Verbs in Arabic

111 words on the topic

• أريد

  урид

  I want

  After it the noun comes with no preposition: urid qahwa — I want coffee. The polite request is built like this: urid… min fadlik
• أحب

  ухибб

  I love

  The shadda bb is a long b. After it the noun takes the article: uhibb al-qahwa — I love coffee
• ذهب

  захаба

  to go

  In the dictionary the verb stands in the past: dhahaba — he went. "To go" and "to ride" are one verb; the manner comes from the setting
• أكل

  акала

  to eat

  The past again in the dictionary: akala — he ate. "I eat" is aakul, and the first a in it is long
• شرب

  шариба

  to drink

  "I drink" is ashrab. The same verb covers smoking: one "drinks a cigarette", word for word
• قرأ

  караʾа

  to read

  "I read" is aqraʾu, and the hamza on the end holds: the vowel is not swallowed. Quran — the same root: "a reading aloud"
• تكلم

  такаллама

  to speak

  "I speak" is atakallamu. A language takes the article: atakallamu al-ʿarabiyya — I speak Arabic, with no preposition in sight
• عَمِلَ

  ʿамила

  to work

  Begins with the ayn. "I work" is aʿmal, and the same word means "to do": "what do you do?" asks both the job and the action
• يجب

  яджиб

  I must

  An impersonal "one must": there is no subject pronoun with it. "One must work" is yajib an aʿmal
• سكن

  сакана

  to live

  "I live" is askunu. The same root in sukkaan — residents, population — and in maskiin — residential
• يملك

  йамлик

  to own

  The bookish "to possess". In everyday life nobody says "to have": "I have" is ʿandi, literally "at me". Yamlik lives in listings and papers
• عندي

  ʿанди

  I have

  Literally "at me". Arabic has no verb "to have": "I have a house" is ʿandi bayt, "at me [is] a house". The negation is ma ʿandi — I do not have
• أتعلم

  атаʿалламу

  to study

  "I study" is ataʿallamu, and the ayn in the middle is heard clearly. "To teach somebody" is another verb, ʿallama — the same root turned into "to teach somebody"
• اختار

  ихтаар

  to choose

  In the dictionary the verb stands in the past: ikhtaara — he chose. "I choose" is akhtaaru, the hamza at the start heard as a short catch
• رأى

  раʾаа

  to see

  The long aa on the end is the trace of a hamza: ra-ʾaa — he saw. "I see" is araa, and the word is short: two syllables
• سمع

  самиʿа

  to hear

  The same word means "to obey": "hear" and "heed" are not split. "I hear" is asmaʿ, and the ayn at the end of the verb stretches
• نام

  наам

  to sleep

  Looks like naam (yes) — the difference is one long a: naa-ma sleeps, naam agrees. "I sleep" is anaamu
• حمل

  хамала

  to carry

  Both "to carry" and "to take on responsibility": hamala masʾuuliyya — he took it upon himself. A short two-syllable word living in hundreds of derivatives
• وضع

  вадаʿа

  to put

  The d is emphatic (ض) — "with a full mouth". "I put" is adaʿ, and the same word means "to suppose" — the English "I suppose" is built the same way
• كسر

  касара

  to break

  The same root as maksuur — broken: the participle and the verb of one nest. Equipment that "went out of order" gets another verb
• بنى

  банаа

  to build

  The long aa is the trace of a weak root: banaa, yabnii — builds. From here mabna — a building — and binaaʾ — a structure
• سخّن

  саххана

  to warm

  The doubled khkh — the word warms itself: sakh-kha-na. "I warm" is usakhkhinu, and tea is reheated with exactly it
• درس

  дараса

  to study

  The same root as madrasa and mudarris: school, teacher and lesson are one nest. "I study" is adrus, and to study a thing is literally "to read a lesson"
• حفظ

  хафиза

  to memorize

  Both "to memorize" and "to keep safe": memory and storage are one nest. "I memorize" is ahfaz, and the schoolchild says hafiztu — I learned it
• يحزم الأمتعة

  йахзим аль-амтиʿа

  to pack

  Literally "packs the luggage": khazm is to cinch with straps, to gather. Before a trip an Arab packs in the evening, calmly, without fuss
• يستحم في البحر

  йастахим фи аль-бахр

  to swim (bathe)

  Literally "washes himself in the sea": the same verb as the morning shower. For an Arab swimming is "washing with the sea", done in the evening, when the heat has eased
• يسبح

  йасбах

  to swim

  Both "to swim" in place and "to swim across": the manner comes from the setting. Learning to stay on the water starts early here — the sea is next to almost every house
• يتشمّس

  йаташаммас

  to sunbathe

  Literally "suns oneself": the same shams. An Arab sunbathes in the morning or in the evening — at noon the beach is empty, and that is not laziness but sense
• يصطاد الأسماك

  йастаад аль-асмаак

  to fish

  Literally "hunts the fish": samak is the fish, asmaak its plural. The sea fish at the morning market is the fisherman’s yesterday luck
• يسقي

  йаскии

  to water

  From the verb "to give drink": to water the flowers is to "give them drink". Water in Arabic is maaʾ, and it is she who "drinks" the garden
• يرتدي

  йартади

  to wear / put on

  Arabic makes no difference between "wear" and "put on": yartadii is both. Shoes go on with the same verb — the object tells
• يقيس

  йакиис

  to try on

  Literally "measures": the same root as miqaas — the size you know from the shop. The request sounds like this: urid an aqiis — I want to try it on
• يضحك

  йадхак

  to laugh

  The d is emphatic: the word sounds with a press. Laughter among Arabs is loud and open, and holding it back in company is not done
• يبكي

  йабкии

  to cry

  The partner of yaḍhak: one long ii on the end turns laughter into tears. Children cry from joy too — and Arabic knows it
• يخاف

  йахааф

  to be afraid

  The present tense: yakhaaf — he fears, akhaaf — I fear. Arabs fear "min" something — the same preposition "from" as in "from Russia"
• يتعجب

  йатаʿаджиб

  to be surprised

  From ʿajiib — amazing: the same word says "cool!". Surprise in Arabic is almost always positive
• يأمل

  йамуль

  to hope

  From amal — hope: to hope and to wish are one nest. The form has already said "he", and the pronoun is not needed
• يجادل

  йуджаадиль

  to argue

  The same root as jidaal. One argues maʿa — "with": yujaadil maʿa sadiiqihi — argues with a friend, and the friendship does not break over it
• يعد

  йаʿид

  to promise

  From waʿd — a promise: the same word means "to set a time". A promise for an Arab is "an appointed thing": agreed — so it will be
• يختلف

  йахталиф

  to quarrel

  Literally "differs": a quarrel in Arabic is "to part in opinions". From it ikhtilaaf — a disagreement — the word of the news and the negotiations
• يعانق

  йуʿааник

  to hug

  From the verb "to press to the neck": the embrace in Arabic is "the neck". Arabs greet in an embrace often — it is not pathos but the norm of meeting
• يطبخ

  йатбух

  to cook

  The same root as matbakh — the kitchen — and tabbaakh — the cook: one nest, and you hear it at once. In an Arab home the one at the stove is most often she
• يغسل

  йагсиль

  to wash

  Dishes, hands, clothes: one verb, the object speaks for itself. Yaghsil as-suhuun — he washes the dishes — is the evening chore, taken in turns
• يغلي

  йагли

  to boil

  Literally "makes boil": cooking in Arabic is "bringing to a boil". The water yaghli in the kettle, the egg in the pot — and the verb is one
• يقلي

  йакли

  to fry

  The partner of yaghlii: one word is "boils", the other "fries in oil". The smell of frying from the window is the mark of the evening in every city
• يخبز

  йахбиз

  to bake

  The same root as khubz — bread: to bake is "to make bread". Fresh bread from the oven is handed to the neighbours — and that is not a feast, just a Tuesday
• يقطع

  йактаʿ

  to cut

  The ayn on the end stretches: yaq-ṭa-ʿ. The same verb cuts the wire: "the connection dropped" grows from it too — every phone user has heard it
• يجرب

  йаджриб

  to try (taste)

  Both to taste and to attempt: yajrib works for both. At the counter they say urid an ajrib — I want to try — and a little piece gets cut off
• يطلب

  йатлуб

  to order

  The same root as talaba: he orders with the menu in his hands and no hurry. Urid an aṭlub — I want to order — and the waiter is already near
• اتصل

  иттасаля

  to phone

  In the dictionary the verb stands in the past: ittasala — he called. One calls somebody through bi-: ittasil bi — call me — the preposition has glued on for good
• حمّل

  хаммаль

  to download

  Literally "carried": downloaded — "carried" the file to oneself. The doubled ll holds long: ham-mal. "Download the app" is hammil at-tatbiiq
• أرسل

  арсаля

  to send

  In the dictionary the past: arsala — he sent. One word serves the letter, the parcel and the message — the object tells them apart
• استلم

  исталама

  to receive

  From "to take delivery": istalama — took into his hands. In the mail apps the "receive" button is signed with exactly this verb
• ردّ

  радда

  to reply

  A short word with a doubling: radda — he replied. The answer to a message and the answer to a question are one verb: one replies "to what" through ʿala
• شغّل

  шаггаль

  to switch on (a device)

  Literally "made work": shaghghal is both to switch on the light and to start a device. The opposite is atfaʾ, cut off by a hamza
• أطفأ

  атфаʾ

  to switch off

  The partner of shaghghal: atfaʾ — put out. Both the light and the screen are put out with it; the hamza on the end breaks the vowel like a wick
• أصلح

  аслях

  to repair

  In the dictionary the past: aslah — he mended. It mends the phone and relations alike — a word with a double bottom
• استبدل

  истабдаль

  to replace

  From badiil — a replacement: istabdala — changed for another. One word for replacing a part and replacing a phone — Arabic economises
• فاز

  фааза

  to win

  In the dictionary the past: faaza — he won. From it fawz — victory — and this word sounds on the stadiums louder than all the others
• خسر

  хасира

  to lose

  The partner of faaza: khasira — lost and misplaced at once. To lose a match and to lose a key is one verb — the object tells
• جرى

  джараа

  to run

  In the dictionary the past: jaraa — he ran. "I run" is ajri, and the morning jog is named by the same word
• قفز

  кафаза

  to jump

  From the same root as qadz — a jump: qafaza — he jumped. Children in the yards do everything with it — from the skipping rope to the fence
• جلس

  джаласа

  to sit

  Jalasa — he sat down and sits: the past itself holds the result. The meeting, ijtimaaʿ, is of the same nest: there one exactly sits
• وقف

  вакфа

  to stand

  Both stood and stopped: waqafa. The transport stop, mawqif, is the place of this verb — and now the nest is visible whole
• رقد

  ракада

  to lie (down)

  Raqada — lay down and lies. For an Arab the bed matters less than the position: lay down — and that means sleeping or resting
• رفع

  рафаʿа

  to lift

  Rafaʿa — raised. The lift carries the same base — miʿsad, "the raiser" — and the logic of the word is transparent
• رمى

  рамаа

  to throw

  Ramaa — threw: a short word whose sound flies together with the ball. "Throw me one" — rami lii — is the first phrase of the game
• مسك

  масака

  to catch

  From the verb "to seize": masaka — caught and holds. A ball, an animal, a moment — Arabic catches everything with one verb
• سقط

  саката

  to fall

  Saqata — fell: the emphatic q makes the word sharper than the fall itself. "The apple fell" is a phrase every market has heard
• غنّى

  ганнаа

  to sing

  The doubled nn — the song stretches: ghannaa — he sang. "I sing" is ughannii, and under the shower everybody does it
• رقص

  ракаса

  to dance

  Raqasa — danced: a short word with a sharp s at the end. The wedding dance and the children’s romp are one verb
• لعب

  лаʿиба

  to play

  In the dictionary the past: laʿiba — he played. One plays fi something: laʿiba fi kurrat al-qadam — played football; the preposition stands in for "a game of"
• رسم

  расама

  to draw

  Rasama — drew: three letters out of which Arabic assembles the drawing, the blueprint and the ornament alike
• صوّر

  саууара

  to take a photo

  From the same suura — the photo: sawwara — made a photo. The doubled uu holds: saw-wara. The request "take a photo of me" — sawwirnii — will serve you
• تجوّل

  таджаавваль

  to stroll

  A reflexive verb: yatajawwal — strolls by himself, without a purpose. An Arab strolls fi a place: in the park, in the old city — the preposition stays
• استراح

  истарааха

  to rest

  From raah — repose: istaraaha — took himself repose. Rest for an Arab is not laziness but a right after work, and the word is protected by tradition
• تزوج

  тазавваджа

  to marry

  From zawj — a pair: tazawwaja — got himself a pair. The verb is one for both: the English "marry" covers it the same way
• دعا

  даʿаа

  to invite

  In the dictionary the past: daʿaa — he invited. One invites ila — to: daʿaa ila al-ʿurs — invited to the wedding; the preposition points the direction
• صلّى

  салляа

  to pray

  From the same salaa: sallaa — he prayed. The doubled ll stretches, and the verb is one for all the times of prayer
• صام

  саама

  to fast

  In the dictionary the past: saama — he fasted. From the same root siyaam — the fast, and everybody knows its month
• هنّأ

  ханнаа

  to congratulate

  From tahniʾa — congratulation: hannaa — he congratulated. The doubled nn stretches, and with it one congratulates both the feast and the success
• كنس

  канаса

  to sweep

  To sweep is kanasa: the short word of the street cleaner. The broom is maknasa — and the mi- prefix makes the tool here, as in miftaah
• غسل الملابس

  гасль аль-маляабис

  to do the laundry

  Literally "the washing of the clothes": for an Arab the laundry is a kind of washing. The same root as the laundrette, maghsala — and the nest closes
• كوى

  кауаа

  to iron

  To iron is kawaa: a short word whose vowel stretches. The iron is mikwa, from the same nest — the pair is obvious
• ساعد

  сааʿада

  to help

  The same verb as in "helps us": Arabic does not split "help" and "assist". One word for a friend and for a stranger
• أرجو

  арджу

  to request (beg)

  Arjuu — I request: the word of politeness, stronger than min fadlik. Arjuuk — "I beg you" — is nearly a plea
• سمح

  самаха

  to allow

  In the dictionary the past: samaha — he allowed. One allows "to somebody" through li-, and the same word means "forgave": Arabic forgives and allows with one verb
• منع

  манаʿа

  to forbid

  The partner of samaha: manaʿa — he forbade. From it mamnuuʿ — forbidden — the word of the signs, which you have already read
• يغش

  йагашш

  to cheat (copy)

  Literally "deceives": for Arabic copying is a kind of deceit, and the same word covers cheating at cards. The shadda stretches: yaghash-sh
• يصحح

  йусаххих

  to correct

  Literally "makes right": from sahiih — correct, the word of the news headlines. Mistakes and clocks are corrected with it alike
• يوفر

  йууффир

  to save (money)

  Literally "makes a surplus": for Arabic to economise is to create a margin. The doubling stretches: yuwaf-fir
• ينفق

  йунфику

  to spend

  Literally "goes out": the same root lives in the tunnel — nafaq. Spending for an Arab is what leaks outward
• يدخر

  йаддаххиру

  to put aside (save up)

  Literally "stores for later": the same root as the magazine — makh aazin, a warehouse. To save for an Arab is to stock one’s own warehouse
• يؤمّن على السيارة

  йуʾаммину аля ас-саййаара

  to insure

  From taʾmiin — the insurance: to insure is to make safe. The preposition ʿala has glued on for good: one insures "on" something
• يعطس

  йаʿтису

  to sneeze

  Yaʿtis — a word that sounds like the sneeze itself. Allergy, hasasiyya, a word you already know, sets it off more often than a cold does
• أصيب بالبرد

  асииба би-ль-бард

  to fall ill

  Literally "he was struck by a cold": asaaba means "overtook, caught up with". Illness overtakes an Arab like a chase, and the person "receives" it
• تعافى

  таʿаафа

  to recover

  From the verb taʿaafa, "he recovered": he came back to health. The same root gives aafiya, well-being — the word of blessings
• اتفقنا

  иттафакна

  to agree

  From ittifaaq, "agreement": to agree is to arrive at one. The same root sits inside the street word for "yes"
• استقال

  истакала

  to resign

  The dictionary form is past: istaqala, "he left by himself". The same root as khalifa, a successor: you leave — a place stays for another
• فصلوه من العمل

  фасалууху мин аль-ʿамаль

  to fire

  Literally "they separated him from the work": firing uses the same verb as dividing a whole. Who left by himself is istaqala; this verb is for those who were separated
• ينتقل إلى بيت جديد

  йантахиль иля бейт джадид

  to move house

  Literally "passes into a new house": the familiar bayt with the label "new". They move ila — the preposition of direction, as in "to the airport"
• يغلّف

  йугаллифу

  to pack

  Literally "he wrapped": to pack is to wrap, like a book in a cover. The cover, ghildaaf, is of the same root
• يفرغ الصناديق

  йуфригу ас-сунадиик

  to unpack

  Literally "empties the boxes": to unpack for an Arab is to pour out. The familiar sunduuq stands here in the plural: as-sunaadiik
• يستقر

  йастакырру

  to settle in

  Literally "makes himself steady": to settle in is to get a firm footing in the place. The same root is in the "headquarters" — makar, the point where one stopped
• كان

  кяна

  to be

  In the present Arabic has no linking verb at all: ismii Iwan is already a sentence. Kaana is "was", the past — and the future from the same root is yakuun, "will be"
• يشاهد

  йюшаахид

  to watch

  You have met raʾaa — to see: that happens by itself; yashaahid is watching on purpose: a film, a match, television. First person: ashaahid
• يطير

  йатыир

  to fly

  A bird, a plane and even time fly with one verb: yatiir. Taaʾira — a plane — is from the same root: literally "the flying one"
• يستخدم

  йястахдим

  to use

  You have met yatbiq — to apply; yastakhdim is everyday using: the phone, the dictionary, the car. First person: astakhdim
• يعرف كيف

  йаʿриф кейф

  to know how

  Where English says "I can", Arabic says "I know how": aʿrif kayf. Nearby stand the occupied yumkin — it is possible — and yastatiiʿ — to manage
• يقابل

  йюкаабил

  to meet

  Ijtimaʿ — a meeting — you have met; the verb grows from the same root: yuqaabil. By chance in the street or by appointment — it is the one verb. In the past: qaabaltu — I met
• يلمس

  йалмас

  to touch

  Yalmas is to touch with a hand, to feel. The prohibition is the familiar laa, and the object follows the verb right away, no preposition: do not touch the stove, do not touch the phone

Download the word set (CSV) · Open the printable sheet

The CSV contains spelling, reading guides, translations and links to word pages. Use the browser menu to save the printable sheet as a PDF.

How it sounds in a sentence

A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.

• أريد ماء من فضلك

  урид маʾ мин фадлик

  I want water, please
• أحب القهوة

  ухибб аль-кахва

  I love coffee
• نذهب غدا

  назхабу гадан

  Tomorrow we go
• آكل الخبز في الصباح

  аакуль аль-хубз фи ас-сабаах

  In the morning I eat bread
• أشرب الشاي في المساء

  ашруб аш-шай фи ль-масаа

  In the evening I drink tea
• أقرأ كتابا

  акраʾу китаабан

  I read a book

What is worth knowing about these words

أريد (урид) — I want. After it the noun comes with no preposition: urid qahwa — I want coffee. The polite request is built like this: urid… min fadlik.

أحب (ухибб) — I love. The shadda bb is a long b. After it the noun takes the article: uhibb al-qahwa — I love coffee.

ذهب (захаба) — to go. In the dictionary the verb stands in the past: dhahaba — he went. "To go" and "to ride" are one verb; the manner comes from the setting.

أكل (акала) — to eat. The past again in the dictionary: akala — he ate. "I eat" is aakul, and the first a in it is long.

Test yourself

Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.

How to learn the set instead of just reading it

I want, I can, I am going, I know. The verb holds a sentence together: a few of the most frequent ones cover more everyday talk than a long list of nouns.

A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.

• Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many times
  Adesope, 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.
• Study spread over days wins not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many times
  Mawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.

Next

• All topics of the Arabic language4011 words by topic and letter
• Greetings and goodbyes9 words
• Numbers and counting57 words
• Food and drink177 words
• At a café and a restaurant9 words
• Shopping and money82 words
• Pronunciation
• From scratch
• Why a word list doesn't sticka note