In Form 3, the root ق ب ل takes on a directional and reciprocal meaning. It conveys the idea of turning one’s face toward another, of meeting, facing, or standing in front of someone in an interactive way. The Form 3 pattern implies a relationship between two parties, with each oriented toward the other.
As a result, Form 3 words built from ق ب ل commonly relate to meeting someone, facing them, standing opposite them, or comparing two things by placing them against each other.
Past tense conjugation (الماضي)
English
Arabizi
Arabic
I met
qaabaltu
قَابَلْتُ
You (m.) met
qaabalta
قَابَلْتَ
You (f.) met
qaabalti
قَابَلْتِ
He met
qaabala
قَابَلَ
She met
qaabalat
قَابَلَتْ
You (dual) met
qaabaltumaa
قَابَلْتُمَا
They (dual, m.) met
qaabalaa
قَابَلَا
They (dual, f.) met
qaabalataa
قَابَلَتَا
We met
qaabalnaa
قَابَلْنَا
You (plural, m.) met
qaabaltum
قَابَلْتُمْ
You (plural, f.) met
qaabaltunna
قَابَلْتُنَّ
They (plural, m.) met
qaabaluu
قَابَلُوا
They (plural, f.) met
qaabalna
قَابَلْنَ
Present tense conjugations (المضارع)
English
Arabizi
Arabic
I meet
'uqaabilu
أُقَابِلُ
You (m.) meet
tuqaabilu
تُقَابِلُ
You (f.) meet
tuqaabiliina
تُقَابِلينَ
He meets
yuqaabilu
يُقَابِلُ
She meets
tuqaabilu
تُقَابِلُ
You (dual) meet
tuqaabilaani
تُقَابِلَانِ
They (dual, m.) meet
yuqaabilaani
يُقَابِلَانِ
They (dual, f.) meet
tuqaabilaani
تُقَابِلَانِ
We meet
nuqaabilu
نُقَابِلُ
You (plural, m.) meet
tuqaabiluuna
تُقَابِلُونَ
You (plural, f.) meet
tuqaabilna
تُقَابِلْنَ
They (plural, m.) meet
yuqaabiluuna
يُقَابِلُونَ
They (plural, f.) meet
yuqaabilna
يُقَابِلْنَ
The verbal noun (المصدر — masdar)
English
Arabizi
Arabic
Meeting / Encounter / Comparison
muqaabalah
مُقَابَلَة
The active participle (اسم الفاعل)
English
Arabizi
Arabic
One who meets / Opposite / In exchange for
muqaabil
مُقَابِل
Passive voice conjugated in the past (الماضي المبني للمجهول)
English
Arabizi
Arabic
I was met
quubiltu
قُوبِلْتُ
You (m.) were met
quubilta
قُوبِلْتَ
You (f.) were met
quubilti
قُوبِلْتِ
He was met
quubila
قُوبِلَ
She was met
quubilat
قُوبِلَتْ
You (dual) were met
quubiltumaa
قُوبِلْتُمَا
They (dual, m.) were met
quubilaa
قُوبِلَا
They (dual, f.) were met
quubilataa
قُوبِلَتَا
We were met
quubilnaa
قُوبِلْنَا
You (plural, m.) were met
quubiltum
قُوبِلْتُمْ
You (plural, f.) were met
quubiltunna
قُوبِلْتُنَّ
They (plural, m.) were met
quubiluu
قُوبِلُوا
They (plural, f.) were met
quubilna
قُوبِلْنَ
Passive voice conjugated in the present (المضارع المبني للمجهول)
English
Arabizi
Arabic
I am met
'uqaabalu
أُقَابَلُ
You (m.) are met
tuqaabalu
تُقَابَلُ
You (f.) are met
tuqaabaliina
تُقَابَلينَ
He is met
yuqaabalu
يُقَابَلُ
She is met
tuqaabalu
تُقَابَلُ
You (dual) are met
tuqaabalaani
تُقَابَلَانِ
They (dual, m.) are met
yuqaabalaani
يُقَابَلَانِ
They (dual, f.) are met
tuqaabalaani
تُقَابَلَانِ
We are met
nuqaabalu
نُقَابَلُ
You (plural, m.) are met
tuqaabaluuna
تُقَابَلُونَ
You (plural, f.) are met
tuqaabalna
تُقَابَلْنَ
They (plural, m.) are met
yuqaabaluuna
يُقَابَلُونَ
They (plural, f.) are met
yuqaabalna
يُقَابَلْنَ
The passive participle (اسم المفعول)
English
Arabizi
Arabic
One who has been met
muqaabal
مُقَابَل
Get the free Arabic guide
Gain native insights into the diversity of Arabic dialects, the beauty of idioms, and the realities of everyday use, knowledge you won’t find anywhere else.