Grammar (Nahw and Sarf): Parts of Speech, Inflection and Root Patterns
Domain 1 - Grammar (Nahw and Sarf) tests whether you can classify every Arabic word, inflect nouns for case, and relate verb forms to their roots.
Three word classes
Arabic words are ism (noun, adjective, pronoun), fiʿl (verb) or ḥarf (particle). Only the ism takes tanwīn and case endings; the ḥarf is indeclinable and often governs a following noun in the genitive.
Noun inflection
- Nominative rafʿ: -u; accusative naṣb: -a; genitive jarr: -i.
- Dual: -āni in rafʿ, -ayni in naṣb and jarr.
- Sound masculine plural: -ūna in rafʿ, -īna in naṣb and jarr.
- Sound feminine plural: -āt.
- Diptotes (mamnūʿ min al-ṣarf) take no tanwīn and use -a for jarr.
Verbs and roots
Most roots are triliteral. Form I has three common patterns: faʿala–yafʿalu, faʿila–yafʿalu, faʿula–yafʿulu. Derived patterns include II faʿʿala, III fāʿala, IV ʾafʿala, V tafaʿʿala, VII infaʿala, VIII iftaʿala and X istafʿala. Sarf studies these patterns; naḥw studies governance in the sentence.
Worked example
كَتَبَ الطَّالِبُ الدَّرْسَ.
- كَتَبَ: fiʿl māḍī, third person masculine singular, root k-t-b, pattern faʿala.
- الطَّالِبُ: ism, rafʿ as fāʿil (subject), marked by -u.
- الدَّرْسَ: ism, naṣb as mafʿūl bihi (object), marked by -a. Translation: 'The student wrote the lesson.'
Traps
- Using -īna for the nominative plural or -ūna after a preposition.
- Adding tanwīn to a diptote such as مَكَاتِبَ.
- Putting al- or tanwīn on the muḍāf (first term of iḍāfa).
- Treating a preposition such as مِنْ as a noun because it looks short.