شكراً / عفواً

Thank You and You Are Welcome

Level 2

شكراً (Shukran) means 'Thank you' and عفواً ('Afwan) means 'You're welcome' or 'Excuse me.' Both are essential social lubricants in Modern Standard Arabic.

How It Works

In Modern Standard Arabic, شكراً and عفواً are categorized as absolute objects.

  • شكراً (Shukran): Derived from the root sh-k-r (to thank). It is the standard way to express gratitude. While you can use كثيراً, the expression شكراً جزيلاً is the preferred and more idiomatic choice in formal contexts.
  • عفواً (‘Afwan): Derived from the root ‘-f-w, which carries the literal meaning of 'effacement' or 'overlooking'. This provides the logic for the expression: you are asking the other person to 'overlook' the small favor you did. It serves as a response to thanks ('You're welcome'), a way to get someone's attention ('Excuse me'), or a way to apologize ('Pardon me'). A common variant used as a response is العفو.

Both words end with tanwīn al-fatḥ (ـً), which produces the '-an' sound. According to classical rules of pausing (waqf), the '-an' sound should change to a long 'ā' sound at the end of a sentence. However, in modern usage, the 'n' sound is almost always pronounced to maintain the clarity of the expression.

Examples (4)

  1. شكراً جزيلاً على مساعدتك.

    Thank you very much for your help.

    Word by Word: Thanking great on your help.

    Adding 'jazīlan' (greatly) makes the thank you more formal and appreciative.

  2. عفواً، هل يمكنك إعادَة ذلك؟

    Excuse me, can you repeat that?

    Word by Word: Pardon, [question particle] you can repeat that?

    Here, 'afwan is used to politely interrupt or ask for clarification.

  3. شكراً لكَ على الهدية.

    Thank you (to you) for the gift.

    Word by Word: Thanking to you on the gift.

    You can add 'laka' (to you, masc.) or 'laki' (to you, fem.) to specify who you are thanking.

  4. عفواً، لا شكر على واجب.

    You're welcome, no thanks are necessary for a duty.

    Word by Word: Pardon, no thanking on duty.

    This is a common, polite way to respond to thanks, implying the favor was just a duty.

Common Mistakes

  • Spelling the ending with the letter 'Nun' (ن) instead of Tanwin.

    شكران / عفوان
    شكراً / عفواً

    Because the words end in an 'n' sound, learners often write the letter Nun. However, these are accusative nouns and must be written with the Tanwin (ً) over an Alif.

  • Using 'afwan for serious apologies.

    عفواً، كسرتُ سيارتك.
    أنا آسف، كسرتُ سيارتك.

    'Afwan is for minor social pardons (like bumping into someone). For serious mistakes or regret, use 'āsif' (I am sorry).

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

شكراً / عفواًLevel 2Thank You and You Are Welcome

Learn This First

To understand 'شكراً' and 'عفواً', a learner needs to be familiar with the tanwīn ending, as it provides the characteristic '-an' sound at the end of these words. Understanding the accusative case (manṣūb) helps explain why these nouns take that specific ending in these common social formulas.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern