Arabic vocabulary
فَعَلَdo
How to say “do” in Arabic, with pronunciation and real example sentences from OpenArabic texts.
Example sentences
فقال النبي ﷺ فقهوا أخاكم في دينه، وأقرئوه القرآن وأطلقوا له أسيره ففعلوا
Then the Prophet ﷺ said: Educate your brother in his religion, teach him the Quran, and release his captive, and they did so.
فَفَعَلُوا — and they did so. fa- = 'so, then'; past-tense verb 'did', 'they' form (the '-u' = they) — 'so they did'.
From: Early Converts to Islam →وَإِن هُوَ قمر صَاحبه فعل بِهِ مثل ذَلِك
And if he won against his companion, he would do the same to him.
فَعَلَ — he would do. Past-tense verb 'fa'ala' = 'he did'; subject 'he' is built in.
From: Luqman's Response to Injustice →وَتَفْعَلُ مَا تَحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ مِنَ الرَّوَثِ وَالْبَوْلِ أَيَّ وَقْتٍ اتَّفَقَ
And they perform what they need like defecation and urination at any time.
وَتَفْعَلُ — and they perform. Present-tense verb with the doer (the animal-class 'it') built in; the feminine singular form is the regular choice for a non-human plural. Runs on from the previous clause via 'and'.
From: The Discipline of Foresight →المعصيةُ تُثقب ثوبَ العمل كما تفعل العُثّةُ بالقطن؛
Sin pierces the garment of a deed like a moth does to cotton;
تَفْعَلُ — does. Present 'does', subject 'the moth' next — 'as the moth does'.
From: When Hidden Deeds Are Shown →وهو الذي كان النبي ﷺ يفعله في كل صلاة،
And it is what the Prophet ﷺ would do in every prayer,
يَفْعَلُهُ — do it. Present 'does it', with 'it' attached; after 'kana' it means 'used to do it'. The imperfect carries the habit.
From: The Opening Chapter →وما داوم عليه وقدمه وأمر به أفضل مما كان يفعله أحياناً،
And what he maintained regularly and prioritized, and commanded is better than what he did sometimes,
يَفْعَلُهُ — does it. Present 'does it', with 'it' attached; after 'kana' it means 'used to do it'.
From: The Opening Chapter →وإن فعل لم يفعل ما يفسد صومه،
and if he acts, he does not act with what invalidates his fast,
فَعَلَ — he acts. A past-tense verb 'did / acted', subject inside, the verb of the condition. Past form for the general 'if he does'.
From: The Meaning of Fasting →فعّال لما يُرِيد
He does what He wills.
فَعَّالٌ — Doer. An intensive doer-form 'ever-doing / mighty doer', indefinite nominative as a predicate (the understood subject being He). The intensive pattern marks habitual, unrestricted action: He does without hindrance.
From: God's Majesty →ففعل الرجل ذلك،
The man did this,
فَعَلَ — did. A bare past verb with 'he' built in; its subject 'the man' is stated right after, the verb-first order where the verb stays singular before the named subject.
From: Heedless Choices →كان ابن عباس إذا جلس مع أصحابه حدثهم ساعة ثم قال حمضونا، فيأخذ في أحاديث العرب ثم يعود يفعل ذلك مرارًا
When Ibn Abbas sat with his companions, he would talk to them for an hour and then say, 'Refresh us,' and would start discussing Arab stories before returning, doing this repeatedly.
يَفْعَلُ — he does. A present-tense verb 'he does' with 'he' built in, habitual within the frame; it leads into 'he would keep doing that'.
From: Stories That Soften the Heart →فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَا أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ مَا فَعَلَ أَسِيرُكَ الْبَارِحَةَ
The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "O Abu Hurayrah, what did your captive do last night?"
فَعَلَ — did. A past-tense verb with its 'he/it' subject built in, the action the question asks about. Its subject is the noun named after it, 'your captive', so the verb reaches forward to find its doer, the order Arabic often uses in questions.
From: The Verse of the Throne →فَقَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَا أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ، مَا فَعَلَ أَسِيرُكَ
The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said to me, O Abu Huraira, what has your captive done?
فَعَلَ — has done. A past-tense verb with its 'he/it' subject built in, the action the question asks about. Its subject is the noun named after it, 'your captive', so the verb reaches forward to find its doer, the order Arabic favours in questions.
From: The Verse of the Throne →فَقَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَا فَعَلَ أَسِيرُكَ الْبَارِحَةَ
The Messenger of Allah, may Allah send blessings and grant him peace, said to me, "What did your captive do last night?"
فَعَلَ — did. A past-tense verb with its 'he' subject built in, this is the action the question is probing. Paired with the question word in front, it asks what the captive actually did, the verb supplying the event while the captive noun after it names the doer.
From: The Verse of the Throne →فَعَلْتُ فَفَعَلَ فَأَخْبَرَهُ
I acted, then he acted, then he informed him.
فَعَلْتُ — then I acted. A bare past verb with its 'I' subject built into the ending, 'I acted'. It opens the rapid three-step chain that the following fa- verbs continue.
From: A Stranger Finds the Prophet →فَعَلْتُ فَفَعَلَ فَأَخْبَرَهُ
I acted, then he acted, then he informed him.
فَفَعَلَ — then he acted. Led by fa-, the tight connector chaining the second action straight onto the first as its immediate next step. The 'he' subject is built into the verb.
From: A Stranger Finds the Prophet →فَإِنْ مَضَيْتُ فَاتَّبِعْنِي حَتَّى تَدْخُلَ مَدْخَلِي فَفَعَلَ،
If I leave, then follow me until you enter my entrance. So he did.
فَفَعَلَ — so he did. Led by fa-, the tight connector chaining the result onto the instruction, 'so he did'. The past verb carries its own 'he' subject, understood from the narrative.
From: A Stranger Finds the Prophet →وَهِىَ تَقُولُ فَعَلَ اللَّهُ بِفُلَانٍ وَفَعَلَ
And she said, "Allah did something to so-and-so, and did..."
فَعَلَ — did. Past-tense verb 'did' with the doer named right after it, opening the words she was reportedly saying. The verb leads and its subject (God) follows, in the usual Arabic order.
From: Aisha Cleared of Slander →وَهِىَ تَقُولُ فَعَلَ اللَّهُ بِفُلَانٍ وَفَعَلَ
And she said, "Allah did something to so-and-so, and did..."
وَفَعَلَ — and did. The wa- ('and') joins a second past verb 'did', echoing the first, but the quoted speech is cut off here. So this coordinates with the earlier 'did' to suggest a string of complaints left unfinished, the wa- lining up the parallel verbs.
From: Aisha Cleared of Slander →فَلَمْ يَتَغَيَّرُوا عَلَيْهِ لِذَلِكَ قَالُوا نَفْعَلْ
So they did not change toward him; therefore they said, "We will do."
نَفْعل — we will do. Present-tense verb with 'we' inside it, carrying a willing 'we will/let us do' sense in reply. The plain present here voices the group's agreement to act.
From: Sheba's Garden and Destruction →وَإِنْ هُوَ قَمَرُ صَاحِبُهُ فَعَلَ بِهِ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ
And if he was his companion's moon, he did the same to him.
فِعْلُ — he did. Functioning as a past-tense verb, 'he did', heading the result side of the condition: if such-and-such, then he did the same. The 'he' doer is carried in the verb itself. It pairs with the earlier 'if' to complete the if-then structure.
From: Luqman's Wisdom and Trial →وهو الذي كان النبي ﷺ يفعله في كل صلاة،
Which the Prophet ﷺ used to practice in every prayer.
يَفْعَلُهُ — practice it. A present-tense verb carrying its subject inside its form, completing the 'used to' habit opened by the earlier 'was', together 'used to do'. It also bears an attached '-it' object pointing back to the practice, so the one word holds verb, subject and object at once.
From: Praise and Supplication in Prayer →وما داوم عليه وقدمه وأمر به أفضل مما كان يفعله أحياناً، ويؤخره، ولم يأمر به
And what he persisted in and ordered is better than what he occasionally did, delayed, and did not order.
يَفْعَلُهُ — did it. A present-tense verb completing the 'used to' habit with the earlier 'was', and carrying an attached '-it' object on its end. So the one word holds verb, subject and object, 'used to do it', with the suffix pointing back to the practice being compared.
From: Praise and Supplication in Prayer →اللهم إن كنت فعلت ذلك ابتغاء وجهك ففرج عنا ما نحن فيه من هذه الصخرة،
O Allah, if I did that seeking Your face, then relieve us from the situation we are in with this rock.
فَعَلْتُ — I did. This is a past-tense verb with 'I' inside, completing the 'had done' frame begun by the 'to be' verb. Together they state the deed the condition rests on, setting up the relief he asks for if it was sincere.
From: Three Men Saved by Sincerity →اللهم إن كنت فعلت ذلك ابتغاء وجهك فافرج عنا ما نحن فيه، فانفرجت الصخرة غير أنهم لا يستطيعون الخروج منها
O Allah, if I did that seeking Your face, then relieve us from this situation we are trapped in. The rock moved slightly, but they still could not exit.
فَعَلْتُ — did. This is a past-tense verb with 'I' inside, completing the 'had done' frame begun by the 'to be' verb. Together they state the sincere deed the condition turns on, leading to the relief requested.
From: Three Men Saved by Sincerity →
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