Arabic: An Essential Grammar

Note: The passive participle of such verbs is rare.

32.7 The verbal nouns of roots with a weak middle radical are similar

to the verbal nouns of the strong verbs, e.g.

32.8 The nouns of place and time are formed as follows:

32.9 The derived verb forms II, III, V and VI of roots with weak middle

radicals are conjugated regularly like the derived verb forms of strong

verbs. But there are exceptions in the verb forms IV, VII, VIII and X,

where the weak radicals reappear.

See table A1.4 for the patterns of derived verb forms of roots with a

weak middle radical و or ي in Appendix 1.

32.10 Tenses formed with َكا َن ka ̄na

The verb َكا َن ka ̄na ‘to be’ (lit. ‘he was’) can be used in the perfect or

imperfect tense as an auxiliary preceding another verb in the perfect

or imperfect tense:

َبا َع َبـا ِئ ٌع (for: َبا ِي ٌع

ba ̄



a, to sell ba ̄

i



un, seller, salesman ba ̄yi



un)

َنا َم َنا ِئ ٌم (for: َنا ِو ٌم

na ̄ma, to sleep na ̄

imun, sleeping na ̄wimun)

Perfect Verbal noun

َقا َل qa ̄la, to say َقـ ْو ٌل qawlun, speech, saying

َبا َع ba ̄



a, to sell َبـ ْي ٌع bay



un, selling

َنا َم na ̄ma, to sleep َن ْو ٌم nawmun, sleep

َم َكا ٌن maka ̄nun, place (v.َكا َن ka ̄na ‘to be’, root kwn)

َم َنا ٌم mana ̄mun, place to sleep (v.َنا َم na ̄ma ‘to sleep’, root: nwm)

َمسا ٌر masa ̄run, lane, route, trajectory (v.َسا َر sa ̄ra ‘to walk’, root: syr)

240

Verbs with

a weak

middle

radical