In Palestinian-Jordanian Levantine Arabic, the weak radicals are و (wāw) ‘w’ and ي (yā’) ‘y.’ A verb that includes at least one weak radical is called a فِـعْـل مُـعْـتَـلّ (fi‘l mu‘tall) ‘weak verb.’ Verbs in Arabic are generally divided into two categories: صَــحِــيْــح (ṣaḥīḥ) ‘strong’ and مُــعْــتَــلّ (mu‘tall) ‘weak.’ A strong verb in Arabic has no weak radicals in its root.
We previously discussed irregular strong verbs in Level V, Lesson 5, namely:
- Verbs with ء (hamzah) as the initial radical, i.e., مَـهْـمُـوْز (mahmūz) ‘hamzated’ verbs.
- Verbs with identical middle and final radicals, i.e., مُـضَـعَّـف (muḍa‘‘af) ‘doubled’ verbs.
In this lesson, we will discuss irregular weak verbs in detail, specifically:
- Verbs with weak final radical, i.e., نَــاقِــص (nāqiṣ) ‘defective’ verbs.
- Verbs with weak middle radical, i.e., أَجْـــوَف (’ajwaf) ‘hollow’ verbs.
Table of Contents
- Verbs with Weak Middle Radical—Hollow Verbs
- Common Hollow Verbs in Palestinian-Jordanian Arabic
- Verbs with Weak Final Radical—Defective Verbs
- Common Defective Verbs in Palestinian-Jordanian Arabic
- Level VI – Advanced II (C2)
Verbs with Weak Middle Radical—Hollow Verbs
A verb with a weak middle radical—و (wāw) ‘w’ or ي (yā’) ‘y’—is called فِــعْــل أَجْــوَف (fi‘l ’ajwaf) ‘hollow verb.’
In the third-person singular masculine past tense, hollow verbs have an ﺍ (’alif) as the middle letter of the base verb form, e.g., قَـــال (qāl) ‘he said.’
The middle ﺍ (’alif) in the past tense does not indicate whether it is derived from و (wāw) ‘w’ or ي (yā’) ‘y.’ By examining the third-person singular masculine present tense or the verbal noun, one can infer the middle radical, and thus the root of the verb.
For example, the third-person singular masculine present tense of the verb قَـــال (qāl) ‘he said’ is بِـــقُـــوْل (biqūl) ‘he says,’ and its verbal noun is قُـــول (qowl) ‘saying.’ Thus, we can infer that the middle ﺍ (’alif) is derived from و (wāw) ‘w,’ and that the root of the verb قَـــال (qāl) is ق – و – ل (q – w – l).
Consider the hollow verbs: كَـــان (kān) ‘he was,’ شَـــاف (shāf) ‘he saw,’ رَاح (rāḥ) ‘he went,’ مَـــات (māt) ‘he died,’ نَـــام (nām) ‘he slept,’ خَـــاف (khāf) ‘he feared,’ بَـــاع (bā‘) ‘he sold,’ جَـــاب (jāb) ‘he brought,’ and صَـــار (ṣār) ‘he/it became or it happened.’
| Past | Present | Verbal Noun | Root |
| كَـــان kān | بِـــكُـــوْن bikūn | كُـــون kown | ك – و – ن k – w – n |
| شَـــاف shāf | بِـــشُـــوْف bishūf | شُـــوفِــة showfeh | ش – و – ف sh – w – f |
| رَاح rāḥ | بِـــــرُوْح birūḥ | رُوحَــة rowḥah | ر – و – ح r – w – ḥ |
| مَـــات māt | بِــمُـــوْت bimūt | مُــــوت mowt | م – و – ت m – w – t |
| نَـــام nām | بِـــنَــــام binām | نُــــوم nowm | ن – و – م n – w – m |
| خَـــاف khāf | بِـــخَــــاف bikhāf | خُــــوف khowf | خ – و – ف kh – w – f |
| بَـــاع bā‘ | بِـــبِـــيـــع bibī‘ | بِـــيـــع bey‘ | ب – ي – ع b – y – ‘ |
| جَـــاب jāb | بِـــجِــيْــب bijīb | جِــيــبِــة jeybeh | ج – ي – ب j – y – b |
| صَـــار ṣār | بِـــصِــيْــر biṣīr | صِــيــرَة ṣeyrah | ص- ي – ر ṣ – y – r |
Note that in a few cases, the middle ﺍ (’alif) is retained in the present tense, and the verbal noun is used to determine the middle radical, e.g., نَـــام (nām) and خَـــاف (khāf).
Consider the verbs قَـــال (qāl) ‘he said’ and بَـــاع (bā‘) ‘he sold’ as examples of hollow verbs.
The root of the verb قَـــال (qāl) is ق – و – ل (q – w – l), whereas the root of the بَـــاع (bā‘) is ب – ي – ع (b – y – ‘).
The present tense of the two verbs is conjugated as follows:
| Singular | Plural | |
| 1st person m/f | أَنَــــا بَـــقُـــوْل / بَـــبِـــيْـــع ’ana baqūl/babī‘ | إِحْــنَــا بِــنْـــقُـــوْل / بِــنْـــبِـــيْـــع ’iḥna binqūl/binbī‘ |
| 2nd person masculine | إِنْــتَ بِــتْـــقُـــوْل / بِــتْـــبِـــيْـــع ’inta bitqūl/bitbī‘ | إِنْــتُــوْ بِــتْــقُــوْلُــوْ / بِــتْــبِــيْــعُــوْ ’intu bitqūlu/bitbī‘u |
| 2nd person feminine | إِنْــتِ بِــتْــقُــوْلِـيْ / بِــتْــبِــيْــعِــيْ ’inti bitqūli/bitbī‘i | إِنْــتِــنْ بِــتْــقُــوْلِــنْ / بِــتْــبِــيْـعِــن ’intin bitqūlin/bitbī‘in |
| 3rd person masculine | هُــــوِّ بِـــقُـــوْل / بِـــبِـــيْـــع huwwe biqūl/bibī‘ | هُـــمِّ بِــقُـــوْلُــوْ / بِــبِـــيْـــعُــوْ humme biqūlu/bibī‘u |
| 3rd person feminine | هِـــيِّ بِــتْـــقُـــوْل / بِــتْـــبِـــيْـــع hiyye bitqūl/bitbī‘ | هِـــنِّ بِــقُـــوْلِــنْ / بِــبِـــيْـــعِــن hinne biqūlin/bibī‘in |
Note that verbs like نَـــام (nām) and خَـــاف (khāf) are examples of hollow verbs that are conjugated regularly in the present tense. For example:
| .أَنَــــا بَـــخَـــاف ’ana bakhāf I fear. | .هُـــمِّ بِـــنَـــامُــــوْ humme bināmu They sleep. |
The past tense conjugation of the verbs قَـــال (qāl) and بَـــاع (bā‘) is as follows:
| Singular | Plural | |
| 1st person m/f | أَنَــــا قُـــلْــت / بِـــعْـــت ’ana qult/bi‘t | إِحْــنَــا قُـــلْــنَــا / بِـــعْـــنَـــا ’iḥna qulna/bi‘na |
| 2nd person masculine | إِنْــتَ قُـــلْــت / بِـــعْـــت ’inta qult/bi‘t | إِنْــتُــوْ قُـــلْــتُــوْ / بِـــعْـــتُــوْ ’intu qultu/bi‘tu |
| 2nd person feminine | إِنْــتِ قُـــلْــتِــيْ / بِـــعْـــتِــيْ ’inti qulti/bi‘ti | إِنْــتِــنْ قُـــلْــتِــنْ / بِـــعْـــتِــنْ ’intin qultin/bi‘tin |
| 3rd person masculine | هُــــوِّ قَـــال / بَـــاع huwwe qāl/bā‘ | هُـــمِّ قَـــالُـــوْ / بَـــاعُــــوْ humme qālu/bā‘u |
| 3rd person feminine | هِـــيِّ قَـــالَـــت / بَـــاعَـــت hiyye qālat/bā‘at | هِـــنِّ قَـــالِــن / بَـــاعِـــن hinne qālin/bā‘in |
Notice that the middle ﺍ (’alif) appears only in the third-person forms. In all other forms, the middle ﺍ (’alif) is replaced with a ضَـمَّـة (ḍammah) ‘short u’ in verbs with و (wāw) ‘w’ as the middle radical, and with a كَـسْـرَة (kasrah) ‘short i’ in verbs with ي (yā’) ‘y’ as the middle radical.
The imperative of hollow verbs is conjugated regularly.
| Past | Present | Imperative |
| قَـــال qāl he said | بِـــقُـــوْل biqūl he says | قُـــوْل qūl Say! |
| بَـــاع bā‘ he sold | بِـــبِـــيْـــع bibī‘ he sells | بِـــيْـــع bī‘ Sell! |
| نَـــام nām he slept | بِـــنَـــام binām he sleeps | نَـــام nām Sleep! |
Other imperative forms of the above verbs are also conjugated regularly, as follows:
| Sing. m. | Sing. f. | Plural m. | Plural f. |
| قُـــوْل qūl | قُـــوْلِــيْ qūli | قُـــوْلُـــوْ qūlu | قُـــوْلِـــن qūlin |
| بِـــيْـــع bī‘ | بِـــيْـــعِــيْ bī‘i | بِـــيْـــعُـــوْ bī‘u | بِـــيْـــعِـــن bī‘in |
| نَـــام nām | نَـــامِــيْ nāmi | نَـــامُـــوْ nāmu | نَـــامِـــن nāmin |
To form the active participle in its base form, i.e., فَــاعِــل (fā‘il), the weak middle radical is replaced with يــ (y), i.e., فَــايِــل (fāyil).
| Indicative Past | Root | Active Participle |
| شَـــاف shāf he saw | ش – و – ف sh – w – f | شَـــايِـــف shāyif seeing |
| رَاح rāḥ he went | ر – و – ح r – w – ḥ | رَايِـــــح rāyiḥ going |
| نَـــام nām he slept | ن – و – م n – w – m | نَـــايِـــم nāyim asleep |
| خَـــاف khāf he feared | خ – و – ف kh – w – f | خَـــايِـــف khāyif fearful |
| مَـــال māl he/it inclined | م – ي – ل m – y – l | مَـــايِـــل māyil slanted/inclined |
An exception is the active participle مِــيِّــت (miyyit) ‘dead’ from the past verb مَـات (māt) ‘he died’ from the root م – و – ت (m – w – t).
Common Hollow Verbs in Palestinian-Jordanian Arabic
| قَـــال qāl he said | ق – و – ل q – w – l | شَـــاف shāf he saw | ش – و – ف sh – w – f |
| رَاح rāḥ he went | ر – و – ح r – w – ḥ | قَـــام qām he got up | ق – و – م q – w – m |
| كَـــان kān he was | ك – و – ن k – w – n | فَـــات fāt he went in | ف – و – ت f – w – t |
| مَـــات māt he died | م – و – ت m – w – t | صَـــام ṣām he fasted | ص – و – م ṣ – w – m |
| زَار zār he visited | ز – و – ر z – w – r | دَار dār he turned | د – و – ر d – w – r |
| جَـــاع jā‘ he was hungry | ج – و – ع j – w – ‘ | بَـــاس bās he kissed | ب – و – س b – w – s |
| فَـــاز fāz he won | ف – و – ز f – w – z | ذَاق dhāq he tasted | ذ – و – ق dh – w – q |
| سَـــاق sāq he drove | س – و – ق s – w – q | غَـــاص ghāṣ he dived | غ – و – ص gh – w – ṣ |
| لَام lām he blamed | ل – و – م l – w – m | نَـــام nām he slept | ن – و – م n – w – m |
| خَـــاف khāf he feared | خ – و – ف kh – w – f | عَـــاش ‘āsh he lived | ع – ي – ش ‘ – y – sh |
| بَـــاع bā‘ he sold | ب – ي – ع b – y – ‘ | قَـــاس qās he measured | ق – ي – س q – y – s |
| طَـــار ṭār he flew | ط – ي – ر ṭ – y – r | جَـــاب jāb he brought | ج – ي – ب j – y – b |
| سَـــاب sāb he let go | س – ي – ب s – y – b | صَـــار ṣār he became | ص – ي – ر ṣ – y – r |
| زَاد zād it increased | ز – ي – د z – y – d | طَــاح ṭāḥ he fell | ط – ي – ح ṭ – y – ḥ |
| غَـــار ghār he was jealous | غ – ي – ر gh – y – r | غَـــاب ghāb he was absent | غ – ي – ب gh – y – b |
Verbs with Weak Final Radical—Defective Verbs
A verb with a weak final radical—و (wāw) ‘w’ or ي (yā’) ‘y’—is called a فِــعْــل نَــاقِــص (fi‘l nāqiṣ) ‘defective verb.’
In their base form, defective verbs end with ﺍ (’alif), ى (’alif maqṣūrah), or ي (yā’), depending on the root.
In MSA, the third-person singular masculine present tense indicates whether the final letter is derived from و (wāw) ‘w’ or ي (yā’) ‘y,’ as follows:
- If the final letter of the base verb in the past tense is ﺍ (’alif), the final root radical is و (wāw) ‘w,’ and the corresponding present tense verb ends with و (wāw) ‘w.’
- If the final letter of the base verb in the past tense is ي (yā’) ‘y,’ the final root radical is ي (yā’) ‘y,’ and the present tense verb ends with ى (’alif maqṣūrah).
- If the final letter of the base verb in the past tense is ى (’alif maqṣūrah), the final root radical is ي(yā’) ‘y,’ and the present tense verb ends with ى (’alif maqṣūrah) or ي (yā’) ‘y.’
Consider the verbs دَعَـا (da‘ā) ‘he invited,’ نَـسِـي (nasi) ‘he forgot,’ بَــنَــى (banā) ‘he built,’ and سَـعَـى (sa‘ā) ‘he pursued’ as examples. The table below summarizes the conjugation patterns for defective verbs in MSA using selected examples:
| Case | Past | Present | Root |
| ا –> و ā –> ū | دَعــــــا da‘ā | يَـــدْعـــو yad‘ū | د – ع – و d – ‘ – w |
| ي –> ى i –> ā | نَـــسِـــي nasi | يَــنْــســى yansā | ن – س – ي n – s – y |
| ى –> ي ā –> ī | بَـــنـــى banā | يَــبْــنــي yabnī | ب – ن – ي b – n – y |
| ى –> ى ā –> ā | سَــعــى sa‘ā | يَــسْــعــى yas‘ā | س – ع – ي s – ‘ – y |
In Palestinian-Jordanian Arabic, the classification is simpler: most verbs end with ي (yā’) ‘y’ in the present tense, regardless of the final root radical or the past tense ending.
The following verbs are the exceptions that must be memorized:
- ا –> و (a –> u)
| غَـــــزَا ghaza he invaded | بِــــغْــــزُوْ bighzu he invades | غ – ز – و gh – z – w |
| نَـــجَـــا naja he survived | بِـــنْـــجُـــوْ binju he survives | ن – ج – و n – j – w |
| رَجَـــا raja he hoped or asked eagerly | بِـــرْجُـــوْ birju he hopes or asks eagerly | ر – ج – و r – j – w |
| عَـــفَــا (عَـــن) ‘afa (‘an) he pardoned | بِـــعْـــفُـــوْ (عَـــن) bi‘fu (‘an) he pardons | ع – ف – و ‘ – f – w |
| رَسَــــا rasa he anchored | بِــــرْسُــــوْ birsu he anchors | ر – س – و r – s – w |
- ي –> ى (i –> a)
| نِـــسِـــيْ nisi he forgot | بِـــنْـــسَـــى binsa he forgets | ن – س – ي n – s – y |
| صِــحِــيْ ṣiḥi he woke up | بِــصْــحَــى biṣḥa he wakes up | ص – ح – ي ṣ – ḥ – y |
| رِضِــــيْ riḍi he was satisfied | بِـــرْضَـــى birḍa he is satisfied | ر – ض – ي r – ḍ – y |
| لِـــقِـــيْ liqi he found or met | بِـــلْـــقَـــى bilqa he finds or meets | ل – ق – ي l – q – y |
| وِعِـــــيْ wi‘i he became aware | بِـــوْعَــــى biw‘a he becomes aware | و – ع – ي w – ‘ – y |
| عِـــلِـــيْ ‘ili he got elevated | بِـــعْـــلَـــى bi‘la he gets elevated | ع – ل – ي ‘ – l – y |
| قِـــــوِيْ † qiwi he got stronger | بِــــقْــــوَى biqwa he gets stronger | ق – و – ي q – w – y |
† Both middle and final radicals are weak, but the verb is treated as a defective verb.
- ى –> ى (a –> a)
| سَـــعَـــى sa‘a he pursued | بِـــسْـــعَـــى bis‘a he pursues | س – ع – ي s – ‘ – y |
| رَعَــــى ra‘a he pastured/sponsored | بِـــرْعَــــى bir‘a he pastures/sponsors | ر – ع – ي r – ‘ – y |
| تْــمَــنَّــى tmanna he wished | بِـــتْــمَــنَّــى bitmanna he wishes | م – ن – ي m – n – y |
Most other verbs end with ي (yā’) ‘y’ in the present tense, regardless of the final root radical and the last letter of the base verb in the past tense. For example:
| دَعَــــا da‘a he prayed/ invited | بِــــدْعِــــيْ * bid‘i he prays/invites | د – ع – و d – ‘ – w |
| مَـــحَـــا maḥa he erased | بِــــمْـــحِــــيْ bimḥi he erases | م – ح – و m – ḥ – w |
| حَــكَــى ḥaka he said or told | بِــــحْـــكِــــيْ biḥki he says or tells | ح – ك – ي ḥ – k – y |
| خَـــلَّــى khalla he let | بِــــخَـــلِّــــيْ bikhalli he lets | خ – ل – ي kh – l – y |
| مَــــشَـــى masha he walked/left | بِـــمْــــشِـــيْ bimshi he walks/leaves | م – ش – ي m – sh – y |
* Both بِـــدْعِـــيْ (bid‘i) and بِــــدْعُــــوْ (bid‘u) can be used. The verb دَعَـــا (da‘a) refers to prayer in general, not the five daily prayers, for which the verb صَــلَّــى (ṣalla) is used.
Consider the past tense conjugation of the verb حَـــكَــى (ḥaka) ‘he said or told,’ which is how most defective verbs are conjugated.
| Singular | Plural | |
| 1st person m/f | أَنَــــا حَــكِــيــت ’ana ḥakeyt | إِحْــنَــا حَــكِــيــنَــا ’iḥna ḥakeyna |
| 2nd person masculine | إِنْــتَ حَــكِــيــت ’inta ḥakeyt | إِنْــتُــوْ حَــكِــيــتُــوْ ’intu ḥakeytu |
| 2nd person feminine | إِنْــتِ حَــكِــيــتِــيْ ’inti ḥakeyti | إِنْــتِــنْ حَــكِــيــتِــن ’intin ḥakeytin |
| 3rd person masculine | هُــــوِّ حَـــكَــى huwwe ḥaka | هُـــمِّ حَـــكُـــوْ humme ḥaku |
| 3rd person feminine | هِـــيِّ حَـــكَــت hiyye ḥakat | هِـــنِّ حَــكِــيــن hinne ḥakeyn |
The present tense of the same verb is conjugated as follows:
| Singular | Plural | |
| 1st person m/f | أَنَــــا بَــحْــكِــيْ ’ana baḥki | إِحْــنَــا بْــنِــحْــكِــيْ ’iḥna bniḥki |
| 2nd person masculine | إِنْــتَ بْــتِــحْــكِــيْ ’inta btiḥki | إِنْــتُــوْ بْــتِــحْــكُــوْ ’intu btiḥku |
| 2nd person feminine | إِنْــتِ بْــتِــحْــكِــيْ ’inti btiḥki | إِنْــتِــنْ بْــتِــحْـكِــيْـن ’intin btiḥkīn |
| 3rd person masculine | هُــــوِّ بِـــحْــكِــيْ huwwe biḥki | هُـــمِّ بِــحْــكُــوْ humme biḥku |
| 3rd person feminine | هِـــيِّ بْــتِــحْــكِــيْ hiyye btiḥki | هِـــنِّ بِــحْــكِــيْــن hinne biḥkīn |
Only a few defective verbs are conjugated differently. The final root radical of these verbs is ي(yā’) ‘y’ and the present tense verb ends with ى (’alif maqṣūrah), i.e., ي è ى (i è a)
Consider the past tense conjugation of the verb نِـــسِـــيْ (nisi) ‘he forgot,’ which falls in this group of verbs.
| Singular | Plural | |
| 1st person m/f | أَنَــــا نْـــسِـــيْـــت ’ana nsīt | إِحْــنَــا نْـــسِـــيْـــنَــا ’iḥna nsīna |
| 2nd person masculine | إِنْــتَ نْـــسِـــيْـــت ’inta nsīt | إِنْــتُــوْ نِـــسْـــيَـــتُـــوْ ’intu nsītu |
| 2nd person feminine | إِنْــتِ نْـــسِـــيْـــتِـــيْ ’inti nsīti | إِنْــتِــنْ نْـــسِـــيْـــتِـــن ’intin nsītin |
| 3rd person masculine | هُــــوِّ نِـــسِـــيْ huwwe nisi | هُـــمِّ نِـــسُــــوْ / نِـــسْـــيُــــوْ humme nisu/nisyu |
| 3rd person feminine | هِـــيِّ نِـــسْـــيَـــت hiyye nisyat | هِـــنِّ نْـــسِـــيْـــن / نِـــسْـــيِـــن hinne nisyin/nsīn |
The present tense of the same verb is conjugated as follows:
| Singular | Plural | |
| 1st person m/f | أَنَــــا بَـــنْـــسَـــى ’ana bansa | إِحْــنَــا بْــنِــنْـــسَـــى ’iḥna bninsa |
| 2nd person masculine | إِنْــتَ بْــتِــنْـــسَـــى ’inta btinsa | إِنْــتُــوْ بْــتِــنْـــسُـــوْ ’intu btinsu |
| 2nd person feminine | إِنْــتِ بْــتِــنْـــسِـــيْ ’inti btinsi | إِنْــتِــنْ بْــتِــنْـــسِـــيْــن ’intin btinsīn |
| 3rd person masculine | هُــــوِّ بِـــنْـــسَـــى huwwe binsa | هُـــمِّ بِــنْـــسُـــوْ humme binsu |
| 3rd person feminine | هِـــيِّ بْــتِــنْـــسَـــى hiyye btinsa | هِـــنِّ بِــنْـــسِـــيْــن hinne binsīn |
Another common verb in Palestinian-Jordanian Arabic is إِجَـــى (’ija) ‘he came.’ The present tense of this verb is بِــيْــجِــي (bīji) ‘he comes.’ The verb ends with ى (’alif maqṣūrah) in its base form. However, it is derived from the MSA hollow verb جَـــاءَ (jā’a) ‘he came,’ whose root is ج – ي – أ (j – y – ’) .
| إِجَـــى ’ija he came | بِــيْــجِــيْ bīji he comes | ج – ي – أ j – y – ’ |
Note that the verbs قَـــــرَا (qara) ‘he read,’ بَـــدَا (bada) ‘he began,’ and تْــخَــبَّــا (tkhabba) ‘he hid’ are derived from the MSA verbs قَـــرَأَ (qara’a), بَـــدَأَ (bada’a), and تَــخَــبَّــأَ (takhabba’a), respectively. Therefore, the final radical is أ (’), which is pronounced as a ‘short a’ vowel in Palestinian-Jordanian Arabic. The present and imperative forms of these verbs are also pronounced with a ‘short a’ vowel at the end.
| Past | Present | Imperative |
| قَـــــرَا qara he read | بِـــقْـــــرَا biqra he reads | اِقْـــــرَا iqra Read! |
| بَـــــدَا bada he began | بِـــبْــــدَا bibda he begins | اِبْـــــدَا ibda Begin! |
| تْــخَــبَّــا tkhtabba he hid | بِـــتْــخَــبَّــا bitkhabba he hides | اِتْــخَــبَّــا itkhabba Hide! |
The active participle form of a defective verb always ends with a ي (yā’) ‘y,’ regardless of the final root radical, i.e., فَــاعِــيْ (fā‘i).
Consider the defective verbs دَعَــــا (da‘a) ‘he prayed or invited,’ غَــــزَا (ghaza) ‘he invaded,’ بَـــنَـــى (bana) ‘he built,’ and رَمَــــى (rama) ‘he threw’ as examples:
| Past | Root | Active Participle |
| دَعَــــا da‘a | د – ع – و d – ‘ – w | دَاعِـــيْ dā‘i |
| غَـــــزَا ghaza | غ – ز – و gh – z – w | غَــــازِيْ ghāzi |
| بَـــنَــى bana | ب – ن – ي b – n – y | بَـــانِـــيْ bāni |
| رَمَـــى rama | ر – م – ي r – m – y | رَامِـــيْ rāmi |
Remember that the rules explained in this lesson apply to both base triliteral verb forms as well as the derived patterns.
For instance, the verbs مِـــشِــيْ (mishi) ‘he walked,’ مَـــشَّــى (mashsha) ‘he let go,’ and تْــمَـــشَّــى (tmashsha) ‘he strolled’ all share the root م – ش – ي (m – sh – y) and are conjugated as shown in the table below:
| Past third-person singular m. | مِـــشِــيْ mishi he walked | مَـــشَّــى mashsha he let go | تْــمَـــشَّــى tmashsha he strolled |
| Present third-person singular m. | بِـــمْـــشِــيْ bimshi he walks | بِـــمَـــشِّــيْ bimashshi he lets go | بِـــتْـــمَـــشَّــى bitmashsha he strolls |
| Imperative second-person singular m. | اِمْـــشِــيْ imshi Walk! | مَـــشِّــيْ mashshi Let go! | تْـــمَـــشَّــى tmashsha Stroll! |
A verb with middle and final weak radicals—و (wāw) ‘w’ and ي (yā’) ‘y’—is also often treated like a defective verb. Examples of include: طَــــوَى (ṭawa) ‘he folded,’ شَــــوَى (shawa) ‘he grilled,’ رَوَى (rawa) ‘he narrated or watered,’ نَــــوَى (nawa) ‘he intended,’ كَــــوَى (kawa) ‘he ironed,’ and قِــــوِيْ (qiwi) ‘he became stronger.’
Consider the verbs طَــــوَى (ṭawa) ‘he folded,’ شَــــوَى (shawa) ‘he grilled,’ andنَــــوَى (nawa) ‘he intended’ as examples:
| Past | Present | Active Participle | Root |
| طَـوى ṭawa | بِـــطْـــوِيْ biṭwi | طَـــاوِيْ ṭāwi | ط – و – ي ṭ – w – y |
| شَــــوَى shawa | بِـــشْـــوِيْ bishwi | شَـــاوِيْ shāwi | ش – و – ي sh – w – y |
| نَــــوَى nawa | بِـــنْـــوِيْ binwi | نَـــاوِيْ nāwi | ن – و – ي n – w – y |
The verb قِــــوِيْ (qiwi) ‘he became stronger’ is associated with the adjective قَــــوِيْ (qawi) ‘strong,’ derived from the same root.
Common Defective Verbs in Palestinian-Jordanian Arabic
| دَعَــــا da‘a he prayed/ invited | د – ع – و d – ‘ – w ا –> ي (a –> i) | مَـــحَـــا maḥa he erased | م – ح – و m – ḥ – w ا –> ي (a –> i) |
| شَـــكَــا shaka he complained | ش – ك – و sh – k – w ا –> ي (a –>è i) | مِــــشِـــيْ mishi he walked/left | م – ش – ي m – sh – y ي –> ي (i –> i) |
| خَـــلَّــى khalla he let | خ – ل – ي kh – l – y ى –> ي (a –> i) | بَـــنَــى bana he built | ب – ن – ي b – n – y ى –> ي (a –> i) |
| رَمَـــى rama he threw | ر – م – ي r – m – y ى –> ي (a –> i) | حَــكَــى ḥaka he said or told | ح – ك – ي ḥ – k – y ى –> ي (a –> i) |
| لَـــغَــى lagha he canceled | ل – غ – ي l – gh – y ى –> ي (a –> i) | كَــــوَى kawa he ironed | ك – و – ي k – w – y ى –> ي (a –> i) |
| نَـــفَــى nafa he denied/exiled | ن – ف – ي n – f – y ى –> ي (a –> i) | طَـــغَــى ṭagha he exceeded bounds | ط – غ – ي ṭ – gh – y ى è ى (a è a) |
| هَـــدَى hada he guided | ه – د – ي h – d – y ى –> ي (a –> i) | هِـــدِيْ hidi he became calm | ه – د – ي h – d – y ي –> ى (i –> a) |
| نِـــسِـــيْ nisi he forgot | ن – س – ي n – s – y ي –> ى (i –> a) | رِضِــــيْ riḍi he was satisfied | ر – ض – ي r – ḍ – y ي –> ى (i –> a) |
| لِـــقِـــيْ liqi he found or met | ل – ق – ي l – q – y ي –> ى (i –> a) | عِـــلِـــيْ ‘ili he got elevated | ع – ل – ي ‘ – l – y ي –> ى (i –> a) |
| وِعِـــــيْ wi‘i he became aware | و – ع – ي w – ‘ – y ي –> ى (i –> a) | قِـــــوِيْ qiwi he got stronger | ق – و – ي q – w – y ي –> ى (i –> a) |
| سَـــعَـــى sa‘a he pursued | س – ع – ي s – ‘ – y ى –> ى (a –> a) | رَعَــــى ra‘a he pastured/sponsored | ر – ع – ي r – ‘ – y ى –> ى (a –> a) |
| غَـــــزَا ghaza he invaded | غ – ز – و gh – z – w ا –> و (a –> u) | نَـــجَـــا naja he survived | ن – ج – و n – j – w ا –> و (a –> u) |
| رَسَــــا rasa he anchored | ر – س – و r – s – w ا –> و (a –> u) | رَجَـــا raja he asked eagerly | ر – ج – و r – j – w ا –> و (a –> u) |
| عَـــفَــا (عَـــن) ‘afa (‘an) he pardoned | ع – ف – و ‘ – f – w ا –> و (a –> u) | طَـــفَـــا ṭafa he floated | ط – ف – و ṭ – f – w ا –> و (a –> u) |
| غَـــطَّــى ghaṭṭa he covered | غ – ط – ي gh – ṭ – y ى –> ي (a –> i) | طَـــفَّــى ṭaffa he extinguished | ط – ف – ي ṭ – f – y ى –> ي (a –> i) |
| سَـــــوَّى sawwa he did or made | س – و – ي s – w – y ى –> ي (a –> i) | وَدَّى wadda he delivered/took to | و – د – ي w – d – y ى –> ي (a –> i) |
| وَرَّى warra he showed | ر – أ – ي r – ’ – y ى –> ي (a –> i) | هَــــدَّى hadda he calmed/slowed down | ه – د – ي h – d – y ى –> ي (a –> i) |
| تْــمَــنَّــى tmanna he did or made | م – ن – ي m – n – y ى –> ى (a –> a) | لَاقَـــــى lāqa he found or met | ل – ق – ي l – q – y ى –> ي (a –> i) |
| أَعْـــطَـــى ’a‘ṭa he gave | ع – ط – ي ‘ – ṭ – y ى –> ي (a –> i) | أَلْـــغَـــى ’algha he canceled | ل – غ – ي l – gh – y ى –> ي (a –> i) |
| اِلْــتَــهَــى iltaha he got distracted | ل – ه – ي l – h – y ى –> ي (a –> i) | اِغْــتَــنَــى ightana he got rich | غ – ن – ي gh – n – y ى –> ي (a –> i) |
Next: Progressive and Perfect Tenses
Other lessons in Level VI: