يَقْدِرْbe able

Example sentences

• فَإِذَا لَمْ يَقْدِرْ أَنْ يَسْتَزِلَّهُ قَالَ يَا وَيْلَهُ

  So when he could not win him over, he would exclaim, "Woe to him."

  يَقْدِرْ — be able. This is a present-tense verb forced into the jussive (clipped) ending by the preceding negator, which is why it lacks its full present vowel. With that negator it refers to the past, 'was not able'. Its subject 'he' is carried inside the verb.

  From: On Reason and Temptation →

• فَإِذَا اسْتَعَذْتَ مِنْهُ هَرَبَ مِنْكَ وَلَمْ يَقْدِرْ عَلَى قَطْعِ طَرِيقِ الدِّينِ

  When you seek refuge from him, he flees from you and cannot cut off the path of religion.

  يَقْدِرْ — be able. A present-shaped verb of being able, but the 'lam' before it forces it into its clipped (jussive) ending and flips its time to a flat past negation: 'was not able'. The clipped ending is the visible signal that 'lam' is in control.

  From: Seeking Refuge from the Devil →