Jordanian Arabic Grammar For Beginners
Jordanian Arabic Grammar For Beginners
Jordanian Arabic Grammar For Beginners
CONTENTS
Introduction..1
Section A.. 2
1. Alphabet.....................3
2. Vowels.............. 5
3. Writing System. 7
Section B............... 10
4. Subject Pronouns..
11
5. Possessive Pronouns..13
Section C 15
6. Present Tense: Common Irregular Verbs.. 16
7. A Quick Introduction to Three Letter Roots..
8. Present Tense: Regular Verbs..
9. Present Tense with ..24
10. Imperative..25
11. Future Tense
29
12. Past Tense
31
Section D .36
13. Nouns & Adjectives
37
14. Plural
38
15. Before & After
39
16. The Definite Article .
40
17. Comparative and Superlative
41
Section E ..
44
18. Still / Not Yet 45
19. That . 45
20. Become / happen / befall
46
21. Conditional ..47
22. Modal Expressions
48
23. Negations . 49
24. Relative Clause.. 50
25. The i-Daafa.51
26. Noun-adjective phrases52
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Section
A
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Table 1.1
Arabic
ain
ghain
Gh
faa
qaaf
kaaf
laam
F
G
K
L
no equivalent
father
goal
kind
lemon
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miim
nuun
M
N
haa
H
waaw w/uu/oo
yaa
y/ii/ee
o
M
N
H
W
Y
month
number
Happy
way - food
yard - visa
To practice the ghayn, imitate gargling water in your throat with your head
slightly tilted back. The ghayn is made a little lower in your throat than the
kha, but it is a similar rough, vibrating sound.
4) In Modern Standard Arabic, and in many regions in the Middle East outside of
Jordan, the qaaf is pronounced as a Q sound in the back of your throat. You
will mostly hear the formal pronunciation when discussing the news,
academic matters, technical vocabulary, or any other more formal
conversations.
Long Vowel
Pronunciation
Example
aa (e.g. flag)
(delicious) zaakii -
uu (e.g. shoes)
(sweater) bluuza -
ii (e.g. piece)
(airplane) Kursii -
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To understand how long vowels are formed & used in Arabic, look at the three
examples below:
With
With
With
raa
daa
maa
ruu
duu
muu
rii
dii
mii
Table 2.2
Short Vowel
Symbol
Pronunciation
fatHa /
-----
Damma /
-----
kasra /
-----
Sukuun /
-----
shadda /
-----
tanwiin fateH/
-----
tanwiin Damma /
-----
tanwiin kasra /
-----
Notes:
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OTHER SYMBOLS
Hamza
Tar marbuta
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Note(s):
1. is not from the Alphabet. It is two letters joint together ( + ) =
2. The two long vowels and , and four consonants , , , only connect to
the preceding side. All other letters connect to both sides.
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Section
B
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4. SUBJECT PRONOUNS
In Jordanian Arabic, the subject pronouns parallel subject pronouns in English, except they
nd
1
include more versions of the 2 person (you).
The subject pronouns in Arabic are:
Table 4.1
English
Arabic
Transliteration
Ana
You (masculine)
in-ta
You (feminine)
in-ti
You (plural)
in-tu
He
hu-wa
She
hi-ya
They
hum-ma
We
iH-na
English
Arabic
Transliteration
I am Ali
ana ali
Examples:
There are many other subject pronouns used in formal Arabic that are not used in spoken
Arabic (and rarely used in news or print media), so we will not go over them here. However,
rd
one exception is hunna, which is the feminine 3 person plural used to describe all female
groups. This is used in some regional dialects in Jordan and sometimes in the media, but
more generally humma is used regardless of the gender of the group.
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inti urduniya?
intu mutaTawiin?
He is Jordanian
huwa urdunii
She is American
hiya amriikiya
humma Tolaab
We are teachers
iHna 2mualimiin
5. POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS
In Arabic we use the following connected pronouns with nouns (and
prepositions) as a suffix to express possession. Again, these are attached to
the end of a noun (or preposition). Some irregular verbs are conjugated using
these suffixes, which we will cover in another section.
Table 5.1
My
...
Your (M)
...
Your (F)
...
Your (PL)
...
His
...
Her
...
Their
...
Our
...
Example 1:
Name
English
Arabic
Transliteration
My name
is-mii
is-mak
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is-mik
isim-kuu
His name
is-moh
Her name
isim-ha
Their name
isim-hom
Our name
isim-na
English
Arabic
Transliteration
My book
Kitaabii
Kitaabak
Kitaabik
Kitaabkuu
His book
Kitaaboh
Her book
Kitaabha
Their book
Kitaabhom
Our book
Kitaabna
Example 2:
Example 3:
Book
School
When a noun ends in taa marbuuta , we drop and replace it with before
adding the possessive pronoun.
English
Arabic
Transliteration
My school
mad-rastii
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mad-rastak
mad-rastik
mad-rasatkuu
His school
mad-rastoh
Her school
mad-rasatha
Their school
mad-rasathom
Our school
mad-rasatna
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Section
C
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Arabic
Transliteration
I want
ana bed-dii
in-ta bed-dak
in-ti bed-dik
in-tu bed-kuu
He wants
hu-wa bed-doh
She wants
hi-ya bed-ha
They want
hum-ma bed-hom
We want
iH-na bed-na
English
Arabic
Transliteration
I have
ana en-dii
in-ta en-dak
in-ti en-dik
in-tu end-kuu
He has
hu-wa en-doh
She has
hi-ya end-ha
They have
hum-ma end-hum
We have
iH-na end-na /
en-na
To have:
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General Notes:
1) With ( )we can use both ( / ). Generally, ( ) is used
more often.
2) Precede ( to want), ( to have), with ( to be)
conjugated in the past tense to put these verbs in the past
tense.
I wanted
... ()
I had
... ()
I dont need
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Madrassa
Mudar-res
Tad-ress
He studied.
He taught. (Or: he made
someone to study).
A study or lesson (Or:
something that you
study)
School (Or: a place
where one studies)
Teacher (Or: one who
makes someone study)
Teaching, instruction
(Or: the act of making
someone study)
There are many different ways to derive different meanings from the roots, and not
every structure applies to every verb. Because you are learning ammeya, as
opposed to Modern Standard Arabic, you will find the patterns arent always
consistent. However, here are some general guidelines:
Words that start with mu generally refer to a person ( mudeer (), mualima
(), mutaTaweeya () )
o Example of an exception: mujaamma (), which means bus
station
Words that start with ma generally refer to a place (madrassa (),
maktab () )
Words that have a ya between the last two letters of the root are usually
adjectives (kareem (), laTyeef ( generous, kind), kabeer (;), big)
o This does not apply to words like taaleem( )or taTweer
(()education and development). Note that these words begin
with a ta that is not part of the root. These words are nouns, and are
derived from verbs (see the verb chart for more information)
Verbs have a very specific pattern, please see the Verb Chart for more
information
He wrote.
Ki-tab
Mak-taba
Ja-ma-aa
He gathered OR He
Ja-meey-aa
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united.
Ij-te-ma-aa
aa-ra-fa
He knew.
Ma-aa-roof
ii-ti-raaf
(gathering of people)
Meeting (gathering of
people)
Known
Recognition
Example 1: To study
English
Arabic
Transliteration
I study
ana adrus
inta tidrus
inti tidrusii
intu tidrusuu
He studies
hu-wa yidrus
She studies
hi-ya tidrus
They study
hum-ma yidrusuu
We study
iHna nidrus
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Example 2: To drink
English
Arabic
Transliteration
I drink
ana ash-rab
inta tish-rab
inti tish-rabii
intu tish-rabuu
He drinks
hu-wa yish-rab
She drinks
hi-ya tish-rab
They drink
hum-ma yish-rabuu
We drink
iHna nish-rab
*Practice:
, , , , , , , ,
,,
These are verbs in which the second letter in the three-letter root is a vowel (alif ,
wow , ya ). In the present tense, the vowel does not change.
There are three long vowels in Arabic. All three follow the same pattern: the long
vowel remains intact in all conjugations of the verb.
I.
Arabic
Transliteration
I say
ana aguul
inta t-guul
inti t-guulii
intu t-guuluu
He says
huwa y-guul
She says
hiya t-guul
They say
humma y-guuluu
We say
iHna n-guul
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*Practice:
II.
Arabic
Transliteration
I sleep
ana anaam
inta tanaam
inti tanaamii
intu tanaamuu
He sleeps
hu-wa yanaam
She sleeps
hiya tanaam
They sleep
hum-ma yanaamuu
We sleep
iHna nanaam
*Practice:
III.
, ,
, ,
English
Arabic
Transliteration
I bring
ana ajiib
inta tajiib
inti tajiibii
inta tajiibuu
He brings
hu-wa yajiib
She brings
hi-ya tajiib
They bring
hum-ma yajiibuu
We bring
iHna najiib
*Practice:
, ,
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,,
In these verbs, the last letter in the three-letter root is a long vowel. All verbs with
any of the three long vowels at the end follow the same pattern. The long vowel
remains unchanged at the end of the verb except in the inti , into , and
humma forms. In these cases, we drop the long vowel and replace it with the
suffix which corresponds to that particular pronoun, as seen in the first two verb
patterns.
I.
Arabic
Transliteration
I nap
ana agh-fuu
inta tigh-fuu
inti tigh-fii
intu tigh-fuu
He naps
hu-wa yigh-fuu
She naps
hi-ya tigh-fuu
They nap
hum-ma yigh-fuu
We nap
iHna nigh-fuu
Practice:
II.
Arabic
Transliteration
I read
ana ag-raa
inta ti-graa
inti tig-rii
intu tig-ruu
He reads
hu-wa yig-raa
She reads
hi-ya tig-raa
They read
hum-ma yig-ruu
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We read
Practice:
III.
iHna nig-raa
English
Arabic
Transliteration
I cry
ana ab-kii
inta tib-kii
inti tib-kii
intu tib-kuu
He cries
huwa yib-kii
She cries
hiya tib-kii
They cry
hum-ma yib-kuu
We cry
iHna nib-kii
Practice:
, ,
Arabic
Transliteration
I like
ana aHeb-b
inta t-Heb-b
inti t-Heb-bii
intu t-Heb-buu
He likes
huwa yeHeb-b
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She likes
hiya t-Heb-b
They like
hum-ma yeHeb-buu
We like
iHna n-Heb-b
English
Arabic
Transliteration
I reply
ana arud-d
inta tarud-d
inti tarud-dii
intu tarud-duu
He replies
hu-wa yarud-d
She replies
hi-ya - tarud-d
They reply
hum-ma yarud-duu
We reply
iHna narud-d
Example 2: To reply
Practice:
Example: To walk
English
Arabic
Transliteration
I walk
ana bam-shii
Inta
Inti
Into
He walks
Hwwa
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She walks
Hyya
They walk
Humma
We walk
iHna
English
Arabic
Transliteration
I like
Ana
Inta
Inti
Into
He likes
Hwwa
She likes
Hyya
They like
Humma
We like
iHna
Example: To like
When you conjugate with the , you only need to use it on the first verb. Any
following verbs will be conjugated in present tense based on the subject of the
sentence, as in Section 8. For example:
Ina bidee arohh aal dukan.
Heya bithab temshee
10. Imperative
The imperative or command form is based on the present tense second
forms. The imperative can be used in the affirmative open the door or
negative dont open the door.
A. Affirmative Imperative
In general, the imperative is formed by taking the present tense conjugated
with the subject pronouns, then dropping the first letter of the verbs, but every
verb category has its exception:
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1) Verbs with no long vowels: the first letter of the verb in the present
tense is replaced by ().
Example 1:
Verb (to open)
Imperative
Transliteration
Present
Transliteration
You (m.)
if-taH
tif-taH
You (f.)
if-taHii
tif-taHii
You (pl.)
if-taHuu
tif-taHuu
Imperative
Transliteration
Present
Transliteration
You (m.)
ish-rub
tish-rub
You (f.)
ish-rubii
tish-rubii
You (pl.)
ish-rubuu
tish-rubuu
Example 2:
2) Verbs with a long vowel in the middle: the first letter of the present
tense is dropped.
Example 1:
Verb (to say)
Imperative
Transliteration
Present
Transliteration
Guul
inta t-guul
Guuluu
Verb (to
sleep)
Imperative
Transliteration
Present
Transliteration
You (m.)
Naam
inta tanaam
You (m.)
You (f.)
You (pl.)
Guulii
inti t-guulii
intu t-guuluu
Example 2:
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You (f.)
Naamii
inti tanaamii
You (pl.)
Naamuu
intu tanaamuu
3. Verbs with a long vowel at the end: the first letter of the verb in the
present tense in replaced with ()
Example 1:
Verb (to
speak)
Imperative
Transliteration
Present
Transliteration
iH-kii
inta tiH-kii
iH-kuu
Imperative
Transliteration
Present
Transliteration
You (m.)
ig-raa
inta tig-raa
You (m.)
You (f.)
You (pl.)
iH-kii
inti tiH-kii
intu tiH-kuu
Example 2:
You (f.)
You (pl.)
ig-rii
ig-ruu
inti tig-rii
intu tig-ruu
4. Verbs that are stressed: the first letter of the present tense is dropped
Example 1:
Verb (to put)
You (m.)
You (f.)
You (pl.)
Imperative
Transliteration
Present
Transliteration
HuT-T
inta tiHuT-T
HuT-Tii
HuT-Tuu
inti tiHuT-Tii
intu tiHuT-Tuu
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Example 2:
Verb (to reply)
Imperative
Transliteration
Present
Transliteration
You (m.)
rud-d
inta tarud-d
You (f.)
rud-dii
inti tarud-dii
You (pl.)
rud-duu
intu tarud-duu
Note: categories 1 & 3 (no long vowel & long vowel at the end) have the same
conjugation. Also, categories 2 & 4 (long vowel in the middle & stressed
verbs) have the same conjugation.
B. Negative Imperative
The negative imperative or negative command uses the standard present
tense conjugation (suffixes and prefixes) preceded by ...( more common) or
Imperative
Transliteration
You (m.)
la tish-rub
You (f.)
la tish-rubii
You (pl.)
la tish-rubuu
Imperative
Transliteration
You (m.)
la ta-guul
You (f.)
la ta-guulii
You (pl.)
la ta-guuluu
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Imperative
Transliteration
You (m.)
la tab-kii
You (f.)
la tab-kii
You (pl.)
la tab-kuu
Imperative
Transliteration
You (m.)
la ta-heb
You (f.)
la ta-hebii
You (pl.)
la ta-hebuu
English
Arabic
Transliteration
I will work
He will work
We will work
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Example 2: To study
English
Arabic
Transliteration
I will study
He will study
We will study
Example 1:
The volunteers will work with the Ministry
of Education.
Example 2:
They will go to the airport
Example 3:
The trainees will go to their sites
While you will rarely use the present tense conjugation of kaan ( )in the present,
you can pair it with rah ( )to use it in the future.
Examples:
They will be teachers in their new
villages.
Like the present tense, there are four verb categories for the past tense. In general,
the past tense is formed by conjugating the verb in the present tense with the subject
pronoun ( ana), and dropping the . Then, certain suffixes are added depending
on the subject pronoun (no prefixes are added in the past tense). Verbs with
(huwa) have no suffix added.
1) Verbs with no long vowels
Notice in the example(s) below, where the vowel markings for the subject pronouns
huwa, hiya, and humma change from shrib to shirb. This applies to all verbs.
Example 1: To drink
English
Arabic
Transliteration
I drank
ana shribit
inta shribit
inti shribtii
intu shribtuu
He drank
hu-wa shirib
She drank
hi-ya shirbat
They drank
hum-ma shirbuu
We drank
iHna shribnaa
English
Arabic
Transliteration
Ana taabet
You (m.)
Inta taabet
You (f.)
Inti taabetii
You (pl.)
Into taabetuu
He
hu-wa taab
She
hi-ya taabbet
They
hum-ma taabuu
We
iHna taabnaa
For verbs with a long vowel in the middle, the same suffixes are added as in the
example above, and the long vowel is replaced by a short vowel. With the subject
pronouns , , the long vowel is replaced by ( ) .
Note: In Type 2 verbs with a shedda over the vowel, the vowel acts as a consonant.
It does not change in the past tense.
Example 1: To go (long vowel in the middle )
I.
English
Arabic
Transliteration
I went
ana ruH-t
inta ruH-t
inti ruH-tii
intu ruH-tuu
He went
hu-wa raaH
She went
hi-ya raaHat
They went
hum-ma raaHuu
We went
iHna ruHnaa
Arabic
Transliteration
I slept
ana nimet
inta nimet
inti nim-tii
intu nim-tuu
He slept
hu-wa naam
She slept
hi-ya naamat
They slept
hum-ma naamuu
We slept
iHna nimna
*Note: In spoken Arabic, you do not hear the present tense of the verb to be in the
ways we use it in English, such as with noun/adjective phrases or with any present
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tense verbs (The car is green or Is she coming over?). However, we do use TO
BE in the past tense as shown in the following example.
Example 3: To be
English
Arabic
Transliteration
I was
ana kunt
inta kunt
inti kuntii
intu kuntuu
He was
hu-wa kaan
She was
hi-ya kaanat
They were
hum-ma kaanuu
We were
iHna kun-naa
The use of to be in the past tense is more similar to English: The house was clean
(al-bayt kaan naDiif) or She was eating dinner (heya kaant tetaashaa)
.
English
Arabic
Transliteration
ana ta-Ashayt
You (m.)
inta ta-Ashayt
You (f.)
inti ta-Ashaytii
You (pl.)
into ta-Ashaytuu
He
hu-wa ta-Ashaa
She
hi-ya ta-Ashaat
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They
hum-ma ta-Ashuu
We
iHna ta-Ashayna
English
Arabic
Transliteration
ana gha-nayt
You (m.)
inta gha-nayt
You (f.)
inti gha-naytii
You (pl.)
into gha-naytuu
He
hu-wa ghan-naa
She
hi-ya ghan-net
They
hum-ma ghan-nuu
We
iHna gha-naynaa
Example 2: I sing -
Example 1: I extend -
English
Arabic
Transliteration
ana shed-dayt
You (m.)
inta shed-dayt
You (f.)
inti shed-daytii
You (pl.)
into shed-daytuu
He
hu-wa shed-da
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She
hi-ya shed-det
They
hum-ma shed-duu
We
iHna shed-naa
English
Arabic
Transliteration
ana Huut-tayt
You (m.)
inta Huut-tayt
You (f.)
inti Huut-taytii
You (pl.)
into Huut-taytuu
He
hu-wa Huut-ta
She
hi-ya Huut-tat
They
hum-ma Huut-tuu
We
iHna Huut-naa
Example 2: I put -
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Section
D
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Examples:
English
Arabic
Transliteration
Big/ Old
kabiir / kabiira
Small / Young
zaghiir / zaghiira
Tall
Tawiil / Tawiila
Short
gaSiir / gaSiira
A lot
kathiir / kathiira
A little
galiil / galiila
New
jadiid / jadiida
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14. Plural
The Arabic plural system, especially the irregular plural, is one of the most
problematic parts of the Arabic language for non-native speakers. Most plurals
appear irregular, but actually have a pattern based on internal changes (similar to
mouse-mice or goose-geese in English), rather than adding suffixes (like s or es in
English).
Fortunately, there are two more or less regular ways to make plurals in Arabic:
1) The masculine plural: adding ( )to the masculine noun and changing the last
short vowel to ". This is only for some masculine nouns which refer directly to
men (or mixed company). This does not apply to non-human nouns, and there are
(student).
human exceptions, such as Tulab
Arabic
English
Plural (m.)
Singular (m.)
Trainee (m.)
Volunteer (m.)
Teacher (m.)
Singular (f.)
Volunteer ( f )
Hour ( f )
Plane ( f )
All other plural forms follow an internal pattern (or they are just completely irregular).
Here are some common patterns:
3) The broken plural: it is called broken because the noun is split, or broken in the
middle, and a long vowel is added. Finding the three-letter root and how it has been
derived is a good way to notice the pattern in these types of verbs. Weve shown you
some regular broken plurals below to help show the pattern. For plurals which do not
fit a regular pattern, the best way to learn is to memorize the plurals along with the
singular when learning new vocabulary.
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Arabic
English
Plural
Singular
Pen (m)
Film (m)
Flag (m)
Tooth (m)
Gift (f)
President (m)
House (m)
(gebel + noun)
After
(baed + noun)
Example(s)
They spoke to us after visiting the
museum.
2. With Verbs:
To express before & after with a verb, add before the verb
Before
After
(gebel ma + verb)
(baed ma + verb)
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Jordan/
Madaba/
Kuwait/
Maeen/
Saudi Arabia/
Maaan/
Aqaba/
Tafila/
Hussein/
Lebanon/
Pronunciation
The definite article is pronounced as al- or el-, or sometimes just l-. When the
article precedes certain sounds, the l- is not pronounced. It is assimilated into the
following sound, and that sound, as a result, doubles or becomes stronger. For
example, peace is pronounced as as-salaam in Arabic, doubling the (s) sound
instead of pronouncing the lam.
The sounds or letters that assimilated the l- of the definite article are:
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English
Arabic
Transliteration
kbiir / akbar
Pretty/Prettier
jameel/ ajmal
gadeem/agdam
wasea / awsa
Cold/Colder
baarid/ abrid
Fat/Fatter
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English
Arabic
Transliteration
Example:
-
English
Arabic
Transliteration
inta laz-ghar?
English
Arabic
Transliteration
as-sauudii-ya ak-bar
balad fi sh-shafg alausaT
Arabic
Transliteration
inti alaz-ghar
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Section
E
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He is still in school
19. That
The particle is used similarly to the English that as a way to link two clauses. It is
followed by either a noun or suffix pronoun, as in the following examples:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Do you know that the Embassy
rented a nice house for you (m.)?
As shown by these examples, when the clause that follows starts with a noun (4),
stays as it is. However, if the clause that follows starts with a verb (1 and 2), it is
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necessary to attach a pronoun suffix to , rather than using a new subject pronoun.
The pronoun suffix agrees with the subject of the verb. If the clause that follows is
an equational sentence (such as "You are hungry," which would be written without
the verb to be in Arabic) and it begins with a subject pronoun (3), the subject
pronoun changes into a suffix pronoun )...( and attaches itself to .
For example:
Equational Sentence
Sentence with that
English
Arabic
Transliteration
Saarat mud-darisa
What happened?
shuu Saar?
English
Arabic
Transliteration
I have been
Saarlii
Saarlak
Saarlik
Saaril-kuu
He has been
Saar-luh
Saarlaha
Saarlahum
We have been
Saarilna
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Examples:
English
Arabic
Transliteration
21. Conditional
Conditional sentences start with the word if. The if clause describes a condition
and the following clause state a result, e.g. If you go tomorrow, I will see you there.
Generally in Arabic, the if clause is in the past tense, while the verb in the result
clause can be in any tense. This rule is not absolute. Occasionally, in spoken Arabic,
the present tense is used in the if clause.
In Arabic, there are two types of conditions:
English
Arabic
6
3
If you go tomorrow, I
will see you there
Transliteration
Arabic
6
3
Transliteration
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More Examples
English
Arabic
Transliteration
If he studied, he would
have passed
A. need to, have to, must, ought to, should, it is necessary that
1. The word covers a lot of different meanings, as seen in the above
definitions. You will have to rely on context to know which meaning your
speaker intends.
2. It is used to express a sense of necessity or obligation
3. It is invariable (always has the same form)
4. It is followed by a present tense verb
5. To conjugate in the past, add appropriately conjugated version of kan
B.
English
Arabic
Transliteration
I have to practice as
much as possible
We should speak Arabic
with each other
English
Its possible they
studied Arabic before
they came to Jordan.
Arabic
Transliteration
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English
Arabic
Transliteration
mum-kin hi-ya
fi l-mak-tab
C. Negative
&
English
Arabic
Transliteration
mish laazim
t-saad-nii
mish mum-kin
t-Haauu-lii
mish laazim tud-rus
alyoom
mish mum-kin atakalam
bil-faran-sii-ya
23. Negations
1. laa )no(: used when giving a command or answering a question. When
used by itself, there is usually a glottal stop at the end:
...
2. maa (not) is used mainly with verbs:
...
3. mish (not) is used mainly with adjectives and nouns
...
4. biduun (without) is used with nouns:
...
5.
relative pronoun
verb
Directly translated into English, this would sound like: This is the suitcase
that It arrived yesterday.3
B. Indefinite noun (e.g. a suitcase)
If the antecedent of the relative clause is an indefinite noun, the relative
pronoun is not used to link the two clauses. Otherwise, the same rules apply
as above.
3
To help yourself get used to different sentence structure, pay attention to how an Arabic speaker
who is not very good at English constructs sentences in English. Often, they will use English words but
with Arabic grammar, which makes it easy to listen for grammatical differences.
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C. 1. If the verb in the relative clause is transitive, meaning it must take a direct
object in order to make sense, and it refers back to antecedent as direct
object, that verb must take a "dummy" pronoun object that agrees in number
and gender with the antecedent. Basically, you must add a pronoun to the
verb in the relative clause that corresponds with the object in the original
clause so that the second part of the phrase could make sense as an
independent clause.
This applies to both definite and indefinite antecedent:
2.
The relative clause must always refer back to the object. In this example, we
must add a preposition and a pronoun to ensure that a) we have two
independent clauses and b) we know exactly to what the relative clause is
referring.
beyt maygan
kitab dana
c. If we are not using a proper noun, we add the definite article to the
possessor noun only. For describing feminine nouns, the taa-marbuta
still changes into a taa. If you use a possessive pronoun with the
possessor noun, you do not need to add al, because the possessive
pronoun acts as the definite article.
the students book
the teachers car
my fathers car
her sisters dress
Kitab al-taliba
Siyaraat al-muaalima
siyaraat abuee
fustaan ukht-ha
2. Other i-Daafa phrases: I-Daafas are used in other contexts as well. These
phrases can be translated to _____ of ______. Sometimes these directly
correlate to English examples, and other times they dont. Firag as-salaam
( Peace Corps) is one example you should already be pretty familiar
with.
For example: bank al-askaan , feraq al-salaam
3. I-Daafas can sometimes be very long. In any case, only the final word in the
i-daafa will include the definite article, and all ta-maarbuta will be
pronounced as a t sound.
EXAMPLES
Assayara khadra.
Al-bayt kabeer.
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When both the noun and the adjective have the definite article, the phrase is no
longer a complete sentence. However, to be is still not needed hereyou can add
adjectives, verbs or prepositions to finish the sentence, as long as they do not have a
definite article.
The green car is big.
The green car is in front of
the house.
The big house is beautiful
_______________________________________________________________
This version of the Jordanian Arabic Grammar for Beginners was downloaded from the free
Peace Corps Language Archive hosted on http://www.livelingua.com
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