Learn ArabicA1 › آه

آه

to sigh, to groan (cry 'ah' in pain or longing) /ˈʔaː.ha/

verbA1#345 most common

Also: to moan in pain, to lament, ah!/ouch! (cry of pain or longing)

Example sentences

آه! هذا يؤلمني.
Ah! That hurts me.
آه، نسيتُ مفاتيحي في البيت.
Oh, I forgot my keys at home.
آه يا قلبي، كم اشتقتُ إليك.
Ah, my heart, how I have missed you.
تنهّد المريض وقال: آه، الألم لا يُحتمَل.
The patient sighed and said: ah, the pain is unbearable.
كلّما تذكّر طفولته آهَ وهمس: أين تلك الأيام.
Whenever he recalled his childhood he sighed and whispered: where have those days gone.
آهِ مِن زمنٍ غدرَ بنا، وآهِ مِن جراحٍ لا تندمل.
Alas for a time that betrayed us, and alas for wounds that never heal.

Conjugation

Present ActiveSimple Past ActiveSimple Future Active
1sgأَؤُوهُأُهْتُسَأَؤُوهُ
2sgتَؤُوهُأُهْتَسَتَؤُوهُ
3sgيَؤُوهُآهَسَيَؤُوهُ
1plنَؤُوهُأُهْنَاسَنَؤُوهُ
2plتَؤُوهُونَأُهْتُمْسَتَؤُوهُونَ
3plيَؤُوهُونَآهُواسَيَؤُوهُونَ

Word family

تَأَوَّهَto sigh, to groan
تَأَوُّهa sigh; sighing
أَوَّاهmuch given to sighing; tender-hearted, humble in lament
مُتَأَوِّهone who sighs or groans

Etymology

آه is onomatopoeic, an imitation of the long breath a person lets out in pain or longing. Arabic grammarians tie it to the root أ-و-ه, which also yields the verb تأوّه, 'to sigh,' and the adjective أوّاه, 'much given to sighing,' applied to Abraham in the Quran. Sighing interjections of this shape arise independently in many languages, so no single ancestor can be claimed.

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