The active participle in Egyptian Arabic

Introduction Derivation of the active participle List of commonly-used active participles Examples of usage

Introduction

Active participles act as adjectives, and so they must agree ith their subject! An active participle can be used in several ays" #$% to describe a state of being #understanding& 'no ing%, #(% to describe hat someone is doing right no #going, leaving%, and #)% to indicate that someone*something is in a state of having done something #having put something some here, having lived some here for a period of time%!

+,-./0 123 45,3 6789 82: (ana faahim ill-inta bit'uulu)

I understand what you're saying.

;<=82 47 (heyya nayma)

She is sleeping.

>?-@,3 AB8C (HaaTiT iS-Suura)

I've put up the picture.

or some verbs! active participles are not used! while for others! they are used

fre"uently and must be used instead of the present continuous tense if you want to describe a current action. If you mess up and use an imperfect-tense verb where you should use an active participle (or vice versa)! it can change your sentence's meaning completely#

$ctive participle

Imperfect tense vs.

;,D0 ;E0F 82: (ana labsa badla)

I am wearing a suit (right now).

;,D0 GH50 (balbis badla)

I wear a suit (on a regular basis).

IJ8K,3 L=3? 82: (ana raayiH in-naadi) vs.

IJ8K,3 MNO0 (baruuH in-naadi)

I go to the club (regularly).

I'm going to the club% I'm on my way there right now.

3) P+=3 QR8Saamil eih&)

vs.

P+=3 Q<T/0 (biti'mel eih&)

$n idiomatic way of as(ing someone! )*hat's up&) *hat are you doing (right now)& -or*hat do you do (as a career)&

+erivation of the active participle

$ctive participles are derived in fairly regular ways from their root verbs.

Type of verb

,assive participle

orm - sound verbs (of the type QT9 fi'il)

QS89 (faa'il)

3) UOSirif) to (now 3) U?8Saarif) in a state of (nowing 6V9 (fihim) to understand 6789 (faahim) in a state of understanding WS89 (faa'i')

orm - geminate.doubled verbs (of the type W X 9 fa'')

X C (HaTT) to put A

AB8C (HaaTiT) in a state of having put

orm - defective verbs (of the type 4T9 fi'i or fa'a)

4S89 (faa'i)

4YR (miZi% to go
\orm $ hollo

4[8R (maaZi% going W=89 (faayi')

verbs #of the type ]89 faa')

M3? (raaH) to go

L=3? (raayiH) going

^8_ (`aab% to be absent a=8_ (`aayib% in a state of being absent

bost other triliteral verb forms cubstitute dmid for the dyid of the imperfect ho a verb conjugation

MN X ? (rawwaH) to go home

MN X OR (mirawwaH) going home

O98e (saafir) to travel O98ER (misaafir) traveling fK/e3 (istanna) to wait 4K/ER (mistanni) waiting/

/ 0ote1 *hen the imperfect howwa con2ugation of the verb in "uestion ends in -a! as with )istanna - yistanna!) the ending -a is replaced by -i in the active participle! as with )mistanni.)

3ist of commonly-used active participles

4enerally spea(ing! the most commonly-used active participles fall into the categories of motion or action (going! coming! leaving! carrying)! location (living! staying)! and mental state (seeing! understanding! wanting). Here is a table of some of these active participles1

5asculine singular

eminine singular

,lural

coming I8g (gayy)

;=8g (gayya) hi=8g (gayyiin)

going L=3? (raayiH) ;j=3? (rayHa) hij=3? (rayHiin) going.wal(ing 4[8R (maaZi% leaving returning going home traveling going up going down carrying standing

;i[8R (maZya%

hii[8R (maZyiin%

k?8l (6aarig) ;g?8l (6arga) hig?8l (6argiin) Wg3? (raagi') ;Tg3? (rag'a) hiTg3? (rag'iin) MN X OR (mirawwaH) O98ER (misaafir) ;CN X OR (mirawwaHa) hiCN X OR (mirawwaHiin) >O98ER (misafra) h=O98ER (misafriin)

W,8B (Taali') ;T,8B (Tal'a) hiT,8B (Tal'iin) mn82 (naa7il) ;,n82 (na7la) hi,n82 (na7liin) Q=8[ (Zaayil% ;5=8[ (Zayla% hi5=8[ (Zayliin% op3N (waa'if) ;qp3N (wa'fa) hiqp3N (wa'fiin)

sitting DS8p ('aa'id) >DS8p ('a'da) h=DS8p ('a'diin) awa(e 4C8r (SaaHi) sleeping

;iC8r (SaHya)

hiiC8r (SaHyiin)

6=82 (naayim) ;<=82 (nayma) hi<=82 (naymiin) h=Dl3N (wa6diin)

ta(ing Dl3N (waa6id) >Dl3N (wa6da)

eating Qs3N (waa(ul) ;5s3N (wa(la) hi5s3N (wa(liin) waiting 4K/ER (mistanni) living (in a place) living (in general)

;iK/ER (mistanniyya) hiiK/ER (mistanniyyiin)

hs8e (saa(in) ;Ks8e (sa(na) hiKs8e (sa(niin) 3) t=8SaayiZ% 3) ;Y=8SayZa% 3) hiY=8SayZiin%

remember

Os89 (faa(ir)

>Os89 (fa(ra) h=Os89 (fa(riin)

(now 3) U?8Saarif) 3) ;9?8Sarfa) 3) hi9?8Sarfiin) understand want see hear

6789 (faahim) ;<789 (fahma) hi<789 (fahmiin)

3) u=8Saayi7) 3) >u=8Say7a) 3) h=u=8Say7iin) o=8[ (Zaayif% WR8e (saami') ;q=8[ (Zayfa% hiq=8[ (Zayfiin% ;TR8e (sam'a) hiTR8e (sam'iin)

86amples of usage

Here are some e6amples of situations in which you could use the active participle. 0ote that generally you can leave out the sub2ect pronoun that would go with the active participle! as long as it's clear who you're tal(ing about.

I'm about to go out to the supermar(et! and I tell the people I'm with!

P;g8C h=u=8S v;i[8R 82: (ana maZya, )aywiin xaagay% Izm going out, do you
ant anythingy comeone as's you ho you are, and you say, axda bard% A little sic', Izve

JO0 >Dl3N 82: v;=-[ ;28HT{ (ta'baana Z aya, ana

caught a cold!

A teacher as's a student a |uestion, and he responds,

^3-},3 Os89 tR (miZ faa'ir il-ga aab% I donzt remember the ans er!
comeone as's you a |uestion, and you reply,

U?8S tR 82: (ana miZ )aarif%

I donzt 'no !

~ouzre al'ing do n a flight of stairs, and your friend do nstairs calls you to as' here you are! ~ou say,

m-B f5S ;,n82 (na7la 'ala Tuul)

I'm going right down.

9ou're on the way to the movie theater! so you tell someone!

8<KiE,3 ;j=3? 82: (ana rayHa s-senema)

I'm going to the movie theater.

Someone as(s you where you live! and you say!

>D=D},3 O@R 49 hs8e 82: (ana saa(in fi maSr ig-gediida) I live in Heliopolis.
Someone as(s you where your parents live! and you say!

3) hiKe G<l hR 8=OR: 49 hiY=8SayZiin fi amrii'a min xamas siniin%

Theyzve been living in the c for five years! ~ou see a friend of yours standing some here aiting, and you as' her, How long have you

Pf/R3 hR 8K7 ;iK/ER\;qp3N (wa'fa.mistanniyya hina min imta&)

been standing.waiting here& 9ou hear a weird noise and as( someone with you!

P;g8C WR8e (saami' Haaga&)

+o you hear something&

9ou've been waiting for a friend! and then when you see him arrive1

I8g -7: (aho gayy)

There he comes.

9ou see something incredible! and say1

8iKiS D@R tR# (miZ misaddaz )eineiyya%

I donzt believe my eyes

ote" Itzs common to use ;E, (lissa)! )still!) before an active participle to mean that an action has 2ust been completed. 9ou can thin( of it as saying! )I'm still in the state of 2ust having (done whatever).)

;5s3N ;E, (lissa wa(la)

I've 2ust eaten.