Elementary Arabic Morphology 2

Definite and Indefinite Nouns

123. What is an indefinite noun?

124. What is a definite noun?

125. How many types of definite nouns are there?

126. How is an indefinite noun made definite?

127. An indefinite noun is a noun that is common amongst a certain species, not specific to any one of the instances. For example: قَلَمٌ (pen) and بُستانٌ (garden).

128. A definite noun is a noun that indicates a specific instance from a species. For example: القَلَمُ (the pen) and البُستانُ

129. There are six forms of definite nouns:

• Proper nouns: سلیمان (Solomon)

• Pronouns: أنا (I)

• Demonstrative pronouns: هذا (this)

• conjuncts: الذي (he who)

• Made definite by a alif-lām: الرجل (the man)

• Compliment of a prefixed noun : کتابُ الرجل (The man's book)

126. A common noun is made definite in the following ways:

• if an alif-lām is added to it (and the nunation is erased if it was nunated). For example: کتابٌ (a book) becomes الکتابُ (the book).

• if it is contracted with a definite noun (and the nunation is erased if it was nunated). For example: کتابي (my book).