1

3.2.3 Akhbara Family (Part 3)

Today, were going to finish up the second line of our family. I taught you:

So hes an
informer

To inform

He informs

He informed

We know that in the past tense, the doer is known. Sometimes, you can pronounce the past tense
differently so that the doer is unknown--thats what happens in the passive. The way to do that is to

make two sounds take over the word: u and e. So, if the past tense was , then the past passive

version would be . Now if means he informed, means he was informed. We dont know
who informed him anymore. The doer is a mystery.
Those are the two sounds that take over the past tense. The two sounds that take over the present

tense are u and a, so from the first line becomes ( I didnt have to change the beginning

because it was already uI only had one part to change, this time). means he informs, so the

passive, means he is being informed.

Lets translate everything weve got so far:

So hes an informer

To inform

He informs

He informed

To inform

He is being informed

He was informed

in the first line gave birth to . I took the yu and put a mu and thats how I got the Ism Faail.

gives birth to . Theres a big difference between , the ism faail, and , what we call the

Ism Mafool. Its meaning is passive: is the one that gets informed, NOT the informer. Practice

saying these two lines aloud with the verb list in 3.2.1 Handout to get you more comfortable with this
material.

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EXERCISES:
A. Make these words passive and put them through the entire past tense chart. Pay special
attention to the harakaat and sounds, being sensitive to whether or not the word is active or
passive.

B. Take the present tense of these words, make them passive, and then put them through the
entire present tense chart. Respect the passive sounds.

C. Translate the following words into English:

.7

.8

.9

.10

.11

.12
D. Translate the following words into Arabic:
1. They both were informed
2. Both of them are being informed
3. We informed
4. I was informed
5. Both of you inform
6. Both of those women were informed
7. I am being informed
8. You were informed
9.

Both of those women are being

informed

10. Those women are being informed

11. He was informed
12. She was informed

.1

.2

.3

.4

.5

.6

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ANSWER KEY:

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.

.

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A.

-"

"
.

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.

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.

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"

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)
."

."

B.

C.

7. ( Present Tense) He informs

8.
( Present Passive Tense) Both of

them are being informed

9. ( Past tense) Both of them fem.

fem. are being informed

3. ( Past Tense) You all informed

informed

10. ( Present Tense) I inform

11. ( Past Passive Tense) They were

4. ( Present Tense) You all inform

5. ( Present Tense) They fem.

informed

Inform

6. ( Past Passive Tense) He was

12. ( Past Passive Tense) We were
informed

D.

1.
( Past Passive Tense) Both of
them were informed

2. ( Present Passive Tense) You

1. They both were informed

2. Both of them are being informed
3. We informed
4. I was informed
5. Both of you inform
6. Both of those women were informed
7. I am being informed
8. You were informed
9.

Both of those women are being

informed

10. Those women are being informed

11. He was informed
12. She was informed

informed