How to say "to hear" in Arabic
CognateMeaningto hear
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
samiʿaסמע
سمع
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
shamaشَامَا
How the two words are related
Same Semitic root, same meaning — you already know this word.
Arabic root
س-م-عHebrew root
ש-מ-עHebrew ש regularly matches Arabic س, so samiʿa is שמע — the very verb of שמע ישראל. The names ישמעאל and إسماعيل carry the same root.
Learn it
On the street
How people actually say it in the spoken dialects, where it differs from the standard word.
Egyptian · Cairo and the Nile Delta
Cairo: simiʿ; simiʿt? — 'did you hear?'
Moroccan · Morocco — Casablanca, Rabat, Fes
Darija: smeʿ; smeʿt — 'I heard'.
In a phrase
He heard the sound of the rain
The root family
س-م-عש-מ-ע· hearing
The exact twin of שמע ישראל: samiʿa is שמע with the regular ש↔س swap. Arabic sumʿa "reputation" is literally what is heard about you — the very logic of Hebrew שמועה "rumor" — while Hebrew spun the same root into משמעת "discipline" (heeding) and משמעות "meaning". Modern Arabic hangs a sammāʿa, an earphone, on the ancient root.
- سَمِعَ samiʿahe heardשָׁמַעhe heard
- سَمْع samʿhearing (the sense)שֵׁמַעhearing — as in חוש השמע
- سُمْعَة sumʿareputation — what is heard about youשְׁמוּעָהrumor — what is heard
- سَمَّاعَة sammāʿaearphone, receiver; stethoscope
- اِسْتَمَعَ istamaʿahe listened (attentively)הִשְׁתַּמַּעwas implied, inferred