Case Endings

Question 1

The Nominative Case

Answer 1

1) the subject of a verbal sentence = ذهبَ الولدُ إلى المدرسةِ. (the BOY went to school)
2) the subject and predicate of a nominal sentence = الولدُ طويلٌ (the boy is tall) or بيتُ البنتِ كبيرٌ (the girl’s house is large)
3) the vocative = أيها السيداتُ والسادةُ… (ladies and gentlemen)
4) the nominative case is also the default for words that are on their own
5) certain adverbs, regardless of their position in the sentence, take the nominative = منذُ (since) and حيثُ (where, whereas)

Question 2

The Genitive Case

Answer 2

1) the object of a preposition = إلى اليمين (to the right) or في المكتبةِ (in the library)
2) the object of a locative verb = تحتَ نورِ الشمسِ (under the sun light) or قبلَ أيامٍ (a [few] days ago)
3) the second term of an iDada = مديرُ المؤسسةِ (the foundation’s director) or غرفة التجارةِ (the chamber of commerce)

Question 3

The Accusative Case

Answer 3

1) the object of a transitive verb
- لا تشعل نارا (la tuš3il nāran) - don’t light a fire
- حضروا اللقاءَ (HaDarū l-liqā’a) - they attended the meeting

2) adverbial expressions of time, place, and manner, indicating the circumstances under which an action takes place
- تستمرُ يوما واحدا. (tastamirru yooman wāHidan.) - it lasts one day
- جاءوا فجرَ يومِ الاقتراعِ. (jā’ū fajra yoomi l-iqtirā3i.) - they came at dawn on the day of balloting
- حصلتُ حديثا على الجنسيةِ. (HaSaltu Hadītan 3ala l-jinsiyyati.) - I recently obtained citizenship

3) the internal object or cognate accusative structure. this is a way of intensifying an action by following the verb with its corresponding verbal noun (masdar) and an adjective modifying it.
- حلّت الموضوعَ حلا جذريا. (Hallati l-mawDū3a Hallan jidriyyan.) - it solved the issue fundamentally
- ساهما مساهمةَ فعّالةَ. (sāhamā musāhamatan fa33ālatan.) - they (dual) participated effectively

4) the circumstantial accusative. this is a way to describe a condition/ action going on at the same time as the main action
- رفعَ يدَه معترضا. (rafa3a yadahu mu3tariDan.) - he raised his hand objecting
- دخلَ الصفَ متأخرا. (daxala S-Saffa muta’axxiran.) - he entered his class late
- قفزتْ مذعورةً. (qafazat mad3ūratan.) - she jumped, frightened
- وقالَ ردا على سؤالِ… (wa-qāla raddan 3ala su’ālin…) - {and} he said, replying to question…

5) to show the purpose of an action, usually using an indefinite iDafa
- القواتُ تشنُ حملةً بحثا عن أسلحةٍ. (al-quwwātu tašunnu Hamlatan baHtan 3an asliHatin.) - the forces are launching a campain searching for weapons
- خلالَ حفلةِ استقبالٍ أقاموها تكريما له (xilāla Haflatin istiqbālin aqāmūha takrīman lahu) - during a reception they gave in his honor

6) the accusative of specification; often answers the question “in what way?. Includes the comparative/ superlative and counted nouns between 11 and 99.
- نعلنُ ذاكَ قولا وفعلا. (nu3linu dāka qawlan wa-fi3lan.)
We announce that in speech and action.
- كانتْ أكبرَ عاصمةٍ جاها وفخامةً. (kānat akbara 3āSimatin jāhan wa-faxāmatan.)
It was the greatest capital in fame and splendor.
- في عشرينَ مجلّدا (fī 3išrīna mujalladan)
in twenty volumes
- على مدى خمسةً عشرَ عاما (3ala mada xamsata 3ašra 3āman)
for fifteen years

Question 4

Feminine plural nouns ending in ‘et’…

Answer 4

change any fatha that would ordinarily go at the end to a kasra:

غسلَ الرجلُ السياراتِ. (ġasala l-rajulu s-sayyārāti.)
The man washed the cars. It has to be sayyārāti, not sayyārāta!

Question 5

Dual and Plural Nouns

Answer 5

Note that dual and regular plural nouns like بنتان (bintān, two girls) or مصريون (miSriyūn, Egyptians) change endings in the genitive case; the ـان (ān) becomes ـين (-ein), and the ـون (ūn) becomes ـين (-īn).

• هذانِ الكتابانُ (hādāni l-kitaabaanu) - these two books
• في هذينِ الكتابينِ (fī hādeini l-kitābeini) - in these two books
• عقدَ المديرُ اجتماعاً مع الموظفينَ. (3aqada l-mudīru ijtimā3an ma3a l-muwaZZafīna.)
  The director held a meeting with the employees.

Question 6

Sisters of كان

• كان (to be)
• ليس (not to be)
• أصبح / صار / بات / أمسى (to become)
• ظل / بقى (to remain)
• ما زال / ما دام / دام (to continue to be/ still be)

Answer 6

If you put any of these words in a sentence, it will change the predicate (الخبر) from the nominative case (المرفوع) to the accusative case (المنصوب).

• الولدُ طويلٌ (al-waladu Tawiilun) - the boy is tall&raquo_space; كان الولدُ طويلا (kaana l-waladu Tawiilan) - the boy was tall
• الشعبُ متفائلُ (aš-ša3bu mutafaa’ilun) - the people are optimistic&raquo_space; ما زالَ الشعبُ متفائلا (ma zaala š-ša3bu mutafaa’ilan) - the people are still optimistic

Question 7

Sisters of إنّ

• إنّ (indeed)
• أنّ (that)
• لكنّ (but)
• لأن (because)
• كأن (as if)
• لعلّ (perhaps)

Answer 7

If you put any of these words in a sentence, it will change the subject (المبتداء) from the nominative case (المرفوع) to the accusative case (المنصوب).

• الولدُ طويلٌ (al-waladu Tawiilun) - the boy is tall&raquo_space; إنّ الولدَ طويلٌ (inna l-walada Tawiilun) - indeed the boy is tall
• البنتُ مريضةٌ (al-bintu muriiDatun) - the girl is sick&raquo_space; قالت البنتَ إنها مريضهٌ (qaalat al-binta innaha muriiDatun) - the girl said that she is sick.

Question 8

Sisters of ظنّ (verbs of perception and transformation)

• ظنّ (to believe, suppose)
• اعتبر (to consider)
• رأى (to see, perceive, deem)
• وجد (to find, deem)
• عدّ (to consider, deem)
• صيّر (to convert)
• جعل (to make)
• اتخذ (to take, adopt (as))
• ترك (to leave)

Answer 8

If you put any of these words in a sentence, it will change both the subject (المبتداء) and the predicate (الخبر) to the accusative case

• الاجتماعُ ضروريٌ (al-ijtimaa3u Daruuriyyun) - the meeting is necessary&raquo_space; نعتبرٌ الاجتماعَ ضروريا (na3atabiru l-ijtimaa3a Daruuriyyan) - we consider the meeting to be necessary
• البابُ مفتوحٌ (al-baabu maftuuHun) - the door is open&raquo_space; تركَ البابَ مفتوحاٌ (taraka l-baaba maftuuHan) - he left the door open
• القيادةُ سهلةٌ (al-qiyaadatu sahlatun) - driving is easy&raquo_space; ظن أحمد القيادةَ سهلةَ (Zanna aHmad al-qiyaadata sahlatan) - Ahmed beleived driving was easy