أفضل

See also: أفصل and افصل

Arabic

Etymology 1.1

Root
ف ض ل (f ḍ l)
11 terms

Elative of فَضِيل (faḍīl, “outstanding, very good”).

Adjective

أَفْضَل • (ʔafḍal) (feminine فُضْلَى (fuḍlā), masculine plural أَفْضَلُون (ʔafḍalūn) or أَفَاضِل (ʔafāḍil), feminine plural فُضْلَيَات (fuḍlayāt))

1. elative degree of فَضِيل (faḍīl):
   1. better; best
   2. more outstanding; most outstanding
2. preferable

Declension

Declension of adjective أَفْضَل (ʔafḍal)

Singular	Masculine		Feminine
	basic singular diptote		singular invariable
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Informal	أَفْضَل ʔafḍal	الْأَفْضَل al-ʔafḍal	فُضْلَى fuḍlā	الْفُضْلَى al-fuḍlā
Nominative	أَفْضَلُ ʔafḍalu	الْأَفْضَلُ al-ʔafḍalu	فُضْلَى fuḍlā	الْفُضْلَى al-fuḍlā
Accusative	أَفْضَلَ ʔafḍala	الْأَفْضَلَ al-ʔafḍala	فُضْلَى fuḍlā	الْفُضْلَى al-fuḍlā
Genitive	أَفْضَلَ ʔafḍala	الْأَفْضَلِ al-ʔafḍali	فُضْلَى fuḍlā	الْفُضْلَى al-fuḍlā
Dual	Masculine		Feminine
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Informal	أَفْضَلَيْن ʔafḍalayn	الْأَفْضَلَيْن al-ʔafḍalayn	فُضْلَيَيْن fuḍlayayn	الْفُضْلَيَيْن al-fuḍlayayn
Nominative	أَفْضَلَانِ ʔafḍalāni	الْأَفْضَلَانِ al-ʔafḍalāni	فُضْلَيَانِ fuḍlayāni	الْفُضْلَيَانِ al-fuḍlayāni
Accusative	أَفْضَلَيْنِ ʔafḍalayni	الْأَفْضَلَيْنِ al-ʔafḍalayni	فُضْلَيَيْنِ fuḍlayayni	الْفُضْلَيَيْنِ al-fuḍlayayni
Genitive	أَفْضَلَيْنِ ʔafḍalayni	الْأَفْضَلَيْنِ al-ʔafḍalayni	فُضْلَيَيْنِ fuḍlayayni	الْفُضْلَيَيْنِ al-fuḍlayayni
Plural	Masculine		Feminine
	sound masculine plural‎; basic broken plural diptote		sound feminine plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Informal	أَفْضَلِين‎; أَفَاضِل ʔafḍalīn‎; ʔafāḍil	الْأَفْضَلِين‎; الْأَفَاضِل al-ʔafḍalīn‎; al-ʔafāḍil	فُضْلَيَات fuḍlayāt	الْفُضْلَيَات al-fuḍlayāt
Nominative	أَفْضَلُونَ‎; أَفَاضِلُ ʔafḍalūna‎; ʔafāḍilu	الْأَفْضَلُونَ‎; الْأَفَاضِلُ al-ʔafḍalūna‎; al-ʔafāḍilu	فُضْلَيَاتٌ fuḍlayātun	الْفُضْلَيَاتُ al-fuḍlayātu
Accusative	أَفْضَلِينَ‎; أَفَاضِلَ ʔafḍalīna‎; ʔafāḍila	الْأَفْضَلِينَ‎; الْأَفَاضِلَ al-ʔafḍalīna‎; al-ʔafāḍila	فُضْلَيَاتٍ fuḍlayātin	الْفُضْلَيَاتِ al-fuḍlayāti
Genitive	أَفْضَلِينَ‎; أَفَاضِلَ ʔafḍalīna‎; ʔafāḍila	الْأَفْضَلِينَ‎; الْأَفَاضِلِ al-ʔafḍalīna‎; al-ʔafāḍili	فُضْلَيَاتٍ fuḍlayātin	الْفُضْلَيَاتِ al-fuḍlayāti

Descendants

• → Bengali: আফজল (aphjol)
• → Indonesian: afdal
• → Kazakh: абзал (abzal)
• → Persian: افضل‎ (afzal)
• → Ottoman Turkish: افضل‎ (efdal)
  • → Turkish: efdal

References

• Steingass, Francis Joseph (1884) “أفضل”, in The Student's Arabic–English Dictionary‎^[1], London: W.H. Allen
• Wehr, Hans (1979) “أفضل”, in J. Milton Cowan, editor, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition, Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, →ISBN

Etymology 1.2

Verb

أَفْضَلَ • (ʔafḍala) IV (non-past يُفْضِلُ (yufḍilu), verbal noun إِفْضَال (ʔifḍāl))

1. to do a favor for, to oblige [with عَلَى (ʕalā) ‘someone’]
2. to present, to honor [with عَلَى (ʕalā) ‘someone’ and بِ (bi) ‘with something’]
3. to grant, to award, to bestow [with عَلَى (ʕalā) ‘to someone’ and بِ (bi) ‘something’]

Conjugation

    Conjugation of أَفْضَلَ (IV, sound, impersonal passive, verbal noun إِفْضَال)

verbal noun الْمَصْدَر						إِفْضَال ʔifḍāl
active participle اِسْم الْفَاعِل						مُفْضِل mufḍil
passive participle اِسْم الْمَفْعُول						مُفْضَل mufḍal
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	أَفْضَلْتُ ʔafḍaltu	أَفْضَلْتَ ʔafḍalta	أَفْضَلَ ʔafḍala		أَفْضَلْتُمَا ʔafḍaltumā	أَفْضَلَا ʔafḍalā		أَفْضَلْنَا ʔafḍalnā	أَفْضَلْتُمْ ʔafḍaltum	أَفْضَلُوا ʔafḍalū
	f		أَفْضَلْتِ ʔafḍalti	أَفْضَلَتْ ʔafḍalat			أَفْضَلَتَا ʔafḍalatā			أَفْضَلْتُنَّ ʔafḍaltunna	أَفْضَلْنَ ʔafḍalna
non-past (imperfect) indicative الْمُضَارِع الْمَرْفُوع	m	أُفْضِلُ ʔufḍilu	تُفْضِلُ tufḍilu	يُفْضِلُ yufḍilu		تُفْضِلَانِ tufḍilāni	يُفْضِلَانِ yufḍilāni		نُفْضِلُ nufḍilu	تُفْضِلُونَ tufḍilūna	يُفْضِلُونَ yufḍilūna
	f		تُفْضِلِينَ tufḍilīna	تُفْضِلُ tufḍilu			تُفْضِلَانِ tufḍilāni			تُفْضِلْنَ tufḍilna	يُفْضِلْنَ yufḍilna
subjunctive الْمُضَارِع الْمَنْصُوب	m	أُفْضِلَ ʔufḍila	تُفْضِلَ tufḍila	يُفْضِلَ yufḍila		تُفْضِلَا tufḍilā	يُفْضِلَا yufḍilā		نُفْضِلَ nufḍila	تُفْضِلُوا tufḍilū	يُفْضِلُوا yufḍilū
	f		تُفْضِلِي tufḍilī	تُفْضِلَ tufḍila			تُفْضِلَا tufḍilā			تُفْضِلْنَ tufḍilna	يُفْضِلْنَ yufḍilna
jussive الْمُضَارِع الْمَجْزُوم	m	أُفْضِلْ ʔufḍil	تُفْضِلْ tufḍil	يُفْضِلْ yufḍil		تُفْضِلَا tufḍilā	يُفْضِلَا yufḍilā		نُفْضِلْ nufḍil	تُفْضِلُوا tufḍilū	يُفْضِلُوا yufḍilū
	f		تُفْضِلِي tufḍilī	تُفْضِلْ tufḍil			تُفْضِلَا tufḍilā			تُفْضِلْنَ tufḍilna	يُفْضِلْنَ yufḍilna
imperative الْأَمْر	m		أَفْضِلْ ʔafḍil			أَفْضِلَا ʔafḍilā				أَفْضِلُوا ʔafḍilū
	f		أَفْضِلِي ʔafḍilī							أَفْضِلْنَ ʔafḍilna
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	—	—	أُفْضِلَ ʔufḍila		—	—		—	—	—
	f		—	—			—			—	—
non-past (imperfect) indicative الْمُضَارِع الْمَرْفُوع	m	—	—	يُفْضَلُ yufḍalu		—	—		—	—	—
	f		—	—			—			—	—
subjunctive الْمُضَارِع الْمَنْصُوب	m	—	—	يُفْضَلَ yufḍala		—	—		—	—	—
	f		—	—			—			—	—
jussive الْمُضَارِع الْمَجْزُوم	m	—	—	يُفْضَلْ yufḍal		—	—		—	—	—
	f		—	—			—			—	—

Etymology 1.3

Verb

أفضل (form II)

1. أُفَضِّلُ (ʔufaḍḍilu) /ʔu.fadˤ.dˤi.lu/: first-person singular non-past active indicative of فَضَّلَ (faḍḍala)
2. أُفَضَّلُ (ʔufaḍḍalu) /ʔu.fadˤ.dˤa.lu/: first-person singular non-past passive indicative of فَضَّلَ (faḍḍala)
3. أُفَضِّلَ (ʔufaḍḍila) /ʔu.fadˤ.dˤi.la/: first-person singular non-past active subjunctive of فَضَّلَ (faḍḍala)
4. أُفَضَّلَ (ʔufaḍḍala) /ʔu.fadˤ.dˤa.la/: first-person singular non-past passive subjunctive of فَضَّلَ (faḍḍala)
5. أُفَضِّلْ (ʔufaḍḍil) /ʔu.fadˤ.dˤil/: first-person singular non-past active jussive of فَضَّلَ (faḍḍala)
6. أُفَضَّلْ (ʔufaḍḍal) /ʔu.fadˤ.dˤal/: first-person singular non-past passive jussive of فَضَّلَ (faḍḍala)

South Levantine Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic أَفْضَل (ʔafḍal), elative degree of فَضِيل (faḍīl).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔaf.dˤal/, [ˈʔɑf.dˤɑl]

• Audio (al-Lidd):

  (file)

Adjective

أفضل • (ʔafḍal)

1. better, best

   Synonym: أحسن (ʔaḥsan)

2. preferable