Advice about moving in Arabic
Two friends at a cafe; one has been offered a job in another city in Arabic. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «عرضوا عليّ وظيفة في مدينة أخرى.» — I have been offered a job in another city; «لو كنت مكانك، انتظرت أسبوعا.» — In your place I would wait a week.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: two friends at a cafe; one has been offered a job in another city. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- عرضوا عليّ وظيفة في مدينة أخرى.ʿарадуу ʿалаййа вазифа фи мадиина ухра.I have been offered a job in another city.
- لو كنت مكانك، انتظرت أسبوعا.лоу кунта макаанак, интазарту усбууʿан.In your place I would wait a week.
- الراتب أعلى، لكن الانتقال صعب.ар-раатиб аʿля, лякинн аль-интикааль саʿб.The salary is higher, but the move is hard.
- لو بقيت هنا، لكان توترك أقل.лоу багита хуна, ля-кян таваттурук агаль.If you stayed here, there would be less stress.
- غالبا سأوافق. يستحق التجربة.гаалибан са-уаафигу. йястаахигг ат-таджриба.Most likely I will agree. It is worth trying.
- وحتى لو كان صعبا، الرجوع ممكن.ва-хатта ло кян саʿбан, ар-руджхууʿ мумкин.And even if it is hard, one can return.
- بصراحة، أنا خائف قليلا.би-сарааха, ана хааʾиф галилан.Honestly, I am a little afraid.
- الأمر إليك حتى الجمعة. في كل الأحوال معك.аль-амр иляйк хатта аль-джумʿа. фи куль аль-ахвааль маʿак.It is up to you until Friday. In any case I am with you.
Lines one by one
| Arabic | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| عرضوا عليّ وظيفة في مدينة أخرى. | ʿарадуу ʿалаййа вазифа фи мадиина ухра. | I have been offered a job in another city. |
| لو كنت مكانك، انتظرت أسبوعا. | лоу кунта макаанак, интазарту усбууʿан. | In your place I would wait a week. |
| الراتب أعلى، لكن الانتقال صعب. | ар-раатиб аʿля, лякинн аль-интикааль саʿб. | The salary is higher, but the move is hard. |
| لو بقيت هنا، لكان توترك أقل. | лоу багита хуна, ля-кян таваттурук агаль. | If you stayed here, there would be less stress. |
| غالبا سأوافق. يستحق التجربة. | гаалибан са-уаафигу. йястаахигг ат-таджриба. | Most likely I will agree. It is worth trying. |
| وحتى لو كان صعبا، الرجوع ممكن. | ва-хатта ло кян саʿбан, ар-руджхууʿ мумкин. | And even if it is hard, one can return. |
| بصراحة، أنا خائف قليلا. | би-сарааха, ана хааʾиф галилан. | Honestly, I am a little afraid. |
| الأمر إليك حتى الجمعة. في كل الأحوال معك. | аль-амр иляйк хатта аль-джумʿа. фи куль аль-ахвааль маʿак. | It is up to you until Friday. In any case I am with you. |
How to prepare for a conversation like this
Memorizing the lines is not enough: the other person will say their own thing, not what is written. What helps more is catching the key words by ear and keeping three rescue phrases ready: “I don't understand”, “repeat, please”, “slower”.
And one more thing phrasebooks do not mention: awkwardness gets in the way more than not knowing the words.
- Fear of making mistakes gets in the way of learning a language, and noticeably so. The link turns up study after study, and together those studies cover almost twenty thousand people.checked many timesTeimouri, Goetze & Plonsky, 2019, Studies in Second Language Acquisition 41(2) · 19,933 participants from 23 countries; correlation with results r = −0.36.
- That fear can be dealt with — the methods have been tested and they work.checked many timesXiong et al., 2024, Journal of Language and Social Psychology · 37 studies, anxiety reduced by −0.61. Of the seven conditions examined, only age turned out to matter.
Frequently asked
How do you start a conversation in Arabic in this situation?
“عرضوا عليّ وظيفة في مدينة أخرى.” (ʿарадуу ʿалаййа вазифа фи мадиина ухра.) — I have been offered a job in another city. The first line in such a conversation is almost always the same, and that is the one worth learning: the other person will carry it from there.
What if you did not understand the reply?
Say “I don't understand” and “repeat, please” — both are in the rescue set. Admitting your language is still shaky almost always makes the other person more patient.
Should you memorize the dialogue?
No. It is more useful to catch the key words by ear: the other person will say their own thing, and a memorized line will not always fit their reply.