دَنَا approach in Arabic
دَنَا is how you say “approach” in Arabic.
Root د ن و d-n-w. verb (form I). danā.
Arabic
English
The audio uses AI voices.
Meaning of approach in Arabic
- to draw near, approach used of persons, places, times, or rank alike, with مِن/إلى/لـ before the thing approached
- to be related, akin by kinship this sense goes with the verbal noun دَنَاوَة, syn. with قَرَابَة
Example sentence
ثم دخل به فقال ﵇ أرسله يا عمر، ادن يا عمير
Then he brought him in, and the Prophet ﷺ said: Release him, Umar, come closer, Umair.
ادْنُ come closer
A command 'come near!' to 'you' (singular).
The English is machine-translated.
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How it is used
Governed with مِنْ, إِلَى, or لِـ before the person or thing approached. Beyond literal nearness in place, it covers nearness in time (e.g. the sun 'nearing' its setting) and closeness of kinship.
Words from the same root
- أَدْنَى to bring near, make approach
- دَانَى to draw near to; bring two things together
- دَنَاوَة nearness; kinship, relation
- دَنِيء low, mean, contemptible
- دَنَّى to bring near; pursue trivial matters
More example sentences
فدنا، ثم قال أنعموا صباحا،
So he came closer and said: Good morning,
فَدَنَا so he came closer
fa- = 'so, then'; past-tense verb 'drew near', 'he' form.
فدنا المشركون،
The polytheists approached.
فَدَنَا approached
This is fa- (so) on a past-tense verb, 'so he/they drew near', with the subject built in, advancing the narrative. The doer is named next, the verb leading its subject in normal order.
حَتَّى إِذَا دَنَوْا مِنْهَا وَاسْتَنْشَقُوا رَائِحَتَهَا وَنَظَرُوا إِلَى قُصُورِهَا وَإِلَى مَا أَعَدَّ اللهُ لِأَهْلِهَا فِيهَا،
until they come close to it, inhale its fragrance, and see its palaces and what Allah has prepared for its inhabitants in it,
دَنَوْا they come close
A past-tense verb, 'they drew near', with a plural 'they' subject carried in its ending. The plural lives in the verb itself, no separate pronoun needed.
فَقُلْتُ أَوْلَى فَلَمَّا دَنَا الصُّبْحُ
So I said it was preferable, and when morning drew near.
دَنَا drew near
This is a past-tense verb, 'drew near', with 'it' built in as the doer, whose named subject comes right after. Arabic's verb-first order is why the subject sits behind it. It is the action the 'when' clause hinges on.
Common questions
- How do you say "approach" in Arabic?
- دَنَا (danā) — to draw near or approach, used of place, time, or kinship.
- What is the difference between دَنَا and أَدْنَى؟
- دَنَا means to draw near oneself, while أَدْنَى (Form IV) is causative: to bring something near or make it approach.
Related words
Definitions summarised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).