Skip to content
fluentbyear

EGYPTIAN ARABIC VERB

كَتَب

to write

  • #56 most used
  • Regular verb
  • Active participle: كَاتِب

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

المُضَارِع · now and habits: the b- forms (بَكْتِب)

Form Affirmative Negative
أَنَاI write
إِنْتَyou write (to a man)
إِنْتِyou write (to a woman)
هُوَّhe writes
هِيَّshe writes
إِحْنَاwe write
إِنْتُوyou all write
هُمَّthey write

Past

المَاضِي · finished actions (كَتَبْت, كَتَب)

Form Affirmative Negative
أَنَاI wrote
إِنْتَyou wrote (to a man)
إِنْتِyou wrote (to a woman)
هُوَّhe wrote
هِيَّshe wrote
إِحْنَاwe wrote
إِنْتُوyou all wrote
هُمَّthey wrote

Future

المُسْتَقْبَل · plans: the ha- forms (هَاكْتِب)

Form Affirmative Negative
أَنَاI will write
إِنْتَyou will write (to a man)
إِنْتِyou will write (to a woman)
هُوَّhe will write
هِيَّshe will write
إِحْنَاwe will write
إِنْتُوyou all will write
هُمَّthey will write

After want, must and can

المُضَارِع المُجَرَّد · the bare present (عَايِز أَكْتِب, لاَزِم تِكْتِب)

Form Affirmative Negative
أَنَا(that) I write
إِنْتَ(that) you write (to a man)
إِنْتِ(that) you write (to a woman)
هُوَّ(that) he writes
هِيَّ(that) she writes
إِحْنَا(that) we write
إِنْتُو(that) you all write
هُمَّ(that) they write

Commands

الأَمْر · to a man, a woman and several people, and don’t

Form Affirmative Negative
إِنْتَwrite! (to a man)
إِنْتِwrite! (to a woman)
إِنْتُوwrite! (to several people)

How to use كَتَب

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    بَكْتِب لِأُمِّي إِيمِيل كُلّ أُسْبُوع.

    I write my mother an email every week.

  2. Past

    كَتَبْت كَارْت لِمَامَا بِالعَرَبِي.

    I wrote Mum a card in Arabic.

  3. Future

    هَاكْتِب لَك نِمْرِتِي عَلَى الوَرَقَة دِي.

    I'll write my number for you on this paper.

  4. After want, must and can

    لاَزِم تِكْتِب اِسْمَك هِنَا, يَا لِيُو.

    You have to write your name here, Leo.

  5. Commands

    اِكْتِبِي العِنْوَان بِالعَرَبِي, لَوْ سَمَحْتِ.

    Write the address in Arabic, please.

Good to know

  • كَاتِب is both "having written" and a writer; مَكْتَب, from the same root, is a desk or an office.

Where you hear كَتَب

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

Egyptian Arabic · Beginner Level 2

  • بَكْتِب عَرَبِي شُوَيَّة. I write a little Arabic.
  • كَتَبْت كَارْت لِمَامَا. I wrote a card for mum.
  • هَاكْتِب لَك نِمْرِتِي. I'll write my number for you.

Egyptian Arabic · Advanced Level 1

  • بَكْتِب عَرَبِي شُوَيَّة. I write a little Arabic.
  • كَتَبْت كَارْت لِمَامَا. I wrote a card for mum.
  • هَاكْتِب لَك نِمْرِتِي. I'll write my number for you.
25
Mother's Day

Beginner Level 2 · هَتِكْتِب كَارْت بِالعَرَبِي!

Needs a subscription 27
The bank

Advanced Level 1 · الاِسْم بِالكَامِل, زَيّ مَا هُوَّ مَكْتُوب. · بِالعَرَبِي بَاكْتِبُه كِدَه. · وِالمُرَتَّب أَكْتِبُه فِين?

Needs a subscription 9
The Small Print

Advanced Level 2 · اِكْتِب مَرَّة فِي السَّنَة. · اِكْتِب, لَا يَزِيد عَن عَشَرَة فِي المِيَّة.

Needs a subscription 13
A wrong letter

Advanced Level 2 · الاِسْم هِنَا مَكْتُوب غَلَط. · المُتَرْجِم كَتَبُه كِدَه.

Needs a subscription 21
The Rent Rise That Wasn't

Advanced Level 2 · العَقْد كَتَبُه نَاس. · مَكْتُوب عَشَرَة فِي المِيَّة بَسّ.

Needs a subscription 23
Worse Than Before

Advanced Level 2 · مَاشِي, وِالسِّعْر مَكْتُوب.

Needs a subscription 16
Grandma's recipe

Advanced Level 3 · اِكْتِبِي, كُبَّايْتَيْن مَيَّة.

Needs a subscription 4
The Camera Test

Fluency Level 2 · كَرِيم كَتَب لِي, تَعَالَى شَهْر.

Needs a subscription 5
The Cake and the Inscription

Fluency Level 3 · نِكْتِب عَلِيهَا إِيه, يَا بَشْمُهَنْدِس?

Needs a subscription 6
Writing the Word

Fluency Level 3 · كَتَبْت تَلاَت صَفَحَات.

Needs a subscription 15
The form

Fluency Level 3 · وِاكْتِب بِالفُصْحَى, مِش بِالمَصْرِي.

Needs a subscription 21
The Opening Day

Fluency Level 3 · وِالبِرْنَامِج مَكْتُوب, مَعَ الكِلْمَة.

Needs a subscription

And 1 more lessons.

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: regular verb.