The imperfect begins with one of four prefix letters: أ، ن، ي، ت. These are the ḥurūf al-muḍāraʿah, memorised through أَتَيْنَ.
Word / formMeaning / explanation
يَفْعَلُthird-person masculine singular; يَفْعَلْنَ also serves third-person feminine plural.
تَفْعَلُthird-person feminine singular or second-person masculine singular, among other tāʾ-initial forms.
أَفْعَلُfirst-person singular.
نَفْعَلُfirst-person plural.
The prefix helps identify the pronoun group, but accurate identification also depends on the ending.