Arabic verbs are divided into sound and weak, depending on whether they contain weak letters. In turn, weak verbs are divided according to the position of the weak letter into an assimilated verb, a hollow verb, a defective verb, and a doubly weak verb.
Looking at the verbs that are frequently used in the Arabic language, we find that they are not devoid of hollow verbs. For example, “قال said” is the most commonly used hollow verb. We see it when quoting every hadith from the Prophet, peace be upon him, “قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم” . We will discuss hollow verbs in this article.
What Are Hollow Verbs in Arabic?
Arabic hollow verb (أجوف), is a verb whose middle root letter is weak (حرف علة, ḥarf ‘illah). The weak letters are (و – ي – ا).
By thinking about the meaning of the word “جوف – Jawf” in Arabic, you can know why the hollow letters are called by this name. It means “cavity” or “interior.” The weak letters sit in the “jawf” or the middle of the verb, hence the name “hollow verb” الفعل الأجوف.
And when we conjugate the middle letter, which is a weak letter حرف علة, it sometimes disappears or changes. It’s like the inside has been taken out, leaving the middle of the verb empty.
The root system and Hollow verb formation
Most hollow verbs follow a trilateral root pattern. Trilateral hollow verbs are based on a root system that consists of three letters, and the middle one is a weak letter حرف علة.
Example:
– Qeela قيل (said)
– Qaama قام (stood up)
Conjugations of Hollow Verbs in the Past Tense
Arabic hollow verbs in the past tense change depending on the pronouns attached to them.
A) Third-person singular form
This is the simplest past tense form and the base for conjugating other forms. In this form hollow verbs show a long vowel (مد, mad) before the final root letter.
Example: قال Qaala (He said)
– Root: قَ وَ لَ (Qa – Wa – La)
– The Wa – وَ changes to alif for fluidity.
– Became قال – Qaala
B) First-person, pleural and pleural feminine form
Here, the long vowel (مد – mad) is replaced with a short vowel (حركة – ḥarakah), and the final root letter becomes a consonant (ساكن – sakkin).
| نحن – we | قُلْنا | qulnā | We said |
| انا – I | قُلْتُ | qultu | I said |
| هن – they f | قُلْن | qulna | They (F) said |
Conjugations of Hollow Verbs in the Present Tense
The hollow verb in the present tense comes in many forms depending on what is added to it, such as particles, prefixes, or pronouns.
A) General form
In the present tense, the weak letter (و or ي) often transforms into a vowel (ا or other short vowels) or merges with surrounding vowels.
Example:
The following table shows the verb قال Qaala (He said) conjugations in the present tense.
+ The process:
– The weak letter (و) often remains as long vowels (ū) in the conjugation.
– In feminine plural (هن – أنتن) forms, the weak letter reverts to its original form (و) and drops the long vowel.
| Subject pronoun | Conjugation | Transliteration | The meaning |
| أنا (I) | أقولُ | Aqūlu | I say |
| أنتَ (You, M) | تقولُ | Taqūlu | You say (M) |
| أنتِ (You, F) | تَقولين | Taqūleen | You say (F) |
| هو (He) | يقولُ | Yaqūlu | He says |
| هي (She) | تقولُ | Taqūlu | She says |
| نحن (We) | نقولُ | Naqūlu | We say |
| أنتم (.You, Pl.+ M) | تقولون | Taqūlūn | You (Pl – M) say |
| أنتن (You, Pl. + F) | تقُلْن | Taquln | You (Pl – F) say |
| هم (They, M) | يقولون | Yaqūlūn | They (M) say |
| هن (They, F) | يَقُلْن | Yaquln | They (F) say |
B) Hollow Verb in Jussive Mood (المجزوم) with Sukūn سكون
The hollow verb is in the jussive mood because of a particle like لم (lam – “did not”).
Example:
– The following table shows the conjugations of the verb قال Qaala (He said) in the jussive present tense.
The process: The middle root letter (عين الفعل, ‘ayn al-fi‘l) is dropped. The last root letter (لام الفعل, lām al-fi‘l) becomes sākinah.
| Subject pronoun | Conjugation | Transliteration | The meaning |
| أنا (I) | لم أقلْ | Lam aqul | I didn’t say |
| أنتَ (You, M) | لم تقلْ | Lam taqul | You didn’t say (M) |
| هو (He) | لم يقلْ | Lam yaqul | He didn’t say |
| هي (She) | لم تقلْ | Lam taqul | She didn’t say |
| نحن (We) | لم نقلْ | Lam naqul | We didn’t say |
– With the pronouns (أنتِ -أنتم- هم), The letter ن noon is deleted
| Subject pronoun | Conjugation | Transliteration | The meaning |
| أنتِ (You, F) | لم تقولي | Lam taqulee | You didn’t say (F) |
| أنتم (.You, Pl.+ M) | لم تقولو | Lam taqūlū | You didn’t (Pl – M) say |
| هم (They, M) | لم يقولو | Lam yaqūlū | They didn’t (M) say |
– With the pronouns (هنّ – أنتنّ), the verb remains as in general present tense form.
C) Hollow Verb in Subjunctive Mood (المنصوب) with Fath فتح
The hollow verb is in the subjunctive mood because of a particle like لن (lan – “do not”).
Example:
– With the pronouns (أنا – أنتَ -هو – هي – نحن – أنتن -هن) the verb remains as in general present tense form, but with Fath فتح in the last letter instead of Dam ضم.
– With the pronouns (أنتِ -أنتم- هم), The letter ن noon is deleted
| Subject pronoun | Conjugation | Transliteration | The meaning |
| أنتِ (You, F) | لن تقولي | Lan taqulee | You don’t say (F) |
| أنتم (.You, Pl.+ M) | لن تقولو | Lan taqūlū | You don’t (Pl – M) say |
| هم (They, M) | لن يقولو | Lan yaqūlū | They don’t (M) say |
Conjugations of Hollow Verbs in the Imperative Tense
Conjugations of hollow verbs in the imperative tense follow specific patterns depending on what pronouns or structures are attached to them.
A) With a singular masculine form
– The middle root letter (عين الفعل, ‘ayn al-fi‘l) is dropped, leaving only its vowel. The last root letter (لام الفعل, lām al-fi‘l) becomes sākin.
– Example
Past tense: قال qaala (he said)
Imperative tense: قُلْ qol (say!)…(The alif of قال is dropped, and the fatha from the previous letter remains and lam is sākin)
B) With the Feminine Plural suffix (نون النسوة – Noon Al-neswah)
– The middle root letter (عين الفعل, ‘ayn al-fi‘l) is dropped, leaving only its vowel. The last root letter (لام الفعل, lām al-fi‘l) becomes sākin, and noon al-neswah is attached as a suffix.
– Example:
Past tense: قال qaala (he said)
Imperative tense: قُلْن qoln (say!)…(The alif of قال is dropped, and the fatha from the previous letter remains, Lam is sākin and noon al-neswah is attached.)
C) With the pronouns (انتِ – أنتم – أنتما)
When the imperative is connected to pronouns like
– feminine singular suffix (ياء المخاطبة) the middle root letter is dropped. However, its vowel sound is extended (mad), and the last root letter becomes vocalized (mutaḥarrik).
– masculine Plural suffix (واو الجماعة) the middle root letter is dropped. However, its vowel sound is extended (mad), and the last root letter becomes vocalized (mutaḥarrik).
– dual suffix (الف الاثنين) the middle root letter is dropped. However, its vowel sound is extended (mad), and the last root letter becomes vocalized (mutaḥarrik).
| Subject pronoun | Conjugation | Transliteration | The meaning |
| أنتِ (You, F) | قولي | Qūly | Say (F) |
| أنتم (.You, Pl.+ M) | قولو | qūlū | Say (Pl – M) |
| أنتما (You for dual) | قولا | qūla | Say (dual) |
Challenges in learning hollow verbs
Before talking about the difficulties you may face in learning the hollow verbs, we should point out that learning the Arabic language from childhood and continuing learning with a method appropriate to the age group makes it easier for you to overcome and deal with the difficulties you may face in the Arabic language in general, and not just with the hollow verbs. Shaykhi Academy offers Arabic classes for Elementary Kids, Arabic Classes For Middle Schoolers, and Arabic Classes for High Schoolers. With these three levels of learning the Arabic language, you can overcome the difficulties that you may encounter during your learning journey.
Returning to hollow verbs, hollow verbs can be challenging to beginners due to their irregular behaviour in conjugation and pronunciation.
A) Changes in the weak letter.
The second letter in hollow verbs is weak (ا, و or ي) and often changes or disappears during conjugation.
Ex,
The past tense of the verb is قال which conjugates to become يقول in the present (letter ا changes into و)
B) Conjugation across tenses
Hollow verbs have different conjugations and forms based on tense
Past tense: hollow letter usually appears as ا Ex, قال
Present tense: hollow letter usually appears as و Ex, يقول
Imperative: hollow letter often disappeared Ex, قل
C) Root detection
In some cases, like in imperative conjugation, the Hollow letter disappears, making it difficult to recognise.
Ex,
The root of قل is قول
Also, no rule guides you in detecting the root letter. As we mentioned, hollow letters in the past appear as ا, its root can be و as the root of قال is قول, and can also be ي as the root of باع is بيع.
D) Different conjugations with pronouns
Hollow verbs have different conjugations according to the pronouns (e.g., dual, plural, feminine) and involve vowel adjustments. For example:
- قالوا (they said, m.)
- قلنَّ (they said, f.)
- قال (He said)
- قالت (She said)
- يقولون (They are saying. m.)
- تقلنّ (They are saying, f.)
E) Phonetic Modifications
Vowel harmony frequently causes changes in the pronunciation of hollow verbs, which can be confusing to learners when they attempt to accurately spell or speak the verb.
Ex,
قالت (she said) has a noticeable “ا,” but قلنا (we said) drops the “ا.”
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Conclusion
A crucial but intricate part of Arabic grammar, hollow verbs capture the depth and complexity of the language’s root-based structure. They are both difficult and exciting to learn because of their distinguishing feature, a weak middle root letter that produces unusual conjugation patterns and anomalies. Gaining more fluency in Arabic requires an understanding of how hollow verbs function in various tenses, moods, and pronouns.
