Elementary Arabic Morphology 3

The Infinitive

  1. What is an infinitive?

  2. How many categories of infinitives are there?

  3. How many categories of infinitives for verbs without increase letters are there?

  4. Are infinitives formed by grammatical rules or are they formed by usage alone?

  5. Do triliteral verbs have prominent infinitive forms?

  6. How many infinitives are there for the quadriliteral verb without increase letters?

  7. List the infinitives for verbs with increase letters.

  8. An infinitive is that which denotes a state or an action without denoting its time, for example: حُسنٌ.

  9. There are three categories of infinitives: infinitives for verbs without increase letters, infinitives for verbs with increase letters, and mīmī infinitives.

  10. There are two categories of infinitives for verbs without increase letters: triliteral, for example: فَضل and quadriliteral, for example: زَلزَلة.

  11. All infinitives are formed by grammatical rules except infinitives for triliteral verbs without increase letters, for there are many forms which cannot be known except by referring to dictionaries.

  12. The prominent infinitive forms (that do not always occur) for triliteral verbs are as follows: the form فَعُلَ usually produces infinitives in the forms of فُعُولة ، فَعالة، و فَعَل, for example: سُهُولة. The form فَعِلَ of intransitive verbs usually produces infinitives in the forms of فَعَل و فُعُول, for example: فَرَح. The forms فَعَلَ و فَعِلَ of transitive verbs usually produce infinitives in the form of فَعل, for example: فَهم.

  13. There are two infinitives for quadriliteral verbs without increase letters: فَعلَلَة و فِعلال. The second one follows the rules in double-lettered verbs, for example: وَسوَسَ وَسوَسَة و وِسواس and is according to how Arabs use them in other than double-lettered verbs, for example: دَحرَجَ دَجرَجَة و دِحراج.

  14. The infinitives for verbs with increase letters are as follows:

فَعَّلَ becomes تَفعیل و تَفعیلَة

فاعَلَ becomes مُفاعَلَة و فِعال

أفعَلَ becomes إفعال

تَفَعَّلَ becomes تَفَعُّل

تفاعَلَ becomes تَفاعُل

اِفتَعَلَ becomes اِفتِعال

اِنفَعَلَ becomes اِنفِعال

اِفعَّلَ becomes اِفعِلال

اِستَفعَلَ becomes اِستِفعال

اِفعَوعَلَ becomes اِفعِیعال

تَفَعلَلَ becomes تَفَعلُل

اِفعَنلَلَ becomes اِفعِنلال

اِفعَلَلَّ becomes اِفعِلَّال