Fa'ila Verbs: The Complete Group

Read the bilingual lesson for Fa'ila Verbs: The Complete Group and test your understanding with a focused quiz.

Lesson

1. Fa'ila Verbs: One Complete Group

What will you learn? ● Learn 15 exact past/present pairs in this group. ● Notice the middle vowel in فَعِلَ—يَفْعَلُ. ● Understand each pair through a clear everyday meaning. ● Use selected verbs in short sentences and distinguish close meanings.

2. The Pattern in This Group

In every pair listed in this group: ● The middle radical of the past has kasrah: فَعِلَ. ● The middle radical of the listed present has fatḥah: يَفْعَلُ. Examples: فَرِحَ—يَفْرَحُ and سَمِعَ—يَسْمَعُ. This observation is limited to the 15 listed pairs here. It is not being stated as a universal rule for every Arabic verb on فَعِلَ.

3. Learn the Pair, Meaning, and Use

Use three steps for every verb: 1. Read the past and present as one pair. 2. Say the everyday meaning without copying Arabic word order. 3. Use one form in a short sentence. Example: حَفِظَ—يَحْفَظُ means memorizing. In يَحْفَظُ الطَّالِبُ الدَّرْسَ, the student memorizes the lesson.

4. Pairs 1-5: Happiness, Action, and Arrival

Past verb Present verb Idiomatic meaning فَرِحَ يَفْرَحُ he became happy / he becomes happy عَمِلَ يَعْمَلُ he acted / he acts عَلِمَ يَعْلَمُ he knew / he knows ضَحِكَ يَضْحَكُ he laughed / he laughs قَدِمَ يَقْدَمُ he arrived / he arrives فَرِحَ describes becoming happy, while ضَحِكَ describes laughing. A person may do both, but the meanings are different.

5. See the First Pairs in Sentences

فَرِحَ الطِّفْلُ بِالْهَدِيَّةِ — The child became happy with the gift. يَفْرَحُ الطِّفْلُ بِالْهَدِيَّةِ — The child becomes happy with the gift. عَمِلَ حَامِدٌ فِي الْمَدْرَسَةِ — Hamid worked at the school. يَعْمَلُ حَامِدٌ فِي الْمَدْرَسَةِ — Hamid works at the school. عَلِمَ الطَّالِبُ الْجَوَابَ — The student knew the answer. يَعْلَمُ الطَّالِبُ الْجَوَابَ — The student knows the answer.

6. Pairs 6-10: Praise, Hearing, and Memory

Past verb Present verb Idiomatic meaning حَمِدَ يَحْمَدُ he praised / he praises سَمِعَ يَسْمَعُ he heard / he hears حَسِبَ يَحْسَبُ he supposed / he supposes شَرِبَ يَشْرَبُ he drank / he drinks حَفِظَ يَحْفَظُ he memorized / he memorizes سَمِعَ means hearing something, حَسِبَ means supposing something, and حَفِظَ means memorizing it. Keep the mental action clear.

7. Hearing, Drinking, and Memorizing

سَمِعَ الطِّفْلُ الصَّوْتَ — The child heard the sound. يَسْمَعُ الطِّفْلُ الصَّوْتَ — The child hears the sound. شَرِبَ الطِّفْلُ الْمَاءَ — The child drank the water. يَشْرَبُ الطِّفْلُ الْمَاءَ — The child drinks the water. حَفِظَ الطَّالِبُ الدَّرْسَ — The student memorized the lesson. يَحْفَظُ الطَّالِبُ الدَّرْسَ — The student memorizes the lesson.

8. Pairs 11-15: Mercy, Testimony, and Condition

Past verb Present verb Idiomatic meaning رَحِمَ يَرْحَمُ he showed mercy / he shows mercy رَكِبَ يَرْكَبُ he rode / he rides شَهِدَ يَشْهَدُ he testified / he testifies قَبِلَ يَقْبَلُ he accepted / he accepts مَرِضَ يَمْرَضُ he became ill / he becomes ill رَحِمَ and قَبِلَ describe actions toward someone or something. مَرِضَ describes becoming ill.

9. Mercy, Riding, and Acceptance

رَحِمَ الرَّجُلُ الضَّعِيفَ — The man showed mercy to the weak person. يَرْحَمُ الرَّجُلُ الضَّعِيفَ — The man shows mercy to the weak person. رَكِبَ حَامِدٌ الْحَافِلَةَ — Hamid rode the bus. يَرْكَبُ حَامِدٌ الْحَافِلَةَ — Hamid rides the bus. قَبِلَ الْمُعَلِّمُ الْعُذْرَ — The teacher accepted the excuse. يَقْبَلُ الْمُعَلِّمُ الْعُذْرَ — The teacher accepts the excuse.

10. Do Not Confuse Close Meanings

● عَلِمَ: he knew; سَمِعَ: he heard. ● فَرِحَ: he became happy; ضَحِكَ: he laughed. ● قَدِمَ: he arrived; رَكِبَ: he rode. ● حَمِدَ: he praised; شَهِدَ: he testified. The words can occur in related situations, but each expresses its own action or state.

11. A Practical Mastery Check

For every one of the 15 pairs, check whether you can: 1. Read both forms accurately. 2. Give the simple meaning. 3. Notice kasrah in the past and fatḥah in the listed present. 4. Distinguish it from a close meaning. 5. Use selected verbs in a short sentence. If one form is uncertain, reread the complete pair instead of guessing.

Practice questions

Question 1

What is shared by all 15 listed pairs in this group?

  • Every meaning is the same.
  • The past has middle kasrah and the listed present has middle fatḥah.
  • Every verb describes movement.
  • The present loses one radical.

Question 2

Match each past verb with its everyday meaning.

Question 3

Sort the verbs by the broad meaning taught here.

Question 4

Choose the verb that completes: الطِّفْلُ ____ بِالْهَدِيَّةِ — The child becomes happy with the gift.

  • يَمْرَضُ
  • يَضْحَكُ
  • يَفْرَحُ
  • يَرْكَبُ

Question 5

Match each present verb with its everyday meaning.

Question 6

Which verb completes: الطَّالِبُ ____ الدَّرْسَ — The student memorizes the lesson?

  • يَحْفَظُ
  • يَحْمَدُ
  • يَحْسَبُ
  • يَشْهَدُ

Question 7

Which statement correctly distinguishes عَلِمَ from سَمِعَ?

  • Both mean laughing.
  • The first means arriving and the second riding.
  • The first means supposing and the second memorizing.
  • The first means knowing and the second hearing.

Question 8

حَسِبَ—يَحْسَبُ means supposing, whereas حَفِظَ—يَحْفَظُ means memorizing.

Question 9

Because these 15 pairs follow فَعِلَ—يَفْعَلُ, every Arabic verb on فَعِلَ must always have the same present weight.

Question 10

Arrange: Hamid works at the school.

Question 11

Arrange: The child drinks the water.

Question 12

Arrange: The man shows mercy to the weak person.

Question 13

Sort the verbs by the kind of meaning practiced in this level.

Question 14

Which is the correct present partner of قَبِلَ?

  • يَقْبِلُ
  • يَقْبَلُ
  • يُقْبِلُ
  • يَقْبُلُ

Question 15

Which past verb means “he rode”?

  • قَدِمَ
  • مَرِضَ
  • رَكِبَ
  • فَرِحَ

Question 16

Choose the verb that completes: الْمُعَلِّمُ ____ الْعُذْرَ — The teacher accepts the excuse.

  • يَقْبَلُ
  • يَحْمَدُ
  • يَشْهَدُ
  • يَحْسَبُ

Question 17

Which is the correct present partner of مَرِضَ?

  • يَمْرِضُ
  • يُمَرِّضُ
  • يَمْرُضُ
  • يَمْرَضُ

Open the interactive quiz