Learn Arabic › A2 › أَلا
أَلا
to fall short, to stint (esp. of effort) /ʔaˈlaː/
verbA2#959 most common
Also: to spare no effort (in the negative), to be remiss, to neglect, to hold back, to withhold
Example sentences
لا يَأْلُو جُهْدًا.
He spares no effort.
لا تَأْلُو أُمِّي جُهْدًا فِي خِدْمَتِنَا.
My mother spares no effort in looking after us.
لَنْ نَأْلُوَ جُهْدًا فِي خِدْمَةِ الوَطَنِ.
We will spare no effort in serving our country.
لَمْ يَأْلُ الفَرِيقُ جُهْدًا فِي سَبِيلِ الفَوْزِ.
The team spared no effort in the pursuit of victory.
إِنْ أَلَوْتَ فِي وَاجِبِكَ نَدِمْتَ يَوْمًا.
If you fall short in your duty, one day you will regret it.
لَا آلُوكَ نُصْحًا مَا حَيِيتُ، وَإِنْ أَعْرَضْتَ عَنْهُ.
I will not stint you advice as long as I live, even if you turn away from it.
Conjugation
| Present Active | Simple Past Active | Simple Future Active | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | آلُو | أَلَوْتُ | سَآلُو |
| 2sg | تَأْلُو | أَلَوْتَ | سَتَأْلُو |
| 3sg | يَأْلُو | أَلَا | سَيَأْلُو |
| 1pl | نَأْلُو | أَلَوْنَا | سَنَأْلُو |
| 2pl | تَأْلُونَ | أَلَوْتُمْ | سَتَأْلُونَ |
| 3pl | يَأْلُونَ | أَلَوْا | سَيَأْلُونَ |
Word family
آلٍone who falls short, a slacker
أُلُوّthe falling short, stinting
آلَىto swear an oath
أَلِيَّةan oath
Etymology
The verb comes from the Semitic root ʾ-l-w. Its core sense is to fall short or to be slow and remiss in doing something. Classical lexicographers place under the same root the form IV verb آلَى, meaning to swear an oath. In modern Arabic the simple verb survives mainly in the fixed phrase for sparing no effort.
Learn Arabic the way that sticks.
Every word here is a full Polylex card with native audio and spaced repetition, so 4,080 words actually move into long-term memory.
Start free
Every word here is a full Polylex card with native audio and spaced repetition, so 4,080 words actually move into long-term memory.
Start free