Quranic Arabic Grammar Lessons: Meanings of the Different Forms of Verbs
by Tabassum Mosleh |
Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim.
Studying Arabic grammar is very similar to studying mathematics: There are various clear-cut rules that come together to form an intricate framework of words. The same three or four root letters can be used to form many, many words, and the same rules can be applied to form other such multiplicity of words with other sets of root letters. And most interestingly, the format of the word indicates towards its meaning, so that if you know the meaning of the original root letters and the format, you will in most cases know exactly what the word means and in what context it can be used.
Here are some ways of figuring out the meanings of the different forms of the three-lettered mazeed verbs. Please note that they won’t apply in all cases and can’t be used as a general rule. But they can come in useful in better understanding meanings of ayat of the Quran.
| Form no. | Mudari’ verb | Meaning | Notes | Examples | From Quran |
| II
|
فَعَّلَ | 1. To indicate doing something a lot
2. to make the verb transitive |
1. For example, tawwafa means “to do a lot of tawaaf”.
2. عظُمَ means “to be grand” while عظّم means “to praise” (or “to make someone grand”) |
جَوَّل -to roam a lot
صَدَّقَ – to be truthful كَذَب – to lie كرَّم – to honour دَرَّس – to teach عَلَّم – to teach
|
الرَّحْمَٰنُ عَلَّمَ الْقُرْآنَ
The Most Merciful Taught the Qur’an. [55:1-2] |
| III | أَفْعَلَ | To make the verb transitive | Dakhala means “to enter” while adkhala means “to enter something into something else”. | أخرج – to take out
أهلك – to destroy أدخل – to enter أرسل – to send أشرك – to associate أفسد – to corrupt |
الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ فِرَاشًا وَالسَّمَاءَ بِنَاءً وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجَ بِهِ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ رِزْقًا لَّكُمْ ۖ َ
[He] who made for you the earth a bed [spread out] and the sky a ceiling and sent down from the sky, rain and brought forth thereby fruits as provision for you. [2:22] |
| IV | فَاعَلَ | to denote participation between two | The meaning indicates “X did the action with Y.” So jaadaltuhu means “I argued with him.” | جادَلَ – To argue
حارَبَ – To fight فارَقَ – To separate سابَقَ – to compete خالَفَ – to go against
|
وَإِن جَادَلُوكَ فَقُلِ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ
And if they dispute with you, then say, ” Allah is most knowing of what you do. [22:68] |
| V | تَفَعَّلَ | To denote undertaking | This form hints towards a hidden third person behind the scenes. So “I became pure” hints to something that made me pure. | تنَزَّل – to come down
تقرب – to come close تطهر – to become pure تزوج – to get married تأخر – to be late تفرق – to be separate |
تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِم مِّن كُلِّ أَمْرٍ
The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter. [97:4] |
| VI | تَفاعَلَ | to denote participation between two or more | The difference between form VI and and form IV is that the former denotes “A did the action with B.” While the latter denotes “A and B did the action together.” | تَعارف – to know one another
تنافس – to compete with one another تعاون – to help one another تحاسد – to be jealous of one another |
وَإِذَا مَرُّوا بِهِمْ يَتَغَامَزُونَ
And when they passed by them, they would exchange derisive glances. [83:30]
|
| VII | انْفَعَلَ | To denote compliance | Something is being done to the subject of the verb, while the subject itself is doing nothing. | انقلب – to be returned
انتهى – to end انصرف – to leave انفجر – to flow انفرد – to be alone |
وَإِذَا النُّجُومُ انكَدَرَتْ
And when the stars fall, dispersing, [81:2] |
| VIII | افتَعَلَ | To denote compliance | Jama’tuhum means “I gathered them”. While ijtama’a means “They gathered.” | اتَّبَع – to follow
اتخذ – to take اهتدى – to follow the right path ابتغى – to seek |
وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ تَفَرَّقُوا وَاخْتَلَفُوا مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَهُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ ۚ وَأُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ
And do not be like the ones who became divided and differed after the clear proofs had come to them. And those will have a great punishment. |
| IX | افْعَلَّ | 1. To denote defect (or colour)
2. To intensify the original verb |
اعوج – to become bent
احمر – to become red اغبر – to become covered with dust اعور – to become one-eyed |
وَلَئِنْ أَرْسَلْنَا رِيحًا فَرَأَوْهُ مُصْفَرًّا لَّظَلُّوا مِن بَعْدِهِ يَكْفُرُونَ
But if We should send a [bad] wind and they saw [their crops] turned yellow, they would remain thereafter disbelievers. [30:51] |
|
| X
|
استَفْعَلَ | 1. To denote seeking and asking | To try to do something, with or without success. | استغفر – to seek forgiveness
استكبر – to be arrogant استفهم – to ask استعجل – to hurry
|
إِلَّا إِبْلِيسَ اسْتَكْبَرَ وَكَانَ مِنَ الْكَافِرِينَ
… Except Iblees; he was arrogant and became among the disbelievers. [38:74] |
| — | افْعَوْعَلَ, افعَوَّلَ, افعالَّ | To intensify the original verb | These forms are relatively rare in usage. | اعشوشب – denotes plenty of grass
احمار – to become very red
|
وَمِن دُونِهِمَا جَنَّتَانِ … مُدْهَامَّتَانِ
And below them both [in excellence] are two [other] gardens – … Dark green [in color]. [55: 62, 55:64] |
I ask Allah’s forgiveness for any mistakes I have made above.
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Ref: Aysari al-Tariq Ila marifatu al-serif: Morphology Made Easy by Dr. Abdoul Khadri.
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