- “You’re Welcome”: Āahlan, tikram, 3afwan, l3afū
- walaw! “It’s no big deal!”
- “Thank you!”
- Additional Responses
šukran
This is typically the first expression of gratitude that Arabic students learn. However, the frequency with which it is used in Lebanon can vary considerably from one place to another. It is relatively uncommon in settings in which French and English greetings are in regular use.
| Thanks | šukran | شُكْراً | |
| Thanks very much | šukran ktīr | شُكْراً كْتير | |
| Thank you very much (formal) | šukran jazīlan | شُكْراً جَزيلاً | |
| Thank you (m.) | šukran Āilak | شُكْراً إلَك | |
| Thank you (f.) | šukran Āilik | شُكْراً إلِك | |
| Thank you (pl.) | šukran Āilkun | شُكْراً إلكُن |
The following variations on “šukran / شُكْراً” are also used:
| I thank you (m.) (formal) | bišikrak | بِشِكْرَك |
| I thank you (f.) (formal) | bišikrik | بِشِكْرِك |
| I thank you (pl.) (formal) | biškirkun | بِشْكِرْكُن |
| I (m.) am much obliged | maškūr | مَشْكور |
| I (f.) am much obliged | maškūraŧ | مَشْكورَة |
| I (pl.) am much obliged | maškūrīn | مَشْكورين |
Thanking in French and English
Where French and English greetings are in regular use, “Merci” (“mérsī / ميرسي”) is the most common expression of thanks. However, it is rarely used elsewhere, as noted in Marie-Aimée Germanos’s study on greetings in Beirut. This sociolinguistic divide is replicated in the case of the English “Thank you” and ”Thanks”, which are said where “mérsī / ميرسي” is said (although not nearly as often) and rarely elsewhere (“Greetings in Beirut”, p. 160).
The modifier “ktīr / كْتير” (“a lot”) is sometimes appended to “mérsī / ميرسي”. This is never done, however, with “Thank you” or “Thanks”.
| Thank you | mérsī | ميرسي |
| Thank you very much | mérsī ktīr | ميرسي كْتير |
yislamō
This widely used expression is particularly appropriate when someone hands you something, although it can be used to thank someone for just about anything. It literally means “May they be protected”, where “they” refers to “these hands” or “your hands”. Sometimes the expression is extended to indicate this explicitly.
Germanos finds that “yislamō / يِسْلَمو” is the second most common expression of thanks in areas where “mérsī / ميرسي” is predominant (“Greetings in Beirut”, p. 160).
| May they (i.e. your hands) be protected | yislamō | يِسْلَمو | |
| May these hands be protected | yislamō haddayyēt | يِسْلَمو هَالدَّيَات | |
| May your (m.) hands be protected | yislamō Āīdék | يِسْلَمو إيديك | |
| yislamō dayyētak | يِسْلَمو دَيّاتَك | ||
| May your (f.) hands be protected | yislamō Āīdayke | يِسْلَمو إيدَيْكِ | |
| yislamō dayyētik | يِسْلَمو دَيّاتِك | ||
| May your (pl.) hands be protected | yislamō Āīdaykun | يِسْلَمو إيدَيْكُن | |
| yislamō dayyētkun | يِسْلَمو دَيّاتْكُن |
The following variation on “yislamō / يِسْلَمو” is also used:
| May he (i.e. God) protect them | ysallimħun | يْسَلِّمهُن | |
| (i.e. your hands) |
killak zōĀ
This lovely expression literally means “All of you is good taste”. It is a very complimentary thank you, and can be used in response to a compliment or something particularly kind that someone did for you.
| (to m.) | killak zōĀ | كِلَّك ذوق |
| (to f.) | killik zōĀ | كِلِّك ذوق |
| (to f.) | kilkun zōĀ | كِلْكُن ذوق |
It is commonly used in conjunction with other expressions of thanks, e.g.:
| Thanks, you (m.) are very kind | šukran, killak zōĀ | شُكْراً، كِلَّك ذوق |
| Thanks, you (f.) are very kind | mérsī, killik zōĀ | ميرسي، كِلِّك ذوق |
| Thank you, you (pl.) are very kind | yislamō, kilkun zōĀ | يِسْلَمو، كِلْكُن ذوق |
mamnūn
This is somewhat more earnest than a simple “šukran / شُكْراً” or “mérsī / ميرسي”. It is not used as often as the preceding expressions.
| I (m.) am grateful | (Āanā) mamnūn | (أنا) مَمْنون | |
| I (m.) am very grateful | (Āanā) mamnūn ktīr | (أنا) مَمْنون كْتير | |
| I (f.) am grateful | (Āanā) mamnūneŧ | (أنا) مَمْنونِة | |
| I (f.) am very grateful | (Āanā) mamnūneŧ ktīr | (أنا) مَمْنونِة كْتير | |
| We are grateful | (niHnā) mamnūnīn | (نِحْنا) مَمْنونين | |
| We are very grateful | (niHnā) mamnūnīn ktīr | (نِحْنا) مَمْنونين كْتير |
You can also add a suffix pronoun, indicating the person to whom you are grateful.
| I (m.) am grateful to you (m.) | mamnūnak | مَمْنونَك | |
| I (m.) am grateful to you (f.) | mamnūnik | مَمْنونِك | |
| I (m.) am grateful to you (pl.) | mamnūnkun | مَمْنونْكُن | |
| I (f.) am grateful to you (m.) | mamnūntak | مَمْنونْتَك | |
| I (f.) am grateful to you (f.) | mamnūntik | مَمْنونْتِك | |
| I (f.) am grateful to you (pl.) | mamnūnitkun | مَمْنونِتْكُن | |
| We are grateful to you (m.) | mamnūnīnak | مَمْنونينَك | |
| We are grateful to you (f.) | mamnūnīnik | مَمْنونينِك | |
| We are grateful to you (pl.) | mamnūnīnkun | مَمْنونينْكُن |
“Thank you for…”
If you want to specify the thing for which you are thankful, simply add the preposition “3alā / عَلى” (usually contracted to 3a / عَ) + noun to the word or expression of thankfulness. If what you are thankful for is described in a phrase, the preposition is omitted.
Note, however, that this is not done with the English “Thanks” and ”Thank you”. These words have not been assimilated into Lebanese Arabic to the same degree as “mérsī / ميرسي”.
| * Thanks for the coffee. | šukran 3alĀahweŧ. | شُكْراً عَالقَهْوِة. | |
| * Thanks very much for the interview. | šukran ktīr 3almuĀābaleŧ. | شُكْراً كْتير عَالمُقابَلِة. | |
| * I’m very grateful for the gift. | maškūr ktīr 3alihdiyyeŧ. | مَشْكور كْتير عالِهْدِيِّة. | |
| * Thanks for bringing me from | mérsī jibtīné min lmaTār. | ميرسي جِبْتيني مِن المَطار. | |
| the airport. | |||
| * Thanks for your (m.) help. | yislamō 3amusē3adtak. | يِسْلَمو عَمُساعَدْتَك. | |
| * Thanks very much for preparing | yislamō ktīr HaDDartīlnā | يِسْلَمو كْتير حَضِّرتيلنا | |
| dinner for us. | l3ašāå. | العشاء. | |
| * Thank you for the information. | killak zōĀ 3alma3lūmēt. | كِلَّك ذوق عَالمَعْلومات. | |
| * I (f.) am grateful for your (m.) visit. | mamnūneŧ 3azyārtak. | مَمْنونِة عَزْيارْتَك. | |
| * I (f.) am grateful to you (m.) | mamnūntak 3azzyāraŧ. | مَمْنونْتَك عالزّيارَة. | |
| for the visit. |
“You’re Welcome”: Āahlan, tikram, 3afwan, l3afū
“Āahlan / أهْلاً“ and “tikram / تِكْرَم” (and their variations) are the most common responses to an expression of gratitude. We have looked at the former elsewhere; shown below are the various forms of “tikram / تِكْرَم” and “tikram 3aynak / تِكْرَم عَيْنَك”:
| You (m.) are welcome | tikram/tikram 3aynak | تِكرَم/تِكرَم عَيْنَك | |
| You (f.) are welcome | tikramé/tikram 3aynik | تِكرَمي/تِكرَم عَيْنِك | |
| You (pl.) are welcome | tikramō/tikram 3aynkun | تِكرَمو/تِكرَم عَيْنكُن |
“3afwan / عَفْواً” and “l3afū / العَفو” are also used, although less commonly in Lebanon than in Syria:
| You’re welcome, Don’t mention it | 3afwan | عَفواً |
| You’re welcome, Don’t mention it | l3afū | العَفو |
Lebanese do not normally use French or English when responding to thanks. Of course, Lebanese who know or suspect that they are speaking with a foreigner might say “You’re welcome” or “De rien” in response to “Thank you” or “Merci”. But these responses are not ordinarily used among Lebanese unless they are consciously speaking English or French.
walaw! “It’s no big deal!”
Sometimes people will respond to thanks with “walaw! /! وَلَو”, an interjection which expresses surprise. In this context it means something like: “Why are you thanking me? Of course I would do this for you.”
| Of course! | walaw! | وَلَو! |
Similar expressions include:
| It’s no big deal | miš/mannħa Harzēneŧ | مِش/مَنّها حَرْزانْة | |
| No problem | miš miškleŧ | مِش مِشْكْلِة | |
| No problem (lit. “simple”) | basīTaŧ | بَسيطَة | |
| Don’t worry/No worries (to m.) | walā yhimmak | وَلا يْهِمَّك | |
| Don’t worry/No worries (to f.) | walā yhimmik | وَلا يْهِمِّك | |
| Don’t worry/No worries (to pl.) | walā yhimkun | وَلا يْهِمْكُن |
“Thank you!”
In some situations, it might be appropriate to return the thanks:
| Thank you (m.)! | šukran Āilak! | شُكْراً إلَك! |
| Thank you (f.)! | šukran Āilik! | شُكْراً إلِك! |
| Thank you (pl.)! | šukran Āilkun! | شُكْراً إلْكُن! |
| Thank you (m.)! | mérsī Āilak! | ميرسي إلَك! |
| Thank you (f.)! | mérsī Āilik! | ميرسي إلِك! |
| Thank you (pl.)! | mérsī Āilkun! | ميرسي إلْكُن! |
Note that expressions of thanks other than “šukran / شُكْراً” and “mérsī / ميرسي” are not used in this way.
Additional Responses
The following formulas are sometimes used in response to thanks offered for a service or favour rendered or promised.
| Don’t mention it | lā šukur 3alā wējib | لا شُكُر على واجِب |
| (lit. “No thanks for a duty”) | ||
| Don’t mention it | wējibnā | واجِبْنا |
| (lit. “It’s our duty”) | ||
| At your service | niHnā bilЌidmeŧ | نِحْنا بالخِدْمِة |
| At your service | 3arāsé | عَراسي |
| (lit. “On my head”) |