އެހީވެދޭ
“އެހީވެދޭ” (ehiveedhey) — help! in Maldivian. Interjection, level A1, topic — phrases that save you. Literally 'give help': ehee is 'help', vedhey is 'do'. To a stranger the politer shape is ehivehdhehvaa. In a live sentence: “އެހީވެދޭ! އަހަރެން މަގުއޮޅިއްޖެ” — Help! I'm lost. You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters އ, ެ, ހ, ީ, ވ, ެ, ދ, ޭ. One of 17 words in the set “phrases that save you” in the Maldivian course.
In short
| Written in Maldivian | އެހީވެދޭ |
| Read in Latin letters | ehiveedhey |
| Translation | help! |
| Part of speech | interjection |
| Level | A1 |
- އެހީވެދޭehiveedheyhelp!
Why it looks that way
Literally 'give help': ehee is 'help', vedhey is 'do'. To a stranger the politer shape is ehivehdhehvaa
A word with a story stays in memory longer than one learned as a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
In a live sentence
A single word almost never appears alone in conversation. A sentence shows where it fits and what stands next to it.
- އެހީވެދޭ! އަހަރެން މަގުއޮޅިއްޖެehiveedhey! aharen maguolhijjeHelp! I'm lost
Nearby words: phrases that save you
“I don't understand”, “say that again”, “slower, please”, “help”. They are learned first for a reason: they bring back a conversation that has already gone wrong.
- ނޭނގޭneyngeyI don't understandAn impersonal shape: literally 'it is not understood'. The same word says 'I don't know' — the full version comes later in the course
- މަޑުމަޑުންmadumadunslowlyA doubled stem madu ('quiet, soft') makes the adverb. hinfinfini, 'cool', is built the same way
- އަނެއްކާ ބުނޭanekkaa buneyplease say it againLiterally 'say once more'. The fuller polite version is anekkaa vidaalhuvehdhehvaa
- އެހީeheehelpFrom it come ehiveedhey ('help!') and the word for 'helper'
- މިނިޓެއް މަޑުކުރޭminiteh madukureywait a minuteMadukurey is 'hold on, wait', from madu, 'quiet, slow' — the same root as 'slowly' from unit one
- އަހަންނަށް ނުހުޅުވުނުahannah nuhulhuvunuI can't open itAhannah is 'to me', the shape of 'I'. In Dhivehi 'I couldn't' is built as 'it didn't open to me'
- އެމްބިއުލާންސްembiulaansambulanceEnglish ambulance. The ambulance number in Malé is 102
- އަހަންނަށް ޑޮކްޓަރެއް ބޭނުންahannah doktareh beynunI need a doctorThe familiar 'need' plus 'to me'. The ending on 'doctor' makes it 'some doctor or other'
- ސަމާލުވޭsamaaluveycareful!Arabic 'attention'. Literally 'be attentive' — road signs are worded exactly so
- ނުރައްކާnurakkaadanger!Danger and dangerous are one word. The double sign lengthens the kk: nu-rak-kaa
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “phrases that save you”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “help!” in Maldivian?
Literally 'give help': ehee is 'help', vedhey is 'do'. To a stranger the politer shape is ehivehdhehvaa
- How do you say “ambulance” in Maldivian?
English ambulance. The ambulance number in Malé is 102
- How do you say “please say it again” in Maldivian?
Literally 'say once more'. The fuller polite version is anekkaa vidaalhuvehdhehvaa
- How do you say “danger!” in Maldivian?
Danger and dangerous are one word. The double sign lengthens the kk: nu-rak-kaa
- How do you say “I can't open it” in Maldivian?
Ahannah is 'to me', the shape of 'I'. In Dhivehi 'I couldn't' is built as 'it didn't open to me'
How not to forget this word
Reading a word and remembering it are different jobs. A day later, little survives of a single reading — and that is not bad memory, that is how memory works.
- This has been tested on foreign words too. The difference shows up most when you test yourself a few days later rather than straight away.checked many timesKim & Webb, 2022, Language Learning 72(2) · 48 experiments, 3,411 participants, 98 comparisons.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- An answer you worked out yourself sticks better than one handed to you.checked many timesBertsch et al., 2007, Memory & Cognition 35(2) · 86 studies, 445 comparisons, d = 0.40.
Frequently asked
How do you say “help!” in Maldivian?
«އެހީވެދޭ», read “ehiveedhey”. In a live sentence: “އެހީވެދޭ! އަހަރެން މަގުއޮޅިއްޖެ” — Help! I'm lost. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Interjection, level A1, from the set “phrases that save you”; written with the characters އ, ެ, ހ, ީ, ވ, ެ, ދ, ޭ.
How is “އެހީވެދޭ” written in Latin letters?
ehiveedhey. This is a practical spelling — you need it to read aloud and be understood, not to meet an academic standard.
Why does this word look the way it does?
Literally 'give help': ehee is 'help', vedhey is 'do'. To a stranger the politer shape is ehivehdhehvaa. A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
Can I hear how it sounds?
Yes, right on this page: click the word and it will play. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.