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To express that an action happens "rarely" or "seldom" in Modern Standard Arabic, you can use a special compound particle.

### The Compound Particle (قلما)

To say that someone rarely does something, use the following word:

{{item:1184524}}

Grammatically, this word is a combination of the verb قل (to be little or rare) and the particle ما. The addition of ما blocks the verb from taking a normal noun subject. Instead, it allows the word to function like a particle that is followed directly by a verbal clause.

Because it typically describes rare habits or general truths, it is most often followed by a present tense verb.

{{item:1184526}}

{{item:1184532}}

### In Complex Sentences

You will often see قلما placed in the second half of a sentence to show the rare result of a specific trigger or situation. It can directly follow conjunctions or time clauses.

{{item:1184528}}

When قلما introduces the result clause of a conditional sentence (such as after إن, meaning "if"), it must be preceded by the prefix فـ, becoming فقلما.

{{item:1184536}}

### Expanding Your Vocabulary

Notice how قلما stays tightly bound to the verb it modifies, even as sentences become longer or introduce new concepts like boasting or underestimating.

{{item:1184540}}

{{item:1184542}}

Expressing 'rarely' (قَلَّما)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

interrogative

noun

numeral

particle

prefix

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

The definite article and locatives (الـ)

Basic noun gender (ة)

Sun and moon letters

Singular subject pronouns (أنا، أنت، هو، هي)

Indefinite nouns and nominal sentences (ـٌ)

Demonstrative pronouns for 'this' (هذا / هذه)

Separate prepositions (في، من، إلى، على)

Attributive adjectives

Predicative adjectives

Yes/No questions (هل، أ)

Basic questions (من، ما، أين)

Singular possessive pronouns (ـي، ـك، ـه، ـها)

Plural subject pronouns (نحن، أنتم، هم)

Plural possessive pronouns (ـنا، ـكم، ـهم)

Noun possession

Attached prepositions (بـ، لـ، كـ)

Pronouns with prepositions

Having and possessing (عند، لـ، مع)

Regular plural nouns (ـون، ـين، ـات)

Broken plurals

Dual nouns (ـان / ـين)

Plural and distant demonstratives (هؤلاء، ذلك، تلك)

Non-human plural agreement

Present tense singular verbs

Verbal sentences (VSO)

Present tense plural verbs

Topicalized sentences (SVO)

The indefinite accusative case (ـاً)

Verb object pronouns (-ني، -ك، -ه)

Present tense negation (لا)

Question words with verbs (متى، كيف...)

Adverbs of time and place

The future tense (سـ / سوف)

Intentions and desires (أن)

Negating states and possession (ليس)

Past tense singular suffixes

Past tense plural suffixes

Negating past events (ما)

Singular commands

Numbers 1 to 10

Number agreement for 1 and 2 (واحد، اثنان)

Asking how many (كم)

Numbers 3 to 10 (ثلاثة إلى عشرة)

Ordinal numbers 1 to 10 (الأول، الثاني)

Basic conjunctions (فـ، أو، لكن)

Ordering at a café (واحد، اثنان)

Food and drink with conjunctions (و، ف، أو، لكن)

There is and there are (هناك / ليس هناك)

Direct address (يا)

Giving reasons (لأنّ)

Relative pronouns (الذي / التي)

Quantifiers (كل / بعض)

The past tense of 'to be' (كان)

Past possession

Numbers 11 to 19 and tens to 80

Telling time (الساعة)

This book vs this is a book (هذا الكتاب، هذا كتاب)

Greetings (مرحبا، السلام عليكم)

How are you? and goodbye (كيف حالك، مع السلامة)

Nationalities (مصري، مصرية)

Roots and patterns (كتب، كتاب، مكتب)

Politeness (من فضلك، آسف)

Complex possession chains

Colors and traits (أفعل / فعلاء)

Plural colors and traits (فُعْل)

Comparative adjectives (أفعل من)

Superlative adjectives (أفعل)

Adverbs of manner (ـاً)

The nominative case (ـُ)

The genitive case (ـِ)

The accusative case (ـَ)

Dual noun cases (ـان / ـين)

Masculine plurals and 'the best of' (أفضل النجارين)

Emphasizing sentences (إنّ)

Connecting clauses (أنّ)

Reporting speech (قال إنّ)

Expressing contrast (لكنّ)

Comparison and probability (كأنّ, لعلّ)

Distant plural pointing (أولئك)

Plural relative pronouns (الذين, اللواتي)

Past habits (كان + present)

Ongoing actions (ما زال)

Masculine plurals online (مبرمجون، مؤثرون)

Perfective past (قد)

Probability (قد)

The subjunctive mood (أن)

Question	Answer
rarely (followed by a verb)	قلماqallamâ
to act hastily	تسرعtasru'u
The company manager rarely acts hastily in her work.	مديرة الشركة قلما تتسرع في عملها.mudiiratu ash-sharikati qallamaa tatasarra'u fii 'amaliha
to be displeased with	استاء منista'a min
When my brother acts hastily, I am rarely displeased with him.	عندما يتسرع أخي، قلما أستاء منه.'indamâ yatasarra'u akhî, qallamâ astâ'u minhu.
to do intentionally	تعمدta'ammada
I am rarely displeased with my colleague, because she does not intentionally make a mistake.	قلما أستاء من زميلتي، لأنها لا تتعمد الخطأ.qallamâ astâ'u min zamîlatî, li'annahâ lâ tata'ammadu al-khata'a.
to offend	أساء إلىasâ'a ilâ
We rarely intentionally offend our friends.	قلما نتعمد أن نسيء إلى أصدقائنا.qallamā nata'ammadu an nusī'a ilâ aṣdiqâ'inâ
to admonish	عاتبâtaba
I rarely admonish my colleague when he offends me.	قلما أعاتب زميلي عندما يسيء إلي.qallamâ u'âtibu zamîlî 'indamâ yusî'u ilayya.
to break (a promise)	أخلفakhlafa
If you break your appointment, your friend rarely admonishes you.	إن أخلفت موعدك، فقلما يعاتبك صديقك.in akhlafta maw'idaka, faqallamâ yu'âtibuka sadîquka.
to boast about	تفاخر بtafâkhara bi
The employee who breaks his appointment rarely boasts about his success.	قلما يتفاخر الموظف الذي يخلف موعده بنجاحه.qallamâ yatafâkharu al-muwaẓẓafu alladhî yukhlifu mawidahu binajâḥihi.
to underestimate	استهان بistahâna bi
The team became strong, and it rarely boasts about its success or underestimates its opponent.	أصبح الفريق قويا، وقلما يتفاخر بنجاحه أو يستهين بخصمه.asbaha al-fariiqu qawiyyan, wa qallamaa yatafaakharu binajaahihi aw yastahiinu bikhasmihi
to consult (seek advice)	استشارistashâra
The doctor rarely underestimates the disease; rather, she always consults her colleagues.	قلما تستهين الطبيبة بالمرض، بل تستشير زملاءها دائما.qallamâ tastaheenu at-tabeebatu bil-maradi, bal tastasheeru zumalâ'ahâ dâ'iman.
If the problem becomes difficult, I rarely consult another expert.	إن صارت المشكلة صعبة، فقلما أستشير خبيرا آخر.in sârat al-mushkilatu sa'batan, faqallamâ astashîru khabîran âkhar.
It is better that you consult a doctor, because a patient rarely recovers alone.	من الأفضل أن تستشير طبيبا، لأن المريض قلما يشفى وحده.mina al-afdali an tastashîra tabîban, li-anna al-marîda qallamâ yushfâ wahdahu.