1. Abjad Writing System
2. Romanization of the Arabic Abjad
3. Cursive Features of Arabic Letters
4. Vowels in Arabic
5. Stressed Consonants
6. Hamzah
7. Open-T vs. Tied-T
8. Syllable Stress in Arabic
1. The Definite Article الـ (al)
2. Double Vowel Ending – تَـنْويـن (Tanwīn)
3. Gender
4. Personal Pronouns
5. Word Patterns in Arabic
6. Introduction to Grammatical Cases
7. Dual & Plural
1. Sentences
2. Demonstrative Pronouns
3. Phrases
4. Grammatical Cases of Nouns & Adjectives
5. Past Tense
6. Adjectives
7. Cardinal Numbers
1. Present Tense
2. Negation
3. Prepositions
4. Interrogatives
5. Relative Pronouns
6. Conjunctions
7. Active & Passive Participles
8. Ordinal Numbers
1. Giving Commands & The Imperative
2. Irregular Verbs I
3. Verbal Nouns
4. Degrees of Comparison
5. Special-Use Particles, Nouns, & Pronouns
6. Progressive & Perfect Tenses
7. Nouns of Place, Instrument, & Intensity
8. Adverbs
1. Passive Voice
2. Irregular Verbs II
3. Impersonal Verbs & Expressions
4. إِنَّ (’inna), كـانَ (kāna), كـادَ (kāda) & ظَـنَّ (ẓanna)
5. Specification & Disambiguation
6. The Five Nouns
7. Circumstantial Adverb
8. Absolute Object & Causal Object
In this lesson, we cover adverbs in Arabic. An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. It typically answers a question such as “how,” “how often,” “how long,” “when,” or “where.”
Table of Contents
- Secondary Prepositions as Adverbs
- “Here,” “There,” & “There is/are”
- Adverbs using بِـ٠٠٠ (bi …) + Noun & بِـشَـكْـلٍ (bi-shaklin) + Adjective
- Adverbs of Time in Arabic
- Adverbs of Quantity in Arabic
- Adverbs of Manner in Arabic
- Level V – Advanced I (C1)
Secondary Prepositions as Adverbs
We discussed secondary prepositions in Level IV, Lesson 3, and most of them are adverbs of place and time. For example:
| فَـوْقَ fawqa | above, on | الْـمِـفْـتـاحُ فَـوْقَ الـطّـاوِلَـةِ٠ al-miftāḥu fawqa -ṭ-ṭāwilah(-ti). The key (is) above the table. |
| تَـحْـتَ taḥta | under | الْـقِـطُّ تَـحْـتَ الْـكُـرْسِـيِّ٠ al-qiṭṭu taḥta -l-kursiyy(i). The cat (is) under the chair. |
| قَـبْـلَ qabla | before | سَـأَتَّـصِـلُ بِـكَ قَـبْـلَ أَنْ أُغـادِرَ٠ sa-’attaṣilu bika qabla ’an ’ughādir(a). I will call you before I leave. |
| بَـعْـدَ ba‘da | after | نِـمْـتُ بَـعْـدَ الْـغَـداءِ الْـيَـوْم٠ nimtu ba‘da -l-ghadā’i -l-yawm(a). I slept after lunch today. |
| قُــرْبَ qurba | near | أَعـيـشُ قُـرْبَ الْـمَـديـنَـة٠ ’a‘īshu qurba -l-madīnah. I live near the city. |
| بَـعـيـدًا عَـنْ ba‘īdan ‘an | away from, far from | سـافَـرْتُ بَـعـيـدًا عَـنْ قَـرْيَـتِـنـا٠ sāfartu ba‘īdan ‘an qaryatinā. I traveled away from our village. |
From a grammatical point of view, the noun following these adverbs is in the genitive case.
“Here,” “There,” & “There is/are”
The adverbs ‘here’ and ‘there’ are as follows:
| هُـنـا hunā | here | طَـلَـبْـتُ مِـنْـهُ أَنْ يَـأْتِـيَ إِلـى هُـنـا٠ ṭalabtu minhu ’an ya’tiya ’ilā hunā. I asked him to come here. |
| هُـنـاكَ hunāka | there | ذَهَـبْـنـا إِلـى هُـنـاكَ مَـعًـا٠ dhahabnā ’ilā hunāka ma‘an. We went there together. |
Another use of the adverb هُـنـاكَ (hunāka) is to convey the meaning of ‘there is’ or ‘there are’ in English. For example:
| هُـنـاكَ hunāka | there is | هُـنـاكَ حَـلٌّ لِـتِـلْـكَ الـمُـشْـكِـلَـة٠ hunāka ḥallun li-tilka -l-mush kilah. There is a solution to that problem. |
| there are | هُـنـاكَ كَـثـيـرٌ مِـنَ الـنّـاسِ فـي الـحَـديـقَـة٠ hunāka kathīrun min (a) -n-nāsi fī -l-ḥadīqah. There are many people at the park. |
Adverbs using بِـ٠٠٠ (bi …) + Noun & بِـشَـكْـلٍ (bi-shaklin) + Adjective
One common way to construct what is considered an adverb in English is by using the preposition بِـ٠٠٠ (bi …) followed by a noun, or by using the word بِـشَـكْـلٍ (bi-shaklin) followed by an adjective. Here are some examples:
| بِـسُـرْعَـةٍ bi-sur‘ah quickly | بِـشَـكْـلٍ سَـريـعٍ bi-shaklin sarī‘ quickly | بِـبُـطْءٍ bi-buṭ’ slowly | بِـشَـكْـلٍ بَـطـيءٍ bi-shaklin baṭī’ slowly |
| بِـقُـوَّةٍ bi-quwwah strongly | بِـشَـكْـلٍ قَـوِيٍّ bi-shaklin qawiyy strongly | بِـاسْـتِـمْـرارٍ bi-stimrār continuously | بِـشَـكْـلٍ مُـسْـتَـمِـرّ bi-shaklin mustamirr continuously |
Next, we list some of the most common adverbs and adverbial phrases. You will learn more adverbs as you practice Arabic by reading, listening, and understanding the general rules explained in this lesson.
Adverbs of Time in Arabic
Below are some common adverbs of time in Arabic:
| الْـيَـوْمَ al-yawm today | غَـدًا ghadan tomorrow | أَمْـسِ ’ams yesterday |
| الْأُسْـبـوعَ الْـمـاضـي al-’usbū‘a -l-māḍī last week | الـشَّـهْـرَ الْـقـادِم ash-shahra -l-qādim next month | أَوَّلَ أَمْـسِ ’awwala ’ams the day before yesterday |
| الْآنَ al-’ān now | فـيـمـا بَـعْـدُ fīmā ba‘d later | هَـذِهِ الـلَّـيْـلَـة hādhihi -l-laylah tonight |
| لَـيْـلَـةَ أَمْـسِ laylata ’ams last night | صَـبـاحًـا ṣabāḥan in the morning | مَـسـاءً masā’an in the evening |
| يَـوْمِـيًّـا yawmiyyan daily | أُسْـبـوعِـيًّـا ’usbū‘iyyan weekly | شَـهْـرِيًّـا shahriyyan monthly |
| فَـوْرًا fawran immediately | عَـلـى الْـفَـوْرِ ‘alā -l-fawr right away | ثُــمَّ thumma then |
| كُـلَّ يَـوْمٍ kulla yawm every day | كُـلَّ يَـوْمَـيْـنِ kulla yawmayn every other day | بِـشَـكْـلٍ مُـتَـكَـرِّرٍ bi-shaklin mutakarrir frequently |
| الـلَّـيْـلَـة قَـبْـلَ الـمـاضِـيَـة al-laylah qabla -l-māḍiyah the night before last | عَـلـى الْـمَـدى الْـقَـريـبِ ‘alā -l-madā -l-qarīb in the short term | عَـلـى الْـمَـدى الـبَـعـيـدِ ‘alā -l-madā -l-ba‘īd in the long term |
| فـي الـبِـدايَـةِ fī -l-bidāyah in the beginning | فـي الـنّـهـايَــةِ fī -n-nihāyah in the end | مُـؤَخَّـرًا mu’akh kharan lately, recently |
| قَـريـبًـا qarīban soon | فـي الْـوَقـتِ الـمُـحَـدَّد fī -l-waqti -l-muḥaddad on time | مُـبَـكِّـرًا mubakkiran early |
| دائِـمًـا dā’iman always | أَبَـدًا ’abadan never | مُـتَـأَخِّـرًا muta’akh.khiran late |
| غـالِـبًـا ghāliban often | فَـجْـأَةً faj’ah(-tan) suddenly | أَحْـيـانًـا ’aḥyānan sometimes |
| عـادَةً ‘ādatan usually | نَـادِرًا nādiran rarely, seldom | أَخـيـرًا ’akhīran finally |
| نَـهـارًا nahāran during the day | لَـيْـلًا laylan at night | عِـدَّةَ مَـرّاتٍ ‘iddata marrāt several times |
| يَـوْمًـا مــا yawman mā one day | ذاتَ يَـوْمٍ dhāta yawm one day | فـي هـذِهِ الْأَثْـنـاءِ fī hādhihi -l-’athnā’ meanwhile |
| مَـرَّةً marrah once, one time | مَـرَّتَـيْـنِ marratayn twice, two times | ثَـلاثَ مَـرّاتٍ thalātha marrāt three times |
| مُـنـذُ mundhu since, ago | بَـعْـدُ ba‘ad(u) yet | هـذا الـصَّـبـاح hādhā -ṣ-ṣabāḥ this morning |
Adverbs of Quantity in Arabic
Here is a list of some adverbs of quantity in Arabic:
| كَـثـيـرًا kathīran much, a lot | جِـدًّا jiddan very, too | فَــقَــطْ faqaṭ only |
| أَكْـثَـر ’akthar more | أَقَــلّ ’aqall less | قَـلـيـلًا qalīlan a little |
| كَـثـيـرًا جِـدًّا kathīranjiddan so much | بِـما يَـكْـفـي bi-mā yakfī enough | مُـطْـلَـقـاً muṭlaqan (not) at all |
| تَـقْـريـبًـا taqrīban approximately | بِـاخْـتِـصـارٍ bi-khtiṣār briefly | خُـصـوصًـا khuṣūṣan particularly |
Adverbs of Manner in Arabic
The following is a list of common adverbs of manner in Arabic:
| مِـثْـلَ mithl(a) as, like | هـكَـذا hākadhā like this | عَـلـى عَـجَـلٍ ‘alā ‘ajal in a hurry |
| مَـعًـا ma‘an together | بِـشَـكْـلٍ مُـنْـفَـصِـلٍ bi-shaklin munfaṣil separately | بِـالْـكـادِ bi-l-kād barely |
| شَـيْـئًـا فَـشَـيْـئًـا shay’an fa-shay’an little by little | خُـطْـوَةً بِـخُـطْـوَةٍ khuṭwatan bi-khuṭwah step by step | وَجْـهًـا لِـوَجْـهٍ wajhan li-wajh face to face |
| لِـلْأَسَـفِ li-l-’asaf unfortunately | مَـعَ الْأَسَـفِ ma‘a -l-’asaf unfortunately | لِـحُـسْـنِ الْـحَـظِّ li-ḥusni -l-ḥaẓẓ fortunately |
| أَيْـضًـا ’ayḍan also | عَـلاوَةً عَـلـى ذلِـكَ ‘alāwatan ‘alā dhālik furthermore | بِـالْإِضـافَـةِ إِلـى ذلِـكَ bi-l-’iḍāfati ’ilā dhālik in addition, moreover |
| بِـصَـوْتٍ عـالٍ bi-ṣawtin ‘ālin loudly | جِـدِّيًّـا jiddiyyan seriously | بِـجِـدِّيَّـةٍ bi-jiddiyyah seriously |
Back to: Nouns of Place, Instrument, & Intensity
Other lessons in Level V: