Perfect Tense: Third Person Masculine

Arabic is a language built on roots. Most verbs have a three-letter core. We call this the "root" or jidhr. This root carries the basic meaning of the action. For the third person masculine, you do not add any endings. You simply take the root and apply specific vowels. It is like a default setting on your phone. No extra buttons needed. You just see the root and know it refers to "he." This makes it very different from English. In English, we say "he walked" adding an "ed." In Arabic, the base form already implies the "he." It is efficient and fast. Even native speakers love how simple this form is. It is the grammar equivalent of a white t-shirt. It fits everywhere and never goes out of style.

1. 1Creating this form is a simple three-step process.
2. 2Identify the three-letter root of the verb.
3. 3Place a fatha (the short 'a' vowel) on the first letter.
4. 4Place a fatha on the second and third letters as well.
5. 5Most basic verbs follow the fa'ala pattern. For example, the root k-t-b (writing) becomes kataba. This means "he wrote." Another example is d-kh-l (entering), which becomes dakhala. This means "he entered." Notice how the rhythm stays the same: 1-2-3, a-a-a. It sounds like a steady heartbeat. Some verbs might have a different middle vowel, like shariba (he drank). However, the first and last letters almost always take a fatha in this tense. It is a very predictable system once you hear the rhythm.

Use this tense for any action completed in the past. It works for a specific moment or a finished period. Imagine you are in a job interview. You want to say "He worked at a bank." You would use amila. Or imagine you are ordering food in Cairo. You tell the waiter, "He ordered the chicken." You use talaba. It is perfect for narrating events. "He arrived, he sat, he ate." Each of these uses the simple third-person masculine form. It is also used for universal truths in some contexts. If you are giving directions and say "He turned right," you use it-taja-ha. It is the workhorse of Arabic storytelling. If it happened yesterday, an hour ago, or a century ago, this is your tense.

Do not use this for things happening right now. That requires the imperfect tense. If he is currently eating, akala is the wrong choice. Also, avoid using it for habits that are still ongoing. If you want to say "He used to play," you need an extra helping verb. This tense is strictly for "done and dusted" actions. Think of it like a grammar traffic light. If the action is still moving, the light is not red. The perfect tense is the red light. It means the action has stopped. Do not use it for future plans either. Arabic is very strict about the timeline. If the ink is not dry on the action, stay away from al-maadi.

The biggest mistake is adding a suffix. New learners often want to add a sound for "he." They might try to add a hu at the end. Remember: the lack of a suffix is the signal for "he." Another mistake is mixing up the middle vowel. While most are a-a-a, some are a-i-a. Forgetting the final fatha is also common. In casual speech, people sometimes drop it. But for clear, correct Arabic, that final "a" is vital. Yes, even native speakers mess this up when they are tired! Don't stress too much about the middle vowel yet. Most people will still understand you if you say sharaba instead of shariba. Just keep the rhythm steady.

In English, we have "he walks" (present) and "he walked" (past). In Arabic, the change is more internal. Compare yaktubu (he writes) with kataba (he wrote). The whole vowel structure shifts. Unlike the feminine form katabat, the masculine has no t at the end. It is shorter and punchier. Compared to the first person katabtu (I wrote), the masculine third person is lighter. It doesn't have that heavy tu sound. Think of the masculine third person as the "naked" version of the verb. It has no extra clothes (prefixes or suffixes). It is the purest form of the action you can find.