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كَانَ

to be

VerbForm IRoot ك-و-ن

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Highlights

Present tense
يَكُونُ
Verbal nouns
كَوْن، كِيَان، كَيْنُونَة
Active participle
كَائِن

Most common words from the same root

Noun
مَكَان
place
Noun
كَوْن
being
Noun
كَائِن
creature
Noun
مُكَوِّن
constituent
Verb · Form V
تَكَوَّنَ
to be established
Noun
مَكَانَة
place

كَانَ in English

Verb · Form I

  1. to be
  2. forms the past perfect, past continuous, future perfect and future continuous tenses
    كَانَ (قَدْ) فَعَلَHe had done.
    كَانَ يَفْعَلُHe was doing.
    كَانَ سَيَفْعَلُHe was going to do.
  3. to exist, to be, there be intransitive
    وَإِنْ كَانَ ذُو عُسْرَةٍ فَنَظِرَةٌ إِلَىٰ مَيْسَرَةٍAnd if he is in unease, then [let there be] a delay until a time of ease.609–632 CE, Qur'an, 2:280
    هُوَ الَّذِي يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ فَإِذَا قَضَىٰ أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُIt is He who causes to live and causes to die. And when He decided a matter, he says to it, "Be", and it is.609–632 CE, Qur'an, 40:68
    وَقَالَ اللهُ: «لِيَكُنْ نُورٌ»، فَكَانَ نُورٌ.And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. (literally, And God said, “Let light be”; and light is.)1865 CE, Bible (SVD), Book of Genesis, 1:3
  4. to behove
  5. to happen, to occur, to take place

Word origin

Inherited from Proto-Semitic *kawan- (“to be or exist in a place”).

Words from the root ك-و-ن

Arabic verbs come in forms; each form's nouns are listed under its verb. See the whole root on one page →

كَانَ · present يَكُونُ
Form I · The plain action

to be; forms the past perfect, past continuous, future perfect and future continuous tenses; to exist, to be, there be

كَوْن
Verbal noun
being
كِيَان
Verbal noun
entity
كَيْنُونَة
Verbal noun
كَائِن
Active participle
creature
مَكَان
Derived noun
place
مَكَانَة
Derived noun
place
تَكَوَّنَ · present يَتَكَوَّنُ
Form V · Reflexive of Form II

to be established, to be created, to be formed, come into existence, be constituted; to arise, to develop, to come into being, to come into existence; to consist, to be composed

تَكَوُّن
Verbal noun
مُتَكَوِّن
Active participle
مُكَوِّن
Noun · m.
constituent
تَكْوِين
Noun · m.
formation
زَمَكَان
Noun · m.
spacetime

كَانَ conjugation

Active voice. Present, subjunctive and jussive are the three moods of the non-past.

PronounPastPresentSubjunctiveJussiveImperative
أَنَا Iكُنْتُأَكُونُأَكُونَأَكُنْ / أَكُ—
أَنْتَ you (m.)كُنْتَتَكُونُتَكُونَتَكُنْ / تَكُكُنْ
أَنْتِ you (f.)كُنْتِتَكُونِينَتَكُونِيتَكُونِيكُونِي
هُوَ heكَانَيَكُونُيَكُونَيَكُنْ / يَكُ—
هِيَ sheكَانَتْتَكُونُتَكُونَتَكُنْ / تَكُ—
أَنْتُمَا you twoكُنْتُمَاتَكُونَانِتَكُونَاتَكُونَاكُونَا
هُمَا they two (m.)كَانَايَكُونَانِيَكُونَايَكُونَا—
هُمَا they two (f.)كَانَتَاتَكُونَانِتَكُونَاتَكُونَا—
نَحْنُ weكُنَّانَكُونُنَكُونَنَكُنْ / نَكُ—
أَنْتُمْ you all (m.)كُنْتُمْتَكُونُونَتَكُونُواتَكُونُواكُونُوا
أَنْتُنَّ you all (f.)كُنْتُنَّتَكُنَّتَكُنَّتَكُنَّكُنَّ
هُمْ they (m.)كَانُوايَكُونُونَيَكُونُوايَكُونُوا—
هُنَّ they (f.)كُنَّيَكُنَّيَكُنَّيَكُنَّ—
Verbal nounكَوْن، كِيَان، كَيْنُونَة
Active participleكَائِن

كَانَ in a sentence

Dictionary examples

forms the past perfect

كَانَ (قَدْ) فَعَلَHe had done.

forms the past perfect

كَانَ يَفْعَلُHe was doing.

forms the past perfect

كَانَ سَيَفْعَلُHe was going to do.

to exist

وَإِنْ كَانَ ذُو عُسْرَةٍ فَنَظِرَةٌ إِلَىٰ مَيْسَرَةٍAnd if he is in unease, then [let there be] a delay until a time of ease.609–632 CE, Qur'an, 2:280

to exist

هُوَ الَّذِي يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ فَإِذَا قَضَىٰ أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُIt is He who causes to live and causes to die. And when He decided a matter, he says to it, "Be", and it is.609–632 CE, Qur'an, 40:68

to exist

وَقَالَ اللهُ: «لِيَكُنْ نُورٌ»، فَكَانَ نُورٌ.And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. (literally, And God said, “Let light be”; and light is.)1865 CE, Bible (SVD), Book of Genesis, 1:3

From a fully vowelled text

وَكَانَا هُنَاكَ يُبَشِّرَانِ.And there they preached the gospel.Acts 14:7, Smith & Van Dyke (1865) / KJV
فَلاَ تَكُونُوا شُرَكَاءَهُمْ.Be not ye therefore partakers with them.Ephesians 5:7, Smith & Van Dyke (1865) / KJV
فَكَانُوا يُمَجِّدُونَ اللهَ فِيَّ.And they glorified God in me.Galatians 1:24, Smith & Van Dyke (1865) / KJV

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