An-Nahw Al-Waadih, Part One, Lesson 2 : The Parts of a Sentence (Ajzaa’u al-Jumlah)

Lesson 2:

The Parts of a Sentence (Ajzaa’u Al-Jumlah)

Al-qawaa’id:

(3)  Alkalimaatu thalaathatu anwaa’un: ismun, harfun, wa fi’lun.

a.     Fa al-harfu: Kullu lafẓin yusammaa bihi insaanun aw hayawaanun aw nabaatun aw jamaadun, aw ayyu shay'in aakhar. 

b.      Fa al-fi’lu: Kullu lafzin yadullu ‘alaa husooli ‘amalin fee zamanin khaassin.

j.     Fa al-harfu: Kullu lafzin laa yaẓharu ma’naahu kaamilan ilaa ma’a gairihi.

The Rules:

(3)  The words are of three kinds: ism, fi’l, and harf.

a.         Ism (Noun) – Any utterance used to name a person, animal, plant, non-living thing, or any other thing.

b.         Fi’l (Verb)– Any utterance that signifies the occurrence of an action in a specific time.

j.          Harf (Particle)– Any utterance whose meaning does not completely manifest except together with other (words).

 Al-amthilah:

The examples:

1. Ibraaheem rode the horse.
2. Ismaa’eel teases the cat.
3. The farmer harvests the wheat.
4. The sheep eats beans and barley.
5. I heard the advice.
6. The light shines in the room.
7. The ship floats on the water.
8. Do you like travelling? 

Explanation:

Every word in the Arabic language belongs to either of the three categories as mentioned in the rules above.  In the English language, we have up to eight (8) parts of speech, but the equivalent of these eight (or so) parts of speech is the noun, verb, and particle in the Arabic language. When one understands these categories and what they entail, many grammatical rules of the Arabic language would appear easier to him or her. Now, let’s take each one of them and look at it broadly.

 Firstly, the ism or noun. This category includes all nouns, pronouns, and adjectives. One thing to note about an Arabic noun is that its meaning stands by itself and it is not bounded by time. Let’s look at the examples provided inside the book. In the first example, we can find two nouns: ‘Ibraahim’ and ‘hisaan’ (horse). In the second example, the only noun is ‘naseeha’ (advice or counsel). In the third example, we have other two nouns: ‘Ismaa’eel’ and ‘qitta’ (cat), and so on.

The second category, we have the fi’l or the verb. The verb in the Arabic language is just like the verb in the English language in that it encompasses actions and actions only. In the first example, the verb is ‘Rakiba’ (‘He rode’). In the second example, the only verb is ‘Sami’tu’ (‘I heard’). And in the third example, the only verb is ‘Yudaa’ibu’ (‘He teases’), and so on.

In the third and last category, there is the harf or particle. As we know, in the English language, we have two particles, namely the definite and indefinite article. However, that is not the case for the Arabic language. In the Arabic language, a particle is any word that does not give a meaning on its own unless it is combined with another word (especially one that is not another particle). For example, let’s take the particle ‘Fee’ (in or inside). Suppose someone comes to you and says ‘Fee’, what can you deduce from that? Nothing! Because the word ‘in’ has no beneficial meaning unless it is combined with another word. But if someone were to say ‘Fee al-masjidi’ (‘In the mosque’), you can understand what he means because the particle was combined with another word. In the seventh example, the particle is ‘’Alaa’ (on). If one takes ‘’Alaa’ alone, no meaning can be derived from it because it expresses nothing, but when it is combined with another word the sense will manifest. Another particle can be found in the last example, and it is the interrogative particle ‘Hal’ (is? or are?); this particle, too, cannot give any meaning unless it is together with another word.

 In conclusion, any Arabic word you may come across falls into either of the three categories; it is either a noun, a verb, or a particle. The essence of this lesson is to familiarize the learner of the Arabic language such a categorization so as to brace him/her up for the lessons to follow.

 

Vocabulary from the examples:

Rakiba = He rode.

Hisaan = Horse.

Sami’tu = I heard.

Naseeha = Advice or counsel.

Yudaa’bu = He teases or plays with.

Qitta = Cat.

Yasta’u = It radiates or shines.

Noor = Light.

Hujra = Room.

Yahsudu = He harvests.

Fallaah = Farmer.

Qamah = Wheat.

Tajree = She/it floats.

Safeena = Ship.

’Alaa = On.

Maa’ = Water.

Ta’kulu = She or it eats.

Shaa = Sheep.

Fool = Beans.

Wa = And.

Sha’eer = Barley.

Hal = Is?

Tuhibbu = You love.

Safara = Journey.

 

[Remember: The prefix ‘al-’ on some of the nouns in the examples is only used to indicate definiteness and it is not part of the noun. E.g Hisaan = Horse, and Al-hisaan = The horse.]

 

 

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I ask Allah to guide us and make it easy for all of us in our quest for knowledge and other affairs. Aameen!