The Subject of a Passive Verb

Level 3

In Arabic, when a verb is changed to the passive voice, the original object becomes the new subject. This 'deputy subject' is called the نائب الفاعل (Nā’ib al-Fā‘il). It must be in the nominative case (المرفوع).

How It Works

The نائب الفاعل (Deputy of the Doer) is a fundamental concept in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) syntax. It occurs when a sentence is transformed from the active voice to the passive voice.

1. Case and Agreement:
The نائب الفاعل is always in the nominative case. During the transformation, the original direct object, which was in the accusative case, becomes the deputy doer and takes the nominative ending. In a standard verb-first sentence, the verb agrees with the deputy doer in gender only and remains singular. However, if the deputy doer is a non-human plural, the verb is usually feminine singular (e.g., كُتِبَتِ الكُتُبُ). Full agreement in both gender and number only occurs if the deputy doer precedes the verb in a nominal sentence. The deputy doer can also be a hidden pronoun (ضمير مستتر).

2. Transitivity and Substitutes:
The passive voice is most common with transitive verbs. If a verb takes two objects (ditransitive), the first object becomes the نائب الفاعل while the second remains in the accusative case. If an intransitive verb is used, other elements can step in as the deputy doer. This includes a prepositional phrase (e.g., جُلِسَ على الكرسي), a cognate accusative (سِيرَ سَيْرٌ طويل), or a specific adverb of time or place (صِيمَ رمضانُ).

3. Verb Transformation:
To accommodate a نائب الفاعل, the verb undergoes specific vowel changes:

In the Past Tense: Generally, the first letter gets a damma (u) and the second-to-last letter gets a kasra (i). For verbs starting with hamzat al-wasl (like Form X), both the first and third letters take a damma (أُسْتُخْدِمَ). For verbs starting with a non-root taa (like Form V), the first and second letters take a damma (تُعُلِّمَ).
In the Present Tense: The prefix gets a damma (u) and the second-to-last letter gets a fatha (a). Example: يُكْتَبُ.

4. Pronouns and Usage Nuance:
The نائب الفاعل can also be an attached pronoun (e.g., ضُرِبْتُ). While the passive never names the doer in classical grammar, modern journalism often uses 'min qibal' (من قِبَل) to indicate the agent.

Examples (4)

كُتِبَ الدَّرْسُ
The lesson was written.
Word by Word: Was-written the lesson.
Here, 'al-darsu' (the lesson) is the نائب الفاعل. It takes the nominative ending -u because the verb 'kutiba' is passive.
تُؤْكَلُ الفَاكِهَةُ
The fruit is eaten.
Word by Word: Is-eaten the fruit.
The verb 'tu'kalu' is feminine to agree with the feminine noun 'al-fākihatu', which is the نائب الفاعل.
قِيلَ الحَقُّ
The truth was said.
Word by Word: Was-said the truth.
In hollow verbs (with a middle weak letter), the passive past tense changes the vowel to a long 'ī' sound.
يُفْتَحُ البَابُ الآنَ
The door is being opened now.
Word by Word: Is-opened the door now.
A present tense passive example where 'al-bābu' is the nominative deputy subject.

Common Mistakes

Keeping the noun in the accusative case (-a) after a passive verb.
كُتِبَ الدَّرْسَ
كُتِبَ الدَّرْسُ
Learners often remember that 'the lesson' was the object in the active sentence, but in the passive, it MUST change to the nominative case (-u).
Failing to make the verb agree with the gender of the new subject.
كُتِبَ الرِّسَالَةُ
كُتِبَتْ الرِّسَالَةُ
Since 'al-risālah' (the letter) is feminine, the passive verb must also be feminine (kutibat), regardless of who originally wrote it.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

The Subject of a Passive VerbLevel 3

Learn This First

To understand the 'Deputy Subject' (نائب الفاعل), you must first understand the standard active subject (الفاعل) and how the verb itself is transformed into the passive voice (المبني للمجهول) in both the past and present tenses. The deputy subject is essentially the former direct object that takes over the grammatical role and case ending of the subject when the original doer is removed.