Form IX Verbs (اِفْعَلَّ) | Arabic Morphology (Ṣarf) Lesson 17

Arabic Morphology (Ṣarf) Lesson 17: Form IX Verbs (اِفْعَلَّ)

Tip: Form IX verbs are unique as they primarily describe natural transformations like color changes or physical conditions. Pay special attention to their patterns!

Welcome to Lesson 17! In this lesson, we examine Form IX — a special verb pattern that focuses on describing natural physical states, particularly colors and defects.

Form IX: The Pattern

Base Patterns:

• Past Tense: اِفْعَلَّ
• Present Tense: يَفْعَلُّ
• Masdar (Verbal Noun): اِفْعِلَالٌّ

Note: This form is not productive, meaning you won't create new verbs from it, but you'll recognize it in classical and Qur'anic Arabic.

Common Uses of Form IX

Form IX is typically used to describe:

• ✅ Colors
• ✅ Physical conditions (e.g., being blind, deaf, or paralyzed)
• ✅ Natural changes in body or state

Examples of Color Verbs

اِحْمَرَّ

it became red

(أَحْمَر)

اِصْفَرَّ

it became yellow

(أَصْفَر)

اِخْضَرَّ

it became green

(أَخْضَر)

اِزْرَقَّ

it became blue

(أَزْرَق)

Root	Form IX Verb	Meaning	Related Color
ح-م-ر	اِحْمَرَّ	it became red	أَحْمَر (Red)
ص-ف-ر	اِصْفَرَّ	it became yellow	أَصْفَر (Yellow)
خ-ض-ر	اِخْضَرَّ	it became green	أَخْضَر (Green)

Pronunciation: These verbs often describe transformation into a color or appearance of color over time. The doubled letter (shadda) makes them distinct in sound.

🧑‍⚕️ Examples of Physical Conditions

Root	Form IX Verb	Meaning
ع-و-ر	اِعْوَرَّ	to become one-eyed
ع-م-ي	اِعْمَيَّ	to become blind
ش-ل-ل	اِشْلَلَّ	to become paralyzed

📘 Conjugation of Form IX (اِفْعَلَّ)

Form IX is usually intransitive (doesn't take a direct object) and used mostly in the third person (he/she/it), especially with natural phenomena.

We'll use اِخْضَرَّ (it turned green) as our base example.

Past Tense:

Subject	Arabic	Transliteration
He	اِخْضَرَّ	ikhḍarra
She	اِخْضَرَّتْ	ikhḍarrat
I	اِخْضَرَرْتُ	ikhḍarartu
We	اِخْضَرَرْنَا	ikhḍararnā

Present Tense:

Subject	Arabic	Transliteration
He	يَخْضَرُّ	yakhḍarru
She	تَخْضَرُّ	takhḍarru
I	أَخْضَرُّ	akhḍarru
We	نَخْضَرُّ	nakhḍarru

Important: Because of the doubled letter (shadda), these verbs require careful pronunciation. Practice saying them aloud!

📚 Masdar (Verbal Noun) of Form IX

Pattern: اِفْعِلَالٌّ

Verb	Masdar	Meaning
اِخْضَرَّ	اِخْضِرَارٌّ	greenness / becoming green
اِصْفَرَّ	اِصْفِرَارٌّ	yellowness
اِسْوَدَّ	اِسْوِدَادٌّ	blackness

Practice Exercise

Fill in the chart for the verb اِسْوَدَّ (to become black):

Tense	Arabic	Transliteration
He (Past)	?	?
She (Past)	?	?
He (Present)	?	?
Masdar	?	?

📝 Show Answers

Tense	Arabic	Transliteration
He (Past)	اِسْوَدَّ	iswadda
She (Past)	اِسْوَدَّتْ	iswaddat
He (Present)	يَسْوَدُّ	yaswaddu
Masdar	اِسْوِدَادٌّ	iswidādd

🧠 Summary Table

Form	Pattern	Example	Meaning
Past	اِفْعَلَّ	اِخْضَرَّ	it became green
Present	يَفْعَلُّ	يَخْضَرُّ	it becomes green
Masdar	اِفْعِلَالٌّ	اِخْضِرَارٌّ	becoming green

Conclusion

Form IX is a descriptive and sensory form used for colors and bodily states. Though rare, recognizing it helps you understand Arabic poetry, Qur'anic style, and natural description.

Coming Up Next (Lesson 18): We'll study the final core derived form: Form X (اِسْتَفْعَلَ), which often expresses seeking, requesting, or asking for an action.