How to say "almost, nearly" in Arabic
CognateMeaningalmost, nearly
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
taqrībanתקריבן
تقريبا
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
kimatكِيمَات
How the two words are related
Same Semitic root, same meaning — you already know this word.
Arabic root
ق-ر-بHebrew root
ק-ר-בtaqrīban is the adverbial form of qaruba, 'to be near, draw close' — the same root ق-ر-ب as Hebrew קָרַב, קָרוֹב ('near') and קָרְבָּן ('offering', literally 'that which is brought near'). 'Nearly, approximately' and 'nearby' are the same idea in both languages, down to the letter.
Related Hebrew word:קָרוֹבkarovكَارُوڤ
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 turns the qāf into a glottal stop: taʾrīban.
In a phrase
I'm almost done.
The root family
ق-ر-بק-ר-ב· nearness
קרוב and qarīb both mean "near" AND "a relative" — the double meaning survives intact in both languages. The sacrifices match too: קרבן and qurbān are both the offering you bring near. And taqrīban "approximately" preserves a fossilized tanwin — one of the few places you still hear Classical Arabic's old -an ending in everyday speech.
- قَرِيب qarībnear; a relativeקָרוֹבnear; a relative — both senses shared
- تَقْرِيبًا taqrībanapproximately, almost
- قَرَّبَ qarrabahe brought nearקֵרֵבhe brought near
- قُرْبَان qurbānoffering, sacrificeקָרְבָּןsacrifice — what is brought near
- قَرَابَة qarābakinshipקִרְבָהcloseness, kinship