Common Verbs from the Basic Paradigms

The following is a list of approximately 200 of the most commonly used verbs. They
are all restricted to the 3-lettered basic paradigms. The words are divided into
groups of twenty, after each of which is a short translation exercise designed to
activate the new vocabulary. To complete the exercises, you may use any resource.
A dictionary will be most helpful in determining which particles will follow a
particular verb as well as the different shades of meaning of each verb.
This vocabulary list is not meant to be gone through all at once. Readers are
strongly encouraged to pace themselves. The recommended time frame for
completing this tutorial is between one and three months. Do one section at a time
and allow time for the vocabulary to sink in.

Arabic

English

to come
to take
to eat
to command
to (re)search
to begin
to replace
to emerge
to spread (something)
to dispatch
to remain
to cry
to reach
to build
to become clear
to follow
to leave/abandon
to complete
to repent
to be firmly established

Exercise: translate the following into Arabic

she began to eat solid foods when she reached the age of one

he sent many men to build it before it was finally complete

stay with me, otherwise I will just keep following you

I was ordered to take these

dont cry over me

it is abandoned

Arabic

English

to wound
to flow (literally or abstractly)
to make (something into something)
to sit
to be permissible
to come
to calculate
to acquire (transitive and intransitive)
to be present
to protect; to memorize
to pass judgement
to carry
to be alive
to seal; to conclude/finish
to serve
to exit
to tear
to store
to single out/distinguish
to be in error/make a mistake

Exercise: translate the following into Arabic

am I allowed to sit here?

my clothes are ripped

Ive been carrying this since I got here

she hurt herself near the exit

Arabic

English

to be concealed
to be pure
to create
to be empty
to betray
to imagine
to enter
to study
to call; to invite
to push away
to demonstrate/indicate
to be near
to be low
to revolve
to borrow
to remember; to mention
to go
to see; to have an opinion
to fasten; many other meanings
to return

Exercise: which of the above words would be the best synonym (not necessarily
exact) for the following?

to double cross

to connect links in a chain

to daydream

to owe

to reach downwards

to repel

to be hollow

to show

Arabic

English

to hope; to plead; to expect

to set out for travel
to keep something at bay
to provide (sustenance)
to be on the right track
to take care of / watch over
to lift/raise
to ascend
to ride; to mount/board
to be clear; to surpass in excellence
to die down
to stop
to ask
to insult; to swear
to precede
to be stupid
to fall
to dwell; to be still
to be over/done
to be safe; to be sound/correct

Exercise: find words from the above list that can be used in place of the following
(but are not necessarily synonyms).

to interrogate

to elevate

please

to be complete

to climb

to be enlightened

to push away

Arabic

English

to hear
to be/become bad/evil
to be equal; to be smooth and the like
to travel (by night)
to flow
to be brave/encouraged
to be firm/solid/intense/violent/etc
to drink
to stipulate; many other meanings
to share
to feel (an emotion)
to preoccupy (someone)
to witness; to testify
to be patient; other meanings
to regain consciousness; to wake up
to be proper/righteous
to make; other meanings
to be noisy
to hit; other meanings
to be weak

Exercise: find words from above with a meaning opposite (or contrary to) the
following.

to ignore

to demolish

to be greedy / to be the only one doing something

to be strong

to be quiet

to be thirsty

to go to sleep

to be coarse

Arabic

English

to guarantee/be liable
to lose ones way
to be tight/narrow/etc
to toss; to cull
to knock
to taste
to look for
to rise (e.g. the sun); to ascend
to be clean/pure
to able (to do something)
to be good/pleasant/agreeable/etc
to fly
to know; to assume/believe
to be apparent/manifest
to worship
to traverse
to be amazed
to count/enumerate; to consider among
to be fair
to excuse/forgive

Exercise: write a short sentence in Arabic on each of the following topics using at
least one of the above words in each sentence; this exercise may be skipped by
beginners

the current economic situation

whether universities should be private or state-run

how a servant can gain a close relationship with his lord

the effective of poorly chosen friends

Arabic

English

to know/recognize
to be thirsty
to tie/knot/lock/etc; other meanings
to hang; to be hung; to cling
to know
to do/work
to return
to hinder
to mislead
to become angry
to forgive
to overpower/conquer
to lock; to close
to disappear
to open
to flee
to separate/divide
to lose heart; to fail
to detach
to be better

Exercise: how can the following meanings be achieved (theoretically at least) by

using the above words in advanced verb paradigms?

to make someone angry

to be preferable

to be fragmented

to introduce someone to someone else

to commence/open a symposium

to recognize each other

Arabic

English

to lose something
to slip away
to overflow
to seize
to accept
to kill
to possess ability
to arrive
to read
to categorize
to make something a goal/aim/intention
to execute/perfume
to cut
to sit
to turn/flip/etc
to say
to stand
to write; to ordain
to hide/conceal
to lie

Exercise: how can the following meanings be achieved (theoretically at least) by

using the above words in advanced verb paradigms?

to inundate something

to become disconnected

to deem someone a liar

to want to accept someone (be a receptionist)

to boycott

Arabic

English

to dislike
to break
to remove a covering
to deceive/dupe
to wear
to catch up; to be joint to
to be necessary; to adhere to
to play
to extend/be long
to pass by
to touch
for something to pass
to rain
to fill up
to take/have possession / to own
to prevent
to end up successful
to descend
to forget
to grow

Exercise: how can the following derived nouns be formed given the above verbs
and meanings?

filled up

the past

playground

most successful woman

very long and spread out

one who uncovers (by profession)

(theoretically) something used for breaking

Arabic

English

to advise
to help
to become mature
to look
to benefit
to move/relocate (something)
to forbid
to sleep
to intend
to guide
to perish; to be annihilated
to be necessary
to find (not to look for)
to arrive; to combine/link; other
meanings
to put
to fall; to occur
to stop
to give birth (even for masculine)

Exercise: which ones from the above verbs do you think are transitive based on
their meanings?

Practice Verbs
The following is a list of verbs designed, not for vocabulary building, but more for
practicing the verb conjugation tables, advanced paradigms, and application of
different morphophonemic rules.

Regular Conjugations
The 6 Basic Paradigms
Arabic

English

to help

to write

to reach

to fail (e.g. a test)

to spread; to be spread out

Arabic

English

to hit

to carry

to dig

to thread together (e.g. pearls)

to (let something) hang downward

Arabic

English

to hear

to know

to drink

to have an insatiable appetite

to have gaps between the teeth

Arabic

English

to open; to decide

to go; to have an opinion

to benefit

to surpass

to infatuate

Arabic

English

to be noble

to be easy

to be eminent/well-bred
to be cheerful

to be malicious

Arabic

English

to consider/deem



to put ones confidence in

to be swollen

to be curmudgeonly

to be offensive

The Advanced Paradigms

Arabic

English

to drive out; to direct (a movie)

to evict; to train/coach

to graduate

to part company

to extract/extrapolate

Arabic

English

to make or let cut

to chop/dice/mince; to dismember

to part company; to snub; to boycott

to become severed; to become disrupted

to part company; to snub each other

to break off a little bit (e.g. page from a

magazine)

to deduct

to become cut off

Hamza Verbs
Arabic

English

to take

to regret

to last/persist
to be weary/tired
to ask

to persist/persevere

to read

to dare/have the audacity

to bring

to be in harmony; coalition

to adopt (an opinion/dogma/etc)

Assimilated Verbs
Arabic

English

to put

to fall; to occur

to give as a gift; bestow

to find (without necessarily searching)



to jump; to dash

to put confidence in

to be in / feel pain

to be scared

to have distinction/noteworthiness

to become dry

/

to give up totally

/ /

to be(come) an orphan

to be a coward

to be easy

to make sure

Hollow Verbs
Arabic

English

to say

to repent

to instigate / stir up commotion

to guard

to revolve

to last/continue

to stand

to buy

to become moonstruck by love

to become lost (in an open area)

to flourish

to increase

to be afraid

to plan mischief

to sleep

to want

to hate

to repeat/redo/return

to assist

to choose

to hunt

to seek council

to become clear

Deficient Verbs
Arabic

English

to call; to invite

to wake up

to come down

to be high/lofty

to pass judgement

to pass (as in time)

to flow

to remain

to be pleased (with something)

to forget

to make flow

to give

to purify

to make straight

to raise/couch/educate/etc

to call loudly

to watch intently

to purify oneself

to be high and mighty

to choose/distinguish

to test with hardships

to be comprised of

to look for water

to lie down; to throw oneself down

to settle down / to land

to be necessary

Verbs with Duplicate Letters

Arabic

English

to insult/swear

to refrain

to pass by

to flee

to spring up / jump up

to crawl / creep around

to make growl

to argue/dispute (using proofs)

to debate with each other

to intensify

to become spread

to monopolize

to ask to be shown (e.g. the way)

to get ready (e.g. for company)

to be crushed

to sneak (steal) something away

Some Highly Deficient Verbs

Arabic

English

to neglect to do something

to draw near

to return; to incur (e.g. a penalty)

to seek refuge

( )

to despair

to draw near

to intend

to be alive

to see

to alternate

to lead (e.g. in prayer)

Arabic to English
Arabic

English

north
south
east
west
on, on top
above, over, up (also on top)
higher, top of
top/peak/apex/pinnacle, brink

...

/

below, beneath/underneath, under,

down
lower (also bottom, closer)
bottom (also below, lower)
beside
right (direction)
left (direction)
left (direction)
right (as in right hand)
left (as in left hand)
in front (no matter how far)
right in front / in view
behind (no matter how far)
right behind
between
in
around
near
close
far
distant
eyeshot
earshot
here
there
where?

One
Arabic

English

/



...

...

to return; regress
first; foremost
(superlative: what you arrive at after doing the most
returning)
firstly, at the outset
since the beginning / inception of ...
at the beginning of... (some timeframe)
during the first ten days of a month
day before yesterday
first come first serve
one
individually
singularity, oneness
alone; lonely
declaring the oneness of God; consolidation;
standardization
unity
united (as in U.N., U.S.A, U.A.E, etc)
Sunday

Two
Arabic

English

.

to bend; among other meanings

two (when one thing bends towards another to the
point where they become paired)
second
second (as in time)
dualism
by twos; two at a time
dual; binary
duo (usually musical)
secondary (as in secondary school)
dual
Monday

Three
Arabic

English

three
third
one third
by threes; three at a time
tertiary
trinary
Trinity
triangle
trigonometric
Tuesday

Four
Arabic

English

four
fourth
quarter
spring



sitting cross-legged
by fours; four at a time
(as an adjective)
quadruple; tetragonal; quartet; quatrain (poetry)
quadratic
square (rectangle = ;)quadrilateral
quadrant
Wednesday

Five
Arabic

English

five

fifth
one fifth
(as an adjective)
five-fold; five at a time; quintuple; quintet;
pentagonal;pentahedral
pentagon
Thursday

Six
Arabic

English

six
sixth
one sixth

(as an adjective)
six-fold; six at a time; hex-triple; sextet; hexagonal;
hexahedral

hexagon

Seven
Arabic

English

seven



.

seventh
one seventh
(as an adjective)
seven-fold; seven at a time; sextuple; sextuplet;
heptahedral
heptagon
week
weekly

Eight
Arabic

English

eight
eighth
one eighth
(as an adjective)
eight-fold; eight at a time; etc
octagon

Nine
Arabic

English

nine
ninth
one ninth

Ten
Arabic

English

ten
tenth
one tenth; one twentieth
decimal (as opposed to binary)
animals (esp. camels) ten months pregnant
the tenth part of something

the tenth of Muharram

Zero
Arabic

English

/

to be vacant/empty
zero

Intervals of Time
English

Arabic Singular

Arabic Plural

Second

/

Minute
Hour
Day
Week
Month
Year

Decade
Century

Times of Day
Arabic

.

.

.

.

.

.

English
before dawn
dawn, twilight
sunrise time
early morning
mid-morning, before noon
morning
morning (dawn to noon)
noon
noon, forenoon
afternoon
late afternoon
sunset time
dusk, twilight
evening, nightfall
day (morning to night)
night (night to morning)

Days of the Week

Arabic

English
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday



Saturday

Relative Times
Arabic

English

Previous
Previous / Preceding
Next
Upcoming
Following / Subsequent
Now
Yesterday
Today
Tomorrow
Past
Present
Future

Fruits
English
Apple
Apricot

Collective
(add round-Taa to get
singular)

Plural
(Use collective if none)

Avocado
Banana
Blackberry
Blueberry
Cantaloupe
Carrot
Cherry

Clementine
Coconut
Cranberry
Cucumber
Date
Grape
Grapefruit
Guava
Fig
Honeydew

Kiwi
Kumquat

Lemon
Lime
Loquat
Mango
Mulberry
Orange

Papaya
Peach
Pineapple
Plum
Pomegranate
Pomelo
Raspberry
Strawberry
Tamarind
Tangerine
Tomato
Watermelon

( no )

( no )

( borrowed; silent

Aleph)

( no )

(none)
(none)

(none)

Body Parts
Arabic Plural

/

Arabic Singular

)(

English
Head
Hair
Forehead
Forelock
Brain
Ear
Eyebrow
Eye
Eyelid
Eyelash
Nose
Nostril
Cheek
Moustache
Mouth
Lip
Tooth
Tongue
Jaw
Beard
Throat
Neck
Shoulder
Wing
Chest / Breast
Heart
Lung

/

Stomach
Liver
Back
Arm
Armpit
Elbow
Wrist
Hand
Finger
Joint / Knuckle
Fingertip / Parts between
the knuckles
Buttock
Thigh
Knee
Shin / Shank
Leg
Ankle
Foot
Heel
Nail
Skin
Bone
Blood
Vein
)Nerve (also vein, artery
Body

Types of Buildings
Arabic Plural

Arabic Singular

English

Building
Floor / Story
Apartment
House
Estate / House
Mansion / Castle / Palace
Restaurant
Hotel
University
College
Bank
Library / Bookstore
Office
Museum

Places in a Building
Arabic Plural

Arabic Singular

English

Room

Kitchen
Washroom
Bathroom
Lavatory / Toilet
Reception
Bedroom
Dining room/table
Yard

Common Items in a Building

Arabic Plural

Arabic Singular

English

Window
Door
Carpet / Rug
Table
Bed
Chair
Book
Pen / Pencil

Airport
English
Airplane
Airport
Arrival
Customs
Departure
Flight
Luggage
Passport
Seat (e.g. on an airplane)
Suitcase
Terminal
Ticket
Visa

Arabic Singular

/

[ ]

[ ]

Places
English

Arabic Singular

Elevator

[]

Entrance
Exit
Hotel
Hotel Room
Mosque
Parking
Restaurant
Restroom

Reception
Shop
Stand (e.g. taxi stand)
Stop (e.g. bus stop)
Taxi
Washing Machine
Wudu Places

Other Expressions
English

Arabic Singular

Currency Exchanger

[ ]

Current Time
Discount
How Much is This?
Office
Snack

Common Verbs from the Basic Paradigms

The following is a list of approximately 200 of the most commonly used verbs. They
are all restricted to the 3-lettered basic paradigms. The words are divided into
groups of twenty, after each of which is a short translation exercise designed to

activate the new vocabulary. To complete the exercises, you may use any resource.
A dictionary will be most helpful in determining which particles will follow a
particular verb as well as the different shades of meaning of each verb.
This vocabulary list is not meant to be gone through all at once. Readers are
strongly encouraged to pace themselves. The recommended time frame for
completing this tutorial is between one and three months. Do one section at a time
and allow time for the vocabulary to sink in.

Arabic

English

to come
to take
to eat
to command
to (re)search
to begin
to replace
to emerge
to spread (something)
to dispatch
to remain
to cry
to reach
to build
to become clear
to follow
to leave/abandon
to complete
to repent
to be firmly established

Exercise: translate the following into Arabic

she began to eat solid foods when she reached the age of one

he sent many men to build it before it was finally complete

stay with me, otherwise I will just keep following you

I was ordered to take these

dont cry over me

it is abandoned

Arabic

English

to wound
to flow (literally or abstractly)
to make (something into something)
to sit
to be permissible
to come
to calculate
to acquire (transitive and intransitive)
to be present
to protect; to memorize
to pass judgement
to carry
to be alive
to seal; to conclude/finish
to serve
to exit
to tear
to store
to single out/distinguish
to be in error/make a mistake

Exercise: translate the following into Arabic

am I allowed to sit here?

my clothes are ripped

Ive been carrying this since I got here

she hurt herself near the exit

Arabic

English

to be concealed
to be pure
to create
to be empty
to betray
to imagine
to enter
to study
to call; to invite
to push away
to demonstrate/indicate
to be near
to be low
to revolve
to borrow
to remember; to mention
to go
to see; to have an opinion
to fasten; many other meanings
to return

Exercise: which of the above words would be the best synonym (not necessarily
exact) for the following?

to double cross

to connect links in a chain

to daydream

to owe

to reach downwards

to repel

to be hollow

to show

Arabic

English

to hope; to plead; to expect

to set out for travel
to keep something at bay
to provide (sustenance)
to be on the right track
to take care of / watch over
to lift/raise
to ascend
to ride; to mount/board
to be clear; to surpass in excellence
to die down
to stop
to ask
to insult; to swear
to precede
to be stupid
to fall
to dwell; to be still
to be over/done
to be safe; to be sound/correct

Exercise: find words from the above list that can be used in place of the following
(but are not necessarily synonyms).

to interrogate

to elevate

please

to be complete

to climb

to be enlightened

to push away

Arabic

English

to hear
to be/become bad/evil
to be equal; to be smooth and the like
to travel (by night)
to flow
to be brave/encouraged
to be firm/solid/intense/violent/etc
to drink
to stipulate; many other meanings
to share
to feel (an emotion)
to preoccupy (someone)
to witness; to testify
to be patient; other meanings
to regain consciousness; to wake up
to be proper/righteous
to make; other meanings
to be noisy
to hit; other meanings
to be weak

Exercise: find words from above with a meaning opposite (or contrary to) the
following.

to ignore

to demolish

to be greedy / to be the only one doing something

to be strong

to be quiet

to be thirsty

to go to sleep

to be coarse

Arabic

English

to guarantee/be liable
to lose ones way
to be tight/narrow/etc
to toss; to cull
to knock
to taste
to look for
to rise (e.g. the sun); to ascend
to be clean/pure
to able (to do something)
to be good/pleasant/agreeable/etc
to fly
to know; to assume/believe
to be apparent/manifest
to worship
to traverse
to be amazed
to count/enumerate; to consider among
to be fair
to excuse/forgive

Exercise: write a short sentence in Arabic on each of the following topics using at
least one of the above words in each sentence; this exercise may be skipped by
beginners

the current economic situation

whether universities should be private or state-run

how a servant can gain a close relationship with his lord

the effective of poorly chosen friends

Arabic

English

to know/recognize
to be thirsty
to tie/knot/lock/etc; other meanings
to hang; to be hung; to cling
to know
to do/work
to return
to hinder
to mislead
to become angry
to forgive
to overpower/conquer
to lock; to close
to disappear
to open
to flee
to separate/divide
to lose heart; to fail
to detach
to be better

Exercise: how can the following meanings be achieved (theoretically at least) by

using the above words in advanced verb paradigms?

to make someone angry

to be preferable

to be fragmented

to introduce someone to someone else

to commence/open a symposium

to recognize each other

Arabic

English

to lose something
to slip away
to overflow
to seize
to accept
to kill
to possess ability
to arrive
to read
to categorize
to make something a goal/aim/intention
to execute/perfume
to cut
to sit
to turn/flip/etc
to say
to stand
to write; to ordain
to hide/conceal
to lie

Exercise: how can the following meanings be achieved (theoretically at least) by

using the above words in advanced verb paradigms?

to inundate something

to become disconnected

to deem someone a liar

to want to accept someone (be a receptionist)

to boycott

Arabic

English

to dislike
to break
to remove a covering
to deceive/dupe
to wear
to catch up; to be joint to
to be necessary; to adhere to
to play
to extend/be long
to pass by
to touch
for something to pass
to rain
to fill up
to take/have possession / to own
to prevent
to end up successful
to descend
to forget
to grow

Exercise: how can the following derived nouns be formed given the above verbs
and meanings?

filled up

the past

playground

most successful woman

very long and spread out

one who uncovers (by profession)

(theoretically) something used for breaking

Arabic

English

to advise
to help
to become mature
to look
to benefit
to move/relocate (something)
to forbid
to sleep
to intend
to guide
to perish; to be annihilated
to be necessary
to find (not to look for)
to arrive; to combine/link; other
meanings
to put
to fall; to occur
to stop
to give birth (even for masculine)

Practice Verbs
The following is a list of verbs designed, not for vocabulary building, but more for
practicing the verb conjugation tables, advanced paradigms, and application of
different morphophonemic rules.

Regular Conjugations
The 6 Basic Paradigms
Arabic

English

to help

to write

to reach

to fail (e.g. a test)

to spread; to be spread out

Arabic

English

to hit

to carry

to dig

to thread together (e.g. pearls)

to (let something) hang downward

Arabic

English

to hear

to drink

to have an insatiable appetite

to know



to have gaps between the teeth

Arabic

English

to open; to decide

to go; to have an opinion

to benefit

to surpass

to infatuate

Arabic

English

to be noble

to be easy

to be eminent/well-bred
to be cheerful

to be malicious

Arabic

English

to consider/deem

to put ones confidence in

to be swollen

to be curmudgeonly

to be offensive

The Advanced Paradigms

Arabic

English

to drive out; to direct (a movie)

to evict; to train/coach

to graduate

to part company

to extract/extrapolate

Arabic

English

to make or let cut

to chop/dice/mince; to dismember

to part company; to snub; to boycott

to become severed; to become disrupted

to part company; to snub each other

to break off a little bit (e.g. page from a

magazine)

to deduct

to become cut off

Hamza Verbs
Arabic

English

to take



to regret

to last/persist
to be weary/tired
to ask

to persist/persevere

to read

to dare/have the audacity

to bring

to be in harmony; coalition

to adopt (an opinion/dogma/etc)

Assimilated Verbs
Arabic

English

to put

to fall; to occur

to give as a gift; bestow

to find (without necessarily searching)

to jump; to dash

to put confidence in

to be in / feel pain

to be scared



to have distinction/noteworthiness

to become dry

/

to give up totally

/ /

to be(come) an orphan

to be a coward

to be easy

to make sure

Hollow Verbs
Arabic

English

to say

to repent

to instigate / stir up commotion

to guard

to revolve

to last/continue

to stand

to buy

to become moonstruck by love

to become lost (in an open area)

to flourish

to increase



to be afraid

to plan mischief

to sleep

to want

to hate

to repeat/redo/return

to assist

to choose

to hunt

to seek council

to become clear

Deficient Verbs
Arabic

English

to call; to invite

to wake up

to come down

to be high/lofty

to pass judgement

to pass (as in time)

to flow

to remain

to be pleased (with something)

to forget

to make flow

to give

to purify

to make straight

to raise/couch/educate/etc

to call loudly

to watch intently

to purify oneself

to be high and mighty

to choose/distinguish

to test with hardships

to be comprised of

to look for water

to lie down; to throw oneself down

to settle down / to land

to be necessary

Verbs with Duplicate Letters

Arabic

English

to insult/swear



to refrain

to pass by

to flee

to spring up / jump up

to crawl / creep around

to make growl

to argue/dispute (using proofs)

to debate with each other

to intensify

to become spread

to monopolize

to ask to be shown (e.g. the way)

to get ready (e.g. for company)

to be crushed

to sneak (steal) something away

Some Highly Deficient Verbs

Arabic

English

to neglect to do something

to draw near

to return; to incur (e.g. a penalty)

to lead (e.g. in prayer)

to seek refuge

( )

to despair

to draw near

to intend

to be alive

to see

to alternate

30 Critical Arabic Vocabulary Words for the Crisis in Yemen

MARCH 29, 2015

ARABIC

As the threat of a Saudi ground invasion of Yemen looms, we thought it prudent to gather some of the critical
Arabic vocabulary appearing in Arabic news media about the Saudi-led military coalition against the Shiite
Houthi rebels. Here is a list of 30 key Arabic words, phrases, and verbs that we gathered from a few different
sources reporting on the unfolding events.

draft statement
the Arab Summit
-
- Operation Storm of Resolve
regional alliance
military intervention

 flow of weapons to

joint Arab force

Shia sect

tanks and armored vehicles

stronghold
civil war

) gang/thugs (reference to Houthis

) puppet (of Iran

control of
the ousted president

the conflict in Yemen

Arab brothers

terrorist and extremist groups

missiles

air strikes

military campaign

stockpiles

 to target ,

anti aircraft

popular uprising
air strikes

the legitimate government

coup plotters/insurrectionists

air defense systems

supply depots
rebels