ACE — Morphology Overview

This page provides a structured introduction to **Arabic morphology**, focusing on roots, verb patterns, masdars, participles, and noun formation. It is designed as an extended chapter for ACE learners.

1. Triliteral Roots (فعل)

Most Arabic words derive from a **three-letter root**, represented here as:

ف ع ل

ACE highlights these letters consistently across the analyzer:

r0 — first radical
r1 — second radical
r2 — third radical

Knowing the root allows you to read all derived forms such as: كَتَبَ, يَكْتُبُ, مَكْتُوب, كِتَاب — all from k-t-b.

2. Verb Forms I–X

Arabic has **10 major verb patterns (الأوزان العشر)**. Each form adds a nuance: causative, reciprocal, intensive, reflexive, etc.

Form	Pattern	Meaning
I	فَعَلَ / فَعِلَ / فَعُلَ	Basic meaning
II	فَعَّلَ	Intensive / causative
III	فَاعَلَ	Reciprocal / involvement
IV	أَفْعَلَ	Causative
V	تَفَعَّلَ	Reflexive of Form II
VI	تَفَاعَلَ	Reflexive of Form III
VII	اِنْفَعَلَ	Passive/reflexive (no Form VII passive)
VIII	اِفْتَعَلَ	Internal reflexive; assimilation rules
IX	اِفْعَلَّ	Colors/defects (rare)
X	اِسْتَفْعَلَ	Seeking/considering

ACE automatically detects these forms in both directions: forward (ktb → يكتب) and reverse (mutadaArris → درس → Form V).

3. Prefix / Stem / Suffix Structure

Every Arabic verb can be broken into three parts:

يَـ كْتُبْ ونَ

Part	Color	Meaning
Prefix	orange	Subject marker (ya-, ta-, na-, ’a-)
Stem	teal	Root + form pattern
Suffix	green	Number/gender endings

Example: يكتبونَ = “they write”

4. Perfect (Past) & Imperfect (Present/Future)

Arabic verbs are organized around two primary systems:

Perfect (الماضي)

A completed action: كَتَبَ — “he wrote”

Imperfect (المضارع)

Ongoing or future action: يَكْتُبُ — “he writes / will write”

The imperfect has **5 modes** ACE supports fully:

Indicative (يَكْتُبُ)
Subjunctive (لَنْ يَكْتُبَ)
Jussive (لَمْ يَكْتُبْ)
Light Emphatic
Heavy Emphatic

5. Weak Verb Families

Some roots contain waw or ya, causing special behavior:

Type	Description	Example
Assimilated	Weak r0	وَقَى
Hollow	Weak r1	قَالَ
Defective	Weak r2	مَشَى
Doubly Weak	Two weak letters	طَوَى

ACE labels these automatically: "Hollow Verb", "Defective Verb", etc.

6. Nouns, Masdars & Participles

ACE also supports noun patterns:

Type	Pattern	Example
Masdar	كِتابَة	Writing
Active Participle	كاتِب	Writer
Passive Participle	مَكْتوب	Written
Noun of Instrument	مِفْتاح	Key

Masdar identification (Forms II–X) is now included in the reverse analyzer.