Maharashtra SSC Arabic (MSBSHSE) flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Arabic alphabet letter count

The Arabic alphabet has 28 letters, from alif to ya. Hamza is an orthographic sign, not counted as a separate letter in the standard school count.

Sun and moon letters

Sun letters (huruf shamsiyya) assimilate the definite article's lam in pronunciation, so al-shams sounds 'ash-shams'. Moon letters keep the lam audible, as in al-qamar.

Ta marbuta versus ha

Ta marbuta (ta with two dots) ends many feminine nouns and is written as ha in pause, e.g. madrasa. A true ha always keeps its sound and never marks feminineness.

Hamza seat rules

Hamza sits on alif, waw, or ya according to the stronger of the adjacent vowels; initially it is always on alif. Writing it on the wrong seat is a common SSC spelling error.

Shadda function

Shadda marks gemination, i.e. doubling of a consonant, as in darasa (he studied) versus darrasa (he taught). Omitting it changes meaning and loses marks in dictation.

Non-joining letters

Alif, dal, dhal, ra, zay, and waw never connect to the following letter. Inside a word they take their final/isolated shape and the next letter starts a new connection.

Definite article al-

The prefix al- makes a noun definite: kitab (a book) becomes al-kitab (the book). It also marks the adjective agreeing with a definite noun.

Gender agreement in Arabic

Adjectives and verbs agree with the noun in gender: al-walad al-kabir (the big boy) but al-bint al-kabira (the big girl). Most nouns ending in ta marbuta are feminine.

Personal pronouns singular

Separate pronouns: ana (I), anta (you, masc.), anti (you, fem.), huwa (he), hiya (she). These are the base forms used in early SSC grammar drills.

Personal pronouns plural

Nahnu (we), antum (you, masc. pl.), antunna (you, fem. pl.), hum (they, masc.), hunna (they, fem.). Attached pronoun suffixes are shorter forms of the same set.

Past tense suffix pattern

The past tense (madi) marks person by suffix: -tu (I), -ta (you, masc.), -ti (you, fem.), -a (he), -at (she), -na (they, fem.), -u (they, masc.).

Present tense prefixes

The present (mudari') marks person by prefix: a- (I), ta- (you/he), ya- (he), na- (we), plus ta- for she. The prefix plus final vowel together identify the subject.

Imperative formation

The command (amr) drops the present-tense prefix and takes a helping hamza when the stem begins with a sukun consonant, e.g. yaktubu becomes uktub (write).

Question words in Arabic

Key interrogatives: man (who), ma (what), ayna (where), mata (when), kayfa (how), limadha (why), kam (how many). These drive the short-answer comprehension items.

Negation with la and ma

La negates the present tense (la yaktubu: he does not write); ma commonly negates the past (ma kataba: he did not write). Mismatching the negator with the tense is an error.

Interrogative particle hal

Hal opens a yes/no question: hal katabta? (did you write?). The expected answer begins with na'am (yes) or la (no), often followed by a full sentence.

Idafa construction

Idafa links two nouns in a possessive phrase: kitab al-tilmidh (the student's book). The first noun takes no al- and no tanwin; the second is genitive and usually definite.

Noun-adjective order

In Arabic the adjective follows the noun and agrees in gender, number, case and definiteness: bayt kabir (a big house), al-bayt al-kabir (the big house).

Dual form

Arabic has a dual for exactly two: kitaban (two books), tilmidhan (two students). Verbs and adjectives also take the dual ending -ani in the nominative.

Sound masculine plural

Masculine sound plurals add -un (nominative) or -in (accusative/genitive): mu'allimun, mu'allimin. Adjectives describing them copy the same ending.

Broken plural

Many nouns form the plural by internal vowel change rather than suffix: kitab becomes kutub, qalam becomes aqlam. These must be memorised with each noun.

Numbers one to ten

Cardinals: wahid, ithnan, thalatha, arba'a, khamsa, sitta, sab'a, thamaniya, tis'a, 'ashara. From three upward the counted noun is plural and genitive.

Days of the week

Al-ahad, al-ithnayn, al-thulatha, al-arbi'a, al-khamis, al-jum'a, al-sabt. Note that al-jum'a (Friday) is written with ta marbuta, unlike the number sab'a.

Greeting formulas

Al-salamu 'alaykum is answered wa 'alaykum al-salam. Other set phrases: sabah al-khayr (good morning), ma'a al-salama (goodbye), shukran (thank you), 'afwan (you're welcome).

Classroom vocabulary

Common SSC lesson words: sabbura (blackboard), miqwala/qalam (pen), daftar (notebook), kursi (chair), maktab (desk), mu'allim (teacher), tilmidh (pupil), fasl (classroom).

Family vocabulary

Ab (father), umm (mother), akh (brother), ukht (sister), jadd (grandfather), jadda (grandmother), ibn (son), bint (daughter), 'a'ila (family). Many are followed by a possessive suffix.

Unseen passage strategy

Read the questions before the passage, then locate the sentence containing the asked detail. Answer in a short complete Arabic sentence reusing the passage's own wording where possible.

Poetry item types

Prescribed nazm questions ask for the theme, the meaning of given words, and explanation of a specified verse. Quoting the verse accurately supports the explanation marks.

Letter writing format

Formal Arabic letters open with the addressee (al-'aziz / al-muhtaram), continue with the body, and close with greetings such as ma'a al-tahiyya and the writer's name below.

Paragraph composition marks

Short insha topics (my school, my family, the seasons) are marked for staying on topic, correct sentence order, and spelling. Simple nominal sentences are safer than long complex ones.

Translation marking

Translation items are scored on meaning transfer: correct subject, action and object. Literal word order that obscures meaning loses marks even if every word is glossed correctly.

Common dictation traps

Frequent SSC spelling errors: ta marbuta written as ha, missing shadda, hamza on the wrong seat, and confusing dad (ض) with sad (ص) or dha (ظ) with zay (ز).