Classical Passive-Form Verbs
Certain Arabic verbs take the passive form but carry an active meaning. They usually describe profound events outside of human control, such as passing away, losing one's mind, or fainting.
Passing Away and Martyrdom
Two common passive-form verbs are توفي (to pass away) and استشهد (to be martyred). You use them just like regular verbs, followed directly by the person.
| He is an emperor who passed away before the end of the war. | هو إمبراطور توفي قبل نهاية الحرب.huwa 'imbarâturun tuwuffiya qabla nihâyati l-harbi |
| We knew that the emperor was martyred in a historic battle. | عرفنا أن الإمبراطور استشهد في معركة تاريخية.arafnâ anna l-imbarâtûra ustushhida fî ma'rakatin târîkhiyyah. |
These conjugate to match the gender of the subject. For a feminine subject, simply add the feminine ending to get توفيت or استشهدت.
| The mother passed away from extreme grief over her son. | توفيت الأم من الحزن الشديد على ابنها.tuwuffiyati l-ummu mina l-huzni sh-shadîdi 'alâ bnihâ |
| The heroine was martyred in the defense of the throne. | استشهدت البطلة في الدفاع عن العرش.ustushhidati al-batalatu fi ad-difa'i 'ani al-'arsh |
Losing One's Mind
Another classic passive-form verb is جن (to go mad). Like the previous verbs, it takes a standard subject.
| Did the commander go mad after he lost the battle? | هل جن القائد بعدما خسر المعركة؟hal junna al-qâ'idu ba'damâ khasira al-ma'rakata? |
| The patient king went mad and left the throne. | جن الملك الصبور وترك العرش.junna al-maliku s-sabûru wa taraka al-'arsha |
Fainting
The verb for fainting, أغمي, operates a little differently. Instead of taking a direct subject, it uses the preposition على to introduce the person who fainted. Think of it literally as "it was fainted upon [someone]."
Because the verb is impersonal in this structure, أغمي remains fixed in the masculine singular form, regardless of who fainted.
| The girl fainted because of grief when she heard the shocking news. | أغمي على الفتاة بسبب الحزن عندما سمعت النبأ الصادم.ughmiya 'alâ al-fatâti bisababi al-huzni 'indamâ sami'ati n-naba'a s-sâdima. |
When replacing the noun with a pronoun, attach the appropriate suffix to على (for example, عليها for "she"):
| The queen was going to the castle when she fainted. | كانت الملكة ذاهبة إلى القلعة عندما أغمي عليها.kânatil-malikatu dhâhibatan ilal-qal'ati 'indamâ ughmiya 'alayhâ |