أحبكِ
uḥibbukito a woman, standard
To tell a woman "I love you" in standard Arabic, say أحبكِ (uḥibbuki). In everyday Egyptian and Levantine speech people say بحبك (baḥebbik) to her, with the same spelling as for a man.
Meaning: declaration of love to a woman (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| أحبكِ | uḥibbuki | to a woman, standard |
| بحبك | baḥebbik | to a woman, Egyptian and Levantine |
Which one should you use?
In casual writing the short final vowels are not written, so بحبك looks the same for both. Only the pronunciation or the context shows who is addressed.
How does it change in a sentence?
The final vowel carries the gender. أحبكِ (uḥibbuki) ends in -i for a woman, while أحبك (uḥibbuka) ends in -a for a man. A woman saying it to a man uses أحبك (uḥibbuka).
Did you know?
- The Arabic word قلبي (qalbī), "my heart", is a very common endearment added to بحبك (baḥebbik).
Examples in context
- أحبكِ كثيراًuḥibbuki kathīranI love you a lot (to a woman)
- بحبك يا قلبيbaḥebbik yā qalbīI love you, my heart
Example conversation
Youssef tells his wife Layla how he feels on their anniversary.
- Youssefليلى، أحبكِ.Laylā, uḥibbuki.Layla, I love you.
- Laylaوأنا أحبك أيضاً.Wa anā uḥibbuka aydan.I love you too.
- Youssefكل عام وأنتِ بخير.Kull ʿām wa anti bi-khayr.Happy anniversary, may you be well every year.
