أحبك
ahibbakGulf, to a man
In Kuwait people say أحبك (ahibbak) to a man and أحبج (ahibbich) to a woman. Adding مرة (marra) as in أحبك مرة (ahibbak marra) means "I love you a lot".
Meaning: declaration of love (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| أحبك | ahibbak | Gulf, to a man |
| أحبج | ahibbich | Gulf, to a woman |
| أحبك مرة | ahibbak marra | Gulf, very much |
Kuwaitis say it mostly within the family or between spouses. Friends use endearments like يا قلبي (ya galbi), "my heart".
Which one should you use?
The Gulf word مرة (marra) means "very" here, not "one time" as in Standard Arabic.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Gulf speech the feminine ending -ki is spoken as -ch (written ج), so the woman hears أحبج (ahibbich).
Did you know?
- يمة (yamma) is the Gulf and Iraqi colloquial word for "mom".
Examples in context
- أحبك يا يمةahibbich ya yammaI love you, Mom.
- أحبك مرةahibbak marraI love you so much.
- الله يخليك لي يا قلبيAllah ykhallik li ya galbiGod keep you for me, my heart.
Example conversation
Fatima calls her husband Bader in Kuwait City while he is travelling.
- Fatimaاشتقت لك يا بدرishtaqt lak ya BaderI miss you, Bader.
- Baderوأنا أحبج مرةwana ahibbich marraAnd I love you so much.
- Fatimaالله يرجعك بالسلامةAllah yirajjik bis-salamaMay God bring you back safely.
