Arabic: An Essential Grammar

س ِفي ِرَّ َس َعا َد ُة ل sa



a ̄datu s-safı

• ri, His Excellency the Ambassador

becomes in the vocative:

س ِفي ِرَّ َ يا َس َعا َد َة ل ya ̄ sa



a ̄data s-safı

• ri! (O) Your Excellency Mr.

Ambassador!

ّل ِه

ا

َع ْب ُد ل^



abdu-lla ̄hi, Abdullah (a name), slave/worshipper of God

becomes in the vocative:

ّل ِه

ا

َ يا َع ْب َد ل^ ya ̄^



abda-lla ̄hi! (O) Abdullah!

(d) The vocative particles ي َهـاَُّأ

ayyuha ̄, masc., and يـ ُت َهـاََّأ

ayyatuha ̄,

fem., are also used for all numbers. As usual, the following noun is

in the nominative case, but it takes the definite article ألـ.... These

longer vocative particles are often used at the beginning of a

speech or by the announcers of radio and television programmes.

They may be preceded by the shorter vocative particle َيا , e.g.

ل ُمّي َها ْلـ ُم َعَُّي َ ها / َ يا َأَُّأ




ayyuha ̄ OR ya ̄

ayyuha ̄ l-mu



allimu! O teacher!

ل ُمو َنّي َهـا ْلـ ُم َعـَُّي َ ها / َيـا َأَُّأ




ayyuha ̄ OR ya ̄

ayyuha ̄ l-mu



allimu ̄na! O teachers!

لـ َم ُةّيـ ُت َها ْلـ ُم َعََّيـ ُت َ ها / َيـا َأََّأ




ayyatuha ̄ OR ya ̄

ayyatuha ̄ l-mu



allimatu! O teacher! (fem.)

ّـ َما ُتَيـ ُت َها ْلـ ُم َعلَّيـ ُت َ ها / َ يا َأََّأ




ayyatuha ̄ OR ya ̄

ayyatuha ̄ l-mu



allima ̄tu! O teachers! (fem.)

سا َد ُةَّ ّي َدا ُت َولَي َهـا ل ّسَُّأ




ayyuha ̄ s-sayyida ̄tu wa-s-sa ̄datu! Ladies and gentlemen!

Note: In the last mentioned phrase the masculine vocative particle ي َهـاَُّأ

is used, because in phrases with mixed gender, the masculine determines

agreement.

24.4 Negation with (^) َغ ْي ُر g ̇ayru
(a) The noun َغ ْي ٌر g ̇ayrun, ‘other (than)’, can be used before an
indefinite adjective or noun in the genitive case to express negation
or contradiction. It is thus translated as ‘not..., non-, un-, in-, dis-’,
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Interroga-
tive
particles
and
pronouns,
vocative
particles