Verbal Nouns In Arabic: A Simple Guide

Arabic verbal nouns (called maṣdar (مَصْدَر) in Arabic) are like the “-ing” form of verbs in English (such as “running,” “eating,” or “writing”).

They’re nouns that are made from verbs and represent the action itself, without mentioning who is doing it.

In Arabic, the maṣdar plays a crucial role and appears in many sentence structures.

Think of a verbal noun as the concept of a verb. For example:

• Verb: kataba (كَتَبَ) – “to write”
• Verbal noun: kitābah (كِتَابَة) – “writing”

Kataba refers to an action done by someone.

Kitābah refers to the act or concept of writing in general.

Forming verbal nouns

In Arabic, you can’t form verbal nouns by just adding something like “-ing.”

Instead, each verb form (called verb patterns or forms I–X and beyond) usually has its own common verbal noun pattern.

Here are examples from a few common forms:

Important Notes:

• There are many exceptions. Sometimes the verbal noun is irregular and just needs to be memorized.
• Some verbs have more than one correct verbal noun.
• Patterns become clearer the more you’re exposed to them.
• Forms V and VI are reflexive or reciprocal versions of Forms II and III.
• Form VII typically conveys passive or reflexive meaning.
• Form VIII often adds a nuance of effort, intent, or reflexivity.
• Form IX is rare and generally used for colors or physical defects.
• Form X often has a sense of seeking or requesting the action of Form I.

How to use verbal nouns

Verbal nouns are used in several ways in Arabic:

1. As the subject of a sentence:

دِرَاسَة الْعَرَبِيَّة مُفِيدَة

dirāsat al-ʿarabiyyah mufīdah

Studying Arabic is useful.

Here, dirāsah (دِرَاسَة) “studying” acts as the subject of the sentence.

2. As the object of a sentence:

أُحِبُّ كِتَابَة الرَّسَائِل.

ʾuḥibbu kitābah ar-rasāʾil.

I like writing letters.

Here, kitābah (كِتَابَة) “writing” is the object of the verb “I like.”

3. After prepositions

نَجَحَ بِالْعَمَل الْجَادّ.

najaḥa bi-l-ʿamal al-jādd.

He succeeded through hard work.

Here, al-ʿamal (الْعَمَل) “work” comes after the preposition bi (بِ), meaning “with/by.”

4. In idāfa constructions

An idāfa is a noun–noun construction (like “book of the student”).

عَمَلِيَّة تَعَلُّم لُغَة مُمْتِعَة.

ʿamaliyyat taʿallum lughah mumtiʿah.

The act of learning a language is fun.

Here, taʿallum (تَعَلُّم) “learning” is part of the idāfa “act of learning.”

Why learn verbal nouns?

Understanding verbal nouns will help you:

• Comprehend more complex Arabic sentence structures.
• Build accurate and expressive sentences.
• Recognize common grammatical patterns.
• Improve reading and listening comprehension significantly.

The exceptions and different forms make it look way harder than it actually is.

My advice is to gradually swap out basic sentence structures for slightly more advanced ones. E.g. “I like to write” -> “I like writing”.

This will give you a chance to try variations and learn verbal nouns over time.

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