4.2: Grammar
In this section
- You will learn the difference between phrases and sentences.
- You will practice comparative and superlative forms.
- You will know how to use adverbs in different contexts.
- You will learn how to form the future tense and talk about future plans.
- You will create complex sentences using the structure of “because” and “because of.”
Grammar (1)
Definite and indefinite structures
Study the following examples to distinguish between phrases and sentences.
| The winter is cold | الشتاء بارد | This is a cold winter | هذا شتاء بارد |
| I do not like the cold weather | لا أحب الجو البارد | The weather is cold in winter | الجو بارد |
| The new restaurant is excellent | المطعم الجديد ممتاز | This is a new restaurant | هذا مطعم جديد |
Activity (4). Choose the right translation for each of the following sentences.
Grammar (2)
Comparatives and Superlatives
Study the following examples:
| The weather in Chicago is colder than the weather in Texas | الجو في شيكاغو أبرد من الجو في تكساس | ||
| New York city is bigger that Detroit city | مدينة نيويورك أكبر من مدينة ديترويت | ||
| The weather in the Fall is nicer than the weather in the Spring | الطقس في الخريف ألطف من الطقس في الربيع | ||
| The Arabic language book is easier than the history book | كتاب اللغة العربية أسهل من كتاب التاريخ | ||
| My father’s car is smaller than my mother’s car | سيارة والدي أصغر من سيارة والدتي | ||
| Sultan restaurant is the best restaurant in the city | مطعم (سلطان) هو أحسن مطعم في المدينة | ||
| What is the biggest state in America? | ما هي أكبر ولاية في أمريكا؟ |
The comparative form in Arabic is derived from the adjective in a predictable pattern as you see in the previous examples. In comparison, you should use the proposition من after the adjective while in the superlative form, you will use the identifier noun like in أحسن مطعم “best restaurant” and أكبر ولاية “biggest state”.
Study the following table on comparative and superlative forms:
[table id=40 /]
With your classmates. Create comparative sentences using the following prompts.
Survey: Ask your classmates and then report your findings to class.
في رأيك …؟ بالنسبة لك …؟
(1) ما هي أحسن جامعة في العالم؟
(2) ما هي أبرد ولاية في أمريكا؟
(3) ما هو أحسن فيلم هذه السنة؟
(4) ما هو أصعب يوم في الأسبوع؟
(5) ما هو أحسن مطعم في المدينة؟
(6) ما هي أجمل مدينة في أمريكا؟
(7) من أحسن ممثل/ ممثلة actor في هوليوود؟
Grammar (3)
Adverbs
Study the following list of adverbs
[table id=37 /]
Grammar notes
The adverb in Arabic is usually derived from the adjective by adding a Tanween in the end. They describe the degree, frequency, or manner of the verb. Note the difference between these sentences.
|
خالد يذاكر
جيّداً
Khalid studies well |
خالد طالب
جيّد
Khalid is a good student |
|
آكل الدجاج
كثيراً
I eat chicken a lot |
آكل دجاج
كثير
I eat a lot of chicken |
|
هل تسكن
قريباً
؟
Do you live nearby? |
هل تسكن في بيت
قريب
؟
Do you live in a nearby house? |
- You note that the adjective describes the noun while the adverb describes the verb.
- Some adverbs describe adjectives as well like جداً “very” or أيضاً “also”.
- Adverbs usually come after adjectives or verbs but some of them can freely move around the sentence like دائماً “always,” أحياناً “sometimes,” and عادةً “usually”.
- The following expressions are equivalent:
| كُل يوم | يومياً |
| كُلّ أسبوع | أسبوعياً |
| في الصيف | صيفاً |
| في النهار | نهاراً |
| في الليل | ليلاً |
Choose the appropriate adjective that best fits in each of the following sentences
Find someone who. Survey your classmates to know if they do these activities. Report your findings to class in complete sentences.
| (1) | Travels in the summer? Where? | هل تسافر/ تسافرين صيفاً؟ أين؟ |
| (2) | Works at daytime? | …………………………………………………………… |
| (3) | Watches TV sometimes? | …………………………………………………………… |
| (4) | Studies well at the library? | …………………………………………………………… |
| (5) | Reads at night? | …………………………………………………………… |
| (6) | Lives nearby? | …………………………………………………………… |
| (7) | Goes to classes daily? | …………………………………………………………… |
| (8) | Eats chicken a lot | …………………………………………………………… |
| (9) | Very tired? | …………………………………………………………… |
| (10) | Always busy? | …………………………………………………………… |
| (11) | Speaks a lot with friends? | …………………………………………………………… |
| (12) | Sleeps late? | …………………………………………………………… |
Grammar (4)
Future Tense
Future tense in Arabic is formulated by adding the prefix ســ or the separate word سوف in front of a present tense verb. They can be used interchangeably. The use of سوف can imply a further distant and unplanned future while the use of سـ can be more immediate future. The negation of the future is formed by adding the word لَن before the present tense while removing the future marker.
- Common words and phrases that mark the future tense include:
| tomorrow | غداً |
| the day after tomorrow | بعد غد |
| the coming week | الأسبوع القادم |
| the coming month | الشهر القادم |
| the coming year | السنة القادمة |
| the coming summer | الصيف القادم |
| God willing | إن شاء الله |
Practice the verb “will travel” and its negation form:
[table id=41 /]
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate future verb using the root clues provided between brackets.
Ask your classmates about their future plans then report your findings to class. You can use the following prompts.
[table id=42 /]
Grammar (5)
“Because/Because of” Sentences
To express reason, you can use either لأنّ or بِسبب. These are used differently as لأنّ “because” should be followed by a complete sentence while بِسبب “because of” is followed by a noun or a nominal phrase but should not be a full sentence. Study the differences between these pairs of sentences:
|
لا أحب الشتاء لأنّ الجو بارد I do not like winter because the weather is cold |
لا أحب الشتاء بسبب الجو البارد I do not like winter because of the cold weather |
(1) |
|
أذهب إلى الجامعة يومياً لأنّ عندي فصول I go to university daily because I have classes |
أذهب إلى الجامعة يومياً بسبب الفصول I go to university daily because of classes |
(2) |
|
أختي تسكن في شيكاغو لأنّها تدرس في الجامعة My sister lives in Chicago because she studies in the university |
أختي تسكن في شيكاغو بسبب الدراسة My sister lives in Chicago because of study |
(3) |
Grammar notes
Note that لأنّ merges with the following pronoun, in which case is an object pronoun. Study the following table:
| لأنّها | لأن + هي | لأنّي | لأن + أنا |
| لأنّنا | لأن + نحن | لأنّكَ | لأن + أنتَ |
| لأنّكم | لأن + أنتم | لأنّكِ | لأن + أنتِ |
| لأنّهم | لأن + هم | لأنّه | لأن + هو |
Use بسبب or لأنّ to best complete the sentences below.
Write complete sentences using لأنّ or بسبب guided by picture and vocabulary clues.
1- أصحابي – مكتبة – امتحان
2-طلاب – فصل – كورونا
3-السكن – آلاسكا – الثلج
4-كلية الهندسة – يعمل – مهندس
5-السفر – فلوريدا – ديزني
Ask your classmates questions in Arabic using لماذا and report your findings to class. You can use the following prompts.
- Why do you study Arabic?
- Where do you like to travel? Why?
- In what area do you live? Do you like it? Why?
- Where do you like to work? Why?
- What is the best season in your opinion? Why?
- Where do you want to live in the future? Why?
Key Takeaways
- You can compare and contrast and express preferences.
- You can express reason or purpose in complex sentences.