Lesson One

Speak Arabic Successfully

تَكَلَّمِ الْعَرَبِيَّةَ بِنَجَاحٍ

Conversational Sentences with Structural (Grammar) Notes

LESSON 1: Study the following:

اِقْرَأْ!

1

Read!

1.1 The word اِقْرَأْ [1] is a Command Verb (فِعْلُ أَمْر). This type of verb is used to order, command, instruct or request someone to do something. The pattern of this word is: اِفْعَلْ (اِ ـــْــ ـــَــ ـــْــ).

1.2.1 Here are some more examples of verbs of this form (Form I):

A: VERBS OF FORM I (1–6)
1 اِقْرَأْ Read!	2 اِشْرَحْ Explain!	3 اِفْتَحْ Open!
4 اِفْعَلْ Do!	5 اِذْهَبْ Go!	6 اِمْسَحْ Wipe!

B: VERBS OF FORM I (7–12)
7 اِرْفَعْ Raise!	8 اِخْلَعْ Take off! (clothes)	9 اِجْمَعْ Collect!
10 اِدْفَعْ Pay / Push!	11 اِجْعَلْ Make / Place!	12 اِنْجَحْ Succeed!

C: VERBS OF FORM I (13–18)
13 اِسْمَحْ Allow!	14 اِسْأَلْ Ask!	15 اِبْحَثْ Search!
16 اِقْطَعْ Cut!	17 اِفْحَصْ Examine!	18 اِمْنَعْ Prevent!

D: VERBS OF FORM I (19–20)
19 اِرْحَلْ Travel / Depart!	20 اِظْهَرْ Appear!

1.3 The Form I verb (like the ones above) consists of three root letters. The command form of these verbs is constructed by prefixing اِ in front. In order to identify the root letters, we have to remove the اِ. The root letters of اِقْرَأْ are thus قرأ. Similarly, the root letters of اِنْجَحْ are نجح, and so on.

1.4.1 The (Form I) Past Tense Verb is formed from the root letters by adding three fatħahs (in the case of these examples).

1.4.2 Study the tables below:

1	2	3
COMMAND VERBS: ARABIC
اِدْفَعْ	اِشْرَحْ	اِفْعَلْ
ENGLISH
Pay / Push!	Explain!	Do!
↓	↓	↓
ROOT LETTERS
د ف ع	ش ر ح	ف ع ل
PAST TENSE VERBS: ARABIC
دَفَعَ	شَرَحَ	فَعَلَ
ENGLISH
He paid. / He pushed.	He explained.	He did.

4	5
COMMAND VERBS: ARABIC
اِذْهَبْ	اِفْتَحْ
ENGLISH
Go!	Open!
↓	↓
ROOT LETTERS
ذ ه ب	ف ت ح
PAST TENSE VERBS: ARABIC
ذَهَبَ	فَتَحَ
ENGLISH
He went.	He opened.

1.5 Command Verbs to Past Tense:  Complete the table below by giving the Past Tense Verbs of the following command verbs (in 1.2 above) and translating them.

1	2	3
COMMAND VERBS: ARABIC
اِجْمَعْ	اِمْسَحْ	اِرْفَعْ
ENGLISH
Collect!	Wipe!	Raise!
↓	↓	↓
ROOT LETTERS
ج م ع	م س ح	ر ف ع
PAST TENSE VERBS: ARABIC
جَمَعَ	مَسَحَ	رَفَعَ
ENGLISH
He collected.	He wiped.	He raised.

4	5
COMMAND VERBS: ARABIC
اِنْجَحْ	اِخْلَعْ
ENGLISH
Succeed!	Take off! (clothes)
↓	↓
ROOT LETTERS
ن ج ح	خ ل ع
PAST TENSE VERBS: ARABIC
نَجَحَ	خَلَعَ
ENGLISH
He succeeded.	He took off.

1.6 Verbs & Root Letters:  Complete the following tables by completing all the missing information:

1	2	3
COMMAND VERBS: ARABIC
اِشْرَحْ	اِمْسَحْ	اِرْفَعْ
ENGLISH
↓	↓	↓
ROOT LETTERS
PAST TENSE VERBS: ARABIC
ENGLISH

4	5	6
COMMAND VERBS: ARABIC
اِجْمَعْ	اِذْهَبْ	اِقْرَأْ
ENGLISH
↓	↓	↓
ROOT LETTERS
PAST TENSE VERBS: ARABIC
ENGLISH

7	8	9
COMMAND VERBS: ARABIC
اِفْعَلْ	اِنْجَحْ	اِخْلَعْ
ENGLISH
↓	↓	↓
ROOT LETTERS
PAST TENSE VERBS: ARABIC
ENGLISH

10	11	12
COMMAND VERBS: ARABIC
اِدْفَعْ	اِفْتَحْ	اِجْعَلْ
ENGLISH
↓	↓	↓
ROOT LETTERS
PAST TENSE VERBS: ARABIC
ENGLISH

1.7 PAST TENSE to COMMAND: Write the command verbs below the past tense forms and translate to English as indicated in the tables below:

1	2	3
PAST TENSE VERBS: ARABIC
قَرَأَ	رَحَلَ	فَتَحَ
ENGLISH
↓	↓	↓
COMMAND VERBS: ARABIC
ENGLISH

4	5	6
PAST TENSE VERBS: ARABIC
شَرَحَ	مَسَحَ	فَعَلَ
ENGLISH
↓	↓	↓
COMMAND VERBS: ARABIC
ENGLISH

7	8	9
PAST TENSE VERBS: ARABIC
بَحَثَ	سَمَحَ	فَحَصَ
ENGLISH
↓	↓	↓
COMMAND VERBS: ARABIC
ENGLISH

10	11	12
PAST TENSE VERBS: ARABIC
سَأَلَ	نَجَحَ	ظَهَرَ
ENGLISH
↓	↓	↓
COMMAND VERBS: ARABIC
ENGLISH

13	14	15
PAST TENSE VERBS: ARABIC
جَمَعَ	ذَهَبَ	قَطَعَ
ENGLISH
↓	↓	↓
COMMAND VERBS: ARABIC
ENGLISH

16	17	18
PAST TENSE VERBS: ARABIC
جَعَلَ	مَنَعَ	رَفَعَ
ENGLISH
↓	↓	↓
COMMAND VERBS: ARABIC
ENGLISH