In this lesson, we examine four groups of words: إِنَّ (’inna) and its sisters, كـانَ (kāna) and its sisters, كـادَ (kāda) and its sisters, and ظَـنَّ (ẓanna) and its sisters.
Table of Contents
- إِنَّ (’inna) and its sisters
- كـانَ (kāna) and its sisters
- كـادَ (kāda) and its sisters
- ظَـنَّ (ẓanna) and its sisters
- Level VI – Advanced II (C2)
Some words in Arabic precede a nominal sentence and affect its grammatical structure. These words change the مُـبْـتَـدَأ (mubtada’) ‘topic’ or خَـبَـر (khabar) ‘predicate’ from nominative to accusative. Most of these words are categorized into four main groups:
- إِنَّ (’inna) and its sisters: Words in this group change the مُـبْـتَـدَأ (mubtada’) ‘topic’ from nominative to accusative.
- كـانَ (kāna) and its sisters: Verbs in this group change the خَـبَـر (khabar) ‘predicate’ from nominative to accusative.
- كـادَ (kāda) and its sisters: Verbs in this group can only precede a nominal sentence in which the خَـبَـر (khabar) ‘predicate’ is a verbal sentence in the present tense. The verbal sentence is said to be in place of the predicate, which is in the accusative.
- ظَـنَّ (ẓanna) and its sisters: Verbs in this group change both the مُـبْـتَـدَأ (mubtada’) ‘topic’ and خَـبَـر (khabar) ‘predicate’ from nominative to accusative.
إِنَّ (’inna) and its sisters
Consider the following nominal sentence:
| الـرَّجُـلُ صـادِقٌ٠ ar-rajulu ṣādiq(un). The man is truthful. |
In this sentence, الـرَّجُـلُ (ar-rajulu) ‘the man’ is مُـبْـتَـدَأ (mubtada’) ‘topic,’ and صـادِقٌ (ṣādiqun) ‘truthful’ is خَـبَـر (khabar) ‘predicate.’ Both the topic and predicate are مَـرْفـوع (marfū‘) ‘nominative,’ ending in ضَـمَّـة (ḍammah) ‘short u’ and تَـنْـويـن ضَــمّ (tanwīn ḍamm), respectively.
The particle إِنَّ (’inna) is roughly translated as “verily” or “indeed,” and is used for emphasis. It is often left untranslated in English, as it is primarily considered a matter of writing style. Grammatically, إِنَّ (’inna) changes the مُـبْـتَـدَأ (mubtada’) ‘topic’ to the accusative while leaving the خَـبَـر (khabar) ‘predicate’ in the nominative.
| إِنَّ الـرَّجُـلَ صـادِقٌ٠ ’inna -r-rajula ṣādiq(un). (Verily) the man is truthful. |
The particle إِنَّ (’inna) is rarely used in casual speech but is encountered more frequently in formal and written Arabic.
There are six common words that change the grammatical case of the مُـبْـتَـدَأ (mubtada’) ‘topic’ from nominative to accusative. Arabic grammarians refer to these words as إِنَّ وَأَخَـواتُـهـا (’inna wa-’akhawātuhā) ‘’inna and its sisters.’
| إِنَّ ’inna verily, indeed | إِنَّ الـرَّجُـلَ صـادِقٌ٠ ’inna -r-rajula ṣādiq(un). (Verily) the man is truthful. |
| أَنَّ ’anna that | أَعْـتَـقِـدُ أَنَّ الـرَّجُـلَ صـادِقٌ٠ ’a‘taqidu ’anna -r-rajula ṣādiq(un). I believe that the man is truthful. |
| لِأَنَّ li-’anna because | صَـدَّقْـتُـهُ لِأَنَّ الـرَّجُـلَ صـادِقٌ٠ ṣaddaqtuhu li–’anna -r-rajula ṣādiq(un). I believed him because the man is truthful. |
| كَـأَنَّ ka-’anna as if | يَـبْـدو كَـأَنَّ الـرَّجُـلَ صـادِقٌ٠ yabdū ka–’anna -r-rajula ṣādiq(un). It seems as if the man is truthful. |
| لـكِـنَّ lākinna but | لا أَدْري لـكِـنَّ الـرَّجُـلَ صـادِقٌ٠ lā ’adrī lākinna -r-rajula ṣādiq(un). I don’t know but the man is truthful. |
| لَـعَـلَّ la‘alla perhaps (hopefully) | لَـعَـلَّ الـرَّجُـلَ صـادِقٌ٠ la‘alla -r-rajula ṣādiq(un). Perhaps the man is truthful. |
كـانَ (kāna) and its sisters
Consider the nominal sentence:
| الْـبَـيْـتُ كَـبـيـرٌ٠ al-baytu kabīr(un). The house is big. |
Remember that the verb “to be” is omitted in Arabic in the present tense. To express the past tense, we precede the sentence with the verb كـانَ (kāna) ‘he/it was.’
We have encountered the verb كـانَ (kāna) ‘he/it was.’ The verb كـانَ (kāna) changes the grammatical case of the خَـبَـر (khabar) ‘predicate’ from nominative to accusative, whereas the مُـبْـتَـدَأ (mubtada’) ‘topic’ remains unchanged.
| كـانَ الْـبَـيْـتُ كَـبـيـرًا٠ kāna -l-baytu kabīran. The house was big. |
Another verb that we previously encountered—which also changes the grammatical case of the خَـبَـر (khabar) ‘predicate’ from nominative to accusative—is the verb لَـيْـسَ (laysa) ‘is not.’ This verb is placed before the مُـبْـتَـدَأ (mubtada’) ‘topic,’ or before the خَـبَـر (khabar) ‘predicate,’ to form the negation of a nominal sentence. For example:
| لَـيْـسَ الْـبَـيْـتُ كَـبـيـرًا٠ laysa -l-baytu kabīran. The house is not big. |
There are a few other verbs that change the grammatical case of the خَـبَـر (khabar) ‘predicate’ from nominative to accusative. Arabic grammarians call these verbs كـانَ وَأَخَـواتُـهـا (kāna wa-’akhawātuhā) ‘kāna and its sisters.’
Here are the most common verbs in this group:
| أَصْـبَـحَ ’aṣbaḥa he/it became | أَصْـبَـحَ الْـبَـيْـتُ كَـبـيـرًا٠ ’aṣbaḥa -l-baytu kabīran. The house became big. |
| صـارَ ṣāra he/it became | صـارَ الْـبَـيْـتُ كَـبـيـرًا٠ ṣāra -l-baytu kabīran. The house became big. |
| ظَـلَّ ẓalla he/it remained | ظَـلَّ الْـبَـيْـتُ كَـبـيـرًا٠ ẓalla -l-baytu kabīran. The house remained big. |
| بَـقِـيَ baqiya he/it remained | بَـقِـيَ الْـبَـيْـتُ كَـبـيـرًا٠ baqiya -l-baytu kabīran. The house remained big. |
| مـا زالَ mā zāla he/it continued to be | مـا زالَ الْـبَـيْـتُ كَـبـيـرًا٠ mā zāla -l-baytu kabīran. The house is still big. |
| مـا دامَ mā dāma as long as | مـا دامَ الْـبَـيْـتُ كَـبـيـرًا٠ … … mā dāma -l-baytu kabīran. … as long as the house is big. |
These verbs are also called أَفْـعـال نـاقِـصَـة (’af‘āl nāqiṣah) ‘incomplete verbs,’ as they require a خَـبَـر (khabar) ‘predicate’ to complete their meaning, unlike regular verbs which can stand alone with a subject.
Note that the incomplete verb can also be placed before the خَـبَـر (khabar) ‘predicate.’ For example:
| الْـبَـيْـتُ كـانَ كَـبـيـرًا٠ al-baytu kāna kabīran. The house was big. |
| الْـبَـيْـتُ صـارَ كَـبـيـرًا٠ al-baytu ṣāra kabīran. The house became big. |
كـادَ (kāda) and its sisters
Some verbs, such as the verb كـادَ (kāda) ‘he almost did or was about to do something,’ precede a nominal sentence and change the grammatical case of the خَـبَـر (khabar) ‘predicate’ from nominative to accusative. This group of verbs is called كـادَ وَأَخَـواتُـهـا (kāda wa-’akhawātuhā) ‘kāda and its sisters.’
Whereas كـانَ وَأَخَـواتُـهـا (kāna wa-’akhawātuhā) ‘kāna and its sisters’ can precede any nominal sentence, كـادَ وَأَخَـواتُـهـا (kāda wa-’akhawātuhā) ‘kāda and its sisters’ can only precede a nominal sentence in which the خَـبَـر (khabar) ‘predicate’ is a verbal sentence in the present tense.
While the مُـبْـتَـدَأ (mubtada’) ‘topic’ remains in the nominative, the خَـبَر (khabar) ‘predicate’ is in the accusative. However, since the predicate is not a noun, the accusative marker does not appear on the verb itself. Instead, the verbal sentence is said to be in place of خَـبَـر كـادَ (khabar kāda) ‘kāda’s predicate,’ which is in the accusative.
Consider the following nominal sentence:
| الـطِّـفْـلُ يَـنـامُ٠ aṭ-ṭiflu yanām(u). The child sleeps. |
If preceded by كِـادَ (kāda), the nominal sentence becomes:
| كـادَ الـطِّـفْـلُ يَـنـامُ٠ kāda -ṭ-ṭiflu yanām(u). The child was about to sleep. |
Notice that the written nominal sentence remains unchanged. Grammatically, however, the verbal sentence يَـنـامُ (yanāmu) ‘he sleeps’ is said to be in place of خَـبَـر كـادَ (khabar kāda) ‘kāda’s predicate,’ which is in the accusative.
Here are the most common verbs in this group:
| أوْشَـكَ ’awshaka he was about to | يـوشِـكُ الْـمُـسـافِـرُ (أَنْ) يَـصِـل٠ yūshiku -l-musāfiru (’an) yaṣil. The traveler is about to arrive. |
| عَـسـى ‘asā may (hopefully) | عَـسـى الْأَزْمَـةُ أَنْ تَـنْـتَـهـي٠ ‘asā -l-’azmatu ’an tantahī. May the crisis end. |
| بَـدَأَ bada’a he began | بَـدَأَ الـطّـالِـبُ يَـدْرُسُ٠ bada’a -ṭ-ṭālibu yadrus(u). The student began to study. |
| أَخَـذَ ’akhadha he began | أَخَـذَ الـزُّوّارُ يَـصِـلـون٠ ’akhadha -z-zuwwāru yaṣilūn. The visitors began arriving. |
| قـامَ qāma he began | قـامَ الـرَّجُـلُ يَـهْـذي٠ qāma -r-rajulu yah dhī. The man began raving. |
Notice that the verb عَـسـى (‘asā) ‘may’ requires the verbal sentence of the predicate to be preceded by أَنْ (’an), introducing a verb in the subjunctive mood. With كـادَ (kāda) and أوْشَـكَ (’awshaka), the use of أَنْ (’an) is optional.
ظَـنَّ (ẓanna) and its sisters
ظَـنَّ وَأَخَـواتُـهـا (ẓanna wa-’akhawātuhā) ‘ẓanna and its sisters’ precede a nominal sentence and change the grammatical case of both the مُـبْـتَـدَأ (mubtada’) ‘topic’ and خَـبَـر (khabar) ‘predicate’ from nominative to accusative.
Verbs in this group require a فـاعِـل (fā‘il) ‘subject’ before the nominal sentence.
The مُـبْـتَـدَأ (mubtada’) ‘topic’ becomes مَـفْـعـول بِـهِ أَوَّل (maf‘ūl bihi ’awwal) ‘first object,’ whereas the خَـبَـر (khabar) ‘predicate’ becomes مَـفْـعـول بِـهِ ثـانـي (maf‘ūl bihi thānī) ‘second object,’ and both are in the accusative.
Consider the following nominal sentence:
| الْـبَـيْـتُ كَـبـيـرٌ٠ al-baytu kabīr(un). The house is big. |
Now, we will add the verb ظَـنَّ (ẓanna) ‘he thought’ and the subject الـرَّجُـلُ (ar-rajulu) ‘the man’ to the sentence as follows:
| ظَـنَّ الـرَّجُـلُ الْـبَـيْـتَ كَـبـيـرًا٠ ẓanna -r-rajulu -l-bayta kabīran. The man thought the house (was) big. |
In the sentence above, both الْـبَـيْـتَ (al-bayta) ‘the house’ and كَـبـيـرًا (kabīran) are in the accusative, functioning as مَـفْـعـول بِـهِ أَوَّل (maf‘ūl bihi ’awwal) ‘first object’ and مَـفْـعـول بِـهِ ثـانـي (maf‘ūl bihi thānī) ‘second object,’ respectively.
Here are the most common verbs in this group:
| وَجَـدَ wajada he found | وَجَـدْنـا الـبـابَ مُـغْـلَـقًـا٠ wajadnā -l-bāba mughlaqan. We found the door closed. |
| رَأى ra’ā he saw (found) | رَأَيْـــتُ الْأَمْـرَ مُـقْـلِـقًـا٠ ra’aytu -l-’amra muqliqan. I found the matter worrying. |
| عَـلِـمَ ‘alima he knew … as … | عَـلِـمْــتُ الـرَّجُـلَ صـادِقًـا٠ ‘alimtu -r-rajula ṣādiqan. I knew the man as truthful. |
| عَـدَّ ‘adda he deemed … | عَـدَّ الـرَّجُـلُ نَـفْـسَـهُ مَـحْـظـوظًـا٠ ‘adda -r-rajulu nafsahu maḥẓūẓan. The man deemed himself lucky. |
| اِعْـتَـبَـرَ i‘tabara he considered | يَـعْـتَـبِـرُ الـنّـاسُ الْـخُـصـوصِـيَّـةَ مُـهِـمَّـةً٠ ya‘tabiru -n-nāsu -l-khuṣūṣiyyata muhimmatan. People consider privacy (to be) important. |
| حَـسَـبَ ḥasaba he thought | يَـحْـسَـبَ الْـبَـعْـضُ الـنَّـجـاحَ سَـهْـلًا٠ yaḥsabu -l-ba‘ḍu -n-najāḥa sahlan. Some (people) think that success (is) easy. |
| خـالَ khāla he thought | خـالَ الْـمُـسْـتَـبِـدُّ الـسُّـلْـطَـةَ دائِـمَـةً٠ khāla -l-mustabiddu -s-sulṭata dā’imatan. The tyrant thought that power (was) permanent. |
| جَـعَـلَ ja‘ala he made | جَـعَـلَـتِ الـدَّوْلَـةُ الـتَّـعْـلـيـمَ إلْـزامِـيًّـا٠ ja‘alat (i) -d-dawlatu -t-ta‘līma ’ilzāmiyyan. The state made education compulsory. |
| اِتَّـخَـذَ ittakhadha he made/considered | اِتَّـخَـذَ الـطّـالِـبُ الـنَّـجـاحَ هَـدَفًـا٠ ittakhada -ṭ-ṭālibu -n-najāḥa hadafan. The student made success his goal. |
| تَـرَكَ taraka he left | تَـرَكْـــتُ الـنّـافِـذَةَ مَـفْـتـوحَـةً٠ taraktu -n-nāfidhata maftūḥatan. I left the window open. |
Notice that, in some of the examples above, the فـاعِـل (fā‘il) ‘subject’ can be an attached pronoun, e.g., وَجَـدْنـا (wajadnā) ‘we found,’ رَأَيْـــتُ (ra’aytu) ‘I saw,’ etc.
Next: Specification & Disambiguation
Back to: Impersonal Verbs & Expressions
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