Expand your biology and nature vocabulary by learning the names of common insects and bugs. You will notice that many of these new words are feminine, ending in the taa marbuta (ة).
Actions Already Completed
In this lesson's examples, you will often see actions that had already happened. To express the past perfect in Arabic (such as "had seen" or "had stung"), pair the past tense of "to be" (كان or كانت) with the particle قد and a past tense verb.
Butterflies and Bees
The general word for an insect is حشرة. One of the most beloved insects is the butterfly (فراشة).
| Every butterfly is a beautiful insect. | كل فراشة حشرة جميلة.kullu farâshatin ḥasharatun jamîlatun |
| Fatima had seen a butterfly in her room. | كانت فاطمة قد رأت فراشة في غرفتها.kânat fâtimatu qad ra'at farâshatan fî ghurfatihâ |
Some insects bite, while others, like the bee (نحلة), can sting. Use the verb لدغ for "to sting".
| A bee had stung Yusuf yesterday. | كانت نحلة قد لدغت يوسف أمس.kânat naḥlatun qad ladaghat yûsufa amsi |
Mosquitoes and Flies
Other common flying bugs include the mosquito (بعوضة) and the fly (ذبابة).
| Ahmad hates every mosquito and fly. | يكره أحمد كل بعوضة وذبابة.yakrahu ahmadu kulla ba'ûdatin wa dhubâbatin |
Spiders and Crawling Bugs
Let's look at some creepy-crawlies. Unlike the previous bugs, the word for spider (عنكبوت) does not end in a taa marbuta and is treated as masculine.
| The spider had built a web. | كان العنكبوت قد بنى شبكة.kâna al-'ankabûtu qad banâ shabakatan. |
For bugs on the ground, such as an ant (نملة), you will often use the verb زحف (to crawl). To specify the direction they are moving, use the preposition نحو (toward).
| Every ant crawls toward the food. | تزحف كل نملة نحو الطعام.tazhafu kullu namlatin nahwa at-taâmi. |
This same action applies to the worm (دودة).
| Did a worm crawl toward the bee? | هل زحفت دودة نحو النحلة؟hal zahafat dûdatun nahwa an-nahlati? |