هلا بيك
hala bīkIraqi, to a man
In Iraqi Arabic, the spoken dialect of Mesopotamia, you welcome a man with هلا بيك (hala bīk) and a woman with هلا بيج (hala bīch). The standard أهلاً وسهلاً (ahlan wa sahlan) is understood too.
Meaning: greeting a guest (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| هلا بيك | hala bīk | Iraqi, to a man |
| أهلاً وسهلاً | ahlan wa sahlan | neutral |
| هلا بيج | hala bīch | Iraqi, to a woman |
A guest at the door is greeted with هلا بيك (hala bīk) or the more emphatic يا هلا (yā hala). The reply is often الله بالخير (Allāh bil-khayr).
Which one should you use?
In Iraqi speech the feminine ending -ik becomes -ich, so بيج (bīch) is the form for a woman where other dialects say بيك (bīk) to everyone.
Did you know?
- Iraqi Arabic keeps the sound چ (ch) in words like چاي (chāy), "tea", a letter that standard Arabic does not have.
Examples in context
- هلا بيك، تفضلhala bīk, tfaḍḍalWelcome, please come in.
- هلا بيج يا أم أحمدhala bīch yā Umm AḥmadWelcome, Umm Ahmad.
- أهلاً وسهلاً بالضيوفahlan wa sahlan bi-ḍ-ḍuyūfWelcome to the guests.
Example conversation
Zainab opens the door of her house in Baghdad to her cousin Ali.
- Zainabهلا بيك يا عليhala bīk yā ʿAlīWelcome, Ali.
- Aliالله بالخيرAllāh bil-khayrGood to see you.
- Zainabتفضل، الچاي جاهزtfaḍḍal, ichchāy jāhizPlease come in, the tea is ready.
