Arabic: An Essential Grammar

27.2 Definite relative clause

The role of the relative pronoun is to link the relative clause with a

definite antecedent سا ِب ُقَّ َأل

as-sa ̄biqu, which precedes it. The relative

pronoun agrees with the antecedent in gender and number, e.g.

27.3 The relative pronoun is used only when the antecedent سا ِب ُقَّ َأل is

definite. If the antecedent is indefinite, the relative clause is introduced

after the antecedent without a relative pronoun, e.g.

Observe that, in contrast to Arabic, when you leave out the relative

pronoun in English, the antecedent becomes object in the relative clause,

e.g. ‘This is the man you saw.’

27.4 An active participle may replace both the relative pronoun and

the following perfect or imperfect verb, e.g.

Relative clause Relative pronoun Antecedent

(َأل ِّصَل ُة)(َأْلـ َم ْو ُصو ُل)(سا ِب ُقَّ َأل)

َس َب َح ل ِذيَّدَأْل َوَل ُ




al-waladu llad

̄

ı

• sabah
  ̇

a, the boy who swam

ِم ْن ُل ْب َنا َن ل ِتيَّةَأْل َكا ِت َب ُ




al-ka ̄tibatu llatı

• min lubna ̄na, the writer (f.) who is from Lebanon

Definite antecedent Indefinite antecedent

ي َةَّل ُم ْل َع َر ِبَّل ِ ذي َي َت َكَّر ُج َل َّي َة َشا َه ْد ُت لَّل ُم ْل َع َر ِبََّشا َه ْد ُت َر ُج ًلا َي َت َك

sˇa ̄hadtu r-rag ̆ula llad

̄

ı

• sˇa ̄hadtu rag ̆ulan yatakallamu

yatakallamu l-



arabiyyata. l-



arabiyyata.

I saw the man who speaks Arabic. I saw a man (who) speaks Arabic.

ل ِ ذي ُك ِس َر ْت ِر ْجُل ُهَّر ُج َل َِّر ْجُل ُه َسا َع ْد ُت لَسا َع ْد ُت َر ُج ًلا ُك ِس َر ْت

sa ̄



adtu r-rag ̆ula llad

̄

ı

• kusirat rig ̆lu-hu.sa ̄



adtu rag ̆ulan kusirat rig ̆lu-hu.

I helped the man whose leg was

broken.

I helped a man (whose) leg was

broken.

(lit. I helped the man, who his leg was

broken.)

(lit. I helped a man, his leg was

broken.)

202

Relative

pronouns

and relative

clauses