Lesson 38 · يَكْتُبُونَ
The present tense for everyone
The present tense adds a letter at the start, and for some persons an ending too: أَ for I, نَ for we, تَ for you and she, يَ for he and they.
Learn with pictures
Tap a picture to hear the sentence.
Examples
مَاذَا تَدْرُسُونَ؟maadhaa tadrusuuna?What are you all studying?
نَدْرُسُ اللُّغَةَ الْعَرَبِيَّةَnadrusu l-lughata l-ʿarabiyyataWe study the Arabic language.
الطُّلَّابُ يَلْعَبُونَ فِي الْمَلْعَبِaṭ-ṭullaabu yalʿabuuna fil-malʿabiThe students are playing in the playground.
الْأُمَّهَاتُ يَطْبُخْنَ الطَّعَامَal-ummahaatu yaṭbukhna ṭ-ṭaʿaamaThe mothers are cooking the food.
أَيْنَ تَسْكُنِينَ يَا فَاطِمَةُ؟ayna taskuniina yaa faaṭimatu?Where do you live, Fatima?
هِيَ تَكْتُبُ رِسَالَةًhiya taktubu risaalatanShe is writing a letter.
Key points
- Singular: أَكْتُبُ I · تَكْتُبُ you (m) · تَكْتُبِينَ you (f) · يَكْتُبُ he · تَكْتُبُ she.
- Plural: نَكْتُبُ we · تَكْتُبُونَ you all (m) · تَكْتُبْنَ you all (f) · يَكْتُبُونَ they (m) · يَكْتُبْنَ they (f).
- تَكْتُبُ can mean “you write” or “she writes”; the sentence tells you which.
Practice
Tap a question to see the answer.
Say “We drink tea.”
نَشْرَبُ الشَّايَ nashrabu sh-shaaya
Say “They (m) read the Quran.”
يَقْرَءُونَ الْقُرْآنَ yaqra’uuna l-qur’aana
Ask a woman “What do you want?”
مَاذَا تُرِيدِينَ؟ maadhaa turiidiina?