Introduction to the Present/Future Tense (Fi'l Mudhaari') & its Signs

1. What Is Fi'l Mudhaari'?

Fi'l Mudhaari' is the Arabic verb form connected with the present or the future.
A single Mudhaari' form can therefore be understood in either timeframe according to context.
Example pattern:
يَفْعُلُ
It may carry a present meaning such as “he does” or a future meaning such as “he will do”.
At this stage, the main point is simple: Mudhaari' is not limited to only one of these two timeframes.

2. The Four Signs of Mudhaari'

Mudhaari' forms begin with one of four prefix letters.
These are called the signs of Mudhaari'.

NameLetter
Hamzahأ
Taaت
Yaaي
Noonن

A common memory aid is the four-letter set:
أ، ت، ي، ن

3. Hamzah and Noon: The Speaker Forms

Two of the four prefixes belong to the speaker forms:

Example patternPersonPrefix
أَفْعُلُI — first-person singularأ
نَفْعُلُWe — first-person non-singularن

So Hamzah appears in 1 position and Noon appears in 1 position of the 14-form grid.

4. Taa Appears in Eight Forms

The prefix ت is the most widely used of the four signs in this grid.
It appears in exactly 8 forms:
• all 6 Haadhir forms
• singular feminine Ghaa'ib
• dual feminine Ghaa'ib

Number of formsWhere Taa appears
6all Haadhir forms
2feminine Ghaa'ib: singular + dual
8 total6 + 2

5. Yaa Appears in Four Forms

The prefix ي appears in exactly 4 forms:
• the 3 masculine Ghaa'ib forms
• the plural feminine Ghaa'ib form

ExamplePosition
يَفْعُلُmasculine Ghaa'ib — singular
يَفْعُلَانِmasculine Ghaa'ib — dual
يَفْعُلُونَmasculine Ghaa'ib — plural
يَفْعُلْنَfeminine Ghaa'ib — plural

6. How the Four Prefixes Cover All 14 Forms

The distribution now fits the full 14-form grid:

Main useFormsPrefix
I1أ
Haadhir + two feminine Ghaa'ib positions8ت
three masculine Ghaa'ib + plural feminine Ghaa'ib4ي
we1ن

Check: 1 + 8 + 4 + 1 = 14.

7. A Prefix Is a Strong Clue

A Mudhaari' prefix gives you an important clue about the grammatical person.
Some prefixes are very specific:
• أ points to “I”.
• ن points to “we”.
Other prefixes cover several positions:
• ت is shared by 8 forms.
• ي is shared by 4 forms.
So the prefix is the first clue; the rest of the form tells you the exact Seegah.