A state through a participle: mablul, matfii, mughabbar
Almost every state word in this lesson is a participle: a shape of the verb that lives as an adjective. It is not a "ready" adjective. The formula is simple: put "m-" before the root and stretch the vowel between the second and the third letter. "Mu" + "b-l-l" → mablul — damp; "mu" + "t-f-y" → matfii — matte, "extinguished". For example: “الورقة مجعدة والكتاب مغبر” — The sheet is wrinkled, and the book is dusty. A…
How it works
Almost every state word in this lesson is a participle: a shape of the verb that lives as an adjective. It is not a "ready" adjective. The formula is simple: put "m-" before the root and stretch the vowel between the second and the third letter. "Mu" + "b-l-l" → mablul — damp; "mu" + "t-f-y" → matfii — matte, "extinguished".
If the middle letter of the root is doubled, the doubling is kept: mudjaʿʿad — wrinkled, mughabbar — dusty. These are the same seams as in the names of trades. There they name a person; here — what was done to the thing.
The feminine is "a" at the end: mablul → mablula, murabbaʿ → murabbaʿa. And the verb "to be" is not needed: "al-qamaash mablul" — the cloth is damp, "misbah matfii" — the lamp is out. The state simply stands beside the thing, like its shadow.
Table
| root | what happened | participle | in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| ب-ل-ل | soaked with moisture | مبلول | mablul — damp |
| ط-ف-ي | went out, does not shine | مطفي | matfii — matte |
| غ-ب-ر | soaked with dust | مغبر | mughabbar — dusty |
| ج-ع-د | crumpled into folds | مجعد | mudjaʿʿad — wrinkled |
| س-ط-ح | spread out | مسطح | musattah — flat |
| ر-ب-ع | made four-cornered | مربع | murabbaʿ — square |
| ث-ل-ث | made three-cornered | مثلث | musallat — triangular |
| س-د-د | closed tight | مسدود | masduud — shut |
By example
- الورقة مجعدة والكتاب مغبرаль-варака муджаʿʿада ва-ль-китааб мугхаббарThe sheet is wrinkled, and the book is dusty
- الجدار مسطح والباب صدئаль-джидаар мусаттах ва-ль-бааб садʾийThe wall is even, and the door is rusty
- القماش كثيف لكن ليس لامعاаль-камаш кясииф лякинн ляйса лямиʿанThe cloth is dense but not shiny
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Participles as adjectives in Arabic?
Almost every state word in this lesson is a participle: a shape of the verb that lives as an adjective. It is not a "ready" adjective. The formula is simple: put "m-" before the root and stretch the vowel between the second and the third letter. "Mu" + "b-l-l" → mablul — damp; "mu" + "t-f-y" →…
How to say damp and matte in Arabic?
Almost every state word in this lesson is a participle: a shape of the verb that lives as an adjective. It is not a "ready" adjective. The formula is simple: put "m-" before the root and stretch the vowel between the second and the third letter. "Mu" + "b-l-l" → mablul — damp; "mu" + "t-f-y" →…
The m participle for states in Arabic?
Almost every state word in this lesson is a participle: a shape of the verb that lives as an adjective. It is not a "ready" adjective. The formula is simple: put "m-" before the root and stretch the vowel between the second and the third letter. "Mu" + "b-l-l" → mablul — damp; "mu" + "t-f-y" →…
How to say wrinkled in Arabic?
If the middle letter of the root is doubled, the doubling is kept: mudjaʿʿad — wrinkled, mughabbar — dusty. These are the same seams as in the names of trades. There they name a person; here — what was done to the thing.
What does it look like in a Arabic example sentence?
“الورقة مجعدة والكتاب مغبر” (аль-варака муджаʿʿада ва-ль-китааб мугхаббар) — The sheet is wrinkled, and the book is dusty. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.