The present tense is the most common tense used in everyday conversations. That’s why it’s important to thoroughly understand how to use the present tense of Arabic verbs.
Understanding the Present Tense in Arabic
In Arabic, the present tense is called “الفِعْلِ المُضارِع” (al-fi’l al-mudarri’). This tense is used to describe actions that are happening right now or actions that regularly occur. Arabic present tense verbs have specific markers that help distinguish them from other tenses.
How to Identify Present Tense in Arabic
In Arabic, present tense verbs begin with one of these four letters: أ (alif), ي (yaa), ت (taa), or ن (noon). These are known as the “present form letters” (حُرُوفُ الْمُضَارَعَةِ).
Here’s how each letter functions:
- أ (Alif) – Used for the first person singular (I). Example: أنا أكتب (ana aktub) – “I write.”
- ن (Noon) – Used for the first person plural (we). Example: نحن نكتب (nahnu naktub) – “We write.”
- ت (Taa) – Used for the second person (you) in all genders and numbers.
- For masculine singular: أنت تكتب (anta taktub) – “You write.”
- For feminine singular: أنتِ تكتبين (anti taktubeen) – “You write.”
- ي (Yaa) – Used for the third person:
- Masculine singular: هو يكتب (huwa yaktub) – “He writes.”
- Feminine singular: هي تكتب (hiya taktub) – “She writes.”
- Dual: هما يكتبان (huma yaktuban) – “They (dual) write.”
- Plural: هم يكتبون (hum yaktuboon) – “They write.”
Additional Letter Markers
Sometimes, present tense verbs also include suffixes like -āni, -ūna, or -īna to indicate dual, plural, or feminine forms:
- Dual: -āni (e.g., أنتما تكتبان (antuma taktubani) – “You (dual) write.”)
- Plural: -ūna (e.g., أنتم تكتبون (antum taktuboon) – “You (plural) write.”)
- Feminine: -īna (e.g., أنتِ تكتبين (anti taktubeen) – “You (feminine) write.”)
Understanding these markers will help you recognize and use the present tense correctly in Arabic.
RELATED: Arabic Past Tense CONJUGATION, 14 Forms With Examples
14 Forms Of Present Tense in Arabic
The Arabic present tense verbs are divided into 14 forms according to person, gender and number. Since a verb must agree with its subject in both number and gender, so the shape of present tense verbs in Arabic looks as follows:
English Pronoun | Arabic Pronouns | Arabic Present Verbs |
Singular | ||
I | أنا | أكْتُبُ |
You (masc.) | أنتَ | تكْتُبُ |
You (fem.) | أنتِ | تكْتُبين |
He or it | هُوَ | يكْتُبُ |
She or It | هي | تكْتُبُ |
Dual | ||
We(No dual) | نحن | نكْتُبُ |
You two (masc. orfem.) | انتما | تكْتُبان |
They (masc.) Two | هما | يكْتُبان |
They (fem.) two | هما | تَكْتُبَان |
Plural | ||
We | نحن | نكْتَبُ |
you (group masc.) | أنتم | تكْتَبونَ |
you (group fem.) | أنتن | تكْتَبُن |
they (groupmasc.) | هم | يكْتَبونَ |
they (group fem.) | هن | يكْتَبُن |
Arabic Present Tense Conjugation
In Arabic, verb conjugation involves changing the base letters of a verb to reflect different tenses, genders, and numbers. This process helps to show who is doing the action and how it relates to time.
To understand how to conjugate an Arabic present tense verb, let’s use the base letters س (s), م (m), and ع (a). These letters give the meaning of “hearing.”
For example, to form the present tense verb from these base letters, we use the pattern يَفْعَلُ. Applying this pattern to our base letters, we get يَسْمَعُ (yasma’u), which means “he hears,” “he is hearing,” or “he will hear.”
The present tense verb can follow three patterns: يَفْعَلُ, يَفْعِلُ, or يَفْعُلُ. For many cases, you will mostly use one pattern and may ignore the others for simplicity.
Here is a basic overview of how Arabic present tense verbs are conjugated:
- Prefix: The verb starts with one of the following letters: ي (yaa), ت (taa), أ (alif), or ن (noon). This prefix changes depending on who is performing the action.
- Suffix: The verb may also have a suffix that provides additional details about the subject or the action.
For example, using the base letters س، م، ع:
- Prefix ي: يَسْمَعُ (he hears)
- Prefix ت: تَسْمَعُ (you hear, singular)
- Prefix أ: أَسْمَعُ (I hear)
- Prefix ن: نَسْمَعُ (we hear)
Understanding these patterns and prefixes will help you correctly use Arabic present tense verbs in your conversations.
Arabic Present Tense Conjugation Table/ chart
Singular | Dual | Plural | |
---|---|---|---|
Third Person (Male) | يسمع | يسمعان | يسمعون |
Third Person (Female) | تسمع | تسمعان | يسمعن |
Second Person (Male) | تسمع | تسمعان | تسمعون |
Second Person (Female) | تسمعين | تسمعان | تسمعن |
First Person | أسمع | نسمع |
From this, we know that ذَهَبَ means “he went” and يَذْهَبُ means “he goes” ”he is going” and “he will go”.
Arabic Present Tense Conjugation Simplified
Once you know the base form of a verb, which is for “he,” you can easily form the verb for “you,” “she,” “I,” and “we” by changing the first letter. For example:
- He goes – يَذْهَبُ (yadhhabu)
- You go – تَذْهَبُ (tadhhabu)
- She goes – تَذْهَبُ (tadhhabu)
- I go – أَذْهَبُ (azhabu)
- We go – نَذْهَبُ (nazhabu)
By switching the first letter between ي (yaa), ت (taa), أ (alif), and ن (noon), you change the subject. Note that ت (taa) is used for both feminine and second person.
To form the dual (for two people):
- They both go – يَذْهَبَانِ (yadhhabani)
- You both go – تَذْهَبَانِ (tadhhabani)
To form the plural (for a group with at least one male):
- They all go – يَذْهَبُونَ (yadhhaboona)
- You all go – تَذْهَبُونَ (tadhhaboona)
To talk to a single feminine person:
- You (f.) go – تَذْهَبِينَ (tadhhabeena)
When forming the feminine plural (more than two females), you use:
- They (f.) all go – يَذْهَبْنَ (yadhhabna)
- You (f.) all go – تَذْهَبْنَ (tadhhabna)
In these cases, the verb starts with ي or ت. If the verb starts with أ or ن, you won’t add anything to the end.
Verb Cases in Arabic
- Raf’ (رفع): The default state of the present tense verb. For example:
- يَشْرَبُ (yashrabu) – “he drinks.”
- Naṣb (نصب): This case is used with particles like “لن” (lan) to indicate negation. The last letter changes to a fatḥah:
- لَنْ يَشْرَبَ (lan yashraba) – “he will not drink.”
- Jazm (جزم): This case is used with particles like “لم” (lam). The last letter changes to a sukoon:
- لَمْ يَشْرَبْ (lam yashrab) – “he did not drink.”
Understanding these rules will help you use present tense verbs correctly in different contexts.