אנא

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ana"

Aramaic

Alternative forms

• אֲנָה (ʾănā)

Etymology

From Proto-Semitic *ʔanāku, from Proto-Afroasiatic *ˀanāku. Compare Arabic أَنَا (ʔanā).

Pronoun

אֲנָא • (ʾănā) (plural אֲנַחְנָא (ʾănáḥnā) or אֲנָן (ʾănān))

1. I

Hebrew

Alternative forms

• אָנָּה (ána)

Adverb

אָנָּא • (aná) (ána in spoken, Modern Hebrew—see usage notes)

1. (formal, literary) please

   אנא שב במושב שהוקצה לך.

   Ána shev bamosháv shehuktsá l'khá.

   Please sit in your assigned seat.

   אנא תדבר יותר לאט.

   Ána t'dabér yotér le'át.

   Please speak more slowly.

   אנא, אדוני ,אל תהסס לספר לנו מה שאתה צריך.

   Ána, adoní, al t'hasés l'sapér lánu ma she'atá tsaríkh.

   Please, sir, don’t hesitate to tell us what you need.

   אנא לא לעשן בתוך המסעדה, גברתי.

   Ána lo le'ashén b'tókh hamis'adá, g'virtí.

   Please, no smoking inside of the restaurant, ma'am.

   • Tanach, Psalms 118:25, with translation of the New American Standard Bible:

     אָנָּ֣א יְ֭הוָה הֹושִׁ֘יעָ֥ה נָּ֑א אָֽנָּ֥א יְ֝הוָ֗ה הַצְלִ֘יחָ֥ה נָּֽא׃

     Aná Adonái hoshí'a na, aná Adonái hatsliḥá na

     Please, O Lord, do save us; Please, O Lord, do send prosperity!

Usage notes

• Though in formal and Biblical Hebrew the stress falls on the final syllable (i.e. aná, in romanized Hebrew)—as can be seen in the verse quoted from Psalm 118 above—in spoken, Modern Hebrew, the stress always falls on the initial syllable (i.e. ána, in romanized Hebrew).
• In Modern Hebrew, אנא (ána) is used mostly for formal, personal requests, and carries a sense of "I beg of you". For informal requests בבקשה (b'vakashá) is far more common, and for formal, general requests (e.g. "no smoking please") נא (na) is more common.
• In Modern Hebrew, אנא (ána) is chiefly followed by the imperative in positive requests, or somewhat less commonly, by the imperfect, while in the negative it can be followed by either the imperfect or the infinitive, depending on which negative particle, either אל (al) or לא (lo), respectively, is used. See the example sentences above.
• In Modern Hebrew, אנא (ána) may be combined with other, similar words such as בבקשה (b'vakashá) or במטותא (b'matutá), for added politeness or exhortation.

Related terms

• נָא (ná)
• בבקשה (b'vakashá)
• במטותא (b'matutá)