Arabic: An Essential Grammar

َأ َعا َد  ِْلا ْم ِت َحا َن




a



a ̄da l-

imtih

̇

a ̄na. He repeated (re-took) the exam. (He re-

examined.)

ي ِةَّن َظ َر ِفي ْل َق ِضََّأ َعا َد ل




a



a ̄da n-nad

̄ ̇

ara fı

• l-qad
  ̇

iyyati. He re-considered the case.

ي ِةَّن َظ ِر ِفي ْل َق ِضَِّإ ْق َت َر َح ِإ َعا َد َة ل




iqtarah

̇

a

i



a ̄data n-nad

̇ ̄

ari fı

• l-qad
  ̇

iyyati. He proposed to re-consider

the case.

Note: The above ِإ َعا َد ٌة is the verbal noun of form IV.

37.6 The verb َكا َد ka ̄da (imperfect: ي َكا ُد yaka ̄du) ‘to be about to

.. ., almost, (nearly).. .’ is used as an auxiliary with the following verb

in the imperfect indicative or, alternatively, imperfect subjunctive

(after َأ ْن), e.g.

When َكا َد ka ̄da is in the perfect or imperfect tense, preceded by the

negative particle َما ma ̄ or َل ْم lam, both tenses have almost the same

meaning: ‘just, barely, hardly, almost not’, e.g.

تى َو َق َعََّما َكا َ د / َل ْم َي َك ْد َي ِقـ ُف َح

ma ̄ ka ̄da / lam yakad yaqifu h

̇

atta ̄ waqa



a. He barely stood up before he

fell down.

Main verb: imperfect

indicative

Main verb: imperfect subjunctive

َكا َد ْل َوَل ُد َي َق ُع OR َكا َد ْل َوَل ُد َأ ْن َي َق َع

ka ̄da l-waladu yaqa



u. ka ̄da l-waladu

an yaqa



a.

The boy was about to fall over.

ِم َن ْل َع َط ِش ِك ْد ُت َأ ُمو ُت OR ِم َن ْل َع َط ِش ِك ْد ُت َأ ْن َأ ُمو َت

kidtu

amu ̄tu mina l-



at

̇

asˇi. kidtu

an

amu ̄ta mina l-



at

̇

asˇi.

I almost died of thirst. I was almost going to die of thirst.

ِم َن ْلـ ُجو ِعَي َكا ُد َي ُمو ُت OR ِم َن ْلـ ُجو ِعَي َكا ُد َأ ْن َي ُمو َت

yaka ̄du yamu ̄tu mina l-g ̆u ̄



i. yaka ̄du

an yamu ̄ta mina l-g ̆u ̄



i.

He is almost dying of hunger. He is almost going to die of hunger.

292

Verbs of

wonder, the

negative

copula,

special verbs

and uses