An Introduction to the Languages of the World by Lyovin Anatole; Kessler Brett; Leben William

Author:Lyovin, Anatole; Kessler, Brett; Leben, William
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Oxford University Press, Incorporated
Published: 2016-03-21T16:00:00+00:00

Note: V means that verbs differ on which short vowel appears in this position.

TENSES, ASPECTS, AND MOODS

Table 5.19 shows the basic forms of an Arabic verb in the perfective and imperfective aspects. The specific vowel used after consonant varies from word to word, but is constant in a particular aspect (column). For example, the second person singular feminine perfective of the root [k-t-b] ‘write’ is [katabti] ‘you have written’, using [a] throughout the perfective. Its corresponding imperfective vowel is [u]. In pausa, many of the final short vowels are omitted. The two aspects are similar to the respective aspects in Russian (§3.5.4.5). In general, the perfective is used for the past. The imperfective is most commonly used for the present, but it can be used for any tense, indicating actions that are viewed as ongoing, not having a definite end. The auxiliary word [sauf], which is usually contracted to [sa‑], can be used to make the future meaning of an imperfective explicit.

Table 5.19 shows only the indicative mood, which is the only mood the perfective has. The imperfective form, in contrast, can be modified to express a variety of other moods. The subjunctive, which is used mostly in subordinate clauses expressing purpose, is formed from the imperfective indicative by dropping the final syllable from any two-syllable suffix (i.e. the part added after consonant ) and changing any final [u] to [a]. Thus the first person singular [ʔaktubu] becomes [ʔaktuba], the third person plural masculine becomes [jaktubuː], and the corresponding feminine is an unchanged [jaktubna]. The JUSSIVE MOOD (JUS), which usually expresses a command or prohibition, can be formed from the subjunctive by further deleting any suffix that consists entirely of [a]; for example, [laː taktub] ‘do not write!’. The imperative is formed from second-person jussive forms by replacing the part before consonant with [i]; but if the verb uses [u] after consonant throughout the imperfective, that vowel is used for the prefix; for example, [uktub] ‘write!’.

TABLE 5.19

Arabic active indicative verb inflections

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