Please and do not mention it: two words, three roles
A request is polite in itself: min fadlik ("out of your favor") stands at the end, like the English please: qahva min fadlik. For pressure it moves to the front. For example: “عفوا, ببطء من فضلك” — Excuse me, slower, please. A rule from the Arabic course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
A request is polite in itself: min fadlik ("out of your favor") stands at the end, like the English please: qahva min fadlik. For pressure it moves to the front.
The second word is afwan. It both apologizes before a question and answers a "thank you": afwan in a reply means "do not mention it". One word covers the whole "sorry — you are welcome" pair.
Learn the requests "repeat" and "slower" on day one: karrir min fadlik, bi-but min fadlik.
Table
| phrase | reading | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| من فضلك | min fadlik | please, at the end of a request |
| قهوة من فضلك | qahva min fadlik | coffee, please |
| عفوا | afwan | excuse me / do not mention it |
| كرر من فضلك | karrir min fadlik | repeat, please |
| ببطء من فضلك | bi-but min fadlik | slower, please |
By example
- عفوا, ببطء من فضلكафван, би-бутʿ мин фадликExcuse me, slower, please
- شكرا! — عفوا!шукран! — афван!Thank you! — Do not mention it!
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Min fadlik or afwan in Arabic?
A request is polite in itself: min fadlik ("out of your favor") stands at the end, like the English please: qahva min fadlik. For pressure it moves to the front.
How to say please in Arabic?
A request is polite in itself: min fadlik ("out of your favor") stands at the end, like the English please: qahva min fadlik. For pressure it moves to the front.
How to reply to shukran in Arabic?
A request is polite in itself: min fadlik ("out of your favor") stands at the end, like the English please: qahva min fadlik. For pressure it moves to the front.
How to apologize in Arabic?
A request is polite in itself: min fadlik ("out of your favor") stands at the end, like the English please: qahva min fadlik. For pressure it moves to the front.
What does it look like in a Arabic example sentence?
“عفوا, ببطء من فضلك” (афван, би-бутʿ мин фадлик) — Excuse me, slower, please. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.