Perfect Tense: Third Person Feminine

Think of an Arabic verb as a Lego set. You start with a basic block, which is usually the "he" form (the root). To change the meaning to "she," you just snap on a specific piece at the end. In English, we change the pronoun ("He worked" vs "She worked"), but the verb stays the same. In Arabic, we keep the root and add a suffix. This suffix is like a flag. It signals to the listener that a female is the star of the sentence. You can still use the word for "she" (hiya) if you want to be extra clear, but usually, the verb suffix does all the heavy lifting for you.

1. 1Creating this form is as easy as 1-2-3. Follow these steps to transform any standard three-letter verb:
2. 2Start with the masculine past tense form (e.g., kataba - he wrote).
3. 3Look at the last letter of that verb.
4. 4Add a "long T" called ta' maftuha (ت) to the end.
5. 5Put a sukun (the little circle symbol) on that ت to make it silent: ـَتْ.
6. 6So, kataba (he wrote) becomes katabat (she wrote). The sound ends with a sharp, crisp "at" sound. It’s like the verb is clicking its heels together.

Use this pattern whenever you are describing a completed action by a single female.

• Real-world scenario: Ordering Food. If your friend Sara already ordered, you’d say: Sara talabat al-ta'am (Sara ordered the food).
• Real-world scenario: Directions. If a woman told you where to go: hiya qalat yamin (She said right).
• Real-world scenario: Job Interviews. If you are describing a former female manager's success: hiya najahat (She succeeded).

You also use this form for non-human plurals. This is a quirky Arabic rule! If you are talking about "the cars" or "the books" doing something, you treat them like a single lady. If the cars stopped, you use the "she stopped" form. Yes, even native speakers find this charmingly strange at first!

Don't use this form if the action is still happening. This is strictly for the past. If she "is writing" right now, this pattern won't work. Also, avoid this if you are talking to a woman directly. If you say katabat to your friend, you are talking *about* her, not *to* her. It would be like saying "She wrote" while looking her in the eyes—a bit confusing for everyone involved! Finally, don't use it for groups of women. There is a different, slightly more crowded suffix for that.

One big trap is the ta' marbuta. You might remember that many feminine nouns end in a round ة. Verbs never use that. They always use the open, flat ت. Think of it like this: nouns are curvy, but verbs are active and flat-footed.

Another mistake is the "Helper Vowel" slip-up. If the next word starts with al- (the), the silent t actually wakes up. Instead of katabat al-bint, it becomes katabati al-bint. It’s like a grammar traffic light changing to keep the flow smooth. If you forget this, don't sweat it; people will still understand you, but adding that little "i" sound makes you sound like a pro.

Compare kataba (He wrote) with katabat (She wrote). The only difference is that extra t at the end. It’s the simplest gender swap in the language. If you look at katabtu (I wrote), the t has a different vowel on top. The sukun (silence) on the t is the secret code for "She."