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ARABIC ONLINE اللّغة العربيّة |
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Sound Masculine Plural Nouns Irregular Perfective Conjugation Irregular Imperfective Conjugation Inactive Particles Vocative Particles Praise & Disparagement Participle-like Adjectives Place-nouns Tool-nouns Diminutives
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Arabic Sentences (continued)
Verbal Sentences A verbal sentence الْجُمْلَةُ الْفِعْلِيَّةُis a sentence that starts with the verb and the subject follows. The subject can be a noun, a pronoun, a demonstrative, or a relative clause. The defining property of a verbal sentence is that the verb precedes the subject. There are more than one possibility for verbal sentences in the presence of an object, an adverb, a prepositional phrase, etc. The standard usual structure is:
The other possible structures for verbal sentences are more rare:
The main point is that the verb always precedes the subject in verbal sentences.
Subjects of Verbal Sentences Subjects in verbal sentences may not be always showing up. There can be apparent, attached, and hiding subjects in verbal sentences.
I. Apparent Singular Subjects
Verb - Subject - Object يَقْرَأُ الْوَلَدُ كِتَاْبَهُ yaqra'(u) ('a)l-walad(u) kitaaba-h(u) = read the boy (the) book (of) him Translation: the boy reads his book
Compare this sentence with its nominal alternative, in which the subject is the stressed element: Subject - Verb - Object الْوَلَدُ يَقْرَأُ كِتَاْبَهُ 'al-walad(u) yaqra'(u) kitaaba-h(u) = the boy reads (the) book (of) him Translation: THE BOY reads his book
More examples on verbal sentences:
Verb - Subject - Adverb كَاْنَتِ الْسَّمَاْءُ صَاْفِيَةً kaanat(i) ('a)s-samaa'(u) saafiya(tan) = was/existed the sky clearly Translation: the sky was clear *The verb be in Arabic requires an adverb after it rather than an adjective like in English. This is only true when the verb appears but not when it is not apparent (i.e. in the present tense). Such verbs are called in Arabic the incomplete verbs الأَفْعالُ النَّاْقِصَةُ .
Verb - Subject - Adverb كَاْنَ هَذَاْ يَوْمًا عَصِيْبًا kaan(a) haathaa yawma(n) "aseeba(n) = was this a day a hard Translation: this was a hard day
Verb - Subject - Adverb سَيَكُوْنُ مُحَمَّدٌ هُنَاْ غَدًا sa-yakoon(u) muhammad(un) hunaa rada(n) = will be Muhammad here tomorrow Translation: Muhammad will be here tomorrow
Verb - Attached Object - Subject يَسُرُّنِيْ أَنَّكَ هُنَاْ yasurru-nee 'anna-k(a) hunaa = please me that you (are) here Translation: I am glad that you are here
We mentioned that sentences which begin with an indefinite word, such as "a man is here" are not usually used in Arabic and that the demonstrative "there" would be usually used for such sentences. Example, a nominal sentence: هُنَاْكَ رَجُلٌ بِالْبَاْبِ hunaak(a) rajul(un) bi-l-baab(i) = there (is) a man by the door Translation: there is a man at the door
If we wanted to change this sentence to the past tense, we can NOT say "there was a man at the door." To change the tense of sentences which begin in demonstratives in this manner from the present to the past, a verbal sentence is usually used. Example: كَاْنَ هُنَاْكَ رَجُلٌ بِالْبَاْبِ kaan(a) hunaak(a) rajul(un) bi-l-baab(i) = was there a man by the door Translation: there was a man at the door
كَاْنَ ثَمَّةَ أَحَدٌ مَاْ kaan(a) thammat(a) 'ahad(un) maa = was there one-some Translation: someone was there
The same thing about these sentences is true for the future tense. To change the tense of these sentences to the future, a verbal sentence is usually used. Sentences of the type "there will be" are NOT the usual way of doing it. Example: سَيَكُوْنُ هُنَاْكَ الْكَثِيْرُ مِنَ المَدْعُوِّيْنَ sa-yakoon(u) hunaak(a) ('a)l-katheer(u) min(a) ('a)l-mad"uwween(a) = will be there many of the invited Translation: there will be many guests
سَيَكُوْنُ ثَمَّةَ كَاْرِثَةٌ sa-yakoon(u) thammat(a) kaarithat(un) = will be there a disaster Translation: there will be a disaster
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