كَانَ used to in Arabic
كَانَ is how you say “used to” in Arabic.
Root ك و ن k-w-n. verb (form I, "incomplete"/nāqiṣ verb). kāna.
Arabic
English
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Meaning of used to in Arabic
- was, existed as a complete verb, simply 'he or it was'
- used to (do something) with an imperfect verb, marks habitual or continuous past action
- is (copula) stripped of any time sense, links subject and predicate much like English 'is'
Example sentence
كنت تدخل عليّ دخول الملوك على الملوك، واليوم تدخل عليّ دخول العبيد على الملوك
You used to enter upon Me like kings enter upon kings, and today you enter upon Me like slaves upon kings.
كُنتَ you used to
kana ('was') with the '-ta' ending = 'you were'; with the next verb it means 'you used to (do)'.
The English is machine-translated.
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How it is used
كَانَ is one of a set of "incomplete" (nāqiṣ) verbs — alongside ظَلَّ, أَصْبَحَ, أَمْسَى, صَارَ, لَيْسَ and others — that put their subject in the nominative and their predicate in the accusative, as in كَانَ زَيْدٌ قَائِمًا "Zeyd was standing." Emptied of any time reference, it can also serve as a plain copula equivalent to "is," and combined with an imperfect verb it produces the "used to" habitual-past sense.
Words from the same root
- تَكَوَّنَ to come into existence, originate
- اِسْتَكَانَ to be lowly, humble, submissive
- الكَوْن existence, being
- كَيْنُونَةٌ state of being, existence
- مَكَانَةٌ a place of being; also station, condition
More example sentences
لا تجزع من كأس زلل كانت سبب كيسك،
Do not despair from a cup of slip that was the cause of your prudence.
كَانَتْ that was
kana ('was') with the '-at' ending = feminine 'it was' (the cup) — 'that was'.
وإن غرست شَجَرَة الجهل والهوى كان الثمر مرًّا
If the tree of ignorance and desire is planted, the fruit will be bitter.
كَانَ will be
kana = 'was, will be'; here it links to the result — 'the fruit will be…'.
وقال لرجال ممن كانوا معه من الأنصار ادخلوا على رسول الله ﷺ فاجلسوا عنده واحذروا عليه هذا الخبيث
He said to the men from the Ansar who were with him: Enter to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, sit with him, and be wary of this treacherous one.
كَانُوا they were
kana ('was') with the '-u' ending = 'they were'.
قد كنا يا رسول الله نكذبك بما تأتينا به من خبر السماء،
We used to deny you, O Messenger of Allah, concerning what you brought us from the news of the heavens,
كُنَّا we were
kana ('was') with the '-na' ending = 'we were'; with the next verb it means 'we used to'.
اعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ إِنَّمَا كَانَ جِهَادُ النَّفْسِ أَكْبَرَ مِنْ جِهَادِ الأَعْدَاءِ
Know that the struggle against one's self is indeed greater than the struggle against enemies.
كَانَ he was
kana = 'was'; here a general truth — 'has indeed been'.
لُقْمَان الْحَكِيم كَانَ عبدا نوبيا أسود
Luqman the Wise was a black Nubian slave
كَانَ he was
Past-tense verb 'kana' = 'he was'; subject 'he' is built in.
وَكَانَ قد أعطَاهُ الله تَعَالَى الْحِكْمَة
And Allah, the Exalted, had given him wisdom
وَكَانَ and he was
'wa-' = 'and'; 'kana' = 'he was'; subject 'he' is built in. Here it sets up 'had (given)'.
وَكَانَ لرجل من بني إِسْرَائِيل اشْتَرَاهُ بِثَلَاثِينَ مِثْقَالا ونش يعْنى نصف مِثْقَال
And he was bought by a man from the Children of Israel for thirty mithqals and a half mithqal.
وَكَانَ and he was
'wa-' = 'and'; 'kana' = 'he was'; subject 'he' is built in.
وَكَانَ يعْمل لَهُ
And he worked for him
وَكَانَ and he was
'wa-' = 'and'; 'kana' = 'he was'; it sets up an ongoing past, 'he used to'.
وَكَانَ مَوْلَاهُ يلْعَب بالنرد يقامر عَلَيْهِ
And his master played dice, gambling on it
وَكَانَ and he was
'wa-' = 'and'; 'kana' = 'he was'; it sets up an ongoing past, 'used to'.
وَكَانَ على بَابه نهر جَار
And there was a flowing river by his door
وَكَانَ and there was
'wa-' = 'and'; 'kana' = 'there was'.
وَكَانَ سَيّده إِذا رَآهُ عَبث بِهِ وَيسمع مِنْهُ الْكَلِمَة الحكيمة فيعجب مِنْهُ
And his master, when he saw him, would ridicule him and hear the wise word from him, and be amazed by it.
وَكَانَ and he was
'wa-' = 'and'; 'kana' = 'was', here setting up a habitual past ('would...').
إِذا لم يكن فِيهِ تَشْبِيه الْخَالِق بالمخلوق أَو الْمَخْلُوق بالخالق
If there is no likening of the Creator to the creation or the creation to the Creator.
يَكُنْ there is
'be, exist', here jussive (ending clipped) because of 'lam' — together 'there was not, there is no'. It is the 'to be' verb that 'lam' needs to express 'there is no...'.
كَمَا كَانُوا يستعملون الْحَرْف فِي الِاسْم فَيَقُولُونَ هَذَا حرف غَرِيب أَي لفظ الِاسْم غَرِيب
Just as they used the term 'letter' in place of 'word', saying: 'This is a strange letter,' meaning the word is unusual.
كَانُوا they used
'they used to', past 'kana' with the -u 'they' ending. 'kana' plus a following present verb builds the habitual past — 'they would, used to'.
وإن كثرت سيئاته عوقِبَ بقدرها، ثم تُخرجه بقيةُ حسناته ولو كانت مثقال ذرّة؛ إذ إن الإيمان لا ينعدم مع وجود أصلٍ منه
And if his bad deeds are numerous, he is punished according to them, then the rest of his good deeds deliver him, even if they are the weight of an atom, for faith does not vanish as long as a trace of it remains.
كَانَتْ they are
Past 'they were', the verb of the concession, with -at agreeing with the feminine 'good deeds'. 'Even if they were...'.
فمن كان خطؤه لتفريطه فيما يجب عليه من اتباع القرآن والإيمان مثلا،
Whoever errs due to negligence in following the Qur'an and faith, for example,
كَانَ he was
Past 'was', subject 'his error' next; 'kana' takes a predicate — 'whoever's error was [due to...]'.
وهو الذي كان النبي ﷺ يفعله في كل صلاة،
And it is what the Prophet ﷺ would do in every prayer,
كَانَ he would
Past 'was, used to', subject 'the Prophet' next; 'kana' plus a following present makes a past habit ('would do').
وكان أحياناً يدعو بعد التحميد بقوله اللهم باعد بيني وبين خطاياي
And sometimes he would supplicate after the praise by saying: 'O Allah, distance me from my sins.'
وَكَانَ and he was
'and he was, used to' — 'wa' plus 'kana'; subject 'he' (the Prophet) inside; it sets up another past habit.
وما داوم عليه وقدمه وأمر به أفضل مما كان يفعله أحياناً،
And what he maintained regularly and prioritized, and commanded is better than what he did sometimes,
كَانَ he did
Past 'was, used to', subject 'he' inside; 'kana' plus a present makes a past habit.
والسنة عندهم قد تكون واجبة إذا تركها أعاد،
And the sunna according to them could be obligatory if one omits it, they must repeat.
تَكُونُ it be
Present 'be', subject 'it' inside; 'kana' taking a predicate; with 'qad', 'may be'.
فيظن من يظن أن السنة عندهم لا تكون إلا لما يجوز تركه؛
Some might assume that according to them, a sunna is only what can be omitted.
تَكُونُ it is
Present 'be', subject 'it' inside; the predicate of 'anna' — 'is not'.
والسنة عندهم قد تكون واجبة إذا تركها أعاد،
And according to them, a recommended practice may be obligatory if omitted, it must be repeated,
قَدْ تَكُونُ may be
'may be' — 'qad' (which before a present verb means 'may, can') plus 'be' (kana taking a predicate); 'a sunna may be [obligatory]'.
فيظن من يظن أن السنة عندهم لا تكون إلا لما يجوز تركه؛
Thus, some may think that according to them, a recommended practice only applies to what can be omitted;
تَكُونُ it applies
Present 'be, apply', subject 'it' inside; the predicate of 'anna' — 'is not'.
Common questions
- How do you say "used to" in Arabic?
- كَانَ (kāna), placed before an imperfect-tense verb — e.g. كَانَ يَذْهَبُ, "he used to go."
- Is كَانَ a complete, independent verb?
- Not usually — it's classed as an 'incomplete' (nāqiṣ) verb, meaning it needs a predicate to form a full statement, though it can also mean simply 'was, existed' on its own.
Related words
Definitions summarised from Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon (E. W. Lane, 1863–1893).