قال
qāla/qaː.la/
The English phrase 'said' can be translated into Arabic as قال (qāla).
Meaning: mentioned earlier (adj)
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /qaː.la/. It has two syllables.
Did you know?
- While قال is the standard verb for 'said', if you want to emphasize that someone is 'claiming' or 'alleging' something without necessarily believing it, you might use زعم instead.
- The word قال is part of a root system where changing the vowels can transform 'said' into 'saying' or 'speech', allowing a single root to generate dozens of related words.
- In written Arabic, if you are quoting a long passage, you might see جاء في قوله which literally translates to 'it came in his saying'. This is a formal way to introduce a quote.
Examples in context
- هو من قال ذلك.He said that.This sentence shows how to use قال to indicate someone said something.Tatoeba #10799311 by Amghar, translation #2853910 by Amastan
- أنت من قال ذلك.You're the one who said it.This sentence shows how to use قال to identify the person who said something.Tatoeba #12410613 by dididodo, translation #11816067 by Amastan
- زيري من قال ذلك.Ziri said it.This sentence shows how to use قال in a simple subject-verb structure.Tatoeba #10230925 by Amastan, translation #10206850 by Amastan
- قال محمد: "أنا ذاهب إلى المكتب."Muhammad said, "I am going to the office."
- صرّحت الشركة في بيان رسمي: "سنقوم بتوسعة المشروع."The company stated in an official statement, "We will expand the project."
- قال لي أحمد: "ماذا ستفعل في العطلة؟"Ahmed said to me, "What will you do on vacation?"
- قالت رنا: "حكى لي أحمد عن رحلته إلى البحر."Rana said, "Ahmed told me about his trip to the sea."
- 164 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Omar and Sara are discussing a plan they talked about before.
- عمر Omarهل تتذكرين الموعد قال سابقاً؟Hal tatadhakkarina al-mawdia qala sabiqan?Do you remember the appointment mentioned earlier?
- سارة Saraنعم، أعتقد أنه كان في الساعة الخامسة.Naam, a'taqidu annahu kana fi al-sa'ati al-khamisa.Yes, I think it was at five o'clock.
- عمر Omarأريد التأكد من التفاصيل التي قال.Uridu al-ta'akkuda min al-tafasil allati qala.I want to confirm the details that were said.
- سارة Saraسأراجع الملاحظات وأخبرك يا عمر.Sa-uraji'u al-mulahazat wa ukhbiruka ya Omar.I will check the notes and tell you, Omar.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry قال, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
