Categories of the Verb by Tense:
Past (madi), present (mudariʿ), and imperative (amr).
Categories of the Verb by Iʿrab and Binaʾ:
All past-tense verbs are mabni (invariable/indeclinable) — e.g., kataba ('he wrote'), istaghfara ('he sought forgiveness'), akalu ('they ate'). The same applies to the imperative — e.g., sariʿu ('hasten!'), nam ('sleep!'), istakhrij ('extract!').
As for the present-tense verb, it becomes mabni (invariable) in two cases:
When the nun of the feminine plural (nun al-niswa) is attached to it, e.g., yaʾkulna ('they — fem. — eat'), yatahaddathna ('they — fem. — speak'); or when the nun of emphasis (nun al-tawkid) is attached, e.g., la-adribann ('I shall surely strike'). In all other cases it is muʿrab (declinable), e.g., yamshi ('he walks'), yashrabuna ('they drink').
Categories of the Verb by Intransitivity or Transitivity:
The Intransitive Verb (Al-Fiʿl al-Lazim)
If we look at these verbs, we find them not requiring a direct object — the meaning is complete with just the verb and the subject.
The Transitive Verb (Al-Fiʿl al-Mutaʿaddi)
Thus 'mathalan' is the direct object of the verb 'daraba', and 'al-samawat' is the direct object of the verb 'khalaqa'.
Categories of the Verb by Soundness or Weakness:
The Sound Verb (Al-Fiʿl al-Sahih)
It is divided into:
- Salim ('whole/integral'): a verb whose root letters are free of hamza or gemination, e.g., shariba ('he drank'), sajada ('he prostrated'), dahraja ('he rolled').
- Mahmuz ('hamzated'): a verb one of whose root letters is a hamza, e.g., akala ('he ate'), saʾala ('he asked'), shaʾa ('he willed').
- Mudaʿʿaf ('geminated'): of two types:
Triliteral: ʿadda ('he counted'), shadda ('he tightened'), farra ('he fled').
Quadriliteral: zalzala ('he shook'), qalqala ('he rattled').
The Weak Verb (Al-Fiʿl al-Muʿtall)
The basic verbal pattern is the triliteral 'faʿala'. The weak verb is divided into:
Mithal ('similar'): one whose first root letter (the 'fa' in 'faʿala') is a weak letter, e.g., waqaʿa ('he fell'), yaʾisa ('he despaired').
– وقع
– يئس
Ajwaf ('hollow'): one whose middle root letter (the 'ʿayn' in 'faʿala') is a weak letter, e.g., baʿa ('he sold'), daʿa ('it was lost').
– باع
– ضاع
Naqis ('defective'): one whose final root letter (the 'lam' in 'faʿala') is a weak letter, e.g., hawa ('he fell/loved'), sama ('he rose high').
– هوى
– سما
Categories of the Verb by Bareness or Augmentation
The Bare Verb (Al-Fiʿl al-Mujarrad)
Triliteral: kataba ('he wrote'), rakaʿa ('he bowed in prayer').
Quadriliteral: dahraja ('he rolled'), zalzala ('he shook').
The Augmented Verb (Al-Fiʿl al-Mazid)
Augmented triliteral: a triliteral with one, two, or three added letters, e.g., kataba → kataba ('he corresponded'), indafaʿa ('he rushed forth'), istaqama ('he became upright/straight').
– كاتب
– اندفع
– استقام
Augmented quadriliteral: a quadriliteral with one or two added letters, e.g., tadahraja ('it rolled along'), itmaʾanna ('he became reassured').
– تدحرج
– اطمأنَّ