Conjugation › Arabic › ʿāsha / yaʿīshu
Arabic · Verb Tables · Intermediate
عَاشَ / يَعِيشُ (ʿāsha / yaʿīshu) means "to live" in Arabic. Present: أنا (anā) أَعِيشُ (aʿīshu), أنتَ (anta) تَعِيشُ (taʿīshu), أنتِ (anti) تَعِيشِينَ (taʿīshīna), هو (huwa) يَعِيشُ (yaʿīshu), هي (hiya) تَعِيشُ (taʿīshu), نحن (naḥnu) نَعِيشُ (naʿīshu). 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) | أَعِيشُ (aʿīshu) |
| أنتَ (anta) | تَعِيشُ (taʿīshu) |
| أنتِ (anti) | تَعِيشِينَ (taʿīshīna) |
| هو (huwa) | يَعِيشُ (yaʿīshu) |
| هي (hiya) | تَعِيشُ (taʿīshu) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | نَعِيشُ (naʿīshu) |
| أنتم (antum) | تَعِيشُونَ (taʿīshūna) |
| هم (hum) | يَعِيشُونَ (yaʿīshūna) |
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) | أَنَا عَائِشٌ (anā ʿāʾishun) |
| أنتَ (anta) | أَنْتَ عَائِشٌ (anta ʿāʾishun) |
| أنتِ (anti) | أَنْتِ عَائِشَةٌ (anti ʿāʾishatun) |
| هو (huwa) | هُوَ عَائِشٌ (huwa ʿāʾishun) |
| هي (hiya) | هِيَ عَائِشَةٌ (hiya ʿāʾishatun) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | نَحْنُ عَائِشُونَ (naḥnu ʿāʾishūna) |
| أنتم (antum) | أَنْتُمْ عَائِشُونَ (antum ʿāʾishūna) |
| هم (hum) | هُمْ عَائِشُونَ (hum ʿāʾishūna) |
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) | عِشْتُ (ʿishtu) |
| أنتَ (anta) | عِشْتَ (ʿishta) |
| أنتِ (anti) | عِشْتِ (ʿishti) |
| هو (huwa) | عَاشَ (ʿāsha) |
| هي (hiya) | عَاشَتْ (ʿāshat) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | عِشْنَا (ʿishnā) |
| أنتم (antum) | عِشْتُمْ (ʿishtum) |
| هم (hum) | عَاشُوا (ʿāshū) |
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 أَعِيشُ (kuntu aʿīshu) |
| أنتَ (anta) | كُنْتَ تَعِيشُ (kunta taʿīshu) |
| أنتِ (anti) | كُنْتِ تَعِيشِينَ (kunti taʿīshīna) |
| هو (huwa) | كَانَ يَعِيشُ (kāna yaʿīshu) |
| هي (hiya) | كَانَتْ تَعِيشُ (kānat taʿīshu) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كُنَّا نَعِيشُ (kunnā naʿīshu) |
| أنتم (antum) | كُنْتُمْ تَعِيشُونَ (kuntum taʿīshūna) |
| هم (hum) | كَانُوا يَعِيشُونَ (kānū yaʿīshūna) |
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 عِشْتُ (qad ʿishtu) |
| أنتَ (anta) | قَدْ عِشْتَ (qad ʿishta) |
| أنتِ (anti) | قَدْ عِشْتِ (qad ʿishti) |
| هو (huwa) | قَدْ عَاشَ (qad ʿāsha) |
| هي (hiya) | قَدْ عَاشَتْ (qad ʿāshat) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | قَدْ عِشْنَا (qad ʿishnā) |
| أنتم (antum) | قَدْ عِشْتُمْ (qad ʿishtum) |
| هم (hum) | قَدْ عَاشُوا (qad ʿāshū) |
Built with kāna (past) + قد (qad) + the past-tense main verb. Matches English 'had written'.
| أنا (anā) | كُنْتُ قَدْ عِشْتُ (kuntu qad ʿishtu) |
| أنتَ (anta) | كُنْتَ قَدْ عِشْتَ (kunta qad ʿishta) |
| أنتِ (anti) | كُنْتِ قَدْ عِشْتِ (kunti qad ʿishti) |
| هو (huwa) | كَانَ قَدْ عَاشَ (kāna qad ʿāsha) |
| هي (hiya) | كَانَتْ قَدْ عَاشَتْ (kānat qad ʿāshat) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كُنَّا قَدْ عِشْنَا (kunnā qad ʿishnā) |
| أنتم (antum) | كُنْتُمْ قَدْ عِشْتُمْ (kuntum qad ʿishtum) |
| هم (hum) | كَانُوا قَدْ عَاشُوا (kānū qad ʿāshū) |
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) | سَأَعِيشُ (sa'aʿīshu) |
| أنتَ (anta) | سَتَعِيشُ (sataʿīshu) |
| أنتِ (anti) | سَتَعِيشِينَ (sataʿīshīna) |
| هو (huwa) | سَيَعِيشُ (sayaʿīshu) |
| هي (hiya) | سَتَعِيشُ (sataʿīshu) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | سَنَعِيشُ (sanaʿīshu) |
| أنتم (antum) | سَتَعِيشُونَ (sataʿīshūna) |
| هم (hum) | سَيَعِيشُونَ (sayaʿīshūna) |
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 أَعِيشُ (sawfa aʿīshu) |
| أنتَ (anta) | سَوْفَ تَعِيشُ (sawfa taʿīshu) |
| أنتِ (anti) | سَوْفَ تَعِيشِينَ (sawfa taʿīshīna) |
| هو (huwa) | سَوْفَ يَعِيشُ (sawfa yaʿīshu) |
| هي (hiya) | سَوْفَ تَعِيشُ (sawfa taʿīshu) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | سَوْفَ نَعِيشُ (sawfa naʿīshu) |
| أنتم (antum) | سَوْفَ تَعِيشُونَ (sawfa taʿīshūna) |
| هم (hum) | سَوْفَ يَعِيشُونَ (sawfa yaʿīshūna) |
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 قَدْ عِشْتُ (sa'akūnu qad ʿishtu) |
| أنتَ (anta) | سَتَكُونُ قَدْ عِشْتَ (sa-takūnu qad ʿishta) |
| أنتِ (anti) | سَتَكُونِينَ قَدْ عِشْتِ (sa-takūnīna qad ʿishti) |
| هو (huwa) | سَيَكُونُ قَدْ عَاشَ (sa-yakūnu qad ʿāsha) |
| هي (hiya) | سَتَكُونُ قَدْ عَاشَتْ (sa-takūnu qad ʿāshat) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | سَنَكُونُ قَدْ عِشْنَا (sa-nakūnu qad ʿishnā) |
| أنتم (antum) | سَتَكُونُونَ قَدْ عِشْتُمْ (sa-takūnūna qad ʿishtum) |
| هم (hum) | سَيَكُونُونَ قَدْ عَاشُوا (sa-yakūnūna qad ʿāshū) |
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 سَأَعِيشُ (kuntu sa'aʿīshu) |
| أنتَ (anta) | كُنْتَ سَتَعِيشُ (kunta sataʿīshu) |
| أنتِ (anti) | كُنْتِ سَتَعِيشِينَ (kunti sataʿīshīna) |
| هو (huwa) | كَانَ سَيَعِيشُ (kāna sayaʿīshu) |
| هي (hiya) | كَانَتْ سَتَعِيشُ (kānat sataʿīshu) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كُنَّا سَنَعِيشُ (kunnā sanaʿīshu) |
| أنتم (antum) | كُنْتُمْ سَتَعِيشُونَ (kuntum sataʿīshūna) |
| هم (hum) | كَانُوا سَيَعِيشُونَ (kānū sayaʿīshūna) |
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 سَأَكُونُ قَدْ عِشْتُ (kuntu sa'akūnu qad ʿishtu) |
| أنتَ (anta) | كُنْتَ سَتَكُونُ قَدْ عِشْتَ (kunta sa-takūnu qad ʿishta) |
| أنتِ (anti) | كُنْتِ سَتَكُونِينَ قَدْ عِشْتِ (kunti sa-takūnīna qad ʿishti) |
| هو (huwa) | كَانَ سَيَكُونُ قَدْ عَاشَ (kāna sa-yakūnu qad ʿāsha) |
| هي (hiya) | كَانَتْ سَتَكُونُ قَدْ عَاشَتْ (kānat sa-takūnu qad ʿāshat) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كُنَّا سَنَكُونُ قَدْ عِشْنَا (kunnā sa-nakūnu qad ʿishnā) |
| أنتم (antum) | كُنْتُمْ سَتَكُونُونَ قَدْ عِشْتُمْ (kuntum sa-takūnūna qad ʿishtum) |
| هم (hum) | كَانُوا سَيَكُونُونَ قَدْ عَاشُوا (kānū sa-yakūnūna qad ʿāshū) |
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 أَعِيشَ (an aʿīsha) |
| أنتَ (anta) | أَنْ تَعِيشَ (an taʿīsha) |
| أنتِ (anti) | أَنْ تَعِيشِي (an taʿīshī) |
| هو (huwa) | أَنْ يَعِيشَ (an yaʿīsha) |
| هي (hiya) | أَنْ تَعِيشَ (an taʿīsha) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | أَنْ نَعِيشَ (an naʿīsha) |
| أنتم (antum) | أَنْ تَعِيشُوا (an taʿīshū) |
| هم (hum) | أَنْ يَعِيشُوا (an yaʿīshū) |
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 أَعِشْ (lam aʿish) |
| أنتَ (anta) | لَمْ تَعِشْ (lam taʿish) |
| أنتِ (anti) | لَمْ تَعِيشِي (lam taʿīshī) |
| هو (huwa) | لَمْ يَعِشْ (lam yaʿish) |
| هي (hiya) | لَمْ تَعِشْ (lam taʿish) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | لَمْ نَعِشْ (lam naʿish) |
| أنتم (antum) | لَمْ تَعِيشُوا (lam taʿīshū) |
| هم (hum) | لَمْ يَعِيشُوا (lam yaʿīshū) |
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 أَعِشْ (in aʿish) |
| أنتَ (anta) | إِنْ تَعِشْ (in taʿish) |
| أنتِ (anti) | إِنْ تَعِيشِي (in taʿīshī) |
| هو (huwa) | إِنْ يَعِشْ (in yaʿish) |
| هي (hiya) | إِنْ تَعِشْ (in taʿish) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | إِنْ نَعِشْ (in naʿish) |
| أنتم (antum) | إِنْ تَعِيشُوا (in taʿīshū) |
| هم (hum) | إِنْ يَعِيشُوا (in yaʿīshū) |
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) | عِشْ (ʿish) |
| أنتِ (anti) | عِيشِي (ʿīshī) |
| هو (huwa) | — |
| هي (hiya) | — |
| نحن (naḥnu) | — |
| أنتم (antum) | عِيشُوا (ʿīshū) |
| 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 تَعِشْ (lā taʿish) |
| أنتِ (anti) | لَا تَعِيشِي (lā taʿīshī) |
| هو (huwa) | — |
| هي (hiya) | — |
| نحن (naḥnu) | — |
| أنتم (antum) | لَا تَعِيشُوا (lā taʿīshū) |
| هم (hum) | — |
| أَعِيشُ فِي الْقَاهِرَةِ مُنْذُ سَنَتَيْنِ aʿīshu fī al-qāhirati mundhu sanatayni | I have been living in Cairo for two years. |
| عِشْنَا فِي بَاريس عِنْدَمَا كُنَّا صِغَارًا ʿishnā fī bārīs ʿindamā kunnā ṣighāran | We lived in Paris when we were young. |
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