South Levantine Arabic verbs are usually derived from a three letter root (trilateral), however some verbs have a root of four letters (quadrilateral).
The root can either be regular or have a type of “weakness”.
Defective verbs end in one of the letters Alif (ا), Yā' (ي) or Alif Maqṣura (ى) in the past tense.
A final ي (-i) in the past tense usually becomes ى (-a) in the non-past and vice versa.
A final ا (-a) is derived from Hamza (أ) in MSA. It remains unchanged.
Past | Subjunctive |
---|---|
نسي (nisi) | ينسى (yinsa) |
حكى (ḥaka) | يحكي (yiḥki) |
قرا (ʔara) | يقرا (yiʔra) |
Hollow verbs have Alif (ا), Wāw (و) or Yā' (ي) as their middle letter.
The past tense always has the middle letter ا (ā), usually becoming or ي (ī) or و (ū) and sometimes remain ا (ā) in the non-past.
Past | Subjunctive |
---|---|
جاب (jāb) | يجاب (yjīb) |
راح (rāḥ) | يروح (yrūḥ) |
نام (nām) | ينام (ynām) |
Hollow verbs become regular in the forms II, III, V and VI, as the middle letter is pronounced as consonant (e.g. راح (rāḥ) → روّح (rawwaḥ)).
If verbs have the same middle and final root letter, these are merged into one geminate consonant.
The past tense always has the middle vowel “a”, usually becoming “e/i” or “o/u” and sometimes remain “a” in the non-past.
Past | Subjunctive |
---|---|
حسّ (ḥass) | يحسّ (yḥess) |
رشّ (rašš) | يرشّ (yrošš) |
ضلّ (ḍall) | يضلّ (yḍall) |
These verbs become regular in the forms II, III, V and VI (e.g. حسّ (ḥass) → حسّس (ḥassas)).
Some verbs with the first root letter Hamza (أ) or Wāw (و) are assimilated, others completely regular.
This means that the first letter becomes a long vowel in the non-past.
Past | Subjunctive |
---|---|
أكل (ʔakal) | ياكل (yākol) |
وصل (wiṣel) | يوصل (yūṣal) |
There are 10 verb forms in Levantine Arabic. The basic form is form I. Other forms are derived from form I by adding prefixes and/or geminating consonants.
Verbs derived from the same root usually have related meanings in the different forms.
Quadrilateral verbs can only have two forms (Iq and IIq) corresponding to form II and V but with two middle consonants instead a geminate one.
Form | Root | Patterns | Meaning | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Past | Subjunctive | |||
I | regular | faʕal, fiʕil | yifʕal, yifʕil, yufʕul | |
defective | faʕa, fiʕi | yifʕa, yifʕi | ||
hollow | fāl | yfāl, yfīl, yfūl | ||
doubled | fall | yfall, yfill, yfull | ||
II, Iq | regular | faʕʕal | yfaʕʕil | |
defective | faʕʕa | yfaʕʕi | ||
III | regular | fāʕal | yfāʕil | |
defective | fāʕa | yfāʕi | ||
IV | regular | ʾafʕal | yifʕil | |
defective | ʾafʕa | yifʕi | ||
V, IIq | regular | tfaʕʕal | yifaʕʕal | |
defective | tfaʕʕa | yitfaʕʕa | ||
VI | regular | tfāʕal | yitfāʕal | |
defective | tfāʕa | yitfāʕa | ||
VII | regular | infaʕal | yinfaʕil | |
defective | infaʕa | yinfaʕi | ||
VIII | regular | iftaʕal | yiftaʕil | |
defective | iftaʕa | yiftaʕi | ||
IX | regular | ifʕall | yifʕall | |
X | regular | istafʕal | yistaʕfil | |
defective | istafʕa | yistafʕi |
Person | Pattern | Example | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
3rd | sing. | masc. | stem | درس (dáras) |
fem. | stem + at | درست (dársat) | ||
plural | stem + u | درسوا (dárasu) | ||
2nd | sing. | masc. | stem + t | درست (darást) |
fem. | stem + ti | درستي (darásti) | ||
plural | stem + tu | درستوا (darástu) | ||
1st | singular | stem + t | درست (darást) | |
plural | stem + na | درسنا (darásna) |
Person | Stressed prefix | Unstressed prefix | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pattern | Example | Pattern | Example | |||
3rd | sing. | masc. | yí + stem | يدرس (yúdrus) | y + stem | يعلّم (yʕállim) |
fem. | tí + stem | تدرس (túdrus) | t + stem | تعلّم (tʕállim) | ||
plural | yí + stem + u | يدرسوا (yúdrusu) | y + stem + u | يعلّموا (yʕállimu) | ||
2nd | sing. | masc. | tí + stem | تدرس (túdrus) | t + stem | تعلّم (tʕállim) |
fem. | tí + stem + i | تدرسي (túdrusi) | t + stem + i | تعلّمي (tʕállimi) | ||
plural | tí + stem + u | تدرسوا (túdrusu) | t + stem + u | تعلّموا (tʕállimu) | ||
1st | singular | ʔá + stem | أدرس (ʔádrus) | ʔa + stem | أعلّم (ʔaʕállim) | |
plural | ní + stem | ندرس (núdrus) | n + stem | نعلّم (nʕállim) |
Person | Stressed prefix | Unstressed prefix | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pattern | Example | Pattern | Example | |||
3rd | sing. | masc. | bí + stem | بدرس (búdrus) | bi + stem | بعلّم (biʕállim) |
fem. | btí + stem | بتدرس (btúdrus) | bit + stem | بتعلّم (bitʕállim) | ||
plural | yí + stem + u | بدرسوا (búdrusu) | bi + stem + u | بعلّموا (biʕállimu) | ||
2nd | sing. | masc. | btí + stem | بتدرس (btúdrus) | bit + stem | بتعلّم (bitʕállim) |
fem. | btí + stem + i | بتدرسي (btúdrusi) | bit + stem + i | بتعلّمي (bitʕállimi) | ||
plural | btí + stem + u | بتدرسوا (btúdrusu) | bit + stem + u | بتعلّموا (bitʕállimu) | ||
1st | singular | bá + stem | بدرس (bádrus) | ba + stem | بعلّم (baʕállim) | |
plural | mní + stem | مندرس (mnúdrus) | min + stem | منعلّم (minʕállim) |