Lesson 12 · يَذْهَبُ
Now and every day: I go, he goes
The present tense adds a letter at the front of the verb: يَذْهَبُ (yadh-habu) means “he goes” or “he is going”. That first letter tells you who: أَ for I, تَ for you or she, يَ for he, نَ for we. To say “not”, put لَا (laa) before the verb: لَا أَفْهَمُ (I don’t understand).
Learn with pictures
Tap a picture to hear the sentence.
Examples
أَذْهَبُ إِلَى الْعَمَلِadh-habu ila l-ʿamaliI go to work.
يَكْتُبُ الطَّالِبُ الدَّرْسَyaktubu ṭ-ṭaalibu d-darsaThe student is writing the lesson.
هِيَ تَدْرُسُ فِي الْجَامِعَةِhiya tadrusu fil-jaamiʿatiShe studies at the university.
نَشْرَبُ الشَّايَnashrabu sh-shaayaWe drink tea.
لَا أَفْهَمُlaa afhamuI don’t understand.
هَلْ تَتَكَلَّمُ الْعَرَبِيَّةَ؟hal tatakallamu l-ʿarabiyyata?Do you speak Arabic? (to a man)
نَعَمْ، أَتَكَلَّمُ قَلِيلًاnaʿam, atakallamu qaliilanYes, I speak a little.
مَاذَا تَفْعَلُ؟maadhaa tafʿalu?What are you doing? (to a man)
Key points
- أَذْهَبُ I go · تَذْهَبُ you go (man), she goes · تَذْهَبِينَ you go (woman) · يَذْهَبُ he goes · نَذْهَبُ we go · يَذْهَبُونَ they go
- The middle vowel can change between past and present: كَتَبَ → يَكْتُبُ (writes), جَلَسَ → يَجْلِسُ (sits), فَتَحَ → يَفْتَحُ (opens). Learn each verb in both forms.
- Ask yes/no questions with هَلْ: هَلْ تَتَكَلَّمُ الْعَرَبِيَّةَ؟ (Do you speak Arabic?)
Practice
Tap a question to see the answer.
Say “I write”.
أَكْتُبُ aktubu
Say “We don’t understand.”
لَا نَفْهَمُ laa nafhamu
Ask a man “Do you drink coffee?” Coffee is الْقَهْوَةَ.
هَلْ تَشْرَبُ الْقَهْوَةَ؟ hal tashrabu l-qahwata?