Lesson 49 · عَلَّمَ
Doubling the middle letter: فَعَّلَ
Doubling the middle letter of a verb often means “make someone do it” or “do it thoroughly”: عَلِمَ (he knew) → عَلَّمَ (he taught, made someone know); دَرَسَ (he studied) → دَرَّسَ (he taught a subject). Present: يُعَلِّمُ, يُدَرِّسُ.
Learn with pictures
Tap a picture to hear the sentence.
Examples
عَلَّمَنِي أَبِي الْقُرْآنَʿallamanii abii l-qur’aanaMy father taught me the Quran.
يُدَرِّسُ الْعَرَبِيَّةَ فِي الْجَامِعَةِyudarrisu l-ʿarabiyyata fil-jaamiʿatiHe teaches Arabic at the university.
نَظَّفْتُ الْغُرْفَةَnaẓẓaftu l-ghurfataI cleaned the room.
رَتِّبْ كُتُبَكَrattib kutubakaArrange your books.
قَدَّمَ لَنَا الْقَهْوَةَqaddama lanaa l-qahwataHe offered us coffee.
التَّعْلِيمُ مُهِمٌّat-taʿliimu muhimmunEducation is important.
Key points
- Pattern فَعَّلَ يُفَعِّلُ, verbal noun تَفْعِيلٌ: تَعْلِيمٌ education, تَدْرِيسٌ teaching.
- More: نَظَّفَ clean · رَتَّبَ arrange · صَلَّى pray · سَلَّمَ greet · قَدَّمَ offer, present.
- The doer starts with مُـ: مُعَلِّمٌ and مُدَرِّسٌ (teacher), words you already know.
Practice
Tap a question to see the answer.
Say “I taught my son.”
عَلَّمْتُ ابْنِي ʿallamtu bnii
Give the present of نَظَّفَ.
يُنَظِّفُ yunaẓẓifu
Give the doer of دَرَّسَ.
مُدَرِّسٌ mudarrisun