كَانَ | nominal sentence | Durusul lughah book 2 - lesson 7

We are still at chapter 7 in Durusul lughah volume 2.

We are going to learn one of fi'l madi (فعل الماضي) that is used in nominal sentence or jumlah ismiyyah (جملة اسميّة).

The verb is : كَانَ

كَانَ

كَانَ : فعل مَاضٍ يَرْفَعُ المُبْتَدَأَ وَيَنْصَبُ الخَبَرَ

The meaning : كَانَ is fi'l madi that makes mubtada' (subject) become marfu' (nominative case) and makes khabar (predicate) become mansub (accusative case).

Please look carefully at the following picture.

Notice the first sentence.

1. المُدَرِّسُ فِي الفَصْلِ
The teacher is in the classroom.

المُدَرِّسُ فِي الفَصْلِ : nominal sentence (jumlah ismiyyah), because it contains mubtada' and khabar.

المُدَرِّسُ : mubtada' (مبتدأ), marfu, the sign of the rafa' is dammah "u"
فِي الفَصْلِ : khabar (خَبَر), it is syibhul jumlah "harf jar and majrur"

When this sentence is preceded by كَانَ , the mubtada will be in marfu (nominative case) and khabar will be in mansub (accusative case).

Finally the sentence becomes :

كَانَ المُدَرِّسُ فِي الفَصْلِ
the meaning : The teacher was in the classroom.

 

The structure explanation of the sentence

كَانَ المُدَرِّسُ فِي الفَصْلِ

كَانَ : fi'l madi

المُدَرِّسُ : ism kana (اسم كان), marfu, the indication of the rafa' is dammah "u"

فِي الفَصْلِ : khabar kana ( خبر كان )

khabar kana is syibhul jumlah (شبه جملة) or clause, it contains jar فِي and majrur الفَصْلِ , therefore there is no change take place in a clause.

 

If khabar kana is noun (اسم), the noun becomes in mansub condition.


Sentence example that the khabar kana is noun

الطَّالِبُ مُجْتَهِدٌ
The student is diligent.

الطَّالِبُ : mubtada', marfu, the sign of the rafa' is dammah "u"

مُجْتَهِدٌ : khabar, marfu, the sign of the rafa' is dammah "u"


In this sentence the khabar is a noun.

If this sentence is preceded by كَانَ , the sentence becomes:

كَانَ الطَّالِبُ مُجْتَهِدًا
the meaning: The student was diligent.

كَانَ : fi'l madi

الطَّالِبُ : ism kana (اسم كان), marfu, the indication of the rafa' is dammah "u"

مُجْتَهِدًا : khabar kana (خبر كان), mansub, the indication of the nasab is fat-hah "a"

2. الطُّلاَّبُ فِي المَكْتَبَةِ
The students are in the library.

كَانَ الطُّلاَّبُ فِي المَكْتَبَةِ
The students were in the library.

3. أُمِّي فِي المَطْبَخِ
My mother is in the kitchen.

كَانَتْ أُمِّي فِي المَطْبَخِ
My mother was in the kitchen.


Lesson point:

for masculine subject : كَانَ

for feminine subject : كَانَتْ

Summary

1. كَانَ is fi'l madi that is used to nominal sentence (jumlah ismiyyah).

2. jumlah ismiyyah contains mubtada' and khabar.

3. When jumlah ismiyyah is preceded by كَانَ,  mubtada' becomes ism kana, khabar becomes khabar kana.

4. The case of ism kana is marfu', whereas khabar kana is mansub (if the khabar kana is a noun).