وأنت أيضاً
wa-anta aydan
The English phrase "and you too" is expressed in Arabic as وأنت أيضاً (wa-anta aydan).
This phrase is used as a response to return a greeting or a wish to the person who first said it.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the particle و (wa), which means "and".
Which one should you use?
The form وأنت أيضاً is specifically the masculine singular version. Use it when responding to one man.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Morocco, the phrase وَإِيَّاكَ is often truncated to وَيَّاك in casual spoken Arabic.
How does it change in a sentence?
The pronoun in the phrase changes depending on whom you are addressing: use وأنتِ أيضاً for a female, وأنتما أيضاً for two people (dual) and وأنتُم أيضاً for a group of people (plural).
How do you pronounce it?
wa-anta aydan
Did you know?
- Using وأنت أيضاً to accept a compliment can be seen as too direct, leading some to redirect the praise to God instead.
- Responding to a blessing with وأنت أيضاً is seen as a way to reciprocate 'baraka', or spiritual energy.
- The particle و (wa) used at the start of the phrase is a 'clitic', meaning it cannot stand alone as a separate word. It must always be physically attached to the following word in writing, creating a seamless chain of meaning.
Examples in context
- وأنت أيضاً.wa anta ayḍan.And you too.
- شكراً، وأنت أيضاً.shukran, wa anta ayḍan.Thanks, and you too.
Example conversation
Youssef and Nour are saying goodbye after a meeting.
- نور Nourأتمنى لك عطلة نهاية أسبوع سعيدة يا يوسف.atamannā laka 'utlat nihāyat usbū' sa'īda yā Yūsuf.I wish you a happy weekend, Youssef.
- يوسف Youssefشكراً يا نور، وأنت أيضاً.shukran yā Nūr, wa anti ayḍan.Thanks Nour, and you too.
- نور Nourإلى اللقاء.ilā al-liqā'.See you later.
- يوسف Youssefمع السلامة.ma'a as-salāma.Goodbye.
