Learn Arabic › A1 › أَعال
أَعال
to support, to provide for (a family) /ʔaˈʕaːla/
verbA1#307 most common
Also: to be the breadwinner for, to maintain (one's dependents), to feed and house (a family)
Example sentences
هُوَ يُعِيلُ أُسرَتَهُ.
He supports his family.
أَبِي يُعِيلُ العائِلَةَ كُلَّهَا.
My father supports the whole family.
بَعدَ وَفاةِ والِدِهِ، صارَ عَلَيهِ أَن يُعِيلَ إِخوَتَهُ الصِّغار.
After his father's death, he had to support his young siblings.
تَعمَلُ في وَظيفَتَينِ لِكَي تُعِيلَ أَطفالَها الثَّلاثَة.
She works two jobs in order to support her three children.
ظَلَّ يُعِيلُ والِدَيهِ المُسِنَّينِ رَغمَ دَخلِهِ المَحدود.
He kept supporting his elderly parents despite his limited income.
في غِيابِ أَيِّ مُعيلٍ آخَر، أَعالَتِ الأَرمَلَةُ أَبناءَها بِكَدِّ يَدَيها وَحدَها سَنَواتٍ طِوالاً.
In the absence of any other provider, the widow supported her children by the toil of her own hands alone for long years.
Conjugation
| Present Active | Simple Past Active | Simple Future Active | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | أُعِيلُ | أَعَلْتُ | سَأُعِيلُ |
| 2sg | تُعِيلُ | أَعَلْتَ | سَتُعِيلُ |
| 3sg | يُعِيلُ | أَعَالَ | سَيُعِيلُ |
| 1pl | نُعِيلُ | أَعَلْنَا | سَنُعِيلُ |
| 2pl | تُعِيلُونَ | أَعَلْتُمْ | سَتُعِيلُونَ |
| 3pl | يُعِيلُونَ | أَعَالُوا | سَيُعِيلُونَ |
Word family
عَائِلَةfamily
عِيَالdependents, household members
مُعِيلbreadwinner, provider
إِعَالَةfinancial support, maintenance
عَالَto support, provide for
Etymology
The verb comes from the triliteral root ʿ-w-l, which clusters around dependents and sustenance. The same root gives ʿiyal, 'dependents,' and ʿaʾila, 'family.' The Form IV shape aʿala means to take on the work of feeding and housing those dependents. It is the standard verb for acting as a household's provider.
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