---
title: "Explaining The Present Tense in Arabic Grammar for Mid-Level Students"
description: "Middle-school guide to the Arabic present verb in the raised (marfūʿ) case: when it applies, its three signs of raf‘, and parsing examples."
url: "https://iqraairtqi.com/en/blogs/explaining-present-tense-arabic-grammar"
date: "2026-08-08T18:27:14+00:00"
---

# Explaining The Present Tense in Arabic Grammar for Mid-Level Students

<div class="whiteboard-box">- 📘 The **present verb** (al-fiʿl al-muḍāriʿ) describes an action happening now or later, and starts with one of the letters of «أنيت»: ʾalif, nūn, yāʾ, tāʾ.
- ⬆️ It is **marfūʿ** (in the "raised" case) when no nasb or jazm particle comes before it.
- 🔤 It has three signs of raf‘: a **visible ḍammah**, an **implied ḍammah**, and a **kept nūn**.
- ⚠️ The most common mistake: parsing «يكتبْنَ» as raised by a kept nūn. It is actually built on sukūn because the feminine plural nūn is attached.

</div>When is the present verb marfūʿ?
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A present verb is raised when no particle of nasb or jazm comes before it. In «يكتبُ الطالبُ الدرسَ» the verb «يكتبُ» is marfūʿ because nothing governs it.

Compare the three states of the same verb:

<table><tr><th>State</th><th>Example</th><th>Reason</th></tr><tr><td>Marfūʿ (raised)</td><td>يكتبُ</td><td>No nasb or jazm particle before it</td></tr><tr><td>Manṣūb</td><td>لن يكتبَ</td><td>Preceded by a nasb particle: أن، لن، كي، إذن</td></tr><tr><td>Majzūm</td><td>لم يكتبْ</td><td>Preceded by a jazm particle: لم، لمّا، لا (prohibition), the lām of command</td></tr></table>

The three signs of raf‘ of the present verb
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<table><tr><th>Sign</th><th>When it appears</th><th>Examples</th></tr><tr><td>Visible ḍammah</td><td>The verb ends in a sound letter</td><td>يقرأُ، يكتبُ، يفهمُ</td></tr><tr><td>Implied ḍammah</td><td>The verb ends in a weak letter: ʾalif (the ḍammah cannot be pronounced) or wāw and yāʾ (it is too heavy to pronounce)</td><td>يسعى، يخشى، يدعو، يرمي</td></tr><tr><td>Kept nūn</td><td>The "five verbs": those with the dual alif, the plural wāw or the feminine singular yāʾ attached</td><td>يكتبانِ، تكتبانِ، يكتبونَ، تكتبونَ، تكتبينَ</td></tr></table>

How to parse (iʿrāb) a marfūʿ present verb
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1. **يكتبُ الطالبُ الدرسَ:** «يكتبُ» is a present verb, marfūʿ, its sign of raf‘ is the visible ḍammah on its last letter.
2. **يسعى الولدُ إلى المدرسة:** «يسعى» is a present verb, marfūʿ, its sign is the implied ḍammah on the ʾalif; the ḍammah cannot be pronounced there.
3. **يرمي اللاعبُ الكرةَ:** «يرمي» is a present verb, marfūʿ, its sign is the implied ḍammah on the yāʾ; it is too heavy to pronounce.
4. **الطلابُ يكتبونَ:** «يكتبون» is a present verb, marfūʿ, its sign is the kept nūn; the wāw is an attached pronoun, the subject.

Try these yourself, then continue with [transitive and intransitive verbs](/en/blogs/explaining-transitive-and-intransitive-verbs-for-middle-school), or apply the rules to real verses in [parsing Surah Al-Fatiha word by word](/en/blogs/integrating-arabic-language-skills-with-quran-learning).

Common mistakes when parsing a marfūʿ present verb
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- **Parsing «النساءُ يكتبْنَ» with a kept nūn:** the verb is built on sukūn because the feminine plural nūn is attached, and that nūn is the subject. It is not one of the five verbs.
- **Mixing up the verb's case and the subject's case:** in «لن يكتبَ الطالبُ» the verb is manṣūb and the subject is marfūʿ.
- **Keeping the nūn after a nasb or jazm particle:** the nūn of the five verbs drops after «لن» and «لم»: «لن يكتبوا» and «لم يكتبوا».
- **Judging the verb before looking for a particle:** check first whether a nasb or jazm particle comes before it; if none does, it is marfūʿ.

For the basics, see [grammar and spelling rules for beginners](/en/blogs/grammar-spelling-rules-arabic-beginners).

<div class="faq-section">#### Frequently Asked Questions

<div class="faq-item">**Q: When is the present verb marfūʿ?**A: When no nasb or jazm particle comes before it, as in «يكتبُ» and «يقرأُ».

</div><div class="faq-item">**Q: What are the five verbs?**A: Present verbs with the dual alif, the plural wāw or the feminine singular yāʾ attached. They are raised by a kept nūn: يكتبانِ، تكتبانِ، يكتبونَ، تكتبونَ، تكتبينَ.

</div><div class="faq-item">**Q: Why is the ḍammah implied in «يسعى»?**A: The verb ends in an ʾalif, which cannot carry a vowel, so the ḍammah cannot appear on it.

</div><div class="faq-item">**Q: Is «يكتبْنَ» raised by a kept nūn?**A: No. It is built on sukūn because the feminine plural nūn is attached.

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