Learn Arabic › B1 › جاب
جاب
to cross, to traverse (a region, sea, or desert) /ˈdʒaːb/
verbB1#2760 most common
Also: to roam, to wander through, (of news, fame) to spread across, (colloquial, Levantine/Egyptian) to bring, to fetch
Example sentences
هو جاب المدينة كلها سيراً على الأقدام.
He crossed the whole city on foot.
جاب أبي بلاداً كثيرة في شبابه.
My father traveled through many countries in his youth.
جابت السفينة البحار الواسعة قبل أن تصل إلى الميناء.
The ship crossed the vast seas before it reached the port.
جاب الرحالة الصحراء بحثاً عن الماء.
The traveler crossed the desert searching for water.
جاب الجيش المنطقة بأكملها قبل أن ينسحب منها.
The army traversed the entire region before withdrawing from it.
جابت أخبار الفضيحة العالم في ساعات معدودة.
News of the scandal traveled around the world within a matter of hours.
Conjugation
| Present Active | Simple Past Active | Simple Future Active | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | أجوب | جبت | سأجوب |
| 2sg | تجوب | جبت | ستجوب |
| 3sg | يجوب | جاب | سيجوب |
| 1pl | نجوب | جبنا | سنجوب |
| 2pl | تجوبون | جبتم | ستجوبون |
| 3pl | يجوبون | جابوا | سيجوبون |
Word family
جوابanswer, reply
أجابto answer, to respond
استجابto respond favorably, to comply with a request
جوّابone who roams widely, a great traveler
جوبةa hollow or depression in the ground
Etymology
جاب comes from the Semitic root ج-و-ب (j-w-b), whose core sense is to hollow out or bore through, and by extension to cut across a distance. Classical Arabic dictionaries record جاب يجوب as to traverse or roam through a land, sea, or desert. The same root gives جواب (answer), since a reply was pictured as something that crosses back to the speaker.
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