Q & A

   النَّكِرَةُ                                الْمَعْرِفَةُ
(definite article: al)      (indefinite article)
قَمَرٌ                                       الْقَمَرُ
وَلَدٌ                                         الْوَلَدُ
بِنْتٌ                                        الْبِنْتُ
شَمْسٌ                                     الشَّمْسُ
سَطْرٌ                                      السَّطْرُ
صَيْدٌ                                       الصَّيْدُ
دَوْلَةٌ                                       الدَّوْلَةُ

مُذَكَّرٌ                                           مُؤَنَّثٌ
(femininie)                           (masculine)

كاتِبٌ                                         كاتِبَةٌ
لاعِبٌ                                        لاعِبَةٌ
رَئيسٌ                                       رَئيسَةٌ
وَزيرٌ                                       وَزيرَةٌ
تِلْميذٌ                                        تِلْميذَةٌ
أُسْتاذٌ                                        أُسْتاذَةٌ
مُديرٌ                                        مُديرَةٌ
مُهَنْدِسٌ                                    مُهَنْدِسَةٌ

Q:

What's the difference between:

1. Laa

2. Lan

3. Lam

4. Laisa

A:

Laa : no

Lan: will not, shall not

Lam: did not, have not (past participle)

Laisa: is not

Examples:

Hal tudakhin(u)       (do you smoke?)

Laa                     (no)

Hal sa taf'alu dalika   (will you do it/that?)

Laa, lan af'ala dalika  (no, I will not do it / won't

do it)

(Note the last sound in af'ala is a and not u; all verbs following lan end in a .)

Hal sharibta min hada (a)l haleeb(i)

(Did you drink from this milk?)

Laa , lam ashrab minhu

(no, I didn't drink from it)

(Note the verb following lam ends in sukoon, i.e. ashrab, not ashrabu, or ashraba, or ashrabi)

Lam ashrab, aktub, al'ab, asma', aqul, adhab;

Lam amshi, ara, ad'u, …

(Verbs with long vowels at the end lose the length of the vowel: i:  becomes i, u: becomes u; a: becomes a)

Hamid laisa fee (a)l bait(i)  (masc., singular)

Hamid is not at home / in the room.

Salima laisat fee (a)l bait   (fem., singular)

Salima is not at home / in the room.

Hamid wa Salima laisaa (with a long a) fee (a)l

bait      (dual, masc.)

Hamid and Salima are not …

Halima wa Salima laisata (with a long a) fee (a)l

bait      (dual, fem.)

Halima and Salima are not …

Al awlad(u) laisu (long u) fee…  (masc., plural)

The boys are not …

Al banat(u) lasna fee ….     (fem. , plural)

The girls are not …

Q:
Can you teach us something about Arabic grammar?
For example why is it Alhamdu lillahi not Alhamdu lillaha or Alhamdu lillahu.
Thanks

A:

It is alhamdu lillahi   because of     li   before llahi
We call these: huruf aljarr
Examples:
ma'a  (with)          
    ana ma'a arrajuli    (I am with the man.)
ela       (to)       
    dahaba ela almadrasati   (He went to school.)
li          (to, for)        hadihi  libintihi            (This is for his daughter.)
hatta     (until)           hatta assabahi        (until the morning)
bayna   (between)     bayna albayti wal madrasati  (between the house and the school)

Q:
So if there is a harfu jar before the noun, the noun must end with a kasrah.
Did I get it right?

A:

That's right, Friend. That's the general rule. The exception is with nouns called mamnou' u assarf. I myself don't know all about this. But let me give you just one example:
ana dahibun 'inda shayma a (and not shayma i) (I'm going to Shayma's.)
Hope you'll find explanations for that elsewhere. But don't worry, that's the exception.

For example :

A : maa ismuk

      What’s your name ?

B :  ismee bill

      My name is Bill.

maa    corresponds to What’s

ism corresponds to  name

uk    corresponds to  your

ee    corresponds to  My

A : maa ismuk

      What’s your name ?

B :  ismee bill

      My name is Bill.

A : kam sinnuk

      How old are you ?

B : sinnee thalaathoona sana(tan) (Items between (...) are optional)

      I’m thirty years old.

A :  maada ta'mal(u)

       What do you do ?

B :  anaa muhandis(un)

      I am an engineer.

A :  aina ta'mal(u)

       Where do you work ?

B : anaa a'malu fee baarees

      I work in Paris.

A :  hal anta faransee  

 

       Are you French ?

B : laa lastu faransiyan

     No, I am not French.

A :  min aina anta    (masc.)

                     anti    (fem.)

       Where are you from ?

B :   anaa amreekee

        I am American.

A :   hal anta mutazawij   (masc.)

            anti  mutazawija (fem.)

       Are you married ?

B :  laa anaa 'aazib    (or   a'zab)    (masc.)

           anaa 'aazibaa                       (fem.)

        No, I am single.

A :  aina anta (a)l aan 

     

      Where are you now ?

B :    anaa fee manzilee

        I am in my house.

                at home.

A : hal ta'malu fee manzilika  am fee (al) maktab(i)

       Do you work in your house (at home) or at the office ?

B : anaa a'malu  feehimaa ma'an

       I work  in both (of them).

A :    ila lliqaa

        See you !

B :   ila lliqaa   

        See you !