Present Tense
Present tense conjugation with prefix-suffix system
I can conjugate regular verbs in the present tense
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
أَكتُبُ رِسالَةً
I write a letter
يَدرُسُ الطّالِبُ
The student studies
تَتَكَلَّمينَ عَرَبِيًّا
You (f.) speak Arabic
نَذهَبُ إلى المَدرَسَةِ
We go to school
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
الفعل المضارع (Present Tense)
The present tense uses prefixes (أ/تـ/يـ/نـ) and sometimes suffixes to mark person, gender, and number.
| Person | Prefix+Root+Suffix | Example (كتب) |
|---|---|---|
| أنا | أَ+ـكتُبُ | أكتُبُ |
| أنتَ | تَ+ـكتُبُ | تكتُبُ |
| أنتِ | تَ+ـكتُبـ+ينَ | تكتُبينَ |
| هو | يَ+ـكتُبُ | يكتُبُ |
| هي | تَ+ـكتُبُ | تكتُبُ |
| نحن | نَ+ـكتُبُ | نكتُبُ |
Key: The middle vowel pattern varies by verb type (يَكتُبُ vs يَفتَحُ vs يَجلِسُ).
Common Error Patterns
Wrong prefix for the person
أنا=أَ, أنتَ/أنتِ/هي=تَ, هو=يَ, نحن=نَ
Wrong middle vowel pattern
Check verb type: يَكتُبُ (u), يَفتَحُ (a), يَجلِسُ (i)
أَكتُبُ رِسالَةً
I write a letter
أَ- prefix marks first person singular (أنا).
يَدرُسُ الطّالِبُ
The student studies
يَ- prefix marks third person masculine singular (هو).
تَتَكَلَّمينَ عَرَبِيًّا
You (f.) speak Arabic
تَـ...ينَ — prefix تَ + suffix ينَ marks 2nd person feminine (أنتِ).
نَذهَبُ إلى المَدرَسَةِ
We go to school
نَـ prefix marks first person plural (نحن).
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises