Lesson 34– الدَّرْسُ الرَّابِعُ وَالثَّلاثُونَ

Active and Passive Voice – الفِعْلُ المَبْنِي لِلْمَعْلُومِ وَالفِعْلُ المَبْنِي لِلْمَجْهُولِ

Introduction - مُقَدِّمَةٌ

• In this lesson, we will study the verbal sentence in case its doer is omitted, i.e. when it is in the passive voice. We will also discuss how the verb is changed in this case.
• View the following examples and try to notice the differences in the vowels of the verbs in both cases, with and without the doer:

Translation	Transliteration	Sentence without the doer	Transliteration	Translation	Sentence with the doer included
The lesson was written	Kutiba ad-darsu	كُتِبَ الدَّرْسُ	Kataba aŧ- ŧâlibu ad-darsa	The student wrote the lesson	كَتَبَ الطَّالِبُ الدَّرْسَ
The glass was broken	Kusirat az-zuĵāĵatu	كُسِرَتِ الزُّجَاجَةُ	Kasara al-waladu az-zuĵāĵata	The boy broke the glass	كَسَرَ الوَلَدُ الزُّجَاجَةَ

• In the light of the examples above, we can see that some sentences have a verb, doer and object. When a sentence has the doer in there, we call it a sentence in the passive voice (مَبْنِيَّةٌ لِلْمَعْلُومِ), i.e. the doer of the sentence is known. On the other hand, when the doer is omitted, we call it a sentence in the passive voice (مَبْنِيَّةٌ لِلْمَجْهُولِ) i.e. the doer is not known.
• We will also study in a separate section how to transform the past verb from the active voice to passive voice.

Transliteration	Verb in passive voice	Transliteration	Verb in active voice
Kusira	كُسِرَ	kasara	كَسَرَ
‘ustukhriĵa	اُسْتُخْرِجَ	‘istakhraĵa	اِسْتَخْرَجَ

• We will also study how to transform the present verb from the active voice to passive voice.

Transliteration	Verb in passive voice	Transliteration	Verb in active voice
Yufhamu	يُفْهَمُ	Yafhamu	يَفْهَمُ
Yuξrafu	يُعْرَفُ	Yaξrifu	يَعْرِفُ

Active and Passive Voice

• We  have studied the verbal sentence, which have two basic components that must be always in the sentence, namely the verb and the doer.
• If we look at the following sentences, we will find that every sentence has a verb and a doer of this verb.

Translation	Example
The Prophet (PBUH) said: “He is not one of us who shows no mercy to children and respect to our elders.”	قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ – صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ – "لَيْسَ مِنَّا مَنْ لَمْ يَرْحَمْ صَغِيرَنَا ويُوَقِّرْ كَبِيرَنا"

• If we look at the example above, we note that the first verb is (قَالَ) and the dower is (رَسُولُ اللهِ). In the second sentence, the verb is (يَرْحَمْ) and the doer is a latent personal pronoun that is supposedly “any person”. The third verb we have in this example is (يُوَقِّر) and the doer is a latent personal pronoun that is supposedly “he”. All these verbs have a doer, i.e. the doer is known, even though in some cases it is a latent personal pronoun. This is why the verb here is called verb in the active voice ( الْفِعْلُ الْمَبْنِيُّ لِلْمَعْلُومِ). Here are more examples of verbs in the active voice:

Picture	Translation	Example
	The police arrested the thieves	اِعْتَقَلَتِ الشُّرْطَةُ اللُّصُوصَ
	The student wrote the lesson	كَتَبَ الطَّالِبُ الدَّرْسَ
	The boy broke the glass	كَسَرَ الوَلَدُ الزُّجَاجَةَ

• On the other hand, verbs in the passive voice are the verbs whose doer is omitted, i.e. the sentence becomes in the passive voice without any written doer, as in the following example:

Translation	Example
The thieves were arrested	اُعْتُقِلَ اللُّصُوصُ

• The verb in the sentence above means (was arrested) and it has a doer who is the police. The doer was not written because it is well-known to all of us know well who has the authority to arrest people. View the following examples:

Translation	Example
The lesson was written	كُتِبَ الدَّرْسُ
The glass was broken	كُسِرَتْ الزُّجَاجَةُ

• After omitting the doer and changing the vowelling of the verb, the object of the sentence (الدَّرْسَ) becomes the subject of the passive (الدَّرْسُ), which we call in Arabic (نَائِبُ الْفَاعِلِ). Consequently, the fatħah ending of the object becomes đammah, i.e. it changes from the accusative into the nominative case.
  
  Passive form of past verb tense
  • Now after we have known what active and passive voice mean, we will study how to change the past tense verb from the active into passive voice. The main difference between the active and passive voice is that the doer is known in the former while it is unknown in the latter.
  • In order to change the past tense verb from the active into passive voice, we have to do two things as follows:
  1. Change the vowel of the first radical into đammah.
  2. Change the vowel of the pre-final radical intro kasrah.
  • Study the following example and notice the changes in the first radical and the pre-final radical.

  Translation	Transliteration	Verb in the passive voice	Translation	Transliteration	Verb in the active voice
  Was written	Kutiba	كُتِبَ	wrote	Kataba	كَتَبَ
  Was eaten	‘ukila	أُكِلَ	Ate	Akala	أَكَلَ
  Was drunk	Shuriba	شُرِبَ	Drank	Shariba	شَرِبَ
  Was brought in	‘udkhila	أُدْخِلَ	Brought in	Adkhala	أَدْخَلَ
  Was offered	Quddima	قُدِّمَ	Offered	Qaddama	قَدَّمَ
  Was tried	Ħūkima	حُوكِمَ	Tried	ħākama	حَاكَمَ
  Was celebrated	‘uħtufila	اُحْتُفِلَ (بـ)	Celebrated	Iħtafala	اِحْتَفَلَ (بـ)
  Was accepted	Tuqubbila	تُقُبِّلَ	Accepted	taqabbala	تَقَبَّلَ
  Was extracted	‘istukhriĵa	اُسْتُخْرِجَ	Extracted	istakhraĵa	اِسْتَخْرَجَ
  Was received	‘ustuqbilla	اُسْتُقْبِلَ	Received	istaqbala	اِسْتَقْبَلَ

  ·         If we look at these verbs, we find that the past tense verb may be composed of three radicals such as (كَتَبَ، أَكَلَ، شَرِبَ) or four radicals such as (أَدْخَلَ، قَدَّمَ، خَاصَمَ) or five radicals such as(اِسْتَخْرَجَ اِسْتَقْبَلَ). The same technique is used to change all these verbs from the active to the passive voice through changing the vowel of the first radical into đammah and the vowel of the pre-final radical into kasrah. For example, the verb (kataba كَتَبَ) becomes (kutiba كُتِبَ) and the verb (adkhalaأَدْخَلَ) becomes (‘udkhila أُدْخِلَ).
  
  Passive form of present verb tense
  • In this part we will study how to change the present tense verb from the active into the passive voice. If you remember what we did with the past verb tense, we do the same here with the vowel of the first radical, i.e. changing it into đammah. For the vowel of the pre-final radical, we change it into fatħah, not kasrah as in the case of the past tense verb.
  • In order to change the present tense verb from the active into passive voice, we have to do two things as follows:
  1. Change the vowel of the first radical into đammah.
  2. Change the vowel of the pre-final radical intro fatħah.
  • Study the following examples and notice the highlighted changes of the first and pre-final vowels.

  Translation	Transliteration	Verb in the passive voice	Translation	Transliteration	Verb in the active voice
  Is written	Yuktabu	يُكْتَبُ	Write	Yaktubu	يَكْتُبُ
  Is eaten	Yu’kalu	يُؤْكَلُ	Eat	Ya’kulu	يَأْكُلُ
  Is drunk	Yushrabu	يُشْرَبُ	Drink	Yashrabu	يَشْرَبُ
  Is offered	Yuqaddamu	يُقَدَّمُ	Offer	Yuqaddimu	يُقَدِّمُ
  Is tried	Yuħākamu	يُحَاكَمُ	Try	Yuħākimu	يُحَاكِمُ
  Is celebrated	Yuħtafalu	يُحْتَفَلُ (بـ)	Celebrate	Yaħtafilu	يَحْتَفِلُ(بـ)
  Is accepted	Yutaqabbalu	يُتَقَبَّلُ	Accept	Yataqabbalu	يَتَقَبَّلُ
  Is extracted	Yustakhraĵu	يُسْتَخْرَجُ	Extract	Yastakhriĵu	يَسْتَخْرِجَ
  Is received	Yustaqbalu	يُسْتَقْبَلُ	Receive	Yastaqbilu	يَسْتَقْبِلُ

  • View the examples above, most of which were mentioned in Part 5, but here the verbs are in the present tense form. If we study some of the these verbs, for example  the verbs (يَسْتَقْبِلُ، يَسْتَخْرِجُ، يَحْتَفِلُ)  we find that the vowel of the initial radical of these verbs is fatħah while the vowel of the pre-final letter is kasrah. In addition, the verbs (يَكْتُبُ، يَأْكُلُ) has an initial fatħah vowel and a pre-final đammah vowel.
  • In all the cases above, the verb changes as follows:
  1. The vowel of the first radical into đammah.
  2. The vowel of the pre-final radical intro fatħah.
     
     
     Revision - مُرَاجَعَةٌ

     Translation	Word	Translation	Word
     Show mercy to/ have mercy on	يَرْحَم	Respect	يُوَقِّر
     Feed	يُطْعِمُ	Steal	سَرَقَ
     Try	يُحَاكِمُ	Arrest	اعتقل
     Shame	عَارٌ	Explain	شَرَحَ
     Offered	قَدَّم	Clean	نَظَّفَ
     Is offered	يُعْرَضُ	Was divorced	طُلِّقَت
     Celebrated	اِحْتَفَلَ بـ	Accepted	تَقَبَّلَ
     Extract	استخرج	Received	اِسْتَقْبَلَ
     Thief	لص	Police	الشرطة