أَحَبَّ like in Arabic
أَحَبَّ is how you say “like” in Arabic.
Root ح ب ب ḥ-b-b. verb (form IV). aḥabba.
Arabic
English
The audio uses AI voices.
Meaning of like in Arabic
- to love, like, be fond of, take pleasure in
- to prefer, choose one thing over another
- of a camel: to kneel and lie down, refusing to rise a distinct classical usage, said of an afflicted or jaded camel
Example sentence
وَإِنَّ الأَحْمَقَ يُخَيِّرُ نَفْسَهُ فِي الأَخْلاقِ فَمَا أَحَبَّتْ مِنْهَا أَحَبَّ وَمَا كَرِهَتْ مِنْهَا كَرِهَ
And indeed, the foolish lets his soul choose in matters of conduct, so what it likes, he likes, and what it dislikes, he dislikes.
أَحَبَّتْ it likes
Past-tense verb 'ahabbat' = 'it loved, liked'; '-at' marks feminine 'it' (the soul).
The English is machine-translated.
Practise this word in the app
One tap gives you the meaning, a grammar note and audio.
Add the words you don’t know. Practise them with spaced repetition.
Free. No ads. No subscription.
An account is needed in the app.
How it is used
aḥabba is the standard, everyday Form IV verb for 'to love/like' someone or something, usually taking a direct object; the simpler Form I ḥabba carries the same sense but is rarer and grammatically irregular.
Words from the same root
- حُبّ love, affection
- حَبِيب beloved, dear one
- حبّب to make beloved, endear
- استحبّ to deem good, prefer
- حَبَّذَا how excellent!, an expression of praise
More example sentences
وَإِنَّ الأَحْمَقَ يُخَيِّرُ نَفْسَهُ فِي الأَخْلاقِ فَمَا أَحَبَّتْ مِنْهَا أَحَبَّ وَمَا كَرِهَتْ مِنْهَا كَرِهَ
And indeed, the foolish lets his soul choose in matters of conduct, so what it likes, he likes, and what it dislikes, he dislikes.
أَحَبَّ he likes
Past-tense verb 'ahabba' = 'he loved, liked'; subject 'he' is built in.
فمن أحب أن يزحزح عن النار، ويدخل الجنة،
Whoever desires to be distanced from the Fire and admitted into Paradise,
أَحَبَّ he desires
A past-tense verb, 'he loved/wished', with 'he' built in, serving as the condition tied to 'whoever'. Although past in shape, in a conditional frame like this it reads as a general 'whoever wishes'; the doer is inside the form.
وَلَوْ أَحَبَّيْ شَيْئًا وَلَمْ يَخْضَعْ لَهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ عَابِدًا لَهُ
Even if someone loved something and did not submit to it, he would not be its worshiper.
أحب loved
A past-tense verb sitting inside the 'if' supposition, supplying the imagined condition. Arabic uses the past form here even though the sense is hypothetical, letting the conditional word color it as 'were to love'. Its subject is folded inside as a general 'someone'.
وَكُلُّ مَا أَحَبَّ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ فَمَحَبَّتُهُ فَاسِدَةٌ
And whatever one loves for reasons other than God, that love is corrupt.
أَحَبَّ he loves
A past-form verb read as a general, timeless statement under the 'whatever' before it, 'is loved'. Arabic uses the past shape inside such relative generalizations to state a rule rather than a single past event, with the subject left unspecified, 'one'.
التَّواضُعُ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنَ الشَّرَفِ
Humility is more beloved to him than honor.
أَحَبَّ is more beloved
A comparative form on the 'more X' pattern, here 'more beloved', serving as the predicate of the comparison. It leans on the 'to him' and 'than' phrases that follow to complete who feels the preference and what is outranked. The 'more' lives in the word's shape, not a separate word.
وَالْذُّلُّ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنَ الْعِزِّ
And humiliation is dearer to him than honor.
أَحَبَّ is dearer
A comparative 'more dear' form working as the predicate of an 'X is more Y than Z' clause, describing a settled preference rather than a past event. It draws on the following 'to him' and 'than' to fill out the comparison. The 'more' is built into the word's pattern.
مَنْ أَحَبَّ تَصْفِيَةَ الْأَحْوَالِ، فَلْيَجْتَهِدْ فِي تَصْفِيَةِ الْأَعْمَالِ،
Whoever loves to purify his inner states should strive to purify his deeds.
أَحَبَّ he loves
A past-tense 'he' verb with its subject built in, governed by the 'whoever' before it. Inside this conditional its past shape reads as a timeless 'whoever loves', a standing disposition rather than a finished act. It then governs the noun after it as what is loved.
Common questions
- How do you say "like" in Arabic?
- أَحَبَّ (aḥabba) — to love, like, or be fond of someone or something.
- What is the difference between حَبَّ and أَحَبَّ?
- Both mean 'to love, like,' but أَحَبَّ (Form IV) is the common, standard verb, while حَبَّ (Form I) is rarer and has an irregular aorist form.
Related words
Definitions summarised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).