Conjugation › Arabic › Faʿala / yafʿalu
Arabic · Verb Tables · Intermediate
فَعَلَ / يَفْعَلُ (faʿala / yafʿalu) means "to do / make" in Arabic. Present: أنا (anā) أَفْعَلُ [afʿalu], أنتَ (anta) تَفْعَلُ [tafʿalu], أنتِ (anti) تَفْعَلِينَ [tafʿalīna], هو (huwa) يَفْعَلُ [yafʿalu], هي (hiya) تَفْعَلُ [tafʿalu], نحن (naḥnu) نَفْعَلُ [nafʿalu]. Below: all 16 tenses we teach, with examples.
The present (imperfect) stem takes a person prefix and, for 'you (f.)' and the plurals, a suffix, plus the indicative ending -u (dropped in casual speech). Covers English simple present and present continuous alike ('I write' / 'I am writing') — Arabic does not force a choice between them.
| أنا (anā) | أَفْعَلُ [afʿalu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | تَفْعَلُ [tafʿalu] |
| أنتِ (anti) | تَفْعَلِينَ [tafʿalīna] |
| هو (huwa) | يَفْعَلُ [yafʿalu] |
| هي (hiya) | تَفْعَلُ [tafʿalu] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | نَفْعَلُ [nafʿalu] |
| أنتم (antum) | تَفْعَلُونَ [tafʿalūna] |
| هم (hum) | يَفْعَلُونَ [yafʿalūna] |
Arabic has no separate progressive verb form; ongoing action is normally just the plain present above. To stress 'right now', speakers instead use the active participle (ism al-fāʿil, here kātib 'writing') as the predicate; it agrees like an adjective (gender/number), not by person, so 'I' and 'you (m.)' share the masculine form shown here and 'she' takes the feminine kātibatun.
| أنا (anā) | أَنا فاعِلٌ [anā fāʿilun] |
| أنتَ (anta) | أَنْتَ فاعِلٌ [anta fāʿilun] |
| أنتِ (anti) | أَنْتِ فاعِلَةٌ [anti fāʿilatun] |
| هو (huwa) | هُوَ فاعِلٌ [huwa fāʿilun] |
| هي (hiya) | هِيَ فاعِلَةٌ [hiya fāʿilatun] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | نَحْنُ فاعِلُونَ [naḥnu fāʿilūna] |
| أنتم (antum) | أَنْتُمْ فاعِلُونَ [antum fāʿilūna] |
| هم (hum) | هُمْ فاعِلُونَ [hum fāʿilūna] |
The past (perfect) stem takes only suffixes for person, gender and number; there is no prefix. Used for any completed action, corresponding to both English simple past ('I wrote') and, in most contexts, present perfect ('I have written').
| أنا (anā) | فَعَلْتُ [faʿaltu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | فَعَلْتَ [faʿalta] |
| أنتِ (anti) | فَعَلْتِ [faʿalti] |
| هو (huwa) | فَعَلَ [faʿala] |
| هي (hiya) | فَعَلَتْ [faʿalat] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | فَعَلْنا [faʿalnā] |
| أنتم (antum) | فَعَلْتُمْ [faʿaltum] |
| هم (hum) | فَعَلُوا [faʿalū] |
No single-word imperfect exists; it is built with kāna (to be, conjugated in the past) followed by the plain present tense of the main verb. Matches English 'was writing' or 'used to write'.
| أنا (anā) | كُنْتُ [kuntu] أَفْعَلُ [afʿalu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | كُنْتَ [kunta] تَفْعَلُ [tafʿalu] |
| أنتِ (anti) | كُنْتِ [kunti] تَفْعَلِينَ [tafʿalīna] |
| هو (huwa) | كانَ [kāna] يَفْعَلُ [yafʿalu] |
| هي (hiya) | كانَتْ [kānat] تَفْعَلُ [tafʿalu] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كُنّا [kunnā] نَفْعَلُ [nafʿalu] |
| أنتم (antum) | كُنْتُمْ [kuntum] تَفْعَلُونَ [tafʿalūna] |
| هم (hum) | كانُوا [kānū] يَفْعَلُونَ [yafʿalūna] |
MSA does not distinguish 'I wrote' from 'I have written' morphologically — both are the simple past. The particle قد (qad) placed before the past verb adds the nuance of a completed action with present relevance ('have indeed done'), common in news and formal writing.
| أنا (anā) | قَدْ فَعَلْتُ [qad faʿaltu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | قَدْ فَعَلْتَ [qad faʿalta] |
| أنتِ (anti) | قَدْ فَعَلْتِ [qad faʿalti] |
| هو (huwa) | قَدْ فَعَلَ [qad faʿala] |
| هي (hiya) | قَدْ فَعَلَتْ [qad faʿalat] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | قَدْ فَعَلْنا [qad faʿalnā] |
| أنتم (antum) | قَدْ فَعَلْتُمْ [qad faʿaltum] |
| هم (hum) | قَدْ فَعَلُوا [qad faʿalū] |
Built with kāna (past) + قد (qad) + the past-tense main verb. Matches English 'had written'.
| أنا (anā) | كُنْتُ [kuntu] قَدْ فَعَلْتُ [faʿaltu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | كُنْتَ [kunta] قَدْ فَعَلْتَ [faʿalta] |
| أنتِ (anti) | كُنْتِ [kunti] قَدْ فَعَلْتِ [faʿalti] |
| هو (huwa) | كانَ [kāna] قَدْ فَعَلَ [faʿala] |
| هي (hiya) | كانَتْ [kānat] قَدْ فَعَلَتْ [faʿalat] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كُنّا [kunnā] قَدْ فَعَلْنا [faʿalnā] |
| أنتم (antum) | كُنْتُمْ [kuntum] قَدْ فَعَلْتُمْ [faʿaltum] |
| هم (hum) | كانُوا [kānū] قَدْ فَعَلُوا [faʿalū] |
Formed by attaching the prefix سَـ (sa-) directly to the present-tense verb. Used for something the speaker sees as fairly soon or certain — the everyday way to say 'will'.
| أنا (anā) | سَأَفْعَلُ [sa'afʿalu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | سَتَفْعَلُ [sa-tafʿalu] |
| أنتِ (anti) | سَتَفْعَلِينَ [sa-tafʿalīna] |
| هو (huwa) | سَيَفْعَلُ [sa-yafʿalu] |
| هي (hiya) | سَتَفْعَلُ [sa-tafʿalu] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | سَنَفْعَلُ [sa-nafʿalu] |
| أنتم (antum) | سَتَفْعَلُونَ [sa-tafʿalūna] |
| هم (hum) | سَيَفْعَلُونَ [sa-yafʿalūna] |
Formed with the separate word سوف (sawfa) before the present-tense verb instead of the attached سـ. Textbooks treat it as interchangeable with the near future, just a shade more formal or more distant/emphatic.
| أنا (anā) | سَوْفَ أَفْعَلُ [sawfa afʿalu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | سَوْفَ تَفْعَلُ [sawfa tafʿalu] |
| أنتِ (anti) | سَوْفَ تَفْعَلِينَ [sawfa tafʿalīna] |
| هو (huwa) | سَوْفَ يَفْعَلُ [sawfa yafʿalu] |
| هي (hiya) | سَوْفَ تَفْعَلُ [sawfa tafʿalu] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | سَوْفَ نَفْعَلُ [sawfa nafʿalu] |
| أنتم (antum) | سَوْفَ تَفْعَلُونَ [sawfa tafʿalūna] |
| هم (hum) | سَوْفَ يَفْعَلُونَ [sawfa yafʿalūna] |
Built with سَـ + kūn (the future of kāna) + قد (qad) + the past-tense main verb. Matches English 'will have written'; mainly seen in formal or written registers.
| أنا (anā) | سَأَكُونُ [sa'akūnu] قَدْ فَعَلْتُ [faʿaltu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | سَتَكُونُ [sa-takūnu] قَدْ فَعَلْتَ [faʿalta] |
| أنتِ (anti) | سَتَكُونِينَ [sa-takūnīna] قَدْ فَعَلْتِ [faʿalti] |
| هو (huwa) | سَيَكُونُ [sa-yakūnu] قَدْ فَعَلَ [faʿala] |
| هي (hiya) | سَتَكُونُ [sa-takūnu] قَدْ فَعَلَتْ [faʿalat] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | سَنَكُونُ [sa-nakūnu] قَدْ فَعَلْنا [faʿalnā] |
| أنتم (antum) | سَتَكُونُونَ [sa-takūnūna] قَدْ فَعَلْتُمْ [faʿaltum] |
| هم (hum) | سَيَكُونُونَ [sa-yakūnūna] قَدْ فَعَلُوا [faʿalū] |
MSA has no distinct conditional mood. 'Would' in a statement (often reported speech, 'he said he would write') is expressed with kāna (past) + the sa- future: kāna sa-yaktubu, literally 'he was going to write'. Real hypothetical 'if... would' sentences use a different construction (see Conditional sentences in Grammar).
| أنا (anā) | كُنْتُ [kuntu] سَأَفْعَلُ [sa'afʿalu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | كُنْتَ [kunta] سَتَفْعَلُ [sa-tafʿalu] |
| أنتِ (anti) | كُنْتِ [kunti] سَتَفْعَلِينَ [sa-tafʿalīna] |
| هو (huwa) | كانَ [kāna] سَيَفْعَلُ [sa-yafʿalu] |
| هي (hiya) | كانَتْ [kānat] سَتَفْعَلُ [sa-tafʿalu] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كُنّا [kunnā] سَنَفْعَلُ [sa-nafʿalu] |
| أنتم (antum) | كُنْتُمْ [kuntum] سَتَفْعَلُونَ [sa-tafʿalūna] |
| هم (hum) | كانُوا [kānū] سَيَفْعَلُونَ [sa-yafʿalūna] |
A heavy, mostly written/bookish compound — kāna (past) + sa-akūnu (future of kāna) + qad + the past main verb — for 'would have written'. In practice, most speakers avoid it and rephrase with a لو (law, 'if only') hypothetical sentence instead (see Conditional sentences in Grammar).
| أنا (anā) | كُنْتُ [kuntu] سَأَكُونُ [sa'akūnu] قَدْ فَعَلْتُ [faʿaltu] |
| أنتَ (anta) | كُنْتَ [kunta] سَتَكُونُ [sa-takūnu] قَدْ فَعَلْتَ [faʿalta] |
| أنتِ (anti) | كُنْتِ [kunti] سَتَكُونِينَ [sa-takūnīna] قَدْ فَعَلْتِ [faʿalti] |
| هو (huwa) | كانَ [kāna] سَيَكُونُ [sa-yakūnu] قَدْ فَعَلَ [faʿala] |
| هي (hiya) | كانَتْ [kānat] سَتَكُونُ [sa-takūnu] قَدْ فَعَلَتْ [faʿalat] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | كُنّا [kunnā] سَنَكُونُ [sa-nakūnu] قَدْ فَعَلْنا [faʿalnā] |
| أنتم (antum) | كُنْتُمْ [kuntum] سَتَكُونُونَ [sa-takūnūna] قَدْ فَعَلْتُمْ [faʿaltum] |
| هم (hum) | كانُوا [kānū] سَيَكُونُونَ [sa-yakūnūna] قَدْ فَعَلُوا [faʿalū] |
The present stem changes its final ending (marfūʿ -u becomes manṣūb -a, and the nūn of taktubīna/taktubūna/yaktubūna is dropped) after linking particles: أَنْ (an, 'to', joining two verbs), لَنْ (lan, 'will not' — the standard way to negate the future), and كَيْ/لِكَيْ (kay/likay, 'so that') or حَتَّى (ḥattā, 'in order to/until') for purpose.
| أنا (anā) | أَنْ أَفْعَلَ [an afʿala] |
| أنتَ (anta) | أَنْ تَفْعَلَ [an tafʿala] |
| أنتِ (anti) | أَنْ تَفْعَلِي [an tafʿalī] |
| هو (huwa) | أَنْ يَفْعَلَ [an yafʿala] |
| هي (hiya) | أَنْ تَفْعَلَ [an tafʿala] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | أَنْ نَفْعَلَ [an nafʿala] |
| أنتم (antum) | أَنْ تَفْعَلُوا [an tafʿalū] |
| هم (hum) | أَنْ يَفْعَلُوا [an yafʿalū] |
The jussive drops the present tense's final short vowel or nūn ending. Placed after لَمْ (lam, 'did not'), it is the standard formal way to negate a past action — more common in writing than negating the perfect verb with مَا.
| أنا (anā) | لَمْ أَفْعَلْ [lam afʿal] |
| أنتَ (anta) | لَمْ تَفْعَلْ [lam tafʿal] |
| أنتِ (anti) | لَمْ تَفْعَلِي [lam tafʿalī] |
| هو (huwa) | لَمْ يَفْعَلْ [lam yafʿal] |
| هي (hiya) | لَمْ تَفْعَلْ [lam tafʿal] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | لَمْ نَفْعَلْ [lam nafʿal] |
| أنتم (antum) | لَمْ تَفْعَلُوا [lam tafʿalū] |
| هم (hum) | لَمْ يَفْعَلُوا [lam yafʿalū] |
After إِنْ (in, 'if'), both the if-clause verb and the result-clause verb take the jussive. This is the main B1–B2 way to build a real, likely conditional ('if you do X, Y will happen'), corresponding to English 'if + present, will + verb'.
| أنا (anā) | إِنْ أَفْعَلْ [in afʿal] |
| أنتَ (anta) | إِنْ تَفْعَلْ [in tafʿal] |
| أنتِ (anti) | إِنْ تَفْعَلِي [in tafʿalī] |
| هو (huwa) | إِنْ يَفْعَلْ [in yafʿal] |
| هي (hiya) | إِنْ تَفْعَلْ [in tafʿal] |
| نحن (naḥnu) | إِنْ نَفْعَلْ [in nafʿal] |
| أنتم (antum) | إِنْ تَفْعَلُوا [in tafʿalū] |
| هم (hum) | إِنْ يَفْعَلُوا [in yafʿalū] |
Built from the jussive stem: drop the person prefix, and if the stem then starts with two consonants, add a helping alif (اُ-/اِ-) at the front, pronounced with a short u or i. Only exists for the three 'you' forms; other persons use a linking particle instead (e.g. لِيَكْتُبْ, li-yaktub, 'let him write' — not covered at this level).
| أنا (anā) | — |
| أنتَ (anta) | اِفْعَلْ [ifʿal] |
| أنتِ (anti) | اِفْعَلِي [ifʿalī] |
| هو (huwa) | — |
| هي (hiya) | — |
| نحن (naḥnu) | — |
| أنتم (antum) | اِفْعَلُوا [ifʿalū] |
| هم (hum) | — |
Negative commands are not a separate verb form: they are simply لَا (lā, 'don't') plus the jussive of the same 'you' forms used in the affirmative imperative, unlike English, which reuses the plain verb ('write' → 'don't write').
| أنا (anā) | — |
| أنتَ (anta) | لَا تَفْعَلْ [lā tafʿal] |
| أنتِ (anti) | لَا تَفْعَلِي [lā tafʿalī] |
| هو (huwa) | — |
| هي (hiya) | — |
| نحن (naḥnu) | — |
| أنتم (antum) | لَا تَفْعَلُوا [lā tafʿalū] |
| هم (hum) | — |
| ماذا فَعَلْتَ أَمْسِ؟ mādhā faʿalta amsi? | What did you do yesterday? |
| سَوْفَ أَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ غَدًا. sawfa afʿalu dhālika ghadan. | I will do that tomorrow. |
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