Lesson 2: Three-Letter Words - Arabic&Quran Academy

Back to: The Quran Reading Journey — Level 1

Unit 4 · Lesson 2 · Three-Letter Words — Imam Quran Academy

Did You Know?

Three-letter words build the skeleton of every Quranic sentence

In Arabic, most words trace back to a root of three consonants — this is one of the language's most elegant features. But some of the most powerful words in the Quran are used as-is, with exactly three letters, and they appear on virtually every single page.

Words like عَلَى (on / upon), إِلَى (to / towards), and بَيْن (between) locate everything in space and time. Words like أَنَا (I) and نَحْن (we) tell you who is speaking or acting.

Showing Direction

عَلَى on / upon → goes upward

إِلَى to / towards → goes forward

بَيْن between → goes in-between

Showing Time & Person

قَبْل before → goes back in time

بَعْد after → goes forward in time

نَحْن we → includes the speaker

Unit 4 · Lesson 2

Three-Letter Words — Click Each Card to Listen

Eight high-frequency three-letter words. Tap to hear. Notice how each word is built from exactly three Arabic letters — and how much meaning each one carries.

Preposition عَلَى ʿalā on / upon / over tap to hear

Preposition إِلَى ilā to / towards tap to hear

Preposition بَيْن bayna between / among tap to hear

Time word قَبْل qabla before tap to hear

Time word بَعْد baʿda after tap to hear

Pronoun أَنَا anā I / me tap to hear

Pronoun نَحْن naḥnu we tap to hear

Particle حَتَّى ḥattā until / even tap to hear

Recognition

Word Reference Table

Study the letters, pronunciation, meaning, and a note on how each word connects to other words you may recognise.

Word	Roman	Meaning	Type	Helpful Note
عَلَى	ʿalā	on, upon, over	Preposition	Often followed by a noun: عَلَى اللَّهِ — upon Allah. Very frequent in du'ā.
إِلَى	ilā	to, towards	Preposition	Shows movement or direction. إِلَى اللَّهِ — towards / back to Allah.
بَيْن	bayna	between, among	Preposition	بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ = "between His hands" — meaning "before Him".
قَبْل	qabla	before	Time word	Paired with مِن: مِن قَبْل = "from before" / "previously".
بَعْد	baʿda	after	Time word	Paired with مِن: مِن بَعْد = "after that / thereafter".
أَنَا	anā	I / me (1st person singular)	Pronoun	Used for emphasis in Arabic. Appears when Allah says "I am…" — إِنَّنِي أَنَا اللَّهُ.
نَحْن	naḥnu	we (1st person plural)	Pronoun	The "Royal We" of Allah: إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ — "Indeed, We sent down the Quran."
حَتَّى	ḥattā	until, even	Particle	Shows limit or end point. حَتَّى مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ — "until the rise of dawn" (Al-Qadr).

Live Quran Examples

Spot Your Words in the Quran

Real verses — each containing one or more of this lesson's words, highlighted in gold.

وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

وَإِلَيْهِ الْمَصِيرُ

وَجَعَلْنَا مِن بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ سَدًّا وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ سَدًّا

هُوَ الْأَوَّلُ وَالْآخِرُ ۖ مِن قَبْلِ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَمِن بَعْدِ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ

إِنَّنِي أَنَا اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنَا فَاعْبُدْنِي

إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ

سَلَامٌ هِيَ حَتَّى مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ

صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ

Practice Activity

Match the Word to its Meaning

Select an Arabic word on the left, then tap its English meaning on the right. Romanization is shown under each word to guide pronunciation. Match all 8 pairs to finish.

Progress 0 / 8 matched

Arabic Words

English Meanings

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Excellent! All 8 Matched

You now know all 8 three-letter words. Ready for the practice activities?