Getting Around in Arabic: Taxis, Trains and Asking for Directions

Transport is one of the first places travellers need real Arabic. This guide covers the words that matter most.

Vehicles and places

• سيارة أجرة / تاكسي (sayyarat ujra / taksi) — taxi
• حافلة / باص (hafila / bas) — bus
• قطار (qitar) — train
• مترو (mitru) — metro
• طائرة (ta'ira) — plane
• مطار (matar) — airport
• محطة (mahatta) — station
• ميناء (mina') — port
• شارع (shari') — street
• طريق (tariq) — road

Buying tickets

• تذكرة (tadhkira) — ticket
• ذهاب فقط (dhahab faqat) — one way
• ذهاب وإياب (dhahab wa iyab) — return
• من أين تنطلق؟ (min ayna tantaliq?) — Where does it leave from?
• متى يغادر؟ (mata yughadir?) — When does it leave?

In a taxi

• خذني إلى… (khudhni ila…) — Take me to…
• كم الأجرة؟ (kam al-ujra?) — How much is the fare?
• هل تستخدم العداد؟ (hal tastakhdim al-'addad?) — Do you use the meter?
• قف هنا من فضلك (qif huna min fadlak) — Stop here, please.

In many places, ride-hailing apps have replaced haggling; where taxis are not metered, agree the price before you get in.

Directions

• يمين (yamin) — right
• يسار (yasar) — left
• مستقيم / على طول (mustaqim / 'ala tul) — straight ahead
• قريب (qarib) — near
• بعيد (ba'id) — far
• عند الإشارة ('inda al-ishara) — at the traffic light
• بعد الزاوية (ba'da az-zawiya) — after the corner

Asking for help

• أين… ؟ (ayna…?) — Where is…?
• كيف أصل إلى… ؟ (kayfa asil ila…?) — How do I get to…?
• هل هو بعيد؟ (hal huwa ba'id?) — Is it far?
• هل يمكنك أن تريني على الخريطة؟ (hal yumkinuka an turini 'ala al-kharita?) — Can you show me on the map?

Reading signs

Road and station signs in many countries are bilingual, with Arabic and English or French, but smaller places may have Arabic only. Learning to recognise the words for exit (مخرج), entrance (مدخل), and no entry (ممنوع الدخول) is useful.