Parts of Speech in Arabic (Anaṣūr al-Kalimah)
Understanding the parts of speech is fundamental to mastering Arabic grammar. Arabic grammar, known as Nahw (نحو) or Sarf (صرف) depending on the subfield, is one of the most precisely developed grammatical systems in the world. The Qimiyah examination tests candidates on their ability to identify parts of speech, understand their grammatical functions, and apply grammatical rules correctly. This topic covers the three major categories of Arabic words: nouns (ism), verbs (fi’l), and particles (harf).
The Three Parts of Speech in Arabic
Arabic words are divided into three main categories:
1. Ism (اسم) — Noun
A word that indicates a person, place, thing, idea, or quality, without reference to time. Nouns can be recognized by their ability to accept the definite article (الـ al-), tanwin (ًـ ٍـ ٌ), or the possessive suffix (ي، ك، etc.).
2. Fi’l (فعل) — Verb
A word that indicates an action or state occurring in time (past, present, or future). Verbs are the backbone of Arabic sentence structure and are conjugated according to person, number, and gender.
3. Harf (حرف) — Particle
A word that has no independent meaning but connects, modifies, or relates other words. Particles are invariable — they do not change form.
The Ism (Noun) in Detail
Types of Nouns (Taṣrīf al-Ism)
1. Ism Mufred (اسم مفرد) — Singular noun (e.g., كتاب - kitāb - book)
2. Ism Muthanna (اسم مثنى) — Dual noun — used for exactly two items
- Formed by adding ـان (ān) for the nominative or ـين (ayn) for the accusative/genitive to the singular form
- Example: كتاب (kitābun - one book) → كتابان (kitābāni - two books)
3. Ism Jam’ (اسم جمع) — Plural noun
There are two types of plurals in Arabic:
a) Jam’ Takseer (جمع تكسير) — Broken plural (irregular) The plural is formed by changing the internal vowel pattern of the singular.
- كتاب (kitābun - book) → كتب (kutub - books)
- رجل (rajulun - man) → رجال (rijāl - men)
- بيت (baytun - house) → بيوت (buyūt - houses)
b) Jam’ Salim (جمع سالم) — Sound plural (regular) The plural is formed by adding ـون (ūna) for the nominative or ـين (īna) for the accusative/genitive to the singular.
- مسلم (muslim - male Muslim) → مسلمون (muslimūna - Muslims, nominative)
- مسلمة (muslimah - female Muslim) → مسلمات (muslimāt - female Muslims)
Categories of Nouns by Meaning
Ism al-‘Ālim (اسم العاقل) — Noun denoting a rational being (people, angels) Ism al-Ghayr ‘Āqil (اسم غير العاقل) — Noun denoting a non-rational being (animals, plants, inanimate objects)
Ism al-Mudhakkar (اسم المذكر) — Masculine noun Ism al-Mu’anath (اسم المؤنث) — Feminine noun
Feminine nouns are typically recognized by:
- The ta marbutah (ة) at the end — e.g., مدرسة (madrasah - school), بنت (bint - daughter)
- The meaning — e.g., سماء (samā’ - sky/heaven), أرض (arḍ - earth) — even without the ta marbutah
The Five Nouns (Al-Asmā’ al-Khamsah)
These are five nouns that have special case endings and take alif maqsura or ya maftuhah in their singular form:
| Singular | Meaning | Nominative Ending | Accusative/Genitive Ending |
|---|---|---|---|
| أَب (ab) | father | أَبُونَ (abūna) | أَبِيهِ (abīhi) |
| أَخ (akh) | brother | أَخُونَ (akhūna) | أَخِيهِ (akhīhi) |
| حَم (ham) | father-in-law | حَمْوُونَ | حَمِيوينَ |
| فَم (fam) | mouth | فَمْوُونَ | فَمِيوينَ |
| ذُو (dhū) | possessor | ذُو + case | ذِي + case |
These nouns are extremely important in Quranic Arabic and classical texts.
The Fi’l (Verb) in Detail
The Three Verb Forms
Arabic verbs are classified by the time frame of the action:
1. Fi’l al-Māḍī (الفعل الماضي) — Past tense Indicates an action completed in the past. Recognized by its fixed ending (no mood markers).
- Examples: كَتَبَ (kataba - he wrote), قَرَأَ (qara’a - he read), ذَهَبَ (dhahaba - he went)
2. Fi’l al-Muḍāri’ (الفعل المضارع) — Present/future tense Indicates an ongoing or future action. Conjugated with prefixes (أَ, تَ, يَ, نَ) and suffixes (ـٌو, ـَن, etc.).
- Examples: يَكْتُبُ (yaktubu - he writes/is writing), سَأكْتُبُ (sa-aktubu - I will write)
3. Fi’l al-Amr (الفعل الأمر) — Imperative (command) Formed from the present tense stem by removing the present tense prefix.
- Example: from يَكْتُبُ (yaktubu) → اُكْتُبْ (uktub - write!)
Verb Conjugation: Past Tense
Example: كَتَبَ (kataba - to write)
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | كَتَبْتُ (katabtu - I wrote) | كَتَبْنَا (katabnā - we wrote) |
| 2nd masc. | كَتَبْتَ (katabta - you masc. wrote) | كَتَبْتُمْ (katabtum - you pl. wrote) |
| 2nd fem. | كَتَبْتِ (katabti - you fem. wrote) | كَتَبْتُنَّ (katabtunna - you pl. fem. wrote) |
| 3rd masc. | كَتَبَ (kataba - he wrote) | كَتَبُوا (katabū - they masc. wrote) |
| 3rd fem. | كَتَبَتْ (katabat - she wrote) | كَتَبْنَ (katabna - they fem. wrote) |
The Harf (Particle) in Detail
Particles are divided into several categories:
1. Harf al-Jarr (حرف الجر) — Prepositions
These cause the noun that follows to be in the genitive case (kasra or equivalent).
Common prepositions: في (fī - in), على (alā - on), إلى (ilā - to), من (min - from), عن (an - about), مع (ma’a - with), لِـ (li- - for/to), بِـ (bi- - in/with), كَـ (ka- - like/as)
2. Harf al-Nasb (حرف النصب) — Accusative markers
These cause the verb that follows to be in the accusative (fatḥa) case. The most common is أَنْ (an - that/to).
3. Harf al-‘Atf (حرف العطف) — Conjunctions
These connect words or phrases. Common ones: وَ (wa - and), فَ (fa - so/and), ثُمَّ (thumma - then), أَوْ (aw - or), بَلْ (bal - but rather), لَكِنْ (lākin - but)
4. Harf al-Tawābi’ (حروف التوابع) —.follow-ups
These include: lām al-ta’kid (لِـ for emphasis), innа (إِنَّ for affirmation), and their sisters.
Key Facts for Qimiyah Examination
- Three parts of speech: Ism (noun), Fi’l (verb), Harf (particle)
- Jam’ Takseer: Irregular/broken plural (kutub from kitāb)
- Jam’ Salim: Regular plural (-ūn/-īn for masculine; -āt for feminine)
- Five nouns: أَب، أَخ، حَم، فَم، ذُو — special endings
- Three verb tenses: Māḍī (past), Muḍāri’ (present/future), Amr (command)
- Prepositions (Harf al-Jarr): Cause the following noun to take kasra
- ⚡ Exam tip: In Arabic grammar questions, look for the ta marbutah (ة) and al- (الـ) as the clearest markers of feminine and definite nouns respectively.
🟢 Lite — Quick Review (1h–1d)
Rapid summary for last-minute revision before your exam.
- Ism (noun): Shows case (nominative/accusative/genitive) by ending vowel
- Fi’l (verb): Past tense ends with ـَ; present tense has prefixes (أَـ، تَـ، يَـ)
- Harf (particle): Invariable; includes prepositions, conjunctions, interjections
- Broken plural (Jam’ Takseer): Must memorize — there is no regular rule
- Sound plural (Jam’ Salim): Regular endings —ūn (nom.) and -īn (acc./gen.) for masc.
- Five nouns: أَب، أَخ، حَم، فَم، ذُو — watch their special endings
- ⚡ Exam tip: The ta marbutah (ة) is the most recognizable sign of feminine nouns, but some feminine nouns have no ta marbutah (سماء، ارض)
🟡 Standard — Regular Study (2d–2mo)
Standard content for students with a few days to months.
Case System: I’rab (إعراب)
Arabic nouns, adjectives, and verbs change their endings based on their grammatical function in the sentence. This is called I’rab (إعراب) — the case system.
The Three Cases
1. Raf’ (رفع) — Nominative Case
- Marker: Dhamma (ـُ) on the last letter
- Used for: Subject of a sentence, predicate of كان (kāna), etc.
2. Nasb (نصب) — Accusative Case
- Marker: Fatḥa (ـَ) on the last letter
- Used for: Direct object, predicate of إِنَّ (inna), etc.
3. Jarr (جر) — Genitive Case
- Marker: Kasra (ـِ) on the last letter
- Used for: Objects of prepositions, etc.
The Maftuh vs. Mansub vs. Majrur
In formal Arabic grammar, the last letter of a word shows its case:
- Maftuh (مفتوح): Fatḥa — accusative
- Mansub (منصوب): Accusative case
- Majrur (مجرور): Genitive case
The Demonstrative Pronouns (Ism al-Isharah)
| This (masc.) | This (fem.) | These (masc.) | These (fem.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| هـٰذَا (hādhā) | هـٰذِهِ (hādhihi) | هٰؤُلَاءِ (hā’ulā’i) | هٰؤُلَاءِ (same) |
| That (masc.) | That (fem.) | Those (masc.) | Those (fem.) |
| ذٰلِكَ (dhālika) | تِلْكَ (tillka) | أُولٰئِكَ (ulā’ika) | أُولٰئِكَ (same) |
🔴 Extended — Deep Study (3mo+)
Comprehensive coverage for students on a longer study timeline.
The Relative Pronoun (Al-ism al-Mawṣūl)
The relative pronoun in Arabic is الَّذِي / الَّتِي (al-ladhī / al-latī), meaning “who/which/that.”
- Masc. singular: الَّذِي (al-ladhī)
- Fem. singular: الَّتِي (al-latī)
- Masc. plural: الَّذِينَ (al-ladhīna) — used for both nominative and accusative/genitive in classical Arabic
- Fem. plural: اللَّاتِي / اللَّوَاتِي (al-lātī / al-lawātī)
Example: الرجُلُ الَّذِي كَتَبَ الكِتابَ “The man who wrote the book”
Active and Passive Voice
Arabic verbs have both active and passive voices:
Active: كَتَبَ (kataba - he wrote) Passive: كُتِبَ (kutiba - it was written)
In the passive voice:
- Past tense: the vowels shift — فُعِلَ (fu’ila)
- Present tense: يُكْتَبُ (yuktabu - it is being written)
The subject of an active sentence becomes the object in a passive sentence:
- Active: كَتَبَ الطالبُ الدرسَ (The student wrote the lesson)
- Passive: كُتِبَ الدرسُ (The lesson was written)
The Interrogative Particles (Harf al-Istifhām)
These particles are used to form questions:
- هَلْ (hal) — yes/no question (used before present/future verbs)
- أَ (a) — yes/no question (used before past verbs)
- مَنْ (man) — who?
- ماذا / ما (mādhā/ mā) — what?
- أَيْنَ (ayna) — where?
- مَتَى (matā) — when?
- كَيْفَ (kayfa) — how?
- لِمَاذا / لِمَ (limādhā / limā) — why?
- كَمْ (kam) — how much/many?
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