Learn ArabicB2 › خَطا

خَطا

to step, to stride /xaˈtˤaː/

verbB2#3329 most common

Also: to pace, to take a step, to walk with strides

Example sentences

هُوَ خَطَا نَحْوَ الْبَابِ.
He stepped toward the door.
خَطَتْ خُطْوَةً وَاحِدَةً إِلَى الْأَمَامِ.
She took one step forward.
خَطَوْنَا بِحَذَرٍ عَلَى الْجَلِيدِ.
We stepped carefully on the ice.
يَخْطُو الطِّفْلُ خُطُوَاتِهِ الْأُولَى بِثِقَةٍ.
The child takes his first steps with confidence.
خَطَا الرَّئِيسُ خُطْوَةً جَرِيئَةً نَحْوَ الْإِصْلَاحِ.
The president took a bold step toward reform.
كُلَّمَا خَطَوْتُ خُطْوَةً نَحْوَ هَدَفِي، شَعَرْتُ أَنَّ الطَّرِيقَ يَزْدَادُ وُضُوحًا.
Every time I took a step toward my goal, I felt the path grow clearer.

Conjugation

Present ActiveSimple Past ActiveSimple Future Active
1sgأَخْطُوخَطَوْتُسَأَخْطُو
2sgتَخْطُوخَطَوْتَسَتَخْطُو
3sgيَخْطُوخَطَاسَيَخْطُو
1plنَخْطُوخَطَوْنَاسَنَخْطُو
2plتَخْطُونَخَطَوْتُمْسَتَخْطُونَ
3plيَخْطُونَخَطَوْاسَيَخْطُونَ

Word family

خُطْوَة (khuṭwa)a step, a pace
خُطُوَات (khuṭuwāt)steps (plural)
خَطْو (khaṭw)stepping, striding (verbal noun)
تَخَطَّى (takhaṭṭā)to overstep, to go beyond
خَاطٍ (khāṭin)one who steps or strides (active participle)

Etymology

Khaṭā comes from the native Arabic triliteral root kh-ṭ-w, meaning to step or stride. It is a defective verb, so its final radical waw surfaces as a long ā in the past-tense form, following the same pattern as daʿā (to call). The root is Semitic, not Indo-European, and shows no sign of borrowing from another language family.

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