Core
Recognise the pattern and understand the model verb in a sentence.
A
Why this matters
Learn the meaning before memorising the pattern.
Develop
Use two or three verbs from this family in accurate past and present sentences.
Your goal: Form II often makes an action causative, intensive or repeated. It is common in education, communication and everyday activities.
1
Discover the pattern
Notice what changes and what stays connected to the root.
Root and pattern
Rootع-ل-م
Past patternفَعَّلَ
Present patternيُفَعِّلُ
The middle root consonant is doubled, written with shadda. In the present tense, the usual pattern is يُفَعِّلُ. The shadda is part of the verb stem, not decoration.
| Past | Present | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| عَلَّمَ | يُعَلِّمُ | to teach |
Notice the relationship: عَلِمَ means to know, while عَلَّمَ means to teach or make someone know. This is a useful causative relationship, but not every Form II verb has a predictable meaning.
2
Learn the family
Read each pair aloud, then use the verbs in meaningful sentences.
| Past | Present | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| دَرَّسَ | يُدَرِّسُ | to teach a subject |
| نَظَّمَ | يُنَظِّمُ | to organise |
| حَضَّرَ | يُحَضِّرُ | to prepare |
تُعَلِّمُ الْمُعَلِّمَةُ الطُّلَّابَ الْعَرَبِيَّةَ.
The teacher teaches the students Arabic.
نَظَّمْنَا وَقْتَنَا قَبْلَ الِامْتِحَانِ.
We organised our time before the examination.
أُحَضِّرُ وَجْبَةَ الْغَدَاءِ.
I am preparing lunch.
Look closely: In عَلَّمَ, the shadda represents two ل consonants. The present يَعْلَمُ belongs to Form I, whereas يُعَلِّمُ belongs to Form II.
3
Practise and apply
Move from recognising the pattern to using the language yourself.
Misconception clinic
A shadda does not automatically mean Form II. Doubled Form I verbs such as مَرَّ also contain shadda. Identify the root and the complete pattern.
عَلَّمَ / يُعَلِّمُ
The doubled middle radical and the present vowels identify this Form II pair.
Quick pattern check
0/11. Which verb means “to teach”?
عَلَّمَ is Form II, with a doubled middle radical.
Apply the form
Write a short instruction to a new student. Explain how you organise your study and who teaches you. Include two Form II verbs and one time expression.
Success checklist: Use the correct verb form and person; check the past/present vowels; use a natural sentence and reread your Arabic.
Not yet marked complete.
Compare with a model response
Complete your own response first. This is one possible answer, not the only correct response.
أُنَظِّمُ وَقْتِي كُلَّ مَسَاءٍ، وَتُعَلِّمُنِي الْمُعَلِّمَةُ الْعَرَبِيَّةَ. أُحَضِّرُ دُرُوسِي قَبْلَ النَّوْمِ.
I organise my time every evening, and the teacher teaches me Arabic. I prepare my lessons before sleeping.
Stretch: explore a deeper connection
Compare عَلِمَ, عَلَّمَ and تَعَلَّمَ. Explain the different roles of knowing, teaching and learning.
Use the optional morphology reference if you need a pattern reminder.
4
Final self-check
Try the questions without looking back. Your feedback explains the key feature.
Form II · Self-check
0/31. Which verb means “to teach”?
عَلَّمَ is Form II, with a doubled middle radical.
2. Choose the correct present of نَظَّمَ.
The Form II present pattern is normally يُفَعِّلُ.
3. Which statement is correct?
Patterns provide clues, not a complete dictionary.
5
What you can now do
Review the essentials before moving to the next form.
Lesson mastery summary
- recognise Form II and its characteristic pattern;
- understand and use the model verb in context;
- distinguish this family from a related form;
- check the accuracy of your own Arabic sentences.
Return in a few days and repeat the self-check. Learn the next form only when you are ready.