Learn Arabic › A1 › كَتَب
كَتَب
to write /ˈka.ta.ba/
verbA1#438 most common
Also: he wrote, to record, to compose
Example sentences
كَتَبَ الوَلَدُ اسمَهُ.
The boy wrote his name.
كَتَبْتُ رِسالةً إلى صَديقي أمسِ.
I wrote a letter to my friend yesterday.
كَتَبَ الكاتِبُ رِوايةً جَديدةً العامَ الماضي.
The writer wrote a new novel last year.
لَو كَتَبْتَ ملاحظاتِكَ بِوُضوحٍ لَفَهِمَها الجَميعُ.
If you had written your notes clearly, everyone would have understood them.
كَتَبَ الفَيلسوفُ مَقالاً عَميقاً عَنِ الحُرّيّةِ والمَسؤوليّةِ.
The philosopher wrote a profound essay about freedom and responsibility.
كَتَبَ المُؤرِّخُ أنّ الحَضاراتِ تَزدَهِرُ ثُمّ تَنهارُ وَفقَ قَوانينَ خَفيّةٍ.
The historian wrote that civilizations flourish and then collapse according to hidden laws.
Conjugation
| Present Active | Simple Past Active | Simple Future Active | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | أَكتُبُ | كَتَبتُ | سَأَكتُبُ |
| 2sg | تَكتُبُ | كَتَبتَ | سَتَكتُبُ |
| 3sg | يَكتُبُ | كَتَبَ | سَيَكتُبُ |
| 1pl | نَكتُبُ | كَتَبنا | سَنَكتُبُ |
| 2pl | تَكتُبونَ | كَتَبتُم | سَتَكتُبونَ |
| 3pl | يَكتُبونَ | كَتَبوا | سَيَكتُبونَ |
Word family
كِتاب (kitāb)book
كاتِب (kātib)writer, clerk
مَكتَب (maktab)office, desk
مَكتَبة (maktaba)library, bookshop
كِتابة (kitāba)the act of writing
Etymology
The verb comes from the common Semitic root k-t-b, which carries the meaning of writing. The same root appears across other Semitic languages, including Hebrew and Aramaic. In Arabic it produced a large family of words for books, writers, offices, and libraries.
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