Arabic: An Essential Grammar

160

Chapter 23

Participles, verbal nouns

(mas

̇

dar), nouns of place,

time and instrument

23.1 Active participle

The active participle, ِإ ْس ُم ْل َفا ِع ِل, is a deverbal adjective or noun indicating

the doer of an action or doing the action. The pattern of the active

participle of the triliteral verb (form I) is َفا ِع ٌل (fem. َفا ِعَلـ ٌة), from the verb

َف َع َل, e.g.

َكا ِت ٌب ka ̄tibun, one who writes, writer, clerk (from the verb َك َت َب kataba,

to write)

َقا ِت ٌل qa ̄tilun, one who kills, killer, murderer (from the verb َق َت َل qatala, to

kill)

23.2 Some active participles are often used to indicate an on-going,

simultaneous or imminent action or state, having a meaning close to the

verb in the imperfect tense. They may then correspond to the English

present participle, progressive present or future, e.g.

Hence it is sometimes difficult to know whether to use the active

participle or the imperfect tense. It is a question of practice, e.g.

ُم َسا ِف ٌر (III) travelling, going to travel َجاِلـ ٌس sitting َذا ِه ٌب going

Active participle Imperfect verb

َأ َ نا ُم َسا ِف ٌر َغ ًدا ُأ َسا ِف ُر َغ ًدا




ana ̄ musa ̄firun g ̇adan.

usa ̄firu g ̇adan.

I am travelling tomorrow. I will travel tomorrow.