Arabic: An Essential Grammar

َأ ْم َسى^

amsa ̄, to become (to be/become in the evening)

َما َزا َل ma ̄-za ̄la, to keep on, not to cease, (to be/do) still

َما َب ِر َح ma ̄-barih

̇

a, to continue, (to be/do) still

َما َدا َم ma ̄-da ̄ma, to continue, as long as (... lasts)

َصا َر s

̇

a ̄ra, to become

َل ْي َس laysa, is not (see chapters 32 and 37)

Examples:

26.10 The above-mentioned verb َزا َل za ̄la (imperfect: َي َزا ُل yaza ̄lu)

means literally ‘to cease, to disappear, to go away’. It is frequently used

as an auxiliary when preceded by the negative particle َما /ma ̄/ in the

perfect tense, or َلا /la ̄/ in the imperfect tense. It is then translated as ‘is

still (doing)’ or ‘continues to (do)’, with the main action expressed by a

participle. Both tenses have the same meaning (see also chapter 36), e.g.

Exercises

Practise your reading:

1

ُتْل َّدَب

2

ُهَّ نَِلأ يِصيِمَق

3

. ٌخِسَو

(1)

1

I changed

2

my shirt because it was

3

dirty.

َكا َن ْلـ ِكـ َتا ُب َج ِدي ًدا طاِل ُب ُم َهـ ْن ِد ًساَّ َأ ْصـ َب َح ل

ka ̄na l-kita ̄bu g ̆adı

• dan.

as

̇

bah

̇

a t

̇

-t

̇

a ̄libu muhandisan.

The book was new. The student became an engineer.

ر ُج ُل َقـ ِصي ًراََّلي َس ْل لوا َجاِل ِسيـ َنَُّظ

laysa r-rag ̆ulu qas

̇

ı-ran. d

̇ ̄

allu ̄ g ̆a ̄lisı-na.

The man is not short. They remained sitting.

َما^ ma ̄^ +^ perfect َلا la ̄^ +^ imperfect

َما َزا َل َجاِل ًسا OR َلا َي َزا ُل َجاِل ًسا

ma ̄ za ̄la g ̆a ̄lisan. la ̄ yaza ̄lu g ̆a ̄lisan.

He is still sitting. (He has not ceased to sit.)

196

Inna نَّ ِإ

and its

sisters,

ka ̄na َكـا َن

and its

sisters