Learn Arabic › B2 › أَخْفَق
أَخْفَق
to fail /ʔaxˈfaqa/
verbB2#3110 most common
Also: to be unsuccessful, to fall short, to miss the mark
Example sentences
أَخْفَقَ فِي الِامْتِحَانِ.
He failed the exam.
أَخْفَقَتِ الطَّالِبَةُ فِي الِاخْتِبَارِ.
The student failed the test.
أَخْفَقْنَا فِي الْوُصُولِ فِي الْوَقْتِ الْمُنَاسِبِ.
We failed to arrive on time.
أَخْفَقَتِ الْحُكُومَةُ فِي مُعَالَجَةِ الْأَزْمَةِ الِاقْتِصَادِيَّةِ.
The government failed to address the economic crisis.
عَلَى الرَّغْمِ مِنَ التَّحْضِيرِ الْجَيِّدِ، أَخْفَقَ الْفَرِيقُ فِي تَحْقِيقِ الْفَوْزِ.
Despite good preparation, the team failed to achieve victory.
إِذَا أَخْفَقَتِ الْمُفَاوَضَاتُ الدِّبْلُومَاسِيَّةُ فِي التَّوَصُّلِ إِلَى حَلٍّ، فَإِنَّ التَّصْعِيدَ يُصْبِحُ حَتْمِيًّا.
If diplomatic negotiations fail to reach a solution, escalation becomes inevitable.
Conjugation
| Present Active | Simple Past Active | Simple Future Active | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | أُخْفِقُ | أَخْفَقْتُ | سَأُخْفِقُ |
| 2sg | تُخْفِقُ | أَخْفَقْتَ | سَتُخْفِقُ |
| 3sg | يُخْفِقُ | أَخْفَقَ | سَيُخْفِقُ |
| 1pl | نُخْفِقُ | أَخْفَقْنَا | سَنُخْفِقُ |
| 2pl | تُخْفِقُونَ | أَخْفَقْتُمْ | سَتُخْفِقُونَ |
| 3pl | يُخْفِقُونَ | أَخْفَقُوا | سَيُخْفِقُونَ |
Word family
إِخْفَاقfailure
مُخْفِقone who fails, failing
خَفَقَto throb, flutter, beat
خَفَقَانpalpitation, throbbing
Etymology
The verb comes from the Arabic root kh-f-q, whose base verb khafaqa means to throb, flutter, or beat, as a heart pounds or a flag flaps in the wind. The Form IV pattern akhfaqa shifted this into an abstract sense: an effort that flutters and comes to nothing. Over time the word settled into standard usage as the plain verb for failing at a task or falling short of a goal. It has no Indo-European origin, since Arabic is a Semitic language with its own separate root system.
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