Deriving commands, waṣl/qaṭʿ, basic and augmented verb forms, all six addressee slots, parsing and applied practice Read the bilingual lesson for The Imperative: Definition, Formation, Hamza, and Building Signs and test your understanding with a focused quiz.
Lesson
1. New Chapter: The Imperative
الْقِسْمُ الثَّالِثُ: الْأَمْرُ
This section treats direct commands to an addressee. We will derive the form from the imperfect, decide when an initial hamza is required, and identify the building sign.
2. The Author’s Definition
وَهُوَ فِعْلٌ يُطْلَبُ بِهِ الْفِعْلُ مِنَ الْفَاعِلِ الْمُخَاطَبِ
Translation: It is a verb by which the addressee is asked to perform an action.
Examples: uktub (“write!”), ijlis (“sit!”). Both directly address the person expected to act.
3. Imperative versus Imperfect
يَكْتُبُ — اُكْتُبْ
Yaktubu reports a present/future action; uktub commands an addressee. Mood and addressee differ, not just the meaning.
4. Three Steps to Form the Command
1. Start from the appropriate second-person imperfect. 2. Remove its imperfect prefix and apply imperative building. 3. Supply initial hamzat al-waṣl when an illegal initial consonant cluster remains; Form IV has its own hamzat al-qaṭʿ.
5. Worked Derivation: Naṣara
تَنْصُرُ ← اُنْصُرْ
From tanṣuru, remove initial tāʾ. The residual cluster n-ṣ- cannot start the word, so add hamzat al-waṣl. The third letter ṣād has ḍamma; pronounce unṣur.
6. Worked Derivation: Fataḥa
تَفْتَحُ ← اِفْتَحْ
Taftaḥu produces a stem with initial sukūn; add a kasra hamzat al-waṣl. The imperative is iftaḥ (“open!”).
7. Worked Derivation: Ḍaraba
تَضْرِبُ ← اِضْرِبْ
The stem begins with sukūn after prefix removal; add kasra hamzat al-waṣl. Iḍrib has final sukūn marking its building.
8. When Waṣl Hamza Takes Ḍamma
اُنْصُرْ — اُكْتُبْ
In regular Form I imperatives with an underlying ḍamma on the third letter, hamzat al-waṣl takes ḍamma: unṣur, uktub.
9. When Waṣl Hamza Takes Kasra
اِعْلَمْ — اِضْرِبْ
When the Form I imperative’s third letter carries fatḥa or kasra, initial hamzat al-waṣl takes kasra: iʿlam and iḍrib.
10. Which Letter Is the Third?
اُنْصُرْ — اِضْرِبْ
Count within the resulting command: unṣur has ṣād third, iḍrib has rāʾ third. Do not transfer this simplified counting rule to every derived pattern.
11. Derived Form X
تَسْتَخْرِجُ ← اِسْتَخْرِجْ
Form X yields istakhrij with a kasra hamzat al-waṣl. Its initial vowel is governed by the derived pattern, not a general third-letter test.
12. Waṣl versus Qaṭʿ
اِجْلِسْ — أَكْرِمْ
Ijlis begins with hamzat al-waṣl, dropped in connected speech. Akrim begins with hamzat al-qaṭʿ, which remains pronounced.
13. Form IV Keeps Its Own Hamza
أَكْرَمَ — يُكْرِمُ — أَكْرِمْ
Form IV keeps its lexical hamzat al-qaṭʿ in the imperative: akrama, yukrimu, akrim. Merely inserting waṣl after deleting the imperfect prefix would be wrong.
14. Form II: No Added Hamza
يُعَلِّمُ ← عَلِّمْ
The stem of Form II begins with a vowelled consonant. Thus yuʿallimu → ʿallim, with no added hamza.
15. Form III: No Added Hamza
يُحَاسِبُ ← حَاسِبْ
Form III: yuḥāsibu → ḥāsib. The stem’s opening ḥāʾ is already vowelled, so no initial hamza is added.
16. Form V: No Added Hamza
يَتَعَلَّمُ ← تَعَلَّمْ
Form V: yataʿallamu → taʿallam. Its remaining initial tāʾ is already vowelled.
17. Form VIII: Waṣl Hamza
يَجْتَمِعُ ← اِجْتَمِعْ
Form VIII produces ijtamiʿ with kasra hamzat al-waṣl, because the remaining stem begins with a consonant cluster.
18. A Vowelled Opening Needs No Hamza
يَعِدُ ← عِدْ
Yaʿidu → ʿid (“promise!”). The weakened initial wāw is already absent in the imperfect stem, which begins with a vowelled ʿayn.
19. Another Short Command
يَصِلُ ← صِلْ
Yaṣilu → ṣil. The stem already starts with a vowelled ṣād, so no initial hamza is required.
20. Book Rule: The Imperative Is Built
وَهُوَ مَبْنِيٌّ عَلَى عَلَامَةِ الْجَزْمِ
Translation: The imperative is built using the corresponding jussive sign.
The imperative is mabnī (indeclinable). Compare its building marker to the corresponding imperfect jussive; do not label the imperative itself an inflected jussive.
21. Sound-Final: Built on Sukūn
لَمْ يَكْتُبْ ← اُكْتُبْ
The jussive yaktub has final sukūn; the direct imperative uktub is built on sukūn. Same surface ending, different grammatical classification.
22. The Subject of a Singular Command
اُكْتُبْ دَرْسَكَ.
Translation: Write your lesson.
Uktub is built on sukūn. Its subject is an understood anta; darsaka is the accusative object.
23. Weak Wāw: Final Deletion
يَغْزُو ← اُغْزُ
Yaghzū → ughzu. The final weak wāw is removed. Remaining ḍamma is not an indicative marker; the imperative is built on deletion of the weak letter.
24. Another Wāw-Final Command
يَدْعُو ← اُدْعُ
Udʿu is built on deletion of the final wāw of yadʿū, leaving ḍamma on the final pronounced consonant.
25. Weak Yāʾ: Final Deletion
يَرْمِي ← اِرْمِ
Yarmī → irmi (“throw!”). Final yāʾ is deleted; kasra remains. The kasra does not mean the verb is genitive.
26. Weak Alif: Final Deletion
يَسْعَى ← اِسْعَ
Yasʿā → isʿa. The final alif is removed; a fatḥa remains on ʿayn. This imperative is built on weak-letter deletion, not on fatḥa.
27. Dual Addressees: Nūn Deletion
تَكْتُبَانِ ← اُكْتُبَا
Taktubāni → uktubā. The inflectional nūn disappears; dual alif remains as the subject pronoun. The imperative is built on nūn deletion.
28. Masculine Plural: Nūn Deletion
تَكْتُبُونَ ← اُكْتُبُوا
Taktubūna → uktubū. The plural subject wāw remains while the inflectional nūn disappears; final separating alif is orthographic, not a building sign.
29. Feminine Singular: Nūn Deletion
تَكْتُبِينَ ← اُكْتُبِي
Taktubīna → uktubī. Only the inflectional nūn is deleted; the addressee’s yāʾ is retained as subject.
30. Feminine Plural: Nūn of Women
اُكْتُبْنَ
Uktubna is built on sukūn; its nūn is the feminine-plural subject pronoun, not the inflectional nūn of the five-verb paradigm.
31. All Six Second-Person Slots
اُكْتُبْ — اُكْتُبَا — اُكْتُبُوا — اُكْتُبِي — اُكْتُبَا — اُكْتُبْنَ
Six grammatical address slots are expressed through five distinct written forms: masculine singular, dual, masculine plural, feminine singular, dual again, and feminine plural.
32. Six Slots, Five Distinct Forms
Dual masculine and dual feminine commands are identical in form (uktubā). The six address categories therefore produce only five distinct surface forms.
33. Inflectional Nūn versus Nūn al-Niswah
اُكْتُبُوا — اُكْتُبْنَ
In uktubū the inflectional nūn is deleted. In uktubna, the pronounced nūn is the feminine-plural subject pronoun and stays.
34. Extension: Emphatic Nūn
اُكْتُبْ — اُكْتُبَنَّ
Supplement beyond the brief textbook passage: with directly attached heavy emphatic nūn, the imperative is built on fatḥa, unlike the regular sukūn imperative. Do not confuse it with nūn al-niswah.
35. Command versus Prohibition
اُكْتُبْ — لَا تَكْتُبْ
Uktub is an indeclinable direct imperative. Lā taktub is an imperfect made jussive by prohibitive lā.
36. Command-Lām versus Direct Imperative
لِيَكْتُبْ عَلِيٌّ — اُكْتُبْ يَا عَلِيُّ
Li-yaktub ʿAliyyun is a jussive imperfect after command-lām; uktub yā ʿAliyyu is a direct imperative.
37. Hamzat al-Waṣl in Connected Speech
وَاكْتُبْ — فَاجْلِسْ
Hamzat al-waṣl is pronounced when starting on the word but dropped in connected speech, while the written alif remains.
38. Parse a Transitive Imperative
اِفْتَحْ الْبَابَ.
Translation: Open the door.
Iftaḥ is an imperative built on sukūn; its subject is implicit anta. Al-bāba is the direct object in the accusative.
39. Parse an Intransitive Imperative
اِجْلِسْ هُنَا.
Translation: Sit here.
Ijlis is built on sukūn with implicit anta. Hunā is a built place adverb in the accusative syntactic slot; no direct object occurs.
40. Parse a Weak-Final Imperative
اِرْمِ الْكُرَةَ.
Translation: Throw the ball.
Irmi is built on deletion of final yāʾ; implicit anta is subject, and al-kurata is the accusative object.
41. Parse the Masculine Plural
اُكْتُبُوا الْجَوَابَ.
Translation: All of you, write the answer.
Uktubū is built on nūn deletion; plural wāw is the subject and al-jawāba the object.
42. Parse a Dual Command
اِفْتَحَا الْبَابَ.
Translation: Both of you, open the door.
Iftaḥā is an imperative built on nūn deletion; dual alif is the subject and al-bāba its object.
43. Parse the Feminine Plural
اِقْرَأْنَ الدَّرْسَ.
Translation: All of you women, read the lesson.
Iqraʾna is built on sukūn; nūn al-niswah is the subject pronoun and al-darsa the direct object.
44. Common Error: Calling the Imperative Jussive
Lam yafham is a jussive imperfect, whereas ifham is an imperative built on sukūn. Identical final marks do not make them the same grammatical category.
45. Common Error: Misreading Final Fatḥa
In isʿa the visible fatḥa remains from an alif-final weak verb. It is built on weak-letter deletion, not fatḥa.
46. Quick Diagnostic: Four Imperatives
اُكْتُبْ — اُكْتُبُوا — اِرْمِ — اُكْتُبْنَ
Uktub is built on sukūn; uktubū on nūn deletion; irmi on weak-letter deletion; uktubna on sukūn with nūn al-niswah.
47. Complete Section Recap
Imperative = direct request; derive from the second-person imperfect; add waṣl hamza if required; retain Form IV qaṭʿ hamza; classify building rather than inflection by the corresponding jussive pattern.
48. Next Chapter
فَصْلُ فِعْلِ مَا لَمْ يُسَمَّ فَاعِلُهُ
Next: the passive verb (fiʿl mā lam yusamma fāʿiluhu), whose agent is omitted and whose verbal form changes.
Practice questions
Question 1
Whom does a direct imperative address?
- An absent third person
- The addressee
- The speaker
- Only a direct object
Question 2
Imperative of tanṣuru?
Question 3
Imperative of taḍribu?
Question 4
Imperative of taftaḥu?
Question 5
Why is uktub initial hamza ḍamma?
- It addresses a woman
- The third letter tāʾ has ḍamma
- It is a genitive noun
- It contains nūn al-niswah
Question 6
Why does iʿlam begin with i?
- Its third letter lām carries fatḥa
- Because lām is jussive
- Because it is a past verb
- Because the subject is genitive
Question 7
Third letter in iḍrib?
Question 8
Imperative of tastakhriju?
- Astakhraja
- Ustukhruj
- Istakhrij
- Satakhrij
Question 9
Which hamza begins akrim?
- Hamzat al-waṣl
- Hamzat al-qaṭʿ
- Interrogative hamza
- Equative hamza
Question 10
Imperative of yukrimu?
- Akrim
- Ikrim with waṣl
- Karrim
- Karuma
Question 11
Imperative of yuʿallimu?
Question 12
Imperative of yuḥāsibu?
Question 13
Imperative of yataʿallamu?
- ʿAllam
- Taʿallam
- Iʿlam
- Taʿlamu
Question 14
Imperative of yajtamiʿu?
- Ijtamiʿ
- Jammiʿ
- Ujtumuʿ
- Jamaʿa
Question 15
Imperative of yaʿidu?
Question 16
Imperative of yaṣilu?
Question 17
Basic grammatical status of the imperative?
- Always indicative
- It is indeclinable (mabnī)
- Always subjunctive
- Always genitive
Question 18
Building sign of uktub?
- Sukūn
- Nūn deletion
- Weak-letter deletion
- Kasra
Question 19
What is the building sign of irmi?
- Genitive by kasra
- Indicative by ḍamma
- Nūn deletion
- Deletion of final weak letter
Question 20
What is deleted in udʿu?
- Plural subject wāw
- Emphatic nūn
- Final weak wāw
- Hamzat al-qaṭʿ
Question 21
Why is isʿa built on weak-letter deletion?
- The ʿayn fatḥa disappeared
- Its final alif was deleted
- A nūn disappeared
- Its agent is absent
Question 22
Building sign of uktubā?
- Nūn deletion
- Alif deletion
- Kasra
- Ḍamma
Question 23
Role of alif in uktubā?
- Direct object
- Jussive ending
- Preposition
- Subject pronoun
Question 24
Building sign of uktubū?
- Wāw deletion
- Addition of alif
- Nūn deletion
- Final kasra
Question 25
What is wāw in uktubū?
- Conjunction wāw
- Plural wāw, the subject
- Omitted weak letter
- Accusative sign
Question 26
Subject pronoun in uktubī?
- Yāʾ of the feminine addressee
- Nūn of women
- Initial waṣl hamza
- Final bāʾ
Question 27
Building sign of uktubna?
- Nūn deletion
- Weak-letter deletion
- Fatḥa on nūn
- Sukūn
Question 28
Role of nūn in uktubna?
- Jussive particle
- Direct object
- Subject pronoun
- Dual marker
Question 29
Distinct surface forms among six imperative slots?
Question 30
Common dual imperative?
Question 31
Direct heavy emphatic nūn: building of uktubanna?
- Nūn deletion
- Weak-letter deletion
- Kasra
- Fatḥa
Question 32
What is taktub in lā taktub?
- Built imperative
- Past verb
- Jussive imperfect
- Active participle
Question 33
Mood of yaktub in li-yaktub ʿAliyyun?
- Subjunctive
- Jussive
- Indicative
- Built on kasra
Question 34
Subject in iftaḥ al-bāba?
- Understood anta
- Al-bāba
- Waṣl hamza
- No subject exists
Question 35
Syntactic role of al-bāba?
- Nominative subject
- Genitive annexed noun
- Nominative topic
- Accusative direct object
Question 36
Role of hunā in ijlis hunā?
- Direct object
- Subject
- Adverb of place
- Demonstrative predicate
Question 37
Subject in uktubū al-jawāba?
- Al-jawāba
- Plural wāw
- Final separating alif
- Waṣl hamza
Question 38
How many addressees in iftaḥā al-bāba?
Question 39
Subject in iqraʾna al-darsa?
- Al-darsa
- Initial hamza
- Preposition
- Nūn al-niswah
Question 40
Wrong inference from fatḥa in isʿa?
- Final alif was deleted
- It is imperative
- The verb is built on fatḥa
- Subject is the addressee
Question 41
What happens to waṣl hamza in connected wa-ktub?
- The written alif is deleted
- Its glottal onset is elided
- It becomes qaṭʿ hamza
- It turns into emphatic nūn
Question 42
Key difference between istakhrij and akrim?
- First has waṣl; second has qaṭʿ
- Both are nouns
- Both hamzas are waṣl
- Second is a jussive imperfect
Question 43
Grammatical difference between lam yaktub and uktub?
- Both genitive
- Both past
- Both subjunctive
- First is jussive imperfect, second built imperative
Question 44
Correct analysis of kasra in irmi?
- It marks noun genitive
- It marks direct-object case
- It remains after final yāʾ deletion
- It replaces a nūn
Question 45
Final alif in uktubū?
- A second subject pronoun
- Separating orthographic alif
- Dual marker
- Preposition
Question 46
Contrast uktubna versus uktubū building?
- First sukūn, second nūn deletion
- Both nūn deletion
- Both weak-letter deletion
- First fatḥa, second sukūn
Question 47
What rule is missed by reading akrim as waṣl-ikrim?
- Nūn al-niswah
- Accusative tanwīn
- Sound feminine plural
- Form IV hamzat al-qaṭʿ
Question 48
The imperative asks the addressee to act.
Question 49
Every imperative must begin with hamzat al-waṣl.
Question 50
Uktub has initial u per the Form I rule.
Question 51
Form IV imperative has hamzat al-qaṭʿ.
Question 52
Ḥāsib needs an inserted initial hamza.
Question 53
The imperative is inflected and therefore called jussive.
Question 54
Irmi is built with final yāʾ deleted.
Question 55
Final fatḥa in isʿa proves building on fatḥa.
Question 56
Plural wāw is the subject in uktubū.
Question 57
Feminine-plural nūn is deleted in uktubna.
Question 58
Masculine and feminine dual imperative forms coincide.
Question 59
Taktub in lā taktub is itself an imperative.
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