Doubled verbs (past)

Doubled verbs are those verbs whose second and third root letter are the same, like 7-b-b (حبّ).

In Classical Arabic, these verbs decline basically like sound verbs, with one exception. This exception is that when the third root consonant is followed by a vowel – i.e. when a suffix beginning with a vowel is attached – the second and third root consonants cluster together. The vowel which should have been between the second and third root consonants is dropped. This is slightly complicated to explain in words, but easy to understand with examples: when the suffix -tu is attached to the verbs katab- and marr-, you get basically identical conjugations: katabtu and marartu. But when the suffix -a for ‘he’ is added, you get kataba and marra. MSA mostly follows Classical Arabic, although you sometimes see unexpected forms like محاصصة mu7aaSaSa, conjugated like a sound verb, instead of the more correct محاصّة mu7aaSSa.

Anyway, you don’t really need to worry about any this because in Levantine Arabic doubled verbs are much simpler! Form II and V conjugate exactly like sound verbs: فكّك fakkak, تفكك tfakkak. Forms III and VI generally also act like sound verbs. The rest of the forms have a distinctive conjugation, but it is quite unlike the conjugation patterns found in MSA. All derived doubled verbs which don’t act like sound verbs conjugate identically to form I verbs.

Form I doubled verbs

There is only one possible internal vowelling for form I verbs in the past, fa33:

حبّ ‭7abb
‘love, like’

ana 7abbeet

حبّيت

انا

inte 7abbeet

حبّيت

انت

inti 7abbeeti

حبّيتي

انتي

huwwe 7abb

حبّ

هو

hiyye 7abbet

حبّت

هي

ni7na 7abbeena

حبّينا

نحنه

intu 7abbeetu

حبّيتو

انتو

hinen 7abbu

حبّو

هنن

 

Form I doubled verbs are pretty straightforward. When suffixes beginning with a vowel are added (-et, -u), they attach without any complications to the end of the root (7abb-et). When suffixes beginning with a consonant (-t -t -ti -na -tu) are added, a long vowel -ee- appears between the doubled consonant at the end of the root and the suffix (7abb-ee-t).

For speakers that have contracting -et, these verbs display it: حبته ‭7abb-t-o ‘she liked it’.

Form VII doubled verbs

There is only one possible internal vowelling for form VII doubled verbs, nfa33:

انكب nkabb
‘get thrown away’

ana nkabbeet

انكبيت

انا

inte nkabbeet

انكبيت

انت

inti nkabbeeti

انكبيتي

انتي

huwwe nkabb

انكب

هو

hiyye nkabbet

انكبت

هي

ni7na nkabbeena

انكبينا

نحنه

intu nkabbeetu

انكبيتو

انتو

hinen nkabbu

انكبو

هنن

 

When suffixes beginning with a vowel are added (-et, -u), they attach without any complications to the end of the root (nkabb-et). When suffixes beginning with a consonant (-t -t -ti -na -tu) are added, a long vowel -ee- appears between the doubled consonant at the end of the root and the suffix (nkabb-ee-t).

Form VIII doubled verbs

There is only only one possible internal vowelling for form VIII doubled verbs, fta33:

افتكّ ftakk
‘be taken apart’

ana ftakkeet

افتكّيت

انا

inte ftakkeet

افتكّيت

انت

inti ftakkeeti

افتكّيتي

انتي

huwwe ftakk

افتكّ

هو

hiyye ftakket

افتكّت

هي

ni7na ftakkeena

افتكّينا

نحنه

intu ftakkeetu

افتكّيتو

انتو

hinen ftakku افتكّو

هنن

 

Form I doubled verbs are pretty straightforward. When suffixes beginning with a vowel are added (-et, -u), they attach without any complications to the end of the root (ftakk-et). When suffixes beginning with a consonant (-t -t -ti -na -tu) are added, a long vowel -ee- appears between the doubled consonant at the end of the root and the suffix (ftakk-ee-t).

For speakers that have contracting -et, these verbs display it: امتصته mtaSSt-o ‘it [fem.] absorbed it’.

Form X doubled verbs

There is only one possible internal vowelling for form X doubled verbs, stafa33:

استقر staqarr
‘settle down’

ana staqarreet

استقريت

انا

inte staqarreet

استقريت

انت

inti staqarreeti

استقريتي

انتي

huwwe staqarr

استقر

هو

hiyye staqarret

استقرت

هي

ni7na staqarreena

استقرينا

نحنه

intu staqarreetu

استقريتو

انتو

hinen staqarru استقرو

هنن

 

Form I doubled verbs are pretty straightforward. When suffixes beginning with a vowel are added (-et, -u), they attach without any complications to the end of the root (ftakk-et). When suffixes beginning with a consonant (-t -t -ti -na -tu) are added, a long vowel -ee- appears between the doubled consonant at the end of the root and the suffix (ftakk-ee-t).

For speakers that have contracting -et, these verbs display it: استحبته sta7abbt-o ‘he liked it’.