Traveling to Lebanon? Learn How to Say ‘Afwan’ in Arabic

Hi again and welcome back! In this lesson, we’re going to dive into the world of travel and learn some essential phrases in Lebanese Arabic that will come in handy when you’re in Lebanon. The word “afwan” in Arabic is a very important one to remember, as it means “excuse me” and is used frequently in conversation. From asking about your delayed baggage to exchanging money, to taking a cab, we’ve got you covered. So, let’s start by learning the word afwan and the rest of the key phrases you need to make your trip to Lebanon a smooth and enjoyable one.

Transcript

In this lesson, you’ll learn some useful phrases for traveling in Lebanon.

At the Airport

Upon arrival in Lebanon, you will hear the greeting “Welcome to Lebanon” which in Arabic is “Ahla w sahla b Lebnen.”

If your baggage is late, you can say “Excuse me, my baggage is late” in Arabic, which is “afwan, ghradeh t2akharit.” Alternatively, you can also say “afwan shenateh t2akharit.”

If you’ve lost your baggage, you can say “Excuse me, I lost my baggage” in Arabic, which is “afwan dayya3et ghradeh” or “afwan dayya3et shenateh.”

Exchanging Money

If you need to exchange money, you can say “Excuse me, I want to exchange money” in Arabic, which is “afwan, baddeh sarrif masareh.” The currency in Lebanon is the Lira, and both Lira and dollars are accepted in shops. Euros are not accepted.

Taking a Cab

To take a cab to your hotel, step outside the airport and you’ll see many cabs available. There are no buses or metros available in the airport.

When you get into the cab, you can say “Hello, I want to go to Ashrafieh” in Arabic, which is “marhaba baddeh rouh aal Ashrafieh.” To ask how much the cab will cost, you can say “How much do you take?” in Arabic, which is “Addeh betrid.”

Note that the first cab you take from the airport will likely be more expensive than subsequent cabs. There are two types of cabs in Lebanon: “service” cabs which you see on the streets, and “taxi” cabs which you call to reserve in advance. Service cabs are much cheaper than taxi cabs and will cost less than one euro or dollar.

Recap

Let’s repeat what we learned:

EnglishLebanese Arabic
Welcomeahla w sahla
Lebanonlebnein
Welcome to LebanonAhla w sahla b lebnen
Excuse meafwan
Excuse me, my baggage is lateafwan, ghradeh t2akharit
or
afwan shenateh t2akharit
Excuse me I lost my baggageafwan dayya3et ghradeh
or
afwan dayya3et shenateh
Excuse me, I wanted to exchange moneyafwan, baddeh sarrif masareh
Hello I want to go to Ashrafiehmarhaba baddeh rouh aal Ashrafieh
How much do you want?Addeh betrid?
Moneymasareh
I wantbaddeh

Ok so, now my lesson at the airport is done, and now you know how to ask people questions starting with ‘excuse me’ which is ‘afwan‘ in Arabic.

I hope you enjoyed it

I will meet you again in lesson 3, to talk more about the hotels, and apartments, if you’re going to reserve.

So see you soon!

After you learn these sentences, watch them being used in a conversation: Conversation 1 : Airport (from Lesson 2)

Spread the dialect!

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