Arabic: An Essential Grammar

OR

Sing.ل َي ْو ٍم ِإَ لى َع َمِل ِهََّي ْذ َه ُب ْل َعا ِم ُل ُك

yad

̄

habu l-



a ̄milu kulla yawmin

ila ̄



amali-hi.

Plur.ل َي ْو ٍم ِإَ لى َع َمِل ِه ْمَّما ُل ُكَّ َي ْذ َه ُب ْل ُع

yad

̄

habu l-



umma ̄lu kulla yawmin

ila ̄



amali-him.

17.6 Future

The imperfect tense indicates the future when the context clearly refers

to the future, e.g.

(v. َذ َه َب) َي ْذ َه ُب ْل َو ِزي ُر َب ْع َد ُأ ْس ُبو ٍع ِإَ لى َب ْي ُرو َت

yad

̄

habu l-wazı

• ru ba



da

usbu ̄



in

ila ̄ bayru ̄ta.

The minister will go (OR is going) to Beirut after one week (in a week’s

time).

(v. َب َع َث) ّر َساَل َة َغ ًداَه ِذ ِه ل

ا

َأ ْب َع ُث




ab



at

̄

u ha ̄d

̄

ihi r-risa ̄lata g ̇adan.

I will send (OR I am going to send) this letter tomorrow.

17.7 When the context does not refer specifically to the future, it is

necessary to specify it by adding the particle َسـ... sa... or َس ْو َف sawfa

‘will, shall’ before the imperfect verb, e.g.

(v. َس َك َن )َس ْو َف / َس َي ْس ُك ُن َم ِعي

sawfa/sa-yaskunu ma



ı-. He will live with me.

Note: Even when the context refers to the future, very often the particles

َسـ... sa... or َس ْو َف sawfa are added before the imperfect verb anyway,

e.g.

َس َي ْذ َه ُب ْل َو ِزي ُر َب ْع َد ُأ ْس ُبو ٍع ِإَ لى َب ْي ُرو َت / َس ْو َف

sawfa/sa-yad

̄

habu l-wazı

• ru ba



da

usbu ̄



in

ila ̄ bayru ̄ta.

The minister will go to Beirut after one week (in a week’s time).

109

Imperfect

tense in the

indicative,

word order