اشتقت إليك
ishtaqtu ilaykastandard, to a man
To a guy, standard Arabic says اشتقت إليك (ishtaqtu ilayka). In Levantine speech it shortens to اشتقتلك (ishtaqtilak), and in Egyptian people say وحشتني (waḥashtani).
Meaning: telling a man you miss him (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| اشتقت إليك | ishtaqtu ilayka | standard, to a man |
| اشتقتلك | ishtaqtilak | Levantine, casual, to a man |
| وحشتني | waḥashtani | Egyptian, casual |
Which one should you use?
The ending shows who you are talking to. -ak in اشتقتلك (ishtaqtilak) is for a man, and a woman would hear اشتقتلك (ishtaqtilik) with -ik.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
اشتقت إليك (ishtaqtu ilayka) suits writing and careful speech. For friends and family the colloquial forms are more natural.
How does it change in a sentence?
The Egyptian وحشتني (waḥashtani) literally means "you were absent to me" and is built with the person who is missed as the subject. It is said as وحشتني (waḥashtini) when the listener is a woman.
Did you know?
- Egyptian وحشتني (waḥashtani) comes from the root of وحش (waḥsh), which is why it feels like "your absence weighs on me".
Examples in context
- اشتقتلك كثير يا صاحبيishtaqtilak ktīr yā ṣāḥbīI miss you a lot, my friend.
- وحشتني واللهwaḥashtani wallāhI really miss you.
- اشتقت إليك يا أخيishtaqtu ilayka yā akhīI miss you, brother.
Example conversation
Karim phones his old friend Hadi, who moved from Beirut to Dubai.
- Karimمرحبا هادي، كيفك؟marḥaba Hādī, kīfakHi Hadi, how are you?
- Hadiالحمد لله، وإنت؟al-ḥamdu lillāh, w-intaFine, and you?
- Karimاشتقتلك كثيرishtaqtilak ktīrI miss you a lot.
