Emirati Gulf Arabic→English

Translate Emirati Gulf Arabic to English the way locals mean it.

In Emirati Gulf Arabic, a greeting can sound like a question, thanks can sound like criticism, and familiar words like zain can mean less than their textbook gloss suggests.

Going the other way? English to Emirati Gulf Arabic

474 local dialects

AIRTranslate on iPhone choosing between Arabic varieties

What locals actually say

شخبارك؟ عساك بخير

How are you? Hope you’re doing well.

شخبارك literally asks what your news is, but it is a routine greeting, while عساك بخير is a warm softener meaning I hope you’re well.

زين، بس خلّنا نشوف

Okay, but let’s see how it goes.

زين often means acceptable or okay, not necessarily excellent, and خلّنا نشوف signals uncertainty without sounding blunt.

ما قصّرت، بس إذا تقدر خلّها عقب

Thanks, but if you can, leave it until later.

ما قصّرت is a polite thank-you meaning you’ve done enough, not a complaint that someone fell short, while عقب means later.

سلّفني خمسين، وبردّهن لك آخر الشهر

Lend me fifty, and I’ll pay you back at the end of the month.

بردّهن uses the Gulf verb ردّ for paying money back, with the plural object suffix signalling the amount as a set of notes or dirhams.

سير سيده لين الإشارة، وبعدين لف يسار

Go straight to the traffic light, then turn left.

سير is the everyday Emirati and Gulf imperative for go, while سيده is the colloquial direction word for straight ahead.

أبغي دياي مشوي، وحط لي الصلصة على صوب

I’d like grilled chicken, with the sauce on the side.

دياي is the Emirati Gulf word for chicken, and على صوب is a local way to request that something be kept separately.

اليهال توّهم راقدين، خلّ صوتك واطي

The kids have only just gone to sleep, so keep your voice down.

اليهال means children in Emirati and Gulf speech, while راقدين is the colloquial Gulf verb for being asleep.

الجو اليوم لاهب، بس الهوا في الليل يبرد

It’s scorching today, but the breeze cools things down at night.

الهوا is the casual Emirati Gulf form for breeze or air, and the verb يبرد signals that it becomes cooler.

Notes like these come with every AIRTranslate translation, so you learn why locals phrase it that way as you go.

How Emirati Gulf Arabic differs

Emirati Gulf Arabic for casual registers (shakhbarak, zain for good, wayed for very); MSA for formal text; comfortable English loanwords in business casual.

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Localization Notes explaining why locals say it that way