Lesson 6: Goodbyes in Arabic
We’ve already covered how to say hello and ask how someone is. Now, let’s master how to say goodbye!
In this lesson, we’ll learn how to say goodbye in different ways — casual, polite, and caring — just like in English where we say Bye, Take care, or See you later.
We’ll also practice using what we’ve already learned:
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pronoun endings (like -ak, -ik, -kon)
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the word بدّ (bedd) = want
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the question word شو (shu) = what
يلاّ باي
Yalla bye
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Casual Goodbye
- Literally: Yalla means “let’s go” or “okay then”
- Used like: Alright, bye!
- Polite Goodbye
- Literally: “With your permission”
- A respectful way to excuse yourself when leaving
خاطرك / خاطركِ / خاطركن
khatrak / khatrek / khatrkon
مع السلامة
Ma3 al-salaameh
- Literally: Go in peace” / “Goodbye”
- Answer: Allah ysalmak / ysalmik / ysalemkon – “May God keep you safe” الله يسلمك / يسلمكِ / يسلمكن
- Literally: “God be with you” - ma3 (مع) means with. We can add the possessive to it.
- Used when someone is leaving or traveling
الله معك / معكِ / معكن
Allah ma3ak / ma3ik / ma3kon
بشوفك / بشوفكِ / بشوفكن بعدين
Bshoufak / bshoufik / bshoufkon ba3deen
- Literally: see you later
- The ending depends wether you are talking to a man (-ak), a woman (-ek), or a group (-kon).
- Ba3deen literally means later or after.
- Nice and casual way to say goodbye
بدّك / بدّكِ / بدّكن شي؟
Beddak / beddik / beddkon shi?
- You already know bedd from our last lesson! So, literally this means: Do you want anything? / Do you need anything?
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A possible answer is:
Salamtak / salamtik / salametkon (سلامتك / سلامتكِ / سلامتكن)– No thanks, I’m good / Bless you
Literally means “Your safety”
EXTRA VOCABULARY LEARNED
You should be proud of yourself! And if you’re feeling up for a little extra challenge, here are some questions you can answer to keep practicing.