Ways to say it
| Egyptian Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| وحشتني | wahashtini | said to a male you miss |
| وحشتيني | wahashteeni | said to a female you miss |
| مشتاق لك | moshta' lak | more formal, used in writing |
Said to a female, it becomes وحشتيني (wahashteeni). The grammar flips the English sentence around: you literally say that you were made to feel the other person's absence. In writing or on social media, Egyptians also use the more formal مشتاق لك (moshta' lak), closer to Standard Arabic.
What does it mean word for word?
وحش means 'to be absent' or 'to be missed', and the ending tni/teeni combines the person missed with ني, 'me'. So وحشتني literally means 'you made me feel your absence'.
Which one should you use?
وحشتني is the natural, everyday phrase Egyptians use in speech and texts. مشتاق لك sounds more formal or literary, closer to how it might appear in a letter or song lyric.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
وحشتني is used at every level of closeness, from a parent to a lover. It is not considered too intimate on its own, unlike direct declarations of love.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb agrees with the gender of the person missed, not the speaker: وحشتني to a man, وحشتيني to a woman and وحشتوني (wahashtuni) to a group.
How do you pronounce it?
The stress falls on the middle syllable, wa-HASH-ti-ni, and the h is a plain breathy sound, lighter than the throaty h in أهلا.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often try to start the sentence with 'ana', 'I', but the natural Egyptian order puts the missed person first, as in وحشتني, not أنا وحشتك.
When do people say it?
Egyptians say وحشتني often and lightly, even after a short absence of a day or two, not only after a long separation.
Did you know?
- Egyptian Arabic turns 'I miss you' backwards compared to English, literally saying that the other person has been missed by you rather than that you are doing the missing.
- The root و-ح-ش also gives Arabic the words for 'wild animal' and 'wilderness', since the root's old sense of desolation and solitude underlies the modern meaning of missing someone.
Examples in context
- وحشتني بجد يا صاحبي.wahashtini begad ya sahbi.I really miss you, my friend.
- وحشتيني وحشة.wahashteeni wahsha.I miss you so much.
- إمتى نشوفك؟ وحشتنا.emta nashoofak? wahashtina.When will we see you? We miss you.
Example conversation
Salma video calls her brother Tarek who is studying abroad.
- Salmaوحشتني يا تارك، إمتى هترجع؟wahashtini ya Tarek, emta hatarga'?I miss you, Tarek, when will you come back?
- Tarekوحشتيني انتي كمان، بعد شهرين.wahashteeni enti kaman, ba'd shahrein.I miss you too, in two months.
- Salmaالدنيا هنا مش حلوة من غيرك.ed-donya hena mesh helwa men gherak.Things here aren't the same without you.
- Tarekهرجع قريب، وحشتوني كلكم.harga' areeb, wahashtuni kollokom.I'll come back soon, I miss all of you.
