The present tense in Arabic is called the mudāri‘ (المضارع). It’s a versatile tense used to express a variety of ideas related to the present time. Here’s a closer look at how it works:
Formation:
Unlike English, Arabic verbs don’t have a single present tense form. The present tense is formed by adding prefixes and suffixes to the verb’s root (three-consonant base). The specific prefixes and suffixes used depend on the person, number, and gender of the subject performing the action.
Examples:
Here are some examples of verbs conjugated in the present tense for different subjects:
- Verb: يكتب (yaktubu) – “to write”
- أنا أكتب (ana aktubu) – I write (1st person singular)
- أنت تكتبين (anti taktubīna) – You (feminine) write (2nd person singular feminine)
- هم يكتبون (hum yaktubūna) – They write (3rd person masculine plural)
- All present verbs start with one of the following letters: أ، ي، ت، ن.
- These letters are called the present form letters (حروف الْمُضَارَعَة) and are specific to present tense verbs.
Usages of the Mudāri‘:
The mudāri‘ can be used to express different concepts in the present time:
- Habitual actions: أنا أشرب القهوة كل صباح (ana ashrabu al-qahwa kulla sabaah) – I drink coffee every morning.
- General truths: الشمس تشرق من الشرق (ash-shamsu tushriqu min ash-sharq) – The sun rises from the east.
- Future actions (uncertain or planned): أسافر إلى مصر الأسبوع المقبل (asaafir ila Misr al-usboo‘ al-muqbil) – I will travel to Egypt next week. (This can depend on the context and additional words used)
- Commands (in a polite way): اجلس (ijlis) – Sit down. (Here, the lack of a subject pronoun often implies “you” in the singular masculine form)
- The present tense verb prefixes include:
- أ (Hamza): Referring to the first person singular (أنا).
- نـ (Noon): Referring to the first person plural (نحن).
- تـ (Taa): Referring to the person addressed (you أنت) in all genders and numbers.
- يـ (Yaa): Referring to the third person masculine singular, dual, and plural (هو/هما/هم).
- تـ (Taa): Referring to the third person feminine singular, dual, and plural (هى/هما/هنّ).
- The present tense verb prefixes include:
- Forms of Present Tense in Arabic:
- Arabic present tense verbs are divided into 14 forms according to person, gender, and number.
- The shape of present tense verbs varies based on the pronoun and subject.
- Here are some examples:
- أنا أكتب (I write)
- أنت تكتب (You write, masculine singular)
- هو يكتب (He writes)
- نحن نكتب (We write)
Remember that mastering the present tense takes practice. Pay attention to how native speakers use it in different contexts and try conjugating verbs for various subjects to solidify your understanding.