Verbs
Passive Voice
(continued)
Irregular
verbs
For description of irregular verb types,
you may go here
1) Doubled Verbs
Doubled verbs are
verbs that end with a shadda(t),
which indicates doubled consonants
without a vowel in between.
Passive doubled verbs
conjugate just like the active ones. Only vowels will be different,
including the omitted or displaced-back green vowel. When untying in the
perfective, the inserted green vowel will always be
i,
and in the imperfective it will always be
a.
2)
Mithaal
Verbs
Mithaal verbs
are verbs whose first original letter is a weak letter.
Passive
Mithaal
verbs take pronominal prefixes and suffixes like the active ones; however,
in the imperfective, they do not lose their weak letter in any situation.
Examples:
|
Passive |
Active |
|
wujid(a) |
وُجِدَ |
wajad(a) |
وَجَدَ |
|
≡ (he/it) was/became found by somebody
≡ (he/it) has been/become found by somebody |
(he) found
(he) has found |
|
wudi"(a) |
وُضِعَ |
wada"(a) |
وَضَعَ |
|
≡ (he/it) was/became put by somebody
≡ (he/it) has been/become put by somebody |
(he) put
(he) has put |
|
yuwjad(u) |
يُوْجَدُ |
yajid(u) |
يَجِدُ |
|
≡ (he/it) is/becomes found by somebody
≡ (he/it) is being/becoming found by somebody
≡ (he/it) will be/become found by somebody |
(he) finds
(he) is finding
(he) will find |
|
yuwda"(u) |
يُوْضَعُ |
yada"(u) |
يَضَعُ |
|
≡ (he/it) is/becomes put by somebody
≡ (he/it) is being/becoming put by somebody
≡ (he/it) will be/become put by somebody |
(he) puts
(he) is putting
(he) will put |
3) Hollow Verbs
Hollow verbs are verbs
whose second original letter is a weak letter.
Since the internal passive
is about changing vowels, the middle weak
letter of hollow verbs will be affected, because it
changes with changes in vowels.
However, the rule here is
easy and I am not going to complicate it by going through the details and
differences between classical dialects etc.
For the
perfective hollow verbs, the internal
long A will be always transformed to a long I in the passive voice
(corresponds to the green vowel
i
) regardless of anything and in all the verb forms.
-CaaC-
→
-CeeC-
Examples:
|
Passive |
Active |
|
qeel(a) |
قِيْلَ |
qaal(a) |
قَاْلَ |
|
≡ (he/it) was/became said by somebody
≡ (he/it) has been/become said by somebody |
(he) said
(he) has said |
|
bee"(a) |
بِيْعَ |
baa"(a) |
بَاْعَ |
|
≡ (he/it) was/became sold by somebody
≡ (he/it) has been/become sold by somebody |
(he) sold
(he) has sold |
|
kheef(a) |
خِيْفَ |
khaaf(a) |
خَاْفَ |
|
≡ (he/it) was/became feared by somebody
≡ (he/it) has been/become feared by somebody |
(he) feared
(he) has feared |
|
'ureed(a) |
أُرِيْدَ |
'araad(a) |
أَرَاْدَ |
|
≡ (he/it) was/became wanted by somebody
≡ (he/it) has been/become wanted by somebody |
(he) wanted
(he) has wanted |
|
'ukhteer(a) |
اُخْتِيْرَ |
'ikhtaar(a) |
اِخْتَاْرَ |
|
≡ (he/it) was/became chosen by somebody
≡ (he/it) has been/become chosen by somebody |
(he) chose
(he) has chosen |
|
'ustu"eed(a) |
اُسْتُعِيْدَ |
'ista"aad(a) |
اِسْتَعَاْدَ |
|
≡ (he/it) was/became taken back by somebody
≡ (he/it) has been/become taken back by somebody |
(he) took back
(he) has taken back |
The internal long vowel of
the imperfective hollow verbs
will always become a long A in the passive voice (corresponds to the green
vowel
a
) regardless of anything and in all the verb forms.
|
-CooC- |
|
|
|
-CeeC- |
→ |
-CaaC- |
|
-CaaC- |
|
|
Examples:
|
Passive |
Active |
|
yuqaal(u) |
يُقَاْلُ |
yaqool(u) |
يَقُوْلُ |
|
≡ (he/it) is/becomes said by somebody
≡ (he/it) is being/becoming said by somebody
≡ (he/it) will be/become said by somebody |
(he) says
(he) is saying
(he) will say |
|
yubaa"(u) |
يُبَاْعُ |
yabee"(u) |
يَبِيْعُ |
|
≡ (he/it) is/becomes sold by somebody
≡ (he/it) is being/becoming sold by somebody
≡ (he/it) will be/become sold by somebody |
(he) sells
(he) is selling
(he) will sell |
|
yukhaaf(u) |
يُخَاْفُ |
yakhaaf(u) |
يَخَاْفُ
|
|
≡ (he/it) is/becomes feared by somebody
≡ (he/it) will be/become feared by somebody |
(he) fears
(he) will fear |
|
yuraad(u) |
يُرَاْدُ |
yureed(u) |
يُرِيْدُ |
|
≡ (he/it) is/becomes wanted by somebody
≡ (he/it) will be/become wanted by somebody |
(he) wants
(he) will want |
|
yukhtaar(u) |
يُخْتَاْرُ |
yakhtaar(u) |
يَخْتَاْرُ |
|
≡ (he/it) is/becomes chosen by somebody
≡ (he/it) is being/becoming chosen by somebody
≡ (he/it) will be/become chosen by somebody |
(he) chooses
(he) is choosing
(he) will choose |
|
yusta"aad(u) |
يُسْتَعَاْدُ |
yasta"eed(u) |
يَسْتَعِيْدُ |
|
≡ (it) is/becomes responded by somebody
≡ (it) is being/becoming responded by somebody
≡ (it) will be/become responded by somebody |
(he) responds
(he) is responding
(he) will respond |
Adding pronominal prefixes
and suffixes to passive hollow verbs works just like for the active hollow
verbs; however, there is a little difference that regards perfective
hollow verbs.
For the active perfective
hollow verbs, we explained that the
middle long A will be replaced in most conjugations with a specific short
vowel.
|
Conjugation of Perfective Hollow Verbs
(Active Voice) |
|
Form I |
fawal(a) |
aa →
u |
|
fayal(a) |
aa →
i |
|
fa"il(a) |
|
Other Forms |
aa →
a |
In the passive voice of
from I, the resultant middle short vowel will be the opposite of that of
the active verbs.
|
Conjugation of Perfective Hollow Verbs
(Passive
Voice) |
|
Form I |
fawal(a) |
ee
→
i |
|
fayal(a) |
ee
→
u |
|
fa"il(a) |
|
Other Forms |
ee
→
i |
Examples:
|
Passive |
Active |
|
qilt(u) |
قِلْتُ |
qult(u) |
قُلْتُ |
|
≡ (I) was/became said by somebody |
(I) said |
|
bu"t(u) |
بُعْتُ |
bi"t(u) |
بِعْتُ |
|
≡ (I) was/became sold by somebody |
(I) sold |
|
khuft(u) |
خُفْتُ |
khift(u) |
خِفْتُ |
|
≡ (I) was/became feared by somebody |
(I) feared |
|
'uridt(u) |
أُرِدْتُ |
'aradt(u) |
أَرَدْتُ |
|
≡ (I) was/became wanted by somebody |
(I) wanted |
It is
important to note that passive perfective hollow form I verbs are
virtually never used in Modern Standard Arabic in conjugations that
require replacing their middle
ee's
with a short vowel, that is, the above mentioned rule of changing
u
to
i
and
i
to
u
in these verbs is only of theoretical and historical notability but not of
practical one.
4) Defective Verbs
Defective verbs are verbs
whose last original letter is a weak letter.
Since the green short
vowel in the passive perfective
verbs is always
i,
these verbs will always end with
-iy(a).
Examples:
|
Passive |
Active |
|
du"iy(a) |
دُعِيَ |
da"aa |
دَعَاْ |
|
≡ (he/it) was/became called by somebody
≡ (he/it) has been/became called by somebody |
(he) called
(he) has called |
|
'utiy(a) |
أُتِيَ |
'ataa |
أَتَىْ |
|
≡ (he/it) was/became came (to) by somebody
≡ (he/it) has been/became came (to) by somebody |
(he) came (to)
(he) has came (to) |
|
nusiy(a) |
نُسِيَ |
nasiy(a) |
نَسِيَ |
|
≡ (he/it) was/became forgotten by somebody
≡ (he/it) has been/became forgotten by somebody |
(he) forgot
(he) has forgotten |
|
'untuhiy(a) |
اُنْتُهِيَ |
'intahaa |
اِنْتَهَىْ |
|
≡ (it) was/became finished by somebody
≡ (he/it) has been/became finished by somebody |
(he) finished
(he) has finished |
Since the green short
vowel in the passive imperfective
verbs is always
a,
these verbs will always end with
-aa.
Examples:
|
Passive |
Active |
|
yud"aa |
يُدْعَىْ |
yad"uw |
يَدْعُوْ |
|
≡ (he/it) is/becomes called by somebody
≡ (he/it) is being/becoming called by somebody
≡ (he/it) will be/become called by somebody |
(he) calls
(he) is calling
(he) will call |
|
yu'<taa |
يُؤْتَىْ |
ya'<tiy |
يَأْتِيْ |
|
≡ (he/it) is/becomes came (to) by somebody
≡ (he/it) is being/becoming came (to) by somebody
≡ (he/it) will be/become came (to) by somebody |
(he) comes
(he) is coming
(he) will come |
|
yunsaa |
يُنْسَىْ |
yansaa |
يَنْسَىْ |
|
≡ (he/it) is/becomes forgotten by somebody
≡ (he/it) will be/become forgotten by somebody |
(he) forgets
(he) will forget |
|
yuntahaa |
يُنْتَهَىْ |
yantahiy |
يَنْتَهِيْ |
|
≡ (he/it) is/becomes finished by somebody
≡ (he/it) is being/becoming finished by somebody
≡ (he/it) will be/become finished by somebody |
(he) finishes
(he) is finishing
(he) will finish |
Passive defective verbs
take pronominal prefixes and suffixes just like the active verbs.
IV. Enfolding Verbs
Enfolding verbs
are two types:
The first type enfolds the definitions of both
hollow and defective verbs, yet it is always treated as a defective
verb only, and the middle weak letter is treated as if it were a sound
letter.
Examples:
|
Passive |
Active |
|
luwiy(a) |
لُوِيَ |
lawaa |
لَوَىْ |
|
≡ (he/it) was/became bent by
somebody
≡ (he/it) has been/become bent
by somebody |
(he) bent (tr.)
(he) has bent (tr.) |
|
yulwaa |
يُلْوَىْ |
yalwiy |
يَلْوِيْ |
|
≡ (he/it) is/becomes bent by
somebody
≡ (he/it) is being/becoming bent
by somebody
≡ (he/it) will be/become bent by
somebody |
(he) bends (tr.)
(he) is bending (tr.)
(he) will bend (tr.) |
The second type of the enfolding verbs enfolds
the definitions of both Mithaal
and defective verbs. These verbs
get the dealing of both Mithaal
and defective verbs together.
Examples:
|
Passive |
Active |
|
wu"iy(a) |
وُعِيَ |
wa"aa |
وَعَىْ |
|
≡ (he/it) was/became understood by somebody
≡ (he/it) has been/become understood by somebody |
(he) understood
(he) has understood |
|
yuw"aa |
يُوْعَىْ |
ya"iy |
يَعِيْ |
|
≡ (he/it) is/becomes understood by somebody
≡ (he/it) is being/becoming understood by somebody
≡ (he/it) will be/become understood by somebody |
(he) understands
(he) is understanding
(he) will understand |
|
Enfolding Verbs |
|
Root:
C-C-C |
Treat as
defective verbs |
|
Root:
C-C-C |
Treat as
Mithaal
& defective verbs |
Where
C
is a sound consonant, and
C
is a weak consonant.
Transitive
and Intransitive Passive Verbs
The
passive voice is two types, personal passive and impersonal passive.
|
Personal Passive |
He
was known as a smart guy |
|
Impersonal Passive |
It
is now known that this was not true |
The personal passive can only be made out of transitive verbs (verbs that
can have objects).
For
example:
|
Active |
Passive |
|
He
saw
something |
He
was seen |
|
He
ate
something |
He
was eaten |
|
He
smelled
something |
He
was smelt |
|
He
slept
... |
... |
|
He
died
... |
... |
|
He
got sick
... |
... |
Notice
that verbs that cannot have objects (intransitive verbs) like "sleep" and
"die" cannot be made into personal passive; it is not possible to "sleep
something" or "die something," so there is no such thing as for someone
"to be slept" or "to be died."
However,
for the impersonal passive, there is indeed such thing as "to be slept" or
"to be died;" the impersonal passive can be made out of intransitive as
well as transitive verbs.
Examples:
|
Active |
Passive |
|
Somebody
saw |
It
was
seen
(by somebody) |
|
Somebody
ate |
It
was
eaten
(by somebody) |
|
Somebody
smelled |
It
was
smelt
(by somebody) |
|
Somebody
slept |
It
was
slept
(by somebody) |
|
Somebody
died |
It
was
died
(by somebody) |
|
Somebody
got
sick |
It
was
gotten sick
(by somebody) |
In Arabic,
any verb can be made passive.
When
transitive verbs are made
into the passive of the unknown, they will have either one of two
meanings:
|
Personal Passive |
≡ (He) was/became done by somebody |
|
Impersonal Passive |
≡ (It) was/became done by somebody |
When
intransitive verbs are made into the passive of the unknown, they will
have only one meaning:
|
Personal Passive |
--- |
|
Impersonal Passive |
≡ (It) was/became done by somebody |
Examples on passive
intransitive verbs:
|
Passive |
Active |
|
thuhib(a) |
ذُهِبَ |
thahab(a) |
ذَهَبَ |
|
≡ (it) was gone by somebody
) →somebody)
went |
(he) went |
|
tu"ib(a) |
تُعِبَ |
ta"ib(a) |
تَعِبَ |
|
≡ (it) was become tired by somebody
) →somebody)
became tired |
(he)
became tired |
|
furih(a) |
فُرِحَ |
farih(a) |
فَرِحَ |
|
≡ (it) was become happy by somebody
) →somebody)
became happy |
(he)
became happy |
|
suhil(a) |
سُهِلَ |
sahul(a) |
سَهُلَ |
|
≡ (it) was "been"/become
easy(er) by somebody
) →somebody)
was/became
easy(er) |
(he)
was/became easy(er) |
|
surir(a) |
صُغِرَ |
sarur(a) |
صَغُرَ |
|
≡ (it) was "been"/become small(er) by somebody
→ (somebody) was/became small(er) |
(he) was/became small(er) |
|
'untuliq(a) |
اُنْطُلِقَ |
'intalaq(a) |
اِنْطَلَقَ |
|
≡ (it) was "been"/become
launched
by somebody
→ (somebody) was/became
launched |
(he) was/became launched |
|
'ujtuhid(a) |
اُجْتُهِدَ |
'ijtahad(a) |
اِجْتَهَدَ |
|
≡ (it) was "been"/become
diligent
by somebody
→ (somebody) was/became
diligent |
(he) was/became
diligent |
|
'ukhdurr(a) |
اُخْضُرَّ |
'ikhdarr(a) |
اِخْضَرَّ |
|
≡ (it) was greened (up) by somebody
→ (somebody) greened (up) |
(he)
greened (up) |
|
'ustujiyb(a) |
اُسْتُجِيْبَ |
'istajaab(a) |
اِسْتَجَاْبَ |
|
≡ (it) was answered by somebody
→ (somebody) answered |
(he) answered (plea),
responded |
Such passive intransitive
verbs are not uncommon in Arabic. Verb forms that are always or frequently
intransitive include forms VI, VII, IX, X, XI,
fa"ul(a)
verbs of form I, and others.
A
simplified formula for the
meaning of passive intransitive verbs would be:
(Somebody) did
This is
particularly useful for stative verbs which do not have direct English
equivalents such as
ta"ib(a),
farih(a),
sahul(a),
etc.
For
example, the verb:
سَلِمَ
salim(a)
(He)
was/became safe
The
passive is:
سُلِمَ
sulim(a)
(Somebody)
was/became safe
We just
changed "he" to "somebody;" this is simpler than going through the full
formula "it was "been"/become safe
by somebody."
| |
Active
Voice |
Passive
Voice |
|
Transitive Verb |
(He) did |
≡ (He) was/became done by somebody |
|
≡ (Somebody) did |
|
Intransitive Verb |
(He) did |
≡ (Somebody) did |
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