Grammatical Themes Lesson 7 Flashcards
(21 cards)
UNIT26 Rule No. 44 الصِّّفَةُ
The Adjective
What are the 4 rules an adjective (الصِّفَةُ) must follow when describing a noun in Arabic?
🧠 (Make it stick: “How do Arabic adjectives play copycat?”)
In Arabic, the adjective follows the noun it describes and must match it in 4 ways:
Gender (الجنس) – masculine or feminine
Number (العدد) – singular, dual, or plural
Case (الإِعْرَاب) – nominative (رَفْع), accusative (نَصْب), or genitive (جَرّ)
Definiteness (التَّعْرِيف) – definite (with ال) or indefinite (without ال)
🧷 Think of the adjective as a shadow – it copies the noun exactly.
📝 Examples:
البِنْتُ الجَمِيلَةُ = the beautiful girl
رَجُلٌ طَوِيلٌ = a tall man
اللَّهَ العَظِيمَ = Allah the Great (object = accusative)
In Arabic, why does the noun come before the adjective (الصِّفَةُ)?
🧠 (Hint: Who leads the sentence—noun or adjective?)
In Arabic, the noun always comes before the adjective because the adjective is only there to describe the noun.
📌 Think of the noun as the main subject, and the adjective as its follower.
✅ This order allows the adjective to match the noun in:
Gender (الجنس)
Number (العدد)
Case (الإعراب)
Definiteness (التعريف)
📝 Examples:
بَيْتٌ جَمِيلٌ = a beautiful house
الْبِنْتُ الذَّكِيَّةُ = the smart girl
❌ Saying جَمِيلٌ بَيْتٌ sounds unnatural and incorrect in Arabic grammar.
🧷 Memory tip:
The noun is the leader — the adjective just follows and copies.
Arabic is a head-initial language.
It helps avoid confusion.
The main word (the “head”) comes first, and its description follows.
So:
بَيْتٌ كَبِيرٌ = a big house
Literally: “house big”
This helps the listener know what you’re talking about first, and then get the details after.
By putting the noun first, Arabic clearly marks who or what is being talked about. Then the adjective clarifies or adds details.
Example:
وَلَدٌ ذَكِيٌّ = a smart boy
Noun first: “boy”
Adjective second: “smart”
Why does the noun come before the adjective (الصِّفَةُ) in Arabic?
🧠 (Memory hook: “Why say ‘house big’ instead of ‘big house’?”)
In Arabic, the noun comes before the adjective because:
Arabic describes things after naming them.
→ First say the thing, then describe it.
The adjective depends on the noun
→ It must match the noun in gender, number, case, and definiteness — so it follows it.
It’s the natural Arabic order.
→ Noun ➡️ Adjective = “head first, detail second”
🧠 Memory tip:
“Name it first, then praise it.”
(e.g. بَيْتٌ كَبِيرٌ = a big house, literally “house big”)
📝 Examples:
بِنْتٌ جَمِيلَةٌ = a beautiful girl
رَجُلٌ طَوِيلٌ = a tall man
المَسْجِدُ الكَبِيرُ = the big mosque
UNIT 27 Rule No. 45
What happens to the subject when إِنَّ and her sisters are used in a sentence?
🧠 (Memory hook: “What do these powerful little words do to the subject?”)
When إِنَّ (verily) or her sisters (أَنَّ، كَأَنَّ، لَيْتَ، لَعَلَّ، لَكِنَّ) come before the subject, they force the subject into the accusative case (نَصْب).
✅ The predicate (الخبر) stays in the nominative case (رَفْع).
✅ You can add لَ before the predicate to make it stronger (for emphasis).
✅ You can also attach pronouns to إِنَّ and her sisters to act as the subject:
e.g. إِنَّهُ = Verily, he…
لَعَلَّنِي = Perhaps I…
📝 Examples:
إِنَّ اللهَ غَفُورٌ
→ Verily, Allah is forgiving
Subject = اللهَ (accusative)
Predicate = غَفُورٌ (nominative)
لَعَلَّكَ نَاجِحٌ
→ Perhaps you are successful
Subject = كَ (you)
Predicate = نَاجِحٌ
كَأَنَّهُ مَرِيضٌ
→ As if he is sick
🧠 Memory tip:
“إِنَّ and her sisters dress the subject in Fathah (accusative), but leave the predicate in Dammah (nominative).”
UNIT 27 Rule No. 45
Who are إِنَّ and her sisters, and what do they mean?
🧠 (Memory hook: “Which emotional words change the subject’s case in Arabic?”)
🟩 Back (Answer):
إِنَّ and her sisters are special Arabic words that come at the beginning of a sentence and make the subject accusative (with a Fathah) while the predicate stays in the nominative.
Here are their meanings:
إِنَّ means verily or indeed
أَنَّ means that (used in reported speech)
كَأَنَّ means as if (used to imagine or compare)
لَكِنَّ means but or however (shows contrast)
لَيْتَ means if only or would that (used for wishing)
لَعَلَّ means perhaps or hopefully (used for hope)
🧠 Memory tip:
These words are full of emotion — hope, contrast, imagination, emphasis — and they grab the subject so strongly that it has to switch to the accusative case!
📝 Example:
لَيْتَنِي نَاجِحٌ
→ If only I were successful
Subject: نِي = “I” → accusative
Predicate: نَاجِحٌ = “successful” → nominative
UNIT 27 Rule No. 45
In the sentence إِنَّ الْقُرْآنَ كِتَابُ اللهِ, why does “الْقُرْآنَ” have a Fathah and what does “إِنَّهُ” refer to later?
🧠 (Memory hook: “Why is the Qur’an in Fathah and who’s ‘he’ in إِنَّهُ?”)
The word الْقُرْآنَ has a Fathah because it follows إِنَّ (verily), which makes the subject accusative (نَصْب).
كِتَابُ اللهِ is the predicate, so it stays in the nominative case (with Dammah on كِتَابُ).
Later in the sentence, إِنَّهُ means “verily it” — this is إِنَّ + ـهُ (a pronoun meaning “it”), and it refers back to the Qur’an (الْقُرْآنَ).
🧠 Memory tip:
“إِنَّ pulls the subject down to Fathah, but leaves the predicate floating with Dammah!”
And إِنَّهُ just means “Verily, it…” — pointing back to what was just mentioned.
📝 Full Example:
إِنَّ الْقُرْآنَ الْكَرِيمَ كِتَابُ اللهِ وَإِنَّهُ يَهْدِي إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ
→ Verily, the Noble Qur’an is the Book of Allah — and verily it guides to Paradise.
Why is “الْقُرْآنَ” in the accusative case in the sentence:
إِنَّ الْقُرْآنَ الْكَرِيمَ كِتَابُ اللهِ؟
And what does “إِنَّهُ” mean later in the sentence?
🧠 (Memory hook: “What did إِنَّ do to the Qur’an?”)
Because of إِنَّ (verily), the word “الْقُرْآنَ” becomes accusative — it gets a Fathah (َ) instead of a Dammah (ُ).
إِنَّ always makes the subject take a Fathah.
“كِتَابُ اللهِ” is the predicate, so it stays in the nominative case with a Dammah on “كِتَابُ”.
Later, the word إِنَّهُ means “Verily, it”.
It is made from:
إِنَّ + ـهُ (it)
And it refers back to الْقُرْآنَ (the Qur’an).
🧠 Memory Tip:
إِنَّ makes the subject fall (Fathah), but lets the predicate stand tall (Dammah).
إِنَّهُ = “Verily it” (refers back to what was just mentioned)
📝 Example:
إِنَّ الْقُرْآنَ كِتَابُ اللهِ وَإِنَّهُ يَهْدِي إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ
→ Verily, the Qur’an is the Book of Allah — and verily it guides to Paradise.
إِنَّ
Why does “الْقُرْآنَ” have a Fathah in:
إِنَّ الْقُرْآنَ الْكَرِيمَ كِتَابُ اللهِ؟
And what does “إِنَّهُ” mean later in the sentence?
🧠 (Memory hook: “What did إِنَّ do to the Qur’an?”)
The word “الْقُرْآنَ” takes a Fathah because it comes right after إِنَّ (verily).
→ إِنَّ always puts the subject into the accusative case (نَصْب).
“كِتَابُ اللهِ” is the predicate, so it stays in the nominative case (رَفْع) with a Dammah on كِتَابُ.
Later, “إِنَّهُ” means “Verily, it” —
it’s made of:
👉 إِنَّ + ـهُ (he/it)
and it refers back to القرآن.
🧠 Memory tip:
إِنَّ makes the subject fall (Fathah), but leaves the news standing tall (Dammah).
إِنَّهُ = “Verily it” → it points back to the thing just mentioned (like the Qur’an here).
📝 Full sentence:
إِنَّ الْقُرْآنَ الْكَرِيمَ كِتَابُ اللهِ وَإِنَّهُ يَهْدِي إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ
→ Verily, the noble Qur’an is the Book of Allah, and verily it guides to Paradise.
Example 5
What does “لِأَنَّهَا” mean in the sentence:
بِنْتُكَ لاَ تَفُوزُ فِي الدُّنْيَا لِأَنَّهَا لاَ تَسْعَى؟
And how is it formed?
🧠 (Memory hook: “What’s hidden inside لِأَنَّهَا?”)
“لِأَنَّهَا” means “because she.”
It’s made up of three parts stuck together:
لِ = for / because
أَنَّ = that (one of إِنَّ’s sisters, makes the subject accusative)
هَا = she (a pronoun referring to “your daughter”)
🧠 So:
لِ + أَنَّ + هَا = لِأَنَّهَا
→ because she…
✨ BONUS: What about “Verily I”?
You can attach pronouns to إِنَّ too:
إِنِّي = إِنَّ + ي = Verily I
إِنَّنِي = a stronger form = Verily I, indeed
إِنَّنِي أَنَا اللَّهُ (20:14)
→ Verily, I am Allah.
🧠 Memory tip:
These little words can combine like Lego pieces:
إِنَّ + pronoun = meaning packed into one word!
EXAMPLE (2)
In the sentence:
لَيْتَ الْقَائِلَ فَاعِلٌ
why is “الْقَائِلَ” in the accusative case, and what does “فَاعِلٌ” mean here?
🧠 (Memory hook: “What happens when لَيْتَ enters the scene?”)
لَيْتَ means “if only” or “would that” — it’s one of إِنَّ’s sisters, and it changes the subject into the accusative case (with Fathah).
So:
الْقَائِلَ (the one who speaks) is the subject, so it gets a Fathah: accusative case.
فَاعِلٌ (the one who acts) is the predicate, so it stays nominative with a Dammah.
🧠 Meaning:
لَيْتَ الْقَائِلَ فَاعِلٌ
→ If only the speaker were also a doer.
🧠 Memory tip:
لَيْتَ brings a wish — and with that wish, the subject drops to Fathah!
But the news/predicate stays strong with a Dammah.
EXAMPLE 3
In the sentence:
لَعَلَّكَ تَفُوْزُ لأَنَّكَ تَسْعَى
what does “لَعَلَّكَ” mean, and why is “كَ” considered the subject?
🧠 (Memory hook: “Who is the ‘you’ in لَعَلَّكَ?”)
“لَعَلَّكَ” means “Perhaps you…”
It’s made of:
لَعَلَّ = perhaps (one of إِنَّ’s sisters)
كَ = you (a pronoun suffix used as the subject)
So كَ is actually the subject of لَعَلَّ — and since لَعَلَّ makes its subject accusative, the full word becomes لَعَلَّكَ (with Fathah on لَعَلَّ and كَ).
🧠 Translation:
لَعَلَّكَ تَفُوْزُ → Perhaps you succeed
لِأَنَّكَ تَسْعَى → because you strive
🧠 Memory Tip:
Think of لَعَلَّكَ as one word: “Maybe you…”
Just like إِنَّكَ means “Verily you…”
→ These small words swallow the subject pronoun and turn it into part of the word!
(16) EXAMPLE
In the sentence:
إِنَّ اللهَ لَا يَنْظُرُ إِلَى وَجْهِكَ… وَلَكِنَّهُ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى قَلْبِكَ
what is “لَكِنَّهُ” made of, and why is “ـهُ” the subject?
🧠 (Memory hook: “Who’s hiding inside لَكِنَّهُ?”)
“لَكِنَّهُ” means “But He…”
It’s made of:
لَكِنَّ = But / However (one of إِنَّ’s sisters — it makes the subject accusative)
ـهُ = He (a pronoun suffix → the subject)
So:
👉 لَكِنَّ + ـهُ = لَكِنَّهُ = But He
Even though the subject is hidden inside, it still counts as the subject of لَكِنَّ.
🧠 Translation of full sentence:
إِنَّ اللهَ لَا يَنْظُرُ إِلَى وَجْهِكَ… وَلَكِنَّهُ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى قَلْبِكَ
→ Verily, Allah doesn’t look at your face or clothes — but He looks at your heart.
لَكِنَّ is like إِنَّ — it swallows its subject!
لَكِنَّهُ = “But He”
Just like:
إِنَّهُ = Verily He
أَنَّهُ = That He
EXAMPLE 25
In the sentence:
إِبْرَاهِيمُ يَعْبُدُ اللهَ كَأَنَّهُ يَرَاهُ
what is “كَأَنَّهُ” made of, and what does it mean?
🧠 (Memory hook: “What’s hidden inside كَأَنَّهُ?”)
كَأَنَّهُ = as if he…
It’s made of:
كَأَنَّ = as if (one of إِنَّ’s sisters, which makes the subject accusative)
ـهُ = he (a pronoun used as the subject)
📌 So: كَأَنَّ + ـهُ = كَأَنَّهُ = as if he…
🧠 Meaning of the sentence:
إِبْرَاهِيمُ يَعْبُدُ اللهَ كَأَنَّهُ يَرَاهُ
→ Ibrāhīm worships Allah as if he sees Him.
——————————
.
🧠 Memory Tip:
كَأَنَّ sets up an imagined situation: “as if…”
Then it pulls in a subject pronoun — hidden inside the word.
Like:
كَأَنَّهُ = as if he
كَأَنَّهَا = as if she
كَأَنَّنِي = as if I
EXAMPLE 6
In the sentence:
رَجَعَ الوَلَدُ الَّذِي فَرَّ مِنَ البَيْتِ…
why is “الَّذِي” used, and what does it mean?
🧠 (Memory hook: “Who is الَّذِي pointing to?”)
الَّذِي means “who” / “the one who” — it’s a relative pronoun used for a masculine singular noun.
In the sentence:
رَجَعَ الوَلَدُ الَّذِي فَرَّ مِنَ البَيْتِ
→ The boy who ran away from the house returned.
الوَلَدُ = the boy (masculine, singular)
So we use الَّذِي to refer back to him: the one who…
📌 الَّذِي must match the noun it refers to in gender and number:
الَّذِي = who (masc. singular)
الَّتِي = who (fem. singular)
🧠 Memory Tip:
Think of الَّذِي as a bridge — it connects a noun to a sentence that describes it.
💬 “The boy who ran away…” = الولد الَّذِي فَرَّ…
Example 10
In the sentence:
الْمَرْأَةُ الَّتِي تَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْمَرْأَةِ الَّتِي تَسْمَعُهُ
why is “الَّتِي” used, and what does it mean?
🧠 (Memory hook: “Who is الَّتِي pointing to?”)
الَّتِي means “who” / “the one who” — it’s the feminine singular relative pronoun.
In the sentence:
الْمَرْأَةُ الَّتِي تَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ
→ The woman who reads the Qur’an
الْمَرْأَةُ = the woman (feminine singular)
So we use الَّتِي to refer back to her: the one who…
📌 الَّتِي matches its noun in gender (feminine) and number (singular).
🧠 Memory Tip:
Think of الَّتِي as the feminine “who” that connects a noun to a description.
💬 “The woman who reads…” = المرأة الَّتِي تَقْرَأُ
Example 14
In the sentence:
إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَيَعْلَمُ مَنْ أَنْتَ وَمَا فِي قَلْبِكَ
what does the particle “لَ” do before “يَعْلَمُ” and what does it mean?
🧠 (Memory hook: “What extra power does لَ add?”)
The particle لَ is used for emphasis and is added before the imperfect verb.
لَ + يَعْلَمُ = لَيَعْلَمُ
Meaning: indeed, He knows (with extra certainty)
In the sentence:
إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَيَعْلَمُ مَنْ أَنْتَ وَمَا فِي قَلْبِكَ
→ Verily your Lord indeed knows who you are and what is in your heart.
🧠 Memory Tip:
Think of لَ as a spotlight shining on the verb, saying:
“Yes, really! He definitely knows!”
Example 17
In the sentence:
إِنَّكَ عَلَى صِرَاطِ اللهِ الَّذِي لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاءِ وَالأَرْضِ
what does “الَّذِي لَهُ” mean and how does it relate to Allah?
🧠 (Memory hook: “Who does ‘الَّذِي لَهُ’ point to?”)
الَّذِي لَهُ means “to whom belongs” or “who owns” and refers to اللهِ (Allah).
الَّذِي = who (relative pronoun, masculine singular)
لَهُ = to Him (pronoun suffix referring to Allah)
So:
الَّذِي لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاءِ وَالأَرْضِ
means “to whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth.”
🧠 Memory Tip:
Think of الَّذِي لَهُ as a phrase meaning:
“The One who owns everything.”
Here, it shows Allah’s ownership of all creation!
Example 20
In the sentence:
لَقَدْ هَدَانِي اللهُ إِلَى الصِّرَاطِ الْمُسْتَقِيْمِ
what does the particle “لَقَدْ” mean and why is it special?
🧠 (Memory hook: “Double emphasis power!”)
لَقَدْ is a combination of two particles:
لَ (for emphasis)
قَدْ (also for emphasis)
Together, لَقَدْ gives double emphasis, making the statement very strong.
It means: Indeed or Surely — with extra certainty!
In the sentence:
لَقَدْ هَدَانِي اللهُ إِلَى الصِّرَاطِ الْمُسْتَقِيْمِ
→ Indeed Allah has guided me to the straight path.
🧠 Memory Tip:
Think of لَقَدْ as a super spotlight:
“Yes! Absolutely! This is 100% true!”
example 21
In the sentence:
إِنَّ اللهِ لَمَعَ الصَّادِقِ وَالصَّادِقَةِ
what does the particle “لَ” do before “مَعَ” and why is it important?
🧠 (Memory hook: “What extra meaning does لَ add before prepositions?”)
The particle لَ is added before prepositions and nouns for emphasis, meaning “indeed” or “surely.”
لَمَعَ = indeed with (لَ + مَعَ)
In the sentence:
إِنَّ اللهِ لَمَعَ الصَّادِقِ وَالصَّادِقَةِ
→ Verily! Allah is indeed with the truthful man and truthful woman.
Think of لَ as a power booster that adds certainty and emphasis even before words like مَعَ (with), pronouns, or nouns.
Examples:
لَهُوَ (indeed he), لَهَدَا (indeed this), لَقُرْآنٌ (indeed the Qur’an)
Summary of Lesson 7
What are the key Arabic particles like إِنَّ and her sisters, and the emphasis particle لَ, and how do they affect sentence structure and meaning?
🧠 (Memory hook: “Master the power particles that change meaning!”)
إِنَّ and her sisters (أَنَّ، كَأَنَّ، لَيْتَ، لَعَلَّ، لَكِنَّ):
These are particles (small words that affect sentence grammar and meaning).
When they come before the subject (the doer of the action), they change the subject’s case (the form of the noun):
From nominative case (used for subjects)
To accusative case (used for objects or after certain particles).
The predicate (what is said about the subject) stays in the nominative case.
The particle لَ can be added before the predicate for extra emphasis.
These particles can attach pronoun suffixes (small pronouns added at the end of words), e.g. إِنَّهُ = إِنَّ + ـهُ (he/it).
Relative pronouns (الَّذِي for masculine, الَّتِي for feminine):
Words that connect clauses and refer back to a noun.
They agree in gender (male or female) and number (singular/plural) with the noun they describe.
Particle لَ (lam) for emphasis:
A small word added before verbs, pronouns, prepositions, or nouns to add certainty and strong emphasis.
Examples:
لَيَعْلَمُ = indeed He knows
لَمَعَ = indeed with
لَقَدْ = لَ + قَدْ (double emphasis meaning indeed or surely)
Example sentence with particles:
إِنَّ الْقُرْآنَ… إِنَّهُ يَهْدِي… لَيَعْلَمُ… لَقَدْ هَدَانِي… لَمَعَ الصَّادِقِ
Meaning: “Verily the Qur’an… indeed it guides… indeed He knows… surely He has guided me… indeed (He is) with the truthful.”
🧠 Memory Tip:
Think of إِنَّ and her sisters as particles that change the noun’s form (case) to show they are the subject after these words,
and لَ as a spotlight that adds strong emphasis to verbs and important words—making your sentence clearer and stronger!
