Every Arabic greeting is built from the same root, س-ل-م, “peace” — the same root behind the word “Islam” and the name “Muslim.” This chapter needs no verbs at all: Arabic greetings, like most of the sentences you'll build in this first stretch of chapters, are simply two nouns placed side by side.
Every Arabic passage has a small circle button — click it to hear it read aloud using your browser's own Arabic voice.
BY THE END OF THIS CHAPTER YOU WILL BE ABLE TO
Greet someone and respond correctly, in full sentences
Ask and answer “how are you?”
Build a nominal sentence — two nouns, no verb — the core pattern of early Arabic
Read a short Qur'ānic greeting phrase
TEACHER NOTES
Pacing: 45–60 min
Prerequisite check: None — this is the starting point.
Watch out for: Students will want to use أنا/أنت before they're taught — the supplementary table lets you say them now without a full grammar detour.
01 — LISTEN & REPEAT
حِوَارٌDialogue
Yūsuf and Maryam meet on their way to the mosque. Every line here is a nominal sentence — no verbs.
YŪSUF
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ.
as-salāmu ‘alaykum.
Peace be upon you.
MARYAM
وَعَلَيْكُمُ السَّلَامُ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ.
wa ‘alaykumu-s-salāmu wa raḥmatu-llāh.
And upon you be peace, and Allah's mercy.
YŪSUF
كَيْفَ حَالُكِ؟
kayfa ḥāluki?
How are you?
MARYAM
بِخَيْرٍ، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ. وَأَنْتَ؟
bi-khayrin, al-ḥamdu lillāh. wa anta?
Well, praise be to Allah. And you?
YŪSUF
بِخَيْرٍ أَيْضًا. أَهْلًا وَسَهْلًا بِكِ.
bi-khayrin ayḍan. ahlan wa sahlan biki.
Well too. Welcome.
02 — CORE WORDS
الْمُفْرَدَاتُVocabulary
Notice not one of these words is a verb — each greeting is simply nouns, prepositions, and set phrases.
Arabic
Says
Meaning
Note
NEWالسَّلَامُ
as-salām
peace
Root س-ل-م — the same root as ‘Islam’ and ‘Muslim.’
NEWعَلَيْكُمْ
‘alaykum
upon you (pl./formal)
A pronoun attached to the preposition عَلَى.
NEWكَيْفَحَالُكَ/حَالُكِ
kayfa ḥāluka / ḥāluki
how are you? (m./f.)
Literally ‘how is your state.’
NEWبِخَيْرٍ
bi-khayrin
well, fine
Literally ‘in goodness.’
NEWالْحَمْدُلِلَّهِ
al-ḥamdu lillāh
praise be to Allah
Root ح-م-د — you'll meet this root again throughout the Qur'ān.
NEWصَبَاحُالْخَيْرِ
ṣabāḥu-l-khayr
good morning
—
NEWمَسَاءُالْخَيْرِ
masā’u-l-khayr
good evening
—
NEWأَهْلًاوَسَهْلًا
ahlan wa sahlan
welcome
—
NEWشُكْرًا
shukran
thank you
—
NEWمَعَالسَّلَامَةِ
ma‘a-s-salāmah
goodbye
Literally ‘with safety’ — same root as السَّلَامُ.
Also in this chapter's dialogue and reading. These aren't the grammar focus, but you'll meet them right away — worth knowing from day one.
Arabic
Says
Meaning
Note
EARLYأَنَا
anā
I
Full pronoun set comes next chapter — but you need this one now.
EARLYأَنْتَ / أَنْتِ
anta / anti
you (m./f.)
Same — full set next chapter.
EARLYشَيْءٌ
shay’
thing
As in كُلُّ شَيْءٍ, "everything."
EARLYجَمِيلٌ
jamīl
beautiful, nice
Full adjective agreement comes in Chapter Five.
EARLYهُنَا
hunā
here
—
EARLYمَعِي
ma‘ī
with me
مَعَ + ي (attached pronoun).
EARLYصَدِيقِي
ṣadīqī
my friend
صَدِيق + ي — you'll see this "my ___" pattern constantly.
EARLYكُلُّ
kullu
all, every
—
EARLYلَا / مَا
lā / mā
no, not / what
Two of the most common words in the language.
EARLYيَا
yā
O... (calling someone)
يَا سَلْمَى = "Salmā!" — used before a name to address someone.
EARLYعَفْوًا / مَعْذِرَةً
‘afwan / ma‘dhiratan
pardon me, excuse me
عَفْوًا also means "you're welcome" in reply to شُكْرًا.
EARLYمَبْرُوك / هَنِيئًا
mabrūk / hanī’an
congratulations / enjoy (it)
Two common set phrases you'll hear socially.
03 — HOW THE LANGUAGE WORKS
رُكْنُ الْقَوَاعِدِGrammar Corner
The nominal sentence — no verb needed. Arabic doesn't need a word for “is” in the present tense. Just place two nouns (or a noun and a prepositional phrase) side by side, and Arabic understands “is/are” between them.
أَنَابِخَيْرٍ
anā bi-khayrin I [am] well. (pronoun + prepositional phrase, no verb)
السَّلَامُعَلَيْكُمْ
as-salāmu ‘alaykum Peace [be] upon you. (noun + prepositional phrase)
This two-part pattern — a mubtada’ (topic) and a khabar (comment about it) — is the single most common sentence type in early Arabic, and you'll build dozens of sentences with it before you ever need a verb.
Quick check: in “السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ”, is there a verb hiding anywhere? (No — السَّلَامُ is the mubtada’, عَلَيْكُمْ is the khabar, and ‘be’ is simply understood.)
04 — READING THE SOURCE
وَقْفَةٌ قُرْآنِيَّةٌQur'ān Connection
This exact greeting, in this exact form, is commanded to the Prophet directly in the Qur'ān.
SŪRAT AL-AN‘ĀM — 6:54
فَقُلْ سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ
Then say, ‘Peace be upon you.’
فَقُلْ
fa qul
then say
سَلَامٌ
salāmun
peace
عَلَيْكُمْ
‘alaykum
upon you
Strip away فَقُلْ (“then say” — a command form you'll learn properly in a later chapter) and what remains, سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ, is the exact nominal sentence pattern from this chapter's grammar box — the very greeting you just practised in the dialogue above.
05 — SAY IT LIKE A NATIVE
عِبَارَاتٌ يَوْمِيَّةٌEveryday Phrases
A few more everyday expressions built the same verbless way.
لَا بَأْسَ
lā ba’s — no problem, it's fine
عَفْوًا
‘afwan — you're welcome / excuse me
مَعْذِرَةً
ma‘dhiratan — sorry, excuse me
بِإِذْنِكَ
bi-idhnik — with your permission
إِلَى اللِّقَاءِ
ilā-l-liqā’ — until we meet again
تَفَضَّلْ
tafaḍḍal — here you go, go ahead
مَبْرُوكٌ
mabrūk — congratulations
هَنِيئًا
hanī’an — enjoy, may it be pleasant
SKILLS PRACTICE
الِاسْتِمَاعُListening
Audio track 1.1
Aḥmad and Salmā greet each other in the morning. Listen first, script second.
AḨMAD
صَبَاحُ الْخَيْرِ يَا سَلْمَى.
SALMĀ
صَبَاحُ النُّورِ! كَيْفَ حَالُكَ؟
AḨMAD
بِخَيْرٍ، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ. وَأَنْتِ؟
SALMĀ
بِخَيْرٍ أَيْضًا، شُكْرًا لَكَ.
What time of day is it in this dialogue?
How does Aḥmad say he's doing?
What does Salmā say at the end?
Reveal answers
1. Morning (ṣabāḥ al-khayr). 2. Well, praise be to Allah (bi-khayrin, al-ḥamdu lillāh). 3. She's well too, and thanks him.
SKILLS PRACTICE
التَّحَدُّثُSpeaking
Pair work
Teacher-led model (do this first). Read both lines aloud, then have the class echo each line back to you before pairs try it themselves: Teacher: السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ! كَيْفَ حَالُكَ؟ → Student: وَعَلَيْكُمُ السَّلَامُ، بِخَيْرٍ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ. وَأَنْتَ؟
Partner drill. Greet your partner with السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ, ask كَيْفَ حَالُكَ/حَالُكِ, and answer — all without using a single verb.
Extension (uses this chapter's "Also in this chapter" words). After the basic exchange, add one more line each: say something is جَمِيلٌ (weather, the room, anything nearby), then say مَعَ السَّلَامَةِ to close. Aim for four lines total with no gaps.
1. False — she says she's well. 2. True. 3. False — they share the same root, س-ل-م.
SKILLS PRACTICE
قِرَاءَةٌ حُرَّةٌFree Reading
Hover to check — no test, just read
A short passage using only words you've met so far in this chapter. Just read for meaning — hover any word if you get stuck. Flip the switch to check whole sentences instead of single words.