Arabic: Simple Nominal Sentences
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We will now see how to form simple nominal sentences, which is a sentence with the verb "to be". Or isn't it? Because the verb "to be" happens NOT to be translated in arabic, so instead of "I am big", they say "I big".
Let's take a look at an example of such a construction:
- I am big - ('anā kabīrun) انا كبير
The predicate of the sentence, in this case consisting of the adjective "big", appears in its indefinite form, see also the following example:
- The book is big - (al-kitābu kabīrun) الكتاب كبير
Both example we have seen so far are masculine, but we can also form femine examples. In this case we use the feminine form of (kabīr) كبير, which is (kabīra) كبيرة.
- I am big (spoken by a woman) - ('anā kabīratun) انا كبيرة
- The queen is big - (al-malikatu kabīratun) الملكة كبيرة
We don't necessarily have to use an adjective as predicate:
- I am a queen - ('anā malikatun) انا ملكة
- I am the queen - ('anā l-malikatu) انا الملكة
Note that we wrote "l" instead of "al", when the word occurs after a vowel, this is obligatory and is done so the phrase can be pronounced without pause. In fully vocalized writing, this is expressed by putting a "waSl" on the alif of "al". Note that this "l" can also be assimilated by the next letter.
Negation
Negating such nominal sentences is done with (mā) ما, which is placed at the start of the sentence:
- I am not the queen - (mā 'anā l-malikatu) ما انا الملكة
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