Sick Verbs

The Sick Verbs الافعال المعتلة . Any verb that has a long vowel as one of the three radicals in its root is called a “sick verb.” These long vowels will go through a change when the verb is used in the present tense. Consequently, there are three types.

a. Assimilated, if the first radical of the verb is a long vowel such as:

 وَصَلَ / يَصِلُ “to arrive.”

b. Hollow, when the second radical position is occupied by a long vowel such as:

  سارَ / يَسيرُ “to walk.”

c. Defective, when the third radical position is occupied by a long vowel such as:

       دَعا / يَدعو “to invite.”

To check how these irregular verbs are conjugated to the various pronouns for both present & past tenses, please

check the computer program at the website address given earlier.