خلف

See also: خلق, حلق, جلق, and خ ل ق

Arabic

Etymology 1

From the root خ ل ف (ḵ-l-f). From Proto-Semitic *ḫalap-.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

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Verb

خَلَفَ • (ḵalafa) I, non-past يَخْلُفُ‎ (yaḵlufu)

1. to succeed, to follow, to come after
2. to substitute for
3. to replace
4. to lag behind
5. to stay behind
6. to be detained, to stay away

Conjugation

Conjugation of

خَلَفَ

(form-I sound, verbal noun خَلْف)

verbal noun الْمَصْدَر						خَلْف ḵalf
active participle اِسْم الْفَاعِل						خَالِف ḵālif
passive participle اِسْم الْمَفْعُول						مَخْلُوف maḵlūf
active voice الْفِعْل الْمَعْلُوم
		singular الْمُفْرَد				dual الْمُثَنَّى			plural الْجَمْع
		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب
past (perfect) indicative الْمَاضِي	m	خَلَفْتُ ḵalaftu	خَلَفْتَ ḵalafta	خَلَفَ ḵalafa		خَلَفْتُمَا ḵalaftumā	خَلَفَا ḵalafā		خَلَفْنَا ḵalafnā	خَلَفْتُمْ ḵalaftum	خَلَفُوا ḵalafū
	f		خَلَفْتِ ḵalafti	خَلَفَتْ ḵalafat			خَلَفَتَا ḵalafatā			خَلَفْتُنَّ ḵalaftunna	خَلَفْنَ ḵalafna
non-past (imperfect) indicative الْمُضَارِع الْمَرْفُوع	m	أَخْلُفُ ʔaḵlufu	تَخْلُفُ taḵlufu	يَخْلُفُ yaḵlufu		تَخْلُفَانِ taḵlufāni	يَخْلُفَانِ yaḵlufāni		نَخْلُفُ naḵlufu	تَخْلُفُونَ taḵlufūna	يَخْلُفُونَ yaḵlufūna
	f		تَخْلُفِينَ taḵlufīna	تَخْلُفُ taḵlufu			تَخْلُفَانِ taḵlufāni			تَخْلُفْنَ taḵlufna	يَخْلُفْنَ yaḵlufna
subjunctive الْمُضَارِع الْمَنْصُوب	m	أَخْلُفَ ʔaḵlufa	تَخْلُفَ taḵlufa	يَخْلُفَ yaḵlufa		تَخْلُفَا taḵlufā	يَخْلُفَا yaḵlufā		نَخْلُفَ naḵlufa	تَخْلُفُوا taḵlufū	يَخْلُفُوا yaḵlufū
	f		تَخْلُفِي taḵlufī	تَخْلُفَ taḵlufa			تَخْلُفَا taḵlufā			تَخْلُفْنَ taḵlufna	يَخْلُفْنَ yaḵlufna
jussive الْمُضَارِع الْمَجْزُوم	m	أَخْلُفْ ʔaḵluf	تَخْلُفْ taḵluf	يَخْلُفْ yaḵluf		تَخْلُفَا taḵlufā	يَخْلُفَا yaḵlufā		نَخْلُفْ naḵluf	تَخْلُفُوا taḵlufū	يَخْلُفُوا yaḵlufū
	f		تَخْلُفِي taḵlufī	تَخْلُفْ taḵluf			تَخْلُفَا taḵlufā			تَخْلُفْنَ taḵlufna	يَخْلُفْنَ yaḵlufna
imperative الْأَمْر	m		اُخْلُفْ uḵluf			اُخْلُفَا uḵlufā				اُخْلُفُوا uḵlufū
	f		اُخْلُفِي uḵlufī							اُخْلُفْنَ uḵlufna
passive voice الْفِعْل الْمَجْهُول
		singular الْمُفْرَد				dual الْمُثَنَّى			plural الْجَمْع
		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب
past (perfect) indicative الْمَاضِي	m	خُلِفْتُ ḵuliftu	خُلِفْتَ ḵulifta	خُلِفَ ḵulifa		خُلِفْتُمَا ḵuliftumā	خُلِفَا ḵulifā		خُلِفْنَا ḵulifnā	خُلِفْتُمْ ḵuliftum	خُلِفُوا ḵulifū
	f		خُلِفْتِ ḵulifti	خُلِفَتْ ḵulifat			خُلِفَتَا ḵulifatā			خُلِفْتُنَّ ḵuliftunna	خُلِفْنَ ḵulifna
non-past (imperfect) indicative الْمُضَارِع الْمَرْفُوع	m	أُخْلَفُ ʔuḵlafu	تُخْلَفُ tuḵlafu	يُخْلَفُ yuḵlafu		تُخْلَفَانِ tuḵlafāni	يُخْلَفَانِ yuḵlafāni		نُخْلَفُ nuḵlafu	تُخْلَفُونَ tuḵlafūna	يُخْلَفُونَ yuḵlafūna
	f		تُخْلَفِينَ tuḵlafīna	تُخْلَفُ tuḵlafu			تُخْلَفَانِ tuḵlafāni			تُخْلَفْنَ tuḵlafna	يُخْلَفْنَ yuḵlafna
subjunctive الْمُضَارِع الْمَنْصُوب	m	أُخْلَفَ ʔuḵlafa	تُخْلَفَ tuḵlafa	يُخْلَفَ yuḵlafa		تُخْلَفَا tuḵlafā	يُخْلَفَا yuḵlafā		نُخْلَفَ nuḵlafa	تُخْلَفُوا tuḵlafū	يُخْلَفُوا yuḵlafū
	f		تُخْلَفِي tuḵlafī	تُخْلَفَ tuḵlafa			تُخْلَفَا tuḵlafā			تُخْلَفْنَ tuḵlafna	يُخْلَفْنَ yuḵlafna
jussive الْمُضَارِع الْمَجْزُوم	m	أُخْلَفْ ʔuḵlaf	تُخْلَفْ tuḵlaf	يُخْلَفْ yuḵlaf		تُخْلَفَا tuḵlafā	يُخْلَفَا yuḵlafā		نُخْلَفْ nuḵlaf	تُخْلَفُوا tuḵlafū	يُخْلَفُوا yuḵlafū
	f		تُخْلَفِي tuḵlafī	تُخْلَفْ tuḵlaf			تُخْلَفَا tuḵlafā			تُخْلَفْنَ tuḵlafna	يُخْلَفْنَ yuḵlafna

Etymology 2

From the root خ ل ف (ḵ-l-f).

Preposition

خَلْفَ • (ḵalfa)

1. behind
   • Louisa Alcott, Little Women, Chapter 1, Arabic translation "Dar wa Maktabat al-Hilal, Lebanon":

     بدأت جو تمشي ذهابًا وإيابًا ويداها خلف ظهرهًا، كالرجل.

     bádaʾat Joe támšī ḏahāban wa-ʾiyāban wa-yádā-hā xálfa ẓáhran, ka-l-rájul.

     Joe started walking back and forth with her hands behind (her) back, like a man.

Inflection

Inflected forms
Base form					خَلْفَ (ḵalfa)
Personal-pronoun- including forms	Singular		Dual	Plural
	Masculine	Feminine	Common	Masculine	Feminine
First person	خَلْفِي (ḵalfī)		خَلْفَنَا (ḵalfanā)
Second person	خَلْفَكَ (ḵalfaka)	خَلْفَكِ (ḵalfaki)	خَلْفَكُمَا (ḵalfakumā)	خَلْفَكُمْ (ḵalfakum)	خَلْفَكُنَّ (ḵalfakunna)
Third person	خَلْفَهُ (ḵalfahu)	خَلْفَهَا (ḵalfahā)	خَلْفَهُمَا (ḵalfahumā)	خَلْفَهُمْ (ḵalfahum)	خَلْفَهُنَّ (ḵalfahunna)

Derived terms

• مِنْ خَلْفِ (min ḵalfi)

Etymology 3

From the root خ ل ف (ḵ-l-f).

Noun

خَلْف • (ḵalf) m (plural خُلُوف (ḵulūf))

1. verbal noun of خَلَفَ (ḵalafa) (form I)
2. location that is behind
3. time past
4. back
5. successor, descendant
6. descendants
7. remnant of people
8. succeeding generation, progeny
9. short rib
10. someone absent from the tribe or just returned

Declension

Declension of noun خَلْف (ḵalf)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	خَلْف ḵalf	الْخَلْف al-ḵalf	خَلْف ḵalf
Nominative	خَلْفٌ ḵalfun	الْخَلْفُ al-ḵalfu	خَلْفُ ḵalfu
Accusative	خَلْفًا ḵalfan	الْخَلْفَ al-ḵalfa	خَلْفَ ḵalfa
Genitive	خَلْفٍ ḵalfin	الْخَلْفِ al-ḵalfi	خَلْفِ ḵalfi
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	خَلْفَيْن ḵalfayn	الْخَلْفَيْن al-ḵalfayn	خَلْفَيْ ḵalfay
Nominative	خَلْفَانِ ḵalfāni	الْخَلْفَانِ al-ḵalfāni	خَلْفَا ḵalfā
Accusative	خَلْفَيْنِ ḵalfayni	الْخَلْفَيْنِ al-ḵalfayni	خَلْفَيْ ḵalfay
Genitive	خَلْفَيْنِ ḵalfayni	الْخَلْفَيْنِ al-ḵalfayni	خَلْفَيْ ḵalfay
Plural	basic broken plural triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	خُلُوف ḵulūf	الْخُلُوف al-ḵulūf	خُلُوف ḵulūf
Nominative	خُلُوفٌ ḵulūfun	الْخُلُوفُ al-ḵulūfu	خُلُوفُ ḵulūfu
Accusative	خُلُوفًا ḵulūfan	الْخُلُوفَ al-ḵulūfa	خُلُوفَ ḵulūfa
Genitive	خُلُوفٍ ḵulūfin	الْخُلُوفِ al-ḵulūfi	خُلُوفِ ḵulūfi

References

• Freytag, Georg (1830) “خلف”, in Lexicon arabico-latinum praesertim ex Djeuharii Firuzabadiique et aliorum Arabum operibus adhibitis Golii quoque et aliorum libris confectum‎^[1] (in Latin), volume 1, Halle: C. A. Schwetschke, pages 516–518
• Lane, Edward William (1863) “خلف”, in Arabic-English Lexicon‎^[2], London: Williams & Norgate, page 792
• Steingass, Francis Joseph (1884) “خلف”, in The Student's Arabic–English Dictionary‎^[3], London: W.H. Allen, page 337
• Wehr, Hans (1979) “خلف”, in J. Milton Cowan, editor, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition, Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, →ISBN, page 297