Information based sentences (الخَبَرِيَّة) are distinguished into two types: the verb sentence الجملة الفعلية and the noun sentence الجملة الإسمية. This post focuses on how to create noun sentences in Arabic. Later we will start looking at more complex ones where a tanween can reflect an entire sentence.
There are certain words in the English language which do not exist in Arabic but are instead created through structure. For example when we looked at the possessive construct we identified that there is no word for ‘of’ in Arabic and it was created by joining two nouns which conformed to a set of rules. Likewise there is no word for ‘is’ in Arabic and it is also created through structure. That structure is called a noun sentence which consists of the following components:
- Subject: مُبْتَدَأ
This is the main topic of the noun sentence. It is always مَوْفُوع. The case of a word affects the meaning and when a word takes this case then it usually is the focal point.
- Predicate: خَبَرٌ
Provides further information about the subject and can take the form of a noun, phrase or even a sentence. When it is a noun its case is described as مَوْفُوع and when it is a sentence then it described as is *in* the case of رفع. The difference being nouns can generally express their cases through their endings whereas sentences cannot and therefore they are considered as being in that case intrinsically – see this post for more on declinability.
- Particles linked to the predicate: مُتَعَلِّق بِالخَبَرٌ
In one of our first posts we distinguished that there are three types of words in arabic: nouns, verbs and particles. The former two can express meaning on their own however the latter cannot. For this reason particles need to be linked to either a noun or verb to make meaning. When a particle is linked to a noun it is called مُتَعَلِّق بِالخَبَرٌ.
A noun sentence has to contain a مُبْتَدَأ and either a خَبَرٌ or مُتَعَلِّق بِالخَبَرٌ or both. The normal sequence is مُبْتَدَأ, خَبَرٌ, مُتَعَلِّق بِالخَبَرٌ but if there is a change in sequence then there is usually a reason. The first word that is مَرْفُوْع in a sentence is the مُبْتَدَأ. Unless a sentence starts with a particle or an adverb then you will have to look to the word after it that is مَرْفُوْع to find the subject.
When a word or more comes together to make a phrase or sentence there are usually grammatical rules which need to be adhered to and those rules generally revolve around GNCD. What’s GNCD? Gender, number, case and definiteness. Gender refers to male or female. Number refers to singular, dual or plural. Case refers to رفع, نصب, جر. Definiteness refers to whether a word shows any signs of definiteness (there are 7 ways for a word to be definite as listed in this summary post); if it does not then it is indefinite.
Take for example an adjectival phrase where the described noun and the adjective need to agree in gender, number, case and definiteness. Or the genitive construct where the possessed cannot take al or tanween to show definiteness but the possessor can. Similarly the components of a noun sentence also need to conform to a set of grammar rules and they are the following:
- Gender: The مُبْتَدَأ and خَبَرٌ need to match in gender
- Number: The مُبْتَدَأ and خَبَرٌ need to match in number
- Case: The مُبْتَدَأ and خَبَرٌ need to both be مَرْفُوْعٌ (and therefore match)
- Definiteness: The مُبْتَدَأ is usually definite. The خَبَرٌ is usually indefinite.
Examples:
The man is tall
الرَّجُلُ طَوِيْلٌ
The مُبْتَدَأ is masculine and the خَبَرٌ is masculine
The مُبْتَدَأ is singular and the خَبَرٌ is singular
The مُبْتَدَأ is مَرْفُوْعٌ and the خَبَرٌ is مَرْفُوْعٌ
The مُبْتَدَأ is definite an the خَبَرٌ is indefinite
Note here that if the خَبَرٌ was definite, i.e.: الرَّجُلُ الطَّوِيْلُ then this would no longer be a noun sentence; rather, it would be an adjectival phrase. This is because the components within an adjectival phrase matches in all four components.
Another example:
البِنْتُ جَمِيْلَةٌ – The girl is beautiful
The مُبْتَدَأ is feminine مؤَنَّث and the خَبَرٌ is مؤَنَّث
The مُبْتَدَأ is singular and the خَبَرٌ is singular
The مُبْتَدَأ is مَرْفُوْعٌ and the خَبَرٌ is مَرْفُوْعٌ
The مُبْتَدَأ is definite and the خَبَرٌ is indefinite
Try the following:
The house is big
The school is far
The books are small
I will post the answers in the next blog on plurals.
Vocab:
House: البَيْت
Big: الكَبِيْر
School: المَدْرَسَة
Far: البَعِيْد
Books: الكُتُب
Small: الصَّغِير
All the best, ma’salam
Logicalwayfarer 