Conjugation › Arabic › Kāna / yakūnu
Arabic · Verb Tables · Intermediate
كانَ / يَكُونُ (kāna / yakūnu) means "to be" in Arabic. Present: أنا (anā) أَكُونُ [akūnu], أنتَ (anta) تَكُونُ [takūnu], أنتِ (anti) تَكُونِينَ [takūnīna], هو (huwa) يَكُونُ [yakūnu], هي (hiya) تَكُونُ [takūnu], نحن (naḥnu) نَكُونُ [nakūnu]. 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) | أَكُونُ [akūnu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | تَكُونُ [takūnu] |
| أنتِ (anti) | تَكُونِينَ [takūnīna] |
| هو (huwa) | يَكُونُ [yakūnu] |
| هي (hiya) | تَكُونُ [takūnu] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | نَكُونُ [nakūnu] |
| أنتم (antum) | تَكُونُونَ [takūnūna] |
| هم (hum) | يَكُونُونَ [yakūnūna] |
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 كائِنٌ [anā kāʾinun] |
| أنتَ (anta) | أَنْتَ كائِنٌ [anta kāʾinun] |
| أنتِ (anti) | أَنْتِ كائِنَةٌ [anti kāʾinatun] |
| هو (huwa) | هُوَ كائِنٌ [huwa kāʾinun] |
| هي (hiya) | هِيَ كائِنَةٌ [hiya kāʾinatun] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | نَحْنُ كائِنُونَ [naḥnu kāʾinūna] |
| أنتم (antum) | أَنْتُمْ كائِنُونَ [antum kāʾinūna] |
| هم (hum) | هُمْ كائِنُونَ [hum kāʾinūna] |
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) | كُنْتُ [kuntu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | كُنْتَ [kunta] |
| أنتِ (anti) | كُنْتِ [kunti] |
| هو (huwa) | كانَ [kāna] |
| هي (hiya) | كانَتْ [kānat] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كُنّا [kunnā] |
| أنتم (antum) | كُنْتُمْ [kuntum] |
| هم (hum) | كانُوا [kānū] |
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] أَكُونُ [akūnu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | كُنْتَ [kunta] تَكُونُ [takūnu] |
| أنتِ (anti) | كُنْتِ [kunti] تَكُونِينَ [takūnīna] |
| هو (huwa) | كانَ [kāna] يَكُونُ [yakūnu] |
| هي (hiya) | كانَتْ [kānat] تَكُونُ [takūnu] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كُنّا [kunnā] نَكُونُ [nakūnu] |
| أنتم (antum) | كُنْتُمْ [kuntum] تَكُونُونَ [takūnūna] |
| هم (hum) | كانُوا [kānū] يَكُونُونَ [yakūnūna] |
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 كُنْتُ [qad kuntu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | قَدْ كُنْتَ [qad kunta] |
| أنتِ (anti) | قَدْ كُنْتِ [qad kunti] |
| هو (huwa) | قَدْ كانَ [qad kāna] |
| هي (hiya) | قَدْ كانَتْ [qad kānat] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | قَدْ كُنّا [qad kunnā] |
| أنتم (antum) | قَدْ كُنْتُمْ [qad kuntum] |
| هم (hum) | قَدْ كانُوا [qad kānū] |
Built with kāna (past) + قد (qad) + the past-tense main verb. Matches English 'had written'.
| أنا (anā) | كُنْتُ [kuntu] قَدْ كُنْتُ [kuntu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | كُنْتَ [kunta] قَدْ كُنْتَ [kunta] |
| أنتِ (anti) | كُنْتِ [kunti] قَدْ كُنْتِ [kunti] |
| هو (huwa) | كانَ [kāna] قَدْ كانَ [kāna] |
| هي (hiya) | كانَتْ [kānat] قَدْ كانَتْ [kānat] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كُنّا [kunnā] قَدْ كُنّا [kunnā] |
| أنتم (antum) | كُنْتُمْ [kuntum] قَدْ كُنْتُمْ [kuntum] |
| هم (hum) | كانُوا [kānū] قَدْ كانُوا [kānū] |
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) | سَأَكُونُ [sa'akūnu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | سَتَكُونُ [sa-takūnu] |
| أنتِ (anti) | سَتَكُونِينَ [sa-takūnīna] |
| هو (huwa) | سَيَكُونُ [sa-yakūnu] |
| هي (hiya) | سَتَكُونُ [sa-takūnu] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | سَنَكُونُ [sa-nakūnu] |
| أنتم (antum) | سَتَكُونُونَ [sa-takūnūna] |
| هم (hum) | سَيَكُونُونَ [sa-yakūnūna] |
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 أَكُونُ [sawfa akūnu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | سَوْفَ تَكُونُ [sawfa takūnu] |
| أنتِ (anti) | سَوْفَ تَكُونِينَ [sawfa takūnīna] |
| هو (huwa) | سَوْفَ يَكُونُ [sawfa yakūnu] |
| هي (hiya) | سَوْفَ تَكُونُ [sawfa takūnu] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | سَوْفَ نَكُونُ [sawfa nakūnu] |
| أنتم (antum) | سَوْفَ تَكُونُونَ [sawfa takūnūna] |
| هم (hum) | سَوْفَ يَكُونُونَ [sawfa yakūnūna] |
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 كُنْتُ [kuntu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | سَتَكُونُ [sa-takūnu] قَدْ كُنْتَ [kunta] |
| أنتِ (anti) | سَتَكُونِينَ [sa-takūnīna] قَدْ كُنْتِ [kunti] |
| هو (huwa) | سَيَكُونُ [sa-yakūnu] قَدْ كانَ [kāna] |
| هي (hiya) | سَتَكُونُ [sa-takūnu] قَدْ كانَتْ [kānat] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | سَنَكُونُ [sa-nakūnu] قَدْ كُنّا [kunnā] |
| أنتم (antum) | سَتَكُونُونَ [sa-takūnūna] قَدْ كُنْتُمْ [kuntum] |
| هم (hum) | سَيَكُونُونَ [sa-yakūnūna] قَدْ كانُوا [kānū] |
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] سَأَكُونُ [sa'akūnu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | كُنْتَ [kunta] سَتَكُونُ [sa-takūnu] |
| أنتِ (anti) | كُنْتِ [kunti] سَتَكُونِينَ [sa-takūnīna] |
| هو (huwa) | كانَ [kāna] سَيَكُونُ [sa-yakūnu] |
| هي (hiya) | كانَتْ [kānat] سَتَكُونُ [sa-takūnu] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كُنّا [kunnā] سَنَكُونُ [sa-nakūnu] |
| أنتم (antum) | كُنْتُمْ [kuntum] سَتَكُونُونَ [sa-takūnūna] |
| هم (hum) | كانُوا [kānū] سَيَكُونُونَ [sa-yakūnūna] |
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 كُنْتُ [kuntu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | كُنْتَ [kunta] سَتَكُونُ [sa-takūnu] قَدْ كُنْتَ [kunta] |
| أنتِ (anti) | كُنْتِ [kunti] سَتَكُونِينَ [sa-takūnīna] قَدْ كُنْتِ [kunti] |
| هو (huwa) | كانَ [kāna] سَيَكُونُ [sa-yakūnu] قَدْ كانَ [kāna] |
| هي (hiya) | كانَتْ [kānat] سَتَكُونُ [sa-takūnu] قَدْ كانَتْ [kānat] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كُنّا [kunnā] سَنَكُونُ [sa-nakūnu] قَدْ كُنّا [kunnā] |
| أنتم (antum) | كُنْتُمْ [kuntum] سَتَكُونُونَ [sa-takūnūna] قَدْ كُنْتُمْ [kuntum] |
| هم (hum) | كانُوا [kānū] سَيَكُونُونَ [sa-yakūnūna] قَدْ كانُوا [kānū] |
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 أَكُونَ [an akūna] |
| أنتَ (anta) | أَنْ تَكُونَ [an takūna] |
| أنتِ (anti) | أَنْ تَكُونِي [an takūnī] |
| هو (huwa) | أَنْ يَكُونَ [an yakūna] |
| هي (hiya) | أَنْ تَكُونَ [an takūna] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | أَنْ نَكُونَ [an nakūna] |
| أنتم (antum) | أَنْ تَكُونُوا [an takūnū] |
| هم (hum) | أَنْ يَكُونُوا [an yakūnū] |
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 أَكُنْ [lam akun] |
| أنتَ (anta) | لَمْ تَكُنْ [lam takun] |
| أنتِ (anti) | لَمْ تَكُونِي [lam takūnī] |
| هو (huwa) | لَمْ يَكُنْ [lam yakun] |
| هي (hiya) | لَمْ تَكُنْ [lam takun] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | لَمْ نَكُنْ [lam nakun] |
| أنتم (antum) | لَمْ تَكُونُوا [lam takūnū] |
| هم (hum) | لَمْ يَكُونُوا [lam yakūnū] |
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 أَكُنْ [in akun] |
| أنتَ (anta) | إِنْ تَكُنْ [in takun] |
| أنتِ (anti) | إِنْ تَكُونِي [in takūnī] |
| هو (huwa) | إِنْ يَكُنْ [in yakun] |
| هي (hiya) | إِنْ تَكُنْ [in takun] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | إِنْ نَكُنْ [in nakun] |
| أنتم (antum) | إِنْ تَكُونُوا [in takūnū] |
| هم (hum) | إِنْ يَكُونُوا [in yakūnū] |
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) | كُنْ [kun] |
| أنتِ (anti) | كُونِي [kūnī] |
| هو (huwa) | — |
| هي (hiya) | — |
| نحن (naḥnu) | — |
| أنتم (antum) | كُونُوا [kūnū] |
| 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 تَكُنْ [lā takun] |
| أنتِ (anti) | لَا تَكُونِي [lā takūnī] |
| هو (huwa) | — |
| هي (hiya) | — |
| نحن (naḥnu) | — |
| أنتم (antum) | لَا تَكُونُوا [lā takūnū] |
| هم (hum) | — |
| كُنْتُ فِي العَمَلِ أَمْسِ. kuntu fī l-ʿamali amsi. | I was at work yesterday. |
| سَأَكُونُ جاهِزًا بَعْدَ قَلِيلٍ. sa'akūnu jāhizan baʿda qalīlin. | I'll be ready in a bit. |
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