Arabic Online - Free Comprehensive Resource of Arabic Grammar

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Verbs

Perfective Structures

Conjugation of Irregular Verbs (continued)

For description of irregular verb types, you may go here

4) Defective Verbs

Defective verbs are verbs whose last original letter is a weak letter.

Defective verbs can end with ا / ى (fake weak 'alif) or with apparent و w or ي y.

All perfective defective verbs end with ا / ى except form I verbs that have i or u vowels before their final weak letters.

I. Triliteral Defective Verbs Ending With -iy(a) / -uw(a)

These verbs can only be form I verbs. They will conjugate regularly except in the 3rd parson masculine plural conjugation, in which the final weak letter will be deleted along with the preceding short vowel when adding the suffix.

Example:

نَسِيَ

nasiy(a)

(He) forgot

The root is : ن س يN S Y I

(he) forgot

nasiy(a)

نَسِيَ

(I) forgot

nasiyt(u)

=naseet(u)*

نَسِيْتُ

*Remember that a still weak letter preceded by a corresponding short vowel is equal to a long vowel (iy = ee, uw = oo).

In the 3rd parson masculine plural conjugation, the final weak letter will be deleted along with the short vowel preceding it (-vCa) when adding the suffix.

Example:

(He) forgot	nasiy(a)	نَسِيَ
(They masc.) forgot	nasiyoo	نَسِيُوْا
(They masc.) forgot	nasoo	نَسُوْا

The full conjugation:

	الْمَاْضِيْ Perfective // نَسِيَ : فَـعِـلَ (Form I, Active Voice)
S I N G U L A R	(I) forgot	nasiyt(u)	نَسِيْتُ
	(You masc.) forgot	nasiyt(a)	نَسِيْتَ
	(You fem.) forgot	nasiyti	نَسِيْتِ
	(He) forgot	nasiy(a)	نَسِيَ
	(She) forgot	nasiyat	نَسِيَتْ
D U A L	(You) forgot	nasiytumaa	نَسِيْتُمَاْ
	(They masc.) forgot	nasiyaa	نَسِيَاْ
	(They fem.) forgot	nasiyataa	نَسِيَتَاْ
P L U R A L	(We dual/plu.) forgot	nasiynaa	نَسِيْنَاْ
	(You masc.) forgot	nasiytum	نَسِيْتُمْ
	(You fem.) forgot	nasiytunn(a)	نَسِيْتُنَّ
	(They masc.) forgot	nasoo	نَسُوْا
	(They fem.) forgot	nasiyn(a)	نَسِيْنَ

*Keep in mind that iy = ee and uw = oo. Arabic does not have real long vowels but only these combinations.

II. Triliteral Defective Verbs Ending With -aa

These verbs represent all the defective perfective verbs except form I verbs that have i or u after their second root-letters.

Form I verbs that have a after their second root-letter can end with ا or ى depending on whether the original final weak letter is w or y, respectively. Forms other than form I can only end with y, regardless of the origin of the final weak letter. More details are available on this page.

►Form I

The final the ا / ى of form I defective verbs will be changed back to the original weak letter it substitutes for in the following conjugations:

The 1st person
The 2nd person
The 3rd person feminine plural and masculine dual

Example:

نَمَاْ

namaa

(He) grew (intr.)

The root is: ن م وN M W I

(he) grew	namaa	نَمَاْ
(I) grew	namaat(u)	نَمَاْتُ
(I) grew	namawt(u)	نَمَوْتُ

The short vowel a preceding the final weak letter will appear in all verbs ending with weak 'alif.

For the rest of the conjugations other than the basic one (namely the 3rd person feminine singular & dual, and masculine plural), the final ا / ى will be always deleted.

For the 3rd feminine singular and feminine dual, the preceding short vowel (the a) will be deleted along.

Example:

(He) grew	namaa	نَمَاْ
(She) grew	namaaat	نَمَاَتْ
(She) grew	namat	نَمَتْ

For the 3rd person masculine plural, the short vowel a before the deleted weak letter will be preserved, and the resultant suffix will be -aw rather than -uw (=oo).

(He) grew	namaa	نَمَاْ
(They masc.) grew	namaauw	نَمَاُوْا
(They masc.) grew	namaw	نَمَوْا

The full conjugation:

الْمَاْضِيْ Perfective // نَمَاْ : فَـعَـلَ

(Form I, Active Voice)

(I) grew

namawt(u)

نَمَوْتُ