Arabic A1, Unit 7: Saying goodbye

Saying goodbye

Arabic A1 · Unit 7

GoalSay goodbye and wish someone a good night or a good day, then put a whole meeting together.

New words

مَعَ السَّلَامَة (maʿa s-salāma) · goodbye (with safety)إِلَى اللِّقَاء (ʾilā l-liqāʾ) · see you (until we meet)لَيْلَة سَعِيدَة (layla saʿīda) · good nightيَوْم سَعِيد (yawm saʿīd) · have a nice dayوَدَاعًا (wadāʿan) · farewell

Explanation

Maʿa s-salāma, “with safety”, is the usual way to say goodbye. ʾIlā l-liqāʾ means “until we meet”, like “see you”. Before sleep say layla saʿīda, “happy night”, and to wish a good day say yawm saʿīd. Wadāʿan is a longer, more formal goodbye. Do not mix up layla, “night”, with the name Laylā: the name ends in ā. Now you can build a whole meeting: greet, ask how the person is, give your name, be polite and say goodbye.

Karim

السَّلَام عَلَيْكُم، اِسْمِي كَرِيم

Layla

وَعَلَيْكُمُ السَّلَام، اِسْمِي لَيْلَى. تَشَرَّفْنَا

Karim

فُرْصَة سَعِيدَة. كَيْف حَالُك؟

Layla

بِخَيْر، شُكْرًا، وَأَنْتَ؟

Karim

مُمْتَاز. مَعَ السَّلَامَة

Layla

إِلَى اللِّقَاء

Worked examples

مَعَmaʿa+السَّلَامَةs-salāma

Maʿa s-salāma is two words: maʿa “with” and as-salāma “safety”. The al- joins them: s-salāma.

Wishes for the end of the day and for a new day.

Sara

مَسَاء الْخَيْر

Yusuf

مَسَاء النُّور. كَيْف الْحَال؟

Sara

لَا بَأْس، وَأَنْتَ؟

Yusuf

بِخَيْر، شُكْرًا

Sara

لَيْلَة سَعِيدَة

Yusuf

إِلَى اللِّقَاء

An evening talk. Sara: masāʾ al-khayr. Yusuf: masāʾ an-nūr. kayf al-ḥāl? Sara: lā baʾs, wa ʾanta? Yusuf: bi-khayr, shukran. Sara: layla saʿīda. Yusuf: ʾilā l-liqāʾ.

Class activity

Role play. With a friend act out a whole meeting of six lines: greeting and reply, how are you and the answer, your names, and a goodbye. Change the time of day and the names (Mona, Hassan, Hind, Fadi). Write your talk on paper with all the vowels and read it aloud.

Practice

Press Listen. Do you say this word when you meet someone or when you leave?

…

Which wish do you say before bed: لَيْلَة سَعِيدَة or يَوْم سَعِيد?

Put the lines of a meeting in order: مَعَ السَّلَامَة، السَّلَام عَلَيْكُم، بِخَيْر، كَيْف حَالُك.

What is the difference between لَيْلَى and لَيْلَة?

Write “see you” in Arabic.

Greetings and introductions

Saying goodbye