Hollow Verbs in the Present Tense
In the previous lesson, you learned that hollow verbs have a weak middle letter. In the past tense, this letter usually appears as an alif (ا) in the basic "he" form. However, when conjugated in the present tense, this middle vowel changes to reveal the verb's true root.
Depending on the verb, the middle alif (ا) will transform into a waw (و), a yaa (ي), or remain an alif (ا). Notice that unlike the past tense, this long middle vowel is kept when conjugating for "I", "we", and "you" in the regular present tense.
Let's look at a sentence that uses both a waw (و) verb and a yaa (ي) verb:
The Middle Yaa (ي)
For some hollow verbs, the middle vowel becomes a yaa (ي) in the present tense. For example, عاش (to live) becomes يعيش, and باع (to sell) becomes يبيع.
The Middle Waw (و)
For many common hollow verbs, the middle vowel transforms into a waw (و) in the present tense. This pattern applies to verbs like زار (to visit) becoming يزور, عاد (to return) becoming يعود, and قال (to say) becoming يقول.
Keeping the Alif (ا)
A smaller group of hollow verbs keeps the long alif (ا) in the present tense. The most common everyday example is نام (to sleep), which becomes ينام (he sleeps) or أنام (I sleep).
