Al-muqaddimah Al-ajurrumiyyah [on the Science of Arabic Grammar]

The Chapter on the ‘AWĀMIL that precede and operate on  the MUBTADA’ and KHABAR

These (‘Awāmil) are three things: Kana and its sisters, Inna and its sisters and Ḍanantu and its sisters.

As for Kāna and its sisters they put the Ism[^51] in a state of Raf‘ and the Khabar in a state of Naṣb - and they are:

كان                          [was (in general)]

أمسى                                    (was in the afternoon or evening/became)

أصبح                                    (was in the morning/became)

أضحى                                  (was in the late morning/became)

ظلّ                           (was during the daytime)

بات                          (was during the nighttime)

صار                          (became)

ليس                          (is not)

ما زال                                    (continued/was still)

ما انفكّ                     (continued/was still)

ما فتئ                                   (continued/was still)

ما برح                                   (continued/was still)

ما دام                                    (as long as/for the duration)

as well as what is conjugated thereof (according to the Māḍī, Muḍāri‘ and Amr forms) like:

كان - يكون - كنْ                (was - is/will be - Be!)

أصبح - يُصبح - أصبِحْ           [was - is/will be - Be! (all in the morning)]

You say (for example):

كانزيدٌ قائماً                          (Zayd wasstanding )

ليسعمرٌو شاخصاً                   (‘Amr is notpresent/going )

and what is similar to that.

As for Inna and its sisters they put the Ism[^52] in a state of Naṣb and the Khabar in a state of Raf‘ - and they are:

إنّ                            (Indeed/verily)

أنّ                            (that)

لكنّ                          (but/however)

كأنّ                         (as if)

ليت                          (If only)

لعلّ                           (hopefully)

You say (for example):

إنّزيداً قائمٌ                             (Indeed,Zayd is standing )

ليتعمراً شاخصٌ                    (If only‘Amr is present/going )

and what is similar to that.

The meaning of إنّ and أنّ is for emphasis and corroboration (Taukīd), لكنّ for setting something straight (Istidrāk), كأنّ for comparison (Tashbīh), ليتَ for expressing a wish (Tamannī) and لعلّ for expressing a hope (Tarajjī) or expectation (Tawaqqu‘).

As for Ḍanantu and its sisters they put the Mubtada’ and the Khabar in a state of Naṣb as their two Maf‘ūls - and they are:

ظننتُ                                  (I thought)

حسبتُ **                                 ** (I reckoned/supposed/deemed)

خِلتُ                                    (I supposed/imagined/deemed)

زعمتُ                                   (I claimed)

رأيتُ                         (I regarded/viewed/consider)

علمتُ                                   (I knew)

وجدتُ                                  (I found)

اتخذتُ                                   (I took/assumed)

جعلتُ                                   (I made/made into)

سمعتُ                                   (I heard)

You say (for example):

ظننتُزيداً منطلقاً         (I thoughtZayd to be going )

خلتُعمراً شاخصاً       (I imagined‘Amr to be present/going )

and what is similar to that.