Rude hand gestures are not acceptable as well. This also applies to swearing on social media. Swearing is intolerable in Dubai and can result in fines of up to AED 10,000 or jail time. Among other practices include using the right hand to offer greetings, accept, or give something. In Arabic culture, it is considered rude to point at someone. Manners are an essential part of any society and in the Emirates, courtesy and hospitality are highly valued. Below are some of the etiquette practices observed in Dubai: Arabic Manners To avoid any unpleasant incidents, it is necessary to adhere to Arabic etiquette practice so as not to offend the people or break the law. To say ‘thank you’, the Arabic word is shukran. To excuse yourself, the Arabic phrase is alma’derah and for ‘sorry’, the Arabic word is aesef. To say ‘please’, the Arabic phrase while addressing a man in min fadlak and min fadlik while addressing a woman. The Arabic word for yes is naam while the word for no is la. When agreeing or disagreeing, you will need to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’. The phrase for ‘how much does the item cost’ in Arabic is kam yukalif? When trying to shop for something, you might want to know how much the items cost. Below are other Arabic phrases to use for your trip to Dubai:
Conversation Phrasesįor daily conversations, you will need to learn phrases to say words such as ‘please’ or ‘thank you’. The response to this is wa Anta or anti min ahloo, which translates to “and may you be one of the good”. The translation is “wake up to the good”. To wish someone a good night, the Arabic equivalent is Tisbah ‘ala khayr. To say good evening, the Arabic greeting is Misa’al-khayr, to which the reply is Misa’an-noor or simply an-noor. The speaker can also alter their reply to other phrases like “morning of beauty” or “morning of joy”. For “Good morning?”, the Arabic greeting is Sabah al-khayr. You can change your greeting according to the time of day. The phrases translate to “how are you?” The response to this is Ana bekhair, Shukran, which translates to “I’m fine, thank you.” Time Specific Arabic Greetings While arriving in Dubai, you might hear Ahlan uttered as well, which means “welcome.” Another word used to mean welcome is Marhaba.Īnother Arabic greeting is the phrase Kayf halak (said to a man) or Kayfa halik (said to a woman). Ladies only kiss ladies, while men only kiss men. This mostly depends on the relationship between the two people. Traditionally, two people greet each other by putting their hands together with a kiss on the cheeks as they say Ahlan. The response is wa’alaykum as-salam, meaning “peace be upon you too.”Īhlan is another common Arabic greeting used to say hello.
The formal and common Arabic greeting for hello is as-salam alaykum.