Arabic vocabulary
قِيلَsaid
How to say “said” in Arabic, with pronunciation and real example sentences from OpenArabic texts.
Example sentences
فقيل لى هذا موسى وقومه،
but it was said to me: This is Moses and his people,
فَقِيلَ — and it was said. This is 'so' plus an impersonal passive verb 'it was said' — no speaker is named, the focus falling on the words spoken. Arabic casts 'someone said' as this subjectless passive. It pairs with 'to me' next.
From: Those Who Enter Without Account →فقيل لى، انظر إلى الأفق الآخر، فإذا سواد عظيم،
Then it was said to me: Look to the other horizon, and there I saw a vast multitude.
فَقِيلَ — then it was said. This is 'so/then' plus an impersonal passive, 'it was said' — the verb is built so no speaker is named, the focus falling on the words spoken to the Prophet. Arabic casts 'someone said' as this subjectless passive, marking the passive inside the verb's own vowels.
From: Those Who Enter Without Account →فقيل لي هذه أمتك، ومعهم سبعون ألفاً يدخلون الجنة بغير حساب ولا عذاب
And it was said to me: This is your nation, and with them are seventy thousand who will enter Paradise without account or punishment.
فَقِيلَ — and it was said. Again 'and' plus the impersonal passive 'it was said' — no speaker named. The whole weight falls on the message delivered to the Prophet. Arabic marks the passive within the verb itself.
From: Those Who Enter Without Account →فإن قيل فقد قال تعالى ﴿أَيَحْسَبُ الإِنْسَانُ أَلَّنْ نَجْمَعَ عِظَامَهُ بَلَى قَادِرِينَ عَلَى أَنْ نُسَوِّيَ بَنَانَهُ﴾
Then if it is said, Allah, the Exalted, stated: 'Does man think that We will not assemble his bones? Yes, We are able to proportion his fingertips.'
قِيلَ — it is said. This is a past-tense verb in the passive, meaning the saying is done by some unnamed sayer rather than by a stated subject. Arabic marks this purely by the inner vowel pattern, with no helper word, which is how the agent is left deliberately unmentioned.
From: Ten Proofs of Resurrection →قيل هذه أيضا فيها قولان أحدهما هذا
It is said that there are two opinions on this matter, one of which is this.
قِيلَ — it is said. This is a past-tense passive verb, 'it is said', where the sayer is left unnamed. Arabic builds the passive by reshaping the inner vowels, not by adding a helper word, which is exactly how a statement gets reported without naming its source.
From: Ten Proofs of Resurrection →وقيل له صف لنا الحسن،
And he was told: Describe Al-Hasan to us.
وَقِيلَ — and it was said. The opening particle joins this to the story, and the verb is passive: it was said, with the speaker left unnamed. Arabic forms this passive by reshaping the verb's inner vowels rather than adding a 'was' helper.
From: Grief of the Prophet's Grandson →فَوَجَدْنَا الْعُلَمَاءَ رَحِمَهُمُ اللهُ تَعَالَى قَدِ اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهَا، فَقِيلَ هِيَ سَبْعٌ وَاحْتَجُّوا بِقَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ اجْتَنِبُوا السَّبْعَ الْمُوبِقَاتِ
We found the scholars, may Allah have mercy on them, differed regarding them. It was said they are seven, citing the Prophet's saying: 'Avoid the seven destructive sins'.
قِيلَ — it was said. A passive verb, 'it was said', whose inner vowels are reshaped so no speaker is named. Arabic marks the passive by the vowel pattern itself, presenting the claim impersonally.
From: What Small Worship Erases →وقيل له أي العيش خير؟
He was asked, 'What is the best state of living?'
وَقِيلَ — and it was said. The 'wa-' links this on, and the verb is passive: it was said/asked to him, with the speaker left unnamed inside the verb. Arabic marks the passive by the inner vowels, so no helper word like 'was' is needed.
From: Moderation in Medicine →فلما قيل اسجد واضرب الشرس الخلق إلا شريس،
Then when it was said, "Prostrate," he struck the stubborn creation — none but the stubbornly defiant.
قِيلَ — it was said. This verb is in its passive shape, meaning the command was issued with no named speaker; Arabic marks the passive by changing the inner vowels rather than adding a 'was' word. It states what was said as the trigger inside the 'when' frame.
From: Adam and the Rebel →قِيلَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ أَعْلَمُ أَهْلَ الْجَنَّةِ مِنْ أَهْلِ النَّارِ
It was said to the Messenger of God, "Are the people of Paradise more knowledgeable than the people of the Fire?"
قِيلَ — it was said. This verb is passive: it tells you something was said without naming who said it, the speaker is deliberately dropped. Arabic marks the passive by reshaping the internal vowels rather than adding a helper word, so it differs from its active twin only inside the word. It opens the quoted question that follows.
From: Trust and Piety →قِيلَ لَكَ إِنْ لَمْ تَشَفَّعِي لَهُ
You were told that if you do not intercede for him.
قِيلَ — it was said. This is the passive form of 'to say': the verb has no named doer, 'it was said', with the speaker left out. Arabic marks the passive by changing the inner vowels rather than adding a helper word, so it looks close to the active but means 'got said'. It introduces the reported words without saying who said them.
From: A Mother's Forgiveness →قِيلَ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ
It was said to Abu Abdullah.
قِيلَ — it was said. A past-tense verb in its passive shape, 'it was said', where the doer is left unnamed and the action is what matters. Arabic marks this passive by reshaping the verb's vowels rather than adding a helper word, so the form itself shows nobody is named as speaker.
From: Paradise for the Sincere →وَهِيَ أُمُّ عَائِشَةِ، عَمَّا قِيلَ فِيهَا مَا قِيلَ
She was Aisha's mother; as for what was said about her, whatever was said.
قِيلَ — was said. This is the passive form of 'say': the saying is received, with no named speaker, so it means 'was said'. Arabic marks the passive by changing the vowels inside the verb rather than adding a helper word, which is why it looks close to the active 'said' but flips who does what.
From: Aisha Cleared of Slander →وَهِيَ أُمُّ عَائِشَةِ، عَمَّا قِيلَ فِيهَا مَا قِيلَ
She was Aisha's mother; as for what was said about her, whatever was said.
قِيلَ — was said. Like its twin earlier, this is the passive 'was said', with the saying received and no named speaker. The repetition pairs with the relative 'whatever' to mean 'whatever was said', the vowels inside the verb again marking the passive role.
From: Aisha Cleared of Slander →وَقِيلَ الْصَّبْرُ شَجَاعَةُ الْنَّفْسِ
It has been said that patience is the courage of the soul.
وَقِيلَ — and it was said. wa- ties this onto the prior section, and the rest is a passive completed-action verb ('it was said') with no named sayer. Arabic forms this passive by reshaping inner vowels, so the speaker is deliberately left out.
From: Patience and the Human Self →وَقِيلَ الصَّبْرُ ثَبَاتُ القَلْبِ عِنْدَ مَوَارِدِ الاِضْطِرَابِ
And it was said that patience is the steadiness of the heart in moments of disturbance.
وَقِيلَ — and it was said. wa- ties this onto the prior saying, and the rest is a passive completed-action verb ('it was said') with no named sayer. The passive, marked by inner vowel change, keeps the source anonymous.
From: Patience and the Human Self →وَقِيلَ الصَّبْرُ ثَبَاتٌ بَاعِثٌ الْعَقْلِ وَالدِّينِ فِي مُقَابَلَةِ بَاعِثِ الْهَوَى وَالشَّهْوَةِ
It is said that patience is the steadiness that serves as the driving force of reason and religion in opposing the impulses of desire and lust.
وَقِيلَ — and it was said. Here wa- opens the sentence loosely ('and it is said'), introducing a reported definition rather than joining two items. The verb itself is passive: the action of saying is received, with no named speaker, the normal 'it is said' frame. Arabic marks this passive by reshaping the verb's inner vowels, not by adding a helper word.
From: Patience and the Human Self →إِنْ قِيلَ لَكَ إِنَّ رَجُلًا كَانَ مَعَكَ فَتَوَارَى خَلْفَ حَائِطٍ فَمَاتَ فَصَدَّقَ،
If it is said to you that a man was with you, withdrew behind a wall, and died, then believe.
قِيلَ — it was said. A passive-pattern past verb meaning 'it was said', with no speaker named, built by reshaping the verb's vowels rather than adding a helper word. It opens the reported speech. The voice, not a separate agent, is the key thing it carries.
From: On Foolishness and Wisdom →وَإِنْ قِيلَ لَكَ إِنَّ رَجُلًا فَقِيرًا خَرَجَ إِلَى بَلَدٍ فَاسْتَفَادَ مَالًا فَصَدِّقْ،
And if it is said to you that a poor man went to a land and gained money, then believe it.
قِيلَ — is said. A passive-pattern past verb meaning 'it was said', no speaker named, the passive carried by the verb's internal vowels rather than a helper word. It opens the reported speech. Its voice is the grammatical point.
From: On Foolishness and Wisdom →وَإِنْ قِيلَ لَكَ إِنَّ أَحْمَقَ خَرَجَ إِلَى بَلَدٍ فَاسْتَفَادَ عَقْلًا فَلَا تُصَدِّقْ
And if it is said to you that a fool went to a town and gained sense, then do not believe it.
قِيلَ — it was said. A passive-pattern past verb meaning 'it was said', no agent named, the passive built into the vowels rather than added with a helper. It opens the reported speech. Its voice is the point.
From: On Foolishness and Wisdom →بَلَغَنِي أَنَّهُ قِيلَ لِعِيسَى اِبْنِ مَرْيَمِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ
I was informed that it was said to Jesus, son of Mary, peace be upon him:
قِيلَ — it was said. A passive-pattern past verb meaning 'it was said', no speaker named, the passive carried by the verb's vowels rather than a helper word. It opens the inner reported speech to Jesus. Its voice is the point.
From: On Foolishness and Wisdom →قِيلَ وَتَبْرَئُ الأَكْمَهُ؟
They asked, "And do you heal the blind?"
قِيلَ — They asked:. A passive-pattern past verb meaning 'it was said/asked', no questioner named, the passive built into the vowels. It introduces the next question. Its voice carries the impersonal 'they asked' feel.
From: On Foolishness and Wisdom →قِيلَ فَمَا دَوْاءُ ٱلْحَمْقِ؟
They asked: Then what is the remedy for madness?
قِيلَ — They asked. A passive-pattern past verb meaning 'it was said/asked', no questioner named, the passive carried by the vowels. It introduces the next question. Its impersonal voice is the point.
From: On Foolishness and Wisdom →قِيلَ لإِبْرَاهِيمِ النِّظَامِ
They said to Ibrahim al-Nizam:
قِيلَ — They said. This is a passive verb of reporting: the action is received, with no speaker named, so it reads literally 'it was said'. Arabic marks this passive by changing the vowels inside the verb rather than adding a helper like English 'was'. The convention renders it 'they said', but grammatically the doer is deliberately left out.
From: On Foolishness and Wisdom →
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