Defective verbs in the present tense (يمشي)

Defective Verbs in the Present Tense

In the previous lesson, we saw how defective verbs (verbs ending in a weak letter) behave in the past tense. In the present tense, these verbs are conjugated by adding the standard present tense prefixes to the beginning of the word.

For many defective verbs, the weak letter at the end is a ي. When conjugating for "he" (هو), "she" (هي), or the masculine "you" (أنت), simply add the corresponding prefix (يـ or تـ), and leave the final ي exactly as it is.

Verbs Ending in Alif Maqsura (ى) and Waw (و)

Not all defective verbs end in ي in the present tense. Depending on the root, the final weak letter might be an alif maqsura (ى) or a waw (و). Just like verbs ending in ي, these weak letters are kept at the end of the verb.

When conjugating for "we" (نحن), add the prefix نـ. Notice how the weak endings remain in place.

Conjugating for "I"

To conjugate defective verbs in the present tense for "I" (أنا), use the prefix أ. As with the other subjects, the weak letter at the end of the verb remains unchanged.

Summary of Defective Present Tense Prefixes

Here is a quick overview of how these verbs look with the standard present tense prefixes for the subjects covered in this lesson:

Let's see these rules applied together in one final example where a speaker uses both ي and ى verb endings.