Conjugation › Arabic › Waqaʿa / yaqaʿu
Arabic · Verb Tables · Intermediate
وَقَعَ / يَقَعُ (waqaʿa / yaqaʿu) means "to fall" in Arabic. Present: أنا (anā) أَقَعُ (aqaʿu), أنتَ (anta) تَقَعُ (taqaʿu), أنتِ (anti) تَقَعِينَ (taqaʿīna), هو (huwa) يَقَعُ (yaqaʿu), هي (hiya) تَقَعُ (taqaʿu), نحن (naḥnu) نَقَعُ (naqaʿu). 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) | أَقَعُ (aqaʿu) |
| أنتَ (anta) | تَقَعُ (taqaʿu) |
| أنتِ (anti) | تَقَعِينَ (taqaʿīna) |
| هو (huwa) | يَقَعُ (yaqaʿu) |
| هي (hiya) | تَقَعُ (taqaʿu) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | نَقَعُ (naqaʿu) |
| أنتم (antum) | تَقَعُونَ (taqaʿūna) |
| هم (hum) | يَقَعُونَ (yaqaʿūna) |
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 وَاقِعٌ (anā wāqiʿun) |
| أنتَ (anta) | أَنْتَ وَاقِعٌ (anta wāqiʿun) |
| أنتِ (anti) | أَنْتِ وَاقِعَةٌ (anti wāqiʿatun) |
| هو (huwa) | هُوَ وَاقِعٌ (huwa wāqiʿun) |
| هي (hiya) | هِيَ وَاقِعَةٌ (hiya wāqiʿatun) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | نَحْنُ وَاقِعُونَ (naḥnu wāqiʿūna) |
| أنتم (antum) | أَنْتُمْ وَاقِعُونَ (antum wāqiʿūna) |
| هم (hum) | هُمْ وَاقِعُونَ (hum wāqiʿūna) |
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) | وَقَعْتُ (waqaʿtu) |
| أنتَ (anta) | وَقَعْتَ (waqaʿta) |
| أنتِ (anti) | وَقَعْتِ (waqaʿti) |
| هو (huwa) | وَقَعَ (waqaʿa) |
| هي (hiya) | وَقَعَتْ (waqaʿat) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | وَقَعْنَا (waqaʿnā) |
| أنتم (antum) | وَقَعْتُمْ (waqaʿtum) |
| هم (hum) | وَقَعُوا (waqaʿū) |
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 أَقَعُ (kuntu aqaʿu) |
| أنتَ (anta) | كُنْتَ تَقَعُ (kunta taqaʿu) |
| أنتِ (anti) | كُنْتِ تَقَعِينَ (kunti taqaʿīna) |
| هو (huwa) | كَانَ يَقَعُ (kāna yaqaʿu) |
| هي (hiya) | كَانَتْ تَقَعُ (kānat taqaʿu) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كُنَّا نَقَعُ (kunnā naqaʿu) |
| أنتم (antum) | كُنْتُمْ تَقَعُونَ (kuntum taqaʿūna) |
| هم (hum) | كَانُوا يَقَعُونَ (kānū yaqaʿūna) |
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 وَقَعْتُ (qad waqaʿtu) |
| أنتَ (anta) | قَدْ وَقَعْتَ (qad waqaʿta) |
| أنتِ (anti) | قَدْ وَقَعْتِ (qad waqaʿti) |
| هو (huwa) | قَدْ وَقَعَ (qad waqaʿa) |
| هي (hiya) | قَدْ وَقَعَتْ (qad waqaʿat) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | قَدْ وَقَعْنَا (qad waqaʿnā) |
| أنتم (antum) | قَدْ وَقَعْتُمْ (qad waqaʿtum) |
| هم (hum) | قَدْ وَقَعُوا (qad waqaʿū) |
Built with kāna (past) + قد (qad) + the past-tense main verb. Matches English 'had written'.
| أنا (anā) | كُنْتُ قَدْ وَقَعْتُ (kuntu qad waqaʿtu) |
| أنتَ (anta) | كُنْتَ قَدْ وَقَعْتَ (kunta qad waqaʿta) |
| أنتِ (anti) | كُنْتِ قَدْ وَقَعْتِ (kunti qad waqaʿti) |
| هو (huwa) | كَانَ قَدْ وَقَعَ (kāna qad waqaʿa) |
| هي (hiya) | كَانَتْ قَدْ وَقَعَتْ (kānat qad waqaʿat) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كُنَّا قَدْ وَقَعْنَا (kunnā qad waqaʿnā) |
| أنتم (antum) | كُنْتُمْ قَدْ وَقَعْتُمْ (kuntum qad waqaʿtum) |
| هم (hum) | كَانُوا قَدْ وَقَعُوا (kānū qad waqaʿū) |
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) | سَأَقَعُ (sa'aqaʿu) |
| أنتَ (anta) | سَتَقَعُ (sataqaʿu) |
| أنتِ (anti) | سَتَقَعِينَ (sataqaʿīna) |
| هو (huwa) | سَيَقَعُ (sayaqaʿu) |
| هي (hiya) | سَتَقَعُ (sataqaʿu) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | سَنَقَعُ (sanaqaʿu) |
| أنتم (antum) | سَتَقَعُونَ (sataqaʿūna) |
| هم (hum) | سَيَقَعُونَ (sayaqaʿūna) |
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 أَقَعُ (sawfa aqaʿu) |
| أنتَ (anta) | سَوْفَ تَقَعُ (sawfa taqaʿu) |
| أنتِ (anti) | سَوْفَ تَقَعِينَ (sawfa taqaʿīna) |
| هو (huwa) | سَوْفَ يَقَعُ (sawfa yaqaʿu) |
| هي (hiya) | سَوْفَ تَقَعُ (sawfa taqaʿu) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | سَوْفَ نَقَعُ (sawfa naqaʿu) |
| أنتم (antum) | سَوْفَ تَقَعُونَ (sawfa taqaʿūna) |
| هم (hum) | سَوْفَ يَقَعُونَ (sawfa yaqaʿūna) |
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 وَقَعْتُ (sa'akūnu qad waqaʿtu) |
| أنتَ (anta) | سَتَكُونُ قَدْ وَقَعْتَ (sa-takūnu qad waqaʿta) |
| أنتِ (anti) | سَتَكُونِينَ قَدْ وَقَعْتِ (sa-takūnīna qad waqaʿti) |
| هو (huwa) | سَيَكُونُ قَدْ وَقَعَ (sa-yakūnu qad waqaʿa) |
| هي (hiya) | سَتَكُونُ قَدْ وَقَعَتْ (sa-takūnu qad waqaʿat) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | سَنَكُونُ قَدْ وَقَعْنَا (sa-nakūnu qad waqaʿnā) |
| أنتم (antum) | سَتَكُونُونَ قَدْ وَقَعْتُمْ (sa-takūnūna qad waqaʿtum) |
| هم (hum) | سَيَكُونُونَ قَدْ وَقَعُوا (sa-yakūnūna qad waqaʿū) |
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 سَأَقَعُ (kuntu sa'aqaʿu) |
| أنتَ (anta) | كُنْتَ سَتَقَعُ (kunta sataqaʿu) |
| أنتِ (anti) | كُنْتِ سَتَقَعِينَ (kunti sataqaʿīna) |
| هو (huwa) | كَانَ سَيَقَعُ (kāna sayaqaʿu) |
| هي (hiya) | كَانَتْ سَتَقَعُ (kānat sataqaʿu) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كُنَّا سَنَقَعُ (kunnā sanaqaʿu) |
| أنتم (antum) | كُنْتُمْ سَتَقَعُونَ (kuntum sataqaʿūna) |
| هم (hum) | كَانُوا سَيَقَعُونَ (kānū sayaqaʿūna) |
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 وَقَعْتُ (kuntu sa'akūnu qad waqaʿtu) |
| أنتَ (anta) | كُنْتَ سَتَكُونُ قَدْ وَقَعْتَ (kunta sa-takūnu qad waqaʿta) |
| أنتِ (anti) | كُنْتِ سَتَكُونِينَ قَدْ وَقَعْتِ (kunti sa-takūnīna qad waqaʿti) |
| هو (huwa) | كَانَ سَيَكُونُ قَدْ وَقَعَ (kāna sa-yakūnu qad waqaʿa) |
| هي (hiya) | كَانَتْ سَتَكُونُ قَدْ وَقَعَتْ (kānat sa-takūnu qad waqaʿat) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كُنَّا سَنَكُونُ قَدْ وَقَعْنَا (kunnā sa-nakūnu qad waqaʿnā) |
| أنتم (antum) | كُنْتُمْ سَتَكُونُونَ قَدْ وَقَعْتُمْ (kuntum sa-takūnūna qad waqaʿtum) |
| هم (hum) | كَانُوا سَيَكُونُونَ قَدْ وَقَعُوا (kānū sa-yakūnūna qad waqaʿū) |
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 أَقَعَ (an aqaʿa) |
| أنتَ (anta) | أَنْ تَقَعَ (an taqaʿa) |
| أنتِ (anti) | أَنْ تَقَعِي (an taqaʿī) |
| هو (huwa) | أَنْ يَقَعَ (an yaqaʿa) |
| هي (hiya) | أَنْ تَقَعَ (an taqaʿa) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | أَنْ نَقَعَ (an naqaʿa) |
| أنتم (antum) | أَنْ تَقَعُوا (an taqaʿū) |
| هم (hum) | أَنْ يَقَعُوا (an yaqaʿū) |
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 أَقَعْ (lam aqaʿ) |
| أنتَ (anta) | لَمْ تَقَعْ (lam taqaʿ) |
| أنتِ (anti) | لَمْ تَقَعِي (lam taqaʿī) |
| هو (huwa) | لَمْ يَقَعْ (lam yaqaʿ) |
| هي (hiya) | لَمْ تَقَعْ (lam taqaʿ) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | لَمْ نَقَعْ (lam naqaʿ) |
| أنتم (antum) | لَمْ تَقَعُوا (lam taqaʿū) |
| هم (hum) | لَمْ يَقَعُوا (lam yaqaʿū) |
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 أَقَعْ (in aqaʿ) |
| أنتَ (anta) | إِنْ تَقَعْ (in taqaʿ) |
| أنتِ (anti) | إِنْ تَقَعِي (in taqaʿī) |
| هو (huwa) | إِنْ يَقَعْ (in yaqaʿ) |
| هي (hiya) | إِنْ تَقَعْ (in taqaʿ) |
| نحن (naḥnu) | إِنْ نَقَعْ (in naqaʿ) |
| أنتم (antum) | إِنْ تَقَعُوا (in taqaʿū) |
| هم (hum) | إِنْ يَقَعُوا (in yaqaʿū) |
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) | قَعْ (qaʿ) |
| أنتِ (anti) | قَعِي (qaʿī) |
| هو (huwa) | — |
| هي (hiya) | — |
| نحن (naḥnu) | — |
| أنتم (antum) | قَعُوا (qaʿū) |
| 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 تَقَعْ (lā taqaʿ) |
| أنتِ (anti) | لَا تَقَعِي (lā taqaʿī) |
| هو (huwa) | — |
| هي (hiya) | — |
| نحن (naḥnu) | — |
| أنتم (antum) | لَا تَقَعُوا (lā taqaʿū) |
| هم (hum) | — |
| أَقَعُ كَثِيرًا عِنْدَمَا أَتَزَلَّجُ aqaʿu kathīran ʿindamā atazallaju | I fall a lot when I ski. |
| وَقَعَتْ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ وَجُرِحَتْ waqaʿat ʿalā al-arḍi wa-juriḥat | She fell on the ground and got hurt. |
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