Learn Arabic › A2 › سَبَق
سَبَق
to precede /ˈsa.ba.qa/
verbA2#739 most common
Also: to come before, to outstrip, to win (a race)
Example sentences
سَبَقَ أَحْمَدُ فِي السِّبَاقِ.
Ahmad came first in the race.
سَبَقَتْ سَارَةُ صَدِيقَتَهَا إِلَى البَابِ.
Sara reached the door before her friend.
سَبَقَ الفَرِيقُ خُصُومَهُ بِنُقْطَتَيْنِ.
The team led its opponents by two points.
سَبَقَتْهُ شُهْرَتُهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَصِلَ المَدِينَةَ.
His reputation preceded him before he reached the city.
لَقَدْ سَبَقَ السَّيْفُ العَذَلَ، فَلَا فَائِدَةَ مِنَ النَّدَمِ الآنَ.
The sword has already struck before the reproach, so there is no use regretting it now.
مَنْ سَبَقَ غَيْرَهُ إِلَى مَكَانٍ مُبَاحٍ فَهُوَ أَحَقُّ بِهِ.
Whoever reaches a permitted place before others has the greater right to it.
Conjugation
| Present Active | Simple Past Active | Simple Future Active | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | أَسْبِقُ | سَبَقْتُ | سَأَسْبِقُ |
| 2sg | تَسْبِقُ | سَبَقْتَ | سَتَسْبِقُ |
| 3sg | يَسْبِقُ | سَبَقَ | سَيَسْبِقُ |
| 1pl | نَسْبِقُ | سَبَقْنَا | سَنَسْبِقُ |
| 2pl | تَسْبِقُونَ | سَبَقْتُمْ | سَتَسْبِقُونَ |
| 3pl | يَسْبِقُونَ | سَبَقُوا | سَيَسْبِقُونَ |
Word family
سَابِقprevious, former
سِبَاقrace
مُسَابَقَةcompetition, contest
سَبْقprecedence; a journalistic scoop
أَسْبَقearlier, prior
Etymology
سَبَقَ comes from the triliteral Semitic root س-ب-ق (s-b-q), whose core sense is going before or being ahead. From this root Arabic builds its words for races, precedence, and priority. The verb has meant to precede and to outstrip since the earliest classical texts.
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