'And' In Arabic (Conjunction)

The word for “and” in Arabic is one of the most used words in the whole language.

Whether it’s Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) or chatting in a dialect like Egyptian, Levantine, Moroccan, etc.), you’ll hear this in every conversation:

وَ

wa

and

It’s just a single letter added to the beginning of the second word you want to connect. Think of it like sticking “and” right onto the next item in your list.

It sounds like the English word “what” but without the ‘t’ sound at the end: wah.

How it works

You attach wa (وَ) directly to the start of the word that follows it.

There’s no space needed when writing Arabic.

Let’s look at some examples:

خُبْز وَمَاء

khubz wa māʾ

Bread and water

أَقْرَأ وَأَكْتُب

ʾaqraʾ wa ʾaktub

I read and write

هُوَ طَوِيل وَقَوِيّ

huwa ṭawīl wa qawī

He is tall and strong

القَاهِرَة وَدِمَشْق

al-qāhirah wa dimashq

Cairo and Damascus (Cities)

See how the wa (و) just hooks onto the beginning of the second word?

You can use wa for connecting:

• Nouns (things): kitāb wa qalam (كِتَاب وَقَلَم - book and pen)
• Verbs (actions): ākul wa ʾashrab (آكُل وَأَشْرَب - I eat and drink)
• Adjectives (descriptions): jamīl wa kabīr (جَمِيل وَكَبِير - beautiful and big)
• Whole sentences.

The letter ‘fa’ (فَـ)

Sometimes you might see or hear the letter fa (فَـ) used in a way that seems like “and”.

fa (فَـ) also attaches to the beginning of the next word.

However, fa usually means “and then”, “so”, or “and therefore”. It implies a sequence or a consequence, rather than just joining two equal things.

Compare these:

wa (وَ): Joining two related things.

جَاءَ وَجَلَسَ

jāʾa wa jalasa

He came and sat down.

fa (فَـ): Showing sequence or result.

جَاءَ فَـجَلَسَ

jāʾa fa-jalasa

He came and then/so he sat down.

While fa (فَـ) is important, for simply saying “and” like in “you and me” or “apples and oranges”, just use wa (وَ).

That’s pretty much it.

One of the most common words in the Arabic language -> وَ.

Just attach it to the start of the second word or phrase you’re connecting.

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