Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| طَبَخَ | ṭabaḵa | ||
| طيب | ṭayyab | /tˤaj.ja.ba/ | Moroccan Arabic |
| طبخ | ṭbaḵ | /tˤa.ba.xa/ /tˤab.ba.xa/ |
Moroccan Arabic |
The verb طَبَخَ is used to describe the action of preparing food for eating. Related nouns include طَبَّاخ or طَاهٍ for a person who prepares food, and the verbal noun طَبْخ refers to the act of cooking itself.
Which one should you use?
While طَبَخَ is the verb meaning 'to cook', the noun طَبَّاخ refers to the person who performs the action, specifically a professional cook or chef. The word طَبْخ is the verbal noun used to describe the activity of cooking.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Moroccan Arabic, you may use طيب or طبخ to mean 'to cook'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The present tense form of the verb طَبَخَ is يَطْبُخُ for 'he cooks' and تَطْبُخُ for 'she cooks'. To express the first-person past tense 'I cooked', you add the suffix -tu to the past stem to form طَبَخْتُ.
How do you pronounce it?
ṭabaḵa
Did you know?
- The root of the verb طَبَخَ is a cognate of the Hebrew word meaning 'to butcher' or 'to slaughter'.
- In many Arabic cultures, the act of طَبْخ is often associated with communal effort and hospitality rather than just a chore.
Examples in context
- من طبخ هذا الكسكس لا يجيد الطبخ.The person who made this couscous doesn't know how to cook.This sentence shows how to use the form طبخ to discuss a person's ability to cook.Tatoeba #12410814 by dididodo, translation #8445515 by Amastan
- ماذا طبخت؟What did you cook?This sentence uses the form طبخ to ask what someone cooked.Tatoeba #10641030 by Amastan, translation #10641017 by Amastan
- أين طبختها؟Where did you cook them?This sentence uses the form طبخ to ask where something was cooked.Tatoeba #11985974 by dididodo, translation #1880711 by Amastan
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ahmed and Noor are talking about dinner in the kitchen.
- أحمد Ahmedهل طَبَخَ والدك العشاء اليوم؟Hal tabakha waliduka al-asha al-yawm?Did your father cook dinner today?
- نور Nourلا، أنا من طَبَخَت الوجبة.La, ana man tabakhat al-wajba.No, I am the one who cooked the meal.
- أحمد Ahmedماذا طَبَخْتِ لنا يا نور؟Madha tabakhti lana ya Noor?What did you cook for us, Noor?
- نور Nourطَبَخْتُ مكرونة بالخضار.Tabakhtu makaruna bil-khudar.I cooked pasta with vegetables.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cook” translations and entries طيب, طبخ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries طبخ, طيب, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
