Arabic: An Essential Grammar

9.7 When the article َأ ْلـ... /

al.../ and the nouns in the table below,

as well as certain verb forms (see chapter 18) with an initial hamzatu

l-qat
̇



i such as َأ /

a/ and ِإ /

i/, are preceded by another word or prefix,

they lose their initial hamzatu l-qat
̇



i with its vowel. Instead the sign

of hamzatu l-was
̇

li (was

̇

lah)
is written in their place over the

alif,

as , e.g.

Note a: The above-mentioned word َبا ُب /ba ̄ bu/ does not take the definite

article, according to a rule explained in chapter 12.

Note b: In the above word ط ْف ُلّ

ِ

ل   .. /..t

̇

-t

̇

iflu/ (not: - َأ ْل ِط ْفل

al-t

̇

iflu) the definite

article is not pronounced as such at all, because there is a was
̇

lah above the

alif

and the initial /t
̇

/ is a sun letter.

Words with initial hamzatu l-qat
̇



i (ِإ):

Example:

Note: The purist grammarians would be alarmed to see the definite article َأ ْلـ...


al..., and other words mentioned in the table presented above, written with

َبا ُب ْلـ َبـ ْيـ ِت (not: َبا ُب َأ ْل َب ْي ِت

ba ̄bu l-bayti

the door of the house

ba ̄bu

al-bayti)

ط ْف ُل َح ِلي ًباّ

ِ

َش ِر َب ل (not: ...ط ْف ُلّ

ِ

َش ِر َب َأل

sˇariba t

̇

-t

̇

iflu h

̇

alı

• ban.

The child drank milk.

sˇariba

at

̇

-t

̇

iflu ...)

ِإ ْب ٌن ِإ ْم ُر ٌؤ ِإ ْم َر َأ ٌة ِإ ْبـ َن ٌة




ibnun imru

un

imra

atun

ibnatun

son man woman daughter

ِإ ْثـ َنا ِن ِإ ْث َن َتا ِن ِإ ْس ٌم ِإ ْسـ ٌت




it

̄

na ̄ni

it

̄

nata ̄ni

ismun

istun

two (m.) two (f.) name buttocks

ه َذا ْب ُن ْلـ َم ِل ِك

ا

(not:... ه َذا ِإ ْب ُن

ا

ha ̄d

̄

a ̄ bnu l-maliki

This is the son of the king.

ha ̄d

̄

a ̄

ibnu.. .)

Sun and

moon

letters,

hamzatu

l-was

̇

li

(was

̇

lah)

41