لي
leyaEgyptian Arabic
To say mine in Arabic, use لي (leya) (lī), which literally means to me or for me. If unsure, use لي. Wiktionary also lists لِي (lī) and بتاعي (betaʕi).
Meaning: that which belongs to me (pron)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| لي | leya | Egyptian Arabic |
| لِي | lī | |
| بتاعي | betaʕi | Egyptian Arabic |
| حَقِّي | ḥaggi | Hijazi Arabic |
| لِيَّ | liyya | Hijazi Arabic |
Arabic usually expresses mine with a phrase meaning to me rather than a standalone possessive pronoun. So this house is not mine is said as this house is not to me.
What does it mean word for word?
لِي joins the preposition li, meaning for or to, with the ending ī, meaning me.
Which one should you use?
To say my plus a noun, attach the ending directly to the noun, as in كِتَابِي (kitābī), my book. ملكي is a formal way to say mine, and حقي is an informal way used among friends.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
بتاعي is colloquial and used in everyday speech, while لي is the standard form used in writing and formal speech.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic the common word is بتاعي (betaʕi). In Hijazi Arabic people say حَقِّي (ḥaggi) or لِيَّ (liyya).
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
In Egyptian Arabic it is said leya.
Did you know?
- The formal term ملكي (milkī) for 'mine' shares a root with the word for 'king' or 'monarchy', implying a sense of formal or sovereign possession.
- In some dialects, حقي ('mine') is also the word for 'my right' or 'my due'. This blends the idea of legal ownership with simple possession.
- The Egyptian word بتاعي is such a strong linguistic marker that speakers of other Arabic dialects can often identify a person as Egyptian just by hearing this one word for 'mine'.
Examples in context
- هذا البيت ليس لي.This house is not mine.ليس لي means is not mine.Tatoeba #1578485 by Amastan, translation #1572935 by fanty
- لي صديق يدرس في الخارج.A friend of mine is studying abroad.Here لي صديق literally says to me a friend, the usual way to say I have a friend.Tatoeba #405868 by saeb, translation #252011 by CK
- هذا ليس كتابك بل كتابي.This is not your book, it's mine.This sentence uses كتابي, my book, with the ending attached to the noun.Tatoeba #489255 by saeb, translation #489227 by adjusting
- هذا الكتاب ملكي.This book is mine.
- هذا الهاتف لي.This phone is mine.
- أحب هذا اللون، القلم حقي.I like this color. The pen is mine.
- 24 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Youssef and Sarah are looking for their bags at the airport.
- يوسف Youssefهي الشنطة دي بتاعتك؟Heyya el shanta di beta'tak?Is this bag yours?
- سارة Saraلا، دي مش لي.La, di mesh li.No, this is not mine.
- يوسف Youssefطب والشنطة السوداء؟Tab wel shanta el soda?What about the black bag?
- سارة Saraأيوه، دي لي.Aywa, di li.Yes, that one is mine.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mine” translations and entries لي, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
