उन्नत अरबी व्याकरण — धातु, दस क्रिया-रूप, व्युत्पन्न संज्ञाएँ और वाक्य-प्रकार
Root and pattern — and the ten verb forms
The root — most Arabic words are built on a root of three consonants carrying a core meaning; patterns (awzān) of vowels and added letters turn it into words. The root k-t-b ('writing') gives kataba (he wrote), kātib (writer), kitāb (book), maktūb (written; a letter), maktab (office, desk).
The ten forms of the verb (shown on the model root f-ʿ-l)
| Form | Pattern | Example | Usual sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | faʿala | darasa — he studied | the basic meaning |
| II | faʿʿala | darrasa — he taught | intensive, causative |
| III | fāʿala | kātaba — he corresponded with | action towards another |
| IV | afʿala | akrama — he honoured | causative |
| V | tafaʿʿala | taʿallama — he learned | reflexive of II |
| VI | tafāʿala | taʿāwana — they cooperated | mutual action |
| VII | infaʿala | inkasara — it broke | passive, reflexive |
| VIII | iftaʿala | ijtamaʿa — they gathered | reflexive, middle |
| IX | ifʿalla | iḥmarra — it turned red | colours and defects |
| X | istafʿala | istaqbala — he received, welcomed | seeking, asking for |
The trap: darasa (Form I) is 'he studied', but darrasa (Form II, doubled middle letter) is 'he taught' — one doubled consonant reverses who learns.
उन्नत अरबी व्याकरण — धातु, दस क्रिया-रूप, व्युत्पन्न संज्ञाएँ और वाक्य-प्रकार
Nouns made from the root
| Kind | Pattern | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| maṣdar (verbal noun) | varies by form | kitāba (writing, I) · tadrīs (teaching, II) · taʿallum (learning, V) · istiqbāl (welcome, X) |
| ism al-fāʿil (active participle — the doer) | fāʿil; mu- for derived forms | kātib (writer) · mudarris (teacher) · mustaqbil (receiver) |
| ism al-mafʿūl (passive participle — the thing done) | mafʿūl; mu-…-a- for derived forms | maktūb (written; letter) · mustaqbal (the future — 'what is received') |
| ism al-makān (noun of place) | mafʿal / mafʿila | maktab (office) · madrasa (school — place of study) · masjid (place of prostration) |
| ism al-āla (noun of instrument) | mifʿāl / mifʿal | miftāḥ (key, from f-t-ḥ 'to open') · minshār (saw) |
Why it helps the Indian learner — Urdu and Hindi are full of these forms: taʿlīm, istiqbāl, mudarris, maktūb, madrasa, mustaqbil — knowing the pattern unlocks thousands of familiar words.
The trap: madrasa is a noun of place — 'the place where study (d-r-s) happens' — not a verbal noun; the verbal noun of that root is dars or dirāsa.
उन्नत अरबी व्याकरण — धातु, दस क्रिया-रूप, व्युत्पन्न संज्ञाएँ और वाक्य-प्रकार
Sentence types — and the words that change them
Two kinds of sentence
| Kind | Parts | Example |
|---|---|---|
| jumla ismiyya (nominal) | mubtadaʾ (subject) + khabar (predicate), both marfūʿ | al-jawwu bāridun — the weather is cold |
| jumla fiʿliyya (verbal) | verb + fāʿil (subject, marfūʿ) + mafʿūl (object, manṣūb) | kataba al-ṭālibu al-darsa — the student wrote the lesson |
Kāna and its sisters (kāna, ṣāra, laysa, aṣbaḥa, ẓalla, mā zāla …) — enter a nominal sentence and make the khabar manṣūb:
Inna and its sisters (inna, anna, ka-anna, lākinna, layta, laʿalla) — make the subject manṣūb and leave the khabar marfūʿ:
Agreement in verb-first sentences — a verb before a plural subject stays singular (but keeps gender): jāʾa al-ṭullābu (the students came); jāʾat al-ṭālibātu.
The trap: kāna changes the predicate to the accusative (bārid-an), while inna changes the subject (al-ʿilm-a) — the two families act on opposite halves of the sentence.
उन्नत अरबी व्याकरण — धातु, दस क्रिया-रूप, व्युत्पन्न संज्ञाएँ और वाक्य-प्रकार
Weak and irregular verbs
When a root contains w, y, a hamza or a doubled letter, its forms change:
| Kind | Root feature | Past → present | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| mithāl (assimilated) | first letter w | wajada → yajidu (the w drops) | find |
| ajwaf (hollow) | middle w / y | qāla → yaqūlu · bāʿa → yabīʿu | say · sell |
| nāqiṣ (defective) | last w / y | daʿā → yadʿū · ramā → yarmī | call · throw |
| muḍaʿʿaf (doubled) | last two letters the same | madda → yamuddu | stretch |
| mahmūz (with hamza) | a hamza in the root | akala, saʾala, qaraʾa | eat, ask, read |
Finding the root — to look a word up in an Arabic dictionary you need its root: qāla is under q-w-l, yarmī under r-m-y, madda under m-d-d. Restoring the hidden w or y is the key skill.
Words you know — qaul (saying; 'क़ौल'), daʿwat (invitation; 'दावत'), qirāʾat (recitation), suʾāl (question; 'सवाल') all come from weak roots.
The trap: qāla ('he said') is a hollow verb — its root is q-w-l, with the w hidden in the long ā — not a sound three-letter verb.
उन्नत अरबी व्याकरण — धातु, दस क्रिया-रूप, व्युत्पन्न संज्ञाएँ और वाक्य-प्रकार
Points to Remember