كيف تقول
The English phrase "how to say" is translated into Arabic as كيف تقول.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase كيف تقول is composed of كيف (how) and تقول (you say).
How does it change in a sentence?
The default form كيف تقول uses the masculine singular second-person verb conjugation. When addressing a female, the verb changes to كيف تقولين. When addressing a group of people, the verb changes to كيف تقولون. If the speaker is asking how they themselves should say something, the verb changes to the first-person singular كيف أقول.
Did you know?
- In some Arabic dialects, the word for 'how' used in شلون تقول literally means 'what color'. This evolved from the phrase أي لون and shifted from asking about a physical color to asking about the 'manner' of an action.
- The word كيف (how) shares a root with the verb meaning 'to cut off' or 'to suffice', suggesting that asking 'how' is historically linked to determining the exact limit or measure of a thing.
- In many spoken dialects like Egyptian or Levantine, the phrase might change significantly to ازاي تقول (izay t'ul), where the word for 'how' is entirely different from the formal كيف.
Examples in context
- كيف يتم قول "Hello" بالعربية؟How to say "Hello" in Arabic?
- يتم قول "Hello" بالعربية "مرحباً"."Hello" is said in Arabic as "مرحباً".
- أزاي أقول "Thank you" بالعربي؟How to say "Thank you" in Arabic?
- كيف تقول هذا باللغة العربية؟kayfa taqūlu hādhā bi-l-lughati l-ʿarabiyyati?How do you say this in Arabic?
- كيف تقول كلمة 'مرحبا' بالفرنسية؟kayfa taqūlu kalimata 'marhaba' bi-l-faransiyya?How do you say the word 'marhaba' in French?
Example conversation
Sara asks Omar about an English word while studying.
- سارة Saraعمر، كيف تقول 'book' بالعربية؟ʿUmar, kayfa taqūlu 'book' bi-l-ʿarabiyya?Omar, how do you say 'book' in Arabic?
- عمر Omarتقول 'كتاب'.Taqūlu 'kitāb'.You say 'kitāb'.
- سارة Saraشكراً لك يا عمر.Shukran laka yā ʿUmar.Thank you, Omar.
- عمر Omarعفواً يا سارة.ʿAfwan yā Sāra.You're welcome, Sara.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries كيف, CC BY-SA 4.0.
