ʔismik l ʔawwale/ (to a female)

If you want to tell people where you come from, the following sentences are useful:

English Lebanese-Arabic Phonetic (IPA)
Where do you come from? in Lebanese من وين إنت؟ /men weːn ʔenta/ (to a male)
/men weːn ʔenti/ (to a female)
I am from London. أنا من لندن. /ʔana men londen/
Are you from Birmingham? إنت من برمنغهام؟ /ʔenta men bermenhaːm/ (to a male)
/ʔenti men bermenhaːm/ (to a female)
No, I’m from Madrid. لأ، أنا من مدريد. /laʔ, ʔana men madriːd/
Great, I’m from Madrid too. رائع، أنا كمان من مدريد. /raːʔeʕ, ʔana kamaːn men madriːd/
Where do you live? in Lebanese وين ساكن؟ /weːn saːken/ (to a male)
/weːn saːkne/ (to a female)
I live in Berlin. ساكن ببرلين. /saːken b berlin/ (male)
/saːkne b berlin/ (female)

If you have problems with your Lebanese-Arabic, it is good to know which languages are still spoken:

English Lebanese-Arabic Phonetic (IPA)
Do you speak English? in Lebanese بتحكي إنجليزي؟ /btɛħki ʔenʒleːzi/
Yes, I speak English. إي، بحكي إنجليزي. /ʔeː, baħki ʔenʒleːzi/
Yes, I speak some English. إي، بحكي شوي إنجليزي. /ʔeː, baħki ʃwaɪy ʔenʒleːzi/
No, I do not speak any English. لأ، ما بحكي إنجليزي أبداً. /laʔ, ma baħki ʔenʒleːzi ʔabadan/
I only speak English. بحكي بس إنجليزي. /baħki bas ʔenʒleːzi/
I understand some Lebanese-Arabic. بفهم شوي عربي لبناني. /bifham ʃwaɪy ʕarabe lebnaːne/

Useful sentences with ‘I am…’

The following sentences will help you orientate yourself in Lebanese-Arabic and express your wishes and concerns:

English Lebanese-Arabic Phonetic (IPA)
I am English. أنا إنجليزي. /ʔana ʔenʒleːzi/
I am injured. in Lebanese أنا مجروح. /ʔana madʒruːħ/
I am here. in Lebanese أنا هون. /ʔana hoːn/
I am hungry. in Lebanese أنا جوعان. /ʔana ʒuːʕaːn/
I am thirsty. in Lebanese أنا عطشان. /ʔana ʕatˤʃaːn/
I am a single person. in Lebanese أنا أعزب. /ʔana ʔaʕzab/
I need help! in Lebanese بدي مساعدة! /baddi musaːʕade/
I am tired. in Lebanese أنا تعبان. /ʔana taʕbaːn/
I am happy. in Lebanese أنا مبسوط. /ʔana mabsˤuːtˤ/
I am sad. in Lebanese أنا زعلان. /ʔana zaʕlaːn/
I am in love. in Lebanese أنا واقع بالحب. /ʔana waːʔeʕ bel ħobb/
I am ill. in Lebanese أنا مريض. /ʔana mˤariːdˤ/
I am ready. in Lebanese أنا جاهز. /ʔana dʒaːhiz/
I am busy. in Lebanese أنا مشغول. /ʔana maʃɣuːl/
I am lost. in Lebanese أنا ضايع. /ʔana dˤaːjaʕ/
I am a tourist. in Lebanese أنا سائح. /ʔana saːʔeħ/
I am new here. in Lebanese أنا جديد هون. /ʔana ʒdiːd hoːn/
I am confident. in Lebanese أنا واثق من حالي. /ʔana waːsˤeʔ men ħaːle/
I am proud. in Lebanese أنا فخور. /ʔana faːxuːr/
I am a teacher. in Lebanese أنا أستاذ. /ʔana ʔistaːz/
I am late. in Lebanese أنا مأخّر. /ʔana maʔaχχar/
I am 30 years old. in Lebanese عمري تلاتين سنة. /ʕomri tlaːtiːn sine/
I am in a hurry. in Lebanese أنا مستعجل. /ʔana mestaʕdʒel/
I am happy. in Lebanese أنا مبسوط. /ʔana mabsˤuːtˤ/
I am surprised. in Lebanese أنا مستغرب. /ʔana mestaɣreb/
I am angry. in Lebanese أنا معصّب. /ʔana mʕasˤsˤeb/

Apologising in Lebanese-Arabic

Here’s how to apologise to a Lebanese-Arabic speaker:

English Lebanese-Arabic Phonetic (IPA)
I apologise. in Lebanese بعتذر. /bʕetˤzer/
Sorry, that was not the intention. in Lebanese آسف، ما كانت القَصِد. /ʔaːsef, ma kaːnet lʔaʂed/
Sorry, I did not do it on purpose. آسف، ما عملتا عن قصد. /ʔaːsef, ma ʕemelta ʕan ʔaʂed/
Sorry, that was very clumsy of me. in Lebanese آسف، كانت كتير حركة غشيمة مني. /ʔaːsef, kaːnet kteːr ħarake ɣaʃiːme menni/

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Useful signs and notices in Lebanese-Arabic

Useful signs and messages in Lebanese-Arabic that you will often see.

English Lebanese-Arabic Phonetic (IPA)
Entrance in Lebanese مدخل /madxal/
Toilet in Lebanese تواليت /twaːleːt/
Exit in Lebanese مخرج /maxraj/
Attention! in Lebanese انتبِه! /ʔenteˈbeh/
Police in Lebanese الشرطة /ʃˤorˤtˤa/
Emergency services in Lebanese الطوارئ /etˤ-tˤawaːreʔ/
Fire brigade in Lebanese الدفاع المدني /eddeˈfaːʕ elˈmadani/
Passage forbidden. in Lebanese الممر ممنوع. /el-mamaːr mamnuːʕ/
Caution! in Lebanese تنبِيه! /tanˈbiːh/
This building is under video surveillance. in Lebanese هيدا المبنى تحت المراقبة بالكاميرا. /haːda l-mabna taħt el-muraːʔabe bel-kaːmira/

Numbers to 25 in Lebanese-Arabic

Counting in Lebanese-Arabic is not that difficult. Here are the numbers in Lebanese-Arabic from 1 to 25.

English Lebanese-Arabic Phonetic (IPA)
1 in Lebanese واحد /waːħad/
2 in Lebanese تنين /tneːn/
3 in Lebanese تلاتة /tleːte/
4 in Lebanese أربعة /ʔarbaʕa/
5 in Lebanese خمسة /xamse/
6 in Lebanese ستة /sitte/
7 in Lebanese سبعة /sabʕa/
8 in Lebanese تمانية /tmaːnje/
9 in Lebanese تسعة /tisaʕ/
10 in Lebanese عشرة /ʕaʃra/
11 in Lebanese حدعش /ħaˈdaʃ/
12 in Lebanese تنَعش /tnaˈʃ/
13 in Lebanese تلتعش /tleˈtˤaʃ/
14 in Lebanese أربعتعش /ʔarbaʕˈtˤaʃ/
15 in Lebanese خمستعش /xamasˈtˤaʃ/
16 in Lebanese ستعتعش /settˤaʕˈtˤaʃ/
17 in Lebanese سبعتعش /sabaʕˈtˤaʃ/
18 in Lebanese تمانتعش /tmaːnˈtˤaʃ/
19 in Lebanese تسعتعش /tisaʕˈtˤaʃ/
20 in Lebanese عشرين /ʕeʃriːn/
21 in Lebanese واحد وعشرين /waːħad w ʕeʃriːn/
22 in Lebanese تنين وعشرين /tneːn w ʕeʃriːn/
23 in Lebanese تلاتة وعشرين /tleːte w ʕeʃriːn/
24 in Lebanese أربعة وعشرين /ʔarbaʕa w ʕeʃriːn/
25 in Lebanese خمسة وعشرين /xamse w ʕeʃriːn/

The colours in Lebanese-Arabic

The most common colours in Lebanese-Arabic with phonetic transcription for pronunciation.

English Lebanese-Arabic Phonetic (IPA)
Red in Lebanese أحمر /ʔaħmar/
Blue in Lebanese أزرق /ʔazraʔ/
Green in Lebanese أخضر /ʔaχdˤar/
Yellow in Lebanese أصفر /ʔasˤfar/
Black in Lebanese أسود /ʔaswad/
White in Lebanese أبيض /ʔabjaðˤ/
Orange in Lebanese برتقالي /burtoʔaːli/
Pink in Lebanese زهري /zahri/
Purple in Lebanese بنفسجي /banafsaʒi/
Brown in Lebanese بني /binni/

Days of the week, months and seasons in Lebanese-Arabic

Of course, you will also need the days of the week in Lebanese-Arabic and the pronunciation of the months and seasons in dialogues and daily communication in Lebanese-Arabic.

English Lebanese-Arabic Phonetic (IPA)
Days of the Week
Monday in Lebanese التنين /etːneːn/
Tuesday in Lebanese التلاتا /etːaleːta/
Wednesday in Lebanese الإربعا /elʔerbaʕa/
Thursday in Lebanese الخميس /elxamiːs/
Friday in Lebanese الجمعة /elʒemʕa/
Saturday in Lebanese السبت /essabt/
Sunday in Lebanese الأحد /elʔaħad/
Months
January in Lebanese كانون التاني /kaːnuːn ettːaːni/
February in Lebanese شباط /ʃbaːtˤ/
March in Lebanese آذار /ʔaːzaːr/
April in Lebanese نيسان /niːsaːn/
May in Lebanese أيار /ʔajjaːr/
June in Lebanese حزيران /ħzeːraːn/
July in Lebanese تموز /tamːuːz/
August in Lebanese آب /ʔaːb/
September in Lebanese أيلول /ʔajluːl/
October in Lebanese تشرين الأول /teʃriːn elʔawwal/
November in Lebanese تشرين التاني /teʃriːn ettːaːni/
December in Lebanese كانون الأول /kaːnuːn elʔawwal/
Seasons
Spring in Lebanese الربيع /errabiːʕ/
Summer in Lebanese الصيف /eṣṣeːf/
Autumn in Lebanese الخريف /elxariːf/
Winter in Lebanese الشتوية /eʃʃetːawje/

OUR TIP: If you want to learn these Lebanese-Arabic phrases interactively, we recommend the free language course demo from 17-Minute-Language, where you can learn Lebanese-Arabic phrases and dialogues.

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