Learn ArabicA2 › تَساءَل

تَساءَل

to wonder, to ask oneself /taˈsaːʔala/

verbA2#1182 most common

Also: to question, to ask oneself, to inquire of one another

Example sentences

أَتَساءَلُ أَيْنَ هِيَ الآنَ.
I wonder where she is now.
تَساءَلَ الوَلَدُ عَنْ مَعْنى الكَلِمَةِ.
The boy wondered about the meaning of the word.
يَتَساءَلُ النّاسُ كَيْفَ حَدَثَ هذا.
People wonder how this happened.
تَساءَلْنا طَويلًا إِذا كانَ مِنَ الأَفْضَلِ أَنْ نَنْتَظِرَ.
We wondered for a long time whether it would be better to wait.
تَساءَلَتِ الصَّحيفَةُ عَمّا إِذا كانَتِ الحُكومَةُ قادِرَةً على الوَفاءِ بِوُعودِها.
The newspaper wondered whether the government could keep its promises.
ظَلَّ الفَيْلَسوفُ يَتَساءَلُ عَنْ جَدْوى الوُجودِ دونَ أَنْ يَبْلُغَ يَقينًا.
The philosopher kept wondering about the point of existence without reaching any certainty.

Conjugation

Present ActiveSimple Past ActiveSimple Future Active
1sgأَتَساءَلُتَساءَلْتُسَأَتَساءَلُ
2sgتَتَساءَلُتَساءَلْتَسَتَتَساءَلُ
3sgيَتَساءَلُتَساءَلَسَيَتَساءَلُ
1plنَتَساءَلُتَساءَلْناسَنَتَساءَلُ
2plتَتَساءَلونَتَساءَلْتُمْسَتَتَساءَلونَ
3plيَتَساءَلونَتَساءَلواسَيَتَساءَلونَ

Word family

سَأَلَto ask
سُؤالquestion
تَساؤُلwondering, query
مَسْأَلَةissue, matter, problemسائِلasker, petitioner

Etymology

تَساءَلَ comes from the triconsonantal root س-أ-ل (s-ʔ-l), 'to ask,' shared across the Semitic languages. It is the Form VI (تَفاعَلَ) derivation, a pattern that makes an action reciprocal or turns it back on the subject. The base verb سَأَلَ means 'to ask' another person; in Form VI the asking turns inward and becomes 'to wonder' or 'to ask oneself.'

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