Arabic Grammar

Arabic Alphabet
Semitic languages are written from right to left. Ancient Mesopotamians wrote
on stones with chisels, and since that most inscribers were right-handed, it
was easier and more natural to them to write from right to left (I think it still
makes more sense today to write from right to left!.
!he Arabic script, which is deri"ed from that of Aramaic, is based on #$
distinct shapes. %sing a combination of dots abo"e and below $ of these
shapes, the full complement of &$ characters can be fully spelled out.
!hose &$ Arabic letters are all consonants.
In the table below'
!he first column to the right shows the Arabic letters.
!he second column shows their names in Arabic. (lick on the letter to hear its
name.
!he third column shows the )omani*ed "ersion of the Arabic letters. I will use
these when I write Arabic words in )oman letters.
!he last column shows how the letters are represented in the International
+honetic Alphabet. !his is unimportant for most people, I guess. !o see these
I+A figures you may need to install a font.
Some letters (the gutturals can be hard to pronounce by non-nati"es, so it
should be tried to pronounce them in the closest possible way to the original
sounds.

International +honetic
Alphabet
)omani*ed
,ersion
-ame .etter
||
glottal plosive
'
'alif

|b|
voiced bilabial plosive
as in "bat"
b
baa'<

|t|
voiceless dental
plosive
as in "tap"
t
taa'<

||
voiceless inter-dental
fricative
as in "thumb"
th
thaa'
<

|d|
voiced post-alveolar
affricate
as in "jar"
j
jeem

||
voiceless pharyngeal
fricative
h
haa'<

|x|
voiceless velar
fricative
as in German "nacht"
or Scottish "loch"
kh
khaa'
<

_
|d|
voiced dental plosive
as in "dark"
d
daal
. '~
~
||
voiced inter-dental
fricative
as in "this"
th
thaal
. '~
~
|r|
alveolar trill
as in "run"
r
raa'<
'
|z|
voiced alveolar
fricative
as in "zoo"
z
zayn
-
|s|
voiceless alveolar
fricative
as in "sad"
s
seen
~
||
voiceless post-
alveolar fricative
as in "she"
sh
sheen
~
|s |
emphatic voiceless
alveolar fricative
s
saad
~ -
|d |
emphatic voiced
alveolar plosive
d
daad
~ -
|t |
emphatic voiceless
dental plosive
t
taa'<
=
=
| |
emphatic voiced
alveolar fricative
z
zaa'<
=
=
||
voiced pharyngeal
fricative
"
"ayn
=
_
||
voiced velar fricative
(rench ! or guttural
!"
r
rayn
=
_
|I|
voiceless labiodental
fricative
as in "fan"
f
faa'<

-
|q|
voiced uvular plosive
q
qaaf
-
|k|
voiceless velar
plosive
as in "kite"
k
kaaf
-
=
|l|
alveolar lateral
as in "leg"
l
laam
`
.
|m|
bilabial nasal
as in "man"
m
meem
~
|n|
alveolar nasal
as in "nose"
n
noon
-
|h|
voiceless glottal
fricative
as in "hat"
h
haa'<
-
-
|W|
voiced labialized
appro#imant
as in "$ool"
w
waaw
'
|j|
palatal appro#imant
as in "yes"
y
yaa'<
-
/-ote' !his figure ( '< means a still consonant letter 'alif '. Stillness means that the' sound is not
followed by any "owel. !hus, it has an almost *ero duration and does not lea"e the throat. .ook in the
pronunciation section for more information.

!he &$ Arabic letters are all consonants.
0owe"er, there are "owels in Arabic of course. !here are si1 "owels2 three
short "owels and three long ones. 3nly the three long "owels are written using
the alphabet. !he three short "owels ha"e special marks which denote them.
!he long "owels are letters but the short "owels are not letters.
!he three long "owels are written using the three following letters' '

4ecause of this, those letters are called 5weak letters25 we are going to talk
about this in the "owels section.
!he letter daad is characteristic to Arabic and does not e1ist in any other
language. !his is why Arabs called their language sometimes the "daad
language.5
!his ordering of Arabic letters is recent. 6ormerly, they were laid in the same
order as that of other Semitic and Indo-7uropean languages'
- _ . = = - ~

!his common ordering is a hint to the fact that all those alphabets ha"e a
common distant ancestor.

Pronunciation of
Consonants

In Arabic, as in any language, proper pronunciation is best learned by
imitating a nati"e speaker. 8hat follows here is meant to gi"e only a general
idea of how the letters sound. 4y carefully following the instructions here, you
can arri"e at a good enough first appro1imation to ser"e until you are able to
listen to Arabs.
71cept for the ones discussed below, the consonants are pronounced pretty
much as they are in 7nglish.
Consonant 'alif (hamza(t))
!he letter 'alif has two forms' a form that denotes a long "owel ' , and one
that denotes a consonant . !he consonant form is called hamza(t) .
+honetically, the hamza(t) is a 5glottal stop5. It sounds like a little 5catch5 in
the "oice. Although there is no letter representing this sound in 7nglish, the
sound actually does e1ist.
It is the catch that occurs between "owels in the e1clamation 5oh - oh,5 (as
though you9re in trouble, or the separation of syllables the second of which
begins with a "owel, as in the se:uence 5an aim5 as opposed to 5a name,5 or
in 5grade A5 as opposed to 5gray day.5 ;ou should notice that little catch in
the "oice at the beginning of each syllable. If you did it properly and forcefully,
that little catch in your "oice between the two syllables is a perfect hamza(t).
In Arabic, the glottal stop is a full-fledged consonant and can appear in the
strangest places' at the end of a word for e1ample.
!he traditional way to transcribe the hamza(t) in )oman characters is as an
apostrophe9.
7nglish +hrase Arabic 3nline !ranscription
An aim 'an 'aim
<rade A graid 'ai
0owe"er this symbolism may lead some people to ignore it, which is a
problem when the letter is not followed by a "owel. I am going to use this
no"el symbolism ' '< for the hamza(t) that is not followed by any "owel2 e"en
if it looks funny, it is clearer.

Emphatic Consonants
(You may click on the Arabic letter to hear its sound)

6our Arabic letters' , , = , = are known as 5emphatic consonants5.
Although there is no e1act e:ui"alent of them in 7nglish, they are not all that
difficult to pronounce' it =ust takes a bit of practice.
!he best way to do it is to start with their 5unemphatic5 e:ui"alents.
6or e1ample, pronounce s as S.
-ow try to make the same sound, but as if your mouth was full of cotton wool,
so that you ha"e to say S with your tongue drawn back. Make the sound more
forcefully and shorter in duration than a normal S. !he back of your tongue
should be raised up toward the soft palate, and the sound produced should
ha"e a sort of 5dark5 :uality.
!his is the letter Saad s .
!here is a similar relationship between the following pairs'
d and ~ d
= t and t
= z and ~ th
If you listen to nati"e speakers of Arabic, one thing you will notice is that these
5emphatic consonants5 gi"e a "ery distincti"e sound to the language.

Kh _ (khaa'<)

!he letter Khaa'< is a "oiceless "elar fricati"e. It sounds like the ch in the
Scottish loch or like the ch in the <erman nacht, but it is slightly more guttural
than its Scottish or <erman counterparts.
8hate"er you do, don9t pronounce it as an 0 or a >. It is, better to e1aggerate
rather than underemphasi*e the guttural aspect.

R _ (rayn)
!his is the the sound of the +arisian ), in 6rench. 3r, if you like, the sound
you make when gargling.
!he common )omani*ation for this letter is 5gh52 but I am going to go here
with r .

Q (qaaf)
!his sound usually gi"es 7uropean speakers a hard time. It sounds a bit like
>, but it is pronounced "ery far back in the throat.
8hen you say the letter >, you touch the roof of your mouth with more or less
the middle of your tongue. 8hen you say a qaaf, you touch the "ery back of
your tongue to the soft palate in the back of your mouth.
Most 7uropeans trying to learn Arabic ha"e a lot of trouble doing this, and
pronounce qaaf as if it were kaaf = . Arabs tend to be fairly tolerant of this
mistake, and there are not "ery many words in which the difference between
qaaf and kaaf determines a different meaning. Still, it9s worth making the
effort.

" _ ("ayn)
!his is a uni:ue sound that only e1ist in Semitic languages. It is usually "ery
hard for 7uropeans to make. %nfortunately, it is a "ery common letter so it
must be mastered.
0owe"er, learners of Arabic can make this sound pretty well after practicing
for some time. !he best way to learn it is to listen to Arabs and to practice
incessantly.
!his letter is a pharyngeal "oiced fricati"e. !hat means that the sound is made
by constricting the muscles of the laryn1 so that the flow of air through the
throat is partially choked off. 3ne eminent Arabist once suggested that the
best way to pronounce this letter is to gag. ?o it, and you9ll feel the muscles of
your throat constrict the passage of air in =ust the right way.
!he sound is "oiced, which means that your "ocal cords "ibrate when making
it. It sounds like the bleating of a lamb, but smoother.
)ussell Mc<uirk described this sound in his 5A (ollo:uial Arabic of 7gypt5
saying 5 if you sound like you are being strangled you will ha"e mastered the
9"oiced pharyngeal fricati"e.5 0e also says to try to swallow the sound 5ah5.
An American learner of Arabic e1plained his techni:ue as follows'
)educe your air flow by putting pressure on your throat with your hand,
or, in essence, choking yourself. Start by saying the sound 9ah9 as in father
and then hold your open hand out in front of your face with the palm
facing the floor -- in other words parallel with the floor. ;ou will be looking
at the profile of your inde1 finger and your thumb. -ow, while saying the
sound 9ah9 slowly mo"e your hand towards your throat, abo"e the Adam9s
Apple or below where the chin meets the neck. 8hen your hand reaches
your throat keep pushing (slowly until it sounds like you think it should. I
looked at my profile in the mirror while doing this to try to =udge how far I
push my hand into my throat, but it is difficult to tell -- maybe anywhere
from a half inch to an inch.
Anyway, this is a good e1ercise =ust to get you familiar with producing
the sound, the muscles that produce it, and what they need to do to
produce it. 7"entually, with enough practice, one should be able to
produce the sound without choking him@herself.

H (haa'<)
!he last one, this letter sounds much like a "ery emphatic 0. Imagine that
you9"e =ust swallowed a spoonful of the hottest chilies imaginable' that 5haaa5
sound that results should be a good appro1imation of haa'<.
Strictly speaking, haa'< is an un"oiced "ersion of "ayn. In other words, it is
made =ust like the "ayn, e1cept that when you say "ayn your "ocal cords
"ibrate, but when you say haa'< they don9t. (In 7nglish, for instance, t and d
are e1actly the same, e1cept that t is un"oiced and d is "oiced' your "ocal
cords "ibrate when you say d, but not when you say t.
?on9t worry too much if you can9t get qaaf, "ayn, and haa'< right away. Auite a
few learned people ha"e struggled for decades with them.
As a first appro1imation, you can pronounce qaaf like kaaf, "ayn like hamza(t),
and haa9B like haa9B (like an 7nglish h. 4ut this should be only a temporary
measure, more or less e:ui"alent to the Arab who says 5blease5 instead of
5please59 (as you will ha"e noticed, there is no letter + in Arabic.
Words

In most languages, putting letters ne1t to each other simply creates a word.
0owe"er, In Arabic, putting letters as they are in a row does not create any
word.

!his is not a word

Ancient Arabs (or more precisely, Arameans saw that it made more sense to
=oin the letters of each word together, so the pre"ious word will look like'
= -ow this is a word, and it means' sea

So to write and read Arabic you will ha"e, in addition to knowing the letters, to
know how each letter is =oined when it is at the beginning, middle, or end of
the word.

71amples'
- ?ay

-otice here that one of the letters was =oined from the right but wasn9t
=oined from the left2 this happens.

= ' - 4ook

Supper _ ' = ~

6igures of Coined .etters
.etter
End Middle Beginning
.ook below
- -
-
-

-
- `
_ =
_ =
_ =
_
~ ~ ~
~
~ ~ ~
~

~ ~
~ ~
- -
- -
= = =
=
= = =
=
_ =
_
_ =
_
-
-

=

.
~
-
-

Coining 6igures of .etter
(hamza(t)/!ns!nant 'alif)
Beginning
'

Middle

End

Coining 6igures of .etter '
(w"ak/"#t"nd"d/$!w"l 'alif)
Beginning
Middle
End

?etailed information on the usage of different =oining figures of letter 'alif is
a"ailable on this page.

pecial !igures
'
.
.
. ' `

"o#els

!he Arabic &$ letters are all consonants. -onetheless, Arabic ha"e si1
"owels.
!here are three short "owels and three long "owels.
Short "owels appear only in pronunciation but do not ha"e letters that
represent them in writing. I will be )omani*ing the short "owels as' a $ i $ and
% %
Short "owels are sometimes denoted with special marks that appear abo"e or
below the preceding letter. !hese marks are' , , respecti"ely.
!hese marks are rarely seen in real life, so you should not count much on
them.
!he three long "owels will be )omani*ed as' aa $ "" $ !! .
.ong "owels are denoted in writing with the letters' D D ' respecti"ely.
4ut we already know that these three letters are the three consonants' ' , y,
w %
!herefore, these three letters can denote both the consonants and long
"owels. !his is why they are called the 5weak letters5 ' - %

Arabic -ame
Arabic 3nline
)omani*ation
,owel
fatha(t)
opening (of lips
= - a
Short A
As in 5accept,5
5ascend5
&
'alif
mamd!!da(t
)
e1tended 'alif

-~ ~ ~
aa
.ong A
As in 5man,5
5can5
'
kasra(t)
breaking (of
sound
- ~ i
Short I
As in 5sit,5 5hit5
&
yaa'<
mamd!!da(t
)
e1tended yaa'<
-~ ~ ~ - ""
.ong I
As in 5feel,5
5deal5
damma(t)
=oining (of lips
- %
Short %
As in 5put,5
5foot5
&
waaw
mamd!!da(t
)
e1tended waaw
'
-~ ~ ~
!!
.ong %
As in 5sure,5
5roof5
s%k!!n
stillness
~ &&&&&
-o following
"owel

As in 5stay,5
5drag5
&
/ 5'5 means any consonant preceding the short "owel.

!he three weak letters are =oined when they denote long "owels =ust like when
they denote consonants. !here is no way to determine between the two
possibilities by =ust looking at the word if you do not know which one is the
one.
0owe"er, the e1ception is the weak ' ;ou ha"e seen that it is missing the
sign %
If the 'alif has that sign, this means that the 'alif is definitely a hamza(t) - -
% !he hamza(t) is the consonant form of 'alif (the glottal stop, the *ero-
duration A "owel.
If the 'alif is not carrying the sign of hamza(t), then it must be a long "owel A
7E(7+! when it occurs first letter in the word. In that case, the 'alif is a
hamza(t) (consonant, but it is a special type of hamza(t) that is pronounced
only when it is the first sound coming out of the mouth (i.e. when you begin
speaking by pronouncing that hamza(t) . !his hamza(t) is called the
5connecting hamza(t)5 - ' - - . !he other outspoken hamza(t) at the
beginning of a word is called the 5disconnecting hamza(t)5 _ = ' - - 2 that
one is always pronounced.
So a single 'alif can ne"er denote a long "owel when it is the first letter of a
word2 there is no Arabic word that begins with a long-"owel-denoting 'alif.
!his is why the table of =oining figures did not a ha"e a figure for long "owel
'alif at the beginning of the word.
!he hamza(t) is not a weak letter. !he weak 'alif is only that 'alif which is not
the first letter of a word and which doesn9t carry the sign of hamza(t)'
!he and ha"e no such differentiation. !he and are always called
weak letters, whether they were denoting long "owels or not.
Short "owels are called in Arabic 5mo"es5 %
.ong "owels are called 5e1tensions5 - ~ ' %
A letter that is followed by a 5mo"e5 is called a 5mo"ing letter5 - = = -~ %
A letter that is not followed by any "owel is called a 5still letter5 ~ - %
!he mark for 5stillness5 is' &
!he three letters that indicate long "owels (e1tended letters are always still,
i.e. ne"er followed by any short "owel (mo"e.
!he letter that precedes any e1tended letter must be followed by the short
"owel that corresponds to the e1tended letter.
71tended .etter
(orresponding
Short ,owel
'
a
&
i
&
%
&
!hus, the e1tended letter is always a still letter and is always preceded by the
corresponding short "owel. !his the definition of long "owel. Any weak letter
that is still and preceded by the corresponding short "owel indicates a long
"owel.
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
71tra -ote

;ou will see when you get deep enough in Arabic that Arabic does not ha"e
real long "owels but only the three short ones (a, i, %.

!he long "owel I is composed of a short I and a still consonant ( (iy G "". !he
long "owel % is composed of a short % and a still consonant ) (%w G !!. !he
long "owel A is composed of a short A and a weak 'alif that represents
another short A (aa). !he second short A is not a consonant 'alif in this case.
0owe"er, this weak 'alif is not an original letter and it is always transformed
from either a consonant ( or ) (ay H aa , aw H aa2 thus, again we ha"e a
long "owel that is composed of a short "owel and a following still consonant,
but the consonant here is disguising in the form of a short A.

Arabic .ong ,owels
aa

iy G ""

%w G !!

!his information will become useful later, but in the beginning, it is good idea
to stick to the principles mentioned abo"e without di"ing in these details.
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

0ere is the )omani*ation scheme for the hamza(t) with the "owels'
;ou may click on the letter to hear its sound
)omani*ation for letter
'a
8ith a short A

'%
8ith a short %

'i
8ith a short I
'aa
8ith a long A
'""
8ith a long I
'!!
8ith a long %
'<
8ith no "owel

!here are some special transformations that often in"ol"e the hamza(t) *

'a '< + 'a'< H aa

I

'i , '< + 'i'< H ""
-
I
-
'% , '< + '%'< H !!

I

!hese transformations were meant to facilitate pronunciation.

J?iphthongs
A diphthong means two "owels following each other and pronounced as one
syllable. 6or e1ample, the word 5eye5 is pronounced as a diphthong
composed of a long A followed by an i (Ki), and the word 5mail5 contains a
diphthong composed of a long 7 and an i (mLil). ?iphthongs are "ery common
in 7nglish.

In Arabic howe"er, diphthongs are few. Important diphthongs in formal Arabic
are the following'
aw
ay
aaw
aay

Jaw @ aaw sound similar to 5mount5, 5doubt5 or the <erman 5aus.5
So the Arabic word waaw sounds' wow!
Jay @ aay sound similar to 5my5, 5dry5 or 57instein.5

(lick on the e1ample to hear the pronunciation'
+ronunciation 71ample
'aw

'ay

?iphthongs like iw or %y do not e1ist in Arabic. 8hen the combination iw
occurs, it is transformed to other things (usually to iy and the combination
%y is usually transformed %w.
!he concept of diphthongs is a western concept. 6rom an Arabic point of
"iew, the diphthongs are not combinations of "owels but combinations of
"owels and weak consonants (w and y are not "owels in Arabic but
consonants, because when you say 5wide5 and 5yard5 you are pronouncing
consonants not "owels.

6or e1ample, diphthongs such as the one in the word 5Iliad5 are written in
7uropean languages with two "owels, i and a. If we were to transcribe this
diphthong in Arabic, we would need to use three transcription symbols not =ust
two'

8estern !ranscription Arabic !ranscription
iliad iliyad
~
myriad miriyad
~ - ~

!he Arabic transcription identifies a full-blown consonant y between the two
"owels i and a, whereas the western point of "iew is that this is a diphthong
composed of two "owels connected by a 5glide.5 !he 5glide5 is a letter in
Arabic (either w or y, so the Arabic transcription system does not recogni*e
the western concept of diphthongs. ,owels -7,7) follow each other in
Arabic.

8estern ,iew Arabic ,iew
"g"
"owels connected by 5glides5 in
diphthongs
"("
"owels connected by weak
consonants
(' consonant "' "owel g' 5glide5

In the modern spoken Arabic, the diphthongs aw and ay ha"e e"ol"ed into
new, simple "owels. -w has e"ol"ed into a long 3 ( as in 5loan5 and ay
and has e"ol"ed into a long 7 ( as in 5hair.5 !his has happened in nearly all
the modern dialects barring a few e1ceptions (e.g. modern rural Syrian
dialects where the classical "owels and diphthongs remain unchanged.

(lick to hear,

Modern Informal (lassical@6ormal 71ample
' . ' aw

' ai ' ay

y . m y aw m
-
b ai t b ay t
-

(eading )ut
J'alif
If a letter 'alif is following another letter, it will be a long A "owel if it lacks the
sign of hamza(t) ' and a glottal stop (hamza(t)) if the sign is present .
71amples, click on the Arabic syllable to hear it'
ba'<

baa

sh%'<
~
shaa
~
wi'<
,
waa
'
mar'<
~
yaa
-
;ou can see that the figure of the hamza(t) is related to the short "owel
preceding it. !his is e1plained in detail here.
+ronouncing a still hamza(t) '< may be appro1imated by saying an e1tremely
short a (or any other "owel. If you can say an a and terminate it before it
lea"es your throat (*ero duration, you will ha"e mastered the still hamza(t).
0owe"er, if the 'alif is the first letter of a word, it must be a hamza(t)2 a long A
denoting 'alif cannot come first in any Arabic word. !he difference between '
and when they are the first letter of a word was e1plained in the pre"ious
page.
'al
' .
'al
.
'is
'
'is

'%n
'
'%n

Arabic words cannot begin with a 5still5 letter (a letter that is not followed by a
"owel2 this is why the ' hamza(t) is added in front of certain types of words
that otherwise would be beginning with still letters.
A common terminal structure in Semitic nouns is a long A "owel followed by a
weak letter (&aaw or &aay. In Arabic, the final weak letter of such structures
is almost always turned into a glottal stop or hamza(t). 0ence, the structure
&aa'< is common in Arabic nouns.
71amples, click on the word to hear it'
3riginal 6orm (-ot %sed
-oun
maay
~
maa'<
~
water water
samaay
~
samaa'<
~
sky sky
masaay masaa'<
~ ~
~ ~
e"ening e"ening
/-ote' the classical teaching of Arabic grammar considers the original endings
of these three nouns to be &aaw not &aay.
!he final hamza(t) of the combination &aa'< is often dropped in the modern
spoken dialects so that it becomes =ust &aa.

8hen a long A "owel (aa occurs terminally in any word, it will often not get
full pronunciation but it will ha"e shorter duration than usual. !his shorter
duration can be described as a middle duration between the durations of a
short A (a and a long A (aa. 0owe"er, it will often sound closer to the
duration of a short A than to a long A. !his is why a terminal aa is called in
Arabic a shortened 'alif - - ~ .

!he other long "owels ("" and !! will also be shortened when they occur
terminal in words, and they will often sound closer to the corresponding short
"owels too (i and %.

J)aaw M (aa'<

A letter or following another letter can be denoting a long "owel or not
depending on the short "owels. A long "owel-denoting or must be still
(not followed by a "owel and preceded by the corresponding short "owel.
kab""r
-
bayt
-
big house
l&""

layl

to@for me nighttime
'aq!!l
.
'%waafiq
'
(I say (I agree

J/aa'<
!he letter taa'< t has two "ersions at the end of a word'
An 5open5 "ersion -
A 5tied5 "ersion

!he tied taa'< = ' -' is always preceded by a short A (&at2 it occurs
in nouns (and ad=ecti"es and often ser"es as a feminine marker in singular
nouns, but it can also occur in "erbids and irregular plural nouns without being
a feminine marker. !his kind of taa'< is dropped from pronunciation or
pronounced as &h rather than &t when it is the last thing pronounced, but it is
pronounced fully as &t when it is followed by other talking. !his is similar to
the 6rench 5liaison.5

!he open taa'< -' -- ' occurs in the end of some con=ugations of
perfecti"e "erbs and pronouns, but can also occur at the end of some rare
nouns as a feminine marker (e.g. - , - . !his kind of taa'< is always
pronounced &t.

-o +ause +ause

&at &at
-
&at &ah / &a

*oubled letters
3ne last thing remains about Arabic transcription, which is this mark' &
It is called shadda(t) -~ ~ G 5stress.5 It indicates double consonants with no
"owel in between (i.e. the first consonant is still.

7.g.
N G
m N m G mm

-ation
'%mma(t)
~
6emale cat
qitta(t)
=

Accent and tress
Accent is =ust as important in Arabic as in 7nglish. In 7nglish, it is usually
impossible to tell which syllable of a word should be stressed, and 7nglish is
especially complicated in this, since the stress can fall on "irtually any
syllable, whereas in most languages there, are restrictions on where accents
are allowed to fall.
!he best way of getting a sense of the stress patterns of any language, of
course, is to listen to nati"e speakers and to build up an intuiti"e sense of
rhythm for the language. !his is =ust as true for Arabic as for any other
language. 4ut there are some clear guidelines about Arabic stress.
!he first thing to note is that Arabic syllables are di"ided into two kinds' long
and short. A short syllable is simply a single consonant followed by a single
short "owel. !he word kataba G 5(he wrote5 for instance, is composed of
three short syllables' ka&ta&ba. Any syllable that is not short is considered
long.
!here are "arious ways a syllable can be long' a consonant plus a long "owel2
a consonant plus a diphthong2 a consonant followed by a short "owel followed
by another consonant. 6or instance, kitaab G 5book9 has two syllables, one
short ki& and one long &taab. Another e1ample' maktaba(t) G 5library5 has
three syllables. !he first one is long mak&, the second short &ta&, the third
short &ba. 6inally, take makt!!b G 5written25 it has two long syllables mak& and
&t!!b.
-ow, the basic rule of Arabic stress is this' the accent falls on the long syllable
nearest to the end of the word. If the last syllable is long, then that syllable is
stressed' kitaab, accent on the last syllable. If the second-to-last syllable of a
word is long and the last is short, then the second-to-last syllable is stressed'
'ab!!h% G 5his father,5 accent on the second-to-last syllable. If there is no long
syllable in the word (like kataba, then the accent is on the third-to-last
syllable. !his will be the case with the great ma=ority of past "erbs, since these
usually take the form of three consonants separated by short "owels (kataba,
darasa, taraka, and so on - all accented on the first syllable.
.ast point' the accent is not allowed to fall any further back than the third
syllable from the end. So if you ha"e a word of four (or more short syllables,
the stress has to fall on the third syllable from the end. 6or e1ample' katabah%
G 5(he wrote it5 has four short syllables2 the stress will therefore fall on the
third syllable back' kat0bah%.
8hile we9re on the sub=ect of accent, we should note one other thing' in Arabic
e"ery syllable, long or short, should be clearly and distinctly pronounced,
gi"en its due weight. In this Arabic is like Spanish, and not like American
7nglish. Syllables do not disappear or get slurred =ust because they are
unstressed.

(ules of Pause
In Arabic, the pronunciation of word endings differ when they are followed by
other talking (the state of +unction - ' from when they are the last thing
pronounced, or when they are followed by a pause (the state of pause '.
8e ha"e seen an e1ample of this already when we talked about the
pronunciation of the tied taa'< , which is pronounced &at when not terminal
in pronunciation, and &ah or &a when terminal in pronunciation or followed
by a pause.
Another important rule of pause in Arabic is that any terminal short "owel of
any word must be dropped from pronunciation when followed by a pause.
6or e1ample, a terminal &l% , &ba, or &ni will be pronounced as follows'
+ronunciation in state of =unction
(not last thing pronounced
&l% &ba &ni
+ronunciation in state of pause
(last thing pronounced
&l &b &n
-ote that the rules of pause regard only the pronunciation but not the
transcription of any word ending.
!he rule of dropping a terminally pronounced "owel regards only the short
"owels, but not the long "owels. 8e mentioned before that terminal long
"owels are usually shortened in pronunciation, but this happens in all states
not only at pause.
In Arabic terminology, letters that are followed by short "owels are called
5mo"ing letters.5 .etters that are not followed by short "owels are called 5still
letters.5
!he rule says that the final letter pronounced of any word must be 5still5 and
cannot be 5mo"ing.5 A final mo"ing letter must be turned into still by dropping
the short "owel following it in pronunciation (which is not a letter itselfF short
"owels are not letters in Arabic.
!his is the classic Arabic saying'
5Arabs do not stop on a mo"ing5 =, = -~ = ` '%

71ercise
!ry reading the following words on your own, then you can hear them by
clicking them. (Ignore the rules of pause only for this e1ercise.

(0e wrote - -
(0e tra"eled ~
(0e@it was brought -
(0e@it was said
(olor
Appearance
=
School ~ ~ ~
;our opinion -

(oots

In Indo-7uropean languages such as 7nglish, the infiniti"e is usually the basic
from of the "erb of which the rest of the forms are deri"ed.
6or e1ample, the infiniti"e 5to talk5 is the source of many deri"ed words'

!alk Infiniti"e
!alking +resent participle
!alked +ast participle
!alk +resent simple
!alked +ast simple
!alk -oun

8e see that the main stem of the infiniti"e stays preser"ed, while the inflection
works by affi1ing other parts to the stem. At least it is so most of the time.
%nfortunately, in Semitic languages things are a little bit more comple1 than
that.
,n Arabic, the basic source of all the forms of a "erb is called the 5root5 of the
"erb -' ~ %
!he root is not a real word, rather it is a se:uence of three consonants that
can be found in all the words that are related to it.
Most roots are composed of three letters, "ery few are of four or fi"e letters.
!he root can be easily obtained from the Ord person masculine singular past
form (the perfecti"e of the "erb.
.ook at these roots'
Meaning of ,erb )oot
Ord person masc. sing.
past (perfecti"e "erb
(0e did
6 5 . P Q R fa"al(a)

(0e wrote
> ! 4 S T U katab(a)
- -
(0e studied
? ) S V W X daras(a)
~
(0e drew (a picture
) S M Y V W rasam(a)
~
(0e ate
9 > . P U Z 'akal(a)

(0e knew
5 . M Y P Q "alim(a)
=
(0e was@became
bigger
> 4 ) W S U kab%r(a)
-
(0e rolled (something
? 0 ) C [ W \ X dahraj(a)
~

;ou see that the root is not a word2 it is =ust a se:uence of consonants. !he
consonants of the root are separated by different "owels in different words.
!hey can also be separated by other e1tra consonants that do not belong to
the root.
!he root is used to make all the forms of a "erb. It is used to make nouns as
well.
7ach root pertains to a certain meaning, e.g.
> ! 4 U

pertains to
5writing.5
See the following e1ample'

Meaning
8ords deri"ed from the root =

Verbs
(he wrote
katab(a)
- -
] (he was@became written
k%tib(a)
- -
(he was@became written
'inkatab(a)
-' - -
(he made (somebody
write
kattab(a)
- -
(he made (somebody
write
'aktab(a)
- -
(he e1changed writing with
H (he corresponded with
kaatab(a)
-
(he e1changed writing
H (he corresponded
takaatab(a)
-
(he wrote himself
H (he subscribed
'iktatab(a)
' - - -
(he sought writing
'istaktab(a)
-~ ' - -
Nouns
writing
katb
--
writing
H book@dispatch
kitaab
-
writing
kitaaba(t)
-
booklet
k%tayyib
- -
writing (man
H writer
kaatib
-
written
H letter
makt!!b
~ -
desk@office
maktab
~ --
library@bookstore
maktaba(t)
~ --
phalan1
kat""ba(t)
- -
So basically all these words were created by taking the root

=

and
adding letters or "owels to it. !his is how Semitic languages work.
Almost all Arabic words are structured on roots. 8ords in Arabic grammar
belong to three categories'
-oun

~ ` '
.
includes pronouns, ad=ecti"es and most ad"erbs.

"erb

- '

.
there are three main "erbal structures in Arabic.

/etter
(particle)

- = '

.
small words that do not ha"e roots.

So small words without known roots were not e"en :ualified enough to carry
the title of a 5word5 in Arabic grammar. Many of these 5letters5 are
prepositions and they do not undergo inflection.
!he letters of the root are called the original letters of a word
- ' - '
%

!he "ariable letters that appear between the root letters in different words are
called the additional letters

- ' -~ -''
%

!he letters that can ser"e as additional letters are ten'

' - .
!hese letters are rounded up in the word
.
- -~
G 5you asked me
for@about it.5
!here are standard patterns for adding additional letters to the root. !hese
patterns are called 'awzaan ' G 5measures5 or 'abniya(t) G
5structures.5
!
or e1ample'
'infa"al(a)
-' -
fa"al(a)

(he@it did himself@itself (he@it did
'inkasar(a)
-' ~
kasar(a)
~
(he@it broke himself@itself (he@it broke
'insabb(a)
-' - -
sabb(a)
- -
(he@it poured
himself@itself
(he@it poured

So this structure

'in1a1a1(a)
has a specific sense that is different from the
basic structure
1a1a1(a)
%
4oth structures are structures of acti"e "oice past (perfecti"e "erbs.
0owe"er, there is a difference between the two that is reminiscent of the .atin
or 6rench difference between faire and se faire. !he
'in1a1a1(a)
structure is
called a 5refle1i"e5 "erb because it denotes a self-directed action. ;ou can put
so many root letters in place of the stars and you will get the same outcome.
%sually stars are not used but instead the root

. _ -

G 5do5 is used for
gi"ing prototypes of different structures.
So these two structures will be standardi*ed'
(0e@it did
fa"al(a)

(0e@it did himself@itself
'infa"al(a)
- ' -

7tymology -ote' 4iliteral )oots
Arabic grammar recogni*es three-letter, four-letter, and fi"e-letter-roots, but
not anything more or less than that. 6i"e-letter-roots e1ist only in nouns but
not "erbs.
0owe"er, there are se"eral Arabic nouns that ha"e only two consonants in
them, for e1ample'
6ather
'ab
4rother
'akh
_
Son
'ibn
'
-ame
'ism
' ~
Mouth
fam
0and
yad
~-
4lood
dam
~
!he is not an original letter but is only a 5liaison5 that is added in front of
some words for a phonological reason. More about this is a"ailable on this
page and this one.
(lassical Arabic grammarians did not recogni*e biliteral roots and considered
them all to be modified from triliteral roots. 6or e1ample, grammarians of the
classical period ($th M ^th centuries debated whether the root of ' ~ was
or .
0owe"er, the truth is that Arabic indeed has biliteral roots. Moreo"er, there
was a time at which Arabic did not ha"e any roots but biliteral roots.
!his can be shown by comparing the meanings of different triliteral roots2 for
e1ample'
+roto-)oot =
(0e cut
qata"(a)
= _
(0e cut
qatal(a)
=
(0e cut
qat t (a)
=
(0e stitched
original sense:
(0e cut
qatab(a)
= -
(0e picked (a plant part
qataf(a)
=
(0e took a bite
qatam(a)
=
(0e dripped
qatar(a)
=
-otice that all these triliteral roots ha"e a common general meaning, and they
all share the first and second root-letters. !his indicates that all these roots
were deri"ed from a common biliteral ancestor, which is the proto-root = .
Surprisingly, this is also the root of the 7nglish "erb 5cut!5 In fact, this has to
do with more than mere chance. Such basic "erbs are often related to the
sound that an action produces, so it is not unusual that they be similar in
totally unrelated languages.
>nowing this idea of proto-roots will be "ery helpful in determining the original
meanings of a large number of roots.
6or e1ample, knowing that there was a proto-root = whose meaning was
related to cutting and to 5pieces5 will help us figure out easily the original
meaning of the following root'
=
qatan(a)
(he dwelled
!his "erb has an odd meaning compared to the meaning of the proto-root
= . 0owe"er, there is another word of the same root whose meaning seems
more original'
=
q%tn
cotton (masc.
!he 7nglish word 5cotton5 was borrowed from Arabic in Middle Ages. !he
meaning of 5cotton5 is more consistent with the general meaning of the proto-
root, so we can easily infer that the "erb qatan(a) has an altered meaning
and that the original meaning of the root = is related to 5pieces.5
0ebrew has the same root'
:o ;
qaat!n
(0e became small(er

Another interesting point is that there are se"eral roots that were deri"ed from
the same proto-root but they look somewhat different these days. 6or
e1ample'
(0e killed
qatal(a)
-
(0e was parsimonious
qatar(a)
-
4owel
qitb
- -
?ust
H darkness
qataam
-
>ind of a thorny plant
qataad
- ~
!hese words ha"e the proto-root , which is "ery similar to = , and they
probably were one thing initially. 4ecause we know the meaning of = , we
can easily determine the original meaning of (5pieces5.
>nowing these principles will help us figure out the original meanings of
countless "ague roots, and it will help us a"oid making mistakes like, for
e1ample, saying that the original meaning of the Arabic root - _ is 5to
know.5 !his is clearly false as the proto-root - has a totally different
meaning.
+roto-)oot -
(0e made de"iate
haraf(a)
-
(0e swept away, carried
along
jaraf(a)
-
(0e shed (tears
tharaf(a)
~ -
original sense:
(0e mo"ed fast
zaraf(a)
-
(0e blinked (eye
original sense:
(0e mo"ed fast
taraf(a)
= -
(0e was@became
e1tra"agant
tarif(a)
-
original sense:
(0e transgressed
qaraf(a)
-
(0e was@became funny
original sense:
(0e was nifty
zar%f(a)
= -
So it is clear that the proto-root - had a meaning that is related to
5mo"ing,5 5flowing,5 or 5straightness.5
As for the root - _ '
- =
"araf(a)
(he knew, became ac:uainted with
(used for 5being familiar with people, things, etc.,5 e:ui"alent to the 6rench connatre
!his "erb is irregular both in meaning and structure, as it is shown in the "erb
section.
0owe"er, another word from the same root is'
- =
"%rf
comb, crest (of rooster
!his word is clearly related to the original meaning of the root (5mo"ing,5
5flowing,5 or 5straightness5. !hus, the original meaning of - _ is not 5to
know.5
!he proto-root - is an interesting one. !he Arabic letter - was originally a
+ like the 7nglish +, so it is not surprising that roots deri"ed from the proto-
root ha"e similar meanings to the ones deri"ed from - .
6or e1ample'
+roto-)oot
original sense:
(0e flowed
sarab(a)
~
(0e soaked (intr.
sharab(a)
~
(0e escaped
harab(a)
-
(0e approached
qarib(a)

original sense:
(0e departed
rarab(a)
=
(0e leaked, flowed
Modern North Syrian Arabic,
borrowed from Aramaic
zarab(a)

original sense:
(0e became improper
tharib(a)
~
(0e became ruined
kharib(a)

original sense:
(0e became improper
warib(a)

)oad
darb
~
All these words, and others, are related to the same meaning which is
So now that we ha"e an understanding of the original meanings of - M
, we can try to answer some famous :uestions, like the etymology of the
word 5Arab5 = .
A <erman man once said that the word "arab originally meant 5arid land.5
!his became so popular that it was taught at schools in some Arab countries2
but when taking the meaning of the proto-root in consideration, this meaning
appears uncon"incing.
Another, better, theory said that this word was altered from "abar -= , which
is related to 5passing5 or 5tra"ersing.5 !his root is also the root of the word
50ebrew,5 and they are all related to the nomadic lifestyles of those peoples.
0owe"er, by comparing many roots deri"ed from the proto-roots - M ,
it appears clearly that the original meanings of these roots were related to
5filling5 and 5earth5 not to 5mo"ing.5 So the truth is that the word "abar is
modified from "arab not the other way around.
!hus, the word 5Arab5 originally meant a 5wanderer5 or a 5nomad.5 !he roots
_
and _ carry related meanings in se"eral Semitic languages.

5+ieces5
Q /

Q /
=
Q S

Q S

Q 2

K /
=
K S
=

5Mo"ing5
R 3

R 4
-

Auadriliteral )oots
!riliteral roots were created by adding a third letter to a biliteral roots.
Auadriliteral roots were mostly created by doubling a biliteral root, and
sometimes by adding a fourth letter to a triliteral root.
Many e1amples e1ist on this page. 8e will mention here only two e1amples
based on the proto-roots we talked about abo"e'
+roto-)oot =
(0e dripped
qat q at(a)
= =

+roto-)oot -
(0e flapped,
fluttered
rafraf(a)
-

Auadriliteral and +entaliteral roots were often e1tracted from foreign
loanwords.
71ample,
A traditional Arab currency is the dirham, which is still a currency unit in
se"eral Arab countries today. A dirham was a sil"er coin in old times. !he
name of the dirham comes from the <reek drachm or drachma. It was
Arabi*ed to follow the standard Arabic noun structure fi"lal .
drachm H dirham - ~

Some triliteral roots were also e1tracted from foreign loanwords. An
interesting e1ample is the word siraat = ' - meaning 5a way5 or 5a path.5
!his word comes from the .atin strata G 5pa"ed road.5 !he .atin word was
rendered into the standard "erbal noun structure fi"aal . . !his is the
same structure as that of the word kitaab - G 5a book5 or 5a dispatch.5
strata H siraat - ' =

Writing of /etter 'alif

!he first letter in the Arabic alphabet, 'alif, is a weak letter that has two forms,
a consonant form or hamza(t) ' and a "owel form ' aa (a long A or an
e1tended 'alif .

"o#el 'alif
!he "owel form can appear at the middle or the end of words, but ne"er at the
beginning. It can assume the following forms'
0oining !igures of /etter '
(w"ak !r "#t"nd"d 'alif)

(hoosing 4etween the !wo 6orms at the 7nd of the 8ord
I. !riliteral -ouns M ,erbs
If a three-lettered noun in Arabic ends with a long "owel 'alif, that noun will be
an irregular noun called a Shortened -oun. If a three-lettered "erb in Arabic
ends with a long "owel 'alif, that "erb will be an irregular "erb called a
?efecti"e ,erb.
!he common point between those two types of words is that the long "owel
'alif at the end of any triliteral noun or "erb in Arabic is not an original letter or
a root letter, rather it always substitutes for a different week letter.
!he form substitutes for a waaw .
!he form substitutes for a yaa'< .

?eciding which form to use re:uires knowing the root of the word. -ati"es and
people with good knowledge of the language can usually guess the original
"owel from other deri"ati"es of the same root, like the infiniti"e and the
imperfecti"e "erb when dealing with defecti"e "erbs, and the dual and plural
when dealing with singular shortened nouns.
!riliteral Shortened -ouns
)oot
3riginal ,ersion
(-ot %sed
Actual ,ersion
5 S 8 _
- = - =
- ? ; ~
~ - ~- ,

!riliteral ?efecti"e ,erbs
)oot
3riginal ,ersion
(-ot %sed
Actual ,ersion
? 5 8 _ ~
= ~ = ~
) M ;
~ ~

II. -ouns M ,erbs with More !han !hree .etters
!hose will always end with an 'alif of the type' .

+roper name (female

(0e likes
- ,
0ospital (masc.
-~ -~ ~
(0e had (S.3 to stay
- -~ '

Such 'alif may be an original root letter, but it also may be not.
!he e1ception is when the 'alif is preceded by a yaa'<. In that case, it will take
the other form.
8orld (fem.
- ~
(handelier (fem.
-
Mirrors (sing. is fem.
' ~ -

0owe"er, the proper name = - will irregularly take the first form in order to
be distinguished from the "erb that looks like it.
+roper name (male
= -
(0e li"es
= -

8ords of foreign origin that end with with long "owel 'alif's usually take the
form' .

+roper name (male

+roper name (female
-~
(inema (fem.
~
6rance (fem.
~ -
Italy (fem.
= -
Asia (fem.
~
<eography (fem.
'

0owe"er, there are few foreign words that end with .

Music (fem.
~ ~
Moses
~ ~
Cesus
~ =
Matthew
-~
4ukhara (fem.
(city in %*bekistan
= ,
!itle of ancient +ersian shahs
(masc. ~ ,

III. +articles
+articles (rootless words that end with a long "owel 'alif are not few. As a
rule, all such particles will end with the form e1cept for the following four
particles'

!o

3n
=
;es

(to a negati"e :uestion

%ntil @ 7"en
-

Writing of /etter 'alif (continued)
Consonant 'alif
!he hamza(t) - ' is the consonant form of 'alif. It is a 5glottal stop5 that
can appear anywhere in Arabic words, whether at the beginning, middle, or
end of the word.

0oining !igures of /etter
(hamza(t) / !ns!nant 'alif)

'

(hoosing 4etween the 6orms at the 4eginning of the
8ord
!he regular form for hamza(t) is the one with the sign showing.
!he "ariations depend on the following "owel'

'a
8ith a short A

'%
8ith a short %

'i
8ith a short I
'aa
8ith a long A
'""
8ith a long I
'!!
8ith a long %
'<
8ith no "owel

!his regular hamza(t) at the beginning of a word is called the 5disconnecting
hamza(t)5 _ = ' - - . !his is often an original letter and it must be
pronounced always.
!he other type of hamza(t) which lacks the sign is called the 5connecting
hamza(t)5 - ' - - . !hat one is ne"er an original letter and it is only
pronounced when it is the first thing that comes out of the mouth. Arabs added
this kind of hamza(t) to some words for merely phonological reasons, namely
because they hated to start talking by pronouncing a 5still5 letter, that is, a
consonant that is not followed by any "owel. !he connecting hamza(t) is
somewhat similar to the 6rench 5liaison.5
!he connecting hamza(t) has only one figure and it usually appears in the
following places'
I. ,erbs
!he imperati"e of triliteral perfecti"e "erbs which don9t begin with a
hamza(t).

(;ou do !
'
(;ou write !
' - -
(;ou know !
' =

!he perfecti"e, imperati"e, and infiniti"e of fi"e-lettered "erbs.

(0e benefited
' _ ---
(;ou benefit !
' _ ---
4enefiting
' _ - --

!he perfecti"e, imperati"e, and infiniti"e of si1-lettered "erbs.

(0e used
' -~
(;ou use !
' -~
%sing
' . -~

II. -ouns
It appears in front of some nouns. 71amples of commonly used ones are'

' ~ ' ~
two names (masc. a name (masc.
' '
two sons (masc. a son (masc.
' - '
two daughters (masc. a daughter (masc.
' ' ~ ' ~
two men (masc. a man (masc.
' ~ ' - ~
two women (fem. a woman (fem.

!wo (masc.
'
!wo (fem.
' -

III. +articles
!he connecting hamza(t) appears only in the definite article.

!he
'

Writing of /etter 'alif
(continued)
Consonant 'alif
(hoosing 4etween the 6orms at the Middle of the 8ord
All the different forms of hamza(t) at the middle and the end of words are
pronounced the same way, which is a glottal stop. !here is not any real
reason for why the figures change so much. !his is =ust one of the awkward
aspects of Arabic.
(hoosing between the different forms depend on the "owels before and after
the hamza(t)' !o understand how the suitable form of hamza(t) is chosen, a
simple principle must be introduced first, which is the 5relati"e strength of
different "owels.5
!he following figure demonstrates the relati"e strength of "owels. !he "owels
are arranged from the left to right respecti"ely to their relati"e strength.
Strongest

8eakest
Short I Short % Short A
-o ,owel
(Stillness
- ~ ' - ' = - -' ~ '
Short I is stronger than Short %. !his one is stronger than Short A, and this is
stronger than the stillness.
!he stronger "owel before or after the hamza(t) will indicate its shape.
71ample'

A well (fem.
Succeeding
,owel
!he hamza(t)
+receding
,owel
Stillness
Short I
Short I is stronger than stillness. !herefore, the hamza(t) will be in the form
that suits the short I ' .
Suitable 6orm Stronger ,owel
Short I
Short %

Short A

Stillness can ne"er precede and follow a consonant at the same time
(because still letters don9t follow each others without separation, so there is
not a form that suits that case.
More e1amples'

6oci
(sing. focus is fem.
Succeeding
,owel
!he hamza(t)
+receding
,owel
Short A
Short %

~
] (0e@it was asked
Succeeding
,owel
!he hamza(t)
+receding
,owel
Short I
Short %

An a1 (fem.
Succeeding
,owel
!he hamza(t)
+receding
,owel
Stillness
Short A

. ~
(0e asked
Succeeding
,owel
!he hamza(t)
+receding
,owel
Short A
Short A

A twin
Succeeding
,owel
!he hamza(t)
+receding
,owel
Short A
Stillness

.ong ,owels
!he three long "owels in Arabic (aa5 !!5 "") are not really discrete "owels2
rather each one of these is composed of a short "owel (a5 %5 i) followed by
the corresponding still consonants ( ' 5 w5 y).
4y understanding this, or more simply by =ust keeping in mind that the weak
litters that denote long "owels are always still (i.e. not followed by any short
"owel, we can apply the same aforementioned rules to transcribe the
hamza(t) that is followed or preceded by a long "owel.
71amples'
. ' ~
A :uestion (masc.
Succeeding
,owel
!he hamza(t)
+receding
,owel
Short A
Short %

~
persistent (masc. ad=ecti"e
Succeeding
,owel
!he hamza(t)
+receding
,owel
Short %
Short A

-
A president (masc.
Succeeding
,owel
!he hamza(t)
+receding
,owel
Short I
Short A

- ~ -
(!he :uietness (of them
G their :uietness (masc.
Succeeding
,owel
!he hamza(t)
+receding
,owel
Short %
Stillness

- ~
4y (the :uietness (of them
G by their :uietness (masc.
Succeeding
,owel
!he hamza(t)
+receding
,owel
Short I
Stillness

- ~
(!he water (of us
G our water (masc.
Succeeding
,owel
!he hamza(t)
+receding
,owel
Short %
Stillness

-'~
(!he dress (of me
G my dress (masc.
Succeeding
,owel
!he hamza(t)
+receding
,owel
Short I
Stillness

Special (ases

(ase 3ne
If the hamza(t) was preceded by a long "owel I (""), it will take only the form
no matter what "owel was following it.
71ample'

An en"ironment (fem.
Succeeding
,owel
!he hamza(t)
+receding
,owel
Short A
Stillness
-ote that in this case the hamza(t) should ha"e been written because the
Short A is the dominating 5mo"e5 or short "owel. 0owe"er, since that the
hamza(t) is preceded by a long I ("")5 the hamza(t) must be rendered in the
form '
Another e1ample'
-
4old (plu. masc. ad=.
Succeeding
,owel
!he hamza(t)
+receding
,owel
Short %
Stillness

(ase !wo
If the hamza(t) was preceded by a long "owel A (aa) or a long "owel % (!!)
and followed by a short A (a), it will take the form instead of .
71amples'
- '
A reading (fem.
Succeeding
,owel
!he hamza(t)
+receding
,owel
Short A
Stillness

- ~
A magnanimity (fem.
Succeeding
,owel
!he hamza(t)
+receding
,owel
Short A
Stillness

Writing of /etter 'alif (continued)
Consonant 'alif
(hoosing 4etween the 6orms at the 7nd of the 8ord
(hoosing between the different forms of hamza(t) at the end of the word is
simpler than at the middle of the word. 8hen we chose the correct form for
hamza(t) at the middle of the word we looked at the "owel preceding and the
"owel succeeding the hamza(t), compared their relati"e strength, then chose
the form that suits the stronger "owel. 0ere, we will practically do the same,
but instead of comparing between the two "owels around the hamza(t)5 we
will only occupy oursel"es with the "owel preceding the hamza(t) but not the
one following it.
?epending on which "owel precedes the hamza(t), we will choose one of the
following forms'
Suitable 6orm ,owel
Short I
Short %
Short A
Stillness

71amples'
,
A reader (masc.
!he hamza(t) +receding ,owel
Short I

= -
(0e dares
Short %

(0e read (past
Short A

~
A thing (masc.
Stillness

-
.ight (masc.
Stillness

~
8ater (masc.
Stillness

~ -
Auietness (masc.
Stillness

Innocent (masc. ad=.
Stillness

(oots

In Indo-7uropean languages such as 7nglish, the infiniti"e is usually the basic
from of the "erb of which the rest of the forms are deri"ed.
6or e1ample, the infiniti"e 5to talk5 is the source of many deri"ed words'

!alk Infiniti"e
!alking +resent participle
!alked +ast participle
!alk +resent simple
!alked +ast simple
!alk -oun

8e see that the main stem of the infiniti"e stays preser"ed, while the inflection
works by affi1ing other parts to the stem. At least it is so most of the time.
%nfortunately, in Semitic languages things are a little bit more comple1 than
that.
,n Arabic, the basic source of all the forms of a "erb is called the 5root5 of the
"erb -' ~ %
!he root is not a real word, rather it is a se:uence of three consonants that
can be found in all the words that are related to it.
Most roots are composed of three letters, "ery few are of four or fi"e letters.
!he root can be easily obtained from the Ord person masculine singular past
form (the perfecti"e of the "erb.
.ook at these roots'
Meaning of ,erb )oot
Ord person masc. sing.
past (perfecti"e "erb
(0e did
6 5 . P Q R fa"al(a)

(0e wrote
> ! 4 S T U katab(a)
- -
(0e studied
? ) S V W X daras(a)
~
(0e drew (a picture
) S M Y V W rasam(a)
~
(0e ate
9 > . P U Z 'akal(a)

(0e knew
5 . M Y P Q "alim(a)
=
(0e was@became
bigger
> 4 ) W S U kab%r(a)
-
? 0 ) C [ W \ X dahraj(a)
~

;ou see that the root is not a word2 it is =ust a se:uence of consonants. !he
consonants of the root are separated by different "owels in different words.
!hey can also be separated by other e1tra consonants that do not belong to
the root.
!he root is used to make all the forms of a "erb. It is used to make nouns as
well.
7ach root pertains to a certain meaning, e.g.
> ! 4 U

pertains to
5writing.5
See the following e1ample'

Meaning
8ords deri"ed from the root =

Verbs
(he wrote
katab(a)
- -
] (he was@became written
k%tib(a)
- -
(he was@became written
'inkatab(a)
-' - -
(he made (somebody
write
kattab(a)
- -
(he made (somebody
write
'aktab(a)
- -
(he e1changed writing with
H (he corresponded with
kaatab(a)
-
(he e1changed writing
H (he corresponded
takaatab(a)
-
(he wrote himself
H (he subscribed
'iktatab(a)
' - - -
(he sought writing
'istaktab(a)
-~ ' - -
Nouns
writing
katb
--
writing
H book@dispatch
kitaab
-
writing
kitaaba(t)
-
booklet
k%tayyib
- -
writing (man
H writer
kaatib
-
written
H letter
makt!!b
~ -
desk@office
maktab
~ --
library@bookstore
maktaba(t)
~ --
phalan1
kat""ba(t)
- -
So basically all these words were created by taking the root

=

and
adding letters or "owels to it. !his is how Semitic languages work.
Almost all Arabic words are structured on roots. 8ords in Arabic grammar
belong to three categories'
-oun

~ ` '
.
includes pronouns, ad=ecti"es and most ad"erbs.

"erb

- '

.
there are three main "erbal structures in Arabic.

/etter
(particle)

- = '

.
small words that do not ha"e roots.

So small words without known roots were not e"en :ualified enough to carry
the title of a 5word5 in Arabic grammar. Many of these 5letters5 are
prepositions and they do not undergo inflection.
!he letters of the root are called the original letters of a word
- ' - '
%

!he "ariable letters that appear between the root letters in different words are
called the additional letters

- ' -~ -''
%

!he letters that can ser"e as additional letters are ten'

' - .
!hese letters are rounded up in the word
.
- -~
G 5you asked me
for@about it.5
!here are standard patterns for adding additional letters to the root. !hese
patterns are called 'awzaan ' G 5measures5 or 'abniya(t) G
5structures.5
!
or e1ample'
'infa"al(a)
-' -
fa"al(a)

(he@it did himself@itself (he@it did
'inkasar(a)
-' ~
kasar(a)
~
(he@it broke himself@itself (he@it broke
'insabb(a)
-' - -
sabb(a)
- -
(he@it poured
himself@itself
(he@it poured

So this structure

'in1a1a1(a)
has a specific sense that is different from the
basic structure
1a1a1(a)
%
4oth structures are structures of acti"e "oice past (perfecti"e "erbs.
0owe"er, there is a difference between the two that is reminiscent of the .atin
or 6rench difference between faire and se faire. !he
'in1a1a1(a)
structure is
called a 5refle1i"e5 "erb because it denotes a self-directed action. ;ou can put
so many root letters in place of the stars and you will get the same outcome.
%sually stars are not used but instead the root

. _ -

G 5do5 is used for
gi"ing prototypes of different structures.
So these two structures will be standardi*ed'
(0e@it did
fa"al(a)

(0e@it did himself@itself
'infa"al(a)
- ' -

7tymology -ote' 4iliteral )oots
Arabic grammar recogni*es three-letter, four-letter, and fi"e-letter-roots, but
not anything more or less than that. 6i"e-letter-roots e1ist only in nouns but
not "erbs.
0owe"er, there are se"eral Arabic nouns that ha"e only two consonants in
them, for e1ample'
6ather
'ab
4rother
'akh
_
Son
'ibn
'
-ame
'ism
' ~
Mouth
fam
0and
yad
~-
4lood
dam
~
!he is not an original letter but is only a 5liaison5 that is added in front of
some words for a phonological reason. More about this is a"ailable on this
page and this one.
(lassical Arabic grammarians did not recogni*e biliteral roots and considered
them all to be modified from triliteral roots. 6or e1ample, grammarians of the
classical period ($th M ^th centuries debated whether the root of ' ~ was
or .
0owe"er, the truth is that Arabic indeed has biliteral roots. Moreo"er, there
was a time at which Arabic did not ha"e any roots but biliteral roots.
!his can be shown by comparing the meanings of different triliteral roots2 for
e1ample'
+roto-)oot =
(0e cut
qata"(a)
= _
(0e cut
qatal(a)
=
(0e cut
qat t (a)
=
(0e stitched
original sense:
(0e cut
qatab(a)
= -
(0e picked (a plant part
qataf(a)
=
(0e took a bite
qatam(a)
=
(0e dripped
qatar(a)
=
-otice that all these triliteral roots ha"e a common general meaning, and they
all share the first and second root-letters. !his indicates that all these roots
were deri"ed from a common biliteral ancestor, which is the proto-root = .
Surprisingly, this is also the root of the 7nglish "erb 5cut!5 In fact, this has to
do with more than mere chance. Such basic "erbs are often related to the
sound that an action produces, so it is not unusual that they be similar in
totally unrelated languages.
>nowing this idea of proto-roots will be "ery helpful in determining the original
meanings of a large number of roots.
6or e1ample, knowing that there was a proto-root = whose meaning was
related to cutting and to 5pieces5 will help us figure out easily the original
meaning of the following root'
=
qatan(a)
(he dwelled
!his "erb has an odd meaning compared to the meaning of the proto-root
= . 0owe"er, there is another word of the same root whose meaning seems
more original'
=
q%tn
cotton (masc.
!he 7nglish word 5cotton5 was borrowed from Arabic in Middle Ages. !he
meaning of 5cotton5 is more consistent with the general meaning of the proto-
root, so we can easily infer that the "erb qatan(a) has an altered meaning
and that the original meaning of the root = is related to 5pieces.5
0ebrew has the same root'
:o ;
qaat!n
(0e became small(er

Another interesting point is that there are se"eral roots that were deri"ed from
the same proto-root but they look somewhat different these days. 6or
e1ample'
(0e killed
qatal(a)
-
(0e was parsimonious
qatar(a)
-
4owel
qitb
- -
?ust
H darkness
qataam
-
>ind of a thorny plant
qataad
- ~
!hese words ha"e the proto-root , which is "ery similar to = , and they
probably were one thing initially. 4ecause we know the meaning of = , we
can easily determine the original meaning of (5pieces5.
>nowing these principles will help us figure out the original meanings of
countless "ague roots, and it will help us a"oid making mistakes like, for
e1ample, saying that the original meaning of the Arabic root - _ is 5to
know.5 !his is clearly false as the proto-root - has a totally different
meaning.
+roto-)oot -
(0e made de"iate
haraf(a)
-
(0e swept away, carried
along
jaraf(a)
-
(0e shed (tears
tharaf(a)
~ -
original sense:
(0e mo"ed fast
zaraf(a)
-
(0e blinked (eye
original sense:
(0e mo"ed fast
taraf(a)
= -
(0e was@became
e1tra"agant
tarif(a)
-
original sense:
(0e transgressed
qaraf(a)
-
(0e was@became funny
original sense:
(0e was nifty
zar%f(a)
= -
So it is clear that the proto-root - had a meaning that is related to
As for the root - _ '
- =
"araf(a)
!his "erb is irregular both in meaning and structure, as it is shown in the "erb
section.
0owe"er, another word from the same root is'
- =
"%rf
comb, crest (of rooster
!his word is clearly related to the original meaning of the root (5mo"ing,5
5flowing,5 or 5straightness5. !hus, the original meaning of - _ is not 5to
know.5
!he proto-root - is an interesting one. !he Arabic letter - was originally a
+ like the 7nglish +, so it is not surprising that roots deri"ed from the proto-
root ha"e similar meanings to the ones deri"ed from - .
6or e1ample'
+roto-)oot
original sense:
(0e flowed
sarab(a)
~
(0e soaked (intr.
sharab(a)
~
(0e escaped
harab(a)
-
(0e approached
qarib(a)

original sense:
(0e departed
rarab(a)
=
(0e leaked, flowed
Modern North Syrian Arabic,
borrowed from Aramaic
zarab(a)

original sense:
(0e became improper
tharib(a)
~
(0e became ruined
kharib(a)

original sense:
(0e became improper
warib(a)

)oad
darb
~
All these words, and others, are related to the same meaning which is
So now that we ha"e an understanding of the original meanings of - M
, we can try to answer some famous :uestions, like the etymology of the
word 5Arab5 = .
A <erman man once said that the word "arab originally meant 5arid land.5
!his became so popular that it was taught at schools in some Arab countries2
but when taking the meaning of the proto-root in consideration, this meaning
appears uncon"incing.
Another, better, theory said that this word was altered from "abar -= , which
is related to 5passing5 or 5tra"ersing.5 !his root is also the root of the word
50ebrew,5 and they are all related to the nomadic lifestyles of those peoples.
0owe"er, by comparing many roots deri"ed from the proto-roots - M ,
it appears clearly that the original meanings of these roots were related to
5filling5 and 5earth5 not to 5mo"ing.5 So the truth is that the word "abar is
modified from "arab not the other way around.
!hus, the word 5Arab5 originally meant a 5wanderer5 or a 5nomad.5 !he roots
_
and _ carry related meanings in se"eral Semitic languages.

5+ieces5
Q /

Q /
=
Q S

Q S

Q 2

K /
=
K S
=

5Mo"ing5
R 3

R 4
-

Auadriliteral )oots
!riliteral roots were created by adding a third letter to a biliteral roots.
Auadriliteral roots were mostly created by doubling a biliteral root, and
sometimes by adding a fourth letter to a triliteral root.
Many e1amples e1ist on this page. 8e will mention here only two e1amples
based on the proto-roots we talked about abo"e'
+roto-)oot =
(0e dripped
qat q at(a)
= =

+roto-)oot -
(0e flapped,
fluttered
rafraf(a)
-

Auadriliteral and +entaliteral roots were often e1tracted from foreign
loanwords.
71ample,
A traditional Arab currency is the dirham, which is still a currency unit in
se"eral Arab countries today. A dirham was a sil"er coin in old times. !he
name of the dirham comes from the <reek drachm or drachma. It was
Arabi*ed to follow the standard Arabic noun structure fi"lal .
drachm H dirham - ~

Some triliteral roots were also e1tracted from foreign loanwords. An
interesting e1ample is the word siraat = ' - meaning 5a way5 or 5a path.5
!his word comes from the .atin strata G 5pa"ed road.5 !he .atin word was
rendered into the standard "erbal noun structure fi"aal . . !his is the
same structure as that of the word kitaab - G 5a book5 or 5a dispatch.5
strata H siraat - ' =
-ouns
As we ha"e mentioned, Arabic words are three types'
-ouns

"erbs

Particles

8e are going to begin by talking about the first branch, the nouns.

A noun (or a substanti1e (Arabic'
~ '
G 5a name5 is a name or an attribute
of a person (Ali, place (Mecca, thing (house, or 2uality (honor. !he word
5noun5 comes from the .atin nomen G 5name.5 !he noun or substanti"e
category in Arabic includes in addition to simple nouns the pronouns,
ad=ecti"es, ad"erbs, and "erbids (participles and "erbal nouns.
-ouns that designate material things (Ali, Mecca, house are called concrete
nouns. -ouns that designate immaterial things (honor are called abstract
nouns.
+ermanent names of persons or places are called proper nouns , = ~ ,
other nouns are called common nouns , ~ . +roper nouns refer to
uni:ue or particular ob=ects (cannot be preceded by words such as 5some5 or
5any52 common nouns refer to non-uni:ue or non-particular ob=ects (can be
preceded by words such as 5some5 or 5any5.
(ommon nouns are se"eral types in Arabic'
JCount nouns are nouns that refer to single units when they are
grammatically singular, and to plural units when they grammatically plural.
71amples'
+lural (ount -ouns Singular (ount -ouns
rijaal
.
raj%l

men man
b%y!!t

bayt
-
houses house
k%t%b
--
kitaab
-
books book

JMass nouns are nouns that refer to single as well as plural units when they
are grammatically singular, and to plural units when they are grammatically
plural. !hese usually refer to plants or animals.
71amples'
+lural Mass -ouns Singular Mass -ouns
thimaar

thamar

fruits fruit@fruits
'ashjaar
= ~
shajar
= ~
trees tree@trees
t%y!!r
=
tayr
=
birds bird@birds

8hen mass nouns refer to uncountable ob=ects (such as water, sugar. etc.,
the grammatically singular noun will refer to small or large amounts of the
ob=ect, and the grammatically plural noun will refer to large amounts of the
ob=ect.
71amples'
+lural Mass -ouns Singular Mass -ouns
miyaah
~ -
maa'<
~
large amount of
#ater
small@large amount of
#ater
dimaa'<
~ ~
dam
~
large amount of
blood
blood
riyaah
-
riyh
_-
large amount of
#ind
#ind

Some nouns, like the names of materials, can indicate either a unit (a piece, a
type or a substance, so those can be both countable and uncountable.
0owe"er, when plural, they usually refer only to multiple units (countable
only.
71amples'
+lural (ount -ouns Singular Mass -ouns
'awraaq
'
waraq

papers
paper@papers
or
paper
'akhshaab
~
khashab
-~
pieces of wood
types of wood
piece@pieces of wood
type@types of wood
or
wood
z%y!!t
-
zayt
--
types of oil
type@types of oil
or
oil

JCollecti1e nouns or irregular (broken) plural nouns are grammatically
singular nouns that refer to plural units or to large amounts of uncountable
ob=ects. All the 5plural5 nouns listed in the abo"e e1amples belong to this
category2 I am calling them 5plural5 to a"oid causing confusion and because
this is how they are usually called.
3ddly enough, although these nouns are called irregular plurals they are in
fact singulare tantum, which means that they do not ha"e grammatically plural
forms.
It is possible for irregular plural nouns that refer to humans to be treated
grammatically as plural nouns2 this is typical of Modern Standard Arabic.

*eclension
-ouns and "erbs undergo inflection - - , which means that parts of them
change in order to e1press changes in gender, number, case, tense, "oice,
person, or mood. !he inflection of nouns is called declension, and the
inflection of "erbs is called con+ugation.

!he declension of Arabic nouns e1presses changes in'
<enderF Arabic nouns ha"e two grammatical genders.
-umberF Arabic nouns ha"e three grammatical numbers.
(aseF Arabic nouns ha"e three grammatical cases.
StateF Arabic nouns ha"e three grammatical states.

<ender
!he two genders in Arabic are the masculine and feminine. 7"ery -oun in
Arabic is either masculine or feminineF there is no neuter gender in Arabic.
7ach ob=ect and animal is either masculine or feminine.
!hus, nouns are four categories in Arabic'
3rue masculine. nouns that refer to male humans or animals.
!igurati1e masculine. masculine nouns that refer to ob=ects.

3rue feminine. nouns that refer to female humans or animals.
!igurati1e feminine. feminine nouns that refer to ob=ects.

J<ender Markers
!he are feminine markers for nouns but no masculine markers. !he feminine
markers are three affi1es (&a(t), &aa'<, and &aa, all apparently originating
from one ancestor that was something like &at or &t and which performed a
dual augmentati"e-diminuti"e function rather than signifying the feminine
gender.

)elati"ely few count and mass nouns are feminine without ha"ing feminine
markers. 0owe"er, all collecti"e nouns (irregular (broken plurals are
feminine without ha"ing feminine markers.

-umber
!he grammatical numbers in Arabic are'
ingular. nouns that refer to one person or thing.
*ual. nouns that refer to two persons or things.
Plural. nouns that refer to more than two persons or things.

J-umber Markers
!he number markers are suffi1es positioned following the feminine gender
marker (if one e1isted.
stem(-feminine marker-number marker

!he number markers are composed of two parts, a first part that is inflected
for case, and a second part that is inflected for state.

number marker G case marker-state marker

!he basic nominati"e-absolute marker for singular nouns, including collecti"e
nouns (irregular (broken plurals, is &%n. !his marker is inflected for three
cases (has three forms for three cases and two states (has two forms for two
states thus yielding a total of si1 possible combinations, all of which are
singular markers (&%n,&an,&in,
&%,&a,&i.

!he nominati"e-absolute marker for dual nouns is &aani. !his marker is
inflected for two cases (has two forms for two cases and two states (has two
forms for two states thus yielding a total of four possible combinations, all of
which are dual markers
(&aani,&ayni,&aa,&ay.

!he nominati"e-absolute marker for masculine plural nouns is &!!na and for
feminine plural nouns is &aat%n. !hese two markers are inflected for two
cases and two states like the dual marker, and each ha"e four possible forms
(&!!na,&""na,
&!!,&"" (&aat%n,&aatin,&aat%,&aati. 8hen adding the feminine
plural marker to nouns with a feminine gender marker &a(t), the &a(t) is
remo"ed.

(ase
-ouns in formal Arabic ha"e three grammatical cases'
Raf" (-ominati1e). case of nouns functioning as the sub=ect of a
sentence.
Nasb (Accusati1e4*ati1e4"ocati1e). a case with a myriad of uses
(about ten uses2 most importantly, it is the case of nouns functioning as
ob=ects.
Jarr (5eniti1e4Ablati1e). a case that indicates possession or being
ob=ect of a preposition.

J(ase Markers
!he case markers are the case-inflected parts of the number markers. !hey
are the first parts of the number markers and the state markers are the
second parts.

stem(-feminine marker-case marker

6or singular nouns, including collecti"e nouns (the irregular (broken plurals,
the raf" marker is &%, which changes to &a, the nasb marker, in the nasb case,
and to &i, the jarr marker, in the jarr case.

6or dual nouns, the raf" marker is &aa , which changes to &ay in both the
nasb and jarr cases. !hus, dual nouns are inflected for only two cases (has
only two case-inflected forms. !he nasb and jarr cases may be collecti"ely
called the 5obli:ue case5 for dual nouns.

!he raf" masculine plural ending &!!, which becomes &"" in the nasb and
jarr cases2 and the raf" feminine plural ending &aat%, which becomes
&aati in the nasb and jarr cases. !hus, plural nouns, like dual nouns, are
inflected for only two cases, the nominati"e and the 5obli:ue.5

Singular ?ual
Masculine
plural
6eminine
plural
Raf" mark"rs &% &aa &!! &aat%
6asb mark"rs &a
&ay &"" &aati
7arr mark"rs &i

<rammatical case markers for singular nouns ha"e been ignored so far on
this site in order to make things less complicated. 0owe"er, it is important to
understand that case markers are -3! 3+!I3-A. in Standard Arabic
(includes both (lassical Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic.

%nlike the two genders and three grammatical numbers, case inflection is not
preser"ed in the modern spoken Arabic (modern collo:uial Arabic.

State
An inflectional 5state5 of nouns is something characteristic of the Afro-Asiatic
languages. Arabic nouns ha"e three grammatical states'
Absolute. state of indefinite nouns.
*eterminate. state of definite nouns.
Construct. state of definite nouns go"erning other nouns in geniti"e
constructions.

JState Markers
%nlike the pre"ious inflections, grammatical state markers in"ol"e a prefi1 as
well as suffi1es.
(state marker-stem(-feminine marker-case marker(-state
marker

!he state prefi1 is 'al&, the definite article. It appears in the determinate
(definite state.

!he state suffi1es are the state-inflected parts of the number markers. !hey
are the second parts of the number markers whereas the case markers are
the first parts.
!hese suffi1es are &n for singular (including irregular plural and feminine
plural nouns, &ni for dual nouns, and &na for masculine plural nouns.

!he inflection of the state suffi1es is by either keeping or remo"ing them. !he
singular and feminine plural state suffi1 &n appears only in the absolute
(indefinite state. !he dual and masculine plural state suffi1es &ni M &na
appear in the absolute and the determinate states.

Singular M
6eminine plural
?ual Masculine plural
Absolute st"m&n st"m&ni st"m&na
?eterminate 'al&st"m 'al&st"m&ni 'al&st"m&na
(onstruct st"m st"m st"m

!he appearance of a state suffi1 (&n @ &ni @ &na at the end of a noun is
termed nunation.

-omina !riptota and -omina ?iptota

!hese are two categories of singular nouns (including the irregular plurals
with regard to case and state declension.

-omina triptota are the regular singular nouns whose declension was
described abo"e. !hey are inflected for three cases and three states.
-omina diptota are singular nouns that are inflected for only two states
as they ha"e identical absolute and construct state marking (no suffi1
&n in any state. Also, in the absolute state, these nouns are inflected
for only two cases as the jarr marking becomes identical to the nasb
one in that state. 0owe"er, in the determinate and construct states,
these nouns are inflected for all the three cases.

?eclension
~ ' - -
<ender -umber (ase State
Masculine
~ ~
ingular
~ - ~
Raf"
(nom%)
_ ~
Absolute
- -
!eminine
- - ~
*ual
`~
Nasb
(acc%4dat%41oc%)
- ~
*eterminate
~
Plural
_
Jarr
(gen%4abl%)
= ~
Construct
- - ~

After this brief introduction, we are now going to talk in detail about all that has
been mentioned.
-ouns (continued)
5ender of -ouns
!he 5ground gender5 of nouns in Arabic is the masculine gender2 this was
e1pressed by the classical Arab linguists in their famous :uote 5the origin
regarding nouns is masculinity, and femininity is a branch.5
4eing so, nouns are supposed to be masculine unless there is a feminine
marker affi1ed to them.
0owe"er, there is a marked e1ception to this rule, which is the irregular
plural nouns (collecti"e nouns. Irregular plural nouns are grammatically
singular nouns that indicate plural ob=ects. !hese nouns are feminine without
ha"ing feminine markers, and they cannot take feminine markers because
they are feminine already.
3ther than that, most of the nouns without feminine markers are masculine.
0ere is the rule'
Most feminine nouns other than the irregular plurals can be identified by
spotting feminine markers affi1ed to them. !here are few feminine
nouns that do not carry such markers.
Masculine singular nouns ha"e no markers. 0owe"er, since that the
o"erwhelming ma=ority of feminine nouns (other than the irregular
plurals carry feminine markers, masculine nouns can be identified by
the lack of feminine markers.

6eminine Markers
!here are three feminine markers'
6eminine taa'<
71tended 'alif
Shortened 'alif

6% !eminine taa'<

&a(t)

!he feminine taa'< - - -' is the ma=or feminine marker that appears at the
end of most of the feminine singular nouns. It almost always assumes the
5tied7 figure and "ery rarely the 5open5 figure . !he tied taa'< -'
= ' is always preceded by a short A "owel.
71amples, click on the Arabic word to hear it'
Male teacher
m%"allim
~
6emale teacher
m%"allima(t)
~
Male cat
qitt
=
6emale cat
qitta(t)
=
Man
raj%l

8oman
'imra'a(t)
& ~ ' -
Male child
tifl
- =
6emale child
tifla(t)
- =
Male American (ad=.
'am"rikiyy
-~
female American (ad=.
'am"rikiyya(t)
-~
6emale proper name
faatima(t)
=
6emale proper name
"aa'isha(t)
~ - =
!ree (fem.
shajara(t)
= ~ - *
0our (fem.
saa"a(t)
= ~
4ook (masc.
kitaab
-
+en (masc.
qalam
/!his is =ust another figure of the same letter (see +oining figures for taa'< .
As we ha"e mentioned before, the difference between a tied taa'< and an
open one is that a tied taa'< is pronounced -ah or -a at pause rather than
-at % It will be pronounced -at only if you kept speaking after saying it. If you
halt your talk right after pronouncing the tied taa'<, you must turn it into -ah
or -a in regular Arabic.
In other words, the t of -at cannot be the last thing you pronounce. !his is
kind of similar to the rule of Arabs don9t stop on a mo"ing . It is also similar to
the 6rench liaison.

J71ceptions
Although the tied taa'< is primarily a feminine marker, it can appear at the end
of the following kinds of nouns without being a feminine marker'
Irregular plural nouns .
+articiples functioning as agent nouns.
Masculine proper names.

71amples'

Auestions
(fem. irregular plural
'as'ila(t)
~
8riters@scribes
(masc. irregular plural
kataba(t)
--
4ears
dibaba(t)
-~
Cudges
q%daa(t)
- -
(a"alry
khayyaala(t)

!ransgressor@tyrant
(masc. sing. agent noun
taariya(t)
= =
7rudite
(masc. sing. agent noun
"allaama(t)
= ~
Male proper name
'%saama(t)
~ ~
Male proper name
h%thayfa(t)
~ - -

Irregular plural nouns are collecti"e nouns, which means that they are
grammatically singular e"en though they are semantically plural. Irregular
plural nouns are all inherently feminine. !he presence of the tied taa'< in the
abo"e e1amples is not the reason for why they are feminine. !here are many
other irregular plural structures that do not ha"e any feminine marker attached
yet they are still feminine.
It is possible though for irregular plurals that refer to humans to be treated
grammatically as plural nouns rather than singular, and the gender of the
noun in that case will match the gender of its singular (it will often be
masculine. !his is how such nouns are treated in Modern Standard Arabic.
!he presence of the tied taa'< in those kinds of nouns without functioning as a
feminine marker is related to an old original function of the tied taa'<2 this
suffi1 had originally two functions in Arabic'
'% An augmentati1e function, which included turning a singular 5count
noun5 (a noun referring to a single unit, like 5friend5 into a 5collecti"e
noun5 (also a singular noun but refers to multiple units. !his pluralistic
function (represented in the irregular plurals ga"e rise to another
intensi"e or e1aggerati"e function when the suffi1 was added to certain
nouns (usually agent nouns.
(% A diminuti1e function that included turning a 5mass noun5 (a noun
referring to both singular and plural units, like 5fruit,5 5fish,5 etc. into a
singular count noun. !his 5singularistic5 function ga"e rise to another
function of belittlement and depreciation that, sadly, e"ol"ed to signify
the feminine gender when attached to many nouns.

!hese original functions of the -a(t) were not dead by the time of (lassical
Arabic and the Auran2 they were "i"idly in use along side the feminine
function and they remained producti"e throughout the following ages gi"ing
rise to countless new words in the modern spoken "arieties. !he -a(t) is still
commonly used in modern spoken Arabic to coin diminuti"e nouns as well as
to turn count nouns into collecti"e nouns.

!he open taa'< occurs as a feminine marker in "ery scarce nouns like'

?aughter
bint
-
Sister
'%kht
-

!hese nouns are ancient and their terminal feminine taa'< somehow escaped
the process of being turned into a tied taa'<. Apart from these two nouns and
maybe some few others, the open taa'< is not considered a feminine
marker.

In some classical dialects of Arabic, particularly classical southern Arabian
dialects (0imyarite, the feminine taa'< was pronounced -at in"ariably i.e.
there was no 5tied5 taa'< in those dialects. !his is why it is not considered
officially 5wrong5 to pronounce a tied taa'< always -at e"en at pause.
0owe"er, pronouncing a full -at at pause will doubtless sound awkward to
most modern speakers of Arabic who are unfamiliar with this classical "ariety.

-.4. there are still few rural dialects today in which the tied taa'< is fully
reali*ed as -at at pause2 this tends to be in dialects that are primarily deri"ed
from classical ;emeni Arabic, like modern southern .e"antine Arabic
(+alestine and .ebanon and 7gyptian Arabic. (!he Maronite patriarch of
Mount .ebanon often appears talking on .ebanese !, and he pauses
reali*ing a full -at .

71tra -ote' Modern ,ariations in the feminine &a(t)

Some classical Arabian tribes had a habit of turning the "owel A into 7. !his is
called in Arabic ~ G 5slanting5 or _ = - G 5lying-down-like5 and it happened
particularly in central Arabia (-a=d. 6or e1ample, they would pronounce the
word kitaab G 5book5 as kitaib (kit8b. Similar phenomena e1isted in other
Semitic languages such as Syriac and 0ebrew, and e1ist in 7nglish (the
pronunciation of 5make,5 hate,5 etc.

!oday howe"er, this transition is no longer present in Arabia (e1cept for
traces but it has mo"ed to .e"ant and -orth Africa.

.e"ant is the region bordering the eastern shore of the Mediterranean. It was
classically known to Arabs as Shaam ~ ' G 5Syria5 and today it comprises the
four countries of Syria, .ebanon, +alestine, and Cordan. Many central Arabian
tribes settled in .e"ant, especially the northern half (the southern half had
been already settled by ;emeni tribes for centuries before Islam. After
staying in Syria for a while, many of these tribes mo"ed to 7gypt and -orth
Africa (which had been already settled by the early con:uering Muslim
;emeni tribes. !hese Syrian@central Arabian tribes kept relocating until they
finally reached Spain and settled thereF most of the Arab tribes that entered
Spain during the Muslim con:uest were from these Syrian@central Arabian
tribes.

!his historical information helps in e1plaining some of the "ariations between
modern dialects. (lassically, .e"antine Arabic strongly e1hibited the transition
from A to 7 (the 5slanting.5 0owe"er, with the passing of time and continuous
influence from other regions, this feature has been lost from nearly all .e"ant
up to central Syria (0ama, with only traces remaining here and there. ;ou
can still hear today the A somewhat regularly slanted into 7 in northern Syria
(Aleppo, but this is fading there as well.

3ne of the traces of 5slanting5 that persist in almost all the modern .e"antine
dialects is the pronunciation of the feminine marker as -e instead of -a.

71amples, click on the )oman transliteration to hear'

Modern )ural
Syrian Arabic
Modern
%rban Syrian
Arabic
(lassical@6ormal
Arabic
ma d irs i ma dr a s "
m a dr a s a(t
)
~ ~ ~
school (fem.
t ifl i t " fl " 1
t ifl a(t)
- =
female child
f aa t m i f aa t m "
f aa t im a(t)
=
female proper
name
/An underlined " on this site means a schwa _ (as in telephone.

-ote that the "owels " and " do not e1ist in formal Arabic. )ural Syrian
dialects use only the classical "owels (a, i, %, 9, :, ; but no modern "owels
(", ", !, 8, 8, .. 0ence, rural dialects 5classici*e5 the feminine -e into -i.

!he feminine marker is not in"ariably changed to -e in modern .e"antine2 as
a general rule, a "owel A will not be slanted to 7 if it is preceded by letters
produced from the throat (pharyngeal, from the roof of the mouth ("elar or
u"ular, emphatic consonants ( D D = D = , or the letter ) (e1cept in the
two words - - M - - . !hus, the classical -a(t) becomes both -a and
-e in modern .e"antine.

!he modern -a or -e will not be changed to -at or -et nor to anything else
when they are followed by other talking. 0owe"er, they will be changed to -t
(without a "owel in the construct state, which is when a noun forms the first
part of a geniti"e construction. !he e"ol"ement of different figures for nouns in
the construct state in modern spoken Arabic is similar to what had happened
at much more ancient times in other Semitic languages such as 0ebrew and
Aramaic.

A similar, less important, e"olution lead to the feminine marker becoming -o
or -u in some rare modern dialects of Arabic. !his is similar to what
happened in the ancient Aramaic@Syriac.

-.4. .ebanese Arabic is famed in the modern Arab world for preser"ing the
transition from A to 7, but the fact is that this transition occurs nati"ely in a
"ery little geographic area in .ebanon (in central Mount .ebanon, where the
once dominating Maronite elite li"ed whereas most of the other .ebanese
regions do not show real preser"ation of this transition but =ust traces of it.
0owe"er, it is :uite common for all .ebanese today to either fake or
e1cessi"ely e1aggerate the transition from A to 7 in their talk in what appears
to be part of the struggle by the different communities in that country to pro"e
that they are 5more .ebanese than5 or 5as .ebanese as5 the others.
,rregular -ouns
Irregularly beha"ing nouns in Arabic are three types'

I. Shortened -ouns
A shortened noun ~ ` ' - ' is a noun which ends with an 9alif denoting a
long "owel aa % Such 'alif is also called 5e1tended 'alif 5 or 5weak 9alif.5
71tended 'alif assumes either one of two figures when it comes at the end of
a word'

!his alternation in figure has its significance as we shall see shortly.

71amples of shortened nouns'

Shortened -ouns
Stick (fem.
"asaa
- =
?ew (masc.
nadaa
~- ,
?ock (masc.
marsaa
~ ~
0ospital (masc.
m%stashfaa
-~ -~ ~
6orces (plu. fem.
qiwaa
,

-ouns that end with e1tended 'alif's are called shortened nouns because
when an e1tended 'alif comes last in the word it does not get full
pronunciation, rather it will be shortened a little bit.
!his is why e1tended 'alif is called 5shortened 'alif 7 - - ' ' when it
occurs last in a word.
8hen a noun of three letters ends with a shortened 'alif , the 'alif must be
original letter because e"ery true word must consist of, at least, three original
letters.
0owe"er, the long "owel 'alif will not be part of the tri-consonantal root of the
word. In fact, this long "owel 'alif at the end of triliteral words is a substitute
for a changed or consonant% ,ery long time ago, the original or at
the end of these words were changed into long "owel 'alif's. 0owe"er, the
consonants or will still be the true root-letters not the or . !his
phenomenon can happen only with the 'alif< it is the only letter that can be
original letter but not one of the root letters.
.ook at the table bellow'
)oot 3riginal ,ersion Actual ,ersion

5 S 8 _
- = - =
- ? ; ~
~ - ~ - ,

Sometimes, the changed final letters will ha"e to be changed back when we
add endings to the noun, like the dual or plural endings. !his is why it is
important to be able to know the original letter.
.uckily, this is easy if you ha"e the word written for you, because the figure of
the shortened 'alif clearly indicates the replaced original letter. !he is the
original letter for and the is the original letter for , %
Shortened words with more than three letters usually ha"e at their ends this
kind of 'alif ' ,, but in this case, the 'alif will not necessarily be an original
letter2 it could be additional letter, although it would still need changing to
when new endings are added to the noun, no matter if it were original or not.

If we do not ha"e the written word in front of us, we will not be able to
determine the original letter from the figure of the 'alif. !his case usually
poses a problem for Arab school students, who need to know which form of
'alif to write when the word is being dictated on them. Actually, the only thing
that a new learner can do is to look at the word in a dictionary, such as this
one, to see how the word is written. <oing to the dictionary is also the best
sure way to find out the root of a word.

As we ha"e mentioned already, shortened nouns with more than three letters
typically end with' ,. 0owe"er, there are few words that end with the other
form, you may look here for more details.

II. 71tended -ouns
An e1tended noun ~ ~ ' ~ ` ' is a noun which ends with a long "owel 'alif
aa that is followed by a consonant 'alif ' , also called hamza(t) .

aa'<

71tended -ouns
8ater (masc.
maa'<
~
0ea"en (fem.
samaa'<
~
Supper (masc.
"ashaa'<
~ =
?esert (fem.
sahraa'<
= - '
6riends (plu. masc.
'asdiqaa'<
~ -
!hose words are called e1tended words because the presence of the
hamza(t) at their ends allows the e1tended 'alif to be fully pronounced2
contrary to the case of shortened nouns. !hus the 'alif here is still called
e1tended 'alif as usual.
!he hamza(t) at the end of e1tended nouns can be a original root-letter,
transformed from an original root-letter ( or ) $ or it can be additional
letter (does not belong to the root nor it is transformed from a letter that
belongs to the root. In the last case, where the hamza(t) is an additional
letter, the noun will be feminine and the hamza(t) will be ser"ing as a feminine
marker. !he hamza(t) will be additional only if it was fifth letter or beyond in a
word. !hus, the feminine marker can be found only in words with fi"e letters or
more. 0owe"er, this does not mean that e1tended words with fewer than fi"e
letters cannot be feminine.

III. ?efecti"e -ouns
A defecti"e noun ~ ` ' ' is a noun which ends with a long "owel &""
that is original letter and belongs to the root. +roper names cannot be
defecti"e nouns2 and defecti"e nouns are always masculine unless a feminine
taa'< were attached, or they were irregular plurals.

&""
&iy

?efecti"e -ouns
Cudge
qaad""
-
Sponsor
raa"""
='
Attorney
m%haam""
~ = ~
Snakes (plu. fem.
'afaa"""
=

!he last original yaa'< of a defecti"e noun should be differentiated from the
common attributi"e 5double yaa'<" that comes also at the end of nouns.
-ouns
5ender of -ouns
6eminine Markers (continued)

8% E&tended 'alif

&aa'<

!he second feminine marker in Arabic singular nouns is a terminal weak 'alif
(a long A "owel &aa followed by a consonant 'alif or hamza(t) (a glottal
stop ' .

!his ending is called an 5e1tended 'alif" - ~ ~ ' ' because the presence
of the final hamza(t) allows for the long A to be fully pronounced rather than
shortened. -ouns that end with an e1tended 'alif are called 5e1tended nouns.5

As far as I can guess, the -aa'< is altered from the following original
form'

-aa(t)
-

&aat &aah &aa'<

!he ending -aa(t) is the alternati"e "ersion in (lassical Arabic of the
standard feminine plural ending -aat , and it can also appear suffi1ed in
irregular plural stems. !he e"olution of this marker seems to me :uite similar
to that of the tied taa'< -a(t) as they are probably cognates.

Anyway, being a 5marker5 means that the is suffi1ed to stems, so it is
composed of 5additional letters5 but not any 5original letters5 (i.e. not any
letters that belong to the root of the word.

Since that true nouns in Arabic must ha"e a minimum of three original letters,
the must be fourth letter or beyond in a noun (i.e. the noun has fi"e letters
or more in order for the two letters of the to be additional (and thus a
feminine marker. If the is third letter, then one of the two letters of the
(the would ha"e to be an original letter.

0owe"er, this does not mean that if the is fourth letter or beyond the will
be always an additional feminine marker. !his is because deri"ed nouns,
including ones with fi"e letters or more, commonly end with that is not a
feminine marker and which has a totally different origin.

?eri"ed nouns, or "erbids, are nouns that are deri"ed from "erbs (particularly
perfecti"e "erbs. Most nouns in Arabic are deri"ed nouns. ?eri"ed nouns are
se"eral classes ("erbal nouns, participles, agent nouns, time and place nouns,
and tool nouns and each class has its standard patterns or structures in
which roots can be plugged.

Some of the deri"ed noun structures, particularly those of "erbal nouns,
emphatic acti"e participles, and tool nouns commonly ha"e the following
ending'

(ommon 7nding of ,erbal -ouns
((ase-ending remo"ed
&aal
.
8here l is a "ariable final root-letter, and the aa is fi1ed and additional.

!he problem arises when the final root letter is hamza(t), because the ending
will look =ust like the feminine marker &aa'< although it is not one.

A similar problem arises when the final root letter is a weak letter (w or y. In
such case, the final weak letter is always turned to hamza(t) in Arabic'
&aa) &aa'<
&aa( &aa'<

!hese endings look like the feminine marker &aa'<, but they are not feminine
markers.
?eri"ed nouns that ha"e these endings are masculine nouns unless a
feminine marker (i.e. the tied taa'< -a(t) is attached to them following the
&aa'<. (!here are specific cases in which some participle ad=ecti"es can be
feminine without adding a tied taa'<, those are co"ered in the ad=ecti"e
section.

!he &aa'< 7nding
3riginal
6orm
6ound in
&
aa(t)
-
Suffi1ed to the three-letter stem of the fa"laa'<
feminine ad=ecti"e
(feminine marker
Suffi1ed arbitrarily to some Arabi*ed loanwords and
nouns of more than three original letters
(feminine marker
Suffi1ed to few irregular plural stems
(augmentati"e suffi1, -3! feminine marker
&aa'<

+art of "erbal noun stems
+art of emphatic acti"e participle stems
+art of tool noun stems
+art of irregular plural stems
(part of the stem, -3! feminine marker
&aaw

&aay

0ere is the algorithm for nouns ending with &aa'<'

# .ess than fi"e letters

%sually "erbal nouns or nouns structured as "erbal nouns. !he &aa'< is not a
suffi1. Such nouns are almost always masculine unless a feminine taa'< is
attached following the &aa'<. ,ery few of such words will be feminine on their
own (I could only find one so far.


71tended 'alif -3! a 6eminine
Marker
8ater
(masc.
maa'<
~
Air
(masc. "erbal
noun
hawaa'<
- '
Medication
(masc. "erbal
noun
dawaa'<
~ '
Affliction
(masc. "erbal
noun
balaa'<

(all
(masc. "erbal
noun
nidaa'<
~ - '
(all upon
(praying (masc.
"erbal noun
d%"aa'<
= ~
0ea"en
(fem. "erbal
noun
samaa'<
~
4lood
(fem. irregular
plural
dimaa'<
~ ~
4uckets
(fem. irregular
plural
dilaa'<
~ `

Irregular plurals are always feminine, unless they refer to male humans where
they can be masculine.
Although "erbal nouns ending with are masculine, it is common to see
them used as female proper names. )arely they are used as male names.

71amples'

6emale proper name
sanaa'<
~
6emale proper name
d%"aa'<
= ~
6emale proper name
hanaa'<
-
Male proper name
diyaa'<
-

& 6i"e letters or more

In nouns with fi"e letters or more, there are two possibilities'

I. ?eri"ed -ouns M Irregular +lurals

?eri"ed -ouns with fi"e letters or more are nothing different from the ones
with less than fi"e lettersF they are all masculine.

71amples'

Marker
6inding the way
(masc. "erbal noun
'ihtidaa'<
' - - ~ '
4eginning
(masc. "erbal noun
'ibtidaa'<
' - ~ '
Seeking highness
(masc. "erbal noun
'isti"laa'<
-~ '
4uilder
(masc. emphatic acti"e
participle
bannaa'<

,ery gi"ing
(masc.@fem. emphatic
acti"e participle
mi"taa'<
~ =
,ery neat (obsolete
classical)
(masc. emphatic acti"e
participle
w%d d aa'<
-

Irregular plurals are always feminine unless they refer to male humans where
they can be masculine as well. It is possible for the &aa'< suffi1 to appear
attached in irregular plural structures ('af"ilaa'< M f%"alaa'<, but in that
case it will -3! be a feminine marker2 it will be =ust a remnant of an older
function of the &aa(t) ending where it ser"ed as a collecti"e-pluralistic
marker without gender distinction.

Irregular plurals that end with -aa'< usually refer to humans, and they are
usually masculine.

71amples'

Marker
6riends
'asdiqaa'<
~ -
0appy
s%"adaa'<
~ ~ '
4osses@chiefs
z%"amaa'<
=
7nemies
'a"daa'<
~ = '

In the last e1ample, the -aa'< is not a plural suffi1 but part of the stem
'af"aal.

II. 4a"laa'< , .oanwords M -ouns of 6our@6i"e-.etter )oots

-ouns (usually ad=ecti"es of the following structure are feminine'

fa"laa'<

!his is the only standard structure in which the -aa'< ending is a feminine
marker.
!he fa"laa'< structure is mostly used to indicate a color or bodily
characteristic of the feminine referent (e.g. blond, brunette, blind, mute, deaf,
lame, etc..


71tended 'alif as a 6eminine
Marker
)ed (fem. ad=.
hamraa'<
'
;ellow (fem. ad=.
safraa'<
- - '
<orgeous (fem. ad=.
hasnaa'<
~
4londe (fem. ad=.
shaqraa'<
~ '
0aggish (fem. ad=.
shamtaa'<
= ~
?esert (fem.
sahraa'<
= - '

!he last word is literally an ad=ecti"e but is used customarily as a noun, which
is possible for any ad=ecti"e in Arabic.

!he -aa'< feminine marker appears also in the diminuti"e form of
fa"laa'<'

f%"aylaa'<

71tended 'alif as a 6eminine
Marker
.ittle red (fem.
ad=.
h%mayraa'<
'
.ittle yellow (fem.
ad=.
s%fayraa'<
-- '
.ittle gorgeous
(fem. ad=.
h%saynaa'<
~
.ittle blonde
(fem. ad=.
sh%qayraa'<
~ '
.ittle haggish
(fem. ad=.
sh%maytaa'<
~ =
.ittle desert
(fem.
s%hayraa'<
= - '

4a"laa'< structure belongs to a category called in Arabic the 5acti"e-
participle-like ad=ecti"es5 which are basically the acti"e participle structures
whose primary function is as nomina agentis (agent nouns. !here is no clear-
cut distinction between participles and agent nouns in Arabic as both can
function in place of the other.

!he masculine form of fa"laa'< is'

'af"al

!he masculine form ser"es as a comparati"e structure when it is not denoting
a color or a bodily characteristic, and in that case, it will ha"e another feminine
form (f%"laa that is probably cognate of fa"laa'<.

4oth fa"laa'< and 'af"al belong to a category of nouns called the nomina
diptota (Arabic' 5the forbidden to declension nouns.5 -ouns in this category
undergo special declension characteri*ed by inflection for only two states
instead of three (the absolute state lacks nunation thus becoming identical to
the construct state and by two cases instead of three in the absolute state
(the jarr marking becomes identical to nasb marking in the absolute state.

Aside from fa"laa'<, the -aa'< feminine marker appears in few nouns that
are mostly Arabi*ed loanwords or word salads that became single words of
four-letter or fi"e-letter roots. !he -aa'< was added to such words
arbitrarily.

71amples'

71tended 'alif as a 6eminine Marker
<reen beans (sing.
fem.
faas!!liyaa'<
-
8hite beans (sing. fem.
l!!biyaa'<

Mummy (sing. fem.
m!!miyaa'<
~ ~
+hysics (sing. fem.
f""zyaa'<
-
(hemistry (sing. fem.
k""myaa'<

Mosaic (sing. fem.
f%sayfisaa'<
~ - ~

<ender of -ouns 7nding with 71tended
'alif
.ess than fi"e letters
?eri"ed nouns' masculine
Irregular plurals' feminine
6i"e letters or more
Irregular plurals'
masculine@feminine
4a"laa'< ad=ecti"e' feminine
3thers' feminine
+roper names %sually used for females

9% hortened 'alif

&aa

!he last feminine marker is the least specific to feminine nouns. It is simply a
terminal long A -aa. !his ending is called the 5shortened 'alif" '
- - ' because it is shortened in pronunciation and sounds closer to a
short A. -ouns that end with a shortened 'alif are called 5shortened nouns.5

!he final hamza(t) of the e1tended 'alif is often dropped in the modern
spoken dialects, so the e1tended 'alif becomes a shortened 'alif in these.

I can think of only one origin of this marker, which is the same as last one9s'

-aa(t)
-

Cust like the , the can be a feminine marker only when the is
fourth letter or beyond in a word (i.e. the word has four letters or more. If the
is third letter, then it is an original letter of the word and can not be a
marker.

Similarly to the pre"ious marker, a terminal -aa can be altered from a
terminal weak root-letter (w or y. A terminal weak letter is turned to -aa
only if it is preceded by a short A "owel'
&a) &aa
&a( &aa
!hus, a terminal shortened 'alif will be found in words that ha"e the following
ending'

&al

8here l is a "ariable final root-letter, and a is fi1ed and additional (an a is
always additional because it is not a letter to begin with.

!his ending is common in "erbal nouns, passi"e participles, time and place
nouns, tool nouns, and irregular plurals2 and in none of these it is a suffi1.

!he &aa 7nding
3riginal
6orm
6ound in
&
aa(t
)
-
Suffi1ed to the three-letter stems of fa"laa and
f%"laa feminine ad=ecti"es
(feminine marker
Suffi1ed to few "erbal noun stems
(feminine marker
Arabi*ed loanwords
(feminine marker
Suffi1ed to few irregular plural stems
(augmentati"e suffi1, -3! feminine marker
&aw

+art of "erbal noun stems
+art of passi"e participle stems
+art of the 'af"al agent noun stem
+art of time@place noun stems
+art of tool noun stems
+art of irregular plural stems
(part of the stem, -3! feminine marker
&ay

# Shortened -ouns with .ess than 6our .etters

Mostly "erbal nouns, nouns structured as "erbal nouns, or irregular plural
nouns. !he ending &aa is part of the stem.

,erbal nouns are masculine unless a tied taa'< is attached to them, which is
uncommon in this case. Irregular plurals are feminine unless referring to male
humans.

!hus, unless irregular plurals, shortened nouns with less than four letters are
masculine with rare e1ceptions (I found two e1ceptions.


Shortened 'alif -3! a 6eminine
Marker
;oung man
(masc.
fataa
-
)ange (masc.
madaa
~ ~ ,
?ew (masc.
nadaa
~ - ,
Appro"al (masc.
ridaa
-
Stick@cane (fem.
"asaa
- =
Millstone (fem.
rahaa

6orces
(fem. irregular
plural
qiwaa
,
+uppets
(fem. irregular
plural
d%maa
~ ~

As usual, "erbal nouns are commonly used as female names although they
are masculine themsel"es.

71amples'

6emale proper name
lamaa

6emale proper name
h%daa
~ - ,
Male proper name
ridaa
-

& Shortened -ouns with 6our .etters or More

In nouns with four letters or more, there are two possibilities'

I. ?eri"ed -ouns M Irregular +lurals

?eri"ed -ouns with four letters or more are, like those with less than four
letters, masculine. ?eri"ed nouns that can end with a non-suffi1 &aa are
"erbal noun structures that begin with an additional m& (5meemic5 "erbal
nouns, passi"e participles, time and place nouns, tool nouns, and the 'af"al
agent noun stem.


Marker
Meaning
(masc. "erbal noun
ma"naa
~
Meeting
(masc. "erbal noun
m%ltaqaa
~ -
Meeting place
(masc. place noun
<i"en
(masc. passi"e
participle
m%"taa
= ~
+urified
(masc. passi"e
participle
m%naq q aa
~
(hosen
(masc. passi"e
participle
m%s t afaa
~ - = -
(-ight club
(masc. place noun
malhaa
~
8inter resort
(masc. place noun
mashtaa
~ -~

+assi"e participles are commonly used as male names.

Ad=ecti"es of the structure 'af"al ha"e two situations'
8hen 'af"al is functioning as a comparati"e structure, it will modify
both masculine and feminine nouns, and the feminine "ersion of it
(f%"laa will work as a feminine superlati"e ad=ecti"e.
8hen 'af"al is not functioning as a comparati"e structure, it will be
e1clusi"ely masculine. It will ha"e the feminine "ersion fa"laa'< when
it denotes a color or bodily characteristic, and the "ersion 'af"ala(t) in
other rare cases.

'af"al ad=ecti"es can end with -aa that is original and not a feminine marker
when the final root-letter is w or y.


Shortened 'alif in 'af"al ad=ecti"es
0igher
(masc.@fem. comparati"e
ad=.
'a"laa
=
-earer@lower
ad=.
'adnaa
-~
Stronger
ad=.
'aqwaa
,
4lind (masc. non-
comparati"e
'a"maa
=
Snake (fem. non-
comparati"e
'af"aa

!he last word is an e1ception.

Irregular plurals are always feminine unless they refer to male humans where
they can be masculine as well. It is possible for the &aa suffi1 to appear
attached in irregular plural structures (fa"laa M fa"aalaa, but in this case
it will -3! be a feminine marker. It will be =ust a remnant of an older function
of the &aa(t) ending where it ser"ed as a collecti"e-pluralistic marker without
gender distinction.

Irregular plurals that end with -aa usually refer to humans.

71amples'

Marker
>illed
(masc.@fem.
irregular plural
qatlaa
-
8ounded
(masc.@fem.
irregular plural
jarhaa

3rphans
(masc.@fem.
irregular plural
yataamaa
-- ~
8idowed
(fem. irregular
plural
thakaalaa

II. 4a"laa, 4%"laa, ,erbal -ouns, and .oanwords

-ouns and ad=ecti"es of the following structures are feminine'

fa"laa

f%"laa

!hese are standard agent noun structures2 the -aa ending in these
structures is a feminine marker.

4a"laa looks similar to fa"laa'<, and I would say that both come from an
ancient fa"laa(t). !he masculine form of fa"laa is fa"laan and they are
both nomina diptota. !hese structures usually denote :ualities that are related
to 5emptiness5 or 5fullness,5 and they are common in female and male names,
respecti"ely.


Shortened 'alif as a 6eminine
Marker
!hirsty (fem. ad=.
"atshaa
~ = =
0appy (fem. ad=.
farhaa

8idowed (fem. ad=.
thaklaa

?runk (fem. ad=.
sakraa
~ ,
6emale proper name
laylaa

6emale proper name
salmaa
~
6emale proper name
najwaa
= - ,

!he structure f%"laa differs from fa"laa in only one "owel. 0owe"er, this
structure has a distinguished and an important function which is that it
functions as a feminine superlati"e ad=ecti"e.

71amples'

Marker
Smallest
(fem. superlati"e
ad=ecti"e
s%rraa
- ,
4iggest
(fem. superlati"e
ad=ecti"e
k%braa
- ,
0ighest
(fem. superlati"e ad=.
"%lyaa
=
.owest@nearest fig!
world"
(fem. superlati"e
ad=ecti"e
d%nyaa
- ~
+regnant (fem. ad=.
h%blaa
-
6emale proper name
l%bnaa
-

!he masculine form of f%"laa is 'af"al which is a 5bise1ual5 comparati"e
structure. 8hen the definite article is added to 'af"al, it becomes the
masculine superlati"e form.
4oth f%"laa and 'af"al are nomina diptota (any noun ending with an
additional &aa'< or &aa is a nomen diptotum.

!he &aa ending of a "erbal noun will be a feminine marker if the "erbal noun
achie"es the following'
0as four letters or more.
?oes not begin with an additional m- (not a 5meemic5 "erbal nouns.

Such "erbal nouns with a suffi1ed feminine &aa are infre:uent`"erbal nouns
more commonly take the tied taa'< as a feminine marker. !hey are usually of
the forms fi"laa and f%"laa and are commonly used as female names.

71amples'
Shortened 'alif as a 6eminine Marker
Memory (also name
(fem. "erbal noun
thikraa
~ ,
<ood news (also name
(fem. "erbal noun
b%shraa
~ ,

!hese are also diptota because they end with a feminine &aa.

!he diminuti"e forms of structures carrying a feminine &aa also carry one. All
the structures carrying a feminine &aa that ha"e been mentioned so far share
one diminuti"e form which is f%"aylaa.

6inally, foreign nouns ending with an A sound (which are common often end
with a feminine &aa in Modern Standard Arabic (but not in (lassical Arabic, in
which the tied taa'< was usually used.

71amples, in modern Arabic'

Marker
Music (fem.
m!!s""qaa
~ ~
Athena@Athens
(fem.
'ath""naa

)ome (fem.
r.maa
~
Syria (fem.
s!!ryaa
- ~
America (fem.
'am"rikaa
-~

Same e1amples in (lassical Arabic (some of them didn9t really e1ist but the
principles did'

Music (fem.
m!!s""qa(t)
~ ~
Athena@Athens (fem.
'ath""na(t)

)ome (fem.
r!!miyya(t)
~
Syria (fem.
s!!riyya(t)
- ~
America (fem.
'amr""qiyya(t)
- ~

<ender of -ouns 7nding with Shortened
'alif
.ess than four letters
Irregular plurals' feminine
6our letters or more
(omparati"e 'af"al' masculine@feminine
Irregular plurals' masculine@feminine
fa"laa M f%"laa' feminine
,erbal nouns without m& prefi1'
feminine
3thers' feminine
+roper names
+assi"e participles' males
3thers' females

6eminine 8ithout Markers
Although feminine markers identify most of the feminine nouns, there will still
be few feminine nouns that do not ha"e any of these markers. 8e will co"er
here most of these.

JSome nouns that refer to female persons do not ha"e feminine markers.

Mother
'%mm

?aughter
bint
- /
Sister
'%kht
- /
8ife
in classical Arabic
zawj

4ride
"ar!!s
=
/!he open taa'< is not standardly considered a feminine marker.

JSome nouns that refer to female animals.

6emale
scorpion
also male
"aqrab
=
6emale spider
"ankab!!t
- =
6emale horse
also male
faras

6emale
donkey
'ataan

JAll country and town names are feminine e1cept for some Arab countries
that were named after geographical features (such as mountains, seas, ri"ers,
etc. which will follow the geographical features they were named after in
masculinity. !hese masculine country names are namely Ira:, .ebanon,
Cordan, and Morocco.

71amples'

7gypt (fem.
misr
- ~
+alestine
(fem.
filist""n
= ~
?amascus
(fem.
dimashq
~ ~ ~
India (fem.
'al&hind
~ '
(hina (fem.
'as&s""n
- '
-ew
0ampshire
(fem.
ny!!
ham=sh"r
~---
Ira: (masc.
'al&"iraaq
' '
Cordan (masc.
'al&'%rd%n
~ '

J6or names of body parts that don9t ha"e feminine markers, a general rule is
that all the parts of which there are more than one are feminine and the rest
are masculine.
In a more comprehensi"e approach'
In the head, all the parts are masculine barring the eye, ear, and tooth
In the trunk, all the parts are masculine.
In the limbs, all the parts are feminine barring the elbow and the
forearm.
All the internal organs are masculine barring the li"er.

!hat was, of course, for parts that don9t ha"e feminine markers in their names.

71amples'

7ye (fem.
"ayn
=
7ar (fem.
'%th%n
~
0and (fem.
yad
~-
6oot (fem.
qadam
~
.i"er (fem.
kabid
~-
0ead (masc.
ra'<s
4ack (masc.
zahr
=

J!he following list contains nearly all the singular feminine nouns without
feminine markers and which ha"e not been mentioned abo"e.

.and@earth (fem.
'ard

0ea"en (fem.
samaa'<
~
Sun (fem.
shams
~
6ire (fem.
naar
-
)esidence (fem.
daar
'~
)oute@way (fem.
tar""q
- =
Market (fem.
s!!q
~
8ine (fem.
khamr

8ell (fem.
bi'<r

Millstone (fem.
rahaa

Stick@cane (fem.
"asaa
- =
8ar (fem.
harb

A1e (fem.
fa'<s

>nife (fem.
sikk""n
~
+ot (fem.
qidr
~
(up (fem.
ka'<s

8ind (fem.
r""h
_-
Soul@spirit (fem.
r!!h

Soul@being (fem.
nafs
- -
State (fem.
haal
.
0ell (fem.
jahannam

Ship (Ark (fem.
f%lk

E&ercise
(an you guess the gender of the following singular nounsa

(ourt
= ~
.argest
, -
?eath
~
8hite
-
Sad
-
<ermany
-
+eas
`
(onstructing
~ -
+aper

Sea
=
7"ening
~ ~
6emale proper name
~ ~
0elping (help (
-~ = ~ ~
!hirsty
~ = =
-ile
'
!urkey

.eg
~
?runk
' ~
+en
>nife
~

Answers

(ourt (fem (.
= ~
.argest (fem. ad= (.
, -
?eath (masc.
~
8hite (fem. ad= (.
-
Sad (masc. ad=.
-
<ermany (fem (.
-
+eas (fem (.
`
(onstructing
(construction (
masc (.
~ -
+aper (fem (.

Sea (masc.
=
7"ening (masc (.
~ ~
6emale proper
name (fem (.
~ ~
0elping (help
(fem (.
-~ = ~ ~
!hirsty (fem. ad= (.
~ = =
-ile (masc.
'
!urkey (fem (.

.eg (fem (.
~
?runk (masc. ad=.
' ~
+en (masc (.
>nife (fem (.
~

-ouns (continued)
-umber of -ouns
ingular -ouns

!he grammatical number of nouns is easily identified by their endings.

Singular nouns, including the grammatically singular but semantically plural
irregular plural nouns, can ha"e si1 different endings.

Singular 7ndings
(ase
Indefinite
State
?efinite@(onstruct
State
Raf"
(nom.
&%n &%
6asb
(acc.@dat.@"oc.
&an &a
7arr
(gen.@abl.
&in &i

Since that the rules of pause prohibit pronouncing a terminal short "owel
when followed by a pause, the definite@construct endings are dropped from
pronunciation when they occur terminal in speech. Moreo"er, e"en the
indefinite endings which contain terminal letter n!!n9s are dropped when they
occur terminal in speech.

Short "owels are not letters, and they are indicated in transcription by the
three short "owel marks that appear abo"e or below the preceding letter.
Since that the "owel marks are not usually written, the definite@construct
endings are not usually shown in writing at all and they are left for the reader9s
good sense.

!he n!!n of the indefinite endings (the presence of this n!!n is called
nunation is a letter that has an obligatory written form. 0owe"er, it was
decided not to write the n!!n of the indefinite endings and replace it by
doubling the mark of the preceding short "owel. !hus, the indefinite endings
also became unwritten e1cept for special purposes when the diacritic marks
are added.

So since that the singular endings are not usually apparent in writing, written
singular nouns can be identified by the lack of an apparent ending.

71amples'

raj%l

Man

State (ase -oun
Indefinite
Raf"
raj%l(%n)

6asb
raj%l(an)

7arr
raj%l(in)
,
(onstruct
Raf"
raj%l(%)

6asb
raj%l(a)

7arr
raj%l(i)

- ~ '
'imra'a(t)

8oman

State (ase -oun
Indefinite
Raf"
'imra'a(t%n)
- ~ '
6asb
'imra'a(tan)
- ~ '
7arr
'imra'a(tin)
-, ~ '
(onstruct
Raf"
'imra'a(t%)
- ~ '
6asb
'imra'a(ta)
- ~ '
7arr
'imra'a(ti)
- ~ '

.
rijaal

Men

State (ase -oun
Indefinite
Raf"
rijaal(%n)
.
6asb
rijaal(an)
.
7arr
rijaal(in)
.,
(onstruct
Raf"
rijaal(%)
.
6asb
rijaal(%)
.
7arr
rijaal(%)
.

!he last e1ample is a plural noun yet it has singular endings2 this is because it
is an irregular or broken plural noun (collecti"e noun, and irregular plural
nouns are grammatically singular. Although irregular plurals that refer to
humans, like the e1ample, are often treated as plurals in Standard Arabic, this
does not include the declension of the noun itself which will still be declined as
a singular noun (it will still ha"e the same endings as a singular noun.

*ual -ouns
A dual noun ` ' is a noun that refers to two persons or things.
?ual nouns are easily identified by their common dual ending. !he dual
ending is inflected for two cases and two states as follows'

?ual 7ndings
(ase
Indefinite@?efinite
State
(onstruct State
Sub=ect
(Raf")
&aan(i) &aa
3b=ect
(6asb > 7arr)
&ayn(i) &ay

%nlike the singular endings, the dual endings are pronounced at pause e1cept
for the final short I "owel, and they are apparent in writing e1cept also for the
final short I "owel which is indicated by an optional diacritic mark.
Stem Noun: m%"allim ~ = "teacher"
3ne male teacher
m%"allim(%n)
~
3ne female teacher
m%"allima(t%n)
~
!wo male teachers
(sub=ect
m%"allimaan(i)
~
!wo male teachers
(ob=ect
m%"allimayn(i)
~
!wo female teachers
(sub=ect
m%"allimataan(i
)
- ~
!wo female teachers
(ob=ect
m%"allimatayn(i
)
- ~
;ou can see how the feminine taa'< -at ought to be fully pronounced in the
dual2 since it is no longer terminal, there is no possibility that one pauses at it.
!he case declension of dual nouns (and regular plural nouns is special in that
it in"ol"es only two cases instead of three (but this for all the states and there
is nunation, so they are not diptota. !he nasb and jarr marking of these
nouns is identical, this is why these two cases of the dual (and regular plural
may be collecti"ely called the 5obli:ue case5 by linguists.
Raf" (sub=ect
!he two male teachers are here.
m%"allimaan(i)
~
!he two female teachers are here.
m%"allimataan(i)
- ~
Nasb (ob=ect
I saw the two male teachers.
m%"allimayn(i)
~
I saw the two female teachers.
m%"allimatayn(i)
- ~
Jarr (possession@ob=ect of
preposition
!his is the two male teachers9 class.
I ga"e it to the two male teachers.
m%"allimayn(i)
~
!his is the two female teachers9
class.
I ga"e it to the two female teachers.
m%"allimatayn(i)
- ~

Irregular -ouns
#or descri$tion of irreg%lar no%n ty$es, yo% may clic& here

I. Shortened -ouns
Shortened nouns are nouns that end with a long A "owel (&aa .

Shortened -ouns 8ith !hree .etters
!he weak 'alif of the ending will be changed back to its origin (either w or y
when attaching the dual ending. !his form of 'alif . will be changed back to
w, and this one' will be changed back to y. !he short A "owel preceding
the weak 'alif will remain intact.
&aa &a)&d%al "nding
&aa &a(&d%al "nding

7ndings of !riliteral Shortened
-ouns
Singular
?ual
Sub=ect 3b=ect
&aa

&awaan(i)
'
&
awayn(i)
-
&aa

&ayaan(i)

&ayayn(i)

Shortened -ouns 8ith More !han !hree .etters
!he weak 'alif will be always changed to y when attaching the dual ending,
regardless of its origin.
&aa &a(&d%al "nding

7ndings of Shortened -ouns
8ith More !han !hree .etters
Singular
?ual
Sub=ect 3b=ect
&aa

&ayaan(i)

&ayayn(i)

&aa

A final weak 'alif of any Arabic word with more than three letters takes this
figure regardless of its true origin. !his suits well the rules of declension.
0owe"er, there is one e1ception, which is when the letter preceding the final
weak 'alif in such words is y 2 in that case, the 'alif takes the figure e"en
though the rule still stands as it is.
71amples'
?ual Singular
"asawaan(i)
-= '
"asaa
stick@cane
- =
(fem.
"asawayn(i)
-= -
fatayaan(i)
-
fataa
boy (masc.
-
fatayayn(i)
-
maqhayaan(i)
~
maqhaa
cafb (masc.
~
maqhayayn(i)
~
"atshayaan(i)
~ = =
"atshaa
thirsty (fem.
~ = =
"atshayayn(i)
~ = =
d%nyayaan(i)
- ~
d%nyaa
lowest@nearest
(fem.
- ~
d%nyayayn(i)
- ~
m%satshfayaan(i
)
-~ -~ ~
m%stashfa
a
-~ -~ ~
hospital
(masc.
m%satshfayayn(i
)
-~ -~ ~

II. 71tended -ouns
71tended nouns are nouns that end with a long A "owel followed by a terminal
glottal stop or hamza(t) (&aa'< .
71tended -ouns 8ith 6our .etters or 6ewer
In e1tended nouns with four letters or fewer, the final hamza(t) is always an
original letter. 8hen attaching the dual ending, the will be changed back to
its origin (w or y if the itself is not the origin
&aa'< &aa'&d%al "nding
&aa'< &aa)&d%al "nding
&aa'< &aa(&d%al "nding
7ndings of 71tended -ouns 8ith 6our
.etters or 6ewer
Singular
?ual
Sub=ect 3b=ect
&aa'<

&aa'aan(i)
'
&aa'ayn(i)
-
&aa'<

&aawaan(i)
'
&aawayn(i)
-
&aa'<

&aayaan(i)
-
&aayayn(i)
-
%nlike the shortened 'alif whose figure denotes its origin, the origin of the
hamza(t) of an e1tended 'alif cannot be told from its written figure.
It is possible, though not ideal, to keep the hamza(t) of the e1tended
'alif always without change when attaching the dual ending. !his is typical of
Modern Standard Arabic.
71amples'
?ual Singular
daa'aan(i)
~ ' '
daa'<
disease (masc.
~ '
daa'ayn(i)
~ ' -
binaayaan(i)
-
binaa'<
building (masc.

binaa'aan(i)
'
binaayayn(i)
-
binaa'ayn(i)
-
samaawaan(i)
~ '
samaa'<
~
hea"en (fem.
samaa'aan(i)
~ '
samaawayn(i)
~ -
samaa'ayn(i)
~ -

71tended -ouns 8ith More !han 6our .etters
In e1tended nouns with more than four letters, there is a chance that the
hamza(t) of the e1tended 'alif is an additional letter (i.e. the e1tended 'alif is
a suffi1.

If the hamza(t) is an original letter, it will be changed back to its origin (w , y,
or kept ' when adding the dual suffi1.
&aa'< &aa'&d%al "nding
&aa'< &aa(&d%al "nding
0owe"er, it is possible to always keep the hamza(t) unchanged when
attaching the dual ending. !his is typical of Modern Standard Arabic.
71amples'
?ual Singular
'inshaa'aan(i)
~ - '
'inshaa'<
construction
~ -
(masc.
'inshaa'ayn(i)
~ - -
bannaayaan(i
)
-
bannaa'<
builder (masc.

bannaa'aan(i)
'
bannaayayn(i
)
-
bannaa'ayn(i)
-
mi"taawaan(i
)
= ~ '
mi"taa'<
gi"ing, generous
(masc.@fem.
= ~
mi"taa'aan(i)
= ~ '
mi"taawayn(i
)
= ~ -
mi"taa'ayn(i)
= ~ -

8hen the &aa'< is a feminine marker, the hamza(t) is always turned into
w when attaching the dual ending.

?ual Singular
khadraawaan(i)
- ' '
khadraa'<
green (fem.
- '
khadraawayn(i)
- ' -
samraawaan(i)
~ ' '
samraa'<
brunette (fem.
~ '
samraawayn(i)
~ ' -
m!!miyaawaan(i)
~ ~ '
m!!miyaa'<
mummy (fem.
~ ~
m!!miyaawayn(i)
~ ~ -

?efecti"e nouns are nouns that end with a long I "owel (&iy ) whose
terminal y belongs to the root.
?efecti"e nouns take the dual ending =ust as regular nouns.
&i( &i(&d%al "nding

7ndings of ?efecti"e -ouns
Singular
?ual
Sub=ect 3b=ect
&iy

&iyaan(i)

&iyayn(i)

71amples'
?ual Singular
qaadiyaan(i)
-
qaadiy
a finali*ing@finali*er
(masc.
H a =udge (masc.
-
qaadiyayn(i)
-
daa"iyaan(i)
= '~
daa"iy
In"iting@in"iter
(masc.
= '~
daa"iyayn(i)
= '~

Anne&ed *uals
!here are fi"e dual nouns in Arabic of which there are no singulars2 these are
called the 5anne1ed duals5 ` ' = ~ .
Anne1ed ?uals
Meaning 3b=ect (ase Sub=ect (ase
!wo
(masc.
'ithnayn(i)
'
'ithnaan(i)
'
!wo (fem.
etymology:

thnataani
thnatayni
'ithnatayn(i
)
- '
'ithnataan(i
)
- '
thintayn(i)
-
thintaan(i)
-
4oth (of
(masc.
kilay

kilaa

4oth (of
(fem.
kiltay
-
kiltaa
-
!he last two words lack their final &n(i) because they e1ist only in the
construct state that is used to form geniti"e constructions. ?ual nouns (as well
as the regular masculine plurals lose their final &n(i) in the construct state2
this will be co"ered later.

7tymology -ote
!his is =ust my personal con=ecture.
?ual 7ndings
&awni ub+ect

&ayni )b+ect

!he dual suffi1 &aani, like the feminine &at, apparently had an original
augmentati"e@diminuti"e meaning that was not restricted to the dual number.
Many noun structures in Arabic ha"e &aan suffi1es denoting what appears to
be an augmentati"e meaning (and infre:uently a diminuti"e meaning.
6or e1ample, &aan suffi1es occur in "erbal noun, participle@agent noun, and
irregular plural structures'
71ample Structure
?epri"ation
~
fi"laan(%n)
"erbal noun

4ig loss
~ '
f%"laan(%n)
"erbal noun

4oiling
=
fa"alaan(%n)
"erbal noun

!hirsty ~ = =
fa"laan(%)
participle@agent
noun
&
(hildren
~ '
fi"laan(%n)
irregular plural

0erds
=
f%"laan(%n)
irregular plural

/?iptote.
3ther common nouns with &aan suffi1es are'
rahmaan(%n) ] 5a merciful5 (agent noun of 5ha"e mercy5
'insaan(%n) ~ - G 5a human being5
q%r'aan(%n) G 5a reading (out, the >oran5
Many of such &aan nouns are often considered to be loanwords from other
Semitic languages (often Aramaic. !he &aan suffi1 is commonly used in
Semitic languages as an ad=ecti"al suffi1.
+roper nouns with &aan suffi1es are nomina diptota (e.g. ` = ~ '
~ . 4a"laan(%) ad=ecti"es are diptota when their feminine form is
fa"laa2 which are most of them.
!he suffi1 &aan is common in Aramaic as a diminuti"e suffi1.

7.g.
kt!$aan G 5a booklet, little book5
baytaan G 5a little house5
!he &aan de"elops later to &.n then to &!!n (&n).
!he suffi1 &.n is commonly found in Syrian Arabic (due to Aramaic
influence.
6or e1ample,
jard.n G 5rat5 (Standard Arabic' ~

71tra -ote' Modern ,ariations
In modern spoken Arabic, the dual declension is still producti"e. 0owe"er,
there is no case declension in modern spoken Arabic, so the dual ending
retains only forms deri"ed from the classical ob=ect form.
!he most common form of the dual ending in modern spoken Arabic is'
&ain (&8n)
71amples'
y.main G two days
ktaabain G two books
t"l"$izy.nain G two tele"isions
!his is the mainstream form. 3ther forms include'
&""n
&iy"n
!he classical ob=ect form is preser"ed in rural Syrian (but without the final
short I. 0owe"er, it is not an 5ob=ect5 form anymore'
&ayn
In modern spoken Arabic, the dual (and masculine plural endings are not
inflected for state as they retain the final &n in the construct state.
7.g. in urban Syrian Arabic'
ktaabain ('")l&walad G (the two books (of the boy
ktaabain&"" G (the two books (of me

3ther Semitic languages that we know of had the dual marking, but it was not
producti"e in any of them. It was limited to "ery few words for things that
usually come in pairs like two eyes, two hands, two days, etc.
71amples'

Sub=ect 3b=ect
3ld Akkadian 5two eyes5 '""naan '""n""n
Aramaic 5two hundred5 maathain
0ebrew 5two days5 y.mayim

71ercise #
(an you change the following singular nouns to dual nouns in the sub=ect
casea

+en (masc (.
+aper (fem (.

6ulgurating
(fulguration (masc.
~
6orum (masc (.
, ~ - ~
4lack (fem.
'~ ~
Self-sufficing
self-sufficiency
(masc (.
- - '
Medication (masc (.
' ~
Cudge (masc (.
-

Answers

-
' ~
-~ - ~
' '~ ~
' -- '
' ~ '
-

E&ercise 8
(an you change the following dual nouns to singular nounsa

!wo apples
- -
!wo bones
= =
!wo ranges
-~ ~
!wo gorgeous (women
- ~
!wo afflictings (two
afflictions (
-
!wo giftings
' '~ -
!wo sponsors
-= '

Answers

Apple (fem (.
-
4one (masc (.
= =
)ange (masc.
, ~ ~
<orgeous (fem.
~
Afflicting (affliction
(masc (.
<ifting (masc (.
'~ -
Sponsor (fem (.
= '

-ouns
-umber of -ouns (continued)
Plural -ouns
+lural nouns _ = ' are nouns that refer to more than two things or persons.
!here are two types of plural nouns in Arabic'
)egular +lural (suffi1, grammatically plural
Irregular +lural (different stem, grammatically singular

!he regular plural is "ery similar to the dual, it works by adding suffi1es to
noun stems.

!he irregular plural, on the other hand, is nasty. !his kind of plural does not
work by adding suffi1es but rather by taking the root letters (called radicals of
the singular noun and applying them into a totally different structure deri"ed
from a "erbal noun structure. !his is why this kind of plural is known as the
5broken plural25 because it does not preser"e the singular stem . !here are
many irregular plural structures as this kind of plural is common in Arabic,
unfortunately.

!he regular plural suffi1es are two kinds'
Masculine +lural
6eminine +lural
7ach one of these is inflected for two cases, the nominati"e (raf", sub=ect
case and the obli:ue (nasb M jarr, ob=ect case, which is similar to the dual
suffi1 inflection. 0owe"er, whereas the masculine plural retains nunation in
the definite state (like the dual, the feminine plural does not.

An important fact to know is that, for many nouns, the same singular noun has
multiple plural words of more than one type.
Masculine plural nouns are always masculine and they ha"e only masculine
singulars. 6eminine plural and irregular plural nouns are always feminine but
they can ha"e both masculine and feminine singulars. Irregular plurals can be
masculine when they refer to male humans.

Masculine Plural -ouns
!he masculine plural ~ ' ~ ' _ is used primarily to plurali*e
participles that refer to more than two male humans or to groups of male
and female humans.

Masculine plural nouns are identified by their masculine plural ending that is
inflected for two cases and two states as follows'

Masculine +lural 7ndings
(ase
Indefinite@?efinite
State
(onstruct State
Sub=ect
(Raf")
&!!n(a) &!!
3b=ect
(6asb > 7arr)
&""n(a) &""

!he masculine plural endings are pronounced at pause e1cept for the final
short A "owel, and they are apparent in writing e1cept also for the final short A
"owel, which is indicated by an optional diacritic mark.
71ample, click on the Arabic word to hear it'
3ne male teacher
m%"allim(%n)
~
&B male teachers
(sub=ect
m%"allim!!n(a
)
~
&B male teachers
(ob=ect
m%"allim""n(a
)
~

!he case inflection of the masculine plural (and feminine plural ending is
similar to that of the dual in that it in"ol"es only two cases because the nasb
and jarr marking is identical.
Raf" (sub=ect
!he male teachers are here.
m%"allim!!n(a)
~
Nasb (ob=ect
I saw the male teachers.
m%"allim""n(a)
~
Jarr (possession@ob=ect of
preposition
!his is the male teachers9 class.
I ga"e it to the male teachers.
m%"allim""n(a)
~

0owe"er, masculine plural nouns, like the dual and feminine plural nouns, are
not nomina diptota because they ha"e nunation and they are inflected for two
cases in all the three states not only in the absolute state like the diptotes.
Initially, in ancient times, the masculine plural suffi1 was used to plurali*e all
masculine nouns without distinction, including those referring to nonhumans.
0owe"er, as the trend of the irregular (broken plural arose, Arabs began to
abandon this suffi1 and use the irregular plural instead. As they did that,
restrictions began to appear on the use of the masculine plural and kept
appearing and increasing until the masculine plural finally became restricted
to deri"ed nouns referring to male humans, and particularly to participles
referring to male humans.
6or e1ample, masculine nouns that refer to humans but are not deri"ed from
"erbs cannot take the masculine plural ending and they are plurali*ed "ia the
irregular plural. Such nouns are like the following'
Irregular
+lural
Singular
'aabaa'(%n)

'ab(%n)
a father

'ikhwa(t%n)
-
'akh(%n)
a brother
_
b%"!!l(%n)
.
ba"l(%n)
a husband
classical"

?eri"ed nouns include "erbal nouns, participles (including agent nouns, time
and place nouns, and tool nouns.
,erbal nouns are abstract nouns that refer to ideas (e.g. eating, going,
helping2 they cannot refer to humans, so they cannot take the masculine
plural ending unless they are used as male proper names. !ime, place, and
tool nouns also cannot take the masculine plural ending.
)emains the participles. !he participles in Arabic are se"eral categories'
Acti"e participles
7mphatic acti"e participles
Acti"e-participle-like ad=ecti"es (agent nouns
+assi"e participles
-ouns belonging to any of these categories can function as agent nouns in
addition to their primary function as participles. 0owe"er, the acti"e-participle-
like structures are mostly used as agent nouns in Standard Arabic and rarely
as participles2 this is why I refer to them often as 5the agent nouns.5
-ote' if you are not sure what 5participles5 and 5agent nouns5 are, the acti"e
participles in 7nglish are simply ad=ecti"es ending with -ing, like a 5talking
robot5 and a 5boring mo"ie.5 !he passi"e participles are ad=ecti"es that look
like words after 5ha"e5 like a 5beaten kid5 and a 5freed prisoner.5 Agent nouns
are nouns ending with -er, -or or the likes, like 5teller,5 5liar5, and 5conductor.5
!he acti"e participle structures are two types, a simple, basic type that is
deri"ed from triliteral perfecti"e "erbs (form I "erbs, and a 5meemic5 type
(begins with a m%& prefi1 that is deri"ed from the rest of the "erb forms.
!he meemic acti"e participles are relati"ely comple1 structures that are hard
to 5break5 and remake into irregular plurals (though it is possible to add to
them an augmentati"e tied taa<. !his is why those are plurali*ed primarily "ia
the regular plural suffi1es when they refer to male humans (and infre:uently
"ia the addition of an augmentati"e tied taa<).
3n the other hand, the non-meemic acti"e participles that are deri"ed from
triliteral "erbs and refer to male humans ha"e two situations' the ones that are
functioning as participles or ad=ecti"es take the masculine plural ending,
whereas those functioning as non-ad=ecti"e agent nouns are irregularly
plurali*ed.
71amples, acti"e participles'
Masculine
+lural
Singular
kaatib!!n(a)
-
kaatib(%n)
a writing (masc.
-
kaatib""n(a)
-
m%darris!!n(a
)
~ ~ ~
m%darris(%n
)
a
teaching@teacher
(masc.
~ ~
m%darris""n(a
)
~ ~ ~
m%stakshif!!n
(a)
-~ -~ ~
m%stakshif(
%n)
an
e1ploring@e1plore
r (masc.
~ -~ ~
m%stakshif""n
(a)
- ~ -~ ~
All these e1amples are acti"e participles referring to male humans. !he
second and third ones are meemic acti"e participles, so these are always
plurali*ed by the addition of the masculine plural ending. 0owe"er, the first
e1ample is non-meemic, so it takes the masculine plural ending only when it is
functioning as a participle (when it means 5writing,5 like in a 5writing man5, but
it will be irregularly plurali*ed when it functions as a non-ad=ecti"e agent noun
(when it means 5writer5.
71amples on non-meemic acti"e participles functioning as agent nouns'
Irregular Singular
+lural
k%ttaab(%n)
-
kaatib(%n)
a writer (masc.
-
kataba(t%n)
--
'ashaab(%n)
= -
saahib(%n)
a companion
(masc.
- -
s%hba(t%n)
-= -
sahb(%n)
- = -
sahaaba(t%n)
= -
sh%h!!d(%n)
~ ~
shaahid(%n)
a witness (masc.
~ - ~

!he emphatic acti"e participles that refer to male humans are all standardly
plurali*ed by the addition of the masculine plural ending to them regardless of
whether they were participles or agent nouns, e1cept for the structure fa"""l
which is often plurali*ed irregularly.
71amples'
Masculine
+lural
Singular
kaththaab!!n(
a)
'~
kaththaab(%n
)
a "ery
lying@professional
liar (masc.
'~
kaththaab""n(
a)
'~
raf!!r!!n(a)
-= raf!!r(%n)
a "ery
forgi"ing@forgi"er
(masc.
-=
raf!!r""n(a)
-= -
mi"taa'!!n(a)
= ~

mi"taa'(%n)
a "ery
gi"ing@generous
(masc.
= ~
mi"taa'""n(a)
- = ~
-.4. in perfect (lassical Arabic, fa"""l, mif"aal, and mif"""l do not
take the masculine plural ending. A general rule is that participles that can
modify feminine nouns as ad=ecti"es without ha"ing feminine markers (:.". do
not take the masculine plural ending.
Acti"e participles and emphatic acti"e participles referring to male humans
can ha"e an augmentati"e tied taa'< suffi1ed to them2 in that case, they
cannot take the masculine plural ending =ust as if the tied taa'< were feminine.
!he standard passi"e participle structures are all meemic2 they all begin with
m& prefi1es (ma& for form-I-deri"ed and m%& for the rest. !hese words are all
plurali*ed by the addition of the masculine plural suffi1 to them when they
refer to male humans.
71amples'
Masculine
+lural
Singular
ma"r!!f!!n(a)
~
ma"r!!f(%n)
a known (masc.
~
-
ma"r!!f""n(a)
~
mas'!!l!!n(a)
~ ~
mas'!!l(%n)
an asked (masc.
H an official
no%n"
. ~ ~
mas'!!l""n(a)
~ ~
m%harrar!!n(
a)
= ~
m%harrar(%n
)
a freed (masc.
= ~
m%harrar""n(
a)
= ~ -

!he primary function of the acti"e-participle-like structures in Standard Arabic
is as agent nouns. !his is why these structures are the least among the
participles to take the masculine plural ending. Structures that can take the
masculine plural ending include fa"il, fay"il, fa"!!l, and 'af"al when it is
functioning as a comparati"e ad=ecti"e.
71amples'
Masculine
+lural
Singular
farih!!n(a)

farih(%n)
a happy (masc.

farih""n(a)

tayyib!!n(a)
-=
tayyib(%n)
a fine@kind(hearted
(masc.
- =
tayyib""n(a)
-=
ray!!r!!n(a)
=
ray!!r(%n)
a =ealous (masc.
=
ray!!r""n(a)
= -
4a"!!l does not take the masculine plural ending in pure (lassical Arabic.
(omparati"e 'af"al does take it in (lassical Arabic but rarely does so in
modern Arabic.
Acti"e-participle-like structures that do not take the masculine plural ending
are the rest of the structures, which include fa"l, fi"l, f%"l, fa"al, f%"%l,
fa"aal, f%"aal, fa"""l, 'af"al whose feminine form is fa"laa'<, and
fa"laan whose feminine form is fa"laa.

Summary
!he masculine plural ending used to be added to all masculine nouns, but in
the current Arabic it is added only to participles referring to male humans
pro"ided that they function as participles not as nomina agentis.
!he masculine plural ending cannot be added to the following'
6eminine nouns
Masculine nouns not referring to humans
Masculine nouns referring to humans but not deri"ed from "erbs
Masculine nouns deri"ed from "erbs and referring to humans but not
participles
+articiples referring to humans but ending with a tied taa'<
-on-meemic, non-emphatic participles referring to humans and
functioning as non-ad=ecti"e agent nouns
+articiples that can modify feminine nouns as ad=ecti"es without ha"ing
feminine markers

Masculine nouns that do not take the masculine plural ending are plurali*ed
irregularly or by means of the feminine plural suffi1.

Masculine +lural for Male-Indicating,
Suffi1-6ree ?eri"ed -ouns
,erbal nouns
only when used as male proper
names
!ime@place@tool nouns
-on-meemic acti"e
participles
only when functioning as participles
or ad=ecti"es
Meemic acti"e participles always
7mphatic acti"e participles always e1cept for fa"""l
+assi"e participles always
Acti"e-participle-likes
(nomina agentis
only fa"il, fay"il, fa"!!l, and
comparati"e 'af"al

71tra -ote' !he 4aa"il +articiples
!he non-meemic acti"e participles (faa"il that function as participles appear
to be more resistant to change o"er time than other words.

An interesting e1ample from modern spoken Arabic is found in the dialect of
the northern Syrian city of Aleppo (0alab.

In standard -orth Syrian, the long A "owel (aa G 9 is changed to long 7 (ai
G 8. 0owe"er, as the dialect of urban Aleppo began to lose this feature, the
long 7 in the faa"il participles (fai""l was changed back to a long A
(faa""l. Interestingly, this happened only in participles functioning as agent
nouns but not ones functioning as participles.

71amples'

Modern ?ialect of Aleppo Standard Arabic
kait"b kaat"b
-
a writing a writer a writing@writer (masc.
"aim"l "aam"l
~ =
a doing@making a worker a working@worker (masc.
hair"s haar"s

a guarding a guardian
a guarding@guardian
(masc.

So participles in Aleppo ha"e two pronunciations for each, an original
pronunciation with an 8 sound that indicates 5doing,5 and another one with an
9 sound that indicates 5doer5 (there are e1ceptions though, like jaim""
(mos:ue, bair"d (cold, saikh"n (hot, "ailiy (high 'aikh"r (last, etc..

I see this similar to how the participles functioning as participles retained the
regular plurali*ation in Arabic, whereas ones functioning as agent nouns
became irregularly plurali*ed.

Irregular nouns

I. Shortened -ouns
Shortened nouns that can take the masculine plural are all masculine
singulars, so the final weak A can ne"er be a suffi1 in this case2 it will always
be part of the stem and turned from w or y.
8hen attaching the masculine plural ending to a shortened noun, the final
weak letter will be deleted and the masculine plural ending will change to
&wn(a) @ &yn(a).
&aa &a)&%wn(a) &a&
wn(a)
&aa &a)&iyn(a) &a&
yn(a)

&aa &a(&%wn(a) &a&
wn(a)
&aa &a(&iyn(a) &a&
yn(a)

7ndings of Shortened -ouns
Singular
Masculine +lural
Sub=ect 3b=ect
&aa

&awn(a)

&ayn(a)

&aa

71ample'
-
ridaa
Appro"al (masc., used as a male proper name

ridaa
-
ridaw%wn(a)
-
ridawn(a)
-

ridaa
-
ridawiyn(a)
- -
ridayn(a)
-

Masculine +lural Singular
"a"lawn(a)
=
"a"laa
higher (masc.
=
"a"layn(a)
=
m%jtabawn(a)
--= ~
m%jtabaa
chosen (masc. literary
--= ~
m%jtabayn(a)
--= ~
m%stafawn(a)
- = - ~
m%stafaa
chosen (masc.
- = - ~
m%stafayn(a)
- = - ~

II. 71tended -ouns
consonant 'alif or hamza(t) (&aa'< .

71tended nouns that can take the masculine plural are all masculine
singulars, so the e1tended 'alif can ne"er be a suffi1 in this case2 it will always
be part of the stem (an e1ception are some rare, obsolete male proper names
that ha"e a feminine &aa'<.

8hen attaching the masculine plural ending, the will be changed back to its
origin (w or y if the itself is not the origin

&aa'< &aa'&mas' =l%' "nding
&aa'< &aa)&mas' =l%'
"nding
&aa'< &aa(&mas' =l%'
"nding

7ndings of 71tended -ouns
Singular
Masculine +lural
Sub=ect 3b=ect
&aa'<

&aa'!!n(a)

&aa'""n(a)
-
&aa'<

&
aaw!!n(a
)

&
aaw""n(a
)
-
&aa'<

&
aay!!n(a)
-
&
aay""n(a)
-
/!he figures' - are =ust alternati"e =oining figures for the hamza(t) (see +oining
figures for hamza(t) .
It is possible to always keep the hamza(t) unchanged when attaching the dual
ending. !his is typical of Modern Standard Arabic.
71amples'
Masculine
+lural
Singular
qarraa'!!n(a)
'
qarraa'<
professional
reciter (masc.
'
qarraa'""n(a)
-'
bannaay!!n(a
)
-
bannaa'<
builder (masc.

bannaa'!!n(a)

bannaay""n(a
)
-
bannaa'""n(a)
-
mi"taaw!!n(a
)
= ~
mi"taa'<
gi"ing, generous
(masc.@fem.
= ~
mi"taa'!!n(a)
= ~
mi"taaw""n(a
)
= ~ -
mi"taa'""n(a)
= ~ -

8hen attaching the masculine plural ending to defecti"e nouns, the final
&iy will be deleted all together.
&i( &i(&%wn(a) &
%wn(a)
&i( &i(&iyn(a) &iyn(a)

Singular
Masculine +lural
Sub=ect 3b=ect
&iy

&!!n(a)

&""n(a)

71amples'
Masculine
+lural
Singular
qaad!!n(a)
-
qaadiy
=udging (masc.
-
qaad""n(a)
-
raa"!!n(a)
= '
raa"iy
sponsoring (masc.
='
raa"""n(a)
= '
m%haam!!n(a)
~ = ~
m%haamiy
defending@defender
(masc.
H attorney
~ = ~
m%haam""n(a)
~ = ~

Anne&ed Masculine Plurals
Anne1ed masculine plurals ~ ' ~ ' _ = ~ are either masculine
plurals to which there are no singulars, or masculine plurals whose singulars
do not achie"e the conditions for recei"ing the masculine plural ending (e.g.
do not refer to male persons, not deri"ed from "erbs.
!hese are remnants from the old days when the use of the masculine plural
was not as restricted as it is today. !here are se"eral of these words in the
classical language2 the important ones are the following'
Anne1ed Masculine +lurals
Meaning Masculine +lural Singular
Sons
ban!!n(a)

'ibn
son (masc.
'
ban""n(a)

;ears
sin!!n(a)
~
sana(t)
year (fem.
~
sin""n(a)
~
0ouseholds
'ahl!!n(a)
-
'ahl

household
(masc.
original
sense:
tent
-
'ahl""n(a)
-
8orlds
"aalam!!n(a
)
=
"aalam
world (masc.
=
"aalam""n(a
)
=
7arths, lands
'ard!!n(a)
-
'ard
land, earth
(fem.

'ard""n(a)
-
0undreds
mi'!!n(a)
~
mi'a(t)
hundred
(fem.
~
mi'""n(a)
~
Name of
$lace in
$aradise
"illiyy!!n(a)
=
&&&
---
"illiyy""n(a)
=
+ossessors
(of
'%l!!
'
&
&&&
---
'%l""

/!he final is silent.
!he last word '%l!! @ '%l"" lacks its final &n(a) because it e1ists only in the
construct state that is used to form geniti"e constructions. Masculine plural
nouns (as well as dual nouns lose their final &n(a) in the construct state2 this
will be co"ered later.
!he most commonly used anne1ed masculine plural nouns are the 5decade
words5 ~ ' = -%
Anne1ed Masculine +lurals
5?ecade 8ords5
Meaning
3b=ect (ase Sub=ect (ase
!wenty
"ishr""n(a)
~ = -
"ishr!!n(a)
~ =
!hirty
thalaath""n(a)

thalaath!!n(a)

6orty
'arba"""n(a)

'arba"!!n(a)

6ifty
khams""n(a)
~
khams!!n(a)
~
Si1ty
sitt""n(a)
-~
sitt!!n(a)
-~
Se"enty
sab"""n(a)
- ~
sab"!!n(a)
- ~
7ighty
thamaan""n(a)
-
thamaan!!n(a)
-
-inety
tis"""n(a)
~
tis"!!n(a)
~

71tra -ote' Modern ,ariations
In modern spoken Arabic, the masculine plural declension used similarly to
(lassical Arabic. !he usual form of the masculine plural ending in modern
spoken Arabic is'
&""n
!his form is used for all cases as there is no case declension in modern
spoken Arabic.
71amples (%rban (entral Syrian'
bayyaa"""n G male sellers
kazzaab""n G male liars
Syrian Arabic shows a phenomenon of adding the masculine plural ending to
irregular plural nouns.
71amples (%rban -orth Syrian'
wlaid""n G male children (- ~ `
shaib""n G male companions ( = -
!his might be related to confusion by the early Syriac-speaking inhabitants
who apparently couldn9t grasp the Arabic irregular plurals easily.
In modern spoken Arabic, the masculine plural (and dual endings are not
inflected for state as they retain the final &n in the construct state.
7.g. in %rban (entral Syrian'
bayyaa"""n ('")l&falaaf"l G (the sellers (of falafel

71amples from other Semitic languages (absolute state'

Sub=ect 3b=ect
Akkadian 5fathers5 'abb!! 'abb""
Aramaic 5men5 ga$r""n
0ebrew 5kings5 mlaakh""m

71ercise #
(an you change the following singular masculine nouns to masculine plural
nouns in the sub=ect casea
6ighter
= ~
Stronger (ad= (.
,
%pset (ad=.
-~ ~
+roper name
~ -

Answers

= ~

-~ ~
~ -

E&ercise 8
(an you change the following masculine plural nouns to singular nounsa

?efenders
'~ ~
Smarter (ad= (.
~
+roper name
-=
?issemblers
(root' ) 9 ;
-' ~

Answers

_ '~ ~
~
=
-' ~
-ouns
-umber of -ouns
Plural -ouns (continued)
!eminine Plural -ouns
!he feminine plural ~ ' - - ' _ is the second type of the regular
(suffi1al plural. It is :uite more common than the masculine plural.
!he primary use of the feminine plural is to plurali*e nouns and ad=ecti"es with
feminine markers in addition to some masculine deri"ed nouns and masculine
nouns referring to ob=ects.
6eminine plural nouns ha"e the following ending that is inflected for two cases
and two states'

6eminine +lural 7ndings
(ase Indefinite State
?efinite@(onstruct
State
Sub=ect
(Raf")
&aat(%n) &aat(%)
3b=ect
(6asb > 7arr)
&aat(in) &aat(i)

!he t of these endings is always pronounced, so it is an 5open5 t. 3ther
nonstandard "ersions in (lassical Arabic included a 5tied5 t (&aa(t%n),
&aa(tin), &aa(t%), and &aa(ti) with pronunciation similar to that of the
feminine &a(t).

8hen adding the feminine plural ending to nouns with additional &a(t), the
&a(t) is remo"ed.
3ne male teacher
m%"allim(%n)
~
3ne female teacher
m%"allima(t%n)
~
&B female teachers
(sub=ect
m%"allimaat(%n
)
~
&B female teachers
(ob=ect
m%"allimaat(in)
~ ,

!he pronunciation and state inflection of the feminine plural ending is similar
to that of singular nouns. 3n the other hand, the case inflection of the
feminine plural ending is similar to that of the dual and masculine plural
endings in that it in"ol"es only two cases (the nasb and jarr marking is
identical.

Raf" (sub=ect
6emale teachers are
here.
m%"allimaat(%n)
~
Nasb (ob=ect
I saw female teachers.
m%"allimaat(in)
~ ,
Jarr (possession@ob=ect
of preposition
!his is a female
teachers9 class.
I ga"e it to female
teachers.
m%"allimaat(in)
~ ,

It looks like the feminine plural ending de"eloped as follows'
&(a)at!!na H &aat%n
&(a)at""na H &aatin

!he feminine plural ending is added to nouns with feminine markers whether
they refer to female humans or not.
6or e1ample,
6eminine
+lural
Singular
kalimaat(%n)

kalima(t%n)
a word (fem.

kalimaat(in)
,
bawwaabaat(%
n)
'
bawwaaba(t%n
)
a gate (fem.
'
bawwaabaat(in
)
' ,
m%haawalaat(%
n)
= ~ `
m%haawala(t%
n)
an attempt (fem.
= ~
m%haawalaat(i
n)
= ~ `
,
m%saa"adaat(%
n)
~ = ~ ~ '
m%saa"ada(t%
n)
a help (fem.
~ = ~ ~
-
m%saa"adaat(in
)
~ = ~ ~ '
,

-ouns used as female names can take the feminine plural ending e"en if they
are masculine themsel"es.

6eminine nouns without feminine markers are irregularly plurali*ed.

71amples'

Irregular +lural Singular
h%r!!b(%n)

harb(%n)
a war (fem.

niraan(%n)
- '
naar(%n)
a fire (fem.
-
t%r%q(%n)
=
tar""q(%n)
a route@way (fem.
= -

0owe"er, ad=ecti"es that modify feminine nouns without feminine ha"ing
markers can take the feminine plural ending.

4a"laa'< feminine ad=ecti"es do not take the feminine plural ending but are
plurali*ed irregularly through the structure f%"l(%n). 0owe"er, this is often
breached and the feminine plural ending is often added to such ad=ecti"es.

71amples'

+lural Singular
h%mr(%n)

hamraa'<
red (fem.
'
"%my(%n)
=
"amyaa'<
blind (fem.
=

4a"laa feminine ad=ecti"es do not take the feminine plural ending but are
plurali*ed irregularly through the structure f%"aalaa.

71amples'

+lural Singular
"%taashaa
= = ~
"atshaa
thirsty (fem.
~ = =
s%kaaraa
~ ,
sakraa
drunk (fem.
~ ,

Some basic feminine nouns, including ones with feminine markers, do not
take the feminine plural ending or ha"e altered figures when they take it.

71amples'

+lural Singular
'%mmahaat(%n
)
~
'%mm(%n)
a mother (fem.

'%mmahaat(in)
~ ,
banaat(%n)

bint(%n)
a daughter@girl
(fem.
-
banaat(in)
,
'akhawaat(%n)
'
'%kht(%n)
a sister (fem.
-
'akhawaat(in)
' ,
sanawaat(%n)
~ '
sana(t%n)
a year (fem.
~
sanawaat(in)
~ '
,
shifaah(%n)
- ~ -
shafa(t%n)
a lip (fem.
- ~
shiyaah(%n)
~ -
shaa(t%n)
shaah(%n)
shaa'(%n)
a goat
(masc.@fem.
- ~
- ~
~
milal(%n)
~
milla(t%n)
a denomination
(fem.
~

!he last three plurals are irregular plurals.

7tymologies
'%mm%n (mother, bant%n (daughter, 'akht%n (sister.
Another word for 5a daughter5 in Standard Arabic is 'ibna(t%n) ' . A possible
common ancestor of bant%n and 'ibnat%n is bnat%n.

!he feminine plural ending is also added to masculine deri"ed nouns that do
not refer to male humans.
Many of these are "erbal nouns, for e1ample'
6eminine
+lural
Singular
'i"laanaat(%n)
-= 'i"laan(%n)
an
announcement
(masc.
=
'i"laanaat(in)
-= ,
'ijtimaa"aat(%n
)
= - '
'ijtimaa"(%n)
a meeting
(masc.
_ - '
'ijtimaa"aat(in)
= - '
,
m%qtarahaat(%
n)
- ~
m%qtarah(%
n)
a proposition
(masc.
- ~
m%qtarahaat(i
n)
- ~ ,
mashr!!"aat(%
n)
= ~ ~
mashr!!"(%n
)
a pro=ect
(masc.
~ ~
_
mashr!!"aat(in
)
= ~ ~
,

Masculine place and time nouns can also take the feminine plural ending'
6eminine
+lural
Singular
mataaraat(%n)
= ~ '
mataar(%n)
an airport (masc.
= ~
mataaraat(in)
= ~ , '
maqarraat(%n)
~ '
maqarr(%n)
a location, a
residing place
~
(masc.
maqarraat(in)
~ , '
mamarraat(%n
)
~ '
mamarr(%n)
a passageway
(masc.
~
mamarraat(in)
~ , '

Masculine agent nouns with an augmentati"e &a(t) are plurali*ed by the
feminine plural ending'

6eminine +lural Singular
"allaamaat(%n)
~ =
"allaama(t%n)
an erudite (masc.
~ =
"allaamaat(in)
~ = ,
rahhaalaat(%n)
`
rahhaala(t%n)
an e1perienced
tra"eler (masc.

rahhaalaat(in)
, `

Some masculine nouns that refer to ob=ects and ha"e too many letters (fi"e or
more or assume comple1 structures are plurali*ed "ia the feminine plural
instead of the irregular plural.

71amples,
6eminine
+lural
Singular
hammaamaat(%
n)
~
hammaam(%
n)
a bath (masc.

hammaamaat(i
n)
~ ,
'istablaat(%n)
- = -
'istabl(%n)
a stable (masc.
- = -
'istablaat(in)
- = -
,
tilif.naat(%n)
--
tilif'n(%n)
a telephone
(masc.
-
tilif.naat(in)
-- ,

!he feminine plural ending can sometimes be added to collecti"e nouns
(irregular plural nouns as an augmentati"e suffi1.

71amples,

rijaalaat(%n)
`
rijaal(%n)
men (masc.
.
rijaalaat(in)
, `
b%y!!taat(%n)

b%y!!t(%n)
houses, families
(masc.

b%y!!taat(in)
,

8hen &aat%n @ &aatin is added to 5men5 the meaning becomes
5prominent men'5 and when it is added to 5families5 the meaning becomes
5prominent families.5
!he irregular plurals can also take the dual and masculine plural endings as
augmentati"e suffi1es, but all these are rare cases.

Summary
!he feminine plural ending is added to'
6eminine nouns (and ad=ecti"es with feminine markers (&a(t), &aa'<,
M &aa.
6eminine ad=ecti"es without feminine markers (:.".
-ouns used as female names regardless of their gender.
-ouns with non-feminine (augmentati"e suffi1es &a(t), &aa'<, or
&aa.
Arbitrarily, some masculine deri"ed nouns (mostly "erbal nouns.
Some nouns referring to ob=ects and which ha"e too many letters or are
too comple1 to fit into an irregular plural structure.
6ew irregular plural nouns as an augmentati"e suffi1.

Irregular nouns

I. Shortened -ouns

Shortened -ouns 8ith !hree .etters
!he weak 'alif of the ending will be changed back to its origin (either w or y
when attaching the feminine plural ending. !his form of 'alif . will be
changed back to w, and this one' will be changed back to y. !he short A
"owel preceding the weak 'alif will remain intact.
&aa &a)&f"m' =l%' "nding
&aa &a(&f"m' =l%' "nding

7ndings of !riliteral Shortened -ouns
Singular
6eminine +lural
Sub=ect 3b=ect
&aa

&awaat(%n)
'
&awaat(in)
' ,
&aa

&ayaat(%n)

&ayaat(in)
,

Shortened -ouns 8ith More !han !hree .etters
!he weak 'alif will be always changed to y when attaching the feminine plural
ending, regardless of its origin.
&aa &a(&f"m' =l%' "nding

7ndings of !riliteral Shortened -ouns
Singular
6eminine +lural
Sub=ect 3b=ect
&aa

&ayaat(%n)

&ayaat(in)
,
&aa

A final weak 'alif of any Arabic word with more than three letters takes this
figure regardless of its true origin. !his suits well the rules of declension.
0owe"er, there is one e1ception, which is when the letter preceding the final
weak 'alif in such words is y 2 in that case, the 'alif takes the figure e"en
though the rules still stand.
71amples'
shathawaat(%n)
~ ~ '
shathaa
female name
(fem.
~ ~ '
shathawaat(in)
~ ~ , '
h%dayaat(%n)
~- -
h%daa
female name
(fem.
~- ,
h%dayaat(in)
~- - ,
thikrayaat(%n)
~ -
thikraa
reminiscence
(fem.
~ ,
thikrayaat(in)
~ - ,
d%nyayaat(%n)
- ~
d%nyaa
lowest@nearest
(fem.
- ~
d%nyayaat(in)
- ~ ,
m%stashfayaat(%
n)
-~ -~ ~
m%stashfa
a
-~ -~ ~
hospital
(masc.
m%stashfayaat(i
n)
-~ -~ ~
,

II. 71tended -ouns
glottal stop or hamza(t) (&aa'< .
71tended -ouns 8ith 6our .etters or 6ewer
In e1tended nouns with four letters or fewer, the final hamza(t) is always an
original letter. 8hen attaching the dual ending, the will be changed back to
its origin (w or y if the itself is not the origin
&aa'< &aa'&f"m' =l%' "nding
&aa'< &aa)&f"m' =l%' "nding
&aa'< &aa(&f"m' =l%' "nding
7ndings of 71tended -ouns 8ith 6our
.etters or 6ewer
Singular
6eminine +lural
Sub=ect 3b=ect
&aa'<

&aa'aat(%n)
'
&aa'aat(in)
, '
&aa'<

&
aawaat(%n)
'
&
aawaat(in)
' ,
&aa'<

&aayaat(%n)
-
&aayaat(in)
- ,
%nlike the shortened 'alif whose figure denotes its origin, the origin of the
hamza(t) of an e1tended 'alif cannot be told from its written figure.
It is possible, though not ideal, to keep the hamza(t) of the e1tended
'alif always without change when attaching the feminine plural ending. !his is
typical of Modern Standard Arabic.
71amples'
6eminine
+lural
Singular
samaawaat(%n
)
~ '
samaa'<
hea"en (fem.
~
samaa'aat(%n)
~ '
samaawaat(in)
~ , '
samaa'aat(in)
~ , '
wafaayaat(%n)
-
wafaa'<
female name

wafaa'aat(%n)
'
wafaayaat(in)
- ,
wafaa'aat(in)
, '

71tended -ouns 8ith More !han 6our .etters
In e1tended nouns with more than four letters, there is a chance that the
hamza(t) of the e1tended 'alif is an additional letter (i.e. the e1tended 'alif is
a suffi1.

If the hamza(t) is an original letter, it will be changed back to its origin (w , y,
or kept ' when adding the feminine plural suffi1.
&aa'< &aa'&f"m' =l%' "nding
&aa'< &aa(&f"m' =l%' "nding
0owe"er, it is possible to always keep the hamza(t) unchanged when
attaching the feminine plural ending. !his is typical of Modern Standard
Arabic.
71amples'
'inshaa'aat(%n)
~ - '
'inshaa'<
construction (masc.
~ -
'inshaa'aat(in)
~ - , '
'ihdaayaat(%n)
~ - ' ' -
'ihdaa'<
gifting (masc.
~ - ' '
'ihdaa'aat(%n)
~ - ' ' '
'ihdaayaat(in)
~ - ' ' - ,
'ihdaa'aat(in)
~ - ' ' , '
'i"tidaawaat(%n
)
~ -= ' ' '
'i"tidaa'<
assault@aggression
(masc.
~ -= ' '
'i"tidaa'aat(%n)
~ -= ' ' '
'i"tidaawaat(in)
~ -= ' ' , '
'i"tidaa'aat(in)
~ -= ' ' , '

8hen the &aa'< is a feminine marker, the hamza(t) is always turned into
w when attaching the feminine plural ending.

khadraawaat(%n)
- ' '
khadraa'<
green (fem.
- '
khadraawaat(in)
- ' , '
shaqraawaat(%n)
~ ' '
shaqraa'<
blonde (fem.
' ~
shaqraawaat(in)
~ ' , '
m!!miyaawaat(%n
)
~ ~ '
m!!miyaa'<
mummy (fem.
~ ~
m!!miyaawaat(in)
~ ~ , '

In the language of the >oran, which is the source of Standard Arabic,
fa"laa'< ad=ecti"es are ne"er plurali*ed regularly but always through the
irregular structure f%"l(%n).

?efecti"e nouns take the feminine plural ending =ust as regular nouns.
&i( &i(&f"m' =l%' "nding

Singular
6eminine +lural
Sub=ect 3b=ect
&iy

&iyaat(%n)

&iyaat(in)
,

71amples'
qaadiyaat(%n)
-
qaadiya(t%n)
a finali*ing@finali*er (fem.
H a =udge (fem.
-
qaadiyaat(in)
- ,
daa"iyaat(%n)
= '~
daa"iya(t%n)
In"iting@in"iter (fem.
= '~
daa"iyaat(in)
= '~ ,

71tra -ote' Man M 8oman

!he standard word for 5a man5 in Arabic is'

raj%l(%n)
A man

!his is an agent noun of the structure fa"%l(%n)2 it literally means 5a walker.5

3ther words for 5a man5 in Standard Arabic include'

' ~ ~
'imr%'(%n) / mar'(%n)
A man

7tymology' mra'%n

In modern spoken Arabic, words of the root ) C . are used standardly'

Man
(5walker,5 acti"e participle
%sed in 7gypt and southern .e"ant with
"ariable pronunciations
(e.g. 5raagil5 in .ower 7gyptian c(airod
raajil
'
Man
(5"ery walker H "ery man5 emphatic acti"e
participle
%sed in Arabia, .e"ant, Ira:, etc. with
"ariable pronunciations
(e.g. 5r"jjaal5 in %rban Syrian c?amascusd
rajjaal
.

!he standard classical word raj%l(%n) can still be heard today in some rare
dialects with "arying pronunciations (e.g. 5rajil5 in +alestinian Arabic.

!he feminine form of this word, raj%la(t%n) G 5a woman5 was uncommon
in (lassical Arabic and it is not a standard word.

)ather, the standard word for 5a woman5 in formal Arabic is the feminine of
'imr%'(%n)/ mar'(%n)'

' ~ - ~ -
'imra'a(t%n) / mar'a(t%n)
A woman

7tymology' mra'at%n

!his word is used in many modern dialects (e.g. Arabia, -orthern .e"ant,
Ira: with "ariable pronunciations (most commonly, 5mara5. Another word that
is common in modern Arabia is 5h%rma5 ~ (plural' 5har""m5 - .

?ialects that are deri"ed mostly from classical ;emeni Arabic (7gyptian and
South .e"antine use a non-Arabic word for 5a woman5'

- ~
sitt

A woman

!his is not an Arabic word but a word that is commonly found in South Semitic
languages (e.g. 7thiopian languages. It appears that this word was also used
in 3ld South Arabian languages (ancient ;emeni languages spoken before
Arabic.

Anyway, this word has found its way into modern 7gyptian, +alestinian, and
.ebanese Arabic. !he plural is sittaat -~ . !his word is used in other
modern dialects as a word for a 5grandmother.5 !his is found in dialects that
started out as ;emeni-based dialects but de"iated later (-orth .e"antine.

!he plural of raj%l(%n) is'
.
rijaal(%n)
Men
-ote that raj%l(%n) cannot be regularly plurali*ed (cannot take -!!na.

0owe"er, the words 'imr%'(%n)5 mar'(%n), 'imra'a(t%n)5 and mar'a(t%n) cannot
be plurali*ed at all.

!his lea"es the word for 5a woman5 without a plural. !he plural word for 5a
woman5 in Standard Arabic is'

~ -
nisaa'(%n)
8omen
Another less common "ariant'
~ - -
niswa(t%n)
8omen

4oth words do not ha"e singulars (plurale tantum. !hese words are related to
the following words'

A male human being
'ins(%n)
-
'insaan(%n)
~ -

!he roots 9 - S and - S are apparently cognates and they mean 5man,
human.5

7tymologies
ns%n H 'ins%n (man@human
nsaat%n H nisaa'%n (women

!he root - S @ - S0 is common in Semitic languages (e.g. Akkadian nish!!
(people, Aramaic 'anaash @ '""sh (man, 0ebrew 'an.sh @ '""sh (man.

In modern spoken Arabic, the following words are used for 5men5'

%sed in Arabia, .e"ant, Ira:, -orth Africa etc.
with "ariable pronunciations
rjaal
.
%sed mostly in 7gypt
(5riggaala5 in .ower 7gypt c(airod
rajjaala

3ther rare forms include rajaaj""l (7astern to (entral Arabia.

!he words for 5women5 include'

6ound in most dialects
niswaan
~ - '
In 7gypt
sittaat
-~
Mostly in Arabia
har""m
-

71tra -ote' Modern Spoken Arabic
In modern spoken Arabic, the feminine plural declension is used similarly to
(lassical Arabic but without the terminal case@state inflected part'
&aat
0owe"er, some Arabian dialects preser"e the state inflection2 like -a=di Arabic
(central Arabian Arabic'
Indefinite
&aat"n
?efinite@construct
&aat
-a=di dialect preser"es the state inflection in singular nouns too2 but it does
not preser"e any case inflection.

!he feminine plural ending is o"erused in Syrian Arabic. It is added to many
masculine nouns referring to ob=ects and also to nouns referring to male
humans in a way totally inadmissible in (lassical Arabic.

6or e1ample,

Modern %rban Syrian Standard Arabic
'ab
father
'abbahaat
fathers

'akh
brother
'"khwaat
brothers
' _
rf""'<
male companion
r"f'aat
male companions

!his is belie"ed to be related to the Syriac substratum.

Since that the long A "owel is usually "ery changeable between the different
dialects, the feminine plural ending will sound different from one place to the
other. !he spectrum of changeability e1tends between &8t and &.t, with
these two themsel"es being "ery rare in the modern pronunciation.

Most commonly today, the long A will be pronounced either like the a in an
American 5man,5 or 5can25 or it will be pronounced similar to the a in 5father.5
!he first pronunciation is typical of -orth Africa, southern .e"ant (+alestine
and .ebanon, and northernmost .e"ant (northern Syria. !hese may be
called the 57-regions.5 !he second pronunciation is heard mainly in western
and central Syria, in the +ersian <ulf region and in some parts of southern
Arabia (the 53-region5. A 5normal5 long A is generally heard elsewhere.

71amples from other Semitic languages'

Sub=ect 3b=ect
Akkadian 5years5 shanaat%m shanaatim
Aramaic 5:ueens5 malkhaat
0ebrew 5daughters5 ylaad.t

In later western dialects of Aramaic (later dialects are called Syriac, the long
A "owel becomes a long 3 like in 0ebrew.

E&ercise 6
(an you change the following singular nouns to feminine plural nouns in the
sub=ect casea
6riend (fem (.
- ~ -
6orum (masc (.
, ~ - ~
6emale proper name

<orgeous (fem. ad=.
~
7liminating
(elimination (masc (.
-
6emale proper name
-'

Answers

6riends (fem (.
- ~ -
6orums (fem (.
-~ - ~
6emale proper name

<orgeous (fem. ad=.
' ~
7liminating
(elimination (fem (.
' -
6emale proper name
-'

E&ercise 8
(an you change the following feminine plural nouns to singular nounsa

+rincesses (fem (.
' ~
6emale proper name
' -
)ed (fem. ad=.
' '
Aggressions (fem (.
' '~ -= '

Answers

+rincess (fem (.
- ~
6emale proper name
-
)ed (fem. ad=.
'
Aggression (masc (.
'~ -= '

-ouns
-umber of -ouns
Plural -ouns (continued)
,rregular Plural -ouns
As we ha"e seen, turning a singular noun into a regular plural noun is done by
adding a suffi1 while the main stem of the noun is preser"ed.
Irregular plurals work in another way. 0ere, there are no added suffi1es but
rather the radicals (root-letters of the singular noun are taken and applied into
a different pattern or structure to form the plural. !hus, the stem of the
singular noun is not preser"ed in this kind of plural.
!his is why it is called the broken Plural (the Arabic name is literally the
5breaking plural5 _ ~ -' . !his name refers to the fact that this kind of
plural in"ol"es 5breaking5 the stem of the singular noun.
71amples of irregular plurals'
Irregular
+lural
Singular
rijaal(%n)
.
raj%l(%n)

men (masc. a man (masc.
t%jjaar(%n)
=
taajir(%n)

merchants (masc. a merchant (masc.
h%r!!b(%n)

harb(%n)

wars (fem. a war (fem.
'ashjaar(%n)
= ~
shajara(t%n)
= ~ -
trees (fem. a tree (fem.
'ayyaam(%n)
-
yawm(%n)
-
days (fem. a day (masc.
haqaa'iq(%)
-
haq""qa(t%n)

facts (fem. a fact (fem.

Irregular plurals are in fact a kind of collecti1e nouns. !hey are semantically
plural, but grammatically they are singular. 6or e1ample, when you use
h%r!!b(%n) G 5wars5 in a sentence you won9t say 5these are wars5 but 5this is
wars.5
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
3rigins
It appears that the irregular plural structures were deri"ed from "erbal noun
structures because of the ob"ious similarity. A "erbal noun in 7nglish is a
gerund (like in 5I lo"e eating much5. 6or e1ample, they used 5warring5 to say
5wars5 and 5trading5 to say 5traders.5 !he sentence 5this is warring5 meant to
them 5these are wars5 and 5that is trading5 meant 5those are traders.5 !his is
the origin of the irregular plurals.
0owe"er, unlike "erbal nouns, the irregular plurals are always feminine.
8e showed in the pre"ious sections how the grammatical feminine gender
markers had an original augmentati"e@diminuti"e function. !his relationship
between the grammatical feminine gender and the meaning of
augmentation@diminution in Arabic makes it no surprise that the irregular
plurals are feminine.
8hat is now a 5feminine gender5 of the irregular plural nouns was initially a
mere indication of plenitude. 6or e1ample, 5this is much warring (neut.5 became
this is 5this is wars (neut.5 and e"entually 5this is wars (fem.5 when the feminine
connotation emerged.
Some irregular plural structures ha"e ob"ious 5feminine markers5 attached,
while most of them do not. Some structures ha"e other kinds of
augmentati"e@diminuti"e suffi1es like the &aan suffi1 which is now standardly
a 5dual5 marker in Arabic.
Initially, Semitic peoples used the two regular plural suffi1es (the masculine M
feminine plural suffi1es to plurali*e all nouns whether they were referring to
persons, animals, or ob=ects. 0owe"er, Semites slowly started to de"elop a
tendency toward using the broken plural instead of the regular suffi1es. !his
phenomenon had not yet been "ery e1tensi"e when Akkadians (ancient
Mesopotamian Semites started to write their language. !here were few
irregular plural nouns in the Akkadian language, which is the oldest known
Semitic language. 7"en 0ebrew, which was still spoken until the first century
(7, shows minimal presence of this phenomenon in comparison to Arabic.
It appears that Arabs and other South Semitic peoples en=oyed this kind of
plurali*ation so much that they kept doing it until, by the time of Muhammad
and (lassical Arabic, the use of the masculine plural suffi1 &!!na/&""na
became restricted to participles referring to male humans.
0owe"er, there were few remnants in (lassical Arabic of nouns referring to
masculine ob=ects which were plurali*ed by suffi1ing the masculine plural
ending to them. Such words that were used in the >oran (the Muslim holy
book included'
"aalam!!n(a) = G 5worlds5 (sing. "aalam(%n) = G 5a world5
sin!!n(a) ~ G 5years5 (sing. sana(t%n) ~ G 5a year5
!hese plurals are called in Arabic grammar the 5anne1ed masculine plurals5
because they go against the rule of keeping the masculine plural declension
for only participles referring to male humans. !here is a list of all of the words
that matter of this type in this page.
!he usage of the irregular plural has been growing e"en more since the time
of the >oran and more words today are irregularly plurali*ed. 6or e1ample,
ad=ecti"es referring to male humans were generally regularly plurali*ed in
(lassical Arabic, today howe"er, they are commonly irregularly plurali*ed.
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

It is important to know that nouns can be irregularly plurali*ed by more than
one way, that is by using more than one structure or pattern. Moreo"er, many
nouns can be regularly and irregularly plurali*ed in the same time.
6or e1ample'
+lural Singular
~ ~ ~
sh%h!!r(%n) 'ashh%r(%n) shahr(%n)
months (fem. months (fem. a month (masc.
-
qatala(t%n) qaatil!!n(a) qaatil(%n)
killers (masc. killing (masc. a killing@killer (masc.

Irregular plural nouns are always feminine, unless they refer to male humans
where they can be masculine.
8hen irregular plurals refer to humans, they can be treated grammatically as
plural nouns instead of singular. 6or e1ample, one would say 5these are the
writers5 instead of 5this is the writers25 the latter is purer but less common,
especially in modern Arabic. 0owe"er, the declension of an irregular plural
noun will not change e"en if it is treated as a plural F it will always ha"e the
endings of a singular noun.
8hen an irregular plural noun is treated as a plural (when it refers to humans,
the gender of the noun will match the gender of its singular. 6or e1ample, one
would say 5those men know what is best for them5 instead of 5that men knows
what is best for her.5 !he latter is purer but less common in Standard Arabic.
Since that nouns referring to female humans are usually plurali*ed through
the feminine regular plural, irregular plurals referring to humans usually refer
to male humans.

Irregular +lural Structures
!he possible structures for irregular plural nouns are many. 0owe"er, not all
the structures are e:ually important. Some of the structures are used much
more often than the others.
6ollowing is a comprehensi"e listing of all the structures from a 5structural5
(morphological point of "iew. !he singular endings are remo"ed. -ote that
many of the following structures are uncommon.

# Structures of the 4asic 6orms ?$?? M ?$?$?
J8ithout affi1es

71ample Structure
h%mr f%"l

)ed (plu. ad=.
"arab
fa"al

Arabs
qiwaa
fi"al

6orces
d%wal
f%"al

States@countries
r%s%l
f%"%l

Messengers

J8ith geminated (doubled second radical (root-letter

71ample Structure
s%th th aj
f%""al

6ools

J8ith &a(t), &aa'< , or &aa (common ancestor &
(a)at

71ample Structure
fitya(t)
fi"la(t)

;oung people
jahala(t)
fa"ala(t)

Ignorant (plu. ad=.
fiyala(t)
fi"ala(t)

7lephants
r%zaa(t)
f%"ala(t)

In"aders
r%'asaa'<
f%"alaa'<

+residents
qatlaa
fa"laa

>illed (plu. ad=.

J8ith &aan

71ample Structure
sibyaan
fi"laan

4oys
b%ldaan
f%"laan

(ountries

J8ith prefi1 'a& ('a?$?$? H 'a??$?

71ample Structure
'anf%s
'af"%l

Souls@beings

J8ith prefi1 'a& and suffi1es &a(t) and &aa'<

71ample Structure
'ajwiba(t)
'af"ila(t)

Answers
'anbiyaa'<
'af"ilaa'<

+rophets

& Structures of the 6orm ?$?$$?
J8ithout affi1es

71ample Structure
"ab""d
fa"""l

Sla"es
jibaal
fi"aal
.
Mountains
s%h!!l
f%"!!l
.
+lains

J8ith geminated second radical

71ample Structure
"%mmaal
f%""aal
.
8orkers

J8ith &aa

71ample Structure
kasaalaa
fa"aalaa

.a*y (plu. ad=.

J8ith &iy @ &iyy

71ample Structure
sahaariy
fa"aaliy

?eserts
sahaaliyy
fa"aaliyy

.i*ards

J8ith infi1 &'i& (originally &wi& or &yi&

71ample Structure
"ajaa'ib
fa"aa'il
-
8onders

J8ith prefi1 'a& ('a?$?$$? H 'a??$$?

71ample Structure
'atfaal
'af"aal
.
(hildren

O Structures of the 6orms ?aa?i? M ?aa?""?
J8ith prefi1 'a&

71ample Structure
'afaa"iy
'afaa"il
=
Snakes
'asaal""b
'afaa"""l
=
Methods

J8ith prefi1 ma&

71ample Structure
madaaris
mafaa"il
~ - =
Schools
mafaat""h
mafaa"""l
~ - =
>eys

J8ith prefi1 ya&

71ample Structure
yahaamid yafaa"il
- - =
+lural of the name
yahmad
yanaab"""
yafaa"""l
- - =
Springs (of water

J8ith prefi1 ta&

71ample Structure
tamaath""
l
tafaa"""l
- =
Statues

J8ith infi1 &wa& or &ya&

71ample Structure
"awaalim
fawaa"il
' =
8orlds
sayaarif
fayaa"il
=
Money e1changers
tawaah""n
fawaa"""l
' =
Mills
rayaah""n
fayaa"""l
=
Scents

f Structures with 6our )adicals
71ample Structure
qanaabil
fa"aalil

4ombs
baraam""l
fa"aal""l

4arrels

-e1t, we are going to talk about the structures in terms of their usage.
-ouns
-umber of -ouns
Plural -ouns
,rregular Plural -ouns
(continued)

,% !e#ness tructures ' _
!hese structures are supposed to be used for plurals that refer to no more
than ten unites, but this is not obligatory.

'af"%l

'af"ila(t)

'af"aal
.
fi"la(t)

In order to be able to use these structures you will need to know the root of
the singular noun.
!he truth is that there are no real solid rules for when to use each one of
these structures, howe"er, there are some general directions that could be
mentioned.

'af"%l
!his structure is generally used for the singular nouns that are of the following
structures'

#. fa"l
71amples'

+lural Singular
'anh%r
-
nahr
-
ri"ers (fem. ri"er (masc.
'abh%r
=
bahr
=
seas (fem. sea (masc.
'ashh%r
~
shahr
~
months (fem. month (masc.
'awj%h

wajh

faces @ aspects (fem. face @ aspect (masc.

0owe"er, there are many irregularities to this rule.
71amples'
+lural Singular
q%l!!b

qalb
-
hearts (fem. heart (masc.
h%r!!b

harb

wars (fem. war (fem.
sh%h!!r
~
shahr
~
months (fem. month (masc.
w%j!!h
-
wajh

faces @ aspects (fem.
face @ aspect
(masc.
'anhaar
-
nahr
-
ri"ers (fem. ri"er (masc.
bihaar
=
bahr
=
seas (fem. sea (masc.
kilaab

kalb
-
dogs (fem. dog (masc.

Most of the fa"l nouns that ha"e middle weak-letters in their triliteral
roots don9t follow this rule.
Most of the fa"l nouns that ha"e as first letter of their triliteral roots
don9t follow this rule.

Again, it should be known that many nouns can be irregularly plurali*ed using
more than one structure.

&. f1"aal / f1"""l / f1"!!l
6igurati"e feminine :uadriliteral nouns that ha"e a long "owel as third letter
will be plurali*ed as 'af"%l %

+lural Singular
'athr%"
_ ~
thiraa"
~ ' _
arms (fem. arm (fem.
'aym%n yam""n
- -
right hands (fem. right hand (fem.

'af"ila(t)
!his structure is generally used for the following singulars'

#. f1"aal / f1"""l / f1"!!l
Masculine :uadriliteral nouns that ha"e a long "owel as their third letter

+lural Singular
'at"ima(t)
=
ta"aam
=
foods (fem. food (masc.
'a"mida(t)
~ = -
"am!!d
= ~
poles (fem. pole (pillar (masc.
!here are irregularities.

&. fa"aal . / fi"aal .
+ro"ided that the second and the third root-letters be the same, any noun of
these structures will be plurali*ed as 'af"ila(t) %

+lural Singular
'abniya(t)

binaa'<

buildings (fem. building (masc.
'arrifa(t)
- =
rar""f
=
loafs (fem. loaf (masc.
!here are irregularities.

'af"aal .
!his structure is generally used for all the triliteral nouns that do not take the
first structure 'af"%l % !his includes'
fa"l nouns that ha"e a middle weak-letter in their triliteral roots.
fa"l nouns that ha"e as first letter of their triliteral roots don9t
follow this rule.
7"ery triliteral noun that is not of the structure fa"l %

71amples'

+lural Singular
'abwaab
'
baab

doors (fem. door (masc.
'awqaat

waqt
-
times (fem. time (masc.
'ajdaad
~ ' ~
jadd
~
grandfathers (masc. grandfather (masc.
'aqlaam

qalam
pens (fem. pen (masc.

'akbaad
- ~
kabid
~-
li"ers (fem. li"er (fem.
'a"daad
- = ~
"ad%d
~- =
upper arms (fem. upper arm (masc.
'asmaa'<
~
'ism
' ~
names (fem. name (masc.
'a"naab
* =
"inab
*-=
grapes (fem. grapes (masc.
'aabaat
= *
'@bit
=
armpits (fem. armpit (masc.
'aqfaal
- .
q%fl
-
locks (fem. lock (masc.
'artaab
* =
r%tab
*-=
unripe dates (fem. unripe dates (masc.
'ahlaam

h%l%m
dreams (fem. dream (masc.

&4oth the singular and plural nouns here refer to plural fruits (the singular is a sing%lare tant%m
noun.
&See' special transformations of hamza(t) .

fi"la(t)
!his is a rare structure that is used with few nouns.
71amples'

+lural Singular
fitya(t)
-
fataa
-
boys (masc.
boy (masc.
sibya(t)
- -
sabiyy
--
boys (masc. boy (masc.

,,% Plentifulness tructures - ` ' _
!hose structures are used for plurals without regard of their numbers. !hey
also en=oy a large deal of irregularity in usage, =ust like the pre"ious ones.
More information about these structures is to be added later

5ender of Plural -ouns

6) Masculine Plurals
-ouns that end with a masculine plural ending are always masculine words.

8) !eminine Plurals
-ouns that end with a feminine plural ending are always feminine words.

9) ,rregular Plurals
!he gender of an irregular plural noun will not always match the gender of its
singular. (lassically, all irregular plurals were considered and treated as
singular feminine nouns, no matter what the gender of the referents were. 7.g.
one would say 5this men5 or 5this dishes5 instead of 5these men5 and 5these
dishes5 if 5men5 and 5dishes5 were irregular plurals. Also one would say 5the
men does what she promises5 instead of 5the men do what they promise.5
0owe"er, irregular plurals of nouns referring to persons (like men and women
had another possibility2 such plurals could be treated as regular plural nouns
alongside the general rule of treating them as singular feminines.
In the modern language, irregular plurals referring to persons are usually
treated as regular plural nouns in terms of grammar, e1cept for declension,
where they will still be declined as singulars.

<rammatical !reatment of Irregular +lurals
)eference <ender -umber
to persons
matches the gender of
the referents
plural
to persons (classical feminine singular
to ob=ects or animals feminine singular

71amples on the gender of irregular plurals'
+lural Singular
rijaal
.
raj%l

men (masc. man (masc.
rijaal
.
raj%l
men (fem.
in classical Arabic
man (masc.
banaat

bint
-
girls@daughters (fem. girl@daughter (fem.
'awraaq
'
waraqa(t)

papers (fem. paper (fem.
'aqlaam

qalam
pens (fem. pen (masc.

!ype of +lural
%se
<ender of
the plural
word
Masculine
+lural
6or nouns that refer to definite male
persons
Masculine
6eminine
+lural
6or nouns that refer to female persons
6or nouns that end with feminine
markers
6or some nouns that refer to feminine or
masculine ob=ects
6eminine
Irregular
+lural
6or nouns that refer to persons
Masculine
6eminine
6or nouns that refer to masculine or
feminine ob=ects
6eminine

3he *efinite Article

In 7nglish, the indefinite articles are gah and gan,h and the definite article is
gthe.h
In Arabic, there is no indefinite article like the 7nglish one, but there is instead
a declension that indicates 5indefiniteness,5 this is called 5-unation5 - -' . In
order to be able to talk about this declension, we will need to talk first about
case inflection . So we will lea"e the indefinite declension for later, and talk
now about the definite article.
!here is one definite article that does not change in whate"er case.
!his article is'

!he ?efinite Article
- -' - '~
!he 'al&
'

71amples'
-ouns in the ?efinite
State
(Status ?eterminatus
!he male teacher
'al&m%"allim
'
!he female teacher
'al&m%"allima(t)
'
!he two male teachers
'al&
m%"allimaan(i)
'
!he two female
teachers
'al&
m%"allimataan(i)
' -
!he &B male teachers
'al&
m%"allim!!n(a)
'
!he &B female
teachers
'al&m%"allimaat
'
/!he letters colored in pink are changeable with different grammatical cases. !his will
be co"ered again later.
!he 'al- will be always =oined to the noun after it, and they will form a single
word that is in the definite state.

+ronunciation of the ?efinite
Article
!he definite article 'al& is composed of two letters, the first one of which is a
consonant hamza(t) ' ' 0owe"er, this hamza(t) is of the type that is called the
5hamza(t) of connection5 - ' - - . (onnection hamza(t) is pronounced
only when it is the first sound that comes out of the mouth (i.e. when you
begin speaking by pronouncing that hamza(t).
!he other type of hamza(t) at the beginning of a word is the 5hamza(t) of
disconnection5 _ = ' - - , that hamza(t) is always pronounced.
?ifferentiating between the two types is easy when you can see the word,
depending on the presence or not of this sign' o"er or under the ' .

Solar and .unar laam
8e now know that the hamza(t) as a first letter of a word can be omitted in
speech if it was a connecting hamza(t)' !he following rule is a special one for
the second letter of the definite article, the laam l . !his rule will apply only to
the laam of the definite article but to any other laam. !his specific laam can
also be omitted in speech depending on the letter that follows it.

!he laam which will be omitted is called the 5solar laam5 ' ~ ~ ' . !he
laam which will not be omitted is called the 5lunar laam5 ' - ' .

!he solar laam is the laam of any 'al& that is followed by one of the following
letters'
. = = ~ ~

!he lunar laam is the laam of any 'al& that is followed by one of the following
letters'
- . = - _ _ _

!he solar laam will be omitted in speech and replaced by a shadda(t) on the
following letter (i.e. the following letter will be doubled.

71amples'

Solar 'al&
!he sun (fem.
'al&shams A 'ash&shams
~ '
!he man (masc.
'al&raj%l A 'ar&raj%l
'
!he night (masc.
'al&layl A 'al&layl
'

I will try to always color the letter replacing the solar laam in this color. It
should be noted that the shadda(t) (doubling of letter, or hea"y stress ne"er
appears on the first letter of any word unless it was preceded by a solar 'al&
(i.e. solar laam.
!he lunar laam will be left without any change in pronunciation.
71ample'

.unar 'al&
!he moon (masc.
'al&qamar
'
!he woman (fem.
'al&mar'a(t)
- '
!he e"ening (masc.
'al&masaa'<
~ '

Solar 'al& .unar 'al&
4efore
~ ~

. = =
4efore
_ _
. = - _
-
!he laam is changed to the
following letter
'al&# 'a#&#
!he laam is kept intact
'al&# 'al&#

pecial Writing Considerations for 'al-
!he connecting hamza(t) is not omitted in writing, e1cept in the following two
cases'
1. la- +'al-
8hen the emphatic particle la& G 5certainly, indeed5 precedes a word
beginning with the definite article 'al&, the hamza(t) of the 'al& will be deleted
in writing as well as in pronunciation.
N ' G
la& , 'al&qamar + la&l&qamar
certainly N the moon G certainly the moon
N ' ~ G ~
la& , 'ash&shams + la&sh&shams
certainly N the sun G certainly the sun

2. li- +'al-
8hen the preposition li& G 5for, to, in order to5 precedes a word beginning
with the definite article 'al&, the hamza(t) of the 'al& will be deleted in writing
as well as in pronunciation.
N ' G
li& , 'al&qamar + li&l&qamar
for@to N the moon G for@to the moon
N ' ~ G ~
li& , 'ash&shams + li&sh&shams
for@to N the sun G for@to the sun

?efinite -ouns in Arabic
!he definite nouns ' in Arabic are'
+roper nouns' names of people, places, etc.
+ronouns and demonstrati"es.
-ouns preceded by the definite article 'al&.
-ouns forming the first part of a geniti"e construction.
-ouns in the "ocati"e case.
All of these things will be co"ered later on this site.

7tymology -ote
It appears that 'al& was originally hal& in ancient Arabia. Arabs often changed
the letter h - to ' , we are going to see other e1amples of this transition on
this site.
>nowing that Arabs omitted the l of 'al& or hal& before certain letters, it is not
surprising that classical 0ebrew used ha& as a definite article, with the
doubling of the following letter, =ust like in Arabic. !hey simply carried the
trend further ahead and stopped pronouncing the l completely.
71ample'
n c : c
hash&sh"m"sh
the sun

E&ercise 6
(an you make the following nouns in the definite statea

(ourt (fem (.
= ~
.argest (fem. sing. ad= (.
, -
?eath (masc.
~
Sad (masc. plu. ad=.
-
0appy (fem. plu. ad= (.
'~ ~
+apers (fem (.
'

Answers

!he court (fem (.
= '
!he largest (fem. sing. ad= (.
, - '
!he death (masc.
'
!he sad (masc. plu. ad=.
- = '
!he happy (fem. plu. ad= (.
'~ ~ '
!he papers (fem (.
' '

E&ercise 8
(an you tell which of the following are solar or lunar 'al&9sa

!he class (masc (.
- '
!he house (masc (.
- -'
!he country(side (masc.
- '
!he light (masc.
- '
!he sky (fem (.
~ '
!he neighbor (fem (.
= '

Answers

Solar
- '
.unar
- -'
Solar
- '
Solar
- '
Solar
~ '
.unar
= '

Case ,nflection

%nlike the other li"ing Semitic languages such as 0ebrew, formal Arabic is a
language that e1hibits "igorous case and mood inflection. (ase inflection
means that a noun (which includes in Arabic ad=ecti"es has multiple
declensions, or endings, for different grammatical cases.
6or e1ample, the noun 'al&walad ~ ' G 5the child5 is not written
completely this way. 8e ha"e to complete the noun by adding the appropriate
case-ending for the grammatical case.
!here are three grammatical cases in Arabic, so this word can ha"e three
different case-endings.
(ase ?eclension of a )egular Singular
-oun
(ase -oun
-ominati"e 'al&walad(%)
~ '
Accusati"e 'al&walad(a)
~ '
<eniti"e 'al&walad(i)
~ '
!hese designations of the cases are the ones traditionally used to refer to the
Arabic@Semitic three cases. 0owe"er, these designations do not
ade:uately e1press the multiple usages of each case. !he 5accusati"e5 case,
for e1ample, is used for about ten cases other than the actual accusati"e (the
direct ob=ect case.
!he Arabic names for the three cases are the following'
-ames of Arabic@Semitic <rammatical
(ases
8estern -ame Arabic -ame
-ominati"e
'ar&raf"(%)
_ '
G the raising
Accusati"e
'an&nasb(%)
- - '
G the erecting
<eniti"e
'al&jarr(%)
= '
G the dragging
In order to see description of each case and its uses, you may go to this page.

Case:inflected ; -on:case:inflected
Words
-ot e"ery Arabic word goes under case or mood inflection (case inflection is
for nouns, including ad=ecti"es, and mood-inflection is for "erbs. !here are
Arabic words that do not show any changes with regard to grammatical case
or mood.
7ach Arabic word belongs to either one of two categories'
4uilt words - ~ ' words that do not e1hibit case or mood
inflection.
Arabi*ed words ~ ' words that do e1hibit case or mood
inflection.
!he 5built words5 are generally the pronouns, the perfecti"e (past and
imperati"e "erbs, and all the particles.
(ase inflection is called in Arabic 'i"raab ' = G 5Arabi*ation.5 !his speaks
of the mentality of ancient Arabs who held "ery dear elo:uence in their
language.
0owe"er, most regular speakers of Arabic are, and were, not "ery talented in
Arabi*ing their talk. (ase inflection is no longer present in the modern spoken
dialects of Arabic. It is still taught at schools as part of studying the formal
Arabic, but there are really not many regular speakers who are good enough
at it.
6or most words, the case@mood-inflected endings will be nothing but different
short "owels. Some words, howe"er, show "ariations in letters, like the case
inflection for the dual and masculine plural endings already mentioned in
pre"ious sections. !hus, most of the case@mood-inflected endings do not
appear in writing, because short "owels are not usually written.
(ase inflection in Arabic is difficult, and it is not important for a beginning
learner to spend much time on it. In these pages, the case-inflected parts of
words will be called the 5case-signs.5 !his designation is inspired from the
Arabic one, and it is better than 5case-endings5 because the case-inflected
parts are not always the 5endings5 of the words.
(ase-signs will be always colored in pink. ;ou can see the case-signs of all
the kinds of Arabic words on this page.

Arabs *on<t top on What is
Mo1ing
In Arabic, letters that are followed by short "owels are called 5mo"ing letters.5
.etters that are not followed by short "owels are called 5still letters.5 Some
words end with still letters, others end with mo"ing letters.
8hile speaking proper Arabic, you cannot finish talking by pronouncing a
mo"ing letter, that is, you must make the final letter 5still5 by dropping the final
short "owel if there were one.
!his is the old saying' 5Arabs do not stop on a mo"ing = ` '
=, = -~ %"

71ample'
' ~ ~ ' ~ '
!he boy came to school today

/;ou may click on the Arabic phrase in order to hear it pronounced.
Actual +ronunciation )omani*ed ,ersion +art %ttered
jaa'< jaa'(a)

jaa'a l&walad jaa'(a) ('a)l&walad(%)
~ '
jaa'a l&walad% ilaa l&
madrasa
jaa'(a) ('a)l&walad(%)
'ilaa ('a)l&madrasa(ti)
~ ~ ' ~ '
jaa'a l&walad% ilaa l&
madrasati l&yawm
jaa'(a) ('a)l&walad(%)
'ilaa ('a)l&madrasa(ti)
('a)l&yawm(a)
~ ' ~ ~ ' '

!he short "owels between brackets were not pronounced unless they were
followed by other sounds. !his kept the lastly uttered letters always still letters.
.ong "owels, on the other hand, must be pronounced. !his is because long
"owels are still letters. we made this clear in the "owels section (a long "owel
is a short "owel followed by the corresponding still consonant.
!he feminine taa'< &a(t) has its own comparable rule. If you stop on the
taa'<, it will become &a or &ah rather than &at. If you continue speaking after
it, you should fully pronounce it.
Although the rule for is not obligatory, it is so widely obser"ed that almost
nobody today stops on a fully pronounced &at .
!hroughout these pages, I am putting the short "owels and the at the end
of words between brackets, to help you remember the rule of not to stop on a
mo"ing letter or on a fully pronounced feminine taa'<.
-oonation

-oonation (-unation - -' (tanw""n is the adding of a letter n!!n to the
end of a noun. !he main purpose of tanw""n is to confer the sense of
5indefiniteness5 on the noun, or to make the noun in the 5indefinite state5
- ' .
/anw""n used to appear in writing as a letter at the end of singular nouns,
but grammarians decided long time ago that it was better not to write it to
a"oid confusion. !hey agreed instead to indicate it by doubling the mark of the
case-sign, or the 5mo"e5 (the short "owel, on the last letter.

?efinite State
the male cat 'al&qitt(%)
' =
Indefinite State
a male cat qitt(%n)
=
?efinite State
the female cat 'al&qitta(t%)
' =
Indefinite State
a female cat qitta(t%n)
=

71ample on different cases'
~
a child (masc.

(ase-Sign (ase -oun
7stimated Short %
- ~ ~ -
'ar&raf"(%)
_ '
walad(%n)
~
Apparent Short A
- - = = -
'an&nasb(%)
-- '
walada(n)
'~
7stimated Short I
- ~ ~ - ~
'al&jarr(%)
= '
walad(in)
~,
!he &an "ersion of tanw""n will be followed by an e1tended 'alif in writing.
8hen stopping on this particular tanw""n, it will be pronounced &aa instead
of totally disappearing from pronunciation like the other two types of tanw""n'
!he &%n and &in tanw""ns will not be pronounced at all when one stops at
them, =ust similarly to the rule of not stopping on a mo"ing letter.
-.4. most speakers of formal Arabic today do not change &an to &aa when
they stop at it, rather it is usually kept a pronounced &an. So it might be said
that this rule is a classical rule that is not a rule anymore in modern standard
Arabic.
!he &an tanw""n after a feminine taa'< will not be followed by an e1tended
'alif in writing2 but the pronunciation rules are still the same.
A school (fem. madrasata(n)
~ ~ ~
A young woman (fem. fataata(n)
- -

A marked difference from 7nglish about the indefinite marker is that all nouns
in Arabic can take it2 whether singular, dual or plural. ?ual and plural
masculine nouns ha"e inherent tanw""n in their structures. !he tanw""n for
these two types of words stands out with three characteristics'
It is written down as a letter at the end of the word.
It is always pronounced, irrele"antly to whether one stops on it or not.
It does not disappear with the presence of the definite article.
71amples'
Indefinite
State
two children
(masc.
waladaan(i)
~ '
?efinite
State
the two
children
(masc.
'al&waladaan(i)
' ~ '
Indefinite
State
teachers
(masc.
m%"allim!!n(a)
~
?efinite
State
the teachers
(masc.
'al&
m%"allim!!n(a)
'

/anw""n for feminine and irregular plural nouns is =ust like that of singular
nouns'
Indefinite
State
female teachers
(fem.
m%"allimaat(%n)
~
?efinite State
the female
teachers (fem.
'al&m%"allimaat(%)
'
Indefinite
State
children (masc. 'awlaad(%n)
~ `
?efinite State
the children (masc. 'al&'awlaad(%)
' ~ `

/anw""n does not always indicate indefiniteness2 tanw""n is used with
people9s proper names and those are always definite nouns. !his is =ust one
of the peculiarities of Arabic.
71amples'
Muhammad m%hammad(%n)
~ = ~
Ali "aliyy(%n)
=

0owe"er, proper names do not take the definite article 'al& 2 e1cept if it was
part of the name itself. +roper names of places, ri"ers etc. can sometimes
take tanw""n but not always, because tanw""n is -3! used for proper
names of foreign origin that ha"e more than three letters.
-ouns that are the first part of a geniti"e construction, or in other words,
nouns that are in the construct state, are always definite nouns and do not
take tanw""n too, as we are going to see. !he only definite singular nouns
that take tanw""n are usually people9s first names.

71ternal -ote' Aramaic -ouns
>nowing that the accusati"e -unation (&an) becomes (&aa) in the state of
pause makes it easier to e1plain why nouns in the Aramaic language always
end with &aa.
Aramaic is a ma=or Semitic language that was at one time the lingua franca of
much of the ancient world. It is the language that Cesus spoke. A weird thing
about Aramaic is that nearly all nouns in that language end with an &aa.
6or e1ample'
7nglish Arabic Ancient Aramaic
A father (masc.

'ab(%n) 'abaa
A mother (fem.

'%mm(%n) '"maa
A name (masc.
~ '

'ism(%n) shmaa
A year (fem.
~

sana(t%n) shantaa

!his &aa can be hard to e1plain, but for me as a speaker of Arabic, it looks as
if the Arameans fro*e all their nouns in the indefinite accusati"e case.
!his is like how languages such as 0ebrew, the modern spoken Arabic, and
Aramaic itself use the &""n or &""m accusati"e declension for the masculine
plural all the time, but ne"er the nominati"e "ersion &!!n or &!!m.
!he Aramaic &aa became later a long 3 (&.2 like in 0ebrew.
-oonation (continued)

,rregular nouns
(6or definitions of irregular noun types, you may click here

hortened -ouns
Shortened nouns are nouns that end with a shortened 'alif .
!hese nouns will always take the &an tanw""n _ - -' - and in all cases.
8hen adding the tanw""n to a shortened noun, it will be placed on the litter
preceding the final shortened 'alif not on the 'alif itself.
-
a lad (masc.

(ase-Sign (ase -oun
7stimated Short %
- ~ ~ -
'ar&raf"(%)
_ '
fata(n)
-
7stimated Short A
- ~ ~ = -
'an&nasb(%)
-- '
fata(n)
-
7stimated Short I
- ~ ~ - ~
'al&jarr(%)
= '
fata(n)
-
/!he word 5estimated5 means to Arabic grammarians 5assumed5 or
5supposed.5

E&tended -ouns
71tended nouns are nouns that end with a long "owel 'alif aa that is
followed by a consonant 'alif (hamza(t))%
71tended nouns will take tanw""n =ust like regular nouns, e1cept that when
we add the &an tanw""n we will not add an e1tended 'alif after it in writing.
0owe"er, the pronunciation rules remain the same of those of the regular
singular nouns.
~
a water (masc.

(ase-Sign (ase -oun
Apparent Short %
- - = -
'ar&raf"(%)
_ '
maa'(%n)
~
Apparent Short A
- - = = -
'an&nasb(%)
-- '
maa'a(n)
~
Apparent Short I
- - = - ~
'al&jarr(%)
= '
maa'(in)
, ~
/!here is no distinction in Arabic when it comes to countable and uncountable
singular nouns. !hey are all singular nouns.

*efecti1e -ouns
?efecti"e nouns are nouns that end with a long "owel &"" which
belongs to the root.
8hen adding tanw""n to a defecti"e noun, the final &"" must be deleted in
both writing and pronunciation, e1cept in the nasb (accusati"e case. !he
added tanw""n will be always &in ~ ' - e1cept in, also, the nasb case.

,
a =udge (masc.

(ase-Sign (ase -oun
7stimated Short %
- ~ ~ -
'ar&raf"(%)
_ '
qaad(in)
,
Apparent Short A
- - = = -
'an&nasb(%)
-- '
qaadiya(n
)
-
7stimated Short I
- ~ ~ - ~
'al&jarr(%)
= '
qaad(in)
,

(ase-7ndings of -ouns in
the Indefinite State
-oun -ominati"eAccusati"e <eniti"e
R
E
G
U
L
A
R
Singular
&%n &an &in
?ual
&aan &ayn &ayn
Masculine
+lural
&!!n &""n &""n
6eminine
+lural
&%n &in &in
Irregular
+lural
&%n &an &in

I
R
R
Shortened
&n &n &n
E
G
U
L
A
R

71tended
&%n &an &in
?efecti"e
&in &an &in

When to =se -oonation>

/anw""n must be added to e"ery indefinite noun - ' . !he only definite
nouns that will take tanw""n are first names of people and some rare names
of places, ri"ers etc.
!he definite nouns ' in Arabic are'
+roper names' names of people, places, etc.
+ronouns and demonstrati"es.
-ouns preceded by the definite article 'al&.
-ouns forming the first part of a geniti"e construction.
-ouns in the "ocati"e case.
!he of the dual and muscular plural nouns will be always there e1cept in
one condition' when the noun is the first part of a geniti"e construction. In this
case the n!!n will be deleted =ust like any tanw""n'
!here is a category of irregular nouns that is called the 5forbidden to
noonation5 - - ' ~ _ '% !hese nouns will not take tanw""n e"en if
they were indefinite.
Most of names of places and ri"ers, etc. are forbidden to noonation. Any
proper name of non-Arabic origin that ha"e more than three letters is
forbidden to noonation. +roper names of unknown Arabic origins include most
of the names of towns and geographical features e"en in Arabia itself. !his is
why we said that noonation usually happens only with first names of people
but not with other proper names (in general, because most of those are
forbidden to noonation. 3f course, first names ha"e to be of a known Arabic
origin too in order to be noonated.

E&ercise 6
(an you transform the following nouns from the nominati"e definite state into
the nominati"e indefinite statea

!he apple (sing. fem (.
--'
!he obser"ers (plu. masc (.
- ' '
!he two students (dual masc.
- = '
!he friends (plu. masc.
~ - '
!he colleagues (plu. fem (.
~ '
!he forces (plu. fem (.
, '
!he states@countries (plu. fem (.
. ~ '
!he snakes (plu. fem (.
= '

Answers

An apple (sing. fem (.
-
3bser"ers (plu. masc (.
- ' ~
!wo students (dual masc.
- =
6riends (plu. masc.
~ -
(olleagues (plu. fem (.
~
6orces (plu. fem (.
,
States@countries (plu. fem (.
. ~
Snakes (plu. fem (.
_,

E&ercise 8
(an you transform the following indefinite nouns from the geniti"e into the
accusati"e casea
A kiss (sing. fem (.
, -
Assistants (plu. masc (.
- ~ = ~ ~
!wo signs (dual fem.
-~ =
)elati"es (plu. masc.
,
;oung women (plu. fem (.
, -
?olls (plu. fem (.
~ ~
4ooks (plu. fem (.
-, -
A high (sing. masc. ad= (.
., =

Answers

A kiss (sing. fem (.
-
Assistants (plu. masc (.
- ~ = ~ ~
!wo signs (dual fem.
-~ =
)elati"es (plu. masc.

;oung women (plu. fem (.
, -
?olls (plu. fem (.
~ ~
4ooks (plu. fem (.
--
A high (sing. masc. ad= (.
=
Ad+ecti1es

Ad=ecti"es in Arabic follow the nouns or pronouns they modify in gender,
number, grammatical case, and the state of definiteness. !hey always come
after the words they modify. Ad=ecti"es in Arabic belong to the 5noun5
category, and there are se"eral types of nouns that can ser"e as ad=ecti"es.
!his will be co"ered later.

A comprehensi"e e1ample on ad=ecti"es matching the modified word'
m%"allim(%n)
~
A male teacher
jayyid(%n)
~
A good (sing. masc. ad=.
m%"allim(%n) jayyid(%n)
~ ~
A good male teacher
m%"allima(t%n) jayyida(t%n)
~ ~ -
A good female teacher
'al&m%"allim(%) ('a)l&jayyid(%)
' ' ~ =
!he good male teacher
'al&m%"allima(t%) ('a)l&jayyida(t%)
' ' ~= -
!he good female teacher
m%"allimaan(i) jayyidaan(i)
~ ~ '
!wo good male teachers
'al&m%"allimaan(i) ('a)l&
jayyidaan(i)
' ' ~= '
!he two good male teachers
m%"allimataan(i) jayyidataan(i)
~ - ~
!wo good female teachers
'al&m%"allimataan(i) ('a)l&
jayyidataan(i)
' -
' ~=
!he two good female teachers
m%"allim!!n(a) jayyid!!n(a)
~ ~
&B good male teachers
'al&m%"allim!!n(a) ('a)l&
jayyid!!n(a)
'
' ~ =
!he &B good male teachers
m%"allimaat(%n) jayyidaat(%n)
~ ~ '
&B good female teachers
'al&m%"allimaat(%) ('a)l&
jayyidaat(%)
'
' ~= '
!he &B good female teachers

Ad=ecti"es in general beha"e regularly. !hey are always femini*ed by adding
one of the three feminine markers to them2 and they are always plurali*ed by
adding one of the regular plural endings to them (masculine or feminine.
0owe"er, there are e1ceptions to this.

!eminine Ad+ecti1es
6eminine ad=ecti"es always ha"e one of the three feminine markers attached2
howe"er, there are a few structures that will not carry any of such markers.

Case )ne
Ad=ecti"es that can be used only in reference to females but not males (e.g.
pregnant do not usually ha"e the feminine taa'< attached, e"en though they
modify true feminine nouns and they should ha"e one'
Meaning .iteral translation +hrase
A pregnant wife
zawja(t%n) haamil(%n)
~
a wife a pregnant
A di"orced woman
'imra'a(t%n) taaliq(%n)
~ ' - =
a woman a di"orced
0ere, the noun had a feminine marker but the modifying ad=ecti"e did not.
3ther ad=ecti"es of this kind'
6emale-3nly Ad=ecti"es
A spinster
"aanis(%n)
- =
A barren
"aaqir(%n)
=
A nursing
m%rdi"(%n)
_ - ~
A menstruating
haa'id(%n)
-
taamith(%n)
- ~ =
A "irgin
bikr(%n)

bat!!l(%n)
. -
A widowed or di"orced
thayyib(%n)
-
A contumacious (wife
naashiz(%n)
~ -
A large-breasted
naahid(%n)
~ - -
kaa"ib(%n)
- =
An aged menopausal
qaa"id(%n)
~ =
A fecund
wal!!d(%n)
~
A milch (cow
hal!!b(%n)

All of these ad=ecti"es lack the feminine taa'<. !he other feminine markers
(the e1tended 'alif and the shortened 'alif cannot be remo"ed from an
ad=ecti"e here as simply as the feminine taa'<, or the ad=ecti"e will become a
senseless word.
If a feminine ad=ecti"e of this kind ends with either one of the two feminine
markers other than the feminine taa'<, it will be kept there because there will
not usually be a masculine form of that ad=ecti"e (one without feminine
markers, and we can9t =ust remo"e the marker because that would be
mutilation of the word.
71amples'
A "irgin
"athraa'(%)
~ = '
A pregnant
h%blaa
-
/-ote' nouns ending with feminine e1tended 'alif or feminine shortened 'alif
are forbidden to noonation.

Case 3#o
Ad=ecti"es will not ha"e any feminine markers when they assume one of the
following structures'
71ample
!ype of
Structure
Structure
ray!!r(%n)
=
Acti"e-participle-
like
fa"!!l(%n)
.
A =ealous
qat""l(%n)
-
+assi"e participle
fa"""l(%n)

A killed ...
mi"taa'(%n)
~ =
7mphatic
mif"aal(%n)
~ - .
A "ery gi"ing ...
mi"t""r(%n)
~ =
7mphatic
mif"""l(%n)
~ -
A "ery using of
perfume ...
"adl(%n)
.~ =
,erbal noun
fa"l(%n)

A =ust, fair ...
!hose fi"e structures don9t take feminine endings when they modify feminine
nouns. 0owe"er, case two is not always followed in the modern language.
71ample'
A =ealous man
raj%l(%n) ray!!r(%n)
=
a man a =ealous
A =ealous woman
'imra'a(t%n) ray!!r(%n)
~ ' - =
a woman a =ealous
A =ealous woman
(modern Arabic
'imra'a(t%n)
ray!!ra(t%n)
~ ' - = -
a woman a =ealous

Another thing about the structures of case two is that they do not take regular
plural endings, as will be mentioned shortly.

Plural Ad+ecti1es
In perfect (lassical Arabic, irregular plurals were not supposed to be used in
ad=ecti"es. Ad=ecti"es had to be plurali*ed only by adding the regular plural
endings (masculine or feminine.
0owe"er, there are certain ad=ecti"e structures in Arabic that can not ha"e the
regular plural endings when their nouns ha"e it. Instead they are plurali*ed
irregularly.
All of the structures mentioned lastly (the ones that don9t carry feminine
markers can not accept masculine plural endings too. 0owe"er, the structure
fa"!!l(%n) is often plurali*ed regularly against the rule.
3ther structures that do not take regular plural endings are'
'af"al(%)
Ad=ecti"es following this structure are se"eral kinds, they differ from each
other by the structure of the feminine form of the ad=ecti"e. !he kind that
cannot take regular plural endings is the one whose feminine form is'
fa"laa'(%)
!his kind belongs to a category called in Arabic 5acti"e-participle-like
ad=ecti"es.5 It usually refers to a color or to bodily characteristic (e.g. blond,
brunette, blind, mute, deaf, lame, etc..
-.4. this kind is forbidden to noonation, which means that it will not be
noonated in addition to ha"ing an irregular case-sign in the geniti"e case ( &a
instead of &i .
71amples'
A red (sing. masc.
'ahmar(%)

A red (sing. fem.
hamraa'(%)
'
)ed (plu. masc.@fem.
h%mr(%n)

A blond (sing. masc.
'ashqar(%)
~
A blonde (sing. fem.
shaqraa'(%)
~ '
4lond (plu. masc.@fem.
sh%qr(%n)
~

A blind (sing. masc.
'a"maa
=
A blind (sing. fem.
"amyaa'(%)
=
4lind (plu. masc.@fem.
"%my(%n)
=
* 'a"maa is a shortened noun. !he root is " B (.

0owe"er, it is rather common for the feminine form of this structure to be
plurali*ed regularly2 so the following three plural ad=ecti"es, for e1ample, are
common'
)ed (plu. fem.
hamraawaat(%n)
' '
4londe (plu.
fem.
shaqraawaat(%n
)
~ ' '
4lind (plu. fem.
"amyaawaat(%n)
= '

fa"laan(%)
Similarly to the pre"ious one, ad=ecti"es following this structure are two kinds
that differ by the structure of their feminine forms. !he kind that cannot take
the regular plural ending is the one whose feminine structure is' fa"laa
!his kind is also forbidden to noonation. !he other kind has the feminine form
fa"laana(t%n) and is rarer. !here are #O fa"laan ad=ecti"es in Arabic
that are femini*ed as fa"laana(t%n) instead of fa"laa. !hose are not
forbidden to noonation, and they are listed here.

A thirsty (sing. masc.
"atshaan(%)
~ = =
A thirsty (sing. fem.
"atshaa
~ = =
!hirsty (plu. masc.@fem.
"itaash(%n)
= =

Comparati1e tructure

'af"al(%)
8e talked abo"e about 'af"al(%) ad=ecti"es that refer to colors and to bodily
characteristics. !his same structure is also the comparati"e structure in
Arabic. 0owe"er, when it is being a comparati"e structure it will ha"e a
different feminine form from the one mentioned abo"e. !he feminine of the
comparati"e 'af"al(%) is' f%"laa
-e"ertheless, f%"laa is -3! a comparati"e structure but is a superlati"e
structure, e"en though it is the feminine of comparati"e 'af"al(%). !he
comparati"e structure in Arabic is only one, 'af"al(%), and it is used for both
masculine and feminine, and singular and plural nouns. More details will be
added in the section about comparison.
!he important point here is that comparati"e ad=ecti"es in Arabic do not follow
their nouns neither in gender nor in number.
71amples'
+lu. Masc. Ad=. Sing. Masc. Ad=.
'afdal(%) G a better
-
-
'akbar(%) G a
bigger
-
'akbar(%) G a
bigger
-
+lu. 6em. Ad=. Sing. 6em. Ad=.
-
-
'akbar(%) G a
bigger
-
'akbar(%) G a
bigger
-
-.4. all 'af"al(%) structures are forbidden to noonation e1cept for ones
whose feminine form is 'af"ala(t%n). !hose are rare and are not
comparati"es (e.g. _ ~ ).
71ample'
A better male
assistant
m%saa"id(%n) 'afdal(%)
- ~ = ~ ~
A better female
assistant
m%saa"ida(t%n)
'afdal(%)
~= ~ ~ - -
!wo better male
assistants
m%saa"idaan(i)
'afdal(%)
~ = ~ ~ '
-
!wo better
female
assistants
m%saa"idataan(i)
'afdal(%)
~ = ~ ~
-
4etter &B male
assistants
m%saa"id!!n(a)
'afdal(%)
~ = ~ ~
-
4etter &B female
assistants
m%saa"idaa(t%n)
'afdal(%)
~ = ~ ~ '
-

Ad=ecti"e Irregularities in
Arabic
Structure
+lural
Matching of
-oun
-oonati
on
Masculine 6eminine
Masculi
ne
6emini
ne
Irregul
ar
<ender -umber
Ad=ecti"es that can
refer only to females
(e.g. pregnant
-3 ;7S
;7S -3 ;7S ;7S
fa"!!l(%n)
;7S ;7S
Acti"e-participle-like
fa"""l(%n)
-3 -3
+assi"e participle
mif"aal(%n)
7mphatic
mif"""l(%n)
7mphatic
fa"l(%n)
,erbal noun
'af"al(%) fa"laa'(%)
-3 ;7S ;7S ;7S
-3
'af"al(%) f%"laa
;7S ;7S
Mas
c.
6em
.
Mas
c.
6em
.
(omparati
"e
Superlati"e -3
;7
S
-3
;7
S
'af"al(%
n)
'af"ala(t%
n)
;7S ;7S
;7S ;7S
;7S
fa"laan(
%)
fa"laa
-3 -3 -3
fa"laan(%n
)
fa"laana(t%
n)
;7S ;7S ;7S

)ther ,rregular Plural Ad+ecti1es
3ther than the e1ceptions mentioned abo"e, irregular plural structures were
not supposed to be used to form ad=ecti"es in proper (lassical Arabic.
0owe"er, this has always been widely ignored, and irregular plural ad=ecti"es
are used in many other kinds of ad=ecti"es.
Anyway, there is one main case, other than the ones mentioned abo"e, in
which it is considered 3.>. nowadays to use an irregular plural ad=ecti"e2 that
case is if the irregular plural ad=ecti"e were of the following structure'
+lural Singular
mafaa"""l(%)
~ - =
maf"!!l(%n)
~ - .
!he singular of this structure is a passi"e participle noun. !he plural is
forbidden to noonation. 8hen possible, this structure can be used instead of
regular plurals, but it is not better than them.

71amples'
Meaning +lural Singular
A famed (famous
~ ~ - ~ ~
mashaah""r(%) mashh!!r(%n)
An imprisoned
~ ~ ~ =~
masaaj""n(%) masj!!n(%n)

Ad+ecti1es Modifying ,rregular Plural
-ouns
8e mentioned before that the gender of an irregular plural noun will not
always match the gender of its singular word.
<rammatical !reatment of Irregular +lurals
)eference <ender -umber
to persons
matches the gender of
the referents
plural
to persons (classical feminine singular
to ob=ects or animals feminine singular

8e also mentioned that irregular plurals that refer to ob=ects or animals are
always treated as if they were singular words.
>nowing these facts, it should be clear how the ad=ecti"es were used in the
following e1amples'
Singular
A mountain (masc.
jabal(%n)
-
A lofty (masc.
shaahiq(%n)
- ~
A lofty mountain
jabal(%n) shaahiq(%n)
- - ~
+lural
Mountains (plu.
fem.
jibaal(%n)
. -
A lofty (sing. fem.
shaahiqa(t%n)
- ~
.ofty mountains
jibaal(%n)
shaahiqa(t%n)
- ~ . -

More e1amples2 first "ocabulary is gi"en and phrases will be constructed
below'
Singular Ad=ecti"es Singular -ouns
fathth(%n)
~
raj%l(%n)

a uni:ue (masc.
a man (masc.
hak""m(%n)

mawqif(%n)
~
a wise (masc. a stance (masc.
taahin(%n)
=
ma"raka(t%n)
~
a crushing (masc.
a battle (fem.
Suitable Ad=ecti"es +lural -ouns
'afthaath(%n)
~ '~
rijaal(%n)
.
uni:ue (masc. plu. men (masc.
hak""ma(t%n)

mawaaqif(%)
' ~
wise (fem. sing. stances (fem.
taahina(t%n)
=
ma"aarik(%)
= ~
crushing (fem. sing. battles (fem.

Meaning +hrase
%ni:ue men
rijaal(%n) 'afthaath(%n)
~ '~ .
8ise stances
mawaaqif(%)
hak"ma(t%n)
' ~
(rushing battles
ma"aarik(%)
taahina(t%n)
= = ~
/ ' ~ and = ~ are both 5forbidden to noonation5 _ ~ - - ' ~
structures.

Multiple Ad+ecti1es
Ad=ecti"es that modify a single noun can be multiple.

= - - =
raj%l(%n) taw""l(%n) nah""l(%n)
G a man a tall a thin
!ranslation' a thin tall man

- ~ - --= -
fataataan(i) tayyibataan(i) jam""lataan(i)
thakiyyataan(i)
G two young girls good beautiful smart
!ranslation' two good, smart, beautiful
young girls

It is also possible to use coordinators between the different ad=ecti"es, but
they must be placed between all the ad=ecti"es not only before the last one.
--= - - - ~
fataataan(i) tayyibataan(i) wa&
jam""lataan(i) wa&thakiyyataan(i)
G two young girls good and beautiful and
smart
!ranslation' two good, smart, beautiful
young girls

Ad+ecti1es as -ouns
Ad=ecti"es in Arabic are nouns. !his is not only an issue of how we categori*e
them2 ad=ecti"es can function as real nouns in Arabic sentences.
71ample'
~ '~ -
haathaa thakiyy(%n)
G this (is a cle"er (sing. masc.
!ranslation' this is a cle"er man

!his sentence was not complete in 7nglish standards because it lacked a
noun, but in Arabic it is a full perfect sentence. !his is because an ad=ecti"e in
Arabic has a nominal nature in and of itself, and it will not necessarily re:uire
another noun to complete its meaning.

~ - ~ -
haathih(i) thakiyya(t%n)
G this (is a cle"er (sing. fem.
!ranslation' this is a cle"er woman

- ~ -' ' ~ ~ =
'arniyaa'(%n) qadim!! 'ilaa ('a)l&balda(ti)
G rich (plu. masc. came to the town
!ranslation' rich people came to town

E&ercise

A great day
3he pretty lady
A pregnant lady
3he patient lady
3he brunet young man
3he brunette young #oman
3he brunet young men
3he brunette young #omen
Prepared men
3hirsty people
3hirsty young #omen
A big opportunity
Big opportunities
Bigger opportunities

(an you translate those phrases to Arabic by using the following Arabic
wordsa

A great (sing. masc (.
= =
A day (sing. masc (.
-
A nice (sing. masc.

A nice (sing. fem.

A lady (sing. fem.
-~ ~
A pregnant (sing. masc.
~
A patient (sing. masc.@fem.
ad=.
--
A patient (sing. fem. ad=.
- --
A brunet (sing. masc.
~
A brunette (sing. fem.
' ~
4runets (plu. masc.@fem.
~
4runettes (plu. fem.
' ' ~
A young man (sing. masc.
~
A young woman (sing. fem.
~
;oung men (plu. masc.
-~
;oung women (plu. fem.
~
A ready (sing. masc.
~ -~ ~
)eady (plu. masc.
~ -~ ~
A man (sing. masc.

Men (plu. masc.
.
A thirsty (sing. masc.
~ = =
!hirsty (plu. masc.@fem.
= =
+eople (plu. masc.
-
A big (sing. fem.
- -
A bigger (sing.@dual@plu.
masc.@fem.
-
An opportunity (sing. fem.
-
3pportunities (plu. fem.

Answers

A great day
= = -
!he pretty lady
= ' - ~ ~ '
A pregnant lady
~ -~ ~
!he patient woman (classical
-- ' - ~ ~ '
!he patient woman (modern
- -- ' - ~ ~ '
!he brunet young man
~ ' ~ '
!he brunette young woman
' ~ ' ~ '
!he brunet young men
~ ' -~ '
!he brunette young women
~ ' ~ '
!he brunette young women
(modern ' ' ~ ' ~ '
+repared men
~ -~ ~ .
!hirsty people
= = -
!hirsty young women
= = ~
A big opportunity
- - -
4ig opportunities
- -
4igger opportunities
-
5eniti1e Construction

An 7nglish sentence is 5the door of the house.5 Another way to say the same
thing is 5the house9s door5 or 5the house-door.5
!his is the geniti"e construction, which e1presses a relationship of possession
between the two parts of the construction. In formal Arabic, there is not a
possessi"e preposition like 5of5 or any other possessi"e particles. !he only
way to say that sentence will be by "irtue of the 5construct state5 of nouns and
the geniti"e case.
.ook at the e1amples'
Meaning +hrase
!he door of a house
baab(%) manzil(in)
., ~
door a house
!he door of the
house
baab(%) ('a)l&manzil(i)
. '
door the house
!he window of a
house
naafitha(t%) manzil(in)
., ~ - ~ -
window a house
!he window of the
house
naafitha(t%) ('a)l&
manzil(i)
- ~ -
. '
window the house
7"ery one of those phrases was a geniti"e construction. !wo things can be
noted about those constructions'
!he first noun in each construction did not ha"e neither a definite article
nor an indefinite declension.
!he second nouns were in the geniti"e case instead of the regular
nominati"e case.
!hese two notes are the components of any geniti"e construction in Arabic.
!he fact that the first noun did not ha"e a definite article attached (i.e. was not
in the definite state nor did it ha"e an indefinite declension attached (i.e. was
not in the indefinite state lea"es us in front of a new state for nouns in Arabic.
!his is what is called the 5construct state5 of nouns, or the state of 5addition5
- ' in Arabic terminology.
!he construct state e1ists in many Semitic languages. 8hereas this state can
mean considerable changes to the noun structure in languages such as
0ebrew and Syriac, in Arabic there is not really that much. Cust no definite
article before, nor noonation at the end of nouns. !he noonation must be
remo"ed here e"en from the dual and masculine plural endings if the noun
had either of them.

Meaning of the (onstruct State
8hen a noun is in the construct state, it will not ha"e neither a definite nor an
indefinite marker. 0owe"er, it will be always a definite noun, e"en if there
were no definite article attached. !hink of it as if there were a hidden definite
article before the noun. !he definiteness of the construct state is so strict that
e"en the final n!!n of the dual and the masculine plural endings will be
remo"ed in this state, and this is the only case in Arabic where this happens
to those two.
!he second point is that changing a noun to the construct state will always
implant a hidden possessi"e 5of5 after the noun. !his is the main point of the
construct state anyway.
So a noun in the construct state will be like this'
(!07 -3%- (36

States of -ouns in the -ominati"e (ase ('ar&
raf")

Status Absolutus
(Indefinite State
Status
?eterminatus
(?efinite State
Status
(onstructus
((onstruct State
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
~ ' ~
m%"allim%n 'al&m%"allim% m%"allim%
a male teacher the male teacher (the male teacher (of
~ ' ~
m%"allimat%n 'al&m%"allimat% m%"allimat%
a female teacher the female teacher (the female teacher (of
D
U ~ ' ~
A
L
m%"allimaani 'al&m%"allimaani m%"allimaa
two male teachers the two male teachers
(the two male teachers
(of
- ~ - ' - ~
m%"allimataani 'al&m%"allimataani m%"allimataa
two female teachers the two female teachers
(the two female
teachers (of
P
L
U
R
A
L
~ ' ~ '
m%"allim!!na 'al&m%"allim!!na m%"allim!!
&B male teachers the &B male teachers
(the &B male teachers
(of
~ ' ~
m%"allimaat%n 'al&m%"allimaat% m%"allimaat%
&B female teachers the &B female teachers
(the &B female teachers
(of

States of -ouns in the Accusati"e (ase ('an&
nasb)

Status Absolutus
(Indefinite State
Status
?eterminatus
Status
(onstructus
(?efinite State ((onstruct State
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
~ ' ~
m%"alliman 'al&m%"allima m%"allima
~ ' ~
m%"allimatan 'al&m%"allimata m%"allimata
D
U
A
L
~ ' ~
m%"allimayni 'al&m%"allimayni m%"allimay
(of
- ~ - ' - ~
m%"allimatayni 'al&m%"allimatayni m%"allimatay
(the two female
teachers (of
P
L
U
R
~ ' ~
m%"allim""na 'al&m%"allim""na m%"allim""
A
L
(of
, ~ ' ~
m%"allimaatin 'al&m%"allimaati m%"allimaati
(of

States of -ouns in the <eniti"e (ase ('al&
jarr)

Status Absolutus
(Indefinite State
Status
?eterminatus
(?efinite State
Status
(onstructus
((onstruct State
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
, ~ ' ~
m%"allimin 'al&m%"allimi m%"allimi
, ~ ' ~
m%"allimatin 'al&m%"allimati m%"allimati
D
U ~ ' ~
A
L
m%"allimayni 'al&m%"allimayni m%"allimay
(of
- ~ - ' - ~
m%"allimatayni 'al&m%"allimatayni m%"allimatay
(the two female
teachers (of
P
L
U
R
A
L
~ ' ~
m%"allim""na 'al&m%"allim""na m%"allim""
(of
, ~ ' ~
m%"allimaatin 'al&m%"allimaati m%"allimaati
(of
/-ote' the declension of irregular plurals is identical to singular nouns.

!he Second +art of the <eniti"e
(onstruction
!he part of the sentence before the hidden 5of5 is the first part of the geniti"e
construction. It can be a noun in the construct state or it can be a phrase, e.g.
5the first two pages of the book.5 !he #st part of a geniti"e construction is
called in Arabic 5the added5 - - '%
!he second part of the geniti"e construction is the part coming after 5of.5 !his
part is called in Arabic 5the added to5 - - ' %
!he second part of the geniti"e construction must be always in the geniti"e
case, or 'al&jarr case in Arabic. !his is why they called it a geniti"e case
anyway. !he &nd part of the construction will not be in the construct state nor
it will ha"e anything to do with it. It will be either in the definite or the indefinite
state =ust as usual.

71amples on geniti"e constructions'

!wo male teachers
(#st part
m%"allimaan(i)
~
A class
(&nd part
saff(%n)
-
!he two male
teachers of a class
m%"allimaa
saff(in)
~
-

!he two female
teachers
(#st part
'al&
m%"allimataan(i)
- '
A class
(&nd part
saff(%n)
-
!he two female
teachers of a
class
m%"allimataa
saff(in)
- ~
-

!he teachers
(#st part
'al&m%"allim!!n(a)
'
!he class
(&nd part
'as&saff(%)
- '
!he teachers of
the class
m%"allim!! ('a)s&
saff(i)
~ '
- '
!he 'alif after the waaw in ~ ' is a silent

6emale teachers
(#st part
m%"allimaat(%n)
~
!he class
(&nd part
'as&saff(%)
- '
!he female
teachers of the
class
m%"allimaat(%)
('a)s&saff(i)
~
- '

More e1amples in which the first part is in other cases ('an&nasb > 'al&jarr)'

(I saw the two
male teachers
of the class
m%"allimay ('a)s&
saff(i)
~
- '
(I saw the two
female teachers
of the class
m%"allimatay ('a)s&
saff(i)
- ~
- '
(I saw the
(male teachers
of the class
m%"allim"" ('a)s&
saff(i)
~
- '

71amples on proper nouns'
Meaning .iteral !ranslation
<eniti"e
(onstruction
Ali9s book
kitaab(%) "aliyy(in)
= -
(the book (of Ali
Airport of ?amascus
mataar(%) dimashq(a)
~ ~ ~ = ~
(the airport (of ?amascus
~ ~ ~ is a 5forbidden to noonation5 - - ' ~ _ ' word, so it has an
irregular case sign in the geniti"e case (&a in addition to ne"er taking
noonation.
+roper names are always definite and don9t take 'al& before them. 0owe"er,
we mentioned before that first names of people and some other proper nouns
take tanw""n e"en though they are definite.

+ossessi"e +ronouns
+ossessi"e pronouns such as 5my5 and 5your5 do not e1ist in Arabic2 nor do
e1ist ones such as 5mine5 and 5yours.5 !o say in Arabic that something is
yours, you would use the geniti"e construction described abo"e and say 5(the
thing (of me.5 !o say 5your book and his book5 you would say 5(the book (of
you and (the book (of him.5
!his will be shown later in the section about ob=ect pronouns.

5A5 !hing of a !hing
A final issue about the geniti"e construction is how we translate the following
sentence to Arabic'
A d!!r !f a h!%s"
8e know that it is impossible in Arabic for the first part of a geniti"e
construction to be indefinite. !hus, this kind of sentences is usually translated
in Arabic to'
., ~
baab(%) manzil(in)
(The) d!!r (!f) a h!%s"

!here is not really that much of a difference between the two. 0owe"er, if you
were insisting on ha"ing the first part indefinite, there is one trick that could be
used, which is to use a preposition other than the hidden 5of5 of the geniti"e
construction. %sually that would be the particle li& G 5for@to.5
.,
baab(%n) li&manzil(in)
A d!!r f!r a h!%s"
!his is not a geniti"e construction. !he word after li& is in the ablati"e case,
which is the same in Arabic as the geniti"e case ('al&jarr.

E&ercise

0amal<s friend
3he door key
!reedom fighters

(an you translate those phrases to Arabic by using the following Arabic
wordsa

A friend (sing. masc (.
- ~ -
Camal (male name (
.
!he key (sing.
masc.
-- '
!he door (masc (.
-'
!he fighters (plu.
masc.
'
A freedom (sing.
fem (.
-

Answers

0amal<s friend
., - ~ -
3he door key
-' -- ~
!reedom fighters
- = ' ' ~

Am 4 ,s 4 Are entences

7"ery sentence in 7nglish re:uires a "erb. ;ou ha"e to use at least one "erb
to make any complete, meaningful, sentence in 7nglish. In Arabic and Semitic
languages, it is also the same, but there is one e1ception2 If we ha"e an
7nglish sentence in the present tense that contains a "erb 5be,5 the Arabic
e:ui"alent will not contain a "erb 5be.5 In fact, it will not contain any "erb at all.
!hus, there can be full sentences in Arabic that do not ha"e any "erbs. !he
"erb-less sentences will be those like 5!om is here,5 5they are in the room,5
and 5where am Ia5 !hat is, again, sentences containing "erbs 5to be5 in the
present tense.
71amples'
- ~ '
'as&samaa'(%) saafiya(t%n)
G the sky (is a clear (sky
!ranslation' the sky is clear

- '
'al&m%"allim!!n(a) h%naa
G the teachers (are here
!ranslation' the teachers are here

~ -~ ~ ~ = ~
m%hammad(%n) m%sta"idd(%n)
G Muhammad (is a ready (man
!ranslation' Muhammad is ready

-~ ~
laylaa sa"""da(t%n)
G .ayla (is a happy (woman
!ranslation' .ayla is happy

- = = ~ - -
'ant(a) shakhs(%n) tayyib(%n)
G you (are a person a kind
!ranslation' you are a kind person
/)emember that an ad=ecti"e has to follow its noun in e"erything, including the
state of definiteness.
- -
'ayn(a) h%m
G where (are they
!ranslation' where are theya

All these sentences belong to the category that is called in Arabic 5nominal
sentences.5 !hose are the sentences which begin with a noun word. !he part
of the sentence that is before the hidden (be (i.e. the sub=ect is called
m%btada'< ~ -- ' ] the start. !he part after the (be is the predicate, in Arabic
khabar -= ' G the predicate.

' - ~ = '
'al&hamd(%) li&l&laah(i) rabb(i)
('a)l&"aalam""n(a)
G the thanking@praising (is for the <od (the
lord (of the worlds
!ranslation' praise <od the lord of the
worlds
- ' is in the ablati"e case ('al&jarr because it is preceded by a
preposition (.
is in the ablati"e case because it is an ad=ecti"e of - ' . It is also in
the construct state.
' is a geniti"e construction.
' is an anne1ed masculine plural in the geniti"e case.

Multiple +redicates
3ne m%btada'< (starterGsub=ect can ha"e multiple predicates.
71ample'
'~ - - - ' -' - ~ '
haathaa h%w(a) ('a)sh&shar""f(%) ('a)n&
nab""l(%) ('a)l&kar""m(%)
G this he (is the honest the noble the
generous
!ranslation' this is a "ery honest, noble,
generous man
H%w(a)G he, is a pleonastic pronoun. 7mploying sub=ect pronouns before
the predicate in this manner will be co"ered in detail in the pronouns section.
(oordinators may be used between the different predicates'
'~ - - - ~ ' -' - '
haathaa h%w(a) ('a)sh&shar""f(%) wa&('a)n&
nab""l(%) wa&('a)l&kar""m(%)
G this he (is the honest and the noble and
the generous
!ranslation' this is a "ery honest, noble,
generous man
!he coordinators must be placed between all the predicates, not only before
the last one.
An interesting e1ample of multiple predicates is that of 5the 6inest -ames of
<od5 '-
-ote that the "erb 5to be5 will show up in the past and future tenses. It will be
=ust like 7nglish for those two tenses.
!hus, we hereby ha"e co"ered the only case of "erb-less sentences in Arabic.

E&ercise

, am here
3he ink is blue
What is this>

(an you translate those sentences to Arabic by using the following Arabic
wordsa

I
-
0ere
-
An ink (sing. masc.
-
A blue (sing. masc (.

8hat
~
!his (sing. masc (.
'~ -

Answers

, am here
- -
3he ink is blue
- = '
What is this>
'~ - ~

"erbs

!ense ,erb
Simple +ast +erfecti"e
Simple +resent
Imperfecti"e
Simple 6uture

Cust like e"ery other word in Arabic barring the particles, "erbs are based on
roots. )oots will be plugged into "erbal structures to create "erbs of different
tenses and aspects.
!he ma=or two categories of "erbal structures in Arabic are the perfecti"e and
the imperfecti"e. !he imperfecti"e is used for both the simple present and
simple future tenses, and the perfecti"e is used for the simple past tense.
Imperfecti"e "erbs ha"e different moods. !here are fi"e moods, four of which
(the indicati"e, sub=uncti"e, =ussi"e, and energetic share one structure but
with different endings. !he fifth mood, the imperati"e, has its own distinct
structure. +erfecti"e "erbs ha"e only one mood2 but this mood has two
different functions. It can be either indicati"e or sub=uncti"e depending on the
sentence. !he sub=uncti"e perfecti"e "erbs can be used for all tenses not only
the past.

,erb Moods
+erfecti"e
(+ast
Indicati"e@sub=uncti"e
Imperfecti"e Indicati"e
(+resent@6uture
Sub=uncti"e
Cussi"e
7nergetic
Imperati"e

+erfecti"e and imperfecti"e "erbs ha"e also acti"e and passi"e "oices. 8e
will co"er the passi"e "oice right after we finish with the acti"e "oice.

Perfecti1e tructures
!riliteral )oots-4asic Structures

It is better in Arabic to begin by describing the past (perfecti"e "erbs,
because these are the simplest forms.

!he ma=ority of Arabic "erbs ha"e roots consisting of three letters. Some
"erbs ha"e four-lettered-roots, but there are no "erbs with more than four
letters to their roots.

8e will begin by talking about the structures of triliteral roots. 8ithout adding
any additional letters to them, triliteral roots can be structured in O different
ways to gi"e the three basic structures of perfecti"e "erbs in Arabic'

4asic Structures of +erfecti"e
,erb
(Acti"e ,oice
(0e did
(0e has done
fa"al(a)

fa"il(a)

fa"%l(a)

!he perfecti"e "erb alone can mean either the simple past tense 5(he did5 or
the perfect present 5(he has done.5 ,erb structures in Semitic languages are
usually presented in the Ord person singular masculine con=ugation 5(he did5
because this is the simplest and most basic form. It should be noted that there
is no pronoun 5it5 in Arabic, so "erbs con=ugated in the 5he5 con=ugation may
also be referring to an 5it5 (i.e. an ob=ect@animal.
!he blue letters are the root letters. Most of the roots are plugged into only
one of the three structures, but some roots can be plugged into more than
one. !hese three structures are called in western terms the 5form I5 of Arabic
"erbs, or the <-stem (< for 5ground5. !he difference between the three
structures lies in the short "owel between the final two letters colored in green.
!he three structures all e1press the same general meaning, which is 5(he did5
or 5(he has done.5 0owe"er, there is a difference between the three in regard
to 5what5 he actually did or has done.

# 4a"al(a)
!he first structure, fa"al(a), is generally a 5dynamic5 or 5acti"e5 structure. It
usually indicates a real action on the part of the sub=ect that occurs o"er a
period of time, like e.g. 5(he wrote,5 5(he read,5 or 5(he ate.5

?ynamic ,erbs
(0e wrote
(0e has written
katab(a)
- -
(0e read
(0e has read
qara'(a)

(0e ate
(0e has eaten
'akal(a)

(0e asked
(0e has asked
sa'al(a)
. ~
(0e made
(0e has made
sana"(a)
_ -
(0e went
(0e has gone
thahab(a)
- - ~

& 4a"il(a)
!he second structure, fa"il(a), is generally a 5stati"e5 structure. )ather than
indicating real actions that occur o"er time, this structure usually refers to the
state of the sub=ect, e.g. 5(he knew,5 5(he became tired,5 or 5(he became
happy.5
Stati"e ,erbs
(0e knew
(0e has known
"alim(a)
=
(0e understood
(0e has understood
fahim(a)

(0e became tired
(0e has become tired
ta"ib(a)
-
(0e became happy
(0e has become happy
farih(a)

(0e became angry
(0e has become angry
radib(a)
- - =
(0e was safe
(0e has been safe
salim(a)
~
!hese "erbs do not indicate real actions. ;ou don9t actually do something
when you "&now!"
!he stati"e "erb 5to know5 can indicate two things'
It can indicate the simple being in the state of &nowing.
It can indicate becoming in the state of &nowing( or in other words, it can
indicate changing from the state of %n&nowing into the state of &nowing!
!hus, stati"e "erbs can indicate either being something or becoming
something. Most of the stati"e fa"il(a) "erbs will primarily indicate the
second meaning, i.e. 5(he became something.5 A few number of them will
indicate 5(he was something5 as a primary meaning.

Irregularities
!he dynamic "s. stati"e distinction between fa"al(a) and fa"il(a) is a
general rule but is not always true. !here are "erbs of the first structure that
are stati"e, and "ice "ersa.
71amples'
(0e knew
(0e has known
"araf(a)
- =
(0e owned
(0e has owned
malak(a)
~
(0e worked
(0e has worked
"amil(a)
=
(0e drank
(0e has drunk
sharib(a)
~
(0e laughed
(0e has laughed
dahik(a)
= -
!he primary reason for these irregularities is probably because the original
meanings of the "erbs were different. 6or e1ample, the original meaning of the
root - _ is related to 5succession5 or 5flowing.5 Also, the "erb sharib(a),
if understood literally, means 5(he became soaked.5

O 4a"%l(a)
!he third structure, fa"%l(a), is a pure stati"e structure. It is always stati"e
without irregularities, and unlike the pre"ious one, the primary meaning of this
structure in (lassical Arabic is always 5(he was something5 rather than 5(he
became something.5
Stati"e ,erbs
(0e was small
(0e has been small
(0e became small(er
(0e has become small(er
sar%r(a)
-
(0e was big
(0e has been big
(0e became big(ger
(0e has become big(ger
kab%r(a)
-
(0e was easy
(0e has been easy
(0e became easy(er
(0e has become easy(er
sah%l(a)
~
(0e was hard
(0e has been hard
(0e became hard(er
(0e has become hard(er
sa"%b(a)
- -
)emember that 5he5 can also mean 5it5 in Arabic. !he meaning 5(he has
been" colored in purple is the commonly meant one in (lassical Arabic.
!his structure is less common than the pre"ious one. A main difference
between the two is that this structure is usually used for simple attributes like
5small,5 5easy,5 5tall,5 5good,5 5slow,5 5honorable,5 etc. 8hereas the pre"ious
structure is generally used for more real states like 5angry,5 5tired,5 5safe,5
5knowing,5 5forgetting,5 5saturated,5 etc.
%nlike the pre"ious two structures, fa"%l(a) "erbs are always intransiti"e
"erbs.

-otes
!ransiti"e "erb' a "erb that can take a direct ob=ect.
"'g' h" b!%ght a book'
Intransiti"e "erb' a "erb that cannot take a direct ob=ect.
"'g' h" sl"=t (he can9t 5sleep something5.

A summary of the structures we ha"e talked about so far'
6orm I of Arabic ,erbs
(Acti"e ,oice
?ynamic
(0e did
fa"al(a)
!ransiti"e @ intransiti"e

Stati"e
(0e became
something
(primary meaning

(0e was something
(secondary meaning

fa"il(a)
!ransiti"e @ intransiti"e

Stati"e
(0e was something
(primary meaning in (lassical
Arabic
(0e became
something
fa"%l(a)
Intransiti"e

+ronominal Suffi1es
So far we ha"e been dealing only with the Ord person singular masculine
con=ugation of the perfecti"e "erb 5(he did.5 !his is the basic con=ugation of
"erbs in Arabic.
In order to get the rest of the con=ugations, we will add endings, or suffi1es, to
this basic form.
0ere is the full con=ugation scheme'

- ' +erfecti"e @@ . _ - )oot
(6orm I, Acti"e ,oice
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I did
fa"alt(%)
-
(;ou masc. did
fa"alt(a)
-
(;ou fem. did
fa"alti/
-
(0e did
fa"al(a)

(She did
fa"alat
-
D
U
A
L
(;ou did
fa"alt%maa
-
(!hey masc. did
fa"alaa

(!hey fem. did
fa"alataa
-
P
L
(8e dual@plu. did
fa"alnaa

U
R
A
L
(;ou masc. did
fa"alt%m/
- /
(;ou fem. did
fa"alt%nn(a)
-
(!hey masc. did
fa"al!!
' /
(!hey fem. did
fa"aln(a)

?In perfect classical Arabic this would be fa"alt(i), but this is too perfect for our time.
?Another possibility in classical Arabic is' fa"alt%m(%) - .
?!he i in ' is silent.
!he red endings are considered in Arabic grammar sub=ects of the "erbs to
which they are attached. A sub=ect of a "erb refers to who did (acti"e "erb or
who recei"ed (passi"e "erb the action denoted by the "erb.
!he suffi1es are called the 5attached sub=ect pronouns.5 !his idea is important
in Arabic grammar and has its implications when forming "erbal sentences, as
will be co"ered later.
0owe"er, the Ord person singular endings, both the masculine and feminine
(he M she, are the only endings that are not considered attached sub=ect
pronouns.
(on=ugation of O
rd
+erson Singular +erfecti"e
,erbs
Masculine
(She did @ has done
Masculine
(0e did @ has done
fa"alat
-
fa"al(a)

fa"ilat
-
fa"il(a)

fa"%lat
-
fa"%l(a)

!he final &a of the masculine con=ugation is not a pronoun. !he &t at the end
of the feminine con=ugation is a feminine marker called 5still feminine taa'<
- - -' ~ ' .5 %nlike the feminine taa'< attached to nouns, this one is
always pronounced, hence the different figure in writing.

!he fact that these two are not attached pronouns is important when making
"erbal sentences. ,erbal sentences are the principal type of sentences in
formal Arabic. In such sentences, the "erb comes before the sub=ect'

-ominal Sentence ,erbal Sentence
!he boys want to play 8ant the boys to play
!he woman was here 8as the woman here
An important rule regarding the formation of "erbal sentences is the following'
8hen a perfecti"e "erb ending with a Ord person attached sub=ect pronoun is
used in a "erbal sentence (i.e. precedes its sub=ect, the attached pronoun
must be remo"ed and replaced with &a for the masculine sub=ect and &at for
the feminine sub=ect unless the sub=ect is a separate pronoun.
More details about "erbal sentences are a"ailable on this page.

!he con=ugation techni:ue is the same for e"ery perfecti"e "erb in Arabic.
0owe"er, irregular "erbs ha"e irregular con=ugation rules. Irregular "erbs
include doubled "erbs2 the "erbs that end with a repeated letter, and weak
"erbs2 the "erbs whose roots include weak letters (w or y. (on=ugation of
irregular "erbs will be e1plained soon.
!he regular "erbs are also called sound "erbs. 71ample on the con=ugation of
a regular "erb'
- =
"araf(a)

- ' +erfecti"e @@ - _ )oot
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I knew
"araft(%)
= -
(;ou masc.
knew
"araft(a)
= -
(;ou fem. knew
"arafti
= -
(0e knew
"araf(a)
- =
(She knew
"arafat
= -
D
U
A
L
(;ou knew
"araft%maa
= -
(!hey masc.
knew
"arafaa
=
(!hey fem.
knew
"arafataa
= -
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu.
knew
"arafnaa
=
(;ou masc.
knew
"araft%m
= -
(;ou fem. knew
"araft%nn(a
)
= -
(!hey masc.
knew
"araf!!
= '
(!hey fem.
knew
"arafn(a)
=
?A grop oI mles nd Iemles wll be reIerred to s grop oI mles An nspecIed or
nknown gender wll be reIerred to s mle

71ercise

0e heard
_ ~
0e was@became bigger
-

4ased on these two "erbs, can you translate the following to Arabica
yo% need not to translate the $rono%ns in $arenthesis"

(I heard
(8e heard
(!hey dual fem. heard
(!hey plu. fem. heard
(She became bigger
(;ou plu. masc. became bigger
(!hey plu. masc. became bigger
(;ou plu. fem. became bigger
(;ou sing. masc. became bigger
(!hey dual masc. became bigger
(;ou dual became bigger
(;ou sing. fem. became bigger

Answers

(I heard
- ~
(8e heard
~
(!hey dual fem. heard
- ~
(!hey plu. fem. heard
~
(She became bigger
-
(;ou plu. masc. became bigger
-
(!hey plu. masc. became bigger
' -
(;ou plu. fem. became bigger
-
(;ou sing. masc. became bigger
-
(!hey dual masc. became bigger
' -
(;ou dual became bigger
-
(;ou sing. fem. became bigger
-
"erbs
Perfecti1e tructures (continued)

!riliteral )oots with Additional .etters
!he three structures we ha"e talked about so far did not ha"e any additional
letters. !hey were composed solely of the root letters plus short "owels, which
do not count as letters. !hose are called in Arabic the 5bare5 structures or
measures ' ' - ~ = ' .
8ith the employment of additional letters, there will be as many as #f other
structures of perfecti"e "erbs based on triliteral roots, making a total of fifteen
forms.
Structures with additional letters are called in Arabic the 5added to5 or
5augmented5 structures ' ' - ~ - ' .
0ere is a list of all the triliteral-rooted perfecti"e "erb structures'
Structures of +erfecti"e ,erbs with !riliteral )oots
Acti"e ,oice (
-o additional
letters
6orm I
fa"al(a)

fa"il(a)

fa"%l(a)

# additional
letter
6orm II fa""al(a)

6orm III faa"al(a)
=
6orm I, 'af"al(a)

& additional
letters
6orm , tafa''"al(a)
-
6orm ,I tafaa"al(a)
- =
6orm ,II 'infa"al(a)
' - -
6orm ,III 'ifta"al(a)
' -
6orm IE 'if"all(a)
'
O additional
letters
6orm E 'istaf"al(a)
' -~ -
6orm EI 'if"aall(a)
' .
6orm EII 'if"aw"al(a)
' =
6orm EIII
'if"awwal(a
)
' .
6orm EI, 'if"anlal(a)
'
6orm E, 'if"anlaa
'

!he last fi"e structures (highlighted in red are rare.
-ote that the short "owel between the final two letters (the green short "owel
is fi1ed as
a
in all the forms other than form I. !he only form that has a
changeable green "owel is form I, as we ha"e already seen. 8hen those
perfecti"e "erb forms are turned into imperfecti"e, the green "owel will be
fi1ed as
i
in all forms e1cept forms , M ,I which will still ha"e a fi1ed
a
. 6orm
I will still ha"e a changeable green "owel in the imperfecti"e like in the
perfecti"e. 8e are going to co"er the imperfecti"e "erbs later.
6orms IE and EI are irregular doubled "erbs. !he green "owel is omitted in
the Ord person masculine singular con=ugation of these "erbs as well as in
some other con=ugations.
6orm E, is an irregular defecti"e "erb. !his form ends with a weak 'alif that
becomes a letter
y
in other con=ugations.
All the forms con=ugate in the regular way mentioned earlier e1cept for the
irregular ones (i.e. forms IE and EI, the doubled "erbs, and form E,, the
defecti"e "erb. !he con=ugation of irregular "erbs will be co"ered later.
71amples on the con=ugation of the different forms'

)e-
con=ugated
71ample
(ched did
6orm
(8e sat
~

jalasnaa jalas(a)
(I thought
- ~ - - ~

hasibt(%) hasib(a)
(She@it
was@became
small(er
- -

sar%rat sar%r(a)
(;ou, dual
taught
= - =

"allamt%maa "allam(a)
(!hey, masc.
dual fought

=
qaatalaa qaatal(a)
(!hey, masc.
plu. dignified
~ '

'akram!! 'akram(a)
(!hey, fem.
dual were late

-
ta'akhkharata
a
ta'akhkhar(a
)
(;ou, masc.
plu. wondered
~ - . ~
= -
tasaa'alt%m tasaa'al(a)
(She@it
e1ploded
' = - - ' = - -
- - '
'infajarat 'infajar(a)
(!hey, fem.
plu. became
disconcerted
' - ' -
- '
'irtabakn(a) 'irtabak(a)
(;ou, masc.
sing. reddened
up
'
&
'
'
'ihmarart(a) 'ihmarr(a)
(8e used
' -~ ' -~
- -~ '
'ista"malnaa 'ista"mal(a)
/A doubled "erb.
Cust like how the first three structures showed differences in meaning, each
one of the other structures also has its distinct meaning, or meanings.
0owe"er, ha"ing deep knowledge of the different meanings of each structure
is not that important. !he important thing is to know what a "erb means and to
be able to con=ugate it correctly.
A comprehensi"e re"iew of the meanings of each structure with large
numbers of e1amples are a"ailable here.
0ere is a simplified list of the meanings of "erb structures'

Meanings of ,erb 6orms
6orm I

fa"al(a)

tr.@intr.
4asic
(he did

fa"il(a)

tr.@intr.
Stati"e
(he was@became
something

fa"%l(a)

intr.
Stati"e
(he was@became
something
6orm II

fa""al(a)

tr.@intr.
(ausati"e
(he made do
Intensi"e
(he did much
6orm III
=
faa"al(a)

(onati"e
(he sought to do
tr.@intr.
Mutual
(he initiated mutual
doing with
Intensi"e
(he did much
6orm I,

'af"al(a)

tr.@intr.
(ausati"e
(0e made do
)efle1i"e (ausati"e
(0e made himself do
6orm ,
-
tafa''"al(a)

tr.@intr.
)efle1i"e (ausati"e
(0e made himself do
)efle1i"e Intensi"e
(he did himself much
6orm ,I
- =
tafaa"al(a)

(onati"e
(he sought to do
tr.@intr.
Mutual
(he initiated mutual
doing with
+retension
(he pretended to do
)efle1i"e Intensi"e
(he did himself much
6orm ,II
' - -
'infa"al(a)

intr.
)efle1i"e
(he was@became done
Agentless +assi"e
(he was@became done
6orm ,III
' -
'ifta"al(a)

tr.@intr.
)efle1i"e
(he did himself
)efle1i"e (ausati"e
(he made himself do
6orm IE
'
'if"all(a)

intr.
Stati"e
(he was@became
color)bodily
characteristic
6orm E
' -~ -
'istaf"al(a)

tr.@intr.
(ausati"e
(0e made do
)efle1i"e (ausati"e
(he made himself do
Arrangement@)e:uest
(he had@asked to do
(0e sought to be done
by
?etails about these meanings are a"ailable here. It should be noted that all of
these structures are considered acti"e "erbs, although the refle1i"e structures
can o"erlap in meaning with the passi"e (especially form ,II which can be
used as a real passi"e. 7ach one of these structures has a passi"e "oice
"ersion which we will go through later.
It can often be not easy in real life to identify the meaning of a certain "erb
with the general meaning of its structure.

71ercise #

(an you fill in the missing 7nglish pronouns inside the bracketsa

(a hurried (up
-= ~
(a waited
' = -- '
(a came close(er
- - '
(a recei"ed
-~ '
(a tried

(a blued (became blue
- '
(a tried
`
(a became surprised
-
(a won
' - -- '
(a learned
-
(a roughened
- ~ ~ '

Answers

(;ou plu. masc. hurried (up
-= ~
(!hey plu. masc. waited
' = -- '
(;ou plu. fem. came close(er
- - '
(8e recei"ed
-~ '
(!hey plu. fem. tried

(She blued (became blue
- '
(!hey dual masc. tried
`
(;ou sing. fem. became surprised
-
(!hey plu. masc. won
' - -- '
(;ou dual learned
-
(;ou sing. masc. roughened
- ~ ~ '

71ercise &

(an you tell the forms of the "erbs in the pre"ious e1ercisea

Answers

6orm I,
-= ~
6orm ,III
' = -- '
6orm ,III
- - '
6orm II

6orm IE
- '
6orm III
`
6orm ,I
-
6orm ,III
-~ '
6orm ,III
' - -- '
6orm ,
-
6orm EII
- ~ ~ '

"erbs
Auadriliteral )oots-4asic Structure
,erbs of :uadriliteral roots are relati"ely few. Auadriliteral roots usually denote
periodic sounds (e.g. =angle, periodic mo"ements (e.g. :uake, are e1tracted
from foreign loanwords, or are altered from pre"ious triliteral roots by adding a
letter to them.
!here is only one structure for "erbs of :uadriliteral roots with no additional
letters'
4asic Structure of Auadriliteral-)ooted
,erbs
(Acti"e ,oice
fa"lal(a)
tr.@intr.

/-ote' this structure is written this way in Arabic grammar, but the third and
fourth letters of the root do not ha"e to be the same.
71amples'
Auadriliteral-)ooted ,erbs
(0e muttered
tamtam(a)
-
hamham(a)
-
waswas(a)
~
(0e stammered
ta'<ta'(a)

fa'<fa'(a)

(0e =angled
salsal(a)
- -
(0e howled
walwal(a)
.
0e :uaked
0e thundered
jaljal(a)
=
(0e made :uake
zalzal(a)
.
(0e dressed
(somebody
from Aramaic etymology
sarbal(a)
~
(0e embroidered
from *ersian etymology
zakhraf(a)
-
(0e put a cap on
(somebody
from +atin "calantica"
qalnas(a)

original root: ~ a
dahraj(a)
~
(0e scattered
(something
original root: a
ba"thar(a)
`
(0e choked
original root: a
hashraj(a)
~
(0e reassured
original root: a
tam'an(a)
=

Arabs used, and use, the structure fa"lal(a) to car"e "erbs from nouns that
ha"e more than three consonants in them. 8e e1plained in this page, at
length, how the "erb form II is used to deri"e "erbs from nouns with triliteral
roots. !here are other "erb forms that can also be deri"ed from three-letter-
rooted nouns. 0owe"er, to deri"e "erbs from nouns with more than three
letters to their roots, :uadriliteral-rooted structure such as fa"lal(a) are
used.
In modern times, fa"lal(a) has been used as well to deri"e "erbs from
three-letter-rooted nouns with more than three letters. !his is why we said that
this structure is used to deri"e "erbs from nouns with more than three
consonants, regardless of the root.
71amples'
6orm AI
,erb
-oun
'amrak(a)
= ~
'am"rikaa
~
(he made American
H Americani*ed (tr.
America (fem.
sa"wad(a)
~ ~
'as&
s%"!!diyya(t%)
-~ ~ '
(he made Saudi
H Saudi*ed (tr.
Saudi Arabia (fem.
bar"am(a)
=
b%r"%m(%n)
=
(he budded a bud (masc.
talfan(a)
-
t"lif.n(%n)
-
(he telephoned a telephone (masc.

!here were many :uadriliteral roots that Arab grammarians recogni*ed as
altered from triliteral roots by the addition of one letter to them. !hey worked
out $ standard patterns for the addition of the fourth letter and called the
patterns or the structures the 5anne1ed5 :uadriliteral-rooted structures without
additional letters.
0ere are the $ structures'
71ample Structure
jalbab(a)
- -
fa"lal(a)

(0e put a d=ellaba on
(somebody)
hawqal(a)

faw"al(a)
=
(0e became impotent
rahwal(a)
- .
fa"wal(a)
.
(0e hurried up
baytar(a)
=
fay"al(a)

(0e treated (an animal
sharyaf(a)
~ -
fa"yal(a)

(0e cut
sanbal(a (
~ -
fan"al(a (

(0e, a plant eared
qalnas(a)

fa"nal(a (

(0e put a cap on
(somebody
salqaa
~
fa"laa

(0e laid down
-otes
!hose are structures of four-letter-rooted "erbs without additional
letters.
!he purple letters are identified as additional to the roots not to the
structures.
In the first structure, the third and fourth letter ha"e to be identical. !his
is different from the general structure mentioned abo"e, albeit they are
written the same way.
I don9t think all the e1amples are correct (the last one isn9t, but those
are the ones I ha"e.
!he "erb was mentioned because classical Arab grammarians
didn9t know it was from .atin etymology and thought it was altered from
the root . , although the truth is the other way around. I had to put
it here because I don9t ha"e other e1amples.
!hose structures are rare and knowing them is of "ery little importance,
if any.

An e1ample on the con=ugation of a simple :uadriliteral-rooted "erb'
=
tam'an(a)
(he reassured

- ' +erfecti"e @@ = )oot
(6orm AI, Acti"e ,oice
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I reassured
tam'ant(%)
- = -
(;ou masc. reassured
tam'ant(a)
- = -
(;ou fem. reassured
tam'anti
- = -
(0e reassured
tam'an(a)
=
(She reassured
tam'anat
- = -
D
U
A
L
(;ou reassured
tam'ant%maa
- = -
(!hey masc. reassured
tam'anaa
- =
(!hey fem. reassured
tam'anataa
- = -
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu. reassured
tam'annaa
= -
(;ou masc. reassured
tam'ant%m
- = -
(;ou fem. reassured
tam'ant%nn(a)
- = -
(!hey masc. reassured
tam'an!!
- = '
(!hey fem. reassured
tam'ann(a)
=

Auadriliteral )oots with Additional .etters
8ith the additional letters, three more structures of :uadriliteral roots are
obtained.
Structures of +erfecti"e ,erbs with Auadriliteral
)oots
Acti"e ,oice (
-o
additional
letters
6orm AI fa"lal(a)

# additional
letter
6orm AII tafa"lal(a)
-
& additional
letters
6orm AIII 'if"anlal(a)
'
6orm AI, 'if"alall(a)
'
6orms AI, is an irregular doubled "erb. !he green short "owel in certain
con=ugations of this "erbs is displaced backward (original form 'if"allal(a).
71amples on the con=ugation of the :uadriliteral-rooted forms'

)e-con=ugated
71ample
(ched did
6orm
(;ou, fem. sing.
scattered
` `

ba"tharti ba"thar(a)
(!hey, masc. dual
rolled
~ ~
-
tadahrajaa tadahraj(a)
(She, fem. sing.
congregated
= - ' - = - '
%sed form camels
'
'ihranjamat 'ihranjam(a)
(I became reassured
- = ' -
&
' =
'
'itma'<nant(%) 'itma'ann(a)
/A doubled "erb.
A re"iew of the meanings of these structures with e1amples is a"ailable here.
A simplified list of the meanings'
Meanings of ,erb 6orms
6orm AI

fa"lal(a)

tr.@intr.
4asic
(he did
6orm AII
-
tafa"lal(a)

tr.@intr.
)efle1i"e
(0e did himself
)efle1i"e (ausati"e
(0e made himself do
6orm AIII
'
'if"anlal(a)

)efle1i"e
(0e did himself
intr.
6orm AI,
'
'if"alall(a)

intr.
Stati"e
(he was@became
something

71ercise #


(a spoke

(a translated

(a popped, cracked
-
(a scared
-- =
(a fidgeted

(a treated (one another
~
(a had gooseflesh, shuddered
~ '
(a continued (intr.
' -~
(a were@became popped,
cracked - - '
(a en=oyed (intr.
- - -~ '

Answers

(8e spoke

(8e translated

(;ou plu. fem. popped, cracked
-
(;ou plu. fem. scared
-- =
(!hey dual masc. fidgeted

(!hey dual. masc. treated (one
another ~
(She had gooseflesh, shuddered
~ '
(She continued (intr.
' -~
(;ou plu. masc. were@became
popped, cracked - - '
(;ou plu. masc. en=oyed (intr.
- - -~ '

71ercise &

(an you tell the forms of the "erbs in the pre"ious e1ercisea

Answers

6orm ,

6orm AI

6orm AI
-
6orm I,
-- =
6orm AII

6orm ,I
~
6orm AI,
~ '
6orm E
' -~
6orm AIII
- - '
6orm E
- - -~ '

Structures of the +erfecti"e
,erb
(Acti"e ,oice
6orm I
fa"al(a)

fa"il(a)

fa"%l(a)

6orm II fa""al(a)

6orm III faa"al(a)
=
6orm I, 'af"al(a)

6orm , tafa''"al(a)
-
6orm ,I tafaa"al(a)
- =
' - -
' -
6orm IE 'if"all(a)
'
6orm E 'istaf"al(a)
' -~ -
6orm EI 'if"aall(a)
' .
' =
6orm EIII 'if"awwal(a)
' .
'
6orm E, 'if"anlaa
'
6orm AI fa"lal(a)

-
'
'
"erbs

Con+ugation of ,rregular "erbs
#or descri$tion of irreg%lar ,erb ty$es, yo% may go here
# ?oubled ,erbs
?oubled "erbs are triliteral "erbs that ha"e identical second and third root-
letters2 or any "erb that ends with a shadda(t) (doubled consonants with no
"owel in between. !he short "owel that is lacking from between the two final
letters is the green short "owel of "erbs.
!he shadda(t) of the doubled "erbs must be 5untied5 when adding certain
pronominal suffi1es to them. %ntying means inserting a short "owel between
the two identical letters under the shadda(t) (-(( H -("(' 6or perfecti"e
"erbs, the inserted "owel will be always a, regardless of what the original
green "owel was.
71ample, the "erb'
~
marr(a)
(0e passed

(0e
passed
marr(a)
~
(I passed
marrt(%)
~
(I passed
marart(%)
~

!he omitted green "owel from this "erb is
a
, but we would ha"e inserted
a
anyway and without needing to know that.

%ntying will happen with all pronominal suffi1es that start with a consonant
(the #st M &nd person con=ugations plus the Ord person feminine plural. !he
reason behind this change is to pre"ent the formation of a three-consonant-
cluster ((((. In Arabic terms, to pre"ent two still letters form directly
following each

other (the two
r
<s
)
%
!his is an important law in the Arabic
language (5stills don9t meet5.
!he full con=ugation of the "erb'

- ' +erfecti"e @@ : ~
S
I
N
G
U
L
(I passed
marart(%)
~
(;ou masc. passed
marart(a)
~
(;ou fem. passed
mararti
~
A
R
(0e passed
marr(a)
~
(She passed
marrat
~
D
U
A
L
(;ou passed
marart%maa
~
(!hey masc. passed
marraa
~ '
(!hey fem. passed
marrataa
~
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu.
passed
mararnaa
~ -
(;ou masc. passed
marart%m
~
(;ou fem. passed
marart%nn(a)
~
(!hey masc. passed
marr!!
~ '
(!hey fem. passed
mararn(a)
~

!he omitted green "owel of most perfecti"e doubled "erbs is a2 "ery few
doubled "erbs ha"e an omitted i or % "owels. 71amples of these are'

3riginal 6orm ?oubled ,erb
=
zall(a)
=
zalil(a)
(he remained, stayed
~
mall(a)
~
malil(a)
(he became bored

kall(a)

kalil(a)
(he became worn out
- -
labb(a)
-
lab%b(a)
(he was@became sane

0owe"er, these "erbs will untie =ust like "erbs with omitted a .
71amples'
(I stayed
zalalt(%)
= -
(I became bored
malalt(%)
~ -
(I became worn out
kalalt(%)
-
(I was@became sane
lababt(%)
- - -

(on=ugation of ?oubled
,erbs
#st person untie
&nd person untie
Ord person
untie only with the feminine
$l%ral

J6orm I,, E M AI,
Although con=ugating most of the "erb forms will take only untying the
shadda(t), the forms with a displaced-back "owel, namely forms I,, E M AI,,
will re:uire another step in addition to that, which is to remo"e the short A
preceding the doubled consonant.

(on=ugation of ?oubled ,erbs

(0e did (I did
6orm I, 'afa"l(a) 'af"alt(%)
6orm E 'istafa"l(a) 'istaf"alt(%)
6orm AI, 'if"alall(a) 'if"allalt(%)

71amples'
6orm I, ?oubled ,erbs
- - - -
'ahabb(a) 'ahbabt(%)
(0e lo"ed, liked (I lo"ed, liked
~ = ~ ~ =
'a"add(a) 'a"dadt(%)
(0e prepared (tr. (I prepared (tr.

6orm E ?oubled ,erbs
-~ ' -~ '
'istamarr(a) 'istamrart(%)
(0e continued (intr. (I continued (intr.
-~ ' ~ -~ ' ~ ~
'ista"add(a) 'ista"dadt(%)
(0e prepared (intr. (I prepared (intr.

6orm AI,
' = ' - = -
'itma'ann(a) 'itma'<nant(%)
(0e became reassured (I became reassured

,erbs
6orms I, ,II, ,III,
IE M EI
=ust untie
(-("(( H -("("(
6orms I,, E M AI,
untie N remo"e the short A
preceding the doubled letter
(-("(( H -(("(

-ote
It is "ery common for form E and form AI, doubled "erbs to be con=ugated in
the following manner by modern speakers of Arabic'
7rroneous (on=ugation of 6orm E and
6orm AI, ?oubled ,erbs
-~ ' -~ ' - -
'istamarr(a) 'istamarrayt(%)
(0e continued (intr. (I continued (intr.
' = ' - = -
'itma'ann(a) 'itma'annayt(%)
(0e became reassured (I became reassured

!his way of con=ugation is e1tremely common among modern speakers of
Arabic, thanks to influence from the modern spoken dialects. If you asked #jj
nati"e speakers to con=ugate these "erbs for you, probably more than ^k of
them will con=ugate in this last way.

& Bithaal ,erbs
Bithaal

"erbs re verbs whose Irst orgnl letter s wek letter PerIectve
Bithaal

"erbs con=ugate regularly, e1cept that in form ,III, the first original
letter will become a
t
as e1plained in this page.

O 0ollow ,erbs
0ollow "erbs are "erbs whose second original letter is a weak letter.
6or transformed hollow "erbs whose weak letter is

(a fake

'alif

, the middle
long "owel
aa
will be replaced by a short "owel when adding any pronominal
suffi1 that starts with a consonant, that is, any suffi1 other than the

Ord person
suffi1es, not counting the Ord person feminine plural declension.

J6orm I
71ample
.
.
qaal(a)

(0e said
!he root is
.
.
A 8 .

(0e said
qaal(a)
.
(I said
qaalt(%)
-
(I said
qalt(%)
-
(I said
q%lt(%)
-

!he reason behind this change is to pre"ent the formation of a three-
consonant-cluster (
alt
. In Arabic terms, to pre"ent two still letters form
directly following each other (the

and the
.

. !his is the important rule of
5stills don9t meet.5
!he middle long A of hollow "erbs is composed of a weak 'alif
a
preceded by
a short "owel
a
(
aa
. !he weak 'alif here was deleted and the
a
was
changed to
%
. A simpler way of saying this is that the middle long A (
aa
was
replaced by a short "owel
%
.
!he full con=ugation'

- ' +erfecti"e @@ . :
S
I
N
G
(I said
q%lt(%)
-
(;ou masc. said
q%lt(a)
-
U
L
A
R
(;ou fem. said
q%lti
-
(0e said
qaal(a)
.
(She said
qaalat
-
D
U
A
L
(;ou said
q%lt%maa
-
(!hey masc. said
qaalaa

(!hey fem. said
qaalataa
-
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu. said
q%lnaa

(;ou masc. said
q%lt%m
-
(;ou fem. said
q%lt%nn(a)
-
(!hey masc. said
qaal!!
'
(!hey fem. said
q%ln(a)

!he
a
was changed to
%
because the original weak letter of the "erb (the
middle root-letter is
w
. !he short "owel
%
corresponds to
w
. Similarly, if
the original weak letter were
y
, the preceding short "owel
a
would be
changed to
i
, the corresponding short "owel.

71ample'

_
baa"(a)

(0e sold

!he root is
.
4 ; 5

_

(0e sold
baa"(a)
_
(I sold
baa"t(%)
= -
(I sold
ba"t(%)
-
(I sold
bi"t(%)
-


- ' +erfecti"e @@ _ :
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I sold
bi"t(%)
-
(;ou masc. sold
(masc.
bi"t(a)
-
(;ou masc. sold
(fem.
bi"ti
-
(0e sold
baa"(a)
_
(She sold
baa"at
= -
D
U
A
L
(;ou sold
bi"t%maa
-
(!hey masc. sold
baa"aa
=
(!hey fem. sold
baa"ataa
= -
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu. sold
bi"naa

(;ou masc. sold
bi"t%m
-
(;ou fem. sold
bi"t%nn(a)
-
(!hey masc. sold
baa"!!
= '
(!hey fem. sold
bi"n(a)

0owe"er, it is :uite important to note that there is an e1ception to what ha"e
been mentioned so far. If the hollow "erb were stati"e, that is to say, if the
original, unseen, weak letter of the "erb were followed by a short "owel
i
instead of
a
, the middle long A of the hollow "erb will be always replaced by
an
i
regardless of the original weak letter of the "erb.

71ample'
~
maat(a)
(0e died

!he original form is'
~
mawit(a)
(0e died

!he root is
.
M 8 !

(0e died
maat(a)
~
(I died
maatt(%)
~
(I died
matt(%)
~ -
(I died
mitt(%)
~ -

!he
a
was changed to
i
e"en though the middle root-letter was
w
, because
the "erb is of the stati"e structure
fa"il(a)
. 3ther "erbs of this kind include'

3riginal 6orm
(not used
0ollow ,erb
-
naam(a)
-
nawim(a)
(he slept
-
khaaf(a)
-
khawif(a)
(he feared
~
kaad(a)
~
kawid(a)
(he almost (did
,erb of a$$roach

0ere is a general rule for form I hollow "erbs'

0ollow ,erb (on=ugation
(6orm I
3riginal 6orm Actual 6orm
Ord person singular
(0e did
Ord person
singular
(0e did
#st person singular
(I did
fawal(a) faal(a) f%lt(%)
fayal(a) faal(a) filt(%)
fawil(a) faal(a) filt(%)
fayil(a) faal(a) filt(%)

3f course, this information will not be much useful in real life. !he more
practical thing for learning the con=ugation of these "erbs is to simply
familiari*e oneself with them.

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
71tra -ote
!he mentioned information regards the standard, formal, Arabic, which was
primarily deri"ed from the dialect of ancient western Arabia (Hijaaz. 0owe"er,
the con=ugation of
fawil(a)
"erbs appears to be different in other classical
dialects'
fawil(a) H (he faal(a) H (I f%lt(%)
6or e1ample, the "erb
mitt(%)
G 5(I died5 becomes
m%tt(%)
in those
dialects. !his way of con=ugation appears today in se"eral spoken dialects of
Arabic (e.g. spoken 7gyptian Arabic.

It is possible that they con=ugated the "erb this way because there were two
original "ersions of the "erb'
mawit(a) @ mawat(a)

!hese two original "ersions ga"e rise to the two later "ersions mitt(%) M
m%tt(%). !his may also e1plain why there are two different con=ugations in the
imperfecti"e as well. 0owe"er, these "arieties occur only in (lassical Arabic
but not in the Modern Standard Arabic, which follows e1actly the abo"e
mentioned rules.
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

J6orms I,, E M AI,

!he "erb forms other than form I ha"e a simpler rule2 the middle long A will be
always replaced by a short "owel
a

71ample, a form I, hollow "erb
.

' ~

'araad(a)
(0e wanted

!he root is '

~
) 8 ?
I

(0e wanted
'araad(a)
' ~
(I wanted
'araadt(%)
' ~
(I wanted
'aradt(%)
~


- ' +erfecti"e @@ : ~ '
6orm I,, Acti"e ,oice (
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I wanted
'aradt(%)
~
(;ou masc. wanted
'aradt(a)
~
(;ou fem. wanted
'aradti
~
(0e wanted
'araad(a)
' ~
(She wanted
'araadat
' ~
D
U
A
L
(;ou wanted
'aradt%maa
~
(!hey masc. wanted
'araadaa
' ~ '
(!hey fem. wanted
'araadataa
' ~
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu. wanted
'aradnaa
~ -
(;ou masc. wanted
'aradt%m
~
(;ou fem. wanted
'aradt%nn(a)
~
(!hey masc. wanted
'araad!!
' ~ '
(!hey fem. wanted
'aradn(a)
~

(on=ugation of 0ollow ,erbs
#st person middle long "owel aa H short "owel
&nd person middle long "owel aa H short "owel
Ord person
middle long "owel aa intact

e1cept with the feminine $l%ral '

middle long "owel aa H short "owel

6orm I
fawal(a) aa H %
fayal(a)
aa H i
fa"il(a)
3ther 6orms aa H a

aa H %
_ '~ .
' '~ '~ '~ '~ '~
~ ~ ~ ~ . ' ' '
= ~ = . = - = - -
~ =
~ ` ~ ` ` .

- - -

aa H i
- -
. ~ ~ ~ ' _ '~
- _ ~ _ ~ ~ ~
= - _ - - ~ -
= = = = =
. - . ~ _ ~ ~

- -

"erbs
(continued)

f ?efecti"e ,erbs
?efecti"e "erbs are "erbs whose last original letter is a weak letter.
?efecti"e "erbs can end with / , (fake weak 'alif or with apparent w or
y.
All perfecti"e defecti"e "erbs end with / , e1cept form I "erbs that ha"e i or
% "owels before their final weak letters.

I. !riliteral ?efecti"e ,erbs 7nding 8ith &iy(a) @ &%w(a)
!hese "erbs can only be form I "erbs. !hey will con=ugate regularly e1cept in
the Ord parson masculine plural con=ugation, in which the final weak letter will
be deleted along with the preceding short "owel when adding the suffi1.
71ample'
~ -
nasiy(a)

(0e forgot
!he root is ' - S ; I

(he forgot
nasiy(a)
~ -
(I forgot
nasiyt(%)
+nas""t(%)1
~ - -
*Remember tht stll wek letter preceded by correspondng short vowel s eql to long
vowel (iy = ee, uw = oo)

In the Ord parson masculine plural con=ugation, the final weak letter will be
deleted along with the short "owel preceding it (-"(a when adding the suffi1.
71ample.
(0e forgot
nasiy(a)
~ -
(!hey masc.
forgot
nasiy!!
~ - '
(!hey masc.
forgot
nas!!
~- '


- ' +erfecti"e @@ ~ - :
6orm I, Acti"e ,oice (
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I forgot
nasiyt(%)
~ - -
(;ou masc. forgot
nasiyt(a)
~ - -
(;ou fem. forgot
nasiyti
~- -
(0e forgot
nasiy(a)
~ -
(She forgot
nasiyat
~ - -
D
U
A
L
(;ou forgot
nasiyt%maa
~ - -
(!hey masc. forgot
nasiyaa
~ -
(!hey fem. forgot
nasiyataa
~ - -
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu. forgot
nasiynaa
~ -
(;ou masc. forgot
nasiyt%m
~ - -
(;ou fem. forgot
nasiyt%nn(a)
~ - -
(!hey masc. forgot
nas!!
~ - '
(!hey fem. forgot
nasiyn(a)
~ -
*Keep n mnd tht
iy

=

ee
nd
uw

=

oo
Arbc does not hve rel long vowels bt only these
combntons

II. !riliteral ?efecti"e ,erbs 7nding 8ith &aa

!hese "erbs represent all the defecti"e perfecti"e "erbs e1cept form I "erbs
that ha"e i or % after their second root-letters.

6orm I "erbs that ha"e a after their second root-letter can end with or ,
depending on whether the original final weak letter is w or y, respecti"ely.
6orms other than form I can only end with y, regardless of the origin of the
final weak letter. More details are a"ailable on this page.

J6orm I

!he final the / , of form I defecti"e "erbs will be changed back to the
original weak letter it substitutes for in the following con=ugations'
!he #st person
!he &nd person
!he Ord person feminine plural and masculine dual

71ample
.
-
namaa
(0e grew
(intr.
!he root is'

- M 8
I

(he grew
namaa
-
(I grew
namaat(%)
-
(I grew
namawt(%)
-
!he short "owel a preceding the final weak letter will appear in all "erbs
ending with weak 'alif.
6or the rest of the con=ugations other than the basic one (namely the Ord
person feminine singular M dual, and masculine plural, the final / , will be
always deleted.
6or the Ord feminine singular and feminine dual, the preceding short "owel
(the a will be deleted along.
71ample'

(0e grew
namaa
-
(She grew
namaaat
-
(She grew
namat
- -

6or the Ord person masculine plural, the short "owel a before the deleted
weak letter will be preser"ed, and the resultant suffi1 will be &aw rather than
&%w (G!!.

(0e grew
namaa
-
(!hey masc.
grew
namaa%w
- '
(!hey masc.
grew
namaw
- '


- ' +erfecti"e @@ : -
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I grew
namawt(%)
-
(;ou masc. grew
namawt(a)
-
(;ou fem. grew
namawti
-
(0e grew
namaa
-
(She grew
namat
- -
D
U
A
L
(;ou grew
namawt%maa
-
(!hey masc. grew
namawaa
- '
(!hey fem. grew
namataa
- -
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu. grew
namawnaa
- -
(;ou masc. grew
namawt%m
-
(;ou fem. grew
namawt%nn(a)
-
(!hey masc. grew
namaw
- '
(!hey fem. grew
namawn(a)
-

Another e1ample'

bakaa
(0e cried
!he root is'

=
4 > ;
I

- ' +erfecti"e @@ :
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I cried
bakayt(%)
-
(;ou masc. cried
bakayt(a)
-
(;ou fem. cried
bakayti
-
(0e cried
bakaa

(She cried
bakat
-
D
U
A
L
(;ou cried
bakayt%maa
-
(!hey masc. cried
bakayaa

(!hey fem. cried
bakataa
-
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu. cried
bakaynaa

(;ou masc. cried
bakayt%m
-
(;ou fem. cried
bakayt%nn(a)
-
(!hey masc. cried
bakaw
'
(!hey fem. cried
bakayn(a)

J6orms 3ther !han 6orm I

?efecti"e "erbs with more than three letters (i.e. forms other than form I, "erbs
with additional letters or :uadriliteral roots always end with a weak 'alif that
looks like this'

,
!his weak 'alif will be always changed to
y
when there is need to change,
regardless of its true origin.
!he con=ugation of these "erbs is not any different from what was mentioned
for form I "erbs ending with
,
.
71ample.
' - -
'intahaa
(0e ended, finished
!he root is' - - 0 ; I

- ' +erfecti"e @@ -- ' : - '
6orm ,III, Acti"e ,oice (
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I finished
'intahayt(%)
-- ' -
(;ou masc. finished
'intahayt(a)
-- ' -
(;ou fem. finished
'intahayti
-- ' -
(0e finished
'intahaa
-- '
(She finished
'intahat
-- ' -
D
U
A
L
(;ou finished
'intahayt%maa
-- ' -
(!hey masc. finished
'intahayaa
-- '
(!hey fem. finished
'intahataa
-- ' -
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu. finished
'intahaynaa
-- '
(;ou masc. finished
'intahayt%m
-- ' -
(;ou fem. finished
'intahayt%nn(a
)
-- ' -
(!hey masc. finished
'intahaw
-- ' '
(!hey fem. finished
'intahayn(a)
-- '

7ndings of +erfecti"e ?efecti"e ,erbs
(Ord +erson Masculine Singular
6orm I fa"iw(a) &iy(a)

fa"iy(a)
fa"%w(a)
&%w(a)

fa"%y(a)
fa"aw(a) &aa

fa"ay(a) &aa

3ther 6orms &aa

(on=ugation of +erfecti"e ?efecti"e
,erbs

#st person
&nd person
Ord person
feminine plural
Ord masculine
dual
Ord person
feminine
singular
Ord person
feminine dual
Masculine
plural
6orm fa"il(a) &iy-suffi1 &iy-suffi1&&&&%w
I
fa"%l(a) &%w-suffi1
&%w-
suffi1
&&&&%w
fa"aw(a) &aw-suffi1&&&-suffi1&&&&aw
fa"ay(a) &ay-suffi1 &&&-suffi1&&&&aw
3ther 6orms &ay-suffi1 &&&-suffi1&&&&aw

I,. 7nfolding ,erbs
7nfolding "erbs are two types'
,erbs that ha"e a middle and final weak original letters C-C-C
,erbs that ha"e a first and final weak original letters C-C-C
!he first type enfolds the definitions of both hollow and defecti"e "erbs, yet it
is always treated as a defecti"e "erb only, and the middle weak letter is
treated as if it were a sound letter.
71ample'
- ,
hawaa
(0e fell
!he root is ' -0 8 ; I

- ' +erfecti"e @@ , - :
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I fell
hawayt(%)
- - -
(;ou masc. fell
hawayt(a)
- - -
(;ou fem. fell
hawayti
- - -
(0e fell
hawaa
- ,
(She fell
hawat
-
D
U
A
L
(;ou fell
hawayt%maa
- - -
(!hey masc. fell
hawayaa
- -
(!hey fem. fell
hawataa
-
P
L
(8e dual@plu. fell
hawaynaa
- -
U
R
A
L
(;ou masc. fell
hawayt%m
- - -
(;ou fem. fell
hawayt%nn(a)
- - -
(!hey masc. fell
hawaw
- '
(!hey fem. fell
hawayn(a)
- -

!he second type of the enfolding "erbs enfolds the definitions of both Mithaal

and defecti"e "erbs. !hese "erbs get the dealing of both Mithaal

and defecti"e
"erbs together. 0owe"er, since that

Bithaal

"erbs con=ugate regularly in the
perfecti"e, con=ugating enfolding "erbs will be "ery much like con=ugating
defecti"e "erbs.
71ample'

wafaa
(0e fulfilled
!he root is ' - 8 6 ; I

- ' +erfecti"e @@ :
S
(I fulfilled
wafayt(%)
-
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(;ou masc. fulfilled
wafayt(a)
-
(;ou fem. fulfilled
wafayti
-
(0e fulfilled
wafaa

(She fulfilled
wafat
-
D
U
A
L
(;ou fulfilled
wafayt%maa
-
(!hey masc. fulfilled
wafayaa

(!hey fem. fulfilled
wafataa
-
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu. fulfilled
wafaynaa

(;ou masc. fulfilled
wafayt%m
-
(;ou fem. fulfilled
wafayt%nn(a)
-
(!hey masc. fulfilled
wafaw
'
(!hey fem. fulfilled
wafayn(a)

7nfolding ,erbs
)oot' C-C-C
!reat as defecti"e "erbs
)oot' C-C-C
!reat as Bithaal M defecti"e "erbs
8here C is a sound consonant, and C is a weak consonant.

71ercise

(0e escaped (intr.

(0e admitted

(0e stood, stopped

(0e won
origin'

(0e feared
origin' -
-
(0e rested, became
reli"ed '
(0e rose, ascended
=
(0e remained, stayed

(0e bought
, -~ '
(0e bent (intr.
, -'
(0e protected

4ased on these "erbs, can you translate the following to Arabica

(;ou sing. masc. escaped
(!hey plu. masc. escaped
(8e escaped
(8e admitted
(;ou plu. masc. admitted
(!hey dual fem. admitted
(!hey plu. fem. stood
(She won
(you sing. fem. won
(I won
(8e feared
(!hey dual masc. feared
(;ou dual feared
(I rested
(!hey plu. fem. rested
(!hey plu. masc. rested
(8e ascended
(!hey plu. masc. ascended
(She ascended
(!hey dual ascended
(;ou dual stayed
(I stayed
(She stayed
(!hey plu. masc. stayed
(;ou sing. fem. bought
(She bought
(8e bent
(She bent
(!hey plu. masc. bent
(;ou sing. masc. protected
(She protected
(!hey plu. masc. protected

Answers

(;ou sing. masc.
escaped
(!hey plu. masc.
escaped '
(8e escaped
-
(8e admitted
-
(;ou plu. masc. admitted

(!hey dual fem. admitted

(!hey plu. fem. stood
-
(She won

(;ou sing. fem. won

(I won

(8e feared
-
(!hey dual masc. feared

(;ou dual feared
--
(I rested
- = '
(!hey plu. fem. rested
= '
(!hey plu. masc. rested
' '
(8e ascended
- =
(!hey plu. masc.
ascended ' =
(She ascended
- =
(!hey dual ascended
' =
(;ou dual stayed
-
(I stayed
-
(She stayed
-
(!hey plu. masc. stayed
'
(;ou sing. fem. bought
- - -~ '
(She bought
-~ '
(8e bent
- -'
(She bent
-'
(!hey plu. masc. bent
' -'
(;ou sing. masc.
protected -
(She protected
-
(!hey plu. masc.
protected '

"erbs (continued)
,mperfecti1e tructures

!ense ,erb
Simple +ast +erfecti"e
Simple +resent Imperfecti"e
Simple 6uture
!he imperfecti"e "erb is used for both the simple present and simple future
tenses.
71ample, the imperfecti"e "erb'
- - -
yakt%b(%)

!his "erb is deri"ed from the root K / 3 G 5write.5 It can mean any of the
following'
(0e writes (simple present
(0e is writing (progressi"e present
(0e will write (simple future
(0e will be writing (progressi"e future

%nlike the perfecti"e "erbs, imperfecti"e "erbs are not 5built words,5 which
means that they ha"e changeable endings depending on the grammatical
mood of the "erb.

6or e1ample, the perfecti"e "erb 5(you masc. sing. wrote@has written5 has
only one possible form'

- - -
katabt(a)
(;ou masc. sing. wrote@has written

0owe"er, the imperfecti"e "erb 5(you masc. sing. write@will write5 can ha"e
multiple different endings depending on the mood of the "erb.

Moods of Imperfecti"e ,erb
(;ou masc. sing. write@will write
Indicati"e
takt%b(%)
- -
Sub=uncti"e
takt%b(a)
- -
Cussi"e
takt%b
- -
7nergetic
.ight
takt%ban
--
0ea"y
takt%bann(a
)
--
Imperati"e
'%kt%b
' - -
7nergetic-
Imperati"e
.ight
'%kt%ban
' --
0ea"y
'%kt%bann(a)
' --

All these words ha"e the same general meaning, which is 5(you masc. sing.
write@will write,5 but they ha"e different endings that depend on the grammar
of the sentence. !he imperati"e mood stands out in that it in"ol"es a different
prefi1 not =ust different endings.

!his is the 5mood inflection,5 which is the "erbal e:ual of the 5case inflection5
of nouns2 the two are collecti"ely called in Arabic 'i"raab
' =
]
5Arabi*ation.5 In Arabic grammar, energetic and imperati"e "erbs are not
considered mood-inflected forms of the imperfecti"e, rather they are
considered 5built5 "erbs that do not undergo mood inflection. !he imperati"e is
considered a separate class of "erbs that is distinguished from both the
perfecti"e
- '
and the imperfecti"e
_ - '
.

.ike the case-inflected parts of nouns, mood-inflected parts of "erbs are
always colored in pink on this site (e1cept for the imperati"e prefi1es. Moods
will be co"ered in detail later.

4asic Imperfecti"e Structure (6orm I
!urning a perfecti"e "erb into an imperfecti"e is somewhat complicated,
because there are differences between the different "erb forms in how they
transform. 8e will begin by describing how regular form I "erbs are
con=ugated in the imperfecti"e.
!ransforming a perfecti"e form I "erb to the imperfecti"e re:uires three steps'
#. )emo"ing the perfecti"e pronominal suffi1 and adding an imperfecti"e
pronominal prefi1 and an imperfecti"e pronominal suffi1 (if needed to
the stem.
(% 3mitting the short A "owel between the first and second root letters of
the "erb stem (-(a("(- H -(("(-.
)% Adding a mood-sign that should follow the pronominal suffi1 (if the latter
e1isted.
.ike with the perfecti"e, the added pronominal prefi1 and suffi1 depend on the
sub=ect of the "erb. 8e will talk only about the Ord person masculine singular
con=ugation for now and lea"e the rest for later.
8e saw when we talked about the perfecti"e that form I had three "arieties
depending on the short "owel between the second and third root-letters (the
green short "owel.
6orm I +erfecti"e Structures
(Acti"e ,oice
(0e did
(0e has done
fa"al(a)

fa"il(a)

fa"%l(a)

!o transform these "erbs to the imperfecti"e, we will implement the first step
and remo"e the perfecti"e pronominal suffi1. 6or the Ord person masculine
singular sub=ect, the imperfecti"e prefi1 will be ya&, and there will be no suffi1.

yafa"al
- -
yafa"il
- -
yafa"%l
- -

!he second step is to omit the short A following the first root letter. 8e will get
the following'

yaf"al
- -
yaf"il
- -
yaf"%l
- -

6inally, we will add the indicati"e mood sign of the Ord person masculine
singular' &% .

6orm I Imperfecti"e Structures
(Acti"e-Indicati"e
(0e does
(0e will do
yaf"al(%)
- -
yaf"il(%)
- -
yaf"%l(%)
- -

So like the perfecti"e form I, the imperfecti"e form I has also three "arieties
that differ in the short "owel between the second and third root-letters.

0owe"er, the green "owel in the imperfecti"e will not match the one in the
perfecti"e, e1cept by chance.

6or e1ample, the perfecti"e "erb'

- -
katab(a)
(0e wrote@has written

4ecomes in the imperfecti"e'

- - -
yakt%b(%)
(0e writes@will write

!he green "owel was a in the perfecti"e and become % in the imperfecti"e. It
can also become i in other "erbs, or it can remain a2 it is an arbitrary process.

<eneral facts'
4a"al(a)
"erbs can ha"e
a
,
i
, or
%
in the imperfecti"e
4a"il(a) "erbs can ha"e only a or i in the imperfecti"e
4a"%l(a) "erbs can ha"e only % in the imperfecti"e

It is possible to recogni*e some loose generalities about the green "owel9s
transformation between the perfecti"e and the imperfecti"e, but they are too
loose to depend upon. 0owe"er, here are some of these'

# 4a"al(a)
4roadly speaking, dynamic fa"al(a) "erbs that carry an essentially
transiti"e meaning often ha"e % in the imperfecti"e.

71amples'

4a"al(a) yaf"%l(%)
yakt%b(%)
- - -
katab(a)
- -
(0e writes (0e wrote
ya'<k%l(%)
-
'akal(a)

(0e eats (0e ate
yaqt%l(%)
- -
qatal(a)
-
(0e kills (0e killed
ya'<kh%th(%
- ~
'akhath(a)
~
)
(0e takes (0e took

0owe"er, for transiti"e dynamic fa"al(a) "erbs that refer to simple
actions, like carried, broke, hit, cut, burned, bent, breached, connected,
tied, opened, closed, sealed, etc., the "owel will often be i.

71amples'

4a"al(a) yaf"il(%)
yaksir(%)
- ~
kasar(a)
~
(0e breaks (0e broke
yahmil(%)
- =
hamal(a)

(0e carries (0e carried
yahriq(%)
- =
haraq(a)

(0e burns (0e burned
yarbit(%)
- =
rabat(a)
=
(0e ties (0e tied
yadrib(%)
- -
darab(a)
-
(0e hits (0e hit
yamsik(%)
- ~
masak(a)
~ ~
(0e holds, grasps (0e held, grasped
yarliq(%)
-
ralaq(a)
=
(0e closes (0e closed

Stati"e and intransiti"e fa"al(a) "erbs, or ones that do not ha"e an
essentially transiti"e meaning often ha"e i in the imperfecti"e.

71amples'

4a"al(a) yaf"il(%)
yajlis(%)
- =
jalas(a)

(0e sits (0e sat
yarji"(%)
- _
raja"(a)
_
(0e returns (0e returned
yanzil(%)
- .
nazal(a)
. -
(0e goes down (0e went down
ya"rif(%)
- -
"araf(a)
- =
(0e knows (0e knew
yamlik(%)
-
malak(a)
~
(0e owns (0e owned
yafqid(%)
- ~ -
faqad(a)
~
(0e loses (0e lost
yatimm(%)
- - *
tamm(a)
*
(0e becomes completed (0e was@become completed
yahibb(%)
- - = *
habb(a)
- *
(0e lo"es, likes (0e lo"ed, liked
yaqif(%)
- *
waqaf(a)

0e stands up, stops (0e stood up, stopped
yamshiy
- ~ *
mashaa
~ ~
(0e walks (0e walked
/Irregular doubled "erb.
/Irregular Bithaal "erb .
/Irregular defecti"e "erb.

)egardless of all the facts mentioned so far, fa"al(a) "erbs whose
roots contain guttural letters in the second or third positions will often
ha"e a in the imperfecti"e. !he gutturals, or throat letters, are those
like _ _ _ - .

71amples'

4a"al(a) yaf"al(%)
yas'al(%)
- . ~
sa'al(a)
. ~
(0e asks (0e asked
yaqra'(%)
-
qara'(a)

(0e reads (0e read
yasna"(%)
- _ -
sana"(a)
_ -
(0e makes (0e made
yajma"(%)
- _ =
jama"(a)
_
(0e gathers (0e gathered
yaftah(%)
- _ --
fatah(a)
_ -
(0e opens (0e opened
yathbah(%)
- _ ~
thabah(a)
_ ~
(0e slaughters (0e slaughtered
yathhab(%)
- - - ~
thahab(a)
- - ~
(0e goes (0e went
yazhar(%)
- =
zahar(a)
=
(0e appears (0e appeared
yas"ad(%)
- ~ -
sa"ad(a)
~ -
(0e goes up (0e went up

& 4a"il(a)
4a"il(a) "erbs will nearly always ha"e a in the imperfecti"e.

71amples'

4a"il(a) yaf"al(%)
ya"lam(%)
-
"alim(a)
=
(0e knows (0e knew
yafham(%)
- -
fahim(a)

(0e understands (0e understood
yat"ab(%)
- - -
ta"ib(a)
-
(0e becomes tired (0e become tired
yafrah(%)
- -
farih(a)

(0e becomes happy (0e become happy
yaslam(%)
- ~
salim(a)
~
(0e becomes safe (0e was safe
ya"mal(%)
-
"amil(a)
=
(0e works (0e worked
yashrab(%)
- ~
sharib(a)
~
(0e drinks (0e drank
yadhak(%)
- = -
dahik(a)
= -
(0e laughs (0e laughed

!here are rare fa"il(a) "erbs in (lassical Arabic that ha"e i instead of
a in the imperfecti"e. !hese are no more than &j "erbs or so2 most of
them are irregular Bithaal "erbs whose first root-letter is w .

!hey include the following'

4a"il(a) yaf"il(%)
- ~
= ~ _
= - ~
=

7tymology -ote

Many classical dialects con=ugated fa"il(a) "erbs in the imperfecti"e in the
following manner'
4a"il(a) yif"al(%)

+refi1es with a "owel i (e.g. yi& did not e1ist in western Arabian dialect and
they do not e1ist in formal Arabic. 0owe"er, in most of the modern spoken
dialects, such prefi1es are used for nearly all the imperfecti"e "erbs not only
the imperfecti"e of fa"il(a).

O 4a"%l(a)
As a strict rule, fa"%l(a) "erbs will always ha"e % in the imperfecti"e.

71amples'

4a"%l(a) yaf"%l(%)
yakb%r(%)
- -
kab%r(a)
-
(0e becomes big(ger (0e was@become big(ger
yasr%r(%)
- -
sar%r(a)
-
(0e becomes small(er (0e was@become small(er
yakth%r(%)
- `
kath%r(a)
`
(0e becomes many@much (0e was@become many@much

(Acti"e ,oice
Indicati"e
Imperfecti"e
+erfecti"e
yaf"al(%)
- -
fa"al(a)

yaf"il(%)
- -
yaf"%l(%)
- -
yaf"al(%)
- -
fa"il(a)

yaf"il(%)
- -
yaf"%l(%)
- -
fa"%l(a)

+ronominal +refi1es M Suffi1es
%nlike the perfecti"e "erbal structures which ha"e only pronominal suffi1es,
imperfecti"e "erb structures ha"e pronominal prefi1es in addition to suffi1es.
!his weird feature is common in the Afro-Asiatic language family of which
Arabic is a member.

8e already know the Ord person masculine singular con=ugation'
yaf"al(%)
(0e does@is doing

!he three blue letters represent the root letters.
!he red letters are the prefi1 of the Ord person masculine singular
con=ugation (the 5he5 con=ugation of form I.
!he green short "owel is the changeable element of the form I structure.
!he pink letter is the indicati"e mood sign

~ = lm no pq ri
. Mood signs
change with change in the mood of the "erb.

-otice that the Ord person masculine singular con=ugation has only a prefi1
ya& attached to the stem &f"al but not a pronominal suffi1 (the &% is a mood-
sign not a pronominal suffi1.
0ere is the full con=ugation'

Indicati"e Imperfecti"e
_ - ' _ '
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I do
'af"al(%)

(;ou masc. do
taf"al(%)
-
(;ou fem. do
taf"al""n(a)
-
(0e does
yaf"al(%)
- -
(She does
taf"al(%)
-
D
U
A
L
(;ou do
taf"alaan(i)
-
(!hey masc. do
yaf"alaan(i)
- -
(!hey fem. do
taf"alaan(i)
-
P
L
(8e dual@plu. do
naf"al(%)
- -
U
R
A
L
(;ou masc. do
taf"al!!n(a)
-
(;ou fem. do
taf"aln(a)
-
(!hey masc. do
yaf"al!!n(a)
- -
(!hey fem. do
yaf"aln(a)
- -

-otice that the feminine plural con=ugations do not ha"e mood-signs. !his
means that those con=ugations do not undergo mood inflection and they retain
the same form at all moods (e1cept the imperati"e and hea"y energetic, which
are not considered moods in Arabic grammar. !his is e1pressed in Arabic by
saying that these words are 5built words.5
Apart from the feminine plural con=ugations, there are si1 con=ugations that
ha"e pronominal suffi1es as well as prefi1es (the red letters. !wo of these si1
con=ugations are identical in figure, so the si1 are termed the 5fi"e "erbs5
~ = ' . '

%
A distincti"e feature of the 5fi"e "erb5 con=ugations is that their mood signs are
not merely "owels but rather contain consonant letters n!!n
. !he mood
inflection of these con=ugation works by either keeping the

(in the indicati"e
M energetic moods or omitting it along with the following short "owel (in the
sub=uncti"e, =ussi"e M imperati"e moods.
.ike what we said when we talked about the perfecti"e, the pronominal
suffi1es are considered in Arabic attached sub=ect pronouns. !he con=ugations
that ha"e attached sub=ect pronouns are the 5fi"e "erbs5 and the feminine
plural con=ugations.
Imperfecti"e (on=ugations
8ith Attached Sub=ect
+ronouns
(6orm I, Acti"e-Indicati"e
&nd person feminine
singular
(!hou fem. doest
taf"al""n(a)
-
&nd person dual
(;ou dual do
taf"alaan(i)
-
&nd person masculine
plural
(;ou masc. do
taf"al!!n(a)
-
&nd person feminine plural
(;ou fem. do
taf"aln(a)
-
Ord person masculine dual
(!hey masc. dual do
yaf"alaan(i)
- -
Ord person feminine dual
(!hey fem. dual do
taf"alaan(i)
-
Ord person masculine
plural
(!hey masc. do
yaf"al!!n(a
)
- -
Ord person feminine plural
(!hey fem. do
yaf"aln(a)
- -

!he presence of an attached sub=ect pronoun (i.e. a pronominal suffi1 will
matter when forming a "erbal sentence. ,erbal sentences are the principal
type of sentences in formal Arabic in which the "erb precedes the sub=ect.
8hen forming such a sentence, it is strictly prohibited that an attached sub=ect
pronoun be followed by a noun sub=ect or an ad=ecti"e sub=ect. !his will be
co"ered in the sentence section.

71ample on the full con=ugation of a regular "erb'

raqas(a)

(0e danced

_ - ' _ ' Indicati"e
Imperfecti"e
Acti"e ,oice (
:
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I dance
'arq%s(%)

(;ou masc. dance
tarq%s(%)

(;ou fem. dance
tarq%s""n(a
)
-
(0e dances
yarq%s(%)
-
(She dances
tarq%s(%)

D
U
A
L
(;ou dance
tarq%saan(i)
-
(!hey masc. dance
yarq%saan(i)
- -
(!hey fem. dance
tarq%saan(i)
-
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu. dance
narq%s(%)
-
(;ou masc. dance
tarq%s!!n(a
)
-
(;ou fem. dance
tarq%sn(a)
-
(!hey masc. dance
yarq%s!!n(a
)
- -
(!hey fem. dance
yarq%sn(a)
- -

71ercise

0e knew
- =
0e hear
_ ~
0e was@become bigger
-


(I know
(8e know
(;ou sing. masc. >now
(;ou plu. masc. >now
(;ou sing. fem. hear
(;ou plu. fem. hear
(!hey dual fem. hear
(!hey plu. masc. hear
(;ou dual become bigger
(She becomes bigger
(!hey plu. fem. become bigger
(!hey dual masc. become bigger

Answers

(I know
- =
(8e know
- -
(;ou sing. masc. >now
-
(;ou plu. masc. >now

(;ou sing. fem. hear
~
(;ou plu. fem. hear
~
(!hey dual fem. hear
~
(!hey plu. masc. hear
~ -
(;ou dual become bigger
' -
(She becomes bigger
-
(!hey plu. fem. become
bigger - -
(!hey dual masc. become
bigger ' - -

"erbs
(continued)

6orms II !hrough AI,
-ow that we ha"e co"ered the imperfecti"e of regular form I "erbs, we shall
continue with the rest of the "erb forms.
(on=ugating "erb forms other than form I will re:uire general modifications
(common for all forms and specific modifications (differ among particular
groups of forms.
<eneral Modifications
'% If e1isted, remo"al of the 'alif and the short "owel following it from the
beginning of the perfecti"e stem. !his includes both the M types of
'alif.
(% )emo"al of the perfecti"e pronominal suffi1 and the addition of an
imperfecti"e pronominal prefi1 and an imperfecti"e pronominal suffi1 (if
needed to the stem.
O. Addition of a mood-sign following the pronominal suffi1 (if e1isted.
=r"fi#&="rf"ti$" st"m(&s%ffi#)&m!!d&sign
!hus, we do not need here to remo"e any "owels from within the perfecti"e
"erb stem like we did with form I.
.et us take the following three "erb forms and transform them into the Ord
person masculine singular imperfecti"e'
6orm I, 'af"al(a)

6orm , tafa''"al(a)
-
' - -

!he first general step is to remo"e the initial 'alif and the following "owel if
e1isted'
6orm I, f"al(a)

6orm , tafa''"al(a)
-
6orm ,II nfa"al(a)
- -

!hen we will remo"e the perfecti"e pronominal suffi1 and add the Ord person
masculine singular prefi1 (the 5he5 prefi1. As we know, there is no suffi1 for
the 5he5 con=ugation.
6orm I, yaf"al
- -
6orm , yatafa''"al
- - -
6orm ,II yanfa"al
- -

!he third step is to add a mood-sign. !he indicati"e mood-sign for the 5he5
con=ugation is a short "owel &% .
6orm I, yaf"al(%)
- -
6orm , yatafa''"al(%)
- - -
6orm ,II yanfa"al(%)
- -
4y performing these three general modifications, we ha"e done only what is
common to all the "erb forms, but we are not finished yet.
8e will carry on with the specific modifications that differ between particular
groups of the "erb forms.
!he specific modifications affect two elements of the "erb structures'
'% !he short "owel of the pronominal prefi1 (i.e. the a in 'a&5 ta&, ya& M
na&.
&. !he short "owel between the final two letters of the "erb stem (the
green short "owel.
4ased on the specific modifications, the "erb forms other than form I can be
di"ided into three groups.
.et9s continue with our three "erb e1amples. !he first specific modification
regards the short "owel in the prefi1. !he imperfecti"e pronominal prefi1es
ha"e three "arieties in (lassical Arabic depending on the short "owel in them.
6or e1ample, the 5he5 prefi1'
+refi1 of the Ord +erson
Masculine Singular
ya&
-
yi&
-
y%&
-
!he first "ersion, ya&, is the one used for most of the acti"e-"oice imperfecti"e
"erbs, whereas the y%& "ersion is used for all the passi"e-"oice imperfecti"e
"erbs. 6our "erb forms, namely forms II, III, I,, M AI, ha"e the y%& "ersion in
both the acti"e and the passi"e "oices. 8e are going to go through these
things in detail soon.
!he yi& prefi1 does not e1ist in formal Arabic. 0owe"er, it e1isted in many of
the classical dialects, and was used particularly for the imperfecti"e of fa"il(a)
"erbs of form I. !oday, this prefi1 is the pre"alently used prefi1 in most of the
spoken dialects of Arabic.
As for our three e1amples, they will become as follows'
6orm I, y%f"al(%)
- -
- - -
6orm ,II yanfa"al(%)
- -
6orm I, takes the y%& prefi1. !his is also the case for forms II, III, I,, M AI (all
the forms with four letters. !he rest of the forms will all ha"e the ya& prefi1 in
the acti"e "oice.
-ow to the second and final one of the specific modifications. !his regards the
short "owel between the final two letters of the "erb stem. !his is similar to
what we talked about for form I2 there are three possible "arieties for this
"owel'
a
i
%
0owe"er, these "owels here will change among different forms but not among
"erbs of the same form like with form I. !hus, aside from form I, each "erb
form will ha"e a specific short green "owel that is permanent and unchanging.
!he "owel % appears only in the imperfecti"e of form I, so we are not going to
hear about it anymore. !he acti"e-"oice imperfecti"e "erbs can ha"e either a
or i. !he passi"e-"oice imperfecti"e "erbs ha"e only a.
As for our e1amples, they will become finally'
6orm I, y%f"il(%)
- -
- --
6orm ,II yanfa"il(%)
- -
!his is the final con=ugation. 7ach one of these three "erbs represents one of
the three groups of the "erb forms with regard to the imperfecti"e con=ugation.
!he three groups are'
(%&i ,erbs (forms II, III, I,, M AI
(a&a ,erbs (forms ,, ,I M AII
(a&i ,erbs (the rest of the forms

s(%&i ,erbs
)epresented by form I, in the three e1amples abo"e, these ha"e the prefi1
y%& and the green "owel i in the acti"e "oice (and the prefi1 y%& and the green
"owel a in the passi"e "oice, which is like all imperfecti"e "erbs.
!he (%&i "erbs are easy to identify because they are simply all the forms that
are composed of four letters, namely forms II, III, I,, M AI.
(%&i ,erb 6orms

Imperfecti"e
(Acti"e-Indicati"e
+erfecti"e
(Acti"e
6orm II
- -
y%fa''"il(%) fa''"al(a)
6orm III
- = - =
y%faa"il(%) faa"al(a)
6orm I,
- -
y%f"il(%) 'af"al(a)
6orm AI
- -
y%fa"lil(%) fa"lal(a)

Apart from changing the "owel of the prefi1 to %, adding pronominal prefi1es
and suffi1es to these "erbs happens regularly, =ust like form I regular "erbs
pre"iously co"ered.
71amples'
6orm II
=
"allam(a)

(0e taught

_ - ' _ ' Indicati"e Imperfecti"e
Acti"e ,oice (
: =
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I teach
'%"allim(%)
=
(;ou masc. teach
t%"allim(%)

(;ou fem. teach
t%"allim""n(a)

(0e teaches
y%"allim(%)
-
(She teaches
t%"allim(%)

D
U
A
L
(;ou teach
t%"allimaan(i)

(!hey masc. teach
y%"allimaan(i)
-
(!hey fem. teach
t%"allimaan(i)

P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu. teach
n%"allim(%)
-
(;ou masc. teach
t%"allim!!n(a)

(;ou fem. teach
t%"allimn(a)

(!hey masc. teach
y%"allim!!n(a)
-
(!hey fem. teach
y%"allimn(a)
-

6orm III
~ ~ =
saa"ad(a)

(0e helped

Acti"e ,oice (
: ~ = ~ =
S
I
(I help
'%saa"id(%)
~= ~
N
G
U
L
A
R
(;ou masc. help
t%saa"id(%)
~= ~
(;ou fem. help
t%saa"id""n(a)
~ = ~ -
(0e helps
y%saa"id(%)
- ~= ~
(She helps
t%saa"id(%)
~= ~
D
U
A
L
(;ou help
t%saa"idaan(i)
~= ~ '
(!hey masc. help
y%saa"idaan(i)
- ~ = ~ '
(!hey fem. help
t%saa"idaan(i)
~= ~ '
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu. help
n%saa"id(%)
- ~= ~
(;ou masc. help
t%saa"id!!n(a)
~= ~
(;ou fem. help
t%saa"idn(a)
~ = ~
(!hey masc. help
y%saa"id!!n(a)
- ~ = ~
(!hey fem. help
y%saa"idn(a)
- ~ = ~

6orm I,

'akram(a)

(0e dignified@was generous to

Acti"e ,oice (
:
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I dignify
'%krim(%)

(;ou masc. dignify
t%krim(%)

(;ou fem. dignify
t%krim""n(a)
~
(0e dignifies
y%krim(%)
-
(She dignifies
t%krim(%)

D
(;ou dignify
t%krimaan(i)
~
U
A
L
(!hey masc.
dignify
y%krimaan(i)
- ~
(!hey fem. dignify
t%krimaan(i)
~
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu.
dignify
n%krim(%)
-
(;ou masc. dignify
t%krim!!n(a)
~
(;ou fem. dignify
t%krimn(a)
~
(!hey masc.
dignify
y%krim!!n(a)
- ~
(!hey fem. dignify
y%krimn(a)
- ~

6orm AI
=
tam'an(a)

(0e reassured

Acti"e ,oice (
: =
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I reassure
'%tam'in(%)
=
(;ou masc.
reassure
t%tam'in(%)
=
(;ou fem.
reassure
t%tam'in""n(a)
=
(0e reassures
y%tam'in(%)
- =
(She reassures
t%tam'in(%)
=
D
U
A
L
(;ou reassure
t%tam'inaan(i)
=
(!hey masc.
reassure
y%tam'inaan(i)
- =
(!hey fem.
reassure
t%tam'inaan(i)
=
P
L
U
R
(8e dual@plu.
reassure
n%tam'in(%)
- =
(;ou masc.
reassure
t%tam'in!!n(a)
=
A
L
(;ou fem.
reassure
t%tam'inn(a)
=
(!hey masc.
reassure
y%tam'in!!n(a)
- =
(!hey fem.
reassure
y%tam'inn(a)
- =

s(a&a ,erbs
)epresented by form , in the three introductory e1amples, these "erbs ha"e
the prefi1 ya& and the green "owel a in the acti"e "oice, so they really do not
need any specific modification more than the three general steps. In the
passi"e "oice, these "erbs will ha"e the prefi1 y%& and the green "owel a, like
all imperfecti"e "erbs.
Identifying (a&a "erbs is easy2 they are simply the forms that begin with a
refle1i"e prefi1 ta&, namely forms ,, ,I M AII.
(a&a ,erb 6orms

Imperfecti"e
(Acti"e-Indicati"e
+erfecti"e
(Acti"e
6orm ,
- -- -
yatafa''"al(%) tafa''"al(a)
6orm ,I
- = -- = -
yatafaa"al(%) tafaa"al(a)
6orm AII
- -- -
yatafa"lal(%) tafa"lal(a)

!hese three "erb forms are generally "ery neat and simple, both in structure
and meaning, which is probably because they are more recent and less
messed with than other forms like forms ,II and ,III.
71amples on con=ugation for different sub=ects'
6orm ,

ta"allam(a)

(0e learned

Imperfecti"e
Acti"e ,oice (
: -
S
(I learn
'ata"allam(%)

I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(;ou masc. learn
tata"allam(%)
-
(;ou fem. learn
tata"allam""n(a)
-
(0e learns
yata"allam(%)
- -
(She learns
tata"allam(%)
-
D
U
A
L
(;ou learn
tata"allamaan(i)
-
(!hey masc. learn
yata"allamaan(i)
- -
(!hey fem. learn
tata"allamaan(i)
-
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu. learn
nata"allam(%)
- -
(;ou masc. learn
tata"allam!!n(a)
-
(;ou fem. learn
tata"allamn(a)
-
(!hey masc. learn
yata"allam!!n(a)
- -
(!hey fem. learn
yata"allamn(a)
- -

6orm ,I
~ .
tasaa'al(a)

(0e wondered

Acti"e ,oice (
: . ~ - =
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I wonder
'atasaa'al(%)
. ~
(;ou masc. wonder
tatasaa'al(%)
. ~ -
(;ou fem. wonder
tatasaa'al""n(a)
~ -
(0e wonders
yatasaa'al(%)
- . ~ -
(She wonders
tatasaa'al(%)
. ~ -
D
U
A
L
(;ou wonder
tatasaa'alaan(i)
~ -
(!hey masc. wonder
yatasaa'alaan(i)
- ~ -
(!hey fem. wonder
tatasaa'alaan(i)
~ -
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu.
wonder
natasaa'al(%)
- . ~-
(;ou masc. wonder
tatasaa'al!!n(a)
~-
(;ou fem. wonder
tatasaa'aln(a)
~-
(!hey masc. wonder
yatasaa'al!!n(a)
- ~-
(!hey fem. wonder
yatasaa'aln(a)
- ~-

6orm AII
~
tadahraj(a)

(0e rolled (intr.

Acti"e ,oice (
: ~ -
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I roll
'atadahraj(%)
~
(;ou masc.
roll
tatadahraj(%)
~ -
(;ou fem. roll
tatadahraj""n(a)
~ -
(0e rolls
yatadahraj(%)
- ~ -
(She rolls
tatadahraj(%)
~ -
D
U
A
L
(;ou roll
tatadahrajaan(i)
~ -
(!hey masc.
roll
yatadahrajaan(i)
- ~ -
(!hey fem.
roll
tatadahrajaan(i)
~ -
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu.
roll
natadahraj(%)
- ~ -
(;ou masc.
roll
tatadahraj!!n(a)
~ -
(;ou fem. roll
tatadahrajn(a)
~ -
(!hey masc.
roll
yatadahraj!!n(a)
- ~ -
(!hey fem.
roll
yatadahrajn(a)
- ~ -

"erbs
6orms II !hrough AI, (continued)

s(a&i ,erbs
)epresented by form ,II in the three introductory e1amples, these "erbs ha"e
the prefi1 ya& and the green "owel i in the acti"e "oice (and like all
imperfecti"e "erbs, the prefi1 y%& and the green "owel a in the passi"e "oice.
(a&i "erbs are the ma=ority of the "erb forms. !hey can be identified by
elimination' any "erb form that is neither :uadriliteral (composed of four
letters nor begins with a refle1i"e prefi1 ta& will be a (a&i "erb. !he (a&i "erbs
are namely the forms ,II through E, and forms AIII M AI, .
(a&i ,erb 6orms

Imperfecti"e
(Acti"e-Indicati"e
+erfecti"e
(Acti"e
6orm ,II
- - ' - -
yanfa"il(%) 'infa"al(a)
6orm ,III
- -- ' -
yafta"il(%) 'ifta"al(a)
6orm IE
- -
&
'
yaf"all(%) 'if"all(a)
6orm E
- - -~ ' - -~
yastaf"il(%) 'istaf"al(a)
6orm EI
- . -
&
' .
yaf"aall(%) 'if"aall(a)
6orm EII
- = - ' =
yaf"aw"il(%) 'if"aw"al(a)
6orm EIII
- . - ' .
yaf"awwil(%) 'if"awwal(a)
6orm EI,
- - '
yaf"anlil(%) 'if"anlal(a)
6orm E,
- -
&
'
yaf"anliy 'if"anlaa
6orm AIII
- - '
6orm AI,
- -
&
'
yaf"alill(%) 'if"alall(a)
/!hese are irregular doubled "erb. !he green "owel is hidden in forms IE M EI
and displaced backward in form AI,. !he original structures of these forms
will be restored only in the feminine plural con=ugations.
/!his "erb always con=ugates as a defecti"e "erb. !he final weak A will be
transformed to y in the imperfecti"e.
71amples on con=ugation'
6orm ,III
- ' _ =
'inza"aj(a)
(0e was@became annoyed

Imperfecti"e
Acti"e ,oice (
: _ = - ' - - '
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I become
annoyed
'anza"ij(%)
_ = -
(;ou masc.
become
annoyed
tanza"ij(%)
_ =
(;ou fem.
become
annoyed
tanza"ij""n(a)
= =
(0e becomes
annoyed
yanza"ij(%)
- _ =
(She becomes
annoyed
tanza"ij(%)
_ =
D
U
A
L
(;ou become
annoyed
tanza"ijaan(i)
= =
(!hey masc.
become
annoyed
yanza"ijaan(i)
- = =
(!hey fem.
become
annoyed
tanza"ijaan(i)
= =
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu.
become
annoyed
nanza"ij(%)
- _ =
(;ou masc.
become
annoyed
tanza"ij!!n(a)
= =
(;ou fem.
become
annoyed
tanza"ijn(a)
= =
(!hey masc.
become
annoyed
yanza"ij!!n(a)
- = =
(!hey fem.
become
annoyed
yanza"ijn(a)
- = =

6orm ,III
' - - =

'intzar(a)

(0e waited (tr.

Acti"e ,oice (
' = -- : - '
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I wait
'antazir(%)
= --
(;ou masc. wait
tantazir(%)
= -
(;ou fem. wait
tantazir""n(a)
= - -
(0e waits
yantazir(%)
- = -
(She waits
tantazir(%)
= -
D
U
A
L
(;ou wait
tantaziraan(i)
= - '
(!hey masc. wait
yantaziraan(i)
- = - '
(!hey fem. wait
tantaziraan(i)
= - '
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu. wait
nantazir(%)
- = -
(;ou masc. wait
tantazir!!n(a)
= -
(;ou fem. wait
tantazirn(a)
= -
(!hey masc. wait
yantazir!!n(a)
- = -
(!hey fem. wait
yantazirn(a)
- = -

!ry con=ugating the following "erb'

' - - -
'intasar(a)

(0e won

Acti"e ,oice (
- -- ' : - '
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I win
'antasir(%)
- --
(;ou masc. win
tantasir(%)
- -
(;ou fem. win
tantasir""n(a)
- - -
(0e wins
yantasir(%)
- - -
(She wins
tantasir(%)
- -
D
U
A
L
(;ou win
tantasiraan(i)
- - '
(!hey masc.
win
yantasiraan(i)
- - - '
(!hey fem. win
tantasiraan(i)
- - '
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu.
win
nantasir(%)
- - -
(;ou masc. win
tantasir!!n(a)
- -
(;ou fem. win
tantasirn(a)
- -
(!hey masc.
win
yantasir!!n(a)
- - -
(!hey fem. win
yantasirn(a)
- - -

!he forms that denote color or bodily defect state of the sub=ect (IE M EI are
doubled "erbs. !hey will con=ugate regularly e1cept in the feminine plural
con=ugations where they will need the insertion of an i (the hidden green
"owel between the two doubled letters of the stem.
6orm IE
' -
'ikhdarr(a)

(0e greened (up

Acti"e ,oice (
: - ' '
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I green
'akhdarr(%)
-
(;ou masc.
green
takhdarr(%)
- =
(;ou fem.
green
takhdarr""n(a)
- = -
(0e greens
yakhdarr(%)
- - =
(She greens
takhdarr(%)
- =
D
U
A
L
(;ou green
takhdarraan(i)
- = '
(!hey masc.
green
yakhdarraan(i)
- - = '
(!hey fem.
green
takhdarraan(i)
- = '
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu.
green
nakhdarr(%)
- - =
(;ou masc.
green
takhdarr!!n(a)
- =
(;ou fem.
green
takhdarirn(a)
- =
(!hey masc.
green
yakhdarr!!n(a)
- - =
(!hey fem.
green
yakhdarirn(a)
- - =

6orm EI
'
'ihmaarr(a)

(0e reddened (up (much

Acti"e ,oice (
: ' . '
S
I
N
G
(I green
'ahmaarr(%)

(;ou masc.
green
tahmaarr(%)
=
U
L
A
R
(;ou fem.
green
tahmaarr""n(a)
= -
(0e greens
yahmaarr(%)
- =
(She greens
tahmaarr(%)
=
D
U
A
L
(;ou green
tahmaarraan(i)
= '
(!hey masc.
green
yahmaarraan(i)
- = '
(!hey fem.
green
tahmaarraan(i)
= '
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu.
green
nahmaarr(%)
- =
(;ou masc.
green
tahmaarr!!n(a)
=
(;ou fem.
green
tahmaarirn(a)
=
(!hey masc.
green
yahmaarr!!n(a)
- =
(!hey fem.
green
yahmaarirn(a)
- =

6orm E
-~ '
'ista"mal(a)

(0e used

Acti"e ,oice (
: -~ ' - -~ '
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I use
'asta"mil(%)
-~
(;ou masc. use
tasta"mil(%)
-~
(;ou fem. use
tasta"mil""n(a)
-~
(0e uses
yasta"mil(%)
- -~
(She uses
tasta"mil(%)
-~
D
U
A
L
(;ou use
tasta"milaan(i)
-~
(!hey masc. use
yasta"milaan(i)
- -~
(!hey fem. use
tasta"milaan(i)
-~
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu. use
nasta"mil(%)
- -~
(;ou masc. use
tasta"mil!!n(a)
-~
(;ou fem. use
tasta"miln(a)
-~
(!hey masc. use
yasta"mil!!n(a)
- -~
(!hey fem. use
yasta"miln(a)
- -~

6orm AI, is also a doubled "erbs like forms IE M EI2 howe"er, the green short
"owel here is not hidden but is rather displaced backward. In the feminine
plural con=ugations, the original form of AI, "erbs ('if"allal(a) must be
restored before con=ugation2 or, in another way of saying it, the green short
"owel must be restored to its original place in the feminine plural con=ugations.

6orm AI,
' =
'itma'ann(a)

(0e was@became reassured

Acti"e ,oice (
: = ' '
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I become
reassured
'atma'inn(%)
=
(;ou masc.
become reassured
tatma'inn(%)
=
(;ou fem. become
reassured
tatma'inn""n(a)
=
(0e becomes
reassured
yatma'inn(%)
- =
(She becomes
reassured
tatma'inn(%)
=
D
U
A
L
(;ou become
reassured
tatma'innaan(i)
=
(!hey masc.
become reassured
yatma'innaan(i)
- =
(!hey fem.
become reassured
tatma'innaan(i)
=
P
L
U
R
(8e dual@plu.
become reassured
natma'inn(%)
- =
(;ou masc.
become reassured
tatma'inn!!n(a)
=
A
L
(;ou fem. become
reassured
tatma'<ninn(a)
=
(!hey masc.
become reassured
yatma'inn!!n(a)
- =
(!hey fem.
become reassured
yatma'<ninn(a)
- =

Imperfecti"e (on=ugation
(%&i ,erbs
6orms II, III, I,, M AI
four forms with four
letters
(a&a ,erbs
6orms ,, ,I M AII prefi1 ta&
(a&i ,erbs
6orms ,II, ,III, IE, E,
EI, EII, EIII, EI,, E,,
AIII M AI,
7"erything else

Imperfecti"e (on=ugation
(a&a
Acti"e "oice of forms I, ,, ,I M AII
(a&i
Acti"e "oice of forms I, ,II, ,III, IE, E,
EI, EII, EIII, EI,, E,, AIII M AI,
(a&%
Acti"e "oice of form I
(%&i
Acti"e "oice of forms II, III, I,, M AI
(%&a
+assi"e "oice of all forms

Arabic ,erbs

Imperfecti"e
(Acti"e-Indicati"e
+erfecti"e
(Acti"e
6orm I
- -
yaf"Cl(%) fa"Cl(a)
6orm II
- -
y%fa''"il(%) fa''"al(a)
6orm III
- = - =
y%faa"il(%) faa"al(a)
6orm I,
- -
y%f"il(%) 'af"al(a)
6orm ,
- -- -
yatafa''"al(%) tafa''"al(a)
6orm ,I
- = -- = -
yatafaa"al(%) tafaa"al(a)
6orm ,II
- - ' - -
yanfa"il(%) 'infa"al(a)
6orm ,III
- -- ' -
yafta"il(%) 'ifta"al(a)
6orm IE
- - '
yaf"all(%) 'if"all(a)
6orm E
- - -~ ' - -~
yastaf"il(%) 'istaf"al(a)
6orm EI
- . - ' .
yaf"aall(%) 'if"aall(a)
6orm EII
- = - ' =
yaf"aw"il(%) 'if"aw"al(a)
6orm EIII
- . - ' .
yaf"awwil(%) 'if"awwal(a)
6orm EI,
- - '
6orm E,
- - '
yaf"anliy 'if"anlaa
6orm AII
- -- -
yatafa"lal(%) tafa"lal(a)
6orm AI
- -
y%fa"lil(%) fa"lal(a)
6orm AIII
- - '
6orm AI,
- - '
yaf"alill(%) 'if"alall(a)

+resent "s. 6uture !ense
!he imperfecti"e "erb on its own can e1press both the present and future
tenses. 0owe"er, in order to disambiguate between the two tenses, especially
in sentences not containing time e1pressions such as tomorrow, later, etc.,
Arabic uses the following word before the imperfecti"e when it is meant as a
future tense "erb'
sawf(a)
- ~

6uture !ense +resent@6uture !ense
- ~ - - - -
sawf(a) yaf"al(%) yaf"al(%)
(0e will do
(0e will be doing
(0e does
(0e is doing
(0e will do
(0e will be doing

!his word is similar to the 7nglish 5will,5 although it will not necessarily always
carry the connotation of prediction or spontaneity as in 7nglish.
Sawf(a) can often be reduced to sa& 2 this happens most of the time in
modern standard Arabic.
sa&
~

6uture !ense +resent@6uture !ense
~ - - -
sa&yaf"al(%) yaf"al(%)
(0e will do
(0e will be doing
(0e does
(0e is doing
(0e will do
(0e will be doing

More details will be a"ailable in the tense section.

71amples'
6uture +resent@6uture +ast
- ~ - - ~ -
sawfa yathhab(%)
(he will go

- - ~ -
yathhab(%)
(he goes
(he will go
- - ~
thahab(a)
(he went ~ - - ~
sa&yathhab(%)
(he will go
- ~
sawfa ta'<t""
(you #@m will come

ta'<t""
(you #@m come
(you #@m will
come
-
'atayt(a)
(you #@m
came
~ -
sa&ta'<t""
(you #@m will come
- ~ .
sawfa 'aq!!l(%)
(I will say
.
'aq!!l(%)
(I say
-
q%lt(%)
(I said
(I will say
~ .
sa&'aq!!l(%)
(I will say
- ~ ~
sawfa tasma"""n(a)
(you #@f will hear
~
tasma"""n(a)
(you #@f hear
(you #@f will hear
- ~
sami"ti
(you #@f
heard
~ ~ -
sa&tasma"""n(a)
(you #@f will hear
- ~ - -
sawfa na"rif(%)
(we will know
- -
na"rif(%)
(we know
(we will know
=
"arafnaa
(we knew
~ -
sa&na"rif(%)
(we will know
- ~
sawfa taqra'!!n(a)
(you t&@m will read

taqra'!!n(a)
(you t&@m read
(you t&@m will
read

qara'<t%m
(you t&@m
read
~ -
sa&taqra'!!n(a)
(you t&@m will
read
- ~ - - -
sawfa yakt%bn(a)

(they t&@m will
write
- - -
yakt%bn(a)
(they t&@m write
(they t&@m will
write
- -
katabn(a)
(they t&@m
wrote
~ - -
sa&yakt%bn(a)

(they t&@m will
write
- ~ --
sawfa
yatakallamaan(i)
(they &@m will
speak
--
yatakallamaan(i)
(they &@m speak
(they &@m will

takallamaa
(they &@m
spoke
speak
~ -
sa&
yatakallamaan(i)
(they &@m will
speak
- ~ -
sawfa tarayn(a)
(you t&@f will see -
tarayn(a)
(you t&@f see
(you t&@f will see
--
ra'ayt%nn(a)
(you t&@f
saw
~ - -
sa&tarayn(a)
(you t&@f will see
- ~
` =
sawfa
t%haawilaan(i)
(they &@f will try
` =
t%haawilaan(i)
(they &@f try
(they &@f will try
-
haawalataa
(they &@f
tried
~ ` = -
sa&t%haawilaan(i)
(they &@f will try
- ~ ~ -
sawfa n%saafir(%)
(we will tra"el ~ -
n%saafir(%)
(we tra"el
(we will tra"el
- ~
saafarnaa
(we
tra"eled
~ ~
sa&n%saafir(%)
(we will tra"el
- ~ - -
sawfa yasil(%)
(he will arri"e
- -
yasil(%)
(he arri"es
(he will arri"e
-
wasal(a)
(he arri"ed
~ -
sa&yasil(%)
(he will arri"e
- ~ ~
sawfa t%raadir(%)
(she will lea"e ~
t%raadir
(she lea"es
(she will lea"e
~ =
raadarat
(she left
(intr.
~ ~ -
sa&t%raadir(%)
(she will lea"e
- ~ -
sawfa tarkabaan(i)
(you &@m will ride
-
tarkabaan(i)
(you &@m ride
(you &@m will ride
--
rakibt%maa
(you &@m
rode
~ - -
sa&tarkabaan(i)
(you &@m will ride

71ercise #

(a hurry (up
= ~
(a win
-- -
(a cooperate
-
(a try
= -
(a try, attempt
` = -
(a blue (become blue

(a fidget
-
(a blow up
'= -
(a make, force (to do
-
(a speak
-
(a use
~= -~
(a become lame
= ' -
(a commit (do wrong
- -
(a reiterate
-
(a mutter
- --
(a send
~ -
(a roughen
~ ~ =

Answers

(;ou masc. plu. hurry (up
= ~
(!hey fem. plu. win
-- -
(;ou masc. sing. cooperate
(She cooperates -
(8e try
= -
(!hey masc. dual try, attempt
` = -
(;ou fem. plu. blue (become blue

(;ou masc. plu. fidget
-
(;ou dual blow up
(!hey fem. dual blow up '= -
(I make, force (to do
-
(;ou fem. sing. speak
-
(I use
~= -~
(!hey fem. plu. become lame
= ' -
(8e commit (do wrong
- -
(;ou fem. sing. reiterate
-
(!hey masc. dual mutter
- --
(!hey masc. plu. send
~ -
(;ou masc. sing. roughen
(She roughens ~ ~ =

71ercise &
(an you tell the missing "owel-marks in the Arabic words of the pre"ious
e1amplea

Answers

6orm I,
= ~
6orm ,III
- - -
6orm ,I
-
6orm II
= -
6orm III
` = -
6orm IE

6orm AII
-
6orm II
' = -
6orm ,I
-
6orm ,
-
6orm E
~ = -~
6orm EI
= ' -
6orm ,III
- -
6orm II
-
6orm AI
- --
6orm I,
~ -
6orm EII
~ ~ =

"erbs
,mperfecti1e tructures (continued)

# ?oubled ,erbs
?oubled "erbs are "erbs that end with a shadda(t), which indicates doubled
consonants without a "owel in between.
!he imperfecti"e doubled "erbs will need to be restored to their original forms
in the feminine plural con=ugations.
A point we made when we defined the doubled "erbs is that there are two
types of them2 ones that ha"e an omitted short "owel from between the
doubled letters (-("("( H -("((, most of the "erb forms and ones that
ha"e a displaced-back short "owel (-(("( H -("((, only forms I, I,, E M
AI, in the imperfecti"e.
!his distinction is important in the imperfecti"e because this "owel we are
talking about is the changeable green short "owel of the imperfecti"e
structure.
6or the doubled "erbs with an omitted short "owel, there will not be a green
short "owel in the imperfecti"e because it is omitted. It will appear only when
we restore the "erbs to their original forms in the feminine plural con=ugations.
6or the doubled "erbs with a displaced-back short "owel, there will be a green
short "owel but it will be displaced back in the structure. It will mo"e back to its
original position only when we restore the "erb to its original form in the
feminine plural con=ugations.
71ample, the form ,III "erb'
' ~ - ~ ~ ~ ' - ~
'ishtadad(a) 'ishtadd(a)
(0e intensified (intr.

A form ,III "erb is a (a&i "erb. 0owe"er, when this "erb is turned into an
imperfecti"e, there will be no chance for the green short "owel to show itself
because it is deleted'
- ~ - ~ ~ - ~ - ~
yashtadid(%) yashtadd(%)
(0e intensifies (intr.


Imperfecti"e
Acti"e ,oice (
: ~ -~ ' - '
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I intensify
'ashtadd(%)
~ -~
(;ou masc. intensify
tashtadd(%)
~ -~
(;ou fem. intensify
tashtadd""n(a)
~ -~ -
(0e intensifies
yashtadd(%)
- ~ -~
(She intensifies
tashtadd(%)
~ -~
D
U
A
L
tashtaddaan(i)
~ -~ '
(!hey masc. intensify
yashtaddaan(i)
- ~ -~ '
(!hey fem. intensify
tashtaddaan(i)
~ -~ '
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu. intensify
nashtadd(%)
- ~ -~
tashtadd!!n(a)
~ -~
(;ou fem. intensify
tashtadidn(a)
~ ~ -~
(!hey masc. intensify
yashtadd!!n(a)
- ~ -~
(!hey fem. intensify
yashtadidn(a)
- ~ ~ -~
!he "erb stem is restored to its original form in the feminine plural
con=ugations to pre"ent the formation of three-consonant clusters (ddn.
!his will be the con=ugation for all the forms that can be doubled "erbs e1cept
forms I, I,, E M AI,. 6or these, the green "owel is displaced not deleted, so it
will show up.
71ample, a form I, "erb'
- - -
'ahbab(a) 'ahabb(a)
(0e lo"ed@liked

A form I, "erb is a (%&i "erb.
- - -= - - =
y%hbib(%) y%hibb(%)
(0e lo"es@likes

Acti"e ,oice (
: -
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I lo"e
'%hibb(%)
-
(;ou masc. lo"e
t%hibb(%)
- =
(;ou fem. lo"e
t%hibb""n(a)
-=
(0e lo"es
y%hibb(%)
- - =
(She lo"es
t%hibb(%)
- =
D
U
A
L
(;ou masc. lo"e
t%hibbaan(i)
-=
(!hey masc.
lo"e
y%hibbaan(i)
- -=
(!hey fem. lo"e
t%hibbaan(i)
-=
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu.
lo"e
n%hibb(%)
- - =
(;ou masc. lo"e
t%hibb!!n(a)
-=
(;ou fem. lo"e
t%hbibn(a)
- -=
(!hey masc.
lo"e
y%hibb!!n(a)
- -=
(!hey fem. lo"e
y%hbibn(a)
- - -=
con=ugations.

J6orm I ?oubled ,erbs
+erfecti"e form I doubled "erbs ha"e an omitted short "owel.
fa"al(a (

fa"il(a)
H
fa"l(a)
fa"%l(a)

0owe"er, if we were to omit the "owel in the imperfecti"e, we would get the
following'

yaf"al(%
(

yaf"il(%)
H
yaf"l(%)
yaf"%l(%
)

4ecause the a between the first two root-letters is deleted in the imperfecti"e,
we would get yaf"l(%) which contains a three-consonant cluster that is
unpronounceable.
!herefore, they had to keep the green short "owel in these "erbs, but since
the resultant structure contained -(("(, like forms I,, E M AI,, they treated it
in a similar manner and displaced the green "owel back -(("( H -("((.
yaf"al(% (

yafa"l(%
(
yaf"il(%)
H
yafi"l(%)
yaf"%l(%)

yaf%"l(%
)

71ample, the "erb'
~ ~ = ~ =
"adad(a) "add(a)
(0e counted
!his is an % "erb, it will become'
- ~ ~ - ~
ya"d%d(%) ya"%dd(%)
(0e counts

Acti"e ,oice (
: ~ =
S
I
(I count
'a"%dd(%)
~ =
N
G
U
L
A
R
(;ou masc. count
ta"%dd(%)
~
(;ou fem. count
ta"%dd""n(a)
~ -
(0e counts
ya"%dd(%)
- ~
(She counts
ta"%dd(%)
~
D
U
A
L
(;ou masc. count
ta"%ddaan(i)
~ '
(!hey masc. count
ya"%ddaan(i)
- ~ '
(!hey fem. count
ta"%ddaan(i)
~ '
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu. count
na"%dd(%)
- ~
(;ou masc. count
ta"%dd!!n(a)
~
(;ou fem. count
ta"d%dn(a)
~ ~
(!hey masc. count
ya"%dd!!n(a)
- ~
(!hey fem. count
ya"d%dn(a)
- ~ ~
con=ugations.
!hus, form I doubled "erbs change from "erbs with an omitted "owel in the
perfecti"e to "erbs with a displaced-back "owel in the imperfecti"e.
-ote that imperfecti"e form I doubled "erbs are mostly % "erb. !here are few
that are i or a "erbs and most of these are classical "erbs.
Some a and i "erbs'
Imperfecti"e +erfecti"e
yazall(%)
- =
zall(a)
=
(he remains@stays (he remained@stayed
yamall(%)
-
mall(a)
~
(he becomes bored (he became bored
yakall(%)
-
kall(a)
(he becomes worn
out
(he became worn
out
yafirr(%)
- -
farr(a)

(he escapes (he escaped
yakhiff(%)
- =
khaff(a)

(he becomes light (he was@became
light
yaqill(%)
-
qall(a)
(he@it becomes
few@little
(he@it was@became
few@little
yahinn(%)
- =
hann(a)

(he yearns (he yearned
yarinn(%)
-
rann(a)

(he rings (he rang
ya'inn(%)
-
'ann(a)

(he moans (he moaned

More e1amples of i "erbs'
(af"il(%) yafi"l(%)
- ~ ~ ~
= ~ _ ~ _ - ~

- ~ ~

,erbs
+erfecti"e Imperfecti"e
#st person untie #st person don9t untie
&nd person untie &nd person
untie only
with the
feminine
$l%ral
Ord person
untie only
with the
feminine
$l%ral
Ord person
untie only
with the
feminine
$l%ral

(on=ugation of ?oubled ,erbs
6orms I, ,II,
,III, IE M EI
omitted short
"owel
6orms ,II,
,III, IE M EI
omitted short
"owel
6orms I,, E M
AI,
displaced-
back short
"owel
6orms I, I,, E
M AI,
displaced-
back short
"owel

& Bithaal ,erbs
Bithaal "erbs are "erbs whose first original letter is a weak letter.
!hese "erbs con=ugate regularly in the perfecti"e. In the imperfecti"e, they
con=ugate regularly in all the forms but forms I M I,. In these two forms, the
con=ugation can be regular or irregular depending on whether the first original
letter is y or w.

J6orm I Bithaal ,erbs
( Bithaal ,erbs
6orm I Bithaal "erbs whose first original is y con=ugate regularly. !hese "erbs
are rare.
71ample'
- -
yabis(a)
(he dried up, hardened (intr.

(0e hardened
yabis(a)
- -
(0e hardens
yaybas(%)
- -

Acti"e ,oice (
: --
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I harden
'aybas(%)
- -
(;ou masc.
harden
taybas(%)
-
(;ou fem.
harden
taybas""n(a)
~-
(0e hardens
yaybas(%)
- -
(She hardens
taybas(%)
-
D
U
A
L
(;ou masc.
harden
taybasaan(i)
~-
(!hey masc.
harden
yaybasaan(i)
- ~-
(!hey fem.
harden
taybasaan(i)
~-
P
L
U
R
(8e dual@plu.
harden
naybas(%)
- -
(;ou masc.
harden
taybas!!n(a)
~ -
A
L
(;ou fem.
harden
taybasn(a)
~-
(!hey masc.
harden
yaybas!!n(a)
- ~ -
(!hey fem.
harden
yaybasn(a)
- ~ -

) Bithaal ,erbs
6orm I Bithaal "erbs whose first original is w will lose the w in the
imperfecti"e if the green "owel of the imperfecti"e is i . If the "owel is a , it will
mostly be kept e1cept in some "erbs whose second or third root-letters are
guttural or throat letters. If the green "owel is %, the w will not be lost.

I. i ,erbs
!hese are the most common of Bithaal "erbs. !he w of these "erbs will be
always lost.
71ample'
~
wajad(a)
(he found

(0e found
wajad(a)
~
(0e finds
yawjid(%)
- ~
(0e finds
yajid(%)
- ~ =

Imperfecti"e
Acti"e ,oice (
: ~
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I find
'ajid(%)
~
(;ou masc. find
tajid(%)
~ =
(;ou fem. find
tajid""n(a)
~ = -
(0e finds
yajid(%)
- ~ =
(She finds
tajid(%)
~ =
D
U
(;ou masc. find
tajidaan(i)
~= '
A
L
(!hey masc. find
yajidaan(i)
- ~= '
(!hey fem. find
tajidaan(i)
~= '
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu. find
najid(%)
- ~ =
(;ou masc. find
tajid!!n(a)
~ =
(;ou fem. find
tajidn(a)
~=
(!hey masc. find
yajid!!n(a)
- ~ =
(!hey fem. find
yajidn(a)
- ~=

!ry con=ugating the following i "erb'

~ =
wa"ad(a)

(0e promised

Imperfecti"e
Acti"e ,oice (
: ~ =
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I promise
'a"id(%)
~ =
(;ou masc. promise
ta"id(%)
~
(;ou fem. promise
ta"id""n(a)
~ -
(0e promises
ya"id(%)
- ~
(She promises
ta"id(%)
~
D
U
A
L
(;ou promise
ta"idaan(i)
~ '
(!hey masc. promise
ya"idaan(i)
- ~ '
(!hey fem. promise
ta"idaan(i)
~ '
P
L
U
R
(8e dual@plu. promise
na"id(%)
- ~
(;ou masc. promise
ta"id!!n(a)
~
A
L
(;ou fem. promise
ta"idn(a)
~
(!hey masc. promise
ya"id!!n(a)
- ~
(!hey fem. promise
ya"idn(a)
- ~

ya"id(%)
- ~
wa"ad(a)
~ =
(he promises (he promised
yasif(%)
- -
wasaf(a)
-
(he describes (he described
yasil(%)
- -
wasal(a)
-
(he arri"es
(he connects
(he arri"ed
(he connected
yaqif(%)
-
waqaf(a)

(he stands up
(he stops
(he stood up
(he stopped
yathiq(%)
- `
wathiq(a)

(he trusts (intr. (he trusted (intr.
yajib(%)
- -=
wajab(a)
-
(he becomes
necessary
#r! il fa%t
(he was@became
necessary
#r! il fallait

II. a ,erbs
!he w will be kept in the ma=ority of these "erbs. 0owe"er, the "erbs that are
commonly used in modern Arabic are usually ones in which the w will be lost
("erbs like put, fall, tread, and bestow.
71ample, a classical "erb'

wajil(a)
(he was@became afraid

(0e became afraid
wajil(a)

(0e becomes
afraid
yawjal(%)
-

Acti"e ,oice (
:
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I become afraid
'awjal(%)

(;ou masc.
become afraid
tawjal(%)

(;ou fem.
become afraid
tawjal""n(a)

(0e becomes
afraid
yawjal(%)
-
(She becomes
afraid
tawjal(%)

D
U
A
L
(;ou masc.
become afraid
tawjalaan(i)

(!hey masc.
become afraid
yawjalaan(i)
-
(!hey fem.
become afraid
tawjalaan(i)

P
L
(8e dual@plu.
become afraid
nawjal(%)
-
U
R
A
L
(;ou masc.
become afraid
tawjal!!n(a)

(;ou fem.
become afraid
tawjaln(a)

(!hey masc.
become afraid
yawjal!!n(a)
-
(!hey fem.
become afraid
yawjaln(a)
-

A basic "erb of formal Arabic is the "erb 5to put'5
_ -
wada"(a)
(he put

(0e put
wada"(a)
_ -
(0e puts
yawda"(%)
- _-
(0e puts
yada"(%)
- _-

Acti"e ,oice (
: _ -
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I put
'ada"(%)
_ -
(;ou masc. put
tada"(%)
_ -
(;ou fem. put
tada"""n(a)
-
(0e puts
yada"(%)
- _ -
(She puts
tada"(%)
_ -
D
U
A
L
(;ou masc. put
tada"aan(i)
-
(!hey masc. put
yada"aan(i)
- -
(!hey fem. put
tada"aan(i)
-
P
L
(8e dual@plu. put
nada"(%)
- _ -
U
R
A
L
(;ou masc. put
tada"!!n(a)
-
(;ou fem. put
tada"n(a)
-
(!hey masc. put
yada"!!n(a)
- -
(!hey fem. put
yada"n(a)
- -

yaqa"(%)
- _
waqa"(a)
_
(he falls (he fell
yata'(%)
- =
wati'(a)
=
(he treads (he treaded
yahab(%)
- -
wahab(a)
- -
(he bestows (he bestowed
yawja"(%)
- _
waji"(a)
_
(he hurts (he hurt, caused pain
yawhal(%)
-
wahil(a)

(he becomes
muddy
(he became muddy

!he a "erbs that will lose the w are the following'

(aw"al(%) ya"al(%)
= _ - _ ~ ~ _ ~
_ _ _ - - _

III. % ,erbs
!hese are rare "erbs.
~
wash%k(a)
(he was@became about to

(0e was about
to
wash%k(a)
~
(0e is about to
yawsh%k(%
)
- ~

Acti"e ,oice (
: ~
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I am about to
'awsh%k(%)
~
(;ou masc. are
about to
tawsh%k(%)
~
(;ou fem. are about
to
tawsh%k""n(a)
~
(0e is about to
yawsh%k(%)
- ~
(She is about to
tawsh%k(%)
~
D
U
A
L
(;ou masc. are
about to
tawsh%kaan(i)
~
(!hey masc. are
about to
yawsh%kaan(i)
- ~
(!hey fem. are
about to
tawsh%kaan(i)
~
P
L
(8e dual@plu. are
about to
nawsh%k(%)
- ~
U
R
A
L
(;ou masc. are
about to
tawsh%k!!n(a)
~
(;ou fem. are about
to
tawsh%kn(a)
~
(!hey masc. are
about to
yawsh%k!!n(a)
- ~
(!hey fem. are
about to
yawsh%kn(a)
- ~

J6orm I, Bithaal ,erbs
) Bithaal ,erbs
6orm I, Bithaal "erbs whose first original is w con=ugate regularly.
71ample'
~
'awshak(a)
(he was@became about to

(0e was about
to
'awshak(a)
~
(0e is about to
y%wshik(%)
+ y!!shik(%)
- ~

Acti"e ,oice (
: ~
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I am about to
'%wshik(%)
~
(;ou masc. are about
to
t%wshik(%)
~
(;ou fem. are about
to
t%wshik""n(a)
~
(0e is about to
y%wshik(%)
- ~
(She is about to
t%wshik(%)
~
D
U
A
L
to
t%wshikaan(i)
~
(!hey masc. are
about to
y%wshikaan(i)
- ~
(!hey fem. are about
to
t%wshikaan(i)
~
P
L
(8e dual@plu. are
about to
n%wshik(%)
- ~
U
R
A
L
to
t%wshik!!n(a)
~
(;ou fem. are about
to
t%wshikn(a)
~
(!hey masc. are
about to
y%wshik!!n(a)
- ~
(!hey fem. are about
to
y%wshikn(a)
- ~

( Bithaal ,erbs
!he y of form I, Bithaal "erbs will become w in the imperfecti"e due to a
phonological reason.
71ample'
-
'ayqan(a)
(he was@became certain

(0e became
certain
'ayqan(a)
-
(0e becomes
certain
y%yqin(%)
-
(0e becomes
certain
y%wqin(%)
+ y!!qin(%)
-

Acti"e ,oice (
- :
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I become certain
'%wqin(%)

(;ou masc.
become certain
t%wqin(%)

(;ou fem.
become certain
t%wqin""n(a)

(0e becomes
certain
y%wqin(%)
-
(She becomes
certain
t%wqin(%)

D
U
A
L
(;ou masc.
become certain
t%wqinaan(i)

(!hey masc.
become certain
y%wqinaan(i)
-
(!hey fem.
become certain
t%wqinaan(i)

P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu.
become certain
n%wqin(%)
-
(;ou masc.
become certain
t%wqin!!n(a)

(;ou fem.
become certain
t%wqinn(a)

(!hey masc.
become certain
y%wqin!!n(a)
-
(!hey fem.
become certain
y%wqinn(a)
-

y%wqiz(%)
- =
'ayqaz(a)
- =
(he wakes up (tr. (he woke up (tr.
y%wni"(%)
- _ -
'ayna"(a)
- _
(he ripens (intr. (he ripened (intr.
y%w'is(%)
- -
'ay'as(a)
-
(he makes
desperate
(he made desperate

J6orm ,III Bithaal ,erbs
8hether w or y, the first original letter of a form ,III Bithaal "erb will become
a t in all the "erbs and "erbids deri"ed from the root, including perfecti"e and
imperfecti"e "erbs, participles, "erbal nouns, etc. !his transition was
e1plained in this page.
71ample'
' _ ~
'ittasa"(a)
(0e had room
(0e became roomy(er
!he root is
.
_
8 S 5
o

(0e had room
'ittasa"(a)
' _ ~
(0e has room
yattasi"(%)
- - _ ~

Acti"e ,oice (
: _ ~ ' - '
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I ha"e room
'attasi"(%)
_~
(;ou masc. ha"e room
tattasi"(%)
_~ -
(;ou fem. ha"e room
tattasi"""n(a)
~ -
(0e has rooms
yattasi"(%)
- _ ~ -
(She has rooms
tattasi"(%)
_~ -
D
U
A
L
(;ou ha"e room
tattasi"aan(i)
~ -
(!hey masc. ha"e room
yattasi"aan(i)
- ~ -
(!hey fem. ha"e room
tattasi"aan(i)
~ -
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu. ha"e room
nattasi"(%)
- _~ -
(;ou masc. ha"e room
tattasi"!!n(a)
~ -
(;ou fem. ha"e room
tattasi"n(a)
~ -
(!hey masc. ha"e room
yattasi"!!n(a)
- ~ -
(!hey fem. ha"e room
yattasi"n(a)
- ~ -

Bithaal ,erb (on=ugation
6orm +erfecti"e Imperfecti"e
I
wafCl(a)
yafil(%)
yafal(%)
rare
yawfal(%)
rarer in modern standard
Arabic
yawf%l(%)
rarest
yafCl(a) yayfCl(%)
I,
'awfal(a)
y%wfil(%)
'ayfal(a)
,III
'iwta"al(a)
H 'itta"al(a)
yatta"ill(%)
'iyta"al(a)
H 'itta"al(a)

"erbs

(continued)

O 0ollow ,erbs
%nlike the perfecti"e hollow "erbs, imperfecti"e hollow "erbs will not always
transform the middle weak letter (the w or y into a weak 'alif. As was
e1plained before, this transformation happens only when the short "owel
preceding the weak letter is a short A. 8hereas this is always the case in the
perfecti"e, in the imperfecti"e this "owel is changeable and thus the weak
letter will not be always transformed into a weak A.

J6orm I
6orm I hollow "erbs ha"e a displaced-back short "owel in the imperfecti"e.
!his "owel is the changeable green short of the imperfecti"e "erbs. !hus,
these "erbs will ha"e a changeable middle long "owel depending on the green
"owel of the "erb.
71ample.
.
qaal(a)

(0e said
!he root is
.
.
A 8 .
4y applying the root to the imperfecti"e formula of form I, we get'
(0e says
yaqw%l(%)
- .

As we said when we defined the hollow "erbs in this page, the combination
-(("( becomes -("(( in the hollow and doubled "erbs. So form I
imperfecti"e "erbs belong to the second type of those "erbs, in which the
short "owel following the weak letter will be displaced back rather than
omitted. !his is different from the perfecti"e form I hollow and doubled "erbs
which are ones with an omitted short "owel.

So the "erb will become'

(0e says
yaq%wl(%)
+ yaq!!l(%)
- .
!he "erb has a long % "owel in the middle, corresponding to the green "owel
%.

Imperfecti"e
Acti"e ,oice (
: .
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I say
'aq%wl(%)
.
(;ou masc. say
taq%wl(%)
.
(;ou fem. say
taq%wl""n(a)

(0e says
yaq%wl(%)
- .
(She says
taq%wl(%)
.
D
U
A
L
(;ou say
taq%wlaan(i)

(!hey masc. say
yaq%wlaan(i)
-
(!hey fem. say
taq%wlaan(i)

P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu.
say
naq%wl(%)
- .
(;ou masc. say
taq%wl!!n(a)

(;ou fem. say
taq%ln(a)

(!hey masc. say
yaq%wl!!n(a)
-
(!hey fem. say
yaq%ln(a)
-

-otice that the middle long "owel (%w G !! becomes the corresponding
short "owel (% in the feminine plural con=ugations. !his will happen with all
the imperfecti"e hollow "erbs when are in these con=ugations.

Another e1ample
.
_
baa"(a)

(0e sold
!he root is
.
4 ; 5

_

(0e sells
yabyi"(%)
- - _

4y displacing the i backward, we get'
(0e sells
yabiy"(%)
+
yab"""(%)
- - _
!he "erb has a long I "owel in the middle, corresponding to the green "owel i.
6ull con=ugation'

Acti"e ,oice (
: _
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I sell
'abiy"(%)
_
(;ou masc. sell
tabiy"(%)
- _
(;ou fem. sell
tabiy"""n(a)
-
(0e sells
yabiy"(%)
- - _
(She sells
tabiy"(%)
- _
D
U
A
L
(;ou sell
tabiy"aan(i)
-
(!hey masc. sell
yabiy"aan(i)
- -
(!hey fem. sell
tabiy"aan(i)
-
P
L
U
R
(8e dual@plu. sell
nabiy"(%)
- - _
(;ou masc. sell
tabiy"!!n(a)
-
A
L
(;ou fem. sell
tabi"n(a)
-
(!hey masc. sell
yabiy"!!n(a)
- -
(!hey fem. sell
yabi"n(a)
- -
!he middle long "owel (iy G "" becomes the corresponding short "owel (i
in the feminine plural con=ugations.
-ow we will take an a "erb'
-
khaaf(a)

(0e feared
!he root is
.
>0 8 6

- _

(0e fears
yakhwaf(%
)
- = -
4y displacing the a backward, we get'
(0e fears
yakhawf(%
)
- = -

8e mentioned before the rule of aw aa , ay aa. 4y applying this
rule here, we get'

(0e fears
yakhaaf(%)
- = -

So whether the original weak letter is w or y, we will always get a long A (aa
in the middle of an a imperfecti"e hollow "erb.

Acti"e ,oice (
: -
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I fear
'akhaaf(%)
-
(;ou masc. fear
takhaaf(%)
= -
(;ou fem. fear
takhaaf""n(a)
=
(0e fears
yakhaaf(%)
- = -
(She fears
takhaaf(%)
= -
D
U
A
L
(;ou fear
takhaafaan(i)
=
(!hey masc. fear
yakhaafaan(i)
- =
(!hey fem. fear
takhaafaan(i)
=
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu.
fear
nakhaaf(%)
- = -
(;ou masc. fear
takhaaf!!n(a)
=
(;ou fem. fear
takhafn(a)
- =
(!hey masc. fear
yakhaaf!!n(a)
- =
(!hey fem. fear
yakhafn(a)
- - =

!he middle long "owel (aa becomes the corresponding short "owel (a in the
feminine plural con=ugations.
Imperfecti"e hollow "erbs whose middle weak letter is w are always "erbs %
or a "erbs, but not i "erbs. Imperfecti"e hollow "erbs whose middle weak
letter is y are always "erbs i or a "erbs, but not % "erbs.

0ollow ,erb (on=ugation
(6orm I
3riginal 6orm Actual 6orm
yafw%l(%)
yaf%wl(%)
yafy%l(%)
does not e-ist
yafyil(%)
yafiyl(%)
yafwil(%)
does not e-ist
yafwal(%) yafaal(%)
yafyal(%)

4awal(a) yaf%wl(%)
_ ' ~ .
' '~ '~ '~ '~ '~
~ ~ ~ ~ . ' ' '
= ~ = . = - = - -
~ =
~ ` ~ ` ` .

- - -

4ayal(a) yafiyl(%)
' _ '~ -
_ ~ ~ . ~ ~ ~
_ - - ~ - - _ ~
= = = = -

- . ~ _ ~ =

4a"il(a) yafaal(%)
yanaam(%)
-
naam(a)
-
(he sleeps (he slept
yakhaaf(%)
- = -
khaaf(a)
-
(he fears (he feared
yashaa'(%)
- ~
naal(a)
~
(he wants (he wanted
yanaal(%)
- .
naal(a)
- .
(he gets (he got
yahaab(%)
-
haab(a)
-
(he becomes awed
(he was@became
awed
yaraar(%)
-
raar(a)
=
(he becomes =ealous
(he was@became
=ealous
yakhaal(%)
- = .
khaal(a)
. (he thinks (ob=ect to
be
ta&es two ob.ect
(he thought
(ob=ect to be
ta&es two ob.ect
yakaad(%)
- ~
kaad(a)
~
(he is about to (do
,erb of a$$roach
(he almost (did
,erb of a$$roach

-ow let us con=ugate the rest of the "erb forms. !he "erb forms other than
form I that can be hollow "erbs are forms I,, ,II, ,III M E. !o con=ugate those,
one will need to keep in mind the differentiation between the forms with an
omitted short "owel (-("("( H -("(( and the forms with a displaced-back
short "owel (-(("( H -("((.

6orms I, ,II,
,III
omitted short
"owel
6orms ,II, ,III
omitted short
"owel
6orms I,, E
displaced-
back short
"owel
6orms I, I,, E
displaced-
back short
"owel

J6orms ,II M ,III
71ample,
-' ~
'inqaad(a)
(he was@became led
!he root is
.
A 8 ?

~

4y applying the root to the imperfecti"e formula of form ,II, we get'
(0e becomes
led
yanqawid(%
)
- ~
4y omitting the i, we get'
(0e becomes
led
yanqawd(%)
- ~

4y applying the rule of aw aa, we get the final form'

(0e becomes
led
yanqaad(%)
- ~
!he same would be true for ay aa. !hus, these "erbs will always ha"e a
middle long A instead of the weak letter and the green "owel following it. !he
same process will be applied to form ,III hollow "erbs.

Acti"e ,oice (
: ~ - ' - - '
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I become led
'anqaad(%)
- ~
(;ou masc. become
led
tanqaad(%)
~
(;ou fem. become
led
tanqaad""n(a)
~ -
(0e becomes led
yanqaad(%)
- ~
(She becomes led
tanqaad(%)
~
D
U
A
L
(;ou masc. become
led
tanqaadaan(i)
~ '
(!hey masc.
become led
yanqaadaan(i)
- ~ '
(!hey fem. become
led
tanqaadaan(i)
~ '
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu.
become led
nanqaad(%)
- ~
(;ou masc. become
led
tanqaad!!n(a)
~
(;ou fem. become
led
tanqadn(a)
~
(!hey masc.
become led
yanqaad!!n(a)
- ~
(!hey fem. become
led
yanqadn(a)
- ~
As it is always, the middle long "owel (aa becomes the corresponding short
"owel (a in the feminine plural con=ugations.

J6orms I, M E
71ample,
~ '
'araad(a)
(he wanted
!he root is '

~
) 8 ?
I
4y applying the root to the imperfecti"e formula of form I,, we get'
(0e wants
y%rwid(%)
- ~
4y displacing the a backward, we get'
(0e wants
y%riwd(%)
- ~
>nowing that iw becomes iy in hollow "erbs, we get the final from'
(0e wants
y%riyd(%)
- - ~
!hus, these "erbs will always ha"e a middle long I in their middles. !he same
is true for form E hollow "erbs.

Acti"e ,oice (
: ~ '
S
I
N
G
(I want
'%riyd(%)
- ~
(;ou masc. want
t%riyd(%)
- ~
U
L
A
R
(;ou fem. want
t%riyd""n(a)
- ~ -
(0e wants
y%riyd(%)
- - ~
(She wants
t%riyd(%)
- ~
D
U
A
L
(;ou want
t%riydaan(i)
- ~ '
(!hey masc. want
yariydaan(i)
- - ~ '
(!hey fem. want
t%riydaan(i)
- ~ '
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu.
want
n%riyd(%)
- - ~
(;ou masc. want
t%riyd!!n(a)
- ~
(;ou fem. want
t%ridn(a)
~
(!hey masc. want
y%riyd!!n(a)
- - ~
(!hey fem. want
y%ridn(a)
- ~

All con=ugations e1cept the
plural feminine
+lural feminine
con=ugations
Middle long "owel Middle short "owel
&f!!l& &f%l&
&f""l& &fil&
&faal& &fal&

6orm I
&f"%l& &f!!l&
&f"il& &f""l&
&f"al& &faal&
6orm ,II
&faal&
6orm ,III
6orm I, &f""l&
6orm E

71tra -ote' Modern "s. (lassical Arabic
5(lassical Arabic5 refers to the dialects of Arabic that were spoken from about
the uth to the ^th century. Modern formal or standard Arabic is a moderni*ed
form of Arabic that is primarily deri"ed from classical western Arabian Arabic2
it began during the Arab renaissance era in the #^th century and was called
then = - -' ' ' G 5the most elo:uent Arabic language.5
(lassical Arabic is much more di"erse and rich in "ocabulary than modern
Arabic. 3ne e1ample of this appears in "erb con=ugation.
6or the e1ample, the "erb'
~
maat(a)
(0e died
)oot. M 8 !
!his is an % "erb in Modern Arabic. !he imperfecti"e is'
-
yam%wt(%)
(0e dies

0owe"er, in (lassical Arabic, this same "erb could also be an i or a "erb, so
it had three "ariant forms'
5(0e dies5
(lassical Arabic
Modern Standard
Arabic
yam%wt(%)
yam%wt(%) yamiyt(%)
yamaat(%)

f ?efecti"e ,erbs
?efecti"e imperfecti"e "erbs can end with , or with apparent y or w.
!hey cannot end with as there is no imperfecti"e "erb with less than four
letters.
Imperfecti"e defecti"e "erbs are similar to the perfecti"e ones in that the
"owel preceding the final weak letter will determine its form. !he general rule
is similar to that of the imperfecti"e hollow "erbs'
If the final original weak letter (the w or y is preceded by an % , the
ending of the "erb will be -%w (the corresponding long "owel.
If the final original weak letter is preceded by an i , the ending of the
"erb will be -iy.
If the final original weak letter is preceded by an a, it will be changed to
a weak A, and the ending of the "erb will be -aa.

4ecause form I defecti"e "erbs can ha"e %, i or a before the final weak letter,
they can end with -%w, -iy or -aa, respecti"ely. !he rest of the forms can be
classified as follows'

(%&i ,erbs (forms II, III, I,, M AI' always ha"e i, so always end
with -iy.
(a&a ,erbs (forms ,, ,I M AII' always ha"e a, so always end
with -aa.
(a&i ,erbs (the rest of the forms' always ha"e i, so always end
with -iy.

I. ,erbs 7nding 8ith &iy @ &%w

J6orm I
71ample, perfecti"e'
-
namaa
(0e grew
(intr.
!he root is'

- M 8
I
(0e grows
yanm%w(%)
-
Since the green "owel is %, the ending of the "erb will be -%w .
!he final &% (the mood-sign will be deleted because a long "owel cannot be
followed by any "owel'
(0e grows
yanm%w
-

!he mood-sign is said to be 5estimated5 - ~ ~ in this case, which means it is
5imagined5 to be there but it is not apparent.
6or the rest of the con=ugations, the only irregularity is that the final long "owel
will be deleted in the &nd person feminine singular and the masculine plural
con=ugations.

Acti"e ,oice (
: -
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I grow
'anm%w
-
(;ou masc. grow
tanm%w

(;ou fem. grow
tanm""n(a)

(0e grows
yanm%w
-
(She grows
tanm%w

D
U
A
L
(;ou grow
tanm%waan(i)
'
(!hey masc. grow
yanm%waan(i)
- '
(!hey fem. grow
tanm%waan(i)
'
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu. grow
nanm%w
-
(;ou masc. grow
tanm!!n(a)

(;ou fem. grow
tanm%wn(a)

(!hey masc. grow
yanm!!n(a)
-
(!hey fem. grow
yanm%wn(a)
-

Another e1ample'

bakaa
(0e cried
!he root is'

=
4 > ;
I
(0e cries
yabkiy(%)
- -
Since the green "owel is i, the ending of the "erb will be -iy.
!he final &% will be deleted because a long "owel cannot be followed by any
"owel'
(0e cries
yabkiy
- -

!he case-sign is said to be 5estimated5 - ~ ~ in this case, which means it is
imagined to be there but not apparent.

con=ugations.

Acti"e ,oice (
:
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I cry
'abkiy

(;ou masc. cry
tabkiy
-
(;ou fem. cry
tabk""n(a)
-
(0e cries
yabkiy
- -
(She cries
tabkiy

D
(;ou cry
tabkiyaan(i)
-
U
A
L
(!hey masc. cry
yabkiyaan(i)
- -
(!hey fem. cry
tabkiyaan(i)
-
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu. cry
nabkiy
- -
(;ou masc. cry
tabk!!n(a)
-
(;ou fem. cry
tabkiyn(a)
-
(!hey masc. cry
yabk!!n(a)
- -
(!hey fem. cry
yabkiyn(a)
- -

!ry con=ugating the following % "erb'

~
samaa
(0e rose solemnly

Acti"e ,oice (
: ~
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I rise
'asm%w
~
(;ou masc. rise
tasm%w
~
(;ou fem. rise
tasm""n(a)
~
(0e rises
yasm%w
- ~
(She rises
tasm%w
~
D
U
A
L
(;ou rise
tasm%waan(i)
~ '
(!hey masc. rise
yasm%waan(i)
- ~ '
(!hey fem. rise
tasm%waan(i)
~ '
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu. rise
nasm%w
- ~
(;ou masc. rise
tasm!!n(a)
~
(;ou fem. rise
tasm%wn(a)
~
(!hey masc. rise
yasm!!n(a)
- ~
(!hey fem. rise
yasm%wn(a)
- ~

6orm I perfecti"e "erbs ending with -aa that is transformed from -aw (
often end with -%w in the imperfecti"e, and sometimes -aa ( . ,erbs
whose endings in the perfecti"e are -aa that are transformed from -ay (
often end with -iy in the imperfecti"e, and sometimes -aa ( . -ote that in
words with more than three letters, a final weak A will be always transcribed
as ( .


Imperfecti"e defecti"e "erbs of forms other than form I will all end with -iy
e1cept forms ,, ,I M AII which will end with -aa. !here are no forms that can
end with -%w other than form I.

71ample, form ,III perfecti"e'
' - -
'intahaa
(0e ended, finished
!he root is' - - 0 ; I
4y applying the root to the imperfecti"e formula of form ,III, we get'
(0e finishes
yantahiy(%)
- -
!he final &% is deleted because a long "owel cannot be followed by any
"owel'
(0e finishes
yantahiy
- -

con=ugations.

Imperfecti"e
Acti"e ,oice (
: -- ' - '
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I finish
'antahiy
--
(;ou masc.
finish
tantahiy
-
(;ou fem. finish
tantah""n(a)
-
(0e finishes
yantahiy
- -
(She finishes
tantahiy
-
D
(;ou finish
tantahiyaan(i)
-
U
A
L
(!hey masc.
finish
yantahiyaan(i)
- -
(!hey fem. finish
tantahiyaan(i)
-
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu.
finish
nantahiy
- -
(;ou masc.
finish
tantah!!n(a)
-
(;ou fem. finish
tantahiyn(a)
-
(!hey masc.
finish
yantah!!n(a)
- -
(!hey fem. finish
yantahiyn(a)
- -
!he con=ugation process of form ,III defecti"e "erbs is the same for all the
"erb forms e1cept forms ,, ,I M AII which end with -aa.

II. ,erbs 7nding 8ith &aa
!hose can only be forms ,, ,I or AII, in addition to form I "erbs that ha"e a
after the second root-letter. !hey end only with , but not as there is no
imperfecti"e "erb with less than four letters. In the dual and feminine plural
con=ugations, the , will be always transformed to y regardless of its true
origin.

J6orm I

71ample'
~ -
nasiy(a)

(0e forgot
!he root is ' - S ; I
(0e forgets
yansay(%)
- ~
Since the green "owel is a, the weak letter y will become a weak A, and the
final &% will be deleted because a long "owel cannot be followed by any
"owel'
(0e forgets
yansaa
- ~

6or the &nd person feminine singular con=ugation, the final weak A will be
deleted, but the short a before the deleted weak A will be preser"ed, thus
making the resultant suffi1 &ayn(a) rather than &iyn(a).
(0e forgets
yansaa
- ~
(!hou fem.
forgets
tansaaiyn(a
)
~ ,
(!hou fem.
forgets
tansayn(a)
~

6or the masculine plural con=ugations, the final weak A will be deleted, but the
short a before it will not, thus making the resultant suffi1 &awn(a) rather
than &%wn(a).
(0e forgets
yansaa
- ~
(!hey masc.
forget
yansaa%wn(a
)
- ~
(!hey masc.
forget
yansawn(a)
- ~

6or the dual and feminine plural con=ugations, the final weak A will be
transformed to y when adding the suffi1es.
(0e forgets
yansaa
- ~
(!hey two forget
yansaaaan(i
)
- ~ '
(!hey two forget
yansayaan(i
)
- ~

(0e forgets
yansaa
- ~
(!hey fem.
forget
yansaan(a)
- ~
(!hey fem.
forget
yansayn(a)
- ~


Imperfecti"e
Acti"e ,oice (
: ~ -
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I forget
'ansaa
~ -
(;ou masc. forget
tansaa
~
(;ou fem. forget
tansayn(a)
~
(0e forgets
yansaa
- ~
(She forgets
tansaa
~
D
U
A
L
(;ou forget
tansayaan(i)
~
(!hey masc. forget
yansayaan(i)
- ~
(!hey fem. forget
tansayaan(i)
~
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu.
forget
nansaa
- ~
(;ou masc. forget
tansawn(a)
~
(;ou fem. forget
tansayn(a)
~
(!hey masc. forget
yansawn(a)
- ~
(!hey fem. forget
yansayn(a)
- ~

6orm I perfecti"e "erbs ending with -iy(a) often end with -aa ( in the
imperfecti"e. ,erbs whose endings are -%w(a) in the perfecti"e are "ery rare
and end with -%w in the imperfecti"e.


71ample, form , perfecti"e'

tamannaa

(0e wished
!he root is ' M - ; I
4y applying the root to the imperfecti"e formula of form ,, we get'
(0e wishes
yatamannay(%
)
- -

Since the green "owel is a, the weak letter y will become a weak A, and the
final &% will be deleted because a long "owel cannot be followed by any
"owel'

(0e wishes
yatamannaa
- -

!he rest of con=ugations are like those e1plained abo"e for form I ending with
&aa.

Imperfecti"e
Acti"e ,oice (
: -
S
I
N
G
(I wish
'atamannaa

(;ou masc.
wish
tatamannaa
-
U
L
A
R
(;ou fem. wish
tatamannayn(a)
-
(0e wishes
yatamannaa
- -
(She wishes
tatamannaa
-
D
U
A
L
(;ou wish
tatamannayaan(i
)
-
(!hey masc.
wish
yatamannayaan(i
)
- -
(!hey fem.
wish
tatamannayaan(i
)
-
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu.
wish
natamannaa
- -
(;ou masc.
wish
tatamannawn(a)
-
(;ou fem. wish
tatamannayn(a)
-
(!hey masc.
wish
yatamannawn(a)
- -
(!hey fem.
wish
yatamannayn(a)
- -

7ndings of Imperfecti"e ?efecti"e ,erbs
(Ord +erson Masculine Singular
6orm I
&iw(%)
&iy

&iy(%)
&%w(%)
&%w

&%y(%)
&aw(%)
&aa

&ay(%)
6orms ,, ,I M AII &aa

)emaining 6orms &iy

(on=ugation of Imperfecti"e ?efecti"e
,erbs
Ord person
masculine
singular
?ual and
feminine
plural
&nd person
feminine
singular
Masculine
plural
&iy(%) &iy-suffi1 &&&&iyn(a)
&&&&
%wn(a)
&%w(%) &%w-suffi1 &&&&iyn(a)
&&&&
%wn(a)
&aa &ay-suffi1 &&&&ayn(a)
&&&&
awn(a)

4a"aa yaf"%w
~ '~ -~ -
'~ = - - = -

= - = ~

4a"aa yaf"iy
~ - ~ ~ ~ ~
= , ~ =
, - , , , = ,

4a"aa yaf"aa
= - , = = ~

I,. 7nfolding ,erbs
71ample'
,
'awaa
(0e took refuge (in, stayed (at
!he root is ' 9 8 ; I
!his is an i "erb.

Acti"e ,oice (
: ,
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I take refuge
'a'<wiy H 'aawiy
&
(;ou masc. take
refuge
ta'<wiy

(;ou fem. take refuge
ta'<wiyn(a)
-
(0e takes refugees
ya'<wiy
-
(She takes refugees
ta'<wiy

D
U
A
L
(;ou take refuge
ta'<wiyaan(i)
-
(!hey masc. take
refuge
ya'<wiyaan(i)
- -
(!hey fem. take refuge
ta'<wiyaan(i)
-
P
L
U
(8e dual@plu. take
refuge
na'<wiy
-
(;ou masc. take
refuge
ta'<w%wn(a)

R
A
L
(;ou fem. take refuge
ta'<wiyn(a)
-
(!hey masc. take
refuge
ya'<w%wn(a)
-
(!hey fem. take refuge
ya'<wiyn(a)
- -

/!he transition 'a'< H 'aa is a general rule of Arabic and not related to the
"erb being an irregular "erb. !his transition was mentioned on this page.

7nfolding "erbs of the first type that end with &aa in the perfecti"e will end
with &iy in the imperfecti"e2 the ones that end with &iy(a) in the perfecti"e
will end with &aa in the imperfecti"e.

and defecti"e "erbs. !hese "erbs get the dealing of both Mithaal

and defecti"e
"erbs together.
71ample'
=
wa"aa
(0e understood, comprehended
!he root is ' _ 8 5 ; I
!his is an i "erb.

Acti"e ,oice (
: ,
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I understand
'a"iy
=
(;ou masc. understand
ta"iy

(;ou fem. understand
ta"iyn(a)

(0e understands
ya"iy
-
(She understands
ta"iy

D
U
A
L
(;ou understand
ta"iyaan(i)

(!hey masc.
understand
ya"iyaan(i)
-
(!hey fem. understand
ta"iyaan(i)

P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu.
understand
na"iy
-
(;ou masc. understand
ta"%wn(a)

(;ou fem. understand
ta"iyn(a)

(!hey masc.
understand
ya"%wn(a)
-
(!hey fem. understand
ya"iyn(a)
-

7nfolding ,erbs
)oot' C-C-C
)oot' C-C-C

71ercise

(0e e1tended (tr.
~ ~
(0e e1tended (intr.
~ -~ '
(0e continued
-~ '
(0e despaired
(a "erb -
(0e stood, stopped
(i "erb
(0e fell
(a "erb _
(0e woke up (tr.
= -
(0e won
(% "erb
(0e walked, strolled
(i "erb ~
(0e slept
(a "erb -
(0e chose
- '
(0e resigned, left a =ob@duty
. -~ '
(0e remained, stayed
(a "erb
(0e ascended
(% "erb =
(0e bought
, -~ '
(0e transgressed
, ~
(0e fell
(i "erb , -
(0e protected
(i "erb


(;ou masc. sing. e1tend (tr.
(!hey fem. plu. e1tend (tr.
(;ou fem. sing. e1tend (intr.
(;ou fem. plu. e1tend (intr.
(8e continue
(!hey fem. plu. continue
(I despair
(I stand
(she falls
(;ou dual wake up (tr.
(She wins
(;ou fem. sing. walk
(;ou masc. sing. sleep
(!hey masc. plu. choose
(!hey fem. plu. choose
(!hey fem. plu. resign
(!hey masc. plu. resign
(I remain
(;ou fem. sing remain
(;ou fem. plu remain
(8e ascend
(;ou fem. sing. ascend
(!hey fem. dual ascend
(;ou masc. sing. buy
(!hey masc. plu. buy
(;ou dual buy
(She transgresses
(!hey fem. plu transgress
(!hey masc. plu. transgress
(;ou fem. sing. fall
(!hey fem. plu. fall
(I protect
(!hey masc. dual protect
(!hey masc. plu. protect
(!hey fem. plu. protect

Answers

(;ou masc. sing. e1tend (tr.
~
(!hey fem. plu. e1tend (tr.
~ ~ -
(;ou fem. sing. e1tend (intr.
- ~ -
(;ou fem. plu. e1tend (intr.
~ ~ -
(8e continue
-~ -
(!hey fem. plu. continue
-~ -
(I despair
-
(I stand

(she falls
_
(;ou dual wake up (tr.
=
(She wins
-
(;ou fem. sing. walk
- ~
(;ou masc. sing. sleep

(!hey masc. plu. choose
-= -
(!hey fem. plu. choose
-= -
(!hey fem. plu. resign
-~ -
(!hey masc. plu. resign
-~ -
(I remain

(;ou fem. sing remain
-
(;ou fem. plu remain
-
(8e ascend
-
(;ou fem. sing. ascend

(!hey fem. dual ascend
'
(;ou masc. sing. buy
-~
(!hey masc. plu. buy
-~ -
(;ou dual buy
- -~
(She transgresses
, ~ -
(!hey fem. plu transgress
- ~ --
(!hey masc. plu. transgress
~ --
(;ou fem. sing. fall
-
(!hey fem. plu. fall
- -
(I protect

(!hey masc. dual protect
-
(!hey masc. plu. protect
-
(!hey fem. plu. protect
-
"erbs (continued)
Passi1e "oice
8e ha"e co"ered in detail how to form all the kinds of acti"e-"oice "erbs.
-ow, we shall continue by describing how to turn the "erbal structures we
talked about into their passi"e-"oice "ersions.

JActi"e "s. +assi"e

!he difference between an acti"e "erb and a passi"e "erb regards the
direction of the action indicated by the "erb with regard to the sub=ect. !hat is,
whether the sub=ect of the "erb recei"es the action or not.

In an acti"e "erb, the action is directed outward from the sub=ect, which
means that the sub=ect performs the action but does not recei"e it.

In a passi"e "erb, the action is directed toward the sub=ect, which means that
the sub=ect recei"es the action.

Statement Sub=ect
)ecipient of
Action
Acti"e
!he man ga"e a book the man somebody
+assi"e
!he man was gi"en a book the man the man

J!hree !ypes of +assi"e

Arabic has three different types of passi"e "erbs. !hey are'

!he +assi"e of the %nknown
!he +assi"e 8ithout Agent
!he )efle1i"e

v +assi"e of the %nknown

!he first type is the type usually designated 5passi"e.5

!his type is called in Arabic . = - ' G 5the built for the unknown5 (this
is where I deri"ed my designation from. Some westerners refer to it as the
5internal passi"e,5 because it is formed by changing "owels within the "erbal
structure.

6or e1ample,

6orm I 6orm II 6orm III 6orm ,II
Acti"e fa"Cl(a) fa""al(a) faa"al(a) 'infa"al(a)
Internal
+assi"e
f%"il(a) f%""il(a) f!!"il(a) 'inf%"il(a)

!his is the type of the passi"e which we are going to talk about in detail in this
section.

!he passi"e of the unknown does not ha"e an e1act e:ui"alent in 7nglish. Its
literal meaning is the following'

fa"Cl(a)
(he did
f%"il(a)
w (he@it was@became done by
somebody

!he passi"e of the unknown, or simply 5the passi"e5 as it is usually called,
indicates a passi"e action plus an unspecified agent.

v +assi"e 8ithout Agent

!he passi"e without agent is called in Arabic _ = ' G 5the amenable.5 ,erbs
carrying this meaning are ones with an &n& affi1, like form ,II.

!he passi"e without agent denotes a passi"e action (i.e. directed toward the
sub=ect without saying anything about the fact that someone did it. In other
words, it ignores the performer of the action, thus indicating less meaning than
the passi"e of the unknown.

fa"Cl(a)
(he did
f%"il(a)
w (he@it was@became done by
somebody
'infa"al(a)
w (he was@became done

6orm ,II (the agentless passi"e is the principally used form of the passi"e
"oice in most of the modern spoken dialects of Arabic, but not in formal
Arabic.

8hen forming an internal passi"e from form ,II, the meaning will change to
the passi"e of the unknown'

'infa"al(a)
w (he was@became done
'inf%"il(a)
w (it was@became done by somebody

!here is, of course, no "erb without an agent, but I am using the 5agentless
passi"e5 designation instead of simply saying 5passi"e5 because 5passi"e5
alone means the internal passi"e.

v )efle1i"e

!he refle1i"e encompasses the definitions of both the acti"e and passi"e
"oices, as it indicates an action carried out by the sub=ect and directed toward
the sub=ect in the same time. !hus, the sub=ect of a refle1i"e "erb is both a
performer and a recipient of the action.

)efle1i"e "erbs e1ist in 7nglish2 consider the following e1ample'

!he glass broke

Sub=ect' the glass
Action' breaking
Agent (performer' the glass
)ecipient' the glass

!he refle1i"e indicates a passi"e action plus the self as an agent. ,erbs that
carry this meaning in Arabic are "erbs carrying the &n& affi1 (for simple, basic
actions and "erbs carrying the &t& affi1 (for all kinds of actions. !he &t& affi1
appears in forms ,, ,I, ,III M AII.

!he &t& affi1 could also impart an agentless passi"e meaning in some
classical dialects. &t& affi1ed "erbs are the principally used form of the
passi"e "oice in some modern dialects of Arabic that show strong relations
with classical south Arabian dialects (i.e. 7gyptian Arabic.

8hen forming an internal passi"e from a refle1i"e "erb, the meaning will
change to the passi"e of the unknown.

%nknown, Agentless, M )efle1i"e

!he best way to differentiate between the three types of the passi"e is by
considering the following :uestion'

8ho did the actiona

3r 5who is the agent of the "erba5

In the passi"e of the unknown, there is an unspecified agent indicated.

In the passi"e without agent, there is no agent indicated.

In the refle1i"e, the sub=ect is the agent of the action.

And all the three actions are directed toward the same target, which is the
sub=ect of the "erb (hence they are all passi"e "erbs.

Statement Action Agent
+assi"e of the
%nknown
!he glass was broken
by somebody
breaking of glass somebody
+assi"e
8ithout Agent
!he glass was broken breaking of glass ---
)efle1i"e
!he glass broke breaking of glass the glass

!he internal passi"e indicates
an
action
N an unspecified agent
!he agentless
passi"e
indicates
an
action

!he refle1i"e indicates
an
action
N the self as agent
And all the three actions are directed toward the the sub=ect of the "erb
(passi"e.

JArabic !erms
Acti"e "oice w the built for the known - '
+assi"e of the %nknown w the built for the unknown - ' . =
Agentless passi"e w the amenable _ = '

4asic Structure (6orm I

!o turn an acti"e "erb to a passi"e of the unknown, we are going to
manipulate only "owels within the acti"e structure but we will not touch any of
the letters. Sometimes though, we are going to need to change weak letters
within the structures to ones that suit the new short "owels.

!o turn an acti"e form I "erb into passi"e, we will change the short "owel
following the first letter from a to %, and the short "owel between the second
and third letters (the green short "owel to i .

(+erfecti"e
+assi"e ,oice
w (0e@it was done by somebody
Acti"e ,oice
(0e did

f%"il(a)
fa"al(a)

fa"il(a)

fa"%l(a)

71amples'
+assi"e Acti"e
k%tib(a)
- -
katab(a)
- -
w (he@it was written by
somebody
(he wrote
q%ri'(a)

qara'(a)

w he@it was read by
somebody
(he read
'%kil(a)

'akal(a)

w he@it was eaten by
somebody
(he late
"%lim(a)
=
"alim(a)
=
w he@it was known by
somebody
(he knew
f%him(a)

fahim(a)

w he@it was understood
by somebody
(he understood

+ronominal Suffi1es
Adding pronominal suffi1es to passi"e perfecti"e "erbs is not any different
from adding them to the acti"e "erbs.

- ' +erfecti"e @@ . _ - )oot
(6orm I, +assi"e ,oice
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I was@became
done by somebody
f%"ilt(%)
-
(;ou masc.
were@became done
by somebody
f%"ilt(a)
-
(;ou fem.
were@became done
by somebody
f%"ilti
-
(0e@it was@became
done by somebody
f%"il(a)

(She was@became
done by somebody
f%"ilat
-
D
U
(;ou were@became
done by somebody
f%"ilt%maa
-
A
L
(!hey masc.
were@became done
by somebody
f%"ilaa

(!hey fem.
were@became done
by somebody
f%"ilataa
-
P
L
U
R
A
L
(8e dual@plu.
were@became done
by somebody
f%"ilnaa

(;ou masc.
were@became done
by somebody
f%"ilt%m
-
(;ou fem.
were@became done
by somebody
f%"ilt%nn(a)
-
(!hey masc.
were@became done
by somebody
f%"il!!
'
(!hey fem.
were@became done
by somebody
f%"iln(a)

!he sub=ect of an acti"e "erb is called in Arabic the 5doer5 = -'.
!he sub=ect of a passi"e "erb is called in Arabic the 5deputy of the doer5
= -' - - -.

-aturally, all sub=ects must be in the nominati"e case ('ar&raf").
"erbs
Passi1e "oice
6orms II !hrough AI,

Structures of the +erfecti"e
,erb
(Acti"e ,oice
6orm I
fa"al(a)

fa"il(a)

fa"%l(a)

6orm II fa""al(a)

6orm III faa"al(a)
=
6orm I, 'af"al(a)

6orm , tafa''"al(a)
-
6orm ,I tafaa"al(a)
- =
' - -
' -
6orm IE 'if"all(a)
'
6orm E 'istaf"al(a)
' -~ -
6orm EI 'if"aall(a)
' .
' =
6orm EIII 'if"awwal(a)
' .
'
6orm E, 'if"anlaa
'
6orm AI fa"lal(a)

-
'
'

!urning these structures into the passi"e "oice is not complicated2 to turn any
structure, there are two modifications re:uired'
!urning the short "owel between the final two letters (the green short
"owel to i.
!urning all the remaining short "owels of the structure to %.
.et us apply these modifications to the structures. 8e will do form I again
although we already did it in the pre"ious page.
6irst, we will change the green "owel of all structures to i.

+assi"e Acti"e
6orm
I
fa"il(a)

fa"al(a)

fa"il(a)

fa"%l(a)

6orm
II
fa""il(a)

fa""al(a)

6orm
III
faa"il(a)
=
faa"al(a)
=
6orm
I,
'af"il(a)

'af"al(a)

6orm
,
tafa''"il(a)
-
tafa''"al(a)
-
6orm
,I
tafaa"il(a)
- =
tafaa"al(a)
- =
6orm
,II
'infa"il(a)
' - -
'infa"al(a)
' - -
6orm
,III
'ifta"il(a)
' -
'ifta"al(a)
' -
6orm
IE
'if"all(a)
'
'if"all(a)
'
6orm
E
'istaf"il(a)
' -~ -
'istaf"al(a)
' -~ -
6orm
EI
'if"aall(a)
' .
'if"aall(a)
' .
6orm
EII
'if"aw"il(a)
' =
'if"aw"al(a)
' =
6orm
EIII
'if"awwil(a
)
' .
'if"awwal(a
)
' .
6orm
EI,
'if"anlil(a)
'
'if"anlal(a)
'
6orm
E,
'if"anliy(a)
' &
'if"anlaa
'
6orm
AI
fa"lil(a)

fa"lal(a)

6orm
AII
tafa"lil(a)
-
tafa"lal(a)
-
6orm
AIII
'if"anlil(a)
'
'if"anlal(a)
'
6orm
AI,
'if"alill(a)
'
'if"alall(a)
'
/-ote that form E, is a defecti"e-"erb-like. !he final weak A of this form will
be turned to y if preceded by an i, and the 5he5 pronominal suffi1 (&a will
show up again because there is no reason for it hiding anymore. !he passi"e
con=ugation of defecti"e "erbs will be co"ered soon.
-ow we will apply the second step, which is to turn all the remaining
short "owels of the structure to %. !his includes "owels following the
first root letter (the f and "owels preceding it. !he "owels preceding
such letter are found either in ta& prefi1es or following an initial 'alif.

Structures of the +erfecti"e ,erb

+assi"e ,oice Acti"e ,oice
6orm I
f%"il(a)

fa"al(a)

fa"il(a)

fa"%l(a)

6orm II
f%""il(a)

fa""al(a)

6orm III
f%w"il(a)
= &
faa"al(a)
=
6orm I,
'%f"il(a)

'af"al(a)

6orm ,
t%f%''"il(a)
-
tafa''"al(a)
-
6orm ,I
t%f%w"il(a)
- = &
tafaa"al(a)
- =
6orm ,II
'%nf%"il(a)
' - -
'infa"al(a)
' - -
6orm ,III
'%ft%"il(a)
' -
'ifta"al(a)
' -
6orm IE
'%f"%ll(a)
'
'if"all(a)
'
6orm E
'%st%f"il(a)
-~ ' -
'istaf"al(a)
' -~ -
6orm EI
'%f"%wll(a)
' . &
'if"aall(a)
' .
6orm EII
'%f"%w"il(a)
' =
'if"aw"al(a)
' =
6orm EIII
'if"%wwil(a)
' .
'if"awwal(a
)
' .
6orm EI,
'%f"%nlil(a)
'
'if"anlal(a)
'
6orm E,
'if"%nliy(a)
'
'if"anlaa
'
6orm AI
f%"lil(a)

fa"lal(a)

6orm AII
t%f%"lil(a)
-
tafa"lal(a)
-
6orm AIII
'%f"%nlil(a)
'
'if"anlal(a)
'
6orm AI,
'%f"%lill(a)
'
'if"alall(a)
'
/6orms III, ,I M EI are hollow-"erb-like. !hey contain middle weak A9s, and as
we already shown on this site, such weak A9s are always transformed from
something else (w or y. Inasmuch as a weak A cannot remain if preceded by
anything other than a, the weak A9s of these forms will be transformed into
w9s in the passi"e "oice, the suitable weak letter for a preceding %.

J+erfecti"e +assi"e ,oice 6ormation
!urn the short "owel between the final two letters (the green short
"owel to i.
!urn all the remaining short "owels of the structure to %.
If e1isted, turn middle long A9s (aa to long %9s (!!.

71amples'
+assi"e Acti"e
j%rrib(a)

jarrab(a)

w (he@it was tried by
somebody
(he tried
sh%whid(a)
~ ~ -
shaahad(a)
~ ~ -
w (he@it was watched
by somebody
(he watched
'%"lim(a)
=
'a"lam(a)
=
w (he@it was informed
by somebody
(he informed
'%kt%shif(a)
' - ~
'iktashaf(a)
' - ~
w (he@it was
disco"ered by
somebody
(he disco"ered
'%st%khdim(
a)
-~ ' ~ =
'istakhdam(
a)
-~ ' ~ =

w (he@it was used by
somebody
(he used
z%lzil(a)
.
zalzal(a)
.
w (he@it was shaken
"iolently by somebody
(he shook "iolently

All passi"e "erbs take pronominal suffi1es regularly =ust like their acti"e
counterparts.
"erbs
Passi1e "oice (continued)

Structures of the Imperfecti"e
,erb
(Acti"e-Indicati"e
6orm I
yaf"al(%)
- -
yaf"il(%)
- -
yaf"%l(%)
- -
6orm II y%fa''"il(%)
- -
6orm III y%faa"il(%)
- = -
6orm I, y%f"il(%)
- -
- - -
6orm ,I
yatafaa"al(%
)
- = - -
6orm ,II yanfa"il(%)
- -
6orm ,III yafta"il(%)
- --
6orm IE yaf"all(%)
- -
6orm E yastaf"il(%)
- - -~
6orm EI yaf"aall(%)
- . -
6orm EII yaf"aw"il(%)
- = -
6orm EIII yaf"awwil(%)
- . -
6orm EI, yaf"anlil(%)
- -
6orm E, yaf"anliy
- -
6orm AII yatafa"lal(%)
- --
6orm AI y%fa"lil(%)
- -
6orm AIII yaf"anlil(%)
- -
6orm AI, yaf"alill(%)
- -

In fact, we already mentioned how to turn the acti"e imperfecti"e "erbs to
passi"e while we were talking about the imperfecti"e structures.
!his is done by modifying two elements in the structures'
'% !he short "owel of the pronominal prefi1 (i.e. the a in 'a&5 ta&, ya& M
na& will be changed to % (if is not already.
(% !he short "owel between the final two letters of the "erb stem (the
green short "owel will be changed to a.
3r, in the terminology of this site, the imperfecti"e passi"e "erbs are all (%&a
"erbs.
Structures of the Imperfecti"e
,erb
(Indicati"e Mood

+assi"e ,oice Acti"e ,oice
6orm
I
y%f"al(%)
- -
yaf"al(%)
- -
yaf"il(%)
- -
yaf"%l(%)
- -
6orm
II
y%fa''"al(%)
- -
y%fa''"il(%)
- -
6orm
III
y%faa"al(%)
- = -
y%faa"il(%)
- = -
6orm
I,
y%f"al(%)
- -
y%f"il(%)
- -
6orm
,
y%tafa''"al(%)
- - -
yatafa''"al(%)
- --
6orm
,I
y%tafaa"al(%
)
- = - -
yatafaa"al(%
)
- = --
6orm
,II
y%nfa"al(%)
- -
yanfa"il(%)
- -
6orm
,III
y%fta"al(%)
- --
yafta"il(%)
- --
6orm
IE
y%f"all(%)
- -
yaf"all(%)
- -
6orm
E
y%staf"al(%)
- - -~
yastaf"il(%)
- - -~
6orm
EI
y%f"aall(%)
- . -
yaf"aall(%)
- . -
6orm
EII
y%f"aw"al(%)
- = -
yaf"aw"il(%)
- = -
6orm
EIII
y%f"awwal(%
)
- . -
yaf"awwil(%)
- . -
6orm
EI,
y%f"anlal(%)
- -
yaf"anlil(%)
- -
6orm
E,
y%f"anlaa
- - &
yaf"anliy
- -
6orm
AI
y%tafa"lal(%)
- --
yatafa"lal(%)
- --
6orm
AII
y%fa"lal(%)
- -
y%fa"lil(%)
- -
6orm
AIII
y%f"anlal(%)
- -
yaf"anlil(%)
- -
6orm
AI,
y%f"alall(%)
- -
yaf"alill(%)
- -
/6orm E, is a defecti"e-"erb-like. !he final weak A of this form will be turned
to a when preceded by an a, and the 5he5 pronominal suffi1. !he passi"e
con=ugation of defecti"e "erbs will be co"ered soon.

71amples'
+assi"e Acti"e
y%ktab(%)
- - -
yakt%b(%)
- - -
w (he@it is@becomes
written by somebody
w (he@it is
being@becoming
written by somebody
w (he@it will
be@become written by
somebody
(he writes
(he is writing
(he will write
y%"raf(%)
- -
ya"rif(%)
- -
w (he@it is@becomes
known by somebody
w (he@it will
be@become known by
somebody
(he knows
(he will know
y%saa"ad(%)
- ~ = ~
y%saa"id(%)
- ~ = ~
w (he@it is@becomes
helped by somebody
w (he@it is
being@becoming
helped by somebody
w (he@it will
be@become helped by
somebody
(he helps
(he is helping
(he will help
y%hdar(%)
- - =
y%hdir(%)
- - =
w (he@it is@becomes
brought by somebody
w (he@it is
being@becoming
brought by somebody
w (he@it will
be@become brought
by somebody
(he brings
(he is bringing
(he will bring
y%ta"allam(
%)
- -
yata"allam(
%)
- -
w (he@it is@becomes
learnt by somebody
w (he@it is
being@becoming
learnt by somebody
w (he@it will
be@become learnt by
somebody
(he learns
(he is learning
(he will learn
y%ktashaf(%
)
- ~ -
yaktashif(%
)
- ~ -
w (he@it is@becomes
disco"ered by
somebody
w (he@it is
being@becoming
disco"ered by
somebody
w (he@it will
be@become
disco"ered by
somebody
(he disco"ers
(he is disco"ering
(he will disco"er
y%sta"mal(%
)
- -~
yasta"mil(%
)
- -~

w (he@it is@becomes
used by somebody
w (he@it is
being@becoming used
by somebody
w (he@it will
be@become used by
somebody
(he uses
(he is using
(he will use
y%zakhraf(%
)
-
-
y%zakhrif(%
)
-
-
w (he@it is@becomes
embroidered by
somebody
w (he@it is
being@becoming
embroidered by
somebody
w (he@it will
be@become
embroidered by
somebody
(he embroiders
(he is embroidering
(he will embroider

+assi"e imperfecti"e "erbs take pronominal prefi1es and suffi1es and mood-
signs regularly and =ust like their acti"e counterparts.
"erbs
Passi1e "oice (continued)
,rregular 1erbs

# ?oubled ,erbs
?oubled "erbs are "erbs that end with a shadda(t), which indicates doubled
consonants without a "owel in between.
+assi"e doubled "erbs con=ugate =ust like the acti"e ones. 3nly "owels will be
different, including the omitted or displaced-back green "owel. 8hen untying
in the perfecti"e, the inserted green "owel will always be i, and in the
imperfecti"e it will always be a.

& Bithaal ,erbs
Bithaal "erbs are "erbs whose first original letter is a weak letter.
+assi"e Bithaal "erbs take pronominal prefi1es and suffi1es like the acti"e
ones2 howe"er, in the imperfecti"e, they do not lose their weak letter in any
situation.
71amples'
+assi"e Acti"e
w%jid(a)
~
wajad(a)
~
w (he@it was@became
found by somebody
w (he@it has
been@become found by
somebody
(he found
(he has found
w%di"(a)
_ -
wada"(a)
_ -
w (he@it was@became
put by somebody
w (he@it has
been@become put by
somebody
(he put
(he has put
y%wjad(%)
- ~
yajid(%)
- ~ =
w (he@it is@becomes
found by somebody
w (he@it is
being@becoming found
by somebody
w (he@it will be@become
found by somebody
(he finds
(he is finding
(he will find
y%wda"(%)
- _ -
yada"(%)
- _-
w (he@it is@becomes put
by somebody
w (he@it is
being@becoming put by
somebody
put by somebody
(he puts
(he is putting
(he will put

O 0ollow ,erbs
Since the internal passi"e is about changing "owels, the middle weak letter of
hollow "erbs will be affected, because it changes with changes in "owels.
0owe"er, the rule here is easy and I am not going to complicate it by going
through the details and differences between classical dialects etc.
6or the perfecti"e hollow "erbs, the internal long A will be always
transformed to a long I in the passi"e "oice (corresponds to the green "owel
i regardless of anything and in all the "erb forms.
&?aa?& &?""?&
71amples'
+assi"e Acti"e
q""l(a)

qaal(a)
.
w (he@it was@became
said by somebody
w (he@it has
been@become said by
somebody
(he said
(he has said
b"""(a)
_
baa"(a)
_
w (he@it was@became
sold by somebody
w (he@it has
been@become sold by
somebody
(he sold
(he has sold
kh""f(a)

khaaf(a)
-
w (he@it was@became
feared by somebody
w (he@it has
been@become feared by
somebody
(he feared
(he has feared
'%r""d(a)
- ~
'araad(a)
' ~
w (he@it was@became
wanted by somebody
w (he@it has
been@become wanted
by somebody
(he wanted
(he has wanted
'%kht""r(a)
- '
'ikhtaar(a)
- '
w (he@it was@became
chosen by somebody
w (he@it has
been@become chosen
by somebody
(he chose
(he has chosen
'%st%"""d(a)
-~ ' ~
'ista"aad(a
)
-~ ' ~
w (he@it was@became
taken back by
somebody
w (he@it has
been@become taken
back by somebody
(he took back
(he has taken back

!he internal long "owel of the imperfecti"e hollow "erbs will always
become a long A in the passi"e "oice (corresponds to the green "owel a
regardless of anything and in all the "erb forms.
&?!!?&

&?""?& &?aa?&
&?aa?&

71amples'
+assi"e Acti"e
y%qaal(%)
- .
yaq!!l(%)
- .
w (he@it is@becomes
said by somebody
w (he@it is
being@becoming said
by somebody
w (he@it will
be@become said by
somebody
(he says
(he is saying
(he will say
y%baa"(%)
- - _
yab"""(%)
- - _
w (he@it is@becomes
sold by somebody
w (he@it is
being@becoming sold
by somebody
w (he@it will
be@become sold by
somebody
(he sells
(he is selling
(he will sell
y%khaaf(%)
- = -
yakhaaf(%)
- = -

w (he@it is@becomes
feared by somebody
w (he@it will
be@become feared by
somebody
(he fears
(he will fear
y%raad(%)
- ' ~
y%r""d(%)
- - ~
w (he@it is@becomes
wanted by somebody
w (he@it will
be@become wanted by
somebody
(he wants
(he will want
y%khtaar(%)
- -=
yakhtaar(%)
- -=
w (he@it is@becomes
chosen by somebody
w (he@it is
being@becoming
chosen by somebody
w (he@it will
be@become chosen by
somebody
(he chooses
(he is choosing
(he will choose
y%sta"aad(%
)
- -~ ~
yasta"""d(%
)
- -~ ~
w (it is@becomes
responded by
somebody
w (it is
being@becoming
responded by
somebody
w (it will be@become
responded by
somebody
(he responds
(he is responding
(he will respond

Adding pronominal prefi1es and suffi1es to passi"e hollow "erbs works =ust
like for the acti"e hollow "erbs2 howe"er, there is a little difference that
regards perfecti"e hollow "erbs.
6or the acti"e perfecti"e hollow "erbs, we e1plained that the middle long A will
be replaced in most con=ugations with a specific short "owel.
(on=ugation of +erfecti"e 0ollow ,erbs
(Acti"e ,oice
6orm I
fawal(a) aa H %
fayal(a)
aa H i
fa"il(a)
3ther 6orms aa H a

In the passi"e "oice of from I, the resultant middle short "owel will be the
opposite of that of the acti"e "erbs.
(on=ugation of +erfecti"e 0ollow ,erbs
(+assi"e ,oice
6orm I
fawal(a) "" H i
fayal(a)
"" H %
fa"il(a)
3ther 6orms "" H i

71amples'
+assi"e Acti"e
qilt(%)
-
q%lt(%)
-
w (I was@became said
by somebody
(I said
b%"t(%)
-
bi"t(%)
-
w (I was@became sold
by somebody
(I sold
kh%ft(%)
- -
khift(%)
- -
w (I was@became feared
by somebody
(I feared
'%ridt(%)
~
'aradt(%)
~
w (I was@became
wanted by somebody
(I wanted

It is important to note that passi"e perfecti"e hollow form I "erbs are "irtually
ne"er used in Modern Standard Arabic in con=ugations that re:uire replacing
their middle ""9s with a short "owel, that is, the abo"e mentioned rule of
changing % to i and i to % in these "erbs is only of theoretical and historical
notability but not of practical one.

f ?efecti"e ,erbs

Since the green short "owel in the passi"e perIectve verbs s lwys i, these
"erbs will always end with &iy(a).

71amples'

+assi"e Acti"e
d%"iy(a)
= ~
da"aa
= ~
w (he@it was@became
called by somebody
w (he@it has
been@became called by
somebody
(he called
(he has called
'%tiy(a)

'ataa

w (he@it was@became
came (to by somebody
w (he@it has
been@became came (to
by somebody
(he came (to
(he has came
(to
n%siy(a)
~ -
nasiy(a)
~ -
w (he@it was@became
forgotten by somebody
w (he@it has
been@became forgotten
by somebody
(he forgot
(he has forgotten
'%nt%hiy(a)
-- '
'intahaa
-- '
w (it was@became
finished by somebody
w (he@it has
been@became finished
by somebody
(he finished
(he has finished

Since the green short "owel in the passi"e imperfecti"e "erbs is always a,
these "erbs will always end with &aa.

71amples'

+assi"e Acti"e
y%d"aa
- = ~
yad"%w
- = ~
w (he@it is@becomes
called by somebody
w (he@it is
being@becoming
called by somebody
w (he@it will
be@become called by
somebody
(he calls
(he is calling
(he will call
y%'<taa
-
ya'<tiy
-
w (he@it is@becomes
came (to by
somebody
w (he@it is
being@becoming
came (to by
somebody
w (he@it will
be@become came (to
by somebody
(he comes
(he is coming
(he will come
y%nsaa
- ~
yansaa
- ~
w (he@it is@becomes
forgotten by
somebody
w (he@it will
be@become forgotten
by somebody
(he forgets
(he will forget
y%ntahaa
- -
yantahiy
- -
w (he@it is@becomes
w (he@it is
being@becoming
w (he@it will
be@become finished
by somebody
(he finishes
(he is finishing
(he will finish

+assi"e defecti"e "erbs take pronominal prefi1es and suffi1es =ust like the
acti"e "erbs.

I,. 7nfolding ,erbs
71amples'
+assi"e Acti"e
l%wiy(a)

lawaa
,
w (he@it was@became
bent by somebody
w (he@it has
been@become bent
by somebody
(he bent (tr.
(he has bent (tr.
y%lwaa
- ,
yalwiy
-
w (he@it is@becomes
bent by somebody
w (he@it is
being@becoming bent
by somebody
w (he@it will
be@become bent by
somebody
(he bends (tr.
(he is bending (tr.
(he will bend (tr.

and defecti"e "erbs. !hese "erbs get the dealing of both Mithaal and defecti"e
"erbs together.
71amples'
+assi"e Acti"e
w%"iy(a)
=
wa"aa
=
w (he@it was@became
understood by somebody
w (he@it has
been@become understood
by somebody
(he understood
(he has
understood
y%w"aa
- =
ya"iy
-
w (he@it is@becomes
w (he@it is
being@becoming
(he understands
(he is
understanding
(he will
understand

7nfolding ,erbs
)oot' C-C-C
)oot' C-C-C

3ransiti1e and ,ntransiti1e Passi1e "erbs
!he passi"e "oice is two types, personal passi"e and impersonal passi"e.
+ersonal +assi"e
0e was known as a smart guy
Impersonal +assi"e
It is now known that this was not true

!he personal passi"e can only be made out of transiti"e "erbs ("erbs that can
ha"e ob=ects.
6or e1ample'
Acti"e +assi"e
0e saw something 0e was seen
0e ate something 0e was eaten
0e smelled something 0e was smelt
0e slept ... ...
0e died ... ...
0e got sick ... ...

-otice that "erbs that cannot ha"e ob=ects (intransiti"e "erbs like 5sleep5 and
5die5 cannot be made into personal passi"e2 it is not possible to 5sleep
something5 or 5die something,5 so there is no such thing as for someone 5to
be slept5 or 5to be died.5

0owe"er, for the impersonal passi"e, there is indeed such thing as 5to be
slept5 or 5to be died25 the impersonal passi"e can be made out of intransiti"e
as well as transiti"e "erbs.

71amples'

Acti"e +assi"e
Somebody saw It was seen (by somebody
Somebody ate It was eaten (by somebody
Somebody smelled It was smelt (by somebody
Somebody slept It was slept (by somebody
Somebody died It was died (by somebody
Somebody got sick It was gotten sick (by somebody

In Arabic, any "erb can be made passi"e.

8hen trnstve verbs re mde nto the pssve oI the nknown, they wll hve
ether one oI two menngs:

+ersonal +assi"e
w (0e was@became done by
somebody
Impersonal +assi"e w (It was@became done by somebody

8hen ntrnstve verbs re mde nto the pssve oI the nknown, they wll hve
only one menng:

+ersonal +assi"e ---
Impersonal +assi"e w (It was@became done by somebody

71amples on passi"e intransiti"e "erbs'

+assi"e Acti"e
th%hib(a)
- - ~
thahab(a)
- - ~
w (it was gone by
somebody
Hsomebody went
(he went
t%"ib(a)
-
ta"ib(a)
-
w (it was become
tired by somebody
Hsomebody
became tired
(he became tired
f%rih(a)

farih(a)

w (it was become
happy by somebody
Hsomebody
became happy
(he became happy
s%hil(a)
~
sah%l(a)
~
w (it was
5been5@become
easy(er by
somebody
Hsomebody
was@became
easy(er
(he was@became
easy(er
s%rir(a)
-
sar%r(a)
-
w it was
5been5@become
small(er by
somebody
H somebody
was@became
small(er (
(he was@became
small(er
'%nt%liq(a)
= - '
'intalaq(a)
= - '
w it was
5been5@become
launched by
somebody
H somebody
was@became
launched
(he was@became
launched
'%jt%hid(a)
~ - '
'ijtahad(a)
~ - '
w it was
5been5@become
diligent by
somebody
H somebody
was@became
diligent
(he was@became
diligent
'%khd%rr(a
)
- '
'ikhdarr(a)
- '
w it was greened
(up by somebody
H somebody
greened (up (
(he greened (up
'%st%jiyb(a
)
= -~ ' -
'istajaab(a
)
= -~ '
w it was answered
by somebody
H somebody
answered
(he answered
(plea, responded

Such passi"e intransiti"e "erbs are not uncommon in Arabic. ,erb forms that
are always or fre:uently intransiti"e include forms ,I, ,II, IE, E, EI, fa"%l(a)
"erbs of form I, and others.

A simplified formula for the meaning of passi"e intransiti"e "erbs would be'
(Somebody did
!his is particularly useful for stati"e "erbs which do not ha"e direct 7nglish
e:ui"alents such as ta"ib(a), farih(a), sah%l(a), etc.

6or e1ample, the "erb'
~
salim(a)
(0e was@became safe

!he passi"e is'
~
s%lim(a)
(Somebody was@became safe
8e =ust changed 5he5 to 5somebody25 this is simpler than going through the
full formula 5it was 5been5@become safe by somebody.5

Acti"e ,oice +assi"e ,oice
!ransiti"e ,erb (0e did w (0e was@became
done by somebody
w (Somebody did
Intransiti"e ,erb (0e did w (Somebody did

Pronouns

+ronouns in Arabic - - ' belong to the category of 5nouns.5 !herefore,
e"erything that applies to nouns will apply to them. +ronouns ha"e genders,
numbers, and grammatical case. +ronouns are always definite nouns.
+ronouns in Arabic are four categories'
Sub=ect +ronouns'
Separate Sub=ect +ronouns
Attached Sub=ect +ronouns

3b=ect +ronouns'
Separate 3b=ect +ronouns
Attached 3b=ect +ronouns

eparate ub+ect Pronouns

- - ' _ ' --
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
I
'anaa
-
;ou (masc.
'ant(a)
- -
;ou (fem.
'anti
- -
0e
h%w(a)
-
She
hiy(a)
-
D
U
A
L
;ou
'ant%maa
--
!hey
h%maa
-
P
L
U
R
A
L
8e (dual @
plu.
nahn(%)
= -
;ou (masc.
'ant%m
--
;ou (fem.
'ant%nn(a)
--
!hey (masc.
h%m
-
!hey (fem.
h%nn(a (
-
In Arabic, a mi1ed group of males and females will be always referred to by
plural masculine pronouns or con=ugations.
Separate sub=ect pronouns work similarly to the 7nglish ones.
71amples'
- ~
'anaa 'ahmad(%)
+ I (am Ahmad
!ranslation' I am Ahmad
/+roper names must ha"e noonation, but 'ahmad cannot be noonated
because it belongs to the 5forbidden to noonation5 - - ' ~ _ ' words,
which cannot be noonated.
- - -
'ant(a) ta"rif(%)
G ;ou know
!ranslation' you know

= - -
nahn(%) h%naa
G 8e (are here
!ranslation' we are here

~ -
man h%m
G who (are they
!ranslation' who are theya

3ne important difference from 7nglish is that separate sub=ect pronouns can
be omitted from sentences in Arabic in many situations. !his is because
nominal declensions of the "erbs make it clear who the sub=ect is (or as in
Arabic grammar, those declensions are themsel"es sub=ect pronouns as we
will see shortly.
71amples'
= ' ~ -
'a%r""d(%) ('a)l&haq""qa(ta)
G (I want the truth
!ranslation' I want the truth

- ~ '~ ~
maathaa sa&naf"al(%)
G what will (we do
!ranslation' what will we doa

+ronouns of Separation

!hanks to the many word declensions in Arabic, which often indicate the
gender and the number of the sub=ect, separate sub=ect pronouns ha"e really
little significance in regard to the synta1 of Arabic sentences. !his is actually
the case for all old-fashioned languages as well, such as .atin for instance.
0owe"er, separate sub=ect pronouns are still used a lot in Arabic. !hey are
most often used pleonastically for emphasi*ing either the sub=ect or the ob=ect
of a sentence. Sometimes, howe"er, they can be important to clarify the
meaning of a sentence, this will be usually when they are used in present
tense 5be5-sentences.
Separate sub=ect pronouns are called 5pronouns of separation5 - -
- -'when they are used without grammatical necessity. !his will be the case
for separate sub=ect pronouns in most of the time.
+ronouns of separation will be used in the following situations'

#. In present tense 5be5 sentences
!his is a "ital usage. If the sub=ect and the predicate of a present tense 5be5
sentence were both definite words, the meaning of the phrase could be
ambiguous.
71ample'
- - ~ ' - '
'ibraah""m(%) ('a)l&m%d""r(%) h%naa

!his sentence can mean either one of the following'
(# Ibrahim, the manager, (is here
(& Ibrahim (is the manager here
!his is because the word - ~ ' can be either an ad=ecti"e or a predicate.
So to make a distinction (a separation between the two, it is usual to add a
separate sub=ect pronoun in place of the non-e1isting 5be5 in present tense
5be5-sentences. !hat is, between the sub=ect and the predicate.
- ' - - ~ ' -
'ibraah""m(%) h%w(a) ('a)l&m%d""r(%)
h%naa
G Ibrahim he (is the manager here
!ranslation' Ibrahim is the manager here

A similar ambiguity can also occur when the sub=ect and the predicate are
both indefinite words, but it is "ery uncommon in Arabic for the sub=ect of a
5be5-sentence to be an indefinite word. !hat is, a sentence of the type 5a man
is here,5 for e1ample, will not be "irtually used in Arabic. Instead, such
sentences will be often e1pressed "ia demonstrati"es, e.g. 5there is a man
here.5
Additional e1amples'
~ ~ - ~ - -
s%"aad(%) hiy(a) '%kht(%) yaasam""n(a)
G Su9ad she (is (the sister (of Casmine
!ranslation' Su9ad is Casmine9s sister
4oth ~ ~ and ~ - are 5forbidden to -oonation,5 hence the irregular case-
signs. hiy(a) was used to disambiguate from 5Su9ad, Casmine9s sister, ...5
but clearly it was not a must here because there was nothing after the clause
~ - - . So one can say that the employment of the separation pronoun
was optional in this case.

= ' - ' - =
'ar&rabaat(%) hiy(a) "aasima(t%) ('a)l&
marrib(i)
G )abat she (is (the capital (of Morocco
!ranslation' )abat is the capital of Morocco
hiy(a) was used to disambiguate from 5)abat, the capital of Morocco, ...5
Again, the use of the separation pronoun was optional here.

&. 4etween "erbs and coordinators
!he pronouns of separation are often used between "erbs and coordinator
con=unctions.
71ample'
- - ~ '~ = ~
thahab(a) wa&m%hammada(n)
G (he went with Muhammad
!ranslation' he went with Muhammad
In this sentence, the "erb was not followed by a sub=ect pronoun2 so the
coordinator wa& G 5and5 would not ha"e made any sense here. !his is why
the noun after the coordinator was put in the accusati"e (nasb) case to
indicate that the wa& G 5and5 in this sentence means 5with.5 !his is a general
rule.
- - ~ - ~ = ~
thahab(a) h%w(a) wa&m%hammad(%n)
G went he and Muhammad
!ranslation' he and Muhammad went
0ere, the separate sub=ect pronoun allowed the coordinator wa& to ha"e the
meaning of 5and,5 and the noun after the coordinator was in the nominati"e
case again.
0owe"er, it is still possible for wa& to mean 5with5 in this sentence, we ha"e
=ust to change the case, as in the following sentence'
- - ~ - '~ = ~
thahab(a) h%w(a) wa&m%hammada(n)
G went he with Muhammad
!ranslation' he went with Muhammad
So it all depends on the case-sign.

' -- ~ '
'ithhab!! wa&'akhaa&k%m
G (you go with (the brother (of you
!ranslation' go with your brother
is one of the 5Si1 -ouns,5 so it takes irregular case-signs.
' -- ~ ' --
'ithhab!! 'ant%m wa&'akh!!&k%m
G go you and (the brother (of you
!ranslation' go you and your brother

' -- ~ ' --
'ithhab!! 'ant%m wa&'akhaa&k%m
G go you with (the brother (of you
!ranslation' go with your brother

O. 6or emphasis
Anywhere other than in the two situations mentioned abo"e, the pronouns of
separation can be used2 but there they will not be used for disambiguation but
rather for emphasi*ing the sub=ect, or the ob=ect.
71amples'
-
kaan(a) h%naa
G (he was here
!ranslation' he was here

- -
h%w(a) kaan(a) h%naa
G he was here
!ranslation' 07 was here

' = ' -
ya"rif!!n(a) ('a)l&jawaab(a)
G (they know the answer
!ranslation' they know the answer

- ' = ' -
h%m ya"rif!!n(a) ('a)l&jawaab(a)
G they know the answer
!ranslation' !07; know the answer

q%m
G (you get up
!ranslation' get up

- -
q%m 'ant(a)
G get up you
!ranslation' ;3% get up!

Pronouns (continued)

8% Attached ub+ect Pronouns
!hese are contained within the declensions that appear at the end of "erbs,
both perfecti"e and imperfecti"e.

6% Perfecti1e "erbs
!he declensions of perfecti"e "erbs are composed of attached sub=ect
pronouns and of marker letters. !here are no mood signs for the perfecti"e
"erbs because these are 5built5 words that ha"e only one, unchangeable,
mood.

- - ' _ ' --

Marker +ronoun ?eclension
#
st
+erson
#st
person
marker
= -'
&t(%)
-
taa'< of the actor

= -' -
&naa

naa of the actors
&
nd
+erson
Masculine
marker
= -'
&t(a)
-
taa'< of the actor
6eminine
marker
= -'
&ti
-
taa'< of the actor
?ual
marker
= -'
&t%maa
-
taa'< of the actor
Masculine
plural
marker
= -'
&t%m
-
taa'< of the actor
6eminine
plural
marker
= -'
&t%nn(a)
-
taa'< of the actor
O
rd
+erson

`'
&aa

'alif of the two
6eminine
taa'<
`'
&ataa
-
'alif of the two

= = ' '
&!!
'
waaw of the group

- ~ ' -
&n(a)

n!!n of the women

8% ,mperfecti1e "erbs
Imperfecti"e "erb con=ugations are two types, the 5fi"e "erbs,5 which ha"e
suffi1es attached to the stem "erb, and the rest of the con=ugations which
ha"e only prefi1es but suffi1es.
!he suffi1es of the 5fi"e "erbs5 are composed of attached sub=ect pronouns
followed by a letter n!!n which is the indicati"e mood sign. !his n!!n is a
sign only of the indicati"e mood and it will not appear in the other moods.
!here is one e1ception to what has been mentioned, that is the feminine plural
con=ugations. !hese are 5built5 words that ha"e unchangeable suffi1 that is
composed of a single pronoun-letter.
!he attached sub=ect pronouns of the imperfecti"e "erbs are'
- - ' _ ' --
Mood Sign +ronoun ?eclension
Sign of the
indicati"e mood
-= = ' -
&""n(a)

yaa'< of the female
"ocati"e
Sign of the
indicati"e mood
`'
&aan(i)

'alif of the two
Sign of the
indicati"e mood
= = ' '
&!!n(a)

waaw of the group

- ~ ' -
&n(a)

n!!n of the women

0iding +ronouns

Since that not all "erbs ha"e declensions that can be deemed sub=ect
pronouns, Arab grammarians postulated that there should be an in"isible
5hiding pronoun5 --~ ~ - after each "erb that is without a declension.

0iding +ronoun ,erb 8ithout Attached +ronoun
(0e
( - "
+ast' Ord person sing. masc.

(She
( - "
+ast' Ord person sing. fem.
-
(I
( - "
+resent' #st person sing.

(;ou
( - - "
+resent' &nd person sing. masc.
-
(0e
( - "
+resent' Ord person sing. masc.
- -
(She
( - "
+resent' Ord person sing. fem.
-
(8e
( = - "
+resent' #st person plu.@dual
- -
!he - at the end of the Ord person singular feminine past "erb is -3! an
attached sub=ect pronoun but rather is a feminine marker (still feminine taa'<
~ ' - - -' .
If a separate sub=ect pronoun appears after a "erb that has an attached
sub=ect pronoun, it will be an emphatic pronoun but not a sub=ect.
In Arabic grammar, the #st and &nd person hiding pronouns are said to be
5obligatory hiding pronouns5 - --~ ~ , there will be always a hiding
pronoun after #st and &nd person con=ugations of "erbs without attached
sub=ect pronouns, and if a separate sub=ect pronoun appears after them it will
be an emphatic pronoun but not a sub=ect.
3n the other hand, the Ord person hiding pronouns are 5optionally hiding
pronouns5 ' ' - --~ ~ . !here will be no hiding pronoun if a separate
pronoun appears after Ord person con=ugations of "erbs without attached
sub=ect pronouns.

9% eparate )b+ect Pronouns
!hese can be used both as direct and indirect ob=ect pronouns. !he former
use is rare in the modern language, whereas the latter is "ery common e"en
in the collo:uial spoken dialects.

Separate ob=ect pronouns
- - ' - - ' - -
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
Me
'iyyaay(a)
-
;ou (masc.
'iyyaak(a)
- =
;ou (fem.
'iyyaaki
- =
0im
'iyyaah(%)
- -
0er
'iyyaahaa
- -
D
U
A
L
;ou
'iyyaak%maa
-
!hem
'iyyaah%maa
- -
P
L
U
R
A
L
%s (dual @ plu.
'iyyaanaa
- -
;ou (masc.
'iyyaak%m
-
;ou (fem.
'iyyaak%nn(a)
-
!hem (masc.
'iyyaah%m
- -
!hem (fem.
'iyyaah%nn(a)
- -

,% *irect )b+ect
8hen separate ob=ect pronouns ser"e as direct ob=ect pronouns they must
come before the "erb. !his usage is mostly found in classical writings.
71amples'
= - ~ - -
'iyyaak(a) na"b%d(%)
G thee (we worship
!ranslation' we worship thee

Separate ob=ect pronouns can come after the "erb if they were preceded by a
con=unction word.
~ - -
shakart%&h(%) wa&'iyyaah%m
G (I thanked him and them
!ranslation' I thanked him and them

Separate ob=ect pronouns come also after the "erb if they were preceded by
the word 'illaa ` G 5e1cept.5
~ - - ` ` - -
laa na"b%d(%) 'illaa 'iyyaah(%)
G not (we worship (anybody e1cept him
!ranslation' we worship him solely
/-ote' this sentence uses the negation N e1clusion style e1plained in this
page.

6inally, separate ob=ect pronouns can be used in a warning style.

= - ! - ~ ' -
'iyyaak(a) wa&th&thahaab(a)
G (I warn you of the going
!ranslation' I warn you not to go!

8arning Style
(I warn you of ...
sing. masc.
= - -
sing. fem.
= - -
dual
- -
plu. masc.
- -
plu. fem.
- -

,,% ,ndirect )b+ect
Separate ob=ect pronouns ser"e as indirect ob=ect pronouns only when the
direct ob=ect is an attached ob=ect pronoun.
= = - -
'a"ti&n"" 'iyyaahaa
G gi"e me her
!ranslation' gi"e it to me
!he attached ob=ect pronoun &n"" G me ser"ed as the direct ob=ect here,
while the separate ob=ect pronoun ser"ed as the indirect ob=ect.
- - - ~ -
'iyyaah(%) '%hd""&k(a)
G him (I present you
!ranslation' I gi"e it to you as a present
0ere, the separate ob=ect pronoun ser"ed again as an indirect ob=ect, but it
came before the "erb. !he direct ob=ect was the attached ob=ect pronoun
&k(a) G you.

@% Attached )b+ect Pronouns
!hese are the ob=ect pronouns that are used most often. !hey can ser"e both
as direct and indirect ob=ect pronouns.
- - ' = ' - - ' --
S
I
N
Me
&""

;ou (masc.
&k(a)

G
U
L
;ou (fem.
&k(i)

0im
&h(%)

0er
&haa

D
U
A
L
;ou
&k%maa

!hem
&h%maa

P
L
U
R
A
L
%s (dual @
plu.
&naa

;ou (masc.
&k%m

;ou (plu.
fem.
&
k%nn(a)

!hem (masc.
&h%m

!hem (fem.
&
h%nn(a)

Although it does not really ha"e any practical implication, it should be said (for
the sake of perfection that the attached ob=ect pronouns are only the letters
colored in blue, whereas the rest are =ust markers. 0ere are the names of the
pronouns'
- - ' = ' - - ' --

Marker +ronoun ?eclension
#
st
+erson

- ' -
&""

yaa'< of the
speaker

- ' -
&naa

naa of speakers
&
nd
+erson
Masculine
marker
= = ' -
&k(a)

kaaf of the
"ocati"e
6eminine
marker
= = ' -
&k(i)

kaaf of the
"ocati"e
?ual
marker
= = ' -
&k%maa

kaaf of the
"ocati"e
Masculine
plural
marker
= = ' -
&k%m

kaaf of the
"ocati"e
6eminine = = ' -
&
plural
marker
k%nn(a)

kaaf of the
"ocati"e
O
rd
+erson
Masculine
marker
- ' -
&h(%)

haa'< of absence
6eminine
marker
- ' -
&haa

haa'< of absence
?ual
marker
- ' -
&h%maa

haa'< of absence
Masculine
plural
marker
- ' -
&h%m

haa'< of absence
6eminine
plural
marker
- ' -
&
h%nn(a)

haa'< of absence

,% *irect )b+ect

!his is often when the attached ob=ect pronoun is attached to "erbs.
71amples'
-
'a%hibb%&k(i)
/ (I lo"e you (sing. fem.
!ranslation' I lo"e you

-
'a%hibb%&k(a)
/ (I lo"e you (sing. masc.
!ranslation' I lo"e you

fa"ala&haa
/ (0e did her
!ranslation' he did it

= ~
sa&'%"allim%&h(%)
G (I will teach him
!ranslation' I will teach him

-
na"rif%&h%m
G (we know them (plu. masc.
!ranslation' we know them

- -
qaalataa&haa
G (they dual fem. said her
!ranslation' they said it

A n!!n will be prefi1ed to the attached first person singular ob=ect
pronoun &"" to become &n"" in the following situations'

8hen it is attached to "erbs.
8hen it is attached to either one of the two particles ( ~ M = .
!his n!!n is called the 5n!!n of protection5 - ' - .
71amples'
~ = ~ - !
saa"id!!&n""
G (you pl msc) help me
!ranslation' help me!

~
sa&ya"rifna&n""
G (they pl Iem) wll know me
!ranslation' they will know me

An additional waaw will also be prefi1ed to the same pronoun when it is
attached to a &nd person masculine plural perfecti"e "erb.
So the &"" pronoun will become here &!!n"".
-- -
ra'ayt%m&!!n""
G (you pl msc) sw me
!ranslation' you saw me

Attachment 6orm of +ronoun 5me5
!o nouns and most particles
&""

!o "erbs and to the particles
( ~ M =
&n""

!o &nd person masculine
plural perfecti"e "erbs
&!!n""
-

Another changeable pronouns are the Ord person pronouns. Most Arabs of
ancient times didn9t like the following combinations of sounds'
i&h%
""&h%
ay&h%
8hen these combinations occur, the h% of the attached pronoun will be
changed to hi'
Another way to say this is that the h% will become hi if the pronoun was
precede by a short "owel i or a consonant letter yaa'< y'
71amples'
= =
'a"ti&h(i)
G (you sng msc) gve hm
!ranslation' gi"e him

= =
'a"t""&him
G (you sing. fem. gi"e them (plu. masc.
!ranslation' gi"e them

- -
y%r""&hinn(a)
G (he shows them (plu. fem.
!ranslation' he shows them

6orms of Ord +erson Attached 3b=ect +ronouns
+receded by i, "", or ay )egular
&h(i)

&h(%)

&haa

&haa

&himaa

&h%maa

&him

&h%m

&hinn(a)

&h%nn(a)

!he attached ob=ect pronouns will also be in the direct ob=ect ('an&nasb) case
when they are attached to the "erb-like particles - -~ ' - '. 3ne
of the reasons that these particles were designated like that is because they
can be attached to ob=ect pronouns.
71amples'
- = - -
layta&n"" k%nt(%) h%naak(a)
/ it is wished if me was there
!ranslation' I wish if I were there
layt(a)- is a "erb-like particle that is used for whishing. 4eing "erb-like,
it takes the form &n"" of the#st person singular attached ob=ect pronoun
(me. !he perfecti"e "erb k%nt(%) - was used because perfecti"e "erbs in
Arabic can be used as sub=uncti"e "erbs. !his is similar to 7nglish where the
past form is also the sub=uncti"e.
- '~ '
'inna&h(%) f"" ('a)d&daakhil(i)
/ it is true that him in the inside
!ranslation' he9s inside

-- - ~ ~
laakinna&k%nn(a) qad thahabt%nn(a)
/ but you (plu. fem. ha"e gone
!ranslation' but you9"e gone

' =
la"alla&haa t%mt"r(%) ('a)l&yawm(a)
/ it is hoped that her will rain today
!ranslation' I hope it will rain today

As for the#st person singular attached ob=ect pronoun (me and the "erb-like
particles, these particles can all take the two forms interchangeably, e1cept for
layt(a)- to which it is "ery recommended that it take the form &n"" only.

6orms of ,erb-like +articles with the #st +erson
Singular Attached 3b=ect +ronoun
'inn&""
-
'inna&n""
-
'ann&""
-
'anna&n""
-
ka'ann&""
-
ka'anna&n""
-
laakinn&""

laakinna&n""

la"all&""

la"alla&n""

&&& ---
layta&n""
-


,,% ,ndirect )b+ect

Attached ob=ect pronouns ser"e as indirect ob=ects by attachment to nouns (to
form geniti"e constructions, to prepositions, or to "erbs along with other
pronouns.

Indirect Objects of Verbs
!his is an archaic usage. In the modern language, the indirect, or second,
ob=ect of a "erb would usually be referred to by a separate ob=ect pronoun as
we showed earlier.
71amples'
- = =
'a"tayt%&ka&h(%)
/ (I ga"e you him
!ranslation' I ga"e it to you

-~ -
sa'alt%m&!!n""&haa
G (you plu. masc. asked me her
!ranslation' you asked me for it
3r' you asked me about it
An important note here is that the order of pronouns attached to "erb does not
depend on which one is direct ob=ect and which one is indirect. )ather, the #st
person pronouns will always come before the &nd person pronouns in order,
and these will always come before the Ord person pronouns.

Object Pronons Att!c"ed to Nons
3b=ect pronouns will be attached to nouns to form geniti"e constructions.

1 Object Pronons Attched to Snglr Nons

#) 'ar&raf" C!se
'ar&raf" case _ ' is the nominati"e or the sub=ect case.
71ample'

tem noun. kitaab(%n) A a book - $'ar&raf"
C!se)
Meaning literal translation 71ample
My book
kitaab&"" G (the book (of me
-
;our book (sing.
masc.
kitaab%&k(a) G (the book (of
you
-
;our book (sing. fem.
kitaab%&k(i) G (the book (of you
-
0is book
kitaab%&h(%) G (the book (of
him
-
0er book
kitaab%&haa G (the book (of her
-
;our book (dual
kitaab%&k%maa G (the book (of
them
-
!heir book (dual
kitaab%&h%maa G (the book (of
them
-
3ur book
kitaab%&naa G (the book (of us
-
;our book (plu.
masc.
kitaab%&k%m G (the book (of
you
-
;our book (plu. fem.
kitaab%&k%nn(a) G (the book
(of you
-
!heir book (plu.
masc.
kitaab%&h%m G (the book (of
them
-
!heir book (plu. fem.
kitaab%&h%nn(a) G (the book
(of them
-
)emember that the word forming the first part of a geniti"e construction is
always a definite word.
Also note that attaching the pronoun &"" G 5me,5 to a noun will not allow
the case-sign to appear, it will be called 5estimated5 - ~ ~ between the noun
and the pronoun.

Attachment of 6st Person ingular )b+ect Pronoun to
-ouns Ending With a /ong "o#el

.ong "owels at the end of nouns will turn the &"" + &iy into a &y(a). !he
same transformation will also occur when adding the &"" to dual and
masculine plural nouns, as we shall see in the ne1t page.

71amples'
- =
"asaa&y(a)
G (the stick (of me
!ranslation' my stick@cane

~ = ~
m%haam""&y(a) + m%haamiy&y(a)
G (the attorney (of me
!ranslation' my attorney

!he consonant &y was followed by a short "owel &a in this case in order to
pre"ent two still letters from directly following each other, which is a bad thing
in Arabic.

%) 'an&nasb C!se
'an&nasb case - - ' is the accusati"e, dati"e or "ocati"e cases.
!hings here are like what they were for the pre"ious case.
tem noun. kitaaba(n) A a book - $'an&nasb
C!se)
My book
-
;our book (sing.
masc.
kitaaba&k(a) G (the book (of you
-
;our book (sing. fem.
kitaaba&k(i) G (the book (of you
-
0is book
kitaaba&h(%) G (the book (of him
-
0er book
kitaaba&haa G (the book (of her
-
;our book (dual
kitaaba&k%maa G (the book (of
them
-
!heir book (dual
kitaaba&h%maa G (the book (of
them
-
3ur book
kitaaba&naa G (the book (of us
-
;our book (plu. masc.
kitaaba&k%m G (the book (of you
-
kitaaba&k%nn(a) G (the book (of
you
-
!heir book (plu.
masc.
kitaaba&h%m G (the book (of them
-
kitaaba&h%nn(a) G (the book (of
them
-

&) 'al&jarr C!se
'al&jarr case is the ablati"e or the geniti"e cases. !he regular case-sign for
this case is a short "owel &i, which is one of the three sounds ( &i, &"", and
&ay that lead to bad combinations with Ord person pronouns. !herefore, we
will see here changes in the third person pronouns.
tem noun. kitaab(in) A a book , - $'al&jarr
C!se)
My book
-
;our book (sing.
masc.
kitaabi&k(a) G (the book (of you
-
;our book (sing.
fem.
kitaabi&k(i) G (the book (of you
-
0is book
kitaabi&h(i) G (the book (of him
-
0er book
kitaabi&haa G (the book (of her
-
;our book (dual
kitaabi&k%maa G (the book (of
them
-
!heir book (dual
kitaabi&himaa G (the book (of
them
-
3ur book
kitaabi&naa G (the book (of us
-
;our book (plu.
masc.
kitaabi&k%m G (the book (of you
-
kitaabi&k%nn(a) G (the book (of
you
-
!heir book (plu.
masc.
kitaabi&him G (the book (of them
-
kitaabi&hinn(a) G (the book (of
them
-

2 Object Pronons Attched to Dl Nons
In the geniti"e construction section, we saw that the noun declensions which
ha"e n!!n at their ends (dual and masculine plural must lose the n!!n
when they are the first part of a geniti"e construction. !his is still true here.
As we mentioned in the pre"ious page, the form &y(a) of the #st person
singular pronoun must be used instead of the standard &"" when adding the
pronoun to dual or masculine plural nouns.

#) 'ar&raf" C!se

-oun. kitaabaan(i) A t#o books - $'ar&raf"
C!se)
My two books
kitaabaa&y(a) G (the two books (of me
-
;our two books
(sing. masc.
kitaabaa&k(a) G (the two books (of you
- =
;our two books
(sing. fem.
kitaabaa&k(i) G (the two books (of you
- =
0is two books
kitaabaa&h(%) G (the two books (of him
- -
0er two books
kitaabaa&haa G (the two books (of her
- -
;our two books
(dual
kitaabaa&k%maa G (the two books (of
them
-
!heir two books
(dual
kitaabaa&h%maa G (the two books (of
them
- -
3ur two books

kitaabaa&naa G (the two books (of us
- -
;our two books
(plu. masc.
kitaabaa&k%m G (the two books (of you
-
;our two books
(plu. fem.
kitaabaa&k%nn(a) G (the two books (of
you
-
!heir two books
(plu. masc.
kitaabaa&h%m G (the two books (of
them
- -
!heir two books
(plu. fem.
kitaabaa&h%nn(a) G (the two books (of
them
- -

%) 'an&nasb ' 'al&jarr C!ses
In these cases the case-sign will be &ay, which will lead to bad combinations
with the third person pronouns and thus changes will be made.

-oun. kitaabayn(i) A t#o books - (3b=ect
(ase
My two books
kitaabay&y(a) G (the two books (of me
-
;our two books
(sing. masc.
kitaabay&k(a) G (the two books (of you
-
;our two books
(sing. fem.
kitaabay&k(i) G (the two books (of you
-
0is two books
kitaabay&h(i) G (the two books (of him
-
0er two books
kitaabay&haa G (the two books (of her
-
;our two books
(dual
kitaabay&k%maa G (the two books (of
them
-
!heir two books
(dual
kitaabay&himaa G (the two books (of
them
-
3ur two books
kitaabay&naa G (the two books (of us
-
;our two books
(plu. masc.
kitaabay&k%m G (the two books (of you
-
;our two books
(plu. fem.
kitaabay&k%nn(a) G (the two books
(of you
-
!heir two books
(plu. masc.
kitaabya&him G (the two books (of
them
-
!heir two books
(plu. fem.
kitaabay&hinn(a) G (the two books (of
them
-

3 Object Pronons Attched to Msclne Plrl Nons
!he n!!n at the end of masculine plural nouns must go away when they
form the first part of a geniti"e construction.
!he form &y(a) of the #st person singular pronoun must be used instead of
&"" .

#) 'ar&raf" C!se
!he &!! sign of this case will be turned to &"" when attaching the #st person
singular pronoun &"" to the noun. 7uphony is the only reason behind this
transformation and it does not mean that the case-sign has changed, nor has
the case of the noun which is still the sub=ect case.

m%"allim!!n(a)
~
m%"allim!!&y(a)
~
m%"allim""&y(a)
~

-oun. m%"allim!!n(a) A teachers ~ $'ar&raf"
C!se)
My teachers
m%"allim""&y(a) G (the teachers (of
me
~
;our teachers
(sing. masc.
m%"allim!!&k(a) G (the teachers (of
you
~ =
;our teachers
(sing. fem.
m%"allim!!&k(i) G (the teachers (of
you
~ =
0is teachers
m%"allim!!&h(%) G (the teachers (of
him
~ -
0er teachers
m%"allim!!&haa G (the teachers (of
her
~ -
;our teachers
(dual
m%"allim!!&k%maa G (the teachers
(of them
~
!heir teachers
(dual
m%"allim!!&h%maa G (the teachers
(of them
~ -
3ur teachers
m%"allim!!&naa G (the teachers (of
us
~ -
;our teachers
(plu. masc.
m%"allim!!&k%m G (the teachers (of
you
~
;our teachers
(plu. fem.
m%"allim!!&k%nn(a) G (the teachers
(of you
~
!heir teachers
(plu. masc.
m%"allim!!&h%mG (the teachers (of
them
~ -
!heir teachers
(plu. fem.
m%"allim!!&h%nn(a) G (the teachers
(of them
~ -

%) 'an&nasb ' 'al&jarr C!ses
In these cases the sign will be &"", which will lead to bad combinations with
the the third person pronouns and thus there will be changes.

-oun. m%"allim""n(a) A teachers ~ (3b=ect
(ase
My teachers
m%"allim""&y(a) G (the teachers (of
me
~
;our teachers
(sing. masc.
m%"allim""&k(a) G (the teachers (of
you
~
;our teachers
(sing. fem.
m%"allim""&k(i) G (the teachers (of
you
~
0is teachers
m%"allim""&h(i) G (the teachers (of
him
~
0er teachers
m%"allim""&haa G (the teachers (of
her
~
;our teachers
(dual
m%"allim""&k%maa G (the teachers
(of them
~
!heir teachers
(dual
m%"allim""&himaa G (the teachers
(of them
~
3ur teachers
m%"allim""&naa G (the teachers (of us
~
;our teachers
(plu. masc.
m%"allim""&k%m G (the teachers (of
you
~
;our teachers
(plu. fem.
m%"allim""&k%nn(a) G (the teachers
(of you
~
!heir teachers
(plu. masc.
m%"allim""&himG (the teachers (of
them
~
!heir teachers
(plu. fem.
m%"allim""&hinn(a) G (the teachers
(of them
~

6eminine plural and irregular plural nouns will beha"e =ust like regular nouns
when attached to ob=ect pronouns.

6orms of the #st +erson Singular 3b=ect +ronoun
8ith Attachment to -ouns
Singular -ouns
-ot 7nding 8ith .ong ,owel
&""
-y(a)
in Classical Arabic (Boran)
7nding 8ith .ong ,owel
&y(a)
?ual -ouns
&y(a)
+lural -ouns
&y(a)

4 Object Pronons Attched to Non Prepostons
Many prepositions in Arabic are nouns, and they can be attached to pronouns
to form geniti"e constructions =ust like any other nouns.
71amples'
In front of him
'amaama&h(%)
(in (the front (of him
~ ~
4ehind her
khalfa&haa
(in (the back (of her
-
%nderneath us
tahta&naa
(in (the underneath (of
us
-=
After you (plu. masc.
ba"da&k%m
(in (the 5after5 (of you
~
4efore them (plu. fem.
qabla&h%nn(a)
(in (the 5before5 (of them
-

Object Pronons Attched to Prtcles
+articles to which ob=ect pronouns can be attached are two types, the "erb-
like particles, which we already talked about, and the ablati"e particles.
!he ablati"e particles = ' - are prepositions. +ronouns attached to
them will be, =ust like any other noun after an ablati"e particle, in the ablati"e
case or 'aj&jarr.
71amples'
Particle. bi& A in 4 by 4 #ith
Meaning 71ample
in @ by @ with me
b&""

in @ by @ with you
(sing. masc.
bi&k(a)

in @ by @ with you
(sing. fem.
bi&k(i)

in @ by @ with him
bi&h(i)

in @ by @ with her
bi&haa

in @ by @ with them
(dual
bi&k%maa

in @ by @ with them
(dual
bi&himaa

in @ by @ with us
bi&naa

in @ by @ with you
(plu. masc.
bi&k%m

in @ by @ with you
(plu. fem.
bi&k%nn(a)

in @ by @ with them
(plu. masc.
bi&him

in @ by @ with them
(plu. fem.
bi&hinn(a)

)emember that the h% of Ord person pronouns must be turned to hi when
the pronoun is preceded by one of the sounds' &i , &"" , or &ay .
Another e1ample'
Particle. f"" G in
Meaning 71ample
in me
f""&y(a)

in you (sing. masc.
f""&k(a)

in you (sing. fem.
f""&k(i)

in him
f""&h(i)

in her
f""&haa

in them (dual
f""&k%maa

in them (dual
f""&himaa

in us
f""&naa

in you (plu. masc.
f""&k%m

in you (plu. fem.
f""&k%nn(a)

in them (plu. masc.
f""&him

in them (plu. fem.
f""&hinn(a)

8e mentioned before that the two particles ( ~ M = will be attached to the
&n"" form of the first person singular ob=ect pronoun.
6rom me
min&n""
~
About me
"an&n""
=

Particle. min ~ G from
Meaning 71ample
6rom me
min&n""
~
6rom you (sing.
masc.
min&k(a)
~
6rom you (sing.
fem.
min&k(i)
~
6rom him
min&h(%)
~
6rom her
min&haa
~
6rom them (dual
min&k%maa
~
6rom them (dual
min&h%maa
~
6rom us
min&naa
~
6rom you (plu.
masc.
min&k%m
~
6rom you (plu. fem.
min&k%nn(a)
~
6rom them (plu.
masc.
min&h%m
~
6rom them (plu.
fem.
min&h%nn(a)
~

Particle. "an = G about
Meaning 71ample
About me
"an&n""
=
About you (sing.
masc.
"an&k(a)
=
About you (sing.
fem.
"an&k(i)
=
About him
"an&h(%)
=
About her
"an&haa
=
About them (dual
"an&k%maa
=
About them (dual
"an&h%maa
=
About us
"an&naa
=
About you (plu.
masc.
"an&k%m
=
About you (plu. fem.
"an&k%nn(a)
=
About them (plu.
masc.
"an&h%m
=
About them (plu.
fem.
"an&h%nn(a)
=

!he two particles M = will re:uire modification when attached to ob=ect
pronouns. !he last long "owel 'alif &aa (a.k.a shortened 'alif will be
changed to &ay when attaching the pronoun. !hat is, the 'alif will be changed
to yaa'<'

Particle. 'ilaa G to
Meaning 71ample
!o me
'ilay&y(a)

!o you (sing. masc.
'ilay&k(a)

!o you (sing. fem.
'ilay&k(i)

!o him
'ilay&h(i)

!o her
'ilay&haa

!o them (dual
'ilay&k%maa

!o them (dual
'ilay&himaa

!o us
'ilay&naa

!o you (plu. masc.
'ilay&k%m

!o you (plu. fem.
'ilay&k%nn(a)

!o them (plu. masc.
'ilay&him

!o them (plu. fem.
'ilay&hinn(a)

Particle. "alaa = G on
Meaning 71ample
3n me
"alay&y(a)
=
3n you (sing. masc.
"alay&k(a)
=
3n you (sing. fem.
"alay&k(i)
=
3n him
"alay&h(i)
=
3n her
"alay&haa
=
3n them (dual
"alay&k%maa
=
3n them (dual
"alay&himaa
=
3n us
"alay&naa
=
3n you (plu. masc.
"alay&k%m
=
3n you (plu. fem.
"alay&k%nn(a)
=
3n them (plu. masc.
"alay&him
=
3n them (plu. fem.
"alay&hinn(a)
=

!he last Arabic particle that can be attached to pronouns is li: .
!his particle will be changed to la& when attached to ob=ect pronouns.

Particle. li: A for 4 to
Meaning 71ample
for @ to me
l&""

for @ to you (sing.
masc.
la&k(a)

for @ to you (sing.
fem.
la&k(i)

for @ to him
la&h(%)

for @ to her
la&haa

for @ to them (dual
la&k%maa

for @ to them (dual
la&h%maa

for @ to us
la&naa

for @ to you (plu.
masc.
la&k%m

for @ to you (plu. fem.
la&k%nn(a)

for @ to them (plu.
masc.
la&h%m

for @ to them (plu.
fem.
la&h%nn(a)

8hy so many "ariations in pronounsa
!his is because (lassical Arabic was made out of many different dialects of
Arabic which were all spoken in pre-Islamic Arabia. !he irregularities seen
with pronouns reflect the differences that e1isted between those dialects.
!he differences can still be seen today in the spoken dialects of Arabic, whose
di"ersity was primarily determined by the di"ersity of the dialects of old Arab
tribes.
*emonstrati1es

?emonstrati"es in 7nglish are 5this,5 5that,5 5these,5 and 5those.5
In Arabic, demonstrati"es are nouns, thus they ha"e the characteristics of
gender, number, and case. !here are so many demonstrati"es in classical
Arabic2 I am going to try to put them all, but I will indicate which ones are the
ones used usually in modern life.
?emonstrati"es are called in Arabic the 5nouns of pointing5 - ~ ' ~ %

#. -ear ?emonstrati"es
!he basic forms of demonstrati"es are the near demonstrati"es. All
demonstrati"es are 5built5 words (do not change form with changing in
grammatical case e1cept for the dual demonstrati"es, which are case
inflected.

?emonstrati"es (4asic 6orms (
- ~ = ~ ) - ~ ' ~ "
!his (masc. sing.
thaa
'~
!his (fem. sing.
th""
~
!hese (masc. dual
thaan(i)
(sub=ect
'~
thayn(i)
(ob=ect
- ~
!hese (fem. dual
taan(i)
(sub=ect

tayn(i)
(ob=ect

!hese (plu.
'%laa'(i)
` *
'%laa
*
/!he is silent.
!he feminine singular demonstrati"e had so many "ariants in the classical
language of which none is used in the modern language. 0owe"er, some of
them may be heard in some spoken dialects today.

?emonstrati"es for the 6eminine
Singular (4asic 6orms (
!his (fem. sing (.
th""
~
thih
- ~
thih(i)
- ~
thih""
- ~
thaat(%)
'~
taa

t""

tih

tih(i)

tih""

All of those feminine singular demonstrati"es are also 5built5 words2 e1cept for
'~ which is a really obsolete demonstrati"e anyway.

It is common to add a haa& - prefi1 to demonstrati"es. !his prefi1 will
change nothing in the meaning. -ote that the haa& lacks an e1tended 'alif in
writing - when attached to most demonstrati"es.
!his haa'< is called the " haa'< of attention 5 - -' - .

?emonstrati"es Attached to Attention haa >'
- -~ - ~ ' ~ - -'
!his (masc. sing.
haathaa
- '~
!his (fem. sing.
haath""
- ~
!hese (masc. dual
haathaan(i)
(sub=ect
- '~
haathayn(i)
(ob=ect
- - ~
!hese (fem. dual
haataan(i)
(sub=ect
-
haatayn(i)
(ob=ect
-
!hese (plu.
haa'%laa'(i)
- `
cannot take haa& prefi1, and this prefi1 takes a different figure - when
attached to the feminine dual demonstrati"es.
6our of the feminine singular demonstrati"es can be prefi1ed with attention
haa'< :
haath""
- ~
haathih
- - ~
haathih(i)
- - ~
haathih""
- - ~

-ow to the bottom line, the near demonstrati"es that are really used in
modern standard Arabic are the following'
(ommonly %sed -ear
?emonstrati"es
!his (masc. sing.
haathaa
'~ -
!his (fem. sing.
haathih(i)
- ~ -
!hese (masc. dual
haathaan(i)
(sub=ect
'~ -
haathayn(i)
(ob=ect
- ~ -
!hese (fem. dual
haataan(i)
(sub=ect
-
haatayn(i)
(ob=ect
-
!hese (plu.
haa'%laa'(i)
` -

71amples'
'~ - -
haathaa yawm(un) jameel(un)

G this (is a day a beautiful
!ranslation' this is a nice day

- ~ - -~ = - -
haathih(i) nas""ha(t%n) jayyida(t%n)

= this (is an ad"ice a good

!ranslation' this is a good ad"ice

` - ~ -
haa'%llaa'(i) qawm(%n) saadiq!!n(a)

= these (are people honest

!ranslation' these are honest people

Since that demonstrati"es are definite nouns, when the predicate is also
definite there can be a problem of ambiguity. !his problem is similar to what
has been described already in the section on separation pronouns.
'~ - '
haathaa ('a)l&m%"allim(%)

!his phrase can mean either one of two things'

this teacher
this (is the teacher

So to make a distinction, a separation pronoun is used'

'~ - - '
haathaa h%w(a) ('a)l&m%"allim(%)

G this he (is the teacher

!ranslation' this is the teacher

So, basically, according to the noun after the demonstrati"e we ha"e the
following three situations'

!his is a teacher
'~ - ~
haathaa m%"allim(%n)
!his teacher
'~ - '
haathaa ('a)l&m%"allim(%)
!his is the teacher
'~ - - '
haathaa h%w(a) ('a)l&
m%"allim(%)

- - ~ -'
haataan(i) h%maa ('a)t&tilm""thataan(i)

= these they (are the two students (fem.

!ranslation' these are the two students
humaa was necessary here to distinguish the sentence 5these are the two
students5 from 5these two students.5
'~ - - - ~ -
haathaa h%w(a) sad""q&""

= this he (is (the friend (of me

!ranslation' this is my friend
huw(a) here was not necessary like in the pre"ious e1amples. !he phrase
without the pronoun could not mean anything other than 5this is my friend.5
'~ - - ~ -
haathaa sad""q&""

= this (is (the friend (of me

!ranslation' this is my friend
So because there was no ambiguity here, the usage of a separation pronoun
was optional.
- ~ - ~
haathih(i) makka(t%)

= this (is Mecca

!ranslation' this is Mecca

- ~ - - ~
haathih(i) hiy(a) makka(t%)

= this she (is Mecca

!ranslation' this is Mecca
hiy(a) here was optional (emphatic.

- ~ - -
haathih(i) hiy(a)

= this (is she

!ranslation' this is her @ here she is
hiy(a) here was a predicate but not a separation pronoun.

!hus, a rule can be stated'
A separation pronoun must be used after demonstrati"es only if the predicate
is a noun attached to the definite article 'al& .' . 3therwise it is optional
(emphatic.
*emonstrati1es (continued)

&. Middle ?emonstrati"es
Middle demonstrati"es are used to refer to things that are neither near nor far
but in between. !hey are obtained by adding a &k(a) = suffi1 to the basic
forms of demonstrati"es.
!his letter kaaf is called the ""ocati"e kaaf" = = ' - .

?emonstrati"es Attached to ,ocati"e
kaaf
Masc. Sing (.
= = ' - - -~ - ~ ' ~ ~ ' ~ - ) "
!hat (masc. sing.
thaak(a)
'~ =
!hat (fem. sing.
th""k(a)
- ~
!hose (masc. dual
thaanik(a)
(sub=ect
-'~
thaynik(a)
(ob=ect
- ~
!hose (fem. dual
taanik(a)
(sub=ect
-
taynik(a)
(ob=ect

!hose (plu.
'%laa'ik(a)
-`
'%laak(a)
` =

3nly two of all the feminine singular demonstrati"es can take "ocati"e kaaf'

th""k(a)
- ~
t""k(a)

-ow here is the ugliest part, since this suffi1 is a ""ocati"e kaaf55 it will change
in form according to which person is being addressed with the sentence.
!hese changes are "ery much a classical aspect of Arabic rather than a
modern one.

kaaf
Addressing 6em. Sing (.
`- ' - ~ - ) = = ' - - -~ - ~ ' ~ "
!hat (masc. sing.
thaak(i)
'~ =
!hat (fem. sing.
th""k(i)
- ~
!hose (masc. dual
thaanik(i)
(sub=ect
-'~
thaynik(i)
(ob=ect
- ~
!hose (fem. dual
taanik(i)
(sub=ect
-
taynik(i)
(ob=ect

!hose (plu.
'%laa'ik(i)
-`
'%laak(i)
` =

kaaf
Addressing ?ual (
` ) = = ' - - -~ - ~ ' ~ "
!hat (masc. sing.
thaak%maa
'~
!hat (fem. sing.
th""k%maa
- ~
!hose (masc. dual
thaanik%maa
(sub=ect
-'~
thaynik%maa
(ob=ect
- ~
!hose (fem. dual
taanik%maa
(sub=ect
-
taynik%maa
(ob=ect

!hose (plu.
'%laa'ik%maa
-`
'%laak%maa
`

kaaf
Addressing Masc. +lu (.
~ ' _ = ) = = ' - - -~ - ~ ' ~ "
!hat (masc. sing.
thaak%m
'~
!hat (fem. sing.
th""k%m
- ~
!hose (masc. dual
thaanik%m
(sub=ect
-'~
thaynik%m
(ob=ect
- ~
!hose (fem. dual
taanik%m
(sub=ect
-
taynik%m
(ob=ect

!hose (plu.
'%laa'ik%m
-`
'%laak%m
`

kaaf
Addressing 6em. +lu (.
- - ' _ = ) = = ' - - -~ - ~ ' ~ "
!hat (masc. sing.
thaak%nn(a)
'~
!hat (fem. sing.
th""k%nn(a)
- ~
!hose (masc. dual
thaanik%nn(a)
(sub=ect
-'~
thaynik%nn(a)
(ob=ect
- ~
!hose (fem. dual
taanik%nn(a)
(sub=ect
-
taynik%nn(a)
(ob=ect

!hose (plu.
'%laa'ik%nn(a)
-`
'%laak%nn(a)
`

It is possible to add the attention haa'< ( haa& - to middle demonstrati"es,
so that the basic demonstrati"es will ha"e two letters attached in the following
manner'

!hat (masc. sing.
haathaak(a)
- '~ =
!hat (fem. sing.
haat""k(a)
-
!hose (masc. dual
haathaanik(a)
(sub=ect
- '~ -
haathayn(i)
(ob=ect
- - ~
!hose (fem. dual
haataanik(a)
(sub=ect
- -
haataynik(a)
(ob=ect
-
!hose (plu.
haa'%laa'ik(a)
- -`
!he 5"ocati"e kaaf5 in those demonstrati"es will also be changeable
according to which person is being addressed. !he changing of the kaaf will
be identical to that which was shown abo"e.

O. 6ar ?emonstrati"es
6ar demonstrati"es contain a letter laam . that is called 5laam of distance5
~ -' `.
6or demonstrati"es to contain this laam, they must also contain the pre"iously
described ""ocati"e kaaf" = = ' - of middle demonstrati"es.
!he laam of distance can be attached only to three of the basic
demonstrati"es, thus there are only three far demonstrati"es in Arabic.

6ar ?emonstrati"es
~ -' ` = = ' - _ ~ - ~ ' ~
!hat (masc. sing.
thaalik(a)
~
!hat (fem. sing.
tilk(a)

!hose (plu.
'%laalik(a)
`

!he 5"ocati"e kaaf5 in these demonstrati"es will be changeable according to
which person is being addressed, like we e1plained before.

Masc. Sing. 6ar ?emonstrati"e
5 !hat 5
Addressing masc. sing.
thaalik(a)
~
Addressing fem. sing.
thaalik(i)
~
Addressing dual
thaalik%maa
~
Addressing masc. plu.
thaalik%m
~
Addressing fem. plu.
thaalik%nn(a)
~

6em. Sing. 6ar ?emonstrati"e
5 !hat 5
tilk(a)

tilk(i)

Addressing dual
tilk%maa

tilk%m

tilk%nn(a)

+lu. 6ar ?emonstrati"e
5 !hose 5
'%laalik(a)
`
'%laalik(i)
`
Addressing dual
'%laalik%maa
`
'%laalik%m
`
'%laalik%nn(a)
`

!he far demonstrati"e ` is not usually used in Modern Standard Arabic.
8hen translating the 7nglish plural far demonstrati"e 5those5 to Arabic, it is
usual to use the middle demonstrati"e -` . !his is, of course, only when
the plural demonstrati"e (whether near or far refers to persons but not to
ob=ects. 3b=ects will be referred to by feminine singular demonstrati"es. !his
was mentioned in the section on plural types.
So the final forms for far demonstrati"es will be'
!hat (masc. sing.
thaalik(a)
~
!hat (fem. sing.
tilk(a)

!hose
'%laa'ik(a)

71ample'
~ ~ = ~
thaalik(a) m%hammad(%n)

/ !hat (is Muhammad
!ranslation' that is Muhammad

- = '
tilk(a) hiy(a) ('a)l&haq""qa(t%)
G that she (is the truth (fem.
!ranslation' that is the truth
hiy(a) was necessary here to distinguish the phrase from 5that truth.5

- - ~ -
'%laa'ik(a) h%m 'asdiqaa'&""

= these@those they (are (the friends (of
me
!ranslation' these@those are my friends
hum was not necessary here.

- ~ -
'%laa'ik(a) 'asdiqaa'&""

= these@those (are (the friends (of me
!ranslation' these@those are my friends

~ '
tilk(a) ('a)l&m!!s""qaa jam""la(t%n)

= that the music (is nice
!ranslation' that music is nice

- = ' ~ '
tilk(a) hiy(a) ('a)l&m!!s""qaa ('a)l&
jam""la(t%)

= that she (is the music the nice
!ranslation' that is the nice music

Some combinations in"ol"ing demonstrati"es'

!herefore
!his is why
li&haathaa
G for this
'~
li&thaalik(a)
G for that
~
-e"ertheless
7"en with that
ma"(a) haathaa
G with this
_ ~ '~ -
ma"(a) thaalik(a)
G with that
_ ~ ~

~ '~ _ = -
daras(a) wa&li&haathaa najah(a)

= (he studied and for this (he succeeded
!ranslation' he studied, therefore he
passed

~ ~ _ ~ ~ _ = - *
maa daras(a) wa&ma"(a) thaalik(a)
najah(a)

= not (he studied and with that (he
succeeded
!ranslation' he didn9t study but still he
passed!

3ther combinations'

ka&haathaa
G like this
'~
ka&thaalik(a)
G like that
~
bi&haathaa
G by this
'~
bi&thaalik(a)
G by that
~
+lace ?emonstrati"es
+lace demonstrati"es also belong to the 5nouns of pointing5 - ~ ' ~ %
!herefore, they are also three types (near, middle, and far.

#. -ear +lace ?emonstrati"es
!he near place demonstrati"e that is used in Modern Standard Arabic is'

0ere
-
h%naa

3ther classical, near demonstrati"es are the following'
0ere
hannaa
-
hinnaa
-
hannat
- -
han""
-

8ith the addition of haa'< of attention - -' - '

0ere
haah%naa
-
haahannaa
-
haahinnaa
-
haahan""
-

&. Middle +lace ?emonstrati"es
!hose are obtained by adding the ""ocati"e kaaf" = = ' - . !hey refer to
things that are neither near nor far but in between.

!here
- =
h%naak(a)

(lassical ones'

!here
hannaak(a)
- =
hinnaak(a)
- =

8ith haa'< of attention - -' - '

!here
Haah%naak(a)
- =
haahinnaak(a)
- =
haahannaak(a)
- =

O. 6ar +lace ?emonstrati"es
!hose are all used in modern Arabic.

!here
thamm(a)

thammat(a)

h%naalik(a)
-

!he last one contains the laam of distance ~ -' `.

71amples'
= - -
nahn(%) h%naa

G we (are here
!ranslation' we are here

= - ~
h%naak(a) 'amr(%n) 'aakhar(%)

G there (is a thing other
!ranslation' there is another thing

- - = ~ ~
thammat(a) m%shkila(t%n) "aw""sa(t%n)
G there (is a problem a difficult
!ranslation' there is a difficult problem
(elati1e Pronouns

)elati"e pronouns in 7nglish include who, whom, whose, which, what and
that. A relati"e pronoun links two clauses into a single comple1 clause. !o this
e1tent, it is similar in function to a subordinating con=unction, but unlike a
con=unction, howe"er, a relati"e pronoun stands in place of a noun.
71ample'
/his is th" b!!k whih h" b!%ght'
A relati"e pronoun is called in Arabic a 5noun of the connected5 . - ' ~ ' .
4eing nouns, relati"e pronouns ha"e the characteristics of nouns, namely
gender, number, and grammatical case. )elati"e pronouns are always definite
words. )elati"e pronouns in 7nglish ha"e some characteristics that are not
present in Arabic as we are about to see.

In 7nglish, 5that5 is used for both humans and nonhumans. !here is a similar
word in Arabic, but it will ha"e to change to modify different numbers and
genders as follows'

<eneral )elati"e +ronouns
8ho @ 8ho @ 8hich @ !hat
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
Masculine
'al&lath""
~ '
6eminine
'al&lat""
-'

D
U
A
L

Masculine
(sub=ect
'al&lathaan(i)
~ ' '
Masculine
(ob=ect
'al&lathayn(i)
~ ' -
6eminine
(sub=ect
'al&lataan(i)
-'
6eminine
(ob=ect
'al&latayn(i)
-'
P
L
U
R
A
L

Masculine
'al&lath""n(a)
- ~ '
'al&'%laa
(Archaic word
'
6eminine
'al&laat""
'
'al&laa'""
- '
'al&lawaat""
' '

!hese are the ma=or relati"e pronouns in Arabic. !he only case-inflected ones
are the dual relati"e pronouns, the rest are 5built words.5 7ach one of those
words can be translated as that, who, whom, or which.

Apart from 5that,5 7nglish uses specific relati"e pronouns for humans and for
nonhumans.

5who5 is used for humans.

@ kn!w who did that'

!he Arabic e:ui"alent would be'

8ho @ 8hom
man
~
!his word is specific for humans, and it has only this single form for all cases,
numbers, and genders.

!he relati"e pronoun 5which5 is specifically used for nonhumans in 7nglish. In
Arabic, there is no such word and this word will be translated to the general
relati"e pronouns mentioned first.

!he relati"e pronoun 5what5 has also an e:ui"alent in Arabic'
71ample'
@ kn!w what y!% did'

8hat
maa
~
(elati1e Pronouns (continued)

=sage )f (elati1e Pronouns

#. <eneral )elati"e +ronouns

!hose are the relati"e pronouns most commonly used. !hey can be translated
as who, whom, which, or that. !hey are used somewhat similarly to 7nglish
but the point here is that they change in form to suit the antecedent.

- ' '~ - ~ ' - - -~ '
haathaa ('a)l&kitaab(%) ('a)l&lath""
'ishtarayt(%)
+ this (is the book which@that (I bought
!ranslation' this is the book which I bought

It is "ery common to add an attached ob=ect pronoun after the "erb in such
sentences'
- ' '~ - ~ ' -- -~ '
haathaa ('a)l&kitaab(%) ('a)l&lath""
'ishtarayt%&h(%)
+ this (is the book that@which (I bought him

It is also common to add a pleonastic separation sub=ect pronoun in such
sentences'

'~ - - - ' ~ ' -- -~ '
haathaa h%w(a) ('a)l&kitaab(%) ('a)l&lath""
'ishtarayt%&h(%)
+ this he (is the book that@which (I bought
him

3ther e1amples'
~- ' - ' - '~ ' -- -~ '
haathaan(i) h%maa ('a)l&kitaabaan(i) ('a)l&
lathaan(i) 'ishtarayt%&h%maa
+ those they (are the two books that@which
(I bought them
!ranslation' those are the two books which
I bought

- ~ ' ~ - - ~ ' ~ '
kh%th(i) ('a)d&d""naarayn(i) ('a)l&lathayn(i)
f"" ('a)d&d%rj(i)
+ (you take the two dinars that@which (are
in the drawer
!ranslation' take the two dinars (currency
unit that are in the drawer

' - ` - - ~ ' - ~ = ~
haa'%laa'(i) h%m(%) ('a)n&naas(%) ('a)l&
lath""n(a) saa"ad!!&n""
+ those they (are the people that@who
helped me
!ranslation' those are the people who
helped me

-ote that when using the general relati"e pronouns it is often possible to omit
the word to which the relati"e pronoun refers (the antecedent.

71amples'
- '~ - ~ ' -- -~ '
haathaa h%w(a) ('a)l&lath"" 'ishtarayt%&
h(%)
+ this he (is that@which (I bought him
!ranslation' this is what I bought

- ` - - ~ ' - ~ = ~
haa'%laa'(i) h%m(%) ('a)l&lath""n(a)
saa"ad!!&n""
+ those they (are that@who helped me
!ranslation' those are (the people who
helped me

&. !he )elati"e +ronoun 58ho5

58ho5 in 7nglish changes in form as the following'

Sub=ect !om is the one who can do it
3b=ect ?an is the man whom I saw
Adpositional
(omplement
Cenny is the woman with whom he is happy
+ossessi"e Cack is the boy whose book is this

Surprisingly, the Arabic e:ui"alent does not change at all. It is a 5built5 word
and it assumes a sole form for all cases, numbers, and genders.

8ho @ 8hom
man
~
0owe"er, the usage of this word differs from 7nglish.

71ample in 7nglish'
!om is the one who can do it

In Arabic, this sentence will become'

!om is who can do it

!his is the ma=or point here, in Arabic the antecedent must go away when
using the relati"e pronoun 5who.5 %sually, a separation sub=ect pronoun will
be added so the final structure will be'
!om he is who can do it

71amples'

JSub=ect (ase

- ~ - - _ = -~ -
t.m(%n) h%w(a) man yastat"""(%) 'an
yaf"ala&haa
+ !om he (is who (he can that (he do her
!ranslation' !om is the one who can do it

' ~ - _ -
'al&raniyy(%) man yaqna"(%) bi&maa
yamlik(%)
+ the rich (is who is sufficed with what (he
has
!ranslation' he who is sufficed with what he
has is a rich person

' - ~ - _ -
'al&raniyy(%) h%w(a) man yaqna"(%) bi&maa
yamlik(%)
+ the rich he (is who is sufficed with what
(he has
!ranslation' he who is sufficed with what he
has is a rich person

J3b=ect (ase

'~ - ~ - -
daan(%n) h%w(a) man ra'ayt(%)
+ ?an he (is whom (I saw
!ranslation' ?an is the man whom I saw

And more commonly'
'~ - ~ --
daan(%n) h%w(a) man ra'ayt%&h(%)
+ ?an he (is whom (I saw him
!ranslation' ?an is the man whom I saw

J 8ith +repositions
!he usage of relati"e pronouns as adpositional complements is -3! present
in Arabic.

71ample, the 7nglish sentence'
Cenny is the woman with whom he is happy
In order to translate this sentence to Arabic, it must be rephrased first. 7ither
one of the two types of relati"e pronouns can be used'
#. !he <eneral )elati"e +ronoun (w!hat

!he structure in Arabic will be'
5Cenny is the woman that he is happy with her5

&. !he Specific )elati"e +ronoun (8hom

5Cenny she is whom he is happy with her5

It is -3! possible to delete the ob=ect pronoun after the preposition.

71amples'

- - ' -' ~ ~ ~ -
j"n"" hiy(a) ('a)l&mar'a(t%) ('a)l&lat""
yas"ad(%) ma"a&haa
+ Cenny she (is the woman that (he is
happy with her
!ranslation' Cenny is the woman that he9s
happy with
- ~ ~ ~ ~ -
j"n"" hiy(a) man yas"ad(%) ma"a&haa
+ Cenny she (is whom (he is happy with
her
!ranslation' Cenny is the woman whom he9s
happy with
Again, it was -3! possible to delete the final ob=ect pronoun in those two
sentences.

J !he +ossessi"e
Another usage of relati"e pronouns in 7nglish is in the possessi"e form
5whose.5 !his type of relati"e pronouns is -3! present at all in Arabic.

An 7nglish e1ample'
Cack is the boy whose book is this
In order to translate this sentence to Arabic it must be rephrased in either way
of the following two'

#. 8ith !he <eneral )elati"e +ronoun (w!hat

5Cack is the boy that his book is this5
3)
5Cack is the boy that this is his book5

&. 8ith !he Specific )elati"e +ronoun (8hom

5Cack is who his book is this5
3)
5Cack is who this is his book5

O. 8ithout Any )elati"e +ronoun (the best way

5Cack is the owner of this book5

71amples'
= - -- ' ~ ' '~ - -
jaak(%n) h%w(a) 'as&sabiyy(%) 'al&lath""
haathaa kitaab%&h(%)
+ Cack he (is the boy that this (is (the
book (of him
!ranslation' Cack is the boy whose book is
this

= - ~ - '~ -
jaak(%n) h%w(a) man kitaab%&h(%) haathaa
+ Cack he (is who (the book (of him (is
this
!ranslation' Cack is the boy whose book is
this

= - '~ - - - - '
jaak(%n) h%w(a) saahib(%) haathaa ('a)l&
kitaab(i)
+ Cack he (is (the (of this book
!ranslation' Cack is the owner of this book
(elati1e Pronouns (continued)

O. !he )elati"e +ronoun 58hat5

8hat
maa
~

%nlike 5who,5 the relati"e pronoun 5what5 in 7nglish is similar to the Arabic
one in that the antecedent is omitted in 7nglish too. !herefore, it should be
easy here.

71ample'
- = ~ -
'a"rif(%) maa fa"alt(a)
+ (I know what (you did
!ranslation' I know what you did

-.4. the word maathaa '~ ~ is related to maa and it works e1actly like it,
including as a relati"e pronoun. More information is here.

A final point about relati"e pronouns is the idea of restricti"eness. An 7nglish
non-restricti"e relati"e clause is preceded by a pause in speech or a comma
in writing, whereas a restricti"e clause normally is not. (ompare the following
sentences, which ha"e two :uite different meanings in 7nglish'

(D) /h" b%ild"r5 who "r"ts $"ry fin" h!%s"s5 will mak" a larg" =r!fit'
(E) /h" b%ild"r who "r"ts $"ry fin" h!%s"s will mak" a larg" =r!fit'

In Arabic, there are -3 restricti"e relati"e clauses. !he only possible
form of relati"e clauses is the second one.

A summary of relati"e pronouns in Arabic'

7nglish ).+ %sage Arabic 7:ui"alent
!hat
0umans M
-onhumans
~ '
((hangeable 6orm @
Antecedent May be 3mitted

8hich
-onhumans -ot +resent
8ho
0umans
~
(-o Antecedent
8hom
!o 8hom
0umans -ot +resent
8hose
0umans M
-onhumans
-ot +resent
8hat
(-o Antecedent
-onhumans
~
(-o Antecedent

Arabic entences

7"ery complete sentence in 7nglish must ha"e at least a sub=ect and a "erb.
!his is also generally true in Arabic. 0owe"er, the organi*ation of these
elements in a sentence can be a bit different in Arabic.
In 7nglish sentences, the sub=ect usually precedes the "erb. In Arabic, there
are two types of sentences in regard to sub=ect and "erb ordering'
-ominal Sentences' sentences in which the sub=ect precedes the
"erb.
,erbal Sentences' sentences in which the "erb precedes the
sub=ect.

%sage of 7ach !ype of Sentences
%nlike in 7nglish, where the change in the intonation of the speaker is
probably the only way to emphasi*e or stress different elements of the
sentence, emphasis of different elements can be achie"ed in Arabic by
alternating between the two types of sentences.
-ominal sentences are used when the S%4C7(! is the most important
element in the sentence and which the speaker seeks to emphasi*e.
,erbal sentences are in fact the normal tone, they are used when the speaker
is not stressing anything in particular, or also when the speaker seeks to
stress the "erb or the A(!I3-.

-ominal Sentences

A nominal sentence in Arabic ~ ` ' = 'is a sentence that starts with the
sub=ect (a noun and the "erb follows. !he sub=ect can be a noun, a pronoun,
a demonstrati"e, or a relati"e clause.
!he defining property of a nominal sentence is that the sub=ect precedes the
"erb. !hus there are more than one possibility for nominal sentences in the
presence of an ob=ect, an ad"erb, a prepositional phrase, etc. !he first one is
the standard usual one'
Standard Structure of -ominal Sentences
Sbject Verb Ot"ers
!07 43; reads his book Object
!07 43; reads f!st Ad(erb
!07 43; reads in the library
Pre)osition!*
P"r!se
!07 43; is smart Adjecti(e
!he capitali*ation is a reference to the fact that the sub=ect is the stressed
element in nominal sentences.
!he other possible structures for nominal sentences are more rare'
Alternati"e Structure 6or -ominal
Sentences
Ot"ers Sbject Verb
in the library !07 43; reads

Sentences
Ot"ers Sbject Verb Ot"ers
in the library !07 43; reads his book

Sentences
Sbject Ot"er Verb
!07 43; in the library reads

So the important point is that the sub=ect always precedes the "erb in nominal
sentences.

71amples on nominal sentences'

Sub=ect - ,erb - 3b=ect
~ ' - -
'al&walad(%) yaqra'(%) kitaaba&h(%)
+ the boy reads (the book (of him
!ranslation' !07 43; reads his book

Sub=ect - ,erb - +repositional +hrase
-' - - - ~ = '
'al&banaat(%) yal"abn(a) f"" ('a)l&
had""qa(ti)
+ the girls play in the yard@park
!ranslation' !07 <I).S are playing in the
yard@park

4e-Sentences
8e talked in a separate section about the fact that nominal, present tense,
5be5 sentences do not ha"e "erbs in Arabic (the "erb 5be5 is omitted in the
present tense. !his is the only case in Arabic in which there is no "erb in the
sentence. In these "erb-less sentences, the stress usually falls on the
predicate not the sub=ect (the part after the 5be52 unless the intonation says
otherwise.

Sub=ect - +redicate
~ -
hasan(%n) h%naa
+ 0assan (is here
!ranslation' 0assan is here

Sub=ect - +redicate
'~ - - - = -
haathaa yawm(%n) "as""b(%n)
+ this (is a day a hard
!ranslation' this is a hard day

Sub=ect - +redicate
- ~ = ~ ,
laylaa hiy(a) zawja(t%) mahm!!d(in)
+ .ayla she (is (the wife (of Mahmud
!ranslation' .ayla is Mahmud9s wife

Sub=ect - +redicate
- - ~ - = - ' ~
sad""q&"" h%w(a) maalik(%) ('a)l&matjar(i)
+ (the friend (of me he (is (the owner (of
the shop
!ranslation' my friend owns the shop

Sub=ect - +redicate
- - - ' - ~ - =
'al&qaahira(t%) hiy(a) "aasima(t%) misr(a)
+ (airo she (is (the capital (of 7gypt
!ranslation' (airo is the capital of 7gypt
/-ote' - ~ is a 5forbidden to -oonation5 word and it takes an irregular sign for the
geniti"e case.

Sentences that begin with an indefinite word, such as 5a man is here5 are
-3! usually used in Arabic. !he demonstrati"e 5there5 will be usually used for
such sentences.

- = -
h%naak(a) raj%l(%n) bi&l&baab(i)
+ there (is a man by the door
!ranslation' there is a man at the door

~ ~
thammat(a) 'ahad(%n) maa
+ there (is one-some
!ranslation' someone is there

-ote that such sentences that begin with 5there is5 will -3! become 5there
was5 when rendered in the past tense2 nor will they become 5there will be5
when in the future tense. !o change the tense of these sentences from the
present to the past of the future, a "erbal sentence is usually used (i.e. 5was
there a man at the door5 or 5will be there a man at the door,5 we will co"er this
when we talk about "erbal sentences soon.

4e-sentences in the past tense will ha"e the perfecti"e "erb kaan(a) G
was or one of its con=ugations.

Sub=ect - ,erb - Ad"erb
~ ' - - -
'as&samaa'(%) kaanat saafiya(tan)
+ the sky was@e1isted clearly
!ranslation' the sky was clear
/!he "erb 5be5 in Arabic re:uires an ad"erb after it rather than an ad=ecti"e as
in 7nglish. !his is only true when the "erb appears but not when it is not
apparent (i.e. in the present tense. Such "erbs are called in Arabic the
incomplete "erbs - ' . ' .

~ = -
h%sayn(%n) kaan(a) h%naak(a)
+ 0ussein was there
!ranslation' 0ussein was there

'~ - ~ - - - =
haathaa kaan(a) yawma(n) "as""ba(n)
+ this was a day a hard
!ranslation' this was a hard day
/!he literal sense' 5this e1isted as a hard day.5

In the future tense, 5be5 "erbs will be sa&yak!!n(%) ~ G will be, or
sawf(a) yak!!n(%) - - ~ G will be.

~ ' -~ -
'as&samaa'(%) sa&tak!!n(%) saafiya(tan)
+ the sky will be@e1ist clearly
!ranslation' the sky will be clear

Arabic entences (continued)
-ominal Sentences

+ronoun Sub=ects
Sentences which start with sub=ect pronouns are nominal sentences. 8hen
there is a "erb after the sub=ect pronoun, the pronoun can be kept or omitted.
!hird person sub=ect pronouns will always ha"e an emphatic function if they
were kept before the "erb, the other pronouns (#st M &nd person can and
cannot ha"e an emphatic function depending on the intonation.

Sub=ect - ,erb
- - =
'anaa 'a"rif(%)
+ I know
!ranslation' I know
In this sentence, the pronoun (a #st person pronoun is not emphatic unless
the intonation stressed it.

,erb - 0iding Sub=ect
- =
'a"rif(%)
+ know (I
!ranslation' I know
!he second sentence is a "erbal sentence because the sub=ect (a hiding
pronoun after the "erb does not precede the "erb.

Sub=ect - +redicate
- -
'anaa jaahiz(%n)
+ I (am ready
!ranslation' I am ready

- - ' -
'anaa k%nt(%) jaahiza(n)
+ I was ready
!ranslation' I was ready

,erb - Attached Sub=ect - Ad"erb
- ' -
k%nt(%) jaahiza(n)
+ was (I ready

- ~ ' -
'anaa sa&'ak!!n(%) jaahiza(n)
+ I will be ready
!ranslation' I will be ready

,erb - 0iding +ronoun - Ad"erb
~ ' -
sa&'ak!!n(%) jaahiza(n)
+ will be (I ready

- - ~ = - ' ! 0
'ant(a) tatahaddath(%) ('a)l&"arabiyya(ta)
+ you speak the Arabic
!ranslation' you speak Arabic!

-- ~ - ` -
'ant%m laa t%saddiq!!na&n""
+ you not belie"e me
!ranslation' you don9t belie"e me

- '~ -
h%wa fa"al(a) haathaa
+ he did this
!ranslation' 07 did this
/!hird person pronoun' always emphatic.

- - '~ -
h%maa qaalataa haathaa
+ they (dual fem. said this
!ranslation' !07; said this

Sub=ect - +redicate
- = -
h%m h%naak(a)
+ they (plu. masc. (are there
!ranslation' they are !07)7
0ere, e"en though the pronoun is a Ord person pronoun the stress came on
the predicate because this is a be-sentence without a "erb, so the stress falls
on the predicate. 8e mentioned this earlier.

-ominal sentences can begin with other types of nouns.

71ample, a demonstrati"e'
- '~ -
haathaa yawm(%n) jam""l(%n)

G this (is a day a beautiful
!ranslation' this is a nice day

A relati"e pronoun'
~ ~ - _
man zara"(a) hasad(a)
+ who planted har"ested
!ranslation' he who plants har"ests
or' he who planted har"ested
/-ote that perfecti"e "erbs in Arabic can be used as sub=uncti"e "erbs, which
is somewhat similar to 7nglish.

3thers'
-~ = - ~ -~
mataa&maa 'atayt(a) tajid%&n""
+ whene"er (you came (you will find me
!ranslation' whene"er you come you will
find me

A summary for nominal sentences'

!he Sub=ect !he ,erb !he Stress
A noun
Any "erb e1cept
5be5 in present
tense
3n the sub=ect
A demonstrati"e
A pronoun
#st M &nd person'
changeable
Ord person' on the sub=ect
A noun
54e5 in present
tense
(not apparent
3n the predicate
A demonstrati"e
A pronoun

,erbal Sentences
A "erbal sentence -' = 'is a sentence that starts with the "erb and the
sub=ect follows. !he sub=ect can be a noun, a pronoun, a demonstrati"e, or a
relati"e clause.
!he defining property of a "erbal sentence is that the "erb precedes the
sub=ect. !here are more than one possibility for "erbal sentences in the
presence of an ob=ect, an ad"erb, a prepositional phrase, etc.
!he standard usual structure is'
Standard Structure of ,erbal
Sentences
Verb Sbject Ot"ers
)ead the boy his book Object
)ead the boy fast Ad(erb
)ead the boy in the library
Pre)osition!*
P"r!se

!he other possible structures for "erbal sentences are more rare'
Sentences
Ot"ers Verb Sbject
in the library read the boy

Sentences
Ot"ers Verb Sbject Ot"ers
in the library read the boy his book

Sentences
Verb Ot"ers Sbject
)ead in the library the boy

!he main point is that the "erb always precedes the sub=ect in "erbal
sentences.

Sub=ects of ,erbal Sentences
Sub=ects in "erbal sentences may not be always showing up. !here can be
apparent, attached, and hiding sub=ects in "erbal sentences.

I. Apparent Singular Sub=ects

,erb - Sub=ect - 3b=ect
- ~ ' -
yaqra'(%) ('a)l&walad(%) kitaaba&h(%)
+ read the boy (the book (of him
!ranslation' the boy reads his book

(ompare this sentence with its nominal alternati"e, in which the sub=ect is the
stressed element'
~ ' - -

More e1amples on "erbal sentences'

,erb - Sub=ect - Ad"erb
- - ~ ' -
kaanat(i) ('a)s&samaa'(%) saafiya(tan)
+ was@e1isted the sky clearly
!ranslation' the sky was clear
/!he "erb be in Arabic re:uires an ad"erb after it rather than an ad=ecti"e like
in 7nglish. !his is only true when the "erb appears but not when it is not
apparent (i.e. in the present tense. Such "erbs are called in Arabic the
incomplete "erbs - ' . ' .

'~ - ~ - - - =
kaan(a) haathaa yawma(n) "as""ba(n)
+ was this a day a hard
!ranslation' this was a hard day

~ ~ = ~ - '~ =
sa&yak!!n(%) m%hammad(%n) h%naa
rada(n)
+ will be Muhammad here tomorrow
!ranslation' Muhammad will be here
tomorrow

,erb - Attached 3b=ect - Sub=ect
~ - - - -
yas%rr%&n"" 'anna&k(a) h%naa
+ please me that you (are here
!ranslation' I am glad that you are here

8e mentioned that sentences which begin with an indefinite word, such as 5a
man is here5 are not usually used in Arabic and that the demonstrati"e 5there5
would be usually used for such sentences.
71ample, a nominal sentence'
- = -
h%naak(a) raj%l(%n) bi&l&baab(i)
+ there (is a man by the door
!ranslation' there is a man at the door

If we wanted to change this sentence to the past tense, we can -3! say
5there was a man at the door.5 !o change the tense of sentences which begin
in demonstrati"es in this manner from the present to the past, a "erbal
sentence is usually used.
71ample'
- = -
kaan(a) h%naak(a) raj%l(%n) bi&l&baab(i)
G was there a man by the door
!ranslation' there was a man at the door

~ ~
kaan(a) thammat(a) 'ahad(%n) maa
G was there one-some
!ranslation' someone was there

!he same thing about these sentences is true for the future tense. !o change
the tense of these sentences to the future, a "erbal sentence is usually used.
Sentences of the type 5there will be5 are -3! the usual way of doing it.
71ample'
= ~ ' ~ ` ' = - ~ -
sa&yak!!n(%) h%naak(a) ('a)l&kath""r(%)
min(a) ('a)l&mad"%ww""n(a)
G will be there many of the in"ited
!ranslation' there will be many guests

~
sa&yak!!n(%) thammat(a) kaarithat(%n)
G will be there a disaster
!ranslation' there will be a disaster
,erbal Sentences

II. Apparent ?ual M +lural Sub=ects
-ow we get to the tricky point about "erbal sentences. 8e know that "erbs in
Arabic are con=ugated in different forms to suit different numbers and genders
of the sub=ects. 0owe"er, in "erbal sentences, if we had a "erb followed by an
apparent noun sub=ect, the "erb will be A.8A;S con=ugated in the singular
form. !his will happen only with Ord person con=ugations of "erbs because
those are the only ones that can be followed by apparent noun sub=ects.
71ample'
,erb - Sub=ect - +repositional +hrase
- - ~ - ' =
yathhab(%) ('a)r&raj%l(%) 'ilaa "amali&h(i)
+ go the man to (the work (of him
!ranslation' the man goes to his work
In this sentence, the sub=ect (the man is singular and the "erb was
con=ugated in the singular form2 so nothing unusual.

- - ~ - . ' =
yathhab(%) ('a)r&rijaal(%) 'ilaa 'a"maali&him
+ go the men to (the works (of them
!ranslation' the men go to their works
In this sentence, the sub=ect (the men is plural, but it is an apparent noun so
the "erb ought to be con=ugated in the singular from.
-ote that in the nominal counterpart the "erb must be con=ugated in the plural'
. ' -- ~ - =
('a)r&rijaal(%) yathhab!!n(a) 'ilaa 'a"maali&
him
+ the men go to (the works (of them
!ranslation' !07 M7- go to their works

- ~ ~ ~ = '
dakhalat sayyidataan(i) 'ilaa ('a)l&mahall(i)
+ entered two ladies to the shop
!ranslation' two ladies entered the shop
!he sub=ect (two ladies is dual, but since it is an apparent noun, the "erb was
con=ugated in the singular form.
!he nominal "ersion for comparison'
~ ~ - ~ = '
sayyidataan(i) dakhalataa 'ilaa ('a)l&
mahall(i)
+ two ladies entered to the shop
!ranslation' !83 .A?I7S entered the shop

,erb - Sub=ect
~ '~ = '
sa&y%hzam(%) ('a)l&'a"daa'(%)
+ will be defeated the enemies
!ranslation' the enemies will be defeated
!he "erb here is in the passi"e "oice. It is in the singular con=ugation e"en
though the sub=ect is plural because the sub=ect is an apparent noun. If we
turn it into a nominal sentence, the con=ugation will ha"e to be changed to the
plural'
Sub=ect - ,erb
'~ = ' ~ ~
'al&'a"daa'(%) sa&y%hzam!!n(a)
+ the enemies will be defeated
!ranslation' !07 7-7MI7S will be
defeated

-~ ' , ' -
sa&tak!!n(%) ('a)l&m%"allimaat(%)
haadiraat(in)
+ will be the teachers (fem. present
!ranslation' the teachers will be present

' ~ , ' -
('a)l&m%"allimaat(%) sa&yak%nn(a)
haadiraat(in)
+ the teachers will be present
!ranslation' !07 !7A(07)S will be
present

Apparent noun sub=ects include other things than simple nouns in Arabic.
71ample, demonstrati"es'
,erb - Sub=ect
~ ~ ` -
sa&y%msik%&h(%) haa'%laa'(i)
+ will catch him these
!ranslation' those will catch him

71ample, relati"e pronouns'
,erb - Sub=ect
~ = ~ ~ - ~ ' -
jaa'(a) 'al&lath""n(a) sa&y%saa"id!!n&naa
+ came who will help us
!ranslation' the people who will help us
came

<ender of ,erbs
8e now know that "erbs are always singular in a "erbal sentence when the
sub=ect is an apparent Ord person noun. !he gender of these singular "erbs
would normally be masculine if the sub=ect was masculine and feminine if the
sub=ect was feminine.
0owe"er, feminine sub=ects can in fact e:ually take masculine or feminine
"erbs in many situations.
71ample'
,erb - Sub=ect
' _
waqa"(a) ('a)l&ka's(%)
+ fell the cup (fem.
!ranslation' the cup fell down
3)
' -
waqa"at(i) ('a)l&ka's(%)
+ fell the cup (fem.
!ranslation' the cup fell down

!he sub=ect (the cup is a feminine word. In the first sentence the "erb was
masculine and in the second one the "erb was feminine. 4oth are correct2 this
is possible only in "erbal sentences (if the "erb precedes the sub=ect.
Another e1ample'
,erb - Sub=ect
-'
jaa'at(i) ('a)l&banaat(%)
+ came the girls
!ranslation' the girls came
3)
-'
jaa'a ('a)l&banaat(%)
+ came the girls
!ranslation' the girls came
Again, both are correct.

!here are two situations in which the "erb must be feminine and only
feminine'
#. If the sub=ect is an apparent true feminine noun (female person that is
directly following the "erb (without separating words. 4roken or irregular
plurals are e1cluded from this rule (the last e1ample.
71ample'
,erb - Sub=ect
~ ~ -
raja"at s%"aad(%)
+ returned Su9ad
!ranslation' Su9ad returned
In this sentence the "erb must be feminine because the sub=ect is a true
female person.

&. If the sub=ect is pronoun referring to a feminine noun, whether it was true or
figurati"e feminine.
71ample'

,erb - 0iding Sub=ect - +repositional
+hrase
' ~ -
kharajat min(a) ('a)l&r%rfa(ti)
+ went out (she from the room
!ranslation' she went out of the room

8e ha"e mentioned that any irregular plural can take a masculine "erbs. !he
other way around is also true, irregular plurals can always take feminine "erbs
e"en if the sub=ect was true masculine. !hus, irregular plural sub=ects can take
masculine and feminine "erbs interchangeably in "erbal sentences.
71ample'
,erb - Sub=ect
. ' ~
qad jaa'at(i) ('a)r&rijaal(%)
+ ha"e came the men
!ranslation' the men ha"e came
In this sentence, the sub=ect was true masculine yet the "erb was feminine.
!his is because the sub=ect is an irregular plural word.
It is always preferred (at least in my "iew that the gender of the "erb matches
the gender of the sub=ect. A one good reason for that is simply to a"oid any
confusion or mistakes.
,erbal Sentences

III. Attached M 0iding Sub=ects
8e ha"e talked so far about "erbal sentences in which the sub=ects are
apparent. 0owe"er, sub=ects of "erbs can be omitted in Arabic sentences.
Since that e"ery complete sentence must ha"e a sub=ect, Arabic grammar
deals with this issue in the following manner'
JIf the "erb has a declension, then this is the sub=ect and it is called an
5attached sub=ect pronoun.5
71amples'
?id (I
fa"alt(%)
-
?id (you sing. fem.
fa"alt(i)
-
?id (they plu. masc.
fa"al!!
'
?o (they dual masc.
yaf"alaan(i)
- -
?o (they plu. masc.
yaf"al!!n(a)
- -
?o (they plu. fem.
yaf"aln(a)
- -

!he only e1ception to that idea is the Ord person sing. fem. perfecti"e "erb
which does ha"e a declension but it is not an attached sub=ect pronoun but
rather a feminine marker.
?id .... (-3 S%4C7(!
fa"alat
-

If a separate sub=ect pronoun appears after a "erb that has an attached
sub=ect pronoun, it will be an emphatic pronoun but not the sub=ect, as far as
Arabic grammar is concerned.
JIf the "erb does not ha"e an attached pronoun, the sub=ect will be an
unseen pronoun that follows the "erb and that is called a 5hiding pronoun5
--~ ~ - .
0iding +ronoun ,erb 8ithout Attached +ronoun
(0e
( - )
+ast' Ord person sing. masc.

(She
( - )
+ast' Ord person sing. fem.
-
(I
( - )
+resent' #st person sing.

(;ou
( - - )
+resent' &nd person sing. masc.
-
(0e
( - )
+resent' Ord person sing. masc.
- -
(She
( - )
+resent' Ord person sing. fem.
-
(8e
( = - )
+resent' #st person plu.@dual
- -

71amples'

,erb - Attached Sub=ect - 3b=ect
~ - ~ ,
laqad 'akalt%m k%ll(a) shay'(in)
+ ha"e eaten you e"ery thing
!ranslation' you ha"e eaten e"erything

,erb - Attached Sub=ect - +repositional
+hrase
- -- '
yaqra'!!n(a) f"" ('a)l&maktaba(ti)
+ read (they in the library
!ranslation' they read in the library
/-ote that it is unusual for sentences with only an attached or a hiding Ord
person sub=ect, but not an apparent noun sub=ect, to be used if they were not
preceded by other words or related sentences. e.g. the last e1ample is not a
good sentence in Arabic. ,erb-like particles may be used in such sentences.

,erb - Attached Sub=ect - Ad"erb
- ' -
k%nt(%) jaahiza(n)
+ was I ready

,erb - Attached Sub=ect - 3b=ect
= ' = '
"arafnaa ('a)l&jawaab(a)
+ knew we the answer
!ranslation' we ha"e found out the answer

,erb - Attached Sub=ect - ,erb
- - ' = '
k%nnaa na"rif(%) ('a)l&jawaab(a)
+ were we know the answer
!ranslation' we knew the answer

71amples on hiding sub=ects'

,erb - 0iding Sub=ect - 3b=ect
~ - - - -
n%r""d(%) 'an nal"ab(a)
+ want (we that play (we
!ranslation' we want to play

~ ~ ,
laqad 'akal(a) k%ll(a) shay'(in)
+ has eaten (he e"ery thing
!ranslation' he has eaten e"erything

3b=ect - ,erb - 0iding Sub=ect
= ' .
'al&haqq(a) 'aq!!l(%) la&k%m
+ the truth say (I to you (plu. masc.
!ranslation' I tell you the truth

,erb - 0iding Sub=ect - Ad"erb
- - = ~ -
kaan(a) yawma(n) "as""ba(n)
+ was (he a day a hard
!ranslation' it was a hard day

,erb - 0iding Sub=ect - Ad"erb
- ~ ' -
sawf(a) 'ak!!n(%) jaahiza(n)
+ will be (I ready

I,. Separate Sub=ect +ronouns in ,erbal
Sentences
Although separate sub=ect pronouns are apparent words, an important idea in
Arabic grammar is that separate sub=ect pronouns are -3! the sub=ects in
"erbal sentences that contain them (i.e. if they came after the "erb. !he
sub=ects will still be either the attached sub=ect pronouns or the hiding
pronouns2 the separate sub=ect pronouns are only emphatic words. !hus,
adding a separate sub=ect pronoun to a "erbal sentence will confer a marked
emphatic effect on the sub=ect.
71amples'

,erb - 0iding Sub=ect - S.S.+ - 3b=ect
- - - ' = '
ta"rif(%) 'ant(a) ('a)l&jawaab(a)
+ know you the answer
!ranslation' ;3% know the answer

(ompare with'
- ' = '
ta"rif(%) ('a)l&jawaab(a)
+ know (you the answer
!ranslation' you know the answer

More e1amples'

,erb - Attached Sub=ect - S.S.+ - Ad"erb
- - ' -
k%nt(%) 'anaa jaahiza(n)
+ was I ready
/!he I here is stressed as well.

,erb - Attached Sub=ect - S.S.+ - Ad"erb
- -~ -- - -
sa&tak!!n!!n(a) 'ant%m jaahiz""n(a)
+ will be you (plu. masc. ready
!ranslation' ;3% will be ready

Since that separate sub=ect pronouns are not sub=ects in "erbal sentences, we
will see that "erbs will be con=ugated in the dual and plural (will ha"e attached
pronouns e"en if they were followed by dual or plural apparent sub=ect
pronouns. !his is contrary to the regular rules of "erbal sentences with
apparent plural or dual noun sub=ects.
71amples'

,erb - Attached Sub=ect - S.S.+ - +repositional
+hrase
~ - = '
tadkh%laan(i) h%maa 'ilaa ('a)l&mahall(i)
+ enter (dual fem. they to the shop
!ranslation' !07; enter the shop

,erb - Attached Sub=ect - S.S.+ - +repositional
+hrase
-- ~ - - =
yathhab!!n(a) h%m 'ilaa 'a"maali&him
+ go (plu. masc. they to (the works (of them
!ranslation' !07; go to their works

A final grammatical note is that Ord person singular separate sub=ect pronouns
are regarded differently here, those will be considered sub=ects if they
appeared after "erbs.
!his has to do with the concept of 5optionally hiding pronouns5 and 5obligatory
hiding pronouns5 (see here for more details.
71amples'

- ~ =
'akal(a) h%w(a) ta"aama&h(%)
+ ate he (the food (of him
!ranslation' 07 ate his food

- ~ - ' ~
sharibat hiy(a) sharaaba&haa
+ drank she (the drink(s (of her
!ranslation' S07 drank her drinks

Additional' a case in which the "erbs of "erbal sentences will be con=ugated
regularly (in the singular if they were followed by dual or plural separate
sub=ect pronouns is if there was an e1clusi"e particle before the pronoun.
71ample'

-egati"e ,erb - 71clusion - Sub=ect
~ ` -
maa jaa'(a) 'illaa h%m
+ not came (Ord p. sing. masc. e1cept@but them
!ranslation' nobody came e1cept them

-egati"e ,erb - 3b=ect - 71clusion -
Sub=ect
~ ` - -
maa fa"ala&haa 'illaa 'ant(a)
+ not did her@it e1cept@but you
!ranslation' nobody did it but you
G it is certainly you who did it

In these sentences, the separate sub=ect pronouns are actual sub=ects not
emphatic words. !his includes all of them not only the Ord person singulars.
"erb:/ike Particles

,erb-like particles - -~ ' - ' are a "ery important group of
particles that is commonly used in both classical Arabic and modern standard
Arabic.

,erb-.ike +articles
- -~ ' - '
It is true that
'inna

!hat
'anna

4ut
laakinna

It is like that
ka'anna

It is hoped that
It may be that
la"all(a)

It is wished that
layt(a)
-

!he first four of those particles are in fact all based on the same particle
'inna '!his word comes from an unclear origin. 0owe"er, Arabs regularly
used this word as an 5opening word5 to start a nominal sentence.

8e mentioned in the section about sentences that the 5normal5 sentence in
Arabic is a sentence in which the "erb precedes the sub=ect (e.g. 5reads the
boy a book5. !his kind of sentences is called 5"erbal sentences5 in opposition
to the 5nominal sentences.5 A nominal sentence is a sentence in which the
sub=ect precedes the "erb (e.g. 5!07 43; reads a book5. -ominal sentences
are usually used in Arabic when we wish to emphasi*e the sub=ect, and this is
why the sub=ect was capitali*ed in the sentence.

In order to 5neutrali*e5 the emphatic effect of bringing the sub=ect in front of
the "erb in nominal sentences, Arabs use the "erb-like particles (especially
'inna at the beginning of nominal sentences to confer a 5normal tone5 on the
sentence (counting on their 5"erb-like5 nature, which in a sense turns the
sentence back into a "erbal sentence. Although the literal meaning of 'inna is
5it is "erified or true that5 which is an emphatic meaning, the actual purpose of
using 'inna is to de-emphasi*e the sub=ect of a nominal sentence.

!his is important because most of the speakers of other languages are not
familiar with the usage of "erbal sentences, and when they speak Arabic they
usually use nominal sentences without employing the essential 'inna which
can make them sound 5not "ery nati"e-like.5

=sing'i!!a

#. A "erbal sentence (normal tone

- ~ ' -

&. A nominal sentence (emphatic tone

~ ' - -

O. A nominal sentence with'i!!a (normal tone

,...+ - Sub=ect - ,erb - 3b=ect
~ ' - -
'inna ('a)l&walad(a) yaqra'(%) kitaaba&h(%)
+ it is true that the boy reads (the book (of
him

%sing 'inna re:uires simple things'
!hat it be used in front of a nominal sentence (and only a nominal
sentence.
!hat the grammatical case of the sub=ect of the nominal sentence be
changed from the nominati"e ('ar&raf") to the accusati"e ('an&nasb).
!he changing of the sub=ect9s case to the accusati"e is another reason for why
'inna is called a 5"erb-like5 particle, because this seems as if the sub=ect has
become an ob=ect of 'inna.
In Arabic, the sub=ect of a sentence that contains a "erb-like particle is called
5the noun of the "erb-like particle5 - -~ ' - = ' ~ '. !he predicate of
the sentence is called 5the predicate of the "erb-like particle5 - = ' -
- -~ ' .
More e1amples on 'inna in different situations'

,...+ - Sub=ect - +redicate
~ ' -
'inna ('a)s&samaa'(a) saafiya(t%n)
+ it is true that the sky (is clear

= -
'inna "aliyya(n) h%naa
+ truthfully Ali (is here
!ranslation' Ali is here

'~ - - - = -
'inna haathaa yawm(%n) "as""b(%n)
+ truthfully this (is a day a hard
!ranslation' this is a hard day

-ot all nominal sentences can ha"e a "erb-like particle. 6or e1ample,
conditional sentences, or sentences that begin with a locational demonstrati"e
can9t.
If the sub=ect was a separate sub=ect pronoun, it must be changed to an
attached ob=ect pronoun when adding 'inna' (See Attached 3b=ect +ronouns
for information on how to attach ob=ect pronouns to "erb-like particles.

Sub=ect - +redicate
- -
'anaa jaahiz(%n)
+ I (am a ready

- -
'inn&"" jaahiz(%n)
+ truthfully me (is a ready

A must case for using 'inna is when the sentence begins with a Ord person
sub=ect pronoun. 3therwise it will be "ery emphatic.

Sub=ect - +redicate
- ~ - -
hiy(a) fataa(t%n) thakiyya(t%n)
+ she (is a girl a smart
!ranslation' S07 is a smart girl

- ~ - -
'inna&haa fataa(t%n) thakiyya(t%n)
+ truthfully her (is a girl a smart
!ranslation' she is a smart girl

Sub=ect - +redicate
- - ~ -
h%w(a) sad""q&""
G he (is (the friend (of me
!ranslation' 07 is my friend

- - ~ -
'inna&h% sad""q&""
G truthfully him (is (the friend (of me
!ranslation' he is my friend

,...+ - Sub=ect - +redicate (+repositional +hrase
- '~ '
'inna&h(%) f"" ('a)d&daakhil(i)
/ it is true that him (is in the inside
!ranslation' he9s inside

Sub=ect - +redicate
- -= -
h%m '%naas(%n) tayyib!!n(a)
G they (are people kind
!ranslation' !07; are kind people

- -= - 0
'inna&h%m '%naas(%n) tayyib!!n(a)
+ truthfully them (are people kind
!ranslation' they are kind people

'i!!a #ith Emphatic la-
A commonly used particle, especially in classical Arabic, is emphatic la& .
!his la& precedes many words for the purpose of emphases. It also precedes
nominal sentences.
71ample'
~ - ~ -
la&zayd(%n) saadiq(%n)
G certainly xayd (is an honest
!ranslation' certainly xayd is telling the
truth

- ~ -
la&h%w(a) sad""q&""
G certainly he (is (the friend (of me
!ranslation' certainly he is my friend

8hen using 'inna with such sentences, the emphatic la& will ha"e to be mo"ed
from before the sub=ect to before the predicate.
'~ - ~ -
'inna zayda(n) la&saadiq(%n)
G truthfully xayd (is certainly an honest
!ranslation' certainly xayd is telling the
truth

- - ~ -
'inna&h% la&sad""q&""
G truthfully him (is certainly (the friend (of
me
!ranslation' certainly he is my friend

!his mo"ed emphatic la& is called in Arabic the 5slipped laam5 ' ' ,
because it slips from before the sub=ect to after it.

Why "erb:/ike>
J!hey look like "erbs, and end with the perfecti"e "erb declension &a .
J!hey all carry meanings of "erbs.
J!hey affect the sub=ect of the nominal sentence by changing its case to the
accusati"e, which is what "erbs do with their ob=ects.
J!hey can be attached to ob=ect pronouns like "erbs. See Attached 3b=ect
+ronouns.

.iteral Senses of ,erb-.ike
+articles
It is "erified that
'inna

!hat it is "erified that
'anna

4ut it is "erified that
laakinna

As@like it is "erified that
ka'anna

It is hoped that
It may be that
la"all(a)

It is wished that
layt(a)
-

"erb:/ike Particles (continued)

=nderstanding "erb:/ike Particles
In essence, "erb-like particles are three'

4asic ,erb-.ike +articles
It is true that
'inna

It is hoped that
It may be that
la"all(a)

It is wished that
layt(a)
-

!he other three particles are based on 'inna as follows'
#. 'a!!a
w
'an 'inna 'anna
that it is true that w that

71amples'
' ~ = '
'inna ('a)l&maw"id(a) ('a)l&yawm(a)
= truthfully the appointment@date (is today
!ranslation' the appointment@date is today

- = ' ~ = '
zanant(%) 'anna ('a)l&maw"id(a) ('a)l&
yawm(a)
= (I thought that truthfully the
appointment@date (is today
!ranslation' I thought that the
appointment@date was today

!he meaning of 'anna is a comple1 meaning which is 5'an 'inna" G 5that it is
true that5. !he non-reduced form 5'an 'inna" cannot be used and it has to be
'anna'
Another e1ample'
~ = ~
la&qad "%dt(%)
= (I ha"e returned
!ranslation' I ha"e returned @ I am back

- ~ = ~
'inn&"" qad "%dt(%)
= truthfully me ha"e returned
!ranslation' I ha"e returned @ I am back

' - ~ = ~
'a&lam ta"lam!! 'ann&"" qad "%dt(%)
= is it that did not (you know that truthfully
me ha"e returned
!ranslation' didn9t you know that I am backa

-ote. 'an is a particle which means 5that.5 0owe"er, it is used almost
only before "erbs (i.e. before "erbal sentences and not before nouns.
!herefore, it can9t usually be used before a nominal sentence unless
combined with 'inna to produce 'anna5 like in the already mentioned e1amples.
!wo 8ords for 5!hat5
!hat %sage
'an

,erbal Sentences (,erbs
'anna

-ominal Sentences (-ouns, +ronouns, etc.

'an is used in Arabic to produce infiniti"al phrases =ust like how 5to5 is
used in 7nglish. If the "erb after 'an was an imperfecti"e "erb, it must be in the
sub=uncti"e mood.
~ -
'%r""d(%) 'an 'ata"allam(a)
+ (I want that (I learn
!ranslation' I want to learn

'an is used in front of nominal sentences in only one classical case,
which is when 'an precedes an 5e1planatory phrase.5
~ ~ = '
fa&'arsal(a) 'ilay&hi 'an(i) ('a)l&harb(%)
wash""ka(t%n)
+ then (he sent to him that the war (is
imminent
!ranslation' so he sent to him a message
telling him that war is imminent

&. laaki!!a
w
laakin 'inna laakinna
but it is true that w but

71amples'
~ ' - - -'
'al&kalaam(%) sahl(%n) laakinna ('a)l&fi"l(a)
sa"b(%n)
= the talking (is easy but truthfully the
doing (is hard
!ranslation' talking is easy but doing is hard

!he non-reduced form 5laakin 'inna" cannot be used and it has to be
laakinna'
It is "ery habitual for Arabs to add an unnecessary wa G 5and5 before both
laakin (but and laakinna (emphasi*ed but . !his 5and5 means nothing and
does nothing.

- ' - - -~ ' ~ -
'ishtarayt(%) ('a)l&kitaab(a) wa&laakinn&""
lam 'aqra'<&h(%) ba"d(%)
= (I bought the book but truthfully me did
not read him yet
!ranslation' I bought the book but I ha"en9t
read it yet

-- - ~ ~
laakinna&k%nn(a) qad thahabt%nn(a)
/ but truthfully you (plu. fem. ha"e gone
!ranslation' but you9"e gone

O. ka'a!!a
w
ka&'an 'inna ka'anna
like that it is true that w it is like that

Some old Arabian dialects used ka'inna instead of ka'anna. !he etymology of ka'inna
may be easier to track (ka&'inna). ka'inna is still used in se"eral Arabic spoken dialects
today, e.g. in 7gyptian Arabic.

71ample'
~ ~ '~ -
ka'anna zayda(n) 'asad(%n)
= it is like that xayd (is a lion
!ranslation' xayd is like a lion

!he sentence 5xayd is like a lion5 cannot be translated literally to Arabic.

6A.S7 -
-3-S7-S7
~ - ~, ~
xayd (is like a lion
6A.S7 -
-3-S7-S7
'~ - ~, ~
!ruthfully xayd (is like a
lion

!o make such a sentence, we ha"e to use the "erb-like particle ka'anna like in
the aforementioned e1ample (i.e. ka'anna xayd is a lion G it is like that xayd is
a lion.
0owe"er, if the second word were a definite word, we could go without using
ka'anna (actually it is better not to use ka'anna in this case, especially in
modern Arabic.
~ - ~ ~
zayd(%n) ka&l&'asad(i)
= xayd (is like the lion
!ranslation' xayd is like the lion
(xayd is like a lion

If we use ka'anna in this case, it will sound like a poetry line.
~ ~ ' '~ -
ka'anna zayda(n) ('a)l&'asad(%)
= it is like that xayd (is the lion
!ranslation' xayd is like the lion
(xayd is like a lion

0a"ing the second word definite is more commonly used in Arabic to e1press
ideas of the type 5something is like a something5 or 5someone is like a
something.5 3f course, using ka'anna in such sentences is somewhat less
affirmati"e, as the second word will be indefinite (cf. xayd is a man @ xayd is
the man.

Sentence
Cudgment
#st 8ord &nd 8ord Ord word
?efinite 8ord
.ike
Indefinite Not Good

?efinite Good
ka'anna

?efinite 8ord
Indefinite Good
?efinite Poetr+

Another e1ample, how do we translate to Arabic 5life is like a dream5 a
!here are two possible ways, the first one is'
- = ' =
'al&hayaa(t%) ka&l&h%l%m(i)
= the life (is like the dream
!ranslation' life is like a dream

!his translation gi"es the e1act sense of the original sentence.
!he other way to translate it is'
- = '
ka'anna ('a)l&hayaa(ta) h%l%m(%n)
= it is like that the life (is a dream
!ranslation' life is like a dream
!his translation confers a tinge of incertitude on the original sentence.
"erb:/ike Particles (continued)
Coping ; Whishing
!he remaining two "erb-like particles are'

It is hoped that
It may be that
la"all(a)

It is wished that
layt(a)
-

la"all(a) or "all(a) =
A commonly used "erb-like particle, la"all(a) indicates the hope as well as the
e1pectation of the speaker about something. Sometimes it indicates the mere
e1pectation (including bad e1pectations.
la"all(a) is used only with nominal sentences, and the sub=ect of the sentence
will be in the accusati"e case =ust like for the rest of "erb-like particles.
71amples'
- '~ =
la"all(a) r""maa ta'<t"" rada(n)
/ it is hoped that )ima come tomorrow
!ranslation' I hope )ima will come
tomorrow

~ ~ - '
la"all(a) ('a)l&mar""d(a) qad maat(a)
/ maybe the patient has died
!ranslation' maybe the patient has died

= ~ ~ - '
"all(a) ('a)l&mar""d(a) qad maat(a)
/ maybe the patient has died
!ranslation' maybe the patient has died

' =
la"alla&haa t%mt"r(%) ('a)l&yawm(a)
/ it is hoped that her will rain today
!ranslation' I hope it will rain today

layt(a) -
layt(a) is also a commonly used word. It indicates that the speaker is
whishing that what he says happen or be true. layt(a) works =ust like the other
"erb-like particles as far as grammar is concerned.
71amples'
- ~ - ~ - -~ '
layta ('a)sh&shabaab(a) ya"!!d(%)
yawma(n)
/ it is wished that the youth returns a day
!ranslation' I wish if I be young again one
day

- = - -
layta&n"" k%nt(%) h%naak(a)
/ it is wished that me was there
!ranslation' I wish I was there

"erb:/ike Particles + "aa
,erb-like particles can be used regularly with nominal sentences that begin
with relati"e pronouns such as that, who, what, etc.
71ample from classical poetry, the poet is showing pride of his people'
~ ' ~ ' ~
. = = - = ~ -
'inna ('a)l&lath"" samak(a) ('a)s&samaa'(a)
banaa la&na bayta(n) da"aa'im%&h(%)
'a"azz(%) wa&'atwal(%)
= it is true that who raised the hea"en built
for us a house (the foundations (of him
(are more e1cellent and taller
!ranslation' he who raised the hea"en has
built for us a house, the foundations of
which are higher and more e1cellent
'al&lath"" is a general relati"e pronoun that can mean who, whom, or which.
71ample on other relati"e pronouns'
~ - ~ '~ -
'inna man fa"al(a) haathaa qad 'asaab(a)
= truthfully who did this has done right
!ranslation' he who did this has done right

~ ' - ' - -
'inna maa taf"al%&h(%) h%w(a) ('a)s&
sawaab(%)
= truthfully what (you are doing he (is the
right (thing
!ranslation' what you9re doing is the right
thing

-ow to the main point, "erb-like particles can be combined with the relati"e
pronoun maa G 5what5 to gi"e a single word with a reduced meaning.
,erb-.ike +articles 8ith maa
' - -~ ' - ' . - '
~ -
'inna , maa + 'inna&maa
It is true that what ... H it is true that ...
~ -
'anna , maa + 'anna&maa
!hat it is true that what ... H that it is true that ...
~
laakinna , maa + laakinna&maa
4ut it is true that what ... H but ...
~ -
ka'anna , maa + ka'anna&maa
.ike that it is true that what ... H it is like that ...
~
la"all(a) , maa + la"alla&maa
It is hoped that what ... H it is hoped that ...
It is may be that what ... H it is may be that ...
- ~ -
layt(a) , maa + layta&maa
It is wished that what ... H it is wished that ...

,erb-like particles plus maa were so commonly used in classical Arabic that
they lost their primary meanings and became =ust emphatic "ersions of the
bare "erb-like particles. ,erb-like particles plus maa will ha"e no effect what
so e"er on the case-declensions in the following sentence, regardless of the
synta1. Moreo"er, ,.+ plus maa will be used with "erbal sentences =ust like
with nominal sentences.
maa is this case is called in Arabic 5inacti"ating maa5 ' ~ .
71amples'
- ~ ' -
'inna&maa h%w(a) 'ilaah(%n) waahid(%n)
= truthfully what he (is (is a god a one
H truthfully he (is a god a one
!ranslation' he is only one <od

- = ' .
'inna&maa taq!!l(%) ('a)l&haqq(a)
= truthfully what (you say (is the truth
H truthfully (you say the truth
!ranslation' what you say is nothing but the
truth

- ~ -'
ka'anna&maa wajh%&haa ('a)l&badr(%)
= it is like that what (the face (of her (is
(is the full moon
H it is like that (the face (of her (is the full
moon
!ranslation' her face is like the full moon
(beautiful

- ' - ~ -
la"alla&maa y%shfaa ('a)l&mar""d(%)
= it is hoped that what (he be healed (is
the patient
= it is hoped that (he be healed the patient
!ranslation' I hope the patient will get well

-egation

-egation in 7nglish is achie"ed by using the word 5not5 (be not, do not. In
Arabic, there are many words that are used to form negati"e statements, each
one ha"ing its specific uses and conditions. 0owe"er, there are four principle
negati"e words that are commonly used in modern standard Arabic. As I try to
do always, I am going to discuss here all the negati"e words known in
(lassical Arabic.

-egati"e 8ords
- ' ' ~
!ense
%sage
8ord
,erbal
Sentences
-ominal Sentences
+resent
4efore "erbs
only
(imperfecti"e "erb
only
4efore nouns or
"erbs
(imperfecti"e "erb only
lays(a)

is not
+resent M
6uture
4efore "erbs
only
(perfecti"e M
imperfecti"e "erb
4efore nouns or
"erbs
(perfecti"e M
imperfecti"e "erb
laa
`
not
All tenses
4efore "erbs
only
(perfecti"e M
imperfecti"e "erb
4efore nouns or
"erbs
(perfecti"e M
imperfecti"e "erb
maa
~
not
All tenses
4efore "erbs
only
(perfecti"e M
imperfecti"e "erb
4efore nouns or
"erbs
(perfecti"e M
imperfecti"e "erb
'in

not
+ast
4efore "erbs only
lam

w did not
+ast
4efore "erbs only
lammaa

w did not yet
6uture
4efore "erbs only
lan

w will not
+resent -ot %sed
4efore nouns only
(time words only
laat(a)
`
w is not

-egati"e 8ords (ommonly %sed in
Modern 6ormal Arabic
%sage 8ord
4efore the predicate in
present tense be-
sentences
(sentences without "erbs
lays(a)

is not
4efore "erbs
(past tense
lam

w did not
4efore "erbs
(future tense
lan

w will not
4efore "erbs
(present tense M
laa
imperati"e
`
not

Present 3ense -egati1e entences

!ense
%sage
8ord
,erbal Sentences -ominal Sentences
+resent
!ense 3nly
4efore "erbs only
4efore nouns or
"erbs
lays(a)

-ot %sed
4efore nouns only
(time words only
laat(a)
`
+resent or
6uture
4efore "erbs only
(perfecti"e M
imperfecti"e "erb
4efore nouns or
"erbs
(perfecti"e M imperfecti"e
"erb
laa
`
All !enses
4efore "erbs only
(perfecti"e M
imperfecti"e "erb
4efore nouns or
"erbs
"erb
maa
~
4efore "erbs only
(perfecti"e M
imperfecti"e "erb
4efore nouns or
"erbs
"erb
'in

In order to turn a present tense positi"e sentence into a present tense
negati"e sentence, those are the words that can be used. All those words are
particles (rootless e1cept for the first one, which is a perfecti"e fro*en "erb in
Arabic grammar.
4arring laat(a), those words can be used both in front of nouns and in front of
"erbs if the sentence were a nominal sentence (the sub=ect is before the
"erb. If the sentence were a "erbal sentence (the "erb is before the sub=ect,
negati"e words can only be used before the "erb but not the sub=ect.
(larification'
-!he boy reads his book (positi"e nominal H
!he boy not reads his book (negati"e nominal
3)
-ot the boy reads his book (negati"e nominal

-)ead the boy his book (positi"e "erbal H
-ot read the boy his book (negati"e "erbal

+ossible Structures for -egati"e
-ominal Sentences in +resent !ense
Sbject
Ne,!ti(e
-ord
Verb
Ot"ers
$e.,.
object)
!he boy not reads his book
Ne,!ti(e
-ord
Sbject Verb
Ot"ers
$e.,.
object)
Not the boy reads his book
!he first structure (before "erb is the better one and the one usually used.

+ossible Structure for -egati"e "erbal
Sentences in +resent !ense
Ne,!ti(e
-ord
Verb Sbject
Ot"ers
$e.,. object)
Not read the boy his book

A final note, negati"e words in nominal sentences with "erb-like particles
come after both the particle and the sub=ect.
-egati"e -ominal Sentences in +resent
!ense 8ith ,erb-.ike +articles
VLP Sbject
Ne,!ti(e
-ord
Verb
Ot"ers
$e.,. object)
/rt"f**+ the boy not reads his book

-ow we will go through the negati"e words used in present tense sentences
successi"ely.
lays(a)
!he first word lays(a) is the word commonly used for "erb-less sentences. It
is a negati"e perfecti"e fro*en "erb. !his means that there is only a perfecti"e
(past form of this "erb but not the other forms (imperfecti"e M imperati"e.
6ootnote' there are two theories for the etymology of lays(a), one theory says that it
originally comes from a negated demonstrati"e. !he other theory, which is in accord
with Arabic grammar and which appears to be the truthful one, is that it comes from an
obsolete "erb (either - or ~ -".
According to traditional Arabic sources'
` - I
laa , 'ays(a) + lays(a)
not N e1isted G not e1isted
'ays(a) - G 5e1isted5 is an archaic word (e.g. - - ~ -- '.
0owe"er, lays(a) is always an incomplete "erb meaning, literally, 5was not5 and it is
ne"er used in its complete sense 5e1isted not5 in the Arabic that we know of today.
Although lays(a) is a perfecti"e "erb, it can be used only for present tense
sentences (imperfecti"e "erbs and it cannot be used for past or future tense
sentences. Also, this word can ne"er coe1ist with the "erb 5be@is5 G yak!!n(%)
in one sentence.
71amples on lays(a)'
+ositi"e -ominal
~ ' - -
3)' the boy is reading his book

-egati"e
~ ' - -
lays(a) 'al&walad(%) yaqra'(%) kitaaba&
h(%)
+ is@e1ists not the boy reading (the book
(of him
!ranslations' the boy does not read his
book
it is not the boy who reads his book
the boy is not reading his book
it is not the boy who is reading his book

-egati"e (best choice
~ ' - -
'al&walad(%) lays(a) 'yaqra'(%) kitaaba&
h(%)
+ the boy is@e1ists not reading (the book
(of him
!ranslation' the boy does not read his
book
3)' the boy is not reading his book

+ositi"e ,erbal
- ~ ' -

-egati"e
- ~ ' -
lays(a) yaqra'(%) ('a)l&walad(%) kitaaba&
h(%)
+ is@e1ists not reading the boy (the book
(of him
!ranslation' the boy does not read his
book
3)' the boy is not reading his book

!o use the negati"e word directly before the "erb in nominal sentences is the
best choice, because in this case there would not be two possibilities for the
meaning of the sentence. 8hen the negati"e word precedes the sub=ect, it
may be negating only the sub=ect but not the "erb, and it may be also negating
both.

+ositi"e -ominal
~ -
'ahmad(%) h%naa
+ Ahmad (is here
!ranslation' Ahmad is here

-egati"e
~ -
lays(a) 'ahmad(%) h%naa
+ is not Ahmad here
!ranslation' Ahmad is not here
3)' it is not Ahmad who is here

~ -
'ahmad(%) lays(a) h%naa
+ Ahmad is not here
!ranslation' Ahmad is not here

Since that lays(a) is a "erb, it must be con=ugated to suite different sub=ects.
!he middle letter of the root is ; so it is a hollow weak "erb (see here for
con=ugation of perfecti"e hollow "erbs.

~ ~ 6ro*en "erb 44
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I am not
last(%)
~ -
(;ou are not
(masc.
last(a)
~ -
(;ou are not (fem.
lasti
~ -
(0e is not
lays(a)

(She is not
laysat
~ -
D
U
A
L
(;ou are not
last%maa
~ -
(!hey are not
(masc.
laysaa
~
(!hey are not
(fem.
laysataa
~ -
P
L
U
R
(8e are not (dual @
plu.
lasnaa
~
(;ou are not
(masc.
last%m
~ -
A
L
(;ou are not (fem.
last%nn(a)
~ -
(!hey are not
(masc.
lays!!
~ '
(!hey are not
(fem.
lasn(a)
~

More e1amples'

+ositi"e -ominal
~ ' -
'as&samaa'(%) saafiya(t%n)
+ the sky (is a clear

-egati"e
- ~ ~ ' -
laysat(i) ('a)s&samaa'(%) saafiya(tan)
G is not the sky a clear
!ranslation' the sky is not clear
3)' it is not the sky that is clear

~ ' - ~ -
('a)s&samaa'(%) laysat saafiya(tan)
+ the sky is not a clear

)emember that lays(a) is always an incomplete "erb and it will always need
an ad"erb to complete its meaning (i.e. the predicate of the positi"e
sentence. Ad"erbs in Arabic are always in the accusati"e case ('an&nasb.

!he rules for separate sub=ect pronouns with the presence of lays(a) are the
same of those without lays(a). !hese were mentioned in detail in the
sentences section.
In short, separate sub=ect pronouns can be emphatic in nominal sentences
(before lays(a) and they are always emphatic in "erbal sentences (after
lays(a) .

+ositi"e -ominal
- ~ ~
'anaa sa"""d(%n)
+ I (am a happy
!ranslation' I am happy

-egati"e (emphatic
- ~ - '~ ~
last(%) 'anaa sa"""da(n)
G am not I a happy
!ranslation' it is not me who is happy

- - ~ '~ ~
'anaa last(%) sa"""da(n)
+ I am not a happy
!ranslation' I am not happy

- ~ '~ ~
last(%) sa"""da(n)
+ (I am not a happy

lays(a) 8ith ,erb-.ike +articles
As we mentioned earlier, negati"e words in nominal sentences with "erb-like
particles come after the particle and the sub=ect.
+ositi"e
= = . '~ -
'inna haathaa la&qawl(%n) "%jaab(%n)
+ truthfully this (is certainly a saying an
astonishing
!ranslation' this is astonishing talk

-egati"e
'~ - = = `
'inna haathaa lays(a) qawla(n)
"%jaaba(n)
G truthfully this is not a saying an
astonishing
!ranslation' this is not astonishing talk

/6rom this e1ample we should conclude that emphatic la& doesn9t stay in
negati"e sentences.

lays(a) 8ith !ransiti"e bi&
Cust as it is intransiti"e "erb, lays(a) can be followed by the preposition bi& G
5in@by@with5 to relate it to an indirect ob=ect.
71ample' the "erb 5die5 is intransiti"e "erb (can9t ha"e a direct ob=ect.
0e died bed
Meaningless sentence, because an intransiti"e
"erb can9t ha"e a direct ob=ect
0e died in bed
Meaningful sentence, because the preposition
related the "erb to the indirect ob=ect
So lays(a) can ha"e an indirect ob=ect instead of an ad"erb if it was followed
by the preposition bi&.
71amples with literal translations'

Sub=ect - Incomplete ,erb - Ad"erb
~ ' - ~ -
('a)s&samaa'(%) laysat saafiya(tan)
G the sky is@e1ists not clearly

Sub=ect - Incomplete ,erb - +reposition - Indirect
3b=ect
~ ' - ~ , -
('a)s&samaa'(%) laysat bi&saafiya(tin)
G the sky is@e1ists not in a clear (state

3b=ect
~ ' - ~ -
('a)s&samaa'(%) laysat bi&s&saafiya(ti)
G the sky is@e1ists not in the clear (state

3b=ect
- - ~ ~, ~
'anaa last(%) bi&sa"""d(in)
+ I am@e1ist not in a happy (state

3b=ect
- - ~ ~ ~
'anaa last(%) bi&s&sa"""d(i)
+ I am@e1ist not in the happy (state

3b=ect
'~ - = = ., ,
'inna haathaa lays(a) bi&qawl(in) "%jaab(in)
G truthfully this is@e1ists not in (the state of
a saying an astonishing

3b=ect
'~ - = ' .
'inna haathaa lays(a) bi&l&qawl(i)
('a)l&"%jaab(i)
G truthfully this is@e1ists not in (the state of
the saying the astonishing

!he summery is' a noun after lays(a) will be an ad"erb (in accusati"e case
unless preceded by the preposition bi& where it will be an indirect ob=ect (in
ablati"e case.

Sbject Pre). Non
lays(a)

Is@e1ists
not
the boy

"!))i*+
Ad(erb

Accs!ti(e C!se
('an&nasb)
bi&

in
"!))+
Indirect
Object

Ab*!ti(e C!se
('al&jarr)

lays(a) in Modern 6ormal Arabic
!he good use of lays(a) in modern formal Arabic is in sentences without
"erbs, that is in present tense be-sentences. lays(a) will usually come after the
sub=ect and before the predicate in such sentences.
Se"eral e1amples on this ha"e already been mentioned on this page.
-egation (continued)
laat(a) `
laat(a) is a classical, unimportant, negati"e particle that has "ery limited
uses. Although it is a particle and not an incomplete "erb, it works like
lays(a) (re:uires an ad"erb in the accusati"e case following it2 but there are
limitations to how it is used'
It must be followed e1clusi"ely by a noun.
!his noun must be a time word (like 5day,5 5time,5 5hour,5 etc..
!he sub=ect of the sentence must be omitted and only the ad"erb
appears.
71amples'
` = ~ , ~ ~
laat(a) saa"a(ta) mandam(in)
G is@e1ists not (the hour (as (the hour (of
a regret
!ranslation' this is not a time to regret

!he original complete form of this sentence would be the following (not used'
" ` = ~ = ~ ' , ~ ~ "
laat(a) ('a)s&saa"a(t%) saa"a(ta)
mandam(in)
G is@e1ists not the hour (as (the hour (of
a regret
!ranslation' this is not a time to regret

Another e1ample from the >oran'
` , ~
wa&laat(a) h""n(a) manaas(in)
G and is@e1ists not (the time (as (the time
(of an escape
!ranslation' this is not a time to escape
71planation' this is not the right time to a"oid punishment,
you should ha"e thought about it before

laa `
!he word for 5no5 in Arabic, laa is the official word used for negation of
imperfecti"e "erbs in the present tense. In standard usage, it comes before
the "erb and not the sub=ect of the sentence.
- ` ~ - -
h%w(a) laa ya"rif(%) shay'a(n)
G he not knows a thing
!ranslation' 07 doesn9t know anything

` ~ - -
laa ya"rif(%) shay'a(n)
G not (he knows a thing
!ranslation' he doesn9t know anything

- ` ~ - -
'inna&h(%) laa ya"rif(%) shay'a(n)
G it is true that him not knows a thing

- - ~ ` ~ - -
la&qad 'akhbart%&k(a) 'anna&h(%) laa
ya"rif(%) shay'a(n)
G (I ha"e told you that truthfully him not
knows a thing
!ranslation' I told you he doesn9t know
anything

- - ~ ` = - ~ ~ = -
'in thahab(a) laa yajid(%) shay'a(n)
h%naak(a)
G if (he went not (he finds a thing there
!ranslation' if he went, he wouldn9t find
anything there
!he imperfecti"e in the last e1ample ser"ed as a sub=uncti"e "erb. 8e
mentioned in the "erb section that this is common in Arabic.

?o -ot!
8hen laa comes before second person con=ugations of imperfecti"e "erbs, it
will mean a negati"e command.
` . ~
laa tas'al
G not (you ask
!ranslation' don9t ask!

` = -
laa tadhak""
G not (you laugh (sing. fem.
!ranslation' don9t laugh!

8hen laa is used in this way (to gi"e a negati"e command, it becomes a
=ussi"e particle and the imperfecti"e "erb after it must be in the =ussi"e mood.

4efore Sub=ects
8hen laa precedes the sub=ect instead of the "erb, it will work either like
lays(a) (i.e. it will re:uire an ad"erb in the accusati"e case following it, or
like 'inna (i.e the sub=ect will be in the accusati"e case. 0owe"er, the
sub=ect and the predicate must be indefinite when we use laa before the
sub=ect.
!he first usage (like lays(a) is a rather unusual way to use this particle in
Arabic.
71ample'
` = - = ~
laa matar(%n) haatila(n)
G is@e1ists not a rain falling
!ranslation' no rain is falling
G it is not raining
3)' it is not rain which is falling

` - -'
laa raj%l(%n) f"" ('a)l&bayt(i)
G is@e1ists not a man in the house
!ranslation' there is no man in the house
3)' the man in the house is not a man

!he second way of using laa before nouns (like 'inna is much more
common. laa is usually used in this way to make a general statement.
8hereas the pre"ious way of using laa (like lays(a) should be used when
making a more specific statement.
` - -' ~
laa 'ahad(a) f"" ('a)l&bayt(i)
G not a one (is in the house
!ranslation' no one@nobody is in the house

` - ~ ' = = -
laa raj%l(a) yajr%'(%) "alaa ('a)th&
thahaab(i)
G not a man dares on the going
!ranslation' no man dares to go

As a norm in the second case, the sub=ect after laa will usually not be
-oonated, although it will still be indefinite. As we ha"e mentioned already,
the sub=ect and the predicate must be indefinite when using negati"e laa
before the sub=ect of a sentence.
In Arabic grammar, when laa works like 'inna it is called'
5negating of genus laa5 = ' `%

-either ... nor ...
Faa is used in Arabic to say 5neither...nor...5

` `
laa ''' wa&laa '''
-either ... nor ...

` '~ - ` = '~
laa haathaa wa&laa thaak(a)
G not this and not that
!ranslation' neither this nor that

` - - ` - ~
laa ra'ayt(%) wa&laa sami"t(%)
G not (I saw and not (I heard
!ranslation' neither did I see nor did I hear

+refi1ed laa&
In modern Arabic, laa can often be prefi1ed to create new words much as
non-, un-, in-, dis-, im-. il-, and ir- are used in 7nglish words.
71amples'
Inorganic
laa&"%dwiyy(%n)
- =
Irresponsible
laa&mas'!!l(%n)
. ~ ~
Infinite
laa&m%tanaah(in)
-,-~

/!he word rayr% = G 5other than5 is often used in a similar way2 howe"er,
that word forms a geniti"e construction with the noun following it and will not
be prefi1ed to it.
71amples'
-ot organic
rayr% "%dwiyy(in)
= - =
-ot responsible
rayr% mas'!!l(in)
= ., ~ ~
-ot finite
rayr% m%tanaah(in)
= -,-~
Baa ~
Although it is seldom used in formal Arabic, negati"e maa is the most
commonly used negati"e particle in the modern spoken dialects of Arabic.
!he usual usage of this particle in classical Arabic is before perfecti"e "erbs,
but it can also be used before imperfecti"e "erbs, e"en though this is a rather
awkward usage in the formal language.
- ~ ~ - -
h%w(a) maa ya"rif(%) shay'a(n)

~ ~ - -
maa ya"rif(%) shay'a(n)

- ~ ~ - -
'inna&h(%) maa ya"rif(%) shay'a(n)

- - ~ ~ ~ - -
la&qad 'akhbart%&k(a) 'anna&h(%) maa
ya"rif(%) shay'a(n)
knows a thing
anything

4efore Sub=ects

~ - ~
maa 'ahad(%n) h%naa
G not a one (is here
!ranslation' no one@nobody is here

~ - ~ - -
maa h%w(a) ya"rif(%) shay'a(n)
G not he knows a thing

~ ~ ~ - -
maa 'ahad(%n) ya"rif(%) shay'a(n)
G not a one knows a thing
!ranslation' no one@nobody knows anything

Baa can also work like lays(a), that is, it will re:uire an ad"erb in the
accusati"e case to follow it.
~ ' ~ '~ -
maa haathaa bashara(n)
G is@e1ists not this (as a human
!ranslation' this is not a human being

8ith transiti"e bi&:
~ '~ - , ~ -
maa haathaa bi&bashar(in)
G is@e1ists not this in (state of a human

~ '~ - ~ -
maa haathaa bi&l&bashar(i)
G is@e1ists not this in (state of the human

'in
!he last one of the negati"e particles in the present tense, 'in (0ebrew ;:x
was an important negati"e word in classical Arabic, but not as much in
modern Arabic.

4efore ,erbs
- ~ - -
h%w(a) 'in ya"rif(%) shay'a(n)

~ - -
'in ya"rif(%) shay'a(n)

- ~ - -
'inna&h(%) 'in ya"rif(%) shay'a(n)

- - ~ ~ - -
la&qad 'akhbart%&k(a) 'anna&h(%) 'in
ya"rif(%) shay'a(n)
knows a thing
anything

4efore Sub=ects

- ~
'in 'ahad(%n) h%naa
G not a one (is here
!ranslation' no one@nobody is here

- ~ - -
'in h%w(a) ya"rif(%) shay'a(n)
G not he knows a thing

~ ~ - -
'in 'ahad(%n) ya"rif(%) shay'a(n)
G not a one knows a thing
!ranslation' no one@nobody knows anything

.ike laa and maa, Arabs also used 'in in the same way as lays(a) (with
an ad"erb in the accusati"e case following the sub=ect.
' ~ '~ -
'in haathaa bashara(n)
G is@e1ists not this (as a human
Past 3ense -egati1e entences

!ense
%sage
8ord
+ast
4efore "erbs only
lam

4efore "erbs only
lammaa

All !enses
4efore "erbs only
(perfecti"e M
imperfecti"e "erb
4efore nouns or
"erbs
"erb
maa
~
4efore "erbs only
(perfecti"e M
imperfecti"e "erb
4efore nouns or
"erbs
"erb
'in

!hose are the negati"e words that can be seen in negati"e sentences in the
past tense. !hey are all particles. !he first two are different from the other two
in that they re:uire the "erb after them to be an imperfecti"e "erb in the
=ussi"e mood, e"en though the sentence will be in the past tense.

lam
!his the ma=or negati"e particle for the past tense in formal Arabic. Although it
is used for the past tense, it can ne"er be used with the perfecti"e "erb itself,
rather it is only used before imperfecti"e "erbs.

+ositi"e -ominal
~ '
'al&walad(%) 'akal(a)
+ the boy ate
!ranslation' the boy ate@has eaten

-egati"e
~ ' -
'al&walad(%) lam ya'<k%l
+ the boy did not eat
!ranslation' the boy didn9t eat@hasn9t
eaten

+ositi"e ,erbal
~ '
'akal(a) ('a)l&walad(%)
+ ate the boy

-egati"e
- ~ '
lam ya'<k%l(i) 'al&walad(%)
+ did not eat the boy
eaten

+ositi"e -ominal
~ - -
ziyaad(%n) kaan(a) h%naa
+ xiyad was here
!ranslation' xiyad was here

-egati"e
~ - - -
ziyaad(%n) lam yak%n h%naa
+ xiyad did not be here
!ranslation' xiyad was not here

+ositi"e ,erbal
- ~ -
kaan(a) ziyaad(%n) h%naa
+ was xiyad here
!ranslation' xiyad was here

-egati"e
- - ~ -
lam yak%n ziyaad(%n) h%naa
+ did not be xiyad here
!ranslation' xiyad was not here

Fam is a =ussi"e particle and the imperfecti"e "erb after it must be in the
=ussi"e mood. (on=ugation of the "erb yak!!n(%) in the =ussi"e mood is
a"ailable here.

lammaa
Fammaa is a classical negati"e particle for the past tense that works =ust
like lam2 it comes before imperfecti"e "erbs and it is also a =ussi"e particle.
0owe"er, lammaa means 5did not yet5 rather than 5did not5 only. 8hen
lammaa is used, the speaker means that the action is not reali*ed yet but it
is e1pected to be so at any time.

+ositi"e -ominal
~ '
+ the boy ate

-egati"e
~ ' -
'al&walad(%) lammaa ya'<k%l
+ the boy did not yet eat
!ranslation' the boy hasn9t eaten yet

+ositi"e ,erbal
~ '
+ ate the boy

-egati"e
- ~ '
lammaa ya'<k%l(i) 'al&walad(%)
+ did not yet eat the boy
!ranslation' the boy hasn9t eaten yet

-ote that when lammaa comes before a perfecti"e "erb it will ha"e a totally
different meaning. In that case, it would mean something like 5since that.5
~ _ = -
lammaa daras(a) najah(a)
+ since that (he studied (he succeed
!ranslation' since that he studied, he
passed

6inally, we should mention here that the word lammaa is used in almost all
of the modern dialects of Arabic as a con=unction word meaning 5when.5
e.g. "lammaa 'akalt '''5 G 5when I ate ...5

Baa ~ + 'in

Baa and 'in are used for all tenses. Baa is fre:uently used in classical
Arabic to negate past tense sentences (but not as fre:uently in modern formal
Arabic. Baa is also the e1clusi"e past tense negator used in the modern
dialects of Arabic.

+ositi"e -ominal
~ '
+ the boy ate

-egati"e
~ ' ~
'al&walad(%) maa 'akal(a)
+ the boy not ate
eaten

-egati"e
~ '
'al&walad(%) 'in 'akal(a)
+ the boy not ate
eaten

+ositi"e ,erbal
~ '
+ ate the boy

-egati"e
~ ~ '
maa 'akal(a) ('a)l&walad(%)
+ not ate the boy
eaten

-egati"e
~ '
'in 'akal(a) ('a)l&walad(%)
+ not ate the boy
eaten

8hen we use maa or 'in, there is no need to change anything about the
"erb of the sentence.
!uture 3ense -egati1e entences

!ense
%sage
8ord
6uture
4efore "erbs only
lan

+resent M
6uture
4efore "erbs only
(perfecti"e M
imperfecti"e "erb
4efore nouns or
"erbs
"erb
laa
`
All !enses
4efore "erbs only
(perfecti"e M
imperfecti"e "erb
4efore nouns or
"erbs
"erb
maa
~
4efore "erbs only
(perfecti"e M
imperfecti"e "erb
4efore nouns or
"erbs
"erb
'in

!hose are the negati"e words that can be seen in negati"e sentences in the
future tense. !hey are all particles. !he first one of them is a sub=uncti"e
particle and it re:uires the imperfecti"e "erb after it to be in the sub=uncti"e
mood.

Fan
Fan is the principle negati"e particle for future tense in formal Arabic. It
comes before imperfecti"e "erbs, and if there is a future tense particle before
the "erb (like sa&or sawfa, it must be remo"ed.
+ositi"e -ominal
~ ~ -~ '~ =
salmaa sa&t%saafir(%) rada(n (
= Salma will tra"el tomorrow
!ranslation' Salma is lea"ing
town@country tomorrow

-egati"e
~ ~ '~ =
salmaa lan t%saafir(a) rada(n (
= Salma will not tra"el tomorrow
!ranslation' Salma is not lea"ing

+ositi"e ,erbal
~ -~ ~ '~ =
sa&t%saafir(%) salmaa rada(n (
= will tra"el Salma tomorrow

-egati"e
~ ~ '~ =
lan t%saafir(a) salmaa rada(n (
= will not tra"el Salma tomorrow

+ositi"e -ominal
- = ' ` ' - ' = -
' at&taqs(%) yak!!n(%) sahwa(n)
yawm(a) ('a)l&'ithnayn(i (
= the weather will be clear Monday
!ranslation' the weather will be clear on
Monday

-egati"e
= ' - ` ' - ' = -
' at&taqs(%) lan yak!!n(a) sahwa(n)
= the weather will not be clear Monday
!ranslation' the weather will not be clear
on Monday

+ositi"e ,erbal
- ` ' - ' = - = '
yak!!n(%) ('a)t&taqs(%) sahwa(n)
= will be the weather clear Monday
!ranslation' the weather will be clear on
Monday

-egati"e
- ` ' - ' = - = '
lan yak!!n(a) ('a)t&taqs(%) sahwa(n)
= will not be the weather clear Monday
!ranslation' the weather will not be clear
on Monday

Fan is a sub=uncti"e particle and the imperfecti"e "erb after it must always be
in the sub=uncti"e mood.
!he future particle sawfa can sometimes be used in negati"e future tense
sentences, but it must come before the negati"e word.
71amples'
- ~ ~ ~ '~ =
sawfa lan t%saafir(a) salmaa rada(n)saw

- ~ = ' - ` ' - ' = -
' at&taqs(%) sawfa lan yak!!n(a) sahwa(n)
= the weather will not be clear Monday
!ranslation' the weather will not be clear on
Monday

laa `
Faa works with imperfecti"e "erbs, and as those can mean both the present
and the future, laa is used for negati"e sentences in both the present and the
future.

+ositi"e -ominal
~ ~ -~ '~ =

-egati"e
~ ` ~ '~ =
salmaa laa t%saafir(%) rada(n (
= Salma not will tra"el tomorrow

+ositi"e ,erbal
~ -~ ~ '~ =

-egati"e
` ~ ~ '~ =
laa t%saafir(%) salmaa rada(n (
= not will tra"el Salmaa tomorrow

` - ` ' - ' = - = '
laa yak!!n(%) ('a)t&taqs(%) sahwa(n)
= not will be the weather clear Monday
!ranslation' the weather will not be clear on
Monday

= ' ` - ' = - -~ '
' at&taqs(%) laa yak!!n(%) sahwa(n) f""
('a)sh&shitaa'(i (
= the weather not will be clear in the winter
!ranslation' ] the weather is not usually
clear in winter

See here for e1planation about the last sentence.
!he future particle sawfa can sometimes be used in negati"e future tense
sentences, but it must come before the negati"e word.
71amples'
- ~ ` ~ ~ '~ =
sawfa laa t%saafir(%) salmaa rada(n)saw

Faa N +erfecti"e
Faa can often precede the perfecti"e (past "erb in classical Arabic.
0owe"er, this does not mean that the sentence will be in the past tense,
because laa can -3! negate past tense e"ents (e1cept in 5neither...nor...5
construction, where it can.
If laa came followed by a perfecti"e "erb, that "erb would be a sub=uncti"e
"erb not an actual past "erb2 because in Arabic, like in 7nglish, the perfecti"e
"erbs are used as sub=uncti"e "erbs.
So laa plus a perfecti"e "erb is used for negati"e wishing2 laa will mean in
this construction something like 5I wish not that.5
71amples'
` - ' _ ~
laa samah(a) ('a)l&laah(%)
+ I wish not that allow <od
!ranslation' may <od not allow (that
G <od forbid

` - ' ~
laa qaddar(a) ('a)l&laah(%)
+ I wish not that predestine <od
!ranslation' may <od not predestine (that
G <od forbid

` - ' = ~ ~
laa saamaha&k(a) ('a)l&laah(%)
+ I wish not that forgi"e you <od
!ranslation' may <od not forgi"e you

Baa ~ + 'in

Baa and 'in are used for all tenses. !hey can be used to form negati"e
sentences in the future tense after remo"ing the future particles (sa&or sawfa.

+ositi"e -ominal
~ ~ -~ '~ =

-egati"e
~ ~ ~ '~ =
salmaa maa t%saafir(%) rada(n (

-egati"e
~ ~ '~ =
salmaa 'in t%saafir(%) rada(n (

+ositi"e ,erbal
~ -~ ~ '~ =

-egati"e
~ ~ ~ '~ =
maa t%saafir(%) salmaa rada(n (

-egati"e
~ ~ '~ =
' in t%saafir(%) salmaa rada(n (

A summary for the common negati"e words and their usage in modern
standard Arabic' (note that the negati"e words are always placed before the
"erbs in this scheme

!ense +ositi"e Sentence -egati"e Sentence
+resent
-3 ,7)4

lays(a) 4efore +redicate

lays(a)

- -
yaf"al(%)
Faa N Indicati"e Imperfecti"e
- - `
laa yaf"al(%)

+ast
+erfecti"e

fa"al(a)
Fam N Cussi"e Imperfecti"e
- -
lam yaf"al

6uture
- -
yaf"al(%)
Fan N Sub=uncti"e Imperfecti"e
- -
lan yaf"al(a)

Imperati"e
(present @ future
Imperati"e
'
'if"al
laa N &nd +erson Cussi"e
Imperfecti"e
- `
laa taf"al

-egation D E&clusion tyle

Arabs did not like talking much, and this is why they had the saying'
. ~ ~ '
which means 5the best of talking is what would be little and significant.5
!his is why they liked "ery much omitting parts of their speech, e"en if they
were important for the structure of sentences. !his was common in Arabic,
and Arab grammarians called such omitted parts 5estimated5 parts of speech.
-ow here we are going to see an e1ample of this that is "ery common in
Arabic, which is the negation N e1clusion emphatic style.
71ample'
~ - -
'ant(a) malak(%n)
+ you (are an angel
!ranslation' you are an angel

!his is a normal nominal sentence. !o make an emphatic "ersion of this
sentence using the negation N e1clusion style, we will need to negate the first
part (the sub=ect and e1clude the second part (the predicate.
- - ` ~
'in 'ant(a) 'illaa malak(%n)
+ not you (are (anything e1cept an angel
!ranslation' you are nothing but an angel
G definitely, you are an angel
!he omitted word here was 5anything5 or 5anyone.5 It was colored in purple.

Another e1ample'
= ' .
taq!!l(%) ('a)l&haqq(a)
+ (you say the truth
!ranslation' you are telling the truth

` . ` = '
laa taq!!l(%) 'illaa ('a)l&haqq(a)
+ not (you say (anything e1cept the truth
!ranslation' you are telling nothing but the
truth
G definitely, you are telling the truth

Another way of understanding this sentence would be'

` . ` = '
laa taq!!l(%) 'illaa ('a)l&haqq(a)
+ not (you will say (anything e1cept the
truth
!ranslation' you don9t say anything but the
truth
G you always tell the truth

A more complicated sentence'
~ ` - - ~ -
laqad 'abaa 'illaa 'an yathhab(a)
+ (he has refused (e"erything e1cept that
(he go
!ranslation' he insisted on going

!his is a common formula in formal Arabic. It is similar to what we ha"e been
talking about2 there is an omitted part, a negation, and a following e1ception.
-ote that infiniti"al 'an is a sub=uncti"e particle, and the imperfecti"e "erb
following it must be in the sub=uncti"e mood.
!he usual formula is'
` (' ~ - ~ ) -
'abaa 'illaa (infiniti"e
,erb signifying re=ection N e1clusi"e word N an
infiniti"e
Infiniti"es in Arabic can be either infiniti"al phrases like the one in the
aforementioned e1ample (with infiniti"al 'an, or "erbal nouns, like'
~ ` - ~ '
laqad 'abaa 'illaa ('a)th&thahaab(a)
+ (he has refused (e"erything e1cept the
going
!ranslation' he insisted on going

Another common formula'
- `
'inna&h(%) lays(a) 'illaa 'ahmaqa(n)
+ truthfully him is@e1ists not (as anything
e1cept (as a fool
!ranslation' he is nothing but a fool
Fays(a) is an incomplete "erb. It re:uires an ad"erb (accusati"e case to
complete its meaning instead of a nominati"e noun predicate.
!he usual formula is'
` -
lays(a) 'illaa (ad"erb

An emphatic phrase has e"ol"ed from this formula'
- `
'inna&h(%) 'ahmaq%(n) lays(a) 'illaa
+ truthfully him (is fool ..(emphatic phrase..
!ranslation' he is nothing but a fool

!his two-word-phrase comes at the end of the sentence, but it means nothing
and it is =ust a meaningless alteration of the pre"ious formula.
3riginal 6orm Altered 6orm
- ` - `

6inally on this sub=ect, the following famous Islamic phrase is also a negation
N e1clusion styled phrase'
` ` - '
laa 'ilaah(a) 'illaa ('a)l&laah(%)
G not a god (e1ists e1cept <od
!ranslation' there is no god but <od
,nterrogation

Interrogati"e sentences, or :uestions, are two types' yes@no :uestions
("erification :uestions, and :uestions re:uesting additional information about
the sentence by using words such as what, who, when, etc. ;es@no :uestions
can become multiple choice :uestions when the word 5or5 is used.

Yes4-o Euestions
;es@no :uestions are formed in <ermanic languages, of which 7nglish is one,
by in"erting the sub=ect and the "erb of the sentence2 e.g. 5you are5 becomes
5are youa5 and 5you can5 becomes 5can youa5 etc. 3f course modern 7nglish
has its own way with the "erb 5do,5 which is used before the sub=ect in place
of most of the "erbs.
!urning a sentence into a yes@no :uestion is easier in Arabic than in 7nglish.
0ere we will not need to in"ert the sub=ect and the "erb or anything like that.
8e will =ust put a particle in front of the sentence and that will turn it into a
yes@no :uestion. -o changes in cases or moods are re:uired.
!here are two particles that we can use to create yes@no :uestions, or multiple
choice :uestions with the addition of 5or.5
0ere are those two particles'
+articles of Interrogation
- -~ ` '
Is it that a
'a&
hal
-

!hose particles resemble in meaning the 6rench est-ce 0%e G 5is it thata5

.ets ha"e some e1amples.

# +ositi"e Auestions

+ositi"e Sentence
-
khal""l(%n) h%naa
+ >halil (is here
!ranslation' >halil is here

+ositi"e Auestion
-
'a&khal""l(%n) h%naa
G is it that >halil (is here
!ranslation' is >halil herea

+ositi"e Auestion
- -
hal khal""l(%n) h%naa
G is it that >halil (is here
!ranslation' is >halil herea

+ositi"e Answer
- -
na"am khal""l(%n) h%naa
G yes >halil (is here
!ranslation' yes >halil is here

-egati"e Answer
` -
laa khal""l(%n) lays(a) h%naa
G no >halil is@e1ists not here
!ranslation' no >halil is not here

-egati"e Answer
` -
laa lays(a) khal""l(%n) h%naa
G no is@e1ists not >halil here
!ranslation' no >halil is not here

-ote that there are many alternati"es for forming a negati"e answer. I used
here ones commonly used in modern standard Arabic. (See negation for more
information
More e1amples'
+ositi"e Sentence
~ ~ = '
'at&taqs(%) m%shmis(%n)
+ the weather (is sunny
!ranslation' it is sunny

+ositi"e Auestion
~ ~ =
'aa&t&taqs(%) m%shmis(%n)
+ is it that the weather (is sunny
!ranslation' is it sunnya

+ositi"e Auestion
- ~ ~ = '
hal(i) ('a)t&taqs(%) m%shmis(%n)
+ is it that the weather (is sunny
!ranslation' is it sunnya

+ositi"e Answer
- ~ ~ = '
na"am(i) ('a)t&taqs(%) m%shmis(%n)
+ yes the weather (is sunny
!ranslation' yes it is sunny

-egati"e Answer
` = ' ~ ~ ~
laa ('a)t&taqs(%) lays(a)
m%shmis(an)
+ no the weather is@e1ists not (as
sunny
!ranslation' no it is not sunny

-egati"e Answer
` ~ ~ ~ = '
laa lays(a) ('a)t&taqs(%)
m%shmis(an)
+ no is@e1ists not the weather (as
sunny
!ranslation' no it is not sunny

!he purple "owels, barring the first one, were added for phonological reasons,
namely to pre"ent still letters from directly following each other.
0owe"er, the first purple "owel was added for a different reason which is to
clarify that the statement was a :uestion. !his "owel will always be added
when attaching interrogati"e 'a& to the definite article ('a)l&, and the
combination will become 'aa&l&.

Attachment of Interrogati"e 'a& to 'al&
'
'aa&l&qamar(%) ('a)l&qamar(%)
is it that the moona the moon
~ ~ '
'aa&sh&shams(%) ('a)sh&shams(%)
is it that the suna the sun

More e1amples'
+ositi"e Sentence
' -
tatakallam(%) ('a)l&"arabiyya(ta)
+ (you sing. masc. speak the Arabic
!ranslation' you speak Arabic
you are speaking Arabic

+ositi"e Auestion
' -
'a&tatakallam(%) ('a)l&"arabiyya(ta)
+ is it that (you sing. masc. speak the Arabic
!ranslation' do you speak Arabica
are you speaking Arabica

+ositi"e Auestion
- ' -
hal tatakallam(%) ('a)l&"arabiyya(ta)
+ is it that (you sing. masc. speak the Arabic
!ranslation' do you speak Arabica
are you speaking Arabica

+ositi"e Answer
- '
na"am 'atakallam(%) ('a)l&"arabiyya(ta)
+ yes (I speak the Arabic
!ranslation' yes I speak Arabic
yes I9m speaking Arabic

-egati"e Answer
` ` '
laa laa 'atakallam(%) ('a)l&"arabiyya(ta)
+ no not (I speak the Arabic
!ranslation' no, I don9t speak Arabic
no, I9m not speaking Arabic

Multiple-(hoice-Auestions
Multiple choice :uestions ha"e the con=unction 5or5 in them2 e.g. 5do you like
apples more or bananasa5
!he particle hal is not used in :uestions containing the word 5or.5 3nly 'a& will
be used here.
In Arabic, there are two "ersions of the con=unction 5or,5 one for regular
sentences and another one for :uestions or sentences preceded by 'a&. If the
sentence containing 5or5 were not preceded by 'a&, the "ersion 'aw would
be used for 5or.5 If the sentence were preceded by 'a&, the "ersion 'am
would be used.

+ositi"e Sentence
~ - ~ ' '
z%rt%m 'immaa s!!ryaa 'aw(i)
('a)l&"iraaq(a)
+ (you plu. masc. "isited either Syria or Ira:
!ranslation' you (ha"e "isited either Syria
or Ira:

+ositi"e Auestion
- ~ ' '
'a&z%rt%m s!!ryaa 'am(i) ('a)l&"iraaq(a)
+ is it that (you plu. masc. "isited Syria or Ira:
!ranslation' did@ha"e you "isit(ed Syria or
Ira:a

+ositi"e Answer
- - ~ ' '
z%rnaa s!!ryaa wa&l&"iraaq(a)
+ (we "isited Syria and Ira:
!ranslation' we (ha"e "isited Syria and
Ira:

+ositi"e Answer
-
z%rnaa kilay&himaa
+ (we "isited (the both (of them
!ranslation' we (ha"e "isited both of them

+ositi"e Answer
- - ~
lam naz%r 'ayy(an) min&h%ma
+ did not (we "isit any from@of them
!ranslation' we did@ha"e not "isit(ed any
of them
we (ha"e "isited neither of them

-ote' Syria can be also written s!!riyya(t) - ~ . !his is the only form that
was used before the &jth century, and the form used by the people of the
country itself until now. It is more correct from an Arabic point of "iew, but I
used up there the form that is common in the Arab world in general.

+ositi"e Sentence
~ -~ = ~ -~ `
' immaa sa&t%saa"id%&n"" 'aw laa
= either (you sing. masc. will help me or not
!ranslation' you are going to either help
me or not

+ositi"e Auestion
-~ = ~ -~ `
' a&sa&t%saa"id%&n"" 'am laa
= is it that (you sing. masc. will help me or not
!ranslation' are you going to help me or
not a

+ositi"e Answer
- = ~ = ~ ~
na"am sa&'%saa"id%&k(a (
= yes (I will help you
!ranslation' yes, I am going to help you

-egati"e Answer
` = ~ = ~
laa lan '%saa"ida&k(a)
= no will not (I help you
!ranslation' no, I am not going to help you

'a& Meaning If@8hether
!he particle 'a& becomes in certain sentences a con=unction word that
introduces alternati"es like 5if5 or 5whether.5
71ample'
' ~ ~ - ~ ' - ' - = -
sa&nabda'(%) sawaa'(%n) 'a&hadar!! 'am lam
yahd%r!!
G (we will begin, a same (it is if@whether
(they plu. masc. came or did not came
!ranslation' we will begin whether they
came@showed up or not

!he word sawaa'(%n) G 5a same5 is often employed in such sentences, but
it can be done without'
~ - ~ ' - ' - = -
sa&nabda'(%) 'a&hadar!! 'am lam yahd%r!!
G (we will begin if@whether (they plu. masc.
came or did not came

!he 'a& itself can also be omitted in such sentences'
' - ' ~ ~ - ~ ' - = -
sa&nabda'(%) sawaa'(%n) hadar!! 'am lam
yahd%r!!
G (we will begin, a same (it is (if@whether
(they plu. masc. came or did not came

A mostly reduced "ersion'
' - ~ - ~ ' - = -
sa&nabda'(%) hadar!! 'am lam yahd%r!!
G (we will begin (if@whether (they plu. masc.
came or did not came

& -egati"e Auestions
-egati"e sentences (e.g. you don9t are turned into yes@no negati"e :uestions
(e.g. don9t youa by the same mechanism mentioned for positi"e sentences.
0owe"er, the particle 'a& is the one used in negati"e :uestions.

An important difference here from 7nglish lies in the answer to the :uestion. If
a :uestion is a negati"e :uestion then the answer must be with the word
na"am - for agreement with the negati"e sentence of the :uestion, or for
saying 5no5 (e.g. no, I don9t, and the word balaa for disagreement with
the negati"e sentence of the :uestion, or for saying 5yes5 (e.g. yes, I do.

71amples'

-egati"e Sentence
-
khal""l(%n) lays(a) h%naa
G >halil is@e1ists not here
!ranslation' >halil is not here

-egati"e Sentence
-
lays(a) khal""l(%n) h%naa
G is@e1ists not >halil here
!ranslation' >halil is not here

-egati"e Auestion
-
'a&khal""l(%n) lays(a) h%naa
G is it that >halil is@e1ists not here
!ranslation' is >halil not herea

-egati"e Auestion
-
'a&lays(a) khal""l(%n) h%naa
G is it that is@e1ists not >halil here
!ranslation' is not >halil herea

+ositi"e Answer
- -
na"am khal""l(%n) lays(a) h%naa
G yes >halil is@e1ists not here
!ranslation' no, >halil is not here

+ositi"e Answer
- -
na"am lays(a) khal""l(%n) h%naa
G yes is@e1ists not >halil here
!ranslation' no, >halil is not here

-egati"e Answer
-
balaa khal""l(%n) h%naa
G no >halil (is here
!ranslation' yes, >halil is here

Answering -egati"e Auestions (don9t youa
Agreement with the
negati"e sentence
(no, I don9t
na"am
-
?isagreement with the
negati"e sentence
(yes, I do
balaa

8hen the 'a& in the negati"e :uestion is separated from negati"e word (e.g.
lays(a) by the sub=ect, the emphasis of the :uestion will be on the sub=ect,
making the :uestion primarily about the sub=ect rather than the "erb or the
action.

8hen the 'a& in the negati"e :uestion is followed directly by the negati"e word,
the emphasis of the :uestion will be on the "erb or action, making the
:uestion primarily about it rather than about the sub=ect.

-egati"e Sentence
= ' ~ ~ ~
'at&taqs(%) lays(a) m%shmis(an)
+ the weather is@e1ists not sunny
!ranslation' it is not sunny

-egati"e Sentence
= ' ~ ~ ~
lays(a) ('a)t&taqs(%) m%shmis(an)
+ is@e1ists not the weather sunny
!ranslation' it is not sunny

-egati"e Auestion
= ~ ~ ~
'aa&t&taqs(%) lays(a) m%shmis(an)
+ is it that the weather is@e1ists not
sunny
!ranslation' is it not sunnya

-egati"e Auestion
= ' ~ ~ ~
'a&lays(a) ('a)t&taqs(%) m%shmis(an)
G is it that is@e1ists not the weather
sunny
!ranslation' is not it sunnya

+ositi"e Answer
- = ' ~ ~ ~
na"am ('a)t&taqs(%) lays(a)
m%shmis(an)
G yes the weather is@e1ists not
sunny
!ranslation' no, it is not sunny

+ositi"e Answer
- = ' ~ ~ ~
na"am lays(a) ('a)t&taqs(%)
m%shmis(an)
G yes is@e1ists not the weather
sunny
!ranslation' no, it is not sunny

-egati"e Answer
= ' ~ ~
balaa ('a)t&taqs(%) m%shmis(%n)
G no the weather (is sunny
!ranslation' yes, it is sunny

-egati"e Sentence
` - '
laa tatakallam(%) ('a)l&"arabiyya(ta)
+ not (you sing. masc. speak the Arabic
!ranslation' you don9t speak Arabic
you are not speaking Arabic

-egati"e Auestion
` - '
'a&laa tatakallam(%) ('a)l&"arabiyya(ta)
+ is it that not (you sing. masc. speak the
Arabic
!ranslation' don9t you speak Arabica
Aren9t you speaking Arabica

+ositi"e Answer
- ` '
na"am laa 'atakallam(%)
('a)l&"arabiyya(ta)
+ yes not (I speak the Arabic
!ranslation' no, I don9t speak Arabic
no, I9m not speaking Arabic

-egati"e Answer
'
balaa 'atakallam(%) ('a)l&"arabiyya(ta)
+ no (I speak the Arabic
!ranslation' yes, I do speak Arabic
yes, I9m speaking Arabic

-egati"e Sentence
~
lam taq%l shay'a(n)
+ did not (you sing. masc. say a thing
!ranslation' you didn9t say anything
you ha"en9t said anything

-egati"e Auestion
~
'a&lam taq%l shay'a(n)
+ is it that did not (you sing. masc. say a
thing
!ranslation' didn9t you say anythinga
ha"en9t you said anythinga

+ositi"e Answer
- ~
na"am lam 'aq%l shay'a(n)
+ yes did not (I say a thing
!ranslation' no, I didn9t say anything
no, I ha"en9t said anything

-egati"e Answer
- ~
balaa q%lt(%) shay'a(n)
+ no (I said a thing
!ranslation' yes, I did say something
yes, I ha"e said something

-egati"e Sentence
= -
lan tak!!n(a) h%naak(a)
+ will not (you sing. masc. be there
!ranslation' you won9t be there

-egati"e Auestion
= -
'a&lan tak!!n(a) h%naak(a)
+ is it that will not (you sing. masc. be
there
!ranslation' won9t you be therea

+ositi"e Answer
- = -
na"am lan 'ak!!n(a) h%naak(a)
+ yes will not (I be there
!ranslation' no, I won9t be there

-egati"e Answer
~ = -
balaa sa&'ak!!n(%) h%naak(a)
+ no (I will be there
!ranslation' yes, I will be there

'a&con=unction-
As we ha"e mentioned before on this site, Arabs tended to use a lot of
unnecessary 5and9s5 in their talk. 0ere we are going to see another
manifestation of this fact.
0owe"er, the wa& G 5and5 will not come here before the interrogati"e particle
'a& , but it will rather come between it and the word following it.
71amples'
' = ' -
'a&wa&ta"rif(%) ('a)l&jawaab(a)
G is it that and (you sing. masc. know the
answera
G and is it that (you sing. masc. know the
answera
!ranslation' do you know the answera

. ~ `
'a&wa&laa ta""" maa 'aq!!l(%)
G is it that and (you sing. masc. not comprehend
what (I saya
G and is it that (you sing. masc. not comprehend
what (I saya
!ranslation' don9t@won9t you understand
what I9m sayinga
don9t@won9t you understand what I saya

~ ~
'a&wa&lam t%'<min ba"d(%)
G is it that and (you sing. masc. did not belie"e
yeta
G and is it that (you sing. masc. did not belie"e
yeta
!ranslation' ha"en9t you belie"ed yeta

0owe"er, wa& was not the only particle that could be inserted between 'a& and
the word following it. 3ther con=unctions could be inserted as well, like fa& G
5then@so,5 and th%mm(a) G 5after that@afterwards5
. ~
'a&fa&laa ta""" maa 'aq!!l(%)
G is it that then@so (you sing. masc. not
comprehend what (I saya
G then@so is it that (you sing. masc. not
comprehend what (I saya
!ranslation' so don9t@won9t you understand
what I9m sayinga
so don9t@won9t you understand what I saya

_ ~ '~ - ~
'a&th%mm(a) 'ithaa maa waqa"(a)
'aamant%m bi&h(i)
G is it that after that if that (he@it fell (you plu.
masc. belie"ed in him@ita
G after that is it that if that (he@it fell (you plu.
masc. belie"ed in him@ita
!ranslation' after that, if it happened, will
you belie"e in it (the punishmenta
!his was a difficult sentence from the >oran (the Muslim holy book.
!he "erb _ G 5fell5 means 5happened5 in classical Arabic.
!he "erbs were in the perfecti"e because it was a hypothetical situation,
and perfecti"e "erbs in Arabic are used for hypothetical situations (the
sub=uncti"e mood.
!he word maa ~ here was an infiniti"al maa , which means 5that5 (like
'an . !his will be co"ered later on this site.
!he insertion of con=unction words after 'a& is common in the >oran.

7tymology note
!he etymology of the interrogati"e particle 'a& is ha& - (cf. 0ebrew -yz . !he
transition of litter - into was common in classical Arabic. Ha& as interrogati"e
particle was attested in some classical dialects.

e.g. - ' - : - ~ ' '~ - - - = - ~ ' _ ~

,nterrogation (continued)
Yes4-o Euestions

;es@-o 8ords
!here are many words for answering :uestions other than na"am, laa, and
balaa.
0ere is a listing of the main words'
;es@-o 8ords

Agreement
(true
?isagreement
(false
+ositi"e
Statement
na"am
-
laa
`
'ajal

kallaa

'""

-egati"e
Statement
na"am
-
balaa

'ajal

'""

-otes'
!he word kallaa is stronger than laa, and its usage in the classical
language imparted a =ussi"e or a warning tone.
!he word '"" would typically be followed by a swearing style in the
classical language (e.g. - ' G yes, I swear by <od.

!here are se"eral other obsolete synonyms of na"am.

(lassical Synonyms for
na"am
jayr(i)

bajal
=
jalal

'innah
-
/!he literal sense of jayr(i) is 5I swear.5

!ag Auestions
!ag :uestions in the 7nglish way are not employed in Arabic. 0owe"er, there
is one formula of a tag :uestion'
!ag Auestion in Arabic
~
'a&lays(a) ka&thaalik(a)C
G is it that (he@it is@e1ists not like thata
!ranslation' isn9t it soa

71amples'
- - ~
'inna&h(%) ya"lam(%) 'a&lays(a) ka&
thaalik(a)C
G it is true that him knows, isn9t it soa
!ranslation' he knows, doesn9t hea

balaa
!ranslation' yes (he does

-
na"am
!ranslation' no (he doesn9t

-= ` - - ~
'ant(i) laa t%hibb""na&h(%) 'a&lays(a) ka&
thaalik(a)C
G you (sing. fem. not lo"e him, isn9t it soa
!ranslation' you don9t lo"e him, do youa

balaa
!ranslation' no (I don9t

-
na"am
!ranslation' yes (I do

-ote that laa can often be used in place of na"am in answering tag :uestions.
!his happens especially when someone wishes to make his answer "ery
clear.
71ample'
-= - ~
'inna&k(i) t%hibb""na&h(%) 'a&lays(a) ka&
thaalik(a)C
G it is true that you (sing. fem. lo"e him, isn9t it
soa
!ranslation' you lo"e him, don9t youa
you are in lo"e with him, aren9t youa

! ` -
laa
!ranslation' no (I don9t@am not!

~
... , isn9t it so a
;es is it so balaa

-o it is not so
na"am
-
laa
`

Introductory +articles
Also called 5attention particles,5 these are the Arabic e:ui"alents of the .atin
ecce G5behold.5 !hey are used at the beginning of speech in classical Arabic,
especially in literary talk, but they do not mean anything specific.
!wo of these particles, literally speaking, are based on the interrogati"e
particle 'a&.
+articles of Introduction@Attention
.iteral Sense +article
Is it that not a
'a&laa
`
Is it that not a
'a&maa
~
4ehold @ here
haa
-
,ocati"e +article (]
o@oh
yaa
-
-o
kallaa

71amples'
` - ~ -
'a&laa 'inn&"" qad ballart(%)
G behold truthfully me ha"e informed
!ranslation' I ha"e informed (you ... so I9m
no longer responsible
Information about 'inna is here.

~ ~ - -
'a&maa 'inna&k(a) la&saadiq(%n)
G behold truthfully you (sing. masc. (are
certainly honest
!ranslation' you are indeed telling the truth
you are honest indeed

!he particle haa& G 5behold@here5 has many uses in Arabic. 3ne of the most
notable uses is its prefi1ation to demonstrati"es (see here. It is also often
used to mean 5ecce5 or 5behold.5
71amples'
- -
haa 'anaa
G behold@here I (am
!ranslation' here I am

- -
haa h%m
G behold@here they (plu. masc. (are
!ranslation' here they are

- - -
haa 'anaa h%naa
G behold@here I (am here
!ranslation' here I am

- = - -
haa h%m h%naak(a)
G behold@here they (plu. masc. (are there
!ranslation' there they are

- ~
haa qad ji'<n(a)
G behold@here they (plu. fem. ha"e come
!ranslation' here they come

(aa is the main "ocati"e particle in Arabic. !here is nothing like it in 7nglish,
although it is often translated to 3 as in 53 <od.5 !his particle is commonly
used with the meaning of 5ecce.5
- '~ - - - ~ -
yaa layta&n"" mitt(%) qabl(a) haathaa
G behold it is wished if me died before this
!ranslation' I whish I ha"e died before this
I wish I am dead now
Information about layt(a) is here.

Kalla means 5no,5 but it is sometimes used like the rest of the particles here.
= ~ - '
kalla 'inn(a) ('a)l&'insaan(a) la&yatraa
G behold truthfully the human certainly
transgresses
!ranslation' definitely, humans do
transgression
,nterrogati1e Pronouns

8e ha"e co"ered yes@no :uestions, and seen that they were formed by
means of interrogati"e particles. !he rest of the words used in interrogation
are all pronouns (nouns in Arabic grammar. !hey are used to form :uestions
about such details as what, who, when, where, etc.

-ouns of Interrogation
~ - -~ ` '
8hat maa
~
8ho man
~
8hen
mataa
-~
'ayyaan(a)
-
8here 'ayn(a)
-
0ow kayf(a)

0ow many
kam

0ow much
0ow
'annaa
-
8hen
8here
8hich (of 'ayy(%)

71cept for 'ayy(%), all of the interrogati"e nouns are 5built5 words, which
means that they do not show case inflection. !hey also do not change to suit
different genders or numbers.
!hey are used in a similar way to the interrogati"e particles.

# 8hat

~ '~ -
maa haathaa
+ what this (is
!ranslation' what is thisa

~ '~ - ~ '
maa haathaa ('a)sh&shay'(%)
+ what this the thing (is
!ranslation' what is this thinga
/See the section on demonstrati"e for information on their usage.

Auestion
~ ' ~
maa ('i)sm%&k(a)
+ what (the name (of you (is
!ranslation' what is your namea

Answer
' ' ~ - = ~
'ism&"" "abd(%) ('a)r&rahmaan(i)
+ (the name (of me (is (the ser"ant
(of the merciful (G<od
!ranslation' my name is Abdurrahman

~ -
maa q%lt(a)
+ what (you sing. masc. said (is
!ranslation' what did you saya

~ - ~ -
maa t%r""d""n(a)
+ what (you sing. fem. want (is
!ranslation' what do you wanta

~ -~
maa sa&taq!!l!!n(a)
+ what will (you plu. masc. say (is
!ranslation' what will you saya

~ = - ~ -
maa y!!jad(%) h%naak(a)
+ what e1ists there (is
!ranslation' what is therea
/-ote' y!!jad(%) ~ - is a passi"e "erb and the literal sense of it is 5is@being
found.5

Baa , thaa
Interrogati"e maa ~ is commonly combined to the demonstrati"e thaa '~
G 5this.5
!his combination changes nothing, but it is commonly used, especially with
"erbs.

~ '~ ~ '~
maa , thaa + maathaa
what N this what

71amples'
'~ ~ -
maathaa q%lt(a)
+ what (you sing. masc. said (is

'~ ~ - ~ -
maathaa t%r""d""n(a)
+ what (you sing. fem. want (is

~ '~ -~
maathaa sa&taq!!l!!n(a)
+ what will (you plu. masc. say (is

~ '~ = - ~ -
maathaa y!!jad(%) h%naak(a)
+ what e1ists there (is

Baa , ('a)l&lath""
8hen used before "erbs, interrogati"e maa ~ can be followed by the
general
relati"e pronoun ('a)l&lath"" ~ ' G 5which@that.5

!his also will change nothing. 0owe"er, the difference here is that the two
words will not be combined into a single word.

71ample'
~ ~ ' -
maa ('a)l&lath"" q%lt(a)
+ what that (you sing. masc. said (is

As we showed in the relati"e pronoun section, it is more usual in Arabic to
attach an ob=ect pronoun to the "erb in such sentences2 so the sentences will
be as follows'

~ ~ ' -
maa ('a)l&lath"" q%lta&h(%)
+ what that (you sing. masc. said him (is

~ ~ ' - ~ -
maa ('a)l&lath"" t%r""d""na&h(%)
+ what that (you sing. fem. want him (is

~ ~ ' -~ -
maa ('a)l&lath"" sa&taq!!l!!na&h(%)
+ what that will (you plu. masc. say him (is

~ ~ ' = - ~ -
maa ('a)l&lath"" y!!jad(%) h%naak(a)
+ what that that e1ists there (is
In this last sentence there was not a pronoun attached to the "erb. !he reason
behind this shouldn9t be a mystery. Simply, this "erb is an intransiti"e "erb and
it is impossible for it to ha"e an ob=ect. It won9t make sense.

Baathaa , ('a)l&lath""
!his combination is also possible, but not in the regular language. !his is a
pompous mi1ture that can be found in classical literature, also in the >oran.

~ '~ ~ ' -
maathaa ('a)l&lath"" q%lta&h(%)
+ what that (you sing. masc. said him (is

~ '~ ~ ' - ~ -
maathaa ('a)l&lath"" t%r""d""na&h(%)
+ what that (you sing. fem. want him (is

~ '~ ~ ' -~ -
maathaa ('a)l&lath"" sa&taq!!l!!na&h(%)
+ what that will (you plu. masc. say him (is

~ '~ ~ ' = - ~ -
maathaa ('a)l&lath"" y!!jad(%) h%naak(a)
+ what that that e1ists there (is

8hat for @ why
Adding the preposition li& G 5for5 to maa will produce lima which
means 5what for5 or 5why.5

~
li& , maa + lima
for , what what for @ why

'~ -
lima haathaa
+ what for@why this (is
!ranslation' what is this fora

- -
lima 'anaa h%naa
+ what for@why I (am here
!ranslation' why am I herea

'~ - -
lima fa"alt(a) haathaa
+ what for@why (you sing. masc. did this
!ranslation' what did you do that fora
why did you do thata

= -
lima tadhakn(a)
+ what for@why (you plu. fem. laugh
!ranslation' why are you laughinga

Similarly, li& is added to maathaa to create the interrogati"e li&
maathaa '~ , which means =ust like lima.

'~ ~ '~
li& , maathaa + li&maathaa
for , what what for @ why

'~ '~ -
li&maathaa haathaa
+ what for@why this (is
!ranslation' what is this fora

'~ - -
li&maathaa 'anaa h%naa
+ what for@why I (am here
!ranslation' why am I herea

'~ '~ - -
li&maathaa fa"alt(a) haathaa
+ what for@why (you sing. masc. did this
!ranslation' what did you do that fora
why did you do thata

'~ = -
li&maathaa tadhakn(a)
+ what for@why (you plu. fem. laugh
!ranslation' why are you laughinga

Baa M Baathaa as )elati"e +ronouns
!his was co"ered in the relati"e pronoun section.
An e1ample'
Auestion
~ - - '~ ~ -
'a&ta"rif(%) maathaa y%r""d(%)
+ is it that (you sing. masc. know what (he
wants
!ranslation' do you know what he wantsa

Answer
= - ~
wa&min 'ayn(a) l&"" 'an 'a"lama(%)
+ and from where for me that (I know
!ranslation' how should I possibly knowa

/!he wa& G 5and5 in the beginning of the second sentence is a superfluous
word. Arabs use a lot of unnecessary 5and9s5 in their talk.

& 8ho

~ - -
man 'ant(a)
+ who you (are
!ranslation' who are youa

~ '~ -
man haathaa
+ who this (is
!ranslation' who is thisa

~ ' '~ -
man haathaa ('a)r&raj%l(%)
+ who this the man (is
!ranslation' who is this mana
/See the section on demonstrati"e for information on their usage.

~ -
man ya"lam(%)
+ who knows (is
!ranslation' who knowsa

~ ~ -
man t%r""d!!n(a)
+ whom (you plu. masc. want (is
!ranslation' whom do you wanta

Ban , thaa
.ike maa5 man can also be followed by the demonstrati"e thaa '~ G
5this,5 but they will not form a single word here. 0owe"er, this is a rare
classical combination.

~ '~ - -
man thaa 'ant(a)
+ who you (are
!ranslation' who are youa

~ '~ -
man thaa ya"lam(%)
+ who knows (is

~ '~ ~ -
man thaa t%r""d!!n(a)
+ whom (you plu. masc. want (is

Baa , ('a)l&lath""
8hen used before "erbs, man can be followed by the general relati"e
pronoun ('a)l&lath"" ~ ' G 5which@that.5

~ ~ ' -
man ('a)l&lath"" ya"lam(%)
+ who that knows (is

~ ~ ' ~ -
man ('a)l&lath"" t%r""d!!n(a)
+ whom that (you plu. masc. want (is

As mentioned before, the last sentence will usually be e1pressed as follows'
~ ~ ' ~ - -
man ('a)l&lath"" t%r""d!!na&h(%)
+ whom that (you plu. masc. want him (is

Ban as a )elati"e +ronouns
!his was co"ered in the relati"e pronoun section.
An e1ample'
Auestion
- - - ~ '~ -
hal ra'ayt(a) man fa"al(a) haathaa
+ is it that (you saw who did this
!ranslation' ha"e you seen who did thisa

Answer
- ~ = `
laa wa&laakinn"" 'a"lam(%) man h%w(a)
+ no but me know who he (is
!ranslation' no, but I know who he is

/!he wa& G 5and5 before laakinn"" in the second sentence is superfluous.
See the section on "erb-like particles for more details.
~ ~ - _
man zara"(a) hasad(a)
+ who planted har"ested
!ranslation' he who plants har"ests
/!he perfecti"e was used here as sub=uncti"e.


O 8hen
-~ ~ = '
mataa ('a)l&maw"id(%)
+ when the appointment@date (is
!ranslation' when is the appointment@datea

-~ -
mataa 'atayt(a)
+ when (you came
!ranslation' when did you comea

-~ ~ -~
mataa sa&t%saafir(%)
+ when (you will tra"el
!ranslation' when will you lea"e the
country@towna

-~ = - -
'ilaa mataa nantazir(%)
+ to when (we will wait
!ranslation' how long will we waita

~ ~ -~ - --
m%nth(%) mataa wa&'ant%m h%naa
+ since when and you (plu. masc. (are here
!ranslation' how long ha"e you been herea

- -~ ~ ` '
hal ta"lam(%) mataa jaa'(a) ('a)l&'awlaad(%)
+ is it that (you sing. masc. know when came
the children
!ranslation' do you know when the kids
camea

!he word 'ayyaan(a) - also means 5when,5 but it is classical and not
used in the modern language.
~ - ~ - ` - -
wa&maa yash"%r!!n(a) 'ayyan(a)
y%b"ath!!n(a)
+ and not (they plu. masc. feel when (they plu.
masc. will be resurrected
!ranslation' and they don9t know when they
will be resurrected

f 8here

- - -
'ayn(a) 'ant(a)
+ where you (sing. masc. (are
!ranslation' where are youa

- ~
'ayn(a) sanaa'(%)
+ where Sana9a (female name (is
!ranslation' where is Sana9aa

- -
'ayn(a) k%nti
+ where (you sing. fem. were
!ranslation' where were youa

-
'ayn(a) t%q""m(%)
+ where (you sing. masc. dwell
!ranslation' where do you li"ea
where are you stayinga

- - - ~
'ilaa 'ayn(a) tathhabn(a)
+ to where (you plu. fem. go
!ranslation' where are you going a

~ - '~ -
min 'ayn(a) la&k(a) haathaa
+ from where for you this (is
!ranslation' wherefrom ha"e you got thisa

- - = '
'a&ta"lam(%) 'ayn(a) ('a)l&hafla(t%)
+ is it that (you sing. masc. know where the
party (is
!ranslation' do you know where the party
isa

k 0ow

Auestion

kayf(a) haal%&k(a)
+ how (the state (of you (sing. masc. (is
!ranslation' how are youa

Answer
' ~ , = - ) "
'anaa bi&khayr(in) sh%kra(n) Gla&k(a)H
+ I (am in a well-being, thanking (to you
!ranslation' I am fine, thanks

-
kayf(a) h%w(a)
+ how he (is
!ranslation' what is he@it likea

'~ - - =
kayf(a) "arafti haathaa
+ how (you sing. fem. knew this
!ranslation' how did you know thisa

Auestion
~
kayf(a) 'abd!!
+ how (I look
!ranslation' how do I looka

Answer
- ~ - -'
tabd""n raa'i"a(tan)
+ (you sing. fem. look magnificently
!ranslation' you look great@magnificent

Auestion
- - ~ ~
kayf(a) sa&nathhab(%)
+ how (we will go
!ranslation' how will we goa

Answer
- - - ~ ~
sa&nathhab(%) bi&l&baas(i)
+ (we will go by bus
!ranslation' we will go by bus

= - - - = '~ -
hal 'akhbara&k(i) kayf(a) "araf(a) haathaa
G is it that (he told you (sing. fem. how (he
knew this
!ranslation' did he tell you how he knew
about thisa

u 0ow many @ 0ow much
!here is only one word to e1press these things in Arabic, kam . !his
word was originally ka&maa G 5like whata5 before it e"ol"ed to the form
known today.
!he nouns after kam must be always singular and in the accusati"e, or nasb,
case.

- ~ '~
kam walada(n) laday&k(a)
+ how many a child (in (the place (of you
(sing. masc. (are
!ranslation' how many children do you
ha"ea
/!he words ladaa , ~ M "ind(a) ~ = are somewhat similar in meaning to the
6rench che1, but they are also used for time meaning 5at,5 like in 5at sunset.5
~ - ~
kam marra(tan) haththart%&k(a)
+ how many a time (I warned you (sing. masc.
(are
!ranslation' how many times ha"e I warned
youa

- = -- ' = ~ *
hal ta"lam(%) kam saa"a(tan) 'intazart%&
k(a)
+ is it that (you sing. masc. know how many an
hour (I waited you (sing. masc.
!ranslation' do you know how many hours
I9"e been waiting for youa!

- ' -' ~ ~ ~ = _ - -
kam yabl%r(%) "adad(%) s%kkaan(i) ('a)l&
baraaz""l(i)
+ how much (he@it reaches (the number
(of (the inhabitants (of 4ra*il
!ranslation' how much is the population of
4ra*ila

If the noun following kam were part of a geniti"e construction, it would not be
in the accusati"e case but in the regular nominati"e case.
- = ' ~ ~ = -
kam "adad(%) ('a)l&haadir""n(a)
+ how much (the number (of the present
(people (is
!ranslation' 0ow many are the present
peoplea

!he noun following kam can be omitted.
71amples'
~ -
kam t%r""d(%)
+ how much@many (you want
!ranslation' how much@many do you wanta

. ~ - - -
kam qaal(a) la&k(a) 'ann&h(%) y%r""d(%)
+ how much@many (he said to you that him
wants
!ranslation' how much@many did he tell you
that he wanteda

` -
kam haa'%laa'(i)
+ how many these (are
!ranslation' how many are thesea

8hen asking about price, kam will be preceded by preposition bi& G
5in@by@with.5

Asking About +rice

bi& , kam + bi&kam
by , how much by how much
(money

!he noun following bi&kam is often omitted.
71amples'

Auestion (6ull 6orm
- ~ '~ = ' '~ -
bi&kam dirhama(n) haathaa ('a)l&
hithaa'(%)
+ by how many a dirham (I may buy this
the shoe
!ranslation' how many dirhams do these
shoes costa
/!he dirham is an old Arab currency unit. It is still used in se"eral Arab countries
today.

Auestion ()educed 6orm
'~ = ' '~ -
bi&kam haathaa ('a)l&hithaa'(%)
+ by how much (money (I may buy this
the shoe
!ranslation' how much are these shoesa

Answer
- ~ - ~
bi&"ishr""n(a) dirhama(n)
+ by twenty a dirham
!ranslation' the shoes cost twenty
dirhams

= -~ '
bi&kam(i) ('a)l&haamb"rgar(%)
+ by how much (money (I may buy the
hamburger
!ranslation' how much is the hamburgera

Kam Stating -umerousness
kam can be used in a style that is used to state numerousness instead of
interrogation or asking a :uestion.
71ample'
~ = ~ = , - ! -
kam min kitaab(in) "inda&k(a)
+ how many of a book (is (in (the place
(of
you (sing. masc.

+ so many of a book (is (in (the place (of
you (sing. masc.
!ranslation' you ha"e so many books!
-ouns after preposition min G 5from@of5 must be in the ablati"e case, or 'al&
jarr case.

-umerousness Stating Style
~
kam min
how many@much of so many of

!he min after kam in this style can often be omitted.
71ample'
= ~ = , - ! -
kam kitaab(in) "inda&k(a)
+ so many (of a book (is (in (the place
(of
you (sing. masc.
!ranslation' you ha"e so many books!

7mphatic la& can also be used here.
~ = ~ = , - ! -
la&kam min kitaab(in) "inda&k(a)
+ certainly so many of a book (is (in (the
place (of you (sing. masc.
!ranslation' you really ha"e so many
books!

= ~ = , - ! -
la&kam kitaab(in) "inda&k(a)
+ certainly so many (of a book (is (in (the
place (of you (sing. masc.
!ranslation' you really ha"e so many
books!

~ -, ~
la&kam marra(tin) haththart%&k(a)
+ certainly so many (of a time (I warned
you (sing. masc.
!ranslation' I warned you so many times

{ 'annaa
!his is an obsolete, classical, interrogati"e word that may mean how, when, or
where.

- = - ! -
'annaa yak!!n(%) l&"" r%laam(%n)
+ how will be for me a boya!
!ranslation' how am I going to ha"e a sona!

$ 8hich
!he pronoun 'ayy(%) G 5which (of5 is the only interrogati"e word that
undergoes case inflection. !he rest are all 5built5 words, which means that
they do not show case inflection.
!his pronoun will only mean 5whicha5 when it is in the construct state, or when
it is a first part of a geniti"e construction.

8hich (of ...a
_ ' 'ayy(%)

-ominati"e
- - '
'ayy(a)

Accusati"e @ ?ati"e
= '
'ayy(i)

Ablati"e @ <eniti"e

!he standard structure to begin a :uestion with 'ayy(%) will be'
'ayy(%) (of-a unit-of-the units-"erb
which (of-a unit-of-the units-"erb

71ample'
which (of-a picture-of-the pictures-(is-the prettiest
!ranslation' which one of the pictures is the prettiesta

-ow an e1ample in Arabic'
- ' ~ -, -
'ayy(%) s!!rat(in) min(a) ('a)s&s%war(i)
'ajmal(%)
+ which (of a picture of the pictures (is
prettier
!ranslation' which one of the pictures is
prettier than the resta
which one of the pictures is the prettiesta

0owe"er, as it is usual in Arabic, this structure is rarely kept whole, and
usually parts will be omitted from it.
It will be rendered either like this'
(# which (of-the units-"erb
3r like this'
(& which (of-a unit-"erb

71amples in Arabic'
- '
'ayy(%) ('a)s&s%war(i) 'ajmal(%)
+ which (of the pictures (is prettier
!ranslation' which picture is prettier than
the resta
which picture is the prettiesta

-, -
'ayy(%) s!!rat(in) 'ajmal(%)
+ which (of a picture (is prettier
!ranslation' which picture is prettier than
the resta
which picture is the prettiesta

More e1amples'
- '
'ayy(%) ('a)s&s!!ratayn(i) 'ajmal(%)
+ which (of the two pictures (is prettier
!ranslation' which picture is prettiera

' ~ = -
'ayy(a) ('a)l&l%raat(i) tatahaddath(%)
+ which (of the languages (you sing. masc.
speak
!ranslation' which@what language do you
speaka
which@what language are you speakinga

, ~ = -
'ayy(a) l%rat(in) tatahaddath(%)
+ which (of a language (you sing. masc. speak
!ranslation' which@what language do you
speaka
which@what language are you speakinga
In the last two e1amples, 'ayy(a) was in the accusati"e case because it was
an ob=ect of the "erb.
~ ~ ' - -
min 'ayy(i) ('a)l&m%d%n(i) 'ant(a)
+ from which (of the cities (are you
!ranslation' which city are you froma

~ - - , - ~ ~
min 'ayy(i) mad""na(tin) 'ant(a)
+ from which (of a city (are you
!ranslation' which city are you from a

In the last two e1amples, 'ayy(i) was in the ablati"e case because it was
preceded by a particle-preposition or an ablati"e particle.

8hen 'ayy(%) is followed by pronouns, they will ha"e to be ob=ect pronouns,
and thus they will be attached.
- '~ - ~
'ayy%&k%m 'akhath(a) haathaa
+ which (of you (plu. masc. took this
!ranslation' which one of you took thisa

!he whole form of this sentence would be'
which (of-a one-of-you-took-this
In Arabic'
~ ~, ' '~ - ~
'ayy(%) waahid(in) min&k%m 'akhath(a)
haathaa
+ which (of a one of you (plu. masc. took this
!ranslation' which one of you took thisa

More e1amples'
- - -
'ayya&h%m ra'ayt(a)
+ which (of them (plu. masc. (you sing. masc. saw
!ranslation' which of them did you seea
which of them ha"e you seena

- ~
'ilaa 'ayyi&k%nn(a) '%rsil%&haa
G to which (of you (plu. fem. (I will send her@it
!ranslation' to which of you will I send
her@ita
to whom of you should I send her@ita

Attachment of 'ayy(%) to different ob=ect pronouns'
Attachment of 'ayy(%) to 3b=ect +ronouns
8hich (of you (dual
'ayy%&k%maa
-
8hich (of them (dual
'ayy%&h%maa
-
8hich (of us
'ayy%&naa
-
8hich (of you (plu.
masc.
'ayy%&k%m
-
8hich (of you (plu. fem.
'ayy%&k%nn(a)
-
8hich (of them (plu.
masc.
'ayy%&h%m
-
8hich (of them (plu.
fem.
'ayy%&h%nn(a)
-

'ayy(%) Meaning 5Any5
!he meaning of 'ayy(%) can change to 5any5 in :uestions and in negati"e
statements.
71amples'
- - - , =
hal ra'ayt(a) 'ayy(a) battat(in)
G is it that (you sing. masc. saw which@any (of a
duck
!ranslation' did you see which ducka
ha"e you seen which ducka
did you see any ducka
ha"e you seen any ducka

` , =
laa lam 'ara 'ayy(a) battat(in)
G no not (I saw any (of a duck
!ranslation' no, I didn9t see which duck
no, I ha"en9t seen which duck
no, I didn9t see any duck
no, I ha"en9t seen any duck

Any9s
Anybody
'ayy(%) shakhs(in)
, = ~
Anyone
'ayy(%) waahid(in)
~, '
'ayy(%) 'ahad(in)
~,
Anything
'ayy(%) shay'(in)
, ~
Anytime
'ayy(%) waqt(in)
-,
'ayy(%) zamaan(in)
, ~
'ayy(%) zaman(in)
, ~
'ayy(%) h""n(in)
,
'ayy(%) 'awaan(in)
, '
'ayy(%) saa"a(tin)
, = ~
Anyway
'ayy(%) tar""qa(tin)
, - =
'ayy(%) was""la(tin)
, ~
Anywhere
'ayy(%) makaan(in)
, ~

'ayy(%n)
8hen 'ayy(%) is not in the construct state, or not a first part of a geniti"e
construction, it will not only ha"e -unation or tanw""n 'ayy(%n), but it will
also lose its interrogati"e function and will always mean 5any5 instead of
5which (ofa5

Any
_ '
'ayy(%n)

-ominati"e
- - '
'ayy(an)
-
Accusati"e @ ?ati"e
= '
'ayy(in)

Ablati"e @ <eniti"e

0owe"er, 5any5 alone does not pro"ide a full meaning, and this word will
usually be followed by the preposition min G 5from@of5 and a plural word, or a
pronoun referring to plural, to complete its meaning.
'ayy(%n)-min-the units
any-of-the units

71amples'
- ~ = -'
lam ya'<ti 'ayy(%n) min(a) ('a)l&batt(i)
+ did not come any of the ducks
!ranslation' no one of the ducks came
no one of the ducks ha"e come

- ~
lam 'ara 'ayy(an) min&h%m
+ did not (I see any of them
!ranslation' I didn9t see any of them
I ha"en9t seen any of them

' ~ = - ~
lan tajid!! 'ayy(an) min&haa
+ will not (you plu. masc. find any of her@it
!ranslation' you won9t find any of it@them

'ayy(%) as Intensifier
'ayy(%) can be used in an intensi"e style as follows'

~ - ~ - ! ~, - -
'iyaad(%n) qaa'id(%n) 'ayy(%) qaa'id(in)
+ Iyad (is a leader which (of a leader
!ranslation' Iyad is a great leader!
Iyad is one hell of a leader!

= ' ! -
'al&jaww(%) haarr(%n) 'ayy(%) haarr(in)
+ the weather (is a hot (one which (of a
hot (one
!ranslation' it is scorching hot!
Polite (e2uest

!he polite way to ask for something in 7nglish and other 7uropean languages
would be by using the sub=uncti"e mode of "erbs2 e.g. would you do thisa
could you do thata
In Arabic, there are se"eral formulas for re:uest, and se"eral of them employ
the sub=uncti"e mood of "erbs as well.
3ne of the most common phrases for re:uest in Arabic is the following'
- = ~ -
law samaht(a) '''
G if (you sing. masc. allowed ...
!his formula is not a :uestion. It uses the sub=uncti"e mood of the "erb
5allow,5 though in the form of a perfecti"e, or past, "erb rather than a
sub=uncti"e imperfecti"e, or present, "erb. +erfecti"e "erbs are often used as
sub=uncti"e "erbs in Arabic.
!his phrase will be followed by a normal command, using the imperati"e
mood of "erbs.
- = ~ -= ' -
law samaht(a) naawil&n"" ('a)l&tabaq(a)
G if (you sing. masc. allowed, hand me the dish
!ranslation' please, hand me the dish

Another way'
-= ' - - = ~
naawil&n"" ('a)l&tabaq(a) law samaht(a)
G hand me the dish if (you sing. masc. allowed
!ranslation' hand me the dish, please

Another "ariant of this phrase, which means =ust the same'
- = ~ '~ -
'ithaa samaht(a) '''

71ample'
- = ~ '~ -' =
'ithaa samaht(i) 'arliq"" ('a)l&baab(a)
G if (you sing. fem. allowed, close the door
!ranslation' please, close the door

Another way'
-' = - = ~ '~
'arliq"" ('a)l&baab(a) 'ithaa samaht(i)
G close the door if (you sing. fem. allowed
!ranslation' close the door, please

A third less common "ariant'
- = ~ -
'in samaht(a) '''
!his is used like the pre"ious ones.

(on=ugation for all sub=ects'
If ;ou Allowed
Sing. masc. law samaht(a)
= ~ -
Sing. fem.
law samaht(i)
= ~ -
?ual law samaht%maa
= ~ -
+lu. masc.
law samaht%m
= ~ -
+lu. fem.
law samaht%nna
= ~ -
/!he word law can be replaced with 'ithaa or 'in.

!he phrase law samaht(a), usually translated to 5please5 or 5e1cuse me,5
can be used in other ways than being followed by a direct command.
71ample'
~ ' ~ - = ~
maa ('i)sm%&k(i) law samaht(i)
G what (the name (of you (sing. fem. (is if (you
sing. fem. allowed
!ranslation' what9s your name, pleasea

- = ~ '~ = ' '~ -
law samaht(a) bi&kam haathaa ('a)l&
hithaa'(%)
G if (you sing. masc. allowed, by how much this
the shoe (is
!ranslation' e1cuse me, how much are
these shoesa

Another similar phrase to law samaht(a) that is "ery common is'
- ~ -
min fadli&k(a) '''
G from@of (the fa"or (of you (sing. masc. ...
!his phrase does not use any sub=uncti"e "erbs. It will be followed often by a
direct command, like the pre"ious one. It is also usually translated to 5please5
or 5e1cuse me.5
71amples'
- ~ ' = =
min fadli&k(a) 'a"ti&n"" ('a)l&qalam(a)
G please, (you sing. masc. gi"e me the pen
!ranslation' please, gi"e me the pen

Another way'
' = = - ~
'a"ti&n"" ('a)l&qalam(a) min fadli&k(a)
G (you sing. masc. gi"e me the pen please
!ranslation' gi"e me the pen please

' ~ - - ~
h%d!!'a(n) min fadli&k%m
G (I ask for a :uietness please (plu. masc.
!ranslation' :uiet, please

3f ;our 6a"or
Sing. masc. min fadli&k(a)
~ -
Sing. fem. min fadli&k(i)
~ -
?ual min fadli&k%maa
~ -
+lu. masc. min fadli&k%m
~ -
+lu. fem. min fadli&k%nna
~ -

A third way for re:uest is by using the following word'
-
rajaa'a(n) '''
G (I beg a begging ...
!his is more urgent than the pre"ious two. It also means 5please5 or 5e1cuse
me5 and it is used =ust like the formulas mentioned abo"e. 0owe"er, it does
not ha"e other con=ugations than this one.
71amples'
-~ = ~
rajaa'a(n) saa"id&n""
G please (you sing. masc. help me
!ranslation' please, help me
3r'
-~ = ~
saa"id&n"" rajaa'a(n)
G (you sing. masc. help me please
!ranslation' help me, please

A common polite formula for re:uest in Arabic is the following'
' ~ - -
hal min(a) ('a)l&m%mkin(i) 'an '''
G is it that (he@it (is of the possible that ...a
!ranslation' is it possible that ... a
!he particle 'an G 5that5 is called in Arabic 5infiniti"al 'an5 because it is used to
form 5infiniti"al phrases5 or infiniti"es, =ust similar to how the particle 5to5 is
used to form infiniti"es in 7nglish (e.g. the infiniti"e 5to go5. An imperfecti"e
"erb following 'an must be in the sub=uncti"e mood.
71ample'
' ~ - -~ = ~
hal min(a) ('a)l&m%mkin(i) 'an t%saa"ida&
n""
G is it possible that (you sing. masc. help me
!ranslation' would@could you help mea

Another "ariant of the phrase'
' ~ - ~ = ~
'a&min(a) ('a)l&m%mkin(i) 'an t%saa"id""&
n""
G is it possible that (you sing. fem. help me
!he difference in this "ariant is that the interrogati"e particle 'a& was used
instead of hal, which changes nothing anyway.
3ne more formula'
_ ~ -
'a&tasmah(%) 'an '''
G is it that (you sing. masc. allow that ...a
G is it that (you sing. masc. will allow that ...a

71ample'
_ ~ - ' ~
'a&tasmah(%) 'an 'aakh%th(a) ('a)l&kitaab(a)
G is it that (you sing. masc. will allow that (I take
the book
!ranslation' may I take the booka

Another "ariant'
= ~ - ` ' ~ ~
hal tasmah""n(a) 'an 'as'ala&k(i) s%'aala(n)
G is it that (you sing. fem. will allow that (I ask
you a :uestion
!ranslation' may I ask you a :uestiona

8ill you allow that ...a
Sing. masc. 'a&tasmah(%) 'an
_ ~
Sing. fem. 'a&tasmah""n(a) 'an
= ~
?ual 'a&tasmahaan(i) 'an
= ~
+lu. masc. 'a&tasmah!!n(a) 'an
= ~
+lu. fem. 'a&tasmahn(a) 'an
= ~
/!he word 'a& may be replaced with hal.

Another way for polite re:uest in formal Arabic would be by means of the
5urging5 particles.

%rging +articles
+articles of 5urging,5 or 5inducement,5 - = -' ' ~ are a set of particles
used to 5urge5 somebody to do something. !hey can be followed by indicati"e
imperfecti"e "erbs, but they are often followed by perfecti"e (wsub=uncti"e
"erbs instead.

%rging +articles
- = -' ' ~
w will @ would
ha"e a
can @ could ha"e a
hal&laa
-
'a&laa
`
'allaa
`
law&laa
`
law&maa
~
71cluding the first one, hal&laa, all of those compound particles are archaic
and not used in modern Arabic.
!he particle hal&laa is often used for re:uest, although it can also mean
reproach, depending on the situation.
71amples'
- ~ = ~
hal&laa saa"adta&n""
G would ha"e (you sing. masc. helped mea
3)' you could ha"e helped me '(

Another possibility'
- -~ = ~
hal&laa t%saa"id%&n""
G will (you sing. masc. help me a
!ranslation' will@can you help mea

8hen hal&laa is followed by an imperfecti"e "erb, it means only 5urging5 or
re:uest, and maybe command. 8hen it is followed by an imperfecti"e "erb, it
can mean re:uest, command, or reproach.
71amples on classical particles'
` - =
'a&laa 'a"anta&n""
G would ha"e (you sing. masc. helped mea
3)' you could ha"e helped me '(

~ ~ - ' ~ - -
law&maa ta'<t""&naa bi&l&malaa'ika(ti) 'in

k%nt(a) min(a) ('a)s&saadiq""n(a)
G will (you sing. masc. come (to us with the
angels if (you were from@of the honest
(peoplea
!ranslation' would@could you bring us the
angles if you were honesta
3)' you could ha"e brought us the angels if
you were honest

(ommon 8ays for )e:uest in
Arabic
+lease @ 71cuse
me
- = ~
law samaht(a) '''
- ~
min fadli&k(a) '''

rajaa'a(n) '''
Is it possible
that ...a
' ~ -
hal min(a) ('a)l&m%mkin(i) 'an ''
8ill you allow
that ...a
_ ~ %%%
'a&tasmah(%) 'an '''
w will @ would
ha"e ... a
can @ could ha"e ...
a
-
hal&laa '''
,nfiniti1al 4 ,ndefinite "aa
!he word maa ~ can mean se"eral things in Arabic.'
It can be an interrogati"e pronoun meaning 5whata5
It can be a relati"e pronoun meaning 5what...5
It can be a negati"e word meaning 5not.5
!he remaining ma=or function of maa is that it can be a word denoting
indefiniteness, or a word functioning "ery much as infiniti"al 'an , which
means 5that5 as in 5I know that you like it.5
!his kind of maa will be translated most of the time to the 7nglish word
5e"er.5

7"er
57"er5 can be combined to se"eral pronouns in 7nglish to confer a sense of
indefiniteness on them, e.g. whate"er, whene"er, whoe"er, etc.
In Arabic, this is the =ob of maa. !his word is often used to confer a sense of
indefiniteness on other words.
71amples'
- N ~ G -
'ayn(a) N maa G 'ayna&maa
where N that G where that w where"er

~ N ~ G ~
maa N maa G mah&maa
what N that G what that w whate"er

Sometimes maa will be con=oined to the other word, like in the two e1amples,
and sometimes it will not.
6ollowing is a list of interrogati"e pronouns with infiniti"al@indefinite maa.
Interrogati"e +ronoun N
maa
8hate"er mah&maa
~
8hene"er mataa maa
-~ ~
'ayyaana maa
- ~
8here"er 'ayna&maa
-
0owe"er kayfa&maa
-
8hiche"er 'ayy%&maa
-

71amples'
~ ~ - . =
mah&maa t%haawil tafshal
+ whate"er (you try (you fail
!ranslation' whate"er you try, you will fail
/-ote' this is a conditional style and the imperfecti"e "erbs here must be in
the =ussi"e mood.

-~ ~ - -~ =
mataa maa 'atayt(a) tajid&n""
+ whene"er (you came (you find me
!ranslation' when you come, you will find
me
/!he first "erb was a perfecti"e "erb because it was meant as a sub=uncti"e
"erb.

- ' - = = ' = ~ -
'ayna&maa yasq%t(i) ('a)l&matar(%)
takhdarr(i) ('a)l&'ard(%)
+ where"er (he fall the rain (she green the
earth
!ranslation' where"er the rain falls, the
earth greens up

-- ~ ' - - ~
'ithhab"" kayfa&maa tashaa'""n(a)
+ (you sing. fem. go howe"er (you sing. fem. wish
!ranslation' go in howe"er way you like

Some people may ha"e noticed that the word 5whoe"er5 was not mentioned in
the table. !he indefinite pronouns 5whoe"er5 and 5whome"er5 are commonly
used in 7nglish, but they are ne"er used in Arabic. !he usual way of
e1pressing these words in Arabic is by using the word 'ayy%&maa G
5whiche"er.5
7.g. when we want to say in Arabic 5whoe"er knows this will be killed,5 we will
say 5whiche"er of a man@woman@person knows this will be killed.5 !he word
5whiche"er5 has to be followed by another noun to complement it.
71amples'
- , ' `' - -~ = ~ -
'ayy%&maa raj%l(in) y%saa"id&n"" yanal(i)
('a)th&thawaab(a)
+ whiche"er (of a man helps me (he gets
the reward
!ranslation' whoe"er man helps me will be
rewarded

= `= ' - , ~ _ = -~
'%"th%r l&"" "alaa 'ayyi&maa shaqqat(in)
tastat"""(%)
G (you sing. masc. trip for me on@o"er whiche"er
(of an apartment (you sing. masc. can
!ranslation' find me whiche"er apartment
you can
/-ote' the phrase = `= G literally 5tripped o"er5 figurati"ely means 5found.5

Infiniti"al maa can be combined to many words other than the interrogati"e
pronouns mentioned abo"e.
71amples'
8hene"er
h""na&maa

(at the time (of that
waqta&maa
-
(at the time (of that
%ntil
raytha&maa
`-
(the slowing (of that
4efore that ...
qabla&maa
-
before that
After that ...
ba"da&maa
~ ~
after that
8here"er
hayth%&maa
`
(at the place (of that
8hen @ 8here
"inda&maa
~ = ~
(at the time@place (of that
.ike
mithla&maa
` ~
like that
7"ery time that ...
k%lla&maa

e"ery that
Maybe
r%bba&maa

there is a lot@a little (of that
7specially
laa siyya&maa
~ `
not (a thing like that
In order to @ so that ...
kay&maa

in order to that
.ike
ka&maa

like that
Some of these words may also be =oined to the other types of maa2 and
some words may be followed by the same infiniti"al maa without being =oined
to form a single word.
Infiniti"al maa can also be combined to se"eral perfecti"e "erbs to produce
ad"erbs. See here for e1amples.

Some
Baa is the Arabic e:ui"alent for the word 5some5 in such words as
5somebody.5 0owe"er, in this case it will not mean 5that5 but it will be =ust a
mere indicator of indefiniteness.
Some9s
Somebody
shakhs(%n) maa
= ~ ~
a person unspecific
Someone
'ahad(%n) maa
~ ~
a one unspecific
Someday
yawma(n) maa
~ - ~
a day unspecific
Someway
Somehow
Somewise
bi&tar""qa(tin) maa
, - = ~
in a way unspecific
bi&was""la(tin) maa
, ~ ~
in a way unspecific
Something
shay'(%n) maa
~ ~
a thing unspecific
Sometime
f"" waqt(in) maa
-, ~
in a time unspecific
Somewhat
naw"a(n) maa
= - ~
a kind unspecific
'ilaa hadd(in) maa
~ ~
to a limit unspecific
Somewhere
f"" makaan(in) maa
, ~ ~
in a place unspecific

-otes
8hen 5sometime5 is an ad=ecti"e meaning 5former,5 it will be in Arabic
~ .
5Sometimes5 is usually understood as 5some of the times,5 so the word
maa cannot be used in translating this word, because it is only used
with singular nouns but not plural ones. 8hen translating 5sometimes,5
the actual word for 5some5 will be used instead of the indefinite ad=ecti"e
maa2 or more commonly, the word 5times5 alone will be declined in the
temporal case (G ad"erbial, accusati"e, or nasb case.

Sometimes
'ahyaana(n)
-
(at times
f"" ba"d(i) ('a)l&'ahyaan(i)
'
in some (of the times
f"" ba"d(i) ('a)l&'awqaat(i)
'
in some (of the times

71ample'
` ' ~ ~ ' ~
'is'al""&h(i) s%'aala(n) maa
G (you sing. fem. ask him a :uestion unspecific
!ranslation' ask him some :uestion

Meanings for maa
Meaning 71ample
Interrogati"e
+ronoun
8hat ... a
what is your namea
) elati"e
+ronoun
8hat ...
what you did was outrageous
... what ...
I know what you did
- egati"e
8ord
not
you can not do that
Indefinite
e"er
whate"er you do, I9ll find out
about it
some
(with countable
singulars
somebody left his glasses here
he was reading some book
*ialects

Arabic of modern days is two types, the formal or literary Arabic, a.k.a.
modern standard Arabic, and the modern spoken Arabic, or modern collo:uial
Arabic.

6ormal Arabic is largely deri"ed from (lassical Arabic (Arabic spoken about
#jjj years ago, with new added words, styles, and e1pressions. 6ormal
Arabic is the only written form of Arabic.

Modern spoken Arabic, or modern collo:uial Arabic, is not really one language
like the standard formal Arabic. Modern spoken Arabic has many "arieties
across the Middle 7ast and -orth Africa. !hese regional "erities are called the
modern 5dialects5 of Arabic. ?ialects are called in Arabic lahjaat = .

!he dialects constitute the e"eryday spoken language. !hey are not typically
written, although a certain amount of literature (particularly plays and poetry
e1ists in many of them. !hey are often used to "arying degrees in informal
spoken media, such as soap operas and talk shows.

Modern dialects differ from formal Arabic and from one another in
pronunciation of letters, in "ocabulary, and in grammar. !hey are less
comple1 and less inflecti"e than formal Arabic, and they often use different
words than those used in formal Arabic, although related to them most of the
time.

!he dialects are usually labeled according to ma=or geographic areas, such as
-orth African, .e"antine, 7gyptian, <ulf, etc. 8ithin these broad
classifications, the daily speech of urban, rural, and nomadic speakers can be
distincti"ely different. !he truth to say is that dialect changes from town to the
ne1t one in the Arab world.

6ormal Arabic is the official language of all Arab countries and is the only form
of Arabic taught at schools at all stages. !he sociolinguistic situation of Arabic
in modern times pro"ides a prime e1ample of the linguistic phenomenon of
diglossia`the normal use of two separate "arieties of the same language,
usually in different social situations. In the case of Arabic, educated Arabs of
any nationality can be assumed to speak both their local dialect and their
school-taught literary Arabic (to an e:ual or lesser degree.

0ow much is the difference between all the forms of
Arabica

(lassical Arabic (including the Arabic of the >oran and modern formal Arabic
ha"e "ery much in common. !hey share a unified grammar, and the
difference is only in words, styles, and e1pressions. I ha"e been presenting
them together in this site, and this is what is usually done in teaching Arabic at
Arab schools.

!he modern spoken dialects, on the other hand, are rather different from both
the classical and modern standard Arabic. !hey ha"e different pronunciations
of letters from the formal language and from each other, and they ha"e
different grammars, "ocabulary, and styles.

.earning the formal Arabic alone will not enable the learner to understand or
talk in most of the dialects, although it will certainly make it easier to learn
them. .earning one modern dialect will help in understanding other dialects to
"ariable degrees, depending on the relations between the dialects. 6or
e1ample, learning a <ulf dialect will certainly help in understanding a Saudi
dialect, because of the relations between the two regions. 0owe"er, it will not
help as much with e.g. an 7gyptian dialect.

)rigins of the Modern *ialects
Spoken Arabic did not start out as a single thing then broke into se"eral new
things. At least this was not the case by the time of Muhammad and the
>oran. 8e ha"e shown in the page about the history of Arabs that the ancient
Arab tribes had already different languages by the time they were called
Arabs. !hus, the modern spoken dialects are the outcome of centuries of
e"olution of se"eral "ariants of Arabic not only one.
8e will now briefly discuss the ma=or factors that ha"e contributed to the
de"elopment of the modern spoken dialects of Arabic.

"ariants of Classical Arabic
(lassical Arabic refers today mostly to the standard language of the >oran,
the Muslim holy book, which is mainly the language of ancient western Arabia,
and more specifically the language of Muhammad9s tribe, Auraysh.
0owe"er, this was not the only Arabic spoken in Arabia. Arabs spoke different
dialects of Arabic from the beginning. 7ach one of the four regions of Arabia,
namely the west (0i=a*, the center (-a=d, the east (4ahrain, and the south
(;emen, had its specific dialect2 and each tribe within each general region
usually had its own touch to add to the region9s dialect.
!hose dialects could be rather different from each other, I am going to present
here :uick e1amples of differences between the dialect of ancient 0i=a* (west
and other regions of Arabia.

Imperfecti"e ,erbs
!he con=ugation of the imperfecti"e "erb in formal Arabic was deri"ed from the
ancient dialect of western Arabia. 0owe"er, nearly all of the other Arabian
dialects had different ways of con=ugating imperfecti"e "erbs. !his e1plains
why most of the modern dialects con=ugate imperfecti"e "erbs differently from
formal Arabic.
An e1ample regarding the pronominal prefi1es is the con=ugation of fa"il(a)
"erbs in the imperfecti"e. 6ollowing is the imperfecti"e con=ugation of the "erb
"amil(a) = G 5(he worked5 in different old dialects. !he left column
shows the western Arabian standard con=ugation, and the right column shows
con=ugations that were used elsewhere else in Arabia.
,ariations of Imperfecti"e ,erb Structure

8estern Arabia
3ther )egions of
Arabia
S
I
N
G
U
L
A
R
(I work
'a"mal(%)
=
'a"mal(%)
=
'i"mal(%)
=
(;ou
work
(masc.
ta"mal(%)

ti"mal(%)

(;ou
work
(fem.
ta"mal""n(a
)

ti"mal""n(a)

(0e
works
ya"mal(%)
-
ya"mal(%)
-
yi"mal(%)
-
(She
works
ta"mal(%)

ti"mal(%)

D
U
A
L
(;ou
work
ta"malaan(i)

ti"malaan(i)

(!hey
work
(masc.
ya"malaan(i)
-
ya"malaan(i)
-
yi"malaan(i)
-
(!hey
work
(fem.
ta"malaan(i)

ti"malaan(i)

P
(8e
work
(dual @
na"mal(%)
-
ni"mal(%)
-
L
U
R
A
L
plu.
(;ou
work
(masc.
ta"mal!!n(a
)

ti"mal!!n(a)

(;ou
work
(fem.
ta"maln(a)

ti"maln(a)

(!hey
work
(masc.
ya"mal!!n(a
)
-
ya"mal!!n(a
)
-
yi"mal!!n(a)
-
(!hey
work
(fem.
ya"maln(a)
-
ya"maln(a)
-
yi"maln(a)
-
!he "ariants in the right-hand column are the ancestors of the con=ugations in
most of the modern spoken dialects.

Attached 6eminine +ronoun 5!hee5
8e ha"e e1plained that, in formal Arabic, it is not possible to stop talking right
after pronouncing a short "owel. !herefore, short "owels at the end of words
are omitted when the word is the last thing said.
0owe"er, this could cause ambiguity between the singular masculine pronoun
5you5 &k(a) and the singular feminine pronoun &k(i), because both will sound
the same when one stops on them. Many of the ancient Arabian dialects
sol"ed this issue by changing the final &(i) of the feminine pronoun &k(i) to
consonants such as &s or &sh.
!he effects of these "ariations are e"ident in many of the dialects spoken in
modern Arabia and Ira:.
,ariations of the Attached 6eminine +ronoun
5!hee5

8estern
Arabia
3ther )egions of Arabia
-ot last
thing
pronounced

&ki &ki &ki &ki &ki
.ast thing
pronounced

-k -ks -ksh &s &sh

!he .ong A ,owel
!he standard long A "owel (aa) sounds like the a in 5far5 or 5star.5 0owe"er,
many old tribes, especially tribes that inhabited -a=d (central Arabia, had a
different pronunciation for this "owel. !hey pronounced it as a long 7 instead
of long A2 this sounds like the ai in 5air5 and 5fair.5
71amples'
Meaning 0i=a* (8estern Arabia -a=d ((entral Arabia
A book (masc.
kitaab(%n)
-
kitaib(%n)
- -
A door (masc.
baab(%n)

baib(%n)
-
(I help
'%saa"id(%)
~ ~ =
'%sai"id(%)
~ ~
!his is similar to the standard American pronunciation of a in 5make5 and
5cake.5
!his pronunciation of the long A still shows today in many places in where old
-a=di tribes settled, especially tribes of Aays-Aylan = . It most
notably shows in north Syria, Mount .ebanon, some parts of 7gypt, .ibya, and
the Maghreb in general (!unisia, Algeria, and Morocco.
+arado1ically, this pronunciation is not heard today in -a=d itself, although
there are traces of it.

Conclusion
!he di"ersity of the ancient Arabian dialects played !07 ma=or rule in creating
the di"ersity of the modern spoken dialects of Arabic. 7ach ancient Arabian
tribe had its own dialect, and as tribes migrated to other regions of the modern
Arab world, such as Ira:, Syria, 7gypt, and -orth Africa, they carried with
them the features of their dialects to the dialects of their new homes.
6ormal Arabic does not e1actly reflect this di"ersity, and it can be primarily
regarded as the dialect of the Q%raysh tribe, the tribe of prophet Muhammad
which inhabited the western region of Arabia or 0i=a* = = ' .
Some of the characteristics of 0i=a*i dialect, which became characteristics of
formal Arabic, were almost uni:ue to 0i=a*i dialect and they are hardly heard
in any spoken dialect today e1cept in 0i=a* itself.

3ime Effect
!he mere passing of time can change any language, and this has indeed
happened with all the dialects of Arabic.
!he changes are many2 one of the most important changes is the total loss of
case and mood inflection (different endings for the same word. Although
there are still some traces of case and mode inflection in some modern
dialects, the fact is that it has been lost. !he dual ending has also been lost
from e"erything e1cept nouns.
3ther changes in"ol"e pronunciation of consonants. !his has also e"ol"ed
dramatically from the classical pronunciation. An e1ample is the pronunciation
of the letter qaaf . !his letter has at least fi"e different pronunciations in the
modern dialects'
+ronunciation of .etter Qaaf in the Modern ?ialects
< as in 5go.5 !his is the most common
pronunciation in the modern Arab world
I
<lottal stop or letter hamza(t) . !his is the

pre"alent pronunciation in urban .e"ant and
northern 7gypt
'
+haryngeali*ed letter >. !his pronunciation is
heard in rural southern .e"ant, parts of Ira:,
and other places
K
6rench ), this pronunciation is heard in Sudan,
parts of ;emen, and other places
R
!he classical pronunciation2 it is heard in rural
areas throughout the Arab world
Q

71ample, the word qaal(a) G 5(he said5 pronounced in fi"e different ways'
/you may click on the word to hear it pronounced.
Arabia, Ira:, South 7gypt,
-orth Africa
gaal
.
(he said
.e"ant, -orth 7gypt
'aal
)ural Southern .e"ant
kaal
Sudan
r aal
Syrian Mountains
q aal

+ronunciation of "owels has also e"ol"ed "ery much. !here are new "owels in
the modern dialects that were not present in the classical language.
-ew ,owels in Modern ?ialects
,owel )omani*ation Sound In Arabic
S"ort O ! of -o symbol
Lon, O . loan

S"ort E " bed -o symbol
Lon, E ai air
Sc"0! " telephone -o symbol

An important de"elopment is the appearance of combined "owels or
diphthongs instead of the classical "owel combinations.
/you may click on the word to hear it pronounced.
Modern (lassical 71ample
'. 'aw

'ai 'ay

!he appearance of these diphthongs has led to changes in the pronunciation
of many words. !hese diphthongs are present in all of the modern dialects
with few e1ceptions, like e.g. rural Syrian dialect which preser"es the classical
"owel pronunciation.
71amples, click on the word to hear its pronunciation'
Modern (lassical 71ample
y . m y aw m( % n)
-
b ai t b ay t( % n)
-

As we ha"e mentioned, grammar rules in the spoken dialects ha"e e"ol"ed
different from the formal language, this includes, for e1ample, "erb structures
and the way tenses are e1pressed.
A good e1ample is how the present progressi"e tense is e1pressed in the
spoken dialects. It is "ery different from formal Arabic, and it is also "ery
different from one dialect to the other.
71ample, the phrase 5I am writing5 e1pressed in different dialects.
5I Am 8riting5
6ormal 'anaa 'akt%b(%)
- - -
Arabia 'anaa akt"b
- - -
Ira: 'anaa da&akt"b
- - ~ -
Syria 'anaa "amm "kt!b
- - = -
7gypt 'anaa "ammaal akt"b
- - . = -
Morocco 'anaa ka&nkt"b
- - -
/ " means a schwa like in 5telephone.5
!he changes in grammar include also changes in the order of the elements of
a sentence. (ontrary to formal Arabic, nominal sentences are more common
than "erbal sentences in the modern spoken Arabic.

,ndigenous /anguages
Arabs began migrating outside Arabia about &jjj years ago, and as they
settled in new regions, which were mainly Syria and Ira: at first and -orth
Africa later, they did absorb a good deal of language from the nati"e
populations.
!he influence of indigenous languages on the different spoken dialects is
e"idenced by both loanwords and grammatical influence. !he indigenous
influence on Syrian and Ira:i dialects came mainly from old Semitic languages
such as Syriac. 7gyptian was somewhat influenced by (optic, Sudanese was
influenced by -ubian and by other African languages. !he main influencer on
-orth African dialects was the 4erber languages.
!he influence of indigenous and foreign languages on dialects appears mostly
in dialects spoken on the periphery of the Arabic-speaking world. Most notably
in northern Syria, Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria, and !unisia, and Sudan.

!oreign languages
+ersian, or 6arsi, had a great influence on classical Arabic, and it has
continued its great influence on the different dialects of Arabic throughout the
centuries. !here are many +ersian loanwords in Arabic, both formal and
collo:uial.
(See' +ersian influence on Arabic
!urkic languages also influenced modern Arabic greatly, as the Arab world
was part of the 3ttoman 7mpire for hundreds of years. Many !urkish personal
titles and !urkici*ed names of people and professions are still heard in
se"eral dialects of Arabic.
3ther influencer languages included >urdish, Italian, and Spanish. 6rench and
7nglish became "ery important during the coloni*ation period in the last
century. Many 6rench and 7nglish loanwords are still used in the dialects of
many Arab countries.
!amily ; ocial (elations

!his page contains classical "ocabulary in addition to the modern "ocabulary.

A family
"aaila(t%n) (sing. fem.
- =
'%sra(t%n) (sing. fem.
- ~
'ahl(%n) (plu. masc.
-
A (greater family 'aal(%n) (plu. masc.
.
)elati"es
'aqaarib(%) (plu. masc.

'aqribaa'(%n) (plu. masc.

qaraaba(t%n)
(figurati"e plu. masc.
'

)elati"es by 4irth
A father 'ab(%n)

A mother '%mm(%n)

A male parent waalid(%n)
~ '
A female parent waalida(t%n)
-~ '
+arents waalidaan(i)
~ ' '
A brother 'akh(%n)
_
A sister '%kht(%n)
-
A brother
(from the same two
parents
shaq""q(%n)
~
A sister
(from the same two
parents
shaq""qa(t%n)
~
A twin (either gender taw'am(%n)

!wo twins taw'amaan(i)
~
A son
'ibn(%n)
'
najl(%n)
= -
A daughter
'ibna(t%n)
'
bint(%n)
-
A male descendent
A son
sal""l(%n)
~
A female
descendent
A daughter
sal""la(t%n)
~
A grandfather jadd(%n)
~
A grandmother jadda(t%n)
-~
A paternal uncle "amm(%n)
=
A paternal aunt "amma(t%n)
=
A maternal uncle khaal(%n)
.
A maternal aunt khaala(t%n)

A paternal cousin
(son of paternal uncle
'ibn% "amm(in)
= '
A paternal cousin
(son of paternal aunt
'ibn% "amma(tin)
, = '
A paternal cousin
(son of maternal uncle
'ibn% khaal(in)
., '
A paternal cousin
(son of maternal aunt
'ibn% khaalat(in)
, '
A nephew
(son of brother
'ibn% 'akh(in)
_, '
A nephew
(son of sister
'ibn% '%kht(in)
-, '
A niece
(daughter of brother
'ibnat% 'akh(in)
_, '
A niece
(daughter of sister
'ibnat% '%kht(in)
-, '
A male relati"e
(usually by birth
qar""b(%n)
- -
A female relati"e
(usually by birth
qar""ba(t%n)
--

)elati"es 4y Marriage
A fiancb khat""b(%n)
- =
A fiancbe khat""ba(t%n)
- =
A bridegroom
A newly wedded
man
"ar""s(%n)
- =
A bride
A newly wedded
woman
"r!!s(%n)
=
A husband
zawj(%n)

ba"l(%n)

qar""n(%n)
-
hal""l(%n)

"ash""r(%n)
~ =
"irs(%n)
=
A wife
zawja(t%n)

zawj(%n)

'imra'a(t%n)
- ~ '
qar""na(t%n)
-
hal""la(t%n)

"ash""ra(t%n)
- ~ =
"irs(%n)
=
A father-in-law
ham(%n)

ham'(%n)

hama(n)

A mother-in-law hamaa(t%n)
-
A son-in-law
A sister9s husband
sihr(%n)
-
A daughter-in-law
A brother9s wife
sihra(t%n)
- -
kanna(t%n)

Any male of the
wife9s family
khatan(%n)
-
Any female of the
wife9s family
khatana(t%n)
-
A husband of a
wife9s sister
"ad""l(%n)
- ~ =
A wife of a
husband9s brother
silfa(t%n)
- ~
Another wife of the
same man
d%rra(t%n)
- -
A male in-law nas""b(%n)
- ~ -
A female in-law nas""ba(t%n)
- ~ -
A boyfriend &&&
A girlfriend &&&

Social Status
A single (man
"aazib(%n)
=
'a"zab(%)
=
"azab(%n)
=
'ayyim(%n)
-
A single (woman
"aaziba(t%n)
=
'a"zabaa'(%)
=
"azaba(t%n)
=
'ayyima(t%n)
-
A married (masc. ad=.
m%tazawwij(%n)
-~
m%ta'ahhil(%n)
- -~
naakih(%n)
_ -
A married (fem. ad=.
m%tazawwija(t%n)
-~
naakih(%n)
_ -
A di"orced man/ &&&
A di"orced woman m%tallaqa(t%n)

= ~
A widower 'armal(%n)
~
A widow 'armala(t%n)
~
An engaged (masc.
ad=.
m%rtabit(%n)
= - ~
An engaged (fem.
ad=.
m%rtabita(t%n)
= - ~
/(ollo:uial for a di"orced man' m%tallaq(%n) = ~ .

A fetus jan""n(%n)

A male infant rad"""(%n)
_ -
A female infant rad"""a(t%n)
-
A male child tifl(%n)
- =
A female child tifla(t%n)
- =
A child @ a boy walad(%n)
~
A girl bint(%n)
-
A boy sabiyy(%n)
--
A girl sabiyya(t%n)
--
A young man, a
teenager
fataa(n)
-
A young woman, a
teenager
fataa(t%n)
- -
A young man, a
teenager
r%laam(%n)
=
A male teenager m%raahiq(%n)
- ' ~
A female teenager m%raahiqa(t%n)
- ' ~
A male minor qaasir(%n)
-
A female minor qaasira(t%n)
- -
A male =u"enile
(delin:uent
hadath(%n)
~
A female =u"enile
(delin:uent
hadatha(t%n)
~
A young man shaabb(%n)
~
A young woman shaabba(t%n)
~
A man raj%l(t%n)

A male adult
baalir(%n)
_
raashid(%n)
~ ~ '
A woman 'imra'a(t%n)
- ~ '
A female adult
baalira(t%n)

raashida(t%n)
-~ ~ '
A middle-aged
man
kahl(%n)

A middle-aged
woman
kahla(t%n)

An old man shaykh(%n)
_ ~
An old woman shaykha(t%n)
= ~
An old person "aj!!z(%n)
= =

A young (man
sar""r% ('a)s&
sinn(i)
- ~ '
small (of the age
sar""r(%n)
-
small
yaafi"(%n)
_ -
fatiyy(%n)
-
An old (man kab""r% ('a)s&
sinn(i)
- ~ '
big (of the age
kab""r(%n)
-
big
A "ery old (man
taa"in% ('a)s&
sinn(i)
= = ~ '
harim(%n)
-

A young (woman
sar""r% ('a)s&
sinn(i)
- - ~ '
small (of the age
sar""r(%n)
- -
small
yaafi"(%n)
-
fatiyy(%n)
-
An old (woman
kab""r% ('a)s&
sinn(i)
- - ~ '
big (of the age
kab""r(%n)
- -
big
A "ery old
(woman
taa"in% ('a)s&
sinn(i)
= = ~ '
harim(%n)
~ -

Week *ays

A day yawm(%n) (masc.
-
?ays 'ayyaam(%n) (fem.
-
A week '%sb!!"(%n) (masc.
_ -~
8eeks 'asaab"""(%) (fem.
_ ~

?ays of the 8eek
_ -~ ' -
Saturday yawm(%) ('a)s&sabt(i)
- - ~ ' -
Sunday yawm(%) ('a)l&'ahad(i)
~ ' -
Monday yawm(%) ('a)l&'ithnayn(i)
` ' -
!uesday yawm(%) ('a)th&th%laathaa'(i)
`' -
8ednesday yawm(%) ('a)l&'arbi"aa'(i)
' -
!hursday yawm(%) ('a)l&kham""s(i)
= ' -
6riday yawm(%) ('a)l&j%m"a(ti)
= ' -
*3mitting the word - is common.

Months

A month shahr(%n) (masc.
~
Months
'ashh%r(%n) (fem.
~
sh%h!!r(%n) (fem.
~
A year
sana(t%n) (fem.
~
"aam(%n) (masc.
=
;ears
sin!!n(a) (fem.
~
sanawaat(%n) (fem.
' ~
'a"waam(%n) (fem.
' =

6% yriac Calendar
%sed in Syria, .ebanon, Cordan, and +alestine.

Syriac (alendar
- - ~ ' ~ ' ~
Canuary
kaan!!n(%) ('a)th&
thaan""
-
- `'
6ebruary sh%baat(%)
~ = -
March 'aathaar(%)
'~
April naysaan(%)
~ -
May 'ayyaar(%)
-
Cune haz""raan(%)
' -
Culy tamm!!z(%)

August 'aab(%n)

September 'ayl!!l(%)
. -
3ctober
tishr""n(%)
('a)l&'awwal(%)
- ~
. '
-o"ember
tishr""n(%) ('a)th&
thaan""
- ~
- `'
?ecember
kaan!!n(%)
('a)l&'awwal(%)
-
. '

8% 5regorian Calendar
%sed, with slight "ariations in spelling of months9 names, in the rest of Arab
countries e1cept .ibya and Saudi Arabia.
-ote that names of .atin months are often pronounced in the 7nglish or
6rench way of pronouncing these names, and not the Arabi*ed way
mentioned below.

<regorian (alendar
~ ' ~ -~ '
Canuary yanaayir(%)
- -
6ebruary fibraayir(%)
-' -
March maaris(%)
~
April 'abr""l(%)
-
May maay!!
- ~
Cune y!!niy!!
- -
Culy y!!liy!!
-
August '%r%st%s(%)
= ~ =
September sibtimbar(%)
- -- ~
3ctober '%kt!!bar(%)
-
-o"ember n!!fimbar(%)
- -
?ecember d""simbar(%)
- ~ - ~

9% Cegira Calendar
A lunar calendar, the calendar of ancient Arabs and of the Islamic ci"ili*ation.
It is used officially only in Saudi Arabia.

0egira (alendar
~ ' ~ - = '
Muharram 'al&m%harram(%)
= '
Safar safar(%n)
--
)abi I
rab"""(%n)
('a)l&'awwal(%)
. ' _
)abi II
rab"""(%n)
('a)l&'aakhir(%)
_ `'
Cumada I j%maadaa ('a)l&'!!laa
, ~
'
Cumada II
j%maadaa
('a)l&'aakhira(t%)
, ~
- `'
)a=ab rajab(%n)
-
Shaban sha"baan(%)
- ~
)amadan ramadaan(%)
- ~
Shawwal shawwaal(%n)
. ' ~
?hu al-
Aadah
th!! ('a)l&qi"da(ti)
~ - ~ '
?hu al-
0i==ah
th!! ('a)l&hijja(ti)
~ = = '

easons

A season fasl(%n) (masc.
-
Seasons f%s!!l(%n) (fem.
. -

Seasons of the ;ear
. - ~ '
Summer fasl(%) ('a)s&sayf(i)
- - '
6all fasl(%) ('a)l&khar""f(i)
- - = '
8inter fasl(%) ('a)sh&shitaa'(i)
- -~ '
Spring fasl(%) ('a)r&rab"""(i)
- _ '

8hen the word fasl(%) G 5(the season (of5 is omitted, the cases ha"e to be
changed to the nominati"e or raf" case.

Seasons of the ;ear
~ ' . -
Summer ('a)s&sayf(%)
- '
6all ('a)l&khar""f(%)
- = '
8inter ('a)sh&shitaa'(%)
-~ '
Spring ('a)r&rab"""(%)
_ '
-umbers

-umbers
~ '~ = '
3ne waahid(%n)
` ~ '
!wo 'ithnaan(i)
` '
!hree thalaatha(t%n)

6our 'arba"a(t%n)
'
6i"e khamsa(t%n)
- ~
Si1 sitta(t%n)
-~
Se"en sab"a(t%n)
` - ~
7ight
thamaaniya(t%n
)
^ -
-ine tis"a(t%n)
~
!en "ashara(t%n)
` - ~ =
xero sifr(%n)
- -

7le"en 'ahada "ashar(a)
`` ~ = ~
!wel"e 'ithnaa "ashar(a)
`` ' ~ =
!hirteen
thalaathata
"ashar(a)
`

~ =
6ourteen 'arba"ata "ashar(a)
`'

~ =
6ifteen khamsata "ashar(a)
`-
~
~ =
Si1teen sittata "ashar(a)
` -~
Se"enteen sab"ata "ashar(a)
``
- ~
~ =
7ighteen
thamaaniyata
"ashar(a)
`^
-
~ =
-ineteen tis"ata "ashar(a)
`
~
~ =

!wenty "ishr!!n(a)
` ~ =
!hirty thalaath!!n(a)

6orty 'arba"!!n(a)
'
6ifty khams!!n(a)
- ~
Si1ty sitt!!n(a)
-~
Se"enty sab"!!n(a)
` - ~
7ighty thamaan!!n(a)
^ -
-inety tis"!!n(a)
~

!wenty-one
waahid%n
wa&"ishr!!n(a)
``
~ '
~ =
!wenty-two
'ithnaani
wa&"ishr!!n(a)
``
'
~ =
!wenty-
three
thalaathat%n
wa&"ishr!!n(a)
`

~ =
!wenty-four 'arba"at%n
wa&"ishr!!n(a)
`'
~ =
!wenty-fi"e
khamsat%n
wa&"ishr!!n(a)
`-
~
~ =
!wenty-si1
sittat%n
wa&"ishr!!n(a)
`
-~
~ =
!wenty-
se"en
sab"at%n
wa&"ishr!!n(a)
``
- ~
~ =
!wenty-
eight
thamaaniyat%n
wa&"ishr!!n(a)
`^
-
~ =
!wenty-nine
tis"at%n
wa&"ishr!!n(a)
`
~
~ =
4y replacing the word ~ = with other 5decade words5 we obtain the rest of
the numbers.
71amples'
!hirty-one waahid%n
wa&
` ~ '
thalaath!!n(a)

6ifty-two
'ithnaani
wa&khams!!n(a)
-`
'
~
Se"enty-four
'arba"at%n
wa&sab"!!n(a)
`'

- ~
7ighty-
se"en
sab"at%n
wa&
thamaan!!n(a)
^`
- ~
-
-inety-nine
tis"at%n
wa&tis"!!n(a)
~
~

3ne
hundred
mi'a(t%n)
` ~
!wo
hundred
mi'ataan(i)
` -~
!hree
hundred
thalaath%&mi'a(tin)
,
6our
hundred
'arba"%&mi'a(tin)
' ,
6i"e
hundred
khams%&mi'a(tin)
- , ~
Si1
hundred
sitt%&mi'a(tin)
, -~
Se"en
hundred
sab"%&mi'a(tin)
` , - ~
7ight
hundred
thamaan%&mi'a(tin)
^ , -
-ine
hundred
tis"%&mi'a(tin)
, ~

``
~ ' ~
mi'at%n wa&waahid%n
0undred and one

``
' ~
mi'at%n wa&thnaani
0undred and two

```
~ = ~ ~
mi'at%n wa&'ahada "ashar(a)
0undred and ele"en

```
-~ ' ~ =
mi'ataan(i) wa&thnaa "ashar(a)
!wo hundred and twel"e

`
, -~ ~ =
sitt%&mi'a(tin) wa&"ishr!!n(a)
Si1 hundred and twenty

, ~ ~ ~
tis"%&mi'a(tin) wa&tis"at%n wa&tis"!!n(a)
-ine hundred and ninety-nine

3ne
thousand
'alf(%n)
`
!wo
thousand
'alfaan(i)
` -
!hree
thousand
thalaathat%
'aalaaf(in)
-, `
6our
thousand
'arba"at%
'aalaaf(in)
' -, `
!en
thousand
"asharat%
'aalaaf(in)
` -, ` - ~ =

``
- ~ = ~
'ahada "ashar(a) 'alfa(n)
7le"en thousand

``
' - ~ =
'ithnaa "ashar(a) 'alfa(n)
!wel"e thousand

`
~ = -
"ishr!!n(a) 'alfa(n)
!wenty thousand

`-
~ = ~ -
khamsa(t%n) wa&"ishr!!n(a) 'alfa(n)
!wenty-fi"e thousand

~ ~ -
tis"at%n wa&tis"!!n(a) 'alfa(n)
-inety-nine thousand

`
, ~
mi'at% 'alf(in)
0undred thousand

`
-~ ,
mi'ataa 'alf(in)
!wo hundred thousand

, ~
tis"%&mi'ati 'alf(in)
-ine hundred thousand

~ ~ , ~ -
tis"%&mi'a(tin) wa& tis"at%n wa&tis"!!n(a)
'alfa(n)
-ine hundred and -inety-nine thousand

-'``
~ , -~ , -
~ = ~ '
sitt%&mi'atin wa&'arba"at%n wa&khams!!na
'alfan wa&thalaath%&mi'atin wa&waahid%n
wa&"ishr!!n(a)
Si1 hundred and fifty-four thousand and
three hundred and twenty-one

In (lassical Arabic'
-'``
~ = ~ ' ,
~ , -~
waahid%n wa&"ishr!!na wa&thalaath%&
mi'atin wa&'arba"at%n wa&khams!!na wa&
sitt%&mi'ati 'alfin
!wenty-one and three hundred and fifty-
four and si1 hundred thousand

3ne
million
mily.n(%) `
~
!wo
million
mily.naan(i) `
-~
!hree
million
thalaathat%
malaay""n(a)

-~
!en
million
'arba"at%
malaay""n(a)
`
- ~ =
-~
0undred
million
mi'at%
mily.n(a)
`
~ ~

3ne
billion
bily.n(%)

!wo
billion
bily.naan(i)
-
!hree
billion
thalaathat%
balaay""n(a)
-
!en
billion
'arba"at%
balaay""n(a)
- - ~ =
0undred
billion
mi'at% bily.n(a)
~
!housand
billion
'alf% bily.n(a)

3ne
milliard
(billion
milyaar(%)
~
!wo
milliard
(billion
milyaaraan(i)
~ '
!hree
milliard
(billion
thalaathat%
milyaaraat(in)
, ' ~
!en
milliard
(billion
'arba"at%
milyaaraat(in)
- ~ =
, ' ~
0undred
milliard
(billion
mi'at%
milyaar(a)
~ ~
!housand
milliard
(billion
'alf% milyaar(a)
~

3ne
trillion
trily.n(%)

!wo
trillion
trily.naan(i)
-
!hree
trillion
thalaathat%
trily.naat(in)

, -
!en
trillion
'arba"at%
trily.naat(in)
- ~ =
, -
0undred
trillion
mi'at% trily.n(a)
~
!housand
trillion
'alf% trily.n(a)

Colors

Colors ' '
(ed 'ahmar(%)

)range b%rt%qaaliyy(%n)

Yello# 'asfar(%)
- -
5reen 'akhdar(%)
-
Blue 'azraq(%)

Purple banafsajiyy(%n)
= ~ -
Pink wardiyy(%n)
~
Bro#n b%nniyy(%n)

5ray ramaadiyy(%n)
~ ~
White 'abyad(%)

Black 'aswad(%)
~ ~

ur1i1al Phrases

.e"antine Arabic @
?amascus

Spoken dialects of Arabic use more "owels than those of formal Arabic. ;ou may click
here in order to see a list of "owels in the spoken dialects.
A feature of the dialect in ?amascus is that short "owels in the final syllables
of words are often e1tended to become the corresponding long "owels (e.g. a
becomes aa, and " becomes ai . 0owe"er, this is not shown in the phrases
below.

,% Basics

;es
na"am
-
'ai
'ai wa

-o
la'<
`

3.>.
tayy"b
- =
fine

+lease
(to a male
mJn fadl&ak
- ~
of your fa"or
law samahJt
- = ~
if you allowed
'Jzaa samahJt
- = ~ '~
if you allowed
'Jzaa bJtr""d
~ - - '~
if you want
+lease
(to a female
mJn fadl&"k
- ~
of your fa"or
law samahti
- = ~
if you allowed
'Jzaa samahti
- = ~ '~
if you allowed
'Jzaa bJtr""d""
~ - - '~
if you want

!hank you
(to a male
sh%kran
' ~
thanks
yJslam!!
' ~ -
(may they be safe (your hands
ya"t""k Jl&"aafy"
' = -
(may he gi"e you the well-being
!hank you
(to a female
sh%kran
' ~
thanks
yJslam!!
' ~ -
(may they be safe (your hands
ya"t""ki Jl&"aafy"
' = -
(may he gi"e you the well-being

;ou9re
"afwan
' - =
welcome
(responding to
thank you
(I beg pardoning
yaa 'ahlain
- -
welcome

71cuse me
"afwan
' - =
(I beg pardoning
"adam Jl&m%'aakhaz"
~ =
- ~ ' '
no ob=ection

I am sorry
(male
'anaa 'aas"f
~ -
I (am sorry
I am sorry
(female
'anaa 'aasf"
-~ -
I (am sorry

Sorry
(male
'aas"f
~
sorry
Sorry
(female
'aasf"
-~
sorry

-o
problem
maa f"" mJshkl"
~ ~ ~
not e1ists a problem
"aad""
~ =
normal

0ello
Js&salaam% "alaik!m
= ~ '
the peace on you
marhabaa
- ~
welcome

0ello
(response
wa&"alaik!m Js&salaam
=
~ '
and on you the peace
'ahlain
-
welcome

8elcome
marhabaa
- ~
welcome
'ahlain
-
welcome
'ahlain w&sahlain
- ~
welcome

<ood
morning
sabaah Jl&khair
=' --
(the morning of well-being

<ood
morning
(response
sabaah Jn&n!!r
' --
(the morning of brightness

<ood afternoon -ot used

<ood
e"ening
masaa Jl&khair
=' ~ ~
(the e"ening of well-being

<ood
e"ening
(response
masaa Jn&n!!r
' ~ ~
(the e"ening of brightness

<ood night
(to a male
tJsbah "alaa khair
= _ --
you be in morning with well-
being
<ood
night
(to a female
tJsJbah"" "alaa
khair
= = --

you be in morning with
well-being

<ood
night
(response
(to a male
w&'Jnt" mJn 'ahl&!
~ --
-
and you (are of its
people
<ood night
(response
(to a female
w&'Jnti mJn 'ahl&!
- ~ - -
and you (are of its people

<oodbye
salaam
~
peace
ma" Js&salaam"
~~ ' _ ~
with safety
ur1i1al Phrases

-a=di Arabic @ )iyadh

-a=d is the central region of Arabia. In -a=di dialect, the letter qaaf is
pronounced g most of the time. Also the letter daad is often pronounced
zaa'< = .

,% Basics

;es
na"am
-
'""

'"" na"am
-

-o
laa
`
la'

3.>.
tayyib
- =
fine
zain
-
fine

+lease
(to a male
min fazl&Jk
- ~
of your fa"or
law samaht
-= ~
if you allowed
law tismJh
_ ~
if you allow
+lease
(to a female
min fazl&Jk
- ~
of your fa"or
law samahti
-= ~
if you allowed
law tismJhain
=~
if you allow

!hank you
(to a male
sh%kran
' ~
thanks
mashk!!r
~ ~
(you are thanked
!hank you
(to a female
sh%kran
' ~
thanks
mashk!!ra
~ ~ -
(you are thanked

;ou9re
welcome
(responding to
thank you
al&"af!!
- '
(I beg the pardoning
yaa halaa
- -
welcome
hayyaa&k
=
(<od praised you

71cuse me
(to a male
"afwan
' - =
(I beg pardoning
law samaht
-= ~
if you allowed
71cuse me
(to a female
"afwan
' - =
(I beg pardoning
law samahti
-= ~
if you allowed

I am sorry
(male
'anaa 'aasJf
~ -
I (am sorry
I am sorry
(female
'anaa 'aasfa
- - ~
I (am sorry

Sorry
(male
'aasJf
~
sorry
Sorry
(female
'aasfa
-~
sorry

-o
problem
maa f"" m%shkila
~ ~ ~
not e1ists a problem
maa ykhaalJf
= - ~
not contradicts

0ello
as&salaam% "alay&k%m
= ~ '
the peace on you
halaa
-
welcome

0ello
(response
wa&"alay&k%m as&
salaam
=
~ '
and on you the peace
yaa halaa
- -
welcome

8elcome
yaa halaa
- -
welcome
yaa halaa f""&k
- -
welcome to you
hayyaak al&laah
- ' =
<od praised you
yaa halaa w&marhabaa
- - ~ -
welcome

<ood
morning
sabaah al&khair
-- ='
(the morning of well-being
sabbahk al&lah b&al&khair
- ' = --
=
may <od make you be in the
morning in well-being

<ood
morning
(response
sabaah an&n!!r
-- '
(the morning of brightness
sabbahk al&lah b&an&n!!r
- ' = --

may <od make you be in the
morning with brightness

<ood afternoon -ot used

<ood
e"ening
masaa' al&khair
~ ~ ='
(the e"ening of well-being
massaak al&lah b&al&khair
- ' = ~ ~
=
may <od make you be in the e"ening
in well-being

<ood
morning
(response
masaa' an&n!!r
~ ~ '
(the e"ening of brightness
massaak al&lah b&an&n!!r
- ' = ~ ~

may <od make you be in the e"ening
with brightness

<ood
night
(to a male
tisbJh "alaa khair
_ -- =

you be in morning with well-being
<ood
night
(to a
female
tisbJh""n "alaa khair
= --
=
you be in morning with well-
being

<oodbye
salaam
~
peace
ma" as&salaama
_ ~ ~ ~ '
with safety
faamaan Jl&laah
- ' ~
(may you be in <od9s security

See you
later
nsh!!fJk "alaa khair
= ~ -

see you in well-being

Arabic Grammar

Hochgeladen von

Dokumentinformationen

Originalbeschreibung:

Copyright

Verfügbare Formate

Dieses Dokument teilen

Dokument teilen oder einbetten

Freigabeoptionen

Stufen Sie dieses Dokument als nützlich ein?

Sind diese Inhalte unangemessen?

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Arabic Grammar

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Arabic Alphabet

pens (fem. pen (masc.

dreams (fem. dream (masc.

pens (fem. pen (masc.

!he three blue letters represent the root letters.

!he pink letter is the indicati"e mood sign

3ur two books

Indefinite Not Good

law&maa ta'<t""&naa bi&l&malaa'ika(ti) 'in

<lottal stop or letter hamza(t) . !his is the

Sc"0! " telephone -o symbol

A di"orced woman m%tallaqa(t%n)

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen