قَرَأَ
qaraʔa
The English verb "read" is translated into Arabic as قَرَأَ (qaraʔa). Wiktionary also lists قَرَا (gara) and قِري (giri).
Meaning: to look at and interpret letters or other information (verb)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| قَرَأَ | qaraʔa | |
| قَرَا | gara | Hijazi Arabic |
| قِري | giri | Hijazi Arabic |
The verb means to look at and interpret letters or other information.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Hijazi-Arabic dialect, you may encounter the forms قَرَا and قِري.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the past tense 'I read', use قَرَأْتُ by adding the suffix -tu to the root. For the imperfective (present or future) tense, use يَقْرَأُ for 'he reads/is reading' and تَقْرَأُ for 'she reads' or 'you (masculine singular) read'. If you want to give a command to a male listener, use the imperative form اقْرَأْ.
How do you pronounce it?
qaraʔa
Did you know?
- The very first word revealed in the Quran is اقْرَأْ, the imperative command 'read'.
- Depending on the vowel markers, the root of قَرَأَ can relate to 'gathering' or 'assembling' things together, as reading is seen as assembling meaning.
- In many Arabic cultures, reading aloud is often preferred over silent reading because it is seen as a way to activate the meaning of the text.
Examples in context
- أحب قراءة الرواياتI enjoy reading novels
- القراءة توسّع الأفق الثقافيReading expands cultural horizons
- ماذا تقرأ حاليًا؟What are you currently reading?
- قَرَأَ الطَّالِبُ الكِتَابَ.qara'a aṭ-ṭālibu al-kitāb.The student read the book.
- قَرَأَ الرَّجُلُ الرِّسَالَةَ بِعِنَايَةٍ.qara'a ar-rajulu ar-risālata bi-'ināyah.The man read the letter carefully.
- قَرَأَ الوَلَدُ قِصَّةً جَدِيدَةً.qara'a al-waladu qiṣṣatan jadīdah.The boy read a new story.
Example conversation
Sarah and Omar are talking about a news article.
- سارة Saraهل قَرَأَ عمرُ هذا الخبرَ؟Hal qara'a Omaru hadha al-khabara?Did Omar read this news?
- عمر Omarنعم، قَرَأْتُهُ الصباحَ.Na'am, qara'tuhu as-sabaha.Yes, I read it this morning.
- سارة Saraما رأيكَ في الموضوعِ؟Ma ra'yuka fi al-mawdu'i?What is your opinion on the topic?
- عمر Omarإنه موضوعٌ مثيرٌ للاهتمامِ.Innahu mawdu'un muthirun lil-ihtimam.It is an interesting topic.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “read” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
