Conjugation › Arabic › ʿalima / yaʿlamu
Arabic · Verb Tables · Intermediate
عَلِمَ / يَعْلَمُ (ʿalima / yaʿlamu) means "to know" in Arabic. Present: أنا (anā) أَعْلَمُ [aʿlamu], أنتَ (anta) تَعْلَمُ [taʿlamu], أنتِ (anti) تَعْلَمِينَ [taʿlamīna], هو (huwa) يَعْلَمُ [yaʿlamu], هي (hiya) تَعْلَمُ [taʿlamu], نحن (naḥnu) نَعْلَمُ [naʿlamu]. Below: all 16 tenses we teach, with examples.
The present (imperfect) stem takes a person prefix and, for 'you (f.)' and the plurals, a suffix, plus the indicative ending -u (dropped in casual speech). Covers English simple present and present continuous alike ('I write' / 'I am writing') — Arabic does not force a choice between them.
| أنا (anā) | أَعْلَمُ [aʿlamu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | تَعْلَمُ [taʿlamu] |
| أنتِ (anti) | تَعْلَمِينَ [taʿlamīna] |
| هو (huwa) | يَعْلَمُ [yaʿlamu] |
| هي (hiya) | تَعْلَمُ [taʿlamu] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | نَعْلَمُ [naʿlamu] |
| أنتم (antum) | تَعْلَمُونَ [taʿlamūna] |
| هم (hum) | يَعْلَمُونَ [yaʿlamūna] |
Arabic has no separate progressive verb form; ongoing action is normally just the plain present above. To stress 'right now', speakers instead use the active participle (ism al-fāʿil, here kātib 'writing') as the predicate; it agrees like an adjective (gender/number), not by person, so 'I' and 'you (m.)' share the masculine form shown here and 'she' takes the feminine kātibatun.
| أنا (anā) | أَنا عالِمٌ [anā ʿālimun] |
| أنتَ (anta) | أَنْتَ عالِمٌ [anta ʿālimun] |
| أنتِ (anti) | أَنْتِ عالِمَةٌ [anti ʿālimatun] |
| هو (huwa) | هُوَ عالِمٌ [huwa ʿālimun] |
| هي (hiya) | هِيَ عالِمَةٌ [hiya ʿālimatun] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | نَحْنُ عالِمُونَ [naḥnu ʿālimūna] |
| أنتم (antum) | أَنْتُمْ عالِمُونَ [antum ʿālimūna] |
| هم (hum) | هُمْ عالِمُونَ [hum ʿālimūna] |
The past (perfect) stem takes only suffixes for person, gender and number; there is no prefix. Used for any completed action, corresponding to both English simple past ('I wrote') and, in most contexts, present perfect ('I have written').
| أنا (anā) | عَلِمْتُ [ʿalimtu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | عَلِمْتَ [ʿalimta] |
| أنتِ (anti) | عَلِمْتِ [ʿalimti] |
| هو (huwa) | عَلِمَ [ʿalima] |
| هي (hiya) | عَلِمَتْ [ʿalimat] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | عَلِمْنا [ʿalimnā] |
| أنتم (antum) | عَلِمْتُمْ [ʿalimtum] |
| هم (hum) | عَلِمُوا [ʿalimū] |
No single-word imperfect exists; it is built with kāna (to be, conjugated in the past) followed by the plain present tense of the main verb. Matches English 'was writing' or 'used to write'.
| أنا (anā) | كُنْتُ [kuntu] أَعْلَمُ [aʿlamu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | كُنْتَ [kunta] تَعْلَمُ [taʿlamu] |
| أنتِ (anti) | كُنْتِ [kunti] تَعْلَمِينَ [taʿlamīna] |
| هو (huwa) | كانَ [kāna] يَعْلَمُ [yaʿlamu] |
| هي (hiya) | كانَتْ [kānat] تَعْلَمُ [taʿlamu] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كُنّا [kunnā] نَعْلَمُ [naʿlamu] |
| أنتم (antum) | كُنْتُمْ [kuntum] تَعْلَمُونَ [taʿlamūna] |
| هم (hum) | كانُوا [kānū] يَعْلَمُونَ [yaʿlamūna] |
MSA does not distinguish 'I wrote' from 'I have written' morphologically — both are the simple past. The particle قد (qad) placed before the past verb adds the nuance of a completed action with present relevance ('have indeed done'), common in news and formal writing.
| أنا (anā) | قَدْ عَلِمْتُ [qad ʿalimtu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | قَدْ عَلِمْتَ [qad ʿalimta] |
| أنتِ (anti) | قَدْ عَلِمْتِ [qad ʿalimti] |
| هو (huwa) | قَدْ عَلِمَ [qad ʿalima] |
| هي (hiya) | قَدْ عَلِمَتْ [qad ʿalimat] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | قَدْ عَلِمْنا [qad ʿalimnā] |
| أنتم (antum) | قَدْ عَلِمْتُمْ [qad ʿalimtum] |
| هم (hum) | قَدْ عَلِمُوا [qad ʿalimū] |
Built with kāna (past) + قد (qad) + the past-tense main verb. Matches English 'had written'.
| أنا (anā) | كُنْتُ [kuntu] قَدْ عَلِمْتُ [ʿalimtu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | كُنْتَ [kunta] قَدْ عَلِمْتَ [ʿalimta] |
| أنتِ (anti) | كُنْتِ [kunti] قَدْ عَلِمْتِ [ʿalimti] |
| هو (huwa) | كانَ [kāna] قَدْ عَلِمَ [ʿalima] |
| هي (hiya) | كانَتْ [kānat] قَدْ عَلِمَتْ [ʿalimat] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كُنّا [kunnā] قَدْ عَلِمْنا [ʿalimnā] |
| أنتم (antum) | كُنْتُمْ [kuntum] قَدْ عَلِمْتُمْ [ʿalimtum] |
| هم (hum) | كانُوا [kānū] قَدْ عَلِمُوا [ʿalimū] |
Formed by attaching the prefix سَـ (sa-) directly to the present-tense verb. Used for something the speaker sees as fairly soon or certain — the everyday way to say 'will'.
| أنا (anā) | سَأَعْلَمُ [sa'aʿlamu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | سَتَعْلَمُ [sa-taʿlamu] |
| أنتِ (anti) | سَتَعْلَمِينَ [sa-taʿlamīna] |
| هو (huwa) | سَيَعْلَمُ [sa-yaʿlamu] |
| هي (hiya) | سَتَعْلَمُ [sa-taʿlamu] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | سَنَعْلَمُ [sa-naʿlamu] |
| أنتم (antum) | سَتَعْلَمُونَ [sa-taʿlamūna] |
| هم (hum) | سَيَعْلَمُونَ [sa-yaʿlamūna] |
Formed with the separate word سوف (sawfa) before the present-tense verb instead of the attached سـ. Textbooks treat it as interchangeable with the near future, just a shade more formal or more distant/emphatic.
| أنا (anā) | سَوْفَ أَعْلَمُ [sawfa aʿlamu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُ [sawfa taʿlamu] |
| أنتِ (anti) | سَوْفَ تَعْلَمِينَ [sawfa taʿlamīna] |
| هو (huwa) | سَوْفَ يَعْلَمُ [sawfa yaʿlamu] |
| هي (hiya) | سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُ [sawfa taʿlamu] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | سَوْفَ نَعْلَمُ [sawfa naʿlamu] |
| أنتم (antum) | سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ [sawfa taʿlamūna] |
| هم (hum) | سَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ [sawfa yaʿlamūna] |
Built with سَـ + kūn (the future of kāna) + قد (qad) + the past-tense main verb. Matches English 'will have written'; mainly seen in formal or written registers.
| أنا (anā) | سَأَكُونُ [sa'akūnu] قَدْ عَلِمْتُ [ʿalimtu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | سَتَكُونُ [sa-takūnu] قَدْ عَلِمْتَ [ʿalimta] |
| أنتِ (anti) | سَتَكُونِينَ [sa-takūnīna] قَدْ عَلِمْتِ [ʿalimti] |
| هو (huwa) | سَيَكُونُ [sa-yakūnu] قَدْ عَلِمَ [ʿalima] |
| هي (hiya) | سَتَكُونُ [sa-takūnu] قَدْ عَلِمَتْ [ʿalimat] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | سَنَكُونُ [sa-nakūnu] قَدْ عَلِمْنا [ʿalimnā] |
| أنتم (antum) | سَتَكُونُونَ [sa-takūnūna] قَدْ عَلِمْتُمْ [ʿalimtum] |
| هم (hum) | سَيَكُونُونَ [sa-yakūnūna] قَدْ عَلِمُوا [ʿalimū] |
MSA has no distinct conditional mood. 'Would' in a statement (often reported speech, 'he said he would write') is expressed with kāna (past) + the sa- future: kāna sa-yaktubu, literally 'he was going to write'. Real hypothetical 'if... would' sentences use a different construction (see Conditional sentences in Grammar).
| أنا (anā) | كُنْتُ [kuntu] سَأَعْلَمُ [sa'aʿlamu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | كُنْتَ [kunta] سَتَعْلَمُ [sa-taʿlamu] |
| أنتِ (anti) | كُنْتِ [kunti] سَتَعْلَمِينَ [sa-taʿlamīna] |
| هو (huwa) | كانَ [kāna] سَيَعْلَمُ [sa-yaʿlamu] |
| هي (hiya) | كانَتْ [kānat] سَتَعْلَمُ [sa-taʿlamu] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كُنّا [kunnā] سَنَعْلَمُ [sa-naʿlamu] |
| أنتم (antum) | كُنْتُمْ [kuntum] سَتَعْلَمُونَ [sa-taʿlamūna] |
| هم (hum) | كانُوا [kānū] سَيَعْلَمُونَ [sa-yaʿlamūna] |
A heavy, mostly written/bookish compound — kāna (past) + sa-akūnu (future of kāna) + qad + the past main verb — for 'would have written'. In practice, most speakers avoid it and rephrase with a لو (law, 'if only') hypothetical sentence instead (see Conditional sentences in Grammar).
| أنا (anā) | كُنْتُ [kuntu] سَأَكُونُ [sa'akūnu] قَدْ عَلِمْتُ [ʿalimtu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | كُنْتَ [kunta] سَتَكُونُ [sa-takūnu] قَدْ عَلِمْتَ [ʿalimta] |
| أنتِ (anti) | كُنْتِ [kunti] سَتَكُونِينَ [sa-takūnīna] قَدْ عَلِمْتِ [ʿalimti] |
| هو (huwa) | كانَ [kāna] سَيَكُونُ [sa-yakūnu] قَدْ عَلِمَ [ʿalima] |
| هي (hiya) | كانَتْ [kānat] سَتَكُونُ [sa-takūnu] قَدْ عَلِمَتْ [ʿalimat] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كُنّا [kunnā] سَنَكُونُ [sa-nakūnu] قَدْ عَلِمْنا [ʿalimnā] |
| أنتم (antum) | كُنْتُمْ [kuntum] سَتَكُونُونَ [sa-takūnūna] قَدْ عَلِمْتُمْ [ʿalimtum] |
| هم (hum) | كانُوا [kānū] سَيَكُونُونَ [sa-yakūnūna] قَدْ عَلِمُوا [ʿalimū] |
The present stem changes its final ending (marfūʿ -u becomes manṣūb -a, and the nūn of taktubīna/taktubūna/yaktubūna is dropped) after linking particles: أَنْ (an, 'to', joining two verbs), لَنْ (lan, 'will not' — the standard way to negate the future), and كَيْ/لِكَيْ (kay/likay, 'so that') or حَتَّى (ḥattā, 'in order to/until') for purpose.
| أنا (anā) | أَنْ أَعْلَمَ [an aʿlama] |
| أنتَ (anta) | أَنْ تَعْلَمَ [an taʿlama] |
| أنتِ (anti) | أَنْ تَعْلَمِي [an taʿlamī] |
| هو (huwa) | أَنْ يَعْلَمَ [an yaʿlama] |
| هي (hiya) | أَنْ تَعْلَمَ [an taʿlama] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | أَنْ نَعْلَمَ [an naʿlama] |
| أنتم (antum) | أَنْ تَعْلَمُوا [an taʿlamū] |
| هم (hum) | أَنْ يَعْلَمُوا [an yaʿlamū] |
The jussive drops the present tense's final short vowel or nūn ending. Placed after لَمْ (lam, 'did not'), it is the standard formal way to negate a past action — more common in writing than negating the perfect verb with مَا.
| أنا (anā) | لَمْ أَعْلَمْ [lam aʿlam] |
| أنتَ (anta) | لَمْ تَعْلَمْ [lam taʿlam] |
| أنتِ (anti) | لَمْ تَعْلَمِي [lam taʿlamī] |
| هو (huwa) | لَمْ يَعْلَمْ [lam yaʿlam] |
| هي (hiya) | لَمْ تَعْلَمْ [lam taʿlam] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | لَمْ نَعْلَمْ [lam naʿlam] |
| أنتم (antum) | لَمْ تَعْلَمُوا [lam taʿlamū] |
| هم (hum) | لَمْ يَعْلَمُوا [lam yaʿlamū] |
After إِنْ (in, 'if'), both the if-clause verb and the result-clause verb take the jussive. This is the main B1–B2 way to build a real, likely conditional ('if you do X, Y will happen'), corresponding to English 'if + present, will + verb'.
| أنا (anā) | إِنْ أَعْلَمْ [in aʿlam] |
| أنتَ (anta) | إِنْ تَعْلَمْ [in taʿlam] |
| أنتِ (anti) | إِنْ تَعْلَمِي [in taʿlamī] |
| هو (huwa) | إِنْ يَعْلَمْ [in yaʿlam] |
| هي (hiya) | إِنْ تَعْلَمْ [in taʿlam] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | إِنْ نَعْلَمْ [in naʿlam] |
| أنتم (antum) | إِنْ تَعْلَمُوا [in taʿlamū] |
| هم (hum) | إِنْ يَعْلَمُوا [in yaʿlamū] |
Built from the jussive stem: drop the person prefix, and if the stem then starts with two consonants, add a helping alif (اُ-/اِ-) at the front, pronounced with a short u or i. Only exists for the three 'you' forms; other persons use a linking particle instead (e.g. لِيَكْتُبْ, li-yaktub, 'let him write' — not covered at this level).
| أنا (anā) | — |
| أنتَ (anta) | اِعْلَمْ [iʿlam] |
| أنتِ (anti) | اِعْلَمِي [iʿlamī] |
| هو (huwa) | — |
| هي (hiya) | — |
| نحن (naḥnu) | — |
| أنتم (antum) | اِعْلَمُوا [iʿlamū] |
| هم (hum) | — |
Negative commands are not a separate verb form: they are simply لَا (lā, 'don't') plus the jussive of the same 'you' forms used in the affirmative imperative, unlike English, which reuses the plain verb ('write' → 'don't write').
| أنا (anā) | — |
| أنتَ (anta) | لَا تَعْلَمْ [lā taʿlam] |
| أنتِ (anti) | لَا تَعْلَمِي [lā taʿlamī] |
| هو (huwa) | — |
| هي (hiya) | — |
| نحن (naḥnu) | — |
| أنتم (antum) | لَا تَعْلَمُوا [lā taʿlamū] |
| هم (hum) | — |
| أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ المَكْتَبَ مُغْلَقٌ اليَوْمَ. aʿlamu anna l-maktaba mughlaqun al-yawma. | I know (the fact) that the office is closed today. |
| لَمْ أَعْلَمْ بِذَلِكَ. lam aʿlam bi-dhālika. | I didn't know about that. |
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