Assimilated Verbs (المثال)
In Arabic, verbs whose roots begin with the letter و (waaw) are known as "assimilated" verbs (المثال). In the past tense, they act like regular three-letter verbs, such as وصل (to arrive).
Dropping the (و) in the Present Tense
When these verbs are conjugated in the present tense, the initial و is dropped entirely. For example, instead of keeping the و, the verb وصل becomes يصل (he arrives).
| The train arrives at the station now. | يصل القطار إلى المحطة الآن.yasilu al-qitâru ilâ al-mahattati al-âna |
| When does the passenger arrive at the platform? | متى يصل الراكب إلى الرصيف؟matâ yasilu r-râkibu ilâ r-rasîf |
More Verbs that Drop the (و)
This pattern applies to other common verbs you will encounter, such as وقف (to stand) and وجد (to find). In the present tense, their initial weak letter disappears, and they become يقف and يجد.
| The passenger stands on the platform. | يقف الراكب على الرصيف.yaqifu r-râkibu 'alâ r-raṣîf |
| The passenger does not find his bag. | لا يجد الراكب حقيبته.lâ yajidu ar-râkibu haqîbatahu |
Similarly, the verbs وصف (to describe) and وعد (to promise) become يصف and يعد. This dropping rule applies regardless of the pronoun prefix, whether the present tense verb starts with ي for "he" or أ for "I":
| The inspector describes the new schedule. | يصف المفتش الجدول الجديد.yasifu almufattishu aljadwala aljadida |
| I promise you, the train arrives early. | أعدك، يصل القطار مبكرا.a'iduka, yasilu l-qitâru mubakkiran. |