Learn Arabic › A1 › مَضَى
مَضَى
to pass, elapse (of time) /maˈdˤaː/
verbA1#563 most common
Also: to go by, run out (of time), to proceed, go on, continue, to go ahead, carry on
Example sentences
مَضَى الوَقْتُ بِسُرْعَةٍ.
Time passed quickly.
مَضَى عامٌ عَلى لِقائِنا الأَوَّلِ.
A year has passed since our first meeting.
مَضَيْنا في طَريقِنا دونَ أَنْ نَتَوَقَّفَ.
We carried on along our way without stopping.
مَضى المُديرُ في خُطَّتِهِ رَغْمَ اعْتِراضاتِ الفَريقِ.
The manager pressed on with his plan despite the team's objections.
مَهْما مَضى مِنَ الزَّمَنِ، تَظَلُّ تِلْكَ اللَّحْظَةُ حاضِرَةً في ذاكِرَتي.
However much time passes, that moment stays present in my memory.
مَضَتِ الأَعْوامُ ثِقالاً، ولم يَبْقَ مِنْ تِلْكَ المَدينَةِ سِوى أَطْلالٍ تَهْمِسُ بِحِكاياتِ مَنْ رَحَلوا.
The years passed heavily, and nothing remained of that city but ruins whispering the tales of those who departed.
Conjugation
| Present Active | Simple Past Active | Simple Future Active | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | أَمْضِي | مَضَيْتُ | سَأَمْضِي |
| 2sg | تَمْضِي | مَضَيْتَ | سَتَمْضِي |
| 3sg | يَمْضِي | مَضَى | سَيَمْضِي |
| 1pl | نَمْضِي | مَضَيْنا | سَنَمْضِي |
| 2pl | تَمْضُونَ | مَضَيْتُمْ | سَتَمْضُونَ |
| 3pl | يَمْضُونَ | مَضَوْا | سَيَمْضُونَ |
Word family
الماضيthe past; the past tense
ماضٍpassing; last (as in last year)
أَمْضىto sign; to spend (time)
مُضِيّthe act of passing or proceedingمَضاءresolve; sharpness
Etymology
مَضَى comes from the Semitic triliteral root م-ض-ي (m-ḍ-y), which carries the idea of moving on and going forward. In Arabic the verb settled on the passing of time and the act of proceeding with a thing. The active participle ماضٍ supplies both "the past" and the name of the past tense, while the noun مَضاء means resolve or the sharpness of a blade, the sense of cutting ahead.
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