Lesson 2 -- Thank you

السلام عليكم and welcome to Understanding Arabic’s second lesson! We are thankful to you for coming back. So, how do I say thank you in Arabic? Let’s find out.




~Listen to the podcast provided below for better studying.

In Arabic, the simplest way to say “thank you” is 

شكراً

[Shukran]

Like we mentioned in the previous lesson, Arabic has many expressions that come in pairs. This is one of them. 

Then, "you're welcome" in Arabic is 

عفواً

[Afwan]

عفواً  [afwan] literally comes from the root word that means "pardon" and therefore has the translation for "sorry". 

Because of this,  عفواً  can also mean "excuse me" or "pardon me". Time and culture has changed عفواً to mean "you're welcome" when used in spoken Arabic. 

Let's look at the sample dialogues:
A: Would you like some falafel?
B: Yes, شكراً [shukran].
A: عفواً [afwan].

A: عفواً. Do you know where the restroom is?
B: I don't know. عفواً. [afwan]

A: Excuse me. Do you know where the restroom is?
B: I don't know, sorry.

You've just completed the second -and short- lesson from Understanding Arabic. Happy studying!

 !إلى اللقاء