Parts of speech in Arabic with examples

In Arabic, there are three parts of speech: nouns, verbs, and particles. Nouns are words that name people, places, things, or ideas. Verbs are words that describe actions or states of being. Particles are words that connect other words or phrases together or modify the meaning of other words.

In this article, we will take a closer look at each of the three parts of speech in Arabic, with examples. We will also discuss some of the grammatical rules that govern how these words are used in sentences.

الكلام (al-kalaam)

al-kalaam definition

الكلام: لفظ مفيد (al-kalaam: lafz mufiid)
al-kalaam (speech): a useful word or the word that conveys meaning.


Classification of al-kalaam

al-kalam is classified into three parts:

1. الاسم (al-ism): noun

2. الفعل (al-fi'l): verb

3. الحرف (al-harf): particle

 الاسم (al-ism)

In English al-ism is called a noun.

Definition of al-ism

الِاسْمُ: كَلِمَةٌ دَلَّتْ عَلَى مَعْنًى فِي نَفْسِهَا وَلَمْ نَقْتَرِنْ بِزَمَنٍ

al-ism (a noun): A word that denoted a meaning in itself and is not associated with a tense.


Examples of  ism

- أَحْمَدُ : Ahmad

- كِتَابٌ (kitaab): a book

- طَالِبٌ (taalib): a student

- نَحْنُ (nahnu): we

- قِرَاءَةً (qiraa-ah): reading

 
علامات الاسم ('alaamaat al-ism): Characteristics of al-ism

Below are the characteristics of ism (noun in Arabic):

1. دخول الألف واللاّم (dukhuul al-alif wa al-lam).

al-ism (a noun) can accept alif lam (ال) prefix.

Examples:

- كِتَابٌ (kitaabun): a book
الكِتَابُ (al-kitaabu): the book

- طَالِبٌ (taalibun): a student
الطَّالِبُ (at-taalibu): the student
 
- قِرَاءَةٌ (qiraa-atun): a reading
القِرَاءَةُ (al-qiraa-atu): the reading


2. دخول حروف الجر (dukhuul huruuf al-jar).

al-ism (a noun) can be preceded by harf jar (a particle).

The examples of harf jar: فِي , عَلَى , إِلَى (fii, 'alaa, ilaa).

Examples:

- بَيْتٌ (baytun): a house

فِي بَيْتٍ (fii baytin): in a house

- سَرِيْرٌ (sariirun): a bed

عَلَى السَّرِيْرِ ('alas sariiri): on the bed

- مَدْرَسَةٌ (madrasatun): a school

إِلَى المَدْرَسَةِ (ilaa al-madrasati): to the school


3. مَجرور (majruur).

al-ism (a noun) can be in 'majruur' or genitive case.

The basic indication of a noun in genitive case is 'kasrah "i" in the final harakat'

Examples:

بَيْتٌ (baytun): it is in nominative case or 'marfuu'

بَيْتٍ (baytin): it is in genitive case or 'majruur'


4. التّنوين (at-tanwiin).

al-ism (a noun) has tanwiin or nunation mark.

A nunation mark in a noun denotes that the noun is indefinite noun. In English we can translate it with indefinite particle "a".

Examples:

مُدَرِّسٌ (mudarrisun): a teacher

قَلَمٌ (Qalamun): a pen


5. دخول حروف النّداء (dukhuul huruuf an-nidaa')

al-ism (a noun) can accept harf an-nidaa' (vocative particle).

Examples:

يَا مُحَمَّدُ (yaa Muhammad): O Muhammad!

يَا أُسْتَاذُ (yaa ustaadz): O teacher!


Basic concept: In every sentence, there must be a noun (ism).

 الفعل (al-fi'l): a verb

In English fi'l is called 'verb'.


Definition of al-fi'l

اَلْفِعْل : كَلِمَةٌ دَلَّتْ عَلَى مَعْنًى فِي نَفْسِهَا وَاقْتَرَنَتْ بِأَحَدِ اَلْأَزْمِنَةِ اَلثَّالَاثَة اَلْمَاضِي وَالْحَالِ وَالِاسْتِقْبَالِ

al-fi'l (a verb): a word that denotes a meaning and is associated with one of the following three tenses: the past, the present, and the future.


Examples of f'il

- ذَهَبَ (dhahaba): went
It is a past tense form.


- يَذْهَبُ (yadh-habu): go
It is a present tense form.

- سَيَذْهَبُ (sayadh-habu): will go
It is a future tense form.

- اذْهَبْ (idh-hab): go!
It is imperative mood, and can be classified as istiqbal (future) form.

علامات الفعل ('alaamaat al-fi'l): Characteristics of fi'l (verb)

Below are the characteristics of verb in Arabic:

1. الْمَاضِي: مَا دَلَّ عَلَى حَدَثٍ وَقَعَ وَانْقَطَعَ
al-maadi: anything that indicates an event that has occurred and has been completed.

Example:

دَرَسَ (darasa): He studied.

2.اَلْمُضَارِع : مَا دَلَّ عَلَى حَدَثٍ يَقْبَلُ اَلْحَالَ وَالِاسْتِقْبَالَ
al-mudaari': anything that indicates an ongoing or future event.

Example:

يَدْرُسُ (yadrusu): He studies (He is studying).

3.الْأَمْرُ: مَا دَلَّ عَلَى حَدَثٍ فِي الْمُسْتَقْبَلِ
al-amr: anything that indicates a future event.

Example:

اُدْرُسْ (udrus): study!

The verb in Arabic has the following attributes:

1. It can be inserted with taa al-faa'il (تاء الفاعل).

Example:

دَرَسَتُ (darastu): I studied.

2. It can be inserted with taa at-taa'niith as-saakinah (تاء التأنيث السّاكنة).

Example:

دَرَسَتْ (darasat): She studied.


3. It can be preceded by قَدْ (qad).

Examples:

- قَدْ جَاءَ (qad jaa-a): He really came.

- قَدْ يَجِيءُ (qad yajii-u): He sometimes comes or He often comes.

4. It can be preceded by س or سوف to show the future event.

Example:

سَيَدْرُسُ (sayadrusu): He will study.

سَوفَ يَدْرُسُ (sawfa yadrusu): He will study.


5. It can be ended by yaa mukhatabah (yaa that shows feminine).

Example:

اُدْرُسِي (udrusii): Study!

 الحرف (al-harf): particle

Definition of al-harf

الْحَرْفُ: كَلِمَةٌ دَلَّتْ عَلَى مَعْنًى فِي غَيْرِهَا وَلَمْ نَقْتَرِنْ بِزَمَنٍ

al-harf (particle): anything that shows meaning other than noun and verb and is not associated with tenses.


Examples:

- مِنْ (min)

- فِي (fii)

- عَلَى ('alaa)

- إِلَى (ilaa)

The differences between the parts of speech in Arabic and English

As a beginner, understanding the differences between the parts of speech in Arabic and English is crucial for building a strong foundation in the language. Let's explore some of the main contrasts together:

1. Nouns (الأسماء)
In both Arabic and English, nouns are used to name people, places, things, or ideas.

However, one notable difference is in gender. Arabic nouns are either masculine or feminine, and this gender affects other elements in the sentence, such as adjectives and verbs.

In English, nouns do not have gender, so this concept might be new to you.

Then, based on number, Arabic nouns consist of singular noun (اسم مفرد), dual noun (اسم مثنّى), and plural noun (اسم جمع), whereas in English, nouns consists of singular noun and plural noun.

Examples:

- Based on gender:

بَيْتٌ = a house => in Arabic, it is a masculine noun (اسم مذكّر).

سَيَّارَةٌ = a car => in Arabic, it is a feminine noun (اسم مؤنّث).

In Arabic, there is an agreement between noun and it's adjective in term of gender.

a beautiful house: بَيْتٌ جَمِيْلٌ (baytun jamiilun).

جَمِيْلٌ is an adjective, it is masculine because the noun 'بَيْتٌ' is masculine noun.


a beautiful car: سَيَّارَةٌ جَمِيْلَةٌ (sayyaaratun jamiilatun).

جَمِيْلَةٌ is an adjective, it is feminine because the noun 'سَيَّارَةٌ' is feminine noun.


- Based on number:

In English only two types, they are singular and plural.

Example:

a teacher = مُدَرِّسٌ (mudarrisun).

teachers = مُدَرِّسُونَ (mudarrisuuna).

But, in Arabic, there is one more type of number, it is dual or muthannaa (مثنّى).

two teachers = مُدَرِّسَانِ (mudarrisaani).



2. Verbs (الأفعال)

Verbs in both languages express actions, states, or events. But, in Arabic, verbs are more intricate as they are heavily influenced by the subject's gender, number, and person. English verbs, on the other hand, usually have a simpler structure in this regard.

We will learn more detail in the future, in shaa Allah.

3. Adjectives (الصّفات)
 Adjectives describe or modify nouns in both Arabic and English.

However, similar to nouns, Arabic adjectives must match the gender, number, and case of the noun they are describing. In English, adjectives generally do not change based on gender or number (You've already read the example at the point number 1).

4. Pronouns (الضّمائر)
 Pronouns replace nouns to avoid repetition.

Arabic pronouns have separate forms for different genders, numbers, and cases.

In English, there are also pronouns for different cases (subjective, objective, possessive), but they are simpler compared to Arabic.

We will learn more detail in the future, in shaa Allah.


5. Prepositions (الحروف الجر)
Prepositions are words that show the relationship between different elements in a sentence.

Arabic and English both use prepositions, but their usage and collocations might differ.

Arabic prepositions are often attached to the following word, while English prepositions are usually separate.

6. Conjunctions (حروف العطف)
Conjunctions link words, phrases, or clauses.

Both languages have common conjunctions like "and" and "but."

However, Arabic conjunctions might introduce different sentence structures, and some of them are attached to the following word.

7. Adverbs (الظّروف)
Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs to describe how an action is done. In Arabic, adverbs have various forms and can be derived from adjectives, while English adverbs are often formed by adding "-ly" to adjectives.

You can see the graphic (image version) the differences of part of speech in Arabic and English in the previous lesson here: https://learnarabicstepbystep.blogspot.com/2018/10/parts-of-speech-in-arabic.html

Summary

You've known how many parts of speech in Arabic.

You have explored the three chief parts of speech in Arabic language; nouns (al-ism), verbs (al-fi'l), and particles (al-harf).