أنا أقرأ
'ana 'aqra'
The English phrase "I am reading" is translated into Arabic as أنا أقرأ ('ana 'aqra').
أنا أقرأ is a statement used to express that you are currently in the process of reading something.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the subject pronoun أنا (I) and the present tense verb أقرأ (I read/I am reading).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Levantine Arabic, you can say بقرأ to mean "I am reading". In Egyptian Arabic, you can use أنا بقرأ to mean the same.
How does it change in a sentence?
The present tense verb أقرأ can express both a habitual action ("I read") and a continuous action happening now ("I am reading"). While أنا أقرأ is grammatically correct, the pronoun أنا is often omitted in natural speech because the verb conjugation already indicates the first-person subject.
How do you pronounce it?
'ana 'aqra'
Did you know?
- Arabic is an 'abjad', meaning that while you read أقرأ, the short vowels that tell you how to pronounce the word are often invisible.
- A reader of Arabic reads from right to left, which is the opposite direction of English.
- If you are reading a book aloud, you are not just 'reading' but are often performing an act of 'recitation' (Qira'a), which carries a much more formal and sacred connotation in Arabic culture.
Examples in context
- أنا أقرأ كتابا بالأمازيغية.I am reading a book in Berber.This sentence is useful for showing how to use أنا أقرأ when mentioning the language a book is written in.Tatoeba #7548768 by MisterBrown, translation #7548762 by MisterBrown
- أنا أقرأ كتابكI am reading your book.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase with a possessive noun.Tatoeba #6679781 by marhabaan, translation #2669865 by silesian
- أنا أقرأ كتابًا جديدًاI am reading a new book
- أنا أقرأ القصص القصيرةI am reading short stories
- أنا أقرأ الصحيفة الآن.ana aqra' al-sahifa al-an.I am reading the newspaper now.
Example conversation
Ziad asks Nour what she is doing in the library.
- زياد Ziadماذا تفعلين يا نور؟madha taf'ilina ya Nour?What are you doing, Nour?
- نور Nourأنا أقرأ مجلة علمية.ana aqra' majalla 'ilmiyya.I am reading a science magazine.
- زياد Ziadهل هي ممتعة؟hal hiya mumti'a?Is it interesting?
- نور Nourنعم، هي رائعة جداً.na'am, hiya ra'i'a jiddan.Yes, it is very wonderful.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
