Elementary Arabic Syntax 2

Objective Compliment

  1. What is an objective compliment?
    An objective compliment is a noun that indicates what the verb was performed on and does not change the form of the verb. For example: بری التلمیذُ قلماً (The student sharpened a pencil.)

  2. Where is the objective compliment placed in a sentence?
    It is permissible to write the objective compliment before or after the actor except in the cases where it is obligatory to put the actor first or the cases where it is obligatory to put the objective compliment first. For example: بنی إبراهیمُ البیتَ or بنی البیتَ إبراهیمُ (Abraham built the house.)

  3. When is it obligatory for the actor to come before the objective compliment?
    It is obligatory for the actor to come before the objective compliment if:
    • it would be confused, for example: ضَرَبَ فتاکَ أخي (Your son hit my brother.)

• the actor is a connected pronoun, for example: أکرمتُ الرسولَ (I was generous to the messenger.)

• the objective compliment is an exceptive, for example: لا ینالُ المجتهدُ إلا نجاحاً (He who strives will not reach anything except success.)

  1. When is it obligatory for the objective compliment to come before the actor?
    It is obligatory for the objective compliment to come before the actor if:
    • there is a pronoun connected to the actor that refers to the objective compliment, for example:

کَرَّمَ السَّیَّدَ عبدُهُ (The master's slave was generous to the master.)
• the objective compliment is a connected pronoun and the actor is a noun, for example:

عَذَّبَني المَرَضُ (The sickness is torturing me.)
• the actor is an exceptive, for example: ما عالجَ المَریضَ إلا الطبیبُ (Nothing can cure the disease except the doctor.)

  1. When is it obligatory for the objective compliment to come before the actor and the verb?
    It is obligatory for the objective compliment to come before the actor and the verb if:
    • the objective compliment is one of the words that only come at the beginning of a sentence, for example a conditional noun or an interrogative noun. For example: مَن رأیتَ (Who did you see?)

• the objective compliment is a separated pronoun, for example: إیاک نَعبُدُ (We worship you.)

  1. Do some verbs take more than one objective compliment?
    Yes, some verbs take more than one objective compliment. Most of the verbs that have the meaning of giving take more than one objective compliment. For example: أعطیَ الغنيُّ الفقیرَ مالاً (The rich person gave the poor person money.)