Learn Arabic › A1 › وَراء
وَراء
behind /waˈraːʔ/
nounA1#677 most common
Also: back, rear, beyond, after (in pursuit of)
Example sentences
وَقَفَ الوَلَدُ وَراءَ البابِ.
The boy stood behind the door.
السَّيّارَةُ وَراءَ البَيتِ.
The car is behind the house.
اِختَبَأَتِ القِطّةُ وَراءَ الشَّجَرةِ.
The cat hid behind the tree.
تَرَكَ كُلَّ مَشاكِلِهِ وَراءَهُ وَبَدَأَ حَياةً جَديدةً.
He left all his problems behind him and started a new life.
لا أَحَدَ يَعرِفُ ما يَكمُنُ وَراءَ هذا القَرارِ المُفاجِئِ.
No one knows what lies behind this sudden decision.
سَعى طَوالَ حَياتِهِ وَراءَ مَجدٍ لَم يَبلُغهُ قَطّ.
All his life he chased after a glory he never attained.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | وَراءٌ | None |
| Genitive | وَراءٍ | None |
| Accusative | وَراءَ | None |
| Vocative | None | None |
Word family
وَراءَbehind, after
الوَراءthe rear, the back
تَوارىto hide oneself, to disappear
وَرَّىto conceal, to allude
وَرائِيّrear, posterior
Etymology
وَراء comes from the Semitic triliteral root و-ر-ي, which carries the sense of being at the back or hidden from view. The word names the space at one's back. From that physical sense it extended to figurative uses such as 'beyond' and 'in pursuit of'.
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