8.1 – Active Voice Imperfect Verb

Section 8.1 – Active Voice Imperfect Verb الْفِعْلُ المُضَارِعُ الْمَعْرُوْفُ al-feil-ul mu-daa-ri-'ul ma’roof

 

As mentioned earlier, the English language has three types of Verbs, past, present, and future, and their subcategories such as present continuous.

In the Arabic language, there are only two types of Verbs, past tense فِعْلُ الْمَاضِيْ (feil-ul maa-di) and imperfect tense فِعْلُ الْمُضَارِعِ(feil-ul mu-daa-ri-'e).  Feil-ul Mu-daa-ri-yeecovers both present and future tenses. Usually, حَرْفٌ (harf-un) Particles are used to imply present and future tenses, and also the context of the sentence makes it apparent if present or future is implied.

Four different alphabets are used in the beginning to change a past tense to an imperfect tense. These are (ي yaa) (ت taa) (ا alif) and (ن noon). For example:

 

فَعَلَ (fa-'a-la) meaning he did becomes يَفْعَلُ (yaf-'a-lu) meaning he does or will do, تَفْعَلُ meaning she does/you do or will do (taf-'a-lu) أَفْعَلُ(af-'alu) I do or will do and نَفْعَلُ(naf-'a-lu) we do or will do.

 

As in past tense, each imperfect Verb is different for male/female, single/plural/dual, and absent/present/speaker. It also has 14 inflections as in the past tense.

 

Following table 42 shows all the inflections for the imperfect tense.

 

Table 42 – يَفَعَلُ (Yaf-'alu) Inflections

 

			single		dual		plural
Absent 3rd person	Male	1	يَفْعَلُ   Yaf- 'alu   He did	6	يَفْعَلَانِ   Yaf-'alaa- ni   They both (males) do or will do	10	يَفْعَلُوْنَ   Yaf-'aloo- na   They all   (males) do or will do
	Female	2	تَفْعَلُ   Taf- 'alu   she  did	7	تَفْعَلَانِ   Taf-'alaa- ni     they (both) females do or will do	11	يَفْعَلْنَ   Yaf-'al- na   They (all females) Do or will do
Present 2nd  person	Male	3	تَفْعَلُ   Taf- 'alu     you  (male)  did	8	تَفْعَلَانِ   Taf-'alaa- ni   You (two males) do or will do	12	تَفْعَلْوْنَ   Taf-'aloo- na   You (all males) do or will do
	female	14	تَفْعَلِينَ   Taf- 'alee- na   you (female)  did	9	تَفْعَلَانِ   Taf-'alaa- ni   You (both females) do or will do	13	تَفْعَلْنَ   Taf-'al-na   You (all females) do or will do
Speaker 1st person	Male/ female	4	أَفْعَلُ   Af-'alu   I (male/ female) did	5	نَفْعَلُ   Naf-'a-lu     We all do (dual, plural, male, female)

 

As before, please note the numbers given in bold for each of the inflections. This numbering system is different from that used in the past tense. This was used by Sheikh Aamir Sohail and I thought this is an easier way to memorize.

 

The reason for this way of memorizing is that these inflections have been divided into 3 groups.

1)     The first group ends with (لُ lu).

2)     The second group ends with (انِ aa-ni)

3)     The third group with (نَ naa).

 

This is useful when you need to create an imperfect tense with light خَفِيْفٌ Khafeef emphasis or ثَقِيْلٌ strong akhaf emphasis. In a later section, this topic will be discussed when we deal with an order Verb called فِعْلُ الأَمَرِfeil-ulama-ree. Ultimately, it does not matter in which order you memorize these inflections, so long as you do.

 

It is highly recommended that you memorize these inflections in this order (1 through 14).  

 

Again, this is the way Sarfis use it. In the Nahvi scheme, sometimes the order is reversed from 3^rd person first to 1^st person last. It does not matter if you want to memorize these any other way.

 

1) Translations of each of the inflections are given below in Table 43.

 

2) You may have noticed that some inflections have been repeated. These are تَفْعَلُ taf-a-lu for both female third person and male 2^ndperson, تَفْعَلَانِ taf-alaa-nifor female 3^rd person, male second person, and female second person. The usage and context of the sentence will make it obvious which one it is in a given sentence. For example, مَا ذَا تَفْعَلُ زَيْدٌ maa zataf-alu Zai-dun meaning “what are you doing Zaid” obviously is using male 3^rd person, and مَا ذَا تَفْعَلُ فَاطِمَةُ maa zataf-alu faa-ti-ma-tu meaning “What is Fatima doing” is using 3^rd person female.

 

3)Also, as for past tense, each entry is a complete sentence by itself. This means that each Verb has an Actor/Subject hidden in it.

4) These Actor/Subject pronouns are given in column 4 with its meaning in column 5. It is very important to understand this.

 

Table 43 – Meaning of Imperfect Verbs using يَفَعَلُ (yaf-a-lu) die

 

Inflection number	Verb	Meaning	the pronoun is hidden  in the Verb
GROUP 1
1	يَفْعَلُ   Yaf-'alu	He does or  will do	هُوَ   Hu-a	He
2	تَفْعَلُ   Taf-'alu	She does  or will do	هِيَ   Hee-ya	She
3	تَفْعَلُ   Taf-'alu	You (male) does or will do	اَنْتَ   an-ta	You (male)
4	أَفْعَلُ   Af-alu	I (male/female)  do or will do	اَنَا   anaa	I (male/female)
5	نَفْعَلُ   Naf-'alu	We (male/ female/, dual/plural) do or will do	نَحْنُ   Nah-nu	We (male/female, dual/plural)
GROUP 2
6	يَفْعَلَانِ   Yaf- 'alaa- ni	They both  (males) do or  will do	هُمَا   Hu-maa	They both (males)
7	تَفْعَلَانِ   Taf- 'alaa- ni	They both (females) does or will do	هُمَا   Hu-maa	They both (females)
8	تَفْعَلَانِ   Taf- 'alaa- ni	You both (males) does or will do	اَنْتُمَا   An-tu-maa	You both  (male)
9	تَفْعَلَانِ   Taf- 'alaa- ni	You two  (females) do or will do	اَنْتُمَا   An-tu-maa	You both (female)
GROUP 3
10	يَفْعَلُوْنَ   Yaf- 'aloo -na	They all (males) does or will do	هُم   hum	They all  (males)
11	يَفْعَلْنَ   Yaf-al -'na	They all (females) does or will do	هُنَّ   Hun-na	They all (females)
12	تَفْعَلُوْنَ   Taf-'aloo -na'	You all (males) does or will do	اَنْتُمْ   An-tum	You all (male)
13	تَفْعَلْنَ   Taf-'al -na	You all (females) do or will do	اَنْتُمْ   An-tum	You all  (females)
14	تَفْعَلِيْنَ   Taf-a -lee-na	You (female) does or will do	اَنْتِ   An-tee	You (female)

 

Similar to the past tense, imperfect tense also comes in three different forms with fathah, kasrah, and dammah on ع alphabet. These are 1) يَفْعَلُ yaf-'a-lu, 2) يَفْعِلُ yaf-'i-lu, 3) يَفْعُلُ yaf-'u-lu

Previous table was for form يَفْعَلُ yaf-'u-lu. The following two tables are for the remaining two forms. Meaning is the same for this die but will change if the alphabets are different.

 

Table 44 – يَفَعِلُ (yaf-'i-lu) Inflections

 

			Single		Dual		Plural
Absent 3rd person	Male	1	يَفْعِلُ   Yaf-'ilu	6	يَفْعِلَانِ   Yaf-‘ilaa -ni	10	يَفْعِلُوْنَ   Yaf-'iloo- na
	Female	2	تَفْعِلُ   Taf-'ilu	7	تَفْعِلَانِ   Taf-'ilaa -ni	11	يَفْعِلْنَ   Yaf-'il-na
Present 2nd person	Male	3	تَفْعِلُ   Taf-'ilu	8	تَفْعِلَانِ   Taf-'ilaa -ni	12	تَفْعِلْوْنَ   Taf-'i-loo- na
	female	14	تَفْعِلِينَ   Taf-'i-lee' -na	9	تَفْعِلَانِ   Taf- ‘ilaa-ni	13	تَفْعِلْنَ   Taf-'il- na
Speaker 1st person	Male/ female	4	أَفْعِلُ   Af-'ilu	5	نَفْعِلُ   Naf-'ilu

 

Table 45 – يَفَعُلُ (yaf-'u-lo) Inflections

 

			Single		Dual		Plural
Absent 3rd person	Male	1	يَفْعُلُ   Yaf-'u- lu	6	يَفْعُلَانِ   Yaf- 'ulaa-ni	10	يَفْعُلُوْنَ   Yaf-'uloo-na
	Female	2	تَفْعُلُ   Taf-'ulu	7	تَفْعُلَانِ   Taf- 'ulaa-ni	11	يَفْعُلْنَ   Yaf-'ul-na
Present 2nd person	Male	3	تَفْعُلُ   Taf-'ulu	8	تَفْعُلَانِ   Taf- 'ulaa-ni	12	تَفْعُلْوْنَ   Taf-'uloo- na
	female	14	تَفْعُلِينَ   Taf- 'ulee-na	9	تَفْعُلَانِ   Taf- 'ulaa-ni	13	تَفْعُلْنَ   Taf-'ul-na
Speaker 1st person	Male/ female	4	أَفْعُلُ   Af-'ulu	5	نَفْعُلُ   Naf-'ulu

As in past tense, there are Verbs in Arabic which use one of these three forms for imperfect tense.

Please note that a past tense which has (عَ) does not necessarily have (عَ) in imperfect tense. It can be from any of the three (عَ،عِ،عُ) forms.

 

 

Table 46 - Examples of Verbs that use فَعَلَ fa-'a-la die

 

Past tense	Pronunciation	Meaning	Imperfect tense	Pronunciation	Meaning
ذَهَبَ	Za-ha-ba	He went	يَذهَبُ	Yaz-ha-bu	He is going  or will go
خَرَجَ	Kha-ra-ja	He went out	يَخْرُجُ	Ya-kh-ru-ju	He is going out or will  go out
دَخَلَ	Da-kha-la	He entered	يَدْخُلُ	Yad-khu-lu	He is entering or will enter
ضَرَبَ	Za-ra-ba	He hit	يَضْرِبُ	Yad-ri-bu	He is hitting or will hit
جَلَسَ	Ja-la-sa	He sat	يَجْلِسُ	Yaj-li-su	He is sitting or will sit
سَجَدَ	Sa-ja-da	He prostrated	يَسْجُدُ	Yas-ji-doo	He is prostrating or will prostrate
عَقَلَ	'A-qa-la	He Compre- hended	يَعْقِلُ	Ya’-qi-lu	He is comprehend- ing or will comprehend
غَفَلَ	Gha-fa-la	He was not paying attention	يَغْفِلُ	Yagh-fi-lu	He is not or will not pay attention
حَشَرَ	Ha-sha-ra	He was gathered	يَحْشُرُ	Yah-shu-roo	He is gathering or will gather
رَفَعَ	Ra-fa-'a	He was raised	يَرْفَعُ	Yar-fa-'u	He is or will  be raised
عَبَدَ	'A-ba-da	He worshipped	يَعْبُدُ	Ya'-bu-du	He is worshipping or will worship
فَتَحَ	Fa-ta-ha	He opened	يَفْتَحُ	Yaf-ta-hu	He is opening or will open
صَبَرَ	Sa-ba-ra	He was patient	يَصْبِرُ	Yas-bi-ru	He is or will be patient
غَفَرَ	Gha-fa-ra	He forgave	يَغْفِرُ	Yagh-fi-ru	He forgives or will forgive
جَعَلَ	Ja-'a-la	He made	يَجْعَلُ	Yaj-'a-lu	He is making or will make
خَلَقَ	Kha-la-qa	He created	يَخْلُقُ	Yaq-lu-qu	He creates or will create
نَفَعَ	Na-fa-'a	He profited	يَنْفَعُ	Yan-fa-'u	He is profiting or will profit
جَهَدَ	Ja-ha-da	He endeavored	يَجْهَدُ	Yaj-ha-du	He is endeavoring or will endeavor
بَلَغَ	Ba-la-gha	He reached	يَبْلُغُ	Yab-la-ghu	He is reaching or will reach
رَجَعَ	Ra-ja-'a	He went back	يَرْجِعٌ	Yar-ji-'u	He is going back or will go back
نَجَحَ	Na-ja-ha	He succeeded	يَنجَحُ	Yan-ha-ju	He is succeeding or will succeed
رَزَقَ	Ra-za-qa	He gave sustenance	يَرْزُقُ	Yar-zu-qu	He is giving or will give sustenance
نَظَرَ	Na-za-ra	He looked	يَنْظُرُ	Yan-zu-ru	He is looking or will look
نَزَلَ	Na-za-la	He came down	يَنْزِلُ	Yan-zi-lu	He is coming down or will come down
صَدَقَ	Sa-da-qa	He was truthful	يَصْدُقُ	Yas-du-qu	He is or will be truthful
كَذَبَ	Ka-za-ba	He lied	يَكْذِبُ	Yak-zi-bu	He is lying or will lie
شَكَرَ	Sha-ka-ra	He was thankful	يَشْكُرُ	Yash-ku-ru	He is or will be thankful
نَقَصَ	Na-qa-sa	He decreased	يَنْقُصُ	Yan-qu-su	He is decreasing or will decrease
تَرَكَ	Ta-ra-ka	He quit	يَتْرُكُ	Yath-ru-ku	He is quitting or will quit

 

Table 47- Examples of Imperfect Verbs that use فَعِلَ fa-ila die

 

Past tense	Pronunciation	Meaning	Imperfect tense	Pronunciation	Meaning
قَدِمَ	Qa-di-ma	He brought	يَقْدِمُ	Yaq-di -mu	He brings  or will  bring
ضَحِكَ	da-hi-ka	He laughed	يَضْحِكُ	Yad-hi -kou	He is laughing or will laugh
عَلِمَ	'a-li-ma	He knew	يَعلَمُ	Ya'-la -mu	He knows or will know
عَمِلَ	'a-mi-la	He acted	يَعْمَلُ	Ya'-ma -lou	He is acting  or will act
فَرِحَ	Fa-ri-ha	He was happy	يَفْرَحُ	Yaf-ra-hou	He is or will  be happy
سَمِعَ	Sa-mi-'a	He listened	يَسْمَعُ	Yas-ma -'u	He is listening or will listen
حَمِدَ	Ha-mi-da	He praised	يَحمَدُ	Yah-ma-dou	He is praising or Will praise
حَسِبَ	Ha-si-ba	He assumed	يحْسِبُ	Yah-si -bou	He is  assuming or will assume
شَرِبَ	Sha-ri-ba	He drank	يَشرَبُ	Yash-ra-bou	He is drinking or will drink
حَفِظَ	Ha-fi-za	He memorized	يَحفَظُ	Yah-fa -zou	He is memorizing or will memorize
رَحِمَ	Ra-hi-ma	He was merciful	يَرْحَمُ	Yar-ha -mu	He is merciful or will be merciful
رَكِبَ	Ra-ki-ba	He was riding	يَرْكَبُ	Yar-ka -bou	He is riding or Will ride
شَهِدَ	Sha-hi-da	He witnessed	يشْهَدُ	Yash-ha-dou	He is witnessing Or will witness
قَبِلَ	Qa-bi-la	He accepted	يَقْبَلُ	Yaq-ba -lou	He is  accepting or will accept
مَرِضَ	Ma-ri-da	He was ill	يَمْرَضُ	Yam-ra -dou	He is ill or will be ill

 

Table 48 - Examples of Imperfect Verbs that use فَعُلَ fa-ula die

 

Past tense	Pronunciation	Meaning	Imperfect tense	Pronunciation	Meaning
كَرُمَ	Ka-ru-ma	He was generous	يَكْرُمُ	Yak-ru-moo	He is or will be generous
بَعُدَ	Ba-'u-da	He got away	يَبْعُدُ	Yab-'u-doo	He has  gotten away or will get away
قَرُبَ	Qa-ru-ba	He got near	يَقْرُبُ	Yaq-ru-boo	He is near or will be near
ضَعُفَ	Da-'u-fa	He became weak	يَضْعُفُ	Yad-'u-foo	He is becoming or will become  weak
ثَقُلَ	Tha-qou-la	He became heavy	يَثْقُلُ	Yath-qu-lou	He is becoming or will become  heavy

 

Sentence Examples:

 

شَرِبُوْا الْمَاءَ الْبَارِدَ sha-ri-bul- maa-albaa-ri-du- They drank cold water

 

نَعْبُدُ اللهَ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعٰالٰى na'-bu-dul lahasub-haa-nahu wa ta-aa’la - We worship Allah (SWT)

 

ضَعُفَ الطَّالِبُ za'u-fat taa-li-bu – (so) weak are the seekers

 

اللهُ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوْبَ Allaa-hu- yagh-fi-ruddhu-noo-ba - Allah (SWT) forgives sins

 

اللهُ يَعْطِيْنَا رِزْقًا Allaa-hu ya’tee-naariz-qan - Allah (SWT) gives us sustenance

 

 

 

***