How to Say "I Know a Little Arabic" in Arabic

أعرف القليل من العربية

a'rifu al-qalīla min al-'arabiyyah

The English phrase 'I know a little arabic' is translated into Arabic as أعرف القليل من العربية (a'rifu al-qalīla min al-'arabiyyah).

This phrase is used to manage expectations regarding one's linguistic proficiency when starting a conversation in Arabic.

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is composed of the verb 'know' (أعرف), the noun 'the little' (القليل), the preposition 'of' (من) and 'the Arabic' (العربية).

In Egyptian Arabic, you can use بعرف شوية عربي. or عارف شوية عربي. In Gulf Arabic, you can say أنا أدري شوية عربي. or أنا عارف شويه عربي.

The verb أعرف (a'rifu) is in the first-person singular present tense.

a'rifu al-qalīla min al-'arabiyyah

In many Arabic dialects, the word شوية (shwayya), used here to mean 'a little', is derived from the word for 'grilling' or 'roasting' meat slowly.
The word for 'of' in this phrase, من (min), can be traced back to the Sumerian word 𒈠𒈾 (ma-na), one of the oldest recorded languages in human history.
Because of diglossia, using the formal phrase أعرف القليل من العربية in a casual street market might make you sound like a textbook or a news anchor.

ممكن تساعدني أتدرب على العربية؟ أنا أعرف القليل فقط.
Can you help me practice Arabic? I only know a little.

Mariam and Ziad are introducing themselves at a language meetup.

مريم Maryam

مرحباً يا زياد، هل تتحدث العربية؟
Marhaban ya Ziyad, hal tatahaddath al-arabiyyah?
Hello Ziad, do you speak Arabic?
زياد Ziad

أهلاً مريم، نعم أعرف القليل من العربية.
Ahlan Mariam, na'am a'rif al-qalil min al-arabiyyah.
Hi Mariam, yes I know a little Arabic.
مريم Maryam

هذا رائع! هل تريد ممارسة اللغة معي؟
Hadha ra'i'! Hal turid mumarasat al-lughah ma'i?
That's great! Do you want to practice the language with me?
زياد Ziad

بالتأكيد، يسعدني ذلك كثيراً.
Bita'kid, yus'iduni dhalika kathiran.
Certainly, I would be very happy to.

Sources

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