Elementary Arabic Morphology 2

Conditional Words, Interrogative Words and Adverbial Nouns of Time or Place

  1. What is a conditional word?

  2. What are the conditional words?

  3. What is an interrogative word?

  4. What are the interrogative words?

  5. Where is a conditional or question word used in a sentence?

  6. What is an adverbial noun of time or place?

  7. How many kinds of adverbial nouns of time or place are there in regards to their vowel signs?

  8. What are the indeclinable adverbial nouns of time or place?

  9. A conditional word is a noun written before two sentences indicating that the result of the second sentence is conditional upon the first sentence. For example: إذا درستُ تنجح (if you study you will succeed)

  10. Conditional words are: مَن (whoever), ما (whatever), مَهما (whatever), مَتیَ (whenever), أیّان (whenever), أین (wherever), أنَّیَ (whenever**),** حَیثُما (however), کَیفُما (however), أيُّ (whichever). All of these words are indeclinable except أيُّ which is declinable.

  11. An interrogative word is a noun which is used to ask about something. For example: مَن هَذا؟ (Who is this?)

  12. Interrogative words are: مَن (who), مَن ذا (who is this), ما (what), ماذا (what), کَم (how much), and أيُّ (which). All of these words are indeclinable except أيُّ which is declinable.

  13. All conditional words and question words are written at the beginning of the sentence.

  14. An adverbial noun of time or place is a noun that indicates time or place. For example: تاجِر حیثُ أخوکَ مقیمٌ (Sell wherever your brother is settled.)

  15. There are two types of adverbial nouns of time and place regarding their vowel signs:

• Indeclinable: حَیثُ and أمسِ (yesterday).

• Declinable: قَبل (before) and بَعد (after).

  1. Indeclinable adverbial nouns of time and place are:
    • Adverbial nouns of place: حَیثُ, لَدُن (near), لَدی (at), أین, هُنا

• Adverbial nouns of time: إذ (whenever), أمسِ (yesterday), مُذ (since), مُنذ (since), قَطُّ (never), لمّا (when,since), أیّان (when), مَتیَ, and الان (now)

• Adverbial nouns of both time and place: أنَّیَ