Arabic: An Essential Grammar

1

(^) َجَرَخ
2
ٌُبـِلاَطَف ُذاَتـْسْ لأˆَف ُريِدُمـْل
h
̆
arag ̆a l-mudı

• ru fa-l

usta ̄d

̄

u fa-t

̇

a ̄libun.

2

The rector

1

went out and then the professor and then a student.

...فـ َ is also used with a causal sense between two or more verbs or

sentences. It can then be translated into English as ‘so, therefore’, e.g.

1

ّ طل َبـِعَت

ِ

(^) ُلْـفـ
2
َماَنـَف
ta

iba t
̇
-t
̇
iflu fa-na ̄ma. The child
1
became tired
2
and so he slept.
OR The tiredness caused the child to sleep.
1
(^) ِرْه َّ نل يِف َعَقَو
2
َقِرَغَف
waqa

a f-ı n-nahri fa-g ̇ariqa.
1
He fell in the river
2
and so he drowned.
11.5 مَُّث ‘then, and’, indicates succession with a break in time between
the actions, e.g.
1
(^) ُريِزَوْل َجَرَخ
2
(^) َّمُث
3
ُّ يِطْرـ ُّ شل َّ مُث ُريِف َّ سل
h
̆
arag ̆a l-wazı

• ru t
  ̄

umma s-safı

• ru t
  ̄

umma sˇ-sˇurt

̇

iyyu.

The minister

1

went out,

2

then

3

the ambassador and then the policeman.

Note: َأ ْو

aw, ‘or’ is used as a disjunctive conjunction. There is also the

expression: ماَِّإ

imma ̄ ... َأ ْو

aw ... ‘either ... or ...’, e.g.

َتْنَأ ْوَأ اَنَأ ا َّمِإ




imma ̄

ana ̄

aw

anta ̄

either me or you

11.6 تىََّح h

̇

atta ̄ is a particle with many meanings and functions.

In the meaning ‘even’, it is considered by Arab grammarians to be a

conjunction, because in this function it can connect a clause or phrase

with a following apposition. Modern Western linguists would, however,

classify it then as a focus particle (or more generally, additive adjunct).

When تىََّح has this function, the following noun remains in the same case

as the preceding one, e.g.

Conjunc-

tions,

preposi-

tions and

the particle

تىََّح h

̇

atta ̄

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