Arabic Pleasantries
As a non-native speaker, I still struggle with Arabic pleasantries (المجاملات): how to initiate an exchange more complex than a “good morning” and how to respond when someone initiates a pleasantry. My default is to respond with “shukran” (“thank you”) which would make sense in most contexts if we were speaking English, but is not usually used in the same way in Arabic. These paired pleasantries are an important part of everyday conversation but aren’t taught in many Arabic classes. When I’ve asked native Arabic speakers about المجاملات, they often have difficulty coming up with much of a list. When you grow up speaking the language, المجاملات is something you automatically initiate and respond to, it’s not something you consciously learn.
After much brainstorming, surveying the masses, and asking our instructors, we have come up with the beginnings of a list of common مجاملات. We have not included the literal translation of these Arabic pleasantries and responses because we believe that learning the direct translations of these phrases is more confusing than it is helpful. The important thing is to understand the context in which the phrases are used.
This is an ongoing list that we will be adding to over time. If you have phrases you think should be added to the list, send us an email at fikalam@outlook.com. We love a group effort :)
