Verbs of Approximation (أفعال المقاربة)
In Arabic, when you want to express that someone "almost" did something, you use a special category of verbs called Verbs of Approximation (أفعال المقاربة). The most common of these is كاد (to almost do).
To use it, you conjugate كاد for the subject, and then follow it with the present tense form of the verb representing the action that was nearly completed. Even though the near-miss happened in the past, the second verb must be in the present tense.
| The girl almost tripped in the garden. | كادت البنت تتعثر في الحديقة.kâdati l-bintu tata'aththaru fi l-hadîqah |
| The boy almost dropped the cup on the floor. | كاد الولد يسقط الكوب على الأرضية.kâda al-waladu yusqitu al-kûba 'alâ al-ardiyyah |
Narrating Near-Accidents
Often, an action that "almost" happened is the direct result of a preceding clumsy moment—like losing your balance (توازن) or putting a cup on an edge (حافة).
To narrate these near-accidents, state the initial action in the past tense, then connect it to كاد and its present tense verb to show the disaster that was barely avoided.
| The woman lost her balance and almost dropped the cup. | فقدت المرأة توازنها وكادت تسقط الكوب.faqadati l-mar'atu tawâzunahâ wa kâdat tusqitu l-kûba |
| The waiter spilled the juice and almost slipped on the puddle. | سكب النادل العصير وكاد ينزلق على البقعة.sakaba an-nadilu al-asira wakada yanzaliqu ala al-buqati |
| The grandmother put the cup on the edge and it almost spilled. | وضعت الجدة الكوب على الحافة وكاد ينسكب.wada'atil jaddatul kuba 'ala alhaffati wakada yansakibu |
When the Accident Happens
Of course, sometimes an accident is not avoided at all. You can use standard past-tense sequences to describe moments where people actually trip, spill something, or bump into things.
| The employee tripped and bumped into her manager. | تعثرت الموظفة واصطدمت بمديرتها.ta'aththarati l-muwazzafatu wastadamat bimudîratihâ |
| The guest stepped on the bag and bumped into the door. | داس الضيف على الحقيبة واصطدم بالباب.dâsa ad-dayfu alâ al-haqîbati wastadama bil-bâb |