مرحبا، ما اسمك؟
marhaban, ma ismuk?
The English phrase "hello, what is your name?" is translated into Arabic as مرحبا، ما اسمك؟ (marhaban, ma ismuk?).
This phrase is used as a greeting to initiate a conversation and request the listener's name.
Which one should you use?
While مرحبا، ما اسمك؟ uses the standard greeting مرحبا (marhaban), in many Arabic dialects, people might use Ahlan instead for a more casual "hello".
How does it change in a sentence?
When asking a female for her name, the suffix of the word ismuk changes from -ak to -aki, resulting in ما اسمكِ؟ (ma ismuki?).
How do you pronounce it?
marhaban, ma ismuk?
Did you know?
- In some social contexts, a person may respond to ما اسمك؟ by giving a kunya, such as 'Father of' or 'Mother of' followed by the name of their eldest child, rather than their own first name.
- In many Arabic-speaking cultures, asking someone's name is often preceded by a series of polite inquiries about their health and wellbeing, as jumping straight to the name can feel too abrupt.
- The greeting مرحبا (marhaban) is derived from the root word for 'spaciousness' or 'wide place', conceptually welcoming a guest into a wide and comfortable area.
Examples in context
- مرحبا، ما اسمك؟ أنا طالب جديد.marhaban, ma ismuka? ana talib jadid.Hello, what is your name? I am a new student.
Example conversation
A man and a woman meeting for the first time at a party.
- ليلى Laylaمرحبا، ما اسمك؟marhaban, ma ismuka?Hello, what is your name?
- عمر Omarاسمي عمر. وأنتِ؟ismi Omar. wa anti?My name is Omar. And you?
- ليلى Laylaاسمي ليلى. تشرفت بمعرفتك.ismi Layla. tasharraftu bi ma'rifatik.My name is Layla. Nice to meet you.
- عمر Omarتشرفت بكِ أيضاً.tasharraftu biki aydan.Nice to meet you too.
