Arabic vocabulary
أَيُّهَا is how you say “O you” in Arabic. Hear it pronounced and see it used in real example sentences from classical texts below.
ثم يقال يا أيها الناس هلم إلى ربكم ، وقفوهم إنهم مسؤولون ،
Then it will be said: 'O people, come to your Lord, and stop them, for they will be questioned,'
أَيُّهَا — you. This attention-word teams with 'O' to address a DEFINITE noun — Arabic cannot call 'O the people' directly, so it inserts this 'you there' between them: 'O you, the people!'. It is the bridge to the definite vocative noun.
From: The Return of Jesus →أيها الناس، إن الله خلق السموات والأرض في ستة أشهر، ثم استوى على العرش
O people, indeed Allah created the heavens and the earth in six months, then rose over the Throne.
أَيُّهَا — O. This is the special calling word used to address a definite group, working together with a following 'O' sense. It signals that what comes next is a direct address to an audience, the formal way of opening a speech to people present.
From: Justice in the Field →وَقَالَ تَعَالَى الْحَدِيد يَا أَيهَا الَّذين آمنُوا اتَّقوا الله وآمنوا بِرَسُولِهِ يُؤْتكُم كِفْلَيْنِ من رَحمته وَيجْعَل لكم نورا تمشون بِهِ
And the Exalted said (in Sūrah al‑Hadīd): “O you who have believed, fear Allah and believe in His Messenger; He will grant you a double portion of His mercy and will make for you a light by which you will walk.”
أَيُّهَا — O (vocative marker). A vocative attention-word that pairs with the calling particle to address a defined group, roughly 'O you...'. It bridges the 'O' to the relative phrase naming the addressees.
From: Following Desires →فَقَالَ تَعَالَىٰ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اِصْبِرُوا وَصَابِرُوا وَرَابِطُوا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَفْلَحُونَ
Allah, the Exalted, said: O you who have believed, be patient, persevere, keep watch at your posts, and fear Allah, so that you may succeed.
أَيُّهَا — you. A vocative connector that bridges the call-particle to the definite group being addressed. It is the standard piece used when calling out to a noun marked with 'the'.
From: Patience and God's Help →يَا أَيُّهَا السَّائِلُ عَنْ مَنْزِلِي نَزَلْتُ فِي الْخَانِ عَلَى نَفْسِي،
O questioner who asks about my dwelling, I stayed at the inn by myself.
أَيُّهَا — you. A vocative bridge word that pairs with the call marker before it to attach the address to a noun carrying 'the'. Together 'O' plus this word let you call out to a definite noun directly, a small fixed device with no English one-word equal.
From: Permissible Laughter and Conduct →كما قال تعالى ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ فَإِنْ تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ
As Allah the Exalted said: O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you; then if you dispute about anything...
أَيُّهَا — O you. An attention-word that teams up with the call-particle 'ya' to address a group with extra emphasis, 'O you there'. It is needed because the next word carries 'the', and the bare call-particle cannot attach directly to a word with 'the'.
From: Obedience to God and Authority →OpenArabic teaches words like أَيُّهَا through real bilingual reading with native audio and spaced-repetition practice.
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