Learn Arabic › A1 › وَلِي
وَلِي
to take charge of, to govern /ˈwa.li.ja/
verbA1#670 most common
Also: to be in charge of, to assume office, to follow, to come next, to administer, to manage
Example sentences
اِقْرَأْ ما يَلِي.
Read what follows.
السؤالُ الذي يَلِي صعبٌ.
The question that follows is difficult.
وَلِيَ الأميرُ الحُكمَ بعد أبيه.
The prince took power after his father.
وَلِيتُ أمرَ المشروعِ منذ عامين.
I took charge of the project two years ago.
مَن يَلِي الوزيرَ في المنصبِ سيواجهُ تحدياتٍ كبيرةً.
Whoever succeeds the minister in office will face great challenges.
لمّا وَلِيَ القضاءَ، عُرِفَ بنزاهتِهِ وحِرصِهِ على العدلِ.
When he took office as judge, he was known for his integrity and his concern for justice.
Conjugation
| Present Active | Simple Past Active | Simple Future Active | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | أَلِي | وَلِيتُ | سَأَلِي |
| 2sg | تَلِي | وَلِيتَ | سَتَلِي |
| 3sg | يَلِي | وَلِيَ | سَيَلِي |
| 1pl | نَلِي | وَلِينَا | سَنَلِي |
| 2pl | تَلُونَ | وَلِيتُمْ | سَتَلُونَ |
| 3pl | يَلُونَ | وَلُوا | سَيَلُونَ |
Word family
وَلِيّguardian, patron, saint
وِلايةgovernorship, province, state
والٍgovernor
مَوْلىmaster, lord; client, ally
تَوَلَّىto take charge of; to turn away
Etymology
The verb comes from the Semitic root w-l-y, whose core sense is nearness and proximity. From the idea of being close grow the meanings of following directly after, taking someone as a close ally, and being put in charge of an affair. The same root yields walī (guardian, patron) and wilāya (governorship).
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