Lesson 51 · تَعَلَّمَ
Learning and cooperating: تَفَعَّلَ and تَفَاعَلَ
Adding تَـ to the doubled form gives a verb you do to or for yourself: عَلَّمَ (he taught) → تَعَلَّمَ (he learned). The pattern تَفَاعَلَ means doing something together: تَعَاوَنَ (they cooperated).
Learn with pictures
Tap a picture to hear the sentence.
Examples
تَعَلَّمْتُ الْعَرَبِيَّةَ فِي الْمَدِينَةِtaʿallamtu l-ʿarabiyyata fil-madiinatiI learned Arabic in Madinah.
هَلْ تَتَكَلَّمُ الْعَرَبِيَّةَ؟hal tatakallamu l-ʿarabiyyata?Do you speak Arabic?
تَعَاوَنَ الطُّلَّابُ فِي الْعَمَلِtaʿaawana ṭ-ṭullaabu fil-ʿamaliThe students cooperated in the work.
تَقَابَلْنَا فِي الْمَطَارِtaqaabalnaa fil-maṭaariWe met at the airport.
تَنَاوَلْنَا الْعَشَاءَ مَعًاtanaawalnaa l-ʿashaa’a maʿanWe had dinner together.
وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَىwa-taʿaawanuu ʿala l-birri wat-taqwaaCooperate in goodness and piety. (5:2)
Key points
- تَفَعَّلَ يَتَفَعَّلُ: تَعَلَّمَ learn · تَكَلَّمَ speak · تَأَخَّرَ be late · تَوَضَّأَ make wudu.
- تَفَاعَلَ يَتَفَاعَلُ: تَعَاوَنَ cooperate · تَقَابَلَ meet each other · تَنَاوَلَ have (a meal).
- You met several of these earlier: يَتَأَخَّرُ, أَتَوَضَّأُ, تَتَكَلَّمُ. Now you know their family.
Practice
Tap a question to see the answer.
Say “I am learning Arabic.”
أَتَعَلَّمُ الْعَرَبِيَّةَ ataʿallamu l-ʿarabiyyata
Say “We cooperated.”
تَعَاوَنَّا taʿaawannaa
Ask a woman “Do you speak Arabic?”
هَلْ تَتَكَلَّمِينَ الْعَرَبِيَّةَ؟ hal tatakallamiina l-ʿarabiyyata?