C1 Advanced Verbs 9 min read Hard

Arabic Passive Voice: Formal Objectivity (Al-Majhul)

The Arabic passive voice (Majhul) uses specific vowel shifts to create formal, objective, and authoritative academic content.
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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

The passive voice shifts focus from the doer to the action by changing vowel patterns in the verb.

  • For past tense, vocalize the first letter with a damma and the penultimate with a kasra (e.g., 'kutiba').
  • For present tense, vocalize the first letter with a damma and the penultimate with a fatha (e.g., 'yuktabu').
  • The original object becomes the 'na'ib al-fa'il' (deputy subject) and takes the nominative case (marfu').
Verb (vowel shift) + Object (becomes nominative)

Overview

The Arabic Passive Voice, known as Al-Majhul (المجهول), represents a significant shift in grammatical focus. Unlike the active voice, which highlights the agent performing an action, the passive voice prioritizes the action itself and its recipient. At the C1 level, understanding Al-Majhul moves beyond simple translation; it involves appreciating its functional role in conveying objectivity, formal distance, and rhetorical nuance.

This structure is foundational in formal Arabic discourse—ranging from academic writing and scientific reports to news broadcasts and legal documents—where the identity or importance of the agent is diminished or intentionally obscured.

In English, the passive voice is often advised against due to perceived wordiness or ambiguity. However, in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), Al-Majhul is a cornerstone of precise, authoritative communication. It allows you to present facts as universal truths or established outcomes, stripping away the individual agency.

For instance, in a news report, أُعْلِنَ الخَبَرُ (The news was announced) is preferred over أَعْلَنَ المُذِيعُ الخَبَرَ (The announcer announced the news). This preference stems from a linguistic principle that values the conveyed information more than the conveyor in many formal contexts, contributing to a sense of impartiality and gravitas.

How This Grammar Works

To construct the passive voice in Arabic, the grammatical structure of an active sentence undergoes a specific transformation. The active verb (فِعْلٌ مَعْلُومٌ) is modified, and its subject (الْفَاعِلُ) is either omitted or becomes irrelevant. Crucially, the direct object (الْمَفْعُولُ بِهِ) of the active sentence then assumes a new role: the Deputy Subject or Na'ib al-Fa'il (نَائِبُ الْفَاعِلِ).
This Na'ib al-Fa'il takes the place of the original subject and, consequently, adopts the nominative case (حَالَةُ الرَّفْعِ), marked by a ḍamma (ضَمَّة) or its equivalent. For example, in the active sentence كَتَبَ الطَّالِبُ الدَّرْسَ (The student wrote the lesson), الطَّالِبُ is the subject (nominative) and الدَّرْسَ is the direct object (accusative). When transformed into the passive, الطَّالِبُ is removed, and الدَّرْسَ (which was accusative) becomes الدَّرْسُ (nominative), acting as the Na'ib al-Fa'il.
The verb كَتَبَ also changes its internal vowel structure to كُتِبَ.
Thus, the core mechanics involve two primary changes: 1. The original subject disappears, and the direct object takes its place with a nominative case ending. 2.
The verb itself is internally vocalized differently. This isn't a change in consonants (letters) but in diacritics (vowels), making it a subtle yet powerful grammatical tool. The agent's absence means the focus is entirely on the state or event, emphasizing the impact rather than the source.
This linguistic mechanism supports the formal, objective tone prevalent in advanced Arabic communication.

Formation Pattern

1
The formation of the passive voice in Arabic is systematically governed by specific vowel changes within the verb, dependent on its tense and derived form. The overarching principle is the vocalization of the first radical with a ḍamma (ضمَّة).
2
1. Past Tense (الفِعْلُ الْمَاضِي - Al-Fi'l al-Māḍī)
3
For triliteral (three-root-letter) verbs in the past tense, the rule is: ضُمَّ أوَّلَهُ واكْسِرْ ما قَبْلَ آخِرِه (Damm the first radical and put a kasra on the penultimate radical).
4
Original: فَعَلَ (fa'ala) – He did
5
Passive: فُعِلَ (fu'ila) – It was done
6
Examples:
7
كَتَبَ (kataba) – He wrote → كُتِبَ (kutiba) – It was written. (كُتِبَ الْكِتَابُ. - The book was written.)
8
فَتَحَ (fataḥa) – He opened → فُتِحَ (futiḥa) – It was opened. (فُتِحَ الْبَابُ. - The door was opened.)
9
دَرَسَ (darasa) – He studied → دُرِسَ (durisa) – It was studied. (دُرِسَ الْمَوْضُوعُ. - The topic was studied.)
10
2. Present Tense (الفِعْلُ الْمُضَارِعُ - Al-Fi'l al-Muḍāri')
11
For triliteral verbs in the present tense, the rule is: ضُمَّ أوَّلَهُ وافْتَحْ ما قَبْلَ آخِرِه (Damm the first radical and put a fatḥa on the penultimate radical).
12
Original: يَفْعَلُ (yaf'alu) – He does
13
Passive: يُفْعَلُ (yuf'alu) – It is done/being done
14
Examples:
15
يَكْتُبُ (yaktubu) – He writes → يُكْتَبُ (yuktabu) – It is written/being written. (يُكْتَبُ الْتَقْرِيرُ. - The report is being written.)
16
يَفْتَحُ (yaftaḥu) – He opens → يُفْتَحُ (yuftaḥu) – It is opened/being opened. (يُفْتَحُ الْمَتْجَرُ فِي الصَّبَاحِ. - The shop is opened in the morning.)
17
يَدْرُسُ (yadrusu) – He studies → يُدْرَسُ (yudrasu) – It is studied/being studied. (يُدْرَسُ هَذَا الْعِلْمُ. - This science is studied.)
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3. Derived Forms (Form II through Form X)
19
The primary rule of placing a ḍamma on the first radical applies consistently across all derived verb forms. The subsequent vowel changes follow specific patterns, often retaining the original form's characteristic structure while applying the passive transformation.
20
Form II (فَعَّلَ): ضُمَّ أَوَّلَهُ، وَاكْسِرْ مَا قَبْلَ آخِرِه (Past); ضُمَّ الأَوَّلَ، وَافْتَحْ مَا قَبْلَ آخِرِه (Present).
21
Active: عَلَّمَ ('allama) – He taught / يُعَلِّمُ (yu'allimu) – He teaches
22
Passive: عُلِّمَ ('ullima) – He was taught / يُعَلَّمُ (yu'allamu) – He is taught
23
Example: عُلِّمَ الطُّلَّابُ. (The students were taught.)
24
Form IV (أَفْعَلَ): ضُمَّ أَوَّلَهُ، وَاكْسِرْ مَا قَبْلَ آخِرِه (Past); ضُمَّ الأَوَّلَ، وَافْتَحْ مَا قَبْلَ آخِرِه (Present).
25
Active: أَرْسَلَ (arsala) – He sent / يُرْسِلُ (yursilu) – He sends
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Passive: أُرْسِلَ (ursila) – It was sent / يُرْسَلُ (yursalu) – It is sent
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Example: أُرْسِلَتِ الرَّسَالَةُ. (The message was sent.)
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Form VIII (اِفْتَعَلَ): ضُمَّ أَوَّلَهُ، وَاكْسِرْ مَا قَبْلَ آخِرِه (Past); ضُمَّ الأَوَّلَ، وَافْتَحْ مَا قَبْلَ آخِرِه (Present).
29
Active: اِجْتَمَعَ (ijtama'a) – He gathered / يَجْتَمِعُ (yajtam'u) – He gathers
30
Passive: اُجْتُمِعَ (ujtumi'a) – It was gathered / يُجْتَمَعُ (yujtama'u) – It is gathered
31
Example: اُجْتُمِعَ بِالْمُوَظَّفِينَ. (The employees were gathered with. Note: بِـ is necessary here as اجتمع is often intransitive or takes a preposition.)
32
Form X (اِسْتَفْعَلَ): ضُمَّ أَوَّلَهُ وَثَالِثَهُ، وَاكْسِرْ مَا قَبْلَ آخِرِه (Past); ضُمَّ الأَوَّلَ، وَافْتَحْ مَا قَبْلَ آخِرِه (Present).
33
Active: اِسْتَخْدَمَ (istakhdama) – He used / يَسْتَخْدِمُ (yastakhdimu) – He uses
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Passive: اُسْتُخْدِمَ (ustukhdima) – It was used / يُسْتَخْدَمُ (yustakhdamu) – It is used
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Example: يُسْتَخْدَمُ الْجِهَازُ بِشَكْلٍ يَوْمِيٍّ. (The device is used daily.)
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Conjugation Table: Passive Voice (Common Forms)
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| Form | Active Past (3ms) | Passive Past (3ms) | Active Present (3ms) | Passive Present (3ms) | Translation (Passive) |
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|:-----|:------------------|:-------------------|:---------------------|:----------------------|:----------------------|
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| I | كَتَبَ (kataba) | كُتِبَ (kutiba) | يَكْتُبُ (yaktubu) | يُكْتَبُ (yuktabu) | Was written / Is written |
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| II | عَلَّمَ ('allama) | عُلِّمَ ('ullima) | يُعَلِّمُ (yu'allimu) | يُعَلَّمُ (yu'allamu) | Was taught / Is taught |
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| III | شَاهَدَ (shāhada) | شُوهِدَ (shūhida) | يُشَاهِدُ (yushāhidu) | يُشَاهَدُ (yushāhadu) | Was seen / Is seen |
42
| IV | أَرْسَلَ (arsala) | أُرْسِلَ (ursila) | يُرْسِلُ (yursilu) | يُرْسَلُ (yursalu) | Was sent / Is sent |
43
| V | تَعَلَّمَ (ta'allama) | تُعُلِّمَ (tu'ullima) | يَتَعَلَّمُ (yata'allamu) | يُتَعَلَّمُ (yuta'allamu) | Was learned / Is learned |
44
| VI | تَبَادَلَ (tabādala) | تُبُودِلَ (tubūdila) | يَتَبَادَلُ (yatabādalu) | يُتَبَادَلُ (yutabādalu) | Was exchanged / Is exchanged |
45
| VII | اِنْكَسَرَ (inkasara) | (No passive for Form VII, as it's inherently passive/reflexive) | (No passive for Form VII) | (No passive for Form VII) | (Not applicable) |
46
| VIII | اِفْتَتَحَ (iftataḥa) | اُفْتُتِحَ (uftutiḥa) | يَفْتَتِحُ (yaftatiḥu) | يُفْتَتَحُ (yuftataḥu) | Was inaugurated / Is inaugurated |
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| IX | اِحْمَرَّ (iḥmarra) | (No passive for Form IX, intransitive) | (No passive for Form IX) | (No passive for Form IX) | (Not applicable) |
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| X | اِسْتَخْدَمَ (istakhdama) | اُسْتُخْدِمَ (ustukhdima) | يَسْتَخْدِمُ (yastakhdimu) | يُسْتَخْدَمُ (yustakhdamu) | Was used / Is used |
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Note on Sound Verbs with Weak Letters: The principles largely remain, but waw (و) and ya (ي) may transform to maintain correct vocalization. For instance, قَالَ (qāla) → قِيلَ (qīla) and بَاعَ (bā'a) → بِيعَ (bī'a) in the past passive, where the alif is converted to ya or waw in accordance with the kasra before it. Similarly, يَقُولُ (yaqūlu) → يُقَالُ (yuqālu) in the present passive, where the waw converts to alif due to the fatḥa before it.

When To Use It

Mastering Al-Majhul at the C1 level means knowing not just how to form it, but when its use is most appropriate and rhetorically effective. The choice to use the passive voice often reveals a strategic decision about emphasis and perspective in your communication.
  • To Convey Objectivity and Formality: This is the primary driver for passive voice use in formal Arabic. In academic papers, legal documents, news reports, and official statements, the passive voice lends an air of impartiality and detachment. It removes personal bias by suppressing the agent.
  • Example: تَمَّ التَّصْوِيتُ عَلَى الْقَانُونِ. (The law was voted upon.) – This phrasing emphasizes the legislative action, not the legislators.
  • When the Agent is Unknown, Unimportant, or Self-Evident: If you don't know who performed an action, or if their identity adds no valuable information, the passive is ideal. Similarly, if the agent is obvious from context (e.g., God, the government), it can be omitted.
  • Example: سُرِقَتْ مِحْفَظَتِي. (My wallet was stolen.) – The thief is unknown.
  • Example: يُعْتَقَدُ أَنَّ الأَرْضَ مُسْتَدِيرَةٌ. (It is believed that the Earth is round.) – The belief is universal, not attributable to a single agent.
  • To Avoid Assigning Blame or Responsibility (Strategic Agent Suppression): This is a powerful rhetorical tool. By omitting the agent, one can diplomatically skirt responsibility or avoid direct confrontation. This is common in political discourse or organizational communications.
  • Example: وُجِدَتْ أَخْطَاءٌ فِي التَّقْرِيرِ. (Errors were found in the report.) – This statement acknowledges the errors without pointing fingers at who made them.
  • To Focus on the Action or the Recipient of the Action: When the event itself or its outcome is more significant than who caused it, the passive voice shifts the spotlight. This is especially useful in technical or scientific descriptions.
  • Example: يُسْتَخْدَمُ الْلَّيْزَرُ لِقَطْعِ الْمَعَادِنِ. (The laser is used for cutting metals.) – The focus is on the function of the laser, not the person operating it.
  • In Religious or Legal Texts: Here, the passive voice can imply a higher authority, divine decree, or established law, where human agency is secondary to the divine will or the universality of the statute.
  • Example: خُلِقَ الْإِنْسَانُ ضَعِيفًا. (Man was created weak.) – Attributing creation to a divine power without explicitly stating 'God created'.
Culturally, the frequent use of the passive in formal Arabic reflects a tendency towards generalization and a respect for established knowledge over individual perspective. It fosters a sense of collective understanding and authoritative declaration, making it indispensable for advanced communication.

Common Mistakes

Advanced learners often stumble with Al-Majhul not in grasping its core concept, but in its precise application. Awareness of these common pitfalls is crucial for C1 proficiency.
  • Incorrect Vowel Changes, Especially in the Present Tense: The most frequent error is misapplying the fatḥa and kasra for the penultimate radical. Learners sometimes keep the active voice's penultimate vowel in the passive present tense. Remember: Past passive is ُـِ (u-i), Present passive is ُـَ (u-a).
  • Incorrect: يُكْتِبُ (for 'it is written') – This retains the kasra of the active يَكْتُبُ.
  • Correct: يُكْتَبُ (yuktabu) – The penultimate letter takes a fatḥa.
  • Lack of Agreement between Passive Verb and Na'ib al-Fa'il: Just like an active verb agrees with its subject in gender and number, a passive verb must agree with its Na'ib al-Fa'il. This is particularly tricky with feminine Na'ib al-Fa'il that require the feminine تَاء التَّأْنِيثِ (tā' al-ta'nīth) on the verb.
  • Active: قَرَأَ الْوَلَدُ الْقِصَّةَ. (The boy read the story.)
  • Incorrect Passive: قُرِئَ الْقِصَّةُ. (Verb is masculine, Na'ib al-Fa'il is feminine.)
  • Correct Passive: قُرِئَتِ الْقِصَّةُ. (The story was read.) – The ت is essential.
  • Attempting Passive Voice with Inherently Intransitive Verbs: Verbs that do not take a direct object (intransitive verbs) cannot directly form a passive voice with a Na'ib al-Fa'il. If you want to convey a passive meaning, you often need to use a prepositional phrase (جار ومجرور) which then functions as the Na'ib al-Fa'il.
  • Incorrect: ذُهِبَ. (He was gone.) – ذَهَبَ is intransitive.
  • Correct: ذُهِبَ بِهِ. (He was taken/gone with.) or ذُهِبَ إِلَيْهِ. (It was gone to.) – The جار ومجرور (بِهِ or إِلَيْهِ) serves as Na'ib al-Fa'il.
  • Confusion with Form VII Verbs (اِنْفَعَلَ): While Form VII verbs often have a reflexive or inchoative meaning that translates passively (

Passive Voice Vowel Patterns

Tense First Letter Penultimate Letter Example
Past
Damma (u)
Kasra (i)
Kutiba
Present
Damma (u)
Fatha (a)
Yuktabu

Meanings

The passive voice (Al-Majhul) is used when the agent of the action is unknown, irrelevant, or intentionally omitted for stylistic objectivity.

1

Agent Omission

Focusing on the result rather than the actor.

“سُرِقَ البيتُ”

“قُرِئَ الكتابُ”

2

Polite Indirectness

Avoiding direct blame or responsibility.

“أُخْبِرْتُ بذلك”

“تُرِكَ الأمرُ”

3

General Truths

Describing universal or recurring events.

“يُقالُ إنَّ...”

“يُعْرَفُ هذا بـ...”

Reference Table

Reference table for Arabic Passive Voice: Formal Objectivity (Al-Majhul)
Form Structure Example
Past Affirmative
u-i
Kutiba
Present Affirmative
u-a
Yuktabu
Past Negative
Ma + u-i
Ma kutiba
Present Negative
La + u-a
La yuktabu
Question
Hal + u-i/u-a
Hal kutiba?

Formality Spectrum

Formal
أُتْمِمَ التقريرُ

أُتْمِمَ التقريرُ (Workplace)

Neutral
تَمَّ إتمامُ التقريرِ

تَمَّ إتمامُ التقريرِ (Workplace)

Informal
خَلَّصنا التقرير

خَلَّصنا التقرير (Workplace)

Slang
التقرير خلص

التقرير خلص (Workplace)

Passive Voice Logic

Passive Voice

Past

  • Kutiba Was written

Present

  • Yuktabu Is written
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Examples by Level

1

فُتِحَ البابُ

The door was opened.

1

أُكِلَ الطعامُ

The food was eaten.

1

سُرِقَتِ السيارةُ

The car was stolen.

1

تُؤْخَذُ القراراتُ في الاجتماعِ

Decisions are taken in the meeting.

1

يُعْتَقَدُ أنَّ الحلَّ ممكنٌ

It is believed that the solution is possible.

1

قِيلَ ما قِيلَ في هذا الشأنِ

What was said has been said regarding this matter.

Easily Confused

Arabic Passive Voice: Formal Objectivity (Al-Majhul) vs Reflexive (Form V)

Both involve changes to the verb.

Common Mistakes

✗

Kataba al-kitabu

✓

Kutiba al-kitabu

Used active instead of passive.
✗

Kutiba al-kitaba

✓

Kutiba al-kitabu

Kept accusative case.
✗

Takassara al-bab

✓

Futiha al-bab

Confused reflexive with passive.
✗

Yaqul al-nas

✓

Yuqal

Failure to use passive for impersonal reporting.

Sentence Patterns

يُعْرَفُ ___ بـ ___

Real World Usage

News constant

أُعْلِنَ عن فوزِ المرشحِ

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🎯

Focus on the Object

Always check the case of the object first.

Smart Tips

Use passive to sound objective.

I finished the work. → The work was finished.

Pronunciation

Koo-tee-ba

Vowel Emphasis

The initial damma must be clear.

Formal

Flat, objective tone.

Professionalism

Memorize It

Mnemonic

U-I for the past, U-A for the present. The 'U' is the umbrella that hides the doer.

Visual Association

Imagine a person wearing a mask (the U-vowel) so you cannot see their face (the agent).

Rhyme

Past is U-I, present is U-A, the subject is hidden, the action is the way.

Story

The king (the agent) left the room. The servant (the verb) changed his clothes (vowels) to look like the king. Now, the chair (the object) sits on the throne (nominative case).

Word Web

KutibaYuktabuSuriqaYusraquQilaYuqalFutihaYuftahu

Challenge

Take 5 active sentences from a news article and convert them to passive in 5 minutes.

Cultural Notes

Used in all formal media.

Root-based Semitic morphology.

Conversation Starters

“

هل قُرِئَ الكتابُ؟

Journal Prompts

Write about a mystery.

Common Mistakes

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

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Test Yourself

Convert to passive

Kataba al-waladu al-darsa.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Correct vowel pattern and case.

Score: /1

Practice Exercises

1 exercises
Convert to passive

Kataba al-waladu al-darsa.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Correct vowel pattern and case.

Score: /1

Practice Bank

6 exercises
Translate to Arabic using the passive voice Translation

The decision was made.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: اتُّخِذَ القرارُ
Reorder to form a passive sentence Sentence Reorder

الرسالةُ / أُرسِلَت / أمسِ

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: أُرسِلَت الرسالةُ أمسِ
Fill in the correct present passive form Fill in the Blank

____ (Istachda) التكنولوجيا في التعليم.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: تُستخدَمُ
Match the active verb with its passive counterpart Match Pairs

Match the following:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Match all correct pairs
Which case is the Na'ib al-Fa'il? Multiple Choice

In 'Nushira al-kitabu', what is the case of 'al-kitabu'?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Nominative (Marfu')
Find the mistake in this academic sentence Error Correction

يُعْتَقِدُ أنَّ النتائجَ دقيقةٌ.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: يُعْتَقَدُ أنَّ النتائجَ دقيقةٌ

Score: /6

FAQ (1)

No, only transitive verbs.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

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In Other Languages

Spanish partial

Se dice

Arabic uses internal vowels.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Direct Imperatives: Giving Commands (فعل الأمر)
Next
Rhetorical Contrast: Juxtaposition (Al-Muqabala)

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Overview Arabic, like many languages, employs a grammatical construction called the **passive voice**, known in Arabic a...
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Passive Voice: Hiding the Doer (Majhul)

Overview In Arabic grammar, the **Passive Voice** is known as `المبني للمجهول` (*al-mabnī li-l-majhūl*), literally meani...
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The Art of Hiding the Doer: Passive Voice (Majhul)

Overview The passive voice is a grammatical structure that shifts the focus of a sentence. Instead of highlighting the *...
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Arabic Passive Present: The 'Yu- ... -a-' Pattern

Overview In Arabic, mastering the **passive voice** is crucial for expressing actions where the performer is unknown, un...
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Past Passive: The "It was done" Pattern (U-I-A)

Overview Arabic, like many languages, offers a grammatical construction to shift focus from the **performer of an action...
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