For autodidact students of Arabic, the verb قَالَ / يَقُولُ (qāla / yaqūlu) — "to say" — is among the most essential words in the entire language. It appears on almost every page of Arabic prose, in every hadith, in the Quran, in newspapers, in conversation. Mastery of this verb is non-negotiable for any Arabic reader.
قَالَ / يَقُولُ comes from the root ق-و-ل (q-w-l), one of the most productive roots in Arabic, generating words for speaking, saying, speech, opinion, and proverb. It is a hollow verb (فِعْل أَجْوَف fiʿl ajwaf): the middle root letter is a weak letter (و wāw), which behaves differently from a regular consonant, disappearing or changing in certain conjugations. This makes قَالَ / يَقُولُ an excellent entry point into the important and common class of hollow verbs.
Link to course index: https://latinum.substack.com/p/index
FAQ: What does قَالَ / يَقُولُ (qāla / yaqūlu) mean in Arabic? قَالَ is the past tense and يَقُولُ is the present tense of the Arabic verb meaning "to say." The root is ق-و-ل (q-w-l). It is used for all acts of verbal expression: reporting speech, quoting, stating opinions, asking questions in reported form, and giving commands. The imperative قُلْ (qul!, "say!") appears over 300 times in the Quran alone.
In the following 15 examples you will encounter قَالَ / يَقُولُ across a range of everyday and formal contexts: reported speech, questions, commands, passive constructions, and the verbal noun قَوْل. The duplex interlinear format gives you direct script-to-meaning access on line (a) and phonetic support on line (b).
Educational Note: This material is designed for English speakers learning Arabic script and grammar through the Latinum Institute's proven interlinear method.
Key Takeaways: - قَالَ (qāla) is past tense; يَقُولُ (yaqūlu) is present tense — both from root ق-و-ل - قَالَ / يَقُولُ is a hollow verb: the middle root letter و behaves differently in various conjugations - The imperative is قُلْ (qul!) — say!; the negative imperative is لَا تَقُلْ (lā taqul) — don't say! - The passive يُقَالُ (yuqālu) means "it is said / one says" — used for proverbs and reported knowledge - The verbal noun قَوْل (qawl) means "a saying" or "speech" — used in nominalized constructions
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Arabic is written right-to-left (RTL), with letters changing form according to their position in a word. The lesson uses full diacritics (تَشْكِيل tashkīl) throughout to show every short vowel.
The root ق-و-ل (q-w-l): ق (qāf) is a uvular stop — produced at the back of the mouth, near the uvula, further back than any English consonant. و (wāw) is the weak middle letter that characterises hollow verbs. ل (lām) is a lateral liquid.
Hollow verbs — what changes: In the past tense, when the verb takes suffixes beginning with a consonant (e.g., قُلْتُ, قُلْنَا), the و disappears and the vowel shortens. When no suffix is added (قَالَ, قَالَتْ, قَالُوا), the و merges with the preceding vowel to produce a long ā. In the present tense (يَقُولُ), the و is retained as the long vowel ū.
Transliteration system: Standard academic Arabic romanisation throughout.
Key phonetic notes: - ق (q): uvular stop — produced where the back of the tongue meets the uvula, much further back than k. English speakers often substitute k; this is incorrect and changes the word - The long ā in قَالَ: this is a genuinely long vowel, held approximately twice as long as a short a - قُلْ (qul!): a short, sharp word — uvular q + short u + lateral l, no final vowel
Common learner mistakes: - Substituting k for ق — these are distinct phonemes and different letters in Arabic - Forgetting that قُلْتُ (I said) has no long vowel, while قَالَ (he said) does — hollow verb behaviour - Using قَالَ where the passive يُقَالُ (it is said) is idiomatic — especially for proverbs - Omitting إِنَّ / أَنَّ after قَالَ when introducing reported speech
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
25.1a قَالَ said الرَّجُلُ the-man كَلِمَةً word-ACC طَيِّبَةً kind-ACC
25.1b (qāla) said (ar-rajulu) the-man (kalimatan) word-ACC (ṭayyibatan) kind-ACC
25.2a مَاذَا what قَالَتْ did-she-say ؟
25.2b (mādhā) what (qālat) did-she-say ?
25.3a يَقُولُ says الحَقَّ the-truth-ACC دَائِمًا always
25.3b (yaqūlu) says (al-ḥaqqa) the-truth-ACC (dāʾiman) always
25.4a قُلْ say! [IMP] لِي to-me مَا what تُرِيدُ you-want
25.4b (qul) say! [IMP] (lī) to-me (mā) what (turīdu) you-want
25.5a قَالُوا they-said إِنَّهُمْ that-they مُتْعَبُونَ tired-NOM-PL
25.5b (qālū) they-said (innahum) that-they (mutʿabūna) tired-NOM-PL
25.6a لَمْ not [PAST-NEG] يَقُلْ he-said [JUSS] شَيْئًا anything-ACC
25.6b (lam) not [PAST-NEG] (yaqul) he-said [JUSS] (shayʾan) anything-ACC
25.7a يُقَالُ it-is-said [PASS] إِنَّ that الصَّبْرَ patience-ACC مِفْتَاحُ key-NOM الفَرَجِ relief-GEN
25.7b (yuqālu) it-is-said [PASS] (inna) that (aṣ-ṣabra) patience-ACC (miftāḥu) key-NOM (al-faraji) relief-GEN
25.8a قَالَ said لَهُ to-him مَرْحَبًا welcome
25.8b (qāla) said (lahu) to-him (marḥaban) welcome
25.9a كَيْفَ how تَقُولُ do-you-say هَذَا this بِالعَرَبِيَّةِ in-Arabic ؟
25.9b (kayfa) how (taqūlu) do-you-say (hādhā) this (bil-ʿarabiyyati) in-Arabic ?
25.10a قَالَتْ said أُمُّهُ his-mother إِنَّهَا that-she فَخُورَةٌ proud بِهِ of-him
25.10b (qālat) said (ummuhu) his-mother (innahā) that-she (fakhūratun) proud (bihi) of-him
25.11a القَوْلُ saying/speech [MASD] أَسْهَلُ easier مِنَ than الفِعْلِ action-GEN
25.11b (al-qawlu) saying/speech [MASD] (ashal) easier (mina) than (al-fiʿli) action-GEN
25.12a سَيَقُولُ will-say رَأْيَهُ his-opinion-ACC فِي in الاجْتِمَاعِ the-meeting-GEN غَدًا tomorrow
25.12b (sa-yaqūlu) will-say (raʾyahu) his-opinion-ACC (fī) in (al-ijtimāʿi) the-meeting-GEN (ghadan) tomorrow
25.13a لَا not [NEG-IMP] تَقُلْ say [JUSS] مَا what لَا not تَعْلَمُ you-know
25.13b (lā) not [NEG-IMP] (taqul) say [JUSS] (mā) what (lā) not (taʿlamu) you-know
25.14a قَالَ said الطَّبِيبُ the-doctor إِنَّ that الرَّاحَةَ rest-ACC ضَرُورِيَّةٌ necessary
25.14b (qāla) said (aṭ-ṭabību) the-doctor (inna) that (ar-rāḥata) rest-ACC (ḍarūriyyatun) necessary
25.15a نَقُولُ we-say مَا what فِي in قُلُوبِنَا our-hearts-GEN
25.15b (naqūlu) we-say (mā) what (fī) in (qulūbinā) our-hearts-GEN
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
25.1 قَالَ الرَّجُلُ كَلِمَةً طَيِّبَةً "The man said a kind word."
25.2 مَاذَا قَالَتْ؟ "What did she say?"
25.3 يَقُولُ الحَقَّ دَائِمًا "He always tells the truth."
25.4 قُلْ لِي مَا تُرِيدُ "Tell me what you want."
25.5 قَالُوا إِنَّهُمْ مُتْعَبُونَ "They said they were tired."
25.6 لَمْ يَقُلْ شَيْئًا "He didn't say anything."
25.7 يُقَالُ إِنَّ الصَّبْرَ مِفْتَاحُ الفَرَجِ "It is said that patience is the key to relief."
25.8 قَالَ لَهُ مَرْحَبًا "He said welcome to him."
25.9 كَيْفَ تَقُولُ هَذَا بِالعَرَبِيَّةِ؟ "How do you say this in Arabic?"
25.10 قَالَتْ أُمُّهُ إِنَّهَا فَخُورَةٌ بِهِ "His mother said she was proud of him."
25.11 القَوْلُ أَسْهَلُ مِنَ الفِعْلِ "Saying is easier than doing."
25.12 سَيَقُولُ رَأْيَهُ فِي الاجْتِمَاعِ غَدًا "He will give his opinion at the meeting tomorrow."
25.13 لَا تَقُلْ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُ "Do not say what you do not know."
25.14 قَالَ الطَّبِيبُ إِنَّ الرَّاحَةَ ضَرُورِيَّةٌ "The doctor said that rest is necessary."
25.15 نَقُولُ مَا فِي قُلُوبِنَا "We say what is in our hearts."
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
25.1 قَالَ الرَّجُلُ كَلِمَةً طَيِّبَةً
25.2 مَاذَا قَالَتْ؟
25.3 يَقُولُ الحَقَّ دَائِمًا
25.4 قُلْ لِي مَا تُرِيدُ
25.5 قَالُوا إِنَّهُمْ مُتْعَبُونَ
25.6 لَمْ يَقُلْ شَيْئًا
25.7 يُقَالُ إِنَّ الصَّبْرَ مِفْتَاحُ الفَرَجِ
25.8 قَالَ لَهُ مَرْحَبًا
25.9 كَيْفَ تَقُولُ هَذَا بِالعَرَبِيَّةِ؟
25.10 قَالَتْ أُمُّهُ إِنَّهَا فَخُورَةٌ بِهِ
25.11 القَوْلُ أَسْهَلُ مِنَ الفِعْلِ
25.12 سَيَقُولُ رَأْيَهُ فِي الاجْتِمَاعِ غَدًا
25.13 لَا تَقُلْ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُ
25.14 قَالَ الطَّبِيبُ إِنَّ الرَّاحَةَ ضَرُورِيَّةٌ
25.15 نَقُولُ مَا فِي قُلُوبِنَا
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
These are the grammar rules for قَالَ / يَقُولُ (qāla / yaqūlu) — "to say":
The Root and Hollow Verb Class: The verb belongs to the root ق-و-ل (q-w-l). Because the middle root letter is و (wāw), a weak consonant, this verb belongs to the class of hollow verbs (أَفْعَال أَجْوَفَة afʿāl ajwafa). Hollow verbs are among the most common in Arabic; mastering their pattern unlocks dozens of essential verbs (قَامَ/يَقُومُ "to stand," كَانَ/يَكُونُ "to be," زَارَ/يَزُورُ "to visit," نَامَ/يَنَامُ "to sleep").
The Rule: In hollow verbs, the middle weak letter behaves as follows: - Past tense, 3rd person (no suffix): و merges with the preceding short vowel into a long vowel. قَوَلَ → قَالَ (qāla). The long ā is the trace of the و. - Past tense, with consonant suffix: the و disappears entirely and the vowel shortens. قُلْتُ (qultu, "I said"), قُلْنَا (qulnā, "we said"). - Present tense: the و is retained as the long vowel ū. يَقُولُ (yaqūlu), نَقُولُ (naqūlu). - Jussive (after لَمْ or لَا in commands): the long vowel shortens and the و disappears. لَمْ يَقُلْ (lam yaqul, "he did not say"), لَا تَقُلْ (lā taqul, "do not say").
Past tense conjugation (الماضي al-māḍī): - قُلْتُ (qultu) — I said - قُلْتَ (qulta) — you said (masc. sg.) - قُلْتِ (qulti) — you said (fem. sg.) - قَالَ (qāla) — he said - قَالَتْ (qālat) — she said - قُلْنَا (qulnā) — we said - قُلْتُمْ (qultum) — you said (masc. pl.) - قَالُوا (qālū) — they said (masc. pl.)
Present tense conjugation (المضارع al-muḍāriʿ): - أَقُولُ (aqūlu) — I say - تَقُولُ (taqūlu) — you say (masc.) - تَقُولِينَ (taqūlīna) — you say (fem.) - يَقُولُ (yaqūlu) — he says - تَقُولُ (taqūlu) — she says - نَقُولُ (naqūlu) — we say - يَقُولُونَ (yaqūlūna) — they say (masc. pl.)
Imperative forms: - قُلْ (qul) — say! (masc. sg.) - قُولِي (qūlī) — say! (fem. sg.) - قُولُوا (qūlū) — say! (masc. pl.)
Negative imperative: لَا تَقُلْ (lā taqul) — don't say! Note the jussive form after لَا.
Passive: يُقَالُ (yuqālu) — "it is said / one says." Formed by the pattern يُفْعَلُ (yuFʿalu). Used idiomatically for proverbs and common knowledge: يُقَالُ إِنَّ... ("it is said that...").
Verbal noun (المصدر al-maṣdar): قَوْل (qawl) — "a saying, speech, word." Used in constructions like القَوْلُ أَسْهَلُ مِنَ الفِعْلِ ("Saying is easier than doing," example 25.11) and in the compound مَأْثُورَاتٌ قَوْلِيَّةٌ (traditional sayings/proverbs).
Reported speech — إِنَّ / أَنَّ after قَالَ: When قَالَ introduces a reported statement (indirect speech), it is typically followed by إِنَّ (inna) or أَنَّ (anna), both meaning "that." The noun following إِنَّ/أَنَّ takes the accusative case: قَالَ إِنَّ الطَّقْسَ جَيِّدٌ (He said that the weather was good).
Common Mistakes: - Using a long vowel in قُلْتُ — the hollow verb shortens before consonant suffixes - Omitting إِنَّ/أَنَّ when introducing reported speech after قَالَ - Confusing the imperative قُلْ with the present-jussive يَقُلْ (after لَمْ) - Pronouncing ق as k — the uvular articulation is essential
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
The verb قَالَ / يَقُولُ is the structural spine of Arabic narrative, classical and modern. Every hadith begins with a chain of قَالَ: "A said that B said that C said that the Prophet said..." This chain of transmission (إِسْنَاد isnād) gives قَالَ a legal and religious weight far beyond its equivalent in European languages. To say something in Arabic is to bear witness; to report speech is to vouch for its transmission.
In the Quran, the imperative قُلْ (qul!, "Say!") appears over 330 times, addressed directly to the Prophet by God. These verses — from the brief قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ (Say: He is God, One) to extended doctrinal statements — make قُلْ one of the most encountered single words in the text. Any student of Arabic encounters it immediately.
In everyday modern usage, Arabic speakers use قال to introduce reported speech in conversation in the same way English uses "said." But colloquial Arabic also uses قال in a suspended, sceptical way: قال إنه مريض (He says he's sick — implying doubt). This nuance is carried in tone rather than grammar.
The verbal noun قَوْل (qawl) lives on in several high-frequency compounds: - قَوْلًا وَفِعْلًا (qawlan wa-fiʿlan) — in word and deed - حُسْنُ القَوْلِ (ḥusn al-qawl) — eloquence, goodness of speech - أَقْوَال (aqwāl) — sayings, pl. of قَوْل — used for collected proverbs and attributed quotations
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
صحيح البخاري، الحديث الأول — Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, First Hadith (compiled 9th century CE)
The most famous hadith in all of Islamic literature, transmitted by Umar ibn al-Khattab and recorded as the opening hadith of Imam al-Bukhari's Ṣaḥīḥ — the most authoritative collection of prophetic traditions. The passage contains both قَالَ (past: "he said") and يَقُولُ (present participle: "saying"), illustrating the standard hadith formula for reporting speech through a chain of transmission.
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
عَنْ (ʿan) from عُمَرَ (ʿUmara) Umar-GEN بْنِ (ibni) son-GEN الخَطَّابِ (al-Khaṭṭābi) al-Khattab-GEN قَالَ (qāla) he-said سَمِعْتُ (samiʿtu) I-heard رَسُولَ (rasūla) messenger-ACC اللَّهِ (Allāhi) God-GEN يَقُولُ (yaqūlu) saying إِنَّمَا (innamā) verily/only الأَعْمَالُ (al-aʿmālu) the-deeds-NOM بِالنِّيَّاتِ (bin-niyyāti) by-the-intentions-GEN
F-B: Authentic Text with Translation
عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الخَطَّابِ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ يَقُولُ: إِنَّمَا الأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ.
"From Umar ibn al-Khattab: he said: I heard the Messenger of God saying: 'Actions are [judged] only by intentions.'"
F-C: Authentic Text Only
عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الخَطَّابِ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ يَقُولُ: إِنَّمَا الأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ.
F-D: Grammar and Vocabulary Notes
عَنْ (ʿan): "from/on the authority of" — the standard hadith preposition that opens each link in the chain of transmission (إِسْنَاد isnād).
قَالَ (qāla): past tense, 3rd person masculine singular of our lesson verb. Here it reports what Umar said.
سَمِعْتُ + object + يَقُولُ: the construction سَمِعَ + [person in accusative] + [present tense verb] means "I heard [person] saying/say." The present tense يَقُولُ describes the ongoing act of speaking that was heard, not a completed event.
إِنَّمَا (innamā): a fused particle (إِنَّ + مَا) meaning "only/verily/nothing but." It restricts the predicate: "deeds are ONLY by intentions" — not by appearances, not by results.
الأَعْمَالُ (al-aʿmālu): plural of عَمَل (ʿamal, "deed/action"), nominative. Subject of the sentence.
بِالنِّيَّاتِ (bin-niyyāti): بِ (bi-, "by/with") + النِّيَّات (al-niyyāt, "intentions"), plural of نِيَّة (niyya). The بِ here expresses means or condition.
F-E: Literary Commentary
This hadith is the only text in Arabic literature that Islamic scholars have unanimously placed first in a canonical collection. Al-Bukhari opened his Ṣaḥīḥ with it deliberately: before all jurisprudence, before all theology, before all narrative, comes the principle of intention — and that principle is delivered through the double structure of قَالَ / يَقُولُ. Umar said that he heard the Prophet saying. The chain of speech is itself the epistemological foundation of Islamic religious knowledge. In this one sentence, the lesson verb carries the weight of an entire tradition of reported knowledge.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
An old scholar sits with his son on the evening before the son departs for the city. The narrative is built almost entirely from قال / يقول / قُل — showing the verb across tenses, moods, and persons in a coherent story of counsel and farewell.
25.16a جَلَسَ sat الأَبُ the-father مَعَ with ابْنِهِ his-son-GEN وَقَالَ and-said لَهُ to-him اسْمَعْ listen! [IMP] مَا what سَأَقُولُهُ I-will-say-it
25.16b (jalasa) sat (al-abu) the-father (maʿa) with (ibnihi) his-son-GEN (wa-qāla) and-said (lahu) to-him (ismaʿ) listen! [IMP] (mā) what (sa-aqūluhu) I-will-say-it
25.17a قَالَ said الابْنُ the-son قُلْ say! [IMP] يَا O أَبِي my-father وَأَنَا and-I أَسْمَعُ listen
25.17b (qāla) said (al-ibnu) the-son (qul) say! [IMP] (yā) O (abī) my-father (wa-anā) and-I (asmaʿu) listen
25.18a قَالَ said الأَبُ the-father أَقُولُ I-say لَكَ to-you ثَلَاثَةَ three-ACC أَشْيَاءَ things-ACC لَا not تَنْسَاهَا forget-them
25.18b (qāla) said (al-abu) the-father (aqūlu) I-say (laka) to-you (thalāthata) three-ACC (ashyāʾa) things-ACC (lā) not (tansāhā) forget-them
25.19a أَوَّلًا firstly لَا not [NEG-IMP] تَقُلْ say [JUSS] إِلَّا except الحَقَّ the-truth-ACC وَلَوْ even-if كَانَ it-was مُرًّا bitter
25.19b (awwalan) firstly (lā) not [NEG-IMP] (taqul) say [JUSS] (illā) except (al-ḥaqqa) the-truth-ACC (wa-law) even-if (kāna) it-was (murran) bitter
25.20a ثَانِيًا secondly لَا not [NEG-IMP] تَقُلْ say [JUSS] شَيْئًا anything-ACC لَا not تَعْرِفُهُ you-know-it جَيِّدًا well
25.20b (thāniyan) secondly (lā) not [NEG-IMP] (taqul) say [JUSS] (shayʾan) anything-ACC (lā) not (taʿrifuhu) you-know-it (jayyidan) well
25.21a ثَالِثًا thirdly قُلْ say! [IMP] مَا what فِي in قَلْبِكَ your-heart-GEN بِأَدَبٍ with-courtesy-GEN وَاحْتِرَامٍ and-respect-GEN
25.21b (thālithan) thirdly (qul) say! [IMP] (mā) what (fī) in (qalbika) your-heart-GEN (bi-adabin) with-courtesy-GEN (wa-ḥtirāmin) and-respect-GEN
25.22a قَالَ said الابْنُ the-son هَلْ did قَالَ say جَدِّي my-grandfather-NOM هَذَا this أَيْضًا also ؟
25.22b (qāla) said (al-ibnu) the-son (hal) did (qāla) say (jaddī) my-grandfather-NOM (hādhā) this (ayḍan) also ?
25.23a قَالَ said الأَبُ the-father نَعَمْ yes يُقَالُ it-is-said [PASS] إِنَّ that هَذَا this قَوْلٌ saying قَدِيمٌ ancient
25.23b (qāla) said (al-abu) the-father (naʿam) yes (yuqālu) it-is-said [PASS] (inna) that (hādhā) this (qawlun) saying (qadīmun) ancient
25.24a قَالَ said الابْنُ the-son سَأَتَذَكَّرُ I-will-remember كُلَّ every مَا what قُلْتَهُ you-said-it يَا O أَبِي my-father
25.24b (qāla) said (al-ibnu) the-son (sa-atadhaккaru) I-will-remember (kulla) every (mā) what (qultahu) you-said-it (yā) O (abī) my-father
25.25a يَقُولُ says النَّاسُ the-people إِنَّكَ that-you رَجُلٌ man حَكِيمٌ wise
25.25b (yaqūlu) says (an-nāsu) the-people (innaka) that-you (rajulun) man (ḥakīmun) wise
25.26a قَالَ said الأَبُ the-father لَا not أَقُولُ I-say ذَلِكَ that عَنْ about نَفْسِي myself-GEN
25.26b (qāla) said (al-abū) the-father (lā) not (aqūlu) I-say (dhālika) that (ʿan) about (nafsī) myself-GEN
25.27a قُولُوا say! [IMP-PL] الخَيْرَ good-ACC أَوْ or اِصْمُتُوا be-silent! [IMP-PL]
25.27b (qūlū) say! [IMP-PL] (al-khayra) good-ACC (aw) or (iṣmutū) be-silent! [IMP-PL]
25.28a مَا not قِيلَ was-said [PASS] فِي in السِّرِّ secret-GEN بَقِيَ remained سِرًّا secret-ACC
25.28b (mā) not (qīla) was-said [PASS] (fī) in (as-sirri) secret-GEN (baqiya) remained (sirran) secret-ACC
25.29a قَالَ said الابْنُ the-son سَأَقُولُ I-will-say أَقْوَالَكَ your-sayings-ACC لِأَبْنَائِي to-my-sons-GEN يَوْمًا one-day
25.29b (qāla) said (al-ibnu) the-son (sa-aqūlu) I-will-say (aqwālaka) your-sayings-ACC (li-abnāʾī) to-my-sons-GEN (yawman) one-day
25.30a يَقُولُ says الحَكِيمُ the-wise-man كَلَامًا speech-ACC قَلِيلًا little وَيَعْمَلُ but-acts كَثِيرًا much
25.30b (yaqūlu) says (al-ḥakīmu) the-wise-man (kalāman) speech-ACC (qalīlan) little (wa-yaʿmalu) but-acts (kathīran) much
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
25.16 جَلَسَ الأَبُ مَعَ ابْنِهِ وَقَالَ لَهُ: اسْمَعْ مَا سَأَقُولُهُ "The father sat with his son and said to him: Listen to what I am going to say."
25.17 قَالَ الابْنُ: قُلْ يَا أَبِي وَأَنَا أَسْمَعُ "The son said: Speak, my father, and I am listening."
25.18 قَالَ الأَبُ: أَقُولُ لَكَ ثَلَاثَةَ أَشْيَاءَ لَا تَنْسَاهَا "The father said: I will tell you three things — do not forget them."
25.19 أَوَّلًا: لَا تَقُلْ إِلَّا الحَقَّ وَلَوْ كَانَ مُرًّا "First: say nothing but the truth, even if it is bitter."
25.20 ثَانِيًا: لَا تَقُلْ شَيْئًا لَا تَعْرِفُهُ جَيِّدًا "Second: do not say anything you do not know well."
25.21 ثَالِثًا: قُلْ مَا فِي قَلْبِكَ بِأَدَبٍ وَاحْتِرَامٍ "Third: say what is in your heart with courtesy and respect."
25.22 قَالَ الابْنُ: هَلْ قَالَ جَدِّي هَذَا أَيْضًا؟ "The son said: Did my grandfather say this too?"
25.23 قَالَ الأَبُ: نَعَمْ، يُقَالُ إِنَّ هَذَا قَوْلٌ قَدِيمٌ "The father said: Yes — it is said this is an ancient saying."
25.24 قَالَ الابْنُ: سَأَتَذَكَّرُ كُلَّ مَا قُلْتَهُ يَا أَبِي "The son said: I will remember everything you have said, my father."
25.25 يَقُولُ النَّاسُ إِنَّكَ رَجُلٌ حَكِيمٌ "People say you are a wise man."
25.26 قَالَ الأَبُ: لَا أَقُولُ ذَلِكَ عَنْ نَفْسِي "The father said: I do not say that about myself."
25.27 قُولُوا الخَيْرَ أَوِ اصْمُتُوا "Say what is good or be silent."
25.28 مَا قِيلَ فِي السِّرِّ بَقِيَ سِرًّا "What was said in secret remained a secret."
25.29 قَالَ الابْنُ: سَأَقُولُ أَقْوَالَكَ لِأَبْنَائِي يَوْمًا "The son said: I will one day pass your sayings on to my sons."
25.30 يَقُولُ الحَكِيمُ كَلَامًا قَلِيلًا وَيَعْمَلُ كَثِيرًا "The wise man says little and does much."
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
25.16 جَلَسَ الأَبُ مَعَ ابْنِهِ وَقَالَ لَهُ: اسْمَعْ مَا سَأَقُولُهُ
25.17 قَالَ الابْنُ: قُلْ يَا أَبِي وَأَنَا أَسْمَعُ
25.18 قَالَ الأَبُ: أَقُولُ لَكَ ثَلَاثَةَ أَشْيَاءَ لَا تَنْسَاهَا
25.19 أَوَّلًا: لَا تَقُلْ إِلَّا الحَقَّ وَلَوْ كَانَ مُرًّا
25.20 ثَانِيًا: لَا تَقُلْ شَيْئًا لَا تَعْرِفُهُ جَيِّدًا
25.21 ثَالِثًا: قُلْ مَا فِي قَلْبِكَ بِأَدَبٍ وَاحْتِرَامٍ
25.22 قَالَ الابْنُ: هَلْ قَالَ جَدِّي هَذَا أَيْضًا؟
25.23 قَالَ الأَبُ: نَعَمْ، يُقَالُ إِنَّ هَذَا قَوْلٌ قَدِيمٌ
25.24 قَالَ الابْنُ: سَأَتَذَكَّرُ كُلَّ مَا قُلْتَهُ يَا أَبِي
25.25 يَقُولُ النَّاسُ إِنَّكَ رَجُلٌ حَكِيمٌ
25.26 قَالَ الأَبُ: لَا أَقُولُ ذَلِكَ عَنْ نَفْسِي
25.27 قُولُوا الخَيْرَ أَوِ اصْمُتُوا
25.28 مَا قِيلَ فِي السِّرِّ بَقِيَ سِرًّا
25.29 قَالَ الابْنُ: سَأَقُولُ أَقْوَالَكَ لِأَبْنَائِي يَوْمًا
25.30 يَقُولُ الحَكِيمُ كَلَامًا قَلِيلًا وَيَعْمَلُ كَثِيرًا
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Hollow verb in context — the full range: The genre section deliberately cycles through every major form of قَالَ / يَقُولُ to consolidate the hollow verb pattern. Compare قَالَ (he said, past 3rd masc. sg.), قُلْتَ (you said, past 2nd masc. sg. with consonant suffix — short vowel), يَقُولُ (he says, present), سَأَقُولُ (I will say, future with سَـ prefix), قُلْ (say!, imperative), لَا تَقُلْ (don't say!, negative imperative — jussive), قِيلَ (was said, passive past), يُقَالُ (it is said, passive present).
The vocative يَا (yā): يَا أَبِي (O my father) — Arabic uses يَا to introduce direct address. The noun following يَا takes a special form: with a suffix pronoun it remains in its construct form.
Future tense with سَـ: Arabic forms the near future by prefixing سَـ (sa-) to the present tense verb: سَأَقُولُ (sa-aqūlu, "I will say"), سَأَتَذَكَّرُ (sa-atadhaккaru, "I will remember"). There is no separate future tense conjugation.
Passive past قِيلَ (qīla, "was said"): the passive of hollow verbs follows the pattern فِيلَ (fīla): the middle vowel becomes long ī. So قَالَ → قِيلَ; بَاعَ (bāʿa, "sold") → بِيعَ (bīʿa, "was sold").
Coordination of imperatives: قُولُوا الخَيْرَ أَوِ اصْمُتُوا — two imperatives joined by أَوْ (or). Note that أَوِ (with kasra on wāw) is the form أَوْ takes before words beginning with a sukūn — an assimilation of pronunciation to avoid two successive sukūns.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
قَالَ (qāla) — IPA: /qaː.la/ يَقُولُ (yaqūlu) — IPA: /ja.quː.lu/ قُلْ (qul) — IPA: /qul/
- ق (q): uvular stop — the back of the tongue contacts the uvula, further back than any English consonant. English speakers consistently substitute k; practise by pushing the point of contact further back until it feels unusual - The long ā in قَالَ: hold it for approximately twice the duration of a short vowel — the hollow verb's long vowel is phonemically significant; قَالَ (he said) vs. قَلَّ (he was scarce) are distinguished by vowel length alone - قُلْ (qul): the short u after the uvular q takes on a slightly "dark" quality due to the uvular consonant; the final lām has no vowel
Stress: Arabic stress falls on the rightmost heavy syllable (closed or with long vowel). In يَقُولُ: ya-QŪ-lu (the long ū creates a heavy syllable). In قَالَ: QĀ-la (the long ā makes the first syllable heavy). In قُلْتُ: QUL-tu (the closed syllable qul- is heavy).
Common errors for English speakers: - Substituting k for ق throughout — immediately noticeable to native speakers - Shortening the long ā of قَالَ — makes it sound like a different word - Failing to drop the long vowel in hollow verb forms with consonant suffixes: قُلْتُ, not قَالْتُ
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
---