How to say "to build" in Arabic
CognateMeaningto build
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
بَنَى
banāבנא
بنى
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
בנה
banaبَانَا
How the two words are related
Cognate
Same Semitic root, same meaning — you already know this word.
Arabic root
ب-ن-يHebrew root
ב-נ-הbanā is Hebrew בנה, root for root (a regular final-weak pair, like ra'ā/ראה). Arabic bināʾ, 'construction', and Hebrew בניין, 'building', are cut from the same blueprint — and both grammars put the root to work: Arabic calls an indeclinable word mabnī, 'built' (its fixed ending is its بناء), while Hebrew grammar calls each verb pattern a בניין.
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In a phrase
بَنَى بَيْتًا جَدِيدًا
banā baytan jadīdanבנא ביתן ג'דידןHe built a new house