أَرَاكَ قَرِيبًا
ʔarāka qarīban
The Arabic phrase for "see you soon" is أَرَاكَ قَرِيبًا (ʔarāka qarīban). Wiktionary also lists إِلَى اللِّقَاء قَرِيبًا (ʔilā l-liqāʔ qarīban).
Meaning: goodbye (intj)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| أَرَاكَ قَرِيبًا | ʔarāka qarīban |
| إِلَى اللِّقَاء قَرِيبًا | ʔilā l-liqāʔ qarīban |
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase أَرَاكَ قَرِيبًا literally translates to "I see you soon", consisting of the first person singular verb "to see", the object pronoun "you" and the adverb "soon".
Which one should you use?
أَرَاكَ قَرِيبًا is a direct way of saying "I see you soon", while إِلَى اللِّقَاء قَرِيبًا translates to "until the meeting soon".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
إِلَى اللِّقَاء قَرِيبًا is a formal expression. The araka forms are more direct.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the phrase changes based on the gender of the person you are addressing: use أَرَاكَ قَرِيبًا when speaking to a male, and use أَرَاكِ قَرِيبًا when speaking to a female.
How do you pronounce it?
ʔarāka qarīban
Did you know?
- Arabic speakers often use إن شاء الله meaning 'if God wills' after saying they will see someone soon, as it is considered unlucky to guarantee a future meeting.
- In many Arabic-speaking cultures, a goodbye is rarely a single phrase but a series of repeated well-wishes that can last several minutes.
- The word قَرِيبًا meaning 'soon' shares the same root as the word for 'relative' or 'kin', as both describe something that is close.
Examples in context
- أَرَاكَ قَرِيبًا يَا صَدِيقِي.ʾarāka qarīban yā ṣadīqī.See you soon, my friend.
- شُكْرًا جَزِيلًا، أَرَاكَ قَرِيبًا.shukran jazīlan, ʾarāka qarīban.Thank you very much, see you soon.
Example conversation
Omar and Sarah are finishing a meeting at a cafe.
- عمر Omarكان الوقت ممتعاً يا سارة.kāna al-waqt mumtiʿan yā sāra.It was a pleasant time, Sarah.
- سارة Saraوأنا أيضاً استمتعت كثيراً.wa-ʾanā ayḍan istamtaʿtu kathīran.I enjoyed it very much too.
- عمر Omarأَرَاكَ قَرِيبًا إذن.arāka qarīban ʾidhan.See you soon then.
- سارة Saraمع السلامة يا عمر.maʿa as-salāma yā ʿumar.Goodbye, Omar.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “see you soon” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
