Language/Standard-arabic/Grammar/Formation-and-usage

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Standard Arabic Grammar → → Formation and usage

Standard Arabic is the modern version of Classical Arabic, which was first used in the 7th century. While it is primarily used in the Middle East and North Africa, it is also an official language of the United Nations.

In this lesson, we will learn about the formation and usage of Standard Arabic.

Consider exploring these related pages after completing this lesson: Definite and indefinite articles & Adjectives.

Nouns

In Standard Arabic, nouns are either masculine or feminine, and the gender of the noun determines the form of the articles, adjectives, and verbs used with it. Generally, nouns that refer to males and animals are masculine, while nouns that refer to females and objects are feminine.

Definite and indefinite articles

The definite article in Standard Arabic is "الـ" (al-), and it is used before nouns to indicate a specific noun. The indefinite article in Standard Arabic is "ـاً" (-an/-un), and it is used before nouns to indicate a non-specific noun.

For example:

Standard Arabic	Pronunciation	English
الكتاب	al-kitaab	the book
كتاباً	kitaaban	a book

Note that the indefinite article follows the noun, and that it takes different forms depending on the gender of the noun.

Masculine and feminine nouns

Masculine nouns in Standard Arabic usually end with a consonant, while feminine nouns usually end with the vowel "-a". However, there are exceptions to these rules.

For example:

Standard Arabic	Pronunciation	English
رجل	rajul	man
امرأة	imra'ah	woman

In addition, there are a number of irregular nouns that do not follow these rules and must be memorized.

Verbs

In Standard Arabic, verbs have two main conjugations: past and present. Verbs also have different conjugations depending on the subject pronoun used.

Present tense conjugation

The present tense in Standard Arabic is formed by adding specific suffixes to the verb depending on the subject pronoun used. The table below shows the present tense conjugation for the verb "يَكْتُبُ" (yaktubu - to write):

Subject pronoun	Present tense suffix	Complete conjugated verb
أنا	-ُ	يَكْتُبُ
أنتَ	-ُ	تَكْتُبُ
هُوَ	-ُ	يَكْتُبُ
هِيَ	-ُ	تَكْتُبُ
نَحْنُ	-ُونَ	نَكْتُبُ
أَنْتُمْ	-ونَ	تَكْتُبُونَ
هُمْ	-ُونَ	يَكْتُبُونَ

Note that the present tense suffixes follow a consistent pattern, with "-ُ" used for the first person singular, second person singular, and third person masculine singular; "-ُونَ" used for the first person plural; and "-ونَ" used for the second and third person masculine plural and the third person feminine plural.

Past tense conjugation

The past tense in Standard Arabic is formed by adding specific suffixes to the verb depending on the subject pronoun used. The table below shows the past tense conjugation for the verb "كَتَبَ" (kataba - to write):

Subject pronoun	Past tense suffix	Complete conjugated verb
أنا	-تُ	كَتَبْتُ
أنتَ	-تَ	كَتَبْتَ
هُوَ	-َ	كَتَبَ
هِيَ	-َتْ	كَتَبَتْ
نَحْنُ	-نَا	كَتَبْنَا
أَنْتُمْ	-تُمْ	كَتَبْتُمْ
هُمْ	-وا	كَتَبُوا

Note that the past tense suffixes follow a consistent pattern, with "-تُ" used for the first person singular, "-تَ" used for the second person singular masculine and feminine, "-َ" used for the third person masculine singular, "-َتْ" used for the third person feminine singular, "-نَا" used for the first person plural, "-تُمْ" used for the second person plural, and "-وا" used for the third person plural.

Future tense conjugation

The future tense in Standard Arabic is formed by adding specific suffixes to the verb depending on the subject pronoun used. The table below shows the future tense conjugation for the verb "سَوْفَ يَكْتُبُ" (sawfa yaktubu - will write):

Subject pronoun	Future tense suffix	Complete conjugated verb
أَنَا	سَـأُ	سَـأَكْتُبُ
أَنْتَ	سَـتَ	سَـتَكْتُبُ
هُوَ	سَـيَ	سَـيَكْتُبُ
هِيَ	سَـتَ	سَـتَكْتُبُ
نَحْنُ	سَـنَــُ	سَـنَــكْتُبُ
أَنْتُمْ	سَـتُــواْ	سَـتُــكْتُبُواْ
هُمْ	سَـيُـواْ	سَـيُــكْتُبُواْ

Note that the future tense suffixes follow a consistent pattern, with "سَـأُ" used for the first person singular, "سَـتَ" used for the second person singular masculine and feminine and third person feminine singular, "سَـيَ" used for the third person masculine singular, "سَـنَــُ" used for the first person plural, "سَـتُــواْ" used for the second person plural, and "سَـيُـواْ" used for the third person plural.

Adjectives

In Standard Arabic, adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Adjectives usually follow the noun they modify.

Adjective agreement and placement

Adjectives in Standard Arabic have three forms: masculine singular, feminine singular, and plural (which is the same for both masculine and feminine). The placement of adjectives in a sentence depends on the emphasis and the style of the sentence. Adjectives can be placed before or after the noun they modify.

For example:

Standard Arabic	Pronunciation	English
كِتَابٌ حَمَرَاءُ	kitaabun hamaaraau	a red book
بَيْتٌ كَبِيرٌ	Table of Contents - Standard Arabic Course - 0 to A1 Course Presentation Introduction to Arabic script Arabic vowels Arabic consonants Basic Arabic phrases Nouns and gender in Arabic Definite and indefinite articles Masculine and feminine nouns Verbs and conjugation in Arabic Present tense conjugation Past tense conjugation Future tense conjugation Numbers and counting in Arabic Cardinal numbers 1-100 Ordinal numbers Everyday Arabic vocabulary Greetings and farewells Colors Days of the week Months of the year Food and drink vocabulary Basic food vocabulary Drinks Arabic customs and traditions Islam and Arabic culture Arabic hospitality Arabic music and entertainment Arabic music genres Arabic dance Adjectives in Arabic Adjective agreement and placement Comparative and superlative Pronouns in Arabic Personal pronouns Possessive pronouns Prepositions in Arabic Basic prepositions Prepositions of time and place Interrogatives in Arabic Question words Question formation Adverbs in Arabic Formation and placement Negation Transportation vocabulary Public transportation Asking for directions Shopping and money vocabulary Money vocabulary Shopping vocabulary Arabic literature and poetry Classical Arabic literature Arabic poetry Arabic calligraphy and art History of Arabic calligraphy Arabic art and architecture Weather vocabulary Basic weather vocabulary Talking about the weather Conditional sentences in Arabic First and second conditional Third conditional and mixed conditionals Passive voice in Arabic Formation and usage Differences from the active voice Relative clauses in Arabic Formation and usage Differences from English relative clauses Arabic adjectives and nouns Common Arabic adjectives Compound nouns in Arabic Arabic cinema and TV Arabic cinema Arabic TV Arabic fashion and beauty Traditional Arabic dress Arabic beauty and cosmetics Sports and leisure vocabulary Popular Arabic sports Leisure activities Other Lessons THE IMPERATIVE Future Tense Present tense conjugation THE DECLENSION OF THE DUAL Word order Conjugation of the verb to write in the imperfect Learn Arabic Grammar Adjective agreement and placement Be Polite Basic Arabic phrases Table of Contents - Standard Arabic Course - 0 to A1 Course Presentation Introduction to Arabic script Arabic vowels Arabic consonants Basic Arabic phrases Nouns and gender in Arabic Definite and indefinite articles Masculine and feminine nouns Verbs and conjugation in Arabic Present tense conjugation Past tense conjugation Future tense conjugation Numbers and counting in Arabic Cardinal numbers 1-100 Ordinal numbers Everyday Arabic vocabulary Greetings and farewells Colors Days of the week Months of the year Food and drink vocabulary Basic food vocabulary Drinks Arabic customs and traditions Islam and Arabic culture Arabic hospitality Arabic music and entertainment Arabic music genres Arabic dance Adjectives in Arabic Adjective agreement and placement Comparative and superlative Pronouns in Arabic Personal pronouns Possessive pronouns Prepositions in Arabic Basic prepositions Prepositions of time and place Interrogatives in Arabic Question words Question formation Adverbs in Arabic Formation and placement Negation Transportation vocabulary Public transportation Asking for directions Shopping and money vocabulary Money vocabulary Shopping vocabulary Arabic literature and poetry Classical Arabic literature Arabic poetry Arabic calligraphy and art History of Arabic calligraphy Arabic art and architecture Weather vocabulary Basic weather vocabulary Talking about the weather Conditional sentences in Arabic First and second conditional Third conditional and mixed conditionals Passive voice in Arabic Formation and usage Differences from the active voice Relative clauses in Arabic Formation and usage Differences from English relative clauses Arabic adjectives and nouns Common Arabic adjectives Compound nouns in Arabic Arabic cinema and TV Arabic cinema Arabic TV Arabic fashion and beauty Traditional Arabic dress Arabic beauty and cosmetics Sports and leisure vocabulary Popular Arabic sports Leisure activities ◀️ Differences from the active voice — Previous Lesson Next Lesson — Differences from English relative clauses ▶️