Grammar (nahw and sarf)
Grammar (nahw and sarf) tests your control of Arabic sentence structure and word formation. Nahw questions ask for i'rab, sentence type, agreement and particles; sarf questions ask for roots, verb forms, masdar, active/passive participles and plurals. Accuracy in case endings and patterns matters more than long explanations.
Nahw essentials
- Nominal sentence: mubtada' + khabar, both normally marfu'.
- Verbal sentence: fi'l + fa'il (marfu') + maf'ul (mansub) if transitive.
- Idafa: first term has no tanwin or al-; second term is majrur.
- Prepositions make the following noun majrur; إنّ and sisters make the noun mansub and the khabar marfu'.
- كان and sisters make the khabar mansub.
Sarf essentials
Take the root ك-ت-ب: madhi كتبَ, mudari' يكتبُ, amr اكتبْ, masdar كتابة, ism fa'il كاتب, ism maf'ul مكتوب. Learn the pattern, not just the word.
Worked example
Sentence: كتبَ الطالبُ الدرسَ. I'rab: كتبَ: فعل ماضٍ مبني على الفتح. الطالبُ: فاعل مرفوع بالضمة. الدرسَ: مفعول به منصوب بالفتحة. Reasoning: The verb is past, so it is mabni; the doer is marfu'; the object is mansub. The root ك-ت-ب explains the related noun كتابة.
Traps
Marking the fa'il as mansub; forgetting that the second term of idafa is majrur; giving a non-human plural a masculine plural adjective; ignoring a hidden pronoun in the verb; confusing إنّ with كان.