Al-Muḍāri' — The Imperfect (Present-Future) Tense
One Arabic tense covers the English present, continuous and future — marked by a prefix letter and three changeable moods.
What Is Al-Muḍāri'?
Al-muḍāri' (الْمُضَارِع) describes an action not yet complete at the time of speaking. One Arabic form covers what English splits across three tenses:
| English tense | Example | Arabic |
|---|---|---|
| Present habitual | he goes | يَذْهَبُ |
| Present continuous | he is going | يَذْهَبُ |
| Future | he will go | يَذْهَبُ |
Context determines which English translation fits. This single form, together with the māḍī, accounts for the overwhelming majority of verbs on every page of the Quran.
The Scale of Al-Muḍāri'
The muḍāri' is identified by four fixed features:
1. A prefix letter (حَرْفُ الْمُضَارَعَةِ) — always one of ي ت أ ن: ي for he/they, ت for she/you, أ for I, ن for we. 2. First root letter: sukoon. 3. Third root letter: damma (in the base raf' form). 4. Middle root letter: variable — fatha, kasra or damma.
The variable middle vowel gives three scales: يَفْعَلُ (يَذْهَبُ — to go), يَفْعِلُ (يَضْرِبُ — to strike), يَفْعُلُ (يَنْصُرُ — to help). Which scale a verb follows is fixed by its bāb and must be looked up — but any word beginning with ي ت أ or ن on this structure is recognisably a muḍāri'.
The 14 Conjugations
Using يَذْهَبُ (he goes) as the model: يَذْهَبُ، يَذْهَبَانِ، يَذْهَبُونَ، تَذْهَبُ، تَذْهَبَانِ، يَذْهَبْنَ، تَذْهَبُ، تَذْهَبَانِ، تَذْهَبُونَ، تَذْهَبِينَ، تَذْهَبَانِ، تَذْهَبْنَ، أَذْهَبُ، نَذْهَبُ.
The suffixes and prefixes are identical across all three scales — learn one conjugation and the other two follow automatically. As with the māḍī, only sighas 1 (هُوَ) and 4 (هِيَ) can be followed by an external noun doer; in every other sigha the doer is embedded in the verb. Note that sighas 4 and 7 (هِيَ and أَنْتَ) share the form تَذْهَبُ — context distinguishes them.
The Three Moods — Raf', Nasab, Jazm
Unlike the māḍī (which is mabni — fixed), the muḍāri' is mu'rab: its ending changes. It has three states: raf' (the default), nasab and jazm. Note that verbs are never majroor — jarr belongs to nouns only.
Hammer particles (لَنْ، أَنْ، كَيْ) force NASAB. Chopper particles (لَمْ، لَمَّا) force JAZM. Mustatir forms: dhamma → fatha (nasab) or sukoon (jazm). Noon-ending forms: the noon is dropped for both.
| Group | Raf' | Nasab (with لَنْ) | Jazm (with لَمْ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hidden-doer forms (1, 4, 7, 13, 14) | يَنْصُرُ | لَنْ يَنْصُرَ | لَمْ يَنْصُرْ |
| Noon-of-i'rab forms | يَنْصُرُونَ | لَنْ يَنْصُرُوا | لَمْ يَنْصُرُوا |
| Fixed forms (6, 12 — هُنَّ / أَنْتُنَّ) | يَنْصُرْنَ | لَنْ يَنْصُرْنَ | لَمْ يَنْصُرْنَ |
The feminine plural forms never change: their noon is the noon of the pronoun, not the noon of i'rab, so no particle can remove it.
Other particles modify meaning without touching the ending: سَـ and سَوْفَ (will — near and far future), قَدْ (sometimes/may), and لَا for the simple negative.
Quranic Example
Frequently Asked Questions
How does one form cover present, continuous and future?
Arabic divides time by completion, not by position: the māḍī is complete action, the muḍāri' is incomplete action. Anything still unfolding — whether now or later — is muḍāri'. The prefixes سَـ or سَوْفَ make the future sense explicit when needed.
What is the fastest way to spot a muḍāri' verb in the Quran?
Look at the first letter. If a verb-like word begins with ي، ت، أ or ن followed by a sukoon on the next letter, it is almost certainly a muḍāri'. With practice this recognition becomes instant.
Why does the ending of the same verb change between ayahs?
Because the muḍāri' has three moods. After لَنْ it takes fatha (nasab); after لَمْ it takes sukoon or drops its noon (jazm); otherwise it shows the default damma (raf'). The particle before the verb tells you which mood you are looking at.