Arabic vocabulary
How to say “know” in Arabic, with pronunciation and real example sentences from OpenArabic texts.
وما علم أن هبوط الغائص في اللجّة خلف الدرّ صعود
And did not know that the diver's descent into the depth in pursuit of the pearl is an ascent.
عَلِمَ — he knew. Past-tense verb 'knew', 'he' form (negated by the preceding 'ma' — 'did not know').
From: Adam's Descent →وهذا أمر لم يحضره إلا أنا وصفوان فوالله لأعلم ما أتاك به إلا الله،
And this is a matter witnessed only by me and Safwan, and by Allah, I know that it was none but Allah who brought it to you,
لَأَعْلَمُ — I know. la- = an emphatic 'surely'; present-tense verb 'know', 'I' form — 'I surely know'.
From: Early Converts to Islam →اعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ إِنَّمَا كَانَ جِهَادُ النَّفْسِ أَكْبَرَ مِنْ جِهَادِ الأَعْدَاءِ
Know that the struggle against one's self is indeed greater than the struggle against enemies.
اِعْلَمْ — Know!. A command 'know!' to 'you' (singular).
From: Resisting Temptation →وَلْيَعْلَمِ الْعَاقِلُ أَنَّ مُدْمِنِي الشَّهَوَاتِ يَصِيرُونَ إِلَى حَالَةٍ لَا يَلْتَذُّونَهَا
Let the rational person know that those addicted to desires end up in a state where they no longer enjoy them.
وَلْيَعْلَمِ — and let him know. Stacks 'and' + a 'let...' marker (a li- that turns a statement into 'let him') + the verb; 'he' built in. Arabic forms this third-person command with the li-, not a separate 'let'.
From: The Discipline of Foresight →رجل تعلم العلم وعلمه وقرأ القرآن وأقرأه ليقول الناس هو عالم وقارئ،
A man who learned knowledge, taught it, and recited the Quran, but did so for people's praise, saying: He is a scholar and a reciter,
تَعَلَّمَ — who learned. A past-tense verb of the reflexive shape ('took knowledge for himself', i.e. studied), subject 'he' built in, opening the description of the man. No separate 'who' is written — a bare verb after an indefinite noun does the work of 'a man who learned'.
From: Deeds for God Alone →فإن من تعلم العلم الذي بعث الله به رسله وعلمه لوجه الله كان صديقا،
For whoever learns the knowledge sent by God through His messengers and teaches it for the sake of God is a sincere one,
تَعَلَّمَ — he learns. Past-tense reflexive-shape verb 'studied', subject inside, forming the condition after 'whoever'. The shape marks taking knowledge to oneself.
From: Deeds for God Alone →ويسمع وَيعلم السِّرّ وَالْعَلَانِيَة
And He hears and knows the secrets and the openly declared,
وَيَعْلَمُ — and knows. 'And' plus a present-tense verb 'knows', subject 'He' inside. It sets up its objects, the hidden and the open.
From: God's Majesty →فَعلمت قُرَيْش أَن أَصْحَابه قد كَثُرُوا
Quraysh realized that his companions had increased in number.
فَعَلِمَتْ — so she realized. 'Fa-' (so) plus a past-tense verb 'knew / came to know' with the feminine '-at' tail because its subject, the tribe Quraysh, is treated as feminine. The 'fa-' threads the consequence.
From: The Night of the Migration →مَا علمت أَن أحدا سمع بِالْجنَّةِ وَالنَّار تَأتي عَلَيْهِ سَاعَة لَا يُطِيع الله فِيهَا بذكرا وَصَلَاة أَو قراة أَو إِحْسَان
I have not known anyone who has heard of Paradise and Hell to have an hour pass without obeying God through remembrance, prayer, reading, or charity.
عَلِمْتُ — I have known. The '-tu' ending is the speaker 'I'. The verb is 'I have known/learned', and under the negation it becomes 'I have never known [of anyone]...'.
From: Contentment with What God Wills →فاجتمعنا إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال إنه لم يكن نبي قبلي إلا كان حقاً عليه أن يدل أمته على خير ما يعلمه لهم،
We gathered to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and he said: "There was no prophet before me except that it was his duty to guide his nation to the best of what he knew for them,"
يَعْلَمُهُ — he knew. A present-tense verb with 'it' attached as object and the 'he' subject inside, so one word means 'he knows it'. Read within the relative clause it describes the good the prophet knew for them; the suffix points back to 'what'.
From: A Prophet Warns His People →وينذرهم شر ما يعلمه لهم،
and warn them of the worst he knew for them.
يَعْلَمُهُ — he knew. A present-tense verb with 'it' attached as object and 'he' as built-in subject, 'he knows it'. Inside the relative clause it describes the harm the prophet knew for them; the suffix points back to 'what'.
From: A Prophet Warns His People →بَلْ حَالُهُمْ مِنْ أَظْهَرِ الْأَدِلَّةِ عَلَى صِدْقِ الرَّسُولِ، وَمِنْ حِكْمَةِ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ أَنْ أَخْرَجَ مِثْلَ هَؤُلَاءِ إِلَى الْوُجُودِ لِيُعْلَمَ حَالُ الْكَذَّابِينَ وَحَالُ الصَّادِقِينَ
Indeed, their condition is among the clearest evidence of the truthfulness of the Messenger, and it is among the wisdoms of God, the Exalted, to bring forth such people, to make known the condition of liars and the truthful.
لِيُعْلَمَ — to make known. This stacks the purpose particle 'so that' onto a passive verb, 'so that it be known', whose ending is in the subjunctive because of that particle. The passive leaves the knower unstated; the purpose particle marks the aim of bringing them forth.
From: Signs of the Messenger in Medina →ولو نظر بعين البصيرة لعلم أن السلامة في ترك ما يخشى عاقبته
Had he looked with insight, he would have known that safety lies in avoiding what is feared in its outcome.
لَعَلِمَ — he would have known. The introductory particle on this past verb is the answer-marker that goes with the counterfactual 'if', meaning 'he would then have known'. It signals the consequence side of the would-have construction; the 'he' subject is inside the verb.
From: Think Before You Act →وليعلم أن النصر عليها هو الفوز العظيم
And know that victory over it is the greatest success.
وَلْيَعْلَمْ — and let him know. The wa- joins this on, and the word carries the command-marker 'let him' fused with the verb 'know', forced into the clipped jussive shape by that marker. One word means 'and let him know'.
From: Struggling Against the Self →فقال جحا لو كنت تعلم أن الدواء يوضع في الفم ما أعطيتني إياه لعين
Joha said, 'If you knew that the medicine should go in the mouth, why did you give it to me for the eye!'
تَعْلَمُ — you know. A present-tense verb, 'know', completing the 'you were knowing' frame after the counterfactual 'if'. The pairing turns the present verb into an ongoing past, the knowledge he supposedly had.
From: Reflections on Literal Obedience →ولو فهم معنى التوكل لعلم أنه لا ينافي استغاثته في تلك الحال،
If he understood the true meaning of trust in God, he would realize that it does not conflict with calling for help in such a situation.
لَعَلِمَ — he would realize. The attached emphatic particle marks this as the answer to the earlier counterfactual 'if', and the verb carries its 'he' subject: 'he would have known'. That leading particle ties the result back to the unreal condition.
From: Trust in God →وعلم البواطن وما لمس ولا جس،
And knows the innermost thoughts without touching or feeling.
وَعَلِمَ — and he knew. This is wa- joined to a past-tense verb whose doer 'He' is built in. The wa- ties this divine attribute to the previous statement, and the verb of knowing sits before its object in the usual verb-first order.
From: God's Attributes →فَلَمَّا عَلِمَ الْمَوْلَى سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى مِنْ ضَعْفِ ابْنِ آدَمَ
When the Lord, glory be to Him and the Exalted, knew of the weakness of the son of Adam.
عِلْمُ — knew. A past-tense verb, 'knew', carrying its third-person 'he' subject inside it; the doer, named just after, is the Lord. It governs the time-clause opened by 'when', so the whole sentence hinges on this act of knowing as the trigger for what God then does.
From: The Four Inner Guards →فَأَوَّلُ مَنْ عَلِمَ بِذَلِكَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بُنَّ عَامِرٍ الْأَزْدِيُّ
So the first who knew of that was Abd Allah ibn Amir al-Azdi.
عَلِمَ — he knew. A past-tense 'he' verb, 'knew', its subject built into the form and standing for the unnamed 'first one' until he is identified later. It sits inside the relative clause defining that person. It governs the 'of that' phrase after it as what was known.
From: Sheba's Garden and Destruction →أي فلينظر نظر الفكر والاستدلال ليعلم أن الذي ابتدأ أول خلقه من نطفة قادر على إعادته
Meaning, let him look with thought and reasoning to know that He who began his creation from a sperm-drop is able to resurrect him.
لِيَعْلَمَ — to know. The prefix 'li-' marks purpose 'so that', and it pushes the following verb into a lighter purpose-form: 'in order that he may know'; the built-in 'he' subject rides inside. The prefix is the trigger for that purpose mood.
From: Creation Points to Resurrection →OpenArabic teaches words like عَلِمَ through real bilingual reading with native audio and spaced-repetition practice.
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