Learn Arabic › B1 › سَواء
سَواء
equal /saˈwaːʔ/
nounB1#1411 most common
Also: the same, alike, equality
Example sentences
نَحْنُ سَواء.
We are equal.
الوَلَدانِ سَواءٌ فِي الطّولِ.
The two boys are the same in height.
سَواءٌ عِنْدِي القَهْوَةُ أَوِ الشّايُ.
Coffee or tea is the same to me.
سَواءٌ كانَ غَنِيًّا أَوْ فَقيرًا، فَهُوَ يُعامِلُ النّاسَ بِلُطْفٍ.
Whether he is rich or poor, he treats people kindly.
النّاسُ جَميعًا أَمامَ القانونِ عَلى حَدٍّ سَواء.
All people are equal before the law.
سَواءٌ أَوافَقْتُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تُوافِقوا، فَالقَرارُ نِهائِيٌّ ولَنْ يَتَغَيَّرَ.
Whether you agree or not, the decision is final and will not change.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | سَواءٌ | — |
| Genitive | سَواءٍ | — |
| Accusative | سَواءً | — |
| Vocative | يا سَواءُ | — |
Word family
مُساواةequality
سَوِيّnormal, even, straightاِسْتَوىto be level, to settle
تَساوىto be equal to one another
سَوّىto level, to make equal
Etymology
سَواء comes from the Semitic root s-w-y, which carries the sense of being even, level, and equal. The same root gives Arabic words for leveling ground, settling a matter, and making things equal. Hebrew shows a clear cognate in the verb shāwāh, 'to be equal or worth.' The word has no Indo-European origin, so there is no PIE root.
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