Conjugation › Arabic › Raʾā / yarā
Arabic · Verb Tables · Intermediate
رَأَى / يَرَى (raʾā / yarā) means "to see" in Arabic. Present: أنا (anā) أَرَى [arā], أنتَ (anta) تَرَى [tarā], أنتِ (anti) تَرَيْنَ [tarayna], هو (huwa) يَرَى [yarā], هي (hiya) تَرَى [tarā], نحن (naḥnu) نَرَى [narā]. 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) | أَرَى [arā] |
| أنتَ (anta) | تَرَى [tarā] |
| أنتِ (anti) | تَرَيْنَ [tarayna] |
| هو (huwa) | يَرَى [yarā] |
| هي (hiya) | تَرَى [tarā] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | نَرَى [narā] |
| أنتم (antum) | تَرَوْنَ [tarawna] |
| هم (hum) | يَرَوْنَ [yarawna] |
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 رائٍ [anā rāʾin] |
| أنتَ (anta) | أَنْتَ رائٍ [anta rāʾin] |
| أنتِ (anti) | أَنْتِ رائِيَةٌ [anti rāʾiyatun] |
| هو (huwa) | هُوَ رائٍ [huwa rāʾin] |
| هي (hiya) | هِيَ رائِيَةٌ [hiya rāʾiyatun] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | نَحْنُ رائُونَ [naḥnu rāʾūna] |
| أنتم (antum) | أَنْتُمْ رائُونَ [antum rāʾūna] |
| هم (hum) | هُمْ رائُونَ [hum rāʾūna] |
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) | رَأَيْتُ [raʾaytu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | رَأَيْتَ [raʾayta] |
| أنتِ (anti) | رَأَيْتِ [raʾayti] |
| هو (huwa) | رَأَى [raʾā] |
| هي (hiya) | رَأَتْ [raʾat] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | رَأَيْنا [raʾaynā] |
| أنتم (antum) | رَأَيْتُمْ [raʾaytum] |
| هم (hum) | رَأَوْا [raʾaw] |
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] أَرَى [arā] |
| أنتَ (anta) | كُنْتَ [kunta] تَرَى [tarā] |
| أنتِ (anti) | كُنْتِ [kunti] تَرَيْنَ [tarayna] |
| هو (huwa) | كانَ [kāna] يَرَى [yarā] |
| هي (hiya) | كانَتْ [kānat] تَرَى [tarā] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كُنّا [kunnā] نَرَى [narā] |
| أنتم (antum) | كُنْتُمْ [kuntum] تَرَوْنَ [tarawna] |
| هم (hum) | كانُوا [kānū] يَرَوْنَ [yarawna] |
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 رَأَيْتُ [qad raʾaytu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | قَدْ رَأَيْتَ [qad raʾayta] |
| أنتِ (anti) | قَدْ رَأَيْتِ [qad raʾayti] |
| هو (huwa) | قَدْ رَأَى [qad raʾā] |
| هي (hiya) | قَدْ رَأَتْ [qad raʾat] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | قَدْ رَأَيْنا [qad raʾaynā] |
| أنتم (antum) | قَدْ رَأَيْتُمْ [qad raʾaytum] |
| هم (hum) | قَدْ رَأَوْا [qad raʾaw] |
Built with kāna (past) + قد (qad) + the past-tense main verb. Matches English 'had written'.
| أنا (anā) | كُنْتُ [kuntu] قَدْ رَأَيْتُ [raʾaytu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | كُنْتَ [kunta] قَدْ رَأَيْتَ [raʾayta] |
| أنتِ (anti) | كُنْتِ [kunti] قَدْ رَأَيْتِ [raʾayti] |
| هو (huwa) | كانَ [kāna] قَدْ رَأَى [raʾā] |
| هي (hiya) | كانَتْ [kānat] قَدْ رَأَتْ [raʾat] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كُنّا [kunnā] قَدْ رَأَيْنا [raʾaynā] |
| أنتم (antum) | كُنْتُمْ [kuntum] قَدْ رَأَيْتُمْ [raʾaytum] |
| هم (hum) | كانُوا [kānū] قَدْ رَأَوْا [raʾaw] |
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) | سَأَرَى [sa'arā] |
| أنتَ (anta) | سَتَرَى [sa-tarā] |
| أنتِ (anti) | سَتَرَيْنَ [sa-tarayna] |
| هو (huwa) | سَيَرَى [sa-yarā] |
| هي (hiya) | سَتَرَى [sa-tarā] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | سَنَرَى [sa-narā] |
| أنتم (antum) | سَتَرَوْنَ [sa-tarawna] |
| هم (hum) | سَيَرَوْنَ [sa-yarawna] |
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 أَرَى [sawfa arā] |
| أنتَ (anta) | سَوْفَ تَرَى [sawfa tarā] |
| أنتِ (anti) | سَوْفَ تَرَيْنَ [sawfa tarayna] |
| هو (huwa) | سَوْفَ يَرَى [sawfa yarā] |
| هي (hiya) | سَوْفَ تَرَى [sawfa tarā] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | سَوْفَ نَرَى [sawfa narā] |
| أنتم (antum) | سَوْفَ تَرَوْنَ [sawfa tarawna] |
| هم (hum) | سَوْفَ يَرَوْنَ [sawfa yarawna] |
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 رَأَيْتُ [raʾaytu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | سَتَكُونُ [sa-takūnu] قَدْ رَأَيْتَ [raʾayta] |
| أنتِ (anti) | سَتَكُونِينَ [sa-takūnīna] قَدْ رَأَيْتِ [raʾayti] |
| هو (huwa) | سَيَكُونُ [sa-yakūnu] قَدْ رَأَى [raʾā] |
| هي (hiya) | سَتَكُونُ [sa-takūnu] قَدْ رَأَتْ [raʾat] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | سَنَكُونُ [sa-nakūnu] قَدْ رَأَيْنا [raʾaynā] |
| أنتم (antum) | سَتَكُونُونَ [sa-takūnūna] قَدْ رَأَيْتُمْ [raʾaytum] |
| هم (hum) | سَيَكُونُونَ [sa-yakūnūna] قَدْ رَأَوْا [raʾaw] |
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] سَأَرَى [sa'arā] |
| أنتَ (anta) | كُنْتَ [kunta] سَتَرَى [sa-tarā] |
| أنتِ (anti) | كُنْتِ [kunti] سَتَرَيْنَ [sa-tarayna] |
| هو (huwa) | كانَ [kāna] سَيَرَى [sa-yarā] |
| هي (hiya) | كانَتْ [kānat] سَتَرَى [sa-tarā] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كُنّا [kunnā] سَنَرَى [sa-narā] |
| أنتم (antum) | كُنْتُمْ [kuntum] سَتَرَوْنَ [sa-tarawna] |
| هم (hum) | كانُوا [kānū] سَيَرَوْنَ [sa-yarawna] |
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 رَأَيْتُ [raʾaytu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | كُنْتَ [kunta] سَتَكُونُ [sa-takūnu] قَدْ رَأَيْتَ [raʾayta] |
| أنتِ (anti) | كُنْتِ [kunti] سَتَكُونِينَ [sa-takūnīna] قَدْ رَأَيْتِ [raʾayti] |
| هو (huwa) | كانَ [kāna] سَيَكُونُ [sa-yakūnu] قَدْ رَأَى [raʾā] |
| هي (hiya) | كانَتْ [kānat] سَتَكُونُ [sa-takūnu] قَدْ رَأَتْ [raʾat] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كُنّا [kunnā] سَنَكُونُ [sa-nakūnu] قَدْ رَأَيْنا [raʾaynā] |
| أنتم (antum) | كُنْتُمْ [kuntum] سَتَكُونُونَ [sa-takūnūna] قَدْ رَأَيْتُمْ [raʾaytum] |
| هم (hum) | كانُوا [kānū] سَيَكُونُونَ [sa-yakūnūna] قَدْ رَأَوْا [raʾaw] |
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 أَرَى [an arā] |
| أنتَ (anta) | أَنْ تَرَى [an tarā] |
| أنتِ (anti) | أَنْ تَرَيْ [an taray] |
| هو (huwa) | أَنْ يَرَى [an yarā] |
| هي (hiya) | أَنْ تَرَى [an tarā] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | أَنْ نَرَى [an narā] |
| أنتم (antum) | أَنْ تَرَوْا [an taraw] |
| هم (hum) | أَنْ يَرَوْا [an yaraw] |
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 أَرَ [lam ara] |
| أنتَ (anta) | لَمْ تَرَ [lam tara] |
| أنتِ (anti) | لَمْ تَرَيْ [lam taray] |
| هو (huwa) | لَمْ يَرَ [lam yara] |
| هي (hiya) | لَمْ تَرَ [lam tara] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | لَمْ نَرَ [lam nara] |
| أنتم (antum) | لَمْ تَرَوْا [lam taraw] |
| هم (hum) | لَمْ يَرَوْا [lam yaraw] |
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 أَرَ [in ara] |
| أنتَ (anta) | إِنْ تَرَ [in tara] |
| أنتِ (anti) | إِنْ تَرَيْ [in taray] |
| هو (huwa) | إِنْ يَرَ [in yara] |
| هي (hiya) | إِنْ تَرَ [in tara] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | إِنْ نَرَ [in nara] |
| أنتم (antum) | إِنْ تَرَوْا [in taraw] |
| هم (hum) | إِنْ يَرَوْا [in yaraw] |
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) | رَ [ra] |
| أنتِ (anti) | رَيْ [ray] |
| هو (huwa) | — |
| هي (hiya) | — |
| نحن (naḥnu) | — |
| أنتم (antum) | رَوْا [raw] |
| 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 تَرَ [lā tara] |
| أنتِ (anti) | لَا تَرَيْ [lā taray] |
| هو (huwa) | — |
| هي (hiya) | — |
| نحن (naḥnu) | — |
| أنتم (antum) | لَا تَرَوْا [lā taraw] |
| هم (hum) | — |
| رَأَيْتُ صَدِيقَكَ فِي السّوقِ. raʾaytu ṣadīqaka fī s-sūqi. | I saw your friend at the market. |
| لَمْ أَرَ هَذا الفِيلْمَ. lam ara hādhā l-fīlma. | I haven't seen this movie. |
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