Parts of speech in Arabic

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Welcome to your first step in mastering Arabic! If you are starting your journey, the best foundation you can build is understanding the core building blocks of sentences. In this lesson, we will explore the parts of speech in Arabic and compare them to what you already know in English. Let's dive in!

Basic Arabic grammar for beginners: Parts of Speech in Arabic

Before explaining you part of speech in Arabic language, I will remind you parts of speech in English.

English Language has 8 parts of speech, they are:

  1. Noun: word refers to thing, place, person.
  2. Pronoun: word that replaces the noun, such as: he, she, you, etc.
  3. Adjective: word that describes a noun, such as: high, tall, short, etc.
  4. Adverb: word that gives additional information to verb, such as: slowly, tomorrow, etc.
  5. verb: word that describe the action, such as: run, study, etc.
  6. interjection: word that is independent of other words, such as: hello, etc.
  7. Conjunction: word that joins two clauses in a sentence, such as: and, but, etc.
  8. Preposition: word used to relate a noun/pronoun to some other part, such as: at, of, etc.

Arabic Parts of Speech

Unlike English which has eight categories, Arabic grammar (known as Nahwu) simplifies things tremendously. Arabic language has 3 parts of speech, they are:

  1. اِسْمٌ = noun
  2. فِعْلٌ = verb
  3. حَرْفٌ = letter or particle
three Arabic parts of speech (Nahwu): Ism (Noun), Fi'l (Verb), and Harf (Particle), detailing their definitions and relation to time for beginners.


The Conceptual Definition: What are they?

To truly grasp the Arabic language, we must look at the linguistic essence of these three categories:

  • Ism (اِسْمٌ): This is a word that holds an independent meaning on its own, but is not tied to time. Whether it is a person, a place, or an idea, it exists independently of the past, present, or future.
  • Fi'l (فِعْلٌ): This is a word that holds an independent meaning, but it is tied to time. It describes an action that happened in the past, is happening right now, or will happen in the future.
  • Harf (حَرْفٌ): A particle or letter that does not have a complete meaning unless it is paired with an Ism or a Fi'l. By itself, it is just a connecting bridge.

Arabic vs English parts of speech

How do the 8 English categories fit into the 3 Arabic categories? Observe the image below to make you understand part of speech in Arabic vs. English.

Basic Arabic grammar for beginners: Differences between Arabic and English grammar

From the image we can draw conclusion that:

  • noun, pronoun, adjective, adverb, interjection in Arabic are classified as Noun => اِسْمٌ
  • verb is classified as فِعْلٌ
  • Others (conjunction and preposition) are classified as حَرْفٌ

Examples of اِسْمٌ (ism)

  • كِتَابٌ = a book (Kitaabun)
  • أَحْمَدُ = Ahmad (Ahmadu)
  • قَلَمٌ = a pen (Qalamun)

Notice how "Kitaabun" and "Qalamun" end with a Tanwin (the "un" sound)? That is a clear sign they are an Ism.

Examples of فِعْلٌ (fi’l)

  • ذَهَبَ = he went (Zahaba - this is a Past Tense / Fi'l Madhi)
  • فَتَحَ = he opened (Fataha - this is a Past Tense / Fi'l Madhi)
  • يَسْمَعُ = he hears (he is hearing) (Yasma'u - this is a Present Tense / Fi'l Mudhari)

Understanding the Verb Tenses in Arabic (Fi'l Categories)

Before we look at the verb examples, in Arabic morphology (Sarf), verbs are divided based on time into three basic tenses:

  1. Fi'l Madhi (Past Tense): An action that has already been completed.
  2. Fi'l Mudhari (Present/Future Tense): An action that is currently happening or will happen.
  3. Fi'l Amr (Command): An instruction or imperative verb.

Examples of حَرْفٌ (harf)

  • عَلَى = on ('Alaa)
  • مِنْ = from (Min)
  • فِي = in; at (Fii)

Put It All Together

You already know the examples of Ism, fi’l, and harf, but you haven't seen an example of how they work together. Below is an example of a short sentence that demonstrates the combination of Ism, Fi'l, and Harf.

ذَهَبَ أَحْمَدُ إِلَى الْمَدْرَسَةِ

(Zahaba Ahmadu ilal madrasati)

Ahmad went to the school.

Let's break it down using our new knowledge:

  • ذَهَبَ (went): This is a Fi'l (verb) because it is an action tied to the past.
  • أَحْمَدُ (Ahmad): This is an Ism (noun) because it is the name of a person.
  • إِلَى (to): This is a Harf (particle) connecting the action to the destination.
  • الْمَدْرَسَةِ (the school): This is an Ism (noun) because it refers to a place. You can also spot the Alif-Lam (ال) at the beginning, which is the ultimate sign of an Ism!

That's all for today.

In the next lesson, I will explain you two types of noun and characteristics of a noun.

The newest lesson: Parts of speech in Arabic: Basic Concept and Quiz