Lesson 38
Verbal Nouns Masdar
المصدر
The masdar (مَصْدَر) is the verbal noun the "infinitive" form. It is the most versatile word in Arabic, functioning as subject, object, or complement after prepositions, and replacing subordinate clauses.
Form I Masdar Patterns
VerbMasdarTransliterationMeaning
كَتَبَكِتَابَةkitābawriting
قَرَأَقِرَاءَةqirāʾareading
دَرَسَدِرَاسَةdirāsastudying
ذَهَبَذَهَابdhahābgoing
فَهِمَفَهْمfahmunderstanding
عَلِمَعِلْمʿilmknowledge
عَمِلَعَمَلʿamalaction / work
Derived Forms Predictable Masdar Patterns
Verb FormMasdar PatternExampleMeaning
Form II (فَعَّلَ)تَفْعِيلعَلَّمَ → تَعْلِيمteaching
Form III (فَاعَلَ)مُفَاعَلَةدَارَسَ → مُدَارَسَةmutual study
Form IV (أَفْعَلَ)إِفْعَالأَسْلَمَ → إِسْلَامsubmission
Form X (اسْتَفْعَلَ)اسْتِفْعَالاسْتَغْفَرَ → اسْتِغْفَارseeking forgiveness
الدِّرَاسَةُ مُهِمَّةٌ أُحِبُّ قِرَاءَةَ الْقُرْآنِ كُلَّ صَبَاح
Ad-dirāsatu muhimmatun Uḥibbu qirāʾata l-Qurʾāni kulla ṣabāḥ
Studying is important. I love reading the Quran every morning.
التَّعْلِيمُ فَرِيضَةٌ الِاسْتِغْفَارُ مِنَ الذُّنُوبِ وَاجِبٌ
At-taʿlīmu farīḍatun Al-istighfāru mina d-dhunūbi wājib
Teaching is an obligation. Seeking forgiveness for sins is obligatory.
- Form I masdar has no predictable pattern each verb's masdar must be memorised.
- Masdar as subject: الدِّرَاسَةُ مُهِمَّة the masdar takes nominative case.
- After يُحِبّ and other verbs of liking/disliking, the masdar acts as a gerund: أُحِبّ الْكِتَابَة.
- Forms II–X have predictable masdar patterns إِسْلَام, تَعْلِيم, and اسْتِغْفَار are all masdars you know without a dictionary.
- Masdar in iḍāfa: قِرَاءَةُ الْقُرْآنِ (reading of the Quran) the masdar is the first noun and the object appears as the second noun in genitive.