قَالَ
qāla
The Arabic verb for 'to say' is قَالَ (qāla). Wiktionary also lists يَقُول (yaqūl).
Meaning: to communicate verbally or in writing (verb)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| قَالَ | qāla | |
| يَقُول | yaqūl | present |
The verb is used to communicate information verbally or in writing.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the past tense, قُلْتُ means 'I said' and قَالَتْ means 'she said'. For a command directed at a male, use قُلْ ('say'). In the present tense, يَقُول is the standard form, while يَقُولُونَ is used for 'they say' (third-person masculine plural).
How do you pronounce it?
qāla
Did you know?
- In Arabic, the word for 'say' is closely related to the word for 'measuring' or 'evaluating' in certain ancient contexts, linking the act of speaking to the act of judging a value.
- In some dialects, using قَالَ in the present tense can be used sarcastically to mean 'he claims', implying that the speaker does not actually believe what is being said.
- In Classical Arabic, the verb قَالَ is often used to report speech even when the speaker is not physically talking, such as in the phrase 'the heart said', referring to an internal feeling.
Examples in context
- قال إنه حان الوقت للبدءHe said it's time to start
- أبلغته بالأخبار الجيدةI informed him of the good news
- قالت إنه على ما يرامShe said it's okay
- قال الحق ولا يحتاج إلى دليلHe said the truth and it needs no proof
- مَاذَا قَالَ لَكَ الرَّجُلُ؟mādhā qāla laka ar-rajulu?What did the man say to you?
- قَالَ المُدِيرُ إِنَّ الِاجْتِمَاعَ غَدًا.qāla al-mudīru inna al-ijtimā‘a ghadan.The manager said that the meeting is tomorrow.
Example conversation
Layla and Ziad are discussing a message from a colleague.
- ليلى Laylaهَلْ قَالَ زِيَادُ أَيَّ شَيْءٍ؟hal qāla Ziyādu ayya shay'in?Did Ziad say anything?
- زياد Ziadقَالَ إِنَّهُ سَيَتَأَخَّرُ قَلِيلًا.qāla innahu sayata'akh-kharu qalīlan.He said that he will be a little late.
- ليلى Laylaمَاذَا قَالَ أَيْضًا؟mādhā qāla ayḍan?What else did he say?
- زياد Ziadلَمْ يَقُلْ شَيْئًا آخَرَ.lam yaqul shay'an ākhara.He didn't say anything else.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “say” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
