A Form I passive participle describes an entity as affected by an established verb: مكتوب “written,” مفتوح “open,” مكسور “broken,” مدفوع “paid.” In present-tense Lebanese it can be the predicate without a copula: الحساب مدفوع “the bill is paid.” The clause foregrounds the resulting condition, not the event or its agent.
The familiar mafʿūl label is a morphological map, not a word factory. Strong roots often fit it transparently, but weak roots reshape vowels and glides, and many forms become lexical adjectives with meanings that cannot be reconstructed mechanically. Learn an attested form together with its ordinary noun and discourse setting.
The strong-root mafʿūl family
For many strong Form I verbs, the passive participle has initial مـ, a short vowel after the first root consonant, and long ū before the final root consonant.
| Verb | Passive participle | Reading | Frequent result |
|---|---|---|---|
| كتب katab, write | مكتوب | maktūb | written |
| فتح fataḥ, open | مفتوح | maftūḥ | open |
| كسر kasar, break | مكسور | maksūr | broken |
| دفع dafaʿ, pay | مدفوع | madfūʿ | paid |
| ربط rabaṭ, tie/connect | مربوط | marbūṭ | tied, connected |
اسمك مكتوب عاللائحة، يعني التسجيل مزبوط.
ismak maktūb ʿal-lēyḥa, yaʿne t-taszhīl mazbūṭ.
Your name is written on the list, so the registration is in order. (neutral; masculine result predicate)
باب السطح مفتوح لأن العمال بعدن فوق.
bēb es-saṭeḥ maftūḥ laʾann el-ʿommēl baʿdon fawʾ.
The roof door is open because the workers are still upstairs. (informal; continuing result state)
سلك الشاحن مكسور من الطرف.
silik esh-shāḥen maksūr min eṭ-ṭaraf.
The charger cable is broken at the end. (informal; affected physical state)
Agreement with the affected noun
Passive participles agree like adjectives. Add ـة for feminine singular and ـين for a human plural. A nonhuman plural commonly takes feminine singular agreement when viewed as a class or collection; plural agreement can occur when individual items are foregrounded, so this is a usage pattern rather than an absolute ban.
| Affected noun | Form | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| العقد | مكتوب | el-ʿaʾed maktūb |
| الرسالة | مكتوبة | er-risēle maktūbe |
| الموظفين | مطلوبين | el-mwaẓẓafīn maṭlūbīn |
| الطلبات | مكتوبة | eṭ-ṭalabāt maktūbe, grouped nonhuman plural |
الرسالة مكتوبة بخط صغير وما عم اقدر اقراها.
er-risēle maktūbe b-khaṭṭ zghīr w-ma ʿam iʾdar iʾrāha.
The message is written in small handwriting, and I can't read it. (informal; feminine agreement)
الموظفين الجداد مطلوبين عالدورة نهار التلاتا.
el-mwaẓẓafīn el-zhdēd maṭlūbīn ʿad-dawra nhār et-tlēta.
The new employees are required at the training on Tuesday. (professional; human plural agreement)
كل الطلبات مطبوعة وموضوعة بملف واحد.
kill eṭ-ṭalabāt maṭbūʿa w-mawḍūʿa b-malaf wāḥad.
All the applications are printed and placed in one file. (professional; grouped nonhuman plural with feminine singular agreement)
Result state versus event
The passive participle answers “What condition is it in?” A finite active or middle verb answers “What happened?” Compare the minimal pair:
كتبوا العنوان غلط وبعدين صححوه.
katabo l-ʿonwēn ghalaṭ w-baʿdēn ṣaḥḥaḥū.
They wrote the address incorrectly and then corrected it. (event sequence with unspecified human agents)
العنوان مكتوب غلط عالنسخة القديمة.
el-ʿonwēn maktūb ghalaṭ ʿan-noskha l-ʾdīme.
The address is written incorrectly on the old copy. (result state)
The participle does not assert when the writing happened or who did it. Those details can be added if useful, but the state remains the grammatical center. The wider passive-strategy guide contrasts results with middle verbs and generic plural agents.
الكراسي مربوطين ببعض كرمال ما يتحركوا.
el-karēse marbūṭīn b-baʿḍ kermēl ma yitḥarrako.
The chairs are tied together so they don't move. (informal; individuated nonhuman items with plural agreement)
Weak-root forms must be learned
Weak and hamzated roots do not always display a transparent classroom mafʿūl surface. Common forms preserve, change, or lose glides according to the lexical family.
| Verb | Passive participle | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| باع bēʿ | مبيوع | mabyūʿ | sold |
| حكى ḥaka | محكي | maḥke | said, spoken, told |
| نسي nisi | منسي | minse | forgotten |
| طوى ṭawa | مطوي | maṭwe | folded |
| أخد akhad | مأخوذ | maʾkhūdh | taken, occupied |
هاد المحل مبيوع من السنة الماضية.
hād el-maḥall mabyūʿ min es-sane l-māḍye.
This shop has been sold since last year. (neutral; hollow-root result form)
هالقصة محكية من زمان، بس كل واحد بيزيد عليها.
hal-ʾiṣṣa maḥkiyye min zamēn, bass kill wāḥad byizīd ʿalēha.
This story has been told for ages, but everyone adds to it. (informal; final-weak participle with feminine agreement)
الكرسي حد الشباك مأخوذ، بس هيدا فاضي.
el-kirse ḥadd esh-shobbēk maʾkhūdh, bass hayda fāḍe.
The chair by the window is taken, but this one is free. (service context; lexical occupied sense)
There is no safe procedure that derives every weak form from formal Arabic and guarantees a natural Beirut result. Treat the table as high-frequency vocabulary, not as permission to invent.
Lexicalization: more than a transparent result
Some passive-shaped words function as ordinary adjectives or nouns. معروف can mean “well-known” or “familiar,” ممنوع means “forbidden,” and مبسوط in Lebanese normally means “happy/pleased,” not a compositional “having been spread.” Their morphology remains historically informative, but present meaning is lexical.
هالمطعم معروف بالمقبلات، بس لازم تحجز.
hal-maṭʿam maʿrūf bil-mʾabbilāt, bass lāzem tiḥzhoz.
This restaurant is known for its appetizers, but you need to reserve. (informal; lexical reputation adjective)
التصوير ممنوع جوات المختبر.
et-taṣwīr mamnūʿ zhowwēt el-mokhtabar.
Photography is forbidden inside the laboratory. (public/professional rule)
مبسوطة بالشغل الجديد مع إنو الطريق طويلة.
mabsūṭa bish-shoghl el-zhdīd maʿ inno ṭ-ṭarīʾ ṭwīle.
I'm happy with the new job even though the commute is long. (informal; female speaker, lexicalized adjective)
Negation and agent/source phrases
Negate the result predicate with مش: الباب مش مفتوح، الفاتورة مش مدفوعة. Finite ما دفعوا الفاتورة instead denies a paying event. Agent-like information is possible with ordinary prepositions: مكتوب بإيدها “written in/by her hand,” معمول بالبيت “made at home.” Formal من قبل agent phrases belong mainly to formal Arabic and are usually heavier than conversational Lebanese needs.
هالورقة مش موقعة، رجعها عالمكتب.
hal-waraʾa mish mwaʾʾaʿa, razhzhiʿha ʿal-maktab.
This paper isn't signed; take it back to the office. (neutral; negated result state)
الخبز معمول بالبيت ومخبوز هالصبح.
el-khobez maʿmūl bil-bēt w-makhbūz haṣ-ṣobeḥ.
The bread is homemade and was baked this morning. (informal; source and recent result)
Dialogue: checking a rental apartment
المي والغاز مقطوعين ولا شغالين؟
el-mayy wil-ghēz maʾṭūʿīn walla shaghghālīn?
Tenant: Are the water and gas cut off or working? (informal; coordinated individuated subjects)
الغاز موصول، والمي مقطوعة بس لهلق.
el-ghēz mawṣūl, wil-mayy maʾṭūʿa bass la-hallaʾ.
Agent: The gas is connected; only the water is cut off for now. (informal; result states and agreement)
والشبابيك مسكرين منيح؟
wish-shabēbīk msakkarīn mnīḥ?
Tenant: And are the windows properly closed? (informal; individuated plural check)
إيه، وكل شي مدهون ومنظف جديد.
ē, w-kill shi madhūn w-mnaẓẓaf zhdīd.
Agent: Yes, and everything has been freshly painted and cleaned. (current renovation results)
Common Mistakes
❌ الرسالة مكتوب بخط واضح.
Incorrect — feminine الرسالة requires مكتوبة.
✅ الرسالة مكتوبة بخط واضح وموقعة تحت.
er-risēle maktūbe b-khaṭṭ wāḍeḥ w-mwaʾʾaʿa taḥt.
The letter is written clearly and signed at the bottom.
❌ الباب مفتوح مبارح عالساعة خمسة.
Misleading for the opening event — مفتوح describes the resulting state.
✅ فتحوا الباب مبارح عالساعة خمسة.
fataḥo l-bēb mbēreḥ ʿas-sēʿa khamse.
They opened the door yesterday at five.
❌ الفاتورة ما مدفوعة بعد.
Incorrect neutral Beirut negation — a participial predicate takes مش.
✅ الفاتورة مش مدفوعة بعد، تأكد من المحاسب.
el-fātūra mish madfūʿa baʿd, tʾakkad min el-muḥāseb.
The invoice hasn't been paid yet; check with the accountant.
❌ كل فعل إله اسم مفعول مستعمل بالحكي.
Incorrect — possible morphology does not guarantee an attested everyday Lebanese form.
✅ بتعلم الشكل المستعمل مع الكلمة والسياق.
btʿallam esh-shakel el-mistaʿmal maʿ el-kilme wis-siyēʾ.
I learn the form that is actually used together with its word and context.
Key Takeaways
Strong Form I passive participles often follow mafʿūl, agree with the affected noun, and predicate a current result without a present copula. Weak-root forms such as مبيوع، محكي، منسي، مأخوذ must be learned individually. Keep state مكتوب distinct from event كتبوا, negate the state with مش, and treat lexicalized معروف، ممنوع، مبسوط according to their actual Lebanese meanings.
Now practice Arabic
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Arabic →Related Topics
- Form I Active ParticiplesB2 — Build and interpret Lebanese Form I active participles across strong, weak, hamzated, and geminate roots.
- Active Participles for Current States and ResultsB2 — Use Lebanese participles such as واصل, قاعد, نايم, لابس, عارف, and ماسك to describe states that hold now.
- Passive Participles of Derived FormsB1 — Recognize and use Lebanese passive participles from derived verbs, including hidden vowel contrasts, agreement, lexical gaps, and register differences.
- Passive Participles versus Result AdjectivesB2 — Distinguish event-linked passive participles from lexical result adjectives using agent compatibility, degree, permanence, and discourse context.
- Passive and Agent-Suppressing StrategiesB1 — Choose among Lebanese middle verbs, result participles, generic plural subjects, impersonal clauses, and limited formal passives.
- Participles from Weak RootsB2 — Recognize and use Lebanese weak-root participles as current activities, result states, intentions, and lexicalized adjectives.