Lesson 103 · إِقَامَةٌ
Hollow verbs in the longer forms: أَقَامَ, اِسْتَطَاعَ, اِخْتَارَ
In lesson 45 you met hollow verbs like قَالَ and بَاعَ, whose middle letter is و or ي. In the longer forms that middle letter becomes a long vowel too: أَقَامَ يُقِيمُ (he stayed, he stays) · اِسْتَطَاعَ يَسْتَطِيعُ (he could, he can) · اِخْتَارَ يَخْتَارُ (he chose, he chooses).
Learn with pictures
Tap a picture to hear the sentence.
Examples
أُقِيمُ فِي الرِّيَاضِuqiimu fi r-riyaaḍiI live in Riyadh.
هَلْ عِنْدَكَ إِقَامَةٌ؟hal ʿindaka iqaamatun?Do you have an iqama (residence permit)?
لَمْ أَسْتَطِعِ النَّوْمَlam astaṭiʿi n-nawmaI couldn’t sleep.
اِخْتَرْتُ هٰذَا الْكِتَابَikhtartu haadha l-kitaabaI chose this book.
أَحْتَاجُ إِلَى مُسَاعَدَةٍaḥtaaju ilaa musaaʿadatinI need help.
أَجِبْ عَنِ السُّؤَالِajib ʿani s-su’aaliAnswer the question. (to a man)
Key points
- Form IV أَفْعَلَ: أَقَامَ يُقِيمُ stay, set up · أَرَادَ يُرِيدُ want · أَجَابَ يُجِيبُ answer. The verbal noun drops the middle letter and adds ـة: إِقَامَةٌ residence, iqama · إِرَادَةٌ will · إِجَابَةٌ answer.
- Form X اِسْتَفْعَلَ: اِسْتَطَاعَ يَسْتَطِيعُ be able · اِسْتَفَادَ يَسْتَفِيدُ benefit; verbal nouns اِسْتِطَاعَةٌ, اِسْتِفَادَةٌ. Form VIII keeps a long -aa in both tenses: اِحْتَاجَ يَحْتَاجُ need · اِخْتَارَ يَخْتَارُ choose; verbal nouns اِحْتِيَاجٌ, اِخْتِيَارٌ.
- With “I”, “you” and “we” the long vowel shortens: أَقَمْتُ (I stayed) · اِسْتَطَعْتُ (I could) · اِخْتَرْتُ (I chose). It also shortens after لَمْ and in commands: لَمْ أَسْتَطِعْ (I couldn’t) · أَجِبْ (answer!) · اِخْتَرْ (choose!).
Practice
Tap a question to see the answer.
Say “I want to learn Arabic.”
أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَتَعَلَّمَ الْعَرَبِيَّةَ uriidu an ataʿallama l-ʿarabiyyata
Say “I couldn’t come.”
لَمْ أَسْتَطِعْ أَنْ آتِيَ lam astaṭiʿ an aatiya
Give the verbal noun of أَجَابَ (answer).
إِجَابَةٌ ijaabatun
