Stacks of them Mark: 'Aslemma' actually means 'hello.
Yes - Aye or na'am
Bislemma - Goodbye
Good morning - Sbarkhir; Good evening - Messa el khir; Good night - Ala Khir.

Please - min fahtlik; Thank you - shokran; Sorry (or excuse me) - Sahmahni; How much? - Kadesh?; Too expensive - Gahli barcha; I've got no money - ma andee floos

How are you - Lebes? - I'm fine thanks be to God, and you: Le bes hamdullah, winti?

Inshallah - God willing; Hamdullah - thanks be to God.

Imshi - go

If you are having too much hassle (perish the thought) - "Metta kische maiya min fahtlik, imshi" - "Stop bothering me please - go" certainly works a treat and doesn't half impress the locals.
I've done my best to make the above as phonetic as possible, but no doubt some who are far more knowledgeable than I will disagree, for example I've heard 'no' pronounced as either la or leh, but this should give you an introduction. If you are having a taxi it can be useful to greet the driver with the appropriate phrase - e.g. "Aslemma, Medina min fahtlik - kadesh?" even if you have to get him to repeat the price in English

Here endeth the lesson for today - have a good trip.

Hi

Just logged in out of curiosity and was very pleased with the question from Mark and the answer from Aslemma. Just 4 weeks to go to my first visit to Tunisia and thanks to this forum, I am learning a lot.

Thanks
Bumfer (Lynn)

Our aim on here is to please ma'am! Hope you enjoy your first visit to Tunisia.

Hia, just going to add a couple more, what I have come across, as we are also 1st timers in Tunisia leaving in just over 2weeks here goes, and please someone correct me if these phrases are wrong,

de bousa mer min fahtlik - bottle of water please

kahwah - coffee (as I am a major coffee drinker )

taktooka - ashtray (cofe drinker and a smoker, )

also have found the following:

Greetings

English / Arabic
yes - na'am
no - laa
thank you - shokran
you are welcome - ala eirahib wa eisaa
please - min fadilak
excuse me - ann eazinak
hello - ahalan
goodbye - ma'a eisalama
Good morning - saba'a aikair
Good night - laila tiaba
I do not understand - Ana laa afham
Do you speak...? - Hal tatakalm...?
english - alingli'zia
What is your name? - Ma ismok?
Nice to meet you - Sorirart biro'aitak
How are you? - Kaifa halok?
good - taib/ bikair
bad- saia/ mosh bikair

Directions

English / Arabic
mapk - arita
left / shimal
right - yam'ain
straight on -ilamam
far - ba'aid
near - karib

Methods of Transport

English / Arabic
Where is...? - Ain...?
How much is the fare? - Bikam al ogra'a?
ticket - tathkara
A ticket to..., please - tathkara wahida min fadlik...
Where are you going? - ila ain anta thahib?
Where do you live? - Ain ta'issh?
train - kitar
bus - autobees
underground - metro
airport - matar
train station - mahatit al kitar
bus station - mahatit al autobees
underground station - mahatit al metro
departure - al mogadara
arrival - al oso'ol
parking - mokaf

Time

English/ Arabic
What time is it? - Kam al sa'aa?
today - al youm
yesterday - amis
tomorrow - bokira

Accommodation
English/Arabic
hotel - fondok
room - korfa
reservation - hagiz
Are there any vacancies? - Hal togad koraf fadia al laila?
No vacancies - la togad koraf fariga
passport - gawaz safar

Places
English/Arabic
post office - markaz barid
bank - bank
police station - kissam shorta
hospital - mustashfa
chemist - sidali'ia
shop - maha'al
restaurant - matiam
museum - matihaf
church - kanisa
square - meedan
street - shari

Shopping
English/Arabic
How much does this cost? - bikam?
I will buy it - Sa'ashtariha
I would like to buy... - O'reed ann ashtary
Do you have...? - Hal aindak...?
open - maftouh
closed - mogilag
postcard - kart barid
stamps - ta'wabia
little - kalil
lot - kathir
all - kol

Meals
English/Arabic
breakfast - iftar
lunch - gadaa
dinner - ashaa
vegetarian - nabati
cheers! - fi sahitak
The bill please - El fatora min fadilak

Drinks
English/ Arabic
Drink - sharab
Coffee - kahioa
Tea - shai
Juice - asir
water - ma'a
beer - bira
wine - khamr

Food
English/Arabic
meat - la'him
fish - samak
vegetable - kodrawat
fruit - fawakih
potato - patatis
salad - salata
dessert - halawia'at

Is is easier to read, in word format as i have save it, if anyone want a copy PM me and send your e-mail address:

Kath

An indispensable phrase for any woman travelling alone in Tunisia is 'Shooma!' - 'Shame on you!' Said in a very loud voice whenever anyone tries to get a bit too close or to diddle you in the medina, it will attract attention and disapproval from the locals around you in no time at all and will indeed shame the perpetrator into behaving differently! The 'Granny Mafia' will soon see to that!

SM

ooh brilliant, sounds fun to use that when bartering????????????

thanks
Kate

thanks for that it will be agreat help

Hi Roo, I would have added 'taktooka' which is a word I use a lot but in this day and age didn't want to be seen as having any more bad habits (or as assuming others did.)
Shooma is tried and tested, though luckilly I've never needed to use it.

Kamikazikate - a lovely long list there but many of them are classic Arabic rather than the Tunisian version. They can still be used though. I had a little Dorling Kindersley Arabic phrase book which unfortunately I've managed to lose.

Here are a few more Tunisian ones:

Attini min fahtlik - Please may I have

Andixshee? - Do you have?

Leh, mandeesh - No there is/there are none

Attini zeed shwire ?- Could I have a little more?

Shwire shwire - just a little (for example in answering "Do you speak any Arabic?" or if you don't want your plate piled too high with food)

Hattashay - Nothing

Tushrub Haja? - Can I get you a drink?

Schnouwa? - What?

Alesh/Aleh? - Why?

El ftour bneen barcha barcha - The lunch is delicious

Hi aslemma, do you know of anywhere i could buy a Arabic phrase book from Have tried a few places but to no joy

Roo

33 years ago the first arabic word I learnt was bousa which is kiss. Ordering water with you must lead to fun. Personally I stick with ureedo met safia menfadlik. Works for me. Bottle I think is schrab, as in ureedo schrab shram menfadlik; I want/would like a bottle of wine please.

Dorra

Sorry aslemma have seen a few on the internet, could you advise as to wish one is best Or anyone else if you know different thanking you in advance. Haddy.

Hi Haddy,

Mine was a small Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness one which I got from Waterstones a couple of years ago for the princely sum of £2.99! It was the perfect size to go in your pocket and I actually bought 2. Unfortunately I gave one to a friend, and as no good deed goes unpunished I promptly lost the other one I have seen it on the internet since then so I guess you can still get it, though the last price I saw was £3.99.

As I said previously however, all these books are classic Arabic rather than the Tunisian version, but perfectly adequate in any Arab country.

P.S. Just 'googled' and Amazon have it at the moment:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Arabic-Phrase-Travel-Guides-Books/dp/0789448653

I know I'm just too good to you Haddy but I've just tracked down the ISBN number of that book which I posted a couple of years ago on here. If you quote that in Waterstones or any other shop it may help them to get it, as postage can work out expensive on Amazon.

ISBN No. 0-7513-2158-3

aslemma, you have got me spoiled what would this forum do without you... Thanks a million.Haddy.

hello again aslemma, I don't have to many bad habbits,(or so I tell myself, hahah) just smoking,
Dorra, Thank You so much for correct wording, I would have felt so and not to mention the looks I would get, lol, so if I wanted a bottle of water, I would say "ureedo met safia menfadlik" ? just so I know and don't make a fool of myself
Thanks again
Roo

Hi aslemma, great tips there,...

Ive spoken a bit of Arabic in Eygpt, you know the usual pleasantries, so I suppose that would be understood perfectly well in Tunisia,....

Are there any major differences between the two?

I did notice that goodbye was bislemma, while I am used to saying massalama

All Tunisian children have to learn classic Arabic at school from a very young age so they will certainly understand you. Many of the words are actually the same so you will certainly get by but most of the ones I've given are the Tunisian version, for example, Tunisians say Sahmahni for 'sorry' whereas my Arabic dictionary showed 'Aasef'. Believe me, the locals will be very impressed if you can use even a little Arabic, whichever version, and it also gives the impression that it is not your first time there, which can be an advantage when dealing with taxi drivers and shop-keepers.

thanks for the quick reply aslemma,

Im going to spend the next week brushing up my arabic before flying out next sunday

I wonder how many shopkeepers im going to say

"la feloos" to ,when they try and drag my family into their shops ( no money)

Quick verbal tip for anyone asking a price in a shop,... very easy to remember

`beckham da`

just think of da-vid beckham.

then you can say la feloos and leg it