Kerala SSLC Arabic Academic cheat sheet

Kerala SSLC Arabic Paper: Structure, Grammar and Composition Rules

• The Kerala SSLC Arabic paper is marked out of 100 and typically split into objective (A), short-answer (B), grammar/translation (C) and composition (D) sections; check the current year's blueprint before revising.

• Arabic root system: most nouns and verbs derive from a three-consonant root (جذر); e.g., ك-ت-ب yields كَتَبَ (he wrote), كِتَاب (book), كَاتِب (writer), مَكْتَب (office/desk).

• Verb tense recognition: past (الماضي) is built on the pattern فَعَلَ; present (المضارع) begins with one of the prefix letters أ ن ي ت (أنيت), e.g., يَكْتُبُ, تَكْتُبُ, أَكْتُبُ.

• The imperative (الأمر) is formed from the present by dropping the prefix and adding a hamza if the stem begins with a sukoon, e.g., تَكْتُبُ → اُكْتُبْ.

• Case endings (إعراب): nominative ـُ for subject (مبتدأ/فاعل), accusative ـَ for object (مفعول به) and after إنّ, genitive ـِ after prepositions and as second term of إضافة.

• Definiteness: the definite article is ال (sun letters assimilate: الشَّمْس not الْشَمْس; moon letters keep the lām: الْقَمَر).

• Gender agreement: adjectives follow nouns in four ways - definiteness, gender, number and case; e.g., طَالِبٌ مُجْتَهِدٌ (a diligent male student) vs طَالِبَةٌ مُجْتَهِدَةٌ.

• Translation technique: render Malayalam/English sentences into Arabic using known textbook structures; keep word order (verb–subject–object is common in classical prose) and match gender/number of the subject.

• Composition (إنشاء) is usually 8–10 sentences on a familiar topic (e.g., مدرستي, عائلتي, يوم العطلة); use connectors مثل وَ، ثُمَّ، لَكِنْ، لِأَنَّ and a clear opening and closing sentence.