How to say “Hello” in Tunisian Arabic
Most people who study or speak Tunisian Arabic would consider Asslema / عسلامة as the most Tunisian-specific way to say Hello. It’s one of the proverbial words of Tunisian Arabic.
There are many ways to greet and say Hello in Tunisian Arabic. Some ways directly come from Standard Arabic (al lougha al 3arabeya al fos7a / اللغة العربيّة الفصحى or fos7a / فصحى for short), some come from foreign languages like French, while others, yet, are adaptations of words or phrases from Fos7a, like Asslema / عسلامة (covered below) and have become distinct hallmarks of the Tunisian dialect of Arabic.
(And are you interested in knowing how to say “Hello” in other Arabic dialects? If so, you’ll enjoy the IBL article: How to say “Hello” in Egyptian Arabic)
General ways to say Hello
Asslema (3aslema, Aslema) / عسلامة
Most people who study or speak Tunisian Arabic would consider Asslema / عسلامة as the most Tunisian-specific way to say Hello. It’s one of the proverbial words of Tunisian Arabic. (along with 3aychek / عيشك and Barcha / برشا) The word Asslema (also commonly spelled 3aslema or simply Aslema) is a blend of the words Ala / على which means “on” or “upon” and Salema / السلامة which means “peace”. So in other words, by saying Asslema to someone as a greeting, literally, you are wishing peace upon them.
Listen below as IBL contributor Samar H. speaks Asslema / عسلامة:
Ahla / أهلا
Another way to greet someone in Tunisian Arabic is simply saying or writing Ahla / أهلا. This word is conventionally used as a welcoming greeting upon another. It is commonly said to greet someone on a phone call or if the two parties are known to each other, but perhaps, not closely. (For example, Ahla may be appropriately said to a store clerk that you see once every couple weeks)
Below Samar H. speaks Ahla / أهلا:
Ahlan / أهلاً
Similar to Ahla / أهلا, Ahlan / أهلاً is also a greeting that’s popular throughout many Arabic-speaking countries, including Tunisia. Typically, it’s used to provide a slightly warmer greeting than Ahla. A speaker may use Ahlan if they haven’t seen the interlocutor in a while or wish to provide an extra warm greeting to a friend, acquaintance, or family member.
Samar H. pronounces Ahlan / أهلاً:
Salem alikom / السلام عليكم
Throughout Arabic-speaking communities, Salem alikom / السلام عليكم is one of the most traditional and popular ways to greet someone.
Here is what this greeting means:
- Similar to Salema (covered above), Salem / السلام means “peace” (Salema is the feminine-form of the word and Salem is the masculine-form)
- (Also covered above) Ala, in English, means “on” or “upon”. So in this context, it’s an expression that wishes “peace” upon the interlocutor. (Similar to Asslema / عسلامة)
- In Arabic, the suffix, -kom / كم- places a word or phrase in the You, plural form. So in other words, this greeting can be used towards more than one person. And despite the -kom suffix, Salem alikom is used very commonly towards one person or multiple.
Salem alikom isn’t proverbially a Tunisian Arabic greeting such as Asslema / عسلامة but is a greeting that’s used very commonly amongst Tunisian Arabic speakers.
As can be imagined, Salem / السلام is simply a shortened way to say Salem alikom / السلام عليكم. As you know by now, Salem means “peace”. So, by expressing this greeting to another, the speaker is wishing peace upon the interlocutor.
In daily usage amongst Tunisian Arabic speakers, it’s been anecdotally observed that Salem is the most common way that people greet each other throughout the day, with perhaps the exception of Sbe7 lkher/ صباح الخير (covered below) in the mornings. There isn’t certainty why Salem is the most popular general greeting in Tunisia but it could simply be that Salem is very simple and fast to pronounce.
With the above information in mind, when comparing Tunisian Arabic to English, whereas, Salem alikom or 3aslema is reasonably cognate with “Hello”, Salem, is probably most reasonably cognate with the English greetings, “Hi” or “Hey”.
Mar7ba (Marhba) / مرحبا
Likely one the most globally recognized Arabic-oriented greetings (right up there with Salem alikom / السلام عليكم), in Tunisian Arabic, Mar7ba / مرحبا is a common way to greet someone. (with a nuanced point that follows) Although Mar7ba can be used as a way of say Hello, it’s often used amongst Tunisian Arabic speakers to welcome someone somewhere. E.g., If you enter a café or restaurant for the first time, you may hear a server or the barista say to you Mar7ba. In terms of the word as a regular way to say Hello in Tunisian Arabic, the times when it’s used is most often in response to someone who says a form of Hello such as Asslema or Salem. (So a speaker, after hearing Asslema or Salem may respond with Mar7ba)
Two interesting points to add to this section:
- Amongst Lebanese Arabic speakers, Marhaba (the most common Latin-script spelling amongst Lebanese Arabic speakers) / مرحبا is much more commonly used as a general greeting and is cognate with Hello. But like it is used amongst Tunisian Arabic speakers, amongst Lebanese Arabic speakers, it can be used as a way to welcome someone somewhere too. For more information on how to say and pronounce Hello in Lebanese Arabic, visit the IBL page, “Hello” in Lebanese Arabic.
- In Turkish, Merhaba (this is the Turkish spelling) is most cognate with “Hello”. To read more and hear the Turkish pronunciation of Merhaba, visit the IBL page, “Hello” in Turkish.
Ya mar7ba / يا مرحبا
A warm and relevant way to return a greeting when someone says Mer7ba / مرحبا is to respond with Ya mar7ba / يا مرحبا. Normally, the Ya / يا in Tunisian Arabic is used to call the attention of someone (e.g., grabbing the attention of a friend). In this context it’s used as a friendly interjection before the word Mer7ba. In addition to Mer7ba, it can be relevantly spoken in response when someone says a greetings such as Asslema / عسلامة or Salem / السلام.
Below Samar H. says Ya mar7ba / يا مرحبا:
Morning greetings
Although Salem and Asslema are certainly very popular ways to say Hello in Tunisian Arabic, when it comes to the morning time, what you’ll hear most amongst Tunisian Arabic speakers is Sbe7 lkher / صباح الخير. This greeting is based on fos7a and is popular in many Arabic speaking countries. Sbe7 / صباح means “morning” and kher / خير means “good”. Taken together, the phrase, in English, is akin to “May your morning be good.” or “Good morning”. A note that the letter l in front of the kher is purposeful—It’s a compression of the word El / ال which means “the“. And on this note an interesting observation has been made (both in live environments and through the IBL project): If you listen closely, it’s conventional for Tunisian Arabic speakers to compress the El / ال when they speak Sbe7 lkher. Whereas, in a country like Egypt, speakers of Egyptian Arabic usually speak the full El / ال when they say this phrase. If you want to hear this greeting (popularly written as Sabah el khir / صباح الخير amongst Egyptian Arabic speakers) in Egyptian Arabic see the IBL page, “Good morning” in Egyptian Arabic.
Listen to IBL contributor Amine B. speak Sbe7 lkher / صباح الخير:
Evening greetings
Mesik bel 5ir / مسيك بالخير
In the evening time all of the ways to say Hello that are covered in the General ways to say Hello section above can work perfectly fine. But the dusk of the day opens up an additional way to say Hello to another that is distinctly Tunisian Arabic: Mesik bel 5ir / مسيك بالخير. This term comes from the fos7a greeting Masa el khir / مساء الخير. Masa means “evening”. el / ال means “the”; and, as covered above, khir means “good”. Also, as covered above, the suffix -k / ك- in Mesik / مسيك puts the the greeting in the You form. Bringing the foregoing together, this Mesik bel 5ir can be translated into English as “Good evening”. Speaking or writing Mesik bel 5ir isn’t as common in the evening time as saying Salem or Salem alikom but it’s a Tunisian Arabic way of saying Good evening and is known widely and understood by speakers of tounsi.
Below Amine B. says Mesik bel 5ir / مسيك بالخير:
Other greetings
On occasion Tunisian Arabic speakers use other words that aren’t etymologically Arabic to greet each other. Both French and English have influenced the Tunisian culture, and as such, some of the ways too that speakers greet each other on occasion. Moreover, Tunisia is a very multi-lingual country. In modern history, conventionally youth have been raised to know Tunisian Arabic, fos7a and French. (the latter two they learn in school and the former they learn from their family and other social environments) And many in the younger generation, today, know English quite well because of English-based music and media, and some having the desire to travel, work or live abroad.
Some of the common greetings that speakers express while speaking Tunisian Arabic that have been influenced from English or French include:
- Hello — This word isn’t common amongst most Tunisian Arabic speakers when the two greet and proceed to speak in Tunisian Arabic (unless both are fluent in English and commonly converse in English) but can be heard commonly enough when someone picks up their cell phone as a way of greeting the person on the other line.
- Bonjour — The proverbially French greeting that is akin to English’s “Hello”. (In French, bon means “good” and jour means “day”). This greeting can be heard most in the mornings and afternoons. It is uncommonly heard in the evening time.
- Bonsoir — This greeting is commonly spoken when seeing someone for the first time in the evening. As mentioned above, bon means “good”. Soir means “evening”. So in English, this greeting would be directly translated to, “Good evening”.
Wrapping things up
By studying and learning the above material you’ll be able to start any conversation with a Tunisian Arabic speaker. It could be the start of a friendly dialogue, preparing to order food or drinks, or a nice way to welcome someone that you know who speaks Tunisian Arabic. (And remember that most of the above greetings apply and will be understood by anyone who speaks any form or dialect of Arabic)
If you want to learn how to say Goodbye in Tunisian Arabic access the IBL article, How to say “Goodbye” in Tunisian Arabic. And if you wish to study this topic further, this IBL platform list has the spellings and pronunciations of greetings & farewells together along with dozens of sentences and statements translated: Tunisian Arabic — Greetings & farewells.
Enjoy your time speaking Tunisian Arabic. We wish you a marvellous journey!
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