A prefix for the person, a suffix for number and gender
The Arabic present tense wraps the verb stem: a prefix (أ، تـ، يـ، نـ) says who, and a suffix says number and gender. The dictionary form is the past 3rd person masculine singular, so كَتَبَ (he wrote) gives يَكْتُبُ (he writes).
| Pronoun | Verb | Sound | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| أَنَا | أَكْتُبُ | aktubu | I write |
| أَنْتَ | تَكْتُبُ | taktubu | you write (m) |
| أَنْتِ | تَكْتُبِينَ | taktubīna | you write (f) |
| هُوَ | يَكْتُبُ | yaktubu | he writes |
| هِيَ | تَكْتُبُ | taktubu | she writes |
| نَحْنُ | نَكْتُبُ | naktubu | we write |
| أَنْتُمْ | تَكْتُبُونَ | taktubūna | you write (m pl) |
| أَنْتُنَّ | تَكْتُبْنَ | taktubna | you write (f pl) |
| هُمْ | يَكْتُبُونَ | yaktubūna | they write (m) |
| هُنَّ | يَكْتُبْنَ | yaktubna | they write (f) |
The prefix vowel is fatha, and the first root letter has no vowel (sukun): يَـ + كْتُـ + بُ.
The stem vowel has to be learned
Form I verbs have one of three vowels in the present stem. The past form does not tell you which, so learn both together:
| Past | Present | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| كَتَبَ | يَكْتُبُ (u) | to write |
| دَرَسَ | يَدْرُسُ (u) | to study |
| جَلَسَ | يَجْلِسُ (i) | to sit |
| فَتَحَ | يَفْتَحُ (a) | to open |
| شَرِبَ | يَشْرَبُ (a) | to drink |
| ذَهَبَ | يَذْهَبُ (a) | to go |
One tense, two English meanings
أَدْرُسُ الْعَرَبِيَّةَ. covers both "I study Arabic" and "I am studying Arabic". Arabic makes no distinction here.
- هِيَ تَشْرَبُ الْقَهْوَةَ. — She drinks / is drinking coffee.
- نَحْنُ نَدْرُسُ فِي الْجَامِعَةِ. — We study at the university.
- هُمْ يَذْهَبُونَ إِلَى السُّوقِ. — They are going to the market.
The pronoun is usually dropped, because the prefix already says who: أَدْرُسُ الْعَرَبِيَّةَ.
Watch out as an English speaker
- There is no helping verb "do". ✗ هَلْ أَنْتَ تَفْعَلُ تَدْرُسُ؟ / ✓ هَلْ تَدْرُسُ؟
- There is no "am/is/are" before the verb. ✗ أَنَا أَكُونُ أَكْتُبُ. / ✓ أَكْتُبُ.
- "She" takes the تـ prefix, not يـ. ✗ هِيَ يَكْتُبُ. / ✓ هِيَ تَكْتُبُ.
- تَكْتُبُ is both "you (m) write" and "she writes"; the context or the pronoun decides.
- "You" is gendered. ✗ أَنْتِ تَكْتُبُ. / ✓ أَنْتِ تَكْتُبِينَ.
Example dialogue
مَاذَا تَفْعَلُ؟ — What are you doing?
أَدْرُسُ الْعَرَبِيَّةَ. — I am studying Arabic.
وَأُخْتُكَ؟ مَاذَا تَفْعَلُ هِيَ؟ — And your sister? What is she doing?
هِيَ تَقْرَأُ كِتَابًا فِي غُرْفَتِهَا. — She is reading a book in her room.
وَالْأَوْلَادُ يَلْعَبُونَ فِي الْحَدِيقَةِ. — And the boys are playing in the garden.