Lesson 81 · بَحَثَ عَنْ
Verbs that come with a preposition
Some verbs need a particular little word before what they are about, and it is often not the one English uses. In Arabic you search “about” something: أَبْحَثُ عَنْ مِفْتَاحِي (I am looking for my key). Learn each verb together with its preposition.
Learn with pictures
Tap a picture to hear the sentence.
Examples
أَبْحَثُ عَنْ مِفْتَاحِيabḥathu ʿan miftaaḥiiI am looking for my key.
اِسْتَمِعْ إِلَى الْمُدَرِّسِistamiʿ ila l-mudarrisiListen to the teacher. (to a man)
اِشْتَقْتُ إِلَيْكَishtaqtu ilaykaI missed you. (to a man)
حَصَلَ عَلَى الْجَائِزَةِḥaṣala ʿala l-jaa’izatiHe won the prize.
فَكَّرْتُ فِي كَلَامِكَfakkartu fii kalaamikaI thought about what you said.
سَلِّمْ عَلَى أَبِيكَsallim ʿalaa abiikaGive my greetings to your father.
Key points
- Common pairs: بَحَثَ عَنْ look for · سَأَلَ عَنْ ask about · اِسْتَمَعَ إِلَى listen to · نَظَرَ إِلَى look at · اِشْتَاقَ إِلَى miss · سَلَّمَ عَلَى greet · حَصَلَ عَلَى get · اِعْتَمَدَ عَلَى rely on · فَكَّرَ فِي think about.
- A different preposition can change the meaning: رَغِبْتُ فِي السَّفَرِ (I wanted to travel) but رَغِبْتُ عَنِ السَّفَرِ (I went off the idea of travelling). ذَهَبَ إِلَى is “go to”, but ذَهَبَ بِـ is “take away”: ذَهَبَ اللّٰهُ بِنُورِهِمْ (Allah took away their light, 2:17).
- Some verbs take no preposition where English has one: اِنْتَظَرْتُكَ (I waited for you) · دَخَلْتُ الْبَيْتَ (I went into the house) · سَمِعْتُ الْأَذَانَ (I heard the adhan).
Practice
Tap a question to see the answer.
Say “I am looking for the book.”
أَبْحَثُ عَنِ الْكِتَابِ abḥathu ʿani l-kitaabi
Tell a man “Look at the board.” Board: السَّبُّورَةُ.
اُنْظُرْ إِلَى السَّبُّورَةِ unẓur ila s-sabbuurati
Tell a man “I waited for you.”
اِنْتَظَرْتُكَ intaẓartuka
No preposition with اِنْتَظَرَ.
