Iḍāfah (الإضافة) – The Possessive Construction #

In Arabic, الإضافة (Idāfah) is the structure used to link two nouns together in a relationship of possession or description.
It often means “the X of Y” in English.

• The first noun is the مُضَاف (the possessed thing).
• The second noun is the مُضَاف إِلَيْهِ (the possessor / owner).

Example:

• كِتَابُ الطَّالِبِ → the student’s book (book of the student)

Structure (Two-Noun Idāfah) #

Rules of Iḍāfah #

1. The first noun (مُضَاف) cannot take:

   • ال (definite article)
   • Tanwīn

2. The second noun (مُضَاف إِلَيْهِ):

   • Is always genitive (مَجْرُور)
   • Can take ال or remain indefinite depending on meaning

3. Definiteness is determined by the مُضَاف إِلَيْهِ:

   • If the second noun has ال, the whole phrase is definite.
     وَلَدُ الرَّجُلِ → the man’s boy

   • If the second noun is indefinite → the whole phrase is indefinite
     وَلَدُ رَجُلٍ → a boy of a man

   • In both cases, the second noun is in the genitive case (مجرور) — shown by the kasrah (ِ) at the end:
     → صَالِحٍ / الصَّالِحِ

Examples (Only 2-noun Idāfah) #

Note: Idāfah links two nouns, while a noun + adjective phrase describes one noun.

Mnemonic #

Think of Iḍāfah as a “chain of nouns”:

• First noun = the thing being owned (no الـ, no tanwīn)
• Second noun = the owner/possessor (always majrūr, often with الـ)

Ownership is shown by position, not by adding an ’s like in English.

Common Uses of Iḍāfah #

• Possession: كِتَابُ الطَّالِبِ (the student’s book)
• Descriptions: رَجُلُ صِدْقٍ (a man of truth)
• Time Expressions: يَوْمُ الجُمُعَةِ (Friday / the day of Friday)
• Places: مَدِينَةُ لُندُن (the city of London)

🆚 Iḍāfah vs. Simple Noun with “ال” #

• In Iḍāfah, the nouns are joined to show ownership/relationship.
• In a simple noun phrase with “ال”, each noun stands alone and does not form a genitive construction.

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