Kutiba, futiha: the doer hidden inside the verb
When it does not matter who acts, the language changes the vowels inside the verb itself. The doer vanishes, and what the action fell upon takes his place. The waste is sorted, the item is checked, the house was torn down — all of this is said with one shape. For example: “كُتِب التقرير أمس” — The report was written yesterday. A rule from the Arabic course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
When it does not matter who acts, the language changes the vowels inside the verb itself. The doer vanishes, and what the action fell upon takes his place. The waste is sorted, the item is checked, the house was torn down — all of this is said with one shape.
In the past the first syllable is read through "u" and the second through "i". Kataba — he wrote, but kutiba — it was written. The same: fataha — he opened, futiha — it was opened.
In the present the shift is the same: yaktub — he writes, yuktab — it is being written. Who wrote is not named at all: "kutiba at-taqriir" — the report was written, and that is enough.
A trap: the short vowels are not seen in writing, so such forms come with the vocalization. Otherwise "kutiba" and "kataba" look alike. Read aloud by the transcription — the difference sits exactly in the vowels.
Table
| active | passive | in English |
|---|---|---|
| كَتَبَ التقرير | كُتِب التقرير | they wrote the report — the report was written |
| فَتَحَ الباب | فُتِح الباب | they opened the door — the door was opened |
| شَرَحَ الدرس | شُرِح الدرس | they explained the lesson — the lesson was explained |
| يَبْنِي الجسر | يُبْنَى الجسر | they build the bridge — the bridge is being built |
| هَدَمَ البيت | هُدِم البيت | they tore down the house — the house was torn down |
| يُعطي الجائزة | أُعطيَ الجائزة | they give the prize — the prize was given |
| يُنتج الآن | مُنتَج الآن | they produce now — produced now |
| يُسمي الشارع | سُمِّيَ الشارع | they name the street — the street was named |
By example
- كُتِب التقرير أمسкутиба ат-такриир амсThe report was written yesterday
- يُبنى الجسر الجديد حالياйюбна аль-джиср аль-джадиид хаалянThe new bridge is being built now
- فُتح المتحف في الثامنةфутиха аль-матхаф фи ас-сааминаThe museum was opened at eight
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
Kutiba, futiha: how does it work in Arabic?
When it does not matter who acts, the language changes the vowels inside the verb itself. The doer vanishes, and what the action fell upon takes his place. The waste is sorted, the item is checked, the house was torn down — all of this is said with one shape.
What does it look like in a Arabic example sentence?
“كُتِب التقرير أمس” (кутиба ат-такриир амс) — The report was written yesterday. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.