Introduction
The subjunctive اَلْمُضَارِعُ الْمَنْصُوبُ and the jussive الْمُضَارِعُ المَجْزُومُ modify the verb in the imperfect tense.
When a particle such as أَنْ (that) precedes the imperfect verb يَفْعَلُ (he does / will do), it changes its ending to fatha or nasb. This is the subjunctive mood.
| أَنْ يَفْعَلَ | that he does / will do |
Likewise, if a particle such as إِنْ (if) precedes the imperfect verb يَفْعَلُ, the ending changes to sukoon or jazm. This is the jussive mood.
| إِنْ يَفْعَلْ | if he does / will do |
These two forms of the imperfect verb (subjunctive and jussive) differ by small changes in their endings.
1. The Subjunctive اَلْمُضَارِعُ الْمَنْصُوبُ
The particles called الْحُرُوفُ النَّاصِبَةُ make the verb subjunctive. Here are the main ones:
| الْحُرُوفُ النَّاصِبَةُ | Meaning |
|---|---|
| لَنْ | will never |
| أَلَّا = أَنْ + لَا | that not |
| كَيْ / كَيْلَا | so that / in order not to |
| حَتَّى | until |
| لِ | so that / in order to |
| إِذَنْ | then / therefore |
3rd person masculine
| Singular | Dual | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| أَنْ يَفْعَلَ | أَنْ يَفْعَلَا | أَنْ يَفْعَلُوا |
| that he does | that both do | that they do |
3rd person feminine
| Singular | Dual | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| أَنْ تَفْعَلَ | أَنْ تَفْعَلَا | أَنْ يَفْعَلْنَ |
| that she does | that both (feminine) do | that they (feminine) do |
2nd person masculine
| Singular | Dual | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| أَنْ تَفْعَلَ | أَنْ تَفْعَلَا | أَنْ تَفْعَلُوا |
| that you do | that both of you do | that you all do |
2nd person feminine
| Singular | Dual | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| أَنْ تَفْعَلِي | أَنْ تَفْعَلَا | أَنْ تَفْعَلْنَ |
| that you do | that both of you (feminine) do | that you (feminine plural) do |
1st person (masculine and feminine)
| Singular | Dual | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| أَنْ أَفْعَلَ | – | أَنْ نَفْعَلَ |
| that I do | – | that we do |
The visible fatha on the imperfect appears only in the forms يَفْعَلَ، تَفْعَلَ، أَفْعَلَ، نَفْعَلَ. Endings in ن are dropped except for feminine plurals.
2. The Jussive when the verb is in the imperfect
The particles called الْحُرُوفُ الْجازِمَةُ make the imperfect verb jussive. The final radical then takes a sukoon or jazm. Here are the main ones:
| الْحُرُوفُ الْجازِمَةُ | Meaning |
|---|---|
| لَمْ | did not / was not |
| لَمَّا | not yet |
| إِنْ | if |
| لِ | let / should |
| لَا | do not / should not |
Jussive conjugation of the verb إِنْ يَفْعَلْ
3rd person masculine
| Singular | Dual | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| إِنْ يَفْعَلْ | إِنْ يَفْعَلَا | إِنْ يَفْعَلُوا |
| if he does | if both do | if they do |
3rd person feminine
| Singular | Dual | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| إِنْ تَفْعَلْ | إِنْ تَفْعَلَا | إِنْ يَفْعَلْنَ |
| if she does | if both (feminine) do | if they (feminine) do |
2nd person masculine
| Singular | Dual | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| إِنْ تَفْعَلْ | إِنْ تَفْعَلَا | إِنْ تَفْعَلُوا |
| if you do | if both of you do | if you all do |
1st person (masculine and feminine)
| Singular | Dual | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| إِنْ أَفْعَلْ | – | إِنْ نَفْعَلْ |
| if I do | – | if we do |
In the jussive, the ending of the imperfect verb changes depending on the preceding particle. The main sign is the final sukoon, except when the ending contains a vowel or a feminine plural ن, which remains unchanged.
3. The jussive of hollow and defective verbs
Some verbs lose their middle or final weak letter when the sukoon is added in the jussive. They are respectively called hollow verbs (الأجوف) and defective verbs (الناقص).
1. Hollow verbs (الأجوف)
The hollow verb has a middle weak letter (wāw or yāʾ) which is dropped in the jussive.
| Base form | Jussive | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| يَقُولُ | لَمْ يَقُلْ | He did not say |
| يَبِيعُ | لَمْ يَبِعْ | He did not sell |
2. Defective verbs (الناقص)
The defective verb ends with a weak letter (wāw or yāʾ) which is dropped in the jussive, unless a vowel ending prevents the sukoon.
| Base form | Jussive | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| يَدْعُو | لَمْ يَدْعُ | He did not call / invoke |
| يَمْشِي | لَمْ يَمْشِ | He did not walk |
3. Quranic Examples
فَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلُوا فَأْذَنُوا بِحَرْبٍ مِّنَ اللَّـهِ وَرَسُولِهِ
“And if you do not do it, then be informed of a war from Allah and His Messenger.” (2:279)
فَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلُوا وَلَن تَفْعَلُوا فَاتَّقُوا النَّارَ
“And if you do not do it — and you will never do it — then fear the Fire.” (2:24)
This free Arabic lesson is now complete. The next lesson will discuss the imperative verb in Arabic.
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