Form V Verbs (تَفَعَّلَ) | Arabic Morphology (Ṣarf) Lesson 13

Arabic Morphology (Ṣarf) Lesson 13: Form V Verbs (تَفَعَّلَ)

Welcome to Lesson 13! In today's lesson, we will study Form V verbs, built from Form II by adding the prefix "تَـ". This form often reflects reflexive, intensive, or repetitive meanings.

Form V: The Pattern

Base Patterns:

• Past Tense: تَفَعَّلَ
• Present Tense: يَتَفَعَّلُ
• Masdar (Verbal Noun): تَفَعُّلٌ

Example Root: ع-ل-م (to know)

• Form II: عَلَّمَ = to teach
• Form V: تَعَلَّمَ = to learn (reflexive)

Common Meanings of Form V

Form V often indicates:

• ✅ Reflexive action (doing the action to oneself)
• ✅ Intensive action (done with effort or repeatedly)
• ✅ Passive/undergoing Form II meaning

Meaning Types with Examples:

Root	Form V	Meaning	Type
ع-ل-م	تَعَلَّمَ	to learn	Reflexive of "to teach"
ك-س-ب	تَكَسَّبَ	to earn for oneself	Reflexive
ص-ب-ر	تَصَبَّرَ	to be patient	Intensive
ك-ل-م	تَكَلَّمَ	to speak	Repetitive / derived act
ن-ظ-م	تَنَظَّمَ	to organize oneself	Reflexive

📘 Form V Past Tense Conjugation (تَفَعَّلَ)

Using تَعَلَّمَ (he learned):

Subject	Arabic	Transliteration
He	تَعَلَّمَ	taʿallama
They (dual)	تَعَلَّمَا	taʿallamā
They (pl. m)	تَعَلَّمُوا	taʿallamū
She	تَعَلَّمَتْ	taʿallamat
They (pl. f)	تَعَلَّمْنَ	taʿallamna
You (m)	تَعَلَّمْتَ	taʿallamta
You (f)	تَعَلَّمْتِ	taʿallamti
I	تَعَلَّمْتُ	taʿallamtu
We	تَعَلَّمْنَا	taʿallamnā

📗 Form V Present Tense Conjugation (يَتَفَعَّلُ)

Using يَتَعَلَّمُ (he learns):

Subject	Arabic	Transliteration
He	يَتَعَلَّمُ	yataʿallamu
She	تَتَعَلَّمُ	tataʿallamu
I	أَتَعَلَّمُ	ataʿallamu
You (m)	تَتَعَلَّمُ	tataʿallamu
You (f)	تَتَعَلَّمِينَ	tataʿallamīna
We	نَتَعَلَّمُ	nataʿallamu
They (pl. m)	يَتَعَلَّمُونَ	yataʿallamūna
You (pl. m)	تَتَعَلَّمُونَ	tataʿallamūna
They (pl. f)	يَتَعَلَّمْنَ	yataʿallamna

Masdar (Verbal Noun) of Form V

Pattern: تَفَعُّلٌ

Verb	Masdar	Meaning
تَعَلَّمَ	تَعَلُّمٌ	learning
تَفَكَّرَ	تَفَكُّرٌ	thinking, reflection
تَكَلَّمَ	تَكَلُّمٌ	speaking
تَدَبَّرَ	تَدَبُّرٌ	contemplation

💡 Note: These masdars are frequently used as nouns in religious and formal contexts.

📝 Practice Activity

Conjugate the Form V verb تَفَكَّرَ (he reflected) in the past and present:

Tense	Arabic	Transliteration
He (Past)	?	?
I (Past)	?	?
He (Present)	?	?
We (Present)	?	?

📝 Show Answers

Tense	Arabic	Transliteration
He (Past)	تَفَكَّرَ	tafakkara
I (Past)	تَفَكَّرْتُ	tafakkartu
He (Present)	يَتَفَكَّرُ	yatafakkaru
We (Present)	نَتَفَكَّرُ	natafakkaru

🔄 Summary Table

Form	Pattern	Example	Meaning
Past	تَفَعَّلَ	تَعَلَّمَ	He learned
Present	يَتَفَعَّلُ	يَتَعَلَّمُ	He learns
Masdar	تَفَعُّلٌ	تَعَلُّمٌ	Learning

Conclusion

Form V verbs are a natural extension of Form II and allow you to express more nuanced ideas, like learning, trying, reflecting, or doing something repeatedly. This is a powerful form that appears frequently in both Qur'anic Arabic and modern usage.

🔜 Coming Up Next (Lesson 14):
We'll study Form VI (تَفَاعَلَ) — used for mutual actions, participation, and group interactions.