Grammar Note
Verb Forms - أوزان الفعل
It is essential to learn how each one of the أوزان given in the chart on AK page 251 works. Please repeat the forms aloud after the DVD and write them out many times to help with memorization. The following 10 tips are intended to further facilitate this process. Make your own chart by copying the verb forms given in the chart on AK page 251, and then color code the extra letters and the other connections highlighted below.
1- Remember that verb forms II-IV only contain one extra letter )in addition to the three letters in the root or الجذر ). Verb forms V-IX take two extra letters while X takes three.
2- Verb forms II-IV are the only forms that take a يُـ in المضارع. The meaning most associated with forms II and IV is “to make someone carry out the verb in Form I.” Not all verbs correspond to forms II and IV and when they do, subtle differences in meaning may emerge to distinguish them from each other (see chart examples on AK page 252) or one of them, usually II, gets used less frequently in Modern Standard Arabic and more in the dialects.
3- Verb forms V and VI are built upon II and III (except that they start with a تـَـ ). This correlation is also present in the meaning. For instance, علـّم is to teach, تعلـّم is to teach oneself – to learn. While قابل is to meet, تقابل is two or more people meeting each other.
4- In the مضارع, forms V and VI are the only forms that take four fatHas in a row.
5- The مصدر of forms V and VI looks identical to the ماضي of the verbs except for the Dhamma ــُ inserted before the final letter.
6- The مصدر of forms IV and VI through X takes an alif before the final letter.
7- All hamzas that are not part of the root that occur at the beginning of IV and VII-X, disappear in the مضارع and reappear in the مصدر.
8- Please remember that the hamza in form IV is a همزة قطع. This means that it needs to be pronounced even in the middle of speech as opposed to the همزة وصل that occurs in forms VII-X, and which needs to be elided when the verb occurs in the middle of speech.
9- Distinguishing forms VII from VIII can be hard sometimes if you do not know the root of the verb. So remember that many more roots begin with nuun than with taa. For this reason, when you see a nuun in second position and a taa in middle position, assume that the nuun rather than the taa is part of the root and that the verb is in form VIII not VII. To determine that a verb is in form VIII, it should fit the 2 - تـ - 2 formula: you should be able to count two letters on either side of the central تـ.
10- Form X can also get confused with form VIII when the verb begins with استـ as in the verb استمع. Apply the 2 - تـ - 2 test whenever in doubt.