Introduction
Mastering Arabic verbs is essential for building a strong foundation in the language. Verbs form the backbone of communication, allowing you to express actions, describe events, and convey thoughts. Whether you are a beginner or advancing in your Arabic studies, understanding how to conjugate Arabic verbs and use them in sentences is key to fluency.
This blog explores 100 must-know Arabic verbs, provides examples of their usage, and explains how to conjugate ten of the most common verbs in the present tense. If you’re looking for an easy way to learn common Arabic verbs and their meanings, you’re in the right place!
Arabic verbs are rich in structure and meaning. Unlike English, they are shaped by grammatical aspects that influence their use and conjugation. Here’s a breakdown with examples to illustrate:
1. Verb Cases
Verb cases in Arabic indicate the grammatical role of the verb in a sentence. The three main cases are indicative (المرفوع), subjunctive (المنصوب), and jussive (المجزوم). These cases are essential in understanding how verbs function.
- Indicative Case (المرفوع):
- يَذْهَبُ الطَّالِبُ إِلَى الْمَدْرَسَةِ (The student goes to school).
- The verb يَذْهَبُ (goes) is in the indicative case because it is in a neutral, declarative statement.
- Subjunctive Case (المنصوب):
- أُرِيدُ أَنْ يَذْهَبَ الطَّالِبُ إِلَى الْمَدْرَسَةِ (I want the student to go to school).
- The verb يَذْهَبَ (to go) is in the subjunctive case because it follows the particle أَنْ (that).
- Jussive Case (المجزوم):
- لَمْ يَذْهَبْ الطَّالِبُ إِلَى الْمَدْرَسَةِ (The student did not go to school).
The verb يَذْهَبْ (did not go) is in the jussive case because it follows the negative particle لَمْ.
2. Strong vs. Weak Verbs
- Strong Verbs (الفعل الصحيح):
Strong verbs have root letters that remain stable during conjugation.- Example: كَتَبَ (to write).
- Present tense: يَكْتُبُ (he writes).
- Past tense: كَتَبَ (he wrote).
- Imperative: اكْتُبْ (write!).
- Example: كَتَبَ (to write).
- Weak Verbs (الفعل المعتل):
Weak verbs contain a weak letter (و, ا, or ي) that may drop or change in some forms.- Example: قَالَ (to say).
- Present tense: يَقُولُ (he says).
- Past tense: قَالَ (he said).
- Imperative: قُلْ (say!).
- Example: قَالَ (to say).
3. Imperative Verbs
Imperative verbs (الأمر) are used for commands or requests.
- Example:
- اِفْتَحْ الْبَابَ (Open the door).
- اكْتُبْ دَرْسَكَ (Write your lesson).
Imperative verbs are often derived from the second-person conjugation of the verb, with slight modifications depending on the verb type.
4. Verb Forms
Arabic verbs have ten primary forms (الأوزان) that alter the root meaning.
- Example: The root كَتَبَ (to write) has several derived forms:
- Form I: كَتَبَ (he wrote).
- Form II: كَتَّبَ (he made someone write).
- Form III: كَاتَبَ (he corresponded).
- Form IV: أَكْتَبَ (he dictated).
- These forms can express causation, reciprocity, or intensity, depending on the pattern.
100 Basic Arabic Verbs
English
Transcription
Arabic Word
to taste
Dhāqa
ذَاقَ
to see
Raʼá
رَأى
to go
Dhahab
ذَهَب
to collect
Jamaʻ
جَمَع
to return
ʻĀd
عاد
to run
Rakaḍ
رَكَض
to ignore
Tajāhal
تَجاهَل
to walk
Mashá
مَشى
to talk
Taḥddath
تَحدَّث
to eat
Akal
أَكَل
to drink
Sharib
شَرِب
to wear
Labis
لَبِس
to sleep
Nāma
نام
to play
Laʻib
لَعِب
to study
Daras
دَرَس
to announce
Aʻlan
أَعلَن
to write
Katab
كَتَب
to read
Qaraʼ
قَرَأ
to laugh
Ḍaḥik
ضَحِك
to love
uhibbu
أَحَبّ
to hate
Karih
كَرِه
to want
Arād
أَراد
to say
Qāla
قال
to organize
Naẓẓam
نَظَّم
to plan
Khaṭṭaṭ
خَطَّط
to book
Ḥajaz
حَجَز
to observe
Rāqab
راقَب
to analyze
Ḥallal
حَلَّل
to publish
Nashar
نَشَر
to verify
Daqqaq
دَقّق
to edit
Ḥarrar
حَرَّر
to correspond
Rāsal
راسَل
to chat
Dardash
دَردَش
to ask
Saʼal
سَأَل
to answer
Ajāb
أَجاب
to understand
Fahim
فَهِم
to buy
Ishtará
اِشتَرى
to sell
Bāʻa
باع
to hear
Samiʻ
سَمِع
to live
ʻĀsha
عاش
to die
Māta
مات
to cook
Ṭabakh
طَبَخ
to break
Kasar
كَسَر
to fix
Aṣlaḥ
أَصلَح
to travel
Sāfar
سافَر
to forget
Nasī
نَسِي
to remember
Tadhakkr
تَذَكّر
to search
Baḥath
بَحَث
to draw
Rasam
رَسَم
to cry
Baká
بَكى
to call
Nādá
نادَى
to smile
Ibtasam
اِبتَسَم
to help
Sāʻad
ساعَد
to cut
Qaṭaʻ
قَطَع
to watch
Shāhad
شاهَد
to pay
Dafaʻ
دَفَع
to carry
Ḥamal
حَمَل
to lose
Faqad
فَقَد
to find
Wajad
وَجَد
to add
Aḍāf
أَضاف
to put
Waḍaʻ
وَضَع
to lead
Qād
قاد
to leave
Kharaj
خَرَج
to go down
Nazal
نَزَل
to go up
Ṣaʻad
صَعَد
to presume
Ẓanna
ظَنَّ
to need
Iḥtāj
اِحتاج
to think
Iʻtaqad
اِعتَقَد
to try
Ḥāwal
حاوَل
to start
Badaʼ
بَدَأ
to continue
Akmal
أَكمَل
to stop
Tawaqqf
تَوَقّف
to sit
Jalas
جَلَس
to choose
Ikhtār
اِختَار
to participate
Shārak
شارَك
to wish
Tamanná
تَمَنّى
to cooperate
Taʻāwan
تَعاوَن
to build
Baná
بَنَى
to feel
Shaʻar
شَعَر
to learn
Taʻallm
تَعَلّم
to support
Sānad
سانَد
to encourage
Shajjʻ
شَجّع
to motivate
Ḥaffz
حَفّز
to inspire
Alham
أَلهَم
to clean
Naẓẓaf
نَظَّف
to discover
Istakshaf
اِستَكشَف
to attend
Ḥaḍar
حَضَر
to volunteer
Taṭawwaʻ
تَطَوَّع
to donate
Tabarraʻ
تَبَرَّع
to invest
Istathmar
اِستَثمَر
to store
Khazzan
خَزَّن
to earn
Kasib
كَسِب
to spend
Anfaq
أَنفَق
to borrow
Istaʻār
اِستَعار
to lend
Aʻār
أَعار
to give
Aʻṭá
أَعطَى
to receive
Istalam
اِستَلَم
to rent
Istaʼjar
اِستَأجَر
to negotiate
Tafāwaḍ
تَفاوَض
to call
Ittaṣal
اِتَّصَل
Verb Conjugations in the Present Tense
Here are three common Arabic verbs from the list, conjugated in the present tense. These examples illustrate how to use basic verbs in Arabic for everyday conversation:
to write
Transcription
كتب
I write
Anā aktub
أَنا أَكتُب
You write
Anta taktub
أَنتَ تَكتُب
She writes
Hiya taktub
هِيَ تَكتُب
He writes
Huwa yaktub
هُوَ يَكتُب
We write
Naḥnu naktub
نَحنُ نَكتُب
They write
Hum yaktubwn
هُم يَكتُبون
to read
Transcription
قرأ
I read
Anā aqraʼ
أَنا أَقرَأ
You read
Anta taqraʼ
أَنتَ تَقرَأ
She reads
Hiya taqraʼ
هِيَ تَقرَأ
He reads
Huwa yaqraʼ
هُوَ يَقرَأ
We read
Naḥnu naqraʼ
نَحنُ نَقرَأ
They read
Hum yaqraʼwn
هُم يَقرَؤون
to go
Transcription
ذهب
I go
Anā adhhab
أَنا أَذهَب
You go
Anta tadhhab
أَنتَ تَذهَب
She goes
Hiya tadhhab
هِيَ تَذهَب
He goes
Huwa yadhhab
هُوَ يَذهَب
We go
Naḥnu nadhhab
نَحنُ نَذهَب
They go
Hum yadhhabwn
هُم يَذهَبون
Tips for Learning Arabic Verbs Quickly
- Start with Common Verbs: Focus on frequently used Arabic verbs to build your vocabulary.
- Learn Verb Conjugations: Practice conjugating verbs in different tenses to improve fluency.
- Use Example Sentences: Write and read sentences to see how verbs function in context.
- Understand Verb Forms: Familiarize yourself with the ten verb forms to grasp the root system.
- Practice Daily: Dedicate time each day to learning and revising verbs.
Final word
Arabic verbs open doors to meaningful communication. So make sure to understand their forms, meanings, and conjugations, so you can enhance your ability to express yourself.
Keep this list close and try to use these verbs in your every day conversations.
For more help with learning Arabic vocabulary, read How to Increase Arabic Vocabulary in 7 Steps and Top 100 Common Words in Arabic. And don’t forget to download AlifBee App for unlimited exercises.
