Form III Verbs – Conjugation & Meaning | Arabic Morphology (Ṣarf) Lesson 9

Arabic Morphology (Ṣarf) Lesson 9: Form III Verbs – Conjugation & Meaning

Welcome back! So far, we've studied Form I and Form II in detail. In this lesson, we dive into Form III (باب فَاعَلَ) — a derived form that expands the basic root into meanings of interaction, participation, or attempt.

What Is Form III?

Form III adds an alif (ا) between the first and second root letters.

Base Pattern:

• Past tense: فَاعَلَ
• Present tense: يُفَاعِلُ

Using the root ك-ت-ب (to write), Form III becomes:

• كَاتَبَ = He corresponded (wrote to someone)
• يُكَاتِبُ = He corresponds

Common Meaning of Form III

Form III often expresses:

• ✅ Participation or interaction (someone else is involved)
• ✅ Mutual action
• ✅ Attempt or intention

Examples

Root	Form I	Form III	Meaning
ك-ت-ب	كَتَبَ he wrote	كَاتَبَ he corresponded	Correspondence
س-ل-م	سَلِمَ he was safe	سَالَمَ he made peace with	Making peace
ق-ت-ل	قَتَلَ he killed	قَاتَلَ he fought	Mutual combat
ج-ل-س	جَلَسَ he sat	جَالَسَ he sat with	Sitting with someone

Form III Past Tense – Conjugation (فَاعَلَ)

Example: قَاتَلَ (He fought)

Subject	Arabic	Transliteration
He	قَاتَلَ	qātala
They (dual)	قَاتَلَا	qātalā
They (pl. m)	قَاتَلُوا	qātalū
She	قَاتَلَتْ	qātalat
They (pl. f)	قَاتَلْنَ	qātalna
You (m)	قَاتَلْتَ	qātalta
You (f)	قَاتَلْتِ	qātalti
I	قَاتَلْتُ	qātaltu
We	قَاتَلْنَا	qātalnā

Form III Present Tense – Conjugation (يُفَاعِلُ)

Example: يُقَاتِلُ (He fights)

Subject	Arabic	Transliteration
He	يُقَاتِلُ	yuqātilu
She	تُقَاتِلُ	tuqātilu
You (m)	تُقَاتِلُ	tuqātilu
I	أُقَاتِلُ	uqātilu
We	نُقَاتِلُ	nuqātilu
You (f)	تُقَاتِلِينَ	tuqātilīna
They (dual)	يُقَاتِلَانِ	yuqātilāni
You (pl. m)	تُقَاتِلُونَ	tuqātilūna
They (pl. m)	يُقَاتِلُونَ	yuqātilūna
They (pl. f)	يُقَاتِلْنَ	yuqātilna

Characteristics of Form III Verbs

• ✅ Has alif (ا) after the first root letter
• ✅ Past tense follows فَاعَلَ pattern
• ✅ Present tense follows يُفَاعِلُ pattern
• ✅ Often shows reciprocal or attempted actions

Practice: Fill in the Table

Root	Form I	Form III	Meaning
ع-ر-ف	?	?	to get to know someone
ل-ع-ب	?	?	to play with / compete
ك-ل-م	?	?	to speak with someone

📝 Click to show answers

Root	Form I	Form III	Meaning
ع-ر-ف	عَرَفَ	عَارَفَ	to become acquainted with
ل-ع-ب	لَعِبَ	لَاعَبَ	to play with / compete
ك-ل-م	كَلَّمَ	كَالَمَ	to talk with someone

Conclusion

Form III opens up expressive verbs for:

• Social interaction
• Dialogue and communication
• Mutual or competitive actions

You've now added another layer to your Arabic morphology skills!

🔜 Coming Up Next (Lesson 10):
We'll explore the Verbal Noun (Masdar) and Passive Voice for Form III verbs — how to form them and when to use them.