Lesson 2 - The Nominal Sentence الجملة الاسمية

There are 2 types of sentences in the Arabic language:

1. Al Jumlatu al Ismiyyah ( the nominal sentence )

2. Al Jumlatu Al Fi’liyyah ( verbal sentence )

Just by looking at the names of these two, they tell you what it is about. Nominal comes from “noun”, so that means that a jumlah ismiyyah is any sentence that starts with a noun. If you look at the first word in the sentence and see that it is a noun, then you know that this is a nominal sentence. And if the first letter is a verb, then it is a verbal sentence / jumlah fi’liyyah.

A jumlah ismiyyah is made up of two things:

Mubtada – subject. مبتدأ

Khabar – predicate. خبر

AL MUBTADA’

There are certain characteristics of the mubtada:

a) The mubtada ( subject ) is from the Arabic word ‘Al Ibtidaa’ ‘ which means the beginning or starting, and from its origin is that it comes at the beginning of a sentence.

b) it is an ism which is the subject of talk or discussion

c) al mubtada’ is marfoo’, meaning it takes dammah or dammatan on the last letter of the ism.

d) The mubtada’ in its origin precedes the khabar ( predicate )

e) al mubtada’ in its origin is ma’rifah ( definite )

AL KHABAR

Just like al mubtada’, also al khabar has certain characteristics:

a) al khabar is that which comes after the mubtada’ ( subject )

b) al khabar gives information about the subject, and by which it completes a benefit with the subject

c) the khabar in its origin is nekirah ( indefinite )

d) the khabar is marfoo’, meaning, it takes dammah or dammataan on the last letter of the ism.

An example of a jumlah ismiyyah is:

Allahu qadeerun –

الله قديرٌ ,

meaning – Allah is All-Powerful.

Allah is the mubtada since it is the first word; here Allah is being spoken about.

The khabr then informs us about Him, i.e. that He is All-Powerful.

Note: these are general rules and of course there is more to it but this is like a first step towards making and understanding simple sentences.

Let's see more examples:

الوَلَدُ قَصِيرٌ.

The boy is short.

الْقَلَمُ مكْسُورٌ .

The pen is broken.

Note: these are examples only for the singular masculine nouns, for the singular feminine the khabar will be feminine

Difference between a Sentence (جُــمْــلَــةٌ) and a phrase (شِــبْــهُ جُــمْــلَــةٍ)

A sentence is a group of words that provides a complete meaning and sense.

Example:

أنا بَشَرٌ.

(I am a man.)

The above group of words provides a complete meaning.

A phrase is a group of words that does not provide us a complete meaning or sense. Phrase is incomplete in meaning.

Example:

عَلى الجِدَارِ (on the wall)

The above group of words lack the meaning. Like a simple question to this phrase can be “What is there on the wall ?”. Thus it needs an answer to make it meaningful.

NOTE: DO NOT continue other lessons in order to haste with learning until the subject that you were learning sits, which inclues vocabulary and the definiteness and indefiniteness.

The khabar can be a single word and can be a shibhu jumlah and in the example above, the khabar would be 'ALA AL JIDARI