كل

Every and All

Level 2

كل (kull) + Singular Indefinite = Every
كل (kull) + Definite = All / The Whole

How It Works

The word كل is one of the most frequent words in Arabic. While it is always masculine in form, its specific meaning is determined by the noun that follows it:

  • Every / Each: Use كل followed by a singular indefinite noun.
    Example: كل طالبٍ (Every student).
  • All / The Whole: Use كل followed by a singular definite noun.
    Example: كل الكتابِ (The whole book).
  • All (Plural): Use كل followed by a plural definite noun.
    Example: كل الطلابِ (All the students).
  • All kinds of: Use كل followed by a plural indefinite noun to mean 'every sort of'.
    Example: كل طلابٍ (All sorts of students).

Grammatical Behavior:
1. Case of the following noun: Because it is an Idafa, the following noun always takes the genitive ending.
2. Gender and Verb Agreement: Agreement with كل is flexible. The verb can agree with the form of كل (masculine singular) or with the meaning of the noun that follows it. For example, with a feminine noun, the verb can often be either masculine or feminine.
3. Adverbial Use: When used in time expressions (like 'every day'), كل usually takes the accusative case (kulla).
4. Emphasis (Tawkid): It can follow a noun to mean 'all of them'. In this case, كل matches the case of the noun, while agreement is provided by an attached pronoun suffix (e.g., المالُ كلُّه).
5. Pronoun Attachment: You can attach pronouns directly to it, such as كلنا (all of us) or كلكم (all of you).
6. Standalone Use: In formal MSA, كلٌّ can stand alone with tanween to mean 'everyone' or 'each' when the context is clear.
7. Note on 'Both': To specifically say 'both', Arabic typically uses kila or kilta rather than كل.

Examples (6)

  1. أشرب القهوة كلَّ يومٍ.

    I drink coffee every day.

    Word by Word: I-drink the-coffee every day.

    In time expressions, 'kull' takes the accusative case (kulla) as an adverbial. Followed by a singular indefinite noun, it means 'every'.

  2. كلُّ الطلابِ ذهبوا إلى المدرسةِ.

    All the students went to the school.

    Word by Word: All the-students they-went to the-school.

    In an SVO sentence (Subject-Verb-Object), the verb agrees with the plural subject 'all the students' and becomes plural.

  3. ذهبَ كلُّ الطلابِ إلى المدرسةِ.

    All the students went to the school.

    Word by Word: Went all the-students to the-school.

    In a VSO sentence (Verb-Subject-Object), the verb remains singular even though the subject 'all the students' is plural.

  4. رأيتُ الطلابَ كلَّهُم.

    I saw all of the students.

    Word by Word: I-saw the-students all-of-them.

    When used for emphasis (Tawkid), 'kull' matches the case of the noun. Agreement in gender and number is handled by the attached pronoun suffix (-hum).

  5. كلُّنا نحبُّ اللغةَ العربيةَ.

    All of us love the Arabic language.

    Word by Word: All-of-us we-love the-language the-Arabic.

    'Kull' can be attached directly to possessive pronouns to mean 'all of [us/them/you]'.

  6. كلٌّ لهُ قانونُهُ.

    Each has their own law.

    Word by Word: Each to-him law-his.

    In formal contexts, 'kullun' can stand alone with tanween to mean 'everyone' or 'each one'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the definite article 'al-' on the word 'kull' itself.

    الكل طالب في المدرسة.
    كل طالب في المدرسة.

    In an Idafa construction, the first word (kull) can never take the definite article 'al-'.

  • Using the wrong case for the noun following 'kull'.

    كل طالبٌ
    كل طالبٍ

    The noun following 'kull' must be in the genitive case (majrūr) because it is the second part of an Idafa.

  • Using كل with a definite noun when you mean "every".

    Different Meaningكل التفاحة لذيذة.
    كل تفاحة لذيذة.

    كل التفاحة is correct Arabic, but it means "the whole apple". For "every apple", use كل with an indefinite singular noun: كل تفاحة.

How It Connects

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كلLevel 2Every and All

Learn This First

To understand 'كل', a learner must first grasp how the definite article 'الـ' functions, as it determines if 'كل' means 'every' or 'all'. Additionally, since 'كل' acts as the first term in a possessive-like construction (Idafa), the learner needs to understand the Idafa structure and the resulting genitive case (al-majrur) for the following noun.

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كل