Learn Arabic › A2 › كاد
كاد
to almost (do something); to be on the verge of /ˈkaː.da/
verbA2#1117 most common
Also: to be about to, to nearly do, to hardly (when negated)
Example sentences
كِدْتُ أنامُ.
I almost fell asleep.
كادَ القطارُ يصلُ.
The train was about to arrive.
كادتِ الشمسُ تغربُ عندما وصلنا.
The sun was almost setting when we arrived.
لم أكَدْ أراهُ حتى عرفتُهُ.
I had hardly seen him before I recognized him.
كادَ الفقرُ أنْ يكونَ كفراً.
Poverty almost amounts to disbelief.
تَكادُ السماواتُ يَتَفطّرنَ منهُ.
The heavens almost burst apart from it.
Conjugation
| Present Active | Simple Past Active | Simple Future Active | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | أَكادُ | كِدْتُ | سَأَكادُ |
| 2sg | تَكادُ | كِدْتَ | سَتَكادُ |
| 3sg | يَكادُ | كادَ | سَيَكادُ |
| 1pl | نَكادُ | كِدْنا | سَنَكادُ |
| 2pl | تَكادونَ | كِدْتُمْ | سَتَكادونَ |
| 3pl | يَكادونَ | كادوا | سَيَكادونَ |
Word family
يَكادُhe is on the verge of (doing)
أَوْشَكَto be about to
كَرَبَto be about to
عَسىto be likely to, to hope to
Etymology
كاد derives from the Semitic root k-w-d. In Arabic it works as a grammatical verb of approximation, stating that an action came close to happening. It almost always pairs with a following present-tense verb that names the action nearly done.
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