Arabic for Pilgrims

How to use this

You do not need to read Arabic script to use this course — every phrase has a pronunciation you can read straight off the page. Say it slowly; people in Makkah and Madinah meet millions of guests every year and are used to helping visitors, so even a few words are warmly received.

Two kinds of Arabic appear side by side. Standard Arabic (Fusḥā) is the formal language of the Quran, understood by every educated speaker across the Arab world — safe everywhere. Colloquial is how people actually chat day to day; the Saudi/Hijazi everyday word is noted where it differs, because you will hear it in the market and the taxi. When in doubt, the Standard form always works.

Greetings — the first thing to say

The universal Muslim greeting works everywhere and is the best way to open any exchange. Returning a greeting with an equal or better one is part of the etiquette of the religion.

Please, thank you, sorry — the courtesy words

These few words will carry you through most short exchanges. Arabic often changes the ending depending on whether you are speaking to a man or a woman — both are given where it matters.

The sentences you'll reach for most

Question words — the keys to everything

Learn these seven little words and you can build a question about almost anything by pointing and naming.

Numbers & counting

You'll need these for prices, room numbers, and telling the time. Arabic writes its numerals left-to-right just as English does — and these are the "Arabic-Indic" digits you'll see on price tags and taxi meters.

Money, shopping & a little bargaining

Around the Haram, in the gold souks and gift shops, prices are often negotiable — a smile and one or two of these phrases go a long way.

Directions & taxis

The single most useful pattern is wayn…? — "where is…?" — followed by the place. Point to your hotel card or a map if the name is hard to say.

Food & eating

Time, days & prayer

Life in the two holy cities runs on the five daily prayers — shops close briefly at each one — so a few time words and the prayer names are especially handy.

Among pilgrims — the phrases you'll hear at the Haram

These are not "tourist" phrases but the warm, everyday religious expressions Muslims exchange constantly — especially in Makkah and Madinah. Using them makes you part of the crowd rather than a stranger in it.

Health & emergencies

Crowds and heat make these worth memorizing. In a real emergency the general number in Saudi Arabia is 911.

How Arabic works — a little grammar goes a long way

You can travel on phrases alone, but a handful of patterns let you start building your own. Here is the smallest useful core.

The people words (pronouns)

“This” and “that.” hādhā (هٰذا) is "this" for a masculine thing, hādhihi (هٰذه) for a feminine one; dhālika (ذٰلك) is "that." So bikam hādhā? is literally "how-much this?"

“My” and “your.” Arabic tacks the possessive onto the end of the word: ism = name, ism-ī = my name, ism-ak = your name (to a man). Bayt = house, bayt-ī = my house. The little -ī is "my," heard in jawāz-ī ("my passport") above.

Three verbs that do a lot of work. urīd (أُريد) = "I want" — follow it with any noun: urīd māʾ, "I want water." ʿindī (عِنْدي) = "I have." aḥtāj (أَحْتاج) = "I need." To make any of them negative, put lā in front: lā urīd, "I don't want."

No “a” or “is.” Arabic has no word for "a/an" and often no "is": anā ṭālib is simply "I student" = "I am a student." To say "the," attach al- to the front — al-bayt, "the house." That is why so many phrases above begin with al-.

That really is enough to start stitching your own sentences together. Add the vocabulary from the tables above, and you can ask for what you want, where it is, and how much it costs — the working core of any journey.