Arabic: An Essential Grammar

(c) The Arabic verbal noun can often be translated by an English

infinitive or gerund, e.g.

َق َص َد ْل َق ْت َل qas

̇

ada l-qatla. He intended to kill.

س َبا َح َةَّ ل َم لََّع^



allama s-siba ̄h

̇

ata. He taught swimming (how to

swim).

23.7 Nouns of place and time, ز َما ِنَّ ِإ ْس ُم ْلـ َم َكا ِن َول, express the

place or time of the verbal action or state. They are formed by prefixing

...مـ َ /ma.../ to the root according to the patterns: َم ْف َع ٌل , َم ْف ِع ٌل or َم ْف َعَل ٌة.

Their broken plural is formed according to the pattern َم َفا ِع ُل or َم َفا ِعي ُل

and is a diptote, e.g.

23.8 The nouns of place and time of the derived verb forms from

II–X are the same as the corresponding passive participles, e.g.

ُم ْن َت َز ٌه muntazahun, park ُم ْس َت ْق َب ٌل mustaqbalun, future

(form VIII) (form X)

23.9 Nouns of instrument

Nouns of instrument ِإ ْس ُم ْلآَل ِة express the instrument or tool by

which the action is performed. They are prefixed with ِمـ... /mi.../

and formed only from verb form I, according to the following

patterns:

Noun of place/time Broken plural Triliteral verb (form I )

َم ْخ َز ٌن^ mah

̆

zanun َم َخا ِز ُن mah

̆

a ̄zinu َخ َز َن h

̆

azana

store, warehouse to store

َم ْو ِع ٌد maw



idun َم َوا ِعي ُد^ mawa ̄



ı

• du َو َع َد wa



ada

appointment to promise

َم ْن ِز ٌل manzilun َم َنا ِز ُل^ mana ̄zilu َن َز َل nazala

stopping place, house to go down

َم ْس ِج ٌد^ masg ̆idun َم َسا ِج ُد^ masa ̄g ̆idu َس َج َد sag ̆ada

mosque to bow down

164

Participles,

verbal

nouns,

nouns of

place, time,

instrument