Moods of the imperfect tense in Arabic - صِيَغُ الْمُضَارِع
Introduction
In Arabic grammar, the imperfect tense, or المُضارِع (al-mudāri’), can take on different moods, including the subjunctive mood (المُضارِع المَنصوب – al-mudāri’ al-mansūb) and the jussive moods (المُضارِع المَجْزوم – al-mudāri’ al-majzūm). These moods bring variations to the regular imperfect tense verb conjugations and often involve particles that introduce these changes.
Subjunctive Mood (المُضارِع المَنصوب – al-mudāri’ al-mansūb):
- The subjunctive mood is used when expressing a hypothetical situation, a wish, or something that may or may not happen. It changes the case ending of the imperfect verb to fatha (فَتْحَة) or nasab (نَصَب).
- This mood is often introduced by particles like انْ (that) before the simple, imperfect tense يَفْعَلُ (he does/will do). When this particle is added, it alters the meaning of the verb from its absolute form.
- Example:
- يَفْعَلُ (he does/will do) → إِن يَفْعَلَ (if he does/will do)
- In this case, the verb يَفْعَلَ changes to إِن يَفْعَلَ, indicating a hypothetical or conditional action.
- يَفْعَلُ (he does/will do) → إِن يَفْعَلَ (if he does/will do)
Jussive Moods (المُضارِع المَجْزوم – al-mudāri’ al-majzūm):
- The jussive moods are used to convey commands, requests, or prohibitions. They also bring variations to the imperfect tense verb conjugations.
- These moods are characterized by specific verb forms that differ from the regular imperfect tense.
- Example:
- يَفْعَلُ (he does/will do) → فَعَلْ (do/will do)
- Here, the verb form changes from يَفْعَلُ to فَعَلْ to express a command or request.
- يَفْعَلُ (he does/will do) → فَعَلْ (do/will do)
Understanding these moods is crucial in Arabic, as they allow for nuanced communication, especially when conveying wishes, hypothetical scenarios, commands, or requests. They provide depth to the language and help speakers express a wide range of meanings effectively.
For example:
أَنْ يَفْعَلَ
That he does/will do
Likewise, when a particle like إِن (if) is placed before the basic form of the imperfect tense, يَفْعَلُ (he does/will do), it induces a shift in the grammatical structure. This alteration replaces the typical case endings of the imperfect verb with sukoon or jazm, resulting in a nuanced meaning distinct from its standard form. This transformation characterizes the jussive mood of the verb.
For instance:
إِنْ يَفْعَلْ
If he does/will do
Both the subjunctive and jussive moods of the imperfect tense can be achieved by making subtle adjustments to the imperfect tense verb form.
1. The Subjunctive اَلْمُضارِعُ الْمَنْصُوبُ
The mood of the imperfect tense can shift to the subjunctive with the addition of specific prefix particles, known as الْحُرُوفُ النَّاصِبَةُ. These particles are detailed below:
لَنْ
will never
أَلَّا = أَنْ + لَا
that that not
كَيْ كَيْلَا = لا + كَيْ
So that So that not
حَتَّى
Until
لِ
So that/ in order to
إِذَنْ
Therefore/then
A. Table Illustrating the Impact of أَنْ on the Imperfect Tense (يَفْعَلُ):
3rd person masculine
Singular
أَنْ يَفْعَلَ
that he does/will do
Dual
أَنْ يَفْعَلَا
that they both do/will do
Plural
أَنْ يَفْعَلُوا
That they all do/will do
3rd person feminine
Singular
أَنْ تَفْعَلَ
that she does/will do
Dual
أَنْ تَفْعَلَا
that they both do/will do
Plural
أَنْ يَفْعَلْنَ
That they all do/will do
2nd person masculine
Singular
أَنْ تَفْعَلَ
that you do/will do
Dual
أَنْ تَفْعَلَا
that you both do/will do
Plural
أَنْ تَفْعَلُوا
That you all do/will do
2nd person feminine
Singular
أَنْ تَفْعَلِي
that you do/will do
Dual
أَنْ تَفْعَلَا
that you both do/will do
Plural
أَنْ تَفْعَلْنَ
That you all do/will do
First-person (masculine/feminine)
Singular
أَنْ أَفْعَلَ
that I do/will do
Dual
–
Plural
أَنْ نَفْعَلَ
That we all do/will do
Key Takeaway from the Table Above:
The fatha vowel mark, observed in the imperfect tense, is exclusively present in the following forms: the singular third person masculine and feminine, the singular second person masculine, and the first person singular and plural (i.e., يَفْعَلَ, تَفْعَلَ, أَفْعَلَ, نَفْعَلَ). In all other instances, the ن (nun) of the duals and plurals is omitted, except in the case of feminine plurals.
Instances of the Subjunctive Mood in the Holy Quran
أَن - that
لَا تُخْرِجُوهُنَّ مِن بُيُوتِهِنَّ وَلَا يَخْرُجْنَ إِلَّا أَن يَأْتِينَ بِفَاحِشَةٍ مُّبَيِّنَةٍ
nor should they [themselves] leave [during that period] unless they are committing a clear immorality. (65:1)
Note: In the case of يَأْتِينَ being in the feminine plural form, the ن (nun) is preserved and not omitted.
كَبُرَ مَقْتًا عِندَ اللَّـهِ أَن تَقُولُوا مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ
Great is hatred in the sight of Allah that you say what you do not do. (61:3)
The removal of ن from تَقُولُوا is a result of the introduction of أَنْ.
أَلَّا = أَنْ + لَا = “that not”
أَلَّا تَخَافُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَبْشِرُوا بِالْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ
“Do not fear and do not grieve but receive good tidings of Paradise, which you were promised. (41:30)
لِ + اَنْ = لِأَنْ - for that
وَأُمِرْتُ لِأَنْ أَكُونَ أَوَّلَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ
And I have been commanded to be the first [among you] of the Muslims.” (39:12)
لَن
It imparts the meaning of “will never” and constitutes a robust denial of future events. Conversely, when لَنْ is added as a prefix to the imperfect tense, it signifies the future tense. For instance:
فَلَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّـهُ لَهُمْ
never will Allah forgive them (9:80)
كَي - in order to
كَيْ نُسَبِّحَكَ كَثِيرًا
That we may exalt You much (20:33)
كَيْلا - so that not/in order not to
كَيْ لَا يَكُونَ دُولَةً بَيْنَ الْأَغْنِيَاءِ مِنكُمْكَ
so that it will not be a perpetual distribution among the rich from among you. (59:7)
لِكَيْلا - so that not
لِكَيْ لَا يَعْلَمَ بَعْدَ عِلْمٍ شَيْئًا
so that he will not know, after [having had] knowledge, a thing. (16:70)
حَتَّى - until
وَلَا تَقْرَبُوهُنَّ حَتَّىٰ يَطْهُرْنَ
And do not approach them until they are pure. (2:22)
لِ - so that
وَأَلْقَيْتُ عَلَيْكَ مَحَبَّةً مِّنِّي وَلِتُصْنَعَ عَلَىٰ عَيْنِي
And I bestowed upon you love from Me that you would be brought up under My eye (20:39)
لِ + أَلّا = لِئَلّا - so that not
لِّئَلَّا يَعْلَمَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ أَلَّا يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَىٰ شَيْءٍ مِّن فَضْلِ اللَّـهِ ۙ وَأَنَّ الْفَضْلَ بِيَدِ اللَّـهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَن يَشَاءُ
[This is] so that the People of the Scripture may know that they are not able [to obtain] anything from the bounty of Allah and that [all] bounty is in the hand of Allah; He gives it to whom He wills. (57:29)
2. The jussive case - mood of the imperfect tense
Introduction
The prefixed particles, referred to as الْحُرُوفُ الْجازِمَةُ, alter the mood of the imperfect tense to the jussive case, where the final radical carries a sukoon or jazm. These are enumerated below:
لَمْ
was not/did not
لَمَّا
not yet
إِنْ
if
لِ
should
لَا
do not/should not
1. Table with the jussive case: إِنْ يَفْعَلَ
3rd person masculine
Singular
إِنْ يَفْعَلْ
If he does/will do
Dual
إِنْ يَفْعَلَا
If they both do/will do
Plural
إِنْ يَفْعَلُوا
If they all do/will do
3rd person feminine
Singular
إِنْ تَفْعَلْ
If she does/will do
Dual
إِنْ تَفْعَلَا
If they both do/will do
Plural
إِنْ يَفْعَلْنَ
If they all do/will do
2nd person masculine
Singular
إِنْ تَفْعَلْ
If you do/will do
Dual
إِنْ تَفْعَلَا
If you both do/will do
Plural
إِنْ تَفْعَلُوا
If you all do/will do
2nd person feminine
Singular
إِنْ تَفْعَلِي
If you do/will do
Dual
إِنْ تَفْعَلا
If you both do/will do
Plural
إِنْ تَفْعَلْنَ
If you all do/will do
First-person (masculine/feminine)
Singular
إِنْ أَفْعَلْ
If I do/will do
Dual
–
Plural
إِنْ نَفْعَلْ
If we do/will do
The presence of sukoon in the imperfect tense is observed exclusively in the singular third person and second person (masculine and feminine), as well as in the first person singular and plural forms, namely يَفْعَلْ, تَفْعَلْ, أَفْعَلْ, نَفْعَلْ.
In all other instances, including duals and plurals, the ن (nun) is omitted, similar to the subjunctive mood, except in the context of feminine plurals.
The prefixed particles of the jussive case
لَمْ - was not/did not
It is employed to negate a statement and shifts the present or future tense into the past tense.
يَا زَكَرِيَّا إِنَّا نُبَشِّرُكَ بِغُلَامٍ اسْمُهُ يَحْيَىٰ لَمْ نَجْعَل لَّهُ مِن قَبْلُ سَمِيًّا
[He was told], “O Zechariah, indeed We give you good tidings of a boy whose name will be John. We have not assigned to any before [this] name.” (19:7)
لَمَّ - not yet
وَآخَرِينَ مِنْهُمْ لَمَّا يَلْحَقُوا بِهِمْ ۚ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
And [to] others of them who have not yet joined them. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise. (62:3)
وَلَمَّا يَدْخُلِ الْإِيمَانُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ
for faith has not yet entered your hearts (49:14)
In the example provided above, we observe that the لَمْ in يَدْخُلْ has a kasrah (instead of a sukoon). The general rule is that a sukoon is changed to a kasrah to facilitate the connection with the following letter.
Please note that when the imperfect tense is preceded by لَمَّا, it conveys the meaning of “not yet.” However, when it appears before the past tense, it signifies “when” without any impact on the vowelization of the past tense.
فَلَمَّا فَصَلَ طَالُوتُ بِالْجُنُودِ
And when Saul went forth with the soldiers, (2:249)
إِنْ - if
This conditional particle, أَذَا, imparts the meaning of “if.” Typically, it initiates a conditional sentence, followed by two imperfect verbs in the jussive case.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِن تَنصُرُوا اللَّـهَ يَنصُرْكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَكُمْ
O you who have believed, if you support Allah, He will support you and plant your feet firmly. (47:7)
Additionally, it can be used in conjunction with لَا. For instance:
إِنْ + لَا = إِلَّا - if not/unless
وَإِلَّا تَغْفِرْ لِي وَتَرْحَمْنِي أَكُن مِّنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ
And unless You forgive me and have mercy upon me, I will be among the losers.” (11:47)
لِ - should
This usage is also referred to as “lam of command – لَمْ الْأَمْرُ,” which we will explore further when discussing the imperative form.
لِيُنفِقْ ذُو سَعَةٍ مِّن سَعَتِهِ ۖ وَمَن قُدِرَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقُهُ فَلْيُنفِقْ مِمَّا آتَاهُ اللَّـهُ ۚ لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّـهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا مَا آتَاهَا ۚ سَيَجْعَلُ اللَّـهُ بَعْدَ عُسْرٍ يُسْرًا
Let a man of wealth spend from his wealth, and he whose provision is restricted – let him spend from what Allah has given him. Allah does not charge a soul except [according to] what He has given it. Allah will bring about, after hardship, ease. (65:7)
لَا- The particle of prohibition
This particle, known as لا ناهِيَة, is used with the second person imperfect tense to form negative commands.
وَلَا تَقُولُوا لِمَن يُقْتَلُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ أَمْوَاتٌ ۚ بَلْ أَحْيَاءٌ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا تَشْعُرُونَ
And do not say about those who are killed in the way of Allah, “They are dead.” Rather, they are alive, but you perceive [it] not. (2:154)
There is another type of لَا called لَا النَّافِيَة, which is used for simple negation and means “no.” This لا does not affect the verb that follows it; it is used as a straightforward statement of negation.
لَّا يُؤَاخِذُكُمُ اللَّـهُ بِاللَّغْوِ فِي أَيْمَانِكُمْ
Allah does not impose blame upon you for what is unintentional in your oaths, (2:225)
لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّـهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا مَا آتَاهَا
Allah does not charge a soul except [according to] what He has given it. (65:7)
3. Jussive Hollow Verbs: Moods of the Imperfect Tense
Introduction
In this lesson, we will explore the transformation of hollow verbs in the jussive mood. Assimilated verbs following patterns like وَعَدَ and يَسِرَ, as well as hamzated verbs, undergo changes when combined with the jussive particles, producing outcomes akin to the fundamental consonant pattern فَعَلَ.
A. Hollow verbs following the patterns of قَالَ and بَاعَ will undergo the following transformations:
3rd person masculine
Singular
لَمْ يَقُلْ
If he did not say
Dual
لَمْ يَقُولَا
If they both did not say
Plural
لَمْ يَقُولُوْا
If they all did not say
3rd person feminine
Singular
لَمْ تَقُلْ
If she did not say
Dual
لَمْ تَقُولَا
If they both did not say
Plural
لَمْ يَقُلْنَ
If they all did not say
2nd person masculine
Singular
لَمْ تَقُلْ
If you did not say
Dual
لَمْ تَقُولَا
If you both did not say
Plural
لَمْ تَقُولُوْا
If you all did not say
2nd person feminine
Singular
لَمْ تَقُولِيْ
If you did not say
Dual
لَمْ تَقُولَا
If you both did not say
Plural
لَمْ تَقُلْنَ
If you all did not say
First-person (masculine/feminine)
Singular
لَمْ أقُلْ
If I did not say
Dual
–
Plural
لَمْ نَقُلْ
If We did not say
B. Table for the hollow verb لَمْ يَبِعْ
3rd person masculine
Singular
لَمْ يَبِعْ
If he did not sell
Dual
لَمْ يَبِيْعَا
If they both did not sell
Plural
لَمْ يَبِيْعُوْا
If they all did not sell
3rd person feminine
Singular
لَمْ تَبِعْ
If she did not sell
Dual
لَمْ تَبِيْعَا
If they both did not sell
Plural
لَمْ يَبِعْنَ
If they all did not sell
2nd person masculine
Singular
لَمْ تَبِعْ
If you did not sell
Dual
لَمْ تَبِيْعَا
If you both did not sell
Plural
لَمْ تَبِيْعُوْا
If you all did not sell
2nd person feminine
Singular
لَمْ يَبِيْعِي
If you did not sell
Dual
لَمْ تَبِيْعَا
If you both did not sell
Plural
لَمْ تَبِعْنَ
If you all did not sell
First-person (masculine/feminine)
Singular
لَمْ أَبِعْ
If I did not sell
Dual
–
Plural
لَمْ نَبِعْ
If we did not sell
In the table above, it’s evident that both و and ى are omitted in the third person singular masculine and feminine, the second person masculine, and the first person singular. This omission occurs because the final letter is made sakin (sukoon -ْ). In Arabic, two sukoons cannot appear together, so the weak letter is dropped in these cases. However, the remaining conjugation pattern retains the و and the ى, depending on the specific form.
For defective verbs following the patterns of دَعَا – رَمَى – لَقِيَ, when they are prefixed with حروف الجازمة, the following changes occur in their conjugation.
C. Table for the hollow verb لَمْ يَدْعُ
3rd person masculine
Singular
لَمْ يَدْعُ
If he did not call
Dual
لَمْ يَدْعُوَا
If they both did not call
Plural
لَمْ يَدْعُوْا
If they all did not call
3rd person feminine
Singular
لَمْ تَدْعُ
If she did not call
Dual
لَمْ تَدْعُوَا
If they both did not call
Plural
لَمْ يَدْعُوْنَ
If they all did not call
2nd person masculine
Singular
لَمْ تَدْعُ
If you did not call
Dual
لَمْ تَدْعُوَا
If you both did not call
Plural
لَمْ تَدْعُوْا
If you all did not call
2nd person feminine
Singular
لَمْ تَدْعِي
If you did not call
Dual
لَمْ تَدْعُوَا
If you both did not call
Plural
لَمْ تَدْعُوْنَ
If you all did not call
First-person (masculine/feminine)
Singular
لَمْ أَدْعُ
If I did not call
Dual
–
Plural
لَمْ نَدْعُ
If we did not call
D. Table for the hollow verb لَمْ يَرْمِ
3rd person masculine
Singular
لَمْ يَرْمِ
If he did not throw
Dual
لَمْ يَرْمِيَا
If they both did not throw
Plural
لَمْ يَرْمُوْا
If they all did not throw
3rd person feminine
Singular
لَمْ تَرْمِ
If she did not throw
Dual
لَمْ تَرْمِيَا
If they both did not throw
Plural
لَمْ يَرْمِيْنَ
If they all did not throw
2nd person masculine
Singular
لَمْ تَرْمِ
If you did not throw
Dual
لَمْ تَرْمِيَا
If you both did not throw
Plural
لَمْ تَرْمُوْا
If you all did not throw
2nd person feminine
Singular
لَمْ تَرْمِي
If you did not throw
Dual
لَمْ تَرْمِيَا
If you both did not throw
Plural
لَمْ تَرْمِيْنَ
If you all did not throw
First-person (masculine/feminine)
Singular
لَمْ أَرْمِ
If I did not throw
Dual
–
Plural
لَمْ نَرْمِ
If we did not throw
E. Table for the hollow verb لَمْ يَلْقَ
3rd person masculine
Singular
لَمْ يَلْقَ
If he did not meet
Dual
لَمْ يَلْقَيَا
If they both did not meet
Plural
لَمْ يَلْقَوْا
If they all did not meet
3rd person feminine
Singular
لَمْ تَلْقَ
If she did not meet
Dual
لَمْ تَلْقَيَا
If they both did not meet
Plural
لَمْ يَلْقَيْنَ
If they all did not meet
2nd person masculine
Singular
لَمْ تَلْقَ
If you did not meet
Dual
لَمْ تَلْقَيَا
If you both did not meet
Plural
لَمْ تَلْقَوْا
If you all did not meet
2nd person feminine
Singular
لَمْ تَلْقِي
If you did not meet
Dual
لَمْ تَلْقَيَا
If you both did not meet
Plural
لَمْ تَلْقَيْنَ
If you all did not meet
First-person (masculine/feminine)
Singular
لَمْ أَلْقَ
If I did not meet
Dual
–
Plural
لَمْ نَلْقَ
If we did not meet
When examining the hollow verbs, we notice that both و and ى are omitted in the third person singular masculine and feminine, the second person masculine, as well as the first person singular and plural. However, the rest of the conjugation pattern retains the presence of و and ى, depending on the specific form.
2. Double lettered verb- الْمُضاعَفُ
The Pattern Change in Detail: Table for ظَنَّ - لَمْ يَظْنُنْ
3rd person masculine
Singular
لَمْ يَظْنُنْ
If he did not think
Dual
لَمْ يَظُنَّا
If they both did not think
Plural
لَمْ يَظْنُّوْا
If they all did not think
3rd person feminine
Singular
لَمْ تَظْنُنْ
If she did not think
Dual
لَمْ تَظُنَّا
If they both did not think
Plural
لَمْ يَظْنُنَّ
If they all did not think
2nd person masculine
Singular
لَمْ تَظُنُنْ
If you did not think
Dual
لَمْ تَظُنَّا
If you both did not think
Plural
لَمْ تَظُنُّوا
If you all did not think
2nd person feminine
Singular
لَمْ تَظُنِّي
If you did not think
Dual
لَمْ تَظُنَّا
If you both did not think
Plural
لَمْ تَظْنُنَّ
If you all did not think
First-person (masculine/feminine)
Singular
لَمْ أَظْنُنْ
If I did not think
Dual
–
Plural
لَمْ نَظْنُنْ
If we did not think
Here, the shaddah is resolved in the third person masculine and feminine singular, as well as in the second person singular and first-person verbs.
Examples from the Holy Quran:
فَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلُوا فَأْذَنُوا بِحَرْبٍ مِّنَ اللَّـهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ۖ وَإِن تُبْتُمْ فَلَكُمْ رُءُوسُ أَمْوَالِكُمْ لَا تَظْلِمُونَ وَلَا تُظْلَمُونَ
And if you do not, then be informed of a war [against you] from Allah and His Messenger. But if you repent, you may have your principal – [thus] you do no wrong, nor are you wronged. (2:279)
فَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلُوا وَلَن تَفْعَلُوا فَاتَّقُوا النَّارَ
But if you do not – and you will never be able to – then fear the Fire (2:24)
Conclusion
This lesson on Arabic nuances concludes here. Insha’Allah, our subsequent session will delve into the imperative verbs in Arabic.
Al-dirassa Institute invites you on a linguistic journey with our expert teachers to master the Arabic language. Should you wish to further your studies, we welcome your inquiries.
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