نَادِل
nādilmasculine
The Arabic word for waiter is نَادِل (nādil). Wiktionary also lists نَادِلَة (nādila).
Meaning: a server in a restaurant or similar (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| نَادِل | nādil | masculine |
| نَادِلَة | nādila | feminine |
The term refers to a server in a restaurant or similar. To get a waiter's attention, you can use the vocative particle ya before the noun, as in يا نَادِل (Hey, waiter!).
How do you pronounce it?
nādil
Did you know?
- While نَادِل is the standard term, in many Arabic-speaking countries people use the word جرسون instead. This is a direct loanword from the French word 'garçon'.
- The root of نَادِل relates to the act of calling out or summoning. It shares a linguistic ancestor with words meaning 'to call' or 'to shout'.
- If you are in a high-end establishment in the Levant, you might hear staff referred to as مُضيف (host/hostess), a term that emphasizes hospitality rather than service.
Examples in context
- سَأَحْتَاجُ مُسَاعَدَةٍ مِنَ النَّادِلِ، مِنْ فَضْلِكَ.I will need assistance from the waiter, please.
- أنا أبحث عن نَادِل.ana abḥath 'an nādil.I am looking for a waiter.
Example conversation
Yusuf and Maryam are sitting in a busy cafe.
- يوسف Youssefيَا مَرْيَم، أَيْنَ النَّادِل؟yā Maryam, ayna al-nādil?Mary, where is the waiter?
- مريم Maryamإِنَّهُ يَأْتِي إِلَيْنَا الآن.innahu ya'tī ilaynā al-ān.He is coming to us now.
- يوسف Youssefهَل هُوَ نَادِل جَدِيد؟hal huwa nādil jadīd?Is he a new waiter?
- مريم Maryamلَا أَعْرِف، لَكِنَّهُ سَرِيع.lā a'rif, lākinnahu sarī'.I don't know, but he is fast.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “waiter” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
