Learn Arabic › B2 › نَفَس
نَفَس
breath /ˈna.fas/
nounB2#3360 most common
Also: breathing, a while (idiomatic: a single breath/moment)
Example sentences
خُذْ نَفَساً عَمِيقاً.
Take a deep breath.
كَانَ نَفَسُهُ سَرِيعاً بَعْدَ الجَرْيِ.
His breath was fast after running.
حَبَسَتْ أَنْفَاسَهَا مِنَ الخَوْفِ.
She held her breath out of fear.
يُسَاعِدُ التَّأَمُّلُ عَلَى تَنْظِيمِ الأَنْفَاسِ.
Meditation helps regulate the breathing.
تَصَاعَدَتْ أَنْفَاسُهُ المُتَقَطِّعَةُ فِي الهَوَاءِ البَارِدِ.
His ragged breaths rose into the cold air.
فِي آخِرِ أَنْفَاسِهِ، هَمَسَ بِكَلِمَاتٍ لَمْ يَفْهَمْهَا أَحَدٌ.
In his last breaths, he whispered words no one understood.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | نَفَسٌ | أَنْفَاسٌ |
| Genitive | نَفَسٍ | أَنْفَاسٍ |
| Accusative | نَفَساً | أَنْفَاساً |
| Vocative | يَا نَفَسُ | يَا أَنْفَاسُ |
Word family
نفس (nafs)self, soul
تنفس (tanaffus)the act of breathing, respiration
يتنفس (yatanaffasu)he breathes
نفيس (nafīs)precious, valuable
منفس (manfas)vent, outlet
Etymology
Nafas comes from the triliteral Semitic root n-f-s, which carries the basic sense of breathing or exhaling. The same root gives Arabic nafs, meaning self or soul, because early Semitic speakers treated breath as the sign and source of life. This is a native Semitic root, not an Indo-European one.
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