Ways to say it
| Egyptian Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| اصحى | is-ha | to a man |
| اصحي | is-hi | to a woman |
| صحّيني | sahheeni | ask to be woken up |
To ask someone to wake you up, Egyptians use the causative form صحّيني, 'wake me up', rather than the plain imperative.
What does it mean word for word?
اصحى comes from the verb يصحى, 'to wake up', while صحّى (with a doubled middle letter) is the causative 'to wake someone else up'.
Which one should you use?
اصحى tells someone to wake up themselves. صحّيني or صحّيه, 'wake him up', is used when you want another person to do the waking.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
This is a household command, said to family members or close friends, not something used formally.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The verb and its forms are standard across Egypt with only small vowel differences between regions.
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine command adds an -i ending, اصحي instead of اصحى, matching the general Egyptian imperative pattern.
How do you pronounce it?
The ح is a breathy h sound made deep in the throat, different from the plain h in English.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Saying استيقظ, the Standard Arabic verb, is understood but sounds oddly formal for something said first thing in the morning.
When do people say it?
Egyptian mothers are famous for repeating اصحى يا ابني several times with rising urgency before a child actually gets up.
Did you know?
- Egyptian Arabic marks causation by doubling a consonant in the verb, which is how صحى 'to wake up' becomes صحّى 'to wake someone up'.
Examples in context
- اصحى، الساعة سبعة!is-ha, es-saa saba!Wake up, it's seven o'clock!
- ممكن تصحيني بدري بكرة؟mumkin tesahheeni badri bokra?Can you wake me up early tomorrow?
- هي لسه مش صاحية.heyya lissa mesh sahya.She's still not awake.
Example conversation
Heba calls out to her brother Mahmoud, who is still asleep before school.
- Hebaاصحى يا محمود، هتتأخر!is-ha ya Mahmoud, hat-ta2khar!Wake up, Mahmoud, you'll be late!
- Mahmoudخمس دقايق كمان بس.khamas da'aye' kaman bas.Just five more minutes.
- Hebaلأ، اصحى دلوقتي، الفطار جاهز.la2, is-ha dilwa'ti, el-fetar gahiz.No, wake up now, breakfast is ready.
- Mahmoudطيب طيب، أنا صاحي.tayyib tayyib, ana sahi.Okay okay, I'm awake.
