The Fā‘il (فَاعِل) – The Doer in Arabic Grammar

Understanding The Fā‘il (فَاعِل) – The Doer in Arabic Grammar

In Arabic grammar, فَاعِل (Fā‘il) refers to the doer of the action in a sentence. It functions similarly to the subject in English grammar but follows specific rules in Arabic structure. The fā‘il always follows a verb (فِعْل, fi‘l) and is responsible for performing the action of that verb.

In this guide, we will cover:

• What is a fā‘il?
• How to identify the fā‘il in a sentence 
• Rules for agreement between the verb and the fā‘il 
• Examples to help you understand its usage

1️⃣ What Is a Fā‘il (فَاعِل)?

The fā‘il (doer) is a noun or pronoun that appears after a verb and indicates who or what performed the action. It is always in the nominative case (مرفوع, marfū‘) and usually has a ḍammah (ـُ) or an equivalent marker at the end.

📌 Example:

• كَتَبَ الطَّالِبُ الدَّرْسَ. (Kataba aṭ-ṭālibu ad-darsa.)
• كَتَبَ (kataba) – Wrote (verb)
• الطَّالِبُ (aṭ-ṭālibu) – The student (fā‘il - doer)
• الدَّرْسَ (ad-darsa) – The lesson (object)
• 🔹 The student is the doer of the action (writing).

📌 Key Characteristics of a Fā‘il: ✔️ It must come after the verb (except in rare cases). ✔️ It is always in the nominative case (مرفوع, marfū‘). ✔️ It can be explicit (a noun) or implicit (a pronoun).

2️⃣ How to Identify the Fā‘il?

To find the fā‘il in a sentence: 

🔹 Look for a verb (فِعْل, fi‘l) first. 

🔹 Then, find who or what did the action (the fā‘il). 

🔹 The fā‘il will always be in the nominative case (with a ḍammah or equivalent ending).

📌 Example with an Explicit Noun:

• جَلَسَ الوَلَدُ فِي الفَصْلِ. (Jalasa al-waladu fī al-faṣli.)
• جَلَسَ (jalasa) – Sat (verb)
• الوَلَدُ (al-waladu) – The boy (fā‘il - doer)
• فِي الفَصْلِ (fī al-faṣli) – In the class (prepositional phrase)
• 🔹 The boy is the doer of the action (sitting).

📌 Example with an Implicit (Hidden) Fā‘il:

• كَتَبْتُ الدَّرْسَ. (Katabtu ad-darsa.)
• كَتَبْتُ (katabtu) – I wrote (verb with attached pronoun)
• الدَّرْسَ (ad-darsa) – The lesson (object)
• 🔹 The fā‘il here is the hidden pronoun "تُ" (tu) referring to "I."

3️⃣ Agreement Between the Verb and the Fā‘il

A. Number Agreement

In Arabic, the verb is always singular even if the fā‘il is plural.

📌 Example:

• جَاءَ الطُّلابُ. (Jā’a aṭ-ṭullābu.) – The students came.
• جَاءَ (Jā’a) – Came (singular verb)
• الطُّلابُ (aṭ-ṭullābu) – The students (plural fā‘il)
• 🔹 Even though "students" is plural, the verb remains singular.

B. Gender Agreement

1️⃣ For Masculine Fā‘il → The verb remains in its basic (masculine) form.

• ذَهَبَ الرَّجُلُ. (Dhahaba ar-rajulu.) – The man went.

2️⃣ For Feminine Fā‘il → The verb takes a ـتْ (ta) suffix.

• ذَهَبَتِ الفَتَاةُ. (Dhahabat al-fatātu.) – The girl went.

📌 Exception: If the feminine noun is plural, the verb remains masculine singular.

• جَاءَتِ الفَتَيَاتُ. (Jā’at al-fatayātu.) – The girls came.

4️⃣ Different Forms of the Fā‘il

The fā‘il can appear in different forms:

A. As an Explicit Noun

• نَجَحَ الطَّالِبُ. (Najaḥa aṭ-ṭālibu.) – The student succeeded.

B. As an Attached Pronoun

• كَتَبْنَا الدَّرْسَ. (Katabnā ad-darsa.) – We wrote the lesson.
• 🔹 "نَا" (nā) is the fā‘il (we).

C. As a Hidden (Implied) Pronoun

• نَجَحَ. (Najaḥa.) – He succeeded.
• 🔹 The fā‘il is hidden and understood as "he."

5️⃣ Common Mistakes to Avoid

🚫 Mistake: Using a plural verb for a plural fā‘il.
✔ Correct: جَاءَ الطُّلابُ. (Jā’a aṭ-ṭullābu.) – The students came.
🚫 Incorrect: جَاءُوا الطُّلابُ.

🚫 Mistake: Changing the verb's gender incorrectly.
✔ Correct: ذَهَبَتِ البِنْتُ. (Dhahabat al-bintu.) – The girl went.
🚫 Incorrect: ذَهَبَ البِنْتُ.

6️⃣ Summary Table: Key Features of the Fā‘il

Feature	Explanation	Example
Comes after the verb	The fā‘il follows the verb in most cases	جَلَسَ الطِّفْلُ. (The child sat.)
Always in nominative case	The fā‘il takes ḍammah (ـُ) or its equivalent	كَتَبَ الطَّالِبُ. (The student wrote.)
Can be explicit or hidden	The fā‘il can be a noun or a pronoun	جَلَسْتُ. (I sat.)
Verb remains singular	Even if the fā‘il is plural, the verb is singular	جَاءَ الطُّلَّابُ. (The students came.)
Verb agrees in gender	Feminine subjects take a ـتْ verb ending	ذَهَبَتْ فَاطِمَةُ. (Fatimah went.)

Final Thoughts & Practice

Now that you understand the fā‘il (doer) in Arabic, try identifying it in different sentences. Share your answers in the comments! 🚀