Lesson 61: The Perfect Tense

In Volume 1 you used the perfect tense in its singular persons and met the dual and plural endings in passing. Now the verb becomes the subject of study. Almost every Arabic verb is built on a root of three consonants called radicals: ك ت ب carries the idea of writing, د ر س the idea of studying, ج ل س the idea of sitting. The radicals are a skeleton; vowels, prefixes and suffixes are hung on it to make the actual words. كَتَبَ he wrote, كِتَابٌ a book, مَكْتَبٌ a desk and كَاتِبٌ a writer all share the one root. Learning to see the root inside a word is the single most useful habit you can form from here on.

Rule 1: 1. The pattern فَعَلَ

To talk about the shape of a verb without naming a particular verb, the grammarians use the three radicals of فَعَلَ to do: ف stands for the first radical of any verb, ع for the second and ل for the third. A verb is then said to be "of the فَعَلَ type", "of the يَفْعِلُ type" and so on. Whatever happens to ف ع ل in the pattern happens to the radicals of the real verb.

جَلَسَ
jalasa
he sat: a verb of the فَعَلَ type
Root ج ل س.
سَمِعَ
samiʿa
he heard: a verb of the فَعِلَ type
Root س م ع.
كَبُرَ
kabura
he grew big: a verb of the فَعُلَ type
Root ك ب ر.
يَجْلِسُ
yajlisu
he sits: a form of the يَفْعِلُ type
اِجْلِسْ
ijlis
sit!: a form of the اِفْعِلْ type

Rule 2: 2. The two tenses

Arabic has two main verb forms, usually called tenses although they mark completeness more than time. The perfect (اَلْمَاضِي) denotes a completed action and usually refers to the past. The imperfect (اَلْمُضَارِعُ) denotes an incomplete action and usually refers to the present or future. Arab grammarians list the persons in the order third, second, first, beginning with هُوَ, and the dual exists only in the second and third persons; the first person has no dual.

دَرَسَ خَالِدٌ الدَّرْسَ أَمْسِ.
darasa khālidun-id-darsa amsi
Khalid studied the lesson yesterday.
Perfect: the studying is finished.
يَدْرُسُ خَالِدٌ الدَّرْسَ الْآنَ.
yadrusu khālidun-id-darsa-l-āna
Khalid is studying the lesson now.
Imperfect: the studying is still going on.
سَمِعَتْ زَيْنَبُ الْجَرَسَ.
samiʿat zaynabu-l-jarasa
Zaynab heard the bell.
جَلَسْنَا فِي الْفَصْلِ.
jalasnā fi-l-faṣli
We sat in the classroom.

The perfect of كَتَبَ (to write)

Thirteen forms: five singular, three dual, five plural. The stem كَتَبْ never changes; only the ending does.
Number	Person	Arabic	Transliteration	English
singular	3 m.	كَتَبَ	kataba	he wrote / has written
singular	3 f.	كَتَبَتْ	katabat	she wrote
singular	2 m.	كَتَبْتَ	katabta	you (m.) wrote
singular	2 f.	كَتَبْتِ	katabti	you (f.) wrote
singular	1 m./f.	كَتَبْتُ	katabtu	I wrote
dual	3 m.	كَتَبَا	katabā	they two (m.) wrote
dual	3 f.	كَتَبَتَا	katabatā	they two (f.) wrote
dual	2 m./f.	كَتَبْتُمَا	katabtumā	you two wrote
plural	3 m.	كَتَبُوا	katabū	they (m.) wrote
plural	3 f.	كَتَبْنَ	katabna	they (f.) wrote
plural	2 m.	كَتَبْتُمْ	katabtum	you (m. pl.) wrote
plural	2 f.	كَتَبْتُنَّ	katabtunna	you (f. pl.) wrote
plural	1 m./f.	كَتَبْنَا	katabnā	we wrote

Rule 3: 3. The vowel of the second radical

The first and third radicals of the perfect always carry a fatḥa, but the second radical may carry a, i or u. This gives the three types فَعَلَ, فَعِلَ and فَعُلَ. The vowel is a fact about each verb that must be learnt with it; the dictionary gives it. All three types take exactly the same endings.

دَرَسَ
darasa
he studied (فَعَلَ)
سَمِعَ
samiʿa
he heard (فَعِلَ)
سَهُلَ
sahula
it was easy (فَعُلَ)
حَفِظْتُ الْكَلِمَاتِ.
ḥafiẓtu-l-kalimāti
I memorised the words.
فَعِلَ type, same ending ـتُ.
كَبُرْتُمْ يَا أَوْلَادُ.
kaburtum yā awlādu
You have grown up, boys.
فَعُلَ type, same ending ـتُمْ.

The perfect of سَمِعَ (to hear), a فَعِلَ verb

The kasra of the second radical stays in every form; the endings are those of كَتَبَ.
Number	Person	Arabic	Transliteration	English
singular	3 m.	سَمِعَ	samiʿa	he heard
singular	3 f.	سَمِعَتْ	samiʿat	she heard
singular	2 m.	سَمِعْتَ	samiʿta	you (m.) heard
singular	2 f.	سَمِعْتِ	samiʿti	you (f.) heard
singular	1 m./f.	سَمِعْتُ	samiʿtu	I heard
dual	3 m.	سَمِعَا	samiʿā	they two (m.) heard
dual	3 f.	سَمِعَتَا	samiʿatā	they two (f.) heard
dual	2 m./f.	سَمِعْتُمَا	samiʿtumā	you two heard
plural	3 m.	سَمِعُوا	samiʿū	they (m.) heard
plural	3 f.	سَمِعْنَ	samiʿna	they (f.) heard
plural	2 m.	سَمِعْتُمْ	samiʿtum	you (m. pl.) heard
plural	2 f.	سَمِعْتُنَّ	samiʿtunna	you (f. pl.) heard
plural	1 m./f.	سَمِعْنَا	samiʿnā	we heard

The three types side by side

Only the vowel of the second radical differs.
Person	فَعَلَ	فَعِلَ	فَعُلَ
he	دَرَسَ	حَفِظَ	كَبُرَ
she	دَرَسَتْ	حَفِظَتْ	كَبُرَتْ
you (m.)	دَرَسْتَ	حَفِظْتَ	كَبُرْتَ
I	دَرَسْتُ	حَفِظْتُ	كَبُرْتُ
they two (m.)	دَرَسَا	حَفِظَا	كَبُرَا
they (m.)	دَرَسُوا	حَفِظُوا	كَبُرُوا
they (f.)	دَرَسْنَ	حَفِظْنَ	كَبُرْنَ
we	دَرَسْنَا	حَفِظْنَا	كَبُرْنَا

Rule 4: 4. Stative verbs: فَعِلَ and فَعُلَ

Verbs of the فَعَلَ type usually name an action. Verbs of the فَعِلَ and فَعُلَ types usually name a state. The فَعِلَ type tends to be a passing state or feeling, such as being glad or sad, while the فَعُلَ type is a lasting quality, such as being big or easy. English often needs to be or to become to translate them.

فَرِحَ التِّلْمِيذُ بِالْجَوَابِ.
fariḥa-t-tilmīdhu bi-l-jawābi
The pupil was glad at the answer.
فَعِلَ: a passing feeling.
حَزِنَتْ مَرْيَمُ أَمْسِ.
ḥazinat maryamu amsi
Maryam was sad yesterday.
سَهُلَ الدَّرْسُ عَلَيْنَا.
sahula-d-darsu ʿalaynā
The lesson was easy for us.
فَعُلَ: a quality.
كَبُرَ الْوَلَدُ وَدَخَلَ الْمَدْرَسَةَ.
kabura-l-waladu wa-dakhala-l-madrasata
The boy grew up and entered school.

Rule 5: 5. قَدْ before the perfect

The particle قَدْ is often placed directly before a perfect verb. It stresses that the action is really complete or certain, and can sometimes be rendered already or by the English present perfect (has written), but it is usually left untranslated. Nothing may stand between قَدْ and its verb.

قَدْ شَرَحَ الْمُعَلِّمُ الدَّرْسَ.
qad sharaḥa-l-muʿallimu-d-darsa
The teacher has explained the lesson.
قَدْ سَمِعْنَا الْجَرَسَ.
qad samiʿna-l-jarasa
We have (already) heard the bell.
قَدْ نَجَحَتْ زَيْنَبُ فِي الِامْتِحَانِ.
qad najaḥat zaynabu fi-l-imtiḥāni
Zaynab has passed the exam.
قَدْ كَتَبْتُمُ الْوَاجِبَ.
qad katabtumu-l-wājiba
You have written the homework.

Rule 6: 6. Negation with مَا

The perfect is made negative by placing مَا before the verb. You met this in Volume 1; it works for every person and number, and the verb itself does not change.

مَا دَرَسَ سَعِيدٌ الدَّرْسَ.
mā darasa saʿīdun-id-darsa
Said did not study the lesson.
مَا سَمِعْتُ الْجَرَسَ.
mā samiʿtu-l-jarasa
I did not hear the bell.
مَا كَتَبْتُمُ الْوَاجِبَ.
mā katabtumu-l-wājiba
You (m. pl.) did not write the homework.
مَا جَلَسَتْ مَرْيَمُ عَلَى هٰذَا الْكُرْسِيِّ.
mā jalasat maryamu ʿalā hādha-l-kursiyyi
Maryam did not sit on this chair.

Affirmed and denied

قَدْ حَفِظَ خَالِدٌ الْكَلِمَاتِ.

qad ḥafiẓa khālidun-il-kalimāti

Khalid has memorised the words.

مَا حَفِظَ خَالِدٌ الْكَلِمَاتِ.

mā ḥafiẓa khālidun-il-kalimāti

Khalid did not memorise the words.

The verb form is identical in both sentences. قَدْ and مَا are particles placed in front of it; one confirms the finished action, the other denies it.

The Perfect Tense

Step 1 of 5: Learn

Rule 1: 1. The pattern فَعَلَ

Rule 2: 2. The two tenses

The perfect of كَتَبَ (to write)

Rule 3: 3. The vowel of the second radical

The perfect of سَمِعَ (to hear), a فَعِلَ verb

The three types side by side

Rule 4: 4. Stative verbs: فَعِلَ and فَعُلَ

Rule 5: 5. قَدْ before the perfect

Rule 6: 6. Negation with مَا

Affirmed and denied

Conjugations: "To Have"

Vocabulary

Step 2 of 5: Read

The day of the exam

Notes

Comprehension

In the Quran

Step 3 of 5: Practice

Exercises

Step 4 of 5: Quiz

Translate from Arabic to English

Translate from English to Arabic

Quiz: Test Your Knowledge

How many questions would you like?

Step 5 of 5: Finish