Arabic vocabulary
How to say “show” in Arabic, with pronunciation and real example sentences from OpenArabic texts.
فَيَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا لَوْ أَدْخَلْتَنَا النَّارَ قَبْلَ أَنْ تُرِيَنَا مَا أَرَيْتَنَا مِنْ ثَوَابِ مَا أَعْدَدْتَ لِأَوْلِيَائِكَ كَانَ أَهْوَنَ عَلَيْنَا
They will say: Our Lord, if You had put us into the Fire before showing us what You showed us of the reward You prepared for Your close ones, it would have been easier for us.
أَرَيْتَنَا — You showed us. A past-tense verb with 'You' fused on as subject and 'us' attached as object, 'You showed us'. Both pronouns ride on the single verb, fixing who showed and to whom.
From: Turned Away at the Gate →وَغِبْتُ عَنْهُ بِحَيْثُ أَسْمَعُ حَسَّهُ وَلَا أَرَى شَخْصَهُ
I withdrew from him so that I could hear his sound, but I could not see his person.
أَرَى — I see. A present-tense verb with 'I' built in, 'I see', here under the negation just introduced, so 'I do not see'. The present tense keeps it parallel with 'I hear', sharpening the contrast: the same ongoing ability, granted for sound, denied for sight. The negation before it sets its polarity.
From: A Night of Reckoning →يَنْزِعُ عَنْهُمَا لِبَاسَهُمَا لِيُرِيهُمَا سَوْآتَهُمَا
He strips off from them their garments to show them their private parts.
لِيُرِيهُمَا — to show them. The relator 'li-' of purpose fused to a verb 'to show' (a causative make-them-see form) with '-huma' = 'them two' as object. The 'li-' of purpose forces the verb into its subjunctive shape, marking the stripping as done in order to expose them, the aim rather than a separate event.
From: Adam, Eve, and the Forbidden Tree →فَقَالَ إِنَّي أَرَاكُمَا قَدْ دَعَوْتُمَا عَلَيَّ فَادْعُوا لِي،
So he said, "I see that you two have prayed against me, so pray for me."
أُرَاكُمَا — I see you two. A present-tense 'I see' carrying an attached object that is specifically dual - it means 'you two', not 'you' generally. Arabic has a dedicated exactly-two form, so the verb's ending already counts the two people without a separate word.
From: A Night with the Prophet →فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُو جَهْلٍ أَلاَ أَرَاكَ تَطُوفُ بِمَكَّةِ آمِنًا،
So Abu Jahl said to him, "Do I not see you moving about in Mecca in safety?"
أَرَاكَ — I see you. A present verb fusing an 'I' subject with an attached -ka 'you' object — 'I see you'. Two participants ride on one word: the doer inside the verb, the one seen attached to its end.
From: Warning Before the Battle of Badr →فَقَالَ مَا لِي أَرَاكَ شَخِيبًا
He said, "Why do I see you so gray?"
أَرَاكَ — I see you. A present-tense verb 'I see' with the 'I' subject built in and the object ending '-ka' (you) attached, so it means 'I see you'. The attached pronoun is the one being looked at.
From: Staying Firm in Faith →لَقَدْ أَرَاكِ مَصْرَعًا غَيْرَكِ مَصْرَعَكِ،
Indeed, I see you making someone else's downfall your own.
أَرَاكِ — I see you. A present-tense verb carrying its 'I' subject inside the form, with the object suffix -ki ('you', addressing a female) fused on. So one word holds 'I see you'. The attached 'you' is the person the whole speech addresses, the one whose folly is being witnessed.
From: Vigilance Against Worldly Deception →فَأَخْبَرَ امْرَأَتَهُ وَأَرَاهَا ذَلِكَ
Then he informed his wife and showed her that.
وَأَرَاهَا — and he showed her. A 'wa-' fused to a past 'he' verb that ends in a 'her' object suffix, so it packs 'and-he-showed-her' into one word. The 'wa-' links this to the informing as a second action, the 'he' is built in, and the suffix is the wife, the one shown. It then governs the 'that' named next as what was shown.
From: Sheba's Garden and Destruction →فَلَمَّا جَلَسَ إِلَيْهِ قَالَ لِسَيِّدِهِ مَا لِي أَرَاكَ كَئِبًا حَزِينًا
When he sat down beside him, he said to his master, "What is the matter? I see you downcast and sorrowful."
أَرَاكَ — I see you. A present verb, 'I see', with the 'I' subject in its prefix and the object pronoun '-ka' (you) on its end. So one word holds the seeing, its 'I' doer, and its 'you' object. The adjectives after it describe that 'you' as seen.
From: Luqman's Wisdom and Trial →OpenArabic teaches words like أَرَى through real bilingual reading with native audio and spaced-repetition practice.
Get the app