Lebanese عرفʿirif covers knowing a person, place, answer, or fact. Its b-imperfect بعرفbaʿref is the ordinary independent “I know,” while the perfect often means “found out,” “realized,” or “recognized” when the context introduces a new state of knowledge.
English uses know in all of those environments, but it also uses learn for both acquiring a skill and discovering a fact. Lebanese separates them more sharply: تعلّم is acquiring knowledge or a skill over time, whereas perfect عرف commonly presents the moment information became known. The تعلّم reference develops that contrast.
Complete perfect paradigm
The perfect has the lexical vowel pattern ʿirif. Short vowels reduce around some endings, so forms must be learned by sound as well as spelling.
| Person | Form | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| أنا | عرفت | ʿirift |
| إنت | عرفت | ʿirift |
| إنتي | عرفتي | ʿirifte |
| هو | عرف | ʿirif |
| هي | عرفت | ʿirfit |
| نحنا | عرفنا | ʿirifna |
| إنتو | عرفتوا | ʿirifto |
| هني | عرفوا | ʿirfo |
عرفت بالخبر من رفيقتي، مش من الشركة.
ʿirift bil-khabar min rfīʾte, mish min esh-shirke.
I found out about the news from my friend, not from the company. (informal; new information with perfect عرف بـ)
عرفته من صوته قبل ما شوف وجهه.
ʿarafto min ṣawto ʾabel ma shūf wizho.
I recognized him by his voice before seeing his face. (informal; recognition and masculine object clitic)
The recognition reading can surface with a somewhat more open first vowel in actual speech, as in ʿarafto. That lexical phonetic variation does not change the person or object structure.
Complete b-imperfect and bare imperfect
The b-imperfect is the default for independent knowledge states. The bare imperfect follows رح, بدّي, لازم, purpose markers, and other licensors. This is the standard state-verb pattern, not English-style do-support.
| Person | b-imperfect | Bare imperfect |
|---|---|---|
| أنا | بعرف baʿref | اعرف aʿref |
| إنت | بتعرف btaʿref | تعرف taʿref |
| إنتي | بتعرفي btaʿrfe | تعرفي taʿrfe |
| هو | بيعرف byaʿref | يعرف yaʿref |
| هي | بتعرف btaʿref | تعرف taʿref |
| نحنا | منعرف mnaʿref | نعرف naʿref |
| إنتو | بتعرفوا btaʿrfo | تعرفوا taʿrfo |
| هني | بيعرفوا byaʿrfo | يعرفوا yaʿrfo |
منعرف هالمنطقة منيح وما منضيع فيها.
mnaʿref hal-minṭaʾa mnīḥ w-ma mniḍīʿ fīha.
We know this area well and don't get lost in it. (informal; continuing familiarity)
بدي اعرف ليش غيروا الموعد.
badde aʿref lēsh ghayyaro l-mawʿed.
I want to know why they changed the appointment. (informal; bare first person after بدّي)
لازم تعرفوا كل الشروط قبل ما توقعوا.
lāzem taʿrfo kill esh-shorūṭ ʾabel ma twaʾʾo.
You all need to know all the conditions before signing. (professional; bare plural after لازم)
Plain بعرف is a state. Ordinary عم بعرف الجواب is therefore not the neutral equivalent of “I know the answer.” Progressive marking becomes possible only in a deliberately developing or repeated sense, such as gradually finding things out; do not add عم mechanically.
Imperative and active participle
The positive imperative exists as اعرف، اعرفي، اعرفواiʿraf, iʿrafe, iʿrafo, but its discourse use is restricted. It means “know this / be aware / realize,” often with a warning or emphatic instruction. A neutral recommendation more often uses لازم تعرف or خليك عارف.
| Addressee | Positive imperative | More neutral alternative |
|---|---|---|
| one man | اعرف iʿraf | لازم تعرف lāzem taʿref |
| one woman | اعرفي iʿrafe | لازم تعرفي lāzem taʿrfe |
| a group | اعرفوا iʿrafo | لازم تعرفوا lāzem taʿrfo |
اعرف إنو بعد التوقيع ما في رجعة.
iʿraf inno baʿd et-tawʾīʿ ma fī razhʿa.
Be aware that after signing, there's no going back. (firm warning; masculine imperative)
The active participle is عارفʿāref, feminine عارفةʿērfe, plural عارفينʿārfīn. It presents someone as aware or in a current epistemic state. It is especially natural with مش: مش عارف “I don't know / I'm not sure.”
أنا عارف شو عم بعمل، بس بدي وقت.
ana ʿāref shū ʿam baʿmel, bass badde waʾet.
I know what I'm doing, but I need time. (informal; masculine current-state participle)
هي مش عارفة إذا بتقدر تجي بكرا.
hiyye mish ʿērfe iza btiʾdar tzhe bokra.
She doesn't know whether she can come tomorrow. (informal; feminine participle and uncertainty)
Knowing people, places, and things
A known person, place, answer, or topic can be a direct object: بعرف رامي، بعرف بيروت، بعرف الجواب. A human object can attach as a clitic: بعرفه، بيعرفني، منعرفكن. عرف عن رامي means “know about Rami,” not necessarily know him personally.
بعرف صاحبة المحل من أيام المدرسة.
baʿref ṣāḥbet el-maḥall min ayyēm el-madrase.
I've known the shop owner since our school days. (informal; person as direct object)
بتعرفها شخصيا، ولا بس بتعرف عنها؟
btaʿrefa shakhṣiyyan, walla bass btaʿref ʿanna?
Do you know her personally, or do you only know about her? (informal; direct object versus عن-topic)
| Form | Meaning |
|---|---|
| بعرفك baʿrfak / baʿrfik | I know you.m / you.f |
| بيعرفني byaʿrefne | he knows me |
| عرفته ʿarafto | I recognized/knew him, by context |
| منعرفهن mnaʿrefon | we know them |
The verb تعرّف على means “meet/get to know.” Do not replace an established relationship in بعرفه من زمان with a phrase meaning the moment of becoming acquainted.
Facts, clauses, and embedded questions
For a proposition, use إنو plus a clause. For an unknown value, embed an interrogative such as وين، مين، ليش، إمتى، كيف directly. English often inserts that or changes word order; Lebanese keeps the embedded question in its normal colloquial shape.
بعرف إنو الطريق مسكرة من الصبح.
baʿref inno ṭ-ṭarīʾ msakkra min eṣ-ṣobeḥ.
I know that the road has been closed since morning. (informal; fact clause with إنو)
ما منعرف إيمتى رح توصل القطعة.
ma mnaʿref ēmta raḥ tūṣal el-ʾiṭʿa.
We don't know when the part will arrive. (professional; embedded question)
For more on the first frame, see إنو clauses.
Knowing how: بعرف plus a bare verb
To say someone knows how to perform an action, عرف takes a bare agreeing verb. The same person is normally understood as the subject of both verbs: بعرف سوق “I know how to drive,” بتعرفي تسبحي “you.f know how to swim.”
بتعرفي تصلحي هالنوع من الكمبيوترات؟
btaʿrfe tṣallḥe hal-nawʿ min el-kombyūtarāt?
Do you know how to repair this kind of computer? (informal; feminine agreement on both verbs)
بيعرف يسوق، بس ما بيحب يسوق بالليل.
byaʿref ysūʾ, bass ma byiḥibb ysūʾ bil-lēl.
He knows how to drive, but he doesn't like driving at night. (informal; bare lower verbs after two licensors)
Do not place b- on the lower verb. The upper بعرف carries the independent b-marker; the complement is licensed bare. The larger pattern is explained under bare complements.
Negation and discourse responses
Negate finite عرف with ما: ما بعرف، ما عرفت. In conversation, standalone ما بعرف is a complete answer and can also soften a proposal or mark uncertainty. Standalone بعرف acknowledges information already shared.
بعرف، بس في طريق تانية من ورا المستشفى.
baʿref, bass fī ṭarīʾ tēnye min wara l-mostashfa.
I know, but there's another road behind the hospital. (informal; acknowledgment before a correction)
ما بعرف، يمكن نأجلها للأسبوع الجاي.
ma baʿref, yimken nʾazzela lil-osbūʿ el-zhāyy.
I don't know; maybe we should postpone it until next week. (informal; uncertain response)
Prosody matters. A calm بعرف shows alignment; clipped or repeated بعرف، بعرف can sound impatient: “I know already.” The grammar is unchanged, but the interactional force is not.
Common Mistakes
Omitting b- in an independent present state
❌ أنا اعرف الجواب.
Incorrect for ordinary Beirut ‘I know’ — the independent state uses بعرف.
✅ أنا بعرف الجواب، بس ما بدي جاوب هلق.
ana baʿref el-zhawēb, bass ma badde zhēweb hallaʾ.
I know the answer, but I don't want to answer now.
Adding English do-support
❌ ما بعمل بعرف وين راح.
Incorrect English-shaped negation — عرف itself takes ما.
✅ ما بعرف وين راح بعد الاجتماع.
ma baʿref wēn rāḥ baʿd el-izhtimēʿ.
I don't know where he went after the meeting.
Keeping b- on a know-how complement
❌ بعرف بسوق بالشتي.
Incorrect — the lower know-how verb is bare.
✅ بعرف سوق بالشتي، بس بسوق عمهلي.
baʿref sūʾ bish-shite, bass bsūʾ ʿa-mahle.
I know how to drive in the rain, but I drive slowly.
Adding a preposition before a person
❌ بعرف عن نادين من عشر سنين.
Wrong for personal acquaintance — عن means ‘about,’ not direct knowledge of the person.
✅ بعرف نادين من عشر سنين.
baʿref Nādīn min ʿashar snīn.
I've known Nadine for ten years.
Using عم for a stable knowledge state
❌ عم بعرف عنوانه.
Incorrect for neutral stable ‘I know his address’ — no unfolding process is intended.
✅ بعرف عنوانه وببعتلك ياه.
baʿref ʿonwēno w-bbaʿatlak yē.
I know his address, and I'll send it to you.
Key Takeaways
Use بعرف for an independent knowledge state and perfect عرف for knowing in the past or, often, the transition “find out/recognize.” People, places, and answers can be direct objects; facts take إنو, and embedded questions begin with وين، مين، ليش, and similar words. Know-how uses بعرف + bare verb. Negate finite forms with ما, but use agreeing مش عارف/عارفة for a current participial state of uncertainty.
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