قَادَ
qāda
The English verb 'drive' can be translated into Arabic as قَادَ (qāda) or سَاقَ.
Meaning: to operate (a wheeled motorized vehicle) (verb)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| قَادَ | qāda |
| سَاقَ | sāqa |
In Arabic, there are different ways to express the act of driving. You can use these verbs to describe operating a motorized vehicle. Additionally, the noun for a driver, which is derived from the root of سَاقَ, is سَائِق.
Which one should you use?
The form قَادَ (qāda) is used to mean driving a vehicle, but it also carries the sense of leading a group or a movement. In contrast, سَاقَ (sāqa) specifically refers to the act of driving or steering a vehicle or driving animals like cattle forward.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you are using the present tense, the verb قَادَ becomes يَقُودُ (he drives/leads) and the verb سَاقَ becomes يَسُوقُ (he drives/steers).
How do you pronounce it?
qāda
Did you know?
- In some regional dialects, people use the word سَوَّق to mean 'drive', which is actually derived from the word for 'market' سُوق.
- The root of the verb سَاقَ is also used to describe the 'shin' or 'calf' of the leg, which is called سَاق.
- The word قِيَادَة (leadership) is the noun form of قَادَ, meaning that 'driving' and 'governing' share the exact same linguistic origin.
Examples in context
- أنا أستمتع بقيادة السيارة في عطلتي.I enjoy driving the car on my vacation.
- هو مؤهّل لقيادة المركبة الثقيلة.He is qualified to drive heavy vehicles.
- أنا بحاجة لشخص يتقن قيادة الدراجات النارية.I need someone who is good at driving motorcycles.
- قَادَ السَّائِقُ السَّيَّارَةَ بِحَذَرٍ.qāda as-sā'iqu as-sayyārata bi-ḥadarin.The driver drove the car carefully.
- قَادَ الرَّجُلُ الشَّاحِنَةَ فِي الطَّرِيقِ.qāda ar-rajulu ash-shāḥinata fī aṭ-ṭarīq.The man drove the truck on the road.
- مَنْ قَادَ هَذِهِ السَّيَّارَةَ؟man qāda hādhihi as-sayyārah?Who drove this car?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “drive” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
