Transportation & Directions – Spoken Arabic Vocabulary

A set of Arabic transportation and direction terms commonly used in Jordanian/Levantine spoken Arabic, with English definitions to aid vocabulary building and conversational practice.

تاكسي (taksi)

Taxi

سَرَفيس (sarafīs)

Service / shared taxi

باص (bāṣ)

Bus

سيّارة (sayyāra)

Car

تَطبيق (taṭbīq)

App; application (e.g., Uber, Careem)

بَطلَع (baṭlaʿ)

I go out / ride (in a vehicle)

بِتطلَع (bitṭlaʿ)

You (m.) go out / ride

بِتطلَعي (bitṭlaʿī)

You (f.) go out / ride

روح! (rūḥ!)

Go! (imperative)

عُنوان (ʿunwān)

Address

شَغِّل! (shaggil!)

Turn on! (e.g., the meter)

عَدّاد (ʿaddād)

Meter (taxi meter)

دُغري (dughri)

Straight ahead

خَلِّك (khallik)

Stay / keep (imperative)

دَخلة (dakhle)

Entrance; side street

لِفّ! (liff!)

Turn! (imperative)

يَمين (yamīn)

Right

شْمال (shmāl)

Left

على إيدك اليمين (ʿalā īdak il-yamīn)

On your right

على إيدك الشمال (ʿalā īdak ish-shmāl)

On your left

وَقِّف! (waqqif!)

Stop! (imperative)

عندك لو سمحت

Let me off here, please

هون (hōn)

Here

هُناك (hunāk)

There

ساكِن / ساكِنة (sākin / sākné)

Living; resident

شارِع (shāriʿ)

Street

مِنطَقة (minṭaqa)

Area / district

رَصيف (raṣīf)

Sidewalk; curb

تَقاطع (taqāṭuʿ)

Intersection

زاوية (zāwye)

Corner

دوّار (dawwār)

Traffic circle / roundabout

جِسر (jisr)

Bridge

نَفَق (nafaq)

Tunnel

إشارة ج ضَوئية (ishāra ḍawʾiyya)

Traffic light

اِقطع الشارع! (iʾṭaʿ ish-shāriʿ!)

Cross the street!

أَوَّل (awwal)

First; beginning

آخِر (ākher)

Last; end

قَريب مِن (qarīb min)

Close to

بَعيد عَن (baʿīd ʿan)

Far from

بَعد (baʿd)

After

قَبل (qabl)

Before

اِستَنّى! (istannā!)

Wait! (imperative)

أَزمة سَير (azmet sayr)

Traffic jam

فْراطة (frāṭa)

Small coins; change

الباقي (il-bāʾi)

The remainder; change due back

سُواق / شوفير (sawwāq / shofēr)

Driver

خَلّي الباقي (khalli il-bāʾi)

Keep the change

مُشكِلة (mushkila)

Problem

في / ما في (fī / mā fī)

There is / there isn’t

قَدّيش؟ (qaddēsh?)

How much?

يَعطيك العافِية (yaʿṭīk il-ʿāfiye)

May God give you health (thank-you to worker)

الله يَعافيك (Allāh yaʿāfīk)

Reply to ‘yaʿṭīk il-ʿāfiye’ – ‘May God grant you health, too’