Look at the image below for a visual description (conjugated for singular male):
The chart below has full conjugations for both Perfect and Imperfect for Measure IV. All of the verbs are conjugated in the Indicative.
The Subjunctive and Jussive are not shown.
Imperative
You can use the same method to determine the M4 imperative as you do for all other measures, with one minor difference.
We will use أَخْبَرَ \ يُخْبِرُ (to inform) as an example.
Follow these simple steps:
- Start with the third person singular imperfect tense. Ex. he يُخْبِرُ
- Change the final vowel to a sukuun. يُخْبِرُ becomes يُخْبِرْ
- Remove the prefix. يُخْبِرْ becomes خْبِرْ
- Since the first letter has a sukuun, we must give it a helping vowel. All M4 imperatives use an alif with a fatha on it. خْبِرْ becomes أَخْبِرْ .
Look at the following chart:
Passive
The formation of the measure IV Passive is is similar to M2 and M3. The voweling over the root letters is identical. For more information on using the passive, visit the Passive Voice page.
Perfect (Past)
- أَخْبَرَ becomes أُخْبِرَ
- The vowel over the alif is changed to a dhamma.
- The second root letter vowel is changed from a fatha to a kasra.
Imperfect (Present)
- يُخْبِرُ becomes يُخْبَرُ
- The only change is that the vowel over the second root letter is changed from a kasra to a fatha.
**Note: The following information, which is written using Measure I verbs, applies to Passive verbs in ALL measures. It is a characteristic of the passive voice, not a characteristic of the measure. Therefore, apply it regularly.
When the verb is transitive, the verb is conjugated by gender and number according to the object of the verb.
كُتِبَ المقال - The article was written. مقال is masculine, so the verb is masculine.
كُتِبَتْ الجريدة - The newspaper was written. جريدة is feminine, so the verb is feminine.
Whenever the verb is intransitive (when the object of the verb is also the object of the preposition associated with that verb), then the verb is conjugated in the singular male.
بُحِثَ عن السيارة - The car was searched for.
Since the object ( السيارة ) is the object of a preposition عن, the verb is conjugated in the singular male.
عُزِمَ على القرارات - The decisions were determined/resolved.
Even though القرارات is plural and therefore feminine, it is the object of a preposition and the verb is conjugated in the singular male.
**Note: These may not be perfectly usable examples in Arabic, but they illustrate the point.
Verbal Noun
The Verbal Noun (المصدر) is basically the verb functioning as a noun. Another grammatical term that has the same meaning is gerund. However, this term is not used in Arabic grammar. The verbal noun carries the meaning of performing the action of the verb. In English, words such as eating, dancing, singing, sleeping, running, etc. are basic equivalents to the verbal noun in Arabic.
The Verbal Noun for Measure IV is regular.
إِفْعَالٌ
- The first root letter is preceded by a إِ
- The first root letter carries a sukuun.
- An alif is inserted between the second and third root letter.
Here are some common Measure IV verbal nouns:
Warning: Do not confuse the Verbal Noun with the English progressive tense. You would not use the verbal noun to indicate an ongoing progressive action, such as "I am eating", "I am writing", "I am reading", etc. You might use a verbal noun to say things like "I like reading", "I hate writing", "Eating is fun", etc. In these three examples, the -ing words all function as nouns.
Active & Passive Participle
The Active Participle is the noun which is the "doer" of the verb or the person/thing that performs the action of the verb. Some examples in English are writer, runner, baker, teacher, student, etc. The active participle for measure I is fairly regular in Arabic.
The Passive Participle is the noun that receives the action of the verb. These words are often equivalent to English words that end with -ed or -en. Some examples are written, studied, eaten, covered, beaten, etc.
أَنْتَجَ \ يُنْتِجُ (to produce, generate, yield)
Active Participle (Doer) - مُنْتِجٌ - producer, manufacturer
- The first root letter is preceded by مُ
- The first root letter carries a sukuun.
- The second root letter carries a kasra.
Passive Participle - مُنْتَجٌ - product, proceed, return, yield
- The first root letter is preceded by مُ
- The first root letter carries a sukuun.
- The second root letter carries a fatha.
As you can see, the only difference between the Active and Passive is the vowel on the second root letter.
- The Active Participle has a kasra - مُنْتِجٌ
- The Passive Participle has a fatha - مُنْتَجٌ
Note that many Measure IV verbs will not have both an Active Participle and Passive Participle. Although the dictionary may not list participles for all Measure IV verbs, you should be able to infer its meaning, provided you know the voweling.
Plurals
The plural for active and passive participles that denote a person is formed by suffixing ون for masculine and ات for feminine.The plural for participles that denote inanimate objects use ات regardless of gender.