Arabic – Starting Out with the Verbs fa’ala (Did) and yaf’alu (To Do) İn Arabic

Starting Out with the Verbs fa’ala (Did)
and yaf’alu (To Do)
One of the most frequently used verbs in the Arabic language is fa’ala (fah-ahlah;
did). In the maaDii (mah-dee; past tense), use the fa’ala form; for the
muDaari’ (moo-dah-reeh; present tense), use yaf’alu (yah-feh-ah-loo; to
do/doing). Use the verb fa’ala to describe activities or riyaaDa (ree-yah-dah;
sports) you’re taking part in.
Here’s the verb fa’ala conjugated in the maaDii form:
Form Pronunciation Translation
‘anaa fa’altu ah-nah fah-all-too I did
‘anta fa’alta ahn-tah fah-all-tah You did (MS)
‘anti fa’alti ahn-tee fah-all-tee You did (FS)
huwa fa’ala hoo-wah fah-ah-lah He did
hiya fa’alat hee-yah fah-ah-laht She did
144 Part II: Arabic in Action
Form Pronunciation Translation
naHnu fa’alnaa nah-noo fah-ahl-naa We did
‘antum fa’altum ahn-toom fah-ahl-toom You did (MP)
‘antunna fa’altunna ahn-too-nah fah-all-too-nah You did (FP)
hum faa’aluu hoom fah-ah-loo They did (MP)
hunna faa’alna hoo-nah fah-all-nah They did (FP)
antumaa faa’altumaa ahn-too-mah fah-all-too-mah You did (dual/
MP/FP)
humaa faa’alaa hoo-mah fah-ah-lah They did (dual/
MP)
humaa faa’alataa hoo-mah fah-ah-lah-tah They did (dual/
FP)
Here are a few examples of the verb fa’ala in action:
 al-walad dhahaba ‘ilaa al-maktaba wa fa’ala waajibuhu. (al-wah-lad
zah-hah-bah ee-lah al-mak-tah-bah wah fah-ah-lah wah-jee-boo-hoo; The
boy went to the library and did his homework.)
 fa’alat al-‘amal ‘alaa aT-Taawila. (fah-ah-lat al-ah-mal ah-lah ah-tah-weelah;
She did the work on the table.)
 fa’altu at-tamriinaat fii al-manzil. (fah-all-too ah-tam-ree-nat fee al-manzeel;
I did the exercises at home.)
Then use the form yaf’alu to conjugate “to do” in the muDaari’:
Form Pronunciation Translation
‘anaa ‘af’alu ah-nah ah-fah-loo I am doing
‘anta taf’alu ahn-tah tah-fah-loo You are doing
(MS)
‘anti taf’aliina ahn-tee tah-fah-lee-nah You are doing
(FS)
huwa yaf’alu hoo-wah yah-fah-loo He is doing
hiya taf’alu hee-yah tah-fah-loo She is doing
naHnu naf’alu nah-noo nah-fah-loo We are doing
‘antum taf’aluuna ahn-toom tah-fah-loo-nah You are doing
(MP)
‘antunna taf’alna ahn-too-nah tah-fal-nah You are doing
(FP)
Form Pronunciation Translation
hum yaf’aluuna hoom yah-fah-loo-nah They are doing
(MP)
hunna yaf’alna hoom yah-fal-nah They are doing
(FP)
antumaa taf’alaani ahn-too-mah tah-fah-lah-nee You are doing
(dual/MP/FP)
humaa yaf’alaani hoo-mah yah-fah-lah-nee They are doing
(dual/MP)
humaa taf’alaani hoo-mah tah-fah-lah-nee They are doing
(dual/FP)
Here are some examples that include the verb yaf’alu:
 naf’alu al-‘awraaq al-’aan. (nah-fah-loo al-aw-rak al-an; We are doing the
paperwork right now.)
 taf’alu at-tajriibaat fii al-Hadiiqa. (tah-fah-loo ah-taj-ree-bat fee al-hahdee-
kah; She is doing the experiments in the garden.)
 hal taf’aluuna al-‘amal li al-ghad? (hal tah-fah-loo-nah