تَحْتَ
taḥta
The English word 'down' can be translated into Arabic as تَحْتَ (taḥta). Wiktionary also lists تَحْت (taḥt).
Meaning: from a high to a low position, downwards (adv)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| تَحْتَ | taḥta |
| تَحْت | taḥt |
While the English 'down' often implies movement (e.g., 'go down'), the Arabic word تَحْتَ primarily functions to indicate a position 'under' or 'below' something.
Which one should you use?
The word تَحْتَ is the direct antonym of فَوْقَ (above/up).
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form with the final vowel 'a' (taḥta) is the standard way to use the word as a preposition or adverb in Modern Standard Arabic.
How do you pronounce it?
taḥta
Did you know?
- To express 'down' in the sense of 'feeling down' or depressed, Arabic uses the word مكتئب (depressed) or refers to the 'heart' being heavy, rather than using the word for spatial position.
- The word تحت belongs to a special class of nouns called ظروف (adverbs of time and place) that are permanently 'indeclinable', meaning their ending rarely changes regardless of their role in a sentence.
- In certain poetic contexts, describing something as being تَحْتَ a shadow or a cloud can imply protection or shade, rather than just a physical position.
Examples in context
- الكتاب موجود تحت الطاولة.The book is under the table.
- نزل الرجل إلى الطابق الأسفل.The man went down to the lower floor.
- أنا رايح تِحْت.I'm going down.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “down” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
