One interesting aspect related to saying \u201cgoodbye\u201d in the Arab world is that saying goodbye can take a very long time! For example, I was on a phone call with an Iraqi student of mine one day and the end of the conversation went something like this:<\/p>\n
Me:<\/strong> \u201cOkay, taalibee <\/em>(my student), I will talk to you later.\u201d I let his hellos and goodbyes continue until they faded and he closed the phone. I was confused about this because I didn\u2019t understand at the time why he kept saying hello to me and then goodbye. Did he still want to talk or was he ending the call? <\/p>\n As non-native Arabic speaker, this way of saying goodbye was, indeed, a strange way (at least to me) of ending a phone conversation. However, it soon dawned on me that perhaps this way of expressing \u201cgoodbye\u201d is really a reflection on how Arabs feel about parting ways. Using these constant hellos mixed in with the goodbyes is not actually expressing farewell, rather it is expressing the hope to soon see someone again in the future. In other words, Arabs have long goodbyes because they find it hard to actually part ways, especially with one whose company they enjoy so much.<\/p>\n Perhaps another cultural reason goodbyes are longer than usual is because leaving abruptly can be seen as a little rude by the host; however, this is not true of all Arabs as most of them are aware of this stereotypical aspect and even joke among themselves about it. <\/p>\n Unfortunately, these little nuances aren\u2019t often taught in when you are trying to learn Arabic language skills in the classroom or when trying to learn Arabic online, but don\u2019t worry. We\u2019ve got you covered as we now present to those learning to speak Arabic the most popular ways of ending a conversation in Arabic.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Student:<\/strong> \u201cOkay, ustaazee <\/em>(my teacher). Hello. Hello. Goodbye. Hello. Goodbye. Hello\u2026\u201d
Me (confused):<\/strong> \u201cHello? Yes? I\u2019m still here. Did you need anything else?\u201d
Student:<\/strong> \u201cNo, teacher. I will see you tomorrow.\u201d
Me:<\/strong> \u201cOkay. Bye.\u201d
Student:<\/strong> \u201cHello. Goodbye. Hello. Goodbye. Hello\u2026\u201d <\/p>\nHowever, why?<\/h2>\n
Here are our examples:<\/h2>\n