أَحَبَّ (aḥabba) means to love, to like. It is a doubled Form IV verb from the root ح ب ب (ḥ-b-b): أَحَبَّ (aḥabba) in the past, يُحِبُّ (yuḥibbu) in the present and أَحِبَّ (aḥibba) as a command. The tables below give its full conjugation in all 13 persons, active and passive, vowelled, with its participles and verbal noun.
Every form of aḥabba on this page comes from the engine behind our Arabic verb conjugator and was checked against Wiktionary's conjugation table for أَحَبَّ, which is also the source of its verbal nouns and passive participles.
Aḥabba at a glance
| Root | ح ب ب (ḥ-b-b), starting with the letter ḥāʾ |
| Form | Form IV, pattern أَفْعَلَ (afʿala) |
| Verb type | doubled |
| Past, he | أَحَبَّ (aḥabba) |
| Present, he | يُحِبُّ (yuḥibbu) |
| Command, you (one man) | أَحِبَّ (aḥibba) or أَحِبِّ (aḥibbi) or أَحْبِبْ (aḥbib) |
| Active participle | مُحِبّ (muḥibb) |
| Passive participle | مَحْبُوب (maḥbūb) or مُحَبّ (muḥabb) |
| Verbal noun (maṣdar) | حُبّ (ḥubb), مَحَبَّة (maḥabba) |
Past tense of aḥabba
The past tense (al-māḍī) of aḥabba keeps the doubled letter together before a vowel ending (أَحَبَّ (aḥabba), أَحَبُّوا (aḥabbū)) and splits it before a consonant ending (أَحْبَبْتُ (aḥbabtu), أَحْبَبْنَ (aḥbabna)).
| Person | Arabic | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| I · أنا anā | أَحْبَبْتُ | aḥbabtu |
| we · نحن naḥnu | أَحْبَبْنَا | aḥbabnā |
| you m.sg. · أنت anta | أَحْبَبْتَ | aḥbabta |
| you f.sg. · أنت anti | أَحْبَبْتِ | aḥbabti |
| you dual · أنتما antumā | أَحْبَبْتُمَا | aḥbabtumā |
| you m.pl. · أنتم antum | أَحْبَبْتُمْ | aḥbabtum |
| you f.pl. · أنتن antunna | أَحْبَبْتُنَّ | aḥbabtunna |
| he · هو huwa | أَحَبَّ | aḥabba |
| she · هي hiya | أَحَبَّتْ | aḥabbat |
| they two m. · هما humā | أَحَبَّا | aḥabbā |
| they two f. · هما humā | أَحَبَّتَا | aḥabbatā |
| they m.pl. · هم hum | أَحَبُّوا | aḥabbū |
| they f.pl. · هن hunna | أَحْبَبْنَ | aḥbabna |
Present tense of aḥabba
In the present tense (al-muḍāriʿ) the doubled letter of aḥabba stays together everywhere except before the feminine plural -na: يُحِبُّ (yuḥibbu) but يُحْبِبْنَ (yuḥbibna).
| Person | Arabic | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| I · أنا anā | أُحِبُّ | uḥibbu |
| we · نحن naḥnu | نُحِبُّ | nuḥibbu |
| you m.sg. · أنت anta | تُحِبُّ | tuḥibbu |
| you f.sg. · أنت anti | تُحِبِّينَ | tuḥibbīna |
| you dual · أنتما antumā | تُحِبَّانِ | tuḥibbāni |
| you m.pl. · أنتم antum | تُحِبُّونَ | tuḥibbūna |
| you f.pl. · أنتن antunna | تُحْبِبْنَ | tuḥbibna |
| he · هو huwa | يُحِبُّ | yuḥibbu |
| she · هي hiya | تُحِبُّ | tuḥibbu |
| they two m. · هما humā | يُحِبَّانِ | yuḥibbāni |
| they two f. · هما humā | تُحِبَّانِ | tuḥibbāni |
| they m.pl. · هم hum | يُحِبُّونَ | yuḥibbūna |
| they f.pl. · هن hunna | يُحْبِبْنَ | yuḥbibna |
Subjunctive and jussive of aḥabba
After لم (lam, did not) the he-form of aḥabba has three correct spellings, يُحِبَّ (yuḥibba) or يُحِبِّ (yuḥibbi) or يُحْبِبْ (yuḥbib), because the doubled letter may merge or split; after لن (lan, will not) it has one, يُحِبَّ (yuḥibba).
| Person | Subjunctive | Jussive |
|---|---|---|
| I · أنا anā | أُحِبَّ (uḥibba) | أُحِبَّ (uḥibba) or أُحِبِّ (uḥibbi) or أُحْبِبْ (uḥbib) |
| we · نحن naḥnu | نُحِبَّ (nuḥibba) | نُحِبَّ (nuḥibba) or نُحِبِّ (nuḥibbi) or نُحْبِبْ (nuḥbib) |
| you m.sg. · أنت anta | تُحِبَّ (tuḥibba) | تُحِبَّ (tuḥibba) or تُحِبِّ (tuḥibbi) or تُحْبِبْ (tuḥbib) |
| you f.sg. · أنت anti | تُحِبِّي (tuḥibbī) | تُحِبِّي (tuḥibbī) |
| you dual · أنتما antumā | تُحِبَّا (tuḥibbā) | تُحِبَّا (tuḥibbā) |
| you m.pl. · أنتم antum | تُحِبُّوا (tuḥibbū) | تُحِبُّوا (tuḥibbū) |
| you f.pl. · أنتن antunna | تُحْبِبْنَ (tuḥbibna) | تُحْبِبْنَ (tuḥbibna) |
| he · هو huwa | يُحِبَّ (yuḥibba) | يُحِبَّ (yuḥibba) or يُحِبِّ (yuḥibbi) or يُحْبِبْ (yuḥbib) |
| she · هي hiya | تُحِبَّ (tuḥibba) | تُحِبَّ (tuḥibba) or تُحِبِّ (tuḥibbi) or تُحْبِبْ (tuḥbib) |
| they two m. · هما humā | يُحِبَّا (yuḥibbā) | يُحِبَّا (yuḥibbā) |
| they two f. · هما humā | تُحِبَّا (tuḥibbā) | تُحِبَّا (tuḥibbā) |
| they m.pl. · هم hum | يُحِبُّوا (yuḥibbū) | يُحِبُّوا (yuḥibbū) |
| they f.pl. · هن hunna | يُحْبِبْنَ (yuḥbibna) | يُحْبِبْنَ (yuḥbibna) |
Imperative of aḥabba
The Form IV command keeps the hamza of the pattern, and unlike a connecting alif it is always pronounced: أَحِبَّ (aḥibba) or أَحِبِّ (aḥibbi) or أَحْبِبْ (aḥbib) to one man, أَحِبِّي (aḥibbī) to one woman, أَحِبُّوا (aḥibbū) to a group.
| Person | Arabic | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| you m.sg. · أنت anta | أَحِبَّ or أَحِبِّ or أَحْبِبْ | aḥibba or aḥibbi or aḥbib |
| you f.sg. · أنت anti | أَحِبِّي | aḥibbī |
| you dual · أنتما antumā | أَحِبَّا | aḥibbā |
| you m.pl. · أنتم antum | أَحِبُّوا | aḥibbū |
| you f.pl. · أنتن antunna | أَحْبِبْنَ | aḥbibna |
Passive of aḥabba
The doubled letter of aḥabba stays together in the passive: أُحِبَّ (uḥibba) in the past, يُحَبُّ (yuḥabbu) in the present.
| Person | Past passive | Present passive |
|---|---|---|
| I · أنا anā | أُحْبِبْتُ (uḥbibtu) | أُحَبُّ (uḥabbu) |
| we · نحن naḥnu | أُحْبِبْنَا (uḥbibnā) | نُحَبُّ (nuḥabbu) |
| you m.sg. · أنت anta | أُحْبِبْتَ (uḥbibta) | تُحَبُّ (tuḥabbu) |
| you f.sg. · أنت anti | أُحْبِبْتِ (uḥbibti) | تُحَبِّينَ (tuḥabbīna) |
| you dual · أنتما antumā | أُحْبِبْتُمَا (uḥbibtumā) | تُحَبَّانِ (tuḥabbāni) |
| you m.pl. · أنتم antum | أُحْبِبْتُمْ (uḥbibtum) | تُحَبُّونَ (tuḥabbūna) |
| you f.pl. · أنتن antunna | أُحْبِبْتُنَّ (uḥbibtunna) | تُحْبَبْنَ (tuḥbabna) |
| he · هو huwa | أُحِبَّ (uḥibba) | يُحَبُّ (yuḥabbu) |
| she · هي hiya | أُحِبَّتْ (uḥibbat) | تُحَبُّ (tuḥabbu) |
| they two m. · هما humā | أُحِبَّا (uḥibbā) | يُحَبَّانِ (yuḥabbāni) |
| they two f. · هما humā | أُحِبَّتَا (uḥibbatā) | تُحَبَّانِ (tuḥabbāni) |
| they m.pl. · هم hum | أُحِبُّوا (uḥibbū) | يُحَبُّونَ (yuḥabbūna) |
| they f.pl. · هن hunna | أُحْبِبْنَ (uḥbibna) | يُحْبَبْنَ (yuḥbabna) |
Participles and verbal noun of aḥabba
A Form IV active participle is the present stem with mu- in place of the prefix: يُحِبُّ (yuḥibbu) gives مُحِبّ (muḥibb). For the passive participle Wiktionary gives مَحْبُوب (maḥbūb) or مُحَبّ (muḥabb). Form IV usually builds its verbal noun on the pattern ifʿāl, but the noun Arabic uses for aḥabba is حُبّ (ḥubb), مَحَبَّة (maḥabba). The Arabic grammar books we recommend cover the patterns and their exceptions.
Why aḥabba conjugates this way
The second and third root letters of أَحَبَّ (aḥabba) are the same, ب (b), so it is a doubled verb. When a vowel follows the third letter the two merge into one letter with a shadda (أَحَبَّ (aḥabba), يُحِبُّ (yuḥibbu)); before a consonant ending they come apart again (أَحْبَبْتُ (aḥbabtu), يُحْبِبْنَ (yuḥbibna)). That is why the jussive and the command have more than one correct spelling.
Form IV puts a- in front of the root (afʿala) and is often causative. That a- is a hamza, which becomes the u- of the present prefix: يُحِبُّ (yuḥibbu). Arāda (to want) is built on the same Form IV pattern.
Aḥabba in sentences
هل تحب أختك؟
Do you like your sister?
The verb: تُحِبُّ (tuḥibbu), present, you (m.sg.). Source: Tatoeba sentence 11782991 by dididodo (CC BY 2.0 FR), unvowelled as published.
أحببت ذلك الكلب.
I liked that dog.
The verb: أَحْبَبْتُ (aḥbabtu), past, I. Source: Tatoeba sentence 7274681 by OsoHombre (CC BY 2.0 FR), unvowelled as published.
Frequently asked questions
What is the present tense of aḥabba?
The present tense of أَحَبَّ (aḥabba) is يُحِبُّ (yuḥibbu) for he, أُحِبُّ (uḥibbu) for I and تُحِبُّ (tuḥibbu) for you (one man). The doubled letter splits only before the feminine plural -na, as in يُحْبِبْنَ (yuḥbibna).
What is the maṣdar (verbal noun) of aḥabba?
حُبّ (ḥubb), مَحَبَّة (maḥabba), from Wiktionary, rather than the regular Form IV pattern ifʿāl. The active participle is مُحِبّ (muḥibb), and the passive participle مَحْبُوب (maḥbūb) or مُحَبّ (muḥabb).
Is aḥabba a regular verb?
It is regular for a doubled verb: its last two root letters merge with a shadda (أَحَبَّ (aḥabba)) and split before a consonant ending (أَحْبَبْتُ (aḥbabtu)).