وأنا أحبك
wa ana uḥibbukastandard, to a man
To a man, the standard Arabic reply is وأنا أحبك (wa ana uḥibbuka), "and I love you". In Egyptian speech people say وأنا كمان بحبك (wa ana kamān baḥibbak), with كمان meaning "also".
Meaning: returning a declaration of love (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| وأنا أحبك | wa ana uḥibbuka | standard, to a man |
| وأنا كمان بحبك | wa ana kamān baḥibbak | Egyptian, casual |
Which one should you use?
The only part that changes with the listener is the ending of the verb. أحبك (uḥibbuka) ends in -ka for a man, while to a woman it becomes أحبك (uḥibbuki), written the same without vowel marks but said with -ki.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word وأنا (wa ana) means "and I". Dropping it and saying only أحبك (uḥibbuka) means "I love you", so وأنا is what turns it into a reply.
Did you know?
- حبيبي (ḥabībī), "my dear", is built from the same root as أحبك (uḥibbuka) and is used to men, while حبيبتي (ḥabībatī) is used to women.
Examples in context
- وأنا أحبك يا حبيبيwa ana uḥibbuka yā ḥabībīI love you too, my dear.
Example conversation
Salma calls her husband Omar from her office in Cairo before he leaves work.
- Salmaأحبك يا عمرuḥibbuka yā ʿUmarI love you, Omar.
- عمر Omarوأنا كمان بحبكwa ana kamān baḥibbakI love you too.
- Salmaتعال بدري اليومtaʿāla badrī al-yawmCome home early today.
