Grammar term · Nahw · syntax
فِعْل (نَوْع الْكَلِمَة)
fi'l (naw' al-kalima)
Verb (fi'l) — word class tag
Nahw · syntaxWord classcore term19,753+ in the Qur'an
In one line
The word-class tag for action words — verbs, which join an action to a time.
Classical signs
وَالْفِعْلُ يُعْرَفُ بِقَدْ، وَالسِّينِ، وَسَوْفَ، وَتَاءِ التَّأْنِيثِ السَّاكِنَةِ.
“The verb is recognised by qad, by sa-, by sawfa, and by the unvowelled ta' of femininity.”
(الآجرّومية)
Key words in the Arabic
قَدْ'indeed / already' — sits only before verbs
السِّين وَسَوْفَthe future markers sa- and sawfa
تَاء التَّأْنِيثِ السَّاكِنَةthe silent -t of a feminine doer, as in قَالَتْ
Understand it
A fi'l is an action joined to a time — that is what separates it from the ism. Arabic verbs come in just three shapes, each with its own entry: past (فَعَلَ), present-future (يَفْعَلُ) and command (اِفْعَلْ). If one of the sign-words above fits in front of a word (قَدْ قَامَ، سَيَقُومُ), you are looking at a verb.
How to spot it
Recognition test
It names an action, and it changes shape with time — if the word has past, present and command forms, it is a fi'l.
Related terms