“Thank you” in Algerian Arabic

Expressing gratitude and saying "thank you" is an essential aspect of Algerian culture, and there are several ways to convey your appreciation in this dialect. These expressions not only reflect the language but also the rich history and cultural diversity of Algeria. Here are some different ways to say "thank you" in Algerian Arabic:

Situation 1

Responding to daily life mundane favours

The following expressions are the most common ones to use in this situation

صَحَّا /sa77a:/

The two following expressions change depending on the pronoun

صحّيت /sa77i:t/

(responding to one male person)

صحّيتي /sa77i:ti:/

(responding to one female person)

صحّيتو /sa77i:tou/

(responding to more than one person)

يعطيك الصحة /ya3ti:k essa7a/

(responding to one male/female person)

يعطيكم الصحة /ya3ti:kom essa7a/

(responding to one male person)

شكرا /chokran/

مرسي merci

(a loanword from the French language)

Situation 2

Responding to huge favours/things with great value

ربّي } يعيشك} /(rabbi:) y’3aychik/

ربّي يخلّيك /rabbi': y’khalli:k/

ربّي يحفظك /rabbi': ya7fdek/

بارك الله فيك /ba:raka Allahou fi:k/

(the last one is a very advanced expression)

In Algerian culture responding to someone’s huge favour for us needs more than just saying one of the common and simple “thank you” expressions. We feel that we need to pray for them for God’s protection.

Situation 3

Responding to compliments

We also use prayer “thank you” expressions like

ربّي } يعيشك} /(rabbi:) y’3aychik/

ربّي يخلّيك /rabbi': y’khalli:k/

or the following two simple ones

شكرا /chokran/

مرسي merci

Situation 4

Responding back to a “thank you” expression

Generally, the one expression that is used a lot in Algeria when we respond to a “thank you” is

بلا مزية /bla: mziya/

I hope you find this lesson very useful.

Thanks for reading!