Conjugation of the Arabic Verb قَالَ (qāla)

قَالَ

qāla

Meaning

to say / to tell

Root (الجذر)

ق و ل

Form (الوزن)

Form I (hollow)

Verbal Noun (مصدر)

قَوْل (qawl)

Active Participle (اسم الفاعل)

قَائِل (qāʾil)

Past Tense (الماضي)

The past tense is formed by adding suffixes to the verb stem. It expresses completed actions.

Pronoun	Transliteration	Arabic	Pronunciation
أَنَا	anā	قُلْتُ	qultu
أَنْتَ	anta	قُلْتَ	qulta
هُوَ	huwa	قَالَ	qāla
هِيَ	hiya	قَالَتْ	qālat
نَحْنُ	naḥnu	قُلْنَا	qulnā
هُمْ	hum	قَالُوا	qālū

The present tense is formed with prefixes (and sometimes suffixes). It expresses ongoing, habitual, or future actions.

Pronoun	Transliteration	Arabic	Pronunciation
أَنَا	anā	أَقُولُ	aqūlu
أَنْتَ	anta	تَقُولُ	taqūlu
هُوَ	huwa	يَقُولُ	yaqūlu
هِيَ	hiya	تَقُولُ	taqūlu
نَحْنُ	naḥnu	نَقُولُ	naqūlu
هُمْ	hum	يَقُولُونَ	yaqūlūna

Command forms used to tell someone to do something.

Pronoun	Transliteration	Arabic	Pronunciation
أَنْتَ	anta	قُلْ	qul
أَنْتُمْ	antum	قُولُوا	qūlū

Past

قَالَ لِي إِنَّهُ سَيَأْتِي.

Qāla lī innahu sayaʾtī.

He told me he would come.

Present

مَاذَا تَقُولُ؟

Mādhā taqūlu?

What are you saying?

Imperative

قُلِ الحَقَّ!

Quli al-ḥaqqa!

Tell the truth!