Peace Corps Jordanian Arabic Grammar Course

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Jordanian Arabic Grammar for beginners CONTENTS

Introduction…………………………………………..………………………………………………………1 Section A…………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2 1. Alphabet……………………………………………………………………………...... 3. 2. Vowels……………………………………………………………………………………...... 5 3. Writing System…………………………………………………………………………………. 7 Section B………………………………………………………………………………………...... 1 0 4. Subject Pronouns…………………………………………………………………………………1…1 .. 5. Possessive Pronouns…………………………………………………………………………..1 3 Section C…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 15 6. Present Tense: Common Irregular Verbs………………………………………….. 16 7. A Quick Introduction to Three Letter Roots……………………………………..

8. Present Tense: Regular Verbs…………………………………………………………….. 4 .2.……………………………………………………………………… بـ Present Tense with .9 10. Imperative………………………………………………………………………………………….2. 5 11. Future Tense ………………………………………………………………………………………2…9 12. Past Tense ……………………………………………………………………………………………31 Section D ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 36 13. Nouns & Adjectives ……………………………………………………………………………3…7 14. Plural ……………………………………………………………………………………………………38 15. Before & After ……………………………………………………………………………………3…9 16. The Definite Article …………………………………………………………………….………4…0… … 17. Comparative and Superlative ………………………………………………………………4…1 Section E ………………………………………………………………………………………………………4…4. . 18. “Still / Not Yet” ………………………………………………………………………………… 45 19. “That” ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 45 20. Become / happen / befall ……………………………………………………………………4…6 21. Conditional ………………………………………………………………………………………..4 7 22. Modal Expressions ………………………………………………………………………………4…8 23. Negations …………………………………………………………………………………………. 49 24. Relative Clause………………………………………………………………………………….. 50 25. The i-Daafa………………………………………………………………………………………….5 1 26. Noun-adjective phrases………………………………………………………………………5 2

Section A

1. THE ARABIC ALPHABET

ا ب ت ث ج ح خ

د ذ ر ز س ش ص

ض ط ظ ع غ ف ق

ك ل م ن هـ و ي

Table 1.1 Letter Transli- Arabic English equivalent Example name teration alif Aa A apricot ا baa B B book ب taa T T tall ت thaa Th (same as "thin") three ث jiim J J juice ج Haa (emphatic "h" with strong expulsion no H ح of air) equivalent khaa Kh (same as bGreramtha)n "Bach") no equivalent خ daal D D dark د dhaal Dh (same as "the") this ذ raa R R room ر zaai Z Z zoo ز siin S S small س shiin Sh (same as "shine") short ش (emphatic "s" pronounced with the no Saad S teeth slightly apart pressing the tip ص of the tongue to the lower teeth) equivalent ( emphatic "d" pronounced with the no Daad D tongue pressing against the edge of ض the upper teeth with the tip equivalent protruding) (emphatic "t" where you should be no Taa T able to bite the sides of the tongue ط equivalent as flat as possible). DHaa DH (emphatic "dh") no equivalent ظ (pronounced with the constriction of no ع ainع ع the larynx) equivalent

ghain Gh (like Parisian r, sound of gargling) no equivalent غ

faa F F father ف qaaf G G goal ق kaaf K K kind ك laam L L lemon ل

miim M M month م nuun N N number ن haa H H Happy هـ waaw w/uu/oo W way - food و yaa y/iio/e e Y yard - visa ي Some notes on pronunciation:

1) To say the Ha, pretend like you are breathing on a glass window, trying to make a fog-cloud. It should be an audible, breathy sound in the back of your throat. The kha is the same idea, but raspier, like the Scottish “loch.” 2) One way to practice making the ayn sound is to practice saying it with your hand on your throat to feel your larynx contract. The sound should come from deep in your throat, rather than from the back of your mouth (as in an English “a” sound). 3) 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.

2. LONG & SHORT VOWELS

In Arabic, vowels are divided into two groups: long and short. The first table provides us with the three long vowels in Arabic, and the second table provides is with the short vowels.

Table 2.1 Long Vowel Pronunciation Example

زاكي - aa (e.g. flag) (delicious) zaakii ا

بلوزة - uu (e.g. shoes) (sweater) bluuza و

ُكرسي - ii (e.g. piece) (airplane) Kursii ي

To understand how long vowels are formed & used in Arabic, look at the three examples below: م With د With ر With

ما maa دا daa را raa

مو muu دو duu رو ruu

مي mii دي dii ري rii

Table 2.2 Short Vowel Symbol Pronunciation It sounds like a very short a --- َ -- فـ ت ـ ح ة / fatHa أكـ ل / e.g.animal,Madaba) ate) It sounds like a very short u --- َ -- ض ّمة / Damma ُد ب /e.g. full) bear) It sounds like a very short i --- َ -- كـ س ر ة / kasra ع ن ب /e.g. fridge, fit) grapes) It sounds like d in kid, t in cut,… etc. It is a full stop --- َ -- ُس كون / Sukuun between consonants. It sounds like a doubled letter --- َ -- ش ّدة / shadda ح ّمام / e.g. attack) bathroom)

It sounds like a short an --- َ -- تـ ن وي ن فـ ت ح /tanwiin fateH قـ لـ ما / e.g. fun, sun) pen) It sounds like a short un تـ ن وي ن / tanwiin Damma --- َ -- قـ لـ ـ م / e.g. on the table) pen) ض م It sounds like a short in تـ ن وي ن / tanwiin kasra --- َ -- ق لم / e.g. lookin, blamin) pen) كـ سر

Notes:

1) The tanwiin vowels only occur at the end of word on an alif.

2) With the exception of the tanwiin fatah (which you see in ahlan wa sahlan and a few other commonly used phrases), the tanwiin vowels markings are exclusive to written fousha

OTHER SYMBOLS

Hamza We sometimes see the or (أ) hamza on top of alif. This tells us (إ) below which short vowel to use in pronouncing the alif. If a hamza occurs after the or alif maksura (ـاء) alif it signifies a glottal ,(ـىء) (ق راءة) ”stop, like in “reading or in certain emphatic pronunciations of “la.” Tar marbuta Generally, this is used to designate feminine nouns or adjectives and it always occurs at the end of a word. It is pronounced as an “a” sound. If there is a suffix attached to the word, or it is part of an i- daafa phrase, the ta marbuta becomes a “t” sound.

3. THE ARABIC WRITING SYSTEM

The shape of the Arabic letter changes according to its position in the word:

Table 3.1 At the end of the In the middle of the At the beginning Letter word word of the word

ال ح ر ف أ و ل الك ل م ة و س ط الكـ ـل م ة آ خر الكـ ـل م ة

اََ،ََأََ،ََإ اََ،ََأََ،َإ أح مَد ـاَ,َا شا رَ عَ ـاَ,ََا سَما ب ب ّطة ـبـَ,َبـ علبة قـَلـَب بـ ـبَ,َب ت تـ تـَ فـَّاح ـتـَ,َتـ يتـَ عَلـَّم ـتَ,َت بي تَ

ث ثـ ثـَ عَلـَ ب ـثـَ,َثـ الثـَ لثا ـثَ,َث مَثـَ لـَّث

ج جـ جَ مَل ـجـَ,َجـ جا جَة ـجَ,َج ثـَ لج ح حـ حَليب ـحـَ,َحـ أ حَ مَر ـحَ,َح مَلَ ح

خ خـ خَ رَوف ـخـَ,َخـ أ خَ ضَر ـخَ,َخ مَخ

د د دَ بَ ـدَ,َد وَ رَ دَة ـدَ,َد بَري دَ

ذ ذ ذَ رَة ـذَ,َذ هاذاَ/َهاذي ـذَ,َذ قـَ نَ فَذ

ر ر راس كـَ رَسي ـرَ,َر ـرَ,َر زِر ز ز زَ رَا فَة ـزَ,َز مَزا رَع ـزَ,َز خَبز

س سـ سَ مَكـَ ة ـسـَ,َسـ عَ سَ لَ ـسَ,َس خَس ش شـ شَ جَ رَة ـشـَ,َشـ مَش مَش ـشَ,َش عَش

ص صـ صَوص ـصَ,َصـ حَ ّصة ـصَ,َص قـَ فـَ ص ض ضـ ضَ فَ دَع ـضـَ,ضـ مض رَب ـضَ,َض يـَ عَض

ط طـ طاولـَ ة ـطـَ,َط مَ طَر ـطَ,َط ي حَط ظ ظـ ظَ رَف ـظـَ,َظ م ظَ هَر ـظَ,َظ ح ظَ ع عـ ع نب ـعـ , عـ م ل ع ب ـع , ع ش م ع غ غـ غ زال ـغـ , غـ ي غ ّني ـغ , غ ص م غ ف فـ فرا شة ـفـ , فـ ض ف د ع ـف , ف ر ف ق قـ قرد ـقـ , قـ م ق ـلو بة ـق , ق ع ر ق ك كـ ك لب ـكـ , كـ م ك تـ ب ـك , ك س م ك ل لـ لي ُم ون ـلـ , لـ س لـ ّم ـل , ل ُش ُغ ل م مـ ميزان ـمـ , مـ ُم متاز ـم , م قـ لـ م ن نـ ن م ر ـنـ , نـ ع نوان ـن , ن لـ ُون

هـ هـ هاذا ـهـ , هـ ال ُظ ُه ر ـه , ه فوا ك ه و و و ر د ة ـو , و موز ـو , و أبو

ي يـ ُي ك تـ ُب ـيـ , يـ عي ن ـي , ي م ي

Note(s):

(ل = ل + ا) is not from the Alphabet. It is two letters joint together ”ل“ .1 only connect to ز, ر, ذ, د and four consonants , و and ا The two long vowels .2 the preceding side. All other letters connect to both sides.

Section B

4. SUBJECT PRONOUNS

In Jordanian Arabic, the subject pronouns parallel subject pronouns in English, except they include more versions of the 2nd person (you).1

The subject pronouns in Arabic are:

Table 4.1 English Arabic Transliteration Ana أنا I

in-ta إ ن ت (You (masculine

in-ti إ ن ت (You (feminine

in-tu إ نتو (You (plural

hu-wa ُه و He

hi-ya ه ّي She

hum-ma ُه ّم They

iH-na إحنا We

Examples:

English Arabic Transliteration aliع ana أنا علي I am Ali

?min wain inta من وين إ ن ت ؟ ?Where are you (m.) from

1 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, one exception is hunna, which is the feminine 3rd 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. 11

?inti urduniya إ ن ت أردنية؟ ?Are you (f.) Jordanian Are you all (pl.) ?iinعintu mutaTaw إ نتو متطوعين؟ volunteers? huwa urdunii ُه و أردني He is Jordanian

hiya amriikiya ه ّي امريكية She is American

humma Tolaab ُه ّم طلب They are students

alimiinعiHna 2mu إحنا معلمين We are teachers

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…………………………………………………………………………………………………… ...ي My ...ن ك (Your (M ...ت ك (Your (F ...ك و (Your (PL ...ته His ...بها Her ...ث هم Their ... نا Our ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

إ س م Example 1: Name

English Arabic Transliteration is-mii إ س مي My name

is-mak إ س م ك (.Your name (m

is-mik إ س م ك (.Your name (f

isim-kuu إ س م ُكو (.Your name (pl

is-moh إ س ُمه His name

isim-ha إ س مها Her name

isim-hom إ س م ُهم Their name

isim-na إ س منا Our name

ك تا ب Example 2: Book

English Arabic Transliteration

Kitaabii كتابي My book

Kitaabak كتا بك (.Your book (m

Kitaabik كتا بك (.Your book (f Kitaabkuu كتابكو (.Your book (pl

Kitaaboh كتابه His book

Kitaabha كتابها Her book

Kitaabhom كتابهم Their book

Kitaabna كتابنا Our book

م د ر سة Example 3: School

before ت and replace it with نة we drop ,نة ”When a noun ends in “taa marbuuta adding the possessive pronoun.

English Arabic Transliteration

mad-rastii م د رستي My school

mad-rastak م د رستك (.Your school (m

mad-rastik م د رستك (.Your school (f

mad-rasatkuu م د رستكو (.Your school (pl

mad-rastoh م د رسته His school

mad-rasatha م د رستها Her school

mad-rasathom م د رستهم Their school

mad-rasatna م د رستنا Our school

Section C

6. Present Tense: Common Irregular Verbs

The verbs I want & I have are irregular. To conjugate, follow the same rule as with possessive pronouns mentioned above: connect pronoun suffixes to the root word.

To want:

English Arabic Transliteration …ana bed-dii أنا ب ّدي I want …in-ta bed-dak إ ن ت ب ّدك (.You want (m …in-ti bed-dik إ ن ت ب ّدك (.You want (f …in-tu bed-kuu إ نتو ب دكو (.You want (pl …hu-wa bed-doh ُه وب ّده He wants …hi-ya bed-ha ه ّي ب دها She wants …hum-ma bed-hom ُه ّم ب د ُهم They want …iH-na bed-na إحنا ب دنا We want

To have:

English Arabic Transliteration …en-diiع ana أنا ع ن دي I have …en-dakع in-ta إ ن ت ع ن د ك (.You have (m …en-dikع in-ti إ ن ت ع ن د ك (.You have (f …end-kuuع in-tu إ نتو عن د ُكو (.You have (pl …en-dohع hu-wa ُه و ع ن ُده He has …end-haع hi-ya ه ّي ع ندها She has …end-humع hum-ma ُه ّم ع ند ُهم They have / end-naع iH-na إحنا ع ندنا / ع ّنا We have en-naع

General Notes:

is used ( ع ّنا ) ,Generally .( ع ندنا / ع ّنا) we can use both (إحنا) With (1 more often.

(”to be“) كان to have), with) عنده ,(to want) بده Precede (2 conjugated in the past tense to put these verbs in the past tense.

أنا )كان( كنت بدي ... …I wanted أنا )كان( كنت عندي ... …I had

3) To negate the verbs I want & I have, precede each with ma (ما) ما بدي… … I don’t want ما عندي… …I don’t need

7. A Quick Introduction to Three Letter Roots

Most words in the Arabic language are built around a three-consonant root. Different meanings are created by adding vowels and other consonants to the root. Some roots have only two letters, and some have four. Words that have been adopted from other languages (such as bortuqaal or telefeesyun) do not have a three letter root.

Finding the root and identifying the structure of the word can help you determine the meaning of a word, and also gain a better understanding of the structure of the Arabic language. Modern Standard Arabic adheres more consistently to these rules than does spoken Jordanian; words and derivations that are used in MSA may be replaced or changed in ameeya. That being said, being able to find the root in a word, and to make connections to other words with the same root, will make it easier to learn new vocabulary and recognize patterns in the language. Throughout the book, we will refer back to the three-letter roots to demonstrate that there is a pattern to most words, which hopefully will make them easier to learn.

EXAMPLES OF THREE LETTER ROOTS

.to explore three-letter roots and their derivations ( د ر س ) Let’s look at the root da-ra-sa In this example, darasa means he studied. When used in other derivations, the meaning of the word will change slightly, but it will always relate back to the most basic meaning “to study.”

.He studied د ر س Da-ra-sa He taught. (Or: he made د ّر س Da-rra-sa someone to study). :A study or lesson (Or د رس Dars something that you study) School (Or: a place مدرسة Madrassa where one studies) Teacher (Or: one who ُمد رس Mudar-res makes someone study) Teaching, instruction تدريس Tad-ress (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 aren’t always consistent. However, here are some general guidelines:

mualima ,( ُمدير)  Words that start with “mu” generally refer to a person ( mudeer ( ( ُمتط وعة) mutaTaweeya ,( ُمعل مة) which means “bus ,( ُمج ّمع) o Example of an exception: mujaamma station” ,( مدرسة)  Words that start with “ma” generally refer to a place (madrassa ( ( مكتب) maktab  Words that have a “ya” between the last two letters of the root are usually (big ,;(كبير) generous, kind), kabeer لطيف) laTyeef ,( كريم) adjectives (kareem or taTweer (تعليم)o This does not apply to words like taaleem education” and “development”). Note that these words begin“)(تطوير) 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

Here are some more examples of roots and derivations:

Book (or: something كتاب He wrote. Ki-tab كت ب Ka-ta-ba that he wrote). Library (or: place مك تب ة Mak-taba where books are kept) Organization جمع ّية He gathered OR He Ja-meey-aa ج م ع Ja-ma-aa

united. (gathering of people) Meeting (gathering of إجتماع Ij-te-ma-aa people) Known معروف He knew. Ma-aa-roof عر ف aa-ra-fa Recognition اعت راف i’i-ti-raaf

8. Present Tense: Regular Verbs

As mentioned above, all Arabic verbs can be broken down to a three letter “root.” From this root, we add prefixes and suffixes to conjugate the verb in the present tense. Aside from the irregular verbs, there are four main verb patterns for conjugating in the present tense. Remember: there is no gender-neutral third person subject in Arabic, like “it” in English. Every verb must be conjugated based on the gender of the noun in the subject, even for non-human subjects like “car” or “house.” ما The following examples are in the affirmative. To make a verb negative put* before the conjugated verb (and after the subject pronoun) in present, future, and past tense.

1) Verbs with no long vowels in the root

,ا This type of verb has three consonants in the root; none of the letters in the root are When adding prefixes and suffixes to conjugate the verb in any tense, the .ي or ,و root remains consistent.

Example 1: To study

English Arabic Transliteration ana adrus أنا أد ُر س I study inta tidrus إ ن ت تد ُر س (.You study (m inti tidrusii إ ن ت تد ُرسي (.You study (f intu tidrusuu إ نتو تد ُرسو (.You study (pl hu-wa yidrus ُه و يد ُر س He studies hi-ya tidrus ه ّي تد ُر س She studies hum-ma yidrusuu ُه ّم يد ُرسو They study iHna nidrus إحنا ند ُر س We study

Example 2: To drink English Arabic Transliteration ana ash-rab أنا أش ر ب I drink inta tish-rab إ ن ت ت ش رب (.You drink (m inti tish-rabii إ ن ت ت ش ربي (.You drink (f intu tish-rabuu إ نتو ت ش ربو (.You drink (pl hu-wa yish-rab ُه و يش رب He drinks hi-ya tish-rab ه ّي ت ش رب She drinks hum-ma yish-rabuu ُه ّم يشربو They drink iHna nish-rab إحنا نشرب We drink

ألعب, أكتب, أنجح, أرسم, أفتح, أكسر, أركب, أطلع, أنزل :Practice*

ي,ا,و :Verbs with a long vowel in the middle (2

,ا These are verbs in which the second letter in the three-letter root is a vowel (alif .In the present tense, the vowel does not change .(ي ya ,و wow

There are three long vowels in Arabic. All three follow the same pattern: the long vowel remains intact in all conjugations of the verb.

( و I. To say (long vowel in the middle

English Arabic Transliteration ana aguul أنا أقول I say inta t-guul إ ن ت تقول (.You say (m inti t-guulii إ ن ت تقولي (.You say (f intu t-guuluu إ نتو تقولو (.You say (pl huwa y-guul ُه و يقول He says hiya t-guul ه ّي تقول She says humma y-guuluu ُه ّم يقولو They say iHna n-guul إحنا نقول We say

أفوت, أروح, أقود :Practice*

( ا II. To sleep (long vowel in the middle

English Arabic Transliteration ana anaam أنا أنام I sleep inta tanaam إ ن ت تنام (.You sleep (m inti tanaamii إ ن ت تنامي (.You sleep (f intu tanaamuu إ نتو تنامو (.You sleep (pl hu-wa yanaam ُه و ينام He sleeps hiya tanaam ه ّي تنام She sleeps hum-ma yanaamuu ُه ّم ينامو They sleep iHna nanaam إحنا ننام We sleep

أخاف, أبال غ, أعاتب :Practice*

( ي III. To bring (long vowel in the middle

English Arabic Transliteration ana ajiib أنا أجيب I bring inta tajiib إ ن ت تجيب (.You bring (m inti tajiibii إ ن ت تجيبي (.You bring (f inta tajiibuu إ نتو تجيبو (.You bring (pl hu-wa yajiib ُه و يجيب He brings hi-ya tajiib ه ّي تجيب She brings hum-ma yajiibuu ُه ّم يجيبو They bring iHna najiib إحنا نجيب We bring

أقيم, أعيد, أزيد :Practice*

ي,ا,و :Verbs with a long vowel at the end (3

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 and ”,إنتو into“ ”,إن ت remains unchanged at the end of the verb except in the “inti forms. In these cases, we drop the long vowel and replace it with the ” ُه ّم humma“ suffix which corresponds to that particular pronoun, as seen in the first two verb patterns.

( و I. To take a nap (long vowel at the end

English Arabic Transliteration ana agh-fuu أنا أ غفو I nap inta tigh-fuu إ ن ت ت غفو (.You nap (m inti tigh-fii إ ن ت ت غفي (.You nap (f intu tigh-fuu إ نتو ت غفو (.You nap (pl hu-wa yigh-fuu ُه و ي غفو He naps hi-ya tigh-fuu ه ّي ت غفو She naps hum-ma yigh-fuu ُه ّم ي غفو They nap iHna nigh-fuu إحنا ن غفو We nap

يبدو، يحنو، يعلو :Practice

( ا II. To read (long vowel at the end

English Arabic Transliteration ana ag-raa أنا ا قرا I read

inta ti-graa إ ن ت ت قرا (.You read (m

inti tig-rii إ ن ت ت قري (.You read (f

intu tig-ruu إ نتو ت قرو (.You read (pl

hu-wa yig-raa ُه و ي قرا He reads hi-ya tig-raa ه ّي ت قرا She reads

hum-ma yig-ruu ُه ّم ي قرو They read

iHna nig-raa إحنا ن قرا We read

يبدا :Practice

( ي III. To cry (long vowel at the end

English Arabic Transliteration ana ab-kii أنا أ بكي I cry

inta tib-kii إ ن ت ت بكي (.You cry (m

inti tib-kii إ ن ت ت بكي (.You cry (f

intu tib-kuu إ نتو ت بكو (.You cry (pl

huwa yib-kii ُه و ي بكي He cries hiya tib-kii ه ّي ت بكي She cries

hum-ma yib-kuu ُه ّم ي بكو They cry iHna nib-kii إحنا ن بكي We cry

أكوي, أرمي, أنهي :Practice

4) Verbs that are stressed:

“Stressed” verbs only have two consonants in the root. To make these fit into the 3 letter root pattern, we add a shedda to the final letter so that it is pronounced twice. Verbs that end with a shedda are said to be stressed. The stressed sound is heard most clearly when there is a suffix at the end of the verb.

Example 1: To like or to love

English Arabic Transliteration ana aHeb-b أنا أ ح ّب I like inta t-Heb-b إ ن ت ت حب (.You like (m inti t-Heb-bii إ ن ت ت ح ّبي (.You like (f intu t-Heb-buu إ نتو ت ح ّبو (.You like (pl huwa yeHeb-b ُه و ي حب He likes

hiya t-Heb-b ه ّي ت حب She likes hum-ma yeHeb-buu ُه ّم ي ح ّبو They like iHna n-Heb-b إحنا ن حب We like

Example 2: To reply

English Arabic Transliteration ana arud-d أنا أ ُر ّد I reply inta tarud-d إ ن ت ت ُرد (.You reply (m inti tarud-dii إ ن ت ت ُر ّدي (.You reply (f intu tarud-duu إ نتو ت ُر ّدو (.You reply (pl hu-wa yarud-d ُه و ي ُرد He replies hi-ya - tarud-d ه ّي ت ُرد She replies hum-ma yarud-duu ُه ّم ي ُر ّدو They reply iHna narud-d إحنا نرد We reply

أشد, أمد :Practice

ب Present Tense with .9

to the beginning of present tense verbs. This ب Often you will hear people adding a applies to all subject pronouns. You will hear this frequently in almost every region in .ب Jordan. People will understand you if you don’t use the

Example: To walk

English Arabic Transliteration ana bam-shii أنا ب مشي I walk Inta إ ن ت بتمشي (.You walk (m Inti إ ن ت بتمشي (.You walk (f Into إ نتوبتمشو (.You walk (pl Hwwa ُه و بيمشي He walks

Hyya ه ّي بتمشي She walks Humma ُه م بيمش و They walk iHna إحنا بنمشي We walk

Example: To like

English Arabic Transliteration Ana أنا بحب I like Inta إ ن ت بتحب (.You like (m Inti إ ن ت بتحبي (.You like (f Into إ نتوبتحبو (.You like (pl Hwwa ُه و بيحب* He likes Hyya ه ّي بتحب She likes Humma ُه ّم بيحبو* They like iHna إحنا بنحب We like

you only need to use it on the first verb. Any , ب When you conjugate with the following verbs will be conjugated in present tense based on the subject of the sentence, as in Section 8. For example:

Ina bidee arohh a’al 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 “don’t 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:

1) Verbs with no long vowels: the first letter of the verb in the present .(إ) tense is replaced by

Example 1:

Verb (to open) Imperative Transliteration Present Transliteration

tif-taH ت ف تح if-taH إ ف تح (.You (m

tif-taHii ت ف تحي if-taHii إ ف تحي (.You (f

tif-taHuu ت ف تحو if-taHuu إ ف تحو (.You (pl

Example 2:

Verb (to drink) Imperative Transliteration Present Transliteration

tish-rub إ ن ت تشرب ish-rub إش رب (.You (m

tish-rubii إ ن ت تشربي ish-rubii إشربي (.You (f

tish-rubuu إ نتو ت شربو ish-rubuu إشربو (.You (pl

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

inta t-guul إ ن ت تقول Guul قول (.You (m inti t-guulii إ ن ت تقولي Guulii قولي (.You (f intu t-guuluu إ نتو تقولو Guuluu قولو (.You (pl

Example 2:

Verb (to Imperative Transliteration Present Transliteration sleep) inta tanaam إ ن ت تنام Naam نام (.You (m

inti tanaamii إ ن ت تنامي Naamii نامي (.You (f intu tanaamuu إ نتو تنامو Naamuu نامو (.You (pl

3. Verbs with a long vowel at the end: the first letter of the verb in the (إ) present tense in replaced with

Example 1:

Verb (to Imperative Transliteration Present Transliteration speak) inta tiH-kii إ ن ت ت ح ك ي iH-kii إ ح كي (.You (m inti tiH-kii إ ن ت ت ح ك ي iH-kii إ ح كي (.You (f intu tiH-kuu إ نتو ت حكو iH-kuu إ ح ُكو (.You (pl

Example 2:

Verb (to read) Imperative Transliteration Present Transliteration inta tig-raa إ ن ت ت قرا ig-raa إ قرا (.You (m inti tig-rii إ ن ت ت قري ig-rii إ قري (.You (f intu tig-ruu إ نتو ت قرو ig-ruu إ قرو (.You (pl

4. Verbs that are stressed: the first letter of the present tense is dropped

Example 1:

Verb (to put) Imperative Transliteration Present Transliteration

inta tiHuT-T إ ن ت ت ُح ط HuT-T ُحط (.You (m ّ inti tiHuT-Tii إ ن ت ت ُح طي HuT-Tii ُحطي (.You (f ّ intu tiHuT-Tuu إ نتو ت ُح طو HuT-Tuu ُحطو (.You (pl

Example 2:

Verb (to reply) Imperative Transliteration Present Transliteration

inta tarud-d إ ن ت ت ُرد rud-d ُرد (.You (m inti tarud-dii إ ن ت ت ُر ّدي rud-dii ُر ّدي (.You (f intu tarud-duu إ نتو ت ُر ّدو rud-duu ُر ّدو (.You (pl

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 more common) or) ل... tense conjugation (suffixes and prefixes) preceded by ما…

( يشرب ) Verbs with no long vowels (1

Verb (to drink) Imperative Transliteration

la tish-rub ل تشرب (.You (m

la tish-rubii ل تشربي (.You (f

la tish-rubuu ل تشربو (.You (pl

( يقول ) Verbs with a long vowel in the middle (2

Verb (to speak) Imperative Transliteration la ta-guul ل تقول (.You (m

la ta-guulii ل تقولي (.You (f

la ta-guuluu ل تقولو (.You (pl

( يبكي ) Verbs with a long vowel at the end (3

Verb (to cry) Imperative Transliteration la tab-kii ل تبكي (.You (m

la tab-kii ل تبكي (.You (f

la tab-kuu ل تبكو (.You (pl

( يحب ) Verbs that are stressed (4

Verb (to cry) Imperative Transliteration la ta-heb ل تحب (.You (m

la ta-hebii ل تحبي (.You (f

la ta-hebuu ل تحبو (.You (pl

11. Future Tense

The future tense is formed by preceding the present tense verb with the participle :( ر ح / raH)

Example 1: To work

English Arabic Transliteration ana raH ash-taghel أنا ر ح أ ش ت غل I will work

inta raH tish-taghel إ ن ت ر ح ت ش ت غل (.You will work (m inti raH tish-taghlii إ ن ت ر ح ت ش ت غلي (.You will work (f intu raH tish-taghluu إ نتو ر ح ت ش ت غلو (.You will work (pl huwa raH yish-taghel ُه و ر ح ي ش ت غل He will work hiya raH tish-taghel ه ّي ر ح ت ش ت غل She will work hum-ma raH yish-taghluu ُه ّم ر ح ي ش تغلو They will work iHna raH nish-taghel إحنا ر ح ن ش ت غل We will work

Example 2: To study

English Arabic Transliteration ana raH adrus أنا ر ح أد ُر س I will study

inta raH tidrus إ ن ت ر ح تد ُر س (.You will study (m inti raH tidrusii إ ن ت ر ح تد ُرسي (.You will study (f intu raH tidrusuu إ نتو ر ح تد ُرسو (.You will study (pl He will study hu-wa raH yidrus ُه و ر ح يد ُر س hi-ya raH tidrus ه ّي ر ح تد ُر س She will study They will study hum-ma raH yidrusuu ُه ّم ر ح يد ُرسو iHna raH nidrus إحنا ر ح ند ُر س We will study

Example 1: ال ُم تطوعين ر ح ي ش تغلو م ع وزا رة ال ترب ية و ال ت ُعليم The volunteers will work with the Ministry of Education.

Example 2: رح يروحو على المطار They will go to the airport

Example 3: المتدربين ر ح يروحو على مواقعهم The trainees will go to their sites

,in the present (كان) ”While you will rarely use the present tense conjugation of “kaan .to use it in the future (رح) ”you can pair it with “rah

Examples:

They will be teachers in their new هم ر ح يكونو معلمين في قراهم الجديدة. .villages

She will be in Mafraq for the conference هي ر ح تكون في المفرق عشان المؤتمر السبوع الجاي. .next week

12. Past Tense

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 Then, certain suffixes are added depending .أ ana), and dropping the) أنا pronoun ُه و 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 ana shribit أنا ش رب ت I drank inta shribit إ ن ت ش رب ت (.You drank (m inti shribtii إ ن ت شربتي (.You drank (f intu shribtuu إ نتو شربتو (.You drank (pl hu-wa shirib ُه و ش ر ب He drank hi-ya shirbat ه ّي ش ر ب ت She drank hum-ma shirbuu ُه ّم شر ب ُو They drank iHna shribnaa إحنا شر ب نا We drank

Example 2: to get tired

English Arabic Transliteration Ana ta’abet أنا تعبت I Inta ta’abet إ ن ت تعبت (.You (m Inti ta’abetii إ ن ت تعبتي (.You (f Into ta’abetuu إ نتو تعبتو (.You (pl hu-wa ta’ab ُه و تعب He hi-ya ta’abbet ه ّي تعبت She hum-ma ta’abuu ُه ّم تعبو They iHna ta’abnaa إحنا تعبنا We

2) Verbs with a long vowel in the middle

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 .( ا ) the long vowel is replaced by ُه ّو , ه ّي , ُه ّم pronouns

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.

( و Example 1: To go (long vowel in the middle

English Arabic Transliteration

ana ruH-t أنا ُر حت I went inta ruH-t إ ن ت ُر حت (.You went (m inti ruH-tii إ ن ت ُر حتي (.You went (f intu ruH-tuu إ نتو ُرحتو (.You went (pl hu-wa raaH ُه و راح He went hi-ya raaHat ه ّي را حت She went hum-ma raaHuu ُه ّم را ُحو They went iHna ruHnaa إحنا ُرحنا We went

( أ I. Example 2: To sleep (long vowel in the middle

English Arabic Transliteration ana nimet أنا نمت I slept

inta nimet إ ن ت نمت (.You slept (m inti nim-tii إ ن ت نمتي (.You slept (f intu nim-tuu إ نتو نمتو (.You slept (pl hu-wa naam ُه و نام He slept hi-ya naamat ه ّي نامت She slept hum-ma naamuu ُه ّم نامو They slept iHna nimna إحنا نمنا We slept

*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

32 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

ana kunt أنا ُكنت I was inta kunt إ ن ت ُكنت (.You were (m inti kuntii إ ن ت ُكنتي (.You were (f intu kuntuu إ نتو ُكنتو (.You were (pl hu-wa kaan ُه و كا ن He was hi-ya kaanat ه ّي كا ن ت She was hum-ma kaanuu ُه ّم كا ُنو They were iHna kun-naa إحنا ُك ّنا We were

The use of “to be” in the past tense is more similar to English: “The house was clean” (or “She was eating dinner” (heya kaant teta’ashaa اليت كان نظيف (al-bayt kaan naD’iif) .هي كانت تتعشى

3) Verbs with a long vowel at the end

it is replaced by ( ى ) or ( ا ) Verbs with a long vowel at the end: if the long vowel is .Then add the same suffixes as shown above .( ي )

أنا أتعشى – Example 1: I have dinner

English Arabic Transliteration

ana ta-Ashayt أنا تعشيت I inta ta-Ashayt إ ن ت تعشيت (.You (m inti ta-Ashaytii إ ن ت تعشيتي (.You (f into ta-Ashaytuu إ نتو تعشيتو (.You (pl hu-wa ta-Ashaa ُه و تعش ى He hi-ya ta-Ashaat ه ّي تعشت She

hum-ma ta-Ashuu ُه ّم تعشو They iHna ta-Ashayna إحنا تعشينا We

أغتي - Example 2: I sing

English Arabic Transliteration

I ana gha-nayt أنا غنيت

inta gha-nayt إ ن ت غنيت (.You (m

inti gha-naytii إ ن ت غنيتي (.You (f

into gha-naytuu إ نتوغنيتو (.You (pl

hu-wa ghan-naa ُه و غ نى He

hi-ya ghan-net ه ّي غ ّنت She They hum-ma ghan-nuu ُه ّم غ نو

iHna gha-naynaa إحنا غنينا We

4) Verbs that are stressed

Stressed verbs are conjugated in the same way as verbs with no long vowels. Remember to stress the shedda’d consonant, so you are pronouncing the consonant sound twice.

أش د - Example 1: I extend

English Arabic Transliteration

I ana shed-dayt أنا ش ديت

inta shed-dayt إ ن ت ش ديت (.You (m

inti shed-daytii إ ن ت ش ديتي (.You (f

into shed-daytuu إ نتو ش ديتو (.You (pl

hu-wa shed-da ُه و ش د He

hi-ya shed-det ه ّي ش دت She They hum-ma shed-duu ُه ّم ش دو

iHna shed-naa إحنا ش دينا We

أ ُح ط - Example 2: I put

English Arabic Transliteration

ana Huut-tayt أنا ح طيت I inta Huut-tayt إ ن ت ح طيت (.You (m inti Huut-taytii إ ن ت ح طيتي (.You (f into Huut-taytuu إ نتو ح طيتو (.You (pl hu-wa Huut-ta ُه و ح ط He hi-ya Huut-tat ه ّي ح طت She hum-ma Huut-tuu ُه ّم ح طو They iHna Huut-naa إحنا ح طينا We

Section D

13. Nouns & Adjectives

Arabic nouns have two genders: masculine and feminine. The gender influences the adjective modifying the noun as well as any verbs used with the noun. It is worth noting that there is little connection between whether an object is traditionally understood as “feminine” and whether it is a feminine noun. For example, the word for “dress” (fustan) is masculine.

While there are feminine plural nouns, they are treated as masculine plural for purposes of adjective and verb agreement.

Nouns

bint (girl) and the بنت Feminine nouns are either words that refer to females like ( ـة , ة ) ”is feminine, or words that end in “ta marbuuTa شمس word for (sun) Shams walad ولد madrasa (school). Almost all other nouns are masculine like مدرسة like .Saboon (soap). Exceptions are rare صابون boy) or)

Adjectives

Unlike nouns, adjectives do not have inherent gender; rather, they change in order to agree in number and gender with the noun they are modifying. Adjectives in Arabic have four forms: masculine singular, feminine singular, masculine plural, and feminine plural (however, you will rarely hear the feminine plural). Most non-human plural objects (whether masculine or feminine) are described by the feminine singular form of the adjective. The feminine singular adjectives are usually formed by adding to the masculine form. Adjectives always come after the ( ـة , ة ) "taa marbuuTa" noun. sayarat Kbieera – سيارات كبيرة - For example: big cars

Examples:

English Arabic Transliteration kabiir / kabiira كبير/كبي رَة Big/ Old

zaghiir / zaghiira زغير/زغي رَة Small / Young

Tawiil / Tawiila طويل/طوي لَة Tall

gaSiir / gaSiira قصير/قص يَرة Short

kathiir / kathiira كثير/كثي رَة A lot

galiil / galiila قَليل/ قَليلَ ة A little

jadiid / jadiida جَديد/ جَدي دَة New

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:

to the masculine noun and changing the last (ين) The masculine plural: adding (1 This is only for some masculine nouns which refer directly to ."كسرة“ short vowel to men (or mixed company). This does not apply to non-human nouns, and there are .(student) ُطلب human exceptions, such as Tulab Arabic English Plural (m.) Singular (m.)

م ت د ّر بَ م ت د ّرب ين (.Trainee (m

م ت ط ّو عَ م ت ط ّو عين (.Volunteer (m

م علّ مَ م عل مين (.Teacher (m

:(ا ت) by ( ة ) The feminine plural: it is usually formed by replacing the (2 Arabic English Plural (f.) Singular (f.)

م تط ّوعات ( Volunteer ( f ُمتَط ّو َعة

سا عة سا عات ( Hour ( f

ط ّيا رة ط ّيارات ( 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. We’ve 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.

Arabic English Plural Singular

ق لم قل مَ (Pen (m

فلم أفلم (Film (m

House (m)

علم أعلم (Flag (m

سن أسنان (Tooth (m

هد ّية ه دايا (Gift (f

رئي سَ ر ؤسا ءَ (President (m

15. Before & After

1. With Nouns: Add “before” or “after” before the noun, similar to how we use them in English. (gebel + noun) قبل Before (ed + nounعba) ب عد After Example(s) بعد حكو معنا بعد زيارة المتحف They spoke to us after visiting the museum.

بعد ما حكو معنا بعد ما زارو المتحف They spoke to us after they visited the museum.

2. With Verbs: before the verb ما To express before & after with a verb, add (gebel ma + verb) قبل ما Before (ed ma + verbعba) ب عد ما After

قبل بدي أشوفها قبل السفر .I want to see her before the trip

قبل ما بدي أشوفها قبل ما أسافر .I want to see her before I travel

16. The Definite Article

il, or al). It is written as part of the word, and in) ال The definite article in Arabic is most cases, it is used in the same manner as “the” in English. There is no indefinite article in Arabic, such as “an” or “a”, so indefinite nouns aren’t preceded by anything.

One important exception is in proper nouns. In Arabic, it is included in many proper There is no hard and fast ”.السعودية or “the Saudi الردن ”nouns, such as “the Jordan rule as to which proper nouns have the definite article and which do not, so the only way to learn them is through memorization.

Here are some more examples:

Names with definite articles Names without definite articles

مادبا/Madaba الردن/Jordan

ماعين/Ma’een الكويت/Kuwait

معان/Ma’aan السعودية/Saudi Arabia

غور الصافي/The Saafi Valley العقبة/Aqaba

حسين/Hussein الطفيلة/Tafila

لبنان/Lebanon البحر الميت/The Dead Sea

Pronunciation

is pronounced as al- or el-, or sometimes just l-. When the ال The definite article 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 in Arabic, doubling the (s) sound السلم ”example, peace is pronounced as “as-salaam instead of pronouncing the lam.

The sounds or letters that assimilated the l- of the definite article are:

ت ث د ذ ر ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ل ن

17. Comparative & Superlative

A. Comparatives We use the comparative form of the adjective when comparing two things (e.g. bigger, smaller, older, etc.). There are two types of comparative adjectives in Arabic:

Adjectives with 4 letters or less ( أ ) For adjectives with 4 or less letters, comparatives are formed by adding the letter if it comes as the third letter or ( ي ) as a prefix to the adjective and then dropping the if it comes as the second letter. Finding the three-letter root can make this ( ا ) the less confusing by helping you identify a clear pattern between adjectives and usually appears between the 2nd and 3rd (ي) ”comparatives. For instance, the “ya To form the comparative, remove the .(صغير Sagheer ,كبير letter of the root (kabeer با رد (ya” and add an “alif” to the beginning of the word. Similarly, for words like (barid“ is between the 1st and 2nd letter, remove the “alif” from the middle (ا) ”where the “alif of the word and add it to the beginning. When using the comparative for feminine .is dropped ( ة ) adjectives the

English Arabic Transliteration kbiir / akbar كبير / أك بر Big (m.) / Bigger Pretty/Prettier jameel/ ajmal Old/ Older (for things, not gadeem/agdam people) عa / awsaعwase وا سعة / أو سع Wide (f.) / Wider Cold/Colder baarid/ abrid Fat/Fatter naas-ha/ an-sah (?)

”.for “than ( م ن ) To compare one thing to another, use the preposition

Example: -َإن تَأ ك برَ منَأ ح مد You (m.) are older than - Ahmed

-َ غرف تيَأو سعَ منَ غرف ت كَ My room is wider (f.) than - yours

Adjectives with more than four letters

To form the comparative from adjectives that have more than four letters (or no after the ( أ كثر / identifiable three-letter root), we add the word “more” / (akthar adjective without changing the form of the adjective itself:

English Arabic Transliteration Worried (m.) / More galgan / galgan akthar قلقان \ قلقان أكثر worried aana aktharعaana / juعju جوعانة\ جوعانة أكثر Hungry (f.) / More Hungry

Example:

-َ ه ّوَم بسوطَأك ثرَ منَ ع مر He is more happy than Omar -

B. Superlatives

Superlatives describe the highest degree of the comparison of adjectives (e.g. biggest (big), smallest (small), oldest (old), etc.). In Arabic, superlatives are formed from the comparatives and using it with either the definite article or the first term of construct to form an i-daafa (see section ??). We use the latter when we are identifying the superlative from among a group, such as “the youngest of the family” or “the best of the class”.

Examples With the Definite Article

English Arabic Transliteration

?inta laz-ghar إن ت ال ز غ ر؟ ?Are you (f) the youngest

My brother Ahmad is the akhuuii aH-mad hu-wa laz- أ ُخو ي أ حم د ُهو ال ز غ ر youngest ghar

With the First Term of the Construct:

English Arabic Transliteration

Are you (m) the youngest inta az-ghar alkul إ ن ت أ ز غر ال ُك ل؟ of all?

Saudi Arabia is the biggest uudii-ya ak-barعas-sa ال ّس ُعود ّية أ كبر ب ل د في ال شر ق country in the Middle balad fi sh-shafg alausaT الو س ط East.

More superlative examples with definite article or first term of construct:

English Arabic Transliteration

inti alaz-ghar َإن تَالز غَر .You are the youngest

This is the most beautiful haadhihi aHla si-yaara َهاذيَأح لىَس يا رة car.

This book is the cheapest haada l-kitaab ar-khaS هاذاَالكتابَأ ر خصَوا حد one. waaHad

Section E

ل ّسا ”Still / Not Yet“ .18

still" maybe used as an independent particle, as in the following",ل ّسا A. The word examples:

ل ّسا ع ندي و قت I still have time

I am still living with my father and أ نا ل ّسا سا كنة مع أ ُبوي وأُ ّمي mother

Or, it can be preceded by a pronoun, as in:

هو ل ّسا في ال م د رسة He is still in school

:"is also used as an answer to a question, meaning "not yet ل ّسا .B

و صل ت؟ ل ّسا Has the arrived? Not yet

ق ريت ال ج ريدة؟ ل ّسا Have you read the paper? Not yet

19. “That”

is used similarly to the English “that” as a way to link two clauses. It is إ ن The particle followed by either a noun or suffix pronoun, as in the following examples:

ال ّس ّي د س ُكو ت ح كى ل ي إ ّنه ب ّده ي ُشو فك Mr. Scott told me that he wants .1 to see you (m.) ُ أظ ن إ ّني ل ز م أ س ت ري ح ش و ي I thing that I need to rest a bit .2

أكيد إ ّنك جوعان .I am sure that you are hungry .3

تعر ف إ ّن ال سفا رة استأ ج رت ل ك بي ت حلُو؟ Do you know that the Embassy .4 rented a nice house for you (m.)?

,(starts with a noun (4 إ ن As shown by these examples, when the clause that follows starts with a verb (1 and 2), it is إ ن stays as it is. However, if the clause that follows إ ن

.rather than using a new subject pronoun , إ ن necessary to attach a pronoun suffix to is إ ن The pronoun suffix agrees with the subject of the verb. If the clause that follows 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 .إ ن and attaches itself to )...ك( changes into a suffix pronoun إ ن ت pronoun

For example:

إ ن ت جوعان .Equational Sentence You are hungry بعرف إ ّنك جوعان .Sentence with “that” I know that you’re hungry

20. “Become / Happen / Befall”

A. “To become” or “To happen” Sar) has many uses in spoken Arabic. Used alone it can mean “to) صار The verb become” or “to happen.” When used in this way, it is conjugated to fit the correct pronoun (I, you, he, etc.) and tense (past, future, etc.).

English Arabic Transliteration Saarat mud-darisa صارت ُم ّدرسة She became a teacher ?shuu Saar شو صار؟ ?What happened Saar fii Haadeth صار فيه حادث An accident has happened ?shuu raH yeSiir شو رح يصير؟ ?What will happen

B. “Have been” or “Has been” plus the appropriate pronoun suffix, it means “have ( ل ) ”Used with the preposition “li been” or “has been” and is used to describe spending time doing something.

English Arabic Transliteration Saarlii صار لي I have been Saarlak صار لك (.You have been (m

Saarlik صارل ك (.You have been (f Saaril-kuu صار ل ُكو (.You have been (pl Saar-luh صار له He has been Saarlaha صار لها She has been Saarlahum صار ل ُهم They have been Saarilna صار لنا We have been

Examples:

English Arabic Transliteration How long have you (m.) ?gadaish Saarlak hoon قديش صار لك هون؟ been here? I have been here for a hoon عSaarlii Osbuu صار لي أسبوع هون week

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:

 Possible or realizable conditions  Impossible or unlikely conditions (“contrary to fact”)

إذا For possible conditional clauses, the word used for “if” is .1

English Arabic Transliteration إذا طلب منك 6 دنانير، ,If he asks you for 6 JD

قول له tell him 3 3 إذا ُرحت ُبكرة، رح If you go tomorrow, I

أشوفك هناك will see you there

ل و For contrary – to fact conditions, the word used for “if” is .2

English Arabic Transliteration If you had told me that لو قلت لي إ نه طلب منك 6 he asked you for 6 JD, دنانير كان قلت له 3 I’d tell him 3 If I were in your shoes, I لو إ ّني مكانك، ما بسكتلُه wouldn’t stay silent.

More Examples

English Arabic Transliteration ,idha akhedh taksii إذا أخذ تكسي، قديش لزم If I take a taxi, how عgadaish laazim ad-fa أدفع؟ ?much should I pay If he studied, he would loo daras kaan najaH لو درس كان نجح have passed

22. Modal Expressions

م م ك ن & لز م

Modals in English are words such as “must, ought to, can, could, should, need to, .لز م & ُم م ك ن may, might, and have to.” In Arabic, we use either

need to, have to, must, ought to, should, it is necessary that – لز م .A

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 كان ”To conjugate in the past, add appropriately conjugated version of “kan .5

English Arabic Transliteration I have to practice as laazam at-mar-ran gadar ل زم أ تم ّر ن ق د ر ال م كان much as possible al im-kaan arabiiع laazim niH-kii ل ز م نح كي ع رب ي مع We should speak Arabic adعba-عmaa بعض with each other

can, could, may, might, it is possible that – م م ك ن .B generally acts as the modal of م م ك ن ,When preceding a present tense verb .1 possibility 2. It is invariable (always has the same form)

English Arabic Transliteration It’s possible they mum-kin darasuu al- lughat aarabii gebil ijuu ُم م ك ن studied Arabic before they came to Jordan. lil-orduun

dak-عana mum-kin asaa أ نا ُم م ك ن أ سا عدك I can help you

is used alone, or followed by an equational sentence or a past م م ك ن When .3 tense verb, it means “perhaps” or “maybe”

English Arabic Transliteration Maybe she’s at the mum-kin hi-ya ُم م ك ن هي في الم ك ت ب office fi l-mak-tab mum-kin wiS-luu l-laila ُم م ك ن و صلُو اللّيلة Perhaps they arrived l-maaD-ya ال ما ضية last night

م م ك ن & لزم َ C. Negative

.before the modal word م ش To negate a modal phrase, add

English Arabic Transliteration You (sing.m.) don’t have mish laazim م ش لزم تساع دني d-niiعto help me t-saa mish mum-kin م ش ُم م ك ن تحا ولي؟ ?Can't you try t-Haauu-lii We don’t have to study mish laazim tud-rus م ش لزم ُن د ُر س ال ُيوم today alyoom mish mum-kin atakalam م ش ُم مك ن أ ت كلّم بال فر نس ّية I can’t speak French bil-faran-sii-ya

23. Negations

laa )no(: used when giving a command or answering a question. When ل .1 ل :used by itself, there is usually a glottal stop at the end ل تروح لحالك، رح تيجي اليوم؟ ل، ل تد خن...الخ

:maa (not) is used mainly with verbs ما .2 ما أدخن، ما بحب ريحة ال ُدخان، ما روحت على الحفلة، ما رح أساف ر...الخ

mish (not) is used mainly with adjectives and nouns م ش .3 أنا مش مبسوط، أنا مش إبراهيم، أنا مش دكتور...الخ

:biduun (without) is used with nouns ب دو ن .4 بحب الشاي بدون سكر، بدون احراج...الخ

:maafii (there is no) is used with nouns ما في .5 ما في فلوس، ما في ناس بالبيت، ما في ُمخ...الخ

ـــ ش :Verb (present tense starts with b) + iish .6 I don’t drink =بشربش , I can’t= بقدرش

7. Maa + (verb past tense) + iish = negated past tense verb بحب ـش القهوة بـسكر، ما روحت ش على الحفلة امبارح...الخ

24. Relative Clauses

Relative clauses “relate” back to something or someone in the main clause. For example, in the sentence: This is the suitcase which arrived yesterday, “which arrived yesterday” is the relative clause. It gives further information about the “suitcase.”

In spoken Arabic, it is sometimes easier to think of relative clauses as two complete, related sentences sometimes connected by a relative pronoun. In is a commonly used relative pronoun, although you اللي ”spoken Arabic, "illee also might find that some people don’t use any relative pronouns at all. Here are some examples:

A. Definite noun (e.g. the suitcase) If the antecedent of the relative clause is a definite noun, the relative pronoun must be used to link the two clauses. Both phrases on either side of the relative pronoun must be able to stand alone as two related, but independent and complete, ideas. The verb in the relative clause much be conjugated according to the object it is modifying.

Definite noun relative pronoun verb

This is the suitcase which arrived ها ذ ي ه ّي ال ش ن طة اللّي و صل ت ا مبا ر ح yesterday.

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.

ها ذه ّش ن طة و صلت ا مبا ر ح .This is a suitcase which arrived yesterday

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:

ها ذ ي ه ّي ال ش ن طة ال ّل ي لق و ها .(This is the suitcase they found (it

ها ذ ي شن طة لق و ها .(This is a suitcase they found (it

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.

ُز رت ال م د ر سة اللّي ب ُت د ُر س في ها I visited the school where she studies (in it).

الضافة The i-Daafa .25

The i-daafa construct is used to express possession or to describe a relationship between two nouns. It’s a phrase that can generally be translated to “______of ______” (even if that’s not how we’d phrase it in English.)

1. Possession a. When the possessor is a proper noun, we add it after the noun, like an adjective to express possession.

beyt maygan بيت ميغان Megan’s house (the house of Megan) kitab dana كتاب دانة Dana’s book (the book of Dana)

b. When describing a feminine noun, the taa-marbuta becomes a taa (in pronunciation but the written form stays the same).

siyaaraT abu hamza سيارة أبو حمزة Abu Hamza’s car sooraT fatima صورة فاطمة Fatima’s picture

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.

Kitab al-taliba .كتاب الطالب the student’s book Siyaraat al-muaalima سيارة المعلمة the teacher’s car siyaraat abuee سيارة أبوي my father’s car fustaan ukht-ha فستان اختها her sister’s dress

2. Other i-Daafa phrases: I-Daafa’s 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 don’t. Firag as-salaam – Peace Corps) is one example you should already be pretty familiar) فرق السلم with.

فرق السلم – feraq al-salaam ,بنك السكان – For example: bank al-askaan

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 26. Noun-Adjective Phrases

To make a noun-adjective phrase in English a complete sentence, you must use the verb “to be” between the noun and the adjective.

The car is green. The house is big.

Arabic speakers do not use the verb “to be” in this way. Instead, noun-adjective sentences are formed based on placement of the definite article, and the verb “to be” is understood. Unlike in an i-Daafa phrase, the “ta-maarbuta” is still pronounced “ah” and not “t”, even though it’s connected to a word after. You can distinguish between these two types of phrases by noticing where the definite article appears in the phrase. For noun-adjective sentences, only the first word will have a definite article; in an i-Daafa, the first word has no definite article, but all following words do.

.Assayara khadra السيارة خضرة .The car is green .Al-bayt kabeer البيت كبير .The house is big

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 here—you can add adjectives, verbs or prepositions to finish the sentence, as long as they do not have a definite article.

.As-sayaraa al-khadra kabeera السيارة الخضرة كبيرة .The green car is big -As-sayaraa al-khadra guddaam al السيارة الخضرة قدام البيت The green car is in front of the house. bayt Al-bayt al-kabeer jameel البيت الكبير جميل The big house is beautiful

Remember, the adjective always follows the noun in Arabic.

______

This version of the Jordanian Arabic Grammar for Beginners was downloaded from the free Peace Corps Language Archive hosted on http://www.livelingua.com