The command, and seven common verbs
Seven common verbs of the Qur’ān, and the form of a verb that tells someone to do something.
Written and checked by AI
These lessons were written and checked by AI, and no teacher of Arabic has read them yet. The verses, their meanings and the analysis of every word are taken from their sources, which are named where they are shown.
- Words of the Qur’ān known whole
- 43.2%
- Parts of the Qur’ān’s words taught so far
- 65.5%
Counted from the Quranic Arabic Corpus: a word is known whole when every part of it has been taught. The counts say which words you have met, not how much you understand.
You have met the past form of a verb and its present form. This lesson teaches the third: the command, the form that tells someone to do something. With it come seven common verbs.
The new words
- فَعَلَAs the Qur’ān writes it: يَفْعَلُ · تَفْعَلُ · فَعَلْ
do (faʿala: he did)
Root: ف ع لTimes in the Qur’ān: 88
- ذَكَرَAs the Qur’ān writes it: ٱذْكُرُ · ٱذْكُرْ · يَذْكُرُ
No meaning is given here: this word carries the religion, and its meaning is read in the verses, with the meaning beside them.
Root: ذ ك رTimes in the Qur’ān: 84
- ٱتَّبَعَAs the Qur’ān writes it: ٱتَّبَعُ · ٱتَّبَعَ · يَتَّبِعُ
follow (ittabaʿa: he followed)
Root: ت ب عTimes in the Qur’ān: 136
- أَطَاعَAs the Qur’ān writes it: أَطِيعُ · أَطَعْ · تُطِعْ
No meaning is given here: this word carries the religion, and its meaning is read in the verses, with the meaning beside them.
Root: ط و عTimes in the Qur’ān: 72
- دَخَلَAs the Qur’ān writes it: ٱدْخُلُ · يَدْخُلُ · دَخَلُ
enter (dakhala: he entered)
Root: د خ لTimes in the Qur’ān: 76
- سَمِعَAs the Qur’ān writes it: يَسْمَعُ · سَمِعْ · تَسْمَعُ
hear (samiʿa: he heard)
Root: س م عTimes in the Qur’ān: 78
- نَّظَرَAs the Qur’ān writes it: يَنظُرُ · ٱنظُرْ · ٱنظُرُ
look; wait (naẓara: he looked)
Root: ن ظ رTimes in the Qur’ān: 87
Two of them, dhakara and aṭāʿa, carry the religion in the Qur’ān's use of them: the course gives no meaning of its own for either, and you read them in the verses, with the edition's meaning beside them.
The command
The command is made from the present form. Take away the letter in front that says who acts, and drop its last vowel. Where what is left would begin with two consonants, an alif is put in front. The corpus marks it as imperative.
- قُلْsay (qāla: he said)
Qul, "say!", is the command of qāla, from lesson 6. The present is yaqūlu; without its ya- and its last vowel it is qūl, and the long vowel is then made short: qul.
A command to a woman
The command also changes for who is told. Said to a woman, it ends in ī, which the corpus divides off as the pronoun "you", feminine.
- فَso, then, and so
- ٱدْخُلِenter (dakhala: he entered)
- ى
Fa-dkhulī is fa, "so", then udkhul, the command of dakhala, "enter", then ī, "you" said to a woman. The present is yadkhulu: without ya-, dkhul would begin with two consonants, so the command is udkhul. After fa that alif is not sounded: fa-dkhulī.
Let him
A command to someone not spoken to is made with li- before the present form, and the verb loses its last vowel. The corpus marks this li- as the lām of command. After fa or wa it loses its vowel and is said l-.
- فَso, then, and so
- لْfor, to, belonging to; so that (before a verb); surely (in some sentences)
- يَنظُرِlook; wait (naẓara: he looked)
Fa-l-yanẓur is fa, then l-, then yanẓur, "he looks", the present of naẓara, with its last vowel dropped: "so let him look". In the verse it ends in a short i only because al- follows, as in the sentence below.
In a sentence
Enter the house.
This sentence was written for practice. Udkhuli l-bayta, "enter the house": the command, then al-bayt in the accusative. The command's last letter takes a short i before al-.
Reading
The words you know whole after this lesson are marked.
who know whatever you do.
English Translation - Rowwad Translation Center · QuranEnc.com · version 1.0.20and that they say what they do not do?
English Translation - Rowwad Translation Center · QuranEnc.com · version 1.0.20And do not be like those[1] who say, “We hear,” while they do not actually listen.
English Translation - Rowwad Translation Center · QuranEnc.com · version 1.0.20Recall
- How is the command made from the present form?
- What does ī at the end of a command say?
- How does Arabic say "let him look"?
Answers: the letter in front is taken away and the last vowel dropped, with an alif added where the word would otherwise begin with two consonants; that a woman is told; with li- before the present form, fa-l-yanẓur.
Next
The next lesson teaches how Arabic says "he has" and "for you", with the pronouns written after li and bi.
Word analysis: Quranic Arabic Corpus 0.4 (Kais Dukes)