قال

Arabic

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /qaː.la/

• Audio

  (file)

  • (Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ʔaːl/
  • (Iraqi) IPA^(key): /ɡaːl/
  • (Moroccan) IPA^(key): /qaːl/

Verb

قَالَ • (qāla) I, non-past يَقُولُ‎ (yaqūlu)

1. to say
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 2:131:

     إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ أَسْلِمْ ۖ قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

     his Lord said to him: "Bow (thy will to Me):" He said: "I bow (my will) to the Lord and Cherisher of the Universe."

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 14:35:

     وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَٰذَا الْبَلَدَ آمِنًا وَاجْنُبْنِي وَبَنِيَّ أَن نَّعْبُدَ الْأَصْنَامَ

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

     And when Abraham said, “My Lord, make this land safe, and spare me and my children from worshiping idols.”

   • 1955, “(Please provide the song title)”, Mahmoud El-Sherif (lyrics), Abdalla Shams El-Din (music)‎^]]:

     قولوا معي قولوا معي
     الله الله الله أكبر

     Say with me! Say with me!
     God, God, God is great!

2. to call (by name)
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 2:154:

     وَلَا تَقُولُوا لِمَن يُقْتَلُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَمْوَاتٌ ۚ بَلْ أَحْيَاءٌ وَلَٰكِن لَّا تَشْعُرُونَ

     walā taqūlū liman yuqtalu fī sabīli l-lahi ʔamwātunbal ʔaḥyāʔun walākin llā tašʕurūna

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 21:60:

     قَالُوا سَمِعْنَا فَتًى يَذْكُرُهُمْ يُقَالُ لَهُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ

     qālū samiʕnā fatan yaḏkuruhum yuqālu lahu ʔibrāhīmu

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

3. to tell
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 24:30:

     قُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ

     qul lilmuʔminīna yaḡuḍḍū min ʔabṣārihim

     Tell the believing men to lower their gaze,...

Conjugation

Related terms

• قَوْل (qawl)
• قِيل (qīl)
• قَوَّال (qawwāl)

References

• Wehr, Hans (1979) “قول”, in J. Milton Cowan, editor, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition, Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, →ISBN

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /qaː.la/

Verb

قَالَ • (qāla) I, non-past يَقِيلُ‎ (yaqīlu)

1. To nap.
2. To do something at noon.
3. To cancel a contract or a promise.

Conjugation

Egyptian Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic قَالَ (qāla).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔaːl/,

This entry needs an audio pronunciation. If you are a native speaker with a microphone, please record this word. The recorded pronunciation will appear here when it's ready.

Verb

قال • (ʔāl) I (non-past يقول (yiʔūl))

1. to say

Conjugation

Hijazi Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic قَالَ (qāla).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡaːl/

Verb

قال • (gāl) I (non-past يِقُول (yigūl))

1. to say

Conjugation

Moroccan Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic قَالَ (qāla).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /qaːl/

Verb

قال • (qāl) I (non-past يقول (yqūl))

1. to say

Conjugation

South Levantine Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic قَالَ (qāla).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Urban) /ʔaːl/,
• IPA^(key): (Bedouin) /ɡaːl/,

• Audio (al-Lidd)

  (file)

Verb

قال • (ʔāl) I (present بقول (biʔūl))

1. (transitive) to say

   Synonym: حكى (ḥaka)

   شو بتقول إمّك؟

   šū bitʔūl ʔimmak?

   What does your mother say?

2. (ditransitive, by extension) to tell

   قلتلّه بدّيش اروح.

   ʔoltillo biddīš arūḥ

   I told him I don't want to go.

Usage notes

• When the conjugation ends in a consonant cluster, the indirect-object marker ـلـ (-l-) is geminated, causing the stress to shift; additionally, the long vowel is reduced to a short vowel. However, this effect takes place as well simply when the indirect-object marker is attached immediately after the final ل of the term.

  شو عم بتقول؟

  šū ʕam bitʔūl?

  What are you saying?

  شو عم بتقلّي؟

  šū ʕam bitʔolli?

  What are you saying to me?

  شو قلتلّي؟

  šū ʔoltilli?

  What did you say to me?

Conjugation