Arabic: An Essential Grammar

209

Chapter 28

Moods

Subjunctive, jussive (apocopatus)

and imperative

28.1 We have already dealt with the verb in the indicative mood of the

imperfect tense َأْلـ ُم َضا ِر ُع  ْلـ َم ْر ُفـو ُع. Now we will deal with the two

other moods of the imperfect, and with the imperative mood.

(a) Imperfect subjunctive mood: َأْلـ ُم َضا ِر ُع ْلـ َم ْن ُصو ُب

(b) Imperfect jussive mood: َأْلـ ُم َضا ِر ُع ْلـ َم ْج ُزو ُم

(c) Imperative mood: َأْ َلأ ْم ُر

(See the conjugations in Appendix 2.)

28.2 The subjunctive particles and their use

The imperfect subjunctive mood is mostly used in subordinate clauses

after the subjunctive particles listed below to indicate an externally con-

ditioned or internally motivated action. The subjunctive particles are:

َلـ ْن َأ ْن ِإ َذ ْن لاَّ َأ ...لـ ِ




an lan

id

̄

an

alla ̄ li...

that, to will not, never then, in that case that not, not to in order to, to

لاَّ ِل َئ لا) ِل َك ْي( َك ْيَ َك ْي َ لا( َك ْي )

li

alla ̄ kay (li-kay) kay-la ̄ (OR kay la ̄)

in order not to so that, in order to, to so that not, in order not to

نَّ ِلأَ تىََّحـ تى َلاََّح

li-

anna h

̇

atta ̄ h

̇

atta ̄ la ̄

because so that, until, in order to in order not to