Grammatical Themes Lesson 3 Flashcards
Genitive Case
UNIT 13
حَالَةُ الْجَرِّ
In Arabic grammar, prepositions (حُروف جَرّ) are words that link a noun (or pronoun) to other words in a sentence, indicating the relationship between them. Prepositions show concepts such as place, time, direction, cause, and manner.
For example:
• فِى (in) – indicates location or place.
• مِنْ (from) – shows direction or origin.
• إِلَى (to) – indicates direction or movement.
What happens to a noun when a preposition is placed before it in Arabic?
Rule No. 25
In Arabic, when one of the 17 prepositions (like مِنْ, إِلَى, فِى) comes before a noun, it changes the noun into the genitive case (حَالَةُ الْجَرِّ).
If the noun is definite, it takes a kasrah (ِك).
If the noun is indefinite, it takes a kasrah tanwin (كٍ).
Examples:
* هُوَ فِى الْغُرْفَةِ (He is in the room): The noun الْغُرْفَةِ is definite, so it has kasrah.
* مِنْ بَيْتٍ إِلَى مَسْجِدٍ (From a house to a mosque): The nouns بَيْتٍ and مَسْجِدٍ are indefinite, so they take kasrah tanwin.
In Arabic grammar, prepositions (حُروف جَرّ) are words that link a noun (or pronoun) to other words in a sentence, indicating the relationship between them. Prepositions show concepts such as place, time, direction, cause, and manner.
Rule No. 25
Uni 13 Interjection/Vocative particles
How do Arabs call someone’s attention using vocative (interjection) particles?
Rule No. 25
Arabs use يَا (O! M+F) to call someone. But the noun after يَا does not take “اَلْ” (definite article)—even though it is still considered definite!
✅ يَا وَلَدُ! (O boy!) – No اَلْ, no tanwin
✅ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ! (O people!) – Use أَيُّهَا before definite nouns
Rule No. 25
In Arabic, vocative particles (حُرُوفُ النِّدَاءِ) like يَا (O! M1+F2) are used to get someone’s attention.
🔹 Key Rule:
يَا cannot be followed by the definite article (اَلْ).
However, the noun after يَا is still considered definite even without اَلْ, so it does not take tanwin.
🔹 Examples:
✅ يَا وَلَدُ ! (O boy!)
✅ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ! (O people!)
📌 Tip: Use أَيُّهَا (M) / أَيَّتُهَا (F) before definite nouns like النَّاسُ to keep the meaning clear!
Unit 13 Interjection / Vocative particles
Q: How do Arabs use interjection (vocative) particles to call someone’s attention?
Rule No. 26
Arabs use حُرُوفُ النِّدَاءِ (Vocative Particles) like:
يَا (O!) for both genders (M1+F2)
أَيُّهَا (O you! M1) for males
أَيَّتُهَا (O you! F1) for females
🔎 Key Rule:
After يَا, the noun cannot have the definite article (اَلْ).
But the noun is still understood as definite without tanwin.
🔹 Examples:
يَا وَلَدُ! مَا هَذِهِ؟ (O boy! What is this?)
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ! (O people!)
📌 Tip: Use أَيُّهَا or أَيَّتُهَا before definite nouns for clearer emphasis!
unit 13 Interjection / Vocative particles
How do Arabs call someone’s attention using vocative particles?
Rule No. 26
Arabs use يَا (O!) to call someone.
🔎 Key Rule:
After يَا, don’t use اَلْ (the) with the noun.
The noun is still understood as definite.
🔹 Examples:
يَا وَلَدُ! (O boy!)
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ! (O people!)
📌 Tip:
Use أَيُّهَا for males and أَيَّتُهَا for females when calling groups or emphasizing.
Unit 13 Interjection / Vocative particles
How do you use أَيُّهَا and أَيَّتُهَا for calling attention in Arabic?
Rule Number 27
أَيُّهَا is used for males.
أَيَّتُهَا is used for females.
They are always followed by a noun with اَلْ (the definite article).
🔎 Examples:
يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّجُلُ (O man!)
يَا أَيَّتُهَا الْمَرْأَةُ (O woman!)
📌 Tip: Use these when addressing with respect or making formal announcements!
UNIT 14 - The Combination of Interrogative Particles: Rule 28
How do Arabic question words combine with prepositions?
A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence. It often describes location, direction, time, or the way something happens.
In Arabic, question words like مَا, مَنْ, and أَيْنَ can join with prepositions to ask questions.
🔎 Easy Examples:
بِمَ → With what?
مِمَّ → From what?
مِمَّنْ → From whom?
فِيمَ → In what?
لِمَنْ → To whom? / Whose?
لِمَ → Why?
عَلَامَ → On what?
مِنْ أَيْنَ → From where?
📌 Tip: Just combine the preposition with the question word for quick and easy questions!
The Combination of Interrogative Particles: Rule 28
Rule No. 28
What happens when a preposition combines with an interrogative particle in Arabic?
When a preposition joins with an interrogative particle like مَنْ, the preposition does not affect it with a genitive case.
🔎 Key Points:
The final ن in مَنْ usually stays sakinah اْ No kasrah or tanwin.
But if the next word starts with Hamzat al-Wasl (اَلْ), it may take a temporary kasrah for easier pronunciation.
🔹 Examples:
لِمَنْ هَذَا الْحَرْثُ؟ → For whom is this field? (ن stays quiescent)
لِمَنِ الْمُلْكُ؟ → To whom belongs the kingdom? (Temporary kasrah for smoother speech)
📌 Tip: Think of the kasrah as a helper sound, not a grammatical change!
Rule No. 28 The Combination of Interrogative Particles:
What happens when a preposition joins with a question word in Arabic?
The preposition does not change the question word (مَنْ).
🔎 Key Points:
مَنْ stays with a sukoon بْ unless it’s easier to pronounce with a temporary kasrah اِ .
This only happens when the next word starts with اَلْ.
🔹 Examples:
لِمَنْ هَذَا؟ → For whom is this? (No kasrah)
لِمَنِ الْمُلْكُ؟ → To whom belongs the kingdom? (With kasrah for smooth pronunciation)
📌 Tip: Think of the kasrah as a helper sound, not a permanent change!
Unit 15 Pronoun Suffix Rule No. 29
How do pronoun suffixes combine with prepositions in Arabic?
In Arabic, pronoun suffixes (like هُ, هَا, ي) can attach to prepositions to express relationships.
🔎 Examples:
مِنْ + هُ → مِنْهُ (From him)
مِنْ + هَا → مِنْهَا (From her)
إِلَى + هُ → إِلَيْهِ (To him)
إِلَى + ي → إِلَيَّ (To me)
عَلَى + هُ → عَلَيْهِ (On him)
عَلَى + ي → عَلَيَّ (On me)
🔎 Phonetics Tip:
After مِنْ + اَلْ (Hamzat al-Wasl), the نْ takes a fathah (َ) for easier pronunciation:
مِنَ الْمَدْرَسَةِ (From the school)
إِلَى + هُ becomes إِلَيْهِ (To him) for smooth flow.
📌 Remember: Pronoun suffixes make sentences clearer and more direct!
Unit 15 Pronoun Suffix Rule No. 29
How do pronoun suffixes work with prepositions in Arabic?
Pronoun suffixes like هُ, هَا, ي can attach to prepositions to show who the action is related to.
🔎 Easy Examples:
مِنْهُ → From him (مِنْ + هُ)
مِنْهَا → From her (مِنْ + هَا)
إِلَيْهِ → To him (إِلَى + هُ)
إِلَيَّ → To me (إِلَى + ي)
عَلَيْهِ → On him (عَلَى + هُ)
عَلَيَّ → On me (عَلَى + ي)
📌 Tip: If a word starts with اَلْ after مِنْ, add a fathah (َ) for smoother speech:
مِنَ الْمَدْرَسَةِ → From the school
🔎 Phonetics Tip:
After مِنْ + اَلْ (Hamzat al-Wasl), the نْ takes a fathah (َ) for easier pronunciation:
مِنَ الْمَدْرَسَةِ (From the school)
إِلَى + هُ becomes إِلَيْهِ (To him) for smooth flow.
📌 Remember: Pronoun suffixes make sentences clearer and more direct!
Rules to remember
When a preposition is used before a noun in Arabic, the noun typically becomes in the genitive case (المجرور), which is marked by a kasrah at the end of the noun.
How do you form “my” in Arabic, and how do diacritical marks work with possessive nouns?
Steps to Add “My” in Arabic (Suffix: “ي”)
1. Start with the noun: • Example: • كِتَاب (book) • بَيْت (house) • سَيَّارَة (car) • غُرْفَة (room) 2. Remove the “ة” (taa marbuta) (if applicable): • If the word ends with “ة,” change it to “ت”: • غُرْفَة → غُرْفَت • حَديقَة → حَديقت 3. Add the suffix “ي” (for “my”): • The possessive suffix “ي” is added after removing “ة” (if present). • كِتَاب → كِتَابِي (my book) • بَيْت → بَيْتِي (my house) • سَيَّارَة → سَيَّارَتِي (my car) • غُرْفَة → غُرْفَتِي (my room) 4. Apply diacritical marks: • The diacritics guide pronunciation: • كِتَابِي (Kitābī) • بَيْتِي (Baytī) • سَيَّارَتِي (Siyāratī) • غُرْفَتِي (Ghurfatī)
How do you form “my” in Arabic, and how do diacritical marks work with possessive nouns?
- Start with the Noun
Each noun has its basic form. For example:
• كِتَاب (book)
• بَيْت (house)
• سَيَّارَة (car)
• كُرْسِي (chair)
• حَديقَة (garden)
• غُرْفَة (room)
• قَلَم (pen)
• هَاتِف (phone)
- Remove the Ending “ة” (if applicable)
Arabic nouns that end with “ة” (taa marbuta), like “غرفة” (room) or “حديقة” (garden), typically drop the “ة” and change it to “ت” before adding possessive pronouns.
• غرفة → غرفـت
• حديقة → حديقت
- Add the Possessive Suffix for “My”
The suffix for “my” is “ي” (pronounced “ī”), which is added to the noun after removing the “ة” (if applicable).
- Apply the Correct Diacritical Marks
Arabic words use diacritical marks to indicate proper pronunciation. Here’s how each noun changes with the addition of “ي”:
How to apple the ‘my’ pronoun suffix to a noun? (Example)
My book
• كِتَاب (book)
• Add “ي” for “my” → كِتَابِي
• Diacritical breakdown:
• كِتَابِي (Kitābī)
• كَ (fatha) on ك
• تَ (fatha) on ت
• ا (sukun) on ا
• بِ (kasra) on ب
My room
• غُرْفَة (room)
• Add “ي” → غُرْفَتِي
• Diacritical breakdown:
• غُرْفَتِي (Ghurfatī)
• غُ (damma) on غ
• رْ (sukun) on ر
• فَ (fatha) on ف
• تِ (kasra) on ت
