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Patterns

Arabic builds words by pouring a root into a pattern. Persian kept hundreds of them — learn to see the pattern and you can read the Arabic underneath.

Word patterns (awzān)

فَعَّالfaʿʿāl · faʾʾāl

someone who does it a lot, a trade

A doubled middle letter and a long ā: naqqāsh 'painter', khayyāṭ 'tailor', ṣarrāf 'money-changer'.

اِفْتِعَالiftiʿāl · efteʾāl

doing it for oneself (form VIII)

A t slips in after the first root letter: intikhāb 'choosing' → election (n-kh-b), iḥtirām 'respect' (ḥ-r-m), ijtimāʿ 'gathering' → society (j-m-ʿ).

مُفْعِل · مُفَعِّل · مُسْتَفْعِلmufʿil · mufaʿʿil · mustafʿil · mofʾel · mofaʾʾel · mostafʾel

participles of the derived forms

mu- + the derived stem: muʿallim 'teacher' (II), musāfir 'traveller' (III), mustaqill 'independent' (X). Persian: mo-.

Broken plurals Persian kept

Arabic often makes plurals by changing the inside of the word. Persian uses many of these alongside its own -hā and -ān.

singularpluralEN
شَخْص shakhṣأَشْخَاص ashkhāṣperson
رَفِيق rafīqرُفَقَاء rufaqāʾfriend, companion
شَاعِر shāʿirشُعَرَاء shuʿarāʾpoet
عُضْو ʿuḍwأَعْضَاء aʿḍāʾorgan (of the body); member
مَنْزِل manzilمَنَازِل manāzilhome, house
وَقْت waqtأَوْقَات awqāttime
فَصْل faṣlفُصُول fuṣūlseason; chapter
مَكَان makānأَمَاكِن amākinplace
مَرْكَز markazمَرَاكِز marākizcentre
مِنْطَقَة minṭaqaمَنَاطِق manāṭiqregion, area
فَقِير faqīrفُقَرَاء fuqarāʾpoor
شُغْل shughlمَشَاغِل mashāghiljob, occupation
رَئِيس raʾīsرُؤَسَاء ruʾasāʾhead, boss, president
عِلْم ʿilmعُلُوم ʿulūmknowledge; science
دَرْس darsدُرُوس durūslesson; studies
مَدْرَسَة madrasaمَدَارِس madārisschool
كِتَاب kitābكُتُب kutubbook
مَعْنَى maʿnāمَعَانِي maʿānīmeaning
فِكْر fikrأَفْكَار afkārthought, idea
مَسْأَلَة masʾalaمَسَائِل masāʾilissue, problem, question
قَانُون qānūnقَوَانِين qawānīnlaw
حَقّ ḥaqqحُقُوق ḥuqūqright; truth
خَبَر khabarأَخْبَار akhbārnews, piece of news
مَسْجِد masjidمَسَاجِد masājidmosque
رُوح rūḥأَرْوَاح arwāḥsoul, spirit
دِين dīnأَدْيَان adyānreligion
طِفْل ṭiflأَطْفَال aṭfālchild (formal)
طَبِيب ṭabībأَطِبَّاء aṭibbāʾphysician (literary)
جِسْم jismأَجْسَام ajsāmbody; physical object
عَصَب ʿaṣabأَعْصَاب aʿṣābnerve
مَرَض maraḍأَمْرَاض amrāḍdisease, illness
تَاجِر tājirتُجَّار tujjārmerchant, trader
عَالِم ʿālimعُلَمَاء ʿulamāʾscholar, learned person
عَاطِفَة ʿāṭifaعَوَاطِف ʿawāṭifemotion, affection
قَاضِي qāḍīقُضَاة quḍātjudge
نَبِيّ nabīأَنْبِيَاء anbiyāʾprophet

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