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Verb stems
In order to be able to recognize verbs and conjugate them for time (perfective vs. imperfective), you need to be familiar with the common types of verb stems.
The table below lists the 13 important stem types of Standard Arabic that you need to know. The table shows the perfective and imperfective conjugation of each stem.
Stem Ⅰ (the G-stem) is the basic stem from which all the others are ultimately derived. This means that all the stems other than Stem Ⅰ are deverbal. There are no distinctive stems for denominal verbs in Arabic.
For each stem, the imperfective prefix vowel is colored red and the theme vowel is colored green.
| Verb stems | ||||
| Stem | Perfective | Imperfective | Example | |
| Ⅰ (G-stem) | a–u | فَعَلَ | يَفْعُلُ | كَتَبَ، يَكْتُبُ |
| faʕala | yafʕulu | kataba, yaktubu “write” |
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| a–i | فَعَلَ | يَفْعِلُ | ضَرَبَ، يَضْرِبُ | |
| faʕala | yafʕilu | ḍaraba, yaḍribu “hit” |
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| a–a | فَعَلَ | يَفْعَلُ | فَتَحَ، يَفْتَحُ | |
| faʕala | yafʕalu | fataħa, yaftaħu “open” |
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| i–a | فَعِلَ | يَفْعَلُ | فَرِحَ، يَفْرَحُ | |
| faʕila | yafʕalu | fariħa, yafraħu “be(come) happy” |
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| u–u | فَعُلَ | يَفْعُلُ | كَرُمَ، يَكْرُمُ | |
| faʕula | yafʕulu | karuma, yakrumu “be(come) noble” |
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| Ⅱ (D-stem) | فَعَّلَ | يُفَعِّلُ | كَتَّبَ، يُكَتِّبُ | |
| faʕʕala | yufaʕʕilu | kattaba, yukattibu “make [someone] write [something]” |
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| Ⅲ (L-stem) | فاعَلَ | يُفاعِلُ | كاتَبَ، يُكاتِبُ | |
| fȃʕala | yufȃʕilu | kȃtaba, yukȃtibu “exchange writing with [someone]” → “make contract with [someone]” |
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| Ⅳ (ʔ-stem) | أَفْعَلَ | يُفْعِلُ | أَكْتَبَ، يُكْتِبُ | |
| ʔafʕala | yufʕilu | ʔaktaba, yuktibu “make [someone] write [something]” |
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| Ⅴ (tD-stem) | تَفَعَّلَ | يَتَفَعَّلُ | تَكَسَّرَ، يَتَكَسَّرُ | |
| tafaʕʕala | yatafaʕʕalu | takassara, yatakassaru “break into pieces (intr.)” |
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| Ⅵ (tL-stem) | تَفاعَلَ | يَتَفاعَلُ | تَكاتَبَ، يَتَكاتَبُ | |
| tafȃʕala | yatafȃʕalu | takȃtaba, yatakȃtabu “exchange writing [with] (intr.)” → “make contract [with] (intr.)” |
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| Ⅶ (n-stem) | اِنْفَعَلَ | يَنْفَعِلُ | اِنْكَسَرَ، يَنْكَسِرُ | |
| ʔ⋅infaʕala | yanfaʕilu | ʔ⋅inkasara, yankasiru “break (intr.)” |
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| Ⅷ (Gt-stem) | اِفْتَعَلَ | يَفْتَعِلُ | اِكْتَتَبَ، يَكْتَتِبُ | |
| ʔ⋅iftaʕala | yaftaʕilu | ʔ⋅iktataba, yaktatibu “write self (intr.)” → “subscribe” |
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| Ⅸ (R-stem) | اِفْعَلَّ | يَفْعَلُّ | اِحْمَرَّ، يَحْمَرُّ | |
| ʔ⋅ifʕalla | yafʕallu | ʔ⋅iħmarra, yaħmarru “become red (intr.)” |
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| Ⅹ (st-stem) | اِسْتَفْعَلَ | يَسْتَفْعِلُ | اِسْتَأْذَنَ، يَسْتَأْذِنُ | |
| ʔ⋅istafʕala | yastafʕilu | ʔ⋅istaʔðana, yastaʔðinu “seek permission from [someone]” |
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| QⅠ (Q-stem) | فَعْلَلَ | يُفَعْلِلُ | زَلْزَلَ، يُزَلْزِلُ | |
| faʕlala | yufaʕlilu | zalzala, yuzalzilu “shake [something] violently” |
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| QⅡ (tQ-stem) | تَفَعْلَلَ | يَتَفَعْلَلُ | تَزَلْزَلَ، يَتَزَلْزَلُ | |
| tafaʕlala | yatafaʕlalu | tazalzala, yatazalzalu “shake violently (intr.)” |
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| QⅣ (QR-stem) | اِفْعَلَلَّ | يَفْعَلِلُّ | اِقْشَعَرَّ، يَقْشَعِرُّ | |
| ʔ⋅ifʕalalla | yafʕalillu | ʔ·iqšaʕarra, yaqšaʕirru “[skin] become gooseflesh (intr.)” |
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Note that:
- The prefix vowel is a in all the stems except Stems Ⅱ, Ⅲ, Ⅳ & QⅠ which have u.
- In the derived stems (stems other than Stem Ⅰ), the theme vowel is a in the perfective and i in the imperfective, except for the stems with a prefix ta– (Ⅴ, Ⅵ & QⅡ), which have a in the imperfective.
- The imperfective of Stem Ⅳ lacks the prefix ʔa– of the perfective form. A rare variant of the imperfective with the prefix ʔa–is yuʔafʕilu يُؤَفْعِلُ .
- The stems with a prefix ta– have variants with a vowelless t–. Thus, Stem Ⅴ has the variant ʔ⋅itfaʕʕala, yatfaʕʕalu اِتْفَعَّلَ، يَتْفَعَّلُ and Stem Ⅵ has the variant ʔ⋅itfȃʕala, yatfȃʕalu اِتْفاعَلَ، يَتْفاعَلُ (the ʔ⋅i– prefix in the perfective is prosthetic). Such forms are found in the Qurʔȃn, but otherwise they are uncommon in Standard Arabic.
- Stems ending with a doubled consonant (Ⅸ & QⅣ) have an irregular shape in the citation form. In this irregular shape the theme vowel is either hidden (Ⅸ) or displaced back (QⅣ).
Each stem has general meanings associated with it. Following is a survey of these meanings.
الراصد العربي 