TEN LESSONS OF ARABIC

based on
Das Sabaq of Mawlana Abd al-Salam Kidwai Nadvi

Copyright Dr al-Sadah Publications 2011

First Online Edition Dec 2011
ilmresources.wordpress.com
General and unrestricted permission is granted for the unaltered
duplication, distribution, and transmission of this text.
In Plain English: Make as many copies as you want.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents

List of Tables

ii

Introduction

iii

LESSON 1
LESSON 2
LESSON 3
LESSON 4
LESSON 5
LESSON 6
LESSON 7

Subject and Predicate






Past Tense Verb

Verb, Subject, Object


Prepositions

Pronouns

Present and Future Tense

1
7
15
23
29
35
43

Verb

LESSON 8

Adjective

53

LESSON 9

Imperative & Prohibitive
Singular, Dual, Plural

61

LESSON 10

67

LIST OF TABLES

3.1

Past Tense Verb Forms in Active Voice

)
(

16

3.2

Past Tense Verb Forms in Passive Voice

)
(

17

5.1

Prepositions (


)

29

6.1
6.2
7.1

Possessive (

) Pronouns
& )Objective (

)Pronouns
Subjective (

Verb Forms of (

)

) in Active Voice (

35
37
44

7.2

Verb Forms of (

) in Passive Voice ()

45

9.1

Second Person Imperative in Active Voice

)
(

61

9.2

Second Person Prohibitive in Active Voice

)
(

62

10.1

Singular, Dual, and Plural

67

ii

Editors Note
This book is based on the famous Urdu language primer of Arabic
grammar Das Sabaq [Ten Lessons] by Mawlana Abd al-Salam
Kidwai Nadvi. Das Sabaq in Urdu has been a part of the Aalim
course curriculum in Western madrasahs for a number of years.
We have revised and edited an existing translation of the text that
was available online. During this process, we have taken liberty
with the translation to make the content more accessible and
beneficial to the reader.
The first draft of this translation was prepared in cooperation with Darul Uloom al-Madania, and was used as a
textbook for Darul Ulooms eAlim program during the last
academic year. We received a number of suggestions during the
course of that. Later, we had the chance to review this text again
while teaching portions of it during this Ramadan, and then, the
whole text during the first term of this academic year at Darul
Uloom. This text has thus been revised multiple times; and we
hope, this first online edition is free of errors. Nevertheless, as is
the case with all human endeavors, there are bound to be some
mistakes in it. We hope that the readers, students and teachers,
will apprise us of any such issues. Your feedback (suggestions,
constructive criticism, etc.) is valuable to us. You can contact us at
the email address given below.
This is a beginner-level text; therefore, we have not
transliterated Arabic words exactly, keeping in mind that most
people at this stage will not be comfortable with Arabic
transliteration schemes. Rather, we have used approximate
equivalents that are easier to read for the untrained. Nevertheless,
non-English words have been italicized.
As for duals and plurals of Arabic words, we have not used
the original Arabic duals and plurals; rather, their plurals have been
created the English way by adding an s to the singular. Thus, two
iii

dammahs is used instead of dammahtain. The word still remains

italicized to reflect its non-English origin.
The following abbreviations appear in the text:
S = Singular
M = Masculine

D = Dual
F = Feminine

P = Plural

Many times, these have been used in combination. Thus, we

also have the following abbreviations:
(S/M)
(D/M)
(P/M)
(S/F)
(D/F)
(P/F)

=
=
=
=
=
=

Singular masculine which means one male

Dual masculine which means two males
Plural masculine which means multiple males
Singular feminine which means one female
Dual feminine which means two females
Plural feminine which means multiple females

We would like to acknowledge the important contribution of

Sister AIN, who was instrumental in preparing the first draft. We
would also like to thank Darul Ulooms Aalim course and eAlim
students, whose valuable comments and suggestions have helped to
considerably improve the text.
We hope and pray that this revised translation will be of
benefit to the students. We also pray that Allah, the Exalted,
accepts this humble effort from all those who have contributed to it
in any way, and gives us the power to continue with more. We also
request the readers and all those who benefit from it in any way to
remember us in their prayers.
And He alone gives success.

Aamir Bashir
Buffalo, NY
17th Muharram, 1433 (13th December, 2011)
Email: ainbay97@yahoo.com

iv

LESSON 1

Subject and Predicate

Consider the following sentences: Mahmood is knowledgeable,
Haamid is pious, Khalid is a conqueror. These sentences and
other sentences of the same pattern are called mubtada ( ) and
khabar ()
. The subject of the sentence is called mubtada and it
comes at the beginning of the sentence. The predicate of the
sentence is called khabar and it is the second part of the sentence.
For example, in Mahmood is knowledgeable, Mahmood is the
subject and the information about him being knowledgeable is the
predicate. Therefore, Mahmood is mubtada and knowledgeable
is khabar.
To translate a sentence of this type into Arabic, follow these steps:
1. Take out the is.
2. Translate the words into Arabic

3. Give two dammahs (

) to both words in the sentence.

Examples:
1. Mahmood is knowledgeable.

2. Haamid is pious.

3. Khalid is a conqueror.

4. Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) is a

messenger.

)

(

5. Naasir is a friend.

Lesson 1

In the above examples, the mubtada is a definite noun.1

However, if it is a common noun, an alif-laam will be added to the
beginning of the word. For example, if the first sentence was the

man is knowledgeable, it would be translated as

.
It is important to note here that whenever alif-laam comes
before a word, the tanween becomes a single fathah (
) , kasrah

(
), eg. to . Alif-laam is mainly used
) or dammah (
in place of the definite article the. It gives distinction to a word.
For example, a man is any man and the man is a specific man.
Sometimes alif-laam is used for the meaning of a whole

category/class. For example,

means mankind and
means all praise.
If the mubtada is feminine, then the khabar will also have to
be feminine. To change a word to its feminine form, add the round

taa ( )to the end of the word. For example, the man is pious is
written as

. Now if you want to say the woman is pious,

. Similarly, the girl is knowledgeable will be

you will say

written as

.
Word List
Arabic

English
father
mother
son
daughter, girl
paternal uncle

Singular

Plural

In Arabic, a definite noun is called marifah ( ) and a common noun is called

).
nakirah (




Arabic

English
paternal aunt
maternal uncle

Singular

Plural

maternal aunt
brother

sister
grandfather

grandmother
grandson (sons son)
grandson (daughters son)
man
woman
male child, boy
strong
weak
ice, snow
cold

water
sweet
pious
worshipper

chicken
sheep; goat
intelligent
wise
3

Lesson 1

Arabic

English
thankful, grateful
slave girl
truthful
generous
path
straight
ritual prayer (salah)
standing (F)

Singular

slave
brave
leader, commander
the hour; day of
resurrection

coming (F)
respectful (F)
going (F)
small (F)
fat (F)
hardworking
religion, deen; judgment
merciful
beautiful
Lord

Plural




Arabic

English

Singular

prophet
messenger
knowledgeable; scholar
conqueror
friend
mankind, the person,
someone
all praise

and
Exercise 1:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

Translate into Arabic.

Haamid is a father.
Mahmood is a son.
Khalid is an uncle (paternal).
Zaid is an uncle (maternal).
Bakr is a brother.
Saeed is a grandfather.
Hameed is a grandson (sons son).
Haseeb is a grandson (daughters son)
The man is strong.
The child (M) is weak.
The ice is cold.
The water is sweet.
The son is wise.
The brother is a worshipper.
The father is pious.

Exercise 2:

Translate into Arabic.

1. The mother is pious.

2. The daughter is a worshipper.
5

Plural

Lesson 1

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

The aunt (maternal) is intelligent.

The aunt (paternal) is wise.
The sister is beautiful.
The grandmother is thankful.
The chicken is small.
The sheep is fat.
The aunt (paternal) is pious.
The slave girl is wise.
The grandmother is pious.
The aunt (maternal) is a worshipper.

Exercise 3:

Translate into English.

1.

2.
)

3.

4.




5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.


13.

14.





15.

16.

LESSON 2

Consider the following sentences: slave of Allah, messenger of
Allah, door of the house, the Messengers order, Mahmoods
pen, Khalids book, Hameeds house. These phrases and those
with a similar pattern are called mudaaf (

) and mudaaf ilayhi

(

) . One thing (mudaaf) is attributed to the other (mudaaf

ilayhi). Many times, the relationship is that of the possessed to its

possessor. The possessed is called mudaaf and the possessor is called
mudaaf ilayhi. For example, in the phrase Mahmoods pen, the
pen is owned by Mahmood. Therefore, pen is mudaaf and
Mahmood is mudaaf ilayhi.
To translate a sentence of this type into Arabic, follow these steps:
1. Take out of or the apostrophe and the s, which show
possession.
2. If you have taken out the apostrophe and the s, reverse the
sequence. Write the second word first and the first word
second. If you took out of, then there is no need to reverse
the sequence.
3. Replace the English words with their Arabic equivalents.
4. Give the mudaaf a single dammah and the mudaaf ilayhi
two kasrahs.
For example, to translate the phrase Mahmoods pen to
Arabic, first take out the apostrophe and s. It becomes Mahmood
pen. Then, change the order of the words to pen Mahmood.
Next, replace the words with their Arabic equivalents. You get

. Now, give the mudaaf a single dammah and the mudaaf ilayhi
two kasrahs. You get
. Following the same method,

Khalids book becomes

. For a sentence with of, such as
ring of gold, first remove the of. It becomes ring gold. Now,

replace the words with their Arabic equivalents. You get .

7

Lesson 2

Now, give the mudaaf a single dammah and the mudaaf ilayhi two
kasrahs. You get
.
The rules concerning alif-laam have been mentioned in the
first lesson. Those rules will apply here also. Thus, if there is an aliflaam at the beginning of the mudaaf ilayhi, the two kasrahs will

. It should be
become one kasrah.
will become

noted here that the mudaaf never accepts alif-laam or tanween. For
instance, in the above example,
will not accept alif-laam or
tanween.
Word List
English

Arabic
Singular

home, house
wall
door
clay
jar
room

window
table
wood

ceiling
roof

dirt
iron
8

Plural







Arabic
Plural

Singular

English
cupboard, shelf
bed

throne
leg of a table, bed, etc.
stove

fire
unbaked brick

baked brick
brass

copper
jug
cooking pot
sun
heat

)glass (as substance

bottle
notebook
paper
cap
gun
bullet
sock

wool
cheap
9

Lesson 2

English

Arabic
Singular

expensive
high
long, tall
religion, deen; judgment

doubt
to establish, establishing
to give, giving
to spend, spending
to light (a fire)
foolish, stupid, silly; fool
meeting
oppression; to exceed
proper bounds

Plural

city, town
country; city, town
city, town

people
light
lamp

around
darkness

night
sound
thunder

10

)
(







English
flash
lightning
finger, toe
foot; leg
soldier
journey, travel
winter
summer
spring
autumn, fall
person
poor due (zakah)
material wealth

Arabic
Singular

rug, carpet
day

order

pen
servant
book
gold
ring

ground/floor

11

Plural

Lesson 2

Exercise 1:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.

Translate into Arabic.

Wall of the house

Clay jar (jar of clay)
Window of the room
Wood of the table
Roof of the house
Dirt of the roof
Iron cupboard (cupboard of iron)
Hameeds bed
Legs of the throne
Fire of the stove
The baked brick floor (floor of baked bricks)
The suns heat
Brass jug (jug of brass)
The copper cooking pot (cooking pot of copper)
The glass bottle (bottle of glass)
The notebooks paper
The woolen cap (cap of wool)
The guns bullet
The woolen socks (socks of wool)
The cupboards glass is expensive.
The clay jar is cheap.
The houses wall is long.
The houses roof is high.
The copper jug is expensive.

Exercise 2:

Translate into English.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.


12

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.


16.


17.

18.

19.


20.

21.

13

14

LESSON 3

Past Tense Verb

In this lesson, we will look at the various forms a past tense verb
takes in accordance with the number and gender of the one(s)
performing the action. To begin with,
means he (S/M) did,
means they (D/M) did, means they (P/M) did, and

means she (S/F) did. These verbs are in active voice (

) .

(seeghah). Looking at
In Arabic, each verb form is called

the table below, we can see that there are fourteen seeghahs in it.
Each of these seeghahs has a name. This name identifies, whether it
is singular, dual or plural, whether it is masculine or feminine, and
whether it is first person, second person or third person. In Arabic,

, , and ,
the words for singular, dual and plural are


respectively. Thus, singular masculine of the third person will be
in Arabic. Dual masculine of the third person
called

will be called
, and plural masculine of the third
person will be called
, and so on. In the case of the
first person, because the gender is not identified, and there is no
separate seeghah for dual, therefore, the two seeghahs, singular first

person and plural first person will be called

and
,
respectively.
We are listing below the verb forms (also called conjugations)
of the past tense verb in active voice. These should be memorized
with their meanings.

15

Lesson 3

Table 3.1

)
Past Tense Verb Forms in Active Voice (
Person

Gender
Masculine

Third
Person
(
)

()
Feminine
(
)

Masculine

Second
Person

)
(

First
Person
()

()

Feminine
(
)

Masculine/
Feminine
Masculine/
Feminine

Plurality

English

Arabic

Singular

He did.

Dual

They did.

Plural

They did.

Singular

She did.

Dual

They did.

Plural

They did.

Singular

You did.

Dual

You did.

Plural

You did.

Singular

You did.

Dual

You did.

Plural

You did.

Singular

I did.

Dual/
Plural

We did.

Now, to change these verbs into passive voice, follow the

following procedure. Put a dammah on the first letter ( )of
,
and a kasrah on its second letter (). It will become
. Its

meaning will change to he (S/M) was done upon. This is passive

voice (
will become
, will become
) . Similarly,
,
will become
, and so on. We are listing below the
verb forms (also called conjugations) of the past tense verb in
passive voice. These should be memorized with their meanings.
16

Table 3.2

)
Past Tense Verb Forms in Passive Voice (
Person

Gender
Masculine

Third
Person
(
)

()

Feminine
(
)

Masculine

Second
Person

)
(

First
Person
()

()
Feminine
(
)

Masculine/
Feminine
Masculine/
Faminine

Plurality

English

Singular

He was done.

Dual

They were done.

Plural

They were done.

Singular

She was done.

Dual

They were done.

Plural

They were done.

Singular

You were done.

Dual

You were done.

Plural

You were done.

Singular

You were done.

Dual

You were done.

Plural

You were done.

Singular

I was done.

Dual/
Plural

We were done.

17

Arabic

Lesson 3

Having memorized these two tables, the next stage is to

identify the verb forms of other verbs by comparing them to these

of any verb
tables. For this, we need to know that

table is considered to be the basic verb form. Generally, it is

composed of three letters. The first is called , the second is
called , and the third is called . Now all that remains
to be done is to identify which letter of the new verb matches
which letter of the basic verb form of the tables given above.

Consider, the verb

( he helped). Comparing this to of Table
3.1, we can see that in this verb, is the , is the ,
and is the . Once, this is established, it is easy to compare
any of its forms with the rest of table.

Below, we are providing a list of the basic forms (

) of various verbs and their meanings.

Word List
English

Arabic

he helped

he wrote
he put (something)

he ran, he fled
he opened
he slaughtered

he cooked
he entered
he joined, he arrived

he made
18

English

Arabic

he returned

he read

he hit
he ate
he made
he asked
he found
he filled
he sought, he demanded

he took
he cut
he oppressed
he saw
he created
he imprisoned, he detained

he went
Exercise 1:

Translate into English and identify the seeghah.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

19

Lesson 3

7.
8.

9.
10.
11.

12.

13.

14.


15.
16.

Exercise 2:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.

Translate into Arabic.

I wrote.
They (P/F) read.
You (S/M) found.
You (P/F) cooked.
They (P/F) cut.
We filled.
You (P/M) demanded.
They (D/M) asked.
They (D/F) made.
You (S/F) took.
You (D/M) ate.
I cut.
You (P/F) made.
They (P/F) ran.
You (S/M) went.
You (P/M) found.

20

Translate into English and identify the seeghah.

Exercise 3:
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.
12.

21

22

LESSON 4

Verb, Subject, Object

In Arabic, the word sequence is as follows: verb (
) , then subject
), and finally the object () .
(

( verb) = the action being done.

( subject) = the person doing the action.

( object) = the person or the thing to whom or to which
the action is being done.

gets a dammah (or two dammahs as the case may

Rule: The

be), and the gets a fathah (or two fathahs).
Examples:

Haamid helped Mahmood. In this sentence, the

is
and Mahmood is the .
helped, Haamid is the


When translating this sentence into Arabic, the Arabic
word for helped (
)will come first followed by the faail,

)with two dammahs, and then the mafool,

Hamid (

Mahmood (
) with two fathahs. The final sentence will

be

.

A slave (
) opened ( ) a door (). The same order
second and
used for the last example (
first,

will get two

last) will apply here. Remember, the

dammahs and the will get two fathahs. The full
.
sentence will be

23

Lesson 4

Notes:
If there is an alif-laam on any word, the tanween (double
harakah) at the end will change to a single harakah (the
two fathahs will change to a single fathah, the two kasrahs
will change to a single kasrah, and the two dammahs will
change to a single dammah). Thus, the slave opened the

door will be written as

. Here, the alif-laam
caused the double harakah to be dropped, and only a single
harakah remained.

or a
Mudaaf and mudaaf ilayhi can combine to form a

. In this case, it is important to remember that the

mudaaf does not get an alif-laam or a tanween. However,

the mudaaf ilayhi can accept both.
Word List for Nouns

English
book
enemy
flour
meat
laborer
wheat
boy
bread
rice
rooster
dog
(drinking) glass

Arabic
Singular

24

Plural

Arabic
Plural

(
)

)
:
(

Singular

English

garment, dress; cloth

sky

building/roof
bed, spread
deceiver
ear
eye
heart
transgressor
descendants; followers
sea
cow
rain

fruit

plants

soul

muslim
talk, speech
likeness, similitude
blessing
land, earth
trade

25

Lesson 4

English
oath; pledge; promise;
contract, agreement
servant
letter

Arabic
Singular

Plural

door
army
devil
not; what?; that which,
what; some

Word List for Verbs

English

Arabic

he stopped

he defeated
he kneaded

he ground (wheat, etc.)

it thrust with horns

he worshipped
he broke
he tore

he cheated, he deceived
he profited
he heard
he saw
he caused (someone) to drown
26

English

Arabic

he understood

he remembered
he saw

)
(

he broke (something)
he gave an example
he separated
he milked
he created, he made, he originated
he sent down
he caused (something) to grow
he was ungrateful;
he disbelieved

he sat (down)
he believed

)
(

he imposed

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.

he killed

Exercise 1:

Translate into Arabic

Hameed read a book.

Naseer stopped Mahmood.
Khalid wrote a letter.
Taariq defeated the army.
The woman kneaded the flour.
The girl cooked the meat.
The laborer ground the wheat.
The uncle (maternal) ate the bread.
The goat pushed (with its horns) the child.
I ate the rice.
I hit the dog.
27

Lesson 4

You (P/M) worshipped Allah.

They (P/F) broke the glass.
You (S/F) tore the cloth.
Hameeds friend helped Khalids grandson (sons son).
The girls mother broke the glass.
The servant kneaded the wheat flour.
Translate into English

12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.

Exercise 2:

1.

(
)


2.



3.




4.

5.


6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.



13.

28

LESSON 5

Prepositions
The following particles are used as prepositions in Arabic. They
occur quite frequently.
Table 5.1

Prepositions ()

in, regarding
from
on
as, like
about, from, regarding

with
to, up to
for
up to, until
by (for oath)

The words that come after these prepositions end with a kasrah on
the final letter. We give examples of each of these.

Zaid is in the house.

I wrote with the pen.

from the house to the mosque

Zaid sat on the chair.

The car belongs to Zaid.

Ahmad is like a lion.

I slept until the morning.

She asked about the book.

By Allah!

29

Lesson 5

Besides the ten prepositions listed above, there are seven other
prepositions that occur less frequently. Since they do occur;
therefore, it is appropriate to mention them as well. They are as
follows:

: by (for oath). This is specific with Allah, the Exalted.

Example:
By Allah!
2 & 3. : since. These are used to define a time period.

Example:


I have not gone

1.

to the school since Friday.

4.

is always
: many a, so many. The noun used after
singular. Example:
I have helped so many

men.

5.

: besides, except. Example:

I

taught all of the children except Zaid.

6.

: besides, except. Example:


I

stopped all of the men except Amr.

7.

: besides, except. Example:

All of the

people came except Khalid.

Word List
English

Arabic
Singular

Plural

village
town, city

lion
milk

sword
scissors

large bowl
30



Arabic
Plural

Singular

stone
to milk
pants
pencil
card

English

butter
clarified butter
cream
biscuit
teacher
student
lesson

day-time
white
action/work
buffalo
gold
silver

moon
star
key
garden
grass
between; among, amidst
31

Lesson 5

English
sleep
to fall

Arabic
Singular

clouds (collective noun)

something which is under
control

part, portion
rain
fly
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
today
tomorrow
yesterday
mosque
chair
school

Plural

he came
nation; people

32



English

Arabic
Singular

shirt
by, at, with (of place,
time and possession)
good deed
crate, box; chest; suitcase
in the opinion of (so and
so)

) (

Jew; Jewish
Christian
he believed
world
hereafter

praise
right guidance
lock
food
Quranic verse; sign
Exercise 1:

Plural

Translate into Arabic

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Zaid went from the village to the city.

Mahmood killed the lion with the sword.
I cut the cloth with the scissors.
She milked the cows milk in the bowl.
You (S/M) put the shirt and the pants (one pair) in the
suitcase.
6. You (P/M) wrote on the cards with pencils.
7. They (P/F) ate biscuits with butter and cream.
8. By Allah (oath).
33

Lesson 5

9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

The teacher asked the students about the lesson.

Allah made the night for sleeping and the day for working.
Buffalos milk is whiter than cows milk.
Gold and silver are like stones to Zahid.
I looked towards the moon and the stars.
They (P/M) opened the lock with the key.
We went to the garden and we sat on the grass.

Exercise 2:

Translate into English

2.



3.









4.

5.







6.

7.

8.




9.







10.

11.







12.





1.

34

LESSON 6

Pronouns
We are listing below the possessive (

)
)and objective (
pronouns. By possessive, we mean those pronouns, which indicate
possession, and by objective we mean those pronouns, which refer
to the object.
Table 6.1
Possessive (
& )Objective ( )Pronouns
Person

Gender
Masculine

Third
Person
(
)

()

Feminine
(
)
Masculine

Second
Person

)
(

First
Person
()

()
Feminine
(
)

Masculine/
Feminine
Masculine/
Feminine

Plurality

Pronouns
English
Arabic

Singular

his, him

Dual

their, them

Plural

their, them

Singular

hers, her

Dual

their, them

Plural

their, them

Singular

your, you

Dual

your, you

Plural

your, you

Singular

your, you

Dual

your, you

Plural

your, you

Singular

my, me

Dual/
Plural

ours, us

35

Lesson 6

These pronouns can come after nouns, verbs and particles as shown
in the examples below.
1. After a noun:

his (S/M) pen

your (S/M) book

my book

her (S/F) book.

2. After a verb:

I helped him
I commanded you

you (S/M) helped me.

3. After a particle:

in it
for him
from you (S/M)

to/towards us
indeed you (P/M)
on him.
The two pronouns (
and

)mentioned above are used
most frequently in Arabic and should be understood well. The

following pronouns are subjective (

). Examples are not being
given for these since these are easier to learn.

36

Table 6.2

)Pronouns
Subjective (
Person

Gender
Masculine

Third
Person
(
)

()
Feminine
(
)

Masculine

Second
Person

)
(

First
Person
()

()

Feminine
(
)

Masculine/
Feminine
Masculine/
Feminine

Plurality

Pronouns
English
Arabic

Singular

he

Dual

they

Plural

they

Singular

she

Dual

they

Plural

they

Singular

you

Dual

you

Plural

you

Singular

you

Dual

you

Plural

you

Singular

Dual/
Plural

We

In Arabic grammar, the technical terms that are usually used for

these pronouns are

,


, and

but for
the ease of students, we have used the terms

,
and

.

37

Lesson 6

Word List
Arabic

English

Singular

Plural

) (

tongue
head
nose
hand
tooth
chest
handkerchief
car

to ride
bicycle
to break
shoe

to fall
to lift, to raise
he played
ball
order, command
to lie down
Remembrance
Mango

Apple
field; arable land

38

Arabic

English

Singular

melon, watermelon
cucumber

Plural

act of kindness, favor;

grant

with
to snatch
to warn

to seal; seal
eyesight; glance
veil, covering
to leave; abandonment

light
covenant
to send down; revelation
fuel
eternal
presentation

dwelling
object; property
time
to speak, say, tell
to take
above
old

39

Lesson 6

Arabic

English

Singular

young
color
bright yellow
who?, whoever; the one
who; those who

then; so; therefore

indeed

) (

before, previously, earlier

name of a mountain
angel

clean, pure (F)

husband; wife; spouse
hearing, also used for ears
livelihood, sustenance
he did, acted
soul; heart; also used in
the meaning of oneself,
himself, herself, and so on

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

compensation, reward

Exercise 1:

Plural

40

Translate into Arabic

My father
His mother
Her tongue
Your (S/M) head
Your (S/F) nose
My hand

7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.

Their (P/F) teeth

Their (P/M) chests
Our handkerchief
I rode in your (S/M) car.
She broke my bike.
The shoe fell off your (S/M) foot.
I stopped them (P/F).
They (P/M) raised me.
You (P/M) played with the ball.
They (P/M) ordered me to lie down.
They (D/M) looked at me.
You (D/F) worshipped him.
My mother remembered me yesterday.
You (S/M) ate a mango and an apple in your garden and you
ate a watermelon and a cucumber in your field.

Exercise 2:

Translate into English

1.

2.


3.

4.

5.





6.


7.

8.

9.

10.

11.




12.

13.




41

Lesson 6

14.

15.

16.





17.

18.

19.




20.

42

LESSON 7

Present and Future Tense Verb
We have already discussed the past tense verb and pronouns. In this

lesson, we will discuss

which is equivalent to present and
future tense.
( past tense) and

( present/future
tense), as well as
(pronouns) are the foundations of the Arabic

language. These should be memorized properly. This will make all

future lessons much easier. We are listing below the conjugations

(verb forms) of

( present and future tense verb) in active
voice (
) .

In lesson 3, we discussed the method of converting

( past tense passive

( past tense active voice) to
voice). This required putting a dammah on the first letter ( )and a
kasrah on the second (). Thus,
changes to . Similarly,

which means he does or will do is in active voice (

) . To
convert this


to

, we give the first
letter a dammah and the third letter a fathah.
becomes ,

becomes
, becomes ,
becomes
, and so
on.

43

Lesson 7

Table 7.1

Verb Forms of (
) in Active Voice ()
Person

Gender

Plurality
Singular

Masculine
Third
Person
(
)

()

Dual
Plural
Singular

Feminine
(
)

Dual
Plural
Singular

Masculine
Second
Person

)
(

()

Dual
Plural
Singular

Feminine
(
)

Dual
Plural

First
Person
()

Masculine/
Feminine
Masculine/
Feminine

Singular
Dual/
Plural

44

English

Arabic

He/It is doing or
will do
They are doing or
will do
They are doing or
will do
She/It is doing or
will do
They are doing or
will do
They are doing or
will do
You are doing or
will do
You are doing or
will do
You are doing or
will do
You are doing or
will do
You are doing or
will do
You are doing or
will do
I am doing or will
do
We are doing or
will do

Table 7.2

Verb Forms of (
) in Passive Voice ()
Person

Gender

Plurality
Singular

Masculine
Third
Person

)
(

)(

Dual
Plural
Singular

Feminine

)
(

Dual
Plural
Singular

Masculine
Second
Person

(
)

)(

Dual
Plural
Singular

Feminine

)
(

Dual
Plural

First
Person

)(

Masculine/
Feminine
Masculine/
Feminine

Singular
Dual/
Plural

45

English

Arabic

He/It is being done

or will be done
They are being done
or will be done
They are being done
or will be done
She/It is being done
or will be done
They are being done
or will be done
They are being done
or will be done
You are being done
or will be done
You are being done
or will be done
You are being done
or will be done
You are being done
or will be done
You are being done
or will be done
You are being done
or will be done
I am being done or
will be done
We are being done
or will be done

Lesson 7

Note: When a passive verb is used, the

( subject) is
mentioned. Rather, the ( object) takes the place of the

not

(subject) and is called


( subject of the passive verb) or


( substitute subject). Since it takes the place of the
, it
also gets a dammah.
Examples:

= The boy was hit.

= The woman was stopped.

= The door will be opened.

= The wall will be broken.

:
Word List

Arabic

English

Singular

ho wandered about, he
strayed

he realized

he wore

Plural

sadness, grief, sorrow,

affliction

you (P/M) recite

you (P/M) forget

those (P/M) believe
newspaper
potato
spoon
tea
46

Arabic

English

Singular

rope
pond, pool
library
magazine

mill, grinder
article; essay
that which is hidden
prayer leader; leader
thing
alteration, change

blood
thunder
then
caution

to break, nullify
what?; do?; will?; etc.
(depends on the context)
he (S/M) is causing
mischief

to shed (blood)
to order
piety

secrecy, concealment
that
47

Plural

Lesson 7

English

Arabic

he sharpened a pencil

he colored, he dyed
day after tomorrow
he sent
a year ago
day before yesterday
he drank
he came to know
he repaid

unbelief, infidelity
fear
sinfulness

death
remembrance

)(

carrying, bearing
he was angry
washerman
he is washing
Exercise 1:

Translate into English

1.

2.
3.

4.
5.

48

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.
12.

13.

14.

15.

Exercise 2:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

They (P/M) came to know.

You (P/F) are reading.
She is cooking.
He is grieving.
They (P/F) are cooking.
I am making.
We will drink.
You (S/F) will go.
You (S/M) will stop.
They (D/M) will go.

Exercise 3:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Translate into Arabic

Translate into Arabic

I will read your (S/M) newspaper.

They (P/F) will cook a potatoe for you (P/M).
You (P/M) are drinking tea with a spoon.
Your (P/M) uncle (maternal) will open the lock with his key.
The washerman is washing the clothes in the pond.
Haamid is laughing in his house.
I am hearing his laughter in my house.
49

Lesson 7

8.
9.
10.
11.

Your (P/M) laborer is grinding wheat in the mill.

Khalids friend will go to your (S/M) house.
We will make you (S/M) a leader for the people.
Are you (P/F) stopping them (P/M) from sinfulness and
infidelity?
12. Today I read your (S/F) letter.
13. Tomorrow I will go to her uncles (paternal) house.
14. Are you (S/F) angry with him?
Exercise 4:

Translate into English

1.






2.

3.

4.



5.

6.

7.

8.


Exercise 5:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Translate to Arabic

Is being read (S/M, third person)

Is being written (S/M, third person)
Will be broken (S/M, third person)
Will be cut (S/M, third person)
She is being helped.
You are being stopped (S/M)
I am being stopped.
We are being helped.
You (S/F) will be stopped.
You (S/M) are being cheated.

50

Exercise 6:

Translate into Arabic

1. The rope is being cut.

2. The cloth will be dyed.
3. Remembrance of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him
peace) is being raised.
4. The prophets are being sent.
5. Fruits are being eaten.
6. Allah is being remembered.
7. Tomorrow, the newspaper will be read in the library.
8. An article will be written for your (S/F) magazine the day after
tomorrow.
9. The vow was broken a year ago.

51

LESSON 8

Adjective
Consider the following phrases: truthful Muslim, pious man,
large mosque, small book, trustworthy servant. These phrases

(adjective)
and other phrases of similar pattern are called

and

( the described). In the phrase small book, small
(adjective), and book
describes the book. Thus, small is
is

( the described).

To convert a phrase into Arabic, follow the following steps:

1. Translate the individual words into Arabic.
2. Reverse the order of the words so that the first word comes
second and the second word comes first.
3. Give both words one or two dammah(s) (depending on the
situation).
Example: We want to convert the phrase, truthful Muslim into
Arabic. First, we translate the individual words into Arabic. We get

. Then, we
. Next, we reverse the order to get

give two dammahs to both the words. We get

. Similarly,

if we want to convert pious man into Arabic, we will first translate

. Next, we will reverse

the individual words into Arabic

the order of the words

. Lastly, we will give two
dammahs to both words

.
Additional Rules:

and the
1. Both the

have to be in the same state,
i.e., if one has a dammah at the end, the other will also
have a dammah at the end. Similarly, if one has a fathah at
the end, the other will also have a fathah, and so on. For
53

Lesson 8

example, consider

. Since has two dammahs at

the end,

also has two dammahs. If for some reason
had two fathahs,
would also have had two fathahs.

such as in
The phrase would then have been

( I helped a pious man). Similarly, if
had two kasrahs at the end,
would also have had two

kasrahs. The phrase would then have been

such
as in
( I went to a pious man).

2. If the

has an alif-laam, the will also get an aliflaam. For example, if
were to be changed to ,

would also change to

.

3. If the

is feminine, the will also be feminine. To
change a word to its feminine form, just add a round taa
( )at the end of the word. For example, a pious teacher

and the pious teacher (F) will be

(F) will be

4. If the

is a proper noun, it will not accept alif-laam.
Alif-laam is used to change a common noun into a definite

will still require an alif-laam to

noun. However, the
make it a definite noun. For example, when converting
the conquering Khalid into Arabic, we will not add aliflaam to
because it is already a proper noun. However,

( ) because it is not a
we will add an alif-laam to the

proper noun. The sentence will be

.
The following examples illustrate this point:

The king Mahmood will be

.

The commander Taariq will be .

54

 .
The poet Ghalib will be

These sentences can also be read as

,
,

.
and

Word List

Arabic

English

Singular

most-forgiving
rooster
shouting; noisy
mat
shabby, worn (garment)
excellent; good
beautiful, handsome;
good

street
ship, boat
Sea
Deep

Mountain
great; powerful
Train
Engine
Station

(finger or toe) nail

hair
he cut (hair)
55

Plural

Lesson 8

Arabic

English

Singular

he cut (used for nails)

store, shop

old man; scholar

ugly
matches
post, mail
post office
fan
bitter

army
defeat
capital city
daily
to buy
barber

skillful; outstanding
box; can
he touched, he felt (by
hand); he examined

medical prescription

painful

trial, tribulation
mosquito
price

56

Plural





Arabic

English

Singular

cloud
shady, shading
dark
this (M)
this (F)

these (M & F)
twig, branch
firm, established
big, large
root
fort, fortress, castle
that (M)
that (F)
those (M & F)

everyday, daily
small, little
sick, ill
branch
poet
word
Romans
immoral (person)

medicine
mischievous
57

Plural

Lesson 8

Arabic

English

Singular

doctor
king
livelihood

market
torment; punishment
little; few
tree
he opened; he conquered

good; pleasant (F)

old
near, close
Exercise 1:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

Translate into Arabic

Pious father
The son Saeed
Most-forgiving Lord
Big door
The noisy rooster
The old mat
Good article
Good magazine
Big street
Small boat
Deep sea
Great mountain
Long train
Big engine
Small station

58

Plural





Exercise 2:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Translate into Arabic

I hit an immoral man.

You (P/M) took a beautiful fan.
The sick woman drank bitter medicine.
Brave Tariq defeated a big kings army and he entered his
capital.
Do you (S/M) go to the citys market everyday to buy the
newspaper?
Today I will go to a skilled barbers shop to cut hair and to cut
nails.
This is a pious old man and that is a mischievous child.
This is a handsome man and that is an ugly girl.
You (S/M) went to a shop close to your house to buy a box of
matches.
Doctor Mahmood examined a sick woman and wrote a good
prescription for her.

Exercise 3:

Translate into English.

1.


2.

3.


4.

5.


6.


7.

8.

9.

10.

11.






12.



59

60

LESSON 9

Imperative (Positive Command) &

Prohibitive (Negative Command)
The command is used to demand an action. That verb which
contains a command to do something is called , for example,
read! and write!; while that verb which contains a command to
not do something is called
, as in do not go and do not fear.
The conjugation (verb forms) of second person imperative and
second person prohibitive in active voice is being listed below.
These must be memorized.

Table 9.1

)
Second Person Imperative in Active Voice (

Person

Gender
Masculine

Second
Person

)
(

()

Feminine
(
)

Plurality

English

Singular

(You) Do!

Dual

(You) Do!

Plural

(You) Do!

Singular

(You) Do!

Dual

(You) Do!

Plural

(You) Do!

61

Arabic

Lesson 9

Table 9.2

)
Second Person Prohibitive in Active Voice (

Person

Gender
Masculine

Second
Person

)
(

Plurality

English

Arabic

Singular

(You) Dont do!

Dual

(You) Dont do!

Plural

(You) Dont do!

Singular

(You) Dont do!

Dual

(You) Dont do!

Plural

(You) Dont do!

()
Feminine
(
)

The vowels (harakah) of

Many times we find to be on the pattern of

as in .
However, this is not always the case. Sometimes, it follows the

pattern as in

. The
, and sometimes the pattern as in
reason behind this difference is that the particular vowel pattern of
( and ) is dependent on the ( )letter of

. The ()
letter of

governs the in two ways, and in one way.
The one way where it governs both and
is the harakah
of the ( )letter of and
. Here, the harakah has to correspond
exactly. Thus, when the ( )letter of

has a fathah, or
kasrah, or dammah, the ( )letter of and
will have the same
vowel. For example, in
the ( )letter is ( )and has a fathah.
Therefore, in its and
forms, the ( )will also get a fathah. Its
will be and its will be . In

there is a kasrah

under ( ;)therefore, its and

forms will be


and

62

respectively. In
there is a dammah on ( ;)therefore, its and

forms will be
and
respectively.
The other way in which ( )letter of

governs is
with respect to the alif2 of . This alif either gets a kasrah or a
dammah. It cannot have a fathah. If the ( )letter of

has a
dammah, the alif of will also have a dammah. For example, the

of


will be
because ( )is the ( )letter of
and
it has a dammah. And if the ( )letter of

has a fathah or a
kasrah, then in both cases the alif of will get a kasrah. For

example, the of


is
, the of is , and the of

is
.
It should be noted that there is no alif in . It is

dependent on the ( )letter of

only with respect to the
harakah on its own ( )letter.
Word List
Arabic

English
to search
he started
sugar
salt
he accepted
share (n.)

Singular

Plural

It is, in fact, hamzat al-wasl (

) . We are calling it alif for the ease of the
students because it is generally written as an alif.
2

63

Lesson 9

Arabic

English
deaf
dumb

Singular

Plural

blind
guide (command for S/M)
derision; mockery

justice; compensation

to come down
cat

doll
ball
mirror
comb
snake
scorpion

bull; ox
but, rather, however

mixing
sermon
act; deed

every
big city
bad, evil, wicked

hotel
manager; editor
64



English

Arabic

he did, he acted, he worked

powerful
intercession

change

he came near
he feared
a lot
Exercise 1:

Translate into English

1.

2.

3.
4.

5.

6.

7.

8.


9.
10.

11.
12.
Exercise 2:

Translate into Arabic

1. Dont go (P/M) to the market, but go to the mosque.

2. Open (S/M) the box.
3. Put (P/M) sugar in the tea.
65

Lesson 9

4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Work (D/M) for yourselves.

Dont laugh (P/M) a lot.
Accept (P/F) the advice of your mothers.
Dont make (D/M) a share for Shaytan in your deeds.
Dont (P/M) play with the doll; play (P/M) with the ball.
Listen (S/M) to the speech of Allah.
Dont (S/F) play with the mirror and the comb; cook (S/F) the
meat.
11. Be cautious (P/F) of the snake and the scorpion.
12. Dont (D/F) go near the ball; play (D/F) with this cat.
Exercise 3:

Translate into English.

1.







2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

66

LESSON 10

Singular, Dual, Plural
We have seen in the previous lessons that verb forms are sometimes
single, sometimes dual, and sometimes plural.3 Similarly, nouns can

also be single, dual and plural. For example,

means one
believer,
means two believers, and means three or
more believers. If for some reason
needs to be vowelized with
a fathah, it will become ,
will become
and will
become
. If for some reason needs to be vowelized with a

kasrah, it will become

. When the dual and plural of are
vowelized with a kasrah, they will be the same as when they are
vowelized with a fathah. The same rule applies to similar nouns.
For the ease of the students, a chart showing
and its dual and
plural forms in each of the different states is given below.
Table 10.1
Singular, Dual, and Plural
Singular
when vowelized
with a fathah
when vowelized
with a kasrah
when vowelized
with a dammah

Dual

Plural

(
)

()

(
)

It should be remembered that when the verb forms are dual or plural, it is not
the action that is dual or plural. The action taking place is only one. It is only the
doers of the action who are two or more.

67

Lesson 10

Examples:
1. Two men went to the market.

2. The scholars gave a speech in the mosque.

3. Nasir helped two oppressed persons.

4. Naseer hit the oppressors.

5. I wrote with two pens.

6. A man came from amongst the believers.

Word List
English

Arabic
Singular

year
fish
a fish
woe (unto you)
thief
neglectful
successful; prosperous

)
(

)
(

he prepared
however, but
jail, prison
master; chief
68

Plural

English

Arabic
Singular

insulting, abusive;
disgraceful

Plural

(S/F) flows
below, beneath
repentant, accepting of
repentance

)
(

he forgave

he who; who, which,

that

canopy
preacher
tree
female servant, maid
the one praying salah4
only
peacemaker
verily
corrupt
disbeliever, infidel
garden, paradise

)
(

river
blessing, grace (of Allah,
the Exalted)

Here we are distinguishing between prayer and salah. Prayer is any form of
praying (to Allah) whose Arabic equivalent is (
) . Salah (
) refers to the ritual
prayer that Muslims pray at least five times a day.

69

Lesson 10

English

Arabic
Singular

Plural

umbrella
peace
he studies
messenger
notebook
seal; ring
companion
all

he loved
he gave a speech
oppressed, wronged
oppressor
believer

world
Exercise 1:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

Translate into English

I ordered the preachers.

They (P/M) wrote a book for the believers.
They (P/F) ate the bread.
You (P/M) cut the tree.
She hit two boys and she took the umbrellas.
They (P/M) killed the thieves.
You (P/F) will study for two years.
You (S/F) will cook for the worshippers.
You (S/M) ate a fish, but I ate two fishes.
She wrote two notebooks and you (P/M) read two books.
The houses maid cooked bread and she filled two jars.
Khalids uncle (maternal) imprisoned the thieves in the jail.
70

Translate into English

Exercise 2:

1.

2.

3.

4.





5.

6.




7.


8.

9.

10.

11.

71