Arabic: An Essential Grammar

14.9 If the subject is in the dual and refers to non-humans, the verb

is in the dual (if following the subject) and agrees with the gender of the

subject, just as with dual human beings, e.g.

َشـ ِر َب ْل َكْل َبا ِن َحِلي ًبا

sˇariba l-kalba ̄ni h

̇

alı

• ban. The (two) dogs (m.) drank (m. sing.) milk.

َأْل َكْل َبا ِن َشـ ِر َ با َحِلي ًبا

al-kalba ̄ni sˇariba ̄ h

̇

alı

• ban. The (two) dogs (m.) drank (m. dual) milk.

َشـ ِر َب ِت ْل َكْل َب َتا ِن َحِلي ًبا

sˇaribati l-kalbata ̄ni h

̇

alı

• ban. The (two) dogs (f.) drank (f. sing.) milk.

َأْل َكْل َب َتا ِن َشـ ِر َب َ تا َحِلي ًبا

al-kalbata ̄ni sˇaribata ̄ h

̇

alı

• ban. The (two) dogs (f.) drank (f. dual) milk.

14.10 The verb in the perfect tense is sometimes preceded by the

particle َق ْد qad, or َل َق ْد la-qad, which is usually not translated. The

purpose of these particles is merely a matter of style or to emphasize

the completion or realization of the action of the verb, like adding the

corroborating auxiliary ‘do’, the adverb ‘really’ or ‘already’, e.g.

َش ِر َب ْلـ َحِلي َب َق ْد^ qad sˇariba l-h

̇

alı

• ba.

He did drink the milk. OR He has already drunk the milk.

14.11 Negative of the perfect tense

The negative particle َمـا ma ̄ ‘not’ is used to negate the perfect tense and

is placed before the verb, e.g.

َش ِر َب ْلـ َحِلـي َب َما^ ma ̄ sˇariba l-h

̇

al-ıba. He did not drink the milk.

Note: A more common way of negating the perfect in modern literary Arabic is

introduced in chapter 28.

َش ِر َبـ ِت ْل ِك َلا ُب َحِلي ًبا َأْل ِك َلا ُب َشـ ِر َب ْت َحِلي ًبا

sˇaribati (sing.) l-kila ̄bu h

̇

alı

• ban.

al-kila ̄bu sˇaribat h

̇

alı

• ban.

The dogs drank milk. The dogs drank milk.

82

Perfect

tense, root,

radicals,

triliteral

verbs, word

order