Lesson 75 · حَتَّى
Until, so that, even: حَتَّى
حَتَّى has three common meanings. Before a noun it means “until” or “up to”, and the noun ends in -i: اِنْتَظَرْتُ حَتَّى الْمَسَاءِ (I waited until the evening). Before a present verb it means “until” or “so that”, and the verb ends in -a: اُدْرُسْ حَتَّى تَنْجَحَ (study so that you pass).
Learn with pictures
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Examples
اِنْتَظَرْتُكَ حَتَّى الْمَسَاءِintaẓartuka ḥatta l-masaa’iI waited for you until the evening.
نَعْمَلُ مِنَ الصَّبَاحِ حَتَّى الْعَصْرِnaʿmalu mina ṣ-ṣabaaḥi ḥatta l-ʿaṣriWe work from morning until Asr.
اِنْتَظِرْ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ أَبُوكَintaẓir ḥattaa ya’tiya abuukaWait until your father comes.
اُدْرُسْ جَيِّدًا حَتَّى تَنْجَحَudrus jayyidan ḥattaa tanjaḥaStudy well so that you pass.
مَشَيْنَا حَتَّى وَصَلْنَاmashaynaa ḥattaa waṣalnaaWe walked until we arrived.
سَلَامٌ هِيَ حَتَّىٰ مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِsalaamun hiya ḥattaa maṭlaʿi l-fajriPeace it is until the break of dawn.
Key points
- Until (with a noun): مِنَ الصَّبَاحِ حَتَّى الْمَسَاءِ (from morning until evening). Surah al-Qadr ends with it: سَلَامٌ هِيَ حَتَّىٰ مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ (peace it is until the break of dawn).
- Until / so that (with a verb ending in -a, as after أَنْ in lesson 31): اِنْتَظِرْ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ (wait until he comes). After a past verb it simply means “until”: مَشَيْنَا حَتَّى وَصَلْنَا (we walked until we arrived).
- Even: جَاءَ النَّاسُ حَتَّى الْأَطْفَالُ (the people came, even the children) · حَتَّى أَنَا (even me).
Practice
Tap a question to see the answer.
Say “I will stay until Friday.”
سَأَبْقَى حَتَّى يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ sa-abqaa ḥattaa yawmi l-jumuʿati
Say “Eat so that you grow strong.” (تَقْوَى)
كُلْ حَتَّى تَقْوَى kul ḥattaa taqwaa
Say “even me”.
حَتَّى أَنَا ḥattaa anaa