Noun/Equational Sentences (Part 3) (الجمل الأسمية ( جزء٣
Noun/Equational sentences must have both elements, the subject and the predicate, to be complete. As long as they have both of these elements, they can be as long as one wants to make them.
Note that both the subject and the predicate agree in all aspects of Number, and Gender BUT NOT in that of Definiteness; because Definiteness is the aspect that separates the Subject FROM the Predicate.
Sentence Meaning: This tall skinny beautiful girl is happy.
.هذه الفتاة الجميلة و النحيلة و الط ويلة سعيدة
Sentence Meaning: My brother is short, intelligent, and skinny.
.أخي قصير و ذكي و نحيل
Sentence Meaning: The big, fat, dirty, and ugly man is intelligent, rich, and nice.
.الرّجل القبيح و الوسخ و السمين و الكبير لطيف و ذكي و غني
BUT what if one wants to make a statement that a Definite Thing is another Definite Thing, such as "This boy is my brother." It is very simple: in place of the "inferred to be verb" an extra subject pronoun is used. In the example below:
Sentence Meaning: This boy is my brother.
.هذا الولد أخي
BOTH the Subject and the Predicate are DEFINITE therefore the pronoun (agreeing in Number and Gender with the Subj. and Pred.) is inserted. Here is another example:
Sentence Meaning: These women are my maternal aunts.
.هولاء الَمرات هنّ خالاتي
Keep in mind these subtle differences because, without a verb, Noun/Equational Sentences can often be confused with adjective phrases. Some examples are below.
Note that both the subject and the predicate agree in all aspects of Number, and Gender BUT NOT in that of Definiteness; because Definiteness is the aspect that separates the Subject FROM the Predicate.
Sentence Meaning: This tall skinny beautiful girl is happy.
.هذه الفتاة الجميلة و النحيلة و الط ويلة سعيدة
| Predicate | = | Subject | |
|---|---|---|---|
| .سيعدة | هذه الفتاة الجميلة و النحيلة و الطويلة | Arabic Sentence | |
| sa3iida | haadhihi alfataat aljamiila wa annaHiila wa aTTawiila | Transcription | |
| happy | This the girl beautiful and skinny and tall | Literally |
Sentence Meaning: My brother is short, intelligent, and skinny.
.أخي قصير و ذكي و نحيل
| Predicate | = | Subject | |
|---|---|---|---|
| .قيصر و ذكي و نحيل | أخي | Arabic Sentence | |
| qaSiir wa dhaki wa naHiil | Akhii | Transcription | |
| short and intelligent and skinny | My brother | Literally |
Sentence Meaning: The big, fat, dirty, and ugly man is intelligent, rich, and nice.
.الرّجل القبيح و الوسخ و السمين و الكبير لطيف و ذكي و غني
| Predicate | = | Subject | |
|---|---|---|---|
| .لطيف و ذكي و غني |
الرّجل القبيح و الوسخ و السمين و الكبير | Arabic Sentence | |
| laTiif wa dhaki wa ghani | arrajal alqabiiH wa alwasakh wa assamiin wa alkabiir | Transcription | |
| nice and smart and rich | The man ugly and dirty, and fat, and big | Literally |
BUT what if one wants to make a statement that a Definite Thing is another Definite Thing, such as "This boy is my brother." It is very simple: in place of the "inferred to be verb" an extra subject pronoun is used. In the example below:
Sentence Meaning: This boy is my brother.
.هذا الولد أخي
| Predicate | = | Subject | |
|---|---|---|---|
| .أخي | هو | هذا الولد | Arabic Sentence |
| akhi | hoowa | haadha alwalad | Transcription |
| my brother | This the boy | Literally |
BOTH the Subject and the Predicate are DEFINITE therefore the pronoun (agreeing in Number and Gender with the Subj. and Pred.) is inserted. Here is another example:
Sentence Meaning: These women are my maternal aunts.
.هولاء الَمرات هنّ خالاتي
| Predicate | = | Subject | |
|---|---|---|---|
| .خا لا تي | هنّ | هولاء الَمرات | Arabic Sentence |
| khaalaatii | hunna | ha'ula' almarraat | Transcription |
| my maternal aunts | they (fem) | These women | Literally |
Keep in mind these subtle differences because, without a verb, Noun/Equational Sentences can often be confused with adjective phrases. Some examples are below.
| Sentence or Phrase? | Meaning | Literally | Transcription | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | This is a pen. | This a pen | hadhaa qalam. | .هذا قلم |
| P | This pen... | This (the) pen... | hadhaa alqalam... | ... هذا القلم |
| S | This pen is big. | This (the) pen big. | hadhaa alqalam kabiir. | هذا القلم .كيبر |
| P | This big pen... | This (the) pen big | hadhaa alqalam alkabiir... | هذا القلم ...الكبير |
| S | This pen is big. | The pen big | alqalam kabiir. | .القلم كبير |
| P | a big pen... | pen big | qalam kabiir... | ...قلم كبير |
|
Related Links: Arabic Noun/Equational Sentences(ال جمل الأسمية) Emotions and States (العواطف و الحالات) |