فعل
fa'ala
The English word 'do' is translated to the Arabic verb فعل (fa'ala).
The verb فعل is used to describe the act of performing tasks or carrying out an action or deed.
Meaning: perform tasks (verb)
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between فعل, which refers to performing an action or deed and عمل, which is often used specifically for work or professional tasks.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, the verb عمل is commonly used to express the concept of 'do'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb changes based on the tense and person: the imperfective (present/future) form is يفعل, the first-person singular past tense is فعلتُ (formed by adding the suffix -tu to the root) and the imperative command form for a masculine singular subject is افعل.
How do you pronounce it?
fa'ala
Did you know?
- The root of فعل is so fundamental that it is used in Arabic grammar to refer to the verb itself as a 'deed' or 'action'.
- Because فعل is cognate with the Hebrew 'pa'al', the two languages share a deep ancestral link in how they conceptualize 'action'.
- Arabic distinguishes between the act of 'doing' something (فعل) and 'making' or 'creating' something (صنع), whereas English often uses 'do' and 'make' interchangeably.
Examples in context
- لم أقصد فعل ذلك.I didn't mean to do that.This sentence is useful for showing how to express intention with فعل.Tatoeba #399078 by saeb, translation #29012 by CK
- هل تعلم ماذا فعل؟Do you know what he has done?This sentence is useful for asking about an action performed by someone else using فعل.Tatoeba #4533174 by Amastan, translation #283418 by CK
- ماذا فعلت اليوم ؟What did you do today?This sentence is useful for asking about actions performed in the past using فعل.Tatoeba #4804550 by MSSGIFRE, translation #2481353 by Opiejay888
- ماذا يقومُ به؟What does he do?
- ماذا يفعلُ؟What does he do?
- ماذا يُمارِسُ؟What does he practice/do?
- جون بيعمل إيه؟What does John do?
- أحمد بيشتغل فين؟Where does Ahmad work?
- كيف بتقضي وقتك؟How do you spend your time?
- إيه شغلَك؟What do you do?
- إيش بِتِعمَل؟What do you do?
- 135 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ziad and Nour are discussing their weekend volunteer work.
- زياد Ziadماذا تريدين أن تفعلي هذا الأسبوع؟madha turidina an taf'ali hadha al-usbu'?What do you want to do this week?
- نور Nourأريد فعل الخير في الحي.uridu fa'la al-khayri fi al-hay.I want to do good in the neighborhood.
- زياد Ziadهذه فكرة رائعة يا نور.hadhihi fikra ra'i'a ya nour.That is a great idea, Nour.
- نور Nourهل ستساعدني في فعل ذلك؟hal satusa'iduni fi fa'li dhalik?Will you help me do that?
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries فعل, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
