How to Conjugate marra (to pass) in Arabic

مَرَّ (marra) means to pass. It is a doubled Form I verb from the root م ر ر (m-r-r): مَرَّ (marra) in the past, يَمُرُّ (yamurru) in the present and مُرَّ (murra) as a command. The tables below give its full conjugation in all 13 persons and its impersonal passive, vowelled, with its participles and verbal noun.

Every form of marra on this page comes from the engine behind our Arabic verb conjugator and was checked against Wiktionary's conjugation table for مَرَّ, which is also the source of its verbal nouns.

Marra at a glance

Past tense of marra

The past tense (al-māḍī) of marra keeps the doubled letter together before a vowel ending (مَرَّ (marra), مَرُّوا (marrū)) and splits it before a consonant ending (مَرَرْتُ (marartu), مَرَرْنَ (mararna)).

Present tense of marra

In the present tense (al-muḍāriʿ) the doubled letter of marra stays together everywhere except before the feminine plural -na: يَمُرُّ (yamurru) but يَمْرُرْنَ (yamrurna).

Subjunctive and jussive of marra

After لم (lam, did not) the he-form of marra has three correct spellings, يَمُرَّ (yamurra) or يَمُرِّ (yamurri) or يَمْرُرْ (yamrur), because the doubled letter may merge or split; after لن (lan, will not) it has one, يَمُرَّ (yamurra).

Imperative of marra

The command has the same choice as the jussive, مُرَّ (murra) or مُرِّ (murri) or اُمْرُرْ (umrur); with an ending the letter is always doubled: مُرِّي (murrī), مُرُّوا (murrū).

Passive of marra

The doubled letter of marra stays together in the passive: مُرَّ (murra) in the past, يُمَرُّ (yumarru) in the present. Wiktionary lists the passive of marra as impersonal: only the he-form is used, without a subject of its own.

Participles and verbal noun of marra

In the active participle the two identical letters merge: مَارّ (mārr). The passive participle keeps the two identical letters apart: مَمْرُور (mamrūr). Form I verbal nouns follow no single pattern, and Wiktionary lists three for marra: مَرّ (marr), مُرُور (murūr), مَمَرّ (mamarr). Learn them with the verb, or look them up under m-r-r in one of the dictionaries in our guide.

Why marra conjugates this way

The second and third root letters of مَرَّ (marra) are the same, ر (r), so it is a doubled verb. When a vowel follows the third letter the two merge into one letter with a shadda (مَرَّ (marra), يَمُرُّ (yamurru)); before a consonant ending they come apart again (مَرَرْتُ (marartu), يَمْرُرْنَ (yamrurna)). That is why the jussive and the command have more than one correct spelling. Ẓanna (to think, to suppose) is doubled too, and changes in the same places.

Another verb from the same root on this site: istamarra (to continue).

Marra in sentences

مر يوم آخر.
Another day passed.
The verb: مَرَّ (marra), past, he. Source: Tatoeba sentence 11715509 by dididodo (CC BY 2.0 FR), unvowelled as published.

مرت السنين.
Years passed.
The verb: مَرَّتْ (marrat), past, she. Source: Tatoeba sentence 11791989 by dididodo (CC BY 2.0 FR), unvowelled as published.

Frequently asked questions

Keep learning Arabic

• Up one levelArabic Verb Conjugation, from Kataba to BaktubConjugate any Arabic verb in Forms I to X: all 13 persons, every tense and mood, vowelled. Plus kataba in full with Egyptian and Levantine forms beside it.
• In this topicHow to Conjugate māta (to die) in ArabicConjugation of māta (to die), a hollow Form I Arabic verb: all 13 persons in every tense and mood, fully vowelled, with transliteration.
• In this topicHow to Conjugate naẓara (to look) in ArabicConjugation of naẓara (to look), a sound Form I Arabic verb: all 13 persons in every tense and mood, fully vowelled, with transliteration.
• Also on OpenArabicKareem in Arabic: How to Write كريم, and What It MeansKareem in Arabic is كريم (Karīm), an Arabic name that means generous, noble. Copy it with or without vowels, hear it, and save it in three calligraphy styles.