Arabic vocabulary
How to say “say” in Arabic, with pronunciation and real example sentences from OpenArabic texts.
حين تقول بِسمِ الله، فالمعنى أبدأ عملي مُستعينًا بالله، وأجعل نتيجته لوجهه
When you say, 'In the name of Allah,' the meaning is: I begin my work seeking assistance from Allah, and I dedicate its outcome for His sake.
تَقُولُ — you say. Present 'you say', subject 'you' inside the form (one male listener). The ending marks a plain 'whenever you say'.
From: Turning Daily Words into Worship →وحين تزلُّ قدمُك فتقول أستغفرُ الله، فالمعنى أطلبُ سترَ الذنب ومحوَ أثره، وأتبعه بإصلاحٍ عمليٍّ يُثبتُ صدق الطلب
And when your foot slips and you say, 'I seek forgiveness from Allah,' the meaning is: I ask for the covering of the sin and the erasure of its effect, and follow it with practical correction proving the sincerity of the request.
فَتَقُولُ — and you say. 'and you say' — 'fa' of sequence plus present 'you say'; the 'fa' shows it follows right on the slip. Subject 'you' inside the verb.
From: Turning Daily Words into Worship →وفي الصلاة تقول سُبحانَ ربّي العظيم وسُبحانَ ربّي الأعلى؛ تنـزهه عن كل نقص،
And in prayer you say: 'Glory be to my Lord, the Most Great' and 'Glory be to my Lord, the Most High'; you declare His transcendence above all deficiency,
تَقُولُ — you say. Present 'you say', subject 'you' inside. Introduces the quoted glorifications.
From: Turning Daily Words into Worship →كَمَا كَانُوا يستعملون الْحَرْف فِي الِاسْم فَيَقُولُونَ هَذَا حرف غَرِيب أَي لفظ الِاسْم غَرِيب
Just as they used to use (letter) for the word, saying: This is a strange letter, meaning the word itself is strange.
فَيَقُولُونَ — so they say. 'so they say' — 'fa' of result plus present 'they say', the -una being 'they'. It gives their actual wording next.
From: The Declaration of Faith →قاله ابن خلدون ٣
Ibn Khaldun said this.
قَالَهُ — he said it. Past 'said it', with 'it' attached as object; subject 'Ibn Khaldun' next — 'Ibn Khaldun said it'.
From: Rules of Scholarly Debate →فقال ثم صار المتأخرون بعد ذلك قد يتناظرون في أنواع التأويل والقياس بما يؤثر في ظن بعض الناس،
and he said: "Then later generations debated forms of interpretation and analogy that influence the thinking of some,
فَقَالَ — so he said. 'so he said' — 'fa' plus past 'said', subject 'he' inside; it introduces the quotation.
From: Rules of Scholarly Debate →وَمَا أَنْت بالمشتاق إِن قلت بَيْننَا
You are not longing if you say there is distance between us,
قُلْتَ — you say. A past-tense verb 'said' with the '-ta' (you) ending, the verb of the condition. Saying there is distance.
From: Night Prayer and Nearness to God →عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ
Narrated by Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him:
قَالَ — he said. The hollow past 'said', subject 'he' (Abu Huraira) inside, introducing the words he transmits. The middle weak root-letter shows as a long vowel.
From: Brotherhood in Islam →قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
قَالَ — he said. The hollow past 'said' again, its subject 'the Messenger' coming after it in verb-first order. It opens the Prophet's own words.
From: Brotherhood in Islam →فقراء المهاجرين أتوا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقالوا ذهب أهل الدثور بالدرجات العلى، والنعيم المقيم
The poor among the emigrants came to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and said: 'The wealthy have taken the highest ranks and everlasting blessings.'
فَقَالُوا — and said. This is 'so' plus a past verb 'said' with '-u' = 'they' — 'so they said'. The 'fa-' steps the story on; the subject is sealed in the verb.
From: Praises That Elevate the Poor →فقال ألا أعلمكم شيئًا تدركون به من سبقكم، وتسبقون به من بعدكم، ولا يكون أحد أفضل منكم إلا من صنع مثل ما صنعتم؟
He said: 'Shall I not teach you something by which you will catch up with those who have surpassed you, and you will surpass those after you, and no one will be better than you except those who do as you do?'
فَقَالَ — so he said. 'So' plus 'said', subject 'he' inside — the Prophet now offers a remedy. The 'fa-' steps the exchange on.
From: Praises That Elevate the Poor →قالوا بلى يا رسول الله، قال تسبحون، وتحمدون، وتكبرون، خلف كل صلاة ثلاثًا وثلاثين
They said: 'Yes, O Messenger of Allah.' He said: 'You should glorify Allah, praise Him, and declare His greatness after every prayer thirty-three times.'
قَالُوا — They said. A past verb 'said' with '-u' = 'they' — 'they said', the companions' eager reply. The subject is sealed in the verb.
From: Praises That Elevate the Poor →قالوا بلى يا رسول الله، قال تسبحون، وتحمدون، وتكبرون، خلف كل صلاة ثلاثًا وثلاثين
They said: 'Yes, O Messenger of Allah.' He said: 'You should glorify Allah, praise Him, and declare His greatness after every prayer thirty-three times.'
قَالَ — He said. A past verb 'said', subject 'he' inside — the Prophet gives the prescription. The doer is sealed in the verb.
From: Praises That Elevate the Poor →قال أبو صالح الراوي عن أبي هريرة، لما سئل عن كيفية ذكرهن، قال يقول سبحان الله، والحمد لله، والله أكبر، حتى يكون منهن كلهن ثلاثًا وثلاثين
Abu Salih, the narrator from Abu Hurairah, when asked about how to recite them, said: 'Say: Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah, and Allahu Akbar until each is thirty-three.'
قَالَ — he said. A past verb 'said', subject named next — a later narrator (Abu Salih) adds a clarification. Its subject follows in verb-first order.
From: Praises That Elevate the Poor →قال أبو صالح الراوي عن أبي هريرة، لما سئل عن كيفية ذكرهن، قال يقول سبحان الله، والحمد لله، والله أكبر، حتى يكون منهن كلهن ثلاثًا وثلاثين
Abu Salih, the narrator from Abu Hurairah, when asked about how to recite them, said: 'Say: Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah, and Allahu Akbar until each is thirty-three.'
قَالَ — he said. A past verb 'said', subject 'he' inside — Abu Salih now gives his answer. The doer is sealed in the verb.
From: Praises That Elevate the Poor →قال أبو صالح الراوي عن أبي هريرة، لما سئل عن كيفية ذكرهن، قال يقول سبحان الله، والحمد لله، والله أكبر، حتى يكون منهن كلهن ثلاثًا وثلاثين
Abu Salih, the narrator from Abu Hurairah, when asked about how to recite them, said: 'Say: Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah, and Allahu Akbar until each is thirty-three.'
يَقُولُ — He says. A present verb 'one says / he says', subject inside — instructing how to recite: one says the phrases. The present tense frames a general instruction.
From: Praises That Elevate the Poor →قال يقولون يسألونك الجنة
He said: They say: They ask You for Paradise.
قالَ — He said. A past verb 'said', subject 'He' inside — the narration handing over the angels' reply. The doer is sealed in the verb.
From: Where Angels Gather →قال يقول وهل رأوها؟
He said: He says: Have they seen it?
قالَ — He said. A past verb 'said', subject 'He' inside — the narration framing the next exchange. The doer is sealed in the verb.
From: Where Angels Gather →قال يقولون لا والله يا رب ما رأوها
He said: They say: No, by Allah, O Lord, they have not seen it.
قالَ — He said. A past verb 'said', subject 'He' inside — handing the reply to the angels. The doer is sealed in the verb.
From: Where Angels Gather →قال يقول فكيف لو رأوها؟
He said: He says: How would it be if they saw it?!
قالَ — He said. A past verb 'said', subject 'He' inside — framing the next reply. The doer is sealed in the verb.
From: Where Angels Gather →قال يقولون لو أنهم رأوها كانوا أشد عليها حرصًا، وأشد لها طلبًا، وأعظم فيها رغبة
He said: They say: If they had seen it, they would be more eager for it, more earnest in seeking it, and greater in their desire for it.
قالَ — He said. A past verb 'said', subject 'He' inside — handing the reply to the angels. The doer is sealed in the verb.
From: Where Angels Gather →قال فمم يتعوذون؟
He said: From what do they seek refuge?
قالَ — He said. A past verb 'said', subject 'He' inside — God turns to a final question. The doer is sealed in the verb.
From: Where Angels Gather →قال يقولون يتعوذون من النار،
He said: They say: They seek refuge from the Fire.
قالَ — He said. A past verb 'said', subject 'He' inside — handing the reply to the angels. The doer is sealed in the verb.
From: Where Angels Gather →قال فيقول وهل رأوها؟
He said: He says: Have they seen it?
قالَ — He said. A past verb 'said', subject 'He' inside — framing the next exchange. The doer is sealed in the verb.
From: Where Angels Gather →OpenArabic teaches words like قال through real bilingual reading with native audio and spaced-repetition practice.
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