كيف تقول
In Arabic, the phrase "how to say" is expressed as كيف تقول.
You can use this phrase to inquire about how to express something. For example, you might want to know how to say مرحباً (Hello), شكراً (Thank you), وداعاً (Goodbye), كيف حالك؟ (How are you?), أنا أحبك (I love you) or من فضلك (Please).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase كيف تقول is composed of كيف meaning "how" and the second-person masculine singular verb تقول meaning "you say".
How does it change in a sentence?
The default form كيف تقول uses the masculine singular conjugation, which is the standard way to address a generic "you" in Arabic. If you are addressing a woman specifically, use the feminine form كيف تقولين. If you are addressing a group of people, use the plural form كيف تقولون.
Did you know?
- The word كيف can be traced back to a root meaning 'to cut off entirely'.
- In many spoken Arabic dialects, you might hear people use the word شلون instead of كيف to ask 'how'.
- In spoken Arabic, speakers often use the word شو instead of كيف when asking 'how to say' something, meaning 'what do you say' rather than 'how do you say'.
Examples in context
- ما هو الأسلوب الصحيح للتعبير عن "Thank you" باللغة العربية؟What is the correct way to say "Thank you" in Arabic?
- عاوز أعرف ازاي أقول "I love you" بالعربية؟I want to know how to say "I love you" in Arabic.
- بتقول إزاي كلمة "Goodbye" بالعامية؟How do you say the word "Goodbye" in colloquial Arabic?
- كيف تقول هذا باللغة العربية؟kayfa taqūl hadhā bi-l-lughati l-ʿarabiyya?How do you say this in Arabic?
- كيف تقول كلمة "شكراً" بالإنجليزية؟kayfa taqūl kalimata "shukran" bi-l-inglīziyya?How do you say the word "thank you" in English?
Example conversation
Omar is learning a new language with Sara.
- سارة Saraأهلاً يا عمر، هل تدرس الآن؟Ahlan ya Omar, hal tadrus al-an?Hello Omar, are you studying now?
- عمر Omarنعم، ولكن كيف تقول "تفاحة" بالإنجليزية؟Na'am, walakin kayfa taqul "tuffaha" bi-l-ingli-ziyya?Yes, but how do you say "apple" in English?
- سارة Saraتقول "apple". إنها سهلة جداً.Taqul "apple". Innaha sahla jiddan.You say "apple". It is very easy.
- عمر Omarشكراً لكِ يا سارة.Shukran laki ya Sara.Thank you, Sara.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries كيف, CC BY-SA 4.0.
