على

See also: علي, علی, غلى, and غلي

Arabic

Etymology 1

Cognate with Hebrew עַל ('al), עֲלֵי ('aléi), Aramaic עַל (ʿal).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʕa.laː/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aː, -laː
• Homophone: عَلَا (ʕalā)

Preposition

عَلَى • (ʕalā)

1. on, over
2. against

   يَوْمٌ لَكَ وَيَوْمٌ عَلَيْكَ

   yawmun laka wayawmun ʕalayka

   (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   سَجَّلَ ٱللَّاعِبُ خَمْسَةَ أَهْدَافٍ عَلَى خَصْمِهِ

   sajjala l-lāʕibu ḵamsata ʔahdāfin ʕalā ḵaṣmihi

   (please add an English translation of this usage example)

3. expresses obligation

   عَلَيْكَ أَنْ تَدْرُسَ كَيْ تَنْجَحَ.

   ʕalayka ʔan tadrusa kay tanjaḥa.

   You have to study to be successful.

4. despite
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 13:6:

     وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَذُو مَغْفِرَةٍ لِّلنَّاسِ عَلَى ظُلْمِهِمْ

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

5. on condition, provided
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 28:27:

     قَالَ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُنكِحَكَ إِحْدَى ابْنَتَيَّ هَاتَيْنِ عَلَى أَن تَأْجُرَنِي ثَمَانِيَ حِجَجٍ

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Usage notes

• Sense 3 can be construed with either a verbal noun or the equivalent construction with أَنْ (ʔan). See there for more.

Inflection

Inflected forms
Base form					عَلَى (ʿalā)
Personal-pronoun- including forms	Singular		Dual	Plural
	Masculine	Feminine	Common	Masculine	Feminine
First person	عَلَيَّ (ʿalayya)		عَلَيْنَا (ʿalaynā)
Second person	عَلَيْكَ (ʿalayka)	عَلَيْكِ (ʿalayki)	عَلَيْكُمَا (ʿalaykumā)	عَلَيْكُمْ (ʿalaykum)	عَلَيْكُنَّ (ʿalaykunna)
Third person	عَلَيْهِ (ʿalayhi)	عَلَيْهَا (ʿalayhā)	عَلَيْهِمَا (ʿalayhimā)	عَلَيْهِمْ (ʿalayhim)	عَلَيْهِنَّ (ʿalayhinna)

Antonyms

• (against): لِـ (li-)

Etymology 2

Morphologically from the root ع ل ي (ʕ-l-y).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʕa.laː/

• Audio

  (file)

• Homophone: عَلَا (ʕalā)

Verb

عَلَى • (ʕalā) I, non-past يَعْلِي‎ (yaʕlī)

1. (transitive) to climb.

Conjugation

Conjugation of

عَلَى

(form-I final-weak, verbal noun عَلْي)

verbal noun الْمَصْدَر						عَلْي ʕaly
active participle اِسْم الْفَاعِل						عَالٍ ʕālin
passive participle اِسْم الْمَفْعُول						مَعْلِيّ maʕliyy
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	عَلَيْتُ ʕalaytu	عَلَيْتَ ʕalayta	عَلَى ʕalā		عَلَيْتُمَا ʕalaytumā	عَلَيَا ʕalayā		عَلَيْنَا ʕalaynā	عَلَيْتُمْ ʕalaytum	عَلَوْا ʕalaw
	f		عَلَيْتِ ʕalayti	عَلَتْ ʕalat			عَلَتَا ʕalatā			عَلَيْتُنَّ ʕalaytunna	عَلَيْنَ ʕalayna
non-past (imperfect) indicative الْمُضَارِع الْمَرْفُوع	m	أَعْلِي ʔaʕlī	تَعْلِي taʕlī	يَعْلِي yaʕlī		تَعْلِيَانِ taʕliyāni	يَعْلِيَانِ yaʕliyāni		نَعْلِي naʕlī	تَعْلُونَ taʕlūna	يَعْلُونَ yaʕlūna
	f		تَعْلِينَ taʕlīna	تَعْلِي taʕlī			تَعْلِيَانِ taʕliyāni			تَعْلِينَ taʕlīna	يَعْلِينَ yaʕlīna
subjunctive الْمُضَارِع الْمَنْصُوب	m	أَعْلِيَ ʔaʕliya	تَعْلِيَ taʕliya	يَعْلِيَ yaʕliya		تَعْلِيَا taʕliyā	يَعْلِيَا yaʕliyā		نَعْلِيَ naʕliya	تَعْلُوا taʕlū	يَعْلُوا yaʕlū
	f		تَعْلِي taʕlī	تَعْلِيَ taʕliya			تَعْلِيَا taʕliyā			تَعْلِينَ taʕlīna	يَعْلِينَ yaʕlīna
jussive الْمُضَارِع الْمَجْزُوم	m	أَعْلِ ʔaʕli	تَعْلِ taʕli	يَعْلِ yaʕli		تَعْلِيَا taʕliyā	يَعْلِيَا yaʕliyā		نَعْلِ naʕli	تَعْلُوا taʕlū	يَعْلُوا yaʕlū
	f		تَعْلِي taʕlī	تَعْلِ taʕli			تَعْلِيَا taʕliyā			تَعْلِينَ taʕlīna	يَعْلِينَ yaʕlīna
imperative الْأَمْر	m		اِعْلِ iʕli			اِعْلِيَا iʕliyā				اِعْلُوا iʕlū
	f		اِعْلِي iʕlī							اِعْلِينَ iʕlīna
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	عُلِيتُ ʕulītu	عُلِيتَ ʕulīta	عُلِيَ ʕuliya		عُلِيتُمَا ʕulītumā	عُلِيَا ʕuliyā		عُلِينَا ʕulīnā	عُلِيتُمْ ʕulītum	عُلُوا ʕulū
	f		عُلِيتِ ʕulīti	عُلِيَتْ ʕuliyat			عُلِيَتَا ʕuliyatā			عُلِيتُنَّ ʕulītunna	عُلِينَ ʕulīna
non-past (imperfect) indicative الْمُضَارِع الْمَرْفُوع	m	أُعْلَى ʔuʕlā	تُعْلَى tuʕlā	يُعْلَى yuʕlā		تُعْلَيَانِ tuʕlayāni	يُعْلَيَانِ yuʕlayāni		نُعْلَى nuʕlā	تُعْلَوْنَ tuʕlawna	يُعْلَوْنَ yuʕlawna
	f		تُعْلَيْنَ tuʕlayna	تُعْلَى tuʕlā			تُعْلَيَانِ tuʕlayāni			تُعْلَيْنَ tuʕlayna	يُعْلَيْنَ yuʕlayna
subjunctive الْمُضَارِع الْمَنْصُوب	m	أُعْلَى ʔuʕlā	تُعْلَى tuʕlā	يُعْلَى yuʕlā		تُعْلَيَا tuʕlayā	يُعْلَيَا yuʕlayā		نُعْلَى nuʕlā	تُعْلَوْا tuʕlaw	يُعْلَوْا yuʕlaw
	f		تُعْلَيْ tuʕlay	تُعْلَى tuʕlā			تُعْلَيَا tuʕlayā			تُعْلَيْنَ tuʕlayna	يُعْلَيْنَ yuʕlayna
jussive الْمُضَارِع الْمَجْزُوم	m	أُعْلَ ʔuʕla	تُعْلَ tuʕla	يُعْلَ yuʕla		تُعْلَيَا tuʕlayā	يُعْلَيَا yuʕlayā		نُعْلَ nuʕla	تُعْلَوْا tuʕlaw	يُعْلَوْا yuʕlaw
	f		تُعْلَيْ tuʕlay	تُعْلَ tuʕla			تُعْلَيَا tuʕlayā			تُعْلَيْنَ tuʕlayna	يُعْلَيْنَ yuʕlayna

Etymology 3

Morphologically from the root ع ل ي (ʕ-l-y).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʕu.lan/

Adjective

عُلًى • (ʕulan) f pl

1. feminine plural of أَعْلَى (ʔaʕlā)

References

• Freytag, Georg (1835) “على”, in Lexicon arabico-latinum praesertim ex Djeuharii Firuzabadiique et aliorum Arabum operibus adhibitis Golii quoque et aliorum libris confectum‎^[1] (in Latin), volume 3, Halle: C. A. Schwetschke, pages 215–216
• Kazimirski, Albin de Biberstein (1860) “على”, in Dictionnaire arabe-français contenant toutes les racines de la langue arabe, leurs dérivés, tant dans l’idiome vulgaire que dans l’idiome littéral, ainsi que les dialectes d’Alger et de Maroc‎^[2] (in French), volume 2, Paris: Maisonneuve et C^ie, pages 353–356
• Wehr, Hans (1979) “على”, in J. Milton Cowan, editor, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition, Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, →ISBN

---

Egyptian Arabic

Preposition

على • (ʿalā)

1. on, upon

Inflection

Inflected forms of على
Base form					على (ʕalā)
Personal-pronoun- including forms		singular		plural
		m	f
1st person		عليّ (ʕalayya)		علينا (ʕaleena)
2nd person		عليك (ʕaleek)	عليك (ʕaleeki)	عليكوا (ʕaleeko)
3rd person		عليه (ʕaleeh)	عليها (ʕaleeha)	عليهم (ʕaleehom)

Synonyms

• ع

---

North Levantine Arabic

Alternative forms

• عَ

Etymology

From Arabic عَلَى (ʕalā).

Preposition

على • (ʿala)

1. on; upon; onto
2. (by extension) with a hint of
3. about (a topic)
4. to (a place)

   عم نسافر ع بيروت

   ʿam nsāfir ʿa bayrūt

   We’re travelling to Beirut.

5. Used with an adjective given the definite article, marking it as an adverb

Usage notes

• The personal forms are built from the stem ʿlay- or ʿalay- as in عليكن (ʿ(a)laykun, “on you”).
• Sense 2 is construed as "A على B"; literally, "A on B". A is the dominant element in such a construction, not B, even though this seems to conflict with a literal reading:
  1. بوظا على جوز

     būẓa ʿala jōz

     almond-flavored ice cream, or ice cream with almonds

     (literally, “ice cream on almonds”)

  2. جوز على بوظا

     jōz ʿala būẓa

     ice-cream-flavored almonds

     (literally, “almonds on ice cream”)