Arabic's internal passive changes stem vowels, so roots already affected by weak letters, hamza, or gemination cannot be formed by merely adding an English-style auxiliary. قَالَ “say” becomes قِيلَ “was said,” not an invented قُوِلَ; دَعَا “invite” becomes دُعِيَ and يُدْعَى; رَدَّ “return/reject” becomes رُدَّ and يُرَدُّ. The right method is to learn verified active and passive principal parts together.
These alternations affect pronunciation and sometimes spelling, but they do not change the passive syntax. The affected participant is nominative, an agent is normally omitted, and the verb still follows normal agreement and mood rules. The passive-participle page treats the corresponding nominal descriptions rather than finite passive stems.
Hollow verbs: the middle weak radical contracts
Form I قَالَ — يَقُولُ — قَوْلًا “say,” root ق-و-ل, has perfect passive قِيلَ and imperfect passive يُقَالُ. The historical middle weak sequence contracts differently in the two stems. The same family appears in بَاعَ — يَبِيعُ — بَيْعًا “sell,” root ب-ي-ع: بِيعَ — يُبَاعُ.
| Environment | ق-و-ل | ب-ي-ع |
|---|---|---|
| perfect passive, 3 m.sg. | قِيلَ | بِيعَ |
| imperfect passive, indicative | يُقَالُ | يُبَاعُ |
| after لن, subjunctive | لَنْ يُقَالَ | لَنْ يُبَاعَ |
| after لم, jussive | لَمْ يُقَلْ | لَمْ يُبَعْ |
The jussive deletes the imperfect ending and shortens the long vowel in these singular hollow forms. This is why لم يقل can mean either active lam yaqul “he did not say” or passive lam yuqal “it was not said” in unvocalized writing; syntax and context identify the reading.
قيل إن الطريق سيعاد فتحه مساء.
qīla ʾinna ṭ-ṭarīqa sayuʿādu fatḥuhu masāʾ.
It was said that the road would be reopened in the evening. (formal reportive use)
لن يباع المنزل قبل انتهاء النزاع.
lan yubāʿa l-manzilu qabla ntihāʾi n-nizāʿ.
The house will not be sold before the dispute ends. (subjunctive after lan)
لم يبع أي من المخطوطين في المزاد.
lam yubaʿ ʾayyun mina l-makhṭūṭayni fī l-mazād.
Neither of the two manuscripts was sold at the auction. (jussive after lam)
Derived hollow verbs must also be verified by Form. Form IV أَقَامَ — يُقِيمُ — إِقَامَةً “hold; establish,” root ق-و-م, has passive أُقِيمَ — يُقَامُ.
أقيم معرضان للكتاب في مدينتين ساحليتين.
ʾuqīma maʿriḍāni lil-kitābi fī madīnatayni sāḥiliyyatayn.
Two book fairs were held in two coastal cities. (neutral VSO: singular passive verb)
Final-weak verbs: the ending changes with aspect and mood
Form I دَعَا — يَدْعُو — دَعْوَةً “invite; call,” root د-ع-و, has دُعِيَ in the perfect passive and يُدْعَى in the imperfect passive. The perfect shows ي, while the imperfect ends in alif maqṣūra ى. After لم, the final weak segment is lost in writing and pronunciation: لَمْ يُدْعَ.
دعيت الطبيبتان إلى مناقشة نتائج الدراسة.
duʿiyati ṭ-ṭabībatāni ʾilā munāqashati natāʾiji d-dirāsa.
The two female doctors were invited to discuss the study's results. (verb-first singular feminine)
الطبيبتان دعيتا إلى الجلسة الختامية.
aṭ-ṭabībatāni duʿiyatā ʾilā l-jalsati l-khitāmiyya.
The two female doctors were invited to the closing session. (subject-first dual agreement)
لم يدع الضيوف إلى دخول القاعة بعد.
lam yudʿa ḍ-ḍuyūfu ʾilā dukhūli l-qāʿati baʿd.
The guests have not yet been invited to enter the hall. (jussive final-weak passive)
The preposition إلى belongs to دعا in the meaning “invite to.” Voice does not authorize dropping it. Form I رَمَى — يَرْمِي — رَمْيًا “throw,” root ر-م-ي, similarly has رُمِيَ — يُرْمَى — لَمْ يُرْمَ.
رميت العبوات الفارغة في الحاوية المخصصة.
rumiyati l-ʿubuwwātu l-fārighatu fī l-ḥāwiyati l-mukhaṣṣaṣa.
The empty containers were thrown into the designated bin. (nonhuman plural with feminine-singular verb)
Assimilated verbs: a first radical may reappear
In active Form I وَعَدَ — يَعِدُ — وَعْدًا “promise,” root و-ع-د, the first-radical و disappears from the active imperfect. It is present in the passive imperfect يُوعَدُ, however, and remains visible in perfect وُعِدَ. Do not build the passive from the shortened active imperfect surface form.
وعد الموظفون بمكافأة بعد انتهاء المشروع.
wuʿida l-muwaẓẓafūna bimukāfaʾatin baʿda ntihāʾi l-mashrūʿ.
The employees were promised a bonus after the project was completed. (neutral VSO)
الموظفات يوعدن بالمكافأة نفسها في العقود الجديدة.
al-muwaẓẓafātu yūʿadna bil-mukāfaʾati nafsihā fī l-ʿuqūdi l-jadīda.
The female employees are promised the same bonus in the new contracts. (subject-first feminine plural)
Derived weak verbs: the Form helps, but weakness still matters
Derived Forms provide stronger pattern cues than Form I, but they do not make weak radicals disappear from the analysis. Learn the verified perfect–imperfect passive pair for each Form:
| Active verb | Form and root | Perfect passive | Imperfect passive |
|---|---|---|---|
| أَقَامَ / يُقِيمُ “hold; establish” | IV, ق و م | أُقِيمَ | يُقَامُ |
| اِخْتَارَ / يَخْتَارُ “choose” | VIII, خ ي ر | اُخْتِيرَ | يُخْتَارُ |
| سَمَّى / يُسَمِّي “name” | II, س م و | سُمِّيَ | يُسَمَّى |
| اِسْتَدْعَى / يَسْتَدْعِي “summon” | X, د ع و | اُسْتُدْعِيَ | يُسْتَدْعَى |
استدعيت الخبيرتان للإدلاء بشهادتيهما أمام المحكمة.
ustudʿiyati l-khabīratāni lil-ʾidlāʾi bishahādatayhimā ʾamāma l-maḥkama.
The two female experts were summoned to give their testimonies before the court. (Form X; neutral VSO.)
سميت القاعتان باسم طبيبتين رائدتين.
summiyati l-qāʿatāni bismi ṭabībatayni rāʾidatayn.
The two halls were named after two pioneering women doctors. (Form II.)
“More predictable” therefore means that the Form narrows the possibilities; it does not authorize building a passive from the active surface vowels mechanically.
Hamzated verbs: preserve the radical and its seat
Hamza is a root consonant, not a vowel mark that can be discarded. قَرَأَ — يَقْرَأُ — قِرَاءَةً “read,” root ق-ر-ء, has قُرِئَ — يُقْرَأُ. The seat changes according to ordinary hamza spelling rules. أَخَذَ — يَأْخُذُ — أَخْذًا “take,” root ء-خ-ذ, has أُخِذَ — يُؤْخَذُ.
قرئت الرسالتان على الحضور في بداية الجلسة.
quriʾati r-risālatāni ʿalā l-ḥuḍūri fī bidāyati l-jalsa.
The two letters were read aloud to those present at the start of the session.
يؤخذ متوسط القياسين قبل تسجيل النتيجة.
yuʾkhadhu mutawassiṭu l-qiyāsayni qabla tasjīli n-natīja.
The average of the two measurements is taken before the result is recorded. (formal procedure)
Geminate verbs: contraction and unpacking
Form I رَدَّ — يَرُدُّ — رَدًّا “return; reject,” root ر-د-د, contracts its last two radicals under shadda. Its passive is رُدَّ — يُرَدُّ. Before a consonant-initial suffix, the radicals can unpack, as in رُدِدْنَا “we were returned/rejected.” In the singular jussive, contemporary careful MSA commonly retains contraction with a final helping fatḥa: لَمْ يُرَدَّ.
ردت الطلبات الناقصة إلى أصحابها.
ruddati ṭ-ṭalabātu n-nāqiṣatu ʾilā ʾaṣḥābihā.
The incomplete applications were returned to their owners. (nonhuman plural)
لم يرد الطلب رغم اكتمال الوثائق.
lam yuradda ṭ-ṭalabu raghma ktimāli l-wathāʾiq.
The application was not rejected despite the documents being complete. (contracted geminate jussive)
Common Mistakes
Regularizing a hollow perfect
❌ قول إن الموعد تغير.
Incorrect passive formation—قال does not form a perfect passive by inserting predictable short vowels into its surface spelling; use قيل.
✅ قيل إن الطريق مغلق.
qīla ʾinna ṭ-ṭarīqa mughlaq.
It was said that the road was closed.
Keeping a hollow long vowel in the jussive
❌ لم يباع المنزل في المزاد.
Incorrect careful-MSA jussive—the singular hollow form shortens after لم: لم يبع.
✅ لم يبع المنزل في المزاد.
lam yubaʿi l-manzilu fī l-mazād.
The house was not sold at the auction.
Retaining a final weak letter after لم
❌ لم يدعى الضيوف إلى الجلسة.
Incorrect—the final-weak jussive drops ى: لم يدعَ.
✅ لم يدع الضيوف إلى الجلسة.
lam yudʿa ḍ-ḍuyūfu ʾilā l-jalsa.
The guests were not invited to the session.
Dropping the first radical of يوعد
❌ يعد الموظفون بمكافأة.
Wrong passive reading—active يعد means ‘he promises’; passive ‘are promised’ restores the first-radical و: يوعد.
✅ يوعد الموظفون بمكافأة عند اكتمال المشروع.
yūʿadu l-muwaẓẓafūna bimukāfaʾatin ʿinda ktimāli l-mashrūʿ.
The employees are promised a bonus when the project is completed.
Choosing the wrong hamza seat
❌ قرءت الرسالتان على الحضور.
Incorrect spelling—the perfect passive of قرأ is قرئت, with hamza on ي.
✅ قرئت الرسالتان على الحضور.
quriʾati r-risālatāni ʿalā l-ḥuḍūr.
The two letters were read aloud to those present.
Removing gemination before no suffix
❌ ردد الطلب بسبب نقص الوثائق.
Incorrect for the singular perfect passive here—the contracted form is ردّ, vocalized رُدَّ.
✅ رد الطلب بسبب نقص الوثائق.
rudda ṭ-ṭalabu bisababi naqṣi l-wathāʾiq.
The application was rejected because documents were missing.
Key Takeaways
- Memorize verified passive principal parts; do not mechanically vocalize the active spelling.
- Hollow verbs contract differently in perfect, imperfect, and jussive forms.
- Final-weak verbs change their written ending, while assimilated verbs may restore a first-radical و.
- Hamza remains a radical but changes seat; geminate radicals contract or unpack according to the ending.
- Voice never cancels agreement, mood, or a verb's required preposition.
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