Form VIII Verbs (اِفْتَعَلَ) | Arabic Morphology (Ṣarf) Lesson 16

Arabic Morphology (Ṣarf) Lesson 16: Form VIII Verbs (اِفْتَعَلَ)

Welcome to Lesson 16! In this lesson, we study Form VIII, which often conveys meanings of effort, seeking, internalization, or reflexivity. It is used in a wide range of contexts, both classical and modern.

Form VIII: The Pattern

Base Patterns:

• Past Tense: اِفْتَعَلَ
• Present Tense: يَفْتَعِلُ
• Masdar (Verbal Noun): اِفْتِعَالٌ

Example Root: س-م-ع (to hear)

• Form I: سَمِعَ = he heard
• Form VIII: اِسْتَمَعَ = he listened (with intention)

Note: Sometimes the "t" in the pattern merges or adapts depending on the root letters. For example:

اِضْطَرَبَ (from root ض-ر-ب): the ت becomes ط for easier pronunciation.

Common Meanings of Form VIII

Form VIII verbs typically express:

• ✅ Seeking or striving (deliberate effort)
• ✅ Reflexive meaning (doing the action to oneself)
• ✅ Internalization of the root meaning
• ✅ Reciprocity or involvement

Meaning Types with Examples:

Root	Form VIII	Meaning	Type
س-م-ع	اِسْتَمَعَ	he listened	Deliberate effort
ك-ت-ب	اِكْتَتَبَ	he enrolled (e.g., in a course)	Seeking/writing for self
ج-م-ع	اِجْتَمَعَ	they gathered	Reflexive/reciprocal
غ-ف-ر	اِغْتَفَرَ	he forgave	Internal meaning
ش-ر-ك	اِشْتَرَكَ	he subscribed/participated	Participation

📘 Form VIII Past Tense Conjugation (اِفْتَعَلَ)

Using اِسْتَمَعَ (he listened):

Subject	Arabic	Transliteration
He	اِسْتَمَعَ	istamaʿa
They (dual)	اِسْتَمَعَا	istamaʿā
They (pl. m)	اِسْتَمَعُوا	istamaʿū
She	اِسْتَمَعَتْ	istamaʿat
They (pl. f)	اِسْتَمَعْنَ	istamaʿna
You (m)	اِسْتَمَعْتَ	istamaʿta
You (f)	اِسْتَمَعْتِ	istamaʿti
I	اِسْتَمَعْتُ	istamaʿtu
We	اِسْتَمَعْنَا	istamaʿnā

📗 Form VIII Present Tense Conjugation (يَفْتَعِلُ)

Using يَسْتَمِعُ (he listens):

Subject	Arabic	Transliteration
He	يَسْتَمِعُ	yastamiʿu
She	تَسْتَمِعُ	tastamiʿu
I	أَسْتَمِعُ	astamiʿu
You (m)	تَسْتَمِعُ	tastamiʿu
You (f)	تَسْتَمِعِينَ	tastamiʿīna
We	نَسْتَمِعُ	nastamiʿu
They (pl. m)	يَسْتَمِعُونَ	yastamiʿūna
You (pl. m)	تَسْتَمِعُونَ	tastamiʿūna
They (pl. f)	يَسْتَمِعْنَ	yastamiʿna

📚 Masdar (Verbal Noun) of Form VIII

Pattern: اِفْتِعَالٌ

Verb	Masdar	Meaning
اِسْتَمَعَ	اِسْتِمَاعٌ	listening
اِشْتَرَكَ	اِشْتِرَاكٌ	subscription / participation
اِجْتَمَعَ	اِجْتِمَاعٌ	meeting
اِعْتَذَرَ	اِعْتِذَارٌ	apology
اِفْتَتَحَ	اِفْتِتَاحٌ	opening (event)

📝 Practice Activity

Conjugate the Form VIII verb اِشْتَرَكَ (he participated) in past and present:

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

📝 Show Answers

Tense	Arabic	Transliteration
He (Past)	اِشْتَرَكَ	ishtaraka
I (Past)	اِشْتَرَكْتُ	ishtaraktu
He (Present)	يَشْتَرِكُ	yashtariku
We (Present)	نَشْتَرِكُ	nashtariku

Summary Table

Form	Pattern	Example	Meaning
Past	اِفْتَعَلَ	اِسْتَمَعَ	He listened
Present	يَفْتَعِلُ	يَسْتَمِعُ	He listens
Masdar	اِفْتِعَالٌ	اِسْتِمَاعٌ	Listening

Conclusion

Form VIII adds depth and nuance to verbs by expressing intent, participation, or internalized action. It's widely used in Qur'anic Arabic, news media, and everyday speech.

🔜 Coming Up Next (Lesson 17):
We'll look at Form IX (اِفْعَلَّ), a less common form used mainly for describing colors and physical conditions.