Learn ArabicA1 › سَمِع

سَمِع

to hear /ˈsamiʕa/

verbA1#124 most common

Also: to listen, to learn of, hear about, to heed, obey

Example sentences

سَمِعَ الطِّفلُ صَوتَ أُمِّهِ.
The child heard his mother's voice.
هَل سَمِعتَ هٰذِهِ الأُغنِيَةَ مِن قَبلُ؟
Have you heard this song before?
سَمِعنا الخَبَرَ في الرّاديو صَباحَ اليَومِ.
We heard the news on the radio this morning.
لَم أَسمَع شَيئًا عَن المَوضوعِ حَتّى الآنَ.
I have not heard anything about the matter so far.
مَن سَمِعَ كَلامي فَليُبَلِّغهُ لِمَن لَم يَحضُر.
Whoever heard my words, let him pass them on to those who were not present.
ما إِن سَمِعَت بِقُدومِهِ حَتّى هُرِعَت إِلى البابِ تَستَقبِلُهُ.
No sooner had she heard of his arrival than she rushed to the door to receive him.

Conjugation

Present ActiveSimple Past ActiveSimple Future Active
1sgأَسمَعُسَمِعتُسَأَسمَعُ
2sgتَسمَعُسَمِعتَسَتَسمَعُ
3sgيَسمَعُسَمِعَسَيَسمَعُ
1plنَسمَعُسَمِعناسَنَسمَعُ
2plتَسمَعونَسَمِعتُمسَتَسمَعونَ
3plيَسمَعونَسَمِعواسَيَسمَعونَ

Word family

اِستَمَعَto listen attentively
سَمْعhearing, the sense of hearing
سَماعlistening, audition
مُستَمِعlistener
سَمّاعةheadphone, telephone receiver

Etymology

سَمِع comes from the Semitic root s-m-ʿ, which has meant to hear across the family for thousands of years. The same root gives Hebrew shamaʿ, the opening word of the Jewish Shemaʿ prayer, and Akkadian shemû. Arabic is a Semitic language, so the root has no Indo-European source.

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More Arabic words

سَبَبreason, causeمَنْزِلhouseجَعَلto make (cause to become), to renderأَتَىto comeتَمّto be completedوَدَعto leave, to let aloneأَعْلَمmost knowledgeable; knows bestشَعَرto feel