Elementary Arabic Syntax 1

Jussive Cases of a Verb

  1. When is a verb put into the jussive case?
    A verb is put into the jussive case when it is preceded by one of the following prepositions:

لَم لَمّا لامُ الﺃمر لاالناهیَة ﺇن ﺇذما مَن ما مَهما ﺃیّ کَیفَما متیَ ﺃینما ﺃیّان ﺃنّی حَیثما

  1. How many kinds of jussive prepositions are there?
    There are two types of jussive prepositions:
    • Four of them put one verb into the jussive case:

    1) لَم for example: لَم یَذهَب ﺃحَدٌ (Nobody came.)

    2) لَمّا for example: تَعَلّمَ القراءةَ وَ لَمّا یَکتُب (He learned to read and has not written yet.)

    3) لامُ الﺃمر for example: لِتَطِب نَفسُک (You must become happy, yourself.)

    4) لا النّاهیَة for example: لا تَیاس مِن رَحمَةِ الله (Don't loose hope in Allah's mercy)

• Twelve of them put two verbs after them into the jussive case. The first verb is the conditional verb and the second verb is its answer.

    1) ﺇن for example: ﺇن تَکسَل تَخسَر (If you become lazy you will suffer a loss.)

    2) ﺇذما for example: ﺇذما تَتَعَلّم تَتَقَدَم (Whenever you learn you will advance.)

    3) مَن for example: مَن یَطلُب یَجِد (Whoever seeks finds.)

    4) مَا for example: ما تَتَعَلّم فی الصّغَرِ یَنفَعکَ فی الکِبَر (Whatever you learn in youth will benefit you in old age.)

    5) مَهما for example: مَهما تَامُر بِالخیرِ ﺃفعَلهُ (Whenever you order me to do good I will do it.)

    6) ﺃی for example: ﺃیّاً تُکرِم ﺃکرِم (Whoever you respect I respect.)

    7) کَیفَما for example: کَیفَما تَتَوَجّهُ تُصادِف خَیراً (Whenever you go you will pass by well.)

    8) مَتی for example: مَتی یَصلُح بِاطنُک یَصلُح ظاهِرُک (Whenever your inner-self becomes fixed your outer-appearance will become fixed.)

    9) ﺃینَما for example: ﺃینَما تَذهَب تَنجَح (Wherever you go you will be saved.)

    10) ﺃیّان for example: ﺃیّان تَسالنی ﺃجِبکَ (Whenever you ask me I will answer you.)

    11) ﺃنّی for example: ﺃنّی یَذهَب صاحِب العِلمِ یُکرَم (Wherever a scholar goes he will be respected.)

    12) حَیثَما for example: حَیثَما تَسقُط تَثبُت (Wherever you fall you will stay.)