In this lesson, we will study three types of phrases in Arabic whose usage may differ in English. The three types of phrases are:
- Adjectival phrases
- Demonstrative phrases
- Genitive phrases
Table of Contents
Adjectival Phrases
Consider the English phrase, “the tall, handsome, and intelligent man.” Notice the following characteristics of this adjectival phrase in English:
- Adjectives precede the noun.
- When there is more than one adjective, the conjunction “and” is used only before the last adjective.
- The definite article is used only once before the first adjective.
Now, let us consider the Arabic equivalent:
| الـرَّجُــلُ الـطَّـويـلُ والـوَسـيـمُ والـذَّكِــيُّ ar-rajulu -ṭ-ṭawīlu wa -l-wasīmu wa -dh-dhakiyy(u) the tall, handsome, and intelligent man |
Notice the following general rules for Arabic adjectival phrases:
- The noun precedes the adjectives.
- The conjunction و (wa) ‘and,’ if used, must be placed before each additional adjective.
- The definite article precedes the noun and each adjective describing it, ensuring agreement in definiteness.
Here are more examples of adjectival phrases:
| Indefinite Nouns | Definite Nouns |
| كِـتابٌ كَـبـيـرٌ kitāb(un) kabīr(un) a large book | الْـكِـتابُ الْـكَـبـيـرُ al-kitāb(u) -l-kabīr(u) the large book |
| يَـوْمٌ جَـميـلٌ yawm(un) jamīl(un) a beautiful day | الْـيَـوْمُ الْـجَـميـلُ al-yawm(u) -l-jamīl(u) the beautiful day |
Remember that in Arabic, the default grammatical case for nouns and adjectives is مَـرْفـوع (marfū‘) ‘nominative.’ This is why, in the phrases above, definite nouns are marked with a ضَـمَّـة (ḍammah) ‘short u,’ and indefinite nouns are marked with a تَـنْـويـن ضَـمّ (tanwīn ḍamm) ‘double ḍamma, i.e., final un sound.’
Demonstrative Phrases
Consider the Arabic demonstrative phrase:
| هـذا الـرَّجُـلُ hādhā -r-rajul(u) this man |
Notice that in Arabic, nouns following the demonstrative pronoun are always preceded by the definite article الـ (al) ‘the’ in a demonstrative phrase.
An adjectival phrase can also follow the demonstrative pronoun, provided the adjectives agree in definiteness and grammatical case with the noun. For example:
| هـذا الـرَّجُـلُ الـطَّـويـلُ والـذَّكِـيُّ hādhā -r-rajulu -ṭ-ṭawīlu wa -dh-dhakiyy(u) this tall and intelligent man |
Notice that in Arabic, each adjective following the noun is preceded by the definite article الـ (al) ‘the,’ ensuring agreement in definiteness.
Genitive Phrases
The genitive phrase construction in Arabic is called إِضـافَـة (’iḍāfah) ‘annexation,’ and consists of two parts:
- مُـضـاف (muḍāf): The ‘annexed’ object, which is always indefinite withoutتَـنْـويـن (tanwīn) ‘double vowel ending.’
- مُـضـاف إِلَيْـه (muḍāf ’ilayh): The ‘annexer,’ which can be either definite or indefinite.
Here are some examples:
| حَـجْـمُ الـكِـتـابِ ḥajm(u) -l-kitāb(i) size of the book | حَـجْـمُ كِـتـابٍ ḥajm(u) kitāb(in) size of a book |
| اِسْـمُ الـرَّجُـلِ ism(u) -r-rajul(i) name of the man | اِسْـمُ رَجُـلٍ ism(u) rajul(in) name of a man |
The ‘short u’ vowel in parentheses denotes the default nominative case of the مُـضـاف (muḍāf) ‘annexed,’ and can be changed depending on the syntactical grammatical case. Note thatتَـنْـويـن (tanwīn) ‘double vowel ending’ is never used with the مُـضـاف (muḍāf) ‘annexed,’ although it is an indefinite noun.
On the other hand, the مُـضـاف إِلَيْـه (muḍāf ’ilayh) ‘annexer’ is always in the genitive case, i.e., مَـجْـرور (majrūr):
- If the مُـضـاف إِلَيْـه (muḍāf ’ilayh) ‘annexer’ is an indefinite singular noun, it is marked with a final تَـنْـويـن كَـسْـر (tanwīn kasr).
- If the مُـضـاف إِلَيْـه (muḍāf ’ilayh) ‘annexer’ is a definite singular noun, it is marked with a final كَـسْـرَة (kasrah) ‘short i.’
Consider the following three examples.
| Nominative | .اِسْـمُ الـرَّجُـلِ أَحْـمَـد ’ismu -r-rajuli ’aḥmad. The name of the man (is) Ahmad. |
| Accusative | .أُريـدُ اِسْـمَ الـرَّجُـلِ ’urīdu –sma -r-rajul(i). I want the name of the man. |
| Genitive | .سَـأَلْـتُ عَـن اِسْـمِ الـرَّجُـلِ sa’altu ‘an (i) –smi -r-rajul(i). I asked about the name of the man. |
The مُـضـاف (muḍāf) ‘annexed’ in the three examples is اِسْـم (ism) ‘name.’ Its final vowel changes based on its grammatical case:
- ضَـمَّـة (ḍammah) ‘short u’ when nominative, i.e., اِسْـمُ (ismu).
- فَـتْـحَـة (fatḥah) ‘short a’ when accusative, i.e., اِسْـمَ (isma).
- كَـسْـرَة (kasrah) ‘short i’ when genitive, i.e., اِسْـمِ (ismi).
On the other hand, the مُـضـاف إِلَيْـه (muḍāf ’ilayh) ‘annexer’ in the three examples is الـرَّجُـلِ (ar-rajuli) ‘the man,’ which is always مَـجْـرور (majrūr) ‘genitive.’ Because الـرَّجُـلِ (ar-rajuli) ‘the man’ is a definite noun, its final vowel is consistently كَـسْـرَة (kasrah) ‘short i’ in all three examples.
When a word is at the end of a sentence, its final vowel is typically omitted in pronunciation, as seen in the second and third examples.
A special case of a genitive phrase consists of a noun followed by an attached pronoun, which functions as a possessive pronoun and is considered a مُـضـاف إِلَيْـه (muḍāf ’ilayh) ‘annexer.’ For example:
| بَـيْتــي baytī my house | كِـتابُــهُ kitāb(u)hu his book |
| مَـدْرَسَـتُــنا madrasat(u)nā our school | بُـيـوتُــهُم buyūt(u)hum their houses |
The noun that precedes the attached pronoun in the phrases above is never preceded by the definite article الـ (al) ‘the,’ because it functions as a مُـضـاف (muḍāf) ‘annexed.’
Adjectives in the Genitive Case
It is also possible to add adjectives that follow the مُـضـاف إِلَيْـه (muḍāf ’ilayh) ‘annexer.’ For example:
| حَـجْـمُ الْـكِـتابِ الصَّـغيـر ḥajm(u) al-kitāb(i) –ṣ-ṣaghīr size of the small book (or) (the) small size of the book | حَـجْـمُ كِـتابٍ صَـغيـر ḥajm(u) kitāb(in) ṣaghīr size of a small book (or) small size of a book |
Notice that the adjective can describe either the مُـضـاف (muḍāf) ‘annexed’ or the مُـضـاف إِلَيْـه (muḍāf ’ilayh) ‘annexer,’ depending on the intention of the speaker.
Remember that the adjective must have the same gender, number, and grammatical case as the noun it describes. Thus, in the example حَـجْـمُ الْـكِـتابِ الصَّـغيـر (ḥajmu -l-kitābi aṣ-ṣaghīr), if the speaker’s intention is to use the adjective الصَّـغيـر (aṣ-ṣaghīr) ‘the small’ to describe the word حَـجْـمُ (ḥajm) ‘size,’ then the adjective must be in the nominative following the noun it describes.
| حَـجْـمُ الْـكِـتـابِ الصَّـغـيـرُ ḥajm(u) -l-kitāb(i) –ṣ-ṣaghīr(u) (the) small size the book | حَـجْـمُ كِـتـابٍ صَـغـيـرٌ ḥajm(u) kitāb(in) ṣaghīr(un) small size of a book |
Note the use of the ‘short u’ vowel with the definite noun الصَّـغـيـرُ (aṣ-ṣaghīru) and تَـنْـويـن ضَـمّ (tanwīn ḍamm)with the indefinite noun صَـغـيـرٌ (ṣaghīrun) to denote nominative grammatical case.
On the other hand, if the speaker’s intention is to use the adjective الصَّـغيـر (aṣ-ṣaghīr) ‘the small’ to describe the word الـكِـتـابِ(al-kitābi) ‘the book,’ then the adjective must be in the genitive following the مُـضـاف إِلَيْـه (muḍāf ’ilayh) ‘annexer,’ which is always مَـجْـرور (majrūr) ‘genitive.’
| حَـجْـمُ الْـكِـتـابِ الصَّـغـيـرِ ḥajm(u) -l-kitāb(i) –ṣ-ṣaghīr(i) (the) size of the small book | حَـجْـمُ كِـتـابٍ صَـغـيـرٍ ḥajm(u) kitāb(in) ṣaghīr(in) size of a small book |
Sometimes, the meaning is enough to indicate the noun that the adjective describes. For example:
| مُـنْـقـارُ الطَّـيْـرِ الْـحـادُّ munqār(u) -ṭ-ṭayr(i) –l-ḥādd(u) the sharp beak of the bird |
As we have seen in the previous examples, not all genitive phrases express a relationship of annexation (or possession). Genitive phrases can describe a relationship between an entity and one of its properties or contents, between a part and a whole of an object, or any other relationship. Here are some examples:
| لَـوْنُ الْـكِـتـابِ lawn(u) -l-kitāb(i) color of the book | مُـديـرُ الْـمَـدْرَسَـةِ mudīr(u) -l-madrasah(-ti) director of the school |
| كَـأْسُ مـاءٍ ka’s(u) mā’(in) glass of water | قِـطْـعَـةُ خُـبْـزٍ qiṭ‘at(u) khubz(in) piece of bread |
From a grammatical point of view, such a relationship is not necessarily a real relationship. For example:
| قَـوِيُّ الإِرادَةِ qawiyy(u) -l-’irādah(-ti) strong (in) willpower | سَـريـعُ الـفَـهْـمِ sarī’(u) -l-fahm(i) quick (in) understanding |
| كَـثـيـرُ الـشَّـكْـوى kathīr(u) -sh-shakwā excessive (in) complaining | قَـلـيـلُ الأَدَبِ qalīl(u) -l-’adab(i) deficient (in) politeness |
Note that the above four examples do not represent real or literal possessive relationships. However, these sentences follow the same grammatical rules, and the two words of each of the genitive phrases above are referred to as مُـضـاف (muḍāf) ‘annexed’ and مُـضـاف إِلَيْـه (muḍāf ’ilayh) ‘annexer.’
Genitive Phrases with Dual & Plural Forms
If the مُـضـاف (muḍāf) ‘annexed’ is in dual form, the final ن (nūn) ‘n’ is omitted. However, the final ن (nūn) ‘n’ of the مُـضـاف إِلَيْـه (muḍāf ’ilayh) ‘annexer’ remains intact. For example:
| Nominative | اِسْــمــا الـرَّجُـلَـيْـنِ أَحْـمَـدُ وَ مُـحَـمَّـدٌ٠ ismā -r-rajulayni ’aḥmadu wa-muḥammad. The names of the two men (are) Ahmad and Muhammad. |
| Accusative | أُريـدُ اِسْــمَــي الـرَّجُـلَـيْـنِ٠ ’urīdu –smay (i) -r-rajulayn. I want the names of the two men. |
| Genitive | سَـأَلْـتُ عَـن اِسْــمَــي الـرَّجُـلَـيْـنِ٠ sa’altu ‘an (i) –smay (i) -r-rajulayn. I asked about the names of the two men. |
| Genitive (with possessive pronoun) | سَـأَلْـتُ عَـن اِسْـمَيــهِـمـا٠ sa’altu ‘an (i) –smayhimā. I asked about their(two) names. |
The مُــضـاف (muḍāf) ‘annexed’ in the examples above is the dual noun اِسْــمَــيـن/ اِسْــمــان (ismān/ismayn) ‘two names.’ The noun ending changes based on its grammatical case:
- ـا ‘ā’ when nominative, i.e., اِسْـما (ismā).
- ـَيْ ‘ay’ when accusative or genitive, i.e., اِسْـمَـيْ (ismay).
Similarly, in the case of the masculine regular plural, or جَــمْـع مُـذَكَّـر ســالِــم (jam‘ mudhakkar sālim) ‘sound masculine plural,’ the final ن (nūn) ‘n’ is omitted when the noun functions as a مُـضـاف (muḍāf) ‘annexed.’ For example:
| مُـعَـلِّـمـو الْـمَـدْرَسَـةِ mu‘allimū -l-madrasah(-ti) teachers of the school | لاعِـبـو الْـفَـريـقِ lā‘ibū -l-farīq(i) players of the team |
| عَـنْ عـامِـلـي الْمَـصْـنَـعِ ‘an ‘āmilī -l-maṣna‘(i) about workers of the factory | مِـن سـائِـقـي الـسَّـيّـارات min sā’iqī -s-sayyārāt(i) from drivers of the cars |
The noun ending of the مُـضـاف (muḍāf) ‘annexed’ in the examples above changes based on its grammatical case:
- ـو ‘ū’ when nominative.
- ـي ‘ī’ when accusative or genitive.
Note that no change is applied in the cases of feminine regular plural, known as جَــمْـع مُـؤَنَّـث ســالِــم (jam‘ mu’annath sālim) ‘sound feminine plural,’ and the irregular plural, known as جَــمْـع تَـكْـسيـر (jam‘ taksīr) ‘broken plural,’ for example:
| عَـنْ عـامِـلاتِ الْـمَـصْـنَـعِ ‘an ‘āmilāt(i) -l-maṣna‘(i) about workers of the factory | سـائِـقـاتُ الـسَّـيّـارات sā’iqāt(u) -s-sayyārāt(i) drivers of the cars |
| عَـنْ عُـمّـالِ الْـمَـصْـنَـعِ ‘an ‘ummāl(i) -l-maṣna‘(i) about workers of the factory | مَـنـازِلُ الْـحَـيِّ manāzil(u) -l-ḥayy(i) houses of the neighborhood |
Next: Grammatical Cases of Nouns & Adjectives
Back to: Demonstrative Pronouns
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