أَكَلَ (akala) means to eat. It is a hamzated Form I verb from the root ء ك ل (ʾ-k-l): أَكَلَ (akala) in the past, يَأْكُلُ (yaʾkulu) in the present and كُلْ (kul) 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 akala on this page comes from the engine behind our Arabic verb conjugator and was checked against Wiktionary's conjugation table for أَكَلَ, which is also the source of its verbal nouns.
Akala at a glance
| Root | ء ك ل (ʾ-k-l), starting with a hamza, written on the letter alif at the start of the word |
| Form | Form I, pattern فَعَلَ (faʿala) |
| Verb type | hamzated |
| Past, he | أَكَلَ (akala) |
| Present, he | يَأْكُلُ (yaʾkulu) |
| Command, you (one man) | كُلْ (kul) |
| Active participle | آكِل (ākil) |
| Passive participle | مَأْكُول (maʾkūl) |
| Verbal noun (maṣdar) | أَكْل (akl), مَأْكَل (maʾkal) |
Past tense of akala
The past tense (al-māḍī) of akala is one stem, akal-, plus a suffix that carries the person: أَكَلْتُ (akaltu) for I, أَكَلَتْ (akalat) for she, أَكَلُوا (akalū) for they.
| Person | Arabic | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| I · أنا anā | أَكَلْتُ | akaltu |
| we · نحن naḥnu | أَكَلْنَا | akalnā |
| you m.sg. · أنت anta | أَكَلْتَ | akalta |
| you f.sg. · أنت anti | أَكَلْتِ | akalti |
| you dual · أنتما antumā | أَكَلْتُمَا | akaltumā |
| you m.pl. · أنتم antum | أَكَلْتُمْ | akaltum |
| you f.pl. · أنتن antunna | أَكَلْتُنَّ | akaltunna |
| he · هو huwa | أَكَلَ | akala |
| she · هي hiya | أَكَلَتْ | akalat |
| they two m. · هما humā | أَكَلَا | akalā |
| they two f. · هما humā | أَكَلَتَا | akalatā |
| they m.pl. · هم hum | أَكَلُوا | akalū |
| they f.pl. · هن hunna | أَكَلْنَ | akalna |
Present tense of akala
The present tense (al-muḍāriʿ) of akala has u in the stem, -ʾkul-, which no rule predicts: آكُلُ (ākulu) for I, يَأْكُلُ (yaʾkulu) for he, يَأْكُلُونَ (yaʾkulūna) for they.
| Person | Arabic | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| I · أنا anā | آكُلُ | ākulu |
| we · نحن naḥnu | نَأْكُلُ | naʾkulu |
| you m.sg. · أنت anta | تَأْكُلُ | taʾkulu |
| you f.sg. · أنت anti | تَأْكُلِينَ | taʾkulīna |
| you dual · أنتما antumā | تَأْكُلَانِ | taʾkulāni |
| you m.pl. · أنتم antum | تَأْكُلُونَ | taʾkulūna |
| you f.pl. · أنتن antunna | تَأْكُلْنَ | taʾkulna |
| he · هو huwa | يَأْكُلُ | yaʾkulu |
| she · هي hiya | تَأْكُلُ | taʾkulu |
| they two m. · هما humā | يَأْكُلَانِ | yaʾkulāni |
| they two f. · هما humā | تَأْكُلَانِ | taʾkulāni |
| they m.pl. · هم hum | يَأْكُلُونَ | yaʾkulūna |
| they f.pl. · هن hunna | يَأْكُلْنَ | yaʾkulna |
Subjunctive and jussive of akala
The subjunctive and the jussive of akala change only the ending of the present: يَأْكُلُ (yaʾkulu) becomes يَأْكُلَ (yaʾkula) after لن (lan, will not) and يَأْكُلْ (yaʾkul) after لم (lam, did not).
| Person | Subjunctive | Jussive |
|---|---|---|
| I · أنا anā | آكُلَ (ākula) | آكُلْ (ākul) |
| we · نحن naḥnu | نَأْكُلَ (naʾkula) | نَأْكُلْ (naʾkul) |
| you m.sg. · أنت anta | تَأْكُلَ (taʾkula) | تَأْكُلْ (taʾkul) |
| you f.sg. · أنت anti | تَأْكُلِي (taʾkulī) | تَأْكُلِي (taʾkulī) |
| you dual · أنتما antumā | تَأْكُلَا (taʾkulā) | تَأْكُلَا (taʾkulā) |
| you m.pl. · أنتم antum | تَأْكُلُوا (taʾkulū) | تَأْكُلُوا (taʾkulū) |
| you f.pl. · أنتن antunna | تَأْكُلْنَ (taʾkulna) | تَأْكُلْنَ (taʾkulna) |
| he · هو huwa | يَأْكُلَ (yaʾkula) | يَأْكُلْ (yaʾkul) |
| she · هي hiya | تَأْكُلَ (taʾkula) | تَأْكُلْ (taʾkul) |
| they two m. · هما humā | يَأْكُلَا (yaʾkulā) | يَأْكُلَا (yaʾkulā) |
| they two f. · هما humā | تَأْكُلَا (taʾkulā) | تَأْكُلَا (taʾkulā) |
| they m.pl. · هم hum | يَأْكُلُوا (yaʾkulū) | يَأْكُلُوا (yaʾkulū) |
| they f.pl. · هن hunna | يَأْكُلْنَ (yaʾkulna) | يَأْكُلْنَ (yaʾkulna) |
Imperative of akala
Akala is one of the few verbs whose command drops the hamza of the root altogether: كُلْ (kul), not اُؤْكُلْ (uʾkul); to one woman كُلِي (kulī), to a group كُلُوا (kulū).
| Person | Arabic | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| you m.sg. · أنت anta | كُلْ | kul |
| you f.sg. · أنت anti | كُلِي | kulī |
| you dual · أنتما antumā | كُلَا | kulā |
| you m.pl. · أنتم antum | كُلُوا | kulū |
| you f.pl. · أنتن antunna | كُلْنَ | kulna |
Passive of akala
The passive of akala keeps the consonants and changes the vowels: u and i in the past (أُكِلَ (ukila)), the prefix yu- and a before the last root letter in the present (يُؤْكَلُ (yuʾkalu)).
| Person | Past passive | Present passive |
|---|---|---|
| I · أنا anā | أُكِلْتُ (ukiltu) | أُوكَلُ (ūkalu) |
| we · نحن naḥnu | أُكِلْنَا (ukilnā) | نُؤْكَلُ (nuʾkalu) |
| you m.sg. · أنت anta | أُكِلْتَ (ukilta) | تُؤْكَلُ (tuʾkalu) |
| you f.sg. · أنت anti | أُكِلْتِ (ukilti) | تُؤْكَلِينَ (tuʾkalīna) |
| you dual · أنتما antumā | أُكِلْتُمَا (ukiltumā) | تُؤْكَلَانِ (tuʾkalāni) |
| you m.pl. · أنتم antum | أُكِلْتُمْ (ukiltum) | تُؤْكَلُونَ (tuʾkalūna) |
| you f.pl. · أنتن antunna | أُكِلْتُنَّ (ukiltunna) | تُؤْكَلْنَ (tuʾkalna) |
| he · هو huwa | أُكِلَ (ukila) | يُؤْكَلُ (yuʾkalu) |
| she · هي hiya | أُكِلَتْ (ukilat) | تُؤْكَلُ (tuʾkalu) |
| they two m. · هما humā | أُكِلَا (ukilā) | يُؤْكَلَانِ (yuʾkalāni) |
| they two f. · هما humā | أُكِلَتَا (ukilatā) | تُؤْكَلَانِ (tuʾkalāni) |
| they m.pl. · هم hum | أُكِلُوا (ukilū) | يُؤْكَلُونَ (yuʾkalūna) |
| they f.pl. · هن hunna | أُكِلْنَ (ukilna) | يُؤْكَلْنَ (yuʾkalna) |
Participles and verbal noun of akala
The active participle follows the pattern fāʿil: آكِل (ākil). The passive participle follows mafʿūl: مَأْكُول (maʾkūl). Form I verbal nouns follow no single pattern, and Wiktionary lists two for akala: أَكْل (akl), مَأْكَل (maʾkal). Learn them with the verb, or look them up under ʾ-k-l in one of the dictionaries in our guide.
Why akala conjugates this way
The first root letter of أَكَلَ (akala) is a hamza. Where the hamza of the I-prefix meets it, the two merge into a long ā written with madda: آكُلُ (ākulu). Elsewhere the hamza changes its seat with the vowels around it: يَأْكُلُ (yaʾkulu), أُكِلَ (ukila). Akhadha (to take) and kataba (to write) share its vowels, a in the past and u in the present.
Akala in sentences
أكلوا جيدا.
They ate well.
The verb: أَكَلُوا (akalū), past, they (m.pl.). Source: Tatoeba sentence 11622919 by dididodo (CC BY 2.0 FR), unvowelled as published.
هو يأكل.
He eats.
The verb: يَأْكُلُ (yaʾkulu), present, he. Source: Tatoeba sentence 11528019 by dididodo (CC BY 2.0 FR), unvowelled as published.
Frequently asked questions
What is the present tense of akala?
The present tense of أَكَلَ (akala) is يَأْكُلُ (yaʾkulu) for he, آكُلُ (ākulu) for I and تَأْكُلُ (taʾkulu) for you (one man). Its stem vowel, u, has to be learned with the verb.
What is the maṣdar (verbal noun) of akala?
أَكْل (akl), مَأْكَل (maʾkal), from Wiktionary: Form I verbal nouns have no fixed pattern. The active participle is آكِل (ākil), and the passive participle مَأْكُول (maʾkūl).
Is akala a regular verb?
Mostly. Its command drops the hamza of the root: kul, not ukul.