Most Frequent Verbs of the Noble Quran

How Quranic Verbs Work

Most verbs in the Quran come from a 3-letter root. You will primarily see them in two forms:

Past Tense (Madi)

Example: فَعَلَ (He did)
Usually ends in a "fat-hah" (a) sound.

Present/Future (Mudari)

Example: يَفْعَلُ (He is doing)
Usually starts with يـ (Ya).

Arabic Verb	Transliteration	English Meaning	Frequency
Group 1: The Most Repeated Actions
قَالَ	Qala	He said	1700+
كَانَ	Kana	He was	1300+
آمَنَ	Amana	He believed	530+
عَلِمَ	Alima	He knew	510+
Group 2: Creation & Guidance
جَعَلَ	Ja'ala	He made / set	340+
خَلَقَ	Khalaqa	He created	250+
أَنْزَلَ	Anzala	He sent down	240+
هَدَى	Hada	He guided	160+
Group 3: Deeds & Success
عَمِلَ	'Amila	He did / acted	300+
كَفَرَ	Kafara	He disbelieved	280+
تَابَ	Taba	He repented	80+
رَزَقَ	Razaqa	He provided	60+
Group 6: Guidance & Warning
أَرْسَلَ	Arsala	He sent	510+
يَهْدِي	Yahdi	He guides	310+
تَلاَ	Tala	He recited	60+
بَشَّرَ	Bash-shara	He gave glad tidings	40+
أَنْذَرَ	Andhara	He warned	120+
اتَّبَعَ	Ittaba'a	He followed	130+
ضَلَّ	Dhalla	He went astray	190+
Group 7: Life, Death & Return
أَحْيَا	Ahya	He gave life	50+
أَمَاتَ	Amata	He caused death	60+
بَعَثَ	Ba'atha	He raised / resurrected	60+
رَجَعَ	Raja'a	He returned	100+
خَلَدَ	Khalada	He lived forever	80+
Group 8: Speech & Commands
سَأَلَ	Sa'ala	He asked	120+
أَمَرَ	Amara	He commanded	230+
نَهَى	Naha	He forbade	50+
كَذَّبَ	Kadh-dhaba	He denied / called a lie	280+
نَادَى	Nada	He called out	40+
أَطَاعَ	Atā'a	He obeyed	70+
Group 9: Hearts & Worship
خَافَ	Khafa	He feared	120+
رَجَا	Raja	He hoped	20+
صَبَرَ	Sabara	He was patient	100+
تَوَكَّلَ	Tawakkala	He put trust	40+
شَكَرَ	Shakara	He gave thanks	70+
عَبَدَ	'Abada	He worshipped	140+
سَجَدَ	Sajada	He prostrated	60+
Group 10: Capability & Possession
قَدَرَ	Qadara	He was able / ordained	130+
اسْتَطَاعَ	Istatā'a	He was able to	40+
غَلَبَ	Ghalaba	He defeated	30+
مَلَكَ	Malaka	He possessed	50+
يُدَبِّرُ	Yudabbiru	He disposes / plans	10+
Group 11: Truth & Evidence
شَهِدَ	Shahida	He bore witness	160+
بَيَّنَ	Bayyana	He made clear	120+
حَقَّ	Haqqa	It became true/proved true	30+
ضَرَبَ	Dharaba	He set forth (a parable) / struck	60+
Group 12: Success & Accountability
خَسِرَ	Khasira	He lost	60+
فَازَ	Faza	He succeeded	30+
فَتَنَ	Fatana	He tested / tried	30+
جَزَى	Jaza	He rewarded / repaid	110+
حَسِبَ	Hasiba	He thought / accounted	100+
Group 13: Nature & Creation
أَنْبَتَ	Anbata	He caused to grow	20+
سَخَّرَ	Sakh-khara	He subjected / constrained	30+
جَرَى	Jara	It flowed / ran	60+
Group 14: Miscellaneous High-Frequency
لَبِثَ	Labitha	He tarried / stayed	20+
نَفَخَ	Nafakha	He blew	20+
قَبِلَ	Qabila	He accepted	10+
حَمَلَ	Hamala	He carried	40+

3 Steps to Master These Verbs

1. Identify the Root

Almost every verb in this list is built on a 3-letter "skeleton" (Root). For example, the root K-T-B always relates to writing. Learn the root, and you unlock all its variations.

2. Use Active Recall

Don't just read. Use the Toggle Quiz Mode button above. Hide the English meanings, look at the Arabic, and try to guess the meaning before revealing it.

3. Watch for the 'Ya' (يـ)

Most verbs in this list are in the Past Tense. If you see a يـ (Ya) at the beginning (e.g., Yahdi), it usually means the action is happening now or in the future.

Common Verb Patterns

Understanding how a verb changes form is key to Quranic fluency.

Tense	Arabic Pattern	Transliteration	Meaning
Past (Madi)	فَعَلَ	Fa-'a-la	He did
Present (Mudari)	يَفْعَلُ	Ya-f-'a-lu	He is doing
Command (Amr)	اِفْعَلْ	If-'al	Do!