Arabic word sheet
قَرِيبٌ
Near in place
- Type
- adjective
- Root
- ق ر ب
Meaning and usage
Near in place
Said of a place, a person or a thing that lies a short way from the speaker or from a point of reference.
الْمَحَطَّةُ قَرِيبَةٌ مِنَ الْفُنْدُقِ.
The station is near the hotel.
Near in time, soon
Said of what is about to happen or has just taken place; used on its own it means “soon”, “a short while ago”.
مَوْعِدُ الِامْتِحَانِ قَرِيبٌ.
The date of the exam is near.
Relative, family member
Said of a person to whom one is tied by birth or by marriage; it is then used as a noun: a relative.
زَارَ رَامِي قَرِيبًا لَهُ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ.
Rami visited a relative of his in the city.
Close in affection
Said of someone bound to others by friendship and goodwill, easy to approach.
الْمُعَلِّمَةُ قَرِيبَةٌ مِنْ طَالِبَاتِهَا.
The teacher is close to her pupils.
Plural
أَقْرِبَاءُ
Word family
What the root means ق ر ب
The basic verb means to be near or to come near: the opposite of being far. The headword describes what is near, in distance, in time or in family; nearness, kinship, drawing near, bringing near and “nearer” grow from the same idea.
to be near, to come near
قَرُبَ
nearness
قُرْبٌ
kinship
قَرَابَةٌ
to draw near
اِقْتَرَبَ
to bring near
قَرَّبَ
nearer, nearest
Synonyms
near, within reach
دَانٍ
More literary: it is said of what is near and within reach, often of what hangs low, and is not used for kinship.
Opposites
far, distant