Idafah

Idafah - Possessive Construction

Arabic, Grammar, Idafah

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) #

Arabic TermMeaningRules
المُضَافthe possessed thing• Always first
• Never takes ال or tanwīn
المُضَاف إِلَيْهِthe possessor• Always last
• Always genitive (مَجْرُور) with kasrah
• Can be definite or indefinite

Rules of Iḍāfah #

  1. The first noun (مُضَاف) cannot take: