Lesson 8: Verbs
Most Arabic verbs are derived from 3 root letters. (some may derive from a 4+ letter root, but
generally it is 3)
The root letters of a word indicate its basic meaning. All words derived from the same root letters
will share an element of this meaning.
For example:
Word patterns
We have 3 categories in which a verb may fit into:
1. He did the action (ie he wrote, he drank, he sat)
2. The one who does the action (ie: a writer, a drinker)
3. Something that the action is done upon
If we look at each category, we can see a pattern in how each word is formulated by numbering
each root letter R1, R2 & R3 in order of sequence, and naming inserted extra letters:
Formula / pattern
R1
He did the action
R2
R3
He wrote
He drank
The one who does the
action
Something the action
is done upon
A drinker
R1-fatha
Alif
R2 kessrah
A writer
‫م‬
Something that is drunk (adj)
A drink (noun)
Something that is written (adj)
A letter (noun)
R1- sukoon
R2 - dummah
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By knowing the formulas for each category, you can predict the meaning of new words you may
come across if you know the meaning of the root letters.
It is easier to learn the formula, than to memorise all the vocab in each form – know the roots letter
meaning & formulas to apply them to.
Easy formula /word pattern
Learning the above mentioned formulas is quite long-winded, and so grammarians have taken 3
random Arabic letters to represent the first, second and third root letters of a word (instead of R1,
R2 and R3).
These letters say a made-up or meaningless word
This word
can be used to check off root letters to give the meaning of the one who
performs the action of the verb (such as runner, drinker, writer, watcher etc).
The one who performs the action of the verb is the subject and is known as
the active participle and is always
‫َم ْرفُوع‬
Verb tenses
Verbs are “doing” words
actions
In English, we have 3 tenses, the past, the present and he future.
In Arabic, there are also 3 tenses, however they work somewhat differently to how we find in the
English language.
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The past is expressed in Arabic as the “perfect tense” It is perfect because it indicates a
completed action or state. In English these words would be translated in the past tense.
The present and the future are expressed in Arabic as the “imperfect tense”
It is imperfect because it refers to something not yet happened.
The way to determine whether a verb is present or future would be to look at the context, because
the word itself will be exactly the same.
The 3rd tenses is “imperative (command) tense”
Generally, a command is given for something not yet done, so this tense applies more so to the
future, however can occur in the present.
Verb conjugations
Verb conjugations are small variations / changes in words that allow you to alter the “who” is the
actioner of the vern ie: he/she/they ate.
In English, we would simply put the appropriate pronoun in front of the verb. However in Arabic,
this is not so. Instead, it is shown by changing the vowels, or adding something to the end or the
beginning of the word. You do not actually use an independent separate pronoun.
When in the perfect (past) tense, we can use the verb
َ‫( فَ َع َل‬meaning to do / he did) as our
pattern to conjugate any verb, altering the suffix to reflect who is being addressed accordingly –
Ppl you are
talking about
/ absent
He/she/they
Ppl you
are talking
to
you
Self
I /we
Nothing
added
‫وا‬
َ‫ت‬
َ‫َن‬
َ
َ‫ت‬
َ‫تُم‬
َ‫ت‬
َ ُ‫ت‬
‫ن‬
ُ
َ‫ت‬
‫نَا‬
Note: The vowel on the 2nd root letter of verbs from the pattern ‫ َف َع َل‬can be either fathah, dammah
or kessrah in both the perfect and imperfect tenses.
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Examples:
َ‫َكتَبَ َن‬
‫َكتَبَنَا‬
ُ َ‫َكتَب‬
َ‫ت‬
‫ب‬
َ ‫َك َت‬
َ َ‫َكتَب‬
َ‫ت‬
We wrote
I wrote
He wrote
You (ms) wrote
They (fp) wrote
Notes:
Verbal Nouns
A noun which indicates the action of performing the verb.
For example in English we find the words ending with the “ing” suffix, such as (the act of): eating,
sleeping ,walking etc
There are no pattern for verbal nouns derived from
‫ َف َع َل‬verbs. Must learn each verbal noun
along with its verb.
For example:
‫ َرفع‬raising
َ‫ تَبَع‬following
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Subject of the Verb
The person or thing doing the action of the verb, is called the subject of the verb in English, and
ِ َ‫ ف‬in Arabic.
‫اع ٌل‬
The subject can manifest in 2 ways:
1
2
Conjugated within the verb :
ie:
Mentioned separately from the verb:
َ َ‫َ َكتَب‬
َ‫ت‬
ie:
(you wrote)
َ‫ب الر ُج ُل‬
ََ َ‫َكت‬
(the man wrote)
Tip:
When have a verbal
sentence, look for the
subject in the
sentence. If cannot
explicitly see the
subject (ie man) then
you know the subject
is conjugated within
the verb
Object of the Verb
The object of the verb,
one).
is the noun upon which the action is being done to (if there is
There are 3 possible manifestations of an object with a verb1.
ِ
ٌ‫ٌمتَ َعد‬
ُ ‫– فعل‬transitive: meaning it takes a direct object
Ie:
The man carried the book
He carried it?
2.
ٌ‫ – فِ ْعلٌال ِزم‬Intransitive: this can take on 2 different forms:
1)-can only take an object via a preposition:
*the verb ‫ع‬
ََ ‫ َر َج‬is conjugated (see “verb
The Muslim returned to the masjid
conjugations), so literally would translate as
“he returned, the Muslim to the masjid”.
Which obviously does not make sense
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2)- does not need an object to complete its meaning:
The mother sat
*the verb Jalasat is conjugated (see “verb conjugations”) so
would literally translate as “she sat, the mother”
Structure of a verbal sentence
Verbal sentences usually (although not always) begin with the verb.
Verb
The first part is a word that describes an
action.
This word is called "Verb" in English language
and
ٌ‫ فِ ْعل‬in Arabic. In English language the
verb can be a single word or combination of
two or more words but in Arabic verb is
always a single word.
When comes before subject (following rule),
the verb should be singular even if subject is
plural, however must agree with subject in
gender.*
Subject
object
The second part of a verbal sentence
is the person or the thing doing the
action described by the verb.
The third part of a verbal sentence is
the thing on which the action has been
done. (if there is one)
This person or the thing is called
This thing is called the Object in
English.
Subject of the verb in English and
‫فَا ِع ٌل‬
in Arabic.
The subject always takes nominative
case
‫َم ْرفُوع‬
The object is always take Accusative
case
‫صوب‬
ُ ‫ َم ْن‬.
*although the general rule is verb-subject-object order, sometimes the subject comes first – in this case then the verb must
agree in number and gender)
Recognise:
The rule is that a verbal sentence should be constructed in order of Verb-subject-object.
However, this order is changed a lot in the Qur’an, for a specific rhetorical purpose. If there is
no purpose, then this order must be adhered to.
Often in the Qur’an and early Arabic in general, you will find a feminine subject preceded by a
masculine verb.
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Lesson 8: Quick revision summary
Verbal sentence structure usually (not always) starts with the verb:
Verb
subject
object
When verb comes before subject (following rule), it should be singular even if subject is plural,
however must agree with subject in gender.
However if the subject comes first then the verb must agree in number and gender)
Subject:The one who performs the action of the verb and is known as the active participle
Is always
‫َم ْرفُوع‬
Can manifest either:
Implied within the verb :
ie:
َ َ‫َ َكتَب‬
َ‫ت‬
(you wrote)
Mentioned separately from the verb:
OR
ie:
َ‫ب الر ُج ُل‬
ََ َ‫َكت‬
(the man wrote)
Object: that which the action of the verb is done upon (if there is one)
Always
‫صوب‬
ُ ‫َم ْن‬
.
Conjugations:
Nothing
added
He did
‫وا‬
They did
َ‫ت‬
َ‫َن‬
She did
They did
َ
َ‫ت‬
‫تُ َم‬
You did
You did
َ‫ت‬
َ‫تُن‬
You did
You did
ُ
َ‫ت‬
‫نَا‬.
I did
we did
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