Ways to say it
| Tunisian Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| حبيبي | habibi | said to a man |
| حبيبتي | habibti | said to a woman |
حبيبي/حبيبتي is the everyday term of endearment for a partner, used in person, on the phone and in messages, and it is shared across the Arabic-speaking world.
What does it mean word for word?
Both words come from حب, 'love', with the ending for 'my' attached, so they mean literally 'my beloved'.
Which one should you use?
The ending changes with the gender of the person you are speaking to, not your own gender, so a woman calling her boyfriend 'my love' says حبيبي, and a man calling his girlfriend the same says حبيبتي.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
This is a private, informal term used between partners or very close family, not in formal settings.
Is it said differently in some regions?
حبيبي/حبيبتي is used the same way across Tunisia and the wider Arab world, one of the most universally shared Arabic terms of endearment.
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine ending ة in حبيبتي marks that the person addressed is a woman, the same pattern seen in many Arabic adjectives and nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
The stress in both words falls on the second syllable, 'ha-BI-bi' and 'ha-BIB-ti'.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Using حبيبي for a woman instead of حبيبتي is a simple gender agreement slip that is easy to fix.
Did you know?
- حبيبي and حبيبتي agree with the gender of the person being spoken to, not the speaker, so the word used depends entirely on who is being called 'my love'.
- The same pair of words is understood across nearly the entire Arabic-speaking world, making it one of the most widely shared terms of endearment in the language.
Examples in context
- حبيبي، وين أنت توا؟habibi, win enti touwa?My love, where are you now?
- حبيبتي، نحبك برشا.habibti, nhebbek barsha.My love, I love you very much.
- صباح الخير حبيبي.sbah el-khir habibi.Good morning, my love.
Example conversation
Amira calls her boyfriend Karim before he leaves for work.
- Amiraحبيبي، تريقت؟habibi, triqet?My love, have you had breakfast?
- Karimآه حبيبتي، توا نمشي.ah habibti, touwa nemshi.Yes my love, I am leaving now.
- Amiraنهار سعيد حبيبي.nhar sa3id habibi.Have a nice day, my love.
- Karimيعيشك، نشوفك الليلة.yaishek, nshufek el-lila.Thanks, see you tonight.
