Arabica

A guide to the Arabic Language

Salman al-Hasan

Ibn Jabal Institute 2006 / 1427 AH

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be

reproduced or utilised in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording or by any information storage and retrieval
system, without prior permission of the copyright owner

 

     
The One who taught Man by the pen
Taught Man that he knew not

ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 0 PRELIMINARIES

CHAPTER 1 PHRASES

24

SECTION 1.1 THE QUASI SENTENCE

SECTION 1.2 POSSESSION
SECTION 1.3 DEMONSTRATION
SECTION 1.4 DESCRIPTION

24
29
40
47

CHAPTER 2 THE NOUN SENTENCE

56

CHAPTER 3 THE VERBAL SENTENCE

56

SUMMARY OF VERB FORMS

97

CHAPTER 4 GOVERNMENT

99

CHAPTER 5 DUALS OR PLURALS

121

CHAPTER 6 NUMBERS ONE TO TEN

131

CHAPTER 7 THE FIVE NOUNS

141

CHAPTER 8 ADVERBS OF TIME AND PLACE

152

CHAPTER 9 FURTHER POSSESSION

160

CHAPTER 10 QUANTIFICATION AND COMPARISON

169

CHAPTER 11 DOUBLED AND HAMZATED WORDS

178

CHAPTER 12 WEAK VERBS

190

CHAPTER 13 TERMINAL WEAK VERBS

199

CHAPTER 14 HER SISTERS AND HALF SISTERS

128

CHAPTER 15 HER SISTERS HER SISTERS

132

CHAPTER 16 HER SISTERS

248

ARABICA ANSWERS CH 1 - 10

258

 

Preliminaries

Words
Arabic divides words into three categories:

    (Verbs)
   (Nouns)
"
! #$%&$ (Particles)

1.
2.
3.
A

(  ' (verb, fi l

un

) is a word that has a self-contained meaning of its own and has a tense or a time in

which the meaning exists. An 

!   (noun, ismun) has a self-contained meaning of its own but no tense. A

"
! % & (particle, Harf

un

) has no self-contained meaning of its own. Often we say that a

"
! % & (particle) is

any word that is neither a (

  ' (verb) nor an !   (noun).

P1

   (Nouns)
In English we refer to adjectives as a separate category to nouns. A noun is the name of a person, place,
thing, state, quality or action. An adjective is a word that describes a noun. We say that an adjective
modifies a noun by limiting, qualifying or specifying it.
In Arabic we class adjectives together with nouns as one general category called

   (nouns

or

names). Arabic does distinguish between nouns and adjectives but does not have a single word
corresponding to the English word noun. For the purposes of this book, we are going to be slightly
vernacular and will use the term 
!   narrowly to mean noun. The word for adjective in Arabic is ) * +
'
(Sifatun).

P2

Vowels
A consonant is a static sound that cannot move. A consonant needs a vowel either before it or after it in
order to move or liaise with other consonants. For example, the consonant b can only move if we
say ab or ba.
The word for vowel in Arabic is

) , % & (Harakat

un

) which literally means movement. There are three

principal ! ,% & (vowels) in Arabic:

1.

The ) 
./
 (Dhammatun) represented by the symbol 01 above a letter produces a u sound

2.

The ) 2
 3 (fatHatun) represented by the symbol 04 above a letter produces an a sound

3.

 , (kasratun) represented by the symbol 0' below a letter produces an e sound

The 5% 

iii

The 
 678$ (sukuunun), represented by the symbol 09 above a "
! % & (letter), indicates that the "
! % & (letter)
carries no ) ,
 % & (vowel).

! % & (letter) carrying a ) , % & (vowel) is called :! %; 2

 3$ (voweled, lit. moving, mutaHarrikun) and a "
! % &
A"
(letter) with a 
 678$ is called <! ,'  (unvoweled, lit. still or silent, saakinun).
The ! ,% & (vowels) given above are often called short vowels. When the letters  , # and

 are <! ,' 

=;   "
$ #$%&$ (letters of elongation, Huruuf al-madd ) or long vowels. When
placed after their corresponding ! ,% & (vowels), these =;   "
$ #$%&$ (letters of elongation) produce => 
u

(unvoweled) they are called

(elongation, maddun):

 
# ?7

(maa)
(dhuu)

@ '

(fii)

As illustrated above,  is used to elongate ) 2

 3 , # to elongate ) . /
 and

 to elongate 5% 
 , .
When the letters  , # and
carry a ) ,
 % & (vowel), they become consonants.

 (a)
# (wa)

 (ya)
The alif, when :
! %; 2
 3$ (voweled) is no longer called an alif. It becomes a hamza.

P3

 
(Nunation)
Often an Arabic noun or adjective is pronounced with a  (n) sound at the end. This is called <
! '6AB
or nunation. This  however, is not written but is represented by a doubled vowel:

' 3. /

' 32
 3
' B% 
 ,

0 (un)
0C (an)
0D (in)

For example, the word for book in Arabic is pronounced <

 $3,' (kitaabun) but written as E
! 3,' (kitaabun).

<! '6AB appears only on   

(nouns) and never on "

! #$%&$ (particles) or

iv

    (verbs).

P4


    (Declension)
Arabic words are either

E
! %  $ (declinable/variable, mu rab

un

) or

@> A'F (indeclinable/fixed, mabniyy

un

). A

declinable word is able to change the vowel on its last letter. An indeclinable word is fixed on one
vowel ending. For example, the word

E
! 3,' (kitaab

un

) meaning book is

E
! %  $ (declinable) so we may

H3,' (kitaab ) or E
D 3,' (kitaab ) depending on the meaning we want to produce. On the other hand,
> A'F (indeclinable) and never becomes #$ (wu) or #' (wi). @> A'F
the word # (wa) meaning and is @
(indeclinable) words never have <
! '6AB .
an

say

We shall see later that most

in

   (nouns) are E

! %  $ (declinable). Most verbs and all "
! #$%&$ (particles)

are @
> A'F (indeclinable).

! %  $ (declinable) words in superscript.

As illustrated above, we shall represent the vowel endings on E
P5


   (Definition)
Nouns are either definite or indefinite. Definite words refer to things that are particular and therefore
identifiable. Indefinite words refer to things that are members of a class and are therefore nonparticular and unidentifiable. The expression a book is indefinite because we do not know which

particular book is being referred to. To make it definite, we need to introduce a determiner as in the

expressions the book, this book and my book which are definite. The Arabic word for definite is

) %'   (ma rifat ) which interestingly means knowledge; definite things, being identified are thereby
known. The Arabic word for indefinite is 5 % 8
'  (nakirat ) which interestingly means unknown.
Indefinite things, being unidentified are unknown.

un

un

P5.1

Common Nouns and Proper Nouns

Common nouns refer to classes of things, such as the word city. Proper nouns (often called
proper names) refer to particular things, such as Damascus.
Proper nouns are intrinsically

) %'   (definite) because they are the names of particular things, such

as Damascus. Common nouns may be indefinite, such as in the expression a city. Common nouns
can be made definite by a determiner, such as in the expressions the city, this city and my city.

P5.2

Articles of Definition
The most common way of making common nouns indefinite and definite is by using articles of
definition. In English, the word a (an before a vowel) is called the indefinite article. Placing it

before a common noun makes it indefinite. The word the is called the definite article. Placing it
before a common noun makes it definite.
Articles of definition apply only to common nouns and not to proper nouns. Proper nouns such as
Damascus cannot be made indefinite because they are intrinsically definite. We cannot say a
Damascus or a London. It also makes no sense to say the Damascus or the London.
There is no indefinite article in Arabic. A book is simply expressed as,

E
! 3,'

A book
(kitaabun)

We can think of a

<! '6AB (tanweenun)

or nunation on the final letter of an Arabic common noun or

adjective as the indefinite article which usually indicates that it is 5 % 8

'  (indefinite).

...I (al) which is called the J

' '%  3. 57 K (lit. particle of definition, adaat
at-ta reef ). It is prefixed to an 
!   (noun) or ) * +
' (adjective). The book is expressed as,

The Arabic definite article is

E
$ 38' 

The book
(al-kitaabu)

Notice that the

un

sound on the final letter is replaced by a simple

sound. In short, the

I at the

beginning and the at the end tell us that the word is ) %'   (definite).
u




 

First Aid

Beginners sometimes fail to distinguish between a

5% 8' 

(indefinite) and

) %'  

(definite) word. They say for example:

E
$ 3,'

(kitaabu)

Which appears to be neither

because of the absence of the

) %'   (definite)
I , nor 5% 8' 

(indefinite) because there is no un at the end.

E
! 38' 

(al-kitaabun)

5% 8'  (indefinite) on a ) %'  

(definite) word beginning with I .
Placing the

Prescription
Restrict yourself to saying either:

E
! 3,' which is 5% 8'  (indefinite), or
E
$ 38'  which is ) %'   (definite).

vi

un

of the

We stated above that articles of definition only apply to common nouns and not to proper nouns
because proper nouns are intrinsically definite. You will find that some proper nouns do however have

<! '6AB or I , such as L! M (Greater Syria, shaam ) and <!   (Yemen, yaman ) which are also written as
L$ N (ash-shaam ) and <$  O (al-yaman ). Some proper nouns come invariably with an I such as P
$ % ' 
(Iraq, al- iraaq ) and Q
$R
;  (China, aS-Seen ). We have this in English too with The Congo and The
Levant. These should not be thought of as articles of definition. They are simply conventions that
have developed as these words were used over time.
un

P5.3

un

Proper names that derive from common nouns

(a) The word for God in Arabic is 1 S (allaahu) which is a proper name. One opinion suggests that this is
an assimilation of the definite article
after the lam)),

rendering

I with the word T! U' (god, ilaah

un

(an alif in pronounced but not written

T$  (al-ilaah ). The hamza is then dropped, and the two lams are assimilated in
u

pronunciation but written separately.

1 S = T$  = T$  + 9
Another opinion states that the proper name

1 S

, being the personal and unique name of God is

indivisible like God Himself, and has no etymology.

(b) People like to give their children names with beautiful meanings and this is why some words such
as <
!
 & have two existences, one as an adjective and one as a proper name.

<! 
 & started its life as the <! '6AB suggests as an indefinite adjective meaning handsome.
Making it definite renders <
$
2
  (the handsome).

The word

<! 
 & . The moment they did so, this adjective ossified into a
proper name. We translate the proper name <
!
 & as Hasan without regard to the descriptive meaning
the original adjective had. As a proper name, <
!
 & (Hasan) is ) %'   (definite). The <! '6AB is not an
indefinite article, but merely a surviving accoutrement of its previous existence as an adjective.
Then one day someone named their son

The I should not normally be attached to proper names that have ossified from the adjective without

I is sometimes attached to such proper names as an allusion to the descriptive meaning
of the original adjective. We might for example, attach I to the name <
!
 & rendering <$ 
2
  (alHasan) to suggest that the person whose name is Hasan is also himself handsome. (This explains the

it. However,

name of the author of this book). The proper name

longer used as an adjective.

=! . 2
 $ behaves in the same way except that it is no

vii

P6

Moon Letters and Sun Letters

Pronunciation
The

I of the definite article I is pronounced when a word begins with one of the

following letters:

# ] L : P " \ [ Z Y X E 
These are called )7 .%' 
  

"
$ #$%2
$  (the Moon Letters, al-huruuf

al-qamariyyatu).

%!  ^ (moon, qamar ) ) %'   (definite),

   (al-qamar ), pronouncing the I of the definite article I .
we say it %$ 
They are called so because when we make the word

un

The

I of the definite article I is not pronounced when a word begins with one of the

remaining letters of the alphabet:

  g f e d c b a ` ? K _ These are called )7 O.

'  N
. 

"
$ #$%2
$  (al-huruufu ash-shamsiyyatu, the Sun Letters).

They are called so because when we make the word h

!  M (sun, shamsun) ) %'   (definite),
we say it h
$  N
.  (ash-shamsu), not pronouncing the I of the definite article I .
It is not necessary to memorise these two lists of letters. Instead, notice that all the Sun
Letters are pronounced very near the place in the mouth from which the

I

is

pronounced. The I of the definite article I is not pronounced when followed by a Sun
Letter to avoid the difficulty on the tongue of successively uttering two letters
pronounced from the same part of the mouth. This difficulty does not occur with the
Moon Letters so the

I

is pronounced.

viii

P7

The Hamza

Orthography
j' k   57 i  ] (Disjunctive hamza, hamzat

al-qaTi)

A glottal stop is the sound at the beginning of the word at. In Arabic, the glottal stop
is usually represented by the letter hamza written as  . When a word begins with a
glottal stop sound, we assume that we should write an initial hamza to represent this.
The initial hamza is written as follows:

7 /  / U' . For example, if we want to say the

`! Fm  . The initial hamza must always be written and

pronounced. This is called j
' k   57 i  ] (hamzat -l-qaT ). When the j' k   57 i  ] is preceded
word akhbaarun, we write

by a vowel, it is still pronounced:

  #

(waasmaaun)

(' +
 6  57 i  ] (Conjunctive or liaison hamza, hamzat

al-waSli)

Sometimes, we appear to pronounce a glottal stop at the beginning of certain words but
do not write

 (hamza). Such words are few and can simply be learned. So far we have

encountered

!   and the definite article I . We never write  (hamza) on the initial 

(alif) of such words. To do so is a spelling mistake. This is because there is actually no

 (hamza) there. This is called (' +

 6  57 i  ] (hamzatu-l-waSli), which is often written like
this n .
The only time an initial hamza sound is pronounced on such words is when they begin a
sentence. This hamza sound is imported like a liaison vowel in order to get the sentence
started (cf. P8). It is not possible to start on a sukuun;
pronounce. When this occurs, the initial

! 

and

I

are impossible to

 (alif) in often vowelled to indicate that a

hamza sound needs to be produced: 

!  ' and I .
When such words are preceded by a vowelled letter, this liaison vowel need not be

supplied and the (alif) is overridden:

!  #
... I#

(wasmun)
(wal )

%$   #

(wa-l-qamaru)

h
$  N
. #

(wa-sh-shamsu)

ix

P8

The liaison vowel

Phonetics
The word phone refers to sound, and is where the word telephone
comes from. A phonetic change is a change we make to the way we say
something because it is either difficult or impossible to say it the way it
should be. In English, for example, the indefinite article a changes to an
when followed by a vowel simply because it is easier to say. Try saying a
apple and then an apple.

(' +
 6  57 i  ] on the definite article I is preceded by
 678$ we encounter something called <' OA,' . 1 3' (iltiqaau assaakinayn i , the meeting of two vowelless consonants). This renders it
In Arabic, when the

impossible to pronounce:

I  ]$ (hum l)
I < ' (min l)
I ( ] (hal l)
It is possible to pronounce both consonants by stopping:

I  ]$ (hum al)

I < ' (min al)
I ( ] (hal al)
However, this stilts the flow of speech so we often import a

) F' A$ ) , % &

 678$ is a
) . /
 the liaison vowel is ) . /
 . If it is a ) 2
 3 the liaison vowel is a 5% 
 , and
(liaison vowel, lit. appropriate vowel). If the vowel preceding the

vice versa:

I $ ]$ (humu-l)
I < ' (mina-l)
I (' ] (hali-l)
Compare for example, the euphonic harmony of
disjointedness of

I ( ] (hal al).

I (' ]

(hali-l) with the

P9

  !  " #
   $  (The Diptote)
You will notice that there are some words in the vocabulary lists that are given,
1.

without <
! '6AB , and

2.

without I

These words are called "

' % R
. 
P9.1

< ' [
! 6$A  (diptotes).

There are intrinsically definite Proper Noun Diptotes, such as,

)7 8o 
P9.2

Makkah

p$ N
  K'

Damascus

1 = ^7

Ancients

There are indefinite common noun diptotes such as,

1 %2
+


Desert

<! '6AB . Note that while the proper noun diptote is intrinsically
definite, the common noun diptote is indefinite. To make it definite, we simply attach I to it:
These words should be learned without

1 %2
R
. 

1 = 7 

The desert

The ancients

"
' % R
.  < ' [
$ 6$A   (The Diptote) will be explained in chapter four. For the moment, you simply need to
recognise it and learn it without <
! '6AB .
P10

&%    $  '  ( (The Weak Noun)

In Arabic, there are three letters that are considered to be weak letters. They are called

)' o '  "

$ #$%&$

(letters of weakness):
1.

2.
3.

q

#

( 5 ` 6$R 

J
! ' , short alif, (alifun maqSuuratun)), (also called ) $ J
! ' , long alif)

( 5 K #$=
 

J
! ' , stretched alif, (alifun mamduudatun )) (also called ) '6r J
! ' , inclined alif)

(wa)
(ya)

If the final root letter of a word is not weak it is called a

letter is weak it is called a (
t 3  $

s! O'2+
 !   (sound noun). When the final root

!   (weak noun) and undergoes certain phonetic changes.

The alif is considered weak because, being itself a long vowel, it is not able to carry another vowel. A
vowel needs a solid consonant to carry it. It is actually physically impossible to pronounce a vowel on
an alif and prizes will be awarded to anyone who can! Arabs calls this `! 
uC  B (impossibility).

xi

Orthography
Often we see what appear to be vowels on an

5K #$=  J
! ' . In fact what we

see are not alifs but hamzas: 71 ,  , U' . Often a vowel is written on the alif of

!  ' and on the definite article I . These are liaison vowels
on alifs carrying (
'+
 6  57 i  ] (cf. P5 The Hamza), not vowels on alifs proper.
words such as

The

# and
are considered weak because it is often, but not always, ( O'v (inelegant, lit. heavy) on the

tongue to pronounce a vowel on them. Arabs call this

(  v' (inelegance

lit. heaviness). This will be

explained below.
P10.1

) !*$  $ (The short)

xw IA  (meaning, ma n ) and xw Ayz$ (dual, muthann ) are called `! 6$R  (short) because they
! ' which is written as q (like a
but without dots). As you can see, xw IA  looks
end in 5 ` 6$R  J
an

Words such as

an

quite different from the regular Arabic word that ends in

<! '6AB

such as

E
! 3,'

. This is because it

undergoes certain phonetic changes. For the moment you simply need to know that there is a category
of word called `! 6$R  that ends in 5 ` 6$R 

J
! ' and has a fatha <! '6AB on the penultimate letter.

But we know that you are a curious bunch and for those of you who really want to know why, we have
explained it in the box below. If you find it befuddling, take a deep breath and gently move on. Dont
worry, you can revisit it later.

Phonetics
xw IA  should be @! A   (manayun) but the ayu sound is ( O'v
! '
(inelegant) in the Arabic tongue. In response, the
changes to 5` 6$R  J
The word

x! A   (manaaun). Earlier we said that E

! 3,' is actually
pronounced <
 $3,' . If we do the same for x! A   we get  x$ A   . It is not
physically possible to pronounce a vowel on an J
! ' because an J
! ' is itself a
rendering

long vowel. A vowel needs a solid consonant to carry it. To overcome this,

5` 6$R  J
! ' and pronounce the <! '6AB on the letter preceding
it: xwA   (manan) (or phonetically, 
 xA   ). Finally, the 5` 6$R  J
! ' is still
written though not pronounced and it is a convention to write the <
! '6AB on the
5` 6$R  J
! ' though it is actually pronounced on the letter preceding it:
we override the

xw IA  (manan).

xii

`! 6$R  words such as HR (stick, aS ) are written with 5K #$=  J
! ' (stretched alif, also called
) '6r J
! ' or long alif). They are still called `! 6$R  even though they have no 5` 6$R  J
! ' . The word

un
HR should be @! R
  ( aSay ). The phonetic changes it undergoes are identical to that of xw IA  .
Some

When the definite article

and  R
   (al-aSaa).

`! 6$R 

an

I is attached to xw IA  and HR , they are pronounced x IA    (al-manaa)

"
' % R
.  < ' [
! 6$A  (diptotes) such as x  6$ (muusaa, Moses), q
 ` 2+

(SaHaaraa, deserts),  OK$ (dunyaa, world) and x
  =^7 (ancients) as expected, do not have <! '6AB . When the
definite article I is attached to the common nouns among them we have q
 ` 2R
.  (aS-SaHaaraa, the
(short) words that are

deserts),  O=
{  (ad-dunyaa, the world) and x  =7  (al-qudaamaa, the ancients).

P10.2

+
 ,*  $ (The reduced)
Words such as

[
D K (caller) and KD # (valley) are called d
! 67A (reduced) because they drop their final

letter. The root of the word [

D K is 6

K (d--w) so it should be 6! ' K (daaiwun). The root of the word

KD # is
K# (w-d-y) so it should be

! K' # (waadiyun). However, the sounds iwu and iyu are ( O'v
(inelegant) in the Arabic tongue, so the weak letter is dropped leaving the <
! '6AB to be pronounced on the
penultimate letter.
When made ) %'   (definite), a

 is appended to d
! 67A words, rendering @ ' .= and

 K' 6 .

d
! 67A (reduced) words of the form [
D  such as e
D ` (lands) and D   (meanings) are "
' % R
.  < ' [
! 6$A 
(diptotes). This is not apparent at first instance, there being no evident difference in ending between the
words KD # and e
D ` . We will expand upon this later.

xiii

P11

Vocabulary
You will have noticed that there are some words in Arabic that suffer certain anomalies relating to the
way they end. We will use this opportunity to enumerate them and put them into categories, choosing
one word of each type as a paradigm heading. We can think of these categories as mental vocabulary
boxes.
On a clean sheet of paper, draw out seven columns in the following manner.

)7 2
 O'2R
.  1  |4 
BOX 1

Generic
Default

(Sound Nouns)

BOX 2

BOX 3

  !  " #
  "   !  " #
  "

Box

Proper Noun
Diptote

Common Noun
Diptote

}
! O

)7 8o 

1 %2
+


)7 o3  $  1  |4 

(Weak Nouns)

BOX 4

BOX 5

BOX 6

BOX 7

) !*$ "

) !*$ "

+
 ,* "

+
 ,* "

Diptotes

Diptotes

xw IA 

x 6$

[
D K

e
D `

HR

OK$

KD #

D  

xw Ayz$

q`2+

x=^7

You can then enter any new word you encounter into one of these boxes so that you know exactly
how it behaves. Box 1 is simply the default box and you need not write anything in it. If you occupy
yourself too much with it you will spend a very long time filling it!

xiv

P12

-, . /! (Word form)

Most Arabic words are produced from a three letter root.

~ 3 , (k-t-b) for example are the root letters

E
! 3,' (book) and ) 3,' (writing).   , (k-l-m) are the root letters of the words L! 
 ,
(speech) and ) 
 ', (word). Words are produced from their roots by adding, dropping or changing letters
and vowels. English grammarians often call root letters radicals. (The English word radical,
for the words

contrary to common perception, simply means root as in radish). A root letter or radical in Arabic is


called a L! a'

"
! % & (lit. necessary letter) and a non-root letter is called a =! 'a "
! % & (extra letter). Arabic

uses the letters (  (f- -l) to map

 O+
' (word forms). (  is called @{ '% R
.  7 iO' (the morphology
template (lit. scale).

P13

The &
  0$
The

'   (Active Participle) and 1 0$  $ '   (Passive Participle)

)  O'+ (form) ( ' 

is used to produce the

(' ' * $   or Active Participle from the root. An Active

Participle is a noun or adjective that refers to the doer or active agent of the action denoted by the
root. For example, the root ~

3 , (k-t-b) denotes the action of writing, so the Active Participle ~

! B',
refers to one who writes or writer. The root   (f-h-m) denotes the action of understanding so
the Active Participle 
! ]'  refers to one who understands.
The )  O'+ (form) 
 6$ *  is used to produce the ' 6$ *  

$   or Passive Participle from the root. A Passive

Participle is a noun or adjective that refers to the done to or passive agent of the action denoted by the

~ 3 , (k-t-b) denotes the action of writing, so the Passive Participle

E
! 6$38  refers to something written. The root   (f-h-m) denotes the action of understanding so
the Passive Participle L! 6$*  refers to something understood.
root. For example, the root

P14

The relative adjective

It is possible to produce a

) * +
' (adjective) from an !   (noun) by suffixing

> 0' to it. This is called 1 

)' F
 A; (the yaaof relating). This produces an attributive relating to meaning. In English, we suffix
ic in this way to produce Islamic from Islam and suffix tary to produce monetary from
money. suffixing

> 0' produces a relative adjective that is indefinite, masculine and singular, despite
the characteristics of the original word.

@> ' 
  U'
@> '
@> 
'  M

Islamic

(islaamiyyun)

Monetary

(maaliyyun)

Solar

(shamsiyyun)

xv

L$ 
  ' 
 
h
!  M

Islam
(al-islaamu)

Money
(maalun)

Sun
(shamsun)

> %'  ^

Lunar

@> '% &

Literal

@> '% +


Morphological

(qamariyyun)


(Harfiyyun)


(Sarfiyyun)

%!  ^

Moon

"
! % &

Letter

"
! % +


Morphology

(qamarun)

(Harfun)

(Sarfun)

Nationality and attribution is frequently produced in this way.

> `' 6$

Syrian

.`' 6$

Syria

@> ' N
  K'

Damascene

p$ N
  K'

Damascus

> %' R
 '

Egyptian

%$ R
 '

@> 8' '% 

American

8'% 

@> 'k'%

British

O'k'%

Egypt
America
Britain

> 0' is attached to a definite word, it becomes indefinite and must lose its definite article.
When the

@> A'O'+

Chinese

Q
$ R
' 

China

@> ^'% '

Iraqi

P
$ % ' 

Iraq

!   (noun) ends in a 5
If the 
@> '2+

@> 8 

/ )I it must be dropped before suffixing

> 0' .
) 2+


Companion

)7 8o 

Meccan

The relative adjective is made

 . $ (feminine) by attaching 5

) O.8 

Companions
Mecca

/ )I after

> 0' .

Meccan (f)

The

> 0' attached to a j!   (plural) renders it K! % * $ (singular).

@> '`'

 `'

Mens

xvi

Men

> 6' 
 ' / @> ''
@> '% 

56 
 ' /  '

Womens; womanly

E
$ %  

Arabic; Arab
(masc. sing. adj.)

> 0' is attached to a word ending in 5` 6$R 

When

The Arabs
(collective plural)

J
! ' such as xw IA  , the 5` 6$R  J
! ' changes to a # .

> 6' A  

Relating to meaning, semantic; spiritual

(also

> #' OK$ )

> 6' OK$

Worldy

> 6'  6$

Mosaic(al)

> 0' is attached to a word ending in 57 K #$=  

When

' O' 3. J

$ ' such as 1 %2
+
 , the  changes to a # .

> #' %2

+

P15

Women

Relating to the desert, desert (adj.)

 2 3 (pronouns)
! ' /
 (Dameerun, pronoun) is a word that takes the place of an !   (noun) in the nouns absence. In
the expression, the man is big, we may replace the 
!   (noun) man with the ! ' /
 (pronoun) he,
A

rendering he is big.
Arabic

%$ '/
 (pronouns)

have a singular

(pronouns) are all intrinsically

K! % * $

(singular),

xw Ayz$

(dual) and

j!  

(plural) form.

%$ '/


) %'   (definite) because they always take the place of a ) %'   (definite)

noun. If I were to say to you, He came, it would make no sense for me to say this unless you know
who I am talking about. If you know who I am talking about, then He is ) %'   (definite).
English has different sets of pronouns for different purposes. Consider the expression, He is a student
so do not take his book from him. There are three pronouns we can use to refer to him: He, his and
him. The same is true for the other persons. For example, in the first person we have: I am a student
so do not take my book from me. We will consider why we have different sets of pronouns later. For
the moment, we will learn the Arabic equivalents for these.
P15.1

-4 5 !
 0  "  2 6
(detached pronouns)
The pronouns He, She, They, You I and We are rendered into Arabic using what we call

) R
' * A$ %$ '/
 (detached pronouns).
The third person masculine pronouns are,

 ]$ (they pl.)

]$ (they two)

xvii

6 ]$ (he/it)

The third person feminine pronouns are

<. ]$ (they pl.)

]$ (they two)

@ ]' (she/it)

3$ (you two)

}
  (you)

3$ (you two)

}
'  (you)

The second person masculine pronouns are

 3$ (you pl.)

The second person feminine pronouns are

<. 3$ (you pl.)

In the first person, the same pronouns are used for masculine and feminine

<$ 2
  (we)

 (I)

There is no
! ' /
 (pronoun) in Arabic for it. 6 ]$ and @ ]' are used to mean it. When referring to a
mixed group, like French, the masculine plural 
 ]$ is used.
You should learn these pronouns in the numbered order given. They have been tabulated for you in the
vocabulary section for ease of learning.
P15.2

-4 5 !
 "  2 6
(attached pronouns)
The pronouns His, Her, Their, Your My and Our and the pronouns Him, Her, Them,
You, Me and Us are rendered into Arabic using what we call ) R
' 3.$

%$ '/
 (attached pronouns).

The third person masculine pronouns are,

 ]$ (Their/Them pl.)

]$ (Their/Them two)

T$ I (His/Him)

The third person feminine pronouns are

<. ]$ (Their/Them pl.)

]$ (Their/Them two)

] (Her)

The second person masculine pronouns are

 ,7 (Your/You pl.)

,7 (Your/You two)

: (Your/You)

,7 (Your/You two)

:' (Your/You)

The second person feminine pronouns are

<. ,71 (Your/You pl.)

In the first person, the same pronouns are used for masculine and feminine

 (we)

 0' (I)

The pronouns T$ I and ] can also mean its and it.

xviii

7
  8 0$  $
Vocabulary
These are Arabic ) R
' * A$

%$ '/
 (detached pronouns). They are all ) %'   (definite):

DRILL #1

j!  

xw Ayz$

Plural
(hum)

K! % * $

Dual
(3)

(huma)

Singular
(2)

(huwa)

' 9

9

 9

THEY

THEY (two)

HE

(hunna)

(6)

(huma)

(5)

(hiya)

9

9

: 9

THEY

THEY (two)

SHE

(antum)

(9)

(antuma)

(8)

(anta)

' ;

;

<
;

YOU

YOU (two)

YOU

(antunna)

(12)

(antuma)

(11)

(anti)

;

;

<
 ;

YOU

YOU (two)

YOU

(naHnu)

(14)

(ana)

 =
 ;

;

WE

(1)

%! ,o  $
Masculine

~
! '
(4)

Third person

 . $
Feminine

(7)

%! ,o  $
Masculine

~
! r $
Second
person

(10)

 . $
Feminine

(13)

%! ,o  $

 . $ #

! 8 3$
First person

Masculine and
feminine

All %$ '/
 (pronouns) should be learned in the numbered order given. All the verb forms introduced in
later chapters will be conjugated in this order.

xix

These are Arabic ) R

' 3.$

%$ '/
 (attached pronouns). They are all ) %'   (definite):

DRILL #2

j!  

xw Ayz$

K! % * $

Plural

Dual

Singular

(hum)

(3)

(huma)

' 9

9

THEIR / THEM

THEIR / THEM

(hunna)

(6)

(huma)

(2)

(hu)

> ?
(5)

(haa)

9

THEIR / THEM

THEIR / THEM

HER

(9)

(kuma)

(8)

(ka)

' @,

@,

AB

YOUR / YOU

YOUR / YOU

YOUR / YOU

(kunna)

(12)

(kuma)

(11)

(ki)

@,

@,

B

YOUR / YOU

YOUR / YOU

YOUR / YOU

(naa)

%! ,o  $
Masculine

HIS / HIM

9
(kum)

(1)

(14)

(iy)

D
 C


OUR / US

MY /ME

xx

~
! '
(4)

Third person

 . $
Feminine

(7)

%! ,o  $
Masculine

~
! r $
Second
person

(10)

 . $
Feminine

(13)

%! ,o  $

 . $ #
Masculine and
feminine

! 8 3$
First person

1  |4  (nouns) will be introduced as 5 % 8'  (indefinite) unless otherwise indicated. You should take care
to pronounce the un at the end of 5 % 8
'  (indefinite) words. %$ '
.  (pronouns) are intrinsically ) %'  
(definite).

[
$ 6$
7  (plurals)

have been provided in brackets. These should be learned together with

K$ % * $ 

(the

singular).
Synonyms are separated by commas and alternative meanings are separated by semi colons. Nonessential words at this stage are shaded in grey.

1 S

Allah (def. prop. noun)

Allah

Muhammad (def. prop. noun)

muHammadun (muHammaduuna)

(   ) (  '

1. verb (gram.);
2. action

filun (afaalun)

(  ) !  

1. noun (gram.);
2. name

ismun (asmaaun)

("
! #$%&$ "
! %$ & ) "
! % &

1. letter (gram.);
2. edge

Harfun (aHrufun , Huruufun)

book; message

kitaabun (kutubun)

house

baitun (buyuutun)

beautiful, handsome (masc.)

jameelun (jameeluuna)

(! 
 O'  ) ) O'

beautiful, handsome (fem.)

jameelatun (jameelaatun)

(! ,% & ) ) , % &

1. vowel (gram.);
2. movement (f)

Harakatun (Harakaatun)

1. vowellessness (gram.);
2. stillness; silence

sukuunun

Elongation

maddun

letters of elongation: # ,  &

Huruufu al-maddi

Moving

mutaHarrikun

<! ,' 

1. vowelless consonant
(gram.);
2. stillness; silence
3. inhabitant

saakinun

E
! %  U'

Declension

iraabun

E
! % $

declinable, variable in ending

murabun

indeclinable, fixed in ending

mabniyyun

( #$=. 2
 $ ) =! . 2
 $

(~
! 3$,7 ) E
! 3,'
(! 6$O$) }
! O
( 67O' ) ( O'

 687 $
=> 
=;   "
$ #$%&$
:! %; 2
 3$

@> A'F

xxi

#

and (conjunction)

Wa

Syria

shaamun / ash-shaamu

Yemen

yamanun / al-yamanu

Iraq

al-iraaqu

China

aS-Seenu

God

ilaahun (aalihatun)

handsome; beautiful (m. adj.)

Hasanun (Hisaanun)

handsome; beautiful (f. adj.)

Hasanun (Hisaanun)

Hasan (prop. noun)

Hasanun (Hasanuuna)

al-Hasan (prop. noun)

al-Hasanun (al-Hasanuuna)

1. adjective (gram.);
2. attribute, quality (f)

Sifatun (Sifaatun)

Nunation

tanweenun

Definition

tareefun

indefinite (gram.)

nakiratun

("
$ `'   ) )  %'  

1. definite (gram.);
2. knowledge (f)

Marifatun (maaarifu)

(! # K ) 5 K

1. particle (gram.);
2. tool (f)

adaatun (adawaatun)

L$ .N / L! M
<$  O / <!  
P
$ % ' 
Q
$ R
; 
()  ') T! U'
( &' ) <! 
 &
(! A
 & ) ) A
 &
( 6$A
 & ) <! 
 &
( 6$A
2
 ) <$ 
2
 
(! *+
' ) ) * +
'
<! '6AB
J
! '%  B
5 % 8' 

J
' '%  3. 57 K

definite article

(`! ^ ) %!  ^

moon; satellite

qamarun (aqmaarun)

sun (f)

shamsun (shumuusun)

the moon letters

al-Huruufu al-qamariyyatu

the sun letters

al-Huruufu ash-shamsiyyatu

Cutting

qatun

( +
 #

Connection

waSlun

5 i  ]

letter sounding glottal stop

hamzatun

j' k   57 i  ]

disjunctive hamza

hamzatu al-qati

(' +
 6  57 i  ]

Conjunctive hamza

(b
! 6$M$ ) h
!  M
)7 .%'    "
$ #$%2
$ 
)7 O.
'  N
.  "
$ #$%2
$ 
j! k ^

 3'

(lit. tool of definition)

(lit. the hamza of cutting)

(lit. the hamza of connection)

adaatu at-tareefi

hamzatu al-waSli
iltiqaaun

Meeting

xxii

<' OA,' . 1 3'

the meeting of two vowelless

consonants

iltiqaau as-saakinayni

~
! ' A$

appropriate (m)

munaasibun

) F' A$

appropriate (f)

munaasibatun

liaison vowel

Harakatun munaasibatun

) F' A$ ) , % &

)7 8o 
p$ N
  K'

(lit. appropriate vowel)

Makkah

makkatu

Damascus

dimashqu

desert

SaHraau
(SaHaaraa, SaHraawaatun)

ancient (m)

qadeemun
(qudamaau, qudaamaa)

ancient (f)

qadeematun (qadeemaatun)

forbidden (m)

mamnuuun (mamnuuuuna)

forbidden (f)

mamnuuatun (mamnuuaatun)

"
! % +


1. morphology (gram.)
2. changing
3. spending (money, time etc.)

Sarfun

"
' %.R < ' [
! 6$A 

Diptote (lit. forbidden from change)

mamnuuun mina aS-Sarfi

Weak

mutallun

Weakness

Letters of weakness

Huruufu al- illati

Short

maqSuurun

Short alif

alifun maqSuuratun

Stretched

mamduudun

Stretched alif

alifun mamduudatun

sound; correct (m)

SaHeeHun (SiHaaHun)

sound; correct (f)

SaHeeHatun (SaHeeHaatun)

sound noun

ismun SaHeeHun

weak noun

ismun mutallun

impossibility

taadthdthurun

heavy (m)

thaqeelun (thiqaalun)

heavy (f)

thaqeelatun (thaqeelaatun)

(! #%2
+
 q`2+
 ) 1 %2
+

* (x=^7 1 = ^7) ! =' ^
(! =' ^) )  =' ^
( 6$ 6$A  ) [
! 6$A 
(!  6$A  ) )  6$A 

(t 3  $
) o '
)' o '  "
$ #$%&$
`! 6$R 
5` 6$R  J
! '
K! #$= 
5 K #$=  J
! '
(Y
! 2+
' ) s! O'2+

(! 2O'2+
 ) ) 2
 O'2+

s! O'2+
 !  
(t 3  $ !  
`! u  B
( v') ( O'v
(! 
 O'v) ) O'v

xxiii

illatun

(  v'
(D   ) xw IA 
( def. x.Az$ ) (! OA.z$ ) xw Ayz$
(@> R
' ' ) HR
d
! 67A
(5  K$  6$ K) [
D K
( K #' ) K' # ) KD #
( 6$/`  e
D `) e
! ` 
( O+
' ) )  O+
'
(! 3,' ) ) 3,'
L! 
 ,
(! ', ! ', ) )  ',
L! a'  "
! % &
=! 'a "
! % &
@{ '% R
.  7 i O'
(' ' * $  '
(E
! .3,7 ) ~
! B',
( 6$]' ) ! ]' 
' 6$ *   $  '
(! 6$38  ) ~
! 3$8 
(! 6$*  ) L! 6$* 
)' F
 A; 1 
L$ 
  ' 
@> ' 
  U'
( 6 )  
@> '
@> 
'  M

> %'  ^

heaviness

thiqalun

meaning

manan (maaanin)

dual (gram.)

muthannan (muthannayaatun)
(al-muthannaa)
aSan (iSiyyun)

staff, stick

reduced (gram.)

manquuSun

caller

daain (daauuna , duaatun )

valley

waadin (awdiyatun , widyaanun)

earth

arDun (araaDin, araDuuna)

(word) form

Seeghatun (Siyaghun)

writing

kitaabatun (kitaabaatun)

speech

kalaamun

word (fem.)

kalimatun (kalimun , kalimaatun)

root letter (lit. necessary letter)

Harfun laazimun

non-root extra letter

Harfun zaaidun

the morphological template

(lit. scale)

al-meezaanu aS-Sarfiyyu

Active Participle

ismu al-faaili

author, writer

kaatibun (kuttaabun)

one who understands

faahimun (faahimuuna)

Passive participle

ismu al-mafuuli

written

maktuubun (maktuubaatun)

understood

mafhuumun (mafhuumaatun)

the yaa of relating

yaau an-nisbati

Islam

al-islaamu

Islamic

islaamiyyun

wealth; money

maalun (amwaalun)

monetary

maaliyyun

solar

shamsiyyun

lunar

qamariyyun

xxiv

@> '% &

@> ' % +

.`' 6$

> `' 6$
@> ' N
  K'
%$ R
 '

> %' R
 '
8'% 
@> 8' '% 
O'k'%
@> 'k'%
Q
$ R
' 
@> A'O'+
P
$ % ' 
@> ^'% '
) 2+

@> '2+

)7 8o 
@> 8 
( `' ) ( $ `
@> '`'
56 
 ' /  '

> 6' 
 ' / @> ''
E
$ %  
@> '% 

> 6' A  
(also

> #' OK$ )

> 6' OK$

> 6'  6$

> #' %2

+


literal

Harfiyyun

morphological

Sarfiyyun

Syria

suuriyyaa

Syrian

suuriyyun

Damascene

dimashqiyyun

Egypt

miSru

Egyptian

miSriyyun

America

amreekaa

Amercan

amreekiyyun

Britain

bareeTaaniyaa

British

bareeTaaniyyun

China

aS-Seenu

Chinese

Seeniyyun

Iraq

al-iraaqu

Iraqi

companions

SaHaabatun

companion

SaHaabiyyun

Makkah

makkatu

makkan

makkiyyun

man

rajulun (rijaalun)

mens

rijaaliyyun

women

nisaaun / niswatun

womens

nisaaiyyun / niswiyyun

the Arabs

al-arabu

arab (adj.); arabic

moral; spiritual

manawiyyun

worldly

dunyawiyyun (dunyaawiyyun)

mosaic

muusawiyyun

desert (adj.)

SaHraawiyyun

iraaqiyyun

xxv

arabiyyun

 

 

Chapter 1

Phrases
The Preliminaries chapter introduced to us some key principles relating to Arabic words. In this
chapter, we are going to learn how to produce phrases (not sentences yet Im afraid). We will focus on
five basic structures:

1.
2.
3.
4.

1.1


 


   
   



  

(The Quasi sentence)

(shibhu jumlatin)

(Possession)

(al-iDaafatu)

(Demonstration)

(al-ishaaratu)

(Description)

(al-waSfu)

       (The Quasi Sentence)

A 

 


 (quasi sentence, shibh jumlat ) is produced when a   

  (Harf jarr ) or preposition comes
together with a !" (noun) or a #
 (pronoun). A preposition in Arabic is also sometimes called a $ 
(jaarr ) and the quasi sentence is also referred to as %
&
 ' % $  (jaarr wa majruur ). A   

 
u

in

un

in

un

un

(preposition) is a word that tells us about the spatial relationship between two words. In the expression,

  

  (preposition). In English, the word following a
 ' !" .
preposition is called its object. In Arabic we call it %
&

a word from the book, the word from is a

The following are a few  



( '
-

From

In Arabic a  




%

(prepositions) in Arabic.
) *

)
+

To

On; Upon



  (preposition) makes its %
&
 ' !" (object) end in . /
 0 .
1
 20 ( '

From a book
(min kitaabin)

1
 23  ( '

From the book

(min al-kitaabi)
(Note the liaison vowel on (
 ' (cf. P6))

,

In; About

.
5
 26'

4
 (attached pronouns), not .
5
 7 8'

4

of  
 

%

(prepositions).
We use


8'

1
 23  ( '

From it
(Note that we say 
8 ' not  9

From the book

( ' )

:;

<
  >=  ,

On/in it

1.1.1

(detached pronouns) (cf. P13), as objects

On/in the Earth

A 

 


 (quasi sentence) consisting of a   

  (preposition) and its object must be attached to
another word in order to establish the spatial relationship between the object of the  
 

 
 

 (quasi
(preposition) and that word. For example, in the expression a word from the book, the 

sentence) from the book is attached to a word. In Arabic we call attachment ?@
A B (ta allaq ); we say
that the 

 

 (quasi sentence) is ?
CA 2'
(muta alliq ) or attached.

un

un

1
 20 ( ' . 
0

A word from a book

(kalimatun min kitaabin)

1
 23  ( ' . 
0

A word from the book

(kalimatun min al-kitaabi)

1
 23  ( '  
3 

The word from the book

(al-kalimatu min al-kitaabi)

1
 23  ,  DE

The sign in the book

(al-aayatu fi al-kitaabi)

Life on the earth

<
  >=  ,  ;F
 

(al-Hayaatu fi al-arDi)
(on the earth is expressed as <
  >= 

G
 68 ) * 120

, not <

  >=  )
+ )

A message to Mankind
(kitaabun ila an-naasi)

Close to the earth and far from the sky

L /
6  ( + H;AI% <
  >=  ( ' JDK

(qareebun min al-arDi wa baeedun ani as-samaai)

(Note the liaison vowel on (
 + )

:8+ H;AI% 
8' JDK

Close to it/him and far from it/her

(qareebun minhu wa baeedun anhaa)

Phonetics
  

%


The following phonetic changes occur to some

.5
 26'
object is a M

(prepositions) when their

#
 (attached pronoun).

When attached to a M
.5
 26'

#
 (attached pronoun) the preposition ) * changes to N; *

and )
+
 changes to N;
+

! 3 ;
+ O
P
/
6 
8; *

Peace be upon you

(The traditional Muslims greeting)

To us

When 
N , 9

, ! 9
or (6 9
are preceded by . /
 0 or Q
 , the . 6 
 becomes . /
 0 .

 ;

In him/it

: ; *

To them (two)

! : ;
+

On them (two)

(6 : ;

In them (f)

The attached pronoun QR

 for the first person singular behaves in the following
anomalous ways:
(a) When preceded by a long vowel (% , Q
 or  ), QR changes to Q
 .

,6  *

To me

Q
 + N; *

QR + N; *

,6
+

On me

Q
 + N;
+

QR + N;
+

,6 

In me

Q
 + , 

QR + ,  )

(b) When attached to the prepositions

( ' and ( + a U is interpolated and we have

two alternative spellings.

,88' / ,V8'

,88+ / ,V8+

From me

From/about me

When the pronoun X (us/our) is attached to (

 ' or ( + , the two nuns are assimilated:

68'
(From us)

68+

X + ( '

X + ( +

(From/about us)



   

Vocabulary

%
&
 ' % $  / 
 



Quasi sentence

shibhu jumlatin / jaarrun wa majruurun

preposition

Harfu jarrin / jaarrun

in; among; (preposition)

fii

on the earth

fi al-arDi

on (prep.)

on the ground

) *

to (prep.)

ilaa

( '

from; of (prep.)

min

( +

from; about (prep.)

until (prep.)

Hattaa

word

kalimatun (kalimun, kalimaatun)

sign

aayatun (aayaatun, aayun)

life (f)

Hayaatun

People, Mankind

naasun

relative (m)

qareebun (aqribaau)

(( ' ) (U 
DK ) JDK

close (to) (m)

qareebun (qareebuuna) (min)

(( ' ) (YDK ) . DK

close (to); relative (f)

qareebatun (qareebaatun) (min)

Hasans relative

qareebu Hasanin

( /
  ( ' JDK

close to Hasan

qareebun min Hasanin

(( + ) (_AI) H;A I

far (from) (m)

baeedun (biaadun) (an)

far (from) (f)

baeedatun (baeedaatun) (an)

sky

samaaun (samaawaatun)

peace

salaamun

$  /   

 
,
<
  >=  ,
)
+
<
  >=  )
+

)62
(Y
0 Z !
0 ) . 
0
(Q\ Z YD\) . D\
(Y; ) . ;
GX
(L] I K ^ ) JDK

( /
  J

DK

(( + ) (YH ;A I) . H ;A I

(Y%" ) L` "
O P"

alaa

ala al-arDi

an

Exercise 1.1.2

Exercise 1.1.1

Express in Arabic
1.

From the sun

2.

Life in Iraq

3.

On an edge

4.

Until the meeting

5.

Forbidden from change

6.

A movement in the skies/heavens

7.

Appropriate in writing

8.

A word to Mankind

9.

Close to me and far from you

10.

A house in the valley

Express in English

c
 5
V  ) *
d
  e
6  ,
O 6e ( '
! 3 ;
+ O P"
8;
+ O
P
/
6 
,6
+ O
P
/
6 %
,V8' . 
0
,V8+ H;AI% f
 8' JDK
<
  >=  , O P"
G
 68 ) * g
  ( ' . D\

.a
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

 

 

Chapter 1

Phrases
1.2

  
(Possession)
Expressions such as the students book and his book involve possession. We render such

  
construction.   
literally means

attribution. The    
construction is made up of two parts: 

 (muDaafun, possessed noun or

expressions into Arabic using something called an

attributed) and 



 (muDaafun ilayhi, possessor or attributed to (it)).

1.2.1

     
  
(the definite possessive construction)

In Arabic, the

 (possessed

noun) always comes before the





 (possessor), so that the

actual word order would be for example, the book of the student, rather than the students book,
though both translations are acceptable.

The 

 (possessed noun) always makes the 


 (possessor) end in  

  .




 


The book of the student or

The students book
(kitaabu aT-Taalibi)








 

Possessor

Possessed noun


does not exist. As you can see, that is not entirely true.
We said in the Preliminaries chapter that 
Possession by a definite entity is one of the determiners that makes a noun definite. When we say,
the students book, we are not referring to a book or any book; we are referring to the particular book
that belongs to the student. In English we do not feel the need to repeat the definite article on the
word book and say the students the book. The simple fact that book is possessed by the student
makes book itself definite. It does not need its own definite article.

In the same way, in Arabic, we never put the definite article

 being definite, also never has !

"
#$% .

 on a 

 (possessed noun). The

In short, we only put the definite article  on the 



 (possessor), which makes the whole   

construction   
&  (definite) the book of the student.

Here are a few very common expressions in Arabic that are definite    
constructions.

'




(kitaabu Allahi)

'

(
)

Allahs house / The house of Allah

'

 * +,

Allahs slave / The slave of Allah

'

 .- /0 1
'

2
34


(a) The

Allahs book / The book of Allah

(baitu Allahi)

(abdu Allahi)

Allahs names / The names of Allah

(asmaau Allahi)

Allahs attributes / The attributes of Allah

(Sifaatu Allahi)





 (possessor) may be a 5 6

7 
/

 (attached pronoun), not a 5 6

3 $ 
/



pronoun). The ending of the

:9 $
+ (indeclinable).


/

 (pronoun) however does not change because  8
/
 (pronouns) are

 ) 

His book
(Note: we do not say # ;




 


The students book



)

= < % $)

Their daughters

>
?@  2
$)
The mens daughters

!7 ; A B C 1

Their sons

.
$@ A B C 1
The womens sons

D
  3 4


Your attribute

: 
)
My house

$E 1F
Our mother

(detached

Phonetics
The following phonetic changes occur to some
pronouns) when they are attached to .G /0
 1 (nouns).

5 6

7  8
/


(attached

  , /; , = ;
becomes  
  .
When

or

!7 ;

are preceded by

 
 


)

:


 ) 

/<
$
) ! 

/< $ )

= <
@ 1F I

= < E 1F

!7 <

J
  IK,

!7 <  J
 

or

H


, the

 /7


When preceded by a long vowel (C , H

 or  ), HL
changes to H
 .

H
 MA

My world

H
 6,

My stick

 (possessed noun). In the examples above, it ends in  /7


which is the default ending. It may also end in   
  or  N
  , depending on what comes before it.

(b) There is no fixed ending for the




  


:




 


:
  / K


In the book of the student / In the students book

(fii kitaabi aT-Taalibi)

A word in the book of the student / A word in the students book

(kalimatun fii kitaabi aT-Taalibi)

  endings in chapters two and three.

We will introduce  N
(c) When one 



 possesses a number of items, rather than saying,




 = KOC 


We say,

 / KOC 
 


 % 34

C '

 .- /0 1

The book and pen of the student

(lit. the book of the student and his pen)

The names and attributes of Allah

(lit. the names of Allah and His attributes)

Effectively, we have two   
constructions; the second is conjucted to the first with C .
(d) Note that the 


 (possessor) may be  
&  (definite) but have !

"
#$% if it is a proper noun. This

is still a definite   
construction.

*Q /7 N
  P J
 
!Q 
 R (

) :

!Q 
 R (

) ! 

S

1.2.2

Muhammads speech / The speech of Muhammad

(kalaamu Muhammadin)

In Hasans house / In the house of Hasan

(fii bayti Hasanin)

The book from Hasans house / The book from the house of Hasan
(al-kitaabu min bayti Hasanin)

   
  
(the indefinite possessive construction)

  
is made  
&  (definite) by a definite 




(possessor), then simply making the 



 (possessor)   S
M (indefinite) should render the whole

construction   S

M (indefinite).
You have probably guessed that if the whole


Q 
T 


A book of a student, or
A students book, or
The book of a student
(kitaabu Taalibin)


Q 
T 


:


In a book of a student, or
In a students book, or
In the book of a student
(fi kitaabi Taalibin)

In English we say, a students book. We dont feel the need to repeat the indefinite article on the word
book and say a students a book because book is made indefinite by a student. In the same way,
in Arabic, we never put a







!
"
#$% on a 

 (possessed noun). In short, we only put a !

"
#$% on the

(possessor), which makes the whole

  
construction  S
M (indefinite)

a book of a

student.
You can see above that we have translated the expression


Q 
T 


in three different ways. In

meaning, all of these expressions are   S

M (indefinite), even though English uses a definite article in the
third. This is because the 


 (possessor) a student is   S
M (indefinite). Similarly, Arabic would

consider the expressions, the middle of a desert and the daughter of a king to be completely
(indefinite) and would translate them using an indefinite    
construction.
The

 S
M

  
construction cannot be used to express a book of the student, for which we will introduce

an alternative structure.
(a) The indefinite   
construction is used for certain idiomatic expressions

WV R F / K


A word of truth
(kalimatu Haqqin)

We can dispense with the    
construction and render this,

W@ N
  ! 
 / K


A word of truth
(kalimatun min al-Haqqi)

! 
(from) is used here to mean of. Note that  / K
 in the above expression has !
"
#$% .
This is because we are not using an    
construction.
The preposition

1.2.3

   Chains
It is possible to have a series of 

 (possessed nouns) and 


 (possessors) forming an Idafa

 (possessor).
chain. The definite article  can only be placed on the final 


X
0 Y-  (

$)
= 0 



 X
0 1F (

$)
= 0 

Q 
T X
0 1F (

$)
= 0 

The name of the daughter of the teacher

(ismu binti al-ustaadhi)

The name of the daughter of the teacher of the student

(ismu binti ustaadhi aT-Taalibi)

A name of a daughter of a teacher of a student

(ismu binti ustaadhi Taalibin)

In the second example above, we have three



(possessed nouns) and three







= 0  (a name) is the 

 of (

$)
(a daughter) which is its 



 and in turn also the



 of X
0 1F (a teacher), which is its 



 and again in turn also the 

 of 
Q 
T (a student)
which is the final 



 (possessor).
(possessors).

1.2.4

Superlatives

5F & 1 (afalu) is called 5

37 = 0  (noun of preference). In English, it is often called the


37 = 0  is used in Arabic for comparatives and superlatives. 5

37 = 0  is made
elative form. The 5

The form

\
 M7]  (feminine) using the form IK& F (fulaa). The \
 M7]  (feminine) of ! 
 R 1 (handsomer/handsomest)
for example, is I$
 R (more/most beautiful). The \
 M7]  (feminine) of >F C7 1 (first, (assimilated from >F C 11))
is IC 1F .
The 5


37

= 0  (noun of preference) for ^

&7 
  (doubled) roots is of the form 5_ 1 (afallu) for the 
 ` 
(masculine) and does not have a \
 M7]  (feminine) counterpart. We have *E a 1 (severer/severest) and 5_ O1
(less/least).
The

5

37 = 0  (noun of preference) for 5b &  (weak) roots is of the form I&1 (afaa) for the 
 ` 

& F (fuyaa) for the \

 M7]  (feminine). We have IK, 1 (higher/highest) and its feminine
K , . The word MA (world) is actually the feminine of IMA 1 (lower/lowest or closer/closest).

(masculine) and

10

  
construction the 5

37 = 0  (noun of preference) form 5F & 1 produces a
superlative. The masculine singular form 5
F & 1 is used even for the feminine and the plural.

(a) When in an indefinite

*Q C ! 
 R 1

The handsomest boy

(
Q $)
! 
 R 1

The prettiest girl

(aHsanu waladin)

(aHsanu bintin)

.Q /0 1 ! 
 R 1

The most beautiful names

(aHsanu asmaain)

2
Q "c  +1

The greatest signs

(akbaru aayaatin)

d

e Yf  :
 (
Q ) >F C7 1

The first house on the Earth

(awwalu baytin fi al-arDi)

Q / K
 >F C7 1

The first word

=Q 0  IK, 1

The loftiest name

(awwalu kalimatin fi al-arDi)

(alaa ismin)

d

e Yf C 2

C/
7  :
 5Q g IK, 1

The loftiest similitude in the heavens and the earth

(alaa mathalin fi as-samaawaati wa al-arDi)

Q / K
 IK, 1

The loftiest word

(alaa kalimatin)

.Q /0 IMA 1 I
.Q /0 IK, 1 ! 

From the highest heaven to the lowest heaven

(min alaa samaain ilaa adnaa samaain)

Q R IMA 1

The lowest life

(adnaa Hayaatin)

The nouns 
h
 (better/best) and 9 a (worse/worst) are not of the 5F & 1 form but are used in this way as
superlatives. (it is poor Arabic to say  h
 1 and E a 1 ).

*Q C E a

The worst boy

(
Q $)
 h

The best girl

If we make the 



 indefinite and plural, we have the following,

AQ B C 1 ! 
 R 1

The handsomest boys

2
Q $) ! 
 R 1

The prettiest girls

(aHsanu awlaadin)

(aHsanu banaatin)

Note that although the above are indefinite    
constructions, they are  
&  (definite) semantically or
in meaning. This is because, by definition, there can only be one person/thing that is most or least in

11

any given quality. That person/thing is therefore identifiable and anything identifiable is necessarily

 
&  (definite).

 definite and plural, we have the following

If we make the 


A
B C Yf  ! 
 R 1

The handsomest of boys, or

The handsomest of the boys
(aHsanu al-awlaadi)

2

$+ ! 
 R 1

The prettiest of girls , or

The prettiest of the girls
(aHsanu al-banaati)

$$ 
 R 1

The handsomest/prettiest of us
(aHsanunaa)

(b) When the 5


37

= 0  (noun of preference) form 5F & 1 is followed by the preposition ! 
it becomes a

comparative. Only the masculine singular form 5
F & 1 can be used for the comparative.
*Q C ! 
! 
 R 1

Handsomer than a boy

(aHsanu min waladin)

(

$+
 ! 
! 
 R 1

1.2.5

Prettier than the girl

(aHsanu min bintin)

7$

h

Better than us

 $
9 a

Worse than him

(khayrun minnaa)

(sharrun minhu)

 !
The word 5
_ F in an indefinite   
construction means every or each

.Q : a 5_ F

Everything
(kullu shayin)


Q 
5_ F

Every/each book
(kullu kitaabin)

.Q 
  5_ F
Note that although these are indefinite

Every/each person
(kullu mriin)

  
construction, they are  
&  (definite) semantically or in

meaning. This is because if we refer to every member/unit of a group, we are referring to the group as
a whole, which then becomes identifiable and anything identifiable is necessarily  
&  (definite).

12

If we make the   
construction

 
&  (definite), 5_ F means whole.



S
 5_ F

The whole book

(kullu al-kitaabi)

If we make the 



 (possessor) definite and plural 5_ F means all. When used like this, i 
/? is

_ F .
synonymous to 5


 SF  i 
/? / 

 SF  5_ F

All (of) the books

(kullu al-kutubi / jameeu al-kutubi)

= < & 
/? / = < K_F

All of them
(kulluhum / jameeuhum)

The above can also be expressed as follows:



 SF  ! 
5b F

All (of) the books

(kullun min al-kutubi)

= < $
5b F

All of them
(kullun minhum)

13

"

# $  

Vocabulary

   

possession (gram.);
2. addition

iDaafatun

in addition to . . .

iDaafatan ilaa



Possessed

muDaafun







Possessor

muDaafun ilayhi

student (m)

Taalibun (Tullaabun, Talabatun)

student (f)

Taalibatun (Taalibaatun)

house

baitun (buyuutun)

servant, slave

abdun
(ibaadun, ubbaadun, abadatun)

1. the servant of Allah

2. Abdullah

(2

$)) (

$)

girl; daughter

bintun (banaatun)

(A
B C 1) *C

boy; son

waladun (awlaadun)

man

rajulun (rijaalun)

a man

marun / imraun / imruun / imriun

the man

al-maru

a woman; wife

maraun / imraatun (nisaaun,

niswatun, niswaanun)

the woman

al-maratu

(2

<7 1F) P9 1F

mother

ummun (ummahaatun)

(P
J
 O1) =
KO

pen

qalamun (aqlaamun)

speech; statement

kalaamun

truth; right; (pl) law

Haqqun (Huquuqun)

a word of truth

kalimatu Haqqin

professor, teacher (m)

ustaadhun (asaatidhatun)

professor, teacher (f)

ustaadhatun (ustaadhaatun)

noun of preference

ismu at-tafDeeli

I
k  

( +KT , 

J
 TF ) 


T
(2

+
T)  +
T
(2

# ) ) (

)
(* +, o A
7+, o A
+,
) *
+,
'

 * +,

(> ?e
) 5 ? e
* .G 
  / p
   / 1   / .G  
.-  / 
* (r #
 M
o  # 
 M
o .G M
)  1   /  1 
F 1 / 

P
J
 
(s

#FtR ) W9 R
WV R F / K

( ` %
01) X 0 1F
(2

X0 1F)  X 0 1F

5

37 = 0 

1.

abdu allahi

* The word 1   (a woman/wife) is only used as   S
M (indefinite). For the woman we say, F 1 / .
14

(! 0
R1) ! 
 R 1

handsomer/handsomest

aHsanu (aHaasinu)

(2

$
 R ) I$
 R

more/most beautiful

Husnaau (Husnaayaatu)

(e
+
) u
+


big; old (in age) (m)

kabeerun (kibaarun)

(2

u +
 )  u +


big; old (in age) (f)

kabeeratun (kabeeraatun)

( )
1)  +1

bigger/biggest (m)

akbaru (akaabiru)

bigger/biggest (f)

kubraa (kubraayaatun)

first (m)

awwalu (awaailu)

(2

C 1F) IC 1F

first (f)

uulaa (uulaayaatun)

(A
*a
) *
"
*a

severe (m)

shadeedun (shidaadun)

severe (f)

shadeedatun (shadeedaatun)

more severe

ashaddu

few (m)

qaleelun (qaleelun, qaleeluuna)

few (f)

qaleelatun (qaleelaatun)

fewer

aqallu

IK, 1

higher/highest (m)

alaa

K ,

higher/highest (f)

IMA 1

lower/lowest; closer/closest (m)

adnaa

MA

lower/lowest; closer/closest (f)

dunyaa

similitude

mathalun (amthaalun)


h

good/better/best

khayrun

9 a

bad/worse/worst

sharrun

5b F

all; every; everyone

kullun

thing; something

shayun (ashyaau)

everything

kullu shayin

all

jameeun

all people

jameeu an-naasi

(2

" +F ) v+F

(5F 8
C1) >F C7 1

(2

*"
*a )  * "
*a
*E a 1
** (r #FK
KO o 5 
KO) 5 
KO
(2

J
 
KO)  K
KO
5_ O1

(> g 1) 5 g

(.- a 1) .G : a

.Q : a 5_ F
i

/?
w

7$ i 
/?

** The word 5 
KO (few) can also be used as a plural.

15

ulyaa

Exercise 1.2.1

Exercise 1.2.2
Express in Arabic

Express in English

1.

The servants of Allah on the Earth

2.

The daughter of Muhammad

3.

The doing of evil on your

*Q /7 N
  .- t

 .x
P
J
 0 y
 z
/ a .
:@$
Q h F / K

>
/ ! 
.Q : a 
 4

$$
/ " :
C $
a :

  "cC '

 F / K

V a IMA 1C Q h IK, 1
= SF $



 O1
= SF 8
M
I
= F  h

{
  :
 $FC7 1

part (lit. from you)

4.

Our (male) teacher and our

(female) teacher

5.

His house in the valley

6.

People from Iraq and Greater Syria in

addition to Yemen

7.

From Hasans daughter and son

8.

The closest meeting

9.

Heavier than the Earth

10.

The first Man on Earth

11.

The furthest of them from evil

12.

A sign in everything

13.

The best peace upon all people

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

d

e Yf  :
 w

7$ 5_ F .
:7 

Q "
O 
 O1 .
@ |
7  !
, * & )1C 
{
  I
I,A 1 .

16

 

 

Chapter 1

Phrases
1.3

  
(Demonstration)

  (demonstration). In Arabic we produce such
phrases by placing a   

 
(demonstrative pronoun lit. noun of demonstration) before a  
(noun). In
English, the words this, that, these and those are demonstrative pronouns.

Phrases such as this student and that book contain

(a) 
  

   (demonstration of something close)

To demonstrate something close in English we say this. The masculine singular

(demonstrative pronoun) meaning this in Arabic is

 (dhaa), from which variations of the feminine and

plural are derived.

Feminine

Masculine

   / 

 /


(haadhihi) (haadhii)
This

(haadhaa) (dhaa)
This

   
(haaulaai)
These

Singular

Plural

Note that the  prefixes above are pronounced with an unwritten alif after them.

Morphology
The



   
 

prefix is actually not part of the

   
 

(demonstrative

 (haa) which is called  "!


#$
(particle of alerting) and we might think of it as an interjection in English.
The actual masculine singular   

 
(demonstrative pronoun) is
 .
When  is prefixed to   

&% ' $ (demonstrative pronouns) the alif of 
pronoun). It is a truncation of the particle

is pronounced but not written rendering,

16


(
)
 ( 

* ( 
& + , 



This (m. sing.) (dhhaa  haadhaa)

)
 

This (f. sing.) (dhii  haadhii)

* 

This (f. sing.) (dhihi  haadhihi)

& + - $

These (m. & f. pl.) (ulaai  haaulaai)

(There are in fact ten derivations for the feminine singular but the two given above are by far
the most common. (1) )
  , (2) . / , (3) *  , (4)  / , (5) *  with a lengthening of the 
 0
 1 on the
haa, (6)  / with a lengthening of the 
 0
 1 on the haa, (7) *  , (8)  / , (9) 2

 , (10) / )

 is used on its own to mean ha! look!.

 3   / 3  

(b) 5
 6

look, there he is!.

   (demonstration of something far)

   
 
(demonstrative
pronoun) meaning that in Arabic is produced from
 (this) by suffixing 7
 , rendering 7
 (that). This 7 is
called 8
 9:
 
;
 1 (the kaf of address).
To demonstrate something far in English we say that. The masculine singular

Feminine

Masculine


  !


  / "


(Tilka)
That

(dhaalika) (dhaaka)
That


 #$ %

Singular

Plural

(ulaaika)
Those

The - in <
 =- $ is not pronounced and an alif is pronounced but not written after the .

17

Morphology
   
 
(demonstrative pronoun) is actually <
 /
produced by adding the 8
 9:
 
;
 1 (the kaf of address) to . / which is
one of the feminine variations of
 given in the grey box above.
The feminine

It is very common with the singular to insert a

before the 8
 9:
 

This

>

> (lam carrying sukuun)

;
 1 (the kaf of address), rendering,

(for <
 
)

<
 

That (m. sing.) (dhaalika)

(for <
 ? /)

<
 ? /

That (f. sing.) (tilka)

is called

5 6 
@ +

(the lam of distance) and is inserted to

demonstrate something farther away than

7


and

<
 /

. In common

parlance today, this distinction is not unfortunately given due attention

and <
  and <
 ? / are used loosely.

The

   
&% ' $ (demonstrative pronouns) given above are .B C (indeclinable) and do not ever change in

ending.
1.3.1

 
(noun) is demonstrated, it must always be D
E 6 C (definite). The    
 
(demonstrative
pronoun) is placed before the    FC (demonstrated) noun.
When a


 G9

(

This student
(haadhaa aT-Taalibu)

8
 "H 
<
 
As we know, the demonstrative pronoun is called

That book
(dhaalika al-kitaabu)

   
 
. The demonstrated noun is called    FC

(lit. pointed to).

In Arabic, we say that the

   FC

(demonstrated noun) is a

I
5 J

(substitute) for the

   
 

(demonstrative pronoun). Suppose I point to a book and say, I read that. I can express the same meaning
by saying, I read the book. Effectively, I have substituted the book for the demonstrative pronoun

18

that. When the two are combined in the expression I read that book, the

   FC (demonstrated noun)

book is the I

5 J (substitute) of the    
 
(demonstrative pronoun) that. We call the    
 

(demonstrative pronoun) the  C I

5 C (substituted-for). In English, the I
5 J (substitute) is called apposition

or the permutative.

The general rule is that a

I
5 J (substitute)

must always agree with its

 C I
5 C

(substituted-for) in four

respects:
1.

Definition:

2.

Gender:

3.

Word ending:

4.

Number:

D
E 6 C (definite) or 
 H L (indefinite) ?

 1G ( C (masculine) or M

L!, C (feminine) ?
D
'! N
 , 
 0
 1 or D
O
 "E ?
#  P C (singular), TS QRC (dual) or U ' V (plural) ?

(a)   


&% ' $ (demonstrative pronouns) are always D
E 6 C (definite). This is because they involve pointing
to something and once pointed to, things are identifiable and therefore D
E  6 C (definite). If we point to a
house and say this house or that house, we are referring to this or that particular house, not a house or
any house. Since the    FC (demonstrated noun) must agree with the   

 
(demonstrative
pronoun) it must always be D
E  6 C (definite).

 G9

( / 
 G9


(b) The

   FC

This student
(dhaa aT-Taalibu / haadhaa aT-Taalibu)

(demonstrated) noun must agree with the gender of the

   
 

(demonstrative

pronoun).

D G9
<
 ? /

That student (f)

(tilka aT-Taalibatu)

D ' ?H 
* (  / )(

This word (f)

D ' ?H 
<
 ? /

That word (f)

(haadhii / haadhihi al-kalimatu)

(tilka al-kalimatu)

   
&% ' $ (demonstrative pronouns) are .B C (indeclinable), their endings never change. In
ordinary circumstances as in the examples above, the    FC (demonstrated) noun takes the default
ending, which is D
'
!N
 . If the 
  is preceded by a W V ;
  X (preposition), the    
 
(demonstrative
pronoun) becomes the object of the W V
 ;
  X (preposition). Being .B C (indeclinable), the    
 

(c) Since

19

(demonstrative pronoun) is not visibly affected. However, the effect of the

W V ;
  X (preposition) passes

over to the    FC (demonstrated) noun.

8
 "H 

( .E

In this book
(fii haadhaa al-kitaabi)

D ' ?H 
<
 ? / T?Y

Upon that word

(alaa tilka al-kalimati)

We will introduce D
O
 "E endings in chapters two and three.
(d) The

   FC

(demonstrated) noun must agree with the number of the

   
 

(demonstrative

pronoun).

1.3.2

I VZ 
& + , 

These men

&% 0Z
<
 =-$

Those women

(haaulaai ar-rijaalu)

(ulaaika an-niasaau)

I VZ 
& + ,  [ C

From these men

& 0Z
<
 =-$ T

To those women

(min haaulaai ar-rijaali)

(ilaa ulaaika an-niasaai)

&  ' (Demonstration) in the (& ) *' construction

   
&% ' $ (Demonstrative pronouns) can only be used to demonstrate the ;
 \C (possessed noun) and
  ;
 \C (possessor) in a definite D
EN construction. This is because, as we know, the    FC
(demonstrated noun) must always be D
E 6 C (definite).
(a) Demonstrating a   ;
 \C (possessor)
This is the only instance when the integrity of the

D
P N
 

construction is broken. A

(demonstrative pronoun) may be placed before the last, and only the last   ;
 \C (possessor).


 G9

( 8
 "1

 G9

( 8
 "1 .E

The book of this student / This students book

(kitaabu haadhaa aT-Taalibi)

In the book of this student / In this students book

(fii kitaabi haadhaa aT-Taalibi)

20

   
 

]
 
* (   

8
 ^
G 9_ 
& + ,  &% ' $

The name of this girl / This girls name

(ismu haadhihi al-binti)

The names of these students / These students names

(asmaau haaulaai aT-Tullaabi)

 \C (possessed noun)

(b) Demonstrating a ;
To demonstrate the

;
 \C (possessed noun), we place the    
 
(demonstrative pronoun) after the

D
EN construction.

( 
 G9
8
 "1

(  J"1

( 
 G9
8
 "1 .E

This book of the student

(kitaabu aT-Taalibi haadhaa)

This book of his

(kitaabuhu haadhaa)

In this book of the student

(fii kitaabi aT-Taalibi haadhaa)

<
   J"1 .E

In that book of his

( ]
 
 

This name of the girl

* (  [` 0
 X @Z $ ]
 J
<
 ? / a"J
& + ,  I VZ 
2
 J
<
 =- $  a /J
<
 ? / <
 "P b


(fii kitaabihi dhaalika)

(ismu al-binti haadhaa)

This daughter of Hasans mother

(bintu ummi Hasanin haadhihi)

That daughter of hers

(bintuhaa tilka)

These daughters of the men

(banaatu ar-rijaali haaulaai)

Those daughters of theirs

(banaatuhum ulaaika)

That attribute of yours

(Sifatuka tilka)

( . "J

This house of mine

* (  Cc $

This mother of ours

(baytii haadhaa)

(ummunaa haadhihi)

If there is more than one ;

 \C (possessed noun), there is an ambiguity.

( 
 9G 
8
 "1  

This name of the book of the student or

The name of this book of the student
(ismu kitaabi aT-Taalibi haadhaa)

21

+

,- . / 

Vocabulary


 
   
 

   F
 C
I
5 J

Demonstration

ishaaratun

demonstrative pronoun

ismu al-ishaarati

demonstrated noun

mushaarun ilayhi

substitute

badalun

Exercise 1.3.1

Exercise 1.3.2

Express in English

Express in Arabic
1.

On this edge

2.

Until that meeting

3.

Until this meeting of ours

4.

That movement in the skies

5.

The movement in these skies

6.

Appropriate in this writing

7.

A word to all these people

8.

This word to all people

9.

This meeting of Muhammad

10.

This book of Allah and those signs of His

8
 "H 
<
 
e
 ' F
! 
* (  [ C
.ZC D ' ?H 
* ( 
f
  g
* (  .E @ ^
 
f
  g
.E @ ^
0
! 

(
)#
3

( .E ]
 J
)#
3
.E
(  "J
h
 !
T * (  i

D j
* (  5` '! O
 C ]
 J
 :
 
.E h
 !
& + ,  I -! $

22

.d
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

 

 

Chapter 1

Phrases
1.4



  
(Description)

 
 
(description) in Arabic involves a

 
  (described noun), often simply called

 
and a
  
   (adjective), often simply called a   
 . In the expression the Arabic book, the word Book is the

 
(described noun) and Arabic is the   

 (adjective).

1.4.1

There are two principles we need to remember about the Arabic   

 (adjective):
1.

The   
 (adjective) always goes after the

 
(described noun).

2.

The

  
 (adjective) always agrees with the

 
(described noun) in four respects:

definition, gender, ending and number.

 
(described noun) is 
 
(indefinite), the   

 (adjective) must also be  
 
(indefinite).
(a) If the

 


 
!

An Arabic book
(kitaabun arabiyyun)

If the

 
(described noun) is  " #
(definite), the   

 (adjective) must also be  " #
(definite).

$ 
#
&% 
 
 &%

The Arabic book

$ 
#
&% 
 
 &% '(

This Arabic book

(al-kitaabu al-arabiyyun)

(haadthaa al-kitaabu al- arabiyyu)

(b) The gender of the   

 (adjective) must agree with the gender of the

 
(described noun).

 *)

 +
,!

An Arabic word
(kalimatun arabiyyatun)

. *)
#
&% . +
, &% - ' (

This Arabic word

(haadhihi al-kalimatu al-arabiyyatu)

(c) The   
 (adjective) must agree with the

 
(described noun) in ending. Agreement in  +) /

ending
has been shown above.

0 


 
! "

In an Arabic book
(fii kitaabin arabiyyin)

23

1 
#
&% 
 
 &% '(
"

In this Arabic book

 *)
#
&%  +
, &% - ' (
2 

From this Arabic word

(fii haadtha al-kitaabi al-arabiyyi)

(min haadthihi al-kalimati al-arabiyyati)

The  3

" ending will be introduced in chapters two and three.
(d) If the

 
(described noun) is a 4 + 5
(plural), the   

 (adjective) must also be a 4 + 5
(plural):

8 
9: 6 
57

Handsome Men

=
 >
 *+5
<; 
9

Beautiful women

(rijaalun Hisaanun)

(nisaaun jameelaatun)

8 
93
 &% 6 
51 & < ? @ (
2 

From these handsome Men

(min haaulaai ar-rijaali al-Hisaani)

=
 >
 *+G

&% < 
9A1& B

C&.D E&F

To those beautiful women

(ilaa ulaaika an-nisaai al-jameelaati)

(e) Arabic divides plurals into two types. Plurals of things that are
beings, jinn and angels and plurals of things that are

H I
 (rational), which includes human

H I
  *J (irrational), which includes dumb creatures

and inanimate objects.

Plurals of adjectives, as shown above, are only ever used to describe things that are
cannot say

H I
 (rational). We

7 
K! =
 * for big houses or =

LML5
=
 
+,! for new words.

H I
  *J (irrational) are treated as grammatically N 
%  O

 )@
 (feminine singular).
 7

PQ <R 
+ D (Demonstrative pronouns) and =
 
 (adjectives) referring to H I
  *J (irrational) plurals are
therefore actually N 
%  O
 )@
 (feminine singular).
Plurals of things that are

 +
ML I S
 !.
. +
ML T &% S
 . &% - ' (

 ,*+G

&% =
 
+, &% B

,% U 2 
In poetry we often find

Ancient books
(kutubun qadeematun)

These ancient books

(haadthihi al-kutubu al-qadeematu)

From those new words

(min tilka al-kalimaati al-jameelati)

H I
  *J (not intelligent) plurals treated as feminine plural a personification of

sorts.

24

=
 >
 *+5
=
 
+,!

Beautiful words
(kalimaatun jameelaatun)

We recommend at this stage that you do not attempt such poetry V

 *K
&%

" (at home).

(f) The superlative form H

. #
"% D can also be used as a   
 in which case, it does not remain masculine singular
as it did in the  ".
/F construction and must agree with the

 
(described noun) in all four respects.

The superlative remains
masculine and singular in
the . "/

F construction (cf. 1.3.4)

L &
2 9

: D

2 9

: XW L &
&%

The handsomest boy

V
 A 2 9

: D

E
A9
3
 &% V
 AK&%

The prettiest girl

< 
+ D 2 9

: D

E
A9
3
 &% <R 
+ XW

=
 
MY  K
!% D

[
K. &% =
 
MZ

V
 *
6. ) D

\
 7 XW " 6. ) XW V
 *K
&%

The first house

 +
,! 6. ) D

E& XR . +
, &%

The first word

  E, D

E, XW   ?

The loftiest name

H ]
E, D

E, XW H. ]+
&%

\
 7 XW
 =


+9
) & "

 +
,! E, D


*,% # &% . +
, &%

< 
+
E
N D

< 
+
E, D


*,% # & < 
+9

) & 2


*L$ & < 
+9
) & E&F

 
*:
E
N D


*L$ & . 
*3

&%

N ?  D 2 9

: D

2  
:XW N ?  XW

=
 
A
2 9

: D

=
 
M
A9
3
 &% =
 
AK
&%

25

(al-waladu al-aHsanu)

(al-bintu al-Husnaa)

The most beautiful names

(al-asmaau al-Husnaa)

The greatest signs

(al-aayaatu al-kubraa)

(al-baytu al-awwalu fi al-arDi)

(al-kalimatu al-uulaa)

(al-ismu al-alaa)

The loftiest similitude in the

heavens and the earth
(al-mathalu al-alaa fi as-samaawaati
wa al-arDi)

The loftiest word

(al-kalimatu al-ulyaa)

From the highest heaven to the

lowest heaven
(min as-samaai al-ulyaa ilaa assamaa i ad-dunyaa)

The temporal (lit. lowest) life

(al-Hayaatu ad-dunyaa)

The handsomest boys

(al-awlaadu al-aHaasinu)

The prettiest girls

(al-banaatu al-Husnaayaatu)

Note that all the expressions above are  "
#
(definite). This is because superlatives are intrinsically
definite. It makes no sense for example to say a handsomest boy so we cannot say 2
9

: D
1.4.2

L &
.

We may have a number of =

 
 (adjectives) describing one   (noun). All =
 
 (adjectives) must agree
with the

  (noun) in the four respects mentioned above. Generally, multiple =

 
 (adjectives) need not

come in any particular order.

H *+5
^ _ 

 ML I 
 
!
H. *+G

&% ^ _ `
) &  ML T &% 
 
 &%
 A
9

:
LML5
 +
,!
6.
ba & 8 .,*+G

&% 6. 
51 & B

C&.D
=
 >
 Mc =
 >
 *+5
<; 
9
 ^
K &%  L
MLG

&% S
 . &% - ' (
"
6. 
c% XW 2 9

: XW L &
&%
1.4.3

A beautiful small ancient book

(kitaabun qadeemun Sagheerun jameelun)

The beautiful small ancient book

(al-kitaabu al-qadeemu aS-Sagheeru al-jameelu)

A good new word

(kalimatun jadeedatun Hasanatun)

Those tall handsome men

(ulaaika ar-rijaalu al-jameeluuna aT-Tiwaalu)

Beautiful tall women

(nisaaun jameelaatun Taweelaatun)

In these big new books

(fii haadthihi al-kutubi al-jadeedati al-kabeerati)

The handsomest tallest boy

(al-waladu al-aHsanu al-aTwalu)

=
 
 (Adjectives) describing proper names must be  " #
(definite). This is often how epithets are given.
d
  XW L +) 3



Muhammad the Trustworthy

(lit. The trustworthy Muhammad)
(muHammadun al-ameenu)

[
K. &% . G

ML e

Khadeeja the great

(lit. The great Khadija)
(khadeejatu al-kubraa)

1.4.4

Negativising 
 
 (adjectives)
In English we negativise adjectives by placing the word not before them. We negativise the word far by

  
 (adjective) by placing the word  *J (not) before it in an
  
 (adjective) agrees with the

 
(described noun) in gender,

saying not far. In Arabic, we negativise a

 "
/F

construction. The negated

26

number, definition but not ending since as

g *&F

 
f 

(possessor) it ends in

 
9
 ! . The ending agreement

happens on  * J
 which does not otherwise change.

L *#
8 

A far place
(makaanun baeedun)

L *#
 *J 8 

Other three
agreements here

A not far place

(makaanun ghayru baeedun)

Word ending
agreement here

L *#
 *J 8 
"

In a not far place

L *#K
&%  *J 8. +
&%

The not far place

(fii makaanin ghayri baeedun)

(al-makaanu ghayru al-baeedi)

 L
*#
 *J  A
  D

Not far places

(amkinatun ghayru baeedatin)

N 
#  *J 6 
57  (

 *J

They are men not far

(hum rijaalun ghayru biaadin)

means other than when the negativised g * &F

 
f  (possessor) is a   (noun) or ^ + /

(pronoun).

(L :
) 
 
!  *J

Other than (one) book

j
  *J 2 

From other than Allah

(ghayru kitaabin waaHidin)

(min ghayri allahi)

-  *J

Other than him

(ghayruhu)

k
 *J E&F

1.4.5

To other than you

(ilaa ghayrika)


 
 (Adjectives) in the    construction
Describing the g * &F

 
f  (possessor) is quite straight forward. We simply place the   

 (adjective) after it.

L MLG

&% S
 &lb& 
 
!
We know that

The book of the new student / The new students book

(kitaabu aT-Taalibi al-jadeedi)

L MLG

&% is describing S
 &lb& here because it agrees with it in all four respects; it agrees with


 
! in definition, gender and number but not ending..
27

 
f  (possessed noun) poses a problem for us. Can we put a   

 (adjective) between the

 
f  (possessed noun) and g *&F

 
f  (possessor)? The answer is no. The  "
/F construction is

sacrosanct and violating it by interpolating a   
 (adjective) amounts to grammatical blasphemy. A   

(adjective) describing the

 
f  (possessed noun) must be placed after the  "
/F construction.

Describing the

L MLG

&% S
 &lb& 
 
!
We know that

The new book of the student / The students new book

(kitaabu aT-Taalibi al-jadeedu)

L MLG

&% is describing 
 
! here because it agrees with it in all four respects; it agrees with

S
 &lb& in definition, gender and number but not ending.
E
A9
3
 &% j
 <R 
+ D

(asmaau Allahi al-Husnaa)


*,% # &% j
 . +
,!

(kalimatu Allahi al-ulyaa)

The same is true when the g * &F

L MLG

&% g 
!
E
A9
3
 &% - m 
+ D

*,% # &% g +
,!
. ,*+G

&% 
nA
=
 >
 *+G

&%  n U
A

7 
_`
1 & 2) ( N ?  D
. ,*+G

&% B

 

^ _ `
) &  *

. ,*+G

&% 
A $ D.

*L$ & 
AU
*:

The most beautiful names of Allah / Allahs most beautiful names

The loftiest word of Allah / Allahs loftiest word

 
f  (possessor) is a H `
 )   *+ /

(attached pronoun).
His new book
(kitaabuhu al-jadeedu)

His most beautiful names

(asmaauhu al-Husnaa)

His loftiest word

(kalimatuhu al-ulyaa)

Her beautiful daughter

(bintuhaa al-jameelatu)

Their beautiful daughters

(banaatuhum al-jameelaatu)

Their small children

(awlaaduhunna aS-Sighaaru)

Your beautiful attribute

(Sifatuka al-jameelatu)

My small house
(baytii aS-Sagheeru)

Our beautiful mother

(ummunaa al-jameelatu)

Our temporal (lit. lowest) life

(Hayaatunaa ad-unyaa)

28

 7

PQ   (demonstrative pronoun) demonstrating the

 
f  (possessed noun) is placed after the   



(adjective).

'(
L MLG

&% S
 &lb& 
 
!
'(
L MLG

&% g 
!
- ' (
. ,*+G

&% 
nA
< ? @ (
=
 >
 *+ G

&%  n U
A

B

o? .D 7 
_`
1 & 2) ( N ?  D
B

,% U . ,*+G

&% B

 

B

&p ^ _ `
) & *

- ' (
. ,*+G

&% 
A $ D.
- ' (

*L$ & 
AU
*:

This new book of the student

(kitaabu aT-Taalibi al-jadeedu haadthaa)

This new book of his

(kitaabuhu al-jadeedu haadthaa)

This beautiful daughter of hers

(bintuhaa al-jameelatu haadthihi)

These beautiful daughters of theirs

(banaatuhum al-jameelaatu haaulaai)

Those small children of theirs

(awlaaduhunna aS-Sighaaru ulaaika)

That beautiful attribute of yours

(Sifatuka al-jameelatu tilka)

That small house of mine

(baytii aS-Sagheeru dthaalika)

This beautiful mother of ours

(ummunaa al-jameelatu haadthihi)

This temporal (lit. lowest) life of ours

(Hayaatunaa ad-dunyaa haadthihi)

In a chain  "
/F we can often tell which

 
f  (possessed noun) the

.  
 (adjective) is describing from the

agreement pattern.

 ,*+G

&% B
 ,+
&% V
 A  

The name of the beautiful daughter of the king /

The name of the kings beautiful daughter
(ismu binti al-maliki al-jameelati)

 ,*+G

&% is describing V
 A here because it agrees with it in all four respects; it disagrees with
  in gender and ending and disagrees with B
 ,+
&% in gender.

We know that

 (adjective) to appear to describe both the

 
f  (possessed
It is possible in the  "
/F construction for a   
noun) and the g * &F

 
f  , so that more than one translation is possible.

L MLG

&% S
 &lb& 
 
! "
E, XW B

17
 

In the new book of the student or In the book of the new student
(fii kitaabi aT-Taalibi al-jadeedi)

The highest name of your Lord or The name of your Highest Lord
(ismu rabbika al-alaa)

The ambiguity in this last example is created by the inability of the word E,
 XW to carry a vowel ending.

29

The correct reading of such ambiguous expressions is determined by context, but may be resolved using the
preposition

q& which

means to, for or belonging to. When written, it attaches to the

 

(noun)

following it. If the definite article

q%& is preceded by q& , we drop the (alif) and write q%,& . When q&

attaches to a word, it forms a  ,+

 5

g KP (quasi sentence), just like any other 0 5

  :
(preposition).

V
 *K
&% " 
 
!

A book in the house

(kitaabun fi al-bayti)

V
 *K
,% & 
 
!

A book belonging to the house

(kitaabun lil-bayti)

S
 &lb,& 
 
!

A book belonging to the student,

A book of the student
(kitaabun liT-Taalibi)

We can use the preposition q& to overcome the ambiguity in an  " 
/F construction.

L MLG

&% S
 &lb,& 
 
 &% "

(fi al-kitaabi liT-Taalibi al-jadeedi)

S
 &lb,& L MLG

&% 
 
 &% "

(fi kitaabi al-jadeedi liT-Taalibi)

In the book of the new student

In the new book of the student

30



  

Vocabulary


 
 

description

waSfun

described noun

mawSuufun

adjective

Sifatun

rational

H I
  *J

irrational

ghayru aaqilin

(7 
_
 ) ^ _ 

small (m)

Sagheerun (Sighaarun)

(=

^_ 

) ^
_ 

small (f)

Sagheeratun (Sagheeraatun)

(N L 5 ) L ML5

new (m)

jadeedun (jududun)

new (f)

jadeedatun (jadeedaatun)

tall; long (m)

Taweelun (Tiwaalun)

tall; long (f)

Taweelatun (Taweelaatun)

not

ghayru

place

makaanun (amkinatun, amaakinu)

(
 
7 D) 
 7

lord

rabbun (arbaabun)

(
 
7 D) 
 7

lord

rabbun (arbaabun)

to; for; belonging to

li

 

  

(8 .,I
 r <R >
 T  ) H I


(=
 L
ML 5
)  L
ML5

(6
c ) H Mc
(=
 >
 M c )  ,Mc
 *J
(2 ! 
D r  A
  D) 8 

q&
Exercise 1.4.2
Express in Arabic
1.

A heavy word

2.

The few servants of Allah on the Earth

3.

Our new (male) teacher and our

Exercise 1.4.1
Express in English

H *,I u >
 !
d
  XW L +) 3

 <R T&% 
L MLG

&%  + ,I
'(
L MLG

&%  + ,I
 +
ML T &% 
AA+

M "
 ,*+G

&% 
A  
P "
[
K. &% g U
MY
 
*,% # &% j
 . +
,!
6 
+&% '(
2  H *,I <  P

  


 ^
_ `
) & \
 7 XW - ' (
" 
*L$ & 
AU
*:

 ^
`
 T &%  
*3

&% - ' (
" S
  
A   *J
L MLG

&% S
 &lb& '(

 
!

old (female) teacher

4.

His beautiful house in this valley

5.

This beautiful house of his in the valley

6.

From Hasans young (small) daughter

7.

The closest meeting (do not use  "
/F )

8.

Heavier than the whole Earth

9.

The first Man on this Earth (do not use  "
/F )

10.

A great sign in everything new

aaqilun (uqalaau , aaqiluuna)

31

.s
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.




 

Chapter 2

The Noun Sentence

In chapter one, we produced the phrases an Arabic book and the Arabic book. In this chapter we
will learn how to produce the 

  (sentences) the book is Arabic and the books are Arabic.
Arabic is both an inflected and analytic language. This means that meaning is produced either by
inflection (vowel ending on a word) or by structure (the order of words in a construct). This chapter
will introduce to us how we can produce meaning in the Arabic language in these two ways.

2.1 The simple   


   
(noun sentence)
The Arabic language is made up of two basic types of sentence, the

   

 

(noun/nominal

  

  (verb sentence). If a

  (sentence) begins with a 
  (verb) it is a

 

   (verb sentence) and if it begins with a    (noun), it is usually a
   

  (noun sentence), even

  (verb).
if it contains a 
sentence) and the

In English, every sentence must contain a verb. In the sentences, the book was useful (past), the
book is useful (present) and the book will be useful (future), we encounter the English verb to be.
Arabic also has a verb to be but we do not use it in present tense sentences such as the book is
useful and the books are useful. Arabic does not have a word equivalent to is and are. A definite

   (noun) followed immediately by an indefinite    (noun) or



 (adjective) requires us to read is
  

  (noun sentence).
or are in between. This structure is called a
 
 


  

The book is useful

(al-kitaabu naafiun)

 !"

#
$ !%

Predicate

Subject

This is an instance of Arabic being an analytic language where structure produces meaning.
In the above sentence,


  

is the

#
$ !%

(Subject, mubtadaun). The

#
$ !%

(subject) must be


  %

(definite). The word 

  is the  !" (Predicate, khabarun). The  !" (predicate) must be &
   (indefinite).

32

Noun Sentence in a nutshell

The

   

  (noun sentence) is used to express the meaning, the x is

(a) y, in the present tense.

#
$ !% (subject) that is


  % (definite) and
(predicate) that is &
 
  (indefinite), we read is/are in between.

When we have a

The

 !"

 !" (predicate) agrees with the #
$ !% (subject) in 2. gender, 3. ending

and 4. number but not in 1. definition.

Here are a few more examples.

$ ' (
 % )
 *+

(aT-Taalibu mujtahidun)

&
$ ' (

 %
!*+

(aT-Taalibatu mujtahidatun)

 , -  

 , &- #
  
/. 
, 0- 1 
4
 , /. 231
2.1.1

The student is diligent

The (f) student is diligent

The man is a scholar

(ar-rajulu aalimun)

The woman is a scholar

(al-maratu aalimatun)

The men are scholars

(ar-rijaalu ulamaau)

The women are scholars

(an-nisaau aalimaatun)

#
$ !% (subject) need not agree with the  !" (predicate) if the  !" (predicate) is a  5* 6
% (masculine)
noun that does not have a 7

 8 % (feminine) form or counterpart bearing the same meaning. Examples
are, 9


% (m), $ 
: (m) and  ;
 % (m). When one of these nouns is the  !" (predicate), it cannot agree with
a feminine #
$
 !% (subject) in gender.

The

  @ 9

% <
 = ?> 

The earth is a wide place

(al-arDu makaanun waasiun)

)
 1A
$ 
: - * %

Makkah is a good town

(makkatu baladun Tayyibun)


  ;
 % B C
 % D

Damascus is a beautiful city

(dimashqu miSrun jameelun)

33

There are also some 7

 8 % (feminine) nouns that do not have a  5* 6
% (masculine) form bearing the same

D G

: (f) and $ 
: (f). When
(predicate), it cannot agree with a masculine #
$
 !% (subject) in gender.
meaning. Some examples are

F
E A

(f),


 @
EH I
D G

: J
   
2.1.2

one of these nouns is the

 !"

Iraq is a strong and beautiful country

(al-iraaqu bilaadun Qawiyyatun wa jameelatun)

The #
$
 !% (subject) may be described by 4
 

 (adjectives).

  LK :   

  

The Arabic book is useful

(al-kitaabu al-arabiyyu naafiun)

The


 (adjective) agrees with the #
$ !% (subject) in 1. definition, 2. gender, 3. ending and 4. number.
In the above example, the

 !" (predicate) is a


 (adjective). If the  !" (predicate) is a    (noun), it

may also be described by 4

 

 (adjectives).

M !5
 , -  
2.1.3

We can conjunct words onto the

The man is a great scholar

(ar-rajulu aalimun kabeerun)

 !" (predicate) with the conjunction @ (and). The word @ is always

prefixed to the word following it. In Arabic the conjucted word must always agree with the word it is
conjuncted to.

 @ 
 @  E$ I


  
M !5
@  , . N
O
2.1.4

Allah is All-knowing and Great

(allahu aleemun wa kabeerun)

There are no commas in Arabic. A @ must be placed before every item on a list.
We can simply juxtapose words to the  !"
 (predicate) as 0
$ : (substitute).

  
  E$ I


  
M !5
 , . N
2.1.5

The book is old, beautiful and useful

(al-kitaabu qadeemun wa jameelun wa naafiun)

We may use a & = PQ



The book is old beautiful useful

(al-kitaabu qadeemun jameelun naafiun)

Allah is All-knowing Great

(allahu aleemun kabeerun)

   (demonstrative pronoun) as the definite #
$ !% (subject).

  
6R

This is useful
(haadha naafiun)

34


!1A
S 6 R
/. 
, / T
8 R

This is good
(haadhihi Tayyibatun)

These scholars
(haaulaai ulamaau)

In such sentences, the U 

V = C% (demonstrated noun) may be mentioned. As stated in chapter 1, the

= C%

U 
V (demonstrated noun) is a 0
$ : (substitute) of the & = PQ     (demonstrative pronoun).
  
   
6R

(haadha al-kitaabu naafiun)

!1A
-  
 S 6 R

(haadhihi al-kalimatu Tayyibatun)

/. 
, 0- 1  / T
8 R
2.1.6

This book is useful

This word is good

These men are scholars

(haaulaai ar-rijaalu ulamaau)

We know that  WX

 (pronouns) are intrinsically

  % (definite) because they always sit in the place of

/Y  #
(nouns) that are

  % (definite). We may use

;
 
3%  WX
 (detached pronouns) as the definite
#
$ !% (subject).
 , H R
M !5
 , H R
&
M !5

 , L R
= !5 /. 
,  R
2.1.7

He is a scholar
(huwa aalimun)

He is a great scholar
(huwa aalimun kabeerun)

She is a great scholar

(hiya aalimatun kabeeratun)

They are great scholars

(hum ulamaau kibaarun)

The #
$
 !% (subject) may be a definite Z
 [% (possessed noun).

  )
 *+ 
 5

The book of the student is useful

(kitaabu aT-Taalibi naafiun)
(
 5 is the #
$ !% (subject). It is also a Z
 [% (possessed
noun).

)
 *+ is its U 
V Z
 [% (possessor).    is the  !"

(predicate)).

  U :5

His book is useful

(kitaabuhu naafiun)

]
  @ N
 <
 = #
@ \

(wa arDu allahi waasiatun)

] $ ^ @ U 
V  - ' 
V@ \

(wa ilaahukum ilaahun waaHidun)

And the earth of Allah is wide

And your God is One God

35

2.1.8

The  !"
 (predicate) may also be an indefinite Z
 [% (possessed noun).

B_ ^ -  5
S 6 R
2.1.8

This is a word of truth

(haadhihi kalimatu Haqqin)

 !% (subject) and  !" (predicate) may have a ` 

 
Both the #
$

U !P (quasi sentence) attached to it.

(a) Attachment to a #
$

 !% (subject):

&
M ;
 I
<
 = ?>  L &- a
 

Life on the earth is short

(al-Hayaatu fi al-arDi qaSeeratun)
(on the earth is expressed as <
 = ?> 

L not <

 = ?>  b
, )

 (predicate):
(b) Attachment to a  !"
<
 = ?>  c , &
$ : d
  C

J
    L `  = $ % L &
e
 #- &- #
  
  = $   L D HH % )
 *+

The Sun is far from the Earth

(ash-shamsu baeedatun ani al-arDi)

The woman is a teacher in a school in Iraq

(al-maratu ustaadhatun fii madrasatin fi al-iraaqi)

The student is present in the school

(aT-Taalibu mawjuudun fi al-madrasati)

(c) Attachment to an elliptical/omitted  !"

 (predicate):
In the last example above, the basic
 
  


  (noun sentence) is,

D HH % )
 *+
We can think of the

The student is present

(aT-Taalibu mawjuudun)

` 
  U !P (quasi sentence)   = $   L being attached in response to the question,

where is the boy present? We may reply,

  = $   L D HH % )

 *+

The student is present in the school

(aT-Taalibu mawjuudun fi al-madrasati)

If we remove D HH % from the above sentence, we are left with,

  = $   L )
 *+

The student is in the school

(aT-Taalibu fi al-madrasati)
(Note that this can also be interpreted as a phrase
meaning the student in the school cf. Chapter 1.1)

D HH % remains the elliptical/omitted  !" (predicate) to which the ` 

  U !P (quasi sentence) is attached.
In general we import the word D HH % (present) or c
 W
5 (existent), to make sense of all such
    
 
(noun sentences) in which the  !"
 (predicate) appears to be a ` 
  U !P (quasi sentence).

36

   = $   L H R

He is in the school
(huwa fi al-madrasati)
(grammatically:  
 = $   L

  = $   L 
6R

D HH % H R )

This is in the school

(haadhaa fi al-madrasati)
(grammatically:  
 = $   L


   L -  


D HH % 
6R )

The word is in the book

(al-kalimatu fi al-kitaabi)
(grammatically: 
   L

&
D HH % -  
)

2.2 The indefinite    

(subject)

#
$ !% (subject) in a
   


  (noun sentence) must be

  % (definite). But what if
we want to produce an indefinite #
$
 !% (subject) and say, a student is in the school? We are tempted to

We know that the

render this as,

  = $   L )
 
A

However, this expression is a phrase meaning a student in the school (cf. Chapter 1.1) and is not a
complete sentence. To say a student is in the school Arabic requires us to put the definite

` 
  U !P

(quasi sentence) first,

)
 
A   = $   L

A student is in the school, or

There is a student in the school, or
In the school (there) is a student
(fi al-madrasati Taalibun)

 5

   L

A word is in the book, or

There is a word in the book, or
In the book (there) is a word
(fi al-kitaabi kalimatun)

B_ ^ -  5

   L

A word of truth is in the book, or

There is a word of truth in the book, or
In the book (there) is a word of truth
(fi al-kitaabi kalimatu Haqqin)

We may state the rule as being,

An indefinite #
$
 !% is permitted if there is a ` 
 

U !P (quasi sentence) before it.

It may help to remember that as a general rule Arabic is averse to starting a



  (sentence) with a &
  
(indefinite) word.

37






 

First Aid

The third translation given above for )

 
A
is useful because the English word

  = $   L in the school is a student,

order is identical to the Arabic. However,

because the word student comes after the word is in the English, one might be
tempted to think that the school is the

#
$ !% (subject) and a student is the  !"

(predicate).

 
 

Prescription

It is clear that the school cannot be the #
$

 !% (subject) and a student cannot be the

 !" (predicate). It makes no sense to say the school is a student!

It is essential to remember that )
A is still the #
$
 !% (subject) albeit &
   (indefinite).
 (predicate) is hidden at the beginning, rendering:
The  !"
)
 
A   = $   L (D HH % ) ((mawjuud) fi al-madrasat Taalib
i

un

2.3 The definite  

 (predicate)
We know that the

 !" (predicate) in a
   

  (noun sentence) must be &
   (indefinite) as in the

sentence,

 , -  

The man is a scholar

(ar-rajulu aalimun)

 !" (predicate) and say the man is the scholar? Arabic, in

principle, has no objection to a definite  !"
 (predicate) so long as there is no danger of the definite  !"
(predicate) looking like a i
 
 @ (description) of the #
$ !% (subject). When the definite  !" (predicate) is
a


 (adjective), this danger is quite real. To say, the man is the scholar, we cannot simply say,
But what if we want to produce a definite

  -   because that means the scholar(ly) man. To overcome this, we introduce between the #
$ !%
(subject) and the definite  !"
 (predicate) a M  X
 (pronoun) that agrees with the #
$ !% (subject). This is
called 
;
 
 M  X
 (the pronoun of separation). It prevents the  !" (predicate) looking like a



(adjective) of the #
$
 !% (subject).
  H R -  

The man is the scholar

(ar-rajulu huwa al-aalimu)

38

  H R -   
6R
  H R 
6R

This man is the scholar

(haadhaa ar-rajulu huwa al-aalimu)

This is the scholar

(haadhaa huwa al-aalimu)
(  
6R means this scholar)

-   L R &- #
  

(al-maratu hiya al-aalimatu)

/. 
   R 0- 1 

(ar-rijaalu humu al-ulamaau)

The woman is the scholar

The men are the scholars

(a) Where there is no longer any danger of the  !"

 (predicate) looking like a


 (adjective) of the #
$ !%
(subject), the

 ;
 
 M  X
 (the pronoun of separation) is not required. There are numerous instances

when this occurs. Here are a few.

 !% (subject) is a    (noun).

(i) When the #
$
e-  ?.  -  

The man is the teacher

(ar-rajulu al-ustaadhu)

(ii) When the #
$

 !% (subject) is a M  X
 (pronoun).

  H R

(huwa al-aalimu)

-   L R

(hiya al-aalimatu)

/. 
   R

(humu al-ulamaau)

] . N #
\

He is the scholar

She is the scholar

They are the scholars

I am Allah
(ana allahu)

(iii) When the  !"

 (predicate) is a M  X
 (pronoun).

H R  
H R H R

The scholar is he
(al-ustaadhu huwa)

He is he / It is it
(huwa huwa)

H R 
6R

(haadhaa huwa)


6R H R

(huwa haadhaa)

This is it / him

He / it is this

39

(iv) When the  !"

 (predicate) is a definite Z
 [% (possessed noun).

$ 
H  e-  #- -  

The man is the teacher of the boy

(ar-rajulu ustaadhu al-waladi)
($ 
H  e- 
 #- H R -   is weak)

L %1 #- j
 %K #-

Your mother is my mother

(ummuka ummii)

]<
 = ?> @ 4
 @2
 
K = 3:K= \

Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth

(rabbunaa rabbu as-samaawaati wa al-arDi)

]N
  0- H= $  a
 % \

Muhammad is the messenger of Allah

(muHammadun rasuulu allahi)

(v) When there is simply no room for confusion.

c 2
 ^ L   

My name is Hasan
(ismii Hasanun)

] $  ^ #
U    \

His name is Ahmad

(ismuhu aHmadu)

We may summarise the above in the following rule,

A definite

 !" (predicate) must be separated from the #
$ !% (subject) by a  ;

 
 M  X
 (the pronoun of

separation), except when there is no danger of the

#
$ !% (subject). This occurs when,

 !" (predicate) looking like a



 (adjective) of the

 !% (subject) is a    (noun)

1. the #
$

2. the #
$
 !% (subject) is a M  X
 (pronoun)
3. the  !"
 (predicate) is a M  X
 (pronoun)
4. the  !"
 (predicate) is a Z
 [% (possessed noun)
5. there is simply no room for confusion.

40



! " 


Vocabulary
Chapter 2.1 The Noun Sentence

$ ^ @

one (m)

waaHidun

&
$ ^ @

one (f)

waaHidatun

(
  )

 

1. sentence (f) (gram.);

2. group, sum total (f)

jumlatun (jumalun)

   

 

noun sentence (gram.)

jumlatun ismiyyatun

1. subject (gram.);
2. beginning

mubtadaun

1. predicate (gram.);
2. news

khabarun (akhbaarun)

the news

al-akhbaaru

useful (m)

naafiun (naafiuuna)

useful (f)

naafiatun (naafiaatun)

town (m or f)

baladun (bilaadun, buldaanun)

country ( f)

bilaadun (buldaanun)

(9
@$' (
 % ) $ ' (
 %

diligent, hard working (m)

mujtahidun (mijtahiduuna)

(4
 $' (
 % ) &
$ ' (
 %

diligent, hard working (f)

mujtahidatun (mijtahidaatun)

scholar (m)

aalimun (ulamaau)

(4
 ,)
 ,

scholar (f)

aalimatun (aalimaatun)

(9
H!1A
) )
 1A

good (m)

Tayyibun (Tayyibuuna)

(4
 !1A
)
!1A

good (f)

Tayyibatun (Tayyibaatun)

(9
H @)   @

wide (m)

waasiun (waasiuuna)

(4
  @)
  @

wide (f)

waasiatun (waasiaatun)

(n
 a
 ) m a


correct (m)

SaHeeHun (SiHaaHun)

(4
 aa
 )
a
 a


correct (f)

SaHeeHatun (SaHeeHaatun)

(o
 = $% )
 = $ %

school (f)

madrasatun (madaarisu)

door

baabun (abwaabun)

throne

#
$ !%
(= !" #
)  !"
= !" ?> 
(9
H )  
(4
 )
 
** (9
$ : k D G

:) $ 
:
(9
$ :) D G

:

(/. 
, )  ,

(
 H:#
) 
 :
(p
 @ , ) p
  ,

41

arshun (uruushun)

(4
 , ) q
  

meeting

ijtimaaun (ijtimaaaatun)

(9
@DHH % ) D HH %

present (m)

mawjuudun (mawjuuduuna)

(4
 DHH % ) &
D HH %

present (f)

mawjuudatun (mawjuudaatun)

c W
5

existent

mawjuudatun (mawjuudaatun)


;
 

separation

faSlun

section; season

faSlun (fuSuulun)

the pronoun of separation

Dameeru al-faSli

(0
H;- ) 
;
 

 ;
 
 M  X

Exercise 2.1.2

Exercise 2.1.1

Express in Arabic

1.

Allah is One

2.

Our word is one word

3.

Muhammad is a good teacher

4.

The short book is expansive (wide)

 !5 #
. N

!1A
= !" ?> 

 
 = $  a
 %
 !" @ #
$ !% -    T  - 
 (
 
4
 $E$ 4
 !
A c R
` a
 a
  s


  L R
 3% 9
H!E I
o
  3 / T
8 R
a
 ! c % )
 E I
c` 2
 ^ )
 E I
t
 :
  
6R j
 % '  

and useful
5.

The sea is large, wide and beautiful

6.

My house is close to the sea

and far from your house

7.

They are senior professors

8.

He is better than me

9.

This sentence is not correct

10.

The book of this student is useful

11.

This book of the student is useful

12.

The life of this world is short

13.

Speech about the president is

His signs are present in everything

15.

This is one word from the sum total

v
 M  X
 c % u G

5

6R
  = $   L 
 G
* +w    c % M " - !*+ S 6 R
p
    b
, $ 
H 
  = $   L c a
 
M !5
q
   t
 ! L
D $ (
  &- 6
y?>   R 0- 1  j
 x
@ #-

of his speech
16.

The meeting is in the school and the school

is far from our house

17.

These women are the new teachers

18.

She is the new teacher

19.

My mother is your mother

20.

.r
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

] $ ^ @ U 
V  - ' 
V@ \ .
D` HH %  s
<
 = ?>  L u G

2
 .

forbidden in Syria
14.

Express in English

.
.
.
.
.
.

$ E$(
  )
 *+ H R 
6R .
]    L R N
  -  5
@ \ .
]<
 = ?> @ 4
 @2
 
K = 3:K= \ .

Her name is Maryam and his name is

Ahmad

42




 

Chapter 2

The Noun Sentence

2.4 Emphasising the   

   
(noun sentence) using 


  
  (noun sentence) can be emphasised by placing   before it. In classical Arabic   is a
strong emphatic particle which we may translate as indeed or verily. In Modern Arabic, 
  has lost

The

much of its emphatic strength and is used simply as a stylistic device. Very often it is not translated.

  changes the ending of the 
  (subject) from 
 

 to 

  .
!"
 


   

Indeed the student is diligent

(inna aT-Taaliba mujtahidun)

Renamed

Renamed

  # $

  % 

&
 ! "
 

   

Indeed the (f) student is diligent

(inna aT-Taalibata mujtahidatun)

  (subject) is a '
(

 ) *
(a) When the 


+
 (detached pronoun) as in !"
  , - (he is diligent) and . -
&
 ! "
  (she is diligent), it changes to a '
(
  +
 (attached pronoun) and attaches to   .
!"
  / 0
&
 ! "
  !0

(innahu mujtahidun)

Indeed she is diligent

(innahaa mujtahidatun)

& 3 45 21   (demonstrative pronouns) that we have

encountered, the effect of 
  is not visible on the & 3 45 21   (demonstrative pronouns) because they
are .
6 * (indeclinable), but is visible on the /  37 (demonstrated noun).
(b) When the


 

Indeed he is diligent

(subject) is one of the

86 9 : ;
 < = >-  
86 9 >-  
3? 21 @ A #B  2 C D -  

Indeed this speech is true

(inna haadhaa al-kalaama Haqqun)

Indeed this is true

(inna haadhaa Haqqun)

Indeed these men are great scholars

(inna haaulaai ar-rijaalu ulamaau kibaarun)

43

(c) When the 


 


  (noun sentence) is an indefinite 
  (subject) preceded by a E   / 4 (quasi

sentence), 
  makes the indefinite 
  (subject) end in 

  .
FG   3   = .  

Indeed there is a student in the school

F G   3   = .  

Indeed there is a (f) student in the school

(inna fi al-madrasati Taaliban)

(inna fi al-madrasati Taalibatan)

#$ (predicate) were visible in the above sentences, they would read, FG   3   = . H, ,   
and F G  
 3   = . &
H , ,    .
If the

(d) When

  enters upon a 
  
  (noun sentence) that has a definite #$ (predicate), we have the

option of introducing the '

(
 ) =

+  
 (pronoun of separation) or omitting it because there is no danger
 (predicate) looking like a 
) I
 (adjective) of the 
  (subject)
of the #$
% J= , - '  #   
% J= '  #   
% - )= , - % J=  
% - )= % J=  
M 1 L 0 . 0B K

The man is the scholar

(inna ar-rajula huwa al-aalimu)

The man is the scholar

(inna ar-rajula al-aalimu)

Indeed the scholar is the one who understands

(inna al-aalima huwa al-faahimu)

Indeed the scholar is the one who understands

(inna al-aalima al-faahimu)

Indeed I am Allah
(innii ana allahu)

Morphology
When 
  is attached to the first person attached pronouns, we have two
alternative spellings.

0 / *0
.B0 / .*0

Indeed we
Indeed I

44

2.5 Transporting the   


   
(noun sentence) to the past using 
 
The


  
  (noun sentence) can be transported to the past by placing  ? before it when the 
 

(subject) is masculine. When


  (subject) is feminine, we use the feminine O

 0?. We can think of

 ? as our Arabic time machine.

We will deal with 
 ? fully later. For the moment, let us confine ourselves to transporting only singular


  '
  (noun sentences) to the past.



 ? changes the ending of the #$ (predicate) from 
 

 to 

 
opposite effect to 
  .
F!"
 


  ?

. We can think of it as having the

The student was diligent

(kaana aT-Taalibu mujtahidan)

Renamed

Renamed

 ? # $

 ? % 

&F  ! "
 

P  O
 0?

The (f) student was diligent

(kaanati aT-Taalibatu mujtahidatan)
(the &
# Q
 ? on O
 0? is a liaison vowel
introduced to avoid

S *? Q 21 R= cf. P6).


  (subject) is a +

 (pronoun) as in !"
  , - (he is diligent) and &
 ! "
  . - (she is
diligent), the +
 (pronoun) must be dropped when the 
  
  (noun sentence) is transported to
 ? .
the past by 
(a) If the

F!"
   ?
&F  ! "
  O
 0?

He was diligent
(kaana mujtahidan)

She was diligent

(kaanat mujtahidatan)

We can emphasise these sentences by placing before them 

  with a '
(
 

F!"
   ? / 0
&F  ! "
  O
 0? !0
F!"
   ? 
   

+
 (attached pronoun).

Indeed he was diligent

(innahu kaana mujtahidan)

Indeed she was diligent

(innahaa kaanat mujtahidatan)

Indeed the student was diligent

(inna aT-Taaliba kaana mujtahidatan)

45

(b) If the 


 


  (noun sentence) is an indefinite 
  (subject) preceded by a E   / 4 (quasi

sentence), 
 ? must agree with the indefinite 
  (subject).
G   3   = .  ?

There was a student in the school

(kaana fi al-madrasati Taalibun)


G   3   = . O
 0?

There was a (f) student in the school

(kaanat fi al-madrasati Taalibatun)

In the above sentences, the #$

 (predicate) is omitted so  ? does not bring about any visible change.
If the #$
 (predicate) were visible, the sentences would read,

G   3   = . FH, ,   ?

and


G   3   = . &F H , ,  O

 0? .

Kaana confusion
Note the difference in the following two sentences. If you grasp these two
simple structures now, it will save you a lot of confusion later.

FG  , =  ?
G   3   = .  ?

He was a student
There was a student

2.6 Negating the   


   
(noun sentence) using 
  


  
  (noun sentence) can be negated by placing before it T

  when the 
  (subject) is
masculine. When 

  (subject) is feminine, we use the feminine O
 Q
  . (Note that sentences are
negated and words are negativised).
The

We will deal with

T
  fully later. For the moment, let us confine ourselves to negating only singular


  '
  (noun sentences).



T
  is a sister of  ? and likewise changes the ending of the #$ (predicate) from 
 
 to 

  .
CF , Q?


 T
 

The student is not lazy

(laysa aT-Taalibu kasuulan)

Renamed

Renamed

T
  # $

T
  % 

46

CF , Q? P  O
 Q
 

The (f) student is not lazy

(laysati aT-Taalibatu kasuulan)

CF , Q? T
 

He is not lazy
(laysa kasuulan)

CF , Q? O
 Q
 

She is not lazy

(laysat kasuulan)

CF , Q? T
  / 0

Indeed he is not lazy

(innahu laysa kasuulan)

CF , Q? O
 Q
  !0

Indeed she is not lazy

(innahaa laysat kasuulan)

G   3   = . T
 

There is not a student in the school

(laysa fi al-madrasati Taalibun)


G   3   = . O
 Q
 

There is not a (f) student in the school

(laysat fi al-madrasati Taalibatun)

2.7 ! "# $

 


  (The interrogative particle)

The 

 


  (noun sentence) can be rendered interrogative simply by intonation of the voice. We do

not have to change sentence structure as we de in English. This is why we often find Arabic speakers
asking questions in English using declarative sentences. When translating interrogative sentences from
English to Arabic, we simply turn them into declarative sentences.

JV # 
 =

The sea is far?

86 9 (, - )

It is true?

(al-bahru baeedun)

(huwa Haqqun)

Often, intonation is reinforced by placing one of the interrogative particles

'= - and  before the 
 

(sentence). '
= - and  are generally interchangeable. Modern Arabic often uses an inverted question mark

Y which it has borrowed from English.

JV # 
 = ' -
86 9 , - 
FI
  ?
G   3   = .

Is the sea far?

(hali al-bahru baeedun)
(the &
# Q
 ? on ' - is a liaison vowel cf. P6)

Is it true?
(ahuwa Haqqun)

Was it correct?
(akaana SaHeeHan)

Is there a student in the school?

(afi al-madrasati Taalibun)

47

G   3   = .  ?

Was there a student in the school?

(akaana fi al-madrasati Taalibun)

AP #B  S 
 0 C . H C Z \[ %  0
When  is followed by the definite article

Are you the boys? No, we are the men

(aantumu al-awlaadu laa naHnu ar-rijaalu)

]= a phonetic change occurs rendering, ]=^ (aal). It is far

more common however, to use '

= - before a definite article.

JV # 
 = _ % J 0 . JV # 
 =^

Is the sea far? Yes the sea is far

(aal-bahru baeedun ? naam al-bahru baeedun)

When  is followed by a word beginning with '

I
 , =

&P `  - the ' I

 , = &P `  - is dropped.

SQ9 a
  

Your name is Hasan

SQ9 a
   

Is your name Hasan

(ismuka Hasanun)

(asmuka Hasanun)

O
 = . *@  

Is our meeting in the house?

(ajtimaaunaa fi al-bayti)

It is common with interrogatives to switch the 


  (subject) and #$ (predicate) around.

Y , - bI
 

Is it correct?
(aSaHeeHun huwa)

Y , - 86 9 
2.7.1

Is it true?
(aHaqqun huwa)

Negative interrogatives
To frame a question in the negative with a 

 


  (noun sentence) we use T

  (not T
  '= - )

Y FG SQ9 T
 

Is Hasan not a student?

For negatively framed questions, an answer of %

 J 0 , confirms the negation, so that % J 0 and C amount to
the same response

% J 0

Yes (he is not a student)

No (he is not a student)

To answer in the positive, we must say cV (yes indeed)

cV

Yes indeed (he is a student)

48

% &
 '
(



Summary Supplement

   
   )


*

The Noun Sentence

  + ,
1.

A 
 



  (noun sentence) is constructed from a definite


   (subject) and an indefinite #$ (predicate).

d0 e
< =
d0 , -
d0 e
< = >-
d0 >-
d0 
  e
?
8f 9 P  ? g > -
  3   = . 


2.

An indefinite 
   (subject) is permitted if it is preceded by

a E  
3.

G   3   = .

/ 4 (quasi sentence).

A definite #$
 (predicate) must be separated from the 
 

hP  \1 , - 'P  # 

Examples
The book is useful
It is useful
This book is useful
This is useful
The students book is useful
This is a word of truth
The student is in the school
A student is in the school, or
There is a student in the school, or
In the school (there) is a student
The man is the teacher

(
 ) = +  
 (the pronoun of separation)
(subject) by a '
except when,

4.

a)

the 
   (subject) is a +

 (pronoun)

hP  \1 , -

He is the teacher

b)

the #$
 (predicate) is a +
 (pronoun

, - hP  \1
, - , -

The teacher is he

c)

the #$
 (predicate) is a ij (possessed noun)

The 
 



  (noun sentence) can be emphasised by

placing 
  before it, which

 , = hP  P 'P  # 

The man is the boys teacher

!"
  
   

Indeed the student is diligent

!"
  / 0
86 9 : ;
 < = > -  
FG   3   = .  
hP  \1 '  #   

5.

The 
 



  (noun sentence) can be transported to the

past by placing 
 ? before it, which changes the ending of
the #$
 (predicate) from 
 
 to 

 

F!"
  
  ?
F!"
   ?
F!"
   ? / 0
G   3   = .  ?

6.

F!"
  
 T
 
F!"
  T
 

The 
 



  (noun sentence) can be negated by placing

T
  before it, which changes the ending of the #$

F!"
  T
  / 0
G   3   = . T
 

(predicate from 
 
 to 

 

49

He is he

Indeed he is diligent
Indeed this speech is true
Indeed there is a student in the school
Indeed the man is the teacher
The student was diligent
He was diligent
Indeed he was diligent
There was a student in the school
The student is not diligent
He is not diligent
Indeed he is not diligent
There is not a student in the school



. # 


Vocabulary
Chapter 2.4 The Noun Sentence

 
 ?
T
 

inna

was (transports noun sentence to the

kaana

past)

is/are not (negates noun sentence)

Laysa

very lazy (m & f)

kasuulun (kusaalaa)

sea

baHrun (biHaarun)

'= -

hal

interrogative particle (gram.)

Harfu al-istifhaami

Enquiry

istifhaamun (istifhaamaatun)

yes

naam

no

laa

yes indeed (after negative question)

balaa

(cQ?P ) A
, Q?
(# V _ 3V) #V

: !)=  C i
# 9
(k!)=  ) :!)= 
% J 0
C
cV
Exercise 2.4.2

Indeed

Exercise 2.4.1

Express in Arabic

1.

Indeed his name is written in everything

2.

Indeed this speech of yours is severe

3.

Indeed there is a sign in this good news

4.

Hasans relatives house was close

+? %@ [ L   .
8l 
 = , - >-   .
F  ? e
 < = .   .
M 1 L 0 .B0 K .

to the sea
5.

Was it a good book?

6.

There was a great man on the earth

7.

F+? F@ 1 L  ? .
0l  / m9 . F@  ? / 0 .

Was the meeting in the school? Yes, there

n
 +  
 . a
  ;
 ?  ? .
Y #$ /   ? .
# 
 = S @ FJV O
= T
  .
Y 
 ? e
 < = . O
 Q
  .

was a meeting in the school

8.

Was there a boy on the throne? Yes, the

boy was on the throne

9.

It is not close to the sea

10.

Are the long sentences not correct?

Express in English

50



 

 
Chapter 3

The Verb Sentence

A
   (verb) is a word that refers to an action. If an Arabic 
  (sentence) begins with a    (verb) it is
a

 
  
  (verb sentence). A 
  (sentence) beginning with a    (noun) is usually a     
 

(noun sentence).

3.1

 
    (The perfect verb)

We will introduce

   (verbs)

in their

       

(masculine singular) third person perfect form

because conjugation into all other persons is derived from this.

" #
 !  ! (the perfect verb) refers to complete action, usually in the past.
$
 %

He wrote, or
He has written, or
He did write

In Arabic, every 
   (verb) must have a  &   or doer. In English, we call this the subject of the verb.
The

 &   (subject)

of

$
 %

is the

 %%(
  '  #
 (implied

pronoun, lit. hidden)

) *

. We need not say,

$
 % ) * .
 ,-  (feminine) of $
 % is,
The +
/
 .%

She wrote
She has written
She did write

The 
 &   (subject) of /
 .% is the  %%(
 

'  #
 (implied pronoun) " * .

With the perfect verb, the masculine and feminine singular are the only two persons for which Arabic
implies a  %%(
 

'  #
 (implied pronoun). To conjugate the verb into all other persons, we attach another
set of 
1
 %  0#
 (attached pronouns), different to those we have encountered before.

The table below gives the full conjugation of $

 % in the perfect. The  %%(
 

'  #
 (implied pronoun) for

$
 % and /
 .% are given in brackets. The 
1
 %  0#
 (attached pronouns) that are used to conjugate
$
 % into all other persons are shaded in grey.

51

DRILL #3
Plural

Dual

Singular

(3)

(2)




 

They wrote


  () * )

They (two) wrote

(6)

He wrote

  
They (two) wrote

 
 

(7)


  

You (two) wrote

(12)

  
 

You wrote

You (two) wrote

Second
person

(10)


  

Feminine

You wrote
(14)

The basic  
 

Masculine

You wrote
(11)


 

Feminine

She wrote
(8)

  
 

You wrote

Third
person

(4)


  (" * )

(9)

3.1.1

Masculine

(5)

  
They wrote

(1)

(13)

   

 

We wrote

I wrote

Masculine
and
Feminine

First
person


  (verb sentence) with a '  #
 (pronoun) subject

A
   (verb) and  &   (subject) on their own constitute a complete  
 


  (verb sentence), so all the

   (verbs) in the table above are complete    (sentences). All other perfect verbs are conjugated in
the same way.

  5

He read
(qaraa)
(the 
 &   (subject) is the implied pronoun ) * )

6
   5

She read
(qaraat)
(the 
 &   (subject) is the implied pronoun " * )

)(



They (masc. pl.) sat

(jalasuu)
(the 
 &   (subject) is the attached pronoun 7 )

/
 (


3.1.2

The basic  
 

I sat
(jalastu)
(the 
 &   (subject) is the attached pronoun 6
 )


  (verb sentence) with a    (noun) subject

With third person (not second and first person) verbs, the

 &  

(subject) may be a

  

(noun) as

'  #
 (pronoun). When this occurs, the implied or attached pronouns that conjugate the
   (verb) cease to be the  &   (subject).
opposed to a

52

There are three things we need to remember about such  

 
(a)

The 
 &   goes after the    (verb)

(b)

The 
   (verb) makes the  &   end in   #


  8 $
 %

A man wrote
(kataba rajulun)

  ! 9



The man sat

(jalasa ar-rajulu)

:    /
 .%

A woman wrote
(katabat imraatun)
(the :  (
  on /
 .% is a liaison vowel to avoid >
 ? (
 ! <;  =%!)

:   ! /
 (



(c)

   (verb sentences),

The woman sat

(jalasati al-maratu)
(the :  (
  on /
 (

 is a liaison vowel to avoid >
 ? (
 ! <;  =%!)

 &   (subject) is @   (plural), the    (verb) before it remains     (singular).

If the 
  8 $
 %

Men wrote
(kataba rijaalun)

 A ! 9



(jalasa ar-rijaalu)

<B (, /
 .%

(katabat nisaaun)

The men sat

Women wrote

<; (?A! /
 (



The women sat

(jalasati an-nisaau)

   (verb) comes after the  &   (subject) it must agree with the  &   (subject) in number as
If a 
well as gender.

)C  7 D
 E
 GF !   5

The students read and understood

(qaraa atT-Tullabu wa fahimuu)

H  5 7 I
 8 KJ  L
& <; (?A! /
 (



The women sat on the ground and read

(jalasati an-nisaau ala al-arDi wa qarana)

If we have men and women performing the same action, the verb remains masculine singular.

<; (?A!7  A ! 9




The men and women sat

(jalasa ar-rijaalu wa an-nisaau)

53

3.1.3

The M N

 )  (object)

The object of a 
   (verb) is called M N

 )  (lit. done to it).

The 
   (verb) makes the M N  )  (object) end in  O
 % .
D
 %P !   5

(qaraa al-kitaaba)

Q 
 /
 .%

(katabat kalimatan)

He read the book

She wrote a word

D
 %P !  R 5

You (masc. pl.) read the book

(qaratumu al-kitaaba)
(the   #
 on  R 5 is a liaison vowel to avoid >
 ? (
 ! <;  =%!)

S E
P ! /
  C 

I understood the speech

(fahimtu al-kalaama)

As illustrated in the above sentences, the normal word order in a  

 

M N  )  (object)


  (verb sentence) is,

 &   (subject)

   (verb)

 &   (subject) is a '  #

 (pronoun). With third person (not second and
first person) verbs where the 
 &   (subject) is a    (noun), the M N  )  (object) usually comes after the
(a) In the above sentences, the

 &   (subject) keeping to the O
S
V order.

D
 %P ! T ! ) !   5

(qaraa al-waladu al-kitaaba)

Q 
 :   /
 .%

(katabat maratun kalimatan)

The boy read the book

A woman wrote a word

E
Q    A ! $
 %

The men wrote sentences

(kataba ar-rijaalu jumalan)

S E
P ! <; (?A! /
  C 

The women understood the speech

(fahimati al-nisaau al-kalaama)

(b) When the M N

 )  (object) is a '  #

 (pronoun), we use a  1
 % '  #
 (attached pronoun), not '  #

 % '  #
 (attached pronoun) attaches directly to the   
 1
  ? (detached pronoun) (cf. P13). The  1
(verb). The word order continues to be O
S
V.

U   5

He read it
(qaraahu)

? C 

He understood us
(fahimanaa)
(Note that ? C  means we understood)

54

M %.%

(katabathu)

V
 % C 

(fahimtuka)

She wrote it

I understood you

Morphology
When the M N

 )  (object) is a  1
 % '  #
 (attached pronoun) the following relate to
#
 !   KJ  (perfect verbs):
(i) When the pronoun XW
 is the

M N  )  (object) of a verb it becomes ", .

Rather than "C  , we say:

"? C 

He understood me

We add a H
 between the    (verb) and the pronoun XW to carry the : (
  . This

H is called  Y 5) ! H), (the nun of protection) because it protects the vowels of the
   (verb) from any change.
(ii) The final alif of the third person masculine plural is dropped when a

'  #


(pronoun) is attached to it.

D
 %P ! 7 Z  5
U 7Z 5
(iii) When a

They read the book

(Notice that the hamza of   5 sits on a 7 in 7Z  5 )

They read it

'  #
 (pronoun) is attached to the second person masculine plural, a

7 is inserted in between.

 % C 
$
 %P!  % C 
*)% C 

You (pl.) understood

You (pl.) understood the books
You (pl.) understood them
(Note: $
 %P! is [ 5& ' \ (irrational) and therefore
grammatically feminine singular)

55

M N  )  (object) is a  1
 % '  #

(attached pronoun) and the 
 &   (subject) is a    (noun), we have no recourse but to place the  &  
(subject) after the M N 
 )  (object), rendering a S
O
V word order. Remember also that if the  &  
(subject) is @
   (plural), the    (verb) before it remains     (singular).
(c) With third person (not second and first person) verbs where the

T ! ) ! U   5

The boy read it

(qaraahu al-waladu)
(Note that U T ! 7   5 means His boy read)

 A ! C.%

The men wrote them

(katabahaa ar-rijaalu)

:   M %.%

A woman wrote it
(katabathu maratun)

<; (?A!  P% C 

The women understood you (pl.)

(fahimatkumu an-nisaau)
(the   #
 on  P%  C  is a liaison vowel to avoid >
 ? (
 ! <;  =%!)

M N  )  (object) in the above sentences are what we call in English direct objects.   
(verbs) which take direct objects are called T
]  % (transitive) in Arabic. There are some    (verbs) that
(d) The

cannot take a direct object but require a ]



^
  _ (preposition) before the object. In English these are
called indirect objects. 
   (verbs) that can only take indirect objects are called S ` a (intransitive).
Arabic does not actually think of an indirect object as a M N
as a [

 

M .b (quasi sentence) attached to a    (verb).

I
 8 KJ  L
& 9



3.1.4

Negating "#!

 )  (object) at all and thinks of it simply

He sat on the ground

(jalasa la al-arDi)

 ! (the perfect verb)

"#!  ! (the perfect verb) is negated by placing before it the negative particle  .
QN% T  O
  $
 % 

Muhammad did not write a book

).% 

3.1.5

Emphasising "#!

They (masc. pl.) did not write

 ! (the perfect verb)

"#!  ! (The perfect verb) may be emphasised by the particle T 5 or more emphatically, by T = ! .
The latter is only used initially in a sentence. T
 5 and T = ! must always be followed by a    (verb).

56

Arab linguists view these two emphatic particles as either foreclosing the possibility of anyone denying
the truth of the statement or responding firmly to any actual denial. The following dialogue illustrates
their usage,

D
 %P !  * 6
  5  * :  Y 
M R 5 T 5 e   , : d (
 _
D
 %P !  * d  Qfb 6
  5  e a :  Y 
D
 %P !  *   6
  5 T = ! : d (
 _

Maryam: Have you read this book?

Hasan : Yes, I have read it !
Maryam : No, you have not read anything from this book
Hasan : I did indeed read the whole of this book !

Nothing should intervene between T

 5 and the    (verb) so we cannot say 

T 5

or 

T = J ! . It also would

not make much sense because one affirms while the other negates.

3.2 Word Order

3.2.1

We have encountered the O
S
V and S
O
V structures above. There is another instance

 &   (subject) and M N

when the S
O
V structure is preferred even when both the 

 )  (object) are

nouns.

 &   (subject) ends in d Y)?R and the M N  )  (object) does not, it is better to put the  &  
(subject) after the M N 
 )  (object). This is to engender better euphonic harmony.
When the

  8 D
 %P ! $
 %

A man wrote the book

rather than

D
 %P !   8 $
 %
and

d (
 _ D
 %P ! $
 %

Hasan wrote the book

rather than

D
 %P ! d (
 _ $
 %
3.2.2

The S
V
O structure

M N  )  (object) before the    (verb). This is used especially in poetry as a

rhetorical device to emphasise the M N 
 )  (object). The sentence is still considered to be a  
  
 
We may even bring the

(verb sentence).

d (
 _ $
 % QN%

A book did Hasan write

57

3.2.3

The O
V
S structure
We have seen above that if a

 
  
  (verb sentence).


  (sentence) begins with the    (verb) or the M N  )  (object) it is a

 &   (subject) before    (verb) in a O
V
S structure, the 

  (sentence)
If we place the 
becomes a  
  


  (noun sentence), even though it contains a    (verb).
D
 %P ! $
 %   !

The man wrote the book

It is useful here to make a distinction between grammar and meaning. Grammatically, in this

  ! is the T %. (subject) of a     

  (noun sentence). We say that the verb $
 % is a
verb sentence  .g
 ! h O
  " (in the place of the predicate). The M N  )  (object) is not essential to
  (sentence).
the 

sentence,

But in terms of meaning,

  !

remains the

X
i ) ?   &  

or semantic subject because as far as the

meaning of the sentence is concerned   ! is doer of the action.

In general, it is better practice to use the O
S
V structure rather than the O
V
S structure, and
you should try to avoid the latter at this stage in your Arabic lives.

58

3.2

! "
  
   (the imperfect verb)
j
 8 k !  ! (the imperfect verb) refers to incomplete action usually in the present or future.
j
 8 k !  ! (the imperfect verb) for $
 % is:
$
 %P Y

$
 %P Y is produced by prefixing JY to the root,

putting

He is writing

(continuous present), or

He writes

(habitual present), or

He will write

(future), or

He can write

(ability)

H )P on the first root

letter and

  #
 on the

second and last root letters. Verbs never end in d

 Y)?R . The prefixed letter changes as j
 8 k !

 ! (the

imperfect verb) is conjugated into the different persons. They have been shaded in grey in the table

 Yl , .
below. The four letters used can be summarised in the formula, /
The table below gives the full conjugation of $
 %P Y in the imperfect. The  %%(
 

'  #
 (implied pronoun)
for those persons that have an implied pronoun 
 &   (subject) is given in brackets. The  1
 % '  #

(attached pronoun) for the others is shaded in grey.
DRILL #4
Plural

Dual
(3)

Singular
(2)

% 

$ #

%  
$ #

They write


$ # () * )

They (two) write

(6)

%  
$ &
%  
$ &

You write

(7)


$ & (/
 , )

You (two) write

(12)

%  
$ &

You write

You (two) write

Masc.

You write
(11)

  
$ &

Fem.

She writes
(8)

% 

$ &

Third
Person

(4)


$ & (" * )

They (two) write

(9)

Masc.

He writes
(5)

  
$ #
They write

(1)

Second
Person

(10)

 ' 
$ &

Fem.

You write
(14)

(13)


$ ( (d O ,)


 ) (, )

We write

I write

The points relating to verb, subject and object apply to the j

 8 k !

59

Masc.

First
Person

 ! (the imperfect verb).

I
[     (perfect verb) has a  O
 % on the middle root letter, such as $
 % , the vowel above the
middle root letter in j
 8 k !  ! (the imperfect verb) is different for different    (verbs). These

If a

vowels will be indicated in the vocabulary lists in brackets after the perfect, as illustrated below.
Imperfect

Perf.

$
 %P Y

( m)

$
 %

He wrote

9

n
 Y

( o)

9



He sat

= Y

( p)

  5

He read

I
[     (perfect verb) has a : (
  under the middle root letter, like  C  , the vowel above the
 8 k ! (the imperfect) is nearly always  O
 % .
middle root letter in j
If a

 C  Y

( p)

 C 

He understood

[ 
If a I

   (perfect verb) has a   #

 over the middle root letter, like  . , the vowel above the middle
root letter in j
 8 k ! (the imperfect) is always   #
 .
 .P Y

( m)

 .

( o)

$
 (
 _

He grew

The (W
 )$
 (
 _ form is very rare.

$
 (
O
 Y

He considered

 8 k ! (the imperfect) of each    (verb) with "#! (the perfect), just as we learn
You should learn j

j
 )n
 ! (plurals) with 6
     ! (singulars). This is to ensure that j
 8 k ! (the imperfect) springs to
mind the moment "#! (the perfect) is mentioned.
3.2.1

Negating j
 8 k !

 ! (the imperfect verb)

j
 8 k !  ! (the imperfect verb) is negated by placing before it the negative particle a .
T  O
  = Y a

Muhammad is not reading, or

Muhammad does not / will not / cannot read
(laa yaqrau muHammadun)

 C   a

I am not understanding
I do not / will not / cannot understand
(laa afhamu)

60

3.2.2

The future tense

As noted above, j
 8 k !

 ! (the imperfect verb) has a number of possible meanings. If we wish to
make the action clearly in the future, we place either q or ^
 )  before j
 8 k !  ! (the imperfect
verb). The particle q attaches to the verb itself.
$
 %P Y ^
 )  / $
 %P 

He will write
(sayaktubu / saufa yaktubu)

Nothing should intervene between ^

 )  and the    (verb) so we cannot say a

^
 )  to mean, He will

not.
3.2.3

Placing T
 5 before j
 8 k !
Placing

T 5

before

 ! (the imperfect verb)

j
 8 k !  !

(the imperfect verb) emphasises its incompleteness and makes the

probability of the action uncertain.

$
 %P Y T 5

He may write, or
He might write
(qad yaktubu)

In poetry and literature,

[ 
affirms a I

T 5 can be used to affirm a j

 8 k    (imperfect verb) in the same way that it

   (perfect verb), but this is not common.

 C   T 5

I do indeed understand
(qad afhamu)

Again, nothing should intervene between T

 5 and the    (verb) so we cannot say a
not. Nor can we say q

T 5 to mean He may

T 5 or ^
 )  T 5 to mean He might, though you may frequently hear this

modern barbarism.

T = ! is not normally never placed before a j

 8 k    (imperfect verb).

61

3.3

!
* +
    (The verbal noun)
The

8 T 1
  (verbal noun or gerund) which literally means source, is a noun to which the    (verb)

corresponds and may be rendered into English by suffixing ing, tion, ment, ness or by the
infinitive verb: to .
DRILL #5
Verbal
Noun

Imperfect

Perfect

Writing

Q N%

$
 %P Y

( m)

$
 %

He wrote

Sitting

Q)


9

n
 Y

( o)

9



He sat

Reading

:Q <J 5

= Y

( p)

  5

Understanding

QC

 C  Y

( p)

 C 

He understood

Largeness

Q.

 .P Y

( m)

 .

He grew (in size)

Considering;
Consideration

Q,.(
 _ e QN(_

$
 (
O
 Y

( o)

$
 (
 _

He read

He considered

The above 8  1 (verbal nouns) have been presented ending in  O

 % . This is because it is convention to

1
  (verbal noun) as though it is a  )  (object). This will be explained fully later.
learn the 8 T
1
  (verbal noun) is essentially a noun, it has a certain verbal force, which is why we often
Although 8 T
translate it into the English infinitive.

   9
  u
 ! " t
 )
n!

Sitting/to sit in the sun is nice

(al-juluusu fii ash-shamsi jameelun)

   <B " b v O1

 !  C  !

Correct understanding is a beautiful thing

(al-fahmu aS-SaHeehu shayun jameelun)

Note that in the above sentences, sitting and understanding which are not preceded by the are
rendered into Arabic using the definite article q! . This is because all verbal nouns used in this to refer
to general notions are      (definite) and require q! .
Some

8  1

(verbal nouns), apart from their verbal meaning, have taken on a more concrete

nominal meaning.

 N%

means writing and to write, but it also means writing as in ink on

paper.

62

 N%P ! T ! ) ! = Y

The

The boy is reading the writing

(yaqrau al-waladu al-kitaabata)


 

First Aid

8 T 1
  (verbal noun) is often confused with the j
 8 k    (imperfect verb).

We find sentences such as the man is sitting translated as:

t
 )
   !

or

  ! t
 )


Or sentences such as to sit is nice and sitting is nice translated as:

   9

n
 Y
Prescription
Remember that the verbal noun is a noun, not a verb. A

   (verb) always has a

1
  (verbal noun) has no tense.
tense or a time in which the action happens. A 8 T
In the sentence The man is sitting, the word sitting is in the present tense so it
must be a j
 8 k

   (imperfect verb).
  ! 9

n
 Y

In the sentences to sit is nice and sitting is nice, the word sit/sitting has no
tense so it must be a 8 T
1
  (verbal noun).

   t
 )
n!
3.4 The Passive Verb

   (verbs) that we have encountered in this chapter so far are active verbs. In Arabic, an
active verb is called S )


 ! "i ?.    (lit. a verb constructed for the known (subject)). It is named so
because the 
 &   (subject) of an active verb is known. A passive verb is called  )Cn
 
 ! "i ?.    (lit. a
verb constructed for the unknown (subject)) because in Arabic the 
 &   (subject) of a passive verb is
All the

not known.
We know that $
 % is a S )

 !

"i ?.    (active verb) meaning he wrote. To say, it was written as a

 )Cn
 
! "i ?.    (passive verb), we alter the vowels and say $
 % . This is the same for all perfect
verbs. The 
 )Cn
 
! "i ?. (passive) of the imperfect $
 %P Y is $
 %P Y (it is (being) written). Verbs that are
S ` a (intransitive) such as 9

 (he sat) do not have a  )Cn
 
! "i ?. (passive). It would not make much
sense to say 9

  .
63

 )Cn
 
! ?. !  KJ  (passive verbs) are conjugated in the same was as S )

 ! ?. !  KJ 

(active

verbs).
The S )


 ! "i ?.

   (active verb) as we know, has a  &   (subject) and may have a M N  )  (object).
D
 %P ! w% K;  $
 %

The professor wrote the book

 )Cn
 
 ! "i ?. (passive), the  &   (subject) of the active verb disappears and
becomes 
 )Cn
  (unknown). The M N  )  (object) of the active verb takes its place and is called the
 &  ! $
 0, (deputy of the subject).
When we make the verb

D
 %P ! $
 %

The book was written

M N  )  (object) has to become the  &  ! $

 0, (deputy of the subject), S ` a (intransitive)
active verbs that have no M N 
 )  (object) such as 9

 (he sat) are often not used in the passive

Since the

9

  form.
 )Cn
 
 ! "x ?. ! or unknown. This is because the subject of the
active verb cannot be mentioned once we make the verb passive.
In Arabic the passive verb is called

In English, the subject is often mentioned with a passive verb such as in the sentence, The book was

written by the professor. We render such sentences into Arabic using a simple active verb as in the
first example above. In Arabic, the

 &   (subject) of an active verb cannot be mentioned once we make

it passive.
3.4.1

We may introduce not the 

 &   (subject), but the instrument with which the action is carried out.

[
= N $
 %

It was written with a pen

T !N $
 %

It was written by hand

t
 ?! XTY / T Y L
& $
 %

It was written by the people

The last example above is a Modern Arabic rendition of a non-Arabic phrase and is as such not a
classical Arabic expression. It is unfortunately used frequently in Modern Arabic journalese as a way
of skirting around Classical Arabics insistence on keeping the
(unknown).

64

 &   (subject) of a passive verb  )Cn

 

3.5 The ten most common verb forms

All the verbs we have encountered so far may be considered Form I 
  . Arab grammarians call this

 

H`7 or the faala form. There are fifteen verb forms in Arabic derived from the triliteral root by

affixing extra letters out of which ten are most common. Each form denotes certain meaning patterns
but it is best at this stage not to delve too deep into these, nor to consider them to be written in stone.
Rather, we will take the meaning of each individual verb as it is given.

We may summarise Form I as follows:

3.5.1

Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Q N%

D
 )%P 

) C 

Writing

Written

So it is

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

$
 %P Y

$
 %

$
 R 

) C 

$
 %P Y

$
 %

It is written

It was written

A writer

So he is

He is writing

He wrote

Form II

  H`7 . It is produced by doubling the middle letter of the root, so from form I
Form II of the verb is 

& (to know), we have form II 
& (to teach lit. to make someone know). It may please you to know
that there is generally only one pattern for the 8 T
1
  (verbal noun) of Form II:   R and occasionally

  R . This is true for all derived forms. Note that the  &  !    (Active Participle) and  )  !   
(Passive Participle) are identical apart from the vowel on the middle letter. This is true for all derived
forms.
We may summarise Form II as follows:
Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

Q
 R


 

Teaching

Taught

) C 
So he is

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)


 Y


h&


h 

It is taught

It was taught

A teacher

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

) C 


h Y


&

So he is

He is
teaching

He taught

Form II is usually the causative of Form I. If a 

   (verb) in Form I has one M N
Form II of that verb can have two M N

 )  (direct object),

 )  .

t
 8 T !   ! 
&

The man knew the lesson

t
 8 T ! T ! ) !   ! 
&

The man taught the boy the lesson

65

3.5.2

Form V
Form V of the verb is 
  R

H`7 . It produced from form II by affixing a taa with a  O

 % on it to the
beginning, so from Form II 

& (to teach), we have Form V 
 R (to learn).
Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

Passive
Imperf. Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

QF
 R


 %

) C 


 %Y


h R


h %

) C 


 %Y


 R

Learning

Learned

So he is

It is being learned

It was learned

A learner

So he is

He is learning

He learned

Form V is usually the reflexive of Form II. That means that it refers to the action of the first
(object) of Form II. If Form II has two

M N  ) 

M N  )  (objects), Form V takes one and if Form II has one

M N  )  , Form V has none.

t
 8 T ! T ! ) ! 
 R
3.5.3

The boy learned the lesson

Form III
Form III of the verb is 
&   H`7 . It is produced by inserting an alif between the first and second letter
of the root. The 8 T
1
  (verbal noun) of Form III is of the form   or 
&   and occasionally both.
Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

QC 
T * n
:Q T * n
Striving

3.5.4

Striven
against

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

) C 

T * nY

T * )

T * n

So he is

He is striven
against

He was striven
against

A striver

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

) C 

T * nY

T * 

So he is

He is striving

He strove

Form VI

&  R H` 7 . It is the reflexive of Form III and is produced from Form III by
Form VI of the verb is 
affixing a taa with a  O
 % on it to the beginning. Form VI generally, but not always, implies mutual

action, so that its 

 &   (subject) must a dual, plural or collective.
Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

Q* R

 *  %

(Mutual)
understanding

(Mutually)
understood

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

) C 

 *  %Y

 * )R

 *  %

So it is

It is
(mutually)
understood

It was
(mutually)
understood

T ! ) !7   !  *  R

(Mutually)
understanding

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

) C 

 *  %Y

 *  R

So they
are

They are
(mutually)
understanding

They
(mutually)
understood

The man and boy understood each other

66

3.5.5

Form IV
Form IV of the verb is 
   H`7 . It is usually causative and is produced by affixing a @ G = !

:z * with

a  O
 % on it to the beginning to the root, so from form I 
& (to know), we have form IV 
&  (to inform
lit. to make someone know).

Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

Q E& {


 

Informing

3.5.6

Informed

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

) C 


 Y


& 


 

So he is

He is
informed

He was
informed

An
informer

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

) C 


 Y


& 

So he is

He is
informing

He
informed

Form VII
Form VII of the verb is 
  , H`7 . It is produced by affixing an alif and a nun to the root. The alif has

 |
 ) ! :z * so any vowel preceding it will override it. If it is initial, it takes a : (
  . Form VII is not
produced from roots beginning with < , 8 ,  , H or X .
Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

QuP ,

}
 u
 P ?

Uncovering

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

) C 
So he is

Passive
Perf.
verb

}
 u
 P ?Y }
 u
 P,
-

Active
Participle
(noun)

}
 u
 P ?
Uncovered

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

) C 

}
 u
 P ?Y

}
 u
 P ,

So it is

It is
becoming
uncovered

It became
uncovered

Form VII is an active verb but denotes a passive meaning, so it generally has no 
 )Cn
 
!
and takes no M N

 )  (objects). Compare:

  KJ  }
 u


The matter was uncovered

  KJ  }
 u
 P ,
3.5.7

"i ?. (passive)

The matter became uncovered

Form VIII
Form VIII of the verb is 
 %  H`7 . It is produced by affixing an alif before the root and a ta between

the first and second root letters. The alif has 

|
 ) !

:z * so any vowel preceding it will override it. If it

is initial, it takes a :  (
  .

Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

QC%  

T C %n
 

Hard work

Worked at

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

) C 

T C %n
 Y

T C %  

T C %n
 

So it is

It is
worked at

It was
worked at

A hard
worker

67

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

) C 

T C %n
 Y

T C %  

So he is

He is
working hard

He worked
hard

3.5.8

Form IX
Form IX of the verb is 
   

H`7 . It is produced by affixing an alif before the root and doubling the
last letter. The alif has 
|
 ) ! :z * so any vowel preceding it will override it. If it is initial, it takes a
: (
  .
Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Q8 _ 
Reddening

Active
Participle
(noun)

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

) C 

x  O
 Y

  _ 

So he is

It is becoming
red

It became red

i  O
 
Reddened

Form IX is only used for colours and defects.

M C  7   _ 
3.5.9

His face became red

Form X
Form X of the verb is 
  %  H`7 . It is produced by affixing an alif, a seen and a taa before the root.

|
 ) !
The alif has 
Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

So he
is

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

So he
is

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

QC % 

 C  %(
 

) C 

 C  %(
 Y

 C  % 

 C  %(
 

) C 

 C  %(
 Y

 C  % 

So it is

It is
enquired

It was
enquired

So he is

He is
enquiring

He enquired

Enquiry

3.6

:z * so any vowel preceding it will override it. If it is initial, it takes a : (
  .

enquired

An enquirer

3 '4    3 4  5

 6 , - . /  0

1 2 (The interrogative particle in the verb sentence)

Like the noun sentence, the verb sentences can be rendered interrogative simply by intonation.

We may also place 

 * or  before it

d ( _  C  Y

Hasan understands?
(yafhamu Hasanun)

~ d (
 _ D
 %P !  C  
To frame a question in the negative with a
perfect and a
 (not a

Did Hasan understand the book

(afahima al-kitaaba Hasanun)
(Note that the interrogative particle goes before the verb)

 
  
  (a verb sentence) we use  (not   * ) for the

 * ) for the imperfect.

~$
 % 

Did he not write?

68

~ d (
 _ D
 %P !  C  Y a 

Does Hasan not understand the book?

  , , confirms the negation, so that   , and a amount to the same response

An answer of 
  ,

Yes (he does not understand the book)

No (he does not understand the book)

To answer in the positive, we must say L

N (yes indeed)

L
N
3.7

Yes indeed (he does understand the book)

, - . /  
.  (The interrogative noun)
S C % a  <;   (interrogative nouns) we may place before a 
  (sentence) to
ask what? When? Where? Why? how? and how much? They are all "
i ?. (indeclinable) apart from X
x  .

There are a number of

$
 % 

What did he write?

(Note that this can also mean he did not write)

$
 %P R  w

What are you writing?

7. L%

When did they grow?

d %(

 d Y

Where did you (fem. pl.) sit?

= ,  !

Why do we read?

I
 8 KJ  L
&  %(

  w!

Why have you (masc. pl.) sat on the ground?

/
  C  }
 

How did you (masc. sing.) understand?

 C  d 

Who understood?

 C  Y  w d 

Who understands?

6
  5 QN%  

How many books did you read?

( 
must be followed by an indefinite word ending in  O
 % )

6
  5 D
[ % X
x 

Which book did you read?

(X
x  is a D
    noun and works in an   #{ construction)

69

81  

Vocabulary
Chapter 3

q 

so

fa

dawn

fajrun

he wrote

kataba (yaktubu) kitaabatan

writing (f); (pl.) writings, essays

kitaabatun (kitaabaatun)

Q)
 (9

n
 Y) 9



he sat

jalasa (yajlisu) juluusan

t
 )


sitting

juluusun

:Q <J 5 (= Y)   5

he read

qaraa (yaqrau) qiraaatan

(6
 <J 5) :<J 5

reading (f)

qiraaatun (qiraaaatun)

QC ( C  Y)  C 

he understood

fahima (yafhamu) fahman

 C 

understanding

fahmun

I dont understand anything

laa afhamu shayan

Q. ( .P Y)  .

he grew (in size)

kabura (yakburu) kubran

Q. ( .P Y)  .

he grew (in age)

kabira (yakbaru) kibaran

size; old age

kibarun

1. to calculate
2. to consider ( U s.o. to be q* s.th.) *

Hasiba (yaHsibu, yaHsabu)

Hisaaban, Husbaanan

D
 (_

calculation

Hisaabun

H .(
 _

consideration

Husbaanun

verb sentence (gram.)

jumlatun filiyyatun

all at once, in one swoop

jumlatan waaHidatan

 n
 
Q N% ($
 %P Y) $
 %
(6
 N% )  N%

Qfb  C   a

 .
Q,.(
 _ , QN(_ (WJ,W) $
 (
 _

 
  
 
:Q T _ 7 Q
 
(   )   
 &  
(&  ) M N  ) 
" #
 !  ! / I
[    
j
 8 k !  ! / j
 8 k   
*

U
q*

verb;
action
1. subject (in verb sentence) (gram.);
2. doer
1. object (in verb sentence) (gram.);
2. done to
1.
2.

filun (afaalun)
faailun
mafuulun bihi (mafaaeelu)

perfect verb / the perfect verb (gram.)

filun maaDin / al-filu al-maaDii

imperfect verb / the imperfect verb (gram.)

filun muDaariun / al-filu al-muDaariu

s.o. (someone)

s.th. (something)

70

T]  %

transitive (gram.)

mutaaddin

S ` a

intransitive (gram.)

laazimun



negative particle (before perfect verb)

maa

negative particle (before imperfect verb)

laa

Q
 R (
h Y) 
&

he taught

QF
 R (
 %Y) 
 R

he learned

taallama (yataallamu) taalluman

he struggled

jaahada (yujaahidu) jihadan,

mujaahadatan

they mutually understood

tafaahama (yatafaahamu) tafaahuman

he informed s.o. (of)

alama (yulimu) ilaaman

it was uncovered

inkashafa (yankashifuu) inkishaafan

he worked hard

ijtahada (yajtahidu) ijtihaadan

it became red

iHmarra (yaHmarru) iHmiraaran

he enquired

istafhama (yastafhimu) istifhaaman

:Q T * n e QC  (T * nY) T * 

Q* R ( *  %Y)  *  R
(qN) Q E& { (
 Y) 
& 
QuP , (}
 u
 P ?Y) }
 u
 P ,
QC%   (T C %n
 Y) T C %  
Q8 _  (x  O
 Y)   _ 
QC %  ( C  %(
 Y)  C  % 

allama (yuallimu) taleeman



interrogative negative particle

a 

interrogative negative particle

^
 )  / q

(before perfect verb)

(before imperfect verb)

amaa
alaa

future particle (before imperfect verb)

sa / saufa



what ?

maa

 w

what ?

maadhaa

L%

when ?

mataa

d Y 

where ?

ayna

where is the book?

ayna al-kitaabu

 !

why ?

lima

 w!

why ?

limaadha

}
 

how ?

kayfa

how is the book?

kayfa al-kitaabu

d 

who?

man

 w d 

who?

man dthaa

who is the man?

mani ar-rajulu

 

how much?

kam

X
x 

which?

ayyu

which book?

ayyu kitaabin

D
 %P ! d Y 

D
 %P ! }
 

  ! d 

D
[ % X
x 

71

Exercise 3.1

Express in English

~ QT_7 QN% w% K;  

&  w! .
S E
P ! d  C  7 Q 
 <; (?A! /
 .% .
v O|
 ) *   , ~ v O|
 D
 (O
 !  * .
QN% T  O
  $
 %  .
~ :Q T _ 7 Q
  6
 .!G! /
 (

 d Y .
QOO|
 QC T  O
   C  .
~  . 7 T ! ) !  . L% .
D
 %P ! ?
 R7 ,T C %   T = ! .
~   n
 ! H ).%P  }
  .
T  O
  = Y a
~  %.%  w ~  %.% 
~ H .(
O
 Y }
  7 H .(
O
 Y a
:Q T _ 7 Q
    T = !  N%P ! D
 E
 GF !   5

.
.
.
.

L
N ~ d (
 _ D
 %P !  C  Y a  .
   v O1
 !  C  !7 e   , ~   n
 ! T ! ) !  C  Y .
Exercise 3.2

Express in Arabic

1.
2.
3.
4.

He did (indeed) read the book

The woman is writing a word
Where did the men and women sit all at once?
Is the boy a student? Yes he is a new student

5.
6.

They may mutually understand

How did the boys read the writing all at once?

7.
8.

Reading is nice (beautiful)

Sitting/to sit on the ground is nice

9.
10.

Is the short sentence correct?

The (female) student read a correct reading

11.
12.
13.

Why is the professor writing a new book?

Muhammad made a correct calculation
How did she sit on the ground until dawn?

14.
15.

A tall boy is sitting and reading a long book and the sun is becoming red
Indeed I have informed you: The verb sentence is (constituted of) a verb and a subject

16.
17.

Is it not true? Yes, we read the book and we understand the book
When did the students read the book, what did they read and how did they understand?

18.

Are you the boys? No, we are the men

72

SUMMARY OF VERB FORMS

Form I

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)



  



 

 


  

Dont Write!

Write!

Writing

Written

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

  


  


 


 


So it is

It is written

It was written

A writer

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

 " 

 

  

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

  


  


 

So he is

He is writing

He wrote

Form II
Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)


  




 !


 " 

Dont
Teach!

Teach!

Teaching

Taught

  

So he is

It is taught

It was taught

A teacher

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

  

  

 "

So he is

He is
teaching

He taught

Form V
Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)


"  


" 

 # 

 " 

  

Dont
Learn!

Learn!

Learning

Learned

So he is

Passive
Imperf. Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

 " 

  

  

  

It was learned

A learner

So he is

It is being learned

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

 " 

 " 

He is learning

He learned

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

$ % &

$ % '

He is striving

He strove

Form III
Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

$
% & 

$
% '

Dont Strive!

Strive!

Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

(')
$ % &
* $ % &
Striving

Striven
against

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

$ % &

$ % '

$ % &

  

He is striven
against

He was
striven against

A striver

So he is

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

  

 % 
+

 %  +

 % 
+

So it is

It is
(mutually)
understood

It was
(mutually)
understood

  

So he is

Form VI
Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)


% 
+ 


% 
+

 % 
+

 % 
+

Dont
(mutually)
understand!

(Mutually)
understand!

(Mutual)
understanding

(Mutually)
understood

(Mutually)
understanding

  

So they
are

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

 % 
+

 % 
+

They are
(mutually)
understanding

They
(mutually)
understood

SUMMARY OF VERB FORMS

Form IV

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)



 



,


-
.)

 



Dont
Inform!

Inform!

Informing

Informed

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

  

 



 
,

 


So he is

He is
informed

He was
informed

An
informer

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

  

 


 

,

So he is

He is
informing

He
informed

Form VII

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

/

0
 
1
 

/

0
 
2


0 2


/
 0
 
1


Dont
be uncovered!

Be uncovered!

Uncovering

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

  

So he is

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

/
 0
 
1
 /
 0
  2
 /
 0
 
1

-

Uncovered

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

  

/
 0
 
1


/
 0
 
2


So it is

It is
becoming
uncovered

It became
uncovered

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

  

$ ) &



$  '


So he is

He is
working
hard

He worked
hard

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

  

49  5



43  6


So he is

It is becoming
red

It became red

Form VIII

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

$
) &

 

$
) '


('


$  &



Dont work
hard!

Work hard!

  

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

$  &



$ ) '


$ ) &



It is
worked at

It was
worked at

A hard
worker

Passive
Participle
(noun)

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

Hard work

Worked at

So it is

Form IX

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal
Noun

43  5

 

43  6


74 6


Dont become
red!

Become red!

Reddening

48  5


Reddened

Form X

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal
Noun


) + :

; 


) + <


+ <


Dont Enquire!

Enquire!

Enquiry

Passive
Participle
(noun)

  + :


enquired

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

  

  + :



 ) + <


 ) + :



So it is

It is
enquired

It was
enquired

So he
is

An enquirer

So he
is

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

  

 ) + :



  + <


So he is

He is
enquiring

He enquired



  


Chapter 4

Government
This chapter is about Arabic syntactical society and how it is governed. The members of this society


 
(words) and they are divided into three classes, Regents, Subordinates and Slaves. We will
dedicate a later chapter to the Slave class. This chapter deals with Regents and their Subordinates.

are

The Arabic term for syntactical government is


  
     

(lit. grammatical work or function). A

   (lit. actor) and a Subordinate is called      (lit. acted

upon). Arabic syntactical society is held together by a system in which some 
 
(words) govern
others and cause them to hold certain subordinate ranks. We call these ranks  !
 " (case). Let us
explore this notion in what we have already learned.
governing word or Regent is called

i

Review
We know that the

!% & #
 ! $ (preposition) makes its ' (!)
  * +  (object)

end in ,! 
.

We know that in an

. / 0"

construction, the

#
 1

(possessed noun)

always makes the  2 " #

 1 (possessor) end in ,! 
.

We know that in a . 2

 + 

.   & (noun sentence) both the 34 56 (subject) and

! 67 (predicate) ordinarily end in .  0

 . The particle 98 " enters upon it and
makes the 34
 56 (subject) end in . )
 5/ . The words 9 
and :
 2 enter upon
it and make the ! 67
 (predicate) end in . )
 5/ .
We know that in the . 2 / .  
 & (verb sentence) the   / (verb) makes the
   / end in .  0
 and makes the    ;  (object) end in . 
 5/ .

We can see from the above review that certain words govern or act upon others, causing them to take
on a particular vowel ending. Grammatically we say that a
(subordinate) to have a certain 

  

(regent) causes its

    

! " (case) or rank and each rank has a .  <

 (insignia) by way of a
vowel ending. Using a different analogy, we can think of a 
   (regent) infecting its     
(subordinate) with a  !
 " (case) or virus and each virus has a .  <
 (symptom) by way of a vowel
ending.

73

There are four 

! " (cases) or ranks / viruses (whichever way you want to think about it) in Arabic
and each is normally indicated by one of the three vowels or the 9
 =+ .

  

  
 
Normal vowel insignia
or symptom

Name given to word

of that case

Case
or rank / virus

(?@) .  0


B
 /! 

C / '

(?D) . 
 5/

 E

F
 E
 G

(?) ,! 

' (!)
 

!H &

(?I) 9 =+

J (K)
 

J K &

If the case of a word is C

 / ' we call it B
 /!  . The last letter of a B
 /!  word normally ends in .  0
 .
If the case of a word is F
 E
 G we call it 

E . The last letter of a  E word normally ends in . 

 5/ .
If the case of a word is !H &
 we call it ' (!)
  . The last letter of a ' (!)
  word normally ends in ,! 
.
If the case of a word is J K &
 we call it J (K)
  . The last letter of a J (K)
  word normally ends in 9 =+ .
The J K &
 case never applies to ML + 3 (nouns) and the !H & case never applied to  / 3 (verbs).

4.1

     (The Regents)

A

   (regent) that causes another word to become B

 /!  is called C /' and the verb referring to this

action is (C
 / ! N)

C / ' (lit. to raise)

   (regent) that causes another word to become ' (!)

  is called 'H & and the verb referring to this
action is (! )
 N) ! & (lit. to drag).

   (regent) that causes another word to become  E is called F

 O
 G and the verb referring to
this action is (F
 E
 N) F
 E
 G (lit. to erect).

A
   (regent) that causes another word to become

action is (J K )
 N)
4.1.1

J K & (lit. to cut).

J (K)
  is called J P & and the verb referring to this

C / !      (Regents that govern the C / ' case)

These Regents are called

(C /(' ) C /' . They make their      (subordinate) B

 /!  which normally

ends in . 
0
 .

74

(a) The 
  / (verb)

makes the 
   / (subject) B
 /! 
We say

   ; C / ! N   ; 

Q5
 *  F
 5

The scholar wrote a book

In Arabic, every verb seeks a 

   / (subject).
The English infinitive verb that has no subject such as to write, is

E
  (verbal noun) such as . 5
.
often translated into Arabic using a ' 4
(b) The 34
 56 (subject)

makes itself B
 /!  which normally ends in .  0
 .

 (predicate) B
 /! 
makes the ! 67
We say

! 6R
  C / ! N 34 56 
4 S 5)
  F
 8T

8 "
(c) 9

The student is diligent

! 67 (predicate) B
 /! 
We say ! 6R
  C / ! N 98 "

makes the

4 S 5)
  F
 8T 98 "
(d) 9


Indeed the student is diligent

makes the 34

 56 (subject) B
 /! 
We say 3 4
 56 

C / ! N 9 

Q4S5)
  F
 8T 9 

 2
(e) :

The student was diligent

makes the 34

 56 (subject) B
 /! 
We say 3 4
 56 

C / ! N :
 2

Q4S5)
  F
 8T :
 2
4.1.2

The student is not diligent

F
 E
      (Regents that govern the F
 E
 G case)
These Regents are called
normally ends in. 
 5/ .

(F
 O
  G) F
 O
 G .

They make their

    

The examples for the section above serve as examples for this section.
(a) The 
  / (verb)

makes the  

 ;  (object)  E

We say   
;   F
 E
 N   ; 

(b) 9
8 "

makes the 34

 56 (subject) 
We say 3 4
 56 

F
 E
 N 98 "
75

E

(subordinate)

 E

which

(c) 9


makes the

! 67 (predicate)  E

We say ! 6R
  F
 E
 N 9 

 2
(d) :

makes the 34

 56 (subject) B
 /! 
We say ! 6R
 

4.1.3

F
 E
 N :
 2

!U )
      (Regents that govern the !H & case)
These regents are called

'H & . They make their      (subordinate) ' (!)

  which normally ends in

,! 
.

(a) A !% &

#
 ! $ or 'H & (preposition) -

makes the *
 +  (noun) after it ' (!)
 
We say *
 + V 

! )
 N ' )
 

 5=  W/

(b) The #
 1 (possessed noun)

In the book

makes the  2 " #

 1 (possessor) ' (!)
 
We say  2 " #
 1 

! )
 N #
 1
  

F
 8T  5

The

The students book

#
 1 (possessed noun) is a    (regent) in relation to its      (subordinate) the  2 " #
 1

(possessor), but is itself a  

   (subordinate) of what precedes it,

F
 8T  5
 3 ! X

He read the students book

F
 8T  5
 W/

In the students book

We know that the first person singular attached pronoun ?

 , when attached to an * +  (noun), requires

,! 
liaison vowel. This ,! 
occupies the place of the vowel
indicating case and prevents it from appearing so that W
 5
 (my book) is W 5
 in all three cases. We
call this 
Y
    Z5[  (occupation of the position).

that the letter preceding it carries a

C /G W 5

W 5
 
 3! X
W 5
 W/

76

My book is useful
I read my book
In my book

4.2 Case and   words

The notion of Case only applies to
(pronouns),

 !   (declinable) words. WH 6 (indeclinable) words such as ! \0



, ' []D  M@ + 3 (demonstrative

pronouns) and

from 
 3 ) do not have case but are able to sit Y 
 
4.2.1

J S; 5+ V  M@ + 3 (interrogative

nouns) (apart

W/ (in the place of) words with case.

! \0
 (pronouns)
The

.  E
 ;  ! \0


(detached pronouns) that we encountered in P13 and the

.  E
 5 ! \0


(attached

pronouns) that we used in chapter 3 to conjugate most persons of the perfect and imperfect verb sit

C^ / ' Y 
  (in the place of the C / ' case).
(a) as B
 /! 

34 56 (marfuu subject)

F
  `  _

(b) as B
 /! 

4.2.2

(We parse the pronoun as follows: 34 56

C^ / ' Y 
  W / a 5 ;  b  WH 6   E
 ;   c  0
)

! 67 (marfuu predicate)

 _  f_

 /! 
(c) as B

He is a student

This is it
(We parse the pronoun as follows: ! 67


C^ / ' Y 
  W / a 5;  b  WH 6  E
 ;   c  0
)

   / (marfuu subject)
F
 5

He wrote

 65

They wrote

(We parse the implied pronoun  _ as follows: 

   /

(We parse the attached pronoun ( as follows:

C^ / ' Y 
  W / ... ! 55  c  0
)

   / C^ / ' Y 
  W /  E
 5 c  0
)

, ' []D  M@ + 3 (demonstrative pronouns)

The , ' []
D

M@ + 3 (demonstrative pronouns) are able to sit in the place of all cases.

(d) as B
 /! 

34 56 (marfuu subject)

 5
 f _

(e) as B
 /! 

This is a book
(We parse the demonstrative pronoun as follows:
34 56  C^ / ' Y 
  W / 9 =  b  WH 6  , ' [] * + )

! 67 (marfuu predicate)

f _  _

It is this
(We parse the demonstrative pronoun as follows:
! 67 C^ / ' Y 
  W / 9 =  b  WH 6  , ' [] * + )

77

W/

(f) as B
 /! 

   / (marfuu subject)

F
 8T f _ * S /

(g) As

This student understood

(We parse the demonstrative pronoun as follows:
   / C^ / ' Y 
  W / 9 =  b  WH 6  , ' [] * + )

 E    ;  (object)

 5=  f _ * S /

(manSuubun object)

He understood this book

(We parse the demonstrative pronoun as follows:

   ;  F
^ E
 G Y 
  W / 9 =  b  WH 6  , ' []  * + )
(h) as ' (!)
 

* +  (majruur object of a preposition)

 5=  f _ W/

In this book
(We parse the demonstrative pronoun as follows:

!% & Y 
  W / 9 =  b  WH 6  , ' []  * + )

 
(i) as ' (!)

 2 " #
 1 (majruur possessor)

 5=  f _ * + 

The name of this book

(We parse the demonstrative pronoun as follows:

 2 " #
 1 !% & Y 
  W / 9 =  b  WH 6  , ' []  * + )

78

4.3 
   !  "


# #  (The Diptote)

 !   nouns are affected (or infected) by case and the case of a noun is indicated by the ordinary
vowel indicator for each case. However, some  !   nouns, while they are affected by case, are not
always able to carry the normal vowel indicator. We may thus divide  !   nouns into two types:
#
 ! E
  (triptote or fully declinable, lit. changeable) and #
 ! E
  g  B
   (diptote or partially
declinable, lit. forbidden from change). #
 ! E
  (triptote) nouns are those that are able to end in all
three vowels such as the word book:  5

  f_ (this is a book), Q5

 F
 5
(he wrote a book) and W/
^ 5
 (in a book).
All

As stated in the Preliminaries, a #

 ! E
 

g  B
   (diptote) word can be recognised by,

1.

lack of g
 N i , and at the same time,

2.

lack of j

These are examples of words that are #

 ! E
 

. =8 

g  B
   (diptote):
k l
  m Damascus
M@ !
O
 Desert

Makkah

M@ 'P (

Ministers

We have been learning these words without g

 N i even when they are , ! = G (indefinite).

' (!)
  (by a !% & #
 ! $ (preposition) for
example), cannot end in the normal vowel indicator for the ' (!)
  case which is ,! 
. Instead, the

Nouns that are

#
 ! E
  g  B
  

(diptote), when made

' (!)
  case is indicated on #
 ! E
  g  B
   (diptote) words by a . 
 5/ .
#
 ! E
  g  B
   (diptote) nouns are of two types, proper noun diptotes and common noun diptotes and
there is a difference in the way they behave.
4.3.1

Proper noun diptotes

Proper nouns refer to particular things such as people and places.

Proper noun diptotes have no g

 N i and no j but are nevertheless always . / !   (definite).

. N4 . =8 
h

Makkah is a city
(makkatu madeenatun)

The ' (!)

  case on a proper noun diptote is always indicated by a . 
 5/ .
We never say,

. =8  W/  _
The correct expression is,

. D =8  W/  _

He is in Makkah
(huwa fi makkata)

79

4^  
  . D =8  W/  _

He is in Muhammads Makkah
(huwa fi makkata muHammadin)

. =8   &' * _

They are the men of ancient Makkah

(hum rijaalu makkata al-qadeemati)

Remember that . D =
8  in the above expressions is still grammatically ' (!)
  even though it ends in . 
 5/ .
In chapter 1.3 we said that a . ; O
 (adjective) must agree with the #
 O   (described noun) in ending. In

actual fact, agreement is in 

! " (case), not vowel ending, which is a mere .  <

 (indicator).

If we wish to describe . D =
8  with a triptote . ; O
 (adjective), we must make it . / !   (definite) with j and

' (!)
  with ,! 
so that it agrees with . D =8  in definition and case.
.  N4 q  . =8  W/  _

He is in ancient Makkah
(huwa fi makkata al-qadeemati)

.  N4 q  4^  
  . =8  W/  _

In Muhammads ancient Makkah

(huwa fi makkata muHammadin al-qadeemati)

.  N4 q  . =8   &'

4.3.2

The men of ancient Makkah

(rijaalu makkata al-qadeemati)

Common Noun diptotes

Common Nouns refer to classes of things rather than particular things.
Unlike proper noun diptotes, common noun diptotes can be
(definite) by attaching the definite article j .

.  + ( M@ !
O
 r f _

This is a wide desert

(haadthihii SaHraau waasiatu)

.  +   M@ !
E
  r f _

,! = G (indefinite) and can be made . / !  

This is wide desert

(haadthihii aS-SaHraau al-waasiatu)

, ! = G (indefinite), they behave in the same way as proper noun

  case with a . 
 5/ instead of ,! 
. It is important to remember that they
diptotes, indicating the ' (!)
are still ' (!)
  .
(a) When common noun diptotes are

.^  + ( MD !
O
 W/  _

It is in a wide desert
(huwa fi SaHraaa waasiatin)

'^ 6
 MD 'P ( g 

From senior ministers

(min wuzaraaa kibaarin)

9 lT  4^  ( b "

From a thirsty boy

(ilaa waladin aTshaana)

80

MD 4 X s^  g 

from ancient kings

(min muluukin qudamaaa)

#
 ! E
  g  B
   (diptote) when they are , ! = G
(indefinite). When they are . / !   (definite), they behave like normal triptote ML +
 3 (nouns).
(b) Common noun diptotes are only considered to be

.  +   M !
E
  W/  _

He is in the wide desert

(huwa fi al-SaHraai al-waasiati)

' 6=  M 'P   g 

From the senior ministers

(min al-wuzaraai al-kibaari)

9 lT   4    b "

To the thirstly boy

M 4 q  s   g 

From the ancient kings

(c) When a common noun diptote is in a definite

#
 ! E
  g  (diptote) because it is . / !   (definite).

(ilaa al-waladi al-aTshaanui)

(min al-muluuki al-qudamaai)

. / 0" construction, it no longer behaves like a B

  

.  +   t
 !  M !
O
 W/  _

He is in the wide desert of Iraq

(huwa fi SaHraai al-iraaqi al-waasiati)

' 6=  t

 !  M 'P ( g 

From the senior ministers of Iraq

(min wuzaraai al-iraaqi al-kibaari)

M 'P   :
 )
  W/

In the cabinet
(lit. In the council of ministers)
(fi majlisi al-wuzaraai)

81

4.4 Case and  ()* 

%$ #& ' (weak nouns)

We encountered the two types of 

u 5 

* +  (weak noun) in the Preliminaries (cf. P8). One can guess that

since it is a problem of vowel ending that makes such nouns weak, displaying vowel ending to indicate

case will be a problem in such words.

4.4.1

' Eq   (The shortened)

' Eq  (shortened) words that are #
 ! E
  (triptote). The final
vowel does change according to case, but it is invisible. Any adjective however, will agree with its
case and take the relevant vowel ending.

Words such as

bw j (meaning)

are

Definite

Indefinite

a 2E
  b     f_

a 2O
 bw j  f_

This correct meaning

This is a correct meaning

a 2E
  b    * S /

Q2O
 bw j * S /

He understood the correct meaning

He understood a correct meaning

a 2E
  b   

a^ 2O
 bw j 

With the correct meaning

With a correct meaning

B
 /! 
 E
' (!)
 

x
 ' O
 (deserts) and b +  (moses) are ' Eq  (shortened) words that are g  B
  
#
 ! E
  (diptotes). This is evident in the lack of g N i . Again, the final vowel does change according to
case, but it is invisible. Any adjective however, will agree with its case and take the relevant vowel
Words such as

ending.
Definite

Indefinite

.  2)
  x
 ' E
  W _

.  2& x
 ' O
 W _

They are the beautiful deserts

They are beautiful deserts

.  2)
  x
 ' E
   7 m

.Q  2& x
 ' O
  7 m

He entered the beautiful deserts

He entered beautiful deserts

.  2)
  x
 ' E
  W/

.^  2& x
 ' O
 W/

In the beautiful deserts

In beautiful deserts

82

B
 /! 
 E
' (!)
 

4.4.2

y
 q  (The reduced)
z
^  (past), m^ ( (valley) and B
^ m (caller) are y
 q (reduced) words that are #
 ! E
 
(triptote). As explained in the preliminaries, the anomalous ending of y
 q (reduced) words are
Words such as

arrived at in the following way,

m^ (
(9 m ()


Remove the

N@


 m (
(g Nm ()

As illustrated below, the final vowel only changes when it becomes 

E . The B
 /!  and the ' (!)
 

look identical. Any adjective however, will agree with its case and take the relevant vowel ending.

Definite

Indefinite

 2)
  
 m    f_

 2& m^ (  f_

This beautiful valley

This is a beautiful valley

 2)
  
 m    7 m

<
Q 2& QNm(  7 m

He entered the beautiful valley

He entered a beautiful valley

 2)
  
 m   W/

^ 2& m^ ( W/

In the beautiful valley

In a beautiful valley

B
 /! 
 E
' (!)
 

Words such as z
^ '3 (lands) and 9^  (meanings) are y
 q (reduced) words that are #
 ! E
 

g  B
  
(diptotes). This is not apparent at first instance, there being no evident difference between the words m^ (
and z
^ '3 . The difference only manifests itself when it is ,! = G (indefinite) and  E .
Definite

Indefinite

.  2)
  W 0
 '{D  r f _

.  2& z
^ '3 r f _

These beautiful lands

These are beautiful lands

.  2)
  W 0
 '{D   7 m

.Q  2&  +
 ,'  7 m

He entered the beautiful lands

He entered beautiful lands

.  2)
  W 0
 '{D  W/

.^  2& z
^ '3 W/

In the beautiful lands

In beautiful lands

83

B
 /! 
 E
' (!)
 

4.5 Case and  . ' (verbs)

All perfect verbs are

WH 6 (indeclinable). All imperfect verbs on the other hand are  !   (declinable)

g 65= N and g 65= i which are 9 =  b  WH 6 (fixed on sukuun) and
do not have case. The remaining imperfect verbs we learned in chapter three are of the B
 /!  case. The
C / !  .  <
 (indicator of the raf case) on the B
 ' 1   / (imperfect verb) is:


.  0
 for the imperfect verbs that end in .  0



9  
 6| (affixing of the 9) for dual, masculine plural and second person feminine
apart from the two feminine plurals

singular verbs.

4.5.1

The 

E imperfect verb

  (will never) negates the B

 ' 1
The particle g

  / (imperfect verb) in the future.

h g  is a    (regent) that makes a B

 ' 1   / (imperfect verb)  E .
 E
 
The F

.  <
 (indicator of the naSb case) on the B
 ' 1   / (imperfect verb) is:

. 
 5/ for the imperfect verbs that ended in .  0
 when B
 /! 
9  #
 f $ (omission of the 9) for dual, masculine plural and second person feminine
singular verbs.

As noted above, the feminine plurals g

 65= N and g 65= i are 9 = 
have case so

g  cannot make them  E .

The

b  WH 6 (fixed on sukuun) and do not

9 on these two feminine plurals is called ,   U 9 G

(the nun of women) and it is never omitted.

84

The 

E of F
 5= N is conjugated as follows,

DRILL #6
Plural

Dual

Singular

(3)

(2)

 
*
/ 0 ! 

*
/ 0 ! 

They will never write

2
 *
/ 0 ! 

They (two) will never write

(6)

**

They (two) will never write

She will never write

(7)

*
/ 3 ! 

2
 *
/ 3 ! 

You (two) will never write

(12)

Masc.

You will never write

(11)

!  *
/ 3 ! 

 *
/ 3 ! 

You (two) will never write

Second
Person

(10)

*
/ 3 ! 

You will never write

Fem.

(8)

 
*
/ 3 ! 

Third
Person

(4)

2
 *
/ 3 ! 

(9)

**

He will never write

*
/ 3 ! 

You will never write

Masc.

(5)

!  *
/ 0 ! 

They will never write

(1)

Fem.

You will never write

(14)

(13)

2
 *
/ 4 ! 

2
 *
5 ' ! 

We will never write

I will never write

Masc.

First
Person

* An alif is added after omitting the nun on the masculine plurals.

** These are not  E but 9 =-  b  WH 6 (fixed on sukuun).

~ ... S 7 4 G g  G"( }

And we shall never enter it

  S ; i g 
4.5.2

You (pl.) will never understand

The J (K)
  imperfect verb
(a) The particle

*  (did not) is used to negate an imperfect verb. The peculiarity of *  is that although it

negates an imperfect verb, the negation has a perfect meaning.

h *  is a    (regent) that makes aB

 ' 1   / (imperfect verb) J ( K )
  .
The J K )
 

.  <
 (indicator of the jazm case) on the B
 ' 1   / (imperfect verb) is:


9 =+ for the imperfect verbs that ended in .  0
 when B
 /! 


9  #
 f $ (omission of the 9) for dual, masculine plural and second person feminine
singular verbs.

As noted above, the feminine plurals g

 65= N and g 65= i are 9 = 

b  WH 6 (fixed on sukuun) and do not

have case so *
  cannot make them J ( K )
  . The 9 on these two feminine plurals is called ,   U 9 G (the
nun of women) and it is never omitted.

85

The J ( K )
  of F
 5= N is conjugated as follows,
DRILL #7
Plural

Dual

Singular

(3)

(2)

 
*
/ 0 6 

*
/ 0 6 

They did not write

2
 *
/ 0 6 

They (two) did not write

(6)

**

They (two) did not write

She did not write

(7)

*
/ 3 6 

2
 *
/ 3 6 

You (two) did not write

(12)

Masc.

You did not write

(11)

!  *
/ 3 6 

 *
/ 3 6 

You (two) did not write

Second
Person

(10)

*
/ 3 6 

You did not write

Fem.

(8)

 
*
/ 3 6 

Third
Person

(4)

2
 *
/ 3 6 

(9)

**

He did not write

*
/ 3 6 

You did not write

Masc.

(5)

!  *
/ 0 6 

They did not write

(1)

Fem.

You did not write

(14)

(13)

2
 *
/ 4 6 

2
 *
5 ' 6 

We did not write

I did not write

Masc.

First
Person

* An alif is added after omitting the nun on the masculine plurals.

** These are not J (K)  but 9 =-  b  WH 6  (fixed on sukuun).

Note that F
 5= N

F
 5= N * 

He did not write

  S ; i * 

You did not understand

*  and F
 5
 bear the same meaning as do   S ; i *  and * 5 S /  .

 is a sister of *  . It too is a    (regent) that makes a B

 ' 1   / (imperfect verb)
J ( K )
  . Like *  the particle  negates an imperfect verb with a perfect meaning but brings the
negation up to the present time and additionally suggests that it is imminently to happen. It may be
translated as not yet but soon.
The particle

F
 5= N 

He has not yet written (but will write soon)

86

(b) The negative imperative

V before a B
 ' 1   / (imperfect verb).
This V
is called the W S  J V (lam of prohibition) and should be distinguished from the W ;  J V (lam of

The negative imperative is produced by placing the particle

negation) that we encountered in chapter three.

 S 
The W

J V (lam of prohibition) is a    (regent) that makes the imperfect verb J ( K )

  .

It may please you to know that the imperative is only produced in the second person. This is because
commands are only addressed in the second person. We do not command ourselves or those who are
absent.
DRILL #8
Plural

Dual
(3)

 
*
/ 3 7

*
/ 3 7

Do not write

!  *
/ 3 7

Do not write

(1)

2
 *
/ 3 7

Do not write
(6)

Singular
(2)

Masc.

Do not write
(5)

Second
Person

(4)

*
/ 3 7

 *
/ 3 7

Do not write

Do not write

Fem.

* This is not J (K)  but 9 =-  b  WH 6 (fixed on sukuun).

The following are the masculine singular negative imperative verbs for forms II to X. The other
persons are conjugated in the same way as the verbs above.
Masculine Singular

8 9 :3
7

Masculine Singular

III

Do not struggle!

<
 =
 /  3 7

Do not enquire!

Do not learn!

VII

Do not be revealed!

6 ? > *@
 3 7

6 () *3 7

Masculine Singular

6 )  3
7

# A
 3 7
Do not become red!

87

II

Do not teach!

IV

Do not inform!

6 ;) 3
7
6 9 >*3 7

VI

Do not mutually
understand!

IX

8 ? *:
 3 7
Do not work hard!

VIII

(c) The mild positive imperative

Imperative verbs normally only occur in the second person. We do not normally command ourselves or

those absent. However, we may have occasion to say let him become or he should become, which is

 ' 1
a mild positive imperative. This is achieved by placing the particle j before the B

  / (imperfect

verb).

h j is called !  {D  J V (the laam of command) and is a    (regent) that makes the imperfect verb J ( K )
 
Most commonly used in the third person, it means let him . . ., i.e. he should . . .

F
 5= 2

Let him write/He should write

j may also be preceded by j / or ( to make j/ and j( .

Q5
 F
 5= 2 /

Let him write a book

The mild positive imperative is rarely used in the first person or second persons. When it is used in the
first person, it means let me/I should or let us/we should.

F
  $ {D

Let me consider/I should consider

:
 )
  /

Let us sit/We should sit

In the second person it means you . . . / you should . . ..

:
 )
 5

You sit/You should sit

Rarely and only in poetry, the j may be omitted.

:
 )
 i
4.5.3

You sit/You should sit

The W
H 6 verb
We know that the

z
^    / (perfect verb) and the feminine plurals of the B
 ' 1   / (imperfect verb)

H 6 (indeclinable).
are W
!  {D    / (lit. the verb of command). The !  {D    / (imperative
verb) is W
H 6 (fixed), but it looks like a J ( K )
  imperfect verb because it is produced from the J ( K )
 
The positive imperative verb is called

B
 ' 1   2  J K )
 N  b WH 6 (fixed on what the imperfect verb is
made J ( K )
  upon). That is, it is WH 6 (fixed) on the indicator of the J ( K )
  .

imperfect verb. We say that it is

88

J ( K )
  imperfect F
 5= i . Then we drop the initial ji . We are left with F
 5
 . This is
essentially our !  {
D    / (imperative verb). But this word begins with 9 =+ so we place a  O
   , K  _
(cf. P5) at the beginning rendering F
 5
  . The  O
   , K  _ has no .
! $ (vowel) of its own and any
preceding .

! $ (vowel) overrides it and goes directly to the first letter rendering F

 5
 ( .
We start with the

When

F
 5
  is initial, we supply a . 6+  .
! $ (liaison vowel) on the  O
   , K  _ . If the vowel on the

middle root letter of the verb is a . 

0
 we supply a

.  0
 on the  O
   , K  _ . If the vowel on the middle
root letter of the verb is a . 
 5/ or ,! 
, we supply a ,! 
on the  O
   , K  _ . The . 
 5/ is never
supplied on the 
O
   , K  _ of a !  {D    / (imperative verb).

DRILL #9
Plural

Dual
(3)

 
*
5 

Singular
(2)

*
5 

Write!

2
 *
5 

Write!
(6)

(1)

Write!
(5)

*
5 

 *
5 

Write!

Write!

Write!

Dual
(3)

 @

) B 

(1)

C
 ) B 

Sit!
(6)

 @
 ) B 

Sit!

Sit!

Sit!

Dual

D E
 F 

(1)

' F 

Read!
(6)

Fem.

Singular
(2)

G F 

Read!

Second
Person

(4)

@) B 

(3)

Masc.

Sit!
(5)

! @
 ) B 

Plural

Fem.

Singular
(2)

@
 ) B 

Sit!

Second
Person

(4)

!  *
5 

Plural

Masc.

Masc.

Read!
(5)

H ' F 

G F 

 I F 

Read!

Read!

Read!

89

Second
Person

(4)

Fem.

The following are the masculine singular imperative verbs for forms II to X. The other persons are
conjugated in the same way as the verbs above.
Masculine Singular

8 9 B

Masculine Singular

III

Struggle!

<
 =
 / 4

Enquire!

Learn!

VII

Be revealed!

6 ? > *& 

6 () 3

Masculine Singular

6 )  '
# J 
Become red!

90

II

Teach!

IV

Inform!

6 ;)
6 9 >3

VI

Mutually Understand!

IX

8 ? *B 
Work hard!

VIII

 K
 
L

 

Summary Supplement


   !  "
 
# #  .

Diptotes

Recognised by: No g
 N  i and no

Common noun:

Proper noun:

M@ !
 O

. =8 

Definite

Indefinite

 E ( B
 /! 

Normal:

M !
E
  W/
:
 ) W/
M 'P  

j

Normal

Intrinsically Definite

' (!)
 

Ends in
instead of

. 
 5/
, ! 
:

MD !
O
 W/

91

' (!)
 

 E ( B
 /! 

Always ends
in . 
 5/ instead

Normal

of

,! 
:

. =8  W/

M

N > #

Vocabulary
Chapter 4

<
Q   (?D)   

to work

(  3 )   

work

(ML G3 )  
 G

direction

 
 

grammar

 
   f_ b 

in this manner

... g   
 G

approximately

*   M G3 Y
 W/

all over the world


  
     

syntactical government

(    )   

1.
2.

(9  )   

regent (gram.)
factor

worker

(  )   

labourer

    

subordinate (gram.) (lit. acted upon)

(?D) C / '
C / '

1.

to raise

2.

 /!  (gram.)
to make B

raising

Q! & (! )
 N) ! &
!H &

1.

to drag

2.

to make ' (!)

  (gram.)

dragging

Q6EG (?) F
 E
 G
(  
 <
8
  ) u 
 

1.

to erect

2.

to make 

E (gram.)

place

(g  ) #
 ! E
 G

To depart; turn away (from) (VII)

92

#
 ! E
 

1.
2.

(b[ T ) 9 lT 

One who departs; turns away

fully declinable (gram.)

thirsty (m)

(
  T ) blT 

thirsty (f)


 6|

affirmation

9  
 6|

affixing of the nun

g 

will never

* 

did not



have not yet but will right now

,   U 9 G

the nun of women

(M@ 'P ( ) ! NP(

minister (m)

(
 !NP( ) , ! NP(

minister (f)

Qf73 (?@) f 7 3

he took

f 7 3

taking

VQ 7m (?@)  7 m

he entered

 7m

entering

 '

many (prep.)

^ & '  '

many a man (precedes verb)

(
 ! ) , ! 

one instance

,^ !   '

many a time (precedes verb

Q_ (?D) F
 _

he went

 _

going

j

with (prep.)

(
 <
 ) .  <


indicator, sign

93

Review Exercise 2

Review Exercise 1

Express in Arabic

Express in English

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

 5=  W/ .  =  * i3! X 3 .

Are there sentences in the books?

Where are the sentences in the books?
This book is the door to correct knowledge
Is there a boy on the throne? Yes, the boy
is on the throne
Why did he sit in one place until old age?
There is a good method in the old book
When did the caliph read the news from the
cities?
Many a king sat on the ground and many a
minister sat on the throne


 <
 z
 ' {D  W/
! 
 6 b5$ k N!T8  b  
 6
 6_
,c 6
M@ !
O
 t
 !  W/
  2 3
#
 ! E
  g  .    .  =  r f _  _
a 2E
  * S ;  g  4 2
  <


WU 6 (  !    g  F
 8T 3 ! X ,^ !   '

The quasi sentence ,^ !   ' goes before the verb. Keep this in
mind when doing Q.8 in Review Exercise 2

Exercise 4.1.2

Exercise 4.1.1

Express in Arabic
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

.
.
.
.
.
.

Express in English

Are you from Damascus? No we are men

and women from Iraq
There are people from all over the world in
Makkah
Hasan took me to old Damascus
They read the writing on the door in ancient
makkah
Makkah is in an ancient desert
The strong sun in the wide desert became red
The meaning of the ancient word was
uncovered
We learned the correct meaning of the word
Have you worked hard in this manner in
the near past?
Muhammad entered a city in an ancient valley

. =8   7 m
k l
  m W/ B
   :
 2\!  g  J <
=   _
.  N4 q  . =8  W/
 
 2  ( 3 9 

'^ 6
 MD   g   f_

.
.
.
.

'^ 6
 MD    J S; 5+ V   f_ .
4^ $ ( bw j   f_ 
 .
m S5& V  b  W/ Q+'m
  Y 3 #
  +
.  N T8  r E b+   f 7 3
W 0
  W/ 
 m    f_
  7 m ,Q !  *

.  2& 9^  .  =  r f _ W/

.
.
.
.

________________________________________

Exercise 4.5.2

Exercise 4.5.1

Express in Arabic
1.

They will never inform us of (g

  ) their

2.

mutual understanding
I have not yet understood the meaning of

Express in English

this illegible (M^ (!q  ! 2 ) writing (but will soon)

3.
4.
5.
6.

Do not take this statement into

consideration (lit. in your consideration)
Let us read a word from this ancient book of ours
Read your books in this manner and work
hard. You will understand everything
It was written on the door: enter and learn

94

W 0
 '{D  r f _  7 4 G g 
Q2[ * 8 5N *  ( 3! q N *  (
 ' 4   5 8

 ! R
 G *  . + ' 4   g  * 5& ! 7 g  
* = N4 N3  / ! i V
(a little) <
Q 2X z
 ' {D  b  :
 )
  /
J <
  . N4   r f _  7 m 
(4S 5& ( (4_ &(  Y (  8 i

.
.
.
.
.
.
.


  


 


Chapter 5

Duals and Plurals

In Arabic, words may be 
   (singular), 

 (dual) or 
  (plural).

5.1 

(The dual)


    
  (the marfuu

dual) is produced by suffixing 



   

 (aani) to the 
   (singular).

!
#"$   

He is a teacher

They (two) are teachers

% 
  & (in the dual), case is not indicated by '

( ) (vowles), but by a *

 ) (letter).
    -  .
 / +
 ,  (the  (alif) is the indicator of the 
 0 case).
1
 2
  
  (the manSuub dual) and 0 34
   
  (the majruur dual) are produced by suffixing 

  dial becomes 7
 .
5 6 (ayni) to the 
   (singular). Effectively, the  of the 
5 9 #"$  ! 8 

:"#$  ! 8 

He understood two teachers

5 9 #"$  5

He understood a teacher

!; #"$  5

From two teachers

From a teacher

> 4
 3 ?
 2

 -  .
 / =< 9 (the 7
 is the indicator of 1

2
 and 0
34
  )

Orthography
If an


   !
@  (singular noun) ends in C / -A (taa marbuuTa), it changes

into a

D (taa maftuuHah) when the 
   (singular) is made 

 (dual).

 D #"$ 

  + AD #"$ 

(two) teachers

-A #"$ 

-F  #"$ 
A teacher

95

The 
 of the


 (dual) compensates for its lack of 5
6
G . However, when the 
 (dual) is made -F  $ 
(definite), we simply add the definite article A and the 
 remains:  #"$   and 5 9 #"$   for the
masculine and 
 D #"$   and 5 9D #"$   for the feminine.

i


Orthography
Words ending in =<  are called 
3H
  . If a 
3H  is feminine and the = is
not a root letter, the = changes into a 3 when the word is made 

 (dual)

 3I
J


=< I
J


This is frequently found in female names.

 3 K

=<  K

If the word is masculine or = is a root letter, it remains.

 =


CF 3H  +

N such as 9O
changes into 3 when the word is made 

 (dual).

For

0
2M 

words ending in

 9O


=L 

, the

CF 3H  +

N

9O

0
2M  words ending in CF0 2M  +

N such as  A
$ , the CF0 2M  +

N
changes into 7
 when the word is made 
 (dual).

For

 9
$ 

The duals of the C 0 PQ



 A
$

=< @ N (demonstrative pronouns) are,

Feminine

Masculine

5 9D /  D

5 6R  /  R

haataani / haatayni

haadhaani / haadhayni

These two

These two

S

9G / S
 OG

S

6T / S
 OT

taanika / taynika

dhaanika / dhaynika

These two

These two

96

5.1.1

Use of the 

 (dual)
A -F  J
 (adjective) describing a 
 (dual) noun must be
 (dual).

 H6H  UD(

two new books

(a) We are not required to use the numeral two because the 

 (dual) conveys its meaning.

 .
  0 

We may place the number two,

They are two men

5 9UD( &

In two books

5 9D #( N V

He read two words

 
W (m) and  D
W (f) which is itself a dual as a -F  J
 (adjective) after a

!
@  (noun) to emphasise it.

 
W  UD(

two books

5 9
W 5 9UD( &

In two books

5 9D
W 5 9D #( N V

He read two words

(b) For things that always come in twos, the 

 (dual) must be used.

 D#9  
9/

two beautiful eyes

5 9
9$  X 5 9# >  5 

From the feet to the eyes

(c) A -F  J
 (adjective) describing two singular nouns is usually 
 (dual).

 \ Y 2
  Z

[3 H  

The small boy and girl

Rather than,

C \ Y 2
  Z

[3 \ Y 2
  H  
A



The small boy and the small girl

!
@  (dual noun) may be described 5 9G    5 9D 2

 U (by two singular adjectives).
\ Y 2
 3 \ []  5 9UD]  N V

He read the two big and small books

(lit. He read the two books. The big one and the
small one)

97

5.2

  


(The plural)
There are three types of 

  (plural) in Arabic:
1.
2.
3.

5.2.1

\ ^
 ] D    (the broken plural)
! ^  (_ R     4
  (the sound masculine plural)
! ^ `
 Oa     4
  (the sound feminine plural)

\ ^
 ] D    (The broken plural)
The

\ ^
 ] D   

(broken plural) breaks the construction of the


  

(singular) by interpolating,

dropping letters and/or changing the vowels:

'

 A9U
?

D(

Z

9U
1

 AD(

 (plurals) introduced in the vocabulary lists so far are \ ^

 ] D
Most of the 
5.2.2

   (broken plural).

! ^  (_ R     4
  (the sound masculine plural)
! ^  (_ R     4
 

(the sound masculine plural), like the




(dual) is produced from the


  

(singular).

% ! ^  (_ R     4
  & (in the sound masculine plural), case is not indicated by '

( ) (vowles), but
by a *

 ) (letter).

  sound masculine plural is produced by suffixing  3
The 
  #"$  ! 

< to the 
   (singular).

!
#"$   

They (two) are teachers

    -  .
 / 3 

masculine plural)
The


 0

6
G .
compensates for its lack of 5

(the

3

He is a teacher

is the indicator of the

case). The

of

! ^  (_ R     4
 

1

2
 and 0
34
  sound masculine plural is produced by suffixing 5 6 

to the

Effectively, the 3 of the 

  dial becomes 7
 .

> 4
 3 ?
 2

 -  .
 / =< 9 (the 7
 is the indicator of 1

2
 and 0
34
  )
5 9 #"$  ! 8 

He understood teachers

:"#$  ! 8 
He understood a teacher

98

(the sound


   (singular).

5 9 #"$  5

!; #"$  5

From a teacher

From teachers

The 
 compensates for the lack of 5
6
G on ! ^

 (_ R     4
  (the sound masculine plural). However,
when !
 ^  (_ R     4
  (the sound masculine plural) is made -F  $  (definite), we simply add the
definite article A and the 
 remains:  #"$   .
! ^  (_ R     4
  (the sound masculine plural) is indicated in the dictionary by pl. n and will
henceforth be indicated in the vocabulary lists by (
 3).
% ! ^  (_ R     4
  (the sound masculine plural), apart from a few exceptions, is used only for 
(_ R 
(male) human beings.

\ ^
 ] D    (broken plural), the  (_ R     4
 
! ^ (sound masculine plural) is not normally used. The plural of cF  0 is dF 0 , not  # 0 .
(a) If a noun or adjective for a male human being has a

There are, however, a few exceptions to this. There are

\ ^
 ] D    (broken plurals) for cF 9#V and \
(

and ?

6V and H
9$U , but  #9#V ,  3\ ( ,  [6V and  3H9$U are also possible.

 3\ ( / 0
( / 
(  #"$  

 D e  &

There are many teachers in the meeting

f> I
 g 5 /  3H9$U / 
$U ! 

They are far from the truth


(_ R  (male) human beings, but form a 
 

(plural) using 
 3< . We may annex them to ! ^  (_ R     4
  (the sound masculine plural).
(b) There are a number of words that do not refer to

  

Broken Plural

Singular

h
 # N /  # N

d;  N

cF  N

Folk

h
  / /  /

! /

!
/

World

h
i
 0 N /  i0 N

j
; 0N

j

0 N

Land

h

@ /  
@

'


@

-F
@

Year

h

U /  
U

=L 
UN

5
U

Son

Plural using

( 
U) 5
U does refer to male human beings but is placed in this list because the singular is broken to
produce the plural so it is not sound.

99




The Opening

The opening verse of the Quran,

Praise belongs to Allah, The Lord of the worlds

h
  $ 1
> 0 m #_ H  I
 

m 9X *

o
0
34
 

*

o
0
34
 

NFH D[


 

-; #  m [P
attached to
elliptical


[n

1
> 0 agrees with m #_ because it is a dF H U (substitute) for it. In English we call
this apposition. It is as though we are saying, h
  $ 1
>   H  I
  .
F H U (substitute) or appositional word is normally interchangeable with the
Ad
word it is appositional to:
I saw your brother, Hasan

5.2.3

I saw Hasan, your brother.

! ^ `
 Oa     4
  (The sound feminine plural)
! ^ `
 Oa     4
  (the sound feminine plural) is produced by suffixing '

 to      (the singular). If
the singular ends in C / -A , this is dropped.
'

]#

'

 + A]#

-F A A]#

Queens
In !
 ^

-F ] #

A queen

`
 Oa     4
  (the sound feminine plural) case is indicated by ordinary vowels.

The 

  is indicated by -F  i
 .

'

 #"$  5 
They are teachers (f)

-F  #"$  & 
She is a teacher

When !
 ^

`
 Oa     4
  (the sound feminine plural) is 1

2
 it is indicated by CF ^
 ( instead of -F I
 D.
Here, ?
 2

 -  .
 / C  ^
 ]  (the kasra is the indicator of 1

2
 ). This is because the ! ^ `
 Oa     4
 

(the sound feminine plural) is never able to end in -F I

 D .

'
;  #"$  ! 8 
He understood teachers (f)

100

-:  #"$  ! 8 
He understood a teacher (f)

Z
 9[ X '
 H6H4
  '
 
[ T D@ ,<  `
 $ U

The teacher sent the new girls home

  is indicated by CF ^
 ( .
The 0
34
'
;  #"$  5 
! ^ `
 Oa     4
  (the

-;  #"$  5 

From teachers (f)

From a teacher (f)

sound feminine plural) is indicated in the dictionary by pl. at and will

henceforth be indicated in the vocabulary lists by ('

).

(b) !
 ^

`
 Oa     4
  (the sound feminine plural) applies to `
F Oa  (feminine) human beings, and also
to many '

J
 3 =L @ N (nouns and adjectives) that refer to 
(_ R  (masculine) and `
F Oa  (feminine) nonhuman beings.
As a general rule, singular

take !
 ^

'

J
 3 =L @ N (nouns and adjectives) that end in C / -A

and are feminine

`
 Oa     4
  (the sound feminine plural). You should assume this to be so unless otherwise

indicated.

 ^
(c) !

`
 Oa     4
  (the sound feminine plural) is sometimes used for 
(_ R  (male) human beings as

 4
     (plural of plurals), although this is rare.
dF 0

Men

'

e 0

Important men, leading personalities

p
 #4
   & H #[ c  N '
 e 0 p
 #
%



 (plurals) are considered to be
grammatically `
F Oa  
   (feminine and singular). Any '

J
 3  ri
 3 dF $ N (verbs, pronouns and
adjectives) referring to such 

 (plurals) are therefore `
F Oa  
   (feminine singular).
(d) As we have noted before, all

c; V/  9q

The leaders of the townspeople (lit. people of

the town) sat in the council
(irrational)

 
^
>  Z
 [ T

The years have gone

-F [$ J
 s
#/ & 

They are difficult sciences

C:  9( '
; /D  p
 9r   o
 ) c 

Did the president attend many meetings?

In the last example above, '

; /D  is 1

2


m U dF $  (a manSuub object) but because it is a   4

 
! ^ `
 Oa   (sound feminine plural), it is unable to end in -F I
 D so it ends in CF ^
 ( instead. C:  9( is its

101

-F  J
 (adjective), so it is also 1

2
 but in the normal way with -F I
 D because it is 
   (singular) and
not !
 ^ `
 Oa     4
  (sound feminine plural).
5.3   


 

 ! " (Possession involving the dual and plural)

5.3.1

! ^ `
 Oa     4
 3 \ ^
 ] D    - iX (possession involving the broken plural and
feminine plural) behaves no differently    
  - iX 5  (from possession of the singular).
d >  '
 9U

The houses of the men

'
  #"$   '
 /D 
5.3.2

Duals and Sound masculine plurals as m 9X

The gatherings of the teachers (f)

*

o (possessor) .

5 9[t_  1
 D(

The book of the (two) students

5 9D
6H - 2
 V u
(  u 0 P ?
 D(

Charles Dickens wrote A tale of two cities

h
  #"$   1
 D(
5.3.3

the sound

The book of the teachers

Duals and Sound masculine plurals as *

o (possessed nouns).

5
6
G is in fact a  (nun) that is
pronounced but not written. Z

9U , if written as it is pronounced, is 5 D9U . Therefore, when we drop the
5
6
G of the *

o (possessed), we are in fact dropping an unwritten  (nun).
We know that the

The

*

o

(possessed) always loses its

5
6
G

. A

 (nun) of 
  (the dual) and ! ^  (_ R     4
  (the sound masculine plural) compensates for

5
6
G . For this reason, when 
  (the dual) or ! ^  (_ R     4
  (the sound masculine
plural) is a *

o , the  (nun) is dropped.
the loss of

?
 t_  UD(

The two books of the student

Pronunciation
Note that there is

5 9
( ^ =< MD here: ?
 t   UD( . This is

avoided not by a liaison vowel, but by not pronouncing the 

so that it sounds like the 1

2
 singular: ?
 t 

102

1
 D( . The

listener deduces the fact that it is a dual from context. The



is nevertheless written so the reader can distinguish it from

the singular.

?
 t_   &UD( &

In the two books of the student

Pronunciation
5 9
( ^ =< MD here: ?
 t  & UD( . This is
avoided by placing a CF ^
 ( liaison vowel on the 7 .
Note that there is

 6K  5 U #"$ 

The teachers of the ministers son

(5
 9
( ^

- @ 0 H   &#"$    ! 6  Z

 ^
 #

Maryam sat with the school teachers

(5
 9
( ^

5.3.4

=< MD is avoided by pronouncing it like the singular: 5 U ! #"$  )

=< MD is avoided by pronouncing it like the singular: - @ 0 H   ! #"$    )

 as m 9X *

o (possessor) of a dual and sound masculine plural.
The first person singular pronoun 7
(a) On a dual, we have the following

 D6 V 7
.
  0

My (two) legs are strong

(7
.
  0

7
 +.
  0

(4)

5 9D6 M  & # 0 #/

7 + .
  0

(3)

(2)

7 +  .
  0 )
(1)

On my two strong legs

( & # 0

7
 + & # 0

(4)

7 + & # 0

(3)

(2)

7 + 5 9# 0 )
(1)

(b) When 7
 is attached to ! ^

 (_ R     4
  (the sound masculine plural), the 3 of the 

  chages
to 7 . This change occurs between stages 3 and 4 in the example below so that we say &
  #"$  rather
than 7
   #"$  . The change is made for euphonic harmony.
&  #"$  ! 

They are my teachers

( &  #"$ 
7
 +&#"$ 
7
 +  #"$ 
7 +  #"$ 
7 + #"$  )
(5)

(4)

(3)

(2)

(1)

When 1

2
 and 0
34
  , it is again &  #"$  .

&  #"$  R n N / &  #"$  5 

From my teachers / He took my teachers

( &  #_$ 
7
 +&  #"$ 
7 +&  #"$ 
7 +h
  #"$  )
(4)

103

(3)

(2)

(1)

DRILL #10

#
 $



Summary Supplement

  


 

%!

Duals and Plurals

Sound Feminine
Plural

Sound Masculine
Plural

Dual

Singular

'

#"$  5 

 #"$  ! 

 #"$  

!
#"$   

They are teachers (f)

They are teachers (m)

They (two) are teachers

He is a teacher

'
; #"$  ! 8 

h
  #"$  ! 8 

5 9 #"$  ! 8 

:"#$  ! 8 

He understood
teachers (f)

He understood
teachers (m)

He understood (two)
teachers

He understood
a teacher

'
; #"$  5 

h
  #"$  5

5 9 #"$  5

!; #"$  5 

From teachers (f)

From teachers (m)

From (two) teachers

From a teacher

104



 
1

2

0
34
 


  

  

Chapter 6

Numbers One to Ten

6.1 Zero

 and is written as a dot

The Arabic word for zero is 
 

. It is not used on its own to count anything.

6.2 One
Most arabic numbers have a 


 (masculine) and 
  (feminine) form. When stating the number
one isolated, the 


 (masculine) is used.

6.2.1


  

  

   

Feminine

Masculine

Number

   


 

We have used 

  (    (f)) as a   
 (adjective).


  



One book


  

     

Muhammad has one book

(lit. One book belongs to Muhammad)

    $

%#& ! "#  

Mary has one daughter

In the above examples, both 

 and $

%#& are singular nouns so they do not require 
  and    
after them to express their singularity. 

  and     serve as emphasis.
(a) 

  may also be used as a 
'( (predicate) .

6.2.2


  ) *

He / it is one

    + *

She / it is one


 , (one) is an alternative to 
  . It is an !
-#  (noun) and cannot be used as a   

 (adjective).

105


 , ) *

He is one

The feminine of 

 , is .# / but .# / cannot be used on its own in this way.

.# / + *

(a) 

 , used on its own often to means someone , anyone or when negated, no one.


 0  
 , ! 1 2 3 *

Did anyone understand the book?

 7 ' 4 / 5, 

6 & 3 *

Did he send anyone to the town?


 , 8
 * 9 
6.2.3

No one went

There are three ways of expressing one of . For example, to say one of the houses we may say:
1.
2.
3.

:
 );' <  
 
:
 );' <  
 ,
:
 );'   ,

The latter two are better expressions in Arabic.

1.

... <#  
 

> ?%@ <     

A B@  <  
 

One of the women

One of the men

We cannot use 

  or     in an C 2 D/ (possession)

> ?%@ C   

2.

A B@    

... <  
 ,
> ?%@ <  .
E #/

A B@  <  
 ,

One of the men

One of the women

Note that the above structure cannot be used for the feminine
3.

G ; / H

I +   ,
> ?%@ .# /

A B@    ,

One of the women

One of the men

106

6.3 Two


  

  

Feminine

Masculine

J %K

J %K

< ;#%K

   

Case

Number

L

)C2# 


)M%#

< ;#%K

and

N
O
# 
 %K (m) / J %K (f) when L

)C2#  and < ;#%K (m) /
As the table above illustrates, the number two in Arabic is J

< ;#%K (f) when 

)M%# and N
O
#  . In short the J PQ ending changes to < #"PQ .
J %K may be used on its own as a 
'( (predicate).
J %K / J %K *

They are two

... <#  J %K renders two of .

S
 T 2 > NU )  <  J %K  I
 

Only two (of the) ministers attended

5& > ?%@ <  J %K :

 ,  V

Two of the women read a book

8
 0C  <  < ;#%K
( ,

He took two of the books

+# D
 N XQ  <  < ;#%K 3 ( W

He entered two of the lands

107

6.4 Three to Ten


  

  

   

Feminine

Masculine

Number

 K Y
K

Z
Y
K

 6 &N# ,

[
&N# ,

 ?
 # (

\

# (

 -

$
] -

 6 '#-

[
'#-

 ;K

J K

 6 ?
# ^

[
?
# ^

  _
 `


_
# `

J K is a a

)CT%# word and behaves the same way as W  . The feminine  ;K behaves normally.
6.4.1

When standing alone, the feminine numeral is used

 6 &N# , ,  K Y
K , J %K , 
  :W `# XQ    )  ,  V

The boy read the numbers: one, two, three, four

Numbers are written from left to right.

6.4.2

5, 396

Counting between three and ten

W
 ` (number) exhibits reverse gender agreement or gender

disagreement with the W
   (singular) of the W
6#  (counted noun). The thought process is as follows:

When counting between three and ten the

);& . Should we use

Suppose we want to say three houses. The W
6#  (counted noun) we shall use is :
the maculine numeral Z
Y
K or the feminine

 K Y
K ? To answer this, we need to look at the counted noun

(:

);&) and find its singular ($

;#&). This is masculine so we need to use the numeral that disagrees with
it, the feminine  K Y
K .

108

(a) There are two ways of saying three houses:

1.

  
 (adjective) + !
-#  (noun)

2. indefinite  2 D/ construction:

 K Y
K :

);&

:
 );& C K Y
K

Here are some further examples:

 K Y
K W
e # ,

W e # , C K Y
K

Three boys

Z
Y
K :

%&

:
 %& Z
C Y
K

Three girls

 - f
)C7

f )C7 C -

$
] - :

 07

:
  07 $
g -

5  "B 5 ;K 5'C 8

 

  "B 8
 C  ;K 8
 

He wrote eight
new books

5 7 ")h 5;K :
 7 ,  V

 7 ")h :
 7 + K ,  V

He read eight
long words

:

Y
;B J K :

%& ! "#  

:
 Y
;B :
 %& +K ! "#  

Six kings

Six queens

Mary has eight

beautiful daughters

(b) If we make these expressions definite, we have the following

C K Y
i :
 );'

:
 );' C K Y
K

The three houses

Three of the houses

We can also express this as
]

:
 );' <   K Y
K

Note that when we make both of these expressions definite, we are no longer counting.
Here are some further examples:

  "O
   ;i 8
 0C  8
 

/   "O
  8
 0C   ;K 8
 
  "O
  8
 0C  <  5 ;K 8
 

He wrote the eight new books

He wrote eight of the new books

 7 ")j  + i :
 70  ,  V

/  7 ")j  :
 70  + K ,  V
 7 ")j  :
 70  <  5;K ,  V

He read the eight long words

He read eight of the long words

109

6.5 One hundred and One thousand

 k  (, one hundred) and l

, (, one thousand) also work in an  2 D/ construction.
d

However, the W
6#  (counted noun) remains singular and there is no gender agreement.


  C k 

One hundred books

8
 0C  C k 

A hundred of the books

  7 C k 

6.5.1

One hundred words


  l
 ,

A thousand books

  7 l
 ,

A thousand words

 k  C k 

A hundred hundreds

l
 , C k 

A hundred thousand

 k  l
 ,

A thousand hundreds

l
 , l
 ,

A thousand thousands

 k  and l

, as the W
6# 
disagreement for counting between three and ten apply.  k  is

To count in hundreds and thousands between three and ten, we simply treat
(counted noun). The rules of gender

l

, is masculine so we will always
use the feminine numeral for it. Anomolously,  m  remains singular when it is the W
6#  (counted noun)

feminine so we will always use the masculine numeral for it and

but.

 m  Z
C Y
K

Three hundred

H
 e n C K Y
K

Three thousand

A B@  <  :

m 

Hundreds of men

> ?%@ <  H

e n

Thousands of women

110



   

Vocabulary

(J  , >p ;'#, ) +] '

prophet

nabiyyun (anbiyaau, nabiyyuuna)

he knew

knowledge; science

(J ) !
7s6 

teacher (m)

muallimun (uuna)

(:

)   7s6 

teacher (f)

muallimatun (muallimaatun)

he went

dhahaba (yadhhabu) dhahaaban

going

dhahaabun

difficult

Sabun (Siaabun)

he attended

HaDara (yaHDuru) HuDuuran

attendance

HuDuurun

two (m/f)

ithnaani / ithnataani

 K Y
K

three

thalaathatun

 6 &N# ,

four

arbaatun

 ?
 # (

five

khamsatun

six

sittatun

 6 '#-

seven

sabatun

 ;K

eight

thamaaniyatun

 6 ?
# ^

nine

tisatun

  _
 `

ten

(:

 m )  k 

one hundred

miatun (miaatun)

(H

e n) l

,

one thousand

alfun (aalaafun)

57` (PQ) ! 7`

(r
)C7` ) !
7 `

5&*9 (PQ) 8
 * 9


*9
(

6
) 8

6# 

5N)I (Pp)  I
 
N
)I
J %K / J %K 

 -

alima (yalamu) ilman

ilmun (uluumun)

asharatun

111

(u
; , u
)# , ) >t 

water

maaun (amwaahun, miyaahun)

very

jiddan

world

(:

)%- w J )%- )  %-

year

sanat (sinuuna, sanawaatun)

5I#",

also

ayDan

he sent

baatha (yabathu) bathan


6# &

Sending

bathun

(W
`# , ) W
 `

number

counted
2. limited; numbered

maduudun (uuna, aatun)

only

faqaT

(:

 , J ) !
-

sound

saalimun (uuna, aatun)

(J  , A *, ) 3 *# ,

people, folk

ahlun (ahaalin , uuna)

earth, land, ground

arDun (araaDin, araDuuna)

(y k VW )  T ;VW

minute

daqeeqatun (daqaaiqu)

(:

 , J ) y
;VW

precise

daqeequn (uuna, aatun)

(:

)  ` -

hour

saaatun (saaaatun)

([ ;&-, ) L

)'-# ,C

week

usbuuun (asaabeeu)

month

shahrun (shuhuurun , ashhurun)

5v B
(J  , ! )` ) !
 `

5i#6& (PQ) 
6 &

(:

 , J ) W
6# 
S
 T 2

(J )DN , , x
 N, ) x

N# ,

(
1 z# , w N
)1z ) 
1# z

aalamun (awaalimu, alamuuna)

adadun (adaadun)

1.

112

Exercise 6.1
Express in English

()
| 
 ,  I
  3 *
< #" "U)    ,  I
  , !# 6 
< ;#;- # C 4 7`  - N #   ' h \
 7 B
  - L

)B + *

.{
.
.
.

 6 &N# , 8
 0C  .
3 T6 :
 6-  :

%& < * .
N )1z  6 ?
# ^ +2 A B@  <  H
 e n C K Y
K  I
  .
|  ?
@  8
 0C  
 Y
 j}  <  
 , ,  V 3 * .
 "B ! -#   k  9C -# Xp  ,  V .
x
 N# XQ  <   6 j V l
 , < ?
   .
()
(24:26)

:
 ';@j 7 J )';@j  ~ .{

J i >p NU  \

 7O
#   +2 .

   67  5  # N 5   3 ;k-# / +%& 4 / 4-)#  p  

6 & .
5 7 ")h 5  i :
 `B#  > NU )    ,  I
  .
S
 T 2 Z
Y
K >p ?%@ 5v B
i > NU )  \
 7O
#  +2 A B@  W  ` .
:
 )%- +K +2 8
 C  ;K 9C -# Xp  8
  .
x
 N# XQ  +2   0 ! 67  .
  V l
 ,  1# z l
 , +2 .
H
 # M
  <  J ` )%#  J  7 y_
#  W  p>7 ` .
5I#",   "O
  8
 0C  +2 5v B   i  r
)C7`    T  8
 0C  +2 .
y k VW +K +2 3  B + K 8
  .

 Y
 j} 7  ';@j  N '(# XQ  :
 7s6   .# / :
# ,  V .
S
 T 2
 %K 
 7 # B 8
  .
113

Exercise 6.2
Express in Arabic
(A)
1.

Did anyone sit on the chairs?

2.

Yes, one of the girls sat on a chair.

3.

He read two of the books.

4.

Hasan has limited wealth (pl.).

5.

They are many men.

6.

They are new (f) teachers.

7.

The student read the professors two books for three hours.

8.

In the nine months.

9.

He wrote a hundred words in eight minutes.

10.

Noah (

)) was on the earth for a thousand years.

(B)
1.

They entered the two houses of the king.

2.

Three students went to Damascus for knowledge.

3.

Does Hasan know the good news too?

4.

Did any of the presidents attend?

5.

No, only two ministers attended.

6.

Hasan read the two old and new books in two hours.

7.

Hasan has very strong feet.

8.

Muhammad goes to the important men of Makkah.

9.

Mary has three boys and three girls.

10.

The teacher sent the two boys home.

11.

She read difficult sciences in many long years

12.

A hundred (f) students went in one fell swoop

13.

The student read one of the words in the sentence

14.

He wrote many beautiful words in the book

15.

The (f) student read seven of the new books in addition

to the many old books in only four weeks.

114

 

  

Chapter 7

The Five Nouns

There are five


  (nouns) in Arabic that require special attention. These are called 

 
     

(the five nouns).




 

(5)

Possessor of

 

(4)

Mouth


 

(3)

Brother-in-law


 

(2)

Brother

(1)

Father


 is slightly different from the other four so we will treat it separately.
7.1


  , 
  ,   and  

  , 
  ,   and   behave like ordinary nouns when they are not 
  (possessed nouns) in an ! "$#
construction.

%# &' ( # 
  ( )

He is a father to two boys


#   
#   +  *
 ) 

He went to the father and the brother


#   % ,
-

When they are


 

(possessed nouns) in an

Nephew (lit. brothers son)

! "$# construction, their case is indicated

by


 .

(letters) not vowels.

/
 (
.  is indicated by  not 0

 (12 is indicated by  not 3
4 .5
  is indicated by 6 not 7
  loses its 8 as illustrated in

the table below.

 

can also behave like an ordinary noun with case

indicated by vowels, as indicated by the alternative given below.

 

 


 


 

  / (


(

(: 

(, 

/
 (
. 

  / 



: 

, 


 (12

#  / ;#

;#

;#: 

;#, 

4 .5


115

/
 (
.  indicated by 
.< = ,  ( )

He is Abu Bakr

>  ( )

He is his father

%< 
    ?# 

Hasans brother understood

'# (    / '# (  

The boys mouth


 (12 is indicated by 
# 2&#'  C$# .< = ,  ' @ A
  B : 

Muhammad took Abu Bakr to Madinah

%< 
   D
  ?# 

I understood Hasans brother

E  D
  ?# 

I understood your brother

'# (    / '# (   < A

  
F G H# D
 I: J

A piece of meat entered the boys mouth

4 .5
  is indicated by 6
.< = ,  +  ' @ A
K
 IL

Muhammad sat with Abu Bakr

%< 
   C$# D
 MNO

I wrote to Hasans brother

  C$# D
 MNO

I wrote to our brother

'# (    /'# (   ;#

7.1.1

When

In the boys mouth

J# . Q   # IR= N I# S

1
# N@  P # 
@  (the first person singular attached pronoun) 6T# is attached, the long

vowel is not imported. ;#,  (my father) for example, remains ;#,  in all three cases.

;# / ;#:  / ;#,  ( )

He is my father / brother / brother-in-law

;# / ;#:  / ;#,  D

  ?# 

I understood my father / brother / brother-in-law

;# / ;#:  / ;#,  % #

From my father / brother / brother-in-law

116

My mouth is expressed as ;
@ # in all three cases.

;# / ;@ # B)

This is my mouth

;# / ;@ # S : J

It entered my mouth

;# / ;@ # ;#
7.1.2

In my mouth

The C
W 2UV (duals) are as follows:

X# (, 

The (two) parents

X# (:  )

They are two brothers

%# &( ,  % #

From the (two) parents

X# ( 

Two brother in laws

X# 
When

Two mouths

J# . Q   # IR= N I # S

1
# N@  P # 
@  (the first person singular attached pronoun) 6T# is attached to the

dual, we have the following.

6
 (,  )

They are my parents

(6
 (, 
(4)

6
@ ( ,  % #

(4)

The plurals of called 


 
 

6
 + (, 

(3)

6#T + (, 

(2)

6#T + X# (,  )
(1)

From my parents

(6
@ ( , 

7.1.3

6
 +6
 ( , 
(3)

6#T + 6
 ( , 

(2)

6#T + %# &( ,  )
(1)

    (the five nouns) behave like ordinary 
  (nouns).

J# Y     ,Z  )

They are the fathers of the children

D
# ]M C$# \ ( : [#  B : 

He took the brothers home

\# B ^#  ># (  % # 8 _

 =  B : 

He took the statement from the professors mouths

 &.      )

They are Maryams brother in laws

117

7.2


The fifth word, 
 , meaning possessor of is only ever used as 
  in an ! "$# construction.
The dual  was originally a regular dual, X
#  when /
 (
.  and %# &  when 
 (12 and 4 .5
  . Since it
is only ever used as 
  in an ! "$# construction, the X# permanently drops.

 was originally a regular dual, X  when /

 (
.  and % &#  when 
 (12
Since it is only ever used as 
  in an ! "$# construction, the X permanently drops.

The plural

and

4 .5


The plural  has an alternative form (


. The first  of (

is not pronounced so it sounds like (

.
The following table illustrates the forms of 

DRILL #11

7.2.1

+  L

CW 2UV

J . Q 

Plural

Dual

Singular

(

/ 






/
 (
. 

;#
/ 6#

6
  




 (12

;#
/ 6#

6
  

6#

4 .5



 behaves like a \! . =# c (indefinite) adjective:
Singular:

d<   S! L 4 ( )

He is a rich man (lit. he is a much-of-wealth man)

P< V#O d<   S

L .@ 

The man possesses much wealth / is rich

D
# ]M C$# d< 
 _
e L 4 B : 

He took a rich man home

d<   S< L 4 +  K

 IL

He sat with a rich man

d< 
 X# _
 L 4 )

They are two rich men

Dual:

%# ],, 
   %# ]N], S : J

He entered two houses with two doors

118

d<  
   %# ]IL 4 % #

From two rich men

Plural

d<    /  d! L4#  )

They are rich men

# 2&#'  C$# d< ' g   /  Ye L4# 

Q ]#I
  f
 F ,

The caliph sent men of justice to the city

d< ' g   /  d< L4# +  K

 IL
7.2.2

He sat with men of justice


 is used for epithets and honorific titles. The h# ]$# 
 
8# .O [#  d# _
5
  


Possessor of majesty and honour

%# ]c. i  


The one of two horns

S# Q =#  


Ezekiel (lit. The possessor of the burden)

.#    (


Rulers (lit. those of matter)

.#    ;#
+  K
 IL
7.2.3

(possessor) often becomes !  .# F  (definite).

He sat with the rulers (lit. those of matter)


 is j
  , which is also only ever used as in an ! "$# construction. It is not however,
one of 

 
      (the five nouns).
The feminine of

^ has an alternative form ^ . The plural j

  has an alternative form j
 Y 
. The first 
of j
 Y 
is not pronounced so it sounds like j
 Y
.
The following table illustrates the forms of j
  :
The dual

DRILL #12

+  L

CW 2UV

J . Q 

Plural

Dual

Singular

j
 Y 
/ j
 

^ / ^

j
 

/
 (
. 

j
 Y 
/ j
 

; ^ / ; ^

j
 


 (12

j
# Y 
/ j
# 

; ^ / ; ^

j
# 

4 .5


119

+< #  S< i g j

  D
 2,# ;#)

She is a broad-minded girl

D
# ]M C$# +< #  S< i g j
  eN2,# j
 B : 

She took a broad-minded girl home

+< #  S< i g j

#  D
< 2,# +  D
 
 IL

She sat with a broad-minded girl

%# ]F #  %# ]Ii g ^ / ^ X# N2,# )

They are two broad-minded girls

D
# ]M C$# +< #  S< i g ; ^ / ; ^ k
# N2,# j
 B : 

She took two broad-minded girls home

%# ]F #  %# ]Ii g ; ^ %# ]N2,# +  D

 
 IL

She sat with two broad-minded girls

< F #  d< (

ig j
 Y 
/ j
  %@ )

They are broad-minded (women)

D
# ]M C$# < F #  d< (
ig j
 Y 
/ j
  l c# j
 B : 

She took broad-minded women home

< F #  d< (

ig j
# Y 
/ j
#  < c# +  D
 
 IL
7.2.4

when used as


 

(possessed noun)

*
 # m

She sat with broad-minded women

(lit. companion) and

D
 2,# / % ,

, may also mean

possessor of. This is often used to render some idiomatic expressions.

< Ig# *
 # m 
N  

The professor is erudite (lit. possessor of knowledge)

D
# ]M # M# m +  D
 
 IL

She sat with the landlady

j
< (2 / k
 2## n
# _
 o % , ( )

He is three years old

j
< (2 / k
 2## K
#  : D
 2,# ; )#

She is five years old

'# IM % ,

Local inhabitant

S# ]#M
@  % ,
The plural is rendered by 
 Am
  , j
 2,

Wayfarer, wanderer

/  2,  or S
) 

# 2@5
  
 Am
 

The inhabitants of paradise

J# _
 M#  2, 

Fellow countrymen

# I F#  S
) 

Those of knowledge

D
# ]M S
) 

Members of the Prophet Muhammads family

(lit. Those of the house)

# c=  S
) 

Those of rank

120



$% &
  !
 "
#
 

Summary Supplement on Case

The following is a review of the instances in which we have encountered the three cases that
relate to nouns.
Instance

Case
1.

/
 (
. 

' NM 
. M
 
/
 4#   S
F Q# 
S
g# Q
S
g# Q *
 p#c

2.


 (12

Xq $#   
X O . M:
h# ,# d
(FQ  
After %
 

3.

4.

4 .5


After .r L



 .
h# ]$# 
  

After 
  and @

After Y


After t , tI and t

8 s5


(The subject)
(The predicate)
(the imperfect verb)
(the subject of a verb)
(the deputy subject of a passive
verb)

(the subject of inna)

(the predicate of kaana)
(the object)
(An imperfect verb after the
future particle lan)

(after a preposition)
(the possessor)

(An imperfect verb after these

negative particles)
(An imperfect verb after the
particle la producing a negative
imperative)
(An imperfect verb after these
particles producing a mild
positive imperative)

Indicators
Normal

/
 (
. 


 (12

4 .5


8 s5


Diptote

Imperfect
verbs
ending in '

Dual

Sound Masc.
Plural

Dropping of

'

3
Dropping of

'

121

Sound Fem.
Plural

Five Nouns


7


6

(

)$ * + 

8 ( ]

today

al-yawma

X v

now

al-aana

father

abun (aabaaun)

X# (, 

parents

al-abawaani

(\! ( : $# w X! (: $#) 

 

brother

akhun (ikhwaanun, ikhwatun)

brother-in-law

Hamun (aHmaaun)

mouth

famun (afwaahun)

possessor of (m)

dhuu

(4 (
) .  

matter, affair

amrun (umuurun)

(X! zy ) X! x y

matter, affair

shanun (shuuunun)

Important, significant
(the name Zeeshan comes from
the Arabic X
< x y 6#)

dhuu shanin

leaders

uuluu al-amri

possessor of (f)

dhaatu

(j
  ) j
 

essence

dhaatun (dhawaatun)

j
# qB#,

in itself

bidh-dhaati

in Damascus itself

fi dimashqa bidh-dhaati

he himself / she herself

huwa/hiya bidh-dhaati

once upon a time; one day

dhaata yawmin

companion

SaaHibun (aSHaabun, SaHbun)

~
# m & / ;#M# m &

O my companion!

yaa SaaHibi / yaa SaaHi

(
 Am
 ) *
 # m

possessor of

SaaHibu (aSHaabu)

landlord

SaaHibu al-bayti

(
,Z) 
 

(
 )  
(> ( )  



X< x y 

.#    (


j
 

j
# qB#, { |
  J# ;#
j
# qB#, ; )# /( )
8< ( & j
 
(*
 A
m
 ,
 Am
 ) *
 # m

D
# ]M *
 # m

122

# I F#  S
) 

those of knowledge

ahl al-ilmi

justice

city

madeenatun (mudunun)

Medina (prop. name)

al-madeenatu

he hit

Daraba (yaDribu) Darban


 . "


hitting

Darbun

eVF, (T) f
 F ,

he sent

baatha (yabathu) bathan

sending; resurrection

bathun

with

maa

you are right

maaka Haqqun / al-Haqqu maaka

you are wrong

al-Haqqu alayka

way

sabeelun (subulun)

#  S# ]#M ;#

in the way of Allah

fi sabeeli allahi

J# _
 M#  2,  / '# IM % ,

a local /
fellow countryman

ibnu al-baladi / abnaau al-bilaadi

Abu Bakr

abu bakrin

like (prep.)

ka

(j
 H ) D
 H 

time

waqtun (awqaatun)

(X
  ) %  

time

zamanun (azmaanun)

by way of, via

attached/detached pronoun
(gram.)

Dameerun muttaSilun / munfaSilun

d! ' g
(X! '  ) ! 2&#'

2&#' 
e,."
 (T#) 
 . "


f
! F ,
4 .5
  + + 

 F  { A
  / { 
 F 

 ]Ig { A
 
(S! M ) S! ]#M

.< = , (, 
tO

h# ]$# 
  + {# &#. % g
S! 1
# Q 2 / S! 1
# N@ P # "


adlun

123

an Tareeqi

Exercise 7.1
Express in English

()

 i  {r  N I#O h# # _
 O ;# .
P< V#O d<  j
  
= I#  .
2]#2, (2, c(2, 2p#,Z (2, cJ# _
 ,#  2,  .
< ]#Am
 < ?     { |
  J#  Ig .
k
 M#]Gq  ;#^( : $# % # 
  ( )  %< 
  ( ,  h    .
E :  ;#cB :  E (,  *
 ) 
P< V#O < I g# 6#  Ig % g +< #  S< i g 
 *
 # . H
(twice) k
# ^.@   =q  C$# 6
 (:  *
 ) 
P# M#=  ;#:  D
# ], C$# P # 1
@  ;#:  ;#,  B : 

.
.
.
.

E (,  ;#2 ?#  S ) : % 
  .
 F c :  &. 
()
.# 5
 Q  C@N  N@
 (authentic) ~
 A1
 *
 N=

. i & *
 #qG K
 IL .
{ A
  %# g ' ]F# ,
 _
 O .
S ]p#.  $# ;#2, C$# e]UM#c   f
 F , .
{< ]"
 S< i g 
S
)# 5
  +< #  < ?  *
 # m
  #F  .
! M] !  _
 g .#    ;# ei  j
# Bq #, ( ) . 
  S ) .
: h# ^#,NO# # I L % #  # N   8# _
 O (sum total) # I L % # e'# e.   ?#  .
P< M#O X< x y 
 8# (I
F  ;# e'U L# 6
 (# H ( )
h 2# D
 M)  < M] < Q m
# 
@ 4  > :  
 . "
 
<  
@ 4

e'#L *
 ]
  ?Q N#  J# ' 5
  
# _
q G I# e'U L# ! MF m
 ; )#  (aspects) h< L   
F ,4  .# 
 # .
\< ' ]#F, X< 'I , % # d! L4#  ># J# _
 ,#  2,  (among them)  ? 2#  h# ,#Am
  ;# ' @ A
K
 IL .
< c= j
   &.  .
(distant)

'# g# ,  d# L.   2,  %@ ) (2, 2^2, 2p#2,  (2, c(2, .

124

Exercise 7.2
Express in Arabic
(A)

1.

I have only two pieces of meat.

2.

Did your brother-in-law understand my two words.

3.

My father took me to the school teachers (use 

 IRF  ).

4.

He read the writing on the two doors of the kings two houses.

5.

He is father of two girls.

6.

Did he really take the statement from your mouth?

7.

 ).
In a sentence of three words (use j

8.

The boys father and mother attended.

9.

My father took my brother from me.

10.

My world is really difficult. Only my brothers understand me.

(B)

1.

The professor sat writing his book at dawn.

2.

Mary went to school today and her brother Hasan sat at home.

3.

Muhammad and Abu Bakr went to Medina via the sea.

4.

Mans days on (;#) Earth are limited. He will go from the world.

5.

Are the presidents and leaders in our time (X

!   ) men of justice?

6.

Hasan read the matter (.  ) in his fathers eyes.

7.

The two students of law (

 (
iA
 ) read their two books on (% g ) human rights.

8.

My teachers (use 
 IRF  ) possess precise ({ ]#HJ ) knowledge in their sciences.

9.

He is a man of much wealth and has been to very many places.

10.

Your brother will take me to his house by the sea.

11.

Maryams father went to school for a meeting.

125

  

  

Chapter 8

Adverbs of Place and Time


 
 (adjective) describes an  
 (noun), a   
  (adverb) describes a 

 (verb), in terms
of 

 (place) or 
 (time). That is, it tells us about when an action happened or where it happened.
Those that refer to place are called 
  
 
   
  (adverbial of place) and those that refer to time
Just as a

are called

  
 
   
  (adverbial of time). Adverbials of how an action happens will

introduced later.
The  


  (adverb) in Arabic is !

 "#
 and normally ends in 
$
 %
.

8.1 The simple   

   (adverb of time/place)
8.1.1

Often a  


  (adverb) is produced simply by making an  

 (noun) !
 "#
 :
'& (

At once (from 

()

)*+

Tomorrow (from *
 + )

)

Together

),-.

By day (from , -. )

/
) 
0

At night (from 


0 )

) 1
0

For one night

)
2

One day

/
) 3
4

Previously

)*
5

later

6) 7 

Once

8 
97 

Twice

:
 7

More than twice

6) ; <>= :
 7

Many times

126

be

/
) 3
4 6) 7  A .? 4 *
@ 0

We have read it once before

 $

30 B0C )

2 #3
D E

We went one day to the sea

6) ; <> / ) F/
 F )72?
D * #
G H
 I

1J

I stayed with them three days / many days

(All numbers can be used as adverbs)

) # / )
-N / )G 3
?M / ) G  / ) @ 4L    H
 I

1J
8.1.2

I stayed with him a minute / an hour / a week /

a month / a year

When 
 
 (definite), it usually refers to a particular time or place.

 1
10

Tonight (from 
1

0 )

O
0

Today (from O
2 )

Exceptions to this are P

 
? (yesterday) which is  I

 0

T (time) and is U %
 0
derived from 
8.2
8.2.1

B1G RQ #3
 (fixed on kasra) and = S (now) which is

B1G RQ #3
 (fixed on fatHa).

   adverbs
The

  
  (adverbs) produced above are general. /

) 3
4 for example, refers generally to the past and

)*
5 refers generally to the future. In order to be more specific and say before x or after y we use a
different type of   

  (adverb), again produced by simply making nouns that refer to place or time
!
 "#
 . These adverbs are used only as 
 V (possessed) in an 
WC construction and require a
 
0C 
 V (possessor) to immediately follow them.
O
2  3
4 X
 D E

He went a day ago (lit. before a day)

 Y

 0  3
4 Z
  [

He left before dawn

8 

2 * 
5  
 \

He arrived after two days

(48:10) `
- 2*
2? _

 ]
  * 2 ^

The hand of Allah is over their hands

-5%> H
 $

9 -c 14 :

* J \

She found her pen under her book

* 2*J d
 W
 
( R/
 >

My talk is about a new subject

e
 1c 0 f
 
G 
(  I1J

They sat around the kings throne

127

, -#70  Mg\  
10  Mg R3%>M :
 ? 4

I read my books all night and all day

 h   $

. i 2jh 0 B1G #J

 [

We went out on the road towards Mecca

 95%> 8 c
W
  9*
J \

I found it among his essays

!
  k
c 0\  "

 0 8 
5  J [

They left between mid-afternoon and sunset

e
 #
5\ R#
5

Between me and you

(8
 
5 must be repeated if one of the parties is a ; c W
 (pronoun).

Rl5, 8 
5\ R#
5  
m= 

The matter is between me and my Lord

e
 .\L e
  /
 >

Your speech is below you

 5%>  \L   , *
c 0 B0C X
 D E

He went to school without his book

O /
 >  \L P
 1J \  [ L

He entered and sat without a word

i 2jh 0 n
 
\ A .*
J \

We found him in the middle of the road

(Note: when n

 \ is used as an adverb, it becomes n
 
\ )

O 72?  F/
 F H
 I

1J

I stayed three days

(All numbers can be used as adverbs)

6  o
  0 O 72m=   F/
 F H
 I

1J

I stayed three of the ten days

O
0  Y

 R7 1G  [ L

He called upon me at fajr today

 V ,  -
N    H
 I

1J

I stayed with him the month of Ramadan

  c
Y
 0 , -.  $

30 B0C #3

D E

We went to the sea on Friday, during the day

  c
Y
 0  1
0  $

30 B0C #3

D E

We went to the sea on Friday night

 0 \  G  #1 
 \ /  0 \  @ 4L #1 
 \

We arrived the minute / hour he arrived

(lit. of his arrival)

Note the difference between the following two expressions:

  c
Y
 0 O
2

Friday

  c
Y
 0 O
2

On Friday (adv.)

128

p  (with) and * #
G (with/at) are two such   
  (adverbs) that produce a meaning of possession.
p  (with) implies having the possessed article actually on ones person.
iQ ( e
   / e
   iq $
 0

You are right (lit. Truth is with you)

R
  !
 % 0

The book is with me

* #
G is used to refer to M= c 0\ M r7 0 (time and place), often implying at home.
O
0 s*#
G * c7 $
 

Muhammad is (staying) at my place today

 1t c 0 * #
G !
 % 0 ? 4

He read the book at the house of/with the teacher

 #2*c 0 !
 5 * #
G

At the city gate

 Y

 0 * #
G

At daybreak, dawn

Books of Arabic grammar written by English grammarians tend to list all the above as prepositions
because they appear to behave like prepositions. Although it may be useful at the outset for the student
to think of these as u J


8.2.2


 \( (prepositions), they are in fact not so.

Some  


  (adverbs) require that they are followed by a 
1c

J (a sentence), usually a 
71
 
1c
J
(verb sentence). This 
1c

J (sentence) is  
0C 
 Vc 0 t $
  R (in the place of the possessor).
* c7 $
  X
 D E v
M 
( 8 I
 ( X
 D E

Hasan went where Muhammad went


  \ w
 ,
m=  v
M 
( 8 I
 ( X
 D E

Hasan went where the earth is wide

* c7 $
  X
 D x 2 y
 ( 8 I
 ( X
 D x 2

Hasan will go when Muhammad goes

(the adverb v
M 
( is anomalously fixed on 
c7 W
)

6
7 c $

 P
 c
o
7 0 y
 ( 8 I
 ( X
 D x 2

Hasan will go when the Sun is red

X
 D E v
M 
( 8
G :
 ? 4

8.2.3

Some  

I read about where he went


  (adverbs) can be followed both by a single word as the  

0C 
 V (possessor) or by a


1c
J (a sentence)  
0C 
 Vc 0 t $
  R (in the place of the possessor).
129

  c
Y
 0 O
2  $

30 B0C #3

D E

We went to the sea on Friday

%3
D E O
2  $

30 B0C #3

D E

We went to the sea the day you went

  , *
c 0 8   J \[ H
 4 \  
0C #3
D E

We went to him at the time of his leaving the

school

  , *
c 0 8  Z
  [ H
 4 \  
0C #3
D E

We went to him at the time (when) he left the

school

H
 
30 R   M1J 8    
0C #3
D E

We went to him at the time of his sitting at

home

H
 
30 R  > 8    
0C #3
D E

8.2.4

We went to him at the time (when) he was at

home

  
  (adverb) that requires a  

0C 
 V (possessor) after it with the
preposition R , as suggested by the name. This makes it , \Y

 and we no longer call it   
 

Often, we may precede the

(adverb). This cannot be done all the time. For example, we cannot say 
 3
4

  c
Y
 0 O
2 R  $

30 B0C #3

D E

We went to the sea on Friday

i 2jh 0 n
  \ R A .*
J \

8.2.5

R .

We found him in the middle of the road

(Note: when preceded by R, n
  \ remains n
  \ )

  
  (adverb) that is 

 V (possessed) followed by a  
0C 
 V (possessor) produces a  3N
 1c
J (quasi sentence). We may have an indefinite ?
* %3
 (subject) after it.
A

 Y

 0 * 
5 P
 1Y

c 0

The meeting is after fajr

P
 1Y

  Y

 0 * 
5

There is a meeting after fajr

)I1Y

  Y

 0 * 
5 h C

Indeed there is a meeting after fajr

e
   iq $
 0

You are right (lit. The truth is with you)

iQ ( e
  

You are right (lit. There is truth with you)

)@z ( e
   h C

Indeed you are right (lit. Indeed there is truth with

you)

130



   

') \ (M "
 2)  
 \

\

waSala (yaSilu) wuSuulan

he arrived at
arrival

wuSuulun

at once, immediately

Haalan

night

laylun

( 0) 
1
0

a night

laylatun (layaalin)

 1
10

tonight

al-laylata

/
) 
0

at night

laylan

, -.

day

nahaarun

),-.

by day

nahaaran

he wrote night and day

kataba layla nahaara

)
2

one day

yawman

O
0

today

al-yawma

/
) 3
4

previously

qablan

 3
4

before

qabla

)*
5

later

badan

* 
5

after

bada

yesterday

amsi

he found

wajada (yajidu) wujuudan

existence; being, presence

wujuudun

he went out (of)

kharaja (yakhruju) khuruujan (min)

exit; going out

khuruujun

(R) / ') [L ({|)  [ L

he entered

dakhala (yadkhulu) dukhuulan

(B1G ) ') [L ({|)  [ L

he entered (upon A s.o.), called (on A s.o.)

dakhala (yadkhulu) dukhuulan (alaa)

entry

dukhuulun

with (prep.)

bi

adverbs of place/time

mafuulun fiihi Dharfu

makaanin/zamaanin

situation

Dharfun (Dhuruufun)

') (


0

, -.  
0 X
 %>

P
 
?
)L J\ (* Y
 2) * J \
L J\
(8
 ) )J\[ ({|) Z
  [
Z
 \[


[L
}5
  /  
 
   
 
(
 \M ) 
 


131

_



over

fawqa

H
 $

9

under

taHta


(

around; about

Hawla

 Mg

throughout

Tuula

direction, grammar

naHwun (anHaaun)

approximately

naHwun min

 $

.

toward

naHwa

8 c
W


among

Dimna

between; among

bayna

so so

bayna bayna

from among them

min baynihim

 \L

below, without

duuna

* #
G

with, at

in my opinion

with

maa

v
M 
(

where

Haythu

y
 (

when

Hiina

once/twice/more than twice

marratan / marratayni / marraatin

6) ; <> :
 7

many times (adv.)

marraatin katheeratan

:
 7
 /
 F

three times (adv.)

thalaatha marraatin

Friday

al-jum(u)atu / yawmu al-jum(u)ati

on Friday (adv.)

yawma al-jum(u)ati

Ramadan

ramaDaanu / shahru ramaDaana

hand

yadun (aydin, ayaadin)

at your disposal

taHta yadika

in front of him

bayna yadayhi

subject

mawDuuun (mawaaDiiu)

(~ $.
?)  $

.
8
  $

.

8 
5
8 
5 8 
5

- #
5 8


* #
G
p 

:
 7 / 8 
97  / 6) 7 

  c
| Y
 0 O
2 / M  c
| Y
 0
  c
| Y
 0 O
2
 V ,  -
N / M V ,
(L 2? , *
2?) * 2
 * 2 H
 $

9

2* 2 8 
5
(p W  ) d
 W


inda

132

indii

Exercise 8.1
Express in English

O
0 * ( ? R.xM [  2 ' \ P
 
? * ( ? R.x [ ?  .
') (  M1[ L
M .
/
) 
0  #2*c 0 #1 
 \ \ ),-.  h  8
 #J
 [ .
:
 7
 /
 F  9? 4 ,
 . /
) 3
4 !
 % 0 xD :
 ? 4  D .
y
 97  H
 3
D E
 . :  2
 /
) 3
4  h  B0C H
 3
D E  D :  2
c 0 8 I
 ( .
]
   3.
? 8
 RQ 3.  D .
6) ; <> :
 7 = R
o
7 0 xD
M %c
1hG *
@ 0 .
| ] = N  C  1
10 M "
   Y

 0 * #
G  h  R  %
5 8
 Z
  [ , B15  1
10 8 I
 ( M "
 2 ' ? .
 1 G X
 (  A c9*
J \  D .
H
 
30 R  F/
 <h0 cD = #5
?  7m|  :
 * J \ .
s*#
G  %c 1> :

 3> .
Exercise 8.2
Express in Arabic

1.

I took my family to the sea.

2.

Did you inform him? Yes, we informed him many times.

3.

I didnt find four of my books yesterday. Did anyone take them? No, nobody took them.

4.

Isnt he going out tonight? Yes indeed, he is going out with his parents.

5.

The (f) students read their books night and day.

6.

The two students worked hard after fajr

7.

Hasan and Maryam understood each other immediately.

8.

The matter will be uncovered one day after much hard work.

9.

We entered and left at once

10.

We arrived the day you left the house

133

  

  

Chapter 9

Further Possession
9.1

Possession using 
In Chapter One we introduced the

  

construction. Possession can also be rendered using the

preposition

 which means to, for or belonging to.
When written

 attaches to the    (noun) following it. If the definite article

 is preceded by

 ,


. When

 attaches to a word, it forms a     
 (quasi sentence),

we drop the (alif) and write


just like any other  


   (preposition).

! 


In the house
(fi al-bayti)

! 

For / To / Belonging to the house

(lil-bayti)

"


#$

9.1.1

This  
 

For / To / Belonging to the student

(liT-Taalibi)

 
 (quasi sentence) may attach to an elliptical  % (predicate)

! 
 (* ++ , ) '
 (&


The book is in the house

(al-kitaabu fi al-bayti)

! 
(* ++ , ) '

 (&


The book is for / belongs to the house

(al-kitaabu lil-bayti)

"


#$
 (* ++ , ) '
 (&

9.1.2

The book is for / belongs to the student

(al-kitaabu liT-Taalibi)

If we make the ./

 (, (subject) indefinite, it must be deferred to after the   

'
(0

! 


 
 (quasi sentence).

A book is in the house /

There is a book in the house
(fi al-bayti kitaabun)

'
(0

! 

A book belongs to the house /

The house has a book
(lil-bayti kitaabun)

'
(0
"


#$


A book belongs to the student /

The student has a book
(liT-Taalibi kitaabun)

134

1 2
0 3 , 4
 5 


Much wealth belongs to the man /

The man has much wealth
(lir-rajuli maalun katheerun)

As illustrated above, we use

 to express (the) x has (a) y.

(0

For example, Muhammad has a book would be '

/ 5 6
  
.

We saw in chapter eight that possession can also be produced with

7 , (with) and / 89
(with/at). 7 ,

implies having the possessed article actually on ones person and /

 89
(with) can but not always implies
possessing the article at home.

'
(0
"


#$


The student has a book

'
(0
"


#$ 7 ,

The student has a book (with him)

'
(0
"


#$ / 89

The student has a book (at home)

=
(
  
:;+  / 89
/ 
:;+ 

9.1.3

The president has a meeting

  
construction must be either completely  
> , (definite) or completely ?  &
@ (indefinite). For
example, the expression
! '
 A means the door of the house, suggesting that the house has one
door. To say a door of the house or produce any an x of the y expression, we use the preposition


and not an   
construction.
An

!
'
A

A door of the house

(baabun lil-bayti)
(Note that

! 
BAA 4 % *

'
A
!
means the house has a door)

He entered a door of the house

(dakhala baaban lil-bayti)

This can also be expressed in the following way:

! '

+A. C ,
'
A

A door of the house

lit. a door from among the doors of the house
(baabun min abwaabi al-bayti)

! '

+A. C ,
BAA 4 % *

He entered a door of the house

(dakhala baaban min abwaabi al-bayti)

/ 5 6
 , D

8A C ,
8A

One of the daughters of Muhammad

(bintun min banaati muHammadin)

135

Phonetics
The preposition

 changes to


 

8

E
 

 &F 

For him

For us

For you

For you (pl)

But when attached to the first person pronoun 

, it remains






  !A

G
+!A C ,
!A

For me

A house of his
lit. A house belonging to him
A house of his
lit. a house from among his houses

9.2 Idiomatic use of the definite   

9.2.1



+L+   H

I K
J  F  
(possession of the adjective by the noun it describes)
Suppose we were to say,

7 :
 4  M

A quick man
(rajulun sareeun)

In response, one may ask, quick at what?. This can be answered by extending the adjective with a


!

N, noun. The 
N, (possessed) must be a  I L

(adjective) and the 
!

N, (possessor) must
be an 
  (noun).

O I  7 :
 4  M
P
Q
 &  7 :
 4  M

A quick witted man (lit. a quick-of-understanding man)

(rajulun sareeu al-fahmi)

A quick speaking man (lit. a quick-of-speech man)

(rajulun sareeu al-kalaami)

P
Q
 &  1 2
0 4  M

A talkative man (lit. a much-of-speech man)

3
 1 2
0 4  M

A wealthy man (lit. a much-of-wealth man)

(rajulun katheeru al-kalaami)

(rajulun katheeru al-maali)

136


 +  C R
  4  M

A handsome man (lit. a handsome-of-face man)

(rajulun Hasanu al-wajhi)

?  &
@ (indefinite) adjective. The adjective itself remains ?  &
@

(indefinite) despite the expression looking like a definite   
construction. This is why it continues to

What we have done is simply extend a

describe a

? &
@ (indefinite) word. We may think of expressions such as 
O I  7 :
 as extended   

adjectives.

Agreement is exhibited only on the 

N, (possessed) noun.
(a) Agreement in case:


O I  7 :
 Q
B  M T % .

He took a quick witted man

(akhada rajulan sareea al-fahmi)


O I  7
:
 4  M C ,

From a quick witted man

(min rajulin sareeI al-fahmi)

(b) Agreeement in gender:


O I  F > :
 ?. , 

A quick witted woman

(imraatun sareeatu al-fahm i)

(c) Agreement in definition:


O I  7 :
R
5  4F  5 

The quick witted man

(rajulun sareeu al-fahmi)

The last example above may appear odd because we put the definite article
 on a 
N, (possessed)
noun. Think of this as the only instance of the 
N, (possessed) noun taking a definite article
 .
(d) Agreement in number:


O I  > :
 U
Q
  M

Two quick witted men

(Note the dropping of the U in U

>:
 )


O I  (> :
 U
G. , 

Two quick witted women


O I  +> :
 3 M

Quick witted men

(Note the dropping of the U in U
 +> :
 )


O I  D
 > :
 WV R@

Quick witted women

When extended   
adjectives describe a plural noun, the sound masculine or sound feminine plural
must be used. extended    
adjectives cannot be produced from broken plurals. It is incorrect to say,


O I  =
 
3 M
.

137

Extended   
adjectives may be used as an indefinite  %

 .

3
 1 2
0 4F  5 
9.2.2

The man is rich (lit. The man is much-of-wealth)

(ar-rajulu katheeru al-maali)

Similar to the above, we have expressions in which we swap around a plural noun and adjective and
place them in an VXX
 construction. The expressions retain their meanings.

M &
 WY > 

The eminent scholars

W
>  M 0

The eminent scholars

(al-ulamaau al-kibaarun)

(kibaaru al-ulamaai)

Unlike the earlier expressions, this expression does not change in meaning after becoming an   
. It
is not an extended

  

adjective. This

  

is also wholly

 
> ,

(definite). These are given

expressions and students should not attempt to be creative.

9.3 Idiomatic use of the indefinite   

The indefinite   
is used idiomatically in a number of common expressions.

 6
  F > $ Z

A piece of meat

(qiTatu laHmin)

 6
  7 $ Z

Pieces of meat

(qiTau laHmin)

"
 [
 % \ 
 0F

A chair of wood

(kursiyyu khashabin)

]  F  
0

A word of truth

(kalimatu Haqqin)

We can dispense with

F  ^
 by using C ,
, which means from. It can also mean of in a partitive

sense, such as in the sentence, eat of the food i.e. part/some of the food.


6
  C ,
/  6
  C ,
 > $ Z

A piece of meat

(qiTatun min laHmin / min al-laHmi)

"

[
`
  C ,
/ "
 [
 % C ,
_ 
 0F

A chair of wood

(kursiyyun min khashabin / min al-khashabi)

]J 6
  C ,
/ ]  C ,
  
0

A word of truth

(kalimatun min Haqqin / min al-Haqqi)

It is better and more common to use the

 
> , (definite) of 
6

  , "

[
`
  and ]J 6
  after C ,
. The   

expression is better than both of these.

138

Note that  > $

 Z
, _ 
 0F and ]_  have C :
+8G . This is because we are not using an   
construction.


   words in    constructions

+Fb8, words are a 

N, (possessed) noun, a c
 is appended to them.
When a
H+ , c
 *
d
H+ , c
 *
d 4 % *
e

>
 

M.

The valley of Moses

(waadii Muusaa)

He entered the valley of Moses

(dakhala waadia Muusaa)

The lands of Iraq

(araaDi al-iraaqi)

 
 
  

Summary Supplement

  !
"

Possession

 # $ %
1.

  
constructions

"


#$ '
 (0

"
 
f '
 (0

a) The x belongs to the y

"


#$
 '
 (&


b) An x belongs to the y, or
The x has a y

c) An x of the y

a)

The definite   
construction

b) The indefinite   
construction

2.

Examples

non

The book of the student /

The students book
A book of a student /
The book of a student /
A students book

  
constructions
/'
(0
"


#$

/'
(0
"


#$ 7 ,
'
(0
"


#$ / 89

/"


#$
 '
(0

"


#$ "

(0F C ,
'
(0

139

The book belongs to the student

A book belongs to the student /
The student has a book

A book of the student

A book (from among the books)
of the student

&

'( ) * 

Vocabulary


(3 +, .) 3 ,
3
  !A
(7 $ Z
)  > $ Z

(M 20
, U d12
0 ,  2F0F ) 1 2
0

to; for; belonging to

li

wealth

maalun (amwaalun)

treasury (classical)

baitu al-maali

piece

qiTatun (qiTaun)
katheerun (kuthurun,

much (m)

katheeruuna, kithaarun)

much (f)

katheeratun (katheeraatun)

(P +6F)  6
 

meat

laHmun (luHuumun)

(\ 
0 ) _ 
 0F

chair

kursiyyun (karaasiyyu)

('
[% .) "
[
 %

wood

khashabun (akhshaabun)

few (m)

qaleelun (qalaailu ,
qaleeluuna)

few (f)

qaleelatun (qaleelaatun)

(U +>:
 ) 7 :


fast (m)

sareeun (sareeuuna)

(D
>:
 )  > :


fast (f)

sareeatun (sareeaatun)

(D
12
0 ) ? 1 2
0

(U +F!
Z , 4F h
Q

 Z) 4 !
Z
(D
Q
 !
Z)  !
Z

140

(3 +Fb9 ) 4 b 9

aqlun (uquulun)

intellect; mind

quick of wit

sareeu al-fahmi

handsome; beautiful (adj.)

Hasanun (Hisaanun)

Hasan (prop. noun)

Hasanun (Hasanuuna)

(i +d )   d

Face

wajhun (wujuuhun)

(  d .)   d

aspect

wajhun (awjuhun)

(WY !8
j .) _ 8
j

rich

ghaniyyun (aghniyaau)

so; because

fa


O I  7 :

(U R
) C R
 
(U +8R
  ) C R
 


(l
 d .) k
  d
(e
+Fb ) ]_ 

1.
2.

middle;
(pl.) social circles, milieu

wasaTun (awsaaTun)

truth; right; (pl) law

Haqqun (Huquuqun)

a word of truth

kalimatu Haqqin

human rights

Huquuqu al-insaani

really, in reality

Haqqan

really?

aHaqqan

River

nahrun (anhaarun)

(U +Fb!J
 ) ] !J


narrow (m)

Dayyiqun (Dayyiquuna)

(D
b!J
 )  b !J


narrow (f)

Dayyiqatun (Dayyiqaatun)

]  F  
0
U
R@^
 e
 +Fb
Bbm 
n Bbm  .
(M O@.)  O @

141

Exercise 9.1
Express in English

(39:10) q

 > 
d r

s
 M .d t .o


O I  7 :
 d 
 +  C R
  / 5 6
 , .
P Q
 & 
 O
I  
O I  F > :
 / 5 6
 ,  8A
.
]  F  
0 '

(&
 
 .

!

N, d 
N, F   ^
 .
ne

>
 *
Q
 A
H
B  
] [
 , *
d  &# , H
'
 Q
# $u  "
 v w  
.
 > @ n 7 
dd 4 :
+f  K
 ,
 O @. .

6
  C ,
"
:
Z + v n C R
  "

:
Z  !A C :. .
n w
d n 
>  x
  P
+ : 
 W
6
K
5  k

 d H
U +v T ( Bbm . .
r

 /
9 C A / 5 6
 , U 0 .
] [
 , *

 W
>  M
0
D

+!A H
'
 #Q$u  "
 v T : .
] !J
 4 b 9 4
v
x 
d 7 
d  O  

>
.
] [
 , *

 W
,/ bF  W
I`
 
!A '

+A. C ,
'
 A H9  A(&
 D
 
#$ D

. Z .
Exercise 9.2
Express in Arabic
1.

Muhammad is the servant of Allah.

2.

Muhammad is a servant of Allah.

3.

Are you the daughter of a rich man? (do not use the word 
_ 8
j )

4.

No I am the daughter of a poor man (use 4!
Z ) from a distant desert.

5.

Is it is an old method? Yes, an old method in a new book.

6.

Why are they going to the middle of the desert?

7.

Hasans mother is a scholar so she is a professor.

8.

Muhammads face is beautiful.

9.

Muhammad has a beautiful face.

10.

The road to Damascus is long and wide.

11.

Does Hasan truly sit in the councils of kings?

12.

The students of law read about human rights in the country of Iraq.

13.

How does the rich man go to the town centre?

14.

What did the caliph write in the letter ('(0

) to the eminent scholars of Damascus / in Damascus.

142


 
  


Chapter 10

Quantification and Comparison

10.1 Quantification
10.1.1



  means some or part. It occasionally also means one.

   works in an  
  construction.
   
  

Part of a day

   
  

For part of a day (adv.)


   
  

Some/part of the book


   
  

Some of the books / One of the books

  
  

Some of the women / One of the women

! " #
   $ %

10.1.2

From some of them



'
& ( ! " #
  

Some of them are students



'
& ( ! " % 

 

Some of them are students

)+* , Several or a number of

(a) ) +
* , requires a . /

#% (possessor) that is 0
1 2 (plural).


 3 ) +* ,

several books / a number of books


 3 )
+* , 4
 56 7

I read several books / a number of books


   )
+* , 4
 56 7

I read a number of the books

 *5
)
+* , ! : + , 8
 
 9
2

I stayed (lit. sat) with them several days

()
+
* , is . /

4
 *6% )
+* , . =56 7

; < % (adverb) here)

I read it several times

143

(. > is . 

; < % (object) and )

+* , is . / ; < % (adverb))

(b) )+
* , may be followed by $ % to produce the same meaning as above.


   $ % )? +* , 4
 56 7

I read a number of the books

The word @
+
 , (number) may also be used in this way,


   $ % ?@+ , 4
 56 7

(c)

)+* , may also

be used as

I read a number of the books

 <
A
 (an adjective), and it

describes both

6
3& B
% (masculine)

and

C
 D*E %

(feminine) nouns.

)? +* , ?F3 4
 56 7

I read several books

)+* , 

'
& ( . 1 " 

A number of students understood it

)+* , 4

 4
 6 #
 G

Several girls attended

)+* , 

3 H+,

I have a number of books

)? +* , ?%*5
I : 8
 
 9
2
10.1.3

I stayed there several days

 %* , means generality
J
 *  %* , 6 #
 G

10.1.4

The common people / masses atended

LK 3 (Every / Whole / All / both)

When L
K 3 is a
#% (possessed) in an  
  construction, its exact meaning depends on the . /

#%
(possessor).
(a) When the . /

#% (possessor) is
When the . /

#% (possessor) is

)6  D (indefinite)

) 6  D (indefinite) LM 3 means each or every. The . /


#% must

remain @
6 < % (singular).

N O 5 LM 3 6 #
 G

Every / each professor attended

) N
O 5 LM 3 4
 6 #
 G

Every / each (f) professor attended

144

   L& 3 
 : B 

He goes every day

(L
& 3 is . /

; < % (adverb) here)

. /

#% (possessor) is )6  D (indefinite), any 6
FP (predicate) must agree in gender with the
. /

#% (possessor) and not LM 3 , even though LM 3 is the 5+ F% (subject). We call this semantic
When the

agreement as opposed to grammatical agreement.

+
" R
 % + 
Q LM 3

Every boy is hard working

) + " R
 % 8
  LM 3

Every girl is hard working

  O Q S
 T 5
LM 3

Every land is vast

 * 7
 1 93
LM 3
In the above sentences, the

Every word is strong

5+ F% (subject) is LM 3 and is )6  D (indefinite) grammatically. An indefinite

5+ F% is allowed here because although it is indefinite grammatically, everything is in fact a definite
notion.
(b) When . /
  #1  (the possessor) is  
6  % (definite)
When . /


 #1  (the possessor) is  

6  % (definite) and @
6 < % (singular) it means whole.

   L& 3 5
6 7

He read the whole book

(Note: L
& 3 is . 

; < 1  (object of the verb)

Any 6
FP
 (predicate) may agree with LM 3 or . /
  #1  (the possessor).

  O Q / 0
O Q S
 T VU  LM 3

The whole earth is beautiful

X 19
, / !
, ! " 9M3

Every one of them is a scholar /

All of them are scholars

(c) When . /

  #1  (the possessor) is  
6  % (definite) and 0
1 2 (plural) it means all.


   L& 3 5
6 7

He read all of the books

) B
=OVU  LM 3 6 #
 G

All the professors attended

(L
 3 is L  < 

! " 9M3

L , 
 (subject of the verb))

All of them

145

   O Q / 0
O Q Y TVU  LM 3

All the lands are vast

Note that the above can be expressed as follows:

) B
=OVU  $ % LK 3 6 #
 G

All the professors attended

! " % LK 3

All of them

0
/12 also means all.

) B
=OVU  0 /12 6 #
 G

All the professors attended

! "  /12

All of them

We cannot say

! " % 0
/12

10.1.5

9 3 / '

3 (both)

3 (m) and 9 3 (f) which require a . /


#% (possessor) after them.
(a) To say both of we use '
When the . /

#% (possessor) is a L [
 *%

Z
1
 (attached pronoun), '

3 and 9 3 behave like \*]

1  (the



[% and T
Q6R
 % they are Y 9
3 and Y 9 3 . As is self evident, the . /

#% (possessor)
must be a \
_ ^]
% (dual) pronoun: 1: , 13 , or D. Any 6
FP (predicate) stays @
6 < % (singular).

dual). When

1: 93 / 1: '

3

Both of them

13 '

3

Both of you

D'

3

Both of us




( 1: '

3

Both of them are students

1" /9 3 / 1" /9

3 $ %

From both of them

8
 /F \
 1 /9
3 B
P 5

He took both of you home

. /
  #1  (the possessor) is an !
O  (noun), '

3 and 93
(fixed on alif) which does not turn into H , even when 

[% or T
Q6R
 % .
(b) If however,

146

becomes

a
 VU  \9, Y` F%

$ /*R
  93

$ /  '

3

Both gardens

Both books

$ /*R
  9 3 L
P @

He entered both
gardens

$ /  '

3 ! " 

He understood both
books

$ /*R
  93 Y

In both gardens

$ /  '

3 $ %

From both books

(c) If the two items are two different entities, we use ...Q

6 c Q d
 /e6*  $ % LK 3 
 : N

... $ % LK 3 .

Both the president and the minister went

8
 FQ + 
  $ % LK 3 6 #
 G

Both the boy and the girl attended

10.2 Comparison
10.2.1

(; 
]% 5
) L ]% means s.th. similar.
6   Y5
; 
]% 5

The likes of Abu Bakr

6   Y5
; 
]% 5
$ %  :

He is of the likes of Abu Bakr

. 
]% 5
 h
'

Three times as much

(lit. three of its like)

(a) L
 ]% may be used as a
#% (possessed) to mean like .

i
 9]% i
 

Your son is like you

i
 / L ]% Y/

My house is like your house

(b) Note that the preposition >

3 may also express this meaning.

i
 /F3
Y/

My house is like your house

>
3 cannot be attached to a Z
1
 (pronoun) so we cannot say . 3
for like him. To overcome this,
we insert L
 ]% in between.
. 9]1 3

Like him

i
 9]1 3

D
5

I am like you

147

(42:11)

k l Y m . 9]1 3
d
 /
j

There is nothing like him

10.3 Negativisation of Verbal Nouns


+ , (non-existence/lack)

+ , as an isolated verbal noun means non-existence or lack and is the opposite of @
2Q (existence).
 + , as a
#% (possessed) noun is used to negativise T @ [1  (verbal nouns) to produce constructs
which in English are expressed by the prefixes non-, un-, in- and dis-.

@ 2   + ,

Nonexistence (lit. Lack of existence)

; P+n  $ % 8
 /F Y I @ 2Q  + , Y %

Your not being in the house prevented me from

entering

+
+2 l Y m  % i
 O 92  + ,

Your not sitting with us is a new phenomenon

148



  

(

FO 5
) 

FO

reason, cause

sababun (asbaabun)

(T
[, ) 6
[
 ,

afternoon; age, era, epoch

place or time of sunset;

west

maghribun (maghaaribu)

Maghrib, northwest Africa

al-maghribu / bilaadu al-maghribi

(p
 T q% ) p

6 q
 %

place of sunrise, east

mashriqun (mashaariqu)

"T o% Q S
 T VU  p
 T q% Y

throughout the world

fi mashaariqi al-arDi wa maghaaribihaa

thing

shayun (ashyaau)

people

naasun

lord

rabbun (arbaabun)

excellent; good

jayyidun (jiyaadun, uuna / aatun)

not good

ghayru jayyidin

did anyone else attend?

hal HaDara aHadun ghayruhu

non-existence, lack

something similar

mithlun (amthaalun)

like

mithlu

like him

kamithlihi

some; one

baDun

some people

baDu an-naasi

) +* ,

several, a number of

LK 3

all; every

kullun

everything

kullu shayin

in any case; in every case

always

fi kulli waqtin / Hiinin

(
 T o% ) 

6 o %

 6 o 1  @ '

 / 
 6 o 1 

(X /m 5
) l Y m
J

D
(

T 5
) 
` T
(4

t / s
Q , @
/2 ) +
/2
+ /2 6 /u

v w 6 /u
+
G 5
6 #
 G L :

+ ,
(; 
]% 5
) L ]%
L ]%
. 9]1 3



 
J
 * 
  

 Y m LM 3
; G Lx 3 \
9,
y
 G / 8
 7 Q Lx 3 Y

149

aSrun (uSuurun)

adamun

iddatun

ala kulli Haalin

! 
  zD5
Lx 3 Y

all over the world

fi kulli anHaai al-aalami

both and

Kullun min wa

all

jameeun

0 /1R
  / LM  

everybody

al-kullu / al-jameeu

 %* ,

generality

J
 *  %* ,

the common people /

masses

9 3 / '

3

both of (m/f)

kilaa / kiltaa

both x and y

kilaa / kiltaa

anything

ayyu shayin

what is your name ?

ma smuka

:

here

huna

i
 : / I :

there

hunaaka / hunaalika

...Q ... $ % LK 3
0
/12

...Q ... $ % LK 3
 Y m H
n 5

vi
 1 O  %

aammatun

150

aammatu an-naasi

Exercise 10.1
Express in English

k !
/9, ! 9 , HN Lx 3 p
  
Q j .{
:+   $

 G L
A
 Q Q J
 * 0 /12 L
F7
! 6 % 8
 9
A
 Q .
(12:76 a
 O )

6   5
! " /Q . 
 G + 1* z
 % Y F* 
 zA
 5
d
 9
2 .
! 
  zD5
Lx 3 $ % 
 =
3  e
% $ % 
z
 D |
 12 }  6 #
 G .
 6 [
* Q  z
 * Y ! " F3 
 '
& ~M  LM 3 5
6 7
.
   Lx 3 6 R
 
(morphology)   1X R
     
 6 o 1 Q 6 [
   $ / N O VX  \
9, 9 P @ .
6 [
   8
 7 Q Y 9 A
 Q Q
& %  z
 D  6 ~&  DB P 5
.
" T o % Q S
 T VU  p
 T q
 % $ % J
 *  %* , d
 9
2 C
 /G ) + + q
* 
& % d
 1 m 8
 z
 = 
 9
2 .
(55:17 $6)

k $ /6 o 1  
n T Q $ /7
6 q
 1  
n T j .

y
 G Q 8
 7 Q Lx 3 Y i
 +  $ /  Y m LM 3 .
D% c Y ) @ 2  % 6 /u
6   Y5
; ]
% 5
.

 FO 5
) +*   i
  Y
h  + , .
+ /2 6 /u
Yn  ! " #
  Q ?+/2 J
 * 
   Yn  i
 
]% 5
$ % D5
.
 * 7
4
 1 93

   . 
8
 9 7 Q H
* +  $ / . +  9 3 4
 B P 5
.
6 /u
}
)? + G Q ? 9
/
8
 
 9
2  9
/
6 / u
.  % 8
 
 9
2 % .
Exercise 10.2
Express in Arabic
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.

Did anyone other than him enter? No, not before him and nor after him.
Non-being is the absence of being.
In any case, all our money is at your disposal at all times.
The matter is between him and his Lord.
We went where all the people went and arrived between mid-afternoon and sunset.
We found in his statement both the good and the not-good so we took only the good.
Hasan sat reading his six books throughout the night / all night.
We found a number of reasons for our lack of mutual understanding.
He said an incorrect word to me and didnt say any other word (lit. any word other than it).
He is a strong man and the likes of him are few in our time.
He hit him a number of times without reason.
Some people think you are not good, and I have found you (to be) very good.
Your son is like you in both your traits (qualities): patience and trust.
I read his statement a thousand times in several books by authors from all over the world.

151

 
   


Chapter 11

Doubled and Hamzated Verbs

In the Preliminaries chapter we learned that the letters
,

 and  are weak letters. A weak letter is

called  


   (lit. letter of weakness). When a verb is produced from a root containing a  


  
(weak letter), we call it a 
      (weak verb). We shall learn about       (weak verbs) in chapter
twelve.
When the root of a verb does not contain any  

  (weak letters), we call it a      (strong

verb). All the 

   (verbs) we have encountered so far are   (strong). The  

   (strong verb)

is of three types,
1.

!
"

(sound: the root is made up of three different

 

(strong) letters and does not

 & )
contain a #$ %
2.
3.

11.1

'
 ( )
  (doubled: the second and third root letters are the same)
* +%,  (hamzated: the root contains a hamza)




 
      (The doubled verb)
   (verb) in which the second and third root letters are the same is called a '
 ( )
     (doubled
verb). We have already encountered nouns derived from doubled roots such as,  .-/ (from 0 - /),
 1 (from   1) and  %( 2
 (from ! % 2). In    (verbs) derived from doubled roots, the identical
second and third letters are assimilated. This is called 3 40 5 (assimilation) and is indicated by the
symbol 6
7 called a #-( 8 above the doubled letter. Using the    root template, we say that the   
'
 ( )
  (doubled verb) derives from a    root and assimilates to render   . The 9
 : ) (imperfect) is
; =< . , ; = . or ; = . .
A

11.1.1

Form I

0 - : we have the verb (0?  .) 0( : (to return; reject) which unassimilated would have
read (0 0  .) 0 0 : like (B
 C .) B
 A .

From the root

152


E0 0 : D
E0F : (0?  .) 0( : (to return) is conjugated G 2

 %

G (in the perfect) as follows.
DRILL #9
Plural

Dual

Singular

(3)

(2)

(1)

 





They returned

They (two) returned

He returned

(6)

(5)

   



They returned

They (two) returned

(7)

   

You (two) returned

(12)

Feminine

She returned

(8)


  

You returned


  

You returned

You (two) returned

Masculine

You returned

(11)

"
  

Third
person

(4)

 

(9)

! 
  

Masculine

Second
person

(10)

   

Feminine

You returned

(14)

(13)

#  

  

We returned

I returned

Masculine
and
Feminine

First
person

Notice that from the third person feminine plural (box 6) onwards, the second and third root letters are
not assimilated.

E0 0 : D
E0F : (0?  .) 0( : (to return) is conjugated 9

 : )%

G (in the imperfect) as follows.
DRILL #10
Plural

Dual

Singular

(3)

(2)

 
$

 
$

They return


$

They (two) return

(6)

 

They (two) return

(7)




You (two) return

(12)

Feminine

She returns
(8)

 


You return

 


You return

You (two) return

Masculine

You return

(11)

  
 

Third
person

(4)




(9)

 


Masculine

He returns
(5)

  
 $
They return

(1)

Second
person

(10)

" $%


Feminine

You return

(14)

(13)


#


&

We return

I return

153

Masculine
and
Feminine

First
person

The H
 +IJ of the '
 ( )
 

   (doubled verb) obeys the same principle as the !

"      (sound

strong verb).
Plural

Dual

Singular

(3)

(2)


$ " 


$ " 


$ " 

They will never return

They will never return

(6)

(5)

  
 $ " 

(1)


 " 

Masculine

He will never return


 " 

They will never return

They will never return

(9)

(8)

Third
person

(4)

Feminine

She will never return

(7)

3 $K
  of the '
 ( )
     (doubled verb) can be produced in two ways. We can use the regular
method and say 0 0  . !

 (which is the most commonly found in the Quran) or we can say 0(  . !
 in which
the 3 $K
  is indicated by a  
  so that it looks identical to the H
 +IJ . The first unassimilated method
The

does not occur with

< L
 % M


<  ON
(the five verbs) in which the 3 $K
  is indicated by P +?J


 Q 

(omission of the nun).

Plural

Dual

Singular

(3)

(2)

 
$ ! 


$ ! 

They did not return


$ /  
 $ ! 

They did not return

(6)


 ! 
They did not return


 ! 

You did not return

(7)


 /  
  ! 

You did not return

(12)

  
  ! 


 ! 

You did not return

You did not return

Masculine

You did not return

(11)

Second
person

(10)

 %
 ! 

Feminine

You did not return

(14)

The

Feminine

She did not return

(8)

 
 ! 

Third
person

(4)


 /  
  ! 

(9)

Masculine

He did not return

(5)

  
 $ ! 
They did not return

(1)

(13)


# /  
 # ! 


& /  
 & ! 

We did not return

I did not return

Masculine
and
Feminine

First
person

 R =

! "
(Active Participle) of the '
 ( )
     (doubled verb) is of the form   so from 0( : we

have 0S
: (one who returns; rejects).

154

The

 +,K
 % 
 GS JT (passive) of (0?  .) 0( : is (0?  .) 0( : (it was returned). From the third person feminine

plural (box 6) onwards, the second and third root letters are not assimilated. For example, for the first
person, we have U
 0 0 : (I was returned).

 += %

! "
(Passive Participle) of the '
 ( )
     (doubled verb) is of the form  +<=  so from 0( :
we have 0 0  (returned; rejected).
The

The G
 , J(

<   (negative imperative verb) being 3 $K

  is of the form  <= V W or  =< V W .
(3)

(2)


 (


 (

Do not return!


 /  
  (

Do not return!
(6)

(1)

Masculine

Do not return!
(5)

Second
person

(4)

  
  (


 (

 %
 (

Do not return!

Do not return!

Do not return!

Feminine

  ON
<   (imperative verb) being Y R : ) Y R 3 $ K

 .  XR GS JT (fixed on what the imperfect is
made 3 $K
  upon) is of the form  <
< or  < rendering 0 0 :
< or 0( : (return!). Notice that it looks exactly
 +,K
 % 
 GS JT (passive), 0( : (it was returned).
the same as the 
The

(3)

(2)

 



Return!


/  
 

Return!
(6)

(1)

Masculine

Return!
(5)

Second
person

(4)

  
 



 %

Return!

Return!

Return!

Feminine

G(
5 Z 0( :

Return in to me

[

G
5 Z 0? :

Refer it to Allah

We may summarise the above as follows.

Negative Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal Noun

0(  V / 0 0  V W 0( : / 0 0 :
<
E00: D
E0F :

Dont return!

Return!

Return

Passive
Participle
(noun)

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

0 0 

+ , 

0?  .

0( :

0S
:

+ , 

0?  .

0( :

Returned

So he
is

He is
returned

He was
returned

A returner

So he
is

He
returns

He
returned

155

Like the

!
"     

(sound strong verb), there is variation in the vowelling of the

9
 : )

(imperfect). We have,

E%V (!? .) !( V (to be complete) which unassimilated would have read (! % .) ! % V like (]
 K
 .) ]
 / .
WE +<^< (; _ .)  ^ (to continue to be) which unassimilated would have read (< _ .)  ^ like (! , = .) ! ,  .
The first person is `
  ^ (I continued to be) like `
 % ,  .
You should assume that

 = ( )
     (doubled verbs) are conjugated in the perfect like (  i.e. U
 :   .

 ^ type are indicated in the dictionary and vocabulary lists by providing the first person
brackets after the imperfect in the following way, (`
  ^ ) (6N)  ^ . In derived forms II

Verbs of the
perfect in

onwards, the variations that exist in the perfect and imperfect of Form I do not occur.

11.1.2

Form II

 ( )
 
Form II of the '

   (doubled verb) behaves in the same was as the !

"      (sound strong

verb).

E-.-K
 V (0 -a K
 .) 0 -( / (To renew)

11.1.3

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

0 -a K
 V W

0 -a /

E-.-K
 V

0 -( K
 

+ ,  0 -( K
 .

Dont renew!

Renew!

Renewal

Renewed

So it
is

It is
renewed

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

0 -a /

0 -a K
 

It was
renewed

A renewer

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

+ , 

0 -a K
 .

0 -( /

So he
is

He
renews

He
renewed

Form V
Form V of the '
 ( )
 

   (doubled verb) also behaves in the same was as the !

"      (sound

strong verb).

E0?0 V (0 0(  .) 0 0(  V (To hesitate)

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

0 0(  V W

0 0(  V

E0?0 V

0 0(  

Dont
hesitate!

Hesitate!

Hesitation

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

+ , 

0 0(  .

0 0a  V

0 0a  

So he
is

A hesitator

156

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

+ , 

0 0(  .

0 0(  V

So he
is

He
hesitates

He
hesitated

11.1.4

Form III

E/K (`
 K
 / ) (b
? .) b
(  (to argue, dispute)
Negative Imper.

Positive Imper.

b
( V / c / V W b
(  / c / 
Dont argue!

11.1.5

Argue!

Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

E/K

b
S 

Argument

Argued

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

+ ,  b
? .

b
( +

b
S 

It was
argued

An arguer

So it
is

It is
argued

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

+ , 

b
? .

b
( 

So he
is

He argues

He
argued

Form VI

EdFV (`
 TdV) (H
? .) H
( V (to love one another)
Negative Imper.

H
( V / B
 dV W
Dont love one another!

11.1.6

Positive Imper.

Passive
Participle
(noun)

Verbal Noun

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

Active
Imperf.
Verb

H
( V / B
 dV ETdV D EdFV H
S  + ,  H
? . H
( +V H
S  + ,  H
? . H
( V
Love one another!

Mutual love

So he
is

Loving

So he
is

They love
one
another

Form IV

EdT 5 (`
 TT ) (B
? 
 .) B
(   (to love)
Negative Imper.

Positive Imper.

Verbal
Noun

B
( 
 V / B
 T
 V W B
(   / B
 T  EdT 5
Dont love!

11.1.7

Active
Perf.
Verb

Love!

Love

Passive
Participle
(noun)

B
S 
 
Loved

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

+ ,  B
? 
 .

B
(  <

B
S 
 

He is
loved

He was
loved

One who
loves

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

So he
is

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

+ , 

B
? 
 .

B
(  

So he
is

He loves

He loved

Form VII

E1hf
 g
(`
 h h f
 g
) (e? f
 J.) e( f
 g
(to be split)
Negative Imper.

Positive Imper.

Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

e( f
 JV / e h f
 JV W

e( f
 g
/ e h f
 g

E1hf
 g

eS f
 J

+ , 

e? f
 J.

e( f
 g
<

eS f
 J

Dont split!

Split!

Splitting

So it
is

Split

Notice that the Active and Passive participles look exactly the same.

157

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

+ , 

e? f
 J.

e( f
 g

So it
is

It is split

It was
split

They
loved one
another

11.1.8

Form VIII

E0
-V:
 (U
 0 - V:
) (-? V .) -( V:
 (to turn back)
Negative Imper.

-( V V / 0 - V V W -( V:
/ 0 - V:

Dont turn back!

11.1.9

Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

E0
-V:


-S V 

Turning
back

Positive Imper.

Turn back!

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

+ , 

-? V .

-( V:
<

-S V 

So he
is

One who
turns back

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

+ , 

-? V .

-( V:

So he
is

He turns
back

He turned
back

Form X

E1h
 "
(`
 h h 
 "
) (e? 
 L
 .) e( 
 "
(to deserve)
Negative Imper.

Positive Imper.

Verbal Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

e( 
 L
 V / e h 
 L
 V W e( 
 "
/ e h 
 "
E1h
 "
eS 
 L
  + ,  e? 
 L
 . e( 
 "
< eS 
 L
  + ,  e? 
 L
 . e( 
 "

Dont deserve!

11.1.10

Deserve!

Deserving

It is
deserved

So it
is

Deserved

It was
deserved

One who
deserves

So he
is

He
deserves

) *  


 
     (The doubled quadriliteral verb)
Most Arabic roots are made of three letters. These are called G
S ij
 i< (triliteral). There are a few roots that
are made of four letters. These are called

GS R d: (quadriliteral). They conjugate in the same way as the

GS ij
 i< (triliteral).
Quadriliteral Form I

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal Noun

! /  V W

! /  V

E % /  V

Dont
translate!

Translate!

The quadriliteral

Translation

Passive
Participle
(noun)

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

! /   + , 

! /  .

! /  V

! /  

So it
is

It is
translated

It was
translated

Translator

Translated

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

+ , 

! /  .

! /  V

So he
is

He
translates

He
translated

'
 ( )
     (doubled verb) is of the form  =   . The verb (k
 + " + .) k
 + "  means to

whisper. It is conjugated like the regular quadriliteral verb.

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
Verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

k
 + " + V W k
 + "  E " + "  k
 + " +  + ,  k
 + " + . k
 + "  k
 + " +  + ,  k
 + " + . k
 + " 
Dont whisper!

Whisper!

Whisper

Whispered

So it
is

It is
whispered

158

It was
whispered

Whisperer

So he
is

He whispers

He
whispered

He
deserved

11.2

+
,
-         (The hamzated verb)

Verbs derived from roots containing a

#$ % &

are called

* +%, 

(hamzated). They are generally

unproblematic apart from a few phonetic and orthographic changes. A * +%, 

   (hamzated verb) may

have a #$ %
 & as the initial, medial or terminal root letter.
11.2.1

Verbs with initial #$ %

 &
(a) Form I

#$ % & verbs behave like regular verbs, (Q< l m .) Q l  (to
take), (
< A< m .)  A  (to eat), (<  m .)    (to hope), (P< n m .) P n  (to permit) and (  m .)    (to order).
In Form I, the perfect and imperfect of initial

Phonetics
When P
 V$ % & (two hamzas) are consecutive, the first o a 
  (vowelled) and
the second p
 A " (vowelless), the second changes to a long vowel  ,
or 

#$ % & . This is called  ,L

 V
(pronouncing a long vowel in the place of # $ %
 & , lit. making easy).
corresponding to the vowel on the first

 ,L
 V (pronouncing a long vowel in the place of #$ % & ) occurs in first person imperfect of initial #$ % &
verbs, rendering,

Q< l q (I take)rather than Q< l  

< A< q (I eat) rather than < A<  
<  q (I hope) rather than <   
P< n q (I permit) rather than P< n   and
  q (I order) rather than    .

Orthography
#$ % & carrying a  
  is followed by an
, the two are assimilated
and a # (  (symbol representing elongation) is placed over the alif q .
When a

159

The above orthography change occurs in the

 R =

! "

(Active Participle) of the initial

#$ % &

verb

rendering,

Q l q (taker)
 A q (one who eats)
  q (one who hopes)
P n q (one who permits)

for Q
 l


  q (one who orders)

for  


for 
 A

for 
 

for P
 n
 and

 += %

! "
(Passive Participle) of the initial #$ % & verb is regular. We have n +lm  (taken),  +<Am 
(eaten), 
 +m  (hoped), P <nm  (permitted) and : +m  (ordered).
The

The   O
N

<   (imperative verb) of initial #$ % & verbs usually follows the regular form. When it is at the

 ,L
 V
 & ). From    we have   
< (hope!) for   r
< and from P n 
(pronouncing a long vowel in the place of #$ %
beginning of a

 % /

(sentence) and not preceded by any

 A  

(vowel) the

#$ % &

undergoes

we have P
Q .
 (Permit!) for P Q s
 . When it is preceded by a  A   (vowel) there is no  ,L
 V and the

#$ % &
is retained, sitting on its seat, rendering 
 r
6 (hope!) and P Q s
6 (permit!). When preceded by  or t
the #$ %
 & sits on an alif and the   +

#< $ % & is omitted rendering     (and hope!) and P n m  (so permit!).
w ... G
 P Q s
< +<h. p  ! , J  u

And among them are those who say, permit me

(al-Quran 9:49)

The   O
N

<   (imperative verb) of the two verbs Q l  (to take) and  A  (to eat) is truncated by dropping
 & rendering Q l (take!) rather than Q l r
< and  A< (eat!) rather than  A< r
< .
the initial #$ %
w ... E  d:  Q M
  u
w ... x
 : ON
G (%
+<A< u
The

  ON
<  

(imperative verb) of

   (to

So take four (al-Quran 2:260)

Eat of what is on the earth (al-Quran 2:168)

order) can be produced using both the regular and the

truncated form. When it is at the beginning of a  %

 / (sentence) and not preceded by any  A   (vowel)

  (order!). When it is preceded by a  A   (vowel), we are

given the choice of using the truncated form   or the regular form   r
6 and     .

it is obligatory to use the truncated form

w ,R  T
 # j

I
(
d y
 &      u

And command your folk to pray and persevere upon it

(al-Quran 20:132)

160

We may summarise the above as follows:

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Q l m V W

Q l

EQl

n +lm 

Dont take!

Take!

Taking

Taken

 A< m V W

 A<

Dont eat!

Eat!

Eating;
food

Eaten

So it
is

  m V W

/   
<
/   r
6
   

j
E{  

 +m 

Dont hope!

Hope!

Hope

P n m V W

/ P Q .

/ P Q s
6
P n  

Dont
permit!

Permit!

  m V W

/  
/   r 6
   

Dont order!

Order!

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

+ , 

Q< l m .

Q l 

A taker

So he
is

He takes

He took

 A <

 A q

+ , 

< A< m .

 A 

It is eaten

It was
eaten

One who
eats

So he
is

He eats

He ate

+ , 

<  z .

  <

  q

+ , 

<  m .

  

Hoped

So it
is

It is
hoped

It was
hoped

One who
hopes

So he
is

He hopes

He hoped

Eg n5

P <nm 

+ , 

P< n z .

P n <

P n q

+ , 

P< n m .

P n 

Permission

Permitted

So he
is

He is
permitted

He was
permitted

One who
permits

So he
is

He
permits

He
permitted

E

: +m 

+ , 

  z .

  <

  q

+ , 

  m .

  

Order

Ordered

So he
is

He is
ordered

He was
ordered

One who
orders

So he
is

He orders

He
ordered

j
E A 

Passive
Perf.
Verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

+ ,  Q< l z .

Q l <

Q l q

So it
is

It is taken

It was
taken

 +<Am  + ,  < A z .

The following is exposition of the forms that usually cause students problems. Unproblematic forms
have been left out.
(b) Form III
In Form III we have the verb Q
 l q (to reproach) from Q l 
 .

Q l q may be summarized as follows.

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

Q l |V W

Q l q

#E Q l |

Q l |

Dont
reproach!

Reproach!

Reproach

Reproached

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
Verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

+ , 

Q< l |.

Q l  <

Q l |

So he
is

He is
reproached

He was
reproached

A
reproacher

161

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

+ , 

Q< l |.

Q l q

So he
is

He
reproaches

He
reproached

(c) Form IV
In Form IV we have the verbs p
  q (to believe) and

 iq (to prefer) from p    and  i  . As is evident, the

perfect verb of Form IV looks the same as that of Form III. The imperfect verbs are of course different.

 ,L
 V (pronouncing a long vowel in the place of #$ % & ) occurs in the passive perfect rendering p   < (it
was believed) for p
  r < and  i < (it was preferred) for  ir < .
We also have

 ,L
 V in the : - I
  (Verbal Noun) redering P %.5 (belief) for P %s 5 and : }.5 (preference)

for : }s 5 .

p  q and  iq may be summarized as follows.

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
Verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

p  z V W

p  q

Eg%.5

p  z 

Dont
believe!

Believe!

Belief

 iz V W

 iq

Dont prefer!

Prefer!

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

+ , 

p  z .

p   <

p  z 

+ , 

p  z .

p  q

Believed

So it
is

It is
believed

It was
believed

A believer

So he
is

He
believed

He believed

E:}.5

 iz 

+ , 

 iz .

 i<

 iz 

+ , 

 iz .

 iq

Preference

Preferred

So it
is

It is
preferred

It was
preferred

One who
prefers

So he
is

He prefers

He
preferred

(d) Form VIII

In Form VIII two variations occur. We have the regular form  %
 s
 (to conspire; conference) in which

 ,L
 V is permitted rendering  % .
 .
Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

 % Vm V W

/  % s

 % .


/
E:%s


Dont
conspire!

Conspire!

Conspiracy

Verbal Noun

E:%.


Passive
Participle
(noun)

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
Verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

Active
Imperf.
Verb

 % Vz 

+ , 

 % Vz .

 % V <

 % Vz 

+ , 

 % Vm .

Conspired

So it
is

It is
conspired

It was
conspired

A conspirer

So he
is

He
conspires

162

Active
Perf.
Verb

/  % s

 % .

He
conspired

In some verbs, the #$ %

 & changes to a U and assimilates with the U of Form VIII. From Q l  (to take)
we have Q
M
 V(
(to take up, adopt) rather than Q M
 s
.

11.2.2

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

Q M
 (V W

Q M
 V(

EnMVa

Q M
 (

Dont take
up!

Take up!

Taking up

Taken up

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
Verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

+ , 

Q< M
 (.

Q M
 V?<

Q M
 (

So it
is

It is taken
up

It was
taken up

One who
takes up

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

+ , 

Q< M
 (.

Q M
 V(

So he
is

He takes
up

He took up

Verbs with medial #$ %

 &
Verbs with medial #$ %
 & are in general regular.

  ON
<   (imperative verb) of  m" (to ask). It can be prouduced using the
regular form rendering 
m"
 (ask!) and also by truncating it by dropping the #$ % & and shifting the  
 
" (ask!). When it is at the beginning of a  % / (sentence) and not
forward onto the t" rendering 
preceded by any  A
   (vowel) it is obligatory to use the truncated form  " (ask!). When it is preceded
by a  A
   (vowel), we are given the choice of using the truncated form  L
  (so ask!)or the regular
m"
6 or  m" 6 .
form 
An anomaly occurs with the

w ...  s
" 5 G Jd  " u

w ...  s
" 5 G Jd  ~L
  u
w ... N [

+<~"  u

Ask the children of Israel (al-Quran 2:211)

So ask the children of Israel (al-Quran 17:101)
And ask Allah (al-Quran 4:32)

163







 


Chapter 12

Weak Verbs
In the Preliminaries chapter we learned that the letters
,

 and  are weak letters. A weak letter is

called  


   (lit. letter of weakness) and if positioned at the end of a noun, produces a     

(weak noun).

 


   (weak letter), we call it a       (weak
verb) and it undergoes certain phonetic changes. If the  


   (weak letter) is initial we call it   

When a verb is produced from a root containing a

  (initial weak). If it is medial we call it

   !    (hollow weak) and if it is terminal we call it   
"
 #$ (terminal weak).
12.1

    
   (The initial weak verb)

If the initial letter of the root is a  

12.1.1

   (weak letter) the verb is called   .

Form I
In form I, if the  

   (weak letter) is a  it is usually dropped %
 & '(

) (in the imperfect).
(* ,
 -) *  
(0 1
 -)  /
 
(2 -) 2 3

To find
To arrive
To trust

(4 '
 -) 4 5
 

To fall

However, there are some rare instances when the  is not dropped %
 & '(

(6 5
  -) 6 5
 
If the  

) (in the imperfect).

To be pure

   (weak letter) is a  it is not dropped %
 & '(

) (in the imperfect).
(7
0 8 9-) 7
 8 -

To wake up

164

12.1.2

Form II
Form II of the 
 

   (initial weak) verb behaves in the same way as the : 9;/
    (sound verb).

>*9 ? (* =  -) * <  (To unify; declare God is One lit. make one)

12.1.3

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

* =  ? @

* = 

>*9 ?

* <  

Dont unite!

Unite!

Unity

United

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
Verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

 A  * <  -

* = 

* =  

It was
united

A uniter

So it
is

It is
united

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

 A 

* =  -

* < 

So he
is

He unites

He united

Form V

 
Form V of the 

   (initial weak) verb behaves in the same way as the : 9;/
    (sound verb).

>AC  ? (B <  -) B <  ? (To face)

12.1.4

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

B <  ? @

B <  ?

>AC  ?

B <  

Dont face!

Face!

Facing

Faced

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
Verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

 A  B <  -

B =  ?
It was
faced

So it
is

It is faced

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

B =  

 A  B <  -

B <  ?

One who
faces

So he
is

He faced

He faces

Form III
Form III of the 
 

   (initial weak) verb behaves in the same way as the : 9;/
    (sound verb).

> /

 D @> / (0 /

-)  /

 (To continue)
Passive
Participle
(noun)

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
Verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal Noun

 /

? @

 /



D @> /
> /



 /

  A  0 /

-  /
    /



Dont
continue!

Continue!

Continuance

Continued

So it
is

It is
continued

165

It was
continued

A continuer

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

 A  0 /

-  /


So he
is

He
continues

He
continued

12.1.5

Form VI
Form VI of the 
 

   (initial weak) verb behaves in the same way as the : 9;/
    (sound verb).

E
>/

 ? (0 /

-)  /

? (To be interconnected)

12.1.6

Passive
Participle
(noun)

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
Verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal Noun

 /

? @

 /

?

E
>/

?

 /

  A  0 /

-  /
   ?  /

  A 

Dont connect!

Connect!

Connection

Connected

So it
is

It is
connected

It was
connected

Connected

So it
is

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

0 /

-

 /

?

It is
connected

It was
connected

Form IV

 
Form IV of the 

   (initial weak) verb behaves in the same way as the : 9;/
    (sound verb).
The  in the & *
1
  (verbal noun) changes to  as a phonetic change so that for
 # F we have
 8-F .
>8-F (G
 # -) G
 # ! (To stop s.o/s.th)

12.1.7

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

G
 # ? @

G
 # !

>8-F

Dont stop!

Stop!

Stopping

Passive
Perf.
Verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

Active
Imperf.
Verb

G
 # 

 A  G
 # -

G
 # !0

G
 # 

 A  G
 # - G
 # !

Stopped

So it
is

It is
stopped

It was
stopped

One who
stops

So he
is

He stops

Active
Perf.
Verb

He
stopped

Form VII
The 
 

12.1.8

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

   (initial weak) verb does not permutate into Form VII.

Form VIII

     (initial weak) verb undergoes a phonetic change. The  changes to a H
which then assimilates with the H following it. From the root  / , we find that 
1
 ?
 is rendered
into 
1
 ?<
 .
Form VIII of the

(IJ) @> 1?=
(0 1

 <-)  1
 ?<
(To be connected (to))
Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

 1
 <? @

 1
 ?<

@> 1?=

 1
 <

Dont
connect!

Connect!

Connection

Connected

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
Verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

 A  0 1
 <-

 1
 ?C
0

 1
 <

It was
connected

One who
connects

So it
is

It is
connected

166

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

 A 

0 1
 <-

 1
 ?<

So he
is

He
connects

He was
connecte
d

12.1.9

Form X
Form X of the 
 

   (initial weak) verb behaves in the same way as the : 9;/
    (sound verb).
The  in the & *
1
  (verbal noun) changes to  as a phonetic change so that for K
& 
 we have K
9
 .

>K
9
 (K &  L
 -) K &  
(To import)

12.2

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal Noun

K &  L
 ? @

K &  

>K
9


Dont import!

Import!

Importation

Passive
Participle
(noun)

Passive
Perf.
Verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

K &  L
   A  K &  L
 - K & 
0 K &  L
   A  K &  L
 - K &  

Imported

So it
is

It is
imported

It was
imported

An
importer

So he
is

He
imports

He
imported


 
   
   (The hollow weak verb)
If the medial letter of the root is a  

12.2.1

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

   (weak letter) the verb is called
   ! (hollow).

Form I

 or  is dropped ) 5
 (

  M

) (in the perfect verb). The root of the verb to
say isNN N# (qa-wa-la). The Arabs consider this heavy on the tongue and so they drop the  leaving:

In form I the medial

N N N#

(qa ala)

P ;
  (two fathas) are equivalent to an alif so we arrive at  # (qaala). The  reappears )
%
 & '(

  M

(in the imperfect verb) redering, 0 08- (he says) and also in the & * 1
  (verbal noun)   #
(statement).

167

@>  # (0 80 -)  # (to say) is conjugated )5(

) (in the perfect) as follows.
DRILL #11
Plural

Dual
(3)

Singular
(2)

(1)

 

! 

 

They said

They (two) said

He said

(6)

"
# 

(5)


 

They said

& # 

(7)

%

# 

You (two) said

(12)

# 

You said

You (two) said

Masculine

You said
(11)

'"# 

Feminine

She said
(8)

# 

You said

Third
person

(4)

%
  

They (two) said

(9)

Masculine

Second
person

(10)

%
 # 

Feminine

You said
(14)

(13)

(# 

%
 # 

We said

I said

Masculine
and
Feminine

First
person

* originally R

 #0

@>  # (0 08-)  # (to say) is conjugated %

 & '(

) (in the imperfect) as follows.
DRILL #12
Plural

Dual
(3)

+   ) *

Singular
(2)

+ !  ) *

They say

  ) *

They (two) say

(6)

"
# ) *

+   ) ,

(7)

  ) ,

You (two) say

(12)

+ !  ) ,

You say

You (two) say

Masculine

You say
(11)

"
# ) ,

Feminine

She says
(8)

+ !  ) ,

You say

Third
person

(4)

  ) ,

They (two) say

(9)

Masculine

He says
(5)

+ !  ) ,

They say

(1)

Second
person

(10)

"
-  ) ,

Feminine

You say
(14)

(13)

  ) 

   .

We say

I say

168

Masculine
and
Feminine

First
person

The S
 1T of the
  

!    (hollow verb) obeys the same principle as the : 9;/

    (sound verb).

Plural

Dual
(3)

Singular
(2)

(1)

 ) *
" 

!  ) *
" 

  ) *
" 

They will never say

They will never say

He will never say

(6)

(5)

"
# ) *
" 

!  ) ,
" 

They will never say

Masculine

  ) ,
" 

They will never say

(9)

Third
person

(4)

Feminine

She will never say

(8)

(7)

The U V,
  of the
  

!    (hollow verb) undergoes a phonetic change. Placing 

 before 0 08- renders
  80 - 
 . This suffers from R 9TY <L

XW 8

(the meeting of two vowelless consonants cf. P6). This is
overcome by dropping the  rendering 
80 - 
 . The  remains on 0 L
 ( Z


0  [N
)(the five verbs) in
which the U V,
  case is indicated by P CT


 \  (omission of the nun).
DRILL #13
Plural

Dual
(3)

Singular
(2)

  ) *
& 

!  ) *
& 

They did not say

 ) *
& 

They (two) did not say

(6)

!  ) ,
& 
!  ) ,
& 

You did not say

(7)

 ) ,
& 

You (two) did not say

(12)

Feminine

She did not says

(8)

  ) ,
& 

!  ) ,
& 

You did not say

You (two) did not say

Masculine

You did not say

(11)

"
# ) ,
& 

Third
person

(4)

 ) ,
& 

They (two) did not say

(9)

Masculine

He did not say

(5)

"
# ) *
& 
They did not say

(1)

Second
person

(10)

  ) ,
& 

Feminine

You did not say

(14)

(13)

 ) 
& 

  . & 

We did not say

I did not say

Masculine
and
Feminine

All the above is true for verbs in which the middle root letter is a  . From the root N4
verb

First
person

N9 NJ we have the

>9J (4 9]-) %
 J (to sell). The S
 1T is 4 9]- R
 (he will never sell) and the U V,
  is 4 ]- 
 (he did not

sell).

169

 ^ M

 
(Active Participle) of the
   !    (hollow verb) is of the form  _ so from  # we
have 
 _# (one who says) and from %
 J we have 4 _J (seller).
The

 A,
 ( 

The 

)` T] (passive) of (0 08-)  # is (0 8-)  9# .

The 
 M (

 
(Passive Participle) of the

   !    (hollow verb) is of the form  M0  for verbs with
medial  and 
 9M for verbs with medial  so from  # (to say) we have  08 (something said) and
from %
 J we have 4 9] (something sold).

The )
 A T<

0   (negative imperative verb) being U V,

  is of the form  M0 ? @ or  M ? @ .
Plural

Dual

Singular

(3)

 ) ,
!

(2)

!  ) ,
!

Do not say!

 ) ,
!

Do not say!
(6)

The   [
N

(1)

Masculine

Do not say!
(5)

Second
person

(4)

"
# ) ,
!

!  ) ,
!

  ) ,
!

Do not say!

Do not say!

Do not say!

Feminine

0   (imperative verb) is of the form  0 rendering  #0 (say!) and 4 J (sell!).

Plural

Dual

Singular

(3)

(2)

 

(1)

!  

Say!

 

Say!

Masculine

Say!

(6)

(5)

Second
person

(4)

"
# 

!  

  

Say!

Say!

Say!

Feminine

We may summarise the above as follows.

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

 80 ? @

 #0

@>  #

 08

Dont say!

Say!

Statement

Said

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

 A 

0 8-

 9#

 _#

So it
is

It is said

It was said

One who
says

170

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

 A 

0 08-

 #

So he
is

He says

He said

If the middle weak letter is a  we have >9J

4 ]? @

4 J

Dont sell!

Sell!

(a
  J) (4 9]-) %
 J (he sold),

>9J

4 9]

 A 

%
 ]-

4 9J

4 _J

 A 

4 9]-

%
 J

Sale

Sold

So it
is

It is sold

It was sold

A seller

So he
is

He sells

He sold

Sometimes, even though the middle weak letter is a

imperfect verb, rendering >$

12.2.2

 or a  an alif is imported in its place in the

(a
 ( $) (U (-) U $ ,

 T? @

 $

>$

 A 

 _$

 A 

U T-

U $

Dont
sleep!

Sleep!

Sleep

So it
is

Asleep

So he
is

He sleeps

He slept

Forms II, V, III and VI

Forms II, V, III and VI are regular.

Negative
Imper.

Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

>*-,
 ?

K < ,
 

 A 

K < ,
 It is
improved

Positive
Imper.

K = ,
 ? @

K = 

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

K < 

 A 

K = ,
 -

It was
improved

An
improver

So he
is

He
improves

He improved

%
 = b0 ?

%
 = b 

 A 

%
 < b -

%
 < b ?

It was
volunteered

A volunteer

So he
is

He
volunteers

He
volunteered

 A  0  ;-

0  

  ;  A 

0  ;-

  

So it
is

It was tried

One who
tries

So he
is

He tried

He tried

P  ?

P  

 A 

P0  -

P  ?

It was
cooperated

A
cooperator

So he
is

He
cooperates

He
cooperated

Improve!

Improvement

Improved

So it
is

%
 < b ? @

%
 < b ?

>^Cb ?

%
 < b 

 A  %
 < b -

Dont
volunteer!

Volunteer!

Volunteering

Volunteered

  ;? @

  

>
 ;

  ;

Dont try!

Try!

Trial, attempt

Tried

P  ? @

P  ?

>$?

P  

 A  P0  -

Dont
cooperate!

Cooperate!

Cooperation

Cooperated

So it
is

So it
is

It is
volunteered

It is tried

It is
cooperated

K = 

Active
Participle
(noun)

K = ,
 

Dont improve!

12.2.3

Passive
Perf.
verb

Form IV
In Form IV, the medial  

   (weak letter) is dropped. For K  & ! we have K
&! (To want)

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

K  ? @

K & !

c> K
&F

K


Dont
want!

Want!

Want

Wanted

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

 A 

K
-

* -&!0

* -

So it
is

It is
wanted

It was
wanted

One who
wants

171

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

 A 

* --

K
&!

So he
is

He wants

He
wanted

II

III

VI

12.2.4

Form VII
For d
  L
 $
we have d
 L$
(To be driven)

12.2.5

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal
Noun

2 L
 T? @

2 L
 $

>#9L
 $

Dont be
driven!

Be driven!

Passive
Participle
(noun)

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

d
 LT  A  d
 LT- 2 9L$
0

d
 LT

He is
driven

He was
driven

Driven

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

e
 ;
   A  e
 ;
 - f 9
0

e
 ;
 

Being driven

Driven

So he
is

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

 A  d
 LT- d
 L$

So he
is

He is
driven

He was
driven

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

Form VIII
For e
  
we have e
 
(To need)

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal
Noun

f ;
 ? @

f 

> 9

Dont need!

Need!

Note that the 

 ^ M

12.2.6

Need

Passive
Participle
(noun)

Needed

So it
is

It is
needed

It was
needed

Needy

 A  e
 ;
 - e
 

So he
is

He needs

He
needed

 
(Active participle) and  M (

 
(Passive participle) are identical.

Form X
For U  8 

we have U 8
(To be straight)

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal
Noun

 8 L
 ? @

 8 

>  8

Dont be
straight!

Be
straight!

Straightness

Passive
Participle
(noun)

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

U 8L
   A  U 8L
 -  98
0  98L
   A   98L
 - U 8

Straight

So it
is

It is
straight

172

It was
straight

Straight

So it
is

It is
straight

It was
straight

 
 



 
 

Chapter 13

Terminal Weak Verbs


  
  (weak verb) in which the    
   (weak letter) is
initial and we called it 

 
  (initial weak). We also encountered the 
  

  (weak verb) in which
the    
   (weak letter) is medial and we called it 
    
  (hollow weak). In this chapter, we
In Chapter Twelve we encountered the

will be looking at the

this 
 

13.1


  
  (weak verb) in which the    
   (weak letter) is terminal. We call


  (terminal weak).

Form I
In Form I the 
 


  (terminal weak) has four variations caused by the vowelising of the root letters

in the perfect and imperfect.

1. ( !
 $ %)

!" (To call)

2. ((
  )
 %) '  (To run)

3. (*
 +, %)

*+ (To refuse)

 . /%) - . + (To remain)
4. (*

The imperfect verbs given above are 0

 1  . This is indicated by a hidden
32 4
 on the   


   (weak
letter) which cannot appear either because of 8 6
5  7 (impossibility) or 
. 9 (inelegance). The    
  
(weak letter) carries a :

1;< .

173

13.1.1

(!$ %) !" (To call)

!" is from the root  ! " (da awa). Just as we dropped the = of    to arrive at   , we drop the = of  ! "
to arrive at !" (da aa). Remember that the root is still  !
 " . The = reappears in the imperfect !$ % .

?> !" @ BA  ! " (!$ %) !" is like (C

 ; %) C
 D and is conjugated -43 - (in the perfect) as follows:
Plural

Dual

Singular

(3)

(2)

 

 

They called



They (two) called

(6)

 
They (two) called

(7)


   

You (two) called

(12)

Feminine

She called
(8)

  

You called

  

You called

You (two) called

Masculine

You called

(11)

  

Third
person

(4)


  

(9)

   

Masculine

He called
(5)

   
They called

(1)

Second
person

(10)


   

Feminine

You called

(14)

(13)

  


   

We called

I called

Masculine
and
Feminine

First
person

The imperfect of !" is conjugated as follows

Plural

Dual
(3)

  

Singular
(2)

   

They call

 

They (two) call

(6)

  
  

(7)

 

You (two) call

(12)

   

You call

You (two) call

Masculine

You call
(11)

  

Feminine

She calls
(8)

   

You call

Third
person

(4)

 

They (two) call

(9)

Masculine

He calls
(5)

   

They call

(1)

Second
person

(10)

!
   

Feminine

You call
(14)

(13)

 

 "

We call

I call

174

Masculine
and
Feminine

First
person

13.1.2

(()
 %) '  (To run)
'

(
   (jaraya).
reappears in imperfect ()
 % .
is from the root

We drop the

and replace it with an

B
8 E.  F
  .

(()
 %) ' is thus like (G
 )
 %) G
  and is conjugated -43 - (in the perfect) as follows:
Plural

Dual
(3)

# $

Singular
(2)

 $

They ran

%$

They (two) ran

(6)

(1)

He ran
(5)

 $


  $

They ran

They (two) ran

She ran

  $

(8)

 $

You ran

(7)

 $

You ran

You (two) ran

Masculine

You ran
(11)

 $

Feminine


  $

You (two) ran

(12)

Third
person

(4)

  $
(9)

Masculine

Second
person

(10)


  $

Feminine

You ran
(14)

(13)

& $


  $

We ran

I ran

Masculine
and
Feminine

First
person

The imperfect of '

 is conjugated as follows
Plural

Dual
(3)

*  #'


Singular
(2)

  '


They run

)'


They (two) run

(6)

  '

 #'
 

(7)

)'
 

You (two) run

(12)

  '
 

You run

You (two) run

Masculine

You run
(11)

  '
 

Feminine

She runs
(8)

  '
 

You run

Third
person

(4)

)'
 

They (two) run

(9)

Masculine

He runs
(5)

  '
 

They run

(1)

Second
person

(10)

  '
 

Feminine

You run
(14)

(13)

)'
 

)$ "

We run

I run

Masculine
and
Feminine

* Notice that the  I has a B

 J D under it apart from the third and second person
masculine plurals, where it changes to
3
24
:

175

: =)
 % & : =)
 7

First
person

The

13.1.3

(*+, %) *+ (To refuse)

(a) *+ is from the root  + (abaya). We drop the ( and replace it with an B
8 E. 
reappear in imperfect *+, % .

F
  . The ( does not

(*+, %) *+ is thus like (1 . %)   and is conjugated -43 - (in the perfect) as follows:
Plural

Dual

Singular

(3)

(2)

*"

+*"

They refused

,*"

They (two) refused

(6)

*"
They (two) refused

(7)


 + *"

You (two) refused

(12)

Feminine

She refused

(8)

+ *"

You refused

+ *"

You refused

You (two) refused

Masculine

You refused

(11)

+ *"

Third
person

(4)


 *"

(9)

 + *"

Masculine

He refused

(5)

 + *"
They refused

(1)

Second
person

(10)


 + *"

Feminine

You refused

(14)

(13)

&+ *"


 + *"

We refused

I refused

Masculine
and
Feminine

First
person

The imperfect of *+ is conjugated as follows

Plural

Dual

Singular

(3)

(2)

  *- 

 +*- 

They refuse

(1)

,*- 

They (two) refuse

(6)

He refuses
(5)

 +*- 

,*- 

They refuse

They (two) refuse

She refuses
(8)

  *- 

 +*- 

You refuse

Feminine

(7)

,*- 

You (two) refuse

(12)

 +*- 

You refuse

You (two) refuse

Masculine

You refuse

(11)

 + *- 

Third
person

(4)

 + *- 
(9)

Masculine

Second
person

(10)

 + *- 

Feminine

You refuse

(14)

(13)

,*- 

,*.

We refuse

I refuse

* The I+ in *+, % , like the . in *./% invariably has a

K  on it.
176

Masculine
and
Feminine

First
person

(b) ('%)

'8 (To see)

('%) '8 is from the root (

 8 (raaya). It is like (*+, %) *+ and in the perfect, it is conjugated in the
same way as *+ . The irregularity occurs in the imperfect, where we drop the hamza rendering '% ,
rather than ' % .
('%) '8 is like (1 . %)   and is conjugated -43 - (in the perfect) as follows:
Plural

Dual
(3)

#"/

Singular
(2)

"/

They saw

%"/

They (two) saw

(6)

 "/
 "/

(7)


 "/

You (two) saw

(12)

"/

You saw

You (two) saw

Masculine

You saw
(11)

"/

Feminine

She saw
(8)

"/

You saw

Third
person

(4)


 "/

They (two) saw

(9)

Masculine

He saw
(5)

"/

They saw

(1)

Second
person

(10)


 "/

Feminine

You saw
(14)

(13)

&"/


 "/

We saw

I saw

Masculine
and
Feminine

First
person

The imperfect of '8 is conjugated as follows

Plural

Dual
(3)

 #  

Singular
(2)

  

They see

%

They (two) see

(6)

  
 #  

(7)

%

You (two) see

(12)

Feminine

She sees
(8)

  

You see

Third
person

(4)

%

They (two) see

(9)

Masculine

He sees
(5)

  

They see

(1)

Masculine

You see
(11)

  

  

  

You see

You (two) see

You see
(14)

Feminine

(13)

%

%/"

We see

I see

177

Second
person

(10)

Masculine
and
Feminine

First
person

13.1.4

(*./%) - . + (To remain)

The root of  . + is - . + itself. The imperfect is *./% .

(*./%) - . + is like (L M N %) L M  and is conjugated -43 - (in the perfect) as follows:
Plural

Dual

Singular

(3)

(2)

01*

+1 *

They remained

2 1 *

They (two) remained

(6)

+1 *
They (two) remained

You remained

(7)


 +1*

You (two) remained

(12)

Feminine

She remained

(8)

+1*
+1*

You remained

You (two) remained

Masculine

You remained

(11)

+1*

Third
person

(4)


 +1 *

(9)

 +1*

Masculine

He remained

(5)

!
 1 *
They remained

(1)

Second
person

(10)


 +1*

Feminine

You remained

(14)

(13)

&+1*


 +1*

We remained

I remained

Masculine
and
Feminine

First
person

The imperfect of  . + is conjugated as follows

Plural

Dual

Singular

(3)

(2)

*   1  

 +1  

They remain

,1 

They (two) remain

(6)

 +1  
They (two) remain

(7)

,1 

You (two) remain

(12)

Feminine

She remains
(8)

 +1  

You remain

 +1  

You remain

You (two) remain

Masculine

You remain

(11)

 + 1  

Third
person

(4)

,1 

(9)

  1  

Masculine

He remains
(5)

 + 1  
They remain

(1)

Second
person

(10)

 + 1  

Feminine

You remain

(14)

(13)

,1 

,1* "

We remain

I remain

Masculine
and
Feminine

* Notice that the . invariably has a

K  on it. We say, :  . /% , not : .1 /% for the
third person masculine plural.

178

First
person

13.1.5

F
 PN 5  3  (The doubly weak verb)
A verb containing two   
(a) Q
  N .3


   (weak letters) is called F
 PN 
  (doubly weak). We have two types.

F
 PN : The first and last letter is weak

(-.%) *= (To protect) is like (()

 %) ' and is conjugated -43 - (in the perfect) as follows:
Plural

Dual

Singular

(3)

(2)

3 #

+3 #

They protected

,3 #

They (two) protected

(6)

3 #
They (two) protected

You protected

(7)


 + 3 #

You (two) protected

(12)

Feminine

She protected

(8)

+ 3 #
+ 3 #

You protected

You (two) protected

Masculine

You protected

(11)

+ 3 #

Third
person

(4)


 3 #

(9)

 + 3 #

Masculine

He protected

(5)

 + 3 #
They protected

(1)

Second
person

(10)


 + 3 #

Feminine

You protected

(14)

(13)

&+ 3 #


 + 3 #

We protected

I protected

Masculine
and
Feminine

First
person

The imperfect of *= is conjugated as follows

Plural

Dual

Singular

(3)

(2)

 01

 +1 

They protect

21

They (two) protect

(6)

 +1 
They (two) protect

(7)

21

You (two) protect

(12)

Feminine

She protects
(8)

 +1 

You protect

 +1 

You protect

You (two) protect

Masculine

You protect

(11)

!
 1 

Third
person

(4)

21

(9)

 01

Masculine

He protects
(5)

!
 1 
They protect

(1)

Second
person

(10)

!
 1 

Feminine

You protect

(14)

(13)

21

23"

We protect

I protect

179

Masculine
and
Feminine

First
person

(b) :
1 =. 3 

F
 PN : The second and last letter is weak

((R%) ' (To intend) is like (()

 %) ' and is conjugated -43 - (in the perfect) as follows:
Plural

Dual

Singular

(3)

(2)

# 

 

They intended

% 

They (two) intended

(6)

 
They (two) intended

(7)


  

You (two) intended

(12)

Feminine

She intended

(8)

 

You intended

 

You intended

You (two) intended

Masculine

You intended

(11)

 

Third
person

(4)


  

(9)

  

Masculine

He intended

(5)

  
They intended

(1)

Second
person

(10)


  

Feminine

You intended

(14)

(13)

& 


  

We intended

I intended

Masculine
and
Feminine

First
person

The imperfect of ' is conjugated as follows

Plural

Dual

Singular

(3)

(2)

 #& 

  & 

They intend

)& 

They (two) intend

(6)

  & 
They (two) intend

(7)

)& 

You (two) intend

(12)

Feminine

She intends
(8)

  & 

You intend

  & 

You intend

You (two) intend

Masculine

You intend

(11)

  & 

Third
person

(4)

)& 

(9)

 #& 

Masculine

He intends
(5)

  & 
They intend

(1)

Second
person

(10)

  & 

Feminine

You intend

(14)

(13)

)& 

)"

We intend

I intend

180

Masculine
and
Feminine

First
person

S
 ER of the 
  
  (terminal weak) verb obeys the same principle as the L < T PKU
 
 
(sound strong verb). Where the verb ends in a B
8 E.  F
  the hidden
32 4
 changes to a hidden
K
  but
there is no visible change because the    
   (weak letter) must carry a :
1;< owing to 8 65  7
The

(impossibility).
Plural

Dual
(3)

   


Singular
(2)

   


They will never call

(1)

    


They will never call

(5)

(4)

(3)

(2)

(1)

#'
  


 '
  


)
  '
  


They will never run

They will never run

He will never run

(6)

(5)

(4)

(3)

(2)

(1)

+*-  


,*-  


They will never refuse

They will never refuse

(6)

(5)

(4)

(3)

(2)

(1)

#  


  


They will never see

% 


They will never see

(4)

(3)

(2)

(1)

+1   


,1  


They will never remain

They will never remain

(6)

(5)

(4)

(3)

(2)

(1)

+1  


Masculine

Third
person

Masculine

Third
person

Masculine

Third
person

Masculine

Third
person

Masculine

Third
person

He will never remain

2 1  


They will never protect

They will never protect

(6)

(5)

(4)

(3)

(2)

(1)

# &  


Third
person

He will never see

(5)

10  


Masculine

He will never refuse

(6)

1   


Third
person

He will never call

(6)

*-  


Masculine

 &  


He will never protect

)
  &  


They will never intend

They will never intend

(6)

(5)

181

He will never intend

(4)

V =W)
  of the 
  
  (terminal weak) verb is indicated by    
   
 6  (omission of the
weak letter). This is necessary because the 0
 1  already ends in :
1;< owing to 8 65  7 (impossibility).

The

Plural

Dual
(3)

   


Singular
(2)

   


They did not call

(1)

4
   


They did not call

(5)

(4)

(3)

(2)

(1)

 '
  


They did not run

 '
  


They did not run

(5)

(4)

(3)

(2)

(1)

+*-  


They did not refuse


 -  


They did not refuse

(5)

(4)

(3)

(2)

(1)

  


They did not see

  


They did not see

(5)

(4)

(3)

(2)

(1)

1   


+1   


5   


They did not remain

They did not remain

He did not remain

(6)

(5)

(4)

(3)

(2)

(1)

+1  


They did not protect

5  


They did not protect

(5)

(4)

(3)

(2)

(1)

 &  


They did not intend

(6)

Third
person

Masculine

Third
person

Masculine

Third
person

Masculine

Third
person

Masculine

Third
person

He did not protect

(6)

# &  


Masculine

He did not see

(6)

10  


Third
person

He did not refuse

(6)

#  


Masculine

He did not run

(6)

*-  


Third
person

He did not call

(6)

#'
  


Masculine

 &  


They did not intend

He did not intend

(5)

182

(4)

 ! N L <  (Active Participle) of the 

  
  (terminal weak) verb is of the form 0
X  . This is
produced by dropping the    
   (weak letter) leaving a Y
 1.R (reduced) word (cf. P8.2). We have
0
X " (caller), 8X  (flowing), S
X Z (one who refuses), ?X 8 (one who sees), Q
X + (one who remains), Q
X =
(protector) and =X  (one who intends).
The

In the 
 M)
 3  

-[ R/ (passive) of 
  
  (terminal weak) verbs, the    
   (weak letter) changes

to a ( rendering one pattern for all four 

 


  (terminal weak) verb types in Form I. One example

will suffice.
Plural

Dual
(3)



(1)

+ 

They were called

2  

They were called

(6)

, 

They are called

(6)

Third
person

(1)

 +  

They are called

Masculine

Singular
(2)

    

Third
person

(4)

Dual
(3)

Masculine

He was called
(5)

Plural

The

Singular
(2)

He is called
(5)

(4)

 N 3  L <  (Passive Participle) of the 

  
  (terminal weak) verb is of the form [  N  for the

(N %)  type or -[  N  for the rest. We have for example, [ ! $  (called), -[ \  (seen, visible) and (
[  R
(intended).
We may summarise the above as follows.

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

0
 $ 7 ]

0
 " 1

BA  ! " @ ?^ !"

[ ! $ 

- ! "

0
X "

Dont call!

Call!

Prayer, Call

Called

So he
is

He is
called

He was
called

A caller

 )
 7 ]

  

A %  @ A%

 M 

8X 

Dont run!

Run!

Running, flowing

So he
is

A runner

So he
is

He runs

He ran

S
 , 7 ]

C
 %

?> +_

-[ +, 

 M 

*+, %

- +1

S
X Z

 M 

*+, %

*+

Dont refuse!

Refuse!

Refusal

refused

So it
is

He is
refused

It was
refused

A refuser

So he
is

He
refuses

He
refused

 M  *!$ %

183

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

 M 

!$ %

!"

So he
is

He calls

He
called

 M  ()
 % '

13.2

 7 ]

8

Dont see!

A %` 8 @ A%8

-[ \ 

 M 

'%

- \8

?X 8

 M 

'%

'8

See!

Opinion, vision

Seen,
visible

So it
is

It is seen

It was seen

A seer

So he
is

He sees

He saw

a /7 ]

a +

?> .+

 M 

Q
X +

 M 

*./%

- . +

Dont remain!

Remain!

Remaining

So he
is

One who
remains

So he
is

He
remains

He
remained

a 7 ]

A %=

-[  

 M 

* %

- =

Q
X =

 M 

-.%

*=

Dont protect!

Protect!

Protection

Protected

So he
is

He is
protected

He was
protected

A protector

So he
is

He
protects

He
protected

 R7 ]

 

A P2

(
[  R

 M 

'R%

(
  

=X 

 M 

(R%

'

Dont intend!

Intend!

Intention

Intended

So he
is

It is
intended

It was
intended

One who
intends

So he
is

He
intends

He
intended

Derived Forms


  
  (terminal weak) verb in all the derived forms has only
one pattern in each form. The 
 ! N L <  (Active Participle) of all derived forms is Y
 1.R and the L < 
 N 3  (Passive Participle) is always 8 E.  .
It may please you to know that the

13.2.1

13.2.2

Form II

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

S
b  7 ]

S
b 8

A P+ 7

*c +d 

Dont educate!

Educate!

Education

Educated

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

a2 7 ]

a2 7

APf.7

*c .g 

Dont receive!

Receive!

Receiving

Received

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

 M 

*2+ %

- +b8

S
e  

So he
is

He is
educated

He was
educated

An
educator

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

 M 

*.%

- .f 17

ae 

So he
is

It is
received

It was
received

A receiver

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

 M 

-b+ %

*2+8

So he
is

He
educates

He
educated

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

 M 

*.%

*.7

So he
is

He
receives

He
received

Form V

184

13.2.3

13.2.4

13.2.5

13.2.6

Form III

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

" R7 ]

" 

BA "R @ ?> $

'
c "R

Dont call!

Call!

Call

Called

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

 M  '"R%

(
 " 

"X R

He was
called

A caller

So he
is

He is
called

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

 M 

("R%

'"

So he
is

He calls

He
called

Form VI

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal
Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

Y
 7 ]

Y
 7

APU7

*c U  M  *U% - U
 =7 Y
X 

Dont
mutually
enjoin!

Mutually
enjoin!

Mutual
enjoining

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Mutually
enjoined

So it
is

Passive
Perf.
verb

It is
mutually
enjoined

Active
Participle
(noun)

It was
mutually
enjoined

One who
mutually
enjoins

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

 M 

*U%

*U7

So he
is

He mutually
enjoins

He mutually
enjoined

Form IV

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

h
  7 ]

h
 ! 

?> i! _

*c i

Dont give!

Give!

Giving

Given

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

 M  *i %

- i ! 1

h
X  

 M 

-i % *i! 

He was
given

A giver

So he
is

He gives

So he
is

He is
given

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

He gave

Form VII

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal Noun

Passive
Participle
(noun)

j /R7 ]

j /

?> k/

*c k/R

Dont be
necessary!

Be necessary!

Necessity

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

 M 

*k/R%

- k /1

jX /R

So he
is

Necessary

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

 M 

-k/R%

*k/

So it
is

It is
necessary

It was
necessary

The word (-k/R%)

*k/ means to be necessary. Followed by l  it means it behoves him / is proper for

him. Followed by l P!
 it means he must / ought to. We have the following expressions:
S
 m6  n
  -k/R%

It behoves you to go (obliged) (lit. going is proper for you)

S
 m6  n
 P! -k/R%

You should go (obligated) (lit. going is necessary for you)

S
 m6  n
 P! -k/R% : D

You should have gone

185

S
 m6  n
  -k/R% ]

13.2.7

It does not behove you to go

S
 m6  n
 P! -k/R% ]

You should not go

-k/R% ] 6m

This should not be

Form VIII
Passive
Participle
(noun)

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

?> p78 

*c p7   M 

*p7 %

- p
 78 1

o
X 7 

Approval

Approved

It is approved

It was
approved

One who
approves

*c NiE
   M 

*Ni E
 %

- N i1 U
 1

F
X i E
 

Chosen

So he
is

He is chosen

He was
chosen

One who
chooses

So he
is

He chooses

He chose

?> !"b 

*c !2$

 M 

*!$2 %

- ! "q 1

0
X $2 

 M 

-!$2 %

*!"2 

Claim

Claimed

So it
is

It is claimed

It was
claimed

A claimant

So he
is

He claims

He
claimed

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal Noun

o
 7 7 ]

o
 78 

Dont approve!

Approve!

F
 i E
 7 ]

F
 i U
 

Dont choose!

Choose!

Choosing

0
 $2 7 ]

0
 "2 

Dont claim!

Claim!

?> Ni U
 

So it
is

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

 M 

-p7 %

*p78 

So he
is

He
approves

He
approved

 M  -Ni E
 % *Ni U
 

  from the root  N U

 changes to r owing to the emphatic Y preceding it,
Note that the  of *NU

rendering *Ni
U
  . Also, the  of *7"  from the root  ! " changes to " owing to the strong " before it
and the two assimilate rendering *!"2 

13.2.8

Form X
Passive
Participle
(noun)

Passive
Imperf.
Verb

Passive
Perf.
verb

Active
Participle
(noun)

Negative
Imper.

Positive
Imper.

Verbal Noun

s J
 7 ]

s < 

?> R< 

t
c J
   M  *RJ
 % - R< 1 sX J
 

Dont except!

Except!

Exception

excepted

One who
excepts

So it
is

It is
excepted

186

It was
excepted

Active
Imperf.
Verb

Active
Perf.
Verb

 M 

-RJ
 %

*R< 

So he
is

He excepts

He
excepted


  6 

A4= (u p
 %) u 4
 =

To put down

u 4
 =

putting down

(0
 4= ) u 4
 =

circumstance

(*_) ?> !" , BA  ! " (vw) !"

(y
  ! " ) B
 ! "

to call (to)
call

(
P! " ) ?z !"

prayer

A %  @ A% (v) '

to flow

(
  

running

:
% 
?> +_ (v^) *+
?z +_
A %` 8 @ A%8 ('%) '8
(?z 8Z) (
 8

flow
to refuse
refusal
to see
opinion

('c`8 )
%` 8

seeing; vision, dream

?> .+ (v^) - . +

to remain

?z .+

remaining

A %= (-.%) *=

to protect

%=

protection

((R%) '

to intend

(%  @ y
 )
P2

intention

(
U1) 
U
 

root, origin

{
AU
 

originally

A|D

much


} "

inside

{
A } "

inside (adv.)

187

l P_ 
 p +  } "

inside (adv.)

 } $2  s 

from within


 8 }

outside; abroad

A8}

outside (adv.)

s ! A8}

outside of, apart from (adv.)

l P_ 
 p +


 8 }

outside (adv.)

l P_ 
 p

+ V 

in front of (adv.)

l P_ 
 p + 
{
 }

during (adv.)

+ ?^ 8=

behind (adv.)

l P_ 
 p

Q
 

east

A

eastward (adv.)

S
  

west


3

north

S
 R

south

 3 %

right

ARP3%

toward the right (adv.)

8 J%

left

{
 +

without (prep.)

A/ (vw) C
 

to seek, ask for

(y
 / ) C
 

request

(y
 P ) :
 P

animal

(8 %" @ 8 =") 8 "

(
3   ) V 

home (land)
food

A%<

quickly

*2+8

to educate

*U


to pray

188

 E
 

one who prays

'"

to call

*i! 

to give

*.7

to receive

(I+) *U7

To mutually enjoin

( I , *! ) *k/ 

To be necessary; to behove

*!"2 

To claim

*p78 

To be content

*!$ < 

To summon

189

Exercise 15.1
Express in English

-7 ! " + L M R2; = 8 M  P -%8 *_

 2R y
  ! " -b_

1 PbR  m  M R2 n
  L <  : _ } R   n
  $  += X % X M R+ 8  

 2R s  | D ?^ 8= 

  } = VX {
 D {
 + G
 )
 3   {
 } R 
  L M      L2 7 $ . 

AK4= u  u 4

   '7 M2^ R7/ *+, 7 
  < M 

G
 )
 3  s  
 =
 
 % =
 1)
 
 P+

A$d 
P3  K
 / *_
 8 ^  s   M 2R : %  1 %` 8

G
   l + 4
 -R2^ -%` 8 -+= V i  s J
  -+

A%< ]A  l P_ R% )

   } 2$ s  RP+ B  ! " R 3 < $ R! S
 / V  8 2$ 
 8 } 2RD1

{
AU
   ; +  ;  L <  : D

. A3P! {
A /. J
  l  :  -%  A<= A3M 6m n
 R+ -
 %8 -b_ .
Q
 
2  *_  R%$3  s  
 
 = ? P ^  s  A|D 'R< = X P 
 ! a
  " - *./ 
  < .
PD  7 *_ ]A 3 n
  $  + C
 m 6 R< = S
 R)
 = S
  k =
$X 32 K
  l  =  4
 = .
 /. J
 3  - RP.P -43 - w  = .
A/%  = A$P+ l =  % L M 2_ .
L M +q8 L m = = .

190

Exercise 15.2

Express in Arabic

1.

His invitation was not clear and that prevented me from coming.

2.

I have invited all my friends to my house for a meeting and they will stay tonight.

3.

She has been to many places and seen many things, especially the East.

4.

This invitation of his was originally for me only but the situation calls for us all to attend.

5.

He mentioned your name after my name when he called our names yesterday.

6.

He was a student in Egypt. After that he stayed in Damascus until his death.

7.

Everything is as if it has reached its completion now.

8.

He was outside, passing by his friends house when he heard their call from behind the door.

9.

Hasan continued to be angry with me (2 ! ) even though he saw clearly during our conversation
that the circumstances were difficult for me.

10.

And apart from your many strange/far-fetched/outlandish ($P+) opinions, is there any basis to
this question of yours?

11.

The meeting is running now and all the ministers intend to stay in the city throughout the three
days.

12.

Perhaps they intend to stay throught the night and when they wake up tomorrow, they may
refuse to go.

191

 
 
  
 
 

Chapter 14

Revolution I

 , her sisters and half-sisters

 
  

  (noun sentence) and acts as a time
machine, transporting it to the past. We also learned that 
  enters upon a  
  

  (noun sentence)
and emphasises it. The two have one thing in common. They abrogate the 

  (grammatical

In chapter two, we learned that





enters upon a

government) of the 

  (subject). We call them    (abrogators).

 
  

  the   (subject) is the    (regent), which makes itself and the  !
"
 #$  . When 

 enters upon a  
  

  it abrogates the 
  of the   and

In a regular
(predicate)



 makes the   (subject) "

 #$  and the  ! (predicate) %
 &' . When   enters
upon a  

  

  (noun sentence) it again abrogates the 
  of the   and subordinates it.   makes
the 
  (subject) %
 &' and the  ! (predicate) "
 #$  .

subordinates it.

   (abrogators) in Arabic,

There are three groups of 
1.
2.
3.



, her sisters and half-sisters

  and her sisters
( )
and her sisters

In this chapter we shall meet 


 and her sisterhood.

14.1 
  (the verb to be)
Though we have kept it secret so far, 


 (he was), like *

+ (he said), is a ,
   

 - $ (hollow verb). The

triliteral root of 


 is .( . .(kawana). The / reappears "
1 2
 43 0 $ (in the imperfect) # #56 (he is,
will be). 


 1  &
  (the verbal noun of kaana) is   
(universe)

192

(# #56) 

 (he was) is conjugated 0 9

43 0 $ (in the perfect) as follows:
Plural

Dual
(3)



Singular
(2)



They were

 

They (two) were

(6)

* 


  

(7)


  

You (two) were

(12)

 

You were

You (two) were

Masculine

You were
(11)

 

Feminine

She was
(8)

 

You were

Third
person

(4)


 

They (two) were

(9)

Masculine

He was
(5)



They were

(1)

Second
person

(10)


  

Feminine

You were
(14)

(13)

 


  

We were

I was

Masculine
and
Feminine

First
person

* ( # is an assimilation of ( '#
Plural

Dual
(3)

 

Singular
(2)

 

They are

 

They (two) are

(6)

 
 

(7)

 

You (two) are

(12)

Feminine

She is
(8)

 

You are

Third
person

(4)

 

They (two) are

(9)

Masculine

He is
(5)

 

They are

(1)

Masculine

You are
(11)

 

 

!
 

You are

You (two) are

You are
(14)

Feminine

(13)

 

 "

We are

I am

193

Second
person

(10)

Masculine
and
Feminine

First
person



 is the Arabic verb to be. In English, the verb to be is called an auxiliary or helping verb because
it helps us to transport sentences into the past and future. In Arabic, the verb 


 is called ;
 +   - $
(deficient verb, not to be confused with the ;
 +  < -   - $ (terminal weak verb) introduced in chapter
thirteen). 


 is called ;
 +  (deficient) because it refers to being something rather than doing
something. Although 


 is a  - $ (verb), it does not have a   
$ (subject) and = > * -?3  (object) like a
A@ B  - $ (a proper verb). Instead, 

 has a   which we rename 

 C  (the subject of kaana) and a
 ! , which we call 

  ! (the predicate of kaana).
We know that
types of  


1.



 enters upon a  

  

  (noun sentence). Here we can distinguish between two
 

  (noun sentence) and say that 

 is able to enter upon both,

A  

 

  (noun sentence) in which the  ! (predicate) is a C  (noun). 

 makes this
 ! (predicate) %
 &' .
E FG
  H
 4 I4 



2.


A  

The student was hard working

 

  (noun sentence) in which the  ! (predicate) is a   - $  

  (verb sentence).
 F G
 6 H
 4 I4 



14.1.1


Transporting a  

The student was working hard

 

  (noun sentence) in which the  ! (predicate) is a C  (noun).

(a) In chapter two we transported the

 
  

  (noun sentence) in which the  ! (predicate) is a C 

(noun) into 0
9

43 (the past) by simply placing 

 before it.

C 5# 4
E ! 


We can transport a  

It was good for you

 

  (noun sentence)  K3 L

 43 J
4 (to the future) by placing # #56 before it.
C 5# 4
E ! # #56

(b) The imperfect 

# #56 is sometimes used * M43

It will be good for you

0 $ (in the present tense) as a verb to be when making

assumptions.


O P  
N
 '>

Your son is big now

194

TS P U 
V
 '  W# ' X Y
  Z J
4 N
 '> H
 Q R

Your son went to Damascus many years ago so


O EP 
# #5$

he will be big now.


O 
5  0 $ ( L
 [ # #56

Hasan should/will be in Makkah (by) now

  (subject):
(c) In chapter two we encountered the indefinite 
H
 4 
\   1 
 43 0 $
If we transport this  

  (sentence) 0 9
43

using 
# #56 , we get,

A student is in the school; or

There is a student in the school

J
4 (into the past) using 

 or  K3 L


 43 J
4 (into the future)

]
 
H
 4 
\   1 
 43 0 $ 


E
^ H
 4 
\   1 
 43 0 $ # #56
In such

A student was in the school yesterday; or

There was a student in the school yesterday
A student will be in the school tomorrow; or
There will be a student in the school tomorrow


  (sentences) where 

  ! is an elliptical or hidden Z   , 

 expresses a meaning of

simple existence which we translate as there was or there will be as opposed to expressing a



 is considered to be A@ B  - $ (a proper verb)

and not ;
 +  (deficient). H
 4 
\ is thus 

 #  
$ not 

 C  and we may bring it forward.
meaning of x was y or x will be y. When this occurs,

]
 
  1 
 43 0 $ H
 4 
\ 



A student was in the school yesterday; or

There was a student in the school yesterday

195






 

First Aid

  1 
 43 0 $ H
 4 
\ 

 (there was a student

Students often translate the sentence

in the school) as he was a student in the school.

Prescription



 may be summarised as follows:

E
4/ ( L
 [ 



Hasan was a boy

((
L
 [ is 



E
4/ 



C  (subject) and E
4/ is 

  ! (predicate))

He was a boy
(The 




C  (subject) is the implied pronoun  Q .

E
4/ is 

  ! (predicate)).

(_
43 0 $)  4
/ 



There was a boy (in the house)

(
 4
/ is 



#  
$ and there is no * -?3  (object). 

 is A@ B  - $

(proper verb).

14.1.2


Transporting a  

 

  (noun sentence) in which the  ! (predicate) is a   - $  

  (verb sentence)

(a) The Pluperfect

 
  

  (noun sentence) in which the  ! (predicate) is a
`
S   - $ (perfect verb) is transported by 

 further 0 9
43 J
4 (into the past), usually in relation to
A pluperfect is a perfect of a perfect. A

another event.

H
 Q R

He went

H
 Q R
#   4

The man went

H
 Q R
#   4 



The man had gone

#   4 H
 Q R




The man had gone

H
 Q R




He had gone

196

 +
(not  K
4
which can only initiate a sentence) may be placed before the `
S   - $ (perfect
verb) that is the 


  ! (the predicate of kaana) as a rhetorical flourish.
The particle

H
 Q R
 +
#   4 



The man had gone

#   4 H
 Q R
 +




The man had gone

H
 Q R
 +
#   4 

 ( L
 [ 
a
 / 
4

When Hasan arrived the man had (already) gone

Q R
 +
= B !  

 ( L

 [ 
a
 / 
4

When Hasan arrived, his brothers had (already) gone
( Q
 R
is plural because it comes after 



C  )

= B !  H
 Q R
 +


 ( L
 [ 
a
 / 
4

When Hasan arrived, his brothers had (already) gone
(


 and

H
 Q R
are singular here because they precede 

 C  )

(b) The past continuous

A

 
  

 

(noun sentence) in which the

 !

(predicate) is a

"
 1 2  - $

(imperfect verb) is

transported by 


 into 0 9

43 (the past), producing a past continuous.

H
 Q W3 6

He is going / he goes

H
 Q W3 6 #   4

The man is going / goes

H
 Q W3 6 #   4 



The man was going / used to go

H
 Q W3 6 



He was going

(c) Intention in the past

A  

 

  (noun sentence) in which the  ! (predicate) is a "
 1 2  - $ (imperfect verb) with the
future particle b attached to it is transported by 


to 0 9

43 (the past), producing a past intention.
H
 53 

He will write

H
 53  



He was going to write

197

(d) The future perfect

 
  

  (noun sentence) in which the  ! (predicate) is a `
S   - $ (perfect verb) is transported
by 
# #56 into # K3 L

 43 (the future). Again, the particle  +
(not  K
4
) may be placed before the `
S   - $
(perfect verb) that is the 


  ! (the predicate of kaana) as a rhetorical flourish.
A

H
 Q R
 +
( L
 [ # #56 E^

 M
  # &
6  '
When Muhammad arrives tomorrow, Hasan will have (already) gone

198

14.2 
  %
 & " #
 $  (some sisters of kaana)
All *
 -$3 
(verbs) bearing a meaning of being, becoming, not being or not becoming are sisters of



, and like 

 are  &

 +  * -$3 
(deficient verbs). Sisters of 

 behave like 

 by,
 
  

  (noun sentence) in which the  ! (predicate) is a C  (noun). 

 makes this  !
(predicate) %
 &' .
A  

  

  (noun sentence) in which the  ! (predicate) is a   - $  

  (verb sentence).

1. A

2.
14.2.1

]
 4

We have used the verb ]
 4
he is not to negate a

 
  

  (noun sentence). It is a `
S   - $ (perfect
verb) but negates only in the present tense. It has no "
 1 2 (imperfect).
 4
is a hollow root, it does not become c
 d
. This is anomalous in the Arabic language.
Although ]
]
 4
is conjugated as follows:
Plural

Dual

Singular

(3)

(2)

(1)

L4

L4

]
 4

They are not

They (two) are not

He is not

(6)

(5)

( L
 4

L
 4

_
 L
 4

They (two) are not

She is not
(8)


L
 4

_
 L
 4

You are not

You (two) are not

You are not

(11)

( L
 4


L
 4

You are not

You (two) are not

Masculine
Second
person

(10)

_
L
 4

Feminine

You are not

(14)

Feminine

(7)

C L
 4

(12)

Third
person

(4)

They are not

(9)

Masculine

(13)

'L
 4

_
 L
 4

We are not

I am not

Masculine
and
Feminine

First
person

(a) ]
 4
like 

 makes the  ! (predicate) %
 &' and does not affect the   (subject).

P  
_
 43

The house is big

EP 
_
 43 ]
 4

The house is not big

199

 EP 
]
 4

It is not big

are able to do the job of ]

 4

The negative particle  and d
EP 
_
 43 

The house is not big

EP 
_
 43 d

The house is not big

  (subject) is a P
9
 (pronoun), unlike with ]
 4
it does not drop when negated by  .
If the 
H
 4 
\  Q

The preposition

He is a student

E 4
\  Q 

He is not a student

E 4
\  Q d

He is not a student

b> may be placed ]

 4
! 
+
(before the predicate of laysa) and also  ! 
+

(before the predicate of maa), without changing the meaning.

(7:172)

PS  5
> _
 43 ]
 4

The house is not big

PS  5
> _
 43 

The house is not big

h J
> #4
+ C 5# >g > _

 L
 4

f

Am I not your Lord? They said, yes indeed

i
 1 
+ 
./

And I am a reciter

i
S 1 
K> 
/

And I am not a reciter

(ii) We do not use ]

 4
to say he/it was not. Instead we use 

 negated by  .

EP 
_
 43 

 

The house was not big

(33:40) h C 5
# 4 1g (  S [ 
>

 M
  

  f
Muhammad was not the father of any of your men folk
(iii) To say he will not be we use 
# #56

d
.

200

 EP 
_
 43 # #56 d

The house will not be big

 4
can be used, especially in poetry and literature, to negate both perfect and imperfect verbs.
(b) ]

14.2.2

H
 
 / H
 
]
 4

He did not write

H
 53 6 d
/ H
 53 6 ]
 4

He is not writing

TE 1 / a
 (k
 a
) (P &
6) 1 a (he became) is another ,
   
 - $ (hollow verb) that is also a sister of 

 .
(a) (P
&
6)

1 a enters upon a  

  

  (noun sentence) in which the  ! (predicate) is a C  (noun).
TE R
 # k
 1 a

She became a professor

(P &
6) 1 a enters upon a  
  

  (noun sentence) in which the  ! (predicate) is a   - $  

 
(verb sentence) to mean to come to. The   - $  

  (verb sentence) must be a "

 1 2  - $ (imperfect
(b)

verb).

C F ?3 6 1 a
14.2.3

He came to understand

(l  &
 6) l a
 
(he became) is a sister of 

. It is form IV.
(a) (l
  &
 6)

l a
 
enters upon a  
  

  (noun sentence) in which the  ! (predicate) is a C  (noun).
nm L k
 '43 _
M
 a
 

The girls became women

dE 1 Z d
/ o. l a
 

The boys became men

(l  &
 6) l a
 
enters upon a  
  

  (noun sentence) in which the  ! (predicate) is a   - $  

 
(verb sentence) to mean to come to. The   - $  

  (verb sentence) must be a "

 1 2  - $ (imperfect
(b)

verb).

C F ?3 6 l a
 

He came to understand

201

14.2.4

E B> (_
 > ) (_
  6) k
 > (he became) is another ,
   
 - $ (hollow verb) that is also a sister of 

 . The
first person perfect _
 > is an assimilation of _ > .
  6)
(a) (_

k
 > enters upon a  
  

  (noun sentence) in which the  ! (predicate) is a C  (noun).
E5 p/ = 4#a/ k
 >  K
4

His arrival has become imminent

EM
  = 4#a/ k
 >

His arrival has become certain

k
 > as opposed to 1 a or  a
 
comes with experience. For the moment, it is
advisable to restrict yourself to the above two given expressions when using k
 > .

Knowing when to use

(_
  6) k
 > enters upon a  
  

  (noun sentence) in which the  ! (predicate) is a   - $  

 
  (verb sentence) must be a "
 1 2  - $ (imperfect
(verb sentence) to mean to come to. The   - $  

(b)

verb).

E-a
 q  G
6 k
 >

He came to find it hard

202

14.2.5

*# s6 d
/ *
r  (he still is (lit. he has not ceased to be)) is only ever used negated. We may also negate
the perfect with d

and the imperfect with  rendering: *# s6  / *
r d
. Like ]
 4
the perfect and
imperfect bear the same present tense meaning. *
# s6 d
/ *
r  (he still is) should not be confused with
(*# /s6) *
r (to disappear).
*# s6 d
/ *
r  (he still is) is conjugated 0 9
43 0 $ (in the perfect) as follows:
Plural

Dual
(3)

Singular
(2)

#4 r 

d
r 

They still are

*
r 

They still are

(6)

(1)

He still is
(5)

4
r 

_
 4
r 

They still are

They still are

She still is
(8)

C 43r 


43r 

You still are

(7)

Masculine

You still are

(11)

Second
person

(10)

( 43r 


43r 

_
43r 

You still are

You still are

You still are

(14)

(a)

Feminine

_
 43r 

You still are

(12)

Third
person

(4)

( 43r 
(9)

Masculine

Feminine

(13)

'43r 

_
 43r 

We still are

I still am

Masculine
and
Feminine

First
person

*# s6 d
/ *
r  enters upon a  

  

  (noun sentence) in which the  ! (predicate) is a C 

(noun).

EP ta
 E
4/ ( L
 [ *# s6 d
/ *
r 

Hasan is still a little boy

u_
43 0 $ C 43r 

Are you still at home?

( 6 PU 
'43r 

We are still many

'-  #4 r 

They are still with us

(b) *
# s6

d
/ *
r  enters upon a  

  

  (noun sentence) in which the  ! (predicate) is a   - $  

 
(verb sentence) to mean to come to. The   - $  

  (verb sentence) must be a "

 1 2  - $ (imperfect
verb).

= # # K3 6 *# s6 d
/ *
r 

He still reads / is still reading his books

203

14.2.6

A Z  (so long as, for as long as) is a sister of 

. It must be preceded by  which is not a negation
here. It has no "
 1 2 (imperfect) and is conjugated 0 9
 43 0 $ (in the perfect) as follows:
Plural

Dual
(3)

Singular
(2)

 Z 

(1)

 Z 

So long as they are

A Z 

So long as they are

(6)

So long as he is

(5)

(  Z 

_
  Z 

So long as they are

(9)

(7)

C  Z 


 Z 

_
  Z 

So long as you are

So long as you are

So long as you are

(11)

(  Z 


 Z 

So long as you are

So long as you are

Masculine
Second
person

(10)

_
 Z 

Feminine

So long as you are

(14)

(a) A Z

Feminine

So long as she is

(8)

(12)

Third
person

(4)

 Z 

So long as they are

Masculine

(13)

' Z 

_
  Z 

So long as we are

So long as I am

Masculine
and
Feminine

First
person

 enters upon a  

  

  (noun sentence) in which the  ! (predicate) is a C  (noun).
Ev[ _
  Z 
For as long as I am alive

Ev[ _
  Z  w P
9
 0 $ N
  x


# #56
Your speech will be in my conscience for as long as I am alive

nm [ 
' Z  C 5# -  ( M

 
We are with you so long as we are alive

= -  ' Z  '-  z y # #56

Allah will be with us so long as we are with him
(b)

A Z  enters upon a  

  

  (noun sentence) in which the  ! (predicate) is a   - $  

  (verb

sentence) to mean to come to. The   - $

 

  (verb sentence) must be a "
 1 2  - $ (imperfect verb).
E
L
  # #
_
  Z 

So long as I am a Muslim

204

14.3 Half-sisters of 
 



 is of my own coinage and is not found in Arabic grammar. I have

named these verbs so because they are only able to perform half the function of 


 . They enter upon a
 
  

  (noun sentence) in which the  ! (predicate) is a   - $  

  (verb sentence) that is a  - $
"
 1 2 (imperfect verb). They are not able to enter upon a  
  

  (noun sentence) in which the  !
(predicate) is a C
  (noun). These verbs in Arabic are called # >1 
K
 43 *# -$3 o (the related verbs).
The expression half-sister of

14.3.1

Verbs meaning to begin

 > may be placed before a "

 1 2
The perfect verb 


 - $ (imperfect verb) to mean he began to . . ., in

the same way as we placed the perfect of 


 before an imperfect verb to mean he was . . ..

H
 53 6 



He was writing

H
 53 6 
 >

He began to write

# K3 6 
 >

The verbs


- 

and

W
! 
among others,

He began to read

also bear a meaning of to begin to apart from their other

meanings.

14.3.2

*# #K6 



He was saying

*# K# 6 
- 

He began to say

]
  G
 6 W
! 

He began to sit

(Z 
56) Z 
 (almost)

(a) (Z 
56)

Z 
 followed by a "

 1 2  - $ (imperfect verb) renders almost
q # K3 6 



He was reading it

q # K3 6 Z 


He almost read it

C F > X U 6 Z 


He almost trusted them

C F > X U 6 Z 
56

He almost trusts them

=  >

U3 # #56 Z 


He was almost like his father

205

=  >

U3 # #56 Z 
56

He is almost like his father

S g  ^
=  x


# #56 Z 
56
(b) When negated, (Z 
56)

His speech is almost bad

Z 
 means (can) hardly

q # K3 6 Z 
 

He could hardly read it

(lit. he almost couldnt read it)

C F > X U 6 Z 
56 d

(c) The structure `
S 

He can hardly trust them

 - $ + J[ +  - $ + Z 
56 d
/ Z 
  means hardly when or no sooner

than.

= ' %
 5 43 k
 W3 ! 
J[ q # K3 6 Z 
 

He had hardly read it when

I took the book from him

_
43 J
4 q W
! 
/ q >

! Z J[ ]
 
 Z 
 

No sooner had he sat than his father

entered and took him home

206

%
 ' ( 

E , E 
(# #56) 


( 3 
)   

 

4

 '
]
 4

TE 1 / a
 (P &
6) 1 a
T 1 / a

(l  &
 6) l a
 

(_
  6) k
 >
N
  p/
E5 p/ k
 >
A M
 
EM
  k
 >
*# s6 d
/ *
r 
dE /r (_
 43r ) (*# /s6) *
r
* /r
* /s 4 N
  p/

he was

kaana (yakuunu) kawnan, kiyaanan

universe; being

kawnun (akwaanun)

existence

kiyaanun

when (before perfect verb)

lammaa

when (before any verb)

not (before noun sentence)

laysa

1.
2.

to become
to come to

becoming
1.
2.

to become
to come to

indamaa

Saara (yaSeeru) Sayruuratan

Sayruuratun

aSbaHa (yuSbiHu)

2.

to spend the night

to become
3. to come to

baata (yabeetu)

imminent

washeekun

it has become imminent

baata washeekan

certain

maHtuumun

it has become certain

baata maHtuuman

still

Maa zaala / laa yazaalu

to disappear

zaala (yazuulu) (zultu) zawaalan

1.

1.
2.

disappearance
noon

zawaalun

doomed to early ruin

washeeku az-zawaali

A Z 

so long as

Maa daama

E/Z (|z) A Z

To persist

Daama (yaduumu) dauman

(n} [ 
) 0@ [

alive

hayyun (aHyaaun)

Ev[ _
  Z 

so long as I am alive

Maa dumtu Hayyan

nm  > (|.) 
 >

to begin

badaa (yabdau) badan

207

n}  >
(imperf. verb)

beginning

Badun

to begin

Jaala / akhadha

almost, about to

kaada (yakaadu)

(could) hardly

Maa kaada / laa yakaadu

hardly when
no sooner than

maa kaada / laa yakaadu +

perfect verb + Hatta + perfect
verb

E
^

tomorrow (adv.)

ghadan

W# '

since, for; ago (prep.)

mundhu

2.

for a month (past);

since a month ago;
3. a month ago

mundhu shahrin


O W# '

from now onwards

mundhu al-aana

A 43 W# '

from today onwards

mundhu al-yawmi

n  43 W# '

since the beginning

mundhu al-badi

since I was young

mundhu kuntu Sagheeran

period

muddatun

S F p T 
 4

for a month

limuddati shahrin

,
   
 - $

hollow verb

filun ajwafu

A@ B  - $

proper verb

filun taammun

deficient verb

filun naaqiSun

the past (tense)

al-maaDii

last month/year (adv.)

ash-shahra al-maaDiya /
as-sanata al-maaDiyata

the present (tense)

al-Haalu

# K3 L

 43

the future (tense)

al-mustaqbalu



 C 

subject of kaana

ismu kaana



  !

predicate of kaana

khabaru kaana

+ W
! 
/ 
- 
(Z 
56) Z 


Z 
56 d
/ Z 
 

`
S   - $ + Z 
56 d
/ Z 
 
`
S   - $ + J[ +

S F p W# '

EP ta
 _
 '# W# '
T  

;
 +   - $
0 9
43

9

43 
'L
 4 / 0 9

43  F Y
 4
*# M43

1.

208

Exercise 14.1
Express in English

EM Ma
 = ')


  .~
P  
"
 
  G
 ?
43  - > 


R#  oz
  !  +


 "
9
 43 *
 [ 0 4 L
 > k
 3 > 
4

AS x


t > `
1 o. J
 ]
  G
 6 

 = B  /  '
Z x

 43 ( 
  !  +
# #56 E
^ = 4 -$3
> N
 
 43 
 L
 6  '

.
.
.
.

S 53 > 0 >

U3 c

'4  
]
 4. .
*S [  # J
 1 a
  Q / 1 ! o. 
  ' 
2

^ ( L
 [ 1 a .
E5 p/ (S L
 [ *# a/ k
 > .
"
 oz 0 $ TE   ,  -
 G
 43 A  6  #  '6 
 43
 / J
4 H
 Q W3 6 *
r  .
X 6 I 4 J
 ( 6 > a ' Z  '4
X M
 43 # #56 .
%
QW 4 (  0 '- '
 6 Z 
/ x
E 6\
E
x
0 4 *# #K6 ( L
 [ W
! 
.
R#  oz = - '  ' # K3 6 H
 4 I4 Z 
 .
Ep C F ?3 6 Z 
56 d
.
E6 p E> 9
 = > 9
 / = 6 > q W
! 
J[ = > X U 6 Z 
 .
z y 

 .
Exercise 14.2

Express in Arabic

1.

Hasan was a new student last year.

2.

Your presence in the council was a reason for many people leaving.

3.

There were many men in the city.

4.

When I arrived, Hasan had left the city four weeks ago.

5.

Hasan used to go to the sea every day at asr time.

6.

When your brother takes you to the city tomorrow, Hasan will have arrived before you.

7.

My book is not difficult. I have read it and understood it.

8.

Maryam became an author and wrote beautiful books.

9.

Their exit from the meeting became certain.

10.

The book is still very difficult after many readings.

11.

I am with you so long as I am alive.

12.

When I entered, Hasan began to leave the meeting.

13.

The boys statement is almost incorrect.

14.

He can hardly begin to speak.

15.

No sooner had be become a minister than he desired the presidents chair.

209

  
  
  

 
 
  

Chapter 15

Revolution II

 and her sisters

15.1


The particle 

 is used in Classical Arabic for emphasis and may be translated as indeed or verily. In
Modern Arabic, it has lost much of its rhetorical strength and may have no translational value.


 is the second of our  


(abrogators). It enters upon a       (noun sentence), abrogates the
 

of the  

 and subordinates it.   makes the  

 (subject) 
  !
and the " 
#
(predicate) $
 %&" 
.
 '( .
We may think of it as doing the opposite of 
)*
+
  ,
 -'.-  '(

The student was hard working

 * 
+
  ,

-'.-  

Indeed the student is hard working


 cannot enter upon a  / &    (verb sentence). If we wish to emphasise a  / &    (verb sentence)

 , we must bring the   '& (subject) forward so that the  / &    (verb sentence) becomes a
      (noun sentence). The particle  0 may be placed before the  / & (verb) as a rhetorical flourish.
using

'
 3 %  " - "
1

The man attended the meeting

'
 3 "
1

2
 0   " -  
15.1.1

5  6

(pronoun),   it must be expressed as a    5  6

(attached pronoun). This is because the   7 ! " 8'

6

(detached pronouns) only sit :9 &;

< =


>& (in the
place of raf) and the    " 8'
6

(attached pronouns) only sit ,

9  
< =


>& (in the place of naSb) or >&
"? 
< =


(in the place of jarr).
When the

  4 

Indeed the man attended the meeting

(subject of inna) is a

@ " ( A 

He is generous

 C
" ( '
*

@ " ( 
B
He is generous

She is generous

 C
" ( >
B
She is generous

210

D
"( 4 E% 

You (pl.) are generous

F
 '
C" ( G * 

They (pl. fem.) are generous

15.1.2

When 
  4  (the subject of inna) is a dual H ;
'
IJ

4  (demonstrative pronoun) we have,

 'KLM

 NB

These (two) are (two) students

G K LM

 NB
 '(

These (two) were (two) friends

We know that 

 may introduce a   

 
preceded by a 9 

F
 '
C" ( G B
They (pl. fem.) are generous

 'KLM

G LNB
 
15.1.3

D
"( 4 
You (pl.) are generous

Indeed these (two) are (two) friends

   (noun sentence) in which an indefinite  


 (subject) is

A I (quasi sentence).

,
 -'O  
;
 
-P >&

There is a student in the school

')-'O  
;
 
-P >&  

Indeed there is a student in the school

R
 +
 
" +
 7 -P 
/ Q

There is a meeting after fajr

')S+
 
" +
 7 -P 
/ Q
 

Indeed there is a meeting after fajr

The indefinite 
  4  may be brought forward to immediately follow 
 .

15.1.4

 
;
 
-P >& ')-'O  

Indeed there is a student in the school

" +
 7 -P 
/ Q
')S+
 
 

Indeed there is a meeting after fajr

T- (not to be confused with the preposition T- ) is another particle that may be used to
emphasise a  
     (noun sentence). It is called U
Q3 D 3 (the lam of initiation) because, like 
 it
takes its position at the beginning of the sentence. Because of its emphatic value, it is often called D 3

 (VP - or  ( - D 3 (the lam of emphasis).
The particle

 * 
+
  W



You are hard working

211

 * 
+
  W

X

Indeed you are hard working


 may be used to further strengthen a       (noun sentence) already emphasized by
the U
Q3
 D 3 (the lam of initiation). When this occurs, there is a conflict between the two particles over
who should occupy prime position at the beginning of the sentence. 

 always wins and displaces the
U
Q3 D 3 (the lam of initiation) so it has to resign to preceding a later part of the sentence. It is then
The particle

called  K 2
 Y
 -P

D Z
 -P (the displaced lam).

 
(a) The particle T- may precede an indefinite 

 preceded by a 9 
')-'.-  
;
 
-P >&  

A I (quasi sentence).

Indeed there is a student in the school

  " 
#
(the predicate of inna).
(b) The particle T- may precede 
 * 
+
  - [



Indeed you are hard working

4 \/
- "
 X
 
(c) The particle T- may precede a 9 
 

Indeed the matter is great

A I (quasi sentence) attached to an elliptical " 

#
(predicate).

 
;
 
-P >7- ,

-'.-  

Indeed the student is in the school

49 \
^9 %# _
W

]

And you are upon a mighty character

(68:4 4K- ) a 49 \

^
9 %# _/
- [

]
`
(d) The particle

T- may

precede a

And indeed you are upon a mighty character

" 
d

-P < =


>& $
 ; '
1  / &

(imperfect verb in the place of the

predicate).

 * 
+
 
- ,

-'.-  
" 
d

-P < =


>& e
9 '
  / &
accompanied by 
 0 .
If it precedes a

Indeed the student does works hard

(perfect verb in the place of the predicate) it must be


*

  K - ,

-'.-  

Indeed the student did work hard

212

15.1.5


 is used for indirect speech to mean that after f '0 (he said).
F

'
  0 g '
Q   f '0

He said that his father had passed away

')1L"
 '( A  f '0

He said that he was ill

It is also possible in Arabic, as we do in English, to have direct speech after f

 '0 . We simply place the
quotation after f
 '0 without   and without quotation marks or any punctuation.

h
 L"
'
 f '0

He said, I am ill

>Q F
  

/ Q
) 
/ M

>i'
2
W
 =


M
  >- W
 -'0

She said to me, My life has become difficult

after the death of my father

15.2  
   
   (some sisters of inna  )
The 
  F

#
 (sisters of inna) all enter upon a   

   (noun sentence) and abrogate the  


of the

 

 making it 
  !
and the " 
#
(predicate) $
 %&" 
.
15.2.1

  (that)
  is used to mean that in expressions such as he mentioned that, he heard that and the fact is
that.

'
  0 [


-P   " Lj
-P "
( k

The minister mentioned that the king has died

')1L"
W

!(% [

 W
 /  

I heard that you were ill

U
'
 >- ')KLM

  >!l
Q

It reached me / I heard that a friend of mine came

m
 n '
M )=

   : 0
-P

The fact is that Muhammad is truthful

(lit. that a friend of mine came reached me)

m
 n '
M A  : 0
-P

The fact is that he is truthful

m
 n '
M 
-
-P NB
  : 0
-P

The fact is that this boy is truthful

>KLM

 
 '
BN - G
 >!/
!


That you are my friend prevented me from going

(a) If we introduce 
  before a  / &

   (a verb sentence), we must bring %  '7 -P (the subject) forward,

to act as 
  4  because   cannot be followed immediately by a  / & (verb).
213

>- ^ LM

U
'


Not:

A friend of mine came

U
'
 >- ')KLM

  >!l
Q

I heard that a friend of mine came

>- ^ LM

U
'
   >!l
Q

) 1

L"
W
 !-P W
 
'(

Not:

The girl was ill

) 1

L"
W
 
'( W

!-P   W
 /  

I heard that the girl was ill

) 1

L"
W
 !-P W
 
'(   W
 /  

  '& (subject) is an implied 5  6

(pronoun),
pronoun) after 
  to separate it from % / 7 -P (the verb).

(b) If the

')/L"
 '(

we have to insert a

   5  6

He was fast

')/L"
 '( A  F
 " ( k

I mentioned that he was fast

_
6" 
4 !(%

You (pl.) were ill

_
6" 
4 !(% 4 E%  W
 /  

I heard that you (pl.) were ill

]"1

They attended

]"1

2
4 *  >!l
Q

I heard that they attended

(c) We have the following idioms produced using 

  :

  "
o

However, but

')qI
f '0 '
 A  "
o , U
'


He came but he didnt say anything

  :


Despite, even though

  4
oP ;

Despite, even though

')1L"
 '( A  4
oP ;
/ A  :

U
'


He came even though he was ill

214

(attached

  _

(Considered) as

 L
A  _
A iNP #


I took it as new

  '
Q

Since / because

  s
% 2

Since / because

D
 
-P G S

2
,
 B
NP
L 3 , h
 L"
[

 s
% 2
/ [

 '
Q
Since you are ill, Hasan will not go today
15.2.2

(b) G
 E -]

/ G E - (But)
D
 
-P _
6" 
'( t

 </
 -P :

G E -]
 
;
 
-P _- '
!B
k
We went to the school but all the teachers were ill today

15.2.3

 X
(Because (lit. for that))

 '
SJ #  '
SJ  X
,
u 2 '
!!
Q

There is love among us because Man is brother to Man

15.2.4

 /
- (Perhaps)
 
vO ; '
# X

15.2.5

The news is good

 
vO ;
'
# X
 /
-

Perhaps the news is good

'!  L"0 4 * /

-

Perhaps they are close to us

 V( (as if / as though (lit. like that))

w % 4 * V( 4 * iQ G  "
#

They came out of their houses as if they are kings

'
!/

W

!(% [

V(
15.2.6

(it is) as if you were with us

- '
L / W

- (if only)

5 ( 
-
-P W

-

If only the boy were big

'
!B  '( )=

 W

-

If only Muhammad were here

215

(36:26 RL) a  /

L > 0 W

- '
L f '0 `

He said, If only my people knew (36:26)

x"/ I W

- '
L
15.2.7

I wish I knew

3 for absolute negation

3 as a sister of   is used for absolute negation. That is, negating the very existence of a class of things.
The 3
 4  must be H "
E 
(indefinite), but it does not have G L!i
.
 B '
 ,

-'O 3

No student is ignorant

 
;
 
-P >& ,

-'O 3

There is no student in the school

 
;
 
-P >& 

Z
 O% 3

There are no students in the school

W
 
-P >& 
2
 3

There is nobody at home

/

,
 B
NP
L 
2
 3

Nobody will go with you

-k >& [
 I
3

There is no doubt about that

m
 n '
M A  [
 I
3

There is no doubt that he is truthful

Note the following idiomatic expressions:

V
Q 3

Never mind, it doesnt matter, its all right

(lit. No detriment)


y

V
Q 3

Dont worry, dont be afraid

... G   Q 3

is necessary, inevitable

(lit. No harm upon you)

(lit. There is no escape from)

-k G   Q 3

That is necessary

-k G  [

-  Q 3

You simply must do that

A /

D Z
 E -P G
  Q 3

It is absolutely necessary to speak with him

(a) The word >

u  means equal, (a)like. We have the following expression:

x!  ' '

B

They are both the same to me / in my opinion

216

x!  Z
 {P '
B

They are both the same to me / in my opinion

When we negate >

u  using the 3 of absolute negation, we have the following idiomatic expression:

'
 3 ]

Especially (lit. and not equally)

F
 '
L
]"v - '
 3 ]
,

E% -P G S

2
%"
KP
L
The definite word after '



15.3

15.3.1



Hasan reads books, especially novels

3 ]
is always $
 %&" 
.

and her sisters

(G} \%
L) G |

(to think, consider)

The verb (G
 \%
L)

G | enters upon a       (noun sentence) and turns both the  

 (subject) and the
" 
#
(predicate) into G -/7P 
(two objects).
4 -'
 %  " -

The man is a scholar

')-'
   " - G |

He considered the man (to be) a scholar

')==M

D
Z
 E -P G |

He considered the speech to be correct

The first A Q

f /7P 
(object) was originally the  

 (subject) and the second was originally the " 
#

(predicate). This is why the second A Q f

/7P 
(object) is H "
E 
(indefinite).

15.3.2

G | F

#
 (Sisters of Dhanna)
The f
'
/&P  (verbs) that mean to consider, deem, see, think, find, give etc. are sisters of G | . Like G | they
enter upon a

      (noun sentence) and turn both the  


 (subject) and the " 
#
(predicate) into

G -/7P 
(two objects).
')-'
   " - W
 S
 2

I considered the man a scholar

Z
) LO D
Z
 E -P  /


He considered the speech long

(Also, He made the speech long. Here 
 /

is not a sister of G | )

')vO 

'
E -P 

]

He found the book good

217

218


 !  "
# 

 

emphatic particle

inna

he said that

qaala inna

...   : 0
-P

the fact is that

al-waaqiu anna

G E -]
/ G E -

but

laakinna / walaakinna

 X

because

lianna

 /
-

perhaps

laalla

 V(

as if / as though

kaanna

if only

layta / yaa layta

x"/ I W

- ('
L)

if only I knew

yaa layta shiri

  "
o

However, but

ghayra anna

despite, even though

maa anna / raghma anna

(considered) as

  s
% 2
/   '
Q

since

bimaa anna / Haythu anna

(w %EI ) [
u I

doubt

shakkun (shukuukun)

there is no doubt about that

laa shakka fi dhaalika

there is no doubt that

laa shakka anna

harm, detriment

basun

never mind, it doesnt

matter, its all right

laa basa


y

V
Q 3

dont worry, dont be afraid

laa basa alaika

... G   Q 3

is necessary, inevitable

laa budda min

equal, (a)like

siyyun

they are both the same to

me

huma siyyaani indi

'
 3 ]

especially

walaa siyyamaa

(F
 ) H ;
'
I

indication

ishaaratun (aatun)

the laam of emphasis

laamu at-takeedi

...   f '0

- '
L / W

-

  4
oP ;
/   :


  _

-k >& [
 I
3
...   [
 I
3
y
 V
Q
y

V
Q 3

>u 
x!  ' '
B

 ( - D 3 /  (VP - D 3

219

alaa anna

Exercise 15.1
Express in English

)   LI
g N B
A # X A 2   .~
H 5
 K - '
} - g N B
>& H '
=

-P   .
[

-k >& [
 I
3 ]
4 E% - ')2 4 E% qP >! .
>KLM

X
x!  ' >v! [

Q'
Bk ]
>/
NB
[

 % .
m
Z
 # X

] H '
=

-P 4 P  >& G Q
'
( W
 

( H k '
 X g N B
  [

l
Q
P B
.
[

-k >& [
? I
x
   +

L 3 A ]
)   6

] "
 X
NB
  f '0 .
>- [

-k "
( k A  >- f '0]
H) 5
{( ')(%EI "  X
NB
f  2
  >Q >- f '0 .
w %E
} - g N B
>& >%0]  

 #

4 -'
/-P U '
= < (% G  U '

"} - ')'
 $
  X NB

/ Q
  ; '
# X
>& U
'
 .
U '
I X
G
 59 {( G   '
SJ : !

L F
 
-P G


 d

-P   : 0
-P .
D 'LX
G
 ')
L D =
 
A i
 
  "
o
 0  >P   & )-]
W
 !(% '

!  >(% F
 P"
0 >!
- .
')1L m
 n '
M w
'
#  /
- . m
 n '
M [

 [
 I
3 .
[

/

>Q'
Bk G   Q Z
 & 5 l M

 -]
[

V(
 '
di
[

 '
Q : A - W
 P 0% .
x!  ' >/
[

Q'
Bk D 

]
[

Q'B
k . [


y

VP Q
3 : >- f 'K&

220

Exercise 15.2
Express in Arabic

1.

These are my two friends. They are noble of character.

2.

The fact is that these subjects are very difficult.

3.

Indeed I have come to your (pl.) house out of love for you and because you are my friends.

4.

When I heard from my friends that they were ill, I had already left Damascus.

5.

He came to me as if he had reached his death and was restless.

6.

I found you (dual) to be generous so I mentioned your names to the minister. Perhaps he will
mention you to the king tomorrow.

7.

I heard that you prevented your children from going to school.

Indeed you have killed their minds.

8.

I heard that you came to my house yesterday but left immediately that night.

9.

These teachers of mine are noble of character.

10.

His statement was clear but I did not hear it.

11.

He said that he was ill so he did not leave the house.

12.

The fact is that we arrived yesterday but did not hear anything from you.

13.

Hasans brother is my friend. We are friends for the sake of Allah.

14.

The rich man understood that love of wealth prevented him from many good deeds.

15.

Indeed the high and mighty of the world are kings and presidents, but death kills all.

16.

The minister said in the cabinet meeting that the matter is very great.

17.

He prevented his brother from going to school because he was ill.

221

 
  
  

 
 

Chapter 16

  and her sisters

16.1

 

 means to (as in he requested me to stay) or that (as in he requested that I stay). It
must be followed by a 
 
     (imperfect verb) which it 
 
 
. The negative of 
 is   which is a
conflation of 
 + 
 and means not to or that not.

The particle





 



He requested to go / that he go


!
 
 



He requested me to go / that I go


!
   



He requested me not to go / that I do not go


!
 
 "  #

16.1.1




is called

%
$  "


&
 ' (

I want to go

(lit. verbal-nounish particle). This is because

sentence) it introduces expounds or explains a




and the

) -,  ) * +

(verb

 "


(a verbal noun) and is therefore, interchangeable with



(a verbal noun).
a  "
(a)


 and ) -,  ) * + (verb sentence) it introduces may be 5 6 3 4
*

1
2 . /

0 (in the place of the direct

object).

#8
 1
2 9
2


He wanted to sit

8


 9
2


He wanted to sit

 12 



He requested to go





 



He requested to go / that he go


!
 
 



He requested me to go / that I go

222


!
   



He requested me not to go / that I do not go

:
 * ;
, 12 <

/
 =
> ?@
1
2 A
"
B

@

We requested not to remain in the sun

:
 * ;
, 12 <

/
 =
C?@D
 
@

We requested not to remain in the sun

E F =

B 9
G

6

!
@
E  
B " D
G




D


@

We requested to go and invite them

We requested to go and call them
(



D
CB

&
 #H
E  
B " D

the second verb is conjuncted to the first)

JK-L
E F 1 2#1 I

They said something to them

) 
" *
1
2 

6 M  N

@ ' I 2D#O

 E F 1 2#1 I

They said to them to be close to the city gate

) 
" *
1
2 

6 M  N

@ ' I 2D#O
  E F1 2#1 I

They said to them not to be close to the city gate


 and the ) -,  ) * + (verb sentence) it introduces may be  B 41
2 . /

0 (in the place of the subject of
the verb). This occurs especially with the following verbs that are usually used impersonally 
 
* 1
2 0 (in

(b)

the imperfect).
1. (
 8

)

+
G
(to be necessary, obligatory):

-B
' O
;
R 12 
 8


Gratitude is incumbent upon us

'
O# ;
 D

 (
-B
) 
 8


Gratitude is incumbent upon us

6
! 
 8


Your going is necessary

It is necessary/obligatory that you go /
You must go



=

 
 8


(lit. that you go is necessary)



=
  
 8


It is necessary that you dont go /



=

 
 8



It is necessary that you dont go /

you must not go

you must not go

223



=

 
 8

 T
R/

)
2. (U

You should have gone

(Use 
 8

 T instead of 

+
G
)

U, (
(to be right(ful)):
S

6
! UR /


Your going is right(ful)



=

 UR /


It is rightful that you go



=
  UR /


It is rightful that you do not go



=

 UR /


3. (M
 O * )

It is not rightful that you go

M
O   (To be possible):
A
 -
1
2 





 M O * 

It is possible that he will go today

A
 -
1
2 




  M O * 

It is possible that he will not go today

A
 -
1
2 





 M O *  

It is not possible that he will go today

2J"V 


!
 
 M
O *  M 1

It will not be possible for me to go tomorrow






!
 
 M O *   T

It was possible for me to go with you


 U
@
W
used impersonally means previously and is used as an alternative to J?6
W . 
 here is followed
by a Y
X
   (perfect verb). This is because the expression invariably refers to a complete action.
4.

J?6
W 

ZO 1
2 2
[


'
I 


Have you read this book previously?

ZO 1
2 2
[


'
I 
 U
@
W



Have you read this book previously?

\


@
! 
 U
@
W

We have been there previously

224

(c)


 and the ) -,  ) * + (verb sentence) it introduces may be '] +

&
 ' (
"
 6
 G'8
 *
1
2 E W  2 . /

0 (in the

place of the majruur noun after a preposition).

) W

" *
1
2 C1^ 

 1 6 06 0D'



My father ordered me to go to school

) W

" *
1
2 C1^ 


!
 
_6 06 (0D)'



My father ordered me to go to school

E F =
B 9
A "
B
G

6
! A "

6 '



He ordered that we dont go and that they should

not be invited

E  
B " D
 G




D
 _6 '



He ordered that we do not go and that we do not

call them

<
 -@
1
2 C1^ %
 ' 8

1
2 0  @V '

They desire to run home

<
 -@
1
2 C1^ 2G'8


 0  @V '

They desire to run home

'] +
&
 ' (
(preposition). The elliptical '] +
&
 ' (
(preposition)
remains part of the syntax so that the ) -,  ) *
 + (verb sentence) introduced by 
 continues to be . /

0
'] +
&
 ' (
"
 6
 G'8
 *
1
2 E W  2 (in the place of the majruur noun after a preposition).
In the above sentences, we can omit the

) W

" *
1
2 C1^ 


!
 
 06 (0D)'


E  
B " D
 G




D
  '



He ordered that we do not go and that we do not

call them

<
 -@
1
2 C1^ 2G'8


  @V '

They desire to run home

5 - 3 4

(adverbs) to produce a number of idiomatic
expressions. This allows us to introduce a ) -,  ) *
 + (a verb sentence) after prepositions and 5 - 3 4

(adverbs). 

 and the sentence it introduces are 5 -1^ &

* 1
2 . /

0 G  '] +
&
 ' (
"
 6
 G'8
 *
1
2 E W  2 . /

0
(d)




My father ordered me to go to school

may be placed after prepositions and

(in the place of the majruur noun after a preposition or in the place of the possessor).
(i) 

 C1^ (until)

6
! C1^
 C?6_W



=

 C1^
 C?6_W

I will stay here until your departure

I will stay here until you go

225

(ii) 

 CB
(on condition that, provided that)

"X (
a` 5 1#?=
  CB
S

1! S

1 <
 
I#
(iii)

I told you that on condition that you dont tell

anyone


  @I M  / 
  @I (before)




!
   @I 0D2
'=
&

 W

(iv) 

 "  6

You will see me before I go

M  / 
 "
 6
(after)




=

 "
 6

 C?6_W

I will stay here after you go

In the above expressions, if the action in the clause introduced by 

 is complete,
we use a Y
X

(v) 



   (perfect verb).

<
 -@
1
2 M
 <
 + '
c

  @I 0
5 =
c


I took it with me before I left the house

<
 -@
1
2 M

+ '
c

 "
 6
M d

(
 e

Hasan arrived after we left the house

' -V M  (without)

5 Z?
D

 ' -V M   2
-
/

1
2 2
 c _
D


-B

We must take this animal without killing it

(vi) 

  G 9 (without)

5 Z?
D

  G 9  2
-
/

1
2 2
 c _
D


-B

\
2
'

  G 9 5 6 ', * =

 S

-B

We must take this animal without killing it

You must pass it without it seeing you

226

16.2

Sisters of 

Like 

 , her sisters make the imperfect verb 
 
:
(a)

f1

In order to

g
 K1

In order not to


a`

In order to

g
 -T

In order not to

0 T

In order to

g
 -O 1

In order not to

0 O 1

In order to

(b)

 C,Z(

So that not

C,Z(

So that

(c)

M 1

Will never

(a)

f1 , 
a` , 0 T , 0 O 1 , g
 K1 , g
 -T , g
 -O 1 (in order to/not to)

These particles are interchangeable.

0D
B " -
1 >`
+

1 JK-L
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He came (in order) to invite me

They (two) came to say something to us
They went in order not to see me
He went on that path in order not to pass by them

f1 that goes 

X 
  X    @I (before an imperfect
verb) meaning in order to for the preposition f1 , that goes h
X * i

G  EX W 2  @I (before a noun or pronoun) to

(Note: You should be careful not to mistake the particle

mean to/for/belonging to. They are two different words.)

227

(b) C,Z(

(not to be mistaken for the preposition C,Z(

)
As a sister of 

 , C,Z(
has two meanings, which can only be distinguished from context.
1. so that

2J9+
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S

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9

I invited you so that you are present

@j
k1
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S

= B
9

I invited you so that you are not amongst the

absentees

2. until

>` 08=
C,Z(

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I will stay here until you come

>` 08=

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 C?6_
W

I will stay here until you come

When C,Z(

means until it may be followed by a Y

X

   (perfect verb).

>`
+ C,Z(
l
B9

He called him until he came

>`
+ C,Z(
\

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I stayed there until he came

C,Z(
l 6'
i

(c) M
 1 which means will never negates a 
 
 

=
B 9
g
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M 1
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B "

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2
c
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6_

M 1

They hit him until he died

   (imperfect verb) in the future.

Our Islam will never be complete without our
call
Your two brothers will never refuse to invite me

228


   




that / to

 

that not / not to

f1

in order to


a`

in order to

g
 K1

in order not to

0 T

in order to

g
 -T

in order not to

0 O 1

in order to

g
 -O 1

in order not to

C,Z(

so that; until

 C,Z(

so that not

M 1

will never

`  / 
 (
 8

) 

+
G

it is necessary/obligatory that
it is necessary/obligatory that you go /



=

 
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you must go



=
  
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it is necessary that you dont go



=

 
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you mustnt go

  / 
 (UR /

) U, (

it is rightful that

229



=

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it is rightful that you go



=
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it is rightful that you do not go



=

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it is not rightful that you go


 (M O * ) M
O  

it is possible that

A
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1
2 





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it is possible that he will go today

A
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1
2 




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it is possible that he will not go today

A
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1
2 





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it is not possible that he will go today

([
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W

former, previous

J?6
W

formerly, previously

J?6
W 

ZO 1
2 2
[


'
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have you read this book previously?


 U
@
W

formerly, previously

ZO 1
2 2
[


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I 
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W



have you read this book previously?

(f6) 2J'  (n`) '



to order l s.o. to do ( s.th.)

('  2
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order, command

230

Exercise 16.1
Express in English

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Exercise 16.2
Express in Arabic
1.

Do not go to see them because they are not good.

2.

I mentioned that I had heard this opinion before and that it was not new.

3.

I will go out tomorrow in order to attend a meeting but I will not stay there long.

4.

She went out every night during the month in order to see the moon, but she did not see anything.

5.

He will never hear your demands until you demand many times.

6.

You must understand that. Perhaps I did not make myself clear previously.

7.

Your understanding of these difficult statements in these old books was good. Didnt they see that?

8.

You have no right to demand all of these things from us.

9.

It is possible that they will ask you about your previous statements.

10.

They (two) invited you (two) so that you are not among the absent.

11.

I ordered him to come to me and told him not to do that in the future.

12.

Can my son go with you (pl.) for he has not been there before ? No, it is necessary for children to
stay with their parents.

231

Answers to chapter 1
Exercise 1.1.1

Exercise 1.1.2

1.

To China

2.

In the sun


 

   .

3.

From Syria

4.

Peace upon you

5.

Peace upon us

6.

And peace upon me

7.

A word from me

8.

Close to you (f) and far from me

9.

Peace on the earth

10.

A sign from Allah to people


 
   

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Exercise 1.2.1

Exercise 1.2.2

1.

The meeting of Muhammad

2.

The sun of Islam

3.

A word of good from me

4.

Spending something of wealth

5.

In our Syria and our Yemen

6.

Allahs word and His sign

7.

The highest good and the lowest evil

8.

Closer to him than you

9.

The best of you to your women

10.

The first of us in good

11.

All the people on the earth

12.

The closest relative to me

13.

Closer to good and farther from evil (exercise is incorrect)

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Exercise 1.3.2

Exercise 1.3.1
1.

That book

2.

From this sun

3.

This word from me

4.

Peace on this earth

5.

This peace on the earth

6.

A house in this valley

7.

This house of his in the valley

8.

This sign of Allah to Man

9.

This daughter of Muhammad

10.

The first of these people in goodness

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Exercise 1.4.1

Exercise 1.4.2

1.

Little speech

2.

The meeting of Muhammad the trustworthy

54 '^ 54  6 .

3.

My new pen

4.

This new pen of mine

5.

In our beautiful Syria and our ancient Yemen

6.

Allahs highest word and His greatest signs

7.

Spending a little (thing) of this wealth

8.

Our temporal life in this small earth

9.

Inappropriate in this short life

10.

This students new book

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Answers to chapter 2
Exercise 2.1.1

Exercise 2.1.2

1.

Allah is Greatest (Greater i.e. than all things)

2.

The news is good

3.

Muhammad is a beautiful/handsome man

4.

The noun sentence is a subject and predicate

5.

They are new (female) students

6.

It is an incorrect sentence

7.

These people are close to us

8.

Hasans relatives house is close to the sea

9.

This enquiry of yours is useful

10.

And your God is one God

11.

Peace on the earth is not present

12.

This is speech from my heart/conscience

13.

This student (f) is better than all the students in the school

14.

The boy is on the throne

15.

We are in the school

16.

There is a big meeting in the house

17.

Those men are the new teachers

18.

This is the new student

19.

And Allahs word is the highest

20.

Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth

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Exercise 2.4.1
1.

Indeed Allah is All knowing Great

2.

Indeed this is the truth

3.

Indeed there is a word in the book

4.

Indeed I am Allah

5.

Allah was All knowing Great

6.

He was a scholar in his earthly/temporal life

7.

Your speech was in my heart/conscience

8.

Was there good in it/him?

9.

The house is not far from the sea

10.

Is there not a word in the book?

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Exercise 2.4.2

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Exercise 3.1

Exercise 3.2

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1.

Why did the professor teach one book?

2.

The women wrote a word and they understood

the

speech

3.

Is the calculation correct? Yes, it is correct

4.

Muhammad did not write a book

5.

Where did the female students sit all at once?

6.

Muhammad understood a correct understanding

7.

When did the boy grow (in age) and grow (in

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Indeed we worked hard and we learnt the book

9.

How will they (m) write the sentences?

10.

Muhammad does not read / Muhammad is not

reading / Muhammad will not read?

11.

Did you (m. pl.) not write? What did you write?

12.

They (m. dual) cant calculate/consider and how

will they calculate/consider?

13.

The students read the ancient writing all at once

14.

Does Hasan not understand the book? Yes indeed

(he does)
15.

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Yes, and to understand correctly is beautiful.
4

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Answers to chapter 4
Review Exercise 1
1.

Did you (m. pl.) not read the word in the book?

2.

There are signs on the Earth.

3.

The girls went on the path until the sea.

4.

Is there not a big desert in Iraq?

5.

Is this word is a diptote.

6.

Your statement is far from the correct understanding.

7.

Many a time the student read about the declinable and

Review Exercise 2

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indeclinable (lit. variable and fixed (in ending)).

Exercise 4.1.1
1.

We entered Makkah

2.

Is speaking about the president forbidden in

Damascus?

3.

The first house of Allah was in ancient Makkah

4.

This is from senior scholars

5.

This enquiry is for senior scholars

6.

All of this has one meaning (lit. is with one meaning)

7.

I shall teach you a lesson in the meaning of hard work

8.

Musa took his long staff

9.

How many times have you entered this valley in the

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past?
10.

There are beautiful meanings in this word

Exercise 4.5.1
1.

We shall never enter these lands

2.

I taught him a lesson but he did not read and did not

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learn a thing
3.

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With whom did you leave the school? We did not

leave

4.

Do not raise your hands

5.

Let us sit on the ground a little

6.

Enter this city with peace

7.

Learn and teach and strive and work hard

.

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Answers to chapter 6
Exercise 6.1

Exercise 6.2

( )

(A)
1.

Did anyone attend?

2.

Yes, one of the (two) ministers attended.

3.

The two school students (lit. students of the school)

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sat on two chairs.

4.

They are sound plurals.

5.

The books are four.

6.

They are broad-minded girls.

7.

Three thousand (of the) men attended in nine

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months.
8.

Did any of the students read the six books?

9.

The teacher read a hundred new names.

10.

Hasan has a thousand pieces of land.

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(B)
1.

And good men are for good women.

2.

There are many ministers in the council.

3.

Allah sent Moses to the children of Israel and

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Muhammad as a mercy to the worlds.

4.

One of the ministers attended many long

meetings.

5.

The number of men in the cabinet is very

many and the women are only three.

6.

The professor wrote eight books in eight years

7.

The scholar has status in the world.

8.

In a thousand months there are a thousand

ulamaau and dimashqu are two words (that are)

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diptotes.
10.

There are very many sciences in the old books and

in the new books too.

11.

He wrote eight sentences in eight minutes.

12.

One of the teachers (f) read the good news to the

.

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moons.
9.

.

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students.
6

13.

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He wrote only two sentences.

Answers to chapter 7
Exercise 7.1

Exercise 7.2

(A)
1.
2.

There are only two words of truth in his speech.

The queen is very rich (lit. possessor of much
wealth)
3.
Our fellow countrymen are the sons of our
fathers, our sons and the sons of our sons.
4.
The scholars of Damascus possess correct
understanding
5.
His name is Hasan and he is one of my good
brothers.
6.
Your father went and took me and your brother.
7.
A broad-minded student read about scholars of
much knowledge.
8.
My two brothers went to Makkah twice.
9.
My father took my little brother to my big
brothers house / my brothers big house.
10. Hasan: Did your father understand me?
Mary: Yes.
(B)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

7.
8.

9.

10.
11.

The student sat reading the six authentic books

until dawn. *
Your speech is far from the truth so we are
right.
Allah sent a prophet to the children of Israel
and sent with him his brother.
The scholar possesses broad understanding and
the ignoramus has a narrow mind.
Did he himself really come? And at fajr time
too? There is a good sign in the matter.
He understood one matter from the sum total of
the professors speech and writings : (that) he is
very strong in the sciences and of great
importance.
Many a brother hit his brother and many a good
quality did he lose (lit. went from him).
There are four aspects to the matter and they
are very difficult for new students so your
enquiry is very good.
Muhammad sat with his companions, among
them his fellow countrymen and men from
distant countries.
Mary possesses (high) standing with Allah
The sons of our sons are our sons and (as for)
our daughters, their sons are the sons of men
removed (lit. distant). **

* Notice that we use *

B
 , a broken plural to describe :
. #.9
 ,
a non-human object. This is usually found in poetry. The

B

expression *

:
. #.9
 is commonly used to refer to the six

authentic books of prophetic traditions.

** In this line of poetry the predicate, Q-./8 precedes the subject,

/j/8S

-./8. This is permitted because there is no ambiguity in

the meaning.

()

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Answers to chapter 8
Exercise 8.1

1.

Exercise 8.2

 
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Nobody took me yesterday and nobody is

taking / takes me today

2.

Enter at once!

3.

We left Makkah during the day and arrived at

.

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Medina at night
4.

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Have you read this book before? Yes, I read it

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three times
5.

Hasan to Mary: Have you been to Makkah

A+ $ S x8 :
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before? Maryam: Yes, I went twice.

6.

He is a prophet of Allah

7.

I have taught you this thing many times

8.

Will Hasan not arrive tonight? Yes indeed. He

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left his house in Makkah at fajr time so he will

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arrive tonight if Allah wills.

9.

Did you (pl) find him to be knowledgeable (lit.

possessor of knowledge)?

10.

The two mothers found their three sons in the

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house
11.

His word was an enormity to me

H
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Answers to chapter 9
Exercise 9.1

1.

And Allahs Earth is vast.

2.

Muhammad is handsome and quick of wit.

3.

Muhammads daughter is quick of wit so she

Exercise 9.2

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understood the speech.

4.

A word of truth is in the book /

There is a word of truth in the book /
In the book is a word of truth

5.

The possessive construction is a possessed and

a possessor.

6.

Why did the students go to Makkah and

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Damascus in addition to the country of Iraq ?

7.

Is the river of Egypt long and wide? Yes.

8.

Where is the house of Hasans relative ?

It is close to the sea.

9.

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Will they really go to the middle of the desert

on Friday ? And why ?

10.

Muhammad was the son of Abdullah.

11.

The students go to the houses of the senior

scholars in Damascus.

12.

The scholar has a broad understanding and the

ignoramus* has a narrow mind.

13.

54  CA D 54 ' Cp { a  Q | 54  CA D 54 ' Cp  b S .)

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The (female) students read the writing on a

door of the house of the ancient caliphs in
Damascus.

* Not to be translated as, the ignorant, which refers to a plural

an example of a singular adjective doubling as a generic plural
noun.
As a singular, the word ignorant can only be used as an
adjective. One would have to say, the ignorant person.
Otherwise, one can use a noun such as the fool or the idiot.
Alternatively, we can translate the sentence as, scholars have
broad understanding and the ignorant have narrow minds,
treating both a

 and Pbm
 as generic.
Notice that the sentence is trying to convey the following
meaning: those with broad understanding are (true) scholars and
those with narrow minds are (in fact) ignorant.

10


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* PY _. K H. /8 is an indefinite 54 W> even though the English is
the daughter of a rich man. The daughter is indefinite
because a man is indefinite, just as the middle of a desert
is indefinite.

Answers to chapter 10
Exercise 10.1

1.

Exercise 10.2

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And above every possessor of knowledge is

an all knowing.

2.

Maryam arrived before all the people and

Hasan arrived after her.

3.

The companions of the prophet Muhammad

sat around him and among them was Abu
Bakr.

4.

Approximately a hundred authors from all

over the world attended the meeting.

5.

All the students read their books on grammar

and morphology at fajr every day.

6.

We called upon the professor between Asr

and Maghrib on Friday.

7.

We sat under the strong Makkan sun where

the masses of people from all over the world
sat.

9.

(The) Lord of the two easts and (the) Lord of

the two wests.

10.

Everything is before you (at your disposal) at

all times.

11.

The likes of Abu Bakr are non-existent in our

time.

12.

My lack of trust in you is for a number of

reasons.

13.

I am of the likes of you. Some people think I

am good and some people think I am not
good.

14.

I took both his hands between my hands and

said some strong words to him.

15.

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We took the path toward Makkah and arrived

at Asr time.

8.

.

.
.

I did not stay with him other than one night

I stayed one night, no other.

11

Answers to chapter 14
Exercise 14.1

1.

His opinion/doubt was not correct.

2.

There was a big meeting after fajr.

3.

When I began my question about the subject

Exercise 14.2

5 W
 
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the professor had already left.

4.

+ 6 `4 _K 5 /CA

  l 6 .

When I found him he was sitting on the

 
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ground without speech.

5.

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When the king hears about his actions

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tomorrow he will have left the country.

6.

Not all people are like Abu Bakr.

7.

Hasan became angry when he heard the news

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>  -.hS  i h.  C A /

and he is patient in all situations.

8.

Hasans arrival has become imminent.

9.

He still goes to the city centre every Friday,

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once a week
10.

We will be (in the) right so long as we are

V-.#
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patient upon the path.

11.

1
O L&D A  8 VA _ VIr
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Hasan began to speak at length to me (lit. say

O n 6

to me a long statement) and almost prevented

V$ H
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me from going.
12.

 
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The student was about to read when the

professor prevented him.

13.

He can hardly understand a thing.

14.

No sooner did he trust him, than he took him

,
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by his hands and hit him severely (lit. a severe

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)

strike).
14.

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Allah is (lit. was)

12

Answers to chapter 15
Exercise 15.2

Exercise 15.1

1.

w y
.
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 'CA r
 l ib .

Indeed his love for this sister of his is very

VA _ 54 I r
 q W-
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 .

strong.
2.

Indeed life in this world is short.

3.

I came to you out of love for you and there

jDA r
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is not doubt about that.

4.

w
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. / 6

This sitting of yours with me and your going

(away) from me are the same to me because

w y
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you are my friend.

5.

 C- 
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Have you heard that this professor wrote two

VAs @
  
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books on biology and ethics?

6.

He said that this matter is very clear and that


> ]
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 QS H
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he does not find any doubt in that.

7.

a x.
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My father said to me that there are many

@
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doubts about this matter and he said to me that

he mentioned this to me out of fear of me

5 
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falling into these doubts.

8.


g
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It was mentioned (lit. it came) in the news that

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after this week, there is a meeting for

presidents from all over the world.
9.

H
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  h  VC l 6 U. Q> `D .

The fact is that fear of death prevents Man

Vc /  ;  //9

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from many things but his death is certain

a 9 / &\  c F
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one day.
10.

If only I had read my books when I was a boy,

U t
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for my knowledge now is little.

11.

U.  / ` 
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 a x  .
"

There is no doubt that you are truthful.

O n 6 5O IBp `Y  S  

Perhaps your brother is truthful too.

12.

I said to him: since you fear as if you are a

&e ; K. 2 + -. [. &L I6 2 a


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)

small boy, it is necessary for me to go with

q m

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you.

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So he said to me: Dont worry. Your going

and your not going with me are the same to

VA _

me.

U. QM%L 5 ; K A 
 
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13

Answers to chapter 16
Exercise 16.1

1.

Exercise 16.2

 IBp . s a x. QM%L a b. #

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I told him to take me with him but he did not

take me.

2.

They demanded of us that the strong among

us go out so when they went out they hit each
other.

3.

The teacher said to the student, have you read

g
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this book previously? So the student said, I

have not read it yet (but will soon).
4.

Vc  T a

1
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R a x ~ T l S :
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So the teacher said, you must read all of

these books so that you understand the
subject.

5.

You will never attain correct understanding

V'8; VW2 %3~ Q

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until you read much.

6.

You cannot stay here for this place is not

good.

7.

/ &% c ML  [ i b Pt 6 :

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It is right for you to make this statement of

yours for you are right and we are wrong.

8.

We entered the city at night in order that the

Let us pass that river for I find its sight very

beautiful.

10.

.
E
.

P I' #3.
  @

R P  ~ C
a
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 b i C l S . 9  .C P b .

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people dont see us.

9.

.<
.?

/ a x j8f q  G. ( 2 ML  'IC l S :
. m
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/ a x j8f q  &e 'I
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a x j8f q  -' IC l S G ( 2 ML   :
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The people came to take me to the council but

I refused to go out with them.

14