Part 2 – Verbally Speaking

Introduction to Part II

Mastering the verb system of Arabic is essential if you ever wish to attain any degree of proficiencywhatsoever in the language. In fact, a student with a good grasp of the verb system has learned about 80per cent of what he or she needs to know, in terms of grammar, to be considered fluent inContinue reading “Introduction to Part II”

D: The Conditional

The conditional is a very important item in Arabic, as it is in other languages. I consider it to be an essential item to be mastered by the non-native student of the language, which is why I have included it in Part II of this book and not Part III, which contains elements of lesserContinue reading “D: The Conditional”

C: The Future

The future in Arabic is very easy. In fact, it is so easy that I am not even going to provide a drill on it. If you cannot understand the future, then run for Congress. The future particle in Arabic is شَوْفَ It is placed before the imperfect verb. So “I will go toContinue reading “C: The Future”

B: Quadriliteral Verbs

Quadriliteral verbs have roots made of four consonants instead of the usual three. They exist in four forms, only two of which occur with any frequency. Once you master these verbs, you will be finished with your review and mastery of the Arabic verb system. The quads (as the quadriliterals are called) are very easyContinue reading “B: Quadriliteral Verbs”

A: Forms IX and X

Form IX verbs are extremely rare and are used only in reference to colors and to physical and mental defects. The complete conjugations are in the charts at the end of this book. The Form IX pattern is إفْعَلَّ (the hamza on the prefix is elidable just as in Forms VII and VIII). A commonlyContinue reading “A: Forms IX and X”

C: The Tamyiiz Construction

You have already studied (and mastered) the elative. The elative is quite flexible and can be used for a great number of adjectives as you are aware. However, many adjectives do not easily fit the elative pattern. This is especially true for participles of derived verbs. For example, مُتَقدَّم means “advanced.” If you want toContinue reading “C: The Tamyiiz Construction”

B: The Haal Construction

Now we come to a very common construction in Arabic which students often fail to recognize when they are reading due to the problem of not reading in context. The haal clause (from the word حال meaning “condition” or “circumstance,” as in the question كيف الحال؟ ) is a clause which modifies the subject ofContinue reading “B: The Haal Construction”

A: Forms VII and VIII

I will treat Forms VII and VIII together due to some important similarities between the two forms with respect to hollow and doubled verbs. Additionally, the end of the section will deal with a special feature concerning the spelling of certain Form VIII verbs. Form VII verbs are characterized by a prefix of إنْ Continue reading “A: Forms VII and VIII”

C: The Cognate Accusative

You no doubt have seen sentences such as the following:أكرمني إكراما عظيما . This is usually referred to as the cognate accusative in English. It is generated by inserting the verbal noun of the verb in the sentence which is usually then modified by an adjective. The verbal noun is most often indefinite and accusative.Continue reading “C: The Cognate Accusative”

B: Relative Clauses

There are two primary types of relative clauses in Arabic. You need to be completely familiar with both of them. In addition, there are a few other things you should be aware of. These things will be mentioned at the end of this section. They are very easy. Do not worry about them now. FocusContinue reading “B: Relative Clauses”