Today we will learn about a new topic in Arabic grammar, and it’s about the difference between a nominal and verbal sentence
The nominal and verbal sentence in Arabic.
There are two types of sentences in Arabic and they are
1- Nominal sentence.
2- Verbal sentence.
The nominal sentence is the one where the subject of the sentence is the topic, while in verbal sentences the subject of the sentence is the verb.
لون هذه الزهرة ازرق
The color of this flower is blue.
In the above example, the subject is “The color of this flower”, therefore it is a nominal sentence not verbal.
1- Nominal sentence.
To make it simple the nominal sentence starts with a noun or pronoun, and it consists of the subject (مبتدأ) and a predicate (خبر). There is something that is a bit confusing in Arabic grammar, in English we use the verb to be when talking about something happening and there must be a verb. However, in Arabic you won’t find a verb in the sentence, you understand it from its context.
The subject of the nominal sentence is only a noun or a pronoun, while the predicate can be a noun, adjective, and preposition, and sometimes it can be a verb. Here are some examples to understand better.
In the following three examples you will notice that there is no verb in the sentence:
هذه مقالة ممتازة.
This is an excellent article.
والدها مصرى.
Her father is Egyptian.
نحن من امريكا.
We are in America.
In this example you can see its verb:
الولد يلعب.
The boy plays.
Mostly the subject of the nominal sentence is definite, but sometimes it’s not like when expressing existence or possession and the subject in this case will come after the predicate. Here are some examples:
هناك أولاد في الحديقة.
There are kids in the park.
لي أخت.
I have a sister
عندي سيارة.
I have a car.
In the nominal sentence, you will notice that the verb always changes its form based on gender and the number of subjects.
2- Verbal sentence.
The verbal sentences start with a verb and consist of a verb (فعل) and a subject (فاعل). But be careful sometimes the subject is written attached to the verb, like in the following examples:
أعمل.
I work.
تعمل.
She works.
درسنا
We studied.
تعلمنا.
We learned.
As you can see, verbal sentences are much easier than nominal sentences, because it always starts with a verb, therefore many learners prefer them.
In Arabic grammar, there are three tenses of the verb and they are past tense, present tense, and command tense. And to talk about the future or something that will happen in the future all you will do is add the letter ‘س’ or the word ‘سوف’ before the verb. Here are some examples:
سَأذهَبُ الى المدرسة غدًا
I will go to school tomorrow.
سَوفَ نَلعَبُ معًا فى الحديقة.
We will play together in the park.
سَأقرَأُ الكتاب غدًا
I will read the book tomorrow.
The verbal sentence in Arabic examples
Let’s take some examples of the verbal sentence to understand it more:
ذَهَبَ الطَّبِيبُ إِلَى المُستَشفى
The doctor went to the hospital
رَجَعَ ماكس مِنَ التدريب
Max returned from training.
أدرُسُ في امريكا.
I study in America
Note:
The verb changes its form based on the gender of the subject but doesn’t always change based on the number of the subject. What does that mean? Sometimes you will find that the subject is dual or plural but the verb will still be singular.
أُحِبُّ الجرى
I like running.
يُصَلِّي أَبِي فِي المَسجِدِ
My dad prays in the mosque
تَزُورُ ايما جَدَتَهَا
Emma visits her grandmother
أَتَكَلَّمُ اللُّغَةَ اليابانية
I speak Japanese.
5 nominal sentences in Arabic.
هناك أولاد في الحديقة.
There are kids in the park.
لي أخت.
I have a sister
عندي سيارة.
I have a car.
والدها مصرى.
Her father is Egyptian.
نحن من امريكا.
We are in America.
The nominal sentence in Arabic example
مُحَمَّدٌ مهندس
Muhammad is an engineer.
الوَلَدُ يبكى
The boy is crying.
البِنتُ سعيدة
The girl is happy.
هِيَ كورية
She is Korean.
الطُّلَّابُ غادروا
The students left
الأطِبَاءُ غَادَرُوا
The doctors left
هى طبيبة.
She is a doctor.
هى مهندسة
She is an engineer.
انه ضابط شرطة.
He is a policeman.
هُمَا مُرَتَّبَانِ
They are tidy.
هِيَ مُحَامِيَةٌ
She is a lawyer.
السَفَرُ مُمتِعٌ
Traveling is fun.
القِصَّةُ طَوِيلَةٌ
The story is long.
الدّواءُ ضرُورِيٌّ
Medicine is essential.
Simple verbal sentences in Arabic
ذَهَبَ الطَّبِيبُ إِلَى المُستَشفى
The doctor went to the hospital
رَجَعَ ماكس مِنَ التدريب
Max returned from training.
أدرُسُ في امريكا.
I study in America
Exercises.
This Russian course
My most enjoyable climb
Her sister’s new bicycle
All of our recent holidays
A voice from the past
The song that Jill sang
The secretary general
هناك أولاد في الحديقة.
There are kids in the park.
لي أخت.
I have a sister
عندي سيارة.
I have a car.
والدها مصرى.
Her father is Egyptian.
نحن من امريكا.
We are in America.
سَأذهَبُ الى المدرسة غدًا
I will go to school tomorrow.
سَوفَ نَلعَبُ معًا فى الحديقة.
We will play together in the park.
سَأقرَأُ الكتاب غدًا
I will read the book tomorrow.
أعمل.
I work.
تعمل.
She works.
درسنا
We studied.
تعلمنا.
We learned.
مُحَمَّدٌ مهندس
Muhammad is an engineer.
الوَلَدُ يبكى
The boy is crying.
البِنتُ سعيدة
The girl is happy.
هِيَ كورية
She is Korean.
الطُّلَّابُ غادروا
The students left
الأطِبَاءُ غَادَرُوا
The doctors left
هى طبيبة.
She is a doctor.
هى مهندسة
She is an engineer.
انه ضابط شرطة.
He is a policeman.
هُمَا مُرَتَّبَانِ
They are tidy.
هِيَ مُحَامِيَةٌ
She is a lawyer.
السَفَرُ مُمتِعٌ
Traveling is fun.
القِصَّةُ طَوِيلَةٌ
The story is long.
الدّواءُ ضرُورِيٌّ
Medicine is essential.
This is it for today’s lesson, I hope you enjoyed it from Alif Arabic.
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