Shopping in Arabic

picture courtesy http://web.sfc.keio.ac.jp/

Shopping in the Arab world is a great experience in itself. Each transaction will inevitably involve many price changes and it can often be seen as a sign of disrespect if you buy the item for the price listed.

It's called haggling, and in some of the older souks in various countries it is a time honored tradition with its roots in the great oral storytellers and poets from before the times of The Arabian Nights and spice caravans.

That said, the Middle East, particularly the Gulf, is full of huge shopping complexes often unseen in other industrialized countries (see our Dubai guide for an example), and haggling isn't usually the custom in these places.

Here are some words to help you get started on your shopping expedition:

How Much? - Kem ? / Bikam?

How Many? - Kem Wahed?

How much does it cost? Kem Fill-oos?

Big - Kabeer

Small - Sageer

Bad - Mish Kwayis

Good - Kwayis/Tamam/OK

Cheap - Rahees

Expensive - Ghali

Open - Maftoo

Yes - Na'aam

No - La

Thank you - Shukran

Market/Shop - Sook (Souk)

To - Lee (ex. To the souk please - Lee Al-Sook, Min Fadlik)

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