The noun of instance (اسْمُ الْمَرَّة) presents an event as one bounded occurrence: one knock, one glance, one launch. For many sound Form-I verbs it has the pattern فَعْلَة, such as ضَرْبَة “one blow” from ضَرَبَ. For derived verbs, the regular strategy is often to add ة to a maṣdar that does not already end in it: انطلق — انطلاق — انطلاقة.
This is a morphological resource, not a machine that guarantees a common word for every verb. Lexicalization, weak-root spelling, and an existing final ة limit the rule. Contemporary MSA frequently uses the safer analytic expression maṣdar + واحدة when the special form is unavailable or could be misunderstood.
General event versus one occurrence
| Verb | General maṣdar | Noun of instance | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| ضَرَبَ “struck” | ضَرْب | ضَرْبَة | Sound Form I: فَعْلَة |
| نَظَرَ “looked” | نَظَر | نَظْرَة | One look; also lexicalized as “view/attitude” |
| دَقَّ “knocked” | دَقّ | دَقَّة | Geminate root; shadda remains |
| رَمَى “threw” | رَمْي | رَمْيَة | Defective root; y remains before ة |
| انْطَلَقَ “set off/launched” | انْطِلَاق | انْطِلَاقَة | Derived Form VII: add ة |
| ابْتَسَمَ “smiled” | ابْتِسَام | ابْتِسَامَة | Derived Form VIII: one smile |
طرق الزائر الباب ثم انتظر.
ṭaraqa z-zāʾiru l-bāba thumma ntaẓar.
The visitor knocked on the door and then waited. (Finite event.)
سمعت طرقة واحدة على الباب.
samiʿtu ṭarqatan wāḥidatan ʿalā l-bāb.
I heard one knock on the door. (A single countable occurrence.)
The noun is grammatically feminine because it ends in ة. It takes normal nominal case, can be definite or indefinite, and can be counted or modified. The “once” meaning belongs to the lexical pattern and context; it is not tense.
ألقى المتحدث نظرة سريعة على ملاحظاته.
ʾalqā l-mutaḥaddithu naẓratan sarīʿatan ʿalā mulāḥaẓātih.
The speaker cast a quick glance at his notes.
كانت النظرة كافية لفهم المشكلة.
kānati n-naẓratu kāfiyatan lifahmi l-mushkila.
The glance was enough to understand the problem. (Definite noun of instance.)
Sound Form I: فَعْلَة, with lexical caution
The textbook pattern for a sound triliteral verb is فَعْلَة. It is particularly transparent when the general maṣdar lacks ة: ضَرْب → ضَرْبَة, نَظَر → نَظْرَة. But a dictionary may list several lexical meanings for the resulting noun. نظرة can be a single glance, an outlook, or an analytical view; context does the final work.
أصاب اللاعب الكرة بضربة قوية.
ʾaṣāba l-lāʿibu l-kurata biḍarbatin qawiyya.
The player hit the ball with one powerful strike.
أيقظتني دقة خفيفة على النافذة.
ʾayqaẓatnī daqqatun khafīfatun ʿalā n-nāfidha.
A light tap on the window woke me.
The romanization and vocalization distinguish morphology that ordinary writing may hide. For instance, the shadda in دَقَّة reflects the geminate root د-ق-ق; dropping it changes the analyzed form.
Weak and hamzated roots
Weak letters are part of the attested stem, not disposable spelling. From رمى — رمي, the noun of instance is رمية “one throw”: final ي appears before ة. Do not build رماة by analogy with the finite past form. Hollow and hamzated verbs are less uniformly productive in everyday vocabulary; use an attested lexical noun or maṣdar + واحدة.
حسمت رمية أخيرة نتيجة المباراة.
ḥasamat ramyatun ʾakhīratun natījata l-mubārāh.
One final throw decided the result of the match.
وجهت إليه سؤالا واحدا عن الميزانية.
wajjahtu ʾilayhi suʾālan wāḥidan ʿani l-mīzāniyya.
I put one question to him about the budget. (Analytic counting is clearer than inventing a noun of instance from سأل.)
Derived Forms: add ة when possible
For a derived verb whose maṣdar does not already end in ة, the standard instance form adds it: انطلاق → انطلاقة, ابتسام → ابتسامة. Many such words become ordinary count nouns and develop specialized meanings: انطلاقة can be a launch, start, or takeoff; ابتسامة is simply a smile.
شهد المشروع انطلاقة ناجحة في ثلاث مدن.
shahida l-mashrūʿu nṭilāqatan nājiḥatan fī thalāthi mudun.
The project had a successful launch in three cities. (Formal.)
منحتها ابتسامة واحدة شيئا من الثقة.
manaḥathā btisāmatun wāḥidatun shayʾan mina th-thiqa.
A single smile gave her a little confidence.
This process is derivational, not merely syntactic. Once established, the result behaves as a feminine noun and may pluralize: ابتسامات، انطلاقات. A plural counts separate occurrences or launches; the general maṣdar may remain mass-like.
When the maṣdar already ends in ة
Do not add a second feminine ending. If the lexical maṣdar already ends in ة, formal grammar normally expresses one occurrence with واحدة: إقامة واحدة، زيارة واحدة، استشارة واحدة. Some dictionaries record specialized forms, but learners should not generate them mechanically.
أجرت الطبيبة استشارة واحدة قبل الظهر.
ʾajrati ṭ-ṭabībatu stishāratan wāḥidatan qabla ẓ-ẓuhr.
The doctor conducted one consultation before noon.
كانت زيارة الوفد القصيرة كافية لبدء التفاوض.
kānat ziyāratu l-wafdi l-qaṣīratu kāfiyatan libadʾi t-tafāwuḍ.
The delegation's brief visit was enough to begin negotiations. (Iḍāfa plus an adjective modifying زيارة.)
In the last example, الوفد is the participant associated with the visiting event, while feminine القصيرة modifies زيارة, not the delegation. Nominal case and agreement remain ordinary noun grammar.
Instance, result, or lexical noun?
An instance form can drift away from “one occurrence.” وجبة is a meal, رحلة a trip, and نظرة may mean “perspective.” Synchronically, speakers often store these as ordinary words. Do not force every فَعْلَة noun back into a productive derivation, and do not assume that every feminine event noun is an اسم مرة.
تقدم الدراسة نظرة جديدة إلى تاريخ المدينة.
tuqaddimu d-dirāsatu naẓratan jadīdatan ʾilā tārīkhi l-madīna.
The study offers a new perspective on the city's history. (Lexicalized abstract reading, not literally one glance.)
سجل التقرير ثلاث خروقات منفصلة خلال الشهر.
sajjala t-taqrīru thalātha khurūqātin munfaṣilatin khilāla sh-shahr.
The report recorded three separate breaches during the month. (Formal prose; a lexical count noun packages bounded events.)
Not the noun of manner
The noun of instance answers “how many occurrences?” The noun of manner answers “in what manner?” Traditional vocalization can distinguish فَعْلَة from فِعْلَة, but ordinary unvocalized writing may show the same consonants. Context and lexical convention are therefore essential.
جلس جلسة واحدة ثم غادر.
jalasa jalsatan wāḥidatan thumma ghādar.
He sat for one session and then left. (One bounded occurrence.)
جلس جلسة الواثق أمام اللجنة.
jalasa jilsata l-wāthiqi ʾamāma l-lajna.
He sat before the committee with the posture of a confident person. (Manner reading.)
Common Mistakes
Treating every Form I noun as predictable
❌ سجلنا خرجة القطار في الموعد.
Incorrect and unnatural for ‘one departure’; do not invent an instance form merely from the verb خرج.
✅ سجلنا مغادرة واحدة للقطار في الموعد.
sajjalnā mughādaratan wāḥidatan lil-qiṭāri fī l-mawʿid.
We recorded one on-time departure of the train.
Adding ة to a maṣdar that already has it
❌ أجرينا استشارتة واحدة.
Incorrect—استشارة already ends in ة; another suffix is not added.
✅ أجرينا استشارة واحدة.
ʾajraynā stishāratan wāḥida.
We conducted one consultation.
Ignoring weak-root spelling
❌ غيرت رماة واحدة مسار المباراة.
Incorrect for ‘one throw’—the noun is رمية, retaining ي before ة.
✅ غيرت رمية واحدة مسار المباراة.
ghayyarat ramyatun wāḥidatun masāra l-mubārāh.
One throw changed the course of the match.
Confusing occurrence with manner
❌ مشى مشية واحدة طوال حياته.
Incorrect for the intended meaning ‘in one particular manner’; واحدة counts an occurrence rather than describing how he walked.
✅ مشى مشية هادئة وواثقة.
mashā mishyatan hādiʾatan wawāthiqa.
He walked with a calm, confident gait.
Key Takeaways
- The productive Form-I instance pattern is فَعْلَة, but lexical verification remains essential.
- Derived forms often add ة to a maṣdar that lacks it.
- If the maṣdar already ends in ة, use واحدة rather than stacking endings.
- Weak and geminate roots preserve their attested stem changes: رمية، دقّة.
- Instance nouns are feminine count nouns; lexicalization may weaken or replace the literal “one occurrence” meaning.
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