Verbs: Passive Forms — Standard Arabic Grammar

The passive voice allows you to describe an action without mentioning who performed it. This is used when the doer is unknown, obvious, or intentionally hidden.

In an active sentence, the structure is Doer + Verb + Receiver. In a passive sentence, the Doer is removed, and the Receiver becomes the grammatical subject of the sentence.

Unlike English, which uses helper verbs like "was" or "is" (e.g., "was written"), Arabic indicates the passive voice by changing the vowel patterns within the verb itself.

Passive in the Past Tense

To form the passive voice for standard three-letter verbs in the past tense, the vowel pattern changes to u-i-a ( (fu‘ila)).

The first letter takes a Damma (⁧ُ⁩ (u) sound: u).
The second letter takes a Kasra (⁧ِ⁩ (i) sound: i).

Compare the active verb "he wrote" with the passive "it was written":

⁧كَتَبَ⁩
kataba
he wrote
⁧كُتِبَ⁩
kutiba
it was written

Examples in sentences:

⁧كُسِرَ الْبَابُ.⁩
kusira al-bābu.kusira al-bābu.kusira ʾal-bābu.kusira al-babu.
The door was broken.
⁧سُرِقَتِ السَّيَّارَةُ.⁩
suriqati as-sayyāratu.suriqati as-sayyāratu.suriqati ʾas-sayyāratu.suriqati as-sayaratu.
The car was stolen.

Passive in the Present Tense

To form the passive voice in the present tense, the vowel pattern changes to yu-a-u ( (yuf‘alu)).

The prefix (the first letter) takes a Damma (⁧ُ⁩ (u) sound: u).
The letter before the last takes a Fatha (⁧َ⁩ (aaʾaa) sound: a).

Compare the active "he writes" with the passive "it is written":

⁧يَكْتُبُ⁩
yaktubu
he writes
⁧يُكْتَبُ⁩
yuktabu
it is written

Examples in sentences:

⁧يُعْرَفُ الْحَقُّ.⁩
yu‘rafu al-ḥaqqu.yu‘rafu al-ḥaqqu.yu‘rafu ʾal-ḥaqqu.yu‘rafu al-ḥaqu.
The truth is known.
⁧تُشْرَبُ الْقَهْوَةُ كُلَّ صَبَاحٍ.⁩
tushrabu al-qahwatu kulla ṣabāḥin.tushrabu al-qahwatu kulla ṣabāḥin.tushrabu ʾal-qahwatu kulla ṣabāḥin.tushrabu al-qahwatu kula ṣabaḥin.
Coffee is drunk every morning.

The Deputy Subject (Changing Case Endings)

When a sentence changes from active to passive, the original object (the receiver of the action) takes the place of the missing subject. In Arabic grammar, this is called the "Deputy Subject" ( (nā’ibu al-fā‘ilinā’ibu al-fā‘ilinā’ibu ʾal-fā‘ilina’ibu al-fa‘ili)).

Because this word is now acting as the subject, its case ending changes from Accusative (ending in ⁧ـَ⁩ (aaʾaa) or ⁧ـً⁩ (ananʾanan)) to Nominative (ending in ⁧ـُ⁩ (u) or ⁧ـٌ⁩ (un)).

Active sentence (Object has Fatha):

⁧فَتَحَ الرَّجُلُ الْبَابَ.⁩
fataḥa ar-rajulu al-bāba.fataḥa ar-rad͟julu al-bāba.fataḥa ʾar-raǧulu ʾal-bāba.fataḥa ar-rajulu al-baba.
The man opened the door.

Passive sentence (New Subject has Damma):

⁧فُتِحَ الْبَابُ.⁩
futiḥa al-bābu.futiḥa al-bābu.futiḥa ʾal-bābu.futiḥa al-babu.
The door was opened.

Absence of the "Doer"

A key rule in Arabic passive constructions is that the original doer cannot be mentioned. In English, you can say "The apple was eaten by the boy." In Arabic, you cannot add "by the boy" in a passive sentence.

If you need to mention the doer, you must use the active voice.

⁧أَكَلَ الْوَلَدُ التُّفَّاحَةَ.⁩
akala al-waladu at-tuffāḥata.akala al-waladu at-tuffāḥata.ʾakala ʾal-waladu ʾat-tuffāḥata.akala al-waladu at-tufaḥata.
The boy ate the apple.

If you use the passive, the doer must remain unmentioned:

⁧أُكِلَتِ التُّفَّاحَةُ.⁩
ukilati at-tuffāḥatu.ukilati at-tuffāḥatu.ukilati ʾat-tuffāḥatu.ukilati at-tufaḥatu.
The apple was eaten.

Agreement in Gender

The passive verb must agree in gender with the new subject (the Deputy Subject). If the new subject is feminine, the verb must take feminine markers, even if the original hidden doer was masculine.

⁧قَرَأَ الطَّالِبُ الرِّسَالَةَ.⁩
qara’a aṭ-ṭālibu ar-risālata.qara’a aṭ-ṭālibu ar-risālata.qara’a ʾaṭ-ṭālibu ʾar-risālata.qara’a aṭ-ṭalibu ar-risalata.
The student (male) read the letter.
⁧قُرِئَتِ الرِّسَالَةُ.⁩
quri’ati ar-risālatu.quri’ati ar-risālatu.quri’ati ʾar-risālatu.quri’ati ar-risalatu.
The letter was read.

Note that (quri’ati) has the feminine (t) ending because (ar-risālatuar-risālatuʾar-risālatuar-risalatu) is feminine.

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