The Lebanese b-imperfect combines an outer b- marker—surfacing as m- with first-person plural—with person prefixes and, for feminine singular and plural forms, suffixes. With كتب / بيكتب “write,” it gives بكتب “I write,” بيكتب “he writes,” and بيكتبوا “they write.” It commonly presents habits, general facts, characteristic behavior, and contextually available nonpast events.
This is not simply an Arabic “present tense.” The same imperfect stem also appears without b- after modals and inside other constructions. This page focuses on the complete regular b-marked paradigm; the bare imperfect explains where the outer marker disappears.
Complete paradigm: كتب / بيكتب
| Person | Pronoun | b-imperfect | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | أنا | بكتب | biktob |
| 2nd singular masculine | إنت | بتكتب | btiktob |
| 2nd singular feminine | إنتي | بتكتبي | btiktbe |
| 3rd singular masculine | هو | بيكتب | byiktob |
| 3rd singular feminine | هي | بتكتب | btiktob |
| 1st plural | نحنا | منكتب | mniktob |
| 2nd plural | إنتو | بتكتبوا | btiktbo |
| 3rd plural | هني | بيكتبوا | byiktbo |
بكتب لأهلي كل جمعة.
biktob la-ahle kill zhomʿa.
I write to my family every Friday. (informal; first singular habit)
هي بتكتب الأخبار، وهو بيصور التقارير.
hiyye btiktob el-akhbār, w-huwwe byiṣawwer et-taʾārīr.
She writes the news stories, and he photographs the reports. (professional context; feminine versus masculine prefixes)
هني بيكتبوا لبعضن كل يوم.
hinne byiktbo la-baʿḍon kill yōm.
They write to each other every day. (informal; third plural)
Prefixes identify person; suffixes finish two contrasts
The surface prefix series is b- for first singular, bt- for second and third feminine, by- for third masculine, and mn- for first plural. The suffix -e distinguishes second feminine singular; -o marks second and third plural.
| Pieces | Form | Value |
|---|---|---|
| b- + stem | بكتب biktob | I write |
| b- + t- + stem | بتكتب btiktob | you masculine / she writes |
| b- + t- + stem + -e | بتكتبي btiktbe | you feminine write |
| b- + y- + stem | بيكتب byiktob | he writes |
| m- + n- + stem | منكتب mniktob | we write |
| b- + t/y- + stem + -o | بتكتبوا / بيكتبوا | you plural / they write |
The first plural منكتب is a high-frequency Lebanese shape. Do not replace it with a pan-dialect blend merely because another Arabic variety uses a different first-plural prefix.
One written form, two person values
بتكتب can mean “you masculine write” or “she writes.” Context or an overt pronoun resolves the ambiguity.
إنت بتكتب التقرير، وهي بتكتب الخلاصة.
inte btiktob et-taʾrīr, w-hiyye btiktob el-kholāṣa.
You write the report, and she writes the summary. (neutral; identical verb form, different subjects)
بتكتب بسرعة؟
btiktob b-sorʿa?
Do you write quickly? / Does she write quickly? (informal; context decides)
Lebanese does not need a special interrogative inversion or English do. Intonation and context make the clause a question.
The stem vowel must be learned
The root k-t-b does not predict -o- in yiktob. Other Form I verbs have different imperfect vowels: فتح / بيفتحfataḥ / byiftaḥ, شرب / بيشربshireb / byishrab, and نزل / بينزلnizel / byinzal. Store perfect and b-imperfect as principal parts.
بيفتح المحل عالسبعة وبيسكر عالخمسة.
byiftaḥ el-maḥall ʿas-sabʿa w-byisakker ʿal-khamse.
He opens the shop at seven and closes it at five. (informal; verified imperfect stems)
بنشرب قهوة بعد الغدا.
bnishrab ʾahwe baʿd el-ghada.
We drink coffee after lunch. (informal; a speaker-conditioned b+n first-plural variant)
For the production baseline in the main paradigm, use منشربmnishrab. Forms with bn- occur among Lebanese speakers (regional/social variation); recognize them without mixing both systems in one learner paradigm.
Feminine and plural endings trigger vowel reduction
Before -e and -o, an unstressed stem vowel commonly deletes: btiktob → btiktbe, byiktob → byiktbo. The written consonants remain, and the suffix attaches directly.
إنتي بتكتبي منيح، بس هني بيكتبوا بسرعة.
inte btiktbe mnīḥ, bass hinne byiktbo b-sorʿa.
You write well, but they write quickly. (informal; vowel deletion before suffixes)
Do not pronounce a full extra vowel as byiktobo in the production baseline. Connected speech favors the cluster -ktb-.
Spelling joins the markers
Arabic spelling writes the b-marker and person prefix as part of the word: بيكتب، بتكتبي، منكتب. The plural suffix appears as ـوا, although Beirut speech has short -o rather than formal -ūna.
بتكتبوا الأسامي متل ما هني عالجوازات؟
btiktbo l-asēme mitel ma hinne ʿal-zhawēzāt?
Do you all write the names exactly as they appear in the passports? (neutral/professional)
There are no MSA nominative or mood endings in this colloquial paradigm.
Pronoun omission and contrast
The verb usually identifies its subject well enough for an independent pronoun to be omitted. Retain the pronoun when it resolves بتكتب, changes topic, or marks contrast.
بكتب من البيت تلات أيام بالأسبوع.
biktob min el-bēt tlēt ayyēm bil-osbūʿ.
I work/write from home three days a week. (informal; null subject)
أنا بكتب التقرير، وإنت بتراجعه.
ana biktob et-taʾrīr, w-inte btrēzhʿo.
I'll write the report, and you'll review it. (informal; contrastive division of work)
English requires subject pronouns; Lebanese uses them strategically rather than mechanically.
Uses beyond a narrow “present”
The b-imperfect can express a current state, a habit, a generic fact, or a scheduled/contextual future.
بعرف الجواب.
baʿref el-zhawēb.
I know the answer. (current state)
الاجتماع بيبلش عالتسعة بكرا.
el-izhtimēʿ byiballesh ʿat-tisʿa bokra.
The meeting starts at nine tomorrow. (scheduled future)
Mapping the form only to English simple present will obscure these extensions.
b-imperfect versus bare imperfect
An independent habit uses b-; after بدّي، لازم، فيني, the outer marker normally disappears.
بكتبله كل أسبوع.
biktoblo kill osbūʿ.
I write to him every week. (independent habit)
بدي اكتبله اليوم.
badde ktoblo l-yōm.
I want to write to him today. (bare imperfect after بدّي)
The change is constructional, not an MSA subjunctive ending. Lebanese does not add or remove final case/mood vowels.
Affirmative and negative minimal pairs
Place ما before the b-imperfect; the conjugation remains intact.
بيكتب كل يوم.
byiktob kill yōm.
He writes every day. (affirmative habit)
ما بيكتب كل يوم.
ma byiktob kill yōm.
He doesn't write every day. (negative habit)
منعرف الطريق.
mnaʿref eṭ-ṭarīʾ.
We know the way. (affirmative state)
ما منعرف الطريق.
ma mnaʿref eṭ-ṭarīʾ.
We don't know the way. (negative state)
Irregular stems stay irregular
The person affixes are broadly stable, but hollow, final-weak, hamzated, and geminate verbs have verified stems: بيروح “he goes,” بينام “he sleeps,” بياكل “he eats,” بيحب “he likes.”
بيروح بكير وبينام عالعشرة.
byirūḥ bkīr w-byinēm ʿal-ʿashara.
He leaves early and sleeps at ten. (informal; weak stems)
Do not insert the consonants into yiktob mechanically. Learn each verb's 3ms b-imperfect as a principal part.
Dialogue: habit, current plan, and person contrast
مين بيكتب ملخص الاجتماع عادة؟
mīn byiktob molakhkhaṣ el-izhtimēʿ ʿāde?
Maya: Who usually writes the meeting summary? (professional dialogue)
أنا بكتبه، ورامي بيراجعه قبل ما نبعته.
ana biktobo, w-Rāme byrēzhʿo ʾabel ma nibʿato.
Jad: I write it, and Rami reviews it before we send it. (professional dialogue; contrastive subjects and bare imperfect after قبل ما)
Common Mistakes
Using one prefix for every person
❌ أنا بيكتب ونحنا بيكتب.
Incorrect — first singular is بكتب and first plural is منكتب.
✅ أنا بكتب ونحنا منكتب.
ana biktob w-niḥna mniktob.
I write, and we write.
Forgetting feminine and plural suffixes
❌ إنتي بتكتب وهني بيكتب.
Incorrect — feminine addressee takes -ي, and plural subject takes -وا.
✅ إنتي بتكتبي وهني بيكتبوا.
inte btiktbe w-hinne byiktbo.
You write, and they write.
Pronouncing an undeleted plural stem vowel
❌ هني بيكتبوا.
hinne byiktobo
Incorrect for the Beirut baseline — the unstressed stem vowel deletes before -o.
✅ هني بيكتبوا كل يوم.
hinne byiktbo kill yōm.
They write every day.
Keeping b- after a modal
❌ لازم بيكتب التقرير.
Incorrect — لازم selects the bare imperfect.
✅ لازم يكتب التقرير.
lēzem yiktob et-taʾrīr.
He has to write the report.
Regularizing a weak verb
❌ هو بينوم عالعشرة.
Incorrect — the verified b-imperfect of نام is بينام.
✅ هو بينام عالعشرة.
huwwe byinēm ʿal-ʿashara.
He sleeps at ten.
Adding MSA mood endings
❌ بيكتبون التقرير.
Incorrect hybrid — Beirut third plural is بيكتبوا, not an MSA-style -ūna ending.
✅ بيكتبوا التقرير سوا.
byiktbo t-taʾrīr sawa.
They write the report together.
Key Takeaways
The regular b-imperfect combines construction marker, person prefix, lexical stem, and optional feminine/plural suffix. Learn b-, bt-, by-, mn- with -e/-o, and expect stem-vowel deletion before those suffixes. Independent pronouns are optional except for contrast or disambiguation, ما negates the intact form, and each lexical verb's imperfect stem must be verified rather than predicted from the root.
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
- Basic Imperfect Prefixes and SuffixesA1 — Build the eight Lebanese imperfect persons with prefixes, feminine and plural endings, stem-vowel changes, and the ordinary b-marker.
- The b-Imperfect for Ordinary Present-Time PredicationA1 — Use the Lebanese b-imperfect for habits, generalizations, states, and ordinary present predication while contrasting progressive and bare forms.
- The Bare Imperfect after Modals and ParticlesA2 — Use fully agreeing imperfect verbs without b- after Lebanese modal, future, and command environments.
- Learning a Verb through Principal PartsA2 — Learn the small set of forms that reveals a Lebanese verb's stems, irregularities, commands, and complement pattern.
- Person, Gender, and Number on VerbsA1 — Match Lebanese verbs to first, second, and third person across masculine, feminine, singular, and plural subjects.
- When Subject Pronouns Are Omitted or ExpressedA1 — Let Lebanese verb marking carry a continuing subject, and express an independent pronoun for contrast, topic shifts, ambiguity, or verbless predicates.