Arabic Verb Inflectional Morphology1. Arabic verbs inflect for the following grammatical categories: .1 Subject agreemen
Middlebury College
Arabic Linguistics
Spring 2012
Arabic Verb Inflectional Morphology1 Arabic verbs inflect for the following grammatical categories: 1. Subject agreement in person (1st, 2nd, and 3rd), number (singular ُفرد َ الم, dual المُث ّنى, and plural )الجمع, and gender (masculine ر المُذ َّك and feminine )المُؤ َّنث, َ 2. Tense/aspect (perfect الماضي vs. imperfect )المضارع, 3. Mood (indicative المرفوع, subjunctive المنصوب, and the jussive )المجزوم, and 4. Voice (active ال َمعلوم vs. passive )ال َمجھول. We discuss the morphology and uses of each in turn.
Tense/aspect morphology Verb morphology in the perfect الماضي
The perfect is mainly used in past tense contexts.
.ﺳﺎﻓرت ﺑﻧت أﺧﻲ إﻟﻰ اﻻﻛوادور ﻓﻲ اﻟﺳﻧﺔ اﻟﻣﺎﺿﻳﺔ
.ﺣﺿرت ﺣﻔﻠﺔ ﻣوﺳﻳﻘﻳﺔ أﻣس .ﺑدأت دراﺳﺔ اﻟﻌرﺑﻳﺔ ﻣﻧذ ﺳﻧﺗﻳن
The perfect is also used in what is called hypothetical past, as in conditional clauses introduced by لو/إذا (= ‘if’).
.ﻟو ﻛﻧت ﻣﻠﻳوﻧﻳ اًر ﻻﺷﺗرﻳت طﺎﺋرة ﺧﺎﺻﺔ
.إذا ﻛﺎن اﻟﺟو ﻣﺷﻣﺳﺎً ﻏداً ﺳﺄذﻫب إﻟﻰ ﺑﻳرﻟﻧﺟﺗون
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This handout is based on Chapters 21, 34, and 35, of Karin Ryding’s A Reference Grammar for Modern Standard Arabic, which is on reserve at the Davis Library.
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Middlebury College
Arabic Linguistics
Spring 2012
Verb morphology in the imperfect المضارع
The imperfect is used with habitual events and actions in‐progress. .ﻫم ﻳﻠﻌﺑون ﻛرة اﻟﻘدم اﻵن
.ﻧﺣن ﻧدرس ﻋﻠم اﻟﻠﺳﺎﻧﻳﺎت اﻟﻌرﺑﻳﺔ ﻓﻲ ﻫذا اﻟﻔﺻﻝ اﻟدراﺳﻲ .واﻟدﻫﺎ ﻳﻌﻣﻝ ﻓﻲ ﻗﺳم اﻟﺗرﺟﻣﺔ ﺑﺎﻷﻣم اﻟﻣﺗﺣدة ﻣﻧذ ﻋﺷر ﺳﻧوات
Expressing the future المستقبل in MSA The future is expressed via the prefix سـ or the morpheme وف َ َ س before the imperfect form of َ the verb. .ﺳﺄﻋود إﻟﻰ ﻏرﻓﺗﻲ ﺑﻌد اﻟﺻف
.ﺳوف ﻧﺳﺎﻓر إﻟﻰ وﻻﻳﺔ ﻧﻳوﻳورك ﻓﻲ ﻋطﻠﺔ اﻟرﺑﻳﻊ
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Middlebury College
Arabic Linguistics
Spring 2012
Mood morphology Verb morphology in the indicative mood المضارع المرفوع
The indicative mood is the default form of the verb in Arabic. If no subjunctive or jussive particle occurs before the verb, the verb will appear in the indicative form. .أذﻫب إﻟﻰ ﺻف اﻟﻌرﺑﻳﺔ ﻛﻝ ﺻﺑﺎح ﻓﻲ اﻟﺳﺎﻋﺔ اﻟﺛﺎﻣﻧﺔ ُ ﺗﻔﺗﺢ اﻟﻣﻛﺗﺑﺔ؟ ُ ﻫﻝ ﺗﻌرﻓﻳن ﻓﻲ أي ﺳﺎﻋﺔ
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Spring 2012
Middlebury College
Arabic Linguistics
المضارع المنصوبVerb morphology in the subjunctive mood
The subjunctive mood indicates the speaker’s attitude towards the event, and is marked by
لن – ح ّتى – ل َكيَ – كي ‐ لِـ – أنْ a set of particles: َ أن ﻳﺗرك أﺳرﺗﻪ ﻓﻲ ﻣﺻر. ﻋﻧدﻩ ﻓرﺻﺔ ﻋﻣﻝ ﻣﻣﺗﺎزة ﻓﻲ اﻹﻣﺎرات ﻟﻛﻧﻪ ﻻ ﻳرﻳد ْ ﺗﺗﻛﻠم ﻣﻌﻲ .ﻻ أﻋرف ﻟﻣﺎذا. ﻫﻲ ﺗرﻓض أن َ ﻧدرس اﻟﻠﻐﺔ اﻟﻌرﺑﻳﺔ. ﻧدرس/ﺣﺗّﻰ ﻧدرس/ﻟﻛﻲ ﻟﻧدرس/ﻛﻲ ﺳﺎﻓرﻧﺎ إﻟﻰ اﻷردن ﻓﻲ اﻟﺧرﻳف اﻟﻣﺎﺿﻲ َ َ َ َ أذﻫب إﻟﻰ ﺻف اﻟﻌرﺑﻳﺔ ﻏدا ﻷﻧﻲ ﻣرﻳض. ﻟن َ
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Middlebury College
Arabic Linguistics
Spring 2012
Verb morphology in the jussive mood المضارع المجزوم
The jussive mood is typically marked by the negative particle لَم and the conditional particle ْإن. .ﻳذﻫب إﻟﻰ اﻟﺻف أﻣس ﻷﻧﻪ ﻣرﻳض ﻟم ْ .ﺗﻧﺟﺢ ﺗذاﻛر إن ْ ْ
The verb also appears in the jussive in the imperative. The imperative in MSA is identical to the imperfect verb form minus the prefix ta‐. !ذاﻛروا
ِ ِا !ﺟﻠﺳﻲ
!س ْ در ُ ُا
When the negative is in the imperative, however, the verb appears in the imperfect form with the ta‐ prefix, and still in the jussive mood. !ﻻ ﺗذاﻛروا 5
ِ ﻻ !ﺗﺟﻠﺳﻲ
!س ْ ﺗدر ُ ﻻ
Middlebury College
Arabic Linguistics
Spring 2012
Verb morphology in the jussive mood المضارع المجزوم for hollow and defective verbs
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Middlebury College
Arabic Linguistics
Spring 2012
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Middlebury College
Arabic Linguistics
Spring 2012
Voice morphology Verb morphology in the passive voice for الفعل الماضي
The passive verb form of the perfect is formed by putting a ضمّة on the first consonant of the word and a كسرة on the one before the last. أُ ِﻛﻝ أﻛﻝ
ُد ﱢرس درس ّ
ُﻛﺗِب ﻛﺗب
قيل قال
شوھِد ﺷﺎﻫد
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Middlebury College
Arabic Linguistics
Spring 2012
Verb morphology in the passive voice for الفعل المضارع
The passive verb form of the imperfect is formed by putting a ضمّة on the first consonant of the word and a فتحة on the one before the last. ُﻳؤ َﻛﻝ ﻳﺄﻛﻝ
درس ُﻳ ﱠ درس ّﻳ
ُﻳﻛﺗَب ﻳﻛﺗب
يُقال يقول
يُشا َھد ﻳﺷﺎﻫد
The passive is typically used when the focus is on the event itself rather than on the subject, either because the subject is unknown or well‐known. .ُﺳ ِرﻗت ﺳﻳﺎرﺗﻲ أﻣس .اﻟﻠص ّ ﻗُﺑِض ﻋﻠﻰ .درس "اﻟﻛﺗﺎب" ﻓﻲ ﻗﺳم اﻟﻠﻐﺔ اﻟﻌرﺑﻳﺔ ﻓﻲ ﺟﺎﻣﻌﺔ ﻣﻳدﻟﺑري ُﻳ ﱠ .ﺳﻳﻌﻘَد اﻻﺟﺗﻣﺎع ﻓﻲ اﻟﺳﺎﻋﺔ اﻟﺳﺎدﺳﺔ ﻣﺳﺎء ُ
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