Learn Arabic › A2 › سَعَى
سَعَى
to strive /saˈʕaː/
verbA2#1040 most common
Also: to seek, endeavor, to pursue, work toward (a goal), to walk or hasten (the ritual saʿy between Safa and Marwa)
Example sentences
سَعَى أَحْمَدُ كَثِيراً.
Ahmad worked hard.
سَعَتْ مَرْيَمُ إِلى تَعَلُّمِ العَرَبِيَّةِ.
Maryam strove to learn Arabic.
نَسْعَى دائِماً إلى تَحْسينِ عَمَلِنا.
We always strive to improve our work.
سَعَى الطُّلّابُ جاهِدينَ لِتَحقيقِ أَهْدافِهِم.
The students strove hard to achieve their goals.
ما زالَتِ الحُكومةُ تَسْعَى إلى إيجادِ حَلٍّ سِلْمِيٍّ لِلأَزمةِ.
The government is still seeking a peaceful solution to the crisis.
مَنْ سَعَى في الخَيْرِ ولو لَمْ يَبلُغْ غايَتَهُ، فإنَّ سَعْيَهُ لا يَضيعُ.
Whoever strives for good, even if he does not reach his goal, his effort is not lost.
Conjugation
| Present Active | Simple Past Active | Simple Future Active | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | أَسْعَى (ʾasʿā) | سَعَيْتُ (saʿaytu) | سَأَسْعَى (saʾasʿā) |
| 2sg | تَسْعَى (tasʿā) | سَعَيْتَ (saʿayta) | سَتَسْعَى (satasʿā) |
| 3sg | يَسْعَى (yasʿā) | سَعَى (saʿā) | سَيَسْعَى (sayasʿā) |
| 1pl | نَسْعَى (nasʿā) | سَعَيْنَا (saʿaynā) | سَنَسْعَى (sanasʿā) |
| 2pl | تَسْعَوْنَ (tasʿawna) | سَعَيْتُمْ (saʿaytum) | سَتَسْعَوْنَ (satasʿawna) |
| 3pl | يَسْعَوْنَ (yasʿawna) | سَعَوْا (saʿaw) | سَيَسْعَوْنَ (sayasʿawna) |
Word family
سَعْي (saʿy)effort, striving; the ritual walk between Safa and Marwa
مَسْعًى (masʿan)endeavor, undertaking
سَاعٍ / الساعي (sāʿin)courier, postman; one who strives
مَسَاعٍ (masāʿin)efforts, endeavors (plural)
يَسْعَى (yasʿā)he strives, he seeks (present)
Etymology
سَعَى comes from the Semitic triliteral root s-ʿ-y. Its older, concrete sense is physical: to walk fast or run toward something. Over time the meaning shifted toward abstract effort, so today it most often means to strive or to seek. The same root gives the noun saʿy, the brisk walk pilgrims perform between Safa and Marwa.
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