Grammar

Exercises

Cross-reference to
Arabic Grammar
for the Exercises
Essentials of
Arabic Grammar
Excerpts from
The Textbook
Abdallah Nacereddine.
A New Approach to
Teaching Arabic Grammar.
Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse, 2009.
Copyright 2010 Abdallah Nacereddine
www.a-nacereddine.com

Quit

Contents (1) * ()
Subject

1. Separate personal pronouns

2. Affixed personal pronouns

3. Perfect

4. Imperfect

5. Imperative

6. Subject

7. Direct object

8. Indirect object

9. Annexation

13

10. demonstrative pronouns

15

11. Relative pronouns

18

12. Subjonctive

21

13. Jussive

21

14. Inna and its sisters

28

15. Kana and its sisters

31

16. Cardinal numbers

34

17. Ordinal numbers

43

18. Agreement of the adjective

46
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Contents (2) * ()
19. Elative

48

20. Agreement of the verb

51

21. The five nouns

52

22. Adverb of time

53

23. Adverb of place

53

24. Adverb of state

54

25. Specificative

56

26. Active participle

58

27. Passive participle

59

28. Noun of instrument

60

29. Diptote

61

30. Complement of cause

65

31. Absoltue object

66

32. Concomitate object

67

33. Vocative

68

34. Exception

70

35. la that denies the whole genus 71

36: Excalamative

72

37. Abbreviated

73
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Contents (3) * ()
38. Defective

73

39. Prolonged

73

40. Spacification

76

41. Noun of place

77

42. Noun of time

77

43. Nomina vicis

79

44. Noun of manner

80

45. Connected adjective

81

46. Use of Masdar (verbal noun)

83

47. Use of kullu

86

48. Use of kila and kilta

88

49. Use of badhun

89

50. Use of ahadu and ihda

91

51. Use of nafsu

93

52. Use of kathirun and qalilun

94

53. Writing of hamza

95

54. Time

98

55. Id>| and Miscellanesous

99

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1. NOMINATIVE SEPARATE
PERSONAL PRONOUNS

(
The following table gives the nominative separate personal
pronouns.

3rd person

2nd person

he

you (m.s.)

she

you (f.s.)

they (d.)

you (d.)

they (m.p.)

you (m.p.)

they (f.p.)

you (f.p.)

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1st person

I
we

2. AFFIXED
PERSONAL PRONOUNS

(
The following table gives the accusative, dative and genitive
affixed personal pronouns.

3rd person

m.s.
f.s.
d.
m.p.
f.p.

2nd person

m.s.
f.s.
d.
m.p.
f.p.

(1) affixed to a noun;

1st person

s. (1)
p.

affixed to a verb (See page 32).

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2. THE USE OF THE AFFIXED

PERSONAL PRONOUNS

(
The affixed personal pronouns can be used as:

Pronoun

Possessive

Direct
object

Personal
pronoun

Indirect
object

1P. s.
p.
2P. m.s.
f.s.
d.
m.p.
f.p.
3P. m.s.
f.s.
d.
m.p.
f.p.

(1) My teacher - (2) He understands me - (3) He speaks with me.

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3. THE PERFECT

(
The Perfect stem is obtained by cutting the last vowel of the third
singular masculine perfect, and the perfect is conjugated by adding to
this stem the following endings:

3rd person
m.s.

2nd person

1st person

m.s.

s.

p.

f.s.

f.s.

m.d

d.

f.d

m.p.

m.p.

f.p.

f.p.

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3. Conjugation of the verb to write

in the perfect

)(1

1P. s.
p.
2P. m.s.
f.s.
d.
m.p.
f.p.
3P. m.s.
f.s.
m.d.
f.d.
m.p.
f.p.

(1) The vowel of the last radical and the suffix.

Remark: The perfect has only a suffix; it does not have a prefix.

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4. THE IMPERFECT

(
Whereas in the perfect, the different persons are expressed by suffixes, the Imperfect has prefixes. It also has some suffixes to denote
number and gender as shown below:

3rd person
m.s.
f.s.
m.d
f.d
m.p.
f.p.

2nd person

m.s.
f.s.
d.
m.p.
f.p.

1st person
s.
p.

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4. Conjugation of the verb to write

in the imperfect

)(1

)(2

1P. s.
p.
2P. m.s.
f.s.
d.
m.p.
f.p.
3P. m.s.
f.s.
m.d.
f.d.
m.p.
f.p.

(1) The prefix.

(2) The vowel of the last radical and the suffix.
Remark: The singular and the first person of the plural have no
suffix.

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5. THE IMPERATIVE

(
The imperative is formed from the jussive (Chap. 62) but, since it
begins with two consonants, it takes a short prosthetic vowel. In the triliteral verb, the prosthetic "alif
"alif, when the second radical takes fath>a or
kasra, the vowrl is kasra, when it takes d>amma, it is d>amma, as the following
table shows:
2nd person
m.s.

(3)

(2)

(1)

f.s.

d.

m.p.

f.p.

(3) to write

(2) to sit

(1) to open

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6-7-8. THE CASES OR DECLENSION OF

NOUNS (Subjet, Direct and Indirec objects)

( --
There are three cases in Arabic and these are indicated merely by
changing the vowelling of the final consonant (except in the dual and
sound masculine plural endings). They are:
a) The nominative case vowelled with d>amma

e.g.

a student.
the student.

b) The accusative case vowelled with fath>a , e.g.

a student.

the student.

(Note that tanwi\n

is supported by

alif, thus

.)

c) The dative and genitive cases vowelled with kasra

with a student.
with the student.
the students book.

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e.g.

6-7-8. THE DECLENSION OF THE DUAL

( --
The dual declines as follows:
a)

in the nominative case, e.g.

b)

the twins resemble one another.

in the oblique cases, e.g.

I know the twins.

I speak with the twins.

this is the twins room.

Note that when the dual is annexated, both the article

disappear, e.g.

they are the pupils parents.

I know the pupils parents.

he loves his parents.

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and

6-7-8. THE DECLENSION OF THE

SOUND MASCULINE PLURAL

( --
The Sound Masculine Plural declines as follows, and takes

in the nominative case, e.g.

the teachers write.
a)

in the oblique cases, e.g.

I know the teachers.
I speak with the teachers.
this is the teachers room.
b)

Note that when the sound masculine plural is annexated, both the

and disappear, e.g.

they are Arabic teachers.
I know the Arabic teachers.
we like our teachers.

article

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6-7-8. THE DECLENSION OF THE

SOUND FEMININE PLURAL

( --
The Sound Feminine Plural declines as follows, and takes:
a)

in the nominative case, e.g.

the teachers (f.) write.

b) in the obliques cases, e.g.

I know the teachers (f.)

I speak with the teachers (f.)

this is the teachers room (f.)

Remember: The sound feminine plural never takes fatha. It takes

d>amma only in the nominative case, and kasra in the oblique cases, i.e.
accusative, dative and genitive.

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9. ANNEXATION

(
A noun followed by another noun in annexation, in other words,
when a noun is annexated to another noun, or pronoun, it automatically
loses its tanwi\n or its

in the dual and in the sound masculine plural,

and being determined by annexation, it naturally loses its

e.g.

the students book, or

his book (lit. the book of his).

The following noun, or the second term of the annexation, i.e. the
following genitive, may have the tanwi\n or be prefixed with the article

according to whether it is definite or indefinite, unless it is, itself, annexated to another noun or pronoun. However, it always terminates in kasra,
i.e. it takes the genitive case, which is shown by kasra , e.g.

the book of a student.

the book of the student.

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9. ANNEXATION (2)
() (

the book of the Arabic language student.

the book of your student.

It is the rule of "Id>

Id>a\fa (annexation) that nothing must interpose between the noun and its following genitive.
Consequently, if the noun is qualified by an adjective, demonstrated
by a demonstrative, or numbered by a number, the latter, i.e. the adjective, the demonstrative and the number must come after the genitive,
e.g.

the new Arabic teacher.

this Arabic teacher.

the three Arabic teachers.

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10. DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS

(
The Demonstrative pronouns are as follows:

m.s., all cases

m.d., nom.
acc. and gen.
f.s., all cases
f.d., nom.
acc. and gen.
p. (m. and f.), all cases

Close

Distant

1) If the demonstrative qualifies a simple noun, it precedes it, and the noun takes the article, e.g.

this book.

But if the noun is defined by a following genitive or a pronominal suffix, the demonstrative is placed after these, e.g.

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10. DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS (2)

() (

this book of the teacher.

this book of yours.
2) If the demonstrative is used pronominally and as a subject of a
nominal sentence, then:
a) If the predicate is an indefinite noun, no copula is necessary, e.g.

this is a book.

b) If the predicate is defined by the article, the third person is used

as a copula to prevent the demonstrative from being taken adjectivally
(as in 1), e.g.

this is the boy.

c) If the predicate is defined by a following genitive or a pronominal

suffix, the demonstrative is put first, and no copula is needed, e.g.

this is the teachers book.

this is your book.
Note that the plural form of the demonstrative is used only for persons, e.g.

these men or women.

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10. DEMONSTRATIVES PRONOUNS (3)

() (

For animals, things (inanimate objects), the feminine singular form

is used, e.g.

these dogs and cats.

these books and magazines.

This logic is accepted with difficulty by the Western mind.

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11. RELATIVE PRONOUNS

(
The Relative pronouns are as follows :
Masculine
sing.
dual, nom.
acc. et gen.
plur.

Feminine

or

1) When the relative pronoun refers to any part of the relative sentence which follows except the subject, it may be replaced by an attached pronoun.

the student who writes.

the student whom I know (lit. the student
who I know him).

the student with whom I speak

the student who I speak with him).

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(lit.

11. RELATIVE PRONOUNS (2)

() (

the student to whom I write

(lit. the student who I write to him).

the student whose teacher I know (lit. the

student who I know his teacher).

2) The relative pronoun is always omitted when it refers to an indefinite noun. This is especially difficult for Europeans to appreciate, e.g.

I look at the child who plays.

I look at a child who plays.
3) The words

he who, whomsoever, and

that which, what-

soever, are also relative. However, they are treated as nouns, whereas

is usually treated as an adjective governing a noun which has al-

ready been mentioned. It is, however, sometimes used as a noun, in

which case it is synonymous with
4) and feminine

and

are followed by a genitive, with the mean-

ing whichever, whatever.

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11. RELATIVE PRONOUNS (3)

() (

Attention is to be paid to those parts of speech in which two

la\ms are written, namely the dual and the feminine plural.
Note also that the plural form of the relatives is used only for persons. For animals and things, the feminine singular form is used.

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12-13. THE MOODS

( -
The imperfect has three moods:
1)

the Indicative which is distinguished by the third radical

having d>amma, except when it is preceded by a jussive or subjunctive

particle.
2)

the Subjunctive which is distinguished by ending with

fath>a, when preceded by a subjunctive particle.

3) the Jussive which is denoted by the absence of any vowel
with the third radical, i.e., having suku\n, when it is preceded by a jussive
particle.
Compare the ending of each one of the three moods:

Indicative
Jussive
Subjunctive

Endings: 1) 1st pers. sing. and plur.; 2nd pers. masc. sing.; 3rd pers.
masc. and fem.; 2) 2nd pers. fem. sing.; 3) dual; 4) masc. plur.; 5) fem.
plur.
Note the differences and the similarities between the jussive and
the subjunctive.

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12-13. THE SUBJUNCTIVE PARTICLES

( -
The Imperfect subjunctive is used after the following particles
(conjunctions):
1)

that, ( for )

2)

that not.
I want to learn this language.

shall not, will not.

I shall not make a mistake next time.

3)

in order to,

4)

in order to, or compound in order to.

in order not to.

or in order not to.

5)

Man works in order to live.

therefore, in that case, well, then.

I work hard, therefore I will

succeed.

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12-13. THE SUBJUNCTIVE PARTICLES (2)

() ( -

6)

7)

so that, until, in order that.

la|m of denial, preceded by

or

was not.

I drive slowly

in order to avoid fines and accidents.

8)

called causative fa\, preceded by negative, imperative or

prohibitive.

Do not eat too much so that you get sick.

9)

called wa\w of simultaneousness.

Do not talk and eat at the same time.

10)

when it is equivalent to either unless that, or to

until that.

I will deem everything

difficult easy until I attain my wishes.

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12-13. THE SUBJUNCTIVE PARTICLES (2)

() ( -

6)

7)

so that, until, in order that.

la|m of denial, preceded by

or

was not.

I drive slowly

in order to avoid fines and accidents.

8)

called causative fa\, preceded by negative, imperative or

prohibitive.

Do not eat too much so that you get sick.

9)

called wa\w of simultaneousness.

Do not talk and eat at the same time.

10)

when it is equivalent to either unless that, or to

until that.

I will deem everything

difficult easy until I attain my wishes.

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12-13. THE JUSSIVE PARTICLES (2)

() ( -

d)

called la\ of prohibition, which expresses:

i) a request, when it is a matter between two equals;
ii) a prayer, when it is from an inferior to a superior;
iii) an order, a command, when it is from a superior to an
inferior.

2) The following are 12 conditional jussive particles:

e)

if.

if you are sincere in your work,

you succeed.

what, if anything.
what you sow is you what reap.
g) he who, if anyone, whoever.
he who does good finds good.
h) whatever, no matter how.
f)

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12-13. THE JUSSIVE PARTICLES (3)

() ( -

no matter how you explain to him,

he wont understand.

when, whenever.
whenever you come, you find

i)

something that will please you.

j)

which, whichever, if any.

any man who
needs my help, I will help him.

k)
l)

when, whenever.

m)
n)
o)

when, whenever.
where, wherever.

wherever.
wherever.

have more or less the same

meaning:

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12-13. THE JUSSIVE PARTICLES (4)

() ( -

each time you

travel, I travel with you.

wherever you hide, I find you.

p) where, wherever.
q) howsoever, no matter how.
howsoever you treat others, you are
treated likewise.
Note that the suku\n of the jussive becomes kasra before the article

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14. "INNA
NA AND ITS SISTERS

(
The second category of annulers which are assigned to the nominal
sentence consists of
Preceded by

and its sisters.

or by one of its sisters, the subject, which no longer

occupies the first place in the sentence, becomes the noun of

or of

one of its sisters, and takes the accusative case by assimilation to a direct
object put before its subject; the predicate becomes the predicate of

or of one of its sisters, and takes the nominative case by assimilation to

the active subject put after the direct object.
The particles

and its sisters are as follows:

1) usually not translated, though the grammarians translate it by

the biblical verily. It is used to introduce speech after the verb

to say,

as well as to begin an ordinary nominal sentence.

2) that, is used for indirect speech after verbs other than

, or

in what resembles indirect speech or thought.

3) but, like

, but the latter should be followed by a verb.

is often prefixed by : .

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14. "INNA
NA AND ITS SISTERS (2)
() (

4)
5)
6)
7)

because.
as if, as though, it is (was) as if.
would that, would God, if only...
perhaps - comparatively rare in modern Arabic.

All these particles resemble verbs, in that they must be followed

either by a noun in the accusative case, or by an attached pronoun
which is grammatically considered to be in the accusative case. After
them, the verb to be is understood, therefore a predicate may follow in
the nominative case.

, the predicate is sometimes strengthened by , e.g.

( verily) he is a great man.

After

The only circumstance in which anything is allowed to interpose between these particles and their accusative is when the accusative is an
indefinite noun, and the predicate is an prepositional phrase, or here,

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14. "INNA
NA AND ITS SISTERS (3)
() (

or

there. The prepositional phrase then comes after the particle,

e.g.

(verily) there are teachers and

students in the school.

The predicate is also put before the noun when the latter is suffixed
with a pronoun referring to the substantive contained in the prepositional
phrase, e.g.

(verily) the driver of the car is inside.

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15. KA|NA AND ITS SISTERS

(
Preceded by

to be, or by one of its sisters, the subject, which

no longer occupies the first place in the sentence, becomes the noun of

, and remains in the nominative case by assimilation to the active

subject; the predicate of the subject becomes the predicate of , or of
one of its sisters, and takes the accusative case by assimilation to to the
adverb of state or condition

, e.g.

life was beautiful.

The following are

and its sisters:

to be.
2) to be or become in the morning.
3) to be or become in the forenoon.
4) to be or become in the daytime.
5) to be or become in the evening.
6) to be or become during the night, or spend the night.
7) to become.

1)

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15. KA|NA AND ITS SISTERS (2)

() (

All the preceding verbs can be conjugated. Note that the first five
verbs

, , , , may have the meaning of

to become.
8) not to be. This verb is conjugated in the perfect only, and
when used it has the meaning of the imperfect. Note that the predicate of
to strengthen the negation, can be preceded by the preposition

and be in the dative case, e.g.

for the house is not big.

9) ;10) ;11) ;12)
.
The four preceding verbs

to cease, are used preceded by the negative

particle , , or , to mean that the action is still continuing. These
four verbs can be conjugated in the perfect or imperfect.
13)

The verb

as long as.

long as. The verb

to continue, preceded by , is used to express as

is used only in the perfect.

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15. KA|NA AND ITS SISTERS (3)

() (

The predicate of

and its sisters can be simple, i.e. consisting

of one single expression, or complex, i.e. consisting of a verbal or nominal sentence, or of a preposition and its complement, e.g.

living is becoming expensive.

people used to read a lot.

the task of the employee used to

be pleasant (lit. the employee his work was pleasant).

he used to work in the open air

(lit. his work was in the open air).

the peacock was in front of

the window.

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16.THE CARDINAL NUMBERS

(
Although it is easy to learn the Arabic numerals for dialectal use,
they are one of the most complex aspects of the written language. Even
the Arabs themselves often make mistakes. It is best to divide them into
groups, starting with the numbers one and two.

1) 1 and 2
a) (i) one

()

masculine, and

feminine, takes the

form of the active participle. It is usually used as an adjective placed after the noun with which it agrees in gender and case.
(ii) It is rarely used, since the indefinite singular noun in Arabic
means one or a, as in the French language. Hence, the word

, in

Arabic, or un livre in French, means a book or one book.

(iii) When the numeral one is used, it means only, e.g.

one book only.

b) (i) two() masculine,

feminine. This number is

rarely used, as the dual ending indicates this meaning, so

means two books. By writing or saying

a certain emphasis

is given the word two.

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16. THE CARDINAL NUMBERS (2)

() (
(ii) When used, like one, it is treated as an adjective. It follows the
noun and agrees with it in gender, case, the definite and the indefinite.

2) 3 to 10

a) These numbers take the feminine form when the noun counted is
masculine in gender. They take the masculine form when the noun
counted is feminine, e.g.

three men;

three women.

This anomaly is common to other Semitic languages.

b) Normally, these numbers are placed in front of the noun to which
they apply and which takes the plural in the genitive case, e.g.

three men (lit. a triad of men).

c) When the noun counted is definite or annexated, the number is
often placed after it, like an adjective, e.g.

the five books.

Ahmads five books.

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16. THE CARDINAL NUMBERS (3)

() (

d) If the numbers 3 to 10 are placed in front of a noun, they naturally lose their tanwi\n.
e) When they are placed in front of a noun, they are declined and
take the same case, i.e. nominative, accusative, or dative-genitive, that
the noun would have taken in the sentence, if it had not been counted.
The noun itself is placed in the genitive plural, e.g.

three students speak.

I know three students.
I speak with three students.
3) 11 to 19

a) Eleven and twelve, masculine,
feminine, agree in gender with the noun counted, e.g.

11 or 12 boys.
11 or 12 girls.

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16. THE CARDINAL NUMBERS (4)

() (

b) The gender of the units in the compound numbers from 3 to 9 is

reversed, i.e. it follows the rule set out under 2) a), but the ten agrees in
gender with the noun counted, e.g.

15 boys; 15 girls.
c) The numerals 11 to 19 are not declined. They always carry a

fath>a, even when they take an article, with the exception of the unit of the
number 12, e.g.

and whose oblique cases take the form

and .
d) These numbers are followed by a noun in the accusative singular, as in the examples above.

4) 10
a) It should be noted that, when

and are used alone,

their gender is reversed in relation to the noun counted. When they are
used in a compound number, i.e. 11 to 19, they agree in gender with the
noun counted, e.g.

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16. THE CARDINAL NUMBERS (5)

() (

10 men; 15 men.
10 women; 15 women.
b) The of , without ta\' marbu\ta,
a takes suku\n, when
is used alone. In compound numbers, the takes a fath>a, e.g.
ten; fifteen.
c) The of , with ta\' marbu\ta, takes a fath>
ath>a, when is
used alone. It takes a suku\n when used in compound numbers, i.e. the

, e.g.
ten;

reverse of

fifteen.

5) 20 to 90.

a) The tens from 20 to 90 are used in both the masculine and feminine forms and are declined like nouns in the sound masculine plural, i.e.
with

in the nominative and

in the oblique cases.

b) As from 20, the numbers between the tens are formed by placing
the unit before the ten and joining them with the conjunction

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, e.g.

16. THE CARDINAL NUMBERS (6)

() (

twenty three.

Both elements are declined.

c) The numbers from 20 to 90, just as those from 11 to 19, are followed by a noun in the accusative singular.

(6) 100 to 900.

a) (i) , hundred, is often written , but the "alif is not pronounced. remains invariable, as do all the hundreds.
(ii) The numeral 100 is followed by a noun in the genitive singular,
e.g.

100 books;

100 years.

(iii) When it is followed immediately by the noun, it loses its

tanwi|n.
b) (i)

200, invariable.

(ii) The number 200 loses its

when it is immediately followed by

a noun, e.g.

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39

16. THE CARDINAL NUMBERS (7)

() (

200 books.
(iii) , like , is followed by a noun in the genitive singular
(see examples above).
c) (i) 300 to 900. The number

being feminine, the numbers

from 3 to 9 which precede it to form the hundreds from 300 to 900 take
the masculine form and are often joined into one word, e.g.

300,

even though the correct form is

(ii) The number

is feminine, therefore the three in 300 does

not have a ta\' marbu\t>a.

(iii) The numbers from 300 to 900 are followed by a noun in the
genitive singular.
(iv) In compound numbers above 100, the noun follows the rule applied to the last element. For example, in 103 men, the rule for three
must be applied and therefore the noun must be in the genitive plural.

7)

1,000
200.
a)

and

1,000 and upwards

and

2,000 follow the same rule as 100

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40

16. THE CARDINAL NUMBERS (8)

() (

b)

is a masculine noun.

Its plural is either

or . It

follows the same rule applied to the numbers from 3 to 10, 11 to 19, 100
to 900, e.g.

three thousand.
thirteen thousand.
three hundred thousand.
c) When , is immediately followed by a noun, whether it is in
the singular, the dual or the plural, it loses its tanwi\n, and is followed by a
noun in the genitive singular, e.g.

3,000 books.
13,000 books.
300,000 books.
d) Remark. When it is immediately followed by a noun,

, loses its , e.g.

2,000 books;

200 books.

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41

, like

16. THE CARDINAL NUMBERS (9)

() (

8) 1,000,000
This number follows the same rule as for

1,000.

9) The numbers composed of thousands, hundreds, tens, and units

can be formed in two different ways: either in descending order or in ascending order. In both cases, the units are placed in front of the tens.
a) Descending order: the thousands are placed first, followed by the
hundreds, then the units and the tens, each linked by the conjunction

e.g.

9,537; or

b) Ascending order: the units are placed first, followed by the tens,
then the hundreds and the thousands, each linked by the conjunction
e.g.

However, this practice is not used in modern Arabic.

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42

17. THE ORDINAL NUMBERS

(
the Ordinal numbers from 2nd to 10th derive,
more or less, from the corresponding cardinal numbers and follow the
pattern

1st is an exception, as it is an elative, i.e. a comparative and a superlative, e.g.

instead of masculine singular,

sound masculine plural;
broken masculine plural;
feminine singular;
broken feminine plural.
Masculine

Feminine

the first
the second (indef., )
the third
the fourth

the first
the second
the third
the fourth

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43

17. THE ORDINAL NUMBERS (2)

() (

the fifth
the sixth
the seventh
the eighth
the ninth
the tenth

the fifth
the sixth
the seventh
the eighth
the ninth
the tenth

After 10th, the ordinal numbers are used like cardinals, except
when they are composed of the above-mentioned numbers, which take
the normal form in the two genders.
The two parts of the ordinal numbers from 11th to 19th are not declined. All the cases take a fath>a.
masculine

feminine

the eleventh
the twelfth
the thirteenth
the fourteenth

the eleventh
the twelfth
the thirteenth
the fourteenth

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44

17. THE ORDINAL NUMBERS (3)

() (

The ordinal numbers from 20th to 90th are the same as the cardinal numbers, e.g.

the twentieth

twentieth

The ordinal numbers between the tens as from 20th are formed by
placing the units in front of the tens and joining the two elements with the
conjunction

e.g:

Masculine

Feminine

the 21st
the 22nd
the 23rd

the 21st
the 22nd
the 23rd

The ordinal numbers are treated as adjectives. They agree in case,

except for those from 11th to 19th, in gender, in the definite and indefinite with the noun, e.g.

the third student studies a

second language.

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45

18. THE ADJECTIVE

the Adjective is used to denote a state or condition

and quality. There are seven types of adjectives which we have already
studied, or will study, each one in detail. They are:
1)

2)

3)

4)

assimilate adjective;

5)

intensive adjective;

6)
7)

active participle;
passive participle;

ordinal number;

elative, i.e. comparative and superlative;

relative adjective.

The adjective which comes after its substantive agrees with it in

gender, number, case, the indefinite and the definite, except for the comparative which is used only in the masculine singular.
As regards the adjective whose substantive is an irrational plural,
i.e. plural of animal and things, it is used in the feminine singular.

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46

18. THE ADJECTIVE (2)

() (
Examples:

a)

c)

b)

d)

a) a hard-working student, masc. sing., dual and plur.;

b) the hard-working student, fem. sing., dual and plur.;
c) the nice dog, sing., dual and plur.;
d) an interesting book, sing., dual and plur. Take note of the agreement
of the adjective with its substantive, and compare groups a) and b)
with groups c) and d).

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47

19. THE ELATIVE

(
The Elative, or the Comparative and the Superlative, is formed by
eliminating all the additional letters, and by following the pattern

.
When the second and third radicals are identical, the form is

( for ).
The elative is always formed from the three radicals. It is formed
from words with more than three consonants and the words of the form

for colors and defects by using

more, less,

stronger, followed by a noun in the ac-

cusative (a verbal noun as a rule), e.g.

more tolerant, from

less used, from
redder (lit. stronger as to redness).

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48

19. THE ELATIVE (2)

() (

The elative is used only in the masculine singular. The superlative

is used as an adjective, with the feminine form

Consequently, it

agrees in gender and number with the noun to which it refers, e.g.
Singular

Masculine
Feminine

Dual

Plural

However, instead of using the superlative, the Arabs prefer to use

the elative as a noun, followed by a genitive, rather than as an adjective,
e.g.

February is the shortest

month of the year

instead of

though the latter is permissible.

If the second part of the comparison is not a noun, but a whole sentence or an adverbial determination, it is preceded by

( for ) ,

with a verb or the preposition

pronoun, e.g.

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Contents
49

with an attached

19. THE ELATIVE (3)

() (

the weather is more beautiful

today than it was yesterday (lit. than it yesterday), or

(lit. than it was yesterday).

Note that the elative is equivalent to the comparative of superiority

and to the relative superlative. It does not include the comparative of
equality.

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50

20. THE VERBAL SENTENCE

(
A verbal sentence is a sentence which starts with a verb followed
by its subject. The normal sentence order in Arabic is for the verb to
come first.
It is especially noted that when the verb in the third person
comes before the subject, it is always in the masculine or feminine
singular according to its subject. In other words, the verb preceding
its subject agrees with it in gender, but not in number.
Compare the two verbs, preceding and following the subject, in the
sentence below:

The teacher sits and writes (fem. and masc., sing., dual and plur.).

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51

21. THE DECLENSION

OF THE FIVE NOUNS

(
The words

a father;

a brother;

a father-in-law, ap-

pended to a noun or to an affixed pronoun other than the first person of

the singular, after rejecting the tanwi\n decline by lengthening the preceding vowel, e.g.
Nom.

Acc.

Gen.

The word

owner or possessor of a thing, which is always con-

nected to a following substasntive in the genitive, has in the accusative

case , and in the genitive case ;whilst
instead of

or

Gen.

or

the mouth, which is used

becomes either
Acc.

Nom.

or

or

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52

22-23. ADVERBS OF TIME

AND PLACE
( -
1)

the Adverb of time is a noun used to explain the

time in or during which an act takes place. It is an answer to the question

when?, e.g.

we work during the daytime and

sleep at night.

2)

the Adverb of place is a noun used to explain the

place where an act takes place. It is an answer to the question where?,

e.g.

I like to travel by sea, by land

or by air.

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53

24. STATE OR CONDITION

(
State or condition or the

Circumstantial accusative, i.e.

an accusative expressing a state or condition of the object in actual connection with those acts. In other words, it is an object expressing a transitory state, though it may also be permanent.

is used to describe the condition or circumstance obtaining at

the time when the action of the main verb takes place. It it is put in the
accusative.
a) It is ordinarily indefinite and derived. It may be an active or a passive participle, e.g.

he is resting lying down.

he travels pleased.
b) It is mainly expressed with one word, as in the previous example, but it could be a verbal or a nominal sentence, e.g.

I saw him going out of the house.

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54

24. STATE OR CONDITION (2)

() (

the student leaves the

university with his diploma in his pocket.

is a connector, as there should be either

or both to connect them with

action to which

or an affixed pronoun

the subject or object of the

refers.

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55

25. SPECIFICATION

Specification is an indefinite substantive placed immedi-

ately after the preposition of which it limits or defines the predicate. It is

put in the accusative. If you say:

I bought a pound,
one does not understand what you mean by a pound, which could
be a pound of tomatoes, sugar, or anything, unless you specify it, for
example, by saying:

I bought a pound of meat.

Specification may also be expressed with annexation, or with the

, e.g.

preposition

or

or

I drank a cup of coffee.

There are various kinds of specification:
1) Specification of weight, as in the previous example, and measure, e.g.

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56

25. SPECIFICATION (2)

() (

I bought a meter of cloth.

2) Specification after

, e.g.

how many children do you have?

3) Specification of number:
a) the genitive plural after the cardinal numbers from 3 to 10, e.g.

he has three children.

b) the accusative singular after the cardinal numbers from 11 to 99,

e,g.

officials work forty

hours a week.

c) the genitive singular after the cardinal numbers 100 and 1000,
e.g.

the members of the associ-

ation are 100 in number.

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57

26. THE ACTIVE PARTICIPLE

(
The Active participle is a noun formed to indicate that
which performs the action. It has two types:
1) It is of the form

for the simple triliteral verb, by infixing a

lengthening "alif after the first radical, and giving a kasra to the second
radical, e.g.

writing, writer, from to write.

sitting, from to sit .
going, from to go.
scholar, scientist, from to know.
2) It is formed from the derived forms of the triliteral verb in the imperfect by substituting the phoneme

for the prefix of this tense, and

by giving kasra to the consonant before last, e.g.

teacher, teaching, from the imperfect .

travelling, from the imperfect .
victorious, from the imperfect .
user, from the imperfect .

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58

27. THE PASSIVE PARTICIPLE

(
The Passive participle is a noun formed to indicate
the action of the verb which the subject experiences. There are two
types:
1) the pattern is

It is formed by prefixing the phoneme

to the simple triliteral verb, an infixing a lengthening wa\w , preced-

ed by d>amma after the second radical, e.g.

written, from to write.

open, from to open.
known, from to know.
unknown, from not to know, ignore.
2) It is formed from the derived forms of the triliteral verb in the imperfect by substituting the phoneme

to the prefix of this tense, and by

giving fath>a to the consonant before the last, e.g.

organized, from the imperfect .

closed, from the imperfect .

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59

28. THE NOUN OF INSTRUMENT

The Noun of instrument describes the instrument with

which the action is carried out. It resembles the noun of time and place,
beginning with the mi\m

but this letter is vowelled with kasra instead

of fath>a. It takes the form of:

, and , e.g.
key, from to open.

lamp, from

broom, from

spoon, from

elevator, from

to beam.
to sweep.
to lick.

scissors, from

to go up.
to cut.

The other forms, mainly

and

, were added recently by

the (linguistic) Academy, e.g.

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60

29. DIPTOTES

(
Undefined substantives and adjectives are, in the singular number,
either triptotes or diptotes.
Triptotes are those which have three terminations to indicate the
different cases, viz in the nominative, in the accusative, and
in the dative and genitive.
Diptotes are those which have only two terminations, viz in
the nominative, and in the accusative, dative and genitive, and take
no tanwi\n.
The following types of noun are diptotes:
1) Broken plurals of the following forms:

offices, plur.

as

as

lamps, plur.

as letters, plur. of

as

stamps, plur.

of
of

of

and other broken plurals of similar forms.

2) Broken plurals which end in hamza preceded by "alif mamdu\da,
e.g.

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61

29. DIPTOTES (2)

() (

as ministers, plur.
as friends, plur.

of
of

3) Broken plurals which end in "alif maqs>u\ra:

as sick people, plur. of

as orphans, plur. of
4) Also the following plurals:

first, plural of
others, plural of
things, plural of
5) The following feminine forms:

red; thirsty;
remembrance;

greatest.

6) The masculine singular elative, color and defect (physical or moral) nouns of the form

and their feminine , e.g.

bigger;

blond;

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62

29. DIPTOTES (3)

() (

hunchback;

stupid, silly.

7) Most proper names, whether personal or geographical, e.g.

Ahmad;

Aisha;

Sulaiman;
Suad;

Paris.

Egypt;

8) Adjectives of the form

whose feminine is

, e.g.

hungry, whose feminine is

9) The numerals which end in

when used alone as pure num-

bers, e.g.

6 is the double of 3.

7 is more than 6 by one.

10) Distributive numerals of the form

and

, e.g

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63

29. LES DIPTOTES (4)

() (

two by two,

three by three.

11) In compound proper names of the class called

compound, the first word is usually not declined at all,

and the second follows the diptote declension, e.g.

Baalbek;

or

Hadhramaut;

Bethlehem.

Note that diptotes are treated as triptotes when they are made definite by the article, by an affixed pronoun or by annexation, e.g.
Nom.

Acc.

Gen.

the offices, your offices, post offices.

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64

30. THE COMPLEMENT OF CAUSE

(
the Complement of cause is a verbal noun in the
accusative mentioned after the verb to express aim or purpose. It is
the answer to the question why? e.g.

the child does not play with the dog, because he is afraid of him.

the student studies hard hoping to pass the exam.

people lie because they are ashamed to tell the truth.

one (man) works in order to earn ones (his) livelihood.

the people demonstrate in order to protest against the government.

the State grants a scholarship to students in order to encourage
them to study.

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65

31. THE ABSOLUTE OBJECT

(
the Absolute object is a verbal noun in the accusative repeated after the same verb in order to:
1) give stress, e.g.

he does work.

2) describe the manner of the action, qualified by an adjective, e.g.

he welcomed him warmly (lit. he welcomed

him a warm welcome).

In this connection, it must be mentioned that Arabic has no adverbs.

The adverbial concept is obtained by using adjectives mostly and
nouns in the accusative case, e.g.

always, from the adjective

lasting, perpetual, perma-

nent.

soon, shortly, from the adjective near, close.

a long time, from the adjective long.
really, truly, from the noun truth, right.
of course! certainly! from the noun natural disposition,
temper, nature, character.

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66

32. THE CONCOMITATE OBJECT

the Concomitate object or the object in connection

with which something is done is a noun in the accusative, put after

used to mean with, by or during, as:

I walk along the lake.

I study during the night.
children travel along with their
parents.

the employee does

not go on vacation at the same time as his colleague at work.

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67

33. THE VOCATIVE

the person or the thing called, or the Vocative, is gener-

ally preceded by one of the

interjections. The most com-

mon is . It requires after it a noun not defined by the article, and which
is put sometimes in the nominative, sometimes in the accusative.
1) It is put in the nominative without tanwi\n :
a) If it is a proper name, e.g.

O Muh>ammad!
mmad O Fa\ti>mah!
ah
b) When the particular person or thing called is indefinite and directly addressed, e.g.

O boy! O Mister!
2) It is put in the accusative:
a) If it is followed by a genitive, e.g.

O Arabic teacher!

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68

33. THE VOCATIVE (2)

() (

b) If it is assimilated to the noun annexated, e.g.

O you who are reading a book!

c) When the person or the thing called is indefinite and is not directly addressed, e.g.

O traveller, make your

reservations in advance!

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69

34. EXCEPTION

The commonest way of expressing Exception

using the particle

is by

In Exception, two important elements are involved: the thing or

person excepted and the Generality, e.g.

the students came, apart from Fari\d.

Thus, Fari\d is the exception, and the students are the generality.
The exception, as regards cases, is considered of three kinds:
1) It is put in the accusative, when the proposition is in the affirmative, and the general term is mentioned, as shown in the previous example.
2) the exception may be put either in the accusative, or in the same
case as the generality, when the preposition is negative and the generality is mentioned, e.g

no students came apart from Fari\d.

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70

35. LA| THAT DENIES

THE WHOLE GENUS

(
la\ that denies the whole genus, in the same
way that introduces the subject of the nominal sentence in the accusative, is called the noun of . It is always indefinite with no tanwi\n. The
predicate may be omitted, when it has been sufficiently indicated, as
when one asks:

? is there anyone in the house? or

? is there something?
and you reply:

nobody, nothing.

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71

36. EXCLAMATION

(
The Arabic language possesses two forms for expressing

surprise or wonder, i.e. Exclamation:

1) The third person masculine singular perfect of the verb of the

, (which is the same as the form of the comparative in the

accusative case) preceded by followed by the subject in the accu-

form

sative, i.e. the object that causes surprise, wonder or exclamation, e.g.

! what nice roses there are in the garden!

2) The second person masculine singular imperative of the form

followed by the preposition

with the genitive, e.g.

! what a generous person your friend is!

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72

37-38-39. THE ABBREVIATED,

THE PROLONGED
AND THE DEFECTIVE

( --
1) The Abbreviated is a noun ending with

"alif maqs>u\ra, "alif that can be abbreviated, which can be a regular "alif
as in a staff or an "alif maqs>u\ra as in
The "alif maqs>u\ra is

an echo.

without the two dots, put at the end of a

word, after a fath>a pronounced like "alif, e.g.

on;

when;

to walk;

However, it turns into a) a real

to see.

, with two dots if it is followed by

a pronoun, in a preposition, or b) into a regular "alif

"alif, e.g.
a)

I write to him; b)

we see him.

The abbreviated stays the same in all cases, e.g.

(i)

who is this young man?

(ii) I know that young man.
(iii) I speak with the young man.

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73

37-38-39. THE ABBREVIATED,THE PROLONGED

AND THE DEFECTIVE (2)
() ( --

2)

the Prolonged is a noun ending in a hamza, preceded

by an "alif. It declines regularly, e.g.

the sky is clear.

I wish you a speedy recovery.

3)

we listen to the news.

the Defective is a noun ending in , e.g.

judge;

lawyer; expensive.

In the nominative and genitive cases, the

of the defective, when

indefinite, disappears but reappears in the accusative, e.g.

a judge speaks.
I know a judge.

I speak with a judge.

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74

37-38-39. THE ABBREVIATED,THE PROLONGED

AND THE DEFECTIVE (3)
() ( --

When defined by the article or by annexation, the of the defective is written, but is not expressed in the nominative and genitive. It is
expressed only in the accusative, e.g

the judge or the justice of the

peace speaks.

I speak with the judge or the

justice of the peace.

I know the judge or the justice of

the peace.

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75

40. SPECIFICATION OR
PARTICULARISATION

Specification is the name given to a noun in the ac-

cusative preceded by a pronoun - generally of the first, rarely of the second person - referring to it, without any verb intervention. The specification or the particularisation is the noun which the pronoun represents and
to which the statement made refers. It is to be explained by an ellipsis of

I mean, or

I specify. It must always be determined by the

article or by annexation, e.g.

we, the students.

we, the students of Arabic.

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76

41-42. NOUN OF TIME AND PLACE

( -
The Noun of time and place expresses the
place where the action of the verb is accomplished, or the time or occasion of the action.
It is formed like the imperfect active of the first form of the verb, by

substituting the syllable

for the prefix, and giving to the second radi-

cal fath>a, if the imperfect has fatha or d>amma; and kasra, if the imperfect
has kasra, or if the verb has wa\w as a first radical. Such nouns are nearly always of the form

or

office, from

factory, from

place, from

to write.

school, from

house, from

, e.g.

or

to work.

to study.

to descend.

to place.

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77

41-42. NOUN OF TIME AND PLACE (2)

() ( -

appointment, from

West, from

to promise.

to set (sun).

For the derived forms, the passive participle takes the place of the
noun of time and place, e.g.

a meeting place, from

a hospital, from

to meet.
to seek a cure.

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43. THE NOMINA VICIS

Nomina vicis, is a noun that expresses the doing of an

action once. Or again, it is a noun that indicates the number of times the
action has taken place.
1) If derived from the simple triliteral verb, it has the form of

e.g.

he looked at him once.

the telephone rang three times.
2) It is derived from the augmented forms by adding the feminine

to the verbal noun, e.g.

he gets many uses out of it.
he makes many criticisms.

termination

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79

44. THE NOUN OF KIND OR

THE NOUN OF MANNER

(
the Noun of kind or the Noun of manner
is a noun that indicates the manner of doing what is expressed by the
verb. Or again, it indicates the manner in which the action takes place.
1) It is derived from the simple triliteral verb, and has the form of

, e.g.

he laughs like a child.

she looks at every child like

a mother.
2) It is derived from the derived forms by adding the feminine termination

to the verbal noun, e.g.

he welcomed him like a prince.

the whole nation

rose up like one single man.

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45. THE CONNECTED ADJECTIVE

(
the Connected adjective. The adjective may refer to
the substantive either directly (in which case it is a simple adjective), e.g.

he is a well-educated boy;
or indirectly, by virtue of a following word which is connected with it, e.g.

he is a boy whose mother is well educated.

In the latter case, the adjective belongs, as a prefixed predicate, to
the following noun with which it agrees only in gender; whereas it agrees
with the preceding substantive in case and in respect of the indefinite
and the definite, only by attraction. Yet the adjective is still left in the singular, even if the following noun to which it belongs is in the dual or plural, just like a verb, when it precedes the subject, agrees with it only in
gender, not in number, e.g.

// she is a woman whose

son/two sons/sons are educated.

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45. THE CONNECTED ADJECTIVE (2)

() (

The following noun must contain an affixed personal pronoun. Otherwise, the connected adjective becomes a simple adjective, as in:

he is a boy whose father is generous.

On the other hand, if the substantive precedes the adjective, as in
the previous example, the second substantive and the adjective which
follows it really form together a nominal sentence, of which the substantive is the subject, and the adjective the predicate; and consequently
both remain in the nominative, as in a regular nominal sentence.

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46. MAS>DAR
VERBAL NOUN OR INFINITIVE

(
Mas>dar
a means an origin, a source, the place from where
anything goes forth, where it originates, because most Arab grammarians derive the compound idea of the finite verb from the simple idea of
the substantive. We may compare with it the Greek infinitive used with
the article as a substantive.
This word designates an abstract declinable verbal noun, which, in
general, has no dual, nor plural, and which expresses an action or a
manner of being with no idea of time, number or person.
It is so termed because some grammarians consider it as the
source from which the verb derives. However, other grammarians consider the verb in the perfect, mainly the 3rd person masculine singular,
as being the etymological root, because it contains only the radical letters, e.g. he entered, he has entered, whereas the verbal noun not
infrequently has a letter or more of increase, e.g.
bal noun of

which is the ver-

It is called a verbal noun, because, again, it has two uses:

1) As a verb, it has its own object, e.g.

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Contents
83

46. MAS>DAR
VERBAL NOUN OR INFINITIVE (2)

() (

the teacher is pleased, because

the student understands the lesson (lit. the teacher is pleased for the understanding of the student the lesson).
The verbal noun

the student, and an object

understanding has both a subject

the lesson. While the subject is put in

the genitive, the object goes into the accusative.

2) As a noun, because in modern Arabic, we may speak about

coordination, but it is really the verbal noun of

to coordi-

nate.
There is also an in-between stage, in which the Mas>dar acts grammatically exactly as a noun, though the verbal force is not absent, e.g.

No admittance, no smoking, no spitting, no parking.
In other words, it is called a verbal noun, because it has a double
meaning both as a noun (substantive) and as a verb, e.g.

meaning at the same time : I like economics, economy and I like to economize, as means both economy and to

economize.
Instead of using a verbal noun, we have the alternative of

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Contents
84

46. MAS>DAR
VERBAL NOUN OR INFINITIVE (3)

() (
using a verb conjugated in the same person, in the subjunctive, preceded by the subjunctive particle

, e.g.

I want to write (lit. I want that I write).

I want to write a letter (lit. I want that I
write a letter.
Instead, a verbal noun can be used, e.g.

I want to write (lit. I want the writing);

I want to write a letter (lit. I want the writing
of a letter).
The Arab lexicographers give the Mas>dar the third place, by
enouncing it, in the accusative, after the verb in the 3rd person masculine singular, in the perfect and the imperfect, e.g.

he wrote or he has written, he writes or he

will write, writing.

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Contents
85

47. THE USE OF KULLUN

(
1) If the leading substantive is definite and signifies something
single and indivisible,

means whole, as in

the whole country.

2) If the leading substantive is definite, but a plural or collective,

means all, as in

all the students.

all mankind.
3) If the leading substantive is indefinite,

means each, every,

as in

every student, each student.

may precede or follow a definite substantive.
a) When preceding, it declines as if it were the leading substantive,
which itself then follows in the genitive, e.g.

all the students study.

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Contents
86

47. THE USE OF KULLUN (2)

() (

he knows all the students.

he speak with all the students.

b) When the substantive is put first,

is placed after it and

agrees with it. However, it must be annexated to a pronominal suffix

agreeing with the leading substantive, e.g.

all the students study (all of them).

he knows all the students (all of them).

he speaks with all the students (all of them).

(See also Chap. 114).

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Contents
87

48. THE USE OF

KILA| AND KILTA
KILTA|

for masculine and

feminine, both, a pair. They are

always used annexated to a dual, a pronoun or a definite noun in the

genitive.
1) If annexated to a noun, they do not decline, e.g.
Nom.
Acc.
Gen.

both students study.

I know both students.
I speak with both students.

2) If annexated to a pronoun, they decline as the dual, e.g.

Nom.
Acc.
Gen.

both students speak.

I know both students.
I speak with both students.

(See also Chap. 114).

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Contents
88

49. THE USE OF

BAD>UN, BID>UN AND BID>ATUN

(
1)

a part, a portion, some, a few, a little of takes a definite

noun in the genitive, mostly in the plural, e.g.

some or a few students.

It can also used sometimes in the singular, e.g.

to choose the lesser of the two evils.

may be reflexive and reciprocal, having the meaning of each
other, where it is used twice, playing, at the same time, the role of a
subject and a direct or indirect object. The first

must always be

appended to a pronominal suffix, e.g.

the students (masc.) like each other.

they speak with each other.
If the verb governs precedes it immediately, it should be
masculine singular, no matter what the noun it represents is, e.g.

they (fem.) like each other.

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Contents
89

49. THE USE OF BAD>UN, BID>UN AND BID>ATUN (2)

() (

2)

some, a few, several are construed like the num-

bers from 3 to 10 which they represent. Generally, their gender is reversed; however, the masculine form

may be used for both gen-

ders, when unaccompanied by another number and signifying from 3 to

10, e.g.

a few men;

a few women.

But

some ten men.

some ten women.

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Contents
90

50. THE USE OF

"AH>
H>ADUN AND "IH>
H>DA|

(
one, someone, somebody.
1) masc. is used like ; but the latter is more commonly
used as an adjective, e.g.

a single man, one man;

the former is used as a substantive, and takes a definite noun in the

genitive, e.g.

one of the students.

one of them.
may be used either positively, meaning someone, somebody,
anyone, e.g.

? does anyone live in this house?

I want to speak with someone,
or negatively, e.g.

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Contents
91

50. THE USE OF "AH>

H>ADUN AND "IH>
H>DA| (2)
() (

there is no one in the house.

2) fem. is used like

I do not know anyone in this town.

and treated the same as

except that it does not decline but remains the same in all the cases, e.g.

one of the students (fem.) speaks.

I know one of the students.

I speak with one of the students.

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Contents
92

51. THE USE OF NAFSUN

(
the same, may precede or follow the noun. Here we deal with
it only when it precedes the noun (See Chap. 114).
As regards gender, it is used invariably when annexated to a noun.
However, it declines as if it were the leading substantive. The following
noun may be singular or plural. But it must be definite, and put in the
genitive, e.g.
Nom.

///

Acc.

///

Gen.

///
The same student(s) masc. and fem.

Back to the Exercise

Contents
93

52. THE USE OF

KAT_IRUN AND QALI|LUN

(
kat_irun and qali\lun are used:
1) as adverbs, invariably, e.g.

he works a lot and speaks very little.

2) as nouns followed by the leading substantive which must be

plural, definite, and in the dative. They are joined to it by means of the
preposition

As regards gender, they are invariable. However, they decline as if

they were the leading substantive which follows in the dative, after ,
e.g.
Nom.

/ /

Acc.

/ /

Dat.

/ /
many/less students, masc. and fem.

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Contents
94

53. THE WRITING OF HAMZA

(
the Writing of

hamza. The rules for the writing of

hamza

hamza are as follows:

1) At the beginning of a word.
a) It is written on "alif
"alif, if it has fath>a or d>amma as a vowel;
b) it is written under "alif
"alif, if it has kasra as a vowel, e.g.

a father; a mother;

man.

2) In the middle of a word.

a) Preceded by a lengthening letter "alif
"alif.
(i) it is written on the line, if it has fath>a as a vowel;
(ii) it is written on wa|w, if it has d>amma as a vowel;
(iii) it is written on ya|' (without the two dots), if it has kasra as a
vowel, e.g.

to ask oneself; optimism;

always.

b) Not preceded by any lengthening letter.

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Contents
95

53. THE WRITING OF HAMZA (2)

() (

(i) it is written on ya|', if one of the two vowels (the one hamza
has and the other preceding) is kasra, and the other is d>amma, fath>a or

suku\n, e.g.

a well;

a group;

to be asked.

(ii) it is written on wa\w, if one of the two vowels is d>amma and

the other is fath>a or suku\n, e.g.

a question;

responsible.

(iii) it is written on "alif

"alif, if both vowels are fath>a, or one is

fath>a, and the other is suku\n, e.g.

to ask;

a question.

3) At the end of a word.

a) Preceded by a lengthening "alif
"alif, wa\w or ya\', it is written on the
line, e.g.

water;

quiet;

slow.

Back to the Exercise

Contents
96

53. THE WRITING OF HAMZA (3)

() (

b) Not preceded by a lengthening letter.

(i) it is written on "alif
"alif, if it is preceded by fath>a;
(ii) it is written on wa\w, if it is preceded by d>amma;
(iii) it is written on ya\', if it is preceded by kasra,
a, e.g.

news;

prediction;

to be wrong.

c) Preceded by suku\n, it is written on the line, e.g.

a part;

a thing.

Note that if the preceding letter is a ya\' and hamza has tanwi\n, it
is written on ya\' and tanwi\n is written on "alif , e.g.

bit by bit, little by little.

Back to the Exercise

Contents
97

 ( -

54. Tme - Hours -

Cardinal numbers

Ordinal numbers

Time - Hours

1st

1 oclock

2nd

2 oclock

3rd

3 oclock

4th

5th

5 oclock

6th

6 oclock

7th

7 oclock

8th

8 oclock

10

9th

9 oclock

20

10th

10 oclock

11th

11 oclock

12th

12 oclock

4
5
6

30
40
100

1000

Back to the Exercise

Contents

4 oclock

55. "ID_
D_A AND LA

and

if are mostly used not as jussive, but only as conditional

particles.
1)

The verb immediately following

is used in the past tense,

i.e. perfect, to mean the future. The second verb is used in the presentfuture, i.e. imperfect, e.g.

if I travel, I will write to you.

if you study this language

earnestly, you will learn it.
2)

. With

both tenses, perfect and imperfect, can be used.

However, when the verbs are used in the perfect, is prefixed to the
second verb, or to

negative particle, if the verb is negative, e.g.

if I speak, I will make mistakes.

if I do not speak, I will not make mistakes.

Back to the Exercise

Contents
99

55. "ID_
D_A AND LAW (2)
(!) "#$% $& '$()* (++

$,"-$%)* ./"0$1$2$% .3"4$56$7 "#$%

had I travelled, I would have written

to you.

)89":);' <$=$> "3"?$@"A!" 6$B$% C6D"-$E "F$G"5!" "H$% "#$%

had I not done

anything, I would not have made any mistake at all.

Back to the Exercise

Contents
100


Arabic Grammar Exercises
Based on the Textbook:
Abdallah Nacereddine. A New Approach
to Teaching Arabic Grammar.
Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse, 2009.

Abdallah Nacereddine 2010

www.a-nacereddine.com

HOW TO USE THE EXERCISES

To do the exercise, click on a box.
If you reply is correct,
a tick will appear in the box.
If not, click on Grammar,
check the rule, and try again.

Contents (1) !"#$%&'

Sujet
1. The Separate personal pronouns
2. The Affixed personal pronouns
3 The Perfect
4. The Imperfect
5.The Impratve
6. The Subject
7. The Direct object
8. The Indirect object
9. The Annexation
10. The Demonstrative pronouns
11. The Relative pronouns
12. The Subjonctive
13. The Jussive
14. Inna and its sisters

P]
7
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21

3
($)$*'
+,-./*' 01"234' (5
+,-%*' 01"234' (6
7)"*' (8
(9"3*' ( :
0;<' ( =
>?".4 ( @
AB C$D.*' ( E
9F0G' ( H
+I")J' ( K
L9"MJ' NO' ( 5P
C$Q$*' NO' ( 55
(9"3*' R-S ( 56
(9"3*' TUV ( 58
"WX'$YZF [\ ( 5:

Contents (2) !"#$%&'

Subject
15. Kana and its sisters
16. The Cardinal numbers
17. The Ordinal numbers
18. Agreement of the adjective
19. The Elative
20. Agreement of the verb
21. The five nouns
22. The Adverb of time
23. The Adverb of place
24.The Adverb of state
25. The Specificative
26. The Active participle
27. The Passive participle
28. The Noun of instrument

P]
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35

4
($)$*'
"WX'$YZF ["^ (5=
+_,Q<' `'a?<' (5@
+_b_X0%4' `'a?<' (5E
cD/4' +dB"e; (5H
>_3.%4' NO' (5K
>D.4' +dB"e; (6P
+f2g' h"2O<' (65
[";U4' i0j (66
["k*' i0j (68
C"l' (6:
U__2%4' (6=
>?".4' NO' (6@
C$D.*' NO' (6E
+4m' NO' (6H

Contents (3) !"#$%&'

Subject
29. The Diptote
30. The Complement of cause
31. The Absoltue object
32. The Concomitate object
33. The Vocative
34. The Exception
35. la that denies the whole genus
36: The Excalamative
37. The Abbreviated
38. The Defective
39. The Prolonged
40. The Spacification
41. The Noun of place
42. The Noun of time

P]
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49

5
($)$*'
i0-4' n; ($/2*' (6K
Ao,V< C$D.*' (8P
p,e*' C$D.*' (85
AD; C$D.*' (86
q`"/*' (88
rsB t/u%f*' (8:
v/w,4 +_I"/4' r (8=
RwD%4' (8@
9$-d*' (8E
]$d/*' (8H
`Fa2*' (8K
]"-%Yr' (:P
["k*' NO' (:5
[";U4' NO' (:6

Contents (4) !"#$%&'

Subject
33. The Nomina vicis
44. The Noun of manner
45. The Connected adjective
46. The Use of Masdar (verbal noun)
47. The Use of kullu
48. The Use of kila and kilta
49. The Use of badhu
50. The Use of ahadu and ihda
51. The Use of nafsu
52. The Use of kathirun and qalilun
53. The Writing of hamza
54. Time
55. Id>| and Miscellanesous

P]
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62

6
($)$*'
L0*' NO' (:8
+x_W4' NO' (::
7bbf4' cD/4' (:=
a-*' Nky (:@
>^ Nky (:E
"%,^F z^ Nky (:H
{DB Nky (:K
qay\F ayZ Nky (=P
v.S Nky (=5
>_,|F 0_u^ Nky (=6
LU2W4' +B"%^ (=8
c|$4' (=:
+d,%}; ~_)'$;F '\ (==

1. The Separate personal pronouns -

(1

(2

)(

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

1b. The Separate personal pronouns -

(5

(6

(7

(8

Grammar

Contents

2. The Affixed personal pronouns -

(1

(2

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

 3. The Perfect -

10

(5 .

(6

(7

(8

Grammar

Contents

11

4. The Imperfect -

(5

(6

(7

(8

Grammar

Contents

 5. The Imperative -

12

(1

(2

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

 6. The Subject -

13

(1

(2

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

14

7. The Direct object -

(1

(3

(4

(2

Grammar

Contents

15

(1
(2

8. The Indirect object -

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

16

9. the Annexation -

(1

(3

(2

(4

Grammar

Contents

17

10. The Demonstrative pronouns -

(1

(3

(2

(4 ?

Grammar

Contents

18

11. The Relative pronouns -

(1

(3

(4

(2

Grammar

Contents

19

12. The Subjunctive -

(1

(3

(4

(2

Grammar

Contents

20

13. The Jussive -

(1

(3

(4

)( .

(2

Grammar

Contents

21

14. Inna & its sisters -

(1

(3

(2

(4

Grammar

Contents

22

15. Kana & its sisters -

(1

(3

(2

(4

Grammar

Contents

23

16. The Cardinal numbers -

(1

(3

(2

(4 .

Grammar

Contents

24

(1
(2
(3

17. The Ordinal numbers -

(4 .

Grammar

Contents

25

18. The Agreement of the Adjective -

(1

(3

(2

(4 .

Grammar

Contents

26

)19. the Elative (Comparative and Superlative

(1

(3

(2

(4

Grammar

Contents

27

(1

20. The Agreement of the verb -

(2

(4

(3

Grammar

Contents

28

(1
(2

21. The five nouns - -

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

29

(1

22. The Adverb of time -

(2

(4

(3

Grammar

Contents

30

(1

23. The Adverb of place -

(2

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

31

(1
(2
(3

24. The Adverb of manner -

(4

Grammar

Contents

32

(1
(2

25. The Specificative -

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

33

26. The Active participle -

(1

(2

(3

(4

?




Grammar

Contents

34

27. The Passive participle -

(1

(2

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

35

28. The Noun of instrument -

(1

(2

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

36

(1

29. The Diptote -

.
/

(2

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

37

30. Complement of cause -

(1

(2

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

38

31. The Absolute object - -

(1

(2

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

39

(1
(2

32. The Concomitate object -

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

40

33. The Vocative -

(1

(2

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

41

34. The Exception -

(1

(2

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

42

(1
(2

35. La that denies the whole genus -

(3

(3

Grammar

Contents

43

36.The Exclamative -

(1

(2

(3

(4

Contents

Grammar

44

37. The Abbreviated -

(1

(2

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

45

38. The Defective -

(1

(2

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

46

(1
(2

39. The Prolonged -

.


.

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

47

(1
(2

40. The Specification -

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

48

41.The Noun of place -

(1

(2

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

49

(1
(2

42. The Noun of time -

(3 .

(4 .

Grammar

Contents

50

43. The Nomina vicic -

(1

(2

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

51

(1
(2

44. The Noun of manner - -

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

52

45. The Connected adjective - -

(1

(2

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

53

46. The Use of Masdar -

(1

(2

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

54

47. The Use of kullu -

(1

(2

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

55

(1

48. Use of kila & kilta -

(2

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

56

49. Use of badhu -

(1

(2

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

57

(1

50. The Use of ahadu & ihda -

(2

(4

(3

Grammar

Contents

58

(1

51. The Use of nafsu -

(2
(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

59

52. The Use of kathirun & qalilun -

(1

(2

(2

(4

Grammar

Contents

60

(1

53. The Writing of hamza -

(2

(4

(3

Grammar

Contents

61

(1
(2

54. Time -

?



?

(3

(4

Grammar

Contents

62

55. Id>| and Miscellaneous -

(1

(2

(3

(4

Contents

Grammar