A new chapter opens: the fiʿlFiʿlفِعْلA verb: a word with meaning that is attached to time (past, present, or future), so it is not an Ism or a Harf. An Arabic Fiʿl already carries its doer inside it, so a single verb is a complete sentence. One of the three Arabic word types.Introduced on Day 1 (verb). The working definition is simple, a word stuck in time (past, present, or future). This lesson begins with the past tensePast Tenseالفِعْل المَاضِيThe past-tense verb, formed by changing the END of the word. Its endings run across 14 pronouns (darasa = he studied, darasat = she studied, darasū = they studied).Introduced on Day 7.
In Arabic, present and future share one word, so you only ever learn the past version separately; the same form covers present and future. This lesson is purely past.
1What You'll Learn
- Why an Arabic fiʿlFiʿlفِعْلA verb: a word with meaning that is attached to time (past, present, or future), so it is not an Ism or a Harf. An Arabic Fiʿl already carries its doer inside it, so a single verb is a complete sentence. One of the three Arabic word types.Introduced on Day 1 is a complete sentenceJumlaجُمْلَةA sentence: a complete thought. Arabic sentences are either nominal (Jumla Ismiyya, starting with a noun) or verbal (Jumla Fiʿliyya, starting with a verb).Introduced on Day 1 in itself, with the doerFāʿilفَاعِلThe doer of the verb: the one performing the action, which is in Rafaʿ. In Arabic the doer is built inside the verb, but an outside Rafaʿ noun can supply it instead.Introduced on Day 7 built inside the word.
- The full set of past-tense endings across all 14 pronounsḌamīrضَمِيرA pronoun. Independent (detached) pronouns like huwa stand alone, are always Rafaʿ and proper. Attached pronouns like -hu cling to another word and are always Nasb or Jar.Introduced on Day 2, drilled on darasa and naṣara.
- How to "find the doer first" before translating any verb.
- Two classic traps: -tum = "you all" (not "they") and -ti = "you (f)" (not "she").
- How to attach objectMafʿūl bihiمَفْعُول بِهThe object of the verb: the one the action is done to, which is in Nasb. A pronoun attached to a verb as its object is always Nasb (it answers "whom?").Introduced on Day 7 pronouns to a verb and translate them step by step.
- How these patterns appear in Qurʾanic past-tense verbs and āyāt.
2A Verb Is a Whole Sentence
A better name than "verb" is fiʿlFiʿlفِعْلA verb: a word with meaning that is attached to time (past, present, or future), so it is not an Ism or a Harf. An Arabic Fiʿl already carries its doer inside it, so a single verb is a complete sentence. One of the three Arabic word types.Introduced on Day 1, because an Arabic fiʿl is not just a word, it is a complete sentenceJumlaجُمْلَةA sentence: a complete thought. Arabic sentences are either nominal (Jumla Ismiyya, starting with a noun) or verbal (Jumla Fiʿliyya, starting with a verb).Introduced on Day 1 by itself. English "ate" is only a part; you must add a doerFāʿilفَاعِلThe doer of the verb: the one performing the action, which is in Rafaʿ. In Arabic the doer is built inside the verb, but an outside Rafaʿ noun can supply it instead.Introduced on Day 7 ("he ate," "we ate") to get a sentence. In Arabic the doer is built inside the word, so a single fiʿl is already a full sentence.
An Arabic fiʿl is a complete sentence on its own, the doer is built inside the word.
There are two kinds of doer. If the doer of the fiʿl is a built-in pronounḌamīrضَمِيرA pronoun. Independent (detached) pronouns like huwa stand alone, are always Rafaʿ and proper. Attached pronouns like -hu cling to another word and are always Nasb or Jar.Introduced on Day 2, it is an INSIDE doer: كَتَبْتُ (katabtu) = I wrote (the "I" lives inside the word). If the doer is a separate word that is not a pronoun, it is an OUTSIDE doer: كَتَبَ مُحَمَّدٌ (kataba Muḥammadun) = Muhammad wrote.
Two rules govern the outside doer:
- The fiʿl stays in the هُوَ or هِيَ form only (it does not pluralize to match the doer).
- The doer comes after the fiʿl (not necessarily immediately) and is in RafʿRafaʿرَفْعThe "doer" status (subject). The word that performs the action, answering "who or what did it?" Its singular ending is the u/un sound. The state-word for it is Marfūʿ.Introduced on Day 1 statusIʿrābإِعْرَابStatus: the first and most important property of a noun. It is the grammatical case (Rafaʿ, Nasb, or Jar) shown by the word’s ending, telling you the word’s role in the sentence.Introduced on Day 1.
Here is a spread of sample past-tense fiʿls, each one already a full "he ___" sentence:
نَصَرَ (naṣara, he helped) · دَرَسَ (darasa, he studied) · دَرَسُوا (darasū, they studied) · اِقْتَرَبَ (iqtaraba, it drew near) · اِسْتَغْفَرُوا (istaghfarū, they sought forgiveness) · جَاهَدَ (jāhada, he strove) · قَاتَلَ (qātala, he fought) · سَمِعَ (samiʿa, he heard) · قَرُبَ (qaruba, he came near) · أَسْلَمَ (aslama, he submitted).
How to recognise a Fiʿl (the classical signs)
Before drilling the conjugations, learn to spot a fiʿl on sight. The classical books list 14 signs: a word is a fiʿl if it carries any one of them.
- قَدْ comes before it: قد ذَهَبَ، قد يَذْهَبُ.
- سَـ or سوف comes before it: سأذهبُ، سوف أذهبُ.
- لَمْ comes before it: لمLamلَمْThe past negative particle, "did not." It makes the following present-tense verb lightest (a sukūn on the final letter), pushing the meaning into the past. It is the mirror image of lan.Introduced on Day 9 أذهبْ.
- The tāʾ alAlالْThe definite article "the" (الْ). Adding it makes a word proper and drops the tanwin off singulars (Al and tanwin cannot share one word). A Muḍāf can never carry Al.Introduced on Day 2-mutakallim (ـتُ) is on its end: ذهبتُ، خرجتُ.
- It is past tensePast Tenseالفِعْل المَاضِيThe past-tense verb, formed by changing the END of the word. Its endings run across 14 pronouns (darasa = he studied, darasat = she studied, darasū = they studied).Introduced on Day 7, māḍī: نَصَرَ.
- It is present tensePresent Tenseالفِعْل المُضَارِعThe present-tense verb, which covers both present and future. It is formed by changing the BEGINNING (prefix) of the word: a-/u- (I), na- (we), ya- (he), ta- (you or she).Introduced on Day 8, muḍāriʿ: يَنْصُرُ.
- It is a commandCommandأَمْرThe command (imperative) form, like iqraʾ (read!). It is built from the lightest 2nd-person present tense with the first tā removed, adding a helper alif (a floating hamza) when needed. It ends in the lightest (sukūn) form and always points outward, at "you."Introduced on Day 9, amr: اُنْصُرْ.
- It is a prohibition, nahy: لاLāلَاThe word "no." After lā, a heavy noun signals a general negation (generally no), while a light noun signals an absolute, categorical negation (absolutely no), as in lā ilāha illā Allāh.Introduced on Day 2 تَنْصُرْ.
- A jāzim particle comes before it: لم يَضْرِبْ.
- A nāṣib particle comes before it: لنLanلَنْThe future negative particle, "will not." It makes the following present-tense verb light (a final -u becomes -a). It is the mirror image of lam.Introduced on Day 9 يَضْرِبَ.
- The nūn al-taʾkīd is on its end, heavyHeavyThe normal, default form of a noun, which keeps the extra "n" sound (from tanwin like -un, or a combination like -āni / -ūna). After lā it signals a general negation.Introduced on Day 2 or lightLightA special form where the extra "n" sound has been dropped (muslimu instead of muslimun). A word goes light for exactly four reasons: it is partly flexible, it is the one being called (al-munādā), it follows the lā of absolute categorical negation (lā an-nāfiya lil-jins), or it is a Muḍāf.Introduced on Day 2: لَيَضْرِبَنَّ، لَيَضْرِبَنْ.
- A silent tāʾ (tāʾ sākina) is on its end: دَخَلَتْ.
- An attached marfūʿMarfūʿمَرْفُوعThe state-word describing a noun that is in Rafaʿ status (the doer/subject).Introduced on Day 1 pronoun is on its end: خَرَجْتُ.
- It can only ever be musnad, never musnad ilayhiMusnad ilayhiمُسْنَد إِلَيْهِThe subject of a nominal sentence, the word the sentence is "about" (the Mubtadaʾ). It is in Rafaʿ, and being the subject is a sign of an Ism.Introduced on Day 1: in ضَرَبَ زيدٌ, the word ضَرَبَ is the fiʿl.
3The Past-Tense Endings
Take دَرَسَ (darasa). Forget everything about the ismIsmاِسْمA noun: a word naming a person, place, thing, or idea (and also adjectives and adverbs). It has meaning but is unattached to time, so it is not a verb (Fiʿl) or a particle (Harf). One of the three Arabic word types.Introduced on Day 1, this is a different world. Listen to the last sound:
- An -a at the end of a past tensePast Tenseالفِعْل المَاضِيThe past-tense verb, formed by changing the END of the word. Its endings run across 14 pronouns (darasa = he studied, darasat = she studied, darasū = they studied).Introduced on Day 7 means he (huwa) did it: دَرَسَ (darasa): he studied.
- An -at ending means she (hiya): دَرَسَتْ (darasat): she studied. The "she" is automatic; you hear the -at.
- An alif (-ā) added on = both of them (humā), borrowed from the alif of humā: دَرَسَا (darasā): both of them studied. Add it to the feminineMuʾannathمُؤَنَّثFeminine. A noun is feminine either really (biologically female) or grammatically, for four reasons: certain endings (ة، اء، ى), the conventional-feminine words, paired body parts, and broken plurals.Introduced on Day 3 and you get دَرَسَتَا (darasatā): both of those ladies studied.
- A -ū ending = they (hum): دَرَسُوا (darasū): they studied.
In a past-tense verb, what doerFāʿilفَاعِلThe doer of the verb: the one performing the action, which is in Rafaʿ. In Arabic the doer is built inside the verb, but an outside Rafaʿ noun can supply it instead.Introduced on Day 7 does each of these endings point to: -a, -at, and -ū?
Show answer
-a means he (huwa), as in darasa (he studied); -at means she (hiya), as in darasat (she studied); -ū means they (hum), as in darasū (they studied).
The women "silence" the last letter
When the women (hunna) come together, they do things differently. They will not arrive until the last rootRootجَذْرThe core set of letters a word is built from. New words are created from one root (the science of this is Ṣarf), so a little vocabulary generates many words.Introduced on Day 1 letter is made silent (sukūnSukūnسُكُونThe mark showing a letter carries no vowel (it is silent/stopped). The "lightest" present-tense particles place a Sukūn on a verb’s final letter.Introduced on Day 2) first, they want quiet. Only then do they add their -na:
- نَصَرْنَ (naṣarna): those ladies helped. You must say naṣar-na (with the silenced rāʾ), never "naṣarana", that would not be Arabic.
The first part of the word must stay exactly as it came; Arabic is very sensitive. Mangle the opening and you produce a different word entirely.
The women silence the verb first: hunna shuts the last letter with a sukūn (naṣar) before adding their -na (naṣar-na), like asking for quiet in the room before they will come in and speak.
The full 14-pronoun conjugation chart
Building on darasa (to study), the same endings attach to every pronounḌamīrضَمِيرA pronoun. Independent (detached) pronouns like huwa stand alone, are always Rafaʿ and proper. Attached pronouns like -hu cling to another word and are always Nasb or Jar.Introduced on Day 2. The pronoun lives inside the verb; memorize it with the form, like an answer key:
| Pronoun | Meaning | Form | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| هُوَ huwa | he | دَرَسَ darasa | he studied |
| هُمَا humā | both of them (m) | دَرَسَا darasā | both studied |
| هُمْ hum | they (m) | دَرَسُوا darasū | they studied |
| هِيَ hiya | she | دَرَسَتْ darasat | she studied |
| هُمَا humā | both of them (f) | دَرَسَتَا darasatā | both ladies studied |
| هُنَّ hunna | they (f) | دَرَسْنَ darasna | those ladies studied |
| أَنْتَ anta | you (m) | دَرَسْتَ darasta | you studied |
| أَنْتُمَا antumā | both of you | دَرَسْتُمَا darastumā | both of you studied |
| أَنْتُمْ antum | you all (m) | دَرَسْتُمْ darastum | you all studied |
| أَنْتِ anti | you (f) | دَرَسْتِ darasti | you (f) studied |
| أَنْتُمَا antumā | both of you (f) | دَرَسْتُمَا darastumā | both of you ladies studied |
| أَنْتُنَّ antunna | you all (f) | دَرَسْتُنَّ darastunna | all of you ladies studied |
| أَنَا anā | I | دَرَسْتُ darastu | I studied |
| نَحْنُ naḥnu | we | دَرَسْنَا darasnā | we studied |
Notice the anta/anti/antum… forms simply borrow the tā ending (-ta, -ti, -tumā, -tum, -tunna), and anā takes -tu, naḥnu takes -nā. Once you have silenced the last letter for hunna, that silence carries down to all the -na/-tu forms.
The same chart on naṣara
The identical 14 endings can be drilled on نَصَرَ (naṣara, to help), laid out as a grid of pluralJamʿجَمْعPlural: a noun referring to three or more items. Arabic has five kinds of plural, including the sound masculine, sound feminine, and broken plurals.Introduced on Day 1 / pairMuthannāمُثَنَّىDual: a noun referring to exactly two items. Rafaʿ ends in -āni; Nasb and Jar both end in -ayni.Introduced on Day 1 / singularMufradمُفْرَدSingular: a noun referring to just one item. Its status is shown by the ending sound (un / an / in or u / a / i).Introduced on Day 1 across the three persons:
| Person | Singular | Pair | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine 3rd (هُوَ / هُمَا / هُمْ) | نَصَرَ naṣara, he helped | نَصَرَا naṣarā, they (2) helped | نَصَرُوا naṣarū, they helped |
| Feminine 3rd (هِيَ / هُمَا / هُنَّ) | نَصَرَتْ naṣarat, she helped | نَصَرَتَا naṣaratā, they (2f) helped | نَصَرْنَ naṣarna, they (f) helped |
| Masculine 2nd (أَنْتَ / أَنْتُمَا / أَنْتُمْ) | نَصَرْتَ naṣarta, you helped | نَصَرْتُمَا naṣartumā, you (2) helped | نَصَرْتُمْ naṣartum, you all helped |
| Feminine 2nd (أَنْتِ / أَنْتُمَا / أَنْتُنَّ) | نَصَرْتِ naṣarti, you (f) helped | نَصَرْتُمَا naṣartumā, you (2f) helped | نَصَرْتُنَّ naṣartunna, you all (f) helped |
| 1st (أَنَا /, / نَحْنُ) | نَصَرْتُ naṣartu, I helped | , | نَصَرْنَا naṣarnā, we helped |
The naṣara conjugation chart is the master template for نَصَرَ-pattern verbs. The doer is baked in, say هُوَ نَصَرَ (huwa naṣara), never mix it up with نَصَرَتْ (naṣarat = she).
naṣarnā vs naṣarna
The only difference between نَصَرْنَا (naṣarnā = we helped) and نَصَرْنَ (naṣarna = those ladies helped) is the alif: one is long, one is short. Listen carefully.
4Translation Discipline: Find the Doer First
When translating a fiʿlFiʿlفِعْلA verb: a word with meaning that is attached to time (past, present, or future), so it is not an Ism or a Harf. An Arabic Fiʿl already carries its doer inside it, so a single verb is a complete sentence. One of the three Arabic word types.Introduced on Day 1, find the pronounḌamīrضَمِيرA pronoun. Independent (detached) pronouns like huwa stand alone, are always Rafaʿ and proper. Attached pronouns like -hu cling to another word and are always Nasb or Jar.Introduced on Day 2 (the doerFāʿilفَاعِلThe doer of the verb: the one performing the action, which is in Rafaʿ. In Arabic the doer is built inside the verb, but an outside Rafaʿ noun can supply it instead.Introduced on Day 7) first: then the meaning. A commonNakiraنَكِرَةCommon (indefinite). The default type of any noun: a word is common unless it falls into one of the seven categories that make it proper.Introduced on Day 3 mistake is to grab the dictionary meaning and ignore the doer. Hear the ending, identify the doer, then translate.
Find the doer first. Identify the ending and the pronoun it carries before you reach for the verb's dictionary meaning.
Find the doer first: read the pronoun hidden inside the verb before you ever worry about what the word means, like checking who is speaking before you listen to what they say.
The two classic traps
Two pronouns will make you slip, because English mistranslates them by instinct:
- -tum → antum = "you all," NOT "they." Your English mind hears pluralJamʿجَمْعPlural: a noun referring to three or more items. Arabic has five kinds of plural, including the sound masculine, sound feminine, and broken plurals.Introduced on Day 1 and jumps to "they." But -tum comes from antum. So قُلْتُمْ (qultum) = you all said, not "they said." Mark this one, statistically you will get it wrong.
- -ti → anti = "you" (feminineMuʾannathمُؤَنَّثFeminine. A noun is feminine either really (biologically female) or grammatically, for four reasons: certain endings (ة، اء، ى), the conventional-feminine words, paired body parts, and broken plurals.Introduced on Day 3), NOT "she." Your English mind hears feminine and jumps to "she." But -ti comes from anti. So نَصَرْتِ (naṣarti) = you (f) helped, not "she helped." If it were "she," it would be نَصَرَتْ (naṣarat).
-tum = "you all," not "they." And -ti = "you (f)," not "she." These are the two endings most often mistranslated, fix them as "not they" and "not she."
A student reads qultum as "they said" and naṣarti as "she helped." Which two traps did they fall into, and what should the translations be?
Show answer
The -tum trap and the -ti trap. -tum comes from antum, so qultum = "you all said" (not "they said"). -ti comes from anti, so naṣarti = "you (f) helped" (not "she helped"); "she helped" would be naṣarat.
5Attaching Object Pronouns to Verbs
A pronounḌamīrضَمِيرA pronoun. Independent (detached) pronouns like huwa stand alone, are always Rafaʿ and proper. Attached pronouns like -hu cling to another word and are always Nasb or Jar.Introduced on Day 2 attached to a fiʿlFiʿlفِعْلA verb: a word with meaning that is attached to time (past, present, or future), so it is not an Ism or a Harf. An Arabic Fiʿl already carries its doer inside it, so a single verb is a complete sentence. One of the three Arabic word types.Introduced on Day 1 is always naṣbNasbنَصْبThe "done-to" status (object / detail). The word receiving the action or giving its detail (to whom, what, where, when, how), answered by the a/an sound. The state-word for it is Mansūb.Introduced on Day 1: it answers the detail "whom?" The process is best seen on the worked example نَصَرَنِي (naṣaranī):
- Identify and ignore the attached pronoun: ـنِي (-nī) is the attached pronoun.
- Translate the fiʿl by itself: نَصَرَ (naṣara) means "he helped."
- Translate the attached pronoun by itself: ـنِي (-nī) means "me."
- Put it all together: نَصَرَنِي (naṣaranī): "He helped me."
More examples:
- نَصَرَكَ (naṣaraka): ignore -ka, he helped, re-add: he helped you.
- عَلَّمَتْنِي (ʿallamatnī): ignore -nī, the verb is ʿallamat = she taught, re-add: she taught me. Skip the process and you wrongly say "I taught."
If you do not follow the steps, naṣaraka becomes the careless "you helped" instead of the correct "he helped you."
An objectMafʿūl bihiمَفْعُول بِهThe object of the verb: the one the action is done to, which is in Nasb. A pronoun attached to a verb as its object is always Nasb (it answers "whom?").Introduced on Day 7 pronoun attached to a fiʿl is always naṣb (it answers "whom?"). Identify and set aside the attached pronoun, translate the verb alone, translate the pronoun alone, then recombine.
What is the 3-step process for handling an attached object pronoun like the -nī in naṣaranī?
Show answer
First, spot it and ignore it (set aside the -nī). Second, translate the verb alone (naṣara = "he helped"). Third, re-add the pronoun (-nī = "me") to recombine: naṣaranī = "he helped me."
When a pronoun is attached to a verb as its object, what grammatical statusIʿrābإِعْرَابStatus: the first and most important property of a noun. It is the grammatical case (Rafaʿ, Nasb, or Jar) shown by the word’s ending, telling you the word’s role in the sentence.Introduced on Day 1 (case) does it carry, and what question does it answer?
Show answer
It is always naṣb, because it answers the detail "whom?" (it is the object of the verb).
The worked-example table
| Bare verb | + object pronoun |
|---|---|
| نَصَرَ naṣara, he helped | نَصَرَهَا naṣarahā, he helped her |
| نَصَرْتُ naṣartu, I helped | نَصَرْتُهُ naṣartuhu, I helped him |
| نَصَرَتْ naṣarat, she helped | نَصَرَتْنِي naṣaratnī, she helped me |
| عَلَّمْنَا ʿallamnā, we taught | عَلَّمْنَاكُنَّ ʿallamnākunna, we taught all of you (f) |
| عَلَّمْتُمَا ʿallamtumā, you two taught | عَلَّمْتُمَاهُمَا ʿallamtumāhumā, you two taught both of them |
| عَلَّمْتُمْ ʿallamtum, you all taught | عَلَّمْتُمُونَا ʿallamtumūnā, you all taught us |
| قَالُوا qālū, they said | قَالُوهُ qālūhu, they said it |
Why this is so powerful
With just naṣara plus the 14 attached object pronouns you can build 14 sentences (he helped him, he helped them, he helped me, naṣaranā = he helped us …). Run all 14 doers against all 14 objects and you reach 256 sentences from one rootRootجَذْرThe core set of letters a word is built from. New words are created from one root (the science of this is Ṣarf), so a little vocabulary generates many words.Introduced on Day 1. Arabic is mathematical: a little vocabulary plus the process generates an enormous amount.
One verb like naṣara plus its attached pronouns can spin out 14 × 14 ≈ 256 complete sentences: Arabic is a mathematical, generative language, where one root is a tiny seed that grows into a whole forest of meaning.
The antum + wāw spelling quirk
The Arabs decided antum (-tum) sounds bad when an object pronoun is attached, so, only for antum: they make it -tumū and insert a wāw before attaching:
- عَلَّمْتُمُونَا (ʿallamtumūnā): you all taught us. The wāw is a style quirk, not a grammar/meaning change, and happens only with antum. When you see the -tum, still think antum; ignore the wāw as part of the ending.
- نَصَرْتُمُوهُ (naṣartumūhu): you all helped him (the same inserted wāw).
- وَجَدتُمُوهُم (wajadtumūhum): you (all) found them.
6Qurʾanic Past-Tense Drill
A set of Qurʾanic past-tense verbs to parse, find the doerFāʿilفَاعِلThe doer of the verb: the one performing the action, which is in Rafaʿ. In Arabic the doer is built inside the verb, but an outside Rafaʿ noun can supply it instead.Introduced on Day 7, then translate:
- خَلَقْنَا (khalaqnā): We created.
- كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِ (kutiba ʿalayhi): it was prescribed upon him.
- اهْتَزَّتْ وَرَبَتْ وَأَنبَتَتْ (ihtazzat wa-rabat wa-anbatat): [the earth] stirred, swelled, and produced (alAlالْThe definite article "the" (الْ). Adding it makes a word proper and drops the tanwin off singulars (Al and tanwin cannot share one word). A Muḍāf can never carry Al.Introduced on Day 2-Ḥajj 22:5).
- خَسِرَ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةَ (khasira d-dunyā wa-l-ākhirah): he has lost this world and the Hereafter (al-Ḥajj 22:11).
- آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ (āmanū wa-ʿamilū ṣ-ṣāliḥāt): those who believed and did righteous deeds.
- قَدْ خَلَتْ (qad khalat): [an example] has already passed.
- حَقَّ عَلَيْهِ الْعَذَابُ (ḥaqqa ʿalayhi l-ʿadhāb): the punishment was justified against him.
- اخْتَصَمُوا فِي رَبِّهِمْ (ikhtaṣamū fī rabbihim): they disputed concerning their Lord (al-Ḥajj 22:19).
- اتَّبَعُوا (ittabaʿū): they followed.
- فَإِذَا تَطَهَّرْنَ (fa-idhā taṭahharna): and when they (f) have purified themselves (al-Baqarah 2:222).
- فَبَلَغْنَ أَجَلَهُنَّ (fa-balaghna ajalahunna): and they (f) reach their term (al-Baqarah 2:231).
- تَعَلَّمُوا (taʿallamū): they learned.
- لُمْتُنَّ (lumtunna): you (f, pl) blamed (Yūsuf 12:32).
- رَاوَدتُّ (rāwadtu): I sought to seduce (Yūsuf 12:32).
- اتَّقَيْتُنَّ (ittaqaytunna): you (f, pl) were mindful (of Allah) (al-Aḥzāb 33:32).
- كُنتُمْ (kuntum): you all were.
- فَخَانَتَا (fa-khānatā): but the two (f) betrayed (al-Taḥrīm 66:10).
- إِنِّي دَعَوْتُ قَوْمِي (innī daʿawtu qawmī): indeed I called my people (Nūḥ 71:5).
Qurʾanic verbs with attached pronouns
Same drill, now with objectMafʿūl bihiمَفْعُول بِهThe object of the verb: the one the action is done to, which is in Nasb. A pronoun attached to a verb as its object is always Nasb (it answers "whom?").Introduced on Day 7 pronounsḌamīrضَمِيرA pronoun. Independent (detached) pronouns like huwa stand alone, are always Rafaʿ and proper. Attached pronouns like -hu cling to another word and are always Nasb or Jar.Introduced on Day 2 clinging to the verb:
- أَكْرَهْتَنَا (akrahtanā): you forced us.
- خَلَقْنَاكُمْ (khalaqnākum): We created you (all).
- نَصَرَكُمْ (naṣarakum): He helped you (all).
The Iblīs / Ādam sequence (al-Aʿrāf 7)
A run of past-tense verbs, with glosses, from the story of Ādam and Iblīs:
- أَغْوَيْتَنِي (aghwaytanī): You put me in error (al-Aʿrāf 7:16).
- تَبِعَكَ (tabiʿaka): follows you.
- فَوَسْوَسَ لَهُمَا الشَّيْطَانُ (fa-waswasa lahumā sh-shayṭān): then Satan whispered to them both (al-Aʿrāf 7:20).
- ذَاقَا الشَّجَرَةَ (dhāqā sh-shajarah): they both tasted of the tree (al-Aʿrāf 7:22): "to taste."
- ظَلَمْنَا أَنفُسَنَا (ẓalamnā anfusanā): we have wronged ourselves (al-Aʿrāf 7:23): "to wrong."
- جَاءَ أَجَلُهُمْ (jāʾa ajaluhum): their term came (al-Aʿrāf 7:34): "to come."
- كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا وَاسْتَكْبَرُوا عَنْهَا (kadhdhabū bi-āyātinā wa-stakbarū ʿanhā): they denied Our signs and were arrogant toward them (al-Aʿrāf 7:36).
Closing duʿāʾ: al-Baqarah 2:286
The final āyah of Sūrat al-Baqarah is dense with past- and commandCommandأَمْرThe command (imperative) form, like iqraʾ (read!). It is built from the lightest 2nd-person present tense with the first tā removed, adding a helper alif (a floating hamza) when needed. It ends in the lightest (sukūn) form and always points outward, at "you."Introduced on Day 9-form verbs, including فَانصُرْنَا (fa-nṣurnā):
رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَا إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ ۖ وَاعْفُ عَنَّا وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَا ۚ أَنتَ مَوْلَانَا فَانصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ
Our Lord, do not lay upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, do not burden us with that which we have no ability to bear. And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy upon us. You are our protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people.
7Recap
- A fiʿlFiʿlفِعْلA verb: a word with meaning that is attached to time (past, present, or future), so it is not an Ism or a Harf. An Arabic Fiʿl already carries its doer inside it, so a single verb is a complete sentence. One of the three Arabic word types.Introduced on Day 1 is a whole sentenceJumlaجُمْلَةA sentence: a complete thought. Arabic sentences are either nominal (Jumla Ismiyya, starting with a noun) or verbal (Jumla Fiʿliyya, starting with a verb).Introduced on Day 1: the doerFāʿilفَاعِلThe doer of the verb: the one performing the action, which is in Rafaʿ. In Arabic the doer is built inside the verb, but an outside Rafaʿ noun can supply it instead.Introduced on Day 7 is built inside the word, so one verb already means "he ___."
- Present and future share one form; only the past tensePast Tenseالفِعْل المَاضِيThe past-tense verb, formed by changing the END of the word. Its endings run across 14 pronouns (darasa = he studied, darasat = she studied, darasū = they studied).Introduced on Day 7 is learned separately.
- The past-tense endings run across 14 pronounsḌamīrضَمِيرA pronoun. Independent (detached) pronouns like huwa stand alone, are always Rafaʿ and proper. Attached pronouns like -hu cling to another word and are always Nasb or Jar.Introduced on Day 2, with the hunna form silencing the last rootRootجَذْرThe core set of letters a word is built from. New words are created from one root (the science of this is Ṣarf), so a little vocabulary generates many words.Introduced on Day 1 letter before adding -na, and the anta/anā/naḥnu forms borrowing -ta/-tu/-nā.
- Always find the doer first, then translate, and watch the two traps: -tum = "you all" (not "they") and -ti = "you (f)" (not "she").
- ObjectMafʿūl bihiمَفْعُول بِهThe object of the verb: the one the action is done to, which is in Nasb. A pronoun attached to a verb as its object is always Nasb (it answers "whom?").Introduced on Day 7 pronouns attach in naṣbNasbنَصْبThe "done-to" status (object / detail). The word receiving the action or giving its detail (to whom, what, where, when, how), answered by the a/an sound. The state-word for it is Mansūb.Introduced on Day 1; isolate the pronoun, translate the verb alone, then recombine, one root plus all pronouns yields up to 256 sentences.
- These same patterns recur throughout the Qurʾan, from the alAlالْThe definite article "the" (الْ). Adding it makes a word proper and drops the tanwin off singulars (Al and tanwin cannot share one word). A Muḍāf can never carry Al.Introduced on Day 2-Aʿrāf narrative to the closing duʿāʾ of al-Baqarah.