Elementary Arabic Syntax 2
Nominative Cases of a Noun: The Actor
What is an actor?
An actor is a noun that is mentioned after an active verb and indicates the doer of the verb. For example: لَعِبَ الصَّغیرُ (the child played.)How many kinds of actors are there?
An actor can be:
• A clear noun, for example: طَلَعَتِ الشّمسُ (The sun rose.)
• A mentioned pronoun, for example: نَجَحتُ في الامتحانِ (I passed the exam.)
• An implied pronoun, for example: التِّلمیذُ المجتهد یَنجحُ (A hardworking student will succeed.)
• An verb that is changed into the infinitive form because of the an preposition, for example:
بَلَغني أنَّکَ نَجَحتَ (It has reached me that you have been saved.)
- Does the verb remain the same if the actor is feminine?
If the actor is feminine the verb is made feminine:
• in the preterite tense by adding a vowel-less tā' to the end of the verb. For example: سافَرَت مَریمُ (Maryam travelled.)
• in the aorist tense by adding the feminine letter to the beginning of the verb. For example:
تُسافرُ مریمُ (Maryam is travelling.)
Does the verb change if the actor is a noun in the dual form?
The dual letters are not added to the verb if the actor is a clear noun in the dual form, rather it remains single. For example: قام الرَّجلان (Two men stood up.)Does the verb change if the actor is a noun in the plural form?
The plural letters are not added to the verb if the actor is a clear noun in the plural form, rather it remains single. For example: تَکَلَّمَ الخطباء (The speakers spoke.)When is it permissible to make the verb masculine or feminine?
A verb can be put into the feminine or masculine form in three cases:
• If the actor is feminine and is separated from the verb, for example: سافرت أو سافر الیومَ مریمُ (Maryam traveled today.)
• If the actor is an unnatural feminine, for example: أثمَرَت أو أثمَرَ الشَّجَرَةُ (The tree produced fruit.)
• If the actor is a broken plural, for example: جاءَت أو جاءَ الجواري (The female servants came.)
- What is a sentence comprised of a verb and an actor called?
A sentence that is comprised of a verb and an actor is called a verbal sentence. For example:
نزلَ المَطرُ (Rain fell down.)