Arabic: An Essential Grammar

Iَعِل َم



alima IVَأ ْعـَلـ َم

a



lama imperf. ُيـ ْعـِلـ ُم yu



limu

to know to inform (to cause someone to know)

(b) IV is declarative of I: to declare that someone has a certain quality

(transitive).

Iَح ِم َد h

̇

amida IVَأ ْح َم َد

ah

̇

mada imperf. ُي ْح ِم ُد yuh

̇

midu

to praise to consider praiseworthy

(c) IV is denominative (intransitive verb derived from a noun).

َذ ْن ٌب d

̄

anbun (noun) IVَأ ْذ َنـ َب

ad

̄

naba imperf. ُيـ ْذ ِنـ ُب yud

̄

nibu

sin to commit a sin, to do wrong

e.g.َأ ْذ َنـ َب ِت َجا َه...

ad

̄

naba tig ̆a ̄ha ..., he committed a sin against ....

Form V

V is generally reflexive of form II (transitive or intransitive).

IIل َمََّعـ



allama Vل َمََّت َعـ ta



allama imperf. ل ُمََّي َت َع yata



allamu

to teach to learn (lit. he taught himself)

IIر َفََّش sˇarrafa Vر َفََّت َش tasˇarrafa imperf. ر ُفََّي َت َش yatasˇrrafu

to honour to have the honour

IIل َمََّك kallama Vل َمََّت َك takallama imperf. ل ُمََّي َت َك yatakallamu

to talk to somebody to speak, utter

Form VI

(a) VI is reflexive or reciprocal of form III (mostly transitive). In this form

both or all partners are involved in action, therefore the subject is in

the dual or plural.

IIIَقـا َس َم qa ̄sama VIَتـ َقـا َسـ َم taqa ̄sama imperf. َيـ َتـ َقـا َسـ ُم yataqa ̄samu

to share to divide or distribute among themselves

IIIَكا َت َب ka ̄taba VIَت َكا َت َب taka ̄taba imperf. َيـ َتـ َكا َت ُب yataka ̄tabu

to correspond with a person to correspond with each other

(b) VI can also be a kind of pretence form of (I), denoting pretending to be

in a certain condition or trying to be something (intransitive).

Iَم ِر َض marid

̇

aVIَت َما َر َض tama ̄rad

̇

a imperf. َيـ َت َما َر ُض yatama ̄rad

̇

u

to be ill to pretend to be ill

120

Derived

verb forms,

transitive

and

intransitive

verbs