Holidays
Learn the Arabic words for holidays and travel: the beach, the hotel, the plane and more. Every word comes with its script, a transliteration to help you say it, and the English meaning.
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Holidays in Arabic
This topic is about holidays and travel. Every word comes with its Arabic script, a transliteration in brackets to help you say it, and the English meaning. Remember: Arabic is read from right to left.
Holiday words in Arabic
Learn these holiday words:
Match each Arabic word to its English meaning
- عطلة (utla)
- بحر (bahr)
- فندق (funduq)
- طائرة (taaira)
- holiday
- sea
- hotel
- Take the plane (طائرة, taaira)
The Arabic word for the beach
Which Arabic word means 'the beach'?
- شاطئ (shati)
- فندق (funduq)
- حقيبة (haqiba)
- طائرة (taaira)
How the script works
Two things about Arabic script. First, it is read from right to left. Second, the word for the is the prefix al (ال), joined to the front of a word. So بحر (bahr, sea) becomes البحر (al-bahr, the sea). Listen for that al sound at the start of many words.
Holiday words
Select the TWO words connected with holidays and travel.
- جواز سفر (jawaz safar)
- حقيبة (haqiba)
- مدرسة (madrasa)
- أب (ab)
Match each Arabic word to how it is said
- يسافر
- يسبح
- يزور
- رحلة
- yusafir
- yasbah
- yazur
- rihla
How do you say it?
The sea بحر is said _____. The hotel فندق is said _____. A trip رحلة is said _____. To travel يسافر is said _____.
Order the journey
Put a holiday journey in a sensible order.
- Pack your suitcase (حقيبة, haqiba)
- Show your passport (جواز سفر, jawaz safar)
- Take the plane (طائرة, taaira)
- Relax on the beach (شاطئ, shati)
Which verb?
Which Arabic word means 'to travel'?
- يسافر (yusafir)
- يسبح (yasbah)
- يزور (yazur)
- يأكل (yakul)
Complete the holiday
On holiday عطلة (said _____), many people travel by طائرة (said _____) and stay in a فندق (said _____). At the beach شاطئ (said _____) they can swim.
Arabic needs no word for is
The holiday words go straight into sentences, and Arabic needs no word for "is": - العطلة في الصيف = "the holiday is in the summer". Two things side by side, joined by في (fi - in). Nothing stands for "is". - الفندق على البحر = "the hotel is on the sea". The same pattern with على (ala - on). To say the opposite, put ليس in front: ليس الفندق على البحر.
Arabic has no word for "is"
Arabic has no word for "is". Which of these says "the holiday is in the summer"?
- العطلة في الصيف (al-utla fi al-sayf)
- العطلة تكون في الصيف (al-utla takun fi al-sayf)
- الصيف في العطلة (al-sayf fi al-utla)
- الفندق على البحر (al-funduq ala al-bahr)
Plan a holiday
Choose the right Arabic word for each holiday situation.
- You want to say 'the sea'. You choose:
- You need the word for 'suitcase'. You choose:
- To say 'to swim', you choose:
Use what you know
Use what you know about Arabic to make each choice.
- Arabic is read in which direction?
- The word for 'the' is added to a word as...
- 'Passport' in Arabic is:
Well done
You have met the key Arabic holiday words: عطلة (utla, holiday), بحر (bahr, sea), شاطئ (shati, beach), فندق (funduq, hotel), طائرة (taaira, plane) and يسافر (yusafir, to travel). Keep practising the script and the transliteration together.