Conjugation › Arabic › Wajaba / yajibu
Arabic · Verb Tables · Intermediate
وَجَبَ / يَجِبُ (wajaba / yajibu) means "to must" in Arabic. Present: أنا (anā) يَجِبُ أَنْ أَذْهَبَ (yajibu an adhhaba), أنتَ (anta) يَجِبُ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (yajibu an tadhhaba), أنتِ (anti) يَجِبُ أَنْ تَذْهَبِي (yajibu an tadhhabī), هو (huwa) يَجِبُ أَنْ يَذْهَبَ (yajibu an yadhhaba), هي (hiya) يَجِبُ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (yajibu an tadhhaba), نحن (naḥnu) يَجِبُ أَنْ نَذْهَبَ (yajibu an nadhhaba). Below: all 14 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) | يَجِبُ أَنْ أَذْهَبَ (yajibu an adhhaba) |
| أنتَ (anta) | يَجِبُ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (yajibu an tadhhaba) |
| أنتِ (anti) | يَجِبُ أَنْ تَذْهَبِي (yajibu an tadhhabī) |
| هو (huwa) | يَجِبُ أَنْ يَذْهَبَ (yajibu an yadhhaba) |
| هي (hiya) | يَجِبُ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (yajibu an tadhhaba) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | يَجِبُ أَنْ نَذْهَبَ (yajibu an nadhhaba) |
| أنتم (antum) | يَجِبُ أَنْ تَذْهَبُوا (yajibu an tadhhabū) |
| هم (hum) | يَجِبُ أَنْ يَذْهَبُوا (yajibu an yadhhabū) |
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) | يَجِبُ أَنْ أَذْهَبَ (yajibu an adhhaba) |
| أنتَ (anta) | يَجِبُ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (yajibu an tadhhaba) |
| أنتِ (anti) | يَجِبُ أَنْ تَذْهَبِي (yajibu an tadhhabī) |
| هو (huwa) | يَجِبُ أَنْ يَذْهَبَ (yajibu an yadhhaba) |
| هي (hiya) | يَجِبُ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (yajibu an tadhhaba) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | يَجِبُ أَنْ نَذْهَبَ (yajibu an nadhhaba) |
| أنتم (antum) | يَجِبُ أَنْ تَذْهَبُوا (yajibu an tadhhabū) |
| هم (hum) | يَجِبُ أَنْ يَذْهَبُوا (yajibu an yadhhabū) |
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) | وَجَبَ أَنْ أَذْهَبَ (wajaba an adhhaba) |
| أنتَ (anta) | وَجَبَ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (wajaba an tadhhaba) |
| أنتِ (anti) | وَجَبَ أَنْ تَذْهَبِي (wajaba an tadhhabī) |
| هو (huwa) | وَجَبَ أَنْ يَذْهَبَ (wajaba an yadhhaba) |
| هي (hiya) | وَجَبَ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (wajaba an tadhhaba) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | وَجَبَ أَنْ نَذْهَبَ (wajaba an nadhhaba) |
| أنتم (antum) | وَجَبَ أَنْ تَذْهَبُوا (wajaba an tadhhabū) |
| هم (hum) | وَجَبَ أَنْ يَذْهَبُوا (wajaba an yadhhabū) |
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) | كَانَ يَجِبُ أَنْ أَذْهَبَ (kāna yajibu an adhhaba) |
| أنتَ (anta) | كَانَ يَجِبُ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (kāna yajibu an tadhhaba) |
| أنتِ (anti) | كَانَ يَجِبُ أَنْ تَذْهَبِي (kāna yajibu an tadhhabī) |
| هو (huwa) | كَانَ يَجِبُ أَنْ يَذْهَبَ (kāna yajibu an yadhhaba) |
| هي (hiya) | كَانَ يَجِبُ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (kāna yajibu an tadhhaba) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كَانَ يَجِبُ أَنْ نَذْهَبَ (kāna yajibu an nadhhaba) |
| أنتم (antum) | كَانَ يَجِبُ أَنْ تَذْهَبُوا (kāna yajibu an tadhhabū) |
| هم (hum) | كَانَ يَجِبُ أَنْ يَذْهَبُوا (kāna yajibu an yadhhabū) |
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 وَجَبَ أَنْ أَذْهَبَ (qad wajaba an adhhaba) |
| أنتَ (anta) | قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (qad wajaba an tadhhaba) |
| أنتِ (anti) | قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ تَذْهَبِي (qad wajaba an tadhhabī) |
| هو (huwa) | قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ يَذْهَبَ (qad wajaba an yadhhaba) |
| هي (hiya) | قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (qad wajaba an tadhhaba) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ نَذْهَبَ (qad wajaba an nadhhaba) |
| أنتم (antum) | قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ تَذْهَبُوا (qad wajaba an tadhhabū) |
| هم (hum) | قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ يَذْهَبُوا (qad wajaba an yadhhabū) |
Built with kāna (past) + قد (qad) + the past-tense main verb. Matches English 'had written'.
| أنا (anā) | كَانَ قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ أَذْهَبَ (kāna qad wajaba an adhhaba) |
| أنتَ (anta) | كَانَ قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (kāna qad wajaba an tadhhaba) |
| أنتِ (anti) | كَانَ قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ تَذْهَبِي (kāna qad wajaba an tadhhabī) |
| هو (huwa) | كَانَ قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ يَذْهَبَ (kāna qad wajaba an yadhhaba) |
| هي (hiya) | كَانَ قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (kāna qad wajaba an tadhhaba) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كَانَ قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ نَذْهَبَ (kāna qad wajaba an nadhhaba) |
| أنتم (antum) | كَانَ قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ تَذْهَبُوا (kāna qad wajaba an tadhhabū) |
| هم (hum) | كَانَ قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ يَذْهَبُوا (kāna qad wajaba an yadhhabū) |
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) | سَيَجِبُ أَنْ أَذْهَبَ (sayajibu an adhhaba) |
| أنتَ (anta) | سَيَجِبُ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (sayajibu an tadhhaba) |
| أنتِ (anti) | سَيَجِبُ أَنْ تَذْهَبِي (sayajibu an tadhhabī) |
| هو (huwa) | سَيَجِبُ أَنْ يَذْهَبَ (sayajibu an yadhhaba) |
| هي (hiya) | سَيَجِبُ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (sayajibu an tadhhaba) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | سَيَجِبُ أَنْ نَذْهَبَ (sayajibu an nadhhaba) |
| أنتم (antum) | سَيَجِبُ أَنْ تَذْهَبُوا (sayajibu an tadhhabū) |
| هم (hum) | سَيَجِبُ أَنْ يَذْهَبُوا (sayajibu an yadhhabū) |
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 يَجِبُ أَنْ أَذْهَبَ (sawfa yajibu an adhhaba) |
| أنتَ (anta) | سَوْفَ يَجِبُ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (sawfa yajibu an tadhhaba) |
| أنتِ (anti) | سَوْفَ يَجِبُ أَنْ تَذْهَبِي (sawfa yajibu an tadhhabī) |
| هو (huwa) | سَوْفَ يَجِبُ أَنْ يَذْهَبَ (sawfa yajibu an yadhhaba) |
| هي (hiya) | سَوْفَ يَجِبُ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (sawfa yajibu an tadhhaba) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | سَوْفَ يَجِبُ أَنْ نَذْهَبَ (sawfa yajibu an nadhhaba) |
| أنتم (antum) | سَوْفَ يَجِبُ أَنْ تَذْهَبُوا (sawfa yajibu an tadhhabū) |
| هم (hum) | سَوْفَ يَجِبُ أَنْ يَذْهَبُوا (sawfa yajibu an yadhhabū) |
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) | سَيَكُونُ قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ أَذْهَبَ (sa-yakūnu qad wajaba an adhhaba) |
| أنتَ (anta) | سَيَكُونُ قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (sa-yakūnu qad wajaba an tadhhaba) |
| أنتِ (anti) | سَيَكُونُ قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ تَذْهَبِي (sa-yakūnu qad wajaba an tadhhabī) |
| هو (huwa) | سَيَكُونُ قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ يَذْهَبَ (sa-yakūnu qad wajaba an yadhhaba) |
| هي (hiya) | سَيَكُونُ قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (sa-yakūnu qad wajaba an tadhhaba) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | سَيَكُونُ قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ نَذْهَبَ (sa-yakūnu qad wajaba an nadhhaba) |
| أنتم (antum) | سَيَكُونُ قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ تَذْهَبُوا (sa-yakūnu qad wajaba an tadhhabū) |
| هم (hum) | سَيَكُونُ قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ يَذْهَبُوا (sa-yakūnu qad wajaba an yadhhabū) |
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) | كَانَ سَيَجِبُ أَنْ أَذْهَبَ (kāna sayajibu an adhhaba) |
| أنتَ (anta) | كَانَ سَيَجِبُ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (kāna sayajibu an tadhhaba) |
| أنتِ (anti) | كَانَ سَيَجِبُ أَنْ تَذْهَبِي (kāna sayajibu an tadhhabī) |
| هو (huwa) | كَانَ سَيَجِبُ أَنْ يَذْهَبَ (kāna sayajibu an yadhhaba) |
| هي (hiya) | كَانَ سَيَجِبُ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (kāna sayajibu an tadhhaba) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كَانَ سَيَجِبُ أَنْ نَذْهَبَ (kāna sayajibu an nadhhaba) |
| أنتم (antum) | كَانَ سَيَجِبُ أَنْ تَذْهَبُوا (kāna sayajibu an tadhhabū) |
| هم (hum) | كَانَ سَيَجِبُ أَنْ يَذْهَبُوا (kāna sayajibu an yadhhabū) |
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) | كَانَ سَيَكُونُ قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ أَذْهَبَ (kāna sa-yakūnu qad wajaba an adhhaba) |
| أنتَ (anta) | كَانَ سَيَكُونُ قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (kāna sa-yakūnu qad wajaba an tadhhaba) |
| أنتِ (anti) | كَانَ سَيَكُونُ قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ تَذْهَبِي (kāna sa-yakūnu qad wajaba an tadhhabī) |
| هو (huwa) | كَانَ سَيَكُونُ قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ يَذْهَبَ (kāna sa-yakūnu qad wajaba an yadhhaba) |
| هي (hiya) | كَانَ سَيَكُونُ قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (kāna sa-yakūnu qad wajaba an tadhhaba) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كَانَ سَيَكُونُ قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ نَذْهَبَ (kāna sa-yakūnu qad wajaba an nadhhaba) |
| أنتم (antum) | كَانَ سَيَكُونُ قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ تَذْهَبُوا (kāna sa-yakūnu qad wajaba an tadhhabū) |
| هم (hum) | كَانَ سَيَكُونُ قَدْ وَجَبَ أَنْ يَذْهَبُوا (kāna sa-yakūnu qad wajaba an yadhhabū) |
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) | لَنْ يَجِبَ أَنْ أَذْهَبَ (lan yajiba an adhhaba) |
| أنتَ (anta) | لَنْ يَجِبَ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (lan yajiba an tadhhaba) |
| أنتِ (anti) | لَنْ يَجِبَ أَنْ تَذْهَبِي (lan yajiba an tadhhabī) |
| هو (huwa) | لَنْ يَجِبَ أَنْ يَذْهَبَ (lan yajiba an yadhhaba) |
| هي (hiya) | لَنْ يَجِبَ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (lan yajiba an tadhhaba) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | لَنْ يَجِبَ أَنْ نَذْهَبَ (lan yajiba an nadhhaba) |
| أنتم (antum) | لَنْ يَجِبَ أَنْ تَذْهَبُوا (lan yajiba an tadhhabū) |
| هم (hum) | لَنْ يَجِبَ أَنْ يَذْهَبُوا (lan yajiba an yadhhabū) |
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 يَجِبْ أَنْ أَذْهَبَ (lam yajib an adhhaba) |
| أنتَ (anta) | لَمْ يَجِبْ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (lam yajib an tadhhaba) |
| أنتِ (anti) | لَمْ يَجِبْ أَنْ تَذْهَبِي (lam yajib an tadhhabī) |
| هو (huwa) | لَمْ يَجِبْ أَنْ يَذْهَبَ (lam yajib an yadhhaba) |
| هي (hiya) | لَمْ يَجِبْ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (lam yajib an tadhhaba) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | لَمْ يَجِبْ أَنْ نَذْهَبَ (lam yajib an nadhhaba) |
| أنتم (antum) | لَمْ يَجِبْ أَنْ تَذْهَبُوا (lam yajib an tadhhabū) |
| هم (hum) | لَمْ يَجِبْ أَنْ يَذْهَبُوا (lam yajib an yadhhabū) |
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 يَجِبْ أَنْ أَذْهَبَ (in yajib an adhhaba) |
| أنتَ (anta) | إِنْ يَجِبْ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (in yajib an tadhhaba) |
| أنتِ (anti) | إِنْ يَجِبْ أَنْ تَذْهَبِي (in yajib an tadhhabī) |
| هو (huwa) | إِنْ يَجِبْ أَنْ يَذْهَبَ (in yajib an yadhhaba) |
| هي (hiya) | إِنْ يَجِبْ أَنْ تَذْهَبَ (in yajib an tadhhaba) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | إِنْ يَجِبْ أَنْ نَذْهَبَ (in yajib an nadhhaba) |
| أنتم (antum) | إِنْ يَجِبْ أَنْ تَذْهَبُوا (in yajib an tadhhabū) |
| هم (hum) | إِنْ يَجِبْ أَنْ يَذْهَبُوا (in yajib an yadhhabū) |
| يَجِبُ أَنْ أَذْهَبَ إِلَى الْعَمَلِ بَاكِرًا yajibu an adhhaba ilā al-ʿamali bākiran | I must go to work early. |
| وَجَبَ أَنْ نَذْهَبَ فَوْرًا بَعْدَ الِاتِّصَالِ wajaba an nadhhaba fawran baʿda al-ittiṣāli | We had to go immediately after the call. |
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