Transport in Arabic: 8 Words for Getting Around

01Start on the road

Sayyarat ujra is one useful term made from two words: a car for hire. Notice the t sound at the end of sayyarat when the words join. In our pictures, the taxi has a roof sign; the ordinary car does not.

02Match a vehicle to a place

The train and the station make one pair; the plane and the airport make another. Mahatta is a general word for station. Add الْقِطَار alqitar to make مَحَطَّة الْقِطَار mahattat alqitar, the train station.

A vehicle takes you somewhere. A station or airport is a place on your journey. Keep that difference in mind when reading signs.

03Add the eighth word

This short request names the thing you want. Min fadlika addresses one man; مِنْ فَضْلِكِ min fadliki addresses one woman. Tadhkira can be used for different kinds of tickets, so the place and the conversation help identify which ticket you mean.

Our ticket drawing is a memory aid. Real tickets can be printed or digital. The Arabic word still describes the ticket.

04Separate how from where

Adhhabu means I go. Ila introduces the destination. The attached bi means by in these transport phrases. By train is بِالْقِطَار bilqitar.

Read the example twice: first identify where the trip ends, then how you travel. The airport is the destination even though the vehicle is a bus.

05Ask for the train station

Ayna means where. This asks for the station’s location. It does not request a ticket or ask when a train leaves. Match the question to the information you need before you speak.

Practise a tiny journey: identify the bus, say you go to the airport by bus, then ask for a ticket. On a separate rail trip, use the station question above. Cover the English labels and recall each word from its picture. Plain reading aids simplify sounds and some endings.