Passive participle
Passive participle in Arabic is a group of words that describe someone or something that is the subject of an action. Passive participles are formed according to certain patterns.
There are ten patterns for passive participle in Arabic, from verbform 1 to verbform 10. However, I have never encountered any words in passive participle verbform 9. In general, the higher the verb form, the more specific is the meaning of the word.
A characteristic of words that are passive participles is that before the last root letter comes vokalen a.
According to Wikpedia, participles are words formed by verbs but used as adjectives. In Arabic, however, most participles can function as both nouns and adjectives.
You will notice that there are Arabic words that follow the pattern of passive participle but are not passive participle, ie they do not describe the object of any action.
Passive participle verbform 1
Passive participle verbform 1 has the pattern maf3uul. The most obvious example is the word maf3uul which has different meanings, one of them is affected.
Another example of a word that has the pattern passive participle verbform 1 is maktuub that means written.
Passive participle verbform 2 - 10
Passive participle in verbform 2 to 10 all start with mu.
Passive participle verbform 2
Passive participle verbform 2 has the pattern mufa33al. Note that the second root letter is double.
An example of an passive participle in verbform 2 is the word muwaZZaf that means employee.
Another example is the word muzawwar that means falsified.
Verbform 2 is often used for actions performed against someone else, for example to make someone do something or become something.
Passive participle verbform 3
Passive participle verbform 3 has the pattern mufaa3al. Note that there is a long vowel (aa) between the first and second root letter.
An example of an passive participle in verbform 3 is the word mubaarak that means blessed.
Another example is the word mukhaaTab that means addressed, spoken to.
Verbform 3 is often used to describe an act you do against another person or involve someone in.
Passive participle verbform 4
Passive participle verbform 4 has the pattern muf3al.
An example of an passive participle in verbform 4 is the word mut3ab that means tired.
Another example is the word mughlaq that means closed.
Verbform 4 is often causative of verb form 1, ie it is about getting someone to do something.
Passive participle verbform 5
Passive participle verbform 5 has the pattern mutafa33al. Note that the second root letter is double. In addition, there is a t before the first root letter.
An example of an passive participle in verbform 5 is the word mutakallam that means talked.
Another example is the word mutawaqqa3 that means expected.
Verbform 5 is often reflexive to verb form 2, ie it is about getting oneself to do what verbform 2 refers to.
Passive participle verbform 6
Passive participle verbform 6 has the pattern mutafaa3al. Note that there is a long vowel (aa) between the first and second root letter. In addition, there is a t before the first root letter.
An example of an passive participle in verbform 6 is the word mutawaarath that means inherited.
Another example is the word mutabaadal that means mutual.
Verbform 6 is often a reflexive, mutual or stronger variant of verbform 3. It often describes an exchange between people or groups of people.
Passive participle verbform 7
Passive participle verbform 7 has the pattern munfa3al. Note that there is an n before the first root letter.
An example of an passive participle in verbform 7 is the word munHadar that means slope, sloping.
Another example is the word mun3aTaf that means curve.
Verbform 7 is often reflexive or passive to verbform 1.
Passive participle verbform 8
Passive participle verbform 8 has the pattern mufta3al. Note that there is a t between the first and second root letter.
An example of an passive participle in verbform 8 is the word muHtaram that means esteemed, respected.
Another example is the word mukhtalaT that means mixed.
Verbform 8 is often, like verbform 7, reflexive to verbform 1.
Passive participle verbform 10
Passive participle verbform 10 has the pattern mustaf3al. Note the letter s and the letter t before the first root letter
An example of an passive participle in verbform 10 is the word musta3mal that means used.
Another example is the word mustahlak that means consumed, used-up.
Verbform 10 can for example be causative or reflexive to verbform 4.
Active and passive participle
The patterns for active participle and passive participle are very similar to each other in verbforms 2 to 10. The only difference is the vowel before the last root letter which is i for active participle and a for passive participle.
For example, the word (muhaddid) means threatening. It is active participle verbform 2.
If we replace the i with an a we get (muhaddad) which means threatened. It is passive participle verbform 2.
Arabic word patterns
Arabic words follow certain patterns. The patterns make it easier to recognize, memorize and figure out the meaning of Arabic words.
Most Arabic words have a root consisting of three letters. In addition to the root letters, the words contain vowels and sometimes extra letters. The patterns show how the three root letters should be combined with vowels and sometimes extra letters to form words.
To represent the root letters of the word, the letters f, 3 and l are usually used. The letter f (fa) represents the first root letter, 3 (ayn) represents the second root letter and l (lam) represents the third root letter. Some words really have the root f,3 and l. But most words have different root letters.
Using Arabic patterns
As an example, we can look at the root k,t and b. That is, the first root letter is k (kaf), the second root letter is t (ta) and the third is b (ba).
The pattern fa3ala is a common Arabic pattern for verbs. This means that the verb is created by adding the short vowel (a) after each root letter. With the root (k,t,b), the verb becomes kataba that means to write.
The pattern maf3uul is a passive participle, that means that words with this pattern often describe the object of an action. The word is build by of the prefix (ma), the first root letter, the second root letter, the long vowel (uu) and the third root letter. With the root (k,t,b), the verb becomes maktuub that means written.
The patternmaf3al is used for words that describe places or times. You get the words by combining the prefix (ma), the first root letter, the second root letter, the short vowel (a) and the third root letter. With the root (k,t,b), the verb becomes maktab that means office.
Do I need to learn Arabic patterns?
If you think Arabic word patterns seem boring or hard to learn, then just ignore them. Most native Arabic speakers I have talked to about Arabic word patterns, have little or no knowledge of them. It is only at the university in Sweden where I read Arabic, and in textbooks by Western authors, that I have noticed interest in the Arabic word patterns.
Personally, I find the patterns very useful. I can guess the meaning of words I have never heard before, thanks to the patterns and the root letters. Above all, I think that Arabic word patterns are interesting and pleasant, actually therapeutic. When life feels chaotic and insecure, it's nice that every new Arabic word I encounter fits into the patterns I know.
More about Arabic patterns
On this website, you will find the most important Arabic patterns for forming words, and many more in addition to them. See all Arabic word patterns
This site contains thousands of words and each word has a page with detailed information about the word. Among many other things, you can see the pattern of the word. Learn more about Arabic word patterns