Jordanian Arabic is a set of dialects of Levantine Arabic that are originated in the Jordanian Kingdom and are spoken by Jordanians. The western Jordanian dialect of Arabic is similar to that spoken in Syria, West Bank, Israel, Gaza and Lebanon. As with all dialects of Arabic, the variations are in the spoken form of the language only; the written language always conforms to standard (or classical) Arabic.
Aside from the various dialects, one must also deal with the differences in addressing males, females, and groups; plurals and verb conjugations are highly irregular and difficult to determine from their root letters; and there are several letters in the Arab alphabet that are difficult for an English speaker to pronounce.
Sub-dialects of Jordanian Arabic
Although there is a common Jordanian dialect mutually understood by most Jordanians, there are regional distinct variations in various parts of the country with at times unique pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary.
Jordanian Arabic falls into three groups:
Rural Jordanian
Bedouin Jordanian
Urban Jordanian.
Rural Jordanian
Is spoken by Jordanian villagers and many of the small-city or village-born city dwellers. There are two sub-types of Rural Jordanian:
Hauran Arabic, spoken in the area north of Amman between es-Salt and the Syrian border.
Moab Arabic, named so after the antique Moab kingdom southern Jordan, this dialect is spoken in the area south of Amman.
Bedouin Jordanian
Is spoken by Jordanian Bedouins mostly in the Badia region east of the Jordanian mountain heights plateau of the Kingdom. This dialect is much truer to the Arabic language and is not widely used in the urban and rural regions and is considered sometimes hard to understand by most residents there.
Urban Jordanian
This variety was born after the designation of Amman as capital of the Jordanian kingdom early in the 20th century. It is the result of the merger of the language of populations who moved from Hauran (northern Jordan), Moab (southern Jordan) and Nablus into the new founded city. For this reason, it mixes features of the Arabic varieties spoken by these populations. The emergence of the language occurred under the strong influence of the Rural Jordanian Hauran Arabic.
Pronunciation guide
There are some letters of the Arabic alphabet that transliterate into English; others are completely foreign to English speakers, making them difficult to pronounce. The pronunciation guide shown below is case- sensitive; for example, 'th' is a different sound from 'Th' and 'TH'.
There are only two glides, or diphthongs, in Arabic. The first glides from 'a' to 'i' and gives an 'ay' sound as in the English word for bait; the second glides from 'a' to 'u' and gives the 'aw' sound as in the Arabic word mawt meaning 'death'.
One syllable of every Arabic word has more stress than the other syllables of that word. Much meaning is communicated in Arabic by the location of the stress. This is much truer than in most Western languages.
Vowels
Although some dialects have an 'e' and an 'o', there are only three phonemic vowels that are common to Arabic:
a
like 'a' in "apple"
i
like 'ee' in "cheese"
o
like 'oo' in "too"
Consonants
Characters marked by an asterisk (*) are ones that may prove more difficult for English speakers than the others.
a (ا)
like 'aa' in "back"
b (ب)
like 'b' in "bed"
t (ت)
like 't' in "top"
th (ث)
like 'th' in "think"
j (ج)
like 'j' in "jump"
H (ح) *
like 'h' in "hot" (this sound is created by tightly constricting the throat muscles as you force air through; commonly referred to as "heavy h")
kh (خ)
like like 'ch' in Scottish "loch" or German "nach" (this sound is similar to a gargled exasperation, as if someone were clearing his throat)
d (د)
like 'd' in "dog"
Th (ذ)
like 'th' in "that"
r (ر)
like 'r' in "row"
z (ز)
like 'z' in "haze"
s (س)
like 's' in "sing"
sh (ش)
like 'sh' in "sheep"
S (ص) *
like 's' in "sorry" or "saw" (this sound has more force than an English 's'; commonly referred to as "heavy s")
D (ض) *
like 'd' in "dot" (this sound has more force than an English 'd'; commonly referred to as "heavy d")
T (ط) *
like 't' in "taught" (this sound has more force than an English 't'; commonly referred to as "heavy t")
TH (ظ) *
like 'th' in "other"
9 (ع) *
like 'ei' in German "nein" (while there are different methods of transliterating this difficult character, this phrasebook sometimes uses the number 9, as the sound of the character mimics the sound of the stressed 'i' in "nine".)
g (غ) *
like French 'r' (this sound is a more gutteral—or gargled—version of the English 'g')
f (ف)
like 'f' in "fox"
q (ق)
like 'c' in "cough"
k (ك)
like 'k' in "kitten"
l (ل)
like 'l' in "lamb"
m (م)
like 'm' in "mother"
n (ن)
like 'n' in "noon"
h (ھ)
like 'h' in "help"
w (و)
like 'w' in "wow"
y (ي)
like 'y' in "yes"
' (ء)
a glottal stop
Phrase list
Alternate versions of each word—used when addressing men, women, or groups—have been listed where applicable. Other variations include word differences if spoken by a male or a female. The Arabic words have been included although the spoken pronunciation may differ from the written script.
Basics
Common signs
OPEN
مفتح (maftooH)
CLOSED
مغلق (mugalaq/imsakir)
ENTRANCE
مدخل (madkhal)
EXIT
مخرج (makhraj)
PUSH
ادفع (idfa'a)
PULL
اسحب (isHab)
TOILET
حمام (hammaam)
MEN
رجال (rijaal)
WOMEN
نساء (nisa' )
FORBIDDEN
ممنوع (mamnuu'a)
Hello.
مرحبا (marHaba)
How are you?
كيف حالك
(keef Haa'lak) - When speaking to a male; can be abbreviated kee fak
(keef Haa'lik) - When speaking to a female; can be abbreviated kee fik
(keef Haalkom) - When speaking to a group of two or more; can be abbreviated keef kom
Fine, thank you
(mniH) - Literally means "good"
(kwayyis) - Literally means "very good"
(hamdillah) - A very common phrase which can mean "Fine, thank you", but literally means "Praise be to God"
What is your name?
شو اسمك؟
(shu ismak) - When speaking to a male
(shu ismik) - When speaking to a female
My name is ______ .
اسمي ______ . (ismi _____ .)
Nice to meet you.
أهلاً و سهلاً ( 'ahlan wa' salan) - This phrase literally means "welcome", but is used in place of "Nice to meet you."
Please.
من فضلك
(min faDlak/arjook) - When speaking to a male
(min faDlik/arjooki) - When speaking to a female
Thank you.
شكرا (shukran)
You're welcome.
عفواً
( 'afwan) - Literally means "excuse me" but is also used in this case
( 'ahlan wa' sahlan) - Literally means "welcome" but is also used in this case
Yes.
نعم (na'am) or (aah)
No.
لا (laa)
Excuse me. (getting attention or begging pardon)
عفوا ( 'afwan)
I'm sorry.
اسف
( 'ana assif) - If spoken by a man
( 'ana assfeh) - If spoken by a woman
Goodbye
مع السلام (ma'salama)
I can't speak Arabic [well].
ما بحكي عربي (ma baHaki arabi [mniH])
Do you speak English?
بتحكي انجليزي؟
(ibtiHki ingleezi?) - When speaking to a man
(ibtiHkti ingleezi?) - When speaking to a woman
Is there someone here who speaks English?
في ناس بيحكي انجليزي؟ (fi naas bHaki ingleezi?)
Help!
إلحقوني(ilHaquuni!) - Literally means "follow me"
Look out!
انتبة
(deer balak!) - When speaking to a man
(deer balik!) - When speaking to a woman
Good morning.
صباح الخير (SabaaH el-khair)
Good evening.
مساء الخير (masa' el-khair)
Good night.
تصبع على خير (tuSbaaH ala khair)
I don't understand.
انا مش فاهم
(ana mish faahim) - Literally "I don't understand"
(mish faahim alayk) - Literally "I don't understand you"
Where is the toilet?
وين الحمام (wayn il-Hamaam?)
Problems
Leave me alone.
أتركني وشأني (siibni laHalli/itrikni)
Don't touch me!
لأ تلمسني (ma talmisni/laa tseebnni)
Police!
الشرطة (al-shurtah)
Stop! Thief!
قف أيها اللص (waqif ya Haarami)
I need your help.
أحناج امساعدتك
(baHtaj musaa'adtak) - When addressing a man
(baHtaj musaa'adtik) - When addressing a woman
I'm lost.
أنا ضائع (ana Daayi'a)
I lost my bag.
أضعت شنطتي (Daayaat shanTiti)
I lost my wallet.
أضعت محفظتي (Daayaat maHdaTHiti)
I'm sick.
أبا مريض (ana mariiD)
I need a doctor.
أحتاج الى طبيب (biddi doktor)
Can I use your phone?
هل يمكنني استعمال تلفونك (mumkin 'asta'amil talafonak/bagdar astaamil talafonak?)
Numbers
The Arabic numeric characters are provided in place of the words due to their more common usage. Unlike Arabic script, Arabic numerals are printed from left to right. In the case where two pronunciations are provided, either can be used interchangably.
1
١ (waaHid)
2
٢ (tinain or ithnain)
3
٣ (talaata or thalaatha)
4
٤ (arba'a)
5
٥ (khamseh)
6
٦ (sitah)
7
٧ (saba'a)
8
٨ (thamaaniyeh or tamaaniyeh)
9
٩ (tisa'a)
10
١٠ (asharah)
11
١١ (iH'dash or H'dash)
12
١٢ (it'nash or t'nash)
13
١٣ (talaatash)
14
١٤ (arba'tash)
15
١٥ (khamistash)
16
١٦ (sittash)
17
١٧ (saba'tash)
18
١٨ (tamaantash)
19
١٩ (tisatash)
20
٢٠ (ashriin)
21
٢١ (waHid u' ashriin) - Literally "one and twenty"
22
٢٢ (tinain u' ashriin) - Literally "two and twenty"
23
٢٣ (talaata u' ashriin) - Literally "three and twenty"
30
٣٠ (talaatiin)
40
٤٠ (arba'iin)
50
٥٠ (khamsiin)
60
٦٠ (sittiin)
70
٧٠ (saba'iin)
80
٨٠ (tamaaniin)
90
٩٠ (tisa'iin)
100
١٠٠ (miiyeh)
200
٢٠٠ (miitayn) - Literally "two [one] hundreds"
300
٣٠٠ (talaat miiyeh)
1000
١٠٠٠ (alf)
2000
٢٠٠٠ (alfayn) - Literally "two [one] thousands"
1,000,000
١٠٠٠٠٠٠ (milyon)
number _____ (train, bus, etc.)
رقم _____ (raqam)
half
نصف (nuuS)
less
اقل (aqal)
more
اكثر (akthar)
Time
now
هلا (hala)
later
بعدين (baa'dain)
before
قبل (qabil)
morning
صباح (SaabaH)
afternoon
بعد الظهر (ba'ad id-duhur) - Literally "after the noon"
The following months coordinate with the Islamic calendar and is used only for Muslim holidays. Generally, the Gregorian calendar is used. When defining a month, however, most people use the month numbers (like shahir waaHid, which means "month one" or January).
January
كانون الثاني (kaanuun it-taani)
February
شباط (shbaaT)
March
اذار ( 'aaThaar)
April
نيسان (niisaan)
May
ايار ( 'ayyaar)
June
حزيران (Huzayraan)
July
تموز (tammuuz)
August
اّب ( 'aab)
September
ايلول ( 'ayluul)
October
تشرن الأو (tishriin il'awwal)
November
تشرن الثاني (tishriin it-taani)
December
كانون الأول (kaanuun il'awwal)
Colors
Each Arabic color has a masculine and feminine form. Only the masculine forms are displayed here.
black
اسود (aswad)
white
ابيض (abyaD)
gray
رمادي (ramaadi or sakini)
red
احمر (aHmar)
blue
ازرق (azraq)
yellow
اصفر (aSfar)
green
اخضر (akhDar)
orange
برتقالي (burtuqaali)
purple
ارجوان (naHadi)
brown
اسمر (buuni)
Transportation
Bus and train
How much is a ticket to _____?
How much is a ticket to _____? (...)
One ticket to _____, please.
One ticket to _____, please. (...)
Where does this train/bus go?
Where does this train/bus go? (...)
Where is the train/bus to _____?
Where is the train/bus to _____? (...)
Does this train/bus stop in _____?
Does this train/bus stop in _____? (...)
When does the train/bus for _____ leave?
When does the train/bus for _____ leave? (...)
When will this train/bus arrive in _____?
When will this bus arrive in _____? (...)
Directions
How do I get to _____ ?
_____ كيف ممكن الوصول الى (kiif mumkin awSal _____?)
اماكن تاريخية (amaakin taariikhiyeh) - Literally "historical places"
Can you show me on the map?
أريني ذاك الخارطة (farjiini ala al-khaariTah)
street
شارع (shar'iah)
Turn left.
خذ يسار (lif shmaal)
Turn right.
خذ يمين (lif yaamiin)
left
يسار (shmaal or yasaar)
right
يمين (yaamiin)
straight ahead
مستقيم (dugri)
towards the _____
_____ تجاه (tijaah)
past the _____
_____ بعد (ba'ad _____)
before the _____
_____ قبل (qabil _____)
Watch for the _____.
انتبه (dir balak)
intersection
مفترق طرق (taqaaTa'a)
north
شمال (shmaal)
south
جنوب (junuub)
east
شرق (sharq)
west
غرب (garb)
uphill
أعلى الجبل (ala jabal) - Literally "on the hill"; one may also use fuuq, which means "up" or "above"
downhill
تحت (taHt) - Literally means "down"
Taxi
Taxi!
تكسي (taksi)
Take me to _____, please.
_____ أريد الذ هاب الي
(biddi 'aruuH ah _____ law samaHt) – Literally "I want to go to _____,if you please."
(bidna naruuH ah _____ law samaHt) – Literally "We want to go to _____, if you please."
How much does it cost to get to _____?
كم سيكلف (aysh huwwa thaman fi...) – Literally "What is the cost for..."
Lodging
Do you have any rooms available?
هل يوجد غرف فارغة؟ (fi guraf faaDiyeh)
How much is a room for one person/two people?
ما هي التكلقة (qadaysh bitkalif [lilwaaHid/lilshakhSayn]) – Literally "What cost [for one/for two people]"
Does the room come with...
هل يوجد في الغرفة (fi bil gurfeh...)
...bedsheets?
شراشف؟... (sharaashif)
...a bathroom?
همام؟... (hamaam)
...a telephone?
تلفون؟... (telefuun)
...a TV?
تافزيون؟... (televeesion)
May I see the room first?
هل يمكنني رؤية الغرفة أولاً؟ (mumkin 'ashuuf ilgurfeh?)
Do you have anything bigger?
هل يوجد غرفة أكبر؟ (fi gurfeh akbar?)
...cleaner?
أنظف؟... ('anDaf?)
...cheaper?
أرخص... ('arkhas?)
OK, I'll take it.
موافق (kwayyis, raH 'akhudha)
I will stay for _____ night(s).
اياة واحدة (...layleh waaHdeh)
Can you suggest another hotel?
هل يوجد فنادق أخري في المنطقة؟ (fi fanaadiq itaaniyeh [fil mantiqa])
Do you have a safe?
هل يوجد لديكم؟ (fi a'indkum khazneh)
Is breakfast/supper included?
هل هذا يتضمّن الفطور/العشاء (hal hadda ma'a il-faTuur/il-9asha)
Please clean my room.
هل يمكنك تنظتف غرفتي (mumkin tanaTHif gurfiti, law samaHt)
I want to check out.
أريد أن ادفع الحسان (biddi 'adfa'a al-Hasaab)
Money
Do you accept American/Australian/Canadian dollars?
هل تقبل دولارات؟ (btiqbal dulaaraat?)
Do you accept British pounds?
هل تقبل باند انكليزي؟ (btiqbal pound enkliizi?)
Do you accept credit cards?
هل تقبل كردت كرد؟ (btiqbal credit card?)
Where can I get money changed?
أين يوجد صرّاف؟ (wayn fi Sarraf?)
What is the exchange rate?
ما هوا سعر الدولار؟ (qadaysh saa'ir [dollar]?)
Where is an automatic teller machine (ATM)?
أين يوجد جهاز سحب آلي؟ (wayn fi jihaz saHib aalii?)
Eating
Can I look at the menu, please?
لائحة الطعام لو سمحت (aa'Tini laa'ihah, law samaHt)
I'm a vegetarian.
انا نباتي (ana nabaati)
breakfast
فطور (faTuur)
lunch
غداء (gadda' )
supper
عشاء ( 'ashaa)
I want _____.
_____ أريد (biddi)
chicken
دجاج (jaaj)
beef
بقر (baqar) - Literally "cow"
fish
سمك (samak)
ham
خنزير (khanziir)
cheese
جبنة (jibneh)
eggs
بيض (bayD)
salad
سلطة (salaTa)
(fresh) vegetables
خضروات (khuDruwaat [Tazeh])
(fresh) fruit
فواكه (fawaakeh [Tazeh])
bread
خبز (xubiz)
toast
محمّر (mHammar) - Literally "slightly browned"
noodles
معكرونة (maa'karunah)
rice
رزّ (ruzz)
beans
فول (fuul)
May I have a glass of _____?
_____اعطتني كاسة (aa'tiini kaasit _____, law samaHt) - Literally "give me a glass of _____, if you please."
May I have a cup of _____?
_____ اعطتيني فنجان (aa'tiini finjaan _____, law samaHt)
May I have a bottle of _____?
_____ اعطيني قنينة (aa'tiini qaaniinit _____, law samaHt)
coffee
قهوة (qahweh)
tea (drink)
شاي (shay)
juice
عصير (aa'Siir)
(bubbly) water
مياه غازية (miyeh gaziyeh)
water
مياه (maiy)
beer
بيرة (biirah)
May I have some _____?
اعطيني _____ لو سمحت (aa'tiini _____, law samaHt) - Literally "give me _____, if you please."
salt
ملح (milH)
black pepper
فلفل أسود (filfil 'aswad)
butter
زبدة (zibdeh)
Excuse me, waiter? (getting attention of server)
عفواً ('afwan) or لو سمحت (law samaHt)
I'm finished.
انتهيت (inta-heit) or خلاص(khallaSt)
It was delicious.
زاكي (zaaki)
The check, please.
الفاتورة لو سمحت (ilfaatuurah, law samaHt)
Shopping
Do you have this in my size?
عندك مقاسي؟
(indak maqaasi) - When speaking to a male
(indik maqaasi) - When speaking to a female
How much is this?
ما ثمن هذا؟ (qaddaysh ha' hadda?)
That's too expensive.
غالي كتير (hadda gali ktiir)
Would you take _____?
سأدفع لك _____ فقط (raaH adfa'alak...) - Literally "I'm going to pay you..."
expensive
غالي (gali)
cheap
رخيص (raxiis)
I can't afford it.
ما معي كفاية (ma ma9i kifaayeh) - Literally "I don't have enough"
I don't want it.
لاأريد هذا (ma biddi ya)
You're cheating me.
انت تغشني (inta bitgushni)
I'm not interested.
ابا غير مهتم (ana mish mohtam)
OK, I'll take it.
ابا موافق (Tayyib,ana muwaffiq)
Can I have a bag?
أعطيني كيس لو سمحت (a'tiini kiis, law samaHt)
Do you ship (overseas)?
بتشحن؟ (mumkin btishHam?)
I need...
أحتاج (a'Htah...)
...toothpaste.
معجون أسنان (ma'juun asnaan)
...a toothbrush.
فرشاية أسنان (furshayit asnaan)
...tampons.
كتكس (kotex)
...soap.
صابون (Saabuun)
...shampoo.
شامبو (shaambuu)
...pain reliever. (e.g., aspirin or ibuprofen)
مسكّن (musakkin') - Literally "coming down"
...cold medicine.
دواء رشح (dawa' rasheH)
...stomach medicine.
دواء للمعدة (dawa' lil ma'deh)
...a razor.
شفرة حلاقة (shafrah xilaaqah)
...an umbrella.
شمسيّة (shamsiyyeh)
...sunblock lotion.
دواء للشمس (dawa' lil shams) - Literally "medicine for the sun"
...a postcard.
كرت (kart)
...postage stamps.
طوابع (tawaaba)
...batteries.
بطاريات (baTaariyaat)
...writing paper.
ورق (waraq)
...a pen.
قلم (qalam)
...English-language books.
كتب اللغة الانكلزية (kutuub illugah ingliziyah)
...English-language magazines.
مجلاّت اللغة الانكلزية (majellaat illugah ingliziyah)
...an English-language newspaper.
جريدة اللغة الانكلزية (jariideh illugah ingliziyah)
...an English-English dictionary.
قاموس اللغة الانكلزية (qaamus illugah ingliziyah)
Driving
I want to rent a car.
I want to rent a car. (...)
Can I get insurance?
Can I get insurance? (...)
stop (on a street sign)
stop (baas)
one way
one way (...)
yield
yield (...)
no parking
no parking (...)
speed limit
speed limit (...)
gas (petrol) station
gas station (...)
petrol
petrol (...)
diesel
diesel (...)
Authority
I haven't done anything wrong.
I haven't done anything wrong. (...)
It was a misunderstanding.
It was a misunderstanding. (...)
Where are you taking me?
Where are you taking me? (...)
Am I under arrest?
Am I under arrest? (...)
I am an American/Australian/British/Canadian citizen.
I am an American/Australian/British/Canadian citizen. (...)
I want to talk to the American/Australian/British/Canadian embassy/consulate.
I need to talk to the American/Australian/British/Canadian embassy/consulate. (...)
I want to talk to a lawyer.
I want to talk to a lawyer. (...)
Can I just pay a fine now?
Can I just pay a fine now? (...)
Learning more
This is where you would give more information on learning the language, such as links to online courses or textbooks, suggestions for in-person courses to take, or pointers to a dictionary or two.
How do you say _____ in Arabic?
How do you say _____ ? (...)kiif bitquul___ bil Arabi?
What is this/that called?
What is this/that called? (...)shu isim haada?
This is a usable phrasebook. It explains pronunciation and the bare essentials of travel communication. An adventurous person could use it to get by, but please plunge forward and help it grow!
