Ṣarf: The 10 Verb Forms (Awzān)
Arabic verbs follow 10 standard patterns (awzān). Each form takes a 3-letter root and modifies its meaning in a predictable way — causation, intensification, reflexion, reciprocity, seeking, and more.
The فَعَلَ Template
Grammarians use the letters ف ع ل (f-ʿ-l) as a template to show verb patterns. ف = 1st root letter, ع = 2nd, ل = 3rd. So فَعَلَ (faʿala) means "he did" in Form I.
Each numbered form (I–X) adds prefixes, infixes, or vowel changes to this template. Learn the 10 forms and you can predict meaning from shape alone.
Verb Forms
Form I: faʿala
فَعَلَ
Base form — simple action
Example
كَتَبَkataba — he wrote
Quran 2:282
Root: ك ت ب
Conjugation
Past (Māḍī)
كَتَبَ
he did
Present (Muḍāriʿ)
يَكْتُبُ
he does
Command (Amr)
اُكْتُبْ
do!
Verbal Noun (Maṣdar)
كِتَابَة
the doing
Quick Reference — All 10 Forms
| Form | Pattern | Transliteration | Meaning Shift | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | فَعَلَ | faʿala | Base form — simple action | كَتَبَ |
| II | فَعَّلَ | faʿʿala | Intensification or causation — to make someone do | عَلَّمَ |
| III | فَاعَلَ | fāʿala | Doing something with/to someone — mutual action | قَاتَلَ |
| IV | أَفْعَلَ | afʿala | Causative — to cause or bring about | أَسْلَمَ |
| V | تَفَعَّلَ | tafaʿʿala | Reflexive of Form II — to do to oneself | تَعَلَّمَ |
| VI | تَفَاعَلَ | tafāʿala | Reciprocal — doing something to each other | تَقَاتَلَ |
| VII | اِنْفَعَلَ | infaʿala | Passive / reflexive — to be done or affected | اِنْقَلَبَ |
| VIII | اِفْتَعَلَ | iftaʿala | Reflexive — to do for oneself, to seek | اِجْتَمَعَ |
| IX | اِفْعَلَّ | ifʿalla | Colour or defect — to become (a colour/state) | اِحْمَرَّ |
| X | اِسْتَفْعَلَ | istafʿala | Seeking or requesting — to ask for / consider | اِسْتَغْفَرَ |