Learn ArabicB1 › فَعْلَة

فَعْلَة

a single act, a deed /ˈfaʕla/

nounB1#1728 most common

Also: one-time occurrence of an action, stunt, trick (often pejorative), misdeed

Example sentences

هَذِهِ فَعْلَةٌ جَمِيلَةٌ.
This is a beautiful deed.
فَعْلَتُكَ أَسْعَدَتْنِي.
Your deed made me happy.
نَدِمَ الرَّجُلُ عَلَى فَعْلَتِهِ.
The man regretted his deed.
مَا كَانَ يَنْبَغِي أَنْ تَقُومَ بِهَذِهِ الْفَعْلَةِ الْحَمْقَاءِ.
You should not have done this foolish act.
فَعْلَتُهُ تِلْكَ جَلَبَتْ عَلَيْهِ الْعَارَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ.
That deed of his brought him shame among people.
لَنْ يَنْسَى التَّارِيخُ فَعْلَتَهُمُ الشَّنْعَاءَ الَّتِي رَاحَ ضَحِيَّتَهَا الْأَبْرِيَاءُ.
History will not forget their heinous deed, of which the innocent fell victim.

Declension

CaseSingularPlural
Nominativeفَعْلَةٌفَعَلَاتٌ
Genitiveفَعْلَةٍفَعَلَاتٍ
Accusativeفَعْلَةًفَعَلَاتٍ
Vocativeيَا فَعْلَةُيَا فَعَلَاتُ

Word family

فَعَلَto do, to act
فِعْلact, deed; verb
فَاعِلdoer, agent; grammatical subject
مَفْعُولdone thing; grammatical object
فَعَّالِيَّةactivity, effectiveness

Etymology

The word comes from the common Semitic root f-ʿ-l, meaning to do or to make. On the pattern faʿla, the final taa marbuta marks a single occurrence, so the word names one instance of acting. The same root is the standard dummy root Arab grammarians use to illustrate word patterns.

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