رَجَعَ
rajaʕa
To return in Arabic is to say رَجَعَ (rajaʕa) or عَادَ.
Meaning: to come or go back (verb)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| رَجَعَ | rajaʕa |
| عَادَ | ʕāda |
The verbs are used to express the act of coming or going back. The noun عَوْدَة describes the act of returning or a homecoming.
Which one should you use?
رَجَعَ is the most common way to express returning or going back in both Modern Standard Arabic and most spoken dialects. In contrast, عَادَ is more formal and is often used in literary contexts or to describe returning to a previous state or habit.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form رَجَعَ is the third-person masculine singular past tense, meaning 'he returned'. The noun عَوْدَة is derived from the root of the verb عَادَ.
How do you pronounce it?
rajaʕa
Did you know?
- In many Arabic dialects, the word for 'returning' is used colloquially to mean 'answering' or 'responding' to a person.
- When using رَجَعَ in a religious or poetic context, it can imply a 'repentance', suggesting a person is 'returning' to the right path.
- While عَادَ means 'to return', the same word in some dialects can be used as a filler or a way to say 'again' or 'furthermore', acting more like a discourse marker than a verb.
Examples in context
- رَجَعَ الطَّالِبُ إِلَى المَدْرَسَةِ.raja'a aṭ-ṭālibu ilā al-madrasati.The student returned to school.
- رَجَعَ أَحْمَدُ مِنَ العَمَلِ مُتَأَخِّراً.raja'a aḥmadu mina al-'amali muta'akhiran.Ahmed returned from work late.
- مَتَى رَجَعَ السَّائِحُ إِلَى بَلَدِهِ؟matā raja'a as-sā'iḥu ilā baladihi?When did the tourist return to his country?
Example conversation
Sarah and Ahmed are talking about a friend who went abroad.
- سارة Saraهَلْ رَجَعَ صَدِيقُنا مِن السَّفَرِ؟Hal raja'a sadiquna min as-safari?Did our friend return from the trip?
- أحمد Ahmedنَعَم، رَجَعَ لَيْسَ بَعيداً عَنْنا.Na'am, raja'a laysa ba'idan 'anna.Yes, he returned and is not far from us.
- سارة Saraمَتَى رَجَعَ بِالضَّبْطِ؟Mata raja'a bi-dhabti?When exactly did he return?
- أحمد Ahmedرَجَعَ في الأُسْبوعِ الماضي.Raja'a fi al-usbu'i al-madi.He returned last week.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “return” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
