- — The alif of duality (alif al-ithnayn): yafhamani ('the two of them — masc., absent — understand') / tafhamani ('the two of you — or two — addressed/feminine — understand').
- — The waw of plurality (waw al-jamaʿa): yafhamuna ('they — masc. plural, absent — understand') / tafhamuna ('you — masc. plural, addressed — understand').
- — The yaʾ of feminine address (yaʾ al-mukhataba): tafhamina ('you — feminine singular — understand').
So they are five well-known verb forms which the scholars represent by saying: yafʿalani — tafʿalani — yafʿaluna — tafʿaluna — tafʿalina ('the two — masc. — do', 'the two — fem./addressed — do', 'they — masc. plural — do', 'you — masc. plural — do', 'you — fem. singular — do').
Why Are These Called the Five Verbs?
- — Because when al-fiʿl al-mudariʿ is joined to alif al-ithnayn, it will be either for two absent persons (yafʿalani) or for two addressed persons (tafʿalani).
- — And when it is joined to waw al-jamaʿa, it will be either for a group of absent persons (yafʿaluna) or a group of addressed persons (tafʿaluna).
- — And when it is joined to yaʾ al-mukhataba, it can only be for a single addressed female (tafʿalina).
If we count these examples we find them to be five — and that is why they are named al-afʿal al-khamsa (the Five Verbs).
Iʿrab (Grammatical Analysis) of the Five Verbs
The Five Verbs take rafʿ (the nominative) by retention of the nun (in place of the damma); and they take nasb (accusative) and jazm (jussive) by dropping the nun.
Example of the Five Verbs in the Nominative
Allah, Glorified and Most High, says: "And Allah knows what you conceal and what you declare." — Quran 16:19 (Sahih International)
Question: Identify the Five Verbs.
Answer: tusirruna ('you conceal'), tuʿlinuna ('you declare').
Their iʿrab: a present-tense verb in the nominative case, marked by the retention of the nun; the waw is the subject (faʿil).
Example of the Five Verbs in the Accusative
He, Glorified, says: "Never will you attain the good [reward] until you spend [in the way of Allah] from that which you love." — Quran 3:92 (Sahih International)
Question: Identify the Five Verbs.
- — tanalu ('you attain'), tunfiqu ('you spend').
Why?
Because of the entry of lan ('never... will') and hatta ('until') — both of which are particles that put al-fiʿl al-mudariʿ into the accusative — so the nun is dropped. (For more on the particles that govern the accusative on the present-tense verb, see the dedicated lesson on al-fiʿl al-mudariʿ.)
Accordingly, their iʿrab is: a present-tense verb in the accusative case, marked by dropping the nun; the waw is a connected pronoun in the position of nominative as the subject (faʿil).
Example of the Five Verbs in the Jussive
He, Glorified, says: "And if you amend [your affairs] and fear Allah — then indeed, Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful." — Quran 4:129 (Sahih International)
- — The Five Verbs: tuslihu ('you amend'), tattaqu ('you fear/be mindful of [Allah]').
Their iʿrab: a present-tense verb in the jussive mood, marked by dropping the nun; the waw is the subject.
Why are they jussive?
- — Because they are preceded by a jazm-governing particle (in, 'if'). (See the dedicated lesson on al-fiʿl al-mudariʿ for more.)
Summary and Examples
We have said that the Five Verbs are well-known verb forms which the scholars gathered into the saying: yafʿalani — tafʿalani — yafʿaluna — tafʿaluna — tafʿalina.
These verbs are inflected: nominative by retention of the nun, and accusative and jussive by dropping the nun.
- — al-mujtahidani yafuzani ('the two diligent ones win'): a present-tense verb in the nominative case, marked by retention of the nun; the alif is a connected pronoun in the position of nominative as the subject.
- — anti tasrukhina ('you — fem. — scream'): a present-tense verb in the nominative case, marked by retention of the nun, because it is one of the Five Verbs.
- — Allah Most High says: "But if you do not — and you will never be able to — then fear the Fire whose fuel is people and stones." — Quran 2:24 (Sahih International)
lam tafʿalu: a present-tense verb in the jussive mood, marked by dropping the nun (because it is preceded by the jazm-governing particle lam, 'did not').
lan tafʿalu: a present-tense verb in the accusative case, marked by dropping the nun (because it is preceded by the nasb-governing particle lan, 'will never').