Arabic vocabulary
قالَsay
How to say “say” in Arabic, with pronunciation and real example sentences from OpenArabic texts.
Example sentences
سَمِعْت رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم يَقُولُ
I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say:
يَقُولُ — he says. A present verb, 'he says/is saying', subject 'he' inside. After 'I heard the Messenger...', this present form captures the act as heard in progress: 'I heard him saying'.
From: The Lawful, the Forbidden, and the Grey →قال العلماء ﵏ النصيحة لكتاب الله تعالى هي الايمان بأنه كلام الله تعالى وتنزيله
The scholars said that sincere devotion to the Book of Allah, the Exalted, is to believe that it is the word of Allah, the Exalted, and His revelation.
قالَ — he said. The verb is singular even though its doer, 'the scholars,' is plural — when the verb comes first, Arabic keeps it singular and lets the following noun carry the number. English forces 'said' either way, but here the plurality waits to surface on the next word.
From: Devotion to the Quran →قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
قالَ — he said. A past verb 'said', subject named next — the chain-opener introducing the Prophet's report. Its subject follows in Arabic's verb-first order.
From: Where Angels Gather →قال يقولون يسبحونك، ويكبرونك، ويحمدونك، ويمجدونك،
He says: They say: They glorify You, declare Your greatness, praise You, and exalt You.
قالَ — He says. A past verb 'said', subject 'He' inside — the narration handing the reply back. Throughout this hadith 'said' alternates with present 'says' to drive the live dialogue forward.
From: Where Angels Gather →فيقول هل رأوني؟
He says: Have they seen Me?
فَيَقُولُ — He says. 'So' plus a present verb 'says', subject 'He' inside — God resumes the questioning. The present tense keeps the dialogue immediate.
From: Where Angels Gather →فيقولون لا لا والله ما رأوك،
They say: No, by Allah, they have not seen You.
فَيَقُولُونَ — They say. 'So' plus a present verb 'they say', sound masculine plural — the angels' answer. The present keeps the exchange live.
From: Where Angels Gather →فيقول كيف لو رأوني؟
He says: How would it be if they saw Me?!
فَيَقُولُ — He says. 'So' plus a present verb 'says', subject 'He' inside — God presses the wonder further. The present tense holds the scene vivid.
From: Where Angels Gather →قال يقولون لو رأوك كانوا أشد لك عبادة، وأشد لك تمجيدًا، وأكثر لك تسبيحًا
They say: If they saw You, they would be more devout in worship, more devoted in glorifying, and more frequent in praising.
قالَ — He said. A past verb 'said', subject 'He' inside — the narration passing the reply to the angels. The doer is sealed in the verb.
From: Where Angels Gather →فيقول فماذا يسألون؟
He says: What do they ask for?
فَيَقُولُ — He says. 'So' plus a present verb 'says', subject 'He' inside — God turns to a new question. The present keeps the dialogue live.
From: Where Angels Gather →قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم تضمن الله لمن خرج في سبيله لا يخرجه إلا جهاد في سبيلي،
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: 'Allah guarantees for the one who goes out in His path, driven solely by striving for My cause,
قالَ — he said. A past-tense verb, 'he said', with 'he' built into the form, introducing the quoted saying. The doer is named separately right after, the verb standing before its subject in normal Arabic order.
From: Paradise for Those Who Strive →فَأَقَامَ سُبْحَانَهُ الْبُرْهَانَ الْقَاطِعَ عَلَى صِدْقِ رَسُولِهِ وَأَنَّهُ لَمْ يَتَقَوَّلْ عَلَيْهِ فِيمَا قَالَهُ،
He, glorified be He, has established the definitive proof of the truthfulness of His Messenger and that he did not fabricate anything against Him in what he said.
قَالَهُ — he said. This is a completed-action verb 'he said' carrying an attached 'it' object pointing back to 'what'. The verb holds its own subject inside and the object on its end, so it means 'he said it', closing the 'in what he said' clause.
From: Proof of the True Messenger →وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ الصَّلَوَاتُ الْخَمْسُ وَالْجُمُعَةُ إِلَى الْجُمُعَةِ وَرَمَضَانُ إِلَى رَمَضَانَ مَكَفِّرَاتٌ لِمَا بَيْنَهُنَّ إِذَا اجْتُنِبَتِ الْكَبَائِرِ
The Messenger of Allah said: The five prayers, Friday to Friday, and Ramadan to Ramadan are expiations for what is between them, if the major sins are avoided.
وَقَالَ — and he said. A past-tense speech verb with its 'he' subject built in; the leading 'and' links it to the surrounding narration. It opens the quoted statement of the Messenger.
From: What Small Worship Erases →قال أبقراط استدامة الصحبة بعب الماء، ويترك الامتلاء من الطعام والشراب
Hippocrates said that maintaining health involves drinking water and avoiding fullness from food and drink.
قالَ — he said. A past-tense verb with 'he' built in, set before the named speaker, opening a quotation.
From: Moderation in Medicine →وقال الإقلال من الضار خير من الإكثار من النافع
And he said, 'Reducing harmful things is better than increasing beneficial ones.'
وَقالَ — and he said. The 'wa-' continues the speaker's discourse, and the word is a past-tense verb 'said' with 'he' built in. It opens another quotation in the sequence.
From: Moderation in Medicine →قال الشهرستاني في كتاب الملل والنحل
Al-Shahrastani said in 'Kitab al-Milal wa al-Nihal'.
قالَ — he said. A past-tense verb with 'he' built in, set before the named speaker, opening a quotation.
From: Moderation in Medicine →قال بفضله الأوائل والأواخر
His virtue was acknowledged by the ancients and the moderns.
قالَ — he said. A past-tense verb 'said/acknowledged' with its subject built in; the doers are named after it, the normal verb-first order. Here the verb governs the named people who follow as its subject.
From: Moderation in Medicine →قال الأمن مع الفقر خير من الغنى مع الخوف
He said, 'Security with poverty is better than wealth with fear.'
قالَ — he said. A past-tense verb 'said' with 'he' built in, opening the answer as a quotation; the verb stands first in the usual order.
From: Moderation in Medicine →وقال يداوى كل عليل بعقاقير أرضه
And he said, 'Treat every sick person with the herbs of their land.'
وَقالَ — and he said. The 'wa-' continues the speaker's sayings, and the verb 'said' carries its own subject 'he'. It opens another quotation in the sequence.
From: Moderation in Medicine →قالَت يا وَيلتا أألِدُ وأنا عَجوزُ
She said, 'Woe is me, will I give birth while I am an old woman?'
قالَتْ — she said. A past-tense verb of speaking meaning 'she said', with its feminine 'she' subject built into the form and no separate pronoun. It introduces the direct quotation that follows, so everything after it is her reported words.
From: God's Promise of New Life →قال الموفق عبد اللطيف
Al-Muwafaq 'Abd al-Latif said
قالَ — he said. A past-tense verb with the doer 'he' built into its form, so no separate word is needed. Arabic packs 'he said' into one word and places it before its named subject, introducing the speech that follows as a report.
From: The Art of Eating Well →
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