General Information » Culture & Lifestyle » Language

The official language of the country is Arabic, although English, Urdu and Hindi are spoken and, with some perseverance, understood! Arabic is the official business language, but English is so widely used that you could conduct business here for years and years without learning a single word of Arabic. Most road signs, shop signs and restaurant menus are in both languages. The further out of town you go, the more Arabic you will find, both spoken and on street and shop signs. See the table for a quick list of useful Arabic phrases.

Arabic isn't the easiest language to pick up... or to pronounce. But if you can throw in a couple of words of Arabic here and there, you're more likely to receive a warmer welcome or at least a smile. Most people are happy you're putting in the effort and will help you out with your pronunciation. Just give it a shot – it certainly won't hurt to try and it definitely helps when dealing with officials of any sort.