Object pronoun

Object pronouns are shown below:

Single

1. ني, ي me, my
2. َك you, your (masculine)
3. ِك you, your (feminine)
4. ُه him, his
5. هَا her, it

Dual

1. كُمَا you, your (masculine or feminine)
2. هُمَا them, their (masculine or feminine)

Plural

1. نَا us, our
2. كُمْ you, your (masculine)
3. كُن you, your (feminine)
4. هُم them, their (masculine)
5. هُن them, their (feminine)

Object pronouns are used as objects in sentences. They are always attached to another word, for example a noun, preposition or verb. In the examples below the object pronouns are shown in red:

1. كِتَابِي my book (noun + my)
2. بَيْتُهُم their house (noun + their)
3. تَحْتَكَ under him (preposition + him)
4. عَلَيْكُم (as in السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُم) upon you (as in peace be upon you) (preposition + you) 
5. تُرِيْهَا you show her (verb + her)
6. تُرِيْنَا you show us (verb + us)

Subject pronoun

Today I am learning about subject pronoun. Interesting, in Arabic there are dual pronouns which refers to two persons.

Singular

1. أَنَا I
2. أَنْتَ you (masculine)
3. أَنْتِ you (feminine)
4. هُوَ he
5. هِيَ she

Dual

1. أَنْتُمَا you (masculine and feminine)
2. هُمَا they (masculine and feminine)

Plural

1. نَحْنُ we
2. أَنْتُمْ you (masculine)
3. أَنْتُنْ you (feminine)
4. هُمْ they (masculine)
5. هُنْ they (feminine)

Sentence examples
Note that they are called subject pronouns because they are used as subjects in sentences.

1. اَنَا وَلَدٌ I am a boy.
2. هِيَ بِنْتٌ She is a girl.
3. أَنْتُمَا تَتَكَلَّمَانِ الْعَرَبِيَّة You both speak Arabic.
4. هُمَا يَتَكَلَّمَانِ الْعَرَبِيَّة They both speak Arabic.

Possessive expression exercise

In today's exercise I had to fill in vowels in possessive expressions. I already did that as shown below. I also did the Arabic-English translation although not a requirement. Words that I have forgotten or unsure are marked ??? or in red :(

1. قَلَمُ حَامِدٍ Hamid's pen.
2. بَيْتُ الطَّبِيْبِ The doctor's home.
3. اِسْمُ الْوَلَدِ The boy's ???.
4. دَفْتَرُ سَعِيْدٍ Saeed's notebook.
5. دُكَّانُ تَاجِرٍ A merchant's shop.
6. قَلَمُ الْمُهَنْدِسِ The ??? pen.
7. سَرِيْرُ حَالِدٍ Khalid's bed.
8. كِتَابُ اللهِ The book of الله.
9. مِفْتَاحُ السَّيَّارَةِ The ??? key.
10. غُرْفَةُ عَلِيٍّ Ali's room.

Answers

3- name (new word)

5- merchant's :)

6- engineer's (forgotten word) :(

7- bed :)

9- car's (new word)

Analyzing possessive expressions

More analyzing on possessive expressions ...whether I like it or not :) New words I am learning today are:

1. هُنَاكَ there.
2. مَنْ only today I learned that مَنْ not only means who but also whose.
3. تَحْتَ under.
4. هُوَ other than he, هُوَ also means it.

Rules of possessive expressions learned from previous lessons should be analyzed carefully in the following sentences:

1. سَعِيْدٌ: أَكِتَابُ مُحَمَّدٍ هَذَا؟ Saeed: Is this Muhammad's book?
   .يَاسِرٌ: ﻻَ, هَذَا كِتَابُ حَامِدٍ Yasir: No, this is Hamid's book.
2. سَعِيْدٌ: أَيْنَ كِتَابُ مُحَمَّدٍ؟ Saeed: Where is Muhammad's book?
   .يَاسِرٌ: هُوَ عَلَى الْمَكْتَبِ هُنَاكَ Yasir: It is there on the desk.
3. سَعِيْدٌ: أَيْنَ دَفْتَرُ عَمَّارٍ؟ Saeed: Where is Ammar's notebook?
   .يَاسِرٌ: هُوَ عَلَى مَكْتَبِ الْمُدَرِّسِ Yasir: It is on Teacher's desk.
4. سَعِيدْ:ٌ قَلَمُ مَنْ هَذَا؟ Saeed: Whose pen is this?
   .عَلِيٌ: هَذَا قَلَمُ الْمُدَرِّسِ Ali: This is the teacher's pen.
5. سَعِيْدٌ: أَيْنَ حَقِيْبَةُ الْمُدَرِّسِ؟ Saeed: Where is the teacher's bag?
   .عَلِيٌ: هِيَ تَحْتَ الْمَكْتَبِ Ali: It is under the desk.

Applying the rules of possessive expression

I am now learning to apply the rules of الإضَافَةُ (possessive expression) learned from the previous lesson.

Example 1
Look at the sentences below:

1. كِتَبُ الْطَّالِبِ The book of the student (or The student's book). 
2. عَلَى' مَكْتَبِ الْمُدَرِّسِ On the table of the teacher (or On teacher's table).

By looking carefully at the two sentences above, it can be seen that the مُضَافٌ (possessed noun) can take different cases while the مُضَلفٌ إِلَيْهِ (possessor) can only take the genitive case. This is important to remember.

Example 2
Look at the sentences below:

1. بَابُ الْبَيْتِ The door of the house (or the house's door).
2. إِمَامُ مَسْجِدٍ An imam of a mosque (or a mosque's imam).

Again, by careful observation, it can be seen that:

1. A مُضَافٌ (possessed noun) can become definite when it is attached to a definite مُضَافٌ إِلَيْهِ (prossessor) as shown in sentence 1.
2. A مُضَافٌ (possessed noun) can become indefinite when it is attached to an indefinite مُضَافٌ إِلَيْهِ (possessor) as shown in sentence 2.
3. In all cases the مُضَلفٌ (possessed noun) is never prefixed with article ال.

My comments
Honestly, I find example 2 to be quite confusing because in my mind right now I am wondering how to say the following sentences in Arabic:

1. The door of the house.
   The door of a house.
   A door of the house.
   A door of a house.
   
2. An imam of a mosque.
   An imam of the mosque.
   The imam of a mosque.
   The imam of the mosque.

Can I go for a holiday now? :(

Possessive expression

Today I am learning about possessive expression called الإضَافَةُ. The term الإضَافَةُ means adding, that is, to add one noun to another to form a relationship of possession or belonging as shown below:

1. Possession
   1. كِتَابُ الْمُدَرِّسِ The teacher's book (or Book of the teacher).
   2. قَلَمُ مُحَمَّدٍ Muhammad's pen (or Pen of Muhammad).
2. Belonging
   1. مَدِيْنَةُ رُوْمَا The city of Rom (or Rom's city).
   2. قِمَّةُ الْجَبَلِ The top of the mountain (or The mountain's top).

About الإضَافَةُ (possessive expression)

1. Both words of a الإضَافَةُ must be nouns.
2. The possessor is called مُضَافٌ إِلَيْهِ while the possessed is called مُضَافٌ. Thus, if we say قَلَمُ مُحَمَّدٌ, then مُحَمَّدٌ is the مُضَافٌ إِلَيْهِ while قَلَمٌ is the مُضَافٌ.
3. The first word must be the مُضَافٌ and the second word must be the مُضَافٌ إِلَيْهِ.

About the مُضَافٌ (possessed)

1. Although the مُضَافٌ does not come with article ال, it is implied. Thus, it means, for example, 'the book' and not 'a book'.
2. The مُضَافٌ can end with dhammah, fathah or kasrah depending on its usage in a sentence. It, however, cannot end with tanwin.

About the مُضَافٌ إِلَيْهِ (possessor)

1. The مُضَافٌ إِلَيْهِ  can be definite or indefinite, for example, الْوَلَدُ (the boy) or وَلَدٌ (a boy)
2. The مُضَافٌ إِلَيْهِ must always be in the genitive case, that is, the last vowel must be a kasrah or kasratain, for example الْمُدَرِّسِ or مُحَمَّدٍ.

'Impossible' questions that I had to answer

I thought I was doing well in my Arabic language studies. Suddenly, today's lesson asked me to answer the questions shown below. Yes, I learned them before but I never thought that I should have to remember them. Well, I finally answered the questions, as shown. (Of course, I had to look back at my previous notes :)

Questions

1. What is genetive case called?
2. What is a nominal sentence called?
3. What is a preposition called?
4. What is the subject of a nominal sentence called?
5. What is the interrogative article called?
6. What is the second part of a nominal sentence called?

My answers

1. حَالَةُ الْجَرِّ Haalatu al jarri (pronounced as Haalatuljarri)
2. الْجُمْلَةُ الاسْمِيَّةُ aljumlatu lismiyyatu
3. حَرْفُ الْجَرِّ Harfu al jarri (pronounced as Harfuljarri)
4. مُبْتَدَأٌ mubtada'un
5. أَدَاةُ اﻻسْتِفْهَامِ adaatu listifhaami
6. الْخَبَرُ alkhabaru

My comments

1. Look at all the words that begin with article ال. Do you notice that the vowel fathah  َis not written on the huruf alif, ا? As far as I know, the vowel fathah  َis not allowed to be written on the huruf ا. I don't know why.
2. Now look at the words that begin with اﻻ in answers 2 and 5. Do you notice that the vowel kasrah  ِis not written under the huruf lam ل although it is pronounced when speaking? You don't know why? Well, neither do I :)

Study of Case

Interestingly, I missed out a lesson about cases which I will do now. Case in Arabic is called الْاِعْرَبُ. In Arabic, a case can be any of the following:

1. حَالَةُ الْرَّفْعِ Nominative case (or subjective case)  – word (originally) ends with a dhammah  ُor  ٌ .
2. حَالَةُ الْنَّصْبِ Accusative case (or objective case) – word (originally) ends with a fathah  َor  ً.
3. حَالَةُ الْجَرِّ Genitive case (or possessive case) – word (originally) ends with kasrah  ِor  ٍ.

From the list above it is obvious that a word that ends with a certain vowel  ُ , ٌ, َ, ً, ِor ٍindicates its case.


Nominative case
In the sentence  ضَرَبَ أَحْمَدٌ مُحَمَّدً (Ahmad beat Muhammad), the word أَحْمَدٌ is in the nominative case as indicated by the  ٌ  at the end of the word. Note that أَحْمَدٌ is the فَاعِلٌ (subject) of the sentence.


Accusative case
In the sentence ضَرَبَ أَحْمَدٌ مُحَمَّدً (Ahmad beat Muhammad), the word مُحَمَّدً is in the accusative case as indicated by the  ًat the end of the word. Note that مُحَمَّدً is the مَفْعُوْلٌ (object) of the sentence.


Genitive case
Words that fall into the genitive case are normally found in a prepositional phrase or possessive phrase as shown below. (This is what I know now, there could be more.)

1. Prepositional phrase: In the prepositional phrase فِي الْبَيْتِ (in the house), the word الْبَيْتِ is in the genitive case as indicated by the  ِ at the end of the word.
2. Possessive phrase: In the possessive phrase كِتَابُ اللهِ (book of الله), the word اللهِ is in the genitive case as indicated by the  ِat the end of the word.

Important note
In the beginning of this post I stated that case in Arabic is called الْاِعْرَبُ. Yes it is. In fact, as far as I know, the last vowel (or huruf) of the affected word in any case is called الْاِعْرَبُ. This brings to one very important matter in the study of Arabic language, that is, the الْاِعْرَبُ of words usually change according to how the word is used in phrases or sentences. I was told before that even a single (wrong) vowel can change the whole meaning of an Arabic sentence. So let's be careful.

Yet more practise and new words

I am now practising both nominal and verbal sentences (as though I am already an Arabic language professor :) New words, or rather pronouns, are introduced. They are:

1. أَنْتَ - you (masculine)
2. أَنْتِ - you (feminine)
3. هُوَ - he
4.  هِيَ - her

Verbal sentence practise (by Prof. Zack :)

1. أَنْتَ مِنَ الْيَابَانِ - You are from Japan.
2. أَنْتِ جَالِسَةٌ - You are sitting.
3. هُوَ ذَهَبَ إِلَى الْفَصْلِ - He went to the class.
4. هِيَ مُدَرِّسَةٌ - She is a teacher.
5. ذَهَبَ الْطَّالِبُ إِلَى الْمُدِيْرِ - The student went to the Headmaster.
6. خَرَجَ الْمُدَرِّسُ مِنَ الْفَصْلِ - The teacher went out from the classroom.
7. الْكِتَابُ عَلَى الْمَكْتَبِ - The book is on the table.
8. الْكِتَابُ فِي الْحَكِيْبَةِ - The book is in the bag.

Comment

In sentence 2 and 4, note that since the مُبْتَدَا are feminine so are theحَبَر as indicated by the ة as the last huruf.

Nominal vs verbal sentences

Today I am going deeper into nominal and verbal sentences hoping that I can really understand them. Look at the sentences below:

1. Nominal: أَحْمَدُ ذَهَبَ إِلَى الْجَامِعَةِ Ahmad went to the university.
2. Verbal: ذَهَبَ أَحْمَدُ إِلَى الْجَامِعَةِ Went Ahmad to the university.

Notice the difference between nominal and verbal sentences? A nominal sentence begins with a noun or pronoun while a verbal sentence begins with a verb. Although they literally read differently as shown in the English sentences, both sentences effectively have the same meaning? Here's another example:

1. Nominal: الْمُدَرِّسُ خَرَجَ مِنْ فَصْلٍ The teacher went out of a class.
2. Verbal: خَرَجَ الْمُدَرِّسُ مِنْ فَصْلٍ Went out the teacher of a class.

Note: Whenever I read the Quran, I notice that the Quran only uses verbal sentences (if I am correct).

Theحَبَر (predicate) of a nominal sentence
A nominal sentence consists of the مُبْتَدَا (subject) andحَبَر (predicate). The مُبْتَدَا is always a noun or pronoun. The حَبَر can be any one of the following (in green):

1. Noun: مُحَمَّدٌ طَالِبٌ Muhammad is a student.
2. Nominal sentence: أَحْمَدُ, وَالِدُهُ ذَكِيٌّ Ahmad, his father is intelligent.
3. Verbal sentence: جَالِدٌ ذَهَبَ إِلَى الْمُسْتَشْفَى Khalid went to the hospital.
4. Prepositional phrase: فَاطِمَةُ فِي الْمَطْبَخِ Fatimah is in the kitchen.

The مَفْعُوْلٌ (object) of a verbal sentence
A verbal sentence is made up of the فِعْلٌ (verb), فَاعِلٌ (subject) and مَفْعُوْلٌ (object). The فَاعِلٌ can be a person or thing, which is basically a noun. The مَفْعُوْلٌ can be any one of the following (in blue):

1. Noun: أَكَلَ أَحْمَدُ تُفَّاحًا Ahmad ate an apple.
2. Prepositional phrase: ذَهَبَ الْرَجُلُ إِلَى الْبَيْتِ The man went to the house (or the man went home).

Verbal sentence practise

Todah I begin practising verbal sentences and learning new words:

1. أَأَنْتَ مِنَ الْفِلِبِّيْنِ؟ Are you from the Philippines?
   لَا, أَنَا مِنْ إِنْكِلْتِرَا No, I am from England.
2. من أين أنت؟ Where are you from?
   أَنَا مِنَ الْهِنْدِ I am from India.
3. مِنْ أَيْنَ حَامْدٌ؟ Where is Hamid from?
   حَامِدٌ مِنَ الْبَانُ Hamid is from Albania.
4. مَنْ مِنَ الْصَيْنِ؟ Who is from China?
   خَالِدٌ مِنَ الْصِيْنِ Khalid is from China.
5. أَيْنَ ذَهَبَ عَبَّاسٌ؟ Where did Abbas went?
   ذَهَبَ عَبَّاسٌ إِلَى الْبَيْتِ Abbas went to the house (or Abbas went home).

I am a little confused with the exercises above. I don't see that the answers to questions 1 to 4 beginning with a verb. In fact, they begin with a noun or pronoun. Thus, why are they called verbal sentences and not nominal sentences? They do, however, sound like a verbal sentences. Well, I'll just have to figure it out later, إِنْ شَاءَ الله. The answer to question 5, however, does begin with a verb :)

More practice - no pain, no gain

Continuing to practice nominal sentence and learning new words:

1. اْلطَالِبُ فِى الْفَصْلِ The student is in the classroom.
2. الْطَالِبَةُ طَيِّبَةٌ The female student is noble.
3. الْجَمَلُ وَاقِفٌ The camel is standing.
4. الْدِيكُ فَوْقَ الْسَّقْفِ The rooster is on the roof.
5. الْكَلْبُ خَرَجَ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ The dog went out of the house.
6. خَالِدٌ ذَهَبَ اِلَى الْطَبِيْبِ Khalid went to the doctor.
7. الْحِصَانُ حَيَوَانٌ سَرِيْعٌ The horse is a fast animal.
8. الْحَدِيْقَةُ كَبِيْرَةٌ The garden is big.

Since I've got some free time today, I've decided to do some commentary :)

In sentence 1, the حَبَر that is فِى الْفَصْلِ is a prepositional phrase.

In sentence 2, since the مُبْتَدَأ is feminine so must be theحَبَر.

In sentence 4, I think the word فَوْقَ can also mean above.

In sentence 5, مِنَ الْبَيْتِ is a prepositional phrase.

In sentence 6, اِلَى الْطَبِيْبِ is a prepostional phrase.

In sentence 7, حَيَوَانٌ سَرِيْعٌ sounds like an adjectival phrase, doesn't it?

Nominal sentence practise and vocabulary

Today I am practising nominal sentences as well as learning new words. When making sentences it is not easy to remember the rules that I have learned in my previous lessons, for example if the خَبَر is a noun then its last huruf always takes a  ُor  ٌ, and yet if the خَبَر is a prepositional phrase then the last huruf takes a  ِor  ٍ. I hope I didn't make any mistakes, watch carefully:

1. الْطَالِبُ مَرِيضٌ The boy is sick.
2. الْأُمُّ فِي الْبَيْتِ Mother is at home.
3. الْقُرْآنُ كِتَابٌ مُقَدَّسٌ The Quran is a holy book.
4. الْبَابُ مَفْتُوحٌ The door is open.
5. الْمَرِيْضُ ذَهَبَ إِلَى الْمُسْتَشْفَى The patient went to the hospital.
6. الْمُهَنْدِسُ مُجْتَهِدٌ The engineer is hardworking.
7. آمِنَةُ بِنْتٌ طَيِّبَةٌ Aminah is a pleasant girl.
8. الْكَعْبَةُ بَيْتُ اللهِ The kaabah is the house of الله.
9. هُوَ مِنَ الْصِّينِ He is from China.
10. خَالِدٌ خَرَجَ مِنَ الْفَصْلِ Khalid went out of the classroom.

Verbal sentence

Another type of sentence is the verbal sentence called الْجُمْلَةُ الْفِعْلِيَّةٌ. Here are the rules:

1. It starts with a verb.
2. It has three parts:
   1. الْفِعْلُ verb: The study of verbs in Arabic is very complex. For now, I'm using only the masculine past tense verb called فِعْلٌ مَاضٍ. The masculine past tense verb is usually in the accusative case, that is the last huruf is a  َor  ً, for example: جَرَجَ he went out, ذَهَبَ he left (or he went), أَكَلَ he ate, ضَََرَبَ he hit (or he beat), طَرَحَ he threw.
   2. فَاعِلٌ subject: The subject is usually a noun, that is a person or thing, and is in the nominative case, that is the last huruf is a  ُor  ٌfor example أَحْمَدٌ Ahmad or الْمُدَرِّسُ the teacher.
   3. مَفْعُولٌ object: The object can be a noun which takes the accusative case, that is the last huruf is a  َor  ً, for example أَحْمَدً Ahmad or الْطَالِبَ the student. The object can also be a phrase, for example إِلَى الْبَيْتِ to the home.

Examples of verbal sentence
In the following examples the colors are: verb, subject, object

1. أَكَلَ مُحَمَّدٌ تُفَّاحًا - Muhammad ate apples.
2. ضَرَبَ أَحْمَدُ طَالِبً - Ahmad beat a student. 
3. ذَهَبَ الْمُدَرِّسُ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ - The teacher went to the mosque.
4. طَرَحَ الْوَلَدُ حَجَرً - The boy threw a stone.
5. جَلَسَ الْطَالِبُ عَلَى كُرْسِيٍّ - The student sat on a chair.       

Nominal sentence

Up until now I have been learning words, phrases and vowels. Today I am beginning to learn about sentences. The first type of sentence I am learning is called nominal sentence, or in Arabic is called الْجُملَةُ الْاِسْمِيَّةُ al jumlatu al ismiiyatu. Here are the rules of nominal sentence:

1. It always begins with a noun or pronoun.
2. It has two parts which is the subject called مُبتَدَأ mubtada and the predicate called خَبَر khabar.
3. The مُبتَدَأ must always be a noun or pronoun.
4. Generally, both the مُبتَدَأ andخَبَر are in the nominative case, that is the last huruf is a dhammah  ُor dhammatain   ٌ.

Examples of nominal sentences
The word colored in green is the مُبتَدَأ while the rest of the sentence is theخَبَر.

1. اَحمَدٌ طَالِبٌ ahmadun Taalibun. Ahmad is a student.
2. هُوَ وَلَدٌ huwa waladun. He is a boy.
3. هُوَ وَلَدٌ جَيِّدٌ huwa waladun jaiyidun. He is a good boy.
4. هِيَ طَالِبَةٌ جَيِّدَةٌ hiya Taalibatun jaiyidatun. She is a good student.
5. خَالِدٌ فِي الْمُسْتَشْفَى khaalidun fii al mustashfa. Khalid is in the hospital.
6. مُحَمَّدٌ خَرَجَ مِنَ الْجَامِعَةِ muhammadun kharaja min al jaami'ati. Muhammad went out from the university.

Interesting Noun-to-adjective Combination

I was reading my previous post and I suddenly realized that an indefinite noun combined with an adjective can sound quite differently when translated in English from a definite noun combined with an adjective, as shown below :)

1. الْوَلَدُ مَرِيضٌ al waladu mariidhun. The boy is sick.
   وَلَدٌ مَرِيضٌ waladun mariidhun. A sick boy.
2. الْرَّجُلُ طَوِيلٌ al rajulu Tawiilun. The man is tall.
   رَجُلٌ طَوِيلٌ rajulun Tawiilun. A tall man.
3. الْقَلَمُ مَكسُورٌ al qalamu maksuurun. The pen is broken.
   قَلَمٌ مَكسُورٌ qalamun maksuurun. A broken pen.
4. الْمَكتَبُ كَبِيرٌ al maktabu kabiirun. The desk is big.
   مَكتَبٌ كَبِيرٌ maktabun kabiirun. A big desk.

Spelling for هذا and ذلك

Today I am not continuing my lessons because I would like to clarify some issues about two words, هاذا and ذلك. After learning from a few sources I discovered that one source say that هاذا is spelled without an ا after ه, thus هذا. Another source would say that هاذا should be spelled with a dagger ' after ه like this, ه'ذا. I think this second way of spelling is the way it is spelled in the Quran. I am now, therefore, confused as to which to follow :) Whatever it is, since I am now focusing on general Arabic and not Quran Arabic, I have decided to follow this spelling, هذا.

As for ذلك I also discovered that sources who teach the Quran would spell ذلك with an ا after ذ like this, ذالك. Yet I think that the general arabic spelling is ذلك. Again, since I am now not focusing on the Quranic language, thus I shall follow the general spelling which is, ذلك.
I, however, would also like to reserve the right to use, at anytime, any of the following spellings: هاذا, هذا, ه'ذا, ذالك ,ذلك :)

Note also that I can now PROUDLY type the dagger ' because I discovered a new Arabic keyboard layout which is a little easier to use :)

Matching masculine and feminine words

As far as I am concerned, learning is a slow process and requires a lot of patience. In the list below, watch carefully how the words are matched in terms of masculine and feminine. If the first word is masculine then the second word must also be masculine. If the first word is feminine then the second word must also be feminine.

1. الْطَالِبُ مَرِيضٌ aTTaliibu muriidun. The male student is sick.
2. الْطَّالِبَةُ صَغِيرَةٌ aTTaalibatu Saghiiratun. The female student is young.
3. الْمُدَرِّسَةُ وَاقِفَةٌ al mudarrisu waqifatun. The male teacher is standing.
4. هَذَا طَبِيبٌ طَوِيلٌ haazaa Tabiibun Taqiilun. This doctor is tall.
5. آمِنَةُ طَوِيلَةٌ aaminatu Tawiilatun. Aminah is tall.
6. كُرسِيٌ مَكسُورٌ kursiyun maksuurun. A broken chair.
7. نَافِذَةٌ مَفْتُوحَةٌ naafizatun maftuuhun. An opened window.
8. الْبَابُ مَغلَقٌ al baabu maghlaqun. The door is closed.
9. الْقَلَمُ قَدِيمٌ al qalamu qadiimun. The pen is old.

Practise makes perfect :)

Making sentences with masculine and feminine nouns. Take note that the second last huruf of a feminine noun always takes a َ (fathah).

1. أنَا طَبِيبٌ anaa Tabiibun. I am a male doctor.
2. أنَا طَالِبَةٌ anaa Taalibatun. I am a female student.
3. أنْتَ مُدَرِّسٌ antaa mudarrisun. You are a male teacher.
4.  أنْتِ طَبِيبَةٌ antii Tabiibatun. You are a female doctor.
5. هُوَ مُهَنْدِسٌ huwa muhandisun. He is an engineer.
6. هِيَ مُمَرِّضَةٌ hiya mumarridatun. She is a nurse.
7. آمِنَةُ فِي الْمَطبَخِ aaminatu fii al maTbaghi. Aminah is in the kitchen.
8. مِن أَينَ أَنتَ؟ min aina anta? Where are you from?
   أَنَا مِنَ الْصَّينِ anaa min al Sayini. I am from China. 

Masculine and feminine

A masculine word can be changed to a feminine word by changing the last huruf of the word. There are three ways to do this:

1. Masculine: طَالِبٌ Taalibun. A male student.
   Feminine: Add ةٌ at the last huruf to become طَالِبَةٌ Taalibatun. A female student.
2. Masculine: أَيسَرُ aisaru. Left.
   Feminine: Add a ئ at the last huruf to become يُسرَئ yusraa. Left.
3. Masculine: حَسَنٌ Hasanun. Noble man.
   Feminine: Add اء at the last huruf to become حَسنَاءُ Hasna'u. Noble woman.

Note that for number 2 it is not really a ئ but it should be a أَلِفٌ مَقصُورَةٌ. I, however, can't find أَلِفٌ مَقصُورَةٌ on the keyboard :(

More words, more exercises

I  just love new words and I just love exercises :)

1. أَينَ الْكِتَابُ؟ aina al kitaabu? Where is the book?
2. أَيَاسِرٌ فِي الْمَطبَخِ؟ a yaasirun fii al maTbaghi? Is Yasir in the kitchen?
3. أَينَ مُحَمَّدٌ؟ aina muhammadun? Where is Muhammad?
   مُحَمَّدٌ فِي الْغُرفَةِ muhammadun fii al ghurfati. Muhammad is in the room.
4.  وَ أَينَ يَاسِرٌ؟ wa aina yaasirun? And where is Yasir?
   يَاسِرٌ فِي الْحَمَّامِ yaasirun fii al Hammaami. Yasir is in the wash room.
5. وَ أَينَ آمِنَةٌ؟ wa aina aaminatun? And where is Aminah?
    آمِنَةٌ فِي الْمَطبَخِ aaminatun fii al maTbaghi. Aminah is in the kitchen.
6. وَ أَينَ الْسَاعَةُ؟ wa aina al saa'atu? And where is the watch?
   السَّاعَةُ عَلَي الْسَرِيرِ assaa'atu alaa al sariiri. The watch is on the bed.
7. أَمُحَمَّدٌ فِي الْحَمَّامِ؟ a muhammadun fii al Hammaami? Is Muhammad in the washroom?
   ﻷ, بَل فِي الْغُرْفَةِ laa, bal fii al ghurfati. No, he is in the room.
8. مَن فِي الْمَطبَخِ؟ man fii al maTbaghi? Who is in the kitchen?
    آمِنَةٌ فِي الْمَطبَخِ aaninatun fii al maTbaghi. Aminah is in the kitchen.
9. مَاذَا عَلَى الْسَّرِيرِ؟ maazaa 'alaa al sariiri? What is on the bed?
   اَسَاعَةُ عَلَى الْسَّرِيرِ assaa'atu 'alaa al sariiri. The watch is on the bed.

Interrogative articles أدَاةُ اسْتِفْهَامٍ

In Arabic, interrogative articles are called أدَاةُ اسْتِفْهَامٍ addaatustifhaam as shown by the examples below:

1. أَينَ aina Where
2.  مَاذَا maazaa What
3. أ a Is
4. مَنْ man Who

Interrogative articles are used to make interrogative expressions that are used to ask questions as shown below:

1. أَينَ الْبُستَانُ؟ aina al bustaanu? Where is the garden?
2. مَاذَا عَلَى الْكِتَابِ؟ maazaa 'alaa al kitaabi? What is on the book?
3. أمِفْتَاحُ عَلَى الْكِتَابِ؟ a miftaahu 'alaa al kitaabi? Is a key on the book?
4. مَن فِى الْمَطبَاخِ؟ man fii al maTbaaghi? Who is in the kitchen?

Preposition حرف جر

Today I am learning about preposition, or in Arabic is called حُرُفُ الْجَرِّ hurufu al jarri. The first four حُرُفُ الْجَرِّ I am learning today are:

1. فِي fii in.
2. عَلََى 'alaa on.
3. مِن min from.
4. اِلَى ilaa to.

A preposition always comes before a noun. The vowel of the last letter of the noun must be changed from ُ or ٌ to ِ or ٍ. A noun that has been changed in this way is called مَجرُورٌ majrur. Effects of prepositions on nouns are shown in the examples below:

1. مَطبَخٌ maTbaghun a kitchen: فِي مَطبَخٍ fii maTbaghin in a kitchen.
2. الْحِصَانُ al HiSaanu the horse: عَلَى الْحِصَانِ 'alaa al HiSaani on the horse.
3. نَهرٌ nahrun a river: مِن نَهرٍ min nahrin from a river.
4. الْحَقلُ al HaQlu the farm: اِلَى الْحَقلِ ilaa al HaQli to the farm.

New vocabulary

There are no shortcuts in learning and there are always new words to learn. Thus, its back to making sentences using new words :)

1. الْتُّفَاحُ حُلوٌ at-tuffaahu hulwun. The apple is sweet.
2. الْمُدَرِّسُ مَرِيدٌ al-mudarrisu mariidun. The teacher is sick.
3. الْدُكَّانُ جَدِيدٌ ad-dukkanu jadiidun. The shop is new.
4. الْرَجُلُ غَنِيٌّ ar-rajulu ghaaniyyun. The man is rich.
5. الْطَالِبُ طَوِيلٌ at-Taalibu Tawiilun. The student is tall.
6. الْطَبِيبُ فَقِيرٌ at-Tabiibu faqiirun. The doctor is poor.
7. الْأََََخُ قَصِيرٌ al-akhu qaSiirun. The brother is short.

More vocabulary with ال

It is vital to memorize vocabulary when learning any language. Therefore, I am adding new words to my vocabulary while continuing to make sentences with ال:

1. الْمِنْدِيلُ وَسِخٌ al-mindiilu wasiHun. The handkerchief is dirty.
2. الْمَاءُ بَارِدٌ al-maaU baaridun. The water is cold.
3. الْقَمَرُ جَمِيلٌ al-qamaru jamiilun.The moon is beautiful.
4. الْنَهرُ قَرِيبٌ وَ الْوَادِيُ بَعِيدٌ an-nahru qariibun wal waadiyu ba'iidun. The river is near and the valley is far.
5. الْْحَجَرُ ثَقِيلٌ وَ الْوَرَقُ خَفِيفٌ al-hajaru thaqiilun wal waraqu ghafiifun. The stone is heavy and the paper is light.
6. الْلَّبَنُ حَارٌ al-labanu haarun. The milk is hot.
7. الْقَمِيصُ نَظِيفٌ al-qamiisu naZiifun.The shirt is clean.

Making sentences using ال

Making sentences using ال and new vocabulary:

1. الْكُرْسِيُ مَكْسُورٌ alkursiyu maksuurun. The chair is broken.
2. الْشُّبَاكُ مَفْتُوحٌ asshubbaaku maftuuhun. The window is open.
3. الْطَالِبُ جَالِسٌ وَ الْمُدَرِّسُ وَاقِفٌ aTTaalibu jaalisun wal mudarrisu waaKifun. The student is sitting and the teacher is standing.
4. الْسَّجَادَةُ جَدِيدٌ وَ الْمِصْبَاحُ قَدِيمٌ assajjaadatu jadiidun wal misbaahu qadiimun. The carpet is new and the lamp is old.
5. الْحِمَارُ صَغِيرٌ وَ الْحِصَانُ كَبِيرٌ al-himaaru Saghiirun wal hiSaanu kabiirun. The donkey is small and the horse is big.

The word ال the

The word ال is an article which means the. When the article ال is used before a word the tanwin at the end of the word must be changed to its definite form i.e. without its tanwin, as shown below:

1. بَيْتٌ baitun a house: اَلْبَيْتُ al-baitu the house
2. حَجَرٌ hajarun a rock: اَلْحَجَرُ al-hajaru the rock
3.  إِمَامٌ imaamun an imam: اَلْإِمَامُ al-imaamu the imam
4. مُدَرِّسٌ mudarrisun a teacher: اَلْمُدِرِّسُ al-mudarrisu the teacher
5. حَاْسُوْبٌ haasuubun a computer: اَلْحَاْسُوْبُ al-haasuubu the computer

The words ذلك that, و and

Today I am learning two words, that is:

1. ذلك zaalika meaning that.
2. و wa meaning and.

Interestingly I notice that although ذلك is written without an ا after ذ, the pronunciation is not zalika but zaalika. It is as though there is an ا after ذ making it sound like a long vowel. By the way, I am also adding new words into my vocabulary in this lesson. Time to make sentences :)

1. ما ذلك؟ maa zaalika? What is that?
   ذلك شقة zaalika shaqqatun. That is an apartment.
2. أذلك منزل؟ azaalika manzilun? Is that a house?
   ﻵ, ذلك مبنى laa, zaalika mabna. No, that is a building. 
3. ما هاذا وما ذلك؟ maa haazaa wa maa zaalika? What is this and what is that?
   هاذا تلفزيون و ذلك تلفون haazaa telefiziyyun wa zaalika tilifuun. This is a television and that is a telephone.
4. من هاذا و من ذلك؟ man haazaa wa man zaalika? Who is this and who is that?
   هاذا أخ و ذلك يتيم haazaa akhun wa zaalika yatiimun. This is a brother and that is an orphan.

Vocabulary, reading, and writing 1

Right now I am practising reading aloud and writing words and phrases that I have learnt previously. In addition, I am also adding new words in this session. Note that I do not copy and paste same words or phrases. Each word or phrase is freshly written (or typed). This helps me remember the spellings as well as become familiar with the arabic keyboard. Here goes:

1. ما هاذا؟ maa haazaa? What is this? - هاذا باب haazaa baabun. This is a door.
2. أهاذا كتاب؟ ahaazaa kitaabun? Is this a book? - نعم, هاذا كتاب na'am, haazaa kitaabun. Yes, this is book.
3. من هاذا؟ man haazaa? Who is this? - هاذا طالب haazaa taalibun. This is a student.
4. أهاذا ديك؟ ahaazaa diikun? Is this a rooster? - لا, هاذا قط laa, haazaa kittun. No, this is a cat.
5. ما هاذا؟ أهاذا كرسي؟ maa haazaa? ahaazaa kursiyyun? What is this? Is this a chair? - لا, هاذا مكتب laa, haazaa maktabun. No, this is a desk.
6. أهاذا حصان؟ ahaazaa hisaanun? Is this a horse? - نعم, هاذا حصان na'am, haazaa hisaanun. Yes, this is a horse.

Hmm, that wasn't too bad :)

من هاذا means who is this

من هاذا؟ man haazaa? means Who is this? Usage as follows:

1. من هاذا؟ maan haazaa? Who is this?
   هاذا مدرس haazaa mudarrisun. This is a teacher.
2. من هاذا؟
   هاذا طبيب ...tabiibun. ...a doctor.
3. من هاذا؟
   هاذا رجل ...rajulun. ...a man.
4. من هاذا؟
   هاذا تاجر ...taajirun. ...a merchant.
5. من هاذا؟
   هاذا ولد ...waladun. ...a boy.

أهاذا is this, نعم yes, لا no

Today I learned a phrase and two words:

1. The phrase أهاذا ahaazaa means Is this.
2. The word نعم na'am means yes.
3. The word لا laa means no.

Usage examples:

1. أهاذا جمل؟ ahaazaa jamalun? Is this a camel?
   .نعم, هاذا جمل na'am, haazaa jamalun. Yes, this is a camel.
2. أهاذا منديل؟ ...mindiilun? ...a handkerchief?
   .نعم, هاذا منديل ...
3. أهاذا بيت؟ ahaazaa baitun? Is this a house?
   .لا, هاذا مسجد laa, haazaa masjidun. No, this is a mosque.
4. أهاذا كلب؟ ...kalbun? ...a dog?
   .لا, هاذا حمار ...himaarun. ...a donkey.