Morphology Lesson 6: Derived Verb Forms (أوزان الثلاثي المزيد)

Morphology Lesson 6: Derived Verb Forms (أوزان الثلاثي المزيد)

Welcome back to your Arabic Morphology journey! So far, we’ve covered the basic Form I verb in the past and present tense, as well as the verbal noun (المصدر). Now it’s time to explore one of the most powerful tools in Arabic morphology:

🌟 The 10 Derived Verb Forms (الأوزان المزيدة) that expand meaning from single roots through systematic patterns.

The Magic of Derived Forms

✨

By adding letters to 3-letter roots, Arabic creates new verb forms with predictable meaning shifts — like causation, reciprocity, or reflexivity.

كَتَبَ (wrote) → كَتَّبَ (made write) → كَاتَبَ (corresponded)

The 10 Forms at a Glance

Form	Pattern	Example	Function
I	فَعَلَ	كَتَبَ	Basic action
II	فَعَّلَ	كَتَّبَ	Causative/Intensive
III	فَاعَلَ	كَاتَبَ	Mutual action
IV	أَفْعَلَ	أَكْتَبَ	Strong causative
V	تَفَعَّلَ	تَعَلَّمَ	Reflexive of II
VI	تَفَاعَلَ	تَكَاتَبَ	Mutual of III
VII	اِنْفَعَلَ	اِنْكَسَرَ	Passive of I
VIII	اِفْتَعَلَ	اِشْتَرَى	Reflexive/Middle
IX	اِفْعَلَّ	اِحْمَرَّ	Colors/Defects
X	اِسْتَفْعَلَ	اِسْتَغْفَرَ	Seeking action

One Root, Many Meanings: ك-ت-ب

كَتَبَ

Form I: "he wrote"

كَتَّبَ

Form II: "he made write"

كَاتَبَ

Form III: "he corresponded"

أَكْتَبَ

Form IV: "he dictated"

تَكَتَّبَ

Form V: "he trained in writing"

تَكَاتَبَ

Form VI: "they exchanged letters"

اِكْتَتَبَ

Form VIII: "he registered"

اِسْتَكْتَبَ

Form X: "he commissioned writing"

How Forms Change Meaning

Form II (فَعَّلَ)

Causative/Intensive:

عَلَّمَ (he taught)
From عَلِمَ (he knew)

Form V (تَفَعَّلَ)

Reflexive:

تَعَلَّمَ (he learned)
From عَلَّمَ (he taught)

Form VII (اِنْفَعَلَ)

Passive:

اِنْكَسَرَ (it was broken)
From كَسَرَ (he broke)

Form X (اِسْتَفْعَلَ)

Seeking:

اِسْتَغْفَرَ (he sought forgiveness)
From غَفَرَ (he forgave)

Form Identification Quiz

Identify which form these verbs belong to:

اِسْتَمَعَ

Select Form... I - فَعَلَ IV - أَفْعَلَ VIII - اِفْتَعَلَ

قَاتَلَ

Select Form... II - فَعَّلَ III - فَاعَلَ X - اِسْتَفْعَلَ

Correct Answers:

اِسْتَمَعَ = Form X (he listened attentively)

قَاتَلَ = Form III (he fought [mutually])

Mastery Tips

📊

Focus first on Forms II, III, IV, V, VII, X (most common)

🔍

Spot patterns in Quranic verbs - Surah Al-Fatihah has Forms I, II, IV, VIII

🗂️

Group verbs by form when learning new vocabulary

You've Unlocked Advanced Arabic!

With these 10 forms, you can now analyze and understand thousands of derived verbs.

Next lesson: Passive Voice in Derived Forms

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