In Arabic, verb patterns (forms) give us clues about their meaning. Derived Form VI verbs follow the pattern تَفاعَلَ in the past tense, and often describe reciprocal actions—things that two or more people do to each other or together, like arguing or making peace.
Form VI: Past and Present Conjugation
Form VI verbs are easy to recognize because they always start with the prefix تَـ and have a long vowel ا (alif) after the first root letter.
Here is how the Form VI verb تَشاجَرَ (to quarrel) conjugates in the past and present tenses:
| Pronoun | Past Tense | Present Tense |
|---|---|---|
| هو (he) | تَشاجَرَ | يَتَشاجَرُ |
| هي (she) | تَشاجَرَتْ | تَتَشاجَرُ |
| نحن (we) | تَشاجَرْنا | نَتَشاجَرُ |
| هم (they, m.) | تَشاجَروا | يَتَشاجَرونَ |
Let's see this verb in action in both tenses:
| Why did the couple quarrel yesterday, my brother? | لماذا تشاجر الزوجان أمس يا أخي؟limâdhâ tashâjara az-zawjâni amsi yâ akhî |
| The children always quarrel because of a toy. | الأطفال يتشاجرون دائما بسبب لعبة.al-atfâlu yatashâjarûna dâ'iman bisababi lu'batin. |
Reciprocal Actions: Disputes and Reconciliations
Because Form VI verbs involve multiple parties interacting, they are perfect for describing the cycle of a dispute and reconciliation. Notice how verbs like تَجادَلَ (to argue) and تَصالَحَ (to reconcile) follow the exact same pattern.
| The colleagues are arguing in the office now. | الزملاء يتجادلون في المكتب الآن.az-zumalâ'u yatajâdalûna fil-maktabi al'âna. |
| The two parties argued before the meeting. | تجادل الطرفان قبل الاجتماع.tajâdala at-tarafâni qabla l-ijtimâ'i |
After a disagreement or a discussion, hopefully the parties can reach an understanding (تَفاهَمَ), reconcile (تَصالَحَ), and forgive each other (تَسامَحَ).
| Did the couple reach an understanding after the discussion? | هل تفاهم الزوجان بعد النقاش؟hal tafâhama az-zawjâni ba'da an-niqâshi? |
| Finally, the two brothers reconciled after the disagreement. | أخيرا، تصالح الأخوان بعد الخلاف.akhîran, tasâlaha al-akhawâni ba'da al-khilâf |
| The two neighbors forgave each other and forgot the problem. | تسامح الجاران ونسيا المشكلة.tasâmaha al-jârâni wa nasiyâ al-mushkilata. |
Other Uses of Form VI
While Form VI is most famous for reciprocal actions, some verbs in this pattern have a slightly different meaning. For example, تَجاهَلَ means "to ignore" (literally acting as if you are ignorant). It conjugates exactly like the rest!
| The manager did not ignore my question, professor. | ما تجاهل المدير سؤالي يا أستاذ.mâ tajâhala al-mudîru su'âlî yâ ustâdh |
| The couple is ignoring the problem that started today. | الزوجان يتجاهلان المشكلة التي بدأت اليوم.az-zawjâni yatajâhalâni al-mushkilata allatî bada'ati al-yawm |
