Passive Patterns of Derived Arabic

Arabic verbs are like LEGO sets. You swap a few pieces to change the meaning. In the active voice, someone performs the action. In the passive voice, the action happens to someone. The coolest part? We don't use a separate word for "was" or "been." We just change the internal vowels of the verb. It is like changing the tune of a song. The consonants stay the same. The vowels do all the heavy lifting. In these derived forms (Forms II-X), the pattern is very consistent. You will notice a lot of "u" sounds. That "u" at the start is your biggest clue. It signals that the subject is receiving the action. It is a bit like a grammar traffic light. A "u" sound says, "Stop! Look at the object!"

1. 1Creating the passive sounds harder than it actually is. Follow these simple steps for the two main tenses.
2. 2For the Past Tense (Al-Maadi):
3. 3Find the first letter of the verb.
4. 4Give that first letter a Damma (the 'u' sound).
5. 5Find the second-to-last letter of the verb.
6. 6Give that letter a Kasra (the 'i' sound).
7. 7Example: darrasa (he taught) becomes durrisa (it was taught).
8. 8For the Present Tense (Al-Mudari):
9. 9Look at the prefix letter (usually ya, ta, a, or na).
10. 10Give that prefix a Damma (the 'u' sound).
11. 11Find the second-to-last letter of the root.
12. 12Give that letter a Fatha (the 'a' sound).
13. 13Example: yudarrisu (he teaches) becomes yudarrasu (it is being taught).
14. 14Match the Gender:
15. 15Ensure the verb matches the new subject.
16. 16If the new subject is feminine, the verb must be too.
17. 17Example: Al-risala ursilat (The letter was sent).

When do you use this in real life? Imagine you are at a job interview. You want to sound humble but professional. You might say, "The project was completed on time." You don't need to say "I completed it" every time. Use it when the doer is a mystery. Use it when the doer is totally obvious. If a law is passed, everyone knows the government did it. Use it for recipes or instructions. "The flour is mixed with water." It feels very natural in formal Arabic. You will see it on TV news constantly. Use it when you want to avoid blaming someone. "The window was broken" sounds nicer than "You broke the window."

Don't use the passive if you want to be direct. In casual conversation with friends, keep it active. If you say "The coffee was drunk" at a cafe, people might stare. It sounds like you are reading a dusty old book. Avoid it if the actor is the most important part. If your friend won a race, say "He won!" Don't say "The race was won by him." Arabic prefers the active voice for storytelling. It keeps the energy high and the pace moving. If you use it too much, you sound like a robot. Use it like salt: a little bit adds flavor. Too much makes the conversation hard to swallow.

One big mistake is keeping the original doer. In English, we say "The cake was eaten by Sarah." In classical Arabic, we usually don't say "by Sarah." We just say "The cake was eaten." If you name the person, use the active voice. Another mistake is forgetting the vowel change. If you say darrasa instead of durrisa, you changed the meaning. You might accidentally say you taught the class yourself. Yes, even native speakers mess this up sometimes in speech! Don't forget to change the gender of the verb. The verb must agree with its new partner (the object). If the book is the new subject, keep it masculine. If the car is the new subject, make it feminine.

Don't confuse the passive with Form VII verbs. Form VII verbs like inkasara (it broke) look passive. But they are actually "reflexive" or "auto-actions." In Form VII, the thing just happened on its own. In the true passive, someone definitely did the action. Think of it like this: a vase can "break" (Form VII). Or a vase can "be broken" by a naughty cat (Passive). Also, watch out for Form IV active verbs. They often start with an a sound like arsala. The passive starts with a u sound like ursila. That one tiny vowel changes the whole story. It is the difference between sending and being sent!