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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
III. Attached & Hiding Subjects We have talked so far about verbal sentences in which the subjects are apparent. However, subjects of verbs can be omitted in Arabic sentences. Since that every complete sentence must have a subject, Arabic grammar deals with this issue in the following manner: ►If the verb has a declension, then this is the subject and it is called an "attached subject pronoun." Examples:
The only exception to that idea is the 3rd person sing. fem. perfective verb which does have a declension but it is not an attached subject pronoun but rather a feminine marker.
If a separate subject pronoun appears after a verb that has an attached subject pronoun, it will be an emphatic pronoun but not the subject, as far as Arabic grammar is concerned. ►If the verb does not have an attached pronoun, the subject will be an unseen pronoun that follows the verb and that is called a "hiding pronoun" ضَمِيْرٌ مُسْتَتِرٌ .
Examples:
Verb - Attached Subject - Object لَقَدْ أَكَلْتُمْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ laqad 'akaltum kull(a) shay'(in) = have eaten you every thing Translation: you have eaten everything
Verb - Attached Subject - Prepositional Phrase يَقْرَؤُوْنَ فِيْ الْمَكْتَبَةِ yaqra'oon(a) fee ('a)l-maktaba(ti) = read (they) in the library Translation: they read in the library *Note that it is unusual for sentences with only an attached or a hiding 3rd person subject, but not an apparent noun subject, to be used if they were not preceded by other words or related sentences. e.g. the last example is not a good sentence in Arabic. Verb-like particles may be used in such sentences.
Verb - Attached Subject - Adverb كُنْتُ جَاْهِزًا kunt(u) jaahiza(n) = was I ready Translation: I was ready
Verb - Attached Subject - Object عَرَفْنَاْ الْجَوَاْبَ "arafnaa ('a)l-jawaab(a) = knew we the answer Translation: we have found out the answer
Verb - Attached Subject - Verb كُنَّاْ نَعْرِفُ الْجَوَاْبَ kunnaa na"rif(u) ('a)l-jawaab(a) = were we know the answer Translation: we knew the answer
Examples on hiding subjects:
Verb - Hiding Subject - Object نُرِيْدُ أَنْ نَلْعَبَ nureed(u) 'an nal"ab(a) = want (we) that play (we) Translation: we want to play
Verb - Hiding Subject - Object لَقَدْ أَكَلَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ laqad 'akal(a) kull(a) shay'(in) = has eaten (he) every thing Translation: he has eaten everything
Object - Verb - Hiding Subject الْحَقَّ أَقُوْلُ لَكُمْ 'al-haqq(a) 'aqool(u) la-kum = the truth say (I) to you (plu. masc.) Translation: I tell you the truth
Verb - Hiding Subject - Adverb كَاْنَ يَوْمًا عَصِيْبًا kaan(a) yawma(n) "aseeba(n) = was (he) a day a hard Translation: it was a hard day
Verb - Hiding Subject - Adverb سَوْفَ أَكُوْنُ جَاْهِزًا sawf(a) 'akoon(u) jaahiza(n) = will be (I) ready Translation: I will be ready
IV. Separate Subject Pronouns in Verbal Sentences Although separate subject pronouns are apparent words, an important idea in Arabic grammar is that separate subject pronouns are NOT the subjects in verbal sentences that contain them (i.e. if they came after the verb). The subjects will still be either the attached subject pronouns or the hiding pronouns; the separate subject pronouns are only emphatic words. Thus, adding a separate subject pronoun to a verbal sentence will confer a marked emphatic effect on the subject. Examples:
Verb - Hiding Subject - S.S.P - Object تَعْرِفُ أَنْتَ الْجَوَاْبَ ta"rif(u) 'ant(a) ('a)l-jawaab(a) = know you the answer Translation: YOU know the answer
Compare with: Verb - Hiding Subject - Object تَعْرِفُ الْجَوَاْبَ ta"rif(u) ('a)l-jawaab(a) = know (you) the answer Translation: you know the answer
More examples:
Verb - Attached Subject - S.S.P - Adverb كُنْتُ أَنَاْ جَاْهِزًا kunt(u) 'anaa jaahiza(n) = was I ready Translation: I was ready *The I here is stressed as well.
Verb - Attached Subject - S.S.P - Adverb سَتَكُوْنُوْنَ أَنْتُمْ جَاْهِزِيْنَ sa-takoonoon(a) 'antum jaahizeen(a) = will be you (plu. masc.) ready Translation: YOU will be ready
Since that separate subject pronouns are not subjects in verbal sentences, we will see that verbs will be conjugated in the dual and plural (will have attached pronouns) even if they were followed by dual or plural apparent subject pronouns. This is contrary to the regular rules of verbal sentences with apparent plural or dual noun subjects. Examples:
Verb - Attached Subject - S.S.P - Prepositional Phrase تَدْخُلانِ هُمَاْ إِلَىْ المَحَلِّ tadkhulaan(i) humaa 'ilaa ('a)l-mahall(i) = enter (dual fem.) they to the shop Translation: THEY enter the shop
Verb - Attached Subject - S.S.P - Prepositional Phrase يَذْهَبُوْنَ هُمْ إِلَىْ أَعْمَاْلِهِمْ yathhaboon(a) hum 'ilaa 'a"maali-him = go (plu. masc.) they to (the) works (of) them Translation: THEY go to their works
A final grammatical note is that 3rd person singular separate subject pronouns are regarded differently here, those will be considered subjects if they appeared after verbs. This has to do with the concept of "optionally hiding pronouns" and "obligatory hiding pronouns" (see here for more details). Examples:
Verb - Subject - Object أَكَلَ هُوَ طَعَاْمَهُ 'akal(a) huw(a) ta"aama-h(u) = ate he (the) food (of) him Translation: HE ate his food
Verb - Subject - Object شَرِبَتْ هِيَ شَرَاْبَهَاْ sharibat hiy(a) sharaaba-haa = drank she (the) drink(s) (of) her Translation: SHE drank her drinks
Additional: a case in which the verbs of verbal sentences will be conjugated regularly (in the singular) if they were followed by dual or plural separate subject pronouns is if there was an exclusive particle before the pronoun. Example:
Negative Verb - Exclusion - Subject مَاْ جَاْءَ إِلاّ هُمْ maa jaa'(a) 'illaa hum = not came (3rd p. sing. masc.) except/but them Translation: nobody came except them
Negative Verb - Object - Exclusion - Subject مَاْ فَعَلَهَاْ إِلاّ أَنْتَ maa fa"ala-haa 'illaa 'ant(a) = not did her/it except/but you Translation: nobody did it but you = it is certainly you who did it
In these sentences, the separate subject pronouns are actual subjects not emphatic words. This includes all of them not only the 3rd person singulars.
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