Words, Sentences

and Phrases
Establishing a framework for
the study of

Shariah Program - Nahw Lecture 2

The Arabic Word

In the previous session, we mentioned

that the Arabic word ( ) is divided

into three types: , and .

Here we will attempt to sub-classify
these three parts of speech at a very
basic level. The terms resulting from this
and other introductory classifications
will be needed in basically every major
discussion.
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Classification of

Based on being derived or not derived, the is

classified into three types:
A frozen word not derived from anything
and nothing derived from it e.g. ( man),
( tree)
The source word for all verbs and derived
nouns: not derived from anything, but many
words derived from it e.g. (to hit) ( to
help)
Those few nouns and adjectives which are
constructed from the e.g. ( writer)
(desk). These and their methods of
construction are discussed in the science of
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Map of the Arabic

Language

Shariah Program - Nahw L

)(

Classification of the

, the past tense verb e.g. ( wrote).

, the present and future tense verb e.g.

( helps, or will help)or one may refer to

the first as perfect i.e. occurred and the
second as imperfect, meaning ongoing, either
presently in the process of occurring or will
begin at a future time.
, imperative or command verb e.g.
(Drink!)
, negative command or prohibition e.g.
(Dont drink)
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Map of the Arabic

Language

Shariah Program - Nahw L

)(

Classification of the

A particle that influences

the next word and governs it i.e.
puts it into one of the four
grammatical states e.g. in
A particle that only
conveys meaning and does not
govern the next word as outlined
above e.g. the that means and
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Map of the Arabic

Language

)(

Shariah Program - Nahw L

The Sentence ( /
)

A sentence is a group of words that

conveys to the point of satisfaction
either information or desire e.g.
( The man is tall), ( Take
the book), ( My lord! Give
me sustenance).

Shariah Program - Nahw L

 and

We said every sentence is essentially

made up of two parts; a primary one and
a descriptive one. First they link
together in the mind of the speaker.
Then they are conveyed through the
medium of words. This linkage which
results in a sentence is termed . The
primary part or subject of the sentence is
called and the descriptive part or
predicate is known as . To illustrate,
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To make recognition of the and

somewhat easier the scholars of classify
the sentence into two categories based on the
first word in the sentence:
1. : the sentence which begins with an
e.g. ( The boy is standing). The two
parts are known as and ( subject and
predicate).
2. : the sentence which begins with a
e.g. ( Hamid went). The two parts are
known as and ( verb and subject).
Shariah Program - Nahw L

The Two Parts of the

Sentence

The , when it appears in an

structure, is called . With rare
exception, it will be first in the
sentence.
The in this type of sentence is
called .

Shariah Program - Nahw L

The Two Parts of the

Sentence

The , when it appears in the

sentence, it is called or subject of the
verb preceding it. Unlike in English, the
verb ALWAYS precedes the subject in
Arabic. Therefore, in this type of
sentence the i.e. the will
always come after the descriptive part or
predicate.
The predicate ( )is known simply as
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Table 1A -

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Map of the Arabic

Language

Shariah Program - Nahw L

)(