# I love you



## Whodunit

In Germany, the Austrian singer "Christina Stürmer" is very popular, so I have her album. So far, so good. When I read the names of her songs I realized that there has to be a mistake in "Mama ana ahabak". It surprised me that she's been knowing Arabic, because the pronunciation was quite right. Nevertheless, "ana ahabak" seemed a bit wrong to me. I would have written "uhibuki" or "u7ibuki" for us here.

That's why I started a discussion on her site as follows:



> Hi Leutz,
> Hi people,
> 
> Christina sollte auf keinen Fall eine Tour in einem arabischsprechenden Land planen, wenn sie den Song "Mama ana ahabak" performen will. Ich kann ein bisschen Arabisch und leider ist der Satz grammatikalisch und stilistisch falsch. Es sollte zumindest "Mama uhibuki" heißen, ansonsten war aber die Ausspache korrekt.
> I advise Christina not to plan a tour in any Arabic speaking country, if she really wants to perform her song "Mama ana ahabak". I know a bit of Arabic and I tell you that the phrase is grammatically and stylistically wrong, I'm afarid. At least, it should be "Mama uhibuki", but nevertheless her pronunciation was correct.
> 
> Begründung:
> Explanation:
> 
> "ana" (Bedeutung "ich") wird nur zur Betonung eingesetzt, z.B. in "ich, aber nicht du liebe dich."
> "ana" (meaning "I") is only used for emphasise, e.g. in "I, but not you, love you".
> 
> "ahaba" ist zwar die Grundform, aber da die Deklination unregelmäßig ist, muss man ein wenig ändern. Der Vokal "a" ändert sich zu "u" und so heißt es "uhibu".
> "ahaba" is the infinitive, that's right, but since it's an irregular verb, you have to change the vowels. "a" changes to "u", so that the correct word is "uhibu".
> 
> "-k" wäre als Anrede für "dich" schon ok, sie spricht aber eine weibliche Person an, demnach muss es "-ki" heißen.
> As a vocative for "you, "-k" would be ok, but she's speaking to a female person, so that it has to be "-ki".
> 
> Auch "Mama" versteht man dort nur mühsam. Ich würde eher "umm(a)" sagen.
> Even "Mama" is not understood so easily there. I'd use "'umm(a)".
> 
> Ansonsten ist das Lied schon schön, bist auf die eine Textstelle. Ich werde mal nachfragen, ob man es auch verstehen würde, aber dennoch klänge es wie "Mom, ich allein lieben dich (mit meinem männlichen Ansprechpartner".
> After all, the song is very good, though, except for this one passage. I'm gonna ask, if they would understand it, though, but it would rather sound like "Mama, it's only me who loves you guy".
> 
> Geschrieben wäre es أم أحبك und ausgesprochen "'umm uhibuki".
> In written Arabic, it would be أم أحبك and in spoken Arabic "'umm uhibuki".




I hope you all agree with me. But then a member answered this which made me surprise:



> Ich hab auch schon von einer Freundin gehört.....das es anders heißen müsste....aber es heißt ja, dass Mama ana ahabak ein arabischer Slang ist......also wird das denk ich schon richtig sein!
> A friend told me ... that it shouldn't be like that ... but I've been told that "Mana ana ahabak" is Arabic slang ... so I think it's correct, though.


 
Is that really true? "Ana ahabak" is slang? Do you use that? If not, what else then? All the declension are ignored in Arabic slang? That's incredible. I'd really like to know that.

Shukran 2alaa 2adjwibatukum.


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## amnesia

well it arabic songs, even when a man is singing to a woman he still says love you in masculine form.
(this is because in the olden days, it was seen as wrong to serenade a woman)

I dont use ahabak.

I use a7ibich (ahibich)

but removing masculine and feminine forms from speaking (even though in slang) is not common. Not in the Gulf anyway.


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## elroy

Whodunit said:
			
		

> In Germany, the Austrian singer "Christina Stürmer" is very popular, so I have her album. So far, so good. When I read the names of her songs I realized that there has to be a mistake in "Mama ana ahabak". It surprised me that she's been knowing Arabic, because the pronunciation was quite right. Nevertheless, "ana ahabak" seemed a bit wrong to me. I would have written "uhibuki" or "u7ibuki" for us here.
> 
> That's why I started a discussion on her site as follows:
> 
> [/color]
> 
> I hope you all agree with me. But then a member answered this which made me surprise:
> 
> 
> 
> Is that really true? "Ana ahabak" is slang? Do you use that? If not, what else then? All the declension are ignored in Arabic slang? That's incredible. I'd really like to know that.
> 
> Shukran 2alaa 2adjwibatukum.


 
I have to say..."ana ahabak" sounds wrong in any case.

Even if you were to use the masculine form (which is ok like amnesia said) it would be "ah*i*bak."  In my dialect it would be "bahibak" because we add a "b."


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## basboosa

as elroy said from the dear palastine we ad in slang b bahebek for female and bahebak for male

mama ana ahibik or ahebek
the foriegners who dont know arabic and hear the word  pronounce it like that ahabak whether for male or female 
 ur welcome daniel


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## Whodunit

elroy said:
			
		

> I have to say..."ana ahabak" sounds wrong in any case.
> 
> Even if you were to use the masculine form (which is ok like amnesia said) it would be "ah*i*bak." In my dialect it would be "bahibak" because we add a "b."


 
*a*hibak? Why not *u*hibuk? Wouldn't that be ok?


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## basboosa

uhibuk is very very right as well 
which cant be slang at all


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## Whodunit

basboosa said:
			
		

> uhibuk is very very right as well
> which cant be slang at all


 
But Elroy wrote "Even if you were to use the masculine form it would be "ah*i*bak"" *without referring to slang*.

That's why I wondered how the masculine form can be *ahibak*. Do you see my confusion?


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## basboosa

yes daniel i can see it 
but uhibuk is the very tight one 
ahebak is the one we use in our daily talk but in the original rabic language it is uhibuk

i wish the confusion is gone now


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## basboosa

i am sorry i mean it is the very right one


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## Whodunit

basboosa said:
			
		

> i am sorry i mean it is the very right one


 
You don't to write a new port for an edit. Just click on "Edit" in your last post in the right upper corner.


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## elroy

Whodunit said:
			
		

> But Elroy wrote "Even if you were to use the masculine form it would be "ah*i*bak"" *without referring to slang*.
> 
> That's why I wondered how the masculine form can be *ahibak*. Do you see my confusion?


 
I'm sorry; I should have made myself clear.

"ahabak" is wrong *in any case.*

"(b)ahibak" is correct in the spoken language.

"uhibuk(a)" is the standard version.


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## Whodunit

elroy said:
			
		

> I'm sorry; I should have made myself clear.
> 
> "ahabak" is wrong *in any case.*
> 
> "(b)ahibak" is correct in the spoken language.
> 
> "uhibuk(a)" is the standard version.


 
This is very clear now. So I still feel comfortable to say "uhibuk(i)". And since it belongs under the same title: Could you also say "ahaba" (the "infinitive") to your relatives or is that just for "erotic love"?


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## elroy

Whodunit said:
			
		

> This is very clear now. So I still feel comfortable to say "uhibuk(i)". And since it belongs under the same title: Could you also say "ahaba" (the "infinitive") to your relatives or is that just for "erotic love"?


 
You can say "uhibuk(i)" but you'd sound very poetic.

Yes, you can use it with relatives.  It quite faithfully corresponds to the English "love" in these situations, except that we can also use "ahabba" for "like."


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## Whodunit

elroy said:
			
		

> You can say "uhibuk(i)" but you'd sound very poetic.
> 
> Yes, you can use it with relatives. It quite faithfully corresponds to the English "love" in these situations, except that we can also use "ahabba" for "like."


 
Well, once again ... imagine you had an Arabic girlfriend. How would you say that you love her? Ahibak? Not "Ahibaki"?


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## elroy

Whodunit said:
			
		

> Well, once again ... imagine you had an Arabic girlfriend. How would you say that you love her? Ahibak? Not "Ahibaki"?


 
*Bahibbek...*


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## suthrnsol

'as-salamu alaykum (I hope I did that correctly - please correct me if I did not),

I am attempting to learn Arabic on my own with the help of a friend in Morocco. Could someone please show me, in Arabic, how to say "ouhibouka" (I love you)?

Shukran,
Stacy


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## Whodunit

suthrnsol said:
			
		

> 'as-salamu alaykum (I hope I did that correctly - please correct me if I did not),
> 
> I am attempting to learn Arabic on my own with the help of a friend in Morocco. Could someone please show me, in Arabic, how to say "ouhibouka" (I love you)?
> 
> Shukran,
> Stacy


 
،السلام عليكم ستيسي

I think you need this: أحبك, but I think this will solve your problem:
http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=47298&highlight=arabic

 .أمل أنت تستمري على علم اللغة العربية


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## elroy

Whodunit said:
			
		

> ،السلام عليكم ستيسي
> 
> I think you need this: أحبك, but I think this will solve your problem:
> http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=47298&highlight=arabic
> 
> .أمل أن تستمري في تعلم اللغة العربية


 
أحبك is correct.


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## LanceKitty

My boyfriend asked his brother in Saudi Arabia how to say I Love You and he was told it's *Ahebbak Awwi*. I realize Ahebak is I Love You... what is Awwi? Is it a term of endearment?


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## elroy

LanceKitty said:
			
		

> My boyfriend asked his brother in Saudi Arabia how to say I Love You and he was told it's *Ahebbak Awwi*. I realize Ahebak is I Love You... what is Awwi? Is it a term of endearment?


 
"Awwi" literally means "strong."  In this case it serves as an intensifier - so that the phrase means "I love you *very much*."

Beware though: _-ak_ is the masculine ending.  If your boyfriend (or anyone else) wanted to say this to a girl, he would have to use _-ek_.


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## LanceKitty

Thank you Elias  

So, to me, he should be saying *Ahebek Awwi* and my reply will be *Wa Ahebak Awwi*, right?


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## elroy

LanceKitty said:
			
		

> Thank you Elias
> 
> So, to me, he should be saying *Ahebek Awwi* and my reply will be *Wa Ahebak Awwi*, right?


 
You would say "*W ana* *kamaan* ahibbak awwi.


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## Whodunit

elroy said:
			
		

> "Awwi" literally means "strong." In this case it serves as an intensifier - so that the phrase means "I love you *very much*."
> 
> Beware though: _-ak_ is the masculine ending. If your boyfriend (or anyone else) wanted to say this to a girl, he would have to use _-ek_.


 
But isn't that an adverb, so that I'd have to say "awwian"? BTW, isn't that just colloquial, and the real form is "qaawwii?"


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## elroy

Whodunit said:
			
		

> But isn't that an adverb, so that I'd have to say "awwian"? BTW, isn't that just colloquial, and the real form is "qaawwii?"


 
Because it's colloquial, you don't say "(q)awiyy*an*."   Vowel endings are dropped in colloquial Arabic (what a relief, huh? ).

The standard form (I would not not call it the "real" form because the colloquial form is just as real. ) is "qawiy" (the "a" is short and the "w" is not doubled).


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## faith.c

How do you write that "Awwi" please?
shukran


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## elroy

Welcome to the forum. 

You can spell it قوي or أوي.  I recommend the former.


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## Nikola

elroy said:


> Welcome to the forum.
> 
> You can spell it قوي or أوي.  I recommend the former.


I agree with Elroy قوي represents the root/classical form and can be found in dictionaries.أوي represents the Levantine and Egyptian urban pronunciations.


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## faith.c

Aren't they the same thing? I mean, exactly the same meaning, just spelling different according to pronounciation?


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## cherine

Yes, they are. But as the spelling may differ from a place to another, then maybe you should go with the standard form قوي .


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