سمع simiʿ — hear | Arabic (Egyptian) Grammar

سمع simiʿ is the everyday Cairene verb “hear,” and in the right frame it also means “listen, hear about, or obey.” Its imperfect is يسمع yismaʿ: the perfect has i–i, while the imperfect has i–a. That vowel alternation is lexical and must be learned with the verb.

English separates passive perception (hear) from deliberate attention (listen). Egyptian سمع can cover both, but complements and context matter. A sound or utterance is usually a direct object; عن marks information “about” something; إن introduces reported content; and سمع الكلام is the conventional expression “obey.”

Complete Practical Paradigm

Person	Perfect	Bare imperfect	b-imperfect	ḥa-future
أنا	سِمِعْتْ simiʿt	أَسْمَعْ ʾasmaʿ	بَسْمَعْ basmaʿ	حَسْمَعْ ḥasmaʿ
إنت	سِمِعْتْ simiʿt	تِسْمَعْ tismaʿ	بِتِسْمَعْ bitismaʿ	حَتِسْمَعْ ḥatismaʿ
إنتي	سِمِعْتِي simiʿti	تِسْمَعِي tismaʿi	بِتِسْمَعِي bitismaʿi	حَتِسْمَعِي ḥatismaʿi
هو	سِمِعْ simiʿ	يِسْمَعْ yismaʿ	بِيِسْمَعْ biyismaʿ	حَيِسْمَعْ ḥayismaʿ
هي	سِمْعِتْ simʿit	تِسْمَعْ tismaʿ	بِتِسْمَعْ bitismaʿ	حَتِسْمَعْ ḥatismaʿ
إحنا	سِمِعْنَا simiʿna	نِسْمَعْ nismaʿ	بِنِسْمَعْ binismaʿ	حَنِسْمَعْ ḥanismaʿ
إنتوا	سِمِعْتُوا simiʿtu	تِسْمَعُوا tismaʿu	بِتِسْمَعُوا bitismaʿu	حَتِسْمَعُوا ḥatismaʿu
هم	سِمْعُوا simʿu	يِسْمَعُوا yismaʿu	بِيِسْمَعُوا biyismaʿu	حَيِسْمَعُوا ḥayismaʿu

The commands are اسمع ismaʿ, اسمعي ismaʿi, and اسمعوا ismaʿu. Negative commands are ماتسمعش، ماتسمعيش، ماتسمعوش. The active participle agrees as سامع، سامعة، سامعين sāmiʿ, sāmʿa, sāmʿīn; the passive/result form مسموع masmūʿ means “audible, heard.”

💡

Keep the principal parts together: سمع simiʿ / سمعوا simʿu / يسمع yismaʿ / سامع sāmiʿ. The plural perfect loses the short vowel between م and ع in ordinary Cairene speech.

Hearing a Sound or Person

The perceived sound, speaker, or utterance is a direct object. A pronoun therefore attaches directly to the verb: سمعتك “I heard you,” سمعته “I heard it/him.” This is genuine object cliticization, unlike a prepositional suffix.

سمعت خبط على الباب وأنا في المطبخ.

simiʿt khabṭ ʿala l-bāb wi-ʾana fi l-maṭbakh

I heard knocking at the door while I was in the kitchen.

سمعتك كويس، بس الصوت قطع في آخر جملة.

simiʿtak kowayyes, bass iṣ-ṣōt ʾaṭaʿ fi ʾākhir gomla

I heard you clearly, but the audio cut out in the last sentence.

من مكاني مابسمعش جرس الباب.

min makāni ma-basmaʿsh garas il-bāb

From where I am, I can't hear the doorbell.

The b-imperfect can describe current access to sound or a general ability. In immediate conversation, participial سامع is also extremely common: سامعني؟ “Can you hear me?” It describes the present auditory state rather than an unfolding deliberate act.

إنت سامعني ولا الشبكة ضعيفة؟

ʾinta sāmiʿni walla sh-shabaka ḍaʿīfa?

Can you hear me, or is the connection weak?

صوت المذيعة مش مسموع بسبب الدوشة.

ṣōt il-mozīʿa mish masmūʿ bisabab id-dōsha

The presenter's voice isn't audible because of the noise.

Direct Perception versus Reported Information

After سمع, a noun plus an agreeing predicate can describe a scene directly perceived by ear: “I heard the children talking.” An إن clause instead reports information that reached the speaker. English I heard that... does not show this difference as clearly; see perception clauses.

سمعت الجيران بيتنقلوا في الشقة اللي فوق.

simiʿt il-gīrān biyitnaʾʾalu fi sh-shiʾʾa lli fōʾ

I heard the neighbors moving around in the apartment upstairs.

سمعت إن الفرع حيقفل بدري يوم الخميس.

simiʿt inn il-farʿ ḥayiʾfil badri yōm il-khamīs

I heard that the branch will close early on Thursday.

The first example reports an actual sound scene. The second presents hearsay or reported content; the speaker need not have heard the closing itself.

Hearing About: عن

Use سمع عن when the object is a person, place, event, or idea known by report rather than a sound directly perceived. A pronominal topic stays on عن: سمعت عنه “I heard about him/it.”

سمعت عن المطعم الجديد، بس لسه مارحتش.

simiʿt ʿan il-maṭʿam il-gidīd, bass lissa ma-ruḥtish

I've heard about the new restaurant, but I haven't been yet.

دي أول مرة أسمع عنه رغم إنه مشهور.

di ʾawwil marra ʾasmaʿ ʿannu raghm innu mashhūr

This is the first time I've heard of it, even though it's famous.

Do not confuse سمعت عنه “heard about him/it” with سمعته “heard him/it.” The consonant عن changes the semantic role.

Listening and Obeying

The direct object can also be selected audio or media: بيسمع أغاني “he listens to songs.” With an artist or person as the source one follows, لـ is common: بسمع لأم كلثوم “I listen to Umm Kulthum.” The fixed expression سمع الكلام means “listen to what one is told, obey.”

بسمع بودكاست في المترو بدل الأغاني.

basmaʿ būdkāst fi l-metro badal il-ʾaghāni

I listen to a podcast on the metro instead of songs.

اسمع كلام الدكتور وخد الدوا بعد الأكل.

ismaʿ kalām id-duktōr wi-khod id-dawa baʿd il-ʾakl

Follow the doctor's advice and take the medicine after eating.

الولد مابيسمعش الكلام غير بعد ما أمه تكرر.

il-walad ma-biyismaʿsh il-kalām ghēr baʿd ma ʾommo tikarrar

The boy doesn't obey until his mother repeats herself.

This obedience sense is lexicalized. It does not mean merely that the words reached the child's ears.

Form I versus Causative سمّع

Form I سمع presents the experiencer as subject: سمعني simiʿni “he heard me.” Form II سمّع adds a causer or source: سمعني sammaʿni “he let me hear it/played it for me.” Ordinary target spelling omits the shadda, so pointing, vowel pattern, and context distinguish them. The next page gives the full سمّع reference.

أخويا سمعني التسجيل قبل ما يبعت النسخة النهائية.

ʾakhūya sammaʿni t-tasgīl ʾabl ma yibʿat in-noskha n-nihāʾiyya

My brother played me the recording before sending the final version.

A Short Dialogue

ـ سمعت التنبيه اللي جه على الموبايل؟ ـ سمعت الصوت، بس ماشفتش الرسالة.

— simiʿt it-tanbīh illi gih ʿala l-mobāyl? — simiʿt iṣ-ṣōt, bass ma-shuftish ir-risāla

‘Did you hear the notification that came through on the phone?’ ‘I heard the sound, but I didn't see the message.’

Register and Variation

سمع / بيسمع is mainstream Cairene (informal/neutral). Formal MSA has related سَمِعَ / يَسْمَعُ forms (formal/MSA) with formal endings not used here. Some speakers and regions have different short-vowel realizations in the perfect; this page keeps manifest-baseline simiʿ. Media and educated speech may use formal reporting formulas, but ordinary سمعت إن... remains a full Egyptian content frame, not deficient MSA.

Common Mistakes

❌ أنا بسمع عن صوت غريب في المطبخ.

Incorrect for direct auditory perception: عن changes the meaning to ‘hear about.’

✅ أنا بسمع صوت غريب جاي من المطبخ.

ʾana basmaʿ ṣōt gharīb gāy min il-maṭbakh

I can hear a strange sound coming from the kitchen.

❌ سمعت الجرس إنه بيرن وأنا في الحمام.

Incorrect English-style clause packaging: a directly heard scene does not insert إن after its perceived subject.

✅ سمعت الجرس بيرن وأنا في الحمام.

simiʿt il-garas biyirinn wi-ʾana fi l-ḥammām

I heard the bell ringing while I was in the bathroom.

❌ هو يسمع المزيكا كل يوم في العربية.

Incorrect for an independent habit: ordinary Cairo uses the b-imperfect.

✅ هو بيسمع المزيكا القديمة وهو سايق.

huwwa biyismaʿ il-mozīka l-ʾadīma wi-huwwa sāyiʾ

He listens to old music while driving.

❌ أنا ماسامعكش كويس.

Non-baseline negation for a participial auditory state: use مش سامعك in mainstream Cairo.

✅ أنا مش سامعك كويس؛ قرب الميكروفون.

ʾana mish sāmiʿak kowayyes; ʾarrab il-mīkrofōn

I can't hear you clearly; bring the microphone closer.

Key Takeaways

Memorize سمع simiʿ / يسمع yismaʿ / سامع sāmiʿ as one lexical set.
Use a direct object for a perceived sound or speaker, عن for “hear about,” and إن for reported information.
سمع الكلام conventionally means “obey”; participial سامع is common for immediate auditory access.
Do not confuse ungeminated سمع “hear” with causative سمّع “let hear/play.”

Now practice Arabic

Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.

Start learning Arabic →