Arabic Grammar Terms and Structure
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This section introduces essential Arabic Grammar (نحو عربي) terms, grouped into clear categories. Each term is listed with its Arabic equivalent and a concise explanation.
🟦 Sentence Structure
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| English Term | Arabic Term | Explanation |
|---|
| Verbal Sentence | جُمْلَة فِعْلِيَّة | A sentence beginning with a verb. Structure: Verb → Subject → Object. |
| Nominal Sentence | جُمْلَة اِسْمِيَّة | A sentence beginning with a noun. Structure: Subject (مبتدأ) → Predicate (خبر). |
| Subject | مُبْتَدَأٌ | The topic of a nominal sentence. |
| Predicate | خَبَرٌ | What is said about the subject in a nominal sentence. |
| Object | مَفْعُولٌ بِهِ | The noun receiving the action in a verbal sentence. |
🟨 Parts of Speech
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| English Term | Arabic Term | Explanation |
|---|
| Noun | اِسْمٌ | A word that refers to a person, place, thing, or idea. |
| Verb | فِعْلٌ | A word that shows an action or occurrence. |
| Adjective | صِفَةٌ | Describes a noun; matches in gender, number, and case. |
| Adverb | ظَرْفٌ | Modifies a verb or adjective (e.g., quickly, yesterday). |
| Pronoun | ضَمِيرٌ | Replaces a noun (e.g., he, she, it, we). |
| Active Participle | اِسْمُ الْفَاعِلِ | Describes the doer of an action (e.g., كَاتِب = writer). |
| Passive Participle | اِسْمُ الْمَفْعُولِ | Describes the one who the action is done to (e.g., مَكْتُوب = written). |
🟩 Verb Tenses and Moods
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| English Term | Arabic Term | Explanation |
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| Past Tense | الْمَاضِي | Indicates a completed action. |
| Present Tense | الْمُضَارِعُ | Indicates an ongoing or habitual action. |
| Imperative / Command | الْأَمْرُ | Used to give orders or requests. |
| Jussive Mood | الْمَجْزُومُ | Used after particles like lam (لَم) or li (لِـ); removes final vowel. |
| Active Voice | مَعْرُوفٌ | The subject performs the action. |
| Passive Voice | مَجْهُولٌ | The action is done to the subject. |
🟥 Cases and Declension
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| English Term | Arabic Term | Explanation |
|---|
| Nominative Case | الْمَرْفُوعُ | Typically for subjects; marked with ḍammah (ـُ). |
| Accusative Case | الْمَنْصُوبُ | For objects or adverbs; marked with fatḥah (ـَ). |
| Genitive Case | الْمَجْرُورُ | Used after prepositions or in iḍāfah; marked with kasrah (ـِ). |
| Declinable Noun | مُعْرَبٌ | A noun whose ending changes based on grammatical position. |
| Fully Declinable | مُنْصَرِفٌ | Accepts all case endings and tanwīn. |
| Partially Declinable | غَيْرُ مُنْصَرِفٍ | Does not take tanwīn and is limited in case endings. |
| Indeclinable Noun | مَبْنِيٌّ | A noun whose form remains fixed. |
🟪 Possession (Iḍāfah)
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| English Term | Arabic Term | Explanation |
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| Possessed Word | مُضَافٌ | The item owned; the first part of an iḍāfah phrase. |
| Possessor (of the item) | مُضَافٌ إِلَيْهِ | The owner; always in the genitive case. |
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