Middlebury College Arabic Sociolinguistics Spring 2013

Arabic Verb Inflectional Morphology1 Arabic verbs inflect for the following grammatical categories: and , ُالم ّثنى dual , ُالم َفرد Subject agreement in person (1st, 2nd, and 3rd), number (singular .1 ,( ُالم َّؤنث and feminine ُالم َّذكر and gender (masculine ,( َالجمع plural ,(المضارع vs. imperfect الماضي Tense/aspect (perfect .2 and ,(المجزوم and the jussive ,المنصوب subjunctive ,المرفوع Mood (indicative .3 .( َالمجھول vs. passive َالمعلوم Voice (active .4 We discuss the morphology and uses of each in turn. Tense/aspect morphology الماضي Verb morphology in the perfect

 The perfect is mainly used in past tense contexts. ﺣ ﺿ رت ﺣﻔﻠﺔ ﻣوﺳﻳﻘﻳﺔ أﻣس. ﺳ ﺎ ﻓ رت ﺑﻧت أﺧﻲ إﻟﻰ اﻻﻛوادور ﻓﻲ اﻟﺳﻧﺔ اﻟﻣﺎﺿﻳﺔ. ﺑدأت دراﺳﺔ اﻟﻌرﺑﻳﺔ ﻣﻧذ ﺳﻧﺗﻳن.  The perfect is also used in what is called hypothetical past, as in conditional clauses .(’if‘ =) إذا/لو introduced by إذا ﻛﺎن اﻟﺟو ﻣﺷﻣﺳﺎً ﻏداً ﺳﺄذﻫب إﻟﻰ ﺑﻳرﻟﻧﺟﺗون. ﻟو ﻛﻧت ﻣ ﻠ ﻳ و ﻧ ﻳ راً ﻻﺷﺗرﻳت ط ﺎ ﺋ رة ﺧﺎﺻﺔ.

1 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 Sociolinguistics Spring 2013

المضارع Verb morphology in the imperfect

 The imperfect is used with habitual events and actions in‐progress.

ﻧﺣن ﻧ د رس ﻋﻠم اﻟﻠﺳﺎﻧﻳﺎت اﻟﻌرﺑﻳﺔ ﻓﻲ ﻫذا اﻟﻔﺻﻝ اﻟدراﺳﻲ. ﻫم ﻳﻠﻌﺑون ﻛ رة اﻟﻘدم اﻵن.

واﻟدﻫﺎ ﻳﻌﻣﻝ ﻓﻲ ﻗﺳم اﻟﺗرﺟﻣﺔ ﺑﺎﻷﻣم اﻟﻣﺗﺣدة ﻣﻧذ ﻋﺷر ﺳﻧوات.

in MSA المستقبل Expressing the future before the imperfect form of َس َوف or the morpheme َسـ The future is expressed via the prefix the verb.

ﺳوف ﻧﺳﺎﻓر إﻟﻰ وﻻﻳﺔ ﻧﻳوﻳورك ﻓﻲ ﻋطﻠﺔ اﻟرﺑﻳﻊ. ﺳﺄﻋود إﻟﻰ ﻏرﻓﺗﻲ ﺑﻌد اﻟﺻف.

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Middlebury College Arabic Sociolinguistics Spring 2013

Mood morphology المضارع المرفوع Verb morphology in the indicative mood

 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.

ﻫﻝ ﺗﻌرﻓﻳن ﻓﻲ أي ﺳﺎﻋﺔ ُﺗﻔﺗﺢ اﻟﻣﻛﺗﺑﺔ؟

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Middlebury College Arabic Sociolinguistics Spring 2013

المضارع المنصوب Verb morphology in the subjunctive mood

 The subjunctive mood indicates the speaker’s attitude towards the event, and is marked by لن – َح ّتى – َلكي – َكي ‐ لِـ – ْأن :a set of particles

ﻋﻧدﻩ ﻓرﺻﺔ ﻋﻣﻝ ﻣ ﻣ ﺗ ﺎ زة ﻓﻲ اﻹﻣﺎرات ﻟﻛﻧﻪ ﻻ ﻳرﻳد ْأن ﻳ ﺗ رك أﺳرﺗﻪ ﻓﻲ ﻣﺻر.

ﻫﻲ ﺗرﻓض أن َﺗﺗﻛﻠم ﻣﻌﻲ. ﻻ أ ﻋ رف ﻟﻣﺎذا.

ﺳﺎﻓرﻧﺎ إﻟﻰ اﻷردن ﻓﻲ اﻟﺧرﻳف اﻟﻣﺎﺿﻲ ﻟ ﻧ د َرس/ﻛﻲ ﻧ د َرس/ﻟﻛﻲ ﻧ د َرس/ﺣﺗّﻰ ﻧ د َرس اﻟﻠﻐﺔ اﻟﻌرﺑﻳﺔ.

ﻟن َأذﻫب إﻟﻰ ﺻف اﻟﻌرﺑﻳﺔ ﻏدا ﻷﻧﻲ ﻣرﻳض.

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Middlebury College Arabic Sociolinguistics Spring 2013

المضارع المجزوم Verb morphology in the jussive mood

and the conditional particle َلم  The jussive mood is typically marked by the negative particle . ْإن

ﻟم ْﻳذﻫب إﻟﻰ اﻟﺻف أﻣس ﻷﻧﻪ ﻣرﻳض.

إن ْﺗذاﻛر ْﺗﻧﺟﺢ .  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‐.

ِ ِ اُ ُدر ْس! اﺟﻠﺳﻲ! ذ ا ﻛ روا!  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 ُﺗدر ْس! ﻻ ﺗﺟﻠﺳﻲ! ﻻ ﺗ ذ ا ﻛ روا!

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Middlebury College Arabic Sociolinguistics Spring 2013

for hollow and defective verbs المضارع المجزوم Verb morphology in the jussive mood

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Middlebury College Arabic Sociolinguistics Spring 2013

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Middlebury College Arabic Sociolinguistics Spring 2013

Voice morphology الفعل الماضي Verb morphology in the passive voice for on the first consonant of ّضمة  The passive verb form of the perfect is formed by putting a .on the one before the last كسرة the word and a

  ِ  ِ ﻛﺗب ُﻛﺗب ّدرس ُدﱢرس أﻛﻝ أُﻛﻝ

ﺷﺎﻫد  ِشوھد قال  قيل

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Middlebury College Arabic Sociolinguistics Spring 2013

الفعل المضارع Verb morphology in the passive voice for on the first consonant of ّضمة  The passive verb form of the imperfect is formed by putting a .on the one before the last فتحة the word and a

   ﻳﻛﺗب ُﻳ ﻛﺗ َب ﻳ ّدرس ُﻳ ﱠدرس ﻳﺄﻛﻝ ُﻳ َؤﻛﻝ

ﻳﺷﺎﻫد  ُي َشاھد يقول  ُيقال

 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.

ُﺳِرﻗت ﺳﻳﺎرﺗﻲ أﻣس.

ﻗُﺑِض ﻋﻠﻰ ّاﻟﻠص.

ُﻳ ﱠدرس "اﻟﻛﺗﺎب" ﻓﻲ ﻗﺳم اﻟﻠﻐﺔ اﻟﻌرﺑﻳﺔ ﻓﻲ ﺟﺎﻣﻌﺔ ﻣ ﻳ د ﻟ ﺑ ري.

ُﺳﻳﻌﻘ َد اﻻﺟﺗﻣﺎع ﻓﻲ اﻟﺳﺎﻋﺔ اﻟﺳﺎدﺳﺔ ﻣﺳﺎء.

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