The active form foregrounds the doer; the passive suppresses the identity of the doer and foregrounds the event or the affected participant. The distinction is visible in the verb's vocalization as well as its meaning.
فَتَحَ الْبَابَ — he opened the door; active.
فُتِحَ الْبَابُ — the door was opened; passive.
The forms فَتَحَ and فُتِحَ refer to the same basic opening event but present it differently. The internal vowel changes are central to the morphological distinction.
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How the active-passive change works
Introduction to ʿIlm al-Ṣarf and Basic Terminology
The active form foregrounds the doer; the passive suppresses the identity of the doer and foregrounds the event or the affected participant. The distinction is visible in the verb's vocalization as well as its meaning.
فَتَحَ الْبَابَ — he opened the door; active.
فُتِحَ الْبَابُ — the door was opened; passive.
The forms فَتَحَ and فُتِحَ refer to the same basic opening event but present it differently. The internal vowel changes are central to the morphological distinction.