Download Arabic Verb Inflectional Morphology1 Tense/aspect morphology

Middlebury College Arabic Linguistics Spring 2012 Arabic Verb Inflectional Morphology1 Arabic verbs inflect for the following grammatical categories: 1. Subject agreement in person (1st, 2nd, and 3rd), number (singular ‫ُفرد‬
َ ‫الم‬, dual ‫المُث ّنى‬, and plural ‫)الجمع‬, and gender (masculine ‫ر‬
‫المُذ َّك‬ and feminine ‫)المُؤ َّنث‬, َ
2. Tense/aspect (perfect ‫الماضي‬ vs. imperfect ‫)المضارع‬, 3. Mood (indicative ‫المرفوع‬, subjunctive ‫المنصوب‬, and the jussive ‫)المجزوم‬, and 4. Voice (active ‫ال َمعلوم‬ vs. passive ‫)ال َمجھول‬. We discuss the morphology and uses of each in turn. Tense/aspect morphology Verb morphology in the perfect ‫الماضي‬ 
The perfect is mainly used in past tense contexts. .‫ﺳﺎﻓرت ﺑﻧت أﺧﻲ إﻟﻰ اﻻﻛوادور ﻓﻲ اﻟﺳﻧﺔ اﻟﻣﺎﺿﻳﺔ‬
.‫ﺣﺿرت ﺣﻔﻠﺔ ﻣوﺳﻳﻘﻳﺔ أﻣس‬
.‫ﺑدأت دراﺳﺔ اﻟﻌرﺑﻳﺔ ﻣﻧذ ﺳﻧﺗﻳن‬

The perfect is also used in what is called hypothetical past, as in conditional clauses introduced by ‫لو‬/‫إذا‬ (= ‘if’). .‫ﻟو ﻛﻧت ﻣﻠﻳوﻧﻳ اًر ﻻﺷﺗرﻳت طﺎﺋرة ﺧﺎﺻﺔ‬
.‫إذا ﻛﺎن اﻟﺟو ﻣﺷﻣﺳﺎً ﻏداً ﺳﺄذﻫب إﻟﻰ ﺑﻳرﻟﻧﺟﺗون‬
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This handout is based on Chapters 21, 34, and 35, of Karin Ryding’s A Reference Grammar for Modern Standard Arabic, which is on reserve at the Davis Library. 1 Middlebury College Arabic Linguistics Spring 2012 Verb morphology in the imperfect ‫المضارع‬ 
The imperfect is used with habitual events and actions in‐progress. .‫ﻫم ﻳﻠﻌﺑون ﻛرة اﻟﻘدم اﻵن‬
.‫ﻧﺣن ﻧدرس ﻋﻠم اﻟﻠﺳﺎﻧﻳﺎت اﻟﻌرﺑﻳﺔ ﻓﻲ ﻫذا اﻟﻔﺻﻝ اﻟدراﺳﻲ‬
.‫واﻟدﻫﺎ ﻳﻌﻣﻝ ﻓﻲ ﻗﺳم اﻟﺗرﺟﻣﺔ ﺑﺎﻷﻣم اﻟﻣﺗﺣدة ﻣﻧذ ﻋﺷر ﺳﻧوات‬
Expressing the future ‫المستقبل‬ in MSA The future is expressed via the prefix ‫سـ‬ or the morpheme ‫وف‬
َ
َ ‫س‬ before the imperfect form of َ
the verb. .‫ﺳﺄﻋود إﻟﻰ ﻏرﻓﺗﻲ ﺑﻌد اﻟﺻف‬
.‫ﺳوف ﻧﺳﺎﻓر إﻟﻰ وﻻﻳﺔ ﻧﻳوﻳورك ﻓﻲ ﻋطﻠﺔ اﻟرﺑﻳﻊ‬
2 Middlebury College Arabic Linguistics Spring 2012 Mood morphology Verb morphology in the indicative mood ‫المضارع المرفوع‬ 
The indicative mood is the default form of the verb in Arabic. If no subjunctive or jussive particle occurs before the verb, the verb will appear in the indicative form. .‫أذﻫب إﻟﻰ ﺻف اﻟﻌرﺑﻳﺔ ﻛﻝ ﺻﺑﺎح ﻓﻲ اﻟﺳﺎﻋﺔ اﻟﺛﺎﻣﻧﺔ‬
ُ
‫ﺗﻔﺗﺢ اﻟﻣﻛﺗﺑﺔ؟‬
ُ ‫ﻫﻝ ﺗﻌرﻓﻳن ﻓﻲ أي ﺳﺎﻋﺔ‬
3 ‫‪ Spring 2012 ‬‬
‫‪Middlebury College ‬‬
‫‪Arabic Linguistics ‬‬
‫‪ ‬المضارع المنصوب‪Verb morphology in the subjunctive mood ‬‬
‫‪ ‬‬
‫‪The subjunctive mood indicates the speaker’s attitude towards the event, and is marked by ‬‬
‫‪‬‬
‫‪ ‬لن‪ – ‬ح ّتى‪ – ‬ل َكي‪َ – ‬كي‪ ‐ ‬لِـ‪ – ‬أنْ ‪a set of particles: ‬‬
‫َ‬
‫أن ﻳﺗرك أﺳرﺗﻪ ﻓﻲ ﻣﺻر‪.‬‬
‫ﻋﻧدﻩ ﻓرﺻﺔ ﻋﻣﻝ ﻣﻣﺗﺎزة ﻓﻲ اﻹﻣﺎرات ﻟﻛﻧﻪ ﻻ ﻳرﻳد ْ‬
‫ﺗﺗﻛﻠم ﻣﻌﻲ‪ .‬ﻻ أﻋرف ﻟﻣﺎذا‪.‬‬
‫ﻫﻲ ﺗرﻓض أن‬
‫َ‬
‫ﻧدرس اﻟﻠﻐﺔ اﻟﻌرﺑﻳﺔ‪.‬‬
‫ﻧدرس‪/‬ﺣﺗّﻰ‬
‫ﻧدرس‪/‬ﻟﻛﻲ‬
‫ﻟﻧدرس‪/‬ﻛﻲ‬
‫ﺳﺎﻓرﻧﺎ إﻟﻰ اﻷردن ﻓﻲ اﻟﺧرﻳف اﻟﻣﺎﺿﻲ‬
‫َ‬
‫َ‬
‫َ‬
‫َ‬
‫أذﻫب إﻟﻰ ﺻف اﻟﻌرﺑﻳﺔ ﻏدا ﻷﻧﻲ ﻣرﻳض‪.‬‬
‫ﻟن‬
‫َ‬
‫‪ ‬‬
‫‪ ‬‬
‫‪4 ‬‬
‫‪ ‬‬
Middlebury College Arabic Linguistics Spring 2012 Verb morphology in the jussive mood ‫المضارع المجزوم‬

The jussive mood is typically marked by the negative particle ‫لَم‬ and the conditional particle ْ‫إن‬. .‫ﻳذﻫب إﻟﻰ اﻟﺻف أﻣس ﻷﻧﻪ ﻣرﻳض‬
‫ﻟم‬
ْ
.‫ﺗﻧﺟﺢ‬
‫ﺗذاﻛر‬
‫إن‬
ْ
ْ

The verb also appears in the jussive in the imperative. The imperative in MSA is identical to the imperfect verb form minus the prefix ta‐. !‫ذاﻛروا‬

ِ ‫ِا‬
!‫ﺟﻠﺳﻲ‬
!‫س‬
ْ ‫در‬
ُ ُ‫ا‬
When the negative is in the imperative, however, the verb appears in the imperfect form with the ta‐ prefix, and still in the jussive mood. !‫ﻻ ﺗذاﻛروا‬
5 ِ ‫ﻻ‬
!‫ﺗﺟﻠﺳﻲ‬
!‫س‬
ْ ‫ﺗدر‬
ُ ‫ﻻ‬
Middlebury College Arabic Linguistics Spring 2012 Verb morphology in the jussive mood ‫المضارع المجزوم‬ for hollow and defective verbs
6 Middlebury College Arabic Linguistics Spring 2012 7 Middlebury College Arabic Linguistics Spring 2012 Voice morphology Verb morphology in the passive voice for ‫الفعل الماضي‬ 
The passive verb form of the perfect is formed by putting a ‫ضمّة‬ on the first consonant of the word and a ‫كسرة‬ on the one before the last. ‫ أُ ِﻛﻝ‬ ‫أﻛﻝ‬
‫ ُد ﱢرس‬ ‫درس‬
ّ
‫ ُﻛﺗِب‬ ‫ﻛﺗب‬
‫ قيل‬ ‫قال‬
‫ شوھِد‬ ‫ﺷﺎﻫد‬
8 Middlebury College Arabic Linguistics Spring 2012 Verb morphology in the passive voice for ‫الفعل المضارع‬ 
The passive verb form of the imperfect is formed by putting a ‫ضمّة‬ on the first consonant of the word and a ‫فتحة‬ on the one before the last. ‫ ُﻳؤ َﻛﻝ‬ ‫ﻳﺄﻛﻝ‬

‫درس‬
‫ ُﻳ ﱠ‬ ‫درس‬
ّ‫ﻳ‬
‫ ُﻳﻛﺗَب‬ ‫ﻳﻛﺗب‬
‫ يُقال‬ ‫يقول‬
‫ يُشا َھد‬ ‫ﻳﺷﺎﻫد‬
The passive is typically used when the focus is on the event itself rather than on the subject, either because the subject is unknown or well‐known. .‫ُﺳ ِرﻗت ﺳﻳﺎرﺗﻲ أﻣس‬
.‫اﻟﻠص‬
ّ ‫ﻗُﺑِض ﻋﻠﻰ‬
.‫درس "اﻟﻛﺗﺎب" ﻓﻲ ﻗﺳم اﻟﻠﻐﺔ اﻟﻌرﺑﻳﺔ ﻓﻲ ﺟﺎﻣﻌﺔ ﻣﻳدﻟﺑري‬
‫ُﻳ ﱠ‬
.‫ﺳﻳﻌﻘَد اﻻﺟﺗﻣﺎع ﻓﻲ اﻟﺳﺎﻋﺔ اﻟﺳﺎدﺳﺔ ﻣﺳﺎء‬
ُ
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