Language in Jordan … What You Need to Know
Jordan at Glance
Formally known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the country’s strategic location serves a cultural landmark within a highly diverse region. Jordan combines Europe’s authentic greenery with the Middle East’s own Saharan setting. Jordan boasts a very rich history with several civilizations laying foot in what was once Jesus Christ Baptism Site where such nations have played a key role in shaping the country’s profound importance and cultural diversity. From The Greeks, Nabataeans, and Romans, Jordan has become one of the world’s hottest tourist attractions for its breathtaking archeological sites, artifacts, and locations.
Arabic Language: What You Need to Know
So, you’ve decided to pack your bags and take a time capsule to one of the world’s most culturally rich sites. To get fully prepared for the ever-exciting journey, you’ll need to get yourself acquainted with several travel-tricks to enjoy a mind-blowing experience. Whether you’re just getting started by planning to make a booking or you’ve already gone ahead and booked your favorite hotel, one of the most important elements for a smooth-sailing travel experience is the ability to communicate effectively with the locals all across your areas of interest. Here are of few things you need to know:
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Arabic Language at Airports, Hotels and Historic Sites:
You can easily communicate in English at Airports and Hotels where most staff and individuals speak the language freely with no barriers. However, you need to be aware of the fact that some individuals do not speak fluently comparing to others where you need to simplify your language as much as possible and speak in a slower manner to get your message across to the recipient. Hotel Suites like The House will be your perfect lodging place to enjoy a communication-conducive location. The same applies to tourist locations and sites where most tour guides are capably fluent in multiple languages and can offer linguistic support to any destination you might be visiting. This is considered the second-best option after being capable of communicating Arabic yourself.
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Arabic: When It’s Needed the Most:
Aside from making hotel bookings and arranging for your flights and destination whereabouts, you could still take your experience to the next level by learning several tricks of the trade that will allow to truly experience the essence of the Orient like never before. As soon as you leave your hotel room, learning essential Arabic phrases will not only assist you in ordering food or transporting from one location to the other as it could prove to be an efficient way to negotiate your way to a bargain or even avoid being sold overly expensive items that could be bought for cheaper by talking your way to it. Here are a few linguistic facts you may need to know before learning any phrase.
The first thing you need to know is that several letters are naturally stressed in Arabic. If a word has an apostrophe ” ‘ “, you need to make sure that you come to a complete pause using the commonly known glottal stop technique. As the case may be in many other languages, Arabic has its own syllables and unique pronunciations. The following pronunciation rules are also key to getting your message across:
| E | E is pronounced as “é” as in French |
| Gh | The”ghe” syllable is pronounced as an “r” as in French |
| H | The”h” is the same” hat” in English. |
| Kh | The “kha” syllable is the same as “la jota” in Spanish |
| Sh | The “shé” is pronounced like the “sheep” |
| Th | the “thé” as in English, such as the word “this “ |
| U | The “u” is pronounced like “ou” |
| W | the “w” like “whiskey” and not like “wagon” |
| Y | Y should be pronounced as it is in “yoyo” |
Essential Arabic Phrases:
Now that you have flexed your tongue a little bit to master the essential elements for speaking proper Arabic, let’s explore ways to utilize your newly learned vocalizations.
Basic expressions / Common Words
The following words may be repeatedly used during your daily interactions helping you break the ice with the locals and having more engaging conversations whether you’re just trying to confirm your booking details or bargaining your way to buying unique antiquity:
| English Phrase | Arabic Phrase |
| greeting | Salamu Aleïkoum |
| How are you? | Kifak? – Male
Kefek – Female |
| Fine, thank you, and you? | Bikher hamdulillah |
| I understand / I don’t understand | Fahem / Mesh fahem |
| Sorry | Asif |
| Goodbye | Ma’ Alsalama |
| Hello | Marhaba |
| Thank you (very much) | Choukran |
| Excuse me | Afwan / min fadlak |
| My name is… | Ismi |
| No thank you | La choukran |
| Yes / No | Na’am / La |
| You’re welcome | Afuan |
Buying and Negotiating
We all love to buy tokens and souvenirs from our travels, but they usually come with a price often due to not knowing how to bargain our way to a lower price. The following phrases could prove to be highly useful when negotiating for an item you have your eyes on:
| English Phrase | Arabic Phrase |
| How much is it? | Addesh ? |
| It is very cheap | Kteer Rkhees |
| It is too expensive! | Kteer Ghalee |
| Can you lower the price? | Bede eyah arkhas shwy |
| I would like to buy … this one! | Bede hay |
| I like it / I don’t like it | La ma bede |
| Money | Massari |
| I’m just looking around. | Bas batfaraj |
Transportation and Directions
To avoid getting lost and ruining your day on a favorable destination, be sure to use the following words:
| English Phrase | Arabic Phrase |
| I would like to go to … | Ana badeh aruh ala… |
| Plane | Al-teeyara |
| Boat | Qareb |
| Train | Qitar |
| Taxi | Taxi |
| Bus | Bas |
| I would like to rent … | Bede Ojra |
| Motorbike | Daraje Nareye |
| Car | Sayara |
| Bike | Baskaleet |
| Where is …? / How can I get to …? | Wayn ? |
| Bank | Bank |
| Downtown | Wast el Balad |
| Hotel | Fondoq |
| Booking number | Raqam Al Hajez |
| Hospital | Mostashfa |
| Is it close / far? | Qareeb / ba’eed ? |
| Straight ahead | Dughri |
| Left / Right | Yasaar / Yameen |
| North / South / East / West | Shimaal / Janub / Sharq / Gharb |
Dining and Eating
You must be very excited to explore Jordan’s Mediterranean and Oriental cuisine ranging from the savory Mansaf to the deeply buried Zarb. For you to make sure that you enjoy every bite of your meal, make sure you’re familiar with the below essential words for a Bon appetite!
| English Phrase | Arabic Phrase |
| I am hungry / I am thirsty | Ana Joaan/ ana Atshan |
| Enjoy | Sahha |
| Cheers! | Bi Sahtak |
| What can you recommend? | Be sho btensahni |
| I am vegetarian | Ana nabati |
| Not spicy please (I don’t like spices) | Bidoune tawabil ! |
| It’s too hot | Kteer Sokhen |
| I am allergic | Andee hasasiyya |
| Seafood | Akel Bahri |
| Peanuts | El foul essoudani |
| Gluten | Gluten |
| I would like… | Biddee… |
| Water | Maï |
| Tee / Coffee | Chaï / kahwe |
| Beer / Wine | Beera / Wine |
| The bill, please | El fatoora law samaht |
Now that you have familiarized yourself with must-know elements, you’re fully prepared to explore a whole new world at your disposal!
