Breakdown of اذهب إلى اليسار يا سيدي.
الal
the
ذهبdhahaba
to go
إلىilâ
to
يi
my / me (after a preposition)
ياyâ
O
سيدsayyid
sir
يسارyasâr
left (direction)
Questions & Answers about اذهب إلى اليسار يا سيدي.
Why do we use يا before سيدي?
يا is a calling word (vocative particle) used when you address someone directly. In English, we usually just say the person's name or title, but in Arabic, you almost always put يا right before the name or title of the person you are talking to.
Why does the word for sir (سيدي) end with an ـي?
The base word سيد means 'mister' or 'master'. The suffix ـي means 'my'. Literally, سيدي means 'my sir'. This is the standard, polite way to say 'sir' when addressing a man directly in Arabic.
Is اذهب a command, and does it change if I am speaking to a woman?
Yes, اذهب is the command form of the verb 'to go', used when speaking to a single man. If you were addressing a woman, you would add an ـي to the end of the verb (اذهبي) and change the title to 'ma'am' (سيدتي).
How do the words إلى and اليسار connect when speaking normally?
When saying إلى اليسار, you do not pause between the words. You slide from the end of إلى directly into the L sound of اليسار ('the left'). It sounds like 'ila l-yasar'.
Learn اذهب إلى اليسار يا سيدي and more in Arabic
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free