Eight common verbs, and roots with a weak letter or a hamzah
Eight common verbs of the Qur’ān, and what happens to a verb whose root has a weak middle letter or a hamzah.
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
- 50.6%
- Parts of the Qur’ān’s words taught so far
- 70.1%
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.
This lesson teaches eight more of the commonest verbs of the Qur’ān. Several of them have a root with a weak letter or a hamzah, and those change their shape in ways the corpus lets you see.
The new words
- خَلَقَAs the Qur’ān writes it: خَلَقَ · خَلَقْ · يَخْلُقُ
create, make (khalaqa: he created)
Root: خ ل قTimes in the Qur’ān: 184
- شَآءَAs the Qur’ān writes it: يَشَآءُ · شَآءَ · شِئْ
No meaning is given here: this word carries the religion, and its meaning is read in the verses, with the meaning beside them.
Root: ش ي اTimes in the Qur’ān: 236
- أَرَادَAs the Qur’ān writes it: يُرِيدُ · أَرَادَ · تُرِيدُ
No meaning is given here: this word carries the religion, and its meaning is read in the verses, with the meaning beside them.
Root: ر و دTimes in the Qur’ān: 139
- أَخَذَAs the Qur’ān writes it: أَخَذْ · أَخَذَ · أَخَذَتْ
take, seize (akhadha: he took)
Root: ا خ ذTimes in the Qur’ān: 127
- وَجَدَAs the Qur’ān writes it: تَجِدُ · يَجِدُ · وَجَدْ
find (wajada: he found)
Root: و ج دTimes in the Qur’ān: 106
- سَأَلَAs the Qur’ān writes it: يَسْـَٔلُ · سَأَلْ · أَسْـَٔلُ
ask (saʾala: he asked)
Root: س ا لTimes in the Qur’ān: 106
- أَكَلَAs the Qur’ān writes it: تَأْكُلُ · كُلُ · يَأْكُلُ
eat (akala: he ate)
Root: ا ك لTimes in the Qur’ān: 93
- خَافَAs the Qur’ān writes it: أَخَافُ · يَخَافُ · خِفْ
fear (khāfa: he feared)
Root: خ و فTimes in the Qur’ān: 83
Two of them, shāʾa and arāda, 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.
A weak middle letter
Some roots have w or y as their middle letter. In the past form that letter becomes a long ā: khāfa, "feared", is from the root kh-w-f.
- خَافَfear (khāfa: he feared)
- يَخَافُfear (khāfa: he feared)
In the present form there is a long vowel too: ā here, in yakhāfu, "he fears". Qāla, from lesson 6, is a verb of the same kind, with ū in its present: yaqūlu, "he says".
- يُرِيدُ
Yurīdu is the present of arāda, whose root r-w-d has a weak middle letter too, here a long ī. The corpus marks arāda as form IV, which is why its present begins with yu-.
A hamzah
Akhadha, "took", saʾala, "asked", and akala, "ate", each have a hamzah in their root. The hamzah is most often kept, as in yaʾkhudhu, "he takes". In the command of akhadha and of akala it is dropped: khudh, "take!", and kul, "eat!".
- فَso, then, and so
- أَخَذَtake, seize (akhadha: he took)
- هُhim, his; it, its
Fa-akhadhahu is fa, then akhadha, "took", then hu, "him". The corpus marks this fa as one of cause: what follows comes because of what went before.
The passive
- سُئِلَتْask (saʾala: he asked)
Suʾilat is "she was asked": the past of saʾala with u and i in place of a and a. The corpus marks it passive. The next lesson has more of the passive.
In a sentence
The boy ate.
This sentence was written for practice. Akala l-waladu: "the boy ate", verb first.
Reading
The words you know whole after this lesson are marked.
So whoever wills may take heed.
English Translation - Rowwad Translation Center · QuranEnc.com · version 1.0.20when it is Allah Who created you and all what you do?”
English Translation - Rowwad Translation Center · QuranEnc.com · version 1.0.20He cannot be questioned for what He does, but they will be questioned.
English Translation - Rowwad Translation Center · QuranEnc.com · version 1.0.20Recall
- What does a weak middle letter become in the past form?
- Why does yurīdu begin with yu-?
- How is the passive past of saʾala written?
Answers: a long ā; arāda is form IV; suʾila, "he was asked".
Next
The next lesson teaches eight more verbs, and how the corpus marks the passive and the derived forms of a verb.
Word analysis: Quranic Arabic Corpus 0.4 (Kais Dukes)