إليّ in English: to – meaning, pronunciation, examples

How to use it

"إلى" is a very common preposition meaning “to” or “towards”. It introduces the destination of movement, direction, or the target of an action.

ذَهَبْتُ إِلَى المَدْرَسَةِ

dhahabtu ilā al-madrasati

I went to the school
أُرْسِلُ رِسَالَةً إِلَى صَدِيقِي

ursilu risālatan ilā ṣadīqī

I send a message to my friend
الطَّائِرَةُ تَطِيرُ إِلَى بَرْلِينْدِ

aṭ-ṭāʾiratu taṭīru ilā barlind

The plane flies to Berlin

Sentences taken from published bilingual texts (subtitles, documents). They show the word in context and are not reviewed one by one.

انظر إليّ.

Look at me.

أنصتوا إليّ!

Listen to Me!

أعد إليّ زوجي!

Give me back my husband!

هل اشتقت إليّ؟

Did you miss me?

سامي بحاجة إليّ.

Sami needs me.

انظر إليّ من فضلك.

Please look at me.

لا أحد يستمع إليّ.

Nobody listened to me.

لم تعد إليّ نقودي.

She didn't give me my money back.

أترجّاك أن تسمتع إليّ.

Listen to me, I beg of you.

مرّر إليّ الملح إذا سمحت.

Pass me the salt, please.

مرّر إليّ الزبدة إذا سمحت.

Pass me the butter, please.

تحدث إليّ الرجل العجوز بالفرنسية.

The old man spoke to me in French.

Can "إلى" be used with abstract nouns?

Yes, e.g., "إلى النجاح" (towards success).

Is there a difference between "إلى" and "لِ"?

"إلى" stresses direction, while "لِ" often marks purpose or benefit.