Arabic: An Essential Grammar

See conjugation A2.11 of the verb َخا َف in Appendix 2.

32.5 The weak middle radical ..و.. /w/ also becomes ...ـيـ.. /y/ in

the perfect passive. This ...ـيـ.. /y/ is then assimilated to the preceding

kasrah, producing the long vowel ı ̄. See the table and the conjugation in

the appendices.

32.6 In the active participle of the basic verb form (I), the weak

middle radical ..ـو. /w/ or ..ـيـ.. /y/ is changed to hamzah with kasrah

..ـ ِ ئـ..., /

i/, e.g.

َنا َل (نيل) ِنْل َن َناِلي َناُلوا َن ْل َي َن ْل َي َنا َل َي َنا ُل

na ̄la (nyl) yana ̄lu yana ̄la yanal nal na ̄lu ̄ na ̄lı

• nilna

to

obtain

obtain!

Perfect Imperfect

Form Active Root Passive Active Passive

َقا َل (قول) ِقي َل ُي َقا ُل َي ُقو ُل

Iqa ̄la, to say (qwl) qı

• la, it was said yaqu ̄lu yuqa ̄lu

َبا َع (بيع) ِبي َع ُي َبا ُع َي ِبي ُع

Iba ̄



a, to sell (by



)bı

• 
  a, it was sold yabı
  
  
  • 
    u yuba ̄
  
  
  
  



u

َأ َما َل (ميل) ُأ ِمي َل ُي َما ُل ُي ِمي ُل

IV

ama ̄la, to

bend

(myl)

umı

• la, it was

bent

yumı

• lu yuma ̄lu

ِإ ْس َت َعا َد (عود) ُأ ْس ُت ِعي َد ُي ْس َت َعا ُد َي ْس َت ِعي ُد

X

ista



a ̄da, to

recall

(



wd)

ustu



ı

• da, it

was recalled

yasta



ı

• du yusta



a ̄du

Note: The two verbs َكا َن ka ̄na ‘he was’ and َل ْي َس laysa ‘is not, are not’ have no passive

forms.

Perfect Active participle

َقا َل َق ِائ ٌل (for: َقا ِو ٌل

qa ̄la, to say qa ̄

ilun, teller, saying qa ̄wilun)

239

Verbs with

a weak

middle

radical