Although there are different dialects of the language (sort of like the Aussie, American and British English), the official Arabic is called Modern Standard Arabic. Countries such as Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, and Sudan in Africa as well as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, UAE, and all the other Middle East countries apart from Israel speak the language.
Arab is an Afro-Asiatic language that is widely spoken in Middle East, North Africa, and the Horn of Africa. The language has its origins in Central Semitic languages such as Aramaic, Hebrew, Ugaritic and Phoenician. It quickly spread when the Islamic religion took it up to write the Holy Quran and thus became the holy language.
Although there are different dialects of the language (sort of like the Aussie, American and British English), the official Arabic is called Modern Standard Arabic. Countries such as Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, and Sudan in Africa as well as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, UAE, and all the other Middle East countries apart from Israel speak the language.
Arabic is the official language in 27 countries, with only English and French having more. As of 2010, 290 million people were native speakers of the language.
Below are common phrases that you should learn when travelling to Arabic countries.
1. Sabah el kheer...Masaa el kheer - Good morning...Good Evening?
2. Salaam - Hi? This word is heavily borrowed by other languages such as Swahili and has similar meaning even in Swahili. It shows good manners to greet somebody - even strangers with this greeting.
3. Marhaban - Welcome
4. Ada'tu tareeqi! - I am lost
5. imshy ala tool, thumma ‘arrij yaminan/ shimalan - Go straight, then turn left/right.
6. Hal beemkanek mosa’adati? - Can you help me?
7. Kam howa thamanoh? - How much is this? Always bargain for whatever things you are buying.
8. Hal tatakallamu alloghah alenjleziah/ alarabiah? - Do you speak English/Arabic?
9. Adrusu allughah al arabia mundu shahr - I have been learning Arabic for one month.
10. Ramadan Mubarak! - Happy Ramadan. This is usually used during the Holy Month of Ramadan. If you are a westerner who recognizes this month, and wishes a Muslim well, you will suddenly see some thawing of the ice that was there before.
The trick to learning Arabic is knowing the doctrines of Islamic religion so that you can differentiate what is said to a man or woman. Make sure you keep your distance from religion matters if you have not mastered the language.