Learn ArabicA1 › أَمْكَن

أَمْكَن

to be possible /ˈʔamkana/

verbA1#32 most common

Also: to enable, make possible, to be feasible, to be able (to do sth)

Example sentences

هَلْ يُمْكِنُكَ مُسَاعَدَتِي؟
Can you help me?
إِنْ أَمْكَنَ، سَنَذْهَبُ إِلَى الْبَحْرِ غَدًا.
If possible, we'll go to the sea tomorrow.
لَمْ يُمْكِنْهُ الْحُضُورُ بِسَبَبِ الْمَرَضِ.
He couldn't attend because of illness.
أَمْكَنَ الْعُلَمَاءَ اكْتِشَافُ كَوَاكِبَ جَدِيدَةٍ بِفَضْلِ التِّلِسْكُوبَاتِ الْحَدِيثَةِ.
Modern telescopes made it possible for scientists to discover new planets.
مَا كَانَ لِيُمْكِنَنَا تَحْقِيقُ هَذَا النَّجَاحِ لَوْلَا دَعْمُكُمُ الْمُتَوَاصِلُ.
We could never have achieved this success without your continuous support.
لَوْ أَمْكَنَ الْجَمْعُ بَيْنَ الدِّقَّةِ وَالسُّرْعَةِ لَمَا تَرَدَّدْنَا فِي تَبَنِّي هَذَا الْمَنْهَجِ.
Had it been possible to combine precision and speed, we would not have hesitated to adopt this approach.

Conjugation

Present ActiveSimple Past ActiveSimple Future Active
1sgأُمْكِنُأَمْكَنْتُسَأُمْكِنُ
2sgتُمْكِنُأَمْكَنْتَسَتُمْكِنُ
3sgيُمْكِنُأَمْكَنَسَيُمْكِنُ
1plنُمْكِنُأَمْكَنَّاسَنُمْكِنُ
2plتُمْكِنُونَأَمْكَنْتُمْسَتُمْكِنُونَ
3plيُمْكِنُونَأَمْكَنُواسَيُمْكِنُونَ

Word family

مُمْكِنpossible
إِمْكَانpossibility
إِمْكَانِيَّةpossibility, potential
مَكَّنَto enable, empower
تَمَكَّنَto be able, to master

Etymology

The verb is the Form IV (causative) أَفْعَلَ pattern of the secondary root م-ك-ن (m-k-n), conveying firmness, capacity and possibility. That root arose by reanalysis of the noun مَكَان (makān, 'place'), which was originally a place-noun of the Proto-Semitic root ك-و-ن (k-w-n) 'to be, exist' (whence كَانَ kāna 'to be') with a م- prefix — literally 'a place of being.' The prefixed م was reinterpreted as a radical, yielding أَمْكَنَ 'to be possible/to enable,' مَكَّنَ 'to empower,' and تَمَكَّنَ 'to master.'

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

More Arabic words

أَرادto wantإِنَّindeedهُوَheلٰكِنَّbutعَرَفto know (by acquaintance); to recognizeلَدَىin the possession of; with; haveلَيِسto be braveفَعَلto do