Lesson 9- Equational Sentences

The simplicity of equational sentences in Arabic combined with the lack of the words "is" "am" or "are" makes equational sentences a challenge even for experienced Arabic students.  Long sentences can sometimes be impenetrable for non-native speakers who are unable to find out where the word "is" should go.  The key is to know the vowels of the words which are not normally written in Arabic.  However, we are using the English alphabet and do not have this problem.

Equational sentences using two nouns

The verb "to be" should be inserted in the English translation between two nouns or noun phrases that have the opposite kind of definiteness from each other (definite "the" verses indefinite "a").

Let's review definite and indefinite nouns:
kitaab  a book  (indefinite)
L-kitaab  the book  (definite)

rajul  a man          (indefinite)
r-rajul  the man     (definite)

shams  a sun           (indefinite)
sh-shams  the sun    (definite)

The basic structure goes like this:

[Definite]  is  [indefinite].
[The (subject)] is [a ______. ]

In an equational sentence, the subject is almost always definite and the "predicate," called "xabar" or "news" in Arabic, is almost always indefinite.


The man is a sun.
[(a)r-rajul] [shams.]
[The man] is [a sun]

The sun is a book.
(a)sh-shams     kitaab.
the-sun           a book


The woman is a sun.
(a)L-mar'a       shams.
the-woman      a sun

The man is here.
(a)r-rajul         huna.
the-man           here