Western Asia
Video Chat with People from Syria
Syrians often describe themselves through their home city, so a chat might bring stories about the old lanes of Damascus, the celebrated cooking of Aleppo, the giant wooden waterwheels of Hama, or the green coast around Latakia and Tartus. Everyday conversation happens in Syrian Arabic, a Levantine variety with its own Damascene, Aleppan and coastal flavors. English is understood by many students and professionals, and some people also know French.
If you're in the Americas, a Damascus evening is your early afternoon, while in London it falls in the late afternoon or early evening. Cooking is where many Syrians light up: kibbeh in many shapes, muhammara made with Aleppo pepper, fatteh, and the stretchy, mastic-scented ice cream Damascus is known for. Syrian TV dramas are watched across the Arab world, and Aleppo has a deep tradition of tarab singing, so music and series recommendations make great small talk. Our Arabic page has phrases to try, and the country filter lets you look for people in Syria specifically.
Syria at a glance
| Flag | 🇸🇾 |
|---|---|
| Official name | Syrian Arab Republic |
| Capital | Damascus |
| Region | Asia · Western Asia |
| Official language | Arabic |
| Currency | Syrian pound (£, SYP) |
| Calling code | +963 |
| Time zone | Syria Time (Asia/Damascus) |
How to say hello
A few words of Arabic make a great first impression, even if you switch to English right after.
| Language | Phrase | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syrian Arabic | أهلين | ah-LAYN | Hi! (a warm, casual hello) |
| Syrian Arabic | كيف الحال؟ | keef il-HAAL | How's it going? |
| Syrian Arabic | تشرفنا | tsha-RAF-na | Nice to meet you |
| Syrian Arabic | يسلمو | yis-LA-mu | Thanks (casual) |
Tips for chatting with people from Syria
- Ask which city or region they call home; people from Damascus, Aleppo and the coast are often proud of their own dishes and expressions.
- If the video is choppy on either side, try turning your camera off for a moment and keep talking in the text chat.
- "Shukran" (thank you) and "ma'a s-salama" (goodbye) are easy wins, and people notice when you try.
- Swap recommendations: ask for a favorite Syrian series or singer and offer one from your own country in return.
Only meet people from Syria
Omlet matches you Worldwide by default. To meet only people from Syria, use the country filter, the only filter Omlet has:
- Open Omlet and press Country on the control panel.
- Search for Syria and select it.
- Press Start. Press Next to meet someone else from Syria, or switch back to Worldwide any time.
Your first day is free: you add a card through Stripe to start it, and nothing is charged that day. When the 24 hours end, the country filter costs $3 one time, charged to that card, unless you cancel before then in Settings (if you cancel, you can still pick a country until the day ends). It's not a subscription, and it stays unlocked on that device and browser. It doesn't carry over to other devices or browsers, and clearing your browser data removes it. There's one free day per device, home network and card. Payment goes through Stripe, so Omlet never sees your card number.
The filter works both ways, and matching can be slower when fewer people from Syria are online. Chatting itself is free, and Worldwide matching never costs anything.
Your own country is detected automatically and shown to the people you meet as a flag.
Neighboring countries
Syria borders 5 countries. Curious about the people next door? Meet them too: