جرّب zharrab: try and test | Arabic (Levantine) Grammar

Lebanese جرّبzharrab covers two connected ideas: “try/test/sample a thing” and “try to do an action.” A thing is a direct object—جرّب القهوة “try the coffee”—while an attempted action is an agreeing bare imperfect—جرّب تعملها “try to do it.” No general equivalent of English to is inserted.

This is a common Form II verb with urban Lebanese ج = zh. Its doubled rr remains audible, while the last stem vowel alternates between perfect -ab, imperfect/command -ib, and participial -ib. Learn the principal parts جرّب / بيجرّب / جرّب / مجرّب rather than guessing from the unvocalized spelling.

The morphology is part of the wider Form II pattern, while its action complement follows the bare-imperfect system.

Complete perfect paradigm

The perfect stem is stable zharrab- before endings. Feminine 3sg inserts an audible vowel before -t, while first and second persons allow the final cluster.

Person	Form	Reading
أنا	جربت	zharrabt
إنت	جربت	zharrabt
إنتي	جربتي	zharrabte
هو	جرب	zharrab
هي	جربت	zharrabit
نحنا	جربنا	zharrabna
إنتو	جربتوا	zharrabto
هني	جربوا	zharrabo

جربت التطبيق الجديد يومين وبعدين حذفته.

zharrabt et-taṭbīʾ el-zhdīd yōmēn w-baʿdēn ḥazafto.

I tried the new app for two days and then deleted it. (informal; direct object under evaluation)

جربوا يصلحوا التسريب لحالن، بس ما زبطت معن.

zharrabo yṣallḥo t-tasrīb la-ḥālon, bass ma zabaṭit maʿon.

They tried to fix the leak themselves, but it didn't work out. (informal; attempted action without success)

Perfect جرّب + bare verb reports an attempt, not its outcome. This contrasts with affirmative قدر + bare verb, which ordinarily reports success: جرّبت افتحه “I tried to open it” versus قدرت افتحه “I managed to open it.”

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Do not infer success from جرّبت. The verb profiles the attempt; a following clause tells you whether it worked.

Complete b-imperfect and bare imperfect

The imperfect stem is -zharrib-. The b-imperfect describes repeated testing, an independent current attempt, or a general willingness to try. Bare forms occur after رح، بدّي، لازم, purpose expressions, and higher predicates.

Person	b-imperfect	Bare imperfect
أنا	بجرب bzharrib	جرب zharrib
إنت	بتجرب btzharrib	تجرب tzharrib
إنتي	بتجربي btzharrbe	تجربي tzharrbe
هو	بيجرب byizharrib	يجرب yizharrib
هي	بتجرب btzharrib	تجرب tzharrib
نحنا	منجرب mnizharrib	نجرب nizharrib
إنتو	بتجربوا btzharrbo	تجربوا tzharrbo
هني	بيجربوا byizharrbo	يجربوا yizharrbo

كل ما يغيروا الوصفة، منجربها قبل ما نحطها عالقايمة.

kill ma yghayyro l-waṣfe, mnizharriba ʾabel ma nḥoṭṭa ʿal-ʾēyme.

Whenever they change the recipe, we test it before putting it on the menu. (professional kitchen; habitual direct-object clitic)

رح جرب احجز بكير هالمرة حتى ما نضطر ننطر.

raḥ zharrib iḥzhoz bkīr hal-marra ḥatta ma niḍṭarr ninṭor.

I'll try to book early this time so we don't have to wait. (informal; bare جرّب after رح plus bare attempted action)

For an attempt unfolding now, Beirut uses عم + b-imperfect: عم بجرّب. The lower action remains bare.

عم بجرب لاقي نسخة أوضح من الخريطة.

ʿam bzharrib lāʾe noskha awḍaḥ min el-kharīṭa.

I'm trying to find a clearer copy of the map. (neutral; ongoing attempt)

Testing, tasting, and trying a direct object

A device, method, route, food, medicine, or idea can follow directly. The exact English verb depends on the object: “test” a microphone, “try” a route, “sample” a dish. Lebanese keeps one core transitive frame.

جرب هالقهوة بلا سكر وقلي شو رأيك.

zharrib hal-ʾahwe bla sokkar w-ʾille shū raʾyak.

Try this coffee without sugar and tell me what you think. (informal; direct food object)

المهندسة جربت المولد تحت حمل كامل قبل التسليم.

el-mhandse zharrabit el-mwallid taḥt ḥimel kēmel ʾabel et-taslīm.

The engineer tested the generator under full load before delivery. (professional; technical test)

Object suffixes attach directly: جربته “I tried/tested it.m,” جربتها “I tried it.f,” بيجربهن “he tests/tries them,” جربني “test me / give me a chance to demonstrate.” Context identifies whether the referent is sampled, evaluated, or challenged.

هيدي الطريقة جربتها أكتر من مرة وما نفعت.

hayde ṭ-ṭarīʾa zharrabta aktar min marra w-ma nifʿit.

I've tried this method more than once, and it didn't help. (informal; fronted feminine object resumed by clitic)

Do not insert على merely because English says “try it on.” Clothing uses a more specific verb such as قاس “try on”; food and methods remain direct objects of جرّب. English phrasal particles do not map word for word.

Trying an action: same-subject bare complement

With a following verb, both verbs normally share the same subject and both show the relevant agreement: بتجربي تعملي, جرّبوا يحكوا. The lower verb has no b- because جرّب selects it.

جربي تغيري مكان الراوتر يمكن تقوى الإشارة.

zharrbe tghayyre makēn er-rāwter yimkin tiʾwa l-ishāra.

Try moving the router; the signal might get stronger. (informal advice to one woman)

جربنا نحكي معه بهدوء، بس ما رضي يسمع.

zharrabna niḥke maʿo b-hodūʾ, bass ma riḍe yismaʿ.

We tried speaking to him calmly, but he refused to listen. (informal; same-subject attempt)

English distinguishes try to open from try opening. Lebanese often uses the same جرّب + bare verb for both. Context decides whether the speaker emphasizes effort toward a goal or an experiment among possible methods. There is no honest one-form-per-English-reading shortcut.

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With جرّب + verb, repeat agreement but not b-marking: جربي تغيري, جرّبوا يغيروا. With a noun, attach it directly: جربي الطريقة.

Imperative and active participle

The imperative is extremely common for suggestions, troubleshooting, and offers. It often sounds softer than a bare command because it proposes an experiment rather than assuming success.

Addressee	Positive	Negative
one man	جرب zharrib	ما تجرب ma tzharrib
one woman	جربي zharrbe	ما تجربي ma tzharrbe
a group	جربوا zharrbo	ما تجربوا ma tzharrbo

جربوا النسخة المجانية أول، وبعدها قرروا إذا بتناسبكن.

zharrbo n-noskha l-mazhzhāniyye awwal, w-baʿda ʾarrro iza btnēsebkon.

Try the free version first, then decide whether it suits you. (neutral plural advice)

Active participle مجرّبmzharrib, feminine مجرّبة, plural مجرّبين, can describe someone who has tried something or is experienced through testing. Current activity is clearer with عم بيجرّب. Unvocalized مجرّب can also represent a passive/result adjective “tested, tried-and-true,” conventionally read mzharrab; context and pronunciation distinguish them.

هو مجرب هالبرنامج من قبل وبيعرف مشاكله.

huwwe mzharrib hal-barnēmezh min ʾabel w-byaʿref mashēklo.

He has tried this program before and knows its problems. (neutral; result-relevant active participle)

Common Mistakes

Adding بـ to the attempted action

❌ جربت بفتح الملف من جهاز تاني.

Incorrect in the Beirut baseline — جرّبت selects a bare same-subject action.

✅ جربت افتح الملف من اللابتوب وما زبط.

zharrabt iftaḥ el-malaf min el-lābtōb w-ma zabaṭ.

I tried opening the file from the laptop, and it didn't work.

Adding a general “to” marker

❌ جربت لإحكي معه بعد الاجتماع.

Incorrect — the attempted same-subject action follows directly without purpose لـ.

✅ جربت احكي معه عجنب بعد الاجتماع.

zharrabt iḥke maʿo ʿa-zhanab baʿd el-izhtimēʿ.

I tried to speak with him privately after the meeting.

Treating an attempt as a success

❌ جربت افتح الخزنة، يعني أكيد فتحتها.

Incorrect inference — جرّبت reports the attempt, not a successful outcome.

✅ جربت افتح الخزنة، بس قدرت افتحها بس لما غيرت البطارية.

zharrabt iftaḥ el-khazne, bass ʾdert iftaḥa bass lamma ghayyart el-baṭṭāriyye.

I tried to open the safe, but I only managed to open it when I changed the battery.

Copying English “try on” literally

❌ جرب الجاكيت على جسمك.

Unnatural phrasal calque for trying on clothing — use قيس.

✅ قيس الجاكيت وشوف إذا القياس منيح.

ʾīs el-zhākēt w-shūf iza l-ʾiyēs mnīḥ.

Try on the jacket and see whether the size is right.

Key Takeaways

Use جرّب + noun/clitic for testing or sampling a thing, and جرّب + agreeing bare verb for attempting an action. The verb does not entail success. Its imperative is a natural troubleshooting and suggestion form, while active مجرّب describes prior experience; do not confuse it with the differently vocalized result adjective “tested.”

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