Learn Arabic › A1 › أَو
أَو
or /ˈʔaw/
particleA1#72 most common
Also: either... or, or else
Example sentences
قهوة أو شاي؟
Coffee or tea?
هل تريد ماءً أو عصيراً؟
Do you want water or juice?
سأذهب اليوم أو غداً.
I'll go today or tomorrow.
يمكنك أن تدفع نقداً أو ببطاقة.
You can pay in cash or by card.
لم أقرّر بعد إن كنت سأسافر بالطائرة أو بالقطار.
I haven't decided yet whether I'll travel by plane or by train.
سواء وافقت أو رفضت، فالقرار قد اتُّخذ بالفعل.
Whether you agree or refuse, the decision has already been made.
Word family
Etymology
أَو is the inherited Semitic disjunctive conjunction, going back to Proto-Semitic *ʾaw 'or'. It is cognate with Hebrew ʾô and Aramaic ʾaw, both meaning 'or'. The form has stayed remarkably stable across the Semitic family, and it remains the everyday word for 'or' in both Modern Standard Arabic and the dialects.
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