تعالى هنا
ta'ala henato a man, everyday
In Egyptian Arabic, "come here" is تعالى هنا (ta'ala hena) to a man, تعالي هنا (ta'ali hena) to a woman and تعالوا هنا (ta'alu hena) to a group.
Meaning: invitation to approach (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Egyptian | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| تعالى هنا | ta'ala hena | to a man, everyday |
| تعالي هنا | ta'ali hena | to a woman, everyday |
| تعالوا هنا | ta'alu hena | to a group, everyday |
To be more polite, add لو سمحت (law samaht), "please": تعالى هنا لو سمحت. Calling a child, many people say تعالى يا حبيبي (ta'ala ya habibi).
How does it change in a sentence?
The ending changes with the listener. تعالى has a final long "a" for a man and a final "i" for a woman.
Did you know?
- The word تعالى (ta'ala) comes from a verb meaning "to rise", and in Egyptian Arabic it has become the regular word for "come".
Examples in context
- تعالى هنا يا أحمدta'ala hena ya ahmedCome here, Ahmed.
- تعالي هنا يا سلمىta'ali hena ya salmaCome here, Salma.
- تعالوا هنا كلكمta'alu hena kollokomCome here, all of you.
Example conversation
Mother calls her son Omar and daughter Salma to the kitchen in Cairo.
- Mamaتعالى هنا يا عمرta'ala hena ya omarCome here, Omar.
- Omarحاضر يا ماماhader ya mamaRight away, Mom.
- Mamaوسلمى كمان، تعالي هناw salma kaman, ta'ali henaAnd Salma too, come here.
