Many of you are probably familiar with American aerospace engineer Edward A Murphy’s Law (simply known as “Murphy’s Law”) that states, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong”. Mr. Murphy may seem like a pessimist, but perhaps it was his way of trying to follow the old Boy Scout motto to “Be prepared”. As Elvis Costello once famously sang, “Accidents will happen”, and whether staying at home or traveling abroad in one of the Arabic speaking countries, being prepared for anything that may go wrong is just sage advice. So, with that in mind, here are several phrases that you can use for getting help in Arabic while living and working or traveling in the Arab world.



Help! Please, I need help! Help me, please!

أرجوك, أحتاج الى مساعدة! ساعدني أرجوك

Arjook ahtaaj ’ilaa musaa‘da! Saa‘idni arjook!


Help me! I was just robbed by a thief. I need the police!

ساعدني! لقد قام بسرقتي لص. أحتاج الى الشرطة
Saa‘idni! Laqad qaama bisariqati liss. Ahtaaj ’ilaa ashurta!


Help, please! I lost my money, passport, and personal items. Could you help me get to the nearest police station?

المساعدة أرجوك! أضعت مالي, جواز السفر, وأغراضي الشخصية. ممكن أن تساعدني لأصل الى أقرب مخفر للشرطة؟
Almusaa‘da arjook! Adha‘tu maali, jawaaz assafar, wa aghraadi ashakhsiya. Mumkin an tusaa‘idni li’asil ’ilaa aqrab makhfar lishurta?


Help, please. I’ve fallen and I can’t get up

المساعدة أرجوك! سقطت وأحتاج الى مساعدتك لأنهض
Almusaa‘da arjook! Saqattu wa ahtaaju ’ilaa musaa‘datik li’anhad


Help me, please! I’m in pain and need to see a doctor right away

ساعدني أرجوك! أنا متألم وأحتاج الى طبيب حالاً
Saa‘idni arjook! Anaa muta’alim wa ahtaaj ’ilaa tabeeb haalan


Could you please take me to the nearest hospital?

من فضلك ممكن أن تأخذني الى أقرب مستشفى؟
Min fadhlika mumkin an t’akhuthani ’illa aqrab mustashfa?


I need to go to the nearest pharmacy to buy medication

أحتاج الى الوصول الى أقرب صيدلية لأشتري الدواء
Ahtaaj ’ilaa al wusool ’ilaa aqrab saydaliyah li’ashtari addawaa’


Could you please direct me back to the downtown city area?

ساعدني, لقد أضعت خريطتي. ممكن من فضلك أن ترشدني الى منطقة وسط المدينة؟
Mumkin laqad adha’t khareetati mumkin min fadhlika an turshidni ’ilaa mantiqah wasat almadeena?


Could you please help me find a good lawyer?

ممكن من فضلك أن تساعدني لأجد محامي جيد؟
Mumkin min fadhlika an tusaa‘idni li’ajid muhaami jayid?



Additionally, it is important to note that if you do face an emergency while traveling abroad, not all emergency service numbers are the same in every Arabic speaking country; however, you can be prepared by downloading a list of emergency numbers for every country here.

Of course, Kaleela hopes that all of your travels are safe and memorable, but practicing these phrases can help in nearly any situation you may run across while visiting the Middle East.


If you would like to be even more prepared to speak Arabic in any situation and learn more about the Arab culture, please visit us at kaleela.com for more information. While you’re there, why not download our Arabic language learning app, one of the best Arabic language learning apps out there today for helping you learn Arabic language skills for everyday life.