What’s Up in Arabic

Greeting someone in Arabic is a great way to show respect and demonstrate cultural awareness. Saying “What’s up?” or “How are you doing?” is an informal, friendly way to greet people. In Arabic, there are several ways to say this phrase depending on the context and who you are talking to.

How to Say What’s Up in Arabic

The most common way of saying “what’s up?” in Arabic is الحالَ أين (ey-nah al-hal). This literally translates as ‘where is the condition / state / situation?’. It can be used for both formal and informal situations, although it may sound more casual when addressing friends or family members.

Another popular expression for greeting someone informally in Arabic is الحال كيف (kayf al-hal), which means ‘how is the condition?’ This phrase also implies asking about someone’s current state of being.

For a more polite form of greeting, you can use بكمً مرحبا (marhaba bikum). This phrase literally translates as ‘welcome’, but it can be used like we would use ‘hello’ or ‘hi’.

Similarly, if you want to ask how someone has been since last seeing them, then you could say حالك؟ كيف (kayf halak) meaning “how have you been?”.

When speaking with elders or respected figures such as teachers or religious leaders, it may be appropriate to use a slightly more formal version of these phrases: وسهلا أهلا (ahlan wa sahlan) which means ‘peace be upon you’ and بعودتك مرحبا (marhaban bioudtek), which means ‘welcome back!’.

Example Sentences using What’s Up in Arabic

1. What’s up, how are you doing today? – كيف حالك اليوم؟ – kayf halak alyawma?

2. What’s up, did you hear the news? – ما الأمر ، هل سمعت الخبر؟ – ma al’amr , hal samiet alkhabara?

3. Hey buddy, what’s up? – يا رفيق ما الأمر؟ – ya rafiq ma al’amra?

4. What’s up with that outfit? – ما الأمر مع هذا الزي؟ – ma al’amr mae hadha alziy?

5. What’s up in the world of sports these days? – ما الجديد في عالم الرياضة هذه الأيام؟ – ma aljadid fi ealam alriyadat hadhih al’ayami?

6. Can I ask what’s up with all those boxes over there? – هل يمكنني أن أسأل ما الأمر مع كل تلك الصناديق هناك؟ – hal yumkinuni ‘an ‘as’al ma al’amr mae kuli tilk alsanadiq hunaka?