Common Arabic words and phrases

Learn some useful words and phrases in Arabic to break the ice with the family you support

When the family you support first arrives in the UK, it’s unlikely that they will speak English well enough to communicate with your Community Sponsorship Group without an interpreter present.

Although working with interpreters, especially in the early days, will be key in supporting the family to access essential services and learn new things about your community, Group members have found that it breaks the ice to know a few phrases in the family’s native language. By learning some basic vocabulary, Group members are able to share a quick connection and show that they are making an effort to help the family feel at home. After all, integration is a two-way process!

We’ve asked Lisan Arabi, a UK-based translation company, to put together this resource for Community Sponsorship Groups to learn some basic words and phrases in the Syrian dialect of Arabic.

How to use this resource

This resource includes phrases and vocabulary in English and Arabic along with the relevant transliteration (phonetic spelling) and an audio recording of different terms. Lisan Arabi has also included an introduction with facts about the Arabic language, its different dialects and a table of the Arabic alphabet. 

To get the most out of this resource, download the PDF, find the words and phrases category you’d like to practice and click on the corresponding audio file on the right hand side of this page.